Great Daddy

Last Saturday, after 92 years, Shay's sweet Granddaddy went to be with the Lord. As a farmer, he lived a long life full of hard work. He definitely deserves eternal rest. Great Daddy, what his 19 great-grandchildren called, was such a precious man (FYI he could call all 19 great grandchildren by name too). I thought of him as a quiet man with a very commanding presence. In a chaotic room full of 40+ family members during holidays I always knew he was in the room just taking in the family he created. Shay's family has always been so special in that we all get together, 4 generations, for every holiday. Our cousin Colbi has been telling me for the last year that Alan Jackson's song "Small Town Southern Man," describes Great Daddy perfectly. Not to be cheesy and use a country song as the basis of this post but Colbi is right, the song really does sound like it was written about our Great Daddy. The song says something like, "his greatest contribution is the ones he leaves behind," and I couldn't help think about how true that was of this family as we all spent the day after he passed in his home. I think it was one of the longest visitation lines people have ever walked through. Everyone who came through made comments about the how family was never-ending. They also said what a beautiful family we had and I couldn't agree more. I am so thankful for the family that Great Daddy and Great Mama founded and I believe I am one lucky girl for marrying into it.

The song also talks about the man only loving one woman. Three weeks ago Shay's grandparents celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. If that doesn't give you chills I don't know what does. In the 12 years I have been a part of this family I have never seen Great Mama go more than 5 minutes without reaching over to touch Great Daddy's hand. I can only imagine how much she is missing that hand and I wonder how many times she has reached next to her just out of habit. They sat in a double recliner for as long as they were able and once he had to move to a lift chair or hospital bed she inched her chair as closely as she possibly could next to him. What a love story. They are all I hope my marriage to be.

Shay is 100% the man he is today because of the amazing male role models he has had in his life. I know for a fact that he is truly thankful for his Granddaddy and impact he had on Shay's life. I've done my best, though it doesn't even come close, to express how much Great Daddy was loved, admired and respected. We will definitely miss him and that sweet smirk. We give thanks for his long life and rejoice in the fact that he is finally with his Heavenly Father.

Our Friday Night

This is how we are spending our Friday night........

We are having a sleep over. Well Daddy is planning on sleeping in his own bed but he was sweet enough to pull a matress in the living room for me and the girls to snooze on. We rented Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue from Redbox. Super cute movie. Fun night....hope I get some sleep.

Since we've been gone...

I've been missing from the blog world lately. I don't know why but I just can't seem to find the time to sit and do a blog, but I assure you it is not from lack of trying. So here we go. Buckle up, it is going to be a long one.

Since we've been gone....Both of my sweet girls had their well check ups. We are definitely glad to be back in Dr. Barron's office. Okay, lets start with our big girl. Still hard to believe Mary Selwyn is 3 years old. She still weighs 36 pounds. She has been the same weight for a year. She was 75% in height and weight so I guess her growth is evening out and we are no longer in the 95+ percentiles. She is smart and beautiful and polite. The doctor is always impressed with her. Mary Selwyn got a very unpleasant surprise while were at her check-up. TWO SHOTS!! I told her she wouldn't be getting any shots......boy was I wrong. Apparently there was a shortage of 2 vaccines when she was a baby so she missed the the last 2 and had to make them up. Ouch! She was NOT happy to say the least. A chocolate milkshake eased the pain, but only a little. She should be good on shots until she kindergarten so hopefully I won't unintentionally lie to her next time. The drama factor has definitely been increased since we turned 3. Mary Selwyn loves barbies these days. She also loves Toy Story and all Princess stuff, well rounded right? She is getting really good at drawing, or what I think is good for a 3 year old. She is still my little song bird and I love to hear her sing real or made up songs. Looking at Mary Selwyn is like looking at Shay, but she has my personality 100%.

Now onto Liney girl. Adeline weighed 24 pounds and was 32 inches long. She is our little runt! She was 50% in weight and 75% in height. She can say juice, cracker, more, mine, mommy, dad-dy, papa, meme, grampaka, down, out, poop, gone-gone, shoes, juice, cracker (she says this ALL the time. All she ever wants is a cracker) rock-rock, car, ride, hi, bye, don't know, sit, gum (because big sis always wants gum) meow (does that count as a word) and love you. So love you is more just mimicking the sound and sounds more like "wub woo" but it counts. I'm sure I'm forgetting other words she says...it is getting difficult to keep up because she says a new word (or 10) everyday. My most favorite word she says is "Sissy." It is so cute and sweet and she walks all over the house calling for her sissy. She can also say a few sentence like: I want juice, I want more and I want cracker. She's becoming a smarty pants. Adeline started taking a pacifier when I stopped nursing, not looking forward to breaking that habit either. She calls her paci a "happy" and that makes the habit a lot cuter. She is still very cuddly and loving but she can also be a real bully. She picks on MSN and is a little jealous of her... you wouldn't think I would describe my second child that way but it is the truth. Adeline is such a ham. She is so funny and goofy and has the funniest facial expression. People say she is mommy's mini-me but so far she seems to have daddy's personality!!

My girls have been "fighting" lately. We are getting to the point where they are starting to fight over toys, over mommy, over food and whatever else. You can always tell this is happening because you will hear MSN let out a scream followed by Adeline letting out a big, "MIIIIINNNNEEE." It was bound to happen but they love each other twice as much as they irritate each other. Most of the time they can't even stand to be in separate rooms. I love it. Everyday with my children is such a precious gift and I am loving every minute, even the hard days. The other day I told Shay that I had the best job in the world even if my employees are sometimes difficult.

Since we've been gone...My girls started "school" or Little Lambs (MDO) and they are loving it. Well, Mary Selwyn is loving it. Adeline would rather be with mommy but she is tolerating it. Mary Selwyn would go everyday if she could. She loves to play with other children and get out of the house. Maybe Adeline will learn to love it. I'm glad they are back at First Pres with their sweet staff. This is the best "first day of school" picture I could get of them.

Since we've been gone...My grandparents from Texas and my Uncle Larry from California came to visit. It was such a fun visit because we miss them all so much. It had been way to long since we have seen Uncle Larry. This was the first time he had met Adeline and she loved him. They were instant buddies. Both of the girls enjoyed Nana and Poppy's visit and they keep asking me when they are moving closer???? Hmmmm.... still waiting for that answer. (wink, wink)

Since we've been gone...We have gotten all geared up for football season. War Eagle! The girls sweet "Aunt" Amy made them these Auburn dresses and they couldn't be more perfect.

Since we've been gone...We took our annual family beach trip this Labor Day weekend. It was great. This year, Mary Selwyn finally loved playing in the sand and the waves. Adeline enjoyed the sand, not so much the waves but at least this year we did get to spend some time on the actual beach, not just the pool. However, the sand and salt water are not good on Adeline's skin. It made her eczema flare up again. We went from her skin finally being virtually free of all eczema to her looking like a leopard with all these eczema spots covering her body. Poor thing. The girls had fun playing with their cousins Kate and Kinley and staying up late watching fireworks. It was a fun family trip as always. We are worn slap out.

Okay, I think that is a pretty good wrap up. I will try not to get this far behind again... I've missed blogging!

P.S. If you notice Adeline makes a silly face in almost every picture....that is her "cheese" face. Whose idea was it to teach our children to say cheese when taking pictures?? It makes my kids have silly faces.

Pinkalicious Party

This weekend Mary Selwyn had her Pinkalicious 3rd Birthday Party. Pinkalicious is a story book. If you have a girl and don't own Pinkalicious, GET IT ASAP!! Pinkalicious is a precious story/series that my girls love, especially MSN. We read it to her every night before bed. She can recite the whole book to us so I guess we don't technically "read" it anymore. Since she is a Pinkaholic, this made for the most perfect birthday party. Meme and Papa are always so sweet to host our parties. They probably didn't realize when they built their house it would become the grandkids party palace. Anyway, it was a girls only party. Mary Selwyn was dressed in her Pinkalicious shirt, wings, skirt, crown and "pink-tails." We did make-up, read the book, played pin the cherry on the cupcake and of course ate pink cupcakes. It was so much fun...it is going to be a hard party to top. Mary Selwyn seemed pleased also.

There are a million more pictures from the party and from her actual birthday that i never shared. You can use these links.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2465132&id=7026226&l=8675064252

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2457022&id=7026226&l=874d9c4ab7

Back to the beach

In my last post I briefly mentioned the beach trip we took recently with our best couple friends Adam and Amy and Jeff and Maura. This trip was way too fun not to blog about. We spent 3 days in Orange Beach. The weather was beautiful, the beach was beautiful, the food was fabulous and the company was the best. It was such a fun group dynamic. We all meshed so well and it made it the trip very relaxing and fun. More fun than we have had in a long time. I also haven't laughed like that in forever. We are making this an annual trip, however instead of the beach next year we will be in Iowa for Jeff and Maura's wedding. Yay! Here are just a few pictures..

These pictures were taken at the Flora-Bama... I'm convinced that place is the 8th wonder of the world... it is definitely a place like no other. We had way too much fun with these face in the hole pictures... hilarious!

This picture is a flashback to our Auburn days. Good times but I am thankful that Amy and Maura are in the picture now.It was an awesome trip with great friends and memories. Thanks guys!

Congratulations

This is one of our best friends from Auburn, Jeff. Last night he proposed to this lovely lady, Maura. We were lucky enough to spend last weekend with Jeff, Maura and our other best couple friends Adam and Amy. Jeff and Maura have been dating for 2 years and last weekend was the first time we had actually met Maura (because she has lived in Iowa and Texas...far away from us). Turns out we love her. Actually I already knew I loved her because we have been emailing for the last year and I decided after about two emails that she was fabulous. She is precious and genuine and fun. Perfect our friend who we truly consider family. We love her for who she is and for making Jeff so happy. To see them together is so cute. I am so happy and excited for both of them. Marriage is such a blessing and I can't wait for them to experience it. Congratulations Jeff and Maura! We love you and are thrilled for you both. Welcome to our family of friends Maura... you are a perfect fit. Can't wait for our trip to Iowa next summer!

Mary Selwyn is 3

Hello blog world. I know I have a lot of catching up to do but this move has us very tied up. I won't be catching up today either (but soon I promise) because I will be spending the day celebrating this beautiful girl's 3rd birthday!

Wow, it has been a fast three years! Mary Selwyn has truly been a blessing to our family. She is so smart, sweet and polite. She has fabulous manners and makes Mommy and Daddy so proud. I always appreciate what an "easy" child she is but I especially came to appreciate her this last month when Shay and I were living apart again. She is so fun and loving. She tells us she loves us every 5 minutes. She is very giving with her hugs but says she doesn't like, "kissets." Mary Selwyn is also one of the most appreciative children I have ever met. She never fails to tell you thank you and she really means it when she says it. She has already told me a million times this morning "Oh thank you so much mommy for my presents."

Mary Selwyn definitely looks like her daddy but has her mommy's personality. For Shay I'm sure it is literally like looking in a mirror but is for me too just in a different way. MSN is a people pleaser.... she wants everyone to be happy at all times and doesn't want to hurt any one's feelings. I have been the same way my whole life. She will often ask if you are happy or upset. She is very aware of other people. She is thoughtful and mature and growing up WAY to fast! Happy Birthday Mary Selwyn! We love you big girl.