My Baby Is Growing Up

Warning for Lealane---DO NOT make a certain comment (I know you are dying to make after reading this title!!!)

Today we went to open house at Mallory's new school. Beginning August 4, 2008, Mallory will be a Pre-K student at D.A.F.F.O.D.I.L. We met her teacher tonight. Her name is Mrs. Woodard and Mallory went right to her and hugged her. Afterwards, she instantly started exploring the classroom. She played in the housekeeping area, built with blocks, pulled out dolls, costumes, and various art supplies. This classroom uses the high-scope curriculum, which focuses on learning through play so it has many different play centers. For example, it has a book center, art center, dramatic play center, computer center, writing table, and a house keeping area. I think this environment is ideal because Mallory still doesn't remain focused on any one activity for longer than 3 minutes. The teacher also told me that they change the room often to reflect themes and holidays. Although they play in centers for about half of the day, they do have small and large group time that will be instruction based so maybe she will learn how to sit still and concentrate!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Today was Daniel's 33rd birthday. Mallory and I helped him celebrate with chocolate cake and dinner from Cypress Creek (Daniel's choice). Mallory was at first mad because it wasn't her birthday or her cake but cheered up when Daniel told her she could blow out the candles. We bought Daniel a new Georgia Bulldog t-shirt. Supposedly they are going to be real good this year.

Mallory's Surprise Visitor

Today we had a surprise visit from Grandpa. Mallory was at first shocked and a little confused but it didn't take her long to adjust. She talked, tickled, played, and read books with Grandpa.
Steve was driving through town so he was able to stop by. Since this was a surprise, our house wasn't really prepared for any guests. For example, we only had sandwiches and chips to eat and our house was a little messy. Needless to say, Grandpa found refuge in a nearby hotel.

Aunt Peggy, do you recognize this book? You should it came from you and it is one of Mal's favorites!!

Mallory In Trouble

For ugly behavior, Mallory got sent to her room this afternoon. After a few minutes of hearing nothing, I went to investigate. This is what I found. As you can see, she wasn't even in her room! She was lying in the hallway. I don't know if you can see, but beside her feet are some of her favorite toys, her Barbie cell phone, the phone that Aunt Kristy calls all of the time, and her Barbie car keys that is equipped with remote keyless entry.

Day 4 in Clearwater---Time To Go

We didn't do anything on day 4 except pack up and leave. Ironically, this is the only day that Mallory slept till 8:00. Figures doesn't it??

We had a lot of fun on this vacation. In fact, Daniel dubbed it, "the best vacation ever."

Clearwater Beach definitely deserves it's title as a family friendly destination. The water was very calm and they till and moisten the sand every morning so that it doesn't flip up on you as you walk. There was also no noticeable under toe or current. In addition, there was also a huge playground in front of the main beach entrance with 4 different large playgrounds, including a bouncy house and slide. The pier atmosphere was even family oriented. It had clowns, jugglers, artisans, and magic shows. I even saw a talking parrot, which Mallory was scared of.

Beside Gulf Blvd. there was a large concreted sidewalk on both sides so there was plenty of room for pedestrians. The only complaint I had was that the beach accessed restrooms were either or. I prefer a separate ladies room.

Mallory was really tired. Before we got on the interstate, we stopped at Cracker Barrel. We left the restaurant at 10:00 and Mallory was asleep by 10:15. She was only awake for about 2 hours before she fell back asleep.

Mallory's Play at the Beach

This is a video of Mallory playing at the beach. The sound is off due to the wind but you will be able to obtain a full visual effect. Each time she ran into the water, she stopped to reassure me that she would not go to far. There are a couple of girls in this video, she met while walking along the shore. These girls did not speak English but they understood each others' gestures. They seemed to have gotten along well and Mallory was really sad when they left. Please don't assume that Mallory slept well while on this vacation. This video will demonstrate how hard she played but I want you to understand that her sleep pattern did not change. She still did not want to take a nap and she certainly didn't sleep late in the mornings.

Day 3 in Clearwater

Our third day in Clearwater was nearly the same as the previous days. Mallory awoke early--again and again we headed straight for the beach. In the first picture, you can see the excitement on Mallory's face. She truly loved the beach and begged go at every waking moment.
The third day was hotter so Daniel spent a lot of time in the water. I thought this was perfect because I really wanted to lay out. It didn't work out that way because early in the day, Daniel "threw" Mallory to me. She went a little higher than expected and complained that, "daddy threw me like a sack of tators" After that she didn't want to swim with him.




The third picture is of Mallory playing in the sand. Sand play never got old, especially if she had someone fetching water for her.

As before, we returned to the beach that evening. As I was walking around the shoreline, I talked to someone who had found a sand dollar. I asked her where she found it and she told me she had to dig for it under the water. She said she used her feet. Grandpa, I really tried to find us one. I was going to ship it to you and everything but I wasn't lucky enough to find one. The fourth picture is evidence that I really did try.

We also watched the sun set again. This activity could never get old in my opinion.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I will post a video of Mallory playing on the beach.

Day 2 in Clearwater

Day 2 started really early. Mallory awoke at 7:20, I got up and cooked breakfast, Daniel showered and ate, and we were out the door by 8:30. Before heading to the beach, we made 2 stops. We bought a bag of ice and some sand toys from Target. We arrived at the beach at 9:15.

Mallory's first activity was to play in the sand. This held her interest for maybe five minutes then she was ready to swim. In the second picture, you can see that Daniel took the first shift. We had to stay close to Mallory because she wasn't afraid of the water and as a result, would just keep going out further.
During this trip I did several things that I thought I never would do again. First, I went swimming in the ocean. I am not talking about me getting my feet wet. I mean I went past my waist deep. It was worth it though, because Mallory really had a great time. I also sat in the sand, not just played, but I got sand on and in my bottom from sitting. At first I tried squatting but even for my muscled legs it became too much.

I was really proud of Mallory. She was very brave and did not mind being tossed around by waves or having water in her face. I guess our presence made her feel safe.

DaY 2 In Clearwater, Part 2

The second day ended with an evening excursion back to the beach. First we hit the pier and walked around. We did this before eating dinner, as you can see Mallory was unable to wait. She proclaimed that she was "starving" so we caved and bought a push-up. As we were walking out on the pier, we were warned that seagulls would try to take the ice cream so Mallory ate it as fast as she could.

Mallory made us very nervous because she liked standing near the railing to look out at the sea. We decided it would be best to hold her as much as possible.

After eating at McDonald's, Mallory's choice, (remember calories don't count so I ate french fries and a fish fillet sandwich), we changed into our bathing suits and swam.

We stayed to watch the sun set and it was beautiful. Grandma, we never saw the sun rise but the sight of the sun setting was spectacular. I wished you could have seen it. I know you would have loved it.

Day 1 in Clearwater

We left Wednesday night and crashed at mom's. We arrived at her house late and slept till around 7:20 am Thursday. Before leaving town, we visited mom at her work and then we ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I had the blueberry pancakes and they were so good. Mallory also loved their sausage. We arrived in Clearwater around noon. First we swam and played in the pool area of our hotel. Next, to Mallory's dismay, we took a nap. We were so tired.
After we awoke, we went down to Indian Shores Beach. Mallory was so excited, as you can tell in the first picture. However, once we got down to the water, she instantly became leery. At first, she didn't like having her face wet (like her Grandma Brown, I guess) but luckily she quickly got over this. She stripped her clothes and literally left us.
As you can see in the third picture, it did not take her long to wander off. She bravely entered the ocean and Daniel had to chase her down. She had no fear and no concept that the water was getting deeper. After we swam and played in the water, we drove to Clearwater beach and started searching for a good looking restaurant.
We went to a cafe called, "Frenchies". It was really good. Mallory and I had chicken fingers, pasta and french fries (everyone knows that calories don't count on vacation) and Daniel had shrimp, coleslaw, and onion petals. In the last picture, Mallory was inpatient for her food so to preoccupy her, Daniel started snapping pictures. I really like this picture of us.

Favorite Photo # 5

This picture was taken on Easter, 2007. Grandma Brown bought the dress, which I thought was perfect. Mallory loved it. It was unusually cold that year so she had to wear tights. Luckily we had white patent leather shoes that fit and matched. I love this picture because Mallory looks like a model posing for the camera, her stance is perfect. I just wished she would have smiled or at least kept her mouth shut.

All of my favorite photos are pictures that stand out. They are special and remind me of fun times. I have been very selective. I hope you are enjoying them.

Favorite Photo #4

I love this picture. It has taken me a while to find it but I think it is definitely worth the wait. In this picture, Mallory is modeling her very first pair of sunglasses that were given to her by her Grandma Brown. I think she looks like a superstar!! Her hair is curly and chic messy and her sunglasses have rhinestones. It makes me think of the song that my Grandma use to sing. Remember Grandma, something about being Mrs. Hollywood??

Just Finished Reading......

I just finished Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. It was an awesome book!! The best book that I have read in a while. I really enjoyed it and if you like chic lit, you should definitely read it.

I have read all of the books on my summer 2008 reading list except Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot. If you have this book, please let me know. I would really like to borrow it.

Tired Little Girls

This is what happens when 4 little girls play with their Grandma Brown. They conk out!!! To be fair, the morning started very early. Grandma came last night and Mallory and Kirsten awoke at 4:45 am ready to play. Being the good daughter that I am, I didn't allow them to wake Grandma up until 6:15. I guess they played, not real sure since I stayed in my room, with the door closed.
At around 8:45 we dressed and went to Chic-fil-a. We ate and played for while. Mallory, Cady, and Becky rode home with me. However, before we went home, I stopped to go through a car wash. At first the girls didn't know what to think but soon found it "cool". They wanted to go back in. Vacuuming with 3 girls in car seats was nearly impossible but I managed. We ate lunch at 12:00 and I made the girls lay down at 12:30. It took them awhile to fall asleep but it was totally worth it. The peace was so nice and relaxing.

New Video

This video begins when Mallory spotted Grandma's car coming down the road. As you will see, Mallory got very excited. I couldn't even keep up with her.

When I Get Home......

Here are some pictures of what was waiting for me when I got home yesterday. This is a typical day. Mallory puts on a pair of my flip flops, yesterday was my "yard shoes", she carries her huge rabbit purse, one or two baby dolls and tells me, "let's go!" We pretend to drive somewhere by sitting on the step near the foyer and the computer room. She gets her Barbie keys, holds them up to start the car and pushes her foot down. She also steers an imaginary wheel. Usually she likes to go to the beach, Chic-fil-a, or Jerry J's (a country cafe in town).

Happy July 4!!

This photo was taken on 7/4/08 at around 9:30 pm. We were waiting for the fireworks to start. At first Mallory was leery about holding the sparkler but she quickly changed her mind when she saw other kids playing with them.

Braves Lose

Daniel and I attended the Braves game on Thursday, 7/3/08. They played the Phillies and lost 4-1. The score didn't bother me. In fact, I think I could sit and drink all night regardless. My husband, however, is the total opposite. His mood started changing after the Phillies' first home run and quickly turned sour after their second and third home runs.

Favorite Photo # 3

Happy Birthday Grandma! The girls couldn't wait until after dinner to sing and little Danny just wanted cake. We had mom's cake several hours before dinner. I hope you are not thinking that mom actually blew out these candles!! Notice that the two biggest girls fought their way to the front. Although I did not have 50 + candles, we did have enough for everyone to pull one out and lick the frosting! You can't see him but little Danny is on mom's right, beside Mallory. I guess he wasn't big enough to squeeze in. Melissa probably thought he would get hurt inside this war zone.

Atlanta Bound

We will be leaving today, around noon, to go to Atlanta. We will be visiting Turner Stadium, Stone Mountain and I think the aquarium. While Daniel and me are at the game, Mallory will be staying with her Papa Don and Grandma Ann. We are expecting to return on late Saturday night.

Favorite Photo #2

As everyone knows, this picture is of me, my sister, and my dad. I guess this picture is special because I'm rarely in any pictures. I am usually the one who takes the pictures plus everyone else primarily focuses on the children. This picture was taken at Mallory's fourth birthday party. We had ordered pizza and rented a big bouncer. Everyone spent a lot of time outside watching the kids jump. The party was a huge success and everyone had fun. I think Daniel took this picture.

Favorite Photo #1

Since I still don't have a new camera, I thought I would share some of my all time favorite pics. Here is a picture of me holding Mallory for the first time. I don't remember much about my labor because I was overdosed on pain meds. In a way I was very lucky, Mal didn't suffer any harmful effects and I don't remember the pain. However, the medical staff had a hard time keeping me awake during the "pushing" part. This picture was taken by my sister, Kristy.