The Dawgs are Ranked #1

This weekend was Georgia's first game. The opener was against Georgia Southern University (my school). Daniel says we are taking it one game at a time. WOOF!

Mallory and Daniel were dressed and ready. Mom bought this dress for Mal last year but luckily it still fit. She wore it and her purse into town, to breakfast and to the mall. She received many compliments. I forced her to leave my yard shoes at home and to wear her white sandals.

Daniel's shirt was new. Krystial helped me pick it out during our last shopping trip.

These pictures were taken in the early afternoon. As you can see, Mallory was getting ill because she was not smiling and her hair bows were askew. I think she was also tired of having her picture taken.

Mallory's Birthday Pictures

I have shared pictures with you!



To view these pictures, Click on the link https://www.searsphotos.com/?shareid=S206397973lM5NCQ5VV5G

Second Night of Dance/Tumbling Class

Today I came home at 2:30 and Mallory was already dressed for dance class. In fact, that is when I took this picture.

Tonight she immediately walked in without hesitation. Daniel left her and I came in after the first 45 min session. When she saw me, she told me to go in the front to sit on the bench.

While driving home, she tried to show me some of the moves she learned in the dance portion. She kept telling me that you had to point your toes, spread your legs, and bend your knees.

Who wants cookies? Krystial has already signed on. I know you do mom but who else? Each tub has 36 pre-shaped cookies and they are $15.00 each (don't let the price scare you, remember you are supporting Mallory and her fine Georgia education). The money is due on 9/2. If you don't live too far, I will be willing to pick it up. Lealane, we have a bunch of dresses for Olivia--hint, hint. It is the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies--the real good kind. They have all flavors but I am sure you are familiar with the popular kinds.

Mallory At Work

Gluing--Mallory's New Hobby

Since making her family tree, Mallory has found a new love--gluing and cutting paper. She found my old scrap booking paper, which is paper that is all different colors, shapes, and sizes. She cuts it or rips it and then pours the glue on. We have paper everywhere!! This morning she stuck one of her creations in my bag to hang up at work, which I did as soon as I got in.

Family Portrait

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Weekend News

There really is no weekend news. We did very little because Fay kept us from going out. Originally we were scheduled to visit mom this weekend but had to cancel due to the weather. As a result, Mallory and I hardly left the house. Yesterday, keeping with tradition, we went to breakfast. Instead of our usual Jerry J's breakfast, Mallory asked to go to Chic-fil-a. We ate and then went to Wal-Mart for a few essentials. No big deal.

Luckily the heavy rain started after we arrived home. Since we were cooped up, we decided to bake. We made chocolate chip cookies, apple crisp, and more homemade ice cream. Instead of eating regular meals, we just ate junk the entire day. We ate ice cream and cookies for lunch, popcorn for supper and apple crisp in between.

Mallory was given another homework project. We are now working on her "family tree". I'll let you know how that turns out but I think it will be fun. Mallory has just started cutting on her own so I will definitely try to incorporate cutting into the project. I am just worried about encouraging her to cut because I am scared that she will cut her hair or some kind of fabric. I keep reminding her that we only cut paper.

Mallory's party dress came in the mail. She tried it own and it fits perfectly. She is scheduled to have birthday pictures made next week.

Mallory Doing all of the Work

Although my agency allowed us to leave two hours early (due to Fay), I was still too tired to do any housework. Since Mallory is the main mess maker, I made her do the cleaning!

Just kidding, we take turns with the mop and broom, since cleaning is such big fun. Eventually the work gets done with satisfactory quality. Needless to say, I am totally worn out afterwards. Actually, I often wonder if it is even worth it, especially after the next meal.

Mallory's Homework

This week Mallory brought home her first homework assignment. She was given a name plate and a note for me. The note strongly encouraged me to participate in my child's education by helping her learn the letters in her name and how to spell it. I am proud to say that I do participate in her education and have been for a while. As a result, Mallory already knows how to spell her name and she knows ALL letters in the alphabet-lower and upper case.



However, I am now a "peddling" parent. Currently, I am "peddling" cookie dough. I hope to hear from some of you (mom, Lealane, Krystial) regarding how many tubs you want and what kind. All proceeds go toward Daffodil Pre-School.

Dance and Tumbling Class

Tonight was Mallory's first class and she was so excited!! Daniel brought her to my office and together we took her. On the way, I think Mallory started getting nervous. She kept saying things like, "I'm scared", "are you staying?", and "I don't know how to dance and turn flips." When we walked inside, she was hesitant but when the teacher started herding the class to an area upstairs, Mallory went along.

I left to go back to work and returned about 45 minutes later. Daniel, being the awsome dad, stayed to make sure she would be okay. When I came back, he said that she was having a blast. He reported that she was attempting to do some things and going wild during the rest of the time. I am sorry to say that Mallory has no coordination. Should I tell you which side of the family Daniel believes this trait comes from? At least she was the cutest and we know where she got that from!!!!

We learned a lot from this first class. For instance, I don't think Mallory has to wear panties under her leotard and we definitely need to use barrettes for her hair. To make the pantie situation worse, she kept pulling them down!! They were hanging out. I was a tiny bit embarrassed, not to mention her WILD hair.

When we arrived home, all 3 of us were starving. Luckily, I stopped at Chic-fil-a. Mallory ate 6 nuggets and nearly all of her french fries. I ate my entire salad and 4 nuggets and Daniel had a taco salad from Wendy's. We didn't even talk while we ate and Mallory even stayed in her seat!!

p.s. I tried to enhance the second picture but kept getting an error.

Updated

I updated my myspace page. The link is on the right. Check it out.

Mallory's Grocery List

In an attempt to get Mallory to do more writing, I suggested that she start her own grocery list. She still scribbles a lot but has some letter like forms and basic shapes. I know high quality letters are emerging. Anyway we taped her own piece of paper to the refrigerator, just like me. So far she has added, chocolate pudding, cookies, juice boxes and like me has written down mayo, tea, and sugar to her list.

Daniel took this picture over the weekend and I love it. I know that I may be a little biased but you have to admit, she is really pretty and cute.

She will start dance lessons tomorrow night. Over the weekend, I bought her a new leotard. She tried it on but kept insisting that she needed more clothes. I hope she will easily dress for her lessons. Keep your fingers crossed!

Computer Fight

All 3 of us have developed a love for our one somewhat outdated computer. I love to play and look around, Daniel does fantasy racing, and Mallory loves to hit the keyboard and play with the mouse. She also likes to play some online learning games from fisherprice.com. If Mallory suspects that me or Daniel are headed toward the computer, she does her best to run ahead and jump in the seat. Size is to her advantage because she can squeeze by without a problem.

Ms. Mallory

On Wednesday I was desperate to check my e-mail in peace. To entertain Mallory, I lined her dolls up and gave her a book. I told her to read to them. She totally loved the idea and really got into the act--until she saw me with the camera. I couldn't help it. She was so cute!!

Today I walked Mallory into her classroom (we usually go through the drop off line). Anyway, when I walked in the room, the teacher asked me if I considered Mallory to be stubborn. I truthfully answered by saying, "yes". Wouldn't you agree mom? It seems that Mallory does not want to remain seated in the lunchroom, she doesn't go to the bathroom as directed (they want her to at least try) and yesterday she refused to participate in a classroom activity. The teacher said she ended up telling Mallory that if she didn't do the task then she would call me. Mallory conceded. Mallory saw Mrs. Woodard and I talking and stayed nearby to listen. Mrs. Woodard assured me that overall Mallory's behavior is good, just rebellious at times. She said she truly believes that Mallory is testing her and that she didn't think there would be a long term problem. She also said that she has already heard Mallory count, identify shapes, colors, and upper and lower case letters. Daniel and I talked separately to her so I am hoping we will have a better report next week. I guess I will wait to see what else happens before taking further action.

Yum-O

We recently made home made ice cream and as you can see, Mallory couldn't stay out of it. She even wanted to take a picture of it! She loved it. In fact, her and Daniel have been eating it all week. Mallory likes to add sprinkles and chocolate sauce to hers.

Soon you will be seeing pictures of Mallory in leotards and slippers. I signed her up for dancing and tumbling lessons today. She will receive 45 minutes of each every Wednesday starting next week. In the winter, she will be apart of the Nutcracker. I was assured that it will be a big production.

Ms. Mallory, the teacher

Mallory loves playing school, specifically, being the teacher. Here she is teaching me my letters. She holds up one flashcard at a time, right in front of my face. Luckily she knows her letters so she is able to criticize me when I am wrong.

My Big Helper

As you can see, Mallory loves to wash and dry dishes. Last night, I excused myself and when I returned, she had already started drying and putting away dishes. She didn't want any help as she threw (literally) dishes into their cabinets.

Which Party Dress? Please vote!

Which dress do you like better? I am searching for the perfect party dress for Mallory. Her birthday is coming up. Just click on the links below and vote by replying!
Dress # 1 (the cupcake with 3 stripes)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170245441567&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching
or
Dress # 2 (cake with bows)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170242877421&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching

WANTED Blueberry dishes

My co-worker's nephew was selling gallons of blueberries. He needed the money to buy school clothes, so how could I resist?

Now we have a lot of blueberries but not a lot of recipes. If you have something good, please e-mail it or reply so we could try it.

In this picture, Mallory and I are making blueberry muffins.

Just Finished

reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It was a really good book about a traveling circus in the early 1930's. The story is told by Jacob who is in his early 90's and living out his life in a nursing home. His recollections of his times in the circus are what make the book fab but the descriptions of his life in the nursing home were depressing.

Thanks Mrs. Janice for leading me to this book. Do you have any other suggestions?

Days 3 & 4 At Pre-K

On the third day, I finally was able to talk Mallory into wearing my favorite outfit. It was the pink shirt and plaid bermuda shorts. Of course, it didn't take her long to get dirty so I had to scrub her shirt clean before leaving. On the fourth day, Mallory chose to wear this outfit from Target. The Circo brand tends to fit her well. From this picture, you can see that she also let me put her hair in pigtails, my favorite. In the picture she has a chicken nugget in her mouth, yes, I know--a healthy breakfast!
Both mornings, she has asked if she could ride the school bus. I keep telling her that the school bus is yucky, hot, and dirty. She doesn't seem to believe me.

Mix Up at Pre-K

Today when Daniel arrived to pick Mal up from school, he was given a surprise. Actually a shock, a big shocker. Mallory, a car rider (of course), was put on the bus!!! Luckily, Daniel arrived just in time (meaning seconds before the bus was due to pull out). Apparently, Mallory was seated, buckled in, and the bus had already shut its doors. Needless to say Daniel was VERY unhappy. In fact, he immediately called me to inform me of this situation. The worst part: Mallory was mad. She was mad because she wanted to stay on the bus!! When Daniel and I were on the phone, I could hear her crying in the background!!! She was also chanting, "I want to ride the school bus."
I walked Mallory to her room yesterday morning. When we arrived, many children were already there. She immediately started playing puzzles with a little girl. After a few seconds of puzzles, Mallory asked the girl, "do you want to play with dolls?" and the little girl responded, "there over there, come on." I followed Mallory to tell her bye but before I could say anything she said, "I stay here, you go to work." Mallory had so much fun at school that she didn't want to come home. In addition, she awoke REALLY early this morning, asking if we could get up and get dressed for school.

Above are two pictures taken this morning. This outfit is also new. It was given to Mallory by her Grandma Brown.

Mallory Starts Pre-K

Here are two pictures of Mallory before leaving to attend Pre-K for the first time.

For the occasion, she wore new shoes, new socks, new outfit, new panties, new hair bows, and new barrettes.

More news about Pre-K tonight.

Mallory Bakes Brownies

Today Mallory and I caught a sweet tooth and decided to bake some brownies. Mallory loves to cook and I believe she has talent regarding this area. For example, as she was stirring the batter, she had the bright idea to add sprinkles into the mixture, which of course we did.

The lucky recipient of these brownies was Papa Sammy. We took him some this afternoon and he was thrilled to see us. Mallory loves daddy and enjoys playing with Sam (his 4 year old son).

Daddy is doing well and looks good. He complained about the heat but nothing else.

Candy Land Anyone??

Mallory loves to play Candy Land. She sets the game up by herself and then calls me when she is ready. Mallory is not a real stickler for rules. In fact, she prefers not to follow them. We take turns drawing cards and we place our man on the appropriate color but we don't follow the correct sequence. In this picture, she set up the game while I was checking my e-mail. We play at least once a day for a few minutes each time.

Mallory Plays Dress Up

Guess who she is dressing up as? Yes, its me. In the past, she has begged me to wrap a towel around her hair but we just discovered that it has finally grown long enough.

This robe was given to Mallory by her Uncle Greg, Aunt Shelley, and cousin Blake for Christmas. She loves it and I think it is too cute on her!!

In the background you can see that Daniel is playing Nintendo. Big surprise!!