Hooray, Its Payday

Yep, I got paid today. I LOVE payday! My check is direct deposit and I love seeing money in
my account. I just wished it would stay there. Today, I paid my car payment, our mortgage, other various automatic withdrawls, and paid for our beach rental. I also spent $230 at Wal-Mart. I am officially broke. Must be some kind of record, right???

Wait, its gets worse. I got a phone call this afternoon. It was Memorial Medical Hospital wanting to setup a payment plan for Mallory's upcoming surgery. Can you believe it? I mean she hasn't even had the operation yet!

This picture was taken a few days ago. I really like this outfit and asked Mallory to pose for the picture.

The Monday Blues

This morning, like many mornings, came too early. It was hard to get up but thankfully I had Mallory to help. She was eager to get dressed and leave. This week her daycare is closed so she is staying with my step sister, who has an inground pool.

I paid Julie the same rate that I pay for daycare, which is outrageous. She sent me a text this morning at around 9:30. It said: I'll give you back your check and charge you a $1 for every time Mallory asks if she can go swimming.

This evening I asked Mallory about her swimming adventure. She said, "mama do you remember that time when I touched the bottom and you came and got me." See post labeled "Pool Party Fun" to refresh your memory.

As if I can forget that incident!

Nice Sunday

Since Mallory finished watching the fireworks with Daniel's parents, she spent the night with them. I was able to sleep in, leisurely move around the house, cook breakfast, and washed dishes without chaos. It was so nice. I had completely forgotten those days.

At around 11:30, I had a short run and a longer uphill walk. Managed to get in 4 miles in 45 minutes.

Had lunch with Daniel's family.

Came home, finished reading a stupid book, did laundry, showered, shaved, and have already prepared for tomorrow. Also helped Mal with the letters D and R, which she successfully wrote and we read 2 I Spy books.

Now, Mal and Daniel are in bed and I am about to start another stupid book. See you tomorrow!

All in the Life and Times of Anna T Hamilton--boring huh?

The Spirit of Liberty Celebration

This celebration took place in Patterson, Ga, the hometown to the Raulersons.

Daniel and I met Mallory and his parents over there. We arrived at 8:00 and hung out until the fireworks started at 9:30. As you can see, all of Mallory's cousins were present. In the top photo, Mallory and I are posing with Braydden.

The second photo is of Mallory sitting in MY chair eating MY yogurt (pf course she wants my healthy snack!!)

The third photo is of Braydden, Harlie, and Mallory sharing a shaved ice. I was the lucky one holding it.

Not seen: our oldest nephew, Blake, and Daniel's parents.

Ear Surgery Scheduled

Mallory has a whole perforation in the right air and a sub partial perforation in the left. She will be having the right ear repaired on July 7. We scheduled it as soon as possible so that school and hopefully our beach vacation won't be interrupted. The left ear will follow in a few months.

It is an outpatient procedure and lasts about an hour. It will take her 3-4 weeks to recover. No water near the ear and keeping it dry is a necessity. Hearing will improve as the ear drum matures but 80% will return within the recovery time. The doctor told us that she should be able to return to daycare/school on the following Monday.

There was some concern over the palate repair. If the repair is good then she won't have further problems. However, if it isn't good enough she could have more inner ear problems that will cause fluid build up. This could ultimately lead to more tubes. The tubes would be the last resort. I am trying not to think about this possibility since perforations are the result of the tubes.

New Hair Do's

Mallory and I got our hair cut today. Mallory's hair is now to her shoulders. I think Cheryl chopped off several inches. She also
added layers to help the curl to come back!

My hair was supposed to have been darkened with seriously red highlights. If you are in a grocery store, look at the cover of Glamour. My hair was supposed to have been the color of Sandra Bullock's but turned out a little blonder. I am scheduled to return NEXT Friday to have it darkened. I'm a little pi$$ed right now because I don't want to have to go back nor did I want to have it redone tonight. Who has time for all of this???? Plus it's expensive enough that it should have been done right the first time, especially with a picture as a guide!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow we will be going to Savannah. Mallory is scheduled to have a hearing exam and a consult regarding the perforations in her ears. I'll update you when we return.

Weekend Adventure

On Saturday we went to a Jacksonville Suns game. The Jacksonville Suns is a minor league baseball team. We had access to an air conditioned suite, compliments of Steedley Produce. We had a really good time and enjoyed the game, food, and service.

It took about 1.5 hours to get there an another 1.5 hours to get home. This game was our weekend adventure--so no beach trip to report. I must admit between this game and father's day, I went back to work on Monday more tired than when I left on Friday!

Serving Breakfast

Here is a picture of Mallory bringing Daniel his breakfast on Father's Day. She served him a BLT sandwich.

Doesn't she look happy?

I would have posted last night but our power went out. We had a terrible thunderstorm and stayed dark for a little while. Mallory still does not understand this concept. Tonight she asked me if our hair dryer was working yet.

Favorite Photos of dad and daughter

I think you have seen most of these before. These are my absolute favorites of Daniel and Mallory. I am glad that Father's Day is over. I made each dad a dessert (this morning), went shopping for them, and visited everyone.

A Great Father

All great fathers have a very important task on Christmas Eve (besides paying for the loot). They are responsible for assembling the toys!! Since Daniel is an awesome father, he takes this duty seriously, as you can see....

Father's Day Video

Here is the video that I had originally planned to upload. I don't really remember much about his video but I think Daniel was truly sleeping. I laughed so loud when I first watched it that Daniel got up to see what was so funny.

I love seeing Mallory when she was so little. I miss her being that age!!

Happy Father's Day

In honor of father's day, I want to share my favorite pictures of Daniel and Mallory.

These two pictures were taken in September of 2005. At this time, Daniel was studying karate.

This picture was taken immediately after Daniel received his second belt.

I love looking at these old pictures. I love Mallory's hair. It was nothing but curls and it stayed on top of her head. She was short and pot-bellied back then. She is no longer short because her legs seem to be as long as mine but she still has a pot belly. Hard to believe isn't it?

Finished

I finished my puzzle on Saturday. Miraculously there were no pieces missing.

Tomorrow--Father's Day tributes will begin!

Beach Fun: 6/14/09

Yep, we went back to the beach. I am proud to say that my daughter is a beach lover like me. She may look like her daddy but she loves the beach and she loves to eat--just like me. She also likes road trips--another trait of mine.

This was a special trip because Daniel went with us. Mallory enjoyed playing in the ocean and building sand castles with him.

Pool Party Fun

Yesterday we all went to a pool party. The girls had a blast!! As you can see, Kristy went swimming with the girls. I stayed alongside the pool, which worked out good because one of them had to use the bathroom every ten minutes.

All 3 girls are completely independent with some type of flotation device. Mallory is fairly brave. After eating a hamburger, she walked into the pool without her floaties. She bobbed up and down a few times before I jumped in, with my Reef flip flops and bathing suit cover on, to save her. When I got out, I was soaking wet but at least my child lived to tell the tale. She has done this with Daniel too. Its like she has no fear.

Singing and Dancing

Here is a video of Mallory and Kirsten singing and dancing. For Christmas mom bought them a star station, a gadget that hooks up to the tv so they can watch themselves as they sing and dance. Well worth the money!

The Strangest Thing

Tonight Mallory chose to eat at Pizza Hut. As we were sitting down, the strangest thing happened. The Raulerson's arrived. They sat with us and the nicest thing I can say is that we were entertainment for the rest of the customers. Mallory played duck duck goose, Kirsten was tagged her (several times), and Cadee pulled up her dress and yelled, "everybody look at my panties!"

Another strange thing: Kirsten had her suitcase packed, her special quilt made by Grandma Yeager, and her pillow. It only seemed natural for her to spend the night.
Cadee had other special plans. She was visiting another aunt, someone who had a present for her!

After baths we played beauty shop. I painted everyone's fingers and agreed to paint toes tomorrow.

Weekend Plans

Not sure yet but something fun will be included.

Check blog later tonight, might post something else!!!

Playing Animal Scramble

Animal Scramble is a fun game where you tag animals. The game includes one big giraffe, which is the animal that does the tagging, and four small animals (these are the animals that you tag). The four small animals are supposed to be spread out and the giraffe tells you which animal to tag.

Last night Mallory and I played. I spread the 4 small animals throughout the house. For those of you who have visited us, you know our house is long. I had one animal in the laundry room, the parrot in the kitchen, the monkey in my bedroom, and the lion in the living room corner. It was so funny because she was running everywhere as fast as she could. She was a good sport and laughed the entire time. When it was my turn, she did the same thing. She hid the animals in four different rooms. I was running so much that I nearly became out of breath.

p.s. can tell how flat footed she is????? I wonder where she got that from?

My New Challenge

Yep, I'm going to give it a try. It will be interesting to see how many pieces I will be missing at the end. I'm trying to keep small hands away but I think that task is impossible.

Next Adventure

Would like to go here this weekend. Maybe Saturday or Sunday. It is located on Saint Simon's Island, which is about an hour away.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=114175584516&h=iXwE7&u=Dp1EC&ref=nf

Fun in the Sun

Yep, Mal and I went to the beach today. It was perfect weather, wasn't too hot nor was it rainy or too windy. I have no pictures because I forgot my camera--I know, can you believe it?

On this visit, I bought a new chair. I wanted something that I could sit up in and park next to the shoreline. I'll be honest, this was not my brightest idea. The chair was low--too low--because my butt sank into the water. My legs were left dangling in the sand and every time Mallory, or other children, came near, I got splashed. I was constantly wiping drops of water from my sunglasses. This chair will be Daniel's in Clearwater.

Mallory had a good time. She swam, made a sand castle, and was in constant motion. Can you believe she didn't sleep on the way home????

Here They Are

This video was taken the night the Raulersons came to spend the night. I guess being an only child lonely.

TGIF--Let the Rest and Relaxation Begin

Thank God it is Friday. It has been a long week.

Last Sunday, after mom and Steve left, I hauled a$$ to the beach. I asked Mallory several times if she wanted to go but she said, "no, I want to go to church and swim with my cousins." I asked at least 3 times and got the same answer. Therefore, I went without her. At around 5:00pm, she realized where I was. She called me crying and saying, "I want to go the beach now." To placate her, I promised that we would go on Saturday. She hasn't forgotten. I guess we will be at the beach tomorrow. I just hope it doesn't rain.

Don't think that this excuses our weekly trip to Jerry J's. She has already mentioned sausage patties and cheese grits at least 100 times tonight.

I went to the eye doctor today. No glasses were needed but I was told that I am 2 steps away from a astigmatism. I will return next year for an annual exam or sooner if I start to have trouble. I also got eye drops for allergies on my eyes.

Received my second B-12 shot yesterday. Awaiting a miracle.

Favorite Photo # 10

I guess there really isn't a lot to say about his photo. On Saturday evening, the girls started dressing up in their princess dresses. Little Danny didn't want to be left out so he joined the fun.

I LOVE this photo. Like father, like son. This picture reminds me of the time that Danny dressed up in baby doll clothes. Do you remember Grandma, it was at your house.

Please note that if my brother read this blog, this post would not exist. Also note that technically you did not see this, especially when talking to my brother.

Me and My Nieces

Sometime on Saturday evening Kirsten crawled onto my lap. It happened so fast that I can barely remember how I was buried beneath them! I think Mallory came over next, she originally sat on my other leg but somehow shifted onto Kirsten's lap. Then came Cadee and we called Becky to join us. Not sure where Little Danny was. Photo taken by my sister, Kristy.

Vacation Announcement
The Hamiltons will be returning to Clearwater Beach on July 25th. The plan is to return home on Wednesday, July 29th, which is Daniel's birthday. A big thanks to Lealane for finding us a nice and affordable place.
Note to my mom: we will probably crash at your place on Friday, July 24th.

Decorating Cupcakes

To further celebrate Cadence's birthday, I made cupcakes. I made six, each child got one and Grandma got the 6th.

Everyone enjoyed this project, especially the birthday girl. I think she ate more frosting than what she used on her cupcake!!

We served the cupcakes after dinner. Everyone got the one they decorated. I put a candle on Cadee's and we sang to her. It was like she had two birthday parties!!!