cont...

'member me telling you about the guests that stopped by last week? the ones who left the ice cream in the fridge...well here's one of them, Ashley. she and her mom stopped by on their way to Ashley's state diving competition in North Alabama. georgia fell for Ashley at first glance. she was glued to Ashley's side the whole time they were here. she kept looking at Ashley smiling and saying 'hey'. and Ashley was just as crazy about her too...

and checkout the peacoat and headband they brought for her. for the first time i was loving her in a headband...

they brought her a gold one too...which georgia decided needed to be worn as well...

bet you didn't know two headbands could be so adorable right...

but wanna know what is equally adorable?...

we were on our way our the door and i said for georgia to hold my wallet while i grabbed my other things and this is how she looked... i couldn't help but grab the camera. she was so over me taking her picture that she started walking to the door crying because she was ready to go but i couldn't help it...

i mean this is for real ya'll. i do not stage these pictures. this is how she puts these headbands on. and then insist on wearing them.

so what am i to do except try to encourage another hair accessory choice. i made several of these little felt clips a long time ago and now she has enough hair to hold them down. i'd say this is MUCH better. don't you agree?

i'll keep working on it. and on how to correctly position her other choices. a.k.a. headbands. we'll have a lot of time this week to work on it seeing that she has some sort of stomach bug that she has to shake before i venture too far from home with her. we're going on day 5 of this. phew. literally and figuratively. she doesn't feel bad at least. well, not that bad. just a little bad.

but definitely not bad enough to take off her crown OR her smile.

which is a good thing. a very good thing. she's a princess all right. and her Daddy is the King of Kings ;)

"On his robe...he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."
Revelation 19:16

cont...

'member me telling you about the guests that stopped by last week? the ones who left the ice cream in the fridge...well here's one of them, Ashley. she and her mom stopped by on their way to Ashley's state diving competition in North Alabama. georgia fell for Ashley at first glance. she was glued to Ashley's side the whole time they were here. she kept looking at Ashley smiling and saying 'hey'. and Ashley was just as crazy about her too...

and checkout the peacoat and headband they brought for her. for the first time i was loving her in a headband...

they brought her a gold one too...which georgia decided needed to be worn as well...

bet you didn't know two headbands could be so adorable right...

but wanna know what is equally adorable?...

we were on our way our the door and i said for georgia to hold my wallet while i grabbed my other things and this is how she looked... i couldn't help but grab the camera. she was so over me taking her picture that she started walking to the door crying because she was ready to go but i couldn't help it...

i mean this is for real ya'll. i do not stage these pictures. this is how she puts these headbands on. and then insist on wearing them.

so what am i to do except try to encourage another hair accessory choice. i made several of these little felt clips a long time ago and now she has enough hair to hold them down. i'd say this is MUCH better. don't you agree?

i'll keep working on it. and on how to correctly position her other choices. a.k.a. headbands. we'll have a lot of time this week to work on it seeing that she has some sort of stomach bug that she has to shake before i venture too far from home with her. we're going on day 5 of this. phew. literally and figuratively. she doesn't feel bad at least. well, not that bad. just a little bad.

but definitely not bad enough to take off her crown OR her smile.

which is a good thing. a very good thing. she's a princess all right. and her Daddy is the King of Kings ;)

"On his robe...he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."
Revelation 19:16

you've been warned...

if you just happen to carrying an extra 15 lbs of 'baby weight' { or any other weight for that matter} you definitely should not have this in your freezer. in fact you might want to pick some up on your way home today just so you can taste it to be certain that it is definitely not something you should have around. you know, for proof. some friends spend the night with us last night as they passed through town and left this behind.

it was gone before lunch today. all of it. just keepin' it real here.

{and another friend just dropped off strawberry cupcakes at my doorstep. this really isn't good people. it really isn't }

you've been warned...

if you just happen to carrying an extra 15 lbs of 'baby weight' { or any other weight for that matter} you definitely should not have this in your freezer. in fact you might want to pick some up on your way home today just so you can taste it to be certain that it is definitely not something you should have around. you know, for proof. some friends spend the night with us last night as they passed through town and left this behind.

it was gone before lunch today. all of it. just keepin' it real here.

{and another friend just dropped off strawberry cupcakes at my doorstep. this really isn't good people. it really isn't }

"well...you almost won"

{okay before i begin my request for commiseration i will start with first things first...}

today is cissy's birthday {my mom}...here she is as a young{er} girl

beautiful huh? still is. inside and out. she is an incredible mother AND grandmother AND wife AND sister AND friend AND everything else. her own mother died when she was only 12 years old and the more i mature, the more i realize just how amazing she is to be the mother she is without any example. no one was there to 'teach' her how to be a mother. or a wife. or a grandmother. she just knew. she still does. there is so much she just knows. i've asked her before on certain occasions ' how do you know that' and she just smiles. that is unspeakable wisdom. and it's so beautiful because she doesn't even know she has it. hopefully some of that is in my dna.

so again...happy birthday cissy. muuuuaaaaahhhhh.

next of the first things was another birthday celebration this weekend. my niece, maggie, turned a whole 8 years old. and here she is as a young{er} girl

{i'm going to be getting a phone call from miss thang about this pic just you wait}

i can't believe this little one is 8 years old. phew. and what better why to celebrate than with another trip the ice skating rink with all her 8 year old cohorts. i only got a few pictures before 'the incident' but here ya go...

the birthday girl...

the bday girl with one of her friends...

aunt ginger and georgia...


winn and georgia breaking into the arcade room...
and here is max and aunt kristie on the ice right before the race...which caused 'the incident'.

if you're still with me here, let me set the stage. all the kids {and kristie who really is just a big kid...well an obviously me too} anyway, all the kids were ice skating and the adults watching. 'cept kristie. so i decided to ice skate too. and after a round or two decided i would challenge kristie to a race. on the skates. on the ice. i even got max and maggie to pick their winner. they both said aunt kristie. well whatever. anyway, if you know me then you know that i was determined at this point to win the confidence and praise of my niece and nephew {and whoever else might be watching}. so we set the guidelines. lined up on one end of the rink and asked for a countdown. we where racing down one side. all the way to the end. it was maybe 40 yards.

kristie got off to a better start than i did and the whole time i was trying to make up the 6 inches that separated us. and can i just add that we were GETTIN' it. going full speed to the finish line with the kids cheering us on. well i think they were. i was focused on winning so i heard nothing but it makes for a better story to say there where cheering right. so anyway, about the time we reach the end...at FULL speed...i realize that i need to turn. well. i don't know how to turn. and i hadn't considered that before that very moment. and about that time...WHAM. right smack dab into the wall of the ice rink.

thank goodness i had enough sense to turn my head or i would have had a broken nose. unfortunately my knees weren't so lucky. they hit first. it's a wonder that i didn't shatter my kneecaps. wanna see the damage???? here...

{and can i just add that this picture doesn't do it justice. the flash masks the bruising quite well. you should see them in living color :) .}

anyway, they are so darn sore. like can't even turn over in bed or cross my legs, sore. and to top it off i'm getting no love from my husband 'bout this injury. he says i knew better. says is was a really dumb idea. and when we were leaving the party and i could barely walk to the car he says...

"well...you almost won".

i love him so. even in his lack of sympathy, he is so positive. and right kinda. but shhhhh....don't tell him i told you that.

and what about kristie???? she turned alright. right into a 5 year old boy. who she knocked down and kept going. what a winner eh???
{baaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaa...okay so she didn't knock the boy down. it just looked like she did and everyone kept saying she did which TOTALLY irked her cuz she didn't. so ya'll....SHE DIDN'T KNOCK THE BOY DOWN.}

i'm done now. peace out.

"well...you almost won"

{okay before i begin my request for commiseration i will start with first things first...}

today is cissy's birthday {my mom}...here she is as a young{er} girl

beautiful huh? still is. inside and out. she is an incredible mother AND grandmother AND wife AND sister AND friend AND everything else. her own mother died when she was only 12 years old and the more i mature, the more i realize just how amazing she is to be the mother she is without any example. no one was there to 'teach' her how to be a mother. or a wife. or a grandmother. she just knew. she still does. there is so much she just knows. i've asked her before on certain occasions ' how do you know that' and she just smiles. that is unspeakable wisdom. and it's so beautiful because she doesn't even know she has it. hopefully some of that is in my dna.

so again...happy birthday cissy. muuuuaaaaahhhhh.

next of the first things was another birthday celebration this weekend. my niece, maggie, turned a whole 8 years old. and here she is as a young{er} girl

{i'm going to be getting a phone call from miss thang about this pic just you wait}

i can't believe this little one is 8 years old. phew. and what better why to celebrate than with another trip the ice skating rink with all her 8 year old cohorts. i only got a few pictures before 'the incident' but here ya go...

the birthday girl...

the bday girl with one of her friends...

aunt ginger and georgia...


winn and georgia breaking into the arcade room...
and here is max and aunt kristie on the ice right before the race...which caused 'the incident'.

if you're still with me here, let me set the stage. all the kids {and kristie who really is just a big kid...well an obviously me too} anyway, all the kids were ice skating and the adults watching. 'cept kristie. so i decided to ice skate too. and after a round or two decided i would challenge kristie to a race. on the skates. on the ice. i even got max and maggie to pick their winner. they both said aunt kristie. well whatever. anyway, if you know me then you know that i was determined at this point to win the confidence and praise of my niece and nephew {and whoever else might be watching}. so we set the guidelines. lined up on one end of the rink and asked for a countdown. we where racing down one side. all the way to the end. it was maybe 40 yards.

kristie got off to a better start than i did and the whole time i was trying to make up the 6 inches that separated us. and can i just add that we were GETTIN' it. going full speed to the finish line with the kids cheering us on. well i think they were. i was focused on winning so i heard nothing but it makes for a better story to say there where cheering right. so anyway, about the time we reach the end...at FULL speed...i realize that i need to turn. well. i don't know how to turn. and i hadn't considered that before that very moment. and about that time...WHAM. right smack dab into the wall of the ice rink.

thank goodness i had enough sense to turn my head or i would have had a broken nose. unfortunately my knees weren't so lucky. they hit first. it's a wonder that i didn't shatter my kneecaps. wanna see the damage???? here...

{and can i just add that this picture doesn't do it justice. the flash masks the bruising quite well. you should see them in living color :) .}

anyway, they are so darn sore. like can't even turn over in bed or cross my legs, sore. and to top it off i'm getting no love from my husband 'bout this injury. he says i knew better. says is was a really dumb idea. and when we were leaving the party and i could barely walk to the car he says...

"well...you almost won".

i love him so. even in his lack of sympathy, he is so positive. and right kinda. but shhhhh....don't tell him i told you that.

and what about kristie???? she turned alright. right into a 5 year old boy. who she knocked down and kept going. what a winner eh???
{baaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaa...okay so she didn't knock the boy down. it just looked like she did and everyone kept saying she did which TOTALLY irked her cuz she didn't. so ya'll....SHE DIDN'T KNOCK THE BOY DOWN.}

i'm done now. peace out.

a welcomed change...

the weather has been so mild these last few days making it impossible to stay indoors. usually the alabama weather forces us indoors or underwater, but this change has been nice. and taken advantage of.

saturday morning we hung out around the Samford campus where Harold works. you'd be hard pressed to find more beautiful landscaping in all of town. the grass. the architecture. the fountains. the stained glass windows. brick sidewalks. wooden benches. massive magnolias. i could go on but i imagine you are getting the picture. it is the perfect place to spend an 80 degree sunny morning with a 13 month old who love to frolic.

we walked the sidewalks...

we admired the flowers...

dipped our hand and feet into the fountains...

played hide and seek amongst the hedges...

admired the library daddy works in...

snacked some...

and mostly just plain enjoyed the green grass, blue sky and bright sun...


hope you got a chance to enjoy the weekend too. love from us all...

"His name shall endure for ever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun..."
Psalm 72:17

a welcomed change...

the weather has been so mild these last few days making it impossible to stay indoors. usually the alabama weather forces us indoors or underwater, but this change has been nice. and taken advantage of.

saturday morning we hung out around the Samford campus where Harold works. you'd be hard pressed to find more beautiful landscaping in all of town. the grass. the architecture. the fountains. the stained glass windows. brick sidewalks. wooden benches. massive magnolias. i could go on but i imagine you are getting the picture. it is the perfect place to spend an 80 degree sunny morning with a 13 month old who love to frolic.

we walked the sidewalks...

we admired the flowers...

dipped our hand and feet into the fountains...

played hide and seek amongst the hedges...

admired the library daddy works in...

snacked some...

and mostly just plain enjoyed the green grass, blue sky and bright sun...


hope you got a chance to enjoy the weekend too. love from us all...

"His name shall endure for ever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun..."
Psalm 72:17

making progress...

she got herself into this mess and then...


got herself out. i'd say we're making some big girl progress 'round here.

we've been away at the lake this week so sorry for the absence. plan on using the weekend to catch up and wind down.

more to come...love from the ham.