Kaylea On Mother's Day

Kaylea is one of those children that gets very excited anytime a birthday, holiday or celebration comes rolling around. She doesn't believe in saving her gift(s) until the big day. She likes to begin the gift giving way in advance. I am proud to say that she approached Mother's Day with her usual zeal.

Last week, Kaylea began making me homemade Mother's Day cards. You know the ones; they are construction paper with cut-outs and doodles. All of them carried the same message, "Best Mom or #1 Mom" (Actually, she wrote "1# Mom" but I knew what she meant.) Her homemade cards are the BEST. I would much rather receive one of those than any store bought card. When she makes a card for me, I know that she is expressing her love for me in ways that a store bought card could never do.

Anyway, there was the constant stream of cards and then she began bringing Mother's Day projects home from church, Art and school. Each day I was receiving a new treasure that had been made with love from my little girl.

Once the weekend arrived, I felt like we had already celebrated, but I was wrong. Saturday, we went to a Mother's Day brunch at church. We had lots of goodies and then the girls interpretive dance ensemble performed for us. Also, the Children's Ministries Director helped the children perform a Mother's Day poem for us. It was all so touching and sweet.

Yesterday, I was awaken by the smell of coffee and the bustle of Bub and Kaylea in the kitchen. They were beginning the preparation for my Mother's Day lunch. Bub had taken Kaylea to the store on Saturday and they bought all of the food to prepare a nice meal for me. I was told to stay out of the kitchen and let them do the work. So, I obeyed my orders and just relaxed. After our yummy lunch (steak, baked potato, green beans, corn, rolls and homemade ice cream) I was presented with yet another Mother's Day card and gift. Kaylea had chosen to give me a silver key ring with a heart charm. It is beautiful and I will carry it with pride.

Overall, I couldn't ask for a more perfect day. I spent it with the man that gave me my child and my beautiful daughter; both of whom I love more than life itself. It just doesn't get any better than this.

The Easter Bunny

Kaylea has had an internal struggle over the past few years in regards to the Easter Bunny. You see, she wants to be BIG and mature and not believe in the Easter Bunny, but she still wants to get the Easter basket and all of the goodies on Easter morning. This all started when she was in 1st grade. We were discussing Easter and what she was hoping the Easter Bunny was going to bring her. In her very grown up voice she quickly told me that there was "no such thing as the Easter Bunny." I just replied with an, "Oh?" Then I proceeded to ask her if she wanted me to let her pick out an Easter gift or if she still wanted an Easter basket. She said she wanted to get some new clothes and she wanted to pick them out. I was ok with this little plan because I thought, "hey, less work for me!"

In the days before Easter we went shopping and she chose a cute pair of capris, a t-shirt and some matching shoes. All the while, I was reminding her that this was her Easter gift. Well, imagine my surprise when she awoke on Easter morning and immediately bolted for the living room to see what treasures she had in her Easter basket. She was quite traumatized when she did not find an Easter basket sitting in the usual spot on the fireplace hearth. She kept saying, "Did the Easter Bunny forget about me?" I was quick to remind her that SHE said she didn't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore and SHE chose to go shopping instead of having a basket. Unfortunately, this was of no comfort to my little darling. She hung her head and made her way to the bathroom to get ready for church. (I swear her lip was dragging the ground). Well, me being the softy that I am, I immediately started trying to figure out a way to make it all better. I switched gears into recovery mode and managed to scrounge together some jellybeans and M&Ms to fill some plastic eggs and put them in an old Easter basket along with a little Easter bunny snow globe that was sitting in the living room. I quickly ran to the bathroom and told her to hurry and come into the living room. I explained that the Easter Bunny just stopped by the house and he apologized for being late. She was thrilled with her basket even though she knew my story was about as lame as the Easter Basket was.

So, even though Kaylea knows that there is no big white bunny that bounces around leaving baskets filled with colored eggs and chocolates for all of the little boys and girls of the world; she will always find a basket filled with goodies sitting on the fireplace hearth waiting for her on Easter morning.

Welcome 2008

Wow, 2008 is here already. Where has the time gone. This year I will be turning the BIG 4-0 and my baby will be 10. I did the math this morning, while watching UT play in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL, and I was reminded that 15 years ago today Bub and I had our first date while watching UT play Boston College in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, FL. In so many ways, that first date weekend seems like it was just yesterday and in other ways it seems like it was a lifetime ago.



As most people do, I am making several New Year's resolutions this year. I make the same ones every year: lose weight, exercise more, drink more water and less Diet Coke, and eat more meals at home. Hopefully, I will be able to stick to them this year (as I type this I am eating Chex Party Mix and drinking a Diet Coke). Oh well, I can't really start them today because we are leaving for Hilton Head tomorrow and you know I can't diet while I am on vacation - that wouldn't be any fun now would it?



I asked Kaylea if she was going to make any New Year's resolutions. She replied with a very puzzled, "Hugh?" I then had to explain to her what a resolution was (and no I didn't say it was something that people say they will do and then don't). She said her resolution will be to read more. You have to understand the humor in this resolution; Kaylea loves to read! She was "Star Reader" and had the most AR (Accelerated Reader for all of you who don't have kids) in her second grade class last year. This year she has started reading the Harry Potter series.

Of course I was thinking, of all things the child could choose to work on, reading would not be anywhere near the top of the list. I guess I was hoping she would say something like, "Oh Mommy, I am going to listen better." Or, "Mommy, I am going to work on not having the sassy mouth this year." Or, "Mommy, I am not going to argue as much." Or I would have even been happy with, "I am going to clean up after myself." But, of course, I didn't get any of those responses because Kaylea thinks she needs to read more. Well, I didn't discourage her with her choice for her resolution, but trust me I will be making suggestions for additional resolutions as the opportunities present themselves. And trust me, they WILL. I will probably be able to offer up a few suggestions before the day in done.



We hope each of you have a safe and prosperous new year. I will keep up the Blog and the silly stories about Kaylea. If we can make you smile, laugh, or touch your heart in some way, then we are accomplishing what we set out to do. Thank you for staying plugged into our life through this silly little thing we call the Internet.



Love and best wishes for 2008!

Bub, Jennilu, Kaylea and Angel

We Survived Christmas, But Will We Make It To 2008

Well, it appears that we all have survived the Christmas holiday. All of the out of town guests arrived safe and sound last Wednesday and then the games began. The days before Christmas consisted of:

• Shopping, Shopping and more Shopping
• Eating, Eating and more Eating
• Wrapping, Wrapping and more Wrapping
• Cleaning, Cleaning and more Cleaning

Then there was that whole death in the family, the many dinners and celebrations with family that doesn't come to our house, plus preparing a Christmas Eve get together for 11, a Christmas breakfast for 9, and a Christmas dinner for 13. Wow, it is amazing that we were able to drag our lifeless bodies out of bed at 4:45 am on Christmas morning to open presents.

Kaylea was thrilled when she saw that Santa pulled through once again and he had brought her the Wii that she had been longing for. Hey, he is such a nice guy that he even through in a couple of games to go with it. She got the much sought after Hannah Montana game and a Harry Potter game. Boy, he is such a swell fella! Kaylea, also, received a Zune, lots of Gymbo outfits (we luv Gymbo), and too many other things to mention. I do have to say that Auntie M and Mr. Bob get the prize for the present of the year. You know the one; it's the one that the child will not put down and plays with constantly from the time it is opened until it breaks. Well, this year, they decided to give Kaylea the redneck child's dream giftbox. It included a remote control fart machine, a can of Flarp, a whoopie cushion and a belch-o-matic. I'm telling you it was like a regular symphony around our house.....THANKS SIS!!!!



The rest of us had a good Christmas, also. Santa was very kind to all of us, too. I am just a little confused about something. In years past, we have been accused of over doing it for Christmas. So, this year we ALL decided that we were going to cut back and not buy as much. Well, you tell me, do you think we managed to stick to our plan???????


You know, it is pretty bad when you have to rearrange the furniture to accommodate all of the presents. In our defense, all of these presents are for 9 people. So, we didn't go too overboard, did we?

Now, we are still trying to recover and recuperate so that we can get ready for the New Year's Eve party that we are having. We only have to find a place for all of the new stuff; clean the filth in the house and get Kaylea's bathroom redecorated. Yeah, we started scraping paint and stripping wallpaper this morning. Say a little prayer for Bub and me. We will post photos when we finish; hopefully, it will be before the new year :)

We hope all of you had a joyous Christmas, as well. Enjoy what's left of 2007.

The Magic of Christmas

With each passing day, I watch the excitement grow in my daughter. She can hardly wait for Christmas to get here. I remember when I was little and how the days before Christmas seemed to be the longest days of the entire year.

I think this is probably our last Christmas for Kaylea to be able to see Christmas through a child's eyes (if you know what I mean). She has asked a lot of questions, which I am answering with total honesty. I refuse to lie to my daughter, but she will have to ask the "right" question to get the answer she is really looking for.

Kaylea keeps telling me about the kids in her 3rd grade class that don't believe in Santa. So far she has argued with each one of them and been able to hold on to her belief. You see, Kaylea has had some pretty BIG requests of Santa in the past, and he has always pulled through for her, even when Mommy and Daddy weren't 100% in support of the gift ;) Let's see, there was the year that she asked Santa for a puppy - and she got Angel (even though Mommy and Daddy are allergic to dogs and didn't think she was old enough to take care of a puppy). Then, there was the year that she asked Santa for a trampoline - and she got one (even though Mommy and Daddy thought they were dangerous and she would get hurt). Because of these Christmas "miracles" Kaylea stands steadfast in her belief.

When the kids try to burst her bubble and say, "Santa isn't real; it's just your Mom and Day." Kaylea is quick to argue, "Oh yeah, then how did I get Angel? All of the pet stores are closed on Christmas Eve after I go to bed, and my Mom and Dad can't hide a puppy in a closet or under the bed. Anyway, they are allergic to dogs and would never get one for me. AND where did my trampoline come from? It was all put together and everything; they couldn't hide something that big in a closet or under the bed, either."

I do have to agree, she has some pretty strong arguments. (And then there is the whole thing about her Auntie M working at Santa's doll factory at Disney World, but that is a whole other post for a different time).

Now, this year, she is asking Santa for a Wii, which she knows is the impossible gift to get a hold of. If Santa can pull through again this year, her faith will not falter, at least until she gets back to school after Christmas break and the kids start at her again. But, just so you know, the rumor around town is that Santa was seen standing in a real long line at Best Buy with a Wii voucher in hand way back before Thanksgiving. And to quote Kaylea's Pappy, "I think he caught his death of foolishness! " ;)

Well, let's just hope that we can make it through another 3 days without a slip of tongue on our part or any sneaky peeky spying on her part. If all goes as planned, Kaylea will experience the "Magic" of Christmas, once again.

Join In All The MeMe Games

WOW, Kaylea received her first MeMe. So, she is going to answer all of these questions the best she can. Just remember, she is only 9.

Once you read this, if you would like to join in the game, just copy the questions and post your answers. Leave us a comment so we can check it out!

1. Wrapping or gift bags? "I like wrapping presents. I have practiced a lot and I am getting better, too."

2. Real or artificial tree? "I like an artificial tree better because it's easier to decorate."

3. When do you put up the tree? "When Mom and Dad pull it down from the attic."

4. When do you take the tree down? "When Mom tells me to."

5. Do you like eggnog? "EW, No!"

6. Favorite gift received as a child? "My little Angel that Santa gave me." (This is her pet Schnoodle)

7. Do you have a nativity scene? "No but when I was in Georgia this summer, I went to Camp Ocmulgee and I made Baby Jesus out of clay. We have him sitting on a table in the living room."

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? "A pair of underwear."

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? "Actually, I have never sent Christmas cards."

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? "Oh, that's easy, The Santa Clause 2."

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? "When Auntie M takes me."

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? "Lots of COOKIES"

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? "Definitely, colored lights"

14. Favorite Christmas song? "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? "Always stay home so Santa knows where I am."

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? "Hello? I am nine; of course I can name all of the reindeer.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? "On my tree in my room, I have a pink star and a turquoise butterfly."

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Duh, Christmas morning. Isn't that when everybody opens them?"

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? "Having to wait to open all of my presents."

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? "No, just bright fun colors and cool ornaments."

21. What do you leave for Santa? "Milk and cookies for Santa, celery and carrots for the reindeer, and a piece of cheese for Santa Mouse."

22. Least favorite holiday song? "I don't have a least favorite. I like them all!"

23. Favorite ornament? "The big purple glitter ornament on my tree that says, 'Dream' "

We hope you enjoyed all of Kaylea's answers.

Where O Where Has My Little Girl Gone?

This time of year is so busy for our family as I am sure it is with yours. Kaylea sings in the children's' choir and plays the hand bells at church. She is also a member of Chorus at school. All of these activities have involved Christmas concerts over the past couple of weeks. As I helped Kaylea get ready for her performances, I was reminded of when she was little. Kaylea always thought is was a big deal when she was able to wear "panty toes" with her dresses. And she especially loved trying on my dress shoes and walking around the house. She would always say, just to make sure I was aware, "Look Mommy, I am wearing your 'knocking shoes'" You see, we had wood floors in the dining area and linoleum in the kitchen and she just loved the sound the shoes made as she walked across the floor.



While thinking back on these moments I realized that my little girl wasn't so little anymore. She has become a very grown-up and independent young lady. I no longer have to help her get dressed; she can now put on her own "panty toes" and "knocking shoes." Though she has grown up a lot, she still thinks it's a big deal to get dressed up and still loves the sound of her heels clumping across the floor, as do I.

Kaylea in her "panty toes"

Kaylea in my "knocking shoes"

Kaylea all grown up (well, almost)!

Webster would be horrified

Yesterday while Aunti M and I were working on round 2 of the Christmas bake-a-thon we were having one of our normal (or not so much) conversations. Auntie M was making fudge and Kaylea was helping - and listening. Auntie made a comment about a certain food item and how is really "sucked." Suddenly, Kaylea chimes in and agrees whole heartedly with her Aunie and says, "Yea, it really does suck!" Well, I was quick to correct Kaylea that "suck" is not a word that she should say. Then Auntie with all of her wisdom informs us that "suck" is now listed in Webster's Dictionary as an adjective, as well as a verb. Kaylea's response was, "I didn't know there was a Webkinz Dictionary!?!

The First Post

Well, here I am, doing what I have talked about for awhile. I am making a written record of all of the silly, crazy, frustrating and hilarious things that my daughter does. I will be honest, though; I am feeling a little bit of pressure with this being the first post and all. I have 9 years worth of material and don't quite know where to begin. I guess since it is the holiday season, I will begin with our latest Kaylea story.

You see, in our family, holiday cookie baking is a tradition. We make several different kinds of treats and prepare trays to go to Dad's office, to the neighbors and to the school. Well, the crowning jewels on the cookie trays have always been the hand decorated sugar cookies that have obviously been made with much love and given the utmost attention. Yesterday, Auntie M and I began the bake-a-thon and immediately Kaylea wanted to make her sugar cookies. I told her she would have to wait for a little while. After about the 50th time of her asking, we finally agreed to let her choose her cookie cutters and begin the process. Well, Auntie and I had already thought through this task at the grocery store, thus deciding to buy the sheets of cookie dough that merely get unrolled and cut. It sounded, to us, like the simplest way to approach this chore, since we would be preoccupied and wouldn't be able to stand over Kaylea to make sure things were done correctly. And after all, she is 9; how hard could it be to press a cookie cutter into cookie dough??? We let Kaylea and her cousin, Miss C, spread out on the dining room table, each armed with cookie cutters, their own sheet of sugar cookie dough and their own baking sheet (you know, we can't get their cookies mixed up). After awhile Miss C was through and had rejoined the fellas in the living room for the Christmas movie marathon, but Kaylea remained in the dining room working feverishly on her cookies. I didn't know what was taking her so long, but thought I would let her do it her way. I was feeling a bit of pride that she was showing such attention to detail (not a trait she demonstrates very often.) Imagine my surprise when I walked into the dining room to find Kaylea with her cooking dough in a ball and her Playdough rolling pin in hand. Apparently, she didn't like the number of cookies that she cut the first time ("there weren't enough, Mom"), so she took them up, smooshed the dough into a ball and traded in her large cookie cutters for smaller ones. Finally, Daddy had to go into the dining room to help her finish. We noticed that Miss C's baking sheet had A LOT more cookies on it than Kaylea's, but we just assumed it was due to placement of cookie cutters and the fact that Kaylea's were a little bit thicker. Later on in the afternoon, after the two sheets of cookies had baked and cooled, the girls began the decorating process. They had Christmas sprinkles along with various shades of frosting and sugars. We thought we had ensured that we would have lots of gorgeous sugar cookies. Well, Auntie and I were quite surprised when we overheard a conversation between Kaylea and Miss C. Kaylea was complaining that she didn't have as many cookies to decorate. Miss C responded frankly, "well, if you hadn't eaten all of your dough when you were cutting out your cookies, you would have more cookies to decorate."

Auntie M and I just looked at each other and nodded saying in unison "ah ha". You probably could have seen the little light bulb light up over our heads at that time. Our synopsis of the afternoon was that Kaylea decided it would be a lot quicker and easier to eat the cookies before they were baked instead of wasting all that time waiting for them to bake and then decorating them.

At the end of the day, we only had about 10 sugar cookies that survived. Oh well, I guess the jewels in the crown on our trays will be a little more sparse this year.

You might wonder what lesson I, as Kaylea's mom, have learned from all of this. Well, there are a few:

1. Nine is not old enough for Kaylea to be trusted with raw cookie dough.
2. When Kaylea is really anxious to do something, she probably has an alterial motive.
3. Once again, Kaylea has shown she doesn't share her mom's great attention to detail.

Tune in again tomorrow and I'm sure I will have a new story for you. If I don't, I will gladly pull one from the archives.