Daddy's Girl

Before putting Riley to bed tonight, she informed us that tomorrow she would be getting ready for her wedding. This is not unusual...everyday, there is some kind of production or show (puppet show, ballet, or play). We asked her who she was going to marry and she said, "You, Daddy, of course!" Then she grabbed his hands and said, "We need to practice dancing for the wedding!" It was precious. As I was putting her in the bed, she said, "I am the princess, of course, Daddy will be the prince, you, Mommy will be the Queen and Walker will be the King." I'm not sure what time the wedding will take place, but, I am sure she will spend all day tomorrow getting ready for it. It is bound to be a royal event.


Just yesterday, I took her to get her portrait made. I had never used this photographer before, but he had taken Riley's picture at preschool, and I knew he was very good. He was talking to her, asking her all kinds of questions, one of which was, "Who's your boyfriend?" She said, "My Daddy!" That was the perfect answer. I am not ready for the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff and as long as she thinks her daddy is her boyfriend, the better.

All About Riley

Riley is our 4 1/2 - year old daughter. She amazes us everyday with the things she says and does. Here are a few snippets into her life:

*She is constantly reading books! Riley learned to read in March of last year...and basically, hasn't stopped. Last summer she read 213 books for the library's summer reading program (her goal was 100). Her goal this summer is 150 books (right now she is at 115), so we will see what happens. We go to the library once a week. When she is five, she can get her own library card and check out her own books.

*She loves gymnastics! Riley started taking gymnastics in the fall of 2004, and has been taking off and on since then. The kids got a trampoline from Santa, and she loves to practice jumps on it. In the fall, she will move up to Level 1...she will be in the big gym with all the big girls. The highlight of her summer will probably be her gymnastics birthday party, later on in July.

*She enjoys every aspect of art! She is constantly drawing, making cards for friends, wanting to paint, etc., etc. Just today, she showed me a picture she had been working on (the one pictured). She said, "Mommy, I think you need to take a picture of this and put it on your blog." So, here you go. She explained to me that the building on the far left is Daddy's office; the one in the middle is the hotel we stayed in when we were Georgia (a couple of weeks ago); the one on the far right is the hotel that we stayed in when were in North Carolina; The house at the top is our house.

*She loves her little brother Walker. They are so sweet together...most of the time. They play pretty well together and sometimes he will even let her read to him.

*Not too long ago, I asked Riley what she wanted to be when she grew up and this was her reply: "I want to be a veterinarian, a dictionary writer, a teacher, and a mommy. But, I will not work on Sundays or Wednesday nights, because those are church days!" I said, "Well, how many children are you going to have? It sounds like you are going to be very busy." She said "I will have 4 girls, and I will live in Georgia, so that I can visit you and Daddy every day." Oh, to have the mind of a child.

*She "loves music and loves to dance"! It is hilarious to see her "get down" to the music! Tim likes to download songs that we don't already have on cd, plays them for her, and then they dance together. Some of her favorites right now are: The Cha-Cha Slide (Mr. C), Mama Mia (ABBA), Dancing Queen (ABBA), and Days of Elijah (she likes to sing this one, too).


*She has experienced a few "firsts", recently: 1. Just the other day, she got her fingernails painted for the first time. She has never asked about it before, so I haven't pushed it. I was taking advantage of her staying a little girl, as long as possible. She has already asked today, if I will paint her toenails. 2. She is taking ballet for the first time, and loves it. She takes at the local community college. They have a no observation policy, so the parents can't watch. But, they will have a "visiting day", where we can all take our cameras and camcorders. I will definitely be posting pictures of that when the time comes. 3. She played t-ball for the first time this past spring. She absolutely loved it and wants to play softball in a couple of years.

*She will start Kindergarten at Taylorville Primary School on August 10th. (Boo-hoo) I can't believe my baby girl will go to big school and be in Kindergarten. She is so excited and so ready, though. I guess because she is excited, I am excited for her. I definitely have mixed emotions about it. The good thing is that her school is a primary school, so it is only K-2. It will be an adventure....

Look out Tiger, LeBron, and Chipper!

Our two-year old, Walker, is all boy and keeps us in stitches most of the time. He loves every sport...and I mean EVERY SPORT!

*He adores basketball. He even dressed up as a basketball player for Halloween. We have had to move our Fisher Price basketball goal up to 5', because he wants to be able to shoot it...and he usually makes it. He has two Alabama basketball jerseys that he wears often. He has learned how to dribble the basketball, and enjoys watching it on t.v. with Tim. We went to several Alabama basketball games this past winter, and he was mesmerized...he loves his Chuck Davis bobblehead doll!

*He loves baseball. We have spent many a spring/summer night in the yard playing baseball. If he is up to bat, you can bet he is going to have that batting helmet on (which is about as big as he is!). The only pieces of baseball equipment we don't have at the moment is a batting glove and a catcher's mask. These will probably come in the near future. But, to improvise he will get his football helmet and wear it when he is playing catcher. I mean, c'mon it has a guard in the front, right? We have a friend that plays baseball for Alabama, and he really enjoyed watching him play, this past spring. We taped an Alabama baseball poster to the back of his closet door, and he can name several of the players. Hilarious! I love to hear him cheer at the games ...."Doe, Wyan, Doe! Number tutty-far!!!" (translation: Go, Ryan, Go! Number 34!!).

*He is passionate about football. He has every piece of football gear, including the pads. He drop kicks anything he can get his hands on, can throw pretty well, and he is getting better at catching. He has not been to an Alabama football game, yet, but maybe this season or next. He loves his football jerseys and pants. When he watches football on t.v. with Tim, he is constantly yelling, "WUN, WUN, WUN!" (translation: RUN, RUN, RUN!).

*He is infatuated with golf. He loves his plastic golf set (don't think it has a brand name). He lines up the ball, whacks it, it flies through the kitchen and usually hits the laundry room door...or a picture frame...or someone's head.... He prefers hitting golf balls with the driver, probably because he wants to see it fly through the air. No "fore" yelled at our house...so you better watch your back.

*He has an affection for soccer. He loves to take a soccer ball and dribble it (kicking in soccer for those of you that don't know), across the house. Thanks to Poppa and DD (Tim's parents), we have a soccer net that we keep in the backyard. He loves to go out there and kick, and kick, and kick, and kick.... However, he doesn't want to get the ball out of the net. Guess who has that job. The joys of motherhood! Riley played Upward soccer, last fall, and it killed him not to be out on the field, too.

*He enjoys hockey. The four major sports are a lot of fun, but recently he has developed a love for hockey. I know, hockey? I think he might have picked it up from a "Max and Ruby" episode (for those of you that have toddlers that watch Noggin). One day he went to the playroom, proceeded to take down the box of Checkers, took out a black one, got a plastic golf club, went to the hardwood floor, and said "Hottey, Mommy!". He shot the checker clear across the den. I love the imaginations of children! We have since gotten some miniature hockey sticks and a puck ...and he loves them.

*He is fascinated with croquet. I know, croquet? How random. I haven't bought a croquet set, and that is probably why he hasn't mentioned it lately. I guess if it has a ball (or round object in the case of hockey) he is drawn to it.

All of this to say, Walker is really into sports. Can you tell? He eats, breathes and sleeps (literally, his room is a sports theme) SPORTS!!!! Lately, he's been saying, "I watch bastetball (fill in the blank with the sport of the day) dame", (translation: I want to watch basketball on t.v.) We wouldn't have it any other way. I love it when he yells "YES!" after making a shot, or comes running out of his room with his football ensemble on, or is glued to the t.v. when he is watching Tiger play in a tournament. (sigh!). I remember thinking before we had kids, "I will never let my children throw, kick, or hit a ball in our house." Ha!Ha! Three picture frames and a half dozen scuffs on the walls later, I'm eating my words.

The Name Brand vs. Generic War

I was sitting by the pool, yesterday with my friend, Nancy. I had Walker with me, and she had her little boy, Christian with her. Our daughters (who are best friends) were at Spanish Camp together. Anyway, we were eating lunch, and the thought occurred to me--Stauffer's Whales baked snack crackers are sooooo much better than Goldfish. Now, I know that Stauffer's is a brand name, but for the sake of this blog, let's just say they are generic. I mean they did come after Goldfish, right? I had bought a large container of Goldfish for a party at Riley's preschool a few weeks ago, so I didn't bother buying the Whales. We continued to eat the leftover Goldfish. Just the other day, we went back to eating Whales and I am so glad we did. They taste so much better (cheesier, saltier, and crunchier) and they are sooooo much cheaper. Around our house, we try to stick to a budget, so I do my grocery shopping at WalMart and buy a lot of Great Value and Sam's Choice items. By the way, do you remember when generic items were packaged with black/white labels? Growing up, I hated that aisle of the grocery store. Anyway, I have noticed that some generic items are just not as good, however, for baking/cooking purposes, I usually buy GV. For instance Wheat Thins are much crunchier and better than GV wheat crackers and Ritz crackers are much better than GV snack crackers ("circle crackers" according to Riley).

Tim insists that certain items be name brand:
ketchup - Hunt's
potato chips - Ruffles
sports drink - Gatorade
hot dogs - Juicy Jumbos/Ball Park Franks
shave gel - Edge
soap - Irish Spring
ice cream - Breyer's, vanilla bean

I insist that other items be name brand:
laundry detergent - Cheer
dishwashing detergent - Sunlight
toilet tissue - Angel Soft
granola bars - Nature Valley

Now on the flip side of this, there are certain generic items that I like better than name brands:
Whales
vanilla wafers (we like the ones from Dollar Tree of all places; they stay fresh longer, and they are good)
fudge cookies by GV (they look like Oreos, but have fudge filling...mmmm!)
baby wipes (for some reason lately, I have had trouble with Huggies and Pampers wipes not wanting to separate; Parent's Choice has been great)

I guess it is all in your preference, how you grew up, what your mom bought, etc. Tim, would say, "It's the same thing, they just make the package a little more aesthetically pleasing." -- Hey! Wait a minute. Not with Whales and Goldfish!

"Smiley Riley" & "Walker Texas Ranger"

Just wanted to share a favorite pic of Riley and Walker. This was taken a few days ago. I didn't bother with putting cute clothes on them, so this is how they look on an everyday basis, playing at home. Notice, Riley is wearing a leotard. She has about 10 she cycles through, and loves to wear them around the house. She was first introduced to leotards when she started gymnastics, a year and a half ago. They have now become her leisure outfit of choice. They must be pretty comfortable, because as soon as we get home, she changes into one (has even been known to wear them as pajamas). I can't remember, but we must have had different clothes on earlier, hence the pink hairbow. You can't tell from the picture, but Walker is wearing one of his favorite shirts. It has Nemo on it, which is a favorite character at the moment. However, I believe Scooby Doo and pirates are slowly moving in on Nemo (even though we have not seen many Scooby Doo episodes/movies...maybe a dog thing?). On the subject of pirates, he chose Pirates of the Caribbean fruit snacks the last time we were at the store (he has definitely not seen that movie, either. Who knew?) Anyway, Tim and I have been blessed with two very happy children.

A Weekend for Daddies

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day weekend. It was very busy for us, but a lot of fun, too. Friday night we ate at "Tokyo", a Japanese steakhouse, here in Tuscaloosa. It was wonderful, and served as a pre-Father's Day meal. It had been a long time since we had eaten there (not on our list of usual restaurants), mostly because we weren't sure if Riley and Walker would eat anything on the menu. They did great. They both loved the rice, liked the chicken o.k. , and Walker loved the soup...glorified chicken broth with some mushrooms and scallions. I felt sorry for the chef at our table, though. All of the tricks he tried, seemed to flop...he couldn't even get the lighter to light so that he could do the whole "volcano made out of the onion" trick. It was obvious he was new and needed a little more practice. Tim and I both ordered chicken and shrimp and it was fabulous! I even brought leftovers home. Saturday, we went to Birmingham. We ate lunch with my family (my brother and sister came from Nashville). We had Jim 'N Nick's bar-be-que...mmmm! We stayed there long enough for Walker to take a good nap, and then headed over to Tim's parents' house. They only live about 15 minutes away from each other, so it makes it really nice when we need to see both sets of grandparents. Riley and Walker got to see their great-grandfather, Big Papa and great-grandmother, Granny. It is really neat seeing them interact with their great-grandparents, and something I hope they remember. On Sunday, we ate lunch at home, and took naps...all four of us!! This one will probably go down in the record books. When I asked Tim what he wanted to do on Sunday, he told me he wanted to eat at home (so everyone could eat what they wanted and there wouldn't be any fussing at the table), and he wanted to take a looooong nap in his recliner. Well, he got exactly what he wanted. The kids gave him some pictures for his desk at work that I had framed, some new shorts (that he needed badly), and a gift certificate (so he can go back and watch episodes of 24 he hasn't already seen). After church Sunday night, we went to "Swen", a Chinese restaurant. He and I split the Mongolian Beef...very good. Except for Saturday, I feel like I have been to Asia and back. Anything for a wonderful husband and father! Happy late Father's Day!

I want my straws!

Last weekend, we took a trip to Burlington, N.C. to partake in the wedding festivities of Tim's cousin (Congrats, Katie and Michael!). Because it was an 8 1/2 -9 hour trip, we decided to leave Thursday morning and spend the night in Atlanta. This would break up the trip , a little bit, anyway. Since we were going to be in Atlanta, we decided to visit the new Georgia Aquarium.

We are so glad we did! If you haven't been, you definitely need to go. Tim and I have been to the Chattanooga Aquarium (newly weds,before kids), so I guess I was expecting more of the same. Boy, was I wrong. It was totally amazing! They have about five different exhibits/areas -- Rivers, Oceans, the Arctic, the Tropics, and Georgia (all about fish found in the state). Riley and Walker absolutely loved it. Several friends warned us about the crowds. We were pleasantly surprised...we went on a Thursday, in the afternoon. There were still a lot of people there, but it was manageable. Riley said her favorite thing was seeing the beluga whales. Walker says his favorite was "the fishies". Well, I guess that about sums it up and pretty much encompasses everything we saw, with a few exceptions.


One problem I did have, involved the man that checked Walker's backpack at the door. He opened it and made me leave my bag of straws. I know you are wondering why in the world I care about straws, but these are not just any straws. These are "bendy straws"...the kind that bend at the top. My mother-in-law keeps them in her purse, and I started carrying some with me a few months ago after cleaning up many a spill. It is rare to find a fast food or sit-down restaurant that has these. It never fails that either Riley (who is 4) or Walker (who is 2) will pick up their cup and turn it upside down, as if they are drinking out of a sippy cup. The plastic lid that either wasn't put on very well, or is very cheap, can't take the weight of all that Sprite, so it comes gushing out all over my child. Needless to say, I started carrying these straws so all the kids have to do is bend it at the top...they don't even have to pick up the cup. All that to explain why they are so important to me...and the man made me leave them. First of all, what could a person do with a plastic straw? I guess someone has figured out how to use it as a weapon or put it with other household objects to make a bomb. It is beyond me! I thought about going back to the front door on our way out, to pick up my straws, but decided I would suffer through the rest of the trip without them. As we were eating dinner that evening, we had two near accidents involving the kids and their drinks...if only I had my straws.

The rest of the trip was wonderful. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. We had a great time seeing some of Tim's family we don't see very often, and the 8 1/2 hour trip didn't seem so bad -- thank goodness for the DVD player in our car...what did our parents do without them?

First Time for Everything

Well, I can't believe I actually have a blog. For a couple of months now I have enjoyed reading blogs of some of my friends...and I have become somewhat addicted. I have gotten into reading friends of friends' blogs...and I must say find it very entertaining. After reading my friend Tesney's blog, I have been going to her links and have really gotten into this whole "blogging thing"! So, here I am with one of my own. My husband, Tim, thinks it is hilarious. Mainly because for so long I have been saying, "Oh, I'll never have a blog. No, I just don't have time for that. I really don't have that much to say. No, that is just not me." Ha! Ha! Yesterday, I told him I was thinking of setting one up, and I thought he would never stop laughing. He asked me what I planned on naming it and I told him I was hoping he could help me with that. He responded with, "I've got it! A Woman with The Perfect Man." No, sorry Tim, can't do it. I asked my four year old daughter, Riley, and she said, "You need to call it Journal Perilocity." (She loves to make up words. Do all four year olds do this?) When I asked her what that meant, she said, "Full of Joy." Well, ok. I decided after listening to one of my favorite groups, Rascal Flatts, to go with Everyday Love. Every day is filled with an everyday love for my husband, children, friends and family. I truly "can't get enough of this everyday love." I hope with this blog I can keep all of our family and friends near and far updated on our life, reconnect with old friends, and make new connections, as well.

So far this year, I have several firsts to boast about. 1. I have and am currently sticking to a Bible reading plan. It is so amazing to read stories I haven't ever read before. It takes you through the Old Testament once, the Gospels four times, the New Testament twice and each day of the month a chapter from Proverbs. 2. Since January, I have been a regular member of a fitness club, and feel like I am in pretty good shape. It is weird to say, but I almost feel addicted to exercise. 3. I have started running. For about two weeks now, I have been running about 3 times a week. I really enjoy it and love the feeling of getting a good run in. My husband is an avid runner, and is planning on running a marathon in December. I think I will just stick to running a 5K this fall. 4. Last, but not least, I have my own blog. Wow! I feel technologically advanced!