Just For A Season

Time---would you just slow down a little bit?

2009-11-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures I just took the other day. I can not believe how fast time flies and how quickly my baby boy is growing!

Time would you please just slow down a little bit?

The Apple Did Not Fall Far From The Tree

2009-11-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

If you know Russ then I really do not need to explain anything concerning this picture of Analayne on a creeper under our car. The apple did not fall far from the tree!

The pink shotgun

2009-11-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

IF you disappear and leave Analayne with daddy for even just a minute (or 6 minutes)at Opry Mills mall you might return to find Analayne completely in awe of a pink pop air shot-gun. As I returned from my 6 minute (or 15 minute) Carters, Gymboree speed shopping trip I could hear the air-pops as I entered Bass Pro Shop. She is her daddy's girl!

The Famous Painting

2009-09-24T10:43:00.001-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that my child is creative (and silly, and spunky, and full of tenacity--- and that I love this about her?) Well, I do...just sayin!

Last week I picked Analayne up from school and she had painted a picture. The teacher asked her the open ended question, "tell me about your painting" and then wrote her exact reply on the paper. The reply was, "my daddy on a donkey." Why yes... yes of course you painted a picture of daddy riding a donkey. By the way...daddy has never taken a ride on a donkey---but that is beside the point. When I sincerely complimented Analayne on her painting she replied "it was really hard to paint. I did a good job." I replied, I know you did awesome. I bet it was hard to paint. I laugh myself silly every time I look at the picture but I LOVE IT. Daddy loves the picture too and he was so proud that she painted a picture of him. I am saving this picture forever. At our house this picture is famous. The painting is hanging on our magnetic door where everyone can see it and who knows someday as a result of my blog posting it might be famous world-wide right?

Going to Preschool

2009-09-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

In June I made the mistake of telling the most social child ever that she would begin preschool in the fall. It was definitely a mistake to begin preparing her so early because I would conservatively estimate that she asked me no less than 3,000 times if she would be going to school "today?" Each day you can imagine my secretive rolling eyes as I patiently and gently replied, "no not today." However, on September 7th the day finally arrived and I helped Analayne get dressed, pack her lunch, get her backpack ready and load into the car for her first day at preschool. I can truly say that I was excited for her. As I have mentioned before this kid is full of spunk and tenacity (have I mentioned that I LOVE this about her?) and I know this year is going to be just great for her. Her excitement about her learning environment is awesome! We are now 3 weeks into the school year and she is just soaking up every thing. She has new stories to tell me everyday. She especially loves the class pet (a hermit crab named Herbby) and thus far I am pretty sure she is a fan of the playground...specifically the sand. I always know she has been in the sand box when she gets into the car, takes her shoes off and pours some sand out. It took me two days to realize that the smarter thing to do would be emptying her shoes before we got in the car! Here are some pics of the first day of school.

No Gold or Silver Could Make You Feel This Powerful...

2009-08-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Check out our family bracelets Analayne made us. I don't know about you but you start feeling rather powerful when everyone has a fancy bracelet on. I am thinking about wearing my bracelet everyday!

My Dear Analayne

2009-08-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Daughter,

Another year has flown by and my how you have grown. You are 4 years old now! I am constantly amazed by you and your spunk, creativity and sweetness. Watching you grow and learn is a blessing. I feel so blessed that God has entrusted me to be your mommy and honestly that is not something I take lightly. I truly feel that motherhood is God’s calling on my life and despite our most difficult days I still cherish it all. Sometimes I think about how much I love you and I am still amazed that Our Heavenly Father loves you even more than I could ever imagine.

I remember the day you were born just as if it had happened yesterday. I remember the long (oh so very long natural labor) but my most vivid memory was when they placed you in my arms with your eyes fixated on me and your mouth wide open. I remember the first night in the hospital after you were born; it was about 2:00am and suddenly I awoke and headed to the nursery to check on you. There you were wide awake, laying in your bassinette with your gigantic blue eyes scanning your surroundings. You were just a few hours old and nonetheless you were already embracing life, taking it all in.

This year your baby brother, Leighton has entered our world. My how you love him, watch out for him, try to protect him and in your own way you advocate for him. Just the other day as I was bathing you both you said, “Mom, Leighton told me a secret.” I replied, “Well, what did he tell you?” You said, “He wants some pudding and some ice-cream.” I thought to myself, why yes… I am sure he does. The next day as Leighton was napping you said, “Mom, I don’t like to sleep. I like it when the sun comes up and we get out of bed.” Once again, I thought to myself, why yes… you certainly do! However, in my sleep deprived way I love that about you. You love life and you love people. You take life on full heartedly and I love that about you. You don’t want to miss a moment and I don’t want to miss it either.

I love being your mother. Some days I am challenged and stretched more than you could ever understand but the happiness and joy that you add to my life is worth every bit. I love you. Happy Birthday!

(letter written July 2009)

A Horse is a Horse...Unless of course its a Donkey!

2009-08-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that my daughter likes horses? Let me re-phrase that...my daughter loves horses. For what seems like forever she has been infatuated with equine! She even has a stuffed horse that she takes almost everywhere with her (his name is Bulls Eye). This summer the Ellington Agricultural Center has had some special programs where families could come and visit and learn about horses and donkeys. One Saturday they even had a program where the police horses were available for the children to interact with and I must say that has been a big highlight for Analayne! The first Saturday program we went to was all about horses. The next Saturday the focus was donkeys. I forgot my camera on the first outing so I only have pictures of her with the donkeys. However, for her birthday Mimi and Popa have given her a gift certificate for a horse back ride so rest assurred as soon as we go for this adventure I will post some new pics!

The Future is Bright...

2009-06-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Lately Analayne is really into playing doctor and beauty parlor --- ON Leighton! He is such a willing (uuuhhhh...forced) patient/candidate. Occasionally, she will use her doll in addition to Leighton, but in all honestly Analayne tries hard to be a very gentle big sister! Leighton is SO intrigued by her. Leighton rarely takes his eyes off of Analayne (not sure if this is for entertainment purposes or because he feels safer knowing her whereabouts!) In general, he just lets her do her thing and he typically smiles and coos at her. Yea-- for a relatively easy going baby. I am just glad that she put the cotton in the baby dolls mouth instead of Leighton's!

The Secret Is Out...

2009-06-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Those of you that know me well understand my "germ phobia" and "organizational methods." Really, I have had these "issues" for nearly as long as I can ever remember. However, I have adapted my personal methods for dealing with them, especially since having my children. I still carry sanitizing wipes in my purse for the public restrooms and a small bottle of hand sanitizer for the wee little hands that must touch everything, but most of the other random issues I have are slowly diminishing. For instance, my backyard is fenced in and I have several toys that are for the "yard only." At one point in my life I would have commented that it is tacky to have stuff strewn across your yard. I don't so much care about that anymore! Well, recently Analayne took a drinkable yogurt outside and apparently her curiosity got the best of her because she decided to pour her drink down the tubes of one of her toys. A few days prior she and her friend poured sand down the tubes so you can only imagine what it looked like when I walked out the back patio and saw what she had done. Whew--Hoo... sand and yogurt all mixed together in the 100 degree heat! The old me would have taken it apart and got the hose out and sprayed the toy clean. The new and too tired to really care "me" gave her a bottle of cleaner some paper towels and let her do her best to clean it herself. In addition, I saw that a storm was on the horizon so I instructed her to drag it into the yard and told her we were going to let the rain wash it off. She thought that was a cool suggestion so once inside she stood at the door and watched the yogurt get washed off her toy. I ended up with a clean toy and a child that was entertained during the entire storm! Shhhh... don't let my secret out!

Mothers Day 2009

2009-05-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am one PROUD and Happy Momma!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Iv'e Got 3 Words For You....Spirited, Tenacity & Spunk

2009-05-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

I love Analayne. I love the way she lives life with spirit, tenacity and spunk. She embraces each moment, lives freely and she has FUN. Analayne wants to "feel" everything! Don't get me wrong...she needs some down time but "less is more" for Analayne (unless of course you are serving up ice cream).

You see I first realized that Analayne would be the type of child to want to "capture" each moment and embrace the day about 7 hours after I delivered her. It was about 2:00 in the morning, Russ was asleep in our tiny hospital room and despite my 18+ hours of NATURAL labor I could not sleep. Analayne was in the nursery and I just wanted to see her. I walked into the nursery and quickly spotted her bassinet. There she was just a few hours old, lying there beautiful as she could be...with her eyes wide open, looking around. I thought to myself..."I thought a newborn would be asleep?" I then quickly eyed the other babies in the nursery and saw that they were indeed ALL asleep and it was at that moment that I thought, this girl is full of life and I was RIGHT.

At almost 4 years of age I see my daughter living life to its fullest. Happy, singing, talking, dancing, being silly, never meeting a stranger.... LIVING each day with anticipation and tenacity! This is just Analayne's personality. She is a "people person." Analayne gets up early and likes to go to bed late. She can outlast and outplay both me and her daddy! She inspires me and I love how God gave us a daughter that is SO very different from me. As her mom, I get frustrated with her energy sometimes but in all honesty I want to to bottle up some of her cheerful spunk, tenacity and spontaneity for myself.

Well, that is after I contemplate the idea for a week, think through all the pro's and cons and then make a list of all actions involved in accomplishing the aforementioned task!

Enjoy some of our latest pics that capture just a glimpse of the REAL Analayne!

How many nick names can you give a baby?

2009-05-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pea, Doodle, Baby, Cry Baby, Little Buddy and Crank are all "names" we (I) use when referring to Leighton. Don't you just love to make up names to call a sweet little baby? I think my favorite might just be "little buddy" because that is the name that Analayne started using on her own and it is just sheer, sweetness to hear her talking to Leighton and refer to him as her, "little buddy." Crank is the nickname that Mimi started in reference to Leighton's funny cranking noises he makes as he gears up for a good cry!

Analayne still gets confused and says things to Leighton like, "Hi, sissy." I then say, "Analayne you are the "sissy" he is your brother." She knows she is the sister and therefore would correct herself. However, lately I think she is giving up on being so gender specific because I noticed she is now just going up to him and saying, "Hi little baby."

Falling Into The Fountain

2009-04-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

If you know my daughter this might not come as much of a surprise to you! On Sunday following our Sunday morning worship Analayne was outside the theater playing around the large fountain with her dad and another little boy while I was at home caring for our new baby. Playing around the fountain has been a highlight of Sunday for the past two years but apparently yesterday she took a spill into the water. Russ was right there with her and he just grabbed her out but it all happened so fast that she had been totally immersed in the water and was soaking wet from head to toe. I guess is was good that I was not there because I don't respond to these "incidents" as well (calmly as daddy does). Anyway, since Russ wanted to go eat some lunch with Mimi and Papa and Analayne was soaking wet he took her to the store to buy new clothes and shoes so she would have something warm and dry to wear.

Since he does not do any of the shopping in our household he really had no idea what size she wore and I don't think he wanted to make any phone calls to me for assistance so he got the sales lady to assist and ended up with a size 6X sweat suit from the clearance area and some size 6 underwear. He then headed to the shoe aisle and against good discretion he let her pick out the shoes. She picked out some ultra glittery, light-up Strawberry Shortcake Velcro tennis shoes. My personal opinion is they are hideous but Analayne loves them and is so proud of them so I have actually grown to like them a little bit.

I asked Analayne if maybe we should not play up around the fountain anymore and she said, "no I am not going to run around the fountain "ANNNNNYYYYYMORE." She then went on to say, "thank you daddy for getting me out of the water." Even when he was putting her to bed last night she was thanking him for helping her.

As parents we can't really be upset. We all learned a lesson and out of the 3 of us, maybe I learned the most.

1. Accidents happen and you have to LET IT GO. You can choose to make it positive!
2. Tacky,glitter shoes become a little "cuter" when you little girl loves them.
3. If you swear you will never do something.... you will.
4. Clothes that are too big are okay when daddy picked them out and enjoyed doing so.

Check out the designer "kicks" that Analayne will be sporting when she plays outside or is riding her tricycle!

We have our princess....now we have our prince!

2009-03-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family. Meet our new baby boy, Leighton! After being induced 7 days after my due date he was born on March 27th at 5:12 pm. We are adjusting to our new family of 4 and I can easily say that Leighton is proving to be a sweet cuddle bug. He wants to be fed and he wants me to hold him (I'll take it)...

Enjoy the pictures,

One very in love mommy of TWO!

Freedom Rings

2009-02-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

For about the past year Analayne's bedtime has been loosely formed at our house. She would go to bed anywhere between 9:30-10:00pm but would take a nap for almost 2 hours each afternoon. The schedule worked but we were pulling our hair out at night because the late night bedtime was about more than we could handle. Well, I knew that with baby #2 coming very soon her sleep schedule was about to get blown out of the water. In addition, I was keeping in mind that the preschool program we have her enrolled in for the fall does not schedule a nap time, so I should probably start letting her skip the nap and try to get her bedtime to a more REASONABLE hour!

So I talked to Russ about the situation and he agreed that more time at night would be a big blessing for us both and that we should try a new schedule. One of the downfalls to her going to bed early is that in the spring/summer/early fall months Analayne will have very limited time with her dad during his work week because he works late (which is really the reason we had the later bedtime to begin with).

Despite this we decided our no nap decision would be best. This is our first week with our "new schedule" and it is working for us. However, every day Analayne still falls asleep for a cat-nap sometime in the afternoon. Sometimes the nap occurs in the car and sometimes she just falls out on the floor wherever she is at the time. Today she climbed under the office desk! She usually sleep for 30-45 minutes and then wakes up ready to go but that's okay, its working and every night around 8:30 I can't help but think.... Freedom Rings!

Check out her sleeping arrangement from today.

The Trumpets

2009-02-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago I got out the dreaded Medula pump in preparation for baby Leighton's arrival. It dawned on me that I probably needed to get it out and do a good cleaning of all the parts and accessories and make sure it worked perfectly.

Since I have a very observant and bright 3 and a half year old...she helped. She helped and when I say helped I am using that term loosely (very loosely). Nonetheless, as always she had me laughing hysterically almost the entire time we worked. She had no idea what the pump was or what it was used for, so of course I had to sit down with her and explain. She thought the cone shaped pieces were trumpets and began blowing into them make trumpet noises! While sitting at the kitchen table, I began telling her about "chesties" (she already knew all about her chesties) but I went on to tell her that when you area mommy your chesties make milk. Now that statement surely did get her attention (probably got your attention too!) Ever since that day a week or so ago she reminds me almost every day that when she is a mommy she will have chesties for the trumpets too. I can't wait till she is older to tell her of this story. In the meantime I think she will be a well prepared sister for the baby's arrival.

Big Words for a Big Girl

2009-02-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Analayne loves to use big words and her vocabulary is exploding. Here are some recent words she has incorporated into her daily language.

Mimi: Analayne where do you live?
A: Montana

Me: Analayne, I heard you played with Mrs. Ginger's dog yesterday. What was the dogs name?
A: Archeologist

Of course some of her other favorite topics to discuss include anything "stinky" or any sentence she can squeeze the word "poop" into.

Just last week I said, "I am pooped" (I accidently said this...not thinking anything of it and after I realized it caught her attention I quickly said, sometimes adults say this when they feel really tired). Now I have a 3 year old that goes around saying, "I'm pooped because I'm tired."

Oh the joys...more to come soon!

Christmas Does Not Really End...

2009-01-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Christmas this year. The excitement at our house was off the charts and I must say that this Lackey household is blessed! I know a certain 3 year old who should never ever tell me that she is bored because I can locate about a million fun and entertaining toys for her to play with. We celebrated Christmas beginning on Christmas Eve morning by going to Gob and Minnie's house for breakfast and family gift opening. Then that evening we went to our church's candle light service, which helped to definitely remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas. On Christmas morning we played with all the fun things Santa brought and then Mimi, Poppa, G-pop and Gigi came over to our house for breakfast and we opened more gifts. On Christmas night we went to Uncle Mike and Aunt Kay's house for the Christmas family fun night and had a blast there too!

Despite the fact that December 25th is over I am reminded everyday of the fun we have had. Analayne is still singing Christmas carols and telling me about baby Jesus and how Mary had a baby just like mommy is having a baby. What I love is that I always respond to her by saying, well mommy is having a baby but the angel did not come to mommy and mommy is not naming the baby Jesus. By the way in case you have not heard, we are naming our baby Leighton (pronounced Ley-ton). Only 7 more weeks to go --- Yippee! Below are some pictures from our Christmas season.

Are you ready for Christmas?

2008-12-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

December is always a wild month with so much to do to prepare for the holidays. However, today I feel like I have reached some goals. Our tree is up, our lights are hung, our door is decorated and as of this morning I have our Christmas cards addressed and several gifts wrapped (Analayne helped...the pacakges are very cute but its obvious that she helped). Don't let me fool you...I still have several tasks to complete but the overwhelming feeling is fading. Also, let me just tell you how wonderful on-line shopping is. I sit in front of my computer in my pajamas while Analayne draws me a picture and I shop. I have indeed participated in on-line shopping before but with a preschool age child and one on the way online shopping has been WONDERFUL this year.

Here are some pictures of us preparing for the holidays!

Halloween 2008 (Am I behind or what?)

2008-11-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Halloween. I am so far behind its embarrassing but with a new baby on the way I feel immense pressure to catch up on everything!

It's a boy!

2008-10-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today we went for the ultrasound and the baby is going to be a boy!

Deep down inside, I kinda knew it was a boy but everyone kept saying that it was a girl. Since we had both kinda convinced ourselves (and everyone around us was convinced it was girl) we were somewhat shocked when the tech said, "boy." However, we are very excited!

After several hours of Analayne continuing to tell me she was having a sister, she suddenly started verbalizing she was going to have a brother. Right before I put her down for her nap she started up one of her sweet conversations with me. She began by saying, "Were going to be a big sister. I am going to have a brother." I said, "yes, your going to have a baby brother." She said, "just like Hadley." Then she continued on to say, Mom, what are WE going to name him, Snack?" I said, "no we can't name him snack but we will think of a new and better name for him." She looked puzzled and then said, "can we name the boat snack?" (the boat she is referring to is in our garage being worked on and just the other day Russ asked her what he should name his boat). I called Russ at work to give him a play by play of this conversation and his heart melted. He might just let her name the boat, S-N-A-C-K!

Tell me what you think?

2008-10-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

As most young women of child bearing age know the BIG ultrasound usually occurs sometime around the 19th week of pregnancy. This ultrasound screens for all sorts of health related issues but it is also the ultrasound that can reveal your baby's sex! Guess what? my big ultrasound is quickly approaching (Oct 29th) and I will reveal my news as soon as I find out. I say lets take a poll... do you think I am having a girl or boy?

Meet Snack...

2008-09-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

Nothing would be more interesting to me than to somehow get inside the mind of my 3 year old daughter for just one day! I mean think of all the interesting thought processes that take place every minute...it would be never ending! Forget CNN's breaking headline news, or Fox's up to the minute updates. In addition, I might as well forget my need for the show, Lock-up extended stay on MSNBC because if I could get inside her mind, I would no longer need any additional thought provoking insights!

So what makes a 3 year old decide to name their baby brother or sister SNACK is beyond me! She started this a few weeks ago with absolutely no prompting and at first we did not catch on, but as the day progressed she kept talking about baby snack. We gave her no attention to this comment but it has continued and now she continues to refer to the baby as snack. Despite our attempts to refer to the baby as "Baby Lackey" she relentlessly continues! What can you do but laugh about it?

A Very Happy Birthday!

2008-09-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the land of morning sickness (for me its more like morning, noon and night sickness). The last few days I have felt increasingly more like my normal self and I could hear my blog calling my name!

I will begin about where I left off. We celebrated Analayne's 3rd birthday in July. July was about the same time I started feeling all the effects of my pregnancy and therefore I am very far behind in writing about our celebration.

We had a cookout party for family and then a separate birthday party for her friends at a local park. Let me just tell you how much fun it is to have a 3 year old. It is so much fun. She just comes up with the best games to play and continually amazes me! Enjoy the slide show.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My Big Announcement....

2008-08-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Guess what everyone? I am pregnant. Now quickly after that statement, I shall go ahead and tell you that I am due in March. Currently I am feeling the full brunt of nausea and therefore this post will be short. Just thought I would post the news and let you know I will be back to the blogging world just as soon as my stomach allows!

Ready Or Not Here I Come!

2008-07-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

I bet you can't guess what game we play quite frequently at our house?

Hide and seek is absolutely our new favorite thing to do and it can be hilarious at times. Analayne likes to hide and the places she hides are most interesting. However, she likes the hide in the exact same place over and over again! Her favorite place to hide is under the covers in her bed. Hiding under her covers is a very obvious hiding spot, but I love to walk around yelling, "is she behind the door?" or "is she under the bed?" and then tickle her through the covers until she pops out. Its also fun for her to try to find me because she just squeals with delight. If I am the one doing the counting I can actually get alot done while yelling 1---2---3---4.... Did you know that if you count slowly you can almost have enough time to wash a sink full of dishes?

Eat Your Heart Out....

2008-07-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

This post is being written especially for Aunt Candace. First I want to say that Candace is a natural born teacher and there are two things Aunt Candace has taught Analayne. First, red is the color you must wear on your lips and second, crossing your eyes is a true talent. Candace we LOVE you!

We Are Preheated & Toasted

2008-06-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

It is hot and Analayne and I are spending as much time as possible indoors, or at a pool. By 10:30 am, Analayne and I have already sat on our shady front porch and consumed at least 2 pop-ice popsicles (I bought a box of 700 pop-ice popsicles at Sams). After our consumption, I pretty much beg my daughter to go inside or she takes the opportunity to beg me to go to the pool.

I say its hot but honestly the hottest summer of my life was the summer of 2005. I was pregnant with Analayne and every square inch of me was either swollen or decorated with zebra like stretch marks. I recall waddling from my car to work, sleeping with no covers under a full blast ceiling fan and taking ice-cold showers. Her late summer birth brought some relief, but when you take into account the fact that my 9.7 lb newborn was pretty much either being held, nursing or laying on me, the temperature continued to heat up!

Thanks for walking down memory lane with me, now back to 2008...

The air conditioner went out in my Honda CRV and for about a week we suffered through it until Russ had a day or two off to fix it. We continually arrived at our destinations as hot and sweaty as you can imagine and usually with my daughter sporting some entirely wet hair. My hubby installed a very expensive new air conditioner unit so now its ice-cold. Not as ice cold as my beloved Volvo S-90 we sold when we got the new CRV but its still cold, so I will take it!

Analayne continues to want to go OUTSIDE to ride her scooter or trike or play in the sand. There is just something about sweat and sand (especially sweat and sand without a nice ocean nearby). I on the other hand would like to fill the bathtub up with ice cubes and pretend we are ice-fishing but that might take too much strength and energy and right now I just can't muster it up!

Anyway, if you need to find me or you want to chat, just drive on over. You will know its our house when you see us on the porch. The popsicles are waiting!

Meet Our New Nephew!

2008-06-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Currently, my brother and sister-in-law are in China finishing up the adoption process to bring their son home! They have named him Shepherd and his "Gotcha Day" was June 16th. He was born with cleft lip and palate but his lip has already had one surgery to repair it. We just can't wait to get to meet him personally. Check out the pictures....isn't he so handsome and cute!

She can withstand the fear of a 60 foot drop but needs her night light

2008-06-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went camping and then spent a day at Dollywood theme park.

We (oh wait...not "we" but rather Russ) had made the mistake of telling Analayne all the fun details about our weekend about 2 weeks prior and that began the spiral downward toward the official Lackey summer time kick-off. I say "downward" because for nearly two weeks I (the official care-giver, boo-boo kisser, lunch creator, teacher and entertainment guru...(also known as Analayne's mamma)had to endure several full blown emotional break-downs involving Analayne's spirited verbal desire to go camping and ride the rides.

Well, finally the weekend arrived and we took off on our adventure. Its a good thing Analayne has about as much energy as a hamster running on its wheel. She is full of life, is always ready for the "next big thing" and has virtually no fear for a child her age. Russ took her on a ride that shoots up 60 feet in the air and then falls down and shoots you back up again. Please note: Analayne wanted to go on this ride and was not forced. Anyway, as her mamma I stood on the ground watching my precious 37 inch tall almost 3 year old baby get on this ride with her manly daddy and I was squeamish. I even told the ride operator to watch the cute little girl with the green bow because I was scared she would fear for her life. I felt a little stupid later after she never so much as let out a peep! However, I can't say that she enjoyed this ride to its fullest potential because she never cracked a smile and the look on her face was one of confusion interspersed with brief moments of panic.

Since our trip she has been talking about all the rides and the experience of sleeping in our camper. She mentions the round and round tea cups, the bee ride, the ducks, the elephants, the train and the ferris wheel. However, not so much as one word has been mentioned about the shooting star ride. Since she has become quite the verbal girl who enjoys giving full reports about EVERYTHING, I have been a little shocked that she has not even said a word about the experience. I believe psychologically she is trying to oppress that memory. ME TOO!

"Alex...I'll take childhood rites of passage for 500 please."

2008-05-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

There are many rites of passage as you proceed through childhood and one of them must be to get a hold of a pair of scissors when your mommy or daddy is not looking! We all know that you simply cannot keep your eyes on your child 24/7 so despite our best attempts to keep all dangerous or potentially dangerous items out of the reach of our children...we sometimes just fail.

Yesterday, I walked around the corner to a "play area" in our den and found some little "tuffs" of hair that appeared to have come from Analayne's head. We had been cutting with her little scissors the day before and I guess they were within reach. She apparently felt the need to give herself a little haircut and now she has some whispy bangs. My reaction when I saw her was to send her to time-out. As her mommy, I did not want her to think this "little act" was okay! Time out is like the worlds worst punishment for her, so she cried and cried. I only let her sit there for about 25 seconds (I can't stand it when she cries) and then I sat down with her and we talked about it.

Well, this is what I have to say about the situation, "it could have been much worse." Some kids basically scalp themselves with their home-made haircuts. However, Analayne managed to just give herself some nice whispy bangs that honestly look like I took her to the salon to get them done! I am not the biggest fan of bangs on little bitty round faces but I know they will grow! I can assure you that the scissors are now out of her reach---only to be used on paper with adult supervision. Nuff said about that... Now I will take "proud moments in motherhood for 200."

A loyal reader...

2008-05-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

This blog entry is dedicated to Betty W. Betty is a woman that I have only met a few times but I have heard that she reads my blog regularly! I know who most of my "readers" are but when I found out about Betty I thought I should post a formal SHOUT OUT to her and formally tell her hello and let her know how much I appreciate all her kind words! I will keep the blog updates coming. Here's a picture of Analayne and her friend Noah that I took at the park today. I would have taken more pictures of her and her friends but its a daunting task to get multiple children, all under the age of 4 to be still enough for a decent picture. We are enjoying the beautiful spring days. Betty... I'll holler at you later!

One Very Envious Wife...

2008-05-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last week my dear hubby had the opportunity to go with some guys from the marina to race in the 2008 50th Dauphin Island Regatta. They sailed in a 40 foot Endeavor sailboat and they came in 3rd in their class! One of the joys of having known Russ since I was 18 years old is that we literally have grown up together. I say that because I can remember the day that Russ said, I would love to learn to sail." Now, just like many of us, when Russ makes up his mind to do something --- he does it! He started learning to sail and then eventually got a position working at the marina. He has read too many sailing and race rule handbooks to count them, taken classes, attended regattas, crewed for others, obtained his US Sailing Instructor certification, logged hours for his captains license, owned countless boats (somehow-- people just give them to us) and now manages a sailboat marina on Percy Priest Lake. Its been amazing to watch his knowledge grow and grow and now, others call on him for his expertise (the countless phone calls we get are proof!) So for Russ winning 3rd place in his first open water regatta was awesome! Now, I was just fine with him being away for a week and I was ecstatic that he and the other crew members had placed 3rd in their class. However, I became envious when Russ got home and showed me all the photos and video clips he had taken. All of the sudden I was ENVIOUS! Take a look for yourself...

Untitled from leeanne lackey on Vimeo.

Easter 2008

2008-04-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter in Florida with my brother,sister-in-law and niece. We had a great time. Here are some highlights and funny things that happened:

Analayne starting calling Cracker Barrell the "crappy darrell."

Analayne and Hadley played and played and now Analayne loves to get in her little tykes car and say to me, "I going to Hadley's."

We went to an Easter egg hunt and the girls got to hold little baby chicks.

We went to the beach (it was fairly chilly) but we still had a great evening.

Analayne and Hadley played on the playground and Hadley did her best to show Analayne how to do flips on the bars.

We enjoyed being with everyone and we miss having all of our family living close by. For now we just have to make yearly visits and try to capture the girls as they grow older together. Enjoy some photo highlights.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Back Off Satan...

2008-04-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you in my group of family and friends who read my blog (and any lurkers who are reading this), I want to ask for your prayers! My brother and sister-in-law are adopting a baby boy from China. They have prayed for such a long time for their child and are so excited (and we are too). They have eagerly been preparing for their son to come home. For weeks there has been feelings of anticipation, excitement, eagerness, thankfulness and honestly feelings of heartache for him.

A few weeks ago they were given travel dates and all seemed to be set for them to begin their journey on May 1st. However, today they received word that one little piece of paper needed for their adoption ( I think its the I-171H letter) is being held up and as a result it might hold them back and make them and their baby boy have to wait longer. This is agonizing for them! As a mother (and with a mother's heart) I can only imagine how difficult it is to continue to wait to hold the child you have already been waiting for and have already been loving. I won't even attempt to put those feelings into a written form!

We know that it is the Lord's plan for baby Shepherd to come home and we know that Satan loves to destroy our happiness and joy and he especially would love to thwart this process. Here is what I have to say (and I am very strong willed...) "Satan, you just step back. You have NO power over this situation. God's plan is divine and we as followers are faithful and we believe that the Lord is in control."

God can do amazing things and we believe that....so my fellow friends and family, please join with me in prayer that this paperwork gets completed in time to allow for the scheduled travel and time line. We know God can do anything and HE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS! Oh yeah--- and pray that they receive the needed money to complete their adoption. I also ask that you might additionally pray for Candace to somehow miraculously find the diamond earrings. (Hey, our lord asks that we come to HIM with all our needs and requests so I figured I might throw that in there too)...

**If you want to read more about the adoption of MY NEPHEW, Shepherd click here.

A Big Girl Bed

2008-04-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Out of necessity Analayne has moved to her big girl bed! Here is the drama that occurred that prompted this sudden and abrupt move down the hall. Last night our garage flooded, the drywall was wet, Analayne's carpet and padding got wet and overall it was just a big mess. So Russ being the wonderful handyman and "jack of all trades" that he is began working and very quickly found the problem. It seems that the pipe that led to our hose spicket burst and so water was spewing out of it and coming out the wall into the garage. The other side of this garage wall is the wall that is in Analayne's room, so with that said, water was leaking into her room. However, she was already asleep and it was almost midnight so we decided to deal with the mess in her room today! So Russ tore out everything that was wet and installed a big fan to ensure that the no water or dampness is left. With the big fans going there was no way that a poor little girl could sleep in the same room. So once I realized there was no way she was sleeping in her little toddler bed I began "talking up" how wonderful her big girl bed was and I started moving her babies and blankets into the new room. Analayne looked puzzled for a few minutes and then climbed right in and Russ and I sat down with her on her bed and prayed and did all of our hugging and kissing and then... we turned on her music, closed the door and walked away. That was it... yep...that was it... no getting out of bed, no crying, no nothing. A big girl indeed!

I had been working on a plan for her "new" room and had already put her bedding together. However, I had not yet painted or hung her new window treatments or started moving all of her "babies" and fun stuff to their new home. I just got done telling Russ, "you know-- if she sleeps through the night with no issues...she will not be moving back into her old room." He replied, "yep, I know." I wonder if he realized that with that comment he just committed himself to painting her room next weekend?

Three times around on the zoo carousel....

2008-03-08T11:31:00.001-08:00

We love the zoo. The animals, the playground, the farm house, the petting zoo area, the beautiful "water features," and the carousel. As zoo members we get a discount on carousel tokens and that is a good benefit because somehow in the midst of Analayne's excitement and my excitement I started letting her ride the carousel 3 times each time we visit the zoo (which in the good weather months might be once a week). Analayne gets to hand the token to the zoo worker, pick which animal she wants to ride and then as she rides round and round she has a beaming smile! While we stand in line for our turn to board the carousel, Analayne and I talk about each animal and we point to the different animals and name them as she starts to make her decision about which one she will ride.

A few weeks ago we went to the zoo and she rode the elephant, the bongo and the monkeys. She had wanted to ride one more time but I had to enforce my limit (my physical limit of going round and round 3 consecutive times in a row and also my financial limit of $1.00 a ride!). The animal that she would have chosen was the giraffe. However, at the zoo there are maybe 3 animals on the carousel that do not go up and down and the giraffe is one of them. I explained this to her, but told her that the next time we visited the zoo she could ride the giraffe if that is what she chose. For the next 3 weeks this is exactly what I heard her say over and over again to nearly everyone she met. "I ride the carousel. Giraffe no up down. Elephant go up down. Giraffe no up down...he too tall." Finally last weekend in the beautiful 70 degree weather I took Analayne to the zoo and yes, we rode the carousel 3 times. She chose to ride the turtle, the elephant and the GIRAFFE!

Mustering Up The Energy

2008-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

I am working on it my friends... I have so much I want to write about and so many pictures I have stock piled in the camera that I want to post. However, the motivation and energy to do any of this is lacking! I simply don't want to do anything. Don't want to cook, clean, go walking, scrapbook, blog, do my Bible study, drive anywhere, run any errands, go to work or even force my brain to have a complete thought. To sum it all up...I Don't WANT to do it. Is it because it is cold outside and it has rained or been dreary since Christmas? I promise a really good update soon--- but for now--maybe I shall take just one more nap!

When It's Freezing Cold & You Don't Want To Go!

2008-02-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

So what are we doing on these very cold days with grey and gloomy skies? Here is a breakdown of our newest favorite activities:

1. We went to the circus last Sunday night. We were pretty sure Analayne would like it but it ended up that she LOVED it and was glued to the performance. She is still talking about everything she saw. It was truly the best circus performance Russ and I have ever attended--- you can't beat Barnum and Baily!

2. While other children are singing songs like Twinkle Twinkle and Where is Thmbkin, Analayne is singing the song, Charleston! Analayne loves this song and if your not familiar with it the first part of the song goes like this, "Charleston, Charleston..made in Carolina.." She sings this song and does not miss a word.

3. We are painting. This is Analayne's newest and most favorite fine motor activity. Within 20 minutes she can paint about 50 pictures. In about an hour and 20 minutes I can clean up the aftermath. Thank goodness for easels and Ajax!

4. We are writing the alphabet. She loves for me to sit down with a marker and her tablet of paper and she dictates which letter for me to write down. After a page of tablet paper begins to get full I ask her to identify certain letters. For example, "where is the letter J?" and she points to the correct letter. Fun and educational-its a win-win for us!

5. We are obcessed with Angelina Ballarina and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I won't elaborate, just know that I know every word to every Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song and I am certain that I know everything about TOOTLES!

6. Two of her favorite books right now are Fancy Nancy and Llamma, Llamma Mad At Momma.

7. Analayne knows her manners (YEAH!!!) However, she says both the "thank you and your welcome part all in one sentence, despite the fact that it might not be her "turn" to be the one saying your welcome! Its cute though... and as a mommy I will take it :)

8. We are washing "dishes." Analayne has mastered the art of pulling a chair up to the kitchen counter to help me "cook" or to "wash" dishes. Washing dishes can be a very helpful activity for both her and for me. I scrub the skink (After all..I am a germ-o-phobic), fill the sink with a little water, give her two or three cups and a few spoons and she plays for a very long time (long enough for me to make dinner!)

9. This morning when Analayne got up she climbed into bed with us and said the following, "I want a Wiggle boat." Russ said, "do you want to watch Wiggle Boat?" (her DVD) and she shook her head and said, "no, I want a Wiggle boat." I then said, "you want a wiggle boat that you can play in?" and she said, "yes." She then proceeded to say (and I quote...) "Daddy get me one." In response to that Russ told her "give me a week and I will get you one." She knew the right person to go to for a boat...literally! The surprise to me is that she had already made her mind up that she wanted to have her own little boat to play in. She is her daddy's girl (mine too!) On the flip side...where are we going to store a "wiggle boat?"

Russ and I are doing fine as well. We are hanging in there until a glimpse of warm sunshine comes our way. January and February feel like really long months to us. More to come very soon!

Somebody tell her what time it is!

2008-01-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Russ loves watches and its in his nature to always have a watch on or the very least his cell phone on his hip with the time on the face of it. On the other hand, I do not like to wear a watch unless I have too. I wash my hands alot and they are always in the way! At work I wear a pager and it has a clock built in. At home I have clocks throughout the house, my car has a clock, my computer has a clock, my cell phone has a clock (but I have to dig in my purse or Analayne's bag to find it) and even my new pedomiter has a clock built in. I have one watch with a working battery that on occassion I do wear, but often you will find it looped through my key-ring.

Since Russ loves knowing what time it is, I like to make him happy by asking him the question, "what time is it?" I do this if I am sitting on the floor and can't see the clock on our stove, or if we are in the car and I can't see the clock on the dash board. On Sunday afternoon, we were in the car driving home from church and I asked Russ the timeless question (no pun intended), "what time is it?" Analayne's ears were turned ALL the way up and since Sunday she has asked us about 500 times "what time is it?" We answer her and before the clock can even move a minute, she is asking the question again and we respond with exactly the same time. It's a hoot! She understands that we look at a clock to know what time it is and she can identify a clock. She can say the word, "clock" and "watch" and she can even use the words in a complete sentence. She uses her new clock puzzle and Nemo watch to pretend that she is reading a clock. However, she truly has no concept of time developmentally and by the way she repeats this question over and over again---it should be obvious to the WHOLE world. Now, let me see....what time is it?

Rebounding from Christmas

2008-01-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

I ask myself, why in the midst of celebrating the birth of Jesus do we find ourselves so completely overwhelmed with a "to do" list longer than the law should allow? To my friends and family who read this, I know that your family experiences this as well and I rest assurred that I am not alone in my quest for a reserved bed at the Psych hospital (kidding of course... but we all have those days!)

By December 23rd my "to-do" list became somewhat manageable. The Christmas parties were over, my shopping was completed, The plan and agenda for the actual holidays had been nailed down, and the Christmas cards had been sent. There were still tasks that we needed to complete but, WOW--- to stop and focus and just "be ready" felt so good and the excitement began mounting.

We had such a nice time celebrating Christmas at Minnie and Gob's house on Christmas Eve morning and then we went to our churches Christmas candle light service that evening. On Christmas morning we were up bright and early (5:20am) to see what fun toys Santa brought and then later that morning we enjoyed breakfast at our house and Mimmi,Poppa, Gigi and G-pop all came over. Later that evening we went to Uncle Mike and Aunt Kay's house and celebrating with the Taylor side of the family (we played some awesome Bingo, opened gifts, and ate the best turkey I have ever tasted in my life). On December 26th Chad, Candace and Hadley arrived and we celebrated with them at Mimi and Poppa's house. Now that Christmas is over and we have entered 2008 I am rebouding from my full and non-stop month of December. Analayne is still in the Christmas spirit. She continues to sing Happy birthday to Jesus and she talks about Santa Claus several times a day. She reminds me daily of the excitment of Jesus's birth and well...the magical'ness (is that a word?) of the holidays. Enjoy some of our photos!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Hadley and Baby Cousin....

2007-12-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

This week my niece, Hadley, has been visiting and we have been playing non-stop. Hadley calls Analayne, baby cousin. She calls Russ, Uncle Bus and me, Aunt Lee-Lee. It is so sweet and we just love it! Analayne and Hadley are so very sweet together and they play really well together, with only the occasional "tiff" over who gets what (but the art of distraction works well with both of them so one of us can generally help diffuse the "give it to me now" situation). Every time Analayne sees an airplane in the sky she says, "airplane...Hadley" (which means Analayne or Hadley must get on an airplane in order to get to see each other). Analayne also really enjoys calling Hadley and Aunt Candace (Chad, she loves you too...but your usually at work and you don't talk a whole lot). Well, this week we were eating dinner and the girls had finished up and had moved on to playing in the family room. We could see them from the kitchen and they had discovered a drawer full of papers and pencils and pens and random other non-harmful objects. They loved discovering all that the drawer had inside and we could hear them talking to each other and playing cooperatively. We don't think they really knew we were watching and Poppa was able to capture the moment with these awesome pictures!

The Wonder Horse Lives On

2007-12-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

I am sure you are familier with the Wonder Horse spring ride-on toy if you were a child in the 70's or were raising a child in the 70's. I know many households had this amazing bouncing horse and you can probably still hear the springs making that sound (ee-eee,eehhhh, ee-ee, ehhh). Guess what? My parents kept our wonder horse! Yes, for 30 years this horse has been a part of the family and now there are two little girls who get to enjoy riding the wonder horse when they visit Mimi and Poppa's house. It is one of the favorites for Analayne and she puts all of her energy and spunk into her wonder horse adventures. Take notice that the springs have now been covered with a foam tube to ensure that any little fingers do not get pinched (the 8 years as an ER child life specialist forced me to caution Poppa and prompt him to help ensure safety). On the other hand, its probably one the safest toys around because it was probably made in the USA and does not have lead paint and I don't have to worry about some small part containing the date rape drug if its ingested!

How 'bout them cow girls.....

2007-11-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

The other day I was hanging clothes up in our closet and I turned around to find my sassy, spunky, living life to the fullest, daughter putting on her daddy's cow boy boots. Well, I knew right then that as soon as she could get the boots on and figure out how to stand up in them that she was going to be all smiles. I quickly ran upstairs, grabbed my camera and caught her just as I re-entered our bedroom.

Alright, I know everyone may not be a country music fan. However, if you know me very well you already know that I have very eclectic music taste and you also know that I love George Straight. With that said, as soon as I saw Analayne with the boots on I started hearing George Straight singing the song, "How bout them cow girls." She's our little cow girl and boy...howdy...she's a cute one at that!

**Update 11/17/07: Since this original post our cowgirl has added another "cow girl accessory" to her "get-up." No cow girl would be complete without her pink and purple shiny stick horse that actually makes horse sounds and a galloping noise! Friday evening Analayne's Minnie and Gob (grandparents) spent time with her and showered her with a bag of goodies, including this very cute stick horse. I was unable to see all the fun times that Analayne had while riding the stick horse up and down their driveway, but I heard it was a real riot and that Analayne put on a big cow girl show. Russ told me that the laughter could be heard throughout the entire neighborhood. The fun times did not end on Friday... because I got to witness and participate all day on Saturday. I caught two pictures with Analayne being her true self... putting on clothes from the pile of laundry I was folding...while continuing to ride her stick horse!

I Love You

2007-11-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Analayne told us she loved us for the first time today! She said both of these sentences, I love you daddy and I love you mommy. We were blown away and we looked at each other and just smiled. It was so sweet! We tell her that we love her all the time...because we do. However, to hear those words back was awesome.

The sweetest little puppy I know!

2007-11-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Analayne dressed up as a puppy dog for Halloween. We went to our churches "truncktacular" event the Sunday before Halloween and then we spent Halloween night going trick-or-treating at the homes of our family members who live nearby. It did not take her long to figure out that everyone had treats (or prizes as she calls them) for her. She didn't quite understand that she could put the candy in her bag rather than stuff it all in her mouth at once! I let her eat at least a dozen pieces of candy before I had to hide her stash. Analayne sure did look cute in her puppy dog costume. However, she never did learn any usable commands such as "come" or "sit." Oh well...

A Legacy

2007-10-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Fun, laughter, happiness, smiles, stories, conversation, togetherness, sadness, grief, mourning and acceptance are just a few of the words I will use to describe this past week.

On October 20th we loaded up the truck and camper and drove to the lake with several members of the family. We had such a good time. We played cards and dominoes, ate meals together, carved a few pumpkins, roasted marshmellows, enjoyed the beautiful view of the lake, shared stories and had many meaningful conversations. When we arrived home I told Russ that this particular camping trip had been my favorite thus far. I didnt know if it was the combination of beautiful weather, Analayne being old enough to truly enjoy herself, or if it was just the "connectedness" I felt with each member of the family that had been present. Quite possibly it was all of these factors.

When we arrived back home the following Monday, we said good-bye to family and drove to our house to begin the laborous afternoon of unpacking, cleaning things up etc. However, around 8:45 Russ's cell phone rang, his brother was calling to share some very bad news. Russ's granddaddy had died. We were shocked. Literally 7 hours earlier we had stood in his driveway hugging and saying good-bye. I thought to myself, how could this be? We had just had such a great time together. On Tuesday while Russ was with his family handling some arrangements, I sat at home filled to the brim with emotions. While Analayne was napping (thank goodness she slept for almost 2 hours) I tried my best to gather my thoughts and I wrote (that is what deep thinkers with an inclination towards writing do...) below is some of what I wrote. I think it describes my feelings best.

I am a writer. In most instances I am able to get my feelings out on paper better than in words and in the midst of sadness, this is no exception. I first met granddaddy when I began dating Russ. Even from the earliest point in my relationship with Russ, I was told about Granddaddy. Russ told me about the many experiences he had already shared with his granddaddy, such as camping trips, working on cars, tales about a truck, and fishing excursions...just to name a few. I knew those were sacred times. I knew from the intensity of the words, the non-verbal cues, and Russ’s body language that when he spoke about his granddaddy he felt loved and cherished every experience, conversation and moment of laughter he shared with this special man. I knew that Granddaddy was rock solid to Russ. I knew that there was nothing that would ever stand in the way of the relationship that they shared.

As time progressed and as Russ and I eventually married, I too experienced Granddaddy’s genuine and true loving nature. He was intentional in his actions and unconditional in the way he loved. Granddaddy accepted me and it was clear that I had nothing to prove. Granddaddy knew that I loved his grandson and that was all that he ever expected. He knew that I was as genuine in my love for Russ as he was towards Granny. Once Analayne was born he fell in love with her too. There was never a time that I don’t recall pulling up in the driveway, barely getting my vehicle in “park” before Granddaddy appeared at Analayne’s door ready to carry her into the house. He loved for her to sit in his lap. You could see the charm in his eyes when Analayne would read him books about llamas or horses. Just about a month or so ago, Analayne began yelling out “Gannnnieee, Ganddaddy” (most recently the name had changed to Pap). If we ever drove past the intersection that led to their house and did not stop, she would let us know about it. She loved going to their house. She loved that he would hold her up high and let her look at the birdhouses and wind chimes. She loved that Granny and Granddaddy would let her stomp in their leaves and run through their flower beds, never once becoming annoyed or complaining that she could be handful.

Granddaddy loved fairly. He never played favorites. I always admired that about him. What he did for one, he would be willing to do for all. He was never manipulative and he was always sacrificial. He would give you the shirt off his back if he knew it would help. I always loved the impromptu conversations that I would share with Granddaddy and Granny when I was at their home. I could trust them. I could always be “real” with them. I always felt welcome in their home. I could come right on in, kick my feet up, grab a pack of crackers or chocolate covered raisins and make myself at home. There are very few people that create this level of comfort for their guests but they managed to do this not only for me but for everyone.

I must say that Granddaddy was the most loving grandfather figure I have ever had the opportunity to be around. My mother’s dad was killed in a zinc mine before I was born and my father’s dad has always been distant and stern with his grandchildren, which makes it very difficult to ever establish a deep relationship. The experience to develop this unique grand-father/grand-daughter relationship has been such a thrill to me. About two years ago, after Russ finished school at Nashville Auto Diesel, I wrote a letter to Granddaddy. It was the first time I had ever “gone out on a limb” and shared some of my deepest thoughts and gratitude with someone other than Russ or my parents. I am so thankful that I did that. I am so thankful that I was able to reveal my transparency in the form of written words on paper. Russ mentioned to me last night that he wished he had done more. He wished he had given him one last hug and told him that he loved him one last time before we drove away upon returning from the lake. I reminded Russ that he was holding Analayne and that Analayne was giving out the hugs and kisses, but deep inside I knew what Russ meant. There is always that normal, retrospective desire to go back and do something differently. We would all probably have done something differently if we had known what was to come. I doubt that Russ knew that I wrote that letter to Granddaddy. However, as my dear sweet husband wrestles with the emotions of wishing he could go back and tell his granddaddy one more time how special and important he was, I want Russ to know that Granddaddy already knew it. He knew it from all previous actions and words. However, Russ should not ever feel that his granddaddy didn’t know how special he was to Russ. I made sure that I wrote about that in the letter.

Today, I feel so very sad. Selfishly, I am sad that my dear sweet husband will no longer get to spend countless hours working, talking and “playing” in the barn with his precious granddaddy. I am sad that we just experienced the last camping trip weekend with granddaddy. I am sad that Analayne has already read him his very last book. I am sad that Granny has lost her husband. I am sad that Mike and Mary have lost their daddy. I am sad that all the grand children and great grand children have lost their granddaddy, or Pap as many called him. I am sad. I know that he is sitting at Jesus’s feet right now and I should be happy that he can now enjoy heaven. However, selfishly I don’t feel anything other than sadness. Granddaddy will be missed by so many. There will definitely be a void that no human being will ever be able to fill. Granddaddy was loved by so many and will be greatly missed.

Though it has been a very difficult week we share a happiness that granddaddy is in heaven and that he never had to suffer a long and painful death. Granddaddy meant so much to everyone and he left a legacy! Posted below are some of the pictures taken during the weekend camping trip that we shared with him.

A Visit To The Farm

2007-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we headed to Gentry's farm to experience some good ol' farm activities! We got to take a hay ride, pick out a pumpkin, play in the corn and grain trough, swing on the tire swing and say hello to the goats, ducks, cows, hens and roosters. Analayne loved it and well... so did we! Check out my new slide show...

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

NO MAE...

2007-10-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Since Analayne's birth she has periodically heard me say "no Mae...NO!" to our cat. Usually when I am saying this the cat has gotten in the house and has decided to scratch at the carpet or attempt to get on the ledge above our sink. Typically when I am reprimanding the cat I clap my hands or yell at her really loud. I knew I was doing this but if you want something to come back and HAUNT you....then have a child and watch them imitate you. There is nothing like your sweet little cutie-pie imitating you as she runs all over the front yard, yelling "no Mae" and clapping her hands (you will notice in the picture that Mae has left our property to join the neighbors). However, if Mae knew better she would have realized that the neighbors have two little girls---which means they can yell louder and chase her longer!

I know pets are good for kids (or let me clarify that statement for my household.... "A PET" is good for a child). Child development research continually shows that a child that is exposed to animals in a loving and caring environment develops the ability to show compassion, care for others, develop skills of responsibility etc. In addition, some research has shown that children exposed to pets at an early age tend to develop less allergies.

I was born into a family with a cat. When my brother was 2 he wanted a pet (a dog...) but at the time money was tight for my parents and apparently my dad knew of someone that had a young cat for free. I guess, free was the key word and so that became the family pet. This cat happened to live for almost 23 years! As a young child I would dress her up and put her in my doll stroller and push her around. She would meow and look at me in distress, but nonetheless she endured. I am convinced that she knew that in her geriatric years I would be the one that would advocate for her. Even on her last day on earth (she was VERY Sick, unable to move, and in the long process of dying) it was me that wrapped her up in a towel, cried all the way to the vet and made the humane decision to free her of pain and sickness.

When Analayne finished yelling "no Mae..." and running around the yard, I watched as Analayne in her two-year old way began to play with the cat. She carried little rocks and twigs over to her and put them in a pile in front of her, each time saying, "here oouuuu go." I envision that it won't be long until Mae is being pushed around the yard or down the sidewalk in the wagon or doll stroller and when that happens I am not sure if I will cry or laugh myself crazy and wet my pants!

Play Is A Child's Work!

2007-09-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

So what have we been doing the last few weeks you might ask? Well, we have been playing and we have been on the GO!

I joined Bible Study Fellowship and it has been really great. I get to learn about the book of Matthew and Analayne gets to attend the 2-year old class where they do fun Bible based play and activities. Last week when I picked her up she was singing a song and doing some hand motions with it that they must have been singing. I never could figure out what song it was, but I could tell that she was happy and had enjoyed her class. This week when I picked her up she kept saying the words "little baby" and she would clasp her hands together and rock her arms back and fourth. After I read the parents take home sheet from her class I learned that the teaching topic from the morning was, Jesus was born a baby. It all made sense! The BSF children's teachers so good. BSF takes pride in the quality of their adult and children's programs and this is very evident by the way the teachers are always prepared, how they interact with the children and how they go the extra mile and take extra effort to greet each child at the door (sometimes using a little distraction....like a puppet). I cannot stress how great and incredible the last two weeks have been for both Analayne and me!

On Tuesdays our Church's preschool group have been doing some really fun "play mornings." We meet up at the designated location and let the kids play or take part in the planned activity. Thus far we have been to Chuckee Cheese, the park and Sting Ray Reef. Analayne loved the sting ray fish and the fabulous unlimited carousel rides!

We are ready for some cooler fall weather (I am sure you feel somewhat the same). We really enjoy being outside when we are not sweating to death. I plan on not taking for granted any beautiful fall weather we might get. Analayne loves to be pulled around in our wagon. She also had a great time going from one outdoor toy or ride on car to another (giving each toy about a 25 second try). Analayne has also recently discovered that our neighbors have two little girls and she loves to play outside with them. As you can see life is busy but we are both learning so much.

If you ever wonder where we are or what we are doing you can bet that we are either "on the go" or outside playing!

5 Highlights

2007-09-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

1. Analayne has been introduced to Disney characters (by her daddy...of course). She loves Mickey and Donald Duck and gets very excited when she sees either of them. She calls Donald Duck D-Duck (pronounced just like it is spelled). Its funny to hear her get excited and loudly proclaim, D-Duck...D-Duck. We are now getting her ready for a possible trip to Disney!

2. When Analayne uses her potty, I get some toilet paper off the roll and as I help her wipe I say, "dabble dabble.." Well this week she surprised me and tucked her little hands under her arm-pits and said, "gobble gobble" and flapped them like a turkey. Hilarious! Apparently, we are getting ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving Turkey Day!

3. Many times at night as we put Analayne to bed, I tuck her in and kneel down beside her and say, "want to talk?" She would start whispering and talking but many times I could not understand everything she was saying (but it was cute anyway). I would often understand peoples names or she would start talking about her doll, Lolly. Well, this past week as we have begun the process of tucking her into bed, she has started saying, "lets talk.... talk....mama talk.." Of course I just kneel down and say, "okay, what would you like to talk about?" I can always see her wheels spinning in her little brain and I LOVE THAT!

4. We love to use our pens, crayons, markers and any paper, receipt or piece of mail available to create our masterpieces. Today at the post office I let her fill out a delivery confirmation slip and I let her hand it to the postal employee (she was so proud and of course the postal employee just thought she was precious and took the slip and pretended to use it). It was very cute!

5. The other day we were using post-its and a pen and I wrote out the letter "A" on one of the post-its. As I wrote the letter I said, "this is the letter A." Analayne repeated me and then wrote out her own letter "A" on another post-it. Now anytime she has a pen & a piece of paper she says, "A" and makes some lines (they actually resemble an "A". This little pumpkin will be writing her name out very soon (get ready everybody....here comes my sarcasm.... "and everyone told me that she would never learn to spell her name..." Oh, you silly people!)

The funny things a 2-year old will do...

2007-08-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine how standing or sitting right up close to the television screen would be comfortable. However, Analayne must think it is because she is notorious for getting too close and she becomes mesmorized. Apparently this is a very common thing amongst preschool aged children, since many of the mothers of Analayne's friends have also shared with me that their children do this exact same thing! I guess its especially good that I don't really let her watch much more than 30-45 minutes of television a day. Sitting too close to the television screen must be a "written rule" in the beloved toddler rule-book (written by the lasik surgery guru, Ming-Wang!).

We are potty trained...and other updates from the week!

2007-08-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Okay...Okay...Okay... I realized that not everyone really cares about potty training but indulge me for a few minutes...please!

About 2 weeks ago I began reading up on potty training tactics. However, I must make a "disclosure statement" and let everyone know that I am not really one of those Mommy's who "goes straight by the book" when it comes to my child. It is extremely helpful that my educational background is in child development and child life, but as a mommy I just like to take one day at a time. I do find that I can learn great amounts of interesting information from reading the works of some trusted research and utilizing some great resources (T.Berry Brazelton & the American Academy of Pediatrics...to name a few). However, only so much can be retained or truly put into practice when it comes to the individuality of each child! I try my best to be "as in touch" with Analayne's growth, intellectually, physically, emotionally, developmentally and spiritually and I think that the most vital way to help her grow and develop at her own pace is to watch her cues!

With that said, I started watching her closely and noticed that she was showing interest in learning how to use her potty. She could say vital words such as "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" and her attention span was capable of lasting several minutes. She had also already shown me (many months previously) that she knew how to relax her muscles to allow herself to pee-pee, a vital part of being able to sit on the potty and get something to happen! However, even though these cues were evident, Russ and I would need to create a potty training game plan.

I bought a baby doll that had a potty and could go "pee-pee" and I created a sticker page for the refrigerator. In addition, I bought her some tiny panties with Elmo, pink horses and some with kitty-cats on them. I also created a "prize" system, based on getting two little M&M's or Skittles after each successful attempt---which has worked really well (as she now cares very little for the candy but still wants to go potty). To top it off, I became the worlds best cheerleader! Imagine me proclaiming with delight something like this, "yeah--- you did it. You can pee-pee in the potty." This plan has been very successful for us and within a day or two she really had the hang of it all. Today at church she even told her teacher "pee-pee" and they grabbed her up ran to the restroom and she proceeded to show off her new trick! We are proud parents and our budget is all the better for it too. YEAH Analayne...Way to GO!

Other FUN and Interesting moments that occurred this week:

**Analayne locked her mommy out of the house on Saturday. I was running to the mailbox (which takes me less than 10 seconds) and she decided to come to the door to watch but locked the glass door. When I got back up to the door there she was standing in front of the glass with nothing but her undies on. I tried for quite sometime to get her to unlock the door. She tried but kept turning the knob the opposite direction. Needless to say, I figured it all out and got back in the house...but it took about 15 minutes. The lesson I learned was... take her with me to the mailbox (or get a full time nanny to watch her 24/7). I'm opting for the nanny's help but Russ said, "that is not an option." I guess I am the nanny! Oh well...I tried :)

**Analayne proclaims at least 100 times a day the phrase, "Daddy go to work." Just in case I ever forget where Russ is during the work week she can remind me.

**Every time the phone rings, Analayne thinks her aunt Candace is calling and wants to talk on the phone. This gets really interesting when a real-estate client or the southwest airlines representative calls and they can hear her adamant desire to talk to Candace in the background. On that note...I want to take a moment to thank my friend Camille for being willing to "talk" on the phone with my 2-year old. With 3 kids of her own, I am sure she would rather not hear another preschoolers chit chat but since Camille has a heart of gold, she endures and does so with an energetic spirit. Mimi you should also get an award!

More to come in the weeks ahead!

A Little Time Out

2007-08-18T12:59:00.001-07:00

Lets talk about whining and crying...Whining and crying for no apparent reason drives me insane (ironic because I know how to whine really well). When I was little I know I drove my parents crazy. I would whine and cry every time my brother said something mean or wouldn't let me play with him and as I recall he picked on me and didn't let me play with him very much, so my whining and crying must have been heard alot (sorry Chad...no mercy on this one). However, I am thankful that my parents tried to guide me by helping me learn to ignore some of the worlds external annoyances and verbalize what I could not ignore (its still a work in progress, except now my sweet husband helps me keep my tone down!)

As for my dear sweet daughter, I too have to help her learn to verbalize her frustrations. She is learning language (and has an exploding vocabulary) but she still needs our help to express her feelings (and 2-year olds have lots of feelings). So to help her "get a grip" I implemented time out last week. I am using the bottom two stairs on the staircase for her time out spot (its perfect because I can still see her from almost any angle of the den or kitchen, but she can't always see me and there is absolutely nothing to do anywhere near the staircase--so its rather a boring place). She learned really quickly what time out was and therefore in a 6 or 7 day time period she has only had to sit there three times! This is how the scenario sounds, "Analayne, no more whining. Use your words." When the whining persists, I tell her she will have to sit in time out and I pick her up and carry her over to her spot and say, "Analayne, when you are finished crying and whining you can get up." She sits there and continues on for about 20 seconds and then just stops puts a smile on her face and gets up and comes to me. I greet her as if I am excited to see her and we move on. Which brings me to thinking....if time out works so well, maybe everyone in the entire world needs to sit in some time out to get a grip. Next time I am losing my cool...I am heading for the stairs, literally!

Our new chef...

2007-08-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

My New Car....okay it's a cozy coupe!

2007-08-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

We finally found a used cozy coupe car that we could afford! I have always loved this type of ride-on toy. Its been in production for many years. As far as I am concerned, its a classic! I can remember my friend, Kate having one when I was little. We would ride around their back yard (they had a gravel drive way) and since their large backyard sloped, we had the perfect running start to a nice ride that took little effort on our part. I realize that there are battery operated
ride-on cars now and I am not oppossed to Analayne getting a toy of this kind at some point, but there is just something about toys that don't do all the work for you!

Analayne loves the door of the car. She gets in and out of the car and smiles so big! Since its so hot outside (and we just cleaned the wheels with a clorox wipe) we are allowing her to ride it around the house. This morning when she woke up she immediately drove her car from the front door area to the kitchen so that she could get her cup of milk (now thats the life...isn't it?)

Russ's truck is still in the shop. We encountered a major problem that involved the speed sensor. So even with his incredible knowledge, tool collection and master skills he was forced to take it to the dealer. Mostly because the problem is due to the fact that it involves the speedometer cluster and only a few places are equipped to handle something as tricky as dealing with your milage and the sensor that perceives the mileage of the vehicle. Well, the dealer is also been at a loss and they have mis-diagnosed the car twice and have ordered the wrong parts etc. Since we are now entering week 3 of his truck being in their technicians hands they finally gave us a rental car. Now if we had just been able to find Russ his own cozy coupe car (he, he, he...)

View my birthday slide show!

2007-07-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all my friends and family for making my 2nd birthday so fun and memorable. I love you all. -- Analayne

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Good-bye Beloved Pacifier

2007-07-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

We went to the pediatrician yesterday for Analayne's 2-year check-up. We got a clean bill of health and we had a great visit. However, her doctor encouraged me to help Analayne give up her pacifier. Russ and I were only allowing her to have it during nap times and at bedtime, but I knew the day would come when we would have to stop using the "paci" altogether.

Well, I am the type of mom that just has to make up my mind, change my course, and go for it. No "wallowing" around with the issue, no sulking and no turning back. You see, I had a pacifier when I was a baby, toddler, and preschooler (yes--I had the paci through several developmental stages) and it was very difficult for me to let it go. So when it came time for me to let the "paci" go my mom successfully bribed me with a pair of wonder woman under-roos!

So with my known personal history of "paci" use, I decided that there was no time like the present for Analayne to bid farewell to her beloved pacifier. So as soon as we got home from the doctor I went around the house gathered up all of the pacifiers and put them away. Then when it was time for Analayne's nap I told her "the pacifiers had to go bye-bye. All the little bitty babies needed them." She looked at me puzzled and repeated the word "bye-bye" and I layed her down for her nap. She cried a few minutes but then went to sleep (her nap was about 45 minutes shorter then normal). When Russ got home I told him what I had done. He looked at me and said, "okay, I don't want her teeth to be messed up." Then bedtime came and she cried for at least 20 minutes. It was so sad to hear her crying "paci...paci.." It broke my heart. I just wanted to go in there and give it back but then I thought she might get the idea that if she cried enough I would give in under any circumstance, so to alter my focus....I cleaned. Russ was very helpful and he continued to affirm the decision and he helped me clean (that was the best part of it all).

As we cleaned I thought about what a paci really is and then I decided to look up the definition of pacifier, according to Webster. Webster's Dictionary defines pacifier as: a nipple or teething ring for babies, or a person or thing that secures peace. Peace is a perfect word for what that little plastic thing brought to Analayne. She found great comfort in her "paci." She would cozy up and settle in for a long snooze. She would relax and gaze off and dream and best of all she would be comforted enough to stop crying. I started thinking, if this thing can bring so much peace to this little girl, why don't I get one for myself? Maybe I wouldn't snack so much during the day.

I also thought to myself---what earthly object do I find peace in that I don't really need? Where should my (our) peace come from? Thank God that I am a Christian and I know that my peace comes from the Prince of Peace! Once again, Analayne has provided me with another opportunity to reflect on my life, my feelings, my thoughts and my beliefs. What a blessing she is to me (and to her sweet daddy---Russ). Now... let's see if we can just get through another night without the pacifier!

Happy Birthday To You.....

2007-07-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

On July 24th Analayne turned two years old. Several of her little friends were able to come to her birthday party. It was fun to celebrate together and watch all the toddler/preschoolers play!

On Analayne's first birthday I decided that each year I would purchase a birthday card and write a message for her in it. I would then stash the cards away and wait until she was older before I gave them to her. I decided that as she gets older and realizes what a card really is that I would purchase two cards. One card to give her that is fun and the other that I will write my message in and save for her. Here is a portion of what I wrote to her this year.

Analayne,

You continue to amaze me with your sweet and caring spirit. You really love life and you live it to the fullest. You are beautiful and your beauty radiates from the inside out. I am so blessed to be your mommy. You teach me so much. You are truly my greatest teacher! You have grown so much this year. Sometimes I feel sad that you are not a "baby" anymore, but yet I am so happy that you are my little girl and that I get to watch and help you grow into a young lady. Each day I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to be your mommy and for entrusting you to us. Your daddy and I love you so much. Nothing will ever change that. Analayne, did you know that our heavenly Father feels the same way about you? He loves you and you can not do anything to change that. As you get older, I pray you will fully understand His love for you and His sacrifice for you. He is the model for unconditional love!

Happy 2nd birthday my dear sweet "Annie" (that is what you call yourself these days). I cherish each day that we share and though these years are flying by so fast I feel peace in the fact that no matter how old you are, or where you live someday, or who you marry, I will still have the privlege of being your mommy and I am thankful for that.

I love you,

Mommy

What's Your Name?

2007-07-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Just last week Analayne really started calling me "mommy" instead of Ma-ma. She also started saying "daddy" instead of da-da. When Russ leaves for work in the morning we go through what we are now calling "role call." Role call is when Analayne says, "where daddy go?" in which I reply "he went to work." Then Analayne says, "where mommy go?" and I say, "mommy is going to stay with you today. Do you want to play?" Then she starts repeating every name of every family member or friend she can recall. It's a real hoot!

Well, yesterday as we were eating lunch at Mimi's house (prior to me going to work---it was a Friday!) I began playing a little game. I would say, "Analayne, what's my name?" and she would reply, "MOMMY." Then I started saying, "what's your name?" and to my surprise she said, "Annie" and smiled really big. I then said, "your name is Analayne." We did this several times and each time she would smile really big and say, "Annie." Now, what's really funny and sentimental to me about all of this is that when I was little that was my nick-name. My daddy would call me Annie. As I got older the nick-name eventually faded away. It's been years since I have been called that (or heard that name). However, I always liked the name, Annie. In fact, it was on my list of names that I liked when Russ and I were searching for the perfect name for our little girl. However, it was brought to my attention (by me dear sweet hubby) that Annie might not be a good choice for our little girl, since she was being born to one red-headed daddy and one curly headed mommy. Russ even joked around saying he would have to shave his head and call himself "daddy no-bucks." Needless, to say the name fell off the list and we moved on. Now, I feel like I get to call her Annie if I want too!

I love having multiple names. I love being Leeanne, mommy, mama, and aunt Lee-Lee! There is room enough in this world to get to enjoy multiple names. It sure does make life more fun!

Next Time Won't You Sing With Me?

2007-07-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

"HIJKLMNOP. Jeepers...Eyyes, Quack..." You thought I had a typo didn't you?

Actually, that is what I hear nearly every morning when I walk into Analayne's room and begin to lift her out of her crib (except the HIJKLMNOP part kinda runs together and sounds more like "ella-nnn-ooooooo-p"). Our first conversation of the day starts out with me saying, "good morning, Analayne. I missed you. Did you sleep well? We are going to have such a fun day today." I can barely get those words out of my mouth before she immediately tucks her little hands up under her arm-pits and within 20 seconds we have sung the alphabet song, followed quickly by her new favorite, jeepers-creepers-where'd you get those peepers, and then our concert is wrapped up with the song cock-a-doodle-doo by the Wiggles (in which Analayne has physically had her hands tucked into her armpits waiting for the quack-quack part the entire time we sang the other mandated and necessary songs). It is a riot and I love every minute of it. It has become our morning ritual this week. I am not sure how long we must sing these songs in this particular order but its so cute---so I don't mind to accompany her!

2007-07-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

So what have we been doing? I have been meaning to post since July 5th but we have been so busy. This week Analayne is going to Vacation Bible School. Our mornings are filled with hurrying to get ready, shoveling breakfast in our mouths and dashing off to the church for drop off (well--not dashing--actually sitting in loads of traffic). When we get home we hurry to get some lunch ready and then we read books in preparation for Analayne's afternoon nap!

Analayne's favorite things to do right now are sing and read books. Let me indulge you with the details of her favorites. The four main books that I can think of are: Llama Llama Red Pajama, Goodnight Moon, Wheels on the Bus, and Chicka Chicka ABC. In particular, she loves Llama Llama Red Pajama, which we read at least 6 times a day! Her song list is made up of the following: Jesus Loves Me, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Ol McDonald, Hot Potato, Cock-a-Doodle Doo (wiggles song), Hokey Pokey, and last but not least her new favorite, Jeepers-Creepers-Where'd You Get Those Peepers!

Other than singing and reading, Analayne finds great enjoyment in wearing my shoes and she is more than willing to wear anyone else's shoes too! She has always loved the feeling of being "big." From day one she felt the need to show me who made the agenda for the day! For instance, why would she be content sitting in her a stroller travel system, eating a little snack so mommy could look at something in a store when she could open her great big mouth and cry a great big loud sound for a great big long time. Now that she is older why would she be content strapped into a contraption such a stoller or grocery cart when she could be BIG and walk or better yet run alongside (or down the aisle) OR why would she be content letting her mommy make a phone call when she can always manage to talk on the phone better?

I always love it when Analayne does something that teaches me something too! It dawned on me that we as adults are a little like this too. We want to walk and run ahead sometimes in our effort to feel special, important, viewed as if we know something. We decide we need to feel big. We think we have to live up to the standards that our community, world, or possibly family and friends place on us. In our need to feel big we are quick to run to other humans to get these needs fulfilled, instead of running first to our Father God--who has a plan for us---who already knows that we are special. God knows that we are important, He loves us---because He is "BIGS." He is the Biggest! It is only normal for Analayne to demonstrate her abilities to be Big. However, as Analayne grows older I want to teach her and show her that God is Bigs. He made her and He sets the standard.

Life

2007-07-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Since blogging is new to me I decided to write a synopsis of our life with Analayne up until now. I was thinking it would be nice to have this type of a "date-line" all in one place. I guess this entry is more for me but for those of you interested... its for you too!

July and August 2005: If I could sum the month of July 2005 up with just 5 words, I would choose amazement, bonded, thankful, happy and busy. We were amazed at how beautiful our daughter was to us. We were amazed that God could and did bless us with her. We were bonded. Bonding happened immediately for me. One look at her and I was changed (I guess that is how God intends for it to occur). However, each day we bonded more and each day I felt more secure with my mothering. We were thankful that we had a healthy and happy baby (well...happy when she was fed and being held). We were thankful that we finally had our baby girl to hold. We were happy. Despite being tired--emotionally, physically and mentally happiness was still felt. Lastly, we were busy. Never a dull moment and almost two years later we still rarely have a dull moment! When Analayne was born she had a very low resting heart rate that was worrisome to her pediatrician and to the cardiologists at Vanderbilt. I can remember being so scared. She looked good (she was pink, breathing well, crying well, and did not seem to be "working to breathe). We had to do several EKG's which ending up being fine and the doctors concluded the low resting heart rate was from a long delivery (yes, it was very long...). One thing about Analayne's infancy was that she was ALWAYS very alert and responsive. Even just a few hours after being born you could walk into the newborn nursery and there she would be lying in her bed with her eyes wide open. She did that all the time! In fact, she very rarely slept during daylight hours until she was 2 weeks away from turning one year old. That's right folks, I had a newborn that would sleep through the night but did not close her eyes the entire day which obviously meant that we had very long days together! Looking back on that characteristic of Analayne I am not surprised at all by her lack of daytime napping. She still has strange sleep issues that we have learned to deal with and/or modify.

September/October 2005: You smiled for the first time on Sept 6th. You repeat me when I say, "ohhhh." You laugh out loud on October 3rd. You grasp and hold an object for a long period of time on October 19th.

November/December 2005: You can "talk" really loud now (you are still really loud)--November 17th . You roll over for the first time on December 13th. You love to hold your little lambert lamb.

January/February 2006: You love your exersaucer, You took your first airplane ride on Feb 8th. You can now sit up, play with toys in the bathtub, say, "dadadada," eat some baby food.

March/April 2006: You are trying to crawl, you love music. You waved for the first time on April 16th. We went to the beach in Tx.

May/June 2006: You crawl for the first time on May 23rd, You love to crinkle paper in your hand, Your favorite book is Meet Little Tex, Your favorite song is "itsy bitsy spider" You can clap your hands.

July August 2006: You can eat table food, We had a luau birthday party for you. You love to eat fruit, You can say "eyes." You love the books, Splish-Splash and Cookies Week. You enjoy riding in your wagon.

September/October 2006: You can say the words, bird, cat, fly, outside, Russ, da da, poppa, GiGi) and you can point to specific people on pictures. You can also climb off our bed onto the floor. You walked for the first time today without help (October 12th).
November/December 2006: You love to open cabinets!

January/Feb 2007: You say, mama, bus, show, baby, sky, bird, cat, hi, bye, that, fish, socks, duck, whoops, wee, pee-pee. You can make some animal sounds, you love to hold the phone and pretend, you can spin in a circle, you love to be chased, you like to put your head on the floor, you know what toilet paper is for, you love to unload the dishwasher with me, you love to go to your class at church, you say the word show when you want to watch baby einstein

March/April 2007: You say "ut-oh" You say "amen" after the prayer, you love the horses, and say the word "jo-jo" when you want to watch Jo Jo's circus on the computer. You brought your first "scribble" picture home from church (it was a horse pictured with a few colored lines on it). You play with your sand table and love taking wagon rides, you love to go to the zoo.

May 2007: You can dance to "ring around the rosie" like a pro!

Well, in a nut-shell that is all I seem to have recorded on paper. I feel like I have left out SO MUCH. I want to really keep up with the phrases she says and the new things she does. Despite feeling busy almost all the time, its not just "being busy." I want my life to be filled with meaningful events not with trivial business. I try hard not to fill our days with silly things like watching television. Each day should be spent doing things together. I figure when she older she won't remember the day she watched the wiggles but she will remember that we went to the beach together, or that we went to the petting zoo. We live our busy lives but in all actuality we are not just "living life" We are truly experiencing life---its so much more fun that way. From now on expect greater detail. I am just getting going!

Put You're Running Shoes On...Let's Go Through Life Together!

2007-07-01T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hey Friends & Family,

This is my first ever attempt at blogging, so hang in there with me! I love to write. I am a practical person. I think deeply. I actually communicate best when I am allowed the opportunity to express my thoughts in the form of writing and the weird thing about it all, is that I can't compose anything with a pen and piece of paper. I am a computer girl. I love to type. I love the delete key. I love that I can type really fast and I can compose complete thoughts without my words starting to "slope down the page." I have tried to keep a journal to record all the irreplaceable memories of my life. More importantly, I have tried really hard to document and record the happenings of Analayne's life. I would declare that I have failed miserably at both, since I have about 12 entrys written and Analayne is almost 2 years old!

This blog is definetly for a dual purpose. I want to have a recording of what each week is like for our family, but I also want our friends and family to get a better glimpse of us! Soon after the birth of our daughter I was really struggling with the MANY changes that take place within a mother's heart, life, home and relationships. I was talking about these feelings with my mother and she reminded me that each day, week, or phase of life is "a season." A season being a time in life that whether difficult, easy, sad or sweet, it is just that....a season! Often these "seasons" go by way to quickly (although there have been a few that dragged on for way too many months). I invite you to put your running shoes on and come along...we can pass through these seasons together!