My New Addiction & My Crazy Girl...

Well, I have found a new hobby that has become quite addictive...making hair bows! My neighbor, Amy, was making all of Myla's hairbows, and I began to feel a little guilty about it because she wouldn't let me pay her, so I thought I would buy the little contraption that she uses to make them called the Bowdabra...yes, that is really what it is called! It is so easy to use and now I can't quit making them! Myla will never wear all of these so I have got to start giving them away! I can't wait to go to Hobby Lobby or somewhere that has a better selection of ribbon so I can make some really cute ones!

Here are most of the ones that I have made so far.

What does Myla do while I am making bows, you ask? She runs around the house like a wild woman with ribbon around her neck! Seriously, this morning she was cracking me up! She was making the loop through the den, kitchen and living room going ninety to nothing! We may have a future track star on our hands. Here are some of the pictures that I snapped. Some of them are blurry because she was moving...

And she's off...
Here she comes around the turn...

Outta my way, Mommy!!

One determined little girl!

One lap to go!!!

Later on this afternoon Myla started bringing me all of the bows off of the dining room table and motioning for me to put them in her hair, so here she is with a nice assortment of head gear!!

What about that??? This is the child that 6 months ago wouldn't leave a bow in her hair for anything! Now she wants one in all the time. One of her first words when she wakes up in the mornings is "bow" as she touches the top of her sweet little head!

Best Daddy Ever...

Michael is really getting a hang of this being a daddy to a little girl thing. Bless his heart...I'm sure that there will be many a moment like this...putting on jewelry, putting on makeup, painting toenails and fingernails, fixing hair, etc., but I know he will enjoy every minute of it. Saturday morning, I heard them playing in Myla's room, so I went in to join in the fun, and this is what I found. So precious!!! Myla was having a ball putting jewelry on her daddy. It was the sweetest sight as I watched them interact. Michael is the best daddy and loves spending time with his little girl. I am so thankful for him, and I know Myla is as well.

Big Girls Drink out of Straws...

On Friday we had lunch at Papitos (YUM)! Myla decided that she wanted to drink her water out of the cup with the straw. She actually did very well, and she thought she was something else. It kept her entertained for a few minutes at least!

Friends..

Myla, Haley, Abby, Baby Ellyn & Phillip

All the kiddos after dinner on Thursday night. I wish you could have seen the chaos on this couch during the picture taking. Believe me...these smiles didn't last too long! Too funny!

Maid for Hire...

Last Thursday night we had a house full of company for dinner. We had so much fun with our friends, Tamah and Abby, from Jackson as well as our neighbors! After dinner we had Tamah's delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies, and the kids loved them! I took Myla's shirt off to keep from it getting covered in chocolate. Well she was playing in her room and out she came with her jewelry on, her shirt off, chocolate all over her face and all the while she was vacuuming! We all got hysterical, but I am thinking I might could rent her out as a maid because she is so darn cute!!

"All Southern women need their pearls on to vacuum!"
"Isn't this a nice look...pearls in the chocolate covered mouth!!"

"Okay, see ya! Y'all have laughed at me too much!"

A few minutes later, this is what we found my sweet little lovebug doing...destroying the toilet paper roll!!! Doesn't she look so innocent!

"Would it be better to just stick the whole roll in the toilet or one piece at a time?"

"Hmmm, still thinking...."

"I think a few pieces at a time are better!"

Little stinker...don't ask my why I took pictures of her doing this rather than stopping it immediately!!

Mirror, Mirror...

Last week I pulled down the mirror again off the dining room wall so Myla could play with it. She really gets a kick out of looking at her own reflection!

Okay...Just a Vent...

I have said before that I do not use my blog to talk about politics, but I just need to vent for a split second. The media in this country can make my blood boil in no time. Okay, Barack Obama messes up and forgets some of the words when he is repeating his oath at the inauguration, but whose fault is it according to the media? Chief Justice Roberts. I mean, the man is just saying what he is supposed to, Barack Obama couldn't remember, Roberts has to repeat it, but it is Roberts fault. How does that work? I guess that Barack Obama can do no wrong...nothing is ever his fault. I am so sick of hearing how great he is. Another thing, how many times did you hear the media call President Bush "Mr. Bush"? Pretty much every time they talked about him...he was the President for crying out loud. That means you address him as "Mr. President". How hard is it? That used to make me so mad. I bet there we will never, ever hear them refer to Barack Obama as "Mr. Obama"...what do you think? They couldn't wait to call him President-Elect. Then, Jill Biden messes up on Oprah (didn't watch it, just heard about it) and says that Joe Biden has the choice to be VP of Secertary of State. If that had been Sarah Palin saying that the media would have massacred John McCain...endlessly would have gone on and on about what a big deal that was..yada yada, but since Jill Biden says that they say that it is great that she is just "telling the truth"....people just need to be honest and tell the truth. Give me a break!!! Okay, sometimes I just feel better when I get something off my chest to other people. I digress...I'm done now. Thanks for listening....Oh, and one more thing, if I hear a reporter ask one more person, "Did you ever think you would live to see this day?", I seriously may throw something at the TV. Just excuse this post if you are a staunch democrat reading my blog...but we obviously think very differently. Okay...now I'm really done...maybe...

So Excited...

Back before Christmas, my friend, Susan, got this frame for me at this new outlet surplus store that we have in town. Get this...she paid $.75, yes seventy five CENTS, for it. The original price tag on the back was for $69.99...tell me she is not a wheeler and dealer!! I was so excited because I knew exactly what I was going to put in it. Two Christmases ago, Peyton & Donna copied a lot of older pictures of our parents and grandparents and gave them to me. I have been wanting to do something with them since then, but just couldn't figure out how to display them. Well, this frame is perfect! Although, I am a few slots short for all of my family members, so I am going to add smaller black frames on the sides with the rest of the pictures....I just haven't gotten around to doing that yet. Just had to share my excitement!

Michael will kill me for putting this one on, but we were just goofing around...which is rare after hanging something up in the house. That can sometimes turn out quite badly as we sometimes have different opinions on how to hang something. Does anyone else have this problem? Anyways, this one was easy as pie...thank goodness!

Not So Much for the Hibachi...

Friday, Myla and I met Katie, Grace and Robbie to eat at Kabuki, a new hibachi grill in town. Katie, Grace and Robbie frequent this place as was evidenced when they started bringing free appetizers for the girls to eat! Well, when it came time for the guy to start cooking, I just knew Myla would be fascinated, but it was just the opposite. She screamed her head off. Yes, she was that kid that everyone hopes you don't sit with at the grill. She actually wasn't that bad...I just had to hold her the rest of the time, and she didn't eat a bite!!! So, note taken...Myla does not care much for the hibachi, she's more of a McDonald's chick.

Before the fire began...wondering what is going on...
Grace, on the other hand, loves the hibachi!!!

We Love our Doctor...

I stole this picture from my friend, Angela's, blog, but I don't think she will mind. Before Christmas Angela had the idea to take a picture of all of Dr. Williams' Oxford patients and babies he has delivered. Not everyone could come, but this is the majority of us. Most of us in this pictured dealt with infertility, some worse than others, but Dr. Williams helped all of us with treatment, and we LOVE him for it. Seriously, some might say we have an unhealthy obsession for the man! Nonetheless, if you or anyone you know suffers from infertility, he is wonderful! We would all recommend him! By the way, we sent this picture to him for Christmas!

Just for a Smile...

As I said in my last post, I looked through some old pictures this week while at my mom's, and I found some of my growing up years! Too funny!!!

I hope noboby even lied to my mom to tell me that I was a cute baby. How do you like the Alfalfa curly cue on top of my head? Hey, at least I was smiling!
Maybe a little better...I just thought Myla had a mullet!

Okay, let me tell what my mom said about this picture...and I quote, "Oh, Meredith, I loved your hair like this!" I hope she wasn't serious, but I think she was. Also, can you believe that gap between my front teeth filled in without braces...simply amazing! Notice the buttons too...nice fashion statement!

Can we say AWKWARD STAGE?

Check out that future All-Star.

Did anyone else have the "sailor dress". I can't tell you how much I loved that dress...shoulder pad and all. This was at my 7th grade athletic banquet in case anyone was wondering!

Good Old College Days...

While I was at my mom's this week, I got to looking through old pictures, and I found these from college and I about laughed my head off at the first one! These were my five of my close college friends at our 80's themed (obviously) rush skit our sophmore year! The next one is one in our better attire! I don't know if anyone besides Mandi looks at my blog, but I thought this would make everyone smile nonetheless!!!

Me, Sarah, Melissa, Mandi & BetsyMandi, Me, Betsy, Sarah & Melissa

Gaining Fresh Perspective...

Although this week has been filled with sadness and grief, it has been also been filled with happiness and love. Getting to be around family and dear friends has truly been refreshing. It has also been refreshing just reflecting upon how futile and short life it and realizing that living this temporary life is not all that we are hear for. We are here to glorify our God in all that we do and live in such a way to lead others to Him. Lynn's funeral service yesterday was such a testimony to her life and how God worked through her to touch SO many people. With a supreme intervention of God's strength I was able to speak at the funeral and give a tribute to my mom and Lynn's friendship. Tripp, Lynn's son, also spoke and did an amazing job of talking about his mom and the work of God in his life. He and his wife, a former Muslim, have come to know God personally over the past year and a half after a trip to Israel where God spoke to them and revealed Himself to them in a mighty way. Their story is truly one of the most amazing things I have heard. Their passion for Christ is unquenchable and so encouraging. Please continue to pray for my mom, Tripp and Janan as they continue to deal with the grief and sadness of death.

Mom and Tripp
Mom, Tripp and Janan

Tripp, Janan, Me & Peyton
Janan and Tripp - two of the most incredible people I know!
Janan, Tripp & Sis Sis

Tripp and Me

How Appropriate!

Yesterday, Myla was going through Mimi's purse, and she pulled out her lipstick. I thought it was the most appropriate thing for Myla to get because my mom wouldn't be caught dead without lipstick on! At Christmas, she wouldn't let me take a picture of her without her lipstick on! So, Myla couldn't be left out!

Application....
Finished product!

Check out this Outfit!!!!

On Sunday, when I headed to Batesville to be with my mom, Michael took care of Little Miss Priss. Well, last night when I was looking through the pictures on the camera, I found these pictures that he obviously took on Sunday. I thought they were hysterical because I always kid him about what he dresses Myla in when I'm not here! So, as you can see, there is no need to take the time to button up her onesie after a diaper change! And there is no need to make sure her hair is fixed with a cute bow in it! Who knew?? Maybe I need to lighten up a little because even without all those little details, she is still the cutest thing I have ever seen! Thanks, Michael, for being a wonderful Daddy!!! You know how much Myla loves you, and I love you too!