Rah Rah, Sis Boom Bah

Alyssa and Anniston are cheering this year for the city league, the junior Mustangs. Anniston is a "mascot" and it is the only year they will ever be on the same squad. I was a little worried about how she would like it, but in the pictures below you can tell it was not worth worrying about- she absolutely loves it! Now, we all know you have to be 2 things to be a cheerleader- 1)peppy and 2)coordinated, neither of which Alyssa is! I can say that because I am not peppy or coordinated myself! But she is pretty good and really enjoyed it, more importantly. Maybe she'll let loose a little before the season is over.

Backyard Fun

Finally, a sunny day! We took Ayden Claire in the backyard for her first bounce on the trampoline and to swing. She absolutely loved the trampoline!

Rub A Dub, 3 Girls In The Tub

Bath time at the Kelley's usually consists of all three girls climbing in the tub together after dinner. We have an assembly line hair wash and conditioning and then they bathe. Alyssa has taken on bathing Ayden Claire as her job. So, if you stop by after dinner this is where you will find the Kelley girls!

Fay, Fay, Go Away!

I am convinced being rained in for too many days will make you do wild and crazily insane things....such as ironing things I've never even thought about ironing! Its been raining here since Friday afternoon- literally since Friday afternoon and its now Monday afternoon. You do the math. Hurricane Fay, which flooded Florida, is now working her way through our great state and dumping more rain than any desperate farmer would ever want. Enough is enough! I went to put the kids in the car to take Anniston to school this morning about the time the tornado sirens started going off. So, we changed our plans and unloaded. Not that the sirens really scare me- I've heard the sirens so many times I am a little too unscared of them- but I hated for her to have to sit in the hallway all morning when she could be stuck at home all day with me going out of her mind! My backyard has become a lake and the front yard now has a river running through it. Poor Wilbur is lucky he hasn't drowned yet! I don't know when we are going to get some sunshine again, but it better be soon or I'll be ironing the towels. I have definitely decided I could never in a million years live in Seattle- I'd be in a loony bin!

Anniston Scissorhands

Tonight before bed Alyssa and I were sitting at the table going over her Social Studies vocabulary and Anniston was sitting on the table looking at a book. I happened to notice that she had some hairs hanging right below her eyes, much shorter than the rest of her hair. Well, silly me, my first thought was that I had put her ponytail up to tight and maybe broken enough of the hairs for it to be noticeable.... I erased that thought almost as quickly as I had thought it, because after all this is Anniston we are talking about here- my lovable, kind, caring, thoughtful, difficult, wonderful, active, athletic, mischievous, never know what she's going to do next child! I knew immediately she (or someone who shouldn't have) had cut her beautiful golden locks ever so slightly.
"Anniston, did you cut your hair....?" I asked her.
She was completely busted and she knew it. She looked down with the longest, guiltiest face I've probably ever seen.
"Anniston.....answer me. Who cut your hair?"
"Maybe Jonathan?" Sure, blame it on the neighbor, Anniston.
"Anniston, tell Mommy who cut your hair." I was holding firm.
"I'm not talking about this anymore." She had yet to look up at me. We went through this for a few minutes.
"Anniston, you have to go to your room until you can remember who cut your hair. (And with which pair of scissors you did it with so I can hide them in a very good hiding place!)"
"Are you going to talk mad to me?" She finally said in a little voice to the kitchen table she'd been looking down at for the past 5 minutes.
"No. I just really want to know who (why for crying out loud, you) cut your hair."
"I did. In Sissy's room the other day." And then she broke out in tears and dove into my lap.
I think she understands she can't cut her own hair again and she was truly remorseful. Her hair will grow back in time. I hope she learned a lesson in grace tonight. I could have went nuts over her precious strands of hair, but the truth is that it really isn't that noticeable- it took me a couple of days to catch the missing hair- and she knew she had made a mistake. And she also knew she was forgiven. I know what a good feeling that is myself.

Baby Steps

Yes, folks, its true- my baby is walking! Nothing major yet, just those first few baby steps, but I know whats next! She is slowly taking anywhere from 2-10 steps at a time before falling/sitting down.


Its so sweet to see her learn to walk. She is testing the waters and taking chances with every step she takes. She's so persistent at times. She'll fall down and get back up just to try it again. At other times, it must just be too much work. Somewhere in her little baby brain, I can hear her say, "Forget that! I'm taking the easy route this time- CRAWLING!" Its sort of like that throughout life.....we fall down, get bruises and get back up just to do it all over again. And then other times, we remember there is an easier way of doing something and go that way instead. I hope as Ayden Claire grows up she will continue to take chances and not always take the easiest road. Sometimes the bumpier road is worth the bruises we get along the way!

"Buttmasters"

This weekend was every hunters dream come true in Montgomery- the Buckmasters Hunting Expo was in town at the Coliseum. Basically, its all kinds of hunting paraphernalia for sale all under one roof- at least I think that's what it is, I've never been! Wes had been talking about going for a couple of weeks and taking the girls. Not that he is a huge hunter, but he's been a time or two and thought it would be an exciting Sunday afternoon date with Alyssa and Anniston. Ayden Claire and I dropped them off- if I'm going into Montgomery its going to be to do some shopping, and not for boy toys! We headed on to AC Moore to get some crafty girly stuff. Well, not 30 minutes after I dropped them off, Wes calls me and says that Anniston is completely freaked out by a)all of the hundreds and hundreds of people everywhere, b)the dead stuffed animals everywhere and c)the loudness of all the hundreds and hundreds of people everywhere. I told him I was just pulling into AC Moore so I was going to run in and get what I needed then I'd be back. He managed to get Anniston out of the lobby long enough to jump in a Moonwalk and play a game or two in the kids area but she was not very enthusiastic about Buckmasters. Oh, did I mention that for the past week Anniston has been referring to it as "Buttmasters"....

One More Year

Yesterday was Annistons first day of Preschool. It absolutely floors me that this is her last year before kindergarten. Alyssa missed the cutoff to start school by two days so I felt like I got her at home for an extra year; and Ayden Claire also has a September birthday so she will be almost six when she goes to school, which I love! Anniston however, falls right in the middle with her March birthday. So K4 it is! Her teacher is Ms. Alison and her very best friend from last year, Jerrica, is in her class- which was really all that mattered to her! She walked right in the door like she owned the place and I had to ask for a hug, which she gladly gave (no embarrassment from her-yet!). She seemed to have a good first day, I think its going to be a fun year for her!

Look Mom, No Hands!

Monday I took my baby- and by "baby" I mean my almost 8 year old- to her first day of second grade! I know we hear it all the time from every parent, but I'll say it anyway- it seems like just yesterday she was a baby. On the way to school, I reached over and tried to hold her hand. If you know Alyssa, or any 8 year old independent girl for that matter, you probably know that didn't go over too well with her! I said to her, "I know you don't want me to hold your hand in school so can I just hold it on the way, in the car.....no one will see!" No thanks, was basically her response! So we parked and Wes met us there to take the ritualistic first day walk- of course, this year it was all hands to yourself.....well, I think Anniston held my hand!

A Mid-"Summer" Tale

So, "summer"- not the summer defined by the seasons, but the summer defined by the Elmore County School Board- has come to an end at our house. Yes, its still 90+ degrees out and the local pool is still open, its just the second week of August, every sign points to summer, except the bus going up the street. I'm really not complaining. School does seem to start early but the kids are usually ready to go back, and frankly, I was ready for them to go back, too. Now, that doesn't mean at all for the slightest second I haven't enjoyed being with them basically 24/7 the past two and a half months! We have had a wonderful "summer". We did a lot of playing, a LOT of swimming, a good bit of traveling (to Birmingham and Gulf Shores, but hey, it was traveling), and over all I think the kids had a great summer. I know I did.

Alyssa kept us all busy with swim team. It was worth it though. She made some new friends and worked really hard! I have a new appreciation for anyone dedicated enough to be a "swimmer". It is hard work, and I was just a spectator!

Anniston spent most of her time making new friends and hanging out with old ones at the pool. She is an amazing swimmer! She enjoyed "flirting"/torturing the lifeguards. Mr. Ethan is her favorite, maybe because he taught her swim lessons too.

Ayden Claire has completely mastered the whole standing/sitting/back to standing thing. However, she has concrete in her feet apparently because she is NOT moving those feet while standing! Its so funny. She has great balance and you can tell by her face she wants to just walk across the room- and I think she could- but she just isn't ready. Frankly, that's perfectly okay with me! She is getting four-yes folks, that's right, 4- new top teeth. She was pretty pitiful for a day or two but now they aren't bothering her as bad. The funny thing is, the top front ones weren't the ones to come through first, it was the next two. I was worried she wasn't going to have front teeth or something!

Wes is rocking along with his job at Haynes. The month of July the company reported an all time record breaking profit! Now, that isn't solely due to my dear husband I know, however he played a big part in getting things back on track. He is a pretty hard core manager from what I hear, but he does great. He's also living out his dream of becoming a flight medic. One day a week he is flying for Life Flight in Evergreen. I'm so proud of him!