The end of an era

This past weekend, we moved my Mamaw out of the house she has lived in for decades and into an assisted living facility. Her new 'home' is beautiful and perfect for an elderly person...but that doesn't make it easy to leave the place that so many have called home for so many years.

I think I had been thinking about the move for a while (knowing it was coming...just not knowing when) and I had decided that I wanted to photograph some of the landmark items in the house that I never wanted to forget. So this past weekend, I got my chance.







Mamaw's 1st grade picture



I always loved this picture of us.


Then there are memories I have that there are no photographs for...like the metal roller skates I loved skating up and down the driveway in...the little dog, Snowball, that I used to play with through the fence...playing badmitton over the cable lines...laying in bed with my sister as a little girl and listening to The Night Before Christmas and realizing for the very first time that it doesn't HAVE to snow ON Christmas...playing with the Simon game and yo-yos...eating butter cookies on my fingers...Papaw's tub of bubble gum...the deep freeze that ALWAYS had ice cream in it for us...taking a glass of orange juice to my Papaw in the mornings...watching him watch Love Connection at night...knowing where the spare key was...listening to the old record player play 'does your chewing gum loose its' flavor on your bedpost overnight?'...playing with the paddlepool games...eating at the 'kids' table for Thanksgiving meals...swinging on the porch drinking iced tea...watching the June Bugs buzz around outside while eating homemade ice cream... The list could go on and on. And I'll probably add to it as I go along.

So after we had Mamaw's things moved into her new apartment, we had a big cookout and a cake for her.




It was a long weekend for everyone involved, but I am so glad my family was able to be apart of it. I know my kids didn't meet my Papaw, but I never want them to forget being there with my Mamaw... There has been a lot of history and good memories in that house. It was always full of love and laughter (not to mention GREAT food). Everyone was welcome there, always. Truly, the more the merrier with them.



So goodbye, 1135 Gilbert Drive... I always want to remember you this way.

They're BAAACCCKKK!!!

Brian and Olivia returned today from being gone a few days to Atlanta to visit his mom and brother. Isabella and I had planned on staying home from the beginning, but we couldn't have gone if we wanted to because of the aforementioned Shigella...

Although I had a wonderful weekend with my baby girl, I did miss the other half of my family (Olivia has never LEFT me like that before...she was really FAR away!) But of course, I was glad they were able to go. They had an absolutely marvelous time!

Grammy took them to Babyland General where Cabbage Patch dolls are 'born'. What a memorable experience for Olivia! (Psst...she also had taken Brian and Alan there when they were little guys, isn't that funny?) Both of my girls got original Cabbage Patch dolls--Liv picked out a blonde fairy doll for herself, and a school-girl for her sister. Grammy INSISTED on having one that was NOT in a box...how cool is that?

The next day, they went to the Georgia State Aquarium and had a blast! We all went there two summers ago after it had opened and it was MASS CHAOS! Brian said that this time was the best...no long lines or anything.

Well, Brian and I talked off and on today on their way home (they drove) and they made great time, getting home as school was getting out. I dropped by daycare and picked up Belle before going home. When we got inside, Olivia had us sit on the couch and they brought out presents from their trip one at a time. Bella LOVED her doll and her Cabbage Patch Tshirt. She then saw her Aquarium sundress and had to put it on RIGHT then. She wore the hat that Grammy got her (that matched a dress she got as well) and was ready to go outside! :)







Brian showed me his new golf shoes, driver, and golf balls... Then he brought me a box from his mom. It was a small box, so I was thinking earrings or a flash drive or something... NO, it was an iPOD! I join the rest of the world with my new technology! I almost fell out of my seat! I couldn't believe it! (Brian knew I loved the one I got him for Christmas...) THANK YOU GRAMMY! I LOVE IT!



I've been spending my evening downloading some songs...and what songs you might ask? I am such a dork! :) I have just purchased: Pocket Full of Sunshine, Dancing Queen, some Cranberries (I LOVE the Cranberries...), Toby Mac, some Ashley Tisdale, a few Christmas songs (because I LOVE Christmas music) and the Witch Doctor by Alvin and the Chimpmunks... Hey, I've got kids you know? Ha!

Anyway, I have some great pictures to share, but I can't get them off of my card tonight...and Alan is SUPPOSED to be sending me some from this weekend so check back!!

Trying out the SAHM thing...

As some of you know, I tried the SAHM (stay at home mom) thing when Olivia was little. I thought that was all I ever wanted to do...and BOY was I WRONG! Neither of us could handle it. We were both used to being on go all of the time! Well, since Shigella has entered our lives (ha), Bella and I have been spending a lot of time together. She is so playful fun to be around--unless YOU have something YOU need to do. ha!

So this morning, I thought I'd get her interested in something completely different--I got out our Nemo hide-out and some toys. She went crazy inside (and laughed when I got in there with her). I wanted to take a few pictures, but it was so dark. So I got a lamp and moved it to the hallway real fast (so, sorry for the shadows...I figure technicalities should NOT interfere with memories on a family blog!). Here's what I got...






Then I went to take pictures of the tooth fairy note in the previous post and she was literally pushing herself BETWEEN the paper and my camera saying 'me! me!'. Seriously? The child NEVER asks for a picture. So, I did get ONE. After that she was done. Wouldn't let me get another...of course. :)



And all of this is AFTER we had watched Sesame Street together, cleaned the kitchen, did laundry, painted her fingernails and toe nails with "polish", changed clothes-and it was ONLY 9:30! :) Who needs a gym when you have a 2 year old?

Toothless and $1 Richer!

Olivia came home from AWANA last night saying her tooth came out. She has a bad habit of trying to wiggle a tooth so much that it comes out so I asked her about how this had happened. She said she was eating, felt a hard part and spit it out--there was her tooth.

She made a comment like "I wonder how much the tooth fairy will bring me this time? I got $1 for one tooth last time, so maybe $2 since now I have lost 2". I said that when I was a little girl, the tooth fairy always brought me the same amount each time. Brian agred.

Well, then Olivia told us about a discussion she had with a fellow 'Sparkie' about the tooth fairy. This other little boy had been given $5 for his tooth--so why did she only get $1 for her last one?

I said that maybe there was more than one fairy. She said no, there was just one like how there was just one God and one Santa.

I said maybe he needed the money more than she did. She just shook her head. I reminded her that whatever the tooth fairy brought her, she needed to be grateful, because it was more than she had now. She said, "I know".

As she was putting on her pjs, she asked if I could write a note asking the tooth fairy not to take her tooth so she could take it to Grammy this weeend. I said that was a good idea, but she needed to do it. She did, put it next to her pillow (she's still sleeping in the office till Belle is 'cleared') and went right to sleep with the tooth under her pillow.

This morning, she woke to find a $1 under her pillow next to her tooth!

STAY AWAY!

The Kelton house needs to be quarantined! An awful form of intestinal bacteria, Shigella, has made it into our family and it is NOT a welcomed visitor! The Health Department has been talking with our school the past week or so because we have had so many children out sick. Brian was diagnosed first, then Isabella. The dr's are wondering if Olivia actually brought it home from school when she was sick last week.

The doctor's office was not even wanting to take me seriously when I asked that they both be tested for Shigella...but I am glad I was persistent! They are both feeling better now, although, still not ready to return to work/daycare. Bella will probably be home a while..........wonderful.

And to top it off, we are waiting on the Health Department to call us since we have 2 confirmed cases and they are trying to track it. What a way to put our family on the CDC map, huh?

I never want to forget this...

There are so many things about this kid that I want to remember forever...

She has the cutest little blonde ringletts and rhaspy voice.

She loves Cinderella and "Cake" (Strawberry Shortcake).

She always asks for a "poo-laap" (pull up).


She loves baths and beggs for the special (and expensive) curl-enhancing cream from Aveda that we put on her curls to help tame them.

This kid LOVES her "Sissy" and her teachers at school, Ms. Donna and Ms. Judy.

She has a contagious laugh like none other that I've heard.

She loves to dance. In fact, she asks for it. After baths at night, Brian turns on music from his ipod for the girls to dance to. Bella is not going to like the beginning dance classes this fall--she 'thinks' she is up there with the big kids dancing away...

She has a gap beween her 2 front teeth. It is endearing, but I know we'll need to get it fixed...

She is a tiny one...in fact, still in pre-walker shoes at 2 1/2 years! Yep, size 5! I am buying size 6 for the summer, but she is in her 5s now... Olivia wore that size when she turned 1!

There are so many more--these are just a few. I'll probably add to the list as time goes on... She is just so spunky! :)

Stress & Success

So, 24 hours after my Open House Celebration, I still feel it was a big success! I have never worked so hard to pull something like this off (of course I could have NEVER done it without the help of SO many friends and family members! YOU GUYS ROCK!) Once again, the whole weekend was a blurr and turned out to be QUITE eventful.

My dad flew in on Friday to be here for it (which was SO sweet). I had 3 ordering appointments on Saturday, so Brian and my dad took the girls to Toad Suck Daze in Conway. They had a great time, but by the time they got home Bella was VERY fussy. I thought it was because she didn't get her full nap, but I was proved wrong when she threw up right before dinner. Great. At that moment, I was about to lose it.

Brian stayed home with her while we (Olivia and my dad) went to dinner with Emily and Justin (and of course, Cooper). I went back to my mom's house with my sister to keep working on the food and table decor. My sweet sister had already workd ALL DAY on different dishes and would not settle for anything other than perfection. (She didn't even leave my mom's house till after midnight Sunday morning).

Well, it is always funny to me how things work out. Bella's virus was a blessing in disguse, because it kept us home from church and allowed me to have a little bit more time to work on things... Which was perfect, because we were ready for the Open House a few minutes before 2pm. I was shocked.

Everything was absolutely GORGEOUS! The food table was PERFECT, the 'kid room' made the children utterly invisible to us, and my greeters were instrumental in helping those confused clients find the correct building. (I heard Lisa was even on the sidewalk waving some of them down...). I had about 45 people attend (which is slightly higher than I had set myself up for...). While several of those people are friends--friends that ARE clients I might add-- I did have a handfull of new and going-to-be clients. I even booked a couple of sessions because of the Open House. What more could I have asked for?

THEN, when we were at our celebratory dinner with my dad, Olivia started acting funny...by the end of dinner, I knew she had fever. We got home and yep, same virus. Wonderful. After we got everything cleaned up, I called in to my principal to stay home with her today. Again, another blessing in disuguise. I was able to take it easy today and get some much-needed rest.

You know, I had prayed the night before that no one would be sick DURING the open house. Bella was fine by then, and Liv got sick right after. So, I definitely got what I had asked for. :)

Just Veggin'

I know this post is almost a week late, but better late than never, right? Last weekend, Olivia had Regionals (Talent on Parade). They went on VERY early (8:20) so we had to leave the house before 7 pm to get there in time. Well, we didn't leave early enough. They called for us as I was curling her hair! Luckily, their group had already warmed up their first dance (Boogie Shoes), but I was putting on her gloves in the elevator! I was a nervous wreck! After I dropped her off backstage, I joined Brian and Isabella in the audience and just fell apart. I had never been so nervous for her--and I felt like it was my fault.

Apparently, my child is like me--she works well under pressure. She did the best job she has EVER done on that dance. She was right with them the whole time (she tends to be a step ahead...) and it was awesome! Then we had an hour or so until the next dance.

The awards ceremony was that afternoon about 4. They got a judges award for 'something' cute (or Walk the Dinosaur). Then that same dance got an Elite Top First (top scoring), and Boogie Shoes got a Top First (just under the Elite Top First). We were so excited. When they got to the top 10, we knew we'd be in it. Sure enough, the top 5 slot went to Boogie Shoes, and top 4 to Walk the Dinosaur! It was so perfect! (and for Regionals, that is SO awesome they did so well--and it is their first Regionals ever!) We're done with competitions till July (although, the recital is in June...

Well, when we came home, we were all zonked! It had been a LOOOONNNNNGGG day! The girls just vegged out on the floor with a movie. I loved this shot of them.... Nice end to a crazy day!





And here are a few of Bella...

Our BIG weekend on stage!

Last weekend BOTH of my girls (and Cooper) were on stage! Olivia had another dance competition. Their performance wasn't quite as strong as it has been before, but I was still as proud as could be! They got a gold metal in each dance, and received 3rd and 4th overall in their division. I did take some pictures to share...check back in!


Waiting for her hair to be done...and yes, that is a lot of make up. But it is stage make up...


Olivia and her friend, Abbey.


In the hall of the convention center, warming up for "Walk the Dinosaur".


Olivia was so excited it was her turn to go get the award for "Dinosaur". When they interviewed her on stage, she couldn't remember the name of her dance studio. But that did not keep her from looking absolutely adorable!


"Walk the Dinosaur" got 4th overall, and "Boogie Shoes" got 3rd...


Then, Isabella was asked to be in a fashion show at a Kid's Expo here in town (a modeling agency is across the hall from my studio and we were approached a few weeks ago). So, when we show up they tell us they are short one 6 month old little boy due to an ear infection. I tell them that I know a baby that age that could possibly fill in. I call Emily, and we're set! Isabella was SO GOOD (you know I was worried...) and sat patiently with NO fits (amazing...). She even waved at the audiece, and blew kisses to them! Well, the fashion show itself was really no big deal. They didn't even say the kids' names, but Colleen (from Integrity Models, Inc.) said she wants to use Isabella for a Dillard's shoot that is coming up, and once she is in 3T clothes they will need her a LOT. Apparently, there is a lot of work for 3T and 4T. OKAY! I know my baby is cute, but I am afraid she may not be as cooperative as they need her to be...LOL. Justin took a few pictures during the show (since I had to walk out with her) so hopefully Emily will email them to me soon and I'll add them in.

Good intentions

I had a friend once that used to always say she had good intentions, but was really bad about following through. At the time, I wasn't exactly sure WHY the following through part was so hard. Ah-ha! THAT was BEFORE children, BEFORE my business, etc... I, too, find myself having the best intentions of doing things for people (or even just keeping up with this blog), only to once again, have it left on the list at the end of the day.

I am a BIG list maker. Seriously. It is how I can organize my thoughts that run rampant in my head. To take things one piece at a time. I am less overwhelmed when I can see my tasks in front of me.

So WHY am I here at the computer at 9:30 at night, when the rest of my family is sleeping (Brian was at a men's retreat last night and got hardly any sleep at all). I have a list in front of me of all the things I NEED to get done (like YESTERDAY)...but am I working on them? Not yet. Instead, I am in the blog-world. I have to admit, it is an escape for me of some sort. Am crazy?

So, I thought I'd lay out my list for this evening on the blog. Anyone want to help with my list? Ha!

-Print invitations for open house (DONE)
-fix ribbons, stuff, label, and stamp invitations (will do tomorrow with mom)
-blog about Nicholas, Open House, Ross, Keaton... (those will have to be done next week)
-Send welcome packets to Davis, Reynolds, and Jasmine (DONE)
-proof Jordan and Henry (ETA: Jordan is done, Henry will have to wait till tomorrow...)
-make DVD of Nathan's first year of sessions...
-blog on family blog about our weekend last weekend (I'll do that real quick and add pictures later) (DONE)
-return web inquiry email (DONE)
-schedule Ross ordering session (next week)
-design and upload marketing pieces for Open House (tomorrow)

Ok, see... I feel better already! Only half of that stuff needs to be done in the next few hours! Yea! Notice, I did not add 'get some sleep'.... Ha!