She Said What?

As any parent knows.... things that come out of a child's mouth can be hilarious, embarrassing, and down right unforgettable. So H.O.T.Y. and I sat down and wrote out a list of our favorite "Mollyisms" so someday when she's all grown up, we can look back and laugh at the funny things she used to say!

1. "Heard dat?" This is usually said with wide eyes and a hand cupped to her ear. For the longest time, she would actually cup her hand backwards over her ear, which made it even funnier!
2. "Smells good! Smells like Apple Pie" My favorite times that she uses this phrase is when we walk into a public restroom. With the usual over-spray of fragrance, she always relates it to Apple Pie!
3. "Xcuse Me?" As polite as this one seems, she usually says it way out of context. Like in the middle of telling a story, she'll say "Xcuse Me? The little girl is a princess and she likes to eat cake."
4. "Never!" Unfortunately, this is one of her ornery sayings. When she doesn't agree with us or doesn't want to do something we ask, she'll yell "Never!" and stomp away. And yes, I secretly giggle every time!
5. "You take a bubble bath with me?" This is her most predictable phrase. Every night, as soon as anyone mentions Bath Time, she'll come directly to me and with big puppy dog eyes ask if I'll take a bath with her.
6. "If you do (such and such) it'll make me sooooo happy." Apparently, she got this particular phrase from me, as I like to use it on H.O.T.Y. So when she works her magic with others with this one, I always get a secret laugh out of it!
7. "Two-Three Minutes" She's a born negotiator and as soon as you ask her to do something, she'll start trying to bargain with you. Her latest is telling us she'll do "it" in Two-Three Minutes. Why not just two or just three? We'll probably never know!
8. "What's That Means?" I think this phrase is equivalent to most kids constantly asking "Why?" If she thinks something is confusing, she is quick to ask it's meaning. But her slur on 'means' makes it oh-so cute!
9. "Let me call your ear" This is her way of saying "I want to whisper in your ear"... so telling secrets is always funny when she starts it out this way!
10. "Big High Five?" Every kid loves to give High Fives, but Miss Priss insists it has to be a "Big" one... she'll slap your hand and if it doesn't give off a big enough slap sound, she'll repeat "Big High Five?" until she's content with a nice, loud hand smack!
11. "Can I watch a TVD?" Apparently, Miss Priss considers all things shown on a television a "TVD". So if you're at our house and she asks to watch a "TVD" you always have to clarify if she's wanting to watch television or a movie!
12. "I want to hold you" This is an oldie, but a goodie. From the time Miss Priss could talk, if she wanted to be picked up and held, this is how she asked. Once I caught H.O.T.Y. trying to correct her, and I threw a royal fit because I adored the way she said it and had no interest in changing it!

*Thanks to all your words of advice yesterday. It was nice being able to open up and spill my frustrations... even if it was to the world wide web. But after reading your sound advice both here, facebook and on email (and after six brownies, four oreos, two bowls of rice krispies, and a long hot bubble bath)... I feel much better today and know that Miss Priss and I will survive this latest "phase"!

Frustration with a capitol "F"

Why is it that a child's bad behavior can bring a good momma to her knees? Is that bad behavior a direct reflection of my parenting? Is it something I should've done differently, or didn't do correctly, or just didn't do in the first place?
We're having some MAJOR trouble with Miss Priss's behavior lately... and to top that off with being 34 weeks pregnant and 102 degrees outside.... this mommy is about to have a meltdown.
Everyone tells me that the "Terrible Threes" are worse than the "Terrible Twos." And those same people try to reassure me that Miss Priss's behavior is totally normal for this age. Well.... I know better than that. I agree that three's might be worse and not listening/not following directions/not interrupting is totally normal for this age. But Miss Priss is in a whole different league.

• last week while her Grandma was visiting, Miss Priss showed her true colors... with wild fits at dinner, running away from us in stores and hitting and yelling when she was mad.
• yesterday in Sunday School, she refused to leave after class was over and made a HUGE SCENE.
• this morning at dance class, she was the first official one to sit in "Time Out". And then the teacher actually came out afterwards to ask me if I had any suggestions to handle Miss Priss's behavior!! (suggestions???? how about a how-to manual?)
• and to top that all off, she's started to be super hateful to H.O.T.Y. and I "just because".

Every parent's wish is that they'll have the child that teachers adore in class and secretly name "teacher's pet"..... not the child they cringe at and have to spend more time disciplining than actually teaching. School starts next week and I'm already dreading it... after being labeled "TroubleMaker" in class, I just don't want Miss Priss to have another year being known as the difficult one.

Anyone have any good suggestions of how to handle (and survive) this behavior???

Oklahoma Aquarium

This past weekend, Miss Priss went to spend some time at Grammie & Papa's house. After four very quiet days around here, we were anxious to get her back home! We decided to meet them in Tulsa for the "trade-off", at the popular Oklahoma Aquarium. To make the adventure complete, Miss Priss brought her favorite cousin Kaeden along for the trip!
We had such fun that day while the kids ran from exhibit to exhibit. They fed turtles, watched playful otters and giggled and squealed at the funny beaver. They were in awe at the huge shark tank and even got up close to a StingRay named Olivia!

Baby Kaylin

Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph and design a birth announcement for my friend's new baby girl - Kaylin Marah. Her family is near and dear to us and we've spent some wonderful vacations over the years with them. In fact, we often joke that God gave us Lil' Sis, just so it'd make our "All Girl" vacations even easier with their family!
Sweet Baby Kaylin was six weeks old for the pictures and definitely gave me a run for my money. She had no interest in staying asleep when I needed her asleep, and then when we wanted her awake, she'd wouldn't keep her eyes open! Overall, I think they turned out super cute and I enjoyed seeing the love between these three sisters!
Front of Birth Announcement:

Back of Birth Announcement

Tiny Dancer

For me, dancing is something magical. I spent 15 wonderful years of my childhood in dance classes, traveling the nation to dance competitions, and believing someday that I'd grow up and become famous for my dancing. But life happened... and my ballet shoes grew dusty in the back of the closet. So when I was told "It's A Girl" in January 2007, I knew with all my heart that the magic of dance would be something I would share with my little one someday.

And this morning, that day came....
My heart swelled as I got her all dressed up for her first day of dance class. As we put each piece on, I explained to her what they were and why we wore them for dance. And my tears flowed as I stepped back and saw how beautiful my tiny dancer was.

When we got to the Dance Studio, Miss Priss ran in so happy to see her friend Mercedes in class with her. After spending the last year together in gymnastics, they were so looking forward to taking dance this fall. They spent all summer spinning and twirling, already perfecting their ballerina moves.

As their teacher assured all us nervous mommies that the girls would be fine and shooed us out the door... I snapped one last picture. And in that moment I passed on my dancing torch to my sweet little girl, hoping that the beauty of dance would capture her heart as it did mine all those years ago.

SURPRISE!

Last weekend I was *delighted* with a Surprise Baby Shower!! I had no idea WHATSOEVER... so as I walked into the local Tea Room to have lunch, I was blown away to see my friends and family there to greet me!

My wonderful friend Stacy had taken it upon herself to throw me a Baby Shower! A few months ago, she'd asked if I was having an OK Shower, and I'd told her "No, I don't think so." Even though I have WONDERFUL friends here in OK, they are all in their own little groups (church, playgroup, work friends, etc) and few know each other. And since we were having another baby girl, it seemed silly to expect someone to go to all the trouble of gathering everyone up just for me. Well, obviously that did not sit well with my dear "Party Queen"! She instead decided to throw one for me herself and went to work with H.O.T.Y. in getting a list of my local friends.

This sneaky RedHead (aka Miss Priss's La-La-Lindsay) was in town for the weekend and we had the BEST time running around Friday and Saturday morning shopping to our hearts delight. Little did I know that the "new place she wanted to eat lunch at" was a SET-UP! She did such a good job keeping me in the dark, and then getting me there for the party! That's just goes to show... you can't always trust a RedHead!

There are NO WORDS to describe how much this Surprise Baby Shower meant to me, and how blessed I feel that my friends and family went to such extents to make it special for me! I feel like I will be thanking each of them for eternity, just to justify how wonderful they made me feel!

And last, but certainly not least, Miss Priss was SUPER happy to have her Cousin Kaeden in town for the party. Oh how she loves that boy!

Magical Mornings

Oh how I love mornings with my girl...

Making her favorite butterfly toast just to see her smile, it makes the whole day brighter.

And hearing her chatter away as she goes about the first rituals of the morning...

"Mommy, I flush the toilet with my foot... just like you" (PS: I only do this in PUBLIC restrooms, but it's funny that she's caught on to this quirk of mine)

"Mommy, I need butter on my toes too. It'll make me green." (not quite sure how to interpret this one)

"Mommy, look at me, look at me! Now talk." (me: "Talk about what?") "Look at my Funny Face!"

Blooming

Recently, we had Maternity Pictures taken by the very talented PhotoJunky. As always, we were thrilled with them and I was so excited to create a Keepsake Album for us to treasure the pictures for many years to come.

Click here to view the entire book.
Feel free to go to my website to view other Custom PhotoBooks I've created!

Time Off to Feather the Nest!

SH*T!

So apparently, the word on the street for toddlers is SH*T… yes, that’s right SH*T. Miss Priss has been saying it nonstop for days. Now I know that I’m no innocent in the cussing department, but where in the world did she learn this new favorite word? And the more I threaten, spank and punish… the more she says it.
From the playroom, I’ll hear “Oh My SH*T!”, and as I peak in to see what’s going on, she’s sitting there innocently with her stuffed animals and Barbie Dolls. Is she trying to teach them too?
Or when she’s playing with H.O.T.Y. and she drops something on the floor, she’ll look up and say “Well SH*T!” Even after an automatic spanking from him, she won’t be fazed to say it again 10 seconds later.
And my personal favorite from last night at the dinner table… “SH*T! Mommy I not say SH*T. No no no.” Someone obviously needs to explain to Miss Dirty-Mouth that that counts TWICE!
What in the world am I to do? At this rate, I don’t dare take her to church on Sunday, I’m too fearful that she’ll get kicked out of her Sunday School class!

The Naptime Club

Miss Priss has officially started her own club.... The Naptime Club. Every afternoon before nap, we have to go around the house and hand-pick the lucky members who will get to take a nap with her. And trust me, she's pretty picky. Today a lucky nine got the opportunity to nap with Miss Priss. And the fun doesn't end there.... once we get to bed, each and every doll gets carefully positioned all around her.

Admit it.... you want to be in The Naptime Club too, don't you?

Cinderella's Ball

Last week I had the opportunity to create a Photo Card Birthday Invitation for my good friend's little princess! The super talented Photo Junky shot the photos and I got to design the card.... there's nothing like a little bit of teamwork! Not to mention that the little princess is absolutely ADORABLE!

These cards were printed as a 5" x 7" Two-Sided Flat Card on Pearl Metallic Card Stock.

Doesn't it just make you want to dress up and go to the ball?

Lucy's Luau

This past weekend we traveled to Kansas City to see friends! While we were there, my dear friend Emily hosted "Lucy's Luau"... a party to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Lil' Sis. We had such a good time and I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures with you!

Emily and I have been friends since college, were sorority sisters and roommates, each other's Maid-of-Honors and more recently... each other's support with the new stresses of Mommyhood! She is an amazing woman and I'm lucky to call her my friend!

At the party, Miss Priss fell in love with the newest addition to the Julian family... Baby Kaylin! Kaylin is six weeks old and Miss Priss did not want to leave her side! While in town, I had the opportunity to take pictures of Baby Kaylin for her Birth Announcement... so I'll post those later this week!

The all famous Sorority Pose!! These girls are all awesome sisters, friends and mommy's! Each of them have a very special place in my heart!

Last, but certainly not least.... Miss Priss and her BFF Aubrey! Even though these girls only get to see each other a few times a year, they are INSEPARABLE while they are together. They play, they giggle, they chase each other around, they are like two peas in a pod!! Towards the end of the Luau, they stripped down to their princess undies and played with all the other little kids in the sprinklers! I love this picture of them... you can see how happy they are to be together! (and yes, I got her mommy's approval to post this online!)

As always, our Kansas City trip was a whirlwind of seeing all our friends and making the most of every moment there.

Dog Days of Summer

As we've been enduring triple-digit weather the past couple of weeks, I've had to think outside the box to keep Miss Priss entertained. Here are a few things we've filled our summer days with:
1) Dressing Up.... again and again and again. Usually she'll go through two or three dresses before she picks out the perfect one. Then we accessorize with shoes, a crown and her favorite... a wand (which she calls her Bippity Boppity Boo). After she's feeling pretty, we'll turn on some Princess Tunes and dance a little or go around with her wand and turn things into frogs (or lions, or monsters, or whatever else she comes up with).

2) Self Portraits... she's becoming quite the little artist and loves drawing people. She's very picky about where all the face details go, which usually means eyes, eyebrows, hair, ears, cheeks, nose, mouth, chin, AND freckles! For this picture below, she especially got a kick out of coloring the shirt and skirt!

3) Body Paint... I fear the day she goes to preschool and she immediately starts painting her arms rather than the paper! Since the paint is washable, I never mind when she wants to decorate herself, mommy and sometimes even the dog. This particular morning we had to fill up the outdoor pool just to wash off... she had painted every inch of my arms!

4) Indoor Picnics.... one morning she wanted to pull out all her favorite baby dolls and stuffed animals. When I came back to the living room, this is what I saw! She'd very carefully set up her own picnic! Apparently, it was "Lamby's" birthday (he's the one with the cake in front of him) and they were having a birthday party. Luckily, she extended me an invitation and I was able to join the fun. I love seeing her be so creative!

Although I'm anxious for cooler days and preschool to begin, I have truly loved my summer with Miss Priss. It's bittersweet knowing this is my last summer as "MissPriss&Me".... and I fully intend to make every moment count in these last few Dog Days of Summer.

First Golf Lesson

For Miss Priss's birthday, Grandma gave her her first set of Golf Clubs! Eager to get his little girl started on this "daddy-chosen" career path, H.O.T.Y. took her out to the driving range for her first golf lesson. It was quite entertaining, there was so much for her to see and do, that it took a lot of patience for H.O.T.Y. to get her to actually hit the golf ball (she was especially fond of the ball cart out in the field picking up golf balls)!

After watching these two in their lesson, I thought it'd be fun to get a little on video. I had no idea that we'd soon discover that perhaps we had a future softball player instead of a golfer!