fall

This has been the strangest fall weather I can remember, but we've managed to catch a few pretty days and take advantage of the sunshine and cool weather. Last weekend, Cheekwood was free, so I took the girls to look at the scarecrows. They had a lot of fun, but you may want to read up on Mark Twain before you go. There were so many Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain themed scarecrows. I got pretty exhausted trying to explain who the white-haired scarecrows with the mustaches and books were... and why the scarecrows were whitewashing the fence. There were few that they understood without an explanation, and we all had a good time just walking around in the beautiful gardens.

The Nashville Zoo "Meerkat scarecrow"--my favorite. I didn't realize Lilly was holding her shirt up when I took the picture...

"Crow White and the seven pumpkins" was Lilly's favorite

I wanted a picture of the girls standing by the fountain but Mamie wouldn't get in the picture.

Here she is making a face and trying to arch out of the picture. She does NOT want me taking her picture these days.

Riding bikes in the cul-de-sac across from our house

Scole came out to get a little bit of exercise too.

Sweet sisters.

Lilly pulling Mamie up the big hill--She told me, "Mommy, I learned about helping at church this morning." Thank you, Sunday School teachers. Can I please get you to do a lesson on not fighting with your mommy over clothes every morning? If you see my child in anything other than a dress or skirt, please know that it was a major struggle to get it on her. She will not wear pants, shorts, jeans, or leggings without a fight.

Mamie was the "mommy" when the girls were playing house (which is about all they ever do), so Lilly had to help fix Mamie's hair, earrings, necklace, and high heels. Not sure why they never pick earrings that match...

feeding the ducks at Centennial with Julia and Morgan

and here's Mamie while we're getting the group shot.

walden farm field trip

We had Lilly's annual field trip to Walden Farm on a very muddy day. All I could think about all day were the rain boots sitting at home in Lilly's closet, and that I was not smart enough to think to bring them. It was MUDDY. The kids still loved it and it was actually really nice to be cool--last year we were so hot. Lilly said a special prayer that morning asking God to keep it from raining, and he did, so she was in awe of her answered prayer all day. I know we'll have to go back and take Mamie--she keeps asking when her class is going to get to go to the pumpkin farm :( We love Walden Farm!

Ms. Gloria's class

I know this picture is blurry, but I still loved it. Lilly has always been terrified of the little hay maze they have for kids. Last year I had to crawl through and get her out because she was crying about halfway through and wouldn't move. She's usually pretty brave about things. Anyway, she's obviously over her fear and loved it this year.

Looking at the cute little calves. Our guide this year failed to explain to the kids that "this is where hamburgers come from, kids." THANK GOODNESS!

on the hayride, sitting by her buddy Jack

playing in the corn with Ellie

i never win anything

Carrie posted about this awesome bike giveaway and I really would LOVE to win. Too bad I never win anything. It's worth trying for, I guess :)

beach trip

Well, here's the long overdue post from our beach trip the first week of September. The Hollands and Wells came for our 6th ? annual beach trip. With Courtney and Michael's newest addition, we had a grand total of 12 in the house. What did we do with ourselves when it was just 6 lazy, late-sleeping adults? I can't even imagine...sounds pretty boring :)
We could not have asked for more perfect weather, and the water was prettier than I have ever seen it. It was crystal clear and shallow for a long way out. This was the first year I could truly relax. No naptimes to worry about, and the girls just played on their own and had so much fun on the beach. Lucky for me, because I got sucked into the Twilight books and could not put them down until I was finished with all four of them. Anyway, here are a few too many pictures from the week.

Lilly and Will

Mamie would literally roll around in the sand. She loved it.

One issue we had to address with Mamie: NUDITY. She tried (and succeeded a few times) to strip on the beach countless times. I finally gave up once and she walked back to the house naked.

Lilly learned to swim on her own this year and had no fear. Next year we'll work on diving :)

Mamie is still quite attached to her floaties...

Lexi and Mamie in the plane at the track--they were so cute

Mamie's first ride in a go-cart. I couldn't believe she was tall enough. She was scared to death at first, but loved it and went again with Jon.

Oh, funny drunk man that stole/borrowed Will's alligator float, you brought us such joy. Watching you walk around in the ocean with your beer and a tiny inflatable alligator stretched across your belly was the highlight of my day...

Especially when you pulled your beer-drinking wife around on her float too. I bet you have no idea you are on someones blog from Tennessee.

I loved this picture. Lexi's favorite thing about the beach: snacks. She was really working hard to find those goldfish crackers I had in my bag :)

Mamie showing off one of her shells

Sweet Cal holding the water on while Lilly washed off. They were so cute together and are starting to seem so grown-up.

All six: Quinn, Mamie, Lilly, Cal, Lexi, and Will.

Why won't my girls look at the camera? We look crazy--Jon and I looking at the camera and both girls looking somewhere else.

Lilly's "teeth smile" she likes to do for pictures now

Cal and Lilly (aka Pocahontas)

The best one we got :( Lilly and Mamie were not very cooperative.

And here's what happens when Lilly sits at the other end of a table for 12 and I have no idea what she's doing during dinner. Sorry, Pompano Joe's, I think I may owe you some ketchup.

Sadly, the only picture we got of the girls was on the last night. Hopefully they'll be another trip next year. Thanks so much to Jon's parents for letting us use the house.

now accepting visa, mastercard, and mutilated binkies

I am ashamed to admit it, but Mamie still had a binky until today. I had snipped it down to a little stump in MAY, and still she sucked it. She loved it. Jon told me I broke her little heart when I cut it with the scissors. When I say "I cut it," I actually mean the "binky fairy made the top fall off." Anyway, there's something about letting your second one stay a baby a little bit longer because you know how fast it is all going to go by. But this week I told myself that it had to go. Wearing panties and sucking a pacifier don't really go together. This afternoon we went to Toys R Us to shop for some new toys. Did you know that they accept binkies as a form of payment? (Thank you Kelly Austin for cluing me in on this little secret ;-)

We browsed the entire store and sweet little Mamie finally picked out a new baby doll with a sling and a purple plastic baby doll bathtub--2 binkies=2 new toys. At the checkout she paid the man with her 2 precious binky nubs.

Tonight when I put her to bed we read a book, said a prayer, and she went right to sleep with her new baby named Lexi and didn't make a peep! I should have done it months ago.

THE haircut

Today Mamie had her first haircut. Given by her four-year-old sister. With safety scissors.
We were getting ready for gymnastics and I was on the phone when I saw Mamie walk by. I first noticed all the hair stuck all over the back of her leotard. Then my eyes went up to her head. I picked her up and started feeling it to see how bad it was, and clumps of her sweet curly hair started falling off into my hands. I started almost crying, yelling at her, "Why did you cut your hair? Why?" Then she told me, "Wiwwy did it." Then, my emotion turned to rage.
The pictures really don't do it justice. I know it's only hair, but it makes me so sad. She had precious chin-length curly hair that had taken so long to grow anyway. Lilly cut the right side of her hair basically off. Right above her ear is ridiculously short--not even an inch in places. I took these pictures after I took her to Sweet & Sassy to get it salvaged. I didn't want Lilly to have the satisfaction of me taking pictures of what she did to Mamie, so I don't have any "before" pictures. She has a comb over now to get some hair on the right side, and they had to cut the back really short and make it really layered to camouflage the damage.

You can see the curls peeking around from the left side of her head in the back. Sniff. No more pigtails for us for a while.



On a sweet sisterly note, the night before the haircut, Jon went in to check on the girls before he went to bed and came back in the den saying, "you didn't tell me they were sleeping together tonight!" That's because I didn't know they were! Lilly snuck into Mamie's bed at some point and they were all snuggled up together. It was so cute. Lilly usually won't sleep with ANYONE. She doesn't even let me sleep with her if we are traveling or at my mom and dad's house. They slept like that all night long.
What are you dreaming about, Lilly? Owning your own salon?