Wouldn't It Be Nice?...

...to be this happy all the time...

It's Too Early for This...

Hadley is a night owl. Morning time just isn't her thing.

Smiling Babes Make Me Happy...

Did I Mention?...

Did I mention that my downtown is awesome? HA!!! Well, it is!!

Homecoming Continued...

My favorite part of homecoming were the games. Three legged races...potato sack races...jump roping...hula hoop contests....

Several local bands and cheerleading squads came out to show spirit for their respective schools.

And there was even a limbo contest!!! Some of these kids went LOW!!!

More Homecoming Fun...

The children got to ride on the train around downtown during the homecoming festivities. Since the streets were blocked to car traffic, it made the ride even more fun to the children! They had an absolute blast!!

Trisha's husband (Shane) graciously drove the train all day long. It was so nice of him to participate like that. Especially in the Alabama heat! HA!

Those Rebels...

The Sons of the Confederate Veterans put on quite the performance at our local homecoming. For those of you who do not live in the South, please do not be shocked. These men are not advocating an antiquated way of life. It's more about respecting heritage and Southern traditions.

My favorite part was when they shot their black powder guns. The guns were not loaded (of course), but it was loud enough that babies cried! It was just neat to see the men act as a group and fire in unison and whatnot.

Most Awesome Idea Ever...

My hometown had a big homecoming this past weekend. Not like a football game homecoming. It was part of a tourism initiative that has been taking place all over the country this year.
Well, Trisha at Spirit of Athens is a genius! She had heard of a Crank Off and we all agreed that would be an awesome thing for us to do at homecoming!!



The idea is that you have booths where folks make home made ice cream. The public gets to taste all the creams and vote on the winner!! Yum!! No, double Yum!!!

So, nearly a dozen residents, business owners, and politicians signed up to participate. Blue Bell generously donated cups and spoons. The children loved it!! We had two categories in which to vote. Best Booth and Best Ice Cream. Kristi Valls won both this year.

Didn't the trophy turn out great!!???!!??? The owner of U.G. White made it for the winner!!

No joke, I think I gained 10 pounds in the 10 minutes it took me to taste all the ice cream, but it was so worth it!!!!

Thank you, Trisha!! You have done an amazing job with downtown, and the work you continue to do with Spirit of Athens is making our town the place to be.

Update...

Ella went back to the surgeon today to get her stitches out and for the results of the pathology from the lump removed from her face last week. The great news is that it was an ordinary benign growth!

The Most Hated Family in America...

The Phelps family. Wow. These people have been on my mind lately. Do you think Jesus Christ would approve of what they do?

Superman...Super Cute...

Little Layton loves Superman. He loves all the heroes. Spiderman. Batman. Robin. All the heroes.

While eating at Luvici's one day, Layton took off his napkin and tied it around his neck. It was totally appropriate since he was wearing his Superman shirt at the time.

Of course I had to pull out the phone and snap a few pictures...

Oh my! What am I ever going to do with him?

My Poor Uggs...

My second favorite pair of boots I own are my Ugg Cardy boots. I got them for a steal at Bennett's last year and wouldn't have made it through our crazy cold winter without them.

These boots practically attacked me in the closet the other night. Someone had shown them the post I wrote about my Frye boots and jealousy ensued. After profuse apologizing and promising to wear them as much as possible this winter. The Ugg boots backed down, and I was able to safely leave the closet.

Things I Am Dreaming Of...

I am so ready for fall!! It has been far too hot here in the South lately. And humid? Are you kidding me? Layton's hair has been poofy and curly. For some reason the humidity makes the blond fro go crazy!! Just check out the recent beach photos of him.

Anyway, I am so ready for boots!!! I love boots!!! My favorite pair of boots I own are my Frye boots like the ones pictured. They are so comfy and go with anything! The great thing about Frye boots is that they last forever! These boots are so well made that I consider them an investment piece. Frye has been manufacturing this style for years and there are no plans to quit, so I think these boots will be in vogue for quite a while.

I am on the hunt for some more boots though. I want a really good pair of riding boots. Some nice, leather riding boots that will also last for years and years. I just can't quite find the right ones yet. Does anybody have a good pair that they'd like to recommend?

He Just Tickles My Soul...

Ella's Surgery...The Hangover..

Ella had surgery Monday to remove a lump from her cheek and a mole from her leg. A plastic surgeon did the procedure. You remember the infamous trip to the surgeon's office, don't you? The quality of the pictures is not very good. I used my phone. I wasn't exactly thinking about grabbing the camera for posed pictures when I was hustling her off to the hospital.

Here she was lounging before getting prepped.

Eventually she took off her robe and watched TV for a little while. We had to be at the hospital at 6:00AM, so it was a really early start for us. We left the house around 5:15AM in order to make it there in time. You don't even want to know what time I woke up that morning. I was really nervous about it. I freak out any time a loved one is put to sleep, so I didn't even need the 4:00AM alarm.

After she got changed into her gown, she got to drive a princess jeep to the operating room! The nurses made her a driver's license and everything. It was absolutely adorable! Until she crashed into the wall...

She was in surgery for about an hour and twenty minutes. The mole removal was the easy part. She has an impressive band aid thingy on it that won't come off until we go back to the doctor's office, so I haven't seen it yet. Her cheek has a lot more stitches than I thought it would, but it is looking good. I have to change the band aid and clean it three times a day. It was really swollen the first time I changed the dressing out. Jay and I were worried that it was going to leave a huge scar! That was the reason that we were sent to a plastic surgeon to begin with. The other doctor we consulted wouldn't touch the lump because it was on her face. By day two though, the swelling had gone down a lot!! It looks great now!!

She was really groggy when I got to go see her in recovery. She looks hungover!

I'll take her back to the surgeon's office Monday morning to have the stitches removed, pick up the anti-scar ointment, and get the pathology results. Honestly, I think everything is fine. When Dr. Yates came out of the OR to talk to me, he said it looked like an ordinary, benign cyst. But, somewhere inside, I am terrified that the pathology report will say something different. I'll let the blog world know the results Monday.

A Sample of the Shells We Found...

The shells available on Dog Island were unbelievably beautiful! These were all found along the shore. Yes, found. As in walking along the water and picked them up. How awesome is that??!!?? We've never found shells anywhere near this size or perfection anywhere else.

Life Not on Mars But in Our Water...

I already posted several pictures of the critters we saw on land and in the shallow parts of the water. Now, I am going to show you what else we hung out with on vacation....

Hello there Mr. Ray...

The rays were everywhere!! We were practically swimming with them on Dog Island. We even saw several once we hit Panama City Beach.

We even got to see some manta rays. How cool is that??

My photography skills aren't all that great, but I think these turned out really well considering I was trying to focus on creatures under water! HA!

Things My Children Did to Me on Vacation...

They buried me in the sand.

And promptly ran away.

 

Like I Said...We Were Alone...

Did I mention that we were nearly a third of the people on the island at the time? I thought so. Check this out.

The only thing on the beach besides seaweed is a pair of Layton's shoes. We were so secluded!