The Middle Little

turns 6 today!

How, oh how, can that be?

A little birdie told me, so I know it must be true;

but Mimi just can't believe that it's happening to you!

For the last 2 years, AC, you've designed a special Christmas dress to be made by Santa's elves and delivered on Christmas Eve.  That dress was the centerpoint for your birthday party.  This year you let the elves rest and decided on a "bird" birthday theme at the skating rink.  How fun!!!  You and Mommy always have the cutest decorations even at the 'roller go.'

with the cutest favors!

You and some of your friends get ready to party while waiting on the others to finish skating.

What a fun birthday party!

Mimi and Granddaddy really enjoyed watching all of ya'll skating like pros!

Happy 6th Birthday, Sunshine!!!!

We love you all the muches!

ps:  Look at the pillow Mimi found to celebrate your 6th birthday.  Every time I look at it, I'll think of you and wonder how you could already be six years old.

Saturday Night = Date Night

and Date Night these days equals

Lace, Heirloom Dresses, Pearls, and Big Hairbows

(Please, Lord, let it be a long time before things change!)

Daddy's special dates for the country club's Daddy Date Night

Sweet Sisters and Best Friends

Yes, sweet Baby A, you most definitely are a Princess!!

You came running through the house holding out your dress just like a Disney Princess asking, "Daddy, do I look like a princess?"

Could life get any sweeter for a Daddy of Three Princesses?

Mimi just knows ya'll had a wonderful time "dancing with your three friends" as Adelynn said.

While We Were Away

Remember, Mimi mentioned we were away right after Christmas?  Well, we did a little visiting.

First, we left right after Christmas to finish up a Christmas gift to the A girls . . .

The Swing Set

For Christmas, Mimi and Granddaddy gave ya'll swings and a trapeze bar to go on the swing set your daddy wanted to build (your little red bags contained money for all the wood and etc needed).  He needed Granddaddy to help with the building and Mimi just tagged along to play.

Hard at Work

Yes, Daddy did most of the work and Granddaddy did most of the watching.

AG getting Riley to perform her tricks while G-Dawg and Daddy worked

Is this the right place, Mom?

After Mr. Robby helped them drill the holes for the posts, Daddy poured the concrete.  Unfortunately for ya'll, it had to dry for 7 days before you could start enjoying it.

Just "a swingin" while Riley keeps watch.  Be careful on those monkey bars across the top, please!!

The Winter Fair

After the swing set was up, Mimi and Granddaddy came home, repacked our clothes and headed north for some winter fun.  We were going to stay with the C girls during the day and watch a Christmas Basketball Tournament at night.  CJ decided that Christmas Day Camp would be more fun than staying with us, so Little Cybie took us to the Christmas Fair.

This was probably your most fun ride!

Mimi's neck hurt just taking pictures.

G-Dawg was a great sport to ride and let Mimi take pictures.

Sissy sure did miss some fun . . .

We even saw two of Santa's reindeer who had come back to visit.

Of course, ya'll had to put on that "other" color and cheer for the UT Round-Ball Boys.

Cute cheerleaders but would have been cuter in your red and black!  You know Mimi just likes to kid with ya'll about my Dawgs and your Hounds.

Now, we're back home where Granddaddy is working on his "special project" (another post later for sure) and Mimi is working on goodies for the next holiday.  Valentines will be here soon.  Can you believe that January is already more than half over?

And, oh yes, Mimi has started to an exercise class so I can get in shape to keep up with all the running I'll be doing this summer just trying to keep up with all of ya'll.  Don't tell your Daddy and Mommy but it really does seem to be helping my back and knees.  Guess my 2 doctors do know something!

Have a great weekend!  Hopefully, it isn't raining where ya'll are.

And "GO FLIGHT!"

It's Their Time . . .

to shine!

Mimi's "littliest" Littles started following in their big sissy's footsteps in January.

Is it really possible that they are old enough to do that????

At 3, after signing herself up months ago, Baby A started her first ballet class.

With hair in a bun, new ballet bag, & a new soft cover up,

she was all smiles and so very excited . . .

for "Miss Mary to tell the little ones what to do."

(you had been telling us this for weeks, maybe to reassure yourself that you'd know what to do)

Mimi can't wait until May for the recital!!

At 4, Little Cybie begged to play Upwards basketball on her best friend's team.  After a little debate, Mommy and Daddy decided she could . . .

This week Big Sis was an assistant coach, too.

Making her shot during practice helped her score some goals during the game.  Mimi was too excited watching to get pictures of that, though!

Someone made the comparison that Upwards at this age is a little like "herding cats" and after watching this weekend, I just might have to agree.

But it sure is fun for this Mimi to watch her littles growing, learning, and following the actions of their big sisters.  Seems like only yesterday, the "biggest" Littles were starting out in their respective choice of hobbies.

My, oh my, where does the time go?

Surprise

Mimi was downstairs when I heard strange noises like thousands of rats running through the house.  No rats, thank goodness!!  Just this . . .

Snow?

No, HAIL!

It was 55 degrees outside when I ran to the grocery store this morning.  By 1:00 p.m. the cold front had started to move in and caused a hail storm.  Nothing like I remember ever seeing.

Granddaddy yelled for me to get the camera and hurry to the breakfast room door.

2 smaller piles of hail soon became . . .

One larger pile that piled over the window ledge.

When the thunder and lightening stopped he decided he better shovel it off before it started to melt and run in the window.

Doesn't the deck look pretty?

  

Luckily, the hail was small ~ about the size of a dime!

Hopefully, there was no damage to cars or roofs!

Before long our ditch was almost to overflowing from the rain and hail mixture.

Last night's weather forecast predicted some snow for tonight so Mimi hurried upstairs and took down the snowflakes hanging in your Nest.  Maybe I got them down in time so that no snow will fall on the Acre.

Hope today brings sunshine where you are!!

Looking Back Part II

maybe this will be the last group of pictures for Christmas 2011; but, then again, it might be like my decorations . . . still showing until Valentines Day!

Before I forget, Mimi and Miss Charlotte again were in charge of costumes for all the church's Christmas programs.

and . . .

Mimi attended a very special brunch hosted by Miss Pam who took Mimi's place teaching when I retired.  Now she's also taken my place hosting the East/West Christmas Brunch.  Thank you so much, Pam, for hosting such a beautiful brunch ~ the food was fabulous and your home was beyond beautiful!

Can you tell which one is Miss Pam?

She and Paisley look so much alike they could be sisters instead of Mother/Daughter

Now back to Christmas morning . . .

Guarding the Gate 2011

Southern Girls and their Pearls

Searching for your "little" red bags which contained your "big" Christmas gifts from Mimi and Granddaddy

While ya'll searched, Mimi enjoyed a cup of coffee from her new Christmas gift.

Thanks, kids, this is something Mimi will defiinitely use daily!

Opening the finals gifts of the morning ~ the big red carts.

Hope they come in handy this summer!

Quickly after these gifts were opened, Mimi and Granddaddy dashed upstairs to make our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of eggs, biscuits, bacon, sausage, gravy and fruit.  Then quick showers and we were off to church.  Because Christmas was on Sunday we changed our normal Christmas morning breakfast with the cousins to Christmas Lunch after church.  That way we could all truly celebrate the real reason for this glorious season where it was meant to be celebrated.

We arrived just a little late and since we needed a whole center pew . . . here we marched, new American Girl babies and all, right up to the 2nd pew from the front.  You girls were all perfect little angels sitting so quietly with your babies sitting in your laps listening to every word the preacher said.  After church as Mimi was hurrying to get lunch on the table, Cybie grabbed me around the legs and said, "Mimi, I know why we have Christmas.  It's because God gave us Jesus on Christmas."  Yes, sweet children, may you never forget this wonderful truth!!

Normally, both families of girls stay for a few days after Christmas; but this year things had to be changed a little.  The C girls Mammaw needed to do their Christmas on Christmas night so while they were enjoying dinner and opening gifts with their other cousins 3 hours away at Mammaw's . . .

The rest of us did something Mimi has N.E.V.E.R. (in 63 years) done on Christmas . . .



We drove around 2 towns until we found some place open to eat because the 2 men said they couldn't eat left-overs one more time.  Finally, we found an I-Hop open and that's where we enjoyed Christmas Night Dinner along with a multitude of other travelers and locals who also couldn't eat any more Christmas Turkey.  While we were waiting to be seated, the A girls made friends with some cute little boys through the glass.  One of them and their Mommy came out in a minute and asked Mande if she wasn't a ZETA from UGA.  They were sorority sisters who hadn't seen each other in at least 12 years!  They were traveling south to her parents and stopped at the only place they could find open.  Small world!

After our dinner out, we enjoyed a fun game of Pictionary.  Unfortunately, Mimi and Granddaddy were a little slow on the answers (or maybe rough on the drawings) and lost.  AG wasn't too happy about being on our team . . . another big competitor!!

Now about those decorations ~ they're pack away in tubs but the tubs are not exactly where they are always stored . . . well, all the decorations except in the Nest where the tree still stands and the snowflakes are still dangling from the ceiling waiting on that snow.

but we were away right after Christmas and Mimi decided to do a little cleaning where the decorations were down in hopes of keeping those winter blue's away!

Oh well, there's always tomorrow . . .

The 1st Monday Makes It Official

Granddaddy is now the new Mayor of our little town!

Sworn in at 6:02 on January 9, 2012

WOW!!

Eight years ago I watched as my Daddy was sworn in for the last time as City Judge for his 17th term.

He served one year of that last term before resigning for health reasons; upon his retirement he was presented this plaque by the current Mayor, Mr. Jerry S.  The plaque would be placed on the door of the Judge's chambers.  Because it took so long to get it made, Daddy never saw the plaque hung but tonight I got a picture of it for ya'll.  After Pop's death, I could never make myself go into that part of City Hall again.

Congratulations and Good Luck, Granddaddy!!

We're proud of how you chose to spend retirement!


(ps:  Mimi knows it's really the 2nd Monday but the 1st Monday was a holiday so "legally" this is the 1st Monday)

Looking Back . . .

to the Joy of Christmas 2011!

Is it really the 8th of January?  And Mimi hasn't posted the Christmas pictures YET?  Well, here's just a quick look back before we spring full-force into 2012 and all the new and exciting things it will bring.

As posted earlier, Granddaddy and I took a weekend trip to Nashville with the A girls

then . . .

a trip to visit the C girls for a basketball game

 and a very special dinner date with "Little" C

where she got to pick out her very own new Caroler to represent

her Christmas performance with the little choir at church.

(sorry Mimi doesn't have a picture of you singing, Cybie!)

didn't she do a good job of picking one that looks just like her?

then . . .

We were off to watch a ballet performance by a very special A girl

 then back to watch a budding violinist perform in her very first recital

 which prompted the purchase of a new Caroler for AG picked out especially for her by Granddaddy

can't you see the resemblance even down to the red dresses?

then another trip on the weekend before Christmas to watch the youngest member of Timothy II perform in the Nativity

Granddaddy and I did have to miss one little one's performance this year, though, because it was the same night as the littlest C caroler.  From what I hear Baby A did a little dancing with her singing!

then . . .

back home for Santa to come

AND

a new tradition!

 The girls searching for The Green Pickle ~ which German tradition holds brings luck for the new year and a special gift for the one who finds the hidden pickle on the Christmas tree.

They got the gift but we'll have to wait about the luck part ~ anyway it was a new fun thing to do while we waited on the other sleighloads of guests to arrive.

Christmas Eve at Mimi and Granddaddys brought all the family except Scotty and Sweet Baby Josie.  Josie was the sick one this year and Danielle and Scotty took turns going to family Christmas dinners to stay with her.  They were truly missed at Mimi's!!

The Cousins' Table

Sweet Niece and Nephew 

 Mimi was definitely slacking this year on group pictures ~ this is as good as it got ~ sorry kids, hopefully we'll do better next year!

Kaleb entertained us with HIS dancing skills while we waited for Pate and Taylor to arrive

but I'm not so sure the girls were impressed!!

After the last guests left, we opened our Christmas Eve PJ's which again were Christmas Eve gowns, threw food out for Santa's reindeer and got the cookies and milk ready for Santa before flying up to the Nest to the sound of sleigh bells for a "good winter's nap" which Mimi is needing about right now so I'll finish tomorrow!

Good Night!!