Friends

About 2 years ago 4 couples decided to stop eating out together and start eating in together instead. Not because we were watching our checking accounts, but because our families were expanding and a table for 8 was rapidly growing to a table for 15. So now once a month these friends gather together and now it's not just the adults that share a friendship...it's the kiddos too...

Here Ruth Ann and Betsy are taking a little break from cruising the backyard for a quick Capri-Sun...



Right now these are the only girls in this group of friends...I'm looking forward to years of sleep overs with these two!



Unfortunately, those were the only 2 pics I caught of Betsy when she wasn't flashing the camera...





Betsy and Jay have a fantastic playground, which is always a hit with the kiddos...







Now, I'm going to brag on my own friend...thank goodness our supper club is not graded on creativity because I would receiving a failing grade...Sally on the other hand would be the head of the class...take a look at how she decorated the kids table...



Personalized cantaloupe boats...with the most delicious cantaloupe I've had all summer...



So cute and such a sweet touch...at my house the kids barely have a place to sit down to eat, but at Mrs. Sally's the kids get special kid-friendly treatment...thanks Sal!

3 more weeks to go...

So some of you already know I used my powers of persuasion this week to get an ultrasound at 16 weeks...actually, my doctor was surprised to see Arch joining me for my regularly scheduled visit and assumed he was only there in case I got an ultrasound. I like to think she just likes me above all her other current OB patients so she worked me in for an impromptu ultrasound...but actually I think she felt bad for having made me wait for 45 minutes at the very end of the day and she was just doing what she would have most likely done for any of her patients.

The ultrasound tech was less than thrilled to have to do an un-necessary ultrasound at 4:45 in the afternoon...which I feel her pain because nothing makes my blood boil more than a work-in hearing test that results in normal hearing...but anyway, I realized pretty quick that she and I were not going to leave this room as friends.

We got a couple of profile shots, which are always my favorite and I actually think this baby has a different profile than Ruth Ann...it may just be the wishful thinking of a woman who desires at least one of her children to resemble her just a little bit. She also said Baby looked healthy...I've been concerned about the strangest things this time around...like my umbilical cord and the position of my placenta...thankfully everything, including the baby looked healthy...which is music to a pregnant momma's ears! Then we got down to business...gender identification. And after much anticipation I'm proud to say were having....

a very modest baby...Baby wouldn't open those legs to let us take a peak! However, after looking at the picture she sent us home with once or a hundred times I left convinced it must be a girl because surely at least some boy parts should be visible.

All day on Tuesday and Wednesday I discussed this with my co-workers and one of them mentioned a gender identification test her sister purchased and it correctly identified her baby's gender. So off to Walgreen's I went to buy my own test. The directions said to use your first morning tee-tee, so at 4pm this morning I felt like Mr. Wizard conducting a science experiment in my bathroom with my gender test, my tee-tee and a syringe. Then I had to wait 10 minutes to read the results....

it said BOY! This kept me up for about an hour thinking about all the room re-locating and house renovations we're going to have to get done in the next few months if Baby is actually a boy. It made me realize I need to start preparing Arch for the potential tail spin a baby boy is going to send me into until this house is equipt to sleep all the members of our family adequately. Many have suggested Ruth Ann and her possible baby brother temporally share a room...but if you've never visited my house you don't know that Ruth Ann' room is girlly with a capital "G"...pink walls, chandelier, floral curtains...the works. I just couldn't do that to a baby boy.

So here's the score for the gender identification game...

Chinese Gender Calender: Girl
16 week ultrasound: Inconclusive
Tee-tee Gender Test: Boy

What does this mean...I've got 3 more confusing weeks to go before my next ultrasound!

Splash!

Last weekend my mom invited us to her house for some time in the pool and then a cook out. Ruth Ann is always ready to put her swim suit on and head to Grammy's pool so off we went!



At the beginning of the summer Ruth Ann wasn't in love with swimming in the pool, but after the water temps began to rise she began to feel more and more comfortable in the water. A few weeks ago I started throwing her a few feet in the water while wearing swimmies and she loved it...so that led to sliding down the sliding board and this week we started jumping off the diving board...she is such a little water bug!



Several others at my mom's house decided to also jump from the diving board creating a variety of splashes...

Some were small splashes, like Ruth Ann's...



Other's were a little bigger, like Kendall's...



Katenell's weren't much bigger than Kendall's...



Mike's wasn't too bad...



I'll just let you use your imagination to decide what kind of splash this grown man caused...



I also had to take a picture of Mike's t-shirt because believe it or not, Spencer made this shirt while we were on vacation at the Disney Hilton Head Resort...



I made one for Ruth Ann and it turned out cute too, but the colors Spencer picked were great and the shirt looks fantastic. Mike said people can't believe someone made it for him...now Spencer didn't hatch this idea on his own, we had supervised instruction but Spencer tied the shirt himself and died it himself...it's very impressive!

Pretty Proud of myself

So most of you know I gave up my semi-professional tennis career last summer to pursue a new hobby...sewing. Okay, if you know me in real life you know I was a beginner tennis player and couldn't commit to practice and matches as well as I should...I don't want to lead anyone to believe I was on the road to the US Open...if I was, it was going to be a VERY VERY long road. Anyway, in the year since I started taking regular sewing lessons 2 times a month I've often wondered if I'm getting better at sewing or just better at following my teacher's instructions. My sewing teacher is excellent at her job but she's been making these outfits or helping others make these outfits we work on for years and she has memorized all the steps to get a completed garment. I really wondered if I could follow a pattern for myself and get a finished product I would be proud of.

This story really starts 2 weeks ago. I usually look forward to my regularly scheduled sewing class but I had finished up my last project and needed to start on something new. It may not sound like a hard thing, but for me the idea of wrapping my mind around another project is the biggest challenge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE buying patterns and I really LOVE buying fabric, but putting scissors to fabric to get started is a hard step for me...I think it's because I just don't know where to begin. With the project I had chosen to work on (Paulie by Children's Corner) I needed to make piping...it's a detail used to trim a garment. I set out making piping for an hour and half...only to discover I had not made my piping long enough...then I started to discover I didn't have enough of my fabric I had planned on using for trim to make enough piping. Things were rapidly going from bad to worse for me and I felt like I had wasted my time and money on this particular night. I don't often give up, but on this night I gave up...I packed up and headed home completely disgusted with myself. I felt defeated.

But, if you know me, you know I don't handle defeat well...so in the days following that failure I decided I would test myself to see if I could make this garment all by myself. I read the pattern...it seemed easy enough...so I got to work. There were several things I did differently...I added french seams in the crouch of the pants and down the legs for added support and I didn't do any of the hand sewing they recommended...and I'm proud to say that today I put the finishing touches on these 2 garments...I LOVE them! Ruth Ann has an outfit very similar to these made by Mary James and she looks precious in it so I know she'll look super cute in these too. She's napping as I'm writing this post, otherwise I'd have her modeling them to show you just how cute they are...fyi, the pants are capri length.







The Back...



And the project that started all my frustrations...







The Back...



I know longer doubt that I'm actually learning how to sew and how to sew well. When Ruth Ann wakes up we're headed to another sewing hotspot to purchase this pattern for bigger girls so I can make some outfits for the Fall/Winter!

Beards

I hate facial hair...I hated when my dad use to try to grow a beard and I hate when Arch doesn't shave for a day or two...but this is one cute beard I never get tired of looking at...

Back to the Beach

Honestly, if I had the time and gas money I would spent every extra minute of the summer on the shores of SC. Thankfully I have a good friend who lives at the beach so it helps with lodging expenses...but gas for the Expedition kills me!



I'm so happy Ruth Ann loves the beach too... can you tell she's happy to be here??

We drove down to Myrtle Beach on Friday and were to leave on Sunday morning...this only left Saturday to play on the beach and when we woke up that morning to overcast skies I thought we may have to skip beach plans...but my friend Page was sure the clouds would roll out so we lotioned up and headed to the beach. Her mom lives across the street from the beach so we make that our head quarters. We walked over the dunes and Ruth Ann once again felt at home by the shore.



Ms. Page made her laugh so I could get some pictures...



But she still needed a break for a quick drink...I think juice must taste better on the beach...I know other beverages do!



Then she found a friend to play with for a few minutes.



He started dropping sand on her head, so she did the same. It didn't bother me...we were in fact at the beach and we were already covered in sand, what did a little more hurt?? However, this brought over an adult from the family this little boy was a member of...this same adult dropped down to Ruth Ann's level and got into her personal space...which Ruth Ann (and her Momma) did not appreciate. Ruth Ann still had a hand full of sand, which she used to throw at this adult telling him to back up. Although all the adults watching laughed, it wasn't long before this little boy rejoined his family...oh well.

One thing I seem to see a lot of when we're at the beach is the backside of Ruth Ann because I'm chasing her back and forth from the water...but look how precious that sandy behind looks...



Oh I love a sandy behind!!

And my favorite picture of the day was an accidental shot...but it turned out so sweet!



I don't make it down to MB nearly often enough to visit Page, but I have a feeling that as my little Beach Bunny gets older she's going to be begging for visits to Ms. Page's all summer long!!

Parade Day

A few weeks ago the city of Columbia held a parade for the NCAA Men's Baseball Champions. Usually I wouldn't be interested in attending...it wasn't after all the Auburn Tigers victory that the city would be celebrating...however, we watch ALOT of baseball in our house and during college baseball season if the Gamecocks are playing on TV then our television is on the game as well as the stereo in the living room. They also said this would be a ticker tape parade which I thought would be a unique experience, so Ruth Ann and I met the Clark family and headed down town for the parade...p.s. there was no ticker tape...boo.

Grammy works downtown so she met us too...



Ruth Ann wasn't all smiles while we were at the parade...I think she was hoping to see the Auburn Tigers too...you can see the disappointment in her eyes!



I had expected there to be a big crowd, but it was surprisingly easy to find front street seats!



Mason tested out the parade route...



All the while, Roper observed things from his stroller...



Then the action got started...for some reason they decided to put the major players of the parade first...Coach Tanner, Cocky, trophy, and then the baseball team. Then the parade was filled with other people I didn't know, so we left early...but here are the highlights...

Coach Tanner and family...



Cocky...whom Ruth Ann has yet to meet only because she has yet to meet Aubie...and because Cocky got a little scrappy with me a few years ago at a baseball game and I'm still harboring some ill feelings...another story for another time...



The long awaited NCAA Championship trophy...



These are the players I'm familiar with...

The Catcher...I'm not sure of his name, but I know he's the catcher because he gets LOTS of face time in front of the TV camera.



Jackie Brown, Jr....outfielder...just a great player, so he too got lots of face time on TV.



And Whit Merrifield. I think he's an outfielder too, but he's not on here because of his ability...even though he did hit the ball that drove in the winning run...nope, I just think he's a cutie...along with all the other females (young and old) who are forced to watch the baseball games. Call me a Puma or a Cougar (I don't think 32 yrs old classifies me as a Cougar) but I think this is a very cute young man. A friend of my mom's wanted a picture of him for her daughter. We got his attention by yelling his name and then he started waving to Ruth Ann...very nice young man, but maybe a little too old for consideration for my baby girl...



There were several different and Carolina Unique vehicles in the parade...something for a variety of driving tastes or needs...







And here's the #1 reason why I don't think I'll ever be a true Gamecock fan...



My deep deep fear of chickens...and really all birds for that matter...will always prevent me from being a Gamecock fan...sorry Gamecock friends, I just can't get behind a team whose mascot scares the be-jesus out of me...I'll stick with my predators...the Auburn Tigers!

Music Lessons Needed

A few weeks ago we attended a birthday party for one of our favorite friends...Jay Brown. While there Ruth Ann discovered she likes the trumpet...I discovered my child is in serious need of music lessons since music does not appear to be her hidden talent...



My grandfather played the bugle while in the service and was very musically talented. I know he's watching her now and chuckling at his great-grand daughter holding his favorite instrument to her nose to "blow"!

Big Sis in training

My mom bought Ruth Ann this baby doll from Target months ago. She came with a baby bottle that when held to her mouth she will move her mouth as if drinking from the bottle. At first Ruth Ann wasn't in love with baby dolls, but in the last few months she has been in love with her babies and takes care of them often.

Here she is feeding her baby from it's bottle, while having a drink of her own...



Then she was in a sharing mood and decided her baby needed some of the good stuff...

Anniversaries

A few weekends ago Ruth Ann and I rode with my mom to the big city of Alcolu, SC to celebrate the 20th wedding anniversary of some very good friends...



Here is my mom with Mrs. Harriet and Mr. William. My mom became friends with Mrs. Harriet when we lived in Sumter, SC...I was about 5 years old. Mrs. Harriet, along with my Aunt Jill, were my 2 favorite people in the whole world when I was 5 years old. Both were single ladies so I usually had their undivided attention and they also both lived in trailers, which at the time became my dream in life...sad but true. Later in my childhood my parents would sell our home in a subdivison to move us to the country. My dad wanted to be on-sight as our new house was being built so my dream of living in a trailer became reality...oh, what was I thinking! It was not near as much fun as Mrs. Harriet and my Aunt Jill had made it seem to my 5 year old self. Luckily, our time in the trailer was very short and that dream was checked off of my "To Do List" forever!

Anyway, I remember when Mrs. Harriet got married to Mr. William...I can't remember if we had already moved to Lexington yet or not, but I remember the day vaguely. There's something about girls...especially little girls...and weddings, we love and remember all the weddings we attend! This was probably around the time I started planning my own wedding day! 20 years later Mr. William gave Mrs. Harriet a ring upgrade...



The picture doesn't begin to do it justice!

Here they are with their daugher Katenell...



Katenell wanted to take a picture with Ruth Ann, but this is the best I could get...



Ruth Ann napped for about 20 minutes the whole day, so she was not in the mood to be cooperative...but rarely is she these days. Mostly Ruth Ann wanted to play on the fabulous playground from Katenell's childhood...



She even got Mr. William to come over and give her a push...



We had a delicious BBQ dinner and then hit the road back for home...again, Ruth Ann stayed awake the entire way home, but slept great that night and the following morning!

We had a great time and wish Mrs. Harriet and Mr. William 20 more happy years together...I can't wait to see the ring upgrade for that anniversary!