Life's a party

This past week we have been partying!! Our friend Justin Brown turned the big 3-0 this past week so while Sally treated her hubby to birthday dinner we kept Jay and Betsy at our house. These two are a complete delight so we enjoyed every minute of our evening with them. Spencer kept Jay entertained and Betsy and I baked cookies which she agreed were yummy to her tummy. I also talked to Jay about being Ruth Ann's boyfriend when she grew up...here's how the conversation went...

me: Jay, will you be Ruth Ann's boy friend?
Jay: Yes.
me: Will you take her to the prom?
Jay: Yes, I'll have something I need to show her.
Arch: Hey now!

I love Jay's age (3 years old)...they say the funniest thing in the most innocent way! Here are all three of the "little" kids hanging out on the floor...Spencer didn't hop in the picture.



Ruth Ann and Betsy are the only girls (so far) in our group of friends. I have high hopes that these two will spent hours playing together when they're big girls.



We also had a welcome home party...for a long lost friend...kinda. At Christmas my mom bought Ruth Ann a kitty rattle that she LOVED, but unfortunately she dropped it while we were at EPCOT. Luckily Aunt Toni loves this girl and sent her a replacement. She loves the pig just as much as she did the kitty...thanks Aunt Toni!







Later in the week Sally had an adult only party to celebrate Justin's b-day, but I left my camera at home. Justin's sister is a professional photographer and I get intimated that she'll have her fabulous camera out and I'll look the fool. She wasn't there, so next time I'll have it waiting in the car just in case! Needless to say...no pictures were taken, but a good time was had by all...I almost felt like I was in college again!

Since Justin's party was "adult only" Ruth Ann spent her first night with Grammy and Grumpy...I'm sure some partying was going on over there too! The next morning I picked up Ruth Ann bright and early and we went out to meet my friend Kate to celebrate her daughter Amelia's 2nd birthday.

Here's the birthday girl, Miss Amelia...





Ms. Kay, Kate's mom, saved the Fisher Price toys her kids played with as kids. These are great toys...Ruth Ann had so much fun playing with...and snacking on...these toys.







Amelia sat down to play with Ruth Ann for a few minutes. Seeing these two play together is very special to me, so I took a quick picture. Kate and I met when I was in the 3rd grade when her family moved to Lexington. Many of my childhood memories involve days at the lake with Kate, playing in her play room and hours of pretending! Kate was by far the most imaginative person I have ever known...I hope our girls have just as much fun together as we did.



Here's Amelia's new little sister, Natalie Jean...she slept peacefully the whole time we were there.



I also got a few cute pictures of Ruth Ann wearing one of my favorite outfits. While I was snapping these pictures I caught Ruth Ann in her new favorite pose...inches away from crawling...any day now she's going to take off!





Here's a find that I had to share. I bought this cute skirt at Walmart and put a monogram in the corner...it turned out so cute I bought 2 more for next summer. These skirts have built in shorts so they'll be perfect for playtime next year.

My Wedding Dress

After I started my blog I myself became a "blog stalker"...I openly admit I'm addicted to viewing any and every blog. One of my favorites to stalk is Kelly's Korner...a few weeks ago she invited everyone to show off their homes & most of you who have been to my home know I have a lot of things planned for this house, but little accomplished, so I passed on the invite to show of the McCarty family living quarters. However, my eyes lit up when she invited us to show off our wedding dress!! For those who knew my during my wedding planning you know I LOVED every minute of the 10 months it took to plan my wedding...scratch that, I'd been planning my wedding since I was 4 years old, it just took 10 months to get everything purchased and in place. Shopping for my wedding dress was by far my favorite memory of all the wedding planning. We planned a weekend long trip to Atlanta where my best friends Andrea Webster and Amanda Newman drove up to meet me and my mom and one of her friends (who graciously let us stay at her home just north of Atlanta) for a day of shopping down Peachtree. I had already done some (read A LOT) of research about where I wanted to go. We started with Saks because Andrea had purchased her dress at the Saks in Birmingham and I knew how special they made you feel. My dress consultant (Yolanda) listened to what I had to say and the dress I ultimately purchased was the 1st dress I tried on...no other dress compared to it all day long...Yolanda knew what she was doing. It was a beautiful silk matelasse stapless dress by Carolina Herrera...the first and last designer gown I'll probably ever own!

This was my wedding portrait...taken at the Sheldon Church ruins near Beaufort, SC. This church was built prior to the Revolutionary War, destroyed by fire, rebuilt, destroyed by fire during the Civil War and never rebuilt. I visited these ruins as a senior in high school and came home telling my mom this was where I wanted my wedding portrait taken...I told you details were decided years before the wedding was in sight.



This was my wedding announcement picture for the newspaper...I love this picture because I look so skinny and my belly is flat!



Let's not forget about Arch...it was his wedding day too. Yeah right, I still refer to the wedding as "MY" wedding, even when I'm talking to him.



And here is my Daddy just before we walked into the church. For those who know my Daddy you know he's a grouchy man...that's why I'm having Ruth Ann refer to him as "Grumpy"...that's why I love this picture. My photographer totally caught him on the edge of tears and it's probably one of the few times I've seen him cry.



I can't wait to plan Ruth Ann's wedding...but I'm in no rush to have to pay for that day! Next week is wedding party's & flowers...I can't wait because I loved my bridesmaid dresses too!

Summer time

It's so nice to have a lazy weekend without any plans. My mom called friday to find out what Ruth Ann & I...but mostly Ruth Ann...had planned for saturday because she had not seen her all week. Why come to my house...there's nothing fun here...I told her we would come out to the pool. I love how Ruth Ann is so relaxed in the water. We would put her in her float and she would kick back and relax...I tried to get a picture of her lounging in her seat, but she kept sitting up when I had the camera out...of course!





Then we got out of the pool & dried off before heading inside. Ruth Ann entertained us with her constant chatter.





I've told some of you about my parent's tomato tree. When I was little and we still lived in a neighborhood my dad would plant a modest garden...mostly cucumbers and tomotoes. I think this may have been where my love (read obsession) with tomatoes may have begun. If you've ever eaten dinner with me and I've ordered a salad you've heard me request extra tomatoes...I LOVE a tomato...it may be my favorite thing about summer in South Carolina. To me summer is in full swing when the tomato plants start to turn red...yummm...Anyway, once my parents moved to their current house my daddy's garden grew...most of the time (read all of the time) it was way more produce than we needed...however, you can never have too many tomatoes! This year my daddy was too preoccupied with other hobbies to grow a garden, so my parents decided to order a tomato tree after watching an infomercial...it's been a big success and I'm planning on getting one for next year. They grew regular sized tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. FYI for those considering one for next year...it takes A LOT of water...2 gallons of water per day...here are the fruits of my moms labor...









Overall the McCarty's are all having a pretty great summer...it's hard to believe we're half way through the summer...but that means one thing...football season is right around the corner!!

Here's what Ruth Ann and I have been up to...

Ruth Ann was introduced to yet another new food this past week...puffs. Although the container says the child must be able to crawl to eat these...why, I'm not sure...they melt in your mouth so I don't think they're a choking hazard...so we ignored that suggestion and here's what happened...

I laid out a pile in front of Ruth Ann while she was in her high chair...



Then she put as many of them as she could comfortably fit into her chubby little hand...



She figured out where they needed to go & seemed to enjoy them.



Later Ruth Ann had her bath and I realized it had been a while since we had taken bath time pictures so I ran to grap my camera...another new hair do...



After bath time we played a little on the changing table...is this what it would be like to have twins??



Ruth Ann has been dying to grap the assorted bottles and lotions at the end of her changing table...tonight she managed to get to them...



So that's what Ruth Ann has been up to...I've been getting crafty...I've been making burb clothes for friends for the last 2 years. Over time they've gotten more and more detailed. This is my favorite so far, but what southern girl doesn't love sersucker??



And who is this "Roper" who received this very cute burp cloth?? Meet Roper Henry Clark, the newest addition to the Clark family. FYI...I think he looks like his mommma...



I've also been hard at work finishing this bishop dress for Ruth Ann. I learned how to smock while I was in college and took a bishop construction class before I found out I was pregnant with Ruth Ann, but this is the first dress that I can claim to have sewn every stich from start to finish. It still needs buttons...that's why there's no picture of the back...and the hem isn't finished...that's why you can't see the bottom either...but it's basically finished. Isn't it cute! Also, for those of you who don't understand why smocked clothing comes with a hefty price tag you've obviously never smocked or sewed...there's a lot of work involved!





And finally...I've been appliquing...this is my favorite shirt so far. Sorry Carolina nation, you're not going to like it at all, but to all my Auburn and Clemson friends, if you get the t-shirt of your choice to me I'll be happy to make one for your little one for $15. I can't wait to get Ruth Ann into this shirt this fall!

A new hair do...

I'm so lucky to have a 7 month old with a full head of hair. I know some people wait months or even years for their daughters to have as much hair as Ruth Ann had when she was born. However, I'm DYING to put this hair in a pony tail...here is as close as I can get right now...





FYI...she's never worn her hair like this in public...atleast not yet!

I belong in Hawaii

My friend Candi sent Ruth Ann this very cute dress (along with some other really cute outfits that we love)...too bad it didn't come with a trip to Hawaii because she should definitely wear this dress to a luau! Thanks Ms. Candi!



Griff came to get in the photo too. He's getting SO big...at the last vet visit he was 70lbs! Even though he's a beast of a dog, he has a very sweet personality...Ruth Ann was completely safe putting her hand in his mouth!

Happy Birthday America & Jay Brown!

This weekend we celebrated the birth of our nation and one of our very good friends...Jay Brown. Here's a recap of our activities...

I really enjoy my job. I love the flexibility it offers but what I love the most are the relationships I get to make with my patients and their families. I begin to feel like I'm one of their friends and get to know a lot of the ins and outs of their families. I have one patient who I always love to see on my schedule. I'll call her Mrs. D since she hasn't technically given me permission to talk about her and because of HIPPA...thank you Clinton administration...I could be sued by mentioning that she is a patient in my office...Anyway, I love Mrs. D. When I got married she bought me a platter from my china pattern and when she found out I was having a baby girl she promptly told me she LOVED buying gifts for girls. Shortly after I returned to work Mrs. D made an appointment to see me and brought Ruth Ann a Beatrix Potter cup, bowl and plate set. I'm planning on sending her a thank you note with this picture...







Then on Friday Grammy stopped by and invited us to her house to go swimming and to spend the night. Since Grumpy was camping with my Uncle JR we decided to have a slumber party with Grammy. Ruth Ann snuggled up with Grammy and passed out...



Then Saturday...the 4th of July...we woke up and met Daddy, Spencer, and the rest of the McCarty's at the lake house. First Ruth Ann chatted a little with her Daddy...



Then she posed for a picture with Spencer and her cousins Madison & Ethan. I know I'm partial, but these are some good lookin' kiddos...



We didn't stay out of the water long. Spencer, Madison and Ethan took turns showing off their best cannon balls...Ruth Ann watched from her tube...



After an afternoon nap we headed to the Brown's for Jay's 3rd birthday. Jay was the first baby in our group of friends and I can't believe 3 years have passed since we saw him in the hospital. Here's the birthday boy...wearing the Lightening McQueen shirt we gave him...with Spencer.



Since Jay's birthday is obviously the 4th of July, it was requested we wear red, white and blue...







Brantley's cousin Sydney came to celebrate Jay's b-day and brought her boyfriend Jimmy...aren't they a cute couple?



But there was someone else who had her eye on Jimmy...I've told Sydney she has nothing to worry about since Ruth Ann can't date for at least 16 years!

Happy 7 Months & 4th of July!!

Today Ruth Ann is 7 months old...again I have to ask, where is the time going?? Here are some of the things Ruth Ann has accomplished this month...

~sitting unsupported
~consistently putting her pacie in her mouth
~eating solid foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner
~graduating to size 3 diapers
~graduating to stage 2 food
~sitting in resturant high chairs and grocery carts
~and growling/babbling alot

I'd have to say the funniest thing she does so far is growling...I'm not sure where she picked this up, but if you're familiar with the McCarty's or the Becker's you know there is a mean streak running through this baby girl...I think she's giving us a glimps of this mean streak with each and every growl!



With the upcoming holiday weekend we also wanted to say Happy 4th of July. My friend Brantley bought this cute outfit for Ruth Ann last summer shortly after we discovered we would be having a baby girl. It's so cute...too bad we're only going to be able to wear it this week...but we're planning on wearing it several different days! Thanks Brantley!



Ok, one guess what Ruth Ann was working on while I was taking this picture...moms out there, don't you love a poopy face!