What do you do on the first free Wednesday/ Mama Day of the summer (June 3rd)? Head to the zoo with Lawson to ride the camel on “hump day!” We enjoyed one of the last cool, spring days with a minimal crowd. Perfect day with great friends!
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Christy’s Wedding
It seems that Christy and the Magnificos have been a part of our life almost as long as I’ve known John.
After John graduated from Ole Miss with his MBA (where we met), he came home to Olive Branch and volunteered to coach a youth soccer team. Enter the Magnificos. Christy was in the 6th or 7th grade at the time, and he coached her for a few years in the youth league. Then, her family was very instrumental in getting John onboard to coach soccer at Olive Branch High School for Christy’s high school years, and she played on John and CB’s coed soccer team too. When we signed HG up for OB youth soccer at four, Christy volunteered to be her coach, and her boyfriend, Danny often came to assist. HG regularly asks for John and I to go out and let Christy (and Danny too) babysit, which usually means a pizza and ice cream date. They are fast friends, and HG adores Christy.
On a Christy-Danny-HG date night this past winter, they asked HG to be their flower girl in their June wedding, and HG was so excited! She was a flower girl in CB and Emmy’s wedding when she was two but doesn’t remember much about it. We enjoyed going shopping for flower girl dresses with Christy and trying them on to check their spin factor.
The big day finally arrived on June 13th! The day before, HG and I (and of course, we enlisted Spiffer and GD!!!) hosted a bridal luncheon for Christy and her girls, and HG was such a good hostess, showing people where they were to sit and asking if they wanted a mimosa or bellini (hilariously adorable). On wedding day, she had a blast getting ready with the big girls and following around Christy’s sister, Lesley. (God bless Lesley for being such a good sport!) She danced the night away too and just soaked up all the attention that the big girls gave her.
What a fabulous weekend celebrating a fabulous couple and a beautiful merging of families! We wish Christy and Danny a long, happy, beautiful life together!
Feb 2010
June 2012
Aug 2013
Bridal Luncheon at the Painted Pigeon
Getting ready for the ceremony- John was in charge of videotaping it. A true family affair. 
The wedding party talked HG into dumping flower petals on the ring bearer’s head during pics. As mortified as I was, they really egged her on, and she LOVED IT.
John and some of his OBHS soccer girls
Happy girl with the long awaited cake
SIX
{six}
{five}
She’s just over 4 ft tall and weighs just over 50 pounds.
She has lost FIVE teeth this year (one fell out in her food, she pulled two, Daddy pulled one, and Mama pulled one). Her six year molars are coming in quickly, and a sixth loose tooth is on its way out.
Still a big Mama’s girl. Doesn’t curl up in my lap on the couch much anymore but will sit right up next to me or in my lap if I ask. Still holds my hand in a parking lot. Likes to “get cozy” by putting on her pjs (sometimes doubling them up) and getting on the couch or in bed under covers to watch tv. When she’s sleepy or upset, she wants me to carry her, and when I do, she’s either stroking my hair (especially a ponytail) or my back.
She throws out random ‘I love you’s’ to us, and she loves to ‘beat’ you with ‘I love you mosty.’ She mostly has great manners, and I love the way she says, “Thank you, Mommy!” for fixing her dinner, bringing her milk, etc.
She can get completely in and out of the car by herself- I don’t even have to open or close the door now. Also, she can completely get herself ready (when she wants to) by getting dressed, brushing her teeth and hair, etc. She’s just recently learned to tie her shoes, although that could take a good long while if she wants it to. She often wants to go to the bathroom by herself if we are out to eat (and sitting right next to the door), and she’ll most of the time order her own food or ask for a to go box.
She sleeps in Mama’s bed every Friday night (and grinds her teeth like a champ). She sleeps through the night just fine but will wake up with the first glimmer of the sun- usually up by 6 or 6:30. During the school year, she goes to bed by 7:00. Hasn’t had a nap in a LONG time.
She can navigate the tv and Netflix all by herself and understands wifi and Bluetooth. (“Mama, are we on wifi so I can play this game on your phone?” “Can you turn Bluetooth off so I can hear this video on your phone?”)
Loves dancing, riding horses, and playing soccer. She did cheer camp and art camp this summer at school and loved both. She’s retained all of her swimming from last summer and can still swim across the deep end. She’s added doing back flips, multiple front flips, and handstands to her list of tricks in the two weeks she has swum this summer. She’s taking a strokes swim class this year, and she also asked to take pony camp at Aintree.
She had a bit of an allergic reaction to Blue when he first joined our family, but it subsided after a few weeks/months. After our trip to Ireland, it has come back with a big bang. The hives and rash also come out when she’s riding. TBD if this is a new allergy or maybe heat related.
She hasn’t had an asthma attack since December. After the last one, Dr. Vargo started her on Singulair every night plus a controller inhaler, and these seem to have done the trick. We have had a few wheezes during the spring, but her albuterol inhaler and/or a dose of steroids nipped it in the bud.
When she wants to, she is reading like a crazy lady- street signs, texts on our phones, menus- but if she isn’t in the mood, she puts on the brakes. Spiffer is the best at tricking her into practicing by playing school with her. She’ll do anything for “her students.”
Still only drinks milk, water, and sweet tea (split with water) really. She adds juice into the mix every now and then, but she hates bubbly drinks (thank goodness she’s not like her mama!).
During the second semester of school, I told her I’d only walk her inside two mornings and that we’d do the car line the other days. (In first grade, you can’t walk in at all, so we had to get prepared.) By the end of the school year, she was totally used to it and would ask me to walk her in occasionally on special days. She didn’t want the SDS boys to help her out of the car, but she was excited to see one of her teachers in the line every morning. Also, Lovey didn’t go to school with her at all the second semester- he stayed home on the couch. They all but quit having nap time after Christmas (not that she ever slept anyway), so there wasn’t any need to take him. He’s still a constant companion for bedtime and milky though.
No interest whatsoever in riding her bike without training wheels. Gets violent when you ask her.
Still has a very confessional spirit and can’t keep a secret to save her life.
An interview with the six year old:
What do you want to be when you grow up? Teacher and doctor
Favorite color? Pink (same as last year)
Favorite food? Corn (same as last year)
Favorite princess? Sleeping Beauty
Favorite toy? Lovey (same as last year)
Favorite city? New York (same as last year)
Favorite animal? Horse
Favorite movie? Inside Out (saw it with Addie recently)
Favorite tv show? Miles from Tomorrowland (currently watching it)
Firsts during the past year:
- Water slide and slip and slide at Rowan’s birthday last summer
- S’more making at Sunshine Mountain
- Swimming big time
- Horseback riding
- Pedicure in the massage chair and feet in the water
- Lost her first tooth in mid October
- Sled in February (also lost her third tooth that day- second in one week)
- High heels- Cinderella shoes- and flats with no straps
- Cutting her own hair to get out clip
- Splinter at park in Hernando
- Tying shoes
Some recent gems:
I asked her if she ever turned her listening ears off. She responded, “No, I’m nosy. I like to hear things I’m not supposed to hear.”
As she opened birthday gifts from her friends and found one that didn’t have a tag, she said, “I ought to pull their card for not writing their name on the present!”
In her bed one night, she told me to close my eyes, go to “helengrace’sfunnies.org,” and I would see all of her funny dreams.
We passed an old, beat up truck, and she said, “God bless that truck, Mama!”
“I love Minnie. She’s so prissy.”
HG noticed that I was taking in a new package of loud, patterned napkins that John had picked up at the grocery store. She asked me what I thought about them, and I said, “They’re just so…” And she piped up, “Flashy?”
“I’m glad I’m still little. I don’t have to drink wine, fix dinner, or have meetings. I can play all I want, although I do have to help around the house.”
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Ireland 2015: Dublin
After pushing our way across the country on the 29th and stopping for lunch at a very swanky Barack Obama gas station in his ancestral home of Moneygall, we rolled into Dublin mid-afternoon. We threw our stuff down, waited for the brief hail storm to pass (bizarre!), and then set out to explore.
We found Dublin Castle and took our picture that we take each trip, walked through Temple Bar to get to Ha’penny Bridge, ducked into Hard Rock Café for drinks/ice cream during a quick rain storm, listened to some street musicians, and then stumbled upon the best place for dinner and live music right in the heart of Temple Bar- the Old Storehouse. Two awesome musicians with a guitar and a ukulele serenaded us with “From Galway to Graceland” (which we had never heard of but loved). We could have stayed there all night, but we had packing to do since we were leaving in the morning. So we headed back to the hotel and made a loop through Christ Church’s yard.
On the morning of the 30th, we headed to the Dublin airport bright and early. Our flight to Atlanta was 8.5 hours, and HG only took an hour or so nap. She entertained herself well though, watching movies and playing on her Nintendo DS, and they fed us at least three times. Ice cream makes everything better! We had a decent layover in Atlanta, but snacks and drinks in the Sky Club make time fly. We made it home around 7:30 p.m., and Grandma and Peggy were waiting on us in baggage claim. What a wonderful trip but so glad to be home!
We found Dublin Castle and took our picture that we take each trip, walked through Temple Bar to get to Ha’penny Bridge, ducked into Hard Rock Café for drinks/ice cream during a quick rain storm, listened to some street musicians, and then stumbled upon the best place for dinner and live music right in the heart of Temple Bar- the Old Storehouse. Two awesome musicians with a guitar and a ukulele serenaded us with “From Galway to Graceland” (which we had never heard of but loved). We could have stayed there all night, but we had packing to do since we were leaving in the morning. So we headed back to the hotel and made a loop through Christ Church’s yard.
On the morning of the 30th, we headed to the Dublin airport bright and early. Our flight to Atlanta was 8.5 hours, and HG only took an hour or so nap. She entertained herself well though, watching movies and playing on her Nintendo DS, and they fed us at least three times. Ice cream makes everything better! We had a decent layover in Atlanta, but snacks and drinks in the Sky Club make time fly. We made it home around 7:30 p.m., and Grandma and Peggy were waiting on us in baggage claim. What a wonderful trip but so glad to be home!
Jurys Inn Christchurch
Our view of the church
Dublin Castle {2003}
{2007}
{2015}
Ha’penny Bridge over River Liffey {2003}
{2015}
Temple Bar: Our girl that loves New Orleans felt right at home here.
The Old Storehouse
As soon as you enter, you go down a huge staircase and enter what feels like an old Irish kitchen or pub. Beautifully decorated and great food and music.
Our view of the church
Dublin Castle {2003}
{2007}
{2015}
Ha’penny Bridge over River Liffey {2003}
{2015}
Temple Bar: Our girl that loves New Orleans felt right at home here.
The Old Storehouse
As soon as you enter, you go down a huge staircase and enter what feels like an old Irish kitchen or pub. Beautifully decorated and great food and music.
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