We recently celebrated the wedding of our sweet baby cousin Meredith to her beau Matthew. The ladies of the family enjoyed a beautiful luncheon in Oxford on Friday, and then we all congregated at Montrose in Holly Springs on Saturday night for the wedding fun! This was Cressey's first wedding. She fell asleep on the drive there, John carried her inside mostly asleep, and she snoozed in my lap during the ceremony. Thankfully, she woke up in time for the dancing, and although it took Cress some time to get used to the loud noise, both my girls boogied with me on the dance floor. Even Bubba got out there to dance! Such a fun night with family!
Cressey busting a move
Bubba hitting the dance floor!
Love this one of John chunking flower petals right at Mere
Unfortunately, Cressey's first fall fest performance fell on the same day and time as a field trip for Helen Grace. I couldn't miss Cressey being on stage (and had known about that date much longer in advance), so HG wasn't very happy with me for not chaperoning her trip. The other moms on the trip were great at sending lots of pics though, and the tens of waves and smiles from Cressey were worthwhile. She did a great job at paying attention and doing all the hand motions. I can't say enough about our music teachers- they are miracle workers!
Kisses for daddy
Look at that wittle wave!
After the performance, the kids had an hour to play in the gym at the fall fest with a cookie walk, pumpkin decorating, ring toss, etc. For some reason, Cress was obsessed with coloring her mask at the first table and spent the next 55 minutes covering every centimeter of it with bright aqua color. I have no clue why, but she was happy.
Pics from the sisterhood field trip to Crosstown Concourse where they had a cooking class and a yoga class
She weighs 50 pounds and is 43.5 inches tall. (Not even on the charts)
On Sept. 3rd, Cressey told me in the carpool line, "I'm not going to miss you today, Mommy." She generally loves going to school and getting dropped off in carpool line. We've only had maybe two mornings this semester where she's been tired and didn't want to go to school. Usually, once we get there though, she's fine. Every now and then, she'll ask me to walk her inside, but overall, she hops right out of the car (not to the SDS boy helpers though, only her female teachers) and is joyful. Loves her two half days a week because she doesn't have to take a nap.
She's a massive mama's girl. Only wants mama to put her to bed or do pretty much anything. She's a Velcro baby attached to my side. I can't leave the room without her tearing after me, and if I'm sitting down, she's in my lap.
Can be super shy in a crowd, but once she warms up to you, she's a heart breaker. As a family friend, you usually have to work pretty hard to earn a hug from her though.
Increasingly independent- wants to do most things by herself. Can get herself really worked up quickly too when she can't make something work. Sometimes will put herself in time out though; very rarely do we have to put her there. Most often, a count to 3 will make her suck it up pretty fast.
She's at the precarious crossroad of a toddler becoming a little girl. She still gets pronouns and verb tense confused, and we try to write it all down and video things because we know she's super close to fixing those herself. Uses 'her' as a subject instead of 'she.' "Hers is mad."
Loves to clean counters, etc., and she'll always put her dishes in the sink or trash. Often cleans up after her sister.
She will sleep well at school, but at home, we don't enforce naptime. It's HARD to get her down and then she'll be wide awake at 9 p.m. Sometimes, she'll fall asleep in the car in the mid afternoon if she doesn't have a movie to watch.
On Sept. 4th, Cress gave me a cookie and said, "Congratulations!"
Cress accidentally called Granddaddy 'Grandma,' then 'Spiffer.' She blew off his corrections with, "Well, you are my grandparent!"
When she woke up early one morning, she said, "I have too much entergy!"
I try to explain that you need to eat all your meal so that you can grow and be strong. She later told me, "I'm full now, Mommy. I'm strong now!" Or she'll negotiate for a snack with saying she'll eat all her "healthy food."
"Can you leave me at Spiffer's and go back home? Can you be a big girl for me and not cry? I'll come back."
"Holy cowS!"
When she tries to say 'fort,' it sounds like 'fork.'
When I woke her up for school one morning, she rolled over, cracked her eyes to see me, and said, "I love you, Mommy."
"PUNK-a-nees" are mini pumpkins.
Cress and HG call each other "little stinker."
On a plane when she and HG were sitting in front of me, she turned around, stuck her face in between the seats twice, and asked me, "Mommy, you ok?"
She loves to find "Mr. Moon" in the sky during the daytime, and one time I told her that the moon said 'hi, sweet cressey!' She said, "Oh, that was nice of you, Mr. Moon!"
ANYTIME you tell her no or simply correct her, she'll tear up and incessantly ask, "DO YOU STILL LOVE ME? A LOT A LOT A LOT?"
If she sees something she wants, she'd not-so-subtly say, "I wish, I wish I had ____"
On November 22nd on the way to school, she was trying to tell me something and HG interrupted her. She turned quickly to HG and snapped, "SSH! I'm talking!"
Unfortunately, she loves to talk about bodily functions. One day when GD and Spiffer were bringing her home from school, she said, "Oooh, something stinks. Granddaddy, you tooted!" GD said, "No ma'am, I did not!" She laughed and said, "Oh. You're right. That was me!"
Loves to say "Hotly (or hotty) toddy, Ole Miss!"
Counting to 30
She has coined the phrase "love me, pet me" for how Momo constantly paws us
Love the way she says "cowd" (cold)
One night at bedtime, I sent HG to take a spit bath while I put Cressey to bed. I popped out of Cressey's bathroom to find her licking herself...
"Duh!" - what happens when you have a preteen sister
Ever since HG as a little girl saw the Parent Trap movie when they pierce the sister's ear with a big needle, she's been traumatized at the thought of getting her ears pierced. I've been happy to let it go because I remember how much work it takes to keep them healthy and knew that would be hard when she was little. But her friends have slowly been getting theirs done, and then her friend Maddie got hers pierced right as school started. That was the final straw. HG was READY. Like NOW.
But then soccer season was starting and we realized that she couldn't wear earrings for the games, so we put the plan on pause and she was MAD. She waited (not very) patiently for weeks until the last game, and I made an appointment for immediately after the game on October 26th. Rain hit hard that weekend though, and the game was cancelled. I talked to her coach Friday afternoon, and he gave her the go ahead to move forward with it. I picked her up from Maddie's house that Saturday morning, and she didn't realize we were still on for her appointment and had a mix of absolute panic and delight when I told her the news.
She was completely overwhelmed and emotional but still wanted to go for it. We met her daddy, Spiffer, and GD at Pigtails and Crewcuts, and she was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room of rocking chairs, wringing her hands and pacing back and forth. She picked out her earrings and hopped up in the chair. The ladies realized how nervous she was and asked if she wanted to do this, and she emphatically said 'oh yes' but that she just didn't know what to expect. They were amazing and did such a great (and QUICK) job, and the look on her face was priceless. She said it stung a good bit, but she was so relieved to have it done! She wanted to Facetime everyone we know and managed to get Grace Ann and Mere Mere on the phone to tell them her news. She's done a great job of taking care of them too. I'm so proud of her!
GD entertained Cressey with all the fun hair-cutting chairs.
We were babysitting HG's hermit crabs (that live at Grandma's) while Grandma was on a trip. HG had been very protective/ possessive of them. Cressey wanted to go see them, so I told HG and HG said, "Ok, let's go see them, Cress." Excitedly and with absolutely no sarcasm, Cressey said, "Oh! You're gonna be nice now?!" HG laughed/ scoffed and was like, "Mama, did you hear that?! Does she think I'm not nice?!" ...
Cressey took her flu shot band aid off, and the next time she pulled up her pants, she was relieved to not have to dodge her band aid. She said, "It's good to be back!"
Cressey was insistent on pulling her leggings down over her feet and putting her shoes on top, despite my advice. After a meltdown, she realized that was a bad idea and put them on correctly. HG said, "Cress, if you'd learn to do everything mama says, your life would be a lot easier."
Cressey was driving me (and HG) crazy asking to go to the jumpy after school. HG said, "Cressey, you'll learn that if you keep asking mama to do something over and over, she's more likely not to let you do it."
Family night fun with Ava
Starting out October with a trip to the pumpkin patch
When mama doesn't feel up to fighting a battle, this little one wears cat ears to school
Zoo date with the Ducks
Look at all these sweet pumpkins!
I get karma back to me from all those times I fussed at my parents for bumps in my ponytail...
Cressey spotted Spiffer and GD walking up to a soccer game
Love this
Corrie got married!
HG and I left Cress and John at home, and this is how we found them when we got back.
Cress pretending to put on make up in HG's American Girl vanity
Every morning, Cressey gets out of the car, runs inside to the hall of windows, waves at me from every one, and then blows me a kiss at the last one. You better believe I cause a traffic jam and don't even care- I'm not missing that little kiss!
Because she can
HG and I were outside at her recess/ room mom meeting when Cressey came walking across from the ECC, and HG scooped her up.
Field Day
Victory over the boys for the nth year in a row! (They've never lost to them in however long they've been doing field days)
Checking on Grandma's kitties when she was out of town. Couldn't leave without a snack, of course.
Zoo date with Presley
Blue is such a helpful kitty
HG's friend came back in town for a visit, and we met at a park. Veronica entertained Cressey almost the whole time, collecting rocks and teaching her how to skip them on the pond.
On one of Cressey's half days, we took a CFA picnic to the Botanic Garden, and said hello to the fish.
Cressey climbed up in the rocking chair, and I had a flashback to HG's 7th birthday party there in 2016 when Cressey was just a month old.
Park fun with Norah
Playroom picnic with Spiffer. Anytime Cress is home with Spiffer and without HG, she wants to be in that play room with sissy's toys!
"Row row row your boat!"
Alison's 40th birthday, and thankfully it wasn't in Oregon! (long story)
I can't even
Michele came in town for a quick visit (John was on an airplane)
Girl loves to clean; keeping herself busy at HG's appointment by cleaning the table and all the toys. The staff love her and freely hand out Clorox wipes!
