Vacation
We are getting everything in order for our vacation to Gulf Shores. We go every July 4th to spend time with Ward's family. More so than last year, we are in dire need of some R & R. While we have had a wonderful year so far, Ward and I are exhausted. This year we are staying for 10 days, and we can hardly wait. Time is creeping by....will Sunday ever get here? Audrey has her bucket and shovel and is ready to play in the sand. She is so excited and has been talking about it non-stop.

We check-in Sunday the 28th and check-out Wednesday July 8th. My sister-in-law will arrive Wednesday the 1st. She is staying with us. We should have most of Ward's family with us this year. My father-in-law will also be there along with Ward's cousin Robin. This year is going to be so much fun. Audrey is now a lover of the sand and said she wants to catch some sand crabs, look for Nemo, and collect tons of seashells. This is going to be a riot....I tried to explain to her that we will catch some crabs and collect shells, but finding Nemo will be a bit more difficult.

Just like last year, I plan to blog our day to day activities. I have a new camera and will be taking pictures of everyone and everything. If anyone is over our way, give us a call. We would love to have you over.

An American Beauty

Father's Day 2009

Audrey and I decided to dedicate the entire weekend as "Father's Day Weekend" in honor of her daddy. We took him to dinner Friday after work. Ward, or should I say Audrey decided on Dreamland Bar-B-Que. She gobbled up her plate, and was on her best behavior. After dinner we went home, and Audrey played outside under the sprinkler. She rode her Little Mermaid big wheel while I walked. Ward stayed home in the cool A/C and just relaxed. All three of us had a really hard and tiring week, so we opted to turn in rather early.

Saturday morning I made us pancakes and tried my hand at tomato and cheese omelets. This was my first time to attempt cooking an omelet, but judging by the way Ward and Audrey cleaned their plates...I'll say they enjoyed it. It tasted okay, not the best, but it will do. After breakfast me and Audrey had a few errands to run in order to complete our surprises for her daddy's special day. She is awful when it comes to keeping secrets. She told him every place we went, and everything that was in the bags. "Little Stinker"

Big Top Time. The circus was in town and the three of us headed to the Civic Center for a great time under the big top. This was my first time to see a REAL circus, and I loved it as did Ward and Audrey. She was in total awe. She loved the elephants, the horses, the tigers, the pretty girls, and believe or not, her favorite were the clowns. We ate tons of snacks, had lemonade, and a snow cone. On our way home we dropped Audrey off at her friend Raley's to play for a while.

Sunday - Ward's Special Day!! Audrey presented her daddy with all his presents. Upon giving him his presents, she told him what each one was. She said "here are you new shoes, here is the picture I made for you, here are some more shoes for you daddy." We got such a kick out of watching her. She is one hot mess. Ward loved all his gifts and especially that his baby girl, his little side kick was the mastermind behind all his surprises. We loaded up our van, picked up Meme and headed to my mothers for lunch. Mom made the best roast with all the trimmings. We ate until we nearly passed out, laughed a thousand laughs, and just had a wonderful day.

Fathers Day means so much to me. I miss my daddy more and more everyday. I wish I could tell him face to face Happy Father's Day, and that he is so missed and so loved. I do everything to make sure that Audrey will grow up knowing the importance of Father's Day. She will always know that she is loved so deeply by both of her parents. Ward knows that his little girl worships the ground he walks on. His patience with her is incredible. The way he lets her dress him in make up, put bows and ribbons in his hair, and just the time he spends with her is pure magical.

Becoming Lifers!!

Audrey and her friend Raley may becoming "Lifers". I hope so. They play so well together, (usually), and they are so darn cute to watch. Raley came over yesterday for a fun afternoon of swimming. Margaret wasn't able to join them, but maybe today. Audrey and Raley had a really great time. They splashed, kicked, and jumped around like it was the best thing ever. After swimming I took them around the block on their bikes. They were both in the best mood when their play date came to an end. They hugged one another goodnight, and said they would see one another "amorrow".

Life is Good
Friday evening Ward, Audrey and myself joined Raley and her family for dinner. We went to Los Rancheros for some really good Mexican food. The girls were really well behaved. This was the first time Audrey has gone to dinner with one of her friends and she absolutely loved it. After dinner, and after Ward went for his nap, Audrey and I snuggled in the living room for a movie and popcorn. Audrey chose "Beauty and the Beast" for our movie. She made it through about half of the movie before she told me she was ready for her nap. I held her until she drifted off to sleep. She is such an angel. I guess it is true, some of the best things in life are free. Audrey told me that she loves movie night with her mommy. I have to agree with her, this was one the sweetest times I have ever spent with my little girl.

Saturday, we went for breakfast at the Whistle Stop. After breakfast we went downtown to feed the squirrels. Audrey loves doing this. We walked around for a little while until Audrey decided she wanted to go see MawMaw. We picked up Meme and headed to Dauphin Island. Once we made it to the island we picked up my mother and Jim and went for lunch. Audrey was on her best behavior all day long. We rode around the island, had a snow cone, and attempted to walk my mother's dogs, Andy and Amos. Those two are monsters. I don't think they will ever calm down. After spending the day on the island with my mother, we left for home. Audrey's friends were not home, so I took her for a walk on her bike. Toward the end of walk, she could barely pedal. She was so exhausted.

Sunday morning Audrey and her daddy left for breakfast and the park. I opted to stay home and do a lot of nothing. I napped, watched television, and did a little bit of laundry not too much, I didn't want to over do it. I totally relaxed. When they returned home, Audrey and I went to visit Meme with Kathy. Ward stayed home and he napped, watched golf and the race. We went to cemetery before going home. When we got home, Audrey headed to Raley's for dinner and to play. She is such a social butterfly.

To sum it all up...we had a wonderful weekend. The weather was beautiful, a bit on the warm side, but it was fantastic. Sometime I feel so blessed, and haven't figured out why. Life is Good!!

The Unknown Soldier
Today my sister sent me a copy of the most beautiful poems ever written, "The Unknown Soldier". My niece, Mary Catherine was given an assignment this school year which she had to choose a poem, and write a short letter to the author. The letter was to tell the author about what the poem meant to her. Below is the actual poem, followed by Mary's letter. This is so heart warming. Mary makes me proud in so many ways, and oh so often. This poem along with Mary's letter brought tears to my eyes and touched my heart so deeply.

First Trip to the Dentist

Today I took Audrey for her very first check-up. To my delight, she did amazingly well. I just knew it was going to be as bad, if not worse than her first haircut. I picked her up from daycare around 11:00 and we were on our way. She didn't ask me any questions until I parked the car. She said to me, "What is this place?" I told her that she had to see the dentist, but everything would be just fine, and it wouldn't hurt a bit. As we were walking to the door, she said that she didn't need the dentist, that her teeth felt fine. While we were waiting our turn, she had a death grip on me, and kept repeating "I want to go home".

This dentist is truly kid friendly. Dr. Baldy, is precious, she has her entire office decorative to the tee, and has many activities for kids of all ages. After being called back to the second waiting room, Audrey loosened up a little. She actually played with some the games. When her name was called, her big blue eyes became really large, and the look of terror was too much for words.

To my total surprise, Audrey sat in that chair, and followed every command of her wonderful hygienist, Julissa. She opened wide, had her teeth brushed, buffed, shined, and even flossed. For all her good behavior, Audrey got to choose two new toothbrushes. She chose a Little Mermaid and a Belle. After Julissa finished cleaning her teeth, we waited for Dr. Baldy. Audrey got a little antsy by this time, so I had to step out for only a minute or two. According to Dr. Baldy, Audrey has wonderful teeth and has been doing an exceptional job with her hygiene. I cannot be more proud of my baby girl. Good job little bit, you did great, I love you!!

An American Beauty

Where did May go?
I cannot believe it is already June. May came and went entirely to fast. So many things have been going on, that I could not find the time to blog. The most exciting news is that Ward and I have purchased the Mobile and New Orleans locations of our company out right. May 1st was our first day in business as the sole owners. WOW!! To say the least, we had an outstanding first month with sales, a bit of chaos, and my desk looking like a tornado ran over it several times.

Mother's Day. This year was not at all as great as last year. My sweet baby came down with a nasty virus and was hospitalized Mother's Day morning. She had to stay overnight, and was able to come late in the evening the following day. She was so pitiful. Hearing her ask me over and over to help her, because she was hurting so badly nearly killed me. I hated the feeling of not being able to do anything to ease her pain. All I could do was hold her, rub her tummy, and wipe her tears. Ward stayed until midnight and Audrey and I snuggle up in the bed and I sang to her until she drifted off to sleep. When we were finally able to go home, she told me that she liked the doctors that made her better, but she never wants to go back to the "Get Well Hotel". Yes, this is what she has named the hospital. I think it is pretty darn clever.

Audrey has become a bit of a social butterfly. She has two little friends that she loves to play with...Margaret and Raley. This past Wednesday, all three were at Margaret's for dinner and playtime. The next night, all three were at my house for pizza and a movie. Friday it was Raley's house for dinner and a movie....Margaret wasn't there, but oh my, did Audrey tell me that she was missing her Margaret. Raley and Margaret have such wonderful mommy's . I love the we live in a neighborhood with children who will grow up together and be the best of friends, or lifers.

Last but not least, Audrey has been enrolled at St. Ignatius Catholic School. She will begin 3K this fall. I can hardly believe it, but my little is growing up so fast and will be in "Big Girl School" as she calls it.

There has been so many other happenings in the past month, but it would take way too long to gather all my thoughts and write about it. June is here and along with it came summer. I am looking forward to a wonderful summer season. I have my 20th reunion next weekend, I have our Fendley Family Reunion in July, and no telling what other events will pop up.