Our Little Cheerleader TEARleader

I searched far and wide for a smocked Bulldog dress. I had the matching burp cloth. I had monogrammed "Go Dogs!" on her panties.

The only thing I didn't have....



was a baby that wanted to be at the football game!



Much to my dismay, Annistyn is not yelling, "Go Bulldogs!" in this picture.

We arrived at the game early and managed to get this picture:



She looked so cute in her bulldog dress and I had worn my matching shirt.

She was okay during the first part of the game. She got a little fussy but then fell asleep for a few minutes.



But it was hot, loud, and Annistyn had not had a nap all afternoon.

So exactly 48 minutes after the game started...




We were in the car headed back home. We listened to the remainder of the game on the radio. We won, by the way, 20-7! I just love watching highschool football. I love the sounds and the action and the whole atmosphere of it! What could be better than bringing our small town together on a Friday night to cheer for our home team? Well, Annistyn could think of a lot of better things. When we got home, she ate and was asleep for the night after about 30 minutes. Maybe we'll try it again at our Homecoming game in October. But for now, I guess I can put those good ole' shakers and stadium seats back in the closet!!!

It was a little sad being at the game at first. Besides the screaming baby, I couldn't help but notice that it was the first time in years I didn't really have a reason to be at the game- besides just wanting to be there. I was a majorette in high school and after I graduated, Shelley was a majorette. So for years, I've either twirled on the field or watched her twirl from the stands.
Here is me as a majorette- I think this was my senior year. I'm in the front- on the left). It's the only one I could find on the computer as me as a majorette. They were all taken before the age of digital cameras and I had scanned this one in a while back for some reason.



And here is Shelley when she was in 10th grade as a majorette.



Oh, before I forget- Annistyn wanted to tell her Aunt Laura THANK YOU for the two packages she's gotten in the last two days. She LOVES the pappy holder with the crown and she was very excited about the plate, bowl, and fork and spoon you bought her at Disney World:





This morning, Michael decided that he wanted to go to Destin for the day. So we headed down there around lunch. Annistyn was good on the way down there, but she thought she was big enough to ride in the backseat instead of her carseat.




We didn't let her, of course. We shopped a while and ate an afternoon dinner/lunch at The Crab Trap- my favorite!

Annistyn took a little nap when we first got there. She was enjoying the beach breeze that was coming through the window.



But she woke up in time to take a picture with Mommy:



And Daddy:



And boy, did she think my shrimp looked yummy. She must have remembered it from when I was pregnant with her. I couldn't get enough of it!



(I cut the rest of the picture out because my arm looked fat!)

The beach was BEAUTIFUL! Here was the view from our window:



Annistyn was a busy girl. Here she is posing with her shopping loot and her purse:







Annistyn, what is in all those bags????



MORE CLOTHES??? You must have gotten a great deal on those!!!!

Annistyn also bought this cute doggie to support leukemia research:



After her last dinner, her and Finley had a "chew down" in the living room. I thought it was cute. They were just looking at each other. He was chewing on his bone and she was chewing on the Exersaucer.







Well, she is sleeping now- finally. She started talking after I put her to bed. I went to check on her and she had her head at the other end and had found a couple of stuffed animals that were down there. She was having a blast playing with them. Since she wasn't mobile, I left them at her feet end of the crib for looks. I guess those days are over!!!

Going Green! (Or not...)

Annistyn has not been a picky eater, but last night we pulled out the green beans. I think this face says it all....



She was being a good baby and trying to eat them anyway.



But we all knew how she really felt.





I didn't make her eat all of them. I got the carrots out and let her have those instead. Me and Michael both agreed that we wouldn't eat the green beans either. We will probably try them again sometime soon. I really want her to learn to eat veggies. Carrots and sweet potatoes are considered vegatables though, so I think they will be fine for now! I know all of you will be excited that Annistyn's high chair should be here sometime this week!!! Maybe you won't have to see any more pictures of my messy table!

Tonight she wore this cute outfit I bought on Ebay several months before she was born. She has just now gotten big enough to wear it.




She played on the bed for a little while after we ate with my parents at Hilltop. She LOVES to play on our bed. (And no- I did not make our bed up before work this morning. I usually do, but Michael slept later than normal. I told you- housekeeping isn't my number one priority!)

She crawls...or tries to.....




She sits up....




She rolls around....





And speaking of rolling around- that's what she is doing now instead of sleeping! She will go to sleep by herself if I put her in her crib...but sometimes it takes a while!

Tomorrow Annistyn will go to her first football game. I hope to get some pictures of her wearing her new smocked bulldog dress.

Well, I really don't have much more to say tonight! Suprising, isn't it???? I just wanted to get those pictures up before I take more tomorrow night. I'm planning on doing 6-month portraits this weekend also.

Hope everyone enjoys their Friday- I know I will!!!!

Our Little Inchworm

Well...Annistyn is still working on the crawling. She's finally starting to get somewhere! We let her practice on the bed, so when she "tips over" she doesn't hurt herself on the hard floor. She just bounces on the bed and giggles and starts over.

She starts out like this...





She knows exactly what to do with her legs! It's her arms that give her trouble. So next she does this...




After that, she stretches back out and actually has gained about an inch or two of distance. So she is moving...just not very fast (which is okay with me!)

But sometimes she tips over...



So she has to start again....





Or sometimes she just rolls on her back and plays. She LOVES to lay on her back and play.



Especially with someone- like Daddy!



She's gotten really good at reaching out for people....



And grabbing hair!



She actually just likes to grab things- whatever she can reach... cups, porkchops (she'll snatch them right off your plate!), Finley's doggie beard, noses, the keyboard... she doesn't really show favoritism. She just likes to grab things. After she grabs them, they go strait to her mouth!

Speaking of her mouth... I have a spot in my kitchen that needed some type of picture or something. I am trying to fix some things around the house that I've been meaning to fix since we moved in almost 3 years ago. I guess life happens and you never finish some projects!!! So the next few weeks- I'm going to try to finish things I've been wanting to finish. Anyway- my kitchen is blue and brown. I get tired of only seeing "posed" pictures. It's really not those pictures that trigger memories. I mean, what do you remember about your fifth birthday party.... posing in front of the cake for mom to take a picture...? Or do you remember the smell of the candles burning, the kids singing "Happy Birthday", the way the cake tasted when you took the first bite? I wanted to do something different for that spot in the kitchen. So I designed this little piece of artwork:



I thought it would be perfect for the kitchen and so much more fun to look at than a posed picture! I'm going to order it with a foam board backing and hang it on the wall with a ribbon and no frame.

I also wanted to share these pictures tonight! Meet my neice: Blakely Blair McCrory. Chad and Kelly went for the 4-D ultrasound yesterday...







I love the fat cheeks! She is expected to arrive around November 11th! Annistyn can't wait to meet her little cousin!

Looking at the pictures reminded me of Annistyn's 4-D ultrasound. I remember how exciting it was watching her yawning and sticking her tounge out. Here is my favorite picture from Annistyn's 4-D- last December:



I thought it actually looked a lot like she did when she was born.



It's hard to believe that last December she was kicking around inside my tummy and now she's a lively 5 1/2 month old- learning to crawl and sitting up and trying to talk to us!!!

Well...I guess I better get to bed. Between 17 kindergartens all day and a baby all afternoon and night- I am ready to go to bed right after Annistyn does! I hope everyone is having a great week so far!