Where Do I Begin?

It's only been a few days since I've been here, but it seems like loads of things have happened since then! Where to start.... First of all I have to give a major shout out to my sweet hubby who gave me Auburn football tickets for my birthday today!! I was totally caught off guard and very pleasantly surprised! It's the 2nd most thoughtful thing he's ever given me...it falls right behind the baby grand piano he gave me 2 Christmases ago since I'd been secretly longing for a piano of my own for years. Playing the piano is something near and dear to my heart, and I never knew he realized how much I loved it and missed being able to play since we didn't have a piano {the piano I grew up playing is at my mom's house and she vows never to let it leave there...we've got in many an argument about her being so stingy with it!}. So about a week before Christmas two years ago I'd been out and about one morning and come home to see J's car there which was odd. I walked in to the most beautiful, shiny black baby grand (that had just been delivered) sitting there staring at me as I started back at it for a solid ten minutes...tears in my eyes and speechless! Was it for real?? Mine??? Those are the only two thoughts I could put together!

Seems like everyone else knew about it except me. My sweet in-laws had a package waiting there for me with some of my favorite piano books so that I'd be ready to play as soon as I got home. It was one of my favorite days ever, and one that I'll never forget as long as I live. Anyway, back to the football tickets. This is yet another gift that he put a lot of thought into because I've been wanting to go back to the Plains for several years now for a football game, and for one reason after another we've never gone. Between being pregnant, giving birth, having a small baby, giving birth again, etc. it's never been something we could easily do. But this is our year! And I CAN'T WAIT!! Auburn, here we come!!!

Today was the last day of Princess Ballerina Camp #2 and I had such a fun little group of girls. Towns went with me this week because her friends Gray, Vivi, Josie, and Madelyn were signed up to go. She had a blast and I think the other gals did too! And Towns made several new friends, so she couldn't wait to get there every morning. I had 13 girls total, and I'm all princessed/ballerina-ed out for now! :) They were great though, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I wish I'd have thought to get a picture of Towns and all her friends before they all left today...not sure where my brain was! Towns was super excited that her Daddy came to the finale today. J was glad to be in attendance {not sure if it was because of Towns or because he was sitting a few chairs down from Philip Rivers - his precious daughter was in my camp this week}!

The "Cinderella group" dancing on stage at the finale this morning

Not the best picture, but it's the only one I got of the three of us!

Towns and Vivi (also not the best picture, but the only one I thought to take)

A couple of nights ago I put Towns and Cate both in the bath tub together thinking I'd bathe Cate really quick and get her right out. She's never been in the bath with just Towns, but once she caught on to the idea that it was play time, the quick bath thing went right out the window! It was the first time they'd ever really played in the tub together, so naturally I had to document it! Click the picture to see all the fun they had (if you don't mind seeing a couple of cute, naked babies)...

The picture here is of the artwork Towns so graciously left on the side of the bathtub...thank goodness it's just crayon! Per her interpretation, it's a donkey! :)

Yesterday was another jam packed day, and thankfully my children slept like little angels after it was over (a much welcomed change from a few days ago if you'll remember)! My friend

Amy J invited us to spend the afternoon at the pool with her and Gray, and we had such a good time. I had to drag Towns away kicking and screaming! Thanks, Amy, for a fun afternoon...I promise next time I'll have a talk with Towns before she decides to jump off the top of the picnic tables into the baby pool!!! SORRY!!!

A few funny things Towns has said this week, just so I won't forget them before I write them down....

Yesterday afternoon I took Towns to Birmingham to meet my dad at the Birmingham Barons baseball game. Cate went with me to drop Towns off, and being that she's not her happiest in the car she cried on and off. Towns, being the true southern girl she is, has gotten into the habit of saying things like "Daddy you're eating the mess out of your dinner" or "Mommy, you're cleaning the mess out of those dishes"...not sure where she's picked that up from and she sounds hysterical saying it even though it's not my favorite saying of all time. So yesterday in the car Cate was crying and Towns looks over at her sister (not knowing I was listening to her) and says "Cate, you're crying the mess out of those tears"!

Her new thing is trying to figure out how things work. She'll turn something on and off a dozen times and she's gotten the concept that if something doesn't work, usually it needs new batteries. So she was playing with the hot pink iDog she got for her birthday that goes with her iPod Shuffle and she was trying to turn it on. She pushed every button on it until it finally came to life and exclaimed with the most excitement ever "MOMMY...I BATTERIED IT, I BATTERIED IT!" It was the cutest thing!

My dad's American Legion baseball team is in town for a baseball tournament so we're off to watch them play...and I'm thrilled that that means we've got a built in babysitter for the night so J & I can go out for a birthday dinner! Towns can't wait for "Pawpaw's bus" (aka the chartered bus the baseball team is riding in) to come pick her up for the night! She honestly thinks it's his bus and that it takes him everywhere he needs to go 100% of the time! She informed me that she's going to be riding in style like Hannah Montana tonight! :)