Will Work for Shoes

Or trade pacifiers for shoes...if you're Cate!
There's not much my Buggy loves in this world more than her paci. It's been her best friend since she was a 5 pounder coming home from the hospital...and even then, the smallest paci they make covered half of her face because she was so tiny. I promised myself I'd break the habit before her first birthday. But she had a rough first year with two surgeries, and it became more of a security thing for her on top of being something to pacify her. Maybe, just maybe, I'll admit that a little part of her being 2 1/2 years old and still having a paci is because she's my baby.

But there is one thing that she likes almost as much as a paci.
Shoes.
She walked before she could talk and when I'd get her out of her crib in the morning she'd go straight to her closet, find two shoes that matched, and bring them to me. Even though she couldn't say a word, I knew what she wanted. And to this day when her feet hit the ground running bright and early, she's headed right to her closet for shoes.

The other night Bethany, Towns and I were at Target and Towns thought her world would come to an end if she didn't get these...

If you saw the ridiculous amount of shoes the girls have, you'd understand why I said no. But that's where big sisters come in...on our way home B pulled out a box and handed it to Towns. You can guess what was inside! Well, when Cate woke up the next morning her radar detected new shoes in the house, and she was less than thrilled that they weren't hers!

That's when it hit me.

If you want shoes bad enough, you pay for them with pacifiers.

She was all over that idea, and we talked it up for a couple of days just to see how serious she was. She wasn't forgetting about those gold shoes. So last Friday morning we prepared for Operation Paci Swap. Signs were made, pacifiers were gathered, and with camera in hand we set out to complete our mission!
Buggy checked to make sure she had the goods in her purse...

Gotta love the white pique bubble with B's brother's tennis shoes that were so sweetly handed down to us! She loves them and will wear them with anything. And you can tell by the look on her face she was pretty excited about what she was about to do...

Wait, am I sure I'm ready to give these things up??

No second guessing yourself now, Bug!
There's that smile again, she was ready to rock and roll...

On the way, we stopped at Oak Park for the last time ever so that B could turn in her science book...

She's officially a high schooler! And she almost killed me for that. I suppose I'll be sentimental til the day I die!
I let Cate break the rules and enjoy her final moments while we waited for B to get back...

But she was ready to put it up and shop for shoes in no time flat, and she checked for the 10th time to make sure she had all of them in her purse...

And straight to the shoe section we went. After all the fuss, she ditched the gold sandals and opted for something totally different...

She made sure they fit, and then my heart started pounding. It was time. I honestly didn't know if she would hand them over to the cashier when it came down to it. Part of me wanted her to keep them and say forget the shoes. I wasn't quite ready for it.
But with her cheerleaders behind her 100% of the way, we headed for the check out line...


Yes, we're crazy. Who makes signs for stuff like this? Probably no one else on Earth if I had to guess!
Towns was overly excited about it...

And she rode to the front of the store just like that, but she was holding the sign as high above her head as possible. Bethany was literally dying. She begged and pleaded with Towns to put it down to save her from embarrassment. No such luck though!
She said her goodbyes one last time...

And I have mixed emotions about it, but I can tell you that she followed through!

The Target lady was incredibly sweet about the whole thing and played right along. We were there right at lunch time which is always busy, so I was a little nervous as to how they'd handle Cate. Or rather how they'd handle me backing up the check out lines by taking a million pictures. But this was a huge deal for my baby girl, and no one was raining on her parade if I could help it! Turns out it was the complete opposite. The whole front half of the store stopped to watch the entire thing.
But all Cate could watch was the lady pretending to put her pacifiers in the cash register and put her new shoes in the bag...

No need for a bag, though.
She sat down right in the floor and put them on while the cashier secretly passed me a bag full of pacis...

And this sweet lady will always hold a special place in my heart for helping my Buggy give up the one tangible thing she held near and dear to her little heart...

Friday will be a week of being paci-free and one pair of shoes richer!

The Graduate

For 18 years I was only child, and my cousin Mary Catherine and I were the only 2 grandchildren on my mother's side. I always longed for a sister. Mary Catherine was the closest thing to having one, and we joke that we're soul sisters. It seems like not that long ago that my Aunt Melissa called us late at night on January 14th, 1992 to tell us that Mary Cat was on her way. I'm not sure what I was more excited about - her being born or getting to skip school to be there for it! Kidding, MC. I was over the moon about having a baby to play with. I just knew that we'd be best friends even though there are 12 years between us. I wanted to take her shopping, dress her up, teach her the ins and outs of being a girl. And here we are, 18 years later. She could run circles around me in the fashion arena. But more importantly, 18 years later and she's a high school graduate from Trinity Presbyterian School in Montgomery and is getting ready to make her mark at Auburn!

The girls and I went south for her graduation last Thursday night where we met my grandmother, Aunt Jane, and Uncle Charlie to serve as her official fan club.

(Excuse the picture of me - it was raining and hot and I wish I could give you more reasons why I look the way I do, but that's all I've got!)
Mary Catherine and Cate...

Cate's named after MC and MC was named after our great-grandmother.

Cate, Mary C, Towns and Aunt Melissa...

I absolutely love how the girls have handmade dresses for graduation that are too gorgeous for words...

This one is the only one I have of MC's full dress, but trust me when I tell you that it was amazing. My little ones were in heaven - not only did they have Mary Catherine, but all of Mary Catherine's friends doting on them as well!
Towns and Cate with MC's friend Tyler...

They did manage to tear themselves away from the teenagers long enough for this indoor playground...

Where the floor looked just like real water!
Towns had to try to dip her toe in...

And then act like she was jumping off the boardwalk...

Cate wanted to give it a try until the graduate in the background walked by and said "hey there, cutie"...

Wish I could have gotten the exact moment on camera, but she wheeled around as fast as she could and when they locked eyes she turned into a puddle of mush. I'm all for an older man, but that's a bit much Buggy!
So she sat and pondered what could have been...

In front of the Titanic, no less. How appropriate.
Until she heard that there was food in the next room over...

She ate her weight in strawberries and watermelon, while Towns ate her weight in toffee nut cookies!
The peanut gallery...

Aunt Jane, Granny, Towns and Cate
Charlie's in the right-hand corner of that one making friends with the woman who thought we stole her son's chair. He's a charmer! He had her giggling and batting her eyelashes, and in no time she'd forgotten about the blasted chair. As if there weren't 36 other ones all around her!
We weren't letting her rain on our parade, though...

Uncle Charlie came back over, scooped Towns up, and they danced the night away!
By that time it was 9:45 and more than 2 hours past the girls' bedtime. But who has time for sleep when Aunt Melissa had a belated birthday party for Charlie and Towns waiting at home?! She's the queen of thoughtful...never mind the fact that her only daughter had just graduated from high school! Ha! We all ate ice cream and Liger's cake (the best cake on the planet), drank dozens of Diet Cokes, watched the girls put on the show of all shows, laughed until we almost cried, and reminisced about the last 18 years.
It wasn't until after midnight that this finally happened...

I just knew they'd sleep late after partying hard, but at 5:30 Cate was whispering in my ear. It's what she says every morning..."I waked up Mommy, did you waked up?" and wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear that early!
But the girls had one thing on their minds...

Swimming!
Actually, Towns wanted to show everyone how she could swim on her own and Cate wanted to take full advantage of having an audience...

She never got in the pool...just sang and danced her heart out until I ruined the fun and told them it was time to take the show on the road.

It was a whirlwind trip, but we wouldn't have missed it.
Congrats, Mary Cat!
A big hug and a kiss and a high five to you for such a huge accomplishment...

We cannot wait to visit you at Auburn!
We are so excited for all the fun you'll have and the memories you'll make!
And will you put me in your pocket and take me to rush with you?
If rush was an attainable degree, I'd have my doctorate.
All I have to say is rush, smile, hooty-hoot!
WE LOVE YOU!!

Hello Summer!

Last Wednesday was the last day of school for Towns and Cate, and once Bebs finishes her exams this week we'll be ready to hit Point Mallard with the best of 'em all summer long! It's been a long year and we're very much in need of some play time!!

Wednesday wasn't only the girls' last day of school, but also B's awards day. We had some VIPs coming into town for that, so late Tuesday night it hit me that I should have something on a cake plate. It's what any Southern lady should do when guests are coming into town. That, and the fact that Cate and Towns would love me forever if they woke up to these for breakfast...

Turns out my instincts were right!
Cupcakes for breakfast is the way to their hearts...


Their icing-covered lips on my cheeks were proof positive!
We grabbed these teacher gifts and headed out the door...

But not before I took one last picture of them on the steps like we've done so many mornings...

And then some more once we got to the church, naturally...

In this one Towns is looking across the street at the door we go in every morning. That's right about the time that she told me she remembered the first time I ever took her in that door to her 4 year old class. Awww...

They sat in their bare classroom and did a little morning work...

Until it warmed up enough outside for this...

An end of the year party!


It was at that party when she discovered she didn't mind bugs too much after all...

It's a ladybug, but that's still pretty major for her!
The kiddos had a picnic lunch outside before they all said their goodbyes...

After that, I had to book it to Cate's class for her end of the year party...

I walked in to them going to town on pizza and fruit. Brock loves to eat, and nothing makes him any happier in this world. Hence his big ol' smile!
Well, maybe there is one thing that could be even better...

Birthday cake ice cream! They had 2 bowls each and within approximately 15 minutes they were bouncing off the walls!
I did manage to steal her long enough for a quick pic...

It wasn't until afterwards that I realized it looks like I have on no shirt. Goodness!
In the midst of their sugar high, they made time for a group hug session...


Those kinds of smiles are simply priceless!
After we pulled them off of each other it was time to go back and pick Towns up from her class for the last time...

I couldn't leave without one more picture of her with Mrs. Glenda and Mrs. Michelle!
I purposely put this outfit on her for the last day of school because it's also what she wore on the first day of school...

That was then, this is now!

Every morning we sing on the way to school. Usually we sing "This is the Day that the Lord has Made". But last Wednesday as I was taking the girls to school on their very last day, a different song popped into my head. I started singing it and the girls joined in. It's one that I remember singing as a child, but I didn't really get it until now. It starts off with "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart". Know which one I'm talking about? Well I came to the part that says "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart". I almost ran off the road. That sums it up for me right there. For the last week or so I've felt so at peace with Towns being done with preschool and moving on to bigger and better things (right now you're jumping up and down because I might just be done with all the whining about it - ha!). For a while there it literally made my heart hurt to think about her growing up like this. And then all of a sudden (ok, actually after a lot of praying) I felt such a peace about it. So when I started singing the verse about peace that passes understanding without really ever getting it until that very moment, I realized that that's what I've got. I sure don't understand it. But I know where it comes from and I'm so, so thankful for it!

B's awards day was a little while after all the partying at school, and between all the sweets at school and more cupcakes after that the kids were in rare form! And when B's mom arrived with her 3 cuties, the party officially began!
As we were sitting there waiting for the ceremony to start, I realized that between the two of us, April and I have kids ages 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Imagine sitting in a quiet auditorium with us! Ha! They all did really well, though. Until Cate had a monumental meltdown, but that was because it was nap time.
B looked as beautiful as ever walking across the stage accepting her awards...

All A's and the President's Academic Excellence Award!
We are ever so proud of you!!!
And I might add that she earns those awards almost effortlessly. She's such a smart girl and it comes very naturally to her. Way to go, B!

Thursday morning as we were packing to go to Montgomery for my cousin's graduation I noticed Cate was too quiet for her own good.
This was what I found...

Go on and click on the picture to make it bigger for the full effect.
If this is any indication of how the summer will be, we might be in for it!
And is it just me, or does she remind you of a little Lucille Ball?
Growing up, my mom and I loved watching I Love Lucy, and you could just look at her and start laughing for no reason at all. That's exactly how Cate is, and the fact that she's got the same red hair makes it even better!