Mommy's little helper

Seeing as how the shelf was already COMPLETELY empty, I decided to pack pots and pans last night. Such a helpful girl I have.

Chuck E. Cheese is the devil

Can we all say over stimulation? I have to wonder if the staff at this joint has a high suicide rate because we were only there for two hours and I left with a headache and feeling the need to scream, they are there all day. The kids had a great time however, and we were able to say good-bye to our mommy and me friends. What a fun group we have, I hope I can find mommies and kids like them in Nashville.

Hangin' with my hommies

We spent yesterday at Uncle Rick and Auntie Mef's house. We ran through their spacious new abode, at plenty of french fries, and swam swam swam. Hailey had a great time with Luca and Jade and swam all by herself with the floaty vest...what a big girl.

Reunited and it feels so good

There are no words for how fun it was to watch Hailey wake up in the car and see her Daddy. She about exploded with excitement, her arms were flailing her feet were kicking...pure joy. We had another wonderful week in Nashville. Jona worked the mornings so Hailey and I explored a little on our own, and then we all met up in the afternoons. Friday we discovered J. Percy Priest Lake. It was the perfect Friday afternoon, if only we had charcoal and hot dogs! We swam, played on the swing set, ran around, it was great.

Now Hailey and I are back and the boxes are rapidly taking over our living space. Gammy was very productive (thanks mom!!) while we were gone and packed up a lot of our pictures, so now it officially looks like we are moving out! Our new place in Nashville is absolutely adorable. The house isn't too big, but the yard is great and they are even leaving the swing set for us. Hailey has already bonded with the swings so its a darn good thing they aren't going anywhere!

Jona comes home on Friday to restart the daily wrestlemania with Hailey Beth, and pack pack pack and then we head to Hawaii on Tuesday. Yes, chaos does currently reign supreme. Gotta love it.

Bend it like Beckham

Sporty Spice is back and having a rockin' good time on the soccer field. We had a picnic tonight at the park to celebrate Bampa's birthday which is this Sunday. Despite the fly infestation, a great, sweaty time was had by all. Fried chicken, cole slaw, black beans and rice, and desserts desserts desserts...all Bampa's favorites and a few extra pounds for each of us. By sundown we were all being eaten alive by mosquitoes, although Hailey didn't have a bite on her until Auntie Kimmie poured apple juice on her head :) But seriously, its always fun to see everybody and run with the cousins. Happy birthday Bampa.

Shelby's quote of the day: "This sign says children are born with hearts of gold...maybe that's why Hailey is so heavy."

Its all good

It turns out that the entire ensemble is just as adorable as the hat. She is hot stuff and she knows it!

Lost and found

I am happy to report that I found the camera amidst the boxes so now I can post new pictures. We are working on wearing our hat when we go outside, don't want to burn that super blonde noggin. So I ordered Hailey a new hat and matching bathing suit. The hat arrived yesterday, we don't have the suit yet. But she looks adorable in its hot pinkness! And as soon as I say "Let's go outside" she says "Hat!" and runs to find hers and mine!!

Laughing matters

We were sitting around with the Renfroe kids eating sour popsicles when Payton told the funniest joke...

She's a very good driver

I don't know what goes on at Gammy and Bampa's, but Hailey has some serious new skills! Watch out, you're probably not safe on the sidewalks!

My hot tamale

Hailey's fabulous feminine physique is complimented best by skimpy bikinis while we frolic in the summer sun. I mean seriously, could she BE any cuter?? Luckily she tans like her daddy and I am the only one who ends up hot pink at the end of the day. We miss you daddy, sleep tight.

I never said we were normal...

Today Auntie Malinda and Baby Katie came over to visit and have lunch (or in Katie's case, have a mid-morning snack followed by a leisurely lunch). Hailey did suprisingly well with the baby, not nearly as jealous or rough as I expected. She kissed her, hugged her, gave her a high five, but ignored her for the most part as Katie didn't talk back or giggle appropriately when Hailey said something that was just so obviously funny. At some point Hailey found her stockings that I bought for our winter trip to Idaho and thats when the fun really started. Considering she never put them on her legs during our trip, it seems impressive that she initially did attempt to wrestle them on her feet. But when that didn't pan out, the head was the next stop, and well...all I can say is that 7-11 and Wachovia should be on high alert.

Happy 4th of July!

We had a great 4th of July celebration today with a BBQ at the Renfroe's followed by fireworks at Gammy and Bampa's. Hailey had a big swim with Auntie Kari and the kids (thanks by the way Kari, it was nice not to have to get wet!) and then a swinging extravaganza!! Who knew the girl could swing so well?! Hailey wasn't all that interested in the fireworks, she was way more concerned with trying to walk Jack the dog and telling us all about her scraped knee. She fell asleep in the car after about a block and a half and luckily remains happily snoozing now that we are home. Phew. All in all it was a great day to celebrate our great country.

Mom's new spectacles

Jona and I went to have our eyes checked before he went to Nashville and it turns out that I was right, I really can't see the street signs and the TV and people down the hall at work. So, at 30, I have glasses. And they are GREAT! Driving is a whole new experience, I can read the crawl on CNN, I could see people at the end of the isle at Publix! Adjusting to the look of them on my face will take a while, but I am totally enjoying the big wide world I can now SEE!

We're so excited...

Nashville ROCKS! And I don't just mean that it is a country music fan's mecca, I mean it is great even for those of us who don't always tap our feet to the tunes of honkey tonk! We had such a great week and are really excited about our new home. People were incredibly friendly, even to the point of slowing down so you can get in front of them in traffic when you are lost are aren't sure of you want to go east or west and your daughter is being a grumpy goose in the backseat...that kind of friendly. We were able to tour Vanderbilt, walk around downtown, go to the zoo, have a picnic at the Parthenon in Centennial Park, shop at the killer outlet mall, eat at the Aquarium, and even look at different neighborhoods while Hailey was napping in the car! All in all a wonderful week in the Tennessee mountains.

Now Hailey and I are home. I worked the weekend which was rough, but I am adjusting to the weekend nights better than I expected. Hailey spent the weekend with Gammy and Bampa and tonight went down without complaint. We miss Jona A LOT and wish we were all together.

Good night Nashville, get some good rest so you are ready for the Maupin clan! Love you Jona.