My Little Jack-O-Lantern in April!

Dear Paisley,
Eating has become your favorite thing to do this last week or so. It might help that you finally have gotten in a couple more nubs on top! You've had your bottom 2 front teeth since you were about 7 months old. Now, you have your top left one next to where the big one goes, the big one next to it finally broke through, and the right one (not the big one, but the one next to it) has broken the skin. If that right big one doesn't come on and catch up, you might be looking like a cute little jack-o-lantern! Every time we walk into the kitchen, you say "eat, eat". Or "cheese" - which I believe you could eat a half of a block of cheese if I'd let you.....Then, about every 30 minutes or so, you walk to refrigerator, pull on the door, and say "dink, dink" or "ju, ju" (That's 'drink' and 'juice' for those who haven't quite mastered the art of Paisley's language!) Haha. I think you just like to have a full cup because you'll put yours down to get another one! Silly little stinker....


That reminds me, I want to let you know all the things you are saying these days!
-Mama
-Daddy
-Nana
-Pappy (in a whisper, because you whisper anything that starts with P)
-Bok (you'll look at his picture, point at him and say 'Bok, Bok, Bok')
-Bye bye (which here lately you've just shortened to a cute little 'bye')
-Hey
-Dance (you say 'dan' every time we get in the car and you start bobbing your head and clapping or trying to snap your fingers! Cute, cute, cute!!!)
-Eat
-Drink ('Dink')
-Juice ('Ju')
-Cheese
-Weeee (you'll push us out of the recliner and make it rock yourself saying 'Weeee'...you also say it every time you climb on a swing!)
-No (and now every time Lexie wants some of your food you say 'No, Ahah!' You tell me 'No, Mama' and this is also your answer every question!)
-Doty (your cute little friend-boy)
-Duck (which like a lot of things, you say twice...duck,duck)
-Dog
-Puppy (you started out whispering 'puppy', then you changed it to 'bobby', and now you call your stuffed puppy 'buppy'....I think we're going backward! :)


You also have your own little language that you mumble to yourself, and sometimes you look at me and say, "Mama, *something something something*, my Mama". I'm hoping that is your way of letting me know you love me to pieces and I'm your favorite in the whole wide world! (Hey, I can pretend, right?!?) :)


We got to daycare before Doty today, so you cried and cried when I left you. I know you were better as soon as I walked out the door, but it still doesn't make me feel any better!

I hope you're having a great day, and I'll see ya later Tater!
Love, Mama

Really Random Thoughts

Dear Paisley,
Here lately, I've got SO many things going through my mind that are SO irrelevant to anything going on right now! Like....Will I be a good teacher? Why do I change my blog background every other week? Why am I thinking of baby names when I'm not even pregnant? What would I look like if I were a blond? See....just RANDOM things. Part of it, I think, is because my job is awful (although I'm super thankful to have one!). The other part is because I'd rather be at home hanging out with you, or at a park or the zoo.


All I have to do is make it through the summer! Then all will be perfect again. Here are a few things that need to work out for your dad and me:
-House needs to sell!
-Job needs to come through at a school for me! (and YES, I will be a good teacher!)
It's not much, but it's a lot! If you're anything like me or your daddy, we tend to make small issues big problems. I hope you're better at this than we are. We like to sweat the small stuff sometimes, and it really makes for more gray hair and wrinkles.....which are both bad for a cute little thing like you! :)


Now, what do you think about the name Stanley for a little sister??? That's your pappy's name, and we think it's kinda cute. Kate (Katherine) would be a good middle name since that was my Memaw's name. She was a neat lady that would have loved the heck out of you if she was still around! Your dad and I usually only think about girls' names. We figure since he's athletic, and he's a coach, he's more than likely going to have a house full of girls! That's just how it seems to work out! I guess we'll see when you're old enough to check out your blog! :)


I'm thinking that if your hair turns blond like your daddy's did when he was little, that I'm going to highlight mine blond. At least then you might look a LITTLE bit like me! :) Okay, no, I'm really not because blond is not my color, but it would be neat to see if I could pull it off.


I guess that's it for my head full of random thoughts. I'm sure I'll have more since I'm trying to do anything but work! Have fun today, and I'll see ya later Tater!

Love, Mama

Roughing It

Dear Paisley,
This weekend, you got to go on your first camping trip. We just got a new camper (well, used, but it's new to us!) and decided to take it out for a trial camp not too far from home...just in case. We headed out around lunch Saturday, since it had been storming earlier that morning, and set up at Warfield Point, not too far from where we live. We had the best time, especially since the TV didn't work.....that's because we forgot a necessary cord....so we got in some us time. I bet if you walked up and down the camper once, you did it a million times! You had the best time checking everything out, and it gave you another place to throw your toys all over! We'll definitely be camping more now that I know you'll actually go and have a good time.

Nana's been busy making you some more outfits this weekend. Here lately, pretty much all you've been wearing are Nana's fashions! I thought I'd put a couple up here so you'd be able to see how talented your Nana is. By the time you're old enough to read this, those outfits might be long gone....





Cute, huh?!? Nana's gettin' pretty good at making your wardrobe!

This morning, we got to daycare at the same time as your boyfriend, Doty. This was the first morning you didn't cry, and you didn't hang on to me for dear life. You just headed down the hall to see Doty, hollering his name the whole way! It was really cute!

I hope you're having a good Monday, as you know they are not my favorite....I'll see ya later Tater!

Love, Mama

Way Back When....

Dear Paisley,
I got this "Show Us Your Life" from this cute little lady, Kelly, who blogs in Arkansas about her adorable little girl named Harper. I thought it'd be a good one to do so you could see how you came about! :)


Your daddy had just graduated from Delta State, and I was a freshman at Ole Miss. We both went to South Panola only he was 5 years ahead of me. I knew who he was, but he had no clue about me. On December 9, 2002, at South Panola's State Championship game in Jackson, my friend Chris had a "friend" that just so happened to be single (and adorable....thank goodness since you look just like him!). We tried to find him in the crowd of hundreds that were all bundled up in the freezing cold, but he was covered from head to toe in his hunting coveralls......strike one, no spark.

The next weekend, Chris gets us to "meet"....We met for the first time at your daddy's brother's house. I stood on one end of the living room, and he was on the other. That was until I looked up, and he had snuck through the kitchen and was standing right beside me. Nothing to talk about, nothing to do....strike two, no spark.

We hung out a few more times, talked on the phone, nothing dramatic. I was about to write the whole thing off, when something just clicked. He kept calling, and I couldn't stop thinking about him. I kept remembering the saying "Don't go a day without something you can't stop thinking about." So I didn't.

We talked everyday for 4 more years. We stuck it out through job changes, big moves, and long distance. On December 22, 2006, your daddy proposed to me in the same spot in his brother's living room where he had snuck around and met me back in 2002. The rest is history.....we've been married for 3 years this May.



Isn't it funny how things work out?!?

First Pictures

Dear Paisley,
This past weekend, we had my friend Jennifer take your first "official" pictures...ones that I didn't take while trying to chase you around the yard! So yesterday, I got a peak of some of them and wanted to put some on here. I think they turned out SO good!

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7


I'm trying to decide which one to get blown up really big or put on a canvas. If anybody reads this, y'all let me know which one(s) you think! Just leave a comment below with the picture number....Thanks!

We will definitely be getting many more done, so get your tu-tu ready Miss P!

Love, Mama

Just to see you smile!

Dear Paisley,
This post is more for me than it is for you. Just about every day when I drop you off at daycare, you ease into a little cry with your arms stretched out for me as I try to slip out the door.....and it never works. But every day I think to myself, "She'll be fine in a few minutes, and she'll have forgotten all about me before long." Then you have a great day and are completely worn out when I pick you up in the afternoons. But today felt like the very first time I had to take you to daycare when you were 6 weeks old. You were sad, I was sad, and I almost just scooped you back up to head home and call in sick to work. But I couldn't, and right now you're probably having a ball while I'm stuck at work wishing I could come get you and go home! So I thought I'd put a few pictures up that make me smile when I look at them, whether it's a funny look or a sweet smile or crocodile tears because you didn't get your way. Either way, you make me smile!







You make my heart flutter, and I work for 5:00 and live for the weekends so I can spend time with you. You're one special little girl, Paisley Rae, and the best part is that you're mine! I love you, baby girl.

Love, Mama

A Whole New Beginning

Dear Paisley,

We had a fun week last week. I found out I got accepted in the MAT program for this summer, so this fall I will be a teacher!!! What does that mean for you??? Well, Missy, that means no longer does Mama have to hold y'all back from taking trips, going to the park, or just being lazy. Now, when daycare is closed, I'll be off too. AND we'll have the whole summer off with Daddy to go to the park or the zoo, go camping, or just go hang out with Nana, Pappy, Dede and Bok! I'll be off early in the afternoons to pick you up from daycare and still have enough daylight to do something outside! You don't know anything about it yet, but I'm SUPER excited about it!!!


Last Saturday, we took you on your first picnick, just me, you, and Daddy. We had so much fun watching you run around finding new things to get into.


I couldn't resist getting a picture of your bloomers with the Ole Miss "M" on the bottom! I love this outfit your Dede got you at Cracker Barrel! Well, actually, I just love anything Ole Miss, but anyway.....


You kept wanting to ride in your wagon, and when we weren't pulling you in it, you were pulling it! You would pick flowers (ok, they were weeds, but you thought they were flowers, so we went with it!) and kept putting them in your wagon. Then, when you got back in you would stomp all over them....You have a love/hate relationship with nature, I reckon! :)


Then, you would just sit with your hand in the cooler, watching Daddy cook on the grill. I'm beginning to see a pattern here with your tongue stuck out....It's definitely a Walls' trait! I think you were amazed at the fire....You would go get sticks and bring them to Daddy, almost as if you were helping him with the flame. You are too cute, kid! Everything you do makes me smile, and your poor dad gets so annoyed with me every time I say "look at her" or "watch her" when you're doing something you've done at least a bajillion times already! Sorry, I just can't help it, and hopefully you'll understand one day!


This past weekend, we went to visit the grandparents, had some family pictures taken by my friend Jennifer, and had a surprise birthday party for Uncle Gary. If I was good at this, I would have brought the pictures with me to put on here, but I guess that will just give me something to write about later!

I hope your teeth/gums feel better today, and I hope you're having a great day with Doty! :)

See ya later, Tater!
Love, Mom

Easter Catch Up

Dear Paisley,
You've had a busy weekend! Saturday, we took you to Asa's 1st birthday party. You had a lot of fun playing with all the other kids there. When it came time for a group picture, of course not all were cooperative...Then, Asa decided you didn't need to have a bow in your hair, and thought it'd be a good idea to try to pull it out...end of photo shoot! :)



You also had your first Easter egg hunt, and I got to meet your little boyfriend, Doty....That's another story....surprisingly, your daddy isn't upset that you are already smitten with a little boy....
Isn't he cute?!? I even found out that I play tennis with his mom. I have connections so watch out missy!



You have been so fussy lately, and now we know why. One of your top teeth finally popped through today. It's weird because it's the same tooth I got first on top...the one next to your big front tooth...It's weird how things that happened to me and your dad when we were little trickle down to you.

I got a new high-tech camera this weekend, and have bugged you to the point where you don't even pay me any attention! Just wait until I am a teacher and have the summers off to chase you around with the camera!!! :)

Here are a few things that you've done or said this week that I didn't get to write about yet:
-You ate your first craft project....the eye off one of the construction paper bunnies you made at daycare (which I later found in your diaper.....)
-You call Doty's name the whole way home and anytime you see a playground
-You like to sit in the recliner and say "weeeee!"
-You learned to say "shhh" and put your finger over your mouth (soooo cute!)
-You have started giving kisses for no reason except because you just want to! (my favorite!)

I promise I am going to do better at this blogging thing, especially now that I have a really good camera and can post pictures of you actually smiling! Sorry, Boo, but I'll probably bug you a lot more with the camera before it's all over!

Love, Momma


Here are a few pictures I took and edited this weekend...

I love this look!




Such an innocent picture....This was before the meltdown! :)