GO Dawgs!

This weekend, we headed up to A-Town to see the Dawgs play! We were so excited to kick off the football season with UGA's opener against Ga Southern.

On Friday afternoon after work, we drove (in major traffic) to Athens to make a night of it. Jason and Erin Jolly went with us, and we had a blast having an adults-only night out downtown! (Both little girls were home with grandparents.) We went to DePalmas and had amazing pasta, pizza, and more. We scarfed down all our old favorites... white sauce pizza, salad, Seafood Charmaine, Pasta DePalma, prosciutto-wrapped shrimp. Then, we went to Walker's and had some drinks... well, we all BOUGHT drinks, but some of us did not/could not drink them. :) Jason bought me a coffee drink, and it was the bartender's first time making it. That sucker was about the strongest thing any of us had tasted... or smelled! You could've sanitized medical equipment with that thing. I tried Erin's and liked it, so I decided to try another one. I should've just gotten the same thing Erin had, but I picked something else. Saunders went back and got me another one... which I also did not like. So, I slurped all the whipped cream off the top and basically wasted $12 on unfinished coffee drinks. Plus, to top it all off, I failed as a wife and let some bar employee clear Saunders's half-finished beer while he was in the restroom. Little did I know that was the ultimate slap in the face... to let someone take away a half-full bottle of Bass while you're in the restroom. Oh, well... now we know!

It was a classic Classic City night... great food, great friends, loud music, stinky trashcans lining the street, lots of laughs, good drinks (as long as I stuck to my classic Midori Sour I was fine), and lots of wild college kids making us feel old! We missed the babies, but we did have fun going out. We stayed out until after 1:00 AM, which is pretty impressive for me since I've been tucking it in at about 9:00 lately!

Saturday morning, we hung out around the condo for a while, and then headed down to Sanford Stadium. It was incredibly hot out there, and we were all pouring sweat by the time we made it to our seats. The pregame show was great... I made a video, but it is too long for blogger to handle. I get so pumped up when they play the "Saturday, Saturday" montage and the crowd goes crazy when the team runs into the stadium, and of course the Larry Munson- narrated "Heroes Have Graced the Field" montage brings a tear to the eye every time. We got to see the new Uga as he was brought into the stadium for the first time- that was so exciting! He is really cute and seemed to enjoy his doghouse and ice bag combo throughout the game. The Dawgs played well, esp. the offense. We hated to see the third and fourth stringers giving away some points at the end of the game, but it was good to let a lot of people see playing time and get their feet wet when they had a chance.

After the game, we packed up all our stuff and got ready to head back. Since we didn't have cable at the condo, everyone wanted to get back to watch Alabama vs. Clemson that night. We stopped at the Athens' RuSan's for sushi, and we have converted Erin and Jason into RuSan's fans.

There was no traffic driving back, so that was great, and we made it home just after Alabama and Clemson kicked off, so it was perfect timing! We had such a fun weekend together, and it was a great way to start what should be a fun season!

Like a sea of hot, sweaty people.


Here comes the new Uga VII!


Uga VII on the Jumbotron.


Here come the Dawgs!

The New Bob

By request, here's the new bob haircut. We think it is very cute! It isn't too much of a change in front... I just barely trimmed her "bangs" since we're trying to grow those out. I cut about an inch off the back! It looks much better. She looks like a little round apple head.

Adventures in Ponytail Land

Yesterday, we were at a hair style crossroads. We've been trying to let Katie Anne's hair grow out to be all one length, so we haven't been cutting her bangs or the hair on top of her head at all. We've just been trimming the back to keep it from taking a turn down the mullet road while we waited on the top to catch up.

Well, we've been noticing that KA is looking a little like "business up front, party in the back" lately, so Saunders and I decided to make the decision to cut or not to cut yesterday. We've been commenting at bath time lately that her hair looks almost long enough for a ponytail, which would be easy and awesome for daycare. So, we tested the ponytail yesterday and let its success or failure be our guide. Here are the adventures of Katie Anne's first ponytail!

The still-damp ponytail at home before heading
out for a Saturday morning of errands.

The ponytail at breakfast at IHOP.

The ponytail outside IHOP while waiting on
Daddy to pay for breakfast. Looking a little windblown,
but still hanging in there.

The ponytail at Publix. This is after an in-cart redo
or two. Looking a little rough here.

Well, after 4 hours of ponytailing it, Saunders and I made the decision to forget the pony for now and just cut the mullet. It looked really cute once it dried, but it was VERY hard for me to get it done, and she didn't want to sit still for that long. Also, it did not stand up to the wind test or the scrub-your-head-on-the-carseat-in-anger test. I don't think it would last long in daycare. So, last night, we trimmed KA's hair back down to the little bob, and it looks really cute. Hopefully, she'll be ponytailing it in earnest in a few more months!

Crazy First Grade Comments

Some of my teacher blogger friends have been posting crazy things their kids have said in these first few days of school, and being a first grade teacher, I've heard some crazy things! I always enjoyed what my fourth graders had to say, but it was usually me being blown away by some deep thoughts or big connections they made that surprised me. In first grade, it is usually me busting out laughing because the kids use some big words or ideas and have NO clue what they're really saying. Here are a few examples...

(Setting: snack time, Green pod)

N: Mmmm, I looove me some Fruit Loops. (repeat, repeat, repeat)
O: Why don't you DATE a Fruit Loop, then?!
N: What? I just loooove me some Fruit Loops.
J: Then why don't you make that Fruit Loop your WOMAN tonight?!
Me: What does that mean, J?
J: I don't know. I really don't know. But make that Fruit Loop your WOMAN tonight!

*****

(Setting: walking to recess)

J: (in a sing-song voice) I'm a camel boy, watch me hump- hump, hump, hump, hump, hump, hump, HUMP!
M: Ugh, I always hate camel boys.
J: What? I am the first camel boy. How can you always hate camel boys?
M: I just have said for like forever, "If I see a camel boy, I hate him."
Me: Boys, don't say "hate".

*****

(Setting: me at my desk, student walks up, almost in tears)

O: Mrs Jones, something's wrong!
Me: What?
O: (puts hand on forehead) I am a really bigger forgetter!
Me: Well, that's okay... we all forget things.
O: No, I forgot everything you just said!!!
Me: You forgot the directions?
O: No, like everything you've said since the first day!!!

*****

(Setting: walking down the hall)

D: (who is wearing a giant birthday crown and birthday sticker, and to whom we've already sung Happy Birthday twice) Hey, Mrs. Jones, did you know its my birthday today?
Me: Yes, D, I did know that.
D: And guess what? I have to get these two little teeth pulled out.
Me: Why? On your birthday?
D: Well, not today, but later. My momma says I have to get my teeth pulled out because they're making my breath (read: breff) stank!
Me: I don't think your breath stinks.
D: Me, neither! (thinking...) You know what, Mrs. Jones? I think my Momma needs HER teeth pulled out! I think HER breff stank!!

Our Other "Baby"

Katie Anne is growing up so fast, becoming more and more independent… but fear not- we are not baby-less. Ginger is still a total baby- she wants to be held, loves to be carried around, and cries if she gets upset. Today, Saunders decided to truly show off her baby side while we were folding clothes in Katie Anne’s bedroom- he dressed Ginger in one of Katie Anne’s plain white onesies! Of course, being the attention hound that she is, Ginger loved it. Katie Anne thought it was TOTALLY hilarious. Here are a few pictures of Ginger modeling the baby look.

And, just so our oldest child doesn’t feel unloved, here’s a picture of lil’ old Abby, being sweet as always…

And here’s a picture of her thinking, “When am I getting to eat again?!”

Jillian’s Bridal Shower

This weekend, Mamaw, Mom, and I traveled to Burlington, NC for a bridal shower for Jillian. This time, it was a shower for her family and friends from North Carolina. It was hosted by Beth, sister of Jillian’s mom’s best friend Denise, at her lovely house. We had a great time hanging out and (after most of the guests left) swimming in Beth’s pool, even though it was icy cold! Jillian got lots of great gifts, including some very neat picture frames and pictures from Cindy, her cousin Meredith, and her sister-in-law Kari. She also got lots of kitchen items, including her cookware and many serving pieces, and several sets of nice bath towels.

Since it is a six-hour drive to Burlington, Mom, Mamaw, and I made a weekend of it. We stayed at The Hampton Inn in a very nice suite with lots of room. We ate BBQ at Hurshey’s with Jillian’s family and visited with them at Jillian’s grandmother’s house. Sadie (Jillian’s grandmother) made a delicious Brownstone Front cake (I believe that’s the correct name) with lots of thin layers of cake and icing.

On Sunday, we got stuck in HORRIBLE traffic in South Carolina, so it took us forever to get home. Unfortunately, what should’ve been a six-hour drive turned into a much longer one- we left Burlington at 9:45 AM, and I got home at almost 8:00 PM! It was a long day, but we all still had a good time together. Jillian caravanned with us most of the way, and I rode with her from Burlington to Gastonia. We all stopped to check out Cramer Mountain Country Club (where Jillian and Greg’s reception will be) and had lunch, too.

I had a great time over the weekend, although it was a sad thing that I didn’t see Katie Anne from Friday evening until Monday morning. Saunders did survive his weekend as a single parent (with a little help from Granddad on Saturday night), but he was very tired when I got home on Sunday. The next time we travel to NC, it will be for Greg and Jillian’s wedding!

New UGA Clothes

Doc and VJ bought Katie Anne several new UGA outfits. She’s got a complete Georgia trousseau now! She’s prepared for the football season with several cheerleading outfits, a UGA dress, a sweatshirt, and a warm-up suit. Here are some pictures of her in two of her new cheerleading outfits. We can’t wait to dress her up and take her to Athens this fall!

I like it!

Petting a fake Uga in Doc and VJ’s living room.

Checking out her new necklace that VJ brought her from Arizona.

Cheerleading Outfit #2

Little Georgia Fan!