I'm So Sad...

I knew the day would come when Rachel (or better known as Ra Ra) would tell us that she was moving on...and...the time has come. She is planning to attend nursing school in August and will not be able to work, but until then, she is going to another daycare. Another daycare in town is offering her more hours and more money...who can blame her for making the move? She confronted me last week and said she didn't know what to do...she turned the job down several months ago because she was so attached to Anna Lauren and Holli Grace...but...they had called her again and she was torn because she needed more money / more hours, but she loved her girls. Of course, I put on my "big girl panties" and told her she had to do what was best, but I was just heart broken inside secretly hoping it would not work out. Well, as of today...I think it has worked out for her to make a move.

I think this is so hard for me because she has been with Anna Lauren every afternoon since she was about 6 months old and Anna Lauren adores her. I always know if Anna Lauren has a bad morning that Ra Ra is going to come and make everything better...and who in the world is going to fix the "rag muffins" hair now?

So for now, we are going to cherish every day we have with Ra Ra...I'm assuming the daycare will want her to work out her two weeks...however, she has not told them she is leaving so there is still hope, right? I'm not crossing my fingers on that one...I really do want what is best for Rachel, but I just hate it for Anna Lauren...I guess this is the first time that I have really "hurt" for my child, and I don't like it!


Anna Lauren and Ra Ra...notice those pretty pink nails that Ra Ra painted...

Matt was sweet enough to take pictures with his phone when he picked up Anna Lauren this afternoon...please ignore the bow...Anna Lauren was being silly.

Happy Birthday MeMe...

MeMe, sorry we are too far away and could not celebrate this special day with you, but we have been thinking about you all day. We hope that you have had a wonderful day and enjoyed every minute of being the "special" one for the day!

Happy Birthday ~ We Love You ~ Matt, Mandi, and Anna Lauren

Finally ~ Mardi Gras Ball Pictures...

I finally found time to post some pictures from the Mardi Gras Ball last weekend. I'll "narrate" above each picture...

Anna Lauren got invited to watch Queen MeMe have her make-up applied before the ball. She was shy at first but then had a great time sitting on the arm of the chair and watching every step of making MeMe beautiful. And then the fun...the fairy dust...as soon as they sprayed MeMe, Anna Lauren started taking her dress off...she needed some too! She loved it and wanted more and more and more! Here is Anna Lauren just after being sprayed and wearing her crown that MeMe bought her...

For some reason, Anna Lauren was not so sure of MeMe wearing a crown...so...Mommy had to be in the picture with the two queens! Thanks to Aunt Kate for the "I'm with the Queen" t-shirt.

Me with Matt's two sisters...Kate (left) and Kelly (right)

You know who this is...

Left to Right: Jim and Kate, Michael and Kelly, and Mandi and Matt

King and Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball...

Queen MeMe was having the time of her life...

The Family ~ Kate, Matt, Mom, Kelly, and Dad...

Matt's Parents ~ Poppie (or Pop Pop to Anna Lauren) and MeMe

Queen MeMe...

Yes...that is right...you are looking at Queen MeMe, Mandi, and Matt! I failed to mention to the world of blogging that MeMe was Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball because it was a surprise to everyone attending the ball...only close family and friends knew of her royalty ahead of time.

We had a great weekend attending the ball and spending time with family and friends. However, we are tired so I'm going to get ready for the week ahead of us and go to bed.

I just wanted to give you a quick glimpse of our Queen...I will post more pictures later this week. You would have thought Matt was getting paid to capture the evening through photographs...I think there are over 300 I just looked through...wow...how will we ever pick our favorites? It is like wedding pictures!

Mardi Gras Ball Weekend...

Let the fun begin...

We are headed to Gulfport after work today and will be greeted by all of Matt's family and many friends. Everyone is "coming into town" for the Mardi Gras Ball, which we will attend tomorrow night.

Anna Lauren will get to enjoy all the girls "dressing up in pretty dresses" and then spend the evening with her Nanna (our faithful babysitter) and her cousins (James and Spencer).

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you, and we will post pictures when we return...

Devasting News...

Yes, this is what we now see when we turn onto our street...a "for sale" sign...

We knew the time would come, but after just losing our dear friends / neighbors (the Voss family) this past summer, we were not yet prepared to lose our other dear friends / neighbors (the Williams family...or...better known as Ady and Jack to our precious Anna Lauren).

Billy will be finishing his residency this summer and starting his "real" job, and they have decided it is time to buy a little bigger house, which of course we understand, but do not like a whole lot right now because we are being selfish and want them two doors down forever. However, on a happy note, they are staying in Jackson and not moving away like the Voss family so hopefully we can still see them pretty often versus every couple of months.

Like I said, we understand, but how am I ever going to explain this to Anna Lauren? No lie...everyday when we turn onto our street if not before we turn onto our street, she starts asking to go see Ady (Adam) and Jack Jack. At least once a week, I give in and off to Ady's we go and of course she thinks she is there for the night...dinner, bath, whatever we will give in to and let her do. I looked up the other day and she was sitting in Adam's chair proclaiming she needed to eat...you think I'm kidding...I promise...she would go everyday and stay there forever if we would let her.

Katie...I know you are reading this...we love you, Billy, Adam, and Jack dearly and are so glad we've had the opportunity to watch our kids grow and play together. We are so proud of Billy and his "doctor" accomplishments, and we only want the best for you guys and understand this is your next move. So with that being said, get ready...we will probably still be stopping by once a week or so on our way home from school...just have dinner prepared, and we'll all be ok!

Not a "Rag Muffin" Today...

As I've said in previous posts, Anna Lauren will only let Ra Ra (teacher) fix her hair...so...off to school she goes with pony tail holders, bows, etc. The fun part of this is that I get so excited about picking her up and seeing what her hair is going to look like. Well, this week she has done some better and not taken her hair down as soon as we get in the car so we took a few pictures tonight to show she isn't always a "rag muffin" with her hair going everywhere!

Her new favorite snack ~ peanut butter. And yes, I hand her a spoon and the jar, and she goes to town. No worries...I will never feed my guests peanut butter from Anna Lauren's jar...but...if I can get supper cooked and she is entertained for 5 minutes...so what if she eats peanut butter out of the jar, right?

And I failed to mention...not only does Anna Lauren have the "salan" at school...she also has the "spa". She gets manicures and pedicures frequently from Ra Ra...once again, only Ra Ra can do this too...I'm beginning to think Ra Ra is going to have to move in with us, and we'll just have to pay for her college.

All jokes aside, we are so blessed...Ra Ra is truly a gift from God...not one day do I worry about Anna Lauren when she is with her and although it frustrates me sometimes, I had much rather Anna Lauren cry to stay with her teacher rather than come home than cry because she does not want to go. And yes, she cries Ra Ra all the way home some days...and the new thing is that when she gets in trouble, she starts screaming for Ra Ra. Help...what are we going to do when Ra Ra goes to nursing school and cannot work?

Who Would Have Thought...

When Aunt Kate and Aunt Kelly gave Anna Lauren this adorable dress for Christmas, who would have thought she would want to wear it with her rubber boots? Well, this morning she was pretty sure she was going to wear her dress and rubber boots to church. Fortunately, just as we were walking out the door she saw her "church" shoes and decided to wear them. However after her nap today, she was right back in the rubber boots.

And the "rag muffin" hair? What am I going to do...as soon as I fix it, she takes it down. Ra Ra (her teacher) is the only one that can fix the childs hair and she will leave it...her hair is getting long enough that it really needs to be fixed. Ugh...the challenges of a two year old, right?

And last but not least...I think the time is coming...she is so very interested in the potty. Tonight she kept saying she had to go to the bathroom after her bath, but she was determined to be in the position that daddy is in when he goes to the bathroom. And what happened...she missed the "potty", but she did go to the bathroom. I still want her to be my "baby", but I think it is time to consider potty training...I will soon be talking to her teacher because her teacher suggested we do it at the same time to make it easier on all of us...