Dear Rebecca,
               I probably am not going to have much time to work on this blog because I think that you might wake up shortly. Your Mom is also napping and I came in here right after she laid down with the intention of posting this blog. Instead I got sidetracked toward the Internet Movie Database or IMDb, one of our favorite websites, because I wanted to see how a stupid television show that I have been watching on Lifetime was being received by the rest of the country. Cheerleader Nation is the name of the show. It's about the Paul Laurence Dunbar cheerleaders from over in Lexington. I started watching it just to see stuff that I might recognize and really didn't pay any attention at all to it until the season finale last night when they competed in the national championships. That was a good episode. I know your Aunt Mary would enjoy that show. She was head cheerleader when she was in high school and even though she is almost thirty now she still considers herself a cheerleader. I think Aunt Mary may have peaked early.
      We had a pretty nice week. I really don't remember much about it but I reckon that's a good thing because you usually only seem to remember the bad. I do remember that we all went over to visit Granny Wednesday evening. We all had a great time. Louise, Lucas and Linda were also there. They were all mainly upstairs and you kept hollering for upstairs for Weese, Yinda and Wucas. It was so cute. You are talking more and more every day. You have been putting small sentences together for awhile now and they are starting to get longer and longer. Last night when I was setting up Mamaw & Papaw's DSL on their computer last night you said "Talk to Mama on Phone?" so we called your Mama on the phone and you got to chat with her for awhile before you went to bed with Mamaw. I am so proud of you.
      This week you have discovered that you enjoy Blues's Clues. You do love your Noggin shows. You love Oobie, Jack's Big Music Show, Little Bear, Sesame Street on PBS and the Noggin network mascots Moose A. Moose and Zee the bird. Speaking of birds, you have come to love birds. We saw a robin in the yard yesterday and you called it a chicken bird. Ducks used to be your favorite bird but I now think it's chickens.
      Well, I reckon I am going to close this blog post out for now. I wish I had more time to post during the week because I know I forget important stuff that you really should know about that happens in between my rare posts. It used to be easy to post on the blog when all you did was lay in the floor and attempt to roll over. You've been rolling over for a long time now and now you've started rolling over Mommy & Daddy as well. We wouldn't have it any other way though. You are growing up so nice. We are more impressed with you every day. I could not have had a more perfect daughter if I had got to design you myself. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                     Hello my little sweetie bird. Right now you are taking a nap. I know you will go to sleep because you spent the night with Mamaw last night. You really had a good time, from what she tells me. You walked all around their property, all the way back to the 'park' that backs up to their house. You also got to play a lot with Sadie and "Fruffy!" As you call him. 'Fruffy' is Ruffy, Auntie Lynn's big hundred pound beagle. He is huge and could maul a mountain lion but as long as he knows you he is the sweetest, most gentle, most playful dog I know. I really like Ruffy. I like Sadie too but Sadie is a wild woman kind of dog. She is a little Jack Russel and you enjoy playing "Bouncy Ball" with her. You are so cute & sweet and smart and pretty. Mamaw said you kept telling her "Night Night Honey" all night last night. That is so cute. She informed me that you talk in your sleep. I already knew that because lots of times you make animal sounds in your sleep. Just the other night you mumbled "Oink". I thought was so sweet & funny.
         This past week, on the reccomendation of someone else, we bought some Little Ones K-Mart brand diapers for you. They seemed to work alright as long as you had your clothes on. I put you down for your nap in just your T-shirt and diaper and you promptly took your diaper off and proceeded to wet your sheets & bedclothes and mattress all through your nap. I came in to check on you when you woke up and all I could see was your tiny butt stuck up in the air. It was so funny that I had to laugh. It was also the second time I had to change your sheets that day so it wasn't funny enough to buy those diapers again.
         You and I went swimming yesterday. I had planned on getting up and getting the house good & clean before we went. We didn't get to go to Gymboree Thursday because Daddy drove my car to work and left us the truck but he took his set of keys which has the only truck key for the moment on it so we were stranded indeed. So, to make up for that, I told you Thursday night that we might go swimming the next day and you smiled and kind of waved it off. However, when you got up Friday morning you looked at me and said "Momma, svwimmin?" *That is how you say swimming) So I could not say No to you of course, and besides, There is lots of time to clean houses. There is not a lot of time to go swimming when you are young. So we went and we had a ball. There was a class of elderly people there doing water aerobics and they just fussed and fussed and cooed over you. Of course, you ate it up. Everyone smiled and waved and you tried to imitate everything they were doing in their class. You clung pretty close to me at first but by the time the hour and a half was over you were wanting to swim all by yourself. You kept calling the water a 'bath' and trying to bathe my arm. You really liked when I would lay you on your back and slide you around in the water with the back of your head touching. You'd raise up if the water touched your ears though and promptly say "Icky, Ears." Daddy is the very same way. He cannot stand for water to get in his ears. After that we came home & had 'Sunch' (lunch) and I put you down for your nap. You went to sleep after about half an hour of talking to yourself and hollering for me. I tidied up the house and went to lay down myself because the water had also made me tired.
      Papaw took you home from work with him so you could spend the night with he & Mamaw and Daddy and I went to the grocery store. We also went out to eat. It was very nice for us to spend some time together alone. I love your Daddy very much and I like to be able to spend as much time with him as I can. Also with you, and of course, my favorite time is with the two of you together. I love you both to pieces. Daddy says he loves you back together again so he must love you more. I say that is pish posh, there is no way he could love you more because I carried you around for nine whole months. You were close to Mommy's heart. Then, now, and always. Sweet dreams... and I still love you to pieces!

Dear Rebecca,
               You are out with your Mom at the moment. Y'all went to Kmart for some diapers; you had run out entirely. Your Mom just now called and said y'all are on your way home.
      I got to post a weekday blog this week. I was rather impressed with myself. It was a short one but I got it done all the same.
      Tuesday I got off from work and mowed the lawn and then we all went down to Mamaw & Papaw's for supper. We took the horse & carriage that the neighbor gave you down there and you rode it in their driveway with Jacob. You had big fun doing that. We eventually got around to eating very late. We had a barbequed pork roast, mashed taters, green beans, corn pudding, asparagus, corn, peach cobbler and iced tea. Granny wasn't feeling very well so the dinner wasn't as enjoyable for everyone as we all would have wished. You and I were very hungry though so while everyone else took care of Granny we stayed at the table and ate a huge supper. I drank about a half gallon of iced tea. After supper Aunt Lynn got you on Jon's four wheeler and rode you all over the place. You loved that so much. She taught you how to start the four wheeler and how to give it gas. The two of you rode forever. We had a hard time getting you off of it when it was time to go. We had planned on giving you a bath and putting you directly to bed but when we got home you told us night-night as soon as we walked through the door so we put you directly to bed. I had trouble going to sleep because, as I said before, I had drank a half gallon of tea; real brewed tea full of caffeine. I ended up not going to work the next day.
      Saturday morning we all got up relatively early for a Saturday and we went to Gymboree for a make up class. Mom told you all about that and about your trip to the park. I mowed the lawn while you and Mom tried to take a nap. When I was done we went down to Mamaw & Papaw's for a visit. You rode your horse & carriage again. You are getting much better at it. You still don't have the steering concept down yet but you certainly can make it go. A little while after that Mom was going to take the four wheeler down to Aunt Lynn & Uncle Rodney's house to get me a bottle of water because I was getting a little thirsty. You saw your Mom on the four wheeler and you started hollering "Ride!" so I put you on the four wheeler in front of your Mom. Your Mom was going to take you on a very slow ride, however she was not aware of how adept you had become at giving the four wheeler gas and she wasn't very familiar with the vehicle so when she took off you laid the gas to it and the both of you had a little accident on the contraption. It scared everyone, your Mother most of all. She insisted that we take you to the emergency room but it turned out that you were fine. Your Mom is a bit bruised and banged but she has been in much worse situations so she will be fine too. However your Mother has decreed that you are no longer to ride the four wheeler with anyone. You may still ride the mower with Papaw but that is all. I know how much you love the four wheeler but your Mom has a valid reason for not wanting you on it anymore.
      Well, the both of you are home now and you keep wanting to take crayons out of the office and you are not allowed to do that and I can't pay proper attention to you while I am on here so I will close this post out and join you and Mama in the living room. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
               Hello my little sweetie pie. Right now you are in your room down for a nap. You are not asleep yet because I can still hear you muttering things now and then. At least you are muttering now and not hollering. That's a good sign you may be on your way. I don't know, however. Right now Daddy is outside mowing the grass and it is blowing my ears out. I am sure it is doing you no favors.
               Today we went to the park, just you and me. We stayed for nearly an hour and a half. We took your 'cycle' which is what you call your tricycle you got for Easter, We also took your bubble wand and a bouncy ball, We would have been better off only taking the bubbles. You never even touched your cycle and we didn't even get the ball out of the car. You did, however, have big fun with the bubbles. You kept swinging the wand around and watching the bubbles fly. When they did fly, that is. Mostly you just slung bubble solution all over the two of us. There was a three year old little girl there named Mattie and she had bubbles too. You all played with the bubbles together, until you eventually broke your wand. Then I had to throw the bubbles away. You did not like that one bit. But when I got you on to another task you quickly forgot all about it. You kept wanting to go up the really tall slide that is for the big kids. You think you are just as big as the rest of them. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Don't be in such a hurry, kiddo. Enjoy the free three and unders while you can. All too soon preschool comes and then you have to learn to share and stuff. Not that you don't already share. You do very well with that.
               You also got to see two puppies at the park. They were miniature long-haired daschunds and they were really sweet and playful. The people that owned the puppies were some people Mommy knew from her old job at Dairy Mart. They had four little girls and you had big fun playing with the youngest two, who were five and six. The youngest one kept holding your hand and dragging you around everywhere she went. You thought that was really fun.
            You got to slide, swing, rock on the big rocking alligator and take a short walk around the trail with your dear old Mother. All in all, we had a really good time at the park. You didn't want to leave at all, but we were both tired and hot and I knew it was time for us to go. You plopped down in the middle of the grass and cried a little, so I had to pick you and the cycle both up and carry you to the truck. I brought you home and you the neighbor stopped and made a big fuss over you. She asked about putting some chicken wire along the fence to keep the dogs from digging under it. I said sure go for it. She asked where you got all your blonde hair. Daddy and were really blonde hair when were were smaller too. It all went away unfortunately, however. I hope you get to keep it. I'd love for you to be that blonde for the rest of your life.
         Mamaw just called and said for us to bring you down so you could ride your horse & carriage. I told her that you were down for a nap. You are still not asleep because you heard me talking to Mamaw and started hollering at me again. Mommy was not working so you started hollering "KISTIE!" Which, of course, is Kristie. I guess you thought I'd come for that. When you discovered you were wrong you began to cry. You have cried for a bit but now you have quited down some. Perhaps you really are on your way this time. I hope so. I know that you are tired and you really do sleep much better when you get to take a nap. We already attempted one nap today, after Gymboree. You had a make up class this morning and when I told you where we were going you said "Gym, Arden?" Arden is your favorite friend at Gym. I said no, I don't think Arden is going to be there today. But, I was wrong, because Low and Behold, Arden was making up a class today too. You were happy to see her, even though you really didn't get to play together. There is just too much going on at Gymboree. You had big fun today, as usual. Today was about fast and slow. You are an expert at fast. I have yet to get you to do anything slowly.
      After Gymboree we went to Kroger to get stuff to grill hamburgers. We came home and slapped them on the grill and put you down for the first feeble attempt at a nap. You had only had applesauce for breakfast and a Cookie for a snack so I figured you must have been hungry and that's why you would not go. I got you up for your burger and you did eat pretty good. That's when I decided you and I would go to the park and let you run it out and maybe then you would be tired. Apparently it still hasn't worked. You are still awake and mumbling, and I think it's because you can hear me in here pounding on this keyboard. I have a couple of more things to tell you and then I will let you go, so maybe you can nod off to Dreamland.
            Daddy was not able to make the Easter Egg hunt with us. He was too sick. I was feeling pretty badly myself. But I am your Mommy and I was also the stand-in Easter Bunny. I colored and was supposed to hide the eggs. And I did. You saw where I hid them. too. And before the Easter Egg hunt you had already found and eaten four. You got a head start because you are in good with the Easter Bunny. Sissy helped you hunt your eggs and every time she would hand you one you wouild slam it into your basket and crack it. I thought that was hilarious. When I brought you your Easter gift, you got really excited and 'rode' it for a good long time. You weren't able to reach the pedals with your feet. When you finally get the hang ofit, I know you will be a Pro. You got your Dora the Explorer Explore With Me Trike for Easter. Or, as you call it, your "Cycle". I tried to get a good video of you hunting Easter Eggs and opening your basket and gift, but Daddy said it was really crappy. I had to attempt to tend to you and Video at the same time. Sometimes I don't think Daddy knows how difficult it is to tend to a tiny tot and do other things at the same time. Daddies think they are fabulous at everything but what they don't realize is without the Mommies there to entertain the child their videos would be just as crappy. So there. I enjoyed taping you though and getting to see you hunt eggs on Easter, and that is all I care about. I felt very poorly but I really wanted to be there to share the experience with you. I was very grumpy that day and I am sure I said some out of the way things to some people but I felt so badly the next day that I went to the doctor. I took you with me. You were an angel, as ever, playing with a little boy in the waiting room while I waited for the doctor to see me. Turns out I had a sinus infection on top of the cold we had all been sharing and spreading like proverbial Christmas Cheer. No wonder my video was so bad. It's a wonder I was able to stand up. Needless to say, I am feeling much better now.
         Well, little one, I am going to let you go for now. You still aren't asleep. If you aren't there by four, I am getting you back up. I want you to be able to go to bed on time tonight, just as much as I want you to take a nap. Mommy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                     Today you are out and about hanging out with Mamaw & Auntie Lynn. From what I understand you all are going to Kohl's and then to Cici's Pizza, or maybe it's the other way around. Anyway, you do love hanging out with Mamaw and "Yynn" as you call her. Last night Mamaw took you over to see Granny and when she brought you back you were Gung-Ho to leave with her again. You love your Mamaw to pieces. Last night we asked you who you loved better, Little Bear or Mommy and you said "Mamaw!" You are so sweet & cute and smart & pretty.
      Aunt Lynn said she asked you what you wanted to eat today and you very matter-of-factly told her that you wanted "Pizzy!" I told Mamaw I reckon that's because you know that when we go out to eat we go out for "Pizzy" because we can't afford to do much else. Raising a baby is VERY expensive. You grow out of shoes and clothes left and right and I am left wondering what to do about it quite often. Luckily your Mamaw and Auntie Lynn like to buy you little things here and there and you have some step-cousins that send you some really nice hand-me-downs so we are pretty blessed.
      Daddy is at work so that means Mommy is home all alone. I got some housework done and now I've taken a shower and plopped down in this computer chair. I enjoy being with you every day of my life, but I must say sometimes it's nice to be able to get some work done without tripping over my precious little girl. You like to 'help' a lot and so I let you. It teaches you valuable skills. It also takes me twice as long to do what I need to do. But that is OK. It's all about you. It always has been and it always will be. I love you more than life itself. I want you to always know that. You're the best Mommy-Helper that I know of!
            I am going to end this post so that I can relax a little while before you get home. I was going to play on this here computer but Daddy suggested a nap and after all I have done this morning I have sort of 'crashed' and so I might go ahead and try to sneak one in. I love you, Mommy's Little Helper!

Dear Rebecca,
               Real quick post; you were so sweet, cute and fun tonight. You had big fun playing Rock-a-Baby with your Mom & I. A boy came to our door and wanted to know if he could mow our lawn; I mow the lawn. After he left you stood at the door yelling "Boy!" to the top of your lungs. Our neighbor whose yard backs up to our house gave you a really neat electric carriage and horse that her granddaughter had out grown. I can't wait until you learn to press the foot pedal with your foot. You keep trying to press it with your hand. The neighbor lady beat the Easter Bunny to death with her gift. After your bath we all had a big family hug and you thought that was the greatest thing ever. You kept pushing Mommy and Daddy together so we could kiss. Later you stood at the door watching the robins play in our yard. You kept saying hello to the birds and when we closed the door you told the birds that you loved them. You were so very cute. After that we put on Little Bear which is a calming animated show on your favorite channel, Noggin. You crawled up in your Mother's lap and leaned back with your drink and your banky and watched so calmly and attentively. We read you a little story about a bunny that didn't want to go to sleep and then we put you to bed. It was a fabulous night. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                  Today is Easter Sunday. You, Daddy, and I all got up and went to the new church they are naming "Wings Of Refuge Mortinsville Community Church." Danny's Uncle Donny and his wife Martha are starting it. As you have read previously, the old church burned to the ground. They were holding a breakfast out there in a building that belonged to someone they know this morning. Daddy was very tired because he did not sleep well last night because he is suffering from your cold. It seems to hit adults a bit harder: Yesterday I was miserable. Today Daddy is and he took some cough medicine to help him last night and it is also a sedative. So he is asleep right now. He left right after breakfast and went home and went down for a nap. I know he went right to bed because I found his clothes and shoes at the door. Poor Daddy.
      It was a really good breakfast, but you did not eat much because you had a piece of bacon and a pop tart this morning. In mid-service you did almost eat an entire piece of ham. You also had a really nasty dirty diaper that I had to take you into the bathroom and clean up. I had to change your clothes because even your little tights were stinky. You were dressed in your pretty frilly ruffled purple Easter Dress. Which you spilled stuff all over. Much to Mommy's dismay. I even had Mamaw iron it special because I was afraid I'd mess it up. What was I thinking of when I thought you'd keep it clean? Daddy was able to get a lot of pictures of you in it out there in front of Mamaw & Papaw's house this morning, though. Mamaw and Papaw got you and Easter basket filled with lots of goodies, and the Weasel Ball you liked so much at Cracker Barrel. You don't call it a weasel though. You call it a mouse. You say "HI, MOUSE!"
      Mamaw brought us home after the service and I put you down for your nap. It hasn't seemed to take yet though because you are still up hollering. You are going to have to take a nap kiddo. I am doing my best to just ignore you because that is what seems to work the best. I know you are tired and you are going to need all your energy for the Easter Egg hunt. You danced around like a crazy baby at church while they were singing. When they stopped you got mad and plucked at a guitar wanting someone to sing a "song!" I love the way you say song. It's so cute. You love music. You wake up singing and you go to sleep singing. You clapped and danced and laughed at church while they were playing music like they were throwing a party just for you. So I know you need some rest. Everyone really enjoyed watching you. Everyone would pull you up in their lap and smile and just go on about how pretty you were. You were, as always, the star of the show.
      We are having Easter Dinner over at Aunt Linda and Great Granny's house today. There is also going to be an Easter Egg hunt in which we colored the Easter Eggs for. You & I that is. We colored them yesterday outside on the deck. It was lots of big fun. It would have been more fun if Mommy hadn't been so sick. It would have been more fun for you and it definitely would have been more fun for me. We also made our cupcakes for the Easter dinner. We both had big fun doing that, as always. Again if I had felt better.. well you know. You still aren't asleep for your nap but you have gotten considerably quieter so I believe you may be on your way. You are still holding the stuffed rabbit Aunt 'Wiwa' brought you for Easter. You really did love it and I know that made her smile. Well, Becca bird, I am going to let you go for now. The Easter Bunny is on his way I know. I hope that Daddy is going to be able to go with us. If not, I will just have to take both cameras and try to get some good shots with both of them. I love you, Rebecca! Happy Easter!

Dear Rebecca,
                  You seem to be feeling a little better than you have the last few days, however both your Mom & I are in the throes of whatever it was that you are recovering from. I am up so late tonight because I am afraid of how I will feel when I wake up later this morning. Your Mom's throat is really bothering her and we both are congested and generally miserable. We are not coughing much as of yet and I hope we do not. You didn't cough much through your bout with it.
      I've been meaning to post here all week long but just never had the opportunity. The last time I posted was the early morning hours before we went to see Disney Princesses on Ice. You seemed to really enjoy yourself. Mommy mentioned that she got a big hug, almost like you were thanking her for taking you to see the Princesses. Well, Daddy also got a big hug during intermission when Mama went to get us sodas, pretzels and a bog of chips and I got the exact same impression. I was very pleased with how much you seemed to enjoy yourself. I thought the day was going to be blown when the car wouldn't start out in the parking lot after the show but it finally did fire up. Your Mom's car has a habit of not wanting to start if the gears are not exactly in the correct place. I certainly hope that isn't an indication of future transmission troubles. It wouldn't pay us to have the transmission fixed again. I suppose we would have to purchase another automobile and that is also something that we really couldn't afford to do at this precise moment in time.
      I was off work yesterday for Good Friday so we all went out to CiCi's pizza for supper then we took you by gymboree for some free gym time. You had fun but you didn't feel much like running around and going crazy so your fun was more of a subdued affair. You enjoyed interacting with some of the other children that were there. It was a surprisingly deserted gym Thursday evening. I thought with it being the day before Good Friday that a lot of dads would be there so they could play with their kids; I was wrong. There was probably only five or six other children there. When we went last Tuesday morning for free gym the studio was jam packed.
      After gym we went to Wal-Mart in Nicholasville for groceries. We spent $170 some dollars there. I was blown away because just a few weeks ago we spent even more than that at Wal-Mart, of course I got some yard and home stuff on that trip. We came home and your mom bathed you while I unloaded the groceries and put away the stuff that I knew had a place and left the rest for your Mom and then I left for Granny's new place.
      I spent the night over there Thursday night to make sure that she didn't have any problems getting around. She was already in bed when I arrived. I sat down with your portable DVD player and watched the new King Kong movie and the latest batman film, Batman Begins. I eventually went to sleep but her phone rang so much that I couldn't get any good sleep over there. Eventually Mamaw & Papaw came to relieve me and I went home and took a nap while you and Mom went out to get laundry detergent and some good soap for you. We had tried buying you a cheaper brand of soap but it burned your eyes too bad so we decided to keep you on the good stuff a little while longer.
      Your Mom & I felt so bad last night that Mamaw & Papaw took you with them to Sam's Club and out to eat at Fazoli's so we could have the evening not having to worry about neglecting you because we were both too sick to play. You had big fun with the boys Jacob & Jon. You have started called Jacob by his name and I know that probably makes him feel good because you used to call both boys by Jon's name. You've also taken to calling Jon, Bouncy Jon because Jon always plays bouncy ball with you. I know that we have mentioned that you call all balls bouncy balls but I don't believe we've mentioned that when you jump on the bed or on the mats at Gymboree you call yourself Bouncy Baby. That's an excellent name for you, Bouncy Baby because you are always bouncing off the walls. You have boundless energy. I believe I have may have even went down a belt notch from trying to keep up with you.
      We are going to color Easter Eggs later today. I think you will have big fun this Easter because Mamaw fed you some eggs the last time you stayed down there and you got to help her cook them so now you are on a big time egg kick. You love everything to do with eggs; the taste, the shell, the surprise you find inside the plastic ones and the fact that they can be broken and put into a cake. You do so love making cakes with your Mama.
      Well, I'm gonna close this post out now. I hope I can post again during the week but since it's getting pretty outside I really don't think I'll have the chance. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                     You are taking a nap today, unlike yesterday. Yesterday you did not take one at all. To top it off, you are feeling a little under the weather right now so the combination of you not napping and feeling poorly made you a very fussy young lady. You screamed over every little thing and I even had to tap your butt once or twice because you KEPT hitting me. Now that is not very nice, but I was easy on you because I knew you felt really badly. You seem to be doing a bit better today. You are still quite snotty but you aren't running a fever so I decided to go ahead and take you to Gymboree today. We left a bit too early and had to wait on Miss Jessica to get there. Miss Jessica is your teacher. You really like her, and so do I. We entertained ourselves by watching the birds get sticks and grass to build there nest. You kept shouting "Hi BIRDS!" and scaring them off. Then you'd tell them bye-bye in a voice just as loud.
      You had a blast, as usual. Today was all about climbing and that my dear, is your game. You climbed up everything. You even climbed up the ladder they had set up there. That was a smidgen precarious. However, you did not get to stomp on your noisy bridge. Today it was a bouncy bridge, and that was just fine with you. You stomped on it anyway and you bounced up and down on it. Then you rode the barrel that had laid over top of it like a pony. That was big fun for you and Mommy, too. You got to take a ride on the boat/stairs (one way turned over it's a boat, the other way it's stairs with a string to pull along) all by yourself, but just for a few minutes. Your friend Arden wasn't there today, but the little boy who gave you a big kiss last week was. I asked him if he would like to ride, and he climbed up in your lap, of all things! You held him around his waist and you both rode so contently along. Me and his mother were dying laughing. Then he turned around to kiss you and this time you kissed him right back! He is a little Romeo and you must be his Juliett.
         You also helped shake up the bubbles and pop them out. That is one of your favorite things to do. You go around saying "Pop, Pop bubbles!" all the time. Also you sing the parachute song "Up Up Up So High, Down Down Down So Low." Except you only sing the up and down parts. You really love Gymboree and I am so glad we decided to do it for you. It helps you learn a lot and you get to play with kids close to your age. I am so proud of you for being such a sweet and nice little girl, you always say "Thanks!" to the grown ups at Gymboree when they hand you something, and when another child wants to see something you let them see it freely and willingly. You are so sweet.
      I believe that Daddy and I are taking you to the free gym at Gymboree tonight. That's where a bunch of you get to play and run wild. There are usually tons of kids there. Maybe Arden will be there since you didn't get to see her today. You always tell me that you and Arden are friends. I believe that you are. Only you and Arden would know, I reckon. That special toddler language you guys speak I am not in on. First we will have dinner at CiCi's though, after I pick Daddy up from work. You should be pretty hungry because all you had for breakfast was yogurt and you didn't really eat too much lunch. I love taking you to get "Pizzy". You don't say Pizzy any more and that makes me kind of sad. You used to say it a lot but now you know the proper word is "Pizza". I am glad you are learning how to say things correctly but a little sad that you are growing up so fast. I love you so much and I wish I could keep you little forever in a way. In another way I can't wait to see how beautiful and talented a young woman you will soon become. As I told you before, you are my princess. You are the fairest of them all, and I love you, Princess!

Dear Rebecca,
                  Hey my sweet. Right now you are sleeping soundly in your room. You didn't have a nap today. We all had a very big day. Today we went to see Disney Princesses on Ice. It was an amazing show, and you really loved it. I did, too. You got to see all the Disney Princesses, You got to see Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Mulan, Ariel, Belle, and the Royal Number One Crowned Princess of them All, Cinderella. You love 'Rella, as you call her. You also got to see Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse, Goofy, the Villains from the stories, Mooshoo the Dragon from Mulan and Sebastian the Crab from The Little Mermaid (Ariel). You were thrilled with it all. You kept clapping your hands and laughing and making funny little circles with your mouth, looking shocked and excited, I found myself close to tears a few times, because of the beauty of the show but mostly because it was a beautiful thing to be there with my only daughter. I love you so much and was so glad to see you so happy. At the end of the show there was a huge wedding for Cinderella and they all came out in white ball gowns, every princess. You helped the fairy Godmother say "Bippity Boppity Boo" (You just said Boo!! I thought that was so cute) and out they came. Your favorite parts were Cinderella of course, and you liked the puppet-like characters such as the seven dwarfs, the mice from Cinderella, Ursula, Sebastian the Crab, The Elephant and Genie from Aladdin, and the flourescent horses in the "Under The Sea Song", and so on. I liked them all too. I was quite take with the show myself. After I went and got you a snack at intermission, when Cinderella's part of the show was on, you were drinking your coke and wanted me to hold it so you could eat your chips and I was so engrossed in the show I didn't hear you. Daddy had to get my attention. Bless your heart, your Mommy is a big kid too. You kept naming all the princesses that you knew (Belle, Beauty, White, and 'Rella) and this time you learned who Ariel, Jasmine, and Mulan were. You even said Ariel's name. It sounded more like *Arrow* though. After the show you waved bye to all the princesses and said "Bye Rella, Bye Mouse" and you said that all the way out the door. You threw them kisses and just before we left you hugged me so big and tight that I thought I might find myself close to tears once again.
      You were very tired in the car on the way home but you still didn't go to sleep. You were on your way but didn't make it. I guess you were still very excited from the fun and intesnity of it all. When we got home I warmed you some lunch and you ate a few bites of it. Then you said "Poop, Help You". I went to get you from your seat and take you to the bathroom but I had thought you didn't quite make it because you already smelled a bit. I got you down to change you and told you it was a good try and you hollered and got up and ran toward the potty, with turds dropping left and right. Daddy took you to the potty and you sat on it and you were still pooping. You got bubbles and a sticker for doing so well. And I got to clean up the poopy mess. Yay for Mommy...heh. We put you down for a nap and cooked our late lunch/early supper of grilled chicken, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. We thought you might go to sleep because you were so tired and wore out. We were wrong. You hollered the whole time we were eating. We watched the Gymboree video after we ate and you hollered all through that too. You were in there over an hour and didn't go to sleep. Daddy finally got you up and we all three watched the rest of the video together. You really liked it. You saw Arden and Harry and all of your little friends on it. I took a nap and I have no idea what you and Daddy did in those couple of hours.
      When I got up Daddy laid down for a nap and I fixed your dinner up because you were climbing up in your chair. We had saved you some from our earlier dinner. You ate quite a few of the green beans and some of the chicken, but because I had to microwave it the mac & cheese was kind of nasty so not much of that. You didn't eat too much because Daddy had given you a COOKIE before dinner. Sometimes I could smack your father silly. Oh, listen to your violent Mommy. I would never hit Daddy. In front of anyone. Then we watched Oobi and we drew Suns and Moons on a piece of paper on the table in the living room. You also asked me to draw a chicken and I did. You walked away and I drew another chicken and you thought that was hilarious. You said "Ha ha, Chicken!" You are so FUN-DY. You were getting tired so I gave you your bath. You are getting where you hate water being poured over your head. So now I am thinking that four dollar cup at Wal-Mart to keep it out of your eyes might be worth it. I don't like to see you cry unneccassarily. I got you all lotioned up and in your nightie. You came into the living room and we watched some pictures from the Versailles baby shower and you named every one off as you saw them. You saw Sissy, MeeMaw, Papoo, Gandy, (Granny) Jon, Wodney, (Rodney), And your great great Aunt Lila. You asked me if she was "Gandy too?" I said no, that's your aunt Lila. You said "Wiwa!" And clapped your hands. She will love to hear that. Then we called Mamaw & Papaw on the phone. You talked to Mamaw & Papaw, Lynn, and Sissy for a while. You danced around and hollered and put on a show but they couldn't see you. I could though and I thought you were Very Cool. After we talked you watched some more pictures of our Hazard trip and ate a piece of cheese for your snack and hollered "Mardy!" every three or four seconds when you'd see her pop on the screen. Then I got you some milk and laid you down to change your diaper and you whispered "Night Night". You knew what it was time for and you were ready. You didn't even fuss as I laid you down. You asked for your "Banky Banky" - your Blanky and you gave me a sugar and went right off to dreamland. I hope you are dreaming about all those pretty princesses we got to see today. You're my Princess, and your more beautiful than any other princess I know. You truly are the fairest of them all. I love you, my Princess!

Dear Rebecca,
               You spent last night with Mamaw & Papaw or rather the night before last. You had huge fun as you usually do. Your Mom & I stayed home and relaxed as we watched some of the boob tube we had TiVoed over the course of the last few weeks. Mamaw called us a couple of times and you were laughing and having such a great time that we started to miss watching you putting on a big show for us. It was relaxing though.
      We went to have the basic $9.95 package done at Portrait Innovations this morning. We ended up spending $110 on all the great photos of you. That is where we will be getting your pictures done from now on. We then went to eat at Cracker Barrel. We then came home and then you & Mom went over to help Granny get settled into her new house. Jon & Jake stayed here and helped me mow the lawn. You went out with Mamaw & Papaw for supper at a local Mexican place.
      Tomorrow morning we go to Disney Princesses on Ice. I suppose I had better get off of the computer so I can go to bed. Daddy loves Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca,
                     As Daddy mentioned previously, we all went to Hazard this week. I did indeed resign from my job at Kroger, so we could go anytime we wanted to. You're getting to be such a big girl and I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I can't tell you how much it touches my heart every time you want "Hugs". Even when you are using it as an excuse to get picked up so you can nose into my business or get taken out of the shopping cart. I still love them.
      We all had a big time in Hazard. You love Aunt Mardy, as you call her, better than a hog loves slop. And as we all know, Hogs really LOVE slop. She loves you even more I think. Yet another person you have wrapped around your finger. As Daddy has told you all about our Hazard trip, I will tell you about the wonderful and fabulous day the three of us had together today.
         Daddy slept in this morning while I got up with you. You and I sat in the chair forever just cuddling. You'd look up at me and tell me to "Rocky Baby". My heart would melt and of course I would "Rocky Baby". We played tickle in the floor. I picked up the house a little while you ate a breakfast of cinnamon raisin toast and half a banana. Well, you ate at it. You watched Oobi until I was finished. Then I gave you a bath & got you dressed for the day. By this time it was nearly ten thirty and you were very tired and I was a little pooped myself. You are still trying to catch up from your late nights spent awake in Hazard as am I! Anyway, I put you down for a nap & Daddy got up. I went and took a shower and went to renew my license with it's new address on it. I'd hate to be pulled over & have a license with a wrong address. I already got a speeding ticket once. I am lucky he didn't check the address then. I got back & you still weren't up. I opened your door to wake you up but you were already opening your eyes. You were still sleepy because you hung to my neck and yawned and streched. Then you went to Daddy & did the same. We got you all changed and got you some juice in your cup and then Daddy and I took you to Gymboree for "Free Gym". Free Gym is where you get to play and do anything you want at Gymboree. You played and had a big time, climbing up the slide and going over the noisy bridge. I rolled you around the big barrel and stuck you down in it. Another little girl also had me stick her down in it. That poor little girl's Mama was so busy blabbing at the other richer-than-thou Mamas that she was being ignored. We may not be rich, but at least I don't ignore you. Not in public anyway. Ha Ha! I am kidding with you. Anyway, Daddy snapped pictures of your activities the whole time. You did not want to share your rocking horse because when you first started going to Gymboree you shared it and knocked heads with another baby. You will share a ball or the see saw or any other activity but you are still afraid to share the pony. I do not blame you. Hitting heads together hurts!
      We stayed nearly a whole hour and a half at Gymboree. You didn't want to leave and as usual you fussed a bit about it but not as bad as you usually do. We went to the McDonald's in Nicholasville after Gymboree so that you could play on their outdoor equipment. They have a very nice toddler area there especially for baby's. They even have electronic games for older kids (and Daddies, too, apparently). It's really nice for parents because they can eat their lunch or supper in peace while the kids play. It's really nice for kids because the kids get to play! You didn't do much eating of your Sunch but I knew you wouldn't. Usually you and I sit inside until we are done eating and then I take you on out, but you caught sight of it early today and Daddy took you on. You managed down a few bites of ice cream before you dropped it and we had to throw it away. I was sad for you. But not sad enough to use the debit card for eighty eight cents to get another one.
      After that we went on to Wal-Mart to return the dress that Aunt Mardy bought you for Easter. It was too small and we had already bought you a different one so we decided to get gas there with that. We were going to get you a pair of shoes with it but we figured we'd just buy the shoes and use the gift card for gas. It was easier that way, since we planned on getting gas anyhow. We did indeed get you a pair of Winnie the Pooh shoes and they have honeybees and butterflies buzzing around Pooh himself. They are super cute and they are half a size bigger than you were wearing. They are a six and a half. You are getting to be such a big girl! Daddy also picked you out a super cute dress with Cinderella on it to wear to the Disney Princesses on Ice show. I bet that we are going to have such a good time! I am so excited to go. I think maybe Mommy is more excited than you are. You have no idea what Disney Princesses on Ice Means. You can however point out "Rella and "White and - this tickles me- "Booty". Your version of saying Cinderella, Snow White, And Sleeping Beauty. I know you will have a good time though. I believe we are all coming back to the house to grill out afterward. It promises to be a fun day.
      After Wal-Mart we stopped off at Mamaw & Papaw's to pick up your Pink diaper bag. It had all your good lotions & powders in it and your Oobi DVD. I thought your head would pop off without it this week in Hazard. Fortunately Aunt Mardy bought you a cheesy video, like Daddy said. And you had Elmo & Dora too. But none of the sacred Oobi hand with eyes. Nope, none. You seemed to manage alright without it though, because you had plenty to keep you busy busy busy. And I mean busy. We wound up staying a while there because Daddy went down and got his hair cut at Auntie Lynn's (she does it free, It's the best free haircut he's ever had.) We stayed up and visited with Mamaw & Papaw a while and then we went down the hill to join the rest of the herd. You got to play with Jon & Jake & the Bouncy Ball. You also got to see Sissy and you always love that. You got to play with Sadie and as you call him, "Ruothy". You do love them doggies. Then we went back up the hill and Mamaw and Papaw shoveled nine pounds of brownies down your neck. I am kidding. They gave you a brownie. It was just a big one. (I think my head might get bit off for that one) You really loved them though. After that I called Daddy up because we had to go because Daddy has to spend the night with Granny in the hospital tonight. She is back in Woodford County now and in Therapy so that is a good thing. You played a little while longer with the boys before they conned me out of two of your tummy ticklers and then I finally had to wrestle you into the car. Aunt Lynn asked Daddy about the computer they are looking into for Butch and his business. We told them to go for it because we have a Dell & we really love it. We finally got on our way home & you yelled "Bye Jon! Bye Jon! Bye Bye Jon!" About a hundred times. Eventually I told you to say 'Bye Jake' - and you actually said it. That shocked the crap out of me. You said that about a million times. You did the same for Sissie, Mamoo, Pappoo, & Yin, as you call her. I had to call & tell someone. Then when I finally got ahold of someone, all you would say is "Bye JON!" Now don't it figure?
      After we got home Daddy spent some time out back with you while I unpacked the car & put stuff away. While you were outside you got to see the sun and also the moon. You looked up at it and said you wanted to "touchie", I thought that was so sweet. I said (metaphorically, of course) that someday you could. Daddy said no one goes to the moon anymore. Daddy is silly. Why just last week they gave Granny some medicine that sent her to the moon and back three or four times. Ha Ha!
            When you came in you and Daddy layed on our big bed and watched Ice Age for a few minutes. Then you were hungry so I gave you one of your turkey & cheese lunchables and some chips. You ate it all up. You hadn't eaten much today, except for brownies. I don't have to talk you into eating brownies. Of course you don't have to twist my arm to make me eat one either. Daddy got ready to leave and I gave you a bath and got you into your night-night clothes. We went to the door and waved bye bye to Daddy and you waved and shouted bye for about five more minutes before you realized he was totally gone. You are funny like that. I tried to get you to watch your Oobi DVD while I cleaned up the kitchen but you wouldn't. You wanted to be with Mommy and that is OK. I chased you with a broom & you thought that was funny. After I was done, I saw you yawn big and rub your eyes. I realized you were very tired and I put you to bed. That's where you are now, my little moon dreamer. I love you to pieces. I am going to let you go. I love you... to the moon... and back!

Dear Rebecca,
               We all just got back from Hazard about a forty-five or so minutes ago. Both you and your Mom are sound asleep. You had an absolute ball on this trip. We really didn't get off to that great of a start. You screamed all the way from the house until we got to Campton which is about halfway between here and there. Finally you fell asleep until we were four or five miles from Aunt Mary's trailer. We told you that we were going to see Aunt Mary and you informed us that "Aunt Mary gone". When we pulled up in front of her trailer and got you out you ran right up to her trailer; you must have remembered it. Oh were you ever excited to see Aunt Mary. We hung around her trailer for awhile, she gave you an Easter basket that she had fixed up for you with a stuffed bunny, candy and a video and then we went to see Papaw Lawrence who was staying with some other members of the family because he and Aunt Mary were having a spat. It was up a very steep hill with a super narrow road. When we reached the place where Papaw Lawrence was staying it was a tee total wreck. It was the smallest trailer that I had ever seen with a small room built onto the side of it where they keep the coal burning furnace. We walked in and it was even worse on the outside. The coal burning stove had deposited a thick layer of coal onto every surface in the place including onto one of the cutest little boys I have ever seen named Daniel. He was sixteen months old and every bit as big as you are. He was the second smilingest child that I have ever known, next to you. He tried to hug and kiss you but you were a bit shy in this strange place so you kind of played it cool. Eventually you broke down and gave him a hug.
      After that we went to the Kmart there in Hazard because your Mom had never been and she wanted to check it out. I hate to say this but the Kmart here in Versailles is even better than the one in Hazard. After Kmart we returned home where Aunt Mary had fixed us a supper of pot roast, boiled potatoes and cooked cabbage. It was surprisingly good; Aunt Mary can not cook at all. We attempted to give you a bath after supper but it appears you do not like any bathtub that is not your own. You screamed like we were sitting you down into a boiling stew pot with taters & carrots. We got you a real quick bath and then made a feeble attempt at easing you into slumber land. You had to have all of us in the bedroom with you while you watched the video that Aunt Mary had put in your Easter basket. It was called Kathy Lee's Rockin Toy Cafe. It was really cheesy even though it had a pretty big star as the main character, Kathy Lee Gifford who used to be a big time morning talk show host. Well,after the video we turned out all the lights but sleep would not come for you. Eventually your Mom gave up and brought you back into the living room. There you stayed up well past eleven o'clock. Then we all went to lay down in Papaw Lawrence's room. You still were not ready for bed. Your Mom was very frustrated because she was most definitely ready for bed. Eventually you fell asleep then a very scary storm swept through the trailer park. Mamaw had called us earlier in the day and warned us that storms were heading our way and possible tornados. We had kept up with the weather throughout the night. No tornados were expected in our area but I thought for sure we were going to have one. I stayed with you and Mom until the storm died down some and then I watched a DVD called Derailed starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston on your little DVD player. I went to sleep after the movie.
      The next morning your Mom fixed us all sausage and biscuits for breakfast. The three of us along with Aunt Mary then went out visiting. We first went to Linda Gail's but she wasn't home. I have no idea how you are kin to Linda Gail. I do know that once when I was trying to woo your Mom that she tried to set me up with Linda Gail so I would leave her alone but Linda Gail told her that it was obvious to her that your Mom loved me so she would not be interested.
      Then we went to see Melissa aka Tweety. This was on a Monday so the kids were all in school but her husband Robert was there. We visited for awhile. You wouldn't hug or kiss Melissa and she got kind of short with you and called you a snob. I thought the top of your Mom's head was going to blow off like they do in the cartoons. She was not a happy camper. We then went to visit your Mom's half sister, Aunt Carolyn. She had a little dog and you thought that dog was the funniest thing you had ever seen in your life. Eventually Marietta aka Smurf came over with Arriana. Smurf is pregnant with her second. She is such a skinny girl and she looked kinda funny with her tiny little basketball tummy. We were glad that Marietta dropped by because that meant that we wouldn't have to hunt her down. I suggested to your Mom that we ask Marietta if she wanted to accompany us to Wal-Mart so we could have pictured done with you and Arianna. You and Arianna always get along so well and today was no exception. She said she would be glad to go to Wal-mart but first she had to run home and get Arriana into a clean shirt and fix her hair.
      I didn't think the pictures were going to work because you are both getting to that age where you have minds of your own and have not yet developed the healthy fear of expressing them. You had some really great smiles but Arriana didn't want to seem to smile at all. eventually we got a nice shot of you leaning into kiss Arriana. After the shoot I was talking to Marietta and mentioned to her that I thought that the photographer was a little short tempered with you girls and she agreed with me and said she was glad that I noticed it too because she was afraid that she was just being hormonal because of her pregnancy. We hung out at Wal-Mart for awhile. You and Arianna had a ball running around in the toy department.
      We then went to have a late lunch at Applebees. It was very average and they do not have the same happy hour menu that the Applebees have around here so we got quite a shock when the bill came. We had planned on paying for Aunt Mary's but since the bill was so much larger than we expected we split the check. I did not leave a tip because the happy hour items should have been explained to us by the waitress like they are around here.
      We then returned to that crappy little trailer where Papaw Lawrence was staying. Daniel chased you all over the place trying to kiss you. He would pucker up and lean in when you walked towards him and when you walked on by him he would keep his lips puckered and just turn his head in a vain attempt to get a kiss. Your Mom says that at Gymboree you are usually the one chasing the boys around trying to give out kisses. After that visit we headed back to Aunt Mary's place. Papaw Lawrence rode back with us. Your Mom wanted to stay and visit with her Daddy for awhile so we did. Then we headed for the house.
      Through this whole trip you hung onto Aunt Mary like she was the greatest person you have ever known. You wanted to be held by Aunt Mary more than by your Daddy and even more than your Mommy. When Aunt Mary was out of your sight for even a second you would holler, "Mardy Mardy". It's crazy how much you are into Aunt Mary. When we left you started saying "Mardy back, Mardy back"; you wanted to go back to see Aunt Mary some more. Aunt Mary loves you every bit as much as you love her I am sure. You even warmed up to Papaw Lawrence a little on this trip even though you didn't get to see him much. You were a perfectly behaved young lady on this trip and we all had a real nice time.
      As we were returning home I had to stop in Jackson for a potty break and your Mom wanted a cup of coffee. While we were in the McDonalds there in Jackson you caught sight of the play land they have there and made a bee line towards it. I took off your shoes and you ran around the stuff and were having a big time.. Then a little four year old boy stuck his head out of the tubes and you got the biggest kick out of watching him play. Eventually you got the nerve up to enter one of the tubes and climb into a ball pit that didn't have any balls in it. You thought it was fun to be in there and be able to look out of the windows to see Mommy and Daddy on the other side. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to get out but the little boy that was there helped you out when you were ready. You had the biggest fun at the McDonalds play land. I am so glad we stopped and took the time to allow you to play in there. It was one of those precious memories that I will cherish forever that I spoke of in my last post.

Dear Rebecca,
                  We had a busy day yesterday. We mailed your bother, Dylan's Christmas, Easter and birthday gifts at The Office Centre here in town. We keep calling The Office Centre the Mail It Shop because that is the name of the shop on Sesame Street and it just kind of stuck in our heads. After that we went to Sonny's Bar-B-Q for lunch. I had the chicken, your Mom had the pork and you had smoked turkey. It's getting more and more difficult to take you out to restaurants where there are waiters. You have the irking habit of not wanting to set still. We have decided that from now on our restaurant rule is "No baby sitter, no waiter", which means that if you are with us we will only be going to fast food joints because the food comes to us fast and it can be eaten quickly and you will not get bored and fidgety as quickly. After that we went to Wal-mart and bought a ton of groceries and some things for the yard. We finally got home and I mowed the lawn for the first time this spring with the brand new Craftsman lawn mower we purchased the day before yesterday. I came in and Mom and I played with you for awhile. The other day we were bouncing a bouncy ball, as you call all balls, back and forth to each other while you laid in the middle of us. Mama called you monkey in the middle and you picked up on that name and now you want to play the game that you call middle. Mom bathed you and we put you to bed then Mom and I watched an episode of Medium and Mom went to bed. I am still up. I watched some television and thought that I was doing okay with how late I was up until I realized that we move our clocks forward tonight so it's an hour later than I originally thought it was.
      We moved Granny on Thursday instead of Friday because it was supposed to rain on Friday and it did indeed rain. I really wasn't that much help because I had to run after you constantly. You're getting harder to keep up with as you get older. You're not even two yet and you are becoming such a handful. A handful of joy but a handful all the same. Granny's house is really nice. Granny will be living primarily in the lower level because she will not be able to climb the stairs in the new house and Linda will be living upstairs. I think this is a real nice arrangement for everyone concerned.
      We are all going down to Hazard tomorrow for a few days. Your Mom was supposed to work but I think she is going to resign from her position in the Kroger photo lab. She was spoken to rudely by a manager and we all know that your Mom doesn't respond well to people being rude to her. ANyway I am glad that she is quitting and I am sure that you will be too because we can all spend a lot more time together. You're only going to be a toddler for such a short time span that your Mom needs to enjoy it while it lasts. Soon you will quit saying things like Bouncy Ball, wanting to play Middle and Plop, getting a big kick out of calling us into your bedroom so you can show us that you crawled into bed on your own, yelling Bed when you want to bounce and play night-night on our bed, and constantly drawing sun and moon which so far still looks like scribbling to me, asking for music by yelling Song when you want to listen to music and demanding that we get up off our lazy duffs to dance with you and a hundred other precious things that you now do everyday. All of that will soon be history and we will mourn the passing of these days and I think it's best if both your Mother and Father are here as much as possible to enjoy you at this most innocent stage of your life.
      Well, I'm gonna close this post out and close as I always do. Daddy loves Rebecca!