Holiday Slideshow

in no particular order...

It has been an eventful week indeed. We have travelled the Carolinas, visiting family, gorging ourselves on unnecessary but fabulous fare, watching our daughter fall in love with the extended families, and having, quite simply, a wonderful time.

Today Mama (aka Ghi-ghi), Gracen and I visited Fork, SC and the McDaniel clan. Gracen saw her third great-grandmother of the week, Grandma Dot, though I somehow managed to not get a photo op of them (odd, as I am a camera happy fool these past 7 1/2 months). Gracen was particularly enthralled with her great-uncle Ricky. He has a goatee, which must be petted. He is a constant reminder of my late father's smile, laugh, and voice, and I am grateful that even in Grandpa Ronny's absence, Gracie can still be close to him through his little brother. Gracen also met her first horses, as well as played with kittens. I'm not sure that the kittens enjoyed the event as much as the little girlie. Although a short visit, it was wonderful!!

Here we are with Mama Lessie, the second great-grandmother we visited this weekend. Lessie celebrated her 95th birthday this year--what a lady and a life!

Christmas Morning!

Look what Mimi and Papa Jim gave me!

And here we are with Great Ma, the first great-grandmother we visited this week. While it's not completely clear in this pic, Gracen is actually helping Ma, Mimi and Aunt Mary sing Christmas carols. Such a sweet little voice!

But before we left for our travels, we had to be appropriately groomed, and we so love our baths. And, why yes, that is a unicorn baby. For you blog/youtube enthusiasts, I am trying to upload a bath video to the link. So far, Youtube is not mytube this evening and is refusing to assist me in this process. I will persevere...

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. For those of you we were able to see, it was grand. For those of you we missed, we missed the heck out of you! Love you mucho y siempre!

Rylie Jayne Arrives!!

On Tuesday, December 18th, our dear friends Jessica and Myron Carr had their first child, Rylie Jayne. Rylie was determined to stay with her mommy for as long as physically possible, but after a long induction, Rylie finally joined the world, and we are so glad she is here. Myron and Jess are truly remarkable people in so many ways, and they will be incredible parents to this precious little girl!

This was Gracen's expression when I told her about her new buddy Rylie, who we hope to go visit in Colorado in the coming months!
We're still having some nap time issues. I'm pretty sure that the earlier drama was due to her being "stuck" in the standing position. You'd think, however, that if she was stuck and mommy was so good as to come in and lie her down again that she would be appreciative and fall off to slumber. Not so. But, she has now learned to sit back down from a standing position, so I don't feel as obligated to go in and check on her every 30 seconds anymore. Though not as trying as before, she still prefers to stand and scream for me to come retrieve her, so she and Harley can eat their cheerios together. What a pair. Athena rolls her eyes at them and their silliness.

Ah yes, the cheerios. Whole grain, of course. She loves them. Harley loves them. I don't have to cleanup except for a little Clorox Anywhere spray (my new favorite invention besides toilet wands and the exercauser).

I'm not sure quite how you would characterize this milestone, but Gracen has learned to crawl into baskets. Not necessarily for any reason. She just kinda likes to hang out there and giggle. We keep baskets of toys throughout the house in a futile attempt to find order in our home. We have been using them to barricade areas and keep sweet thing contained. She will not be held back by a wall, uh-uh! I suppose we'll have to find a more suitable means of keeping the child safe and imprisoned. Silly kid. Mobility is hard. Sorry Mama--it really makes me appreciate you keeping up with three of us.

For any of our video viewers, I finally put another one up. Again, nothing terribly exciting; just a minutes of our lives.

get up, stand up...stand up for your right...

to never sleep again. Our developmental milestones are piling on, and I'm trying to catch up to our new life together. Our latest amazing feat is our new found ability to pull ourselves up to standing. This was quite cute when she was doing this on me a couple of days ago; it is NOT so cute now that she's learned to stand up in her crib and refuses to take naps. We've gone from 0-5 minutes of crying followed by 50 minutes of sleeping to 45 minutes of crying (mostly while standing) followed by maybe 15 minutes of sleeping. Oh, the drama. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I really can't bring myself to read another sleep book, as four is my limit. All of those would suggest letting her cry, cry, cry--which she's doing beautifully. We really have gotten spoiled on having such an easy baby so far and probably deserve this backlash. I think she's also teething. Woo-Hoo!!!

Other than some tears, life has never been more wonderful. I am amazed and ecstatic that we get to spend our lives with this little lady, and with each other. Gracen and I have been going on playdates, and she loves them. She's the runt of our playgroup, but definitely holds her own. There were 7 little ones yesterday, and all of them are gorgeous. Gracen has a tendency to take the others' toys, but she's only 7 months, and it will be a while before she understands that whole sharing thing. She also pulled a little girl's hair yesterday. At first she was petting it, oh so gently, and then pull. Followed by scream. We left shortly thereafter.

And if you were unaware, an exercauser is the GREATEST invention ever. Thank you evenflo, thank you.

Thank you also to my friends and family who have had to listen to me freak out over these past couple of days of baby drama. Your words and support mean more than you can know. Love you all.

And PS--Rylie, get your precious lil' Carr butt out here!! Your Mama has been patient, but deserves to have you out already. So, please, help her.

Primary Treasures 1987

(I didn't realize this one existed when I wrote my earlier post...the profundity continues...)

My name: Shanna McDaniel

Today's date: May 14, 1987

Age: 9 Grade: 4th

Height: Weight: 81 1/2

My teachers: Mrs. Brown (homeroom), Mrs. King (Reading), Mrs. Ledford (Math)

My best friends: Hannah Seal, Sarah Cutshall, Mandy Nesbitt

My favorite foods: pizza, ravioli

Things I like to do: swim, play, go to school, come back from school

When I grow up, I want to be: a vet or a guidense counsilor, dog trainer, work at the mall!

(this one is written in cursive!!!!)

More signatures this year...

Best Friends,

Hannah Seal

2 sweet

2 be

4-got-10

.................................................................

You're wonderful sister,

Annie

p.s. sorry about the spelling

p.s.s good luck with the boys (written microscopically)

..................................................................

To a possibly nice sister

Annie

Ha, Ha, Ha

Just kidding

..................................................................

I just

I just did

I just did this

I just did this to take room

Bobby C.

..................................................................

Have a good summer.

Stall cool kid.

Best friends always.

Your friend

Shirley

..................................................................

Trevor Moore

..................................................................

Larry Mason

..................................................................

etc.

Primary Treasures 1986

(the following is exactly as written in yearbook '86 and a gift for your amusement)

...............................................................................

Memory Page

My name: Shanna McDaniel

Today's Date:

Age: 8 Grade: 3

My teachers: Mrs. Merille & Mrs. Bain

My favorite subjects: Math & Reading

My best friends: Emily Bell, Hannah Seal, Mandy Shuford, Teinnille Profet

My favorite foods: Spegheti, Pizza

Things I like to do: Play, play baton, play pineo, go to school

When I grow up, I want to be: a gidane councler

I don't know how to sell wery good!

...................................................................................

Also to be noted, the only signings in my yearbook were:

Annie

Shanna

Judi (Mama) McDaniel

Best of Luck!

Ron McDaniel

And apparantly, if I liked you, you got a little purple line under your picture. If I did not, you got a little "x."

She's Nekkid...

and from the looks of it, she's not real happy about it. This is one of those photos that I'm sure she'll be angry with later in life. I can't help it. She's just so cute, clothed or not. This is right before bath time, as I'm getting her tub together: water right temperature, toys in place, soap and washcloth handy. She's always been a fan of the bath; indeed truly a McDaniel, or perhaps a Waldroup. We have recently upgraded from the infant bath to a lovely inflatable tub. She can now sit up and get rowdy with her toys without fear of bonking her sweet head on the grownup tub. I try to not let her stay longer than 15 minutes, and she gets mad when I take her out. That's my girl!

Happy Birthday Belle!!!

Thanksgiving '06

AnnieBelle's turning %# today!! Gracie is missing her Aunt Belle desperately and wishes she were there to celebrate this big day. For those of you who are wondering why my big sis is referred to as Aunt Belle, try saying "Aunt Annie" three times fast, and you should get the picture. We all wish we were there with you today, to celebrate this grand day of birthdayness and newjobiness. We love you!!!!!

June 29, 2006

(before she learned how to smile for the camera)

Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Holidays! We did it. We got the ole tree up, and I couldn't be happier. The house smells great, the tree is the perfect height, it's REAL, none of my ornaments broke, and the lights weren't tangled. I love it when Shanna of last year is so nice to Shanna of this year. I have not always been so kind to myself. This was a good year. Gracen loves the tree. She's a bit perplexed by it's arrival, but is growing accustomed to it's presence and is not headed straight for it every time we put her down.

Baby Pense On The Way!!!

Congratulations to Jenny and Andy who are expecting their first. We're excited to have another baby in the family! They are leaving today for an extended trip to Taiwan, and we wish them safe travels and loads of fun. We'll be thinking about you guys!
And yes, that is Gracen with a sippy cup, which she is holding and drinking from all by her big self!!!!!! You might also take note of the hair situation. I don't know what to do with it. I've tried it all--headbands, hairbands, clips, products--and I have absolutely no control. It's so long, especially in the back, but not long enough for true piggies or ponies that will stay in longer that 5 minutes. The bald spot is starting to grow back. I kind of miss the Michael Bolton mullet/comb-over we had going there for a while. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them. The hair is in her eyes all the time, and I've been told not to cut it until after her first birthday. I realize that she has an abnormal abundance of hair for her age and should ignore this rule, but something about me holds onto superstitions, even when they're ridiculous.
the ladies of the house...

shall we jazzercise in our velour?

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving. We took the entire family, including pups (thank you Hannah!), to Weaverville where we met up with Ghi-ghi, Pops, Mimi, Papa Jim, Aunt Belle, Uncle Robbie, Aunt Melissa, Kevin, and the Seal Family. Gracen was the center of the universe, as always, and was cheezin' it up for the camera. Take a look at the new photo link for examples! The girl likes to smile, and we feel blessed to have such a happy little lady in our lives.

So it is Sunday, three days past Thanksgiving, and I'm ready to start decorating for Christmas. I'm realizing that I have a few hindrances here: 1) all Christmas decor is, beautifully organized, in the attic of our previous home, 2) Adam's leaving to go to Connecticut for work this week, and 3) I can't decide if I want a real or fake tree. We debate the tree thing every year. Adam hates the idea of killing trees just for our aesthetic pleasure and would prefer to decorate our house plants. We have compromised in past years by purchasing trees with a root ball so that we can plant it after the new year. We have killed all of those trees before they've made it into the ground again. We finally got Annie's old fakie, but the top is broken and leans to the side an extra 20 degrees, which gave it a little extra personality. We gave it to the PTA thrift shop last year. So now, the big question is does Gracie get a nice, freshly cut, beautifully smelling blue spruce for her first Christmas (my preference)? Do we decorate the 9 foot schefflera plant? Do we head to Lowes to check out the reusables? Or, and I forgot about this option, do we get an upside down tree, which is BY FAR Adam's first choice? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

Turkey Day Comes Early 'Round These Parts

Happy Thanksgiving, a few days early. We spent a wonderful afternoon in Winston-Salem with the Riggbee/Nichols/Diaz/Tayloe/and Other's Families for an early Turkey Day. The weather was lovely and the people even lovelier. I ate too much, but I guess it's good to start stretching the ol' stomach out for next Thursday. One should always thoroughly prepare for big endeavors. Mama claims that she's going to take it easy on cooking this year and not go overboard, as she does and says every other year. I love the holidays. I'm ready for a Christmas tree, and egg nog, and poinsettia punch, and cookies, and fudge, and Elvis Christmas carols, and a stocking to hang for Gracen. Something about this holiday season has a new magic about it that I haven't truly felt in years. I guess it's having Gracie here...

Gracie loves her Mimi!!

Jonathan, Lauren, and Katelyn Riggsbee (aren't they beautiful?!?!)

Papa Jim and cousin Ana

Four lil' Riggles and Jon. He handles 4 nicely. Perhaps they need another?

All the Riggsbees!

Aunt Judy and Gracie. She's so pretty and sweet--I'd be staring at her too!

Gracen and Ana (excellent child care provider!)

And then we came home, and someone pigged out on some sweet potatoes!! We're up to 2 meals a day, and we're constantly crusty or slimy. I've given up trying to figure out the foreign substances caked on me throughout the day.