dear cheesy cheetos...

it is me, vivian, and i LOOOOOVE you. my mommy says you are not good for me, but i don't believe her. i know you love me, too. i remember when we first met at aunt sissy's house...that was the best! i didn't see you again for a while, but i thought about you all the time. then, the other day, i found a stash of you in the cabinet. ooooooohhhh, mr. cheesy cheetos....i love you, i love you, I LOVE YOU!! don't forget about me again...i am attaching my picture as proof of my undying allegiance to you!
love, your biggest fan,
vivian caroline

happy happy birthday!

two very special people have birthdays today. vivian's uncle seth (su's sweetie) turns 28! we will have dinner with them tonight and give him a "new dad" surprise...
and our sweet little yankee cousin natalie (or "na-alie" as vivian likes to say) turns five. she is too cute, and has generously given vivian many new wardrobe options, thanks to a healthy helping of hand-me-downs! have a great day birthday girl, and birthday dad-to-be!!

times....they are a changin'!!!

oh, how our lives have changed over the last ten years...the wonderful bachelorette/bachelor pad and newlywed days of yore are now officially gone. as most of you remember the infamous "mustard" couch was a staple throughout college, and my single years. clif's staple was this amazing little bench that his pawpaw day made from planks of the old homestead. both, have found a happy new, and probably much easier, life in vivian's big girl room.

although, some things NEVER change...you can clearly see, monday louise still likes a good nap on "ol' yeller"....although now she has bedtime stories by miss vivian!

and just as a little side note (to cathy, especially) my picture taking skills, have obviously not improved over the last ten years. who could catch both the dog and kid with their eyes closed but me?!

girl time!

parker grace came over to play with miss vivian today. as you can see they had a little bit of fun! what exactly is vivian doing in this picture? does she think she is too tall to fit it the frame?!

i must admit that this is one of my favorites. the cheesy grin is always a winner at our house...

but i'm not quite sure parker is too happy with vivian's version of "love"...

but vivian seems completely enamoured by parker don't you think?! thanks cill and park...we had a wonderful time. can't wait until this weekend!!

diamond days...

with vivian on "vacation" at her geegee and pawpaw day's house, clif and i decided to take monday off and head to the new dickey-stephen's ball field. even though the travs lost miserably (16-2) it was a lot of fun, and a much needed break!

on tuesday we were back in full swing...as most of you know we are renovating the office to make vivian's new big girl room. check back for pictures and updates!

introducing parker grace

this is parker grace clark (no blood relation), one of vivian's best friends. her mother priscilla and i worked nights at children's together many years ago, and bonded over our love of ole miss, and all things "creative". (in other words, we are the "we aren't paying $80 for that, we can make it ourselves" type!!) since cill and i were pregnant together, the girls are only two months apart...and have been playmates since they were, well....in utero. i've added parker's website to our links. isn't she the cutest? this is MY personal favorite because i am not quite sure which one of them taught the other this poop-eating grin!!

one of the greats...

the image above...as found on the kurt vonnegut, jr. website. finally free...
as some of you might already know, mr. vonnegut died last night in new york. he was eighty four years old, and one of the greatest authors to ever live (in this humble gal's opinion). when i was in junior high, it was a class assignment to read one of his shorts "harrison bergeron" (http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html to read the story) and i fell in love. i was moved by his irony, humor, and uncanny ability to bring his alternate universe to life in such a way, that i felt as if it were my own. there are few things in life that move you....if you are VERY lucky, you are challenged to not only a new way of thinking, but a new way of living. mr. vonnegut did both. you will be missed...

VERY busy easter...

things have been a little hectic around here, hence, the lack of posting. just to tide you over here is the only picture i have of vivian in her easter dress. (please note the dora\beach theme of the basket...the poor easter bunny was a bit off with the weather!!) it was such a fun, but crazy, weekend i forgot my camera, luckily aunt su had hers! hope all of you are well, and i promise to update soon...