YESSS!!

After 10 years, 2 babies (one of them a little Hercules), countless buckets of chicken and literally tons of cake -- believe it or not -- my wedding gown still fits!

And before you ask...yes. It was zipped. All the way.

Now I'm not sayin' it fit just like it did on our wedding day. Let's face it. Some things get shifted around during pregnancy that will never be the same again. Not to mention my lifelong obsession with everything chocolate. But I was still ecstatic that I could wiggle my way into it.

Hannah, on the other hand, had a fabulous time prancing around in the little dress Granny made for me to wear in my first school beauty pageant when I was 5. Her trying on the dress is what started the whole dress-up party.

She decided she needed a flower, and quickly found a corsage for her dress. Not to pin on, but to tuck into the collar of her dress. She also loved wearing my veil.

Before long, she started saying she was a princess like Cinderella. She said, "I need a prince," and started looking all around. Her eyes settled on little Carter, who was busy climbing into and out of Pop's recliner (that's another story altogether). "Carrrrterrrr...come be my prinnnnnnce," she said. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her. One look told him he needed to get out of there. Fast. But Hannah was faster, and she quickly snatched him up.

Carter let out this high-pitched squeal (which he does every time she touches him). But Hannah isn't easily deterred. She kept saying, "C'mon Carter. You're gonna be my prince," in her soothing I-can-talk-you-into-anything voice.

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Now that we're all recovered from last weekend's trip to Six Flags, I thought I'd post some pics and share some of the fun we had. The car ride up there wasn't as stressful as I'd feared (except for the actual drive through Atlanta with Jason's NASCAR driving skillz). The kids both did great in the car -- Hannah watched A Bug's Life while Carter snoozed and watched Barney.

After changing hotels twice (and ending up where we started), we all piled into the pool. It was the first time we'd really put Carter in there, and even though he screeched for the first few minutes, he ended up splashing like a little fish. The only problem was that he didn't want to be in the float or in my arms...he wanted down. Which is exactly where he would've gone if I'd let him go!

The first night in the hotel was excruciating -- with Carter crying for a good 4 hours (really, it was probably more like 20 minutes, but it felt like a lot longer). I was worried that we'd get kicked out of our rooms, so Pop and I drove him around for an hour to get him good and asleep before we tiptoed up to the room and ever-so-gently lay him in his rent-a-crib. A good plan, but as soon as his little head hit the matress, he popped those eyes open and started wailing again. He certainly didn't want Mommy, so Pop walked him around until he fell asleep. Meanwhile, Hannah and I were laying in bed praying for God to help Carter go to sleep. One of the two (or maybe both) finally worked.

The next morning, after a hearty IHOP breakfast, we embarked on Six Flags -- with Hannah's list of "must-do" rides. The train was first, and after that Bugs Bunny World, where she rode several of the little rides. They even had a little "show" with all the Looney Tunes characters doing an American Idol-like program. Hannah was miserable having to sit there and watch it while all those rides were right outside, so Jason took her on to ride while Carter, Mimi, Pop and I watched the show. Carter got all into it -- clapping and dancing. He thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Getting ready to ride the REAL train.

The show

Hannah and I stood in line for 20 mintues to ride the Wile E. Coyote Cannon Blaster, which was actually a pretty exciting little coaster. I was worried about Hannah's first coaster experience, but I don't know why. I told her that people screamed on coasters when they were having fun, and boy did she scream! Before the ride even stopped, she was saying she wanted to do it again.

A pivotal moment in my life -- realizing that even though my husband (is chicken) doesn't share my love of coasters, my precious little daughter does!! And she woulda got on the big coasters if they'd let her. So it's just a matter of time before I have a riding partner. WOO HOO!!

A few other highlights:

Carter is a big fan of the merry-go-round.

Hannah, too!

How do I love you?

I've always heard the first two lines of this poem, but I'd never read the rest of it. This literally brought me to tears because it so eloquently speaks to the love I have for my children.

How Do I Love You?
How do I love you?
Let me count the ways;
I love you on your very best
And very worst of days.

I love to see you laughing
And dancing in the rain,
And even if you make a mess
I love you just the same.

I love to hear you sing,
I love to see you smile,
I love the way you take each day
In your own unhurried style.

I'm happy when you're happy
I'm sorry when you're sad
And even though it may not show
I love you when you're bad.

I love to watch you sleeping
Tucked away in dreams
I love to hear you whisper
All your future hopes and dreams.

I love to watch you play
And all your silly ways
I'm sure you'll never know
How much I love you more each day.

How do I love you?I
t's impossible to say;
For if I had a million days
And time enough for all the praise
I couldn't tell you all the ways
I love you.

Ding-ding-ding...ROUND 1!

So we're decorating our classrooms for VBS again last night, and Hannah and her sweet little friend, Brittan, were playing ever-so-quietly in the floor with a box full of stickers. They were being so quiet and sweet, giggling and sharing the stickers just like little girls do. Then here comes Carter like a big bull dozer. WHOOSH! All the stacks of stickers are now a scattered mess. But he didn't do it on purpose to be aggrivating...he was trying to get in on the action, too. He plopped his little self right between the girls (but on top of the stickers) and picked up a sheet to have a taste.

I basically sat back to see how the kids would work it all out, which was pretty much Hannah screaming at him to MOOOOOVE! Then I hear Hannah say, "Hey Britt. If you look at him mean he'll go away." Aww. That's sad. But it worked. He moved on to something else. For a while.

Then one of the ladies cut a door in a big pasteboard box for the girls to play house. And Carter became the big bad wolf. He wanted to play SO bad. But when the girls screamed and hollered at him, he thought they were playing with him, so he kept on shaking the box until he stumbled on it and it collapsed. Needless to say, the girls weren't happy about that at all.

So it begins!

Funnies...

Sunday afternoon, Carter was toddling around the yard while Jason watered our new flowers. Jason said he looked and saw Carter bending down to pick up his little Croc that had fallen off. Carter picked it up, looked at it and started looking around for help. Then he toddled over to Stan (our 105-year-old German Shepherd), plopped down beside him, handed him the Croc and stuck his little foot over for Stan to put it back on. Jason said Stan just looked at him like, "Sorry, can't help you buddy." I guess Carter considers Stan an adult.

Jimmy and Rebie (Jason's daddy and stepmom) have got a few little chickens at their house, and of course Hannah LOVES them. When we went to see them for the first time, Hannah fell in love with the little rooster, whom she promptly named "Kenny." Naturally, she wanted to bring him home with us, but Rebie (who is oh-so-smart when it comes to that kind of thing) said, "He can be your chicken, but let him live here with us." SCORE ONE FOR REBIE!! So now we have to go check on Kenny from time to time, and Hannah chases all the chickens around the yard. She can even catch them from time to time. Even Carter got his hands on one Monday night. Boy! You've never heard so much squawking or seen so many feathers fly! Jimmy was about to have a fit, while Rebie was running for her camera. Aren't grandparents wonderful?!

I also need to mention that Hannah is starting to clue in on how we're all connected. Such as...Mimi is my momma, Pop is my daddy, Paw Paw is Jason's daddy, etc. Well when we told her that Maw Maw was Jason's step-mother, it upset her so bad. She started hollering, "NO! Don't call her a step-mother! She's not a step-mother!" The only thing I can figure is that she thinks "step" is the same thing as "mean" because of the Cinderella story that she loves so much. Bless her heart.

Carter isn't much of a talker. He babbles constantly and makes plenty of noise, but he's definitely a man of few words. He pretty much says, "Mama" (for both me and Mimi) and "Dada". Oh, and sometimes "duh" for dog. Everything else is in his own little sign language. You ask him what the big truck says and he pumps his little arm up and down (like you do when you want them to honk). Every night at supper, Hannah wants us to say the blessing all together like they do at school. And when we all say, "Amen," little Carter just nods his head. He knows what we're saying, because he follows directions (put the toy in the box, bring me that sock, go to the bathroom, etc). He just doesn't need to talk. We cater to his every grunt and growl.