Carter's 11 Month Photo Session

I could just cry knowing our monthly photo sessions are coming to an end.  Carter is all over the place and in to everything.  I don’t know what I will do when she starts walking…which won’t be long now.  In the last couple of weeks she has started free standing.  We have got to start putting shoes on her, but every time we try, she seems to hate them.  There is no way I have a girl that doesn’t love shoes???  It must be a phase!

Even though she looks just like her Daddy, I see more and more of her sister in her.  Maybe it’s her facial expressions or her hair, but the other day when she stood at the bookshelf and dumped all the books in the floor, I was immediately taken back to Charley doing the same thing at about the same age.  Carter loves to clap, jabber, say “Dada”, take baths, follow her sister, hold up her “1” finger, eat and chase the vacuum cleaner.  We just got her a big girl car seat, still facing backwards, and she seems to really love being able to see out the window.  I plan to soak up these last 30 days or so before she turns 1, while I work on her first birthday celebration…or in her Daddy’s words, her first birthday extravaganza!!! 

Sister didn't exactly cooperate for this session...haha!

MCHS Cheer Clinic 2015

I was really hoping Charley wouldn’t go down the same path as her Momma and would steer clear of cheerleading.  Unfortunately, it’s not looking too good…for me!  I have Granddaddy Charlie to thank for her current aspirations in life.  After going with him to a basketball game last winter, she has become obsessed with cheerleading and decided to be a Marshall County Cheerleader for Halloween.  She even agreed to wear orange, her least favorite color, because that is what a Marshall County Cheerleader wears.  While telling Ashley Rudolph about her Halloween plans, she told us that Charley needed to be at Clinic.  Of course I knew what that meant.  I attended MCHS Cheer Clinic every summer as a kid and then hosted it as a high school cheerleader.  So I also immediately knew that meant two weekends in a row in Kentucky, one for clinic and one to cheer the ballgame.  So, after signing up, shopping for tennis shoes, driving to Benton, picking up a custom “cheer” shirt the night before, inviting Laney to go with Charley, and practicing being “5” since clinic was only for Kindergarten and up, Miss Priss was ready for her first ever cheerleading clinic.

The girls had the best time together with the high school cheerleaders.  I think they practiced lots of sidelines to do at the football game the next week.  And maybe did a few cartwheels. 

For the Friday night game we curled hair to have a “cheerleading pony-tail” and headed to Benton for her big debut.  It was H-O-T at the game, but Charley and Laney had the best time!  They were so cute cheering with the big girls.  All week long we had practiced “hold that line” and before the kindergarten group finished their turn, I requested “hold that line” from the cheer coach, since I was taking pictures beside her.  The girls took lots of pictures and had popsicles, and we even got to leave before half time.

 As for now, Charley is still chanting, “If you want to win tonight, you’ve got to F*I*G*H*D…FIGHT!”  Granddad Mike and I went around and around convincing her it was “F*I*G*H*T…T…FIGHT!”  She has also changed her mind for Halloween.  The other day she leaned over and whispered, “Mommy, can you get me an Auburn cheerleading uniform?  That is my Daddy’s favorite team, so that is what I want to be for Halloween.”  Of course, sweet girl, one Auburn uniform coming right up…and maybe a windbreaker, visor and whistle for Coach Robinson…family dress up???  I like the way she thinks!