One of those moments . . .

. . . when you know being a parent is so much more than you could ever imagine.

I was cleaning up after dinner tonight while Chris helped Marley brush her teeth, etc. and this conversation took place:

Marley: "Daddy, your hair is brown - why?"

Chris: "Because it got darker as I got older."

Marley: "If you are old, probably you will be in heaven soon."

Chris asked me if I heard her, and I said sort of, so we had a repeat, and then Marley said she didn't want us to be old and leave her because she would "be all alone".

She's 3 months shy of three years old and I wasn't prepared for this conversation just yet. So . . . I gave her a really big hug and told her that she would never be alone because she has so many people who love her. I told her that Mommy and Daddy would always be there for her (even from heaven) and then listed out all of the other people in her life that love her and help to take care of her, and she gave me the biggest smile and the biggest hug back.

I cannot ignore the irony in the fact that we are meeting with our lawyer at 11:00 in the morning to start drawing up our wills . . .

Little Miss Muffet

My mom was visiting this weekend and we were talking about nursery rhymes and whether I had tried to teach any to Marley. Apparently one of my favorite nursery rhymes as a child was "Little Miss Muffet" so we thought we would try that one out with Marley. She caught on really well - here's her version . . .

Little Miss Muffin
Sat on a tuffin
Eating her turds of whey (as she pretends to spoon it in her mouth)
Aloooooong came a spider (said in a deep voice with much emphasis on "along")
Sat beside her (insert command for YOU to be the spider)
And frighten her away!! (as she runs away squealing)

Live video coming soon!!! :)

Mouses!!

So I was taking Marley to preschool a couple of weeks ago when she says from the backseat, "Mommy, my tummy hurts." I respond, "It does?" And she says, "Yes, I need for you to put some lunch in it."

While stifling a laugh, I say into the rear view mirror, "Really? Well I just put some breakfast into it, so it shouldn't hurt too bad." She replies firmly, "No, I need a sandwhich in it!"

(Unfortunately, I had not packed a sandwhich in her lunch today and proceed to tell her what I did pack.) "Well your lunch today is yogurt raisins, cucumber, ham slices, crackers and cheese." She then says very enthusiastically, "Cheese?!? I LOVE cheese!!! You know what else likes cheese, Mommy?"

I reply, "What Marley?"

She yells, "MOUSES!!!!"

And we both crack up! I love that kid!

From the mouths of babes

So here is a brief little entry about Marley's latest comedic moment! Yesterday evening, I ran out to do a little shopping while Chris and Marley enjoyed some "father-daughter" time together.

When I came back, I asked him how she did - you know the really important questions like, "Did she pee-pee and poop on the potty okay for you?" (Marley jumped on the potty bandwagon around two weeks ago, but that's for another blog!) He told me that she did something even better. They were watching a little Sprouts on TV just before bedtime and she says, "Daddy - I have to poop! But I can do it MYSELF!" and shut the door on him when he tried to assist her.

She then comes out of the bathroom and proudly exclaims, "I DID IT!!! Look Daddy, I made a rocket ship!!" A rocket ship? Man, this kid has an imagination!! :)

Our little song writer

So I'm not 100% sure, but I think we have a Taylor Swift on our hands - I think Marley has just written the words to her first song! Here's the rundown . . . Our fourteen year old next door neighbor, Caroline, watched Marley on Sunday so that we could see Avatar (It was excellent by the way - especially at the I-Max in 3-D - but I digress . . .) We very rarely have sitters during the evening, and this was the first time Caroline had kept Marley. But apparently they got along fabulously!

Tonight, as Chris and I were putting Marley to bed she says, "I have a song" and starts singing the following:

Carolina, Carolina come to my house
Carolina, Carolina go to sleep
Carolina, Carolina play with me

As best as I could understand at least!! Guess I need to get that child a microphone!!

Pittsboro Party!

So this past weekend, we managed to do something we had been talking about for literally 7 or 8 years . . . get together with some friends of ours that Chris has known since he was a wee little sprout (heh, heh). So we drove over to Pittsboro to hang out with "the crowd" from Chris' old Chapel Hill days. It was a lot of fun - there were only slightly more adults than kids - which meant things didn't get too wild! Here are a few photos from the shin-dig (thanks to Helen and Scott for hosting!).
 

 

 

 

If you were there, check your emails for a link to all the fun photos!! Good times in the 'Boro!

Post Script to my previous blog . . .

Here's a little video to demonstrate the power of the Subtle Butt product (please read prior blog for explanation). I feel much better knowing that they really did their research!!

WHAT?

Can you say stocking stuffer?

So, I was perusing the pages of my newest Solutions.com catalog this evening, and lo and behold - I found something worth buying! Yep, I am excited to have marked something off my Christmas shopping list so early in the year! I know several members of my family (and a few friends) who are going to be thrilled with these stocking stuffers. But what really sold me on this ingenious product was the description:

Sometimes you just can’t control a gassy stomach...and what may happen as a result. But relax — the pressure’s off when you’re protected with these antimicrobial pads. Just stick to your underwear (even thongs) and go about your day. If you make a slip, don’t worry—the odor is neutralized by the activated carbon layer, and you’re spared the embarrassment. Great for travel, office or anywhere you’re in close quarters!

Know of someone who could benefit from these nifty odor neutralizing pads? Check them out! Please make sure you read the reviews - it did receive a 4.9 out of 5 stars (mostly because these do not also serve as mufflers). My sister is gonna love hers!!

Oh yes, it's ladies night . . .

. . . and the feeling's right - oh what a night!! Can you hear it? Gotta love some Kool and the Gang!!

So, several months ago a few of my friends and I had talked about getting together on a regular basis (like once a month) for "girls night". Our first little gathering consisted of only three, but the next month there were six, the following month brought a slightly different group of six, and last night, we had reached a total of nine foxy ladies! I think we are on a roll now and have officially created the monthly ritual of "Ladies Night".

Here's a run down of what we got ourselves into last night . . . First, we had a wonderful (did I say wonderful? I meant fabulous!) dinner at The Pit in downtown Raleigh. If you have not been there, you are missing out!! I highly recommend it (the fried okra was awesome) and they have some great beer on tap as well. Then we moseyed across the street to Jibarra where we enjoyed an array of fancy beverages - most of them containing tequila!

Then the real fun began! We were standing on the street trying to decide where to go next, when this lady walks by and says, "Hey are you guys looking for the Intel party?" Oddly, we all responded, "Yes!!!" So she proceeds to tell us that it's just around the corner and apologized for the fact that the "directions were confusing". So, here we go -- our first experience crashing a company party. It was in a club - with a DJ, along with free drinks. Can you say serendipitous?? At first we felt a little weird - like somebody was going to notice we were not supposed to be there, but eventually we just partied down. I kept waiting for Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson to show . . . Can't wait til next month, ladies!!

Getting Personal

So, I started this blog to keep our friends and family abreast of the happenings with our little family. I have done a sad (to say the least) job of actually keeping up with things, however. (I think the term was "poorly maintained blog" - thanks for lighting a fire under my derriere, Carl.) So, I (Melissa) am officially taking over the Windley blog and am going to write about whatever the heck I want . . . So if you are one of the, I don't know, 7 people who actually read these sporadic, picture filled posts, watch out. Things may get crazy . . . but I will try and keep it clean!

Fun in the snow!!

This weekend didn't quite turn out as we had planned, but I guess it's a perfect example of the fact that we are not in control of things! I made the tough decision not to travel to Atlanta to accept TGK's award for being in the UGA Top 100 Bulldog Businesses (we actually got #14 - yea!!!). And Chris canceled his duck hunting trip (last weekend of the season!). But we had an absolutely wonderful time hanging out as a family.




If you want to see more, go to our Picasa page:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mkwindley/SnowJan2010#

Fun, fun, fun!!

Don't Worry Mommy!

This was too cute so just had to share - I was looking for a match to my sock this morning and Marley says to me, "Don't worry, Mommy. Don't worry. I will help you! Don't worry."

Every time she said "don't worry", she motioned me with her hands (like if you were saying "hush hush"). It was soooo sweet!! I love this kid!!