Snack time!

{Life Lately} :via iphone pics

Daddy reading to Georgie-Pie

sweetness personified.

Morning smiles.

Park time with friends!

Little Buddy

Entertaining herself while Mommy shoe shops!

Wouldn't this smile brighten your day!?

High flying!

Fun at the airport-- making other passengers laugh by amusing herself on the air conditioning vents!

Flying to FL to set sail on our Disney Cruise!

End of our trip-- Georgia Kate bidding the sea and sunset adieu!

Pensive

*grin*

*toothy grin*

Vertical blinds are not Mommy's favorite...

but GK loves em!

Pic of GK with pool and lake in background: fail

Fun at the pool!

Storytime at the Library-- see my Georgia Girl in the front having a blast?!

Library play time.

I will miss this library!  One of the most beautiful public libraries I've seen!

GK's newest obsession: She wants to PUSH everything!  Carts, strollers, etc.

Sweet girl with her dainty 'bracelet' on.  Every circular item is a bracelet now. She wants to wear jewelry like mommy! :)

Back in Big D to throw Sister a baby shower!

with my Chunk out enjoying a beautiful spring day!

Playing 'peek a boo' with sweet Aunt Katie! (she covers her ears instead of her eyes!)

GK loves her Marmee!

Home to Bham and more beautiful weather!

Playing in the grass by the tennis court.

Exploring-- her favorite past time.

Sweet Cheeks.

Love her more than life.

Every day may not be perfect, but every day is truly a blessing.

Since Georgia Kate turned 1, life has felt like it is in fast motion!  We have done a lot of traveling with our Disney Cruise in March and then being in Dallas the first week of April.  As we've caught up with our Birmingham friends, they keep remarking how much Georgia has grown and changed in just a few short weeks! 

Her awareness and grasp of the world around her seems to be increasing with each passing week!  It's amazing!  With so much going on in our lives, life seems to be getting a little fuzzy, a little blurry and I don't like it!  Cut it out, Life!  Stop making me so far-sighted that I forget to see the moments staring me in the face!  I'm working on getting some well-balanced bifocals, if you will.  ;)  It's hard sometimes balancing the need to plan for the future with the desire to 'live in the moment'.  *sigh*

C'est la vie!

Here's a quick little wrap up of recent happenings, including some mentioned above:  Loves to: push things around (literally and figuratively!),  wear 'bracelets' and 'necklaces', walk around and explore, put everything in her mouth (when does this stop?!), nap once per day (just dropped her morning nap!  sad day.), THREE new teeth in the course of 1 week- yikes! we now brush our many teeth {almost} every night, looooves to point at EVERYTHING and say 'dat'?  As in, 'what's that?'.  Gotta love her curiosity, but, man, does it get old!, loves playtime at the library-- though she mainly loves to walk around smiling at people and then stealing their keys, water bottles, hair bows, books, etc etc., enjoys swimming in her float at the pool and putting her mouth in the water and 'blow bubbles' (she does this in the bath also), loooves to 'talk' on the 'phone' (which can range from an actual phone to a piece of string...), been a great trooper traveling lots via planes, ships, and automobiles!, can say 'baby', 'dada', 'mama', 'dog', 'dat?', and 'georgia'

That's all for now!

Little Women

Have you read this glorious book?

If not, I implore you to pick it up and give it a read.

I recently was walking around Babies R Us with Georgia (something we often do on rainy days or when I'm bored) and saw the movie Little Women on sale for $10.  I don't often buy movies, as evidenced by my paltry collection of about 7, but the ones I do buy are my favorites!  So, I bought it on the spot and then remembered how I had the book on my Kindle (because it was free!) and started reading it again.

It's been so long since I've really been swept up in a book and it feels so good to get lost in another world again!  I've been reading it as much as my own little one will allow.  This book is just so amazing!  There is so much wisdom in the book and it's especially poignant reading it as the mother of a young girl!  I desperately want Georgia to have a childhood full of exploration, of climbing trees, of reading books, of endless imagination and plays and poetry and silliness and joy!  I remember back to my own childhood with my sister full of bike rides and expeditions through the woods, playing house, swinging on vines and rope swings, countless hours with my barbies and dolls (yes, I was that girl), and awesomely bad skits, newscasts, workout routines (a la Jane Fonda), and music videos.  We were an odd bunch!

While I also grew up watching tv, I had a great balance, I think, and I crave that for Georgia. 

I can just feel the love this family has for one another and between the sisters bursting off the pages!  I laugh and cry along with them.  I know this will be a book I read over and over.  I already have fanciful dreams of reading a chapter a night or so to my 'little woman' when she is older! 

I'll also confess it has made me long for a whole brood of girls!  But, I know if my next is a boy, I'll be thrilled as well. 

There are so many wonderful quotes, I have no idea where to begin, but here are a couple of my current favorites:

"Learn how to value the praise which is worth having, and to excite the admiration of excellent people by being modest as well as pretty."

“My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are beginning, and may be many; but you can overcome and outlive them all if you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as you do that of your earthly one. The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken from you, but may become the source of lifelong peace, happiness, and strength. Believe this heartily, and go to God with all your little cares, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as you come to your mother.”    

“...for love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.”    

 

“...the love, respect, and confidence of my children was the sweetest reward I could receive for my efforts to be the woman I would have them copy.”    

"Gateway to the West"

Today, I spent some time searching craigslist and trulia for rental homes in Omaha for our little family to enjoy for several years to come.  I am soooo ready to be in a home, my friends; to have a yard, and storage, and room to grow, and no pesky downstairs neighbors!  I can't wait!!!!

I then decided to google some images of 'omaha, ne' to try to start visualizing our new city!  I thought I'd share a few of them with you, since you'll be coming along with us in June.  ;)

To get started, let's take a look at all my preconceived notions relating to Omaha.  Not sure about you, but when I think of Omaha, I think about....

A little bit of this...

College World Series!  I'd love to catch a game or two...especially if our Ags make it!



corn rows and rows...where it stops, nobody knows!

yummmmmm!  steak!

And, a whole lot of that...

Say it ain't snooooow!

Throw in a Buffett...

Margaritaville

 

Oops! Not that one, THIS one...old moneybags, himself:

The Sage of Omaha, Warren.

And, that's about all I know of Omaha!

After doing some highly intellectual research (aka. Google search), I found Omaha to be a striking city with many things to offer and at a great value to boot!  

Enjoy:

Dowtown at dusk-- beautiful river through town!

From the sky.



World renowned Zoo.



The most interesting facts I could find:

• Nickname: Gateway to the West
• Motto: Fortiter in Re   --  "Courageously in every enterprise"
• Metro Population: 885,350
• State Bird: Western Meadowlark
• State Flower:  Goldenrod
• State Flag:  (a bit detailed, if you ask me, but I'm from the Lone Star State!)

 

Today, Omaha is the home to five Fortune 500 companies: ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Corporation, Mutual of Omaha, Peter Kiewit and Sons, Inc., and Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway is headed by local investor, Warren Buffett, who was the richest person in the world for the first half of 2008.

In 2009, Forbes identified Omaha as the nation's number one "Best Bang-For-The Buck City" and number one on "America's Fastest-Recovering Cities" list.

It seems like a wonderful city and we are excited to explore a new place and get up close and personal with the 'mid west'.

Have a great week!

Georgia says...

"Please install my new car seat, Daddy! It feels so comfortable! Or...just leave it where it is so I can keep climbing on it like a jungle gym! Win. Win." ;)

Cupcake Smash!

We had a great, low-key celebration for Georgia Kate's 1st!  My mom, dad, and sister flew in on Friday and we waited until they were here to sing and let Georgia eat her birthday cupcake!  She ate it up and quite enjoyed it. :)  We had a wonderful 4 day weekend with my family and I was so sad to see them leave Monday night-- as always!  Such a sweet time!

Here are a few pics of our little celebration:

Tried to get some cute outdoor pics for her bday, but it was 40 degrees and the sun was setting.  See her little red nose?!  Poor baby!

Pretty lake at the park.

 

Running at the park.

Cupcake Time!!!

Singing "Happy Birthday!"

We probably could have picked a less crowded locale for the celebration, but I had put the decor where it was most visible and didn't think about needing to move it when it was time to celebrate!  Live and learn.

Yay!

Blowing out candle!

Getting started!

Icing first, of course!

She was all business while eating!  Couldn't get her to look or smile!

yummy fingers!

This, my friends, is what they call the 'money shot'! :)

mmm good.

little too big a bite, maybe?  not really sure, but what party is complete without a few tears?!

Loving fam!

Thanks, Meg, for the cute sign!!!!

sweet bib-- with all the aftermath of Cupcake Smash!

Banner made by Connie!  Such a talented mother and daughter!  Lucky me! :)

Bath time to clean up after the celebration!