It's Football Time!

It's hard to believe that it is football time in Tennessee! Ryan's first game was against Ft. Campbell, a team that won the state championship in Class AA in Kentucky last year and a team that had won 40 of their last 41 games. I was really nervous about how Madison Claire was going to do at the game this year given that she is so much more mobile and has an independent mind of her own! Luckily we had some friends join us at the game so Madison Claire had some friends to play with. Thanks to Dustin, Tasha, Keatyn, Shawn & Amelia! Gary wasn't able to make it because he was out of town, but Cheryl & I somehow managed to successfully control Madison Claire and to top it all off CPA won 23-21!!!

PRECIOUS video of Madison Claire dancing with the music during the game...

Stomping her feet with the crowd to make noise for the Lions!

Finding Daddy after the game...look how cute when she starts clapping when everyone else claps. Precious!

My new do

If you know me well, you know I've had my hair done the same way for as long as I can remember. Point in case - if you look at my drivers license from 2000 & 2006, my hair is exactly the same and it's exactly the same as it is in 2010. SO, I decided I was ready for a change and went to my friends stylist who a) colored my hair differently than it ever has been...it's kind of hard to tell in these pictures, but it is different in person and b) changed the style. I really like it a lot so it will be interesting to see if it stays or if I go back to my signature style (a.k.a. - no style!).

Beach Trip

Annie and I took Madison Claire down to Destin for the first week of August. We had such a great time shopping, eating, watching movies, playing in the pool, laying out, and having fun with Madison Claire. I had to work a few days while we were there, but it was still a great trip! We stayed at the McSwains condo in Panama City Beach for the first 4 nights and then stayed at my parents place for the last 4 nights. Madison Claire was a little fish...she LOVED the water! She would jump right in to me or Annie and would be happy as can be swimming for 30 mintues! Enjoy the pics!

We stopped in Birmingham to eat at FLIP and see my good friend Whitney who moved there a few weeks ago

Madison Claire ate Natural Cheetos in her car seat...lets just say there was Cheeto dust EVERYWHERE! SOOO nasty!!! We had to wash the car seat cover when we made it to Florida. Lesson learned!

We finally made it to Panama City Beach and stopped at Carabbas for dinner

Playing at the Mushroom at the McSwain's condo. She LOVED it!

Of course she wanted my Diet Coke

View from the McSwains condo...you can see the water was NASTY with all of the seaweed. Annie actually took Madison Claire down to the beach and let her put her feet in an area that didn't have a lot of seaweed...I was way to grossed out! The seaweed started to move out our last day there...had we been there a week later it would have been absolutely clear & beautiful!

My Americas Next Top Model striking a pose

Getting some Vitamin D

At the Sugar Shak in Rosemary Beach...she loved it!

Getting ready for her beach portraits...how sweet!!

This is the man who took her pictures. Once I get my copies, I will take a picture and post one for everyone...they turned out AMAZING!!! It was quite the experience though - he kept saying, "cross your feet, cross your feet" and I was like "she doesn't know what that means!!!". He also had Annie come crouching around the camera making faces to get MC to smile. It had me about peeing in my pants!!

She loved this little spot at the One Water Place pool...so precious.

Madison Claire's first time in up in a play place at Chick-fil-A during the ride home...she was mesmerized!

Swimming with Annie

Random MC Pics

Here are some cute random pics over the past month

Decorating help!

My friend that I met from swimming lessons, Lindsey, referred her friend Rachel to me to help with some decorating at my house. We can't really afford to do much now, but Rachel came over one day and spent about 5 hours rearranging our house with our existing furniture. It was a lot of fun to see how she used things. My favorite is the bedroom...here are a few pics!

Happy Birthday Anne & Weightloss Club!

My great friend Anne celebrated her birthday on August 2nd and both myself and our other friend Ashlie were out of town so we surprised Anne for an early birthday girls night the week before her birthday. Nate helped us trick her into thinking that they were going out and instead we swooped in and had a fun night at Local Taco & Sweet CeCes. The night got short due to tornadoes in Nashville, but we still had a great time! I don't know what I'd do without Anne...HAPPY BIRTHDAY my sweet friend!!

We also started Weightloss club this night. Basically, we decided that we would do our own little weightwatchers group where we would hold each other accountable, weigh in together on Monday nights, and track our success until we all reached our goal. The idea was to pay $5 each time unless you were the biggest loser (by percentage of weight loss) and then at the end, once we all met our goals, we would take the money and do something fun together! So great, huh?! Well - the reason I say "the idea" is that wouldn't you know it's only been one month and we've already all gotten off track. Oh well - here's to starting back up again soon & second chances!!

Swimming Graduation

Well...after 12 weeks of what is normally a 6 week program, Madison Claire has FINALLY graduated from swimming lessons! PRAISE the LORD! I am so proud of her for fighting through and am really thankful that they are done. It is saving me a lot of money & gas!!! She had a big fan club for her graduation - her Nana & Papa McSwain came (Gary stood in the far corner and Cheryl got a few tears throughout the graduation), of course Nanny Annie was there, and our friends from swimming lessons Lindsey, Helen, Sadie & Isaac came and brought Madison Claire some balloons as a congratulations gift! She LOVED the balloons!!

Here is a picture before she got started & a video of her graduation...there is a lot of crying, but it's really amazing so make sure you watch the whole thing!