Aunt Trail

(I started this post on May 6...I'd say it's about time to get rolling with this one!)

In early May, we finally made a trip we've been thinking/talking about for quite some time...a trip to College Park to visit Aunt Gail!


Sad to say, this was the 1st time Alaina has been to Aunt Gail's house. We have been wanting and meaning to visit for months and months and months, but we made the mistake of never making an official plan. Then life just carried on...


BUT we finally made it down to the A-T-L to Auntie Gail's. It took Alaina no time to find the "pi-nano."





Like mother, like daughter.


Sarah fact: I took piano lessons for 9 years, somewhat against my will. I hated practicing and cutting my fingernails :( But torture aside, I am glad that I learned how to play.


From Aunt Gail's house we continued on our "aunt trail" to see Aunt Martha. But not before a trip to Chick-fil-A! Aunt Gail got to see first hand Alaina's love of CFA. Sorry folks, no pics to share from our first CFA visit (yes, first, as in we went more than once in 1 day!) Shocker?


Alaina met my great Aunt Martha for the very 1st time, and boy were these 2 a pair! Alaina is usually leery of strangers, but she absolutely ADORED Aunt Martha, or "Aunt Marfa" to be exact :)


Alaina enjoyed checking out the house and all that was in it. Testing each chair was a favorite activity.


What also proved to be fun was running from one end of the living room to the other, straight into Aunt Martha's arms. It was sweet to see their natural love for each other.


Sidenote: Aunt Martha is not biologically my aunt. My grandmother (who passed away a couple years ago) had been best friends with Martha ever since they were little girls. We're talking multiple decades of sisterly friendship. This just goes to show you that sometimes family is not related by blood, but by the heart :)


Next up: Aunt Jackie's! Aunt Jackie keeps her house s-p-o-t-l-e-s-s, so I was a tad worried that my toddler tornado might do some damage. To my pleasant surprise, Alaina was none other than a well-behaved angel. It was Alaina's very first time meeting Aunt Jackie too, and Alaina took to her as well!


We ended our aunt trail with another stop at Chick-fil-A! Although this time, it was at another location and for the primary purpose of seeing my dad's band (ROC) play. They had an acoustic setup at the CFA in Douglasville, so we surprised him with our delightful presence ;)


As could be expected, Alaina "cut a rug" on the imaginary dance floor. Too bad I didn't capture this sight on camera. All that visiting and dancing wore my tiny dancer OUT!

We Gather Together, In Memory of Pa

On Saturday, June 11, at precisely 3:09am, my grandpa ("Pa") passed from this life to the next. It was expected somewhat, but yet not quite so soon. Pa has been bedridden for four years with endless health problems. His last battles were pnemonia and kidney failure. Sweetly enough, his very last words were to his sweetheart, his selflessly loving wife of over 50 years. He said, "I love you, Babelle." (*tear*)

Thankfully, our entire family was able to gather together the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. We usually have a family cookout around Memorial Day, and this year we had planned a big celebration to honor our family graduates - Mom, Hannah and Hadrian.


Pa was in the hospital at the time, and due to the situation, we opted to eat out for lunch and make our hospital visit afterward. We are all SO GLAD we got to spend this precious time with him because for most of us, it was our last time spent with him :(


Pa was in good spirits, as he always was anytime a gathering was held. He loved to socialize and visit with family and friends, always to finger lickin' southern food and often to finger pickin' (bluegrass) music. Hosting parties was his specialty. Pa never met a stranger, that's for sure. He knew everyone in the town of Blairsville. Every restaurant. Every restaurant special. And just about every piece of juicy gossip :)


One thing that sticks out in my mind about my Pa is that he was a proud man. Proud of his family. Darn proud of his 5 grandkids. And darn tootin' proud of his 1 and only greatgrandchild - ALAINA!


Pa was also proud of the town from which he came. I couldn't picture him anywhere else besides Blairsville. Every tree had a story, every mountain had a name. Pa was a great storyteller at heart. He would tell you the God-honest truth, or a lie, or a mix of both. Whatever would make a good story :)


Each loved one has special memories of Pa, Alaina being no exception. Every time Alaina visited, she knew she could always find her Pa in the same place, in his special bed in his special room. She would peek in and check on him. Often times he was "seepin" (sleeping). Sometimes she would sit with him in the bed and hang out, read books, laugh, or whatever the mood called for.

2 months...

10 months...

11 months...

And who could forget Pa's dollars? Each time Alaina came to visit Pa, he would enthusiastically give her a crisp dollar bill. Her very own dollar! The last time around, he generously gave his princess $2!!


One things for sure, Alaina certainly loved her "Paw Paw." For the last couple of months, literally every day, Alaina would talk about Pa. She would say things like, "Paw Paw...bed...seepin...shhhh" or "Paw Paw...sick...sad...tiss (kiss)...hud (hug)." A "tiss" and a "hud" were Alaina's solution to making Pa feel better. So innocent and sweet. Unquestionably, Alaina has a knack for brightening someone's day :)


Although Alaina doesn't understand death, I have tried my very best to explain to her that Pa is no longer with us. She looked at him quite a bit during the visitation. She thought he was taking a nap because his eyes were closed. She also told him bye and that she loved him. During he funeral, Alaina audibly said more than once, "Bye Bye Paw." I think he would have been mighty proud of his spunky little greatgrandchild who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Reminds me of someone ;)


I also think Pa would have been proud of his girls - me, Haley, Hannah, Hadrian & Alaina (plus Adam) - for eating a late night (second) supper after the visitation at his favorite restaurant in town...Huddle House!


We kept Lainey Bug up WAY past her bedtime for this special occasion. But as Pa would have freely said, "WHO CARES!" We ate and ate until we couldn't eat anymore, just as Pa would have wanted. The 5,000 calorie meal was proudly consumed in honor of our beloved Pa. ;)


Our dear waitress found a Huddle House nametag that we got to take home in honor of Pa. His name was written on the nametag, and it was thoughtfully placed in the memory box of Pa's casket. Yep, proud he would be.


In loving memory of my Pa, who will be greatly missed.

Garnett Talmadge Collins
October 29, 1934 - June 11, 2011

22 Months

As of May 31, Alaina turned 22 months!


In general news, she weighs about 24 pounds, is about 34 inches tall, sleeps about 11 hours at night (usually from 8pm-7am) and takes 1 nap a day after lunch (usually from 1-3pm).


Alaina is a little more picky in her eating. Lately she has been "off" meat, so to speak. I can sneak it in certain things like casseroles or dishes, but plain cuts of chicken will not do. Deli turkey or chicken is hit or miss. On the bright and sweet side, Alaina LOVES fruit of all kind. Strawberries, grapes, oranges, pears, bananas (which she now holds herself), peaches, and the list goes on. She will also eat a whole vine-ripe tomato with sea salt in one sitting, usually still begging for more. For a special frozen "prise," Alaina gets sorbet or a popsicle. Yummm...


Her vocabulary amazes me every day. She is stringing together several words, making phrases. Warning: Alaina will try to repeat what someone else says. Thanks to a little girl at the neighborhood pool, Alaina now knows how to say "Party Pooper." :) I thought in honor of Alaina's 22 month mark, I'd jot down a list of 22 words/phrases that she says that are my favorite...

~"Mommy, hold you." (said about 100 times per day!)

~"I hold you, you hold me." (also said multiple times per day!)

~"We-mom-mane" (lemonade)

~"Va-tomb Tea-ner" (vacuum cleaner)

~"Oh...WOW!"

~"Sweet Dweams" (sweet dreams)

~"Dader-Dader" (later gator)

~"Wud You" (love you)

~"Baby Soup" (bathing suit)

~"Dady-bug" (ladybug)

~"Pidder" (caterpillar)

~"I toot" :)

~"Bid dirl potty" (big girl potty)

~"Bubble baff" (bubble bath)

~"Bid tutch" (big truck)

~"Na-nah" (Alaina)

~"Hi Mom"

~"By a-self" (by self)

~"Itsy fighter" (itsy bitsy spider)

~"Op-pa-puss" (octapus)

~"Wedd-y fwedd-y" (ready Freddy)

And my personal favorite...
~"Tane-tu-fweetie" (thank you sweetie)

I'm sure there are MANY MANY more words and phrases that I'm forgetting at the moment. One thing's for sure. This girl of mine is the biggest sweatheart who has completely taken over my heart. Alaina makes sure to show her "Mom" affection each and every day. A pat on the shoulder, a kiss on my knee, a bear hug - it all melts me! She is quite polite too, saying "thank you fweetie" when I hand her something, for example. Completely unprompted. What a lucky mom I am :)

Everyday Emmett

Quick update of our "Everyday Emmett" lives...

~ Adam's Job Update...

Thankfully, Adam started job training for his new job at Byers Engineering Company TODAY. We have been (im)patiently waiting for the last 2 months for this opportunity to be finalized. YAY (for all of us)!

No, I am NOT wearing a cowboy hat. Stupid prop on the wall.

~Out with the old, in with the semi-new...

So long Exploder! Around Easter, Adam's parents were in the market for a new vehicle. So it was only a natural decision to give us their old vehicle, FREE & CLEAR! We actually traded them - they took the Explorer (which they plan to donate) and we gladly took their Isuzu Axiom. Seriously, Adam & I have been waiting for his 1998 Ford Explorer to literally explode for years. It's a wonder it lasted as long as it did. It's had some major problems over the years, and I would absolutely not drive this car. I really didn't like for Adam to even drive it. Unreliable it was. But Adam skillfully knew how to maneuver it and work with it. They were cool like that. Anyway, THANK GOD it is G-O-N-E!



The replacement: 2002 Isuzu Axiom (in excellent condition, might I add)


~29, and not feelin' so fine...

On May 27, I turned 29! Actually, 29 has been a bit of a bummer. I think I am having a mid-life crisis. Not because of my age. Just because. But my birthday weekend was great. Adam arranged for his parents to watch Alaina for the night, and he took me out to Atlantic Station. We ate a superb fine dinner at Strip (no, not a strip club). I shopped, Adam bought me an outfit, I had dessert at a fudge shop, we people watched (my, oh my!) and enjoyed staying up and out past 10pm. Ha! The next day, we casually got ready without the "crumb snatcher" (Adam's term) on our hands. We ate lunch at a Japanese Steakhouse and went to a matinee movie. We saw "Bridesmaids." It was hilarious! Then the next day, we got together with family. This was all over Memorial Day weekend. My parents also took us to lunch one afternoon. And I've already gotten my hair done and 1-hour swedish massage, courtesy of my birthday loot. Pampering is a must when it comes to birthdays :)


~Alaina's Boyfriend...

Alaina met what I'm calling her boyfriend at the mall recently. One 90+ degree day in May, our air conditioning decided to go out, and we headed directly for the mall to keep cool. We were there for a few hours, and most of our time was spent at the mall play area. Cool concept really.


It was here that she met - and had her 1st date with - Aiden. I guess he was maybe 3 or so. An older boy. Aiden & Alaina played so well together. She talked and he listened and tried to sweetly interpret what she was trying to say. He took her fishing on the boat and talked intelligently about what he was doing. We were all impressed. You can't see his face in these pics (I didn't want to be a super stalker), but he looks like Adam did as a child. Sweet :)



Other than that, we have been staying busy playing outside in the hot, hot sun. Swimming is a must if we are outside for too long. We have also taken the opportunity to visit family and friends that we don't normally get to see since Adam has been home. More on that later. Alright, my memory recall is fading, so I suppose I have my sign that I need to sign off. Until next time!

Dr. Mom

I have a new name for my mom: "Dr. Mom" and rightly so. I am so very proud to announce that my very own mama (finally) graduated from Lincoln Memorial University with the following prestigious degree...Doctor of Education in Executive Leadership.
It almost makes my brain rattle!


Dr. Mom has been working her TAIL off for over 2 years for this. I mean nonstop working, working, working. In addition to her full time job and being a new grandma, she has been hitting the books hard. My mom has sacrificed nearly every bit of her free time to study and write and type and research and travel out of town for class and whatever else has been involved in earning this degree. To say she earned it is an understatement!!!


Mother's Day weekend, our immediate family traveled to Tennessee for the glorious graduation ceremony. In attendance was yours truly, Adam, Alaina, Dan, Stevie and of course my dad & the star of the show - Dr. Mom :)


Alaina had her first hotel experience. This wild child nearly killed herself within 5 minutes of getting to our room. She found the perfect reading spot in a chair that backed up to a wall. Thank God it backed up to something because she went tumbling backward in a flash. Thank you, wall, for saving my child.


She disappeared twice while we were unpacking a few things - out the door! She quietly opened the door and escaped into the hallway - twice. Little stinker. I think she fell or almost fell off the bed too within a few minutes. Oh the joys of having a curious, adventurous child. Alaina DID NOT do well on the car ride to/from TN, in case you were wondering. Plenty of stops were made. Whole nother story!


We arrived on a Friday night in Knoxville, the day before mom's graduation. We got to explore the town, and I must say that I loved it! Very diverse and great for people watching. Alaina enjoyed dog watching. Everyone had a dog there it seemed. We spent our night...

...strolling around town...


...eating at a yummy burrito restaurant...


...being serenaded by music...


...and swimming! Alaina could not run to the elevator fast enough.


My ladybug girl :)


Adam took Alaina for a dip in the indoor pool. She was shivering, but she could not get enough of it. I sat on the sidelines and took pictures.




Saturday morning came before we knew it. We drove from Knoxville to Harrogate early Saturday morning. Alaina surprisingly did well throughout the ceremony, partly due to all the arranged distractions and goodies...



Of course the one time she started whining/crying is the exact second when my mom's name was being called. She could not have timed this more perfectly, or imperfectly really. Well, I guess we all were screaming at the mention of the name...Joy Collins Kitchens!


After the ceremony, we ate a southern-style lunch at a historic restaurant. We also had a brief opportunity to take some family photos outside the restaurant. Brief because ALL of our camera batteries decided to die at the same time. Go figure! Poor Adam was left out :(





Dr. Mom, I love you and am so very proud of your hard work, dedication and determination!!!


P.S. NO MORE SCHOOL - EVER - EVER EVER - PROMISE!