Sunday afternoon in the garden.

We are starting a new tradition around these parts...On Sundays, we are all going to church and meeting afterwards for a big ol' lunch together! We meet Pops and Nana at church and we go to a buffet style place after lunch where there are many extended families, and it is an easy place to visit and talk and even let the girlies roam. This past Sunday, I decided to take Maddi home with us to play.
And you KNOW I can't have three little girls all in super cute little dresses and not take pictures in the garden!
I am LOVING that my baby girl is sitting up and can now "pose" a little better for pictures.
However, you will have to deal with about a gazillion pics of them looking in opposite directions, because, well, Ellie is a bit busy! ALL the time!
Would you just LOOK at those azaleas?! They almost become like one of those silver umbrellas a photographer uses in photo shoots. It reflects all kinds of light toward the girls! ANd I LOVE that my snapdragons are coming up in front of the little statue.

You know what this picture reminds me of? Remember a year ago when these two were standing back to the camera on a Sunday afternoon (it was actually Mother's Day). It was also the day they were both dedicated to the church. They were little bitty turkeys and were standing at a rail. Ellie was actually driving Maddi crazy as she tried to come around behind her, but couldn't let go of the rail, as neither were actually walking yet. I will have to hunt that picture down. Because... man, what a difference a year makes!

I love my little girly poo coming out of the garden in this pic.
And then they BOTH let loose flying down this hill! Out of CONTROL!
Oh, man. I wish you could actually SEE the wisteria draping all over the balcony of the cottage. Mmmmmm... it is awesome.
They picked and picked and picked.... and most of their flowers were delivered directly to "Gaggi". That is how Ellie says Gabbi.
And now for a collective "awwwwwwww"....
That little girl is so sweet!

And then there are these two! They are NOT getting the concept of sharing at all! Tonight, at Staci's you should have seen them fighting over the bottle of sprinkles in the tub. YES. Staci, for some strange reason, gave Maddi a bottle of sprinkles (as in to decorate cookies or cupcakes) and she felt it MUST be a tub toy! And, you have SEEN Don's shower. remember... all 7 of us in it?! Well, Maddi LOVES showers, because she feels like she is at a water park! Ellie was not so sure! There's a bird... back to sweet after church in the garden.

I could not believe that I was even able to get these girls in the same shot. They sat there for about 1.2 seconds! and I GOT IT!
I just love that they are going to grow up together. Lots of vacations. Shared swingsets. 6 little floaties by the pool. And eventually, sharing clothes from each other closets. Wont' it be fun?!
I think 20 months may be my favorite month so far! I think I have said that since she was 8 months. Or maybe 6! I keep saying it cannot get better! and it just keeps on getting sweeter!
She is in a phase right now where she doesn't want to go to sleep. Well, I dont' think it is a phase. More like a way of life! I try to pretend like I am asleep to get her to give in. She literally kisses me all over my face, over and over and over! Little pecks like she sees me do her little baby sister (and her!). I try hard to keep my composure, but usually end up laughing. She is such a smart little toot!

Since my sister has taken another big hiatus from blogging, I will remind you of her cute little girl.
Well, hope you enjoyed it. Hate to rub it in with all the flowering bushes for all you in the COLD! But, seriously, I really feel for those up in the floodlands, (Fargo) and still having to wait for snow to melt. We are praying for you down here in the deep south!

 Thanks for keeping up with the Groveses. Gosh, I LOVE to look at my girls. Just had to add that as I looked at the above picture for one last time before I hit "post".

Nighty night. Melanie

Gabbi blows rasberries.

Well, I am a brave ol' soul... but here is another video!!  I don't know how this one could be perceived as anything but P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S!!  I know it is a month and a half old, but it is SO worth it!  

Enjoy my sweet Gabbi Girl.  

Mo

Spring Card/Earrings

Just wanted to share the cute, cute little card Jessi and I designed for spring send out. Some of you may know that I send out a card every month to close friends and family. I have been doing this since Ellie's first Christmas. Anyhoo, I didnt' send out my Christmas cards this year until just the beginning of January, so I skipped an actual January card! And then, I skipped a February card! Oh, the horrors! But, now I am back on track, and the above is March 2009! I'm already thinking about EASTER! Wooo Hooo!


Oh, and below we have the earrings that I plan to teach you to make in the upcoming kit. Jessi and I are fine tuning the directions, so stay tuned, and be checking Etsy for that!

I am so glad to be back blogging. Seriously, I am meant to share my life. I just AM! I am unhappy and gloomy when I have to be bottled up. So glad you are back here with me. Melanie

Alphafest 2009!!

Alrighty... in true Mo Style, this is a LONG post with LOTS of pictures, so settle in. Radstitches, get your blueberry cereal and sit a spell! All you who said you had a little MoJoy with your morning coffee/routine, well, make a big pot! I am going to tell you all about Alphafest. ANd Miss Jane, I am sure the website was good, but THIS is going to tell you the MMPT side of the story.

Ok, so at our office, we sign up for shifts. This is the early morning shift. Karl is the expert in the balloon sculpting field, in our office, so he had to be there early to "show us the way". This is the crew under direction before the gazillion kids came. We usually prepare for about 5,000! Yes, seriously! Every year, there is a theme. This year was a 50's theme, and was basically a sock hop. This is the back side of our booth (or the "kitchen" to Mel's Diner).
Around 8:00 Friday night, I realized that we had this big ol' fabulous booth and not thing #1 with our name on it. Kinda defeats the purpose of any "marketing" attempts, doesnt' it?! So, by Saturday morning, we were all good. This is a table full of our cute brochures on the services we provide... from ADHD to Sensory Integration to Torticollis, to CAPD, to Dysgraphia.... and more. There were little testimonials from parents that were blown up for others to read... but I digress.... back to Alphafest.
I have to admit. I kinda make it my mission to have the biggest, most extragavant booth every year. Most are a table with a sign on the edge of it with a game to play and prizes to give. WEeeee bought an entire diner! It rocked!
We had to wall it off on three sides to keep a traffic flow that we could manage.
As you can see, there was a hole in the diner where we could call in the kids' orders and I loved to follow that up with "ORDER UP!"
How cute is this?! Cindy and crew made some of these themselves. We have done these Alphafests and other little fairs in town so long that we have an unbelieveable stash of "Themes". We just label them in big Rubbermaid boxes and stash em away. Now we have, "50's", luau, circus, cowboy/western, Mexican fiesta.... and on and on. It is fun to just whip that stuff out, though, when you need it.
Ok, so these are the little tables we used for our diners. They came in, sat down and ther records were their placemats. The checked thing in the middle was the menu. A waitress walked (or skated!!) up to their table and asked them to look at the menu and decide on "what they'd be having today". We didn't allow parents to come in (except for with the tiny or shy ones), as this was a KIDS' diner! I think the kids appreciated being treated like little miniature adults for a day.
Here is another peek into the kitchen where balloon tutoring is still going on. Buddy, by the end of the day, we could make dogs of ANY size or breed! Some of mine looked more like giraffes, but I would convince my kid that they got a "special" dog that no one else had, and they thought it was awesome. ANd I wasn't lying to them either!
Cindy's brother, John, is always our emcee! This year, he was the "JONZ". Aaaaaaaaaaayyyy.
And yes, as promised, I rocked my skates from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Mary Allison said, "You are going to need a pedi when I come over tomorrow." (My weekend sitter... you know, "Masson"!) I said, "Girl, I will need more than a pedi. I will need full body traction!" I suppose there IS a benefit to owning a therapy company! Especially if you are foolish enough to do this!
Oh, and thanks Skatetown of WM!

Down the way a bit, we find the bowling alley...and lo and behold, who is running that?! Staci and Veronicia. (sidenote... Ellie and Maddi are trying to say Veronicia, and it is coming out all kinds of weird! Ellie's most recent attempt is "Dadonkey". Ummm. That is a flattering name! We will keep working on it, Veronicia!)

They were all excited about these cute little bowling shirts... but did NOt anticipate this....Staci said they are requesting a different game next year! She said bowling is not NEARLY as fun without the little automatic pin setter! Think 5,000 kids, and every one of them gets to bowl until all the pins are knocked down. There was constantly a line at their booth too. She will also be needing a full body makeover today! They also sold some really cute leather Believe bracelets that I have been MEANING to put on this site to show you. But, then I had to be gone for a little vacation, and my long list of "got to do these posts" slipped by the wayside. On that list remains, "all about lapband" and "adoption scrapbook". See, I remember! There's a bird... back to Alphafest.
So, these are a few of my friends who supported Cindy and had booths at the carnival/fair/thing. This is Emily. She has Emily Snowden Photography, but I don't know if she has a website.
And these are my friends over at Distressed Designs. They help with the Shake 4 Jake silent auction every year, so they are my GOOOOOOOD friends! Check em out. CUTE stuff! Ok, so I suppose you get the idea of Cindy's book. They go from A-Z (thus AlphaKidZ!). Every book has a moral pertinent to kids. Such as bing a picky eater(Nanny Goat Netti... I DON't LIKE Spaghetti!), giving up the pacifier (Douglas Duck, I think My Pacifier is Stuck... but WHO needs that one?!), cleaning up your room(Patty Pig doesn't want to clean her digs!), responsibility for your own things(Elephant Emma Lou loses her tutu and almost misses her recital!), and the list goes on and on. SHe, to date, has released A-O. Kids LOVE them! They are bright and vivid and an easy, quick read for parents. Here is a little sampling. Oh, and did I mention that every book is chock full of names of her friends and family or things about her community? For instance, Don Duck, one of Douglas's classmates, wears a Believe necklace! And Johnny Jackalope, You gotta BELIEVE in Hope... is all about adoption. She gave Todd and I a shout out in the back of that one. Benny Bear Having a Baby Sister isn't Fair.... is all about when she and her three sister threw a FIT when they were little because their mom and dad surprised them with news of a new baby boy. Now known as the Johnz! and every name is someone she knows and every book is full of such names. And perhaps my favorite... Melanie Mouse. It is a very Sad Day at our House. This one was the inspiration for the whole series. It is about how she communicated to Robert Scott, her older son, about his losing his little brother. They would send balloons with everything from suckers to notes to an actual football jersey to heaven. In every book is also little balloons with an "s" string on it as a memory of Samuel, her son, who passed away when he was three. I highly recommend the books, and I am pretty sure you can order them via her website. Alphakidz.com Tell her I sent you and ask her to sign them for you. I am giving you the inside track. Get them all or just a few at a time and have a "prize" for all the upcoming holidays! Easter baskets need a Claude and Callie Cat, Austin Alligator, and an Ike Iguana for sho!
and speaking of Austin Alligator, there he is... kicking off the show. That is our buddy, Wes, inside. His mom was one of the tutorees at the early am shift of balloon sculpting. She has worked at MMPT for about 4 years. We have watched our little Wes grow up! He did a great job as Austin! It was funny to hear the kids as I skated through the crowd. I think they thought I was one of the characters too. Like meeting Minnie Mouse at Disney!! Hey, look at that one on skates! "coming through , coming through, just trying to stay on my feet and get back to the diner!"
The entire event is run by volunteers. Cindy serves desserts at all of the board meetings, so her board of directors are called "The Cheesecake Committee". Here are a few of them, running a bookstore in the back. The ones to the left are her in-laws. The one to the right is our resident accountant! ALways good to have one of those on the board!
More helpers.... Cathy, Angie and Polly. Those latter two are big helpers at the Shake too! I LOVE those who help in the community. Especially just helping out friends. Thanks, guys! Here is Ramsay, our first watiress of the morn. We affectionately call her "Ramdawg"! She is an occupational therapist assistant in our Ruston Office.
and two more of the Cheesecakers, right behind the morning registration table... Cathy to the left and Cindy' s mom, Ruth (Of Rabbit Ruthie, IJust Lost my Toothie fame).
I am gonna slide this one in, mysteriously.... her mom doesn't know she has this yet. So, I can't reveal the person! Hope they don't recognize the tennies! But yep.. a close friend now has THIS on her ankle! Can't tell!
Should I have divided this into two blog posts?! Tired of Alphafest yet?! Ok... take a break...

Break is OVER! You know the Fords we eat dinner with almost every Sunday night, and that we vacation with every year?! Welllll, and you know how I said they are the PREMIER dance instructors in the area?! Well, here is Linda Lou doing her thang. The way that girl can still shake and shimmy... hmmm... I dont' know if ol' Ellie Sue is going to be taking from her. I am going to see if the Baptist Church has a movement class or something like that!! Lord help!

with all the pelvic thrusting and shoulder shimmying.... owww. My eyes hurt! Miss Linda is in the foreground in the above picture. This is a behind the stage view. Check out Mel's Diner back there. Rock it, girls! Rock it.
Oh, we had a chalkboard set up that said, "Today's menu: Balloon hats. Balloon dogs. Balloon swords. and Guitar pick necklaces. Today's Special: Face Painting... in rear of Diner.

Well, THIS is in rear of diner. And these two were ROCKING some face painting. They (Heather and Jessi) were meticulous in their paint jobs, and both of them being artsy, it was WORTH the long wait in line!

Here are Robin and Christi. Robin and Heather were the ones who set up the whole diner. WOW> Good work girls! And Christi, bless her little heart... well, it was her birthday today, and she still came and worked the DIner. Thank you all so much ! You understand what it is to be a servant!
Speaking of servant... here is our company's mission statement...It works in our everyday work with kids we serve, parents we encounter, and of course, our adult patients who come to us with disability or in pain! But , I even think it is a very fitting statement for what we did today! Serving our community and the kids/families in it.

This is Crystal. SHe has been having pretty excruciating neck pain, but HERE SHE IS! Some of my staff didnt' sign up. I hope they are reading this and seeing who did. All of this is on a volunteer basis! Christi on her birthday, and Crystal in pain! I hope all of them sign up next year!
This is Keif. (Keith!!). All the kids love him because the boy never speaks plain English. It is some weird variety of his own language... How you doorin?! That's Mo betta. And such!
This is a little view of the afternoon. And it looked like this pretty much 10-3:30! Can you find Cindy? Bright blond hair. White shirt. Scarf in hair.
It is a little like "Where's Waldo?" Can you find her?
These are proud parents watching their little tykes dance on the stage for Miss Linda and Linda Lou.
And when we ran out of balloons and guitar picks, we moved right along with additional face painting booths. We had plenty of paint!
This is "inside" the diner. We would call out, "If you see an empty seat, please come on in and take a seat. A waitress will be right with you." It was hilarious.
And speaking of "Heelarious".... Ellie and Gabbi showed up toward the end of the day... THis is Karl's daughter, helping out with the Gabster. and by now, Masson should KNOW that I always have camera in tow, and she should ALWAYS have smile on! Miss Sue had to remain in stroller as much as possible. She would have been ALL over that place!
Here is Miss Curly, herself, sporting her guitar pick necklace. And my favorite picture on the day.... me and my girls...
and that concludes our trip down Alphafest Lane. (I know, breakfast is LONG over. Go have dinner!) Melanie, aka MO!