Meet Mr. Tom

Today, I went to the dreaded Wally World. I figured since I had the day off and we need groceries, I might as well just get it all done there.

The last item on my list that I needed was dog food. Leaving the pet department, Allyson and I looked at the fish. On a whim, I decided to get Allyson a beta. They were only $4.96. She was very excited. He came in a clear plastic bowl with a top. So, I decided that he'd need a bowl. They had kits that came inside glass fish bowls, so I went with that. $7.96. Then, I had to get him some food. $1.88. I wondered if Mike would fuss about these additional purchases.

So, we loaded all of this in the buggy. Allyson held the food and told the fish, "Here's some food for you. It will make you feel all better." I just giggled to myself. I really do wish Allyson had a personality! Eyeroll. :D

At the checkout, the lady told us that he was a boy. She asked Allyson what the fish's name would be. She told her that she would name him when she got home.

I wondered how Mike would like this surprise. Allyson couldn't wait to get home to tell him. When I got home, he came out to help unload the groceries and saw the fish right away. He worried that the fish might die and that it would break Allyson's heart. Well, on my whim, I didn't really think about that. I was just thinking that we'll be home all summer and Allyson would like to have an easy pet to take care of.

While I put the groceries away, Mike got the fishbowl ready right away. I started noticing that he was actually...excited. He was very concerned about making sure the water would be right for him.

Meanwhile, Allyson and I were discussing names. She said Nemo at first, but how lame is that?!She finally said she just didn't know. So, I suggested that we name him Mr. Tom. She liked that. Mr. Tom Loftis will be proud that we named our new pet after him.

So, meet Mr. Tom. :D

Mike said he'd never had a fish. I heard him whisper to Mr. Tom that he is his new father. I was really surprised that Mike was so happy about us getting a fish. I just hope Mr. Tom thrives in his new home.

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Last week was fun and busy. Thursday, Ben and Tabby came through, so we all met at Baskin Robins for ice cream. Our crew filled up the tiny store. Of course, we had fun, we always do!

Stacia with Baby Abigail.


Check out this cutie!

Allyson loves Ms. Sarah! And, who doesn't?!

We had the deal of the night at Baskin Robins. Our total was $3.06. Mike and I had iced coffees which were on sale for $.99 each. And, Allyson had a small cup of soft serve for $.88.

I was going to crop Darren out of this picture, but I decided not to! :D

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Ladies' Night Out

Last Monday night was our annual Ladies Night Out for church. We met to eat at the Longhorn Steakhouse in Perry.

Here's Leah and Andrea. Leah just joined the pregnant club and Andrea just got out!

Sarah, me, and Ms. Johannah

All of us!

Can't wait until next year! I laughed so hard the entire time. I just love being out with friends and sisters in Christ.

My Dad-the Grad

I'm so proud! My dad graduated from college today.

Glenn Allen Schliebner, Jr.

(taken by my mom and sent to me by text message.)

The preaching school he attended when I was a baby used to just issue a certificate of completion or an associate's degree. Recently, Sunset School of Preaching in Lubbock, Texas, became Sunset International Bible Institute.

The school allowed my dad to take a few online courses and have the oppurtunity to recieve a diploma. This past year, he (and my mom!) have been very busy writing papers and completing assignments.

Tuesday morning, my dad and mom left and headed to Texas so that my dad could attend the graduation ceremony which took place today.

I had hoped to attend the graduation, but Mike and I decided that I shouldn't go for a few various reasons. I would have loved to see where I was born and be able to see my dad recieve his diploma.

I'm just so proud of him!

Way to go, Daddy!

My Perfect Mother's Day

I wish every day could be Mother's Day. After Christmas, I think Mother's Day might be my new favorite holiday!

Michael and I started a new tradition this year. We decided that we would not spend much money for Mother's or Father's Day. Instead, we'll just spend time together and do acts of service for each other. We'll take Allyson to pick out a small gift and card, but we'll keep the ridiculous spending to a minimum.

For my act of service, I asked for breakfast in bed. Michael is awesome at making pancakes. He frequently serves them up on the weekends. But, I wanted something special. I requested chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream.

I also had fruit, juice, turkey bacon, and coffee. It may have been the best breakfast I have even tasted. It was perfect. I did think that I would be served in bed. But, I was told that it was too much to carry. Memo to self: purchase a tray before next Mother's Day!

Allyson gave me a beautiful bunch of flowers that she had picked out herself. She made me a "teapot" at her daycare that actually came with some teabags.

We went to church with my parents in Gray. Then, we went to their house. Allyson chased a couple ducks that were in the yard.



We wanted to do something a little different for this special day. In my parents' neighborhood, there is a park that is just for neighborhood use. My parents reserved it for us. We ate under the pavillion and the kids played.

For lunch we had fried chicken and all the fixin's. It was great! And, we had a yummy chocolate mousse cake for dessert.

Here's the pavillion.

My dad walked Allyson down to the pond at the park.

We took a few pictures on the rocks by the water.

With my sister, Robbi, and nephew, Caleb

Daddy with Allyson on the rocks by the water.

When it was time to leave, my mom and dad took Allyson and Caleb for a little spin around the neighborhood in my mom's new car. I think all four of them laughed and giggled the whole time. My mom said it was the most fun she had all day.

I hope all the mommies and want-to-be mommies had a wonderful day!

Funny Things Ms. Allyson Has Said Lately

I asked her, "Allyson what are you getting Mama for Mother's Day?"

She answered, "Flowers, a card, and Birthday Cake."

I tried to explain to her that it won't be my birthday. She just smiled at me.

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This past Friday, we tried out the Mellow Mushroom that opened here a few months ago. I had to take her to the potty, of course.

She's sitting on the potty and whispers something quietly. I said, "Allyson, what did you just say?"

Then, she yells, "I said, I AM ALLYSON PACE PACE!"

Her name is Allyson Paige Pace. I guess she figured that we gave her the same name twice.

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Her daddy took her to Kroger tonight to get everything for making Mother's Day breakfast in bed. As they were leaving, Allyson pointed to the sky and said, "Daddy, a dragon is going to come get us."

So, we think maybe she has been watching too many fairy-tale-type movies.

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I told her that tomorrow we'd be going to see Nana for Mother's Day. She pouted and I asked her what was wrong.

She said, "I wanna see my Papa, too!"

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Happy Mother's Day!

Sticker Charts

I'm always looking for easy ideas to help me out with my child and her behavior. Some of you may know, we struggled for about 6 months getting her potty-trained. It was very frustrating. She was potty-trained at daycare, but not at home.

My dear friend, Sarah (who is very clever), loaned us a potty chair. We had been using a seat. Almost like magic, potty time became much easier!

My mom sent me a potty training chart with an email at work. She got a sticker for each day she stayed dry. In the beginning, she rarely got a sticker. But, recently, she got it all filled up.

It took a while! We promised her that she could get a Barbie or a movie when it was all filled up. She got her last sticker on Monday. Her daddy took her to Toys R Us yesterday to go shopping. For all her hard work, she only wanted $6.99 Disney Sing-A-Long movie that was filmed in 1990. She LOVES it, though. Right now we are watching it for the 4th time. Mike said he would have gotten her a Barbie, too, but she only wanted the video.

Now, we are working on our next chart. I found a site online that had character reward sticker charts. (Sorry, I don't have a link! But, I'm sure you can find it easily with Google.) The chart is blank. I scratched the days off. We'll just fill it up as we go for how ever long it takes.

We are going to continue working on Staying Dry, Sleeping in Her Bed ALL Night, and Not Crying in the Bathtub.

I drew pictures so she could remember.

When this chart is all filled, we're going back to Monkey Joe's. She's very excited about that!

Some of you may use sticker charts already. If not, give it a try. I like the fact that Allyson had to work for something new insead of just getting it.

By the way, my current read is The New Strong-Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson. It's really helping us, too.

Happy Parenting!

Warner Robins Grandma turns 70

Today, Allyson's Warner Robins Grandma, Ms. Joyce, turned 70.

Ms. Joyce is very special to us. She keeps Allyson a lot. Sometimes with less than a day's notice. She and Mr. Tom look out for us since we're not very close to famly. We know that we can call on them anytime for anything. Having them in our lives is a wonderful blessing to us.

We went to her surprise party today after church. It was at O'Charley's. Mr. Tom was able to pull it off without her knowing. Mr. Tom and Ms. Joyce eat at O'Charley's most Sundays following morning services, but this Sunday a big party showed up to celebrate the special day.

Allyson has a little song for you, Ms. Joyce.

By the way, I got a shock today when I put Allyson down for a nap. She looked up at me and said, "J-E-S-U-S."

I said, "Allyson, did you just spell Jesus?" And, she did it again. I'm so proud my little girl spelled her first word today. I'm even more proud that the first word she learned to spell was the name of our Savior. It makes me feel good that we are reaping the rewards of faithfully taking our daughter to Bible class each week.

It was a wonderful Sunday to go along with our wonderful Saturday. An almost perfect weekend!

Happy Birthday, Ms. Joyce!

My Favorite Day (This Week, Anyway!)

Today was a rare Saturday. We had nowhere we HAD to go and nothing we HAD to do. It has been perhaps months since such a Saturday has occured. And, I must admit, I really liked it!

We had considered going to the Air Show at the base, but we decided not to earlier this week.

We were in no rush to leave the house, but we got up and got ready. We were going to see the baby!

While Mike and I got ready, Allyson went on the back porch to blow bubbles. I snapped this picture from inside. She didn't even know someone was watching her. I love her sweet innocence. She can be so hard to deal with at times, but then again, I just want time to freeze. Lord, just give me a little while longer with my little angel the way she is.

I told Andrea that we would get to the hospital sometime this morning. Well, it wasn't noon yet when we arrived. We got to meet Abigail Krupali Shah. She was born yesterday evening at 6:56. She weighed only 5 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 in. long.

Here's all the girls! Andrea was looking great.

Giving us a wink!

Allyson wanted to hold her. I think she didn't think we'd actually let her. After a minute she was done.

A headful of dark hair. This was no surprise. It's so soft.

Mom and Dad are very proud.

Allyson's holding her hand.

Then, giving her a kiss. She kissed her several times. She loves her new little friend.

We grabbed a bite to eat and headed home. Allyson took a long nap, thank goodness! Mike and I got things done. He worked on his bike and went for a long bike ride. I cleaned the house, but left the kitchen for him. When he came back, I went for a pedicure. It was fabulous!

When I came home, the kitchen was spotless. You might be wondering why I am telling you these mundane bits of info. Well, you see, when you have no Saturdays with nothing to do, you have no time to do these things. It was great to get things done. I mean, I have a clean bathroom now! It's so worth blogging about to me! :D

It's been a year since we went to Monkey Joe's, so we thought we'd try it again this evening. Two of Allyson's favorite things to do are climb and jump. So, this is her kind of place.

Cutie on a carousel!

We were surprised she could climb this by herself.

Here's a video of the big slide.

As far as I know, there's nothing on the calendar for next Saturday. Could this actually happen two weeks in a row!? That would be fine with me!