"i got canned heat in my heels tonight, bay-bay..."

[title courtesy of "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai. love that song!]

well, not tonight, but rather a few nights ago. definitely got a little boogie on with some of my lovely LSs; yes, i left my punkin with the babysitter overnight TWO nights in a row! it was my first time ever leaving her overnight. she cried when i left, but the first night, the babysitter sent me a pic of Gee sound asleep just ten minutes after i'd left her house, so i felt MUCH better. plus, it worked out for both of us: i got to hang out with my friends, and Gee got to hang out with her BFF, G2 -

precious girls! and here's mama, trying to work a lil' somethin' somethin' [LOL] -

and, of course, had to rep my Crimson & Cream while i was there :)

Gee & i also did a "mommy & me" photoshoot, which you can see here if you're not my Facebook friend. i'll let Gee tell you how it went down...

***MAN, mama was tripping the morning of our photoshoot!! She knew it was time for my morning nap, yet she was steady trying to do something cutesy to my hair. She already had me in this cute and un-comfy dress; I suppose I have to start learning the trials and tribulations of being a girl at the tender age of 10 months old... Anyways, she finally gets the both of us together, and as we step out of the door, I'm expecting it to be at least 50-something degrees outside (after all, it was basically summertime when we left southeast Arkansas). It was 4-freaking-2 degrees Fahrenheit! And my mommy, lover of all things cutesy, wanted us to take the photos OUTSIDE!? It was just too much for me to stand, so I promptly fell asleep in my car seat. I wake up to this little girl poking and prodding me. "HI!" Well, hello to you, too! Definitely wasn't what I was expecting to wake up to, but eventually I warmed up to "T.T.", and she prevented the post-nap meltdown I'd been planning. Lucky you, mother dear. :) As stated earlier, it's pretty durn cold outside, and my nose is doing all kinds of reacting, and by that, I mean running like someone forgot to turn the faucet off in my nose. Yep, that bad. However, I put on my best model faces and rocked that photoshoot...if I say so myself. Hehe. We only had to go inside to warm up once, and that mother of mine STAID on nose-wiping patrol [BLAH], but my photographers - that's right, with an S, as in TWO cameras, baby, POW! - did an excellent job catching all of my good sides AND editing out the snot. And drool. Et cetera. The proof is in the pudding, er, pictures -

 And if you want to see more of mommy's and my foray on the Old Main Lawn, check us out here! Gee*Baby, Baby Gee, over and out!***

jeez, tell me how ya really feel, why don't ya?? i know she can't wait until i can understand the words she says...and i can't wait either, honestly. hold up, that means potential talking back, doesn't it? ok, nevermind. stick with the babbling, Gee. lol. just kidding... sort of... ;) until next time!

-love elle&gee-

PS: the lists will pop up again in the near future...let's say, before the month of April is over. sound good? good. :)

road trip!

This past weekend, Gee and I traveled to Fayetteville, AR, to visit friends. The last time we went, Gee was only 4 months old. I had to stop an hour and a half in to feed her, and she couldn't even sit up yet. This time, I only had to stop an hour and a half in to change her diaper. HOWEVER, she cried for 30 minutes before we got to our checkpoint in Russellville. In those 30 minutes, I stopped about 4 times to give her acetaminophen, give her orajel, fix her some milk, give her some apple juice, readjust her toys, ANYTHING to get her to stop crying. None of it worked. So the last 10 miles, after trying to soothe her with my voice (to no avail), I drove in silence as Gee got louder and louder. We finally made it to the campus of Arkansas Tech, where we picked up my sister Toots. I hopped out of the car and checked on Gee; as soon as she saw my face, the crying ceased. I figured she was just glad to be still for awhile. I told Toots to get in the back with Gee, and as soon as I closed the door, the crying resumed. I scurried to get in the back and ordered my sister to drive while I sat next to Gee and let her play with my fingers. Mama's poor baby just wanted to see my face. Talk about feeling loved :) We had a nice lunch with Toots and her boo, and Gee had a first taste of French fries (which she loved, of course). Then, it was time to get back in the road. I prayed that Gee would sleep for the remaining hour and a half of the trip; she was knocked out not even 10 minutes after leaving Russellville, and she didn't wake up until I turned onto the Razorback Road exit; who says God doesn't answer prayers? And did I mention that Gee has one of her bottom teeth coming in? Hence the acetaminophen and orajel; I promise I wasn't giving her drugs just for the heck of it...

Anyways, we arrived safely in Fay. We visited some friends on campus first, then went to our weekend residence: a house occupied by 2 of my line sisters. Gee and I spent more time at the house this time, just relaxing and napping. A teething baby especially needs her rest, and Gee is so busy checking out her surroundings most of the time that she can no longer sleep with a lot of people around. That being said, though, we still got in a lot of quality time with people we haven't seen in a while. I was especially excited about seeing A & G2. A had G2 in November, and after Facebook stalking each other, we became FB BFFs, therefore making Gee (G1) and G2 BFFs by default. They just had to meet. So Gee and I went over to A's house, where we stayed for almost 2 hours, swapping stories of young single mommyhood and marveling over how precious each others babies were. Before we left, of course we had to get pics of the new friends. Cutest thing ever. The weekend ended with church, sushi and a highly motivating conversation with one of my LSs. We hit the road Monday morning and made it safely home.

How motivating was that convo, you ask? Today at work, while the kiddos watched videos, I handwrote 10.5 pages of the first draft of my personal statement as part of my application to the M.Ed. in Student Affairs program at the University of Arkansas. I feel comfortable enough to speak it out loud, write it down, and say it proud because I now KNOW in what direction I want my life to go, and I got the mojo to get Gee and me there. It is now officially grind time for this mama, mostly thanks to our road trip. So watch me work! :D

-love elle&gee

PS: here's a picture taken right before we left Fay. can you say fro'TASTIC!? the hair is crazy, people!
[caption id="attachment_66" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="who ever heard of an 8-month-old with this much hair? "][/caption]