Thursday, August 30, 2007

Roll TIDE Roll!!!!!!
(and then . . ."Oh, the Horror" ...
or... "I Want My Beautiful Hair")


Sydney is here to let you know that there are just two days until the Alabama Crimson Tide kicks off its 2007 football season!! She would like to yell to all of you a really big "ROLL TIDE!!!!"







Isn't she cute in her Alabama cheerleading outfit? This was Delaney's when she was this age and it has been passed down through the years. (McKenna had her own when she was little, and Scout uses it now for pajamas!). We love our Alabama football and my children are growing up learning it well!! (There are priorities I must have as a parent, and one of them is to teach my girls the finer points of sports, and specifically Crimson Tide sports! LOL)

Delaney will be going with me to the opening game this Saturday (we get a pair of tickets to all the home games and Gary is usually my football partner; but because Delaney will have some softball tournaments this Fall we wanted to get her to a game while we could!)

We are excited because we are starting what they're calling "The Saban Era" with new head coach Nick Saban. He is a proven coach that we are really hoping will get us back to national championship-quality in three or four years. Nothing would make me happier!

If you are a sports fan (or a Bama fan in particular), here are a few cool places to visit as we get ready for College Gameday on Saturday--

~~Kirk Herbstreit is not my favorite commentator on earth, but he has some interesting comments and awards in his annual Herbies! There are some bold statements (like Bama will be the "sleeper" in the SEC west and that pretty much all the pretty co-eds are from the South; and also that there's a really good barbecue restaurant in Starkville, Mississippi, that is atlmost seems is worth a road trip!)--Go HERE to read it

~~If you really want a wonderful read about the football culture in Alabama, you need to read this article by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Rick Bragg. Bragg's book All Over But the Shoutin' is one of my favorites, and in this article he pulls out all the literary stops and writes an illuminating article that even non-football lovers can enjoy. Rick also happens to be a family friend, and my father's next-door office mate at the University!--go HERE to read it

(To whet your appetite, this is the first paragraph in his article: "They say college football is religion in the Deep South, but it's not. Only religion is religion. Anyone who has seen an old man rise from his baptism, his soul all on fire, knows as much, though it is easy to see how people might get confused. But if football were a faith anywhere, it would be here on the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, Ala. And now has come a great revival.")

~~ My dh, Gary, is also a huge Bama fan and he's been counting down the 12 days until kickoff (to go along with the 12 national championships we've won) with some great videos every day!--Go HERE to see those

~~ My blog friend, Mandy, is a fellow scrapbooker but more importantly a HUGE Bama fan. She's also been doing videos over the last couple of weeks. I KNOW she shares my excitement! --Go HERE to see those

Now to the second part of my post this morning, which I so entertainingly named "Oh, the Horror!" up above (also called "I want my beautiful hair!"). It is quite a saga, so sit back for a moment and experience it with me...

Would I have known that the photos of Sydney in her Alabama outfit would be the last ones I'd have of her pretty hair I would have taken many more of them! (Her hair has never been long--she has the curse that all my girls have, that they don't get much of any hair until they hit at least 3; they're bald through all of their infant and toddling years! But she was finally getting enough to have cute pigtails and ponytails; in fact, I was going to have to take her for a trim probably this month).

Well... I no longer have the need for a trim!

Yesterday afternoon, I was upstairs cooking dinner.Delaney was in McKenna's room on the computer and Sydney was in the adjoining den supposedly watching tv. A few minutes into dinner being cooked, she walks upstairs and says she has hair in her mouth. I give her some water and a rag to wipe off her mouth when I have the wise idea to actually ask the question, "Why is there hair in your mouth?" That's when I notice for the first time that her hair looks, umm, a little different. I whisk her around to see the back of her head and, yep, it's pretty much ALL gone!!!

I demand to know what she did and we go downstairs where I find a HUGE pile of hair on the floor.

(look at those long pieces? and it was getting so blonde!)

I succeed to get totally riled up and upset, giving her two spankings and telling her that I'm very mad at her (and I am not a spanking person; the only other time I've spanked her was when she poured blue paint all up the stairs and in the dining room; oh yeah, that was quite a fiasco!). I go through the whole explanation of how we never use scissors by ourselves; how we always ask Mommy if you want to cut your or anyone else's hair; and how she will never cut it again. Of course, she's crying very loudly throughout all of this so I have to repeat all of these admonotions several times again, so that she can actually understand me.


I was SO upset with her. I'd tried to get her hair grown out and it was looking so pretty. But I calmed down a bit when she came back at me with these two priceless lines...

"I am so (...crying and heaving and deep breathing)....mad (....crying and heaving and deep breathing)...at (crying, heaving, etc. etc.)...you." Yep, she threw my line back at me!

The she said... "Do you still love me?" Of course, that one got me, and I had to hug her and tell her that just because I'm mad at her and have to punish her doesn't mean I don't love her. I just want her to understand what she did wrong!

The hair is actually growing on me (no pun intended! lol) and everyone else thinks it's kinda cute. But...I think Sydney has had the actualization that I had already about her hair. Last night, as she got ready for bed, she said, "I want my beautiful hair." I consoled her some and then she said, "It will be back by Christmas." (LOL!!--I sure hope so!)

31 comments:

Adrienne said...

OH MY WORD!!!! LOL, Kayla cut her hair last year. So I understand your pain.....She is still a cutie though lol

Mandy said...

Oh Cheryl!! Hopefully it will grow quick and Syndey can have her "beautiful hair" again..although it is pretty cute short. And, since they say misery loves company, it might make you feel a little better to know that my sister, at the ripe old age of five, shaved stripes in her eyebrows with an electric razor. Now THAT was an attractive look.

LOVING the Bama outfit (and those baby blues)...such a cutie! Does Syndey like Sesame Street? If she does, there is the CUTEST shirt that says "Sesame Street is brought to you today by the letters U & A and the number 1." :) Two of my faves...Bama and Sesame Street!

Wendy said...

I think Sydney is going to be a hairstylist. That looks like a pretty good haircut to me. At least she didn't cut it so bad that she had scalp marks....lol I promise you , as a hairstylist, I have seen alot worse. Hang in there Mom.

Oh yeah, and by the way.....ROLL TIDE!!!

Kimberly said...

Oh my goodnes...so funny. It will grow back.Don't worry. My kiddos have no hair until they are about two, so I feel your pain there. Mine have never cut their hair but my son did put vasaline in his hair and that was a booger to get out. Roll Tide!

Cheryl Wray said...

Adrienne--Can you believe that?? I think most children go through a hair-cutting stage, but...aargh!

Mandy--Oh no! The electric razor on the eyebrows! I can only imagine that!!!
Okay--the Sesame Street outfit sounds TOO cute!! I will have to go find one of those for her!!!

Wendy--LOL!! I'm glad that your professional opinion thinks she did okay with it!! Roll Tide!!!

Kimberly--Ooh, vaseline!! Yuck!! Roll Tide!!!

Rhonda G. said...

oh gosh...we went through the hair cutting days with Abbey...she cut her hair & the cat's hair!!!
So glad those days are over!

TK Angels said...

OH!!! MY!!! Sidney!!! You know- she still looks cute no matter. No matter-just with shorter hair
*smile*

Take care,
Love,
Terri

Renee said...

Roll tide! I'm an LSU fan but I'll say that anyway, just b/c your cheerleader is so cute!

Anonymous said...

Oh WOW!! She really cut it up didn't see?
I love the little flip she's doing in her cheerleading outfit. Fun

Kingcover said...

Yikes!!! I think it's time to buy her one of those hairdressing dolls and quickly!
She did do a good job on it though. Credit where credit is due. Hey you could always glue her hair onto Gary's head. He's probably going a little bald at the moment. And nope it won't look silly on him. Tell him that and he'll believe you. Think of all the hours of laughter you'll get from looking at the top of his head *snicker* :D

I just did a new post. Yeah I know it's hard to believe!

Dawn Bibbs said...

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I don't even know what to say! Jayla cut one of her pigtails off earlier this year. She said it wasn't her fault though..."daddy should NOT have left HIS scissors in HIS bathroom drawer, while I was watching TV alone in HIS bedroom!" was her excuse. These little girls are something else.

Good thing it's only hair and it'll grow back. Thankfully she didn't cut herself. By the way, she DOES look adorable.

Gretchen said...

Cheryl, we all...er they all do it at one time or another. My poor mom was devastated when I cut my waist-long hair into a "shag" in 1975 when I was six. It had to go straight into a "pixie". I got called a boy for quite a while. That cures the scissors obsession. :) And...when I wasn't cutting my hair, I was sleeping with gum in my mouth, which landed in my hair as soon as I went slack-jawed and drooly, during the night.

Alas, we are not Bama fans, but i love the outfit on Sydney. We try to remain true to our anemic CU Buffaloes...

Linda said...

OMG. OK here's one. I take a nap one day with Kaitie because she had not been feeling well and I had been up with her the night before. So, I wake up and realize that Kaitie is behind me, with scissors in her hand and a large chunk of MY HAIR in her other hand. Nuff said.

Anyway, I totally sympathize with both of you, and I can't believe she threw that line at you. You are in so much future trouble with her....LOL Hope it grows fast.

Cheryl Wray said...

Rhonda--LOL Thank goodness S hasn't gotten to the cats yet!

Terri--It actually is really cute now too! :-)

Renee--I will be rooting for LSU all year too, until they play us!! lol That will be a HUGE game!

Gin--Ha ha! Yep, she does somersaults all the time!

Cheryl Wray said...

King--Hey!! Great idea! I should get her one of those beauty salon doll heads she can experiment on! And really big HA!! about Gary!!

Dawn-oh that is absolutely PRICELESS!!!! Sounds like S and Jayla are two peas in a pod!!!

Gretchen--I would CRY if she'd hair to her waist. I bet your Mom was so upset!! I'll be cheering for your Buffaloes!!

Linda--Oh no! Sh egot YOUR hair!!! lol I do believe S is going to be handful!!

Tracy said...

My daughter used to have a cheerleading outfit similar to that for Syracuse University, my alma mater. Go Orange! Of course she has long outgrown it as she is entering her senior year in high school. I have another daughter who cut her own hair - not once but twice! Grrrr.
Thanks for stopping by my blog for a visit. : )

Mississippi Songbird said...

Bless her sweet little heart. We had something similar. My son is 2 years older than my daughter, and he cut her hair.
She let him..
They both were so sorry for that..
and both were glad when it grew back out..

I love the BAMA outfit.. ROLL TIDE< ROLL

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, what else can I say? She's still a cutie no matter what!

Jo
(i wandred in today. love your blog)

LZ Blogger said...

Ahhhh.... the adventures of toddlers! They always keep things from getting TOO DULL around the house don't they? You'll be telling your grandkids about their mommy's mischief someday and they won't even believe it about her. Of course that is true of most of us I would guess? ~ jb///

Cheryl Wray said...

Tracy--I think it sounds like ALL girls do this!! LOL

Songbird--When McKenna was three, my niece Lori cut her hair. And they BOTH got in trouble! LOL thanks for the Roll Tide!!

Jo--So glad you wandered in. Come back anytime!

LZ--Yes, you're right. Things are NEVER dull with a 3-year-old in the house!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness! That made my day! Sydney is so sweet and she cut her hair! I think it is cute on her! I have felt like cutting my hair like that some days. hehe. Okay Cheryl, the hair is great but don't make her run around in that cheerleading outfit. Your gonna turn her into an Auburn fan! hehe. JK! I still love you guys! GO DAWGS! Sept 22! Don't forget that date!

Michelle said...

she looks so cute in that outfit! Yikes about the haircut though; I guess that's a "rite of passage" all kids go through isn't it!? I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that Kayla doesn't do this LOL Just keep reminding yourself it will grow back!

~Telah said...

Oh MY!! I can't believe how much hair she cut off! That's pretty good coordination to get that much off the back of her head. Most kids go for the front where they can see it better!

ROLL TIDE! Cannot wait until Saturday!

Linda said...

Thatis one cute little cheerleader. I think it's great to have a team you care so much about.
About the hair - I think nearly all of us have done something similar at one time or another. I remember the day (since we have pictures to prove it) I decided my little sister needed a shorter do and then threw one in for myself for good measure. My mother was horrified when she got home!!

Kelly said...

OH no! My son has two bald spots on his head right now from the neighbor cutting his hair!

Kari (GrannySkywalker) said...

I. Am. So. Mad. At. You! Poor Sydney! And poor Mom. lol At least she cut her own hair and not either of her sisters, right? That might have turned REALLY ugly. lol
Well, it DOES look cute short. And you never know, Christmas is a whole 3 months, 3 weeks and 4 days away (not that I'm counting, mind you). It may have grown back by then. Maybe. Or...maybe not. lol

Kari (GrannySkywalker) said...

Geez and I forgot to say it. I was so caught up in Sydney's trauma...but here it is:
GO OU!

Wendster said...

Just read your blog for about 45 minutes but didn't finish it all! So many good stories! Love your writing style! I love the Bama dress! Could relate to the hair thing because I CUT OFF MY OWN HAIR when I am tired of it and mess it up BAD. AND I was banned from trimming my girls' bangs as kindergardners and such because I used to do the whole front of their head with bangs! I looked back at the photos and can't BELIEVE I did that and thought it looked great! Yikes! My little Tristan draws on himself, rubs lipstick and lip gloss on himself, and has only just finally stopped drawing on walls. I LOVED the "I am so mad at you." Tristan says: You! have! to! say! sorry! Mommy!!! That's BAD!!! That's not very very nice!!!" ... this is after he has been "reprimanded". I loved your birthday post, the cake! The restaraunt! The bakery! The CAKE! oh my gosh I wanted to eat that cake! So pretty!!! and I LOVE Cat STevens! "Morning has broken, like the first morning" "I'm being followed by a moon shadow ..." I know EVERY WORD to that song! I love that gravely voice!
I am envious of you and all the posters who love sports and are loyal to a team. I have never had the sports experience. Now that my son is in marching band, maybe I will get into the whole football thing? AS a kid we always had to come straight home after school and we didn't go out on weekends .. . just stayed in! That was our family's "way" ... weird kinda way. I send my kids every where they ask to go.
Enough about me. ha!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUU! I hope it's a great one. Enjoy your amazing much anticipated week. I'm going to my blog now to answer the Tuesday birthday questions, because my birthday was on Sunday!

Phats said...

ROLLLLLL TIDE ROLLL!!!!
I will be rooting for you all, provided you boiler up with us! I am not going to the game tomorrow we are away, but I will still be rooting my heart out for us.

How come I didn't get a shoutout???? :) haha

and How much fun we'd have tossing sydney!

Nina Diane said...

Hey Cheryl
so funny about the haircut! I guess most little ones try that at some point. It will grown back.
She is such a cute little "cheerleader"

Anonymous said...

Guess they all do it! Mine did as well. Thank goodness hers was long and where she cut it we could pull it back and it wasn't as bad as it could've been. We keep all scissors put safely beyond her reach! She cut it while going to the bathroom during dinner (she was home with dad. I was gone on a girl's night out)