Sweet Thing

Today is the day 1 year ago that I birthed my sweet, cuddly baby boy by c-section. Afterwards I was pretty sure I cheated because it was all so easy. Well, in the past 12 months my little boy has made me pay 11 of the 12 months by not sleeping well at night. I spoiled him and now he is the lightest sleepier you have ever seen but guess what....IT IS ALL WORTH IT!

Let me start off by saying I truly love my children equally (I really do, I couldn't adore either anymore) but since we are on the subject of Lukey baby, he has been such a pleasant surprise to me. He is everything his sister was not so his actions have always surprised me. He smiles by just looking his way, he likes to cuddle, he is a total mama's boy, and he likes to giggle...ALOT. I am still not sure who he looks like because we get such mixed reviews but based on me looking at him everyday, I say DON DON DON. :) He is not walking yet but he surfs up and down the couch and will anything else. I think my children just have cautious personalities. My bet is that he walks before his sister (who did at 17 months). Someone told me once that you add 4 months to the age your child started crawling. If that is the case, he should be walking at 13 months or a little before. Luke has the sweetest temperament which I would lie and say is like me but really I think is like his daddy. He notices alot, which is like me. He is a complete rough house which is probably from always have Petey or Kate up in his face and swatting them away. Petey absolutely loves him which could be because Luke's favorite hobby is slipping the Petemister something at dinner time. Luke is very ticklish and will belly laugh at just the look on your face as you are heading toward the tummy to tickle. We unfortunately had to take him to the doctor yesterday for what I thought might be a cold. He weighed in at 24.5 lbs. We found out that he has pneumonia. Thankfully it was only a slight case and the doctor is treating it fairly aggressive. We will be laying low the next few days however we still are doing gingerbread houses, cake pops and icing sugar cookies.

Lou Lou, we couldn't love or adore you anymore. You truly are a delight. We love you so much and can't wait to see the young man you become.

Also, we did a small family party for him Friday after Thanksgiving, I will do a post on that later. :)

K K is Trey

Lets see - Kate turned 3 october 8th, Luke turned 10 months September 29th, the Tide has been Rolling, we have been BUSY BUSY.

Kate turned turned a big 3 on a beautiful Fall Saturday. It was homecoming week at the University so there was lots to do around here. Mamey and Pop came down and spent the night Friday night and we went to the Quad where the Bama cheerleaders and band did a pep rally then there was a bonfire. Kate loved it! The next morning Don's parents and sister and family came down and we celebrated Kate's 3 years ago. WOW! What a true ray of sunshine Kate is to everyone in her path. We are so blessed to have that little girl in our lives. Mommy and daddy gave Kate a dune rider (power wheel) of which she loves. Shortly before Kate opened any presents though cousin Reid stepped in fireants and had to go to the Emergency Room. He had about 50 bites on his poor little feet. After some steroids, he was as good as new. So thankful!

Luke is quickly approaching 1 year in a little over 1 month now. I will admit he is quite the mama's boy and to be honest, I wouldn't have it any different. One little smile my way and he has this mom wrapped around his finger. He is currently pulling up on EVERYTHING. Mom kept them this past Saturday night so Don and I could go to the Bama game and Luke was walking around in his walker (which he loves) and Kate jumped on the back of it and mom said it didn't slow him down one bit! Mom said that Kate and Luke both were laughing up a storm. Stories like that always does good to a mama's heart. Love them!

Kate weighed around 33lbs and was 38 inches tall at her 3 year check up. :)

Life is Good

well except for my husband working overtime nonstop since we have moved in, a serious ant problem, kate overflowing a toilet and sleep deprivation ...LIFE IS GOOD!

We took the kids to the Alabama vs North Texas game 2 Saturdays ago. We lasted 1 quarter. :) I expected that but I figured it is probably the only game they could go to and we couldn't sell the tickets so it was interesting walking the 2nd row of the upper deck with a chunky monkey hanging off one hip and a serious diaper bag hanging off the other (all it would take on the second row is one stumble and you could possibly fall over the top, no joke!).

Don and I attended this past weekend's Arkansas game and the heat was brutal but I was just happy not to have responsibilities for a mere 4-6 hours. Thanks Mamey and Pop!

We are busy visiting churches, reliving old college days (walking the quad before a big game weekend), checking out the town. Kate turns 3 not this Saturday but next. We have been talking about it for a month. She is ready! And did I mention that she is full blown (well except nights) POTTY TRAINED. Took a while but it just suddenly clicked. Yay!

Here is a picture of family before this past weekend's game in front of our hacienda!

Raow!

The Big 3-0!

Yep it has come and gone and I am still here. :) Yesterday was my 30th birthday. I woke up this morning like a train had hit me. I didn't feel like this because of something I did yesterday, I guess it just comes with the number. Or maybe it had something to do with me hauling my chunky monk several blocks to the football game on Saturday. Anyway, a heating pad does wonders.

Updates on everything:

We are in the new house and it is AWESOME! We have already seen 2 sets of deer right outside our window. Both sets had a few doe and a few fawns. Petey of course scared them away. Speaking of Petey, he sits and stares out the windows with a big smile on his face. He is one happy dog. The coolest thing about the new house is the whole back wall is lined with large windows that make you feel like you are outside. There are no window coverings but I love it! Boxes are still everywhere but with time, things will find a place. Also, we currently have 2 rooms that visitors can sleep in (hint, hint), come visit!

Luke is 9.5 months old now. He weighs a ton! His smile melts my heart. I tell him all the time how handsome he is and Don pipes up "Why, thank you" :). I guess he did get his looks from Don because he looks just like him. It is ridiculous! Both kids look like Don. I guess I am just a xerox copy machine. Luke has 8 front teeth and I noticed today that several teeth on the bottom back are coming in. Maybe that is why he has been waking up multiple times in the middle of the night. Don't get me started on that. I am taking him to doc tomorrow for check-up. I will report back on stats. I am sure the doc will get onto me for him still waking up in middle of night.

Okay, that is all for now. I will try to update more often. I am excited about my new town!

Our New House

SOLD!

House sold last Tuesday. We actually were fortunate to receive 2 offers last weekend. This was after 9 days of no showings. We close August 31st and have 7 days to get out. We are in the process of negotiations on a house in T-town. I am worn out from all this house stuff! Sad to being leaving Birmingham but ready to be settled in a town we should be in for a while. As soon as we know which house we are getting, I will post a picture. :)

Life

Today my cousin's life was cut way too short. They are so many things I wish I had said to her. Don't ever think you will have another day with your loved ones. Please keep my aunt and cousin (Adrienne's twin sister) in your prayers as they grieve during this very difficult time.

RIP Adrienne Theoret - 3/17/89-7/21/11

This was the last time I saw her, 6/17/11.

There are not WORDS to describe...

HER!

My little Kate is quite the big girl these days. We have decided we are no longer a baby and we will not drag this out any longer, we wear BIG GIRL PANTIES. And she has done great. However I am going to mall today and slightly nervous about that public potty.

New Kate-isms -

- If she wants to do anything and I am not letting her - "Let me do, I BIG GIRL"

- Very dramatic (imagine that)! Anytime she is having to tell us what happened, her eyes about pop out of her head and her hands are going crazy.

- Kate has been saying "Polkadot my shirt" - So Don and I will say it back and she is ready to start an argument saying it back louder. So funny, considering we just recently learned that she is just referring to her baby blue polkadot shirt.

- Kate has been nursing her babies and using the pump. She smiles big when I look her way. Oh dear!

- Kate is also gearing up for all the birthday months ahead. So she practices singing to Petey, then me, then herself, then Luke and Daddy. Because that is the order! Don said he thinks she inherited our voices (meaning BAD and that she needs to lip sing). I am like I am not sure you can tell that at age 2. :) Odds are however in her favor.

- She is very sweet. If she really wants any type of food, she makes sure she gets some and then wants to make sure someone else gets some too.

- She is still a little jokester with her daddy, still telling him that she is not daddy's girl she is PAW PAW's girl and then running. Oh did I mention that she now calls him Daddy Don. Forget daddy, we need to make sure everyone knows which daddy she is referring to (like she has multiple daddies).

- She has one music c.d. in the car and there are only 2 songs of 32 that she wants to listen to over and over and over again. Kate is like her mama, if she likes something she wants to wear it into the ground. The first song is the ABC song where the "Little People" are singing it. The other song is what the "B" or "bee" song, about a little bumblebee. Thanks to the ABC song Kate is close to knowing them. She also has a new interest for numbers thanks to this little annoying lily frog doll we have. She is a sponge these days.

- Mamey taught Kate a little game on the way to church 2 Sundays ago. If Kate saw a red light, she screamed "STOP" and when she sees green she yells "GO". She loves it however it is just making her more bossy. Thanks Mame!

Offer Rescinded

Well, people have a right to change their mind. And the people that gave us a contract decided last Friday that they really needed a finished basement. This was after we countered their offer and they countered again and we accepted Wednesday night. We had the contract in the mailbox for our realtor to pick up Thursday morning. We learned late Friday night that they changed their mind. It was quite the rollercoaster week. Thankfully we are not upside down in our house. We don't have to sell. We have looked at houses 3 times since receiving that offer. I am in love with a subdivision and there is a house in that subdivision that we could get that is not even on the market yet BUT and a big BUT, it has a pool. Yikes! So unless we found some unbelievable pool cover or could build a deck over it, that house isn't happening. We found another that is really nice but currently about $60,000 overpriced. :) So we will keep looking until our house sells. The joys of house selling...

Offer Extended

WHoooo! We received an offer on the house. We did counteroffer last night so here's to hoping that everything meets their approval. I actually expect them to counter again. And hopefully us just one more time. If everything goes through, we would close July 28th and have until August 5th to be gone. That isn't alot of time my peeps and especially considering that we have not shopped Tuscaloosa homes yet. Yeah, so a little anxious over here. D tells me this morning that I should probably read the story of Abraham today and how God provided for him. One example of why D is my shining star. He is always there to remind me what truly is important and where my faith should lie. Anyway, getting a little emotional here thinking about all the potential changes that could take place around here rather quickly.

Sidenote: D is big dogging it today. He is flying with the president of his company and 2 others to Dallas on the Corporate jet for some media training. He should be back tonight. A little anxious about that also. :) Please pray for us.

Still here

My blog needs a serious makeover. I'll try to get around to doing that. I am getting worse and worse about posting things. I guess that is what 2 kiddos will do for you.

Update on us -

1) Our house is on the market. Wooohooo! We talked to the realtors on May 31st and by Thursday we had a sign in our yard and Saturday we were listed online. We have had 3 showings. Two of them still have a house to sell themselves and one it was an older couple that needed a larger kitchen. I am not very good at this waiting around thing but hopefully it won't take longer then a year to sell. However 2 other houses similar to ours took 1 year and a half to sell. Yikes! Thankfully we don't have to go anywhere so we will sit and wait patiently. :)

2) Mom and Dad are currently in the process of getting the lakehouse sheetrocked. Woohooo! It is starting to look like a real house now. We are going to have SO much fun up there I can hardly stand it. I see not only summers spent up there but New Year's and birthdays and Fall football games. You name it!

3) The kids, mom, and myself are headed out to CO in August to visit with my brother and family. So excited to meet little Campbell who is a spitting image of my brother (see pic below, that is him with his big dog sister Torrey). Love it!

4) Someone wrote on facebook today that there are 10 Saturdays left until Alabama football. Can I get a ROLL TIDE?!?!? I believe Don and I have the same seats we had last year. Pretty pumped about that!

5) Really we don't have a whole lot more going on besides still in the process of potty training Kate. She is very close if I could just direct more of my energies to her. :)

I will try to start updating more weekly. Hope you all are having a GREAT summer!

Twofer at 6

My "little" boy is 6 months old. I would say I can't believe 6 months has already passed but believe me, at times, I have felt every minute of it. It has been a rather hard transition but the joy Luke and his sister bring to my heart is priceless.

Luke at 6 months -

- rolling over from front to back and back to front

- sitting up fairly well, still falls over at times

- trying so hard to carry on a conversation - moving lips while sound comes out

- still very smiley

- eating baby foods - no favorites yet

- loves his sister more then anyone else - he giggles and giggles when she gets in his face

- very curious - as soon as I get him out of his crib he is staring from side to side to see what is going on

- very strong - pushing himself along floor - once he realizes he has to lift with his front arms, he will be crawling in no time

- 2 of his bottom middle teeth broke through about a week before his 6 month birthday - Twofer is two for the price of 1

What a month...

I haven't posted much over the last month, it has been a little crazy.

For one, there was a series of strong storms/tornadoes that came through the state of Alabama on April 27th that killed over 200 people. We were only out power 8 hours that day but some were without for 2 weeks. I can not expressed how blessed we feel to still be alive and to only have dealt with a few down tree limbs. We knew that it was going to be a bad weather day. That morning around 5:30a.m. we went down in the basement for what sounded like alot of commotion outside. It was very powerful straight line winds that did the most damage for areas of that state that were not later affected by the tornado. I didn't realize those winds had done so much damage until I was driving around one afternoon trying to get Kate to go to sleep. Then is when I realized how many HUGE trees with Massive trunks were knocked over. Many roofs still have tarps over them. But what made that day a "Red Letter" day in Alabama history is the many many tornadoes that came through the area, one being a EF-5. The strongest most powerful of all tornadoes. It went through Hackleburg, AL which is not near where I live. There was a EF-4 that went through very close to our house. It was a mile wide and had gone through Tuscaloosa. My husband works in Tuscaloosa and if had not been for his employer releasing their employees at 3pm that day, Don would have been right in the line of the storm. It went through T-town between 5 and 5:30 and it left behind massive devastation. I am talking about homes knocked flat, people thrown 100s of yards, people trapped in debris, and obviously loss of life. The thing is I really had no idea it was really as bad as it was until the next day and all of the missing people reports and death tolls. We were listening to our tv and scarfing down some dinner. We were saying to each other, we will need to get down in basement in 20 minutes, then 10 minutes. Then we hurriedly carried the kids downstairs along with our dog. We put hard hats and bicycle helmets on, we knew it was bad. Thankfully we dodged those deadly tornadoes. Normally if a storm hits in Tuscaloosa, it will follow the interstate up to our house which is about 40 minutes away. That day, the storms went north and south of us. The Tuscaloosa storm hit Concord, AL and Pleasant Grove, AL. That was probably the closest to us. I think they were saying it has been 70 years since that deadly of tornados had passed through Alabama. I hope things never get that bad again. Please keep continual prayers for my state, those people that lost people they love, those people that lost all those material possessions, and the rebuilding process.

A few days after the storm, the kids and I headed up to my parents. I was needing to do some painting that weekend and so mom was going to keep Kate a Friday night. Well I drove up Thursday night so we could get up early the next morning and watch Prince William and Catherine Middleton get married. Mom tells me all the time that she was 8 months pregnant with me shelling beans when Prince Charles and Diana got married. So I was the first up with the babe (4:45a.m.) and I was able to see Princess Kate get in her car and ride to Westminster Abbey. I also saw her walk the aisle. I personally think she made wonderful choices on her dress and hair and makeup. She looked stunning. Mom and my Kate woke up a little bit later and mom made us some ham and cheese croissants along with sliced strawberries and sparkling grape juice. :) My aunt Melanie and cousin Rachel stopped by later to watch because they were still without cable. It was a fun morning.

On another note, we just got back from vacation to beautiful Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We stayed at the Sea Pines Resort which had just hosted a PGA tournament roughly 3 weeks earlier. We went with Heath and Ashley Hill. Heath and Don are golf buddies and have known each other since college. Ashley and I actually know each other from college too. We arrived there on a Saturday night after driving 7.5+ hours. Sunday and Monday the guys golfed at high end golf courses while the girls and babies checked out the beach. It was easy to say that the Gulf Coast Beaches are prettier then the Atlantic Coast. The Gulf Coast has that deep, white sand while the Atlantic looks more muddy so it has a grayish tint. However I will say that with the Atlantic Beaches have very packed sand which makes riding bikes on it easy. There is something really neat about being able to ride a bike near the water and having the water and wind hit you in your face. Don and I tried to rent some bikes to ride around the resort on Tuesday but due to Sea Pines telling us the little trailers are really not ideal for children under 1 (even though we were going to put Luke in his car seat too), we decided against it this trip. However, when we go back, we are definitely renting bikes! The resort was ABSOLUTELY beautiful. It had everything. There were gators in several areas of water. We actually saw one in a pond when we were taking a little hike in the Forest Preserve. It wasn't long after that I suggested we get back in the car and do the driving part of the Forest Preserve. Yikes! It was a great trip! Wasn't long enough though...we drove back Tuesday night (arrived home around 1:30am) after stopping in Savannah, GA for dinner. Tuesday was Don and I's 8th wedding anniversary. Yay!

Anyway, today, Kate is at her mawmaw and pawpaw's house for the weekend. Don and I are about to do our finishing touches getting this house ready to put on the market. We are so tired of having that hang over our head every weekend. I will be glad when this transistion is over.

Little Owl

Don't know if you have ever watched an Owl but the way it slowly turns it's head and watches it's prey is the way Luke looks at Kate. Not so much that he wants to eat her, he just has real big blue eyes and they are wide open watching her. He slowly turns that head to keep a constant eye on her. I love watching them together. Especially when they are both happy and smiling. :) (side note: I witnessed an owl at Oak Mountain State park coiled and ready to spring at Petey. He was popping his beak! Yikes!)

So Luke turned 5 months old on the 29th. He started English Peas like 5 days prior because I was desperate for him to sleep through the night and guess what? He did! At least 2-3 days in a row. I am losing track of time here so forgive me. I weighed him about 2 weeks ago and he was around 18.5lbs. Well, I think he is around 19 now. Expect a 20lber for his 6 month appointment!

Easter & Lately

Easter pic - Very busy weekend with both families - Very Blessed, We Serve a Risen Savior

Kate has been doing this really funny thing lately. When we are driving somewhere that is a decent distance away (which many things are), she will lay her head to the side and close one eye. By doing this, she is trying to fake me off that she is asleep when I look in the rearview mirror. I know this for a fact the first time I saw her do this and thought something was wrong because the one eye that was closed didn't look stressed at all, so I called her name a few times without much movement. Later she was smiling up a storm. What a little trickster! Kate is also now a "Mommy-Daddy's Girl". If you ask her if she is a "mama's girl", she will say "No, I'm Mommy-Daddy's Girl". So correct! Smart girl! She used to say (when asked if she was a daddy's girl) "Daddy's gotta work, I'm Mama's girl!"

For Real

I decided to do a "REAL" post today. Let me tell you what is really going on in my life. I am currently extremely sleep deprived. I wake up each morning entirely too early for my body and I really want to be an ill-pill all day. Thankfully I have a little curly haired girl that squeaks "Daddy has to work, I'm a Mama's girl" and the mood slowly changes. My 4.5 month old baby who I thought would be sleeping through the night for at least 2 months by now is still waking me up multiple times in the middle of the night hence the extreme sleep deprivation for going on 4+ months now. The doctor told me to start going in to soothe him instead of feed him but when that doesn't work, baby wins. I am currently trying to find the perfect noise makers for both kids' rooms. Then we will be crying it out! Poor baby and mama! I am trying to potty train a child that doesn't really care to be potty trained. After accident upon accident I am thinking I chose cloth diapers instead of disposable ones (because that is what it feels like cleaning those suckers). Oh, did I mention that we are trying to put our house on the market? Yeah, first goal was April 1, then it was moved to April 15th, now May 1st looks like the date. Anyone know what it feels like to be in transition? Unsure of what the future will be like and how you will fit into it. I had this same feeling the summer before moving off to college. Just lovely! How do I get through this time? Realize this quite possibly is the best time of my life. Realize that it won't be like this for long. Realize how completely extremely blessed I am (even when spit upped and pooped upon). :) Also, if any of you guys need a good read, please read my friend Anna's post about "Facebook Depression". It inspired me to do this post. :)

4!

Here he is... My little chunky monkey...My stromboli...MY BIG TIME FLIRT...He was 4 months old 2 days ago and 3 days ago he weighed 17lbs 8 ounces, was 26 and 1/4 inches and had a 17 inch head. That makes him 90th percentile on height and weight and 75 percentile for head. Tonight we gave him rice cereal for the first time. He seemed to like it alright. Hard to believe in 1 more month he will be on solids. Luke's milestones right now include rolling over (only seen on our bed), grasping toys above him, laughing, smiling ALL THE TIME, and the other day he did a pretty good job sitting up unassisted for a good while. Tonight he is sleeping in his bed. We are SO proud of him and I literally kiss him ALL THE TIME. He stole my heart instantly. Love you booger bear!

Super-Moon Baby

What we have been up to lately...

1) My brother and sister-in-law had a precious little boy, Campbell Mark Keith, on March 20th. This was the day after the Super-Moon so I will always think of him as my Super-Moon baby. He weighed 6lbs and 7 ounces and was 19 inches long. I wish SO bad I was out there to hold him and love on him. At first, through pictures and skype, all I could see of him were Wade attributes. But now, after studying the pictures many times, I see a definite mix. Wade has gotten real emotional about this process. I guess he now feels the responsibility, the love, and the PURE JOY. I can't wait to witness it in person. We are hoping to go out late summer.

2) Don is taking off a few days next week to work on house stuff. We are trying to prep it to sell. I hate prepping to sell. Lots of work! Plus it is impossible to keep straight due to a sassy little 2-year old that is strowy like her mama. Whoops!

3) Luke is a CHUNK. Seriously! He will be 4 months old in like 3 days and I promise you he is 16lbs +. We go to his check-up April 6th and we will see where he stands. He weighed like 15lbs 14 ounces a little after his 3 month mark and I think that was with a diaper and clothes on but also after he had been sick a few days. Oh yeah, after Disney, we had to take Luke to the doctor on a Sunday for a Double Ear Infection and Bronchitis. They did a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia and I felt weak in the knees about the results (he didn't have pneumonia). Seriously, I am just like my mom about my children, I don't handle them hurting well. After Luke got meds I got a serious sinus infection. I was very sick for about 4 days - a week. Thankfully Don's parents took Kate 2 nights of that and I stayed at my parent's. Mom had to work during the day but it was so nice being taken care of at night. We all know how men take care of their ladies. They don't exactly make the best nurses. :) Love you Don!

4) My grandmother had to stay in the hospital 2 nights after she had a minor stroke. She thankfully was not permanently affected by it. She has new blood pressure medication now. Please pray for my grandmother's anxiety. She is very anxious about her new medication and the future.

5) American Idol! I am totally OBSESSED this season. I love the new judges, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. They are so dang cool. AND the talent this season is phenomenal. My favorites are Casey, James, and Paul. I really can't tell you right now which is my absolute fav. I didn't watch it from the beginning and really have only been watching 2 weeks now.

6) The Bachelor. LOVE LOVE LOVE that show! I really feel like I have lost friends when the season is over. ha! SO glad Brad picked Emily. Was totally shocked at the "After the Final Rose". I sure hope they are able to work everything out. They are one good looking couple!

I am just going to post some random pics on this blog post plus a picture of my precious new nephew!

Kate with her 2nd or 3rd or something cousin, Marco (my 1st cousin Monica's son)

Kate getting a sandwich hug from Marco and Marshall

Childhood friend Becky (due in May with a precious boy)

And below Kate with Kyli and Lily (Becky's girls)

The Happiest Place on Earth

So almost 2 weeks ago (it will be tomorrow), Don and I loaded up the Camry and headed south to WALT DISNEY WORLD. I know what you are thinking..."she took a 2 year old and 3 month old to Walt Disney World where they are not going to remember one bit of it and they will spend a couple grand!?!" Well before you judge me, let me explain the situation.

Rewind 2. 5 weeks ago on a Saturday. Tabitha (Don's older sister) called me back regarding a text message I sent her about getting some clothes her boys had grown out of for Luke. She responded we won't be in town for a week. I inquired and then she called. She didn't tell me where they were going just told me that if I could get transportation I could tag along too. WHAT!?! Well if you know me, you know I have the GO GOs, always have! So I was ready to say yes before she even told me where. She then drops the BOMB, Walt Disney World! I am thinking "what Tab, didn't you guys just go in September and drop some serious change?" She then informs me that her boss had vacation club points about to expire and he booked her a 2 bedroom villa at Saratoga Springs FREE. So, I ask Don if we can go. To my surprise he is sold on it. Once we jumped 2 more hurdles of Don asking vacation last minute and Tab's boss adding us to the room list, we were set ready to go. Did I mention that we got the final clearance on a Tuesday and we left early Thursday morning? Also, did I mention that we had Bunco at my house the Monday of that week and Kate stayed at my parents?

So we drive 9 hours down to Disney on Thursday with the 2 youngins. We make it by 10pm there time. We had to find a place to stay that night since our Saratoga Stay didn't start until Friday night. I remember staying at a Hilton when I was working that was nice and right next to downtown Disney. Because we lacked time and all that we just booked there. We were beyond exhausted by this time.

Friday morning we made it to the Magic Kingdom by probably about 10:30 or 11. We started off eating (which is a joke at Disney...poor quality food) then carousel, Pooh ride, It's a Small world, and some Mickey show which 3D glasses of which Kate would NOT wear. I took mine off for a second to see exactly what she would be seeing. Can you say HEADACHE? Seriously everything was blurry if you didn't have the glasses. By 4pm EST our room was ready so we all headed back. After about 2.5 hours at our posh new pad, we made our way back to MK for the fireworks and light parade. Exhausted we headed back to room.

Day 2 at Disney, Don's sister's family was out the door by 9am. We were all headed to Animal Kingdom. I was pretty pumped about this because I had never been there. Well we show about 11am again and Kate pretty much acts like she feels awful. Great! So we get our fast passes to the safari then head to get some lunch. One thing I have learned is don't get my crew past hungry or things get ugly quick. So we all ate and were happier. After eating, little man had to be fed so we took a quick stop off at the baby care center. Can I just say that this was the best thing Disney could have done on my vacation to go above and beyond? Seriously! They have baby care centers in all of the parks where you can go indoors (air-conditioned) and change your tot, feed them, pick up supplies you forgot. Well believe it or not, this mama actually forgot all diapers that day. After Luke experienced a blow-out, I had to buy the overpriced pack but was so thankful that was an option. Next stop, the safari. I was so excited! Luke got to go too. Well halfway through it, I look over at Don holding Kate and she is not even looking up. She felt that bad. This made me feel horrible. What kind of mom does this? So guess what we did after the safari....started making our way out of the park. We did however see Don's sister (and fam) on the way out and caught up, plus got ice cream. After about an hour plus wait to get back on bus to head to resort, we were on our way. And at this time lady and gents, Luke woke up from his peaceful nap and screamed inconsolably the whole way back. Awesome! At this point, I didn't care because I was mad at the whole Disney bus shuttle process. :) We ate at Downtown Disney that night that was about a 5 minute walk from our room. Oh yeah, and as we were leaving where we ate, Rob (Tab's husband) noticed that Kate had something that resembled bean stains around her knees. Well if you can imagine (all moms reading this can) it wasn't beans. All we had been giving her to drink was apple juice. Whoops! :)

Sunday morning we headed to church at the Maingate church of Christ that was about 15 minutes away. Small church service of which we had to stay in the back and I had to pace back and forth with Luke to keep him happy. Once we got back to hotel, we decided to eat at the resort. Dropped about $25 for nothing of food and surveyed the amazing pool. If Kate had felt better the day before I would have let her swim but since she didn't I was going to chance it. We took a long nap that afternoon to gear up for our night at Magic Kingdom. MK was having magic hours that night which meant that guests staying in Disney Hotels could stay until 12pm that night. All other park goers had to leave at 9. So we didn't get to the park that night until about 6:30. It was great. We did everything we wanted to do that night and left the park about 10:30. Kate loved getting to ride the Dumbo ride that night several times and seeing Mickey and Minnie on there. So thankful she felt good this last night of Disney! Because we had such short notice about this trip we were unable to book any reservations for meals with the characters. That is definitely something I want to do next time. It's a Small World was also one of her favorites if not her favorite and we all got to ride that one, even Luke.

Monday we hit the road headed north. After 2 stops to feed the baby on the way up, we decided we would stay in Panama City that night (plus I forgot to DVR the Bachelor and really wanted to see it) :). Nothing special about the place we stayed that night and it wasn't on beach. The next morning we hit the beach fairly early, got pictures of Luke's first trip, then got back on road. 2 more stops to feed baby on way home, and then we arrived back in B'ham.

Take aways from our trip were that we are not going back for 3.5 years (when Kate is 6 and Luke 4), that we want to stay close enough to Magic Kingdom that we can take a boat or monorail to get into that particular park, that we will try to take some snacks into park if easy to carry, that we will buy meal plan if one meal a day and 1 snack is offered, that we will go back in the Fall (Sept - Nov). We really can't wait to go back!

10 years ago TODAY...

I went on my first "official" date with a good looking, smart, kind, God-fearing man. We had been friends for a year and a half and hung out together in groups. I wasn't sure this was a date until he showed up at my door with a single red rose. From then on I knew he was interested in more than friendship and I also knew that there would no breaking up and getting back together. This was the real deal. Here's to keeping that interest going for another 50 years plus. :)

1st born -

Our brand new baby - Sing with me, "I'm too sexy for my shirt...too sexy for my shirt"

Our adopted first born...He is asleep here...on the couch...with his paws up and head rested on a pillow.

Birthday BOY

My dad turned the big 6-0 one week ago. We had big plans that night to eat at PF Changs with them. Well the weather wouldn't allow so we went out the following night. After arriving at PF Changes before 6:15 for a 2 hour wait then going to Superior Grill where we couldn't find a parking spot, we ended up at La Paz for some great Mexican Cuisine. It's my dad's favorite! We (and mom) gave him a motorcycle jacket he has been wanting for awhile. I think it was a good day(s) for him. Happy Birthday sweet Pops!

The next day we went to a birthday for little Jake Williams. He is Kate's bud/rival from church. Here are some pictures from his fabulous party!

My Babies

Just wanted to jot down a few really cute things kate has said or done lately.

1) When Don gets home Kate starts in this dance where she bounces up and down with her arms alternating in the air and saying "UH OH, Daddy's home...UH OH, Daddy's home" over and over and over again. Don wants me to explain why there is an "UH OH" in there. ha! I really have no idea. I must have said that before, like to help her get me to pick up items lying around the house. :)

2) Kate no longer calls baby, "Baby". It is now, "Baby Oooooooooke". So cute.

3) Kate has been dancing to church hymns lately. Oh yes, and that is in church. There is not musical instruments so I don't know why she feels the need to get down. I couldn't help but bust out laughing the other day when she was doing a very awkward donkey bucking looking dance. Just imagine slow motion. Terribly funny.

4) Kate has also been saying that she is a "PawPaw's Girl, Daddy!". Somehow we started asking Kate if she was a Daddy's girl? Out of nowhere she goes, "I am a Pawpaw's Girl." So we started asking her if she was a daddy or pawpaw's girl. She always says "I am a Pawpaw's Girl, Daddy" as she takes off running. She knows what is next.

5) Don will tell Kate to give him 5. Kate will hit her hands together above and behind her head. Then Don will say "Give me Knuckles" and she will hit her knuckles together above and behind her head. Don will go, "You can't give yourself high fives...You can't give yourself knuckles." SHE IS ROTTEN! :)

We love us some KK and Baby Oooooooooke!

2 legit!

Luke turned 2 months old this past Saturday. I LOVE THAT LITTLE BOY! He is the biggest flirt EVER. Seriously, if I talk to him, he will just smile and coo at me. He really wants to be talking back. It melts my heart. He however might be a little spoiled...likes to be held ALL THE TIME. Whoops! He is a big en' too! He weighed 13 lbs and 6 ounces at his 2 month checkup. Geez! I believe that was like 90percentile. He also was like 24 and 1/2 inches. He is wearing 6 months sizes now. Has been for about 2 or 3 weeks. I am already imagining feeding him when he gets older. I have always thought of myself as an upper average girl (based on size). Meaning fairly tall but not astronomical. Well it appears that my children are on the astronomical chart now. Seriously, Kate next to another 2 year old is funny. She is a healthy girl (and I am thankful). :) Here are some shots of Luke and then at the bottom some shots of us at the circus this past weekend. Thanks to Mamey and Pop for keeping Luke. Also, the highlight of the night for Kate was....(Drumroll please)... a $3.75 coke that we were all suppose to share. Ha!

Convo with My Mom this morning

On OPRAH yesterday:

hey - two things jumped out that was said on oprah 8:59 AM 1. for every hour you commute to work - it cost an extra 40,000/yr 8:59 AM 2. the happiest people interact with other people at least 8 hours a day 8:59 AM interaction - thru work, donating time, or whatever - they are around other people 8 hours a day 9:00 AM what do you think of those two little tidbits of info

Intimidation

So I keep wanting to write a blog post full of cool stuff like recipes I have tried and liked or crafts I have done. Well guess what, I have ZERO time these days. Like seriously, getting a shower is a BIG thing. Oh and getting one by MYSELF is equally BIG. I know these are sweet times. It won't be much longer before I will get the sleep I need to enjoy them. Luke wakes up normally around 2a.m. and 5a.m.-ish. Well Kate has taken it upon herself to start waking at 5:30 and bolting to our room to get in the bed. She doesn't really want to sleep though and that wakes the whole family. Yesterday she was an ill-pill about being awake yet she didn't want anyone (including herself) to go back to sleep. Yay for me! So today we are taking a mid-morning nap. I am included. Bad thing is that Luke normally needs me during this time. So I am going to try to time it so that I feed him and then lay Kate down and we all rest.

Another big deal is that I left the house, by myself, with the children on Monday and yesterday. Monday was a quick trip to Target where we bought Potty supplies. They were both perfect angels. Yesterday we met some friends at the Galleria for lunch and a carousel ride. The children did good then too. I for see me only doing short trips place for a few weeks unless I am with my mom.

About the potty training thing... We are starting Monday. We have purchased a hollow doll, 9 pairs of training pants, and a potty that you empty the bowl in the big toilet. We are going to try to follow the book, Toilet Training in Less than One Day. It was written in the 1970s so I'll let you know how that goes. Basically from what I have read you pump them full of liquids and leave them in a certain room with no distractions for an extended period of time until it clicks. The doll will be used to demonstrate at the beginning then get her to teach herself. Not going to lie, I am extremely intimidated by this. :) I showed her, her training pants and she threw them across room.

Here is a video of Luke at 7 weeks. Ignore extremely annoying voice in background...

Potty Dance

Maybe this will make Kate's potty training easier. Any advice gladly accepted!

Bird Out of a Cage

That's what this girl will be come Monday, or maybe Tuesday due to the Blizzard of 2011 coming our way. :) I can lift Kate starting Monday which means I can leave the house by myself with both of them. I have been able to drive since 2 weeks after his birthday but that didn't do much good to me unless I could lift her. As many of you know, many 2 year olds have tantrums on a regular basis and I couldn't ask some stranger to peel my girl off the floor. Also, for you guys who commented or cared for my last post, yes, Don and I are selling our house. We hope to have it listed come Spring. We realize it might sit on the market a year or more but we got to start this process. :) Here is a picture of Kate and Luke with their cousins on New Year's Day. If you remember we weren't able to see them any over the holidays due to the stomach virus so this was our Christmas with them. We also celebrated Ryan's 5th birthday. He will be a kindergartner starting in the Fall. Time Flies!

purge..minimize...STAGE..

all words that will become very familiar to me once Don and I's new project is accomplished. Who can guess what I am talking about? :)