I'm Back! (Hopefully for good)

I guess you could say life happened.  2 kids equal not a dull moment.  Here are a few pics of what we have been up to...

Dead of Winter

Okay I wrote a paragraph about how I am content and it is warm here and I am trying to savor every bit of my kids because they are at the most precious age.  But since I have been gone for so long, my blog post did something crazy and it was unreadable.  So I will leave you with a video of Kate out in the snow 1/17.  :)  

1.5

Wow, I have missed you blog.  My little Lou Lou is now 18 months old and I have been neglecting his sweet little milestones.  Ahhhhhhh, life happens.

The Farm is still trying to get settled into our new house and city.  You would think 9 months there we would be there but it is a very slow process with a 3 and 1 yr old.  Our house is still a canvas to be worked on but we are getting to know others in the area and are attending 1 church on a regular basis.  I see us being very happy here for a long time.  

Luke has been changing daily.  He is very much a happy little guy and smiles and loves on us on a half hour basis.  He is the absolute best little kid to tickle EVER.  When you tickle his chest or belly, he belly laughs and it is the absolute most contagious thing ever.  He is developing quite the attitude though so we got to keep that at bay.  First thing he wants in the morning is food and drink.  I am actually home with him now while everyone else is at church because he forgot this morning to stop eating when he was full and got sick in the car on the way to church.  Oh boys!

Our Summertime Bucket List

15 and it feels so good

My sweet SWEET, funny, chub-a-lubba, snuggly, sugar man is 15 months on this leap day. Happy 15 months Lu-LU! Words can not describe this momma's adoration for her baby boy. Pics to come soon plus updating of the blog for the last 3 MONTHS! :)

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!