Friday

Twas the week before Christmas,
everyone was cold and numb.
They were looking for a warm place,
a great country band
and Marty on his drums.

Friday December 15th at The Saloon in Roswell/Sandy Springs. $10 Doors open at 6pm. Live music starts at 8:30. Len Snow, or better Marty, goes on stage at 10:30pm. From what we hear it will be a pretty big crowd so you might want to get there early. The saloon does serve food, it seems to have a pretty decent menu. This will be a great show you don't want to miss! Hope to see lots of familiar faces.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

We had our first taste of snow yesterday morning, it even dusted the ground. Had it been a little bit more, I’m sure the whole city would have shut down. I hear that Nashville is a lot like Atlanta and shuts down at the slightest mention of snow.
The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever. Andrew has never seen snow, so I’m sure he was pretty confused about this strange powdery cold thing coming from the sky. Confusion didn’t stop him or Abby from trying to catch the snow on their tongues though. It only lasted about 10 minutes but the kids had fun playing in the flurries in their jammies. Don’t worry, it was fleece feety jammies.
It has been down right cold here, I mean dangerously cold. Last night at 8:00 it was 15 degrees. This morning it was 14 but with the wind chill it feels closer to 6 degrees. Now that is just cold. I like the cold but only when snow is associated with it, so let it snow. I would love to have a good snow this year, we’re due for one. Although I have no idea where the kids would go sledding since there is not a hill to be seen in our neighborhood. We will figure that out when the time comes, bring it on.

ICE!

It is named correctly because it is cold, 9 degrees in fact. A few nights ago we took the kids over to the Opry area to go see ICE! Think 1.5 million pounds of ice sculptures. It took 35 men from China 40 days to carve the ice which some of the sculptures weigh 2 tons and are 25 feet tall.
When you first walk in they give you huge parkas and boy do you need them. The adults come in different sizes but the kids are one size fits all. Well one size doesn’t fit all; poor Andrew was wearing a dress, yes again (see previous post) His sleeves were so long that his poor little hands couldn’t come out. This actually wasn’t a bad thing because it kept his hands pretty warm. After Abby started crying because her hands were cold, we unrolled her sleeves and in went her hands too.
It is absolutely amazing and absolutely cold, have I said that already. You can walk through an igloo, an ice forest complete with ice deer and ice trees. The next room you entered was by far our favorite, the ice slide!! Yes, I said ice slide. It was so much fun, adults can slide too. At first Abby and Andrew didn’t get the hang of it, but Marty started putting them on their backs and pushing their little heads and man did they pick up speed. The slide attendant was pretty sure that Andrew was the youngest to go on the slide. When I would pick him up from the bottom, he would say “more”. The kids couldn’t get enough. Next you went into the train room and then on to the nativity scene. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Of course at the end you exit into a store where you can buy all sorts of things. We hung out in there for a little bit to warm up and then the kids wanted to go again. So, that’s what we did.

Cute quotes heard around the house

Just a cute picture to go along with the cute quotes. Hope it makes you smile.

You never know what you will hear when you have a 4 year old and a 19 month old but here are a few cute things heard over the weekend.

We asked Abby what she was thankful for on Thanksgiving and this is what we got:
“I’m thankful for the food that you and daddy give me (they must have been preparing them at school) and for the presents that Santa brings me (that’s the Abby that I know)” We also asked her what she thought Andrew and Prince were thankful for and Andrew is apparently thankful for Thomas the Train, he doesn’t even have a Thomas the Train, YET. He will now on Christmas morning and Prince is thankful for the elephants. Like I said, you have no idea what they will say.

Over the weekend I was making cinnamon rolls for breakfast and Abby was trying to teach Andrew how to say Cinnamon Rolls, obviously she can’t say it herself. She would tell him “say Cimm, now say Rolls, that’s good, Cimmrolls” How is this boy ever going to learn how to talk.

The last cute thing heard around our house is from Andrew and you will hear it at any given moment, it happens to be his favorite song right now. It took a day or two for us to figure out what he was saying but now, it’s so clear. Abby has a CD called Hide ‘Em in Your Heart, courtesy of Ella and Evan last Christmas. It has always been one of Abby’s favorites well now it seems like its Andrew’s favorite as well. He will sing “A da do, ME” Ok, it might not seem like much but what he is trying to say is the bible verse Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So he’s missing the all things through Christ who strengthens part, but he has the I can do and me part down. Too cute!!

They make me laugh every day.

Done

Well, as of last night I have finished the Christmas shopping. . . for the kids. We have actually made decent progress with the rest of the family but it is such a relief to have the kids done. I did a lot of shopping online and bought a few gifts on Ebay also. Marty finished up the stocking stuffers yesterday at Cracker Barrel. No laughing, they have some great things.
I didn’t want to have to face the mall after Thanksgiving unless absolutely necessary so the kids and I went to Opry Mills last night while Marty was at work and did a little bit of shopping. It’s amazing how good the kids can be when they have the promise of a cookie hanging over their heads. I know some love the thrill of the deal and the craziness of the mall but I guess working retail for so many years has tainted me. For all of you hitting the stores at 4:00 am, good luck and I will be dreaming about you as I am snug in my bed fast asleep.

The Dream has Begun

Mark you calendars, save the date, do whatever you need to do, but let it be know that Marty is considered a professional drummer. WOOHOO!!!
Marty’s first paid gig, did you see that paid, as a drummer is going to be on Friday December 15th in Roswell. How crazy is that that his first show is going to be in Roswell, it couldn’t get much better than that. He will be performing with an up in coming country artist named Len Snow. The Atlanta Opry, didn’t even know such thing existed, is held twice a month at the Saloon in the Roswell/Sandy Springs area. You can go to: http://www.theatlantaopry.com/ to get more information about the saloon and the Atlanta Opry. Marty’s show will begin at 10:30, yes PM, and he will have two 45 minute sessions with a 30 break in between.
We have only heard the CD that Len has put out so we have no idea how the show will be like but hey it’s paid isn’t it. Everyone is welcome to come, but I will warn you that there is a $12.00 cover charge, which a portion of that goes directly back to the performers. I guarantee a good time and hope to see you there.

50 things for my 50th post

Well, this is my 50th post and I am going to steal an idea from Keri. For my 50th post, I’m going to write 50 things about me (or my family). I bet you didn’t know, or maybe you did. . .

1. My birthday is September 1st
2. I have 2 kids- Abby is 4 and Andrew is 19 months
3. I have only lived in 3 houses. The house I grew up in in Roswell, the house Marty and I bought in Buford and now here in Nashville.
4. My first baby was a 4 legged one- Prince, our Italian Greyhound.
5. My sister and I are 5 years and 7 months apart, she’s older haha
6. Marty and I have been married for 6 years.
7. I have worked for Hayward Baker for 7 years, almost 8
8. Andrew’s birthday is April 8th
9. Marty and I have been together for 9 years, that just blows me away; I know it’s nothing for some of you.
10. I have 40 more to go, ok I cheated
11. My kids have the same initials, AMW, and it wasn’t planned that way. Abby is Abigail Mackenzie and Andrew is Andrew Martin
12. I did want 2 “A” names though, so that was planned
13. Andrew would have been named Emma if he was a girl, Andrew fits him much better
14. Abby’s and Marty’s birthday is on the 14th. Abby August 14th and Marty May 14th
15. Marty’s first paid gig as a drummer is on December 15th, more to come on that later but mark it on you calendars because it’s in Roswell, GA.
16. Marty and I were married on June 16th
17. I was 17, just days from 18, when I got my drivers license
18. My first car was a grey 1988 Chevy Blazer
19. Since then I have had a 2000 Mercury Cougar and now my beloved Honda Civic
20. Marty has had a Honda Passport, a Ford Expedition and now a Ford Explorer just since we’ve been married
21. Spring is my favorite season, I love the flowers blooming
22. Marty was going to be the DJ at my first wedding, no I didn’t get married.
23. Marty and I actually met for the first time when his brother and sister in law invited me to his aunts’ house for Labor Day. Weird I know.
24. We later met again at the Opryland Hotel for a clogging convention.
25. We now live 2 miles from the Opryland Hotel, quite ironic
26. I clogged for 23 years
27. 12 of that on a competition team, Clog’n FX
28. I competed up until 2 weeks before Abby was born, maybe that’s why she can’t sit still
29. Marty also danced on FX
30. Marty’s brother still dances on FX, it was a family affair
31. I am 8 months older than Marty, not really considered robbing the cradle
32. I am 32 years old
33. My favorite shows are Desperate Housewives and 24, opposite ends of the spectrum I know
34. Marty and I auditioned for the Amazing Race a few months back, since the show is now airing, I guess we didn’t make it
35. I am very indecisive and despise making decisions
36. I minored in Spanish but probably couldn’t speak a lick of it now
37. I take that back, I can speak the Spanish we (the kids and I) learn on Dora the Explorer
38. I don’t want to admit it, but Andrew has my temper.
39. I used to hold my breath when I was little and didn’t get my way, Andrew will pull that trick one day I’m sure
40. I was also very attached to my blanket growing up; he is very attached to his.
41. My baby blanket actually got lost in the move, yes I still had it
42. I was a mommy’s girl
43. I miss my mom every day
44. I have the most beautiful kids ever, inside and out, good and bad
45. I am amazed every day at the things they do and the fact that I am their mom, what an honor
46. I have to work everyday at being a mom, sometimes it just doesn’t come easily
47. I was scared to move to Nashville but I have complete confidence that Marty will make it as a drummer
48. Marty is my best friend and marrying him is the best thing I have ever done
49. I am married to my one true love, period
50. I am blessed

Pictures of the decorations

I can't get the pictures to upload to my other post. After working on it for 2 days, I've given up and am just going to give it it's own post. Here are pictures of the Halloween decorations.


all 13 pumpkins


scary skeleton in the flowerbed

Happy Halloween. . .a day late

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween. I also hope the tummy aches aren’t too bad this morning, that is the only reason the kids go out trick or treating isn’t it? So the parents can “go through” the candy and “make sure it is safe”. Basically that means that the kids better hope they don’t like the same candy as the parents, because the likelihood of it still being there in the morning are slim.
We had a great Halloween. The weather was perfect, we had rain early in the day but it cleared up nicely. We were able to sit on our front porch and wait for the little ghosts and goblins. I took the kids to a few houses on our street and Abby got the concept this year. She had a blast!! She would run up to the door and ring the door bell and say either “Happy Halloween” or “Trick or Treat” She also took good care of Andrew who was in the wagon. She made sure and always got something for him. There was even a time or two that she would tell the person, “He can’t have that, he’s too little” One lady suggested that she put the candy in her bag, but she informed her that she wouldn’t know which one it was and she didn’t want to get them mixed up. I did have to bribe (I have always said I am not above bribing) Andrew with candy in order to stay in the wagon. Both kids did really well with the masks and costumes. We were a little concerned about Andrew but they didn’t seem to bother him too much. Abby was also the perfect candy giver outer. She would hold the candy bowl and tell them Happy Halloween. Andrew on the other hand, would have preferred to not give out any candy, that’s just means more for him.
Our house looked awesome and Marty did and excellent job carving the pumpkins. We do cheat a little and get the fake foam pumpkins, but that just means that we can add to the collection year after year. This year we had 13 pumpkins. Complete with Cinderella and the kids’ names. Hope everyone had a frightfully good time!

PS. No comments on the choice of costume. GO VOLS!!


I can't get the pictures of the house to load. I will try again later.

The time change. . . I DON'T LIKE IT!

I used to take the time change in stride, it was just another day. That was until I had kids. It messes them up, it messes me up and I would love to see it come to an end. I know we do get somewhat of a break next year since we gain a month, but come one let’s just do away with it all together. I am tired of my kids waking up at the ungodly hours that I have seen on my clock the past few days. Monday we heard Andrew’s happy voice at 5:37, yes AM. Abby gave us a little bit of a reprieve, she didn’t climb into our bed until 6:06, again AM. I know they will get adjusted, probably better and easier than I will, but Abby and Andrew are early birds anyway. No need to make it any earlier.
Another thing I really don’t like is the fact that I need to turn my headlights lights on at 4:30, ok this time PM. It gets dark here so early, I am not kidding, we had our headlights on yesterday at 4:30. We are on the far east side of the Central Time Zone so we get the sun earlier in the mornings and the moon earlier in the afternoons. I’m not even going to say night, because 4:30 is not night to me. How many months until March?

Oh, if you have an hour, a day, a week or month to waste

Then this is the way to waste it. I will go ahead and warn you that it is a total time suck, before you know it an hour will be gone. If you like riddles and thinking outside of the box then I think you will enjoy it. You do have to be little computer savy in order to complete some of the levels. Who am I kidding, it starts right from the beginning. I am up to level 35 and have hit a wall, let me know if you need any clues along the way because I have written my answers down, and so should you.
Enjoy!!
http://www.weffriddles.com/

Please say a prayer

I am going to ask a huge favor of all of you but please say a prayer for one of my coworkers. Last Wednesday Joe found out that his wife, Stacey, has a large brain tumor. Stacey went in for surgery on Thursday afternoon but they were unable to remove the entire tumor. Stacey and Joe were told going into the surgery that it looked like it had the growth pattern of a benign tumor but after surgery they found out that it is in fact cancer. They have an appointment with the oncologist on November 1st to set up a game plan. Stacey continues to be in great spirits, which is a true testament to her faith, and is focusing on only the positives.
They are both 32 years old and have a 2 ½ year old little girl and an 8 month old little boy. Please say a prayer for the whole family, my heart breaks for the babies.

Abby go?

Andrew said his first 2 word sentence this morning and it was "Abby go?" Not Mommy go, or Daddy go, but Abby go? He was sitting on our bed this morning and Abby was playing in the bathroom hiding behind the shower curtain and Andrew looked at me and said "Abby go?" with his arms thrown up like where did she go. It was too cute. He loves his sister and is constently calling for her, so much so that it drives Abby crazy. She will tell him "Andrew you're peating (repeating) yourself" Sibling love.

Already?

This morning on my way in to work my car turned over to 100,000 miles. My little Honda Civic that Marty and I bought in August 2001. We traded in my sport black 2 door Cougar for the more practical 4 door Honda Civic. It was a good move but sometimes I do miss my little sports car.

The first one

Well it’s official; I have bought my first Christmas present. Yes, I know it is a little early but I just had to get it. Isn’t it cute? Abby loves loves loves taking pictures but she has gotten turned off of her camera because she likes ours better since she can see the picture on the back (my how times have changed) Somehow I stumbled upon this cute little Fisher Price Pink Digital Camera and knew that we had to get it for Abby. I searched on line and found it ranging in price from $59.00-$129.00. Walmart.com had it for $59.00 but of course was sold out. So on my way home yesterday I stopped my Wal-Mart and was pleasantly surprised to see that not only did they have one, but it was also on sale for $54.98. I love a sale. For all you mamas of boys, they also have them in blue.
I am so ready for Christmas. I love the Christmas tree, the decoration, the kids in their matching Christmas jammies and I really love seeing the kids’ excitement on Christmas morning. It will be crazy this year, Andrew will be more into it and I can’t wait to enjoy those 15 minutes of pure craziness and wrapping paper tossing. Bring it on!

Our week in review

First and foremost, I am sorry that it has been over a week since I posted last. It’s been crazy here at work and only having dial-up at home, I refuse to do anything major on the computer. So here is our week in review.
The kids were battling a cold early last week but thankfully everyone is on the mend now. Andrew’s asthma kicked back in with just the slightest bit of cold weather (ok, so it was 33 degrees here with frost covered grass) and we had to start giving him breathing treatments again. Poor little man. He doesn’t mind them too bad; I guess he knows that it will make him feel better. Luckily, we haven’t had to give him any treatments since last week though. He did go to the doctor on Thursday for his 18 month well check and for a sick visit too. Poor thing screamed the whole time during the exam. He just doesn’t like strangers. He weighs 21 pounds 2 ounces and is 30.5 inches long. He is now in the 3rd percentile for weight and the 5the percentile for height. At 18 months Abby was 20 pounds 9 ounces and was also 30.5 inches. Andrew has actually lost weight since his 15 month appointment, but I’m not too worried about it because it was the difference between two different doctor’s offices. One was done fully clothed and the other was with just in a dry diaper on. If you have ever seen Andrew eat then you wouldn’t be concerned either, he eats more than Abby most days. We were much happier at this doctor’s visit. I’m glad that we did give them a second chance because we really liked the doctor that Andrew saw (the one that saw Abby couldn’t take Andrew, so we went with another and in fact are going to change Abby’s doctor now because we liked her so much) We also noticed small blisters on Andrew’s hands, they looked like ant bites but new ones kept appearing. So we also had the doctor check those out. It ends up that he has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, no relation to Hoof and Mouth disease in cattle. It’s a virus and it just has to run its course. The little blisters are going away and they haven’t seemed to bother him at all, more bothersome for mommy and daddy. Poor thing also has this HUGE blister on his thumb from being the thumb sucker that he is. I have no idea how he can still suck it, it has got to be very painful.
On a fun note though; Eddie, Gidget, Bailey and Matthew (BIL, SIL and niece and nephew) came up for the weekend. We had an awesome time and it was just what we all (especially Abby) needed. We didn’t do too much, we let the girls play and play and they really played good together. It was good to see them playing together again. We did go over to the Opryland Hotel and eat. We saw the water show which is pretty impressive. During the show, Abby, Andrew and Bailey were sitting on the bottom step being big kids and all the sudden the water shot way up in the air. You have never seen 3 kids turn high tail and run so fast in your life, it was one of those moment that you really wish you had your video camera. After the hotel we went shopping at Opry Mills and then took a stroll through the grounds of the Opry House. Before shows at the Opry, they always have a band playing at the entrance, so we let the kids go listen and dance to the music. I feel sorry for the band because I’m afraid the kids were stealing the show. Too cute.
That is our week in review, believe it or not but that’s the condensed version. I will do better on keeping you updated.

PS, Marty has a valet job now at Maggiano’s. Good pay and great flexibility. He needs his time out of the house too.

You want to eat where?

Yesterday we took at road trip to Chattanooga (more on that another day) On the way down Highway 24, Abby says "we need to go to the owl place to eat"
me: "what honey, what do you mean?"
Abby: "the owl place, we need to go there to eat"
me: "honey where?"
Abby: "The owl that I just saw on the sign, we need to go there and eat"

Then it hit. She was talking about Hooters. Oh my!

The open road

Yesterday I was able to do something that I haven't done in a very long time. My boss is on vacation this week so he left me his Tahoe because I had to make a trip to Chattanooga to set up for the AIA Conference. I left yesterday set with 308 songs on my Ipod and I was ready to sing my heart out. And that's exactly what I did. I actually enjoy road trips by myself, it's nice to have your thoughts to yourself and not have to fight over the radio or a movie for that fact. I sang anyhting from 311 to Chris Tomlin to Little Big Town to Justin Timberlake (did I just admit that) you name it I sang it. I will say that my favorite song to pretend I can sing to is the new song by Carrie Underwood Before He Cheats. Thakfully I've never had to experiene it but I'm not sure that I wouldn't have a similar reaction. I just love this song right now

Right now he's probably slow dancing with a bleached-blond trim, and she's probably getting frisky...

right now, he's probably buying her some fruity little drink cause she can't shoot whiskey...

Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool-stick, showing her how to shoot a combo...

And he don't know...

I dug my key into the side of his pretty little suped up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seat...

I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires...

And maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.

Right now, she's probably up singing some white-trash version of Shania karoke..

Right now, she's probably saying "I'm drunk" and he's a thinking that he's gonna lucky,

Right now, he's probably dabbing 3 dollars worth of that bathroom Polo...

And he don't know...

That I dug my key into the side of his pretty little suped up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seat,

I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires...

And maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.

I might saved a little trouble for the next girl, Cause the next time that he cheats...

Oh, you know it won't be on me!

Ohh... not on me...

I dug my key into the side of his pretty little suped up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seat...

I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires...

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats. Ohh..

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats...

Ok, so it's not the classiest of songs but it lends itself to one heck of a car ride all out singing fest.

I told Marty that Mike's speaker had probably never been that loud and I made the comment that thank goodness no one could hear me singing. He then graciously reminded me that Mike has OnStar. Well, if they were listening in then they got one heck of a concert.

Our old house

Abby has been going through a funk lately. That's the only way I know how to describe it. She had been missing people and things really bad lately. The other day Marty put on a CD that Ella and Evan gave her for Christmas, Hide 'Em in Your Heart. Ella and Abby used to listen to it on the way to school most every morning. Well, Abby came into the kitchen when her favorite song came on and she was in tears. She told Marty that she missed Ella and she wanted to listen to the song in Keri's vancar (for some reason Abby calls their minivan a van car) Marty's heart broke. Then last night Abby told us that she missed our old house with the pretty flowers. Mental note: plant pretty flowers for the fall. She also said that we used to have beautiful trees. We have one lonely tree in our front yard now. She remembers and it is so sad that she is so heart broken. Marty told her that we will move back to GA in a few years and yes we will move close to Ella, Abby said "Thank you for making me so happy daddy" Poor thing.

How could anyone not like the cow?

Well, Abby not only didn't like the cow, she was terrified of it.
We woke up on Saturday morning and Abby said that she wanted to go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, it's the only restaurant around that has a play area. It worked for us because we had some errands to run on that side of town anyway. We set out armed with socks, lots of little kid feet no telling where they have been, and run our errands. We finally, ok so it was 11:00 am, make it to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. We walk in and see that there is a birthday party. Ok, we'll eat quickly so the kids can enjoy the play area before it gets even more crazy with the birthday party. Then in walks the cow. I think, oh great free entertainment. Abby thought otherwise. She did not like the cow at all, remind you that the cow was way on the other side of the restaurant. We eat quickly and head to the play area, great the play area is in a seperate room Abby will be fine. Marty leaves us at Chick-Fil-A and goes to Home Depot, his play area. We get socks on and I try to send the kids off to play. Abby is still really preoccupied by the cow. And then it happens, the cow looks at her and waves. You would have thought that the world was coming to an end. I could not get her calmed down and had to call Marty to come get us.
Mommy guilt set in big time because instead of trying to help her work through her fears I just got frustrated. I shouldn't have and I feel really bad for the way I made her feel. Poor punky, she just didn't like the cow.

Love or Infatuation?

We are going to a Bible study titled Love, Sex and Lasting Relationships (can you say that in church) After I weed through all the over the top things and get to the basics, I am really enjoying it. Marty and I are in 2 different classes to promote a more honest discussion, personally it wouldn’t bother me if he was in my class.
Last week was a discussion on the difference between love and infatuation.

Love: (1) strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2) : attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
Infatuation: (1) foolish and usually extravagant passion or love or admiration (2) puppy love (3) an object of extravagant short-lived passion

I hadn’t really given infatuation much thought until I took the class, but looking back, maybe I should have. I realized that I have had many infatuation relationships but only one love relationship (and yes it is with Marty in case you were wondering) It was like a light bulb went off, so that’s why none of the other relationships worked, thank goodness. There was a test per say that we took to determine if the current relationship we were in was infatuation or love. I knew I was in love but it did help shed some light on my past relationships. Here are a few of the ones that hit home.
TIME: Love grows with time, infatuation comes suddenly
I didn’t want to like Marty in the beginning, yes he knows this. It was something that just grew, even if I didn’t want it to and tried to make it stop.
SECURITY: An individual in love has a sense of security and a feeling of trust. An infatuated person tends to have a blind sense of security based upon wishful thinking rather than upon careful consideration, or he may have a sense of insecurity that is sometimes expressed as jealousy.
This one hit big time. I have never been jealous when it comes to Marty. It has bothered me in the past because I was jealous in my other relationships and I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t now. It’s because I’m in LOVE. I don’t feel the fear that I felt in the past, wow it’s wonderful.
PROBLEM SOLVING: A couple in love faces problems frankly and attempts to solve them. In infatuation, problems tend to be glossed over.
No need to elaborate
DISTANCE: Love tends to be constant. Infatuation often varies with the distance.
Marty and I haven’t ever spent much time away from each other but I don’t worry if we were to ever have to.

Some of you are going, oh what a sappy post, but it was something of such significance this week that I just had to share. It was such a great feeling to realize that I have in fact found my one true love. Sappiness over.

Parenting Super Nanny style.

I never thought I would do it, but I have. I am using a Super Nanny method. Ok, I will admit it, Marty and I like to watch Super Nanny. I will also admit that we like to watch it because it makes us feel better. After watching the show, we can say either thank goodness our kids aren’t that bad or at least ours aren’t the only ones that act that way.
Since Abby is having problems with going to school/church I have made a pretty little chart with her name on that hangs on the refrigerator. I have also made little smilie face and crying face magnets. Abby gets to put the corresponding magnet on the chart when she gets home from school or church. For every 8 smilie faces, she gets to go to the store and buy something. I’m thinking something from the dollar section at Target. The 8 smilie faces can be achieved in two weeks since we are usually at school/church 4 times a week. Yesterday was the first time that the chart was used and she got to put a smilie face on her chart. YIPPEE! Marty said that as soon as she came home she wanted to put her smilie on, of course she wanted to put another smilie on since Andrew had a good day too (Andrew didn’t go to school yesterday)
I have always said, I am not above bribing.

Yummy!!

Well, the low country boil is usually reserved for New Year’s Eve, but we decided to dust off the fryer and pot and invite some friends over. After all you can’t have a low country boil alone. What could be better than chicken, shrimp, kielbasa, andouille, potatoes, onions, corn, garlic, lemons and Old Bay seasoning cooked together and then thrown on brown paper grocery bags on the table? Everyone gather around with some cocktail sauce and crusty bread and you’ve got dinner. I’m not sure what our friends though when they saw me making our “table cloth” out of grocery bags but they didn’t hesitate to eat.
The Falcons played the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome last night. The first game in the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina. We had to celebrate Cajun style. The food was good, the company was good, the football was not so good. The Falcons got stomped. I wish the Falcons weren’t the lucky, or unlucky, ones to be playing the Saints at home for the first time, the Saints were psyched. I was rooting for Atlanta but it just seemed right for the Saints to win and they did.

Thank you Thank you

Well, today's Thursday which means school day for both of the kids. It went like this:
Marty takes Andrew, he cries.
Marty takes Abby, she doesn't cry! Did you hear that, she didn't cry this morning. Marty said she almost got teary but she didn't. Marty gave her a hug and a kiss and left, she was fine. YIPPEE!!
Marty forgot to sign Andrew in so he goes back and Andrew is no longer crying. What a great day.
For everyone who added Abby and Andrew to their prayer list, thank you. It worked!

School Days

Well, this post is weeks overdue but better late than never right?
Abby and Andrew have started school here and it’s not going as smooth as we would have hoped. Abby goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-2:00 and Andrew goes only on Thursdays.
The first day of school we hyped it up big time for Abby. We went to meet Ms. Gayle. You should hear Abby say Ms. Gayle; if we aren’t raising a southern girl then I don’t know what one is. Abby didn’t understand why she couldn’t be in Ms. Trina’s class again, her teacher from last year. Nevermind the fact that we no longer live in Georgia, but Ms. Trina isn’t teaching this year. Abby absolutely adored Ms. Trina and Ms. Gayle looks nothing like Ms. Trina, so in her mind she isn’t going to like Ms. Gayle. Ms. Gayle is as sweet as can be; Abby just needs to give her a chance. At first I wasn’t sure of the school; Abby went to an awesome school last year so I was comparing Two Rivers to North Metro. But, Abby’s class seems really well rounded; she even gets to take a cooking class and a computer class. The computer class cracks us up. What is she going to do, check her e-mail?
Andrew’s class seems really good also. This week he gets to finger paint with red paint. Mental note, dress him in nothing I care about. Wow, those must be some brave teachers, 8 one and a half year olds and red finger paint. I wouldn’t do it. It was too cute though, the first day of school he glued the letters of his name on a piece of paper. It took a bit, but I did see that it was supposed to be his name, then he colored all over it.
So the first Tuesday rolls around and Marty takes Abby to her class. She screams. Thursday rolls around and Marty takes Andrew first, he screams. Then on to Abby’s class, she screams. They both missed the next week of school because we were in GA. So, yesterday rolls around. Marty takes Abby to her class, she screams. Andrew walks out with a very satisfied look on his face, just wait until tomorrow little man. See a pattern here? I don’t get it. Abby loved school last year. She tells us that she had a great time at school when Marty picks her us. I asked her last night why she doesn’t want to go to school and she said she misses us. Mental note, tell Marty to not make it so much fun at home. I am at a loss here. Not only does she do this for school but also for church. On Sunday we dropped her off at her class and she screamed bloody murder. We waited outside her class, out of view, and she stopped crying in less than a minute. Then our Sunday school class happens to have a window looking out onto the playground and we saw her running around having a blast. I’m sure 90% of it is for show but it’s the other 10% that bothers me. I know we turned her world upside down when we moved here. I just never thought she would react this way to it. She never went through separation anxiety so this is new for us; Andrew on the other hand goes through separation anxiety if we walk out of the room. I feel like I am running out of patience.

Andrew says "No one told me I had to go too"

Abby the TV star

Last week Marty was in the garage with Andrew and Abby was inside. Marty went inside to check on her and she was in the living room crying. Not little tears, but full out crying. Marty looks around to see if she got hurt, nothing that he could see. He gets her calmed down and asks her what's wrong. She then tell him that she's sad because she wants to be on TV. What?!? Well honey, then why are you crying?
Because I want to be on TV.
Marty called me at work so Abby could tell me what she wanted. She tells me that she was crying because she wants to be on TV. I ask her how we should do that. She tells me to push her feet into the TV so she could be on TV. Why didn't I think about that? Isn't it wonderful how their little minds work, it's that simple, just push her feet into the TV. Well, since we couldn't push her feet into the TV, Marty did the next best thing and hooked up the video camera. Abby got to be on TV. She was the weather girl complete with her very own microphone, ok so it was a brush. She would give her forecast that went something like this:
Hi, I'm Abby Walters and it's 89 degrees in Nashville. Oh I think I feel an EARTHQUAKE.
She would then fall on the ground rolling all around pretending to be in an earthquake.
So the video camera made her happy this time, but I'm afraid of the future. She asked again last night if we could push her feet in so she could be on TV. She has always been quite the performer and I know it comes by naturally. She is her daddy's girl.
Watch out world, Abby Walters wants to be on TV.

Rocky Top you'll always be

Home sweet home to me, good ole Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee.
Today's a big day in Tennessee, even here in Vandy country. The most dreaded game of the year, the UT-Florida game. For some reason even without Spurrier, the Gators are always tough. Ought to be a good game.
GO VOLS!!

September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001, where we’re you? I’m sure all of us remember exactly what we were doing that day 5 years ago.
I was at work. My boss called and told us to go turn on the TV in the conference room, one of the World Trade towers had been hit. What?!? How could such an accident happen?
We go into the conference room and begin watching the horrible truth unfold, it wasn’t an accident. At first we didn’t know that we were being attacked. Maybe it’s me being naïve, but how could someone purposely do that? I so wanted to believe that somehow, someway it was just a bad accident. Then a plane hit the second tower. No accident, we were being attacked. We all were crammed in our conference room eyes glued to the TV and saw the second tower get hit. Someone asked, what was that? I though, what was that, surely I didn’t just see a plane full of people fly into the other tower. How many more were there? It was such a scary though, how many more times is this going to happen. Then another plane crashes into the pentagon, our military headquarters. How, how how? I remember asking my boss what was going to happen to the burning towers? He said they were going to collapse, simply stated. Nothing had been mentioned about that on the TV, he was wrong. No, he wasn’t wrong. It collapsed. Then there is word that Flight 93 was hijacked, I was sick. How can this be? I remember wanting to see more, hear more, learn more.
It has been 5 years but I don’t ever forget. Remember and pray for the 2,973 that died and the 24 that still remain missing. Pray for the some 200 people that jumped from the burning towers to their death. Pray for the babies that will never meet their fathers, the littlest victims. Pray for the men and women fighting to keep our country safe. Pray for the terrorists that they see the wrong in what they are doing. Pray for our country.
Stand proud to be an American. We will always remember.

Quite comical. . .at least I think so.

So, yesterday I’m at work and see that my old office is calling (love caller ID) I answer the phone and it’s my old boss, Mike T. I chit chat for a bit and tell him that Mike M. is not in the office but he can be reached on his cell phone. He then tells me that he’s not looking for Mike; he needs to speak to me. Ok, I know this can’t be good.
He asks me the very loaded question “What’s your schedule like next week?” How am I supposed to answer that? Either way is a no win. Either I’m too busy for whatever he needs, which at the moment I’m pretty busy, or I make it sound like I’m sitting here doing nothing. Does blogging count as nothing? Anyway, I tell him that we have a deadline next week and we are pretty busy now. He then tells me that he would like me to come down next week from Tuesday to Thursday to train the new girl that took over my position.
A little background, my position was filled when I left; it was filled by the office manager’s sister in law. I really liked my job, it was interesting and it kept me pretty busy. I would have some down time; remember that I worked 38 hours, not a 40 hour work week. Well, it looks like they hired someone to take over part of my job. Yes, part of my job. Donna is going to continue doing payroll and various other things and the new girl is going to be handling the accounting. There is NO way it takes 2 girls working 40 hours a week to do my job. Someone is getting snowed. Another thing, how come I am having to come back to train the new girl? I specifically remember Toni telling Donna “pay no attention to what Robyn is telling you, I will train you to do things the way I want them done when she leaves” Why isn’t Toni training this new girl? Suddenly I feel appreciated.
Well, it looks like we will be down Tuesday to Thursday. Marty, the kids and the dog are coming too. Why not, they have nothing tying them down, and hey the company is paying for it!

Jeans Anyone?

I know if you are like me, buying jeans is a dreaded event. I can never find ones that fit right, always either too big in the waist or too small in the hips, yes I have child bearing hips. I found a really cool website, http://www.zafu.com/ (ok so I haven't figured out links yet)
Go to the right side and "Get my Jeans"
It's really cool, you can pick how you want your dream jeans to fit. I haven't actually gone to the store to try them on yet, but I have big hopes.
Enjoy!!
What a trivial, non thought provoking, non informative post today. Well, that's what you get.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Ok, so I know it’s Tuesday, but here’s our weekend in review.
First off, I hope everyone had a great Labor Day and an even better long weekend. I know we did.
Marty’s brother, Eddie came up on Friday for the National Clogging Championships at the Opryland Hotel. For anyone who doesn’t know, Marty and I were both competition cloggers and Marty’s brother still competes. We were so glad to have a visitor. We spent the majority of Saturday at the hotel watching the competition. At one point, Abby asked me why those little girls got to dance on the stage and she didn’t. Note to self; find Abby a clogging class to take and look on Ebay for clogging shoes. She was so excited to watch the “show” For us it brought back memories of extremely long days of wait, practice, dance and do it all over again. For Abby, it was a new adventure. I guess she doesn’t remember the many competitions that she has attended. It was really good to see everyone again. We did miss it a little bit because I did like Abby growing up in the clogging community and I wish Andrew would have been able to do the same, but we didn’t miss it enough to get back into it. At least not now. Clog’n FX (our old team) didn’t do so well overall. They are going through a huge rebuilding right now and I’m afraid it showed.
Well, after this weekend you might even dare to say that we have friends. We invited 2 couples and their kids over for a Labor Day cookout. We grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs and let the kids play outside. Have I told you that I absolutely love our fence? We could leave the door open so the kids could come in and out and we didn’t have to worry about them running off. It was a fun afternoon and evening even complete with an impromptu jam session, hey this is Nashville.

Friday's Fives

Last time I did the Friday’s Fours, well here’s Friday’s Fives

5 Things in my Refrigerator:

1. Lunchables- I know, but they are easy
2. Leftovers
3. Whole and 2% milk
4. Cookie dough
5. Minced garlic

Marty says our refrigerator looks like a bachelor’s refrigerator since we lost everything in the move it’s pretty bare.

5 Things in my Closet:

1. Hokie Pokie Elmo
2. Sewing Machine
3. About 10 pairs of jeans, probably only 5 of those fit
4. An old bridesmaid dress
5. Marty’s clothes- Ok so we share a closet so it is technically his too.

5 Things in my Purse:

1. 2 baby spoons and 1 spoon for Abby
2. A pair of Abby’s sunglasses
3. Trident Tropical Twist gum
4. 6 lipsticks
5. Scrunchie- yes I do still own them

5 Things in my Car:

1. Lots of CD’s
2. Various bits of trash. I am such a car slob.
3. Toys
4. FedEx boxes
5. 2 more lipsticks

Our trip to the doctor

Abby had her 4 year well check yesterday and it was devastating for us all. I did my research on the pediatricians around here and thought I had done a pretty good job. I think we were just spoiled by our old doctor. Our old doctor was a small practice in a small town. Everyone in the office knew not just your child’s name but also your name. The waiting room was quaint and the exam rooms were painted in children’s themes.
So here we walk into Children’s Clinic East. I had researched the doctors and knew that they were very qualified. The doctor that I picked was on the clinical faculty at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. We walk in to the building and get on the elevator to go to the 2nd floor. Open the door to the office and are greeted with 6 windows, 2 for check-in, 2 for check-out and 2 for appointments, a little overwhelming. At least they did have the waiting area split in to well and sick waiting. Thank goodness since we were in the waiting room for over an hour. We arrived at our appointment 15 minutes early and were not taken back until an hour after our appointment time. Once called we think, yippee we’re on our way now. NOT!! We then waited for another 30 minutes in the room, which are plain white walls no decoration no nothing. I was getting quite annoyed and longed for our old doctor. The nurses were pleasant and so was the doctor. Both were very professional, but again I longed for our old doctor. The one that would look for butterflies in Abby’s ears or walks around with a whoopee cushion just to make the kids laugh. We are going to give this office one more shot only because the doctor did apologize for being late and said that there were a few emergencies that morning that put them behind.
Abby is growing well. She weighs 30.5 pounds and was 37.5 inches tall. Her eyes were perfect and so was her cholesterol (had no idea they check cholesterol in children). Her blood pressure was a little low, I asked about it and they said it was nothing to be concerned about. I might call Dr. Thomson just to get his opinion. Her iron levels were also low. This has been on going, my little non meat eater, so it wasn’t really a surprise. We got her a vitamin with iron and she should be good.
Now the devastating part, she had to get 4 shots. I think I cried as much as she did. Oh it was awful. I’m fine when Andrew has to get shots; once you pick him up he’s fine. Abby on the other hand knew what was coming and knew that they hurt. Abby and I both got stickers, hers was Cinderella and mine was Snow White. Afterward she told me, “mom she got me good”. That was another thing I liked about our old doctor. They would have 2 nurses come in and give the shots 2 at a time. Much quicker that way. I know I have to move on from Dr. Thomson, but I really did like our doctor.
Needless to say, I stopped my Target on the way home and got Abby another Polly Pocket to add to her collection.

It's official!

Ok, so I know it’s a picture of Elvis’ driver’s license. The only two I could find were Elvis and Johnny Cash. I went with Elvis. Did you honesty think I would post my own, you know how horrible driver’s license pictures are, especially when you have 2 kids in tow.
It’s official, we are residents of Tennessee. We sadly gave up our Georgia driver’s license for our new Tennessee one. Wow, it looks weird in my wallet. When filling out the paper work, Marty accidentally put Gwinnett as the county. The clerk had to question him on it because it didn’t even realize it was wrong. I guess we will always be Gwenesians (I have no idea how to spell that).
We had to fill out all the typical information, hair color, eye color, height and weight. Now, why do women feel the need to lie about their weight on their driver’s license? Of course I did it, every women does it, right? But upon inspecting this strange thing in my wallet, I realized my weight isn’t even on it. A woman must have made that change.
Another strange thing is that mine expires in 3 years and Marty’s expires in 4. Now why is that? Both of our Georgia licenses expired in the same year. Marty made the chauvinistic comment that women need to be tested more often because of their driving ability. Who has totaled more cars? Enough said!
Sorry babe, I love you.

Pictures at the park

This is for all the aunts, uncles and grandparents that miss seeing these kiddos.

Sweaty panties. . .no not mine

Call it good hygiene, I don’t know. Abby changes her panties once they are the slightest bit wet. Well, seeing how it is 95 degrees up here with a heat index well over a hundred, we get a lot of "sweaty panties". We get "sweaty panties" in the car, riding the bike, playing outside, playing at the park. You get my point. One week I washed 19 pairs of Abby panties, so in 6 days she wore 19 pairs of panties. That’s an average of 3.166 pairs of panties a day. I can’t tell if she’s going to be a girly girl or just have good hygiene.
Just a little Abby funny for the day.

Go Abby Go!!

Every girl’s dream, a pink and purple Disney Princess bike. Marty and I got Abby a bike for her birthday and it was a huge hit. She immediately got on and off she went. Don’t worry, she does have a helmet and wears it every time she is on her bike now. At this particular time, the helmet was too big and kept falling over her eyes. I thought, much more dangerous with it than without it. I bought a 3+ age helmet but Abby has such a punkin head that it was too big. Thankfully, there were extra inserts to make it smaller.
She loves her bike and rides it every day. We are lucky that our neighborhood has sidewalks on both sides of the street and there are no hills to be seen. Abby can ride and ride. Every morning Marty, Abby and Andrew go out for their daily bike ride. Andrew either gets pulled in the wagon or gets to ride on the back of daddy’s bike. They were only going one time around but yesterday Abby wanted to go again so that they did. We clocked it on the car and one time around is ¾ of a mile so my little punky rode a mile and a half yesterday. Way to go!!

The Wilson County Fair

Rewind 8 years ago. Marty and I were both dancing on Clog’n FX in the prime of our competition career. Every year in mid August was a competition that we all hated going to, the Wilson County Fair. It’s in small town Lebanon, Tennessee and it is exactly what it’s called a “county fair”. Complete with the smell of barnyard animals mixed with the smell of grease from everything possible being fried. This wasn’t the worst of it though; it was always about 95 degrees with 100% humidity. There were no dressing rooms, we had to change in a tent outside, not fun when you are wearing pantyhose. You ask why in the world do you go then? $$$$ They gave away big $$$$. We would endure the heat and smell every year to bring home some cash. The competition eventually went under, but the fair hasn’t.
Ok, fast forward to August 18, 2006. Where do we end up on Friday night? You guessed it, the Wilson County Fair. This time by choice. Lebanon is about 25 miles from our house so we though it would be fun to take the kids to the fair (and to reminisce a little bit) Abby was set on riding the ferris wheel. I wasn’t sure how she would do but we tried it anyway. Me, Marty, Abby and Andrew pilled into the bucket and off we go. She almost got teary eyed when we would come down because it would make a loud clanking noise, but once we told her what it was she was fine. It was Momma that got scared. We stopped at the top to let some others on and I didn’t like it at all. This was not one of those dinky ferris wheels, it was huge. We all survived and it fact had a good time.
After the ferris wheel, we watched a parade and a 12 and under talent show. Abby was VERY upset because she didn’t understand why she couldn’t get on stage and sing “When Christmas Comes to Town” from the Polar Express. Had I known that, I would have entered her. She takes after her daddy and loves to be a performer. She also rode the swings the cars and the big slide twice (an adult had to go with her on the slide, hence the reason she rode it twice. Once for me and once for Marty)
We watched a cheesy 2 act circus (which she loved) and munched on funnel cake. Abby won her and Andrew each a little moon that probably cost about 10 cents a piece, but she was pretty proud of herself. (on a side note, she makes sure Andrew sleeps with his moon every night) We ended the night with fireworks.
We have come full circle and it way more fun doing it this way. Yes, it was still about 95 degrees with 100% humidity and yes there was still the smell of barnyard animals mixed with grease. But would I do it again, in a heartbeat!

All That! on America's Got Talent tonight

Tonight at 8/7 central on NBC is the Finals for America's Got Talent.
Ok, so I know it is a cheesy show, but we personally know these guys and would love for you help them win.
We have competed with and against these guys for many years and they deserve to win. Of course I'm biased since I am a clogger.
The show is a 2 hour finale (but you only have to watch the last 5 minutes to get the phone number) and the winner is decided based on the audience. I believe there is a 2 hour calling window and each number can only vote a total of 10 times. 10 free phone calls, not too much to ask.
The have done amazing things for the clogging world and put clogging in prime time TV. Thanks to them clogging is no longer thought of as just petticoats and country music.

"I have a friend again"

Look at Evan's face. His girlfriend is back.

This is what it is all about.

That’s what Abby told me when I took her to the bathroom on Sunday. It about broke my heart, but she was right. She hasn’t found a friend here yet and she had a friend again, Ella.
We surprised Abby with a trip to Chattanooga to meet Ella at the Children’s Museum. We told Abby that we were going to the museum but we didn’t tell her that Ella was going to be there. The look on their faces when they saw each other was priceless and well worth the 2 hour drive. The girls (and the boys) enjoyed being able to play with each other again. They ran from exhibit to exhibit wanting to show the others what they had found squealing and laughing the whole time. The girls played dress-up and even put on a clogging (ok so they were tap shoes) recital for us. The girls fell back into their friendship beautifully, not at all like 3 weeks had passed.
After the museum we strolled through downtown Chattanooga which was beautiful. I had never had the opportunity to enjoy Chattanooga but I was amazed at all the things to do.
We got to enjoy the museum together, but we also went out to eat, to the river walk and to get ice cream. Could you have asked for a better day?
Not only did the kids need this day but so did Marty and I. It was nice for us to “play” with Keri and Rusty also. Good times!!

Happy Birthday sweet Abby!

Abby at 2 months.

Abby just a few months ago playing with my sister's weding ring

How can it be that my sweet baby girl is 4 today? I know it’s a cliché, but where has the time gone? It seem like just yesterday I was in the hospital. It is 8:09 a.m. as I type this, 30 minutes before she was born 4 years ago and our lives changed forever. She was not the easiest baby to bring into this world, who could have know that something weighing only 6 pounds 3 ounces could be so difficult, but I wouldn't change it for anything. That should have been our first indication of what was to come, she has kept us on our feet ever since. How did our baby that had us worried over every little cough, sneeze, tummy ache, fever (ok so we were new parents) grow into such a beautiful little girl? I look at her and am amazed that she is mine. She has such a spirit about her and is quite the amazing little girl. She is beautiful inside and out and I am so proud to be her mommy. Happy birthday Abby, you’ll always be mommy’s baby

Friday's Fours

Four jobs I have had in my life
*Accounts Payable
*Sales Associate for Liz Claiborne
*Assistant Manager for Victoria’s Secret
* I worked at an Italian Ice hut when I was in high school

Four movies I would watch over and over:
*50 First Dates
*Moulan Rouge
*Sweet Home Alabama
*The Polar Express- this could be because Abby makes me watch it over and over. When Abby auditions for American Idol we're sure she will sing "When Christmas Comes to Town"

Four places I have lived:
*Nashville, TN
*Buford, GA
*Roswell, GA
*Dahlonega, GA
Those are the ONLY 4 place I have lived, well unless you consider the summer that I lived in Coral Springs, Florida

Four TV shows I love to watch:
*24
*American Idol
*Property Ladder
*Basically any reality show that involves singing, dancing, decorating, etc.

Four places I have been on vacation
*Colorado
*Cayman Islands
*New York
*Mexico

Websites I visit daily
*Wachovia
*Craigs List
*Ebay
*a handful of parenting websites-after 4 years I’m still trying to figure this parenting thing out.

Four of my favorite foods:
*Mexican Food
* A juicy hamburger with swiss cheese and sautéed onions
*Chicken Cesar salad
*any type of pasta

Four places I would like to be right now
*on the beach
*on the ski slopes
*at home with the kids
*on a shopping spree with someone else’s money

Our instincts were right

This is where we call home now, pretty cute huh? I’ll tell you the story of the house and then I’ll tell you how our instincts were correct. Ha-ha you have to read it all.
Most of you know, some of you don’t, that we were in the midst of signing our lease papers for a 2 bedroom apartment when we found our house. We had looked and looked for a house for weeks and were tired of looking at crappy houses (that’s all that we could afford) We looked at apartments and decided that we could get in a better part of town if we went the apartment route. So there we were, we were going to try to fit a family of four with a dog into a 2 bedroom apartment. Now I look back and say what were we thinking?!? We had been looking in Abbington Park every time we came up to look at houses and never found anything in our price range. We even looked at a house to rent in the neighborhood, in fact right down the street. We faxed up our paper work to the apartments on Friday and for some reason didn’t send it off right away. Our house came on the market on Sunday and we put an offer on it on Monday. Sight unseen! It was in our price range and in the part of town that we wanted to be in.
So, now how our instincts were right:
When knew immediately that we had to buy the house because the price was unbelievable. It was really under priced for the neighborhood, I’m sure the neighbors loved that, and it was in a great location. We just got our appraisal back and I know that the appraisal will always be a little high so it will cover the mortgage for the lender, but $19,000.00 higher? Good news!!

I feel like we're cheating. . .on the Walker's

Ok I’ll just say it; we went to lunch after church with 2 other couples and their kids.
Wow, I feel better now that that is out in the open.
Now, here’s the story. As soon as we got up here, we knew that we wanted to go to Two Rivers Baptist Church. It’s right down the street from our house and it’s also where Abby is going to go to school. We went to the 11:01 service which is more contemporary and really liked it last week. So, yesterday we got brave and went to a Sunday School Class. We knew this was going to be the way we would meet people, and it was. We were immediately made welcome; there was even a girl in there that Marty went to school with. Small World!! We were asked if we wanted to go to lunch with a few of them and of course we said yes. I love Marty, but some other adult conversation is also nice. Andrew was a complete ill pill, we had that child that everyone is thankful is not theirs, so Marty and I didn’t get to eat at the same time, but it was nice anyway. Come to find out, one of the guys there is a songwriter, which might be a good lead for Marty. We are going to continue to go to Two Rivers and in fact, Marty is going to go to the band rehearsal next week. Marty was told yesterday that he can fill in for the drummer when needed. Good news!!
We had a good time but it was not the same as our Sunday tradition with the Walkers or our Sunday lunches with the ELCC group. Thanks for being you and you will never be replaced.
Please forgive us!

First Friday . . . in 4 years

Well today is the first Friday in 4 years that I have had to work. My thoughts, I don’t really like it!!
I was lucky enough 4 years ago, when Abby was born, to have a boss that allowed me to only work 4 days a week. That was wonderful, 4 day work week and a 3 day weekend. Now that I think about it, a 4 day weekend and a 3 day work week would have been even better. But, I digress.
My reason for having to work on Fridays; my new boss is trying to get me as many hours as possible. When I left the Alpharetta office, I was not guaranted 40 hours a week, so Mike’s thinking is that if I am here 5 days a week it is easier to work more hours. We did have a good talk yesterday and he assured me that it will be no time before I am up to 40 hours a week. In reality, I was spoiled for 4 years and any other job I took would have me working on Friday’s also. I just miss that time that I got to enjoy with the kids.
On a side note, I do enjoy my job here in Nashville and I am looking forward to learning new things. I did have an interview with Gaylord that went well, I believe. The recruiter called me back the next day to tell me that I was a strong candidate for the position and she would be getting back to me soon. They had an interview with another candidate on Wednesday, so I expect to hear something any day now. Then we will have to really sit down and figure out what will be best for the family. Until then, I’m enjoying it here and have been able to meet Marty for lunch and for a little shopping just about every day. I really love seeing them during the day!

Nashville Fun

I will say that one great thing about Nashville is all the fun things to do. I feel like we are getting to spend more family time together, that could be because I don't get home from work at 6:30 anymore, and I really enjoy it.
We have a really nice park on the river that is within biking distance. Marty and I both had bikes but we had one baby bike seat. This meant that one child had to ride in the car with me, not nearly as fun as the bike. We went to Target, thanks to my office for getting us a Target gift card, and bought a bike trailer so Marty can pull both the kids. Yes, I got the good end of that deal. We go to the park after dinner most nights, which is great for everyone. We get exercise and the kids get to run off some energy.
We have also been to the Opryland Hotel, which is 2 miles from the house, twice for ice cream. We found that you can park in the north end of Opry Mills and can avoid the $10.00 to park at the hotel. The hotel is so much fun to walk through and has so many things to see. At the hotel we have also riden the river boat and seen an amazing Peking Acrobatic Show. Great fun for the kids and for us.
Another fun thing we have found is watching the blue and red (Southwest Airlines) airplane land and take off. We found that you can park off of Donelson Pike and see the runway clearly. The kids got a kick out of being able to see the planes so close and since we live only 15 minutes from the airport I have a feeling we will be doing this often.
So far, Nashville has been fun for us and for the kids.

Update. . .at last!!

Did you think we had fallen off the face of the earth?
What a week and a half we have had. Let me just start by saying that we are happily living in our new home, but that didn't go without a few bumps along the way.
Our closing in GA went great, however our closing here in TN didn't go so well. We found out as we were on our way here, with a 24 foot truck packed, that the money wasn't received and the seller wasn't going to let us in the house. What were we to do, other than cry? We all (Dad, Shelly, Keri, Rusty, Eddie, Jeannie and Ammu) had cars packed full and had no place to go. I called my new boss and thankfully he let us store some stuff here in the office because we weren't going to be able to get in to the house until MONDAY!! We were homeless. I can actually say that because we didn't own a home for a 2 day period. We checked into the Holiday Inn Select at the Airport, thankfully they allowed dogs, and spent the next 2 days (what should have been our first days in our new home) in a small hotel room. Thank goodness for Marty's mom and Grandmother, or else I'm not sure we (or the kids) would have made it.
We were able to go out with our friends, Keri and Rusty, on Sunday night and have our last hoorah. We went to Wildhorse Saloon where Marty and I preceded to get our butt's kicked in pool, sorry Marty!! After we shut the place down, ok so it was only 10:15, we went to B.B. King's Blues Club and had a blast!! The music was amazing. What a fun night!!
We did finally get moved in and today, 8 days later, most of the boxes are unpacked. Marty has even painted the living room. Life is good again!

Couldn't you just eat him up?

Last day

Today was the last time that I have to get up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 to leave for work at 6:15. Today is also the last day that it will take me an hour to get to work. These are all happy things!! It will take me about 15 minutes to get to work when we get to Nashville and if I get the job with Gaylord Entertainment, it will only take about 5 minutes. Either way it’s better than an hour.
So, now I have mixed emotions. I had a meeting yesterday with my new boss in Nashville and I became really excited about my new position. It is nothing that I have ever done and it has nothing to do with accounting. Mike will be a wonderful boss and there will be no drama-ever. Basically, because I will be the only one in the office most days. My first task when I get there is to go buy furniture for me and Mike and go buy a refrigerator and a microwave. How fun is that. I can shop, and not even have to spend my own money.
The reason I have mixed emotions is because I have an interview on Wednesday with Gaylord. It would be a wonderful opportunity for me and our family, but I would have flexibility if I stay with HBI. I guess, I go to the interview and do my best and we will cross that road when we get there. Right now there are too many what if’s.
Today’s a good day! Surprisingly I'm not even sad.

The Naked Cowgirl

If you've ever been to Times Square, I'm sure you've seen the Naked Cowboy. Well, here's Abby's impersonation of the naked cowboy. We're not sure what made her dress (or should I say undress) like this, but that's our Abby!

Here's the real Naked Cowboy, personally I think Abby's much cuter!

Sunday Tradition

Our Sunday tradition is to go to Stevie B’s with Keri Rusty, Ella and Evan. What’s Stevie B’s you ask, an all you can eat pizza buffet! A child’s heaven, it comes complete with a game room, and the four of us can eat for just around 10 bucks, what could be better? Enjoying it with good friends. It has become somewhat of a tradition to go enjoy baked potato pizza, or what ever suits you fancy (Andrew personally loves the Mac & Cheese pizza) and then let the kids spend all of our dollars in the game room.
Last night was our last Sunday night at Stevie B’s and it didn’t hit me until later on. We were fortunate enough to spend it with a wonderful group of people, who I consider our friends. Rusty and Keri’s community group has taken us in with open arms and some of them came to say their last goodbyes. I personally think Keri did it on purpose so I wouldn’t get to emotional, any way it was wonderful. The kids had a blast and so did the parents. They are truly great people, again we are blessed. Last night was too much fun to get all teary eyed, but all bets are off now. I am really going to miss our silly Sunday night traditions, and most of all Keri, Rusty Ella and Evan. Andrew can’t even say Abby yet but he can say Ella, maybe it because that’s all his sister talks about. This chapter in our lives isn’t over!

Sleeping with the fishes

Marty wanted me to name this entry Got Crabs?, but I just couldn’t do it!
Well, if you have ever put my kids to bed at night, you know that they both sleep to a CD called, Sleeping with the Fishes. They were sleeping with the fishes on Saturday I’m sure. That is once there were finally asleep.
We were lucky enough to get to go to the Georgia Aquarium for a special Northside Hospital Party. My sister works for Northside and was gracious enough to include us and my dad. It was awesome!!
I think Andrew described it best “WOW” There is no better way to see the aquarium than through the eyes of kids. Abby and Andrew were in awe, all they could do was point and laugh and of course say “WOW” Because it was a special event, there wasn’t a full capacity, so we were able to get the kids right up to the glass. It was great that they were able to be right there and bang on the glass, I’m sure the fish didn’t think that was so great though. We stayed until it closed at 11:00, keep in mind that the kids go to bed at 8:00. Neither one of them even got fussy, how could they, there was way too much to look at and they were being carried by their adult of choice at any given moment. Andrew did fall asleep on the way home, Abby on the other hand was way to excited to go to sleep and when we got home at 11:45, she was still awake. It was way worth it though. Abby even said the next morning that she dreamed of the aquarium. If you ask her what her favorite part was, she will tell you the turtles. I didn’t see any turtles, so I have no idea what she’s talking about. Marty’s favorite picture is the one above; this crab can live to be 100 years old and grow to be the size of a car. Where’s the butter!!
My advice, go and if you get a chance, take kids with you. So worth it!!
Thanks Shelly!!

10 Things I dislike. . .in no particular order

Be forewarned that this to going to be a pretty downer post. . .Sorry, you get the good, the bad and the ugly!

*Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep, notice the time of this entry
*Knowing how bad it is going to hurt Abby to leave her very best friend Ella
*Leaving friends and family, this is going to be especially hard for me. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family-people ask, how can you be moving away from that?
*The look in my kids eyes when they get shots, it's like they ask WHY did you let them do that to me, aren't you supposed to protect me.
*Not knowing the end- I hold tightly to what Aunt Judy wrote to me yesterday- Jeremiah 29: 11 (English-NIV) 11For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope hope and a future.
*my job- I have always loved my job and it is such a shame that it has turned in to what it has

Ok, so I can't come up with 10 things- I will take that as a good thing. Now I will be thankful for the things that we do have and for how lucky we are. But my last dislike. . .

*Typing on a laptop keyboard

Goodnight

10 Things I love. . .in no particular order

Stolen from Keri. . .

*Abby's sweet voice singing Sleepy Good to Marty and I at night
*Seeing Marty play the drums
*Andrew screaming MAMA as loud as he can, although it can get a little tiring
*Watching Andrew toddle around the house on still unsteady legs
*Getting tongue tied reading Fox in Sox, while Abby laughs her head off
*Enjoying time with friends, I'm really going to miss this
*The excitement of moving
*Checking on my kids at night before I go to sleep and seeing them so peaceful, they are precious
*Lazy days
*FAMILY

One thing I don't like. . .

PACKING

Work Woes

Well, it's that time of year again. . .

RAISES!!!

This year isn't so exciting for me, I guess I made the big guy mad. I knew it was a bad thing when I walked into his office to tell him I was moving in a month (too late to turn back then) and he was working on raises. I should have known then that mine wasn't going to be much, I certainly didn't think I wouldn't be getting one at all. That's what happened, my check today was the same that it has been for the past year.
Ok, I understand to a point. I'm moving into a position with a lot less responsiblity, but come on. Aren't raises based on your past work, not the future?!? He could have at least talked to me about it. Did he? No, nothing, nada, zip, well you get the point.
How many days do I have left?!? I am really looking forward to leaving all the drama that my work has turned in to. Hopefully, something good will come of my interview with Gaylord Entertainment (more on that later). At least if nothing else, I will be out of the Alpharetta office.

Here we go . . .

Well, after giving it much thought and a little nudge from a dear friend, Keri, my life blogging has begun.
I figure what better way to keep everyone updated on our Nashville adventure than in a blog. I'm not sure how good I will be at this, but I hope to keep up with it in hopes of keeping everyone informed and entertained, I know the kids will lend to some pretty funny posts. I also hope to give you some insight on what a great family I have and how truly blessed we are.
Here we go . . .