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!