Is it August yet?

Pack the bathing suits and sunscreen because we’re going to the beach, well not until August. We booked the condo for our beach trip this morning and I don’t know how we are going to make it through the next 4 months. We are staying at the same place as last year, with the same awesome friends (the Walker’s), but this year we are staying a whole week. Oh, that is so exciting!!
Ok, so Marty and I will get the bad parent award but that’s ok. Abby is going to miss her second full week of school. Yes, we are taking her out of school to go to the beach, bad parents I know. We will have to have some learning time on the beach or by the pool.
I also just realized that we will be at the beach for Ella’s birthday and also for mine. It’s going to be a birthday week, what a great present. Hurry up August, get here already! Well, not really because that will mean that my baby will be in Kindergarten, oh I can already see the tears flowing (mine not Abby’s)

Going to the chapel

Last time we were at my dad’s house, Abby found my wedding veil and thought it was the greatest thing ever. Ever since she was a flower girl in my sister’s wedding (back in 2005) she has loved pretending to get married. Last night she asked Marty if he would marry her. A little forward of her don’t you think, we have to work on the fact that the guy asks the girl. Marty asked her what about mommy; she went on to tell him that she can’t marry me because I’m a girl. No silly girl, daddy’s already married to mommy. Well, I’m obviously no obstacle for her because she said it didn’t matter, they could still get married. When Marty said he couldn’t marry her, she went onto Andrew and he gladly said yes.

Gatlinburg, 2007

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend. We went to Gatlinburg with Marty’s family for a little quality family time and had a blast. Enjoy!!

A picture is worth a thousand words

I thought this was awesome

We Survived

Sporting their doggie ears and tatoos, thanks Keri!

Jumping fun!

Birthday Boy

Jumping

More jumping

One, Two, Three Blow!!

PRESENTS!!

Well, the rain held off for the most part and we were able to have Andrew’s party outside. YIPPEE!! It started sprinkling right at the time we were going to eat so I put a quilt on the floor in the living room and the kids had a picnic inside, which they were completely happy with.
Abby and Andrew didn’t know that we had rented the jumpy thing and the look on their faces was priceless. They were so excited and honestly Marty and I had fun jumping too. All and all, party day was a lot of fun. Well, that is until about 10:30 pm. Marty and I were dead dog tired and went to sleep around 10:00. At 10:30 we hear Andrew saying “daddy, daddy” Andrew NEVER calls so Marty went to check on him. I hear the door open and then Marty promptly calls me. I knew exactly what I was going in to. Andrew had thrown up all in his bed. Marty puts him in the bath and I strip his bed. Marty and I were still holding onto the thought that it was just all the junk food he ate at his party (he was camped out in front of the puppy chow for a good 15 minutes) We put him in our bed and 15 minutes later we figured out that it was not the junk food. He had the stomach bug AGAIN. Andrew had it 2 Friday’s ago, I got it the following Monday, Abby had it last Wednesday and Andrew got it again on Saturday. I want this bug out of my house and I want it gone now. So far Marty has stayed well and we are keeping our fingers crossed. Poor Andrew baby, he threw up 6 times from 10:30 until 2:00. We only had to change our sheets once, after that we were able to get him to the bathroom in time. Marty and I did have to laugh at his expense though (maybe we were just delirious by this point) He would lean over into the toilet bowl so far that we thought he was going to stick his face in the water. He would also put his little foot up on the toilet bowl rim to get more leverage; it was pretty darn funny in the middle of the night. I guess you had to be there because writing it out seems pretty gross not funny, but at the time we were cracking up.
Party planning is over for a few more months until we start planning Abby’s horsey (that’s what she wants at the moment, it could change by tomorrow though) party. I love planning their parties.

Bonus photo. Andrew's actual birthday.

Rain Rain go away

Come back another day (other than Saturday) We are having Andrew’s birthday party on Saturday and it is supposed to rain. I promise this kid must think his birthday lasts a whole week. He got a present from my sister on Saturday, Sunday brought more presents, Monday brought a present from my dad, we finally gave him his present last night and Saturday will bring even more presents. Good gracious!! Anyway, there is a 100% chance of rain tomorrow and we have invited way more people than can fit in our tiny house. Not just that, but we rented a jumpy bounce thing for the kids to play in (again trying to keep everyone outside) I have been avidly watching the weather all week in hopes of a miracle, so far no such luck. We are praying for the best but planning for the worst.

Happy Birthday Little Man

Andrew is 2. I can’t believe it!!
I am a planner through and through; well Andrew threw us for a loop. Abby was planned, Andrew was not. I found out I was pregnant with Andrew the day before Abby’s 2nd birthday on Friday the 13th (that should have been a sign as to what was headed our way) I will admit that I was not jumping up and down with excitement, in fact I called my sister at 11:00 at night crying, she has since repaid me by called me at 6:45 in the morning to tell me she was pregnant. I have always said that mom had something to do with Andrew, he was born a year and a week after her funeral, talk about bitter sweet. Marty and I were not going to have any more babies because I had such a hard time laboring and delivering Abby and we were scared of me getting Pre-eclampsia again. I talked to my doctor and she gave me a 3% chance of getting PE again, I could handle those odds. Again, Andrew defied all the odds and at 14 weeks my blood pressure started creeping up. My BP stayed decent until about 32 weeks, and then it really started climbing. At 34 weeks I was taken out of work and put on bed rest, there is no such thing as bed rest with a 2 year old by the way. I start seeing the doctor twice a week, Tuesdays was my biophysical ultrasound and Thursdays was my non stress test. I had a great doctor that took excellent care of me, very proactive. At 38 weeks I go in for my non stress test and my BP is way up, I get sent to the hospital for monitoring. While there my doctor decides that tomorrow is the day. We are to be back at the hospital at 9:00 the next morning to be induced. Let me tell you how hard it was saying bye to Abby the next morning. Marty and I knew what was going to happen but the poor baby had no idea, we were about to turn her life upside down and she just happily kissed and hugged us goodbye.
We get to the hospital and my biggest fear was having to be put on Magnesium Sulfate again (that stuff is the enemy himself) I was able to avoid Mag for 9 hours but Dr. Z said she just didn’t feel comfortable without it anymore (Mag is used to prevent seizures in women with PE) I bawled because I knew what it did to me with Abby. Dr. Z knew my feelings and started me with a very low dose thankfully. When I got my epidural, it lowered my BP so much that I had to be given a shot epinephrine to raise it back up (yes we had been fighting high BP the whole pregnancy) It was a wild and crazy ride. We sent the family home (except for my sister) at about 11:00 pm because I was stuck at 5 cm. My labor nurse came in at 11:35 and said that we were going to have a baby by midnight, WHAT?!? Marty calls his mom and tells her that she better get back to the hospital if she wanted to see her grandson being born. I wasn’t convinced that he would be born by midnight because I pushed for 3 hours with Abby, but I was excited to finally get to that point. Well, Andrew was born at 11:47 pm, 13 minutes before midnight and just minutes after Jeannie and Gidget get there. He weighed 7 pounds 12 ounce and was 19 ¼ inches long, 2 weeks early. Our life changed for the better yet again at 11:47 on April 8th 2005.
I think back to what a blessing and a pleasure he has been. Had there not been an Andrew, I wouldn’t hear “mommy, get me” in the monitor in the mornings, or get sweet slobbery kisses, or have a mommy’s boy. Oh don’t get me wrong, I know what’s in store for us, he is Marty’s son after all. But he is just so darn cute and it melts my heart to see him and Abby playing (nicely) together. We might not have meant to but we did a good thing. Happy Birthday sweet boy, ok a day late.

Good Friday

Have you ever wondered why Good Friday was called Good Friday? It is the day that Jesus was on the cross and was crucified, I wouldn’t exactly call it good (well, for him at least). I guess I always thought it’s because the outcome was good or maybe because what he did for the sinners was good.
According to Wikipedia here’s the real reason:
It is likely that the name "Good Friday" came from the earlier English name, "Godes Friday," meaning "God's Friday." In much the same way as "God be with ye" was shortened to "goodbye," so did "Godes Friday" become "Good Friday."

Now you know and don’t have to wonder anymore.

When did that happen?

Waffle House and credit cards. Those words do not belong in a sentence together. Don’t get me wrong because I am thrilled that WH will now be accepting credit cards but I remember the many nights of scrounging up change so you could get the yummy scattered, covered (and chunked if you’re Marty) hash browns from WH. I also remember the days that WH would accept checks, but never credit cards. Our WH by our house just recently put in an ATM machine but we refused to use it because it would charge you some outrageous amount just so you could get access to your money. We were thrilled to see those notorious Visa/MasterCard stickers right at the front door. We are not big frequenters of WH, but that might change now. Marty and I just never carry cash so that pretty much ruled out the good ole Waffle House, until recently. Watch out WH here we come.

Mom, I love you and miss you everyday.

Say cheese (or rather cake)

Well, this is what happens when you let Andrew eat cake by himself. Abby and I made a cake a while back. It was a pink strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and Andrew seems to be wearing all of it, luckily it was bath and laundry night. Notice that there is not a crumb of cake on the fork.

You did what?!?

Let me set the scene. Saturday morning, I was at Target, Marty was working in the garage (with the door open) and the kids were playing nicely upstairs. Marty goes in to check on them and Abby says “Aren’t you glad I changed Andrew’s dirty diaper” Well; they are all the time playing baby and mommy so Marty didn’t think much about it. He said “Oh are y’all playing pretend” Abby then goes on to tell Marty that it wasn’t pretend, Andrew had a dirty diaper and instead of coming to get Marty, she changed it her self. Oh my!! Marty went to investigate the site, not knowing what he was going to find (probably scared to see what he was going to find) To his surprise, she did a pretty good job (she was so proud of herself) She did use about 20 wipes but Andrew’s hiney was spotless. The new diaper was on a little crooked but it was on the correct way. The dirty diaper was put in the diaper champ and the changing pad was on the floor. She even got his jammies back on. We told her thank you for helping us and Andrew out but let’s leave the dirty diaper changing to mommy and daddy. So, now it’s Sunday. Marty and I are downstairs and the kids are once again playing upstairs. I call the kids to come get ready for church and Abby tells me that Andrew had a wet diaper, so she changed it, again a little crooked but it was on. I had just changed his diaper 30 minute before, yes he might have already wet, but at that rate we would be broke from having to buy so many diapers. I elaborate a little more and tell her to leave all the diaper changing to us. She is very hurt and asks if we can take turns, we’ll see honey!

Plan C

There is no Plan C, but that’s OK because we don’t need a Plan C. We found out when we got back home yesterday that Abby has been accepted to Donelson Christian Academy. A huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We knew this was where Abby needed to be and we are so thankful that the admissions board saw what an asset Abby will be to their program.
Oh no, my baby is going to be in Kindergarten. How did that happen? Up until now, I have been stressing as to where she was going to go not that she is actually going to go. She is going to be a whole hand old in August and is going to real school, oh my baby. At least I am very happy about DCA and have full confidence that they will be everything and more that Abby needs, but she’s my baby!!

Consignment Sales

Consignment season is upon us and I love it. I absolutely love a good consignment sale. I went to one on Wednesday at DCA and found a few things for both the kids. But Marty put me to shame. He did something most men wouldn’t do in a million years; he shopped a consignment sale for me. Not only did he shop it, but he did awesome. Anyone that knows me, knows that I LOVE Gymboree. He racked up on Gymboree items. Things for both kids; many still with tags on. He bought Gymboree, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, shirts, shorts, shoes, you name it. He said at first he felt a little out of place (since he was the only male in sight) but after a few comments from other shoppers he felt at ease. Have I told you I’m married to the most awesome man? Thanks Marty for being such a great daddy; who just happens to have great taste in kids clothing.

Abby's bedtime prayer

Along with the various songs and stories that go along with our bedtime routine, Abby also says her prayers. I will have to paraphrase (although I’m pretty spot on) but you get the point.

“Thank you God for everything you give us; family, friends, food. Especially thank you for houses. If we didn’t have a house we would have to have a campout in a tent in the backyard. We would just have to cook food and roast marshmallows. We could play frisbee and sleep outside. Oh and thank you for all the dead people. Amen.”

What a random prayer I know. She always starts off really good and then she goes off on a major tangent. We have stuck with the campout prayer for a while now and she always thanks God for the dead people?!? I have no idea where that came from. To me it sounds like she would prefer to sleep in a tent, maybe we will have to go camping in the backyard when it gets warmer. Gotta love having a fenced in backyard.

When he gets it, he really gets it

Warning: Brag ahead

I guess I should just learn this about Andrew. When he gets something, he really gets it. He might do things later, but there is no learning period with him because once he figures out he can do it, he’s off. Just like when he started walking. Marty called me on my way home from work to tell me that Andrew had stood up on his own. Once I got home he was taking a few steps, by the time we put him to bed that night (2 hours later) he was walking down the hall to get his jammies on. He went from not walking at all to walking everywhere in just a matter of a few hours.
The same goes for talking. Marty asked me yesterday (he’s been gone for 3 days) when did Andrew start talking? Just a week or so ago I was telling my sister that I was getting concerned because Andrew wasn’t putting words together. I guess he heard and wanted to prove me wrong because he has really started putting words together. He told me “Andrew blankie kitchen” yesterday when I asked him where it was. He’s getting it!! I think he absorbs it all in until he’s ready to master it and then he will show us what he can do.

Guess who?

Can you guess who they are? The other day Abby came into the kitchen to get Marty and tell him something "important" This is what he saw when he went into the living room, that's right we have our very own manger. Abby was being Mary and she had Andrew playing the part of Baby Jesus. Can you tell we are at church a lot?!? Just had to share.

Yes, my kids often run around without clothes on in the middle of winter.

Our update

Wow, what a week and weekend. We have been fighting the family cold and Marty and I seem to have gotten it the worst. Better us than the kids though. I hate going to the doctor (but have no problems taking the kids for every small problem) and avoid it at all cost. We finally had to break down and go to the doctor yesterday, we had finally had enough. Marty and I both went and took the kids with us. The nurse starts talking to the kids asking them what was wrong and what hurts. Then she realized that we weren’t there (it’s a family practice that see kids too, just not our kids) for the kids, it was for us; the parents. It was pretty funny. I think Marty and I have every possible itis of the head and throat, everything seems to be inflamed. Marty and I both got a prescription and I was the lucky one who got a shot. Abby was not pleased in the least that they were giving me a shot. She was so cute; she held my hand and gave me one of her yogurt covered raisins for not crying. When we got home I also got a Dora sticker.
On a happier note, we think Abby did really good on her testing for DCA. We don’t know for sure, but everything is pointing to her doing well. She happily went back to the classroom with the teacher and seemed in really good spirits when she returned. From what we can tell, she had to write her name, the number 4 and 5, draw a circle and square, name some animals (one of the animals she named was a chipmunk, what does she know about a chipmunk?) and who knows what else. Now we are just waiting to see what happens. I have a really good feeling this time though.

One down one to go

Well, Marty and I had our interview with DCA this morning and I think we might have passed. WOOHOO!! Now it’s all up to Abby. She goes in on for “testing” Saturday morning. I say “testing” because for her it will seem more like playing, and I want to keep it that way. She will build with blocks, draw shapes, write her name, etc. We are trying to keep this fun for her.
The interview really wasn’t bad at all. It was more for us to get to know the school a little more intimately and be able to ask questions. We did learn that there are more applicants than spots available though, so here we go again. Please say a prayer that Abby gets in because this was our Plan B, there is no Plan C. The admission committee will look at the test results, the parent interview and the referral letter. Abby’s referral letter was amazing; Ms. Gayle (Abby’s current teacher) let us see it even though it was supposed to be confidential. She gave Abby a great review, Abby even got the well rounded compliment that Andrew got a few weeks ago. I feel a little more confident about this admissions process because Abby will be a part of the deciding factor. She is not just a computer generated number picked randomly. Besides, who couldn’t love Abby and not want her in their school. We should know something by the second or third week of March. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers; we want this so much for Abby.

My son the stripper

Let me just tell you about the funny things Andrew does at night. Andrew wears two kinds of jammies; feetsie jammies and non feetsie jammies (don’t you all wish you could wear feetsie jammies and still be so darn cute) When wearing the non feetsie jammies we always put socks on him. Well every time I go check on him before I go to bed he has not only taken his socks off and thrown them over the side of his crib but he also always takes his pillowcase off and throws it over. Drives me batty. I put the socks back on and the pillowcase back on, only to find the pillowcase and the socks off again come morning time. Well, he has recently started something else when wearing feetsie jammies. He thinks he’s Elvis! He will unsnap his jammies and unzip them down to his bellybutton. I guess he’s going for the sexy baby look, I don’t know. So on feetsie jammie nights I zip and snap him back up AND put the pillowcase back on, again only to find him sexy baby in the morning and the Elmo pillowcase on the floor. Spring is not far around the corner so no more feetsie jammies and socks, but there will always be the pillowcase.

Open house, interviews, testing oh my!

Wow, it sure does involve a lot to get your little girl into Kindergarten. Today we went to the open house at DCA was very happy to get to peek into all the classes. Marty and I are very excited about Abby going there in the Fall (I guess school doesn’t really start in the Fall anymore since they start in August now) Everyone was very friendly and we even got to speak to and ask questions to 2 kindergarten teachers, the headmaster, the elementary principal, the PE teacher, the art teacher and the librarian. We were also taken to the chapel, which they will have every Wednesday morning. We loved hearing that they will have PE 3 times a week but go outside (or some other form of recess) every day, art once a week, music once a week, Spanish once a week and computer once a week. They also visit the library once or twice a week. Yeah, all these great classes!!
Abby will be dropped off and picked up right at the Elementary School doors and will be escorted to her class. There is also a separate cafeteria for the Kindergartners; they understand that it is a scary time for our babies. If Abby chooses to eat the school lunch, the lunch will be fixed for her and brought to her at the table. No worries about trying to serve herself and get it to the table alone.
Abby did so well, proud mommy moment. She wasn’t shy at all and talked to everyone, she even wrote her own name on her name tag. She was most excited about the playground, but what 4 year old wouldn’t be. She did tell us that she will miss Ms. Gayle but she’s sure she will like her new teacher too. I think she will be ready.
Marty and I have an interview next Thursday. I didn’t know we were trying to get into the school? We were able to speak with Becky (the interviewer) today and I am more comfortable with it now. I will let you know if we pass or not. Abby then has to go for testing on March 3rd, again not sure what to expect but we are learning as we go. At least we will be pros when it’s time for Andrew to start Kindergarten (which by the way isn’t for a long long time)
We are very excited and know it will be a good fit!

Sunday Night = Family Night

Marty and I made the decision last night to make Sunday night Family night. Sunday night seemed like the best choice for many reasons, one being that we go to church in the morning and everyone is in good spirits and another being that no one has to work on Sunday's. We are going to do something simple for dinner like ordering pizza or cooking something in the crock pot so that way no one has to really cook or do the dishes. The TV is going to be turned off and we will enjoy each other. I foresee many nights of dress up, go fish and hide and go seek. But that's ok. It hit us last night that one day Abby and Andrew won't want to snuggle anymore or won't want bedtime stories or won't come to us and say "up peez". We don't want to miss these times and say I wish we hadn't been so busy. They are only little for such a short time and we are going to take it all in. So from here on out Sunday is Walters' Family night.

Marty's so good

So as I told you yesterday, since the kids didn't have school Marty was going to take them to the mall for some play time. Well, that's not all they did. Marty called me before lunch and said that they had gone into The Children's Place and he had found the kids' Easter clothes (ok, so we're both planners) Great I said, told him to get what he liked. I trust his opinion, he always buys great clothes for them. Well, after lunch he said he can't decide and then tells me that we need to come back after dinner so I can help him decide. It seemed a little odd because he was so set when I talked to him earlier, well whatever. When I get home Marty tells me that they have a surprise for me but I won't get it until we get to the mall. I tried everything to get it out of Abby. He promised a special treat, I promised two. Nothing worked!! She loves surprises, so much so that she doesn't want us to tell her where we're going half the time because she wants to be surprised. We get to the mall and I figure out what my surprise was, Marty had taken them to get their picture taken. Aren't they adorable? From what I'm gathering, it took nothing less than a few baloon animals, a promise of a cookie, and a silly daddy to get Andrew to cooperate. I love my surprise!! We did end up getting the Easter outfits also, the ones that Marty had origionally picked out. He later admitted that it wasn't the clothes he couldn't decide on, it was the picture. There were too many good ones to choose from.

Snowed In

Ok, so tell me from looking at this picture how school could be cancelled? This is all the snow we got and on my drive into work this morning, it looks like we got more (could that be possible) than anyone else. I thought I was hearing things this morning when I heard that school had been cancelled. Amazing!!

Needless to say, Marty was not pleased because this is his only day that he gets to himself because both kids have school on Thursdays. They will be taking a trip to the mall for lunch and a little play time.

Plan B

DCA desires that students love the Lord with all their heart; love their friends as their own self; become like Christ in their conduct, thoughts and decisions; and discover their strengths and talents in service for the Lord.

We have talked and prayed over where to send Abby for Kindergarten and we have finally made a decision, in fact I just sent the application off today. She will be going to Donelson Christian Academy starting in August. The above quote is taken directly from DCA’s website and who wouldn’t want that for their child, it sounds wonderful in fact. We were looking at 2 schools, one being a Baptist school and then DCA. We decided on DCA because it is more well rounded (there’s that word again). DCA is a kindergarten through 12 grade school that has almost 900 students that not only produces some of the highest test scores in Tennessee but also offers fine arts programs such as drama (Marty’s happy) and band along with a great athletic program which includes all the major sports and some others such as tennis and golf (again, right up Marty’s alley). DCA is on my way to work, so I will be able to take Abby myself and pick her up in the afternoons. That way we can keep Andrew’s current nap schedule just the way it is. Now we just have to break the news to her that she won’t be riding the big yellow school bus that she has longed to ride for so long. I love that the student teacher ratio is 10 students to one teacher. I feel like Abby will get the one on one attention that she deserves and she will have a more personal relationship with her teachers and her peers. We are very excited. I would have loved for her to go to the Montessori school but this is a pretty great Plan B.
We feel that in the long run it will be money well spent; now I can’t wait to see her in her school uniform. Pictures to come later.

Well Rounded

I don’t feel like I brag or even write about Andrew nearly enough, maybe it’s because Abby is so vocal and much easier to write about. Andrew is coming around though and it is so sweet hearing his little voice and seeing the “light bulb” go off when he figures something out. I do have to brag because he no longer cries when we drop him off for church or school. He not only doesn’t cry but he will put his lunch bag up and walk in like the little man that he is. It is such a piece of mind knowing that he is happy when we leave him.
I picked him up on Wednesday night from his class and his teachers gave him the most wonderful compliment. They told me that he is so well rounded. At first I didn’t think much about it but when you think about it; well rounded is the absolute best compliment. He not only is sweet but he is also funny. He’s not only out going but he’s also sensitive. Not only adorable but also thoughtful. I was so proud of my little man. Yes, it was also a good feeling for me too. It feels really good when your peers compliment your child which in a round about way compliments you and your parenting ability.

Snow Day

Ok, so on the day that we were least expecting it, we got snow. The kids have had a blast playing in it, although they wish it wasn't so cold. Right now they are having a snowball fight, too fun!! Here are the only pictures I have of my star children so far. Enjoy!!

Good news Mommy

This morning Abby came running down the stairs and into our room with a huge smile on her face. She said to me “Mommy do you want to hear the good news? I looked out the window and there’s snow on the roof” She then goes on to ask Marty and I if we want to go outside and make snow angles and build a snowman. One small problem, there was only snow on the roof, no where else. For days now we have been hearing that we were going to get 1-2 inches of snow overnight. So last night before Abby went to bed we told her that she might not go to school today because it might snow. I guess she remembered because she looked out her window first thing and was so excited to see the dusting of snow on the roof.
Ok, so I will admit it. I was pretty excited about the thought of snow; I want to build snowmen too. So what did I do first thing this morning, look out the window. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get as excited about the dusting as Abby was. Only to be young and innocent again.

USS New York

So this is totally unlike me, but I got this in an e-mail and though it was pretty cool.

She was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.

She is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spiritual moment for everybody there."

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up." "It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The ship's motto? "Never Forget"

Nashville Star

No not Marty or Abby, but the TV show. For those that don’t know what Nashville Star is, well it’s the county music equivalent to American Idol, just on a smaller scale. I wanted Marty to audition for the show this year but he wouldn’t because most of the singers also play the guitar and are songwriters. He said drums just wouldn’t cut it. The show is taped at the Acuff Theater, which is practically in our back yard over at Opryland, so we are taking the kids to the taping tonight. The show comes on USA live at 9:00 central time. I know, bad parents. We are going to be keeping them up way past their bed time; the show doesn’t even begin until an hour after Andrew’s bedtime. If Marty and I wanted to go then the kids had to go too. We only have 2 babysitters and one is playing single mom while her husband in Honduras on a mission trip and the other is keeping the kids tomorrow while I’m at work. I really wanted to go because Little Big Town is the special guest tonight and I just LOVE them, thanks to Keri! I am so excited about the show; I just hope the kids have fun too. If you happen to be up tonight, look for us. We’ll be the ones with the two adorable sleepy kids. We don’t know where we’ll be sitting because all seats are general admission but one of us is going to camp out so we get a pretty good place in line.

Safe and sound. . . a very loud sound

Well, here we go. This weekend will be the first time that Marty will travel without us (he's playing in Albany, GA) and I am scared. I’m not scared of staying in the house by myself, anymore. We fixed that problem yesterday. When we moved in there was already an alarm system, it just wasn’t being monitored. As of yesterday we are now being monitored. We also had them put sensors on the windows not just the doors. I will say that I feel so much safer and at least one of my worries about this weekend is at ease.
Marty and I have been married 7 years this June and have spent 1 night apart. I know some of you are going what?!? I am going to miss him terribly but I am most scared about being alone all weekend and having all the parenting responsibilities. We have a way of balancing each other out. If something really gets to me, it usually doesn’t get to Marty. He’s the calm one when I’m upset and vice versa. Marty’s also the fun one. He can play with the best of them and never get tired of it. I hate to admit it but sometimes I just don’t feel like playing hide and seek again or go fish for the third time. I’m the nurturing one. When someone gets hurt, they come to me. When someone needs snuggles, they come to me. I can’t spend all weekend giving snuggles. I’m trying to come up with some fun things for us to do, since it’s winter and about 40 degrees, that rules out anything outside. I think I am going to take them to the circus either Friday or Saturday and of course we will take a trip to McDonald’s.
Abby is excited about being able to sleep in our bed since daddy’s not going to be there. When I was little I used to love sleeping in my parents bed when dad was out of town. Me, Shelly and Mom would all sleep together, sometimes even my cousins if they were there. Of course my parents did have a king bed. If Marty travels often, we might have to look into one of those because I’m sure Andrew would like to sleep with us too. And you can’t fit 1 adult 2 kids and a dog in a queen bed. Prince is going to freak out when he sees Abby in the bed, his bed.
I feel really guilty about being scared about being alone with the kids all weekend. It’s just something I’ve never had to do. I have a huge respect for single parents.

6 Months

We have been residents of Nashville, Tennessee for 6 months now. It really is true, the older you get the faster time flies by. I cannot believe that we have already been here for half a year. It seems just like yesterday that we left good ole secure Buford and headed out to the unknown. Some things are still unknown but at least we have a better vision on where things are going and how to get there. I feel like we have accomplished a lot in the past 6 months, some very trivial and some pretty important. We have:

• managed to paint every room in our house (ok some rooms two and three times) except for the kids bathroom upstairs. I will have to post pictures because I love the way the upstairs turned out.
• travelled back to Georgia more than 6 times. That's more than once a month. We might live in Tennessee but our heart is still in GA. We miss y'all everyday.
• Met new friends and even managed to get a "date" night twice. Ok, so one time was for a company event and the other time was for a Titans football game, not what I would call romantic, but hey it was kid free
• Found a great church and in turn found a great school for the kids
• Got Abby adjusted to school and church. She now goes to both happily and even gets sad when it's not a school day.
• Dropped Andrew off tear free twice to church. This is a huge accomplishment, might not seem like much but for Andrew it is. Last Wednesday and yesterday morning have been the only two times that Andrew didn't cry when we left him. We go to church on Sunday's, Wednesday's and he goes to school on Thursday's, so it's not like it's anything new to him. He's just like me.
• Allowed Marty to live his dream as a professional drummer. Some people have been here for years and not been as lucky as we have been.
• Realized that we have an incredibly strong marriage.

It hasn't been easy and I know we have not even faced the toughest times but we can do it. It is very empowering to be in a city and not know a single person and build a life for our family that is not only healthy but also happy.

Just one week

It took just one week of the kids being in school for Andrew to already get a cough, not a bad one luckily. We have been sick free ever since the kids got out of school in mid December and now that they are back so are the sickies. I’m not sure if it’s Abby bringing it from her class or Andrew getting it from his own class, either way before it runs it course through our house I’m sure both the kids will have some form or another. Just goes with being a mom of 2, when one gets sick so does the other.

Camel Sauce

Everyone knows what camel sauce is right? Well you should, it seems simple enough when you hear the explanation. Abby always asks for camel dipping sauce when we go to McDonald’s, which I hate to admit is quite often. Moms of little ones might know where this is going. One day after we were at McD’s we asked Abby where she thought camel sauce came from, of course she said a camel. We went a little further and asked her what part of the camel and she simply stated the humps. So we’ve figured out that camel sauce comes from the humps of the camel, but what exactly is camel sauce you ask? It’s the caramel dipping sauce you get when you order the apple dippers with a happy meal. I will call this an Abbyism and from here on out it will be called camel sauce.
It’s so funny some of the things that come out of her mouth. Of course my all time favorite mispronunciation is when Abby was learning the ABC’s song. Instead of L M N O P, she would sing purple M O P. It was so stinkin’ cute; I almost hated teaching her the correct way.

ST4KG721

ST4KG721 sounds like a good number doesn't it? I'm sure you're wondering what ST4KG721 is, well it's Abby's lottery number, see previous post. Now you would think that ST4KG721 would be an automatic, although Marty did remind me that our closing for our house up here was on 7/21 and you see how well that went. Well, I guess 721 just isn't out lucky number because Abby has been put on the wait list. Not just Abby, but EVERY kindergartner that applied for Stanford. All the Kindy spots were fill by returning 4 year olds. It doesn't look good for her. Off to find other optons.

It's lottery time

No not the scratch off kind or even the mega ball kind, although it would be nice if we won that kind too. It’s a lottery for the Metro Nashville Schools. This lottery will determine what type of schooling Abby has next year. Up here in Nashville they offer Magnet School options which include a variety of schooling options. Magnet Schools are fully funded so it is the best of all possibilities. Ever since Abby was a baby I have said that I wanted to put her into a Montessori School. I think she would benefit from that type of teaching tremendously. If you don’t know what Montessori teaching is about, look below and the list is straight off the school’s website. The schools around us are not the best , in fact if Abby doesn’t get in then we will try to send her to a church Kindergarten. I just want her to love school and get the best possible start. The lottery process begins tomorrow morning at 9:00 and we are expected to know the results by 4:00. This year is the largest amount of applications that they have ever received, over 10,000. That is split between a number of different schools but we have no way of knowing how many slots are open for Stanford. The lottery is computer generated and it is basically picking numbers out of a hat. We will let you know how it goes.

What makes us different?
*All students enter through the lottery process.
*We have three class configurations: primary (multi-age 3 years – kindergarten), lower elementary (multi-age first grade – third grade), and fourth grade transition.
*Students wear uniforms.
*Parents are requested to donate at least 35 volunteer hours per year.
*Classrooms have AMS certified Montessori teachers or teachers that are working on certification.
*Our classrooms are a prepared environment, one that is conducive to independent student learning.
*Students work on the floor or at a tables. We do not have desks.
*Our children learn sensorially and move from concrete to abstract
*Students receive individualized instruction.
*We teach writing before reading.
*Testing is by teacher observation and authentic assessment.
*We do not celebrate holidays with parties but incorporate seasonal colors, objects, etc into our lessons.
*We help develop self-discipline.
*We teach the values of grace and courtesy and building a peaceful community. *Montessori education fosters scientific and mathematical aptitudes.
*Montessori education fosters a nurturing appreciation for history and timelines. *We instill value and appreciation for cultural differences.
*We teach care for the environment.

It's positive!

They’re pregnant. Ok, so who’s the last couple that you would think would be pregnant (and no it’s not me, my baby growin’ days are over) Travis and Heidi are pregnant. I’m posting this because I know many of you reading know them, for the others that don’t, I’m sorry you’re missing out.
This is such good news. They will finally stop getting harhassed about when are they going to have a baby, I have even done this to them. Anyone who is married knows what I mean. First it’s when are you going to get married followed by when are you going to have a baby, then it goes on to when are you going to have another baby. A very vicious cycle. Of course you could do what we did and have a surprise baby that no one (even us) expected. Andrew, I love you to pieces and wouldn’t trade my life with you for anything but you were a surprise blessing. Sorry for the tangent.
They are going to be amazing parents, really really awesome parents. My prayer for them is a happy and healthy 9 months. Heidi is a NICU nurse so unfortunalty she can’t be blissfully unaware like many of us are. She is all too aware of just how precious life is and how it is truly a miracle to bring a healthy baby into this world. If you know them, or the Martins, make sure you send your congratulations and prayers their way.
To Travis and Heidi:
Congratulations! You both will be great parents and your baby is lucky to have you as parents. And the baby will find a way into the budget I promise.
If I’m doing my calculations right, maybe the baby will be born on my birthday.

Overwhelmed

I’m sure that you have noticed that I have been MIA for a while now. Sometimes, I just get so overwhelmed and can’t seem to catch up. Too many things happen over a short time span, I just don’t know where to begin. I can’t write about one thing and not write about another, so I just don’t write anything. I am sorry to all of you who check in often for updates from Nashville, but I just couldn’t get the words out of my head and onto paper (or I guess onto the computer)
I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. We greatly enjoyed seeing everyone and finally being able to spend some quality time with family. It was needed on our part in a big way. Not only did the kids need to see everyone but so did Marty and I. Y’all have all been so fantastic and so supportive. 2006 brought a lot of changes for our family and it means so much to us to know that we have so many family members and friends behind us. We thank you for all the thoughts and prayer that you send our way. We could never have taken this huge leap of faith without every single one of you. Thank you and we love you all. I hope 2007 brings happiness and well being to everyone.

The Walters in Nashville.

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.