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.