Angels

Eight Months

I've been doing a lot of growing over the past few months. Momma got a little behind on my 6 and 7 month posts, so I have a lot to talk about!

I have not been to the doctor for an official weigh in, but I think I'm pushing 22 pounds.

I've been wearing 12 month clothes for a while now. There are still a few things marked 9 months that I can fit in, but those are mainly brand new items that haven't been washed a million times.

I am still not crawling, but I want to. My favorite thing to do is sit and twist myself in whichever direction I think I need to go, then reach as far out as possible. I end up in a crawling position, but slowly slide back onto my tummy. I am strong enough to pull/push myself back up onto my hands and knees, but still don't try to go anywhere. Momma says that's making her life easier for just a little longer.

Even though I'm not moving around, I like to stand and hold onto things. I can't pull up on my own, but if you put my by the couch or a toy, I can stand until I get too excited and start jumping.

Avery makes me laugh, but she seems less interested in my lately. I've found other friends to enjoy, and every child at any age makes me smile.

I'm a happy baby who gets along with everyone. Last week at VBS, I was the only baby in the nursery while Momma worked. I had four grandmas who took me in as their own and were at my beck and call. I loved it.

Momma, Avery and I flew on an airplane to Texas to visit my Grammy, Pop, and momma's Grandmom for over a week. I did really well on the plane and charmed everyone along the way. That was the first time I've visited Momma's hometown, and everyone at church loved me.

While I was in Texas, I slept all the way through the night two times! The rest of the time, I only woke up once. Since I've been home I've had a few rough nights, but I'm down to waking up only once consistenly. I eat and go right back to sleep within 7-10 minutes. Momma says she can handle that a lot better.

I can say "Dada" and "Ball." Still working on "Mama," but I love to babble and make funny noises. I've recenlty learned the 'gurgle' but magically keep all the spit in my mouth.

I have two teeth on the bottom, but didn't give momma too hard of a time as they came in.

I still eat a lot. Momma's milk was not completely satisfying me anymore, so I'm on formula full time now. I still scarf down all my veggies and fruits. It's been fun trying new combinations. Daddy has even given me some mashed potatoes and refried beans. I've also had tastes of ice cream and like that...a lot!

My favorite thing to do is mimic Daddy after he coughs. Momma thinks it's funny to hear my cough after Daddy's.

I can finally hold my bottle by myself. It's helpful for Momma, but it also shows her how grown up I am.

I've also learned to clap. I can't do it all the time, but every once in a while, I get really excited and clap really big.

Viva Vacation!

So this is long overdue, but I thought I would go ahead and write about our trip to Florida.

We drove down on Sunday and were able to spend that evening and the next day with Kenny's mom, dad, brothers, sister (Tom, Jon, Kirk and April) as well as his grandfather. We were also able to visit the High School campus where Kenny graduated. He attended three different high schools, but I think he claims this one as his "home" because he went there his freshman, sophomore and part of his senior year. We also were able to catch up with some friends that Kenny went to school with. I feel like I know them because I met them when Kenny and I first started dating; then Barry was in our wedding, now 10 years later we still have kept in touch.

Tuesday and Wednesday we went to Disney World. It was truly a Magic Kingdom for Avery. It was fun to see her face and watch the joyous expressions as she discovered new things. I found myself, along with everyone else, 'overloading' her by saying, "Avery look at this! Wow! Look at that!" I finally backed off because I could tell she was getting a little overstimulated. I then realized she is her own little person who can observe things all on her own.


We waited in line to see Pluto, Donald Duck and Goofy. We also met Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). Avery explored Minnie's house and the Swiss Family Robinson tree all on her own. We enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean, Pooh Bear's Book, Dumbo, Aladin, and the Jungle Cruise as a family. An all time favorite of Avery and Braden's was It's A Small World. I still think the little figures are a little creepy, but by the end of the ride, both of my kids were hypnotized by the colors and happy tunes. Avery sang "It's A Small World" for days.


Kenny and I were able to sneak back to the park one night without kids to enjoy Space Mountain with his brother, Jon, and April. It was a great ride, but I realized how my focus has changed to my children instead of my own wishes since becoming a mother. I would choose to see Avery and Braden's faces on one ride rather than ride an adult ride 10 times.


The next day we drove to Kenny's 'home' town, Palm Bay. He doesn't really claim it as home because his family moved there when he went away to college, but I think of it as his home because that's where I visited him during our dating years. While there, we enjoyed a day at the beach!


On Friday we drove back to spend another day with Kenny's grandfather and family before heading home on Saturday.


This trip was so much fun, not only for our kids and the fun in all the hotel pools, Disney park, beach, etc. I especially enjoyed this trip because of the time we were able to spend with Kenny's family. It's been too long since we've spent quality time together, and I feel like I grew even closer to all of them. (And of course it didn't hurt that they were more than willing to watch the kids for us while we snuck in a date/movie one night!)


So, after seven days, six nights, two long road trips, millions of laughs, a few tears, Cuban food, Italian food, Chinese food and way too much fast food, we were home safe and sound.

MIA

Thanks to those who are concerned that I may not be among the living...things have been crazy lately.

After we got home from our Disney vacation, volleyball and football started full swing. As things seemed to calm down a bit, I received news from my family that my grandmother suffered a stroke.

So, I've been in Texas for the past week with my family. I will be home Wednesday. Hopefully Kenny will not have learned to love bachelorhood too much and will welcome us home with open arms.

Until then I'll leave you with these teasers:

Disney was fantastic. We enjoyed Kenny's family and some fun and sun. We all came home with tans...even Braden...and Daddy. ;) Well, Daddy's was more of a sunburn, but he could definately say he got some color!

Volleyball was fun. I started a camp for little kids this summer, and it was a huge success.

We've enjoyed time with Kenny even though he works at school, he's home sooner than normal.

We have a new video camera and regular camera! I have not had time to get the video camera out of the box, but I LOVE our new camera. This trip to Texas has been a great opportunity to have fun with it. I look forward to posting pictures of the kids when I get home.

As for news of my grandmother, she seems to be recovering from her stroke, but is still suffering from her nerve pain in her leg that began shortly before her stroke. She now lives in the Christian Care Center instead of her home. This has been an adjustment for my mom and dad as well since my grandma used to live in the house in front of our house. They were used to popping in and out to help as needed. It's been hard to turn over the caregiving to someone else, but it's necessary since my parents work full-time and she now requires full time care. The Lord has answered our prayers for her to make it past the effects of her stroke, and we hope He will continue to bless her health. He has already blessed her with a wonderful roommate in her new home. Her name is Mrs. Davis, and we hope she will be a piece of the puzzle on Grandmom's road to recovery.

Birthday Bash

Three years ago on May 20th I anxiously woke up, anticipating the birth of our sweet baby girl. I did not know what to expect, but I did know that God had a plan, and I looked forward to it. Little did I know exactly how much joy would be brought into my life after a few short hours.

There are not enough pages to describe the sweetness of our bundle of love named Avery. I only hope that I do not do anything to stifle her free spirit and bright mind.

Once again, we threw a 'pool party' in honor of her birthday, complete with a slip and slide lined with sprinklers. The theme was Strawberry Shortcake, which stemmed from one of her favorite books. Our dear friend, Dawn, was wonderfully creative and re-created the exact cake from Avery's book, thus thrilling the birthday girl!

We were glad to share fellowship with all who came, and missed those who were unable to attend.

Braden did not have a clue what was going on, but as usual was a great trooper along for the ride.

Avery topped the evening off with more fun and dinner with her friend Adalyn.

We decided to get Avery a big pool for her birthday, and I must say that it was the perfect gift. She has spent everyday in it and especially enjoys the afternoons when Daddy comes home and takes a dip with her. One of my favorite parts of the day is watching them play together. The water is still pretty cold for my liking, so Braden and I are better at supporting the fun from the sidelines.

I've also included the latest of Braden. He's all smiles for Daddy, so when I get one every now and then, I have to capture it on camera.

Playing Catch Up

Where to start? Where to start....



My kids love each other. Braden thinks Avery hung the moon, and Avery loves to make Braden laugh. I'm truly blessed with two beautiful angels!


Now that Braden is 6 1/2 months old, I've decided to hold off on his 6 month post and combine it into the 7 month milestones. He's growing more and more everyday, weighing in at a whopping 20 lbs, 3 oz! He is 29" long, and is becoming quite the independent little (big) man. Everytime I think Avery or someone else is being too rough on him, I find him laughing so hard he gets the hiccups!


Avery and Braden joined their friends Griffin and Jaxon last week at the children's wing of the Shakespeare Museum. Braden enjoyed the hands-on learning as much as Avery did! We look forward to going back more often so we can take it all in and continue to learn.


Braden has a girlfriend named Riley. Yes, already! The thing is, she just celebrated her year birthday! I guess he likes older women like his daddy. ;) She's a doll, and they love to snuggle up with each other and give kisses. I have not been able to capture the cuteness on camera yet.


Track season is over! I enjoyed this season more than last, but seem to have gotten a little too attached to the kids. I found myself crying during Senior Sunday at church. Here are some pictures of Braden at the State Meet. He was great, going along for the ride, and Avery enjoyed her time at home with friends. I felt bad dolling her out to different people for the three nights we were away, but I think everyone had a good time. (Wouldn't it be nice if we had family in town?!)

And finally, Happy Mothers Day to me! My kids and wonderful husband made this year so special. Kenny brought home gorgeous flowers on Saturday; then that night we went to dinner and enjoyed great conversation while the kids sat quietly and behaved.


Sunday morning, I heard the pitter patter of little feet running to hand me my card. Inside was a gift card to my favorite restaurant (Olive Garden), which we enjoyed for lunch that day. I also received a very touching card from my great hubby with another gift card! One of our track runners, who is in the youth group, brought me a flower during our Mother's Day service at church, again starting the water works. (What's up with me crying so much now that I've had kids!?)


On Monday, Kenny called during the day to say he thought it would be fun if we went out to eat again that night. Little did I know he had planned for our friends to watch the kids while we were gone. We enjoyed each other's company for an evening of dinner and shopping for Avery's birthday present and new booster seat since Braden has outgrown his carrier and is going to claim her old car seat.

To sum it up; God has abundantly blessed my life!

Track Meet Troopers

Let me start off by saying that we would not have been able to survive this track season without the help from all of the wonderful parents. Last year we made arrangements for Avery for every track meet. This year we just started bringing the kids along for the ride, and everything has worked out just fine.

I did not ask permission to use names so I won't be listing them here, but there are a few particular parents who I'm especially grateful for. I know I can completely trust that when Avery or Braden are with them, I don't have to worry about if they are being fed, have enough sunscreen on, or are just flat out being taken care of. If anyone has any ideas of how to 'treat' these special people, let me know. I wish I could spend the money to honor them with a whole day at the spa.

We had Sectionals this past weekend, and Friday was a long day. Avery and Braden were both troopers. Here are a few pictures from the day. Fortunately there was a park nearby, so Avery was able to use up some of her energy there.

Whirlwind

Boston: The historical tour was nice, but very similar to the trip we took a few years back. Lots of walking ensued, so it was nice to get in some exercise and build up my calf muscles while looking at beautiful buildings and historical markers.

Kenny and Dallas (one of the kids) decided it was necessary to take a picture with every single statue in Boston. If anyone else reading this has been to Boston, you know how often we had to stop, then run to catch back up with the group. I had a shin splint by the end of it all.

The first night in Boston included The Blue Man Group show. I must say that was by far the BEST show I have ever witnessed. It combined elements of art, music, humor, audience participation, videography, improptu, and so much more. Our seats were in the poncho section front and center, and was a show that entertained old and young alike. For those who may not be familiar with The Blue Man Group, they are the three blue men who appear on commercials and other shows who are in a constant state of discovery. My cheeks hurt from laughing the entire time, and at every turn, I was amazed at the talent and genious of those who put it all together. From the amazing druming performances filled with flying paint to the art of figuring out how to eat, it was fantastic. I could go on for an entire post solely about Blue Man Group, but others may not be as amazed as I was.


We topped the second night in Boston off with a Celtics game. I was excited to go to the game, but it soon wore off when we were bombarded with 'drunk, loud, obnoxious, nasty mouthed, 40ish year old men who thought they were all that' behind us. Three of our girls had beer spilled on them, with no apologies, only flirtatious remarks (to 17 year old girls, mind you). Needless to say, I have a bad connoation now about the Celtics and will forever cheer against them even though it's not their fault.

Canada was nice. We had more free time there, so Kenny and I got to spend more time with just us without teenagers around. That helped make the trip feel like a mini vacation. It's weird looking at the pictures and not seeing two little chillins in them with us. I guess that's how we looked three years and 10 pounds ago. We did the usual shopping, dining (at the Rainforest Cafe), and then we had an old timey picture taken. On our honeymoon we had one taken, and we said we were going to do that each anniversary. Seven years later, we finally got around to having another one taken.

Niagra Falls: The ultimate summation of God's beauty, power, might, and awesomeness. When we drove into Canada, the Falls were off to our left, and were semi far away. We all must have been expecting the same thing because although no one said it, we all had a sense of disappointment. Our hotel overlooked the Falls, and that evening we walked down to see them lit by lights. It was amazing, but still not as impressive as I imagined. It was not until the following day that my disappointment vanished. We were able to tour behind the Falls, and we literally traveled in the tunnels beneath the Falls to portholes that led behind the Falls. It was fantastic. While standing on the river banks overlooking God's creation, I was awestruck. We always say we are imperfect beings and not worthy of much, but I felt priviledged to say that the same hands who created the glory falling before us, also formed me.

On the flight out, we were able to witness the beauty all over again.

While we were in Boston, Kenny got news that his uncle had passed away, so when we got home Sunday night at 11:30 p.m., we re-packed for a trip to Nashville the next day. Early Monday morning, we left for the trip, spent some time with Kenny's family, then turned around and left Tuesday morning so we would be back in time for the Jr. High Championship track meet. That was a whirlwind trip in itself, and even though the circumstances were not good, we were blessed to spend time with Kenny's mom, dad, and brother, Kirk and sister, April. Avery was excited to get to ride back to Montgomery in daddy's truck with Uncle Tom, so that gave me a little time to catch up on sleep while Braden slept. It was sad to drive through Columbia, where one of my good friends from college lives, as well as have to pass Huntsville by without saying hellos to all of our friends there.

Now we're home safely with a our Sectional track meet this weekend, followed by State next weekend. Maybe things will calm down a bit...then again, football and volleyball start, so who knows if life will ever calm down again. My bet is probably not.

Braden's Babbles

Avery, Braden and I were sitting at the table, eating lunch. Braden was babbling, "ahhh, ahh, ahh."

It sounded like he was telling us something very interesting.

Avery said, "well, Braden, tell us some more! Momma; he's telling us a story."

I said, "do you think he's telling us a story about frogs?"

She said, "no."

I said, "is it a story about fish?"

She said, "no."

We went on like this for a while.

Finally I asked her what he was telling us a story about.

She put her fork down, looked at me with exasperated eyes and said, "It's just 'ahhhs, momma."

Five Months Old

I don't know how much I weigh, but I would assume I'm getting close to 18 pounds.

I also know that I'm growing taller because I don't fit in many of my clothes that have feet and are less than 9 month sizes.

I love my feet, and play with them all the time.

I would be perfectly content to never wear clothes. Momma likes my chubby, chubby, chubby thighs.

Avery still makes me laugh, and now that I can reach out and grab things, I've snatched her hair, blanket and some of her toys. She's sweet to me, but I can tell she's not going to be super happy when I can follow her everywhere she goes.

I love every vegetable that I've tried, which includes carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, and grean beans. I look like a little baby bird with my mouth open, anticipating every bite!

Anytime I'm watching someone else eat, I open my mouth for a bite. When I realize the food is not going into my mouth, I get a little upset and never take my eyes off of their eating utensil.

I can roll from my back to my side, but still haven't rolled over all by myself.

My favorite monkey is still the best toy ever!

I've been to several track meets, and am always a good sport.

My first trip to the beach was so much fun! I loved how the wind took my breath away, and had a hard time stopping my laughing so I could get some oxygen.

When I'm on my tummy, I can scootch (that's momma's word) around. I don't go anywhere, but I can change directions where I'm looking.

My momma and daddy are going away for the first time without me. Grammy and Pop are coming to take care of Avery and me. I look forward to a fun time of getting spoiled!

I like sitting in my 'jeep' activity center. The phone is my favorite part because I can put it in my mouth.

I've started eating a little formula so I can get ready for Grammy and Pop's visit since momma didn't get enough milk saved up.

I look forward to sitting up all by myself all the time without tipping over.

Momma and Daddy are still amazed at how fast time is flying by! I'm still one of their best blessings ever!

Biker Babe

We pulled out the bicycle to give it another whirl. After one day of trying to ride by herself, it clicked! She is so happy and wants to ride it everywhere!

Who's Who Part Two

The more I do this, the harder it is for me to try to 'trick' people into figuring out who is who. Mainly because they are normally wearing pink or blue, and it doesn't help that I normally had a bow stuck to Avery's bald head.

Comparing pictures has shown me that they don't look as much alike as I remember in my head, but I still think they resemble each other. It's neat to see their differences.