THE STRONGS

Lilla at 6 months

2011-04-26T16:42:00.003-05:00

The Stats as of 12/30/10...we are still playing catch-up:

Weight 16lb 15oz

Length 25 1/2 in

Head 42cm

At this point she is still our oh so serious little girl:) Her thunder thighs are in full force and she is still a good sleeper-going 10-12 hours per night and taking 2.5 hours of total naptime per day. I have slowly started introducing some baby food. I made a bunch of homemade stuff and of course she hates it:) Right now I would say she is not a fan of babyfood at all....she is still exclusively nursing about 5 times a day. She also recently mastered sitting up unassisted!!

The Look;)

Merry Christmas 2010

2011-03-15T19:11:00.003-05:00

Better late than never right:)

Christmas 2010 was a special one. It was Lilla's first and our first with two kiddos to buy for! I am hoping in the future Derek can be in charge of Beckett's stuff and I can handle Lilla's, but i have a feeling that would mean Lilla will end up with 3x more than her brother:)

Christmas Eve 2010

Santa came!!!

Christmas Card Attempt #2398

And, my favorite pic of the holiday season....Beckett at our church Christmas Program...he is the one in the middle wearing red pants! You might have to enlarge the pic to see its beauty:)

Ellijay 2010

2011-02-16T20:54:00.004-06:00

For Thanksgiving this year my mom decided she wanted to go to the mountains, and she wanted all of us to come. This included me, derek, and our 2 kids, my stepbrother David, his wife Ashley, and their 2 boys (age 3 and 1) and my stepsister Betsy...needless to say it was a full house! We were missing my other stepbrother and his wife and 3 boys. So if we go back next year i am requesting 2 houses:)

It really was a great trip. Beckett and Samuel had a blast together. Derek and I also took our little fam of 4 to do some hiking at the Ocoee River State Park. Derek and I have both rafted the Ocoee, but it has been years ago for me, so i was excited to visit again. It really is such a beautiful area. I have a feeling this will not be the first "hiking" adventure we take as a family:)

Our cabin was in Ellijay, GA. They have a small town square and a few shops. It is a very quaint little area-i felt like I was in the movie Funny Farm most of the time! About a 20min drive from there is Blue Ridge, GA which is much bigger with more shops and resturants. There we took the kids on the train ride through the mountains with Santa. They of course loved it!

Lilla did fantastic on the whole trip. I was so very relieved. She spent most of the days in the Moby Wrap, so she was content. The car ride was close to 10 hours including all the stops, so it was asking a lot and they both did great!! Thanks in no small part to whoever invented portable DVD players!

Lilla and Mommy chillin at the general store in Blue Ridge

Our Cabin in Ellijay

Riding the Blue Ridge Express Railway with Santa!

The Ocoee River

He was having a blast hiking!

Lilla all bundled up in the Moby Wrap

Lilla at 4 months

2011-02-04T16:10:00.003-06:00

Stats:
4 month check up on 11/11/10
Weight: 15lbs
Height: 24.5 inches
Head: 40.5 cm

At this point she is still the sweet, easy baby we are falling more in love with each day. She is such a serious baby! She is a great little sleeper, sleeping about 7-9 hours. She is nursing about every 4 hours and then sleeping through the night from about 9-5am then eating some more and back too sleep til about 8ish...One thing i know for sure...my babies both inherited my sleep habits:)

Chunky Monkey:) This pic cracks me up.....so serious!

Lilla Baptism

2010-12-17T14:07:00.005-06:00

I am going to be playing catch up with these next few post so bear with me!

We had Lilla baptized on October 31, 2010. It was a special day for obvious reasons, but it was really sweet that she got to wear the same gown Beckett wore and we "girlied" it up with a bonnet:) She did really great during the ceremony.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T22:47:00.004-05:00

I didn't take too many pictures this year, and i am still mad at myself for not getting a pic of Beckett and Lilla together! He was a farmer and she was a pig! We went on a hayride through the neighborhood with some of our friends. I think the kids had a blast and we are looking forward to doing it again next year!

Kids on the hayride

Trick or Treat!

Farmer Beckett in action!

Lilla the pouty pig:)

It's New to Me....

2010-09-12T20:39:00.008-05:00

I have had a few people ask me recently what products i have been using with Lilla that i didn't use or didn't know about with Beckett. For the most part i use all the same things i did with Beckett this go round, but i added a few new things. The only major thing i know we didn't bother with this time was the Diaper Genie. I just use a little wicker trash bag lined with Walmart bags in it works just fine. Here are a few of the things i consider must haves for

baby #2.....

The Moby Wrap. We tried a sling with Beckett and I hated it. I felt like he was at my knees all the time. We are doing some traveling in the next few months and i really think being able to "wear" lilla will be to my advantage, especially in airports. So after some research i decide to pick up one of these at BabiesRUs. It is pretty intimidating when you first look at it, but i was able to get in on correctly on my first try with help from the book and now i am hooked! It only cost $40 and so for the money i think it is a great purchase. I think the secret to "baby wearing" is practice makes perfect. And yes i do feel more in touch with my inner hippie:)

My Breast Friend. All i can say about this little miracle is, I breastfeed. Alot. It is the best nursing pillow hands down. Don't waste your time with the other kind. This one rocks bc you can walk around with it as long as you keep one hand on the baby:)

Luna Lullaby Swaddle Blankets. I am sure most of you know i work at a childrens boutique. We sell these there and I always thought they looked like a great product. I never swaddled Beckett bc he seemed to hate it so much and he slept in his swing so much in the beginning. I decided with Lilla I was going to do my best to swaddle her at night to help with her sleep routine. And now i am hooked! I think it really helps her get good, uninterupted sleep. These blankets are great for summer bc they are "muslin" type material so they are not too hot and very easy to wrap them securely.

Baby Bathtub: So i know this sounds like something pretty basic, but with Beckett i just used one of the $10 bath "hammack" looking things. It worked well in the sink at our old house and I really have no complaints about it. However, Beckett really likes to help with Lilla's bathtime and I feel much more secure having him around her when she is in the tub. The hammack was more of a balancing act and since i am also trying to keep an eye on him when he is "helping" it was kinda hard to do, so in came a baby tub. And yes it takes up tons of space and it is cumbersome, but until i can just put them in the tub together i see no other way to do it.

2 months of Fun!

2010-09-12T20:19:00.004-05:00

Like brother, Like sister:)

Lilla had her 2 month appointment this past week. Technically she was 9 weeks, but whose counting:) Dr. R said she looked great and was obviously doing well breastfeeding. She got her shots and only cried for a couple of seconds afterwards.

What Lilla Loves:

Eating

Swinging

Being swaddled (we are using Luna Lullaby blankets and LOVE them)

Chilling in the new Moby Wrap

watching the fan

the mobile on the crib

the Owl painting in her room-she could stare at it all day:)

being held

bathtime

What Lilla doesn't Love:

Being hungry

Being ignored when awake

getting in her carseat (once we are in the car she is usually fine though)

So far that is about it....she has been pretty easy so far!

Stats from the 8/9 week checkup:

Weight: 12 lbs 2 oz, 75th percentile

Height: 22 1/2 in., 50th percentile

Head: 38.75cm, 50th percentile

Happy Birthday Beckett!!

2010-09-04T16:03:00.007-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to Beckett!! We had his party at the JumpZone in Madison. He wanted a "handy manny" party so that is what we did:) The cake was ADORABLE!! He is spending his actual birthday today on his first dove hunt with Daddy. I am sure he is having a blast! His favorite presents were his 'real' guitar from his Big E (my dad) and his new fish "Diego" from PopPop (my stepdad). We will see how long diego makes it;) I will post some stats from his doctors appointment after we go in a few weeks. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Singing Happy Birthday!

So big!!

So Cute! Cake by "Whatever It Cakes"

Life Lately in Pics.....

2010-08-18T16:50:00.003-05:00

Smiling....

Bless her, she spends a lot of time in the swing:)

Beckett thought he was getting in the sink too!

First Bath

Lately.....

2010-08-11T16:08:00.005-05:00

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately. I have lots of catch up on and i am not sure how to go about it so please forgive me if i am a little all over the place....

Lilla had her 2 week appt and all is well. She was back up to her birthweight of 8lbs. 2oz. I was shocked to hear this bc it took beckett a whole month to do that!

Let's see, what else......

She has been sleeping pretty good. She goes for about 5 hours at night sometimes more. She is still sleeping in our room, but i am hoping to move her soon. I would like to wait until she is only waking up once consistently before i move her bc i am scared she will wake up her brother!

She is eating good as well. I did get mastitis last week and that was not fun at all! Of course my mom was out of town so I made derek come home from work to take care of Beckett and Lilla and i stayed in bed all day. I have decided that i don't know which is worse though, the mastitis or the meds they give for it-they kicked my butt!

Derek and i are going to try to go on an overnight trip next weekend for our anniversary, so we will see how that goes. I can't wait for a full night sleep and then I remember the Medela has to come along:)

I guess that is about all for now. She is going to her 6 week appt a little later than most, so i will update again after that. Enjoy the pics!

Lilla is here!

2010-07-11T15:52:00.004-05:00

Lilla Henson Strong

6-30-10, 5:52am

8lbs. 2oz. 19 5/8"

The Story:

I think the last post I made was around 38 weeks and we were waiting to see if she would make her apperance on her own or if I would have to wait until my doctor got back in town for my section. Well, Lilla decided she wanted to hold out until 39 weeks and 2 days. We went on Tuesday June 29 to our 39 week appt. and i was still not dialated, so we scheduled the section for 9am the next day. We went home from that appointment and got a few last minute things together and packed Beckett a bag for my mom's since we had to be at the hospital at 7am we decided to go ahead and let him spend the night. Before we left to drop him off we all went on one last 4-wheeler ride through the neighborhood! We ate a big meal at my mom's and then headed home to get the last few things loaded up.

Around 3am i woke up to go to the bathroom and felt like something was not "right." I decided to lay down since i was planning to wake up in a couple of hours anyways. While laying there i started to have a few cramps so i decided to get up, and once i stood up well, there was no doubt what was happening!! My water broke!! Go figure:) I had been waiting on this for 2 weeks and it happens the night before i am scheduled to go in. We call the hospital and they said to come on in, but that we would probably keep the 9am section time since i wasn't contracting regularly. I took my time getting ready-took a shower, ect....and then we left to go to the hospital around 4am.

On the way there i starting having some contractions but nothing too bad. We went to check-in and they continued. Once they got us in a little holding room we just figured we would hang out there until my section at 9am. The nurse did all the usual stuff-IV, a million questions, monitors, etc. As i was laying there i started to get a bit more uncomfortable so i asked for some meds to help with the pain. She left to get some tributilene (sp?) to stop contractions, and in the meantime another nurse walks in and sees that i am having contractions and suggest my nurse check me just in case, so she did. And, it is a good thing bc i was 6cm!! She said my cervix was quickly disappearing! Nice! She told us she was going to call the doctor on call and for me to tell any family we wanted there to start making there way up there that i probably wouldn't make to 9am, but that i would probably get bumped up to 7am when my doc showed up. Ok, so after about 10 minutes she comes back and says we were doing the section now! Huh? So, we had to call all the family and tell them to get there ASAP. I was taken to the OR about 15min later. Lilla was born at 5:52am and after all that waiting for her to get back in town my doctor didn't even get to deliver her!!

Lilla had a little bit of a respiratory problem following delivery so she had to go straight to the NICU to get her lungs going good. She was only there about 1 hour though-thankfully. The doctor said it is not uncommon for babies to have "wet" lungs following a section bc they don't come through the birth canal. Her apgar was a 8,9 just like Beckett

She looks so much like Beckett did as a baby. Things have been a little crazy around here but not too bad. My mom has been with us all week. She comes in the mornings and leaves when derek get home. That has been a lifesaver bc it is so hard to keep beckett entertained while caring for a newborn. Sometimes, it is hard to believe she is here, but then again she is already such a huge part of our little life that i can't imagine not having her around:) I will update more soon....enjoy the pics!

The Big Brother!!

38 weeks and counting.....

2010-06-21T16:58:00.003-05:00

Not much to report these days.....I am still not dialated and the doctor is still going to be out of town until next Tuesday, so instead of having Lilla tomorrow like I was hoping for we are scheduled for June 30th unless of course my water breaks or I start having regular contractions. I guess it is possible bc I have been having them, but i am not counting on it-i think she is just content to stay put! I am ready though...i never thought they would let me go to 39+ weeks with a repeat section, but I was wrong i guess. Of course I want her to stay in as long as she needs too, but by this weekend if i am still pregnant I will be convinced Lilla is just already trying to test my patience:) In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my last week with only one child and really attempt to take him to do something fun-maybe to swim if i can find an abandoned pool to go too:)

I will post some nursery pics this week too....one positive to all this is now i will have PLENTY of time to get the nursery 100% ready, right now it is at about 90%.....

Oh, and her carseat cover came in today...it's pretty cute huh?!?

36 week update and drumroll please.......

2010-06-10T16:28:00.002-05:00

We went on Monday to my 36 week appointment and by we I mean myself, derek, and Beckett. The ultrasound showed that she was measuring 6lb. 10oz. and in the 70th percentile. So i guess that means she will be 8 or more pounds when she gets here! I was not dialated so Dr. T said we would just continue to see what happens on a week to week basis. I am hoping to have her the week of June 21-i will be 38 weeks then and that is when Beckett came. She did tell me that if i am not dialated she will make be wait until June 30!! I have NO intentions of carrying her that long bc I can hardly walk as it is, but we will just have to see I guess. Surely i will make some progress before then:) Beckett got to she her on the screen for the first time and he was a little shocked. He actually said "she looks strange" Nice! But after a bit he warmed up and just smiled the whole time, he was a bit concerned bc we weren't taking her home that day! I go back on Monday so we will see how that appt goes i guess, hopefully nothing major though bc my doctor is out of town!!

Now, on to what has been my most asked question of the past 4 months....What are we going to name her????? Well, after MUCH deliberation and stress we have decided she will be named....

Lilla Henson Strong

Lilla is from all the versions of Lillian that scatter our family trees-Lily, Lila, Lillis, and Lillian. Henson was my great grandmothers maiden name. So everyone is happy!! Oh, and it is pronounced Lil-la and we will not be using a double name...just sweet little Lilla!! Naming this little girl was much harder than I thought it would be but we are happy with our decision and I am getting used to calling her by name:)

And one more thing......

To Derek: happy 11 years of togetherness! 11 years ago today we became a couple! crazy how much has changed, and i love you more now than i ever thought i would:) I can't wait to see you raise a little girl....5th-10th grade will be the best days of your life:) LOVE YOU

All about Beckett

2010-05-16T17:26:00.004-05:00

With baby sister coming soon i wanted to make sure i took about minute to do a little update about Beckett! He is 2 years and almost 9 months old.

-We have been working on the whole potty training thing for quite a while now and we recently made a big leap-i am sure some of the mommas know exactly what i am talking about:) He still however won't use any "public" bathroom in any way (teetee or poopoo), and this includes his school-Any advice on how to fix this will be GREATLY appreciated!!
-He still loves Dora/Diego but he is also really into Thomas, Mickey, Wubzy too.
-He is all boy in the sense that he loves any kind of ball....baseball, football, soccer. Derek has been playing church league sports lately and the other day Beck asked me if there would be fireworks after the game!! I hated to break the news to him that this wasn't quite the same league as the Braves:)
-His diet is still pretty much the same as it was at 18 months, but now he will eat "green french fries" aka. Green Beans. He pretty much lives off of chicken, friut, milk, oj, and nutrigran bars
-Talking up a storm. There is nothing he can't or won't say these days.
-We moved him into a big boy bed when we moved into the new house. He does fine in it but has a big tendancy to sneak into our bed in the middle of the night. I know we need to fix it, but i am so tired these days and derek's gets up so early it is a battle we just aren't ready to fight yet.
-He can name pretty much any and all forms of construction equipment. They are building a house right across from us and the day they used dumptrucks to bring in dirt he thought he had died and gone to heaven. We spent most of the day eating popscicles on the front steps:)
-People comment a lot on how tall he is. I am wondering where he measures up on the charts, but we have a few more months til we are back at the doctor.
I guess i could go on forever, but i will wrap it up and say that we are super excited about seeing him being a big brother to his new sister. He loves to talk about what he will do for her and how he will get to hold her when she comes out. I am hoping he doesn't get too confused when she gets here and the transition goes well:) so we will see in a few weeks i guess!!

A Night in the Hospital

2010-05-16T17:12:00.006-05:00

Swimming with daddy!
He seems to prefer that vest to a ring these days...

Causey, Clayton, and Beckett chilling on the beach

So as I am sure many of you know about 2 weeks ago while we were at the beach I got one heck of a stomach bug on our last night there. Without going into details I will just say it was really bad, and as a result it landed me in the hospital overnight for dehydration. This is the 2nd time this pregnancy I have had the stomach bug and it is NOT fun when you are 8 months pregnant! It took about a week, but i finally recovered-yay! The main thing I took away from that whole experience is 1. i will never eat another shrimp poboy and 2. it reminded me just how much that i.v. in your hand hurts and i am not looking forward to that when the time comes in a few weeks!

Speaking of a few weeks, we were also told by Dr. T that she really doesn't see me making it to the end of June. I didn't really know that when you have a repeat section that once you start to dialate you pretty much deliver then. There is no "just go home and we'll schedule you next week" like before. With Beckett I started dialating by 37 weeks and when i went in to be induced at 38 weeks I was 3cm. I am still holding out for sometime the week of June 23, but the doctor told me to be ready to go by 37 weeks. And that means i still have a TON to do:)

The nursery is coming along, and i think my MIL is almost done with the bedding. We are this close to picking a name too, so stay tuned for that:) It has been the hardest thing in the world for me and I am so ready to just settle on something.

So, until then here are some pics from the beach!!!

Baby Girl Update

2010-04-10T21:32:00.003-05:00

Ok, so i stole this from a friends blog so that I could do a little update on Baby #2! Sweet little thing needs some attention:)

How Far Along: almost 28 weeks
Total Weight Gained/Loss: +12 pounds, i guess what they say about chasing a toddler all day is true...by this point with beckett I had probably gained about 20 pounds!
Best Moment of the Week: Ugh...this has been a bad week....i had to take a 3 hour glucose test Friday-it was not much fun. Praying for good results!
Food Craving: Strawberries and Fried Rice
Food aversions: it will be awhile before i can eat an orange popscicle or drink Sunkist again...they taste strikingly similar to "orange cola" i had to chug 2 days in a row!
Morning sickness: All that ended around 15 weeks-PTL
Gender: Girl-no name yet....Beckett wants to name her airplane-helicopter and at the rate we are going that might just be it:)
Labor Signs: not so much, just some muscle soreness here and there
Belly Button: in
What I miss: Sleeping through the night
What I'm looking forward to: Deciding on a name & getting her fabric in next week!
Milestones: I am going to the doctor every 2 weeks now! Time is flying by!!!

Now that we are moved in the reality that we don't have much longer until this little girl makes her appearence is starting to sink in. I am trying to get the house decorated and all fixed before she gets here bc i know it won't happen once i am taking care of 2!

Easter 2010

2010-04-10T21:02:00.002-05:00

This is the look i got after i told him not to touch the sidewalk chalk.....he is a mess!
Hunting eggs at Causey's egg hunt...i swear we came home with 65

Beckett and Kate at the Tri Delt Egg Hunt

So.....we got moved in and somewhat settled just in time for Easter. Beckett had so much fun this year hunting for eggs. Obviously now that we have internet and our computer up and running at the new house I can do a much better job at keeping the blog updated!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-10T20:48:00.003-05:00

The Easter bunny brought Beckett what he had been wanting for months....a helmet!
Family Pic!

Sweet Boy.....

Riding in the golf cart at Annandale with PopPop

Sugar and Spice......

2010-02-18T20:47:00.002-06:00

So if you haven't heard yet, we found out this week that Baby Strong #2 is going to be a BABY GIRL!!!!! I was pretty surprised. I just really thought that it would be another boy! During the ultrasound I kept looking for boy parts and after seeing 3 little lines over and over and over again i realized the boy parts just weren't there. It took the tech a little while to know for sure though bc she was sitting on the cord, so one view would be obviously a girl, but then you would see this cord in the middle so it threw her for a loop:)
I think Derek is a little nervous. He thought it was a girl the whole time, but i think the reality of it is starting to sink in and all he sees are dollar signs:) Beckett will tell you it is a baby sista, but i don't think he really understands that she be here to stay. He did pick her out a few outfits at Sweet Dreams the other day, but tonight he told me she wanted to wear Superman pants, hummmm, could get interesting:) We are all very excited though and I can't wait to start buying smocked bubbles and girlie day gowns!
People ask me a lot if this time has been different from the first and i can say without a doubt that it has been......
-With Beckett I was NEVER sick, not nauseous or anything. This time I was nauseous practically 24 hours a day for 14 weeks
-I passed yet another kidney stone early Saturday morning! Not fun, but not as bad as it could be. I didn't deal with these at all when pregnant with beckett.
-I started having indigestion before i found out i was pregnant this time and it has stuck around, with him it wasn't until the very end
-With Beckett i gained weight continuously at every appt, this time at my 16 week appt. i had only gained 1lb. total. Now, i made up for it by gaining 5 between weeks 16-20, but lets just chalk that up to a baby growth spurt. I am really trying to be more aware of it than last time, bc i know i have the potential to have a big baby and being only 5'-1" you feel every added pound at the end!
-Cravings: with Beck-chicken, fish, veggies, double stuff oreos, real fruit popsicles
Baby Girl-Hamburgers, chocolate milk, hibatchi grill, strawberries, sour patch kids, reese's cups
-But the MOST EXCITING DIFFERNCE is that women who are carrying girls are significantly less likely to develop PUPPP's during pregnancy. This readers is music to my ears:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-oh, and yes i am glad we decided to find out the gender this time. We didn't know with Beckett and while i think everyone should do that at least once I know that we made the right decision for us this go round:)

I will try my best to post a few more updates that are pregnancy related. I feel like with the house and all we have been a little more distracted so far with this one, but obviously she is just as important as her big brother! We just need to get in the house so i can focus on baby stuff!!

House Progress

2010-02-18T20:37:00.003-06:00

Things are really moving along out at the new house!! They got the smear up this week and it looks like a totally different house. We have been calling it the brick blob for at least 3 months now. I am sure the neighbors are happy to see that we covered up that cheapo brick we used:) I asked Ryan today and he told me we are looking at about 3-4 weeks before it is done, and i can't wait! Living with the folks has really not been bad (especially during the early weeks of pregnancy-i planned that perfectly:)), but it will be so nice to just have our own space and ALL of our stuff again. I will post some pics of the interior soon as i am sure so many of you are dying to see my BLACK dining room!!!!!!!!! Ok, so it is not really black, but it is VERY dark gray and when the sun goes down it gets even darker, but I love it!! So far it is one of my favorite things about the house. At the rate i am going though my next post might be made from my own computer in my own office:)

Addition to the blog....

2010-01-19T14:20:00.001-06:00

Look who finally added a new ticker! Can you find it? More to come later:)

From this.....

2009-11-09T13:43:00.001-06:00

This is the lot as it looked before dirtwork started on Labor Day! And yes Beckett thought he was the coolest kid in town driving the dozer:)

To this.....

2009-11-09T13:38:00.003-06:00

I am shocked everytime i drive by the lot by the amount of work they have done in two weeks. We started this process Labor Day weekend and must i remind you that it rained for like two months straight! Getting to this point has taked a lot of patience for sure! We are totally thrilled with the progress and i can't wait to finally start working on the interiors. Beckett loves going to the lot and playing around. We have to go almost everyday and find a dumptruck! I will keep everyone posted as the work continues:)

Doe-Doe

2009-11-09T13:34:00.003-06:00

This was Beckett's first year to officially trick or treat! He has a mild obsession with Doe-Doe (diego) so that is what he wanted to be:) He and Leighton had a great time going from house to house and got a lot of good candy. I think some people were alittle confused on what he was supposed to be but the ones who had kids knew without a doubt!

Happy Birthday Beckett!!

2009-09-06T16:43:00.003-05:00

A calm moment!
Waiting to ride the ChooChoo Train

In case you are wondering "Gator Hunt 09" is next weekend!

Beckett turned 2 on Sept. 4th!!! Hard to believe it has been two years since I got 3 epidurals:) Anyways, Derek took the day off and we all went to breakfast at Primos and then to the zoo to celebrate. He had a GREAT time and was worn out when we got home. We are going to the doctor for his two year check up next week and I am anxious to see how much he has grown-i feel like he is unusally tall, but maybe not....we will see. I will post all the stats and pics from the party hopefully next week!

In other news....We FINALLY start the dirt work on our new house TOMORROW!!!! I can't wait:)

So, it's been awhile!

2009-07-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

Ok, so i guess it has been entirely too long since i posted something, but i have some good excuses. We moved in with my mom and gene at the end of May, and spent a good bit of time getting settled and continuing to look for a house. I guess i can say that we are settled for the most part. It is still a little weird though, bc we really only have our clothes, beckett's toys, my cook books, and stationary here-We LITERALLY put everything we own in storage. Little did we know that it would be there for quite some time. After searching for house we decided our best bet would be to build. We were having no luck in the house hunt. We officially closed on our lot last week and I already have the plans done-for the most part, so we should start building soon. I am hoping we will be able to get in by Dec.-Jan. but that really depends a lot on things i can't control, so until then we will be here! We can save so much money by not renting and my mom has plenty of room, so we are just going to stay:) Yes, i know you think i am crazy!
But, really the only thing i am stressed about is the fact that ALL of our winter clothes, shoes, jackets, etc....are in the VERY BACK of the storage unit!!! And we will for sure be here for a season change! Should be interesting......
I will post more soon and hopefully some new pics. I have lots more to update about! I might be turning this blog into a design blog before it is all done....i will have lots of decisions to make and might need some help. We still haven't plugged up our computer so i am using mom's and haven't a clue where the camera cord is:)

Answered Prayer

2009-05-06T21:17:00.002-05:00

For a few months now Derek and I have been thinking about trying to sell our house. We just really need a little more space. I even went so far as to call a realtor to come see the house and tell me what all needed to be done before it went on the market. Well, that list wasn't as bad as i thought it would be but still....I WAS DREADING IT! With me being home 95% of the time with a toddler i couldn't imagine keeping this house straight enough to "show" at the drop of a hat. So i was slowly starting to do a few things here and there, all the while praying that God would just send someone knocking on my door wanting to buy it! I think i even told my friend Katie numerous times that "God never gives you more than you can handle" so maybe he will realize a house on the market is more than i can handle and send me a miracle.......
Well, that is kinda what happened! My SIL is a nurse and she was talking to a coworker one night who was thinking of buying her first house and told her i was thinking about listing mine and i might would let her see it. So after a few phone calls she came to see the house and three days later she made an offer!!! HOLY COW!! I was super pumped....i couldn't believe i just got an offer on a house with NO sign in the yard. So after a few days of negotiating we signed the contract.
Well, here is where it gets crazy-she originally said she wanted to be in on May 22! Um, ok, i couldn't exactly say no, so i agreed. Well we have since pushed it back to closing on May 29th. In the meantime i have been franctically searching for a house! You would think with the economy the way it is this would be easy to do, but trust me it is NOT. As of today, we are going to start packing this week/weekend and focus on that while we wait to see what else pops up on the market. I do have about 3 houses for derek to see Saturday, but i am not holding my breath on us agreeing so easily:) If we don't find a house by May 15th we are just going to move in with my mom and continue looking or maybe think about building. If it comes to this i don't even want to think about how many storage units we are going to have to get:)
Aside from the chaos my life is going to be for the next month, I do know that this was truly a blessing and an answered prayer so we are going to deal with it:) I know there are lots of folks out there who have been trying to sell houses for a long time now. And we know how lucky we got. God is so GOOD!
So if anyone is thinking of selling their house...let me know:) I will try to keep the updates coming as the process continues!!! It should get interesting......Also, in my sentimental moments i might pay a little "homage" to this house before all the stuff starts getting packed, so just endure the cheesy-ness:)

I must end this post by saying "no mom, i am not pregnant!" She assumed after reading my last entry that i was preggo and she called me to ask. I told her whenever that day comes i will tell her LONG before i blog about it:) And at this stage in the game that too would take Divine Intervention:)

Nashville 09

2009-05-05T22:13:00.004-05:00

As many crawfish boils as i go to you would think by now i would eat them:)

cutie pie climbing steps as usual

Helping Daddy get another load of crawfish in the pot

LOVE this face.

Washing his shoes just like Daddy did:)

Playing CornHole with Lee

Beckett with Lee and John
A group played a game of wiffleball one night and Beckett thought it was the greatest thing EVER! I guess I need to get him a tball set. This pic took my breath away...he is starting to look like a big boy:(
With Daddy after the game

Every year one of Derek's good friends family host a crawfish boil in Nashville and every year we go! This year we didn't think we were going to have to take Beckett but it just so happened that we did. He did really well in the car! Which is an answered prayer. And he had a blast all day and night on Saturday. He practically slept the whole way home Sunday and then slept in Monday morning til 9:30!! Anyway, Thanks to Des and his fam for having us, you know we wouldn't miss it!

NOTE: Exciting post up next! I am just really ready for bed tonight:)

Family Pic

2009-04-12T21:31:00.004-05:00

It is very rare that we get a family photo, so i hope you enjoy the two shots we managed to pull off! Derek is looking a little wind-blown following his ride in the golf cart:) I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Golf Carts

2009-04-12T21:26:00.003-05:00

Beckett's new obsession is golf carts! Whenever he sees one he starts pitching a fit to "ride" I guess it is no surprise considering his favorite thing to do now is sit in our parked cars and "drive" We went outside to get some pics after lunch and he saw the golf carts first and that was pretty much the end of the photoshoot. His Papa made his day by taking him for a ride in the parking lot!

Lunch at Annandale

2009-04-12T21:21:00.002-05:00

Easter 08.....what a difference a year makes!!!!
Wild man!

Derek says this is the last year for the lace romper! But don't worry it also is available in the button on shorts:)

Sweet little boy!

Happy Easter! Lots of pics!

2009-04-12T21:13:00.002-05:00

The Easter Bunny was very good to Beckett this year! He finally got the car of his dreams! He loves this car. Every time we went to one of his friends houses that had one he would fight to ride in it all night. Just ask Leighton-she has been his victim many of times:) The easter bunny found a car on sale and has been hiding it for months! He has been in it all day. I had to pry him out to go to church and lunch. He wanted to bring it with us! He also got some cute wellies. Momma is loving these bc he can put them on all by himself!

The Diaper Wars

2009-03-31T21:03:00.005-05:00

I have a new soapbox and i decided i needed to share it and get some feedback! We have used Pampers diapers pretty much exclusively for Beckett's whole life. I did try some less expensive options a few times for derek's sake and to try to save a few pennies, but after one too many leaks i swore that paying the extra pennies for Pampers was worth it. I was always amazed at how much teetee they would hold and not leak! And my friends were all in aggreance with me.

Recently, Pampers Cruisers came out with a new "style" and i didn't think much of it until.......we started have MULTIPLE leaks a day! This is not acceptable during this time of the year when we are so in between seasons i can't afford to use 2 outfits per day due to a leaky diaper (not to mention the PJ's). So, i asked around and a few girls told me they were having the same problem. I am guessing that with this new style Pampers decided to cut some cost and not put as much of the absorbing stuff in them. I mean we were leaking through diapers that weren't near as full as they used to be.

I have decided to toss Pampers to the curb and start exploring the others. i am not going to pay extra for a diaper if the whole reason it was superior to others is now void. Right now we are using Huggies Natural Care and so far so good. But if anyone out there has a brand that they are happy with let me know and i would love to give it a whirl! Derek thinks i should write a letter to Pampers and complain......i think i just might.....maybe they would give us a lifetime supply and in that case i wouldn't complain about escaping pee!

Diaper Fun Fact: Derek works for the company that invented the "absorbative" stuff in Pampers. It is indeed a formula that other companies have tried to match but can't quite get it right. Well, one of derek's coworkers told us that if you put a teaspoon of that stuff in a beer bottle it will turn the whole thing to gel :) Derek thinks this is awesome!

Fruity Fun Drink!

2009-03-26T21:49:00.004-05:00

I know I mentioned recently that I took a trip to San Antonio to see one of my bestest friends, but what i didn't mention was what i drank when i was there! If you have never been to SanAn then let me go ahead and tell you there are TexMex resturants everywhere. Well, Catherine took us to one-whose name i am not even going to try to remember-and told us they had the best frozen drinks. I took her advice and ordered the Mango Daiquiri and OH MY GOODNESS!!! It was hands down the best thing i have ever had!! It was so fresh and you couldn't even taste the alcohol, but you could feel it when you stood up:) It even had pretty flowers in it! Anyhow, i told gretch and cath we must take a photo of it so i could blog about it-go figure.

So, i am going to make Catherine promise me when i go back in the fall to meet "Baby Bell" (who i am super pumped about btw) she has to take me back for another one or two or three:)

Isn't it pretty:)

18 month update!

2009-03-11T22:28:00.003-05:00

Beckett turned 18 months earlier this month, and i think it is safe to say we have a toddler on our hands! He is ninety to nothing the majority of the time. I have been surprised lately at how he is trying to talk. He has a decent amount of words and it seems like he learns a new one each day-today for instance it was "night-night" and "two" So for my sake alone i am going to spit out a few of his likes and dislikes so i don't forget them!

Likes:

-hats, Barney, Elmo, balls, books, chicken, fruit, dogs, babies

-he could stay outside all day if i would let him

-he can tell you what the dog, cat, cow, and bird say, but when you ask him what the duck says he says "duck, duck"

-saying NO!

-he still sleeps in our bed for naptime, but his bed at night

-the Exersaucer! I love that he will still get in there at 18months! We affectionately call it the trap and it really helps me out during the day. He loves to have his snack in there and watch Barney-i will cry the day he realizes he could get out of it:)

-his new favorite food is Spaghetti!!

-getting his teeth brushed and baths

Dislikes:

-naptime, mommy leaving, getting measured at the doctor

-Veggies....he is still yet to eat veggies at this point, but the Dr. doesn't seem too concerned-she did say we could do a vitamin though, so i guess we will start that

-He is getting A LOT better at MMO. For awhile i was having to leave him for only 1.5 hours and slowly but surely we are building up to him staying the whole time...i am keeping my fingers crossed!!!! He stayed the majority of the time last week and did ok.

Stats:

Weight-28lbs 2oz. (80% i think)

Height-34 3/4in. (still off the chart)

Head: 49cm.

We are still missing our MMR shot, but once we get that we will be all done with shots for awhile!

Despite the daily temper tantrums he really is an easy baby. He loves when his daddy comes home and is obsessed with going to his Mimi's house. I can't imagine what it will be like when he is no longer a "momma's boy" hopefully he always will be:) We really are blessed to have such an awesome little boy. I can't imagine life without him-i can however remember how much easier it was to keep the house clean:)

New Nightstand!

2009-03-11T22:19:00.002-05:00

A few months back Beckett decided that he would crawl across my night stand and it fell to the ground and split in two! He was not hurt-in case you are wondering. The old night stand was just a "decorator table" with a cloth on top, but still it worked great and was cheap. Derek however hated it, because he says it was poorly made. So when the old one broke i began an all out search for a new sturdier table. I looked everywhere! Finally one day my mom and i discovered this chest in an antique store for $70!!! Granted it was sponge painted brown and yellow, but we decided all it needed was some new paint and a little antique-ing. The main paint color matches my bathroom and armoire ("Rainy Day" by Pratt/Lambert). I wish I had some pictures of the before, but i am very pleased with the way it turned out!!

Easely Amused

2009-03-11T22:16:00.002-05:00

So i jumped on the bandwagon and joined my friend Melanie for a night of painting. It really was a lot of fun! I will be going back again soon. The night i went we painted "harry's chapel of love" and here is my finished project.

San Antonio Bound!!!

2009-03-04T15:14:00.002-06:00

I am super excited! Tomorrow me and my friend Gretchen are heading to San Antonio, TX to see our long lost friend Catherine! You would think i was going to Italy:) I can't wait for a girls trip-it has been a long time since i had one. I have always wanted to see the Riverwalk thingy in San An. and i am finally going to get too. I have to go ahead and tell my mom and Derek thanks for holding down the baby fort while i am away. Hopefully i will remember my camera and can post some pics when i get back.

In the meantime, HAPPY 18month BIRTHDAY to the sweetest, cutest little boy in the whole world. Your momma is going to miss you bunches!! We are going to the doctor for his well baby visit when i get back so i will do a full update then....i am betting he is at least 30lbs by now. He is getting super heavy these days!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2009-02-12T22:48:00.003-06:00

"Yeah, i know i am cute!!"

Valentines Treats!!

2009-02-12T22:42:00.003-06:00

Beckett had his school party today for Valentine's. I was trying to come up with something easy and kid friendly to make and these were a hit!!! You could really do them for any occasion....

Ingredients:

Large Marshmellows

Baker's Microwavable Chocolate in plastic cup thingy

Sprinkles

Melt the chocolate in microwave according to directions. Dip marshmellow in chocolate, then in the sprinkles. Let it hardened, and Voila!! easy, easy!!

Funny Story....

2009-02-12T22:32:00.004-06:00

It is a running joke around here about how much Beckett gets called a girl. Literally everywhere we go he is referred to as a she at least once. Derek is always quick to point out when this happens that i dress him like a girl. Well, this past Saturday i was getting a massage (yes it was great, btw) and derek took beckett to Howell's in Flora with some of his friends for a greasy breakfast. I let Derek dress him since he actually took the initiative, and of course derek picks his Wrangler jeans, his John Deere onsie, and cowboy boots. These are the most "boy" clothes beckett has.

Well, when derek got home he was very upset...being the concerned wife i am i asked why. Derek then tells me that the cashier at Howell's told him that Beckett was "The cutest little cowgirl" she has ever seen!!!!! Derek was devestated. I mean how much more boy can you get than wranglers, john deere, and boots!!! So i guess the moral of this story and what i promptly told derek was......I get to keep dressing him like i want bc no matter what he wears people will still call him a girl:)

Not the best pic, but you get the point!!

First Haircut Pics

2009-02-12T22:26:00.002-06:00

I know i mentioned this before, but on Jan. 6th Beckett got his first haircut! I really just cut his bangs and just a little off the back-i just wasn't ready for an offical big boy cut! He did really well. Thank goodness for dumdums!! And sadly he is already starting to need another one:(

Dear Evenflo

2009-02-12T22:18:00.004-06:00

The turkey is not so bad, but the bananas and oranges are a different story

Dear Evenflo,

We love our highchair. We purchased it because it was affordable and seemed durable. We were just looking for something to "get the job done" I do however have one complaint. It is a design flaw really, and it is about to drive me crazy. You must not realize that the little "cubby" at the top of the food tray becomes just that.....a perfect little spot for stuffing things (i.e.-the food he won't eat). This has been going on for awhile now, but i decided yesterday that scraping smashed bananas out with my fingernails is NOT cool. When my child is done eating he proceeds to stuff whatever food is left into this little slot. I just really needed to vent about this:) And i will add for those who care that other than this we love the highchair-it was worth the $70 for sure!

CLOTHING SHOW!!!

2009-01-31T20:16:00.002-06:00

On Sunday Feb. 8th from 2-5pm I will be hosting a clothing show for Shrimp and Grits Kids. This is a great line of smocked childrens clothing. What makes it even better is they have GREAT prices, $30-55. You can beat these prices-trust me-i work at a children's clothing store:) They also have shorts, blouses, swimwear, lots of other cute things. You can check out the spring line at http://www.shrimpandgritskids.com/Spring_Line_s/58.htm
If you would like to come to the show please leave me a comment or send an email and i will get you directions. Also, if you can't come and would like to place an order contact me and i will take care of it for you. Hope to see everyone there!!

Speak Up!!!

2009-01-26T16:22:00.002-06:00

Ok, so i am in charge of booking the girls beach trip this year in Destin. I am not that familiar with the area so i am looking for suggestions on condos/houses in the area. I know a lot of people go there so i thought i would start here. We are looking for something from Destin to Rosemary or anywhere in between......and a must is it needs to be VERY close to the beach if not on it. So any ideas???? where does everyone stay???

Outside Fun!

2009-01-25T14:09:00.004-06:00

Obviously Koda is always close by.....
Trying to feed leaves to Koda!

Precious little boy! I love him to pieces:)

Pushing mommy in the swing

His new fav thing to do is climb up on tables-such as this one and our coffee table. He will lay on the coffee table and watch tv!

This is what you get when you tell him it is time to go in!

We took advantage of the warm weather this week with outside playtime! Beckett loved it. He has been asking to go outside ever since:)

Just plug it in!!

2009-01-20T14:47:00.004-06:00

Boring day at home...excuse the fact that the den looks like i run a daycare.....

This is our sweet neice Emmie! She is going to be a big sister in June!! They are having a girl-proving my theory that they will have the girls and we will have the boys:)

Beckett proudly showing his 4 bottom teeth!

Thanks to Mary Katherine and Katie I have pictures!! Who knew i could just plug the cord in the computer....Sad i know, but i have never done it that way. So here are a few pictures more to come later!!

What's for Dinner?

2009-01-19T14:16:00.002-06:00

Easy Chili
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 onion chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
Brown these ingredients together and set aside
1 pack chili seasoning mix
1 can rotel
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can pinto or kidney beans
Mix all ingredients and add beef mixture. Simmer for 45min-1hour. Or just do like me and throw it all in the crock pot to simmer all day!! YUM!!

Loving it!!

2009-01-19T14:09:00.002-06:00

Ever since i had Beckett my skin has been SOOO dry. I have tried millions of different lotions/creams and couldn't come up with anything that worked. Well, when i was in oxford for the wedding all the bridesmaids got their makeup done at Zoe and the girl recommended this to me. Yes it is a little more than i would like to spend, but IT WORKS GREAT!!! No more dry, flakey skin for me. So, if you find yourself in a similar situation go ahead and fork out the dough for Philosophy Hope in a Jar-you won't be disappointed!!!

Beware of Dog!

2009-01-17T21:55:00.004-06:00

Not her best angle, but she is afraid of the camera!
Watching the tennis ball and waiting for derek to say "go get it"

As i mentioned in the previous post we had a little "incident" with koda while we were in Oxford. And yes i realize i have a picture posted, but don't worry it is an old one, because i still can't figure out how to work my new camera. Back to the story.....
We left for oxford on friday leaving Koda in the yard-just so no one thinks we neglect her i must add that derek's brother was going to be feeding her. On Saturday afternoon we find out from Clint that when he came to feed her she was gone. We didn't get too upset bc she is smart and we knew she would come back. Well Saturday night at 3:30am i get a call from a random number and decide not to answer. That morning at 9am i get another call from the family we purchased our house from almost 4 years ago. She informed me that she got a call at 3:30am from the Madison police wanted to know if she was the one who lived in our house. She told him no, but gave them my number. Ok, now i start to panic and call my mom to check on Beckett-he is fine. I then call the random number back that i had ignored earlier that night. And it is none other than the madison police. All the dispatcher can tell me is that 2 dogs came out of our yard and attacked a runner that night!!!! HOLY CRAP!!! All i can't think is "we are going to get suied"
I call our friend back who we bought the house from-they just moved around the corner and asked if he would go check on koda, we went by and said that our dog was in the yard, but she was being very protective and wouldn't let him put her back up-she wouldn't let him step foot in the yard. Now i am convinced something is wrong with her bc normally she is very gentle. I tell derek it must be rabies-he tells me i am crazy:) The officer told me i would have to wait and call back at 11pm to get a full incident report from the dispatcher who was working the shift the night the accident occured. So, i call that night and find out that a man (for some strange reason) was out for his morning jog at 3am and two labs came out of my yard barking/growling at him. He manages to escape and runs around the corner and calls 911. The dogs didn't "bite" him. I am pretty sure Koda would never bite anyone, but i was relived to find out we would not be getting a lawsuit handed over. A police officer was dispatched to our house, but the two dogs wouldn't let him get out of the car. They were barking at him and he was afraid of dogs so he had the dispatcher trying to track us down via phone to get the dogs inside. I still don't know where the other lab came from and i am thinking Koda was just following the other dogs lead. I did tell the cops i was sorry about the incident and it would never happen again, but at the same time i am glad to know that when necessary Koda will be protective-i mean whose to say the runner couldn't have been a robber? So after listening to a lecture on dog safety at 11:30pm i was free to go..and no formal report will be filed on our address unless it happens again.
So....that is the long version of my story....is it obvious that derek is hunting tonight and i have nothing better to do???
I must add that Koda is in NO WAY a harm to anyone who comes to this house. Please don't think i have an out of control dog. She is a lab for crying out loud and lets babies walk all over her. She even babysits beckett for me when i am in the shower:) She does however have a protective streak when she feels threatened.....so if you were thinking of robbing me tonight, i would think again:)

Our Busy Life

2009-01-17T21:36:00.002-06:00

Like most people i know i assumed our life would slow down significantly after the holidays. Boy was i wrong! I feel like we have been going non-stop since Christmas. So i guess the best way to catch up is with bullets! I heart bullets....
-We spent a laid back new years in town with friends. Nothing too exciting, but still fun. I got see one of my best friends Matt. He and i became friends in 8th grade. I was convinced he was much cooler than his braided leather belt that looped over and hung to his knees made him out to be and i was totally right...when have been friends ever since!
-Beckett got his first haircut on jan. 6th. It was kinda a sad day for me but his bangs were touching his lips so it had to be done. I had thought about just cutting those, but i wanted it to look even so i let her trim a tiny bit off the back....what really made me cave was when i realized if i didn't do it he would leave looking like he had a business in the front, party in the back mullet!
He did really good the whole time.....PTL for suckers
-In the same week Beckett was at MMO and i got a phone call saying that i needed to come get him bc he has been crying for 2 hours!! Really, what am i going to do with him. The director suggested i just bring him for a hour or so until he gets used to it, so i guess we will start that next week. If anyone has any suggestions on this feel free to share. I just think my child has the most severe case of "mommy obsession" known to man.....
-Then it was off to Oxford where i was in my sweet friend Melinda's wedding. We had the best time. Beckett stayed with his mimi and had a blast. I love love love that i got to spend the weekend with my friends baby free! Melinda was a beautiful bride and Daniel made the best rehersal dinner toast to date....This was also the weekend that Koda got in some trouble...see other post...
-Upon returning from oxford we found out that Derek's uncle, who has been battleing cancer for a while now passed away. So, we loaded up for a last minute trip to Dallas for the funeral then on to Shreveport for the burial all with Beckett in tow!!! Beckett did really well-ten times better than i ever expected, but it was still a tough trip. It was just a long way to go for such a short time, but i guess you gotta do what you gotta do. we got back last night....i have some pics i will share soon...
-Speaking of pictures...I am currently trying to figure out how in the H*** to get these pics of my memory card. I have no idea what is going on. I am starting to think i might need some special software. All of our pics from Christmas on are on this card from my new camera-hence the reason this blog has been pictureless for quite some time.....
So that is our life in a nut shell right now. I have no big plans in the upcoming week and i pray it stays that way:)

Post Christmas Update

2008-12-28T14:17:00.002-06:00

Wow, we have been busy. Today is the first day I have been home with nothing to do in quite some time. We had a great Christmas holiday and saw tons of family. Just like the movie says we celebrated Four Christmas' starting Christmas eve and ending on Friday night! Beckett was a trooper and did great the whole time.
Guess what.....Momma got a new camera for Christmas!!! I got a Canon Rebel and I am super excited about it. I took most of our pics with it and i haven't gotten everything set up to download anything yet, so once i get that done i will share some santa shots. Beckett got lots of cute stuff and so far his favorites are his four wheeler and boots from Big E and LeLe and his shopping cart from Santa!
Derek and Beckett have been fighting colds for a couple of weeks now. I am so tired of kleenex i could scream. If beckett doesn't show major improvement in the next couple of days we might be ringing in the new year with a trip to the doctor! Hope everyone had a great Christmas!!

15 Month Check-up

2008-12-15T15:04:00.005-06:00

Today we went for a check up at the doctor. Beckett is doing great and she doesn't seem too concerned about his eating habits. She said it is good that he is eating fruit and drinking his milk. I guess that equals it out or something. He cried for all the typical things to cry about. Such as weight, height, ears, throat, and shots. Other than that it went well. He even showed Dr. R some of his tricks. The doctor did a double take when she saw his height! She thinks he is taller than her 2 year old. She also said she didn't need to wait until his 2 year appt. to tell us he will be tall. He might look just like me but he is built just like derek...crooked pinkies and all :)

Just so i will remember here are some of his favs. Chicken Nuggets! fruit, yogurt melts, mandarin oranges, balls, hats, elmo, barney, the backyardigans, showing you where is nose, belly buttom, eyes, and head are. He has a few words-uh-oh, byebye, ball, dog, mama, dada, iiii-ce...he says is like a total redneck. He loves opening and closing doors and drawers. He cries for hours at MMO-he never stops! This also goes for church nursery. He is all about his momma these days, but is showing a lot more attachment to derek as well. He is very active and is acting like a little boy through and through even though he gets called a girl at least twice a day! He really is the sweetest little boy ever and we are all so thankful to have him in our lives.

Stats at 15 months:

Weight: 25lb 8oz. (60th percentile)

Height: 34 1/2 inches!!!! (off the percentile charts!!) this is crazy to me seeing as though

i am 5'1"

Head: 48cm

Story of a Green Bean

2008-12-15T15:00:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to prove to some of you out there that i do attempt to get my child to eat veggies. This is just a sample of the looks we get. He won't even taste them. He sees them and locks his lips and starts shaking his head no! His new thing is he will "move" the veggies to the section of his tray away from the rest of the food. NOT COOL!!!

Christmas Pic Attempts....

2008-12-15T14:44:00.004-06:00

Almost a keeper!
At this point i don't care if he is wearing a tee shirt....i just need SOMETHING to work with!

The only smiling pic we have so far!! Cheesy grin!!

Playing in Dada's hat....he is obsessed with hats these days....

We have been attempting to get a Christmas card pic for weeks now with no luck. He is just TOO busy. I am hoping that tomorrow night in Canton we might can get a good one. If any amatuer photographer out there would like some practice let me know. At this point i will pay big bucks for a good picture! If the cards didn't say 2008 i might just scrap the whole thing this year and save them for next year:) Here are a few of the rejects.....

Prayers for John Matthew!

2008-12-08T22:50:00.003-06:00

Ok, this will be a short post, but I wanted to ask everyone to keep this sweet little boy and his family in your prayers. John Matthew is currently in Boston awaiting surgery for his medical issues. I am not sure the details, but you can go to their website to find out. I met JM and his family bc his mom, Mandy did Beckett's pics for me a while back. She and i just kinda clicked and i have been keeping in touch with them ever since. I had the privledge of bringing them a meal last week and buying one of the cookbooks they are selling....FYI they are super nice! If you need a last minute Christmas gift this would fit the bill and go to a GREAT cause!!
Anyways, Please say a prayer for this sweet boy, his family, and a speedy recovery so they can get back home!!!
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnmatthewdavis

Happy Late Thanksgiving!

2008-11-30T12:56:00.002-06:00

Ok, so i thought my next post would include pics from our trip to the beach, but we didn't quite make it down there. We were supposed to leave after lunch on thursday, but Beckett woke up from his nap running a fever so we made a quick decision to stay home. I was afraid it might be the stomach virus and i didn't want to find that out in the car half way out of town. Needless to say he woke up friday morning fever free and back to his normal self....weird.....
Derek went hunting and left me and Beckett to fend for ourselves yesterday and today. We are so bored! We did a bit of shopping yesterday and church today, but for the most part we have just been home playing. He has developed an attachment to Derek's real football so for the past couple of days it has been going everywhere with us-it even went to church today! When i tell him we are going byebye he goes and gets his ball and takes it to the car. I tried so hard to get him to attach to a blankie or lovely, and of course he pics a football that i can't even pick up with one hand! He is starting MMO at a local church this week, so pray that goes well. He doesn't have the best track record when it comes to being away from me.
Also, I have been looking for a new TREE TOPPER. Right now we have a big red bow that has seen better days and derek hates it so i am looking for something new-a star i think. I know you can get one on the internet, but i would really like to see it first. Has anyone seen any pretty ones out in the stores???? If you have leave me a comment and tell me where.
Hope eveyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I will post some new pics soon!

God Bless Whirlpool!

2008-11-21T21:03:00.003-06:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that for the past 2+ years i have been fighting a never ending battle with my dishwasher. Our history goes way back......About 2 years ago our dishwasher broke-stopped draining to be exact. Well, derek and i spent about 3 weekends shopping around for a new one. We finally bought one and got it home where it sat in the garage waiting for derek to install it. So one night i had a Christmas party to go to and derek and his dad were going to put in the new washer while i was gone-perfect! Well i return to the house that night and see my hubby and FIL laying in my kitchen floor finishing up RE-INSTALLING the OLD one!!! WHAT-you must be kidding me....i was LIVID. I had spent my past 3 weekends shopping for the new one and now you tell me you "fixed" the old one! Please tell me you are kidding. I think i remember dragging Derek into the closet away from his parents to throw a hissy fit. Needless to say Derek won this battle and we returned my lovely new dishwasher to the store. For the next 2 years i used a mediocre dishwasher that barely cleaned, much less sanitized my dishes....

Now fastforward to a few weeks ago.....well the original dishwasher finally got bad enough for derek to listen to my pleas. I mean you couldn't roll the baskets in and out, not to mention the wheels were falling off. Oh, and one more thing-the soap door has never closed! So all the soap just runs down the door-hence the reason it was not washing properly. SOOOO....we finally got a new dishwasher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't you just hear the Angels!!!! I could...that's for sure.....

I love my new dishwasher. It has digital buttons and everything. This is a HUGE plus in my book because now Beckett can't turn it on whenever he feels like it.....oh, and it even has the silverware basket in the door--we are BIGTIME now people:) And what i think is even better-it set us back less than $400 thanks to my mad bargaining skills at Sears:) So, without further adieu...i give you my new dishwasher!!!

MSU Weekend

2008-11-21T20:58:00.004-06:00

Trust me he was not as miserable as he looks...disappointed about the game-yes, but miserable no.....

A few weekends ago Derek and I spent a weekend in oxford and starkville. Well over the course of the whole weekend i only took one picture and of course Derek had to strike one of his poses and make it not cute! He thinks it is so funny when he purposely poses weird in our pictures. You should see the pictures from us leaving our wedding reception-i am still mad about it to this day......you know the one where everyone is throwing the petals, well derek closed his eyes and smiled like a complete goofball the whole way down, so none of them are frame worthy:)

Mealtime...or lack thereof!

2008-11-21T20:44:00.003-06:00

As some of you might know Beckett doesn't eat anything but chicken nuggets, fruit, grill cheese and yogurt. And i say this in all seriousness. It is a problem we know, but we just aren't sure what to do about it. He won't even try anything new. If you manage to sneak something in his mouth he immediately spits it right back out at you. I know that kids don't require much food to function, but i just worry bc he won't eat any veggies. So one night i made him yet another Gerber meal to try and this time i decided to put it in a bowl and give him a fork. Bad idea-he didn't eat one bit and the pictures should speak for themselves.......

Fun in the park!

2008-11-21T20:38:00.003-06:00

He didn't think the swings were near as cool as i did.

Ok, i am totally playing catch up here. And at some point i am going to get the CD with his bday pics on it and show yall those too!

A few weeks ago we took Beckett to the park. The weather was perfect and he loved the slide! He also loved trying to chase the ducks into the water:) I learned on this park trip that I won't be taking him without derek to help me wrangle him. He is getting SO hard to photograph these days bc he moves constantly.

The elusive brown onesie!

2008-11-13T13:15:00.003-06:00

Ok, does anyone know where i can find long sleeve brown onesies-the turtleneck kind?? i have been looking EVERYWHERE for one. We have a couple of winter outfits that we need one to wear with them. I am totally lost. I can't find one on the internet either. Any suggestions????

I am off to the Big Easy for a bachlorette party for my friend Melinda this weekend. We are staying at the Ritz!!! I can't wait-should be interesting:) But what is going to be even more interesting is that Derek is on baby duty all weekend!!! Pics when i get back......

Update: Thanks to Claire Green, Beckett now has his brown onesie. Claire saw one at Toys R Us of all places and notified my SIL who is her sweet baby girls nurse at UMC and sunday afternoon we made a trip a picked one up! So thanks claire and yippee for big girl beds!!!
Also, i am obviously back from the Bachlorette weekend in N.O. but i am also sick-AGAIN! this time with a bad cold....so once i am back to normal i will post some new pics.

Blog Award

2008-11-07T20:30:00.003-06:00

Ok, so my friend Emily tagged me awhile back with this nifty little award and i think that means i am supposed to list 6 interesting facts about myself.....lets see what i can come up with shall we!

1. I am an only child. I do however have 3 step brothers, 1 step sister, and 1 half brother....confused yet??? My mom and dad divorced when i was young and have both since remarried. My stepdad had 3 kids from his first marriage-so this gives me 2 step brothers and 1 step sister. My stepmom had one son from her first marriage and then she and my dad had a son together-giving me 1 more step brother and a half brother (who is 10 years younger than me). I consider James and Carson as just my brothers, so if you hear me mention "my brother did so and so" i am talking about one of them 9 times out of 10. James also has one of Koda's recent puppies-his name is Max and he is supposedly HUGE! So i am sure you are wondering why i consider myself an only child-the reason is....i am my mom's only child and I never grew up with any kids in the house except for me:)

2. While we are on the subject of my childhood i will throw this one out too.....When i was in 2nd grade my mom got me a cat, her name is Abby. If you do the math you will figure out that at Abby's bday in April she will be 20 years old!!!!! CRAZZZZY!! If she makes it to 20 we are all going to celebrate with dinner at a nice resturant in her honor:) I must add that Abby is the meanest cat on the face of the planet...my stepdad calls her satan. My friend Harper will vouch for her meaness. But don't worry mom...i will be sad when she dies. My mom blames me for Abby's behavior. She says i terrorized her when she was just a kitten. oh, and Kimberly Cameron-if you are reading this...we got Abby from your across the street neighbors 20 years ago following one of our playdates:)

3. Me and Derek have the same middle name...Leigh/Lee. Hence the reason for Beckett Lee. I guess our next child will just be the odd one out:) Also strange, if i was a boy my name was going to be Derek-crazy huh??

4. If you ask me what my hobbies are i usually say reading, antiques, and oil paintings. I love looking for good deals on antiques and i am eyeing a certain artist for my next painting purchase-we shall see though. Both of those are kinda expensive hobbies, and if you asked derek he would say so are my books! He has been begging me to get a library card for years now, but i just can't-it is not the same. I could sit in Barnes and Noble for HOURS just reading book covers and narrowing down my 3 choices. I really like going late a night when there is no one there and i can just sit right down in the aisle. I read really fast and have tons of books, so if you are ever wondering about a good book to read just let me know. My go-to writer is Jodie Picoult-so far i have loved all of her books.

5. Two of my biggest pet peeves are toothpaste spit and ironing. Let me explain. I HATE watching other people brush their teeth especially those of you who let the toothpaste spit run down your chin! And heaven forbid you try to talk to me while brushing-no thanks, i will just wait. And ironing needs no explaination. I never did any of my ironing growing up. My Luella ironed EVERYTHING for me. From socks and tshirts to jeans, so i never really learned how and i am terrible at it, so if derek wants it ironed he does it. Not to sound like the bad wife or anything i will add i have done it a handful of times but not many. Derek-if you are reading the solution to the problem is the dry cleaners...everyone else goes there-why can't we???

6. I am digging here, so i don't know how interesting this is.....but when i was little i used to love to rollerskate. I remember going to the skating rink and they would play Wind Beneath My Wings and i would try so hard to skate my best to that song because i thought it was the greatest song EVER. And if i fell i would get so upset that i would go to the DJ booth and ask them to play it again so i could start over! Ok, so now everyone officially has something to make fun of me for:)

6a. some of you are probably wondering how i remember something so strange, but one last interesting fact about me is my childhood friends swear i remember every story and everyone we ever knew. I think they all plan to stick close to me at our reunion next year, so i can remind them who everyone is:) I guess i just have a very photographic memory-at least i think that is what you would call it.....

So now i think i need to award/tag 6 people: Katie B., Harper, Elizabeth Q., Kelly E., Melanie, and Samantha

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-11-03T18:17:00.002-06:00

Ok so today i am the big 28! I had big plans for a good update tonight, but last night i started running fever. My mom had to come stay with us bc derek is gone to Chicago for training with his new job (will post more on that later) Anyway i knew i was getting sick so I had my mom come spend the night so she could take care of Beckett. i woke up this morning with really high fever and felt AWFUL, so i went to the doctor and to make a long story short i got 2 shots and 3 prescriptions-they are treating me for the FLU AND STREP THROAT!! So momma is taking care of beckett and i am spending my bday sick for the 2nd time in two years!
Thanks to everyone who has called today. I am sorry if i haven't answered, but i feel terrible. I will call everyone back when i get to feeling better hopefully tomorrow. Don't forget to vote tomorrow! I will be dragging myself up there at some point.....

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:48:00.004-05:00

Monkey on the loose!!

Silly little monkey!!!

Happy Halloween! I am frantically trying to get packed to be gone all weekend. Me and Derek are taking our first whole weekend trip away from beckett! We are going Oxford tonight to give a shower for my friend Melinda and then Saturday it is off to Starkvegas for the game. We haven't made a game in two years! We are both really excited about our little getaway and fun with friends we haven't seen in a long time. He is of course more excited about Starkville and i am dying to get to Oxford:).

I didnt' want to leave town without posting some pics of our little monkey!!! Sorry the pics aren't the best...he won't sit still--ever! I will do a BIG update next week so be checking.......until then, everyone have a safe, fun weekend!!

Keep your fingers crossed!

2008-10-19T21:41:00.004-05:00

Ok so it is 9:40pm and beckett is asleep in his bed for the first time in a week! We decided last night at 1:30am when he was still screaming in his bed and i had to go get him so we could all get some sleep that tonight was it. He was going in his bed at 8pm and WAS NOT getting out! About 20min. ago i brought him a sippy cup of water bc i am sure his throat was hurting from screaming for 1.5hours and i also gave him my pillow off our bed. Hopefully that did the trick bc so far he is asleep! Let's pray it stays that way:)

Camera Help!!!!

2008-10-19T15:17:00.002-05:00

Ok, so for my birthday/christmas i want a new camera. I am thinking it is time to just spend the big bucks and get a good one. Here is my question-which one do i get?!? I have been looking at the Nikon N60 and have heard good things about the Canon Rebel. I do use photoshop some and i would love a camera that is VERY user friendly and easy to download the pics onto your computer from (my mom's camera is weird about that). I took photography in college, but i consider myself a beginner in all this for sure. I know i want a digital SLR and something that is not at the top of the price range would be great!
So.....any advice would be appreciated. What kind of camera does everyone use??? what are your likes and dislikes about it???

Who needs sleep?

2008-10-17T14:22:00.002-05:00

Obviously not Beckett! This has been a rough week. Beckett recently decided that he is not tired at night and WILL NOT go to sleep. For the past 4 nights our bedtimes have been as follows: 10pm, 11pm, 11pm, 12am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't figure out what is going on. I let him cry in his bed last night from 10-12am. I was convinced he had something wrong so today i took him for his last flu shots and had her look at his ears just in case. As expected his ears were fine and then she told me his throat looked red. Geez, i wonder why? I told her i have been letting him cry for hours. She assured me that it really is the best thing to do and trust me i do feel bad about it, but i am at a total loss! Last night i gave in at midnight at brought him to bed with us hoping he was just sick or something. I guess tonight we will just leave him in there.
Has anyone else had this problem?? i am praying it is a phase. He normally goes to bed around 8 or so. If anyone has any ideas feel free to pass them along. I am totally over this, but then i look at him today in his cute sock monkey outfit and it makes it just a tad better:) I need to get a pic of him in this outfit when he wakes up from his nap-it is really cute!! TGIF!!!!!!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-17T14:01:00.005-05:00

I found one!!
So many pumpkin to move......so little time!
Ok...now this pig is cool!!!!
Beckett and his "stolen" pumpkin, which now lives on our front porch.
Have a seat!
Sparks striking a pose!
Oh i love this thing!!!!!!!!

A group of us visited the pumpkin patch at the Ag Museum yesterday. Beckett had a great time. He was worn out by the time it was over. I was surprised by his behavior with the animals. At the fair he really didn't care about them at all, but he seemed to warm up to the ones here. He reallly liked the pig! Everyone got to take a pumpkin from the little patch, but while i wasn't looking Beckett walked up to some lady and took hers! Even though she said it was fine i am sure she wasn't to excited that a baby stole her lovely pumpkin-oh well!

MS State Fair!

2008-10-10T15:11:00.004-05:00

Not to excited about touching the animals!

Ready...set...go....
Running like a wild man!

Last night me, derek and Beckett went with the McMasters to the fair. Beckett rode a few rides and even went down the big slide! My mom about had a heart attack when she found out I took him up there, but i really didn't think it was a big deal and he really loved it! Will M. really had a great time too-he got to ride more things than Beckett. I can't believe Derek didn't get any pics of us on the big yellow slide! Funny of the night-We walked by a tent a man was outside holding a baby alligator. Will of course thought it was awesome and got to hold and pet the gator, however when the man brought it up to beckett's stroller he FLIPPED out and started screaming bloody murder. I think he just wanted to help his momma prove her point to daddy that he has no plans of ever going on the gator hunt:)

If anyone is at the fair tonight come see me at the Wordless Tent. I am going to be there with a group from our church. I am a little nervous with it being Friday night and all but i know it is for a good cause.

The Beach!

2008-10-10T15:00:00.004-05:00

So Sweet...So busy....
Up and down and up and down
Leighton loved playing with the bucket and shovel, Beckett just wanted his football back!
Last week we took our friends Katie and Leighton to the beach with us! The daddy's were going on a fishing trip for the weekend and we didn't want to be stuck at home so we packed up and headed to Perdido. If you go to the Butlers on the side bar you can read a little more in depth about our trip, but all in all we had a great time. Beckett loves the water and is not at all afraid of it. This makes for an interesting morning around the pool. He also is now obsessed with climbing up and down stairs. If he sees any steps anywhere he makes a beeline for them. Derek took him out in the ocean and he had the best time getting knocked over by the waves! And when it came to playing in the sand all he wanted to do was throw the big football. I think we have a future ball player on our hands! Enjoy the pics!

Happy Birthday Derek!

2008-09-29T13:53:00.002-05:00

Like father, like son.......
I might look like my momma, but they say i am going to act like my daddy!

Today Derek is the big 28! He is the best daddy a little boy could ask for! I hope you know that you are very loved and i don't know what in the world we would do without you.....gator hunting and all! I hope you have a great day!
I could list a million reasons why we love you, but i ran across this today....i am very thankful you don't have plans for our family that include this type of behavior:)
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26942419/?GT1=43001

1 year stats!

2008-09-17T22:00:00.002-05:00

Waiting on the doctor
He loves that mini Elmo!
Getting ready for dinner at Primos on his real birthday!

Uh-oh!

Ok, so this is a bit overdue, but we just went to the doctor this week. We had a good check up. He is doing good with table food and we are starting on whole milk! She commented on the fact that he starting walking so early and said he seems to be developing normally, so that was good to hear! We started out this year with a bang to say the least. A few days before his party a mosquito decided to take up residence in his bedroom and literally feasted on him for a few days. So he went to his party looking like he had the plague! Then to make matters worse as i was cooking one night he managed to run into my legs as i was moving a pot of boiling water and i spilled a little on his shoulder! Poor Baby! It is healing fine, but i am surprised the doctor didn't call child services. So all this happened in the first two weeks of september.

Now onto this week.....Monday he had his shots. He got all of them but the MMR. I decided to wait on that one bc we have a party for him at my dad's house on Saturday and i didn't want him sick for that. Well Monday night he started running a high fever and i just thought it was from the flu shot so i started giving my tylenol regularly. The fever however stayed for 2 days over 101, so today i decided he needed to go to doctor. So we went this afternoon and found out he has his FIRST ear infection! Bless his heart-i had no idea-i just figured the fever was due to the shots! So we started our first ever antibiotics so i am hoping it will knock it out quick. The doctor seems to think since he has never taken antibiotics before they should work quickly. I hope so, i haven't been getting up at 3am since he was 2 weeks old!

Due to all this excitment the blogging has taken a back seat-i apologize to my 10 readers! Here are some new pics and hopefully i can get some party pics up soon.

Stats at 12 months:

Weight: 23lbs. 9oz.-70th percent

Head: 47cm-75th percent

Height: 31 3/4"-97th percent!!!!!

Crazy-obviously he doesn't get his height from me!

Derek is Famous

2008-09-14T13:45:00.004-05:00

Now the whole state can know just how redneck he can be! Luckily though his little brother Kirk was the one wearing the cutoff-button up this year:)

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/SPORTS08/809140343/1127

This is just a little of the article. For some reason the whole thing is not there, so if you want to read the interview with my FIL you will have to get the Sunday paper. They killed the biggest gator of the weekend. I will post our pics later-we have had one heck of a day today.....

This just in.....

2008-09-13T00:44:00.002-05:00

For all of you waiting for news on the big gator hunt this weekend....I just received a message from derek saying they caught an "eleven footer" Glorious....they are going back out to try to get another one. This year the wildlife guys deceided to allow 2 gators per tag-how generous!
I am off to bed, but i will post a full report tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Beckett!

2008-09-04T09:22:00.002-05:00

It's a boy!

Momma meets beckett for the first time
Beckett now.....so big!Playing in the front yard!

Happy 1st Birthday to the sweetest, cutest, happiest little boy in the whole world! We love you to the moon and back!

So today is the big day. It is so hard to believe that a whole year has past. This time last year i think i was probably getting ready to get my first of many epidurals that day:) Even though the day proved to be the longest, most painful day of my life the end result was all worth it. Beckett is thriving. He amazes me everyday. I will do a one year post later, but we have to get ready for our day with Mimi. Tonight we are going to dinner and then this weekend is the big par-tay!

Dear Aunt Cath....

2008-09-02T22:26:00.003-05:00

Dear Aunt Cath,

As you can see by the pictures I love my John Deere tractor you gave me for my birthday. My favorite thing to do is push it all over the driveway. And now that i learned to open and close the seat all those little animal friends better watch out:) Thanks a bunch and my mom says she is going to call you tomorrow to see how the new J-O-B is going!

Love,

Beckett

The Natural Science Museum

2008-09-02T22:06:00.003-05:00

Beckett and Leighton-this might have been the only moment the two of them were still!
Causey kissing on the fox
Making Daddy proud one gator pic at a time!

Beckett just thought Causey was so cute he had to touch her anytime they got close together! Causey being the "poser" that she is couldn't understand why Beckett wouldn't just look at the camera like you are supposed to do:)

Ok, so now that we have discovered the Natural Science Museum we just can't seem to get enough. We have been on two separate occasions with Beckett's girlfriends Leighton and Causey. Beckett really enjoys looking at the fish in the tanks, and on our last trip he and Causey seemed quite fascinated by the "digging box" at the dino exhibit. Harper and I let them play there for at least 20 minutes while we sat there visiting just thankful for pre-nap entertainment! I am sure the other guest were wondering why in the world two grown girls were practically laying on the floor running thier mouths while thier children tried to eat rubber dirt :) And all i can say to that is "cheap entertainment people!" They also all loved the "preschool" room with the tree house slide. Beckett finally got the hang of it and really liked it-or maybe he just liked trying to climb the stairs to get to it.....

Puppy Update

2008-09-02T21:55:00.003-05:00

The puppies are almost a month old now and they are getting way big. We fed them dog food for the first time tonight. I know that seems a bit young, but Koda is kinda over the nursing thing now that they have teeth-can't say i blame her. The puppies seemed to whine ALL the time during the day and i finally convinced Derek that they must be hungry. Needless to say they chowed down big time tonight! They also figured out over the weekend how to get out of the box we are keeping them in on the back porch-this has made things a bit more interesting. We have a few sold, but if you or someone you know is interested please send me an email. They are AKC registered and we are looking to sell them for about $250, which is a great price for the bloodline. Here are some recent pics!

Pretty darn cute huh?!?

ESCAPE!

This little one was bound and determined to have a tug of war with Beckett's diaper!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2008-08-26T22:06:00.004-05:00

So as you can see by the ticker today is mine and Derek's 3 year anniversary! It seems like longer though, not in a bad way, but when you have been together for 9+ years everything seems to blend together:) If you had told me on my wedding day that in 3 years we would have a baby one week shy of turning one-i probably would have said "i doubt it" but that is what we have and i am loving every minute of it. Wouldn't change it for the world.

I love the story of the first time i really remember meeting Derek. We were both in high school and Rodeo's was have teen night and Better than Ezra was playing (don't act like you were too cool for teen night at Rodeo's) Derek was with a guy friend of mine and they came over to talk to me and derek tried to act cool like he totally knew who i was so i asked him if he knew my name and he said "yep-it is Natalie Smith".....um...nice try but no.....I don't think i saw him again for a long time, but when i did he remembered my name, and i guess the rest is history....

Derek and I are different in lots of ways but we never forget how much we love each other and sweet Beckett. I couldn't ask for a better husband/daddy! So HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DEREK-i love you tons!

FYI-just so the whole world knows how much i love derek i will share this...i am forgo-ing any nice anniversary gifts so derek can buy a shotgun! Now if that doesn't say LOVE i don't know what does:)

Gator Time!

2008-08-16T20:23:00.006-05:00

Derek "petting" the live gator!
Say "AHHHH"
Not even sure what to say about this photo....other than Derek sure knows how to pick a gator hunting outfit! Tapping the mouth closed10' of Gator Glory!!! :)

Ok, i must preface this post by saying that I personally don't consider myself to be a redneck, my husband however just might qualify......
For those of you who aren't familiar with the good ole Ross Barnett may not know that it is teaming with creatures...alligators to be exact. My husband's obsession with this started about 3 years ago. Every year in September the wildlife management people open up 2 weekends and allow "Steve Irwin wannabes" to go and shoot themselves a gator. What you probably don't know is in order to kill the gator you have to catch it first while it is STILL ALIVE! This obviously takes some skill and practice-not to mention lots of random "equipment" Two years ago Derek, his dad, brothers and some friends drew a "tag" to go on one of these weekend hunts-you have to be picked out of a lottery of sorts. Anyways, this led to them catching and killing their first alligator. It was like 10' long!!! My father in law still has its head in a freezer and we had "gator" meat for days...I personally never ate any, but if remember correctly my friend Catherine did!
After such beginners luck they have been mildly obsessed with this "sport-like" event. Well obviously I wasn't paying too much attention to the calendar last year when we got pregnant with Beckett and had a due date of the second weekend in September-right smack in the middle of gator season. When i found this out I was very relieved to know that Derek will be sitting that hunt out-i mean, he could never leave me 10 months pregnant and go gator hunting right? Well, wrong-sorta! Due to the nightmare we refer to around here as PUPPPs Beckett came a little early-the Tuesday before opening weekend of gator season. I got out of the hospital on Friday and we had the typical first night at home (i think, i don't really rememeber any of it). Well Saturday rolls around and Derek begins talking like he might try to make the hunt that night. I think in a drug induced stupor i just blew him off, until about 5pm that afternoon when i realized he was serious. To say world war 3 broke out might be an understatement. I was VERY postpartum and went crazy. Well, derek i think knew i would loose it so he lined up his mom to come sit with me that night (my mom had something going on). After some more pain meds, i broke down and let him go. He didn't get home until 2am! I think I won the wife of the year award that night. But my favorite memory of that years hunt was they didn't even get a gator afterall. Don't worry-i rubbed that in their faces for a good month! Looking back i know derek needed sometime out of the house seeing as though he had been in the hospital with me for 4 days, but i always bring this night up when we are taking with people about gator huntin!

Disclaimer: I am sure those of you with kids are saying "i can't believe he left her right after they got home from the hospital like that!" but please don't judge him based on that-he is a great husband and daddy, and we love him-gator hunter and all!

So, where am i going with all of this you ask........well, the reason i have all this time on my hands is because Derek is currently "up river" SCOUTING for gators. This is what they do on the weekends leading up to the hunt-they go look to see where the big ones are. If you are anything like me you are thinking-"just bc they are there now doesn't mean they will be there in 2 weeks does it?" And he quickly informed me that they stay put-it is like their house i guess

Disclaimer #2: When i was 8.5 months pregnant last year i joined derek on one of these "scouting" adventures---All i can say about that is BUGS EVERYWHERE, and i will NEVER EVER EVER put one toe in the reservoir again-nor will any of my children...I can't even begin to guess how many beady yellow eyes i saw starring back at us that night!

.....so next month on the Friday night before our sweet baby's 1st bday party my husband will be kicking off opening night of gator season in a 12' long john boat! I will let you know how this years hunt turns out, but in the meantime....here are some pictures of the whopper they caught that started this so-called frenzy!!

Into Everything!

2008-08-13T15:51:00.004-05:00

Now that Beckett has started walking he is in to everything! He loves climbing under all the furniture and digging through all the drawers and cabinets.

The puppies are getting bigger. They still haven't opened their eyes yet. One thing i wasn't anticipating is how loud they are during the day. Sometimes i am convinced Koda is smothering one and then when i go out to check the puppy is just hanging out yelping away!

My mom is stranded in Paris right now trying to get home. They were supposed to be home tonight, but that is not going to happen-but i guess if you are going to be stuck somewhere Paris isn't too bad a place! These are just a few pics from the past week.

"what do you mean I am going to get stuck!"

Momma and Beckett after bathtime trying his best to get down

Playing with the remote-his favorite thing after the cell phone!

Cute little lion!

He loves to get all the dish towels out of the drawer and throw them all over the kitchen. I am totally fine with it, but it drives derek crazy bc he considers them "dirty" once they hit the floor, and i am not rewashing them!!

11 Months Already!?!

2008-08-05T21:58:00.004-05:00

Don't worry Beckett's 11 month bday didn't go unnoticed with all the excitement yesterday! I can't believe we are a month away from the big 1!!! I guess the biggest thing that has happened is HE IS WALKING....crazy....He started taking steps a few weeks ago and just this weekend he really took off. He still crawls a lot, but i have noticed that half way to his destination he sort of stops and stands up like "oh yeah, i can do it this way!"

I will save all the likes and dislikes for his big report next month, but until then I can assure you he will very soon be chasing puppies all over the place:) And yes i am aware that he looks like an escaped inmate in the pics, but for $2.99 you can't pass up a good ole romper.

*these pics are especially for Mimi (she is out of town and we are missing her bunches!)

Introducing our Newest Additions!!!

2008-08-05T21:34:00.004-05:00

Beckett meets his new playmates earlier today!!

Koda had the puppies last night! As you can tell by the pictures we have 7 black ones! How crazy is that-the mom is yellow and the dad is chocolate and we have all blacks! There are 3 girls and 4 boys. All day yesterday i kept telling Derek i thought they were coming soon bc Koda was acting like a lunatic all day, and when he got home he informs me that he doesn't think today is the day. Well i was kinda mad bc i was ready to get this show on the road, so i left and went to Walmart. After i got back i went outside to check on Koda and low and behold there was a puppy! That was at 7:45pm and we went to bed at midnight and there were 6 pups, this morning we woke up to 7! Koda is doing good and we are managing to keep the temp in the garage somewhat under control. I am sure the neighbors were wondering what in the world we were doing in lawn chairs reading magazines in the garage last night:) Actually i am sure they were thinking "look at the rednecks giving their half naked baby a bottle in the garage!!
Anyhow.....they are here safe and sound.....now we just need to find 7 good homes for them! If you or anyone you know is looking for a puppy leave a comment or email me. They are AKC registered with field trial champion bloodlines.

Another Bday Question...

2008-08-03T15:24:00.003-05:00

Does anyone know where I can get one those big birthday banners painted for Beckett?? The girl i thought i could use is on maternity leave:( Leave a comment if you have any suggestions!

Koda is still pregnant! Today is the 63rd day, so if she doesn't have them tonight then surely they will be here tomorrow. Of course she waits until the weekend is over and derek will be going back to work so i can't take care of her and the puppies along with my baby all alone! Figures!

Question.....

2008-08-01T13:42:00.001-05:00

I really want to make a video with music for Beckett's first year. Does anyone know of any good programs/websites for doing this. I need one that is very user friendly. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions!
Still no puppies, but i think we are getting close. I found Koda buried in my dining room curtains today so i put her in the garage. I am hoping they will come tonight or tomorrow while derek is home! I will keep yall posted......

Lazy Day

2008-07-28T14:11:00.003-05:00

Koda is afraid of cameras so these are the best pics i could get:)

Beckett is so funny with her. He will bring all of his toys to her while she is just laying there. Then they have a starring contest until beckett starts sticking his fingers in her mouth and nose and i have to move him. Sweet koda just sits there and takes it all:)

Piled up in my momma's bed.....heaven!

Not much is going on around here today. As you can tell by the pictures Koda is pregnant for sure and the puppies are due this friday! wow! And it is only 102 degrees outside:) they could arrive anytime this week-last time she had them early. She is enjoying her time inside with us bc i know the next 6 weeks are going to be hell for her. Derek is putting a window unit in the garage so hopefully that will help-it better bc there is no way i can have the puppies in the house. I have felt them moving around in there and i am still holding out for less than 8. Derek's guess is 7, my guess is 6. If you would like to guess the quanity, color, and sex...leave a comment and maybe the winner will get a prize...well maybe not a prize but bragging rights:) The daddy is chocolate, last time she had 11 puppies with only one girl, i think there were 4 yellow and the rest were black......
And i threw in this picture of Beckett so everyone would know he is still napping in our bed! I have tried the whole cry it out thing and it doesn't work! I am thinking about moving my pillow into his bed for nap time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated-keep in mind he sleeps in his bed at night, so you would think napping in there would be no problem.
Maybe my next post will be puppy pictures!!!

Girls Beach Trip

2008-07-25T22:50:00.005-05:00

After my much needed trip with girlfriends i am slowly getting back in the swing of things. Every summer my ole miss tri delt friends get together for our girls trip in Destin. This is our 4th year and i hope we are still doing this 20 years down the road. We are already planning an extravagant trip for the 10 year anniversary:) These girls all mean so much to me and i am so glad we have remained close almost 5 years out of college....we always have the best time when we are together and are so sad when it all comes to an end! I am happy to report that due to Mel's big wedding in January we will all be reunited for another fun weekend! This year we were missing catherine and ginna, but don't worry girls we toasted to yall at dinner like a million times:)!!!

reed, veazey, micah, daisy, me

Riding in the "limo van" to dinner-on the outside it was totally an unmarked white kidnapper van but the inside was made to look like a limo!

Our whole group at dinner with our waiter and the owner of the resturant-who did outfit changes as the night when on!

Late night on the beach!

I made everyone that was still left hanging pose for "blog" pics...sadly gretch had already gone up by this time.

Shrimp and Grits

2008-07-21T10:48:00.004-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know that from now until July 30th i will have the Shrimp and Grits catalouge and will be accepting orders. If this goes well i will do a full clothes show in the fall. For those not familiar with this line it is boys/girls smocked outfits for $48-25!!! It is a great price and they have really cute things. You can visit their website to view the clothes or just call me and i will get with you to view the book.

http://www.shrimpandgritskids.com/default.asp

If you would like to place and order let me know and I will take care of it for you!!!! Here are just a few of the outfits they have to offer!!

Happenings

2008-07-15T14:44:00.003-05:00

Our life in bullets:

-Koda is officially pregnant. The puppies should arrive around August 1. She doesn't look near as big as she did last time so we are hoping this litter is no more than 8 puppies. Keep in mind last time she had 11 so anything under 8 seems small to us. She will be coming in to the house next week since it is so hot outside, so this means i get to vacuum more-yippee!

-I am leaving for the beach tomorrow for my girls beach trip with some of my ole miss friends! we have been doing this for 4 years now and i can't wait! Derek will be holding down the fort while i am gone and Beckett will be spending time with my mom and my stepmom during the day. I am sure he will be totally rotten by the time i get home!

-we have been having bad luck with appliances this week, so far we have a defective washing machine, air conditioner, and of course the dishwasher (this has never really worked well though). My handy man husband doesn't seem to think any of this is a big deal. He is trying to fix the AC himself! As long as it is fixed by the time i get home i don't care-he is a mechanical engineer afterall.........

-And last but not least....i am sure some of you have heard, but i mowed our grass for the first time ever! I am so proud of myself!

ok, so that might be the most random, boring post ever, but that is what we have going on around these parts! Here a few pictures to tide you over until i get back!!

Early in the morning

TROUBLE!!!

"if you're happy and you know it...."

Cheesy smiles!!!

10 Months!!!!

2008-07-14T16:48:00.002-05:00

So Beckett's 10 month bday came and went earlier this month. He is getting so big! Lately we have been noticing that he is slimming up (not that he was ever a chubby baby to begin with). He still has his cubby cheeks though-i will be sad if those ever disappear! He is starting is eat some table food and has cut back on his formula-i am hoping this is normal. He probably only gets about 16oz a day, but he is eating lots of baby food so hopefully that makes up the difference. He has been going to mother's morning out one morning a week and i think he seems to like it. He only had one day where he cried the whole 3 hours-bless those ladies who kept him!
His Favorites: Playing patty cake and peekaboo, balls, his red lobster finger puppet, peaches, yogurt, napping with mom and dad, playing with mimi, and of course the usual-popscicles!
He is walking around all the furniture and has become an expert crawler. He loves going through all the cabinets in the house and pulling everything out. I don't think it will be too long before he starts walking. he can take a few steps on his own but i wouldn't really call it walking just yet.
I am sure there are some things i am leaving out, but if i think of them i will add more later. He is such a happy baby and he is at such a fun age-old enough to explore on his own yet still mama's little baby!

4th of July Weekend!

2008-07-06T14:08:00.006-05:00

Me and Derek at the Alluvian

Long time no post.....Derek and I had a great time at the Alluvian. Derek will admit now that the massage was great! I knew he would love it if he would just give it a shot. We got an upgrade to a suite at the hotel and it was so nice! It had a fireplace and everything. We ate dinner with Roger and Kelly and did some shopping on Saturday before heading back. We were long overdue for our first adult only trip! Beckett did so good with my mom-which means hopefully we will get to have some nights off more often:)

After we got home we loaded up and went to Wolf Lake in Yazoo to meet with with our friends Ron and Laura. Beckett had his first boat ride and of course i didn't have a camera. We put the infant lifejacket on him and he fell asleep on the boat-it was so cute!! I am still mad i didn't get a picture! I can't wait til next summer when our lakehouse is done and we can go there for the weekend!

In other news.....we are still up in the air as too whether or not Koda is preggers. It seems like everyday we look at her and some times she totally looks pregnant and others we are not so sure. I am praying that if she is pregnant maybe this means there aren't but a few in there! I am keeping my fingers crossed and hopefully by the end of this week we will know something for sure.

I started this post 2 days ago with all intentions of posting it the night i wrote it, but Beckett seems to have some sort of fever virus, so once that is over be looking for his 10 month picture-and yes i said 10 MONTHS!!!!!

Finally!!!

2008-06-19T10:50:00.003-05:00

I am so excited i just had to post while Beckett is napping (in our bed)...i know i posted earlier that he napped in his bed, but that was a one time thing. We are working on it though...

Anyways, back to my excitement.....

Before Beckett was born Derek and I had planned a getaway to the Alluvian complete with massages, dinner, etc...but when i got PUPPPs we had to cancel bc there was not a massage therapist in the country that would have touched my rashy self, and not to mention i couldn't stand anyone touching me bc it would make the itching worse! So this morning i called and rebooked our trip! We are going 4th of july weekend and i can't wait!!!

Also, in somewhat bigger news......I am leaving Beckett overnight for the FIRST time ever tomorrow night. Derek is keeping him. We have tried to leave him before but i ended up picking him up at midnight from my mom bc he wouldn't stop screaming. Now that he is completely done nursing (halleluia!!) I can leave him without too much worry!!! I have to go to a baby shower in Memphis on Saturday for a friend from college and i am going to spend friday night in Oxford with my friend Melinda and then go up Saturday morning. I am so excited i can't stand it!! It will be my first time to sleep without a baby monitor by my head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I might not ever wake up:) I am not too worried about leaving the boys here...i know Derek is fully capable, he actually is better than i am at getting beckett down for the night.

I will do an update when i get back and let everyone know how it went.....but until then hope everyone has a great weekend!

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-17T21:59:00.004-05:00

We had a great Father's Day weekend. On Sunday we went to lunch with my mom and step dad at the Cock of the Walk. After lunch we headed to my dad and stepmom's house to see them and Beckett's great grandparents. Needless to say it was a long day, but he did fine. We missed derek's dad bc they are on a trip out west all month. Hope all the Daddy's had a happy father's day!

Silly Boy!

Papa, Derek, and Beckett

Beckett and daddy!

Birthday Fun!

2008-06-17T21:53:00.002-05:00

On Saturday we went to a birthday party for one of our best friend's little boy Will-he turned the big 2! Beckett had a good time hanging out and watching the big kids play. It is just a matter of time before he will be all up in the middle of the action!

Me and my buddy Sparks. This is the best picture i got-Sparks is always on the go and beckett was obviously not in the mood to humor me and Caroline with a photoshoot!

We let Beckett have some ice cream and as you can tell he LOVED it!!!

Randomness

2008-06-17T21:43:00.002-05:00

Beckett loves these little finger puppets that i got at the Carter's outlet. His newest favorite is the chicken, he has his own little conversations with it on a regular basis

We have these mirrored panels that flank either side of a sofa in the den, and they are quickly becoming Beckett's favorite spot. He has always loved to look at himself in the mirror and he literally climbs through the maze of furniture surrounding these to get to them. Well, the other day he was being very quiet so i thought i would check him out and i found him kissing himself in the mirror! Pretty cute!

Last friday i hit up the "annandale man" sale at the Hilton. Needless to say i stocked up! I mostly bought for fall and next summer. This is for sure the way to go when it comes to buying baby clothes. I got most of the smocked jon-jon's for $25 or less!

Koda has a boyfriend...

2008-06-10T22:07:00.003-05:00

well...more like a 2 night stand.
This is one subject i could write on forever, but since most of my readers have heard about it i will keep it short. We bred our dog Koda last week. This means that IF all goes according to plan we should have puppies in early August (we will know for sure in a few weeks). Puppies in August-nothing sounds more miserable to me.
I asked derek to please let us sit this one out and not breed her, but of course i lost. She has only had one litter before and that was on accident, so he had been planning on getting one registered litter from her to carry on the 3 generation bloodline his family has going. She will be five this year so she is getting up there in puppy having years. Her last litter was 10 puppies! and supposedly the have more the second time than the first-WONDERFUL! As you can tell i am not looking forward to this much seeing as though it will be 100 degrees outside and i am very likely to have a walking baby to take care of now throw in a possible 10 puppies and you have one heck of a way to end your summer:)
Granted, I know i will love these puppies bc they are Koda's and i am sure I will be sad when the last one goes, it is just going to be a lot of work to get them to that point. So that leaves me with one thing to say (more like plead....)

IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW is interested in a AKC lab puppy please contact me via email. These should be great dogs-for hunting or just for pets! The mama is yellow and the daddy is chocolate, so we should have a mix of colors and possibly some black ones as well. I am not sure about the price-derek will decide all that. They should be born around Aug.1 and ready to go to a loving home 6 weeks later.

So, from now until these pups are gone i will take on my role as the "dealer of the dogs" Derek gives me a hard time about this but last time i managed to get rid of ALL 10 unregistered lab puppies in 8 weeks. I think i have a talent! He didn't even sell one!!

9 Months Update

2008-06-09T15:54:00.003-05:00

Ok, so i am a little behind on this update. Beckett turned 9 months on the 4th of this months and we did the whole doctor visit thing. He screamed when she checked his ears and throat as usual, but laughed with the nurse while she pricked his finger...go figure! here are his stats from that appointment:

weight: 21lbs. 3oz. (70th per.)

height: 29 1/4 in. (80th per.)

head: 46 1/2 cm. (80th-ish i think)

Things he loves:

-balls, finger puppets, boxes, pushing toys, unrolling toilet paper, unfolding clean laundry, clapping, peekaboo, watching Koda, Noggin Network, books, opening doors and drawers, bathtime, Farley the stuffed frog we got at the beach

Favorite Foods:

any baby fruit, popscicles, mandarin oranges, oatmeal w/cinnamon, and get this....PICKLES! anyone who knows me will find this funny bc i HATE them

His only word so far:

Uh-oh!

Things he could do without:

yogurt, NAPS IN HIS BED, loud noises, his mom leaving the room, green beans, getting his face wiped, being told NO!

He has been crawling for awhile now, and when we were at the beach he finally cut his first tooth and the second one is on its way in. He has also started standing on his own. I don't think it will be long before he is walking! oh, and he is going to be a climber it think...he loves to climb up or over anything....should make things interesting! I can't believe he will be 1 at the end of the summer!! Time is going by way too fast. God definitely blessed us with a sweet little boy and i know we are lucky to be his parents:)

Monumental Event in Progress!!

2008-06-04T15:35:00.002-05:00

Just a real quick post to let everyone know that as i am typing sweet Beckett is napping in his crib for the FIRST TIME EVER!!!! He sleeps in there at night, but i have always let him nap in our bed. Now that he is such a good crawler this had to stop. Yesterday he cried in his bed for 1.5 hours and never went to sleep. Today after our doctor's appt. i took him from the car to his bed and he only cried for a couple of minutes before squirming into the corner and going to sleep. Please pray that this continues. It is hard to get anything done during the day when the baby is napping in the big bed right next to the kitchen:)
I will post more about the doctor appt. tomorrow on his official 9 month bday!