It's a Keen Life

Trick or Treat...

2011-11-03T15:46:00.004-04:00

I have to apologize first of all because I did not take hardly any pictures of the boys dressed up. David has a cute video and some more on facebook, but these are just the ones I had on my camera. :) They were both T-rex and the cutest little ones I've ever seen! :)

This year we went to Trunk or Treat at their preschool and Barb, Chloe and Millie joined us! Then on Monday night we went to Caroline's house and went around the neighborhood with her. We then headed to Phil and Darlas and were headed to Lisa and Mikes, but we didn't leave Darla's till 9:30, so we decided it was probably time to pack it up and take those little dinosaurs home. We had a great time. The weather was awesome and I think the boys Loved it!

Also that weekend I kept Caroline and Baylor for a few hours. The kids loved playing together and just had the best time. Such sweet friends we have! And that pretty much wraps up our Halloween. Short but sweet!

Ty had his 3 year old check up yesterday (only 2 months late!). He checked out great. He is a tiny thing weighing in at 29 lbs (15%, and also equals tucker's weight) and is 37 1/2" tall (32%), so he's on the scale, just not very high! He's built so much like David! But other than that, they both got their flu shot and cried for a bit. Ty a little longer cause bless him, I'm sure if felt like it was in the bone, since his legs are so small. But they both were troopers and got a bouncy ball which always seems to make the hurt go away! :) So, we're just praying that everyone stays healthy! Looking forward to our FL trip next week for my grandmother's 80th birthday!! Oh, and also for the record, David was cutting Ty's hair last night and was almost done and it looked good, until Ty decided to get the other shaver and do it himself when David turned around... Needless to say, his hair is much shorter than planned and he also has a bald spot on his right side where he shaved to the scalp! Bless him! Just hope it grows before Thanksgiving!! :)

Fall has arrived...

2011-10-26T11:07:00.011-04:00

And it has kept us busy!! This is kind of a catch all post and I'm also going to post some of my phone pictures that I have had for a while. So I'll put those at the end since they are so random. :) The beginning of the month we had Muffins with Mom at preschool. So Wednesday I went with Tyler and Thursday I went with Tucker. It was fun seeing the kids in his class and getting to meet some of the moms. That weekend, David was out of town for something, so on Saturday I took the boys to the pumpkin patch. Really it is just pumpkins set up on a church lawn, but either way, it was the "pumpkin patch" to us. :) When I got there, I realized the camera battery was dead, but I ended up getting quite a few cute pics with my phone! We had fun. Ty enjoyed looking at all the pumpkins and picking out 2 to bring home, Tucker enjoyed throwing the little pumpkins. Thankfully, none of them busted! :) After the pumpkin patch we headed to the playground to have a picnic lunch. It was a gorgeous day and enjoyed just being outside. While we were there, Ty found a "dandy lion" and had fun blowing it, making wishes, and then searching for more! Man, that kid knows way more than I ever think he does! :) That night we went to Germantown, NC. My dad has family that live there and they were having a chicken stew, complete with a fire, bluegrass music, and a hayride. Of course, I had my camera, but didn't manage to take any pics. Candace came along with us to enjoy the fun! Last Thursday David found out that his high school was honoring his senior football team, since they won state 10 years ago. So, he was really wanting to go, so Thursday night we packed up and drove to Ohio. It was a very short trip, but it was good to see the family and I know that David enjoyed getting to see some of his old buddies. Friday, we pretty much just hung out at the house. Mike and Brenda bought the house next to them and are in the process of tearing it down to have the land, but there is an Amish guy that his helping them. So of course his horse and buggy stood by the road the entire day, so mawmaw took the boys out to pet it. Ty loved it, Tucker wasn't so sure. :) Bekah and Laney came over during the day. It was fun to hang out with them and see how much Laney has changed. She's getting so big! :)That night we headed to the game all bundled up because it was in the 40's. Ty put his hand over his hear while they were singing the national anthem and it melted my heart! At half time they presented the team and announced each of them. Zach and Carmen came to the game with us and Zach even wore David's old jersey! :) They are getting ready to have their baby boy in December and we're so excited for them! Kenton pretty much dominated the game. It was fun for a while, but the boys got ready to go after half time, so David and Zach took them down to walk around. David took Ty to the cheerleaders so that he could ask for a football and of course they gave him one. So after the 3rd quarter, we headed home. :) Then Saturday we woke up early and headed back home. We were trying to make it back for a 4:00 birthday party, but didn't quite make it. We did make it to the Shipmans later that night for some Chilli. :) Tucker fell there and busted his nose on the stairs, hopefully it won't make him have a scar there. I was just thankful it wasn't his eye. :) I gave Tucker 1/2 of a chocolate chip cookie and this is how his face turned out... Not sure how he does it and if anything gets into his mouth. He's a funny kid! :)
Sometime during this month David discovered one morning that his truck had gotten broken into and they took all his hunting gear and his bow. I left for work and noticed a hat (ball cap) near our driveway and thought it was weird, but didn't think too much about it. A little later he called me and told me what happened... Oh my. Needless to say, our subdivision is a "private" neighborhood meaning that we are not state owned, but the police have now put us back on their patrol route, thank goodness!! And we now have a security system, these people are getting crazy!!
Also, this month, I had the "special snack" for Ty's class at preschool and being the crafty nerd I am, I had to come up with some fun halloween snacks. Yes, I know this is a little much for a 2 year old class snack, but I live for doing stuff like this. :) David thought I had lost it. :) Mummy juice boxes, spider fruit stick, and little pumpkins filled with crackers and cheese.
These two little boys love getting into the fridge and taking a seat. So I caught them on camera one day, just for the record! I will be sad the day they both can't squeeze into that little spot!
I had a conference in Raleigh one night and so daddy was in charge. It was a Wednesday night and about 7:00 my phone kept getting text message after message and once I finally looked at them all this is what I saw... Daddy had "done" their hair for church and all my friends were texting me pictures of them! Hilarious!!! He's one fun daddy!!
Any given night if you come to my house between the hours of 7:00-11:00pm I'm pretty sure you are going to see any of the below going on. These boys love to play with eachother and with their daddy. So many fun memories being made! I just love to sit back on the couch and watch them!
And just so I have noted it... These are the stepping stones that the boys made me for mother's day this year. I don't think I have ever posted a pic of them and I just wanted to make sure I did. They are too sweet!
And I think that about wraps up this month to now. Halloween is this weekend and I'm excited to see the boys all dressed up and ready to go! I'll be sure to post pictures once we go trick-or-treating! Thanks for following this off the wall post! Hope you enjoyed! :)

Say it isn't so...

2011-09-21T15:24:00.015-04:00

My little man is officially 3! He asks me almost every day, "Mommy am I 3?" and I say yes, and he says, "ALL DAY???" He loves it! I can't believe he's 3. These have been some of the best years of our lives. He brings so much joy and laughter to us and everyone he's around. He has an awesome vocabulary and sometimes I think he acts much older than 3, and then he has a melt down and wants his passy and then I remember, indeed, he is 3! :)
He loves Tucker and is such a great big brother! He is doing great in school and we get compliments on him often, now that will make a mommy smile. :) I'm not saying he's perfect by any means, because none of us are, but God blessed us greatly with 2 of the most precious boys I know! :)
This year, his birthday fell on a Sunday. I took cupcakes to his school on Friday for his birthday and when I picked him up, he had this crown on... "King Tyler is 3". So I think he had a good day! Later that day we loaded up and headed to the mall. We thought it might be fun to let him "Build a bear, well he wanted a koala". He had fun doing that and even put a growling noise in it, didn't really know koalas growled, but ours does! :) Then we went to Sams for a "sample" lunch! Saturday was the big party day! I had told myself that I was going to enjoy the day and not get caught up in making everything "perfect". It turned out great and we had an awesome day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we were thankful for that. We decided to have a dinosaur party at the church. I had made all the kids dinosaur shirt party favors for them to wear at the party. I think they turned out pretty cute and only ended up costing me about $2 a shirt so I thought that was a pretty awesome deal! The kids enjoyed playing on the play ground, digging to dinosaur eggs in the dirt (eggs filled with plastic dinosaurs), eating pizza and cake and ice cream. We also had pin the horn on the dinosaur, but I think the kids were a little to young. Ty enjoyed doing it and Eliott and Chloe, but that was about it! Oh well. :) It was just a laid back party and I hope everyone enjoyed just fellowshipping and being out in the gorgeous weather. We had about 47 people there, so it was a great turnout and I enjoyed myself as much as Tyler did, I think! I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. But we are so blessed and thankful for all our family and friends. Wish more of our family was close and would have been able to have been there, but that's what happens when you live far from your family! Also, Tyler's big gift was a treehouse David and Bradley built! It's great and I know the boys will love it for years to come! They just finished it so I don't have any pictures yet, but I'll get some, so for now just think a sided upside down shooting house complete with a door, ladder, and a front porch. :) Happy Birthday my precious 3 Year old!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-09-07T15:40:00.007-04:00

It's been busy around our house this past week. The boys started preschool for the very first time. Tyler is going Mon-Fri 9:00-1:00 and Tucker is going Mon-Thurs 9:00-1:00. Let me tell you, they LOVE it! Tyler especially, he really enjoys it and I think is going to have a great year!
They have art and music twice a week and Spanish once a week. They get to play outside on an awesome playground and also go to the "ball room" and run their little hearts out. I am so thankful that they are enjoying it and don't cry because they have to go, because that would kill me! They both just walk right in like they own the place. Ty's only concern is that we (David and I) are going to work and not staying there. He wants to make sure it's only him and Tuck there. I guess he feels so big that way. :) Tucker's class is about 1/2 girls 1/2 boys and Tuck is right in the middle age wise. Tyler has 9 boys and 2 girls and he is next to oldest in his class. I'm sure it's very interesting for the teachers! He's already smitten by one of the girls. Her name is Sophia, but Ty says he calls her Sophie. I said "Well, what does she look like?" and he said, "Like a princess!" I can't wait to meet this Sophia! :) All in all, I think we are in the right place and I'm so thankful that God lead us here. The boys are going to miss Darla beyond words, but at least we still get to see her all the time at church! And I'm sure they will still go over and play on some days. :)
One little story about the first day. Ty had been wearing some tennis shoes the whole day before around the house so he didn't have socks on, he loved the shoes. So we are getting them dressed and ready for school and Ty wants to wear those shoes, which was fine. When we put them on with socks they were too tight and they hurt his feet, so I told him he couldn't wear them and he had a melt down. So I couldn't get a good first day pick bc he was crying and wasn't having it. Finally we convinced him to wear some other ones and by the time we got to school he was happy and had forgotten all about it! Thank goodness! :)
Now, that the weather has cooled down a bit, David has been working hard on the yard. Of course, whenever he is out there the boys want to be right by his side. Which is a good thing! So Ty has his own shovel and works and works. Tucker, well, he just does his own thing and is so precious at doing it! :)
At some point I made a lemon icebox pie and Tucker LOVED it. So I let him lick the spoon. These pics were just too cute not to post. :)
I'm busy getting a dinosaur party ready for this weekend! I can't believe it but this little man is turning 3! So my next post will be all about that! I can't wait. He's getting a tree house built by David and Bradley (Sarah's fiance), but Shhh... Don't tell! :)
Hope everyone has an awesome week!!

the boys

2011-08-25T10:57:00.006-04:00

Here are a few pictures grandma took while she was here. They boys have a blast when their gma/nana come to visit and we are so thankful that they get to!

Tucker discovered that he could stand on the firetruck (it's actually pretty impressive) ;) Gma took them to Wal-Mart one day and of course Ty found things he "needed" like bibs, so of course gma bought them for him. :) Pretty hilarious! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and we can't wait till we get to see them again!!

lastest happenings...

2011-08-15T10:13:00.008-04:00

So, life has been pretty busy lately. Back in mid-July we got the chance to go to Carolina Beach with the Lawson family for a few days and were so excited to join them. We left Wednesday night and got there around 10:30 or so. We had a great time. The weather was beautiful and it was very relaxing. We usually played on the beach during the day and then went out to eat at night. All the boys had fun playing with the toys and building things in the sand. :) The big boys built a tunnel, which of course Ty wouldn't go through, so they took turns and it eventually came crashing down. :) They also made a "pool" and enjoyed just playing around in there. Friday night Tucker came down with a pretty high temp. He slept ok and we made it through the night and then headed home Saturday morning. David was leaving the next day (Sunday) for a mission trip down to Tuscaloosa to help with the tornado damage. He went with Charlie Branch and the 3 senior boys. While they were working their tails off clearing brush and trees that had fallen with bobcats and chainsaws. We were holding down the fort going back and forth to the doctor. Sunday I took Tuck in because he was still running a fever and he just wasn't right. He was on Bactrum (Sulfer antibiotic) for MRSA-CA that he had developed the week before in his diaper area. They told me it was hand foot and mouth (which I didn't believe) and then sent me home. Well, Monday, I picked him up from Darla's covered in a rash. Tues we were back at the dr and he told me it was roseola, which was a big possibility because he had a high fever and it broke and then the rash appeared. But something in my told me that wasn't it. Keep in mind he was still on the antibiotic and I really had a feeling that the rash was meaning that he was allergic to it because it was definitely bothering him and the roseola rash is not suppose to bother you. So by Wednesday night I'm a complete wreck, horribly worried about Tuck and David's out of town. Tuckers rash was a the worse it had been and he took the last dose that morning. So I concluded that he was allergic to the medicine because by Thursday night/Friday morning the rash was gone he was back to his happy self. Needless to say I won't be giving that to him unless worse comes to worse. So anyway, we survived the week and David returned to us on Saturday night, thank goodness. We were all worn out! He was covered in poison ivy so he had to go on Sunday and get some steroids because it was only getting worse I did not want us to get it!

Sunday night/ Monday morning I heard a honk and a door slam around 4:30 am, so I got up and looked out the front window to see the door of my van wide open. I looked out the side window and saw a car sitting there and after about 5 secs speed off. I went and got David up knowing we had been robbed and sure enough... Not sure what scared them or whatever, but I'm glad it did before they got everything. They did manage to take the things that were in the front (gps, car power inverter, and my ipod), but he had taken the dvd players off the headrest and found the other player that was in the floor board (from our trips) and stacked them into the car seat, but I guess when he got scared forgot to grab them. So I was thankful at least those weren't taken. But we felt so mad and violated. But needless to say, everyone was fine and it was our mistake for accidentally leaving the car door unlocked...

So then, he was home for a week and then had to leave again to go to Charlotte for work camp. David's mom took the week to come help us and I'm so thankful she did. She is always a huge help when she is here and were so so happy to have her with us! The boys played and played and had a big time. I don't have any pictures yet because Brenda has them, but I will add them when I get them. :) So, David got home on Thursday night and G-ma had a leave on Friday morning. Thanks so much G-ma for coming and loving on the boys!! Saturday morning my mom flew in and I was so excited to see her! She hasn't been able to come since last summer when they all were here to see Tucker. So it was a huge treat for us and so thankful she felt good and was able to enjoy herself. She kept the boys all week and really loved it. Friday, David kept the boys for us and we shopped from 9-5 and then went and ate at Olive Garden, so it was a long day but we loved spending it together! Thanks Nana for coming and spending your last week of vacation with us! The boys loved being with you and are still telling all the "stories" you told them. :) Also, thanks for getting Ty addicted to the ipad! :)

So I think that pretty much catches us up for now. It's been a crazy past few months but we are so thankful for all the visits and fun times we have had!

The boys start preschool Sept 6 and are so excited about that. I am too, but really sad for them to go to "school". Time is flying by way too fast!! Enjoy every second of it I know I am sure trying too! :)

4th of July

2011-08-08T09:20:00.007-04:00

The Runyan Family (David's mom's side) always has a huge 4th of July celebration. So, we decided to be in Ohio this year for it! Last year we couldn't because we had just had Tucker, but we were able to go the year before. Well we started out having an awesome lunch. With everything you can imagine. It was oh so yummy as always. :) Then around 2 the real fun starts. They have a gigantic water fight. With all kinds of guns, balloons, and this year 2 pools. Everyone plays and even if you think you are not going to, you end up soaked at the end, because no one is safe. :) Tucker missed it because he was taking a nap, but I"m sure next year he'll be ready to go. :) We had a blast and my lovely husband even dunked me in the pool because I guess I was too quick and was not wet enough for them! haha! :) It is an event everyone gets ready for all year. Searching for the best guns, etc. That aside, it's so fun to be with family and we enjoy the time we get to be with them! Also, Blythe is always on top of things bringing fun things for the kids. They got a goody bag full of stuff and of course Ty loved the tatoos the most. :)
Sarah brought her boyfriend, Bradley home for the first time that weekend. I'm pretty sure he had fun! That night we drove back to Kenton to watch the fireworks, but both boys passed out in the car on the way home, so they didn't get to enjoy it, but we did and I think it was honestly one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen. It was awesome. But then we headed back a little before it was over to beat the crowd. I also wore my "4th of July shirt" for the 5th year this year. (and I'm not about to get married, have a baby, or just had a baby! Shocker!) It's getting a little worn out but I guess when you only wear it once a year, that's not too much wear and tear. :)
Tuesday morning we got up and headed back to NC. It was a great trip. Never easy to leave family, but I guess that's life. Fun memories taken with us. :)

Columbus Zoo

2011-08-02T11:06:00.010-04:00

So, we got home from the beach on Saturday night, had VBS Sun-Wednesday night and then on Thursday took off again to Ohio. We only drove to WV on Thursday night and stayed with some friends, Bonnie and Will. Then on Friday we got up and headed to the zoo. David's mom has bought us a season zoo pass, so we try to stop by any time we can. :) It was hot, but the kids really had a great time. It was Tucker's first time on the carousel. He liked it for the most part. Ty is still not too sure about it (not the bravest kid) :) but he liked it. They enjoyed just sitting in the stroller and going from site to site. We only did about 1/4 of the zoo because it was already about 2 when we got there. But it was actually just the perfect amount of time. Then we loaded up and headed to Kenton. Bekah and Laney came over later that night. The boys loved her especially Ty. He is so sweet with little babies and just adored her. Tuck, on the other hand, thought of her more as something to tackle. He's a silly kid. They all shared toys and had a great time. It's so fun to see cousins together! :) Next post will be on the rest of the weekend.. Way too many pics for one. :)

Beach Trip to Florida

2011-08-02T08:50:00.015-04:00

So, to start this off, it's now been a month and 1/2 since we went to the beach with my family and I kept waiting to do this post hoping to find my camera cord, but I haven't yet, so all these pics are from my family. I will come back and post more when I find it. Boo! Anyway, we went to Navarre beach June 18-25, thanks to my parents! What an incredible time we had! We have never rented a beach house before because we are only 20-30 minutes from the beach, but it was so fun to all be together under one roof for a week!We came down on Thursday night after I got off of work. Friday we just hung around the house and then went to the West's house for a Webster/Todd dinner. It was lots of fun to get together with them and catch up. Then Saturday we packed up and headed to the beach. The house/condo was beautiful! It was 3 stories had 3 actual rooms and a loft area with bunk beds. All the rooms had nice big closets and flat screens. Tuck actually slept in my parents closet. Don't worry, it was well ventilated and dark so he slept great! We had visitors in and out all week, which was so fun. The first weekend, John (Mandy's man) and his 2 kids came and stayed. So we had a full house but loved every minute of it. We didn't play nearly as many games as I would have wished, but by the time we got settled everyone was so tired we just wanted to relax. :) Sunday we went back to Milton for church. Britt came in from TX and met us back at the beach house. My papa Todd and Jonathan drove in from Ohio and stayed at my parents house but drove over everyday. It was fun to have them around! GG came over a few days, but of course not everyday as we would have liked. She had stuff she "had" to do. :) Ed, Suzie, Savannah, JB, and Hannah came over a couple of days. They boys fished and we all just hung out. David and Austin went fishing almost everyday and even caught a shark! We had absolutely beautiful weather. The place also had a pool which was awesome because we would always go to the beach and then the pool before going back home, at least twice a day. We really enjoyed every second. Thursday we went to the outlets for a bit, and it rained a little that day. Of course the boys went to Bass Pro Shop and we got our annual "boys" picture. :) Friday morning it rained for a bit, but then was the gorgeous day of all! We all took turns cooking each night and we went out 2 nights and had pizza one night. One night we went to Peg Leg Petes in Pensacola. It was so good and the kids had a good time. :) One night David, Brittany, and I went to the pier and David sang Karaoke. :)

The rest of the week was spent relaxing, enjoying family, and just being together.

We really enjoyed searching for shells. For some reason, there were a ton of shells so we loved getting our nets out and finding them!

Dad and I played papa and Jonathon in a game of rook and I will have to say it was the best game of rook we have ever played. It was awesome! :) The kids played so well together. Especially Madi and Ty. They were inseperable. Seriously played the entire time. :)

Of course Ty showed his muscles a few times! :)

We left on Saturday and headed back to NC. We had VBS starting Sunday, so we needed to get back. But we left with some awesome memories! We are so very blessed and thankful to be able to all be together and to have such a wonderful week! Absolutely can't wait for next year!

Florida beach trip cont.

2011-08-01T11:59:00.002-04:00

So, here are a few more pictures from our beach trip that I got off my camera. Just looking at them makes me smile because what a wonderful week that was!!

The weekend before we went to the beach David and Austin cooked a whole thing of crawfish and ate everyone of them! kindred spirits. :) I think these pics are just too cute. Maybe one day my boys will be joining them. :)
Usually on Fridays we will get together with Stefanie and Caroline because Ty and Caroline are best friends. Although sometimes they act more like brother and sister they truly do love each other. They were playing in the little pool on the deck having so much fun. :)

Somewhere in there we look at the back yard and see a complete rainbow. I was seriously in shock! I have never seen the end of a rainbow much less both ends in my back yard! David and I were amazed. We didn't see the pot of gold in our yard so David rain out in the rain and stood in it just in case that might be the trick, but it wasn't. No pot of gold, but it sure was beautiful! What a neat treat! :) And last but not least just one picture of my precious boys. They really are so sweet to each other and it just melts my heart when they act like this! :) Living the dream. :)

365...

2011-06-05T15:10:00.005-04:00

That's how many days my little baby boy is! I can't believe that he is one! Just like everyone says, you think you couldn't love another child the way you do your first, but man I do. Tucker and Ty are so different and I love them both with my whole heart. I can't imagine that God loves us more than that. It's amazes me!
Well to start off the birthday weekend we welcomed a new friend into the world, Brady Ashley. He is Shanna and Brian's little boy and brother to Addison. He's precious in every way. I just can't wait till I can get my hands on him again. He's adorable!
He was born on Thursday, June 2nd which is also Sarah (David's sister)'s birthday! It just so happened that Brenda and Mike had a layover in Charlotte that night, so after work we packed up and headed to meet them for Sarah's bday dinner at Outback. It was a very short trip, but glad we got to see them. Happy Birthday Sarah! Hope that this is an awesome year for you!
That night I started getting ready for Tuck's party by getting most of the cakes baked. Then, Friday we were up and going. Tyler and I took Tuck to get his first haircut. I took him to Van Davis Aveda salon where I use to go. Joel cut his hair.He cried because he was not sure what in the world was happening. He had his first lolly pop there and loved it, but stilled cried and moved the entire time. He cut his hair so cute! I mean really, it's adorable. I couldn't believe with all that was going on that he did such an awesome job. While I was occupied with that Ty took it upon himself to meet everyone in there and ask them what they were doing.. They loved him. It was too funny. I know that everyone was like, wow... when we left cause we kind of created a scene. Oh well. David was working on the house and trying to do some running around for the party. Hate he missed it though. :)
Then after a few more errands we headed back home to get started on decorating the cakes. We were going for a baseball theme and I started WAY too late on planning his party. Poor thing, it just snuck up on me... It turned out pretty good though. Just very last minute. :)
Caroline and Stefanie came over Friday to keep us company. :)
Saturday was the big party day. We had a good day. Tuck just played and slept. Sarah came and picked up Ty to go to the pool for a little while which gave me time to make Tuck's bday shirt and banner for his party. :)
Around 4:15 we headed up to the church (after about 4 trips back and forth to the house because I kept forgetting everything). David was playing in the church golf tournament, so he was out of pocket. But we managed. :)
Candace, Sandra, and Addison were at the church waiting to help me set up and then daddy arrive. So with every ones help we got it done. :)
Pizza, grapes, chips & dip, peanuts, and cake!
I actually also wanted to make some baseball cake pops so they were in the mix too. 25 chocolate and 25 lemon. I was pretty excited how they turned out. David helped me put the finishing touches on them!
We had a great turn-out! It was very laid back and relaxing so I think everyone enjoyed it. I hope so! :) I just wish I would have gotten more pics of everyone that was there. :)
Tuck got lots of fun sand toys, snack cups, faucet cover, clothes, water table, books, balls, and tools. Ty told Tuck that he needed to play with the tools because they were too dangerous for him! :) I'm sure he was trying to protect him and not just stealing his toys! :)
I made a baseball for Tucker's smash cake. He actually did really good with it. I really thought he was going to think it was a really ball and try to pick it up and throw it! He just put his fingers in it at first and then started the face diving. It was too cute! :) Tyler got in a little himself. He kept sneaking finger swipes. That silly kid. :)
The rest of the kids enjoyed cupcakes. :) We also blew up our crazy red ball. The kids enjoyed getting in and getting rolled around the room. :)
Katie took some family shots of us after the party! So thankful for her to do that even if we did almost lose Nathan... Oops. :) I'm thinking the easy days of picture taking are over. 2 toddlers with sugar don't mix. It was very hard to get some good shots, but I think she managed to get a couple. :) Thanks Katie!

The only problem with having a bunch of toddlers together is the fact that someone is bound to come up sick and sure enough it happened. Someone started feeling bad after the party and the calls started coming in. I only know of 4 that had a fever so far, so hopefully that's all, but you never know. :) Thankfully I've heard it's short lived and only a small virus, so hopefully it won't be too bad. Sunday, his actual birthday, we went to church and then out to lunch. At church these 5 kiddos were all wearing white, so I took a pic, I know it's not good, but I took it anyway. :)When the boys went down for naps, I went to the pool with Sarah and Erin for a little R&R. After about an hour I came back and Tuck got up from his nap so we played with his new water table on the deck and he LOVED it! :) Went to Mexican for dinner after night church. All in all I think he had a great birthday, although he had no clue what that meant. :)

Tucker woke up with the fever this morning... I had already scheduled his one year check up for today, so it actually ended up being good timing. Dr. did do a strep test because she said his throat was on fire, but was negative and confirmed a virus. Fun Fun. Just praying Ty can stay well. We'll see. :)
Tucker checked out well! :)

His head was 19 1/2" (96%),

Weight 26.1 lb (89%)

Height 31 1/2" (92%)

Fun but busy weekend! We are so blessed to have Tucker in our lives and love him more and more everyday! We love you Tucker and are already so proud of you!!! Can't wait for many more birthday weekends!!

Cramers come to visit...

2011-05-26T13:38:00.006-04:00

This past week Brenda and Mike came to visit! We love when they come to visit. They got here Monday night and Mike didn't even walk in the house before they started working on it. Mike came down to help David start the siding on our house. We decided a little while back to do this project. We have wood siding, but the woodpeckers and wood bees are destroying it so we decided it was time to vinyl side it. So off they went. :) Most of the time they were here it was rainy and cold. That didn't stop them from working. The boys mostly just stayed inside with grandma and played. One day it was nice so they got out and had a photo shoot. :) I can't believe how big they are getting! It just doesn't seem possible! Wednesday night (5/18) Tucker started really walking. He has taken steps here and there, but we were in Ty's room playing and he wanted some play food that Ty had and he walked almost across the whole room to get it. He still hasn't taken off just yet, but he's so close. I'll try to get the video uploaded if I can get my hands on it. :)
We spent the nights eating and just hanging out.
They got a lot done on the house. There is still a good ways to go, but they most of the really hard/annoying parts done, so that's good. Now, David just has to find the time to finish it. :)
Mike flew home on Wednesday night and Brenda stayed till Friday morning. We love that they are able to come and visit and so glad they enjoy to do that! :)
When we were looking through the pics, Ty saw the picture of Tucker with his tongue out so he decided he needed to take a picture like that too! Man I love these boys!!!
This last picture is Laney. David's sister Bekah (and her husband Brad)'s little girl. She's just so squeezable I had to include it. They didn't come down I just saw this pic and had to post it. :)
Will be back soon with pics of our little beach excursion. :) Man, I love summer!

The weekend...

2011-05-09T15:19:00.004-04:00

Well, this past weekend, Tuck woke up with a high fever (103.2) so I took him to the doctor and they said he had Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease, which is a common virus in infants and children. He also had thrush... Not sure where in the world that came from? So anyway, he wasn't feeling great but was still his precious happy self. So we just stayed in most of the day Friday and Saturday and just hung at the house. I got some organizing done that I have been wanting to do and we got some good playing time in. :)
Tyler got a hair cut. David cut it and he actually didn't even cry, and that's a huge step! :) Tuck on the other hand desperately needs one... He will be going to the salon soon. He turned 11 months this past week, so only a few more weeks till he is ONE! I can't believe it!!
Saturday, David took Josh (a boy in our youth group) to the mountains, because he wanted to go. And so Saturday night the boys and I met Bryan, Candace, and her family at the K'ville Folly. It's like a carnival thing. Ty walked around looking at things and Tuck just rode in his stroller like an angel. Ty was of course spoiled and got a Diego blow up thing and cotton candy and then he sweet talked Candace into buying him a bubble gun, which is way cool! Tuck loves that too! :)
Sunday, was Mother's Day. I didn't get to go to church because HFM is contagious to children so I didn't want to risk getting anyone else sick, so we stayed home and David and Ty went. I was spoiled this Mother's Day. I have been wanting a radio or something to play music in the house. The boys love music and I often have the tv on just for back ground music. I got an Ipod touch and a docking station!! I was so excited. I have already used it tons and I know I will love it for years to come. :) We are enjoying playing the games too!
David and the boys also made me paver stones. They aren't quite done yet, but I'll show you a pick when they are! :) I am truly blessed and thankful everyday that God blessed me with 2 precious healthy boys!
I hated that we couldn't be with our moms on Mother's Day, but we get to see them both very soon! We love you both and are so thankful for you and all you mean to us! Thank you for loving us and bring us up in a christian home! Thank you for showing me how to be a loving mother and for all you do for us!!! We are blessed!!
And lastly, just a few pics that I have stored up that I need to post before I lose them. Just random things.
Ty fishing with Daddy at the Branch Farm.
Ty making his first fort in our living room.
Tucker's love for phones and remote controls, he can spot them from across the room.
Tuck sitting in the boys little rocking chair, man, he's getting big!
Ty loves helping daddy in the yard! I'm sure he's a BIG help! :)
I hope you have a great week and enjoy this beautiful weather we are having!!

Easter and Such..

2011-05-01T11:29:00.001-04:00

Easter... Well, this year for Easter weekend we went to Searcy, Arkansas. We left Thursday morning and drove 13 hours... Fun Fun. Actually the boys did great and I was so proud of them, but we were super happy to finally arrive safe and sound. :) We went along with 3 other adults, 6 of the youth group boys, and our 2 boys. Once we got there, we checked the boys into the dorms at Harding and then headed to Brittany and Brad's house. It was so good to see them and be there with them. They have a precious house and Britt had it all set up with us complete with new pjs on the bed washed and ready for David and I! So sweet! They made Ty and Tuck Easter baskets which they broke into right when we arrived. :) Friday we got up and hung out at the house. Brad had to work and Britt had an exam. Afterwards we went to lunch and then headed to Harding to see the Chunns. Lindsey had a chorus concert thing so we went and listened to that. Afterwards we all went out to eat to celebrate Austin and Lindsey's engagement!! :)

We then went back to B & B's to hang out. Saturday we were lazy. Britt took Ty to the park and then we all went shopping at a flea market and hung out a bit before we left to go to Spring Sing. Britt and Ty also dyed easter eggs! :) B & B kept Tuck since it would be late when we got back. After the show we went to Lindsey's parents house for another celebration. One of Lindsey's aunts made the boys these cute sugar egg things. They each had a little scenery inside. One had a duck and one had a rabbit. That was so sweet of her. (We hadn't even met her before that day!) Then, Sunday we got up at 5 and headed home. It was a quick trip but was so glad to be able to do it! At first Tucker wasn't too sure of Brad but by the end of the weekend they were best buds. I'm just mad we didn't take more pics!!

We made it home in good timing and went straight to bed! :)

The next weekend I got to go to Highlands, NC with some of my friends from here. Actually, 2 of the girls (Karen and Mandy) have already moved, but they came back to go with us. We rented a house there and really just relaxed most of the weekend. It was beautiful there. We slept in, watched the royal wedding, ate a ton of yummy food, got in the hot tub everyday, went shopping, hiked the waterfalls, and just enjoyed each others company. It was a much needed break and I'm so thankful it worked out for me to go. Thanks to David for keep the boys and surviving. I think he had a little help from his sweet sister. :) Friday night their grandparents were traveling through so they got to go to dinner with them. I hate I missed it, but so thankful that they were able to see the boys. From the sound of it, it was quite an eventful dinner, the boys thought it would be fun to add a little chaos to the mix. :)

We had a great couple of weekends and are so very blessed to be able to go and do like we do. :) Hope everyone had a great Easter and got to spend it with their family (at least some of them!)

Birthday and Pre-Easter Fun...

2011-04-18T08:43:00.008-04:00

Well, first things first... Happy Birthday to my wonderful hubby. It was on the 12th, I just hadn't had time to blog about it yet. :) April 7-11, I flew him out to Fort Worth, Texas, to see one of his bestest. Brian and Vicki moved there I guess a year and a half ago and David has been dying to go there and see them and I knew it was a trip he probably wouldn't plan, so I just did it. He was so surprised and so excited! He flew out on Thursday night. Brian and Vicki picked him up from the airport and then they went to dinner. Friday, he took Brian to work and to tour his office and then he drove a couple hours to visit some cousins he hadn't seen in about 12 years. He said he had a great time and it was so neat to see them. Then he headed back to pick Brian up and they went to the Nascar Race. He said they got to sit in the Dickies box (where Brian works) and got the star treatment. He loved it! Then Saturday they went to a Crawfish Boil, which is his favorite! Sunday, they went to church and then hung out which he said he loved cause he and Brian caught up and had a jamming session evidently. :) Then Monday morning they headed back to the airport. Brian was flying out to Orlando, so they went together. He said it was one of the best vacations ever! I was so happy that he got to go and Thank Brian and Vicki for all they did! I know it was something he will never forget. :) Meanwhile at the house, I just had 2 teeth pulled so me and the boys were laying low. It went fine though. We had a good time, but missed him.

He brought back boots for Ty. He wasn't sure about them at first, but then LOVED them and kept telling David, "Dad, I'm so glad you got these for me.. Thank you!" It was precious!

He also got Ty and Tuck a horse and a cow that rolls around, it's pretty funny. :)

Tuesday (his actual bday) we went to Candace and Bryan's and had a cook-out which is always fun. Ty enjoyed blowing out the candle. :) We are so blessed to have a such a wonderful husband, daddy, and friend. He truly is a one-of-a-kind guy! He has a heart of gold and everyone that meets him knows that! We are so thankful that God chose him for us! :) Happy 27th Birthday Baby! Well, then I guess that takes us to this past weekend. Really most of the weekend was pretty laid back, but Sunday was crazy, fun, but busy! Saturday night we went to a couples baby shower for Ellen and Chris. Sunday we were up for church and then after that, we had a Easter egg hunt for the kids. David planned it and had about 800 eggs. It was awesome and I think all the families really enjoyed it. We had subs and pizza while some people hid the eggs. Then the Easter bunny showed up and then all the kids got to find the eggs. He had a section for 0-3, and then from 4 up. Ty loved running to get the eggs. He saw us stuff them all so knew there was lots of candy in them. :) Tucker took a short nap while this was going on, so Ty sat with the bunny. Once Tucker got up, he joined Ty and got a picture too! Although he completely miss the hunt. Afterwards, I took the boys home for about an hr so Tucker could finish his nap. Around 2 we woke him up to head to the Winston-Salem Dash game. It was a beautiful game and I had my camera, but didn't take any pictures! :( They had a kids zone thing and Tyler actually went in and jumped in the blow up thing and also rode the elephant on the carousel! I was so excited because he's usually pretty timid about those things. One lady was laughing at me because I'm sure I sounded ridiculous talking to him about how awesome he was and how proud I was of him... It was quite dramatic! :) So, then we left the ball game a little early and Ty was asleep 5 minutes down the road. So I left them both sleep for about 1 1/2 hours and then woke them up to take them to the park where they were having the youth devo. We really did have an awesome day! By 10:00 I was about to pass out, but we had lots of fun and slept very well! :)

Just life...

2011-04-04T09:50:00.007-04:00

Well, not much has been going on for the past couple of weeks. Tucker got sick and stayed that way for a little over a week. He had some kind of stomach issues that had him out of sorts, but we're still not sure what it was because no one else got it... Seems weird to me, but I guess that's just what kids do. So, I'll take the blessing. But I was constantly washing all the toys he touched when he went down for his nap. So my table often looked like this. :) Tyler and I dyed easter eggs. He was so excited and actually did really well. Later that day when they had dried he and daddy colored on them. He's constantly wanting to play with them, they are on the mantle for now, but I'm thinking soon they will be in the trash before they start stinking up the house! :) Once again, Tyler is loving tatoos right now and of course David is eating it up, so the other night after we washed the old ones off, David went to town on him... Oh my. We must stop before he thinks he's "suppose" to have them. :) Tucker is finally better. He did get another tooth on the bottom so I will try to get a good pic of that soon. He's into everything and constantly on the go. He is a very sweet and quiet baby, but I'm afraid he's filled with mischief. :) Finally yesterday we had a gorgeous day! Tucker and I went to play outside while Tyler was taking a nap. Tuck kept doing the upward dog... He was just a laughing, it was precious. He loves being outside and I love that! He didn't really venture off the blanket, but I was happy about that. :) Last night we had "Make 'em Smile" with the teens, so we went to a nursing home and passed out stuffed animals. The residents loved it and I loved watching Tyler interact with them. One of our kids dressed up as the easter bunny. I'm mad I didn't take any pictures. Ty was excited about him, but nervous too! He knew it was Bailey under there, but still wasn't quite sure. :) But later we got home and he put some pj pants on his head and I was like Ty, you look like the easter bunny and he said no mom, I'm a pirate... So there you go. Not sure why he thought he looked like a pirate, but he did! :) One more thing that is funny to me, Tyler is not a good eater unless it's junk food. One thing that he will mostly eat is chicken nuggets, but he only eats the heads. It's so funny. No many how many I give him he will just eat the heads off and that's it. We have started making him eat the tails too and then last night David talked him into eating all the spikes. So, we'll see maybe we're getting somewhere. So, that's all I have, see why I hadn't updated yet... :) Tomorrow I have to have a tooth pulled... OH MY. Say a prayer for me. Not looking forward to that. I'll be back asap when I have some more to chat about! :)

It's a GOOOOD Day!

2011-03-23T08:47:00.010-04:00

So, mom and dad are in Houston today and we got the news yesterday that mom's tumors are shrinking! Praise God!! What an awesome answered prayer! Still a ways to go, but at least we are on the right track! She will have a treatment tomorrow and then one more in 3 weeks and then she will go back to Houston for another scan and there the Dr will decide which way to go. She can only be on this current treatment for 8 rounds and after these next 2 that will bring her to 6. So he will look at the new scans and figure out the best way to go. So please be praying for this that the tumors will continue to shrink and that God will give the doctors knowledge about where to go next! Thanks for all your prayers. We are so excited and slept a little better last night! :) God is Good! (this picture is from a girls weekend mom had last week and this is her cousin aka sister, Teresa)

Also on that note, I need to report, some of our best friends, Candace and Bryan and their family had a great week last week too! Bryan gave one of his kidney's to Candace's mom on Thursday. The surgery went just as planned and everything is working perfectly! Continue to pray that it will continue to work well and both Bryan and Sandra will have a good and quick recovery! :) We're so excited for them! (this picture is 3 days after the transplant...isn't that amazing!)

So, now on to more of life...

David was gone last weekend with a few of his guy friends to the beach. They went to help fix up the beach house and enjoy some food and fishing! I think they accomplished it all. Meanwhile, back at the house, me and the boys were busy crafting! :)

Barbara and I decided to do a craft sale that her preschool was putting on. So we started a few weeks back and my house has been a disaster ever since. My kitchen table has totally been taken over. It's a mess. But I did seem to get most of it together. The sale was yesterday and today, and hopefully we will get some stuff sold. We also decided to start an etsy shop and just see where this goes. She mostly does painting and do I sewing and making little baby items. So together we thought it worked well. We came up with the name, Scraps & Doodles. So that is our etsy name and email address. Let me know if you are interested in anything. Once we get everything up and running I'll put up the link so you can see some of our stuff. But here are a few pictures that we took and some of the stuff set up at the sale. :)

Really I didn't craft all weekend, I had a lot of it done, but I had a few items to finish up. :) We had gorgeous weather, so we actually got to spend a lot of time outside and even went on a walk with Sarah! It felt great! Ty and I watered the plants and of course he thought he needed to play in the hose and mud for a good 45 minutes. So I let him! :) Tucker was taking a nap so we played and played on the playground, played baseball, and just enjoyed being together. He even told me "You're the best mommy Ever" Seriously he did. It totally melted my heart! Then the night came and they played in the bath forever. It's getting so fun to watch them because they are really starting to play together and it's so fun! Tucker adores Ty and wants to do everything he is doing, but also, it's the other way around sometimes too! I really think they are going to be best friends and that makes me so happy!

This picture just makes me think "The battle of the Wills" and you can just guess who won...

And I got a shot of "the tooth"! Finally. I have been trying but he won't ever show me when I have the camera out! He almost has 2 now. One is coming in right beside that one. He's been working on it for a while, but it's almost through. We had his 9 month check up and he passed with flying colors. He was 24 lbs (92%), 29" (74%), and his head of course was more than 99%. Dr. Bell was impressed with his ability to stand up by using the wall and thought everything was right on schedule. Thank goodness we didn't have to have any shots, but his one year appointment will change that. We all got a little cold after that, so we just now trying to get over it. So hopefully soon, we will all feel better!

So, that's about all the news I have for now. Life is good and we are thanking Him for all our wonderful blessings!

The only bad thing right now is that one of my teeth broke on Monday, so I had to go to the dentist yesterday and it has to be pulled and I have to go today to an endodontist to check about a root canal on another tooth and then on Friday I have to go get my teeth cleaned and find out how many fillings I need... Oh my, I am NOT happy about this! But this too shall pass...

The past 9 months...

2011-03-03T11:35:00.020-05:00

I'm going to try to do a recap, mostly with pictures of the last 9 months. It's just killing me to not put them up there. I hope that I will go back and fill in a few more details later on, but we'll see. I do have a few post in the "holding" area that I wrote right after I had Tucker, so those details wouldn't be lost, so we'll see when they come out... As for now, here's to catching up...

MAY:
*We set off on our last family of 3 vacation on May 23rd. We drove to Auburn and stayed with my friend, Katie, Daniel and there precious son Maddox. The next morning we headed to Destin, FL for a couple days of rest and relaxation.
*We went to Milton on Wednesday (26th) for all the festivities for Brittany's wedding. We had a blast and loved every minute about being there. The wedding was absolutely perfect and Brittany looked amazing!! Ty was the ring bearer and did awesome!

*On Sunday after the wedding, we headed to Charleston, SC to meet some friends of ours the Chunn's at their beach house on Seabrook Island. They recently moved to TX so it was so fun to be with them. We were planning on only spending the night and heading back to Winston Monday morning, but we were having so much fun we decided to stay till Wednesday! It was the best decision ever! :)
JUNE:
*So we got back home Wednesday night and I was in super nesting mode. Cleaned and put away everything I possibly could. Little did I know Friday night/ Saturday morning I would go into labor! Went to the hospital pretty early Saturday morning and our little man was born on Saturday at 2:07 p.m. Mom missed it by an hour (b/c the airport lost her luggage!) Boo.
*Mom got to stay a whole month since it was the summer! Next baby will hopefully be born in the summer too, because that was simply awesome! We had lots of fun. We went to the pool everyday, relaxed, took naps, ate on the back porch, and shopped. Couldn't have been better! The only thing was about a week after Tucker was born our air quit working and it was unbearable, so we headed to a hotel for the night. It actually was a great set up (thanks Bennett!) and it worked out pretty well. Thanks to George for fixing it! :)
The day before mom had to leave Brenda and Mike came, they were here when she left which made it easier. :) So they stayed a week and we really enjoyed them being here, went to the movies Toy Story 3 (3d) Ty LOVED it but only wore the glass about 50 % of the time.
*Also about a week after Tucker was born David was at church fixing the sign out front and nailed a nail right through his thumb (I think that is what happened), so that was pretty traumatic!
JULY:
*For July 4th we had a cook out at the Branch Ranch and then headed to Kville to watch the fireworks... They were not good, but we had fun getting to spend the day with people we love. (there's that striped shirt for the 4th year in a row!)
*David went to Costa Rica on a mission trip. He was gone for about a week. So while he was gone my BFF from Alabama came! Ashley and Jake came and stayed the week with me! I loved her being here. We were referees most of the time, but I loved it anyway! We did go to the Children's Museum and the park and they loved both of those. It was such a fun treat to have them here with us! I can't wait till next time!!
*Towards the end of the month, my whole family came to visit! I was so super excited about this! Brittany came 3 or 4 days early and then Mom, Dad stayed for about 4 days and then Mandy, Austin, and Madi, stayed the rest of the week. It was so fun having everyone under one roof again, just wish I had a bigger house to store everyone. :) Tyler adores his cousins!

AUGUST:

*We really didn't have a whole lot of going in August. Seemed that everyone was going back to school or getting ready to so we basically just took it easy and I enjoyed being home.

*One night we took the boys out on the Ashley's boat. I loved it. Tucker enjoyed it too, but Tyler wasn't so sure. I'm hoping this summer there will be more opportunities to go and Ty will start loving it! :)

*Also the last week before I had to go back to work, we took a little trip to Ohio. The weather was awesome and I enjoyed sitting on the front porch every morning feeding Tuck and then just doing domestic things like snapping peas and canning tomatoes (ok Brenda actually did that, but it sounded good). :)

SEPTEMBER:

*I went back to work... BOO! I did pretty good though because I knew that Darla loved them and would see that their every need was met and of course she did! She's the best.. btw...

*On the 11th, Tyler turned 2. It happened to be on a Saturday so it worked out great for his party. We were going to have it a church since we just got a new playground, but it rained so we had it inside, which actually turned out better since there were probably more crawlers there than walkers. :) We had a Toy Story party. It was so fun complete with a Buzz pinata. I just can't believe my little boy is 2! Time goes by way too fast!

OCTOBER:

*On October 7th, our new neice, Laney was born! She's adorable and we're so excited to have another girl in the family!

*David won a prize on the radio to pick an activity he wanted to do and he went bear hunting with some guys. Some of the guys ahead of him actually shot the bear, but he saw it. I don't think he was too impressed with the whole thing. Hopefully that will be a first and last kind of thing!

*David's mom made this blanket for Tucker. It is adorable and I'm so thankful she's so talented! :)

*Halloween was fun. Brad, Bekah, and Laney came down for the weekend, so they were here for the festivities. We went with the Worthams around their neighborhood. We had a great time, Ty and Caroline had so much fun getting out and getting the candy and Tuck and Laney were troopers. It really was a fun night. We went to the Parrish's afterwards for chili and snacks.
*Sadly, my sweet sweet mom was diagnoised with Stage 4 breast cancer. It really came out of no where and shocked us all. This is her 3rd round with this nasty disease and it hit us all so hard. She is a trooper and has so much to fight for, so that's exactly what she's doing. She has had so much love and support shown to her it's amazing! Keep those prayers coming. Here she is with her new do. She looks so super cute and young! Yes, I said that's my mom, not my sister! :) Also, one Sunday night right after the news her church surprised her with all wearing some kind of pink for her. They have been truely amazing! I love them all!

NOVEMBER:

*It was a crazy month after that horrible news my mom received, so it was basically trying to get everything done for her and anxious about appointments etc.

*We went to Florida for Thanksgiving. We had the best time! Mom hadn't started treatments yet, so she felt pretty good. We had a professional photographer take some pics for us and we LOVED how they turned out! It really was a relaxing trip that we all needed. It was just so nice to all be together even if we weren't really doing anything. I just enjoyed being home and being together.

DECEMBER:

*Mandy and John started dating and have been together ever since. :) They are so happy together and we are so happy for them!!

*Snow snow snow! We had alot of snow and it actually snowed 6" in Winston-Salem while we were in Ohio with only about 1"-2". Crazy how that works! Ty enjoyed playing in it and David taught him how to eat it... the white kind of course. :)

*We took the boys to see Santa at Reynolda Village this year, because they have a Santa set up in a room and there was no wait and it was pretty much awesome... except that my little 2 yr old decided right when we walked in that he was scared of him and wouldn't even look at him... It was crazy. So every picture we have, Ty has swollen eyes from crying so much. It was really a tramatic experience for him! :)

*I just love Christmas time... I love getting ready, putting decorations up, the smells, the lights.. Pretty much everything about it! Here are the boys just hanging out at the house.

*One of Tyler's many "dates" with Caroline! They really are the best of friends and play so great together!
* We went to Ohio for Christmas. We had a great time and loved being able to be there. We were back and forth between Marysville and Kenton, but for the most part it was very relaxing and we spent many nights in the basement getting presents ready. :) It was a lot of fun. The boys loved being there and all the attention they get. They are spoiled rotten! :) We still need to get professional pics done with this side of the family... Maybe this summer... But we took a few just here and there.

*I just think this pic of the cousins is hilarious, Laney is not happy and Ty is trying to console her and Tuck has his mouth wide open, like... look what bubba did, this is bad!!!

*Santa came... Although the boys didn't see what he brought till about 10:30 because they are late sleepers. :) Ty was excited and Tucker just wanted to chew on whatever he could get his hands on. :)

*We left there the Monday after Christmas and headed to Papa Todd's house for the night. I love being able to go see him and Jack, Gail, and Jon. I wish we could have stayed longer, but this was a short trip for us. It was so good to be there, let them meet Tucker, and play a few good games of cards! Love them so very much!

JANUARY:

*My Auburn Tigers won the BCS National Championship!! WAR EAGLE! We went to the Wortham's to watch the game and drove back in the snow! :)

*Tyler has gotten into tatoos. Candace bought him is first one when we went out to dinner one night and it just happened to be Sponge Bob, we don't watch that show, but he knows who it is so he was thrilled. I think we currently have a tiger on his arm. :)

*I officially turned 29 and will be holding there for a while! I actually flew with both boys to Florida the day before my birthday so I got to spend it with my family, but for some reason I have NO pictures from the whole week I was there. I mostly took video. I'm so bad.

FEBRUARY:

*I had bunko at my house. I had a lot of fun preparing fun treats and getting ready for it... David said, he missed me those couple of days... I made homeade strawberry and homeade peppermint ice cream, made the little chocolate holders and melted candy canes and strawberry canes into hearts for the top! :)

*We had a good Valentine's day! This is what I found on the kitchen table when I woke up.. He's precious.

*Darla was out of town so my wonderful Mother-in-Law came down for a few days to keep the boys for us. The surprise was that Mike, Bekah, and Laney came the next day too! So fun!

*We took the youth the Winterfest in Gatlinburg and we left the kiddos with RaRa. She of course did awesome, and surprisingly I did to. It was their first time to be without Mommy and Daddy and they didn't even miss us! :) That made me happy though.

*The boys are loving bath time and it's great now because I can set them both in there and they play good together. Makes things so much easier!

So, how's that for an update?? I really hope to be much better and now that I'm semi caught up, I think I can do this!! Thanks for still checking on me even though I have been MIA for a LONG time!!

Im back...

2011-03-01T08:31:00.006-05:00

Well...I think it is time I return to blogging. Now that mom's cancer has returned and our lives are going down a path we had hoped to never see, I think writing and keeping others in touch is part of my role in all of this. SO much has happened since the last time I wrote, and I will slowly go back and document it all, but for now to get me back on track, I am going to just start with today and write like I have never left.

So... We're doing good! My boys are precious and I adore them so much! I love to just sit back and watch them and soak in every moment with them.

Tyler is such a sweet kid. He really has a sweet heart. You can tell that he's 2 1/2 though and can change moods in a second if something is not going "right" for him! :) He loves Tucker and is usually pretty good sharing with him.

Tucker is absolutely the best baby ever. Seriously, he never crys and is just as happy as he can be. He got his first tooth this past Friday (Feb 25) and besides the constant drooling and eating of everything, we wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't felt it. Then he proceed to get an ear infection on Sat/Sun. So now we are on antibiotics for that so hopefully it will knock that out soon. This is only his 2nd one hopefully tubes are not in our future, but who knows. :)

My mom has another treatment on Thursday, so keep praying that the chemo is working and that the side effects are not too bad this round. It usually keeps her down for about a week so that is no fun, but she is a trooper and is doing amazing! She and my dad will go to Texas March 13th week to get scans to see what's going on. So were praying for great results. We know and trust that God is right there with her and is leading the path.

Well, that's about all I have right now. But I will be back soon.. Promise.

Maternity Leave

2010-08-27T09:21:00.002-04:00

I'm going to try not to leave anything out, but I know I will....
The next week is kind of a blur. Mom was with me and it was awesome to have her stay for such a long time. I absolutely loved every minute of it!!
We took Tucker back to the doctor for a weight check and he was at 7lbs, so that was awesome because he was sleeping so good at night we needed to make sure he was gaining weight and he was. :) So, I just continued to let him sleep at night. He would eat about every 2-3 hours in the day and then at night go for at least 5. It was so nice. Many mornings I would wake up about 4:00 and feed him and then go back to bed and we would all sleep till 9 or 10. We got really spoiled. We went out and about several times to the mall, Target, playground, and pool. We got into a routine where we would get up around 9:30 feed Tucker and then head to the pool till about 12, when Tucker was ready to eat again, have lunch and then take naps. We did that for probably 2 weeks. It was awesome!! Sadly mom had to go back to Florida because they were chomping at the bits to get her back! She left on Wednesday and David's mom got here the night before. It was great. But I started to get Mastitis the night before mom left, so I called the dr and he called me in some antibiotics so that was nice. I felt better the next day.
It was great having Brenda here. She loved being with the boys. Ty really got spoiled while the grandmas were here. But he was doing great adjusting to everything. Saturday night I was up pretty much all night with fever and achy to wake up having mastitis again. I was still on my antibiotics. I called the dr and they said to try to pump through it. I pretty much slept all day. Thank goodness Brenda was here, I don't know what I would have done!! Mike flew in Sunday afternoon so she took Ty to the airport to get him.
It was so fun having them all here. Mike and David worked most of the time fixing the playground for the backyard. It turned out great, it was just too hot to play on it. :) One afternoon we went to the movies to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. Ty loved it and pretty much watched the whole thing. He kept his glasses on about 3/4 of the time, so that was good. Tucker did pretty good, I just took him out once to change him and finish feeding him his bottle. It was a fun little trip, then that night we all went to eat dinner.
We hated to see them leave, but knew it was time to figure out how to do this on our own, and actually it went really smoothly.
The next couple of weeks we pretty much just hung out and went for short day trips here and there between Tucker's feedings. The first Wal-Mart trip was successful and I was pretty proud of myself to get them both in and out and no one was crying. :)
Brittany got to fly in and stay a couple of days before the rest of the family arrived. We picked her up from the airport and it was so good having her here. She was a big help and I enjoyed making our friendship stronger that week. It was good. Ty loved her being here and at his beckon call. :) We didn't do much but it was fun just being together. Then a few days later the rest of the family came. It was absolutely awesome having everyone together, except Brad and GG of course. We really just hung out and loved being together. That hasn't happened in a LONG time! So then on Sunday, David left for camp for the week. Dad, mom, and Britt left on Wednesday to head to Ohio and Mandy and the kids stayed with me the rest of the week. Ty absolutely adores Austin and Madi and it was fun having them together making memories. The kids were kind of scared of Tucker, but by the end of the week, Madi was a pro at holding him! Mandy kept all the kids Saturday night so David and I could go on a date. Dinner at J. Butlers and a trip to Wal-Mart...perfect! :) Mandy of course is a pro and did great with the kids. We celebrated Austin's 8th Birthday on Sunday. Lunch at Kimono's with church friends and dinner at LaCarreta with most of the same friends. He got sang to both times. :) I think he had a great Birthday. The night before he went with Jeff and Eliott to the Dash baseball game, so all in all I think he loves coming to KiKi's house! :)
They left Monday morning and headed to Atlanta to go to the Aquarium and to the Coke Factory. So they were excited, but we were so sad to see them leave!!
2 weeks after that, David left for a mission trip to Costa Rica and the night before Ty came down with a high fever! I was sad because I knew Ash and Jake couldn't come with Ty sick. I took him to the dr on Tues and they said it was a virus. Thank goodness he was over it by Thursday and they were able to come on Saturday. It was so fun having her here. I haven't spent that long with her in a really long time. It was fun for Jake and Ty to get to play. They had a rough start, but by the end they were best buddies. We went to parks, children's museums, and just hung out. It was so fun being together!! I am so thankful she drove down to see us!!
David got home and then about 2 days after that we headed to Ohio to see his family. His cousin, Jason was home from Iraq so we were excited to get to see him. We had a great relaxing trip. The weather was gorgeous and I spent most of my days on the front porch with Tucker. Brenda's garden was in full bloom, so we enjoyed fresh veggies and I enjoyed watching her make all kinds of yummy things to can. :) We went to the zoo, visited with friends and family, and really just had a great time! I was sad to leave because I knew that was my last full week of maternity leave and was going back to work the next week. :(
The boys did great on the trip and really adjusted to everything we did! They are pretty sweet, if I must say so myself! :)
So I kept pushing back my start date, I was originally going back Monday, 8/23, but then pushed it to Wednesday and finally actually went back on Thursday, 8/26.
It really wasn't that bad and once I talked to Darla and she said the boys did great I felt 100 times better. Don't get me wrong, I wish I could stay at home with them, but I can't, so I felt good about the situation. They are in a safe place where they are loved, so I know that all is well. :) Work was fine and wasn't too hard to get back into. They had a temporary come in while i was out, so that helped my work load, so when I got back it wasn't a disaster. My boss is great and so understanding. I'm so thankful to God that He put me in such a great place. My boss also told me on Thursday if I wanted to start working Mon-Thurs 7-5:30, I could and then have Friday's off. That was a huge blessing and I'm so thankful for that!!
So all in all, Maternity leave was absolutely awesome. I have 2 incredibly precious boys and a wonderful hubby that loves me. We are doing well and adjusting to day to day routines. God is good and so are we! :)

Tucker's Birth

2010-06-10T12:45:00.003-04:00

So, after I cleaned the entire downstairs I was pooped. The Chunn's were getting into town and wanted us to meet them for dinner but it was 10:00 and I was just too tired. Lindsey (Austin's girlfriend) was coming to stay with us, since the whole family was kind of staying in different houses (with their old friends). So they dropped her off around 11:30 and we ended up staying up till about midnight watching Whale Wars. The Chunn's and mainly Lindsey was convinced that I was going to have Tucker the next day, Saturday.

I was kind of thinking I was having a few contractions when I went to bed, but nothing that hurt or anything like that. So I just figured that I was tired from cleaning.... I woke up around 2:30 feeling the contractions stronger and closer together, but still nothing that hurt. I went and got on the couch because I didn't want to wake David. He needs his sleep and if this really was the real thing I wanted him to sleep as long as possible. So around 3:00 I called my mom and told her I thought I was having contractions, but couldn't really tell, because they didn't hurt. Mom said to time them and then to call her back. I timed them for about 30 minutes and they were about 2-3 minutes apart for about 45 seconds. She said call the Dr. So I did and they said to come on in. Called mom back and she booked a flight and was in the air by 8:00. So after waiting a little while longer, I went and woke up David to tell him, this might be it. It was about 5am. He piddled around and kept laughing saying, there is no way you are in labor, are you kidding me?? He took a shower and I packed my bag. I went up and told Lindsey that we were headed to the hospital and she was in complete shock, so was so excited. I was so thankful she was there because I couldn't get a hold of Sarah, so I'm thankful I didn't have to wake Ty up and take him somewhere.

So we got to the hospital and checked in around 6:00. They checked me and I was at 1 cm. They wanted me to walk around for an hour and then come back at 7. No progress I would go home and if I did make progress, they would keep me. Well, they hour went by and every 2 minutes I was hunched over on a railing, hurting really bad. I can't say it was as bad as I had it with Tyler, but it was still really bad. David found a picture of a doctor on the wall and his name was Peter Pan. Honestly. David kept laughing and sending his pic to everyone he knew. For me it was not so funny at the time, but whatever, it kept him entertained. :) So finally, 7:00 came and they checked me and I was at 4 cm!! Thank goodness. They checked me in, got my iv started and took me to my room. My precious nurse, Kellie, took awesome care of me and even ordered my epi before a girls that was already there.. I was so grateful!! About 10 minutes later he was in there and getting me ready. David actually held me this time, which was strange because before they wouldn't even let him in the room. But he did great and at one point, the nurse did make him sit on the floor because he felt weak, but he didn't pass out.. :)

So once the epidural was in I was good to go. I was so tired cause I only had about 2 1/2 hours of sleep, but I could sleep. Bill and Joyce got there first and then the visitors trickled in. I loved having everyone there. Just hated our family couldn't be there.
So pretty much for the rest of the morning, I just laid there and enjoyed my coke. :) Candace got there and Vicki and Lindsay came by before the wedding, just to check in.
The dr/nurse was trying to wait for my mom to get in town before they broke my water because they figured I would progress pretty quickly once they did that (1-2 hours), so finally around 1:30 they broke my water because mom was suppose to land in Greensboro at 2:00 and that should have been perfect timing. I was at 8 cm when they broke my water. They checked me about 10 minutes later and I was at 10cm ready to push. So they got everything ready and I pushed through one contraction and he was out at 2:07 pm. It was simple and he was perfect. 7lbs 4 oz, 20.9", head completely full of long dark hair, brownish gray eyes
Mom had landed and Shanna was there to pick her up, but they lost her luggage so she was dealing with them trying to find it.
Tucker was absolutely adorable and at first glance looked just like Tyler to me. They took him over to clean him up and were noticing that he was grunting and not really crying. So they wanted to take him to the NICU for 4 hours to be observed. So they let me hold him for just a minute. He was so sweet and did look a little like Tyler but not his nose. And that made him look totally different and also his eyes looked pretty brown unlike ty's. So they took him and we waited there until I got into my room. Mom stopped by and got me something to eat and then David took groups down to the NICU to see him. We finally got into our room around 7:00 and they said they should bring him back to my room by 7:00, but he never came. So we went down to see him and I got to hold him a 2nd time. He looked huge in there compared to all the other tiny babies. When we got back to our room, Sarah had brought Ty up there to see us. He brought me flowers and was so excited to see his baby brother. David took him back to see him. But in the meantime, Barbara, Bekah, Sarah, Jennie, Vicki and Kelly were all in my room having the best time. It was fun to laugh with them and appreciated them all coming to see us. Finally around 9:00 they brought him to me so I could try to feed him. He latched right on and did great eating.

David went back home with Tyler and mom stayed with me. Tucker did really well. Of course you don't get any sleep because the nurses are constantly coming in and out checking everything! So that's pretty annoying, but it was fine. Morning came and I got to take a shower and then me and mom pretty much just hung out all day, having a few visitors here and there.

Finally, Monday morning we got to go home. Mom went home to watch Ty and David came back up to get me. Tyler was so excited when we pulled up, it was absolutely priceless. He was so happy to have his baby brother home!!

Beach Trips and Brittany's Wedding

2010-06-04T12:09:00.002-04:00

Sunday, May 23, we had a great Sunday at church for our graduating seniors. After church we had a luncheon for them and David did a slideshow for each of the 6 kids. They turned out great, as usual. The families loved them and it was so neat to see these kids grow up. I really made me think how fast they truely do grow up!! After the luncheon, we piled in the van and headed towards Florida. We were actually only going to Opelika/Auburn, to stay the night with Daniel, Katie, and Maddox, so we could break up the trip. It was successful! :) Tyler did great and it was so fun to stay with Katie and catch up, if only for a night. Maddox is absolutely adorable and I'm so glad we got to meet him!! So, Monday morning we got up and headed to Destin, FL for our mini-vacation. The hotel was very nice. We got to our room and discovered there was no air. Ty and I were hot and slightly irritable, so we headed to the pool and left David to sort out all the details. He joined us about an hour later and said we had be upgraded slightly and it had air, so we were happy! Then Ty and I left the pool so that he could take a nap and David stayed a while longer relaxing at the pool. When we got back up to our room he noticed that it was burning up. I guess I didn't realize it since we had been in there for a while. So once again they moved us. We packed all our stuff and headed to yet another room, slightly upgraded again. :) This room did have air, so we were thrilled. David went to a seafood restaurant and got take out. It was so yummy!! Then Tuesday we got up and had to go to one of those timeshare deals. It was pure torture. We KNEW we were NOT going to buy anything, but yet we had to go through 4 different people with their own speaches, and then a tour. Ty was tired and we were hungry. At one point Ty was running around the room (that had about 10 other couples in there), the lady asked me if I wanted a coloring book for ty (of course to settle him down), I politely declined because I wanted them to kick us out of there! :) Sadly it didn't work. :( But we did manage to get out of there without spending a dime. We went and got lunch at Whataburger and then headed to the hotel for naps. Afterwards, we headed to the pool and to the beach. Ty wasn't too sure about the beach at first, but there was a wade pool thing where high tide had left water, so Ty had a blast playing in that. Me (the beached whale) just sat and enjoyed our family vacation together. That night we went to a fun beachside restaurant. It was good and then afterwards we stopped and got some yummy icecream. Wednesday morning we got up, packed up and headed to Milton. It is only about an hour away, so that was super nice. We met everyone at GG's house, were wedding mode was in full gear. We had such a great time being able to be around and "help" out with all the festivities. Thursday we worked at the church and got it pretty much completely decorated. Brittany had great ideas that really came together. It was beautiful and so cute at the same time. That night, Mandy and I threw Britt's lingere shower at Jenny West's house. We had about 35 people come. So it was a great success and she got lots of awesome things. The food was yummy, the games were fun, and the fellowship was even better. So it was great all around. Then, Friday we headed over to Zea's house for the bridesmaid luncheon. Her house is absolutely gorgeous and we had a great time there. We sat on the back porch and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Of course being 9 months pregnant, I was a little hot, but I just went back to the screened-in porch and sat under the fan... Perfect! Brittany got us all cute beachtowels, bubbles, and earrings. For me, my sister, mom, and grandmother, she got us these beautiful purple bracelets to wear in honor of my papa. They were actually pancretic cancer bracelets but went perfect with our dresses. It was such a sweet thing to do, and I LOVE that bracelet for so many reasons! After the luncheon, we went back to the church to finish the last minute touches and then headed home to rest for a while. Thanks so much to David for being in charge while I was out and about. Friday night was the rehearsal and dinner. It all went smoothly! Dinner was at Red Barn. Yummy bar-be-que and all the fixins. David did a slideshow for them and it turned out perfectly, so they played that so we all could see it. Then everyone got up and told stories, it was very funny!! I ended up on the front porch with Ty and Madi because they were over sitting there. :)
Then we headed back to the house to visit with family and just be together. That is when Ty got a huge bump on his head, because Mandy challenged David to spin Ty around and then let him walk, of course, right after he got done spinning him and let him go he face planted on a toy. It was quite dramatic and I was so mad at him... But Ty was fine after he screamed for about 5 minutes.. :)
Saturday was the big day. We headed up to the church pretty early to get things ready and to put Ty down for a nap so he wouldn't be a beast at the 2:00 wedding.
Brittany looked absolutely beautiful and was so happy!! Misty came to do her hair and it looked so good too!! She was just a stunning bride. All the bridesmaids looked great and the kids were adorable. Pictures went well and the wedding even better. It was perfect. Ty did so good walking down the aisle and then standing right beside me. I was so proud of him.
The reception was beautiful and the food was awesome. I honestly can't say one thing bad about it. It was a perfect day!
Afterwards we cleaned up and were home by 8:00. Not to shabby! :)
I absolutely LOVED being home and it made me miss it even more. But I knew I would see my family soon because Tucker was due in about 2 1/2 weeks. :)
Sunday morning we got up and drove to Charleston, SC. Actually SeaBrooke Island. Our friends own a beach house there and we visiting from Texas, so we knew we had to go see them. Our plan was so stay there Sunday night and then leave Monday morning. But when we got there, it was so relaxing and perfect we just couldn't leave. We kept pushing our departure time further and further. We enjoyed walking on the beach, eating, swimming in the pool, and just catching up with our friends. It was so nice. We ended up leaving Tuesday night (6/1) and getting home around midnight. We would have stayed all week if I didn't have to go back to work. But I had just been gone all last week, so I knew we had to go back. We knew they were coming to Winston on Friday because they were planning on going to Brittany Mill's wedding on Saturday.
Well, I was so far behind on getting things ready for Tucker. Thursday night I came home from work and got all of Tucker's clothes washed and hung up. I put all his "items" together and basically had the whole upstairs cleaned and ready. I also packed his bag for the hospital cause I hadn't done that yet. Friday, I went to work and then came home and cleaned the entire downstairs. Looking back now I was definitely nesting, but at the time, I just thought I had a lot of energy and wanted to get it cleaned!....

Prayer Request...

2010-05-17T09:07:00.002-04:00

This request is for the mom of one of my very best friends, Candace. She has been going through a lot lately, but Saturday she was rushed to the ER and was basically unconscious. After a long day Saturday and unknown answers, they determined that her bp spiked to 200/140 which caused her brain to swell and cause a few other issues. She has scleroderma which is a rare disease that she is also dealing with. All this together has put her in the ICU. She is improving so much better than the doctors even thought she would at this point. She is a fighter and a very tough woman, but definitely needs all of our prayers. So please say a prayer for her, Sandra, and the whole Lawson family. They have become very close "family" to David, Tyler, and I. So please just take a second and say a little prayer for this precious family!

Dinner with Friends...

2010-05-13T11:47:00.005-04:00

Tuesday night we met some of our great friends at Kimono's for dinner. Sarah and Byron are in town this week from Texas and we were so excited to get to see them. We had a great dinner and finished the evening almost getting kicked out, but it was a super fun night and I'm so thankful for awesome friends like these!! Love you guys!!

Mother's Day Weekend...

2010-05-11T14:52:00.009-04:00

And so my life goes.... Thursday after Tyler's shots he started running 103.5 temperature. I picked him up from Darla's and he was just pitiful. After some Motrin and lovin on he perked up and seemed to be fine. Slept good that night. Friday, David decided to keep him just in case and then I came home at lunch and kept him the rest of the day. He did pretty good, but started this awful cough. Friday we decided to get take-out and stay in for the night. Saturday we woke up and Ty seemed pretty good, but still his cough was getting worse. We went for a walk (probably not the best thing looking back on it) but it was gorgeous and I really wanted to get some exercise. After Ty got up from his nap they gave me my mother's day presents. So very sweet. The card was from "Ty" and was super cute, the flowers were beautiful, and as you can tell from one of the pictures Ty was very excited to see that he bought me Dum Dum pops. (He loves those!)

Afterwards we got ready and went to Candace and Bryan's house for a cook-out for Brandon's graduation. It was so fun and really relaxing. The only bad part was that Ty was literally coughing his head off the entire time. I felt so bad for him but knew it was most likely allergies since he had no other symptoms. So, we left at a decent time and got him in bed.

Sunday, up for church. I taught class and did KFC, so I was pretty exhausted by the end of it. Ty was cranky and still coughing so we opted to head home. I pretty much had a breakdown on the way home because of his coughing and him always being sick, so I called the Dr and they said to bring him in at 1:55. Got there around 1:20 cause he was asleep in the car and didn't want to wake him. Every single person that got there way after us was called back. I was totally annoyed and frustrated. Finally we were the LAST to be called back. They did an oxygen level test, tested his blood and finally decided to give him a dose of steroids and send us home with 3 more doses. Never really said what was going on, but thought that the steroids would calm the cough.

I really understood what Mother's Day was all about. Me holding my baby ALL DAY LONG because he wouldn't go to anyone else. I sent David out to the farm because they were having a cook-out and there was no need for all of us to miss it. So he went out and enjoyed some fishing and fellowship while we staying home and enjoyed watching Cat in the Hat and Alvin switching about every 10 minutes. Annoying, but it made him happy. So whatever.

I wouldn't say it will go down as being the best Mother's Day ever, but that's life and at least I got to be home with my little boy even if he was sick.

Didn't get any pictures of us either but that was probably best because I'm sure I had snot all over my shirt! :)

Monday morning David left for Myrtle Beach where he was meeting with a youth ministry group he gets together with. So, I stayed home with Ty to give him one more day of recovery. It was nice because we slept in and then played most of the day. While he took his nap I got some good cleaning in. It was a productive day, so that was nice. David is on his way home right now, so we'll be glad to have him back! :)

Hate we weren't able to be with our mom's on Mother's Day but hope they know how much we love and appreciate them! They are 2 wonderful people who have had a HUGE impact on who we are today and we both thank them from the bottom of our hearts! I only hope I can be 1/2 a great mom as they were/are!! Love you mom and thank you for being you and teaching me how to be the best mom I can be!!

And to my grandmothers, you truly are amazing and we are so incredibly grateful for your love and the example you give to us. You are christian women who have held our families together! We love you!!

And to my sister, what an awesome mom you are. The sacrifices you make for your kids and others is unfathomable. Thank you for being that supermom that I can always look up to!!

And to all my friends that are moms... Thanks for sharing stories and heartaches that help us get through day to day struggles. You truly are great and I'm thankful to have you in my life!!

And to my precious son that makes me a mommy, thank you for being the most precious thing in this world. I mean, you take right after your daddy so how could you not be? You are so fun to watch and be with. You constantly put a smile on my face with your little eye glares and the funny things you do and say. I am so thankful that God let me be your mommy and I hope I can be everything He wants me to be for you!! I love you little man!!

And to all my friends who have lost a mom, child, or are struggling to get pregnant, know that I am praying for you on Mother's Day and always!!

Okay, sorry for the sappiness, I just needed to throw that out there! :)

Sunshine and almost summertime...

2010-05-06T08:57:00.020-04:00

This past weekend was a fun-filled weekend for us. We had tickets to the Martina McBride concert in Greensboro Friday night, but I decided I really didn't want to go... Not really sure why, I was just not feeling it, so I gave the tickets to Sarah. She said it was an awesome concert and I'm glad she got to go and enjoy it. So, anyway, it was beautiful Friday, so we decided we wanted to go to a baseball game so we could be outside and enjoy the weather. The Winston-Salem Dash wasn't playing so we met Bryan and Candace at the Greensboro Grasshoppers Game. We had the best time. We had great seats and Tyler loved it! Afterwards they turned off all the lights and had a huge fireworks show. It quite possibly could have been the longest fireworks I have ever seen. Ty just starred at them. So needless to say we didn't leave there till around 10:30, but we loved it. Of course, David being the kid he is, filled us with pizza, steak and cheese sub, cotton candy, drinks, and ice cream (with a little help from Candace). David even bought him a sponge finger thing, so it definitely wasn't a cheap date, but it was worth it. Fun times with family and friends!

Saturday we (Ty and I) didn't get up till 10:00. David left a little earlier because he was playing golf that day at the Church's golf tournament. So Ty and I decided to meet Melissa, Francesca, and Dominic for some strawberry picking. We got to their house a little before lunch and headed to the farm in Kernersville. It was pretty hot and muggy that day, but we had fun. Dominic ended up sleeping the entire time we were there, but Ty and Francesca had fun finding all the strawberries. Honestly, after about 15 minutes of it, Ty was saying, "Bye Bye Stra-bur-ees" He was hot and ready to go. So we stayed for about an hour and then decided to head to the park for lunch. The kids played and had a blast. We got home around 3:00 and Ty crashed. I had to wake him up about 6:00. Then we met Candace, Bryan, and Sarah at Mellow Mushroom for dinner. It was fun and the weather was once again beautiful. After dinner we went to Kernel Kustards for some ice cream. Then around 10:30 headed back home.

Sunday we were up for church and then we went Kimono for lunch with the youth committee. It was fun and good to catch up with some of my girl friends. Then we headed back home for naps. We got up around 4:00 and headed to Ty's favorite park, Hathaway, where we were having the Teen Devo that night. Cody and Karen cooked hot dogs and we had a little picnic and played. It really was a great day.

Monday back to work. Candace's mom got pretty sick and they ended up having to put her in the hospital, so we went to visit them a little bit on Monday. Thank goodness all is well and she saw great doctors. She got to go home on Tuesday, and is feeling much better but still needs prayers that they find the reason she got so sick and are able to make it better! We love their family and hated to see them go through this. So continue to pray for this sweet sweet family!

Tuesday, I had a training all day in Raleigh. So it ended up being a 12 1/2 hour day. Not fun.. It wasn't too bad, but it was just long. That night we enjoyed sitting outside for dinner and then having Popsicles on the front porch. Tyler is loving Popsicles right now and he's so stinkin cute eating them. The videos (at the bottom) were precious. He did answer some of my questions, but he does tend to get a little distracted and "forget" what I asked him. So, that's the best I've got right now. :)

We are all doing good and getting ready to head to Florida in a couple weeks for my sister's wedding. Got my bridesmaid dress yesterday, needless to say, I'm meeting with the seamstress today to see if she can work a miracle... Ordering a dress in January and now being 8 1/2 months pregnant doesn't always work out... It's not too bad, But we'll see. The dress is pretty regardless, I just hope I get to wear it! :)

Here are my 34 week belly pictures sorry (Brittany) for not being better at this... It's just so much harder remembering to take a picture of your belly the 2nd time around, but it's just as important, so I will try to do better these last few weeks! :)

Tyler went for his 18month check up today. Yes, I realize that he is almost 20 months, but when I called to make his appointment around 18 months they didn't have an opening until now... So here we are. :) He did pretty good. Was a little whiny because of all the traumatic stuff they had to do in the ER he is a little scared of doctors. We saw Dr. Pinder. He weighed 24.7 lbs (23%), height 33 3/4" (75%), and his head circumference was in the 91%. She said he looked great and was doing very well with all his "tricks". He had to get 3 shots and did really well. He was crying as soon as David laid him on the table, but didn't cry much when they gave him the shots, so I call that good! :) Got a ball from the ball machine and headed out! Success if you ask me. :)

I just thought this was too cute. One night Ty wanted Daddy to take a bath with him, so he put on his swim trunks and got in. I think David was a little cramped, but Ty loved it! What a fun daddy he has! :)

And one more exciting thing... David's sister, Bekah and her husband Brad are expecting their first baby in October, they found out yesterday that they are having a GIRL!!! We are so so excited for them!! Lately it's been all about the boys, so we are so looking forward to buying some girly things!! She'll be the first granddaughter for them all! Such a fun time and I"m so glad that we get to be a part of it!

Okay, sorry this was such a long post, but I needed to catch up. Hope you have a great rest of the week enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts.

I have another video but it won't post for some reason, I'll work on it! :)

Easter in Ohio...

2010-04-20T09:46:00.010-04:00

So this past Thursday, David, Ty, Sarah, and I took off for Ohio after work. We drove to West Virginia to stay with Will, Bonnie, and the kids for the night. It's half way to Ohio, so it's a perfect stopping place and we always enjoy our short visit while we are there. Friday morning got up, ate some breakfast and then hit the road to grandmas. We ended up getting there around 1:00 right before a huge storm hit, we were actually running in the house as the rain started pouring down. :) We had a great lunch. Melanie, Jenna, and Jacob had also just arrived so we enjoyed visiting with everyone. A little later we headed back to Kenton. David's mom had planned a cook-out. Bless her heart she was so not feeling well, but put on a happy face for us all. Brad, Bekah, Zach, Carmen, and Kevin came up to also eat with us. We sat around and visited with each other. It was a fun night. We also stuffed eggs for the Easter egg hunt the next day. Needless to say, Ty ate WAY too much of the candy that night because we could not get him to go to bed till midnight, he was sweet, but just wasn't tired. Saturday we got up, had a yummy breakfast and then headed down to grandma's for lunch and the egg hunt. The lunch was so good as always, we had ham, green beans, hash brown casserole, homemade bread, and salad. It was oh so good. After lunch, Ty went down for a nap and we (the big kids) hid all the eggs outside. I'm telling you there were LOTS of eggs, I'm not sure exactly how many but at least a few hundred. Then we let the kids have at it. They ran and ran and still after they all had filled their buckets a few times came in to check out their loot. Brian and David went back out and found at least 20 more. Ty slept through the whole thing so when we got up we had a little Easter egg hunt for him in the living room and he was so excited to find candy in them! Of course, he didn't need any more candy, but we left him have it anyway. Then, David and I headed to Zach and Carmen's for some pizza and to visit with them one last time, and Mike (paw paw), Brenda (Grama), and Sarah (ra ra) took Ty back to the house. We had a good visit and then headed back to the house to find them having a pizza party and watching The Squeakquel. They said they had a blast and I'm so glad that Ty was good for them. He's been a little attached to me lately. I'm not sure why and as much as I love that he loves me, I really hope it's just a phase that he's this attached. :)
Then Sunday we got up for church and then headed to grandma's for some left overs. It was just as good the second time around. After lunch we hit the road. Let me tell you Tyler was an angel the whole time. He only slept about one hour the entire trip, but he was awesome. We played, watched movies, hid under blankets, and looked for cows. :) It was a great trip. Never long enough, but we enjoyed every minute of it and are so thankful for all our family and friends and getting to spend time with them. Tyler, by the way, loves Mike and has started calling him paw paw. It's the most precious thing to hear him say it.. I'll try to get it on video so you all can hear it. :)
We had a great weekend and ended up stretching Easter way longer than expected, but it was all fun and great memories were made, now if all the candy would just disappear, that would be nice!
Hope you all have a great week!

David's Birthday Weekend...

2010-04-14T09:48:00.007-04:00

So here we are with another weekend update... This past week we had a great week. The weather was gorgeous and we went to the park about everyday after work. It was very nice and relaxing. Thursday night Ty started running a low grade fever around 99 or so. We didn't really think much about it because he often runs a little fever when he's cutting teeth. Friday morning, I went ahead and took him to the doctor just in case since we were having a bunch of people over that night for David's birthday. I surely didn't want to get anyone sick, if he was sick. The doctor checked him out and said everything looked good, so I really didn't worry much about it. I went ahead and took him to Darla's house. She said he was really good all day, just a little tired and really just wanted to lay around, but he wasn't fussy or anything. So we headed home to get ready for the cookout. We had a great time. There was great friends, great food, and great fellowship there and I really enjoyed being all together and I think David had a great time too. Tyler had fun with everyone being there and was super goofy the entire time. Around 9:30 after everyone had left, he started getting a little fussy so I took his temp and it was around 101, I think. So I gave him some Motrin and he went to sleep. He slept all night so I figured he was good. Saturday we met up with Candace and her mom and headed to the mall in Greensboro. We had a fun time and Tyler was good. He really didn't eat Friday or Saturday, and I kept trying to give him fluids, but he didn't seem to want it. He kept falling asleep while we were driving home, but he would kind of moan and couldn't really get to sleep. So, when we got home I took him temp again and it was 103. I called the doctor and they were already closed for the day. After talking to them and telling them everything, they really thought we should go to the ER because he was not eating or drinking and they thought he could have a bladder infection/UTI or something else. So we packed up and headed over. When we got there his temperature was 104. I was kind of freaking out. I just kept thinking about what awful things it could be and it didn't make since that he keeps getting sick... So they had to do a catheter (which was pure awful, David had to hold him down, and I couldn't watch) to get some urine to test. Then they took him back to do a chest xray, which David said was also so traumatic, because they have to strap him to this board with his arms above his head. I, of course, had to leave the room because I'm pregnant, but I don't think I could have stayed anyway. So after that we headed back to our cube. The air was broken and there was no TV or anything. We were there all in all for 5 hours. It was pure exhausting. Tyler kept falling asleep and at one point we got this picture and he looks like a precious angel. He had his hands crossed like he was praying. It made my heart smile. :) After about 3 hours into the process, they come and tell us that the lab lost his urine sample. I was about to go ballistic until she told me that that has happened before, so she always takes 2 samples when she does it the first time. So thank goodness. So a couple hours after that they said all the test came back normal, he must just have a virus..... I was still really upset because at this point I wanted answers. But no, they just sent us home. So the rest of the night we just sat around and I cuddled with the little man. It wasn't till we got home that we realized through this whole process they didn't even draw blood. That made me mad again, because they would know it was a virus or not by drawing blood. But they didn't. So Sunday, Ty and I stayed at home and pretty much just laid around, played outside for a little while. He still had about 102 temp the whole day. David had lots to do at church that day and was super stressed. I felt so sorry for him!! But we managed and got through Sunday. He still had not had a wet diaper so that was really bothering me, so David called the Dr and got another appt for Monday morning. Sunday night after David got home from church Ty finally perked up. We got him to eat some of David's birthday cake and some cheerios, which in turn made him drink. I felt so much better that night because he was actually starting to seem like he felt a little better. David got some cute pics of him that night. David is trying to teach him the "I love you" sign, but instead he always just does the "OK" sign. It's hilarious. But it's his way of doing it. Tyler slept good Sunday night because he slept in my bed. Of course every hour he would wake up screaming, I don't know if it was that something was hurting or he was having a bad dream, but he did that the entire time he was sick. Monday, was David's birthday. I headed to work because I had an important meeting, and David stayed with Ty. He took him to our Dr and had a very thorough exam. Dr. Bell, said it was definitely a virus but that he thought it was at the very end of it. I felt OK with the diagnose coming from him because I know he's a great Dr. Tyler didn't run a fever the whole day. David said they had a really good day. So that night when I got off work, we headed to Candace and Bryan's for some yummy supper she cooked and then headed to the ball field to watch David's first softball game of the season. We had a great time and Tyler loved being able to be outside and run around at last! I hated that David's birthday fell at such a crummy time, but that's how it goes now a days. :) We are so thankful for him and what a wonderful daddy he is!! He takes care of us and provides for us with all that he has! We are so incredible blessed to have him!! Happy Birthday Baby!!!
So, I'm knocking on wood and thanking everyone for their prayers, but I think we are finally over that nasty thing. It was a really tough weekend for us, but I'm just thankful for family and friends that called and checked on us and for all the prayers that got us through it. I know it might sound silly because it was "just a virus", but seriously I was a basket case! Could be the pregnancy or the lack of sleep, but lets just say we are so thankful to have that behind us!!
We are looking forward to going to Ohio this weekend to visit David's family.
Sorry this was so long and detailed, but I wanted to have all the details so one day I can look back and remember that "this too shall pass!"
Hope everyone is having a great week!!

My little, big boy...

2010-04-08T08:32:00.004-04:00

So this is what my child's hair looked like Sunday. Yes, he needed a hair cut, but I was thinking more of a TRIM.... Got a text on Monday at work from David saying that Ty got a hair cut!!! When I got home I wasn't too happy with the way the place cut it. It was super short on the sides and a streak of long in the middle with splotches all around, so David had to fix it and this is the end result... Of Course I still think he is adorable, but he looks 5 and that makes me sad!!!

It's a good summer cut and I think it makes Ty act older too, but boy does he look different. People at church last night didn't even recognize him! ;(

So, let me know what you think... but if it's bad don't tell me cause there is nothing I can do about it now and I might cry! I am pregnant, you know! :)

Easter week and weekend...

2010-04-05T15:26:00.012-04:00

We had a great time with my family being here! Tyler I know LOVED it and learned A LOT too, I'm sure! :) They really enjoyed each other and pretty much stayed outside the entire time. Thank goodness we had pretty weather or it would have been bad. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family! I enjoyed the extra company and being able to have fun lunch dates. They kept Ty all week which was a great help to us! I wish we lived closer so that the kids could grow up together, but we do a pretty good job of getting together often. :) Well, to continue with the last post....
Wednesday we met Barbara, Bekah, and the kids at Tanglewood Park for lunch. The kids had a blast playing together and so did the mamas. :) That night we had church and then headed back to the house for the nightly bath routine. Tyler must be a bath snob because he wanted to bath all to himself, silly thing!
Thursday, they went shopping for mom a dress and met them again for lunch. Then I headed back to work and was home shortly after. Thursday night we just hung out and enjoyed being together. Friday morning we decided that the Easter bunny needed to make his delivery so that the kids could enjoy their baskets before they had to leave. They did indeed enjoy them and gots lots of fun stuff! After that we headed to grab lunch and take it to Hathaway Park, only to find out when we got there, there was a group of about 200 people there, so we decided to take our lunch to the church play ground. The kids had fun and we got some really cute pictures. After that we headed back to the house to let Ty take a nap and then Mandy and I took the kids over to Barbara's to play with her kids. They loved it and we painted a "chalkboard" thing for Ty's room. Later, Mom came over and we had a crab leg, shrimp, potatoes, and corn feast that David fixed for us. It was delicious. I forgot my camera, but boy was it good! Then we headed back home to work in Tucker's room for a bit. We got some things done, but still have a little ways to go. :)
Saturday we got up and headed to Tanglewood Park. They were having a festival thing out there for Easter and a fundraiser for Lillie's Friends. It was alot of fun. There were tons of people but the kids did get to play a few games and then they had a 5000 egg, egg hunt. They had them divided into age groups, but still the eggs were all picked up in less than 2 minutes, I would bet. They had fun. Then we headed to McDonalds for lunch and to let them play on the playground. Afterwards, back home for naps and then we headed to look for suits for the boys for the wedding, but no such luck. Then we went to Pancho Villas for dinner. It was a fun day, but sad to see it end, cause that meant they had to pack up and get ready to leave. :(
Sunday, they were gone around 5:30 am. We got up headed to church and then went to Barbara's for lunch. It was delicious. It was us, the Trinh's, Bradley's, and the Best's. We had a great fellowship and yummy food. We finally got a decent family picture. We all had purple one, well except for Ty because he didn't want to wear his precious tie Nana bought him!
After lunch we headed home for naps.
It was a great Easter and a very memorable week. I'm so thankful that my family got to come and be here the whole week! Thanks for driving here and spending the whole week with us! We LOVED every second of it!
Now, we're looking forward to heading to Ohio in a couple of weeks.
Only 10 weeks left till Tucker's due date and I know its going to FLY by!!

Hope you enjoy all the pictures! I sure do!!

A little bit of this and that...

2010-03-30T09:39:00.007-04:00

Well first off, David's mom sent me some cute pictures we got on her camera while they were here. I'll try to get them downloaded and put up here, because they are really cute. :)
Friday night was Luke's family party. Bekah invited us over for a cook-out and we gladly accepted. It was a fun night, very relaxing and the kids had a ball. Bekah's parents and Shaun's parents were there along with a few other relatives. Tyler, Wyatt, and Luke enjoyed the yummy lemon cupcakes! Luke is holding up 5 fingers, because he turned 5! :) Can't believe how fast time is flying by!

Saturday morning we were up and getting ready for my mom, Mandy, Austin, and Madi to arrive. They drove to Atlanta the night before so they only had a 5 hour trip on Saturday. I finally got Tyler down for a nap around 2:00 and sure enough about 2:30 they arrived and Tyler woke up. I guess he knew someone was coming to see him. It was a beautiful day Saturday, a little chilly, but nice. So as soon as they got here all the kids headed to the backyard to explore. Austin had fun playing with Kylie and I know she loved that. Madi and Ty enjoyed playing in the sandbox and with the tub of water filled with toys. Seriously they played hard for about 3-4 hours. It was so nice now that they are all getting older and can just play on their own. They had the best time, but sure were nasty when they came in! Later that day, mom and I ventured to Harris Teeter. I have started cutting coupons and with the triple coupons going on this week, I decided it was a great way to try out my skills. Of course I didn't have too many coupons since I just started collecting them the week before, but I did pretty good. I let mom push the cart with the non-coupon items, and I pushed the other one. It was fun and in the end I think I did pretty good for it being my first time. I got all these items for $1.20! I was so excited when I saw the total at the end. :) It kind of gets addicting. Of course, I don't think I'm going to become crazy with it, but if your going to buy those items anyway, getting them almost free is a huge bonus!! :) So then we headed home for hot dogs and mac-n-cheese. The kids were pretty calm for the most part, I think they were so worn out from playing so hard.

Sunday, we all got up for church. I teach class and then had KFC (kid's church), so it's kind of a hard morning to just go and go. But it was good and Madi and Austin were in there, so it was nice to be able to be with them. We went to lunch at Olive Garden, Sarah, of course was our waitress. After a yummy lunch we headed home to chill and let Ty take a nap. We all kind of just laid around which was nice. It was raining so the kids couldn't go outside, but they did pretty good just playing inside with the non-talking toys (which are kind of hard to find in my house!) Then we left for church and then went to Pancho Villas for dinner. It was storming like crazy outside, so that made for a little more craziness, but we managed. :)

Monday, I went to work, and they hung out at the house most of the day. The ground was muddy but they were dying to go outside and play, so they threw on some rain boots and had at it. They were disgusting by the end of the day, but they had fun, so that's all that mattered. David and Mandy meet me at the drs. for our ultrasound. We got to see Tucker and boy was that fun. I just love being able to see him and watch what he was doing. We loved our ultrasound Tech. She was super sweet! Everything looked good and she was able to get the picture of the heart that she couldn't get last time. The crazy thing we found out is that right now, he is huge. She said normally at this point (28weeks 4 days) the baby is usually around 2lbs, and Tucker is already 3lb 7oz!! So he was measuring almost 2 weeks early (30weeks 5 days). If you remember Ty was only 6lb 8oz when he was born, so I wasn't expecting that. But she said either you are going to have a big baby, he is going to be early, or he has just hit a growth spurt. Lets just pray he hit a growth spurt!! (Which would explain why I think I need to eat everything in site lately!) She said they will probably do another ultrasound around 36 weeks to take a look at him again and just see how he was measuring. I haven't been able to scan the pictures in, so these are just pictures of pictures, which don't turn out very good, so I traced one of them, so you could see how he is fitting in my belly! He's crazy, but he is head down, so that's good!

So all in all, it was a great appointment except for drinking the drink for my glucose test, them pricking my finger, and taking a ton of blood! :) But we survived and I'm just thankful he is healthy and still a boy! :)

So, I'm sure I'll update soon when I have more pictures from this week, but I just wanted to do a quick update so it didn't get too long! :) Enjoy this spring weather!! I know I sure am!

The weekend...

2010-03-22T09:39:00.009-04:00

This weekend was just perfect. Friday after work, David and Ty planted flowers in the flower bed. We had an Easter egg hunt and really just enjoyed being outside and being together. Ty enjoyed some graham crackers too, as you can tell! That night we went to the Trinh's for some yummy spaghetti and then to Kohl's and Target. Saturday we slept till around 9:00 and then hit the floors running. Ty immediately wanted to go play outside, so I sent him right out in his pjs. The rest of the day, David spent outside spreading pine straw and doing other things around the house and Ty helped him a lot and I spent the day inside cleaning out closets and getting things put away. It was a very productive day. I was so proud of be able to scratch so many things off our to-do list! It was a beautiful day around 70 or so. That night we met Bryan, Candace, and Brandon at a Mexican restaurant, left there and got some yogurt from Zaks and then headed home to watch Wake Forest and Kentucky. We had a fun time and enjoyed being with friends. Then that night we crashed! Up Sunday morning for church. We had a pot luck, so I asked David to run by the grocery and get some stuff, because I had no time on Saturday to make it, I was focusing on other things! :) So after church we had a good Spring Pot luck and then headed home for naps. Ty and I both took a 3 hour nap, it was very much needed! :) Then we got up and played around a little while until 5:30 when the teens were coming over. We had a good turnout, around 30 or so. We ordered pizza and had dessert. The video below is what happens when 20 teenagers encourage your little 18 month old! He had a blast and loved everyone being there. He loves the "kids" and they love him too! It's so neat to watch them all interact. Needless to say, when they left he was wound tight! So we played for about an hour and then we all crash! It was a great weekend and I very much enjoyed it!I was up, dressed, and ready for boot camp this morning at 5:20, then I remembered that David parked behind me, so I quickly jumped back into bed!! Guess I really didn't want to go anyway! There's always Wednesday!! ;) Hope you have a great week!!

Truck...

2010-03-19T09:19:00.004-04:00

So, Tyler is already obsessed with the truck. He always wants to be in it and knows that if he sees it, Daddy must be around. So this week has just been gorgeous. The weather has finally given us a few warm days. So most everyday after we get home Tyler wants to go play in the truck. So in these pictures David was trying to talk him into getting into his new wagon, but you can clearly see from the pictures that he wasn't trading his monster truck in for that measly little wagon! :) It's so cute to watch them interact and David is such a good daddy. Tyler loves him oh so much and I know they are going to have many fun days together!

We now have tubes...

2010-03-12T16:06:00.009-05:00

So the surgery went very well. We had to be there at 6:15 Wednesday (3/10) morning. We arrived right on time and actually Tyler was wide awake. We sat in the waiting room for a while and he wanted to watch a little "Mel-Mo" on his DVD player. So around 6:40 they called us back to the pre-op. They got his stats and then we just sat there waiting on the doctor to arrive. We read books and watched a little more Elmo. Tyler was getting sleepy and tired of just sitting there, so they brought out a wagon for David to pull him in. He liked it for the most part, but was getting really sleepy. Finally the doctor arrived and everything was good to go. They had a little gown for him, but said that he could just stay in his pjs if that was easier, so that's what we did. The nurse took him back around 7:20 and he whimpered a little, but not much. David and I went back out to the waiting room, grabbed a drink and about 20 minutes later the dr came out and said he did great. There was fluid in both ears (not infected) but was a good sign he really needed the tubes, so it reassured me that we did the right thing. We went back about 5 minutes later and a nurse was just cuddling him. He came straight to me and we sat in the chair a little while while they got the discharge papers together and we were off. He perked right up when we got to the car and was totally fine. He wanted doughnuts (as per daddy's questioning) so we went by Krispy Kreme and got him a mini glazed. He loved it! We got home around 8:30 and he was totally fine and acted like nothing had happened. He stayed up and played really good and then about 11:30 I went and put him in bed because I was exhausted and we both slept till 3:00. We got up, went grocery shopping and then headed to church for dinner. He was perfectly fine and it was a great day! The doctor is super nice and the nurses were great. So overall we had a great experience and hope this does the trick for not many (or any) more ear infections!! :)
Thursday night, David's mom and step-dad came back through on their way back home from Myrtle Beach. So they got there around 4 or so and when we got home from work we all went to eat at Longhorn. It was delicious and were so thankful to share it with family. Tyler loves when his grandparents are here! After that we just went home, relaxed, and watched a movie. Then, they left Friday afternoon to head back to Ohio. We enjoyed them being here if it was for only a night! :)
Then Friday night we took Tyler to his first official basketball game. David's best friend's cousin... plays on a team from Ohio and they were playing in Greensboro, so we got a few friends together and headed down there. We went to East Coast Wings first and had a yummy meal and then we headed to the game. They were from Wooster College or University, not sure. It was at Guilford College. They had a pretty gym and it was the perfect size for his first game. He loved every minute of it and I LOVED watching his expressions and excitement. He would clap every time someone else did. It was great. We didn't get home till about 11:00 that night, but he did great and didn't fuss the whole time. He finally got to bed around 11:30.
Saturday I got up and headed to church for a ladies work day and left the boys sleeping. David said he woke up to Tyler screaming at 10:30, who knows how long he had been awake?? But they had a great day of playing outside and getting some good daddy/son play time and I went and got a pedicure with Darla and Evan and then made a quick trip to TJ Maxx. So it was a fun day for all. That night we went over to Brian, Shanna, and Addison's for some yummy grilled chicken and potatoes. We had a great time with them and enjoyed finally being able to hang out again.
Then Sunday church, lunch at Olive Garden, naps, hospital visit to see a new baby GIRL born at our church, church again, and then to eat at Chipotle with some great friends. It was a great day and very nice weekend! I love weekends like those!!
So, that's about it. Not much planned for this week, just work and getting back on schedule. But hopefully the weather will be nice, cause that makes the week that much better!! Hope you all have a great one!!

*The robe pictures of Tyler were just after his bath one night helping me cook. I just thought they were too cute not to post. :)

Here are my 27th week belly pictures. Can't believe we only have about 12 weeks left and are getting into the 3rd trimester. Man, how time flys. Yeah, I know I really need to clean the water spots of my mirror. I never think of it until I see these pics... Sorry! :)

A little piece of Spring...

2010-03-08T15:34:00.005-05:00

This weekend it was gorgeous! We got to get out and enjoy the beautiful sunshine finally! Saturday afternoon we took Ty to the park and got a few pictures of him. He loved the slides and would do them all by himself, but he does NOT like to swing. I think he has a fear of going up into the air, because he also hates to be thrown up in the air. Go figure?? But, he loves being outside and it's been so sad not letting him, but it has just been too cold. Of course he cried when we left, but we stayed out there for about 1 1/2 hours, so I think he got some good playing in!

Also, these pictures are of him in the car coming home from Darla's one day. I think he got a little bored and decided to rub the nutra-grain bar all over his face. He was a total mess, but it totally cracked me up!

Also, this past week, Brad, Bekah, and the little one came to visit. They got here really late Wednesday night and stayed till Friday morning. It was so fun having them here although we didn't get to spend too much time together because we had to work, they kept Ty on Thursday, so that was nice. It was fun to see them and our new niece/nephew that will be here in October! ;)

That's about all for now, tubes are still scheduled to be put in really early Wednesday morning. We go for our pre-op tomorrow and I guess they will give us a time then. So, say a little prayer for the little man and his mommy!! ;)

Update...

2010-03-03T12:21:00.002-05:00

Well, the tubes have been postponed till next Wednesday (3/10). Friday morning Ty woke up with a 102 fever. Took him to the doctor and was told it was the croup. Saturday, I started feeling bad and it all went down from there. We are all sick. David's slowly getting over his stuff, I went to the Dr. Monday and got some antibiotics, and Ty is still running a 102 fever. Went to the Dr this morning for him and they said it was a virus. So needless to say, they didn't want to do the tubes, so they rescheduled. So hopefully by then we will all be better. Please say a pray for us because this has been a frustrating and very hard 6 days!!! This too shall pass....

February...

2010-02-25T09:35:00.010-05:00

So, now that February is almost over, I guess I should post about what all happened during this month. It was a busy month and hate I didn't do more post throughout, but hopefully this one will put us back on track. We've had tons of snow this year. I think in Feb we had 3. Church got cancelled one Sunday and then 2 Sundays we only had a 2:00 service. Super Bowl was fun. We had Bryan and Candace, Shanna and Addison, and Chris, Carli, and Baylor over. It was very relaxing and we really enjoyed the company. We had tons of food and just sat around and talked the whole Super Bowl. It was great. Then Valentines Weekend we had a Senior Banquet. We do this every year with the teens. It's for members of our church that are 55 and older and then teens serve them and they just have a fun evening. We'll this year it snowed, so knew we were going to have to end early, but I think it worked out for everyone. Karen and Kay Lynn made the Brisket. (Upon David's request). It was delicious. We served that with Baked potatoes, salad, and dessert. I think everyone enjoyed it. The kids did great!! Honestly we didn't do much for Valentine's Day. It was on a Sunday and so after church we went to eat with the Bradshaws, Ashleys, and Bests at Chili's. It was fun and good to be with friends. Then the rest of the day we pretty much just chilled and then back to church that evening. So, no big day or anything. Maybe David will be more up for it next year! But that weekend also, David got a new truck. We have been wanting to get him a new vehicle for a while now, because his car/truck kept breaking down and he really needed something else, but we just kept waiting until we were having to both use the van for about 2 weeks and then something had to give. I think he found his dream vehicle. It's a little redneck, but we kind of are... so it works! :) He absolutely LOVES it and so that makes me happy!! Ty has started to really like it too. He wasn't sure about it at first, but now he's all "truck, truck..." So I think Daddy and his boys will have many adventures in this ride! Did I mention it's huge??? He had to put the steps on the side because we could barely get into it! It's pretty funny!
This past weekend (19-21) we went to Gatlinburg for Winterfest. We had an awesome time. We actually got to take a greyhound this year, so that made the trip 100 times easier. Ty did really good and I think everyone who went was uplifted and really enjoyed themselves. We stayed in a condo/lodge thing right up the road from the convention center, so it was nice to be able to walk back to the room if we needed to. We had about 30 kids go and 9 chaperones. It was a perfect group and everyone did great. The rooms were nice, since they were a condo they had 2 to 3 bedrooms, a full kitchen and 2 full bathrooms. It was great. The first night Ty wasn't too sure about it so we wrestled most of the night, but Saturday night he did great, so I think he was just a little confused. The speakers were good, singing was good, weather was good, it was just a great time and we were so blessed to be able to go. The ride back was pretty quiet at times because many were sleeping... too bad I was in a position where I couldn't sleep, but at least the little man did! ;) We got back around 5 on Sunday. Ty went to bed right at 8:00 and David had to wake him up Monday at 11:00. He was pure exhausted! David started not feeling really well on Monday so he went to the doctor and sure enough had bronchitis, I guess were just not good at staying up all night like we use too! It was all worth it though.
Then, Tuesday we had a beautiful day so Ty actually got to go outside and play in his sand box, which he totally loves. It was just so refreshing to finally be able to be outside and not have to totally bundle up. It was great! We are so ready for spring it's not even funny!!
I'm glad we got that day, but it was just a tease cause yesterday, Wednesday, it snowed again! :)
Also, so I don't forget, Tyler has been peeing in the potty. Not every time and he certainly doesn't really tell me, but before the bath, I'll put him on there and he will go. Then last night I could see him kind of starting to squat, so I said, "lets go to the potty" and he pooped! I was so excited and so was he!! So, I know were not even close to being potty trained but he does like sitting there and reading his "Mel-Mo" (Elmo) books, so that's a good start, right?
And last but certainly not least.... I'm 6 months pregnant now (24 weeks) and finally I took my first picture!! Sorry little man! We went to the doctor Tuesday and everything looked great. He's measuring right on schedule. She could barely find his heartbeat because he was moving so much! He is definitely a mover, but I love that! :)
I also want to ask for prayers because Tyler is getting tubes in his ears Wednesday (3/3) morning. I'm so nervous about it! I know he will do great and it's not a big deal these days, but he's still my baby and I don't like the fact that he will be put to sleep! So please just pray for the doctors and for him to have a quick recovery and for peace for me to not be so worried! :) ok, thanks!
I'll do better at posting and be sure to document his procedure on Wednesday!!

My big boy

2010-02-03T10:18:00.005-05:00

The night before last, David and I took Tyler to get his 3rd haircut. The past couple of times he did not like it all at and screamed through the whole thing. This time we went to Sport Clips and he did great!! He sat in David's lap and did awesome. I was so proud of him. He even let her use the buzzer thing for the back and around his ears. I am amazed! He looks like a little man. He definitely needed a hair cut cause he's bangs were all in his eyes and the back was super long, but I had just been dreading it. But he did great and I was so excited. ;) It's the little things in life.

Weekends...

2010-02-02T09:31:00.010-05:00

The weekend before last, David's mom and step-dad came down for a few days after their mini-vacation to Gatlinburg. We always love when our family comes to see us, so we were excited for them to get here. They got here Friday afternoon/evening, then we headed out with the Trinh's and Sidden's to dinner for Barbara's birthday. It was fun, a little chotic, but fun. Bekah brought us a yummy cake and it was enjoyed by all. After that we went home and played a little Wii. I wish I had pictures or video, but they are on my video camera, let me tell you, it was hilarious! David's mom has never played before, so it was a hoot! We were all rolling!

Saturday we all go up, David had a meeting, so we just really stayed around the house. I relaxed, they did some laundry for us and then made sandwiches for lunch. Brenda made me some yummy homeade banana pudding for my birthday!! When David got home, he and Mike put up 1 of the 9 new doors that we have to put up. It takes a little longer than just throwing it up there, so only 8 more to go! ;) Then we headed to Red Lobster for my birthday dinner. It was so yummy and Ty did great. We were all hurting by the time we left. So we went back home and had some banana pudding. Then we sat around and of course, I fell asleep. Sunday morning they were packed and ready to go, so we headed to church and then they left afterwards and headed home. We had a great time and were so thankful they were able to come visit!

Then the week was pretty uneventful besides the fact that we found out that Monday we are having a boy. So that was a highlight! Then, Thursday, I took a personal day, cause I just needed to. I slept in, went shopping, and got some crafts done. It was a pretty productive day. Then Friday, I came home from work early cause Tyler had a double ear infection and David needed to do some homework. Then it all started. About Friday afternoon, it started raining and quickly turned into snow. It snowed pretty much all night and most of the day Saturday. At some point it turned to sleat and then turned back to snow. We got around 7" or so. David and his friend, Luke, rented a bob cat and helped one of Luke's friend's dad's company clear some parking lots. They left around 12:00 on Saturday morning and didn't get back till Sunday night around 7:00. They worked all night and sure were tired, but they made some pretty good money! We missed having daddy around, but he was having fun and making money, so it was good.

Saturday, it let off for about an hour, so Ty and I went out to have a little fun. David bought him a little sled thing, so I pulled him around for a bit. He enjoyed it until I put him in the snow and he was stuck. He wasn't too happy about that, but it was funny.

Kylie sure enjoyed it because she got to stay inside for most of the weekend. She and Ty bonded. They were having the best time together. It was really cute. Kylie is great with him and so gentle. Ty was sitting on top of her bouncing and all kinds of stuff like that and Kylie would just lay there. So all in all, it was a great weekend. We were getting a little stir crazy, so Sarah came over Sunday night and we ventured out and got something to eat. Then we were going to take Ty to get his haircut, but the place had already closed, so we just went back home and waited for David to get back. He was happy to be home, but then started clearing our driveway, so Ty and I watched from the window.

This week has been pretty cold and nasty so far. It warms up during the day, so things melt and then freeze again during the night, so the mornings are pretty nasty.

Yesterday, Ty had fun playing in the driveway, shoveling snow from one pile to the other. He was not happy to have to go back inside, but we managed. It's been ok, but they are calling for it again this weekend! Oh my. I guess I need to go grocery shopping cause I think we ate most everything this past weekend!

So now on to working on our rooms... Here is a picture of the shelf David redid and fixed. It was just an old beaten up, wobbly bookshelf that he stained and fixed. It holds some of Ty's toys and

makes it more of his space. So things are coming along, slowly but surely! ;) And last but not least, here's a little video of Tyler in the snow. :)

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails...

2010-01-26T08:21:00.004-05:00

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,

Shy and adventurous, full of surprises,

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while

Nothing can brighten the world like their smile.

And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy

Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

-Unknown Author

That's right another little boy is on the way. He is healthy and oh so cute. We really couldn't get any good ultrasound pics because he was just a moving and kicking. His heart rate was strong at 142 bpm and it looked like he was riding a bike the entire time those legs were just a kicking. He kept putting his arms over his head and then moving them in front of his face. The little stinker. But we were thrilled he was healthy and everything looked great. She couldn't get one picture she needed because he wouldn't turn over, so we get to go back in 2 months and get another one. So, I'm thrilled about that!! ;) The 2 pics I'll post are of his profile and declaring it's a boy. But this is a picture of a picture so it's kind of blurry when it's not really clear to begin with. So good luck! Thanks for all your prayers and calls. Keep em coming! ;)

We can't wait to add another little man to our little family!!

28...

2010-01-20T09:20:00.010-05:00

Its not really a lucky number, but that's how old I am today. :) Honestly I'm loving my 20's and might be really sad to leave them, but for now I will enjoy being 20 something! Birthdays these days aren't too exciting, but regardless I do feel very blessed and loved throughout the day from all my family and friends calling and texting to wish me a Happy Day. I'm excited to see what this year holds. So, I figured today I will write down 28 things I am thankful for right now. I started out going in order and then just wrote down what came to me. So really besides the first few, they are really in no order at all. The pictures are new and old and just make me smile, so since that's what I want to do on my bday, I'm putting them up so that maybe you can get a smile too!
1. God and His mercy
2. My wonderful family
3. My awesome friends
4. The health of my family and friends
5. Having a warm house in the winter
6. My church family
7. My wonderful husband that is such an amazing daddy
8. Being able to be a mommy
9. My job and working with Christian people
10. The ability to work out
11. That David provides and takes care of us
12. The beach and water sports (pretty days)

13. Being raised in a christian home with loving parents
14. Having a sweet little baby in my belly
15. Having dinner with friends
16. Vacation/ Days off work
17. That Tyler is goofy and makes me laugh
18. Growing up with 2 wonderful sisters
19. T.V. shows that make me laugh
20. Marrying into a wonderful family
21. Having an awesome christian lady (Darla) keep Tyler for us
22. Cell phones
23. Loving Christian examples
24. Having 2 cars that run and get us where we need to go
25. That David is such a handy man
26. Ty's sweet kisses and "squeezes"
27. Sweet tea and diet coke
28. Memories... New and Old

So that, along with many others, are just a few things I have to be thankful for. :)

We are in the middle of doing a little house reorganization. Since the new baby will be here in June. We decided to go ahead and move our bedroom downstairs and have the kids rooms upstairs. So we are in the process of trying to clean up, clean out, organize, and decorate. David has spent a couple of days now trying to get the downstairs room ready for us to move it. We will have to paint and do a couple more things, but other than that, it's pretty much ready. We bought a dresser last night on Craigs List for $30. I was super excited! :) After we get our room situated, then we will head upstairs and try to get the nursery ready. Monday we hopefully will find out if we will need pink paint, or if we can leave it blue. So, I'll definitely keep you posted on that. So for now, that's about all I have.

Oh, David bought me a flat screen t.v. for our new bedroom for my bday. So, I'm super excited about that and can't wait to get it all set up. I'll try to keep you up to date on how all that is going. So stay tuned for a fun update on Monday, if not before. I'm trying to do better! Happy 20th everyone!!