Life with AG, Avi-Kate, and Samson in a college town...

Two Peas in a Pod...

2012-02-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

...why the family dog and AG are cut from the same cloth.

This morning I've had an epiphany of sorts concerning potty training our three year old. When we got Samson five and a half years ago he was a squirmy little puppy. He's what my Dad lovingly refers to as a Heinz 114 since he's a mixed breed. Within a few months we realized that Samson would need some serious obedience training. He wasn't a bad dog, far from it, he was just a really smart dog. Well, we completed basic obedience class and the trainer approached us and told us that Samson really would benefit from some one on one training. We agreed and we began a series of one on one classes with Cindy. She told us that normally she doesn't use a shock collar because most dogs will do what you want with heaps of praise and treats. She said that there is a small percent that won't and you have to do something else to get their attention. Samson is a bull breed mix...meaning he's a mix of Pittbull, American bulldog, Boxer, and Shepherd. He's very intelligent. In Samson's case 3/5 of the time we could get him to do what we wanted but that other 2/5 of the time he wanted to do things his way. The shock collar was exactly what he needed and we use it only once in a blue moon these days. (Mostly when we travel...so that he can explore and then come when we call him without wondering too far.)

How does this relate to AG? Well, it dawned on me this morning that AG is just like Samson. Most children are happy with heaps of praise and treats when it comes to learning a new skill set. With AG it really doesn't seem to phase him. We've tried all sorts of reward systems M&Ms, small trinkets from the Dollar Store, Disney Movies, new toys, new puzzles, pebbles in a jar to earn a trip to Chuck E. Cheese and his favorite place in the world...Disney, telling him what a big boy he'll be and how he'll get to go to preschool, etc. Doesn't matter because he really could take it or leave it. He wants to do all of those things (preschool, Chuck E. Cheese, Disney) he just doesn't care that not pooping on the potty is keeping him from all of those things. We began potty training back in August and we are still working on it. He is completely potty trained as far as peeing goes but pooping is a different story. He's smart. He can do it and has done it. He just chooses not to. He's stubborn. It's a battle of wills.

Now, don't think for a second that I'm about to use Samson's collar to get AG to poop on the potty. I've been praying for months that I would figure out what the missing link is because I'm quickly approaching the end of my rope. I guess this morning I realized that it's fruitless to try and bribe/praise AG because that's not how we'll get his attention. Same way we couldn't get Samson to heel every single time on a loose leash. We had to find a unique way to get his attention and it appears we'll have to do the same with AG. This isn't to say that we won't lavish him with praise when he does it...it just means that we are going to have to figure out a different way to get him to want to do it. Praise and treats alone will not be enough for him just like it wasn't enough for Samson. I'm not really sure why this didn't dawn on me sooner but regardless I'm glad that it has.

Samson and AG...two peas in a pod. I guess it's back to the drawing board to figure out my new game plan. And that's okay. I feel better about all of this than I have in months...we'll see what happens.

Wordless Wednesday...Avi-Cakes Bear-Cub Edition.

2012-02-01T08:19:00.001-05:00

Food, fun, and Disney...

2012-01-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

Our trip is rapidly approaching and we are all getting quite excited. I'm really excited about all of our ADRs. (Advanced Dining Reservations) As soon as we found out that this trip was a possibility Caroline, my sister-in-law, and I began to build a master list of places we wanted to eat. We also began booking stuff for several different weeks because our timeshare reservation wasn't locked in, yet...and we wanted to make sure we got our top choices. The beauty of Disney is you can begin booking a 180 days out and then cancel if need be without penalty. They tweaked their ADR policy this fall but it's not a bad change. You now have to have a credit card on hold for certain reservations and if you don't give 24 hours notice they'll charge you $10 a head.) This applies to character dining and hard to secure reservations like Le Cellier at Epcot. (Which happens to be the hardest reservation to secure at Disney and the state of Florida! We managed to snag one!)

So, here's a list of the places we have reservations at for our trip:

Magic Kingdom
~Crystal Palace--This one will just be our family the first morning since we are arriving a day ahead of everyone else. We wanted to get in to the Magic Kingdom before the park opened and do something special since it was Avi-Kate's first trip. AG loved this character meal when we did it on our Christmas trip in 2010. I'm not going to lie I'm looking forward to eating the beignets again...almost as good as Cafe Du Monde.
~Liberty Tree Tavern--Lunch reservation. This will be a return meal for us and Misty and a first trip for all of Andy's family. We did dinner last March and it was wonderful. Dinner is served family style and the lunch menu is a little different. So, we are all looking forward to this reservation.

EPCOT
~Via Napoli--Known for it's three wood burning pizza ovens this will be a first for the whole group. From the reviews we've read it looks fabulous.
~Le Cellier--Hardest reservation to secure at Disney and we managed to snag several for the week! We plan to hand off kids so that this is an adults only meal. Andy said if we are going to put down money for a good steak we plan to enjoy ourselves fully. :) I think we have two or three of these reservations so that we can make sure everyone gets to enjoy it.
~Rose and Crown and Akershus--Tommy and Caroline really wanted to eat at Akershus so while they are enjoying lunch there the rest of us are eating at The Rose and Crown in the UK. Andy and I decided that we wanted to wait to eat at Akershus because it is a Princess meal. If we are going to spend the bucks we want Avi-Kate to fully enjoy the meal. (Same reason why we are waiting to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle. Probably in another year or two.) The Rose and Crown will be new to Misty, Gwen, and Nanny. We are all looking forward to it. The last time we ate their it was for the Candlelight Processional Package and we ended up with a TON of food. This time around we won't eat as much since we don't have a package. (Which isn't a bad thing since the portions are huge.)

Hollywood Studios
~Hollywood and Vine--This is a character meal and a buffet. We are doing this for the little ones in the group because we know how much AG and Ronnie will love to see all the Disney Junior characters.

Animal Kingdom
~None. We have just one day allocated for AK and since it closes earlier than the other parks we plan to go to Epcot that evening for our Via Napoli reservation. We don't really want to eat a HUGE meal before that reservation so we opted to not snag a table reservation in Animal Kingdom.

Resort Dining
~Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge--This will be our first meal all together once the rest of our group arrives. We'll hop over from our day at Magic Kingdom to meet up with everyone once they arrive in Orlando. Afterwards, we'll head back to our resort to get ready for our first park day all together. First for the whole group.
~Chef Mickey's at The Contemporary-- This is our last character meal of the trip and we opted for breakfast. This reservation falls on our last day and it will be a nice place to kick off our final day at Disney. Everyone can head off to their favorite places I'm sure most people will end up at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT and being next to the monorail is perfect. I ate here as a small child but it has been years so it'll be new to me as well as the whole group.
~O'hanna at The Polynesian-- This is our last meal of the trip and we were able to snag a dinner reservation early in the evening. Perfect, so that people can leave and head back in to the parks or back to the resort to finish packing. We are all really looking forward to this meal since we have heard nothing but rave reviews about how amazing the food is.

That's a lot of table meals, isn't it? Yes. However, we do this on purpose. After the last few trips we've realized that we enjoy our days best when we structure our day like this: something small for breakfast to grab on the way to the parks. (Unless we have a reservation that morning specifically for breakfast.) One table service meal for the day and the other meal is quick service. We don't really need to eat three full meals at Disney because portions are so large. We enjoy having a sit down meal to be able to rest and re-evaluate our game plan for the rest of the day. The other reality is that the kids probably wouldn't handle two full sit down meals a day every day since they are so little. Plus, sit down meals are more expensive so we save some money by not doing sit down meals multiple times a day. It also saves valuable park time that you can use to see more attractions. The other way we save money on our ADRs is by using the Tables in Wonderland card. It's offered to Florida residents and Annual Pass holders. It's like buying a Sam's membership for restaurants at Disney. It gives the cardholder and up to 10 guests 20% off ALL food and drinks. (Including alcohol.) It quickly pays for itself and we got our money out of it last year. We plan to secure another card for this year and put it to good use on this trip. Lastly, here's AG enjoying our breakfast at the Crystal Palace in 2010.

Almost time to go...so much to do in the coming weeks to get ready! One thing is for sure we will be eating very well on this trip! :)

Thrifty Thursday...Friday Edition...

2012-01-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

And this is why I coupon...I spent four dollars and some change on all the items in this photo. That's 13 12-packs and 4 Clean and Clear face washes for FOUR Dollars.

I actually did this transaction earlier in the month but am just now getting around to getting this up on the blog. I'm hoping to do some Thrifty Thursday posts and showcase what I've found. Potentially make it a link up party and everyone can show off their finds. I'll have to investigate. Anyways, CVS has been running specials where when you buy $30 in certain products you earn $10gift cards. Well, the week before I did this transaction I had earned $30 in CVS giftcards. So, with my $30, Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) from the week before, and coupons for the face wash I was able to buy all of this for $24 AND I earned $20 in CVS giftcards for next time. Thus, my total then became $4 and change. Not too shabby. :)

Normally I don't buy that many canned drinks at once, however, I knew we had several events coming up with the college family and AG's birthday that I needed to stock up for. Anyone else have any success couponing lately?

January bath time fun...

2012-01-25T12:07:00.002-05:00

Well, in an effort to reorganize a few things for the new year I decided Avi-Kate needed to transition out of her infant tub. She sits very well unassisted, however, my concern was more AG in the bath tub with her. Not that he would intentionally hurt her it's just that he's a boy and part of the territory is rough/tumble. For my sake, it's easier to bathe them at the same time but I needed a way for her to be able to enjoy bath time and be somewhat protected from AG. I found this little gem of a bath seat on Amazon and ordered it. It has been fabulous! Both kids enjoy bath time together and the seat helps out mom and dad. I finally decided to move all the kid bath stuff in to the guest bathroom. I was tired of looking at it in my master bathroom tub! We'll see if we stick with this set up...the one thing I love about our bathroom tub is how deep it is. It makes it harder for little monkeys to climb out and contains splashes a tad better. Here's some photos from the month...

Wordless Wednesday...G-Daddy Edition...

2012-01-25T11:50:00.002-05:00

Housekeeping...

2012-01-23T22:31:00.021-05:00

Oh, the adjustment. I knew that adding another child to the mix would take some adjusting when it came to getting back in to the swing of things...and I finally feel like I'm at a point where I'm regaining control of the house. Hallelujah!

We are finding our daily rhythm and I'm finding some comfort in that and being able to make the house look better. It can be so challenging when they are so little and on two different routines. Thankfully, Avi-Kate is now in a more predictable daily schedule...the perks of being on solids now. The biggest thing I'm trying to map out at the moment is a weekly cleaning schedule. I already have certain tendencies like changing the sheets. I prefer to do this task on Friday, so that we have clean sheets heading in to the weekend. Growing up my mom changed our sheets every two weeks, however, due to my allergies, that I developed in college, I now change my sheets once a week. Or vacuuming...I vacuum the floors almost every day. Now, keep in mind, we have a ranch so I don't have to mess with stairs, we have a large inside dog, and due to the fact that almost all of our rooms are hardwoods/tiles vacuuming is much faster than sweeping. So, I'm trying to see what else I want to do and where it fits in with what I'm already doing.

I'm hoping to get things in place and have my improved routine in place in the next week or so. I'd love to have a few weeks under my belt before we leave town and head to Disney at the first of March. I'll post my plans once I finalize them. :)

Daybook January 17th

2012-01-17T17:01:00.001-05:00

Outside my window: An overcast afternoon. It rained this morning and we are suppose to get another wave later this evening. Unusual for this time of year is how mild the temps have been over all. We have a random cold day here or there but nothing like what it normally is. This time last year we were snowed in I believe...

I'm thinking: I need to do some stuff around the house tonight, work on some housekeeping organization, and make a final to do list for AG's birthday party this weekend.

I'm wondering: Oh, so many things at the moment. Ideas for the house, cleaning/organizing, getting TOT School up and going for AG, etc.

I'm praying: That AG would decide to be fully potty trained tomorrow on his birthday. (Sigh) One can hope right? :) But really...I'm at the end of my rope on this one and really don't know what else there is to do that we haven't tried. Why he can pee on the potty without problems but can't poop I have no idea. I keep reminding myself that this isn't a big deal it's more of just frustration because I know he's capable. So, I focus and pray that God would give me the strength to see that glorious day when he finally decides to be big boy all the time.

And of course I'm always praying for The Needham Crew. Pray for them as Piper is in the middle of engrafting. She had a bone marrow transplant a few short weeks ago and her body is in the process of trying to recover/begin to produce new bone marrow.

I'm thankful: For the safe arrivals of Avi-Kate's best friends. Annie arrived on Thursday and Amelia arrived on Sunday. Avi-Kate has about 7 months and a good 11-13lbs on them at the moment. However, before we know it they'll be racing after each other and chasing their older siblings. So now the pairings are: Briggs and Amelia, Emma and Annie, and then AG and Avi-Kate. I'm so blessed that Ginny, Julie, and I have been able to experience this together twice.

I'm hearing: A quiet house and the whir of the fan in the kitchen. Something to relish because there are many a day when I don't get moments to blog mid-day these days.

From the Kitchen: I've joined the world of freezer cooking since having kids and being even more serious about it after the arrival of Avi-Kate. This week we are living off stuff we already had purchased last week and or freezer meals. We've run out for a few random items but nothing big. It's kind of nice to not have to cook every single day. I don't do mega freezer days where I spend several days cooking an entire month's worth of food. Rather, I cook in bulk when I can and when things are on sale. Most weeks I stock one item in the freezer. Meat isn't on sale this week so that's why I'm living off what we've got stockpiled.

I'm reading: Nothing at the moment. I realized last night that I have yet to borrow anything for January on my Kindle for free...I need to do that. Just need time to find something. I love that with Amazon Prime you can borrow a book a month for free.

One of my favorite things: Finalizing last minute details for Disney. Yippee! I need to do some work in my notebook now that I have all of our Dining Reservations finalized.

I'm creating: I need to do some TOT School prep. I honestly just need to spend half a weekend getting everything the way I want it and doing some planning. I've got lots of ideas it is now just a matter of making them happen.

Around the house: I have been busy, busy cleaning out and reorganizing. I finally feel like I can breathe and make headway on reclaiming my house after having a second baby. Life is just hard with small kids and adjusting to two is hard. (Not that my children are difficult, rather, it's just been hard to adjust to two very different schedules and they have different needs.) I've had to re-examine time management, the way I do things, etc. Plus, Avi-Kate is finally (knock on wood) in a consistent day to day routine and napping at the same times daily. Hallelujah! So, needless to say, I'm happy to be getting things back on track.

A few plans for the week: Finishing up stuff around the house in preparation for AG's birthday party this weekend. I need to finish Avi-Kate's 7 month pics. I started them yesterday and she was not having it and so I'll finish them later this week. I also am going to do some cousin pictures this weekend when Ronnie and Delia come up. Should be fun. Tomorrow is AG's birthday and we are going to take him out to eat...I think he has requested Chick-fil-A. :o) I'm thinking maybe we'll go pick up a sweet treat from Honeymoon or Jandy's on our way home. We'll see.

In other news: I decided this fall that I wanted to start running and train for a race. My big goal is to train for a half marathon at Disney. (My sister-in-law, Caroline, also has this goal...we are reclaiming bodies post-baby #2. And we've given serious thought to running together and enjoying Disney a few days solo just the two of us! We'll see what end up doing.) So, right now I'm working on a 5K and I'm hoping in a month to run my first race at Berry. Part of my Christmas present was to be fitted for running shoes and they have made all the difference in the world! Anyways, I'm a few weeks in and really loving it. I'll keep you posted...Happy Tuesday.

What a crew...

2012-01-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

We hosted this crowd for dinner on Wednesday night...and it was marvelous. It's crazy to think that when we started this back in 2009 we would have four to six students show up. It's amazing to see how the Lord has blessed this and used this group in big and small ways to minister to us and to each other. They are such a blessing to us. We are humbled that we get to love them daily.

Looking forward to lots of fun and many memories this semester. Andy and the boys, excuse me--I mean men, are starting a Man Night twice a month. The girls and I will keep up with our weekly Grey's Anatomy/dessert/gab fest that we love so much.

I always put quotes on the chalkboards in the kitchen that relate to Family Dinner. This month I stumbled upon the following:

"And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen." ~ Terri Guillments

"The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduced yourself to, had life not done it for you." ~Kendall Hailey

I feel like those two pretty much sum things up rather nicely...

Well, hot dog...

2012-01-14T12:19:00.000-05:00

...Andy found my camera battery charger moments ago. Pictures and updates coming very, very soon. Once my battery is charged. :)

Flowers, lots of flowers...

2012-01-13T23:51:00.000-05:00

...are in our future.

This last March we escaped for a few days down to Disney and while we were there we were impressed by all of the gorgeous flowers for the annual Flower and Garden Festival. The whole time we were there we kept saying:

-How much Andy's mom would LOVE to see these flowers. (She's an avid gardner and loves to putter in her yard.)
-How much we LOVED the weather in March. Andy said after experiencing March weather he had no desire for us to ever do a summer Disney trip because he didn't want to fight with the heat and crowds. It really was perfect...High 70s to low 80s during the day and slightly cooler at night. Low crowd levels.

Well, we returned, had a baby, and began to talk to Andy's mom about how much she would love it. :) Long story short there was a week of her timeshare that we need to use ASAP. So, we decided to investigate what a week long Disney trip might look like with the entire Edwards clan for March 2012. We put in our request and waited to see if it would be met. This fall, Nanny got the phone call telling her that they were able to meet it and that our week would be the first full week in March.

So, we are headed to Disney in less than fifty days to see the kick-off of EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival. I'm beyond excited. I can't wait! I've been working with Andy's sister, Caroline, for months now as we map out everything and plan it. I've discovered that in order to save money and make your trip as enjoyable as possible you have to plan, plan, plan. The prep work you do beforehand goes a LONG way in making your trip wonderful. (To be honest, I love planning Disney trips. I enjoy it.) Now, I will say that there are people that map everything out down to what rides they ride each minute of the day. I am not one of those people. I prefer to have a basic plan for the day and then fill it in as we go. This works really, really well for where we are at in life with small children. It gives us the freedom to change it up and be flexible. Plus, half of the fun of going to Disney with children is to experience it from your child's eyes. So, it makes sense to tailor our trip to the things that they love.

In the coming weeks I'll share our plans, what a basic day plan looks like for us, some of the tricks of the trade, etc. In the mean time, I've been trying to reorganize a bunch of stuff for the start of the new year and I have somehow misplaced my camera battery charger. I'm hoping I come across it this weekend. I have lots of pictures to upload and share. Plus, I need to take Avi-Kate's 7 month pictures. And in other news I meant to post several things during the second half of this week but time got away from me. My two dear friends from college, who live here in town, were/are over due. Avi-Kate's playmates will both be here by the end of the weekend. Anne Grace was born yesterday and Amelia Louise should not be too far behind her. I'm so blessed that we've all been pregnant together not once but twice. I love that our kids are close in ages. It's pretty amazing. All right. This post is long enough...I'll share more soon.

Tot School...

2012-01-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

...coming to our dining room!

Well, my original plan was thrown out the window...AG was suppose to start preschool last week at the Child Development Center at Berry. (CDC) The biggest requirement for enrollment that they be 100% potty trained and they be at least 3 years old. Well, we toured last spring, signed the papers, and paid the deposit. In late August we began potty training hardcore so that we'd have it down pat by January. Well my friends, that did not happen. AG is completely potty trained when it comes to peeing but pooping on the potty just isn't happening on a daily basis. (It's not that he can't or hasn't...it's that he just flat out doesn't want to.) This is when Andy likes to remind me that I wanted a redhead child and thus, implying, the stubborn streak that comes with being redheaded! Ha. You name it and we've tried it.

So, where does that leave us? Since Plan A is on hold we are moving to Plan B. The new plan is that AG will, Lord willing, enroll in August. (I might be bald if August comes and he's not off to school!) In the mean time AG and I are going to begin Tot School. AKA a special time two or three days a week for us to sit down together and work together. I'm thinking we'll do it in the morning when Avi-Kate takes her nap...we'll see once we get started if I need to tweak it. This won't necessarily be 'school' but rather time during the week for us to casually explore numbers, patterns, colors, shapes, themes, books, letters, etc. Most of this will be geared towards whatever is going on/he's interested in. (For all my fellow teachers...maybe I'm more Reggio Emilia than I thought I'd be! My preschool professor in college spent an entire semester on Reggio instead of teaching us all the different theories of preschool instruction...which makes me laugh that I'm even writing about this eight years after the fact...) Exploration and simple instruction. Nothing heavy, in depth, or involved.

The name Tot School comes from this little gem of a website I stumbled upon two years ago...you can take a look here. I'm in the process right now of some cleaning and organizing. Once we get past AG's birthday next week we'll get started on Tot School. (This should give us several weeks at it before we head to Disney for a week...spring break?!? Ha.) I'll post our simple plans and what we are doing once we begin. Be on the lookout...

This and that...

2012-01-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

Goodness gracious I feel like I've been playing catch-up for months and trying to keep my head above water. We finally seem to be finding a rhythm with two children and Avi-Kate is on a much more predictable schedule thanks to eating solids.

Anyways, the blog seems to have suffered in all the chaos that was this fall/holiday season and I've been constantly going back and post-dating stuff. In the middle of all of that I've been brainstorming ideas and things that I'm going to add to the blog on a weekly/monthly basis. Funny, right? Can't seem to keep up with the bare bones updates let's just throw in something else to keep up with! It gets even funnier...I'm in the process of creating a second blog with Andy's help. We've been working on it since the fall but had to take a break during the holidays. I was hoping to have it up and going by now but that's life...so it should be up and going in the very near future. :)

In the mean time the kids are growing like weeds and changing every day. Life is never dull with the two of them...I know I say that all the time but it's true. AG will be 3 in two weeks and I can't believe it. I'll blink and he'll be in high school getting ready for college. (Where does the time go?!?)

In the next few days be on the look out for:

-Goals for the year
-Disney update
-Daybook Entry (haven't done one of those in who knows how long...)
-New Years Eve Post with pics
-A belated Christmas house tour (because I normally do this before Christmas but again the chaos that was got the best of me...)
-Avi-Kate's 7 month pics (once I take them)
-52 Recipes Update...I've gone over my goal but dropped the ball in blogging them!

And a few other things that are currently swirling around in my head...but you'll have to stay tuned. This week is shaping up to be a busy week but full of happy moments. AG has his first Kindermusik class of the semester and our college students return tomorrow. They'll be over several times this week and for that we are all excited...it's been quiet without them these last few weeks. I'm off to fold some laundry and do some planning for the week ahead...

Our year in review...

2011-12-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

Here's a look back at all the major highlights from 2011. It was quite memorable:

January brought us snow, ice, and AG's 2nd birthday.

February brought us Andy's birthday and Thrahers hockey.

March brought us the wedding of my youngest sister and one last trip to Disney before Avi-Kate joined us.

April brought us the arrival of cousin Delia, Easter, horrible weather--with a night stuck in the bathroom due to tornados, Baseball season starting up, and the wedding of my middle sister. (No pics from Meg's wedding!)

May brought us lots of nesting projects. Building AG's book cases and restyling his room.

June brought the arrival of our sweet baby girl. And adjusting to life with two!

Avi-Kate is named after our dear friend Avi.

In July we were crazy and drove to the beach for the week with my family...not our smartest choice with a five week old. Live and learn! AG gave up his paci by accidentally flushing it down the toilet. We also had fun play dates with Briggs and Emma.

In August, J. Michael returned for a short visit, our front steps got a makeover, and our students returned to start the school year.

In September, we became UGA season ticket holders and spent lots of time this fall in Athens, we took our bowling skills to the next level, Avi-Kate became more photogenic, and Samson became a daily napper in the master bedroom.

October brought us a glorious Mountain Day weekend with friends, family, and our students. Birthday fun with AG, fall rocking chair pictures of Avi-Kate, a fun photo shoot at Berry with all the cousins, pumpkin carving with our students, and trick or treating.

November we headed to ATL to see Santa before the crowds, Thanksgiving with our students, five month pictures of Avi-Kate, and Thanksgiving in the mountains with my family.

December we spent time decorating and redecorating our Christmas tree since AG pulled it over, twice! We also spent Christmas with both families.

This year flew by and it amazes me looking back at how much we learned, grew, and changed. I'm grateful for all the we experienced and am joyfully looking forward to next year.

Just call us Tornado Alley...

2011-12-29T20:43:00.001-05:00

2011 has been the year of crazy weather for Rome. It started with a week long adventure with snow and ice in January. More snow in February. (Both of which I didn't mind one bit. I love snow!) In April, we were ravaged by storm after storm. Multiple run ins with straight line winds and tornadoes. My beloved Alma Mater was in the middle of the destruction. This summer brought weeks of rain and weeks of no rain. We had seven+ inches fall over a short period 2/3 day period at one point this year. As we headed in to December I was some what relieved and ready for 'winter' weather.

Well, I should have known better. The first day of winter was unseasonably warm...low 70s and rainshowers. That evening I was suppose to go by myself to Cartersville to coupon/shop at Publix and go to Target. Andy was going to stay home and I was going to get a night to myself. That changed around 4:30 when the weather picked up. A few minutes before five I checked the weather and it said that the conditions were favorable for a tornado. About that time the wind picked up and I thought that the roof was going to be pulled off the house. I couldn't see outside the windows. The lights flickered three times and then went out. I tried getting a hold of Andy and he said that he was trying to make his way home but that the weather was crazy on their side of town too.

By the time he got home the power was still off so we packed the kids up and headed to Cartersville. Thinking surely by the time we returned that the power would be back on. After dinner at Chick-fil-A, Target, and Publix we loaded the kids up and headed home. We had been checking our phones to find info on the Rome News-Tribune but found nothing. Well, we got home and no dice. Power was still out and AG was running around thinking it was the best thing ever. Ha. We finally got everyone in bed and then we crawled in to bed. Andy turned on an app he had on his phone...which happens to be the police/fire dispatch. Yep, we laid in bed trying to hear if we could catch any info on to what was going on. I was sure that we'd wake up in the middle of the night and the power would have been restored. I slept horribly. In the morning Andy called the office and told them he was going to be at home due to our lack of power. He picked up breakfast and then we took the kids out to do some errands. While out I decided to drive down our old street to see how it looked. I was near tears as I drove down our old street. Every house that surrounds the house we rented was hit...including the house Andy lived in when were dating. Late in the afternoon we got word that it was indeed a category F2 tornado that ripped across West Rome. Right at the 24 hour mark our power was restored and I was forever grateful. Thankfully, the night before the temps were moderate and it wasn't a big deal to not have power. However, the next day the temps began to plummet and we were seriously contemplating packing up and heading to my parents because we couldn't stay a second night without power.

My plan to finish making Christmas presents was foiled. Everything was kind of thrown off including my baking and cooking for the weekend. In the end what we could finish was finished and I didn't worry about the rest. I was just immensely grateful that we were once again spared. This year has been incredibly challenging for our little area. I'm praying that this next year is not as eventful...although I wouldn't mind a good snow storm. :)

Christmas Snapshots with the Edwards...

2011-12-28T16:51:00.002-05:00

Here are some snapshots of Christmas night at the farm...

We had a great night with lots of food and fun. We were so grateful to be able to spend some quality time all together. Andy had been thinking about getting a Kinnect for AG for weeks but we decided to not spend the money. Well, I found a great deal for one on Amazon and Andy's mom bought it for him. I bought the new Disneyland Adventures game as a surprise for AG and Andy. To say they were surprised is an understatement. We hooked the game up upon are return home and it's pretty amazing. AG loves it and it's nice to be able to have a little Disney magic right in our living room whenever we want.

Speaking of Disney...we are leaving in a little over two months for a week long trip with the Edwards family. We are super excited and looking forward to making lots of memories. We spent a huge portion of the day after Christmas finalizing our plans, dinner reservations, park plans, etc. There will be lots of firsts on this trip and I'm really excited. In the coming weeks I'll share what all we've got planned.

We came home late Monday and the kids slept the whole way home. It was a wonderful Christmas. I'm already looking forward to next year. I felt like this year I wasn't as organized as I normally am due to having a second baby. Trying to juggle and adjust to that...that's just how life is. This year we tried to do a different activity each day of Advent with AG. Next year one of my projects is to create an Advent Calendar. This year we used the chalkboards in the kitchen and I just wrote each days activities on them. That'll be a project to blog I'm sure. :) Here's to a new year and new projects...

Christmas Morning...

2011-12-27T16:28:00.001-05:00

Santa came and here is what he left...

A, much requested, basketball goal. A shopping cart with Melissa and Doug food sets and a set of soft food appropriate for Avi-Kate. (Man, Santa thinks of everything!) A jumbo beanbag to go with the red one he left last year. And a Weebles playhouse.

We always use brown paper to wrap our gifts and the same red and white ribbon every year. Well, thanks to Pinterest this year it was impossible to buy my normal two rolls of brown paper from my local craft store. (Don't get me wrong I LOVE Pinterest...but this was slightly frustrating since my options in Rome are limited and life with two small kids doesn't give me the freedom to track all over the world in search of paper.) Once again, Amazon Prime came to my rescue and I found a massive roll of paper that will now last us for YEARS. We also use different ribbon for each child. AG had the green ribbon and Avi-Cakes had a red polka dot ribbon this year. I love the simplicity and how understated it looks with the white lights.

Checking out what Santa brought.

Samson was helping oversee the stockings.

Avi-Kate knew exactly what to do with Sophie.

She was completely content to sit and chomp away on her new Santa gifts. We let AG open her gifts for her and he was happy to help. Next year will be different I'm sure. :)

Since I hold a degree in Early Childhood Education I'm pretty particular about the books that we buy and add to our library. AG loves Peter Pan but the reality is that it will be years before he'll even be ready to read the classic novel. While browsing Amazon I stumbled upon a set of books illustrated by Mary Blair. Mary Blair was a top artist for Disney for years and her mark can be seen all over classic Disney films. Well, I found a set of classic books that are in a picture book format and Mary Blair's art work is the illustrations. They are BEAUTIFUL. We bought Peter Pan for AG and Alice In Wonderland for Avi-Kate. I want to add the others to our collection. Both stories are easily read and have incredible illustrations. They are perfect. If you want a classic scaled down for a young audience these fit the bill.

Excited about Steve Jobs?! Yep. Can you tell that we are MAC family? :)

We had a wonderful morning together. After breakfast we got ready and loaded up to head south to the farm. I'm hoping next year we'll get to stay home and Andy's family will come to us for a change...it's been a few years since we've hosted. So, we shall see. Up next Christmas night with the Edwards...

Christmas Eve at the Edwards...

2011-12-26T23:56:00.001-05:00

This year it was just the four of us for Christmas Eve. The last few years my parents have come and spent the night with us but this year they stayed home. We had a fun night and I'm extremely grateful that we had decided to make it easy on ourselves and order the bulk of our dinner from Honey Baked Ham...due to the tornados/24 hours without power we ended up not even being able to finish all the baking I normally do and even Christmas presents for Andy's family. Anyways, so we had a nice meal and we juggled feeding both kids. It was a little wild but we laughed. We chalked it up to this is our normal right now and it won't be like this every year. (Very true.)

Afterwards, we got the kids ready for bed and I wanted to do Christmas Eve pictures. Well, Avi-Cakes was on board with this but AG was not. The first photo is the only one I snapped of him smiling. (Have I mentioned that he's almost three?! And that we are experiencing the joys of being three daily?! Ha. Never a dull moment.) After pictures and treats we got the kids settled. Andy and I watched Home Alone 2 since we watched Home Alone the night before while we wrapped presents. Then it was off to bed so that Santa could come...

Merry, Merry Christmas! It's been a roller coaster of a year and we are grateful for all that we have learned. Looking forward to 2012 with much hope.

Two peas in a pod...

2011-12-22T10:41:00.001-05:00

We've been very fortunate that AG has adapted to 'big brotherhood' so smoothly. He loves being with his sister and when she is a sleep he usually asks when she is getting up. When she does get up he races to her room to climb her crib so he can talk to her. Now that she sits so well she enjoys having a big basket of toys to play with on the floor. AG enjoys bringing stuff to show her and or just being near her while she plays. (In the first two they have a blanket on their laps...he told me that they need to share a blanket!)

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

Wordless Wednesday...Family Band Edition...

2011-12-21T22:05:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday...Puppy Chow Expert Edition...

2011-12-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

Half way there...

2011-12-20T16:32:00.001-05:00

...hard to believe that Avi-Kate is sixth months old already. Her first birthday will be here before we know it. Which is crazy because I feel like you just arrived Peanut. (Really though, you are not a peanut...you are more like a Butter bean these days!) At your 6 month appointment you were 18lbs and 3.9 ounces and 26 inches long. These days you love to sit, sit, sit and roll, roll, roll. AG is your biggest source of entertainment and the two of you feed off of each other. It's quite comical to watch the two of you interact. Your Dad and I hope that you two will always be best buds.

You love to eat! You are already eating two full solid meals a day and your doctor said to bump you to three because you are doing so well with it. She was very pleased with your progress and all that you are doing...including how strong you are and how well you stand up. I'm not certain if you'll walk as early as AG did, 10 months, but I can totally see you being a master crawler and racing to keep up with your brother. I'm sure if you could you'd do it right now because you love to be where ever he is at.

You love to chat with me early in the mornings while we snuggle in bed and AG is still snoozing. You just giggle and 'talk' to your little hearts content. You are quite taken with Samson these days and love to watch him. You chew on pretty much anything you can get your little hands on. The doctor says those lower incisors should come in in about 8 weeks or so...we'll see.

We love you so much sweet girl! And we are so grateful that you joined our family six months ago. We are looking forward to celebrating your first Christmas in a few short days!

Here are a few sixth month pictures:

Wordless Wednesday...Two Peas in a Pod Edition...

2011-12-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

The piece of baby equipment...

2011-12-13T23:13:00.000-05:00

...I didn't know I needed till I used it. A bean bag chair + plus lots of fun toys= One very HAPPY 6 month old. Avi-Cakes favorite place to sit these days is the bean bag chair because she can wiggle and move and play with her toys. I love it because the bulk of our house is hardwoods/tile and those things don't mix well with a baby learning to sit independently. And she likes to be independent! ( I guess it's the red head in her.) So, when she gets tired and throws herself back she lands in the bean bag. It's amazing really. I wish we had done it with AG. Speaking of him most days he is a fabulous sharer but there are moments, few and far between, when he needs to sit in the bean bag. I kindly remind him that it's not his it belongs to the family although he did use it before she was born but let's not slice hairs shall we. Anyways, Santa being the fabulous bargain shopper that he is actually bought this red cover on clearance when AG was born along with a jumbo sized one in black gingham. Conveniently, Santa is bringing the black bean bag chair this year. And he got a fabulous price for the insert a few weeks ago. So, all will be right in the world this time next week because both red headed children will have bags to sit in and enjoy. Here is Avi-Kate enjoying the bean bag from two separate mornings:

Sweet big brother! Funny story, one day last week AG insisted that he needed the bean bag chair but Avi-Kate was in it...he decided the best way to get in it would be to flying squirrel leap and land on his sister. Andy came home from work and asked where the big red knot on Avi-Cakes forhead came from...I told him to ask AG. Never a dull moment!

Newest member of the family...

2011-12-12T14:38:00.000-05:00

AG is quite a fanatic when it comes to the Braves and Chick-fil-A. Well, this last year he has taken to playing with my collection of CFA cows. ( I collected several in high school and college from working there.) He usually sets up a cow with a Coke bottle and his foam letter T. The T represents a tomahawk...quite the imagination this one has. (That and his parents need to get him a real foam tomahawk this spring!) He sets everything up when he plays baseball and he is always Chipper Jones or Brian McCann. Over the last few months he kept telling us he needed a bigger Moo-Cow. Well, my Dad use to be a Chick-fil-A operator for years and he still does some with the company even though he is no longer an operator. I told Dad that if there was any way he could come up with a large Moo-Cow his favorite red-headed grandson would be forever grateful...

AG was overjoyed and immediately told Andy that the cow needed to do the chop! While Andy was chopping AG was saying, in his best announcers voice, " Do the Chop! Eat Chikin!" Ha.

I need to upload the photo of him snuggled in to his twin bed a the mountain house with his new BFF. It's hysterical. Anyways, Moo-Cow is an official member of the family. These days he splits his time between AG's bed and sitting up on AG's kitchen. (He likes for him to sit up high just like the cow at the stadium. He makes Andy and I laugh with his attention to detail at such a young age.) Here's Moo-Cow hangin' out at the 'Stadium' and the picture below it is all the 'friends at the stadium to see the Moo-Cow.'

Apparently the friends missed the Exit for Bethlehem.

Thanks Ga-Da-Da for the newest member of our fimily. (That's what Meghan called it when she was little!) I'm sure there will be lots of Moo-Cow related posts in our future and lots of sweet memories.

Wordless Wednesday...this one never gets old...

2011-12-07T20:44:00.000-05:00

AG and Emma Christmas 2009

Wordless Wednesday...Crib Stylin' Edition...

2011-12-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

I'm eating food and makin' messes...

2011-12-03T21:25:00.001-05:00

In the last few weeks Avi-Kate has really transitioned to eating solids. She's all about it and if you don't feed her fast enough she will have a meltdown. Ask Daddy. :) So far she's had peaches, applesauce, pears, peach yogurt, zucchini, and squash. The verdict is still out on the zucchini...some days she likes it and some days she doesn't.

We'll keep trying to give it to her since I stashed a bunch of homemade food as summer fruits/veggies were going out of season. And I loved making babyfood with AG but I love it even more this go around thanks to my upgraded food processor! Two years ago Andy got me a new food processor and it has made a huge difference when it comes to making food. I wish I had had it with AG because I can make so much more food at once and it purees much better. Anyways, here's our sweet girl:

Andy turned around to help AG and came back to a mess...

"Hmmmm. Hmmmmm. Hmmmmm."

"What?! I didn't do it! Promise!"

"Okay, so maybe I did. Are you going to hold it against a face this cute?!"

Sibling love.

2011-12-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

They love each other...there is no doubt about it. Andy and I are enjoying watching their relationship develop and grow. After Avi-Cakes', AG's nick-name for her, photo shoot he wanted his picture with her. This is what I got:

I'm sure you can just imagine the running commentary from these sweet pictures. And yes, that would be left over chocolate on AG's mouth. Crazy kid wouldn't let me finish cleaning his face up from his pancakes!

And this is where they really crack me up because AG is talking to her and telling her to roll over...rather than wait for her to do it he just goes ahead and does it for her. What a brother! :)

Words for Wednesday...Growing Up Edition...

2011-11-30T21:02:00.001-05:00

For the last three years we've gone and cut down our Christmas tree with AG's best friend Emma...look how much they've changed:

2009--Emma 17 months and AG almost a year.

2010--Walking everywhere and picking out their own Charlie Brown tree.

2011--What a mess these two are together. :) Talking, running, laughing together. Sweet friends.

Five Months Old...

2011-11-29T23:14:00.001-05:00

Are you really five months old almost six? Crazy how quickly the days seem to fly by. Before I know it we'll be planning your first birthday party! This month we've seen you start to sit alone and master rolling on to your back. You currently wear a size three diaper and sleep at least nine hours a night. We figured out that you had a touch of reflux and needed to switch to a formula geared towards reflux babies. (Thank heavens for a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for a grandmother and a Pharmacist for an Aunt!) We quickly got you squared away and it has made a huge difference. You've been a great baby and so we had no reason to suspect that you might have this till your spitting up became extremely excessive the last month or so. (Conveniently, after your four month check-up!) After consulting with GiGi and Aunt Meg we decided to just try switching your formula before trying medicine. (Especially, since most kids begin to wean off medicine for reflux around six months.) You have become a better/even happier baby, if that's even possible. And thankfully, you can now eat more than 3 to 4 ounce in one sitting. You take 6 ounces now and your back to sleeping thru the night again. You've also really started to enjoy 'meal time' and tasting solids. You also LOVE to sit in the high chair since it makes you feel a part of the daily chaos that is life here at 320 E. 11th Street. You light up when your brother is near. He can always make you smile. And you have taken an interest in Samson this last month. We can't wait to celebrate Christmas this year with you. Thanks for being our Avi-Cakes. We love you dearly!

A few pictures from our five month shoot. Due to the weather we opted for indoors. So far, these are some of my favorites of all the monthly ones I've taken.

Sittin' Pretty.

2011-11-29T22:53:00.000-05:00

Look who is sitting up like a big girl these days. I can't believe how quickly she is growing up and changing. Oh, how she makes my little heart happy. Avi-Kate, your daddy and I love you dearly, sweet girl. Are you really almost six months old? It's flying by and we are cherishing every single moment.

November 17th--First time by herself.

November 24th--Happy Thanksgiving! A little evening play time on the couch.

November 29th--A few weeks over due but 5 month pictures.

Words for Wednesday...Theme Song Edition...

2011-11-23T20:58:00.000-05:00

"Avi-Cakes, Avi-Cakes!

Does whatever an Avi-Cakes does.

Avi-Cake, Avi-Cakes!

Does whatever an Avi-Cakes does.

Look out!

Here comes Avi-Cakes."

Sing that little tune and I can almost guarantee you'll get a smile like this every single time:

Even better? Get AG to sing it and see the smile she gives you. It's priceless.

Thankful beyond measure for nights...

2011-11-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

...like this one. This is what Thanksgiving looks like with our college family:

I know I say it often but I LOVE that we get to serve and love these kids. They are something else and it's wonderful to see how they each bring something unique to our family. Andy jokingly told the group this is the only family you get to pick. We all laughed but it's very true. We are grateful that they choose us. That they allow us to be a part of their college experience and life after college. (Dave...so glad you were able to make it home for dinner! It was a treat having you back at the table for the night.) Oh, dear readers I wish you could be a fly on the wall and experience family dinner. It's incredible really, to see all the beautiful friendships that have developed just because we all sit down and eat together. It is one of my favorite days of every month during the school year.

So, I'm thankful on this week of thanksgiving that I get to love and serve these amazingly talented and unique individuals.

Resilient.

2011-11-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

Four years ago, we moved my grandmother in to an Alzheimer's facility due to her progressing disease. In the process of moving her I was given the task to go clean out some of my grandmother's belongings at her second home in the mountains. We needed to use some of the furniture at the house to furnish her new room. Anyway, the house had been left alone for several weeks if not months when I arrived that brisk November afternoon. While cleaning I discovered my grandmother's Christmas cactus was hanging on, just barely. If you aren't familiar with them they require some care, not hard just specific, and if done properly they will bloom for you once a year. Having some what of a green thumb I asked my Dad for the little plant and figured I'd try to revive it. Well, with some TLC the following year it had a handful of blooms...I did more research and tweaked my care plan. The last two years I've been rewarded with the following:

For what ever reason this year my little plant decided it wanted to bloom at Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. I honestly could care less when it does just as long as it does bloom. I think this year it's a little extra special since my grandmother passed just a few weeks ago. It's always a constant reminder of her and something she loved...the color red. In my research I learned that if taken care of properly these little plants can live quite a long life and be passed down from generation to generation. Here's hoping that I can pass it along one day along with my grandmother's fine china and her wedding set.

AG wants a computer...

2011-11-17T21:39:00.001-05:00

Yep, that is what my almost three year old asked Santa for. And no, that was not prompted. (sigh.) Regardless, the kiddos looked so sweet for their date with Santa at Phipps! (These are a few black and whites that I snapped while they had their picture made. I can't wait for the official print to arrive.)

Avi-Kate and her namesake before we visited Santa.

We made a day of it! I had to book the appointment months in advance and I opted for the week before Thanksgiving so as to avoid the post-Thanksgiving craziness/mall traffic. It was perfect because the mall was empty and we had no traffic issues. Since you have to make an appointment they don't over book and there are only a handful of people for each time slot. I think we may have waited five minutes? It was perfect. Worth driving from Rome! We met up with Aunt Meg and Avi. Aunt Mis had AG since he had spent a few days at her house and I brought Avi-Kate. We ended up having lunch at Lenox and running in to Pottery Barn Kids to pick up some Christmas presents. The kids did great and AG was quite the talker. Santa asked if he should bring Avi-Kate a new paci for Christmas and AG thought that it was a great idea. Thankful for a day of sweet relationships and new memories. And Aunt Meg, thanks for that sweet dress. It was perfect. :)

Wordless Wednesday...Ga-Da-Da stops in...

2011-11-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday...Visit with Nanny...

2011-11-09T20:51:00.000-05:00

The view...

2011-11-03T23:06:00.001-04:00

...from our windows looks a little like this these days:

I think one reason I love our little house is that it is surrounded by trees from every angle. And some of them are quite old. (Take our oak in the front yard...100 years old at least!) So, even on a rainy afternoon it's quite beautiful with rich colors constantly changing their hue.

Wordless Wednesday...Happy Napper Edition...

2011-11-02T20:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween...

2011-10-31T22:34:00.001-04:00

We had a fun day. We stayed at the house and both kids took nice naps. I had contemplated going down town to Trick-or-Treat on Broad but opted out since I was by myself and I really needed AG to nap. (And since we are really trying to 'control', or at least as much as possible, his CVS I wanted him to sleep and wake himself up.) Since we were having to tote Avi-Cakes I decided it would be easier if she wasn't in a costume this year since she is so little. We put on some layers and she wore her glow-in-the-dark skeleton pjs on top. AG decided to be a gorilla. One of his favorite books is Goodnight Gorilla and so it worked perfectly. He was pretty cute...if I do say so myself! :)

After a quick dinner we went to take pictures by our collection of pumpkins that we carved with our college crew. AG was super excited and began to squeal...this didn't go over well with Avi-Kate!

Pictures done and ready to get some candy!

Well, after a few houses AG was really getting in to it. I took him to a house and I should have turned around when I saw how it was decorated but live and learn. Well, we get up to the house and it's decked out...we ring the doorbell...delayed answering...out pops a man in a creepy mask...AG about jumps out of his skin and screams...the man immediately yells he's sorry and takes off the mask. Damage done. (sigh) We get back to Andy and all AG can talk about is that he is scared! So, we convince him to try a few more houses but each house he tells the owners how scared he is instead of Trick-Or-Treat. He had then had enough and told us he was ready to go see GrandMary because her house wasn't scary. So, we called it a night. Loaded up both kids into the Acadia. And away we went up the street to see our beloved GrandMary and Jack. :) Have I mentioned how much we love Mary?! Or how much we can't wait for AG to start Kindergarten?!

Andy was determined to capture our pumpkins at night...

Here's to next year and here's hoping that AG won't be scarred for life. :) If he is I guess we'll just go to GrandMary's and pass out her candy for her.

How big...

2011-10-25T23:33:00.000-04:00

...of a family do you want?

When you are first married you frequently get asked when you plan to start a family. Then after your firstborn arrives you are then asked so when will the next arrive OR how many do you want.

So, here's the answer to how many kids do we want...

(And if you think this is my way of making announcement...guess again! I've been mulling a post like this since I was pregnant with Avi-Kate. I just decided to write it out tonight for whatever reason.)

The long answer is this:

When I was 8 my parents adopted my older sister, Misty. It was amazing and it continues to be amazing. I can't put in to words how grateful and richly blessed I am because of my older sister. Misty came to live with us when she was in college and I believe because of her my passion for ministering to college students was born. So, just like some girls grow up dreaming and planning out every inch of their wedding from when they were little I have grown up planning out my family. My dreams have always included adoption.

Andy comes from a home with two older sisters. The thought of adoption had never really crossed his mind till we met. As we dated and fell in love he began to warm up to the idea. We knew from the beginning we wanted a large family. His only stipulation in the adoption equation was that we have our biologicals first.

Well, we now have two biological children...so how many more do we want?!? We see ourselves with three biological children and then adopting our other child(ren). Yes, I'm not sure what our grand total will be. I do believe it'll be at least four but I'm open to more. Now, some people reading this are thinking we may have lost a few marbles. The real reason I'm not sure is because we are open to the possibility of a sibling set. The reality is that sibling sets are so much harder to place because most people only want one child at a time. So, when we get to that point, if we are presented with a sibling set we will take them. If we can keep a set of siblings together and give them a loving home it's a win-win. At this point we don't know where we want to adopt from. I think when the time is right we'll know. However, I do pray for our future kids already. With my last pregnancy I thought a lot about being pregnant. I asked myself if God doesn't see fit to bless us with anymore biologicals would I be content with that? And the answer is, yes. Because in the deepest places of my heart I have always known that I would not bare all of the children I would raise.

In addition to all of this we have our college students. We recognize that the opportunity to do what we do may not always be around and we are content with God's plan for us and them. I think that for right now it gives us the best of both worlds...we get to start our family and we get to adopt a whole crew of college students. This school year I have been reminded on a weekly basis how much we need our students and God has humbled me in showing me what an amazing ministry this is to our students. Last week one of our girls and I were chatting. With tears in her eyes she told me how grateful she was to be a part of all this and how she was looking forward to what we have planned for the holidays. When this all started several years ago I don't think we ever imagined how deep these roots would grow.

The short answer is...

We want at least three, plus an adoption of some sort, and a house full of college students.

I'm humbled and amazed at the ways our 'family' continues to grow and multiply.

Hmmmm...

2011-10-24T00:17:00.000-04:00

...so, this last week was eventful. After, we finally got things figured out with the GI doctor for AG I decided to cancel our Disney trip, sad, but okay. We'll be there for a whole week in March! It would have been too much to drive with kids and mom not up to par. We did Disney sick last December and while we still had fun I didn't want to add a four month old to that equation this go around. Plus, after sorting things out with the GI doctor I'm even more glad we didn't go. When we do Disney we are up and out the door early in the morning, take a mid-day break, and then stay as late as possible at night. Well, that wouldn't have worked with AG and his new medicine this go around.

On Tuesday, the doctor decided to put AG on medicine for the foreseeable future to help with his vomiting episodes. Now, it takes awhile to build up in his system which means he could still have an episode before it really becomes effective. Also, it can make the taker quite sleepy and groggy in the morning. Well, I gave him his first dose Tuesday night and he slept till 10:45 the next morning! Needless to say we skipped his nap on Wednesday in favor of an earlier bedtime. Thursday he woke up at 8:45 and was able to nap that afternoon. So, the rest of the week we have been playing with napping/not napping and trying to figure out what works best. All that to say I'm glad we are home and not away while we let his body adjust to this new medicine.

In other news...

-After changing out the planters on the front steps and filling them with fresh plants I commented to Andy that when I'm pregnant my gardening goes to pot. Literally. The front steps didn't get any loving this spring or summer...I was doing good to have stuff in them last fall during the first trimester with Avi-Kate. I'm happy to have plants and pots to freshen up the front of the house once again. Also, Andy is almost done with his projects on the front of the house...pictures to come, soon!

-I picked up some odds and ends at HePo aka Home Depot today for crafting. I can't talk about all my projects since my extended family reads the blog and I'm working on some projects for Christmas but I will share one...so, last week I mentioned the large volume of house plants now residing at 320 E. 11th Street. Well, some of them are going to be sent to loving homes aka family members. The rest I'm going to do something with. I have some old containers in various sizes, shapes, and types laying around. Andy and I are going to prime them and spray them with chalkboard spray paint. Hopefully, this little face lift will turn out well enough that I'll have containers to use till spring rolls around and I can redesign things for life on the porch for the summer/fall.

-My sweet husband surprised me with a massage at a local spa and dinner out without the kids for my birthday. It was a wonderful treat...thank you Andy! :) Big thanks to our sweet college girls for taking the kids for the night.

-AG is ready for Christmas. Last week, he asked if we could go cut down our Christmas tree with Emma! I told him in a few weeks. Guess that answer wasn't good enough...today at HePo he found tiny potted trees in the garden section, picked it up, carted it over to Andy, declared it 'AG's Christmas Tree', and plopped it down on the flatbed cart. Add that to my list of things to pot this week. Oh, well it'll be cute with some lights on it in his room. :)

-We have family dinner next Sunday night with the college students. Chili night and pumpkin carving. Should be a fun night all together and we already have our last two family dinners planned for the semester. Thanksgiving and Christmas Dessert/Movie Night.

-I need to do a post about some of AG's favorite phrases these days. He keeps us laughing that is for sure.

Wordless Wednesday...Tryin' Peaches Edition.

2011-10-19T10:52:00.000-04:00

And we are falling a part...

2011-10-17T23:01:00.000-04:00

...sort of. Give us a few days and we'll be on the mend.

Andy:
I suspect he has a sinus infection but he's yet to deem it bad enough to go to the doctor...we'll see.

Katie:
I ended up catching pink eye in a round about way on Saturday...I woke up this morning and was frustrated because I had to not only spend the afternoon at the pediatrician but now take myself to the doctor with two small kids. While at the doctor, for the pink eye, they also diagnosed me with a sinus infection. The pharmacy was out of the eye drops so I get to pick them up tomorrow. So, I'm keeping my hands from rubbing my eyes by typing this post.

AG:
Complained of feeling sick and needing to vomit last night. I dosed him with Zofran and he passed out. I called Dr. Saripkin and talked with his nurse. She said she'd talk with him and get back with me what he wants to do. I'm still waiting to hear where we go from here.

Avi-Kate:
Well, she's had diarrhea (which has also led to a horrible diaper rash!) and excessive spit-up for the last two days. I suspected she might have a little GI bug. So, today I mentioned it while at the pediatrician. While doing her examination she asked if she had been drooling excessively the last few days too. Yep, but she's four months old...she's not teething! Wrong. My four month old doesn't have a GI bug because she's cutting teeth. Seriously?! And not just the normal baby's first teeth like the bottom front two or top two, rather, she's cutting her lower incisors?! I guess the ironic thing is over the weekend I noticed the two little white tooth buds when she was smiling but I convinced my self that it was silly to think she was cutting incisors this early. Oh, little girl! You are a mess and clearly have your own way of doing things already. :) And while we are at it you were 15lbs 14.2oz, 25inches long, and 42cm head circumference. You are also spinning around/scooting around on your tummy and you are close to rolling over. I can't believe how quickly you are growing up!

So, give us a few days and we'll be better...

Well...

2011-10-16T00:14:00.000-04:00

...I'll be making a phone call Monday to Dr. Saripkin. Yep, we had a minor CVS episode this evening.

From my research I really do think that sleep happens to be one of AG's triggers. Particularly, being woken up. In some cases when a person with CVS is woken up before their body is ready they can have an episode. The last three episodes have come after being woken up from his nap. This afternoon he went down a little late for his nap but not out of the ordinary. He was asleep by 3:30 and he normally goes to sleep at 3. Well, at 6:30 he was still out cold. Our neighbors up the street called and invited us to come join them for dinner at the last minute. In my gut I felt like I should have let him sleep but I really wanted to get out of the house for a little bit after this long week. Clearly, I should have gone with my gut. Well, I finally roused him and he just laid in his bed. And then he wanted to be held. His cheeks were flushed and he was very lethargic. When I finally got him out of the bed I had to carry him to the den to get him dressed. When I put him down he immediately laid down on the carpet. We made it up the street and he didn't want to be there. He kept asking to go to AG's house. I sat down and was holding him at the kitchen table when he got sick. After he threw up we put him in the tub and afterwards he felt fine. For some reason I grabbed a pair of sweats on our way out the door so he had something clean to wear after we bathed him.

Now, for the moment I'm calling it a minor episode...he could wake up tonight and keep vomiting. But at the moment he threw up and then was fine. Not as long as his previous episodes/same intensity BUT the signs were all there and his behavior followed a pattern. Afterwards, Andy calculated how many days we went in between episodes...45days or a little over 6 weeks.

In addition we have to see the pediatrician on Monday for Avi-Kate's check-up. I look forward to chatting with her about all of this when we go. I'm off to go log all of the details so that we can begin to keep a record of everything. I'm curious to hear what Dr. Saripkin says and how he wants to proceed. If sleep is a trigger I'm curious as to how that is going to work with school and having to be up at a certain time/nap time.

I'm off to bed. Today has been a long day...in addition Avi-Kate has had a little GI bug. Never a dull moment around here...

Update...

2011-10-11T21:57:00.000-04:00

...this last week was a whirlwind.

Here's the bullet points update on life:

Last weeks events

-Andy made it home from Miami on an earlier flight Wednesday.

-My dear friends Ginn and Julie both blessed me by helping me clothe my children for the visitation, 2 funerals, and the burial. Do to the whirlwind of events I was doing good to find something for me to wear. I was grateful to not have to try and shop for multiple outfits for both children. I really don't know how I could have done it.

-I was in charge of putting together items that reflected who my grandmother was to be displayed at both the visitation and the funeral home in the mtns.

-We spent the weekend with family and celebrating my grandmother's life. The kids were great despite the crazy schedule and enjoyed lots of attention. We also spent lots of time discussing both of our kids' fabulously red hair. :) Having a red head is like having a celebrity. I thought we couldn't go anywhere without being asked about it before when it was just AG. Ha. Well, regardless my grandmother would have been elated to have two redheaded great-grandchildren.

Around the House:

-I'm attempting to regain the chaos that is the house these days. Throw in last week's events and a mountain of laundry plus a bunch of freezer cooking and that's where I'm at.

-Freezer cooking. I've been trying to take one day a week to put away a few extra meals in the freezer. Sometimes that is me doubling or tripling what I'm cooking for dinner. Other times it's me making a ton of chicken to be prepped for other meals. Or making breakfast food to be put up. The last few weeks I've been stockpiling baby food for Avi-Kate because solids are just around the corner. Last Tuesday, I made a bunch of chicken and chicken stock. My plan was to put up all the chicken over the next few days, however, that plan flew out the window. So, I've been doing chicken meals now trying to get it all put up. In addition to that, we also came home with a ton of food so I've been getting creative on ways to make things do double duty. For example what do you do with 2 gallon Ziploc bags worth of Chick-fil-A chicken? Throw together several chicken parmigianas with ingredients you have on hand (hooray, for stockpiling/couponing!) and put them in the freezer.

-I need to figure out what I'm doing with all the house plants I came home with from the funeral...I have lots of houseplants already and thankfully they spend from May to October out on the screened porch. It really might be jungle this winter and in 6 weeks we'll add a Christmas tree which requires even more shuffling. So, again I'm not really sure what I'll do. Meg, Caro, and Mis you may be receiving some new house guests...don't say I didn't warn you. I think I'm most excited about the crotons that were in the baskets. I've wanted some for years (yes, I love to garden and I get excited about plants!)

-I have a few odds and ends projects that I'm mulling and need to work on...in my free time. Ha. Whatever that is...

Andy

-Busy, busy, busy with work.

-Wishing he had more free time to complete some of his projects he's started.

Kate

-Trying to get over this sinus crud that I've had for over a week.

-Worn out. Ready to go on vacation and have a few days away as a family.

-A mess. Never still. Quite funny. Has the temper that comes with being redheaded. Learning lots about boundaries and limitations these days.

-Tech savvy. I'll be honest I'm not sure if I should be proud or worried about how tech savvy he is...he can navigate an iPhone without batting an eye. He has now figured out how to navigate the family desktop. For example he makes the dock appear, locates Safari, pulls up YouTube, and opens a playlist of favorite videos he's starred. This is all from his own exploration. Andy and I haven't taught him anything. For awhile we would minimize Safari but he's since figured out how to pull it back up. So, it's not uncommon to find our mouse hiding in the kitchen cabinets when Mom doesn't want AG to mess with the computer.

Avi-Kate

-Four months old! Crazy!

-She has her check up on Monday. Due to everything that happened last week I haven't taken her four month pictures, yet. Soon enough.

-She's getting big. Her body control is fabulous. I sat her in the high chair for the first time tonight while we ate dinner. She loves being included and hates being left out.

-She LOVES her big brother. She finds him comical and loves to smile/laugh at him.

-Once I have pics and her trip to the doctor I'll do a four month post on her.
-Oh, and her hair is coming in and it's the same exact shade as AG's. She has this one piece on the top that is curling up and refuses to lay flat. We might have a curly headed child...I'd love it. As a baby my hair was a mass of curls all over my head.

Samson
-Adjusted to life with two kids. Takes it all in stride...when he doesn't want to be bothered he disappears to our room.
-Has started playing games with AG. Tug of war with a rope. Fetching. (Which should be noted as a big deal b/c Samson has never been a big fan of playing fetch due to his breed make-up. So, the fact that he plays with AG is quite endearing.)

Vacation:
-We leave in a little over a week for Disney. We are getting away for a few days to celebrate my birthday. To say I'm excited would be a huge, huge understatement. After the last few months I'm ready for some quality family time at the happiest place on earth.

CVS:
-Thankfully, AG hasn't had an episode. I was fearful that everything going on last week would trigger an episode. Praise the Lord it didn't. Although, we had a moment of panic driving to my parents on Friday. AG was crashed in his carseat dead asleep and suddenly woke up in a fit of coughing and then passed back out. Usually, he starts coughing in his sleep right before he vomits. Ever so grateful that it didn't happen. I know that eventually we'll have an episode till then we wait. I'm also looking forward to chatting with the pediatrician on Monday at Avi-Kate's appointment about this since I haven't seen her since we got the diagnoses.

I'm sure there are lots of other things I should mention but at the moment I can't think what they are. :) For now, I'm grateful for all that I'm learning these days...

Hey, it's okay...

2011-10-05T22:18:00.000-04:00

So, today anything went. I was parenting two small kids by myself, running on less than an hours sleep due to hearing that my grandmother had passed away, and trying to get all the lose ends wrapped up before leaving for ATL. So, when my child consumed the following for lunch (while I was running around cooking all the meat I picked up this week on sale at the grocery store so that it won't go bad before we return!):

-Goldfish
-Colby Monterrey Jack Cheese slices
-A package of Chick-fil-A croutons he rummaged out of the pantry
-And a handful of Lucky Charms

I gave myself a pass. I told myself that today it was okay. I also told myself that it was fine to let him watch The Little Mermaid and Cinderella for the 1,001 time because they are his current movie obsession. Thank heavens it wasn't the Disney Vacation Planning DVD although if he'd asked for it I would have let him because I was trying to juggle so much.

Here's hoping that tomorrow's lunch is better and that I can get some sleep tonight...

Keep a-Goin'

2011-10-05T02:55:00.000-04:00

When I was pregnant with AG Me-Me would tell me how much she prayed that he would be a boy and that she wanted him to have red hair. (Particularly the same shade that my dad's was as a little boy.) He not only is named after his granddad but he also has the same fiery red hair. When we took AG to meet Me-Me all she could talk about was his hair as she lovingly stroked his head. She even called him Mr. Red...

Tonight my heart aches. After I put the kids to bed I began to work on finalizing our Disney plans for my birthday. Andy is in Miami for the night and I got on a roll...I looked up and realized that it was 1:30 and I should head to bed. (Yes, even with two kids I'm still a night owl!) As I was climbing in the bed I received a text from my parents that my grandmother had passed away. My sweet grandmother is finally home and whole. She was diagnosed with Alzheimers when I was in college and so this has been a long time coming. Due to the disease, she has been 'gone' for years now despite being prepared for the end I wept. Tonight I will cling to my favorite Psalm as I attempt to sleep...it also happens to be Me-Me's favorite, Psalm 121.

And in the days that follow I will Keep a-Goin'! We'll all Keep a-Goin' because that is what she would want. The following poem was Me-Me's favorite. And as her memory began to fade she could still recite this. I will forever cherish her very animated rendition of this in my memory.

KEEP A-GOIN’

Author: by Frank L. Stanton (1857-1927)

If you strike a thorn or rose,
Keep a-goin'!
If it hails or if it snows,
Keep a-goin'!
'Taint no use to sit an' whine
When the fish ain't on your line;
Bait your hook an' keep a-tryin'--
Keep a-goin'!

When the weather kills your crop,
Keep a-goin'!
Though 'tis work to reach the top,
Keep a-goin'!
S'pose you're out o' ev'ry dime,
Gittin' broke ain't any crime;
Tell the world you're feelin' prime--
Keep a-goin'!

When it looks like all is up,
Keep a-goin'!
Drain the sweetness from the cup,
Keep a-goin'!
See the wild birds on the wing,
Hear the bells that sweetly ring,
When you feel like singin', sing--
Keep a-goin'!

My Dearest Me-Me,

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you for all that you did for me and my sisters over the years. Thank you for sweet moments. Thank you for wonderful celebrations over the years...you were always a wonderful hostess. Thank you for a chance to be young in the mountains because there was no where else we'd rather be. Thank you for teaching us manners and how a lady should act...M and C do you remember the cassette tapes of songs about manners? Thank you for Snoopy fishing poles. Thank you for bath time and drying each individual toe while we sat in your lap. Thank you for bedtime stories...I'm sure Caroline would also say thank you for insisting she sleep on the trundle bed so that she wouldn't fall out of the bed and hurt herself, even at 10 years old. Thank you for loving Misty as your own because you knew to us she was and is our big sister. Thank you for always supporting our endeavors. Thank you for giving my sisters and I a wonderful appreciation of the arts from an early age. Thank you for trips to Chick-a-lay on the corner. (The Chick-fil-A at North Druid Hills.) Thank you for always including books for my library each birthday and Christmas. You will be happy to know that AG already dearly loves Ira Sleeps Over...funny thing is he doesn't like to read the new copy I have...he insists on reading the well loved and very worn copy you gave me when I was little. Thanks for my love of red...your signature color was and is still my favorite. Thank you for Chocolate Soup and London Fog. Thank you for Varsity trips in our Chocolate Soup and London Fog. Thank you for all these things and countless more. You were an incredible and amazing grandmother. Generous with your time and love. We are forever grateful.

Love, Katie-Girl

Struggling...

2011-09-29T00:46:00.000-04:00

...not because I don't think we can handle this. The reality is that I know we can handle this...God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I'm struggling because there is so little known about this condition and no two cases are exactly a like. Even within families that have two kids that have it one can have the same exact episode every single time while the other's episodes are always different and get progressively more severe.

So, it's a huge puzzle that we have to research, research, research and then began to sift thru the information to see where AG is. It's also hard because of AG's age he can't communicate his symptoms/how he is feeling the way an 8 year old can.

His sleeping this week has been out of whack this week so now I'm wondering if that is a warning sign for us...sleep can be a factor in an episode happening. Processing lots. Reading anything I can. I have notes scribbled on several post-its. The reality is I need to get a spiral nb to take notes in and "work out" what happens in AG's episodes to compare with my notes. I just haven't been able to get out the house to acquire said nb. Till then the jumbo post-its will have to do.

Today I read about a child that missed 24 days of school last year due to this condition. The thought dawned on me that I'm glad we were already serious about putting our kids in private school. If this continues to affect AG that will be something we have to deal with. As a former teacher, who has spent time in both public and private classrooms, I know that a private school will be a better fit for something like this. Right now I'm praying that we can get a firm grasp on what triggers him and what his warning signs are before he starts preschool in January.

It's late. This is jumbled. It's been one of those days. I'm off to bed...

A short update...

2011-09-27T00:39:00.000-04:00

I'm slowly getting the blog caught up and I've been working on something else that I look forward to sharing soon. Anyways, here's an update on AG...

For the last year we've dealt with what we thought were parasite attacks or episodes if you will. Anyways, after this last one three weeks ago I made an appointment to see Dr. Saripkin in Atlanta. (We saw him last August when all of this started.) Well, it looks like AG doesn't have a parasite, rather, he has something known as Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS). At the moment we are going to sit tight and wait for AG's next episode (which could be tonight or 5 months from now...you just never know.) and in the mean time I'm to research it and see how AG fits in to it. Then we'll re-evaluate and go from there. I'm grateful that it isn't a parasite. I'm grateful that we know what it is for certain.

Tonight I came home and started looking stuff up. From what I can tell what we've experienced with AG is pretty mild in comparison to what some people deal with. For now I'm going to sit on all of this, research, and pray. Tonight I'm finding peace in the following lyrics...

"when you walk through the water
i will be with you
when you pass through the river
those waves they will not overtake you
when you walk on the fire
those flames they will not touch you
you are mine
you are mine..." ~Enter the Worship Circle

We are ready to see...

2011-09-23T17:22:00.000-04:00

...the Mouse and his friends. This morning Avi-Kate was playing on our bed her Piglet we bought at Disney last Christmas. She was chomping away on his arms and playing with his ears...we looked over and realized that she had fallen asleep like this...

I then went down the hall and discovered that AG was watching his new favorite movie of the week, The Little Mermaid, and sitting with his best pal...

Yes, I would say we are in need of a good dose of Disney...thank heavens we'll be there in a little under four weeks to celebrate my birthday! I'm looking forward to telling AG, "Today! AG goes to Disney today!" (He asks almost daily to go to Disney.) We decided to take a long weekend and go back on our annual passes. We got a ridiculous deal on a room on site and so off we go. We are looking forward to experiencing the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot and taking in a little trick-or-treating Disney style at Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween at the Magic Kingdom. AG wants to be Peter Pan. With his bright red hair he'll be the spitting image! I think we are going to dress Avi-Kate up as a tiny Tinker Bell. I've planned it all out and all we have left to do is pack. Hooray! I don't know what it is but we love being down there with our kids. It really is the most magical place on earth.

Wordless Wednesday...Paul Revere Edition...

2011-09-21T16:22:00.000-04:00

I promise I have a good reason for...

2011-09-20T13:03:00.000-04:00

my absence the last three weeks. Let's just say we've had a THIRD parasite attack (AG) along with two bouts of hand, foot, mouth disease. I've had my hands full...a back log of posts coming right up...

Chore time...

2011-09-16T17:22:00.001-04:00

...okay so not true chores, yet. (All in due time as they get older!) For now we ask AG to help and most of the time he offers to do things to help Momma or Daddy. His favorite being to 'help Sammy' aka feed Samson. If Samson is good and eats his dinner AG will offer up a treat to him! (Bones, Greenies, dog biscuit, etc.) One evening Andy was taking out the trash and AG asked to help so I gave him a bag of trash out of one of the bathroom garbage cans. And away the boys went with Samson leading the way outside.

A few days later I was folding laundry during AG's nap and Avi-Cakes was helping me. She enjoyed being plopped down in the middle of a warm load of laundry...

...she also enjoyed waving a pair of AG's big boy underwear around in the air. Big boy underwear? Yes, big boy underwear. A post forthcoming on our adventures in potty training!

So, here's to laying the foundation at a young age that we all live together in this house and we must all help out. To quote G-Daddy, "it's just part of being in a family!" Yep, and as they get older we will delve further in to that concept but for now we are learning simple skills.

Wordless Wednesday...Fresh Cut Wood Edition...

2011-09-14T16:16:00.000-04:00

Ron Potter does it bigger and better...

2011-09-13T17:41:00.001-04:00

Last month I posted about AG building his own bowling alley. Well, we have kicked it up a notch or should I say Ron Potter kicked it up a notch. A few weeks ago Avi-Kate's new Britax carseat arrived via Amazon. The box that the seat shipped in is now AG's favorite toy. That night before I could even cart it outside to be recycled he flipped it over and created a bigger and better bowling alley. The way his mind works floors Andy and I sometimes. He is constantly analyzing and engineering things. Since then he has also gone back and colored the box with his crayons, personalized it if you will. Again, unprompted. He's a mess and I just love to see how his mind works...

Wordless Wednesday...Yo-ho-ho Edition.

2011-09-07T16:17:00.000-04:00

Face-lift on the house...sneak peek.

2011-09-02T15:58:00.001-04:00

When you live in an old house it is inevitable that things are going to need to be repaired, fixed, and or restored at some point. In the case of our front steps that has been a need since we moved in but we are finally at point where we can focus on it. I plan to do a complete before/after post when Andy has everything just the way he likes it. Till then here is a sneak peek at some of the work that has taken place...

I've come to the conclusion that there are very few things that my husband and father can not do. The front of the house is a prime example of that and it amazes me! Looking forward to showing you all the details, soon.

The Adventures of Ron Potter...

2011-09-01T09:43:00.000-04:00

You can find him in the kitchen...

You can find him on the front porch helping rebuild...

You can find him with the Muffin Man in the bakery on Drury Lane...

You can also find him being patriotic while doing his endeavors...

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-08-31T00:22:00.000-04:00

"Hey, It's Okay..." AG edition.

2011-08-30T23:40:00.001-04:00

A little AG humor for you from the last few weeks...

Hey, It's Okay...

-If your child asks for a piece of the high life one night while watching the Braves. Yep, he asked for it. Andy died laughing and I kept saying "seriously!?!" a la Meredith Grey that my toddler just asked for a piece of the high life. (Sigh.) Humorous, yes. But probably not the best thing to say to other kids on the playground!

-If your child says to himself, "whew! That was close!" After receiving a warning because of his behavior.

-If your child wears 3D Harry Potter Glasses EVERYWHERE thus giving his mom a new weekly post..."Where in the world is Ron Potter?!?"

-If your child replicates Turner Field EVERYTIME he plays baseball by setting up a "Moo Cow" aka a CFA Cow, a Coke Bottle aka his sippy cup, and his "Chop" aka a foam letter T from the bathtub ABCs that he uses for a tomahawk. And to set the ambience he plays songs that can be heard at the stadium along with the chant.

-If your child asks to go to HePo aka Home Depot with "his Daddy" so that he can get out of the house.

-If your child carries around your old PINK Motorolla Razr flip phone and has conversations that go a little something like this... "AG watch puppies. (AKA 101 Dalmations.) Pause. Eat pa'corn. Pause. Hit homerun. Hold on..."

-If your child hates to be the barer of bad news..."Bad news!" "What's bad news buddy?" "Trash is bad news." (As garbage man rolls down the street.)

Never a dull moment! Literally. On a more serious note the inspiration for my "Hey, It's Okay..."posts come from a blog that I read about the Needham family. If you have time hop over and read about them and if you think about it say a prayer for sweet Piper, her parents, and big sister Linley. Piper has leukemia and has just recently relapsed. They are doing everything that they can to save her life. Recently, Sus posted the following:

"I don't plan to dwell on the "whys" or "hows" or "what ifs" because frankly, that steals from my living with what I have now...two sweet girls, a husband and a God who gave this all to me. I'm learning quickly that a blessing isn't always a perfect gift or the answer to something you may think you want. Sometimes its just the knowledge that you're still here and still breathing despite having the wind knocked out of your sails.

Praise God. "

And this

"While I have no idea what happens in the future, I still stand firm on the knowledge that God is sovereign and that He has a plan. I fear the prayers I am sending up are not filled with faith but rather with pleading but I rejoice that He knows my heart, my girls and my life. At this moment, sobbing at the computer with strangers around I feel much like a tree that has been beaten by the weather. I may look to be bent over, I may be weathered to a indescript gray but I am still rooted in the soil that give me sustenance.

Of this I am certain, God is still good."

I've been chewing on these words the last two weeks or so, daily, as I pray for Piper. There's not much I can say after that...

The return of family dinner...

2011-08-24T22:49:00.001-04:00

I often get asked why we do what we do when it comes to opening our house to students. And I usually say it's because we love having them in our home and we love that our kids have lots of "older" siblings, etc. However, as this school year has started I've realized something else...we really are like a family. I love the following quote because I feel like it perfectly describes our group,

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one." ~Jane Howard

Wow! In the last few weeks I've seen our family serve each other sacrificially because that's what families do. It's been amazing. Some of the serving has been from Andy and I but the majority of it has come from our students taking care of each other. And that to me is amazing. To sit back and watch them invest and build their relationships with each other. To drop everything and come to their aid when they need help. To show love to each other. I'm blessed beyond measure because of these students that God has given to us. It is such a joy to watch them grow and discover who they are. I'm grateful we have a brand new year upon us full of lots of memories to be made. Speaking of memories here's our first family dinner of the year...

Even Peter Pan...

2011-08-22T22:32:00.000-04:00

...has to get squeaky clean. AG and Avi-Kate's first bath together along with Peter and crew. I decided to give it a try and it worked surprisingly well. I'll be glad when she's bigger and we can stick them both in the tub together without the infant tub. But for now this works...AG adores her and so when I asked if he wanted to take a bath with her I didn't have to ask twice. He then asked if Peter could take a bath too. I acquiesced since he had carted Peter and Wendy all over town this week...figured he needed a bath! :o) Also, I'm noticing that as her hair comes in that it is the exact same shade that AG's is. Not going to lie I absolutely love the shade of red that it is. And speaking of her hair...she has more hair now at almost three months than AG did at twelve months! Ha. Anyways, here are some pictures from our bath time fun...

Telling Avi-Kate who Mr. Smee is...

...sharing Mr. Smee.

Showing off Peter Pan and Wendy.

AG loves all things Peter Pan. Love this picture of him...it captures this stage of life perfectly.

Sharing Peter, Wendy, and Tic Toc Croc.

Laughing. Because her brother is hysterical.

While we are on Peter Pan...AG wants to be Peter for Halloween. Perfect since his hair is red. :o) I think we are going to let Avi-Kate be Tink. I don't think we'll subject her to a full Tinker Bell costume but so sort of variation. It'll be perfect for when we go to Disney in October and do Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween. And I'm thinking this year we'll do some sort of Peter Pan or Pirate themed birthday party for him since he's been on a Pan kick for most of the year. Hard to believe the holidays are fast approaching and then I'll be having a birthday party for a three year old! Goodness me, where does the time go?!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-08-20T00:30:00.000-04:00

Redheaded little boys.

Redheaded babies with sweet rolls everywhere. Perfect for kissing.

Grandparents and their willingness to serve.

Mid-morning snuggles and smiles.

AG's love for the Braves. Andy and I love to watch him watch the Braves. Entertaining on so many levels. :)

Wordless Wednesday...Favorite Aunt Edition...

2011-08-17T11:58:00.001-04:00

Oh, the places you'll go...

2011-08-16T09:35:00.003-04:00

Dave, you are off to the next chapter in your life. It has been a joy and an honor to be a part of your life these last few years. Thank you for filling our home with so much laughter. (We can always count on a great story when you are present. Apples, anyone?) We are so proud of you and are excited to see you start seminary. Know that you always have a home in Rome to come home to. We'll leave the porch light on...see you for Mountain Day Weekend.

We love you.

Dave's going away dinner...

Avi-Kate 2 month pictures...

2011-08-15T12:09:00.000-04:00

Avi-Kate's 2 month rocking chair pictures...due to the heat wave we opted to stay home for this photo shoot. I'm looking forward to doing the next one at Berry. Can't believe how quickly she is changing. Avi-Kate you are a sweet baby. Your big brother adores you. Really. You are so lucky to have him.

You have already started wearing 3-6 month clothing and some 6 month clothing. You love, love, love to eat. You are wearing size two diapers these days. You have been sleeping through the night and even did your first 12 hour stretch this past Friday night. You love to snuggle but you also love to play in your bouncer while AG entertains you. You have the sweetest smile and we just love you so!

Snuggling my lovies...

2011-08-12T09:43:00.001-04:00

...is what I do best! That's one of my favorite lines from AG's book, Tickle Monster. Here's some pics of Avi-Kate snuggling her lovie from Aunt Meg:

Thank heavens...

2011-08-11T21:50:00.000-04:00

...for Aunt Mis coming to spend a few days with us while Daddy is gone all week on business. Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming to help me out for a few days. It was wonderful to hang out and I loved every minute. (So did your niece and nephew!) We love you, Aunt Mis!

How to Build...

2011-08-11T12:02:00.001-04:00

...a bowling alley.

AG being the creative little man that he is decided we needed a bowling alley in the den. He collected his ball, pins, a kitchen towel, and a diaper box and got to work. He also needed to watch bowling while bowling and requested I put on bowling. Thank heavens for YouTube and in five seconds he was watching bowling clips from ESPN.

He amazes us daily with the things he comes up with. I say it all the time...never a dull moment. :)

Wordless Wednesday...Snuggling Viraj Edition...

2011-08-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

Monday morning fun...

2011-08-08T13:20:00.000-04:00

A fun morning with AG and Avi-Kate:

I'm pretty cute and my brother is hilarious.

My cheeks are quite pinchable.

He's an absolute mess. What a ham.

Sweet girl is 2 months...

2011-08-05T21:14:00.000-04:00

Are you really two months old already?!? Here's some fun we had today...we go in a week for your check-up and I can't wait to see how big you are.

AG and the toilet...take 2...

2011-08-04T21:12:00.000-04:00

Remember how AG flushed his paci a few weeks back...the latest victim is a can of green Play-Doh. Yep. That's half the can at the bottom of the toilet and the other, water logged, half in the sink. I went to go pee in my bathroom and in the 30 seconds I was gone this occurred. He also ratted himself out and came and told me while I was washing my hands. Oh, the curiosity of little boys. Thankfully, our toilet is no worse for the wear. Never a dull moment. Ever.

Wordless Wednesday...Namesake edition...

2011-08-03T20:09:00.002-04:00

Ron Potter or Harry Weasley...take your pick...

2011-08-02T00:57:00.001-04:00

...either way life with you, your red hair, and 3D Harry Potter glasses is never dull. You make us chuckle daily with your shenanigans. :)

You just never know...

2011-08-01T00:54:00.000-04:00

...what is likely to happen when J. Michael visits from LA. AG was trying to make up for lost time and showing Michael everything around the house. He also insisted that Michael read and play Tickle Monster. Here's what followed:

This one makes me chuckle. Classic Michael.

Love them both. And this picture.

This one is also classic Michael.

After we ate dinner (chicken pesto with bowtie pasta...Michael's favorite.) Michael was able to snuggle up with Avi-Kate. Love, love, love how these turned out.

Michael...thanks for being a part of our family. We always look forward to your visits. Hard to believe that you've been in school at USC for two years now. Seems like just yesterday you were in school at Berry...making mischief of one kind and another. We are so proud of you and all that you've accomplished. We can't wait to celebrate you when you graduate this next year! We'll see you at Christmas...

PS- We look forward to seeing AG and Samson's moment in the kitchen one day on the big screen. Ha.

Fun with your besties...

2011-07-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

I'm fortunate to have two of my closest friends from college live in town with me. One of them, Julie, has been my friend since we were in 6th grade. We came to Berry together and even lived together our freshman year. Ginny and I did Camp WinShape growing up and met the first summer we both worked, 2001. Anyways, all three of us were friends in college and we all stuck around town. (The rest of our group Laura, April, and Aubrey are scattered...thankfully we all try and stay in touch.) Anyways, Ginn, Jules, and I were all pregnant together with our first borns. Briggs and Emma are 6 months older than AG. I'm grateful that our kids are forming life long friendships with each other and like to play together. Here is some fun they've had together recently...Emma's birthday party and a water play date over here.

AG gave Emma a Dumbo from Disney World. Dumbo is her favorite movie and it was fitting since her party was Emma's Favorite Things.

So, sweet.

The best place to eat a popsicle is in your water table...

Avi-Kate I'm excited that in a few short months you will have your own Briggs and Emma! Yes, this go around I was pregnant first and Ginny and Jules are due together in January! Can't wait to meet the two newest additions to the group this winter and see them play together in the coming years. Thank the Lord for beautiful friendships that run deep. Grateful for Jules and Ginn and that we get to raise our kids together.

Avi-Kate in July...

2011-07-28T11:51:00.006-04:00

One month old, already?!

Shannon delivered both of our redheads.

I didn't get to take your one month picture in the rocking chair but I did snap a one month picture in your swim suit!

Ready to lounge at the pool with Aunt Meg.

Lounging with Aunt Caro at the pool.

Not sure about something?!? I find it appropriate that this picture was taken in Caro's arms...I feel like I've seen that face before from her! :)

Havin' fun with Aunt Mis.

Sweet, sweet girl!

You are so beautiful!

Hard to believe in another week you will be two months old sweet girl. This month has flown by. You are growing like a weed! You are quite the piglet. At one month you were 10 and a half pounds and 22 inches long. (Bigger than your brother was at his one month appointment!) You love to eat but you are a tortoise when it comes to nursing! Most feedings it takes you over an hour to nurse. Making for a very tired mommy. Sometimes it's just easier to pump and give you a bottle. You slept 'thru the night' for the first time two days before your one month check up...a nice 6 hour stretch. Since then you have bumped it up to 7 hours at the beach, 8 hours last week, and this week you've started doing 9 hour stretches. You sleep great at night! During the day it can be hard for you to nap...but that might also have to do with your big brother and his zest for life! Last week you graduated to a size two diaper and you are already starting to wear 3-6 month/6 month clothes. You started smiling at the beach. That Saturday morning you were all smiles while snuggling in bed with Daddy. You are a wonderful baby, Avi-Kate, and we are enjoying every minute with you!

AG's big boy room...

2011-07-27T16:59:00.000-04:00

...it dawned on me that I, in my pregnant state these last few months, forgot to post what we did to AG's room this spring. (Sigh) Anyways, it still needs a few things done to it but overall it looks pretty good. We painted it grey and AG picked a shade known as 'Mickey's Shadow'...how appropriate. He wanted to help and so we suited him up in an old onesie and let him go to town. Later, Andy finished it all by himself. He then built, painted and installed hanging shelves for the wall along with two new bookcases. I've decided that there are very few things in this world that my husband can not do. He's quite talented. I still need to do something on the windows, get a bunch of prints framed and hung, and decide what to do with the shelf over AG's bed. Oh, and find a rug. Now if I could get Avi-Kate's room finished...

Wordless Wednesday Tickle Monster Edition...

2011-07-27T07:19:00.001-04:00

A little sibling love...

2011-07-26T11:39:00.000-04:00

A few snapshots of AG relishing his role as big brother from the last three weeks...

Right before the beach...Avi-Kate at one month.

Taking a break from being a Braves player to relax with his sister at the beach.

Home from the beach AG wanted to feed his sister a bottle.

Quite determined that she was going to take it all...which he shouldn't because she is such a piglet!

Tummy time together.

Entertaining Avi-Kate in her room on her (future) big girl bed while I put up her laundry.

She was smiling and making all sorts of noises for him. She loves him already...

My sweet babies. How I love them so!

Just like Daddy...

2011-07-25T23:50:00.000-04:00

...the finer points of shaving...a lesson.

Apply shaving cream.

Find a foam letter to use a razor. (In this case the letter 'L' was used!)

Swipe and rinse. Swipe and Rinse.

Showing us how it's done...

Swipe and Rinse. Swipe and Rinse.

Have your Daddy do the spots you missed.

This lesson occurred on Sunday, July 17th. After the paci incident!

How to quit your paci...

2011-07-25T23:18:00.002-04:00

AG's last picture with his paci...two days before it left us for good.

(And yes, that would be AG playing games on Andy's phone in our bed at the beach house. It's crazy how well he operates that phone already.)

We returned from the beach on Saturday the 16th. It was a long day...when is driving with two small children not tiring not to mention that one of them is only weeks old. Anyways, the next day we stayed home from church to catch up on sleep and regroup. That afternoon Andy was in the living room watching the Women's World Cup, AG was watching soccer and running around, and I was nursing the piglet AKA Avi-Kate. (More on her nursing habits in another post.) Well, I was nursing on our bed and at one point AG came in and was entertaining himself in our bathroom. I then heard the toilet flush and he came running out of the bathroom telling me, "bye, bye paci! Flush it." I yelled for Andy and we got the whole story. AG, being the critical thinker that he is, decided to try his own science experiment! Yep, he flushed it. Andy was like well this could be good and bad. Good being that we now have a legitimate excuse why AG can't have it anymore...one that he, being the thinker that he is, can recall and learn from. Bad because he could mess up the toilet/plumbing!

Well, it's been over a week and the paci is still gone, the toilet still flushes, and AG gets quite animated when retelling the story of his paci to anyone that asks. There are even hand motions as he shows how the water swirls around in the bowl!

Andy and I laugh because AG didn't realize what he was doing would be permanent. And it made it quite easy for us! Honestly, it was probably best because AG is very literal and is great at recalling past experiences or things that have been said. So, anytime he inquires about it we ask him what happened to it and that's all we have to say. The first few nights were a little rough and the morning after it happened I found him with a spoon in the other bathroom trying to find it!

Thankfully, he has no interest in Avi-Kate's pacis. (When we bought her pacis we made sure that we got pink and purple ones since AG's were blue and green. ) So we are down to one child with a paci, again. My three goals for AG this year were to drop the paci, move to a big boy bed, and potty train before preschool. So far, he's been in a big boy bed since March, paci free for a week, and peeing/pooping on the potty when he wants. Now all we need to do is make the last one permanent. I've kind of been waiting till after he adjusted to the new baby and so I can get adjusted to life with two. Two out of three before the end of July ain't bad if I do say so myself. :)

Dreaming of...

2011-07-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

...crisp cold weather. Leaves changing and falling. Holidays. Holiday baking. Scarves. Hot drinks on a cold afternoon. Snuggling up under a blanket with AG to watch a movie. Decorating the house for fall and then Christmas. Cutting down a Christmas tree. College football and bowl games. And snow...

...lots and lots of snow. I love being home when it snows. I love not having to go anywhere or do anything. I love how quiet and still things are...the serenity and peacefulness soothes my soul. Every year around this time I begin to eagerly anticipate the changing of the seasons and all that the coming months have to offer. Here's hoping we get some more snow this year...I can't wait for fall to get here...

Ps- AG is dreaming of a White Christmas or at least a Charlie Brown Christmas as he is currently watching it...heaven help me he just asked for a Christmas tree to decorate. :)

Life with AG at two and a half...

2011-07-22T09:51:00.000-04:00

Are you really two and a half?!? I can't hardly believe it. Just yesterday we received your registration packet for preschool in January. As we drove on to campus yesterday tears welled up in my eyes because you squealed, "There it is! There's Berry!"...at two and a half you already love this special place. I pray that in the years to come you would continue to fall in love with Berry. Your Dad and I are excited to see you start school. We are grateful there is a place that believes in educating not only your head but your heart and hands too.

AG, life with you is a sweet adventure because you are constantly in motion and constantly have something to do. In all my years of nannying I have never seen a child love sports the way you do at two and a half. You eat, sleep, and breathe all things baseball, golf, football, soccer, basketball, and hockey. Most days you jump from playing one sport to the next and in the evening when Daddy comes home you have to play together. This is usually followed by watching Sportscenter and watching whatever sporting event is on that night. This morning you woke up and asked me to watch baseball...I had to tell you that the Braves don't play till later today. You were okay with it and went to get you bucket of balls, bat, and glove ready for when they do.

AG, already you are an incredible big brother. Avi-Kate is so lucky to have you. You love to help get things for her when I need help. You ask to hold her and feed her a bottle. When she's sleeping you love to check on her and make sure she is okay and sometimes you try and wake her because you want to see her.

AG, you love Moe's and you constantly ask to eat 'Moe's Dinner'. Your favorite thing to eat is all the burrito fixings in a bowl. You also have a deep love for 'K-Blay' aka Chick-fil-A. K-Blay little door is the Dwarf House and K-Blay slide is the Chick-fil-A in the mall because there is a playground at the mall. In addition to these places you have a keen eye for spying anything that says Home Depot, Coke, and AT&T...for example at Target in May you saw a print of Turner Field. You proceeded to look at Daddy and I and point out the HD logo, the AT&T logo, and the Coke Bottle. And then you said, "Daddy, where K-Blay cow?!?!" You were frustrated because the photo was an old stock photo that was taken before the Chick-fil-A Cow was added next to the Coke bottle. You have a keen eye for details.

AG, you are crazy about all things Disney. When we put on a Disney movie and the opening shot of the castle appears on the screen you jump and down and cheer. Followed by you squealing, 'There it is! There's Disney!' You ask weekly when 'AG go Disney' it's hard to explain that we are going to be there in three months to celebrate my birthday. The other day you saw a picture of the Tea Cups in Fantasyland and you told me that you had ridden them with Daddy and Aunt Mis. You can spy anything Mickey...you even declared the three circles on a sign in the foodcourt a Mickey. Or while watching the opening credits of 101 Dalmatians you see Big Ben and declared it the Peter Pan clock...again, your eye for details amazes us.

Here are some of our favorite AG-isms these days...

-Come here. I show you. (While using your hand to signal us to come on.)

-Moo Cow Do Chop! (Followed by you starting the chop...this is said and preformed during Braves games. Or when you request to watch YouTube videos of the Cow doing the chop.)

-Shoe-weeee! Stinky! (While you wave your hand back and forth.)

-J-umping! J-umping! (This is what you call Sugar Hill Gang's song Apache. You discovered this song at the start of the baseball season because the Braves play it when a home run is hit. You heard it on the tv and needed to hear it again...it has since been added to your iTunes playlist. When it's played you hit a ball and run the bases. It won't be long before your Daddy and Tino teach you the dance that goes with this song...they use to preform it with a group of guys in college at all the Berry Talent shows. I think that's why your Dad and I get so tickled watching you get up and move to it. The Dana Funk lives on...)

-Ready GOOOO! (This is a part of the chorus from a Switchfoot song that they use for a Braves commercial. One night Daddy decided to see what you would do when he put it on the computer...keep in mind you've never heard the whole song only the chorus. As soon as the first line was sung you started squealing 'Ready GOOOO!' You also have an ear for music...)

-Arsenal! Arsenal! (You chant this anytime you play soccer or see a soccer game on. Makes your Dad super happy that you're already an Arsenal fan...I'm sure when you are older there will be a trip to London to see them play at Emirates Stadium. What a day that will be.)

-Oh, no! Not again!

-Avi-Kate hold. (While holding your hands out to hold her.)

-Hey guys!

-Let's go team!

-I fink so!

There are lots of things you say these days that crack us up but since I've taken two days to finish this post I'm going to post it as is. I'll do another AG-ism post soon. AG, each day it is a joy and an honor to be your parents (and a little tiring too!). We love you so much!

Words for Wednesday...

2011-07-20T18:09:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year...it's hotter than hades, back to school supplies are everywhere, every afternoon holds the promise of thunderstorms, and I'm counting down the days till our college family returns to Rome. This summer is no exception. I'm eagerly looking forward to the fall and all that lays ahead. (A post on that coming soon...)

This sweet photo is a reminder to me of how much I love spending Thursday nights with our college girls. (These are some of our girls at Caroline's wedding this spring.) It's a joy and an honor to be able to spend time with them each week. I love them dearly and can't wait for them to return home to Rome. I'm in need of quality dinner conversation over Moe's, Pizookie with a side of McDreamy, and constant laughing over the events we call life. Hurry home girls...I can't wait to see you...

A few newborn pictures...

2011-07-17T17:12:00.006-04:00

Love, love, love how well her pictures turned out. Carrie Jo is so very gifted and I'm just grateful she's willing to help us capture these sweet moments. These are just a few of my favorites...there's no way I could post them all! Can't believe how much she has changed in the few short weeks since these were taken. Now I just need to get my act together and get her birth announcements finished and in the mail!

Sorry for my absence...

2011-07-14T22:27:00.000-04:00

...we've been on vacation...

...lots of pics and posts to come...I promise. :)

'AG Hold...'

2011-07-01T15:31:00.000-04:00

This morning AG you asked to hold Avi-Kate ('AG Hold! AG Hold! AG Hold!')...I happily handed her over to you and y'all watched Disney Junior together.

You kept talking to her and patting her belly. While you were talking you kept saying, 'Hey Sis!' over and over again.

You then got down and Avi-Kate stayed propped up on a pillow...you quickly returned and said, 'Hey Sis! Look staw-bear-ees!' and you proceeded to show her how to eat one of your favorite fruits.

Afterwards, you crawled back up and snuggled next to her to watch the Imagination Movers. AG--already you are an incredibly sweet and protective big brother. Avi-Kate is so lucky to have you to look out for her.

Sweet babies...

2011-06-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

...I could just eat 'em. Lovin' every minute with the two of them.

Newborn pictures...sneak peek...

2011-06-23T17:39:00.000-04:00

So, Carrie Jo has already posted some of the AMAZING photos that she took the other day...if you feel like taken a little peek head on over to her facebook page...

She's incredible at what she does! I can't wait to see all the pictures.

Wordless Wednesday with dear friends...

2011-06-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

Newborn pictures...

2011-06-21T16:17:00.000-04:00

Today our good friend Carrie Jo came over to take pictures of the kids and to do newborn pictures of Avi-Kate. I'm pretty excited about all the pictures that she took and I can't wait to see them. We even managed to get a picture with AG and Avi-Kate's feet together with our rings. I'm really hoping it turns out well because the photo above is one of my favorite pictures that she snapped of AG when he was born.

Avi-Kate...you were a trooper! Thanks for being such good baby and letting us spend the day photographing you! And AG...thanks for being non-stop comedic relief. You never cease to make us laugh!

Stay tuned...I'll post pictures when we get them back...