Where to Start...

Life. It has a funny way of slipping away from you and before you know it a year has passed since the last time you wrote. In many ways I needed a break. A lot has happened in the last two years and I've needed to process and reflect on what has happened around me. In many ways not knowing where to start and the thought of blogging terrified me. However, enough time has passed and I am in a much healthier place these days. I'm ready to blog again and document our life this way because I do so love being able to re-read where we have been and where we are headed. Please, bear with me as I shake off the dust and clear the cobwebs. I've got to find a rhythm for posting again but I promise to get back on the bandwagon. I'm sure I'll post some on what has transpired over the last year but I don't really want to set expectations on that for myself. We'll just see when and where my heart goes with all of this. Without much further ado here's where we are headed...

Home
We are still living in our same house. It's hard to believe that we've been here now for over 7.5 years! Time moves so quickly. This past summer one of our old trees in the backyard split in half and in order to take it out we had to remove four additional trees. Our once super shady backyard is now very bright! The upside to this is that the mosquito problem that we've had for years is now virtually non-existent. It also means that for the first time since we've been here I'll be able to have a vegetable garden this next spring.

Andy
We are elated to announce that Andy will be starting a new job in different industry next week. He has been working in the tax industry since we met. We've prayed for a long time that something would come along that would allow him to switch gears and move out of it. And in the last two months God brought about an unexpected opportunity. It feels odd to be walking in uncharted territory and yet we are at peace with where we are being led. I'll share more about this and how we got to this point in another post because it is most certainly something I want to document.

Me
So many things to say here. :) The biggest change for me in this last year is going back to work. I absolutely love my job, what we do, and the people I work with. Again, I plan to document how I got to where I am because it is worth documenting in another post.

AG
Five and a half and getting closer to six every. single. day. He started Kindergarten in August and is thriving at school! We decided to put him on campus at Berry Elementary and have felt deeply affirmed that he is in the right place over the course of these last two months. He amazes us daily with all the different things that he is learning. He continues to be all boy and a sports fanatic just like his Daddy. Once again, he's playing soccer this fall and Andy is coaching his team. I'm not sure who enjoys it more but I absolutely love watching the two of them on the field together.

Avi-Kate
Our sweet and sassy mess as I affectionately call her. She's got a lot of spunk and reminds me daily of my sister, Caroline, when we were growing up. In August, she started school at Berry at the Child Development Center and she is blossoming right in front of our eyes. She loves being a 'big girl' who has her own friends and gets to do fun things like paint, play, read, and sing. Her only disappointment with school is that she can't ride the bus every day like her older brother. Ha. We remind her daily that her time is coming.

Samson
Middle age in dog years and likes his routine. He's living the dream lounging around the house and in the backyard. And always enjoys a car trip when it takes him to the farm where he can roam to his heart's content.

Running
Many a post on this subject coming up in the next few weeks. I'm still doing it and learning a lot along the way. Andy and I have some pretty ambitious race goals set for this next year and we are currently training for a half and a marathon back to back. We've got our race schedule for 2015 for the most part set and I'm really excited about what we've got on the books. Two of which are really big runDisney accomplishments.

College Family
Lots of transition here! We had a huge wave of our students graduate this spring so we are in the process of regrouping. Our group had become quite large and it should look much smaller this year due to our senior class this spring. With everything in limbo the last two months with Andy's job we haven't done our usual dinners to kick off the year. However, now that we know what the next few weeks look like as Andy transitions to his new gig we are excited about starting things back up with our students.

There you have it. A surface level post but hopefully it sets things up for me to dive back into this in the coming weeks. Back again soon...

Changing of the seasons...

I absolutely love fall and I absolutely love fall in our town. The above photo was taken on a run last year on our street. Breathtaking, isn't it? I am eagerly awaiting the next few weeks as we slowly slip in to cooler nights and the trees around us begin to put on a show. Now that we are in to September I started pulling out everything related to the upcoming season. My goal for this week is to get things organized around the house and switch some stuff out. On my agenda is getting the fall themed books, rotating toys, changing out bedding, and looking at my fall to do list.

Sad...I started this post at the BEGINNING of this month and now it's the LAST day of this month and I'm finally around to finishing it. (Sigh) This is just the season of life we are in. Everything is going 90 to nothing with me hoping I get everything done only to realize an entire month has come and gone. At this rate it'll be AG's birthday in a mere week or two. (Reality is that it's not till January but at this pace we'll be there before we know it or I'm ready.) On the flip side this is my favorite time of year. I love everything about the next three months. And I can't wait to take runs in our neighborhood when the trees look like this again.

So, I got the books on the shelf in the den, fall decor out, changed the bedding in our room, and have yet to tackle my fall to do list. We'll see what I get done this week. I'm praying it's productive and I can get back in to a blogging groove. For now, I'll get this posted and start fresh and pray that I find my groove!

And it dawns on me...

...that in a few short weeks AG will be home all day with me and Avi-Kate. Don't get me wrong I'm excited about summer vacation. BUT it will mean that I need to restructure my day and how things get done. It's also going to mean that I need to have activities lined up for us to do throughout the week. AG loves doing things hands on and so I need to get myself organized and prepared for what lies ahead in the coming weeks. I also feel like that while AG is young we do need to have some hands on materials for him for our trip to Williamsburg to make connections. I started researching possibilities and have yet to find anything that is developmentally appropriate and well put together. Most likely I'm going to make my own 'lap book' for him to work in. We'll see what I come up with. And while I'm on school type activities I am probably going to have to do some sort of Tot School this summer for AKs because she is quite insistent that she be included in whatever 'Bubba' is doing. On the upside she colors/holds writing utensils much better than AG did at this age. She is also starting to prefer her left hand when she holds a crayon/pencil. Last night, while out to dinner with my parents, I watched her hold a crayon with her right hand...try to color...then switch to her left hand because she like it better. She did this repeatedly every single time she switched crayons. This left handed mom is slightly optimistic that maybe I won't be the only lefty in the family.

It also dawns on me that...

I need to get with it on the birthday party planning for Avi-Kate. I can't believe she is going to be two in a month. Over the weekend I was looking at my calendar and realized that in all reality I need to have said party planned/ready to go before we leave for Williamsburg so that I'm not scrambling when we come home.

Here's to a productive next few weeks...not to mention the ideas I've schemed up to do around the house. :)

I'm back!

Well, after a much needed blog sabbatical I'm back. Whew.

If you are still here...thanks for sticking with me. I needed some time to process life and focus on what has been going on around us. Life has been moving at warp speed but I'm ready to jump back on the blogging bandwagon.

Randomness and slightly all over the map thoughts from today:

~Today is my half birthday. Normally, not a big deal but six months from today I turn 30. Somewhat surreal to think about. I've been quite contemplative all day about all that has happened in the last ten years of my life. Ten years ago I didn't know Andy. Since then I've met the love of my life, graduated from Berry, married Andy, bought and remodeled a house, had two children, 'adopted' a house full of college students, and become something I never thought I'd be...a runner who has completed two half marathons. And that's just a few of the high points. What really amazes me is to think where we will be ten years from now...AG will be 14 and Avi-Kate will be almost 12!

~ The kids were in a wedding this weekend and they were absolutely precious. I've known the bride since we were little. We were campers together and she was a few years behind me at Berry. Her wedding was gorgeous. She is so detail oriented and there were details every where you looked. I'll post pictures this week and more details.

~We had a picnic today in the park after church and it was wonderful! Despite the pollen it was a beautiful spring day. We had a great turn out...probably one of the largest church events we've ever hosted. The kids played non-stop and between the wedding festivities and today they are beat. They sacked out pretty quickly this evening.

~Avi-Kate is going to be two in less than two months. Nuts. Seems like she was born just yesterday. Since she had surgery I feel like she has grown a ton. Her vocabulary has finally taken off. It is sweet music to our ears to hear her little voice. A few weeks back she started piecing together simple sentences, that you can actually understand what she is saying, and I about wept tears of joy. It also has made Andy and I realize just how bad her hearing was and how much her tongue being tied hindered her ability to speak. I'm extremely grateful that we were able to address those issues and that she is doing so well.

~AG has become such a big kid. I'm amazed how much he has grown and changed since starting school. I'm even more amazed that he has one more year left of preschool before he is in kindergarten! Everyone always talks about quickly time passes but it really does amaze me how quickly our children change before our eyes. AG is all about his sports teams and becoming a farmer. A few weeks ago his teachers did a week long unit on farms and he was beside himself with joy! He's quite happy that baseball season and the Braves are back.

~My house is a complete wreck at the moment. (From all of the hustle and bustle this weekend!) I am hoping to regroup this week. At least before hosting my ladies bible study on Wednesday night.

~My sweet mother-in-law is here for a few days and I'm hoping we can get out in the yard tomorrow and get some stuff planted that I bought at the Berry plant sale two weeks ago.

~Andy is still looking for a job and we are faithfully walking through this new season in our lives. He has applied for some things and we are hopeful that something might happen soon. In this season of uncertainty I've taken great comfort in knowing that God is sovereign. In all things.

~What an emotional week it has been for our country as a whole. As someone who runs Boston hit me on a deep, personal level. We had friends that were there running but thankfully they are okay. And then there is the plant explosion in Texas. Which hits home as well...my dad's only sibling, my Aunt Joy, lives in Texas. Not too far from West where the explosion happened. I'm grateful that she, my uncle, and my cousin are all ok. My heart hurts on so many, many levels. And again, despite all of this I'm grateful for God's sovereignty. What happened in Texas is tragic. What happened in Boston is heinous. I have lots of thoughts running around in my head and I'm not sure if I'll share those things here...still mulling over that.

~Lastly, I'm in the process of starting a side business selling stuff I've made. This is something I've wanted to do for years and finally have the opportunity to give it a go. I'm really excited about it. Andy is currently building my website but we do have a facebook page. Feel free to take a peek at what we've been up to. I'm also working on getting a 'store' on Etsy up and going. These Southern Roots is what we've named it. I'm not really sure where it will go but I'm excited about the possibilities.

I'll be back soon with pictures and posts of what we've been up to.  Here's hoping this week is better than last.

Spring Break Plans...

Well, in planning AG's surgery we wanted to bump it next to Spring Break so that he could recover and miss the least amount of school as possible. Originally, we were prepared for it to be a really slow recovery from everything that everyone told us. However, AG has sailed through the entire thing. He hasn't had any pain medication since the actual operation. He flat out refuses it which is totally fine but we have been pleasantly surprised at how well he's done.

All that to say that I'm actually thinking we'll be able to get some projects around the house done this week. Quite refreshing...I miss posting DIY stuff that we have been working on around the house. We've started making our traditional spring/summer project wish list and looking at what we can tackle immediately. Today we are working on some projects in our bedroom. In addition, we are really looking at our house and the space we have. Long term we know that we will need more space but at the moment we can continue to make what we have work with some reorganizing/purging. We are also looking at small changes within this year like putting away the highchair and transitioning Avi-Kate to a big girl bed. These things will make the house feel bigger. We are actually already working on the highchair issue...it presents a unique situation due to how narrow our eat-in kitchen space actually is. One that will end up with it's own post once we finalize our plans. I've spent the last three days brainstorming different ideas with Andy. I'm excited about the possibilities.

More to come this week...

Insta Friday...Week in Review.

I'm in need of some change. The year has started off in chaos and my poor blog has suffered. And now it's March and I'm still trying to find my 'new year' blogging rhythm. Anyways, I'm cautiously optimistic that I might actually find my rhythm...in an effort to start this month off on the right foot (AND because I uploaded two months worth of photos to the computer this week off of multiple cameras) here's my week in review from my Instagram account (KTgE). Maybe if I get my act together this will become a frequent occurrence around here. :)

Welcome to MCO.

 Race Expo.

 Dinner at Be Our Guest and the Grey Stuff was Delicious!

 Fastpasses are a girls best friend!

 Quick trip down the yellow brick road...

 Gorgeous afternoon at Epcot.

 A great place to rest your feet after 13.1 miles.

 Celebrate the Magic! 

 Half number 2 complete and in the books. 

 Late night fun on the wildest ride in the wilderness after a successful half marathon.

 On our way to Scottish Rite to get the golf balls out...I mean, tonsils.

 Double dose of chocolate while your child is in surgery...just what the doctor ordered.

 In recovery...took a three hour nap.

 Woke up ready for popsicles and was ready to conquer the world.

 Enjoyed traveling by wagon around the hospital...requested one for 'AG's House'

 Double order of chocolate milkshakes and papers to be released...worthy of a thumbs up!

 IV removal was the worst part of his day.

 Braves Spring Training+ Chocolate Milkshake=Happy Boy.

 Easter will be here soon...

 Chocolate ice cream at 10:30 in the morning...why not?!?!

Whew...

...slowly, ever so slowly, I am getting caught back up. I am in the process of finishing up a looooooong runDisney post about the half full of pictures and our experience. It's over half way done and I should be able to finish it up in the next few days. (I hope!)

We spent the weekend here and it was nice. Friday we stayed home due to AG being contagious and I put the kids to bed. Andy went up the street to our friend Wilson's birthday party and I enjoyed watching The Young Victoria in a quiet house. Saturday we woke up to dreary weather. I ran to the grocery store to stock up on stuff that was on sale/use coupons. After that we loaded the kids in the car and headed north to Calhoun. We went to the outlets to look for a few things and to specifically buy pjs for the kids. I always buy their pjs at the Carters outlet at the end of the season for next year. The main reason is the cost it's much, much cheaper to go this route. And it's nice to have them stocked so when our crazy GA weather decides to get cold I already have them. I saved $190 dollars by buying pjs ahead of time. Nice chunk of change...I was proud of myself. AG ended up with 4 pairs of fleece footed pjs and Avi-Kate ended up with 5 pairs of fleece footed pjs. Next fall all I will add is their Chritsmas pjs and they should be set. It was somewhat sad buying them this time because this is the last year AG will fit their footed pjs. Next year I'll have to buy him 'big boy' pjs and that was somewhat surreal. I can't believe how big he is and how much he's changed over this last year. (Even just since he started school!)

Today we went to church this morning and then came home for lunch. After that I headed to Berry for a 4 mile run...it could have been longer but due to the Super Bowl Party at church I needed to get home to get cleaned up. We headed back up to the church for a nice low key party and I brought the kids home to put them to bed while Andy stayed to finish the game.

There you have it low key weekend and hopefully a good week. I'm hoping to tackle some projects around the house and get some blogging done. Need to update things like my background and my blog roll. (If you want your blogged to be linked leave me a comment and I'll add you!) We also have Avi-Kate's ear surgery on Wednesday and we are also having students over that night for Family Dinner. (Which I am really looking forward to since it has been forever since we've had everyone around the family table.) Next week is Andy's 30th birthday! He's still deciding on what he wants to do to celebrate this year. We are still talking about several possibilities...I'll be glad when he finally settles on something. :) I hope everyone had a good weekend and I'll update again, soon.

Over. And over. And over to myself.

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.   ~Isaiah 41:13


Over the course of this last month I have repeatedly come back to this verse...daily. And I continue to say it over and over to myself. This has been quite a roller coaster start to the year. We closed out 2012 with both kids being sick and not being able to go to Orlando to see the Dawgs play. (When your kids are sick they take priority over pretty much everything else.) Then a few days in to the new year a friend of mine from college committed suicide and it rocked the close knit community that is Berry to it's core. I'm still processing what happened and it's effects. Two days after the funeral Andy and I headed to Disney to run our first half...what a mountain top experience that was. We came home and celebrated AG's fourth birthday. Earlier this week we had horrible storms and a tornado touched down about 15/20 minutes from our house. I spent the morning locked in the bathroom with Avi-Kate and Samson because Andy was at work and AG was at school. That was an interesting experience to have bad weather and my child not with me. We ended the month by seeing an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist in Atlanta due to how sick both kids have been. In the midst of all of this have been friends in need of their own encouragement because of the struggles in their own lives. Again, it's been a roller coaster start to the year. Yet, in all of this, I have taken a great amount of comfort in saying, 

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."

Over. And over. And over to myself. And occasionally to those around me. Those words are like a balm, in all situations, to my heart and mind. I feel like over the last few years that certain verses/songs/quotes become anthems for a season in our life because they are relevant daily. Last year, almost daily, I would say aloud:

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

And this year, so far, has been all about Isaiah 41:13. 

Yesterday, I went to the ENT with the kids with a rough idea of what I thought they would say...that AG needed to have his tonsils out and that while Avi-Kate's ears were bad we could hold off on tubes a little longer. Instead I found out the following:

Avi-Kate's ears are horrible. In fact, they are still infected from Christmas and they immediately wrote me a prescription for a new antibiotics. She's having surgery immediately on her ears...as in next Wednesday morning she's having surgery. While they are at it they are also going to clip her tongue because she is tongue tied. I have been concerned about this for about nine months now and have asked the pediatrician but she said it was minor. In addition to being tongue tied she is also upper lip tied and we are going to have to seek advice from the dentist and orthodontist on how to proceed. They asked me yesterday if I was able to nurse her and I told them I made it four months before completely switching to formula. The nurse practitioner told me I deserved a gold medal for making it that far. Both of these issues explain why it took her on average an hour and a half to nurse. With all of this comes speech issues...being an early childhood education major in college I have experience with children and developing their speech. Over the course of the last six months I began to have this inner dialoge in my head about her speech. Should I be concerned? Should I not be concerned? Am I being overly worried because of my background? Etc. They asked me yesterday how her hearing was and without batting an eye I said fine. Surely I would notice if she was having hearing issues, right? They asked to do a hearing screening just to see where she was at despite the fact that her ears were infected. What a humbling experience to sit in a special room with your child on your lap and watch them not be able to hear. I began saying Isaiah 41:13 in my head as questions began to swirl and I willed back tears from forming. Avi-Kate has hearing loss and at this point they believe that it correlates with how infected her ears are. The hope is that by doing surgery immediately they can clear up her ears and her hearing will return. If not, we'll cross that bridge later. The combination of the hearing loss and being tongue tied explains why her speech hasn't developed the way it should. 

And then there was AG. His tonsils are huge and he snores like an old man at the tender age of four. They told me that they do indeed need to come out. What I wasn't prepared for was that the doctor wants to do the surgery at hospital so that he can keep AG overnight. (We are going to have to call this week to talk with our insurance to see what they will/will not pay for...depending on what they say we may have to have it done as outpatient.) While they were checking out his tonsils the doctor asked if they could swab AG for a strep test. Sure enough, it came back positive. They immediately wrote me a prescription for him. So the little man had a sick day at home with Mommy and Avi-Kate today. 

That's a lot. When I called Andy to tell him how it went he responded with something along the lines of, "that's a lot more information than I was expecting you to tell me." Yes. It was a lot of information to take in by yourself while juggling two small kids.

Big picture? These things while big at this moment are in fact small in the grand scheme of things. And for that I am grateful. Yesterday was hard because it was a lot to process at once by myself. While driving home I kept telling myself that God will help us. He does help us, daily. I don't know what the future holds but I take great comfort in knowing that HE knows and HE will help us. Great, great, great comfort.  

And then life happens...

...we make plans. And then life happens. I've been reminded that a lot these last two weeks. I had some very ambitious plans to get the blog up to speed and pictures to post and it hasn't happened. And that is ok. It has to be.

Life has been crazy, busy, and full of sick children. Both of our kids have been sick these last two weeks. The other night I was texting with my dear friends Evan and Erin and I said something along the lines of 'guess what the latest is?!?!?' and Evan responded with, 'I'm afraid to ask!' Ha. It's just been that kind of week. Avi-Kate had a fever for days and we discovered that she had an ear infection. Then she got the stomach virus on top of that. AG has had a bad cold for a week that has now developed in to croup. On top of that he also has an ear infection. I've left the house twice since Wednesday of last week. Both times were to go take my sick children to the pediatrician. So, we make plans and have goals but life sometimes trumps our plans. And that's ok. It has to be...that's all there is to it.

My hope is that later in the week we can get things up to speed and start the new year off right with some posts on plans for the year, reflections from this year, organization, etc. I'm making no promises because inevitably when I do that life happens and I disappear for weeks on end. :)

Happy New Year. Hope you are all well and looking forward to what this next year has in store. Onward and upward. Here we go.

Let's ramble on some more...

Wow.

The last few days have been quite busy and at times chaotic. I sat down and was about type 'I'm so glad tomorrow is Thursday because I'm ready for the weekend.' I then looked at the top right of our computer and realized that today is Tuesday and tomorrow is Wednesday. That should tell you how frazzled I've been the last few days.

Our students finished up exams and headed home over the weekend. Two of our former students also got married over the weekend. AG was the ring bearer in the wedding on Sunday and did great! My sister was in the wedding and my parents were invited so we had a house full of family for half the weekend. It also rained for almost 24 hours straight which made things interesting on the day of the wedding. It's just been non-stop.

Last night I meant to make my gameplan for the week along with my cooking/baking plans for Christmas. Plus, my master grocery list. Yep, it didn't happen I ended up with a migraine and fell asleep on the couch around ten o'clock...for those of you that know me you know that's quite rare since I'm such a night owl. Thankfully, I was able to tackle most of it this afternoon. I just need to figure out coupons this evening before bed. I also need to wrap a few more presents. I spent the bulk of Friday morning wrapping like a mad woman while AG was in school. So all that I have left to wrap is the last few presents as they arrive. (Most of which are presents that other people have ordered and shipped here for next week.) My planner has come in quite handy and I can see myself making another one to use again next year.

New Years plans...well, we were awarded tickets to the UGA bowl game which happens to be in Orlando this year. So, we are planning to go for a short two night stay. We figured we'd try and go since we have our annual passes and wouldn't have to pay to get in to the parks. We'll leave early Sunday so that we can spend that evening in one of the parks. Right now I'm thinking Hollywood Studios so that we can see all the Christmas lights. (That my dear friend, Evan, loves so much.) Andy will have to work remote on New Years Eve from our hotel room and I have yet to decide what I want to do. I may head to a park for the morning with my camera to take pictures...I'm really not sure. There are several possibilities swirling around in my head. That evening we'll head to Disney to see fireworks and take in the parks on one of the busiest nights of the year. We'll get up the next day and head to the bowl game before heading home. And I won't be sad about such a short trip because we actually will return nine days later for our 1/2 Marathon Weekend! That weekend we are flying and will be staying on property for the race. We come home from the race and then it's time for AG's fourth birthday party! I can't believe it. In some ways it seems like yesterday that he was born and then in other moments it seems forever ago. We can't wait to celebrate this next milestone with him.

I feel like there are so many things I should write about right now but I just can't. Maybe later this week. Sorry for posting several rambling posts in a row. I promise things will get back to normal...whatever that is...in the near future. :) Hope everyone is having a less chaotic week than us. What are your Christmas plans? New Years?

Twelve for 12-12-12...

I'm sure that someone else has already thought of this idea BUT I figured I'd do it anyway to commemorate the day since this is the last one we'll see in our lifetime. Here we go...

1- One White Christmas so far in my lifetime. Actually, when we had snow on Christmas Day two years ago it was the first snow on Christmas Georgia had seen in over a 100 years. I'd love some snow this year at any point since we didn't get a single flake last year! Earlier this week it was 70 degrees as Andy put lights on the house in a t-shirt and shorts. Thankfully, it's feeling more like Christmas now that a cold front is moving it's way across the state. Hopefully, it stays this way we really need a cold winter. We had issues this last year with several things because our winter was so mild. Anyways, hoping for snow at some point and watching White Christmas as I dream of a snowy Christmas.

2- Two weeks from yesterday...Christmas is less than two weeks away! So much to do in these next two weeks and I'm sure they are going to fly by.

3- Every single night this week AG has asked if we can light three candles for Advent. And every night we tell him that on Sunday we'll light the third candle. He says we need to light three candles since he's three. Hmmmm... :)

4- Next month AG will be four!?! I can't believe how grown up he is these days. I've got to start working on his birthday plans. We have a general idea on what we are doing but I need to get all the details worked out and soon!

5- Tonight my ladies group at church is having a $5 gift exchange...shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone but my gift was $6 instead of $5.

6- Yesterday I stashed 6 meals in the freezer...2 Turkey Noodle Soup bases just add noodles, 3 Chicken  and Rice Soups, and 1 bag of cooked, diced chicken breasts.

7-The number of miles I ran last night. Longest distance I've gone to date and over halfway to my goal of running a half marathon! I'm happy to be finding my rhythm because my first 1/2 will be one month from today. Andy and I are both running the Disney World Half in January. My goal is to finish and see what my time looks like then I'll set a timed goal for the Princess Half that I'm running at the end of February.

8- The number of items that I currently need to return between Old Navy and Target. The problem is that neither of these stores are actually in Rome and so in order to do said returns I'm going to have to plan special trips to both places and they both aren't in the same area unless I go south towards ATL...however, I don't see myself headed to Kennesaw before the holidays are over because of how crazy it is down there. We'll see what I end up doing. Target is in Cartersville and Old Navy has an outlet in Calhoun. Decisions, decisions.

9- The number of presents that currently need to be wrapped...this does not include the next wave of boxes that are due to arrive the rest of this week! Thank heavens for online shopping. I think 90% of my shopping this year was done online.

10- The number of toes that need a polish change. Actually, I really just need a good pedicure because it has been awhile. Guess I should put this on my list of things to do. Ha.

11- The number of Jesse Tree ornaments currently on our tree. This evening we'll add number 12. We've been alternating who gets to put the ornament on the tree...AG takes the odd days and Avi-Kate has the even days.

12- The 12 Days of Christmas and 'Piggy Pudding' are currently AG's favorite Christmas songs. He loves the Muppets and we bought him a used Muppet Christmas cd off of Amazon for $3 a few weeks ago. Piggy Pudding is actually We Wish You a Merry Christmas. In the song Gonzo starts singing about figgy pudding and Miss Piggy thinks he is saying 'Piggy Pudding'. Gonzo then explains that it's figgy pudding and it's made with figs...then under his breath he says 'and bacon!'. AG thinks that it's hysterical and he cracks up every single time. We listen to it every morning and afternoon on our way to/from Berry.

Update on life...

Whew. What a week and a weekend. We've been going non-stop and I'm thankful that the next few days look to be much more low key. I appreciate being busy and having lots to do but I also relish a few days at home with nothing to do but get caught up on domestic type items.

As is generally the case when things get wild my housekeeping tends to slip...so there will be some serious time this week spend reorganizing/cleaning this week in preparation for Christmas. Speaking of, I can't believe that Christmas Eve is two weeks from today?! This month is flying by. I am, for the first time, WAY ahead on my shopping. Actually, we have one gift left to buy and that's it. An odd feeling but I'm grateful to be this ahead of the game because I know that the last few days leading in to Christmas will be crazy with us hosting the Edwards family. I'm wrapping as things arrive and Santa magically keeps stashing his gifts in the attic. :) AG keeps asking if we can open the presents under the tree. Each day he inspects the tree and he can tell you if new presents have appeared.

Avi-Kate turned 18 months last week...I can't believe that she's a year and a half old. She's getting to be more and more like a big girl with each day that passes. Speaking of she was 26lbs 1.6oz, 31.5" tall, and her head circumference continues to be in the 100+ percentile. (Like she's not even on the chart...it's an Edwards trait. Ha. I just chuckle.) She has 8 teeth in the front and her first set of molars have appeared in the last three weeks or so bringing her grand total of teeth to 12. Our pediatrician continues to be pleased at how well she is growing and developing. Her personality is really starting to blossom and develop. She's into everything and has an opinion about most things. She's quite the sassy little thing but at the same time she's so sweet. We are really enjoying this season of life that both of the kids are at. We are soaking in every single minute. Looking ahead we'll work to drop her use of her paci once all her teeth are in. Which is what we did with AG at that age...makes teething much more sane for all involved this way. I'm hoping we can drop it this summer some time...we'll see. She's getting to be so big. :)

AG is doing great in school. He loves going to school and we are so pleased with how he's doing. On Saturday he was insistent that he needed to go to school so that he could play with his buddies. We'll see how Christmas break goes. I'm sure at the end of the break he'll be itching to go back. Next week his class is having pj/Polar Express day and then the next day they'll have their Christmas party. They've got a tree set up in the classroom and it is full of ornaments that the kids have made. I can't wait to see what all he brings home. Some of my favorite ornaments from my childhood are the ones that I made when I was AG's age.

Andy is busy, busy with work. He's in crunch mode now that tax season is upon him and working all sorts of hours to get his clients set up for the season. He's been working from home half the week and going in to the office for the other half. It's nice having home. Like this afternoon, it was pouring down rain and I didn't have to hassle with getting Avi-Kate out in it to run get AG from school. Andy put her down for her nap after lunch and then went back to work. Although I will say that sometimes it's harder for me to do housework in our bedroom which doubles as his office when he works remote. I try and steer clear of our room when he's working. Then on the days that he works at the office I do a mad dash to get everything I need to do done. One day I'll have a spotless house all the time, right?! :)

As for me...I've been busy prepping stuff for Christmas here, hosting/overseeing the church Christmas party in our building on Broad Street, chauffeuring children around town, buying and wrapping presents, and trying to regain control of the house after the chaos of last week. I should have gone on a long run yesterday afternoon and instead I found myself reorganizing and cleaning my out of control house. Day by day, right? At the moment I keep eyeing the mountain of laundry I need to tackle on the sofa. It never ends does it? That's okay. I'm grateful for a mountain of clean laundry to fold and the ability to be able to do it even if it is my least favorite chore. It's all about perspective.

Sorry for the rambly type post...my brain is kind of on overload at the moment. I'm sure there is more I should have said in this post and I'm sure it could have been more cohesive but that's ok. Picture post next...I'll be back again soon. Till then hope everyone is having a nice start to their week.

Whew! Off and running...

It's that time of the year where things tend to just speed up and fly by. Anyone else relate to this? Anyways, it's going to be a busy week around here and here's a bit of what is currently on my to do list:

-Change out kids wardrobes for the coming season...I tend to buy things ahead and when they are on clearance when I can. For example all of the kids fleece footed pjs for this fall/winter I bought in February when they were $3 a pair at the Carter's Outlet. Much better than paying $20 a pair for Avi-Kate and $25 a pair for AG now that he wears a big kid size. Last week Old Navy was running a great sale online so I went ahead and bought some clothes to round out their wardrobes. Avi-Kate didn't need much but AG needed a ton since he's now in school and hit a growth spurt since last winter.

-Find/Order kids winter jackets...I'm on the hunt and hoping I can find a good deal/sale. We'll see what I come up with.

-Start Christmas Shopping...slowly making a list and figuring out what to get the kids. We tend to keep it simple for Christmas and this year we are surprising them with a Christmas trip to Disney before Christmas so that will be factored in to what we spend. I've got a running list in my head for other people on my list I really need to take the time to jot it down.

-Need to get flowers out and in pots for Mtn. Day which is in less than two weeks!

-Need to finish fall craft projects. Wreath for the door and pumpkin luminaries for the kids.

-House ready for family dinner tomorrow night and then geared up for Mtn. Day weekend.

-Start working on packing lists for Disney and buying last minute items. I have pretty much everything we need to take with us minus a few things I'll buy today when I go to the grocery store. All that is left is to start packing! I also need to order the raincover for the new jogging stroller but it'll come via Amazon and will arrive in two days so I can order at any point in the next two weeks and be ok.

-Order and assemble Samson's new bed...should be arriving today! Poor dog has been missing his bed...after 6 years it was time to send his old bed on it's way. We ordered a new one this time from L.L. Bean and hope Samson wears it out the way he did his last bed. The dimensions of this bed are larger than his previous bed so I'm not sure yet if it'll stay in our room or move somewhere else. We'll see.

-Finish reorganizing in our bedroom before Mtn. Day weekend. I'm tired of this hanging over my head...I need to just get it done. My issue has been that Andy has been working remote a lot lately...which I don't mind at all BUT it's hard to get things situated when our room becomes his office when he works remote.

-Get October activities/learning plans together...I need to figure out when we are going to a pumpkin patch and some other fun activities for the kids. AG is really excited about the holidays this year. Today when we arrived at the store after school he was so excited to see a fall display outside and he told me we needed to go inside to check out if they had anything inside too. :)

There is a smattering of what is running around in my head. It's been a wild and wooly day so far. I feel really scattered today and heading in to this week. Oh, well. Best get my act together because there is a whole lot of stuff that has to happen in the next two weeks.

Daybook...Septmeber 11th.

Whew...the week is off and running. Anyone else feel like life is moving fast these days? Maybe it's just me. Anyways, here's a daybook entry for this week/today.

Outside my window: Overcast and mild temperatures. Hallelujah! It seems to finally be cooling off around here and for that we are all grateful. I'm so ready for fall/winter weather because we didn't have any this past year.

I'm thinking: About my to do list that seems a mile long this week. I had several good weeks of getting the house in order/keeping it that way when AG started school and then we went out of town for Labor Day. Anyways, I'm making headway and tackling some projects. Although, some days it feels like I'm spinning my wheels and going nowhere. I'm also thinking about our Disney trip that is (thankfully!) only a month a way.  We are so ready to be back there...to have a few days of uninterrupted, quality family time. We've started picking up things we need for the trip and I've started stashing it in Avi-Kate's room. It'll be here before we know it and for that I'm very grateful.

I'm wondering: About a lot of things right now. Milling over lots of possibilities for lots of different things. I'm in a very contemplative mood. 

I'm praying: For Andy...he's away on a business trip. Praying for safe travels and a successful trip.

I'm thankful: For peace. The last few years have been rough as a friend and I have been shouldering some pretty tough stuff for someone. And at the moment I don't necessarily agree with how things are but I have peace because I know that without a shadow of a doubt that we've done all that has been asked of us. And on a different note I'm thankful for all that lost their lives on 9/11 and those that have sacrificed for the war on terror. It amazes me to think that it has been 11 years since that day. On one hand it seems like so long ago and on the other hand I can still remember every. single. thing about that day. 

I'm hearing: The tv in the background and AG's lullaby cd in the distance.

From the Kitchen: Not much this week. The last few weeks I've been working on stock piling stuff in to the freezer so that we can start using freezer meals some nights a week. This week I'm not doing any freezer cooking. Although, there was a sale on Stouffer's entrees this week at Kroger and I happened to pick a few of those up. They come in quite handy as we head in to this busy season. I like having a few stashed away as back-ups. 

I'm reading: Sigh. Nothing at the moment. I need to put something on my kindle but I haven't...needs to be a priority and it just hasn't been lately. I've been so wrapped up in life and everything that I haven't read anything in weeks. Guess I need to put that on my To Do list. :)

One of my favorite things: The new fall candles I picked up yesterday with a $10 off coupon I had for Bath and Body Works. (Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin and Leaves) Have I mentioned that I love this time of year?!

I'm creating: Actually, I just finished a burlap wreath for Ginny last week and I started on it's twin aka my wreath. At the moment I haven't gotten very far and then I ended up finding red and black burlap in stock when I was at Hobby Lobby the other day...so of course I bought some. I think I may stop the chocolate brown burlap wreath for the moment and work on a UGA themed one. And then finish the other one for Thanksgiving. I also started a project last year for the kids making some glass luminaries that are pumpkins and ghosts but I never finished in time. (Life with a new baby.) So, I packed everything up and I am determined to get them done this year. I'll post pictures when I finish.

Around the house: Trying to get the house back in order! Andy built an AMAZING corn hole set and has had a painting station set up in the front of the house. He just finished and so my goal is to get everything cleaned up. I need to take pictures of the set and post it here. I'm really impressed with how they turned out.

A few plans for the week: Kindermusik tomorrow for AKs and soccer practice for AG on Friday. My ladies bible study that meets twice a month starts back tomorrow night and I have girls night with the college girls on Thursday. Saturday we'll be in Athens for the game that evening. I'm excited for our first night game of the year. Actually, the Dawgs have back to back home games that are night games these next two weeks. Wahoo! This week is Florida Atlantic and next week is Vandy. The Vanderbilt game should be a good game and intense...last year's game in Nashville didn't end well with the coaches and players getting riled up after the game. So, we'll see how the rematch goes this year. 

A picture thought that I'm sharing: Next week our dear friend, Michael, will be in town for a few nights. We are so excited to see him and catch up. He graduated this summer from his graduate program at USC and is currently planning to stay out in LA. He's home for the month doing some business work and seeing family/friends. AG got really excited and was talking a mile a minute on the phone the other day when Michael called to finalize our plans. Here's a few pictures from our last visit last Christmas.

 

Perturbed...

...peeved. Take your pick.

Blogger is currently not cooperating with me and I'm slightly frustrated. I have several posts that have corresponding pictures that I can't seem to get Blogger to let me put the pictures on. (Long story.) Anyways, Andy is trying to work it out. Hopefully, I'll get that resolved this week and normal posting will resume. I hate being behind. Oh, well...life goes on.

Lots going on this week around here...coffee dates, chats on the porch, school/activities for the kids, traveling for Andy, Ladies Craft Night, students return in full force this week, lots of organizing, Family Dinner returns for the year on Sunday, etc. I have a bunch of church stuff that also needs attention this week that I need to spend some time on.  So, like I said busy, busy...now if Blogger would just get it together so I can get what I need done. :)

And can I just say how glad I am that the weather is really starting to cool off?! Makes me ready for football...thankfully, we only have to wait a little less than two weeks for college football to kick off!

Beach Pictures Round-Up...

Some photo highlights from our week at the beach. Lots of eating and playing were had by all...last year Avi-Kate was 5 weeks old when we went and it's crazy how much difference a year makes. 

Random Saturday Musings...

...lots of things rolling around in my head at the moment. This is the start of my favorite time of the year. Don't get me wrong as a gardner I love all the promises spring brings us each year. I also love spending time in the pool and at the beach each summer. However, with the arrival of school we have football season gearing up, the arrival of cooler temperatures, fall colors, and a season of Thanksgiving as a segway in to the Christmas season. Lots of excitement for the coming months and all that they will bring.

-In a few weeks, most likely around Labor Day, I'll start pulling out my fall stuff for the house. I need to swing by and pick up my favorite hand soap of all time from Bath and Body Works...Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. Also, need to pick up a new fall candle to burn while I am there. In addition, I need to switch out the bedding in our room. (Post on that to come.) This also gives me time to finish my fall wreath I'm working on that I've put on hold the last few weeks.

-AG's first week of school went great. He LOVED it. We had no issues with him crying or being upset...clearly a sign that he was ready. This week was a little crazy and I didn't get much done around the house while he was in class BUT I can see that I will be able to tackle several projects in the coming weeks with just Avi-Kate to look after.

-Avi-Kate is enjoying having one on one time with us while AG is away. I'm grateful she gets to have this time.

-My goal this week is to really tackle the chaos in our bedroom...it's driving me nuts. I've started working on it today, actually, so we'll see how it goes.

-I went dumpster diving this week at Berry. Correction. I found a bunch of loot in a dumpster and Andy went in to retrieve it for me. :) Found some patterned metal for a project I've been mulling for the kitchen window for over a year now. Also, came up with two old doors. At the moment they are going to be regulated to the cellar but I'm trying to figure out a plan for one of them to be used in this house. The other door will just be held on to for the time being. Poor Andy he smiles and appeases me but I do think he shakes his head sometimes when I find my latest 'treasure'. Ha. I promise there is a method to my madness!

-Christmas. Yep, already started jotting down gift ideas for the kids. I've got a few things already that we've decided to do and I plan to start shopping slowly over the next few months. So as to space it out and be budget conscious. A few things we'll bring back from Disney...I'll space those out too. Buying some in October and some when we return for our Christmas trip.

-Andy has been working hard around the yard. Pressure washing everything. He's almost done and then we'll move on to some other yard projects that are season related.

-AG had another laser treatment on his hemangioma yesterday and it went well. He's happily running around the house and chasing Avi-Kate. You'd never know that he had surgery yesterday.

-I'm working on coupons and grocery lists for today. I'm trying to find a groove/rhythm for our new routine with AG in school. This includes grocery shopping, cooking, meals, etc. Over the summer I slacked in my couponing and freezer stashing of meals. I'm in the process of getting back on the bandwagon for both. I am planning to cook several things this week and stash half of it in the freezer.

There you have it...a little bit of what I'm mulling and pondering as I go about my day. Happy Saturday.

Still alive...promise!

We are on the way home from a week at the beach with my family. Last night the kids wore Olympic t's from Aunt Mis. AG was so excited about watching it and when my uncle tried to switch it to the Braves he about lost it. :) You know he's really in to it if he doesn't want to watch the Braves. Ha.

Here's a few pictures from my phone and once I regroup my blogging will get back to a more normal schedule.Promise! Happy Saturday.