Dillard Days

Disney on Ice

2009-11-07T18:30:00.007-06:00

We are such huge fans of Disney World, that I jumped at the chance to take Kaitlin to Disney on Ice when it came to Nashville. It was an awesome show.... right in line with Disney World top notch quality. Every Disney character we could think of was there except for Sleeping Beauty...not sure where she was, but Kaitlin did notice.

Aunt Alie, Maggie Moo's Mom, made the CUTEST shirt for Kaitlin to wear to the show. I am not exaggerating, it is adorable! She had made similar shirts for her entire family to wear on their trip to Disney World, and they are all fabulous. Be sure to check them out on her website!

Like I said, it was an awesome show. My only gripe was the price of the one item Kaitlin wanted to purchase while we were there. They had all kinds of souvenirs, but her only request was for cotton candy. Well to get the bag of cotton candy, you had to pay for the Mickey ears/crown that was attached to the bag. 10 bucks! Disney certainly knows how to make a buck!

Would I go back to Disney on Ice? Yes. Would I pay $10 for my baby to have cotton candy again? Of course.

B-O-R-E-D

2009-11-03T12:42:00.002-06:00

I've had quite an interesting week. To give the short version of the story, my doctor put me on bedrest last Thursday. At my regular appointment, he found that I was already dilating at just 30 weeks. He sent me to the hospital to monitor my contractions and give me shots to slow down the contractions. I was able to go home that night, but I have to take my meds every 4 hours and lie around the house. The doctor's goal is to get me to 34 weeks. My next appointment is on Thursday.
Needless to say, I'm bored. I'm quite the homebody, so you wouldn't think it would bother me. This is different though. I can't just get up and do a lot of stuff. I am pretty tired of t.v., catalogs, and even my Blackberry. If you have any suggestions for things to pass the time, I'm all ears.
My family has been great. They are helping with Kaitlin and doing most of the housework. Bentley's room (yes, I finally chose a name) is just about ready. We painted his nursery a couple of weeks ago. My family moved Kaitlin's furniture to his room last night, and they are in the process of painting her room. So, there are lots of little projects going on right now that I get to oversee but don't get to help with.
That's all for now. Notice I finally have time to post some blog entries?

Dorothy and Her Little Dog, Too!

2009-11-01T17:23:00.005-06:00

Kaitlin wanted to be Dorothy for Halloween this year. She made an absolutely perfect Dorothy. We didn't do anything big for Halloween.....just let Kaitlin trick-or-treat at the homes of a few of our close family members. She had a great time of course. More info on "The Little Dog" to come in another post. I promise it will be a good one!

Long Time, No Post

2009-09-01T19:51:00.003-05:00

I have plenty I need to post on here, but finding the time has been difficult lately.

Thanks so much for your prayers and kind words for my dad. He begins seed radiation treatment on September 14th. He and his doctors feel that this approach will be a good fit for him. He has been feeling well, but will probably tire very easily once the seeds are implanted. He plans to cut back from work somewhat...... I've never seen him slow down from working a day in his life..... so I'll believe that one when I see it!

Kaitlin has been so very attached to her Granddaddy lately, so this process will be difficult for her. She and I are not allowed to get close to Dad for 2-3 months once treatment begins. This means no hugging or being held by Granddaddy. Poor thing....I hope she'll understand.

Please keep Dad in your prayers over the next few months. We want to get rid of this thing!

Kaitlin's First Trip to the......

2009-07-03T18:57:00.003-05:00

DENTIST! I had been putting this visit off until summer, but we finally made it to the dentist for Kaitlin's first cleaning. I had planned to take her to a pediatric dentist, but recently decided to take her to the dentist I've gone to since I was three years old. I know many people in this office and just knew they would do really well with Kaitlin.

Although Kaitlin was extremely excited about her upcoming trip, I really didn't know how she would do once we got there. She did great! There were toys and books in the waiting room, so she immediately was drawn to those. We know one of the ladies who works at the front desk pretty well, so she really talked to Kaitlin a lot during our short wait. Once it was time to go back her dental hygienist, Karen, talked with Kaitlin quite a bit before even having her sit in "the CHAIR". She showed Kaitlin all the special tools, and of course used cute little kid-friendly terms to explain everything. The dentist said her teeth look great, and of course they had lots of treats for her to take home. Kaitlin absolutely LOVED visiting the dentist, and says she can't wait to go back!

Big News

2009-07-02T15:04:00.004-05:00

I know this really isn't news for most of you, but I needed to create a post about it anyway. We are very excited that we are expecting a new addition to our family. Our second child is due on January 6th. I am now 13 weeks along. We had an ultrasound back at 8 weeks and everything looked great.
All of our family members are very excited, especially Kaitlin. She talks about the baby every single day, and has already shown us a 1 foot by 1 foot space in the hall outside her bedroom where the little one can sleep! She is really a very loving child, and I know she will be a terrific big sister. She has already taken awesome care of me and gives me flowers every day to make my tummy feel better. Kaitlin even said to me, "Mommy, I can see the baby is making your belly fat." It was so funny because she said it in the sweetest and most sincere way!
Be sure to ask Kaitlin if we are having a boy or a girl. She usually tells people that we don't get to pick...we just have to take what God gives us. Then, she'll tell you which one she prefers. Cute stuff.

Hate

2009-06-17T18:29:00.003-05:00

As a little girl, I remember so well being taught by my daddy not to "hate" people. This (among many other lessons) was very important to him. He doesn't even like the word "hate". As I grew and tested the waters of life, I became aware that it is okay to hate concepts, ideas, actions, etc...... or to at least dislike them strongly. So today, I will say that I hate cancer.

Cancer has entered the lives of two of our close family members this month. Scott's Grandfather, Mr. Chance, was found to have cancer in his stomach when they opened him up during a recent surgery. He spent a little over two weeks in the hospital and came home on Monday. They are not yet sure if there will be any treatment of his cancer, as he already has the same form of muscular dystrophy that Gary Wayne suffers from. His health may not be able to endure treatment. So, please pray for him as he regains strength at home.

My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer last week. This is the same cancer that took the life of his father twelve short years ago. Dad regularly has blood work done. A recent blood test indicated that his PSA level was slightly elevated. Thankfully, he has a wonderful doctor who wanted to go ahead and check things out. After a biopsy, he was found to have cancer in three of the eighteen areas they tested. The positive side of this is that it has been detected early and is not a real large amount. Mom and Dad remain positive as they have been meeting with various doctors to discuss possible treatment plans. He does have several options, so now he just has to choose a course of treatment and endure it. Please pray for him as he makes this choice and begins treatment to get rid of this horrible, hated disease.

I Love Summer

2009-06-03T11:14:00.002-05:00

I am so very glad that summer is here. The last few weeks of school are easy but also trying. We don't try to throw as much at the kids, but at the same time they think they shouldn't have to do anything. During the month of May, teachers turn into babysitters. I don't mind this so much though. It allows me the opportunity to loosen up and really enjoy spending time with my students in a much more relaxed atmosphere.
Most people seem to think that once school is out for the summer, that a teacher's work is done. Actually, I spent two full days in meetings just last week. We are required to complete a minimum of 30 professional development hours. Some years I put in closer to 50! With that said, I am glad that I don't have any more days scheduled until the last week in July (unless something else pops up).
We don't have any major plans for the summer. Kaitlin has already made her first trip to Holiday World with Ella Kate and Scott's parents back on the last day of school. They had a blast. We are planning to go there next week, so I guess that's something to look forward to.
It feels like this is my first true week off. I've been passing most of the time around the house. Hopefully, Kaitlin and I will start getting over to the pool soon. I think she'll really enjoy it this year.
There is so much to be done here. I have a few projects I want to tackle, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm still trying to catch up on laundry and other messes we seem to create.
Those are all my ramblings for now. I know it's not much, but keep checking back. I promise it will get more interesting!

Fishing

2009-04-10T10:16:00.003-05:00

Uncle Jody bought Kaitlin her first fishing pole. She is very proud of her pink princess "Sishing" pole. Uncle Jody, Scott, and Granddaddy took Kaitlin to the pond one afternoon for her first fishing adventure. (I was still at work, so I didn't get to go.) Kaitlin didn't actually catch any on her pole, but she helped Uncle Jody reel his in. If you ask her how big that fish was, she'll open her arms as wide as she can. This, of course, is unrealistic....but very cute! Kaitlin loved getting to touch her first fish (GROSS!).

I spent last Saturday cleaning the house. By Saturday afternoon, I was determined I was going to get Kaitlin outside to enjoy the nice weather. I asked if she wanted to go fishing, and of couse she did. This time Scott, Granddaddy, and Gramby joined us. Kaitlin grew quickly bored with holding her pole, so Scott caught lots of fish of that pink princess pole! Kaitlin had a ball throwing sticks and rocks into the water. It entertained her so well that she didn't even care to reel in the fish on her line after the first couple. She just kept on throwing rocks and sticks. We caught several small bass and brim. Great times.

BIG Family Vacation

2009-04-07T17:12:00.011-05:00

On Spring Break, we headed to Florida with both of our families. We rented a house near Disney World for the ten of us to stay in. That's right......ten people. You would think that would be a lot of people in one house. It was, but it was a very spacious six bedroom house, so there was plenty of room.

Everyone had different ideas for what they would like to do all week, so the teacher in me created a chart to indicate where everyone would be going each day. Some of the people loved this plan, while others thought I was insane.....those were the same people who I later saw refer to the chart many times! :)

Of course, Kaitlin and I are Disney World fanatics, so our week was pretty simple to plan. My mom and Melinda ended up joining us at Disney World each day. The guys golfed, fished, and went to Disney World as well. Scott's favorite part of the trip was probably when an alligator stole a fish he was reeling in....very funny video!

On our last day in Florida, nearly all of us loaded up to head to Tarpon Springs and Clearwater Beach. Gary Wayne's girlfriend, Brittany, had never been to the ocean before, and I wanted Kaitlin to get to go back. Kaitlin had not been to the ocean since she was about 18 months old. It took a long time to get into Clearwater because of all the traffic (Spring Break + Florida = Busy).

Once we finally got into the beach area, it took a lot of driving to find a place to park. This was not much fun with a three year old who was ready to be out of the car and on the beach. We finally found a spot and walked to a restaurant for lunch....Crabby Bill's (I think...???). Once there, I realized I left Kaitlin's swimsuit in the car (MANY blocks away). I really didn't think Kaitlin would care much for the ocean's waves and dirty sand anyway, so I decided to just leave it and let her wade in the water in her shorts.

Back to Crabby Bill's...everyone was tired of walking and starving by the time we sat down to eat. My sweet baby decided to pick up her cup of milk by the top, thus dropping the full cup on both of us....mostly me. I tried really hard not to become Crabby Kerri, but the last 30 minutes had contained: long car ride with 3 year old, frustration with lack/price of parking, long walk with 3 year old who wanted to be carried, hunger, outdoor dining in wind, and now a milk bath. That was probably the lowest point of the trip for me.

After lunch, we walked over to the beach. Kaitlin's fascination with the sand and the water were just what I needed. She was a picture of pure glee. The child could care less that her clothes were getting soaked and that she was covered in sand. This was a big shock to all of us as she can't stand for anything dirty to be on her.

Our parents stayed at the beach just a few minutes before continuing on to Tarpon Springs. The rest of us stayed at the beach a couple of hours and then went back to the house.

We stopped in Live Oak, Florida on the way home. This is a small town my Dad lived in when he was a young child. He took us to an old spring that everyone used as the summertime swimming hole. It was very special to get to see this important part of his life.

Overall, it was a very fun trip. I still LOVE Disney World, but I recommend avoiding it during Spring Break. I also prefer staying at one of the Disney resorts as we did in October. The house was nice and saved a lot of money due to the number of people in our party, but it is much more magical and stress-free when you are on Disney property for the entire trip.

Of course, we took a ton of pictures. Here are some of those:

My girl:

She was not a bit afraid of Beast!

She asked Snow White where the dwarfs were.

Mulan was very sweet. She spent a lot of time talking to Kaitlin.

We were so lucky to meet Pinocchio! This was her favorite part of this day.

Isn't she adorable!

It was very hot waiting for the parade. Funny!

Only Melinda and Jody were brave enough to ride the Spinning Tea Cups with Kaitlin.

Kaitlin's favorite ride was Pooh's Honeypot. I don't know what Scott was doing!

Mom and Kaitlin outside Minnie's house:

Waiting....

Scary Dinosaur Ride:

Grandparents were all a big help at Disney World! Kaitlin caught a nap during the Festival of the Lion King Show.

In her happy place:

Loving it:

Water was cold...she didn't notice though!

Spring in Live Oak....water is much lower than normal:

Live Oak:

Love this picture:

No luck!

Mom and Dad at Spring on Suwanee River:

Kaitlin's 3rd Birthday

2009-03-28T22:04:00.006-05:00

It's hard to believe that my sweet baby girl is already three years old. I am so thankful that God chose me to be the Mommy of this precious little life. Each day, I remind myself to enjoy every moment because the time goes by so quickly.
Here are some pictures from Kaitlin's princess party.

This first one is of some of the dresses we had for the girls to wear during the party. We also had tiaras and princess shoes. It was really cool for each girl to get to be a real princess! (I think Kaitlin wore 4 different ones that day!)

Kaitlin had a castle birthday cake topped with some of her favorite princesses.

During Happy Birthday Song:

Cake Time!

Of course there were presents:

Here's Kaitlin with some of her special guests:

I had to include this picture of Scott. Doesn't he look like he's having a blast?

I Know.

2009-03-20T10:30:00.001-05:00

I know it has been nearly two months since I've posted any blog entries. I'm not sure why. I have been quite busy lately, and I will admit that when I finally do get a free moment the last thing I want to do is to THINK in order to create a blog entry. I just haven't felt up to it. I have plenty of stuff that I really want to put on here (including Kaitlin's THIRD birthday pictures). I know I will post more soon.... Just have to be in that mindset.
I've been on Spring Break all week. You would think that would free up some time, but we are actually on vacation right now with both of our families. We've spent the week at Disney World, and right now we are in the car traveling to Tarpon Springs. This is truly the Family Day of the trip...some of the folks want to visit the Greek Community and a car museum there. I know you are all aching with jealousy over missing those places:). We are also going to stop at the beach for just a bit today because Brittany (Gary Wayne's girlfriend) has never seen the ocean. I had really planned to go back to Disney today, but I am sort of Disney-ed out.
Well, that's all for now. Hopefully I'm coming out of my slump!

My baby is growing up!

2009-01-20T19:33:00.003-06:00

Kaitlin started going to daycare/preschool two days a week when school started back up in January. She is nearing three years old, and I wanted to provide her the opportunity to be around other children. We have been so fortunate for our moms to keep her all this time, but I want her to know how to play with kids....yep, that's right....she knows how to play with grown-ups, but would love to have more playmates her age.
As you can imagine, this transition was difficult and scary for me.....not Kaitlin....me. However, after seeing how well she has done, I am perfectly happy with her going.
Scott has been taking her each morning, and the funniest thing happened the first day. He walked her into Miss Cori's class (Miss Cori is FABULOUS by the way!!!) where she did the typical Kaitlin around strangers act (head down, playing with fingers, doesn't move, silent). Immediately Emma (Kaitlin's second cousin whom she has been around a few times) and another little girl we did not know came to her and began talking up a storm to her. The other little girl proceeds to smell Kaitlin's hair....are you picturing animals smelling the new meat? The girls begin to touch Kaitlin's lunch box, coat, and of course her hair. All the while, Kaitlin just stands there frozen in her stranger danger mode. None of this bothered her, but the poor thing was like a fish out of water.
Scott said his goodbyes that first day and left. Kaitlin did great! She sat in Miss Cori's lap for much of the day, but did venture out and begin to play a bit by mid-morning. I rushed there after school because I couldn't wait to get to her and see how she liked it.
We're in the third week of daycare now, and Kaitlin is doing fantastic! Not once has she become upset or shed a tear over going. She gets so excited about packing her lunch in her princess lunch box and making sure she has her princess sheet to take with her for nap time. I love hearing her tell about things she did that day and talk about friends she has made. We are thrilled that she loves it there so much. Interesting note....she still gets her hair smelled each morning when she arrives!

Kaitlin's Dance Recital

2009-01-20T18:28:00.005-06:00

Kaitlin absolutely LOVES her dance class. She has the sweetest teacher, Miss Jessica. Kaitlin is really comfortable in the environment Miss Jessica creates for the girls.

They have had the last few weeks off, but I wanted to share these pictures from the recital they had in December. You would not believe how well Kaitlin did. She really listened and followed Miss Jessica's directions......if only she would listen that well at home!

The ladies had the stage decorated so cute for Christmas! The girls danced to Jingle Bell Rock and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. As Kaitlin would say, it was "just adorable".

Kaitlin was so excited to receive a rose and Christmas ornament, but I think her favorite part was the food she got to chow down on afterward.

What a fun night!

Another Christmas Has Come and Gone...

2009-01-02T15:29:00.011-06:00

My Granddaddy always said that every year. I miss so much the excitement of going to my Grandparents' house on Christmas Day. Although all of my grandparents passed on several years ago, I can't help but reflect on those cherished Christmases each year. It is so wonderful to spend Christmas with our family now, but to me Christmas Day will always make me think of country ham breakfasts with all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, and my sweet, loving Grandmother and Granddaddy.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very busy for us. We went to Scott's grandparents' home on Christmas Eve for their gathering and then to my Aunt Polly's home later that evening. This picture is of Kaitlin and some of the kiddos at Aunt Polly's house---notice Uncle Jody stayed right with the kids.
Christmas morning was exciting. Kaitlin came to my room to wake me up, and I had to remind her that it was Christmas Day. She asked if that meant it was Jesus's birthday. When I told her that it was, she said, "So I can open my presents now?" I then had to tell her that she could finally open them, and that Santa Claus came as well. She was so excited to see everything. She got more than she has had time to play with yet, and it's already January! This is Kaitlin with some of her gifts. She was trying to show off her princess dresses on the ottoman there--she loves those!
Scott and Kaitlin were really good to me. They got me some nice new clothes that were greatly needed and appreciated. Kaitlin was so very eager to help everyone open their gifts.
We went on to Scott's parents' house for breakfast. One of Kaitlin's gifts from them was this Smart Cycle. Pedaling is a bit difficult for her, but she'll get the hang of it.
Scott's parents gave us season passes to Holiday World and some other gifts as well. I just had to show this picture of Scott with his favorite gift of all....just kidding. His mom asked if there was anything we needed, so I told her we needed a can opener. Scott didn't think too much of getting a can opener for Christmas, so he wasn't very happy about it....not that you can tell from the picture.
We visited with the Dillards for a while before moving on to my parents' house. Uncle Jody and Uncle Ricky were there waiting as well. We got to enjoy yet another breakfast/brunch with them. I always make sure Dad has a country ham ready for us (he wouldn't have it any other way). Kaitlin got lots of princess dolls and Cinderella toys there, so she was a happy camper. I was so excited to get a Dyson vacuum cleaner! Believe it or not, Scott was pretty happy about it too. He even broke it out of the box and tried it out right there at their house....I know...I should have taken a picture!

By the time the gift-opening was over at Mom and Dad's, it was already 4 p.m. We took Kaitlin home for a much needed nap. Later that evening, she FINALLY got to play with some of the toys she got. Poor thing was on the go all day that she didn't get to play with anything for very long. I asked all of Kaitlin's grandparents and Uncle Jody to come over that night to spend more time with all of us. The truth is that I wanted them to open/unwrap/assemble all those toys. It worked out great for us! What is the deal anyway with putting 500 ties/binders on every little toy you open? You'll love this picture of some of the little elves in action. They enjoyed that fishing game as much as Kaitlin did.
Here are a few more pictures from during the holiday season. Kaitlin and I always exchange gifts with Ella Kate and Amber right before Christmas. Do they look ready or what?
Ella Kate gave Kaitlin this Cinderella dress. She absolutely loves it! Ever since our trip to Disney World, Kaitlin has been in love with Cinderella. She watches the movie every day and role plays those characters quite a bit. Lots of fun!!
The girls participated in a Christmas program at church. They sang really well and did pretty much all the movements. On the third song, Kaitlin decided to sit down....too funny...Ella Kate of course followed suit. She later told me that sometimes she likes to sit down while she sings!

I have lots more to post from the last few weeks, but I'll have to save those things for another day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Better late than never...

2008-12-11T19:59:00.005-06:00

Kaitlin stays with her Gramby (my mom) three days a week. They took tons of pictures one fall afternoon while Kaitlin was playing outside. A few of these were so cute that I wanted to share them.

Another Elf Yourself Video!

2008-12-04T20:38:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elf Yourself--too cool!

2008-12-04T20:17:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2008-12-01T00:36:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe it is already December 1st! The month of November just always seems to fly by. I love this time of year, but I wish time would slow down just a little so we can savor it just a little longer. Know what I mean?
You can see from my title that I'm hoping for snow today. I have no clue if we'll have school or not, but a teacher can dream, can't she? I am up WAY past my bedtime, so I could really use a day off tomorrow to catch up on some much needed rest.
The week of Thanksgiving was awesome. I was able to celebrate with lots of friends and family this year. I love getting together with the folks in my life that I love so much, but don't get to see real often. The food is always pretty great too!
I took on the role of being a shop-a-holic this past week and am glad to say that I have finished all of my Christmas shopping! I started on Wednesday by venturing out with Kaitlin, my Mom, and sweet Aunt Polly. I got a few things for Kaitlin at Target (she was easily distracted with the help of the elves that accompanied me). We then headed over to Cheddar's for lunch where we met my cousin, Amanda. I've not seen a lot out of Amanda lately, so it was great to catch up with her. After this, we made a stop at the mall where I placed a few items on hold at my favorite store, Gymboree. Kaitlin loves riding the train at the mall, and I love that for a small train ride fee of $2.00, my child will behave just so she can ride :)
Thanksgiving night, I met up with a couple of girlfriends and we went to Opry Mills for their midnight shopping event. I am proud to say that I walked out of that mall with three huge bags full of gifts, and only spent around $90 there.
After a night at the Mills, we arrived at JCPenney around 4 am, just after they opened. I picked up a couple of more gifts there before we joined the very long line outside of ToysRUs just before 5 am. That place was crazy---But, it was totally worth it. I loaded up on a few more toys for Kaitlin and other kids for Christmas as well as some birthday presents for some upcoming parties we will be attending. The prices were great!
We left ToysRUs in time to stand in the equally long, probably longer, Target line. They opened at 6am. I picked up several items there before heading to the mall a little after 7 am. I bought one last gift there and picked up my hold items at Gymboree (30% off entire store, plus 20% off coupon, plus Gym-Buck earning time--yippee!!). By midmorning, two of the girls headed home for some sleep. Becky Davis and I met my Mom and headed towards Kohl's. Although I was done with my shopping, I was in this adventure for the long haul--and Mom had not gotten to Rivergate until almost 6 am and I really wanted her to shop with someone rather than by herself. Kohl's had the longest lines of anywhere we went during the whole shopping trip, but Becky was able to find some great deals there, so it was worth waiting for over an hour.
I got home around noon on Friday and immediately went to bed. I was totally zapped. The rest of the weekend was pretty busy too (Sesame Street Live--another post, family visitors from out of town, church, schoolwork, etc.). I need a day to recover and put my Christmas tree up. Which brings me back to my title for this post--Let It Snow! I need a day off.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-22T14:04:00.004-06:00

Yes, I do realize that we are nearing Thanksgiving and I am just now posting pumpkin patch pictures. I really wanted to get these on here a few weeks ago, but .... well you know that life is busy for everyone right now.

We waited until the weekend before Halloween to take Kaitlin to the pumpkin patch. Scott was gone to a ball game with some friends so Gramby, Granny, and Ella Kate went along with us. Now Ella had already been a week or so before with her Mommy, Maw-Maw, and her cousin, Tay-Tay, but she was eager to go back with "Kait".

Here's a tip to remember for next year. We arrived about 30-45 minutes before they closed down the pumpkin patch part (Haunted Woods would still be open). Since we wouldn't have a lot of time there, we all got in for half price. We had plenty of time to do all the things we really wanted to do.

Dancing Butterfly

2008-11-04T17:59:00.006-06:00

I wanted to share this video of Kaitlin. She is so shy in front of most people that no one ever believes what a ham she is in her comfort zone. Her Granddaddy caught this video of her dancing at their house. Excuse the quality--it was shot on his cell phone. You won't believe this is Kaitlin.

Halloween

2008-11-04T17:21:00.005-06:00

Halloween just seems to be more fun each year. For Kaitlin's third Halloween, she dressed as a cute little butterfly. She had so much fun wearing her costume.

We certainly feel like we got our money's worth out of the costume because she wore it four different times. The first Halloween event we attended was at Disney World. We went to a special event called Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. All the characters were dressed up, there were special lights, displays, and parades, and she got to trick or treat in the Magic Kingdom! Way cool.

We also went trick-or-treating with Ella Kate and Amber at our old high school. Ella was a very cute little fairy. The girls enjoyed being together for that.

My school hosts a trick-or-treat event the night before Halloween. Kaitlin's Daddy took her trick-or-treating there while Mommy (Snow White) passed out candy to all the kiddos. We sure did miss Ella Kate being with us for this one (AHEM, Amber!)

Finally, we visited family and close neighbors for our final round of trick-or-treating on Halloween night. We are glad the Halloween hoop-lah is over and the butterfly can go back into its cocoon...I mean back into the closet.

Want a FREE Skirt for your cutie?

2008-11-02T20:05:00.003-06:00

This is a terrific opportunity to win a custom skirt from Maggie Moo's Mom. Alison is a long-time close friend of mine. She creates tons of beautiful and amazing things for little ones. Go on over to her website to enter this amazing contest. http://maggiemoosmom.wordpress.com/

They Finally Met!

2008-11-01T17:07:00.007-05:00

So you all know that Kaitlin is obsessed with Mickey Mouse. What does Kaitlin want to do every morning when she wakes up? Watch Mickey. What does Kaitlin like to do during the day? Watch Mickey. What does Kaitlin have to do before she will go to bed? You get the picture. She even wants to have a Mickey party for her next birthday. I'm having a hard time with that one since she had a Mickey party last year. When I told her to consider other kinds of parties she said, "Well, maybe I'll have a Goofy party." It looks like her love for Mickey and friends is not going anywhere fast.

I wanted to share a few pictures from our Disney World trip. These are of just a few of her autograph signings. She had so much fun meeting all the characters.

I love this picture below where she is showing such joy. We saw this smile all day long on the trip.

As you can see, Uncle Jody flew down during our trip to enjoy a couple of days at Disney. Kaitlin loved playing with him in Pooh's play area.

Kaitlin had a blast...Scott and I both admit that we had the time of our lives as well. We can't wait to go back.

I'm Still Here!

2008-10-05T18:35:00.005-05:00

I know it has been a VERY long time since my last post---okay, it's been over two months. Life has been crazy to say the least. I cannot believe August and September are already gone. Those months were so jam-packed with hecticness (is that a word?) There is so much to catch up on, but I haven't a clue where to begin.

Kaitlin got her first hair cut in July. Yes, she WAS 2 and a half years old before she got her hair cut! We only trimmed it a little. Our sweet and wonderful friend, Kara, cut it for her. Kara is so great...she had Kaitlin hold a sucker while she was cutting her hair. It worked...Kaitlin was the perfect client. Check out her hand in the last picture!

School started the first week of August. It is going well. I have a really great group of kids. I am so glad there are only 21 students this year. (I started out with 24 and have already had three to transfer to other schools.) God is just taking care of me after having had 29-30 for the past two years. This makes it so much easier to work closely with the kids. It also is a big time saver as far as grading papers.

There is a different level of school stress for me this year. I have taken on the role of being a Curricular Leader for my school. I'm glad to be able to represent my school in this way, but this also means more responsibilities and more time away from my classroom. Every teacher knows how hard it is to prepare and catch up when it comes to being out for a day. Between the beginning of the year and some days planned for the rest of October and November, I've already been out of the classroom or am planning to be out eight days. I normally don't even miss that many in a whole year. Three of these days were sick days (not taken for my own sickness). So, I say all that to say that school is crazy just like the rest of life lately.

Mom and I took Kaitlin to her first county fair in August. Yes, it was the Robertson County Fair...Yes, there were lots of interesting people there. The "Carnies" (carnival workers) were among the cleanest people there! I was disappointed that Kaitlin wasn't able to ride very many rides because of her height. I guess we got spoiled at Holiday World where she was allowed to ride tons of rides. She did get to ride the ferris wheel with me, and a worker even sneaked her onto the kiddie train "just this one time". There were pony rides set up for an additional fee, so Kaitlin was able to ride those and loved it. Hopefully she'll grow 2 inches in height between now and next year's fair.

Dance classes started again in August, but we didn't sign up for this go-around. I kind of waited to the last minute to go up to the center to register her. Then, I noticed she would be missing the first two classes because of other things we had planned. Money was also a little tight because of a vacation we have planned for Fall Break. Kaitlin has asked about dance a couple of times, but she seems totally fine with not being there. God worked this one out because we now know what He had in store for the month of September (we might have made it to one class out of eight).

You all know that Scott's brother, Gary Wayne, received his heart transplant on September 11th. He is recovering very well. There are so many things I could say about this miracle, but it's not really my place to tell. Gary Wayne is planning to share his testimony at church when he is able. I will try to post when it will be so you can try to make it. It's definetly worth hearing. Oh, and if you see Kaitlin, ask her what Uncle Wayne got and where he got it.

We went to Scott's ten year reunion at the end of September. It's hard to believe that ten years have gone by. I really dreaded going, but had a good time once I got there. It was nice to catch up with some people we hadn't seen in a while. It's amazing to talk with our old classmates who have children around the same age as Kaitlin. They'll begin going to school together in just 2 years!

Kaitlin was sick last night with a stomach virus. She was sick with this past Monday night as well, but from what I'm hearing from other people this virus seems to go away and then comes right back within a few days. She is still running a low-grade fever, but is playing hard. We stayed home together today. It's been nice to rest and catch up on things around the house.

We have just one more week of school before Fall Break. I really need some time off (and so do my students). We are going to Disney World on Sunday. I'm just hoping everyone is healthy by then so we can enjoy it. It's going to be so much fun to see Kaitlin meet Mickey and friends. If you've been around her much, you know she is in love with Mickey and the whole gang. (She just asked me to turn Mickey on for her on the TV!) We have some really neat things planned, so hopefully I'll post pictures on here in a TIMELY manner.

I hope everything I wrote makes sense! I've covered a lot of ground.

Thanks for reading!!!

55

2008-07-29T20:28:00.004-05:00

Yep, Mom hit the Big 55 on Monday. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we threw a Surprise party for Mom. It was Aunt Polly's idea, and she put so much into it to make it great. Mom was definitely surprised (as you can see below). Mom had a blast.I was at an inservice Monday when Jody sent me a text saying that we were going on the General Jackson that night.......okay, if you know my brother at all, you know how odd this sounded coming from him. The guy rarely eats out, much less takes a dinner cruise on the General Jackson. It was true though. Mom decided she wanted to do something special for her birthday, so off we went. I wasn't crazy about going simply because I have TONS to do and was about to leave for Holiday World early the next morning. I have to admit, however, that it was really fun. We had a great time. This was the NashVegas Cruise, so we enjoyed the entertainment of Tina Turner, Elton John, and of course Elvis. So what if they weren't the real thing? You can try to make them out in the picture below. My photos have all been taken with my blackberry lately, so please excuse the quality.

Consignment time again

2008-07-29T20:01:00.003-05:00

Since Kaitlin was first born, I've been shopping twice a year at Encores and More North Children's Consignment sale. This is the most awesome sale I've found. It is run by Brea, the sister of my terrific friend Alison. There is so much wonderful stuff at this sale. The used items are carefully inspected so that only the best items are found there. My favorite part though, is all of the new with tags items you can always find there. Brea specializes in buying out children's specialty shops, so there are always PLENTY of boutique finds at GREAT prices. The Gymbo Lady always has lots of new Gymboree clothing at unbelievable prices. Anyone who knows me very well at all knows how I SOOO look forward to this sale for MONTHS! Amber and I always make sure we have a babysitter when it's time to shop so we can take all the time we want. We literally spend HOURS sitting in the floor at the sale trying to "weed out" what we don't just have to have. We always walk away with a ton of clothing at a very small price. This is going to be my first year to put items into the sale. I have already tagged over 150 items and I'm not done yet. Whether you want to make some money selling clothing, toys, gear, etc., or you just want to get some awesome deals on some great items, you HAVE to check out the website. http://encoresandmorenorth.com/ See you there!!!

Greetings from Holiday World

2008-07-29T19:43:00.004-05:00

It's really sad that I had to go out of town to get time to update my blog! I've been extremely busy lately. School starts next week, so I've been working on my room several days each week. I've painted the walls (with much help from my family), painted my file cabinets (with much help from dear dad), and I've rearranged my classroom (much help from mom). All this is in addition to the regular back to school organizational things to be done. I'm not ready yet, but I'll get there soon.
A few other things I've been busy with lately include inservices, taking family members for doctor appointments, attending showers/parties (3 just on Saturday alone), throwing a surprise party for my mom, getting ready for a big consignment sale (more info to come), trying to keep housework done, and of course, planning fun things for kaitlin.
When I sat down, I didn't plan to explain what life has been like lately, it just all came out. I'm not griping or complaining at all, because God has given me a wonderful life. I think I'm trying to explain why I haven't posted much on here lately.
Thanks for taking the time to read. By the way, Holiday World is great but very crowded. We're spending one more day here tomorrow, then we will head home tomorrow night.
Busy, busy.

Are you enjoying your summer?

2008-07-15T12:46:00.010-05:00

Being a teacher, that is probably the question I hear more than any other at this time of year. The answer is always yes. Kaitlin and I are having a blast. I could really get used to staying home all the time, but we need both of our incomes.

There are quite a few fun pictures I have been wanting to share from this summer. These first few were taken at different times when we have gone swimming. Kaitlin loves the water, so we try to go to the pool (or the backyard) as often as our schedule and the weather will allow.

These next few pictures were taken on a fun zoo trip we took with our friends Alison and Baby Maggie. It was such a great day. Kaitlin loved all the animals, and we were so glad to spend the day with our great friends.

Mommy and Kaitlin with the elephants:

Maggie is such a sweet baby! Isn't she just beautiful! Kaitlin and Maggie:

Kaitlin loved these giraffes so much that she asked her daddy to put her on one and let her ride. Alison, I believe this one was CoCo.

Kaitlin and Daddy are looking at alligators in this one:

We took this picture just as we were about to leave. Can you tell from Baby Maggie's feet in the stroller that she was konked out? What a fun day! Alie, Kaitlin is still wanting to see the zoo's Christmas lights.

Finally, here are some pictures we took on a trip to Holiday World with Scott's family. We spent two days there, and we all had a blast. There is definitely something for everyone. Kaitlin stayed on some rides for 30 minutes at a time just because she loved them so much. I didn't get any pictures of her at the water park, but we'll be going back in two weeks so I'll be sure to take some then.

She loved the airplane and fish rides that rotate her around in circles. I couldn't believe they didn't make her dizzy. She even stayed on the fish so long that she nearly fell asleep.

She rode the big carousel with Granny's help, but this little one had straps to hold her up. What a big girl!

This bumper boat had one of the few lines Kaitlin had to actually wait in. It was hard for her to understand why she couldn't just go ahead and get on one. The whole time we waited, I really thought she would never get on the bumper boat. All the other kids her age seemed to back out once they got on. Kaitlin is a brave little thing! She loved riding the boat. There wasn't even a strap to keep her in!

Scott enjoyed this launch ride with his dad and brother:

Holiday World is in Santa Claus, Indiana. The park's theme includes various holidays we celebrate. Kaitlin was all about taking her picture with the statue of Santa. On the second day, the real Santa was there. She didn't want anything to do with him. This is the closest she would get to Santa for a picture.

This is how Kaitlin spent her afternoons at Holiday World:

That's what our summer has looked like so far. Thanks for reading such a long post!

4th of July

2008-07-07T09:46:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to share a few pictures of Kaitlin taken around the 4th. She attended Greenbrier's annual Turning of the Pig with all of her Grandparents on the 3rd. I think they all had a great time. Kaitlin managed to find something she wanted to do. She took her first pony ride. On the fourth, we visited with my parents a bit. Kaitlin and her Granddaddy had a great time playing together all afternoon. He took this picture of her. Swinging is one of her favorite things to do at their house (along with looking at the cows).
Our church has a 4th of July Celebration every year. This picture is of Kaitlin and Ella Kate at the church. It was hard for them to keep their eyes open because of the bright flash of the camera.

I hope all of you had a wonderful 4th of July. I am thankful to live here in the United States. Even though we seem to have plenty to worry about in our country, I still believe we are extremely blessed.

I couldn't leave out these last two sweet pictures.

I no longer sleep with tiny feet in my face

2008-06-27T15:35:00.005-05:00

Kaitlin is now in a toddler bed. Hooray!!! Kaitlin had been doing really great at sleeping in her crib until the week I was home from school on Spring Break in March. That week, she wouldn't sleep unless she was in our bed. I guess I didn't fight her hard enough on it, because it's June and she had still been sleeping in our bed..... until Monday. Scott finally converted her crib into a toddler bed. She was really excited about it and is doing great. I had to lie down with her the first night, but now she will lie down by herself. She is so proud of her "Good Girl Bed" (that's really Big Girl Bed, but Kaitlin always turns the word "Big" into "Good" when she blends it with the word Girl). Be sure and tell Kaitlin how happy you are to hear that she sleeps in her BIG Girl Bed now.

New Posts

2008-06-23T10:10:00.003-05:00

I've gotten in trouble. I haven't been updating my blog often enough for some of you. I had three people tell me in one day that I needed to put some new posts on here, so here you go. I've added one today, and will add more later this week. Be sure to check back!

Dance Recital

2008-06-23T09:42:00.005-05:00

You all know that Kaitlin started taking dance classes a couple of months ago. She absolutely loves it. She had her first dance recital in May. All the grandparents were invited to attend, and Kaitlin was very excited about it....until she got there. If you know Kaitlin very well at all, there are two things you know for sure: 1.She is afraid of anyone she doesn't know. 2.If she has it in her head that she doesn't want to do something, she isn't going to do it.
I had to wake Kaitlin up from her nap to go, so she was not in the best mood to begin with. We arrived about the time it was going to start (we're normally about 10-15 minutes early). They had the recital in a different room than where we usually go, so that threw her off a bit, but what really got her was when we walked in there were about 20 extra people there. She was very reluctant to participate. She did some of what she was supposed to do, but mostly just wanted me to hold her. Poor thing.
We have since enrolled in dance again, and she's doing great. I think we'll probably skip out on Grandparents' Night next time.

First Sunday School Outing

2008-06-03T15:01:00.004-05:00

Kaitlin began going to a Sunday School Class when she turned two in January. It was very odd knowing that she was big enough to start Sunday School. It seems like she was just born! Time flies. Although Kaitlin had a hard time adjusting to a new room at first, she absolutely loves Sunday School now. She looks forward to it every week. I am thankful for the awesome teachers she has. I am amazed at what she learns there, and she loves to display her "artwork" from Sunday School on the refrigerator.
Anyway, Kaitlin had her first Sunday School outing in May. They met at our church to eat lots of food, play games, and play on the playground. The parents didn't stay for the outing, and it was strange leaving her for an event that was all about the kids. She is very clingy so I was shocked when she turned to me, gave me a hug, said her goodbyes and I love you, and began to play. They had a blast. We're looking forward to the next outing. Mommy enjoyed her two hours, too! ;)
Here are a few pictures of the girls playing that day (no need to introduce the BFF, Ella Kate)

Strawberry Pickin'

2008-05-25T16:18:00.005-05:00

Growing up, I was not a berry picker. Mom and Aunt Polly would always drag me out with them to pick strawberries or blackberries. I never enjoyed it...too hot....too boring. I guess I'm getting old because when Amber invited us to go pick strawberries with her and Ella Kate, I jumped at the chance to take Kaitlin. We traveled to Portland for the best strawberries around. The girls loved it. Here's my little berry picker now:

This is such a sweet picture of Amber and Ella Kate. I'm so glad they asked us to go.

Here's a shot of the girls after all of the hard work was over.
There were a few little animals at the strawberry farm. My shy, timid little girl shocked me by reaching right through the gate to pet the goats. Ella Kate was pretty apprehensive about getting close to them. I don't blame her.
This last picture is so funny to me. Do you see any resemblance between my child and the goat?!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T21:16:00.003-05:00

I wanted to take a moment to write about my Mom today. She has been such a wonderful mother throughout my entire life. I am so thankful for the way Mom and Dad raised me and my brother. Mom always taught us right from wrong. She showed by example how important it is to live for God. Mom sacrificed many things in her life just to provide for me and Jody when we were growing up. Mom rarely bought things for herself, but always focused on what Dad, Jody, and I needed. Mom worked many days and nights at her medical transcription job to provide for her family. We always had everything we needed, as well as a few things we just wanted. Most importantly, Mom spent time with us. Mom has always been there when we needed her. Mom attended every special function I ever had as a child. She made sure we always took a family vacation and got to go do fun things together as a family.

I am so thankful for the way Mom continues to love us so greatly. I know that if there is anything I need, my Mom is going to be the person I can count on to help me. I know that I can call her for something as trivial as: "Hey, Mom, They're serving hot dogs at school today. Could you go get something good for me to eat?" Whatever I need, she will make it happen.

Despite suffering daily with her health and long-term, heavy doses of prednisone, Mom still manages to put others before herself. We rarely give her the recognition she deserves.

Now that I have a daughter of my own, I am beginning to realize just how much my Mom loves me. The love I have for Kaitlin is just so huge, it's indescribable. It's amazing how much I learned from my Mom growing up that I didn't realize she taught me. I find myself kissing away boo-boos when Kaitlin takes a fall. I find myself holding Kaitlin tightly when she's sick or scared and telling her it will be okay because Mommy is here. I find myself reading The Three Little Kittens with the same dramatic emotion my Mom had when she read it to me so many times. There are so many things I do with Kaitlin each and every day that I realize I do because my Mom showed me. I hope that one day, when Kaitlin has a child of her own, that she will automatically do these things too...just because her Mommy taught her how.

Thank you, Mom, for being who you were when we were little, and for being who you are now.

Happy Mother's Day!

Love,

Kerri

We Love Tuesdays!

2008-04-27T16:36:00.004-05:00

Kaitlin has been taking a dance class for about three weeks now. She absolutely loves it. She looks forward to Tuesdays every week. I know she's only two, but I love that this is something special just for her. (It's also very fun for Mommy to get to dress Kaitlin in her cute little ballerina outfit!)

The class consists of ballet, tumbling, and playful songs involving movement. Parents get to participate with the girls at this age, which is great since Kaitlin doesn't let me leave her side anyway.

Here are a couple of pictures of Kaitlin before her first dance class. She was a little nervous, so I couldn't get her to smile. (Of course, Ella Kate takes dance too!)

Sweet Girl

2008-04-26T09:35:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to share these sweet pictures of Kaitlin. She loves her baby dolls, and likes going to sleep holding them. Don't mind the mismatched pajamas!

Inspiring Video

2008-04-12T22:13:00.002-05:00

Be sure to check out this video. My friend, Kristy, let me know about it. Very awesome!http://www.mychurch.org/blog/30635/coolest-video-ever

Maggie Moo Designs

2008-04-12T15:37:00.005-05:00

I wanted to show everyone this adorable shirt that a great friend of mine made for Kaitlin. (Please overlook the chocolate on her face and shirt.) Alison Harris is the designer/creator of this beautiful little birdie. We've had it for a couple of months now, and Kaitlin just loves wearing it. Whenever we put it on, she says, "Miss Alie made this for me." How special!

I am constantly amazed by the creative new designs Alison creates. She makes beautiful burp cloths, taggie blankets, onesies, shirts, etc. I already have her working on a new creation for Kaitlin. Be sure to drop by Maggie Moo Designs to see the wonderful things going on there (http://www.maggiemoodesigns.blogspot.com/).

Alie, I'm so proud of you!

Dancing Queen

2008-04-06T21:29:00.006-05:00

We traveled to Memphis this weekend to attend the wedding of my cousin, Jessica, and Travis. There were about 20 of us that went from this area. The wedding was very beautiful. We had a good time, and we loved getting to see Jessica, Travis, and my Aunt Jeanette.

We really enjoyed the music of the band. Kaitlin's favorite part of the wedding was getting to dance! Kaitlin was too shy for the real dance floor, so we made our own. She had the BEST time cutting a rug, especially with her Uncle Ricky. It was so entertaining and precious how she enjoyed herself so much. Thanks, Uncle Ricky, for dancing with your girl. Look at what a great time they had.

Kaitlin also enjoyed eating cake with her Uncle Jody. She asked about cake the whole time during the wedding, so she was first in line when they cut it!

We went over to the Peabody Hotel hoping to see the ducks, but we just missed them. Here's a picture we got of the three of us in the Peabody.

24 Souls

2008-03-29T22:33:00.003-05:00

God is Good. I had the privilege of helping out at our recent lock-in for the teens of our church. This is a yearly event that usually brings in lots of extra visitors. We had close to 150 teenagers to attend.
The teens get to spend the night in the Family Fun Center in Hendersonville. Before they went there, we had a service in our church sanctuary to give these young people an opportunity to hear God's Word being preached. We are praising God that there were 24 teenagers who either got saved or rededicated their lives to the Lord that night. I was totally in awe of how God humbled these kids and worked in their hearts.
I am thankful that I was able to help a young man who knew he was saved, but needed to start living for God. The Devil did try to work against God that night. While we were dealing with all these kids, our fire alarm went off in the church. It didn't stop God's Work though. I know that the angels in Heaven were rejoicing over the souls who made Jesus their Savior. Please keep these teenagers in your prayers as they are beginning their walk with The Lord.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:11:00.007-05:00

We've had a really fun Easter. I just wanted to share some pictures from the day.

She wasn't really into taking a picture after the service today. This is the best we got!

We got together with our families for dinner and an egg hunt today. Kaitlin was going to hunt eggs with my cousin Amanda's kiddos, but they had to go home early for nap time. So, Kaitlin had all the eggs to herself. Thanks to Uncle Jody and Daddy for hiding them. Kaitlin had a blast and didn't seem to mind the cold weather.

Happy Easter!

Love, Scott, Kerri, and Kaitlin

It's Almost Easter!

2008-03-19T08:46:00.004-05:00

Amber and I decided to let Kaitlin and Ella Kate dye Easter eggs for the first time. They're both two, so we thought this might be a fun adventure. They loved dropping in the little colored tablets and seeing how they transformed the water into beautiful colors. Their little hands tried to lower the eggs into the cups using the dippers, but they needed lots of guidance. We made it through the night without any dye spills! Check out some of the pictures.

A Funny Moment

2008-03-19T08:39:00.003-05:00

I'm on Spring Break this week, so I got to get out yesterday with my Mom, Aunt Polly, and Kaitlin. We had just sat down to eat at Taco Bell, and we asked Kaitlin to say the prayer. It is so sweet to hear Kaitlin say the blessing over her food. We bowed our heads and waited to hear her little version of the popular prayer (God great; God good; thank him food; AMEN!!). Instead, she begins belting out the Alphabet Song! I think she got to the letter G before we busted out laughing along with several people standing in the nearby line. She realized her mistake at that point. Once our laughter calmed down, she was able to pray the real prayer. This moment was too precious not to share.

Meet Lucky and Ducky

2008-03-17T15:36:00.001-05:00

No, this picture was not taken at a petting zoo. Nor was it at a special Easter event for children. Kaitlin's dear, sweet, thoughtful Daddy decided that Kaitlin needed to have ducks of her very own. Kaitlin loves her new feathered friends. Daddy loves his new pals, too. Mommy just wishes she had been asked her opinion on having live creatures in the home.

Why did Daddy buy Kaitlin ducks? His response was, "I wanted to buy her some last year, but she was too small." (I think they were really a gift to himself.)

The ducks aren't so bad. They're okay to look at (I haven't touched them yet). I have even grown to enjoy their sweet chirps (no quacks yet). Daddy is getting to learn what it's like to clean up after pets. I'm not sure if he is still in love with them like he was when he first brought them home.

As you can see from the first photgraph, they fit in Daddy's hand nicely when we first met them. We believe they tripled in size after just 1 week. The picture below is of the ducks now (a week and a half after the first picture). My, how they've grown!

Granddaddy, get ready for some new inhabitants in your pond. I think Lucky and Ducky are about to waddle their way on over to your place!

Fros-ee da no-man

2008-03-10T15:40:00.001-05:00

Yes, that's how Kaitlin pronounces Frosty the Snowman. Other than our visit to Colorado, this was Kaitlin's first big snow. She had asked her Daddy to build a snowman with her, so I kind of got worried when he went to work instead. I enjoy the comfort and warmth of my home, and it looked like I would be the one digging through snow in cold weather with Kaitlin (not my cup of tea).

When Kaitlin's Granny called Saturday wanting to come get Kaitlin so they could play in the snow together, I was delighted. That meant two great things would happen. Kaitlin would get to build her "no-man", and I would get to go to Brea's consignment sale. I look forward to this sale twice a year. It is truly the best consignment sale I know of. The sale is still going on, so be sure to go to the website to get the details. ( http://www.encoresandmorenorth.com/ )

Back to the snowman: Kaitlin's great-grandfather (Pops) wanted to see Kaitlin in the snow, so they built the snowman at Pops's house. Kaitlin wasn't crazy about touching the snow because it was so cold, but it looks like she did a great job of watching Granny work hard. Thanks, Melinda, for enduring the cold!

Lions, Tigers, and Elephants....Oh My!

2008-03-07T17:06:00.001-06:00

Kaitlin loves animals. Some of her earliest words were animal names and sounds. I was so excited when I learned that a circus was coming to Springfield. Kaitlin decided that she wanted to invite her best friend, Ella Kate, to go with her. The invitation list just kept growing from there. So, Kaitlin's Granddad, Granny, Amber (my dear friend and Ella Kate's mommy), and I all got to endure the event together.

It was very entertaining for a small circus, but also a bit long for 2 year olds to sit through. We all agreed that the thin, wooden bleachers were extremely uncomfortable. It didn't help that Kaitlin just learned to use the potty (yay!) and insisted on going to the potty 5 times during the circus. I'm sure the women I had to ask to move every time we got up could have killed us.

The girls loved the lions, tigers, and elephants. I only got one picture of my girls. They wore Granddad's lap out. (Yes, Ella Kate calls him Granddad too, and will be devastated when she gets older and learns that they are not her real grandparents!) As you can see, they loved showing how the lions clawed and making the "roooaarrr!" sound!

What Am I Getting Myself Into?

2008-03-07T16:46:00.000-06:00

Why am I starting a blog? Well, I have a couple of blogs that I enjoy reading. I feel like I am able to keep up with those people without actually speaking with them every day or so. I wanted to be able to communicate with friends and family that I don't get to talk with as often as I would like. Through this blog, I'll be able to share pictures and information that are special to me and my family.
When people ask me if I blog, my response is always, "Are you kidding? I don't have time for that!" I'm not sure what makes me think I can commit to keeping a blog going. Maybe it's the gift of time I was given today through the early dismissal of school due to snow. It seems that I get just a little bit of time on my hands, and I feel like I can do everything. With that said, I am going to try really hard to maintain my blog.
Thanks for visiting! I hope you enjoy what you see!