10-10-10

So they say this is the luckiest day of the year. So far this month, we've been pretty lucky with all of our adventures. Football season has been fun in our house but Alabama lost their first regular season game since Addie was born. I think it had more to do with the fact that my Julio Jones jersey was still drying but life moves on.

Work for Brian has gone well. His team recently sold out the debut edition of Front Porch Living and the remaining 3 editions for the year are close to sold out as well. He is really doing well at his Advertising Director job and keeps trying to plug into the community.

Mattea's interim job at the church has gotten off to a fast start. The youth are really encouraged by her teachings and we've been blessed to partner with our good friends, Bryan and Liz Harrell. The youth group has grown over the first 4 weeks and we've recently talked about Facing Our Giants. Interesting to see how all the youth have conquered large giants in their lives these weeks and the happiness that has come from them trusting God.

Addison had a great month as well. Lots of travel recently brought visits to Cookie and Paga's House, then to see Aunt Katie and Uncle Buck and Baby Charlie, then to see Nonna, Papa, See See, Pack-ack, Tasha and Bubba. We also were honored to be guests at Aunt B and Joey's wedding. On top of that, Friday, Daddy got tickets to go see Elmo and so we sang and danced in Norfolk.

September flew by and October is already off to a fast start. Mattea keeps having good reports at the doctor's office and Luke is still healthy and kicking very hard! Only 2 more months now. We're continuing to plan for the youth's Trunk or Treat and then daddy's favorite day of the year is October 31st....no not Halloween...put up the Christmas decorations day! See you in November!

September Update

September has been off to a great start! We have moved into a new house. We celebrated Addie's 2nd birthday, went to an East Carolina football game and are gearing up for Ahoskie Heritage Days and our trip to Alabama. Here are a couple of recent pictures of our birthday princess this month.
Her and Daddy love to pose for the camera. They are too much alike!

I can't believe this is the little 5 pound baby I held in my arms 2 years ago. Time has flown by. We were looking back through old pictures from when she was born leading up to now and she doesn't even look like the same kid. She definitely keeps us on our toes.

She had her 2 year check up with a new doctor. We carried her to the pediatrician in Franklin, VA that we have heard a lot of great things about. Addie loved her. She had to get 2 shots but they didn't slow her down a bit! She never missed a beat. The doctor was impressed. She is doing things socially and developmentally that a 4 year old should be doing. We are proud parents if you couldn't tell already ;)

Well, it is officially football season and this is a common sight at the house. Addie and Daddy love playing football in the front yard. They even have a touchdown dance. It is quite hilarious.

Maybe she will be an Alabama Cheerleader one day. Until then, we will keep practicing.

Addie started a mothers-day-out program at our church this week. She LOVES it! She only goes 2 days a week from 9-12 but she is already very excited about it. She woke up this morning talking about going to see her friends and "Ms. Whizz" (Ms. Liz).

After going to the ECU game on Sunday, she is all about some pirates. She constantly walks around saying "Pirates say, ARGGHH!" She came in our room this morning when she woke up to get us up and Brian asked her if she slept ok. She said yes and he proceeded to ask her what she dreamed about. She said "pirates, princesses and Ramsey-roo (our dog who she has added the nick name roo to the end of her name) and they sang the Elmo song". This child is a mess! She also insisted on eating hot dogs for breakfast. I finally convinced her that if she waited, we would have them when Daddy picked her up from school. She reluctantly agreed. I don't know what the new fascination with hot dogs is but I am getting tired of them pretty quickly. LOL.

I went to the doctor today for my check up. I am 25 weeks and everything looks great! My blood pressure is looking wonderful so far. Today it was 110/80. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it stays that way. Luke measured right on schedule with a heart rate between 140-150. He didn't want to be still long enough to get a very accurate reading. I hope this isn't any indication of how he will be when he makes his grand entrance. I don't know if I will be able to keep up with Addie and him if he continues on this path. I was kind of hoping for a calm child this time :) Oh well, as long as he is health, I will adjust.

Well, that is about it for the updates thus far. We are planning a trip to Alabama in 2 weeks. We are very excited! I will post pictures of that when we return. Have a great fall!

Potty Princess

We officially have a potty princess. She has been doing great! She woke up last week and told me that she needed to use the potty. She has been doing great ever since. Of course, some days are better than others but for the most part she is doing amazingly well. She LOVES being a big girl and making Mommy and Daddy happy. I can't believe she will be 2 in 2 weeks. Where has time gone? Here is the most recent picture we have of our potty princess. Please excuse the boxes in the background. As you may recall, we are moving. D-day is next Saturday. We are so blessed to have so many friends volunteer to help with the move.

Here is a quick run down of our Big Girl's interests and accomplishments to date:

Accomplishments:

-Sing the following songs by herself: ABC's, Twinkle, Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, Itsy Bitsy Spider

-Sings the following songs with help: 5 little ducks, Old McDonald, My God is So Big, I'm in the Lord's Army, Apples and Bananas

-Knows immediate family's first and last name (including baby Luke)

-Making great strides potty training

-Sleeps in her Big Girl bed all night

-Feeds herself

Interests:
-Anything Elmo

-Singing and Dancing

-Princesses (And informing everyone "I'm the Princess... Do you understand?"

-Picking out her own clothes (including hair bows)

-Helping plan the menu

-Being a Big Helper in general (folding clothes, helping clean, etc)

-Watching "Puppets" with Daddy.

-She LOVES to learn new things (songs, tasks, words, etc).

-Puzzles

-Anything to be like Daddy (using a laptop, reading the Bible, playing guitar, etc)

There are so many more to add to both lists but I won't bore you with those. LOL.

Well, I am 22 weeks. I went to the doctor last week. Luke looks great. He is growing right on track and had a strong heart beat (152). I on the other hand had been struggling with a terrible migraine for several days. I had been given some medicine and was taking it very sparingly. When it was suggested to either increase dosage and frequency or go to the hospital and get meds through IV I opted to increase my current medication. I stayed pretty drugged for 2 days and my sweet husband worked from home to help with Addie. It finally went away and I was able to resume my normal activities, which basically include doing housework and packing these days. All in all, we are all doing great. I go back to the doctor September 9th and will update you on the baby and Addie's birthday then. I will try to blog once we get into the new house and post pics when we get settled (which hopefully it will be before my next appointment).

Have a wonderful week!

It is a BOY!

We found out on July 16th that we are having a BOY! We are naming him Christopher Luke and calling him Luke. I apologize that it has taken so long to post this. I was debating about even posting a picture because the 3 pictures we got are not very clear. This one is of his face. You can see his eye sockets, mouth and head but that is about it for the details. I refuse to post the "gender" picture. I know one day if I were to do that, he would hate me for it.

Brian kept saying that it was a girl. I didn't have a feeling either way. They only indication that it might be a boy that I had was that this pregnancy has been so different from my last one but I have heard that each pregnancy is different so I didn't think anything else about it. With Addison I craved sweet things and I laughed all the time. This time, I crave sour/salty things and cry all the time. I also have very little tolerance for anything. Go figure. So far, so good as far as my health and the baby's is concerned. We haven't really hit the "critical" period yet. They are a little concerned that I haven't gained much weight. I'm not complaining. They constantly ask Brian if I am eating. I really do eat/snack constantly! I thought...."You run after this very active 2 year old that I have all day everyday and see how much weight you loose." LOL

We have a few ideas for Luke's room but we haven't started anything yet. We are in the process of packing and moving... again. We are staying in Ahoskie but we are moving to another house just outside of town limits. It is about 5 minutes from where we live now.
We have had a very busy summer. We have had visitors for over a month. It has been great getting to spend time with family. The picture above is from...wait for it.... the Wal-Mart parking lot in Ahoskie. When my family got into town, a petting zoo was set up in the parking lot with camels, tigers, monkeys, snakes, goats, ponies, and other animals I can't remember at this time. Addie wasn't too sure about having her picture made with the tiger. It was only 6 weeks old. After the picture, she began to cry for it as we were walking to the car but while it was practically in her lap, she didn't want to have anything to do with it.

We went to Virginia Beach a few times this summer. It was SOOOO HOT! The water was still freezing. We had a great time. One of the trips we rented a family bike/ surrey and rode up and down the board walk. It was... an experience to say the least.

My family was here for the 4th of July. We had a neighborhood block party with a parade for the little kids. It was very nice. I love the sense of community here. It was great that my family got to take part in it as well. We also went shopping a few days and went to the Zoo. Addie LOVES the zoo. I must say that next time we go, it will have to be much cooler. Thank goodness for the fountains to play in or we really would have been miserable.

Brian's parents came down first in June. They stayed for a week and we went to The Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. That place was nice. Addison liked it but I think she would have enjoyed it a lot more if she were older. The place was covered up with 7-12 year olds. I think that would be the prime age to go back due to all the activities for the kids. The water park indoors was nice and by the second day Addie was having a blast but she still wasn't big enough to do everything. That's ok... Brian and "Paga" made up for it by going down all the big slides multiple times. LOL. "Cookie" and "Paga" were able to go to a Rotary social that Brian had on the Chowan River in Winton. Addie also got to go on her first boat ride. She wasn't too sure about it. She wouldn't turn loose of my neck. Well, at least we can say she has been on a boat.

I guess that is about it for catching up. So many things are happening in our lives that keep us on the go constantly. Hopefully it won't be as long before I update again. I go back to the doctor on August 12th, so I will try to update the blog then if not before. Have a great rest of the summer!

11 week update

We had a great doctor visit today. They baby looks great! I am slowly feeling better...well, most of the time. The sickness comes in waves but it is mainly still at night. We have decided on names for the baby although we won't find out the sex of the baby for about 2 more months. If it is a girl, we will name her, Avery Rose. We will call her Avery. Rose is after Brian's paternal grandmother, Rosemary. And if it is a boy, we will name him Christopher Luke and call him Luke. Christopher is a family name on my side. My dad and brother both have the first name, Christopher and my first name is Christal (after my dad).

Addie is growing up so fast! She is starting to look like a little girl and not as much like a baby. She is a great big helper. Her friend came over the other day for a play date and Addie helped with her. The little girl is a few months younger than Addie and she is CRAZY about her. They get a long great!
Here are a couple of quotes Addie has said the last couple of days...

Brian was teaching Addie the "Alabama Student Section" version of Dixieland Delight and when they got to the "Spent my dollar" ... Addie yells out "on juice" (after a little coaching from dad)

When asked if I have a baby in my belly Addie causally said "maybe so."

When given a dollar ("doddar" as Addie says) and she is asked what is she going to do with it, she exclaims "SPEND IT!" As if there were anything else you were supposed to do with a dollar or "monies"

We have been calling her a monkey because she is a CLIMBER! Brian called her a "silly monkey" and Addie in turned called him a "cheesy monkey."

Brian has introduced Addie to the Muppet's and she gets all excited telling everyone she watched the "Puppets."

She screams at my belly and rubs it vigorously calling out to "Wuke." She refuses to believe that it might in fact be an Avery.

Addie now calls Ramsey, our dog, "Randy."

Brian has taught Addie how to give massages, which she calls "skeezes." I guess that is because as she is giving a massage, she says "skeeze, skeeze."

She is a MESS!!

Well, I guess that is all for this update. Have a great week!

May

We have had an eventful May already. Here is our first picture of Baby #2. I wasn't supposed to have one until 18 weeks according to my doctors office. I have had a couple of issues and wanted to make sure that everything was ok. Not to mention, make sure there is ONLY one because I have already started showing a little. Everything looks good and there is in fact ONLY one baby. We went to Alabama to visit family while Brian had training in Tuscaloosa. We had a great visit. It was way to short but it was nice. Addie had a ball playing with "She She" (Selah) and "Pack Kack" (Paxton). She LOVES them. Of course it helps that they do whatever she wants and always laughs at everything she does. She thinks she always has to have an audience. LOL
She thinks she is grown and has to do EVERYTHING the girls do.

She is a MESS! We have started to hit the terrible twos. I know you probably can't tell it from this picture. She looks so sweet and innocent. Believe me, she has the temper to match that fiery red hair!

When she isn't having her tantrums, she is a lot of fun. There is never a dull moment around her. She is wide open all the time!

Our current fascinations are Elmo, babies, and climbing on EVERYTHING! She thinks the baby is in my navel. She is constantly trying to pull my shirt up and talk to/kiss the baby. It would be ok if we were just at home when she does it. It doesn't matter where we are if someone asks her where the baby is she either points to her baby doll or pulls my shirt/dress up. It is so embarrassing! She has her Daddy wrapped tighter and tighter everyday around her little finger. She quit crying for me in the middle of the night and when she is tired, she cries for her "DaDa". She will say "Mommy" but still hasn't budged on moving from "DaDa" to "Daddy". It is cute though.

Well, have a wonderful rest of May and we will try to update you more as things occur.

First Doctor Visit

We had our first initial doctor visit today... well, the first part of it. I go back in 2 weeks when my blood work comes back and finish my visit. Unfortunately, we found out that we will not have an ultrasound until 18 weeks :( This is a picture we took as we were walking out the door to the doctor. Addie was great in the office. She was quite and fell asleep while the doctor was talking to us. :)

Other than that, the morning sickness has kicked in full swing. I'm dealing with it ok. Well, that is all for the updates right now.

Addie, the BIG sister!

We are all VERY excited! Although Addie really doesn't really understand what is happening I thought this picture went well with the big news. We found out on Tuesday that we are expecting baby #2 December 21st! We are keeping our fingers crossed and praying that is will be a very safe, enjoyable and uneventful pregnancy :)

Things are going much better around our house this week. For the last 2 weeks we have ALL had a nasty stomach bug at some point. Addie has had it the longest. It just kept coming in waves. Even though she hasn't felt 100% she still manages to completely amaze me. She is now saying her ABC's, well most of them. She can count to 3 in English and Spanish and say a handful of other words in Spanish. She can correctly identify body parts in English and we are working on them in Spanish. We have gone almost a week without a PACI and she slept all night in her BIG girl bed. She is growing up so fast! This little girl makes being a mommy so WONDERFUL! (I'm not a proud Momma at all, can you tell? LOL)
Well, since I posted last, we added another member to our family, Ramsey. She is a Border Collie we adopted from the Humane Society. She is the sweetest dog. Addie absolutely adores her. She is very gentle. Ramsey is about 3 years old. She was up to be put to sleep 3 times but the vet couldn't do it because she was just so sweet and they wanted her to go to a good home. She really is wonderful. She lets Addie climb all over her and drag her around by her collar/leash all the time. Addie uses her like a pillow half the time. They are a great fit for each other! Addie calls her "Kenzie" but we are working on "Ramsey".

Here is a picture we took before church on Easter morning. We are adjusting beautifully to our new life up here and loving every minute of it. We still really miss our family and friends but we are making great friends here as well. Well, I know that is a lot of information to hit you with all at once so I will let you digest all of that and I will try to be more consistent with blogging, especially with all the new baby and BIG girl updates. Take care and have a wonderful weekend!

Now, he’s wrapped around her finger....

She's the center of his whole world

And his heart belongs to that sweet, little, beautiful, wonderful, perfect

All American Girl...

So, this lyric pretty much sums up what has been going on at my house this past week. I'm not sure exactly what happened but this is a common picture around my house.

These two are inseparable. It really is very cute. Friday morning, she didn't remember him kissing her bye before he left for work and she kept asking for him. When I told her he was at work she started crying... "daddy bye bye". So, we had to stop by and see him at work on our way to the grocery store.

He has been the only one to get her to go to sleep this last week and every time I turn around she is in his lap or right beside him. It is bad enough they already look like twins, now they are inseparable... LOL.

We have had a very BIG week. Addie actually used the potty several times this week! I was so excited. She got HANDFULS of M&Ms when she did. We sang and danced, whatever it takes, ya know? On top of using the potty, she has learned to count to 3, thanks to Daddy. We have been working on it for a while now but, when he started doing it with her the other night, she picked right up on it and has been doing it ever since. She also can say her name VERY plain. You ask her "What is your name?" and she will say "Addison". I have to admit, I kind of liked, "ADD-I-DON" a little better, LOL. I guess it is ok be cause according to Addie, we had "cake cups" last night after dinner. She had a friend come over to play last night and I made mini-cup cakes for them and big ones for the guys. Since we had some left over, she came up to me tonight and said "cake cups, peas"... so of course I had to get her a cup cake. We have been working on saying please when she wants something instead of just screaming and pointing. I still have to remind her to use her words, other wise she will just point and grunt when she wants something. She has an excellent vocabulary for her age, but just had to be reminded she can verbalize what she wants.

The next step will be to take the pacifier away. We tried it earlier this week but, it didn't work at all. She squirmed and whined for about an hour before Daddy gave in and gave it to her. As soon as she got it she went right to sleep. I know we need to take it away soon but, it is just so hard. She only gets it at night and at nap time. She knows that the paci stays in the bed so she doesn't really ask for it during the day unless she is tired. I just don't know how I am going to break her from it all together. Oh well... I guess that is another battle for another day.

Have a great week!

February Update

So, Happy (late) Valentine's Day! Brian and Addie made a Valentine dinner for me on Friday night. We had waffles, ice cream and chocolate covered strawberries. I don't question the food choices, it was the thought that counts. They both had so much fun making dinner.

I am really beginning to hate snow. It has snowed up here almost every weekend since we have been here. I thought I liked snow, but I realize now that it is just Alabama snow that I like. It is supposed to snow up here again this coming weekend. I am so ready for warmer weather!

Saturday we had some friends over for lunch. One of Brian's co-workers has a little girl that is about a month younger than Addie. They became instant friends. Addie has walked around the house calling "Kenzie" since she left. She did great sharing her toys. She wanted to constantly hug her and hold hands. It really was very cute. I think it may have scared Mackenzie at first but by the end of the day, they were playing, dancing and sharing toys. Mackezie's mom, Jennafer and I left the boys with the little girls and went to the mall in Chesapeake. We had a great time. The boys bonded by laughing at the girls and watching sports all day.

Yesterday we spent morning at church. We had a breakfast at church before Sunday School. We came home and had leftovers then took a nap. Last night we went to Chip and Stephanie's house with Bryan and Liz. Chip grilled out and the Harrell's brought the veggies and we brought dessert. We always have a great time when we get together with them. I must say that the chicken was especially good last night (obviously since Brian ate 8 pieces...lol).

Today I have been waiting for different companies to come give us quotes on replacing our boiler system with a heat pump. We were just going to get the boiler replaced but they have informed us that boilers are a thing of the past and most companies do not even service them anymore. That is always fun. Hopefully we can get this taken care of fairly quickly. Also today, Brian has a Rotary Club meeting he is going to with a gentleman form church and then his sales staff is coming over to the house for pizza for lunch. They made their Crossroads goal (their big publication) and so to celebrate they chose to come to the house for pizza. Addie has a play date after nap with Abby. We met Abby and her mom, Joy, Wednesday at Mugshots Cafe. Abby is about 2 months older than Addie. Abby and her family moved to the area from California. I think that they will have fun playing together. It has been so nice to be able to get out and meet more people, especially women close to my age with children close to Addie's age.

So, needless to say, we will have a very busy week and it is only Monday. We will have a lot of other things going throughout the week. We will have to update you once we make it through this week. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Approaching One Month

Well, we are rapidly approaching the one month mark. Time has flown by! We are adjusting very well. It is really beginning to feel like home. We are slowly branching out and exploring the area more. As Brian mentioned last, the house is finally unpacked and we are finding our routine.

Addie and I are getting out more during the week. We have made some great friends through church. We have even had dinner guests at our house already. I made MeMe's homemade noodles and baked ziti. It was a big hit! Brian loves any excuse to have people over and eat Italian food.

This is a typical day for us. Addie is constantly laughing and talking up a storm. She is constantly climbing on and under furniture. I guess all this is just part of being a toddler. She definitely keeps me on my toes. There is NEVER a dull moment around here.

We are finally getting back into our shows. Brian and I watch American Idol on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; I watch Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays, and Brian's LOST will begin this coming Tuesday. It is still taking a little bit to get used to the time change when it comes to shows starting at 9pm instead of 8. I didn't think it would mess with me that bad but it does. LOL.

Brian has been so worried about me transitioning up here. He is sweet! I am doing well. I am actually the newest member of the Ahoskie Junior Women's' League. Some ladies I met at church invited me to go to one of their meetings. Although my new friends will never replace my friends back home, the ladies I have met her have been great. I have found another stay-at-home mom who has a little girl who is close to Addie's age. Addie loves her little girl. You would think that they have known each other for years. We went to the mall and they cried to hold hands while we were pushing them in their strollers. It was cute.

Well, I guess that is about it for now. I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend! We will probably be staying in and keeping warm. It is supposed to snow and ice up here starting tomorrow. BRRR! I guess we will see if it really does. The last 2 times they said it would, we didn't have anything. Oh well....

Let There Be Light!

What that means is the boxes have finally gone away!! It only took 2 weeks to break down every box from the move. Now, we just have to arrange things the way we want them and the house will look even more awesome then it does now.

Mattea has done a tremendous job decorating and arranging all the rooms. My favorite is Addie's Bedroom. She has a lot of space, her own rocking chair and a big girl bed. Sadly, half the big girl bed is in our bedroom on the floor. But this will be a nice transition for her (and for Mommy and Daddy not to have little knees in our backs anymore).

Work has being great these last 2 weeks. My sales staff is really enjoying the new plans and management styles I am implementing. I want to show them that no matter how rough the past was, brighter days are ahead. I will eventually make it out to see customers this coming week. Hopefully, my ideas from Shelby County will transfer to Ahoskie and I can re-establish strong relationships.

Addison is loving her new house. Twice this week, I got to come home when it was light outside and kick the soccer ball in the backyard. We have a great time running and putting moves on each other. She's pretty good. I wonder if there is a U-3 league anywhere?

The fast food eating is slowly going away as Mattea started to find her pots and pans. She has made some fantastic lunches and dinners in the last week. It really is starting to feel like home. We are getting settled in. Now is the making friends part. Hopefully, Mattea will start to get out into the community and meet other mothers and ladies in the area. I feel like I have an advantage with the line of work I am in. But as a quiet time of mine said early last week: Move, then house, then church, then friends, then home. I believe we are almost completely "home" here in Ahoskie.

BP

Week One in North Carolina

Well, we have survived this first week here in Ahoskie, North Carolina. Tomorrow will mark the one week mark. We are adjusting well to everything here. We are still living in boxes. We have made a lot of progress but we still have a ways to go. Brian is absolutely loving his job so that definitely helps make the transition easier. Addie and I spend most of our days unpacking, playing in her new playroom and watching "Melmo". Here is a picture of the front of our house.


We spent the majority of the day to day driving around and exploring the area. We visited Greenville, Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids (not to mention all the smaller cities in between). It was a nice little drive and it really was nice to get out of the house and take a break from unpacking.

Addie is adjusting well to the move. She is also cutting new teeth and testing ALL boundaries. She had to sit in time-out for the first time tonight because kept trying to unplug the lamp from the wall outlet. She sat in time-out for 1 minute but I really don't think it phased her at all. We were fighting back laughter. She kept trying to whisper and tell us secrets the whole time she was sitting there.

Tomorrow we are planning on visiting First Baptist Church of Ahoskie. Mrs. Bazemore, our neighbor invited us to attend so we thought we would try it this week. I am praying that God leads us to the church we need to be at during this transitional time in our lives. We were very involved in our church at home and we are looking to be just as involved here.

Well, I guess that is it for now. I will keep you posted as new things happen. Once we get the house completely unpacked, I will put pictures of the inside on here.

Oh yeah...

ROLL TIDE ROLL!