Our Family

Catching Up

2010-11-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

Oftentimes when we get up in the morning this is what we awaken to...not how it was when we went to sleep. I might add that we have queen size bed, and a dog that is in there somewhere, too.
Beau and Lane
We went with some good friends to their camp (a cabing by the lake in Plain Dealin', LA) for a fun day of fishing, eating and playing. We had a great time and the kids loved spending time outside.

The girls
Beau and his best Louisiana buddy Jack doing what boys do best.
These two beg to play in the rain when it is warm outside and a big storm comes through.

The only UT game we made it to this year. We had so much fun having a whole evening with Michael and Courtney WITHOUT kids! Thanks Aunt Jody and Aunt Ramona for taking on our crews and giving us a much needed break.
Papaw and all of his grandbabies.

Setting up for Lane's 1st birthday party at our soon to be new home.
The AMAZING cake Aunt Ann made for Lane.
What's a 1st birthday party without a smash cake?
Mommy and her birthday girl.
We love Aunt Jody!
Riding the donkeys, Eeyore and Montana.

Family photo.
yummmmyyyy!!!

Abby loses her 1st top front tooth in the car ride on the way home from Tennessee! If you get bored enough in the car...
Beau and Teddy - the class bear from school.
Abby modeling her school uniform dress - she has worn it twice. She always wears the skort or pants.
I looked over one afternoon and Lane had fallen asleep while watching Baby Einstein just like this.
Abby and Lane chllin'.
Our soccer boy
Lane loves her chocolate:)
Abby singing Amazing Grace in chapel.
First Baptist Church School Fall Carnival 2010 - Abby and some of her buddies.
Beau and a couple of his best buddies.
Modeling the loss of the 2nd top tooth.
Abby and her best buddy CeCe playing hair and make-up after school one day.
Napping with Daddy on the chair.
more soccer...

Pumpkin patch activities
Even Mommy had some fun!

Woody and Jesse
Woody, Jesse, Little Bo Peep and her sheep, and, of course, Michael Jackson. Halloween 2010
Action shot

Ariel, the pirate, a haunted house, and a spider
Dallas trip to American Girl
The kids loved playing in the big window seat in the hotel room.
In front of American Girl
Eating in the American Girl Bistro.
Samantha got a much needed bath and hairdo.
Matching Pjs
"I'm stuck!!!"
Bathtime - cheese!!!
The two are T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!

Can't wait to get home to Nashville in less than a month!

These updates are for all 2 of you that still look at this blog!

Lane is 1

2010-10-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Lane turned 1 year old on September 17th, 2010.

A few weeks after she turned a year she started walking everywhere. Her first and favorite word (and maybe her favorite person for that matter) is "Daddy". She can also say "bye-bye" and has just recently started saying "Abby" shockingly clearly. She loves to wave, and can mimic just about any noise you make. She can even blow kisses.

Lane loves a good bath, playing with anything that she is not supposed to get into (anything other than her toys), music and dancing, her brother and sister, rough-housing (wrestling on the floor with her daddy and siblings), her stuffed cow and pink pig lovee, eating (favorites include grapes, yogurt and macaroni and cheese) and Baby Einstein videos.

Lane can not stand getting her face (nose, hands) wiped off/cleaned after eating or when sick, having her feet covered with a blanket, wearing a bow in her hair or shoes/socks on her feet, being left by her mommy or daddy (this is getting better, but always cries when left with a sitter) and being told no!

So far, she is our Cajun baby - born and thus far raised in Louisiana. She reminds me lots of baby Abby a lot of the time, although much chunkier and with dark brown eyes instead of blue. Lots say she looks like her mommy:)

We are so proud of our sweet baby. She is very loved and very spoiled! We are excited to continue to watch this little blessing grow!

Happy Birthday, Dorothy Lane!

Is Anyone Out There???

2010-09-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to go swimming right around the time school started. I think this was our last trip to the pool.

Abby received her Bible at a ceremony a few weeks ago at First Baptist Church. Every year the 1st graders receive a Bible that they study from through middle school.
Snuggling on the couch.
I could just eat those thighs...
Last year, as Lane was sleeping quietly in her infant carrier at 6 weeks old, I was sifting through costumes the day after Halloween. I found 2 precious costumes, a sheep (above) and a giraffe (below). Not being able to decide between the 2, I bought both for $5 each!!! Gotta' love a bargain:) Now, the hard decision is trying to decide which one she should be for Halloween this year. I think we are going with the sheep, simply because Abby wants to be Little Bo Peep so Lane can be her sheep.
The giraffe is SUPER cute, too, though...
She may even like it better! Ha!
HOUSE FOR SALE!!!

Well, we finally put our house up for sale by owner last weekend. I am hoping we aren't going to have too much difficulty getting it sold, as it really is a sweet house both inside and out. We have really enjoyed our time here, but I am ready to go home!

I don't know if anyone out there is even reading or looking at blogs anymore, but I am going to try and keep mine going as a scrapbook of sorts. I just can't get in to facebook as much...doesn't seem near as personal.

School Days - Abby Starts 1st Grade and Beau starts K-4

2010-08-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

The kids went back to school this week!

Abby started 1st grade with a half day on Wednesday. She is in class with Mrs. Keen at First Baptist again. This year she started wearing uniforms - which is just about the cutest thing I think I have ever seen. There is a little jumper that is an option, but Abby refuses to wear it, sticking diligently to the skorts. She is really excited to be going back and is ready to learn, which is so nice for Mommy:) Homework here we come!

Beau started K4 (pre-k for all of you Tennesseeans reading). He will be going to school every day this year (sniff, sniff)! He is more than ready to go - never looking back or hesitating about starting something new. He is all smiles and poses, and never hesitates to jump right in and enjoy himself. He has Mrs. Caraway this year, and is in class with lots of his buddies, so I know he will have a great (half of a) year at First Baptist.

We adore the kids' school year and will miss it terribly when we move. They have been a wonderful blessing to our family, and not only teach, but love, our children. We are excited to start another school year. Here we go!!!

Catching Up :)

2010-07-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Rocky and Lane snoozing on the chair
Beau at his end of the school year water party for K3
Enjoying some cookie cake - yummy
Playing in the dishwasher and with a bottle of tylenol
Abby came and informed me the other day that Lane had fallen asleep in her high chair. Bless her heart - the poor little life of a 3rd child!
Beau and Lane playing together
Toby turkey hunting - I spared everyone the picture with the rattlesnake that had about 5 bullet holes in it.
More dance recital pictures taken by Toby's friend Richard
The ballerina in the middle blowing the kiss is mine:)
A bird's nest we found in our neighbor's fern while we were watering their plants
Our neighbors up the street were decorating their house for some sort of Alice in Wonderland themed party. Pretty cool...
A trip to the zoo in Tyler, Texas.
Daddy and Lane enjoying the giraffes.
Abby feeding the birds.
Bath time!
Another snooze on the couch, this time with Daddy.
And she was swingin'...
Abby showing us her softball trophy. This was her 3rd season to play, which is a little hard to believe...
Family beach trip at Seagrove near Destin. No oil or tarballs there yet when we were there. We had a blast with family and can't wait to do it again next year.
Playing in the sand, looking out over the ocean.
Posing with Uncle Michael.
Mischevious cousins
More mischevious cousins!
Daddy and Beau
Mommy and Lane
This picture cracks me up - Toby in that raft. Too funny.
Check out those cute little cheeks!
Happy 1st Birthday to Quinn while we were there!
Not a big fan of the smash cake.
Beau wanted a beach picture with fancy McQueen
All of the cousins.
My sweet babies
The family 5 pack.
Papaw
Mimi and her two youngest grandbabies
Enjoying a popsicle with Mimi
We love the beach!!!
Lane eating sand. Lovely.
Mommy and Lane

Beau and Aunt Ramona
Abby and Mimi
Ice cream at the beach - it doesn't get any better than this!
This crazy baby still sleeps like this.
Jody and I attempted cake pops while she was down visiting. They actually turned out pretty cute, and very yummy!
Excuse the Easter sprinkles...we were experimenting.
Kisses from Niki on our trip to Nashville.
We wore her out running around all day. She is a little trooper. (Yes, she is riding illegally. She is turned around and not quite a year. She is, however, 25lbs at 9 months.)
Camping for the 4th with Daddy at Camp NayNay, our family's annual July 4th campout.
Happy 4th of July!
Enjoying some sparklers!

We are doing well down here in Louisiana. We have been super busy since school has been out. We had a family beach trip to Destin and we made a trip in to Nashville to visit with family and get Lane's pictures made. We also closed on a house in Brentwood, which is very exciting news for us. Not as exciting is the two mortgages we will be paying the next few months.

We will be in for a quick visit at the end of July, then again in September. Hopefully we will get to catch up with everyone on our trips in!

Funny Feet, Field Day and Some Dancing

2010-05-16T19:44:00.001-07:00

I was walking through Lane's room (also known as the laundry room, as her crib is right next to the washer and dryer...poor third kid...I feel her pain...) and this is what I saw. She does this almost every night now. I'm scared she is going to make a sudden movement and break her leg or something, but it is pointless to straighten her up because if I do, inevitably, a few minutes later I will walk back through and they will be sticking out again. Crazy kid already.
A ballet picture from rehearsals. I know the picture is not good, but it was the best I could do. (She is the 2nd one in from the right side of the picture - the tall one.)
Waiting patiently for her tap rehearsal and enjoying watching the other dancers.
Tap rehearsal picture. They were so cute. Abby is still so into the whole makeup, dress up and performing thing. Cracks me up thinking about that baby who would burst into tears if anyone even talked to her or looked at her, much less tried to hold her. Sigh. My baby is getting so big.
Field day sharing her popsicle with Beau. I have to say, it was incredibly cruel that the kindergardeners were eating their treats while on a break on the picnic tables that were placed all around the fenced in playground that the preschoolers were playing on. Those poor preschoolers were all lined up peeking through the bars at the big kids eating those yummy popsicles like it was some kind of prison. (Notice - Beau is on the inside of the fence, and Abby is on the outside.) I felt so bad for them. Lucky for Beau, he has a sweet big sister in kindergarden who all but gave him her popsicle. He still bawled when we all left him to move on to the next event. It was pretty pitiful. I felt so bad for him. He will probably remember that moment for forever. I know I will!

Abby and her buddy CeCe getting ready for the 2 headed race (which they won in their heap, I might add):)!
Lane - kicked back and relaxed. She was a little trooper throughout the whole day.
My girls. Abby is so sweaty and red faced in this picture. She had just ran a race of some sort.
After recital number two. Abby had just reapplied her lipstick, if you can't tell.
Seriously, SUCH a ham for the camera!

Camping With The Uncles

2010-05-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

Beau and Will trying out the 4wheelers on the trailer in Uncle Berry's driveway.
Beau was sooooooooooo excited to go "camping out" - not "camping"!
Uncle Kyle (Courtney's brother) went, too. It takes a lot of manpower to keep up with 2 little boys...they have lots of energy!
Uncle Berry stealing a hug from his nephews.
Now there is a handsome crew. All of these boys are so precious to me!
Silly faces. This one is my favorite.
Throwing rocks in the stream.
Still sitting on 4wheelers. It's even fun at night. Notice the cool glow necklaces and sticks.

Many, many thanks to Michael, Berry and Kyle (our adopted uncle) for taking Beau and Will camping. Beau had so much fun and still talks about it. Everything from 4wheeling, smores and sleeping in a tent is still being talked about to this day. You guys made memories for these little boys that will last a lifetime. Thank-you!

Lane and Daddy catching a nap on Mother's Day. Toby woke up before I could get the picture.
Abby showing off her mother's day pedicure.

Lane crying because I am taking her picture instead of holding her.

Happy 4th Birthday, Beau

2010-04-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

It is official...Beau is 4!

My how time flies. It is hard to believe he is already 4. Thinking back, it is even harder to believe that he had spent the better part of his life as a Louisiana baby, and Lane has yet to live in Tennessee!

A few things about our 4 year old:

Favorite color: red

Favorite food: steak

Favorite toy: Lightning McQueen

Favorite movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakquel

Favorite friend: Jack (from school)

Favorite shirt: Boden dinosaur shirt

He says he is going to marry Abby when he grows up.

He doesn't really like peanut butter, and loves pretty much any kind of meat.

He requested a gun like daddy's for his birthday this year. (No, we didn't get him one...thought we'd hold off on that until he was at least five:)

He is a lover. He adores his baby sister and has never grow tired of showering her with attention and kisses. He loves his mommy and is very much a momma's boy. He wants to buy me flowers every time he sees them at a store, and loves to snuggle up with me still. Kisses still heal most things, aside from the broken arm, stitches in the chin and the other two times his face (forehead and above the eye) have had to be glued. Please, Lord, let him continue to be a momma's boy just a little while longer...

He is also a fighter. He will fight to the bitter end. He will physically fight a tough fight, whether he should or not. He will not back down and will not be picked on by anyone. Our neighbor thinks he has a future in cage fighting. He is rather scrappy. He will also argue his side of a disagreement into the ground, whether he is right or wrong. Much soap has been dispensed into his mouth due to this. We are still learning:)

He makes us laugh every day. He is quite a comedian and makes most everyone around him laugh, sometimes when he is trying to, but more often without any real effort or intention on his behalf.

He is very smart. He learns at his own pace when it is his decision to do so. He can write all of his letters and knows how to spell several words. He loves to play board games, video games, and is quite the master at puzzles. He can almost navigate the computer better than me.

He is quite athletic. He can smack a pitch thrown by his daddy in the back yard, can tackle with the best of them, and has started scoring lots of soccer goals in his soccer games.

We are so proud that he is ours. He is truly one of our biggest blessings from the Lord. He is our one and only boy, stuck in the middle of these two sassy girls. We are so delighted and blessed that he is ours!

HaPpY 4th BiRtHdAy, BeAu!!!!We LoVe YoU!!!

Early Spring 2010

2010-04-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Abby 6, Lane 6 months, Beau almost 4

I think Lane's legs may be bigger than Beau's :)
They can be so sweet to each other sometimes. I have the pictures to prove it.
Abby is playing machine pitch softball on an all girls team this year. She has played t-ball for the past 2 years. She is the youngest player on the team, but she does pretty good and is learning a lot! It is so fun to watch Toby and her get out in the yard and practice. I just love it!
Lane having some dinner in her bumbo.
Mommy and Abby goofing around.
Really, Lane is totally unimpressed with baby food. She would much rather nurse or have a bottle, and literally dry heaves when you put something green in her mouth. At least she has some poundage to spare!
Bathing beauties
Easter eggs
Dying Easter eggs
Beau is playing soccer this year with some of his buddies from school. He has a good time running around and getting some of that energy out, not to mention their jerseys are red...his favorite color.
I know what you're thinking, but that girl was good!
Seriously? I know he's mine, but too cute...
Lounging around on the couch on a Saturday morning.
Not a very exciting action shot of Abby playing out in the field.
Toby and Abby went to Steamboat on a little ski trip during Spring Break this year, just the two of them. Aren't they cute?
Sportin' lots of pink gear, naturally.
Snazzy in their matching gray pants.

Pretty cool with that snow piled up by the pool...

Don't knock em' til' you've tried em'!

Abby and her buddy CeCe at their last cheerleading game. I'll try and put their dance video they did on here soon if we can figure out how to post videos anymore. It's been a while...
I let Abby have her buddies Avery and CeCe spend the night the night before their last game. They are always quite entertaining and hilarious. A picture's worth a thousand words...
Sweet Lane snoozin' away.
Seriously cute little thing Abby wrote on her board and Toby took a picture of. The bottom has her name spelled out on the left going down, and each word says something to describe herself. She did this all on her own, hence the misspelled words. Their teacher encourages them to try and write words themselves and figure out how they might spell instead of always asking. For a translation: A(wesome), B(eautiful), B(utterflies), Y(ogurt) - as in she likes it, S(mart), M(not sure about this one), I (love school), T(errific), and H(am) - as in she likes it, too.
Lane enjoying the wild looking jumpy thing we got her.
Abby is such a big help with Lane. She will hold her, feed her, run and get diapers, helps give her baths, etc. etc. I really don't know what I would do without her help sometimes! She is an awesome big sister, and will be a great little babysitter someday!

We have had a very busy spring. It seems like this is usually the slowest time of the year, but that hasn't been so this year! Maybe its the whole third kid thing? Abby is still taking dance, just finished up cheerleading, and just started machine pitch softball. Beau is playing soccer this spring, too. Between all of that, we stay pretty busy running from one practice or game venue to another. I have to say that, most of the time, it is lots of fun just watching the kids growing and learning and having fun doing things they love. Speaking of growing, Lane was just a few ounces shy of 21lbs at her 6 month check up - over the 99%ile mark. She just wanted a chart of her own, I guess. We just started baby foods at 6 months, and she is not a huge fan. She does grunt and try to grab anything we are trying to eat, so I have a feeling that we aren't going to last long with Gerber. Just a little more than a week ago we saw her first tooth coming through on the bottom. It is so cute I can hardly stand it. She is pretty go with the flow as long as one of us is near. She does have some major separation anxiety, and I have been getting called out of the gym and church nurseries the past half dozen times we've been. Sigh. She must be taking notes from Abby when she was a baby. She is not the best napper either. Not really her fault, as she lives out her existence in a car seat or stroller, basically. Gotta' love being the 3rd child!

Toby is staying busy with work, but has been working a little less extra, so it has been so, so nice to have him around a little more on the weekends. He is going hunting this weekend on a much needed little get away for him, I'm sure. He works so much and never gets any time to do the things he likes without kids, so I am glad he is getting to go, although I will need lots of extra prayers to make through 4 days straight without him!

Eight more months down here in Louisiana, then we will be headed back to Tennessee. It is hard to believe that it is that close! We are looking forward to the beach in June, and maybe one more trip back to Tennessee in September around Lane's first birthday. The kids will finish the school semester here in December, and the we are off to Disneyworld to celebrate Daddy finishing this fellowship! By Christmas we will be back in Tennessee. Mimi better be ready to drag out the Christmas decorations, cause' I'll be home for Christmas, and we could be homeless and staying with her!

Doing my best to keep the blog updated! So little time and so much to do! Til' next time;-)

Birthdays, Snow and Mardi Gras

2010-02-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Toby and Lane waiting for the Mardi Gras parade to start. This is our 3rd time to go to the Highland Parade (an annual parade they do in our neighborhood) here in Shreveport. It was weird after the fact to realize that this would be the last time we would walk down our street to the parade! It is always really fun and the kids have a great time catching lots of beads, stuffed animals, moon pies and candy. We will miss having it to go to every year after we move.
On February 12th it snowed! This does not happen much in here at all, so I got the kids up bright and early, bundled em' up, and sent them out to play. I knew it would be here for a few hours, and wanted them to enjoy it as much as they could! It was so much fun, and the snow was perfect for making snowmen and snowballs, or "throwballs" as Beau kept calling them. I am so thankful God gave us such a beautiful and fun snow to play in!
Abby posing with our snowman and snowwoman.
Making "throwballs"...

The first thing Beau did when we walked outside was lay down in the snow and make a snow angel. He is full force with everything he does...no easing into it! It reminded me of how he was when when got to the beach last year...
All bundled up and ready to go! (Sorry for the slightly out of order pictures...)

Lane demonstrating her two new tricks at the same time - sticking her tongue out AND holding her toes - now that's talent. Check out those rolls!
Abby's buddies at her friend Grayson's tea party birthday party. It was the cutest thing - all of the girls got to dress up, have a tea party on real china in a beautiful historic mansion, have a scavenger hunt, etc. Abby had the best time, and it was fun to watch all of these sweet little girls have such a good time together.
Abby's dress up outfit she chose. Pretty good taste! I kind of like it!
Avery, Lauren, Reagan, Abby and Sarah

Beau's birthday card to Daddy
Abby's birthday card to Daddy
Happy 35th Birthday to Toby on February 5th! He is such a wonderful father and husband! We love him so much and feel so blessed to have him to share our lives with. We had a fun little celebration at home with the kids the night before his actual birthday. Pictured here with Lane and Toby is the yummiest cupcake on the face of the earth! The next night we got a sitter and went to a wonderful dinner at a place called the Mabry House here. It was maybe the best meal we have ever had, and so much fun to sit at the chef's table (a table in the kitchen in the back).

We are having lots of fun and time is flying by - so strange that February is almost over! Spring Break is next month. Beau, Lane and I will be flying to Nashville to spend a week, and Toby and Abby are going skiing in Steamboat. Abby is still in cheerleading and dance right now, and Beau's first soccer game is Friday. T-ball starts in a few weeks for Abby. There should be some good pictures of all of the fun we have planned for the next few weeks coming up!

2010 So Far...

2010-02-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

Lane posing for her "3 month pictures" in a chair in the dining room.
Look at those sweeeeeeeet feet!
There is a story behind the cookie. Let me start by saying that Beau may be the most humorous child on the face of the earth. He is very active and trying a lot of time, but also makes us laugh harder than anyone else I can think of the rest of the time.

We went to a great sub shop right by our church one Wednesday night before class. The kids get kids meals which come with sub, chips, drink and cookie. It is always a battle getting them to eat enough of their food, but usually they will do pretty well when there is a cookie waiting for them at the end of the meal. Needless to say, we are rather busy trying to eat our meals and watch all 3 kids and get them to eat. I looked over about halfway through the meal and this is what was left of Beau's cookie! He had nonchalantly been pinching himself off bites of his cookies when no one was looking while we thought he was eating his meal! It was so funny it was hard to get too mad at him. I guess that's what we get for not paying enough attention to him! Poor middle child.

Last Friday we went to a Valentine's Party at his teacher and my good friend Robin's house. She has 2 little boys of her own, and more toys than I have ever seen in one house in my entire life. Beau is in HEAVEN there. He did not want to leave, and I had a terrible time trying to get him to go when it was time. He even hid in one of their closets. Needless to say, he was quite upset with me on the way home. Before he fell asleep, he informed me that I was going to have to fine another little yellow-haired boy to stay at my house with me. He said he was going to live with Mrs. Quinn! I have no idea where he got the "little yellow-haired boy" thing, but I informed him that I don't want a trade in, that I am going to keep the one that I have! He didn't like that very much, either. He thought he had come up with the perfect solution!

One more funny thing that happened - yesterday at two different time totally independent of each other both of the kids called me by their teachers' names! Are you kidding me??? I gave birth to you crazy kids! Give me a little credit for cryin' out loud!
Helping Daddy take down Christmas lights. That didn't happen til' mid-January...
Abby just started her 2nd year of cheerleading. It is so cute. She is between her good buddies CeCe (on the left) and Avery (on the right). It is fun except being at the gym at 9am on Saturday mornings!
Halftime cheer.
This boy loves being a big brother. Seriously.
He told me to take a picture of their feet. So cute.
Beau picked this flower for me off of this flowering tree in our side yard the other day. So stinkin' sweet! The past few times we have gone to the grocery store and pass the flower section, he runs and gets a big ol' bouquet, tries to put them in our basket, and tells me he is buying flowers for me. I hate having to tell him to put them back, it is so precious. I tell him to tell his daddy that he wants to buy me flowers when he is at the store with him! (I don't dress him to go out like this. He is wearing a tee and pajama pants while we were playing around in the yard the other day. Just wanted to clarify that!)
Playing with his stomp rocket, a Christmas present from Will and Quinn. It is a really fun toy - highly recommended if you don't have one!
Gathering rockets.
Enjoying a bubble bath.
My three precious babies! These two can not get enough of their little sister.
Even Rocky hangs pretty tight with her. Guarding her while she naps...
Mommy is lovin' the bumbo she bought off of Craigslist!

My girls. Aren't they beautiful? (I know, I'm biased, but c'mon...they are pretty sweet!)

Well, we are having a great, busy 2010. Toby is not working extra quite so much, which has been wonderful. We love having him home some of the time. It is really hard when he doesn't get to be home very much. He has even started going back to the gym and getting some exercise, and he is itching to go turkey hunting in April. We'll see how we'll manage that. Feb. 5th brought him the big 3-5. We went and ate at a restaurant that is an a big Victorian style home called the Mabry House. We ate at the chef's table back in the kitchen, and it was honestly probably the best food and the most fun eating experience I have ever had! Who would have thunk it down here in lil' ol' Shreveport?!

Abby is thriving in kindergarten. She has a great group of friends, and is doing great in school. She is in cheerleading and dance, and will start baseball in the spring. She has lost a grand total of 2 teeth, loves to bowl on the Wii, play Sorry (thanks Mimi), is always doing some sort of arts and craft project, adores Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana, and spends a fair amount of time playing on the computer. Some days she seems like a teenager trapped in a 6 year old's body. Just when you think she is getting so big, you get a reminder that she is still 6 - like at her sleepover the other night Mommy forgot to pack her lovee and she called crying at 11:00 b/c she couldn't sleep. Thank goodness she is still just 6! I have enough gray hairs right now making me feel plenty old. I don't need a teenager just yet!

As I said before, Beau is very busy and active, keeping us on our toes every minute of every day. I have never seen a child love his little sister the way he loves Lane. He would do anything for her. He can't leave her alone when they are together, much to my dismay at times! He started wearing jeans again (we were stuck on "soft pants" i.e. sweatpants for a long, long time) which is nice for me. More options...and he looks so darn cute in them. He likes to dabble in this and that - he's not really stuck on any one thing right now - he loves his zhu zhu pet, Cars, his train table, Star Wars, coloring and arts and crafts, and he, too, loves to play Sorry and Chutes and Ladders. His 4th birthday is coming up in April, and he asks almost every day how much longer until his birthday.

Lane is a joy. She is such a blessing to us. She is a great baby. She is all smiles and sweet, slobbery kisses. No teeth yet. She weighed in this week at the dr's office at 8lbs 10oz. I took her in for a sick visit, hoping for an ear infection at most. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with RSV, which has been rough. Poor thing is having the hardest time breathing and I was having to hold her sitting up for a few nights there. She seems to be getting a little bit better now.

We are looking forward to a fun Spring Break in March. Toby and Abby are going to Steamboat to ski, and Beau, Lane and myself are flying to Nashville for a visit. Til' next time~~~!!

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Lane modeling a hand-me-down from her cousin Quinn. Love it! Go Vols!
Christmas card picture. We attempted all 3 together in their matching ensembles, but someone (who shall remain nameless) was NOT having it that night! We took all of these pictures of the 3 of them in wooden rocker in front of the tree - this was the only one Toby took like this while I was trying to get "someone" to quit crying. Thank goodness he took it, because it was the one of the big kids we used on the card! Ha! Isn't that just how it goes?
They LOVE their little sister...
Two of probably around two hundred kisses she got from these two that day!
I know - gross, but this is a picture of tooth #2 about to come out. Yep...we have lost both of our bottom teeth, and have one top one that is really loose. She has two big ol' oversized, crooked, jaggedy teeth coming in to replace those lost. Sigh. Getting so big...
Our little thumb sucker.
Abby at her Christmas performance. Awww....
After the performance in her classroom
Worn out trying to keep up with her big brother and big sisters' schedules
Horribly blurry, but the best I got of Beau at his little performance. Look at him waving to his mommy. So sweet.
Abby's book she got at the book swap.
Beau's book prize.
Beau's little pillow he made for us at school. Isn't that the sweetest?
Beau got this awesome Cars tent and camping gear from his Uncle Mehul and Aunt Tina, and the cool Cars blanket was made by his Aunt Ann. Toby set it all up on his floor for a nap Christmas Day. Alas, two hours later, there was no nap taken and lots of empty candy wrappers under his bed. I guess that's Beau's idea of camping out.
Abby was so excited about her HSM blanket Aunt Ann made for her.
It isn't long before these two start refusing to wear the outfits I make them. So far, they still will...
Daddy and Lane chilling on the couch before church candlelight service.
Beau and Mommy - self portrait
Putting out reindeer food, of course.
Eating some of Santa's cookies. Can you tell we are excited?
Cookies, milk and pictures the kids left for Santa.
Jody reading "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids on Christmas Eve. We were SO happy to have Jody and Papaw spend Christmas with us. It helps to have extra adults to absorb some of the energy!
The tree and stockings Christmas Eve. Isn't that an obnoxious pile of gifts...before Santa came? Out of control...
Lane's first Christmas morning. She was pretty content to watch all of the action from a relatively safe place.
Papaw Christmas morning. Aunt Jody took this with her new camera. Pretty good...
Daddy opening his stocking loot. He was excited about this one...
Abby showing off her stocking loot and helping Mommy open my stocking.
One of the few things Beau asked Santa for. He was so excited about getting this. Too cute.
Lane and Mommy watching the action. It was so fun watching the kids excitement on Christmas morning. Abby came sprinting into our room around 8ish (not bad!) on Christmas morning yelling that "Santa came - He came! He really did! There are presents for everyone and our stockings are full! Even yours, Daddy!"
Beau posing by his stack of gifts.
Merry 1st Christmas from Ms. Dorothy Lane! She is the sweetest baby. We are so blessed to have her!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did!

November 2009

2009-11-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

Beau loves his little sister.
Before...
After!

Yep - Abby lost her first tooth! The tooth fairy came and left her a dollar and a quarter as she told us she thought she would. The Kingsport tooth fairy sent some loot down with Uncle Michael, too, so she is one happy camper!
Sisters
Abby posing in front of her classes wall mural of the first Thanksgiving at Turkey Tales.
Abby's blessings - so sweet could make me cry.
Pilgrim Beau at their school's Thanksgiving program.
Abby at the program, too.
Eating our Thanksgiving Feast (Roly Poly turkey and cheese sandwiches).
Daddy and Beau
Abby and Quinn in their matching outfits! Abby was so excited when she realized she had a dress in the same material as Quinn's outfit and ran to change into it as soon as they arrived in Shreveport.
Taking a break from the bike ride the daddies took the "big" kids on.
Michael pulled Beau and Will in the carriage behind him.
Trouble.
Abby rode on the tandem bicycle the whole way with her daddy. (And in those shoes...)
Riding the carousel at the Boardwalk
Chubby cousins in their matching little outfits (well, part of their little matching outfits) that Aunt Courtney got them. Aren't they cute? Those chubby legs and cheeks - yummy!
I think Lane may be trying to eat Quinn. Michael said Quinn looks like she ate the 3rd baby that was in the crib with them before the picture was taken. Ha!
Aunt Ann with Abby and her friend CeCe in the kitchen. We went ahead and had Abby's birthday party while all of my family was here at a paint your own pottery place. The night before Abby had a sleepover with her best buddy CeCe.
Sleepover magic! The boys got in on the action for a short time. Nothing compares to a pallet on the floor with movies and a snack and permission to stay up "all night long"!
Chillin' on the chair with Uncle Toby
More work to be done in the kitchen the next morning on the cute teapot cake. Aunt Ann let the girls decorate the cake and pick the colors. They had so much fun. Thanks so much Ann!
I can't believe my baby is 6!!!
Beau was so excited to paint his letter B.
Look at that concentration. Will chose a couple of cars to paint.
Mimi and Lane
Blowing out the candles.
So tired after a long day of partying and playing! Do you think Aunt Ann felt loved?
Trying for a picture of the two little ones.
Love this one. That boy just loves her to pieces...
A sword fight with Uncle Berry. Beau told Berry to give him a cut over his eye so he would look like Anikan. Nice.
Well...we tried. At any rate, they all looked so sweet in their matching little pumpkin outfits!
We love our baby. Lane is making the most hilarious face in this picture, though!
Eating Thanksgiving dinner - the kids' table.
Berry and Ann
Toby and I
Mimi and Aunt Ramona
Bathing beauty
An afternoon at the park
Higher!

I hope everyone had as wonderful of a Thanksgiving as we did. We were so blessed to have both of my brothers and their families, my mom and my aunt come all the way down to Shreveport to spend the holiday with us. We had so much fun and make so many wonderful memories. My kids were so excited! Thanks so much for being here guys! We miss you already!

(Sorry about the totally obnoxious amount of pictures...)

Halloween, San Diego and More

2009-11-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

My three favorite kids! Aren't they sweet? Lane looks like she's not sure about all of this...
Beau colored this the first week or so of school. His teacher said he was the only one that refused the googly eyes, preferring to draw his own instead. He looks like a little blonde haired, blue eyed boy with dark skin~hilarious!
Lane and Daddy snoozing. We made the mistake of letting this one sleep with us at the beginning - which turned into 7 weeks of a baby between us every night. We just started "baby boot camp" since we have been back from our trip to California. It has been 2 nights, and she has slept in her crib all night both nights. There was lots of crying that first night...mostly from Lane, but some from Mommy (I can't stand to hear her cry - pretty weak, I know...). I didn't give in though - this baby has got to get out of our bed!!!
Toby bought this tandem bicycle to attach to his bike for the kids off of Craigslist. It is supposed to help teach them how to ride without training wheels. Whether it serves it's purpose or not remains to be seen, but the kids sure do love it either way!
Beau loves it as much or more than Abby.
Halloween 2009 - the only pictures I took. Toby was already in California, so I flying solo with 3 kids. I thought I did well to get pictures at all! No...I didn't dress Lane up. I know...party pooper.
Spiderman flexing his muscle. Worth noting are Beau's new RED shoes, which he LOVES. He insisted on me getting him a pair of red shoes.
Minnie Mouse posing without any prompting from her mommy.
Papaw meets Lane for the 1st time.
Toby and I on the rooftop of our hotel in beautiful San Diego. It had a pool, tons of these fire-pit thingees, and huge bar, etc - it was very pretty and lots of fun to have a little vacation. It was much needed time away for a tired mommy and daddy to get rejuvenated and spend some quality time together. Thanks to Papaw for watching the big kids while we were away!!!
Hotel Del Coronoda
The beach outside the hotel, which was beautiful. The water in the Pacific Ocean is sooooo cold!
Lane beat us all to the beach at 7 weeks old!
Toes in the sand
Walking the beach with Mommy
La Jolla - the beach there was awesome, too. There is a little cove where all of these seals come and swim and lay in the sand.
We were blessed with wonderful weather so we could sight see and spend most of our time outside.
We also visited a famous aircraft carrier called the Midway. What do you think - does she look ready for take off?
Top Gun
Huge statue made from the famous photo taken - thought that was really neat
And we made it home - just in time to watch the Vols beat up on Memphis, which was the perfect ending to a great week, of course!

Early Fall 2009

2009-10-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

Toby helping Abby learn to ride her bike without training wheels.
Toby taught Beau how to steer his bike. He has been trying to teach him this for a while, but it finally clicked a few weeks ago. Notice Rocky following along behind, of course.
Proud big brother
The kids enjoying snow cones in a cup at Patriot Palooza, their fall carnival at school. Cece is Abby's best buddy at school that is sitting beside her.
Do you think Beau liked riding a horse?
Beau got his hair died red (although it really looked kind-of orange to me...)
Lane after her 2 week doctor's appointment
Fat and naked at 3 weeks
I was taking a shower the other morning, and the big kids decided it was time for Lane to learn something. Abby is reading her a book of nursery rhymes and Beau is teaching her the alphabet with flashcards. Poor Lane...
Enjoying a skeleton pancake compliments of Daddy.
Beau is still obsessed with his Cars cars. I had to take a picture of this after he called me into his room to come and take a look at what he had done.
My three precious babies
Proud big sister
Abby wrote her own story about a mummy and a spider on her dry erase board.

Who Does Lane Favor?

2009-10-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

Lane 2 weeks

Beau 2 weeks

Abby about 6 weeks

One of the most frequently asked questions after you have a baby is, "Who does she look like?" I believe, in Lane's case, she looks a whole heck of a lot like her big sister and her daddy, but at times I catch glimpses and faces of Beau in there as well. I do believe, at least for now, that those eyes are going to be brown. I think we deserve a brown eyed girl by the third try!! After all, Toby and I both have them, as did her namesake Mimi Dorothy. Who do you think she looks like?

Things are going really well around here for the most part. Mommy and Daddy are tired a lot of the time, but our hearts are so utterly full with these kids and the joys that they bring to our lives, most of the time it isn't so hard to overlook the fatigue and just enjoy the moments. It can probably safely be said that Lane has us all wrapped around her tiny little fingers. She is already used to being held pretty much all of the time. She loves to look around, and her all time favorite thing to do by far is eat. (She gets that from her mommy...) She is on track so far to be the biggest Smith baby of all!

The kiddos are getting so excited about Halloween. There is lots of partying and trick-or-treating to be done in the next few weeks. Right after Halloween Papaw is coming down for a visit. He will be staying with the big kids while Toby, Lane and I sneak away to San Diego for a much needed get away! Lots of good pics to come!

2009-10-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

Getting shampooed - ahhhh - I really like that part of my baths.
All snuggled up in my towel after my bath
Hanging out in my seat watching my big brother and sister.
Aunt Jody came for a visit this past weekend. Lane was so happy to meet her. She has a comfy lap - perfect for snoozing. Thanks for coming to visit us, Jody, especially on your birthday! We miss you already!
Mommy, Beau and Lane before her first trip to church. Lane had a rainy Sunday debut, but she didn't seem to mind a bit. Beau and Abby were so proud to have Lane with them.
Mommy and Lane before church.

Week 3 with 3 kids is going pretty good! Aunt Jody came for a visit this past weekend and it was soooo nice to have an extra pair of (adult) hands around. Her birthday was Friday, so we celebrated with some steaks and yummy cupcakes. Saturday was football and a birthday party for Abby, Sunday was church and a playdate for Abby, and Monday was back to school and a 2 week physical for Lane at the peds office. Lane got a fat and healthy report from the doctor - she weighed in at 9lbs 8oz (up from her 8lb 4oz birth weight). It is safe to say that this kid really likes to eat! I'll try to keep the pictures coming!

Dorothy Lane

2009-09-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Dorothy Lane arrived on September 17th, 2009 at 12:10pm. Weighing in at 8lbs 4.4oz and 20.5in long, she has a mass of thick black hair and dark eyes (right now, anyways). She looks mostly like her daddy and her big sister when she was born. Toby got to help deliver, which was really great. Mommy had a great delivery and is doing just great. She is a sweet baby, and we thank the Lord for her safe and healthy arrival! Proud big brother and sister are helping Mommy and Daddy lots as you can imagine! We will try to post more pictures soon.

Beau's Name

2009-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Beau brought this to me the other day on a card he made for his Aunt Jody. Sorry, Jody...but I have to keep it. Usually he just writes his name upside down and backwards, but this time he added some flair like he has seen Abby do a million times, I'm sure. I thought it was hilarious.

Ultrasound Pictures

2009-08-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 17th - weighing in right at 6 pounds (5lbs 14oz to be exact) - about the 65%ile

May 5th, 2009 - 20 week ultrasound

May 5th ultrasound also - love the arm thrown across her brow. I think she looks like Toby and Abby in these...

April 9th, 2009 - around 16/17 weeks

Can't wait until she is here! Dr's appt Monday went well - so far so good. I will be going weekly now, so we'll keep everyone updated!

Beau Starts K3

2009-08-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

With big sister on the front porch. They can be so sweet and cute sometimes...

I'm ready to go!!!

Why are we taking all of these pictures again?

He is saying "cheese" and posing (i.e. grabbing his ankles?) on the front school steps.

Hanging his bag - he found his name all by himself. His bag was actually too heavy for him to hoist up there - lunch, blanket, change of clothes (just in case...) - lots of stuff for a 3 year old!

Beau and his sweet teacher (and my precious friend) Mrs. Quinn. She was Abby's teacher when we moved here a year and half ago, and has been precious to our family from the minute we arrived. You can tell Beau has no qualms being left with her. She has two little boys of her own, so she knows exactly how to handle him! I am so thankful to have such wonderful teachers for both of my kids!

Beau started K3 today without a hitch! He was so excited he got up around 4am and came into our room! Finally Toby went and put him back in his bed around 5, as he would not be still or go back to sleep!!! I didn't go to bed until midnightish because I was finishing the pants Abby is wearing in the first picture, so I was extra tired this morning when that alarm went off! I had to go wake Beau up at 7 to feed him a yummy breakfast of chocolate gravy and biscuits with Abby. He was ready to go after that with his school tote, Spiderman lunch box, blanket, folder with his name on it, etc. He didn't even put up too much of fight posing for pictures, which is usually a huge battle! He was so excited to be there. I could have gotten a tear out of a rock easier than I could have that kid! I think he has aspired to be in Mrs. Quinn's room since Abby started in there in December of 2007, and today he has finally made it!

Now, the strange thing is, the house is quiet and it is actually kind of creepy! I'm not sure what to do with myself first, to be quite honest - finish cleaning, a nap, sew, run errands, take a shower, take a walk? Wow. Weird. I know it will be a struggle but I am sure I will manage - ha!

Abby Starts Kindergarten

2009-08-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Posing on the steps going into school.

With little brother on the porch - notice the hand in the pocket of her dress. So funny.

With Daddy and Beau - check out Beau's shiner - he had a run in with the coffee table Saturday night while Toby and I were on a date. Abby pushed a little too hard while they were wrestling/play fighting. He will start school tomorrow with a shiner in true Beau fashion...

Walking out the front door.

With her teacher, Mrs. Smith, in front of her classroom.

Playing in the media room with a buddy. She already does not want to wear a bow in her hair, and made sure and ask me several times this morning if other girls would still have bows in their hair too. Well, the proof is in the pictures!

Circle time - they are reading a story and singing. Aren't they so cute?

So it is official. My first born has started kindergarten today. It is only a half day (from 8-11:30), but is still a day in kindergarten. Abby was so excited to get to go! She loves all things school and learning, so she was ready. She has missed seeing all of her buddies this summer, and, quite frankly, I think she is a little tired of hanging out with her pregnant mommy and her little brother! Ha! Yesterday Toby and I went to orientation in the morning, and then both Abby and Beau got to go in the afternoon to meet with their teachers one on one for about 10 minutes. She and her teacher had a nice chat about her favorite things (color-pink, food-tomato basil soup with 3 cheese tortellini, and thing to do-art), took some pictures, picked out supplies, etc. It was great for her to get to spend some time with her alone - I think it made her a lot more comfortable today. It helps to have familiar friends with the new ones and to be at the same school. Tomorrow is the first full day of school for both kids, and we are kicking off the school year with a new "first day of school" tradition - chocolate gravy and biscuits for breakfast - per Abby's request. No, I did not cry when I took her. She was way too excited and I am way too pregnant! Pictures of Beau and his first day of K3 to come!

July

2009-08-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

Abby at dance camp tapping with some of her buddies from school.

Ballerina girl

The kids and I took at trip to Nashville, then on up to Kingsport and Johnson City to visit the family a few weeks ago. Aunt Jody graciously flew down just to accompany us to and from Shreveport in case I went into labor while trying to change movies in the portable dvd player, pass back food, snacks and toys, break up arguments, stop for potty breaks and food breaks, etc. etc. She was so much help and it was soooo appreciated. During our trip to Nashville, Beau came down with a staph infection and hand, foot, mouth all at the same time. Loads of fun as you can imagine. We did still get to visit with my Aunt Tina's family from Boston as well as some friends and Nashville family. The kids and I then made our way on up to see Michael and Courtney and their cousins, including baby Quinn, who was so precious! Abby was in heaven holding Quinn, and can't wait for baby Lane (baby "Wayne" according to Beau) to get here! All in all it was sort of a stressful trip with way too much driving and Beau getting sick, but it was still good to get to see everyone!

Beau enjoying some spaghetti while at MiMi's the first night.

Abby goofing off with her cousin Nicole.

Abby enjoying lots of love from Uncle Berry and Aunt Tina (my mom's sister)

Hanging out in a great park in Kingsport that Aunt Jody took us to

Look, Mom. No hands!

Abby and Quinn

Will and Beau. These two got along so well - it makes me sad they don't get to be with each other any more than they do.

Papaw took the kids fishing at his pond.

Mamaw Whitehead (Toby's grandmother) and her dog Roscoe with Beau and Abby

Toby and I just returned from a trip to Asheville, NC. We had a great time while Papaw (Toby's dad) graciously flew down and watched the kids for us. We had a great time, and it was nice to get a long weekend before the new baby is here! We are set to induce on September 17th (I will be a little over 39 weeks) as long as she does not come any earlier. We are really excited about her joining our family, and can't wait to meet her! Six more weeks...

The kids both start school next week - Abby starts kindergarten (sniff, sniff), and Beau is starting K3. He will go 3 days a week (M-W-F) at the same school as Abby. Stay tuned for those every popular "first day of school" pictures...

Fishin' With Daddy

2009-06-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Toby decided he would take the kids fishing for the first time. Camping was out due to the extreme heat - we will have to try that in the fall, I guess. Friday night he took them to Bass Pro to pick out their own fishing poles - Barbie and Kung Fu Panda. They got up pretty early Saturday and he took them to a local state park about 10 miles outside of town. The kids had a blast, and they both caught one fish each. Abby cast, caught, and reeled hers in all by herself. She even took it off the hook herself, and was excited to tell me all about how it had actually gotten hooked in its eyeball. Gross. Beau got to reel his in and take a picture with it, but didn't want to touch it...kind of like the frogs we find in the back yard. He is happy to keep his distance. I met the crew at "Old McDonald's" (as Beau calls it) for lunch. They had a great time, and were really ready for naps that afternoon!

At the park they have a little "zoo" for people to come and see some animals. This is a 500lb wild boar. Toby said Abby is making this face because she didn't want to stand that close to it. I can't say that I blame her. That is the ugliest looking thing! I think the zookeeper guy came out and fed it an apple when the kids were there, so they got to watch that as well.

Toby said Beau wanted to have his picture in front of the raccoons. Random. The sign behind him is not so comforting...

Beau loves to play with his Star Wars and superhero action figures lately. Abby played with him the other morning with them for an hour or so, which was really nice for me!

Abby is at dance camp this week every day from 9-4, which she is really enjoying. Beau is loving his one-on-one Mommy time, too. He is constantly "loving" one me and wanting me to give him lots of attention, so I guess dance camp came at a good time in his eyes! We are still going to the pool a lot and trying to stay cool in this crazy hot weather. We have been busy cleaning out the attic and the house because we are having a 3 family yard sale this weekend on our street!

What have we been up to?

2009-06-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Abby posing in the front yard in front of the lilies.

The kids are loving being outside this spring and summer. They love to play in the yard, front or back. Running and racing up and down the sidewalk is a favorite. I think Beau does this barefoot in his pajamas more than in real clothes and shoes.

Having a moment with the bubble wand.

A rare moment. I don't usually bathe them together anymore, but happened to the other night after they had been running through the sprinkler. They are way too wild to put together in the tub anymore. There usually ends up being lots of water on the floor and/or someone ends up crying.

Beau posing in his Batman pajamas Aunt Jody got him for his birthday with his Batman diving stick. Seriously - all boy. Good thing we don't have bunk beds. I know we would already have had another broken arm after an attempt at flying if we did...

My mom came down to visit at the end of May. The kids LOVED having their MiMi here. She spoiled them with new precious matching outfits as modeled in the picture above. Samantha, Abby's American Girl doll (that MiMi got for her before she was born) even got in on the matching outfits. Abby was thrilled, and has toted that doll around non-stop since it got a new outfit.

Abby posing in the living room prior to her recital. Can you see her trying not to burst with glee?! She just loves the costumes and makeup and being on stage...the whole hoopla. Could not be more opposite her mother in that aspect...

Wearing one of Mommy's shirts to protect her costume until she gets backstage.

(Apologies for the out of order pictures) Posing with MiMi in the lobby after the recital.

With her proud Mommy and Daddy. Abby was so thrilled that her Daddy had got her flowers. She was so, so excited about that gesture, and I am so glad we did it for her. She carried them around, held them in the car, helped cut and arrange them, and asked for them to be put in her room - not the living room or dining room. I am afraid I am rising a high maintenance girl, that one. Pity the fool that falls for her some day! Ha!

Ballet

Tap

Jazz

We have made several trips to the local library this summer. Both of the kids love to read and be read to. You can also check out videos (for free - woo hoo!) which they love to do. We are signed up for a summer reading program there. You keep a list of the books you read, the author, and your favorite part of the book. For every 10 books you read, you bring your list in and get a treat (like a gift certificate for a scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robbins, etc.). There is also another program they do where you take another list to Barnes and Noble, and for every 8 books you read they get to pick a free book. Abby is so thrilled with this whole process, and asks me all day long if she can read to me or if I can read to her. Her latest infatuation is a chapter book on Helen Keller.

We took a little family vacation to Houston, Texas last week. It was super hot, but we had a good time visiting the city (so big - 4th largest in the U.S. - I didn't know that until we were going). We went to a pro baseball game and watched the Astros get killed by the Cubs! We managed to consume more junk at that game. I think it was a record. Hot dogs, peanuts, cotton candy and ice cream in the 7th (tradition). It makes me sort of sick just thinking about it...

In front of the ballpark - yep...gettin' pretty big. I went to the doctor today. Time to start going every 2 weeks already after this. Weird how fast it goes by with the 3rd baby!

Crashed. I love pictures of sleeping kids.

Another sleeping picture - this is in the middle of the tour at the Houston Space Center (also the biggest in the U.S.) after we saw the mission control room, which was really neat. These are also a little out of order...

There was a big Star Wars thing for the kids right when you walked in. Low and behold - there were also real characters from the movie there. Funny how much Beau loves Star Wars and talks constantly about all of the wild animals he can kills with his light saber, but acts like this when he stumbles onto one.

Beau couldn't stop staring at Darth Vader. Abby wouldn't stand next to him or touch him.

This is an actual space shuttle, which may have been the coolest thing we saw while at the space center. It is really quite unbelievable to see how enormous that thing was, and to think that it had actually carried astronauts to space and back.

Posing with Daddy in front of the shuttle.

We spent half of one day in Galveston, the beachfront about an hour outside of Houston. It was not the prettiest beach in the world, and there was still a lot of damage from Hurricane Ike that struck there last year. None of this seemed to matter to our kiddos - all they cared about was playing in the sand and running around in the water!

Abby flying a kite with Daddy

Enjoying her first experience at The Melting Pot. Yummy.

This was the first display at the Houston Zoo when we got there...no kidding. I think there may be more animals named Toby than people.

Outside of the zoo.

Abby standing like a flamingo in front of the flamingos. She said that they were her favorite animals there. Pink and pretty. Of course they were...

How tall are you?

Back at home playing in the front yard in the sprinkler.

She poses like this unprompted. It just cracks me up.

Beau, on the other hand, is next to impossible to get a picture of, much less a good one. It usually involves bribes, and he is hardly ever smiling in them. He is a moving target.

Lastly, some pictures from my attempt at a garden this year. I actually surprised myself in that stuff actually is growing! I don't have the greenest thumb, and usually leave this type of stuff up to Toby. I figured I might as well try. I have to say it has been lots of fun watching everything grow, and it has been a great learning tool for my kids.

Jalapenos

Corn that is just starting to come in Tons of tomatoes! Yay! My favorite.

A view of the whole thing. I have herbs in pots on the porch. There is also green onions, lettuce, squash and zuccini. I didn't think I would bore everyone with pictures of everything. I have really turned into an old woman the past couple of years. Top hobbies used to be sports. Now they are sewing and gardening. Sigh. It's a good life, though!

We are spending most of our days at the pool lately. The kids and I are going to make a trip to Tennessee next month to visit our family and friends and to meet the newest member of the family, Quinn Maire! We hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

School's Out For Summer

2009-05-20T12:55:00.001-07:00

We had a little get together for Beau's birthday with some good friends here after we got back from our trip to Nashville. We cooked out in the backyard and had cupcakes. Toby got the bouncy thing out for the kids and put it in the backyard, and they had a blast just hanging out and playing. Beau is officially a 3 year old boy, and acting every bit of it. He started back to swimming lessons last week and is so excited. I am afraid I am going to have full hands at the pool this summer, as he has no problem jumping in and going under the water...never mind that he can't really swim!

Beau is on the A's in t-ball for 3 and 4 year olds this year. He has a really great female coach and lots of other kids his age to play with. Unfortunately, he is usually over it after one full inning, whining and crying to go home. He really wanted to be signed up to play and talks big about playing, but when it comes down to it we have decided that he is really too young to undertake such and endeavor. I'm not sure how many more games we will make it to. It is over as of next weekend. Maybe next year...

One of us has to stay out in the field with him, otherwise he would not be out in the field. Toby is taking his turn. Here is something interesting we have learned through playing t-ball with Beau this year - he writes left handed but seems to prefer playing t-ball right-handed. Maybe he will be one of those people who only write left-handed and do everything else right-handed?

On to Abby - she is a Dodger this year and loving it! One of her favorite things to do right now is go in the back yard and practice t-ball with her daddy. Here is a picture of her first base coach - I thought he was pretty hot...

"Look Mom, I made it to third base!"

Abby and I on field day at her school. She was so excited about this day, despite the heat! Please excuse my pregnant chubbiness...

Abby and her best buds, Grayson (left) and CeCe (right). Hopefully we can have lots of play dates with these girls this summer. They are all so cute and sweet. We are so blessed to have such a great school less than a mile from our house!

The "two-headed race" - Abby is partnered with her buddy Guy. I have to say that they were quite a speedy little couple, and too cute!

Tug of War - Abby is taking this seriously as you can see...her side actually did win.

This is the one and only picture I got on the last day of school picnic today. It has been a fantastic year, Abby has made great friends, had a fantastic teacher, learned lots (we are reading some and doing basic math, among other things that, for some strange reason, Abby loves and can not get enough of - big nerd...), made great friends and had tons of fun this year in K4 (pre-K)! We are all cleared to start kindergarten in August (sniff, sniff). I am very excited that both kids will be at the same school right down the street. Beau will be in K3, and attend on M-W-F, while Abby will go every day, of course. The baby should be here in mid-September, just in time to get kids settled into school and have a little time to prepare for her arrival. Funny thinking of all of the preparations we did with Abby versus the 3rd! I have not really bought anything for this child, and really have no grand plans as to where she will sleep or where her stuff will go! I figure we have a cradle on wheels, so there is no telling where you might find baby if you come for a visit this fall! Ha! We have decided her name will be Dorothy Lane - Dorothy was Toby's mom's name, and we just like the name Lane - short and sweet - seems to flow with Abby and Beau. I am curious whether this one will come out blond or brunette...we have had such extremes with that. She will probably be bald...

I hope everyone is geared up for a great summer! We joined a swim and tennis club here, and the pool is open on the weekends right now, and every day (except Mondays) after next weekend. We have plans for lots of swimming and relaxing. Mondays will be movie day, I guess! Abby's dance recital is next weekend. We are planning a trip to Houston in June, and the kids and I will be coming to Tennessee in July for a visit in both Nashville and Johnson City. We are getting so excited about the arrival of the kids' newest cousin, baby Quinn. Thanks ahead of time to Aunt Jody for coming down and riding back and forth with us so I don't have to go it alone in my third trimester! It will be back to school in August, and baby in September! Dance recital pictures and a visit from MiMi are next week. Stay tuned!

Easter and Beau's 3rd Birthday

2009-04-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

A picture from Abby's school Easter egg hunt the day before we left for Nashville. These are her two best buddies at school, Grayson and CeCe.

Easter morning after church

Easter morning getting into those Easter baskets

Check out all of the loot. Lucky kids.After an egg hunt in the front yard with MiMi, and showing off their eggs below.

Egg dying with Mommy and MiMi - worth noting that Abby is wearing a Christmas apron, and Beau is wearing a Halloween apron!

Beau's first teeth cleaning by Miss Emily - he did shockingly well in case you were wondering. The only thing he didn't like was the "medicine" she put on at the end. That caused quite a stir including spitting and crying and everything. Glad that came at the end!

Happy Birthday to Cutler as well! Look at those curls...

Abby showing off her balancing skills at the park

Beau swinging on his stomach (preferred over swinging on his bottom most of the time)

A wagon ride with Uncle Michael

Abby and Beau love their cousin Will

Beau and Will had a blast in the bathtub together - it was quite a sight

Another masterpiece by Aunt Ann - Darth Vader as requested by the birthday boy. Beau turned 3 on April 26th. We had a very small, low-key party with mostly family and a few close friends while we were in town a few weeks ago. Brooke really enjoyed her ice cream.

I wonder what Will is telling Beau in this shot - "Watch what you're eating" or "Let's go to the slide next" or "I can't believe we are both having little sisters"...Hard to tell...My sweet birthday boy

Check out those dirty feet - the sign of a good time!

Best of 2009 Restaurants

2009-04-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

So, I have now wasted at least 30 minutes this morning while both of my kids are at school/MDO reading Nashville Lifestyles "best of 2009" restaurants. I thought maybe some of you had some extra time to waste (haha). If you live in Nashvegas and love to eat like I do, check it out...

http://www.nashvillelifestyles.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Around Here...

2009-03-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can see in the picture, Toby found yet another toad hopping around in the back yard the other night while the kids were playing. Of course both of our kids plus two of my neighbors' kids really enjoyed holding, chasing, squealing at and poking the poor little thing. Abby, the prissy girl, and Curran, the youngest of the crew, were the only ones brave enough to hold it!

Curran taking a turn holding the toad. The funny thing about this picture (besides Beau's redneck Cars tank top that he would not take off that day) is the huge mosquito on Beau's left arm near his wrist. Toby noticed it when he unloaded the pictures onto the computer. Poor thing! I don't recall a bite there... Those mosquitoes around here are big, and they show up early. The proof is in the pictures.

So, this seems like a random picture, but there is an explanation. Beau has started to wake up in the mornings and ask for the most random things to eat. This is a picture of him eating celery and hummus for breakfast after he was refused chicken nuggets. So strange...

Two little monkeys playing on the computer. Abby loves to play games on her school website and pbs, and Beau has picked up on the fun recently. She is so good and patient with him. You can't tell in this picture, but he is actually sitting in her lap and she is explaining to him what to do while they play.

Getting out Easter decorations.

On our way to the Mardi Gras parade that takes place every year right off of our street. We can easily walk two blocks and have a prime spot, and the kids love it.

Waiting for the parade to start.

Enjoying some early Easter suckers from World Market. They thought these suckers were particularly funny.

Papaw came into town in February for a visit and Grandparent's/Patriot's Day. It was so good to have him come and visit. Abby was so excited to have a grandparent present this year. He was in the top 3 grandparents to travel the furthest to be there. Thanks so much, Papaw!! Oh, and the above picture is a very competitive game of Hungry Hippo. I can't remember who won...probably Beau or Papaw...

A picture of Papaw and Abby in Abby's classroom after the performance.

This is a horribly blurry picture, but the only one I got of the three of them at her school.

And.......

Here is the other news that a lot of you already know, but none of you have seen until now...

Yep, that's right...

You guessed it...

We're having another BABY!!!

10 week ultrasound picture. Abby got to go with us to the appointment and she found out she was going to be a big sister again, hence her name on the picture, too. She loves that her name is on there, and is sooo excited about this baby. She, of course, would prefer a girl, while Beau says he wants a "big boy" brother. Someone will be very happy and someone will be disappointed!

Here is a bonus (sort of weird looking if you ask me!) 4D picture of the little nugget at the 10 week appointment. As long as it's arm moves down where it is supposed to be and those nubs form into hands and feet I'll be good! No, really, it is quite amazing to be able to see this precious baby so early and so in detail. Thank you, Lord, for this little blessing! He/she will be making it's "real" appearance sometime in mid-September.

So, that's what has been going on around here...

The Big Easy, Cheerleading and a Haircut

2009-02-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

Toby had a pulmonary conference and presentation (yawn...) down in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. The greatest thing was that Jody came down to watch the kids so I could go, too!! Yay! It was soooooo nice and I had such a good time spending some time with him and sleeping as late as I possibly could! It was weird to wake up and just get myself ready, feed myself, just worry about myself and no one else for a few days. It has been quite a while, and it was very nice and refreshing. Aside from the conference, we ate some wonderful meals, got to socialize with other adults, shopped on two different occasions (a new favorite is Magazine Street), etc. etc. Thanks so much to Jody for coming down and watching our kids so we wouldn't have to worry about them! We really appreciate it. It is better that any gift anyone could ever give us!

This is a picture of us with Toby's buddy, Richard, from his residency at Baptist. Richard was instrumental in helping Toby get into the pulmonary program down her. His wife, Melinda, introduced me to some great shopping in The Big Easy. They are very familiar with the city, so it was nice to have them to hang with!

Beignets (french donuts) and a latte from Cafe Du Monde - yummy!!

Here is a shot of Abby cheerleading. It may be the cutest thing ever to watch a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds cheerleading. I tried to talk her into basketball (like Mommy played), but, of course, she would have none of it!

This one ends up in our bed a lot, somehow. Yet another shot of him snuggled up with Daddy.

Beau informed us the other morning that he had a boo-boo on his nose. He ran off to the kids' bathroom, informing us that he would take care of it. This is what he came back looking like! I think he got his boo-boo covered, although I'm not sure he could breathe. Hilarious. I also wanted to include this picture as sort-of a pre-haircut picture...

Post haircut! I finally got his golden locks cut again. It had been several months and it was getting quite long. I am pretty fond of the long hair, but we have had several people call him a girl, and I think all that hair in his face was starting to get on his nerves. It actually ended up a little shorter than I intended, but it's just hair and will grow again, right? He sits so still for his haircuts now, which I am so thankful for. Poor kid starting getting serious haircuts at 9 months old, so I guess he is used to it! Ha! This is a picture of him "walking" my friend's new beagle puppy, Honey.

So that is all that has been going on lately! Finally, I am officially caught up on the blog!! Thursday Papaw is coming into town. Abby has Grandparent's and Patriot's Day at her school on Friday, so it will be fun for her to have a grandparent there this year! Pictures to come...

Christmas 2008

2009-02-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

Abby back in her classroom after her school Christmas performance. The kids were so sweet saying scripture and singing songs - it just about makes me cry every year. My favorite song this year was, "Knock, knock, knock, went Joseph..." - have you all heard that one. So sweet sang in those precious little voices.

Where's Abby? (Terrible picture, but you get the idea...)

We are on our way to Tennessee!! Rocky takes front and center (literally) on Beau's pillow covered up with Abby's blanket. Seriously. If I could have it half as good...

Aunt Ann was so sweet to let Abby help make a High School Musical birthday cake while we were in town. I have to say it may have been the highlight of Abby's trip. She would stay in the kitchen "helping" all day if you let her. Ann is so patient, and even let Abby decorate her cake herself. Thanks Aunt Ann!

Making cookies for Santa at Papaw's house. It was really a special Christmas for us because the kids got to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in the house Daddy grew up in!

One gripe about the house is the not so well working oven!! It made for some great Christmas cookies!! Ha! Toby loves this picture. Notice the steam coming up in the front of Toby's shirt. Hilarious. Papaw may be getting a new oven for his birthday this year!

We had more cookies, so Santa was in luck this year. He was even served off of Aunt Jody's "vintage" Sesame Street plate!

Pre kids waking up - Santa came!!

And, the kids are up! Let the opening begin! They were so excited. Some favorite gifts of 2008 included a train table and lots of Cars loot for Beau, and a Fancy Nancy doll and and art tackle box for Abby full of different art supplies.

A ballerina with her pop gun...here is something you don't see every day, but we got to on Christmas morning!

Uncle Michael playing with the boys. Will and Beau are 6 months apart and are starting to really have a lot fun playing together. It is so cute.Smith family picture

It was so great to have all of us together for Christmas on Christmas Day!

Can you teach me how, Uncle Michael?

The kids love wrestling with Uncle Berry. I have a picture like this from almost every encounter with him!

Enjoying all of the family to help entertain our young-uns!

MiMi and Abby by the firepit. The kids (and adult males) really loved hanging outside by the firepit, shooting fireworks and playing with sparklers!

Mommy making an appearance outside.

Abby and her buddy Austin enjoying playing the Wii they got for Christmas.

Swinging at Aunt Sara's

Back home in Louisiana helping Daddy put together the train table.

10 Things about Christmas 2008:

1. All of our immediate families were together on Christmas Day, and it was awesome!

2. I attempted making the dressing and it did not turn out well at all!!! Thank goodness I made some other things so I could halfway redeem myself!

3. No snow...again. One of these years my kids will have a white Christmas!!

4. We traveled well over 2000 miles total during the two weeks we were gone.

5. I have never answered so many questions about Santa in my entire life!!

6. I didn't go to a single (adult) Christmas party this year. We were in Disneyworld when we missed the ones here, and the Luckett's didn't do Dirty Santa this year. More parties next year!

7. Toby started a collection of red Le Creuset for me, and I really love them!

8. I wish we could have spent more time with some of our friends in Nashville, too.

9. Abby says her favorite thing about Christmas this year was going to see our family. Nothing about Santa, presents, Disney, etc. She knows what is important at the ripe old age of 5!

10. Toby has less than 2 years left in his fellowship! Hooray!!

Disneyworld 2008

2009-01-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Magic Kingdom

Family picture in front of the castle on the first night. We got to Orlando in the evening and headed straight to the Magic Kingdom to see the castle, ride a few rides and check out the fireworks. The kids both got welcome packages when we got to the hotel that had mickey ears, candy and snacks and autograph books and pens. The thought that was just fantastic - a present as soon as you get there!

Riding the teacups with Daddy.

The rather large, overpriced balloons we got on our first night. Abby and Beau gave them away on our last night to some other kids that had just got there, which was fun to get to see them do.

Cinderella's castle all decked out for Christmas. It really was breathtaking.

Watching one of the parades at the Magic Kingdom. We got to see one during the day time and we also saw one at night called Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade and Party. The rides were open late, there was an unbelievable parade, real snow on Main Street, and free hot chocolate and cookies at different spots throughout the park. Abby got to see Belle and get her picture taken with Belle and the Beast in their Christmas attire, which was a big highlight for her.

Riding the carousel.

Posing with Daddy.

Epcot

One sleepy boy.

One excited girl. This is the start of our day at Epcot. It was a really fun day, despite the rain for the first few hours.

This one's for you, Mimi! We had lunch at Akershif in Norway at Epcot with the princesses. Belle, Jasmine, Arielle, and Cinderella were all there and came to our table to talk with us and have pictures taken with us. Abby had a birthday cake delivered to her there as well. She got to wear a birthday button all week so everywhere we went people told her Happy Birthday, announced it over loud speakers, gave her free cake, tattoos, stickers, etc.

On the streets of America saying the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem.

Riding in a Disney Stroller.

The Animal Kingdom

This was a safari ride that was fantastic. You get on the big ol' safari bus and ride all over the place and see all different kinds of real animals. It was great, and almost like getting to ride in a car in a zoo behind the fences. The kids loved it, especially Beau.

Beau posing in front to a mountain in the Animal Kingdom. There is actually a big roller coaster in the mountain that Abby rode with Toby!!

Riding a dinosaur ride in Dino-land

More animals...family picture.

Exhausted. He sacked out right before the parade at the Animal Kingdom, which was really great. We started off our day at a character breakfast there with Mickey and crew, so Beau was totally wiped by mid-afternoon.

The Tree of Life

Abby won this dinosaur playing a game with her daddy in Dino-land and was so proud of it! Check out all of her gear - birthday button, 1st Disney trip button, Snow White pin, and all access pass to the Animal Kingdom.

MGM

We were beyond excited that Aunt Jody was able to fly down and meet us there for a few days. The kids adore her (a picture is worth a thousand words, right?)! She was tons of help with the kids and got to witness their very first Disney experience, which I can guarantee can not be put into words!

We went and ate lunch at the 50s Primetime Cafe' and it was so much fun. The whole place is set like it is in the 50s, and the waiters get onto you for elbows on the table, etc. They are very obnoxious and funny, making you eat your vegetables,etc. This is a picture of our waiter singing Happy Birthday to Abby really, really off key, which was hilarious. Abby just thought he was the funniest lunatic ever, as you can tell in the picture. Oh, and Jody and I highly recommend the smores dessert...

Beau in front of the Casa Della Tires sign on the Cars lot. He got to see Lightning McQueen and Mater which was pretty much the highlight of his trip.

This is a picture at the Osborne Family lights display, which was incredible. I have never seen more lights in my entire life.

Abby strapped to the Toy Story rocket.

We saw tons of characters. Here are a lot of the character pictures, though, believe it or not, not all of them! Snow White was by far Abby's favorite, and the Cars were by far Beau's. We have many an autograph in the books in case anyone ever wants to see all of their signatures:)

We had a fantastic 5 days there, and I would not trade the memories we made or the looks on the kids' faces for anything! I would highly recommend a trip there to anyone considering it, especially while your kids still believe!!!

Happy 5th Birthday, Abby

2009-01-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

So, I will start my life back into the blogging world by saying a very belated Happy 5th Birthday to our BIG girl, Abby! We had a birthday party for her on her actual birthday at our house right after school let out. I would venture to say the almost all of her classmates made the less than one mile trip over to celebrate with us. We decorated gingerbread houses, had cupcakes from a fantastic little place here in town, and opened gifts. It was lots of fun, and we were very excited to surprise her (and Beau) with the news that we would be leaving for Disneyworld the next morning! I am a bit embarrassed of the lack of pictures of her birthday. It got quite hectic with a full house and lots going on at once.

Abby is such a joy in our lives, and has been from the moment she joined us 5 years ago. She is beautiful on both the inside and out! A few things about Abby at the ripe old age of 5:

-Abby is a smart cookie. She has an excellent memory and loves to learn. Working in her workbooks and learning to read ranks right up there with playing with any toy. She got a Leapster for Christmas and would spend hours on it playing Outwit and I Spy if we let her.

-She loves her little brother. He is not very nice to her sometimes, but she takes it all in stride and still sticks up for him, even when he doesn't deserve it. She is incredibly generous and shares even her most prized possessions with him. She is a great big sister.

-She is very nurturing - loves to cover everyone up with a blanket, give foot rubs (yay for us), get you something to eat, hug and kiss on everyone, etc. I love that about her. She loves very freely and unconditionally.

-Abby loves babies. She asks when I am going to have another one on almost a daily basis. She is ecstatic that she is about to have a new niece and a new little baby girl next door.

-She loves to dress up-is quite a fashionista even at an early age. She loves to go shopping and get new clothes, wear new clothes, look at catalogues or even browse sites on the computer with Mommy!

We are so excited that God has blessed us with such a truly special and sweet little person to be our little girl! Happy Birthday, Abby!

Technical Difficulties

2009-01-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

We are currently experiencing some technical difficulties on the household computer. I am hopeful that we will be up and running by next week so I can post - with some pictures - about the last month! We have had Abby's birthday, a trip to Disney, a trip to Tennessee for Christmas, and Abby's cheerleading debut! I am optimistic that I will be able to share these good times by next week! Stay tuned!

2008-12-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Abby and I went to an inclusion party for her school this morning to decorate gingerbread houses. We had lots of fun 1 on 1 time, which is a really big deal for her (having her mommy's undivided attention). We are actually decorating gingerbread houses again for her birthday this year Tuesday after school , so we will get to do this twice in one week! It was fun to do this first - we got some good ideas for Tuesday, and I didn't have to do anything but show up!

Abby received birthday presents in the mail this week from Papaw (Toby's dad), Aunt Jody, and Mamaw Whitehead (Toby's grandmother). She was so excited to get a big ol' package in the mail and get to open all of her great gifts! Thanks so much, guys!!!

The other morning Abby was in big trouble before leaving for school (that is another story...). Beau tends to be a clown anyways, but he was trying to lighten the tense moods this particular morning especially. I walked into the living room and here is what I found - Beau had managed to get one of Rocky's (our 3 lb yorkie) sweaters stretched over his head like it was a hat. He thought he was so funny, and was making all kinds of faces trying to make us girls laugh. I have to admit, it worked! He is such a funny kid.

This is how we feel about the UT football team this season.

I apologize for all of the pictures of my kids in their underwear. They really just do not like wearing clothes. Something else to work on...:-)

Birthday party for Abby Tuesday, and we are leaving out for Disneyworld early Wednesday! I probably won't be posting again until we get back from there!! Hopefully there will be lots of fun pictures from that trip! Have a great week!!

Body Beauty

2008-11-30T06:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes as I peruse through my weekly trashy celeb magazine there will be an article on these celebrities that look fantastic. Even more so lately, they look fantastic after having had multiple children. Seriously??? I thought this article that I ran across this morning on MSN was hilarious - nothing that I did not really know or hadn't heard before, but just a reminder that it is ok to be proud of my body for the wonderful things that God has allowed it to do and not ashamed with the awful feeling that I don't do enough and can not measure up. It is very sarcastic, too, which is right up my alley...enjoy...

http://music.msn.com/music/celebrityfeature/celebrity-bikini-shots/?GT1=BUZZ1

Happy Fall

2008-11-24T07:52:00.001-08:00

Daddy Time

We had a great weekend getting to spend some family time together. We are gearing up for a big meal on Thursday, and Mommy is putting on her "patience hat" to wear this week while I have both of my babies here all to myself! I am listening to Abby tell on Beau as I write this. Ahhh, motherhood...

The kids really enjoyed having their daddy all to themselves (aside from him working on Saturday night, mostly while they slept). We had a leaf raking evening in the back and side yards, which the kids thought was a blast! They jumped, raked, bagged, played, wrestled, etc. etc. in those leaves. Abby is a hard little worker and really enjoyed helping us bag them and carrying those big leaf bags to the edge of the street. Beau mostly played with his big ol' Tonka trucks, filling them up with leaves then dumping them out.

2 weeks until we leave for Disneyworld!!! Mommy is getting really excited! I can't believe it is so close, and that the kids still don't know! When we get back we will have 5 days at home, then take off to Tennessee until the new year rolls in. Busy, busy.

I did put out some Christmas decoration last night - the mantle is mostly done, and the stocking have been hung by the chimney with care. I am waiting on a tree - probably Wednesday. Toby keeps trying to talk me out of decorating for Christmas, but I think he is crazy. We have 2 tiny kids! I wouldn't miss the magic of decorating with them for the world, even if we won't be here all that much to enjoy it!

Happy Thanksgiving this week everyone!

Little Indians

2008-11-21T15:49:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! We have had a busy time lately, and are looking forward to having all of the next week off of school, ballet, swimming, etc. The only person still going strong will be Daddy, of course:)! We have plans for a great Thanksgiving dinner with our neighbors and another family that have become good friends of ours Thursday evening after Toby gets home from work. I am going to be busy pulling Christmas decor down from the attic. It is so much fun to decorate with the kids. They are so enthusiastic about holidays, and they get so excited. It should be lots of fun. We may also try to get a Christmas card picture while we have some time!

Abby had her Thanksgiving program at school today. The preschoolers sang songs and wore the cutest little costumes that they have been working hard on making all week long. After the program we had Thanksgiving dinner at her school with her. It was very fun, and Abby was so excited to be the center of our attention, of course. I did video the event, and will try to download a bit of it later.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, eats too much, sleeps a lot, spends time with loved ones, watches lots of football (if you like to) and remembers all of the many blessings God has given us to be so very thankful for!

What's Up?

2008-11-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

Abby running errands with me the other day

Beau's "watching TV" position - part bat, part human. This is the preferred position for 30 minutes or more at a time! Isn't that crazy?? This child is just a handful...

To the right of my stove on the kitchen counter - this is what I mean when I say that these two are right underneath me all the time! At least they're cute to look at, right?

We are good here! Today I went with Abby's class on her very first field trip to the theatre downtown here where we got to watch some good ol' children's performing arts. They acted and sang out six or seven children's book, including "If You Give A Pig A Pancake" and "How I Became A Pirate" among others. It was very good and her class of pre-k did extremely well behaving and being good listeners!

Tomorrow we are headed to our church fall carnival, and Mommy and Daddy have plans for a date night on Sunday night (barring Daddy getting called into work, of course). In that case I will be going and getting more Christmas shopping done as there is already a babysitter coming! (Yay!)

Also, I have made a separate sewing blog so if you are interested in that just click on the site on the top right of the blog. There are more Christmas shirts on there!!! If you are interested let me know so I can go ahead and be working on them!!

Hope everyone else is doing good! Have a great weekend!

Christmas Shirts and Beautiful Beau

2008-11-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

Mod Trees (on a size 3T)

Candy Cane (on a size 4T)

Lipstick Beau - and check out that shiner on his forehead!

Tonight Toby got called into work for a while so I spent the evening chasing the kids:) They seem extra hyper - I can't imagine why - wouldn't have anything to do with ALL of the Halloween candy that has been consumed over the weekend or anything. Anyways...while I was on the phone with Aunt Jody (bottom picture) Beau came running up to me after his bath talking about something or another. I looked down at him and had to do a double take. He had gone and found a tube of lipstick somewhere and very carefully applied it to his bottom lip. It was so funny because it was on so well for a 2 year old boy. Of course, Mommy took a couple of pictures right away and then left it on so Daddy could see when he got home. Of course, Toby was "take that stuff off" when he got home. I told him his son was the one that applied it. Maybe I should be worried!

The two shirt are my first two Christmas creations. They have been lots of fun to work on. I think the candy cane could go for a boy or a girl, but both of the above were done on girls' shirts. The above samples are for sale!! I just went ahead and made them so I could go ahead and let everyone know what some options were. I am working on several others, but I am waiting for my shipment of shirts to come in!! In the works are snowmen (which will be cute for the boys, I think), wreaths, more Christmas trees, holly, birds, and crosses.

Halloween Happenings and More

2008-11-01T07:49:00.001-07:00

Ka-Chow (for those avid Cars fans out there - you will know what that means...Beau says it all the time...)

Before leaving to trick-or-treat on our front porch steps. Abby seriously would strike this pose every time she was holding this gun - hilarious. In case you can't tell, they are Luke and Leia from Star Wars.

Just a sampling of how very into Halloween our neighborhood is - so much fun for the kids. This is our neighbors' house two doors down.

Two blocks up on our street there is this big ol' white house that is so pretty that is owned by the guy who made the Roly-Poly movie, among other things. They go ALL out for this holiday. They had stuff all over the place - including a tent from a funeral home set up. Craziness!! They are really sweet, and she let the kids pick 5 pieces of candy each, which they just loved...

Snow White (by Mommy) and Lightning McQueen (by Daddy). We thought Daddy did a fantastic job of his "challenging" pattern of McQueen, didn't he? I was just happy you could tell who Snow White was (and mine was "moderate" difficulty - ha!). The carving of the pumpkins was so much fun, and especially fun to see the end results.

The kids posing by their pumpkins

The cookie gram sent by their cousin Will! Thanks guys - they LOVED this and ate one each while they carved pumpkins.

Picking their cookies

Carving pumpkins

Beau playing with the big kids after Abby's pumpkin hunt at her school

Lined up ready to hunt pumpkins

Giving out treats in class

The yummy cookie cake for Abby's class party

Enjoying pizza in the park after a masquerade/trick-or-treat with her class. Aren't they cute?

Abby showing of her masquerade mask she made - a witch

After trunk-or-treating - Abby is posing again with her gun...

With mommy trunk-or-treating

With Daddy trunk-or-treating

This about sums up how we all feel after this week!!

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!

Material and More

2008-10-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Apple Tree

With the matching ruffle pants

Bubble pants

Abby and Beau enjoying coloring in their new Halloween coloring books with stickers and crafts that Austin and Lola sent for them. A big thanks for the sweet package Niki!! Another big thanks to my mom for the Halloween treat tins you sent. The kids loved em'.

Beau and Toby on one of these many recent mornings that we have woken up with this particular child in the bed with us. As much as I can't stand how I fell after getting up several times a night, it does make an awfully cute picture!

I am thinking about making a separate blog for my sewing projects - may be easier than posting this stuff on the personal blog. Above are a sampling of some of the materials I have on hand to work with. I am about to start working on some Christmas shirts, so stay tuned!!

In other news, Abby and I went to see HSM3:Senior Year (High School Musical for those of you not there yet) last night. It was opening night, but the theatre was not totally full as I thought it might be, which was nice. It probably helped that we went to an earlier showing. I'm not sure that Abby breathed through the entire movie. She came home telling Toby all about the different songs, hairstyles, dresses, make-up, etc. etc. etc. etc..... She is already asking me when we can buy the dvd. She is definitely 4 going on 14. It was really so much fun to go on a "girls date" as she calls it and watch her enjoy something so intensely and fully. I thought the movie was every bit as good as 1&2, in case ya'll were wondering...

Today Toby had the WHOLE day off (a true rare treat) so we decided to take a day trip to Tyler, TX (about 90 miles away) to go to the zoo there. This was Toby's attempt to console me for not being able to make the 13+ hour trip to Pigeon Forge to spend a weekend with our families shopping, eating and going to watch UT play. It is a really fun weekend we have been doing yearly for about 3 or 4 years now, so I was bummed to miss it! However, the zoo was tons of fun and the kids loved it, so all is good. We were home by 3ish in the afternoon, so the kids still got a good nap and we are getting to watch UT get spanked by AL right now! C'mon Vols. Seriously. I will post pictures of the zoo soon - maybe tomorrow...

Sorry for the rambling flight of ideas post...

Selling My Sewing

2008-10-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

So, after several months of different ones of you asking if I am selling my sewing, I have finally decided to give it a go and try. Maybe some of you are looking for some fun, unique clothes for your kids or some holiday gifts. I have posted pictures of several of my projects on the blog. I will try and refine this over the next week or two with more pictures, etc. I wanted to go ahead and get this price list out there. I have tried to make it reasonable and affordable for anyone who wants to buy, but still worth my time. I am definitely not going to make a million, it is more just something I enjoy doing! Please give me honest opinions and let me know what you think!

Ruffle Pant - $28 ($20 if you provide material yourself)
Add embellishment (ric-rac, pom-poms, ribbon, etc.) - $2 and up
Long-sleeved shirt with appliqué of animal, shape, letter, etc. - $15 ($13 if you provide material yourself)
Lounge Pant - $22 ($16 if you provide material yourself)
Lounge Pant and appliquéd shirt - $35
Ruffle Pant and appliquéd shirt - $42
Lined A-line Jumper/Dress - $40
Lined Jon-Jon - $42
Lined Longall - $45
**Any item can be monogrammed with a name or single letter for an extra $4**

What's Your Name?

2008-10-22T08:05:00.001-07:00

So, I went to bed late and then Beau proceeded to get up 3 or 4 times last night and come into our room, get in the bed with us, toss and turn for a half hour each time, and then go back to his bed...or be taken back to his bed. I got up at the usual early hour to get Abby up and ready for school. Toby took her, so at least I did not have to get dressed. We are all somewhat sick, though I venture to say that this is not why he is getting up as he is very cheery and ready to talk and play. The only problem is it is 3am!!! The magic pink liquid might have to make an appearance tonight...
Anyways, I have been sitting at the computer for a good 30-45 minutes trying to wake up (coffee is brewed, but I am literally too lazy to go in there and get any). I came across a link on Parents.com for the meaning of names. I then proceeded to look up my entire immediate family. I am crazy. What a waste of time. I figured since I have gone that far I might as well put them on the blog so I can remember them...
Toby - God is good
Ray - protecting hands (love that)
Karmen - fruitful orchard
Danielle - judged by God
Abigail - a father's joy (love that, too...)
Renee' - reborn
Beau - handsome, beautiful
Michael - who resembles God

So, I pretty much knew what the kids' names all meant prior to naming them that. I think names are so special when somewhat purposeful, and/or when they are a namesake of some sort. I like my name meanings the least, of course. Fruitful orchard? Ok. Anyways, they made me smile so I thought I would pass them on. If you don't know what your name means or your kids names mean, look em' up! It may make you smile!

I'll post new pictures soon. I caught one of the boys asleep in the our bed this morning. I have more sewing projects to share, too, of course! Meg - the pants are done - I just need to iron them- I am mailing them today if I get out of my house!!!

Pumpkin Patch and More

2008-10-14T10:39:00.001-07:00

The newly exposed, about to be gone fireplace in our bedroom

Another attempt at applique' - so much fun to do when I have time (whenever that is...)

Abby posing at the patch

Beau taking a spin on a tractor

They had these huge bins full of corn for the kids to play in, which they loved.

The hayride took us out to the pumpkin patches. It was really neat - you got to go pick your little pumpkins right off the vine, and pick your bigger pumpkins and have Daddy cut it off the vine. The kids just loved it. The weird thing for me is how flat it is here compared to Tennessee...

Scarecrow Abby

Mommy and Abby on the hayride

Beau and the farmer that drove the hayride - Beau told him he had a boo-boo on his hand so he is checking it out.We had a fun weekend going to the pumpkin patch. We managed to squeeze it in on Saturday evening despite Daddy being on call and working A TON of the weekend. The patch was neat with lots of fun things to do. The kids loved everything with the exception of the corn maze. They complained (per Toby) the entire time they were walking through it, and Beau insisted that Toby carry him. (Mommy was paying for the pumpkins and sadly had to miss this experience.) I told Toby afterwards that Abby is way too Type A to take into a corn maze anyways - no direction, no plan, etc. Not her idea of a good time at all. We got to watch a pig race, play in corn bins, swing, hayride, ride tractors, pick out pumpkins, etc. etc. Lots of fun. We have been staying fairly busy here. We also (finally) started trying to redo our bedroom. Notice in the top picture the newly busted out fireplace!! We are getting rid of that thing and reclaiming about 1/4 of our bedroom! Yay! Also getting rid of the green and yellow crackled walls, new carpet, etc. I am very excited, so stay tuned for more pictures!