The Calla Way

Long time no post...

2011-09-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

Mornings have been so beautiful lately, so I decided after taking Roo to school that I would see if Garner could sit in the wagon and we would go on a walk. He did pretty good, couple times I had to stop and get him situated but overall I was very impressed with him. So here are a couple pictures from Garner's first walk in the wagon (sitting up). I have taken him once before but he was laying down.

As Elizabeth stated on Facebook, there IS never a dull moment in our house, fo sho! Kagan and Adaline were taking a shower in our shower and Kagan decided to to use my razor to shave Adaline's head. Thankfully she was not cut, nor did he do her whole head. Who knows what possessed him to do that. It will probably take about a year for it to completely grow back in, most of that with her looking like a parrot. Oh well...

The next day I heard Adaline laughing in Garner's room, I knew he had just woke up from his nap so I went in there to find Adaline in his crib with him, and she had rubbed Vapor Rub all in his hair. I wiped it out but for the rest of the day you could breathe really good when you were holding him. It did come out that night when I washed his hair. Never a dull moment

For those of you coffee drinkers, I recently tried a new creamer called Warm Cinnamon Sugar Cookie.... so good ............. just sayin

Summer Days

2011-06-10T10:57:00.001-07:00

As you know, the summer days have hit. Kagan is finally getting over his fear of bugs (thanks to my dad for giving him 'I'm not afraid of bugs' boots), so now he will go outside (most of the time), if Adaline goes with him. So I have now pulled out the swimming pool to lull them outside more.

4yr old Graduation

2011-06-07T12:45:00.001-07:00

My little Kagaroo has graduated from 4 yr old preschool. I can't believe it. He has had so much fun this year and has really enjoyed his teacher Miss Nancy and making new friends. His friends that he talks about the most are Noah, Landon, Austin and Sarah Jayne. He talks about another boy named Ethan but only to tell me that he got his bear in the honeypot that day (which was alot). Kagan sure has grown up alot since going to preschool in my opinion. He doesn't have the hissyfits he use too and has been a tremendous helper to me. Next year he will be going to Transitional Kindergarten at Mt. Harmony instead of Kindergarten. We feel it will be in his best interest to hold him back a year since his birthday is close to the cut off date.

At Mt. Harmony, there are only three 4yr old classes, up to 14 kids in each class. I think Kagan's class was the only class with 14 kids. So each class had their own date to graduate, Kagan's was on Friday May 20th at 11am.

Mrs. Juanita- the Preschool Director

Here he comes

Sarah Jayne- she goes to our church

I was so impressed. They learned The Lord's Prayer. I had no idea he was learning it until they started praying it at the ceremony. Here he is saying it.

Saying his memory verse

bored, I guess

singing a song

Sarah Jayne saying a poem

accepting his diploma and then hugging Mrs. Juanita

Miss Nancy had a few words to say to the kids

Roo and Sarah Jayne and Miss Nancy, his teacher

After the ceremony, they had a reception for the parents and graduates. Younger siblings were not suppose to come so A & G stayed with a sitter. It was nice not having them there and being able to concentrate on Roo and spend one on one time with him. Anyways, they had a reception and each child had a table with his name on it for all his/her guests to sit at. Sadly it was just us. But they also got a package of things which included a scrapbook of pictures of things they had done throughout the year. This made me very happy.

Overall we were very impressed with Mt. Harmony Preschool and their preschool graduation!

Swimming Lessons

2011-06-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

The kids are taking swimming lessons from our friend Aubrey, so I thought I would show you some pics I took while they were either waiting their turn or while they were swimming.

Adaline likes to mow, slide, or play "mommy's pod"

Kagan and Miss Aubrey

Kagan mows too while he waits for Adaline

Adaline's turn

1 month old

2011-05-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

I realize Garner is well over a month old. 8wks to be exact but since he will be two months soon I figured I should document him being one month and what he did at that age.

at his 1mth visit, he got one shot, his hepatits B shot. He weighed 12lbs 7oz and 24 in long. At Kagan's 2 mth appt, he weighed 12lbs 5 oz and was 23 1/2 in long. So to say the least Garner has by far past Kagan in weight and length area.

He sleeps on his stomach (don't lecture me, there are no toys or blankets around his face), he enjoys the swing and bouncy seatbut are accessible to Missymiss who enjoys taking his paci out of his mouth then shoving it back in. He drinks 3-4oz every 2-3 hrs and isn't crazy about baths yet. So far he is very sweet and loves to smile at all of us. We are enjoying having him in our family.

I have created a babysites for Garner so I can continually add pictures of him without writing a blog and having our internet act up. www.babysites.com/sites/thecallaways If you would like me to add you to the email list of when I send out posts to either this blog or to Garner's website, email me your email address and I will gladly add you; steelmag6@aol.com

pictures are in no particular order, just random ones I chose

My little helpers

2011-05-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have tried several times to post this but our internet is a pain, so hopefully I can get this to post now.

We have two very good helpers, well really one good helper and one wanna-be but is a pain, helper. You decide who's who :)

Adaline thinks Garner should be sucking on his paci ALL the time, so if he is accessible to her and he doesn't have it in, then she tries to shove it in, sleeping or not. She did share her jellybeans with him, luckily Chris did an amazing finger sweep and got it out before he choked. I'm amazed Garner is still alive.

Kagan, on the other hand, is amazing and such a good big brother. He will feed him his bottle for me or just sit and hold him. I couldn't ask for a better big brother/helper. His teacher, Miss Nancy, told me that usually when a new sibling is born, the older child acts out but with Kagan, she said he has gotten sweeter and has not had one problem with him. Of course that thrilled me to pieces. He really is a great kid!

God has blessed us with 3 wonderful and unique children. My cup runneth over.......

Meeting Abigail

2011-05-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

So our friends Lyn and Lisa had a little girl named Abigail on March 17th. She weighed a whopping 6lbs and was 19in. Lisa was actually due a week before I was but Miss Abigail decide to make her appearance 3 wks early. A couple weeks ago Lisa came over and we got pics of the babies. As you can see by the pictures Big G is huge compaired to Little Miss. They are about 3 1/2 wks apart.

Easter

2011-05-14T18:55:00.001-07:00

Easter morning was pretty low key at our house. We didn't really talk about the easter bunny coming, we mentioned it a couple times but never really made a big deal about it. So when the kids woke up they didn't go running to see if the easter bunny came. It was kind of funny b/c when Kagan woke up he just laid in his bed and then I told him the easter bunny came and he shot out of bed. It was rather humerous!

ready for church

at church in front of the Children's building, they put a cross out and you can bring fresh flowers to put on it, of course Miss Priss wouldn't cooperate, so she threw herself on the ground. this was not my ideal idea of what I wanted for our Easter picture as a family of 5 but oh well, I'm sure there will be many more.

easter bunny brought him a Transformer costume, he slept in it too!

Easter Fun

2011-04-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

My cousin Ashleigh and her family, my Aunt Tricia and Uncle Ronald, came over for an Easter fun day. We dyed easter eggs, made cupcakes, and had an easter egg hunt.

Apparently the tye-dye easter egg kit I bought was a little hard to do but we managed and I thought they turned out cute.

While the other kids iced cupcakes, Caleb did what he does best..EAT!

decorating is hard work

the cake pro herself... Aunt Tricia

Adaline decided to eat the sprinkles instead of icing the cupcakes

The men did what they do best...SLEEP

tasting

After the eggs were dry we decided to do an egg hunt, but due to the rain we decided to do our egg hunt inside

For some reason I didn't get a picture of Cadence with her easter basket, sorry bout that.

Aunt Tricia meets Garner

What's a get together without a meltdown?

oops make that 2 meltdowns

someone thought it was funny

trying to get a pic of all 6 kids, there's always one that messes it up

Big Mama had had-it and I love the fact kagan is covering his ears

to her room she went

As always we had a great day together and I'm so thankful we get to see our kids grow up together and make memories like Ashleigh and I did.

Mickey Live!

2011-04-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

A good friend of both mine and Chris, Jessica Ferris, (she introduced me and chris), is on tour with Mickey Live. The show came to Charlotte so she got us tickets and we went to see her and Mickey. It was nice for Chris, Andrea and I to get out of the house with the two big kids and Memee stayed home with Garner.

It brought back some great memories of working at Disney and really made me miss performing. But some things must come to an end, sadly.

After the show we had a meet and greet with the characters. Kagan loved it but Adaline, not so much!

We all had a good time, Thank you Jessica for thinking of us!!!

Extra Digits?!

2011-04-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

Some of you may or may not know that Garner was born with an extra digit on his left hand. It dangled from his pinky finger and actually had a small fingernail. Weird! The doctors and nurses say this is quite common, both fingers and toes. The pediatrician said it has nothing to do with abnormalities or syndromes, it's just something that happens. Sometimes they actually have bones in them and have to be removed by a orthopedic specialist, luckily Garner's didn't have bone. His was removed by Dr. Cleveland, one of the pediatrician's in Charlotte Pediatrics. Our pediatrician, Dr. Prosser, doesn't remove digits but Dr. Cleveland does. We could have gone to a plastic surgeon to make sure it was nice and neat with no bump but we didn't feel that was necessary. (no Ashleigh, we didn't get to keep the finger)

Here is a variety of pictures with his 6th finger

We went on Friday for his 5 day weight check and he weighed 9lbs 14oz, up from 9lbs 2oz when we left the hospital on Tuesday. Boy are we in for it! Actually, these pictures make him look bigger than what he really is.

Waiting for the procedure

after it was over

once the bandaid was removed the next day

Garner has been such a trooper and hasn't had any problems. We never had to give him Tylenol. We thank God that it was such a simple procedure and that nothing else was wrong with our little boy.

On April 10, 2011, the Callaway Clan became a little bigger

2011-04-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

On April 9th at 11:15 pm I had just told Chris how done I was with the Braxton Hicks contractions, I barely got that out of my mouth and felt a big gush. I flew out of bed, for fear of getting it on the bed, and told Chris my water just broke, to which he replied "That's awesome!!" As I sat on the toilet, Chris and momma proceeded to call the doctor and get the rest of our stuff together. At this point I was having some contractions but nothing too bad. Once we got our stuff together, I gave Andrea last minute instructions for the kids and off we went to the hospital. I could feel my contractions getting harder but not consistent. As we entered the ER they were waiting for me and wheeled me to the Maternity Ward. I got changed and was hooked up to the monitors. When the nurse checked me I was 4cm dilated, so began the waiting game.

Look at that gut

As usual the contractions continued to get harder and harder. Before I could receive my epidural (yes I am not a hero nor do I try to be, so I opt for no pain), I had to have a full bag of fluids. Around 2-2:30am I received my epidural. I pushed through two contractions and at 4:16am our Garner Matthan arrived. He came so fast, his face was bruised and halfway through pushing I had to stop because his shoulders got stuck and Dr. Castillion had to rotate them, along with pushing his hand back in so he could come out. He weighed a whopping 9lbs 7oz and was 22 in long. Chris and Memee were there to welcome him into the world.

the proud daddy

proud Memee

first feeding

getting his footprints in "The Foot Book"

Garner's first bath:

Now with the other two kids I never got to see their "first baths" because

the always took them out of the room. At this hospital they did everything

in the room (besides the circumcision), which was nice to see.

After his bath he had to lay in the incubator to raise and maintain his body heat for about 30 mins or until it reaches normal temp.

Dr. Cleveland checking him out

The kids stayed with Andrea at the house then once everyone got up and dressed, Chris' parents picked them up and brought them to meet their new baby brother, both wearing their big brother and big sister shirts and bringing "Patch" the puppy they made for him at Build-a-Bear

I was told Kagan could not wait to get to the hospital to meet Garner. He kept asking when they were leaving and why they weren't leaving now. He was very excited.

Mamaw meeting Garner

Aunt Andrea

Papaw

As you can see, Garner's bruising was almost gone by the end of the first day. When we left the hospital he weighed 9lbs 2oz. One thing about Garner, he was born with a 6th finger/digit, which we will have to have removed. Luckily it didn't contain any bone so they can remove it in the pediatricians office. That's another post......

Preparing for Garner

2011-04-03T21:05:00.001-07:00

Well we are in the last few days before Garner is due to make his debut. All his clothes are washed and put away, the crib is up and ready, both the kids bags are packed, mine and Chris' bag is almost packed, just have to put last minute stuff in it. So I think we are pretty much ready. Just a waiting game now... 39 wks Kagan and Adaline were so nice to rub my feet

One thing I wanted to do was take the kids down to Build-A-Bear and let them make an animal to give to Garner when they came to the hospital to meet him

picking a sound to put inside the animal

the big fluff machine and Kagan holding down the foot pedal to put the fluff inside

Adaline was not into it for some reason

Kagan checking to make sure it's soft enough

they got to put hearts inside to let Garner know they love him

kissing his heart and stuffing it inside

listening to the lady talk

giving him a bath (blowing air on him)

trying to help Adaline pick out a toy but she didn't want one

after picking out an animal, a sound, stuffing him, and bathing him, then you register him and give him a name, so Kagan volunteered to do that

Introducing "Patch" the puppy

I think Kagan enjoyed doing it more than Adaline but that's ok, at least we got it done.

Just sayin...

2011-03-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

So I think I'm just gonna post some of my thoughts. It helps get the clutter out of my head as I already have a hard enough time thinking and organizing my thoughts as it is. Just ask Chris, he laughs all the time at me for not being able to complete a thought or a sentence.

You may or may not know that Chris and I were not trying to get pregnant and that I was on birth control when I did get pregnant. In the beginning I was not thrilled about being pregnant again for several reasons: 1) I had post partum depression after Adaline was born so I was working with my doctor trying to find a medication that would help me 2)I was just beginning to see an Orthopedic doctor about fixing my back 3) I hadn't lost all the baby weight from Adaline 4) We were wanting to adopt before we thought about possibly having another child of our own and I was scared b/c of everything that happened with Adaline's birth, I didn't know if I could have another child. Overall I just wanted to feel good and feeling like myself again. Once I did find out I was pregnant I began to wonder how my back would take it and if I would be in pain and miserable for the next 9mths.

As I am nearing the end of this pregnancy (I'm at 37 1/2 wks), I have to say God has definately been in control and I only have him to thank. I have not had any back pain whatsoever. This past month is the only time I have been in pain and it has been my hip not my back. I am overwhelmed and amazed at this little miracle that has taken place this pregnancy. It might not seem like a miracle to you but for someone who lives in pain majority of the time, it's an awesome feeling! My Orthopedic doctor is amazed at how well I'm doing and actually released me from his care until I begin to hurt again (thinking I would return when I was in my 3rd trimester). I have yet to return. God is good. For those of you that have been praying for me, I truly appreciate it and know that your prayers have been answered.

The only complaints I have are the basic pregnancy complaints: having a hard time bending over even for simple things like putting on socks/shoes, drying off, etc... having a hard time breathing (being short waisted is not fun when you have a small hippo growing inside you), irritability, tired, can't sleep b/c when you try to turn over in bed you need a small army to assit you, you have to get up to pee a dozen times a night, and the list can go on and on. But the Lord has blessed me with an amazing husband who is a tremedous help not only around the house but with the kids and doesn't complain if the house is a mess or supper isn't on the table. I am truly blessed.

Don't get me wrong, just b/c this pregnancy hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be does not mean I want to be pregnant again. Someone will be fixed!!!!

I am really looking forward to meeting Garner, seeing who he looks like: Kagan or Adaline, what color his hair will be, will he have that same pouty face that the other two had, I'm just a little anxious. I have had contractions with this pregnancy unlike the other two I never had contractions so it's a new experience for me. I have eaten a lot more with this pregnancy and have craved sweets more than not. I did eat 10 donuts in a day the other day and the only reason I didn't eat the whole dozen is b/c I shared with my children. Wasn't that nice?!!

I'm sure I had other thoughts I wanted to share but b/c I'm pregnant and have a hard time thinking straight I can't remember what those thoughts were, and of course I didn't write them down b/c I have planted my butt in the chair and it's too much effort to get up and get a piece of paper and pen. Maybe that will be another post and hopefully I can take picture of my gut before he's born and will post it for you. Just sayin...

Little updates

2011-02-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

I don't have any pics to post but I thought I would just give a little update as to what has been going on in the Callaway household.

As of now we are enjoying the spring-like weather, going to the park, playing outside and having the windows open. I esp like having the kids running around burning off some energy as I have none.

Chris has been working his tail off due to a Co-manager being out on medical leave for the past 6 mths. As of now he no longer has his 3 days on, 3 days off. He really doesn't have a set schedule, so we aren't sure exactly when he will be off or when he will come home at night. Tigger the cat has seem to take a liking to Chris as well. Whenever Chris lays on the couch Tig comes a running and hops up there with him. It's quite humorous. He has also been an enormous help with the kids and around the house. I could not have asked God for a better husband and teammate.

Kagan loves preschool and looks forward to going. Mommy looks forward to him going too! He has done really well in his class, has only had his bear in the honeypot a couple of times (which means he's been in some sticky situations aka trouble). Each year the preschoolers are tested to see how they are doing and if they should move on to Kindergarten or go to Transitional Kindergarten. He scored on a 5 or 6 year old level so we are really proud of him. Right now we are praying about sending him to Transitional K (TK) due to his age, being that his bday is Aug. 28th. We feel in the long run it might be better to hold him back due to boys being more immature. So feel free to pray for us about this situation.
He also enjoys having Adaline around to play with and boss around, but she holds her own. Although they fight most of the time I know they love each other.
He is also very excited about Garner coming and is looking forward to being a helper. He loves to feel him move inside my belly and constantly asks me if Garner is moving.

Adaline is something else. She talks big talk and acts like she's bigger than she is. She likes to boss Kagan around and put him in timeout. "time out kagy, timeout, now" she says. She is also very loving and gives kisses to anything and anyone who will let her. Every time I get on the computer she always says someone's name like "Gigi talk" or "BopBop talk", meaning she wants me to see if someone is on skype so she can talk. She is really into singing and will sit in her seat and sing any song that comes on the radio. Some of her favorites to sing anytime is "itsy bitsy", "Jesus loves Me", "Frogs" "Ducks". I need to record them and put them on the blog, cause she is too cute when she sings them. She definately talks a lot better than Roo did at her age. She refers to herself as Adayine and often says "Adayine do it" She too seems to be excited about Garner but we aren't sure exactly how much she understands. If asked about the baby she will tell you "Baby Garner, belly".

As far as me and Garner, we are trucking along. My back has been hurting me and I am having alot of trouble sleeping. My hips and back hurt when I try to sleep and I end up in the recliner sometime in the wee hours of the morning. He is measuring big but they aren't changing my due date from April 11th, so we pray he comes early so I won't be pushing out a toddler. I have some cute newborn clothes I would like him to wear :) I am of course having memory problems so I am constantly making lists and notes to myself. I am of course always tired and by the time the kids get to bed, I'm ready for bed myself. I don't enjoy cooking or being in the kitchen b/c it causes me to think and plan ahead unless I have help with the kids. They are constantly at my feet or want to help and I don't have patience for that. I'm hoping once Garner is born all of this will change b/c I love to cook/bake and try new receipes and usually have more patience.

We got a new camera so once I learn how to upload pictures I will be posting them. Hopefully sooner than later but don't get your hopes up.

love to you all!!!

Snow Day #2

2011-01-25T19:22:00.002-08:00

Here are more pictures of the kids playing in the snow the second time it snowed.

Snow Days

2011-01-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

So the day after Christmas was our first snow day. Kagan was sooo excited. He couldn't wait for Christmas because to him that meant snow. I tried to tell him that it probably won't snow till January but he was insistant that it was going to snow on Christmas. Well I guess he was right b/c it did snow Christmas night and into the next day. He couldn't wait to get outside to play either. Luckily Chris was off so they went outside and played for about 1- 1 1/2 hrs. Wore his butt out!! I on the other hand enjoy looking at the snow from inside the house with a cup of coffee in my hand. Right now I don't have enough clothes or the right kind of clothes to be playin in the snow. Maybe next year when I'm not 90 mths pregnant. Neither kid really has the right kind of clothes but we layered them up and off they went.

Sorry about the pictures being randomly placed. Apparently they have changed the settings on the blog and i can't figure out how to do it. all the pictures are not where I wanted them to go but at least you get to see them. I'll try to do better next time, maybe I can change the layout back to the one I'm familiar with :)

Baby Boy Garner

2011-01-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

So I guess I haven't posted pictures of Baby Garner yet. I had my first ultrasound done around 8 wks but it basically looked like a turd in the toilet bowl so I didn't feel the need to scan that picture. I also had an ultrasound at 19wks which determined that we were having a boy and that I had Partial Placenta Previa. That means the placenta was partially covering my cervix and if it didn't move then I would have to have a scheduled C-section. It also showed us that he was measuring big.

If your not a pro at reading an ultrasound, have no fear, neither am I but I will try to tell you what you're looking at.

(top) Profile at 19 wks (bottom) face looking at you

(Top) body/head (Bottom) boy parts

(left) fist and arm up near head (right) feet

I had another ultrasound done at 28 wks to see if my placenta

had moved, and it had. So that means I will not be scheduled

for a C-section. He is still measuring a little big and is currently

head down and his feet are on my right side.

Profile at 28 wks (his nose is basically touching the placenta)

(top) huge foot (bottom) more boy parts

So as you can see so far all is well. The kids are

getting excited about his arrival. Kagan loves to

feel him move and asks me all the time if he is

moving.

Christmas Day

2011-01-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

The kids actually slept in as usual this morning. I figured Roo would have woken up early but Missymiss woke up before him and she went and woke him up. When she saw the presents under the tree she gasped and I said "Santa Claus came" and she said "Gaus Gaus" (pronounced gauze gauze).

Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk. The reindeer ate all the carrots (thanks to Cappie Choate)

Before the kids got up

With their new stockings

Time to open

Adaline's new ride

This is our Christmas dinner: Ham, Carrot Souffle, Green Beans, Scalloped Potatoes and Garlic Cheese Biscuits all served on my Great Granny Turner's China. I had a tablecloth but forgot to put it on. oh well.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-11T17:29:00.001-08:00

Before it was time for bed we made peanut butter reeses cookies. Don't get me wrong, we actually put them on a cookie sheet and baked them. Usually I would make homemade cookies but pregnant girl didn't feel like it and wanted to enjoy the night.

Roo put out carrots for the reindeer

Adaline looking for the reindeer

cookies and milk for Santa

ready for Santa Claus to come

I remember growing up, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa. I have such fond memories of Christmas mornings. Waking my brother up at the crack of dawn, then moving on to my parents, wishing they would hurry out of bed so we could see what Santa brought us. Even when I learned the truth, it never really made a big impact on me b/c just waking up in the mornings seeing more presents under the tree than when I had gone to sleep the night before, wrapped in different wrapping paper, was magical enough for me. Still to this day, seeing my kids all giddy and excited about Christmas morning makes Santa real enough for me.

Their Stockings were hung by the chimney with care

2010-12-22T15:37:00.000-08:00

For the past year I have been making the family Christmas stockings. My grandmother has made all of us grandkids and great grands stockings which we have enjoyed year after year. So, I thought I would do the same for my family. I started this past January and have made 5 to date. My next adventure is to make a Christmas Tree skirt, I just have to find one I like.

Here are our the stockings hung by our fireplace

Chris Christa

Kagan Adaline

I have really enjoyed making them, gives me something to do as a "down time" and I've enjoyed being able to share some special time with my Gran as she has had to show me how to do some stitches.

Christmas with Mamaw and Papaw

2010-12-21T18:10:00.001-08:00

So Chris' parents came down from Indiana for a visit. We didn't tell the kids so they were really excited when they walked in the door and surprised them. At first Adaline wasn't sure but she soon warmed up and of course Kagan was trying to organize where everyone was sleeping. We had to inform him that we had everything worked out not to worry.

Kagan, Mamaw, and Papaw made some super good cookies. I have no idea what they were called but they were like a shortbread dipped in chocolate and peppermint. Super good!! Here are pics of them making the cookies

He looks a little "special" in the picture but I was trying to get a picture of him eating the cookie they had made

Also, while they were here we went back to Bass Pro to see Santa. This time we got to see him. Kagan told Santa he wanted a guitar and an electric toothbrush for Christmas. Santa was a little taken back by the toothbrush but told him he would see what he could do.

Adaline looking at the moose

running to santa

Adaline didn't want anything to do with him so she waved and gladly took the candy

telling santa he wanted a guitar and an electric toothbrush for Christmas

eating her wha-bob-pop (lollipop)

*sidenote* before we left the house, we told Adaline we were going to see Santa and asked her "what are you going to ask Santa for?" she said "candy and ta-tas (paci's)" I dont' think she really understood what we were asking her but I thought it was pretty funny that she wants candy and paci's for christmas, two of her favorite things.

shooting the crossbow (I think that's what it's called) and playing with the fishing game

Once we were done with Bass Pro, we went back home and let the kids open their presents from Mamaw and Papaw.

using their new crayola color paintbrushes (can't remember what the real name is)

I'm really sad I forgot to get a picture of all four of them together.

It's always nice to have Mamaw and Papaw come visit. I'm glad the kids get to grow up knowing their grandparents!

Bass Pro with The Andersen's

2010-12-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

We decided to meet Ashleigh and the kids at Bass Pro to see Santa so while we were waiting for Ashleigh to arrive, we walked around the store and then looked at the fish. Adaline wasn't so sure about them but of course Kagan loved climbing on the rocks.

Once Ashleigh and the kids arrived we went over to see Santa, much to our surprise Santa would not be arriving till 5pm so we decided to let the kids color and play with some of the games they had set up.

little Creed

Even though we didn't get to see Santa, it's always good to hang out with Ashleigh and let the kids play.

Cookies and Christmas Tree

2010-12-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Since Chris and I have gotten married, we have made a tradition of putting up and decorating the Christmas Tree on our Anniversary, Dec. 1. This year we decided to make gingerbread cookies before putting up the tree to get us all in the Christmas spirit.

Let the decorating begin.........

This was Adaline's area she decorated

The finished tree minus the tree skirt

Adaline doesn't like the vaccum

I have finally finished the last stocking so once I take a picture of all the stockings hanging by the fireplace, I will post it.

Overall, we had a great night and a nice beginning to our Christmas season

Kagan's Christmas Pageant

2010-12-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Kagan's preschool has a pageant every year which tells the Christmas Story in under 15mins. The boys were shepherds, the girls were Angels and then selected ones were Mary, Joseph, donkey, cow, sheep, wise men and a star. They sang songs in which Kagan looked awfully bored but he did sing. After the program, they had a little reception for all the parents and students.

Kagan is in the back row behind the Angels, you can't see him

Adaline couldn't be bothered with the program, the contents of her bag were more interesting

Our little shepherd

Roo and his friend Sarah Jayne, she goes to our church and she's in his class

His friend Waylan, his parents are in our Life Group

Our little MissyMESS

2010-12-15T13:37:00.001-08:00

As I was going through my recent pictures, I had a lot of random pictures of Adaline, mostly ones of her saying "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese". Kagan doesn't ever want me to take his picture so I have a lot of Adaline b/c she loves her picture taken. so I thought I would do a post of her randomness.

So cute

Here, she was feeding her baby. I have been trying for a while now to get pictures of her feeding her baby but everytime I pull out the camera she smiles her goofy grin and sings "Cheeeeeese"

I found this piggy bank at a craft store on clearance and thought Roo could paint it for Adaline since she didn't have a piggy bank. This is her putting some coins in her bank, all while saying "oink oink" but it actually sounds like "yoik yoik"

watching Reba do a LIVE concert on Facebook

crazy hair

Yeehaw

She likes to take a shower so I tried to get some decent shots of her while standing in the shower letting the water run on her

Adaline loves too:

color

play/feed her babies

play with her brother

chase Cappie and Tig

take a bath/shower

play outside

eat playdoh

hug and kiss on her mommy/daddy

bite Kagan

go for walks

play on any playgrounds

read books

brush her teeth

put food in Tig and Cappie's bowl

Thanksgiving and then some

2010-12-15T13:03:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was not the normal tradition for us. Usually we are either in Florida with our families or some of our family come visit us, but this year neither happened. Being that I'm pregnant and lazy, I didn't feel the need to cook a Thanksgiving meal for just me and Chris to eat (the kids wouldn't eat enough to count as a whole person) so we decided we would go to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving lunch. I enjoyed it very much. We headed to the pig trough, gorged ourselves, unbuttoned our pants and then headed home for a nap and Chris went to work. I tried to get some pics of the kids ready to go to eat.

I wanted to get a family picture at Golden Corral but Kagan wouldn't cooperate,

big surprise!

My cousins Ashleigh and Chris went to a concert so two of their 3 kids spent the night with us. When Ashleigh brought them over to drop them off Adaline couldn't get enough of baby Creed (he was the one who didn't spend the night). She loooves babies. She is going to be a great big sister if only I can get her to understand she's not suppose to pick the baby up by his neck. We have time to practice. But here are some pics of her with Creed.

This is their other child Shaun, who is as happy as can be. He loved playing with this basket.

We had a great time with Cadence and Shaun and they can stay with us anytime!!!

Laney's Farm

2010-12-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Alright so I realize I am wayyyyy behind in blogging. I didn't realize Halloween was the last time I blogged, so I guess I have a lot of catching up to do.

We went out to the Laney's farm (a couple in our Life Group) for some fun and a bonfire.

the guys hanging out chatting

little miss riding on one of the kids tractors

we tried to get all the kids together for a group shot

Ryley, Caleb, Westin, Kagan, Waylen, Caleb

(i'm sure I butchered the spellings, I'm sorry)
missing is Jayce, Adelyne, Lawson, and Adaline

Kagan really wanted to jump the ramp with his bike but he wasn't

sure how to do it, so he decided to try it his way. We explained to him

he couldn't do it with training wheels on, so he was bound and determined

he wanted to do it without the training wheels

random picture

the group going on a hayride Trevia and Adaline

Kagan decided to try to ride one of the smaller bikes without training wheels

and by george, he did it!! We were so proud of him. since that day he is training

wheels free!

Brian trying to get out one of the donkeys to ride

but they were not cooperating.

We didn't get to stay for the bonfire because the Colts game was on, so we decided

to have our own bonfire at home.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T17:32:00.002-07:00

This year for Halloween, we decided to go do Trunk or Treating at our church. Totally worth it!!! You trick or treat out of people's trunks and they had bounce houses for the kids and free hotdogs. We met up with some of our friends too, which was nice! Our friends Zack and Lisa have a little boy the same age as Kagan named Caleb and the boys had a blast.

Miss was suppose to ride in the wagon and trunk or treat but it ended up being loaded up with everything but Adaline.

on our way to get candy!!

our first car

a little yorkie dressed as a King and the biggest dog ever!!

Adaline wanted to open every piece that was put in her bucket

Caleb is Woody (he's being silly)

"fishing" at a car

I thought this car was pretty

jumping in the bounce house

The kids had a great time and we enjoyed hanging out with friends (now that we have some!)

Umbrella Parade Videos

2010-10-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to reduce my videos so here are the two videos I took of Kagan in his Umbrella Parade and singing his two songs.

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

2010-10-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is a video I took a while ago so I thought you would enjoy it!

Umbrella Day

2010-10-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

Today, Wednesday Oct. 27, Kagan's school had an Umbrella Parade. They have been studying Noah's Ark this month. So we went to the Umbrella Parade and loved it! It was short but cute. After the parade they sang two songs. Very cute!

going to the parade

kissy kissy

love this picture!

waiting for it to begin

Let the parade begin! Roo is wearing blue pants with a maroon shirt and his fall tie, just so you can pick him out.

I have some video but I will try to post it in another post.

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Last night the kids and Chris carved pumpkins

picking out pictures; let the cutting begin (adaline tried to use a straw)

scooping out the guts adaline and her straw

adaline watching; kagan didn't like the "smell" so I finished scooping

cutting and carving

intense.....

ya know, I just realized I didn't get a final picture. I will do that later once I get the candles in.

Our week

2010-10-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Well I don't have any pictures for this post but I thought I would update you on what's been going on in our lives.

First, an update on my dad. He just finished his third round of chemo and is doing very well. He is tired but he still continues to push on and still preaches every Sunday. He still occasionally has to receive blood but other than that he is a fighter. I am so proud of him for his attitude during this whole ordeal and what a Godly example he has been throughout. If you don't already know he has a website if you would like to follow his progress or read his story www.caringbridge.org/visit/joechoate

Second, my grandmother was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer a few weeks ago and had a full hysterectomy about a week and half ago. The kids and I flew down so we could visit her and I could help out any way possible. I did get a chance to stay with her in the hospital and enjoyed every minute of being able to help out. My gran and poppa have played an important role in my upbringing. Unlike other kids who barely get to see their grandparents or know who they are, we fortunately grew up with them at almost everything we did. They are very special people to me. So I really am grateful for being able to go see them at a time like this. She was having some fluid retention and having trouble breathing but like my dad she is a fighter and has come through that. She has a round of chemo and is currently at home recovering. If you would like to follow her progress they have a website for her www.caringbridge.org/visit/newtchristinemurdock

Thirdly, while we were down in Florida we went to Hunsader Farms with our friends The Atkinson's. They have a little boy who is the same age as Kagan and when they get together they are crazy boys! They consider themselves best friends :) At Hunsader Farms there's plenty of food, music, crafts, animals, and fun, oh and don't forget the heat.

Fourth, we spent the morning at Terri's house playing with Cody, Abby, Cali and Lexi. My friends from Disney: Jana, Trent, Charles and Maggie all showed up too. We let the kids run around outside and play in the pool. It was nice to see my friends and to catch up.

The kids enjoyed a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, Halloween prizes from their Aunts and MeMee and Bop Bop, some quality time with their aunts and lots of hugs and kisses.

Despite the reason why we went down to Florida it was an enjoyable trip, needed by all of us.

Little Miss

2010-09-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our little Missymiss is 18mths old now. Where has the time gone?
She has been a little blessing to our family.
Now that she is 18mths she thinks she's the same age as Roo and tries to do
everything he does and has to have everything he has, same food, same toys, ect.

She can say pretty much anything you tell her to say. Actually she talks better than Roo
did at her age, although she doesn't say everything so clear yet. She does like to jibber jabber.
One word she does say very clear is MINE. Thanks to Roo. She thinks everything is hers and she is not afraid to let you know. If you tell her to do something, she will shake her head no and say uh uh with a little smirk on her face.

She also knows her animal sounds so if she sees a cow or a horse, she will say the sound it makes instead of the name (although she knows their names). So if we have chicken for dinner she will say bock bock before she eats it. It's funny but I think you just have to be there to hear her say it.

She also is starting to play with her babies a little more. I caught her today hugging and kissing her baby without me telling her too. She was loving on the baby like we love on her. It was very sweet.

She has finally learned how to give closed mouth kisses. I was so getting tired of my cheek getting bit and it being soaked after one of her kisses. On occassion she will take a little nibble from my cheek. Although she will bite and pinch if she doesn't get her way. She's not all sweet.

She is also socialable. Much more so than Roo. He tends to be more shy and she is the social butterfly. She will tell everyone she meets "HI" even if they aren't paying attention to her.

I'm so sure there is much more to say about her but my brain doesn't work much anymore thanks to the pregnancy.

Adaline has been a special addition to our family and we believe that she will be a wonderful and helpful big sister come the spring. We are very excited about all that is to come for our family within the coming years. God has blessed us with such beautiful and loving children.

Roo's 1st day of Preschool

2010-09-23T08:34:00.001-07:00

Our little Kagaroo is finally going to Pre-school. I decided to do what Jac and Kate do with Rylee each year she goes to school and write her grade level on a piece of paper. Let's see if I can be as good as they are and remember to do it each year.

He's holding up his lunch box with says "Mt. Harmony Preschool 2010-2011"

on the way to school: calm, cool, and collected. He said to me "Mommy, when we get to school, I won't cry" I told him "I really appreciate that"

coming in for the kill: a kiss

off he goes.... no tears (from him anyways, me and adaline shed one or two)

I think he is going to go awesome at school. His teacher is amazing and has been teaching for many years. Her name is Mrs. Nancy. She is really sweet but firm and direct and I like that. She also has a big honeypot and each child has his/her name on a teddybear. If Roo gets his teddybear in the honeypot that means he's been in a sticky situation (in trouble) and doesn't get his treat at the end of the day. Pretty good idea!

(to date, roo has had his teddybear in the honeypot for running and jumping in the classroom when it was time for centers, whoops)

Our Kagaroo turns 4

2010-08-30T17:12:00.001-07:00

Our little boy turned 4 on saturday Aug. 28th. It's hard to believe that our little 8lb 4oz, white haired baby is now 4 yrs old. He has been such a joy to have in our lives and we have enjoyed watching him grow into the man he is.

On the morning of his birthday, he was way excited to open his presents, so excited he didn't want to wait for Adaline to wake up. So off he went..

After opening his gifts, it was time for his birthday spankings, along with a pinch to grow an inch

He then couldn't wait to go ride his new scooter

He got a gift card from Memee and Bop Bop to Toys R Us so we went there and he picked out a bell for his bike and a Wii game.

Once we got back from Toys R Us, Me(christa) and Roo made his birthday cupcakes. He had a hard time deciding on which theme he wanted for his birthday, so for his bday in N.C he wanted Spongebob and for his cake in FL, he wants Batman. So we put Spongebob on top of his cupcakes and he was thrilled to pieces (we made more cupcakes than shown, he turned 4 so we took a picture with 4 cupcakes)

Later that day, after naptime, we went to my cousin Ashleigh's house to visit with them and to see my Grandparents, who have been traveling to Alaska and back. We had an awesome homecooked meal and they got Roo an ice cream cake. We didn't have candles to begin with but Roo told Ashleigh he needed candles to blow out, so bless her heart, she found some candles for him. Of course I don't have pictures of this b/c I forgot my camera.

Anyhoo, I think he had an awesome 4th birthday. And to top it off, we are leaving for FL on Wednesday and will have another cake to celebrate his birthday down there with all the grandparents and other family and friends.

Happy Birthday Roobug, we love you very much and thank God for you everyday!!!!

Washing toys

2010-08-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

The outside toys we quite disgusting with clay and mildew, so I filled up a bin with soapy water and let him have at it. He did a really good job. But then things turned a little hairy.....

finished toys washing the slide

they got the idea of washing their hair in the dirty water,

Roo started it, then monkey see monkey do had to join in

this face is a hoot

I wasn't about to let them inside to eat

Then came nap-time........ahhhhhhh

Once upon a time....

2010-07-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you know as to why I probably haven't blogged in a while but if you don't here's the story:

Once upon a time in a state far away (Florida), lived a handsome dad/grandfather named Bop Bop and a beautiful mother/grandmother named MeMee. One day Bop Bop was having chest pains and thought he was having a heart attack, but because he is a stubborn man, he decided not to go see the doctor about it even tho this was not the wishes of MeMee. About a month or so went by and the stubborn man eventually decided to talk to his doctor about it. Because of the symptoms Bop Bop was having, the doctor thought Bop Bop needed a heart cath. So they scheduled the appt and Bop Bop and MeMee called up their darling daughter and comedic son-in-law, in North Carolina, to tell them of their news. The darling daughter wanted immediately to whisk herself down to Florida to be there for her father, but to her dismay, her father told her not to come b/c it was no big deal and was a standard procedure.
The time was approaching when the surgery was to take place, so Bop Bop and MeMee went to have Bop Bop's pre-op done. Blood was drawn, vitals were taken, and information was written down. All was well until a couple hours later, Bop Bop's doctor called to have him come into his office. So Bop Bop zoomed down to his office on his metal dragon. The doctor was astonished at Bop Bop's blood levels so he had them redone. His blood levels were very low so the doctor informed Bop Bop he was to go to the hospital immediately to have a blood transfusion. Once his darling daughter learned of this she was visibly upset and decided to call her hunky brother for support. He immediately went to be with Bop Bop and MeMee. Once information was gathered, he relayed typed messages through a small handheld device. After many blood and platelet transfusions, the diagnosis came to be- Acute Myeogenous Leukemia (AML). Immediately the darling daughter, comedic son-in-law and their two adorable offspring made a dash to Florida.

Bop Bop and MeMee Darling daugher and one offspring

The decision was made: he was to stay in a dungeon and a toxic liquid was to be injected in Bop Bop's vein for 7 straight days, followed by days and days of being ill.

The dungeon walls covered in well wishes

Once the toxic liquid had been stopped, Bop Bop's heart began to beat faster and faster. This concerned his caretaker and he was then transferred to another dungeon.

The other dungeon covered with more than 200 well wishes

Bop Bop Adorable offspring and her loving maid

Adorable offspring visiting and partaking in the dungeon beverages

Once Bop Bop's blood levels were in accordance to the doctor's wishes and he was partaking in the dungeons food, he was then free to return to his home. Oh how this made all the townsmen and townswomen so happy to see Bop Bop return to his home. At his home, he was to continue to heal and take many pills until he was able to go back to the dungeon to have more toxic liquid injected into his veins.

After a many days and nights of doing well, Bop Bop's small pain in his side began to grow. It grew so much, men on white horses came to take him back to the dungeon. The pain turned out to be a small tear in his colon, of which has yet to be resolved. Bop Bop is at home with his beautiful wife MeMee, working, gaining strength and living life as best as he can. Their darling daughter, comedic son-in-law and offspring have returned to North Carolina......... for now!

and the story continues...........

Week with Cadence

2010-04-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

I realize this post is long overdue but this was some of our time with Cadence when she stayed with us while Shaun was having his surgery. I didn't take a lot of pictures of things we did but here are some of what I did catch.

Alot of time was spent outside riding the motorcycle

Adaline clapping

I turned around and this is what I found.... yes that's a computer screen

(notice where they are and where the motorcycle is)

I bought Cadence a dress for Sunday and she wanted Adaline to match (notice Roo's tie)

Overall we had a great week with Cadence, towards the end of the week they starting fighting like brother and sister but that's fine with me, it's bound to happen. We really enjoyed having her and would have her come stay anytime!!!

Playing on the bed

2010-04-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Playing on the bed before getting ready for church

Easter Day

2010-04-05T11:21:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year especially since we now have Adaline to celebrate the holidays with us. She had a great first Easter and was adorable in her Easter dress. Of course Kagan was a handsome little boy as always. The Easter bunny came too which was a big hit with Kagan this year. This is the first year he understands who the Easter bunny is. He decided to put carrots out by his easter basket for the bunny to have a snack. He was worried about the easter bunny slobbering on the table and the bowl but I assured him we could wash the table and bowl, not to worry.

Here they are eating a treat from Memee and Bop Bop

The easter bunny ate all the carrots and left behind some crumbs

then he hid the baskets in the bathtub..... silly easter bunny

ADORABLE!!!!!! but somebody had a hard time staying put

sooo HANDSOME! soooo PRETTY!!

oh geez and there it is!

kagan wanted to take a picture of us

I wanted to get some pictures of them dressed up with their easter baskets but it didn't work out well, didn't have a lot of cooperation from either kid....... imagine that!!

Overall we had a great 1st Easter as a family of four!!!

Easter Fun

2010-04-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Gran and Aunt Tricia came up, so we went to Chris and Ashleigh's to see them and spend the night. The big kids (Cadence and Kagan) dyed easter eggs, put sprinkles on cupcakes, played outside, fought, ate popsicles, tattle-taled and lots of fun 3 yr old things! Adaline and Jane did what babies do, cry, play, crawl, took naps, got into things they shouldn't and lots more.

Friday we went to the park, grilled hotdogs, had an easter egg hunt, and ate cupcakes. We had lots of fun. It was good to see family.

Adaline and Jane getting acquainted

Jane being cute, Missymiss with her blankie

Chris showing Kagan and Cadence how to hook Shaun up to eat

dying easter eggs

Gigi watching

cupcakes

swingin

playing on the playground at the park

hunting easter eggs

Missymiss not so sure about this easter egg thing

Jane and Aunt Tricia (aka Jane's Grammie)

time for cupcakes

cute little shaun

Thanks to Aunt Connie, Jane and Adaline had matching dresses

What a fun time we had!!!

Yet another 1st bday celebration... Chuck E. Cheese

2010-03-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we wanted to have a little celebration for Adaline's birthday with our peeps in North Carolina so we went to Pizza Hut then to Chuck E. Cheese. Cadence, our cousin, is staying with us for a while (this will be explained in a later post), so we loaded up and headed out for our last celebration day. Our friends Dan, Conor and Aubrey joined us for the night. We had some other friends who were suppose to join us but sometimes life gets in the way, which is perfectly fine!

Roo, Missymiss, and Shae ready for some pizza and playtime!!

at Pizza Hut (look how funny Cadence looks in the background)

her new surprised face

opening a present

giving hugs

CHUCK E. CHEESE:

Conor Aubrey

Kagan Cadence

Aubrey Conor

apparently she didn't like the ride

I think she looks like a "Little Person" in this picture

Overall, I think everyone had a great time even the little birthday girl!

Adaline's First Birthday

2010-03-21T18:09:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe our little sweet Adaline is one year old. She has been such a wonderful little addition to our family. I personally have loved putting her in dresses and bows. This brings me back to my childhood when I would play dress-up with my dolls. She is definately my little doll..... but with attitude. She is dramatic, yet she seems to be silly and definately enjoys laughing and being laughed at. She can hold her own with Kagan which is good, she needs too!! She is also a squealer esp when Chris chases her or growls at her, or if Kagan is bothering her she will scream to let him know she doesn't like it. One of her favorite things to do is to empty out her diaper bag, the snack cabinet, or the wipes box. If she can do all three in a day, she's a happy girl :)

Missymiss weighs 20lbs 4oz and is 28 1/2in. She is now (actually she has been for a couple months now) off the bottle and on a sippy cup. She can walk alone but she's still cautious so she likes to hold your finger. She loves animals, esp Tigger our cat. When she sees or hears him "meow", she opens her mouth really wide and a little "meow" comes out of her mouth, she's very cute when she does it. She doesn't eat baby food anymore, she's on to bigger and better things, like big people food. She really likes hot dogs and grapes and lollipops. She thinks she is big stuff when she has a lollipop. She grins from ear to ear while she's eating it.

This is how she began her day, but it got better!

went to Chick-fil-a for dinner and a little playground fun

Time for birthday cake- Funfetti cake with strawberry icing, Cupcake Pebbles, and fruit snacks= diabetic coma

opening a present

Happy 1st Birthday MissyMiss.... we love you very much!!!!

Adaline's 1st Birthday Party

2010-03-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

We had Adaline's 1st bday party a little earlier than her actual birthday. I wanted to have it down in Florida so the family and our friends could be apart also. My grandparents were sweet enough to allow us to use their home for the party. They have a beautiful home with a large fenced in backyard and trees for shade. It happened to be a beautiful day so we decided to take the food outside and enjoy the weather. We ate hotdogs, chips, cheesy buffalo chicken dip, strawberries, and cupcakes.

the cupcakes... bees, butterflies, and ladybugs

ready to parrrrrtay

Adaline eating her hotdog

Adaline enjoyed holding someone's finger and walking around...... poppa grilled the BEST hotdogs!

Ry and Missymiss Terri, Cody and Abby playing with bubbles

Jana walking with Adaline Cali and Jack

Emily D., Caleb, and Kagan writing in the dirt

James playing with Kagan Emily A. and Caleb

Jack playing chase

Tim and Tammy

strikingly handsome, non-threatning teddy bear, my brother Jac

"I'm ready for my cake!!!!!!"

Abby enjoying her cupcake

Cody REALLY enjoying his cupcake

Caleb.... Rylee

tuckered out with Jana

playdoh time..... coffee and chitchat

had a long, fun day.... ready for bed!

She did open presents, I just forgot to include pictures. But overall she had a wonderful day. It was really great to see friends and family again. We sure do miss everyone and we thank you for making Adaline's first birthday a wonderful day!

Almost there.....

2010-03-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Adaline has been walking holding onto our fingers, but for the first time the other night she took 5 steps. So I grabbed the camera and tried to get her to do it again, it's not as many steps but here's what I got!

Jana's baby shower

2010-03-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

We went to Florida for the weekend and threw Jana a baby shower. She is not due till June but I didn't know if I would make it back to Florida before Baby Girl Brya arrives. It was so good to see my friends and their kids. I miss them so much!

My awesome friends: Jana, Terri and Claire!!!

Memee and Missymiss

Jack

playtime

Adaline really enjoyed swinging and she was singing as she was swinging as well, hilarious

Kagan being a gentleman and pushing Cali on the swing.....awwwww

Trying to get a Brya family photo but Cali wasn't cooperating, so Kagan decided to pop into the picture so he could get some cake!!!

couldn't wait for the cake!

can't have a party without a meltdown; Adaline enjoying Memee's cake

Adaline helping Jana and Trent open up gifts

a little wrestle time with good ol buddies, Cali and Cody (although Cody's not in this picture) Abby was just being cute!

the room after the storm; trying to get a mom/daughter picture, someone wasn't cooperating :)

Snow Day

2010-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

Well we had our first real snowfall. The last time it snowed it was more ice than snow plus Kagan was sick that day so we didn't go outside and play. This time was much different. Kagan was well and very excited. He couldn't wait till morning time to go play in the snow. That morning he came into my room, grabbed the remote control and got up in the bed with me. Then he flew off the bed and said "mommy, I have to go see if it snowed enough so I can go play in it", he ran into the living room, looked out the window, came back in my room and said "It snowed, it snowed, can we go play?" So, to say the least he was super excited. After breakfast, we bundled up as good as Floridians know how to bundle up, and played in the snow. Adaline hated it, except when Kagan was chasing us with a snowball, then she giggled; but Roo loved it!! We just wished Chris was off to play with us.

The beginning of the snow fall; Kagan was so excited he had to go outside and "play" in the snow that had collected on the picnic table

the light pole while snow is falling (or could it be orbs aka ghosts??? dum dum dum)

view of the snow when we woke up

ready to go play.......kind of

Adaline DID NOT like the snow!!!

Kagan coming at me with a snowball

Kagan getting ammunition; Cappie enjoyed running and playing too!

our sorry excuse for a snowman, the snow wouldn't compact together, of course I was doing it with one hand b/c Adaline wouldn't let me put her back down in the snow

so I know I'm from Florida but I thought the icicles coming out of the waterspout was neat; the other picture is a view from the garage as the snow was melting, slush and snow

shoveling snow is always fun

footprints made by Tigger

I thought Roo's Handy Manny shoeprint was cool looking in the snow

Random pictures

2010-02-11T09:39:00.001-08:00

I thought he was cute being a robot with my slippers on but he didn't want his picture taken so I told him he didn't have to look at the camera

this horse didn't work but he played on it anyways

she found pieces of Kagan's poptart on the floor, yes I let her eat it...just look at that face, she's so proud of herself

playing at Extreme Play

she found the snack cabinet...yes those are marshmallows all over the floor

pink eye

taking a shower

My little Angelina Jolie

2010-02-10T11:10:00.001-08:00

Adaline has her first busted lip. She was standing behind Roo holding onto his shoulders and he threw his head backwards and busted her in the mouth. Oh it bled and bled, so we had her suck on a wet cloth and an ice pack. After a while she calmed down and I was able to examine her mouth to make sure it was just her lip and not her teeth.

The swelling has gone down now and all is well except a little cut on her lip.

we gave her a little ice pack to chew on, which seem to really help

remembering that it still hurts....

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

On Super Bowl Sunday the team (minus me, Christa) dressed up in their Colts gear and went to church. I went to church but I don't anything nice enough with the Colts on it to wear to church.

We went over to The Oedy's house to watch the SuperBowl and had a great time. Unfortunately the Colts did not win but we supported them anyhow!

Cupcakes and the kids playing

Sisterly Love

2010-02-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of Adaline giving sisterly love!

Walking with stroller

2010-01-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of Adaline walking with her stroller.

Trip to Indiana

2010-01-21T07:54:00.001-08:00

Chris' Great Uncle George passed away this past week, so last Wednesday night we decided to drive up to Indiana for the Viewing on Friday night and the Funeral service on Saturday morning. While there, Kagan and Adaline got to meet some of Chris' family and see some snow.

On the way up, we meet Chris' parents, Mamaw and Papaw, in TN, and let Roo ride with them (chuckle chuckle). We turned Adaline's seat forward so I could move my seat back a little to make it more comfortable for my back (I'm old). And so we ventured on to Jeremy and Ghea's house.

Adaline amused herself without Roo there to amuse her :)

A frozen pond and snow

Roo is in that big buck (aka truck)

On the way to the Funeral. Chris' Aunt Darlene, Uncle Rick and cousin Wendy so graciously watched the kids at their house while the adults went to the funeral.

After the funeral, the church provided lunch for the family members so we picked the kids up so they could eat with us.

So proud of their ties :)

Car ride

Playing in the snow.....

Cappie even enjoyed the snow........ for some reason, I never thought about putting Adaline in the snow, I would have loved to see her reaction.

Roo and JD had a good time playing together

Always enjoy some good rest and relaxation

always enjoy some Mamaw time

I've always seen pictures or heard of the Amish horse and buggy but this is the first time I've seen it in person. (look past modern day technology to see the buggy and the horse's butt)

One of the many drives......... thank you Ashleigh for letting us use the DVD player, what a life saver

A little more rest...

"fixin" the wall

eating out of the dog bowl...... just a couple things we did in Indiana!

While we were there, we also spent some time with Chris' friends Joe and Jen Leasure. Sorry guys, I'm sure your house will never be the same!!! Thanks for letting us stay! And we also got to see my friends Carrie, Luke and Sydney (I worked with Carrie at Disney and she was my maid of honor). So good to catch up with friends, its as if we picked up where we left off. Those are the best kind of friends. Even though you may not talk all the time, you still know they are there for you when you need them!!

Despite the reason why we were there, we really had a wonderful time seeing family and friends. I had the honor of meeting Uncle George only a couple of times, for which I am grateful. He always had a smile on his face and an encouraging word. He was a Godly man and he will be missed!

We love you Uncle George, see ya in Heaven!!

Adaline's peppermint stick

2010-01-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

Adaline had her first peppermint stick tonight and she thought she was something. She was so cute I got some video of her. Hope you enjoy!

Also she is doing really good with her sign language. She can now do "all done" and "more" and I really haven't been working that hard on it with her. Only about 2 wks so she has caught on fast. She is also waving now and will clap randomly (mostly when she feels the beat from the music). She is trying to talk more and we think she says "kagan" but she wont' say it when we ask her too, of course. She will also kiss her baby when we tell her too. She's sweet.

Haircut

2010-01-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

I was trying to let Roo's hair grow out to see what it would do, but all it was doing was looking flat in the back and out of control everywhere else. So.....I decided to save us some money and cut his hair myself....... here are the results...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Doesn't look too bad; at least his hair looks better than Cappie's ever does when I cut it :)

A little info......

2009-12-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

Thought I would write a little update just to let everyone know Adaline has 3 front teeth now and the 4th one should be making it's appearance anyday now!!! Today she also said "baby" for the first time. Also, I am in the process of posting pics of Christmas but I have posted some on facebook as well! I'm hoping to get them on the blog in the next two days since Chris is off. Happy New Years!!!