Hope your Christmas was Merry and that your New Year is Happy!

I did not have a chance to post before Christmas so I wanted to pop in and say that I hope you had a good one. Ours was great! Allison loved opening her presents - and helping everyone else open theirs. We had Christmas morning together (Ernie, Allison, Nicholas, and me) and Christmas afternoon with Lisa, Scotty, and Chelsea. Then we went to Ernie's parents' for dinner and Christmas with his brother, his wife, and their two little ones. Now when it's time to go to his parents' house, Allison thinks we are going to open more presents. :)

Ernie and I had a nice gift exchange. He is very a thoughtful person. He gave me a scrapbooking calendar, snowman coasters, a new winter (snowman) sweater and an LSU quilted throw. The LSU throw was a big surprise because he and his family are Mississippi State Alumni. I don't know how long it will take him to tell his family that he bought something purple and gold! BUT, the bigger surprise was the pair of diamond solitaire earrings that were in my stocking. They are beautiful!

He received a new basketball goal (and ball, of course), some new shirts and a bucket from the Tabasco store with different Tabasco flavored snacks.

The kids' big gifts were a new kitchen for Allison (which she plays with constantly) and a new basketball goal for Nick. There were new books, new clothes, and new toys that were bestowed upon them by everyone. They have tried them all out and are enjoying their new treasures.

Lisa and I are excited that our Dad is coming in tomorrow for a visit. I haven't seen him since late July and Lisa hasn't seen him since Feb. or March. We are looking forward to spending some time with him.

One more thing - Happy 60th birthday Mom!! What joy you bring to us!

Hidden Treasure

Today I have been picking up around the house. And I mean really picking up. I've cleaned off the pool table (it is centrally located in our house and is a huge "I'll put this away later" magnet), sorted the magazines and catalogs in my magazine basket and various other tasks. The thing about doing this is what hidden treasures I find that the kids have left behind. I found "bouncy balls" trapped between table legs and the wall, the powdered sugar shaker under my scrapbooking table and a few odds and ends in the pockets of the pool table. I have learned to occassionally check the latter. Allison has taken to putting things in the pool table pockets. I have found rubber stamps, a small cement mixer truck, a sippee cup (thankfully it was one from that day!), and Nick's pacifiers to name a few things. (More on the various locations of Nick's pacifiers in another post). My slippers have their mate again at the foot of my bed and later today, I will put the pieces of various toys back with their friends in each of the kids' rooms. Right now it's on to the laundry that was covering our bedroom floor (and I do mean covering - almost serving as another layer of flooring)...more later...

A Day In The Life...

Today was a little busy, though a little backwards than what I had planned. Why I still try to "plan" my days with two toddlers is beyond me.

Nicholas slept till 10:30 am this morning. (He went to sleep around 8:30 last night.) My plan was to get everyone dressed and get bulletin boards at church done this morning. Well, instead of being able to leave around 8:00 or 9:00 am, I left at 12:30 pm. The boards are complete and the church bulletins are "stuffed." This frees up my Saturday morning and I am pleased about that. This left me with lots of time to get a few things done around the house this morning. Why I bother picking up after two toddlers...again...beyond me. I try to take the advice of my good friend Kim who told me not to bother trying to clean unless company's coming. But I just can't function unless the kitchen is clean. If the kitchen is clean, all is well in my world and I can go on about my day.

Allison is providing a running commentary on the world around her. She tells me that the inflatable Santa in someone's front yard has a "Party hat" on. She lets me know when we pass a "big truck" or a "big yellow bus." She lets me know when Nick is crying, when he falls, and even when she pushes him over ("Alli push Nick, Momma.") She asks for her "Sa, Chelsea, Scotty" quite often during the day. When I say, "They are not here", she lets me know where they all are. "Sa is at work, Chelsea soccer, Scotty working." ("Sa" is her aunt Lisa, by the way, and her favorite person EVER.) She even tells me her daddy is at the office and that she wants to go to see him there. (I want to go see him there, too - he's at the office quite a bit these days.) He works hard and we appreciate him. And she is a sweet and funny little girl and I thank God for her daily.

I'm not sure why I called this "A Day In The Life" because tomorrow will surely be different! But I pray to wake up in the morning and do it all again (though probably not in this order!)

Happy Anniversary Ernie!

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary. Where does the time go?! It has been a blessing to be with Ernie during the last 6 years (one year of dating and 5 years of marriage). He is sweet, patient, funny!, and so loving. He made reservations at Kiva's for tonight as a surprise for me. We went to Kiva's the night we got engaged. We were going to eat there after our wedding (read: we didn't get to eat at the reception) :), but it wasn't open for the evening yet, so we ate at J. Alexander's. We still had a nice meal and quiet time together after the wedding and we made the server cry when she found out we had just been married. :)

Thank you, Ernie, for 5 great years of marriage! I am looking forward to so many more!

On another note, our beautiful niece Chelsea was baptized by her daddy last night! We are so thrilled and happy for her. I know that she has been in thought and prayer for a while now, so I feel confident that she was ready. We are so proud!! We love you Sunshine!

Nicholas is 1!

Our sweet Nicholas had his 1st birthday last week. He turned one on November 2. We had his party on Saturday, November 4. It was a "construction" theme, complete with yellow caution tape, a Tonka truck table cloth and birthday cake. He made a total mess with his "smash" cake. He was covered in icing and he loved every minute of it! He received lots of "boy" themed toys - a fire truck, a dump truck, a robot, a Leapster learning drum, and much more. We are truly blessed to have him and a family that loves him as much as we do.

Early October

Well, it's early October and it is finally beginning to feel like fall. I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. We have been busy, but things have also been pretty normal. I had a brief sinus infection. I didn't wait around for it to get worse. I recognized the symptoms and went to the doctor. I have two very busy little ones and not a lot of time to be sick.

The kids are doing really well. Allison is really talking these days. She is very interested in all of the Halloween decorations that are everywhere when we go shopping. I've never really been much of a Halloween person, just a few candy dishes here and there. But with Allison being interested, I have picked up a few things. We now have Pumpkin hand towels and a cute set with a spider that has "googly" eyes on it. I have also ordered their costumes. Allison is going to be Minnie Mouse (her choice) and Nicholas will be Mickey Mouse. We are actually going to have a few opportunities to dress them up and take them out. It will be interesting to see Allison's reaction to it all. If she catches on to Halloween like she did at the Easter egg hunt, we are in for some smiles!

Nicholas is cruising the furniture. The popular opinion seems to be that he will be walking by his first birthday, which happens to be approaching very quickly. We are going to have a construction themed party. We are looking forward to celebrating his first birthday. I can't believe that it has been almost a year since he was born. So much has happened in such a short time. We thank God everyday that we have him. He is a sweet and HAPPY little boy.

I have started teaching again on Wednesday nights at church. Actually, I am a teacher's helper in the 4 & 5 year old class. Allison has a Bible class on Wednesday nights, so I wanted to get back into the swing of things on Wednesday nights at church.

I am happy to have found a few "behind the scenes" things I can volunteer for at church. In volunteering for a few different things at different times, I have found that my gift is to be in the background. And that is OK with me. I'm not comfortable in front of a lot of people, nor do I feel the need to be recognized. I just enjoy doing the little things.

Lisa and Scotty are busy with work and Chelsea's soccer schedule. My Gran-mom (mom's mother) is recuperating from back surgery, and Meg's dad has had his share of health problems. A new doctor is on the scene though, so things might be looking up for him very soon. Mom is in Illinois to be with Gran-mom. She will pass back through here on her way home. Dad has started a new job in photography. I know he's glad to be back behind the camera. Our sister-on-law will be in for a week at the end of the month. That means lots of playing time for Allison and Nicholas with their cousins. It is shaping up to be a busy month. I will try to be more diligent about posting and keeping up with it all.

Where Do I Begin?

It's been a busy couple of weeks since I last posted. Both kids have been sick (at the same time). Allison is on the mend from a sinus infection and Nicholas is on the mend from a pretty bad cold. He did not sleep for more than two hours at a time for about 5 days. He was so congested, he couldn't get comfortable. He slept on us in a sitting position quite a few times during that week.

Other than that, Lisa, my friend Kim, and I had a scrapbooking night last Saturday. I got a few more pages completed in Allison's baby book. Ernie is busy with work. He seems to get caught up and the phone rings again. But he is hanging in there.

I have been working with Kim and Tanya to prepare for the upcoming Ministry Expo at church. We will have a table set up with information about the nursery ministry. We also have a little treat to hand out to the nursery volunteers. I am looking forward to it.

I went to a Stampin' Up stamp-a-stack last night and made some very cute cards. It is so handy to have the cards when you need them, and I really enjoy the creative process of stamping. I do miss Hallmark though, and I'm sure their corporate accounting department is wondering where I am. :)

Rocking Chairs

I love rocking my babies. It is a quiet, relaxing time for us. Allison was out of the rocking mode for a while. Actually, Ernie suggested that we stop rocking her when she was about 7 months old. "Stop rocking her?", I asked. "But she's my baby!" "We may not get to have another one!" But in the end, he was right. She fell asleep much sooner in her comfortable bed than she did fighting me to the finish. (And God did give us another baby). Now she knows when we tell her it's close to bed time, that it is time to "rax" (relax). We get her favorite clutch blanket (her "duck") and her favorite blanket (her "bears") and we sit together for a few minutes. She either sits with me or Ernie on the couch or in the recliner (her choice, of course) and we snuggle for a little while.

Then, there's Nicholas. Our sweet boy was born 7 weeks early and I didn't get to hold him until he was four days old. It just so happened to be the day that I left the hospital, but he would be in for another 2 1/2 weeks. We got to hold him more and more while he was in the hospital and getting stronger. Then came the night before he came home and I got to spend the night with him in the hospital. I was the one who cared for him overnight. It was a feeling I will never forget. He wanted to rock and snuggle a little longer than Allison did. However, now you have to sit with him in just the right position or he knows that you are trying to get him to sleep. Sometimes it's too much of a fight and we just have to put him in his bed. We often end up going back in to get him (because he's crying) and we try sitting with him again. This time though, it works. We get his favorite blanket, he wraps his arm around it and lets himself relax. We rock, his little head falls to one side, his big blue eyes flutter and he goes to sleep.

Is there anything more peaceful than watching your babies sleep? Even though we've put them to bed and I know they are OK, I cannot go to sleep without checking on them one more time. Are they covered up? Are they comfortable? I say a prayer for God to keep them safe through another night.

I know they won't remember these times, but I hope it gives them a sense of peace and security. I hope they know that we love them beyond measure. And one day I will tell them about our special, quiet times in the rocking chair.

Quiet Time

I have some rare quiet time in the house at the moment, so I thought I would put up a quick post. Both babies went to bed willingly (!) (of course, Nick was taking one last bottle when he fell asleep) and Ernie had to run back to the office. The power went out this evening and he forgot he had one more thing to do.

It has been a busy couple of days. Allison is feeling better as far as the whole virus issue we were having, but now she has a little summer cold. It's not bad enough to slow her down though! She is such a sweet girl. She continually amazes me with new words and her understanding of things. She is a joy and a light in our lives. Nicholas is getting better and quicker at what someone dubbed his "bear crawl." He is also pulling up every chance he gets.

On a sadder note, Scotty's uncle passed away last Thursday. It was a tremendous loss to their family. I only had a few opportunities to spend time with Lee Bangs. But the times I did see him were times of laughter and smiles. I know that he will be greatly missed, but fondly remembered.

Today we spent some time with the Mommy & Me crowd. We've been getting together on Mondays this summer. We went to Chic-Fil-A for playtime and lunch. I think Chic-Fil-A was the choice because they have a nice indoor play center. How old am I?! I am choosing places to eat and play based on how nice the indoor play center is! I don't feel as old when we do things like go to the zoo, let the kids play in the gym at the Christian Student Center, or meet at someone's house. Those things seem to make sense for Mommy & me outings. But I have to tell you, when I was sitting in Chic-Fil-A today, I felt old! But I digress...

It is 9:30 now and time to start getting ready for bed. (See I told you that I am getting old!)

Date Night

Well, Ernie and I were able to go on a date Saturday night. We went to see a movie (Talladaga Nights - surprisingly funny) and then we had a nice dinner together. Of course, we went to Sunday School and church on Sunday. Lisa, Scotty, and Chelsea came over for lunch afterwards. It's always fun to have them over. The hard part is when they leave. (Allison isn't much on letting Chelsea go). Then later that evening, it happened...Allison had another yucky diaper. We got her all cleaned up and ready for bed (which didn't happen till 11:45 pm). Ernie is such a big help with our children. We literally took turns trying to get Allison to sleep. I think it was a combination of her being over-tired and not feeling well. We are staying home from Mommy & me this morning, and I am wiping down everything I can think of with Clorox wipes. Hopefully, some "down time", a bland diet, and some Gatorade for a couple of days will have things back in order.

I am looking forward to meeting my friends, Tanya and Kim, for some fellowship time at CC's Coffee House tonight. They have asked me to join them in helping with the church nursery. We are going to brainstorm over hot chocolate, coffee, and really big, yummy cookies.

Sort of a Bummer...
Well, this really won't be a great first blog. Allison seems to have a portion of the dreaded virus that is going around. It started with a day and a half of fever and was topped off by a dreadful diaper this afternoon. There has only been one of those so far...knock on wood. Looking back on this week, she probably started feeling bad Tuesday afternoon. She sort of acts out when she is sick. But she is also two, so it's hard to tell some days whether she is sick or whether she is just two. She's a sweetie anyway.
Nicholas is getting the hang of crawling. He's pretty quick! And what's really funny is he crawls on his hands and the bottoms of his feet. It's almost like he needs to figure out to use his hands to push himself up and he would be standing. It is quite a sight. He has started to pull up to the standing position on furniture in the last two days or so. He is going to be off to the races before I know it! Oh, and the other thing he is doing is dancing. I need to get that on video soon. He knows how to make certain toys play music and he will do so repeatedly and just bounce up and down. He is such a joy and I thank God daily for the miracle that he is.
That's about it for now. We are looking forward to the weekend. Pending Allison's health, Ernie and I have a date on Saturday night. Woo Hoo! :)

I've done it! I've jumped on the blogging band wagon. I have been reading other people's posts for months now, maybe even a year. I have been thinking recently of starting my own, so here it is. I will do my best to update often (hopefully, not "too often").

I've always enjoyed writing, but haven't done it for quite some time. I think this will be a little weird at first - sort of like someone reading your journal, but I also think I will enjoy it. It will be yet another creative outlet for me. (Some of my other outlets include stamping and scrap booking.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I will enjoy posting.