THOMPSON TOWNE

Oh.....time.....where does it go?

2012-01-27T16:37:00.005-05:00

Holy cow.

I don't work 5 days a week anymore....only 3.

I don't have a child requiring all of my attention anymore.....she has a playmate.

I don't have an old camera anymore......I have a much fancier one.

I don't update my blog anymore.......ummmmm......

What's my excuse?

Pure laziness.

I must confess.

I have a friend with THREE children who manages a perfect blog with frequent updates (you know who you are)....why can't I do it too?

However, now that I don't worry about Kennedy killing herself by falling down the stairs as much and I consider Lily to be fully grown at this point, I should take the time to come downstairs and update my pictures and the adorable lives of my sweet, sweet girls.

If uploading pictures is just too much to handle, then perhaps I should turn this into a collection of love letters for Lily and Kennedy. I've experienced so many wonderful, out-of-body, tears-to-the-eyes moments lately which are promptly followed by a period of chastizing myself for not being a better record keeper of these two precious lives.

So here it goes.....my first one:

Dear Lily Bug,

You are a pistol and I love it!

I love and hate how you can say octupus correctly now. No more "opatuses" around.

I love how I am able to sit down with you, get you to look in my eyes, and reason with you. Yes, I know you're only three, but if I'm able to calmly discuss the rationale for not grabbing things from other people or hitting your parents or taking a Sharpie marker to the inside of mommy's car....you are actually able to listen and comprehend.

Perhaps you're fooling me which is highly possible, but I'm a sucker and I believe.

I love listening to you sing songs. Every. Single. Song. Of. Every. Single. Movie. You've. Ever. Seen. Your memory amazes me. You don't even need to be watching the movie to bust out a tune. One of your faves from a cd is "Paw Paw Patch" which I had to completely ruin one day to get you to sit on the freaking toilet by singing "Poo Poo Patch."

Hey, it worked. You did what you needed to do.

I'll continue to contribute to your potty humor if I have to.

I'm not ashamed.

I love how everyone is your "friend."

"Hey, friend!"

"HEY!"

"FRIEND!"

"Come play with me!"

You can be a bit bossy but, of all people, I get it.

More than anything, I absolutely adore the constant, unsolicited "I love yous" you give out to me, to Kennedy, to Bear and especially to your sweet Daddy. Out of the blue you will proclaim your love to all of us which is so incredibly sweet and sometimes your timing is impecable. Such as when you've "accidentally" spilled something or when you "didn't mean to" push your sister down or when you've had an accident in your pants.

I'll take the sweet-nothings all the same.

You have my heart.

You ARE my heart.

And I love every single bit of your being.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Kennedy,

You are my child.

You are DEFINITELY my child.

I love your goofiness. You will be doing something you're not supposed to be doing and look at me with the most heart-melting smile and end it with a bit of a giggle. This is probably why you've been allowed to crawl all over the coffee table but Lily never was.

I love how snuggly you are. You can't just sit next to us.

You have to sit ON us.

And when we hold you, you bury your sweet face into the nape of our necks.

There's just nothing better.

I also love to listen to you sing....."Doo Dah, Doo Dah, Doo Dah."

AKA "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King.

However, when I try to join in you look at me, hold your hand up and say, "BOP!" (Stop.)

I love how you love your big sister. You look for her in the mornings. You follow her around throughout the day and you love to play chase. Oh and how she loves you, my sweet girl. Lily gives you kisses and will ask for hugs. Of course you run to her with open arms and you two embrace each other. It's such a quick action that I have yet to capture it on tape.

(Sometimes I feel like a photographer/videographer for the Discovery Channel.)

I love that you're so independent. You like playing with and following around after Lily but you have always been able to entertain yourself. You know what you like and you'll go after it.

If Lily were to take it from you, you let her know she should have thought twice.

And I don't stop you.

You are the absolutely perfect completion to this family and we never even question what if.....because you were meant for us.

Life just would not be the same.

I love you with all that I am.

Love,

Mommy

Sorry

2011-04-25T09:33:00.009-04:00

Okay....so things have been busy.
What about during nap time?
Well.....I have to do laundry.
What about after you put them to sleep?
So....I've picked up this new hobby.....knitting!
WE NEED TO SEE PICTURES OF THE KIDS!!!!

Done.
They're in reverse chronological order (for the most part) so start at the very bottom and work your way up.

I've tried to hit the highlights......Houston for Halloween (yes, I flew alone.....with a 20 month old and an 8 weeker.....I don't recommend it).........pumpkin patch........Christmas at home.........Lily turns 2..........Kennedy sits up and smiles (all the time!)...........Wendy and Morgan visit for Easter.

I'll try my best to stay on top of things this time around.
Enjoy!

Oh....Where to Begin....

2010-10-22T19:56:00.002-04:00

I'm still in the midst of trying to figure out how to make my pictures smaller before uploading them onto the blog. My new camera is totally awesome but that awesomeness comes with some hefty byte sizes. I might have to resort to actually reading the instruction manual. Anyhow....back to business:

Where shall I begin?
Should I start with how much Lily absolutely loves and adores her little sister?
Or how about how much fun I'm having with my two perfect angels (wink, wink) and how hard it's going to be to go back to work?

These past two months have flown by thanks to a lot of visitors and a lot of help. Nana was here for the first two weeks followed by Aunt Wendy then Aunt Betsy and ended with Auntie Sa. I don't think I would have been able to do it without everyone pitching in to entertain the Lilster, so thank you!

Now it's finally fall and the weather has cooled off! I've been getting out of the house with the Thompson Twosome quite frequently and probably earlier than I should have with Kennedy. However, have you tried to stay cooped up in the house with a 21 month old who has ants in her pants? Sure I got looks when Kennedy showed up at the park. And I'm sure I was judged at the pumpkin patch carrying a newborn around. Whatevs. Mommy needs to get out too and winter will be here before we know it when we really can't get out as much. (DREADFUL to think about.) Even though it's fall, it's still summer of sorts around here: The days are long and fun, nights are short and things definitely get heated throughout the day.

Kennedy had her one month check up and we are most pleased to be able to call her Normal Head Thompson (instead of Big Head like the three of us). 50th percentile for head size and 95th for height and weight. She's sleeping anywhere from four to six hours at night and we're able to lay her down awake which she does pretty well with. She's a good eater, has started smiling (mostly for her father) and doesn't pull of her bows.

Lily.....What can I say about Lily. She's a mess. She's a perfectly hilarious, stubbornly defiant three year old stuck in a 21 month old body. I know I've said it before, but it's true. She still has her father COMPLETELY wrapped around her fingers and toes. It doesn't help the situation when she looks up him as he's putting her to bed, grabs his face with her hands, kisses him and says, "Night night, Daddy. I love you." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! Yet all day the only thing that seems to come out of her mouth is, "No." "NOOOOOOO." And she proceeds to throw herself on the ground and kick. (Probably doesn't help the situation that I laugh and turn the other way.) It's a phase. It's a phase. It's a phase. It's a phase.
Her vocabulary is CRAZY!!! Thanks to Nana, cars are "car comings." She'll say bus and truck but "car coming" applies to everything else, stationary or not, in a picture or on the road. Thanks, Mom. :-) She also has an insane memory (not sure where she would have gotten that from) that continues to baffle us. She's able to count to eleven and will repeat you up to twenty. We're working on the ABC's right now. Again, perfect example.......all letters are "D! For Daddy!" Seriously?

Some things I've learned over these last eight weeks:
1. Since you wet your toothbrush with water in the sink, it makes complete sense to dip it in the toilet.

2. Poop can really travel up to someone's shoulder....on one side.....multiple times.

3. The above can happen to two kids in one day.

4. Toddlers can memorize movie lines when they watch the same movie 579 times.

5. Stressing over flying alone with the two girls makes the date of travel come sooner. (We leave for Houston on Tuesday!!!)

Once I get the camera/picture thing figured out, I'll put some up.

Work in Progress

2010-10-22T07:46:00.001-04:00

So sorry for the delay.....
Trying to figure out how to make my pictures smaller so they don't take up so much space. AF, do you have any tips? (We have the same camera, I think.)
More to follow....

She's Here!!!

2010-09-04T21:10:00.008-04:00

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
6:40am: leave for Piedmont Hospital
7:20am: check into L&D room 15....same as Lily's delivery!
8:30am: Pitocin drip started
11am: epidural started (and what a wonderful thing that is!)
2pm: 9cm
3:15pm: 10 cm but have to wait on the doctor to finish a consent with another patient
3:45pm: start pushing
4pm: Kennedy's arrival!!!

All in all, it was a fantastic day! Things were much smoother and more controlled this time around than with Lily. John, the father who can't stand the sight of blood or needles or roller coasters, actually cut the cord. (I was honestly impressed that he didn't pass out.)

She weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 2.4 oz and 21.75 inches long! BIG GIRL! We kept hearing from nurses that they haven't seen a girl that size in months! Once we were discharged, her weight was 8 lbs 13 oz but she's on the rise......One week later at the doctor's visit she was back up to 9 lbs and 22 inches. She's a good eater AND a good sleeper! I'm very thankful to be getting some sleep this past week.

One of our last pictures as a family of three

Leaving for the hospital to meet Kennedy

The newest addition!

Meeting Tornado Thompson, I mean Lily, for the first time.

I think this was taken BEFORE the elbow to the head incident.

Not sure she wants to go home with us perhaps?

Big sister Lily eating lunch and checking out the baby

When I said there would be bows.....

Now I feel like our little family is complete and all I can say is...

Over the past week, Kennedy has proven herself to truly be the most perfect newborn anyone could ask for. She seems to only cry when she's hungry (she'll snort, too), needs her diaper changed or if she needs help passing a gas bubble. She's insanely easy to soothe and she's just about the most gorgeous baby I think I've ever seen. (All bias aside, of course.)

Lily is adjusting very well and has only had a couple of "moments." It really helps to have my mom here who is keeping Lily very occupied and letting me have my time with Kennedy. However, she's only here for one more week and I'm starting to get worried! The Lilster kisses her sister and is always asking about her and tries to "make things better" for her by stuffing the pacifier in her mouth or throwing a blanket over her. She can even say her name! "Kenne-knees" Very cute!

Taking her sweet time...

2010-08-27T17:39:00.003-04:00

Pay no attention to the ticker above for Kennedy. I must have entered the dates wrong because today was supposed to be THE DAY.

No luck despite trying to do it all....

Eating pineapple.
Eating spicy sausage.
Walking (only a little because it hurts a bit.....you've seen the picture).
Eggplant parmesan.
Full moon.
And, yes, even that other thing that involves John. We don't get into THAT.

Therefore, I'm scheduled to be induced on Tuesday morning.
August 31st, 2010.
I can do it!!!
I can make it!!!
I'm really trying to convince myself!!!

Summer Fun

2010-08-23T20:45:00.005-04:00

As you can tell from the first picture (not meant to focus on my double chin), Kennedy should be making an appearance any day now. She's definitely knocking but the door's not opening. I'm predicting the next post won't be for awhile and will include our newest, sweet addition. Wish us luck!

Having fun with Daddy and the sprinkler

Getting to visit with Nelson and Bradley again!

We got to celebrate a belated first birthday with our buddy Bryson.

Isn't he soooo cute?!?!?!

Bryson didn't really "dig in" to his cake so Lily had to show him how it's done

Lately she's been sporting the Justin Bieber "do," but fortunately the babysitter is able to do something about it every now and then. Lily actually kept in the pigtails all afternoon!

Nana Camp

2010-08-05T20:08:00.006-04:00

The following is a long overdue posting.
Most of it is from late July while John was in Alaska and Nana and Papa came to help with the Lilster. In the midst of it all, I was given an extraordinarily generous gift from my work buddies which allowed me to finally purchase a real, grown-up camera! I've been intimidated by it so it's taken me this long to download the pictures.
Enjoy!

Things that happen when Nana visits....

What do a pregnant mommy and a toddler do while daddy is away for a week???

We invite Nana and Papa to come visit and take care of us, of course!

Things we did: (and when I say "we," I mean "they")

1. Hung fans in the girls' rooms

2. Started to transition Lily into her big girl bed which included picking her up off the floor in the middle of night because she had fallen out.

3. Took Lily to get her first haircut.

4. Emptied out Kennedy's room to be ready for set up.

5. Filled Lily's room with big girl furniture!

6. Hung swings from our tree in the backyard. (When Lily wants to be pushed, she says, "I want some."

7. Had a clean house all week long.

It was loads of fun!
"Thank you" doesn't even cover it, Nana and Papa. You two are the hardest working grandparents I've ever seen and we truly appreciate it and never want to take advantage of it......well......unless I'm 9 months pregnant.

All in all, it was another week where I crammed in a lot of "firsts" for Lily. Big girl bed, haircut, new furniture, swing, and I think there may have been something else. I don't seem to be capable of spreading these things out, so wish me luck when I start trying to potty train her when I bring Kennedy home.

Alaskan Angler

2010-08-04T20:27:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time there was a man named Ken. Ken was a smart man. He lived in a beautifully frigid place called Alaska during the summer and in a hot mess called Atlanta during the winter.

Ken met a boy at work named John and invited him to Alaska to go fishing. He told many tales of bears and whales, crabs and fish. Not to mention the heaven on earth scenery that surrounds his little cabin on a piece of land called Admiralty Island.

This boy, John, invited two of his friends to join him on this exciting excursion to the Alaskan outback for some "real" fishing. Todd and Tim jumped on board and the three of them took off early one Friday morning. After stopping in Cincinnati and Seattle, the men (and I use that term loosely) finally landed in Juneau, Alaska where it was only 54 degrees and rainy. Fortunately for the boy named John who is fearful of roller coasters and little planes and scary movies and ..., they had to take the hour long boat ride to the island instead of the floater plane which only takes 15-20 minutes.

Let the fishing begin! They fished and fished and fished and caught an octupus. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because octupus is the ideal bait for an ugly yet yummy fish called hallibut. The next day they couldn't get the fish on the boat fast enough! It was a clear day, 65 degrees and not another boat in sight. Just a bunch of whales breeching and feeding along with good company on the boat.

Once it was time to head back into the "big city" of Juneau, one of the "men" suggested they go see the glacier. Why do it the way normal tourists do it when you have free access to a floater plane? Yes, Johnny Boy got strapped in and even sat in the front seat for a bird's eye view of something you don't get to see everyday.

Everyone made it home safely and soundly and lived happily ever after with about 100 pounds of fish in our freezer.

The most handsome fisherman in Alaska
Tim, John, Todd

A look of excitement or fear?

Baby #2

2010-07-18T20:36:00.004-04:00

Dear Kennedy,

While I'm in the letter writing mood, I thought it appropriate and important to address you, too. I have not given you adequate blog time over the past 8+ months and for that I am deeply sorry. There are many excuses I could list here for you that you won't understand until you're much older but let's just start fresh.

You are my baby baby. More than likely, my last baby.
I plan to hold you much more than I held your sister and I plan to love you till the cows come home. I can't wait to see your beautiful face and look into your perfect eyes and count all your fingers and toes while listening to you gurgle and coo.

I love having you with me each and every second because I know you're safe and being taken care of. I fear the day I have to leave you behind, separated from me on your own for the first time. Just know there will always be a piece of you and your sister with me wherever I go and that I'll never be too far away.

I can't wait to see you wear bows, dress you in frills and play dress up all for a little tea party with me and Lily. The girls. Daddy's girls. You cannot even imagine what an excellent father you have here waiting to meet you, Kennedy. You already amaze him with your active tootsies and your consistent hiccups. I think he's a little bit scared (as am I) about having you and Lily all to himself two days each week, but he's going to be just fine. I'm actually more concerned that you all will end up enjoying those two days more than the four I'm planning to spend with you!

You are a sweet, little soul who I can't wait to meet and hold and kiss on. I dream of the day the nurses bring you to my bedside and hold your anklet up to my wristband to listen to the little lullabye that indicates YOU are MY baby. There won't be a better feeling in the world!

I love you, baby girl! Keep growing. Keep getting stronger. You've got quite the big sister to contend with at home.

18 months and counting...

2010-07-18T20:24:00.003-04:00

Here are Lily Grace's latest specs:

Weight: 24 pounds (50th percentile)
Height: 34 inches (95th percentile)
Head: priceless (literally off the charts) **I don't think there are enough chocolate Teddy Grahams in this world to apologize for this physical attribute, baby girl.**

It just means lots of brains, right?
Must be the case because her vocabulary strengthens everyday! Thanks to her father she has recently mastered the art of telling you where her butt is.

I would say she's exceeding 50 words and is definitely starting to put things together:
"Bye bye, Troy's dada."
"Ready go bye bye."
"Sit down, dada/mama/Bear."

Of course she can also identify animals and people in pictures and can recite what the animals say. Sometimes the praying mantis and/or hippo are called "mommy" (with a giggle) but other than that, she's usually right on.

Likes:
playing in water (pool, bath)
cold pizza
bagels, eggs, BLUEBERRIES
books
going to the tennis courts with daddy
tv (much to my dismay, she's a remote hog and loves her cartoons)

Dislikes:
getting out of the bathtub
going inside after playing outside
diaper changes are a hit or miss
brushing her teeth
anything I do to piss her off (i.e. hug and kiss John while saying, "MY, daddy." That doesn't go over too well.)

Contradiction:
She loves her baths but hates being bathed. Go figure.

Cheers to another fun 18 months!!!

How do I love thee....

2010-07-10T12:33:00.008-04:00

Dear Lily,

I love you times 18 months.

78 weeks.

547 days.

A ton of hours and minutes.

And about a gazillion hugs and kisses.

...plus infinity.

I love how you know what most animals "say." Moo and ah-ah-ah being your favorites.

I love how you can say apple and duck and milk clear as a bell but you refer to butterflies and flowers as "ah-flies."

I love how you know what you want (when you want it) and how angry you get when mommy's ESP fails you.

I love the way you get irritated and throw your hands over your eyes, stomp your feet and try to cry as if to say, "This is too complicated! I can't take this anymore! It's so hard living with you people!"

I love how just singing the first few notes of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" makes you grin from ear to ear.

I love how good you are with your daddy that it makes him call me at work to ask, "How did this child become so perfect?"

I love your sideways glance and smirky little grin that tells me you're about to feed the dog your dinner........again.

I love when I find you in your room quietly sitting in the rocking chair listening to your music as you thumb through a book.

I love how you ask to see your "sissy" and give her kisses through my tummy and also how you very clearly let me know when you're not that interested in discussing anything at all about "sissy."

I love how your right thumb automatically inserts itself into your mouth when you grab onto your blankie (which you lovingly sort of call either "munkey" or "mine").

I love how you're being very patient with me and this potty ("poppy") training thing. I'm intimidated and I think I'm failing you. You are telling me when you're going but I'm too scared to start the process. Please forgive me if you grow up with bathroom issues.

I love it when someone wrongs you and you point to them and say, "Not nice!"

I love how you say "night night" and "bye bye" to everyone and everything.

I love how you rest your 95th percentile noggin on my shoulder when you're sleepy.

I love when you plop yourself down on the ground next to me with your hand resting on my leg as we blow bubbles.

I love how ridiculously excited you get when daddy gets home and you make him sick with happiness when you run into his arms.

I love these last 18 months more than other time in my life and I thank you for putting up with me as I continue to try to figure out this mommy thing. You definitely make it much more fun than I ever imagined possible!

My sweet Lily, how the time has flown and how you have positively changed our lives for the better.

Happy 18 month old birthday, my perfect bug!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-10T12:33:00.007-04:00

Yes, I was toting around an unpatriotic, red-white-and-blue-less child to celebrate our nation's birthday. We didn't have anything appropriately American to wear this year and I couldn't muster up the energy to go to Old Navy the morning of the parade.
So, God bless the USA and all those other things.
(Hopefully that will make up for it.)
We headed out to the Marietta parade again this year! It was much cooler weather but a much longer parade than last year.

Lily took the chair from her pregnant mother

You know you're living in the South when you see:

Something called the Backyard Brigade...

...and this....

On the actual holiday, we were invited to a friend's pool for the afternoon which definitely provided a nice break from this oppressive heat.

Camp 2010

2010-06-26T07:17:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again!

CAMP SUNSHINE!!!

First of all, my anticipatory bawl fests made for an easy transition to the car when I had to leave my Lily Bug that fateful Saturday afternoon. However, things went downhill on Monday as I'm sitting in yoga for first period and look through pictures on my camera while listening to some calmin Josh Groban music in the background.
Note to self: Not a good mix.

Once I got my you-know-what together, things were fine. That's until I called home and heard her sweet voice say, "Hi, Mama!" Now I understand why we don't let the campers call home. It can be pretty darn upsetting. By Friday I was ready to get home to my perfect little girl.

BUT!!! The days in between were as magical and fun and exciting as they always are.
I think it was the first or second day at lunch when I witnessed a group of senior boys (either 18 years old or high school graduates) invade a table of younger boys (probably 13-15 year olds) who were slouching in their chairs with their too-cool-for-school heads on the table. The seniors went over to them, pepped them up, got them to stand on their feet and SING & DANCE!!! Nobody asked them to do it. They did this completely on their own because they know what Camp is all about and they want to make sure all the other campers get the same experience they've had.

There were somewhere around 230 TEENAGERS at Camp this year ages 13-18.

230!

Every year on Sunday night is the opening ceremony. This year it was held at a gorgeous new location on the grounds called Turtle Cove where everyone gathered to "pass the flame." How many places have you been where 230 TEENAGERS sit so quietly you can hear a pin drop? It gives me goosebumps every year. They understand the significance of the week and it amazes me to no end.

Sometimes you see kids who might not have such a great homelife and this is literally the best place on earth for them to be. It breaks your heart to know what they have to return to but it definitely helps you focus on making the week the best it can possibly be.

And, of course, you have some funny moments like out at the archery range where a young man was retrieving his arrows and people were already lining up to shoot their respective targets (not necessarily him). The okay had not yet been given, but he blurted out, "DON'T SHOOT! I'm too young to die! I've already had a brain tumor." Classic.

This is why I do it every year.
Moments like this that touch your heart and stay with you through the years.

Dawn & I looking fresh (and rested) early in the week

So there's this thing called Prom on Friday night. The campers really get into it and dress amazingly. Counselors, on the other hand, typically get into the theme of Camp for that year or we'll wear old, gawdy prom dresses of our own. (For example, one year they had a circus theme. I dressed up like a clown and put my 1993 prom dress on over the clown outfit. I was hot.)

This year's theme was Decades.
My sweet Dawn went Madonna Mode:

And my darling Deb really went retro....back to the Austin Powers days of the 60s! It was freaking me out that she was taller than me but doesn't she look amazing???

One of the Camp songs is called Love Is. I don't know who wrote it or who originally brought it to Camp, but the words are below.

Like someone said on our last day of Camp, "Wouldn't the world be such an incredible place if it were like Camp Sunshine?"

Yes, it would.

There's nothing to hide, nothing to fear.

Everything is crystal clear.

No phony disguise, no faces to wear.

There is nothing we cannot share.

'Cause I am at ease when I am with you.

I know love is gonna see us through.

Love is higher than the mountains.

Love is deeper than the oceans.

Love is wider than the miles between you and me.

Love is stronger than a freight train.

Love is faster than a jet plane.

Love is bigger than the troubles that we'll ever see.

Long is the day and dark is the night.

I know love is gonna be our light.

The valley is low, the desert is dry.
But love will never die.

(repeat chorus)

Frat Parties Everywhere!

2010-06-26T07:09:00.003-04:00

If only I could be this creative and on-the-spot hilarious....
My BFF (holla, Sa) sent me this link that she thought I would enjoy and it's just too good not to pass on to whomever might read this little bloggy blog. The link is at the bottom if you're interested in reading some of the funny comments, too.

Enjoy!

WHY HAVING A TODDLER IS LIKE BEING AT A FRAT PARTY

10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There's always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.

8. It's best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone's going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definitely going to be a fight.

3. You're not sure whether anything you're doing is right, you just hope it won't get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

One of my favorite comments added by a reader says something along the lines of "you try all night to get someone into bed and then when you're successful all you want to do is sleep."
Check out this great blog at www.suburbansnapshots.com. I might have to add this one to my list on the left!

Beach Baby

2010-06-05T20:11:00.009-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend - 2010!!!

What a blast it was!

Nana flew into Atlanta on Wednesday and we packed up the car and headed to Charleston on Thursday afternoon. Lily's first trip the beach, mom's first trip to Charleston and my first......I'm sure there was something......

My dear, sweet friend Erin and her hubby and baby boy are living in Folly Beach for the next three years and allowed us to come take advantage of the situation. We are so incredibly grateful for the wonderful opportunity and the excellent southern hospitality that Erin is famous for.

However, I need to make some notes for our next beach adventure:
1. Take more than one swim diaper. And if I only have one and it's been used but we decide to go back to the beach, perhaps I should consider taking it off when we actually get to the beach. Just in case so we can avoid the possibility of peeing on the bathroom rug because she thinks she's taking a bath. And so we can maybe not slip and slide on a pee puddle in the middle of our hosts' hardwood floors. I might also want to think about the chance of her peeing in the wagon on our way to the beach. (And I thought she was dehydrated! Phewy!)

2. Don't be pregnant so I can wear a suitable bathing suit, drink lavender martinis and take a shooter at Pearlz restaurant.

3. Go into the first night with low expectations on the sleeping situation for Lily. I'm not sure who was screaming louder....Charlie or Lily. Needless to say, we ended up bringing Lily into our room and she finally got the hang of the routine on our final night there.

4. Take John with us. "Mama." "Mama." "Mama!!!" "No, Nana." "Mama." "Mama." It was a little exhausting. (Guess I should be careful what I wish for.)

Lots of pictures to share! Enjoy!

Nana's first photo op in Charleston at the market

Festival downtown with lots of fun things to do.

Met up with Bobby and Emily for breakfast one morning.

John used to babysit Bobby when he was Lily's age!

(Mainly to pick up chicks, I think.)

Tractor Charlie

Could she be any sweeter?!?!

Yes, Lily's first bath with a boy. They did well together!

My sweet Erin

Erin getting her work-out

The Awesome Arnold Clan

She really couldn't get enough of the water or the waves.

LOVED IT!!!

Enjoying the waves together for the first time thanks to Erin allowing me to stretch out her bathing suit

Lily and Brett enjoying the waves

Thank you for such a fun weekend, Erin, Brett and Charlie!

We love you all and can't wait to visit again!

Catch up

2010-06-05T20:04:00.003-04:00

Just some shots of what Lily's been up to since the summer weather has arrived. Playdates and pool time. Well....one of each, but still....they count!

Not exactly sure what her fixation is with water bottles.

I think she learned it from Bear.

Leaving home already

Lily: "Sidewalk chalk is cool!"
Mom: "Target's $1 section rocks!"

Free pool time in our neighborhood. (Too bad it's not free all summer.)

Yes, those are matching shoes.

I have matching hair things, too, but I've told you how that goes.

Tennis Anyone?

2010-05-17T19:27:00.003-04:00

Lily's first ponytail!!!!
Well, that's what I like to call it.
It's really just a little twig of hair wrap very tightly in a mini-rubberband, hidden by a pink bow.

She didn't dig it as much I did so I knew I had to grab the camera and take as many shots as I could.

Mark my words: Kennedy will come out WEARING A BOW.
She will have a bow in her hair, on her head, wrapped around her ear or neck E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y.
I so much as breathe on Lily's head and she thinks I've snuck a little barrett or clip into her hair.
You try to just smooth out her hair and she immediately reaches up there to pull out whatever it is that might be there.

This is supposed to be one of the fun parts of having girls......bows and clips and fuzzy things in their hair. (Although I hated bows and dresses as a kid, why am I trying to force it on my children?)

Anyhow....
Lily absolutely loves being out on the tennis court. She loves the racquet. She loves chasing the balls. She even loves trying to carry the basket of balls like a purse even though it's still taller than her.
Several months ago....and when I say "several," I mean A WHILE ago.....John asked the crazy question: "Do you think we should hang a tennis ball over her crib so she can start tracking the ball?"
My response: "Do you want to start her in therapy now or wait until she's 3?"
Needless to say, he was kidding (I hope) and we never made a mobile of tennis balls for her room.
But she loves being outside on the court with her daddy! It's very cute to watch!

Lily and her new friend, "Melmo."

Out on the courts with Dad

So incredibly cute!

Helping Dad with his lesson

Mother's Day and More

2010-05-11T19:34:00.009-04:00

Okay.
So I've been getting grief for not putting any pictures of my pregnant self up this time around. The day this picture was taken, someone saw me and said, "Holy cow!"
I wasn't quite sure how to take that.

John and Lily headed back up to Nashville for Grandma's 75th birthday party while I got to stay home, rest and get rid of my persistently nasty hacky cough.

Thank you, Aunt Libby, for always giving us a place to stay.

Isn't Grandma pretty???

Happy Birthday!!!

Uncle Robby came for a quick visit before having to travel again

The two loves of my life...

Mother's Day was special!

Despite having to get up early and receiving some losing lottery tickets as a "gift," it was a fun day to be "mama." We got to go out to breakfast because I was craving IHOP pancakes....don't ask how many I ordered.

John and Lily gave me the world's sweetest cards and those are what really made the entire day wonderful. You wouldn't know it, but he's pretty good with words.

Later on in the day, I treated myself to a pedicure and wished it had lasted longer.

My squirmy wormy isn't much for being photographed these days so this is all I got....

Attempt #2

Feeling pretty good about myself after Mother's Day and because of the fact that Lily has finally started saying "mama" and running to me at the babysitter's and seemingly loving me, I pushed my luck to far:

After an attitude adjustment and perhaps a bit of coaching:

Some other fun things to report on the Lilster at 16 months:

Various new words...mama, no, mine, dada (of course), si (yes), tunk you (thank you), no, mine, peas (please), outside, go bye bye, no, mine, gracias, no, phone.

She's putting things together as well and follows commands extremely well. She definitely has her morning routine with her father and throws a fit if that bagel isn't quite ready for her when she's in her chair.

She loves saying "hi" to my belly and giving it kisses! I'm not pretending she has a clue of what's about to happen to her world but it's still sweet and cute. Besides, she lifts up her own shirt to show her belly and says, "Baby!" Let's wait a few more years for that, please.

She likes phones and remote controls. Sometimes the remote becomes a phone which I never knew you could do.

She's able to identify her mouth, head, ears, eyes, nose and belly. She likes showing you your nose and mouth as well.

She makes a silly face, happy face and fishy face.

She goes to sleep extremely well and wakes up happy almost everyday.

She's the best thing since sliced bread, if you ask me!

Babies, Nashville and....Vampires?

2010-04-23T13:57:00.005-04:00

Meet our new little one....
Kennedy Taylor Thompson
(This ultrasound picture is actually the least scary one.) It sort of looks like maybe she's waving to us.
We're past the halfway point....22 weeks today and it's going by a lot faster than Lily's pregnancy. SLOW DOWN!!!

And here's the other star of the blog.....Lily Grace being her typical silly self opening and closing the laundry room door saying, "HI!" "Bye bye." "HI!" "Bye bye."
It never gets old!

My droopy face that makes everyone ask, "Oh...did you just wake up?"

"No, I look like my father."

Lily and I packed up the car last weekend and drove up to see John's family outside of Nashville for Laura's (Lily's cousin) baby shower.

Apparently I'm old enough to have a niece who is having a baby. Where does the time go?

I digress.

We had grand old time.....closing all the open doors, meeting cats and playing the piano with Uncle Ahyah.

Grandma time!

Vampires.

I love 'em.

I'm hooked on the Twilight series.
I'm hooked on the True Blood HBO series.

And I'm hooked on The Vampire Diaries.

I received a call at work a couple of weeks ago from my friend at the Sunshine Kids (in Houston) asking if I might be able to get a group of teenagers together to go on the set of The Vampire Diaries. (It just happens to be filmed 15 minutes from the hospital.)

HELL-TO-THE-YOU-BETCHYA, I said.

I called on my fellow 30-something friend who got me addicted to the show to go with us because we "definitely need" two nurses on this outing, right? Right.

What a fun-tastically wonderful day it was! We, I mean the kids, got to meet all the main actors and watch how things were done and tour the different sets, etc. Fabulous!

I feel a little weird posting all the pictures on here for patient confidentiality but there's one good one I got of "Damon."

Hubba-hubba-hubba.

Mr. Ian Somerhalder

Ian being pinned by one of our teens! He looks kind of menancing here but he was a sweetheart....as were the rest of the cast members.

We're trying to figure out a way back in. We're all friends now......we should be able to just show up and be extras or something!

OH BOY!

2010-04-06T20:17:00.002-04:00

Or is it "Oh girl?"

We have the answer!!!
More to follow.....

Easter Lily

2010-04-06T19:59:00.005-04:00

I keep getting hassled for more pictures, so here you go.....
Enjoy!

Going to watch the Georgia Tech tennis match

Our wedding tree getting bigger and bigger each year!

Ready to go hunt for some eggs in the 'hood

Aren't there rules against hunting while drinking?

"Found one!!!"

Easter morning.....yes, wearing a Christmas night night

I must come to terms with my sweet baby girl not being very girlie.
She doesn't care for dresses, sandles or apparently tutus.

Ready to hunt for some more eggs across the street

"What a rough weekend. I need a drink."

(Like mother, like daughter.)

Notes to Self

2010-03-22T19:44:00.004-04:00

I have a very well written friend who brilliantly rehashes her Adventures in Motherhood.
She's funny.
She's sweet.
And, man oh man, she LOVES her beautiful boys!

I read her blog and wonder, "Gee...I sure wish I could write like that."
Or...
"Gee....I sure wish I could have things to report on in a creative way."

Therefore, it's come down to good ol' plagarizing.

Every now and then my friend will list a bunch of "lessons" she's learned along her journey of being a fabulous mom. Sometimes the lessons are sweet and sappy. But sometimes the lessons are freaking hilarious.
I'm talkin' slap-your-knee/milk-coming-out-of-your-nose hilarious.
She ties one into the previous ones and it turns into a list of "no way could that really happen to one person."
BRILLIANT!

Therefore, I'm copying her method and format.
Please forgive me. By no means am I going to attempt her humor because.....well, I'm just not that funny.

Notes to self:
1. For baby #2, introduce milk at one year of age in a sippy cup. No bottles. Don't even teach the word "bottle."

2. If baby #2 becomes addicted to the bottle (much like baby #1), rip the band-aid over a weekend. No bottles. None. No matter what Daddy says.

3. When dealing with the above issues, don't worry about constipation or dehydration. Ms. Jenny will fix those little things on Monday at day care.

4. If we decide to ever move bedrooms again for the kids and the safety gate at the top of the stairs has to be taken down, I should keep an eye on the toddlers just in case one decides to go down with her blankie, stop, turn around to take a look and trip and tumble down the rest of the way.

5. After #4 happens, it might be a good idea to keep an extra eye out if that same toddler approaches the stairs from the other end and wants to take a "big girl" step up. You wouldn't want her to not make the step and fall face first into the only spot missing carpet (thank you, Bear) and bust her lip open. This is key, especially if you want to keep it from happening within 30 minutes of #4.

6. Also when transitioning bedrooms, maybe don't decide to make the first night in a new room on a Sunday when you have to go to work on Monday.

7. If it smells like poo, it probably is poo. Even if it doesn't necessarily look like poo. When the decision is made to take off a questionably smelly diaper while the toddler is standing up, don't be surprised to find poo and don't get too upset when the said toddler makes that the time to come straddle your panted leg to snuggle.

8. Perhaps I should re-evaluate myself as a mother if all of the above take place within 72 hours.

Hi, Lily!

2010-03-16T19:43:00.003-04:00

Call me crazy, but I think she's trying to say her name!
I do have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed....
I was hoping to hear "Will Wee."

Here are some other fun pics.....

More fun times with 75% of my favorite girls!

(You know who you are, other 25%!)

Future's lookin' so bright....

Learning how to hang with dad early.

Seriously? This is what I come home to?

Yes, that's a beer.

And, no, she couldn't be smiling any bigger.

FOR THE LOVE!!!!

How do I get this thing to

stop

double

spacing????

HELP!!!!

Places to go, people to see

2010-03-09T13:59:00.004-05:00

What do you do when the weather is nice?

I honestly forgot.

OH! You go OUTSIDE!

You PLAY PLAY PLAY!!!!!

We've had a fun month between going to Colton's 2nd birthday party, having a playdate with handsome little Bryson or just tooling around Marietta Square with sweet baby Owen. This little girl cries when she has to go inside. She LOVES being in the great outdoors running around and exploring.

Can't wait for summer!

Playing kitchen with Riley

"I beat to my own drum, ma."

Just a swingin'

Things Lily is doing these days....

Loves Teddy Grahams (or whatever it is you happen to be eating)

Can point to her head, nose and tummy

Speaks Spanish to me so I can't understand her when she wants to get down from her high chair. I ask, she replies with "Baaahh.....baaahh." Now one could interpret that as asking for her bah-bah (bottle of milk) but not me. She is very obviously saying "ba-ha-de." I might not be able to spell it but my genius baby can absolutely say it.

Pointing

Asking for things by saying please via sign language (or whining)

And she's still fun and adorable and kissable and everything in between!

What About Me?

2010-02-16T15:40:00.005-05:00

You know that song that goes...."What about me? It isn't fair. I've had enough now I want my share. Can't you see?" Yadda yadda yadda.
That's kind of what I'm living right now.
Although I lack photo proof, Lily and John are INSEPARABLE right now.

Everything John says is hilarious.
Everything John does is perfect.
Everything John looks at is something she HAS TO have.
Everything Lily wants, she gets....from John.

Yes, it's sweet. But what am I? Chopped liver?

He comes home and the dog can hardly keep his bladder in check and Lily goes absolutely bonkers.
I come to the babysitter to pick her up and she runs the other way and hides.
WTH?

So, in order to gain some points, I've taken the sweet little girl to some playdates.

First there was Tanner...

...which made her sleepy.

Then there was Charlie...

...who let Lily poke him a bit.

Baby in a box

Then I left Lily with our sweet babysitter, AJ, while I went to a friend's baby shower. It was great to have some grown up time on the weekend and catch up with some friends.

I even got a little something out of it from my good buddy Erin.....

Some cute maternity clothes!

Wait just a second.
Back the bus up.

Some WHAT?!?!

Yup, I said it.

Maternity clothes.

Lily had another big birthday present that we haven't reported on until now.

She's going to be a big sister this summer!

"But don't you have a 13 month old?"

Yes, yes I do.

"Was this planned?"

Yes, we wanted another one.

No, we had no clue it really only takes one time to make it happen.

This is how we told my mom....by asking her to open Lily's last little gift from us:

And here's the little peanut today:

Growing strong with a hefty heartbeat.

It's not 100% confirmed yet, but it looks like it could be another girl!!!

As for anything being about me.....
Well, I'm accepting the fact that's not going to happen for quite some time now.

Happy Birthday, Bug!!!

2010-01-20T18:51:00.007-05:00

1 whole year.
52 weeks
365 days.
Some sort of number of hours.
Our life has never been better than it's been since Lily arrived. She's greatest thing since sliced bread, in my opinion! Let's recap Lily's Winter One-derland Party:

Nana, Papa, Wendy, Betsy and Morgan came into town for the festivities.
Auntie Sarah flew in, as well. Then we had our fun neighbor kids over along with Bryson, Nelson and Bradley and their parents.

I honestly couldn't have decorated better. Mother Nature decided to bring in some snow a few days early but it had been (and continued to be) so flipping cold out, that it stuck on the sidewalk and roof. As for the inside, Father Freeze threw up a bunch of snowflakes that hung around the house.

Lily woke up that morning and I swear she knew it was her birthday! She had been fighting off a cold the week prior but she was ready and rearing to go that morning. It was HER day!!!

Enjoy the pics:

It's MY birthday!!!

It's MY party dress!!!

It's MY mommy and daddy!!!

It's MY new book!!!

It's MY first cake!!!

What did Daddy do to MY hair?!?!

It's MY Morgan (but she can't have my cake)

12 month stats:

Weight: 20 lbs 2.4 oz (approx 50th percentile)

Height: 30 inches (75th percentile)

Head: we won't mention it but it's in the 95th percentile (Thanks, John)

Words/Commands:

"duck"

"Bear Bear"

"ba ba" (bottle)

"HI" (to everyone and everything and reflections and pictures and .....)

Identifies her tummy (and yours)

When she sees a picture of a dog, she'll sometimes make a noise like "woof woof."

Walking all over the place and hardly crawling anymore

Identifies her blankie

"dada" (all the time)

"mama" (when she wants something)

All in all....she's PERFECT!

She's wearing an outfit that I wore when I was around the same age!

I think she likes it!

Maybe not

Christmas 2009!

2010-01-01T10:29:00.006-05:00

WOW!!! Christmas has come and gone already. In fact, it's already a new year.
We're busy planning Lily's first birthday party, getting the house in shape and getting ourselves in some sort of shape.
Here are some pics from the holidays. Lily didn't really seem to quite "get it" this year, but she will definitely enjoy next year that much more!

Not to forget the other baby....

Christmas morning!

The poor baby in the background didn't get squat.

He kept thinking Lily's toys belonged to him.

It's totally true.....she was more interested in the boxes.

Here are some "just for fun" photos....

What a difference a year makes:

Does it get any sweeter?

Report Card

2009-12-15T19:43:00.005-05:00

A-, for a well decorated tree but with limited height

A+ for our wonderful addition to the fireplace this year

A, for planning a lunchdate with handsome Tanner.

Lily was pleased getting to stare at him from across the table.

Isn't he soooo cute?!?!

B-, for taking a dumb picture just for grins

D+, for washing my fuzzy sweater with John's not so fuzzy sweater
which has since become fuzzy
(I was distracted by this cutie pie!)

And to round it off......

F for cooking.

I was quite ambitious the other day and wanted to make baked potato soup. I had all the right ingredients, had all the right tools and even had the timing down.

I mixed things.

I added things.

I even cubed things.

I was feeling really good about myself when the scent started filling up the kitchen.

This was going to be GREAT STUFF!

I served John.
He wouldn't even give it to the dog to try.

He asked, "Did you cook the potatoes?"
I replied, "They've been in the pan on the stove for a while and they seemed squishy to me."

He stated, "Did you follow the directions? I guarantee it says to cook the potatoes before mixing."

I search and search for it on my recipe hoping to prove him wrong.

There was nothing in the instructional portion of the recipe so I checked up at the ingredients.....

6 red potatoes, peeled, cooked and cooled

Yup. I had the potatoes and they were peeled better than other potatoes ever were.

Nothing was cooked.

Nobody ate.

In the hopes to redeem myself tonight since John was coming home early, I told him I wanted to make it up to him by making dinner. He was rightfully a bit frightened by this suggestion but, like the good husband that he is, he asked, "Do you need anything?"

"Well.....I forgot to defrost the chicken."

No wonder he has lost all confidence in me.

She's on the Move, People!

2009-12-15T19:35:00.006-05:00

11 months

2 days

and

19 hours old.....

Lily Grace took her first steps!

I tried to grab the camera to catch her in the act, but it was just so much fun laughing and crying and enjoying her "running" to my outstretched arms that I wanted to live in the moment.

However, I did capture steps 2-4 before I truly believed that she was actually walking.

Here's what I got:

Thankful Little Turkey

2009-12-04T18:45:00.011-05:00

(From Lily)

I'm thankful for......

...meeting my cousins Nicholas and Nathan and my Aunt Jenise and Uncle Kurt:

...Mommy making it back in one piece after her first ride on a motorcycle:

...the fun toys Nana had for me to play with at her house:

...Daddy driving us to Houston and letting us stay longer even when he had to go home:

...football, because it keeps Daddy entertained:

...my Aunt Wendy,

...because she makes me smile:

...for cousin Morgan teaching me new tricks:

...for Morgan taking me down a slide without falling off:

...my Texas turkeys:

...my first Thanksgiving dinner:

...getting to go on my first Girls' Christmas Shopping Day with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory:

...Nana footing the bill for the lunch:

...getting to see my first Christmas tree at the Galleria:

...Mommy putting me in Morgan's lap:

...for child protective services because I almost called them to get me away from this....this.....this....big, red thing:

I'm starting to not be so thankful right about now:

...being able to provide the afternoon entertainment for Mommy, Nana, Aunt Wendy and Aunt Betsy:

...leaving that man behind:

...getting to see Brady and his mom Rebecca:

...having such a good friend:

...those big, beautiful blue eyes:

...Morgan and her jewlery:

...Morgan:

...my mom being so cool:

...Uncle JR taking such good care of Mommy on his Harley, on the highway, heading to a biker bar.

Refocus

2009-11-16T08:22:00.004-05:00

I feel like the last few posts have mainly concentrated on things other than the real purpose of this blog:

LILY GRACE

She's just over 10 months old and crawling up a storm. She's pulling up on anything and everything and really only needs to hold one of your fingers to walk. "Bah, Bah, Bah" is a main part of her vocabulary when Bear comes into the room. Followed by "Duh, duh, duh." I'm guessing this means "dog," but with Bear you never know.

The number one thing she says and does is "HI!" while holding out her hand. To everyone.
Everywhere.
All. The. Time.
Thankfully people love it and it makes them smile!

We are in party planning mode for her first birthday! I can't believe it's almost been a year having her with us.

Christmas preview

And without further ado....

I finally bring you her 6 month photo! Thank you, Nana!

Friday the 13th

2009-11-14T13:30:00.006-05:00

Nov 4th at 3:45pm: I receive a birthday card with a gift certificate in it stating that I will be a guest investigator with the Atlanta Ghost Hunters.

3:46pm: My eyes tear up in fear and I begin to have a difficult time breathing.

10pm: I can't seem to fall asleep.

Nov 9th at 11:30am: Andy Roberts (lead hunter) calls me to provide information and give me upcoming dates.

Nov 10th at 9:37am: I decide to go ahead and put a request in for Nov 13th. Friday. Why not, right?

Nov 12th at 1:48pm: I receive confirmation that I have the last available spot for the 13th. Friday.

1:49pm: I FREAK OUT!

Nov 13th at 7:32pm: I arrive at the haunted location to find another couple speaking with Andy. I trip walking up the stairs and make a typical Audra-esque entrance.

9pm: LIGHTS OUT. Yup. All of them. Pitch black dark except for the two little red lights on the recorders.

9:01pm: AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I've never sat so still and quiet in all my life.

Fast forward

10pm: It's my team's turn to head up to the attic. Great.

10:05pm: I ask my first question.

10:07pm: I ask my second question, keeping in mind these are former Civil War soldiers; presumably Confederate.

10:10pm: I'm kind of getting into this ghost hunting thing and ask, "Do you think the South will rise again?" (I was bummed not to get a response.)

10:15pm: We move out into the hallway of the attic.

10:37pm: We feel cold air. It's an old house, I'm sure it's a draft. We hear sounds from above, I'm sure it's an acorn falling from a tree. We hear footsteps on the floor beneath us and a thud, I'm sure it's one of the girls from the other team walking in her noisy heels to the bathroom. We hear three distinct knocks from a room down the hall where no one has been. Not so sure what to think about that one.

11pm: Time's up. Where are you, Andy?

11:05pm: Okay. Our hour is up. I'm ready to head back downstairs. WHERE ARE YOU, ANDY?!?!

11:12pm: We meet up with the other team. The girl wearing the noisy shoes had been on the first floor the entire time without a bathroom break.

For the next hour and a half, we sit in the control room and chat while Andy is uploading all the recorders onto his computer so he can give us a cd to take home to listen to on our own.

4 digital recorders x 2 hours + 1 other recorder from the beginning = 9 hours of listening for EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon, for your rookies out there).

The cd will only play in your computer.
Good, I wasn't interested in being tempted to listen to it in my car on the drive home. At 1am. Alone.

I woke up feeling sort of brave and ready to tackle my first 30 minutes or so of audio.

The darn cd was blank! Hopefully I can get in touch with him to get another one, or I don't mind waiting to see what he comes up with after listening himself.

All in all, it was a fantastic night! I would definitely do it again!

This is the house.
The Warren House in Jonesboro, Georgia

Brief history of the house:

~Built in the 1700s by Mr. Warren

~Site of a major battle of the Civil War

~Used as a hospital for wounded soldiers

~After the battle, the yard was covered with bodies and amputated body parts so they dug a big grave in the backyard and buried them.

~The room thought to be where the wounded soldiers may have been treated, still has some of it's original plaster where the soldiers wrote their names.

Here's a link to the website with some of the past investigations of this house. Enjoy!!!

http://www.freewebs.com/henryghosthunters/warrenhouse.htm

Fantastically Fun Weekend

2009-11-08T18:43:00.004-05:00

This was the final weekend we would have any guests for a while so we took advantage of it!
The Arnolds came into town for the football game and Farrah's baby shower and I hope they had as much fun as Lily and I did. Baby Charlie has grown so much and giggles at the annoying dog and lets Lily beat him and is just plain cute!

Beautiful family

Lily showing Charlie the ropes of exersaucering

Tailgaiting twosome

Buzz & Cheerleader Bartling playing sweetly with Lily

Buddies with babies

Sorry for the scratch, Charlie!

Diaper cake for Farrah & Baby Owen

Happy Birthday, to Me!

2009-11-08T18:31:00.002-05:00

Ugh. I'm 33.
How can that possibly be?
My parents at this age were MUCH older than me!
Ugh. I'm 33.

Card from my dear, sweet, lovely husband:

My gift to myself (times two):

Nana Time.....again

2009-11-03T16:07:00.005-05:00

We love us some Nana time!
She gets up with Lily.
She feeds Lily.
She puts Lily to bed (sort of).
And she gives LOTS of kisses!

But things aren't always what they seem when Nana is around.
Sometimes bad things happen, too.

Case in point:

Weeeee!

This baby slide sure is fun! (and safe)

Let's go do this one!

All smiles at the start of things, but this:

plus this:

equals this:

If only there was a camera to catch the next 30 seconds.

I'm face down in the dirt, on top of Lily who is crying.
I'm shaken up because I could have crushed my child but managed otherwise (much to my knee's dismay).

Meanwhile, I can't hear my mom because she's practically peeing in her pants she's laughing so hard.

I have to admit, I had a hard time not laughing, too. But I didn't know what all the other parents would think: Two ladies cracking up with a crying baby who is covered in dirt?
Someone might have called child protective services.

Everyone is fine (and clean) and happy now.

No more slides for a while.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T15:58:00.002-05:00

It was Baby's First Halloween!
We had many dress rehearsals preparing for this day and it paid off because once it was on, there were no issues. She kept the antennae on, too! (Even though they were a bit skewed....like her mom and dad.)

There was a concern for some rain throughout the day but it cleared up just in the nick of time to head over to the dealership to show her off and then race home for the big neighborhood parade.

She was a rock star! All the kids from the babysitter's were there as was Ms. Jenny herself which made it so much more fun. Lily just hung out in her stroller checking everyone out and wasn't bothered a big when it started raining again. Nana, on the other hand, freaked and had to get Lily warm and dry again. It's not like I was pimping out my kid to get candy or anything, so we left.

I've never seen 90% of these people before.

I'm convinced they don't all live in this neighborhood.

This is what you get when you force your dad to go trick or treating

during the UGA/Florida game.

Fall Fun

2009-10-27T13:55:00.007-04:00

The weather is changing and can't seem to make up its mind of what it wants to do.

Cold? Maybe for a day.

Dry? Hardly.

Cool and sunny? In my dreams.

Weekdays seem to get the best weather while we're all working. It was another cold, windy day on Saturday but we didn't let that stop us this time. We had some chili to vote on, friends to visit and an appearance to make at a festival! Deb joined us as we met up with the Applegates at the Dunwoody Village Fall Festival. The babies did fabulously, as usual, but I could have standed the weather to be a little warmer.

Sunday was gorgeous so we ventured out to East Cobb Park for a little swinging and watching other kids. Is it bad that people thought Lily was the same age as two other children when in fact she's about 5 months younger?

She's a hoss.

But I adore each and every inch of her!!!

Handsome Baby Bryson

Auntie Deb

"Great. More pumpkins. Thanks, mom."

Work gals, Deb and Kristy

Just-a-swingin'

So....what's up with this scrunched up face all of a sudden?

Drove by an extremely well decorated house in our neighborhood.
Wanted to share.

Hee hee hee! Hardly in our neighborhood, but a girl can dream...

Fun end to a fun weekend!

Everyone at her babysitter's says she can say "agua."

Personally, I think she's trying to say "Auda."

Grandma, Girls and Gourds

2009-10-20T19:57:00.009-04:00

Welcome back, to me!
After my little mom came to visit, the three of us got sick.
Two of us were able to kick it.
One of me wasn't.
I'm finally starting to feel a bit better so I wanted to update this World of Lily. She's been doing so much and developing very quickly. She's FREAKING ME OUT!

Words: mama, dada, hiya (I count it as "hi/hola"), agua (yes, Spanish for water), plus anything else you say to her she repeats. She's our little parrot these days.
Physically, she's 18 lbs 9 oz, 28 inches tall. She's crawling like crazy, pulling up like mad and wanting to walk very badly. More teeth are coming in (the four middle uppers) with the middle ones coming in a mile apart like her mother's. That's what Auntie Erin is for though, right?!?!

So....what's been happening?
John's mom, sister, niece, nephew and great nephew came for a visit. The girls shopped for wedding dresses while the boys went to a pumpkin patch with the neighbors. We had great weather and excellent company!

Then Auntie Sarah made an appearance! It's been 9 months since she and Lily were together and boy did they catch up on some much needed cuddle time. They adored each other! We went to a pumpkin patch followed by an apple orchard and had a blast just having girl time. The weather left something to be desired and I was getting sick again, but it's always comforting and fun to have someone in your life that you can do nothing with and still have a grand ol' time. She's our "Sa' and we love her to pieces!

Enjoy the pictures!

New standing toy that she loves

New old toys for playtime in the kitchen

We got into a food fight......Lily won.
Bear is her new BFF at dinnertime.

Grandma T and Lily G

Aunt Libby

Second cousin, Gabe, being silly

Sneak preview to Halloween. She hates pumpkins.
Just wait for some of the other pictures below.

Reunited and it feels so good!

Lily's own personal hell

Holy pumpkin patch!

Sarah trying to introduce Lily to some of the smaller pumpkins

And she wants nothing to do with this one....

...or this one...

...but this one looks kind of interesting...

Then we braved the cold and headed to the orchards where we shared an apple fritter and some apple cider. Yummy!

Nice and cozy in here!

I love fall!

Boone 2009

2009-10-05T19:22:00.001-04:00

Catch Up

2009-10-05T18:59:00.006-04:00

Welcome back to Thompson Towne!

The three of us are back and finally feeling well again. We headed up to Boone, North Carolina a couple of weekends ago and were fortunate enough to have mom and Elmer join us for the annual meens' calcutta tennis tournament.
However, mom was a little under the weather and graciously passed it on to our little family.

Fever + snot + phlegm - sleep = good times.

I should seriously write her a thank you note.

We are expecting some fun visitors over the next two weekends so I wanted to be sure to update the blog now and keep everything current. Please be patient, though. I've downloaded a new program for editing pictures, but I am by no means a master yet. In fact, I don't think I'm even at a novice level. It's complicated but it's cool! I'll figure it out.

Meanwhile, here are some pics and movies of Lily's new tricks.

We haven't had a self "portrait" taken in a while...

Baby jail but for which baby?

Lily's decorating skills

New wall decor made by Josephine to match Lily's bedding

Waving and crawling

Things are a little sideways but she sort of says, "Momma."

ps Nevermind the thud at the end of the video

Baby Maintenance

2009-09-27T16:43:00.002-04:00

Lily has her first little illness with a fever.
I'm a tad bit under the weather myself but plugging along to snuggle with my baby bug.

Will update soon.
Love to all!

It's a Girl Thing

2009-09-12T21:10:00.006-04:00

I come from a very small family, on my mom's side.

I'm an only child and my mom has only one sister.

Their mother, my sweet, beautiful Nana, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 61 years old. She was treated and had a single mastectomy.

She was a survivor.

My equally as sweet and even more beautiful Aunt Jerry was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 62 years old. She, too, was treated appropriately.

She IS a survivor.

My GORGEOUS, little, soon-to-be-some-age-over-60 mom has not been diagnosed with breast cancer, thankfully. However, she does have some areas that have required frequent follow up.

As for me, at 30 years old I was referred for my first mammogram because the doctor felt "something" and wanted some more information. Luckily all is well.

All is well right now.

Cancer is potentially a reality for me.

As it may be for Lily and any future daughters of mine.

I hope it doesn't have to be.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is an extraordinary organization supporting education and research for breast cancer. Aunt Jerry embraced her diagnosis and has put her focus on helping others. She is the sponsorship chair for the 15th annual Colorado Springs Race for the Cure which is today. Please watch the video from the link below (it's in the upper right hand corner of the article.) Aunt Jerry is the good looking lady interviewed at the end!

http://www.krdo.com/global/story.asp?s=11117039

Congratulations, Aunt Jerry! You have done a wonderful thing and that organization is better now because of you. Lily and I thank you!

Annual Apple Day

2009-09-12T19:18:00.002-04:00

I love the children.

I looove the little children.

I loooove the po' little children.

I LOOOOOVE the po' little sick children!

This is part of the initiation for first time counselors at Camp Sunshine in the summertime. But not only does Camp provide two of the "best weeks of the year," they also provide year round programs. One of these programs is for the really little kids at the apple orchard. It always falls on the Saturday after Labor Day weekend which was today!

The kids get to learn about cows, milk a cow, take a carriage ride, sit on a bull, watch pig races, terrorize animals in a petting farm, eat lunch and pick apples. This is the third year in a row that Deb and I have volunteered and we look forward to it each year.

Of course when you do things year after year, you sort of develop annual traditions. In our case, it's a particular photo op. In fact, it's become so popular, we made the Camp Sunshine yearbook last year!

Does it get any sweeter?

Pesky little goat trying to eat my pants

Cute baby cow who actually licked me!

And here it is, folks....

Prepare yourselves.....

Deb, me and The Apple

We received a thank you video from Camp Sunshine this week that went out to

volunteers, board member and some recent donors.

Check it out and enjoy: http://www.mycampsunshine.com/newsletter/thankyou.php

Eight Months

2009-09-11T19:48:00.011-04:00

How quickly time goes by...

I've had more fun these last 8 months than I ever imagined possible. Each day brings something new whether it's a sweet look, a silly smile or a never performed baby trick.

Lily is the epitome of joy and happiness.

She refuses to takes naps at the babysitter's

so she has a hard time staying awake during dinner.

Celebrating her 8 month birthday with some lasagna.

"Why am I always a mess, Momma?"

"I still think I'm gorgeous! Kiss kiss."

She's able to put herself into a seated position from laying down/trying to crawl

She's putting it all together!!!

Uh oh!

But sometimes it's still easier to just roll around

Another Lesson Learned

2009-09-01T07:13:00.001-04:00

~Serve spaghetti in the bathtub

Just For Fun

2009-08-29T09:53:00.006-04:00

Some fun things Lily is doing these days:

~kisses (makes fish lips and kissing sound)

~waves hello and goodbye (in Spanish, too! She's truly brilliant!)

~rolling, rolling, rolling only because she gets frustrated that she can't quite crawl yet

~growing her FOURTH tooth already! (all bottom eaters)

~eating more of a variety of foods

~no longer using the baby bathtub

Things I'm learning:

~feeding Lily prunes at night is perfect timing for results as John is trying to get ready for work the next morning

~"sleeping in" is no longer an option (except when Nana visits!)

~Bear likes baby food, Cheerios and sweet potato puffs

~sippy cups can leak

~baby screams are not sweet or quiet

~sucking a thumb can make everything feel better

She really likes to practice standing these days

"Um, mom, can you help me out here?"

Blogger 101

2009-08-27T19:31:00.002-04:00

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, I went back to class and figured things out.
It's amazing what a click in the wrong place can cause.

Thompson Towne is back in business!
More to follow....

Last Night as "Po' Folk"

2009-08-25T18:50:00.004-04:00

John received a phone call from me today stating that horrible phrase:
"I have good news and I have bad news. Which do you want first?"

In true form, he didn't care.

Good news!
Lily's third tooth is popping through right next to the first two on the bottom gum and I didn't knock it out when I was holding her as I tripped over the computer cord! Phew! That was a close one.

Bad news.
I broke the computer.
This is all I see now.

I suppose we're stuck guessing where the cursor clicks for a while since we can't really go out and buy a new one tonight.

Or can we....

Well, yes. I think today could be the day.
We WILL win the Mega Millions lottery and I can buy a new computer for everyone!!!
(Again, practicing the whole positive thinking thing.)

Three Word Thursday

2009-08-20T17:57:00.003-04:00

So I've come across some blogs that have postings on Wednesdays titled, "Wordless Wednesday." Well, today is my "Three Word Thursday." I'm considering starting up a "Two Fer Tuesdays" also.

Anyhow, I don't know exactly what's going on with my blog these days but things aren't working as perfectly as they normally do. I can tell you with 100% certainty that this is not user error (like my mom trying to figure out the nav system or dvd in her new, fancy car).
I'm not able to see the photos like I usually do to add captions.
I'm not able to change my font.
I think I may have uploaded two of the same pictures. (Sneak preview of Two Fer Tuesdays perhaps?)

Mom, Elmo and Missy Moo came to visit us last weekend with big boy Jake. We all had a great time! Best of all, mom cleaned my house!!! In fact, it STILL feels clean. I can't remember the last time I was able to accomplish that feat. THANKS, MOM!!!

Now that I've explained everything....What are my three words for this Thursday?
Blog ain't right.

Lily Left Eye

2009-08-11T16:42:00.007-04:00

Sure. The only things Lily gets from me are my eyes.
And their problems.

I remember being a "kid" (teens-20s) and my dear, sweet mother saying to me, "I can tell when you've been up to no good. Your left eye gives it away every time." Lily will unfortunately have the same problem.
Oh! And "You look just like your father when you do that!" (Lily will probably hear that a few times in her life, as well.)
Not to forget my favorite (as she's vacuuming my room at 7am on a Sunday), "You play, you pay." (I will try not to use this one but I can't make any promises.)

But back to the issue at hand....
Lily has had a problem with her left eye since she was about 2 months old. She has a clogged tear duct which makes her eye run a lot more than normal. She'll have tears out of the one eye while she's smiling or just sitting being the perfect baby that she is.

It's getting worse. Yellow drainage, crustier and stickier in the mornings, etc. You'll notice in the pictures below what I like to refer to as the crusty corner.
We are starting eye drops today and will make an appointment to see a pediatric ophthalmologist just as soon as we can.

At a little charity tennis day benefiting the

Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service

(where I work)

Event was run by teens for other kids to come out and play

Johnny out on the court doing what he does best!

I take that back....this is what he does best these days.

And being silly

Casey is one of the event organizers and is my fave teenager.

I hope Lily turns out half as wonderful as she is!

Lily and Bear playing well together and sharing toys.

Blue eyes galore!!!

Poor eye

There's a first time for everything....

2009-08-05T19:21:00.004-04:00

Hi! This is Lily! My mom said this was a post about all my firsts that I'm doing these days so I thought I would also go above and beyond and write my first post. I know, I know. Quite an exceptional child.

My mom is a moron.
My dad is funny.
And I have complete control of everyone.
Except Bear. Nobody has control over that four legged loud mouth.

So!
I've worn my first pair of shoes. (They taste good, too.)

I've tried a bunch of different new foods. I like sweet potatoes the best. I'm starting to like some fruit but it's definitely not my fave. Green beans are good. Peas are bad.

I have a new, red stroller that I love and it makes mommy happy because it's very easy to use.

Daddy bought me my first high chair. It's very pretty as you will see below. (See? I control that man.)

I had my first hair cut! Mom couldn't stand my mullet any longer so she brought out the shears and I stayed VERY still (because you never know with her) and no more mullet! I still have the comb over which we will continue to discuss.

Crawling is close! I've started to scoot a little bit but I can't seem to get myself around by myself other than the usual rolling over and over and over. It would be so much more efficient (and a good work out for these thunder thighs) to just move my legs and arms together. I'll get it soon. Sometimes this head of mine gets a little heavy and I have to drop down to rest.

Mommy has taken a lot of video of me that I wanted to put on my post. BUT, as I mentioned before, mom is a moron. She didn't upload them correctly so now they're in no-man's land and cannot be shared. Ugh.
Must I do EVERYTHING around here?
Anyway, the jest of them is:
I ate sweet potato puffs for the first time and have a hard time putting them in my mouth.

I tried to drink out of my new sippy cup for the first time but nothing to drink comes out of the handle or the bottom of it and I can't reach it when I throw it on the floor.

Then I've decided that I like to suck my thumb after every bite of food. (Hey! You would, too, if you were forced to eat peas. Mommy says her thumb probably tastes better than those yucky things, too.)

Mommy Maintenance

2009-08-03T19:12:00.001-04:00

Blog having issues.
Or is it the blogger is having issues?
Either way.....will return soon.

6 Months, plus a little

2009-07-23T17:07:00.002-04:00

Just before we left for our Texas trip, Lily had her 6 month check up at her doctor's office. I've already reviewed what she's currently doing and what she's capable of right now, but I failed to report her stats.

Weight: 16 lbs, 9 oz (60th %ile)
Height: 27 in (90th %ile)
Head circumference: 44 cm (95th %ile)

Again, a tall but skinny baby with a head that takes some extra kisses to cover.

Here's some logic for you....
People say Lily looks like John.
John has been told in the past that he looks like Brett Favre.
Brett Favre is a football star who has bobblehead dolls out there with his likeness.
Therefore, Lily looks like a Brett Favre bobblehead?

She was also put on a new meal plan that involves more scheduled feedings with solids.

Breakfast: bottle with a bowl of cereal
Snack: bottle
Lunch: veggie and fruit
Snack: bottle
Dinner: veggie with another bowl of cereal
Bedtime: bottle

This all sounds wonderful but what "if" she doesn't like the cereal? And what "if" she throws things off and really needs another bottle between snack and lunchtime? What about when she "might" have an aversion to fruits? And who's to say she won't ever throw a complete temper tantrum at dinner demanding a bottle? When she's done with the emotional outburst and wears herself out into a slumber with a thumb in her mouth and carrots on her cheeks, am I supposed to wake her up to finish eating? (I mean, "if" she falls asleep while eating.)

These are all of course hypothetical situations. Not that my perfect child would ever have any issues.

I'm just sayin'.

Texas Tot

2009-07-21T17:15:00.015-04:00

Lily and I ventured to Houston, Texas to spend a week with my mom, et al and had a wonderful time! Why we went in July is beyond me, but we survived the heat and humidity unscathed. The first plane flight was a little......how should I say.....rough. Last row, full plane, crying, dirty diaper.....it couldn't have been any better! However, it was good to get a taste of what it could be like because the flight home was P-E-R-F-E-C-T. This portion of the trip entailed an empty seat, the realization there's a changing table in the bathroom, sleep and previously prepared bottles. It was a breeze!

Lily has grown so much and it was plainly evident this week. She is able to sit up on her own very well now and when she topples over (as long as it's not on a very hard surface, Nana) she just rolls and rolls and rolls. She's eating well and has grasped the concept of how to eat from a spoon instead of blowing in it. It's incredibly easy to make her smile and laugh which makes things that much more fun and entertaining. SHE'S SO LOVABLE!!!!

Plane ride #1 once Lily finally fell asleep for a whole 20 minutes.

Sitting up and playing with Jake

"Fall down. Go boom. Jake won't let me back up!"

Nana and Lily at the Stones' pool party

Grandma shot

Gigi w/ Jack & Hayes, Nana w/ Lily and LaLa w/ Charlie

We're really moms??? When did this whole grown-up thing start?

Erin, me and Ashlee

Lily having fun in the pool

Maybe we should have eaten BEFORE getting in the pool. What a mess!

Aunt Wendy

Meeting Uncle J.R. for the first time

Loving on Aunt Betsy

Not sure why because it really hurt all parts of my body, but Betsy and I slipped and slid.....not very well.

Missy Moo and Lily Bug

E.T. baby

Night out for some adult time.

Rachel, Fran, me and Ashlee

Sure wished Rebecca was there but we managed to get a grandmother photo at the Murases' home

Mama Lynn w/ Brady

Nana w/ Lily

Lala w/ Charlie

First sink bath

Meeting some of the Yo-Yo's for lunch

Catching up with Erin and Aaron before leaving

Lily with Papa and Nana

We were in Houston during the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing!

Happy anniversary, Papa! We're very proud of you!

What a difference a seat makes

Pooped little girl

Family Fun

2009-07-12T17:36:00.005-04:00

This was a rare occasion.....John had the entire day off! No cars, no tennis, no working out, no napping, no football, no NCAA basketball. How was I never aware before now that these days actually DO exist. He always had me thinking otherwise. Anyhow, I digress.

We ventured up to Amicolola Falls in north Georgia for the day and what a beautiful place it is. Very green, very lush and very quiet (minus all the tourists). We can't wait to go back!

Starting the walk up

Seriously? Is this sign speaking to me or what?

"Audra Thompson, approach the trail to the right."

Strenuous is not a word in my vocabulary. I seriously put my foot down, acted like a 7 year old and refused to climb up another 425 steps after conquering 175 already. I needed assistance...

This was my brilliant idea of how to get to the top! John borrowed a fun little car from the dealership for the day.

"But, Lily, the view looks fine from down here."

Lily and John at the "bottom" of the waterfall. This actually required a bit of a walk from the real "bottom." (In case you can't tell, I'm very out of shape.)

This is the creek/brook/whatever that feeds those gorgeous falls.

Another fun day!

Babies and Bananas

2009-07-07T20:23:00.004-04:00

Bryson David Applegate FINALLY decided to make his grand entrance yesterday afternoon! He entered the world weighing in at 7 lbs, 1 oz and 19.5 inches long. Kristy did a fantastic job and she and David seem absolutely ecstatic! In shock. But ecstatic. I can't believe he's here! Congrats, to a wonderful family!!!

What a difference just a few days makes!

Here's the handsome boy

And then there were three!

Just another fun video....
Lily tasting bananas for the first time.

Baby Fest '09

2009-07-05T15:51:00.010-04:00

Once upon a time, way back in junior high school, I kicked my locker and managed to break my toe. I was expected to play a tennis match against the other local junior high the very next day. The toe was taped and the shoe was on but there was a LOT of pain involved. I walked out onto the court and met my opponent, a beautiful blonde girl with a mega watt smile. Fast forward one year and that girl came over to my out-of-school-for-the-summer pool party. We have been friends ever since; inseparable throughout high school, cried tears of joy at our holiday reunions in college, stood by each other in our weddings and continue to be a main part of each other's lives.

Meet Rebecca.

Once upon a time, way back in junior high school, there was this other girl who had recently moved back to the Clear Lake area who also played tennis. Although I can't remember the exact moment of when our friendship began, I treasure it and can't imagine my life without it. It's because of her that I live where I do which is where I met my sweet hubby. It's because of her that I have so many incredible road trip memories and memories of laughing until we were crying. She's one of the most beautiful, blessed and funny women I know.

Meet Erin.

The three of us were together all through high school and have managed to stay in touch and share each other's milestones since leaving Clear Lake. Being the emotional, sentimental one, I used to dream of the three of us hanging out with our wonderful husbands and children when we grew up. Not that we've grown up much, but we did get to all spend this past weekend together since Rebecca and Kevin made the trip to Atlanta to celebrate the 4th of July. I never would've thought we would manage to have kids at the same time though. Brady is 7 months, Lily nearly 6 months and Charlie is just over 2 months. We couldn't have planned it better.

Quick note: I won that tennis match with a broken toe. Sorry, Bec.

Adorable Brady

So excited to have company!

Happy to meet each other after all this time

Breakfast date

The first photo op of the girls with the babies

Rebecca & Brady, Erin & Charlie, me & Lily

Patriotic Brady

Happy Lily Bug

Charlie

Baby Gamel was the youngest baby of the day

What would a parade be without a beauty queen.
Where do I sign Lily up?

The moms.....together again at last

Hopefully they will be lifelong friends like their mommies are

Brett with a miniature version of himself

Having to say good bye :(

Ready for the Weekend

2009-07-02T21:27:00.002-04:00

Only two days until Lily's first July 4th! But before then we're going to celebrate Baby Charlie's arrival at a brunch for Erin. There should be lots of other little ones to watch and babble with during our visit. After the Sip & See, the best part of the weekend begins!!!

The Schneiders are coming!
The Schneiders are coming!

Little Brady is bringing his mom and dad for his first time to Atlanta and we CANNOT WAIT! Saturday will be a day of reunion and dreams come true for me! I look forward to sharing all the pictures at the end of the weekend with everyone

We hope everyone has a fun holiday weekend!

Feeding Frenzy & Texan Friends

2009-07-02T21:07:00.004-04:00

It's about that time! Lily is ready to start trying some "solid" food.

Or so we thought.

The first attempt was completely worthless. She was starving, tired and annoyed with the camera in her face. The second try went much better. In fact, she actually ingested some of the cereal instead of blowing bubbles in it.

Growing up so fast!

"The spoon sure does taste good. Oh, I'm not supposed to suck on this?"
More on the outside than inside

Enjoy the video!

To top of the week before the holiday, John let me go out for a bit of a girls' night to visit with Colin. She and the boys were in town for a limited time so it was a very special treat to have her come over before heading back to Texas.

Sweet Tyler holding Lily

Sweet, busy Chase not very interested in picture time but I think Colin might pull out the ol' exersaucer once they get home!

Roll Over, Rover!

2009-06-23T20:03:00.003-04:00

I come home from camp to find out that my little one has decided to start rolling over! She gets everything just right except that darn arm that keeps getting in the way. Then she fusses and it starts to go downhill fast. However, because of the discovery of this new position, she seems to have come to a compromise with herself and put half of her body one way and the other half the other way while sucking her thumb.

Just a fun shot for Auntie Sa.

Mommy loves whales, therefore Lily loves whales.

A Week of Sunshine

2009-06-23T19:34:00.004-04:00

What another incredible week it was! Camp Sunshine is one of the most special organizations I have had the privilege of working with. One camper said that he hopes heaven is like Camp Sunshine because of all the love you find here. All the campers continue to amaze me and make me feel old! When I started this journey nine years ago, I had no idea what an impact it would make to watch those little 7-9 year olds grow up and graduate from Camp! It's one of my most favorite things to do each year.

Our ridiculously, gawdy cabin. Looked like the Griswold's at Christmas time!

As fun as it is, there are also some peaceful moments.
These kids are so brave!

It was a week of superheroes.

(I have no muscles.)

The tennis champion! (It was all my partner's doing.)

The annual photo op

Deb, me and Dawn

The best part of the week....

coming home

A Week of Sunshine

2009-06-11T12:32:00.003-04:00

The time has come for me to leave Lily for an entire week. I've been anticipating this and struggling with the decision since I first found out I was pregnant. Camp Sunshine has been a mainstay in my life since I became a nurse (minus 2 summers for various reasons) and as hard as it will be to leave my own little ray of sunshine, I know I would regret missing out on what's known as the "best week of the year." Besides, I want Lily to grow up knowing that it's a good thing to give your time to a cause you believe in, even if it means she's stuck with her father for an entire week.

Five Months

2009-06-10T19:18:00.003-04:00

How quickly time flies. I can't believe five months have already gone by. Next thing I know, Lily will be graduating! I really couldn't ask for a better baby. Let's see, these days she's very close to rolling over, enjoying tummy time more and more, not missing a meal, "talks" to us, loves trying to eat her toes, turns around when she hears something new but doesn't get startled, did I mention she doesn't miss a meal?, smiles and giggles, sleeps about 10-12 hours STRAIGHT at night, OH! and she eats well.

How could I forget?

2009-06-09T20:03:00.005-04:00

For the past few weeks, one would detect a whiff of something. Something one cannot exactly put one's finger (or nose) on.
Was it the dog? No.
Was it a diaper? No.
Was it John? No. (Hard to prove he wasn't contributing to it, though.)

Then my dear John finally got around to replacing the air filter for the good ol' a/c. Our lovely house had a surprise for him when he got down on his hands and knees in the crawl space...

Water.
Lots of water.

Well, we had several very hard rainstorms lately and despite cleaning out the gutters, those old things aren't able to drain like they did in the old days. Therefore, the pouring rain overflows the sides of the gutters and we have waterfalls outside of our windows. (Who needs to visit Niagra Falls anyway?) Long story short, there are cracks in our patio, mold on a few of the bricks.....must equal a foundation problem causing water to leak into the crawl space and causing the house to smell even better than it normally does.

Solution? Crawl space encasement.
Cost? $3000-$4000.
I start crapping my pants.

Again, long story short: beautiful weekend, not a rain cloud in sight, I do laundry, Johnny cleans the space, I do dishes, Johnny cleans the space, I wash bottles, I get woken up out of a deep sleep and told to run some faucets, the problem is discovered:

A $350 piece of plastic.
And I'm able to resume my bottle washing.

Love is.....

2009-06-09T18:58:00.003-04:00

...sharing a chair with your new friend.

...holding hands.

...trusting mommy.
...Lily.

Wednesday Weekend Weport

2009-06-03T20:08:00.007-04:00

What a fun weekend it was! Nana and Papa came to visit and arrived on Wednesday. Lily got to spend the day all by herself with them and had a ball going for walks, taking naps and lots of loving. I was able to take Friday off, so we ventured over to Erin's house so mom and Lily could meet handsome, little Charlie. He's awfully cute and extremely alert for a little peanut!

Saturday was a day for showering Kristy with love and gifts! Baby Bryson now has a fully furnished, baby-fied room to come home to.

The other huge event of the weekend? Lily started formula and seems to LOVE IT! We have to tear the bottle away from her to force her to take a break from the guzzling. It's tempting to tease her with it before feeding her because she gets ridiculously excited and you can't help but giggle a bit.

Enjoy the pictures!

Brother Bear & Sister Bug

Erin, Lily, me & Charlie

(Soon to be traveling companions)

Deb, Kristy (with baby Bryson), me, Amy

Dressed up for Kristy's shower

Hanging out by the pool

Nana, Lily and I making shapes out of clouds

First official bottle of formula

Tummy needed to get used to the new "food"

Sweet end to a fun weekend

Jake the PoodleDoodle

Bear Bear

Babysitter Blues

2009-05-26T20:16:00.003-04:00

Today was our last day with J.J. and we are very sad indeed. I was in the perfect place (craigslist) at the perfect time (7 months pregnant) when I found her. It has been such a relief knowing Lily was going to a good home with an experienced mom everyday. Everything happens for a reason and I believe I've found a new friend through this experience.

Needless to say, things have been a bit stressful trying to find another suitable babysitter for the Lily Bug. Once again, things seemed to just fall into place and we actually found an in-home childcare "center" right around the corner from our house. Lily will be a bilingual baby (and smarter than her mom and dad) and will be around some other little girls. I feel very comfortable with and very thankful for this new situation. Ms. Jenny is the new lucky lady who gets to spend the day with my sweet baby girl.

Hanging out with daddy on our way to meet Ms. Jenny

Me-bore-ial Weekend

2009-05-25T20:12:00.003-04:00

Lily and I were quite bored this weekend. It's hard trying to entertain a 4 month old and stay at home all day. I honestly can't remember what we did on Saturday. However, our weekend started on Sunday! We were treated to the Flying Biscuit with John before he had to go to work and then we met up with Deb at Moe's. Meeting up with Deb usually means shopping, too, so we made a couple of stops at Target and Old Navy. As always, we were very excited to see our travelling friend and catch up.

The original plan for Monday included John.
His customers had a different agenda.
Poor thing had to work again all day so Lily and I were on our own and had a difficult time figuring out what to do. Our computer monitor went out so why not make a trek to Best Buy? We did.
Only to find out there's absolutely no power to the thing and that we should recycle it.
Great.
Still bored, Lily and I drove around to look at public pools in the area.
Not impressed.
At all.

We get home and I get a bug up my butt to get some sort of outdoor entertainment for Lily. Walgreen's, here we come!
Lily has her first baby pool and seemed to like it!
I didn't receive the memo advising me to buy those "special" diapers made for swimming, so Lily weighed about 10 pounds more by the end of our outdoor excursion.

Who's excited about our purchase?

Who wishes she looked like this 4 months after having a baby?

Chillaxin'

More from the weekend....

2009-05-17T20:22:00.002-04:00

Lily and I headed down to the ALTA city finals to support our team. Luckily we won the first three matches pretty quickly before the rain hit again. Way to go, team! See you next season back up in the AA division!

Action shot of Nancy and Heather dominating the other team

Forrest (w/ Brody still cooking), Katie w/ Brady, me w/ Lily &

Heather w/ Tanner

Sandy Springs Sweethearts

City Champions 2009

Baby Charlie with momma Erin

First date night sans Lily. I forgot how good margaritas are!

Busy Baby

2009-05-17T20:04:00.005-04:00

What a fun filled weekend! We spent Saturday getting dressed up to go to Kristy's baby shower up on Lake Lanier. Beautiful setting with fun people for a wonderful friend. I've always called Kristy the office mom so it's that much more exciting for her to have her own little baby. (Maybe she'll stop bossing me around now.) :-)

Then we just hung out around the house doing the usual....Lily being absolutely adorable and me taking pictures or folding laundry.

Mommy's favorite dress with Lily's favorite bunny

Guess the Poo

(melted candy bars)

Phew!

"Come out and play, baby boy Applegate!"

"I love my dress, Auntie Deb!"

Oober-fun exersaucer. Almost tall enough to really enjoy it.

Seen any toys?

Weeeee

"Stretch, I don't think there's any room for you. Sorry, buddy."

A little EVOO in the hair and you can style it any which way

(to help with her cradle cap)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-08T19:08:00.000-04:00

I truly cannot believe I'm a mom!

I have a daughter!

I have a daughter?

This sounds way too grown up for me to be saying.

At times (most of the time) I feel like a kid who is babysitting a fun little girl. I can't believe she's really MINE.

Wow. Am I lucky or what?

When the girls were here in March, we went to Sears to have some family pictures taken for Mother's Day. Wendy only lasted a month before spilling the beans to Mom, but she was still very grateful and is enjoying the pictures we took. Here are the two of Lily and me together:

I must admit, this is my favorite nite-nite she wears...