The Burns Family

Disney Princesses on Ice

2011-01-16T16:04:00.002-06:00

Saturday December 4th, we took Anna Beth to see Disney Princesses on Ice. Al & Brooke joined us for the fun filled night. We started out with dinner at Cheddars.

Much of the night was spent with Anna Beth like this....

To say she loved it would be an understatement. Makes me very excited about our trip to Disney this year!

Samuel is 3 months old & Christmas parade!

2011-01-16T15:57:00.002-06:00

December 2nd marked Samuel turning 3 months old and the Christmas parade. The weather was much too cold to take Samuel to the parade so my parents watched him while Matt & I took Anna Beth to the parade.

3 months old ~ Bless him! Hope we don't scar him for life making him always sit in this PINK chair! He will probably look back at pictures and hate us for it! He has really stared smiling alot. Samuel is such a sweet baby and has been such a wonderful blessing to our family!

Anna Beth loved the parade , but hated all of the sirens

2 months old!

2011-01-16T15:49:00.002-06:00

On November 2nd, Samuel turned 2 months old. We went to see Dr. Zbell on that day. He weighed 12 lb. 8.5 oz and was 22 3/4 inches long. Very close to Anna Beth's size at 2 months. He got 3 shots and one oral vaccine. He did really good with the shots.

Samuel at 2 months old

Ready for church

Snoozing good!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-12T17:35:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving is always very busy for our family. We have to be in Birmingham for lunch and in Florence for supper. Needless to say, we are in the car ALOT on Thanksgiving Day!

Matt and me and the kiddos Thanksgiving morning before leaving out for Birmingham

Sweet Samuel's Smile!

Computer Mishaps

2011-01-12T17:31:00.002-06:00

Well, in October our computer crashed. Luckily, I have most of my pictures saved and some already printed. Needless to say, my blog will have to pick up in November! Going to try to get our blog back up-to-date over the next few days!

Fishing with Daddy

2010-09-24T21:06:00.005-05:00

This afternoon Matt decided to take Anna Beth fishing. Once again, since we were going to be outside and not in close quarters with anyone, Samuel and I decided to tag along to get out of the house. Matt caught several small fish and let Anna Beth reel them in for him. She was so excited! I think Matt might have a permanent fishing partner.

Daddy with his favorite little girl

So excited!

I love this picture of them

First catch

Just her size! She was thrilled!

Anna Beth & Samuel

Checking things out

"A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That"

2010-09-24T20:52:00.004-05:00

We have been taking so many pictures here lately of Samuel that I guess Anna Beth was pretending with baby Josie. I found these pictures Anna Beth had taken on my camera when I downloaded my pictures.

2 weeks old

Dr. Zbell said to keep Samuel away from the public for 6 to 8 weeks! I'm going absolutely stir CRAZY! We took Anna Beth to the park one afternoon. Samuel and I went along for the ride to get out of the house. Nobody else was there so I think he stayed germ free!

3 weeks old

Maybe this bath thing isn't so bad!

Baking with Anna Beth

2010-09-24T20:45:00.004-05:00

Anna Beth found a cake mix in the cabinet the other day and asked if she could help me bake a cake. I think she was more interested in licking the bowl than helping!

A Blog of Firsts

2010-09-24T20:27:00.005-05:00

Samuel weighed 7lb 12 oz and was 19 inches at birth. When we were discharged, he was down to 7lb 5 oz. At our first dr. visit, he had dropped to 7lb 1oz. We had to go back 2 days later for another weight check in which he was up to 7lb 3oz. On September 20th, we had his 2 week check. He weighed 8lb 2.5 oz and had grown to 21 1/4 inches. I think it's safe to say that he now has nursing down pat and is growing like crazy!!!

Picture of his first visit to see Dr. Zbell

We had to put a blanket around Samuel's head to keep it from falling over in his carseat, so Anna Beth wanted a blanket around her head too!

Love to see him sleeping like this...I think it's so sweet!

Anna Beth giving Samuel his first bottle

Anna Beth enjoying "playing" with her brother. Side note: One day while I was rocking Samuel, Anna Beth came up to Samuel and asked if he wanted to play with her. It was so sweet. I had to explain to her that he is still too little to play.

Samuel absolutely hating his first real bath

Snuggle time!

Happy 30th Matt!

2010-09-15T21:24:00.004-05:00

The Monday after we came home from the hospital was Labor Day and Matt's 30th birthday. Everyone came to our house and Brooke cooked supper for all of us.

Birthday boy

Our family

Wide awake - Usually do not see much of Samuel's eyes right now - He sleeps all the time!

Daddy and his babies

Samuel's First Day Home

2010-09-15T21:13:00.006-05:00

We were discharged from the hospital on Saturday, Sept. 4th. In honor of Game Day, Samuel had to come home sporting his Alabama attire! My family and Matt's all came over Saturday night to watch the Bama game and grill out.

Taking a rest in the cradle that Matt built for Anna Beth and Samuel

Big sister Anna Beth ready for the game!

Me and my two little blessings

Sweet kisses

Pics from the hospital

2010-09-15T20:55:00.003-05:00

Welcome Samuel Matthew Burns

2010-09-15T20:04:00.008-05:00

On Wednesday, September 1st, we were admitted to Huntsville Hospital at 1:00 in the afternoon to be induced. After a very long 21 hours, Samuel Matthew Burns was born at 9:58am on September 2nd weighing 7lb 12 oz and was 19 inches long. We are so excited that he is finally here and is absolutely perfect! He looks just like Anna Beth did when she was born. Anna Beth is loving being a big sister! She has done better than I ever expected. She is such a big helper and is so gentle with her baby brother.

Samuel Matthew Burns
7lb 12 oz
19 inches

I can't say enough wonderful things about my doctor, Dr. Callison

Anna Beth meeting Samuel for the first time

Anna Beth checking Samuel out

My 3 favorite people

Even though it's not the most flattering picture, it's our first family photo

Anna Beth watching Matt give Samuel his first bath

Matt showing off Samuel

Happy 3rd Birthday Anna Beth & Kynsley

2010-08-30T20:56:00.003-05:00

This year, Alicia and I decided to have a birthday party together for the girls. We had it at the Onyx. It was perfect and very little hassle--my kind of party!

Pretty Birthday Girls

Anna Beth turning brave on us!

Beautiful and delicious cake made by Laura!

Opening presents

Family Birthday Party

2010-08-30T20:50:00.004-05:00

On Friday night, we had Anna Beth's family birthday party at our house.

Birmingham Zoo

2010-08-30T20:39:00.003-05:00

For Anna Beth's 3rd birthday, Matt and I both took off work on Friday and took Anna Beth to the Birmingham Zoo. Even though it was extremely hot (especially for this pregnant mommy), we had a great time together.

Anna Beth with the pretty tiger. She asked the entire time to find the tigers. She loved them!

She enjoyed the carousel so much that she wanted to ride it more than once so she could ride on all the different animals on the carousel!

Train Ride

Daddy & Anna Beth

Birthday Girl

Kiddie Carnival

2010-08-30T20:33:00.002-05:00

In June, we went to the Kiddie Carnival. Anna Beth really enjoyed all of the rides this year!

Samuel's 4-D Pics

2010-08-30T20:26:00.003-05:00

Once again, it's time for me to play catch up! Samuel will be here on Thursday, Sept. 2nd so I figured I had better get caught up because my free time is about to disappear! We went in June for our 4-D ultrasound. He really cooperated and we got 45 pics of him. I just picked a few to put on here. In some pictures, I think he looks just like Anna Beth and in others I'm not sure.

Just a Saturday Around the House

2010-05-15T20:32:00.004-05:00

Anna Beth spent the night with my parents last night. Matt and I had several things around the house to get done this morning and early afternoon. I went to pick Anna Beth up this afternoon and while I was gone Matt cleaned out Anna Beth's pool. She was so excited and went straight to put on her bathing suit. She played in the pool 4 hours this evening. We even had supper out by the pool. She had so much fun!

She loves her woggle goggles as she calls them!

Mother's Day

2010-05-15T20:27:00.005-05:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year! Anna Beth gave me a swing for the back porch. I'm really excited about it and know we will use it alot this summer. So thankful for my little girl (and little boy that is on the way!) Being a mommy is the most rewarding job!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2010-05-15T20:15:00.002-05:00

Our trip to the beach was for our 8th anniversary! Matt and I were high school sweethearts and have dated/been married for over half our lives! Crazy, huh? I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

Beach Trip

2010-05-15T19:04:00.004-05:00

I will go ahead and warn everyone....there are lots of pictures with this post! We always take a beach trip to Gulf Shores for our anniversary each year. This year with the oil scare we decide to head down into Florida to try to avoid the oil. It was our first time to stay in Destin and we really enjoyed it!

Loaded up and ready to go

It rained on us from Montgomery to Destin and continued to rain the entire first night we were there. Therefore, we all look like drowned rats in the next few pics. After checking into the hotel, we headed out to do some shopping and to eat at Pompano Joe's.

In front of the fish tank at Bass Pro

Anna Beth loved playing on all of the boats

Sleeping like a big girl on the pull out couch

Ready to hit the beach

Catching some rays!

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T19:44:00.003-05:00

Anna Beth's Easter Basket

Checking things out...

Rollers for the first time!

Sweet Anna Beth

Daddy & Anna Beth

Mommy & Anna Beth

Our little family

Hunting Eggs

Disney Live

2010-04-04T19:38:00.002-05:00

Mickey Mouse & Friends

Beautiful Cinderella

Sweet Little Girls!

So Excited!

Baby Burns Update

2010-03-04T17:08:00.003-06:00

We had our genetic ultrasound today! Looks like we have a healthy baby BOY! I guess mama's intuition was right! It is amazing what they could tell us about our baby. Most importantly, everything looks great and healthy!

Baby Burns

2010-03-02T19:45:00.002-06:00

We went at the first of February for our first doctor's appointment. Things have changed so much in just the short time since we got pregnant with Anna Beth. This time instead of just seeing Dr. Callison and she doing the ultrasound, we had to go straight to the ultrasound tech. Everyone in Dr. Callison's office is AWESOME, but the ultrasound tech leaves alot to be desired. She is the same one that was there when we were pregnant with Anna Beth. Everytime we have seen her (this makes the 3rd time) she acts like we are just an inconvenience to her day! So she doesn't go above and beyond to help in any way. We told her we had a DVD to record the baby's first ultrasound. She responded with, well, we don't record the first ultrasounds anymore. Lots of women have their first ultrasound and everything is fine and then they miscarry, so I don't record first ultrasounds anymore. Regardless of what happens, I still wanted the ultrasound recorded. So we already have to explain to our second child that we do not have a video of them at 8 weeks like we do Anna Beth! Then the ultrasound tech did not let us hear the baby's heartbeat. I could see it on the screen and it looked strong, but I was too scared to ask her to turn it up in fear that she might bite my head off! Dr. Callison assured me later in the visit that everything looked great!

We go on Thursday for our 12 week check up in Huntsville. We had genetic testing with Anna Beth and have chosen to do so with this baby also. With Anna Beth, I just had blood work done, but now they do a genetic ultrasound also. We have an appointment in Birmingham on Thursday also. They only do this kind of ultrasound in Huntsville on Tuesdays and Matt couldn't make it to any of the Tuesday appointments. The best part is that they told us they can possibly tell us the sex of the baby on Thursday. It will only be 90% accurate because I am only 12 weeks, but still 90% is pretty good. I had a gut feeling with Anna Beth that she was a girl. This pregnancy has been so different as far as being sick, so I am going with a boy. I would love to add a little boy to our family, but at the same time, I would love Anna Beth to have a sister. Hopefully, we will know on Thursday! Regardless of the sex of the baby, I just pray for a healthy child! So, what do y'all think? Boy or Girl?

Anna Beth's First Haircut

2010-03-02T19:19:00.003-06:00

I decided this past week that it was finally time to trim Anna Beth's hair. I had put it off as long as I could and it was starting to look rough on the ends. This afternoon I went and had my hair cut by Lindsey at Salon Le Jules. Matt and Anna Beth went along with me and watched. We had really talked it up to Anna Beth and she was really excited. She kept asking when it was going to be her turn. She did great! I was a little worried after Lillian's princess party when Anna Beth wanted nothing to do with the hair part. But today, she hopped up in the chair like a big girl and sat perfectly still. We didn't really get enough cut off to tell a difference, just the ends trimmed. She thought she was big stuff!

Big Changes.....

2010-02-13T17:52:00.002-06:00

Anna Beth is going to be

A BIG SISTER!!!

Baby is due September 18th, but Dr. Callison said if everything goes as planned, we will induce on September 2nd. We are so excited and cannot wait to add another little one to our family!

Christmas with the Burns Family

2010-01-05T19:29:00.006-06:00

This year, instead of going to Matt's parents house for Christmas morning, everyone came to our house. It was so much fun to just be able to stay home! We started with a very yummy lunch and then opened presents.

Al & Brooke got both of the girls Disney Princess Talking Nurseries

Jeremy, Tiffany, & Destiny got Anna Beth

Her very own laptop

A pretty sweater

And a Roll Tide shirt as Anna Beth calls it!

And a vacuum cleaner (I really wish it worked because she loves pushing it around!)

Granddaddy & Grandmomma gave Anna Beth along with lots of other things:

Her bedding for her big girl bed

Matt & I didn't do too bad ourselves! We had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Morning

2010-01-05T19:13:00.005-06:00

Anna Beth was so excited Christmas morning. Everything she opened, she would exclaim, "Oh, Boy." We would ask what is it? And with as much enthusiasm, she would say, "I don't know!" She was so overwhelmed by everything! Santa brought her a Disney Princess dress up trunk that she has had so much fun with, an Elmo backpack, books, movies, sleeping bag, and lots more!

Getting ready for Santa

2010-01-02T16:05:00.002-06:00

After we came home from Mama and Daddy's, we had to get our cookies for Santa ready!

Christmas Eve at Nana and Paw's

2010-01-02T15:54:00.002-06:00

It is a tradition to go to my parents house on Christmas Eve. Anna Beth really had the hang of opening presents this year. Her big gift from my parents was a Barbie Jeep. We put it together on Christmas Day in our living room. It has been there every since then because it has been so cold outside. She has no idea that it actually moves. She thinks she is the coolest thing sitting in it watching television. She will not know what to think when we let her ride it outside.

Opening up her Barbie Jeep

"I want to open it!"

Most annoying present of the evening (which Anna Beth loves by the way!)

Me and my baby girl

Mama & Daddy's tree

Santa's Village

2009-12-27T19:25:00.008-06:00

We have planned to go to Santa's Village several times during the month of December, but got rained out everytime. We finally got to go the Tuesday before Christmas and so did everyone else! It was so crowded that it was miserable. We could barely move. We didn't even get to see Santa because the line was so long I knew Anna Beth would never wait that long.

We did get to:

Write a Letter to Santa

See the Reindeer

Decorate a Cookie

Make snowman pictures

Have a good time with Mommy & Daddy!

O' Christmas Tree

2009-12-22T08:43:00.004-06:00

I did not commit to doing the December Daily because everyone knows I usually only post about once a month. I know, I'm not doing very well at this blogging thing. This year I managed to get up two Christmas trees. I wanted to share Anna Beth's bedroom tree. I went with a pink and green theme. I think it turned out really cute. I posted some of my favorite ornaments on her tree.

Happy Birthday Princess Lillian

2009-12-22T08:29:00.006-06:00

Friday night we all gathered at Lane's Salon to celebrate Lillian's 3rd Birthday. Such a WONDERFUL idea! There is nothing Anna Beth loves more than make-up and getting her fingernails painted. I have a feeling this is a bad sign for things to come! Teenage years may be very expensive! Anyway, the girls had so much fun! Thanks to all of the girls at the salon for being so patient with all of our little princesses!

The Sweet Birthday Girl

Getting our nails painted

Next, it's time for make-up

Lookin' Good

Hair Time

Finished Product

Anna Beth and Santa

2009-12-21T16:02:00.002-06:00

Every year Santa comes to visit all the children at the daycare where I work. He is just the sweetest little ole Santa you'll ever see! Just about all the kids love him. Anna Beth walked up to him and talked to him, but would not sit in his lap. After all of the kids visited with Santa, he read Twas the Night Before Christmas to them and stayed for snack time. During this time, my dad shows up to get Anna Beth. I told Anna Beth to tell Santa bye. She looks at him with the biggest grin and says "Bye Santa Claus! See you later!" and runs and gives him a big hug. I had already taken my camera to my office and missed a great photo opportunity. The hug lasted about 5 seconds and she realized she was in Santa's lap and was finished with the whole hugging thing. Maybe next year she will sit in his lap.

Christmas Parade

2009-12-21T15:51:00.004-06:00

Why is it FREEZING every year for the Athens Christmas parade?!!! This year was no exception. We debated on whether to go and finally decided to just bundle up and bear it! I'm glad we did! Anna Beth had a ball. She waved to everyone that came by. She loved it!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-21T15:43:00.002-06:00

This year was the second year in a row that our family in Birmingham came to Athens for Thanksgiving. It is so much easier on us to not have to travel that day. We had lunch with Matt's family and supper with mine.

Here is picture of us Thanksgiving morning

Anna Beth & Destiny

Gatlinburg

2009-11-24T07:24:00.007-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Matt, Anna Beth, and I went to the mountains for a long weekend. We had so much fun together. Anna Beth was the most well behaved little girl the entire trip! No spankings occurred the entire weekend! It was really nice (for us and for her I'm sure)

Day 1

Pulling into Pigeon Forge, we decided our first stop had to be the Applebarn for lunch. We absolutely LOVE that place!

Day 2

We drove over the mountain to Cherokee in hopes of seeing an Indian. Unfortunately, Cherokee pretty much shuts down from the first of November until the first of May so we did not see any Indians. On the way over, we stopped at Newfound Gap. We missed the peak of the turning of the leaves, but it was still a beautiful view. For some crazy reason, on the way back from Cherokee, we decided we would hike to Clingman's Dome. For those of you who have not ever done this, it is a 1/2 mile hike to the highest point. Sounds easy, right? Well, the hike is at least at a 45 degree incline. Matt pushed Anna Beth the whole way up in her stroller. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest by the time we got to the top and Matt thought he was dying! Lots to laugh about on the way up and back down!

Anna Beth has a love for cameras. If she ever gets her hands on mine, she goes around the house snapping pictures of anybody and anything. She wanted to take our picture in front of the teepee. Turned out pretty good for a 2 year old!

On the way back to Gatlinburg, we saw a black bear eating up in the woods. It was right at dusk, so we did not get a very good picture.

Day 3
We had lunch at the Old Mill. We had never eaten there before and it was really good. Then we spent the afternoon in Cades Cove. We let Anna Beth out of her car seat in Cades Cove since top speed is never over 10 mph so she could see better. She thought she was big stuff sitting with us.

Snack Time:

Sorry this is such a long post! We had such a wonderful time together!

Halloween

2009-11-10T19:54:00.002-06:00

Halloween this year was a little on the boring side! Our halloween party at the Smith's was cancelled due to rainy weather, so we set out to trick or treat. We only went to my parents and grandparents and Matt's parents house. Next year we may hit up a subdivision or two!

Our new "television"

2009-11-10T19:48:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, Al bought a projector to use with his power point at church. Well, between Matt & Al, they decided they could hook the projector up to the television and project the football games onto the wall. To take that one step furthur, they realized they could watch two football games at one time (one on the television and one on the projector.) Our ceilings in the den are 10 feet tall, so it makes a pretty big screen! I have to admit it is pretty great watching life size football. As long as my living room gets arranged back the way it belongs after the game! :-)

Notice how small our flat screen looks in comparison to the projection!

Happy Birthday Destiny!

2009-11-10T19:45:00.003-06:00

On October 13th, our niece Destiny turned 2! We celebrated with a "Hungry Catepillar" party!

Burns/Looney Road Trip

2009-10-20T07:10:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, Matt came home from work and told me we were now the owners of season tickets for the Ole Miss Rebels. "Why?" I asked. "I don't want to go to their games!" Well, you see, Matt and Al had been talking to good ole Jay Looney and they had decided to purchase Ole Miss season tickets so we could have tickets to the Alabama/Ole Miss game. I thought this was a ridiculous idea at the time. However, Jay sold all of our tickets for enough profit that we were able to go to our game practically free. So, on this ONE occasion, I guess I would have to say the guys were right :-) We had such a wonderful time! When you get the 6 of us together, we are destined to have a good time! We rented a van to go to Oxford in so we could all ride together. The weather was absolutely miserable. It was cold and there was a heavy mist for part of the game. It wasn't a pretty win by any means, but it was win! Roll Tide!

Lauderdale County's Homecoming

2009-10-17T23:05:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of October, my Alma Mater had their Homecoming. The parade route runs right in front of the daycare so we always are able to take the children outside for the parade. I was worried that Anna Beth would be scared of the loud sirens, but she loved it. She was especially amazed by the Tiger mascot that walked with the parade.

Our Weekend Getaway

2009-10-17T22:53:00.007-05:00

Matt & I went to the Bama vs. Kentucky game a couple of weeks ago. It was in Kentucky so that meant it needed to be an overnight trip. Anna Beth has spent the night away from home several times, but this was the first time for us to leave town without her. She stayed with Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo and had an absolute ball!

Entrance to Commonwealth Stadium

Inside the stadium before the game

Alabama players coming out to warm up

We had a great weekend together!

What have the Burns' been up to?

2009-09-20T15:47:00.003-05:00

Well, a little bit of EVERYTHING! The first week of August we purchased a house. Very exciting for us, but you see, the house needed MAJOR work. So, for the past 6 weeks, we have spent every day M-F working our normal jobs and then working until 9 -10pm at night. The weekends having consisted of working all day Saturday and in between and after church services on Sunday. Where has our child been during all this time??? Here, there, and everywhere! Bless her heart! She has been such a trooper! She has spent alot of time with grandparents and Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo. As far as the house goes, EACH AND EVERY piece of trim in the house was still dark stained wood, so that meant EACH and EVERY piece of trim had to be sanded, primed, and have 3 coats of white paint! We have painted every room and hung crown molding. New cabinets, countertops, and tile all were done in the kitchen. I am so happy with how the kitchen is turning out. It was the one room that made me hestitant to buy the house. The kitchen still had dark ponderosa pine in it. So, we sanded, primed, and painted it and it turned out quite well! Every room had a wall heater that we had to remove and we had to sheetrock the hole. One of the bathrooms was gutted down to the framing. We are waiting on the tile to set in there before we can finish it. It will be a week before we can do any more in there because they are coming tomorrow to refinish our hardwood floors. The other bathroom is still waiting to be tiled and painted and new countertops put in. Carpet is going in the den tomorrow morning. We have made ALOT of progress, but it still seems like we have sooo much left to do. We are hoping to be in by the first of October. I took around 60 "before" pictures, so as soon as we finish with everything I will post "before/after" shots. I think y'all will be amazed! We are really excited about moving in. All the hard work will be worth it in the end!

So, in the middle of all this remodeling. Anna Beth decides that she was ready to start potty training. I had tried several months ago, but she would scream bloody murder everytime I would try to sit her on the potty. One day a couple of weeks ago, she found her panties in her room. She asked to wear them. I told her she could, but she could not use the potty in them. She picked right up on going to the bathroom and we've had very few accidents. I'm amazed at how quick she got it once SHE was ready. I could push it all day long, but she wasn't going to do it until she was ready. Being potty trained is just one more thing that makes her not my baby anymore. I know she isn't grown up by any means, but she is just changing and learning so much every day! She tells me everyday, "Mommy, I'm your big girl." Melts my heart!

Anna Beth's Cinderella

2009-09-02T22:03:00.003-05:00

As many of you already know, Matt & I purchased a house a little over a month ago. We are remodeling this house before we move into it. We have spent MANY hours painting and working. Al offered to paint something in Anna Beth's room. He painted a beautiful Cinderella. Anna Beth is so proud of it. She takes everyone that comes into the house to see it! Thanks Uncle Bobo!!!

Party til you Drop!

2009-07-29T21:50:00.002-05:00

After having a week of birthday festivities, a family party Friday night and a friend party Saturday morning, Anna Beth was absolutely exhausted. Sunday morning after giving her a shower before church, we found Anna Beth curled up on the couch with her new puppy dog watching her new favorite movie "the bees" as she calls it! (The Bee Movie) It was too cute not to share!

Birthday Party at the Park

2009-07-25T21:57:00.004-05:00

We had Anna Beth's friend party today at the Duck Park! She had so much fun playing with all her little friends!

Anna Beth and her cousin, Destiny

Anna Beth & Daddy

Strawberry Shortcake

Blowing out her candle

Allie, Anna Beth, and James

Happy 2nd Birthday Anna Beth!

2009-07-25T21:42:00.005-05:00

Day 6 of Birthday Week was Anna Beth's actual birthday. We had our family party in Al & Brooke's backyard. Both mine and Matt's families were able to attend. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and of course, had 3 different kinds of homemade ice cream and a cake! Anna Beth got lots of cute gifts. She had a ball playing with Destiny!

Mommy & Daddy's gift to Anna Beth was a set of Mickey Mouse books. ***Her big gift this year was an outdoor playhouse, but we haven't put it together yet. As soon as we do, I will post pics***

Modeling her bee umbrella and rain boots from Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo. She also got the matching raincoat, but it was too hot and muggy to model!

Destiny got Anna Beth a puppy dog in a carrier. Anna Beth loved it!

Birthday Week Day 5

2009-07-23T21:40:00.001-05:00

Elmo Magnet set from Mommy & Daddy and a 2 year old birthday doll from Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo

Birthday Cookies At Daycare

2009-07-23T21:36:00.002-05:00

Today I took cookies for Anna Beth's class. They had them for morning snack. There were only 4 kids in her class this morning. There are usually 8 kids in her class. She loves going to school!

Birthday Week Day 4

2009-07-23T21:33:00.003-05:00

Princess crown, necklace, rings, bracelets from Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo and View Finder from Mommy & Daddy

It's hard being a Princess!

Birthday Week Day 3

2009-07-23T21:25:00.002-05:00

Tee Ball set from Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo & a Strawberry Shortcake movie from Mommy & Daddy

Go Anna Beth Go!

Daddy showing her how it is done!

Sweet Anna Beth

2009-07-23T21:21:00.001-05:00

Matt must have taken these the other day when I was at work. I found them on my camera when I was downloading pictures. I thought they were sweet and I wanted to share :-)

This is her "Cute Face"

Anna Beth's Birthday Week - Day 2

2009-07-20T20:59:00.003-05:00

Today was Day 2 of Anna Beth's birthday week celebration!

Ariel dress up shoes from Aunt Brooke and Uncle Bobo

And a My Little Pony from Mommy & Daddy

Anna Beth's Birthday Week Day 1

2009-07-19T22:00:00.003-05:00

Okay, before anyone sends me a comment telling me how spoiled rotten my child is, I already know! Last year, we started a tradition of giving Anna Beth a present every night of her birthday week. Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo also participate in this event. Today was the first day of Anna Beth's birthday week, so she received her first two presents.

Opening Aunt Brooke & Uncle Bobo's gift

A Disney princess purse with sunglasses, earrings, lipstick, and hair brush

Opening Mommy & Daddy's present

Strawberry Shortcake Activity Book

One Happy Birthday Girl

Modeling her pretty earrings

Happy Birthday Kynsley!

2009-07-18T22:13:00.003-05:00

Tonight we had Kynsley's birthday party. It was at Jay's parents' pool. All of the kids had such a good time. Anna Beth hasn't been around big pools very much so she wasn't too sure of it. She still had fun hanging out on the edge and splashing. It is so hard to believe Kynsley and Anna Beth are 2 years old. Alicia and I had the same due date so we went through everything together. We also used the same doctor, so alot of our doctor's appointments were the same day. Poor Alicia had to answer all of my first time pregnancy questions since she was experienced in that area! It was nice to have a friend to talk to that was going through the same things. In fact, I almost thought Anna Beth and Kynsley might have the same birthday. On the Wednesday before both girls were born, Dr. Callison scheduled to induce Alicia on Thursday morning and I spent all evening Wednesday with really hard contractions. I thought it would be neat if they were born the same day. Anna Beth had other plans. She waited 5 more days before making her grand entrance. Happy Birthday Sweet Kynsley Ryann!!!

Daddy & Anna Beth enjoying some white chocolate covered marshmallows

Katie Lee showing Anna Beth how to jump off the diving board

Anna Beth thought about it, but decided it wasn't her cup of tea!

Anna Beth's "cute face"

4th of July

2009-07-18T22:00:00.007-05:00

I don't know about everyone else, but our summer has been super crazy! My baby sister got married at the end of June, so wedding festivities filled most of that month! Anna Beth was such a sweet little flower girl. She actually walked down the aisle and threw her flowers great, but when she did not see me standing there waiting for her, she went back down the aisle calling my name. Oh well, at least she threw her flowers. Matt ended up standing in the back with her for the rest of the ceremony. At the end of the day, I realized I had not taken a single picture with my camera. As soon as I get some from the photographer, I will try to post them!

Of course, 4th of July was tons of fun! We went to Aunt Brooke's Firecracker Festival at Athens High School and had a ball!

Anna Beth loved the inflatable slide!

She thought she was something riding the golf cart with Daddy & Uncle Bobo

Hanging out in Destiny's wagon

I Want Dough Nots!

2009-06-23T20:47:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I had to run to Walmart to pick up a few groceries. As we were going around the end of an aisle, Anna Beth starting pointing and saying "Dough Nots." I had to ask her a couple of times to repeat herself before I saw the white powdered doughnuts display at the end of the aisle. I asked her, "Do you want a doughnut?" She answered, "Yes, a dough not!" She had to have one as soon as we got in the car to drive home! The pictures show what Matt saw when we came in the front door. Pretty funny if I do say so myself! Please ignore the horrible hair do we were experiencing!

I have no idea what kind of face this is supposed to be!

Father's Day

2009-06-23T20:41:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Father's Day with Matt on Saturday since we had lunch plans with Matt's dad and supper plans with my dad on Sunday. Anna Beth gave her daddy a GPS last week before our Chattanooga trip. We saved two golf shirts to give him on Father's Day. Saturday we went to Oh! Bryan's in Madison. That is one of Daddy's favorite places to eat! Anna Beth loves her daddy so much! Matt is a great daddy to Anna Beth and a wonderful husband to me!

Kiddie Carnival

2009-06-23T20:26:00.002-05:00

This was our second year to attend the Kiddie Carnival with all of the young children from church. This year Anna Beth was not interested in riding many of the rides. She rode the swings two times in a row and loved it. Then she decided that she was scared of it and would not get back on them again! Anyway, she had fun running around watching everyone else ride.

Anna Beth enjoying her brief time on the swings!

Enjoying Amber Lovell's yummy homemade cupcakes!

Getting Kynsley into trouble! I have a feeling this is going to be the case for years to come!

Bye Bye Pacy!

2009-06-13T18:18:00.004-05:00

Since Anna Beth has been about 3 weeks old, she has been a huge fan of her pacy. Any time she is tired or ill she wants her pacy. Along with her pacy comes her blanket. They are a pair. You can't have one without the other. Well, I knew the time would come when I would be forced to take her pacy away. The last several days she has been turning her pacy sideways and sticking it back to her 2 year molars and gnawing away! On Thursday afternoon, she had bit a hole in the end of her pacy. I took this opportunity to cut the end off of it to see what would happen. The next time she asked for her pacy, I gave it to her. She sucked on it a couple of times, took it out of her mouth, looked at it, and told me "No, it's broke." I asked her if she wanted it back and she repeated, "No, it's broke!" So, the rest of the day she never asked for it again. I thought this will never be this easy! Just wait until bedtime! Bedtime finally came. I tucked her into bed with her blanket and waited for the question. "Where's my pacy?" I told her "Remember, it's broken." She went to sleep without even crying for it. The next day she took her nap and went to bed without it again! I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that it is GONE! She has asked for it a couple of times, but all I have to do is remind her that "It's broke" and she just keeps on with whatever she was doing. Since Thursday, it is unbelievable how much more she has talked without that thing stuck in her mouth! On our way to Chattanooga, we could hear her singing really low but couldn't tell what she was saying. I started listening really close and she was singing part of "Building Up the Temple." She kept repeating "It's too low, it's too high" while doing the hand motion. It was really sweet and makes me realize that she is learning even when I don't think she is paying attention.

Weekend Trip to Chattanooga

2009-06-13T17:11:00.009-05:00

Matt & I both just worked half a day on Friday and then we left for Chattanooga after lunch. We stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. We were able to check in our hotel and then ride the shuttle to the Aquarium for a quick visit. Anna Beth loved the fish and keep saying "I get them" while trying to climb into the tanks! We had dinner at the Mellow Mushroom which is the first time we had ever eaten there. It was really good. I guess we will have to go the one in Huntsville now! After we got back to the hotel, we walked around the shops and visited the Choo-Choo. Of course, we had to make time to stop for ice cream!

Saturday morning we got up and went to the Chattanooga Zoo. It was a sad, little zoo! There weren't any tigers, lions, giraffes, or elephants. None of the animals you would expect to see at the zoo! We laughed because they had raccoons, goats, deer...you know, animals we see on a daily basis at home! Oh well, they did have some things. Anna Beth liked the monkeys and seemed to enjoy the zoo experience! After we left the zoo, we decided to go to Rock City. There were several times we had to park our stroller and carry Anna Beth down flights of stairs. It was fun, but made me a little nervous being that high up with Anna Beth.

We had a great time together as a family. It seems like here lately we have had so much going on that we haven't had a lot of family time!

Checking out the bobcat with Daddy

Sweet Anna Beth

Getting ready to walk through Fat Man's Squeeze

Playing in the Pool

2009-06-13T17:06:00.003-05:00

Summer is definitely here and Anna Beth has been enjoying cooling off in her pool! She is not scared of the water at all. I'm thinking about starting her in swimming lessons sometime next month.

Craziness in May

2009-05-21T16:23:00.003-05:00

It has been CRAZY since we came home from the beach. Our vacation seems like it was so long ago!!! Here is a run down of all of the things we have been up to!

The day after we came home from the beach, we attempted to have a yard sale. It pretty much consisted of getting up at 5am, driving to Florence to Brooke's uncle's house, unloading all of our stuff, the rain starting before the yard sale did, and getting soaking wet loading all of our stuff back up. Luckily, I made $3.00, so it paid my gas to drive over -Ha! We have had rain every weekend since then, so the tentative date is now June 6th. I'm just ready for it to be over with and maybe make a few more dollars!

During the weekend of the yard sale, I also hosted a bridal shower for my baby sister and celebrated Mother's Day. We sold our subdivision lot which has been for sale since August, so that was a huge answered prayer! I also had to plan Preschool Graduation for 14 preschoolers and 150 of their guests. Crazy how many people a preschool graduation can bring out!!! Following graduation, I braved the yucky, rainy weather with some of my good friends from church for the Sugarland concert! AWESOME concert and so worth sitting in the rain for. Sadly, we ended the night with the death of one of our church members, Daryl Harbin. He was killed in a car accident and is the uncle-in-law of one of the girls that was in our group. Please keep the Harbin family in your prayers. It will take this family a long time to heal from this tragedy.

So, this brings us to the 3rd week of May. This week we sold our house. Yes, you heard me correctly. It only took 3 weeks! The great thing is the man that bought it was buying it for rental property, so we are going to rent our house while we build a new one! Another answered prayer! The only problem is that it sold so fast that we have no plan! We have to find some land we want to build on and pick out a house plan. I'm so excited and look forward to building!

This weekend we are looking forward to my cousin's wedding and then a cookout at the Helums! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends! We are looking forward to a summer full of fun plans!!!

Day 3 & 4 at the Beach

2009-05-07T19:57:00.006-05:00

It is hard to believe, but tomorrow morning it will be time to head home. This vacation has gone by way too fast! We spent all day yesterday and today playing on the beach. Last night we ate supper at Lulu's before going to church. Then after church, we went to play putt-putt. This afternoon we tried to get some pictures of Anna Beth on the beach, but they didn't turn out too well!

Anna Beth wearing Uncle Bobo's shoes

One Cool Chick

Our Family at Lulu's

Helping Aunt Brooke keep score

Uncle Bobo teaching Anna Beth how to play

Beach Trip Day 2

2009-05-05T20:11:00.004-05:00

The weather today was absolutely beautiful! We played outside on the beach until lunch time. After lunch, Anna Beth went down for a nap and Brooke & I went down to the beach for some quiet time! We had supper at Bahama Bob's. We had never eaten there before, but it was really good! Afterwards, we went to The Track for Anna Beth to play.

Building a sand castle with Daddy

Riding at The Track
She loved the swings

Anna Beth and Uncle Bobo

Beach Trip Day 1

2009-05-05T19:45:00.004-05:00

Monday was our first full day in Gulf Shores. We left Sunday morning and made it to Montgomery for church. We made it to Gulf Shores in time to check in and head back out for church. We went to the Original Oyster House to eat. It was so yummy!

Monday morning we got up to cloudy and rainy weather. Matt, Anna Beth, and I went out to walk on the beach first thing this morning. Anna Beth loved the waves. She would squeal with excitement every time the water touched her! Unfortunately, when we were pulling into the parking lot of our condo, our brakes started making a terrible noise. Matt & Al spent this morning changing our brakes. Brooke, Anna Beth, and I went back down to the beach and stayed for a little while. Brooke & I went shopping while Anna Beth napped. We finished the day with Jake's Steakhouse.

Today, Matt & I also celebrated 7 years of marriage. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. He truly is the love of my life and my best friend!

Daddy & Anna Beth looking for fish at the Original Oyster House

Walking on the beach

First Pig Tails

2009-04-25T09:41:00.002-05:00

While I was fixing Anna Beth's hair Wednesday night for church, I decided to try to pull her hair into pig tails. I think they turned our pretty cute!

My baby isn't a baby anymore! Anna Beth turned 21 months yesterday (24th). She is such a joy! She melts my heart!

Playing Dress Up

2009-04-24T18:40:00.002-05:00

Grandmomma and Grandaddy gave Anna Beth a hat for Easter. She did not want to wear it for Easter, but loves wearing it around the house. She also loves trying on mine and Matt's shoes and wearing them around the house. She thinks it is so funny to wear our shoes.

A-Day

2009-04-24T17:42:00.002-05:00

After much debating, we decided to take Anna Beth with us to A-day. She did pretty good through most of the scrimmage. She had so much energy that she walked the entire spiral down from the upper deck to the car, which was probably a mile! She loved watching for Big Al and answering my question of "What does an elephant say? and she would answer "Roll Tide!"

Decorating Our Eggs

2009-04-24T17:37:00.002-05:00

Easter

2009-04-24T17:23:00.008-05:00

This year for Easter we were invited to Brooke's Aunt Kathy's house for lunch and an egg hunt at their farm. Anna Beth had finally got the hang of find eggs by her 3rd and final egg hunt.

Anna Beth with her Easter Basket and the all important Smarties:

Our Family on Easter:

Anna Beth LOVED the baby chicks on the farm:

Easter Egg Hunt Number 2: The Lovell's

2009-04-24T17:05:00.005-05:00

Will and Amber Lovell hosted an egg hunt at their house the day before Easter for all of the small children at church. It was a little chilly, but the kids didn't mind. I was amazed at Anna Beth on their swingset. She climbed all the way up the ladder by herself and turned around and slid down on her stomach over and over. She would not slide the correct way, it had to be on her stomach.

Will & Donnie directing parking:

My Sweet Anna Beth:

Anna Beth & William

Getting ready to start:

Instead of trying to find the eggs, Anna Beth was more interested in Will & Amber's front door.

Sliding:

The best part of the entire day: The Cupcakes

Thanks Will & Amber for a fun morning!

Easter Egg Hunt Number 1: Daycare

2009-04-24T16:51:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I am doing really bad at keeping this blog updated. I will try harder I promise! Our first egg hunt of this year took place at daycare. Matt took off at lunch to come be with Anna Beth so I could "work." Anna Beth was not really interested in finding eggs. She only found two and that was because they were on the way to the slide!

Anna Beth waiting with her class to start the egg hunt. Please excuse my poor child's hair. Mrs. Mona fixed it and I believe it is quite obvious that she has sons, not daughters :-)

Finding her only two eggs:

Enjoying refreshments with Daddy:

Playhouse Disney Live

2009-03-28T11:49:00.003-05:00

Last night we took Anna Beth to see Playhouse Disney Live. She loved it! I think her favorite part was Pooh and Tigger. It was so much fun to sit back and watch her. She was mesmerized by all of it. I really think it is time to talk Daddy into taking us to Disney World! Thanks so much to Jay & Alicia for our wonderful tickets!

Bryson's 3rd Birthday Party

2009-03-28T11:41:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we attended Bryson's 3rd birthday party. He had a bouncy castle at his party. That was the first time Anna Beth had ever played in one. She loved it! She would bounce and fall and giggle away! She was too funny!

Anna Beth's Playdate with Katie Lee

2009-03-28T11:29:00.004-05:00

Anna Beth and I met Leanne and Katie Lee at the duck park the other day for a play date. Lillian and Amanda were supposed to join us, but poor Lillian was sick :-(

The girls had so much fun together. The loved climbing on the steps and going down the slide. We finished off the day with lunch at McDonald's!

Anna Beth was so tired from all that playing that she didn't even make it to her bed before she started her nap!

Daddy's Little Helper

2009-03-17T20:45:00.004-05:00

When Matt got home from work this afternoon, he decided it was time to clean the Trailblazer up. Anna Beth loves to be outside and help Daddy!

Fun at the Park

2009-03-17T20:33:00.004-05:00

Today was such a beautiful day! I decided this morning to call and see if Tiffany and Destiny could join me and Anna Beth at the Duck Park. We met this morning and let the girls play for about an hour. They had such a good time. I went down the slide once with Anna Beth. The next time up the slide Anna Beth pushed me to the side and slid down by herself. Anna Beth is not scared of anything! She climbed up the steps and went down the slide all by herself over and over. She loved seeing the ducks too!

Happy Birthday Grandaddy!

2009-03-14T20:15:00.003-05:00

We spent Friday evening celebrating my father-in-law's birthday. We had a wonderful dinner and great company. Of course, Anna Beth and Destiny had a ball playing together and kept everyone entertained!

Let It Snow!!!

2009-03-01T16:00:00.003-06:00

We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow! It was so pretty! Of course, we had to get out and play in it before church. Anna Beth wasn't real sure about it. She never did want to touch it. She just kept pointing and saying "snow."

Anna Beth's Big Girl Bed

2009-02-01T21:12:00.003-06:00

We recently went for our 18 month check up with Dr. Zbell. We mentioned to her about Anna Beth waking up in the middle of the night, but going right back to sleep once we put her in bed with us. She asked if she was still in her crib and we told her yes. She suggested going ahead and changing over to her toddler bed so she would have more room. I thought she was still too young, but we decided to give it a try! Last night, Matt took the rail off her baby bed and put the side rail on. Anna Beth went to sleep by herself in it and slept all night long! This afternoon she laid right down for her nap. I am shocked that she is staying in it and not climbing out. This is bittersweet for me. My baby is not a baby anymore. That makes me very sad. But at the same time, I am so excited about her growing and changing. It seems like in the last several weeks, she has really gotten good at putting words together and communicating with us. I miss her being my baby, but each day is more fun than the last!

Chuck-E-Cheese

2009-02-01T21:05:00.003-06:00

I wasn't sure I ever wanted Anna Beth to know about Chuck-E-Cheese, but when Jay & Alicia invited us to go with them and Bryson & Kynsley, we couldn't turn down the offer. The kids had a blast (and we did too!)

Where does the time go???

2009-02-01T16:08:00.007-06:00

Before I had Anna Beth, I always wondered what other women that had children were talking about when they said they never had time to do anything since their children had been born. I always thought "They are just kids. What's the big deal!?" Now I guess I am being paid back for thinking those terrible things about those ladies :-) Sadly, this is my first real post of 2009 and it's already February! I don't have time for anything anymore!!! Anna Beth has definitely hit the toddler stage. She is into anything and everything. She loves to climb now and she is quick at it!Below is a picture of her sitting on the kitchen table.

She is so much fun at this age! She has a new found love of apples.

Blog Award

2009-01-17T21:12:00.002-06:00

Thanks to all for the blog award! Now for my 5 addictions:

1. Diet Mt. Dew - I have to have one as soon as my feet hit the ground when I wake up in the morning. Then throughout the day, I'm embarassed to say how many more I will drink!

2. Blogging - This is my newest addiction. Although I'm slow about posting, I check every day to see who has updated.

3. Facebook & Myspace - My hubby says I'm too old for these websites, but I just can't help myself!

4. Shopping for my sweet Anna Beth - I can spend more money on one outfit for her that cost more than my entire wardrobe and not think twice about it. My defense is that hopefully, one day Brooke can also use it for her little girl.

5. Grey's Anatomy - I have to be home on Thursday nights. I WILL NOT miss this show. Love it!

Christmas in Birmingham

2008-12-31T13:37:00.012-06:00

On the Saturday after Christmas, we went to Birmingham to have Christmas with our family there. Anna Beth had a ball playing with Maddie and Emmie and Destiny. It is always so nice to see everyone there. I wish we saw them more often!

Taking a juice break with Uncle Bobo

Nannie with her Great-Grandchildren

Nannie with her Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren

Christmas at Grandmomma and Grandaddy's

2008-12-31T13:15:00.005-06:00

After opening our presents from Santa, we got ready and went to Matt's parents house for lunch. Anna Beth got lots of nice toys from everyone there. Aunt Brooke and Al got Anna Beth and Destiny a V-Smile and game. Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Tiffany, and Destiny gave Anna Beth a cute learning game, and a Strawberry Shortcake game. From Grandmomma and Grandaddy she received building blocks, a Farm set, and LOTS of other things!

I think Daddy, Al, and Jeremy had more fun with the blocks than Anna Beth did!!!

Our family on Christmas morning

Santa Came to Our House!

2008-12-31T13:09:00.004-06:00

Christmas morning was alot of fun this year. Anna Beth got a recliner of her very own, a laundry center, a Stawberry shortcake doll, a keyboard and lots of surprises! She went straight to her laundry center Christmas morning. We all know she is obsessed with the dryer!

Christmas Eve at Nana's and Paw's

2008-12-31T12:53:00.005-06:00

We started Christmas Eve off by taking Anna Beth to see Dr. Zbell. She informed us that Anna Beth had a double ear infection. This is definitely not what we wanted for Christmas...a sick child. After a dose of antibiotics and a nap she seemed to be feeling better. We went to visit my grandparents before heading to Mama and Daddy's. Here is a couple of pictures taken at our house before we left and one of her playing with Granny and Grandaddy.

We all had a very good Christmas this year. Anna Beth got a Cozy Coupe car that she absolutely loves. While we were eating supper. She loaded presents into her car and then pushed it around the living room. She got lots of movies, books, clothes, and toys.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-12-31T12:32:00.004-06:00

December was extremely busy this year! We started out the month with Santa's Village and the Athens Christmas Parade. The following week I had parties to attend Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera to all of these parties. Thursday was an ornament swap at Leanne Helums' home. I had a lot of fun with all of the girls from church. Friday was my work party and Saturday was a Christmas get together with some of my high school friends. Sunday night we attended a Dirty Santa party at Will and Amber Lovell's. We all brought gag gifts. It was hilarious! I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time. On Friday the 19th, we had our Christmas get together with Al, Brooke, Jay, Alicia, Bryson, and Kynsley. The kids really enjoyed playing together and swaping gifts. And of course, all of the adults enjoyed talking and cutting up. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Athens Christmas Parade

2008-12-05T14:26:00.004-06:00

Thursday night was the annual Christmas parade in Athens. Anna Beth rode with Aunt Brooke in the Grand Marshal's car. Anna Beth was totally amazed by all of the activity around her. Brooke said she would wave at everyone for a while and then take a break for juice and raisins. Poor thing was so exhausted from all the excitement that she fell asleep on the way to Cracker Barrel. We barely got her to wake up to eat supper. She had a lot of fun and I think Aunt Brooke did too!

Sorry about the quality of these pictures. I guess it was too dark!

Santa's Village

2008-12-05T14:02:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday night, we decided to take Anna Beth to Santa's Village. Anna Beth absolutely loved it! We were able to walk around and see the Snowman and Gingerbread Man. She wasn't too sure about either one of them. Every 30 minutes, it begins to snow. She wasn't quite sure what was going on then, but she liked it! She even liked visiting with Santa. I was really shocked. I figured she would be scared of him this year. She REALLY enjoyed decorating cookies and eating them. I know each year she will enjoy Santa's Village more. She was still too young to do some of the activities. We had a great evening together!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T21:37:00.003-06:00

This Thanksgiving was very calm compared to Thanksgivings in the past. Usually we travel to Birmingham to eat lunch with Matt's family and then go to Florence to eat supper with my family. This year, all of the Birmingham family came to Athens for Thanksgiving lunch. So instead of traveling Thanksgiving morning, we actually got to relax and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Anna Beth loved watching all of the floats and dancing to all of the music! Lunch was absolutly wonderful and we all ate so much we could hardly breathe! We did not have Thanksgiving with my family this year because part of the family was out of town, part were working and then my dad was sick with pnemonia. So my mom came and had lunch with the Burns family. So Thanksgiving night we got to stay at home for a change! Anna Beth went with Al and Brooke to see Brooke's family. Matt and I actually got to watch a movie together without any interruptions. We have so much to be thankful for this year. We have been blessed with a beautiful, healthy little girl. There are so many people that want kids that cannot have them. I cannot imagine my life without Anna Beth. I am so thankful for my family!

The pictures below are of Anna Beth in her new obsession....the dryer. I turned my back for one second and she had climbed into the dryer. Note to self....do not leave dryer door open and unattended EVER AGAIN! The other picture is of Anna Beth last night after Al and Brooke brought her home. I went in to check on her before I went to bed and found her snuggled up with her Care Bear ~ too cute! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Two Years Ago...

2008-11-28T21:20:00.000-06:00

Matt & I found out we were pregnant the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving of '06. We decided we would keep it a secret until Christmas. It was about to eat me alive because Matt would not let me tell anybody! After a week, I finally convinced him to tell Al & Brooke. They were able to help us get Matt to my first doctor's appointment without anyone else knowing. Matt was "sick" that morning and was unable to come into work until later in the day. Al had to keep their dad from coming by the house to check on Matt! We never will forget seeing "our little peanut" on the ultrasound screen and hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Christmas could not get here fast enough! We told everyone by giving each person a bib that said "I love my Aunt," "I love Grandpa", etc. Everyone was absolutely surprised and overjoyed.

In March, we found out that we would be having a precious little girl and we spent the rest of the day celebrating and buying pretty little outfits for her! I had an extremely easy pregnancy and delivery. I hope the next time around will be as easy! Here are some pictures of Anna Beth the day she was born....

My Blog

2008-11-20T10:07:00.000-06:00

Well, thanks to all of the girls at church, I have finally given in to peer pressure and decided to create a blog. I have enjoyed reading everyone's blogs and hope that you will enjoy mine!