Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Opryland Pictures

These sunglasses were a big hit all weekend. She wanted to wear them inside, outside, daytime, night time... all the time! This was on our trip to Nashville... and also the only time my flash worked. :(

She always loves a ride on the Merry-Go-Round!

Okay... her lips are so pink in this pic because of horrible lighting. This was also right after her tango with the pavement so that bottom lip is rather fat. We were practicing for our Santa picture and I was really afraid that this is what we were going to get. Her lip felt funny so she was smiling oddly. Thankfully she got over it for the real thing.

This picture is illegal. I got in trouble for taking a picture inside the little area. She looks like she was trying to get away but she wasn't. She was just getting up in his lap.

This pic was extremely dark from not having a flash. Shocker! But it was the only family shot we got all weekend... so it will have to do!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Opryland

Most of you know that we go to Opryland Hotel every year during the Christmas season. We do this with Allen's parents and his aunt and uncle. It is one of my favorite trips because I can get most of my Christmas shopping done in one weekend... in theory. It is starting to shape up as more of a fiasco each year. I still do love going and look forward to it. My poor daughter is going to have nightmares about the place! Here's the story:

We get there on Saturday and head straight for the Louise Mandrel Dinner Show. It was really nice. Calm and pleasant. We head for our rooms and get some shut eye. The next day we get up, do breakfast and head to the mall. I got lots of shopping done during this time but my feet and legs were absolutely killing me by the end (2:30ish). So we head for our trek back to the hotel (we walk back and forth between the mall and the hotel because parking is a nightmare otherwise). Kaylen is sooo tired and we are going to see Santa at the hotel so I don't want her to fall asleep. We held her for a while and then let her walk. She was skipping and dancing to some music... started going a little too fast... and you guessed it... ate concrete. This is her third year to go to Opryland and her third bloody lip! And do you remember the part where we were headed for Santa pictures? Oh well... memories! :)

I must say that incident didn't deter her from enjoying Santa. We went to the room, got cleaned up and changed into our Santa attire and went to the "North Pole". She happened to be the only one visiting him at 4 on Sunday (what we were hoping for). So she went up to see him and she was soooo excited. She told him that she wanted a big playhouse for outside (she is actually getting one... we have been feeding her ideas for weeks). Santa said he would have to take it apart to fit it on the sleigh and put it together at her house. She said, "Otay". Then she told him she wanted a princess library. Anyway, she was in awe. She hugged him and at the end she said, "I wud u, Fanta" Melt my heart!!! He said, " I love you too, Cinderella". He had been calling her that because he told her she looked like a princess. Anyway, I got a little misty-eyed. She even smiled so pretty for the shot and we got a good one, despite the fat lip! I have to say that was the definite highlight of the trip for me.

We went to dinner that night and then Allen and I stayed at the mall to do a little last minute shopping. Kaylen spends one night with us and one with Jeff and Aline. This was their night. Apparently, she had caught a little virus at some point because she woke up at 3 am puking. Then she woke up again in the morning, with the same misfortune. So then Allen went and bathed her and brought her over to me and we got her ready and went to breakfast. She couldn't hang with us so Allen took her back to the room and we brought his food to him. We packed up and checked out. While we were in the lobby trying to get some bill issues settled, she threw up again... all over the floor in the lobby. There was a guy sitting right beside us and I told him how sorry I was and how I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to move. He didn't. I would have! Anyway, she slept the majority of the way home (with a brief stop at Build-A-Bear... even a sickness couldn't keep her away and she made a Hello Kitty).

Okay...so Muggsley got his yearly shots while being boarded at the vet. He has never had any problems with having his rabies and distempo parvo (or whatever they call that) shots together. This time was different... we got him home, a little while later we let him outside and we didn't notice he looked any different. When he came back inside... it was like Hitch. His face was all swollen and splotchy as was the rest of his body. His mouth looked like hooch. I wish I would have taken pictures. It was nuts! So we had to take him to the vet again and they gave him a few shots to help with the swelling and discomfort. Poor guy! He is better now.

I am personally exhausted because I have an issue with not being able to fall asleep until everyone is in bed. I know, my problem. I can't help it. I really don't think about the fact that Allen is still awake but I can not, no matter how hard I try, fall asleep until he is in the bed. And even then, it takes a while. Anyway, his bedtime last night... 12:40!!!!!!! What in the world?!?!? So then I was so mad at him for being so unthoughtful that I couldn't sleep... I saw 1:30 last night. Of course he was sound asleep when I left the house. I did make him get up for a bit but he was back snoozing before you knew it! So if I am cranky today... it is because I am severely sleep deprived!

Pictures to come tomorrow but with a warning... my flash is messed up on my camera... don't know what the problem is but I am sooo sad!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

My Doctor's Visit

Yesterday I went for my 4 month check up and it was a little odd to me. I laid down to listen to the baby's heartbeat and the tech had an extremely hard time finding a heartbeat at all. I mean at least 5 minutes. She started searching, couldn't find anything. Got more jelly, searched some more... still nothing. Finally decided to switch machines, still nothing. By this time I was beginning to accept the fact that I had lost the baby. She got more jelly and continued to search. She finally found the heartbeat... any guesses where? Right on my right hip bone. So am i literally carrying my baby in my butt?!?!?! Only kidding but is that not an odd placement for a baby? I guess a baby can be anywhere but that can't be normal. Here is the heartbeat progression(8weeks, 12 weeks, 15 weeks): 164, 155, 141. What are the predictions for my little hide-n-seeker? Speaking of that, I scheduled my anatomy scan for Jan. 5 at 11am! One month away!! My sister will be in town so she will get to come with us. If you think about it, I have been really nervous that something isn't right with this baby... don't know why... but just pray that I will have peace.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Christmassey Kaylen

Kaylen is really getting into the Christmas Season. She is so excited about hearing about baby Jesus, Santa Clause and all of the Christmas songs. It has really been fun. The only thing she isn't excited about is Christmas decorations. I haven't had her say she likes them yet. Any time I ask if any of the decorations are pretty she says no! Oh well. I absolutely love her Christmas dress this year. She looks so grown up! Thanks to her Aunt Christy (she gets her a Christmas dress every year)for her beautiful dress this year!
Oh, and she would not look at the camera or smile for any of the pics this year... for our Christmas card family pic we took about 100 shots before we got one that worked! And these individuals were about the same for her. UGH! Most of the time she wants a pic of her taken and she smiles perfectly but not that day! I thought Allen was going to come unglued! He was getting so mad at her and then he would yell at her and say things like, "If you don't look at the camera and smile I am going to spank you!" Then she would start crying and we would have to stop everything and comfort her into a happy mood again. It was a rollercoaster! I just kept laughing because he was getting so frustrated and the more upset he got, the worse she got. It really was quite classic. Anyway, I am not posting my card pic... you will have to wait until they come in the mail!! :)



Christmas Decor

I am nowhere near done decorating my house for Christmas. It has been a crazy week and I caught a bug yesterday that kept me in the bed so sick all day yesterday. Anyway, here is where we are right now:



Monday, December 01, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have so much to be thankful for this year (and every year). It has been a busy year full of change (again, that seems to be a recurring theme for us). This year I completed my Master's and I am extremely thankful that it is DONE! Everyone that knows me, knows that I whined and complained each and every step of the way but I am very glad to have accomplished that goal. I guess my graduation is in a few weeks. I wont be attending but will be eagerly awaiting the diploma in the mail.

This year we were able to decorate the house indoors and out. Last year we had just moved in and the outside of our house was so ugly that I didn't feel like lighting it up and drawing attention to it! I will be posting pictures of it soon. Kaylen doesn't seem all that impressed. Every time I ask her if she likes the lights and decorations she says no! I don't know why she doesn't but she says they aren't pretty. Burst my bubble, why don't ya?!?!

I am also thankful for this time in Kaylen's life. I love spending time with here these days. She says the cutest things all the time and her little singing voice is beautiful! I need to be videoing more seriously because I know there will be a time when that voice is gone and grown. tear. She talks nonstop these days. I never thought there would be times that I wanted her to take a talking break but those days have come. She is really constant and when she doesn't have anything to actually say, she starts making up words.

Allen and I have been able to get really involved with our youth group at church and we are both leading a small group of kids. I have 11th grade girls and he has 10th grade boys. We have both received so many blessings from these kids. It has been a major highlight in our year and I finally feel at home in a church. I love my girls and we have a lots of fun together. Allen's guys have started a brotherhood. They have a creed and they have all these "notches" for their paddles that they have to earn like memorizing scripture, community service projects, etc. His guys are so into it. They came up with their creed together and they have a name (Animal House - insert eye roll here) and they have a "gang" sign that they flash up all the time and now they are coming up with their logo as well. I have to say that I have never seen young boys so eager to get involved with something. It is on the obnoxious side to say the least but also an incredible way to get young guys involved in the church and give them a place as well. We are doing a coats and cans drive for the Care Center right now and it ends next Sunday (so if you are reading this and are wanting to donate to the Care Center anyway - please donate to my girls group because we have 6 girls to his 12 guys). The losing group will be serving the winning group dinner at our Christmas party on the 21st. My girls did go door-to-door collecting and I am seriously exhausted from our excursions but we had good success. All of these kids are so serious about winning that I think it will be a toss up until next Sunday.

This post is getting long and I have two more things to say. We are also extremely thankful for baby #2 on the way. I am 14 weeks along and this pregnancy has been completely different than Kaylen! I haven't been nearly as sick (again something I am EXTREMELY thankful for). I have had headaches and have been very nauseous. The biggest thing is my attitude. I am really thinking that it has been a hormonal thing but I have been in a bad mood this entire pregnancy. I am publicly admitting it because I really do want to snap out of it. I just can't picture an actual baby joining our family quite yet. It might be a small fear from my previous miscarriage and now I am guarding myself from getting too attached to quickly... I don't know.




Lastly... it is snowing right now... here in Huntsville, Alabama... on DECEMBER 1!!!

Okay... I was tagged to do my top 5 fav. movies... I am horrible at this... but here goes in no particular order:
1. Notebook
2. Hope Floats
3. In leiu of Christmas: It's a Wonderful Life
4. The Matrix Series
5. The Lord of the Rings Series

I tag no one!!! :)