Growing up Girls

2nd Grade - already? So what does baby sister think?

2011-08-22T22:27:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe but my sweet Lauren has started 2nd grade this year. It seems like yesterday we were preparing to have a Kindergartener. She is very excited to start the school year, but I think that's mostly so she'll have plenty of kids to play with everyday. We have some great kids here in the hood, but nothing like school friends that play everyday.

Sweet Lexie is lost without her big sister. Every morning she comes down saying "Hey" to a sister that's already gone to school. So far, we've played blocks, called on the pretend phone, climbed into chairs and pulled stuff off of the counters and table, defeated the baby gate and made it upstairs into rooms that are not designed for babies. My challenge is presenting her with enough to do during the day, yet not so much as to bore her quickly. I have noticed in the last few days that she seems to be picking up words much faster than before. You can't really understand what she might be saying, but I think with a little context you can get the gist. She definitely likes to fuss at you if you tell her "NO" or take her away from something she really wanted to be doing. It's actually quite funny.

Lauren came home with her first homework - real homework since 1st grade was a month's worth of suggestions that did or did not have to be done. So far she has jumped into it and finished it right up when she gets home. Let's hope this trend continues so she'll be good at getting it done and then go out to play and wear out some of that extra energy.

I can't believe how quickly Kindergarten and First Grade went by. While I enjoy quick and easy days, I do find myself trying to make each one count with the girls. They will only be little this one time and so on days that are hard, whiney or extremely difficuly I try my best to be thankful for my sweet little ones. I kiss them everynight and tuck them into bed. I pray over them constantly. I am so proud of my girls. They are good friends and very smart. I look forward to everything La is going to learn this year. I hope she masters the art of Math and continues to keep up with her reading.

Babies

2010-09-10T10:14:00.003-04:00

Better late than never, but our sweet Lexie was born on December 21, 2009. Our best Christmas present ever!

This sweet girl that has come into our lives is amazing. Not just the "she's the cutest thing ever" way, but how god answered my prayers with her. She has the sweetest disposition. She is always smiling. She is amazingly patient. LOVEs to sleep. Is a great nurser and overall eater. Amazing. Have I told you? : )

Babies are truly a gift from our father in heaven. I love waking up to her talking (babbling really) and just delight in the fact that it's a new day. Recently she has started playing while standing up and holiding onto something. It's hillarious and extremely scary. But she's ok. I find that with the second child I'm not as crazy about her falling down or trying things out for herself.

Her big sister is in total heaven. Loves this little baby as if she were her own most days. Wants to hold her all the time. I am really enjoying my front row seat in the relationship that is developing between them. I hope they will always love each other and truly want to spend time together.

A new baby, A new title, and hopefully a LOT more posting!

2009-12-16T22:00:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I've been away from this place for so long. I'm sure the few of you that actually looked to see a new post have long given up. Please come back! LOL. My hope and plan for this year is to post more about what is happening with us so our friends and families can keep up with our girls as they grow before our very eyes!

As for the latest news, I am due to have a new baby today. But so far, she's not ready to join us. This will make baby #2 for us and a whole new way of life! Blake finally graduated college today - I'm so proud of him! It's been a long, hard road, but he's been very diligent and tried to make sure everyone was taken care of, school attended and grades made so he could get to this final point in his life. We are SO proud of you!!

Lala is now in Kindergarten and growing like crazy. At last check she was somewhere around 42 lbs. She is over 3 feet tall and getting taller and prettier with every moment. God has been so good to us. We are now anxiously awaiting the birth of "little sister" as we refer to her and hoping for Christmas as a family of 4.

Give aways!

2008-11-12T10:39:00.003-05:00

One of my most favorite blogs, Skip to My Lou, is hosting a fabulous give away. She always has great creative ideas and tips for you and your children. Today, she is having a give away for some fantastic photo postage stamps, and a Lil Sprout Greeting Cards. Go check it out. And get ready to get creative for the holidays!

A return to blog land

2008-08-27T10:49:00.003-04:00

I realize that I've been absent from this place all summer. It has been a great summer and I really enjoyed being able to do lots of fun things with my family and spend some extra special time with my daughter.

I'm still sorting through photos and what I want to update on so for now, I'll leave you with some of my favorite links.

http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/

http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/

http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Scroll down to the previous post and you'll see Vanilla Joy. They are a new discovery to me but it looks like I'll enjoy that blog for a long while.

There are so many more that I love to check in on everyday. Hopefully you'll enjoy these 3 ladies and their fun crafts, stories and photos. I'll be back with more links and hopefully a fun post of one of our summer adventures.

A Fun Give Away!

2008-08-27T10:39:00.004-04:00

Vanilla Joy is having a fantastic giveaway this week! You should click on this link or the above button to check out all of the fabulous things they're giving away. Lot's of luck. I'm hoping for the cricut so we can have loads of family fun!

Summer time

2008-06-23T21:25:00.002-04:00

Sorry to be an ever absent blogger. Life is busy. But you all know that. There is too much going on and I just can't seem to keep up with Lala being out of school and lots of work to do. I'm going to be taking a break from blogging (as if I haven't already) to enjoy time with my daughter, afternoons at the pool, trips to visit family and of course my regular work load.

I do hope your summer is fun and exciting. I will be back. Take care internet friends.

Wedding Fun

2008-05-12T18:37:00.007-04:00

Holy Smokes! I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted anything. We have been very busy at our house and just returned home from a wonderful wedding weekend. My best friend got married up at Brasstown Valley Resort in north Georgia this past saturday. She looked absolutely amazing and we had so much fun. I'm going to post some of them so you can see just how much fun was had.

Our weekend started by going up early on Thursday s

o the bride could relax and we could finish putting together her goodies for her guests stay and the reception. After that we spent plenty of time relaxing and having a good time without children present. It was a fun night.

Friday was a busy day. It began with a light breakfast and then getting ready for the bridesmaid's luncheon. Held in the tack room at Brasstown Valley Resort, we were treated to a delicious lunch and fantastic gifts from the bride. My daughter, the flower fairy, was able to check out the horses and run around without bothering too many people. After the luncheon we had a few hours to relax and see more of the property.

The rehearsal began promptly at 4 in the afternoon with the bridal party wearing the shirts given to us from the bride. Pictures were taken, laughs exchanged and a bit of crying as the maid of honor (sister) stood watching her older sister practice her vows. It was a bitter sweet moment and I'm so honored to have been a part of the entire process. After our tears were dried, clothes changed and moods lightened, we all headed to Crane Creek Vineyards to enjoy a fabulous dinner accompanied by delicious wine. Blake and I had been there before for another one of our friends' wedding. We were amazed at all of the changes that had taken place since we'd last been there.

The children played in and around the vines, took in the view at the lake and picked the flowers (sorry guys!). They were cute and pretty well behaved considering it was bedtime.

For now, I'll leave you with some pictures from Crane Creek and I'll work on a wedding day post for tomorrow.

Updates

2008-04-14T14:38:00.002-04:00

Well, I had planned to post a whole bunch of stuff about everything going on. We've been so busy that I haven't been able to keep up. I do have so much to tell you all about. For now, I'll just leave you with a fun picture. Hope you are all well!

Preschool Easter Party

2008-03-19T21:33:00.000-04:00

The Easter party at the school went very well this year. All of the kids were excited to hunt eggs inside. Our weather was very raining looking and the teachers didn't want to risk getting rained on. I'm not sure the kids would have noticed!

The party mom's brought in some yummy food and continued the tradition of shaped sandwichs. The kids really seem to love them. One boys mom even brought in face paint and bunny ears for all of the kids. They looked so cute. I'm sure you'll agree. Who couldn't resist a sweet bunny face?

More fun to continue this weekend!

A Loss

2008-02-25T20:03:00.004-05:00

My grandma, Irene Benefield, went home to live in heaven today. She lived a very long and somewhat complicated life. She was the oldest of 12 siblings. She and my grandpa had 7 children, 5 girls and 2 boys. I used to visit her every summer and spend the week. I loved every minute of it and have missed those summers for quite some time. Her house was a place that was unlike any other that I visited. She did not have air condition and her heat was supplied by a gas burning heater.

She had a crazy cuckoo clock that would chime just as you were trying to fall asleep. She never remembered my name, but knew exactly who I was and gave me the nickname "ladybug". She used to put bleach on our mosquito bites so we wouldn't itch. She had crazy feather pillows that weighed 25 lbs. She used funny names for body parts and carried a jar of water in her car before water bottles became popular.

She did not love conventionally but was very loved by us. When she would hug you, she would pat your back so hard, you'd think she was trying to help clear your lungs. She was truly a great woman. When my brother and I would visit, she would take us to the store and tell us to pick out what we'd like to eat and then allow us to pick out every sugary thing available. She took me to my first VBS at her church and then had me visit every year so I could continue to go.

I will miss you grandma. I love you. Alisha.

Tea Party / Bridal Shower

2008-02-24T20:21:00.010-05:00

My best friend (since we were 12!) Danielle is getting married in May. So, the girls and I (Cole, Courtney and Serina) decided we'd like to throw a tea party shower for her to kick off the wedding fun. Here are a few photos of our fun morning and the rest are posted at Flickr. I'll try to sum it up for my next post. I'll also have to tell you about the toilet paper brides. They were so fun!

Danielle (aka. The Bride)

Dani and Lala

The toilet paper brides

The wedding party girls (minus Jill)

Just some photos to catch up

2008-02-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's been a crazy year so far. So, I'll just leave you with some Valentine photos till I have time to write a proper post. We had a cookie decorating craft for the kids as well as the bracelet craft I brought for them to make. Once I get some photos of that, I'll post them. It's a great afternoon project for the kids if you need to get something done.

Hope your Valentine's Day was great!

10 Random Facts About Me

2008-01-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Brittany, so here goes:

Rules of the Game:

Once you have been tagged, you must write a blog containing 10 weird, random things, (facts, habits or goals) about yourself. At the end, select 10 people to be tagged, listing their names and the reason you chose them. Send them a message ("You're It") and instruct them to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you. Since you can't tag me back, let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your answers. Thanks for playing and have fun!

10 Random Facts About Me..:

1. I met my husband at a Thanksgiving party in 1998.

2. There was another guy at that party who thought I was coming to meet him. He was drunk and confused.

3. I have known my best friend since I was in 6th grade. We're still best buddies.

4. Yellow is generally my favorite color. I look better in pink.

5. I love to read. So much that I'll stay up all night just to finish a good book.

6. I originally wanted 4 kids.

7. Someday I will live on the beach or on a tropical island.

8. I am a graphic designer. And I love packaging design.

9. I love spending time with my daughter and husband.

10. I am not great at spelling, in fact, I'm quite horrible at it.

My 10 Friends I want to answer:

1. Blake
2. Laurie
3. David
4. Missy
5. April
6. Dani
7. Carey
8. Jodi
9. Rachel
10. Nessa

Beginning the New Year

2008-01-16T10:19:00.000-05:00

(David at Chic-fil-A bowl)

Well, the end of 2007 was quite busy. Luckily, Blake was off and was able to be home to entertain Lala. I on the other hand was busy with the Chic-fil-A bowl. I worked once again with Bob on the photography team and it was a bit more fun this year. Since it was our 2nd time around, Bob was a bit more comfortable letting me see and do some of the activities I didn't get to do last year. I was still the Jedi and had to maintain the files and organize them, which is no big deal, but I also had a blast. The same guys plus one were there shooting and everyone was more relaxed and easy going.

We were stationed at the Hilton with the Auburn team. They were great. The coach was so friendly and the players were pretty nice, when you saw them. The Clemson team was across the street and the players were more friendly, but their coach wasn't so much. I can understand that, being that he's at a bowl game, trying to keep his team in line so they can play well.

Everyone knows at this point that Auburn won, but it was still a great game. My brother and his wife used the tickets we gave them for Christmas and sat in the nose bleeders - sorry David and Missy, but Missy did say how awesome it was to be able to see the entire field and be able to actually follow the ball! Anyhow, I was on the field for most of the game, and even got to take a few shots. They are in the books we published and will soon be available for purchase. I'll put up a link once I have it. So, there we are. Game over and the work after it almost done as well.

So, 2008. What's in store? Well, B was offered a different job with the bank that pays more (yeah god!) and will be moving over there in Feburary. I'm hoping he'll still be close enough to come home for lunch, but maybe not, though it's been so much fun while it's lasted. I have been working on books for the bowl and have a potential opportunity to do more work with one of the wedding photographers I work for. That would be another answer to prayer. Now, to figure out what to do about housing.

I have been getting that "move to another place" feeling for quite some time now, but I know that God has a plan and purpose for us and I'm waiting for him to move us. These last couple of days have been a bit of an answer and so I feel that it's ok to move forward with at least looking. If the financial aspects continue to back us up, God provides a place, then we can get this place finished and on the market. It is so scary to actually type that. I've been thinking it for quite some time, and we've slowly but surely been working on things here and there. I am finally seeing just how much we need to do now and it's a bit overwhelming.

So, now that you know what's up, let me get back to what I should be doing! Have a great day!

(Missy at the bowl)

Happy New Year

2008-01-06T17:31:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year blogland. I've been away and quite busy the past few weeks. New Years was great. I have much to tell. It will have to wait though, as I'm still playing catch up. I hope yours was great. Here's a picture to tide you over until I can post about our adventures.

Game time is a comin

2007-12-10T22:12:00.001-05:00

I am fortunate to be working the Chicfila Bowl again this year with one of my clients. Bob is shooting for the 2nd time and he's bringing back the team from last year. My team went and won the bowl, but this year it's Clemson vs. Auburn, so I'm excited but not as excited as last year. Trying to figure out what to do with my tickets will be the hardest part. I know so many Auburn fans it's not even funny.

Right now the plan is for Blake and I to go to the game, but I'm thinking of letting B go and take a buddy so he can have a really good time. Not too sure how the boss will like that one, but maybe he'll be ok with it since B will still be going. Tonight I worked on a prelimanary game book for the bowl. Bob is going to run it by the comittee to see if it's something they want to do and if so, then cool! I'll get to have a credit in the back showing that I worked on this book. How awesome will that be? Naturally I'll have to order a copy to keep showing I actually got published somewhere big.

Now, my hope is someone else will need my handy graphic design services. I can only hope.

Feelin that Holiday spirit

2007-12-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

Husband bought me the new Josh Groban cd Noel. I'm loving the songs on it. It would have been nice if he had included "O Holy Night" on there as well, but no big deal since I bought it on I Tunes.

I love this time of the year. Family and friends visiting, putting together Christmas cards and adding our special touches, talking about Jesus with Lala and enjoying her reaction to the Christmas trees and everything that goes with it. There's just something about the Christmas carols, listening to the choir in the sunday service, shopping for our Angel Tree child, and going to the women's Christmas dinner that really warms my heart.

This year is tough though. I find myself thinking an awful lot about my aunt. I really miss her. It's almost like I don't want anyone to ask about her because it makes my heart sad that she's not here this year. It's all I can do to keep my composure when someone asks my cousin or my grandmother if they're doing ok. I don't think there is an adjective out there to describe how they are. I think most days my grandmother runs the gamut of feelings. I don't know about Rachel. I really just don't know what to do for her or how to help her, so i'm hoping that support and love will do for now. I know how much I miss her mom and so I can't even bear to think about how much she misses her.

Well, so much for a happy post. It's just that sometimes I get so caught up in the busyness of life that I don't really think about what is actually happening. I pray for all of you that your Christmas season is filled with Christ, love, time to remember and reflect on those you love, peace in your hearts, and a joy that's unending.

Photos

2007-11-28T11:15:00.000-05:00

I'm so behind, forgive me. For any of you that would like to see pictures from our UGA vs. Auburn game day at the lake, check my photos. Sorry there weren't any "game" photos. We were too busy hanging out by the fire pit. It was a lot of fun. Some people drank a bit much and were tossing up entire trees for us to burn. I wonder who that could be? I'm just sayin.....

Lizary :: our new friend

2007-11-28T11:06:00.001-05:00

Well, as some of you now know, we have a Carolina Anole living at our house. In a cage. He chose us as his winter vacation resort this year. We were just as suprised as he was. Anyhow, we've gotten him a larger cage and some food from Petsmart. I don't know how long Lizary will be living with us, but we've already bought the book, gotten the crickets, pimped out the cage, and we're thinking of getting a more permanent place for him to stay. At least while it's cold, or that's what we keep telling ourselves. Lala thinks we'll have him forever. Oh dear!

So far, Lizary (lala's name for him) seems to be a pretty happy camper. I'm worried that he'll get too cold in our house, but my husband says all he needs is a desk lamp and some leaves and the occasional cleaning of the cage and he'll be just fine. Does this mean that I'm in charge of all of this? Ummmm, no. I won't touch a cricket and you can forget cleaning lizard poop. I can't imagine there's all that much of it but people I have done my duty. I saved the little guy from our Jack Russell's. The husband? He can do it.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

This year Blake and I celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family. It's our first one in a long time. We always go down to south Georgia to see his extended family and cram all 10 of us immediate members into his mom's house for sleeping. I was happy to be home in my own bed this year. It also freed both of us up to do a few things we haven't been able to do. But before I get too far ahead.

How was your thanksgiving? What did you do? Did you have a big family lunch or dinner, or did you just have a quiet day at home? The entire Stallings clan, save for one cousin, gathered together at my uncle Brian's house for turkey day. He cooked 3 different turkeys. One was a trash can turkey, the other deep fried, and the last one was marinated and smoked. They were all so very delicious! The other food was fantastic and as usual, they went all out! It was truly fantastic. Thank you uncle Brian and Aunt Stephanie!

While it was a happy time, we were all thinking of my aunt Leslie. It is the first set of holidays without her. It's really tough, but we're doing our best to get through it. In honor of her, we all walked around the neighborhood after lunch in our first ever Thanksgiving Turkey Trott in memory of Aunt Leslie Stallings Currie. It was bitter sweet. We had fun and laughed and got our exercise. But it wasn't without a very real thought of how much we love her and miss her. Every day.

We were extra blessed to have my cousins Ken and Theresa and their children Hannah, Taylor, Kenzie, Emily, and Austin down to celebrate with us. It was wonderful and I always love seeing them. The children are amazing and growing up too quickly. Hannah is learning how to drive and will all too soon have a driver's license. She is beautiful and very smart. Ken better start worrying about the boys. And girls, let me tell you about Taylor - handsome! He is very sweet and quiet. But watch out, he loves to kid around too! Kenzie is amazing and beautiful. She can knit, something I hope to learn myself, is an avid reader and can light up a room. Emily is also beautiful and looks just like her mom. Austin is a very small version of Ken but looks just like Theresa. He has a fountian of energy and loves to play. Lauren really enjoyed playing with all of them.

ok, back to Thanksgiving. So, once we had all stuffed ourselves, took a picture, and trotted around the neighborhood, we had desert. Yummy. Too much to choose from, so I had chocolate covered strawberries. Thank you Angela for brining those. If I haven't said it enough, I love my family.

After we left uncle Brian's, Blake and I had enough time to come home, pack a bag for Lala and take a very short 30 minute nap. I know, only 30 minutes? Well, we'd been invited to the Falcon's game with my dad, and I really wanted to go. So, we dropped Lala off with my mom and headed to the GA Dome. The game was a bit exciting even though the Falcon's lost. It was nice to be with my dad and my uncle Mike and other cousins that have season tickets to the game. Thank you to Missy and David who gave us their tickets.

Anyhow, we didn't get home until 1:00 am, and I wanted to go shopping to get Lala some gifts. I'll have to go into that at a later date. Thanksgiving was great, we had so much fun and got to hit the Falcon's game, go shopping with the other crazy people on Black Friday and B got to go golfing with the men in the family. Great fun for us all!

Carolina wha?

2007-11-19T15:31:00.000-05:00

UPDATED ** Check out the photo of Lizary. Yes, Lala has named him. At least, we think Lizary is a boy.

This is how our lunch started out today.

me: Honey?
him: yes.
Lala: Daddy! Daddy! Come. here.
him: sighing, ok.
me: can you help me get the lid off of this box so you can capture Lala's lizard.
him: her what?
me: Lizard. You know, the thing with the tail?
him: oooook.

*we are looking around to find the elusive lizard that's been living in my office since last thursday. Our 2 Jack Russell Terriers kept wimpering at the wall, and I just thought they were high or something. No, turns out they had cornered a lizard and I was just too lazy to investigate it. Back to the conversation.

me: now, make sure it goes in the box, Lala really wants to look at it.
him: I don't know if I can get him in the box, but I'll try.
me: ok. (backing up)
him: Oh, this is just a Carolina Anole. Harmless.
me: A what? Carolina who? Aren't we in Georgia?
him: (a bit exhasberated) Carolina Anole honey.
me: Whatever, did you get him?
him: yes.
Lala: Cool! I'm going to keep him. Forever.

So now, for the moment, we have a Carolina Anole in our kitchen (in a bug box). I'll post the picture in a bit when the little one has calmed down a bit more. Now to find out what they eat.

UGA vs. Kentucky

2007-11-17T23:24:00.000-05:00

Ummm yeah, I'm just popping in to quickly say "GO DAWGS, sic em, WOOF WOOF WOOF"! Way to go, great effort in the second half. We're hoping for another great game against GA Tech next week.

UGA vs. Auburn

2007-11-16T15:22:00.001-05:00

What a fantastic game! My brother (david) and his wife (missy) invited us up to their lake house along with some friends to watch the game and have fun. Boy did we have fun too! Lala was the only child and center of attention when Uncle Kevin and Aunt Amanda arrived.

Everyone brought something to share so we ended up with a great variety of really yummy food. We snacked and snacked and gained some pounds which were quickly worked off watching the men light a fire and haul up the wood. They were great sports and we really enjoyed the treat of having a small fire outside in the firepit.

I'll post some pictures when I find the camera to download the ones I took. Oh and final score? UGA

Happy weekend everyone.

A Wicked Good time

2007-11-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it through Halloween. Just as we thought Lauren had gotten over the stomach bug, it hit her again. We were able to make it to a few houses before finally calling it a night. She was so happy in her Red Queen costume and had a blast this year with trick-or-treating. Our next door neighbors lavished the candy on her, they are really very sweet, and she ended the night with a full pumpkin!

Blake and I decided to put on our costumes from the party we went to the weekend before to help make the night a bit more magical for Lala. She's been trick-or-treating before, but never really understood what was happening until this year. It was so awesome to watch her eyes light up and tell everyone thank you.

I am treasuring every moment of her childhood knowing it's going by so quickly. We had made some fun Halloween cards for friends and family memebers that we mailed. I found some foam peel and stick shapes at the dollar store and then cut some cardstock paper down to a 4 x 6 shape to fit into our envelopes. We already had a witch stamp, so lala stamped everyone's envelopes and then embelished the cards with stickers and a fun note.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T14:12:00.000-04:00

(Preschool Halloween Photo)

Lala's party at school went so well. All of the moms really put in a great effort and the kids had so much fun. I was responsible for the craft. The oh so easy peel and stick craft. I love whoever came up with foam that peels and sticks in different shapes. It's great for little ones and so easy to clean up after!

The kids also had a fun snack with ham, cheese and crackers. The cheese and ham were cut out shapes of bats, houses, and pumpkins. They also had apples and grapes too. It was Garrett's birthday, so the kids were also treated to a cookie cake complete with orange and black m&m's! Everyone was happy. They also got to play some fun games with prizes and sing to the birthday boy. Cinderella (Molly's mom) was there with the games.

What a great party! Thank you to all of the mom's who helped make this Halloween party so much fun for all of the kids!

Have a fun and safe time trick-or-treating! Lala is going to be a red queen. I'll post some photos of her all dressed up tomorrow.

A very long weekend

2007-10-29T11:02:00.001-04:00

My sweet baby girl is under the weather still. She's been sick most of the weekend and we've had very little sleep. She is a little trooper though. I am still trying to convince her to drink and possibly eat something since she's been without food since saturday at 7:00 pm. I'm worried about dehydration but the oncall nurse seems to think it's just a pain in the rear stomach bug, so we're trying to keep her comfy and happy at home. If anything changes, though, we're out the door and to the doctor office.

Have a lovely day everyone.

Georgia 42 - Florida 30

2007-10-28T17:57:00.000-04:00

"Unbridled and unabashed, No. 20 Georgia (6-2, 4-2) stomped all over No. 9 Florida (5-3, 3-3) 42-30 in front of 84,481 fans Saturday at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium." - AJC

How bout them DAWGS!! What a great game. We were so excited to finally pull out a win over this team. Read more about the game's events and see photos here. Above photos from the AJC.

Rivalry

2007-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Today's the big game. The biggest one of the year for Georgia. Our team is so young this year, I'm not sure how much of a dent we'll put into the game. But Florida has a young team too. I'm really hoping to suprise the Gators, but I just dont know if the Dawgs have it in them this year. I was so positive last year that they'd win, but alas, the hype that we're just not good enough got into us. We did make it to the Chic-fil-a bowl though and won, so that proves something right? Not to the gator fans.

To me, Florida is not so much tough as they have presence. Their team has the ability to scare us, probably because we haven't won a game against them in the last 16 or so match ups. I really hope today will be a turning point but I'm giving my beloved Dawgs a 40% chance at doing anything and that's high because we're so young! Let's hope I'm wrong and they kill the gators today.

I'll still be rooting on my red and black hoping they'll pull out a miracle of some sort. As for my husband, it's going to be a loud day and the TV is going to take the brunt of it. I suddenly feel the need to have snacks and a fridge full of beer ready for him. Have fun with your college football teams if they are playing today!

Happy Birthday David!

2007-10-27T09:35:00.000-04:00

Today, my baby brother turns 27. Yikes! Where has the time gone? I could swear it was just a few days ago that he was busy stealing my car, going to high school, playing baseball and dating the girl who would become his wife.

I am very lucky to be so close to my brother. He has turned out to be this amazing person. David is such a kind and loving man, something I attribute to great parents. We couldn't have had better ones. He is a great athelete playing softball and the wii on the weekends, a wonderful husband in the way he cares for and loves his wife, a great friend who generously helps others, and a fantastic brother always looking out for me even though I'm supposed to be the older more put together one.

David I just wanted to tell you how wonderful it is to have you for my brother. God has done amazing things with you! We have been blessed with amazing parents, spouses, family and friends. I hope you have a great 27th birthday and many more. I look forward to watching our kids play together and the endless family gatherings that seem to come so easy to us. Thank you for being a godly man, a loving brother and uncle, a friend, and someone I can run ideas and questions by. I know that I annoy the heck out of you on a weekly basis, but I am so glad that you are willing (most days) to give me a break.

I love you,
Sis

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11

Meeting a Celebrity...of sorts

2007-10-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, I took Lauren to meet Mike Rowe. Our local Lowes was giving away a washer/dryer set and I was hoping to win one for my mom. Lauren got excited when she found out we were going to meet Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs. She loves that show. My husband got her interested one night when there was nothing suitable for children on and she has loved it ever since. I have to admit, it's a good and quite hillarious show. You should check it out if you haven't seen it. It's on the discovery channel.

Baby Shower

2007-10-02T09:48:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday we went to a baby shower for a friend that I've known since I was a kid. I believe I was about 5 when I met her. She is having her first baby, a girl, and we all "showered" her with some truly great gifts. I stayed up late Friday making her gifts as I do for every baby shower. I wanted to make Jenny's baby some special things. For Stella I made a taggie blanket, hooded towel, and some burp cloths. As usual I forgot to take some pictures of them, but hopefully she'll indulge me and send me some - with a baby in them! I'll post them when I get em.

Have a good day blog land.

An Evening to Remember

2007-10-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday night my immediate family and I went to a dinner at the Atlanta Country Club. My Aunt Leslie's friend, Madeline and her husband, had a dinner for friends and family of my aunt so we could share our stories and memories with one another. It was really a nice evening. A very difficult one, but nice. I loved hearing from the peoples whose lives were touched by my aunt. She was truly a magnificent woman. She was very loving to everyone and it was just so amazing to be around her.

I wish everyone could have known her. She was that great. Lala still misses her and thinks she's coming home soon. I don't quite know how to explain death and heaven, so I am very broad in what we talk about. I wish she didn't have to experience this while she is so young. For now, we pray together for our family, god's continued grace and strength and blessings upon everyone we love.

A friend comes home

2007-09-18T13:28:00.000-04:00

My friend Vanessa whom I've known since we were in middle school came home from Iraq. She's been home since the last week of August, but pretty much jetted back out of the country (to visit a friend in Germany) having been home only a few days. She's back now, and so I can finally publish this post.

My family and I along with her family and friends went to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport to greet her when she landed. We were all lined up with posters, flowers, flags and big smiles. There are eighty seven million pictures at this link while only a few are up here. Julia Harding from Fox 5 was there to interview Vanessa and capture her coming home, but I don't think it ever aired. Oh well, she was pleased as punch to have us all there to see her and was even more suprised to have the tv station there.

Lala was very excited to see Vanessa as she only remembers her from our lunch with her right before she left last December. She's finally getting old enough to remember some of my friends that she only gets to see occasionally. The pictures speak louder than any words I can possibly write, so here you go. Enjoy!

Vanessa will be leaving tomorrow to go to her new assignment in Mississippi. Hopefully we'll get to see her at Thanksgiving.

Walking with the Dinosaurs

2007-09-13T16:57:00.000-04:00

The hype was right! It's a great show. Lauren enjoyed it so much more that I ever would have imagined. If you don't know what I'm talking about, stop reading and go to this link. I'll wait. Isn't that cool?

B's company treated us to tickets and it turned out we were in a suite. We were shocked at how nice everything was. I haven't ever been in a suite, so this was a real treat. The company had provided food and drinks for us, so all we had to do was show up! We brought my best friend Danielle, her fiance James and her cousin's little boy Andrew with us. Lauren immediately went looking for the stage and scoped out her seat. Andrew decided he didn't like heights and choose to sit in Dani's lap further back in the suite.

When the show started, we sat down, got comfortable, and i got out the camera. Lauren's eyes were so large and glued to the stage the entire time. Because this is a dinosaur show, the host or archieologist, spoke about evolution which I do not agree with. So aside from all of that, it was a great show. They brought out a bunch of dinosaurs, but it was presented in a story format which was also pretty cool. WARNING:: Spoil aleart!!! At one point the dinosaur (i don't remember which one) went into the corner and made grunting noises. My daughter, ever the potty expert, said rather loudly to her daddy "i think he needs to poop" at which point a ball of poop rolled toward the anouncer guy. It was so funny! A great way to interject a laugh point for the rather captivating show.For those of you who like to see something different, I highly recommend it. It was loud in there though, so if you have anyone sensitive to noise, I'd rethink going and maybe try to find it on video. Hope you were able to enjoy my pictures. It was hard to take them in the dark, but a few turned out ok.

Away too long

2007-09-13T16:35:00.000-04:00

I apologize for not posting for quite sometime. We have been busy with working, summer ending, college beginning (for my hubby) and preschool starting for Lala. I don't even know where to start, but I'll try.

First we went to Maryland to visit our best friends JD, Laurie, Connor and the newest addition Riley. We had such a good time. I just love holding brand new babies and Riley made me want another...almost. Riley is doing great and growing, Laurie is doing great too. C seems to love Riley, which is great since you never know if they'll like the new kid or want to put them in the trash! (remind me to tell you about a friend who did that to her brother once) JD is pretty much doing the same ol thing except playing with one more son, helping Laurie and adding diaper changing back into his list.

After we returned from a great visit, Blake started fall semester. For those of you who don't know, he is back in college finishing his degree in Biology. He goes to Kennesaw State University where we hope he'll be finished in the next year.

Lala started preschool at the church next door. She loved it so much last year, we wanted to get her back there doing her 3 year old thing and having a good time. So far she loves her teachers, has made a bunch of new friends along with a few old ones from last year, and is dying to be the snack person everyday. Apparently being the snack person has some pretty good perks! Thank God we are not responsible for that more than 1 time a month or so!

I have been busy floating from one project to the next. Work always keeps me busy, which is great, but I also have so many other things I'm trying to accomplish. First, I have been working on some baby things for a few of my friends with new ones or who are still expecting. I've been trying to finish up Lala's room so that I'm happy with how it looks. I am also trying to repaint and organize my office. It's time I make that area a happy place since I spend most of my time there.

I almost didn't mention. My best friend is getting married next May and so I've been helping her with invitations and other printable stuff while also joining her on the "perfect dress" hunt which she finally found, ordered and picked up! Yeah Dani! Now we are trying to do a bunch of the little things so she can be stress free when it gets to crunch time. We're hoping the wedding party can take a day trip up to see the wedding site. She's getting married at the place our other good friends, Kevin and Amanda, got married. It's beautiful up there.

We've also been lucky enough to make a trip up to the lake. David and Missy rented a boat for the day and some of us skiied while I kept falling in the water. It was so much fun and what a great treat! Check out my photos on flickr!

Well, that sums up the last couple of weeks or so. I hope to be back to daily posting now, even if it's of something I'd like to be doing instead of what I am currently doing!

On a Trip

2007-08-11T18:10:00.000-04:00

We are going on a very quick trip to see our best friends JD and Laurie who just had baby number two. We are very excited to meet Riley and of course play with Connor. We'll post some pics and more details when we return!

Sidewalk Chalk

2007-08-03T23:48:00.001-04:00

A sunny day, a bucket full of chalk and nothing to do....wait. I know! Let's go outside and play with the chalk on the sidewalk! Lala and I had a great time playing with the chalk. She gave me some direction as to what I was to draw. Once finished, she added some of her own touches.

Lala was busy drawing circles to jump in and out of. It was her game. I was given pointers on exactly how the game was to be played and the technique I should use. Her most favorite thing to do lately is jump. She jumps on the bed, ground, stairs, my feet, daddy's feet, in the kitchen and many more places.

We are heading up to the lake tomorrow so hopefully she'll get some of her jumping energy out by swimming. If not by swimming, then the climb back up the hill to the house!

A New Baby

2007-08-03T10:56:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to our very close friends Jd, Laurie and Connor on the arrival of their newest family member, Riley Stewart Myers. He is a handsome young lad and joined the family yesterday. He is a healthy boy, 9lbs 12.6 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Mommy and Riley are doing well and anxious to get home. You can see pictures on their site.

In other news, I have posted some new pictures of our trip to the lake. We hope to be making another trip this weekend if I can get rid of my cold that has now turned into a sinus infection. Got the drugs today, so I should be feeling great tomorrow! Lala and I were able to get out for a little bit this week (with my yucky cold) to have some fun out on the drive way and side walk. I'll post those pictures later today. Have a great weekend everyone!

The Lake

2007-08-02T10:37:00.001-04:00

Lauren took her very first swim in the lake last weekend. We went up to visit my brother and his wife's new lake house. Their house is on lake Lanier and is on the Gainesville side. It is a cute place. They have 4 bedrooms, a family room with a fireplace and a very large master suite downstairs. I think Lala may fall in love with their whirlpool tub! Not too much to tell. There's a house and a lake. I'm sure more will develop as they decorate and get it set up just the way they want it. We spent most of the day down at the dock fishing and swimming. Well, Lala and uncle did all of the swimming.

Was it just a dream?

2007-07-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

I dreamed of life the way it used to be last night. My family was together having fun, laughing and i even believe a little bit of singing. Aunt Leslie was there loving and hugging everyone. Uncle John was cheering for the Gators. My mind is starting to play tricks on me. Just when I think I am through thinking of it, I come right back into the middle of it.

We went to my brother's new lake house this past weekend and it is so nice. A very steep walk to the lake, but a nice place to be as a family. Lauren had the best time swimming with Uncle David in the lake. David, Dad, and Blake all went fishing and caught some fish. They promptly returned them to the lake as we were not prepared to cook anything up at the new house.

Uncle David got his puppies (big dogs Anna and Jackson) in the lake and was teaching them to swim. A funny sight to see! We wrapped our long afternoon up around 6:30 and headed up to the house for some sandwiches and drinks. I think it hit me then that Aunt Leslie would not be there to join with us ever in celebrating and enjoying this new house or any of our or her accomplishments. It's not a sadness that is overwhelming any more, it's a sadness of missing her and who she was.

I think the sadness is still so overwhelming because we still don't know how Rachel is handling it all. She's been busy taking care of so many details and planning and repairing things that she hasn't really let it all sink in. I am praying for her, Ken and Donya and I know God is taking care of them.

Now I wait for my heart to heal and the joy to return. I know life will go on and that we will carry Aunt Leslie and Uncle John in our hearts forever. I am just so sad still and I really miss her.

Beautiful and Sunny

2007-07-23T14:39:00.000-04:00

It is amazingly beautiful outside today. The sun is out, it's hot, but not quite a million degrees. I'm thinking that today is a day for sidewalk chalk. Time to let Lala out of this house to get out some creativity and energy. She's seen more movies than I care to admit and so she needs to get back to the outdoors and playing. The yard is a bit high, but will be remedied when her daddy gets home from work.

Summer is coming to a close too quickly and I desperately want to work on spending good quality time with Lala. So, for a few days, my posts may be shorter or not at all, but no worries because I'm having a great time with my girl and we'll be back.

My Heart is Torn

2007-07-11T11:25:00.001-04:00

In Loving Memory
Leslie Stallings Currie
(September 25, 1949 - July 5, 2007)

Casting Crowns - Praise you in this Storm
Chorus: And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

This song seems to sum up the struggle and heart break my family and I have been dealing with. I can't imagine what it would be like for someone who doesn't know God to deal with loss in the way we have. I am so emotionally empty that I don't know what to do. I think that I should be angry or sad or something, but I just can't seem to find any type of emotion, and that scares me. I cry at the drop of a hat, a picture, a familiar smell. And more.

I cry after talking to my family. I know that my Aunt Leslie would want me to be sad and deal with my pain, but I also know that she would tell me to go on and live my life with joy and happiness. She had a love for the Lord that was so apparent to everyone who met her. She made you feel like the only person in the room when she talked and/or looked at you. She made it a point to tell me she loved me everytime she saw me or left me. She went out of her way to make me (and all of my family) feel so loved. She had this amazing love for my cousin Rachel. I captured it once in a photograph. They are so beautiful and I still can't imagine that I won't see her again. I guess I just don't want to believe it.

I miss her. I miss her voice and silly faces. I miss the way she opened her eyes so that they could be seen in a photograph. I miss her nicknames and the way she loved Lala. Dollbaby. How wonderful was she? She was truly a great woman. I love her. I miss her. But I will make sure others know her and about her, especially Lala. I have so many great stories. I have the best family on earth and I know that once we get through this, we'll be ok. We will let Aunt Leslie live on. Our little ones will know all about her and we will make sure Rachel is lifted up and loved as much as possible. For we have much love to give and many wonderful memories to help us get through.

So, Aunt Leslie and Uncle John, rest in peace. We love you. We miss you. We will forever carry a piece of you in our hearts.

A fun dress

2007-06-25T16:25:00.000-04:00

For Lala's 3rd birthday, her Uncle JD, Aunt Laurie and buddy C sent some gifts. One of them was a really cute purple patterened dress from Old Navy. I took her outside to get some pics of her in it for them. I thought they turned out cute. What do you think? I worry that I'm already going to have a handful when she's a teenager!

Ahh..having fun

2007-06-21T15:11:00.000-04:00

I hear the subtle whisper of bubbles calling. Lala is dying to try out the new bubble wand I bought her for a whopping dollar yesterday. Let's see how well it holds up to a 3yr old. I'll post some photos later. Should be interesting!

I dream of icecream

2007-06-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

OK, OK. I stayed up way too late last night (4:30 am). Hmmm, let me rephrase that, I stayed up way too early this morning. Nope. Still doesn't sound right. Either way, I was up. Finally I went to sleep only to get up and help Lala get a breakfast snack and milk in my semi-coma state and then fall flat on my face to return to sleeping. My kid is awesome. She has a way of knowing when Mommy just needs an extra hour to get a little bit of rest so I can be a good mommy. She makes me want to have more kids. Then she has a tantrum or whines like no one's business and I rethink the whole want for more kids.

So here's how our day went. Our friends, Cole and Dani, decided we all needed to do something today. Cole is a teacher and is off during the summer. Dani took the day off of work. Have I mentioned that I work from home? That I am self employed? No? Well, I do. Some days I'm over my head with stuff to do and then there are the other days when I am twiddling my thumbs and playing sidewalk chalk with Lala. Any who, we all met up for lunch at Chickfia so the kids could beat each other, oops, I mean play while we ate and talked about this and that. Finally after the beatings were over we headed out to finish some other non-necessary errands. Ah, but alas we found the Brewster's and got us all a cone. The kids were hillarious, especially Rotten who is only 18 months. He proceeded to hold his ice cream cone in all kinds of directions before finally losing it to the sidewalk. When the ice cream fell off he looked at it for a long time. The expression on his face was one of "well, don't just lay there, get back on this cone and also a little bit of how the hell did that happen?". Priceless. He's a cutie. After the kids had covered their clothes with the yummy treat we decided it was time to head home.

And that's about it until the hubby came home. Not too exciting today. Tomorrow doesn't look so promising either. I am excited about Friday though. It's our 5 year anniversary. Now to find something nice for him. Any suggestions?

Summer Fun

2007-06-19T18:09:00.000-04:00

Well, here we go again. Lala and I have been busy. So far our summer has been filled with free movies, trips to the pool, a visit to Turner Field to watch the Braves, a trip to south Georgia to visit Nana, visiting the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke. It's been a busy few weeks, but filled with lots of fun. I'm not sure that I can keep up this pace, but i'll try.

One of our most recent visits was from Laurie, JD and C. Usually we try to meet up at the beach so we can all relax, but this year each family has a bit more than the usual going on. The myers are having M2 and we are trying to get our house re-roofed and painted. Yeah, the baby thing is better, but the our project is supposed to be less stressful! I also have Blake (my husband) working on landscaping, which is not getting far due to the drought. Thankfully it rained today, so perhaps we can get a bit more done this weekend.

So, on the summer goes. I'll let you know about our adventures. Lala and I are hoping to start more crafts. I will most definitely update the site with the finished product and any instructions (if necessary) on how to make one yourself if you'd like. For now, I'll leave you with a photo of Lala enjoying icecream at Brewsters.

Growing Up

2006-10-18T12:09:00.000-04:00

I was looking at some pictures of Lala yesterday and I came across this one (to the left) of her playing posing with a dog. That was last October. Lala was almost 1 1/2 there. Now she is almost 2 1/2 and I am amazed at how quickly she has grown! She has gotten taller and smarter, better at running and playing as well as doing things on her own.

I love to look at her. Some days she looks like me, but most days she looks like her Daddy. I am also amazed at how briliant this child is. I know every mother or father thinks the same thing about their child and I am no different. She loves to sing her ABC's, count, read books, make up stories about books, pretend, and all of those other wonderful things toddlers do.

Today Lauren put Ted, her bear, into timeout. Apparently he wasn't listening or something like that. Wonder who he gets that from? Silly. Just another stage in growing up. She's mimicking what her Daddy and I do a lot lately. Guess we need to be careful more so than ever with what we say and do!! She's also gotten better at telling us what her likes and dislikes are. It's great to see her growing up, but also just a little bit sad because she will never be little like this again. Here's another picture of Lauren from this past weekend of pumpkin picking at Berry Patch Farms.