Alexa is here!

Our little bundle of joy came almost three weeks early this time. I cannot catch a break with a planned C-section, sheesh! Alexa Anne was born on January 3, 2012. She came out at 6 pounds and 14 ounces. My labor came on very suddenly, as with Adam. Contractions began at about 3-5 minutes apart. I sat at my house hoping they would go away for several hours. (Still pining for that planned C-section....) By the time we got to the hospital, Alexa was in mild distress. Her heart rate dipped a few time, which almost caused me to go into cardiac arrest. :) But, the surgery was amazing. The easiest C-section I ever had. And, recovery this time around was a dream!

Look at that sweet face!

Three of the sweetest kids in the world.

2 days old and rocking her cute outfit from her "Aunt" Whitney.

She is a joy!

Well, sometimes it is hard for me to believe that I am a mother of three! Alexa is truly the best baby. She is a great way to end this child-birthing ride. I only hope that we don't spoil her completely rotten....

December 2012

We had a fun-filled December. I was 8 months pregnant, so that was fun. Well, that part actually sucked.... But, we try to make December really fun for the kids. I love how cute and excited Abigail and Adam were. They are so cute, I wish I could bottle the everyday cuteness and remember it forever.

Abigail made Rudolf noses for everyone.

Abigail reading to Adam.

Playing outside during our mild winter. They play better together outside for some reason.

We made a Gingerbread House.
We went to see the decorations at the Opryland Hotel.
Adam still wasn't sure about Santa this year.
Abigail whispered what she wanted to Santa, and then she was so scared he didn't hear her, she came back behind him, tapped him on the shoulder, and told him again! It was so cute.
Adam on Christmas morning.

Abigail on Christmas morning.

They got far too many gifts, as usual. My house is like Toyr-R-Us these days! It was a great Christmas season. Christmas is so special with my kids. I LOVE it.

We really missed seeing my parents for Christmas. We didn't go to Kentucky at all, which was very painful for me. We went up at Thanksgiving, and Mike and Jon came in January and Pat and Toni came the week after Christmas. I can't wait till that gets back to normal, but they are enjoying their mission in Indonesia.

Halloween 2011

Halloween....it was a good one this year. Abigail wanted to be a witch. When she told me she did, I had dreams of green face paint, warts, the whole nine yards. My dreams were crushed when she said "No, Mom. A pretty witch." Oh, well. She was a pretty one. And, Adam? Nothing but Captain America for him. He is obsessed with him, thanks to the Avengers cartoon he and Abigail watch with Daddy.


Abigail LOVED wearing makeup in public, and I don't think I've seen a cuter Captain America.


After we made these, I pondered why I felt the need to make cookies for this holiday, when we have thousands of calories in candy laying around the house. I still haven't figured it out.

These are some crafts we made as a family. The kids loved it. Adrian....not so much, but, he is a good sport! (The foam haunted house was a little more involved than the box let on....)

Also, I've eaten way too much candy. Halloween + being pregnant is never good for me. Let's just say I now have a very good idea where the terms "sugar coma" and "death by chocolate" come from.

Fall Break - Memphis Zoo

I had the "great" idea that we needed to take the kids somewhere for Abigail's fall break. Here in Nashville, we have a zoo. I always buy passes for it, and my kids love it....but, frankly, the animal content is lame. The first time Adrian went with us he said "Where are all the lions, tigers, and bears?" And, that pretty much sums up the Nashville Zoo. The last three animal acquisitions have been meercats, flamingos, and wild hogs. Exciting stuff. So, I decided the kids need to see a real zoo, and we head out to a little overnight stay in Memphis. With the in-laws.




Here they are, ready to go! They are at such a cute age, so excited for everything, even carrying their own luggage!


I deserve mother of the year, for no other reason then I traipsed around a zoo for 5 hours while 6 months pregnant. The zoo was nice, though. Lots of animals. My kids are animal lovers, and we had a really great time.

First Day of School and a Birthday!

My darling girl is growing up!

Abigail started Kindergarten this year. It was a painful process for me, and a joyful one for Abigail! My main stress with Kindergarten is that Abigail has an August birthday. She is a baby! I miss her everyday, and Adam does, too.



We went old-school for her birthday party this year. McDonald's! She really loved it. It is honestly, the best deal in town!! $50 bucks for 10 kids. They provide the food, cake, & favors.


We also had a little party for family. Don't be jealous of my cake decorating skillz.

The summer of my discontent....

Well, for the two or three people that may look at this blog, you can probably tell I've been playing "catch-up." This summer has been full of change, and a better person than me might even say excitment..... This summer I've been dreading in a couple of ways. The first reason being, my parents left for Indonesia for an 18 month mission in July. It was painful for me to say good-bye.

The second reason for my discontent is my daughter started kindergarten today. Let's just say I have been dreading it for a long time, and now that my girl, who has been my world for the last 5 years, is gone for a lot of the day....I am sad.

This isn't to say we didn't have a nice summer. We traveled to KY a few times at the beginning to see my parents, and had a nice family reunion in July. And, the rest of the summer we spent at the pool with friends. We also took the kids to a fun water park with the Lawless's. (on the hottest day of the summer b/c we are smart like that). So, I guess I should look on the bright side.

Good-bye, Preschool! Hello, World!

My daughter grew up very, very quickly this year. I blinked my eyes, and she was finishing her little preschool program she went to a couple days a week this past school year. Abigail loved school. She loved playing and making friends. (I think she liked learning....) This picture below is of her director, Ms. Jamie, asking her what she wants to be when she grows up. Abigail's reply, "A superhero!"

This is Abigail's teacher, Ms. Janelle. She was a lovely woman, and Abigail loved her. She gave all the kids in her class a picture album of their year in preschool. It is wonderful, and we look through it often.