Always Friday

Our Big Announcment!

2011-07-28T18:00:00.003-04:00

We've known now for about two weeks that we are expecting our second baby March 24. We're really excited but Ansleigh is sooooo excited! She has been begging us to "get our own baby" for quite some time now.

4 weeks, 2 days

Anthony videoed me telling Ansleigh she was going to be a big sister. She was quiet for a long time and then said, "Today?" After we explained a little bit better she got really excited and told us that it was going to be a girl baby, more specifically, a girl pirate baby. Yes, a pirate.

To tell our parents we had a shirt made that says, "I have a secret..." on the front and then on the back it says, "I'm going to be a big sister." We got my parents on skype (they thought they were going to see Ansleigh's new dance moves) and let her tell them. We were trying to do the same with Anthony's parents but their computer wasn't working so we just had to let Ansleigh tell them.

There were a few other people we wanted to tell in person before we put it on facebook. Anthony told a few people at work and kept asking me if I had told their wives yet. We had a surprise birthday dinner for him at his favorite place to eat and I had 23 of his closest friends there to celebrate with him for his 30th birthday. They all yelled "SURPRISE!" when we walked in and then Anthony followed with, "Surprise! Carrie's pregnant!"

To announce it on facebook, I wanted to do something really cute. I went outside in the driveway and took sidewalk chalk and drew the words "Big Sis" on the concrete. I put Ansleigh in her tshirt and we took some pictures. We ended up just using the ones where you could read her shirt and then we posted the video of us telling her.

As of today, I am 5 weeks and 5 days which means I'm in the 6th week (so says the app on my phone). Right now the baby is about the size of a pea and it already has two of the four chambers of its heart.

I had a doctor's appointment last week where she confirmed my due date, gave lots of hugs, and went over some basics and a plan of action for me. Next week I have an appointment for an ultrasound to confirm the due date and check everything out. I have another appointment the first week of September to have the big prenatal exam and all the bloodwork. She told me I should plan to take 1/2 a day off work for that one. My doctor is awesome! I fell in love with her with I was pregnant with Ansleigh and she ended up being the on-call doctor who delivered Ansleigh. Knowing how sick I was with Ansleigh she told me to call her at the first sign of sickness and she'd call in a prescription for me.

So far it has been completely different than it was with Ansleigh. With her, the nausea came the day after I found out with her (so 4 weeks, 1 day). This time, it did not come until yesterday. Yesterday I fought it and won. This morning I was not so lucky. With Ansleigh, I was really tired for a week and then it kind of went away. I've basically felt like I have a really bad cold or the flu (ache in my muscles/complete exhaustion) since the week before I found out. With Ansleigh, I didn't have any heartburn until the last trimester. This time I already have it and it is like molten lava coming up my throat.

I started showing fairly early with Ansleigh. So much so that people were sure I was having twins, which clearly did NOT happen. I'm already showing now with this one. My stomach is as hard as a rock and doesn't give with my shorts/pants when I sit (making maternity pants a must). It also doesn't give any when I bend over. I feel like I look much further along than I actually am.

I have already had a few cravings and some aversions. The first weekend it was anything covered in chocolate. Then for a week it was Kraft mac & cheese. This week's craving: eggs. Scrambled egg sandwiches on honey wheat toast. Yesterday I had it for lunch and dinner. Every time I start to think about eating something, the first thing that comes to mind is an egg sandwich.

I Can't Believe It Has Been So Long!!!

2011-04-03T23:39:00.008-04:00

It has been almost a year since I posted on here. Shame on me!

Let me update you some....
Easter--my family came and we went to Disney.

For Family Vacation, we skipped out on our annual trip to Pensacola and went to Savannah/Tybee Island. It was a great trip!

Fall and Football Season came and went. Ansleigh potty-trained herself in less than a week. Yay!

For Halloween Ansleigh dressed up as "Sweepin Booty" (Sleeping Beauty).

Thanksgiving we visited my parents in Alabama.

For Ansleigh's 3rd Birthday (AHHH!!!) we took her to Disney World and she had lunch with the Disney Royalty. She thought it was by far, the greatest thing on earth. She also had a party at Lolli's house for just the family.

Christmas was spent with both families and New Year's was spent with the Friday's.

Around Valentine's Day, Ansleigh discovered the world of Hello Kitty and now she is obsessed. Somewhere around there she had her first sleepover too. Our friend Maddie (age 2) spent the night at our house and both girls thought it was the greatest thing.

Most recently, she got her ears pierced. She picked out Hello Kitty earrings.

Several of our friends started having babies (most of them having child #2) and Ansleigh decided she wants "our" own baby but, "We're only going to buy a girl baby. Boys are yuck." Haha! And no, that is not my way of saying we're expecting because we are not.

She is such a funny little girl! She says when she grows up she wants to be a dancer and a princess. Right now she takes Play Ball classes at school on Fridays and I just signed her up for dance class for the summer. Lucky for me, I found a class where she will learn tap, ballet, and gymnastics all at the same time.

She currently loves Princesses, Hello Kitty, Tangled, Fairies, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. She is quite tall for her age (wearing 4's and 5's) and is constantly telling us she is a big girl now. She loves to sing and dance. She also loves to read books and do puzzles. We've recently discovered that she has somewhat of a knack for doing puzzles and completed at 150 piece puzzle (for ages 6+) with little help from her daddy. She is EXTREMELY imaginative which can get her into trouble sometimes. She's sassy and wants what she wants. She's a sweet little girl with just a smidge of attitude.

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-30T19:51:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I took Ansleigh to real "big deal" egg hunt. Of course she was there decked out with her Kelly's Kids bunny outfit and a big bow to match.

She was so proud of her little basket. She went nuts collecting all the eggs she could find. She picked up so many that her basket was overflowing and then she'd get mad so I kept having to put some in my purse so she could pick more up.

Her favorite prizes in the Easter eggs? The little plastic dinosaurs.

More Disney Trips

2010-03-30T17:32:00.010-04:00

Since our first trip to Disney, we purchased annual passes and have been back a few times. Ansleigh loves it and asks me to go see Minnie Mouse every single day. It was pretty expensive but we realize that we may not always live this close to Disney World and wanted to take advantage of it.

Potty Training: Day 2

2010-01-30T09:42:00.003-05:00

Day 2 didn't go quite as well as day 1 did. We started out the morning with the every 10 minute sit on the potty thing.

And she did...with protest.

She tee-teed one time and we cheered her on big time. Now every time she sits on the potty she stands up and says, "Yay E!!!" (E is what she calls herself).

We made a family trip to Walmart to buy a few necessities and some more treats for potty training so we put her in a diaper for that. When we got home she ate lunch and took a nap so we kept the diaper on her because she'd kept it dry.

When she got up from her nap, the diaper was full. Needless to say it will be a while before nighttime/sleep dryness. We tried to get her to sit on the potty. She screamed "NO!!!" at me every time I tried to get her to go.

We finally put her in a diaper and went to eat dinner. When we got back home she was completely dry (progress!!!) even though we'd been gone a couple of hours.

Day 2 was definitely frustrating. Diapers are so convenient but then again, they cost money. We'll see how day 3 goes.

Potty Training: Day 1

2010-01-29T11:21:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I started the Friday Family Potty Training Boot Camp.

The plan was to start first thing in the morning but I woke up with the remains of what was likely a stomach bug so I didn't really get started until after nap time. Once she got up, I stripped her down and let her run around with just a shirt on. I set the kitchen timer every ten minutes and we'd go sit on the potty.

She pooped in the potty but then wouldn't go back in the bathroom so I moved her pink potty into the living room to ease into things.

Every ten minutes we'd sit on the potty. She held her pee for almost 3 hours!!!! She was being so stubborn. I was wondering how long she could go when I noticed she'd climbed up on the couch and tee-teed all over it. Then I found a wet spot in the carpet. I was very frustrated!

For some reason, after that, she started using her potty and we had success.

All-in-all, she tee-teed in the potty 4 times and pooped once.

She got 1 gummi for trying, 2 for tee-tee and, 3 for poop.

We're on to day 2 now....wish us luck!

Ansleigh's First Trip to Magic Kingdom

2010-01-29T11:13:00.003-05:00

We had a great day! Ansleigh totally loved everything and was such a trooper! She even lasted through the fireworks without a nap.She loved the princesses and most of all, meeting Tinker Bell. She rode the carousel, saw Mickey's Philharmagic, did the Monster's Inc, Laugh Floor, gave Mickey a high five, rode It's a Small World and the teacups, and blew Tink a kiss. So here are some pictures for you guys!

Birthday Party

2009-12-30T16:15:00.003-05:00

My mom hosted a birthday party for Ansleigh-bug while we were in town so that family could celebrate her birthday with her.

Since she had a Minnie party in Florida, Lolli threw her a Tink party here.

Christmas

2009-12-30T13:42:00.013-05:00

We spent our Christmas up in Alabama.

We had Christmas at GranNana's house on the 19th (in Anniston).

We had Christmas at Mimi's house on the 20th (in Weaver).

We had Christmas with Aunt Debbie, Uncle David, and Lauren in Selma on the 23rd (in Selma).

We had family Christmas with all the Friday's (Papa, Nana, Uncle Chad, Aunt Rachel, Turner, and Anna Cate) Christmas Eve (in Troy).

Santa came (to Troy) Christmas morning.

We had Christmas with the Fair's (Pop Pop, Lolli, Uncle Jon, Aunt Sissy, and Tyler) Christmas night.

We traveled a lot but enjoyed every second of it. We loved getting to spend a little time with all our families.

We hope you had a wonderful holiday too! :)

A Bed for a Big Girl

2009-12-16T23:02:00.002-05:00

This weekend we took apart Ansleigh's crib/toddler bed and moved it out of her room. We rearranged her room in preparation for a visit from Santa, and now Ansleigh is sleeping in her day bed, which by the way, used to be my day bed. She opened up her new big girl bedding to put on there.

She's been a champ and loves her new bed! Our sweet baby girl is growing up so fast!

Ansleigh's Birthday

2009-12-16T22:46:00.003-05:00

Two days ago our little Buggy-Boo turned 2 years old!

We'd planned on taking her to Disney to celebrate her birthday instead of a party. My parents arranged to come down so we decided to make a cake and have a few people over to celebrate. At the last minute, my parents were unable to make it down, but the cake was baked so we went ahead with plans.

Three of Ansleigh's sweet friends made it over to help her eat her Minnie cake. :)

On Friday, we held off on going to Disney and it was a good thing we did! It rained and poured all day long! We're going in January.

Two days ago, on her actual birthday, she got to have cookies for breakfast :) with chocolate milk. We watched her favorite show (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and for dinner, we took her to Chick-fil-a to eat dinner, play on the playground, and have some ice cream.

While we're in Anniston, Lolli & Pop are hosting a TinkerBell birthday party for all the family that can never be with her on her birthday. Stay tuned for pics from that. :)

A Little Behind...

2009-12-16T22:18:00.006-05:00

So I'm a little behind on the family blog.

At the pumpkin patch, Ansleigh was not really interested in having her picture made. She was more interested in lining up and rearranging all the pumpkins there. It was hot here (as usual) and she was ready to leave about 10 minutes after we got there.

The afternoon of Halloween, we took her to a fall festival a few of the local churches were putting on. As she gets older she will really enjoy it but there wasn't much she could do there.

Halloween was amazing! Ansleigh was Minnie Mouse and she loved every second of it. She went trick-or-treating with her boyfriend, Jackson. At each house, Ansleigh thought she was supposed to trade one piece of candy for a new one. :)

For Thanksgiving, we traveled up to Alabama to visit my family. We drove up on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we had a scare with Anthony's grandma and made a quick trip to Selma to visit her in the hospital. We came back to Anniston on Thursday and spend Thanksgiving day with family. Friday my mom, my sister and I went shopping and braved the crowds. Saturday I tried my hand at photography, taking pictures of the beautiful fall scenery and my sweet baby nephew Tyler. We tried to get a few shots of him and Ansleigh but she wasn't really interested in cooperating. On Sunday, we headed back to Florida to the heat.

Ansleigh loved being at her Lolli & Pop's house (who wouldn't?). She played in the leaves and ate cookies and played with the "bay" (Baby Tyler) and Mocha, my sister's puppy. Pop built her an amazing playhouse that she played "peekdaboo" in. We can't wait to head back up!

Our Cheer Girl :)

2009-10-20T14:22:00.002-04:00

Ansleigh has been LOVING being Heritage's littlest cheerleader

Big Girl Bed

2009-10-20T14:13:00.004-04:00

Last week I walked into Ansleigh's room to get her up from her nap and she was straddling the crib rail, riding it like a horse.

Time for her toddler bed.

She loves it and the best news is, she knows she can get in and out of it but waits for us to tell her she can get down. :)

In other news, we've been "working" on going to the potty. We are not full-blown potty training yet. Just getting used to the idea but we have been pretty successful! :)

Updates Galore!!!

2009-09-19T21:41:00.004-04:00

We've been....busy to say the least.

Anthony is playing church league softball, singing on praise team, singing in the choir, and, well let's face it, college football has returned.

I have been coaching a Varsity cheer squad at a brand new high school here in Palm Bay. You would not believe what all goes into (especially how much time) starting a new program from scratch. On top of that, I'm teaching a Sparks Awana group this year (every Sunday night), helping my friend teach the 3-year-old's in Sunday School every other week, plus our Mom's Group.

Ansleigh is taking gymnastics once a week (Tuesday mornings) at Tumbleweeds. She LOVES it!!! It isn't quite real gymnastics but she works on a lot of important skills using the equipment. Her favorite part is the trampoline and then the stamps she gets on her hands and feet at the end of class.

She also goes to cheerleading practice and most games with Mommy. SHE LOVES IT!!! I'm convinced that she now has 20 sisters who ADORE her. She charms everyone she meets.

Ansleigh is now 21-months-old!!! I can hardly believe it. She weighs 24 pounds and is ridiculously tall. She towers over all the kids her age. She talks ALL the time. She picks up what seems like a handful of words every day. She will eat ANYTHING, including the "hot fries" that you get out of vending machines.

As far as tv goes, she is still a tv-watching fool! She loves "Boots" (aka: Dora), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Imagination Movers, Special Agent Oso, Yo Gabba Gabba, and the Fresh Beat Band.

She dances all the time, everywhere we go. 90% of the time she is the happiest child alive. She's independent and wants to do everything on her own. She is also a little bossy but we're working on that. :)

She won't leave the house without her shoes and a bow (or 7). She loves to go places. She'll go get her shoes and her bow and come to me to put them on her and say "Bye Bye."

The past couple of days she's been picking up the phone, bringing it to me, and saying "Pop Pop...Pop Pop...pee-pease" wanting me to call her Pop Pop.

She's been practicing doing cheers and says "Go! Go!" and will circle her arm while we say "War Eagle....." and then she screams "HEY!!!" and jumps up and down.

She has very few baby-ish characteristics these days. The only things I can even think of are that she still takes two naps a day and still has her pacifier but only in her bed.

She freely gives kisses, high-fives, and pounds (the girls taught her that). She tells us that she loves us. She knows where her hair is, where her bow goes, where her eyes are, where her ears are, where her nose is, where her mouth is, and even where her teeth are. She can also show us where her toes are and where everyone's belly is.

She is such a different child than she was just a few months ago. She's so....mature I guess you could say.

I'm including a few of the not many pictures we've taken of her recently. Hope ya'll enjoy!

Sending our love and a big WAR EAGLE,
the Friday's

Happy Birthday, Anthony!

2009-07-30T08:48:00.003-04:00

Last week was Anthony's 28th birthday. We celebrated by getting Daddy a few presents and then taking him to one of his favorite places to eat. Friday night he and I went out just the two of us to continue celebrating. :)

Bug's First Haircut

2009-07-30T08:41:00.002-04:00

I finally got around to getting Ansleigh's hair cut for the first time. I ended up taking her to the lady that started cutting my hair when I was somewhere near her age.

Ansleigh was upset and didn't like it one bit. She cried the entire time, but she sure does look cute now!

My sister has the pictures of the actual hair-cutting process, but in the meantime, here are few of the after shots for you:

The Zoo

2009-07-30T00:01:00.005-04:00

Sorry that I didn't post this sooner. I kind of forgot about the pictures. Anyway, right before we left to head up to Alabama, Bug and I went with some friends to the zoo. It was her very first time and I was anxious to see how she'd do.

She LOVED the giraffes and the pink flamingos. She also loved playing with Gracie and Rachael. The rest of it, I think she could could have done without. It was so hot and she didn't feel well and was sleepy so that kind of put a damper on the trip.

Overall, we had a good time, but I think we'll wait until it cools off a good bit before we try to go back. And next time, we'll take Daddy with us :)

A Quick Update

2009-07-16T16:21:00.002-04:00

Tuesday Ansleigh had her first visit to the Brevard Zoo! There will be a post with pictures here in about a week.

Right now, Ansleigh and I are in Anniston. We flew up to Atlanta yesterday where my parents and my sister picked us up. Last time she and I flew, it was pretty much a nightmare! This time, things were a little different. First of all, we flew out of Orlando instead of Melbourne. Security was a nightmare. There were TONS of people there and everyone was pushing and shoving. Ansleigh was upset. She wanted down to run around which was not an option. They made me collapse the stroller to put it through the scanner thing. Plus I was trying to hold her and take off her shoes and my shoes and pull out everything that needed to be taken out. Then, a security lady took Ansleigh's blanket from her because it needed to be scanned. This caused MUCH crying and screaming. Oh and then they had to test the water in her sippy cup. Dramatic. All I could think was that if that was an indication of how the flight was going to go, my future looked dim.

Once we got on the plane, things were totally different! She was AMAZING!!! Such a trooper, really. She watched Yo Gabba Gabba and played with her babies the whole flight. It really helped that a super sweet girl was sitting beside me who played with her the whole time. I was amazed at how well she did.

Other things to update you on:

Monday, Ansleigh fell and cut her top lip and tore the little flap of skin inside her mouth (upper lip). It got infected and now she's on antibiotics.

Today, she got her first haircut!!! :) I don't have any pictures at the moment but I'll post them when I get some. She cried the whole time. She wasn't really in a great mood and isn't sleeping well here since SOMEBODY (mean ol' momma) forgot her music box that she uses to go to sleep to. She looks precious now though!

Day 7

2009-07-04T12:10:00.004-04:00

Friday was spent lounging at the beach. Literally. In fact, that's pretty much all we did. That and take some family portraits. :) So that's what you get to see today!

We have tons more, these are just the ones from Mom's computer. The one's Anthony took are still "raw images" and can't be uploaded on here yet. You'll see them at some point.

Day 6

2009-07-03T10:57:00.002-04:00

Thursday was a day of sleeping in. Then Anthony and I left the Bug with Lolli and Pop and went to Hemmingway's for lunch to celebrate our anniversary (a week late). It was wonderful to have a little time to ourselves without worrying about dropped crayons or kid grabbing our drink. After we ate, we went for a walk on the boardwalk.

After we returned, we waited for the Bug to wake up and then we took her to the bay. I was anxious to see how she'd react but she LOVED it! We took her float she she would just giggle every time a little wave would come past us. To be honest, it was warmer than bath water, but she really loved it!

When she'd had her fill of that, we went to the two big pools right beside the bay to try them out. Dude. They were both as warm as the bay, which isn't really what you'd want from a swimming pool in July. Ansleigh got fussy so Pop carried her to the pool for our tower. Mom, Anthony, and I were not long in following them....after ordering smoothies from the pool-side bar.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the cool (in more than one way) pool. At 5:00 we left the pool, came upstairs and go ready quickly to go eat an early dinner. We went to a restuarant called Surf Buger. Rachel suggested it. It was GREAT! Really. Very hole-in-the-wall-ish but wonderful. When we finished we came back to the condo, changed Bug's clothes and took her to make a few beach pictures. :) Those photos will come later.

Day 5

2009-07-02T21:51:00.004-04:00

Yesterday (sorry I'm a little later than I have been), was a split day. Some of us hung out at the beach, while others of us hung out at the pool. Most of us had some combination of the two. We really didn't do much else aside from hang out and soak up the sun.

Ansleigh walked MILES around the pool. Turner beat Chad twice at Ladder Golf. We ordered pizza for dinner and then took a quick trip to Publix where Pop bought Ansleigh some patriotic cupcakes.

Day 4

2009-07-01T11:00:00.006-04:00

Tuesday was filled with a pancake breakfast, beach, beach, and more beach!!!!

We ran across a baby pool that was going to be thrown away so I gladly took it off their hands. We filled it up with ocean water and Bug and AC had a blast with it! After being in the ocean for just minutes, we all came out with jellyfish stings. We played ladder golf. We tanned. We played with the girls. Turner dug a hole. Chad got buried in the sand. We had a GREAT time! We even got Ansleigh walking in the sand and she grabbed a shovel and tried her best to dig in that sand.

Afterwards, we all headed up to the condo for showers and baths and then headed out for our annual trip to Flounders.

The food was amazing (as always). The girls got up on the empty stage and danced. They put on a show for the whole place! They really had a great time and we had a great time watching them.

Day 3

2009-06-30T10:54:00.004-04:00

We had lunch. We went to the beach. It poured. The sun came out. We played. Mean lifeguard guy came and said we had to leave because another storm was coming (which ended up not coming for 4 hours!!!!!!). We went to the pool. We swam. For hours. We came back up to the condo. It stormed. We ate steak and baked potatoes. Yum!

Sorry for the lack of details. I'm in the mood to be blunt. :) Also, here are some pictures.

Day 2

2009-06-29T09:53:00.006-04:00

Day 2 was spent lounging at the pool mostly. Ansleigh was stylin' and profile'n in her new Kelly's Kids swimmy that Lolli gave her. She enjoyed the pool and even showed Lolli, Pop, and Daddy her new tricks she learned at swim lessons.

Later on, after a nice long nap, we walked over to the beach and checked things out. Of course, Ansleigh was not a fan of the sand...again. She sat on the blanket with Lolli and played with her squirt toys. After a little while, Lolli took her to see the sand dunes and Daddy convinced her to walk in the sand and she did!!! She didn't really even protest.

When we got back from the beach, I made spaghetti and Mom made salad and we had dinner. Ansleigh made a mess but ate her whole plate of food. Then it was bath time. She had fun sitting in the big tub. After it was over, Pop cleaned spaghetti out of the tub :) and then it was bed time!

Day 1

2009-06-28T13:21:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning we woke up at Chad & Rachel's house. We spent the morning hanging out with Chad, Rachel, T, AC, and Odie. Turner did some serious Guitar Hero. The girls danced. We talked and fiddled around.

We went and ate lunch with them and then headed on over to our Condo to meet Mom & Dad.

Dude. This place is SWANKY. Seriously. Right now, as I type, I'm looking onto two of the pools, the bay that has water slides and water trampolines set up, and the ocean--all at the same time. It is beautiful here. And hot. And humid.

Yesterday evening, we went for a walk around the premises (5 Towers + Spa & Lifestyle Center).

Dad took Ansleigh to the beach and the bay this morning and she FREAKED when he put her feet in the sand. Prissy girl. That should make this week interesting to say the least.

Anyway, I'm going to *try* to keep a day-by-day journal on here for those of you who are curious. :) Hope you enjoy!

4 Years...

2009-06-25T08:27:00.008-04:00

As cheesy as it sounds, four years ago today I married my very best friend. While I *could* go on and on about how much I love him and how wonderful he is, I'll save all that mushiness for him. Instead, I thought it'd be fun to post some pictures from our wonderful day and enjoy the memories.

Another First

2009-06-22T15:10:00.005-04:00

To most people, this won't be that big of a deal but to me, it is HUGE. :)

Today Ansleigh got her first pony tail. She loves it almost as much as I do.

Also, just for anyone who is wondering, we went to the doctor last week for her 18 month check-up. She is 34 1/2 inches tall and a mere 23 pounds. Tall and skinny. Also, she's about 10 words ahead of the norm for her age. I was told that she's really smart and very social. Also, they did her screening for Autism and it was negative.

She's at this crazy stage where EVERY day she'll do or say two or three new things. Just last week she took her own diaper off (only once). She's learned to say shoe, go, geen been (green bean), and I can't even remember what else. She has also started going to get her own diaper and she'll lay down for us to change her, AND, she learned to climb up on the couch by herself. :) I just cannot believe how much she is starting to do!

This Friday we'll be leaving headed to Pensacola Beach to spend a week (and the 4th) with my family and Anthony's family. Hopefully there will be lots of cute pics to come!

Happiest Child Ever

2009-06-15T15:51:00.002-04:00

I asked my sister-in-law's best friend, Becky, to make Ansleigh a shirt with Foofa on it. Foofa is Ansleigh's favorite character on Yo Gabba Gabba.

We got the shirt in the mail today and when Ansleigh got up from her nap, I showed her the shirt. She squealed. Like...for real little girl squeal. It was awesome! After that she continued to carry the shirt around with her and say "Mine." and "oofa" for Foofa with a big smile on her face.

Finally I had to take her shirt off and put her new on one. She's so excited. Right now she is talking to the Foofa on her shirt.

Here is a pics I snapped. By the way, I know she may not look super excited but that's just because she was so focused on saying "Cheese." :)

18 Months!

2009-06-14T16:53:00.004-04:00

Today our sweet baby girl is 18 months old! I almost can't even believe it! It seems like almost every single day she's doing something more "big girl" like and becomes less and less like a baby. Sometimes this hurts my feelings and sometimes, it makes me beam with pride. I haven't posted anything about what she's doing in two months and while that may not seem like a long time, she's doing SOOOO much more now so I've come up with this list of things you might be interested in knowing about our little Buggy-boo. By the way, these pictures of her were from today! They were taken when we got home from church. :) I love that she's finally growing some hair and growing into her "big ol" bows.

Words she *can* (but doesn't always) say:

· Momma
· Daddy
· Hey
· Oh
· Bow (hairbow)
· Ball
· Up
· Mine
· No
· “dank” for thanks
· Bubble
· Balloon
· Bye
· Stop
· Out
· Huh for “un huh”
· Muno (Yo Gabba Gabba)
· Boots (for Dora)
· Green
· Here you go (all one word)
· Gee (get it).
· Cheese (having pictures taken)

Things she knows and will look for but doesn’t say:

· Bat
· Baby (baby doll)
· Cup
· Pinky (blanket)
· Book
· shoes

Other Random Facts:

She has 10 teeth
She knows where her toes are (but no other body parts)
Can pick out the color green *most* of the time.
Reads books to herself.
Can point to specific characters in a book when asked.
When you ask her if she wants to go bye-bye, she will go stand at the door and beat on it until you open the door.
Once she’s in the garage, you tell her to go to her seat and she usually does.
She still speaks a ton of jibberish.
Gets two sippy cups of milk (9 ounces, each), two of juice, water the rest of the day.
Usually has to be tricked into eating any kind of meat but will eat any kind of veggie or fruit. Also loves cheese, bread, and pasta.
Takes two naps a day. Morning nap usually about two hours. Afternoon nap varies anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours.
Can give a “five.” She also can give kisses.
Shows NO discomfort at being wet or poopy. Shows no interest in her potty.
Can help clean up by putting things back where they belong.
Likes to brush her own hair and her own teeth (after we have).
Can drink out of a straw but cannot drink out of a water bottle/cup.
Can pull blocks apart and put them back together (big legos).
Will take anything that resembles a phone, hold it up to her ear and start talking, always beginning by saying “hey.”
Eats off a plate without touching the plate.
Tries to use a fork and spoon but usually isn’t completely successful.
Is not trying to climb out of her crib.
Does not try to climb up on couch yet. Simple says “up” to indicate she wants up.
Can climb properly off couch or chair.
Knows which room is hers. She also knows where the bath tub is.
Gives hugs and kisses to her baby dolls. Places them in their stroller and pushes them around the house. Tries to feed them with her sippy cup.
Is about to begin swim lessons.
Dances like crazy any time she hears music.
Often “sings” along to songs by humming. Sometimes sings without any music.
Is still completely and totally obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba.
LOVES blowing and popping bubbles. We blow bubbles every single day.
Loves playing with her babies. She particularly likes to stuff all of them into one stroller and then push it while running all through the house.
Is obsessed with her crocs and really just shoes in general. She carries them all over the house.

First Timer

2009-06-13T20:32:00.003-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a first timer here.

Ansleigh cleaned her plate for the first time. With no help from Mommy or Daddy. She ate all her food by herself.

Now I know some of you are thinking, "This is the first time she's done this?!?!?!"

Let me explain. I'm extremely OCD and I am terrified of messes. Therefore, we've just started letting Ansleigh use a fork and also just started letting her have a plate. We've always just either fed her off our plates or put her food straight on the tray of the high chair. Not tonight though!

And what makes it even better is that our sweet baby was so tired she could hardly hold her little eyes open and still did this! No fits at all! She ate all her corn, all her green beans, and all her mashed potatoes.

See? All gone!

Look how heavy those eyes are!

We're so proud of her! :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-11T00:29:00.005-04:00

So I know I'm way past late with these, but none-the-less, I thought I'd share these with you.

Memorial Day weekend (Anthony's brother) Chad, Rachel, Turner, and Anna Cate drove here from Pensacola to come hang out. We adore them and never see them enough!

They got here Thursday night. Friday we got a babysitter for Ansleigh and Anna Cate and took Turner to the Kennedy Space Center. T had a blast. The rest of us....well, we got rained on. But we still had a great time spending time with each other.

Saturday we just hung around. Sunday we took them to church with us.

Monday morning everyone except Ansleigh and me went to the beach to see the sunrise. Later we took the kids to the local park and had a blast. We came back and blew up Ansleigh's kiddie pool and let T and AC run and play in the water while Ansleigh napped.

Tuesday morning we were so sad to see them go! We spent lots of time playing the Wii, playing with Odie (their new dog), and watching Anna Cate and Ansleigh love all over each other. The girls were so precious together! All three kids slept in Ansleigh's room and at night, when we'd lay the girls down, a little while later we would go check on them and they'd be standing up in the corner of their beds giggling at each other. Those two girls are destined to be best friends!

Little Weirdo ;)

2009-06-11T00:11:00.004-04:00

Our little sweetie being a little weirdo :)

It's a.....

2009-06-08T23:57:00.002-04:00

We haven't posted anything on here yet as we were waiting for just the right moment and here it is.....

MY SISTER is having a baby boy!!!!! :)

We couldn't be more excited for them! Tyler Dean St. John is due October 24. :) We can't wait to meet him!

Baby Dedication & Beach Baptism

2009-05-26T23:11:00.004-04:00

Baby Dedication

Ansleigh, being almost 18 months old [GASP], is a little old for a baby dedication, but this was the first one our church has done since we started going when she was around 4 months old, so we did it because we believe it is important.

It was held on Mother's Day and my parents made the long haul down to be there for it. Ansleigh had a blast spending Saturday, Sunday, and Monday playing with Lolli and Pop. In fact, when they were leaving, she tried to go with them and cried.

For the dedication, the church took all the babies being dedicated and we all lined up across the stage. Most of the babies were...well...babies. Then there was our sweet little Buggy who kept saying, "Up. Up. Up." meaning that she really wanted me to put her down to roam the sanctuary. That makes perfect sense to her. :)

We had a blessed day and really enjoyed it. The church gave her a Bible and among other things, a letter to open on her 12th birthday.

Vanessa was so sweet to take pictures for us. Thanks, Nessa!

Beach Baptism

The following Sunday, our church had a beach baptism and a church-wide picnic. We didn't go last year but thought it would be fun so we went this year. We even got a babysitter so we could actually enjoy it.

Our sweet friend Monika made the decision to be baptized and we were blessed enough to get to see it. Also, a good friend in our Sunday School class, Jeremy was baptized too. It was the most amazing thing. I guess it was similar to seeing people baptized before it was done in churches. It is so hard to describe the beauty of seeing someone you adore taking a stand for Christ at one of his most amazing creations.

Needless to say, we had an awesome time!

Don't Fire Me...Yet.

2009-05-26T23:03:00.002-04:00

I used to be so awesome at always updating this blog. Within a few days of something happening, I had it posted on here.

Then we got a new camera. A new camera with a fancy-smancy memory thing that uploads the pictures straight to the computer--Anthony's computer. Then...they sit there. And he fiddles with them. And they sit there longer. Until finally I remember and we transfer them over to my computer.

What can I say? Technology has ruined our blog...hahaha.

So...MOVING ON.

A few things have happened. On Mother's Day, we had Ansleigh dedicated and my parents somehow managed to make it down here for that. :) Our church had a beach baptism and church-wide picnic where our sweet friend Monika was baptised. And more recently, as in this past weekend, Chad, Rachel, T, AC, and their new dog Odie were here for a visit.

So...really what I'm telling you is to expect a blog attack. At least this time you were warned. :)

Playdate :)

2009-05-05T15:33:00.004-04:00

Last week sweet Rachael came over to play with Ansleigh for a little while so her mommy could go to the doctor.

The girls had a blast!

They ran all over the house. Played in Ansleigh's room. Watched a few cartoons. Had some lunch. Good times were had. Here are a few pics:

The girls in Bug's room

The girls watching tv

The girls playing with the Easter eggs

The girls having lunch. I only posted this one because of Ansleigh's expression...hahaha.

Church Picnic

2009-05-03T23:19:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago our Sunday School class had a picnic social after church. Here are some pics from that too.

P.S. Sorry about the blog attack.

Easter

2009-05-03T23:10:00.004-04:00

Usually for Easter, we wear our Easter frocks and after church, eat lunch with my mom's side of the family.

This year, we knew we were going to be spending Easter Sunday driving back to Florida so we arranged the Easter lunch to be on Saturday instead.

We had a blast!

While we were there, we took Ansleigh to have some pictures made in her Easter outfit. Unfortunately, we didn't get to attend church Easter morning so we didn't get to wear our Easter clothes. Ansleigh will be wearing her's this coming Sunday for her baby dedication. :) In the meantime, here are the scanned versions of the pictures.

Better Late Than Never

2009-05-03T22:32:00.006-04:00

So it turns out that I never posted about our trip to Anniston or our Easter. Whoops.

I just got the pictures from Anthony so let's get to it! :)

Way back when...the week before Easter, when we left Troy, we went to Anniston to visit my family for a few days. There are lots of things I could tell you but I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Thanks Lolli!

2009-04-22T20:10:00.001-04:00

Bugs got this (and a few other things) in the mail today....

WE LIKE IT! :)

Thanks Lolli!

Sweet Sixteen

2009-04-16T15:13:00.002-04:00

Bugs is 16 months old! I should have posted this on Tuesday but I'm a slacker.

Just last week she sprouted 3 more teeth for a grand total of 8--4 on bottom, 3 on top, and one molar on the top left.

She finally grew out of all her size 2/3 shoes and is finally getting feet closer to the appropriate size for her age.

She's growing tons of hair. It doesn't seem like it to us and then we see a picture of her from just a few months ago and it blows our minds.

Her favorite word: "No."

Her favorite phrase: "No. Stop."

Her favorite toys: her set of princess board books and her easter eggs

She's learned how to climb on some things and the best thing of all she's learned to do......she runs to you and gives you a hug. Words cannot describe how awesome it is.

Some other words she's trying to say: "yeah," "dank"--thanks, "huh"--for uh huh

She also has started taking her books and she "reads" each page, babbling all kinds of baby words before she turns the page and starts again.

She loves to dance.

She loves animals.

Favorite food: green beans

Favorite tv show: Yo Gabba Gabba and The Backyardigans

Favorite place to be: outside

She walks/runs everywhere these days and tries her best to be little miss independent.

She still has her passie but only gets it for "night night" and shows absolutely no interest in the pink potty.

It blows my mind how quickly our little bug is growing up!

Girlfriends!

2009-04-15T16:59:00.003-04:00

While we were in Anniston, I skipped out of town a smidge to go meet two of my girlfriends from college at Cracker Barrel.

Now I have some amazing friends here, but there is nothing like a blast from the past! :) I miss Malerie (left) and Casey (right) soooo much!

We spent our dinner trying desperately to catch up. An hour was definitely not enough time but when you live so far away from each other, you take what you can get!

LOVE YOU GIRLS!!!!

Time in Troy

2009-04-15T16:16:00.004-04:00

We NEVER get to spend enough time with our families but we were fortunate enough that it worked out where we could spend some time with them.

Sunday we left Eufala and headed to Troy, Alabama to hang out with Anthony's family for a few days.

Anna Cate and Ansleigh had so much fun playing with each other! They will be eternal bff's. I can already tell. :)

We didn't really do anything fancy or special, just spent time together. We really miss hanging out with all of them so it was completely and totally amazing for us. As always, there was 4-wheeler riding, deer gravy (gross), and a crack on my scrabble skills (DON'T ASK).

Chad had to leave Monday night to head back to Pensacola for a week of work but the rest of us hung out until Tuesday afternoon. Rachel and the kids headed to Prattville to spend time with her family and we went to Anniston to spend some time we my family. It was heart breaking to leave but at the same time, we were excited to get to see the rest of the family.

Here are some pictures from our days in Troy:

AC helping Nana make biscuits

Loving on my girls :)

T--LOVE THAT KID! He is such a boy these days

Don't you wish your niece was this adorable?

The girls playing with Papa

Bugs and Papa making faces at each other

Turner and Papa riding the 4-wheeler

Chad, Papa, & Turner

Even Bugs rode her 4-wheeler :)

Friday Family Camping

2009-04-15T15:56:00.006-04:00

The weekend before Easter we traveled to Eufala, Alabama to go camping with the Friday family and extended relatives (the Cox side). We totally had a blast and Ansleigh was amazing. We tented with Chad, Rachel, Turner, and Anna Cate and Ansleigh slept in the cabin with her Nana and Papa.

Saturday we had an egg hunt for all the kids and they seemed to really enjoy it. Also, Julie and David brought their boat to take out on the lake for some tubing. Mostly we just hung around and "camped" all weekend. We went on a hike that was just just a flat trail with a bunch of the kids and Frankie convinced them that there were whompus cats hiding in the woods and the kids even found some baby whompus cat tracks :)

Egg hunt Kids waiting on the boat

Everyone hanging around
Having a very in-depth conversation with AC :)
Kate & Ansleigh playing babies
Stephanie and Bug Bug
All the cousins
Hiking and hunting whompus cats
Right before dinner Saturday night
After we ate dinner at Kay & Urban's cabin

Sunday we packed up (in the pouring down rain) and headed in different directions. We went with Tommy & Dyan (Nana & Papa) and Chad, Rachel, T, & AC to Troy.

A Pink Potty...

2009-03-24T15:36:00.003-04:00

Since the doctor suggested we get a potty for the Bug so she can get used to one...I started looking into them. I went on several different websites and looked at all kinds of potties from musical ones to plain and simple ones. I read reviews, looked at prices, and weighed the pros and cons of each.

After all this hard work, we decided to order the Baby Bjorn potty chair. It was reasonably priced ($27.99) and had literally hundreds of amazing reviews. It is simple, small, and portable. Which will be good when we do start potty training for real and are traveling.

I was kind of waiting around to order it because honestly, it just seems so crazy to me that I am already buying a potty for my sweet baby! One day at the end of last week I was perusing one of my money saving blogs I often read and discovered this same potty on Amazon marked down! I ended up paying $17.03 for this awesome potty!!!

Today I was pleasantly surprised to greet the FedEx man holding a giant box...little did he know what was in it :)

When Bug got up from her nap she sat right down on it to check out it.

As you can see, this big girl loves her pink potty already! Now we just need to get her to potty on it! :)

Mean Face

2009-03-24T15:33:00.003-04:00

Anthony has taught Ansleigh a new trick....

she makes a mean face at you and then giggles. She will do it on command now.

What a mess this child is but she is a ton of fun! :)

15 Months!

2009-03-17T22:13:00.002-04:00

Saturday Ansleigh turned 15 months old. Yesterday I took her to the Doctor's office for her check-up.

She weighs 21 lbs and she is 31 inches tall. Her percentiles were 25% for weight, 50% for height, and 95% for her head...hahahaha. She needs room for all those brains :)

She only got one shot (because there is a shortage of 1 and we are waiting until she is two for her MMR). She was not a happy camper and it was extremely difficult to hold her down.

Currently she still only has 5 teeth...there is one that has been "about to break through" for about two months now. She is getting steadier on her feet each and every day. She can basically run now (which she does in a very prissy way...might I add). She is so fast too! If you blink your eyes, she is gone!

She LOVES being outside and will throw a fit if she thinks she has missed a chance to go outside.

She's gotten to where she'll want to get up on the couch and sit with you, but not always for very long. She is super attached to her pink blanket and wants it 95% of the time. We have a back-up one for when one needs to be washed but as much as she uses that thing, we may need to get 4 or 5 more back-ups...haha.

As far as talking goes, she understands SOOOO much and can communicate with you somewhat. She doesn't know a ton of words yet, but she will get there. Right now she is actually ahead in the words she can/has/will say. She isn't really very consistent with many of her words but the Doctor told me that it is the point that she has said them and clearly indicates she knows what she is talking about.

Her current list of words:

hey (word said most often)
momma (second word said most often)
dada or daddeeeee :)
oh
bow
ball
minh (mine)
no
dank (thanks)--she just started doing this

There are lots of things that if we ask her where it is, she will look for it and find it. Those are:

her ball
bat
pinky (blanket)
passie
sippy

Often if you ask her a question, she will shrug her shoulders and hold up her hands like "I don't know." She does it all the time. It is awesome.

She has the happiest little personality!

Right now her favorite things to eat are grilled cheese sandwiches, yogurt bites, and mini teddy grahams. Her favorite tv shows are The Backyardigans and Yo Gabba Gabba. She would watch tv all day long if I would let her. She likes to "read" books but only by herself and quite often upside down and from back to front.

Her feet are still super tiny--wearing an infant size 3(ish) depending on the shoe. She's wearing 12-18 months clothes.

While going through all the normal questions yesterday at her check-up, I was asked if she was showing any signs of potty-training and of course, I said no. Her pediatrician suggested that we buy her a potty and just let her get used to sitting on it. Of course, I was thinking "Now?!?!" but he said the sooner she has it, the sooner she is more likely to try sitting on it and mimicking me which could lead to her wanting to go a lot sooner and not being so afraid of it. So...I guess we'll be heading to Target soon to buy a potty. Any suggestions?

Well...those are her updates. Just wanted to share!

7 Years Ago...

2009-03-09T00:36:00.004-04:00

Anthony reminded me about 30 minutes ago of what "today" is....

7 years ago Anthony asked me to be his girlfriend. Cheesy, I know but it's also super sweet. I can still remember *most* of the details. I can't believe we've been together for 7 years!

To celebrate these 7 years, I thought I'd post a picture of us shortly around the time we started dating so everyone could have a good chuckle. :)

This is a picture of us at some kind of Baptist College Student Evangelism conference in Montgomery. And before you say it, I know, I know--we both look so young. You can't tell from the picture but this is right before Anthony buzzed his head for the first time and my hair is actually about 4 inches longer than you can see. Wowza. What a long time ago!

I have another picture of us from the BCM Spring Social just a few weeks after we started dating but I'll spare Anthony the embarrassment of posting that picture :) The theme was "More Than Conquerors" and we dressed in our Greek attire. :)

Anyway, happy 7 years Love!

Ansleigh's Prizes

2009-03-09T00:24:00.005-04:00

I know this is a little late but here are the pictures of the amazing things my parents made for Ansleigh.

Her toy chest and stool

Bug Bug loves watching tv from her toy chest
top of stool
side view of stool
table
chair

And while we're at it...I might as well throw in these two other pictures. One is of the Bugs vacuuming with her new vacuum from Lolli & Pop and the other picture is of Ansleigh wearing her new mary jane style hot pink crocs!!! Now personally, I hate crocs. I think they are the ugliest shoes I've ever seen but they are so cute on little ones and very practical. Buggy got her first pair. I was so excited when I ordered them and even more excited when they came!

Showdown in O-town

2009-03-09T00:11:00.004-04:00

This weekend my cheerleaders competed in the Spirit Cheer Showdown in O-town Nationals. Most of my 20 girls have NEVER competed, in fact, I think only three have. We have been working since the end of basketball season (in October) trying to get together a competition team and a solid routine.

This competition was a lot bigger than I expected. Total, there were 122 teams there and the performances lasted from 9am to 9:30 pm. There were thousands of spectators!

My kids worked hard and did an AMAZING job! They finished second in their division (Small Jr. High) only being 1/5th of a point behind the first place team.

As much as I hate competition, I am so incredibly proud of these girls and proud to say that I am their coach.

Here are two pictures from the day...

The 3 returning 8th graders

All the girls with their trophy!

Lolli & Pop Pop's Visit

2009-03-04T16:14:00.004-05:00

This past weekend my mom and dad (Lolli and Pop Pop) came for a visit. Buggy was SO excited to see them!

We mostly spent the weekend hanging around the house and letting them enjoy Ansleigh and all her quirky little things she does.

And of course, Lolli and Pop came bearing gifts! :) Pop built Ansleigh an incredible toy chest, a toddler table and chair, and a step stool that all match. Plus, they brought Bugs her first ball, bat, and tee. She also got a vacuum cleaner (which is amazing b/c she's been trying to use mine) and....

a pair of pink converse chuck taylor's!

She really loves her ball and bat--she's carried it around with her at all times since she got it and she loves her new tennis shoes. She carries them around too.

She spent lots of time loving on Pop and Lolli.

The only bad thing about the whole weekend was that Ansleigh spent most of the weekend with a fever ranging anywhere from 100.7 to 103.8. She woke up at 3 am Friday night/Saturday morning SCREAMING. Poor thing. The fever was the only symtom she had. Sunday she spent a lot of time sleeping and really didn't get her fever back.

We'd planned on going to the Zoo with Lolli and Pop but since Bugs was not feeling so well, we decided to save that for another weekend.

While they were here, Dad helped me start my own garden :) See my personal blog for info on that.

Here are some pictures of our awesome weekend:

Amazing Deals...for Groceries!!!

2009-02-25T01:59:00.002-05:00

Haha...you thought you were getting another blog post on where to buy fancy-smancy children's clothing but alas, no. Groceries.

Head on over my my personal blog, stay a while, and read my latest post. It has several places to find awesome coupons and some serious deal-ios (yes, I said that).

The coupons/deals involve everyday grocery products, ORGANIC products, and just fun stuff I really like.

Mad Dance Skills

2009-02-17T15:04:00.003-05:00

So we've been learning that our Ansleigh has some mad dancing skills. :)

She's so awesome!

Gymboree Play & Learn

2009-02-17T14:42:00.005-05:00

Saturday (Feb. 7) we took Ansleigh to Gymboree Play & Learn for a Valentine's Day party. It was a first for all three of us, but honestly, we had a lot of fun!

Ansleigh had all this awesome equipment to play on and lots of friends her age to play with. It was neat to see all the different babies and the skills they could/could not do. We learned a few things about our bug too :)

She doesn't understand the concept of "sharing." If another kid had something, she wanted it...until they had something else. Then she wanted that.
She's nosy. She had to see what all the other kids were doing.
She really enjoys touching other kids
She is a BIG fan of watching things roll down the slide.

She played with all kinds of amazing toys and even got to make her own Valentine's card complete with handprint and footprint.

I am really interested in taking her back. She needs other babies to play with and I don't plan on having another one soon so we should get her in a class...haha.

Here are some pictures from our fun day:

Ansleigh checking everything out.
Ansleigh playing on the slide
Sliding with Daddy

Crawling through the rolling tunnel. She wasn't so sure of this.
Ansleigh taking toys from little boys.

This is one of my favorites. Notice that Ansleigh is patting that kid on the back. Haha!

Playing ball with the cutest 9 month old little girl!
My favorite! She knows she's adorable :)

Bubbles!

Side note about the Gymboree bubbles: they are amazing! They don't pop right on contact. Kids can hold them in their hands. Ansleigh LOVED the bubbles! I think the Easter bunny might need to get a hold of some of these for her Easter basket. :)

To see the rest of the pictures, check out my album on facebook.

Family Favorite Restaurants

2009-02-16T00:46:00.001-05:00

I don't usually post my "health nut" stuff on our family blog, but this blog gets a lot more readers and most of us have kids and almost all of us don't want to be fat. This lead me to the conclusion that you might be interested in this information too.

From various different "Eat This, Not That" articles, I have been learning a lot about what is better for you to eat and why.

This specific article (http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/Restaurant-Report-Kids/10.php) rated America's chain restaurants for kid-friendly healthy ordering. Some of the results surprised me (see Olive Garden & Chik-fil-a) while others really didn't. To view the full list, go to the website.

1. Chik-fil-A (Graded an A)

No kids' menu? No problem. With every single sandwich below 500 calories, a variety of healthy sides like fresh fruit that can be substituted into any meal, and nutritional brochures readily available for perusing at each location, Chick-fil-A earns the award for America's Healthiest Chain Restaurant for Kids.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

Even the smartest kid in the class can still fail a test, so be on your toes at all times. Skip salads with ranch or Caesar dressings, any sandwich with bacon, and all milkshakes.

2. Arby's (Graded a B)

Although the choices for kids are few, no entrée contains more than 275 calories, and the fruit-cup side earns the sandwich shop extra points. Too bad the rest of the menu is so lousy—most sandwiches suffer from spread overload or big-bread syndrome. And breakfast should be avoided altogether.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

Lean roast beef is what they're known for, and it's never a bad way to go.

3. Burger King (Graded a C)

BK has only four legitimate kids' entrées on the menu, and none of them—French Toast Sticks, hamburger, mac and cheese, chicken tenders—are particularly healthy. And while the recent addition of Apple Fries provides a much-needed healthy side alternative for kids, the menu is still sullied with trans fats. BK pledged to follow in the wake of nearly every other chain restaurant and remove trans fats from the menu by the end of 2008, but so far, we've seen little action.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

The best kids' meal? A 4-piece Chicken Tenders®, applesauce or Apple Fries, and water or milk. Beyond that, there is little hope of escaping unscathed.

4. Chili's (Graded a C-)

Chili's gets the award for the longest, most diverse kids' menu we've seen, and many of the items on it represent reasonable nutritional options. Unfortunately, sodium is a major problem. And the adult menu, where older kids might be tempted to wander, is an abomination.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

Choose wisely, as the difference between good (corn dog) and bad (chicken strips) can be 700 calories. On the adult menu, the Chicken Fajita pita is a solid choice.

5. Olive Garden (Graded a F)

There may be some pretty decent stuff on Olive Garden's menu, but you'll never know it—not as long as the country's largest sit-down Italian chain continues to make nutritional nondisclosure a policy.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

The low-fat options on the Garden Fare® menu provide only sporadic chunks of information, and only a single option for kids: the 349-calorie Grilled Chicken entrée. Until they offer comprehensive data on all their dishes, as competitors Macaroni Grill and Fazoli's gladly do, proceed at your own risk.

6. Quizno's (Graded a C+)

Toasty or not, Quizno's offers some of America's worst sandwiches, including the 2,090-calorie large Tuna Melt. Cookies and fatty salads don't make matters any better. What does improve matters is Quizno's line of kid-size Sammies—the rare bright spot in an otherwise dark menu.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

With a handful of Sammies at 200 calories, they make perfect meals for younger kids. You can double-up for the older eaters—even two of the healthier Sammies will be better than most small sandwiches.

7. T.G.I Friday's (Graded a F)

We do applaud Friday's efforts to offer reduced portion sizes for high-calorie bombs, but we don't approve of their reluctance to provide hard data on any of their dishes. Between the array of deep-fried starters and mammoth sandwiches, it's clear they have something to hide.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

The Lighter Side of Fridays contains five items with approximately "10 grams of fat and 500 calories." It's a sorry attempt at transparency, but until they offer real data, it's the best option.

A Valentine

2009-02-14T13:07:00.002-05:00

Another Sale!!! :)

2009-02-11T23:21:00.002-05:00

While you may not be needing these with spring on the way, it might be a good idea to buy them for the next fall/winter season. :) Enjoy! Just go to Chez Ami.

A Bad Case of....

2009-02-11T23:09:00.003-05:00

This weekend Anthony and I got a bad case of food poisoning from eating at Sonic.

I spent all the wee hours of Sunday morning being best friends with the bathroom and the both of us spent the majority of the day occupying both bathrooms. I figured it out and I spent over 16 hours of being sick constantly.

While I know this may seem like a little TMI, it really was one of my biggest fears. I am terrified of being "out of commission" and not being able to take care of Ansleigh. Anthony works and regardless of if I am sick or not, he still needs to be at his job when at all possible. Never did it cross my mind that we might both be incredibly sick at the same time.

Praise the Lord that Ansleigh didn't get it.

I felt so bad for her all day. We had no energy to do anything. She just kept looking at us wondering why we wouldn't play with her. On the positive side (for her) she got to have goldfish and sugar cookies all day for her food.

Just a few days later, we finally feel like we have recovered.

Be careful what you eat!

Love Sent From Lolli

2009-02-07T14:14:00.003-05:00

Today Ansleigh got a Valentine Care Package from her Lolli & Pop. Lolli made her two Valentine's shirts, baked her cookies, gave her a beanie baby monkey, and....a Little People Valentine set!

What an awesome Lolli and Pop!

Ansleigh LOVES all her stuff...especially the cookies.

Oreo

2009-02-07T13:07:00.003-05:00

Too cute not to share.

Ansleigh's first oreo :)

And here is a video of her eating said oreo

A little booty shaking...

2009-02-03T16:11:00.002-05:00

Bugs dancing. She's a smidge camera shy, I guess.

Big Girl Toothbrush

2009-02-03T16:06:00.002-05:00

As trivial as some of these things may seem, we really are trying to treasure each moment of Ansleigh growing up. Recently, she's moved up from her "baby" finger toothbrush to her "big girl" pink ladybug toothbrush. Below are a few pictures of Ansleigh trying her best to brush her own teeth.
We decided to move her on up because she was biting Anthony. I asked Ansleigh if she wanted to keep her baby toothbrush or start using her big girl toothbrush and I promise you, she looked at us and said, "I not baby, mommy."

Promise. Anthony heard it too.

Wow.

Like Father, Like Daughter

2009-02-03T16:03:00.001-05:00

Another future speed cuber?

Sale

2009-02-03T10:31:00.004-05:00

Baby sale @ Gymboree! They also appear to have little girl/little boy clothes on sale too. From my understanding, this includes new spring lines. The sale for "baby" is newborn-5T.

Just in case you are interested.

Do You Have a Baby?

2009-01-30T14:28:00.002-05:00

If you have a baby or are expecting, check out Chez Ami. They have their "littles" collection of onesies, tshirts, pants, etc. on sale for under $10 which is what you'd pay at Wal-Mart...except for quality, sustainable clothing that can be passed on to other siblings or cousins.

Check it out.

Just like Daddy

2009-01-26T19:44:00.002-05:00

This was Ansleigh Saturday night/Sunday morning around midnight-ish.

She apparently had only taken a nap and not gone to bed for good like we thought she had. We got her up and this is what she decided to do. :)

Walking

2009-01-26T17:06:00.008-05:00

Here's Ansleigh walking....

Vintage

2009-01-26T17:03:00.002-05:00

These pictures are from the other day but I just can't help but to share them. Please ignore the fact that she was not pleased with me for some unknown reason.

The sweatshirt Ansleigh has on is a vintage Auburn sweatshirt. So vintage in fact, that it was mine when I was her age. :)

War Eagle!

Work of Art...in progress

2009-01-25T21:56:00.003-05:00

In case you didn't know, my dad builds things. Not for a job, just as a hobby. He's built a third of the furniture that is in our house, including the changing table that was in Ansleigh's room. For her birthday, he built her that incredible rocking horse.

Now, he's working on a toy chest. :) Complete with wheels and a seat lid that won't pinch her fingers.

This is the picture Mom & Dad emailed me just a little while ago.

Now it's Mom's turn to start her "job" painting it. When it is finished, it should look something similar to this:

Bargains Galore!!!!

2009-01-25T16:30:00.002-05:00

So most of you know I *might* be just a *tad* bit obsessed with children's clothes. Well today I have been randomly finding bargain after bargain so I thought I'd share them with you :)

Bargain #1:
Ragsland--all the stuff in their "outlet" and "Fall 08" section are 50% off and if you type in the code "weekend" today, you get an extra 15% off each item (or maybe it's off your total purchase). There is a ton of fall stuff that you can buy and put up for next year while the gettin' is good, or you if you look in the outlet, they have spring and summer stuff available too. The only problem is that they don't have tons of sizes left. Good luck!
Bargain #2:
Remember Nguyen--they have these amazing beautiful smocked dresses and outfits (boy stuff too!) for super cheap (considering retail price). Granted, I only looked at the girl stuff, but everything I looked at was mostly b/w $20-$30 for these rediculously expensive, beautiful dresses. Seriously, I almost peed in my pants. They have TONS of sizes available plus fall, winter, spring, and summer clothing!!!! You can't lose!

When you get to the site, look to your right and click "clearance" in either girls or boys.

Bargain #3:
Chez Ami--probably one of my two favorite brands, they have their fall stuff (from this past fall) on clearance for 50% off. From the site, click on sale and then you have to click on each collection individually (which is kind of annoying, but whatever).

What I really want to mention is that they have their fabrics on sale!!!!! For the next couple of days all their fabric (knits & wovens) are all 30% off. If you are into sewing...look here! They have fabric you won't find anywhere else.

Bargain #4:
Kelly's Kids--definitely my favorite. Currently they have (if you go to the site and click "outlet") their Fall 08 and Spring 08 stuff on sale. They really don't have a lot left in the spring stuff but if you find your kid's size in something you will be getting an amazing deal.

Bargain #5:
Best Dressed Child--the link should take you straight to the sale part, but if not, on the left hand side of the site you will see "75% off Clearance Bin"....that's right ladies and gentleman, 75% PERCENT OFF!!!!!!!!

Here you will find brands such as Sweet Potatoes, Funtasia, Kate Mack, Secret Wishes, Royal Child, Be Mine, Baby Nay, Will'beth, and tons of others! There are girl clothes, boy clothes, and brother sister, or little sister/big sister matching/coordinating outfits. They also have socks and shoes on clearance. Clothing range covers all seasons. You can find dress clothes, play clothes, coats, and even swimwear and coverups, you can even find Halloween costumes!!!

Bargain #6:
Gymboree--is having their semi-annual sale where you can save up to 60% off, plus, if you spend $75 today (WHICH I WON'T, but you might), you will get 20-25% off regular priced items February 20-22.

If you are unfamiliar with Gymboree, they have lots of "lines" of clothing with tons of pieces that you can mix and match. Plus they tend to have coordinating items so you can dress your kids similarly.

All of these clothing lines are well worth the investment so it really is a huge deal when you find them at bargain prices. The clothes hold up well and can be passed from child to child. Plus, I've found that with the smocked bishop-style dresses, usually your child can wear them for much longer than just one size/season. Most of them have deep hems that can be let out as the child gets older to get much more wear out of the dress. Definately worth the money if you have it to spend.

While you may be thinking "Gosh she spends a ton of money on clothes," let me reassure you that 99% of the time, I don't. I bargain hunt. I buy most of this amazing stuff on ebay, often "used" where it has been worn once by a child for pictures, but most of these prices are "ebay prices" for brand new clothes.

If you do find some deals and end up getting some stuff, please comment and let me know. I like to know that I'm helping people. Plus, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE children's clothes.

If you want me to keep posting bargains like this, comment and let me know and I will.

Enjoy your bargains!

Hey...

2009-01-20T23:32:00.005-05:00

Ansleigh has been having minutes worth of conversations with us where all she says is "hey" over and over again. I finally caught it on camera and since some of yall have been requesting it, here it is:

and while we are at it...just wanted to share this with you.

Little girl is going to have some curls :)

Splish Splash

2009-01-14T20:05:00.002-05:00

Just thought we'd share the cuteness with you :)

13

2009-01-14T20:03:00.002-05:00

That's right...

Buggy is 13 months old today!

It blows my mind just thinking of it.

She's getting so big! Here are some of the things she is doing:

her most frequent word these days (other than momma) is "hey." She'll just say it over and over again to you...and complete strangers. "Hey." "Hey." "Hey (giggle)." "Hey." You need to hear it. Precious.
she has 5 teeth as of today with a 6th one about to cut through--two bottom, followed by two top, followed by the next top left, and currently cutting next top right.
she is VERY close to walking. She takes several steps everywhere and can even stand up by herself (without pulling up on something).
she has long conversations with her self in what sounds something similar to Chinese. Just trust me on this one...very funny.
she loves to play chase (crawling).
she bounces up and down and sways (dancing) whenever she hears music. She usually looks at you to make sure you are watching her perform. :)
has taken to taking all the alphabet letters off the fridge and hiding them under the fridge. Thanks for that, really.
Just to amuse you, she has just moved up to a size 2-3 diaper. Seriously.
Spends most of her time during the day holding a book. She even carried one into Subway tonight. She prefers to read alone though...don't you dare try and take her book and read it to her. It's "minhhhh" (mine)--which is also another word she knows.
She is VERY familiar with the word no and will shake her head at me and smile.
She can now eat cereal or any food out of a bowl (minus the milk, of course) without making too huge of a mess.
Her favorite thing to eat? Grilled cheese.
She still takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap. If she misses the morning nap, she will take an evening nap too.
Will drink as much milk and water as you give her but WILL NOT drink juice. Any kind of juice. Period. You might as well forget it.
LOVES having playmates...you can tell she really misses her cousins (T and AC).
Has really taken to her pacifier in the past few months but won't freak out if she doesn't have it.
Has grown attached to her pink blanket (like the one I had). She wants it with her at almost all times. We've had to start purchasing spares so that we can always have one, even when the other is in the washing machine. She likes to touch it and pull it up to her face. I don't know where she gets that from.
I am estimating that she weighs close to 22lbs. We'll find out on the 21st at her 1 year check up.

Well that's about all I can think of for now. If you are curious about anything else she may or may not be doing, just ask :)

Love yall!

Caught Reading

2009-01-11T23:21:00.001-05:00

When I was teaching, I used to have a program I called "Caught Reading" that rewarded kids for actually reading books on their own.

Guess who I caught reading this week?

A Big Girl Change...

2009-01-11T23:15:00.003-05:00

Santa brought Ansleigh a new bookshelf for Christmas this year. Since it was so heavy, he left it under our tree in Palm Bay.

Ansleigh is a big (ger) girl now and doesn't need a changing table in her room so this weekend, Anthony put the bookshelf together and I cleaned out the changing table and we moved the bookshelf into her room. :o)

She loves it!

P.S. See that AMAZING puzzle? It says, "Jesus loves Ansleigh." We are thanking our favorite Friday's for that one!

Ski Trip

2009-01-06T22:39:00.004-05:00

Tuesday, around lunch time, we loaded up from Aunt Nancy's and headed on up to Sugar Moutain Ski Resort. It took us about 2 hours to get there and then we needed to get checked in, find our cabin, and start unloading. After all that was done (which took quite a while), we walked around a little bit and then went to rent our ski equipment and buy lift tickets for the next day.

Wednesday, we all slept in and had a late breakfast before bundling up in our ski/snow gear. We even bundled up Anna Cate and Ansleigh and took them to see the snow. Wednesday might not have been the best day to take the girls over to the snow since there were 40 mph winds and they were blowing "snow" which was really just sharp chips of ice. Anna Cate (almost 2) got blown down by the wind once and she was done. Ansleigh didn't even give it a chance really, although both girls looked DANG cute in their snow gear. :o)

Nana and Papa took the girls back to the condo while we--and by we, I really mean Chad & Rachel--started teaching Turner how to ski. It took him a while to catch on. After spending quite some time on the crowded bunny slope, Anthony and I took the lift up and skiied down "Easy Street" before going and checking on Turner again. I think the best part of the afternoon was me falling, not once, but twice standing STILL, in the line to get back up the bunny slope. Idiot. Haha.

Once my toes and fingers were painfully numb from the cold, I headed back over to the cabin with Chad & Turner. Everyone else kept skiing. The ski slopes were closed everyday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. so that is when we thawed out and ate an early supper each day.

Once the slopes were opened back up, we bundled back up and headed back over. It was colder and windier, but there were hardly any people skiing which made the lift lines super short. I went with Anthony up to the top of the moutain a few times. There were tons of icy spots (which = me falling) and the snow blowers were blinding me (which = me falling).
Everyone else seemed to be having a blast but being the weenie that I am, I went back to the cabin. About 10:30 everyone else came pounded back and they looked hilarious! They were covered in snow that was stuck to them. It was awesome.

Thursday, we slept in again and right about the time we were getting ready to head over to the slopes, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Bill, Kyliee, and Austin showed up to spend some time with us. Turner decided not to ski that day and stay and play with his cousins. Uncle Bill went skiing with the rest of us. Thursday the weather and the conditions were so much better! Everyone really had a great time skiing although we did have trouble finding each other.

Friday was our last day of skiing and we had so much fun! Turner was AMAZING! We skipped the bunny slopes with him and just went on over to "Easy Street." By his second trip down that slope, he was skiing by himself!!! Kid is 5 and was skiing by himself. We were all so proud! We even took him over and skiied down the yellow slope several times. The lift lines were kind of long so we got to talk to him while we were waiting and he kept saying, "Man, I sure am having so much fun." My heart melted everytime. Finally, we had only enough time left for one more trip down the moutain that afternoon and Chad decided he was going to take Turner to the top of the moutain. Let me say that again. CHAD WANTED TO TAKE HIS 5-YEAR-OLD SON TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN! Well, he did, although Rachel and I had no part in it. Anthony went with them. Turns out, Turner did amazing and skiied all the way down the mountain! He is such a pimp :o) (in a 5-year-old kind of way).

Friday night we skiied until we almost couldn't ski any more. Rachel and I headed back over about 9:30 even though the slopes didn't close until 10 because we needed to get started getting packed up.

Saturday morning we loaded everything up and drove the 8ish hours back to Troy, Alabama. It was a long trip was it was so much fun! We love spending time with the Friday's and hated that we had to get up and and drive another 7 or 8 hours to get back here.

The ski trip was a blast and I have the bruises to prove it. We can't wait to get the chance to do it again!

Aunt Nancy's

2009-01-05T00:11:00.004-05:00

Monday we drove from Troy, Alabama to Hickory, North Carolina to spend the night with Anthony's Aunt Nancy and her family before heading up to the moutain. We rarely get to see Nancy, Bill, Rebecca, Jason, Kyliee, and Austin so we crammed in as much time with them as possible. We had a blast staying with them, but unfortunately, I don't have many pictures. Hopefully Aunt Nancy will be sending us some soon. :o)

Here are the two I do have:

Christmas in Troy

2009-01-04T23:47:00.003-05:00

I was so proud of myself for staying updated with all the Christmas posts, but then we went to Troy, where internet does not exist...at least not at the Friday house. :o)

We were only there Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday. Monday we left headed to North Carolina.

After everyone arrived, we let Turner be "Santa" and pass out presents.

Later, Bryant and Whitney arrived to hang out and eat dinner. Dyan even pulled out her Christmas dishes! :o) After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room for a few hours of Guitar Hero.

Turner, Anna Cate, and Ansleigh all got a bath together and had so much fun! Nana certainly had her hands full though.

Santa brought...

2008-12-25T23:48:00.005-05:00

This year was Ansleigh's first BIG Christmas. We've had an amazing Christmas so far (with more to continue this weekend) but I thought I'd share a few things Santa brought Ansleigh:

a nativity set which she LOVES...she's very good at throwing Baby Jesus
3 baby dolls
a baby doll stroller (to encourage walking)
crayons and a HUGE coloring book
a pink princess tackle box
The Polar Express
Two Veggie Tale movies and a Tigger & Pooh movie
Several other books
her first Holiday Barbie
some outfits

And....

A NEW TOOTH!!!!!!!!

That's right, Buggy got one of her top teeth for Christmas!

We do want to add that while we know Christmas is not about the presents, it would be silly to ignore that it happens. We have been blessed with wonderful people in our lives who love us very much and we appreciate all the gifts. Here are some pictures from our big day today:

To view more Christmas pictures, visit my facebook page.

Merry Christmas Yall!

Because sometimes we forget...

2008-12-25T23:43:00.002-05:00

Luke 2:1-20 (New International Version)

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T22:49:00.004-05:00

Every year at my mom's house, we open up "family" presents on Christmas Eve. What that means is that we open presents to each other (as opposed to presents from Santa) if that makes sense.

Dad was surprised by Jon & Christina with a fish finder thingy for his boat. Typical Dad, he was mad they spent too much money. Mom was super excited about her new ironing board and her personalized calendar with pictures of the Bug. Jon loved his Band of Brothers book and his Bass Pro Shop gift card and the cook books we got Christina were a hit! Anthony's present from Jon & Christina was on the back of our car (a hitch haul) and Christina surprised me with a new Vera Bradley "hipster" purse and wallet in one of my favorite patterns!!!! Plus, as if that wasn't enough, they gave me Paula Deen's newest cookbook...AUTOGRAPHED!!!!

Dad gave Christina and me the most beautiful sapphire necklaces. I am in love. Seriously.

Mimi's Christmas

2008-12-24T22:14:00.003-05:00

Across the street from Mimi's

Ansleigh playing with McKinzie's shopping cart

Loving on Taylor

Taylor, Aunt Opal, and Me opening gifts

Aunt Cricket NOT pleased about her gift from Papa Sid...haha. It was x-lax.

Ansleigh really loves Uncle Rogers...we aren't sure why :)

Mimi's tree

Every year at Mimi's we exchange names and buy only one gift. This year we were really sad that Jessica couldn't make it (due to car trouble). We ate lunch and then opened presents and then just sat around and visited.

Anthony was excited because he got the new Batman movie. I was super excited because I got a gift card to Dillard's so I can buy some new clothes or shoes (or both!).

Everyone fought over who was going to hold Ansleigh :) It is a shame we don't get to visit more often because she is so loved.

Christmas at Mimi's was full of tradition, good food, and family--just the way we like it :o)

Aunt Debbie's

2008-12-23T23:59:00.004-05:00

We spent Saturday night, Sunday, and half the day Monday at Anthony's Aunt Debbie's house. We love spending time with them and even got to have some extra time with Chad, Rachel, Turner, and Anna Cate. :o)

Here are a few pictures:

FACEinHOLE

2008-12-22T23:58:00.001-05:00

Create your own FACEinHOLE

MawMaw's & Gaga's

2008-12-21T23:22:00.003-05:00

Pics from MawMaw & Gaga's house.

P.S. Ansleigh and Anna Cate are besties now...except when toys are involved--or their sippy cups. :)

Christmas at GranNana's

2008-12-21T22:54:00.003-05:00

Here are a few shots from the family Christmas at GranNana's house. We don't have all the pictures yet, but I didn't want to get behind.

Yesterday's Trip

2008-12-20T12:06:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to put a quick update for those of you who were curious as to how our long drive went yesterday.

Yesterday (Friday) we traveled from Palm Bay to Anniston, Alabama. We ended up being late getting going (10 am) because we were late getting to bed (2 am) due to our extremely long to-do list.

We only had to stop twice: Once right before St. Augustine to eat lunch and once around Tifton, GA to get gas/potty.

Ansleigh slept maybe 15 minutes right after she ate lunch and then maybe 25 minutes or so when we were crossing the AL/GA state line. She wasn't too bad most of the trip. I stayed in the backseat with her and she watched her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD that she got for her birthday, then we watched Veggie Tales: Josh and the Big Wall, then we watched her Handy Manny DVD, followed by part of Cinderella, and the entirety of Aladdin. Nice, I know.

She basically screamed for at least the last two hours of the trip. I don't blame her. She was tired and ready to be out of her seat. The crazy thing is that it was almost 11 (eastern) before she went to bed last night. CRAZY!

We waited for Mom to return from the visitation (my great uncle, James, died this week) and for Jon & Christina to get here from North Carolina and then we had the Fair Family Friday Night Dinner at Red Lobster.

NOTE: Never order macaroni & cheese off the kid's menu for your child. It is $5 and is 1/4 of a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Serioulsy! And part of Ansleigh's was burnt...haha.

Anyway, this morning was Uncle James's funeral and then we are headed to GranNana's (my mother's mother) for the Neighbor's family Christmas. We will be leaving there and heading to Selma (3 hrs. away) where we will attend the Friday Family Christmas. After that, we will head to Aunt Debbie's to spend the night and visit until Monday. Monday we will return back to Anniston.

Keep us in your prayers as we travel extensively over the next two weeks.

We love yall!

More updates to come soon (I hope!).

2008-12-18T23:51:00.003-05:00

Precious Moments Christmas was one of my very favorite books as a child, even as a teenager. Turns out, it is a favorite of Ansleigh's too.

I've been reading it to her a lot and she's been "reading" it herself quite often. The book, to me, explains Christmas in the most simple form. Because we love it, we want to share it with you:

Christmas is a time
for bows
And jingle bells
and winter snows...

Of holly wreaths
and colored lights
That twinkle in the snowy nights.

Christmas is
a time for cakes
And other things
that Mommy makes...

Of little stockings
on the wall
With tiny treasures
in them all.

Christmas is a time
of joy
For every
little girl and boy...

A time of toys
and balls and bats
And puppy dogs
and baseball hats.

But just remember
Christmas brings
Much more than
toys and other things...

More than tinsel,
more than lights,
More than jingle bells
and snowy nights.

Most of all,
this time of year...
With all its love
and Christmas cheer...

Reminds us of
the gift of love
That came to us
from up above.

For long ago
in Bethlehem
A star arose
above the land.

Little angels
came to earth
To sing the news
of Jesus' birth.

The shepherds heard
their song of joy
And went to see
the baby boy.

Wisemen saw
his wondrous star
And made their
journey from afar.

They brought him
gifts of spice and gold
That Christmas day
so long foretold.

Now Christmas is
a time to share
The love of Jesus
everywhere...

A time when we
can laugh and sing
And thank the Lord
for everything.

So when you think
of snowy nights
With sleigh bells, trees,
and Christmas lights...

Above all else
remember, too,
God sent his gift
of love for you.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. This book was definitely copyrighted in 1988. If you saw the pictures, you'd know that. :) They are amazing!

Merry Christmas from the Friday's!

Memories

2008-12-15T13:36:00.000-05:00

Bug's First Birthday

2008-12-15T12:02:00.005-05:00

Ansleigh's first birthday was wonderful! She was surrounded by friends and family who all love her very much. :o)

She even had some love sent to her in the mail from friends and family who couldn't be here.

Friday night my mom, dad, sister, and bro-in-law all arrived and we finished all the last minute preparations for the party Saturday morning. My sister and I put the cutest cupcake holders on Ansleigh's ladybug cupcakes that I made while my mom iced Ansleigh's ladybug cake that I baked. Anthony and Jon went to take care of balloons and my dad played with Ansleigh and helped me bake cookies.

Her cupcake holders

Aunt Sissy decorating cookiesDaddy doing his part, licking the bowl

Saturday morning everyone started tackling our to-do list. Finally, it was time to relax and enjoy the day!

Here are a few pictures:

Ansleigh wasn't really interested in her cake...she was a fan of the cookies. She liked playing with the bows and ribbon from the presents and really did her best to prevent her "boyfriend", Logan, from playing with any of her toys. The grown-ups seemed to have just as much fun as the kiddos. There was frisbee throwing, swinging, chatting, and all kinds of fun.

Ansleigh was so blessed with wonderful people at her party and wonderful gifts that we really appreciate! We spent the morning playing at the park, opening presents, and eating yummy treats.

Thanks so much to Brian Newby for taking these incredible pictures of our sweet girl's big day.

Yesterday was Ansleigh's actual birthday and I have to say that I spent the day remembering at all times what I was doing throughout this day last year. Although our day was spent watching family leave, church festivities, and other busy things, I was extremely sentimental all day. Last night at 10:16 pm, while we were in the car pulling into the driveway, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Ansleigh. It is so hard to believe that just like that, a whole year has gone by.