"Ugly Baby"

Michael was so mad when Dustin and I showed him a baby picture from the hospital when he was born. He kept yelling at us, "That's not me...that's a ugly baby!" I guess my little man KNOWS he's just too cute to have been an UGLY BABY!!!

Baby Gracie's Nursery

Here are some pics of our new nursery. Michael is so proud that he got to help. When we started working on the nursery, the first thing everyone wanted to know was "what colors"...well, telling them "BLACK and pink" made for some pretty unique expressions. so, I hope now that it's all together everyone will enjoy our color scheme and not be entirely shocked by it! LOL WE LOVE IT!!!

Christmas Fun

Christmas was a blast this year. Michael and I went to the Christmas Parade where my little brother pulled a float filled with a bunch of his friends. Dustin was out of town with work, so Michael and I enjoyed the morning together sitting on the tailgate of our truck covered in blankets drinking our hot cocoa. PERFECT! We have so many places to visit on Christmas that we hardly have time to stop and think about anything except where we have to be next. Still, somehow, we managed to spend quality time with our little boy watching Santa Buddies and making cookies for Santa. Michael was so excited about Santa coming and seeing that the reindeer ate all of their food. It was a wonderful day!!! We hope everyone had as great of a Christmas as we did!

CELEBRATING MY 100TH POST!!!

Humm...how to celebrate? I remember in elementary school we used to celebrate the 100th day of school my decorating our clothes. I remember wearing 100 safety pins on my shirt (not so bright now that I'm looking back), 100 cotton balls glued to my shirt in the shape of "100", and having treats in class to celebrate the milestone.

Thinking about this post got me thinking about other milestones in my life...memorable milestones. I haven't displayed them in any order, but here are a few of what I consider my most memorable or meaningful milestones in order to celebrate this not-so-meaningful one!

1) I graduated highschool with a 3.7 GPA (and still wasn't in the top 10)! (2003)

2) I married the sweetest man in the world, my best friend. (2004)

3) I graduated from APSU with my bachelor's degree. (2006)

4) We had our first child together, Michael, and changed my life forever. (2006)

5) We found out we are expecting our second child, a daughter, in late March. (2010)

My life has always been defined by my family, both immediate and extended. I may not have had the "Beaver Cleaver" type family, but we've always had love. My parents taught me by example and through life lessons that you really don't need much in this world to be a happy person. I don't need a mansion, or a brand new car, or even brand name cereal (LOL). All I really need is a positive attitude, to be true to myself and the woman I want to be, and love for and from my wonderful family. I hope that in the future, what ever milestones I am fortunate enough to cross, only bring me closer to my family and closer to being the woman I was raised to be.

Cheers...

Michael's 3rd Birthday!

My sweet little boy turned three this month and I still have a hard time saying it. It seems like I was excited about saying he was a year old, then it seemed natural to say he was two, but three just sounds like I'm loosing my baby. THREE is a small child...not my baby boy. I guess that's just one of the many things a mother must accept in her child's life...they grow up...and they do it so fast. He already has such a colorful personality. He loves to "deer hunt", ride four-wheelers, play ball, do ANYTHING outside, and wrestle with his Daddy. He is "all-boy" for sure, but still so sweet to me. He tries to "protect" me when Dustin and I are play wrestling. He can't stand for Dustin to say "I'm getting Mommy!" And, with a new baby on the way, I wasn't sure how much of the whole process he would understand, but I have been so impressed with him. He'll walk by me sitting on the couch and shake my belly and say "Wake up, Gracie!" He loves to show everyone her room and her clothes. and he likes telling people that Gracie can't come out because she's growing. He is going to be the best brother in the world. I can't wait to see him with her. I do, however, feel sorry for the poor little boy that asks her out on her first date. I thought my Dad and Step-Dad were bad, but I don't think they'll hold a light to some little boy having to deal with Dustin and Michael just to take Gracie out! My poor little girl won't have a date until she's 30! :)

Quick, Fast, & in a Hurry!

I no longer have a computer at home and haven't had a lot of chances to update, so here's the "low down" Quick, Fast & in a Hurry!!!

1. My little sis' 21st birthday is coming up the 15th of this month so HAPPY BDAY LES!!! Sissy loves you!! SHMILY?!

2nd. Dustin and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversery the 18th! So, Congrats to us!

3rd. My nefew also has an upcoming bday the 18th, so HAPPY 2nd BDAY HAYDEN!

4th. Michael is growing and talking and learning faster than I can keep up.

5th. Last, but not least...WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!! WHOO HOO!!! Due date is April 3rd, although Dr. Hart seems to think that the baby will make his or her first appearance in late March. We've already seen a strong heartbeat and gotten our first ultrasound pics, but we won't know BOY or GIRL until probably late October or early November. I'll try to get back to post asap!

I'm trying to get some fall/Halloween activities together for Michael. Any ideas would be great!

And the Adventures of Michael Hugh Continue...

Adventure #1: Daddy & Michael's Lunch Date

Dustin and Michael go out to lunch together every Saturday, usually to McDonald's, (Michael's favorite place). It gives the guys some quality time hanging out and gives me some much needed quiet time. Since this Saturday was so busy, the guys lunch date was changed to Sunday, which was fine. However, there was one change that Michael was not fine with...Dustin had decided to go to Wendy's instead of "Donald's". So, in protest, Michael starts yelling, "No, Daddy, I wanna go to Donald's". Dustin tried to tell him that it was the same thing and he could still eat his cheeseburger with ketchup and french fries on it. Puffed up and pouting, Michael blurted out, "Michael wanna drive!" I guess he thought he'd just drive himself if Dustin wasn't going to!

Adventure #2: Gum Ambush

Michael went to his cousin Allison's fourth birthday party Saturday. He had a great time and left with a Hannah Montana gum roll as a party favor. He had forgotten about it and I found it in the truck the next day. While I was sitting outside talking with Dustin and watching Michael play, I got busted chewing a piece of his gum. He seen me chewing and ran to me yelling, "That's mine! I wanna bite!" I really didn't know what he was talking about at first. Then, it happened...he GRABBED my mouth and pulled it open, grabbed the gum and stuck it in his mouth. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even compose myself to ask him what he was doing! He ran off playing like nothing had happened and I was left there with no gum trying to pick Dustin up off the ground from laughing at me. I told Dustin I felt violated! LOL!

Adventure #3: Pool Hopper

Our neighbors were getting their pool set up yesterday evening and Michael was getting excited watching her two kids play and splash in the water. He kept asking me, "Michael swim?". Company had just arrived at the house and we were about to eat dinner, so I told him no, to sit down and eat his pizza. He kept on until he was in a full blown hissy fit over the pool. So, the rest of us went inside to get our plates and left the backdoor open where Michael could go in and out and play. While inside, I hear the neighbor SCREAM my name! I jumped up, but Dustin had already beat me outside. I assumed that he was crying to swim and she was going to offer to let him (she has several times in the past and once already that afternoon). Dustin came back inside carrying Michael and holding him awkwardly. He was bear hugging him around the back like something had scared him. When I asked what was wrong and why the neighbor was screaming, he said that when he got outside, Michael had CLIMBED THE CHAIN-LINKED FENCE AND ALREADY HAD ONE LEG OVER THE TOP WHEN THE NEIGHBOR PICKED HIM UP OFF OF THE FENCE!!!!! When I asked Michael why he was climbing the fence, he said, "Michael wanna swim"! What!?!?! Did my TWO YEAR OLD BABY really just CLIMB a 4-foot tall FENCE to go SWIMMING!?!?! I'm still in shock! What do you even say about something like this? He's TWO, not TWELVE!!! Whatever's next, I don't want to think about it! :D