What a week....

Wow, what a week it has been....On Tuesday we took Andrew to the doctor because they sent him home from preschool on Monday. He had a double ear infection and an eye infection. He got two shots on Tuesday and had to go back on Wednesday for a recheck. He's been on antibiotics all week and still has a few more days to go.

We decided we might better take Adam to the doctor as well. So he went on Tuesday afternoon and he has bronchitis. Ugh!

By Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling crummy so I stopped by urgent care on my way home from work. I have a sinus infection. So, I brought home antibiotics as well. So all three of us are on antibiotics. Ken so far is avoiding the doctor, but he may need to go as well......

Other than the sickness that has infiltrated our household, it hasn't been too bad of a week! :)

SEC Championship Game

We were lucky enough to see Alabama play Clemson in the Georgia Dome this year, so it was only fitting that we go back to see them play Florida in the SEC Championship game. While the result wasn't exactly what we had hoped for, Alabama played a great game and I couldn't have been prouder to be there yelling "Roll Tide" with all my might. I have loved being able to go to the games this year and be a part of this story book season. With 9 seniors, Alabama wasn't picked to do very well - in fact, in preseason we were told we'd be lucky to win half of our games. I guess someone forgot to tell the team that. No one predicted Saban to turn the program around this quickly and I hope that we are back on track to having a successful team each year. We may not always beat Auburn and we may not always make the SEC Championship, but we can play well and show up to every game and play with heart. I think this year's team has displayed what you hope to see in a college football player.

I do have to say Congratulations to the Florida Gators. They played a great game and I hope they represent the SEC well in the Championship game.

So, Alabama gets to go to the Sugar Bowl now....and I've never been to New Orleans. It might be a first time for me...or we may watch from home. No matter what - we'll continue to say Roll Tide and job well done!

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa is an annual tradition at Due West UMC. This was our fourth year being there. We have pictures each year of Adam with Santa, and now with Andrew as well. I love that we have photos of Andrew staring so intently at Santa, just like Adam did on his very first visit with Santa. We had Adam's favorite meal for breakfast - pancakes. We hear about pancakes all the time now! :) So this week, we had three different trips with Santa - one at the mall, one on North Pole Limited and then Breakfast with Santa. I think Adam thinks we're supposed to see Santa several times a week! He is so looking forward to Christmas - now if he'd only leave the ornaments on our Christmas tree rather than thinking they were toys to play with everything would be great.

North Pole Limited

On Thursday, we took the boys to ride the North Pole Limited in Chattanooga, TN. This train ride is set up like the Polar Express and we had such a great time! It is kind of funny that we can get to Chattanooga faster than we can to Atlanta sometimes. The ride lasted about 75 minutes, and they gave out cookies and read The Polar Express. Then, of course, Santa made an appearance. Adam had such a great time! He's been asking when we'll get a train to go around our Christmas tree and been watching the Polar Express movie since we got home. This just might be our new annual family Christmas tradition.

First trip to see Santa

This week we took the boys to their first trip to see Santa. It took a while, but eventually we got a couple of smiles from both of them.

Alabama vs. Auburn

On Friday, November 29th I went to my first Alabama vs. Auburn game. While we've had season tickets for a few years now, we sold our tickets the last time the game was in Tuscaloosa. I finally got to experience the game.....Ken told me I would feel "it" when we got to the stadium and I wasn't really sure what "it" was and now I'm not even sure how to explan it. There was an electricity in the air like I can't explain. Maybe it was because Alabama was 11-0 going into the game and maybe it was because it was an Alabama vs. Auburn game, but whatever the reason, it was a great football day. There was a haze over the stadium and a fine mist for most of the game. Bama played great and finally broke the six year streak....we had a great time and were there to see Alabama go to 12-0! Roll Tide!!

Fantasy in Lights

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we decided to visit Fantasy in Lights. It has almost become a tradition with us that we go each year to Callaway Gardens. We love the fact that we can keep the kids in the van and drive through the lights. We didn't have advance tickets, but decided to go anyway. We didn't have to wait too long.....but the thing we always forget is how long the drive is to Callaway. For some reason, we always think it is only an hour away....when it tends to more like an hour and a half. Adam loved it and always loves seeign the lights! Andrew slept through the entire thing....that's typical! We love the Christmas season and never pass up an opportunity to experience it through the eyes of the child....

Thanksgiving

I feel so fortunate to live in the United States where we actually take a day out to stop and celebrate the things we are thankful for. In a time where we are so busy with so many things, it only seems fitting to take at least one day to stop and celebrate all the blessings God has given us. We've started talking about what we are thankful for each night with Adam. Sometimes he is thankful for bananas or his stuffed cow and some days it is his teachers and his friends at school. So on this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for:

• Our Church - it's a place we love to be and celebrate all that God has provided;
• Ken - he is a wonderful father to the boys, I couldn't ask for anything more, and he's a pretty good husband to me;
• My parents - for so many things they have provided to me over the years and now for the love they show my boys;
• Adam and Andrew - they teach me something each and every day. It is so easy to enjoy life when you watch things happen through the eyes of a child;
• My job - while some days it is filled with stress, I love the fact that I help people in Georgia know that they can attend college and we can help them afford it;
• Family and friends - our lives are made so much better by the people that are in it.

So, I hope you pause today and thank God for all that he has given to you. Sometimes it seems difficult to find things to be thankful for, but at the end of the day, we have been given so much to be thankful for. It is hard to limit it to just a small list on a blog.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Preschool Thanksgiving Feast

I have to start off by saying, that we love our preschool. Our church does such a great job and the boys just love it. Last week was the Thanksgiving feast at school and it is always a great program. Each of the classes sing and then we all travel to the Family Life Center for a Thanksgiving lunch. Adam's class was so cute! They were dressed as indians and it was precious. The photos just don't do the program justice but hopefully we'll have the video clips before too long to share.

Alabama vs. Mississippi State

It was soooo cold! And we were so worried when the game started - Bama didn't look very good that first half. But, they finally started to play and it was a great game. Thanks go to Grammie and Grandpa for watching the kiddies so we could actually go to the game. It was a fun night out, even if it was very cold!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. I was off work so I was able to spend the entire day with the boys. We took Adam to preschool at the church and then I went over for their party. He had a great time. In the afternoon we took Adam back over to Primrose for their party and costume parade. Andrew even joined in on the action. Then Friday night, Adam went to the Trunk or Treat at the church up the road and then trick or treating around the neighborhood. It was a great night!

Andrew

So here is Andrew in his big boy car seat....and he loves the view now. He was 9 months old last weekend (October 25th). I can't believe 9 months have already passed and am not sure where the time has gone.

He had his 9 month check up on Tuesday. He weighed in at 20lbs 2 oz and was 29.25 inches long. Wow! He is a tall little boy. And yes, I know, he really should still be rear facing in his car seat...but the constant screaming in the van won out and now he can see everyone else.

Trevor's Birthday Party

Last weekend, Adam got invited to Trevor's birthday party. It was a costume party so he got to wear his Halloween costume a week early. He loved his Lightning McQueen pit crew outfit and that it had lights and sounds. Adam could not make up his mind of what he wanted to be for Halloween so I just picked something out. Luckily, he liked it.

Ken took Adam to the party and Adam loved Trevor's scooter. You'll see quite a few photos of Adam riding it.

Boys being Boys

Andrew is always a happy baby....here he is after his bath the other night....

Adam decided Andrew's carseat was a great place to sit....he loved that it "rocked."

Pumpkin Patch

Every year our youth group has a pumpkin patch as a fundraiser. We go every year to buy our pumpkins and take pictures. The boys had a great time at the pumpkin patch. Adam always wants to bring home lots of pumpkins. This year I think we brought 4 home. It's so fun to have photos from every year at the pumpkin patch...this is year number 4 and now we have two boys. Things have changed a lot!

Adventures with Timmy

Adam's preschool teacher has a stuffed animal named Timmy. Each week a different child brings Timmy home and photographs him on their adventures. The parents put together photos telling about their adventures and send them back into the class. At the end of the year, Ms. Moskal has a book of Timmy's adventures.

We had Timmy the second week of October and we decided to take him to the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA. It worked out well because my company had a booth there and I needed go to check on it and work for a while. Adam had never been to the fair so we thought it would be a fun adventure. Adam had a great time and Andrew just watched everything! We'll definitely take another trip to the fair next year.

Our Little Soccer Star

Andrew seems to enjoy the soccer ball a lot more than Adam! Maybe he will be the one that is the soccer star. These photos are from the end of September. :-) I'll get caught up eventually!

So behind....

I can't believe how behind I am in posting....I guess it just goes to say we've been pretty busy since we got back from vacation. I'm going to do some catching up and will try to keep the posts somewhat in order. :-)

Here are the last of the photos from our beach trip. My parents came down to join us for a couple of days.

LuLu's

Every time we come to Gulf Shores I want to go to LuLu's, but we never make it for some reason or the other. Sometimes it was the wait or just not wanting to load the kids up and take them out, but this time we finally made it. One of the good things about coming to the beach in September is there are not a lot of crowds. The weather is nice and it isn't so crowded. So on Wednesday night, we finally made it to LuLu's and we walked right in and sat down.




Adam didn't really want to go...until we told him they had a big sandbox. He would have stayed there and played all day long! He had the best time and even made some friends to play with.

So, the food was good, we didn't have to wait, Adam got to see a barge drive past and loved playing in the sand. LuLu's definitely got a thumbs up from us!

Boys, Boys, Boys

So the boys have been great on this trip and being out of routine....we've tried to cook a lot of our meals in the condo so it is easier on everyone...but we've been out some as well.

Andrew loves his puffs....as long as he has those to eat, he's happy where ever we go.

Adam has gotten where he only wants to give fake smiles. :) He's happy as long as Cheeto's are around. Actually, he's done really well eating all kinds of things on this trip. We were at the Shrimp Basket when these photos were taken....he didn't eat shrimp, but he did eat chicken fingers.

The Monkey In Action

So Andrew has been crawling and starting to pull up on items. Imagine my surprise when I looked at him on Tuesday and he's decided to pull up on the recliner and start trying to take steps around it! He's quickly becoming even more mobile! Ahhhhh!

Vacation

Believe it or not....we took a whole week for a vacation. We've made lots of mini trips here and there, but we decided it was finally time for a week away. So, we decided to journey back to Orange Beach and spend a week at SeaChase. We've had a great time so far and are pretty sad to see the week coming to an end. However, my parents are coming in later today, so we'll spend the rest of the week with them.

We were here in May, but Andrew hardly left the condo on that trip. We were just here for a couple of days, and I'm not sure he even made it to the beach. However, we've had him out with us lots on this trip. In fact, today he is officially 8 months old! I can't believe it! He's getting so big so quickly and is doing so many things and is totally keeping us on our toes. He is definitely the monkey in the family.

Here is his first time in the swimming pool...

Here is the first trip to beach...he hated being "caged" in the cabana. Needless to say, that will probably be sold in the next yard sale! :)
First time in the ocean with Daddy....
Andrew and Daddy

Happy 8 month birthday baby boy! We love you so much and are so glad you're part of our lives.

Love My Boys....

Ok, so I'm really behind on blogging again. I've tried to keep up and some days are just better than others...So this post is a little catching up and all about my boys, and yes, I'm calling Ken one of my boys as well.

This photo is from September 3rd...I love how happy the boys are. I can't believe how fast they are growing up. It seems like every day they are learning and mastering something new.
The following photos are from the Taste of Kennesaw. We went to see our good friend, Mr. Spiff, but he wasn't there yet! Oh well, we still had fun. Andrew just "rolls with the punches" and loads up to go and is usually just happy to be there.
Ken and Adam riding the train....
We're teaching Andrew early... :) Go Bama!
Here are the boys ready for church. No matter what Ken tried he could not get both of them to smile at the same time.....
I am so blessed to have such wonderful boys and a great life. I thank God for giving me such a fantastic family.

Grandparent's Day

September 7th is Grandparent's Day. Unfortunately both of Ken's parents are gone so we don't have photos of them with the boys. But we do have pictures of them with my parents. I'm glad that my parents are able to come and spend time with the boys and that Adam knows exactly who Grammie and Grandpa are.

Here's a photo of Andrew with my dad or Grandpa.
And a photo of Adam and Andrew with my Mom or Grammie.
Thanks Mom and Dad for being such wonderful Grandparents to the boys!

Two Boys...

Sunday afternoon when we got home from church, the boys were so happy. I think you can see the admiration Andrew already has for Adam and we're only beginning to see this. He watches his brother all the time and I know he'll be wanting to chase around after him before too long.
I love these smiles and happy faces. It is so good to have happy boys - it makes for happy parents! :)

Gotta love those smiles!

Night out at the Bama Game

We were very luck that my Mom agreed to keep the boys so we could go to the Georgia Dome to see Alabama play Clemson. It was a great night and Alabama played a great game! It was the first long date night we'd had in a very long time.

Here are some photos from the game....
It's a sea of red. The Dome was completely divided in half...half for Bama and half for Clemson.
Bama takes the field!



The final score was 34 to 10. We were happy to say the least. Clemson fans started leaving pretty early as is evidenced by the above photo.

Two rows in front of us was a good friend of mine from camp days, Brian Dudgeon. It was good to be able to talk with him and catch up. I guess it had been 13 years or so since the last time I saw him.

Thanks Mom for letting us have a night out and Roll Tide!

Adam riding his bicycle

So Adam has been begging for a bike...every time we see one he wants one or wants to ride one. The consignment sale at our church came along at just the right time for us to pick up a bike for Adam to try out.

Here he is gettting ready to go out on his bike last Friday (August 29th).

And here he is trying to ride his bike.


It is going to take some more practice but he certainly wants to ride his bike. He loves being outside and I have a feeling we'll be outside a good bit this fall.