March 11th

Here I am with Daddy doing one of my favorite activities: swinging. Lately, I really like it when they wind the rope up and let me spin around!

Funny Girl

This was just a cute video of us messing around a couple of weeks ago.

Wondrous Music

Only from the mouth's of Southerners would you hear such a lovely tune. What a neat site to see three generations singing together. Grandmoney, you are a joy to watch play. With no sheet music I might add!

Can someone please just say "Cheese"

There is nothing funnier than multiple people trying to take a picture of the same scene. Add in four children under the age of 5 and 2 great-grandparents trying to wrangle them and you've got yourself an "America's Funniest Home Video" contender.

Rain Dance

I'm not sure if she was trying to bring on the rain with these moves but it got us laughing nonetheless. And yes, I too think I resemble Michael Jackson with the white socks and black shoes. Editing will only let you do so much though.

Feb. 26th and beyond

The last three weeks have been bananas so we don't have a lot of pictures but a lot of stories. After getting back from our familypalooza (more about that in another post) we got back to our regular schedule. Katie Jo had been attending the Mother Goose group at the library on Wednesday. And on Friday's we have had Tumblebugs at the YMCA. She loves both and we're continuing the Tumblebugs class for now. Saturday, the 24th, I had my first Bossy Bows (read about in next post) event and that afternoon we went to buy a new kitchen table and chairs. The next week we spent getting ready for our MASSIVE yard sale that we had on Saturday the 3rd. It was amazing what treasures I found in cleaning out every room, closet, corner, cabinet, and cranny. I found my favorite maternity top from last pregnancy hidden away in a corner and so many items I'd never even opened. Our yard sale started at 7 am and at 6:15 we had someone blocking our driveway to get first dibs. By 6:40 we had a crowd of 10 or so and Jay told them to just come on. By 7:15 the first rush of people had left and we felt like a tornado had come through. It was the most exhausting event ever and I won't do it again for 10 years! It was so worth it though. Our house is so much cleaner and clutter free. We sold 85% of what we put out and took the rest to Goodwill. Yipee!! This past Monday I took Katie Jo in to the doctor with a fever and came out with a positive test for the flu and a double ear infection. This past week we've been stuck in the house for the most part and I'm looking forward to a better week next week. Hopefully more pics too!

Here's a picture of Katie Jo sitting in the kitchen. It's empty because Jay was sanding, staining, and painting our new table in the garage. She's shirtless because I was getting ready to take her temperature. She's such a little girl these days. We bought her a doll to practice being big sister to when we found out it was a girl. We named the doll Clara and put her in a doll bed I'd gotten as a gift when pregnant with KJ. She loves giving her a bottle. When she thinks no one is looking she'll pat the doll's tummy like we do for her when it's sleep time! She's been talking more in her own language. She sings now and I can't make out the words to figure out what song it is but she repeats the same lyrics over and over. Her favorite thing to do lately is hold our hands on a walk or going down the stairs. She still loves to jump and a trampoline for her birthday seems more and more logical!

Bossy Bows is open for business

My friend Kayci and I decided to start a bow business a couple of months ago and it turned into Bossy Bows. We have been out to a couple of soccer games to sell our product and have samples in a couple of stores. We also are signed up for a booth at an elementary school's Spring Fling so we'll see where it takes us after that. I don't think we'll be trying out for "Apprentice" or making the Forbes list anytime soon, but it's been a fun, easy way to make an extra buck. So if you need a bow, bow holder, headband with bow, or flip flops with bows just let us know! Yes, these are all handmade by us which blows my mind considering I'm not the frilliest person in the world.

Familypalooza Feb. 16-18

During this weekend we traveled to Lyman to see a whole lotta family. Jay's dad and Sarah came by Wednesday and stayed the nite along with his parents and we all were able to visit together before they headed on to the upstate. On Thursday we had our ultrasound and found out the baby was healthy and was a girl! That was great timing for sharing it with everyone important to us. On Friday we headed upstate. It was a fun weekend filled with visiting. On Friday I was able to take KJ over to my grandparents and have lunch together and let her show out for them. Friday nite Katie Jo got to see her Gran and Pop and Uncle Brian. Saturday morning we went by to visit with Papa and then we spent the day at Jay's Grandmother's house. We were able to visit with all the out of town family that had come in for the day. Saturday evening we went to Grandmoney's for Jay's sister, Jessica's, birthday party. On Sunday we visited with Grandmother and Grandaddy again along with Jessica's family and after that it becomes a blur. Oh, my cousin, Sara, came over from Greenville and cousin Fred and his wife Paula came from North Carolina for the nite. We all had dinner at my parent's house and were able to catch up. Monday we left for home and were pooped from all the excitement. It was nice for Katie Jo to see so many people she rarely get to visit with. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can all get together again.

Grandaddy and Grandmother with Katie Jo, Caleb, Brandon and Ruby.Jim and Joni Jim and Jay

Jim, Katie Jo, Jay and Grandaddy

Amber, Jay, Lee, Jennifer, Scott and Robin
Jay and John Paul

Katie Jo and Aidan
Joni and Katie Jo



Sarah and John Paul

Karen, Grandmother, Mickey, Jim, Jay and Grandmoney
Katie Jo, John Paul and Aidan

Amy and Katie Jo
Jessica and Katie Jo
Katie Jo on the tractor at Grandmother's

Ultrasound Results

On Feb 15th I had my first ultrasound. We were able to see the baby for the first time on live tv and watch it kick around and move. The technician did all her measurements and checked for all that she had on her list. Then we got to have some fun. She showed us all the parts and said we had a mover since the baby had flipped completely in the time she had been working. We told her if she was able to tell that we'd like to know the gender. She had a little trouble at first but then the baby moved and she could clearly see it was a girl. We were very excited to find out she was healthy and that this meant we could reuse everything! I'm most glad now not to have to change the room since we've got so much else going on between now and the birth. When she got ready to take some photos to print out the baby had flipped again and had her back to the camera. The technician tried unsuccessfully to get a profile shot. We did get a good photo of the head and spine and a couple others that were so unclear I'd never show they to the general public! :) It was an exciting visit!

January 28-Feb. 4

What a sweetie! She loves the little animal that she sleeps with. Jay has nicknamed them Ted, Turt, and Cammy. Then there's Daisy, her faithful sleep mate, of course!
The weekend of February 2-4 Mia and Aunt Joni came for a visit. Mia bought a birthday cake for Daddy and we all enjoyed eating it, but KJ enjoyed it the most. Joni helped us with our extreme home makeover moving while Mia kept KJ entertained. God Bless Mia who taped off half our bedroom so we could start painting. Pictures will follow of all our new projects once they are finished.

Preggers update 21 weeks

Well today I had another doctor appointment and all is still going swimmingly. I had gained 7 lbs putting me up to 107. This was very good. My blood pressure was 110 over 62 and the baby's heartbeat was 157. The doctor said everything seemed to be going perfectly. I had had some blood work done and all that came back normal so that is another item checked off the list.

Lately, she has been kicking more vigorously and sometimes I can see the little bumps outside my belly. She moves the most when I wake up in the morning, at church, and after I eat. So that tells me she'll be a morning person, love going to church, and have a hearty appetite. Or so we'll see.

Katie Jo still doesn't have a lot of awareness of what's happening but she loves to pull up my shirt to check out by belly. Last week she laid her head down on my stomach for a few moments so maybe in her own way she knows.

Here is a picture of me at 20 weeks.

Preggo Update 17 weeks

I had another doctor appointment today and all was well. I weighed in at 100.5 which was a four pound gain. I now feel I am well on my way to gaining and showing it. The doc listened to the heartbeat which was in the 150's. The baby has apparently stepped off the treadmill and is now walking around at a slow pace! Everything else was as usual and I go again in four weeks. Seventeen weeks down and twenty three to go!

Video of KJ playing from Jan. 25

January 25, 2007

Here are just a few shots from yesterday afternoon. It has been so cold and rainy for the last few days and we weren't able to get outside at all. So, once we saw the sun shining we just had to step outside to play for a little bit. It is still so cold but at least we can get from the door to the car without turning into a wet freezing mess.




This was a "just have to" shot. Last night when I looked in on her before going to bed she was on her back but then she took a big breath and rolled over. It was such a precious site with her little pink outfit all cozied around her and the animals she sleeps with laying next to her I just had to run get the camera and take a picture. I thought to myself one day I'd be sorry to not have any pictures of her asleep in her crib so that I can remember what she looked like that way.

In other news KJ can now point out her chin, knees, elbows, and sometimes her shoulders. She has gotten very good a walking up and down the stairs so we'll probably take the gate off at the bottom of the back stairs. The only hesitation is that's it's nice to keep the dogs pinned down stairs when we're awake and she's not, so we'll see about that one. KJ also has been coming to tell me when she has a dirty diaper. She'll do the same thing sometimes when it's wet. Who knows if this is a sign to start potty training yet. I still think we'll wait awhile on that one. We started a Mother Goose Group at the library this past week. It's a group of mom's and toddlers that listen to books being read, sing songs, and say rhymes. It's free which is the best part and Katie Jo loved the singing. Next Friday we begin Tumblebugs at the YMCA. It's like a gymnastics class for toddlers with their mom's. I can imagine she's going to love whatever we do in there since she always enjoys the gymnastics day we have with our MOMS group. That's all for now!

Jumping round the room

A couple cool shots

1/17/07 This was just too cute of an outfit not to get a picture of. She was eating an Oreo cookie at the time which accounts for the serene look on her face.

1/22/07: Nothing like up close and personal. After looking at this I think it might be time for another hair cut. Maybe something including the bangs. Don't worry Gran we'll take her to a professional this time since I don't have a good track record with bang cutting.

1/23/07: It's getting harder to take a picture since she always wants to see it in the view finder. A lot of recent shots have been up close and in action.

Preggers update 15 weeks

Well I'm now 15 weeks along and everything is going just swell. Last week I detected a few fluttering movements and everyday since about Thursday I have felt distinct baby movements. It usually comes at night when I'm cozied up on the couch.

I still have several things I'm having to stay away from: coffee, orange juice, steak, and seafood. That's a little different than last time with Katie Jo. It'll be interesting to see if it last the whole time or tapers off in the next few weeks.

No belly shots yet but I can definitely see a difference. I'm starting to wear some of my maternity clothes since regular ones just don't feel good. Sometimes I look like a hobo in these big ole' clothes but I'd rather be comfortable.

January so far

1/2/07: I know you can't tell it from the picture but Katie Jo was telling me that one of the dogs ran by and knocked over the stool she was sitting on.

What creativity! If you don't feel like climbing up the normal way just pull up the stool and try to hoist yourself up to climb over the rail. Just so you know it didn't work.

1/4/07: Last Christmas Katie Jo got a beautiful hand made table from her Pop's good friend Ernie. It's been put up for awhile but recently we got it out only to realize it was no good without chairs. So we went out and found four chairs and now we're in business. Katie Jo loves to sit in the chair and read her books. She's still a little too short but manages by sitting on her knees most of the time.

Later the same day we got out some of the play-doh she got in her stocking to play with. She loved watching me roll it on the table and watch it stretch out. I'd roll pieces into balls and then she'd take them and press her little fingers into them. So cute!

1/5/07: As long as I live I will never get over how cute it is when they try on your shoes. She didn't even realize I was watching her until I called out her name and took the picture. One day she'll be wearing them for real and I'll have to search her closet for my own shoes and clothes. I'll need to keep this picture close by to remember how cute I thought it was then!

1/9/07: She loves her Lego's and is getting pretty good at putting them together herself.

1/13/07: Gran and Pop came for the weekend and on Saturday we all went downtown for some fun. Katie Jo, once again, loved the water front park. She put her finger in the shooting water a couple of times but soon realized it was way cold.

1/14/07: This was Jay's 35 birthday. We all went to church, ate at the Mexican restaurant, and came home to eat cake. I only had these three numbers so I put the 4 and 1 side by side to equal 5!

Later that night Katie Jo and her dad enjoyed another piece along with some ice cream.

1/15/07: Can you believe she's wearing this in the middle of January? And this was taken at about 8:30 in the morning. This was about our last day in warm weather and we were getting ready to go to a MOMS event where we were going to make a frame. I thought since she was already wearing pink I might as well take a picture, print it out, and make a valentine themed frame. The frame turned out to look pretty silly but the picture inside was precious.