This and That

A few random updates going on in our lives:

First of all, I posted a month ago about starting a new job, and I love it.  It has been such a blessing.  I am enjoying getting out of the house and I really think daycare has helped Kylie.  She has learned patience (not to over exaggerate that - she is a 2 year old) and how to share better.  I never thought I would be this pleased with going back to work.  I thank the Lord for this blessing he has given me.

Christmas:  Kylie received too many toys to count at Christmas but among them was a Hello Kitty microphone that Kyle and I got her.  To say she loves it would be an understatement.  We have listened to her sing ABC's for a week now.  I am starting to hope the batteries run out soon.

We had a White Christmas!!!!!!  We took Kylie out to play but all she wanted to do was make a snow ball and lick it, yes, lick it.  It is freezing cold outside and my child only cares about eating the freezing cold snow.  Go figure???

We had an incident with my brother yesterday.....it was almost major, but thankfully he is OK.  D.J. got his hand caught in a chainsaw.  We didn't know how bad it was at first but thankfully it didn't get any bone or nerves.  I am so thankful that it wasn't any worse.  He was very fortunate that he came out of it with minor injury.  You don't usually hear the words chainsaw accident and minor injury in the same sentence, but the Lord was watching over him! 

Other than that we are just up to our everyday life.  We are going to my Mom and Dad's for a church New Years Eve party tomorrow and just plan on enjoying a long weekend.  Happy New Year!

So Thankful

I heard something on Rick and Bubba this morning that I am going to try to make a point and do this Thanksgiving.  I don't remember the reference but someone told Rick that they challenged people to stop for 10 minutes on Thanksgiving day and pray, thanking God for everything, not asking for anything but just showing gratitude for what Jesus Christ has done for us.  He said that the sad thing was that almost 100% of people he challenged thought it was a great idea but only 5% would actually follow through.  So, I want to make it a point to be thankful to my creator for dying on a cross for my sins and being raised from the dead three days later.  This alone is something that I can't thank Him enough for, much less all of the blessings he has given me in my life. 

I am thankful for a wonderful, Godly husband that puts Christ first and is the spiritual leader of our house.  I  can not begin to express what having a Christ centered marriage means to me.  We are by no means perfect but we do have a marriage that is founded on Christ. 



I am thankful for Kylie.  Words can not even describe what she means to me.  Sometimes I just sit and think about what a miracle it was that God placed her in my womb and gave her to us to raise her in the admonition of the Lord.  We are so blessed.  It makes me think of Christ love for us.  I am His daughter just like Kylie is mine, except He loves me more than I could ever imagine loving Kylie.  WOW!!!!

I am thankful for wonderful family and friends.  I have a wonderful mom and dad that helped show me Christ and loved/love me unconditionally.  I have a sister who is my best friend and a brother that means the world to me (Kerry's not so bad either, she is a great sister-in-law)! :)  I am so thankful for my in-laws.  They mean so much to us and I am so glad that we have a great relationship.  Kyle's mom and dad and Katie would do anything in the world for us.

The list goes on and on, but I just wanted to take a minute to tell just a FEW things I am thankful for.  I hope everyone has a blessed thanksgiving!

Work and Day Care

Last Thursday I started a new job.  It is the first 8-5 that I have had since i got pregnant with Kylie so I was a little nervous about it.  It is going well and it doesn't hurt to have an extra paycheck coming in. :)  My biggest worry with going back to work was sending Kylie to daycare.  I dreaded it and I thought that it was going to be horrible.  I built myself up to thinking that she was going to hate it and going to hate me for leaving her. 

So, the first morning I took her to daycare early so I would have plenty of time to try to ease out of there.  I was so prepared.  I left in plenty of time, I prayed HARD and brought all of my makeup with me in the car because I just knew that I was going to cry because she was going to cry. 

Well, add this to the list of all the things that I get wrong as a mother.  I took her in, she sat right down at a table and started eating her breakfast and I slipped out without even a whimper (from either of us).  I knew it would be easier to not tell her by so I left while she was distracted with her pop tart.  I considered this a success but i still thought that she would cry when she noticed I wasn't there.  So, I called them when I got to work to see how she was doing.  She had not even asked for me!  Now I know that this was a huge blessing but I was almost a little hurt, in a good way.  As a mom, you want your kids to miss you, but not in a way that makes you and them miserable. 

Apparently, I didn't learn my lesson on Friday so I once again prepared and left early for daycare this morning thinking that she would catch on and would not want me to leave her.....wrong, wrong, wrong again.  She went straight into the room and started playing with a little girl that she informed me was named Gracie.  I can't tell you how relieved I am that she is adjusting to daycare.  Thank you Lord for letting her enjoy it!

P.S.  Sorry for the lack of pictures............it's been a crazy few days.

Sneaky!

In the past two weeks we have begun to have a problem at Kylie's nap time.  She wants to play instead of sleep.  Now, I am not saying that she has always loved her nap or laid down with no problems but she has generally been really good with her nap time.  She lays down without too much of a fight and usually sleeps for at least 2 hours. 

I thought that I would have a problem with nap time when we switched to a toddler bed (which we did a couple of months ago) but she never got out of bed.  She knew that she was able to, because she climbed in bed by herself, but she just never got up...........until last week.  Last week I put her in bed for her nap and about 45 minutes later I thought I heard something.  It was her, she had not been asleep at all.  She had lined up chairs next to her bed, had dolls, coloring books, and play food all in her bed, and she was naked, yes naked, from the waist down!  I have no idea what she was doing, but she was so sneaky about it.  Our house is not that big and her bedroom is just off of the living room so I can't believe I didn't hear her. 

She has got out of bed several times since then.  I find her asleep in the floor beside the bed or in the closet with the door shut when I go to get her up from her nap.  Luckily she still doesn't get up at night, I think she doesn't because it is dark and we don't put a night light in her room.  I try to get on to her for getting up but it is so funny to me that it is hard to be stern with her about it. 

The amazing thing is how sneaky she is about it.  Hopefully, the sneaky trend doesn't continue into later years or it won't be so funny. :)

  

Happy Late Birthday, Papa!

Just for the record, we didn't forget Papa's birthday.

Monday was my dad's (Papa's) birthday.  We actually tried to go out to eat with them but Kyle had to leave with Kylie, so they didn't get to do any celebrating.  Kylie has had hand, foot and mouth disease.  I know it sounds pretty funky but basically it was a lot of blisters insider her mouth that made it very painful for her to eat.  She is finally over it, but it has been a long week.

Kylie has an obsession with watching movies right now.  If I would let her, that is all she would do.  As soon as Kyle walks in the door she wants to watch a movie with him (after she hides, but that's a different story).  When I came in from eating with Papa for his birthday, this is what I found.  So, I snapped some pictures while they were watching Beauty and the Beast.  I thought it was too cute!

Fall Fun!

Our Halloween in Pictures:

Saturday Morning we got up and carved a pumpkin with Kylie.  She thought the inside of the pumpkin was a spider web, so she was a little reluctant to reach inside.

 We went trick-or-treating Saturday night (yes...during the Auburn game) but we had fun with our little "tinker bell." 

 And of course, it wouldn't be Halloween on Sand Mountain unless your yard gets rolled or your rolling someone's yard!   We were on the receiving end...  My sister brought my niece Kaitlyn and her friend Maggie to roll the yard. 

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

WELCOME HOME!

Today Kylie and I went to Birmingham.  My Uncle Everett has been in Afghanistan since last November and he got to come home today.  Mom and I made Auburn and Alabama posters for the welcome home. 

Brittany and Tyler waiting on their Dad!

I can not imagine having to be gone like that or being the wife of someone who has to stay overseas for a year.  I am always appreciative of what military men and women do for us but it really hits home when it is family.  They sacrifice SO MUCH for our freedom.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad, Mom, Everett, Kylie and Me

I teared up (surprise, surprise) when they arrived and I was so happy for him to get to be home.  There was a little girl standing next to us with her grandparents and she had a sign that said "Welcome Home Mommy."  I can not even begin to imagine what it would be like to leave Kylie for a year.  Again, it makes you really appreciate what they do for you when you see the sacrifice that not only they make, but their families make as well.  

 

We went and ate at Lone Star for lunch with the family.  Kylie finally warmed up to Everett right before we left.  She let him hold her and she gave him a kiss goodbye.  After we left, she wanted to know if we were going to their house.  She wanted me to "please help her go to Brittany's house."   

WELCOME HOME EVERETT!  

Terri and Everett