Blessings from above...

Surgery update!

2011-07-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Bennett's surgery was on Friday and he is doing great! He had to stay the night and we all got to leave early Saturday morning because he was doing so well! I'm so proud of him! He's laying beside me as I type this sleeping so soundly. God is so good, thanks for the prayers!

My big boy.

2011-07-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe my baby is 5!! He had his 5 year check-up the other day, so I took advantage and planned a day for just the two of us! My friend watched Bennett and Caden thought it was so fun to have me all alone for a couple of hours! My little man weighs 44lbs and is 45 inches tall! He got to tinkle in a cup, that is so cool for a 5 year old! He also had his blood pressure checked and his vision checked! He lucked out and didn't have to get any shots this year! After his doctors appointment, we grabbed some chick-fil-a and then went to the mall and got a cookie! He specifically requested we do all those things! I sure do enjoy hanging out with him. He can always put a smile on my face.

Some things I want to remember about him:
*He's into superheros! Currently loves green lantern, thor, spiderman, batman.
*Starts kindergarten next month
*Can ride his bike without the training wheels, just learned that the other day!
*Loves to help me cook and bake
*Loves playing his DS
*favorite cartoon at the moment....scooby doo and phineas and ferb
*Loves to go fishing with his daddy
*Asks about a million questions a day...very curious to how things are made, work, etc.
*Can read some words...can recognize letters and then will sound them out. I bought him his first easy book to read and he actually did great reading it the first time!
*favorite food of choice is currently honey nut cheerios and lunchables! haha...this changes weekly
*He will still come sneak in our room at night and sleep with us(I secretly love this) if he's had a bad dream or just needs some extra TLC

Newborn session.

2011-07-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love the newborn stage! I had his pictures taken when he was 8 days old. Enjoy!
Pictures were taken by the talented Christine from Simply Bloom photography!!

Pray for Bennett

2011-07-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Bennett was born with a hydrocele (fluid in his testicle). His pediatrician wasn't worried about it because they are fairly common in little boys. At his 2 week check-up, he told me some things to watch out for which could be complications of the hydrocele. One being a testicular tortion, this would require emergency surgery or two, a hernia, which would also require surgery(not emergent). A couple of fridays ago, everytime I changed his diaper I noticed his testicle kept changing in size and had a bluish color to it. I waited until Brandon got home from work to make sure he saw what I saw before I called his pediatrician. I called that afternoon and they had us go to the ER immediately. After an ultrasound, the physician determined he had a hernia. We were referred to the pediatric surgeon. We had our first appointment yesterday and found out surgery was needed to repair the hernia. His surgery will be Friday, July 15th.

I'm pretty upset but I realize he needs this to further prevent any other complications! His surgeon is the best and they have a great pediatric team that will be with him! I was told he wouldn't even feel the IV being put in, they will sedate him before it. Its supposed to be a quick 30 minute surgery and they said at the most we wouldn't see him for about an hour. I think i'm most anxious about him being under general anethesia at only 7 weeks old:( Please pray for steady hands of the surgeon and for a quick and painless recovery for my sweet baby!! Also, please pray that the night before the surgery we all get some rest! He can't eat after midnight....that should be fun with a 7 week old! We will be getting very creative that night to try to distract and comfort him! And lastly, pray for me! Pray for peace! Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Happy birthday Caden!

2011-06-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today my sweet first born turned 5!! I still can't believe he's 5, it seems like yesterday I was heading to the hospital to have him! He has brought nothing but pure joy and happiness into our lives! He is the sweetest, most caring, tender-hearted, handsome, and intelligent little boy! Mommy, Daddy, and Bennett love you so much Caden! Here some pictures from years past:

birth

1st birthday

2nd birthday

3rd birthday

4th birthday

5th birthday

Bennett's birth

2011-06-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on blogging and especially about Bennett! Life is just so busy with 2 kiddos...but its that good kind of busy!! I'll see if I can recap the day before and the day he was born!!

Sunday, May 22nd:
Went to church, came home and cleaned the house from top to bottom, and I took a nap! We finished packing...I had to pack for Caden also, he stayed with my parents for 3 days! We dropped Caden off with Brandon's mom for the night and then we headed to Bridgestreet for a yummy dinner at Cantina Laredo and some last minute shopping! I spent the rest of the evening munching on twizzlers and packing! I finally drifted off to sleep around 1 a.m.!

Monday, May 23rd:
4 am: Wake up, take a long shower, get ready (yes, I put on make-up).
5 am: Leave the house and head to the hospital!!!
6 am: Got signed in and waited in the lobby for what seemed like forever! It kind of felt like we were checking into a hotel...I wasn't in labor, so there was no rushing to get to a room! Definetely not how its pictured in the movies!
6:45: Finally escorted to my room...#11, the room where I was going to meet my sweet Bennett! I had so many emotions as I walked down the hallway. It was weird to know that it would never be the 3 of us ever again! Once in the room, I got my lovely gown on and climbed into bed!
7:15: Got my IV....and that sucker hurt...took 3 tries before they got it!
7:30: Started the bad boy drug pitocin to get things going...I was dilated 2 cm and 50% effaced at this point!
8:30: Doctor came and broke my water:)
9:00: My mom arrives and i'm starting to feel uncomfortable, but nothing i couldn't handle! Get checked again and I'm 4 cm!
10:30: By this point i'm in some pain!!! Brandon's mom had also arrived....I got my epidural around this time also! Call me a weenie, but the epidural was the worst part! It hurt...I felt everything!
11:00: Feeling much better and a little woozie! I started itching really bad from the medicine they use in the epidural, so my fantastic nurse gave me some narcan to ease the itching! From this point on, times are a litte fuzzy so I will do my best! It seemed like time stood still that day!
1:00ish: Dilated 5 cm....
3:00ish: Dilated 6 cm....and my sweet Caden arrived!!! He was so excited.
3:30: My nurse, Stephanie, decided to put me in the "wedge"! I wasn't progressing like I should, so it was either the wedge or c-section, and i'm anti-csection!! I remember sitting in that crazy position talking to Stephanie while she was charting beside me and I kept saying "I feel more pressure...is this supposed to happen?"
4:00: I got really nauseated and had some major pressure in my nether regions!! Steph checked me and I was ready to push!!! I was so thrilled, but so nervous! I remember just balling my eyes out as they got me into position to push! I don't really remember much but I slightly remember the doctor coming in and talking to me! Everyone was amazed I had gone from 6 cm to pushing in like 20 min!
4:26: After pushing about 4 times, little Bennett was here!!!!!!! It was the best moment! It was as if, no one else was there, just Bennett and I! Our eyes met and locked and it was love at first sight! I did not want to hand him to the nurses to get cleaned off! He was perfect...everything and more that I had dreamed of. He was wisked away to be checked out and cleaned off. Since he came down my pelvis so fast...his little face was very bruised!

I don't remember times after he was born so I can't really document much anymore. But....my great friend and photographer captured the whole day for me. Its so wonderful that I have this to remember this special day! I will let the slideshow tell the story for me!!! Enjoy!

slideshow

2 weeks

2011-06-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Little love turned 2 weeks yesterday! His doctor appointment went great;) Here are his stats:

weight: 8 lbs 9 oz
length: 21 1/2 inches
he is in the 50% percentile for weight and height!
breastfeeding every 2-3 hrs
can raise his head for a few minutes and loves to look around!
sleeping 3-4 hrs at a time at night...i'm happy about this one!
loves to be held very tightly on mine or brandon's chest

Reality.

2011-06-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged about Bennett's birth...I will soon! I still cry everytime I think about it...not because I'm sad, but because it was beautiful and I'm just so in love with this little guy! To be quite honest, I've had the baby blues. Everyday is getting better. I think from day 4 to day 7, I cried almost every day! I'm not really sure why...I just had feelings of sadness, I missed my belly, and I felt overwhelmed! Bennett was jaundice, so he had to lay under the billi lights for 3 days, that didn't help either! I couldn't just sit and hold my sweet baby! He could only get out to eat and have his diaper changed! Brandon went back to work and I did great with both kids by myself! My mom came over and helped me last week, which was great! I ended up getting mastitis, which made me feel like I had the flu. After some antibiotics, I'm feeling much better. Things are getting easier, I'm not crying anymore ha ha, and little bit is sleeping good at night! I guess I just had to give myself some time....it hasn't even been 2 weeks! And my hormones needed to get back to normal! Stay tuned for his birth story.....

June 3rd, 2007....

2011-06-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

...was the greatest day! I married my best friend and soulmate! I can't believe its been 4 years already! Wow, time really flies!

Picture is small and blurry, but its still one of my favorites!

Friday was mine and Brandon's 4 year wedding anniversary!! This year was extra special to us! We had the greatest gift given to us...little Bennett! Words can't express how happy I am and how in love I am with Brandon! The past 4 years have been amazing and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us! We didn't do anything special this year...spent the evening at the ballfields for Caden's doubleheader! We figured we'd head to bridgestreet this afternoon for some fun and to celebrate our anniversary with the whole family!! I love you Brandon!!!!

Bennett's here!!

2011-05-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sweet Bennett arrived Monday, May 23rd at 4:26 p.m.! He weighed 8 lbs 8 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long! Bennett and I are both doing great! We are so in love and so happy! Stay tuned for more posts.....

Melt my heart.

2011-05-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

I love this little guy! He makes my heart swoon with joy! This tender- hearted, smart, funny, loving little boy has brought more happiness to Brandon and I more than anything! Caden, you are truly a gift from God! I love you.

Anticipation.

2011-05-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today I had my last OB appointment! I didn't know at the time it was going to be my last! And I cried. Not because I'm sad, but because I get to meet my sweet Bennett in 6 days!!!!!! I can't believe its time....this is what i've longed for, for 9 whole months! I have mixed emotions. I'm nervous, anxious, excited, and a little scared! Truthfully, I will miss being pregnant, but holding my sweet baby is going to be 10 times better than carrying him in my tummy! My doctor has decided to induce me. My body has already slowly started the labor process. I am dilated 2 cm and almost 90% effaced. He thinks there is no reason to wait till my due date. And I think I'm huge, really hoping he's not going to be to big to push out! Dr. Wheeler assured me he wasn't too big! I am trusting him! And I'm praying that by the time monday rolls around, I'll be 4-5 cm! Hoping to have an easy delivery. I had a pretty good one with Caden so maybe this one will be even better! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers Monday! I'll try to keep the blog updated...most likely facebook will be updated first, since its easier to access on my phone!

38 weeks and 5 days!

I'm sure you can tell by the picture that I am huge!!!! So I'm ready to have this baby in my arms!!!!

Another chapter closed...

2011-05-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last Friday marked the end of a long journey for me! I graduated nursing school. I've worked so hard for that day to come. I've been in school since January of 2008, so Friday was very exciting for me! Nursing school was by far one of the hardest things I've done! It made my classes I took at Auburn look easy....or maybe this time around I actually studied! No, but really it was NOT an easy journey! I couldn't have done it without the help of my friends and family! And I'll brag a little...I graduated magna cum laude! I worked my butt off and it sure feels good to be done! I will be working in the pediatric ER here in Huntsville....I officially go back to work Aug. 9th! I will not miss school, but I will miss the friends I made, they were like a second family! I can't wait to love on people and make them feel better, that's what being a nurse is all about!

Me and my Caden...

Best buddies!

Special candlelighting ceremony

My boys!

My supportive parents!

Mother's Day

2011-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

I must say, my boys spoil me rotten! We kind of celebrated all weekend. We went and saw Thor 3D and ate at Red Robin friday night, went to eat at my favorite mexican joint saturday night, and sunday I woke up to breakfast in bed! They got me a giftcard to my favorite little boutique on the square too! We went over to my mom's for lunch and grilled out! I was glad we were able to spend some time with my mom, she's the greatest mother/rolemodel/friend I could ever ask for! I spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping, literally! I've been so worn out, so it was nice to catch up on sleep! I absolutely LOVE being a mother. It has brought some much joy into my life. Caden is the best thing and I feel so blessed and honored to be his mother. I can't think of a better job! And in just a few short weeks, I'll have another little blessing to mother! Can life get much better?!

Caden and I on Mother's Day

37 weeks

2011-05-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Today I am 37 +6 weeks...little late posting this! I went to the doctor yesterday and my body is not progressing at all towards going into labor anytime soon! I'm not dilated yet, but he did say my cervix was nice and soft! He is head down, PTL, but I don't feel like i've "dropped" yet! I think Bennett is perfectly content and comfortable! I actually lost 2 lbs, woo hoo! I think my total weight gain is now 18lbs! Now it is just a waiting game. I go back Tuesday and he said we will discuss induction. I'm a huge fan of induction, I know some ppl are opposed, but I love the idea of knowing the exact day! It will be nice to be able to plan someone to watch Caden etc. I was induced with Caden and had no problems, had a great labor and delivery. So if I haven't gone into labor by myself, I'm thinking Bennett will be here the week of the 23rd! I'm feeling great, sleeping good once I fall asleep, and am loving the end of my pregnancy! I had a rough beginning so its nice to have a good ending! I can't wait to hold little bit in my arms! For now, I will leave you with this picture of my HUGE belly! Any estimates on weight, as in baby, not me!???? (haha)

I have my last baby shower tomorrow....sweet friends at work are throwing Bennett and I a shower! Looking forward to seeing all of my co-workers, especially since I'm not working anymore!

Easter 2011

2011-05-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter! Went to early service at church and then had a yummy lunch at Outback! After lunch, we headed over to some friends house for a massive easter egg hunt! We had a blast, I'm hoping to make this a tradition! I get the mom of the year award...I forgot to take pictures of Caden finding what the Easter bunny brought and forgot my camera at the egg hunt:( OH well, there's always next year! I hope everyone had a great Easter.....as Caden would say...Jesus is Alive!!!!!!

the infamous "cheese" face!

Caden got some 3D sidewalk chalk from the Easter bunny!

My roses, I'm very proud they are doing so well!

Surreality.

2011-05-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure thats a word (surreality), but oh well! That is how I felt the past week and a half! Life is slowly getting back to normal. Caden went back to school Thursday and Brandon will go back Monday...he's been off for 7 days now! There is still no power down the street from us where it got hit the hardest. We found out that they upgraded the tornado to an EF-5...still makes me cringe when I think about that day. The national guard has left as well as homeland security. We still have a curfew and there is still so much cleaning up to do. The outpouring of love and support from everyone has been amazing! I've been volunteering passing out food and water and Brandon's been busy with the chainsaw. Even Caden has been able to help! The other night he wanted to empty his piggy bank and give his money to some kids in his class that lost all their toys! Talk about making this mommy's heart smile! We've donated clothes, prom dresses, toys, cleaning supplies, canned goods, etc. It has been good for Caden to see us doing these things!

On a happier note....I have finally hit the 37 week mark! Bennett is full-term! We are now just patiently waiting for his arrival. I went to the dr. last tuesday and I wasn't dilated, but I was about 50% effaced! I go again this tuesday, so we'll see if I've made any progress! Please keep us in your prayers for a safe and healthy delivery! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

Tornado April 27, 2011

2011-05-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

An EF-4 tornado ripped through my little community of East Limestone, Alabama on Wednesday. I will honestly never forget that day. Terrifying experience to say the least. Here's my story:

We woke up around 4:30 a.m. wednesday morning to sirens and terrible weather. I made Brandon go check the internet and make sure a tornado wasn't headed our way and he told me it had already passed! We slept right through some pretty bad weather that morning!! I don't think a real tornado came through that morning, just some strong winds. Brandon headed to work and Caden's school was delayed till 9 so we took our puppy to the vet. (Harley fell the night before and wasn't walking so he needed to go to the dr!) While at the vet, sirens started going off and we were under a tornado warning. We hurried home...as soon as I closed the garage it started hailing! I kept my eye on the news and it didn't look like we were supposed to get anything to terribly bad until later. I sat down to try to study for finals and I noticed it was getting really dark and kind or eerie outside. This was about 11 a.m....the vet called around 11:15 to tell me Harley was ok and that they were going to close due to the weather and I could pick him up tomorrow. It really hadn't registered for me to check the news, I was so focused on studying. About the time I tried to turn on the t.v., the satellite dish went out...I looked online at one of the news stations and all I heard was "tornado spotted in Athens....seek shelter if you live in East Limestone"!! Everything inside of me wanted to panic and scream, but I had to be strong for Caden. I told him to go hide in the closet and I quickly grabbed some pillows, a blanket, and the flashlight. About the time I jumped in the closet with him, my internet quit working. My cell phone also was not working. I sat with my back against a wall and put Caden between my legs with the blankets and pillows on top of us. I was terrified! I can't explain how scary it was sitting there with my house shaking and the most awful sounds coming from outside. I prayed and prayed and prayed for protection. I just wanted to protect Caden and my belly, so I was literally almost on top of them! We sat in there for about 20 minutes because I had no way of knowing it was safe to come out. I peeked out the door and the sky was clear...it was so weird! I still had no cell phone, internet , or tv! My house was spared! I finally got some cell service and called my mom and decided to go to her house because more bad weather was on its way and I did NOT want to be alone with Caden again! My parents live about 15-20 minutes away from us and it took me a good hour and half to get to their house. I could not believe how close the tornado came to my house..all around houses were messed up, trees down, powerlines down, etc. We got to my parents and I still hadn't talked to Brandon at this point. I was getting worried because the tornado had pretty much gone through Huntsville also, and this is where he works! He finally called to tell me he was o.k. and that he would meet me and my parents shortly.

Round 2:
Around 4 p.m., another round of bad weather was headed towards us. We were still at my parents and I honestly felt a little safer with my husband there too! They still had t.v. so we were monitoring the weather pretty closely. The weather man was talking about this horrible tornado that had touched down just west in a town called Phil Campbell. Little did we know, this tornado was the same one that was about to destroy my community. Thank God we were at my parents! The path of this tornado came through my community around 4:30 and barely missed my house! The tornado was due to hit madison, which is where my parents live, about 5ish. I grabbed Caden and we got in my parents closet under the stairs. No one else wanted to get in. They all stood on the back porch watching the weather. All the sudden, my dad screamed for everyone to get in the closet. The tornado went through my parents back yard and around the house. It only lasted for seconds! I couldn't believe how close it came! At this point I was sick of all this bad weather. My stomach and nerves were torn up! About 6:00 there was a break in the weather so we decided to head back to our house...BIG MISTAKE. We got about half-way there and got turned around...I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Neighborhoods all around were leveled. People were walking up and down the street in the rain carrying pets. Power lines were down everywhere. Huge oak trees laying across the road. We had to find another route back to our house. We turned down capshaw rd. and about the time we did I kept hearing on the radio "another tornado spotted in limestone county"! And that is right where we were! Brandon was in front of me and he pulled over and told me to hurry and go back to my parents. He was going to try to find a way home...at this point I was really freaking out!!! I could see the wall clouds behind me in my rearview mirrow. I was literally trying to beat the storm! Caden was in the back seat in his carseat with a towel over his head praying! Storm was headed straight to madison and so was I. I just kept thinking if I had to pull over, where would we go! All the businesses had closed and there weren't any good ditches to go lay in! I finally decided to just drive as fast as I could and not look back! We finally made it to my parents after what seemed like the longest drive! I was crying and shaking! I didn't know if Brandon had made it safely home and he had no idea if I had made it back to my parents. No cell phones were working. Back to the closet we went! About 8ish, I finally talked to Brandon and he was safe at his Nanny's. All the bad weather had seemed to pass so he told me it was probably safe to drive back home. At this point, we didn't know if we still even had a home! He met me so I could follow him. It took 2 hours to get home. Roads were flooded and power lines were down so it was like a maze getting home! Our house had NO damage! We are so blessed and thankful to be safe and unharmed! My heart goes out to all who lost homes and loved ones! Wednesday, April 27, 2011 will be a day I will always remember! Everytime I see the destruction, my heart just breaks. These are my neighbors who have lost everything! The whole community has been affected, but everyone has joined together and are helping everyone out. It is so humbling to see people driving around delivering meals and water and offering to help! God really protected us that day and I'm so thankful!

Some of the pictures I've taken....

Go Rebels!!

2011-04-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Caden really wanted to play ball this year, but I was a little reluctant to let him play at first! He's only 4 and I wasn't sure if he'd like it. But he begged, so I signed him up. I am so glad I did! He loves it and is doing great! He plays on a 6 and under team and he is the youngest. They do not use a tee, it is coach pitch and they play just like the big boys do (3 strikes...keep score, etc)! I was worried he wasn't going to catch on or be able to hit the ball, and boy I was wrong! He is the hitting the ball like a champ! He got a single and a double today! Our little team is 4-0 now! I love watching him play! We are so proud of how well he is doing! I think he found his passion!

Spring has sprung!

2011-04-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of the year! I'm so glad that it has finally warmed up, this past winter was very long! My heart is so happy and full right now=) Life is great! We get to meet Bennett in 5 weeks or less, i'm thinking less since i've already had some preterm labor issues! Caden is playing T-ball, i'm no longer working which means I get to spend the weekends with my boys, and i'm so close to being done with nursing school!!!!!
I'm 35 weeks +1 day preggers today! About 4 weeks ago I was out and about shopping and I realized I hadn't felt Bennett move all day. I got really scared so I called my doc. I went in immediately and they did a nonstress test. Baby looked great, but I was having some big contractions! My doc asked me if I could feel them and duh I just thought they were braxton-hicks! Not the case! I wasn' t dilated or effaced, so I just sent to L&D for some brethine to stop the contractions! That was the worse medicine ever. It makes your heart race and you feel so nervous and anxious! Thankfully, my contractions stopped and I got to go home! No more working for me though! I am secretly excited I don't have to work anymore....it was getting unbearable being on my feet for 12 hour shifts! Having said all that, Bennett could really come sooner than we expect! I'm just praying for a healthy baby! We are ready to meet him! His room is ready, with the exception of hanging some pictures, and i've washed all the clothes, bottles, bibs, burp clothes, etc! Caden is ready too....he is constantly talking to my belly and kissing it! I can't wait to see him interact with his baby brother.

30 weeks+6 days!

2011-03-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I only have 9 weeks or less until we meet Bennett! I've been feeling great, except for the few contractions that i've been having! We've been so busy with t-ball, school, and work that it has made the time fly by! We've almost got the nursery finished. Brandon's family is throwing us a family shower this sunday...we are so blessed! I think Caden is getting excited now that my belly is huge and there is baby stuff all around the house! At times, I am so ready to meet Bennett, but then at other times, I'm so nervous about having 2 kids! I'm just trying to soak these last few weeks up with the 3 of us! I have maternity pics friday and my 4D ultrasound tuesday! Just a quick update since I don't have much time to blog! I have a ton of pics of tball and springy stuff, so here in the next few days I'll do another post=)

my ever-expanding tummy

*I can no longer bend over, nor can I see my feet anymore!*
*He moves so much! I am definetely going to miss feeling him inside of me! I think I'm content with him staying inside because he's safe and with me always*
*I'm super paranoid with this pregnacy...working up in mother/baby and in the peds er has opened my eyes to all sorts of crazy complications! Just trying to keep the mindset...God's in control!*
*Is trying to get adjusted to the lack of sleep I get...have to get up every hour to pee! Guess God's getting me ready for the sleepless nights with Bennett*

Wrapping up my 2nd trimester

2011-02-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

Yep, its about that time! I'm 27 weeks and 4 days pregnant today, which means in 3 days I will be in my 3rd trimester, the home stretch! This pregnancy has gone by so quickly! I know I keep saying i'm busy, but I am! I graduate from nursing school may 13th and it has been keeping me super busy, along with working! I am looking forward to this summer....no plans, just home with my two sweet babies!

Pregnancy things:

*I think i'm finally over morning sickness, its about time!

*I've gained a total of 9 lbs so far, keep in mind I lost a bunch b/c I was so sick

*Maternity clothes? Sometimes! I have maternity jeans but I can still wear regular tops and I've been wearing dresses alot!

* I have to go for my glucose test tomorrow!

*Feeling movement? Definetely! Bennett moves around all the time and I absolutely love it...makes my heart sing! He has been getting hiccups also.

* Because I'm on my feet all the time for lengthy periods, my ankles will swell at night, so i'm sporting the cankle look currently!

*Bennett is measuring right where he is supposed to...he now weighs just over 2lbs and is 15 inches long!

*Nursery is almost done! Just need to put the bedding on the crib and hang some stuff on the walls and the drapes!

*And..I'm so ready to meet this little one! I hope the next 12 1/2 weeks fly by!

Pictures from my last blog...

2011-01-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

little brother

profile pic...looks alot like Caden

Hi mom, dad, and brother

love the lips!

It's a ..........!!!

2011-01-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

Oh goodness I've been so busy, but not to busy to share some news! We will be welcoming another little BOY in our household! I had an ultrasound when I was 16 weeks and it looked like a little girl! Well when I had my "official" 20 week u/s....we found out differently! I'm super excited to be having another boy, not that I didn't want a girl, but I actually know what to do with little boys! And Caden.....he is over the moon excited to be getting a baby brother! He came to the appt. with us and I was so overjoyed to see his little face light up with excitement when he got to see his little brother! Do we have a name picked out.....of course!! I'm such a planner and OCD, so of course we had him named before we left the dr's office:) Caden's little brother will be named Bennett Lane Bailes! Bennett looked perfect and he is healthy! Heart, lungs, tummy, kidney, face, etc. all looked wonderful and I'm measuring exactly where they thought I was...we actually had the u/s when I was 21 weeks and 1 day and Benett measured exactly that! My due date is still May 26th.

As soon as we left the doctor, Brandon and I went to Babies r us and registered! I kinda questioned whether I should register or not, being this is my 2nd, but its been almost 5 years since I've had a newborn and I've gotten rid of alot of baby stuff! I was overwhelmed with all the "stuff", which bottles do I use, etc! My mom had Caden so it was a fun date for Brandon and I. We've started on the nursery and I've picked out bedding, its starting to feel real now that I'm getting Bennett's room ready!

I'm definetely showing now, there's no hiding that I'm preggo! For the most part I'm over morning sickness...i've gotten sick a few times, but nothing like it was. I've been feeling movement for some time now and it melts my heart! He is most active at night when I lay down to go to bed! Caden wants to talk to his brother alot and he sings to him....sweet sweet boy! I'm so full of joy and i'm so thankful we've been blessed to get to raise another child!

I've gained 1lb. so far...woo hoo, but I go to the dr. next week and I'm sure I'll have gained more...i'm eating alot more now:) As I write this blog, I am 23 weeks and 1 day. My uterus is the size of a basketball and Bennett is just a little over a pound and about 9 inches long!

20 weeks

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T13:48:00.000-08:00

Wow. So much has happened since I last posted, besides my Merry Christmas post! I don't even know where to start so I'm just going to recap our Christmas! We started celebrating at Brandon's parents house on Christmas Eve! Caden got some cool new toys and I think we all had a blast. I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pics! As soon as we got home, which was pretty late, Caden set out cookies for Santa and some veggies for his reindeer! He actually went straight to bed with high hopes of Santa coming soon! I enjoy Christmas eve so much, playing Santa, and getting everything set out! I didn't sleep much that night, I couldn't wait for Caden to see what Santa brought him! Caden woke up around 6:20 and it was non-stop from then on! We also got a surprise snow storm! I couldn't believe how much it snowed and was still snowing.

(It took forever to upload these 3 pics, so I'm going to do another blog with pics only!)

We headed to my parents around 8:30 that morning and it was pretty rough driving over there! The roads were super icy and slick...I almost got stuck! We did Christmas with my folks and I headed to work around 2ish! We had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed being with family.

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Alabama!!! We woke up with snow this morning! It hasn't stopped yet and we've probably got 5 inches or so! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

1 down, 2 to go!!

2010-11-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

Trimesters that is!!! I'm 14 weeks today and starting my 2nd trimester! Here's some things going on right now:

still sick, mostly in the mornings now, but still throwing up as soon as I wake up
went to the dr. at 12 weeks and they couldn't hear the heartbeat with the doppler, so we got another ultrasound....babys heartbeat was strong, 159, and baby looked great
I measured right at 12 weeks
lost weight...I was happy, but I guess I should be gaining a little
have a few names picked out....stay tuned!!!!
starting to pick out nursery bedding and decor
should find out the gender the beginning of January...my OB likes to wait till 20-22 weeks
felt the baby move two days ago for the first time=)
Caden has been starting to rub all over my belly and talks about "his" new baby alot

Stay tuned for more blog posts!!! Life has been super crazy and I just haven't had the time or energy to post much! I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year so I must go prepare!! I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for!

11 weeks and counting

2010-11-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

As of today, I think, I am 11 weeks! I say, I think, because every time I got to the doctor, they change my due date! We are still so thrilled about a new little addition and blessing to our family.

Some preggo things:

still wearing my pre-pregnancy pants, just with my bella band...I bought my bella band when I was pregnant with Caden and love it!
still very sick...morning, noon, and night...and still taking Zofran like its candy
extremely tried
haven't gained weight yet
my belly is def. sticking out
baby is approx. 1 1/2 inches long
haven't had weird cravings lately, no food sounds good...just trying to eat saltines, pretzels, sprite
we started cleaning out the guest bedroom to get ready to start on baby b's nursery
I go back to the doctor Nov. 15th, hopefully we will get to hear the heartbeat again!

Tate Farms

2010-11-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Every year we take a trip to Tate Farms. We've been going since Caden was 4 months old and it has definetely become a tradition, which by the way, I love traditions!! So Friday we headed to go have some good ole' fun. I love Tate Farms. They do it up right....combine for kids to play in, corn crib, corn train, hayride to go pick your pumpkin, huge slide, hay maze, and so much more! One reason I really enjoy going there is you actually have to cut your pumpkin from the vine or stalk. All the pumpkins are fresh and its so neat going to the patch where all the pumpkins are grown. Caden could've spent hours there! And then there's the food...fantastic! I really enjoyed my fried peach pie...yum yum! Nothing tastes good these days, but for some reason I gobbled that pie down in about 2 seconds! It was a great start to Halloween weekend.

Harvest festival

2010-11-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Been a few weeks since I've blogged....we've have been super busy with fall festivities and honestly, I've been exhausted here lately. I'll try to be better about blogging. Two thursdays ago, Caden's school held their annual harvest festival. He was super excited and had been talking about it for some time. They had all kinds of games, train rides, petting zoo, and a haunted hay ride! Caden had a blast. He loved getting his hair sprayed white and black.

The above picture cracks me up....we were on the haunted hay ride and he was making scared and silly faces!

My little olive

2010-10-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

My little love is 1 inch and about the size of a medium green olive!

I'm very bloated at the time of this picture and have a baby bump already!

8 weeks

2010-10-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

As I write this blog, I'm actually 8 and a half weeks preggo! We went to the dr yesterday for my 2nd appointment! We had another ultrasound and got to hear my "love"s heartbeat....175 beats and beating strong! He/she was also moving around like crazy! The baby is about the size of a kidney bean right now and most of the vital organs have formed. So amazing to me! My due date got changed from the 28th of May to the 26th...go figure. I'm pretty sure I won't go to the 26th, my dr is very kind to induce around the 39th week! My belly has also popped out this week. I didn't show with Caden until I was almost 5 months, but i'm showing at 2 months already with this little love!

Preggo stuff:
~haven't gained any weight yet!!!
~still wearing pre-pregnancy tops and wearing my normal jeans with my belly band
~morning sickness or all day sickness has gotten the best of me....thank goodness for Zofran or I wouldn't keep anything down
~all i want to eat is cherry or coke icee's and clausen pickles
~have no energy
~had some dizzy spells, but I've read thats completely normal
~Caden still thinks the baby should be here NOW!!

Brandon and I are so goofy, we started doing all these gender quizzes online to see what we are having. Everything we've done and quizzed ourself on is pointing to a girl! I did the chinese calendar and it also said girl....so we will see if any of those are correct! I will post pictures later today or tomorrow of baby b and some belly pics!!!

Big thanks to my hubby!!!

2010-10-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I really do have the greatest husband ever! Ever since I started working on weekends, he does the laundry and goes grocery shopping for me. This past week I starting feeling awful. I drug myself to the dr. and found out I had walking pneumonia, I guess a perk of working with germy kids! Having that on top of morning sickness, was just plain awful. Brandon was so wonderful...he did everything!!! He took Caden out of the house so I could sleep for almost 48 straight hours, he cleaned, he organized C's closet, he ran out and got me take out, rented me a movie, and he stayed home to pamper me the opening weekend of hunting season. Some of you may think "ok whats the big deal with hunting", well he has always gone hunting especially opening day, its a ritual for him. I told him to please go, we'd be fine and he insisted he needed to stay home! He truly is the best husband and dad we could ever ask for! Just wanted to give him some much deserved credit!! I love you Brandon.

Listen to ashleybailess Playlist

2010-10-07T11:31:00.001-07:00

Something besides my kid....

2010-10-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

I blog alot about Caden....so I decided to write about my job! I love my job, couldn't be happier working. Even though its time away from B and C, I still enjoy getting away and having some "me" time. I never would have thought working would satisfy my "me" time!!! I work at Huntsville Hospital in huntsville and I specifically work in the pediatric ER. We are a level 2 trauma center, which means we handle almost anything and everything from near drownings to strep throat. We are the only hospital in north alabama to do level 2 traumas for children. We get tons of kids from all over north alabama. We also refer children out to many different place...st. judes, vandy, oncology hospitals etc. The people I work with are super awesome, we know how to have a good time and we know how to kick butt in helping kiddos! The job can be emotional at times, but the good out weighs the bad. I love feeling like I've made a difference in a child's or a families life! Of course, no job is better than being a mommy, so thats still my #1 job!!

You can go here http://www.huntsvillehospital.org/womenchildren/childrenservices/pedser/ to read more about where I work!!!

A new little blessing....

2010-10-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Will be arriving in May!!!! Brandon and I are expecting our 2nd baby May 28th!!! We are so excited and thrilled! I have known since Sept. 14th I was pregnant but we wanted to wait till after my first dr. appt. to share our news! They thought I was 7 weeks along but after the ultrasound yesterday, we found out I was only 5 weeks and 5 days! I get to go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound...yipeee...my baby was too small to really see! Caden is super excited he's going to be a big brother and has names the new baby some interesting names!!!

I can feel it in the air....

2010-09-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Fall!!!!! My favorite time of the year! Everything around me just feels like fall...Auburn football, mums, the 75 degree weather, pumpkins at publix, and the fair!!!!!! We headed to the good ol' Lincoln co. fair last weekend.
So glad my kid loves the fair as much as I do! I can remember going to the fair as a kid in GA every year! And now I can pass this on and start traditions with my family!!

Soccer

2010-09-27T13:02:00.001-07:00

Caden started soccer at the beginning of September! I was so excited when I signed him up and couldn't wait for the first game! Well, he did NOT enjoy his first game. It was so hot and he didn't want to run and didn't get the whole team thing. He thought he was supposed to kick the ball by himself in the goal, bless his heart! After some tears, lots of water, and some bribery from his MiMi, he did much better the second half. We've had 3 games so far and he's improved so much since that first game! And we've laughed alot, watching a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds trying to kick the ball is hilarious! I'm so proud of him. He is really enjoying it now, which does my heart good! I tried playing, key word here is try, my freshman year of highschool and loved it...too bad i sucked! I mainly did it with my friends to have fun....I certainly didn't do it to run the many laps we used to have to do! I'm sure all my friends still remember those soccer days=) Anyways, this whole chapter of starting sports with Caden is so much fun and just reminds me of how BIG my baby is!!!

blog help

2010-09-24T14:26:00.001-07:00

Anyone know how to change layouts? I tried but it never works....and my pic is so big...anyone who is intelligent with computers please help me out!!!

Part 2...vacation

2010-09-17T14:05:00.001-07:00

I took a ton of pictures...so the rest are on FB!!

The rest of our vacation

2010-09-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

I decided not to post about every single day of our vacation! It was getting to time consuming, and my blogging time is very limited these days! Day 4, thursday, the 4 of us got up and headed to the beach! We played and played in the sand. Caden was so much happier with his daddy there to bury him and build sandcastles with him! My grandparents were joining us today so we had to head back to the house to make sure they got there safely. Pop is 86 and Nonny is 84! I was shocked when they told us they wanted to come for a couple of days! They finally made it there around 5ish...we were all getting worried they were lost somewhere in FL! We ordered pizza for dinner and oh how I had missed some hungry howie's pizza! Brandon and I went bowfishing later that night. I had a blast. This was something he had been wanting to do for a while. He ended up shooting a 100# stingray! We didn't get home until 4 am! I guess you can do that on vacation :)

Day 5: We had beach time, pool time, and I cooked fajitas for dinner!! I really enjoyed not going out for dinner...that meant I didn't have to shower and get ready! And we stayed out @ the beach alot longer!

Day 6: My dad, brother, and his friend joined us the wee hours of the morning. I think everyone was exhausted. I know I took a long nap on the beach....it was fabulous! My dads birthday was the 3rd, so we grilled out chicken for dinner and celebrated his birthday. We took my brother and his friend to pier park so they could go to Ron Jon's. I had so much fun shopping around. Caden is at a fun age and every hat he saw he would model it for us!

Day 7: Was spent at the beach again. The weather the whole trip was wonderful, ocean was perfect and calm today. I was beginning to get used to the lazy beach life and was starting to dread having to go home! There's just something so calm and tranquilizing about being at the beach. No worries and no schedule:) We decided to eat at capt. andersons! We only had to wait about 10 min....I was so surprised with it being labor day weekend! Of course, we all ate way to much. Caden liked seeing all the boats at the marina! Afterwards, we played putt-putt and let Caden ride go-karts.

Day 8: last day:( We got up pretty early and headed out to the beach for one last swim and play in the sand. I was really sad our vacation was ending. We will def. be coming back again! After packing up the cars, we ate a quick bite of lunch and headed back home around noon. Traffic was horrible. The 5 1/2 hour trip took 7 1/2 hrs...Caden was perfect though. He entertained himself and would make the 18-wheelers honk at us! We had a fabulous trip...it was awesome getting to spend time with family, especially my grandparents who we don't see often! Stay tuned for more pics!

Day three

2010-09-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

This was the day that Brandon arrived and joined in on all the fun! I was really starting to miss him, so I'm so glad he got to come! Caden, mom, and I, all went to the beach till lunch time and as we were packing up, Brandon called and said he'd be there in 10 min!!! (I didn't expect him until late afternoon) After he got settled in, we all went to the pool for the rest of the afternoon. We ate Sonny's bbq for dinner and came home and crashed! Vacation will wear you out!

**sorry about the huge picture in the header....not sure what happened!**

Day two

2010-09-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Caden woke up early tuesday morning ready to hit the beach! Mom let me sleep in, she had everything packed and ready to go once I finally got up! We headed down to the beach around 8:30, yes thats late for me! We are usually up at 6 am. The beach was pristine, no oil at all. We did see the BP guys walking the beach. That has got to be the easiest job and I'm sure they get paid pretty well to just walk up and down looking for oil! We headed in around 4 to shower and rest up before dinner. Caden insisted we go to pier park again. We found a delicious italian place to eat and let Caden do some more carnival rides!

Carillon Beach...Day One

2010-09-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

My mom, Caden, and I left bright and early Monday morning for the beach! I had been looking forward to this vacation for a loonngg time. Carillon beach is just west of panama city beach. Caden did great in the car! He played his nintendo DS almost the entire trip. After 6 hours we finally arrived, and we only stopped twice and got lost once! It was raining when we got to our beach house, so we decided to drive around and check out the neighborhood and go grab some dinner and grab a few groceries! I hadn't been to panama city in years, so I didn't know about Pier Park!! Caden actually pointed it out from the road and begged us to stop so he could play at the carnival. We convinced him to let us eat first. After some yummy bbq, numerous carnival rides, and a trip to publix, we headed back to the house to settle in for the night! I was amazed at the house we got to stay in. It was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for us!

In the middle of the night.....

2010-08-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Caden has decided to come in our bed!!!!! Needless to say, brandon and I are not getting any sleep due to caden's weird sleep positions! For all 4 yrs of his life he has never done this or ever wanted to sleep with us. He will go to bed in his own bed then about 2 am he climbs in our bed! Any suggestions????

Better late than never!!

2010-08-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been almost a year since I've blogged! It would take way to long to blog about our past year so I won't bore anyone! We've all been doing great, just staying super busy. Brandon is still working for NASA and loves it! His jeep engine blew up about 2 weeks ago so we are waiting to get it fixed. Caden started school wednesday...i'm sad to say this is his last year of preschool, he starts kindergarten next year (tear). He's going to pre-k at the elementary school by our house. He loves it! He asks to go to school everyday, which does my heart good. I started working in march, I'm working in the pediatric ER at huntsville hospital. I absolutely love my job! I'm still in school...have two more semesters then I will graduate, PTL! I just signed C up for soccer in the fall and I can't wait to see how that goes! All in all, lifes great and we couldn't be any more blessed! Caden had his 4 year check-up today and he's 41 lbs and 42 inches tall...80th percentile in both! He got to potty in a cup and had his blood pressure taken, he thought he was big stuff. He then got 3 shots and the flu mist up his noise, he didn't like that part to say the least, but after a trip to the gas station for some chocolate, everything was A-ok!

Pray, please!

2009-11-24T21:47:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't blogged in a very long time....but I have a prayer request! Please pray for Noah. He is a sweet 2 yr. old little boy w/ a massive brain tumor. Click http://www.prayfornoah.weebly.com to read their story...Thanks in advance for all your prayers!

Birthday celebrations!

2009-07-01T14:28:00.001-07:00

My baby turned 3 this past Sunday! We decided not to have a huge birthday party this year and do a couple of small celebrations. I had some of Caden's friends over on Thursday for cupcakes and waterfun!

Then on Saturday, Brandon and I took Caden to the Tennessee Aquarium for another birthday celebration! We had a blast! Caden loved seeing all the "nemos" and his favorite part was the penguins! On his actual birthday we had family over for dinner and cake and icecream! He LOVES batman and spiderman, so we had a superhero theme going on!
I think C had a wonderful birthday week! I still can't believe he's 3! I absolutely love being his mommy and love him to pieces!

June

2009-07-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to re-cap the month of June since I haven't blogged all that much!

Caden and I took a trip to ATL w/ my mom and brother! It was good to see old friends. It was a very quick trip but we managed to squeeze in some fun. We had dinner with friends, went swimming, and got to visit monkey joes for some play time!
We celebrated our 2nd anniversary with a yummy dinner at PF Changs!
We have been going to the pool alot....especially in this hot, humid alabama weather!
Let's see....Brandon got 4 new big tires for his jeep, his ac fixed, and a new knife for father's day. We took him out to lunch at his favorite restaurant and just relaxed the rest of the day!
I found out I got into nursing school!!! I'm super pumped! I start Aug. 24th. It's going to be a long 5 semesters, but it will be worth it in the end. I'm just tickled to death...i've waited about 2 yrs. to get in and it finally happened!
Brandon got a new job!! He is now working for a company called ERC which does contracting for NASA. He's working out on the Arsenal at Marshall Space Flight center. Alot of what he does is for the military and gov.t...its secret, so I don't know much about what he does! This job was def. a blessing...he's getting paid a whole lot more w/ flexible hours and his own office. WAY TO GO B!!
We visited Point Mallard, a waterpark close to us. Caden had a blast and we are planning to go back soon!
One of my childhood friends, Kristen, met Caden and I for lunch. She was coming through Athens on her way to B'ham. It was so good to see her and meet her little girl Ava! Caden and Ava are only like 3 weeks apart in age!
And finally....Caden turned 3 the 28th! I can't believe I have a 3 year old. He is growing up way to fast!

Here are some pics from this past month: Caden jumping at the Mall of GA! I can't believe he was brave enough. I'll post the video I took at the end of this post!Monkey Joe's!

Anniversary Pic!
Point Mallard!caden & ava

Potty training or bust??

2009-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

So I'm having a really hard time potty training Mr. Caden! He will be 3 the end of this month and I'm bound and determined to have him potty trained by his 3rd b-day. Any suggestions??

Happy Anniversary!

2009-06-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today is mine and Brandon's 2nd Anniversary! Time sure does fly by! We are going on a date tonight to celebrate, without Caden, and I'm super excited! I love you sweetie! You are such a wonderful husband and I'm so thankful God brought us together!

We're back!!

2009-05-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! I can't believe I haven't blogged in 3 months! Life has just been crazy, wonderful, and busy. I won't bore you all, but I'll try to recap what all we've been up to lately.

I just finished up my semester! I've had a wonderful sememster....I got to do clinicals in the ER, on the ambulance, and at the fire station! I have lots of crazy stories, but I'll share those on a different post! So on Monday, May 18th I go take my national registry test so I can officially be an EMT! I'm hoping to get a part-time job this summer working maybe 2 days at the hospital or on the ambulance.
Caden is growing up....he'll be 3 in June! His last day of preschool is next Wednesday and then he's out for the summer. They have missed alot of days so far in may because of all the swine flu stuff. There were 3 cases here in Madison! I thought maybe C might have had it last week...he started running a super high fever but he ended up having hand-foot-mouth! So he's finally feeling up to par this week.
I had a wonderful Mother's Day! We went to church and then ate with my family and my grandma! Brandon and Caden treated my like a princess the whole day. Brandon is getting me a super cool new coffee table! You can go check it out at tangerinasonline.com...look under tables and mine will be similar to the brown cow!
Brandon just switched to 10-hour days, 4 days a week. So he has Fridays off which we love!!
We got to meet my sister's new boyfriend this past Easter!! He's a cutie and we think he's a keeper! They both stayed with us for the weekend and we had a blast with them.
And we are all looking forward to this summer. I am taking the summer off from school so I am super pumped about not having a set schedule.

I'll post pics later on another post! And since I'm done with school till August, I will be much better about blogging!

My talented hubby.

2009-02-18T08:44:00.001-08:00

Back in January, my hubby killed a huge boar! He didn't really think much of it, just lots of meat and its something he's always wanted to kill with his bow. Keep in mind that Brandon doesn't just hunt with a normal bow, he shoots a recurve, which is kind of like what the Indians used. It doesn't have any sights or advanced technology!

The local outdoor store, Wiley's, got ahold of the picture and called him last week and told him he won the 2008/2009 picture of the year! He got $100 to use towards anything in the store! I am so proud of him! This is quite an achievement in the hobby of hunting! Below is the picture that won!

Happy Valentines!

2009-02-14T14:08:00.001-08:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Brandon and I! I thought it was appropriate to post since today is the day of LOVE!! I love you sweetie! You definitely complete my life and are a wonderful daddy! Let's always remember why God brought us together and how blessed we are!

Brandon and I are going to enjoy tonight all to ourselves! Caden will be at B's parents so we can enjoy each other and have some alone time:) Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Birthday Shoutout!!

2009-02-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

This is for you Cass....Happy 26th Birthday! I know you read my blog, so I hope this puts a smile on your pretty face!
We miss you and love you! You're the greatest!

Kids Kingdom.

2009-01-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, little man and I met some friends at the park. It actually wasn't freezing outside so that's why we went. Normally, I really dislike being outside when its cold, but Thursday was in the sixties! We went to Kids Kingdom, hands down, is the coolest park I've seen! I took these pics with my phone and I'm pretty impressed!
.............and this is Monday, at the doctor, b/c little man has the croup! He doesn't look sick, but trust me, he was! Poor Caden!

Update.

2009-01-26T12:54:00.001-08:00

I think this is the longest I've gone without blogging. Sorry y'all. Life has been really busy for us Bailes lately. Let's see if I can catch everyone up with whats been going on around our household.

*I started back to school 2 weeks ago. At the last minute I totally changed my schedule. I didn't have any more classes left to take before I start my nursing clinicals in the fall, so I just signed up for some classes I really didn't need. Well, right before classes started back I happened to be at school one day and was talking to my advisor when the EMT director walked in and overheard our conversation. The guy is actually a friend from high school so I know him. I already had decided that one day I might want to do the flight nurse job, that is where you ride on med-flight. My friend talked me into taking the EMT basic class this semester, and my advisor agreed too! It just so happens that to be a flight nurse you have to take this course anyways! So here I am....we start clinical rotations Feb. 12th and I have no idea what I'm getting myself in to. But I love love love my classes so far. I get to learn how to drive an ambulance the first week of February. I'll keep ya'll posted on what all I get to do and I'm sure I'll have some crazy stories. One of my teachers is the county coroner, so that kind of tells you the kind of stuff I'll be seeing. This is totally out of my comfort zone, because I would have never signed up for this class b/c of the stuff I might see, but I think God has something wonderful in store for me this semester:)
*Caden has been sick quite alot since Christmas. He got the stomach bug and now he's got croup. We were at the dr. earlier today. I feel like we can't stay away from the dr!
*Caden is growing like a weed. He's talking in full sentences now and we understand him completely. He's so much fun to be around. We actually carried on a complete conversation the other day in the car. He named everyone in his class and told me his friend had to sit in time-out! He cracks Brandon and I up.
*He got invited to his first real birthday party of someone in his class whom we don't know! Caden said he's his friend and they play together at music! The invitation came home in his backpack and i'm sure it won't be the last!
*Brandon is still loving his job at Teledyne! He went hunting two weekends ago and killed a huge boar! He is quite proud and we have lots of pork to cook!
*I'm still helping take care of my grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease. She is getting worse and probably needs to go to some kind of nursing home or assisted living. Please pray for wisdom for my mom and I as we decide what the next step in her care is going to be. She keeps falling and we are so scared she is going to fall and get really hurt.
*Brandon and I went to Auburn this past weekend and visited with my sister! It was so much fun seeing her and getting away for the night. I had the pleasure of showing Brandon all around my alma mater! WAR EAGLE!

That pretty much sums up what we've been doing. I'm gonna try and be better about blogging! I'll try and get some pics up later tonight after I get home from school! I know pictures are what most ppl want!!!

Hiatus.

2009-01-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry ya'll...but i've been on blogging hiatus! I'll be back to blogging soon, so if any of you read my blog, stay tuned!

When Auntie Erin comes to visit...

2008-12-29T15:13:00.000-08:00

....Caden always manages to get so wound up! He loves his auntie Erin! We've enjoyed having her home for almost 2 weeks this Christmas break. Everyday C asks if auntie Erin is coming to play....thanks sis for being so sweet and fun for Caden! I just happened to get a video of Caden one night while she was here! Caden starts dancing toward the end, so watch the whole video!

More Christmas....

2008-12-29T14:43:00.001-08:00

We spent the rest of Christmas day at my parents! My mom always cooks a yummy turkey or prime rib and this year we had ham and turkey! Santa brought us lots of chocolate and candy to their house this year, Caden had a permanent choc. mustache!

Mimi and Popsie got Caden a really cool easel...has a chalkboard on one side and a dry erase board on the other!

He had to try out one of uncle Andrew's new toys!

Mimi and Popsie got Caden a train table with a wooden train set!!!
We had a wonderful Christmas and hope yours was wonderful too!

Christmas morning.

2008-12-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

I figure most ppl want pictures, so I'll just let the pictures tell you about our Christmas morning!

Santa brought Caden a bike....and a diego helmet and knee pads too!

Santa also brought him a new tool workbench just like daddy's!

Christmas Eve.

2008-12-28T12:41:00.000-08:00

We went to Christmas Eve service at our church and then headed to Brandon's parents to open the rest of our presents! Brandon's mom fixed Chili and Beef Stew! I forgot my camera battery at home, so I didn't take any pics, but I did video most of the night. After we left, we let Caden sit in my lap and we drove around and looked at lights. (Don't worry we live out in the country and like 3 min. from B's parents) I think this was Caden's favorite thing to do. He kept yelling Christmas lights, christmas lights. When we got home, we put cookies and milk out for Santa. Caden even wrote Santa a note!

Christmas part I....

2008-12-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

The Saturday before Christmas, we got together with Brandon's moms side of the family and his dad's sister and husband. We ate and got to open some presents! Of course, opening presents is what Caden wanted to do first.His uncle Ryan gave him a real guitar!
Now they can play together!!! Thanks Ryan for the guitar! Caden loves it and plays it all the time.

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

2008-12-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

And a Happy New Year!! Merry Christmas everyone! Hope the next year is filled with love, peace, and joy!

Stay tuned for lots of new posts!

Happy Cake.

2008-12-22T21:13:00.001-08:00

Caden got invited to a b-day party on Saturday. He loves birthdays! All he says is "happy cake". If we even mention the word birthday, he automatically thinks that there will be cake. Guess he gets the sweet tooth from me!!! Caden's little buddy, Brock, turned 2. Brock and Caden mostly played together in his room. And of course, Caden ate some tractor cake or happy cake as he calls it!

**New post(s) below!**

My rockstar kid.

2008-12-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

Watch out Travis Barker.....

And this is my little rockstar all squeaky clean.

Play date, Caroling hayride, & Visiting Santa!!

2008-12-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

1. I invited some girls from the church to come play last week with Caden! He had so much fun showing the girls his toys and all around his house! Caden and Hannah kept pretending to take a nap on the top bunk! Abby had fun too! She got so dirty outside that I had to put some of Caden's pants on her!

2. That same night our neighborhood did a hayride to go caroling on all the country roads! Lets just say they picked the coldest night so far to go! We bundled Caden up....poor fella couldn't even move! He looked like the kid from The Christmas Story. Sorry, I didn't take any pics...I was to worried about keeping the blanket on! Despite the freezing cold weather, we had so much fun. Caden loves Christmas songs. He can sing all the words to Jingle Bells, Rudolph, and tries on We wish you a merry christmas! I don't know what we're gonna do when Christmas is over, its become a routine to sing Christmas songs all day with mommy:)!

3. Thursday night, we took Caden to see Santa! The Santa we saw was wonderful. He took alot of time with each kid, IF they weren't scared of him! (See below)

This is before it was his turn with Santa.......

And this is after.....he was terrified of the old man!! Better luck next year!

Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day

2008-12-17T15:10:00.001-08:00

Poor baby can't go out and play!! It's been raining for days now......I can't wait for the weather to clear up and Caden can't either!

Just when I thought my life couldn't get any crazier....

2008-12-16T20:17:00.000-08:00

Last night about 1 a.m. Brandon wakes me up telling me a bug has crawled into his ear. Since I was still half asleep I didn't really understand what was going on....all i knew is that he kept saying there's a bug in my ear!! After seeing him really in pain and kinda starting to go in panic mode, I realized there was a problem. We got on the internet to see what you could do for a bug in your ear. It said to put baby oil, which I didn't have, or mineral oil in the ear. I started digging through my tanning oil's and sure enough one of them had mineral oil in it. I poured it in his ear and nothing happened. He said the pain just kept getting worse and it was like the bug was digging. Then we tried hydrogen perioxide, which made the pain worsen. At this point I kinda start freaking out, they haven't taught me anything about bugs in the ears in nursing classes yet!! I even went outside in the freezing cold rain and picked a blade of grass, keep in mind its like 1:30 in the morning. We stuck the grass in his ear hoping the bug would come crawling out...still nothing happened! Brandon finally decided to go to the hospital b/c the pain was so bad. He wouldn't let me call anyone to come stay with Caden, so he drove himself to the ER.

I'm at home worried to death....a million things are racing through my mind. About an hour after he left, he called me and said "you're not gonna believe what happened". He told me that they took him straight back, I think they thought he was on drugs b/c he told the receptionist there was a bug in his ear. I mean who goes to the ER at 2 a.m. telling ppl a bug's in their ear! Anyways, the dr. put some numbing medicine in his ear and a huge CRICKET jumped out of his ear!!! I couldn't believe that a cricket had crawled in his ear. The dr. said the cricket had made a meal of his inner ear and it looked pretty nasty! He sent him home with percocets and antibiotic ear medicine! He's doing much better today, still in some pain! We just still can't believe that happened. It's funny now, but it sure wasn't funny at the time. All day it felt like a crazy dream waking up in the middle of the night to B screaming that a bug was in his ear! So now he's gonna wear ear plugs to bed!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

2008-12-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

C had his preschool Christmas party last Monday. B couldn't go so I invited my mom to go with since I had already paid for B. Yes, we had to pay to eat. I guess things are much different then when I went to preschool. He was so excited about the cookies and cupcakes. He didn't want the pizza, he went straight for a big cookie with pink icing. Oh well, dessert first once in a while won't kill him! Plus with Mimi there, he gets away with anything!
This is C's class minus him. They all sang "Our God, Our Father" and "Jingle Bells." He didn't want anything to do with getting up in the front and singing. I was so disappointed. He has been coming home singing Jingle Bells for the past month. I guess it was too chaotic for the poor guy and he just wanted to eat....haha! It was so funny cause as soon as we got in the car to go home, he kept yelling/singing Jingle Bells at the top of his lungs! There's always next year.

Catch up.

2008-12-11T19:30:00.001-08:00

We've been doing alot around the Bailes household lately! I finally finished decorating the house for Christmas last week and we finished Caden's room the past weekend, with the exception of his curtains that I need to finish! (We've been working on it since October)We finally hung his letters and got the table for his room.

Brandon's been working alot of over time also. They are starting a new project at work, so he's been busy. And he killed a deer this past week....he's so happy! Caden and I are enjoying our time together...he only has 2 more days of school left and somehow I've got to finish Christmas shopping. I had my last final last night and I'm officially done until the middle of January. I apply to the nursing program Jan. 5th and should find out soon thereafter if I got in! My fingers are crossed. If I get in, then I'll have about a year and a half left. This next semester I'll be taking Chemistry and Medical terminolgy.

I've also been busy baking up a storm. I like to give homemade treats to our neighbors, teachers, etc., but I always forgot how time consuming it is! This year Caden has been helping out. Thats whats been going on around our house lately! Hopefully now that school is done, I can blog more.

Weekend Getaway!

2008-12-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Brandon and I headed to Atlanta to go to my friend Katie's wedding! On Friday, I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to go...you see, I woke up Fri. am throwing up and feeling horrible. I immediately went to the dr., where she proceeded to tell me I was pregnant, and come to find out I had an icky stomach bug! I laughed at her when she told me I was pregnant....I knew better:) She gave me some phenergran and I slept the rest of the day. By Friday night, I was much better. So early Sat. morning we dropped C off at my parents and headed to the big ATL! We had so much fun at the wedding. It was wonderful seeing so many old friends and people I hadn't seen in ages. Katie was a beautiful bride and I'm so happy for her and Brian!

My sweet momma booked us a wonderful hotel room for the night, and it was awesome! Brandon and I decided it was almost like we were on our honeymoon again. The hotel offered free breakfast till 10 a.m. but we decided it was way worth it to sleep in and just pay for breakfast later or in our case, lunch! We slept so late...it was almost lunch time!!!! I don't think I've slept in that late in almost 2 1/2 yrs. Sunday, we went to Discover Mills b/c B wanted to go to Bass Pro shop. We did some Christmas shopping and I got to see Cass again, which was wonderful. And I got to meet her sweet niece and nephew.

We headed to IKEA to do more shopping and I'm very impressed we didn't get lost! I love IKEA...they have everything and the prices are great. While we were standing in line to check-out, I started feeling weird. I was getting a migraine, for all of you who have had those, I was getting the weird aura. I wasn't able to take any medicine for like an hour, so the car ride home was miserable. We went the short-cut way, which is over the mountains....bad idea when you have a horrible migraine. B was so sweet and kept pulling over so I could get sick. Other than that, we had a wonderful time! It was so nice getting away for a night with just my hubby:)

Here's some pics from the wedding:

Sorry for the blurry pic, not sure why it turned out this way!
Me and Cass at the mall!

Slacker.

2008-12-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been posting as much as I usually do lately. We have been sick and busy. I'm trying not to dread the holidays and enjoy them instead. It's only Dec. 3rd and I feel so overwhelmed with things I need to be doing to get ready for Christmas. So today I did the unthinkable, and had to say NO to some things! I'm not going anywhere today, and I have been laying around in my PJ's all morning and it feels GREAT! I'm still feeling under the weather and can't kick whatever I have. Brandon and I are leaving Sat. morning for Atlanta, so I want to try to get better before we leave. So stay tuned for pics from our trip and holiday happenings!

Roman Aleksander Lewis has finally arrived...

2008-12-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

And we couldn't be more excited!! Our dear friends and neighbors welcomed him into the world last night about 10:15. He weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and 22 inches long! He is beautiful. Mommy and baby are doing great. Brandon and I are his godparents, so we are very excited he is here!!

Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T12:45:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone who reads my blog a blessed Thanksgiving! I know I'm already stuffed and we still have one more house to go to and eat! But its nice spending the day with my precious family! Have a great day!

Give Thanks.

2008-11-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I have been thinking of all the things I am thankful for. I am so thankful to have a Heavenly Father who is full of grace and that his mercy's are new everyday. I have been blessed with a wonderful, loving husband and a healthy, vibrant toddler. I am also so thankful that I live in a country where I can worship my God freely! The list could go on and on! I want to challenge you all to think about what your thankful for. Our society almost makes it impossible to enjoy Thanksgiving, its like they want you to just hurry up and celebrate and move on with Christmas. Just look at all the retail stores already busting at the seams with Christmas stuff. I promised myself I wasn't going to even decorate or think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving! So please just remember to thank our Heavenly Father for everything he has given us because "Every good and perfect gift is from above!" I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Never a dull moment...

2008-11-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

Except for the post below, I haven't blogged in a while. Things have been crazy around here and like my title, there's never a dull moment! Caden has become quite the boss around here! He calls our dog Riley, wooley. Whenever Riley does something bad, he says "you see this, no no wooley!" Its so cute. For some reason he has become obsessed with sunglasses and a camo harley davidson hat. We can't go anywhere without them and he asks for his hat as soon as he wakes up. He also has become a talker! He talks so much that I have to tell him my ears are tired! And for some other odd reason, he loves wal-mart. Everyday he tells me he wants to go. He has been sick the past week with sinus infection junk and is starting to feel better! We may be going to see an ENT sometime to talk about C's snoring! Poor baby snores so loud! We think it might have something to do with his tonsils/adenoids!

Brandon has been hunting alot! Gun season opens tomorrow and he is so excited about it. Between him working alot of overtime lately, hunting, and doing stuff around the house, he is staying really busy! We are both glad Thanksgiving is next week, so we can relax a couple of days! After Thanksgiving, I only have 1 more week of class....woo hoo! I'm so ready for this semester to be over! We have a busy weekend coming up, but I'm excited about it. We have a b-day party Sat. morning, I'm going to open house on the square that afternoon, and Sunday we have our annual chuch pot-luck! Oh and I'm hosting a party at my house Monday night, so I'll be busy cooking this weekend too!

Jump Zone

2008-11-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

=Lots of fun!! I think I had more fun than Caden!

=Not to mention, a great work-out

=Our first time and def. not the last!

=C took a great nap when we got home!

=Cheap

Baby its cold outside!

2008-11-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

I feel like today is the first day of winter! It's so cold outside and I just don't want to do anything besides curl up on the couch with a blanket! Despite the cold, i'm super excited about this weather because it means Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner...my 2 favorite holidays! Hope everyone is having a cozy weekend:)

My morning.

2008-11-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

Caden went to MMO this morning and we both needed the break from each other. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom and all, but I needed a little "me" time today! He's been sick all week, which means we've been stuck in the house! I had a dentist appt. to get my teeth cleaned and then I went and got a pedicure! Pedicures rock and it was just what I needed. Then I did a little christmas shopping at Target and headed to chick-fil-a to grab some lunch before going to my parents. When I got up to the window at chick-fil-a, the lady said the lady in the car in front of me paid for my lunch. I was like "um...ok are you sure?" I didn't know the lady in front of me, but I guess she was doing a nice gesture for someone and that someone happened to be me!!! I was hoping she was still waiting to turn out of the parking lot so I could give her a friendly wave or thank you, but she was gone. That made my morning. There are still some friendly people out in the world. So now its my turn, I feel, to do something nice for someone I don't know. I guess you could say its kinda pay it forward. I'm still thinking about what I wanna do...any suggestions? Anyways, back to my morning....I had to stop by my parents to email myself some pics that were on their computer. I'm doing something special for them for christmas and most of the pics from my wedding and when C was a baby are on their computer. It was heartwarming going back through photos I haven't seen in awhile. That pretty much wraps up my morning. Oh, then I picked up my sweetie from pre-school! He always greets me with this huge hug and kiss! I love being his mom more and more everyday!!! Here are some pics I found today of C when he was itty bitty!C and my dad, his popsie

A look back...

2008-11-11T12:50:00.001-08:00

This is Caden in November 2 years ago......
This is Caden last November.....
And this is him just a few days ago!

I would say he's changed. Its fun to go back and look at pictures from last year and the year before!

Random happenings.

2008-11-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Here's some pics from the past couple weeks. Life has been busy as usual, and i'm so happy its almost the holidays! Playing with playdough at our playdate

Riley is growing like a weed and loves playing outside

Trying to play outside as much as he can before it gets too cold

C wanted a beard like his daddy...No Shave November! (I hope he shaves it before the month is over) C loves to rub his hands on it...its really sweet.

C has started to make different faces...this is one of them
He was pretending to be asleep but I took the pic when he "wake up" as he says it. His newest thing he loves to do is to pretend. The other night we went to Lowe's and he told us Mickey Mouse was sitting next to him in the car. And yesterday he lined up all the kitchen chairs and kept saying school school. I think he was pretending he was at school! He is so fun and I love watching his little mind work. He is at such a fun age!

More halloween fun.

2008-11-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

Just a fun video I filmed of Caden halloween night that I forgot about, until I uploaded some pics today!

Thankful.

2008-11-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I headed to the downtown rescue mission with some other ladies from my tuesday morning bible study. I really didn't know what to expect, except that we were going to minister to the young children at the women and children's shelter. I was taken back by the fact that these children and women barely have anything. The shelter provides food and a place to sleep. These kids were so desperate for our love and affection. It broke my heart. One sweet little 5-year old girl kept asking for her daddy and told me she just wanted a home for Christmas. It was definitely a bitter-sweet experience for me. I left yearning for more ways to help these sweet kids, and also so thankful for everything I have! It kinda puts things into perspective when you see homeless people like this. I can't imagine not knowing where my next meal was going to come from and if my kids would have somewhere to sleep. I really enjoyed spending time with these kids and loving on them. I'm excited to go back next month!!

Birthday Shoutout!!

2008-11-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday was Brandon's birthday and my mom's birthday! It's fun that they both have the same birthday! We still haven't all gotten together and celebrated due to everyone's busy schedules! But I took B to Nashville saturday so he could go to BassPro Shop since we don't have one here yet. We ended up going with two other couples so it was a blast! Then on monday, I had a surprise lunch for my mom. She was so surprised and we all had a great time! I'm behind on posting stuff on here, so stay tuned for some pics and new posts! I've been super busy these past few days and when I get some "me" time, I'll start blogging more:)

Not a happy camper!

2008-11-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

I don't get into politics....I think everyone should have their own opinion and vote however they want to , but I'm really disappointed in this election. After asking so many democrats why they were voting for Obama, not a single one could give me a solid answer. I guess just to see history made?! Don't you think we should vote based on issues and not just to see history made? Well, there you go America voting for someone you really don't know much about!! And thats all I have to say about that.

I think I smell a skunk!

2008-11-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

Halloween was great! Caden was a smelly skunk this year! He got to trunk or treat Wednesday night at B's grandparents church and again on Halloween night at our church! We also took him in the neighborhood when we got back home!

Caden definately racked up on candy! And since we only had like 7 trick-or-treaters at the house, we have tons of candy left! Guess who will be eating all the candy?!

Pumpkin time.

2008-10-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

Brandon carved our pumpkin the other night and I watched:) Then, it way MY job to clean it out...i like getting the guts out, so I didn't mind! Caden kept saying ewww when I tried to get him to help me! He didn't want any part of the guts! And Riley kept trying to eat the pumpkin...

B did a fantastic job, he's now the master carver!

Too cute not to post!

2008-10-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

Caden went hunting with daddy the other night, well they went walking in the woods together:)

I love Tuesdays!!

2008-10-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yes.....I love Tuesdays as much as I love Fridays! On Tuesdays, I go to a mom2mom bible study at our church! What a great bunch of moms I get to hang out with. We all have young kids so its nice to be around other moms who understand life with toddlers or babies! I have made some great friends and I enjoy studying the word with them. Recently, we read and discussed the book "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldanh. Wow, this book definetely kicked my butt! Totally made me look at my marriage and how men perceive things in a new light. I highly recommend this book. One verse that has stuck with me throughout this study is Proverbs 12:4. It says, "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones."
So ladies....lets be crowns to our husbands and if you're single be a crown to someone in your life!

*New posts below*

Tate Farms

2008-10-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday we headed to Tate Farms with my parents and Auntie Erin for our annual pumpkin patch fun! This has got to be the coolest farms I've ever been too! They have tons of stuff for kids and yummy food for grown-ups. It's almost overwhelming b/c there is so much to see and do! People flock by the thousands every year to this farm. My favorite part is taking the hay ride out to pick our pumpkin. The pumpkins are grown on the farm, so you even get to cut your pumpkin from the stem. Coolest pumpkin patch ever...hands down!!! Here are a few pics from the day...........

Caden and Popsie

Playing in the corn crib

About to ride the corn train

2nd time riding it
Auntie Erin came with us too!
Mimi and Popsie on the hayride
Trying to find the perfect pumpkin

Family pic

Wednesday with Nanny & G-daddy

2008-10-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I decided not to send Caden to school. He was still sleeping when we usually leave and I just hated to wake him up. I figured we could just rest for a day since we've been extremely busy lately. Well, we ended up going over to Nanny's and G-daddy's for the morning. We went to the BK Lounge, aka Burger King, for a yummy lunch, wal-mart, and then the park! Caden loves spending time with Nanny and Granddaddy! These are Brandon's grandparents, so Caden's great-grandparents. It was a nice day and we had lots of fun.

Let's play TAG!

2008-10-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged! Never been tagged before, but here goes my first time at it! Thanks Stacy for tagging me:)

I'm supposed to tell you 7 Random facts about myself so here ya go!
1. I love the smell of laundry detergent and fabric softner. I could seriously sit and smell it for hours. I always smell laundry right after I get it out of the dryer. When I go grocery shopping, I ALWAYS go and smell the detergents! My favorite scent is Tide with Downy april fresh. Any time I have to buy some kind of scent candle or fragrance, I try to buy the one that smells closest to clean fresh laundry!
2. I have to stay organized because I'm OCD about cleanliness and organization. I usually have to make a menu for the week ahead and thats how I plan my grocery list. I also keep all my toilet paper and paper towels in baskets about the washer/dryer. I have baskets all in my cabinets labeled for baking, snack stuff, canned goods, etc. And I have to keep my flour and sugar in rubbermaid containers! If somethings out of place, I totally freak out, ok maybe not, but it bugs me! So ya, I love organization!
3. I hate being wet from rain. I don't think I was one of those little girls who loved to play in puddles in the rain. It always smells bad and I just feel icky. Take today for example, I had to go grocery shopping for my grandmother and it was pouring down rain. My shoes, arms, hair, and sweater were soaking wet and it ruined my morning. I feel like I need to shower after getting wet from rain. I know...I'm a weirdo!
4. I love decorating! HGTV is my favorite channel. I always have ideas popping in my head and if I had an endless budget I would probably be re-doing my house all the time!
5. I'm a control freak. I hate it, but I am. I have to set certain schedules and follow them or I feel like my life is out of control. Like when I clean, I have a certain routine I follow! Also, if I'm running errands I plan it out by the half hour, that keeps me from wasting time or back tracking. I don't expect my family to be on schedules, its just for me! So in case your thinking I'm a total nut case, I'm not like a crazed drill sargent!
6. I used to hate reading, but now I love it! I love getting lost in a good book. My favorite author is Sophie Kinsella!
7. I don't like needles, but I'm in nursing school. Go figure! No, giving someone a shot or drawing blood on someone else doesn't really bother me, it bothers me when I have to give blood. One day I'd love to be a labor/delivery nurse!

Hope ya'll got to know me better! Now I tag: Lindsey, Toni-Marie, Heather, and Kim D.

Our newest addition!!

2008-10-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

We got a new baby...a puppy that is!! He is a 12 week old Weimaraner! Brandon got him Sunday and we named him Riley. He had his first puppy check-up yesterday and he weighed in at a whopping 33 lbs! He's been a good dog so far...he hasn't gone potty in the house yet! He follows me around everywhere, its so cute! He adores Caden and gets so hyper around him. We're trying to break him of jumping...he's scratched Caden's face up! I know he'll be great company for us. We did have an incident today.....I left him outside while I went to bible study b/c I didn't want him in the house alone and we hadn't put his crate together yet, well when I got home, the back door was scratched up pretty bad, the weather stripping ruined and the door frame down the bare wood. We eventually want him to be outside alot, but don't want him to keep messing up our doors! Does anyone have any advice? He'll be big soon and I hate to keep him crated up while we're gone...I think he'd be happier outside where he can run and play. Should I put him on a lead so he can't reach the door? This is our first doggy so please leave me some advice! Other than that, he's great! He's actually cuddling with me as I type this:)

Girls just wanna have fun!

2008-10-21T13:05:00.001-07:00

My mom and I headed to Atlanta this past weekend for a bridal shower! We had a blast just the two of us and had even more fun seeing old friends! I love old friends! Whenever we get together, it seems like we can pick up just where we left off! Katie's shower was on Sunday, but mom and I left Saturday so we could go shopping. We ended up at Atlantic Station...I love that place! We went to Ikea for the majority of the day, then H&M and some other cool shops! Brandon and Caden had a boys weekend and i'm so thankful that Brandon stayed home so I could enjoy my girls weekend! Amy and Lindsey did a great job decorating and planning a great shower for Katie. Melody, Sara, and I Katie opening her gifts Me and Cass

Me and Toni-Marie

All the girls

The moms

Me and Amy
Lindsey, Katie, Melody, & Sara
Finally, the bride-to-be and I

VeggieTales!

2008-10-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

My friend called me yesterday at 4 pm and asked if we wanted her tickets to go see VeggieTales that night at 6! When you have small kids, thats a good phone call to get on a night when you don't really have much planned! Unfortunately, my friend's kids got sick so they couldn't go. Thank you Jen for the tickets!! We had a blast. Caden was so funny to watch during the show, he would stare for like 20 minutes, then try to act out what they were doing. If they ever come back to Huntsville, we're def. going to see them again!

Its the little things....

2008-10-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

....that melt my heart. Yesterday, I had school till 8:15. Brandon gets home from work and I usually leave and head to school. We don't spend much time together before I leave so I'm usually so excited to come home and spend some quality time with him. And I hate missing out on what him and Caden do while I'm gone! Anyways, I pulled into the garage and Caden came running out to greet me with a card in his hand. Brandon and Caden went to wal-mart while I was at school and got me the sweetest card just to let me know they were thinking about me. How sweet! And its the little things like that, that melt my heart. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful loving hubby!

Congratulations!

2008-10-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after church, we headed to the river to celebrate Chris and Christina's engagement! The two of them are very special people to us and we are so excited that they are getting married! Brandon and Chris have been best buds since they were little and I have had the priviledge of getting to know Christina over the past couple of years! They are such a sweet and fun couple!

Here are some more pics from the party:Leah and I
Pretty scenery, but I look awful...just look past me! haha.

The early bird catches the worm...

2008-10-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

....thats what Caden's been doing the past few days! Yep, at 5 am he's been waking up. I don't know if its the new bed or what, but I'm so used to him not waking up till 7:30 or 8 ish. I guess I've been lucky and I've gotten used to sleeping and I'm the type of person who needs their sleep! I had been a zombie lately. I'm trying to figure out how I can get him to stay in his room and play or get him to sleep in. I'm starting to feel like I did when he was a newborn, just exhausted all day. Oh and he's fighting me to take his naps....I love spending time with my sweet boy, but we both need some rest, especially him. This new sleep schedule he's on is just not gonna work for me! Any suggestions?

New camera

2008-10-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

I got a new camera Friday and I'm loving it so far. Hope this one doesn't poop out on me like the last one. Here are some recent pics I've taken.........

Caden riding the pony at the church picnic

I'm sure I'll be taking lots more pics, so stay tuned!