3 years ago
Sunday, September 12, 2010
We've moved!
Hi everyone! This blog has is now located here. I decided to start a new blog called Sweet with a Few Nuts, and I hope you'll visit and bookmark it if you haven't already. You'll find both stories about our family as well as yummy recipes. Thanks for visiting!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A Huge Summer Update
Okay, this promises to be my longest blog post ever...seeing as how I haven't updated all summer. I don't know what is going on, but I seem to have lost much of my blog motivation. I guess it could also have something to do with the busyness that comes with chasing around a 2 year old! I saw another blog friend do this recently, and I'm hoping it will help motivate me to blog more often, too. So, if you are reading this blog, please post a comment at the end of this post...whether you are a friend, a friend of a friend, family, or a person I've never met before. Please post a comment!
This summer has been wonderful. I have truly enjoyed each and every minute I've spent with Hayden. He can be a handful, but he is such a blessing in my life...and I am so blessed to have a job where I can spend so much time with him. This promises to be a random conglomeration of pictures and events...but here goes.
We had a lot of fun at the beginning of the summer at Renaissance. Hayden just loves any kind of water there is and always jumps right in without hesitation.
Exclaiming "lader" the whole time
The other eye ended up the same color.
It was so pitiful!
This is a picture of Hayden and Lindsey that I just love from our trip to Trustmark Park. My cousin coaches baseball at Water Valley, and his team made it to the 3A state championship this year. The championship was at Trustmark Park, so we were able to go.
Hayden as a baseball player
Kristopher joins in the fun
Hayden is definitely all boy and loves doing anything involving being a boy.
Driving the big truck at Bass Pro Shops
Showing off his boxing skills. Look at that determination.
We went to a campout at Gran's house, and Hayden had his first swim in the pond.
This year, I helped with my church's Vacation Bible School. I taught 3rd grade Missions and absolutely loved it. I had three wonderful groups, and it was a huge blessing in my life. The theme this year was Saddle Ridge Ranch, and the missions room was called Firefly cavern. I kind of got a little excited this year and tried to decorate part of my room like a cavern. The cavern ended up being more difficult that I anticipated, and it was put up three times before it actually stayed. I was pretty pleased with the results and the kids loved it....but am planning on being a little less complicated next year! :o)
Give me some of that watermelon, Mom!
He was all about it!
We went for a trip to Jellystone water park in Pelahatchie. It was packed, but we still had a great time. I terrified Hayden. He was all about going down the slide when we got there. He and I climbed up, I let him slide down, and I went down behind him....only I didn't wait long enough and barreled right into him. It terrified him for a while, but he still loved it!
Gran sliding with Hayden
Lindsey taking him for a ride.
By the end of the trip, he was brave enough to try it again on his own.
CAUTION! This part includes material that is kind of gross. Right before his two year old birthday, Hayden started going backwards on his sleep. He wasn't really wanting to go down easily for naps or bedtime. Although I thought I would switch him over to his toddler bed when he turned two, I wasn't sure he was ready for it. Well, about a week before his birthday, I had to get ready for it. I had put Hayden down for his nap, and he was crying. I went in there to get on to him and tell him to sleep, but he continued crying. I decided to let him cry it out, and sure enough, he got quiet. He woke up a few hours later and was crying again.
I went in to his room to find quite a surprise. Hayden had taken his diaper off many times before and made messes with poo poo, but he had never managed to take off his shorts. Well, on this particular day, he had taken off both his shorts and his diaper. He had poo-pooed (sorry, gross...I know) and had rubbed it everywhere....on his crib, wall, dropped it out of the crib, you get the picture. He was like, "Mess! Clean it up." So, I began cleaning it up and preparing him for a bath. About that time, he bounded both legs over the crib for the first time and was like, "Woa!" Woa, indeed. He had poo-poo all over himself, taken off his shorts for the first time, and he was escaping his bed for the first time. I cleaned him up and put him back in his crib. Over it he went again, so Chris and I changed him over to a toddler bed that night.
We made a really big deal out of his new "big boy bed." He did great with it and went right to sleep. He did great for about a week until the newness wore off and he discovered he could play with his toys anytime he wanted. Well, after a week of that and getting spanked when he got out of bed (I know, we are mean parents), he started sleeping well again. I have been so proud of him, and he is so proud of himself.
He especially loves saying prayers before he goes to bed, but now, he wants to say them before his naps, too. Of course, this involves Chris or I saying his prayers for him, but he is so cute when he goes into his room, sits beside his bed, and puts his little hands together. He even said his own prayers today in the car...prayers to thank God for Kritiker (his cousin) and pizza and Kritiker and night and Kritiker and Moma and Kritiker and Dada and Kritiker and sandcastles and Kritiker...you get the idea...He loves Kristopher, his cousin. Kristopher is definitely duly prayed for by Hayden today.
Fast asleep his first night in his big boy bed
The only casualty of war that first night
He wanted to take a picture in his bed. This one is one of my favorites!
As he put each animal in the bed, he said “night, night” to them. Night, night elephant. Night, night teddy. Night, night froggy. It was so cute!
On July 22nd, we celebrated Hayden's two year old birthday! We celebrated on his birthday by taking him to Pump It Up in Flowood, MS. They have all kinds of inflatable jumpy things, and Hayden had a blast. Chris was able to take off work that morning to come, and Gran came, too. Chris and I also celebrated by taking Hayden to see his very first movie in the theatre the weekend before his birthday….Toy Story 3. Hayden is all about Buzz and Woody.
For some strange reason, I decided it would be a great idea to make Hayden’s birthday cake this year…complete with fondant decorations and homemade buttercream frosting. I really love making cheesecakes and cookies and thought I would enjoy doing a birthday cake, too. I also thought it would be cheaper than paying someone else to make the cake for me. Wrong on all thoughts! I definitely didn’t enjoy the process, and it definitely wasn’t cheaper after I ended up buying all the supplies I needed. I guess it would be cheaper if you made a lot of cakes over time, but this is going to be my first and last experience with fondant. The entire process was about 6 weeks including planning time, deciding what the cake would look like, making fondant, making the decorations, etc. Oh well! At least I tried it to see if I liked it. Next year, I will pay someone like $1,000 to make Hayden’s birthday cake for me. It is worth it not to go through the headache. Cheesecakes and cookies are definitely more my thing.
We celebrated Hayden’s actual birthday on July 24th (also our 6 year anniversary) at Gran’s house. We did a Madagascar themed party, because Hayden loves the movie, Madagascar. We grilled out hotdogs and hamburgers, opened presents, ate cake, and went for a swim. Brianna joined Hayden, Gran, Lindsey, and I for a swim in the pond. It was a fun day all around. Chris and I bought Hayden a battery powered John Deere tractor. Hayden is so proud of his tractor. He hasn’t gotten the complete hang of it, but he wants to ride it like every day.
Oh, and by the way, after the whole headache of the cake, I was actually pretty pleased with how it turned out. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it tasted good and could have been much uglier for sure. Hayden definitely enjoyed the cake, and I guess that is all that matters. You’ll see the pictures of the cake. The cake was frosted in buttercream with fondant polka dots, a fondant #2, and fondant stars shooting out. I ordered the Madagascar characters from the internet.
I guess the last big event of the summer was a trip to the beach. We usually go to Orange Beach, but due to the oil situation this year, we decided to move the trip a little bit down the coast to Destin, FL. Hayden rode to the beach with my mom, because I was in my friend Abby’s wedding…and Chris and I left straight for the beach after the wedding. We got to Destin around midnight, and we found out the next morning that Chris’ grandmother had passed away. This is his paternal grandmother who lived in Gadsden. I was so sad to hear of her passing but was glad that she no longer had to suffer. She had been on dialysis for kidney failure for several months, had recently broken a hip and had surgery, and most recently found out that she had colon cancer. We were expecting her to live a little longer, but we definitely weren’t surprised to hear of her passing.
Due to her death, Chris and I cut our trip to the beach a little short…but we still made the most of the day and half we were there. Hayden did great on the beach and really loved the sand. He loved building sandcastles and even rode some waves on a boogie board. He had a little sinus infection while we were there, so he had to take breathing treatments. There is a really cute picture of him asleep during his treatment. My favorite part of the trip was going to Fudpucker’s for lunch the day we left. They had alligators that you could feed, and our family took a picture with an alligator. Hayden definitely didn’t want to get too close to the alligator.
This summer has been wonderful. I have truly enjoyed each and every minute I've spent with Hayden. He can be a handful, but he is such a blessing in my life...and I am so blessed to have a job where I can spend so much time with him. This promises to be a random conglomeration of pictures and events...but here goes.
We had a lot of fun at the beginning of the summer at Renaissance. Hayden just loves any kind of water there is and always jumps right in without hesitation.
Exclaiming "lader" the whole time
He would fill up his cup in the fountain and drink the water! He drank a ton of water!
We had our first major injury this summer. Hayden always plays in the garage while I am cutting grass. The weekend before his accident, I had asked Chris to clean out the garage to make it more kid friendly...move out gas cans, fertilizer, etc. Chris did a wonderful job cleaning the garage. I was cutting grass a few days later, and I heard a loud crash. It was a huge scaffolding ladder that Hayden had pulled down on himself. Of course, he finds the one thing that was left in the garage and manages to hurt himself. The ladder fell and hit him on his face/head, and he fell back and hit the back of his head. He had a large gash under his eye and by his eye along with a massive knot on the back of his head. He also had some nice ladder rungs across his face for a day and a half. He was very upset and had a lot of blood coming out by his eye. Then, he started throwing up, and I felt like it was best that the doctor see him to rule out a concussion and/or the need for stitches. Both were ruled out thankfully, but it was scary....and Hayden ended up with double black eyes. Poor guy. It is the first of many, I'm sure! Chris and I told some people that he got in a playground fight and that they should see the other kid. Hehehe...
We had our first major injury this summer. Hayden always plays in the garage while I am cutting grass. The weekend before his accident, I had asked Chris to clean out the garage to make it more kid friendly...move out gas cans, fertilizer, etc. Chris did a wonderful job cleaning the garage. I was cutting grass a few days later, and I heard a loud crash. It was a huge scaffolding ladder that Hayden had pulled down on himself. Of course, he finds the one thing that was left in the garage and manages to hurt himself. The ladder fell and hit him on his face/head, and he fell back and hit the back of his head. He had a large gash under his eye and by his eye along with a massive knot on the back of his head. He also had some nice ladder rungs across his face for a day and a half. He was very upset and had a lot of blood coming out by his eye. Then, he started throwing up, and I felt like it was best that the doctor see him to rule out a concussion and/or the need for stitches. Both were ruled out thankfully, but it was scary....and Hayden ended up with double black eyes. Poor guy. It is the first of many, I'm sure! Chris and I told some people that he got in a playground fight and that they should see the other kid. Hehehe...
The other eye ended up the same color.
It was so pitiful!
This is a picture of Hayden and Lindsey that I just love from our trip to Trustmark Park. My cousin coaches baseball at Water Valley, and his team made it to the 3A state championship this year. The championship was at Trustmark Park, so we were able to go.
Hayden as a baseball player
Kristopher joins in the fun
Hayden is definitely all boy and loves doing anything involving being a boy.
Driving the big truck at Bass Pro Shops
Showing off his boxing skills. Look at that determination.
We went to a campout at Gran's house, and Hayden had his first swim in the pond.
This year, I helped with my church's Vacation Bible School. I taught 3rd grade Missions and absolutely loved it. I had three wonderful groups, and it was a huge blessing in my life. The theme this year was Saddle Ridge Ranch, and the missions room was called Firefly cavern. I kind of got a little excited this year and tried to decorate part of my room like a cavern. The cavern ended up being more difficult that I anticipated, and it was put up three times before it actually stayed. I was pretty pleased with the results and the kids loved it....but am planning on being a little less complicated next year! :o)
My friend, Leslie, had a baby boy at the beginning of June, and we went to Memphis when he was two weeks old to meet little Nathan. He is just as cute as ever, and thankfully, Hayden now has someone to loan hand-me downs to. By the way, aren't hand-me downs just the greatest? When Hayden was first born, I wanted to buy all these cute little clothes for him. That sure wore off after a few weeks when I realized how great free clothes were! Anyway, while we were in Memphis, we went to the Memphis Children's Museum. Hayden had lots of fun! They had so much fun stuff, but my favorite probably was the miniature Kroger where kids could shop and ring up their purchases at the cash register.
My friend, Abby, recently got married. Abby was my room-mate when we lived in the sorority house junior year. We had a shower for her, and it was so great to see so many friends. Congrats Abby and Matthew! And, thanks for allowing me to be apart of the wedding, too! It was beautiful! (I wish I had some pictures from the wedding, but hopefully, I will be able to upload some later.)
Some of us got pedicures beforehand at Aqua the Day Spa in Ridgeland.
The group of us at the shower.
Leslie, Abby, me and Juliana....Room 211 Delta Gamma House...and Abner's every Sunday...I miss these girls!
We spent July 4th visiting MaMaw, Kelli, and Brianna in Columbus. It was a weekend full of good food and Hayden's first experience with fireworks...at least that he can remember. He was in awe and sat in my lap the whole time just as still as could be. He also was all about the watermelon at the fireworks show. I didn't get any good pictures of the fireworks, but they were great.
My friend, Abby, recently got married. Abby was my room-mate when we lived in the sorority house junior year. We had a shower for her, and it was so great to see so many friends. Congrats Abby and Matthew! And, thanks for allowing me to be apart of the wedding, too! It was beautiful! (I wish I had some pictures from the wedding, but hopefully, I will be able to upload some later.)
Some of us got pedicures beforehand at Aqua the Day Spa in Ridgeland.
The group of us at the shower.
Leslie, Abby, me and Juliana....Room 211 Delta Gamma House...and Abner's every Sunday...I miss these girls!
We spent July 4th visiting MaMaw, Kelli, and Brianna in Columbus. It was a weekend full of good food and Hayden's first experience with fireworks...at least that he can remember. He was in awe and sat in my lap the whole time just as still as could be. He also was all about the watermelon at the fireworks show. I didn't get any good pictures of the fireworks, but they were great.
Give me some of that watermelon, Mom!
He was all about it!
We went for a trip to Jellystone water park in Pelahatchie. It was packed, but we still had a great time. I terrified Hayden. He was all about going down the slide when we got there. He and I climbed up, I let him slide down, and I went down behind him....only I didn't wait long enough and barreled right into him. It terrified him for a while, but he still loved it!
Gran sliding with Hayden
Lindsey taking him for a ride.
By the end of the trip, he was brave enough to try it again on his own.
CAUTION! This part includes material that is kind of gross. Right before his two year old birthday, Hayden started going backwards on his sleep. He wasn't really wanting to go down easily for naps or bedtime. Although I thought I would switch him over to his toddler bed when he turned two, I wasn't sure he was ready for it. Well, about a week before his birthday, I had to get ready for it. I had put Hayden down for his nap, and he was crying. I went in there to get on to him and tell him to sleep, but he continued crying. I decided to let him cry it out, and sure enough, he got quiet. He woke up a few hours later and was crying again.
I went in to his room to find quite a surprise. Hayden had taken his diaper off many times before and made messes with poo poo, but he had never managed to take off his shorts. Well, on this particular day, he had taken off both his shorts and his diaper. He had poo-pooed (sorry, gross...I know) and had rubbed it everywhere....on his crib, wall, dropped it out of the crib, you get the picture. He was like, "Mess! Clean it up." So, I began cleaning it up and preparing him for a bath. About that time, he bounded both legs over the crib for the first time and was like, "Woa!" Woa, indeed. He had poo-poo all over himself, taken off his shorts for the first time, and he was escaping his bed for the first time. I cleaned him up and put him back in his crib. Over it he went again, so Chris and I changed him over to a toddler bed that night.
We made a really big deal out of his new "big boy bed." He did great with it and went right to sleep. He did great for about a week until the newness wore off and he discovered he could play with his toys anytime he wanted. Well, after a week of that and getting spanked when he got out of bed (I know, we are mean parents), he started sleeping well again. I have been so proud of him, and he is so proud of himself.
He especially loves saying prayers before he goes to bed, but now, he wants to say them before his naps, too. Of course, this involves Chris or I saying his prayers for him, but he is so cute when he goes into his room, sits beside his bed, and puts his little hands together. He even said his own prayers today in the car...prayers to thank God for Kritiker (his cousin) and pizza and Kritiker and night and Kritiker and Moma and Kritiker and Dada and Kritiker and sandcastles and Kritiker...you get the idea...He loves Kristopher, his cousin. Kristopher is definitely duly prayed for by Hayden today.
Fast asleep his first night in his big boy bed
The only casualty of war that first night
He wanted to take a picture in his bed. This one is one of my favorites!
As he put each animal in the bed, he said “night, night” to them. Night, night elephant. Night, night teddy. Night, night froggy. It was so cute!
On July 22nd, we celebrated Hayden's two year old birthday! We celebrated on his birthday by taking him to Pump It Up in Flowood, MS. They have all kinds of inflatable jumpy things, and Hayden had a blast. Chris was able to take off work that morning to come, and Gran came, too. Chris and I also celebrated by taking Hayden to see his very first movie in the theatre the weekend before his birthday….Toy Story 3. Hayden is all about Buzz and Woody.
For some strange reason, I decided it would be a great idea to make Hayden’s birthday cake this year…complete with fondant decorations and homemade buttercream frosting. I really love making cheesecakes and cookies and thought I would enjoy doing a birthday cake, too. I also thought it would be cheaper than paying someone else to make the cake for me. Wrong on all thoughts! I definitely didn’t enjoy the process, and it definitely wasn’t cheaper after I ended up buying all the supplies I needed. I guess it would be cheaper if you made a lot of cakes over time, but this is going to be my first and last experience with fondant. The entire process was about 6 weeks including planning time, deciding what the cake would look like, making fondant, making the decorations, etc. Oh well! At least I tried it to see if I liked it. Next year, I will pay someone like $1,000 to make Hayden’s birthday cake for me. It is worth it not to go through the headache. Cheesecakes and cookies are definitely more my thing.
We celebrated Hayden’s actual birthday on July 24th (also our 6 year anniversary) at Gran’s house. We did a Madagascar themed party, because Hayden loves the movie, Madagascar. We grilled out hotdogs and hamburgers, opened presents, ate cake, and went for a swim. Brianna joined Hayden, Gran, Lindsey, and I for a swim in the pond. It was a fun day all around. Chris and I bought Hayden a battery powered John Deere tractor. Hayden is so proud of his tractor. He hasn’t gotten the complete hang of it, but he wants to ride it like every day.
Oh, and by the way, after the whole headache of the cake, I was actually pretty pleased with how it turned out. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it tasted good and could have been much uglier for sure. Hayden definitely enjoyed the cake, and I guess that is all that matters. You’ll see the pictures of the cake. The cake was frosted in buttercream with fondant polka dots, a fondant #2, and fondant stars shooting out. I ordered the Madagascar characters from the internet.
I guess the last big event of the summer was a trip to the beach. We usually go to Orange Beach, but due to the oil situation this year, we decided to move the trip a little bit down the coast to Destin, FL. Hayden rode to the beach with my mom, because I was in my friend Abby’s wedding…and Chris and I left straight for the beach after the wedding. We got to Destin around midnight, and we found out the next morning that Chris’ grandmother had passed away. This is his paternal grandmother who lived in Gadsden. I was so sad to hear of her passing but was glad that she no longer had to suffer. She had been on dialysis for kidney failure for several months, had recently broken a hip and had surgery, and most recently found out that she had colon cancer. We were expecting her to live a little longer, but we definitely weren’t surprised to hear of her passing.
Due to her death, Chris and I cut our trip to the beach a little short…but we still made the most of the day and half we were there. Hayden did great on the beach and really loved the sand. He loved building sandcastles and even rode some waves on a boogie board. He had a little sinus infection while we were there, so he had to take breathing treatments. There is a really cute picture of him asleep during his treatment. My favorite part of the trip was going to Fudpucker’s for lunch the day we left. They had alligators that you could feed, and our family took a picture with an alligator. Hayden definitely didn’t want to get too close to the alligator.
Yes, that is a real alligator Gran is holding. And, yes....there is definitely tape around his mouth.
Chris and I left from Destin for the funeral in Gadsden, AL. God worked out all the details for us, though…of course! Chris had his suit since we came straight from Abby’s wedding. I had some black heels since I was an attendant in the wedding, and I even brought a black dress in case Chris and I wanted to go out to eat while we were in Destin for our anniversary. My mom was able to take Hayden back with her so that we didn’t put Hayden through tons more driving and a funeral. God is so good! His grandmother will definitely be missed but left a wonderful Christian legacy behind. I was so glad we went to visit earlier in the year so Hayden could see her. That was probably one of her last good days. God really is good!
So, you can see that the summer was full of fun and was very busy. Don’t forget to post a comment, and hopefully, this will motivate me to blog more often! Sorry for the long post!
Chris and I left from Destin for the funeral in Gadsden, AL. God worked out all the details for us, though…of course! Chris had his suit since we came straight from Abby’s wedding. I had some black heels since I was an attendant in the wedding, and I even brought a black dress in case Chris and I wanted to go out to eat while we were in Destin for our anniversary. My mom was able to take Hayden back with her so that we didn’t put Hayden through tons more driving and a funeral. God is so good! His grandmother will definitely be missed but left a wonderful Christian legacy behind. I was so glad we went to visit earlier in the year so Hayden could see her. That was probably one of her last good days. God really is good!
So, you can see that the summer was full of fun and was very busy. Don’t forget to post a comment, and hopefully, this will motivate me to blog more often! Sorry for the long post!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Long Time, Huh?
Long time, no see! I haven't posted since I posted our Christmas pictures, so needless to say, this post is long overdue! Around February, I began travelling much more so I could get all of my days done in the school district I was working in this year. I went from travelling two days a week to just about every day. So, my blogging went to the wayside because of the travelling. I finished all of my travelling for the school year at the end of March, but I guess I've spent the last month just recovering from travelling back and forth so much.
The bad news was that I had to travel so much, but the good news is definitely that I am done with all of my travelling for the school year and have been home with Hayden every day since the end of March. It has been so wonderful being at home with him every day...adventurous and busy and tiring but such a blessing!
Speaking of Hayden, he is 21 months old and has changed so much since my last post. He talks up a storm and learns new things every day. He really hardly ever is quiet and is such a ham. He loves animals, buses, trains, airplanes, Mickey Mouse (toodles), Pooh, and especially, his dog Gus. He and Gus play outside almost every day, or we will take Gus for a walk around the neighborhood (aka....tiring down Hayden so he will take a nap and/or sleep well at night). Right now, we are working on his numbers, colors, and shapes. I also bought him a potty yesterday at Wal Mart. Recently, he has been telling us that he needs to go potty, and a couple of times, he has successfully told us in time. I don't know that he is ready for potty training, but he went in his potty this morning...so we'll see how this goes. He also knows about Noah's Ark and Moses, and anytime, he sees angels, he says, "Jesus' angels." He has learned some of the blessing, too.
The other big news in our family is that we are selling our house. Yes, it is very unexpected. We built this home in 2008 and were expecting to stay in it for about 7 or 8 years, but God is just pointing us in a different direction right now due to financial and family reasons. We love this house, but it is just a house. It is For Sale By Owner, and our sign has been up for about 4 weeks now. We have a lot of ride-bys and people taking flyers, and we've had a few people come and look at it. God will direct the rest, and we are lucky to be in a good position where we don't have to sell but feel like it is the right thing to do.
So, I am posting a massive amount of posts to update everyone on what we have been doing. One of my friends told me recently that our Christmas pictures just weren't doing it for her anymore, so this should give y'all plenty of pictures to look at. There are five new posts below this one, so keep on reading after this! Once you get finished with our snow pictures, you are finished with the new posts.
By the way, my Mom (aka...Gran) recently started a blog of her own. It really is wonderful, and I hope you will visit it soon. Click here to visit her blog.
I'll try to do better with posting more frequently from now on! :o)
The bad news was that I had to travel so much, but the good news is definitely that I am done with all of my travelling for the school year and have been home with Hayden every day since the end of March. It has been so wonderful being at home with him every day...adventurous and busy and tiring but such a blessing!
Speaking of Hayden, he is 21 months old and has changed so much since my last post. He talks up a storm and learns new things every day. He really hardly ever is quiet and is such a ham. He loves animals, buses, trains, airplanes, Mickey Mouse (toodles), Pooh, and especially, his dog Gus. He and Gus play outside almost every day, or we will take Gus for a walk around the neighborhood (aka....tiring down Hayden so he will take a nap and/or sleep well at night). Right now, we are working on his numbers, colors, and shapes. I also bought him a potty yesterday at Wal Mart. Recently, he has been telling us that he needs to go potty, and a couple of times, he has successfully told us in time. I don't know that he is ready for potty training, but he went in his potty this morning...so we'll see how this goes. He also knows about Noah's Ark and Moses, and anytime, he sees angels, he says, "Jesus' angels." He has learned some of the blessing, too.
The other big news in our family is that we are selling our house. Yes, it is very unexpected. We built this home in 2008 and were expecting to stay in it for about 7 or 8 years, but God is just pointing us in a different direction right now due to financial and family reasons. We love this house, but it is just a house. It is For Sale By Owner, and our sign has been up for about 4 weeks now. We have a lot of ride-bys and people taking flyers, and we've had a few people come and look at it. God will direct the rest, and we are lucky to be in a good position where we don't have to sell but feel like it is the right thing to do.
So, I am posting a massive amount of posts to update everyone on what we have been doing. One of my friends told me recently that our Christmas pictures just weren't doing it for her anymore, so this should give y'all plenty of pictures to look at. There are five new posts below this one, so keep on reading after this! Once you get finished with our snow pictures, you are finished with the new posts.
By the way, my Mom (aka...Gran) recently started a blog of her own. It really is wonderful, and I hope you will visit it soon. Click here to visit her blog.
I'll try to do better with posting more frequently from now on! :o)
A Bunch of Random Stuff Lately
Like I said in my earlier post, we have been busy bees since I ended my work for the year, and I have absolutely loved my time at home with Hayden. The following are just some random events that have happened in the last several months that don't really fit into any other blog post.
Several months ago, I made another trip to Easely Amused. I had previously blogged about a trip with my Sunday School class where we painted some pumpkins. This time, the trip was with some women from our church, and we painted a paisley cross. I had heard that it was more difficult, so I was nervous...but I was pleasantly surprised that it actually turned out alright. I haven't hung my pictures anywhere in the house yet, since none of them really match our colors. Maybe, I will start an art gallery sometime soon. Hehehe....just kidding, of course.
He was just getting started right here.
You can probably tell how soaked he is here.
Several months ago, I made another trip to Easely Amused. I had previously blogged about a trip with my Sunday School class where we painted some pumpkins. This time, the trip was with some women from our church, and we painted a paisley cross. I had heard that it was more difficult, so I was nervous...but I was pleasantly surprised that it actually turned out alright. I haven't hung my pictures anywhere in the house yet, since none of them really match our colors. Maybe, I will start an art gallery sometime soon. Hehehe....just kidding, of course.
This was the goal picture that was painted by the Easely Amused staff.
This was my finished product. Pretty good, if I do say so myself. They really do make it so easy for you. The paisleys are just backwards sixes.
This was the entire group from Morrison Heights. Notice that one girl did different colors. Hers was for someone's nursery and turned out super cute! I couldn't get that brave, though.
Recently, Hayden had his first experience riding on those little moving animals you see in malls and shopping centers. Hayden, because of his great love for buses, had to ride the yellow bus first. He loves yellow buses. Next, he had to ride the "choo choo kain"...aka choo choo train. Finally, he had to ride the donkey. He said "hee haw" the entire ride.
We had a great Easter weekend. Hayden isn't quite old enough to understand the Easter bunny yet, and he doesn't like chocolate (is this really my kid?)...so the Easter bunny didn't bring a lot this year. I'm hoping he can understand a little more next year and especially that we can teach him what Easter is really all about....the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here is a family pic and a picture of Hayden's Easter basket.
Hayden loves water! Although he recently went on a little streak where he hated taking baths and screamed every time, he is loving them again. Every time he sees water while we are driving down the road, he has to tell us all about it. He can't quite get the "w" sound down, so water actually comes out as "lader." A few weeks ago, Chris and I went and got some yogurt at a place in Flowood called Berry Berry Good Frozen Yogurt. (Their yogurt is outstanding, by the way...the white chocolate is the best!) They have one of those frog fountains outside, where the water comes straight up from the concrete. Hayden went over to it, and it was on! He had a fabulous time getting soaking wet, pointing, splashing, and exclaiming "lader!" the entire time. He was so funny and cracked everyone up who was outside. I knew he would like it, but I had no idea he would get right into it and stick his face in it. Thankfully, we had a change of clothes.
He was just getting started right here.
You can probably tell how soaked he is here.
The next pictures are just random pictures.
This is from the Natural Science Museum. He looks like such a big boy here. Of course, he is a big boy. :o)
This was his first ride in one of the car buggies at Kroger. He drove us through all of Kroger.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A trip to the zoo
Hayden loves animals! I mean, this kid really loves animals. Since he was about 18 months, he has been enfatuated with learning animal names and knows more animal names than any other 21 month old I know. What kid knows what a bison is when they are 19 months old?
So, the first warmer weekend that we could, we took Hayden to the Jackson zoo. It was a wonderful trip, and Hayden loved it. The entire trip was just one long exlamation! "Giraffes!" "Elephants!" "Tigers!" He was so excited. There were some birds that scared him half to death, but other than that, he had a great time!
He even got to go in the petting zoo. There was one goat that laid in a swimming pool the entire time and let the kids brush him. Needless to say, Hayden isn't professional with his brushing technique and ended up half hitting the goat with the brush. Chris and I are convinced they must have given this goat some tranquilizers.
So, the first warmer weekend that we could, we took Hayden to the Jackson zoo. It was a wonderful trip, and Hayden loved it. The entire trip was just one long exlamation! "Giraffes!" "Elephants!" "Tigers!" He was so excited. There were some birds that scared him half to death, but other than that, he had a great time!
He even got to go in the petting zoo. There was one goat that laid in a swimming pool the entire time and let the kids brush him. Needless to say, Hayden isn't professional with his brushing technique and ended up half hitting the goat with the brush. Chris and I are convinced they must have given this goat some tranquilizers.
A Trip to Gadsden
In March of this year, our family took a trip to Gadsden, AL to see some of Chris' family. Hayden had never met any of the Gadsden family, so needless to say, it was a long overdue trip. We had a great trip, and it was so great to see so many family members. Chris has family members on both sides in the Gadsden area - his aunt, uncle, and cousins on his Mom's side and his grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins on his Dad's side. And, it was especially wonderful for Hayden to meet his great-grandmother. I was so thankful that he got to spend some time with her.
Here are some pictures from our trip, even though I wish I had taken more pictures. Chris and I took Hayden to Noccalula falls in Gadsden while we were there. The falls are beautiful, and Hayden especially loved all the ducks.
Here are some pictures from our trip, even though I wish I had taken more pictures. Chris and I took Hayden to Noccalula falls in Gadsden while we were there. The falls are beautiful, and Hayden especially loved all the ducks.
Mess!
Hayden really is a mess, figuratively and sometimes literally. He never ceases to crack me up every day and is such a joy each and every day. He has his times when he can be really hard-headed and throw his little fits, but most of the time, he is really sweet.
There is one thing that he really hates...messes. I guess he has watched me being a kind of neat freak, and I have rubbed off on him. He is really good about cleaning up his toys and doesn't like having a lot out at one time, so he will pick up a toy and take it back to his room while simultaneously singing the clean-up song. After every meal, he takes his napkin and tries to clean his mess off the table. And, he hates getting food on his hands and only wants to use a napkin once after wiping his hands. He is always picking up things off the floor and taking them to the garbage. He has been going outside a lot lately to play with Gus, and if he gets the slightest bit of dirt on his hands, he comes to the door holding up his hand and saying "mess!" I'm really going to have to teach him that it is good to be dirty, especially when you are a little boy.
Well, this particular "messy" event happened several months ago. I was feeding Hayden dinner and was simultaneously getting ready for Wednesday night bible study. As a parent, you always know that when everything is really quiet, it is time to get scared. Well, I was in the bathroom getting ready and noticed that Hayden was being unusally quiet. Well, I walked in the kitchen to find a nice surprise. Needless to say, Hayden had a great time with his potatoes. When I walked into the kitchen, he looked at me with the biggest smile and said, "Mess!" All I could do at that point was just laugh and grab the camera. Of course, he said, "Cheese!"
What a mess! :o)
There is one thing that he really hates...messes. I guess he has watched me being a kind of neat freak, and I have rubbed off on him. He is really good about cleaning up his toys and doesn't like having a lot out at one time, so he will pick up a toy and take it back to his room while simultaneously singing the clean-up song. After every meal, he takes his napkin and tries to clean his mess off the table. And, he hates getting food on his hands and only wants to use a napkin once after wiping his hands. He is always picking up things off the floor and taking them to the garbage. He has been going outside a lot lately to play with Gus, and if he gets the slightest bit of dirt on his hands, he comes to the door holding up his hand and saying "mess!" I'm really going to have to teach him that it is good to be dirty, especially when you are a little boy.
Well, this particular "messy" event happened several months ago. I was feeding Hayden dinner and was simultaneously getting ready for Wednesday night bible study. As a parent, you always know that when everything is really quiet, it is time to get scared. Well, I was in the bathroom getting ready and noticed that Hayden was being unusally quiet. Well, I walked in the kitchen to find a nice surprise. Needless to say, Hayden had a great time with his potatoes. When I walked into the kitchen, he looked at me with the biggest smile and said, "Mess!" All I could do at that point was just laugh and grab the camera. Of course, he said, "Cheese!"
What a mess! :o)
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