Three Feet Tall and Bullet Proof

Sweet Baby Miles

2010-07-12T10:53:00.006-05:00

Sweet Baby Miles is getting ready to have his first birthday. Although I haven't posted his monthly birthday pictures, I have taken them. So, here is Miles, new through 11 months.

Miles is doing all kinds of sweet baby stuff. He has six teeth. He did get his fangs (top incisors) first following in his big brother's footsteps. I'm not sure if I ever got a good, open-mouth picture of Miles' fangs. His top middle teeth started growing in more quickly than Ford's. So, I only had a small window of opportunity to photograph the fangs!

He's also jabbering often. I had the television on for Ford this weekend and a man on TV was putting on a cap. Miles looked at the TV, patted his head and said, "hah." He also looked at Sierra, our dog, and said, "dah." So, I THINK his first word is "dog". I also ask him where a hat goes and he pats his head. I thought this was pretty smart. But, now that's the answer to any question. Miles, where is your nose? and he pats his head!

He started moving a couple of months ago. He doesn't crawl, he scoots. It's really funny looking. But, as long as he's proficient at getting around, which he is, I don't think he'll ever crawl. My favorite part is that he moves one leg and pivots on his bottom to turn around. I'll try and post a video so you can actually see it since I'm not sure you can quite get it by my description.

In just a few short weeks, Miles will have his first birthday. My sweet baby will turn one-year-old and I'll be sure to post pictures of his special day. He is a such a blessing to our family!

Izzie's Ice

2010-07-11T19:15:00.007-05:00

We have a vendor who sat up shop just down the street from our house and they sell Italian ice. It's a cute little orange deal called Izzie's Ice with a lime for the wheel. We LOVE the Italian ice and go there way too often. My boys LOVE it! Cold and yummy for these hot July days!

Driving the wagon to get some Italian ice:

See the cute little lime on the wheel:

Ford said, "Mommy, this ice is yummy!"

Baby Miles saw my cup and started opening his mouth and flapping his arms like a baby bird:

Baby Miles just can't understand when it's all gone. Poor baby:

Spring Family Festival

2010-05-25T21:01:00.005-05:00

Every year, Ford's school has a Family Festival to raise money for the school. I am always amazed at all the work and creativity that goes into it. The volunteers work very hard to make it a fun and exciting for kids and parents alike. They have yummy SATCO (San Antonio Taco Company) for dinner, a silent auction complete with an art project by each class, pony rides, cotton candy...the works! I won't bore you with all the pictures I took of the cuteness. But, here are some of Ford having fun at the festival (say it three times really fast). This years theme was a circus.
Upon arriving, this is the ticket booth (can you stand it?):

Ford going down the huge slide outside:

Ford's awesome teachers made this picture to auction off:

Each child in the three year old playschool class is pictured. Here is a close up of Ford and some of his buddies:

The clown hat made at the craft station:

Our cute little elephant:

Sweet Baby Miles just taking it all in:

Ford with the face painting clown:

Puppy dog face:

He insisted on sleeping in his puppy face. Night, night puppy!

OK, I'm just going to pretend like I haven't taken a four month hiatus. Check back often in case I do something crazy and post again!

Happy 4th Birthday, Ford

2010-02-27T19:40:00.006-06:00

My first baby boy turned four on January 15th. It was a beautiful, unusually warm day on Ford's actual birthday. Scott took the day off and we spent the day at the zoo with Ford's friend, Noelle. That night we went to dinner at Kobe's Japanese Steak House.

My three year old:

My four year old:

Birthday pancakes:

Ford at the zoo:

Birthday lovin:

Family picture minus Miles:

Miles:

The Saturday after Ford's birthday, we had a big birthday party planned at Bounce U with lots of Ford's classmates and a random assortment of other friends. It was a huge hit!

Getting ready to charge. Bouncers beware!

Ford's precious cousins, Amelia and Luke:

My sister was brave enough to come even though she has NO children!

There was lots of running and screaming:

Ford's other cousin, Audrey Claire:

Cute little Emerson:

Miles being shy, Trina and Sweet Ellie girl:

Ford's BFF, Will:

Ford was a little intimidated by everyone staring at him:

On Sunday, Pawpaw aka Scott's dad, came over to deliver his presents:

Whew! It was a busy weekend. But, I think Ford had a great birthday weekend and got tons of loot. So, I think it was a huge success!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Part 2)

2010-01-14T19:39:00.006-06:00

The afternoon of Christmas Day, my brother and his family arrived at my mom and dad's and we all opened gifts. For dinner that night, we went to my Mamaw's house where ALL of my mom's family gets together every Christmas (27 of us in all). I've done this every year since I was one year old (my first Christmas I was one day old and still in the hospital).

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-01-11T21:46:00.010-06:00

Here's a look at our Christmas and my birthday in pictures!

Ford performing in his first Christmas program at church. They played the bells:

The conductor held up cards that had a color on them. When the card showed the color of their bell, that's how the kids knew when to ring their bell. Ford took his job very seriously:

I set the nativity out perfectly and this is how it ended up. Of course this is how it SHOULD look. They all came to see Baby Jesus:

Our stockings (four for us and three for the pets):

Our fat little reindeer:

Our Christmas tree.

My sweet boys:

On December 23rd, the girls came over to my house and surprised me with a birthday gift and yummy cupcakes. Abby couldn't join us, so we Skyped with her. It was so fun...like she was here was us. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these girls!

YUM!

The morning of the 24th before we left to go to Kentucky.

Opening birthday gifts with Ford and Miles.

I got a lot of amusement out of these antlers.

Trying to get the perfect Christmas picture. What you can't see in the picture is my mom trying to keep Miles from falling out of the chair.

Choke hold.

Putting out reindeer food for Santa's reindeer (oats and glitter).

Waking up on Christmas morning at my mom and dad's.

Checking out the loot.

December, 2009

2009-12-28T20:06:00.011-06:00

Here is a quick run down of what Ford has been up to this month.

Birthday party at friend Emma's:

"Reading" a Christmas book he made at school to Daddy (or Dada as Ford still calls him sometimes):

Lovin on his baby brother:

Not wanting his picture taken:

Bundled up:

Making a gingerbread house with Granny:

Can you tell how proud he is?

Hooprama birthday party for friend Noelle:

Ford in his first official performance ever. His class at school sang Star of Bethlehem in English AND French. Ford is behind the guy in the snowflake sweater:

My boys and me at the Christmas program:

Ford sticking his foot in front of the camera while I'm trying to get a cute shot of my boys:

Him thinking it's very funny to stick his foot in front of the camera:

Hanging Christmas lights with Daddy:

These are pictures of everything in December except for our actual Christmas with Santa and family. I'll end with a few cute ones of Miles.
Showing his love for the Titans:

How reflux babies play on activity mats:

Sitting in his Bumbo seat:

What is that black thing?

Have you ever seen cuter thunder thighs?

Miles is Four Months Old (and Almost Five!)

2009-12-28T19:33:00.003-06:00

I see a trend with my blog happening. It seems that I am always apologizing for not posting often enough. I've decided that I sound like a broken record, so I'm going to stop apologizing. Please don't give up on me and please continue to check in on my blog. Who knows, maybe I'll take the time to blog more frequently!

Miles turned four months old on December 2nd. He got a great well check up at our visit to the pediatrician. He continues to be on two medications for reflux and special (expensive and stinky) formula. It's pretty obvious that he still has reflux issues and needs to be on the medication for now. He recently outgrew his dose and was spitting up and crying in pain. The doctor said we will try and take him off of one of the medications at six months and see how he does. We can also try and switch formula then. He also has a blocked tear duct. If it doesn't correct itself by nine months, he'll have to have a minor sugery/procedure. Other than those two things, he is extremely healthy! Praise the Lord!

Scott and I are amazed at what a good baby he is. He is so content and really only cries when he is hungry or really tired. He always has a smile to offer us! He has started baby talking and it is the cutest thing. He just squeals and laughs all the time. He is such a blessing! Here are some pictures of our sweet, sweet four month old. These are almost a month old, so I'll need to post five month pictures soon!

In other cute baby news, Miles is grabbing his feet now and putting them in his mouth:

We found out about a new bed you can get for reflux babies. It's called a Nap Nanny and this is what it looks like. Miles is able to sleep comfortably in the Nap Nanny IN his crib:

Since I do have another child, here is a picture of Ford with Papa, Granny and Miles on a recent trip to Kentucky:

Ford is getting ready to celebrate another birthday in January...the big "4". We had a wonderful Christmas and Ford got lots and lots of new toys. We've had a very busy December and I really will be posting pictures so you can see what Ford has been up to!

Sweet Baby Miles

2009-11-17T21:25:00.005-06:00

My, oh my! Time just flies and I can't seem to make myself sit down to create a post. It requires too much thought and I can't seem to keep my thoughts straight since Miles came along!

Miles turned three months old on November 2nd. It also marked colic being over. His evening crying started to taper off as he was nearing three months old. And, darn if it didn't just stop by November 2nd. Praise God! He has also turned into the sweetest little baby. I will hear him waking up in the morning and I'll look in on him and he'll just give me the BIGGEST smile. He does cry when he's overly tired or when his reflux is bothering him, but unlike his older brother was, he's consolable. And, we've been putting him to bed between 7:00 and 7:30 and he goes to sleep! He wakes up to eat during the night, but will go back to sleep afterward. Now I see why all these people swear by the book Babywise.

Ford is doing great and we have been really busy this fall. Hopefully, I'll post some of our fall pictures before it's time to post Christmas pictures!

Two Months Old

2009-10-26T10:28:00.003-05:00

One Month Down, 215 to Go

2009-09-07T17:11:00.003-05:00

OK, this is an unfinished post that I started a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to go ahead and post this, before Miles turns two months old!

Whew. Having a newborn baby doesn't lend itself to a lot of free time for blog entries. If you read my last post, we are trying to survive colic and painful reflux. Some of the things we have tried seem to be helping some with Miles' reflux. We just hope and pray that we will find a medication that works well and/or that he'll outgrow it extremely quickly. Either of those options would offer all of us relief. Colic, well, we'll just try and tough it out until November 2nd. Our doctor says that fussiness peeks at six weeks and then tends to taper off after that. Ford defied the law of averages. We can only hope that Miles will fall into the average category where the fussiness is concerned.

I do apologize for not posting more pictures sooner. For all of you friends and family that live far away, I'll try and do better.

Reflux and Colic and Crying, Oh My

2009-08-28T08:21:00.002-05:00

If you've talked to me for more than five minutes about when Ford was a baby, then you know that he cried all the time. He had reflux and colic and would start crying at 10:00 am and cry until 10:00/11:00/12/00 in the evening.

We were prayful and hopeful that our new baby boy wouldn't have reflux and colic and that he would be a calm and happy baby. Everyone I know has prayed this on our behalf. But, God didn't chose to answer that prayer the way we had hoped. Don't get me wrong. We are blessed that Miles is healthy. However, he has been diagnosed with reflux and yesterday at the doctor's office, Dr. Heil said the "C" word...colic.

I don't think there is any way to put into words what this is like. Taking care of any newborn is exhausting and challenging. When you throw in the baby crying constantly and not sleeping unless being bounced/held/rocked/strolled, it's even more wxhausting and challenging. As a parent, you go back and forth with feeling sorry for the little guy and just wanting him to shut up.

Having experienced this before, Scott and I do know that colic ends eventually. But, November 2nd seems like an eternity away. The days and nights seem to drag on when all you do is try to console, mostly unsuccessfully, a screaming baby. I just get to a point where my arms are tired and I just can't hold or bounce him any longer.

We are trying several different things to try and help with the reflux. As the doctor said, there is no magic medicine that will cure reflux. We are prayful and hopeful that one or some of the things we are trying will help.

Welcome to the World, Baby Boy

2009-08-11T19:28:00.005-05:00

We welcomed our second baby boy, Miles Chandler, into the world at 6:17 pm on August 2nd. He weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces and was 20 inches long. We are thrilled to have this new addition to our family. Ford is a very proud big brother!

Pamela Stafford Stout

2009-07-24T19:12:00.004-05:00

My cousin, Pam, lost a nearly two year battle with cancer today. She was 56. She was loved and will be missed. Especially by her husband Brian, her daughter, Shelby, her mother and her siblings (pictured). May she rest in peace.

Julia, Greg, Joy, Mike and Pam (seated):

June part 1

2009-07-19T07:55:00.007-05:00

We've been busy this summer. Here are some of the fun things we were up to the first part of June. We met a bunch of friends at the sprayground to play in the water. Thanks for inviting us, Shannon!
Kate and Ford:

For some reason, Ford thought he needed goggles for the sprayground:

Playing the sprinklers:

Becca and Ford:

On June 13th, Ford's friend, Tyner, turned four. We were invited to their house for a cowboy birthday party complete with a hot dog roast! (It was after this party that we had to go to the emergency room for the second time).

Red icing from the birthday cake:

We had been invited to the Pewitt's house for a cookout on that same night. So, AFTER the emergency room trip, we went to their house for the cookout. It was good for us to be around my sweet girlfriends and their husbands after a scary afternoon.

My sweet friends (not a great picture of me. I was a little bit stressed out):

Will and Ford cracking each other up:

Mary Ann told us about a kid's club they have at Opry Mills Mall. It's $5.00 to join for the year and they have activities for the kids about once a month. In June they had a tour of The Rainforest Cafe.

We stayed and played at the bookstore afterward.

Our cute boys:

Ford "reading" a book:

Since Ford was so brave at the emergency room, we gave him a batman backpack. He LOVES it:

These are some of the things we did the first part of June (along with a trip to Tampa and two visits to the ER that I have already posted). Now, I'll try and get caught up for the rest of the summer!

Father's Day

2009-07-15T20:09:00.005-05:00

Pawpaw opening his gifts:

Ford helping Pawpaw open his gifts:

Pawpaw, Ford and Scott:

Pawpaw, Ford and Rona:

My boys:

Fifth of July

2009-07-15T19:00:00.004-05:00

I don't like to post things out of chronological order. However, since I haven't done many posts in the last month, I'm just going to try and let you know what's been going on. Forgive me if everything is out of order.

As I said in an earlier post, I was sick the week before the Fourth of July. On the fifth, I was starting to feel better, finally, but still not 100%. Scott's brother, Brad, and his girlfriend, Liz, were coming through town on the fifth and we had planned to get together with Brad, Liz, Scott's Dad and Rona. I wasn't much of a hostess, but thanks to my sweet husband and Rona, we had some great food. Scott smoked ribs and chicken on the smoker and Rona brought all the side dishes. I did get it together enough to make dessert, though.

Brad did live in New York and was passing through Nashville because he is moving to California. We don't get to visit with him nearly as often as we would like. But, we loved that we got to visit with Liz and him.

Scott working away on the smoker. I wasn't able to eat the ribs, but everyone else LOVED them. I did eat the chicken and it was amazingly good. Scott is an excellent cook:

Brad and his cute, sweet girlfriend, Liz. This was our first time to meet her:

Scott's Dad, Tom:

Uncle Brad and Ford:

Uncle Brad and Ford making funny faces together:

That night when Scott was putting Ford to bed, they were saying prayers. Scott asked Ford what he was thankful for today. Ford said making funny faces with Uncle Brad. So cute!

Even though I wasn't feeling up to par, we loved getting to spend the "fourth" with Scott's family.

Showered with Love

2009-07-15T08:19:00.007-05:00

My sweet, sweet "Nashville" girlfriends hosted a shower (they called it a "sprinkle" since it's my second baby) for me on Saturday. They are precious friends and I felt so loved by them and all of the sweet ladies who attended. I certainly didn't expect to get anything more than diapers. But, I got some really cute clothes (I was planning on putting Ford's hand-me-downs on our new little guy-- but now he has some new duds) among a few other things. I feel so blessed!

Everything looked beautiful and the food was wonderful. Thanks to all the girls for all of their hard work to make me feel special.

Me and the beautiful hostesses. Jennifer(Jones), Mary Ann, Abby and Jennifer(Nichols):

My sister Leigh Ann, me and my mom:

Libby and Ella:

Jennifer, Joy and Lori:

Renee and Mimi:

Rona, Suzanne and Jaime (a big thanks to Jaime for letting me borrow the dress I had on at the shower):

Leigh Ann and Virginia:

Lee and Renee:

Leave of Absence

2009-07-11T08:55:00.002-05:00

I know that I'm a slacker when it comes to posting on my blog. But, there is a pretty good reason why I haven't posted for three weeks. I was sick last week.

I started feeling pretty lousy on Saturday, June 27th. I thought I was having a reoccurrance of morning sickness and I was having trouble eating. That continued until Tuesday, June 30th. I had an appointment with my OB/GYN on that day and when I went in he said I was dehydrated and I had a virus that had been going around. He said I needed to go to the hosptial to get an IV to replenish my fluids. UGH! No wonder I wasn't feeling well.

Apparently, and much to my dismay, it sometimes takes longer to get over these things when you are pregnant. It made for a L-O-N-G and terrible week for me. I simply couldn't eat or drink, was very weak and ended up having to go to the hospital on Thursday for another IV. Finally, on Monday (more than seven days later) I was feeling pretty normal again. I was still nauseous in the morning and for lunch, but I could eat again and felt fine by dinner time.

I was blessed to have help. Scott, my sister and Scott's dad and Rona were a huge help. I was basically in bed all week and they made sure that Ford was cared for and they also took care of me. Scott and my sister went above and beyond what I ever could have asked. I don't think I would have made through the week without them.

I have lots fun things to post about, but I thought I'd just give you a head's up to where I've been. Also, if you'll notice the little bird at the top of the page, only 28 more days until Baby Brother arrives. It's both scary and exciting!

Sweet Big Brother

2009-06-17T17:20:00.006-05:00

I was telling my mom that the baby was kicking. Ford came over and started singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to my belly. So, so sweet.

Double Trouble

2009-06-17T16:28:00.006-05:00

We had a busy Saturday planned on the 13th. Ford's friend, Tyner, had a birthday party that morning and then we were going to the Pewitts for a cook out after Ford's nap.

We got home from the party and put Ford down for his nap. I was in the middle of making a side and some cookies to take to the cookout when I heard Ford scream. The first time Ford yelled, I wasn't sure something was wrong. The second time he yelled, I KNEW something was wrong.

I went running into Ford's room to see him crying, standing up in his bed with his hand over his left eye, and blood on his face. Of course, when you see your child bleeding like that, it's scary. All I could think was, "Oh, Lord. Not again." He said he fell and hit his head on one of the spindles of his iron bed.

I grabbed Ford up and took him to the bathroom to assess his wound, calling for Scott on the way. After applying pressure, it stopped bleeding and we were able to see how bad it was. He had a cut over his left eyebrow that looked like it needed stitches. It wasn't as bad as his cut last week, but we still thought it was hospital worthy. I called Ford's pediatrian and we were advised to go to Vanderbilt Children's Hosptial to the ER. On a Saturday afternoon one week later, we were headed to the ER, AGAIN.

I had mentioned last week that it was probably a blessing that we had to go to the ER at Indian Rocks Beach. The hospital was small and there wasn't much going on that was traumatic in the ER, for which we were thankful. However, our experience at VCH was equally pleasant (for an ER visit). This visit took longer, but only because they put a numbing gel on Ford's wound that had to stay on for 45 minutes.

Once again, Ford was brave and composed. He only cried when the doctor put in the stitches. But, he stayed still the whole time. The staff couldn't believe that he had staples that were put in last week. The doctor checked out his injury from last week and decided he could save us a trip to Ford's pediatrian and removed the staples(one perk to our ER visit).

Since Louie works for an HCA hospital, last week, he asked what hospital ER we would have gone to had we been in Nashville. To answer Louie's question, whatever hospital our pediatrician recommends.

I actually had my camera, so here are some pictures.

Ford with his numbing gel bandage:

Louie, one advantage at the children's hospital is they have TVs in the room:

Watching the Disney Channel was a great distraction:

Once again, I hope this isn't too gory to post. Ford's three stitches:

After the stitches, waiting to be released:

We survived another Saturday afternoon at the hospital. We were even released early enough to still attend the cookout at Mary Ann and Jason's house (I think we were at the hospital for one hour and 45 minutes total). Ford played with Will just like nothing had ever happened. Kids seem to bounce back from this kind of thing more quickly than the parents! Scott and I were worn out and went to bed early that night.

Note*

2009-06-17T16:05:00.003-05:00

*I started a post about our trip to Tampa on June 10th. I just published it. So, scroll down past the ER posts to see that post. There are lots of cute pictures!

ER Visit #2

2009-06-13T21:44:00.003-05:00

I'm too tired to write an entire post right now. But, yes, it's true. We had to go to the ER again this afternoon. Ford fell and hit his head on his bed and it made a gash above his left eyebrow. Three stitches later, we're home. I'm starting to think we're jinxed! More later about this ER visit AND a post about our trip to Tampa.

I Will Try to Fix You

2009-06-10T14:04:00.008-05:00

During our visit with the Caputos, we decided to go spend the night at the Indian Rocks Beach for one night. Abby and Louie have some friends that they rent a condo from often. It's just easier with all of our little kids to have a homebase to go to, if need be.

Once we got to the beach, we went to an early dinner. We got back to the condo in time for the kids to play on the beach for a little bit. Ford and Cati got in the water with their clothes on and played in the waves. Ford was lying down in the sand and having a ball.

When it was time to go in, we headed tot he condo and decided all of the sandy kids needed a bath. Scott was helping Ford get ready for his shower when I heard Scott scream for me to come there. Ford had gotten in the shower, slipped, fell backward and hit the back of his head on the shower threshold. When I got back there, Ford was screaming and Scott was holding his head and said he had a big gash in it. We put a towel over it to try and stop the bleeding and then I asked Scott if we needed to go to the hospital. He said he thought so. I looked and agreed. We threw one of Scott's tee shirts on Ford and headed out the door. We told Ford he had a boo boo that Mommy and Daddy couldn't fix and we needed to go to the hospital so the doctor could fix it.

If we learned one valuable lesson from all of this, it's to always find out where the nearest hospital is when you go out of town. Thankfully, Louie works for an HCA hospital and knew the name of the closest one. Scott was holding Ford in the back seat and looked up the hosptial on the GPS and I drove us there. Thankfully, Ford's head quit bleeding and he quit crying before we got the hospital.

We arrived at the emergency room in nine minutes. And, as far as an ER visit can go, it was as pleasant as it could have been. The hospital was small, so the ER wasn't crowded. The only staff people I saw were the three that helped us...the admin guy that checked us in, the nurse and the doctor.

The nurse was named Chris and he had to be a surfer. He was about as laid back as they come. I told him that I knew he did this all the time, but this was our three year old and our first trip to the ER, so please just keep that in mind. He was really nice and confirmed that Ford needed stitches. While we were waiting on the doctor, we called the Caputos to let them know Ford was going to be okay. Poor little Catalina was so upset about Ford. We let Ford talk to her so he could tell her he was okay. The doctor was just going to put some "band-aids" on his boo boo.

Nurse Chris got the doctor, the doctor came in, assessed Ford's injury and then told us what was going to happen. Ford had a 2.5 cm cut and it needed three or four staples. He explained that staples work better in the scalp than stitches. Since Ford wasn't crying anymore, my next question was if getting staples hurt. He said the shot to numb it hurts because it stings, but he shouldn't feel pain from the staples, just pressure.

Scott held Ford and I talked to him about popsicles when he got his shot and staples. Poor guy. I know it hurt and I think maybe it didn't get numbed all the way, because he winced and cried when he got his staples, too. He said the "clicks" hurt him (that's the sound the staple gun made). Ford was soooooooooooo brave. We couldn't believe how well he did and how little he cried. He got stickers from the nurse and some latex gloves to take home. We stopped at the store on the way home to get our brave boy a popsicle and a balloon. I think we were to the hosptial and back to the condo within an hour and a half. As far as ER visits go, I can't complain.

Here is the shower where Ford slipped and hit his head:

This picture was taken 24 hours later, but here is a picture of Ford's staples. It looks MUCH better than it did the night before, so I hope it's not too gory to post:

Here is a picture that Scott took with his phone in the ER. I was telling Ford about his "band-aids" (oh, and we did remember to bring Ford a change of clothes before we left the condo for the hospital):

Poor little Ford couldn't get his staples wet for 24 hours, so it made playing on the beach the next day challenging. He JUST wanted to get in the water and play. But, once again, he was a champ and did extremely well remembering not to get his boo boo wet.

The hardest part for me was knowing that something had happened to Ford and I couldn't fix it. It's a pretty scary and helpless feeling for a parent. We do praise God that it wasn't worse than it was and that Ford didn't have a concussion. And, also that Ford handled it so well and that the ER visit went smoothly. We also pray that we never have to see the inside of an ER again!

Trip to Tampa

2009-06-10T13:59:00.011-05:00

This past week, we headed to Tampa to visit some of our favorite friends, The Caputos. Abby and Louie adopted and brought home their third child, Max, in November. We had yet to meet him, so we felt it was time to meet him and visit with the rest of the family. I think between Scott and me we took 300+ pictures. I'll spare you the bulk of them and just post some of my favorites.

Abby and Louie were wonderful hosts. We can't thank them enough for entertaining us and for letting us come and turn their schedule and house upside down. We only had one mishap for which I've created a whole separate post (See "Fix You" post). Other than that, we had a wonderful time with our dear, dear friends. Oh, and if you read Abby's blog, my apologies for using many of the same pictures.

Our little cutie pies. It's hard to believe in less than four years we've gone from zero to four-and-three quarters kids:

Cati and Ford hit it off. Here they are watching tv:

On Friday, Cati went to school and Abby, Scott, me and the boys went to The Aquarium:

That evening, we went to Abby and Louie's favorite pizza place. YUM!

Gussy and Cati:

Cute Baby Max:

On Saturday, we went to a condo at the beach. Here are pictures from Saturday afternoon. We played on the beach after dinner at Guppy's.

On the top bunk at the condo:

Family picture at Guppy's:

Cati and Ford had a blast running and playing in the ocean together:

My sweet friend and me (I love that Cati and Ford are in the background):

These next two pictures crack me up. Ford and Cati look like they are posing for prom:

Here they are being love birds again. So sweet:

I couldn't leave without getting a picture of the pups. I found Abby's dog, Murphy, and our dog, Griffin, at the same time when they were puppies:

This next picture makes me laugh, too. Doc looks like he's posing for a senior picture:

Abby and her sweet boys, Gus and Max:

I have some more pictures to post from our Sunday at the beach. There were so many cute ones, I thought I should create a separate post. We had such a wonderful time visiting our sweet friends. We miss them already and can't wait to see them again!

The Month of May

2009-05-30T20:41:00.009-05:00

We've had lots of fun this May. Here is a little glimpse at the past month.

One Saturday morning, we met our friends, the Johnsons, for breakfast at the Pfunky Griddle. The Pfunky Griddle is a little breakfast place where you make your own pancakes with your choice of toppings.
Scott and Ford:

Waiting on the pancakes:

The kids:

My sweet friend Renee and me:

On another Saturday, we met some members of our church community group to have a play date with the kids. There's a church in Nashville, Christ Church, that has a very cool indoor play area that anybody can use. The kids had a blast.

After the playing at the church, we went for ice cream:

Strawberry season is upon us. One day, Mary Ann, Will, Ford and I went to a strawberry patch to pick strawberries.

The highlight on my month was getting to meet my friend's triplets for the first time. The triplets were born on December 13th and were in the hospital for several months. For the safety of their health, no visitors except for immediate family could visit. They were given the green light to have guests this month! Look at these sweet babies!
Nola Kate:

Maddux Lee:

Luce Reese:

Scott got to take a trip to his college town for a fraternity brother's wedding. Here is a picture of Scott and some of his buddies. Scott isn't able to get back and see them much. I'm happy for him that he was able to go and have a fun time at the wedding with all of his friends.

Ford just hanging out looking cute (I'm a little bias):

Every now and then, I'll sneak into Ford's room and take a picture of Ford sleeping:

I'm not sure what happened to his pants here:

Ford and his sweet smile:

On Friday, we went to the pool with Mary Ann and Will. It was a little bit cool and the sun didn't shine. But, the boys didn't seem to mind and had so much fun playing together. Yeah for three year olds!
Ford and his goggles:

I don't know if you can see, but the boys have mototcycles. They are driving them up the pool ramp, motorcycle sounds and all.

Buddies:

Rest time at the pool:

Ford resting on the couch with his "friends" after a long, fun day at the pool:

In house news, our newest renovation was adding a patio. The patio is in, but we still need to landscape around it. I'll post some before and after pictures when we are finished.

Then and Now

2009-05-26T19:10:00.004-05:00

Almost two years ago I started this blog. My first post was our trip to visit Grana and Papa Forest in North Carolina. I took some similar pictures this time to show you how much Ford has grown.

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T14:06:00.017-05:00

For Memorial Day Weekend, we went to visit Grana and Papa Forest in North Carolina. As usual, we had a wonderful weekend and a nice visit with them. There was also one other perk. I recently got back in touch with one of my old roommates, Taryn (gotta love Facebook). She lives in Asheville, just 20 miles from Scott's mom. We were able to meet her out for dinner one night and I got to meet her sweet family. Since my last post was so long, I'll just post lots of pictures with captions from our weekend. Oh, and here is my disclaimer...Both Scott and Ford love the color green and therefore have several shirts that are green. I rarely wear green, but I happen to have two maternity shirts that are green. Hence the seemingly matching shirts again.

Grana's dog, Ty, giving Ford kisses.

I think it's crazy how much Scott and Ford look alike.

Hanging out at the pool.

Grana and Ford at the pool.

Wiped out.

On Friday night, we went to dinner at some friends of Cindy and Forest. Their daughter, her husband and three-year-old son, Will, were there visiting. Their house is within walking distance to this beautiful waterfall. We took the boys fishing at the waterfall and took some cool pictures. Will and Ford became fast friends.

Waiting patiently to fish.

Fishing with Papa Forest.

Playing shuffle board with Will.

Goodbye hugs.

Driving the boat.

Mommy and Ford on the lake.

Playing on the playset at the beach.

Grana and Ford at the beach.

Walking on the beach.

Playing in the sand.

This picture isn't very clear, but we saw a mama duck and her babies. Look how little and cute they are!

We also saw deer on the way home from the lake.

For Mother's Day, Ford made Grana a stepping stone for her garden. Ford got to help put it in her garden while we were there.

Ford eating breakfast. I just think he looks cute here.

Ford and cute little Sienna.

My friend, Taryn, and her sweet babies with Ford and me. My, how times have changed!

Top Ten

2009-04-30T14:51:00.007-05:00

I was having dinner with my sweet girlfriends, Mary Ann and Jennifer (Jones), not too long ago. Jennifer has new babies and we were asking about them and she was glowingly talking about them. She said she felt like she was bragging and mentioned that neither Mary Ann nor I seem to go on and on about our boys (bragging). Of course, Ford is a major topic in any conversation I have with anyone because spending time with and caring for him is predominantly what I do.

I'm around so many mommies with a child Ford's age, that I try not to talk about all of the things he can do either a) because her child can probably do the exact same things, OR b) because I wouldn't want to make her feel badly if Ford could do something and her child couldn't.

Those are a couple of reasons. Probably a bigger reason is because Ford and I got off to a rocky start. It's no secret that Ford cried ALL THE TIME when he was an infant...colic and reflux. He started taking medication for reflux eventually and outgrew colic and STILL he cried all the time. He was moody and fussy until between two and two and a half. So, what in the world did I have to brag about? I just didn't get the camera out when he was screaming and if I did, I didn't post those pictures on my blog.

Why am I writing all of this? Because I'm Ford's mommy and I should brag on my sweet son sometimes. So, here it goes. I'm bragging about Ford!

1. Ford is empathetic. I heard another mom say about a child who showed empathy, "oh, good, that means he's not a sociopath." I'm guessing empathy is, hopefully, part of child development. But, Ford is very sensitive to the feelings of others. If he sees a child crying, he'll stop in his tracks. He will even go up to someone who is sad and pat or hug him/her. He can't stand it for someone to be sad and it warms my heart that he's that way.
2. Ford is a perfect mix of careful and daring. He is not scared to try most things i.e. trying something new on the playground. But, he's also careful when doing so. He also is keenly aware of danger and whether or not something is safe. If he sees someone riding a bike without a helmet he will say, "He's not being safe. He needs to have a helmet on." As a mother, I prefer things this way. He's not going to be a daredevil and that suits me just fine as long as he tries new things.
3. Ford is healthy. We are blessed beyond measure with a healthy son and are so thankful. Other than reflux, a few colds and ear infections, he's been healthy thus far with very few trips to the pediatrician since the 18 month mark.
4. Ford has never been a consistent napper (I'm not bragging about this). Before 14 months old, putting Ford to bed was a two or three hour stressful ordeal. But, I read the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth when Ford was 14 months old and implemented his sleep training methods, and Ford has become a wonderful night sleeper. He usually goes to bed without major complaints and stays in his bed. He sleeps through the night until morning 99% of the time. It is a huge blessing.
5. Ford went almost three years of his life without having separation anxiety. I could take him anywhere...church, the YMCA...and he never cried when I left him. One month before he turned three, he started getting apprehensive when I would leave him somewhere. I know that at about age three kids develop a heightened sense of awareness, so this is normal for some children. I'm just thankful that for three years, I didn't have to worry about leaving him!
6. Eating has not ever really been an issue. I've heard horror stories about breast feeding and bottle feeding. I have a friend whose first daughter took an hour to eat for one feeding. I have another friend whose eldest child refused to take a bottle at all. Ford didn't have a preference, he just liked to eat. He had reflux with major spitting up. But thankfully, he got the nutrients from the food before spitting up and he grew. Failure to thrive is a big issue with lots of reflux children, so we were blessed that THAT wasn't an issue. Now, as a toddler, some days he eats well and some days he doesn't. But, he does eat. I just try not to make a big deal out of eating and offer him healthful choices.
7. Ford can drink out of a juice box and not spill it. I know this isn't a big deal, but I think it's pretty cool that he doesn't spill it everywhere. When he was was smaller, he spilled a juice box maybe one time and learned not to squeeze the box.
8. Ford is independent. Now, this has been a source of major conflict for us because Ford has been insistant on doing things by himself before he was big enough to do it (i.e. feeding himself, getting dressed, etc). However, now that he is older, it makes things easier. He'd prefer to do most things on his own and that keeps ME from having to do it for him.
9. He can speak well for his age. Until he was 18 months old, he had a five to ten word vocabulary. I believe that part of his frustration as a baby was because he couldn't communicate what was on his mind. Even though sometimes I wish he's stop talking, it is wonderful that he can express himself so well.
10. He potty trained himself. Granted, he was three years and one month when we started. I tried it when he was two-and-a-half, but he had no interest in it and didn't really understand how it all worked. It's amazing how far he came in just six months. We've gone over three months now with diapers only at night time and he's had less than ten accidents total. I guess that's one easy thing about a strong-willed child. He's willed himself not to wear diapers anymore!

Ten things to brag about is enough for now. Being Ford's mommy has challenged me in ways that I didn't even know I could be challenged. But, it gets easier everyday and I love him more than words could ever say.

Weekend Fun

2009-04-29T14:37:00.006-05:00

We had a very busy and fun weekend this past weekend. Ford attends playschool and this weekend was the annual family fun festival at his school. It's a fund raiser for the school where they have food (Satco-yum!), pony rides, a rock climbing wall and lots of fun games in the gym. The theme was "whole world in your hands," hence the picture of us standing in front of all the hands.
Here is Ford checking out all of the fun stuff when we arrived:

Ford was flirting with an older girl in the pony line. I heard him say, "Look how fast I can run," and also, "Do you smell the ponies' poo poo?" He's really going to have to hone his skills with the ladies.

Riding a pony:

There were lots of fun activities in the gym:

On Saturday night, Scott and I had a date night. We went out to dinner and then to the Dave Matthews concert at Vanderbilt. The weather was perfect and the show was great.

Sunday, we went to church at my sister's church in Hendersonville with my entire family and then to Rainforest Cafe to celebrate my niece Audrey's 5th birthday. I forgot my camera, so I'll have to get some pictures from my sister to post. I can't believe Audrey is five! She's such a big girl.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

2009-04-24T20:55:00.005-05:00

For Easter weekend, we went to my mom and dad's house in Kentucky. My sister came for the weekend, too. On Sunday, we went to church and then to my Mamaw's house afterward. My Aunt Jan and Uncle Bill were there along with my cousin Zane and his family. Zane and his wife, Haylee, have two cute kids, Lane and Mylee. We hid Easter eggs in the yard and let the kids hunt them. They had tons of fun hunting for eggs and romping around in the yard.

Coloring Easter eggs:

Waiting patiently:

Ford's attention span couldn't take it anymore:

The eggs:

The Easter bunny came and brought Ford some loot:

Ford racing with Lane in the parking lot across from Mamaw's house:

I really like this picture because you can see my Mamaw's antique shop in the background:

The cute cousins waiting to hunt eggs:

I think this is the only picture we got of our little man in his Easter outfit:

I like this picture, too, because this little outbuilding in my Mamaw's yard was built by her father, my great-grandfather. Oh, and my talented Uncle Clint painted the cute little barn quilt hanging on the building:

Me, Mamaw and Leigh Ann:

Aunt Jan, Mamaw and mom:

Last but not least, a family picture. I usually don't change the pictures from color to black and white. But, the color just wasn't quite right and this was the best family picture.

That's all for Easter weekend. I hope all of you had a Happy Easter!

What's Going On

2009-04-10T21:23:00.006-05:00

I wanted to post some April pictures before Easter arrived. I'm trying not to get behind on my posts this month. I'm really tired right now, so please forgive me that this post isn't very well written. It's kind of all over the place, but you get the idea, right?

We moved Ford from his crib to a twin bed a couple of months ago. We finally got my twin bed from when I was younger. My sweet mom painted it navy blue and brought it to us. Thanks, Mom! My sister-in-law was asking where we put the bed in Ford's room, so here it is. Ford's new bed and a picture of Ford's room.

For a special treat, Scott makes pancakes on Saturday mornings. On this Saturday, Scott made chocolate chip pancakes and Ford helped make them AND helped eat them:

We gave Scott a Saturday off and went to Marche', a neat little breakfast and lunch place in East Nashville. Ford and I had a nice breakfast with Scott and his iPhone.

Pawpaw came by to visit us and brought Ford some foam animal hats.

I just thought this picture was funny. Ford is kicked back with his aligator hat on.

Ford's into being naked these days. I guess it's good that he's going through this stage now so maybe he'll skip it when goes to college.

Last Friday, I had dinner with my sweet, cute friends, Mary Ann and Jennifer. It was wonderful to get to spend time with these girls. If only our other sweet friends, Abby and Jennifer, could have joined us.

I went Easter shopping last week and I couldn't resist buying this outfit for the new baby. This may be the only new outfit this baby boy ever gets!

We are in Kentucky for Easter weekend at my parents' house. I'll be posting Easter pictures soon. Happy Easter Everyone!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-04-08T21:16:00.005-05:00

I really am behind, so here is one last post for March. On St. Patrick's Day, my brother had outpatient surgery on his wrist to clean up an injury that was causing him trouble. My sister and mom went to Bowling Green to help with the kids while Tiffany and Allen were at the hospital. I didn't want Ford to miss out any of the fun, so we headed to Bowling Green, too. We weren't much help, but Ford sure did have a fun time playing with Granny and his cousins.
Cute baby Luke:

Sweet little Amelia:

Playing with bubbles outside with Granny (my mom is like the Pied Piper with the kids):

Audrey and Ford watching TV after playing outside:

Ford loving on Audrey:

This is what happened to Ford when the neighbor girls came over to play with Audrey:

Ford was sacked out on the ride home. He had a fun and exhausting day!

Visit from Grana and Papa Forest

2009-04-08T20:22:00.006-05:00

Last month, we were very excited to have Grana and Papa Forest visit for a long weekend. The weather was cold and rainy, but we managed to have a good time indoors. Papa Forest came in wearing a hat and Ford, of course, had to put it on.

On Friday night, we went to this yummy pizza place called Mafiaoza. They have an area where you can watch them make pizzas and they even give the kids dough to make their own "pizza" and then bake it in the oven. Ford loved it!

Here are some more cute pictures from the pizza place:

On Saturday, Forest's daughter Jennifer and her husband, Michael, came from Jackson to spend the night with us. We loved that they were able to come and had a great time playing games after Ford went to bed. Ford wanted Aunt Jennifer to read him books before bedtime:

Lefty decided Jennifer's suitcase would make a good bed. Thank goodness Jennifer and Michael have cats. They didn't think twice about it, and we all thought it was funny!

We enjoyed having Grana, Papa Forest, Jennifer and Michael in Nashville. We only wish they could have stayed longer!

Too Funny

2009-04-07T13:59:00.004-05:00

Scene: Ford and I lying on my bed this morning. Ford is talking to my tummy.

Ford: Hi, Baby Broder!
Me: Tell him who you are.
Ford: Ford Thomas Ah Glofflin
Me: Tell him you are his Big...
Ford: I'm your Big Broder.
Me: You can teach him lots of things. Tell him something that you can teach him.
Ford: (completely serious) DON'T EAT BOOGERS!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

2009-03-28T10:42:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I had my 20 week ultrasound (halfway mark). This ultrasound is to determine if the baby is developing as it should and to check for any markers for birth defects. One of the perks of having this ultrasound is that you can usually find out the sex of the baby if you so choose. We did want to know and found out we are having a baby boy! Everything looked good on the ultrasound and we are thrilled about knowing we are having another sweet, baby boy! Now, we just have to decide what we are going to name him. Surely, we can come up with something in the next four months!

We have waited to tell Ford about the baby because he gets obsessed about things sometimes. We thought we would wait until I was further along and we knew if it was a boy or girl. Scott and I told him this morning and he was so sweet and excited about it. We told him he was going to have a baby brother and that he was going to be a big brother. We said that the baby was in my tummy and it has to stay there until it's big enough to come out. When he's big enough, I will go to the hospital and have the baby and then the baby can come home with us. I said I would need his help taking care of his baby brother and he said, "I can feed him a bottle!" He asked if he could play with the baby and I told him the baby wouldn't be very much fun at first but when he gets bigger, Ford can play with him. It was a sweet conversation and I was happy that Ford had such a positive response.

We are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of our baby boy who should arrive sometime in August!

Time Marches On

2009-03-28T09:09:00.009-05:00

Well, I've done it again. It has been a month since my last post. I really have been wanting to post more often, but I feel like I need to block off at least an hour to post. So, lately, I just haven't been posting. Here is what we've been up to this past MONTH. Here are a few things that have happened in March (or maybe even the end of February).

My mom, sister and I went to see the Christian group Selah perform. The concert was to raise money for the Hope Clinic. Not only was the music beautiful, but it was for a good cause.

Ford and Granny before we left for the show:

Ford made a picnic in his room and then asked Scott to have a picnic with him:

Playing at the park on a Sunday afternoon:

Riding in the wagon at Libby's house with Libby and Annie:

Baking cookies for St. Patrick's Day:

Loving on Sierra:

Saturday breakfast and playing at the park with the Brooks family:

Playing at Will's house:

I LOVE this picture of Will and Ford. The lighting is bad, so the quality is not great. But, the picture is precious:

Playing at home:

I was busy making phone calls one morning, so I made Ford lunch and let him have a picnic on the porch while I talked on the phone. I neglected to get him completely dressed, so he was running around the yard barefoot in his underwear. He looked like such a little redneck child:

Ford said he was tired one morning and asked to lie down on the couch with his "friends" and watch tv (this is a rare occurance, so I took a picture):

I have a few more things to post about in March and will try to get them posted today. So, if you are still reading the blog, check back later today!

The Three Amigos

2009-02-28T11:28:00.005-06:00

Some of you may know that our dear friends, Jennifer and Derrick, had triplets in the middle of December. As is common with a higher order multiple pregnancy, the triplets arrived very prematurely at 27 weeks gestation (a full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks). Each baby weighed in under two pounds. They have been in the Neonatal ICU since birth.

It's been a long two and a half months for Jennifer and Derrick, but last week, two of the babies got to come home, Maddux and Nola! And, less than a week later, the smallest of the three, Little Luce, got to come home, too!

They are all doing extremely well and a growing bigger and stronger by the day. I know that things are crazy at the McCloud house. But, I also know what a huge blessing it is for them to have all of their babies home! Here is a picture of the three reunited cutie pies. We already love them and can't wait to meet them! Oh, and if you'd like to follow their story, click on the link in the right margin entitled McCloud Party of Five.

Insert Clever Post Title Here

2009-02-26T21:23:00.009-06:00

In case the little bird at the top of this page didn't tell you...we are having another baby. I'm at the end of week 16 in my second trimester and my due date is August 8th. Other than some of the normal pregnancy aches and pains, everything is going well. We are going to find out what we are having and my ultrasound will be sometime the week of March 23rd. Another question that we are asked often is what Ford thinks about it. We aren't keeping it a secret from him, but we haven't told him yet. Ford gets fixated on things and since it's such a long way away before the baby is here, we're just going to wait. I'm afraid he would ask me every day until August where the baby is!

In other news, this is what we've been up to in February. We were lucky enough to have a few beautiful and warm days this month. One day, we met one of Ford's school friends at the park. Emma and Ford are best buddies. Emma's mom is from New Zealand and ironically, we went to the same college (at the same time) and we share the same birthday!
Ford isn't scared to try new things on the playground. He's daring but also pretty careful (in a little boy kind of way). It's a nice combination.

This is after going to the park. I just thought Ford looked like such a little boy with his pirate hoodie and cap.

If Scott gets home from work in time, he always gives Ford his bath. Scott's brother, Greg, got Ford a CD for kids that has Beatles' covers (it's actually pleasant to listen to, unlike many children's CDs). So, Scott turns the music up and lets Ford take a bath in our bathroom. Daddys always make everyday things fun. Now, Ford always request the Beatles when it's bathtime.

Ford also loves to take showers in our bathroom. We have a hand-held shower that can be adjusted to just his height. He'll stay in there and draw and play as long as we will let him. Look how little he looks in the great big shower.

We started potty training Ford on February 14th. He's doing amazingly well with only one exception...son, you got a panty on yo head:

I picked Ford up from school the day before Valentine's Day and we went to get ice cream at Maggie Moo's. Ford picked his favorite color, green:

On Valentine's Day, our cute little coffee shop, Ugly Mugs, had a concert for kids. Some local musicians played for all the neighborhood children. Scott and Ford went and Ford LOVED it. We are hoping they'll make it a monthly event.

Ford is crazy about all things Lightning McQueen including these pajamas that he got for Christmas:

The other morning Ford got up before we did. Sometimes he plays with his trains quietly (he thinks if he "wakes us up" we'll make him go back to bed. I heard him tell Lefty the Cat to stop meowing because he was going to wake up mommy and daddy). Anyway, if he gets really quiet, then you know he's into something he's not supposed to be. I got up and found him reading books here:

Well, that's about all for the month of February. We are excited that it's almost March and can't wait for spring and warm weather!

It's Potty Time

2009-02-15T16:41:00.002-06:00

Ford wore big boy underwear ALL DAY yesterday without ANY accidents. We were out and about and he even used public restrooms! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ford Saying the Blessing

2009-02-02T21:13:00.002-06:00

Big Boy Bed and other Milestones

2009-02-02T20:20:00.006-06:00

Turning three has meant some big changes and new adventures for Ford (and us). Ford had his first visit to the dentist. Let me just tell you how incredibly proud I am of my son. He went into the dentist office and got into the chair just like he'd done it a million times. He did so well that the sweet dental hygenist said she wished all of her little patients did as well as Ford. He was such a champ!

The hygenist gave Ford a little starfish that had teeth, so Ford got to brush his teeth:

OK, you should really click on this picture and make it bigger so you can see the starfishes teeth. They are hilarious:

On Saturday, we made an impromptu trip to Sam's to get Ford a big boy bed. I'm probably going to get my old twin bed to use at some point, but for now, we just have a mattress and boxsprings. I was a little bit worried about Ford staying in his bed, but he's been perfect! This is his third night to sleep in his bed and he doesn't get out until morning. Again, I'm so proud of my little boy! There aren't many, if any, milestones that have made me sad since Ford has been born. But, I'm a little bittersweet about Ford's big boy bed. He won't ever sleep in his crib again and that makes me tear up a little just thinking about it. He's getting so big.
Scott reading bedtime stories to Ford:

Look how little bitty he looks in the great big bed:

I'm posting the following picture just because I think it's cute. I bought a large pack of juice boxes and there were three different flavors. They were sitting on Ford's little table and he put each car on the juice boxes and said, "look, they match." I was impressed!

That's all for now. I think now that the holidays and Ford's birthday are over, I'll be able to keep up with my posts!

We Gon Party Like it's yo Birthday

2009-01-27T15:26:00.007-06:00

On January 17th, we had a birthday party for Ford. I've yet to plan a kid birthday party for Ford. So, we just had family and a few close friends attend.

Ford is all about Thomas the Tank Engine:

While we sang "Happy Birthday":

Blowing out candles:

The only family picture from Ford's party:

Ella, Audrey and Ford waiting patiently for cake:

Ford and his presents:

Opening his gifts:

Poor baby Amelia was sick. I think this is the only picture I have of Tiffany and Amelia from the party:

Our friends, the Carters:

Our teenage cousins, Shelby, Garrett and Maggie(Maggie's not quite a teenager yet):

Mary Ann, Scarlett and Will:

Mary Ann, me and Jennifer. Jennifer, Shawn and Scarlett came all the way from Memphis just to come to the party. So sweet:

Libby. We carpool to school with Libby every week:

Granny and cousin Audrey:

Ford and Scott's dad, Papaw:

Ford and his "friend cousin Audrey":

Ford and his buddy Will:

Cousin Joy, Aunt Leigh Ann, Cousins Pam and Shelby:

Uncle Chris and cousin Luke:

Aunt Becky and my Mamaw:

Uncle Allen and Baby Luke:

Family picture with my family:

You Say it's Your Birthday

2009-01-21T15:47:00.004-06:00

Ford turned three years old on January 15th. Every year, we try and make Ford feel special on his actual birthday. So, we decorated the kitchen with some balloons and a banner and wrapped up a some of his presents.

Here is Ford with his balloons and presents:

Ford decided to line up his old cars and new cars (from the Cars movie, his favorite):

For lunch, Scott met us at Chick-fil-a where we ate lunch and Ford got to play in the play area:

For dinner that night, Scott had the great idea of taking Ford to a Japanese steak house. We went to Goten and we had a wonderful dinner and the service was excellent.

Ford LOVED watching the chef, especially when he made fire!

I thought I would post this picture because my child actually eats salad.

After we ate, the nice server brought Ford a chocolate sundae for dessert and we sang "Happy Birthday."

The family picture from Ford's birthday. We didn't realize he had chocolate ALL OVER his mouth.

I think Ford enjoyed his birthday. Scott and I certainly enjoyed celebrating the day our son was born!

Happy Birthday, Ford!

2009-01-15T21:40:00.003-06:00

2006

2007

2008

We love you so much! Love, Mommy and Daddy

A Long December

2009-01-06T22:21:00.003-06:00

Once again, I've gotten way behind on my posts. We had a wonderful and busy December spent with lots of family and dear friends. Here are just a few pictures. There are many more that I will post hopefully tomorrow. Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T20:25:00.007-06:00

For the last several years, we have spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina with Scott's mom and Forest. This year, Forest's oldest daughter Jennifer and her husband Michael were able to join us.

Lefty tried to stow away in the suitcase:
Ford slept for about an hour on the way there and back. That's such an unusual treat!The weather was nice on Thanksgiving Day. So, we went for a walk and then putted around on the practice green. Scott won the putting contest!

Ford woke up from his nap and for some reason had really crazy hair:

Scott's mom cooked for us the whole weekend. She made wonderful meals including a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings:

Grana, Papa Forest and Ford:

On Saturday, Papa Forest and Grana took us to the cutest place in their little town. It's called Kid Senses and it's an interactive museum for children. Ford LOVED it!
A REAL firetruck:

The cafe where Scott and Ford prepared me a meal:

Inside a bubble!

Fun with magnets:

Fun in the treehouse:

Shopping at the cutest little pretend grocery store:

Thanks to Grana and Papa Forest for a great weekend. We always have a fun time at Grana's house!

Luke 2:1-14

2008-12-01T11:21:00.005-06:00

This morning on the way to school, Ford said, "What is Christmas about, Mommy? Presents?" I said, "Well, you get presents. But that's not what Christmas is about. Christmas is about Jesus. Christmas is about the day Jesus was born."

When I was in the fourth grade, I was the narrator for our Christmas program. Below is the text that I read for our program. So, as we begin this advent season, I hope we all are able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Amen!

Then and Now

2008-11-24T21:57:00.003-06:00

Can you believe my baby boy is THIS big? I sure can't!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-24T21:32:00.006-06:00

I have inadvertently taken the month of November off. So, I just wanted to let everyone know we are all alive and well. We'll be heading to North Carolina for the Thanksgiving holiday. And, our trip is sure to bring lots of Kodak moments for me to post. Here are a few pictures of Ford from this month, just in case you miss seeing his sweet, little face! I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday with people you love! If you are reading this, I am thankful for YOU!

Max is Coming Home!

2008-11-08T12:55:00.003-06:00

Our dear friends, Abby and Louie, adopted siblings from Guatemala. Catalina is now five and Gus is two and a half and they came home with Abby and Louie in February, 2007. In August last year, Abby and Louie received news that Cati and Gus had a new baby brother that would also be placed for adoption, Max. Abby and Louie were asked if they would be interested in adopting Max. Without a moment's hesitation, they said, "YES!"

It has been a long and hard road to get to this point, but MAX IS COMING HOME! Abby and Louie will be traveling to Guatemala to pick him up and bring him home on November 15th.

Of course, Cati and Gus are blessings straight from heaven. But, there are many details that I won't get into that make Max's adoption even more of a miracle. If I have ever seen our Mighty God's hands at work, it is in the fact that Max is coming home.

Abby and Louie, we can't wait for you to bring Max home and can't wait to meet him!

One, Two, THREE!

2008-11-08T08:55:00.004-06:00

As some of you may know, my friend, Jennifer, is expecting triplets. That's not a typo. She and her husband are having two girls and a boy who should arrive sometime in the first quarter of 2009. Her first baby shower was on Wednesday and it was such a nice shower. She got so many wonderful gifts and three of almost everything. It is always such a blessing to get the essential things before the baby comes, or babies, in this case. Jennifer is 22 weeks and she looks great!

Pawpaw and Rona

2008-11-08T08:47:00.002-06:00

Sunday, after the Titans win against the Packers, we headed to Pawpaw and Rona's house. They were kind enough to make dinner for us and invited us down to play and eat. Pawpaw's house is always fun because he has lots of toys! Thanks for having us, Pawpaw and Rona! We had a fun time!

Halloween

2008-11-08T08:11:00.005-06:00

We had a very fun Halloween this year. We were able to celebrate for two days, trick-or-treating on Friday and Trunk or Treat at church on Saturday. Aunt Leigh Ann came over on Friday and we went to the Truss' house to have chili and go trick-or-treating down their sidewalked street. Trunk or Treat at church is always fun and it wasn't freezing up on the hill this year!

Some folks have wondered about Ford's UPS costume. Since Scott started his computer business, we have had computers delivered to our house a few times a week. From the time Ford was old enough to know what was going on, we go to the door and see Merv and his truck when he brings computers by. Ford loves Merv and cries if he doesn't get to say "hi" to him. I also know Ford well enough to know that he probably wouldn't wear something with a mask, fur, or anything else that might be too hot, too itchy or that just didn't feel right to him. The UPS outfit was the perfect solution because it's just a shirt, pants and cap! He LOVED it! If you ask him what he was for Halloween he says, "MERV!"

What Can Brown do for You?

2008-11-02T09:30:00.003-06:00

October

2008-11-02T07:21:00.009-06:00

Here are just some of the things we've been up to this past month. I'm mostly posting pictures, but I'll put some captions with the pictures so you'll at least know what's going on!

We celebrated Scott's birthday with his dad and Rona. They brought over dinner one night and after Ford went to bed, Scott opened a few gifts from them.

Ford goes to school with Libby, the youngest daughter of our friends, Bret and Virginia. They live in East Nashville too, so Virginia and I have been taking turns taking and picking up the kids from play school. Ford and Libby always have a big time in the car together!
Ford and I have been going to RIP class every Tuesday and Thursday since the middle of June (I'll write a post about RIP class another day). We got to have a Halloween party at RIP class. These are pictures from the party.

We've met some wonderful friends there. Some of you have heard me talk about the quadruplets and their amazing mother, Ann. One half of the quads are in this picture, Mary Carter and Elizabeth (in the matching pink overalls, of course).

Here is the other half, Laura Frances and Shep.

Ford and some of his other classmates.

My college friend, LeAnn, had her first baby on October 24th. He was six weeks early, but he is doing great. They have already gotten to go home from the hosptial. Look how sweet and little Eli is! Congratulations to LeAnn and Aaron.

These next pictures are just because I think they are cute. I think this should be an ad for Mott's Tots juice boxes.

Scott traded some computer repairs for a train table recently. Ford absolutely LOVES it.

Ford wearing my robe and doing his best Hef impersonation.

Ford likes to watch this show called Lazytown. In this episode, they are playing baseball. Ford ran to get his baseball and bat and was holding it while he watched. Too cute!

Ford is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. They only show Thomas on PBS on Saturday. Ford watches it while he eats breakfast and is mesmerized. Oh, and do you see the beautiful flowers on the kitchen table? My sweet, sweet husband brought me flowers one day just because. So, so thoughtful.

Ford was playing with his train table one morning and he came into the kitchen with no pants on. I asked him what happend to his pants (a new pair that I just got for him). He said, "Dose pants are itchy so I take dem off." I asked him to show me what part is itchy. He said, "DAT!" and pointed to the velcro on the back pockets.

That's a synopsis of our life in the month of October. I'll make a separate post about Halloween. I hope all of you had a fun and Happy Halloween!

Sunday (10-19)

2008-10-29T12:59:00.003-05:00

Scott's mom and Forest were in Nashville with their friends this weekend. They were staying by the Opryland Hotel and asked if we could join them for lunch on Sunday there. We met them and had such a nice lunch. Afterward, we walked around the hotel so they could site see and we let Ford run and run and run.

It was wonderful to get to visit with Grana and Papa Forest for the afternoon and it was wonderful to get to meet their friends!

Saturday

2008-10-20T22:07:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, some of our community group friends had mentioned that they were going to go to a pumpkin patch. We decided that sounded like fun so we headed to Walden Farm, located in Smyrna.

It's quite the pumpkin patch. It's a whole little enterprise of pumpkins and entertainment. It was so much fun and perfect for a little guy like Ford (there is also fun stuff for older kids). They had a corn maze for the big kids and a hay maze for the little kids. They had just about any kind of farm animal that you could imagine. There were all kinds of play stations...sand art, Little People barn and tractor tables, tire swings, sand boxes, pedal tractors, hay to climb on. There was even a bluegrass band! Not to mention a consession stand with lunch and all kinds of pumpkin desserts.

It's just the cutest place and the Walden family was so friendly and helpful. We plan on making it a family tradition to go every year!

Okay, I do have to comment on this next picture. Scott went to put the pumpkins in the car and Ford and I stayed behind. While we were waiting for Scott, the bluegrass band starting playing. I didn't say a word and looked and Ford was literally doing a ho-down, elbows up and all!

Late Saturday afternoon, we were invited to The Trusses house. The Trapps and Brandensteins were in Nashville for the weekend and our former community group was able to have a get together. I didn't get pictures of everyone, but here are some of the attendees. Congratulations to the Brandensteins who are expecting their third girl in February! And, congratulations to the Trapps who are adopting a child from Korea (they already have two biological children)! It was wonderful to be able to visit with them even if it was only for a short time. We miss them all very much!

Friday

2008-10-20T22:00:00.002-05:00

Friday rolled around and we were out of food and I was out of ideas for dinner. We decided to go to our favorite East Nashville Mexican restaurant, Las Maracas. Ford was amazingly well-behaved for the entire meal! Oh, and just so you'll know, he LOVES guacamole!

Thursday

2008-10-20T21:48:00.004-05:00

We have had an action packed last few days. I've decided one post would be too long, so I'm going to break it up into several.

Thursday was a very rainy day, and Mary Ann and Will invited us to come and play at Barnes and Noble book store. They have a train table for the kids and after we played at the mall, Mare invited us over for a little while and was kind enough to feed Ford. It was the perfect way to spend a rainy, fall day! Thanks, Mare!

Carboard Testimonies

2008-10-20T21:37:00.002-05:00

An old friend of mine posted this on Facebook and it's so good I wanted to post it here. This video is eight minutes long, but well worth your time!

Hunter's Moon 2008

2008-10-14T12:17:00.006-05:00

This weekend we went to Kentucky to spend the weekend with my family...Mom, Dad, Allen, Tiffany, Audrey, Luke and Amelia. Every year, my little town has a Hunter's Moon Festival which consists of a parade, good food, some fun things for the kids to do and lots of candy! Audrey and Ford had a great time doing big kid stuff. The twins were a little under the weather but were REALLY cute and sweet nonetheless. We also got to visit with my Mamaw, aunts, uncles, cousins and old friends. We had a very fun weekend!

We also celebrated Scott's birthday on Saturday. Here he is opening his presents with the help of Ford and Audrey. Happy Birthday, Scott!

Sweet Luke and Amelia:

Audrey and Ford playing with one of MY old toys:

Baby Luke:

Baby Amelia:

Riding ponies:

Ford was more excited about wearing the helmet than riding the pony:

Watching the parade:

My dear friend Shannon and her sweet kids, Keaton and Korbin. Saturday was Shannon's birthday, too!

Ford with cousins Mylee and Lane:

Riding trikes with Papa:

Church on Sunday morning:

Oh, no!

2008-10-03T15:48:00.003-05:00

Blue Skies

2008-10-03T14:18:00.007-05:00

It's a BEAUTIFUL fall day here in Nashville. I thought it might be a pretty day to take some after pictures of our house. I know I've been promising before and after pictures of the inside, but that will have to wait until I've cleaned it up (which may never happen).

Here is the front of our house shortly after we bought it in April, 2003:
Here it is today, nearly five and a half years later:

Then:
Now:

The front right corner of the house. Notice the large "shrub". It's about six different things growing together in a big mess (only one of which is not a weed). Every year we cut it back and every year it grows back with a vengeance:
Front right corner with the crazy shrub that was cut back recently:

Back right corner of the house in 2003:
Back right corner now. A tree guy suggested a Japanese maple here, so imagine that tree HERE. We haven't done any landscaping yet. We'll get there someday:

View of the side door in 2003:Side door to what is now Scott's office:
The original smokehouse and a really old peach tree to the left:This picture is taken at a slightly different angle, but the tree that's closest is the same peach tree by the smokehouse in the other picture. We had the smokehouse torn down last fall because it was no longer structurally sound (and we couldn't find a purpose for it other than it blocked our view of the backyard): It's almost unbelievable to see how far our renovation has come. At times over the last five+ years, it seemed like we would NEVER see the end of it. We've still got lots to do, but we've made enough progress that it's not nearly as depressing as it used to be!

Ford's First Steps

2008-09-25T11:11:00.004-05:00

I've had two computers nearly crash over the last couple of months. Scott got me hooked up with a third computer. But during the process of the near crashes and transferring information, I thought all my video files had been lost. THANKFULLY, Scott was able to recover them all. This is just one example of what would have been lost.

The Way You Do the Things You Do

2008-09-24T17:08:00.005-05:00

Since this is a blog about Ford, here are recent pictures of him just doing the things he does!

Home Renovation - Phase #532

2008-09-23T21:05:00.006-05:00

We have a second floor at our house that we haven't touched. Since we currently only have two bedrooms, we would like to renovate the upstairs and add a couple of bedrooms. We decided to have it demo-ed so we can get bids on finishing it out. We had a dumpster delivered last week and the upstairs was demo-ed in less than a day (thanks to about seven hard working guys). I was a fool to think that since all of the work was going on upstairs that the downstairs wouldn't get dirty. That's life in a house under renovation.

Happy Birthday, West End

2008-09-23T20:10:00.004-05:00

Our church, West End Community Church, had it's tenth birthday celebration on September 14th. I didn't realize that the church was offically established in 1998. I started going with my girlfriends in 1999 when we were all still single; Scott started going with me when we started dating in 2000; and Scott and I joined the church the summer that we got married. Carter Crenshaw, our senior pastor, married us.

For many, many reasons, this church has a special place in my heart. I always wondered if I'd ever find a church that felt like "home," like my church where I grew up. And, this one does. Not only is it a place of worship, but a place where we are loved and supported. When we had Ford, our community group coordinated meals for us. Between my friends, our mothers, and the sweet girls in our group, we had meals provided for THREE MONTHS. It makes me cry to think about what a kind gesture that was for us as new parents. The meals ministry is only one of the beautiful servant ministries at our church.

We are so proud to be a part of this church and we hope to be there for the twentieth birthday party! Happy Birthday, West End!

My Fair Baby

2008-09-23T20:06:00.005-05:00

Scott and I took Ford to the Tennessee State Fair a couple of weekends ago. We went in the morning, which turned out to be perfect for our little guy. It wasn't crowded at all and we were able to do tons of things all in about a two hour time span.

I was taken by a carny after only being inside the gate for all of about two minutes. He conned me into letting Ford throw some darts at balloons. Ford got a really tacky and tiny $5 frog out of the deal. He named the frog Ribit, which I think is very cute. I rode two rides with Ford, but he rode all of the other ones by himself! I was so impressed with and proud of how brave he was. There was only one dragon ride where he said, "Want out. Want out!" They had a petting zoo and Ford got to pet and feed several of the animals. He was absolutely PERFECT and we had a very fun day at the fair!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-06T19:27:00.005-05:00

Labor Day Weekend we took our annual trip to see Scott's Dad's side of the family in Illinois. We spent a couple of nights with Grandma and Grandpa at their house. On Sunday, we went to Springfield and saw the entire family minus a few of the cousins. Scott and I also celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on Sunday.

Pawpaw, Grandma and Ford:

Grandpa, Grandma and Ford:

Grandpa and Ford watching Mickey Mouse:

At the park in Winchester...Ford went down this HUGE slide all by himself (several times):

Uncle Rudy and Pawpaw got in of the fun at the park:

Ford playing washers with Pawpaw and Uncle Dick:

Uncle Steve's dog Sam LOVES to fetch things in the pool:

These next two crack me up because it's Ford and his cousins, Addison and Quincy. Notice Quincy's hand in the picture (she's getting ready to hit Ford):

This one is of Addison, Ford and Quincy and Ford is holding his arm and Quincy is getting into trouble for hitting! Too funny:

Ford pushing the tractor:

We had a nice trip visiting with Scott's family. Ford behaved himself nicely and thanks to Mary Ann's DVD player, the six hour car ride was bearable.

On and On

2008-08-20T15:13:00.015-05:00

I've gotten behind on posting so here is a fast track (or slow track) to the past several weeks.

BFF Trina and her youngest daughter Emerson came back into town. Ford and I picked them up at the airport and we all headed to KY. Ford and Emerson rode in the back seat together and they bickered back and forth the whole way. Emerson is almost a year younger than Ford and only knows a few words. But, she kept pointing her finger at him and telling him NO. I can't remember what Ford was saying back but it was fussy and quite humorous. The next day, all of my pre-high school friends got together. There are eight of us and some of us have been friends all of our lives...literally. I don't remember not knowing them. It's awesome that we all still keep in touch and get together a couple of times a year. I love all of my Kentucky girls so much! I'm sad to say I didn't get any pictures, so the commentary with have to do.

Cousin Audrey was at Granny and Papa's house for the weekend too. Ford is crazy about Audrey (she's four) and we had a fun time getting to spend time with Granny, Papa and her.
Look at Audrey's cute haircut:

Ford is refusing to pose for a picture here:

Our summer bible study was over a couple of weeks ago and the fall bible study doesn't start until next month. Lana has been kind enough to invite all of the ladies with kids to her community pool for the past several Wednesdays.

All the moms and kids:

Ford got upset about something. I asked him if he wanted to swim or sit there and cry. He said he wanted to sit there and cry:

This past Friday, we met Mary Ann and Will at the zoo. It was fun to get to spend the day with them at the zoo!
Our sweet boys:

Will and his cute mama:

There was some of this:

But more of this:

On Saturday, Scott, Ford and I spent a fun day together. That morning, we went to our new neighborhood coffee shop, Ugly Mugs (it's named that because none of the coffee mugs match). I LOVE IT! It's so cute! It even has a play area for the kiddos!

On Sunday, our church community group had a popsicle social at Lauren and Berry's house:

So, so sorry for the l-o-n-g post. I'm offically caught up. I'll end with a few cute pictures of Ford.
Ford and Griffin looking out the window:

Ford watching television (this is a brand new phenomenon...he wouldn't watch tv until a month ago):

Ford and Mamaw:

You Down with OCD

2008-08-18T16:09:00.002-05:00

Ford started playing with his cars and trucks on Saturday. He was rolling them around on the floor. I came back into the living room a short time later and this is what he had done with his vehicles:

He was so PROUD. I asked him what he was doing with his cars and he said, "I PARK THEM ALL MOMMY!" We may have to work on some creative play. Or, possibly he'll have a great future as a valet at house parties in Belle Meade.

Same Time Last Year

2008-08-14T14:40:00.005-05:00

I realized yesterday that Ford had on an outfit that he wore last summer. The shirt is 2T which was obviously big on him last year. The shorts are 12 MONTHS! I'm not sure why they still fit. Look how much he's grown!

Tomato Art Festival

2008-08-10T19:24:00.013-05:00

This weekend was the East Nashville Tomato Art Festival. Some of the streets were blocked off and there were vendors, bands and a parade. The local Methodist Church has a huge lawn and had tons of fun (and free!) stuff for the kids to do...face painting, popcicles, water slides, balloons. Ford was going to get a tomato painted on his face. But the two big boys in front of him got moustaches, so Ford insisted on a moustache: My boys: Lots of friends, people, kids and pups: Some of Ford's friends: Ford had cheetos for lunch...I am not ashamed: Ford raised up his shirt and got some beads (just kidding): They had a stage set up at five points (the East Nashville business hub). There was a band playing (Laura Sweeney - she reminded me of Fleming for those of you who lived in Nashville ten years ago). Ford wandered over in front of where the band was playing and didn't move. It was loud and I thought it would hurt his ears. He stood there and listened to four or five songs. I'm not sure if he loved the music or if he just had a crush on the cute lead singer. Here's a little video of him watching the band:

On Friday, we went to the park to play with some friends: Ford can ride the big boy swing now. He's not a baby anymore: Ford got on Tyner's bike and wouldn't get off. I guess we know what to ask Santa for this Christmas: On Sunday, we went to church and then met Pawpaw and Rona for lunch. We went to Mitchell's Deli and they have a courtyard in the back with a garden. Scott got some neat pictures of Ford by the garden. Here is one of them: This afternoon, our neighbor's daughter Kate came over to play with Ford: We had a fun weekend. I'm still am a couple of weeks behind on my posts. I'll try and write about last week in my next post. Have a great week everybody!

Friends

2008-07-27T20:39:00.006-05:00

On Friday night, Scott, Ford and I went to see The Wiggles. For those of you who don't have children under the age of six, The Wiggles are about as popular as you can get with the kiddos. We got enough free tickets for all three of us to go and we gave three more to Jason, Mary Ann and Will. It was a big hit with Will and Ford. I forgot my camera, so I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to post from the big concert.

After the concert, I picked up Best Friend Trina and her oldest daughter Ellie from the airport. Trina and I have been friends since the first day of school in seventh grade (I won't mention what year that was) and we've been the best of friends ever since. Trina lives in Orlando, so we don't get to see each other nearly as often as I would like. But, it was wonderful to have them here, even if it was just for a little while.

Here are some pictures from our earlier days:

And, here we are now:

Ellie is nine years old and she is the sweetest, most precious girl. She was so sweet to Ford and he just loved her!

Scott's friend and our best man at our wedding, Steve, also came to Nashville to visit. We had a fantastic weekend just catching up with old friends and letting our children become new friends.

VA

2008-07-24T22:25:00.009-05:00

We were long overdue for a trip to see Scott's mom's side of the family in Richmond, so we headed east a week ago Wednesday. We hadn't been to Richmond since Ford was about five months old and we were excited to see everybody!

On Friday, we went to visit Scott's grandfather, Popsie, and his wife June at their place. Thankfully, Ford was entertained by riding on Popsie's very cool walker (or Cadillac as Popsie called it) that has wheels and a seat.

We had a cookout on Saturday night and everyone came to Ben and Jessica's house.
The highlight of our trip was meeting their baby girl, Ruby, for the first time.
Ruby and her Nana (Scott's Aunt Jan):

Jessica, Ben and Ruby:

Ben and Jessica's golden-doodle, Dozer. Can you see the bell by the door? Dozer rings it when he needs to go out. He is a very smart and well behaved dog!

Popsie and Ford watching golf:

Scott's aunt and uncle, Mary and Gib:

I was holding Ruby here and Ford got a little bit jealous and insisted that I hold him too:

Scott's Uncle Skeet got suckered into taking care of the kids somehow:

Sweet Ruby:

Grana, Ford, Dozer and Scott:

We had such a wonderful time visiting with everyone. I wish we could have stayed longer (or that we lived closer together). A very big thanks to Ben and Jessica for letting us stay with them. Also, thanks to Jan, Ben and Cindy for making sure we were fed for the entire trip!

We got back on Monday night and then last night, our community group girls had a baby shower for Lee at our house. Lee and Adam are expecting their first baby, a girl, next month. All of the girls were able to attend except for Suzanne because her baby, Benjamin, was sick. It was nice to spend the evening with these sweet, sweet girls and we can't wait to meet baby Sadie when she makes her arrival into this world!

The summer busyness continues this weekend. Best Friend Trina and daughter Ellie are coming to Nashville tomorrow night. I'm so excited to see them! I can't wait!

Happy Birthday, USA!

2008-07-04T22:54:00.004-05:00

This post is long overdue. It seems like July is always a really busy month for us. I'll try and update you on what we've been up to over the past two weeks.

On July 1st, our former church community group had a reunion because our past leaders, Mike and Christi, were in town from St. Louis. Everyone from our old community group was there except for the Trapps who live in Atlanta. It was so fun to see all the kids together. Many of the children hadn't even been born when we joined the community group including Ford. It was a joke that if you were in our community group, you would have a baby girl. As you can see in the picture, the boys are outnumbered! Thanks so much to Brett and Virginia for hosting.

Scott's youngest brother, Greg, and his girlfriend, Juniper, came to Nashville for the 4th of July holiday week. We haven't seen Greg since Christmas, so it was great to have him here. Scott's Dad, Rona, Greg and Juniper came over on the 4th for a cookout. We played outside for a while and Pawpaw and Rona offered to babysit for us so that Scott, Greg, Juniper and I could go watch the fireworks.

Scott's mom came into town on Sunday to spend a few days with us. She was kind enough to babysit so we could go to a Nashville Sounds game...the first one we've been to in a long time! She and Ford played out in the yard with the hose. Ford figured out how to change the setting on the sprayer and soaked Granna! He really got a kick out of that!

On Friday night, Pawpaw and Rona invited us to go see a production of Go, Dog. Go! at the Nashville Children's Theater. We were certain we would have to take Ford out during the show. However, he sat through the entire show and when it was over he said, "Do it again! Do it again!" It was a hit! Much thanks to Pawpaw and Rona for the tickets.

Whew! That's not even all we have done, but it's getting late. We'll be leaving to go to Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday to visit with Grana's side of the family and I'll post about our trip when we get back!

Lake House Weekend

2008-07-01T14:03:00.011-05:00

Scott has some clients who graciously offered to let us use their lake house. We went this past weekend and took a few of our friends along...Jason, Mary Ann, Will, Jennifer and Derrick. We left on Friday morning to head to Tim's Ford Lake in Winchester, Tennessee. I had never even heard of this lake before this trip. It turns out that it's a little less than two hours from Nashville and it's absolutely beautiful.

Not only did Scott's clients offer to let us use their house, but all of the fun things they have at the house...a ski boat, paddle boat, kayak, sea doos and a water trampoline.

I am going to post a ton of pictures. We had so much fun, I'm having a hard time narrowing it down to just a few. Most of them are self-explanatory. But, I just have to say that Will is a little water baby. He was jumping off the dock and the boat all by himself! And props to Scott for taking the awesome picture of the sunset!

We are so thankful to Bob and Shannon for letting us "vacation" at their lake house. It's so hard to do anything fun because of having to work around toddler nap and bedtime schedules. But, everything was right there. So, we would just put the boys to bed and hang out on the deck or at the dock. Also, much thanks to Derrick. He has the most boating experience and was a most excellent captain.

The Week in Pictures

2008-06-26T22:31:00.003-05:00

Here are a few things we've done since last Thursday. We've also been hanging out at the pool a bunch. But, it's nearly impossible to take pictures at the pool, so, there aren't any this week. I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!

Stomach Bug

2008-06-18T12:55:00.004-05:00

Ford woke up at 5:30 on Monday morning throwing up. For the next couple of hours, he pretty much threw up on everything that could be laundered. Poor buddy couldn't even drink water without throwing up.

I called our doctor's office to see what our plan of action needed to be. No food. Tiny amounts of liquid every ten minutes as long as he could tolerate it. If you've ever dealt with this, you know the drill. Oh, and the big one...he's contagious until he's symptom free for 24 hours. Bummer. That meant no school on Monday or bible study today (since he still had symptoms yesterday afternoon). Ford gets a little stir crazy when he can't leave the house.

I guess we're pretty lucky that we've made it almost two and a half years without Ford getting a stomach virus. After the initial throwing up and ten loads of laundry, it wasn't that bad. Ford is calmer when he's sick and he also took a nap on Monday and Tuesday. I think he's feeling better because I can hear him not taking a nap today. Oh, and this picture was taken yesterday afternoon and he doesn't look sick at all!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-16T18:41:00.005-05:00

Ford mentioned earlier this week that he wanted to go to the "car house." He was talking about the hot dog vendor, "I Dream of Weenie." Since Scott and Ford love hot dogs (and I don't), I thought it might be a fun Father's Day activity for this weekend.

We packed up and headed to our East Nashville weenery and loaded up on hot dogs. It started to pour down rain right before we left, so we had to get the hot dogs to go. Nonetheless, Scott and Ford enjoyed their dogs!

After church on Sunday, we invited Paw Paw and Rona over to celebrate Father's Day and Paw Paw's birthday, which was this past Thursday, June 12th. Scott and Paw Paw opened gifts and Ford played in his swimming pool for a while. After Ford went to bed, the grown ups had dinner and cake and watched the U.S. Open.

The only thing missing was that we didn't get to spend Father's Day with my dad. I am blessed to have my dad and I think Scott would say the same thing about his. It's also sweet to see them in their grandfather roles with Ford.

And, I have to compliment my husband on being such an amazing father to Ford. I am so proud of what a wonderful daddy he is to Ford. Ford is absolutely crazy about Scott and I know the feeling is mutual.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to Scott, Paw Paw, Papa and Papa Forest! Ford and I love you all!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-06-12T20:53:00.001-05:00

It's only taken me a month to post this video. Even though it's a month old, it's still really cute!

Three Feet Tall and Bullet Proof

Sweet Baby Miles

Izzie's Ice

Spring Family Festival

Happy 4th Birthday, Ford

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Part 2)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

December, 2009

Miles is Four Months Old (and Almost Five!)

Sweet Baby Miles

Two Months Old

One Month Down, 215 to Go

Reflux and Colic and Crying, Oh My

Welcome to the World, Baby Boy

Pamela Stafford Stout

June part 1

Father's Day

Fifth of July

Showered with Love

Leave of Absence

Sweet Big Brother

Double Trouble

Note*

ER Visit #2

I Will Try to Fix You

Trip to Tampa

The Month of May

Then and Now

Memorial Day Weekend

Top Ten

Weekend Fun

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

What's Going On

St. Patrick's Day

Visit from Grana and Papa Forest

Too Funny

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Time Marches On

The Three Amigos

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It's Potty Time

Ford Saying the Blessing

Big Boy Bed and other Milestones

We Gon Party Like it's yo Birthday

You Say it's Your Birthday

Happy Birthday, Ford!

A Long December

Thanksgiving

Luke 2:1-14

Then and Now

Happy Thanksgiving!

Max is Coming Home!

One, Two, THREE!

Pawpaw and Rona

Halloween

What Can Brown do for You?

October

Sunday (10-19)

Saturday

Friday

Thursday

Carboard Testimonies

Hunter's Moon 2008

Oh, no!

Blue Skies

Ford's First Steps

The Way You Do the Things You Do

Home Renovation - Phase #532

Happy Birthday, West End

My Fair Baby

Labor Day Weekend

On and On

You Down with OCD

Same Time Last Year

Tomato Art Festival

Friends

VA

Happy Birthday, USA!

Lake House Weekend

The Week in Pictures

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