The Blessed Bennetts!

just for me

2011-10-20T14:11:00.003-05:00

A little over 4 years old and 10 months and walking. Just for me, Seth's sister so graciously braved the heat on an August Saturday and shot some quick pictures of the kids. And the heat was brutal. Due to my constant tardiness, which I blame on my two precious little ones, we did not make it out for the shoot until lunchtime. Thankfully, we had a bottle of water to pour over the ground to try to help cool the brick floor for the kids feet. And as usual, Lisa proved her talent. I am in L.O.V.E. with them!

Princess Anne Elizabeth!

2011-06-26T20:40:00.003-05:00

We just returned from a wonderful weekend in Chattanooga, TN celebrating the marriage of my cousin, Anne Elizabeth, and her precious finance, Brandon! I just love this picture of Princess Anne and her bell children. We all had a great time and wish Brandon and Anne many years of happiness!

Happy Father's Day....

2011-06-19T15:48:00.004-05:00

to you! You are such a wonderful father and husband and I am so thankful that the Lord chose you to be with me on this journey. We love you!

6 months

2011-05-01T09:14:00.005-05:00

First of all, I am not really sure and can't quite grasp my head around the fact that my precious baby is 6 months old. Everyone says it but I really don't know where the time has gone! I know...life is busy and having a 4 year old as well does not help to slow things down. Every moment with my sweet Carson has been such a blessing. He is such a laid back, sweet, yummy, cuddly baby and I have absolutely eaten it all up. I felt so rushed with my Katelyn, wanting to see her sit up, roll over, crawl, walk, talk, etc. But seconds seem so different. I am constantly rocking him in my arms and whispering to him to stay little, to stay in my arms, to slow down. I already felt like we missed out on so much of the baby phase seeing as he was a ten pounder at birth. And, we loved every ounce of that ten pounds!
Here are some 6 month stats:
-17 pounds, 4 ounces (we have not been to our 6 month check up yet but that was the weight 2 weeks ago)
-sits up on his own (topples every now and then)
rolls all over the place
-loves some baby food (sweet potatoes, applesauce, bannanas, pears, green beans, oatmeal)
-Talks all the time
-No teeth
-Totally infatuated with his big sister

So, the family headed to Easter with Seth's family as well as to send Daddy off for some National Guard duty last weekend. Aunt Lisa agreed to snap some 6 month shots of Carson for us and she, once again, blew me away with her talent! Just a glimpse of the sweet personality of my Carson. Enjoy!

Let the celebration begin.....

2011-04-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

and did we celebrate! From birthday parties, to family gatherings, to Easter services....it was a wonderful weekend with family and friends, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

christmas day

2011-01-11T21:22:00.000-06:00

The kids woke up early to see that Santa had stopped by our house! After pretty much looking over everything, Katelyn decided to tear into her stocking. She had a blast this year and so did we! This was really the first year that she really got into Christmas and was asking tons of questions about Santa. It was just priceless to see the look on her face and to see her reaction to everything. I wasn't feeling too great so Carson and I hung out on the couch and enjoyed the show. Needless to say, the pictures weren't that great since Seth had the video camera.

Cookies, milk and carrot have been eaten!

Santa came to town

Checking out the goodies

more princess goodies

Katelyn attempting to show Carson his goodies from Santa

After we opened Santa gifts, we headed over to my parents house to celebrate a little more in our pjs. My parents always cook up an amazing spread of brunch type foods. We had a special treat this year....Santa came to visit the kids. Santa (a.k.a. the BEST uncle Jeremey the kids could ask for!!!) rang the door bell and totally surprised all three little ones. We could not believe that we pulled it off! It was priceless....a memory that will never be forgotten! The kids asked all kinds of questions and Santa was quick on his toes to provide answers. And to top the morning off, the snow started falling at my parents house. They live up on Red Mountain and it seriously snowed inches while we were there.

The snow at my parents house

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After brunch, we headed back home to enjoy playing with our new toys and I cooked up a yummy Christmas dinner, another tradition that our family has recently started. I had a Thanksgiving type spread and we enjoyed it with my parents, grandmother and my sister's family. It was a perfect Christmas with a snow that will never be forgotten!

christmas eve

2011-01-11T21:14:00.000-06:00

Since Karen and Greg's has been moved back a night, and we do our Christmas Eve service at Highlands early in the week, we have started a new family tradition on Christmas Eve...finger foods, pjs, Christmas music and cookies and milk! It is so nice with all the rush of the holidays to have some time with just our family to enjoy each other and to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Katelyn and I made cookies for Santa and we all pitched in with the finger foods. After leaving out the cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph, the kids hit the sack early and Santa was quick to get to work!

christmas eve, eve night.......

2011-01-11T20:55:00.001-06:00

so I guess it would be called. We have a tradition that has been carried on for years and years to spend Christmas Eve at my Uncle Greg and Aunt Karen's house. We have steaks, potatoes, salad, bread, pies, cakes, presents and tons of fun! The past couple of years we have had to move it back to the night before Christmas Eve due to all of our growing families. After dinner, we let the kids open presents first because, lets just be honest, it's much more fun to watch them! Karen got the girls Auburn and Alabama tutus that were adorable! Mary Glynn tried hers out immediately but Katelyn was a little hesitant. Maybe it was the no nap and late night so Haley decided to try it on for her....such a good sport! The boys got football piggy banks and I think that we heard "touchdown" a million times from Grayson putting his money in over, and over, and over again. Of course, Katelyn broke in Carson's piggy bank for him so it is ready to go. Leave it to big sis! ha! Fun was had by all and we look forward to this night every Christmas. Such wonderful memories!

The kids enjoying dinner

My sweet Katelyn

Haley sporting the tutu

Carson doing what he does best

Drew, Haley, MG and Carson

Hilary and Katelyn

Graham and Emma with Carson

Katelyn twirling in her new tutu!

happy birthday Jesus.....

2010-12-29T17:26:00.001-06:00

and Merry Christmas! more pics to come...

happy two month........

2010-12-29T17:20:00.000-06:00

to my sweet baby boy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-27T17:45:00.001-06:00

miss these girls.....

2010-09-15T22:41:00.000-05:00

a few from the summer

2010-09-15T22:17:00.000-05:00

carson seth bennett

2010-09-15T22:02:00.000-05:00

We had quite a time trying to agree on a name for this little guy. But, there you have it....it is official, Carson Seth Bennett. After many days, nights and hours that we spent talking about our little guy, Carson was the only name that we both agreed on and really loved. Naming a child is definitely a challenge for parents, especially for me, because it is forever. That is all that I kept thinking about. And it seemed that every name that we came up with, we always seemed to come up with a reason that it would not be a good name. Back in June when we were headed down for the reunion with my AU Tridelta girls, Seth and I spent the ENTIRE four hours talking about names and just throwing them out there. I will never forget that ride....I did not know that you could literally talk about naming your child for that long. But, thankfully it was a successful ride and that is the ride that came up with Carson. Love it, love it, love it! Now, just to see his sweet face in the next month or two! Here is a picture from our ultrasound back in June when we found out that Carson was definitely a boy. He is a mover and apparently was standing on his head that morning. More pictures to come as we prepare for his arrival. What a blessing from God and we will NEVER forget that!

Katelyn's 3rd Birthday Party!

2010-07-12T20:06:00.000-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Katelyn!

2010-05-16T23:08:00.000-05:00

Before you were born I loved you.....

2010-05-10T22:01:00.000-05:00

Before you were here for an hour I would die for you......
This is the miracle of love!

To say that we are excited is an understatement! God is absolutely amazing! Katelyn was our first miracle after struggling with infertility for years. And now He is blessing us with another one of His children to love and raise for his glory!

I am due November 6th and I am about 14.5 weeks. I am feeling great and just trying to enjoy every minute with this little miracle. And, yes, we are going to find out if this little bit is going to be a boy or a girl on June 8th. Katelyn is pretty consistent with saying that Mommy is having a boy. This pregnancy is totally different than Katelyn's pregnancy but I know that it doesn't really mean anything. A healthy child is what we are praying for! June 8th can't come soon enough! Please just keep us in your prayers. Please pray for a smooth pregnancy with no kidney stones this time and, hopefully no NICU this time as well. We will keep you posted on the progression of this little one as we have many more months to watch it grow!

Easter

2010-05-10T21:44:00.000-05:00

So, life is a little crazy right now. I hate that I am so behind on blogging but I might as well take a shot at getting caught up, for my sake atleast. So, we had a wonderful Easter and felt so blessed to be able to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Katelyn had a blast looking for eggs at Mimi's house with Mary Glynn and Grayson. They are all so precious to watch these days!

It's been a while......and this should explain it!

2010-04-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

7 Year Anniversary!

2010-02-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

Happy 7 years to my best friend.....looking forward to many more!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2010-02-19T15:33:00.001-06:00

I could not believe that we were actually in town for all the snow! Katelyn absolutely loved it! We were out of town last year and earlier this year when it snowed so I was definitely looking forward to taking Katelyn out to play. I seemed to pick the time when the snow seemed blizzard like! I guess that's what we call light snow in the South! ha! It was all in my hair, all over my coat, my pants were wet, my shoes were wet and I was FREEZING! But, Katelyn absolutely loved it....even with her wet pants and wet gloves. She was having the time of her life. We loved to be able to play in the snow but at the same time we are ready for spring! We are dying to get out of the house and to just be outside!

Happy Birthday Mary Glynn and Grayson!

2010-02-19T15:12:00.000-06:00

I really can't believe that it has been three years already and that my little bit will be three in another few months! We had a blast celebrating my niece and nephew's third birthday at Premier Gymnastics. Katelyn ran around the entire time and just had a blast jumping, swinging, running, etc. The cake was adorable and all the kids had a blast! It was packed out! Katelyn loves her cousins and just being around other kids as you can see from the pictures. Happy 3rd birthday to my sweet niece and nephew!

Christmas...

2010-01-12T19:50:00.001-06:00

So, we had a wonderful Christmas! It all started with our week at Disney, followed by The Polar Express train ride in our pjs. Katelyn loved having the chocolate milk, cookies, and especially being Mimi, Bernie Dad and cousins. We did the Polar Express last year and absolutely loved it but I must say, Katelyn "got it" this year. It was just precious to watch the kids just soak it all in! Katelyn also had her first school Christmas party! We had Christmas with my Dad's side of the family and all the kids were just spoiled rotten. Christmas Eve Day, we made Christmas cookies for Santa with Mary Glynn and Grayson. They were initially interested with the mixing of the ingredients but Averee and I had to finish the cutting out. Their little attention spans just would not make it! ha! Katelyn was such a good girl this year that she was visited by Santa! He brought her a tricycle, easel, Cinderella's Castle (straight from Disney World! ha!), games, Tinkerbell Doll, Dora Doll, and lots of stocking stuffers! Christmas is just not the same for Seth and I anymore. It is SO much better! There is nothing like seeing Christmas through the eyes of your child. I would not trade it for anything. I hope that everyone had just as wonderful of a Christmas as we did!

Magic Kingdom & Boardwalk - Days 5 & 6

2010-01-05T16:21:00.001-06:00

So, we finished up our last day at Magic Kingdom. It was a rainy and not so fun day in the parks but we made the best of it! Since it was rainy, we got indoors and stood in line to see characters so that Katelyn could get more signatures. Katelyn got to see Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Tinkerbell and two other fairies. She was so excited to see all of them, probably more for Tinkerbell than any others! We headed down to Downtown Disney to eat at Rainforest Cafe and to visit the lego store again. Katelyn is like a wild animal in that store! On Saturday, the last day before we left, we went to the Grand Floridian Resort to see the life size gingerbread house. It is taller than I am and it is completely made out of real gingerbread! So neat! We even got gingerbread cookies to snack on that were made there. So yummy! We finished off the day at the Boardwalk ESPN center watching the SEC Championship game, Alabama and Florida. To say that we were outnumbered is an understatement. I could count on one hand the number of Alabama fans in the building! But, we were glad that we stayed and watched the Florida fans file out one by one during the 4th quarter. It was a great trip with the Piggs and I am sure that there will be more in the future! Enjoy the last pics!

Day 4 - Hollywood Studios

2010-01-05T15:32:00.000-06:00

Poor Katelyn was completely worn out by this day! Can you blame her? You can tell by the first picture! ha! But, we had a great time going to Playhouse Disney, Toy Story, American Idol (yes, Katelyn loved this one!), and eating at our favorite place, the 50's Diner! Can you imagine.......Coke Float?????? It was awesome! And the first place that we found sweet tea that was actually sweet! We stayed until dark to see the Osborne Family Christmas lights and they were unbelievable! Jess and I left the park around 7:00 to hit up Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and left the boys with Katelyn! We shopped, ate Christmas cookies and hot chocolate, shopped, ate more cookies and hot chocolate until we just could not go anymore! It was another great day at Disney and I keep saying this, but I can't wait to go back! Enjoy the pics!

Animal Kingdom - Day 3

2010-01-02T21:42:00.000-06:00

We spent our 3rd day at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park. We did the safari which is one of my favorites at this park. They have a huge amount of land set up just like an African safari with animals like giraffes, elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, hippos, zebras, lions, ostrich, and many more! It is a must see at Animal Kingdom, especially for the little ones. Katelyn was just enamored by all the animals! We also took Katelyn back to Dinoland which is always a big hit with playgrounds, the dinosaur ride that spins in a circle (like Dumbo), etc. This year, we got to see Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore dressed up in their Christmas outfits! They were too cute! We finished up the day by walking through to see the tigers, birds and many more animals that Katelyn just loved. I am not sure if anyone remembers seeing any pictures from last year's Disney trip. Pigg, Jessica, Seth and I have the most memorable picture forever in our minds and we laugh all the time when we think back to this day. It was at Animal Kingdom and we were eating spaghetti for lunch and Pigg was getting Katelyn so excited that she put her red, spaghetti hands all in her hair and her ecru bow! We all were laughing so hard that it literally was hurting! ha! So, this year we tried to recreate the infamous picture and I believe that it was a no go! First of all, the place that we ate at last year did not serve spaghetti anymore so pizza had to do. And, Katelyn just could not seem to get dirty enough. She is becoming more of a girly girl who does not like to have dirty hands! Imagine that! Anyway, it was a great day finished up with dinner at T-Rex! Yummy!

Epcot - Day 2!

2010-01-02T21:31:00.000-06:00

We REALLY love Epcot! The problem is that Katelyn is just not at the age to appreciate it like Seth and I do! So, we did as much as we could but Seth and I would have loved to have spent another day there. They have so many countries that we still, after two years, have not been able to walk through. Probably one of my favorite rides at Disney is at Epcot, so Pigg and Ms. Jessi sat with little bit so that Seth and I could ride it. It is called Soarin and the ride is a hang gliding experience around the state of California. I am totally scared of heights but for some reason I absolutely LOVE this one! Of course, we had reservations at the Japanese restaurant and Katelyn was thoroughly entertained by our cook with a choo-choo train and many more tricks! We had a great time at Epcot and I can't wait to go back!

Disney World!!!

2009-12-31T13:03:00.000-06:00

Magic Kingdom - Day 1

So, I know that I am SOOO slow at updating but better late than never! December was a crazy month for us, especially being gone for the first week of December to Disneyworld. We went this year with our good friends, the Piggs, and had a blast! We were there from Sunday to Sunday and we were on the go from daylight until dark every day! I really believe that each year just keeps getting better with Katelyn because she was only 18 months last year when we took her to Disney. This year at 2 1/2, she was completely mesmerized by everything! It was so much fun to watch her see the characters and actually say their names and know who they all were. This post is of our first day at Magic Kingdom. There are many more posts to come, even from Christmas so stay tuned!

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-27T18:51:00.001-06:00

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a busy Turkey day and things are not slowing down for us! We are off to a place where dreams come true........Disney World! Have a great week!

Katelyn's Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-27T18:43:00.001-06:00

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Katelyn had her Thanksgiving Feast at school last week and Seth, Mimi (my mom) and I all got to attend to see the festivities! It was amazing to me to see that my child would actually sit at the table while she at and NOT get up from her seat. She had a blast eating with her friends and we just love watching them celebrate! They made their Indian shirts and her name was "Dancing Butterfly" which I think is pretty appropriate for her. She even came home with a turkey that had everyone that she was thankful for. She is loving school and is just learning so much!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T08:31:00.001-06:00

More pics to come!

Southern girl at heart.......

2009-10-29T15:16:00.000-05:00

Big girl panties!

2009-10-15T10:43:00.000-05:00

We have been letting Katelyn play with the potty for several months now but she has seemed to be more and more interested in it lately. We have been home for the past couple of days and decided to give it a try. We have had one accident in two days so I am pretty happy with that! She loves her big girl panties, always has and loves getting skittles after potty time! I will say that I was VERY proud last week when we actually pooped in the potty all by herself with me not even in the bathroom with her! It was a shocker! I have heard that the poops are a difficult task to take on so we are not holding our breath with that one. For all those potty training mommies, any advice would be great so send it on!

Ready for Halloween!!!!

2009-10-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Football Fall Saturday!

2009-10-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

beach bums

2009-09-16T19:12:00.000-05:00

What a great trip to the beach! We got to see wonderful friends and family that we really don't get to see much. We took Katelyn to the Robertsdale vs. Satsuma High School football game to see our sweet niece, Paige, during the half time show. She is a majorette for Satsuma High School. She did great and Katelyn LOVED watching the bands play. Katelyn also got to play with our nephew Nathan, or "Nate Nate" as she calls him. His cars were a huge hit! We also got to see my best friend from college and her sister. I definitely loved catching up with Shannon as always, but Katelyn fell in love with her! We can't wait to see them this weekend again for some fun times! Katelyn also had plenty of time on the beach and in the pools while we were there. We could not keep her out! Here are just a few of my favorite pics from the beach! Hope everyone is having a great week!

my little asthma angel

2009-09-16T19:08:00.000-05:00

Bring out the nebulizer because fall is here! Or atleast this is the case around our house. Thankfully, this year we can now hold it ourselves instead of the football hold that I used to have to do! She is definitely going to be my sickly child! ha! But we love her no matter what!

First Day of School

2009-08-19T19:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Katelyn's first day of school. This year I signed her up for two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9-1. I have been a complete nervous wreck, second guessing my decision, thinking she was not ready for this day. Maybe it is me that is not ready.......I am just not sure. We went to orientation on Monday and the kids were able to play in the room for an hour and just try to get familiar with the surroundings while the parents went to a meeting. She was a little clingy to my leg but eventually I was able to slip out with no problems. I left her room in tears worried sick about how she was, if she was scared, did she have a friend to play with, was she being loved on, etc. I knew that it was going to be a long day on Wednesday so I had to start preparing myself for it! So, I made a decision to walk her in to school yesterday morning. Now that the day is over, I still stand by my decision to walk her in 100%. She really did not even want to walk into the school but I got her in and into her classroom. After a couple of minutes, I eventually got her off my leg and slipped out once again. I left her room happy and with a good feeling about today. I was very anxious throughout the day and I was so excited to see her that I was the first one in line to pick her up! I watched as all the kids piled out of their rooms to wait for carpool, one by one. Finally, I saw my little angel walking out and she sat down on the wall next to another little girl. As carpool started, I saw them reach for Katelyn to bring her out to the car. Anyone that knows my little Katelyn, knows that she is VERY strong willed and VERY stubborn. As I watched her through the doors, she seemed to be fighting the lady that was bringing her out to the car. She was kicking and fussing which did not give me that warm fuzzy feeling that you want when you drop your first and only child off at school. So, she got in the car and seemed fine and very happy so I quickly asked Abbey to check her bag for a note or something so that I would know how her day was. There was nothing. I know a few of the mom's of the kids in her class so I quickly got on the phone to get the scoop. I call it....."the mommy mofia"! ha! I found out that the other girls had brought home a pretty painting with their hand prints on them. I just got to the point that I knew that I needed to call the teacher to find out how Katelyn's first day of school was. So, I called Mrs. Michelle, her very sweet teacher, and asked her why Katelyn did not have any artwork in her book bag today. She informed me that Katelyn refused to do her artwork and I must say, I literally had tears in my eyes at this point. Not what a Mommy wants to hear! She said that she would not play all day, she would not eat her lunch, she would not play on the playground, she would not hold onto the rope that the kids hold on to while walking in the hall.....must I go on? So, I am now completely distraught! I can totally see my strong-willed, stubborn child refusing to do everything and making Mrs. Michelle's day completely crazy. On the other hand, it breaks my heart to wonder if she doesn't understand where she is and why she is there. Yes, we have been talking to her about school and she always says that she wants to go and that she is excited about it. I just don't know right now. I am forcing myself to roll over a new leaf for Monday and to give it another shot. I LOVE her teacher! I just wonder if she is really ready for this. Or...... maybe she is overdue this! Any comments, thoughts or advice would be wonderful! And, please pray for Katelyn and ME on Monday, that she will feel safe and have fun at school. And on a side note, Katelyn is teething and has missed a couple naps this week due to that. It is her top molars. She had motrin before school but I know that could be one stumbling block from Wednesday. Who knows!

Happy Wedding Anniversary!!! 6 Years!!!

2009-08-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

No.......I am not going to get into our complicated situation about our real anniversary and our wedding anniversary since we celebrate both. But, I must say it has been a great 6 1/2 years together!

Our little fish!

2009-07-28T12:42:00.000-05:00

I have been pushed by both grandparents to enroll Katelyn in swimming lessons. Last summer, I just could not fit it into the schedule for some reason! ha! So, this summer I began watching her playing in the pool and decided that I needed to jump all over them this year. Katelyn loves the pool and has no fear of it right now! She doesn't seem to understand that if you jump into the pool at the steps, then you will hit the bottom and it will hurt. She makes me a nervous wreck and not to mention that Seth's mom has a pool and she wants to be in it all day long when we are at their house! So, it was definitely due time for them. Kelsey, one of my mom's friend's daughters is a lifeguard and she does private swimming lessons. We set Katelyn up for 30 minute lessons and she has loved EVERY minute of it. She is kicking all over the pool, blowing bubbles, putting her face in the water and as Kelsey says, she is not afraid of the water AT ALL! She has especially loved playing with the ball in the pool as well as a pair of goggles that just seemed to be floating in the pool during one of the lessons. We hope that our little fish will be swimming on her own so that she doesn't make her Mommy have a nervous breakdown around the water! We are just so proud of her!

One more step towards being a big girl..........

2009-07-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

is our nightgowns! I love the footed sleepers but Katelyn has something else in mind at night now. It sure does make me sad to see the footy pjs start dwindling away! :( But, on the bright side, she does look stinkin cute in them.........

summer fun at the lake

2009-06-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

How funny is this?

2009-05-28T15:49:00.000-05:00

I love it! This will be a great photo to have 15 years down the road! Good memories!

What are you girls up to?

2009-05-28T15:36:00.001-05:00

To say that they keep us on our toes is probably an understatement! With that said, I don't know what we did with our time before them! They are so much fun now and I love, love to watch them play! I just have to keep my eyes on these two. You never know what they might be getting into!

Our new obsession.........

2009-05-28T15:33:00.000-05:00

2 Years Old!

2009-05-21T07:51:00.000-05:00

This post is more for myself so I just want to write down some things that Katelyn is doing now that she is 2 years old!

Great sleeper, 11 - 12 hours at night and 2.5 - 3.5 hour naps.
Loves her paci and calls it daboo.
Loves her blankies, especially the yellow ones!
Loves spaghetti & macaroni & cheese (anything pasta)
Loves pop tarts and calls them "tart pops"
Says 2-4 word phrases
LOVES to be outside, says "outside" all the time
Very strong willed (including tantrums)
Loves to push her stroller with her blanky across the handle bar
Loves to read books, especially to Mommy & Daddy
Loves suckers (dumdums), juice & goldfish
Loves Elmo
Very independent

More to be added!

Katelyn's 2nd Birthday Party!

2009-05-21T07:20:00.000-05:00

Katelyn turned 2 years old on May 16th, which was last Saturday. We had her party the same day of her birthday and the flood of the century (or it just seemed like that to me)! I have not seen so much rain in my life! It looked like we had a river in the street. However, so many of our friends showed up, wet and all! Many of my friends know that I had a very hard time making plans for Katelyn's party. I am not sure why, but I did not want to do a character type thing and anyone that knows Katelyn, knows her obsession for Elmo. After many hours of contemplating, and Katelyn's help with all of our spring planting, we decided to have a planting party. Unintentionally, the party planning just kept getting put off and before I knew it, the week of the party was here. So, after some scrambling around, the party was pulled off for Saturday. Even though the rain seemed to be stationary through the party, the party turned out great! Katelyn had a great time with all of her friends planting and playing. The kids ate pizza and the adults had BBQ. My mom and I (well mostly my mom) made the cupcakes with flowers on top and dirt pie for the kids. We had two candles on a cupcake for Katelyn and she blew out both of her candles all by herself. She was so proud and just started clapping and yelling! It was too cute! We are so thankful for all of her friends and family that made this day so special for her. We just can't believe that our baby is already two. She is growing up too fast!

After a long day of fun, Daddy and Katelyn are settling down before bedtime with her new book!

Happy 2nd birthday to my sweet baby girl!

2009-05-17T09:17:00.001-05:00

More pictures to come!

Troyfest

2009-05-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

Seth and I took Katelyn to Troyfest a couple of weekends ago and she had a blast! We got some cute pics of the girls together and of Pawpaw reading the princess book to them. It was too funny!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

Just for fun!

2009-04-12T14:56:00.000-05:00

Katelyn loves to go "bye bye" these days!

Just being silly!

She also likes to wear Daddy's tie when he gets home from work!

A trip to Vegas and a sick, sick baby

2009-03-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

What a past month or so! Seth finally made it back from Vegas and we are enjoying our nights again as a family of three! I am really going to try to make this story short for you though. I left for Vegas back a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday to see Seth and spend some time together to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. It was a much needed break for me! We got a ticket from a friend flying standby, which I was very unfamiliar with. Apparently, flying standby means that we are non-revenue passengers that are at the very bottom of the priority list. So, we get on our flight headed to Chicago where we are going to catch a flight to Vegas. Well, we missed our flight because of bad weather so decided to try for the next flight to Vegas. Apparently due to the bad weather, most of the planes were diverted and we began thinking that we might not get on a flight that night. I was in a panic mode! After 8 hours in the airport in Chicago, we finally got on the last plane with NO seats available heading for Vegas. We left out at 12:00 midnight our time and made it to Vegas at 4:00am our time 2:00am Vegas time. I was totally exhausted after being up for almost 24 hours. I kept having feelings that something was not meant to be after the trip out but I was so excited to see Seth that I forgot about what it took to get me out there. Well the next morning, Seth and I called his mom to check on Katelyn and she told us that she was sick during the night. She was vomiting and I was all the way across the country! I was, again, in a panic! There is no other feeling worse than your child being sick and you being far away to where you can do nothing about it! Seth and I did our best to have a good time without worrying too much about our sweet, sick, baby girl. So, we continued to check on her and we were excited to hear that the vomiting had stopped and she was catching a cold. I hate to say that I was excited about a cold but my thoughts were that it would be nothing that could not be handled and that she would probably be much better by the time that we made it back. Well, each day the cold seemed to get progressively worse. On Sunday, my sweet friend Abbie picked her up from Seth's mom's house to watch her until I could get home on Monday to get her. In the mean time, snow was falling in AL, which in turn meant cancelled flights for Sunday. I began to get back into my panic mode. I knew that Katelyn was still sick and I was hoping that she was going to get better but I knew that I wanted to get on that flight for Monday so that I could get home to my baby girl. So, by late in the day Sunday, we received the bad news that 12 of the 15 Southwest flights into Birmingham had been cancelled which meant that ALL the flights on Monday were booked. So, as I am in tears, completely freaking out to Seth, he proceeds to get online to find me a ticket home on Monday. Bingo..........he found a ticket alright and it was $800 for a one way ticket home. So, we decided that was out of the question for now and that we would just wait to see what we could find to get me home on Tuesday. On Monday morning, Abbie calls me to tell me that she thinks that Katelyn might have an ear infection. So, I call the doctor and get some medicine called in hoping that it will make Katelyn feel better. By Tuesday morning, Katelyn was much worse to where Abbie had to send her little girl to a friends house to care for Katelyn. To say the least, I was hysterical!!!! Seth's flight left out that morning and I could not get out until that night since again, I was flying standby. By this point, my mother was on her way down to Montgomery to pick up Katelyn and get her back to the doctor. Well, Mom got her to the doctor and after an x-ray, they sent her home with 3 prescriptions. Seth finally got to my mom's house to get Katelyn around dinner time that Tuesday but she still did not seem better. She was struggling to breath but we were under the assumption that this must be normal since the doctor had seen her like this a few hours earlier. Well, my flight came in around 11:45pm that night and I got home to see her and she looked awful! I put her in bed with us to watch her throughout the night and she seemed to be gasping for air. First thing the next morning I called the doctor to ask them about her breathing and they told me what to look for when she is in respiratory distress. So, I watched her throughout the day and she seemed fine. Well, on Wednesday night, I noticed her chest caving in again when she was breathing, which she had done the night before. So, I called the nurse on call and she told us to take her to Children's ER immediately. So, Seth and I loaded up and headed downtown to the dreaded ER!!! When we got there they put an oxygen cord on her toe to check and it said 80%. The nurse was a little shocked and said that it had to be wrong so she pulled it off and gave her a new one. Again, it read 80%. The nurse was in complete shock and said that she needed to be on oxygen ASAP. They started her on breathing treatments every hour or so for 45 minutes. It was miserable! She screamed and it literally took Seth and I both to hold her down and give the treatments. After the 4 treatments, her oxygen was the same so they had to admit her to the hospital. We had to stay for 5 days, 4 of which she was on oxygen. We found out that they think she may have asthma but definitely asthma like symtoms when she gets a cold. It was a complete roller coaster of a ride for us and a crazy 2 weeks! We are SOOOOO thankful that she was taken care of and that we got her to the hospital in time. We know that God had his hand on our sweet baby while we were gone and while she was in the hospital. It was one of those trips that just felt like it was not meant to be but we strongly believe that everything has a purpose. We now know how to treat Katelyn when she gets sick since we will have a nebulizer at home to give her breathing treatments. So,here are some pics from her stay in the hospital and our trip in Vegas! Sorry it was such a long post but so much happened during those two weeks! Thank you for all our visitors while we were in the hospital, meals that were brought, prayers that were prayed! We could not have made it without any of it! We are so greatful for such wonderful family and friends!

Blessings

2009-02-24T14:29:00.000-06:00

Can I just say what a blessing it is to have great friends? God has really blessed me with great friends throughout my life. I love watching all of our kids as they grow up. My friend Abbie and I have known each other since 2nd grade and we took pictures of our sweet girls at Lily's 1st birthday party. I really can't wait for the girls to grow up together. I hope that they will be as good of friends as their mommies have been! They are too cute together!

We miss you Daddy!

2009-02-24T14:09:00.000-06:00

Seth is working in Las Vegas for the entire month of February (Air National Guard stuff). Thankfully, he is flying home next week and we can't wait. I promised him that I would try to keep some pictures updated while he was gone and once again, I have failed! I don't know why I have been so busy and have not been able to make this a priority???? I guess that a 21 month old will do it to you! Katelyn and I have stayed so busy whether really having a lot to do or just trying to keep busy and pass the time. Thanks to the wonderful Aunt Abbey who has saved us and spent so much time with us including spending the night with us and has been such a great help while Seth is gone. Our families have pretty much taken us in for this month and taken such great care of us and we appreciate everything! Aves, I hope that I have not worn out my welcome, haha! Thankfully, Seth comes home next week but I am flying out to see him on Thursday. I will be sad to leave Katelyn but I know that she will be in great hands with her Nana and Mrs. Abbie! So, here is my attempt at trying to keep some pictures posted. Katelyn is growing so much and has changed so much in the past few weeks. Her cousin Grayson has taught her to use the yogurt box as a hat and it is quite obviously her obsession right now! Why do we buy toys???

Oh, and please ignore the mess in the background!!!

Silly Girl!

2009-02-01T07:34:00.000-06:00

Katelyn is so much fun right now! She is so adventurous and she keeps us on our toes!

Katelyn loves her cousin, Marley!

2009-01-18T22:03:00.000-06:00

A visit from Santa!!!

2009-01-18T21:59:00.000-06:00

Baking Christmas Cookies for Santa

2009-01-18T21:56:00.001-06:00

The Polar Express

2009-01-18T21:50:00.000-06:00

Doty Family Reunion

2009-01-18T21:47:00.001-06:00

Pancake Breakfast with Santa

2009-01-18T21:38:00.000-06:00

187th Fighter Wing Christmas Party

2008-12-17T08:37:00.001-06:00

Katelyn's Christmas Tree!

2008-12-17T08:29:00.001-06:00

This year, we decided to put up a tree in Katelyn's room. Once we got the tree put together, we let her do most of the decorating, as you can tell from the pictures. Every ornament that she put on the tree was hanging on the same limb. It was so funny! I kept wondering if the limb would hold out! Anyway, the tree was so cute after all the decorating and Katelyn is so proud!

Thanksgiving at the Lake!

2008-11-28T22:43:00.000-06:00

Kisses from Mary Glynn

2008-11-28T22:42:00.000-06:00

Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

2008-11-28T21:31:00.000-06:00

Epcot & Magic Kingdom

2008-11-28T21:08:00.000-06:00

Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure!

2008-11-27T21:52:00.000-06:00

Hollywood Studios

2008-11-27T21:32:00.000-06:00

18 Months

2008-11-24T21:57:00.000-06:00

Wow! I can't believe that Katelyn is growing so fast. I know that we all seem to say that but she really is growing and learning so much every day. We went to the doctor last Wednesday for Katelyn's check-up. So, here are her stats: 20 lbs 10 ounces(10th percentile), 31 1/4 inches long(50th percentile). She got three shots and a finger prick. I would definitely say that she was more aware of the shots this visit which made me feel horrible for her. I always hated getting shots when I was little so I know that it must be scary for her. She is a trooper though and I was very proud! So, here are a few things that Katelyn loves right now. She is still very into books. She always says boo(book) and brings you a book to read. Her favorite are any books with a flap that she can do herself. She loves shoes! I think that is my very favorite word to hear her say! It is so cute. It sounds like shese (if that makes sense). We are hoping that Santa can bring her some dress-up shoes to play with. She just can't get enough of them. She is a really good eater. She has gotten picky about a few things but all in all she will eat most anything. She is such a joy to have around and we are just eating her up right now!

Day 1 & 2 Magic Kingdom

2008-11-18T21:19:00.000-06:00

DISNEYWORLD!!!

2008-11-18T08:58:00.000-06:00

So, it is going to take more than one post to get all the pictures from our Disney trip. We had a GREAT time! We are already trying to plan for our next trip. We visited 6 parks in 7 days and surprisingly, Kateylyn was great! We know that she is high maintenance and we expected the worst but she was wonderful! Here are some pics of how loaded we were in the car and of our little redneck baby. We were all in long sleeves and pants and it was in the 80s in Florida so we let katelyn run around in her shirt and diaper. She was too cute! More pictures to come from each park!!!

Alzheimer's Walk 2008

2008-11-18T08:28:00.000-06:00

Most of ya'll know that my sweet Memaw was fighting a battle with Alzheimers. After many years of suffering, she finally went to be with our Father last July. It was very hard for us to watch her battle this horrible disease but we know that she is safe and free from this disease. She was such a wonderful grandmother, mom, sister, friend, etc. I could go on all day about how great she was and what a great life that she lived. Well, Averee, Abbey and I decided to surprise our mom and take her to walk in the 2008 Alzheimer's Walk that was held at the Galleria to walk in memory of our sweet Memaw. It was so touching to see so many people there walking for the cause. I pray that one day I can be the person that she was and live the life that she did glorifying God in everything. So here's to you Memaw!!! We love you so much and miss you tons! Your legacy lives on!

Our curious little munchkin!

2008-11-18T08:24:00.000-06:00

Carving Pumpkins

2008-11-18T08:19:00.001-06:00

Thankfully, Seth doesn't mind the mess so he took on the project of carving our pumpkin for Halloween. Katelyn absolutely loved getting into the mess with him. Just what an 18 month old loves to tear into! After carving the pumpkin, we cooked the seeds for a treat. They were so yummy!

Here is our finished product!

Our little ladybug!

2008-11-18T08:02:00.000-06:00

We dressed up for our kindermusic class the night before Halloween. Katelyn was a little ladybug and Grayson and Mary Glynn were Raggedy Ann & Andy. They were all so cute and they had the best time! Each holiday seems to bring so much excitement! We are looking forward to Thanksgiving & Christmas!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

Katelyn and I met my family at the pumpkin patch last Sunday since Seth was still in Montgomery working at the base. We had SOOO much fun! We went to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. We all got on a train and rode out to the patch. You got to pick out a pumpkin, ride a hayride, get your face painted and jump in a moonwalk. Of course, Katelyn was not old enough to jump in the moonwalk but she found other ways to entertain herself. She was so funny running around everywhere just screaming and laughing out loud. Once we had our pumpkin picked out and we rode the hayride, then we got back on the train for the ride back. It was a lot of fun and a perfect patch for her age right now! We have already ordered our Polar Express tickets for December. We can't wait to go back!

Katelyn's Cuz!!!!

2008-11-01T20:49:00.001-05:00

I just want to eat her up!

2008-11-01T20:46:00.001-05:00

Evynne's Birthday Party

2008-11-01T20:24:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from Evynne's birthday party. Katelyn had so much fun! Evynne had a music party which the kids really loved. Katelyn is in kindermusic one day a week and has really surprised me with it! She has taken right to it and is singing and doing all the motions at home. I have been amazed everyday seeing the progress that she has made this fall. We are hoping to continue kindermusic in the spring b/c I know that Katelyn will be up to it!

Playing with Friends

2008-11-01T20:21:00.000-05:00

Playdate with Jackson

2008-10-14T20:33:00.000-05:00

Mommy's roommate, Dana, from AU came down for a visit today. She has a little boy named Jackson who is so sweet! It took a little while for Katelyn to warm up to him but she finally did and they had a great time! We can't wait to get together again!

Mommy's Creations for Katelyn

2008-10-14T20:22:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I love to sew! It is one of my many expensive habits but it is so much fun! These are just a few fun things that I made for Katelyn for this season.

Shoes

2008-10-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

Katelyn now has an obsession with shoes! She is so funny. She will find a pair of shoes and run up to me and say "shoes" and hand them to me to put them on. It does not matter what she is wearing, if she brings you her boots, you better put them on! It is too cute!

Fall Festival

2008-10-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Katelyn and I went to the Fall Festival at Riverchase Elementary School. We went with Mary Glynn, Grayson, Ava and Bryce (of course, their mommies as well). Katelyn had a great time. She loved watching everything and everyone. Most of the rides and activities were geared for the elementary age children, but she did find one ride that she absolutely LOVED! The train! We rode it a few times and she just had a great time steering and driving all by herself!

Reading with Abby

2008-10-04T22:31:00.000-05:00

Playing Outside

2008-10-04T22:23:00.000-05:00

Roll Tide!

2008-09-28T10:11:00.001-05:00

Climber

2008-09-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

We definitely have a climber on our hands. Every time I turn around, Katelyn is climbing into some small space. Seth and I got some cute pics of her climbing into her shelf the other night. She seemed to fit right on her shelf perfectly!

Getting Ready for DisneyWorld!

2008-09-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

We leave for DisneyWorld two months from today! We can't wait!

Playtime with Marley

2008-09-08T15:24:00.001-05:00

So, this is what you get when you have a 3 1/2 year old and a 15 month old playing together. Lisa and I found Marley and Katelyn in the office at Seth's parents house. Marley had strapped Katelyn into the carseat. And might I add, Katelyn did not complain one bit! It was so funny!

Visit to Whistlestop Cafe

2008-09-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

Playing with Daddy

2008-09-08T14:59:00.001-05:00

Night with the Piggs

2008-09-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

Seth and I had a shower to attend for one of his cousins. So, Robert and Jessica offered to watch Katelyn for us. We knew that Katelyn would be so excited because she LOVES Mrs. Jessica. I am sure that she was spoiled rotten while we were gone! Their baby, Belle, loves it when Katelyn comes to visit because Katelyn will share her food. They also have some fish that Katelyn loves to watch swim around. It is so funny because she will wave to the fish in the tank. It is too cute! As many of ya'll know, for some reason Katelyn LOVES to put her hands in her hair while she is eating. It drives me nuts! But, I got a great shot with her mealtime hairdo. Bet you do did not know that you can have free hair gel, mac-n-cheese! Thanks Jess and Robert for watching Katelyn. She had a great time!

The Zoo

2008-09-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

Well, we made another great trip to the zoo with Katelyn's friend, Evynne. Katelyn seems to be more and more aware of her surroundings every day so she really had a blast. Everytime we would stop, she would point to the animal and just watch. Robyn and I planned on letting the girls play in the fountains first; however, they never were turned on that day. We were kind of bummed but thankfully the girls did not know any different. We had a great time though and we got out just in time before the heat set in!

The Beach

2008-08-21T22:56:00.000-05:00

15 Month Check Up

2008-08-21T22:37:00.000-05:00

We had Katelyn's 15 month check up on Wednesday. She is now 20.0 pounds. Creeping on up! She is just growing like a weed and Seth and I are amazed everyday as we watch her learn new things. She talks all the time and she can say, mama, dada, ball, book, night night, bye bye, five (don't know where this one came from), moo, uh uh (when she doesn't want you to change her diaper or go night night). She is transitioning from two naps to one nap. We are not quite there yet but we are working on it. She got tubes in her ears today since she has been battling so many ear infections this summer. We know that she is going to feel so much better now!

Katelyn loves her puffs!

Thanks Mrs. Robyn for helping Mommy get caught up!

Abbie and I caught Katelyn sleeping yesterday. How sweet is that?

Katelyn loves to feed her Daddy!

My sweet, messy eater. I know that it drives everyone crazy how dirty I let Katelyn get when she is eating. I can't help it, my girl is independent!!!

Random Pics

2008-08-17T20:48:00.000-05:00

Katelyn loves to dip in ranch!

Happy Birthday Mimi!

2008-08-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

We had a great birthday dinner for Mimi at Carraba's!

The Lake

2008-08-17T20:19:00.000-05:00

We have had so many trips to the lake this summer! Katelyn has had a blast on the boat, swimming in the big pool and in her little kiddy pool. These are just some cute pictures of her that we have taken at the lake. She was even jumping in the pool to me by the end of the summer!