The Brunson Family

Guess What!!!

2011-08-28T21:51:00.001-04:00

In case you haven't heard, check out the pictures!

1st Day of Kindergarten!

2011-08-17T09:51:00.002-04:00

Well, I knew this day would come, but I didn't realize how fast! It's hard to believe that our little girl started her first day of kindergarten today! Of course, we all had to take her to school together, and along with all the other kindergarten parents, we walked her to her classroom. She began her day with a friendly greeting from her new teacher, Mrs. Blanton, and was quickly introduced to the beginning of her new arrival routine. I'll have to admit I found myself holding back the tears as I watched her do her thing! We are very excited about her new school, Ashley River Creative Arts, which is a K-5 magnet school. We had to do a lottery back in Feb. to get in. They had over 200 people try and we were number 49! They had 40 spots, and luckily, after 2 weeks, we were called that we had a spot! Anyway, we are very excited and happy for her. However, I think Caleb is a little sad about not having his sister around. He just asked me a few minutes ago if we could go get Abby Grace! She stays until 3 today, so I am anxious to hear how her day went. I'll keep you posted!

Celebrating Easter

2011-05-13T23:06:00.005-04:00

This Easter was the first time we have ever celebrated away from family, which we missed. However, we had a great time with several egg hunts, church, brunch in downtown Charleston, and dinner at Brian and Meg's. Anyway, these are just some of my favorite pictures from our Easter events.

Clay and Jennifer's Wedding, Day 2, The Wedding

2011-04-21T22:43:00.007-04:00

These pictures were all taken before the ceremony...Abby Grace was so excited about being the flower girl!

A few shots from the wedding ceremony...

Clay and Jennifer's Wedding, Day 1, The Rehearsal & Dinner

2011-04-20T22:54:00.006-04:00

The rehearsal seemed to go pretty smoothly as the kids thoroughly enjoyed running around in the grass! After the practice, Brian and I took the kids back to my parents' house so that they could stay with them while we went to the dinner at The Club. We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed a great slideshow of Clay and Jennifer, followed by many toasts for the bride and groom. After the dinner, we weren't done yet, because we had an "After the Party, Party" to go to at the Isaminger's. We had a great time at all and managed to get home a little after midnight to get just enough rest for the next day!

Clay and Jennifer's Wedding, Day 1, The Bridesmaid Luncheon

2011-04-20T22:28:00.008-04:00

The big day finally came and quickly went, but we had such a great time celebrating it! To begin the festivities, Abby Grace and I attended the Bridesmaids' Luncheon in Trace Crossings that Friday morning. Abby Grace had a great time being with the girls and especially liked her presents from Jennifer. She got a beautiful pearl bracelet, personalized lunchbox, and fun black shoes for the reception. She was also thrilled that Gracie (Abby Grace's American Girl Doll) also got a present--a flower girl dress! After the luncheon, we all headed to Aveda to have a "relaxing" afternoon of pedicures and manicures... Okay, so it wasn't that relaxing! The appointment time was messed up, and no one working that day knew what they were doing (especially if you wanted anything French!). I mean, come on, Abby Grace even knows you need to take off the old polish before putting on new! Poor Jennifer; it was all a little stressful, but it all worked out in the end. Then, it was race home, change clothes, and back out again for the rehearsal at the Sonnet House.

More Christmas

2011-01-06T22:16:00.008-05:00

A few highlights of the Christmas season...

During the first week of December, we went to the Holiday Extravaganza at the SC Aquarium. The event included free food and drinks, Santa, crafts, games, and the Polar Express 4-D experience. The kids had so much fun and especially liked getting a "bell from Santa's sleigh" after the movie.

Later on in the month, Abby Grace played a "star" in her Christmas program at school. Caleb and Grant had just as much fun watching the show together. Abby Grace did a wonderful job; she just smiled and sang her heart out! We were very proud of her, especially since she was very reluctant about performing before the show began. That night, we had a great time seeing the lights and Santa at the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park. The kids loved the lights, riding on the train and carousel, eating s'mores, and seeing Santa. This Santa had to be the real one himself, because he was the jolliest, happiest Santa I have ever seen! I think he flew in from the North Pole that afternoon to see the kids; he just took so much time and care in asking what the kids wanted for Christmas and in telling them to be good!

Catching Up with Christmas

2011-01-04T22:50:00.011-05:00

Okay, wow! It has been since September when I last posted anything! I guess we have had a few busy months! I think we have spent most of our fall traveling...Auburn football games, Callaway Gardens, San Antonio, Birmingham, Atlanta, and back to Birmingham again! I have so many pictures I want to post from some of those trips, so this January you may see some of those make an appearance.

Anyway, since we are working on getting the last Christmas decorations down, I'll focus on Christmas for now! I love Christmas so much--for all the obvious reasons but especially for the joy it brings our family, especially Abby Grace and Caleb. They were at the perfect age this past Christmas; I'll have to admit that the magic was at full force at our house. The kids loved the decorations, singing, playing with the nativity, seeing Santa, the lights... basically, anything Christmas, they loved it! My favorite moments had to be either the kids singing "Away in a Manger" or looking for Clifford (our elf on the shelf) every morning. As always, Christmas seems to come and go with a blink of an eye, so here we are already with a bare house, almost free of Christmas decorations, except for our Auburn tree (still up for obvious reasons...there's just a little game coming up) and our North Pole village (the kids love it so much, we haven't had the heart to take it down yet), and I am missing Christmas! So I'll reminisce and post some pictures from Christmas day...the kids were so excited to see if Santa had come, and he did in full force as usual! Abby Grace was excited to have an American Girl Doll and accessories, some Disney "prince" dolls, and Rudolph! Caleb loved his fireman jacket, car, legos, and baseball tee. Then we had our traditional "breakfast casserole" breakfast, opened presents from each other, and then hurried to dress and pack the car for Birmingham!

AU Football Season Begins!

2010-09-22T23:18:00.004-04:00

College football season is finally here, and we're already 3-0 (by the skin of our teeth, anyway)! That's okay, a win's a win, and I am proud of our team! It's definitely been a fun season so far! So anyway, we headed to the plains Labor Day weekend (Friday night) and stopped at the lake first. Granddaddy Carl had actually been in Charleston for business, and Abby Grace flew back to Birmingham with him on the Thursday before. She was so excited and had a great time on the airplane! I think Caleb was a little confused not having his sister around and also thought at first that he was going to be going on the airplane too. So with Abby Grace in Birmingham, we headed to the lake, just the 3 of us, late that Friday night. We spent Saturday with the Johnsons and then headed to campus to tailgate. It was so great getting to see family and friends that we had not seen in a while (plus, eating tailgate food too!) Then, it was time to head to the game. We decided to take the kids and were surpised to find that there weren't many tickets for sale. We managed to get the 4 of us in with 3 tickets somehow, and the kids' excitement began! Well, Caleb was all about it; Abby Grace thought it was too loud, and it took her a little while to warm up to it. We did stay for 3 quarters and then left to watch the rest of the game at the tailgate. Then, we spent time at the lake on Sunday, and my parents came down to see the kids. Then came the, as Abby Grace would say, "it's a long trip" back to Charleston (only to head back again in less than two weeks for the Auburn/Clemson game). I told you September has been a whirlwind! Especially, since our next day back was the kids' first day of school! Pictures to come!

For some reason, I only have one picture of Abby Grace from the tailgate. I think it's because Caleb was having so much fun playing football that I ended up taking more pictures of him. He also had lots of fun with his granddaddy too, which you can tell from the pictures!

The End of Summer

2010-09-22T22:56:00.005-04:00

Well, fall is in the air now... at least sometimes, when it's not 90 degrees outside and when the weather decides to tease us with its crisp, fall breeze! So I realized that I have not finished posting some pics from the summer; mainly because September has been a whirlwind! Anyway, most of these pictures are from August. The first two are of Caleb pretending to be a fireman. One day he was just playing, and then he came out of the playroom, running around with his fireman hat on. It's was pretty cute; I will have to admit! I managed to get him to stay still long enough for a few pics. Notice too that he just had a haircut. The next pictures are of one of our last days at the pool (sad--I am not sure if we will be swimming again or not and can't decide if that's good or bad). Abby Grace is swimming on her own, at least about 10 feet in length anyway. We are proud of her and hope that she doesn't lose her skill during the off season. Caleb has also come a long way in the water and can swim all over the place with his ring; he loves it! The next pictures are of the kids after church one Sunday, and I just decided to get the camera out to see if I could get a few fun pictures. The last picture is of the kids at the Brunson's lakehouse after Labor Day weekend. I'll post some pics from the Auburn game that weekend too. Enjoy!

Fun Pics

2010-08-27T23:28:00.005-04:00

I just thought I would post a few pictures of the kids playing and being silly over the past few weeks. Enjoy!

Being silly on the beach with friends

Playing in our backyard

If only it really worked!

The kids are being silly and cute after bath time!

Stopped just long enough for me to take a pic--he's growing up on us!

Swimmin' at the pool--AGB has learned to swim on her own for about 10 feet!

The kids' "ride" to and from the pool (aka mommy's workout)!

They're Growing Up!

2010-08-01T23:38:00.012-04:00

First, there's Caleb... He just keeps surprising us with his new tricks; he's at that fun age where he is learning so much and doing so many new things. First of all, I'll admit, the child is a little spoiled, but how can we help it? We still rock him to sleep, but he's just too sweet not to. Tonight, we read our 3 books like we always do, and he again said, "Say prayers, Mommy," which he has said before but this time he kept wanting to say more. I would say our prayer, and he would say, "Prayers again." So after the third time, I said, "Caleb, can you say your prayers?" and he said, "T'ank you for Abby Grace and Daddy" and then something about "Grammy and Nanny." Anyway, it was the sweetest thing, and then I said, "I love you, Caleb" and tonight he finally said, "I love you, Mommy!" So of course, I will continue to rock my sweet boy! He's about to be 21 months, but I tell you what, he is something! He is counting past 10 (I think he has learned this from playing hide and seek with AGB); he knows all of his shapes. He is beginning to sing songs as he hears them on his favorite shows, like the ABC song, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Dora, and many others. He also apologizes all the time, especially to Abby Grace. She can take his toy or knock him over, and he'll say, "I'm sorry, Abby Grace." He also says it to us when we tell him no. Caleb is also really into reading books and has a few that he can read too. Anyway, he's just at a fun age where every day brings something new that he has learned or can do!

And there's Abby Grace... She's about to start 4K in the fall, which makes me realize that our little girl is growing up! She's really into any little figurines (princess, Toy Story, Polly Pocket, animals, dinosaurs, etc.--if it's little, she loves it). She also really adores all her stuffed animals and sleeps with about a 100 every night! Probably, her absolute favorite thing to do is art and somehow it manages to find its self all over our house! She's pretty creative and imaginative, I will have to admit. Yesterday, she had us making sock puppets! Her other passion is her books, and she loves her Leap Frog Tag reading pen. It is pretty cool, and if you have a preschooler, I highly recommend it. She's definitely becoming more independent too from being able to put on her seat belt to bathing herself on her own. It's also funny how she looks after her brother. For example, if she gets a lollipop, she wants Caleb to have one too. She's always very thoughtful and takes care of him. However, there are also days where she wants to trade him in for a baby sister! In fact, right now, she keeps asking for either a kitty or a baby sister (she would take a puppy too)!

Even though at times they are exhausting, we are having so much fun with our kids and thank God everyday for them!

4th Fun

2010-07-29T22:44:00.006-04:00

We spent July 4th in Charleston and had a great weekend with Grammy and Granddaddy! These are a few pics from the weekend...

The first night, we had a terrific dinner at Hominy Grill and then played on the Battery. Abby Grace loves to climb on the cannons while Caleb can hardly sit long enough to even take a picture; he just likes to run all over the park instead!

On Saturday, we played at the pool while Brian was on call, and then met up for dinner at Red's Icehouse. After dinner, we took a walk on the Mt. Pleasant Pier.

It's difficult to get a picture of these two together, since Caleb is always on the run, so this is about as good as it gets!

I added this pic b/c it is rare for us to get a photo together of just the two of us! Some thing, or should I say some things are missing!

On Sunday, July 4th, after church, we headed to Kiawah Island for their 4th Festivities. The kids had a blast playing on the inflatables and eating cotton candy!

It was about as much fun as a little boy could handle!

Then, on Monday, we rented a boat for 4 hours and viewed all the Charleston sites by water. Plus, we anchored on a little beach for some fun in the water!

Ft. Sumter is to the left of the picture.

The Battery is just behind us.

Seeing the Battery from the water, can't beat it!

I took this pic b/c the big blue glass building in the middle is where Brian works.

Abby Grace's 4th Birthday Party, Literally!

2010-07-09T23:25:00.005-04:00

Well, I completely forgot that I had not posted pictures from our trip to Lake Martin and Abby Grace's family birthday party. This really was her 4th birthday party to celebrate her turning 4--hopefully, she will not think that this should be a reoccurring trend (your age = the number of parties you should have)! Anyway, we did have fun celebrating with family and friends and just hanging out at the lake on Memorial Day Weekend. Somehow, I managed to get strep throat on Monday, and then Caleb got it on Tuesday, but we really did not feel that bad, so it didn't damper the week too much at all. We spent the rest of the week in Birmingham, staying at my parent's house, and we were able to catch up with family and friends. We also managed a few shopping trips and a fun day at the McWane Center with the kids as well. We really did have a great time seeing all of our family and friends! Plus, I almost forgot to mention that we were able to meet little Mallory Johnson, Karen and Tim's new baby girl! What a cutie!

Abby Grace catching catfish with her Granddaddy!

We anchored the boat at this great little spot for Caleb and Abby Grace to swim and play.

Abby Grace loved meeting and holding baby Mallory! She loved playing with big brother, Luke, even more!

The Sweetest Things

2010-06-20T22:56:00.005-04:00

Kids can say the darnest things, but today, our kids decided to say the sweetest things! First of all, Caleb has just become the little talker, and you never know what he is going to say next. However, he has become the most polite little thing ever! For example, he was trying to play with Abby Grace's stamps today, and she kept taking them away. She finally decided to give him one, and he said, "Tank you, Abby Grace," and it was just the sweetest thing! Then, he was at the pool yesterday, and a little boy started playing with the ball Caleb was playing with. He took it and threw it away. Caleb cried, saying, "Share!" He also says the same thing when Abby Grace takes toys from him. But it was tonight when he really melted my heart... I read him his 3 books as usual before bed, and he said, "Mommy, say prayers." Wow! We had just started praying with him over the last week, and he has seen Abby Grace say her prayers, but I didn't realize that it was important to him too yet! We've also been working on getting rid of the bottle, and it hasn't really been going the greatest. So I decided yesterday that "ba ba" was going to go "bye-bye!" He asked/cried for it a little, but I kept telling him that "ba ba" had gone bye-bye because Caleb is a big boy now and that we had given it to the babies. He actually seemed okay with that. He still asks for it, but for the time being, seems to be content with the sippy cup. We'll see!

Abby Grace has also been melting our hearts too, especially her daddy's tonight! He was putting her to bed and was about to leave the room, when she said, "Daddy, come here, I have one more thing I need to tell you... I love you, Daddy." What a great, unexpected father's day gift! She has also been saying "I love you, Mommy" to me just out of the blue, and it's just so sweet! Now realize, she can also get on our last nerve, especially when she is tired, but her sweetness definitely wins out! We've also been amazed at how much she is talking about Jesus and what she has learned from VBS last week. She really seems to be understanding much of the Christian faith and tells us that she already believes in Jesus.

Anyway, I just had to post about their cute comments and just say I feel trully blessed to have two wonderful children! Also, Happy Father's Day, Daddy! You're the greatest!

Abby Grace's Birthday Times Two!

2010-06-11T23:06:00.004-04:00

Abby Grace's actual birthday is on May 25, and at school, she was able to share cupcakes and ice cream with her friends. She was actually the third birthday in 3 days that was celebrated in her class because 2 other boys in her class also turned 4 right around the same time. So let's just say that I know of ten 4 yr olds that were on a sugar high for the last week of school! Later that night, we took Abby Grace and Caleb to Chucky Cheese's for some fun and then she opened her presents from us and Caleb. I will have to say that Abby Grace had a pretty good birthday! And she wasn't even done yet; she had one more party with family when we headed to Birmingham later that week!

Abby Grace is wearing the special birthday hat that Mrs. Cauthen makes for her students when it is their birthday.

Caleb felt like a "big boy" because he had his own seat at the party!

Abby Grace's class at school celebrating her birthday.

Having fun at Chucky Cheese's!

Another cupcake at home! (It was left from the party earlier that day--we couldn't resist one more chance to blow out candles!)

Excited to open presents from us and Caleb!

Her big surprise: Cinderella's castle from Walt Disney World!

Abby Grace's Pool Party

2010-06-11T22:44:00.005-04:00

Abby Grace celebrated her 4th birthday party with friends on May 22 at our neighborhood pool. I was a little worried at first about getting it all set up since we didn't have any family in town to help, but it all came together! I managed to pick up the cake and balloons and set it all up before everyone arrived, but I was definitely running around like a chicken with its head cut off! Brian was in charge of keeping the kids entertained while I worked. Anyway, Abby Grace was thrilled with her Mermaid party and cake... the cake was really cool b/c it was cupcakes that could be pulled apart, and it came from Publix. I will have to say, this made serving cake to 4 yr olds a breeze! We also ordered pizza and had chips and goldfish served in buckets for snacks. The kids were definitely hungry after having a good time swimming in the pool, and I will have to admit that we have the perfect pavilion for entertaining. Caleb had a grand time too, especially when it was time to eat! First, he has to have a whole piece of pizza, then he eats the cheese, and then the bread. He has also mastered the spoon and is proud to be able to eat his own ice cream and cake. Now, I didn't say he doesn't make a mess, but at least he was happy and confined to his chair for 30 minutes while we did the birthday thing! Abby Grace had lots of fun and was really glad that her friends were able to come and celebrate with her!

Summer's Here!

2010-06-10T21:58:00.002-04:00

There is nothing like living in Charleston when it's summertime! School has been out for 2+ weeks, and we have been nothing but bored! After school was out, we actually headed back to Lake Martin and Birmingham for a great week of visiting with our family and friends, plus we celebrated Abby Grace's 4th birthday. Despite the fact that Caleb and I got strep throat, we still had a great time! And I will have to say, there is no place like home!
Since we have gotten back though, we have hit the pool, parks, and beach, and it has only been about 3 days. Plus, Abby Grace has begun swimming lessons, and her teacher tells me that she's pretty advanced. That doesn't surprise us too much because Abby Grace is a fish that could swim in the water all day long if we let her! Now, Caleb, he is not as crazy about the water as Abby Grace is, but boy is he growing like a weed! He can really say about anything and is just as cute as can be when he talks. Now, if we could just get him off his bottle! I have just posted a few pictures of the kids playing and will post birthday pics soon.

Abby Grace playing in the rain

Our little fish

Caleb loves to blow bubbles and play outside

Abby Grace's Dance Recital

2010-05-16T23:02:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, May 16, Abby Grace performed in her first dance recital at West Ashley High School. Her class was the youngest in the show, and they performed a tap dance to "Animal Crackers." This was a great achievement for Abby Grace because at the parent watch at the first part of the year, Abby Grace did not want to dance, and then she cried at the picture shoot in the early spring. However, over the past few weeks, she has gotten very excited about the recital, and when she danced this past weekend, it showed! She never stopped smiling while she was dancing unless she was singing the song! At the end of the show, the girls "danced" across the stage one by one to receive their medal. She was so proud! As a special treat, she also received a "Princess and the Frog" balloon and flowers from her mommy and daddy. We were very proud of her! She, at the age of 3, danced in front of an auditorium of over 400 people! Wow! Anyway, she had a great time and says she wants to take dance again next year! Check out my facebook page for more pictures.

Backstage

Very proud of her medal!

Shakin' it!

Abby Grace's Gymnastic Gymboree

2010-05-16T22:43:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, May 15, Abby Grace performed in her end of the year gymnastics gymboree with Charleston Mobile Gymnastics. This whole past year, she has taken gymnastics as a class that meets right after school every Wed. afternoon. Abby Grace has been learning lots of tricks, and at the show, she was able to demonstrate some of them. She actually had to perform with a different group because her school's show conflicted with her birthday party. However, Abby Grace did not seem to mind at all and just jumped right in to participate. At the conclusion of the show, Abby Grace was proud to receive her first trophy!

AGB's teacher, Mr. Charlie

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

2010-04-14T23:08:00.004-04:00

I mentioned in the earlier post that Abby Grace had an appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which is in Cinderella's Castle. It was so much fun seeing Abby Grace have her make-up and hair done! She definitely looked like a little princess Cinderella!

Before...

Make-up has been added, and AGB holds the plastic shield to protect
her eyes from hairspray and Tinker Bell dust.

And after...

Caleb is even star-struck!

And he had a fun time playing with the curtain!

These are just a few pics from the Wilderness Lodge where we stayed

and would definitely go back!

Day 5: Magic Kingdom Revisited

2010-04-14T22:06:00.006-04:00

I know, I am still posting Disney pictures and the trip was almost a month ago! Sorry, I guess I took too many pictures! Anyway, our last day was spent at the Magic Kingdom. We were hoping to finish seeing the rest of the park, but the weather had a different plan for us! As soon as we arrived, it started raining. Somehow, we manged to squeeze in the Mad Tea Party, It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and some of Mickey's Toon Town. Abby Grace even got to ride her first roller coaster, Goofy's Barnstormer, and loved it! We got to see Mickey and Minnie for the final time and then headed for Abby Grace's appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for her princess makeover! Then we and our little princess were treated like royalty at lunch in Cinderella's Castle (The Royal Table). Abby Grace was excited to see the princesses one last time, and then we ran out of the park before the terrific downpour that lasted all afternoon. Abby Grace had a great time playing at the Wilderness Lodge while Caleb napped. Then, we headed to the Polynesian Resort for our dinner reservation at Ohana's, which turned out to be one of our favorite meals. Their food is served family style and is just awesome! Abby Grace participated in the luau, and then we sadly headed back to our resort as we sad goodbye to the theme parks. On Friday, before we headed home, we ate breakfast at the Whispering Canyon in our resort and played around a bit before Grammy and Granddaddy's flight. We sadly said goodbye and then headed to Downtown Disney for some last minute souvenirs and lunch. Then we began the 6 hour drive back home. Leaving Disney is just not fun! It really is one of the most magical places, and we can't wait to go back!

Riding the teacups

Abby Grace on her first roller coaster

Last visit with Mickey and Minnie

Princess Abby Grace

At the Royal Table with Snow White, Aurora, and Belle... We saw Jasmine and Cinderella too!

After leaving lunch, we luckily ran into Cinderella's Fairy Godmother.

Abby Grace doesn't seem sad to be leaving the park early! She has her Mickey lollipop to completely entertain her as she rides the ferry back to the resort!

Dancing in the Luau at Ohana's

Day 4: Hollywood Studios

2010-04-05T22:45:00.007-04:00

Our 4th day was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We began our day by making sure we got a fastpass for Toy Story (turns out the fastpasses go quickly) and then headed to the Little Mermaid. After that, we had a character greeting with Mickey while we waited for the next Playhouse Disney show (since our trip, Abby Grace has loved watching the Mickey Mouse Club). We had a yummy lunch at the 50's Prime Time Cafe, and then our fastpass was up for Toy Story, such a fun ride! We also had fastpasses ready to go to ride Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. We were proud of Susan for trying the roller coaster, and Carl joined us on the Tower of Terror. We also watched the Beauty and the Beast show, which Abby Grace loved (Caleb napped). Of course, we watched the afternoon parade and then did some more character meet and greets with Jo Jo's Circus and Toy Story friends. Before dinner, we let the kids play around the set of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Then we headed to Mama Melrose for some yummy Italian!

Abby Grace was able to talk her granddaddy into another balloon!

Caleb loved the lion from Jo Jo's Circus. He kept hugging him!

Abby Grace and Caleb are taking a little break!

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids or Abby Grace

Caleb is saying "cheese"--let's just say he got used to taking pictures!

Day 3: Animal Kingdom

2010-04-05T22:24:00.004-04:00

Our day at the Animal Kingdom park was probably one of my favorite days at Disney! We began the day with a quick breakfast while we waited for our fastpass to ride Kilimanjaro Safari's--such a great ride for the kids, really everyone for that matter! After that, we had a fun (and no lines) character meet and greet with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, etc. at Camp Mickey. In fact, I think the Animal Kingdom is one of the best places to get to see many of the main characters without having to wait so long. Then it was off to the Lion King show, which was so good, and Abby Grace even got to be a part of the show. Brian and I rode Expedition Everest, which I think is one of the best thrill rides at Disney! Love it! The Nemo show was great, and Abby Grace liked playing in Dino Land. We managed to squeeze in another character greeting with Winnie the Pooh and friends before the 3:00 parade. We couldn't miss a parade because Abby Grace just loved them! Somehow we manged to leave with a safari Pluto for Abby Grace and a monkey for Caleb. Then we headed to dinner at Boma's, which is located at the Animal Kindgom Lodge. What great food! It was an African buffet with so many different, yet yummy choices! We would definitely recommend it! Anyway, it was a great day!

Abby Grace is having fun participating in the Lion King show.

Day 2: Epcot

2010-03-29T22:07:00.005-04:00

After our princess breakfast, we headed to The Sea to see Nemo and Friends. This was probably the best part of Epcot for the kids since they have the ride and the aquarium. The other attractions in Epcot are probably more suitable for older kids or adults. However, Abby Grace did like Spaceship Earth because it included interactive computers, and her absolute favorite was Epcot's newest attraction, Soarin'! She had so much fun riding it and wanted to do it again! We did manage to see a few characters and then headed to dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. This was a buffet with Cinderella, Prince Charming, and her stepmother and stepsisters. The food was okay, but the characters were great, and Abby Grace even got to dance with Prince Charming!

Epcot

Dinner at 1900 Park Fare

Dining Like a Princess

2010-03-26T23:01:00.005-04:00

To begin our 2nd day at Disney World, we headed to Epcot for our breakfast reservation at the Royal Akershus Banquet Hall in Norway. It was so much fun to have all the Disney princesses spend time with us and to sign Abby Grace's autograph book! This is definitely a must-do for any little girl heading to Disney and one we will do again!

Caleb's 1st Haircut, Disney Style!

2010-03-22T21:56:00.002-04:00

Caleb actually had his first haircut in the Magic Kingdom! No, Mickey Mouse didn't cut his hair, but it was almost just as fun! The barber shop was tucked away in a little spot on Main Street. I read about "first haircuts" in my Fodor's book and quickly realized it was a good deal!

Before they began to cut his hair, they gave him a bunch of Mickey Mouse stickers and put them all over him! He loved it! Notice how long his hair had gotten!

The barber was so good that Caleb didn't even know he was cutting his hair!

This is the "after" shot--what a handsome little man!

Since it was his first haircut, they gave him Micky Mouse ears that have "first haircut" embroidered on the back. He also got an official certificate, and they saved his baby hair for mommy!

Abby Grace enjoyed the haircut too--somehow she ended up with the ears!

Day 1: Magic Kingdom

2010-03-20T21:52:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, we headed to the Magic Kingdom, but were a hour later arriving than we planned because of a marathon that was held that morning (note to self: from our resort, take the ferry instead of the buses to the Magic Kingdom). We did make our reservation (a little late) at the Crystal Palace and had breakfast with Pooh and Friends. Then we headed to Fantasy Land for the kids and made sure we took full advantage of the fastpass system. Some of the kids' favorite rides included Winnie the Pooh, Peter Plan Flight, and Snow White's Adventure (a little scary for AGB, but she still liked it). However, she did not like Philharmagic, which I love, but the 3-D effect was a little much for her. We did manage to get in a few rides ourselves on Splash Mountain and the Thunder Mountain Railroad. The kids absolutely loved the Jungle Cruise (see AGB's picture below)--I think that this was probably one of the best attractions for our family riding together. The kids also really liked the show at Cinderella's castle (well, Caleb actually fell asleep, but AGB loved it), and they loved the Dream Come True parade too. In fact, some of AGB's favorite parts about the trip were the parades and getting a balloon! On our way out, Caleb had his first haircut, Disney style, which I will show pics of in my next post. After our fun day, we headed back to our resort for some yummy BBQ at the Whispering Canyon. Then, we took a little trip to Downtown Disney to get AGB a princess dress for her upcoming princess breakfast. She chose a Snow White dress and just loved it!

These are pictures from our breakfast at the Crystal Palace.

Caleb is already used to this character thing!

What was Caleb's favorite part about Disney? The birds! I don't know how many times you would hear Caleb saying, "Bird! Bird!"

Abby Grace with her Grammy on the Jungle Cruise

Abby Grace was just thrilled to get a balloon!

Mommy had to have a picture with the Little Mermaid too!

The ER and then Disney World, first stop--Chef Mickey's

2010-03-19T23:11:00.006-04:00

We had a wonderful trip to Walt Disney World last week! We left on Saturday, March 6 and drove all the way to Orlando (about 6+ hours) and met Brian's parents at our resort, the Wilderness Lodge. Our arrival was a little later than expected because we had to call the paramedics and make a trip to the Children's ER the night before!

Caleb started running a fever after his nap on Friday afternoon and woke throwing up. I tried to give him Tylenol, but he soon threw that up too. Then around 8 p.m., he began having febrile seizures, which if you have never experienced, can be quite scary! His eyes rolled back and he just went out for a few seconds... like I said, scary! We called the paramedics and they recommended that they take him to the ER (his fever was now almost 105). So I rode in the ambulance with Caleb, and Brian soon met us at the hospital. Miraculously, we were back home by 11:15 p.m. The doctors and nurses were so nice and efficient and ruled out anything serious. They said that the seizure was from the high fever and that they really thought he just had a viral infection. We were so thankful that he was okay and the doctor said that the Disney trip was still on and that he felt that Caleb would begin getting better immediately.

Thankfully, he did, and even though Brian and I had to stay up extremely late and pack, it was all worth it! We were just glad that Caleb was feeling better. So we were on our way, a little frazzled, but excited! Our dinner at Chef Mickey's was fun! The kids enjoyed the buffet and seeing the characters. Caleb was a little weary of them at first but warmed up quickly, especially later on in the trip, which you will see in the next few posts.

Snow in Charleston!!!

2010-02-13T21:24:00.003-05:00

Snow in Charleston!!! I can't believe it! I never would have thought that when we moved to Charleston that we would get to play in the snow! It has been almost 20 years since Charleston has seen a snow like this! I mean, imagine, snow-covered palm trees; it's quite a sight actually! Anyway, the snow began around 7 p.m. and continued throughout the night. Before we went to bed, everything was white! Abby Grace was so excited! She came running into our room when she woke up wanting to go outside. Unfortunately, Brian was already up because he had to go to work, but luckily, he had about 20 minutes to play with us before he had to leave. When we went outside, the kids went right to playing! Caleb didn't seem to mind the snow at all; in fact, he sat in it most of the time. I was impressed that he did not seem bothered by his hat or mittens at all. We managed to build a snowman and throw a few snowballs, and then Daddy was off to work. :( After a quick breakfast with the kids, we headed to our backyard to play a little more. The kids probably lasted about 20 more minutes, and then it was back inside to be warm!

Patriot's Point

2010-02-10T21:14:00.003-05:00

On January 23, we took advantage of the "Be a Tourist in Your Own Town" pass and headed to Patriot's Point, which includes the U.S.S. Yorktown, the National Medal of Honor Musuem, etc. The weather was not exactly ideal; it was very chilly, especially with the ocean breeze. However, the kids had fun. Caleb liked the airplanes (he's really into pointing to the sky and talking about airplanes when they fly overhead), and Abby Grace just liked being able to run around.

Finally, A Warm Day!

2010-02-09T21:41:00.005-05:00

These are some pictures I took of the kids on Jan 18 (I am just a little late posting)--we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and play in our backyard! Of course, the Charleston forecast this week=cold! :(

As a little update, we spent the month of January battling coughs, viruses, colds, and an earache! It seems that most of us are getting better now, thank goodness! The kids are doing well. Abby Grace seems more like a 4 year old every day. She's so funny because she can be so girly and then, she has her "boyish" interests. In fact, she has been complaining after I pick her up from school that the boys don't like for her to play trains with them because she's a girl and shouldn't like trains. Apparently, she's one of the only girls in her class that likes trains... and she now has a new fascination with dinosaurs. However, she is also very into Snow White right now and asks about a million questions about the evil queen, the apple, and about everything else in the movie.

Caleb is turning into a little boy and talking and walking up a storm! Some of his favorite words right now are daddy, Dora, ball, dog, what's that, Au"burn" (he only can say part), Barney, shoe, ba-ba (for bottle), and the list goes on... It's amazing how much he understands from what you say to him too. He has started mother's day out; he is doing really well but cries for less than 5 min after I leave him. After that, he has lots of fun! Caleb also has a very sweet nature... he has been known to go up to strangers and hug them. He also likes to tell people that pass by him, "hey." He and Abby Grace get along pretty well until they start yelling at each other or when Caleb tears up Abby Grace's train or whatever toy she's playing with. Other than that, they do pretty well. Caleb has his 15 month check up tomorrow, so info on that to come; plus, pictures from Patriot Point, my birthday, and the aquarium as well.

The Charleston Children's Museum

2010-01-23T22:47:00.008-05:00

Despite the fact that January has been cold and somewhat sickly for our family, we have managed to have some fun by "being tourists in our own town." Brian has had an easier month and has had some weekday mornings and afternoons off, so we have taken advantage of this and of this tourist pass, which allows you free admission to many Charleston attractions and great discounts on local restaurants during the month of January. One of our first stops was the Charleston Children's Museum, which has turned out to be one of Abby Grace and Caleb's favorite places. See pictures below. The setup was perfect for both of them because they had activities that both of them could do and enjoy at the same time, despite the differences in their ages. Since visiting, I think Abby Grace has asked about every other day if we could go back. They loved it!

These two picks are from the "ship" section, where the kids could play captain, pirate, fish, etc.!

You guessed it--water play! I think this was one of Caleb's favorites!

Plus, he loved splashing and painting the wall with water.

Another part included a Publix grocery store, where they could shop for their own groceries. Why wasn't there stuff like this when I was a kid? :)

This is the section for kids under 3--it included lots of mats and ladders/slides that were perfect for Caleb (and Abby Grace still liked it too).

And then there was the art room, where you could create all kinds of masterpieces. Imagine Abby Grace liking that! :)

Santa Claus Came to Town!

2010-01-07T21:14:00.004-05:00

Abby Grace and Caleb must have been good this year because they had a big Christmas morning! Or maybe Santa just sometimes gets a little carried away (at least that's what their daddy says)! Anyway, they had a fun morning with their new train table, Abby Grace's new bike, and Caleb's ride-on train. After unwrapping our presents and having breakfast, we finished loading the car and headed to Birmingham for the fun 7+ hour trip. We arrived in Birmingham around 6 p.m. and had dinner with Brian's parents, Clay, and Jennifer. Then on Saturday, we headed to Joy's parents' house for Christmas brunch followed by dinner with the Brunson side of the family and then dinner on Sunday with the Reynolds side of the family. We had some time on Monday to see some friends and headed back to Charleston on Tuesday. Definitely a busy couple of days of driving, eating, unwrapping presents, more eating, and of course, more driving!

Happy 30th Birthday, Brian!

2010-01-01T22:38:00.003-05:00

Well, I am still trying to catch up on all my posts... Brian actually turned 30 December 11! We had some sweet friends that were nice enough to watch the kids while we had dinner at High Cotton downtown... Afterwards, we celebrated with the kids.

Also, it may or may not be noticeable, but in a lot of these pictures, Abby Grace has a black eye. She fell on the couch and hit the side of her face on the armrest. I didn't think much of it at the time, but 3 days later, her whole eye turned black! So many of our Christmas pictures include it.

A Few Holiday Events

2010-01-01T21:26:00.008-05:00

We took these two pictures after visiting Santa in the Citadel Mall... They wouldn't let you take pictures with your own camera of Santa (we had to buy those, of course). Abby Grace wasn't that interested in taking any more pictures, so I only have one of Caleb.

We went shopping (really just walking around) in Mt. Pleasant after going to church the Sunday before Christmas. Abby Grace and Caleb liked the reindeer decorations.

Abby Grace is performing in her Christmas program at her mother's day out school. She did a great job singing all the songs. In fact, I enjoyed her singing this entire Christmas season! It's amazing how quickly she learned many of the songs this year.

This is a pic from Abby Grace's party at school. I was one of the moms in charge of the party and spent an hour making snowman pretzel sticks... I enjoyed every minute of it! Plus, I did the party favors and tableware. The reindeer antlers were a big hit!

We don't really have too many pictures from our trip to the James Island Festival of Lights, but we had a great time! This is a pic of AGB with a M&M character that greeted us after our train ride (I think it was a M&M anyway; regardless, she liked him!).

Thankful for First Steps

2009-12-31T23:15:00.004-05:00

Caleb actually took his first steps on Thanksgiving Day while we were visiting Great-Grandmother and Granddaddy. Of course, I don't have those precious moments on camera but am glad that they were able to see him! We were able to spend Thanksgiving in Birmingham with both families. Then, on Friday, we headed to the Iron Bowl! Even though we lost, it was a pretty fun game! Abby Grace stayed with her Nanny and Granddaddy, and Caleb actually went with us! And he was a perfect baby! He even napped during part of the game, and when he was awake, he was happy and into the game! Brian had to fly back to Charleston that night, and I stayed in Birmingham for a few days. I had the fun of getting to drive back to Charleston, 7+ hours, in rain all the way! Luckily, Susan was with me. However, we made it safe and sound.

Yes, Caleb was so exhausted that while eating his Thanksgiving dinner, he fell asleep!

A Few Fun Fall Pics

2009-12-31T22:59:00.003-05:00

These are just a few pics I took one November afternoon while the kids were playing...

It's Been a While...

2009-12-31T22:45:00.004-05:00

Well, it's New Year's Eve, and how are we spending our last few hours of 2009? I am catching up on blogging, and Brian is taking call from home while watching a little football! What fun! Anyway, I found that I am a little behind, so I am jumping back to our visit to the Coastal Carolina Fair in November. Abby Grace had a great time on all the rides... and our new favorite fair food--Elephant Ears! Yum! Anyway, here are our pics...

Caleb's 1st Birthday in Charleston

2009-11-15T22:16:00.008-05:00

After Caleb's party in Birmingham, a little sadness settled in as I realized that my baby was really 1, that a year had passed, and that he wasn't such a little baby anymore! My how time flies! And what a year it has been! Caleb was born on election day in which our fine president was elected into office--what a way to enter the world, Caleb! Anyway, he came out weighing 9 lbs, 4 oz, and was 22 in. long. The weeks just flew by as we entered the holiday season and adjusted to life with two! Before we knew it, Caleb was already 3 months, and we were putting our house on the market. Little by little, we prepared for our move to Charleston as Caleb learned to sit alone and eat baby food. Brian finished up his internal medicine fellowship at UAB, and Abby Grace celebrated her 3rd birthday! The month of June was filled with packing, moving, unpacking, traveling, and more unpacking! We finally arrived for good on June 30, and Brian began his GI Fellowship. Caleb continued to grow like a weed... learning to crawl, eat table food, and say his first words. Since then, we have been trying to settle in our new home and life here in Charleston! The kids have never really missed a beat and seem to like their new house and town, but more importantly, they really love and adore each other! Now that Caleb has turned 1, he has turned into quite the handful... climbing, talking, eating, crawling, and climbing some more! Not walking yet, but don't worry, he knows how to get around! Anyway, we feel so blessed for such a wonderful first year with Caleb and look forward to watching him and Abby Grace grow together.

ANYWAY... We celebrated Caleb's actual birthday at home with a wonderful spaghetti casserole and leftover birthday cake! The kids had their favorite: macaroni and cheese. Caleb thoroughly enjoyed opening all of his presents, and we all played with Caleb's new toys together as a family. That's what I call a perfect evening! Happy 1st Birthday, Caleb!

Caleb's 1st Birthday Party

2009-11-13T22:19:00.009-05:00

We celebrated Caleb's 1st birthday with family and friends on Nov. 1, three days before Caleb's actual birthday. It worked out really well because we were able to come home and squeeze in the Auburn/Ole Miss game, trick-or-treating, and Caleb's party, all in one weekend! Anyway, the ball-themed party was at Grammy and Granddaddy's house on that Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The timing was kind of interesting for us since the fall back was the previous night, so 4:00 p.m. actually felt like 6:00 p.m. for us with the eastern time change. The kids adjusted really well though and had lots of fun! Caleb's cake was perfect! Abby Grace's MDO teacher at Hunter Street made his cake, and it was delicious! Caleb definitely thought so, and you can tell from the pictures! He was more interested in eating than blowing out his candle (of course, Abby Grace helped with that). In fact, he was already digging in as he was being sung too! Caleb also had fun opening all of his presents (and all of his cousins and sister did too)! I was surprised at how much he took in his actual presents, even more so than the boxes and wrapping paper. He actually wanted to play with each toy as he opened it! Anyway, it was a perfect 1st birthday party, and we were so happy that we were able to spend it with our dear family and friends!

Boo! More Halloween Fun...

2009-11-05T16:31:00.004-05:00

Boo! That's Caleb's new trick... He likes for you to act scared when he says "boo!" It's really cute!

Abby Grace and Caleb at AGB's party at school.

On Halloween, we were actually in Auburn for the Auburn vs. Ole Miss game. We took the kids to the game, and they did really well! Caleb slept in my arms during the first quarter, and AGB napped during the 3rd/4th quarters. It's was a great game--thank goodness we actually came to play! After the game, we did a little trick or treating in Auburn. AGB stayed dressed as a cheerleader, and Caleb put on his Aubie costume.

Halloween Playgroup

2009-11-05T16:12:00.003-05:00

Our Halloween festivities began with our playgroup... the event was going to be held at a friend's, and then she called me that day, saying her kids had the flu and wondered if I could have it at my house! So 1 1/2 hours later, the playgroup arrived for a fun costume parade and dinner. Abby Grace had lots of fun dressing up as a black cat and playing with all of her friends, and of course, Caleb joined in playing too as a dalmation puppy!

Callaway Gardens

2009-10-27T21:51:00.006-04:00

On October 9, 10, & 11, we headed to Pine Mountain, Georgia for the Gettys's annual trip to Callaway Gardens. Brian took Friday off so we were able to make it in time to do the Wildlife Safari. Basically, you ride in this ridiculously old van through the "jungle" in search of animals. However, the animals are not difficult to spot because they come right up to your van because they have already know that humans=food. The kids thought that the ride was hilarious because their Daddy and Granddaddy were constantly fighting off animals that peaked their heads through the window. Some of the animals they saw included various cattle, zebras, pigs, giraffes, ostrich, bulls, sheep, peacocks, lions, and tigers (don't worry, they weren't able to roam freely). Anyway, it was fun and I would highly recommend it!

After the safari, we joined everyone for dinner and headed to the luxurious FDR State Park for our weekend stay. On Saturday we did Callaway Gardens and attempted the bike thing. I was pretty nervous about riding with Caleb on my bike, and he must have been nervous too because he basically cried the whole time! (Actually, he was just mad b/c his helmet kept falling down). Needless to say, biking became short lived! We had fun though doing all the park stuff, the picnic, and of course football. On Sunday, we eat lunch at one of my favorite restaurants of all time, the Bullock House, in Warm Springs, GA, and then shop around. It was great seeing the family and look forward to it again next year!

Some of the cousins: Caleb, Mason, Chrisavi, Abby Grace, Nolen, Carianne, Kayla

AGB at the Callaway Gardens Butterfly House

Enjoying the lawn (too much!) at the Sibley Center

You can tell they are related!

Some of the girl cousins: Chrisavi, Abby Grace, Carianne, Kayla

AGB & Carianne

The family football game at Callaway beach

The scenic overlook at the Country Store

All of the remaining pictures are from our trip to the Wildlife Safari.

I didn't realize at the time that my camera was on a black & white setting.

The expressions are priceless!

Caleb Pics

2009-10-23T22:48:00.007-04:00

I had a little photo session with Caleb about 2 weeks ago in an attempt to get a picture for his birthday invitation. I can't believe he is about to be one! Anyway, here are some of the results from my photo shoot. He really was more interested in eating the grass and playing with the football than sitting still for a photo.

Is that a football face or what?

Not walking yet, only standing.

Touchdown Auburn!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-18T22:34:00.006-04:00

We headed to the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch 2 weeks ago and had lots of fun... however, the kids were worn out before we even got a chance to pick out a pumpkin, well Caleb was at least (see last picture below)! There were lots of activities for the kids including a jumping pillow, inflatibles, swings, play equipment, farm animals, and a hay ride. All of this was just perfect for Abby Grace, and you could tell she had a good time just by looking at how dirty she was at the end of the day! We did manage to pick out our pumpkin; I think it was the first one we saw (by that point, we were just too tired to think too much about finding the perfect pumpkin). Anyway, it was a great afternoon!

Caleb says, let's just get it and go!!!

Our Trip Home: Final Stop--the Lake & Auburn Again!

2009-10-07T23:20:00.005-04:00

We headed to the lakehouse on Thursday afternoon and ate at one of our favorite places, Niffers on the Lake. On Friday, we shopped around in Auburn and ate at our other favorite place, Laredo's. We were hoping for a "no rain" Saturday, but unfortunately, it rained most of the day. In fact, we had to hang out in the student union with the kids b/c of severe weather. This time we had planned on taking them to the game. We did make it and were happy that they got to see the pregame stuff, including the eagle flying. Then, the rains came. Abby Grace was sitting with her Grammy and Granddaddy, and we had Caleb. He sat under my poncho for the longest time with just his head sticking out. I think he was mesmorized by it all. Then, as he started getting more fidgety, we started getting more wet and decided watching it at Karen and Tim's house sounded like a plan. And that's what we did. We headed back home on Sunday (after lunch at Momma G's). We had a great time but were also ready to get back to Charleston to our normal routine (I mean, we were only gone for 9 days!).

I had to include this last picture... this was at one of our pit stops, and I guess Caleb decided he needed to take over!

Our Trip Home: 2nd Stop--Birmingham & the Zoo

2009-10-07T22:38:00.007-04:00

The Tiger Pictures...

What are we looking at so intently?

Grrr! The Tiger Face!

AGB's Favorite--the Train

Mom, I want to see the sea lions too!

On Sunday, we drove back to Birmingham and stayed with my parents until Thursday. In that time, we had lots of catching up to do with family and friends! On Sunday we went to Lloyds to eat dinner with Brian's family, and then we ate at Petrucelli's with my family on Monday night. And of course, you know me, I had to squeeze some shopping in between! We visited with many of our friends and enjoyed our time home; however, we didn't realize how much it would rain! On Wednesday, we finally managed to catch a break and headed to one of Abby Grace's favorite places, the zoo! My parents and Susan were able to go too, which made it even more fun for the kids!

Our Trip Home: 1st stop--the Plains

2009-10-07T22:16:00.005-04:00

Our Little Tailgaters

Brian had a vacation week beginning September 16, and of course, our first stop, the Plains! I can't tell you how good it felt to see the "welcome to Alabama" signs on our drive into Auburn. However, we didn't realize the soaking we would soon experience at the football game the next night! Before the rains hit, we had a wonderful Saturday of tailgating with family and friends. The kids had a great time, but luckily, we had made plans for them to stay with my parents at Karen & Tim's house (that was a very smart decision). So Brian and I happily set off for the Auburn vs. West Virginia game (with poncho in hand), and to our dismay, sheets of rain began to fall soon after we settled into our section. The game was delayed and everyone was asked to evacuate, which was quite chaotic! We stood in the concourse for almost an hour with about every other fan in Jordan Hare--what fun! However, it was worth it because it finally stopped raining, and we were able to enjoy the game and come out with a win! War Eagle!

Our Little Dancer

2009-10-06T21:39:00.004-04:00

Abby Grace is taking her first ballet/tap class this year; I am not sure who is more excited, me or her! We went shopping for dance clothes and shoes, and it was the first time that Abby Grace did not complain about having to try on anything! She had so much fun! Anyway, I took some pictures after her first class, which was on Sept. 9. It really works out well because the instructor comes to her school, so I don't have to take her anywhere and I get 55 more minutes of "me" time (well, sort of, I still have Caleb)! :)

First Day of 3K!

2009-09-15T23:21:00.004-04:00

Abby Grace had her first day of school Sept. 8 at Grace United Methodist Church. She will be attending the 3K class every day from 9-12. She has been so excited about school starting back (and mommy has been thrilled too!) We just can't believe how big our little girl is getting!

Friends, Pajamas, Playing, & Swinging

2009-09-15T22:21:00.006-04:00

I just wanted to post a few cute pics... Karen, Tim, and Luke came to visit us a couple of weeks ago, and here are the kiddies having fun at the downtown waterfront park.

Pajama time! Abby Grace always puts her pajamas on by herself, and when she puts on a gown, she always finds some pajama pants to go with it! (And yes, Caleb can climb the stairs--all of them, in fact!)

Caleb just having fun in his playroom... New updates--Caleb has 6 teeth now and likes to brush his own hair. He can pull up and stand alone. He loves to wave bye-bye and plays peek-a-boo with his hands.

Grammy and Granddaddy came to visit over a week ago, and we were able to get the kids' birthday present installed. Since then, we have been swinging every day, as you can see (which has been a good and bad thing, but mostly good!).

The Pineapple Fountain

2009-09-04T23:06:00.004-04:00

On the same day as the previous pool pics, we headed downtown to eat with Nathan at the Noisy Oyster (he had stayed with us for part of the weekend). Nathan had to head back home after we ate, but we decided to take Abby Grace to see the Pineapple Fountain for the first time. You see, we gave Abby Grace this book over a year ago called Good Night, Charleston, which has pictures of some of the main sites to see. Abby Grace has been very into this book (especially before we moved here) and wants to make sure that she has seen everything in person now that we are in Charleston. It was actually really funny when we first moved into our house because I think she was disappointed that our house wasn't pink like the houses in her book!

Pool Fun

2009-09-04T22:52:00.004-04:00

These are pics from our neighborhood pool on August 15. As you can see, the kids love it! Abby Grace can swim all over the pool with her "froggy," and she loves the water fountains. Caleb loves the wade-in part because he can sit and play in the water, but put him in a flotation device, and you have an unhappy baby! He doesn't want any part of it. The pool is also great because we can easily walk to and from it using the wagon.

Caleb's Past Month

2009-08-29T23:22:00.003-04:00

Caleb has had a busy month of learning and growing, and he definitely keeps us busy! In the past two weeks, Caleb has learned to crawl and pulls up on everything! He finally decided one day that instead of moving and scooting backwards, he would just go forward to get what he wants. He's not crawling all over the house, not yet anyway! He also pulls up on everything; it doesn't matter what it is, he's standing up! He had his 9 month check up about two weeks ago and he weighed 20.15 lbs and was 29.5 inches long. He loves to eat table food and plays copy cat. For example, he will lean his head to the side, and then he wants you to copy him. He also can now say da-da, ma-ma, uh-oh, and touchdown! And of course, he has the best teacher--his big sister Abby Grace!

Calebs likes for you to copy him and lean your head to the side too.

Caleb doing his "Touchdown, Auburn!"

Crazy Coupon-Saving Grocery Shopper Strikes Again

2009-08-18T21:32:00.011-04:00

Okay, I admit it... I have become an obsessive coupon saving grocery shopper, especially since we have moved to Charleston. Why? 1. Because Brian has not been able to moonlight yet. 2. There are many grocery stores just minutes from me. 3. I have found that going to the grocery store is a good outing for both of my children. 4. We have a Harris Teeter! (They even give balloons to the kids)

I usually don't post about my shopping excursions, but my trip to Harris Teeter this past week was too good to be true! Harris Teeter is a grocery store similiar to Publix. However, they can have awesome deals too, and this week was TRIPLE COUPON week!!! So, my total was $28.45, which actually included stamps that cost $8.80 + a 50 cent fee. Thus, my total for all my other items was $19.15 ($68 worth of groceries)! I thought this was such a great deal that I had to take a picture to prove it!

Okay, so for $19.15, I was able to purchase a large bag of Doritos, Muellers penne, Muellers spaghetti, bananas (3), grapes (2.5 lbs), 3 Oscar Meyer lunchables, 2 Whitehouse applesauce 6 packs, Ziploc round containers, Ziploc square containers, Ziploc sandwich bags (100 count), Fiber One toaster pastries, French's mustard, 3 Chef Boyardee, Welches jelly, Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, 2 Lysol wipes containers, Edge shave gel, Skintimate shave gel, Betty Crocker cookie mix, Colgate toothpaste, Crest toothpaste, Land O Lakes butter, pimentos, Wacky Mac, etc! Now, that's what I call a good deal!

How did I do it? I have always clipped and saved coupons. So, when I saw it was triple coupon week (only coupons up to 99 cents could be tripled), I went through all of my coupons and the HT ad for BOGO deals, etc. Some of these products, I actually made money off of. For example, I bought the Welch's jelly for $2.00--my coupon was for 75 cents off, which was tripled. So I made 25 cents! Also, many of these items were BOGO, and I had coupons for them too. Anyway, I actually went back a second time before the week was over and bought $98 of groceries/supplies for $50 doing the same thing! Thus, I am a Harris Teeter Fan (Oh, and I still love Publix too--in case you don't know, they take competitors coupons, no matter what!) Happy Shopping!!!

(Even Caleb & Abby Grace are all grins from our grocery shopping!)

Family Comes to Town!

2009-08-17T21:19:00.005-04:00

It's always nice to have family come and visit! Brian's parents, Grandma, and Aunt Tempie all came to see us in our new house the first weekend of August, and we all had a great time! We were so glad that they got to see where we live, and we were able to show Grandma and Tempie around town. On Saturday, we did the whole downtown Charleston thing, including a carriage ride. The rides attract many tourists because they are over an hour long and really do give you great history about downtown Charleston. I would highly recommend it especially if early American history interests you. Anyway, being that it is a guided tour, I was a little nervous about how Abby Grace and Caleb would do, but they were great! Abby Grace drifted off to sleep a few times, but what 3 year old wouldn't? After walking around the market, we headed back to the house while Carl, Grandma, and Tempie toured some homes downtown. For dinner, we ate at Fleet's Landing--yum! On Sunday, the family toured Magnolia Planation, and we went to dinner at Shem Creek, which is over in Mt. Pleasant. Then, we walked around Sullivan's Island just for fun. We had a great weekend and were so glad everyone was able to come and visit!

Caleb and Abby Grace are saying hey to the horse that gave us our Charleston tour.

The following are pictures from when we walked around Sullivan's Island. Notice how amazing Grandma is--she's 90 years old and can still play chase with a 3 year old!

Livin' in the Lowcountry Update

2009-08-12T22:29:00.005-04:00

Well, we have been experiencing the "lowcountry" life now for well over a month, and it has been a journey. I am not sure if we really realized how much work it takes when you move, especially out of state. However, I think we are finally getting settled in--thank goodness! It made me a little sad when the DMV took away my AL driver's license and gave me my SC one. I guess it really made our move away from home official, and I do miss my sweet home, Alabama! I am just thinking of this as our little 3 year vacation! However, there are a lot of things we like about Charleston, and I just pray that it is a fun three years.

The kids are doing really well; in fact, they are doing better than I could ever have imagined. I really feel like the move has made Abby Grace grow up a lot. She has become much more independent, helpful, etc., and little Caleb, well, he could care less where he is as long as his little needs are taken care of and his mommy, daddy, and Abby Grace are there! I will have to say the past few days have been a little rough because he is having another one of those fun teething weeks! He has been running fever, waking up at night, not napping well, etc. He finally started acting like himself today, but as I type, I hear him starting to fuss again in his sleep! So I guess he has at least 5 teeth now, some of which are still making their way in. He still hasn't officially started crawling yet, which I am secretly glad. However, he manages to move around and can pull up pretty well. He's also at that stage of where he is trying to copy things, and I swear he is trying to say different words like uh-oh, da-da, ma-ma, etc., and his new trick is doing "touchdown Auburn" with his hands above his head.

We are all working on meeting new people. I have started a Bible study with wives of husbands who are in the medical profession (I also did this same type study back home too), and I have also joined a playgroup that is also set up the same way. The pictures below show Abby Grace and Caleb at the first playgroup, which was at the James Island County Park. The park was awesome, and in these pics, the kids are playing in the sprinkler part. They both thought it was great as you can see! This was actually about two weeks ago. Today, we went to another park on James Island; anyway, it has been a good way for us to get out and meet other people. Well, my Caleb is "calling" me, so I hope to post again soon with lots more pictures. I have gotten behind again!

The 4th of July

2009-07-25T22:32:00.004-04:00

After we went to the beach (see earlier post), we celebrated July 4th by watching the big firework show from Patriot's Point. We just took a picnic to a plantation lawn and watched the fireworks from there. The view wasn't quite what we expected, and we had to wait a long time for them. However, we still managed to have a good time as you can see from the pictures!

Summer Beach Pics

2009-07-25T22:06:00.005-04:00

Some cute summer pics... the first picture is of Caleb at the lake before we headed back to Charleston. The other pictures are of the kids on our first beach trip to the county park at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. This is probably the beach that we will go to most of the time because it is the closest to our house, and the park is really nice (has lifeguards, restrooms, showers, concessions, etc.) Abby Grace and Caleb had fun too! Abby Grace absolutely loves the water and would probably stay in it all day! Caleb enjoys playing on the beach and does not mind the sand at all. He's a little unsure of the water though; I think it is mainly because it feels cold to him at first. He does like to put his feet in and play along the shore. We weren't sure of how long he would last, but as you can see from the picture below, he was fine taking his nap on the beach! The beaches here are definitely different from the Gulf beaches that we are used to, but there are some good aspects of the Atlantic beaches too, like the cool breeze blowing off the Atlantic. In fact, we never really felt hot, which was really nice. Hey, I am not complaining; we live 20 minutes from a beach!

Playtime!

2009-07-24T09:12:00.003-04:00

Caleb and Abby Grace are enjoying their new playroom in our house in Charleston. Abby Grace loves to get all of Caleb's toys out for him!

Abby Grace loves trains and can now put her own track together herself.

Abby Grace is enjoying herself in our neighborhood pool.

Resting and snacking after having fun in the pool!

Caleb's 7th Month (June)

2009-07-22T22:53:00.007-04:00

Well, I am going back in time a little bit to Caleb's 7 month birthday... we've just been a little busy this past June! Anyway, this is a picture of Caleb in his bed back in Birmingham on June 4 before we moved. Caleb is just waking up from his nap. I decided to take my camera to get a record of this sweet face when he's happy from a long nap! Caleb is definitely growing and learning new things everyday! He is genuinely a very happy baby! He is finally sleeping through the night and is taking two long naps a day. He also likes to go to bed around 8 and wakes up between 7 and 8 in the morning. He loves eating "big people" food and has two more teeth coming in for a total of 4. We actually just spent the last week with a fever, which I believe was a result of his teething. He loves to clap his hands and now likes to play "copycat" by leaning his head over to the side when we do the same. And he loves his sister, and his sister loves him! I am going to post some more pictures in the next few days, which shows him on his 8 month birthday, July 4. I also hope to post some pictures of our new house too!

Lowcountry here we come!

2009-07-10T16:01:00.005-04:00

Well, we're finally here! It's hard for me to believe that a little over a year ago, we were finding out that Brian had matched at MUSC and that we were having a little boy! Time sure does go by fast! So I find myself now typing in our new house in Charleston (it only took AT&T 3 weeks to get our DSL up and running, but that's another story). Anyway, we closed on our house here on June 17. The movers came the 16th to pack our house in Birmingham, and then they came on June 17 to load the truck that was to head to Charleston. Brian, Caleb, and I left the 16th to head to Charleston while Abby Grace stayed back home with Grammy and Granddaddy. As we were about to walk into the lawyer's office to close, we get a call from our mover saying that they had underestimated our stuff and that another truck would have to come on a later date (that later date being July 3)! So our stuff came on the 18th, and we began unpacking while we waited for Abby Grace and the grandparents to arrive. Abby Grace was very excited about the new house! She was really cute because she would ask things like if the truck was going to be bringing the window or door that was in her room in B'ham. After spending a few days working on the house, putting in ceiling fans, and trying to get organized (all with the hired help of Carl Brunson!), we had to head back to B'ham for Brian to finish up his residency at UAB. And now we are back in Charleston, and Brian has begun his fellowship in gastroenterology. So far things are going well for him; he's just staying pretty busy as he learns the ropes. We are still unpacking and trying to get settled in. We love our neighborhood and are really excited about the pool and playground that we have! However, we do miss everyone back in Birmingham! Stay tuned for pictures of the house and new updates on the kids!

Abby Grace's 3rd Birthday Party

2009-06-05T23:50:00.005-04:00

Abby Grace's 3rd Birthday Party was held at the Oak Mountain Petting Farm, and we really had a great time! The weather was absolutely beautiful, and Abby Grace was very excited about playing with all the animals. We are thankful for all of our family and friends that were able to celebrate with us. Mrs. Anna, Abby Grace's MDO teacher, was also able to come, which thrilled Abby Grace, and she also made the beautiful barn cake and cupcakes. And yes, the cake was as good as it looks! We just were just so excited about how cute it was! Anyway, we had a wonderful time!

This was one of those rare moments, where Abby Grace just came up to me at the party out of the blue and gave me a big hug, and somehow, my brother-in-law, J., got it on camera! Anyway, I just love it!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-05T23:22:00.003-04:00

On Memorial Day Weekend, I headed to the lake with the kids while Brian worked his last full night of call as a resident. Then he joined us on Sunday. These are just some pics from our little trip....

The weather wasn't that great; it rained, and then when it wasn't raining, it was kind of chilly. However, that didn't stop Abby Grace from getting in the water! She is having a great time in the picture below but hiding the fact that she is actually freezing! Somehow, though, she managed to get her daddy in the water with her!

Caleb had fun at the lake too! He had just starting sitting alone that week; this has opened a whole new world of playing for him!

Abby Grace's birthday actually fell on Memorial Day this year. So we had a Mermaid cake for her, and she was thrilled! She opened up her presents from us and the grandparents; some of the highlights included a Thomas tent, trains, Mermaid bubbles, books, puzzles, basketball goal, etc. It's find of funny, but Abby Grace LOVES Thomas the Tank Engine! Anyway, she enjoyed all of her presents. Shhhhhh! Don't tell, but Abby Grace is going to get a swing set for her main birthday present, but she's not getting it until we move to Charleston. Abby Grace will also get to celebrate her birthday one more time at the Oak Mountain Petting Farm; I'll post pictures of this soon. Anyway, it's hard for us to believe that our little girl is already three!

First and Last Times

2009-05-23T12:02:00.002-04:00

Caleb finally slept through the entire night for the FIRST time! He actually slept from about 9 to 6:45 this morning! Yeah Caleb and yeah sleep! Also, today is Brian's LAST overnight call as a resident--we can't tell you how excited we are about that!!!

Braves Game Pics

2009-05-17T00:15:00.002-04:00

Georgia Aquarium Continued

2009-05-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

Georgia Aquarium

2009-05-12T23:25:00.005-04:00

Brian and I decided that we needed a little getaway for a night with the kids since Brian has been so busy with work and since we haven't had a vacation in awhile. So we decided to head to Atlanta on Sunday, April 26, and stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown. That night we ate at Copeland's Cheesecake Factory, and on Monday, we headed to the Georgia Aquarium. I can't tell you how excited Abby Grace was about going to the aquarium! Once she found out about it, she couldn't stop asking about when we were going to get there. This was actually her second visit because we took her when she was 1 year old. Anyway, she and Caleb both had a wonderful time, as you can see from the pictures. If you know us well, you know that we are always going nonstop, so of course, we headed to Lenox to do a little shopping after the aquarium and to meet up with our past Sunday school teacher, Karen Bowers, who we miss greatly (she and her husband moved to Buckhead for a new job opportunity). Then, Brian just couldn't resist the Braves game that night, so we headed there as well. He actually found club level tickets on stubhub.com for really cheap, so that made it even more fun, and the kids really liked it. See pictures above. Then after the game was over, we made a late night drive back to Birmingham. It was definitely all well worth it!

Caleb's Growing!

2009-05-12T16:52:00.007-04:00

I've been a little behind on my blogging these days, so I am going to try to catch up! Here are some pictures of Caleb from April 18--he was about 5 1/2 months then! Since that time, Caleb has started solid foods! We began with the veggies, like squash and carrots, which I think are still his current favorites. Then, we added in the fruits, which of course, he loves! So now, he really doesn't like his cereal that much! He also now has 2 teeth! The first one came in and then soon after, the second one came in at about the same time he turned 6 months. He's still rolling all over the place, but he hasn't learned to sit alone yet. However, he does love to sit in a high chair, his exersaucer, and his jumpy thing. Is he still sleeping through the night yet? Not quite, but he's working on it! We had a few setbacks this past week with a cold/cough, 6 months shots, and the teeth coming in. Speaking of, Caleb had his 6 months check up last week, and he weighed 18 lbs 7 oz and was 27 inches long, which puts him in the 75th percentile on height and weight. So, needless to say, he's growing up on us!

Easter

2009-04-19T22:30:00.007-04:00

Visiting the Easter Bunny!

Abby Grace at her Easter party at school.

Caleb loves the plastic wrap!

Abby Grace and Caleb with their Easter baskets.

Abby Grace with one of her Easter surprises at my parents' house.

I am beginning to think that Easter is really one of my favorite holidays of the year and really is the most important since we celebrate Jesus's resurrection. Without this day, what we believe would mean nothing! How wonderful it is to have a Savior who lives! Anyway, it is a special holiday, and of course, the dressing up, the Easter eggs, bunnies, and baskets do make it fun too! We did take Abby Grace and Caleb to see the Easter bunny at Brookwood Mall, which went over very well. Abby Grace also had an Easter party at school; I was in charge of the favors this time, which one of the pictures shows. We dyed Easter eggs with Carianne at my parents' house, and of course, like everyone else, we went to church Sunday with dye on our hands! And thank goodness Brian was finally off on Easter! He has had to work on Easter I think every year since he has been in residency so we were all very happy to have him around. Abby Grace and Caleb both woke up to find that the Easter Bunny did come see them and even managed to hide some eggs and leave them baskets. It was a fun, but a quick morning. The kids wore their matching lime green outfits to church, and then we headed to the Brunson's for a wonderful lunch! Another reason, I love Easter--the food! :) After seeing all of Brian's family, we headed to my house for a second lunch and several Easter egg hunts! So you can say, it was a wonderful day!

A Night of Almost Uninterrupted Sleep!

2009-04-08T00:40:00.003-04:00

Quick post--Caleb finally slept through the night last night! He fell asleep around 9:30 p.m. and Brian found him happy as could be in his crib around 7 a.m. this morning! I don't know what caused it, but I hope it happens again! He did eat a lot of rice cereal at dinner, more than he ever has before, so maybe that helped, who knows? In fact, he was really interested in eating; I have never seen him so into his cereal, but he was, and Brian could hardly feed him fast enough! The night wasn't completely peaceful though because Abby Grace woke up upset about something, but luckily she immediately went back to sleep after I checked on her. I guess it's just that difficult to find one night of uninterrupted sleep! Oh well! I guess I should quit blogging and get to bed myself right now!

Riding Thomas the Train

2009-04-08T00:10:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday we journeyed to Calera to the Railroad Museum and took a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine! It's kind of funny how much Abby Grace loves trains. In fact, she has her own train track and absolutely loves it! She also likes to watch her Thomas DVDs. Thus, we decided that a Thomas excursion would be perfect for her, and she was thrilled! We actually bought our tickets ahead of time (you even have to decide then on the exact time you will be riding the train), so I was a little worried about the weather. However, the day was beautiful and warm, and we had lots of fun! They have some games and inflatables that the kids can do while you wait for your train ride, but the main attraction is definitely riding Thomas! It's actually a real train ride that lasts about 20-25 minutes and of course, Thomas is the engine! We decided to go for comfort and air conditioning so we rode on the car that was closed in; however, you can go on an open air car as well, and all the prices are the same no matter which car you choose. Anyway, Abby Grace's other favorite part of the day was buying the huge Thomas balloon that practically took up the whole backseat on the way home and currently can be found floating somewhere around our house! However, she plays with it everyday! Anyway, it was definitely worth the drive for her, and I would recommend it. They also do a special event at Christmas time, the Polar Express, that sounds like lots of fun and would be worth checking into! Anyway, it was a special day and was just great having Brian and the whole family together to enjoy it!

Our Little Cutie

2009-04-05T23:58:00.003-04:00

Our little cutie is five months old now--I can't believe how fast the time has gone by! Anyway, he smiles and laughs all the time, especially at his big sister. He also wants to know what's going on, so he loves to sit in his Bumbo seat, and he really likes his exersaucer. He thinks he's big too these days! Caleb has also learned now to roll over both ways. In fact, the other day, he was lying on the floor while I was changing his sheet and I looked down, and he was gone! He had completely rolled under his crib where I couldn't see him! I am beginning to wonder if he's going to be all over the place once he becomes really mobile!

Abby Grace's Spring Program

2009-04-05T23:42:00.005-04:00

Abby Grace's Spring Program at Hunter Street's Weekday Progam was held in March and included a short singing and art program. Abby Grace and the other "2 year olds" sang several songs including "Baby Bumblebee" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." It was so cute, and then Abby Grace showed off her artwork in her classroom. The last pic shows Abby Grace holding Caleb after the program was over. It's probably pretty safe to say that she thinks she's a big girl now!

Princess Abby Grace

2009-04-05T23:34:00.004-04:00

We gave Abby Grace some dress up clothes for Christmas, and it was just a few weeks ago that she really decided to take an big interest in them. Just out of the blue one day, she told my parents and me that she was going to dress as Cinderella and this is what she came up with!

Yummy Rice Cereal!

2009-04-05T23:08:00.006-04:00

This is one of Caleb's first cereal feedings, and Abby Grace is helping in the second picture. Let's just say, he's starting to get used to it!

Caleb & Abby Grace Update

2009-03-20T00:33:00.005-04:00

Caleb had his 4 month checkup on March 4, and he is doing really well! He weighs 16 lbs and is 26 inches long--no wonder he is outgrowing his clothes so fast! He still continues to roll over from his back to his stomach but hasn't gone from his stomach to back yet. He loves to hold toys and put them directly in his mouth, and he absolutely LOVES Baby Einstein movies. Abby Grace didn't really like them that much when she was a baby, but he will watch them all the time! I think Abby Grace likes them better now than she did then! Anyway, we got out the exersaucer a few days ago and that was definitely a big hit, with both of them! Abby Grace just loves playing with him; it really is sweet! She loves for him to sit in his Bumbo seat and play with his toys with him, and he just loves her! He will cackle out loud at about everything she does--it is just precious! On another note, Caleb is still not sleeping through the night; in fact, he really doesn't sleep that much period, so you would think that he would be cranky all the time. However, he really is a happy baby but going to bed can be a little difficult. So, we are working on getting better naps throughout the day to help his nights and have finally moved him upstairs to his crib. I don't know why it was so difficult for me to do that, but it was! We are hoping this will help him sleep. Caleb tried cereal for the first time the other day too, and I think he is beginning to get a little used to it. Abby Grace was so excited about his first feeding! Anyway, with your second, it's so difficult to keep up with all these firsts! I will try to post some pics of these events soon!

As for Abby Grace, she is something else! She is growing up on us for sure and is really wanting to seem big. She's almost going to the potty all the time on her own even in public places. We are really proud of her! She's really into the Disney princesses right now, especially the Little Mermaid and has begun to take an interest in dressing up! However, take her to a store and ask her to try something on, you would think the world had ended! She also really loves trains, especially Thomas, and will play with her train set all the time. Some of her other favorite things to do include blowing bubbles, playing with her kitchen and dollhouse, and doing any kid of arts & crafts project. Abby Grace is definitely the talker and cracks us up all the time with her comments and vocabulary, and then she will just out of the blue say the sweetests things too!

Anyway, life with these two is definitely busy, but such a blessing! New pictures to come!

Snow!

2009-03-03T23:07:00.004-05:00

What a fun day!!! Who would have guessed that we would have spent our first day of March in the snow! I woke up early to feed Caleb and opened the blinds to see the snow coming down. About this time, Abby Grace was making her way down the stairs, and I told her to look out the window. She got so excited and was immediately ready to go outside. However, there really wasn't much snow on the ground yet, plus Brian was on call (he was on call the last time it snowed too). Anyway, we waited to see if it would accumulate anymore, meanwhile I am paging/texting Brian to see when he would be coming home. Then I decided I better take Abby Grace out soon because it seemed that the snow had stopped. However, by the time we got dressed, the snow was pouring down again. We were so excited and began making a snowman right away. Then, Caleb (who was inside) started to get upset, so we had to halt our snowman making for a bit. Abby Grace stayed outside; she was loving every minute of it! Luckily, Brian finally made it home, and the grandparents joined us too. We were able to finish our snowman and call it a day as the sun began to come out.

Caleb's Dedication

2009-03-03T22:31:00.004-05:00

Caleb was dedicated at Hunter Street Baptist Church on February 22, 2009. Since Hunter Street is so large, there are usually about 15 children dedicated at each service. One of the pictures below shows us all on stage as Caleb is being introduced. His name means "faithful," and his Bible verse is 1 Samuel 22:14- "Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you."

After the service, some of our family met at Johnny Carino's for lunch and cake afterwards. It was a fun time, and Caleb ended up sleeping through most of it; however, he was wide awake while he was on stage! We just feel so blessed to have Caleb in our lives!

Some Potty Training Success

2009-02-05T23:55:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, Abby Grace decided she was ready to go to the potty on her own and has continued to do so since! We have been encouraging her off and on for a while now but haven't really pushed it until the past week or so. She would go but never on a consistent basis. Now, she has shown much more interest in becoming a "big girl" and has gone many times, some with us reminding her and some with going on her own. She has even told her teacher at MDO, and more impressively, she told me she needed to go at an Auburn basketball game and at the circus. She still forgets sometimes, but hopefully we are on the road now to full potty training success!

Peanut Allergy :(

2009-02-03T00:39:00.004-05:00

Well, we took Abby Grace to an allergist today, and as we suspected, Abby Grace definitely does have a peanut allergy! Sad, huh, a life without peanut butter! Anyway, this all started back about a year ago when she had some of Brian's noodles from a thai restaurant. She immediately broke out around her mouth after she ate them, and it hit us that the noodles had peanut sauce on them. We talked to her pediatrician about it, and he told us to try something with peanuts in it again a few months later. And so, each time that we have tried peanut butter, we have continued to notice similar reactions including the breaking out, scratchy throat, etc. So, I finally made an appointment today to see if it could be true. Let's just say that Abby Grace wasn't really in the mood to do all this testing stuff, but she hung in there. It made me sad though to have to hold her down while they pricked her back with these different tests. It turns out that she also had a mild reaction to pecans and is allergic to dust mites (who isn't?). So we get to carry an epi-pen around with us now and have to give care action forms to her school on how to treat her if she does have anything with peanuts. However, she has never had any life-threatening symptons when she has been exposed, so I hope she continues to stay that way. The thought of having to use the epi-pen scares me! Also, there is still a chance that she could grow out of it; however, it is a small chance (20% of children do). So, for now, we will carry around our epi-pen, get tested again in about 2 years, and figure out how to avoid peanut butter!

Sweet Caleb

2009-01-20T22:54:00.002-05:00

These are just some sweet pics I have taken of Caleb over the last few weeks. He really is developing his own personality these days. He smiles all the time and can laugh out loud too. It's so cute! I am not really sure what schedule we are on because it seems like we are always running around all the time, but he seems to go with it. He slept 7 hours last night without any feedings! This is the longest he has gone yet! Yeah Caleb! He definitely is a mommy's boy and loves for mommy to hold him to sleep. Abby Grace still loves her brother very much and loves on him all the time. She will often give him her blanket/bunny and will run get him diapers or burp cloths whenever he needs them. She says she is the best big sister and helper!

The glow worm--I will have to say this was a great Santa present! He loves it! It has helped him go to sleep several times! I couldn't believe that it would actually work, but it does!

Caleb also loves his Baby Einstein mat very much as you can see from his smile.

Abby Grace's 1st Haircut!

2009-01-20T22:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally did it! Abby Grace has her first haircut about 2 weeks ago--I mean she's only 2 1/2! I guess it was about time! We just got a little trim to clean things up a bit. Brian's cousin-in-law, Laura, cut it at AURA Spa. Abby Grace did really well. I think she liked it! And I did take the keepsake box to save her first lock of hair in. She really is growing up on us now!

Auburn Basketball

2009-01-20T22:24:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to the Auburn/Tulane basketball game a few weeks ago and had a great time with Karen, Tim, and Luke. This was Caleb's first visit to Auburn and first athletic event. He seemed to like it as he took in all the sights and then he fell asleep during the game! Abby Grace had lots of fun too! She especially loves the band, cheerleaders, and of course, Aubie! She had even more fun when Kelly and Jake Dorough came over to visit with us as we watched the game.

Our Charleston Lot

2009-01-20T21:52:00.006-05:00

Brian and I traveled to Charleston last weekend and picked out our lot in Carolina Bay (West Ashley). In case you haven't heard, we are moving to Charleston in June for Brian's GI Fellowship at MUSC. We will actually be there for three years! Anyway, here is the lot! Pretty exciting, huh? It has a lot of potential though, and we actually have our own trees in our back yard. We are pretty excited about that. However, we still have to sell our house here, which actually just went on the market today! So as long as we sell our house, this will be our new home.

The picture below shows an example of what our house is going to look like after it's built.

We are really excited about having a screened in porch!
And one of the best parts is that the kids will have a pool and playground within walking distance from our house. Abby Grace will love that it has sprinklers!

Our Christmas

2009-01-05T00:33:00.004-05:00

We had a very good Christmas and felt blessed that we were able to spend time with all of our family. It was a little hectic being that we had many places to go but luckily it was spread out over a few days since most of Brian's family gathers together before Christmas day. So we headed to the Tippens on the Sunday before Christmas to spend with Susan's family. One of the pictures below shows Abby Grace with her 2nd cousins. This was the first time this year for Abby Grace to open Christmas presents, but she was really more interested in playing with the dogs they had. We finally got her into opening her presents, but then she was right back to playing with the dogs!

Then on Christmas Eve, we headed to Ross Bridge, Tempie's house, to celebrate with Carl's side of the family. We played Dirty Santa, and it really was a lot of fun! Abby Grace cracked us all up after she opened her gift from Grandma and said, "I already have this at my house!" (It was an Auburn board book) Anyway, we ended up staying there later so the kiddies didn't get to bed as early as they needed to. You know, we had to put out milk and cookies for Santa and sprinkle reindeer food in the yard. However, we finally got everyone to bed so that we could do our elf work and for mommy to finish wrapping presents! This is something that I usually do earlier but having Caleb has made that a little more difficult. I have been used to doing stuff after Abby Grace goes to bed but Caleb has decided that he is going to be a little more demanding then! So needless to say, I was wrapping presents to 2 AM! Luckily, Abby Grace slept the next day until 8:45 and we began all the fun of Christmas! Three of the pictures below show Abby Grace and many of her presents. Her main Santa gifts were a dollhouse, cradle (which my dad made for me when I was little--we told her that Santa got it from my dad so that he would have something to put her new baby in), baby, and high chair. She also got a ball, which was very important because she kept saying that Santa was going to bring her a dollhouse and ball (she actually said a Barney ball but Santa couldn't make that kind this year!) I know I haven't said too much about Caleb, but he got presents too. His main Santa gift was a rocking Giraffe and some other little baby toys. He really spent most of the day doing what he usually does, sleeping and eating!!! However, he managed a few smiles and was really good the entire day (what could be bad about having so many different people to hold him all day!)

Then we headed to Carl and Susan's for lunch and Christmas with them. Somehow we even managed for Abby Grace to take a nap and then we headed to my house, which Brian says is kind of like watching Christmas Vacation. Hey, we have a lot of people, so it is bound to get crazy! We were all exhausted by this point but still had a good time and definitely enjoyed being able to be lazy all day on Friday!

Our Christmas Babies

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These were some of the pictures I took for our Christmas card this year. I had fun playing photographer, and amazingly, the kids were pretty good too!

Visiting Santa & The Zoolight Safari

2008-12-29T01:46:00.003-05:00

Over the Christmas holidays, we took the kids to see Santa at the Galleria. To our surprise, Abby Grace was slightly reluctant to sit on his lap at first but then got over it after Caleb had a seat. I think that the two girls in front of us worried Abby Grace a little bit because they weren't real interested in sitting in his lap either. But Abby Grace did tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas--a house, ball, and presents! That night we went to the Birmingham Zoo for the Zoolight Safari with the Butlers. Abby Grace loved the train ride and carousel, and Caleb just slept through all of it!

A Little Update on Caleb & Abby Grace

2008-12-29T01:18:00.005-05:00

Okay, so life with two makes it a little difficult to find time to blog! So, needless to say, I am a little behind on things. Anyway, we are enjoying Caleb very much. It's hard to believe that he is already 7 weeks old! He's a pretty good baby that loves to be held! I am still nursing and boy, does this little guy love to eat! He eats about every 2 hours during the day which sounds like a lot but the good thing is that he eats in no more than 10 minutes flat. Sometimes even less than that... I think he is a snacker! However, he seems to like to take 1 long nap during the day and will go a lot longer without eating then. At night, he's gone about 4-5 hours at the most without eating. So we are getting closer to a full night's rest! It's not so bad though. He has also started developing some personality. He probably started smiling at us at about 5 weeks and now smiles all the time. He loves his Baby Einstein play mat and will laugh at the star that lights up. He also loves for anyone to talk to him and play games with him like patty cake. We have noticed since day 1 that he is a very strong boy because he has always been very good at holding his head up and putting all his weight on his legs to stand up. Abby Grace is still loving him very much and calls him her baby. She loves to kiss on him, play with him, hold him; you name it! Thus, we have been pretty lucky so far with the sibling relationship. We are also very glad to say now that Abby Grace has given up her paci! She put it in her stocking a few nights before Christmas for Clifford (our Elf on the Shelf) to take to Santa in hopes of getting more presents. She asked for it over the next few days, but we just tried to get her mind off it. And now she just says she wants her bunny, blanky, and milk (and sometimes she will say "and something else"). Now, we just need her to learn how to use the potty! Oh, the joys of parenthood!!!

Leaving the Hospital

2008-11-18T13:40:00.003-05:00

In the pictures below, Caleb is getting ready to go home! Of course, Mommy had to dress him up, and he didn't seem to mind at all. He also really liked his carseat (one of the few hand-me-downs of Abby Grace's that we could use!) We were glad to finally leave the hospital; it was a nice stay, and all the doctors and nurses were great. However, we didn't get much sleep and were ready for our own bed at home.

Proud Family

2008-11-10T13:45:00.006-05:00

Big sister Abby Grace sees Caleb for the first time. He's wrapped up with Mommy to get his body temperature a little higher. In no time though, he was ready to be held. Proud Abby Grace holds Caleb in the picture below... She brought a balloon for Caleb; however, she did not want to let go of it to take a picture!

Daddy finally gets to hold his baby boy!

Abby Grace shares her bunny with Caleb as Grammy proudly looks on!

Joy's parents proudly hold their grandson, their #14 grandchild!

Granddaddy seems to be used to boys!

Caleb's Arrival!

2008-11-05T11:27:00.005-05:00

One of our first family photos!

We arrived at St. Vincent's Tuesday morning, November 4th, around 5 AM as Joy was scheduled for induction. She was 3 cm dilated at 6 AM, and Dr. Woods broke her water around 6:30. After some heavy contractions, Joy was ready for an epidural! The contractions were still intense, and Joy thought the epidural wasn't working... Turns out that she was feeling so much pain because she had completely dilated and was ready to push. In fact, the nurse had to hurry to get all the equipment together for the delivery. Unfortunately, Joy still had to push for an hour or so, and the nurse decided to call in the doctor for some extra help. Dr. Snowden came in and even brought in Dr. Woods for reinforcement. At 10:50 AM, 3 contractions later, Caleb was delivered! Joy was thrilled because the doctors did not even have to use forceps or the vacuum like they did with Abby Grace, especially considering he weighed a whopping 9 lbs., 4 oz. and was 22 inches long! He is already taking after his daddy! It was wonderful delivering early in the day because it allowed us to spend lots of time with the grandparents and of course Caleb's proud big sister, Abby Grace. She adores Caleb and was so excited to give him his first present!

Abby Grace shown holding Caleb for the first time! (She was also very excited about the balloon she had gotten him).

Halloween

2008-10-31T23:24:00.006-04:00

After all of our activities, including Boo at the Zoo, Trunk or Treat, MDO Class Party, and Trick-or-Treating, Abby Grace has come to love Halloween and all the CANDY! These pictures above show Abby Grace in our neighborhood trick-or-treating on Halloween.

At Hunter Street's Trunk or Treat, Abby Grace found the time to take some pictures with some friends!

Here are some pictures too of Abby Grace at her mother's day out class party.

Caleb Update #2

2008-10-29T11:09:00.003-04:00

Well, today was supposed to be the day... unfortunately, we're just not ready yet. My doctor is not comfortable enough with his whole progress to induce today. So she has a set induction scheduled for next Tuesday at 5 a.m. It's okay because he would have been 10 days early today. However, I am hoping he does come before next Tuesday... we'll see. Please keep us in your prayers... Thurs., Oct. 30 sounds like a great birthday to me!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-27T00:07:00.004-04:00

After going to the Pumpkin Patch this past Thursday, we finally found time to carve our pumpkin Sunday night. The following pictures show Abby Grace and Daddy proud of their work, and then there is a picture of us outside with our new pumpkin!

Pumpkin Patch Visit

2008-10-26T23:46:00.004-04:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch at Shadowlake in McCalla last Thursday when Brian finally had a day off! It was a great place for us to visit because it was not crowded at all. Abby Grace basically had the whole place to herself! The picture above shows Abby Grace and Mommy (and Caleb) on the "train." Mommy was hoping that between the train ride and walking so much, that Caleb might come out--no such luck!

Then we went to look for a pumpkin, and as you can see, Abby Grace was very proud of the pumpkin she picked out!

Also, while we were there, Abby Grace and Daddy rode on the hayride and played games. Her favorite thing though was playing on the inflatables, and it was great because she was the only one on them! The picture below shows her on the slide inflatable.

Boo at the Zoo!

2008-10-26T23:30:00.004-04:00

We went to Boo at the Zoo the first night it opened, and Abby Grace had a great time! It was a little pricey but worth the visit just to see her in her Minnie Mouse costume and having fun! Abby Grace's favorite part was riding the train, but she also liked seeing the barn animals, trick-or-treating, storytime, the lightshow, and riding the carousel!

Caleb Update

2008-10-22T22:50:00.002-04:00

Little Caleb's due date is Nov. 8; however, we are hoping he comes sooner! We thought his birthday was going to be Oct. 20 because I woke up at 3 a.m. with contractions and ended up at St. Vincent's. It was great timing because Brian was on call at UAB, so I had to call him to come home in the middle of the night! So we probably didn't get to the hospital until 6 a.m. only to have them send us home about 5 hours later! I had contractions the whole time I was there, just no progression! Oh well, I guess we are still early!

So I went to the doctor today and no real earth shattering news except my progression is continuing, but she wants him to be more in stage for delivering. She plans to take him next Wed., Oct. 29 if she sees change come next Tues. when I go back. I am hoping he comes earlier--we'll see!

Our First Post

2008-10-16T23:31:00.006-04:00

We decided that it might be good to begin a blog for our family and friends, especially since we are moving at the end of this year, so here it goes!

Currently, Brian is a 3rd year internal medicine resident at UAB and after teaching for 6 years, Joy now stays at home. We have a little girl, Abby Grace, who is 29 months, and we are expecting Caleb Nov. 8, 2008 (or earlier we hope!). In June, we will be moving to Charleston, S.C. for Brian's gastroenterology fellowship.

For our first posting, I thought I would show pictures from the past few Auburn games, which includes Abby Grace meeting Aubie, pictures from the Auburn/LSU pep rally, and our fun tailgate group. Abby Grace was thrilled to see Aubie up close and in person! In fact, it's really neat how much she has already come to love Auburn, even at such a young age (and at a time when going to Auburn football games is, what can we say, frustrating). Still, WAR EAGLE!

So, I guess you can tell we are Auburn fans! Both Brian and I graduated from Auburn in 2002 and just love it and try to make it down to Auburn as often as we can!