Closer...

And now we have landscaping~makes it look like a home :)

FYI~Andy did not do the landscaping but he will be taking care of the back. Will post those pics when he gets started.

Getting even closer...

Shutters, a driveway, and some sod!! YAY!

Closing date has been moved from December 16th to the 20th. We are fine with that; we just hope to be in before the end of the year. I'm getting so excited!!

What a child hears...

Lilley Grace has been saying the funniest things lately, so I had to write them down so I would remember them.

She told me the other night that her granddaddy was "an aunt sister." I said, "What is that?" She said, "A person that lived a long time before us." Oh! An ancestor!!!

We spent a day at the Wolfchase last week. She wanted to pose outside on the wall.

 I wanted to get a picture of the two of us on our girls' day.

I told her as we were walking in that the mall had a carousel. She asked what that was. I said, "You know, the ride where you get on a horse and it goes around and around." She said (so seriously), "Mama, that's a merry go round. You said a carrot sale!"

 We went to Birmingham for the weekend to spend Thanksgiving with my family. We had a blast! We spent the night at my cousin's house, hung out with he and his wife and their 3 kids. Most of the rest of my family came over on Saturday and we ate a great lunch and watched some football (we won't talk about that). My mom, Lg, and I spent Saturday night at the Birmingham Galleria where LG got to ride another "carrot sale." :) Check out the child in the sleigh behind LG photo-bombing the picture!

Saturday morning Andy took the kids to get donuts. This is the one LG picked out. 

ROLL TIDE!!! 

 Just a little happy to end on. Carson LOVES to sweep and clean. When he walked into his room with the broom, Andy told him to stop carrying Peppi's (my mom's) car around. LOL!!

One more birthday pic

My cousin took this pic of our family at the b-day party. We have so few pics as a family. Thanks, cuz!

I did get some pics!!

I grabbed Andy's phone a couple of times at the birthday party last Saturday and snapped a couple of pics.

Our party spilled over to another side of Chick-Fil-A

Andy's mom, sister, brother, and our friends, Brian and Brooke 

 The "designated" party side~Alisha, Michael, Alex and my mom on one side

 DeeDee, PeePaw and Carson at the head of the table

As a special treat, LG got to get her makeup done for the party. Back story~she was supposed to get a little makeup for her Aunt Sarah's wedding but I was running so behind that she couldn't go with me. I promised her that I would take her back and she could get it done. What better time than for her brother's 2nd bday party?!

At the MAC counter in Dillard's with Ms. Kim

 Rubbing her lipstick in :)

BTW~note her shirt says "Daddy's Girl" and guess who took her to get her makeup done...her daddy! If the shoe fits...right? ;)

It has NOT been 2 years!

I am in shock that my big baby is actually 2 years old! He has been the size of a 2 year old for about a year now but he was still my baby. Now he is talking up a storm, carrying on conversations, following directions, and playing with his sister, not just beside her.

He has the sweetest heart. If he thinks you are hurt or you need help, he will come over and offer his hand~literally. He will pat you on the head to say he's sorry and hug and kiss you even if he was just mad at you. He has a temper and throws whatever is in his hand or finds something to smack off the table but when I tell him, "NO!" He cries, sticks his fingers in his mouth, and comes right over for a hug.

HE.HAS.MY.HEART. 

It's no secret I am a sucker where he is concerned. More people than not have said, "You would never have done that with LG." But you moms of multiples can vouch for me~it's hard with the first to give in on anything, especially if you're an OCD nut like me. I felt like if I let her sleep in the bed with me, even just once, she would always want to sleep with me...for the rest of her life. If I let her drink chocolate milk, she would never drink white milk again. If I rocked her in the middle of the night when she cried out for me, she would always want me to do it. A lot of "always" and "nevers" but now that she's 5 and she doesn't have to have me rock her to sleep or only drink chocolate milk, I see that most things are just phases and if I'm not careful I will miss out on some sweet moments. So, having said that, I am trying to make up with it for Carson and if you don't like it (Andy, Mama), you can...well, just deal with it. :)  

He got his first hair cut (and first sucker) last Tuesday~11/12/13~I didn't do it on that date on purpose but it sure does make it easy to remember. My hair dresser tried to just cut off the ends and leave shorter curls but I quickly told her that I wanted those curls cut off. We have enough curls in our household already, I am not trying to see anymore right now. :) Here he is after the cut:

 Sometimes the fingers are better than the sucker :)

 He had his birthday party at Chick-Fil-A, mostly because we don't have a house to have people over to right now and because I didn't want to have to clean up anything. It was Elmo themed. All the kids except for Carson played in the playroom. He is extremely cautious of things and steers clear of any trace of chaos. He also doesn't like to be sung to~the whole time we were singing "Happy Birthday" he was screaming, "No!" LOL! I was too busy trying to enjoy the moment and didn't get any pics. Sorry.

Lastly, he had his 2 year check up today with our back-up Dr~Dr. Harry Phillips. He meets all the development markers for his age, i.e. he is saying 2-word phrases~no mama, juice please (jew pees), my colors (my colees), etc. Some of his many new words are: Sissy, down (meaning pick me up), bless you (bess you), nope, and any word you ask him to say, he will try to say. He still goes to sleep between 6-630 pm and sleeps until 6 am. Even if we try to keep him up, he is ready to go to bed around 6 pm. He LOVES to color. He has colored a few times on the wall so we asked for someone to get him a magna-doodle for his b-day and thanks to She-sha (Alisha), that is his new favorite thing to do!! He has just started telling us when he's pooping. Sometimes he confuses pooting with pooping so there's a lot of diaper checks for no real reason. :) He loves Dora, Little Bill, and Elmo.

He is on the chart!!!!! I was shocked but apparently the rest of the babies are catching up to him. :)

Weight: 34 lbs (95%)

Height: 36 in (75%-90%)

Head: 51 cm (95%)

He got his last prevnar shot and a flu shot and only cried for a second~no tears though. It was more like he screamed at the nurse out of anger and then put his fingers in his mouth and was fine. He walked out by himself, said "Bye" to everyone and blew the nurses a kiss. :)

I am so excited to see what this next year has to offer for him and us~what new things he will do. He makes us laugh everyday and is so much fun to be around. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be his mama. Thank you, thank you, Jesus! 

Getting closer...

Andy and I went by the house yesterday and the cabinets were in!!
Obviously, these are the kitchen cabinets. I am so happy with how it turned out. 

They have also finished bricking the outside,

 have stained the front doors, and added the stairs in the front.

Yippee!!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

We've had some pretty full weekends lately. We try to get out as much as possible since there's not a whole lot of space to move around in our apartment.
Last weekend, Andy's little sister, Sarah, got married. I was the matron of honor, Andy was an usher, and LG was the flower girl.

We had the rehearsal dinner Friday night; make-up, hair, and nails Saturday, and wedding Saturday night.

LG and I dancing at the reception.

By Sunday, we were exhausted!
This past weekend, we spent time with our friends, Brian and Brooke, Sunday night. We had dinner and let the kids run and play for hours. Carson was tired by 8:30, considering his bedtime is at 6:30 so he just laid on the floor and doodled on the etch a sketch.

Yesterday, before the kids went to school, Andy snapped this pic of them hanging out together on the floor in the kitchen. This is not a rarity~they love each other so much! Thank you Jesus!

A little honesty here

I thought it would be beneficial for me to document the feelings that I'm having right now~I mean, not at this very moment but at this current stage in my life.

Andy asked me yesterday if I was OK. I said, "Yes, why do you ask?" He said I seemed a little depressed. I didn't think I was acting any different but on my drive to cooking club last night, I took some time to reflect. I realized that I have been a little down lately. I am usually super excited about the holidays and decorating and all the activities that come with the busyness of the season but this year I just can't seem to get into it. 

I am unhappy in our current living situation. I feel like I'm in a perpetual state of traveling. You know, that feeling that you are a little unorganized but all will be well once you get "home." Well, at this particular moment I don't really have a home. All of my things are in storage. We packed EVERYTHING. I wanted to take only the necessities, knowing that the apartment wouldn't be big enough for much. That has left me feeling very unorganized, which if you know me at all, you know I thrive on being organized~almost to a fault. 

So what to do? I thought about it alot last night and I talked to Andy about it this morning on the drive to work. Andy reminded me that we prayed for this~we wanted to sell our house and build another. We knew that there would be a time of transition in between. We should be thankful that we have a place to live, when so many don't. We are healthy, we are together, and it is not permanent. So many times I say things but don't truly have it deeply rooted in my heart. For example, not long ago, when I posted about our new, less than sizable apartment, I said that "as long as we were together, wherever we were was home." But how can I feel the way I do now if I truly believed that deep within my heart?

I am on a mission now to find the positive in the situation and try to find joy in each day. It is my personality to think about "what if" but TODAY I'm going to think about "what IS" and thank God for all that He has blessed us with.

He is my refuge and strength~Psalm 46:1.

Can I get an AMEN??!!!! :)   

Halloween Preview

This year I wanted Carson and Lilley Grace to be something together. I thought long and hard and then I thought it would be good to use the size of Carson's head to his advantage. :) He really does have a "blockhead" as Lucy from the Peanuts would say so I thought he would make a great Charlie Brown and LG would make a fabulous Sally~perfect, right? She's got the hair and all. But of course, LG had her own idea. She said, and I quote, "I don't want to be no Sally. I want to be the dog." The decision was final and that's how we got to this:

A little adjustment to fit the cast and you have the perfect Peanuts pair~Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Look closely at how excited Carson is to have his picture taken with his sister! L-O-V-E!!!

Moving along...

Last week the house got doors...

And a few days later, they started bricking it!

The closing date has been moved to December 15. Please say a prayer that we get in before Christmas. Thanks!! XOXO!

Awareness

There are so many things that I walk through life completely unaware of. Sometimes it's almost comical~like the fact that a piece of furniture in your bedroom is a "chest of drawers" because that's exactly what it is...I always thought it was "chester" drawers.

Sometimes, though, there are things out there that have affected someone's life so much that they feel compelled to share their story with others so that awareness can become somewhat of a lifesaver. A woman whom I have never met contacted me after stumbling across my blog and asked that I share her story of overcoming the odds and surviving Mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer. Heather's email to me is below with a video link of her story and the dangers of exposure to asbestos.

I am a wife, mother, and a mesothelioma survivor. At age 36, just after giving birth, I was diagnosed and given 15 months to live.  I knew that I needed to beat the odds for my newborn daughter, Lily.  It’s been almost 8 years now and I’ve dedicated my life to spreading awareness of this awful disease.

Asbestos is not banned in the US, yet it’s the only known cause of mesothelioma. Once diagnosed, most patients die within 2 years. I am one of few survivors who openly share their story and work to spread awareness of these dangers.

Here is the link to the video: "http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.UmfA3x3D-01"

Information regarding my treatment: http://www.mesothelioma.com/treatment/

I am so honored to share this story and I hope you will take a few moments to look at these links.

Let the building begin!

The building of the new house has begun. I am amazed at how fast this process is going, which is a good thing because I am also amazed at how 1,000 square feet can make 2 children almost intolerable! They broke ground September 5th and estimated it would take 90 days to complete. I was a little skeptical about the quality of work with a completion rate of 90 days but so far so good. Andy has been by the house almost everyday and has been documenting the process in pictures along the way.

Nothing but dirt and an empty lot~September 2

 A couple of days later~September 7~a foundation and some sticks

 A few more sticks

 Starting to look like a house on Saturday, Sept. 21

 Looking even more like a house on Monday, September 23...yes, just 2 days later!

 The roof is on and the windows, heat and air, plumbing, and electrical wiring are in!!~October 2

We are supposed to be in by December 1. At this rate, I think it could happen. It would be awesome if we could spend Christmas in our new house. I'll keep you posted. :)

Nightly prayer and devotion

Ever since LG was about 2 years old, we have had nightly devotion and prayer time before she goes to bed. We have gone through 2 children's Bibles multiple times and are now on a Preschool devotion book that I bought from our church library.

All that to say, last night Andy, LG, Chloe, and I were sitting on the couch in the den. Andy was reading the devotion and as we were doing prayer, I felt Chloe shift around and LG shift around. I opened my eyes and this is what I saw:

I swear on the Preschool devotional book that this was not staged! Too cute!!

SOLD!!

That's right! We FINALLY, after 1 year, sold our house in Southaven!! Can I get an AMEN?! We were starting to lose hope because the interest rates were going back up and it was looking like we wouldn't be able to make any money off of our sale but we took what we could and got the heck out of dodge. :)

We are now living in the only apartment available in the only apartments we wanted to live in and it is a 2-bedroom 1,010 square foot space of happiness! We are crammed in there like a bunch of clowns in a car but we are loving every minute of it. Lg is the most excited. She and Carson are sharing a room and she thinks that is the coolest thing ever. I am going to remind her of that when she is 13 and screaming for him get out of her room! We took some shots of our lovely place and as you can see LG wanted to pose in most all of them.

LG and Carson's room~the master bedroom so all their stuff would fit. 

(Note Carson photo bombing the above pic~LOL!!!)

 Kitchen and Dining area

 Den/Office/Sunroom/Storage Room/Chloe's room

True story~LG and Carson are standing on the line that divides the sunroom from the living room...really? Why, because sun comes through the windows there and that makes it a sunroom?

 My dresser wouldn't fit in the 2nd bedroom so now it also has multiple roles~dresser/entertainment center.

 Den (view from the kitchen)

 Guest/mine and Andy's bathroom

 Mine and Andy's room~the king size bed barely fits. Notice we don't have any bed frames~they wouldn't fit so they are in storage while we sleep on mattresses on the floor~LG said it's like we are camping. :)

Fun times!

We are starting the building process on a house in Olive Branch. Allegedly it will be finished in 90-120 days. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Off to Kindergarten

 I can't believe Lilley Grace is in Kindergarten! I think every parent goes through a period of denial with any major transition in their kids' lives, at least I hope so because I am struggling!

LG, on the other hand, couldn't be more excited! She loves her class, school, teacher, and especially that she gets to "ride the bus on the big street with no seat belt." Really?~that's the most exciting thing about kindergarten? Oh, to enjoy the small things in life...;)

 We went the week before she started and toured the school, met her teacher, and got familiar with her new room.

 This is the front of the school.

This is her classroom~doesn't that look like such fun? It made me want to be an elementary school counselor for about 6 minutes and then I was brought back to reality by the chaos once more kids got in the room.

While I'm checking out where her cubby is, signing up for various committees and treat months, putting her school supplies in the appropriate bins, etc., LG and Daddy are making sure there are plenty of things to play with. :)

We found the activity room on our tour and LG ran up on the stage and told asked me to take her picture while she posed. LOL! Wonder where she gets that from...

This is her teacher whom several of our friends whose children had her previously say is the sweetest lady. That's one of the pluses of living in a small town~someone you know well knows someone you would like to know better. ;)

This is the first day of school. Of course, Andy and I both went in to work late so we could walk her into her classroom. She was soooo excited.

This picture says it all!

**I was so optimistic about this year since her partner in crime is at another school but since this picture 2 weeks ago, she has already received a write up from school for being on red. I got it yesterday and was asked to sign it indicating I saw it. There were several lines that can be checked indicating which issue the student was having. Out of about 15 lines, 7 were checked!!! Things like, not raising your hand to talk, talking when you're not supposed to, playing in the bathroom, playing in the cafeteria, not staying in your seat, etc...at the bottom of the note it read. "Please talk to Lilley Grace about obeying." What?!!!! I was livid and embarrassed! I told LG that she embarrassed me and she said, "You weren't embarrassed, you weren't even there." I had to stop, breathe, and remember that she is in the concrete thinking stage of development and that she was literally thinking how could I be embarrassed when I wasn't at school with her. I explained that she is a reflection of me and that it better not happen again. We'll see...