Gorgeous model

Please click here to see this precious girl modeling one of my handmade bows!

FINALLY!!!!!

Margaret Anne is feeding herself!! I don't have a picture yet, but this time it is not just chocolate! She has eaten Puffs, Graduates chicken sticks (cut up of course, and they look a lot like Vienna sausages and she LOVES them), rice, etc. She has also started picking up her sippy cup and drinking out of it ON HER OWN. I thought she may never do it, but she finally has. It was really fun to watch her sit and eat most of her dinner by herself, and it was also nice to go to lunch with Hays today, put some Puffs in front of her, and watch her eat them. Why do I want to cry every time she puts a piece of food in her mouth? Who knows??? But it is the most wonderful thing I have seen lately :)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

You can't put a price on good times!

This past weekend we went to Lake Martin with some GREAT friends!!! It was such a good time and SO much fun to watch the babies play together. It was really good to catch up with everyone. In attendance were The Hill family, The Burns family, The future Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, Natalie (her husband was also at the lake but having a "man shower" at another lake location), and us. Most people went to Aquapalooza featuring Alan Jackson, but we didn't try it with babies in tow.

We also ate REALLY well. Jamie arranged it where every couple was in charge of a meal. Jamie and Trey provided a FANTASTIC Mexican feast on Friday night with homemade margaritas that were way better than the mix! For Saturday breakfast we brought quiches from Whole Foods and I made a Paula Dean cheese grits recipe that was really good, and Elaine and Jeff spiced up the Saturday night with some fantastic jalapeno burgers. They also made homemade scalloped potatoes and asian slaw that was really good, and a chocolate chip cake that was amazing. If I lived in their house I would weigh 1000 lbs!

Some pics...

Charlie, Margaret Anne, and Andrew. MA was showing Charlie some love!

Me, Natalie, Corrie, and Jamie relaxing while the dads put the babies down for their naps.

The boat ride to Chucks.


Cool cat Margaret Anne being held by Aunt Corrie

Nose cups left over from my 30th birthday. For some reason we thought these were HILARIOUS.

Someone was really tired and in need of a little lovin.' And then there was Benjamin and his 'stache in the background.

Mommies with babies in life jackets. They didn't really like them, but got used to them after a little while.

CUTE, cute Andrew chewing on a straw while we were waiting on our pizza at Chuck's. He is the sweetest thing, and SO mobile! Notice MA in her hat getting a cool drink in the background.

Thanks again to the Hills for having us!

A Wedding to Remember

Ok, I saw this video on another blog and I just have to post a link for you. It is the most fantastic entrance to a wedding that I have ever seen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbxnfGvEojg

(Bump) TV Debut - UPDATED w/ link!!!

***Update!!! Here is the link to the video that I promised you.

Sometimes life doesn't exactly go the way that you expect it to. Most of the time it doesn't get blogged about when things don't go how you plan because that is not "pretty" and we all want or lives to seem as pretty and perfect as possible for the general public.

After Margaret Anne was born, I was on top of the world. A few weeks later, I started having some postpartum anxiety. Well, a lot of postpartum anxiety. More than just the normal baby blues. As much as I love Margaret Anne and I was so glad she was here, I was so uncomfortable and nervous. Every second. I just stared at her wondering what she would do next. I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to eat.

I am not ashamed of this, this is not uncommon, but it is rarely discussed. I am so glad I have a doctor that I felt like I could talk to and he could help me. I am much better now, and I was about a week or two after I went for my postpartum check up.

The reason that I talk about this now is because I was interviewed with my awesome doctor for a story on the local news about PPD. It hasn't aired yet, but when it does I will update this post with a link. Stay tuned!

For now, here are some pictures of our experience.

This is Me, MA, and my doctor, Dr. Bill Hudson. Margaret Anne really likes him. Maybe she remembers he was the first one to hold her!

During the interview. MA kept trying to grab the microphone.

Dr. Hudson's sweet nurse, Corri. She played with MA after she got too loud to participate. Notice MA is playing with one of those pap smear bottles. Don't worry folks! It was unused (of course), unopened and sealed.

Baby Wreaths and my FAV new cooking utensil

When I was pregnant with Margaret Anne, I decided I LOVED the feather baby wreaths, but didn't want to pay the high prices for the ones in the stores. So I taught myself how to make them. I recently made one for my good friend Laura, who is expecting baby Will in a month or so. I thought I would show you guys. If you ever need one, please let me know and I will be glad to make one for you. They are really fun to make!

Last night I was feeling REALLY creative and decided to make spaghetti for dinner (did you guys catch the sarcasm?). I was very excited to use my favorite new kitchen utensil, the Pampered Chef Mix 'N Chop. It really is fantastic when cooking ground meats like beef and sausage that can be really annoying to try to chop up in the pan. The little blades make it SO easy to break up the meat! Here it is in action:

And while I was cooking I had my little sous chef helping me.

She would try to get things out of the cabinets (to help me, of course).

She was right under my feet ready to help at any time.

She even had a drink of water ready at all times. SO helpful!

Sometimes

Life is tougher than you want it to be. I am so thankful to have a husband who is not only a reliable husband and father, but also a spiritual leader in our household. He helps me remember daily where to turn when something is happening that there may not be an easy answer for. There is only one place to find the answers. No matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we look for the answers within ourselves or within the actions of other people. We have to turn to the Lord and trust Him with all of our hearts. Sometimes people may hurt us. We may not know why. It is not our place to know or to understand. God knows the heart of every man, and we have to trust that things happen because God has a plan for us. For us to prosper (Jeremiah 29: 11-13). I trust Him, and I trust that I may never understand. I am okay with that. It doesn't mean it is easy, but it is definitely okay.


Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:1-3).

Minibreak

I love that term, I stole it from Bridget Jones! Hays and I took a little mini-vacay this weekend and it has been really nice!

First, we left Thursday night to go to the beach. We got there really late, and Margaret Anne started off the trip by getting sick and throwing up ALL OVER her pack and play. She did not feel well and was absolutely hysterical. After a bath and a lot of snuggling she calmed down, but it was still a very long night. She was not very comfortable in a new place!

We had some beach time on Friday, but Margaret Anne was not too fond of the sand! She didn't like it on her hands and didn't want to play in it. We decided to cut our beach trip short on Friday night and head up to Dothan to hang out with Alan and Sandi. Here are some pics from the beach:

"Daddy, make sure you sunscreen my ears. I don't want them to get burned!"

"Is it rubbed in good, Mama?"

"Um, this stuff is sticking to me!"

Getting some sweet, sweet Daddy love.

One big thing I learned this weekend... Margaret Anne will feed herself! She is teething and her mouth has been bothering her pretty badly. Yesterday I was eating a chocolate chip cookie and I let her taste it. She seemed to like it so I handed it to her, and she started gnawing on it all by herself!! I guess she knows how but won't do it unless she really wants to make her gums feel better. Or maybe she is like her Mama and likes chocolate so much she will even feed herself to get it!

Satisfaction!

This is SO funny!

Ok, I try really, really hard not to link to videos that are not my own. However, you guys have got to watch this. My friend Lindsey sent it to me, which is even more funny because she is a dance teacher! Please click HERE and watch this! I wish I had this little guy's moves!

I need your help, internets!!!!

Hey everyone! I know I have a lot of readers out there who don't always comment and let me know that you read the blog. I like it when you comment, but if you don't, its ok! But now I need help from stalkers, friends, commenters, and non-commenters. I am begging.
I have written about my sister-in-law, Sandi on here several times, asking for prayers and I know that you guys have been praying for her. She is planning on going to an Aerosmith concert next week and my brother (her husband) Alan entered her in the "Most Deserving Fan" contest, where she will get to go to a pre-show VIP party and meet some of the band. However, she needs votes on her website. Someone has a LOT of votes and is obviously getting their friends to vote "thumbs down" on her story. I do not see how you can vote against her with a clear conscience, but that is neither here nor there. Please, please, please, go to this link and vote for Sandi!!!!! After all she's been through, I honestly don't believe that anyone could be more deserving than she is. The deadline for voting is July 10th, so please vote as soon as you can.
My 30th birthday is tomorrow, and I would like nothing more for my birthday than to know that you guys voted for her and helped her out. Thanks and love to you internet peeps!

A long day.

We had a great day today in Dothan, but it was a little long for Margaret Anne. We didn't have a lot of time for her to nap. Alan, Sandi, and I went to eat with Ronnie and Allen (aka Grammy and Grampy to Margaret Anne). Because both Alan and Allen are doctors, the conversation inevitably turns to medicine. As you can see, sleepy MA didn't find it too fascinating!

All kidding aside, we had a great time at dinner and can't wait to see Grammy and Grampy again soon!