A-Lotta-Lott

Father Knows Best

2010-06-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day this year we had a pretty exciting announcement for many of our friends. We're having a baby due on my birthday in January! The Lott household is really excited about the gift that God has chosen us to have.
We have constantly been back and forth about the practicality of having more children versus my real desire to have a house full. Like many others there are so many aspects to consider like finances, the crazy world they'd live in, the balance between the necessity of work, yada yada yada. Well, our Lord gave us our answer. HE has planned our little family.
Some people might find it dreadfully tacky that I openly admit that both our babies were not expected. What would our children think if we told them they were accidents? Well first off, that's absolutely not the case. There are no accidents here. God knew exactly what he was doing when he created our little babies. Because of that I choose to share our story as a testimony of how my Lord and Savior knows best and is all powerful despite any plans I may have. Although it's very likely we would have started "trying" as soon as I found a job with paid vacation time I am thrilled to know God has special plans for us even sooner. With that said it won't be easy, and there are some kinks to work out along the way like my maternity leave,but if God can form this meticulous, perfect image of Himself in me then I'm certain he can work out those small details! I praise Him for our children and the small amount of understanding He's shown me in this journey so far!

Best Mother's Day

2010-05-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Instead of taking a big vacation this year we've decided to take a couple small ones, and Vacation Part 1 one was a hit. We had a great time, and Mark only had to use 1 vacation day. (No worries about them going to waste though. I'm sure I can find some work on the house to use them)

Our destination was St. Joe Beach. We loved it for it's simplicity. The area is comprised of mostly locals and vacation home owners and a couple of small restaurants. A friend of ours from that area described it as "Old Florida". It's not "touristy" dense with go cart tracks and malls. It's more like a little Margaritaville. The people are so friendly, and it's super laid back there. Not ironing something (except the cow licks on my head) was a difficult concept for me at first, but I quickly got over it. We just vegged on the beach, enjoyed a wine and art festival, and ate great seafood.
It was the best Mother's Day I've had yet. I even got to enjoy breakfast at an open air restaurant on the beach Sunday morning.
With all that said I'm making a motion to make St Joe Beach at Mother's Day an annual event!...heck, I'll take Father's Day too if I can get it:)

Conquering his sensory issues with sand. I mean over. it! Hallelujah!

Playing hard

Getting "juice" from the ocean

Playing with Daddy. No oil here!

A very tired little boy saying goodbye to the beach. (taken on an iphone)

Bye, St Joe!

Check-up

2010-04-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

We finally got Asher's current stats. As of April 12th at 3 years and almost 1 month he was 37 1/4 inches tall (50th percentile) and 29 lbs (25th percentile). The doctor said he was perfect and doing great! Her "talking to" about his teeth brushing (per our request) along with a new electric toothbrush has done wonders. Thank heavens no more "pirate teeth" at the Lott House!

3?!?!

2010-03-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

Asher turned THREE this month. Time really is a mother's enemy. It just steals your baby right from you.

As for the birthday festivities we had a great time. He had a party at Pump It Up complete with a Thomas cake. This was the first party where he invited his friends and not Daddy and Momma's. A lot of the Moms thanked me for wearing their children out and assuring afternoon naps...I'm happy to oblige.

We don't have his 3 year old stats yet because we had to cancel his well appointment and now he has the sniffles. We'll have them in the next week or two though. He's definitely gone through a growth spurt up but still not out. He's rockin' his too short 24 month sized pants! It's a guarentee if they are long enough then they will fall off. We just choose our battles. We prefer his bottom to be covered versus his ankles:)

Asher still loves Thomas, Dora, and Diego, and his new love is Chuggington on Disney. He's a picky eater, but will chow down on some pancakes, English peas, cheeseburgers (ketchup only), cereal bars, "Welcome to Moe's" bean burritos, Mac n Cheese, and any kind of sweets.

His favorite activities are playing trains, swinging, going to church, and drawing. He takes computer and gymnastic classes, and he starts swimming lessions tomorrow. We're hopeful he'll like that.

A church friend of ours is starting her own photography biz (Slatton Photography), and we were happy to be one of her first models. Here is our THREE year old cutie:

Easily Amused

2010-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

So I feel like sometimes that I'm possibly the busiest person on Earth. Mark kindly points out to me that EVERYone feels like that. Oh.

Well, I've started killing two birds with one stone in the area of time. I shop for groceries and household items. That's a must, right? Well, now I do it with wild enthusiasm because I am superhero "crazy coupon cutting CVS shopping saver girl". I get it done AND I get it done for a lot cheaper. It's such a game to me to see how much I can save each shopping trip. If my total saved is not at least 50% of my overall bill I'm distraut. Well, not really but I am replaying in my head how I could have done better. It's such an empowering feeling to accomplish such a fete and save our household major bucks. I'm a dork and can say it's kind of a hobby now. Mark jokes it's my new parttime job because I save so much. Besides the actual coupon clipping and sale chasing I'll share with you why I think extreme couponing works: 1. I NEVER go to Wal-Mark now so there is never a buggie full of junk that I didn't intend on buying 2. Our pantry, fridge, and freezer is well stocked so I feel less tempation to eat out which for a long time has been a huge money pit for us. 3. I stick pretty well to my list.All you see here=$7 bucks, Baby! 3 Stacy's chips, 3 True North snacks, 2 Gatorades, 2 Dove Deoderants, 1 Toothpaste with free sample, and 1 Almay eyeshadow. That's CVS-ing my friends!

Growing Pains

2010-02-18T19:35:00.001-08:00

So we have not dropped off the planet. I've been working a lot lately. Hopefully that will be slowing down. Here are a few pics just to prove how busy we've been...or at least how busy Mark has been:) Our dining room is almost complete! One more room down!!!
Also, just so you can appreciate the work that goes into this Mark guts each room down to the studs to rewire and put up new sheet rock. This crosses the line from remodel to renovation in my mind! So THAT is why it can take months sometimes for us to complete a project. He just does it in his "spare time" cause he has so much of that ya know!View of Dining Room from the living room when we bought the house

View of Dining Room from the kitchen during kitchen project this summer. There was a wall dividing the 2 rooms. You can see on the left side where the 2 types of flooring transition.
NOW!
(don't know what the wierd orbs are about)
View of our Dining Room today from the same view as above. It still needs moldings/trim and a LOT of decorating.
Our beautiful refinished floors. Love them!

5 things

2010-01-30T21:51:00.000-08:00

I got tagged by Erin to answer five things.

Instructions:

1) Answer five questions with five answers.

2) Tag five people

1. Where were you ten years ago?
-I was in my sophomore year of college at Northeast Community College living in Mississippi Hall with Katy Flynn
-Biology/PreMed major with the intentions of going into Speech Language Pathology once transferred
-My best buds at Northeast were Katie, Katy, and Katie (No kidding). For fun we went to the BSU, coffee shop in Tupelo or the Supercenter in Corinth. Booneville wasn't a real happenin' place.
-Worked my first summer at Camp Lake Stephens

2. What is on your to-do list for today?
- put up and finish laundry
- do some couponing
-use the cold/wet weather as a great excuse to stay in and do nothing
-get the thawed ground beef in the fridge cooked

3. What five snacks do you enjoy?
-Ice Cream...not just regular ole vanilla either. I want something mixed in like a yummy Bruster's flavor or Marble Slab
-Muddie Buddy mix made out of Chex Mix. I could eat my weight in that.
-Finger foods (I totally second that, Erin)
-Cereal
- pretzels with honey mustard and sweet tea from McAllisters. That's just a combo I've loved for years. I've been known to stop there just for a "snack".

4. Where are five places you have lived?
Tupelo, MS
Alpine, MS
Booneville, MS
Columbus, MS
Chattanooga, TN

5. Name five things you would do if you were a billionaire.
-Tithe plus offering
-buy some land and build our dream house
-Hire a maid
-Have 2 more kids and adopt internationally
-Stop working!

And now I tag:

-Conner C.
-Katy A.
-Katie B.
-Amy S.
-Alyson H.

2010-01-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

...Hat turned sideways...

Pants on the ground

Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground

By Popular Demand

2010-01-13T18:04:00.000-08:00

Crock Pot Apple Butter
1/4 bushel (which I guess is about a 5lb bag) apples peeled and cored and chopped
4 cups sugar
5 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Cook in Crock Pot on high 4-6 hours (I actually did mine in a stock pot on the stove top.) Mash with potato masher. I even went through mine with a hand mixer. Pour hot apple butter in jars immediately to seal.

Bragging Right #2

2010-01-10T17:48:00.000-08:00

Asher's gingerbread house. Isn't it beautiful! He ate the chimney though...no kidding!

Bragging Right #1

2010-01-04T20:02:00.001-08:00

Let's face it. It's an unspoken truth that blogs are a sounding board for plain ole bragging. Well, I was pretty darn proud of my apple butter I made before Christmas. I thought they came out really cute. I don't usually get the chance to be as domesticated as I'd like so I'm bragging:)
*If you like these tags check out the Stationary Fairy.

Green with Envy

2010-01-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy that everyone had a great Christmas Holiday. I've really enjoyed looking at all the blogs and facebook pictures of the kids and decorations and such. At the same time it's really bizarre. I feel like "where was I"? It's as if the pictures are from several months back and not just last week. I have to admit I found myself being a little jealous, but then I knew that wasn't a feeling the Lord would want me to have. I've been learning and studying lately that the Lord wants our minds to change our emotions and not our hearts to lead our minds like the world teaches us. So, I've replaced that feeling and mindset of jealousy to one of gratitude and awe as the Lord has taken care of us this holiday.
Leading up to Christmas I worked a lot trying to get out of town since we weren't able to go to Mississippi for Thanksgiving. I even worked through the weekend. After seeing a couple of patients on Monday (21st) we left for our wonderful almost week long vacay to see family and friends. Monday night we met my sister and nephew for dinnner where Asher started to get really fussy. We actually had to leave earlier than we liked, but we figured he was over tired after the almost 6 hour drive.
He didn't sleep well that night which I thought was an ear infection (we're pros) coming. So, our wonderful pediatrician called us in an anitbiotic to avoid the ER. Still he became fussier and started a fever. By this point I figured it was strep which this particular anitbiotic would handle as well. It just needed time to work. After 2 more days of fever and Motrin and Tylenol around the clock we knew our little guy was sick. He even had little white bumps on his tongue. Again, we thought it was probably strep and the medicine hadn't kicked in yet.
Asher didn't care about the first present or playing or anything related to Christmas. He only wanted to be held by his Mommy. He even stopped eating and drinking on Christmas Eve. We left MS on Christmas to head to Chattanooga where we went straight to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital. That was where he and I stayed for the next 5 days. Poor Mark was the errand boy and even had to work 2 nights during the ordeal.
While there Asher was treated for a viral infection that left his lips, tongue, gums, and throat covered in blisters. He was unable to eat and drink and had terrible pain. It even worsened a great deal after going to the hospital. This was emotionally and physically exhausting to watch our baby feel so poorly. We won't even talk about the lousy bed and being woken up every hour.
Now, this is where the gratitude part comes. Asher's body is healed now. Thankfully, this was only a temporary illness. However, the even more amazing part was the love and support that was shown to us. We had countless visitors, phone calls, and text messages. (I even had to change my cell phone plan to accommodate it all.) Those people were our prayer warriors when we were simply too tired and even forgot to pray at times. (Sounds terrible I know, but it happened.)
By Wednesday I insisted we go home. I felt as if we were being counter productive because Asher was becoming very upset when the doctors and nurses entered the room. It took 3 people to hold him down for medicines. I guess my Momma instinct kicked in that this was enough. He was well enough that the rest of his recovery could happen at home.
We got home about 10 o'clock Wednesday night, and I have not had to cook yet because of the fabulous meals brought to us. It's been such a blessing since I had to start seeing my patients right away. Asher is back to his ole self (except his schedule) playing hard with all this new Christmas loot.
So, did I have the little green monster sneak up on me...Yes. However, I know that even though we missed the holiday we have Christmas in our hearts everyday. His grace that abides in our hearts and minds through that little baby Jesus carries us through some pretty tough times!

Polar Express

2009-12-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Asher got to ride the Polar Express at the Tennesse Valley Railroad Museum. We sang carols, listened to stories, ate gingerbread, drank Yoohoo and of course visited with Santa all while traveling to the "North Pole".It was a great time and really got us in a festive mood.

"Climbing the world" with Mommy and Daddy

Our special guest Gran
Daddy
Santa is coming!!!
Totally starstruck
Best Buds

Dear Santa

2009-12-15T13:58:00.001-08:00

Thank you for making a stop in the Scenic City early! We woke up last Friday morning (pics on camcorder) to find that your elves had been working very hard on setting up my new Rainbow Playset. Mommy and Daddy said it's really hard for you to get it all done in one night so you started early with swing sets this year.
Inside the fort was a letter from you and an elf to put on our shelf. I will continue to brush my teeth regularly and go potty just like you asked. And yes, I agree. I have been a very good boy! I can't wait to see what other treats you have waiting for us Christmas morning! Thank you, thank you!

Sincerely,
Asher

ABC's of Thanks

2009-11-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

It could be very easy for me to whine about our actual Thanksgiving day since Mark was night shift and slept all day. He was then off to work again after dinner at friends'. However, I looked at the glass as half full. 1. He HAS a job to provide for us. 2. We have friends that care enough to offer us awesome food and fellowship.
As some of you know I can be Negative Nellie sometimes. So, I'm really proud of myself because I didn't even have to try too hard:) The Lord is definitely making some good changes in me lately.
Here is a small list of things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving Holiday. Unfortunately I can't take credit for this idea. I got it from a friend's blog.

A=Asher. My precious boy that I believe is the cutest thing on earth. He's a perfect display of mine and Mark's love.
B=Besties as Erin calls them. I just love my dear friends that no matter the time or distance that separates us know my heart. They know where I come from firsthand and why I'm the person I am.
C=Cody. Through the years has been more like a little brother than a nephew.
D=Disney Cruise. It was our awesome vacation this year!
E=Everlasting life. Through Jesus I've been offered the most incredible gift!
F=Family
G=God. People that don't have Him simply exist. They don't live. I'm glad I don't have to understand that!
H=Home. Although I complain about the structure itself a lot it's a place of faith, hard work, and love.
I=In-laws. I don't even like that term because they're simply family. They love me whole hearted and treat me as their own.
J=Jobs. So many people are without this year. I often wish I could be home with Asher more, but he knows he is loved and gets lots of attention regardless. I thank God for giving me skilled knowledge to provide for my family.
K=Kisses. Whether in the form of "kissy lips", "horsie kisses", or Eskimo kisses I love them all! It's a nightly ritual.
L=Life. God blesses me every morning with good health.
M=Mark. The love of my life, the man of my dreams.
N=Naps. Mmm. Need I say more:)
O=Offerings. Our time, talent, and money. When we finally let go of them we receive so many blessings in turn just for being faithful.
P=Pictures. Can you imagine life without them?
Q=Quiet time. The time I take to simply feel God's presence and hear Him. I don't do it nearly enough!
R=Railroads. Anything related is pure joy to Asher.
S=Sisi. She helped make me who I am today.
T=Tyner United Methodist Church. I love my church family.
U=University. My good ole alma mater the "W". I have nothing but wonderful memories of that place. I'm proud to be part of the long blue line!
V=Vacation. Since Asher was born Mark and I decided vacations whether big or small were vitally important. It's a chance to get away from the stressors of life and work to focus on nothing but our family.
W=Wilma. The best step mother a girl could have.
X=X-Rays. No kidding I'm not making this up because X is a hard letter. With X-Rays particularly videofluroscopy I can better help so many of my patients.
Y=Years. I have spent 3 very happy ones with Mark. We have lots more to go!
Z=Zoos. They're an instant memory maker. Going to the zoo is one of the activities Asher and I do on my days off. Such fun!

I could go on and on!

Cheezin'

2009-11-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

We went Sunday to take some Christmas Card pictures. Even though a 2 year old can be a difficult subject I think we got some cute ones! Here are some (before editing) that didn't make the cut, but I thought showed his personality...Not sure what the leaf is for but what a cute face!

deciding a stick in his mouth makes a good prop
a whole body tremor as he shows off his massive musclesWATCH OUT! his shirt is about to pop!!

just being himself

Spooktacular Fall

2009-11-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

The Halloween season has been a load of fun for our household. It started with the annual Choate/Allen party which is unbelievable. This year it included inflatables, haunted hayride, sack races, football, bonfire complete with marshmallows and ghost stories, and of course plenty of food! Then, we had trunk or treat at church Wednesday night. We decided not to do a trunk this year since Asher is old enough to enjoy it. (I was a ding dong and forgot my camera!) Halloween night we went on a hayride while trick or treating in a friend's neighborhood.
Asher just enjoyed all of it so much.!I'm so looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. I think this was a sneak peak of the fun we have in store!

Asher and my "pitty fowerz" for the season

Asher and Daddy sliding at the party. Asher said the other day that Daddy was his "favorite".

Thomas the Tank Engine
Just being cute
My graveyard cupcakes for Halloween night. As if there wasn't enough sugar with all the candy!
Asher and Mommy on the hayride
Getting the hang of this trick or treating biz!

Memory Lane

2009-10-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

Daddy's first Grandchild. That was almost 19 years ago, and that baby is 6'5'' now!

Cancun, Mexico

My grad school graduation

Family Dinner

My Wedding

Asher's Birth

Just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of Daddy. I miss him terribly!

Well, Tickle My Fancy!

2009-10-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love happening upon something that "tickles your fancy"? Well, in the last week my eyes have been opened to 3 great products that can be especially appreciated by my girlfriends:

1. Gigi's cupcakes. We have a new Gigi's Gourmet Cupcakes open close to our house. It's a franchise that started in Nashville and has now blessed us Chattanoogans with mouthwatering cupcakes sure to jeopardize any waist line! They have a daily menu of utter temptations. The cupcake are a pricey $3. However, Asher and I think it's worth it for an occasional treat. The lady working there says Gigi herself says you can eat 2 a week without gaining weight. I guess she would know owning a cupcake empire and all!
2. Votre Vu Skin Products. One of my dear friends from college has started selling this line in Chicago. She sent me samples, and I just can't wait to actually buy the products now. My skin feels so soft and even looks better after using them just a few times. The products are so European chic and make me feel kinda posh:) So, Arbonne consider this your Dear John letter for skin care. I'll be passing you along the way for an occasional cosmetic product perhaps. Mary Kay, I may have others on the side, but I''ll always love you! (If you're interested in the products or business opps just contact Jenny)

3. Victoria's Secret Perfect One Bra. Now, by reading the last 2 items it sounds as if I may pamper myself a lot or I'm spoiled or something. Don't be fooled. I've fallen in the rut just like a lot of other Moms by not spending much money on myself. I can often justify putting off shopping for ME to get something for the house or Mark or Asher or just whatever really. There are certain things a woman NEEDS though, you know? One of those things is undergarments. I've gotten tired of wasting money on cheap, poor quality ones so I "invest" in this area. I keep them a long time anyway. So, with all that said let's just say this new brazear is rightfully named. Sorry if you think this is a bit TMI, but face it we're adults here! Ladies need to know these things before spending 50 bucks!
Enjoy ladies!

The Mickey Boat

2009-10-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

Asher had the most exciting time of his life at the end of September. I was convinced that he thought Mark and I were big fat liars because for a couple of months now we've told him we're going on the "Mickey Boat"aka Disney Cruise. Of course, in his 2 year old mind he didn't get it because they only think of the here and now (I should take notes). Luckily, it DID happen, and we had a wonderful time. My only regret is that we didn't go on the 7 day. It was just the perfect vacation for our 2 year old that HATES sand and his Mommy that loves sun! It really limits our options when your considering something "toddler friendly".
For those considering going on the Disney Cruise (which is the only I would consider especially with a child from what I've heard) just remember to relax. I have to admit the first day was a little tough with the lines and business to tend. I was also very overwhelmed with the 4 page schedule given to us. I felt like I had to go to everything which was exhausting and simply a huge headache since neither one of us had a watch. We quickly just chilled and paced ourselves and had an awesome time. By the way, choose the 8 o'clock dinner time too. You'd be way too rushed to get ready for 6. Believe me and 5 extra pounds of me--You will NOT go hungry!
Well, here is a recap of our fun, fun, fun. Here are some of Asher's favorite parts:

...Being starstruck. Asher was so excited to meet all the characters and get their autographs. Goofy was his favorite!

In hot pursuit of somebody's autograph.
Only appropriate for Daddy to be in this picture. Donald has always been a fave since Daddy can talk JUST like him!
...Riding bikes around Castaway Cay was way fun too. We got to see some of the most beautiful views that no one else got to see
See what I mean! Look at that water!
...Eating french fries and drinking Coke in bed. Asher thought this was the coolest ever! We liked it a whole lot too. While Asher was napping we ordered room service so when he woke up he helped us indulge a bit....His hook! While staying in the airport hotel Asher got a Captain Hook hook. He carried for a large portion of the cruise. In the picture you can see him holding it on Pirate Night. Aarrgh!

...Towel Animals. It was like a game each night to come in and see what kind of animal was left for us during turn down service. It's hard to tell with the light curtain, but this one was a monkey....Movie in a theater AND it was 3-D

...Mommy and Daddy's undivided attention with no work schedule!

...And last but not least getting a new best friend. Asher has barely put this little guy down since the night he got him in this picture. Here's Asher loving Mickey--spaghetti face and all!

We're Alive!

2009-09-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Lott's are still around! I've taken some pictures lately but not too many. It's just been super busy. Some of you may not know, but I lost my job in June. The Lord has really blessed me and provided me with plenty of PRN work though. I haven't even had to take a real position yet! However, the maternity leave I've been covering for 6 weeks is about to end. I'll go on vacation next week and who knows how things will be when I get back. I know I'll have a few home healthcare visits waiting on me, but I'm not sure just how many. Until then I'm just going to pray and enjoy my vacay! Please keep us in your prayers too. Luckily work has never been at a shortage for me so I have faith it'll be ok. Plus, I look forward to spending my day or two a week at home with Asher again!

Macca

2009-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Warning: I realize many of you will NOT share my excitement over this topic especially if you were born after 1970...I'm a nerd:)
Saturday I was able to check something off my official unofficial Bucket List. I saw Sir Paul McCartney live in concert in Atlanta! Mark knew what a thrill this was for me the he even surprised me with VIP tickets. It was quite the experience. The perks included all the food, drink, and cocktails you wanted and best of all really nice air conditioned bathrooms:)
We had to wait in the sweltering heat for about 4 hours, but we totally forgot about when he hit the stage. It even came a downpour later during the concert. I didn't care. I was all smiles singing along with every song. He's one of the greatest musical artist ever, and his concerts are considered "once a generation". Let's face it. There aren't many more left, but that man is rockin' it even at 67!
The only bad part was we were instructed not to take cameras in with us so we didn't. Come to find out they weren't strict about it at all. There were cameras everywhere! So, for those of you interested heres a link of some pictures of the concert taken by the media.(I found it entertaining there was a picture of a couple from Tupelo. People from Tupelo have REALLY good taste! :)
Also, my friend Katie found some YouTube stuff.

This is the playlist including 3 encores:
Drive My Car
Jet
Only Mama Knows
Flaming Pie
Got To Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It
Highway
The Long And Winding Road
My Love
Blackbird
Here Today
Dance Tonight
Calico Skies
Mrs Vanderbilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing The Changes
Band On The Run
Back In The USSR
I'm Down
Something
I've Got A Feeling
Paperback Writer
A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance
Let It Be
Live And Let Die
Hey Jude
---
Day Tripper
Lady Madonna
I Saw Her Standing There
---
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band/The End

We met a sweet family sitting next to us that emailed me this tiny little picture. I'm going to email her back and see if she'll send a larger file:)

Wowza!

2009-08-10T18:32:00.001-07:00

It's funny, sad, amazing, just whatever how time changes things. We all know that, right? A picture proves it though! Look at what a difference 11 months can make!!! (I'm not even going there about how I feel about this!)

School pictures at 15 monthsSchool pictures at 26 months!

*Pictures by School Days Photography

Sum-Sum-Summa-Time

2009-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well, honestly my lack of blogging has been because we've been busy but mostly because I haven't downloaded any pictures lately. Who wants to see a blog with no pictures, right?Mark has been taking a lot of pictures with the camcorder, and I haven't taught myself how to man that yet. Evidently I need to because according to my husband it is a BA piece of electronics. Whatever. I like my old Kodak!

I know most of you miss Asher really. He's great! He is 2 years and 4 months. He speaks in short sentences now. He LOVES his choo-choo trains and insists on going round and round the same track in the SAME direction. Mommy gets dizzy when playing. He asks to watch "Dora-Boots" and "Choo-choo" every afternoon. He demands wearing either his Crocs or his Elmo house shoes most of the time. He's pottied a few times. He spends many early evenings playing with the water hose. He LOVES water anyway he can get it really. He thinks he can swim which is a little scarey at times. He thinks Lake Winnie (our local amusement park) is as great as Disney World. He loves a Moomoo Mr. Cow from Moe's. It's his favorite meal ever! He has invented a word for when Mark and I are both around. We're "Moddy". He reminds us when we forget to bless our meals to pray. He's simply the sweetest (most of the time:) little boy you can imagine. Here are some of the things he's been up to this summer:

The water area at Lake Winnie
Taking his friend Lili Kay on a ride in his Jeep at Lake Winnie
After swimming in Lake Chatuga. Thanks, Conner!

Evening festivities with the water hose
Getting Daddy
Getting Momma
Painting after water playtime
Showin' off his Elmo shoes that he was once scared of

Ketchup

2009-07-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

...Catch up actually. This has been my worst stint as a blogger. I guess there will always be at least one time in our blogging lives that we'll have to apologize to our followers. So, here goes nothing--I'm sorry! I hope to fill you guys in on our goings on soon.

Worker Bees

2009-06-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

As most of my friends know our house has been an ongoing project over the last 2 years. There have been some moments when progress has been slow and has even stopped. Well, we're in full swing now! We got new windows (25 of them!) in March, and now we're getting a new kitchen! Since this house is more for investment purposes it won't be my dream kitchen, but it will be a million times better than it was. I'm very excited about it!
Despite working literally a different shift (1st, 2nd, AND 3rd) every single week my poor, sweet husband has spent every spare moment he has on our home. He's so wonderful for that. He's diligent and hopeful despite my impatience and nagging. There is definitely a sense of pride to be able to look around and know that my husband did all this! Might I add this is not what he does for a living!
Well, my bald beauty left today to go on a work trip so Asher and I decided to do something to spruce the outside up a bit. He works so hard on the inside I thought we could at least do a little something for the outside. We just made 2 little mixed pots for each side of our front door. Honestly, there are lots of things like organizing, decorating, and landscaping that goes undone because all our energy and money is spent on the projects at hand. It drives me absolutely bananas! I so look forward to the puzzle pieces coming together one day, and they will thanks to my awesome lover-Man:)

My excuse for not cooking these days! This is my kitchen!

Our little project. This and the next pic are bit blurry because of little fingerprints I think.

My Helper Bee... A face only a Mother could love. If you're wondering, that's dirt rubbed in with red Gatorade! Mmmm.

Gran's Visit

2009-06-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

Asher's Gran (Mark's Mom) came to visit for a few days. We got to go on a lunch cruise on the Southern Belle Riverboat and go ride on the Incline Railway while she was here. Asher thought it was way cool to ride on a boat and "choo choo" with "Gan". We had a great visit!

BTW, any clues why this is all underlined? I see an option for bold and italics but no underline up top. Am I blind?

Asher giving some love dirty face and all!

3 Wonderful Generations

Knoxville Zoo

2009-05-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

Asher and I totally recommend the Knoxville Zoo for those that live in this area. It was a blast!

Meet My Moms!

2009-05-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Some people might feel sorry for me that I never got to meet my Mother since she passed away the day after I was born. Heck, I've gone through times in my life when I felt sorry for myself! As I mature I know the situation was not meant for that though. Because of my unique circumstances I've had lots of room for other women to influence me in very "motherly" ways. The Lord has definitely blessed me! These are the remarkable women in my life that have helped mold me and shape me in life:

Mother by Nature

This is my biological mother with my sister 1966. We never got to meet each other, but I know she loved me. My sister often tells of how excited she was that I was going to be born. I thrive on her legacy. I'm comforted to know we'll be reunited one day!

Mother by Nurture

This is my sister who through many sacrifices started raising me when she was only 14! She nurtured the good qualities in me to become who I am today.

Mother by Luck
...Not really. I don't believe in mere luck.
This is Wilma who I've been blessed to have as a mom since I was 16. There are no "steps" here! My dad did well:)

Mother by Choice:)
This is my awesome mother-in-law. She's the kindest person you'll ever meet! She treats me as her own and I always feel loved by her.

I love you ladies so much! Happy Mother's Day!

Congratulations!

2009-05-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

This has been an exciting week for some of our friends. Two couple-friends of ours welcomed beautiful, healthy bundles of joy to their families.

Adam and Katie (and Aidan) Benefield:
Ethan Reece
May 3, 2009 3:54am
8 lbs 7oz, 21 in

Josh and Lindsey Slatton:
Sophie Rylynn
May 6, 2009 9:08am
8 lbs 1oz, 21 in

We praise God for these little miracles!

A Day with Thomas

2009-04-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks I'm enjoying myself a good helpin' of Crow. That's what I'm eating because after going to see Thomas last year at the train museum we swore we would not go back. It's simply too expensive for what it was especially with a one year old that slept through most of it. It was just foolishness on our part to even do it last year, but I get really excited about that kind of stuff.

Anyway, last weekend we went again. This time Asher completely enjoyed it. He thought it was so exciting to see Thomas. He "choo-choo'd" for the rest of day although he didn't care for the actual train ride. The train tables, jumper, and petting zoo made up for it though. I'm glad we went. We had a great time being together, but I can't lie. I'm mourning my $65! Come to find out, we could have enjoyed the festivities for free without the train ride (it's only 20 minutes and VERY slow!). I know what we'll be doing next year! :)The Big Guy himself. His eyes even did that creepy back and forth thing like on the show!

Who knew you could feed a turkey?

Asher with his Daddy on the train. This is shortly before he was bored out of his mind and started climbing under seats.
The best part of all!

Conner and Friends in the Kitchen

2009-04-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

We've been terrible lately about updating that blog, but I did today with 2 great recipes. Just click here.

Easter '09

2009-04-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

This Easter was filled with a lot of fun. Asher had 2 Easter parties, and a big egg hunt at church. Not to mention he rocked the seer sucker!
We continue to pray everyday that he'll grow up to serve his Risen Savior.

Cake Wrecks

2009-04-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

I was looking on my friend Katie's facebook when I noticed she was a fan of "Cake Wrecks". Oh my goodness!!! I thought they were hilarious! If you'll notice I've added them to my favorite blogs, but if you'll look them up on facebook and view the "Best of" photo album I promise you'll laugh out loud especially if you read some of the comments people leave. Like why are these mohawked babies riding carrots?!?! Too funny!
By the way, I actually started cake decorating classes this week. I think it'll be fun. Maybe one of my creations will end up on cake wrecks!

* So I've been going through the cake wrecks blog. Go back to "Older Posts", and there are a lot to enjoy! I'm still cracking up, and my husband thinks I'm nuts!

Olympic Hopeful

2009-04-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

Asher has been taking gymnastics since he was 16 months old. Here he is doing his favorite...the rings or bars or whatever else he can hang from! Thanks Ms. Angela for sharing pictures of our babies!

Dear Jon...

2009-03-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Jon-Jon that is. You know those sweet little once piece rompers that boys wear? They're also called short/longalls.
Well, I was fortunate enough today to actually catch one of the big consignment sales they have every spring here in Chattanooga. You can often get really good finds. It's a great way for me to get Asher nice clothes for daycare without spending a hefty price. We didn't find much today though except for a few one piece rombers or "jon jons". There were even some really pretty smocked ones for a great price. I quickly remembered Mark's request around 18 months that Asher stop wearing those "one piece outfit things". He thinks they look too babyish. Well, I still consider Asher a baby and miss those cute little suits. Besides, some of them are beautiful. I found one at Christmas that had a nativity scene smocked. Not even little Baby Jesus could change Mark's mind though! Too bad! I didn't buy any today either out of respect for my Manly Man husband. I know it's trivial, but it's just another reminder that my baby is growing up! Besides, what in the world is he going to wear for Easter? :)

Here are a few:

This is the last one I had made this winter at www.izzybonline.com It's exactly what I had requested. It even made her website. Jerica does great work, and she does lots of different things!

Birthday Palooza Part 2&3&4

2009-03-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I intended for there to be a lot more follow up on this. We had a great party at Play World Down Under with the kids. Mark took pictures on the camcorder, and I don't know how to download them. That was suppose to be Part 2. Hopefully I'll have some pics before he turns 3!
Part 3 was the celebration Asher had at school. I took his class cinnamon raisin biscuits and bananas for breakfast on their cereal day. Of course, they didn't understand it was for Asher's birthday, but they all dug in! I was just glad to be able to do something like that.

Part 4 was the actual weekend of Asher's birthday we went to the Tennessee Aquarium. We're members there, but the membership is about to expire so we thought we'd enjoy it one last time for a while. Afterwards we ate at a great restaurant that is right on the TN River called the Boathouse. It was a great birthday. Thanks for all the gifts and well wishes!
I'd say the little guy had a well celebrated birthday!!!Asher with Daddy at school. Asher didn't understand why we were there so he didn't enjoy it as much as we hoped. He just kept saying "home" which is where we go when Mommy and Daddy show up. I didn't think that one through!

Riding the escalator at the Aquarium. That was way better than seeing some ole fish!

Looking at the fish through the "bubble"Birthday dinner with Mommy and Daddy. (I'm not sure what the black blob is in the corner. We reformatted the computer, and I haven't re-downloaded my editing program yet.)

Whoa!

2009-03-21T11:33:00.001-07:00

Am I stupid or something? I was so excited to get photoshop so I could just start creating. Oh my! I don't know how to do anything though! I guess I figured I'd jump right in there and figure it out. It's awful!
I thought doing a blog header would be a great way to start, but I'm totally intimidated now. What have I gotten myself into? Any ideas from you guys? I need all the help I can get!

Birthday Palooza Part 1

2009-03-16T18:37:00.001-07:00

The weekend before Asher's actual birthday both mine and Mark's families traveled from MS for his party. Asher just loves getting to play with his cousins Landon and Annelise!
Part of the festivities was a party at Play World Down Under which is an indoor playground here in Chattanooga. The theme was Blue's Clues. That's his favorite!
It was a beautiful weekend so we played outside with Asher's new T-ball set. Grandma even got in on the action! That evening we went to PF Changs and then to my favorite Bruster's for ice cream. There he had his first ice cream cone.
It was overall a wonderful weekend, but our visit with family was way too short!

A clue, a clue!

Asher opening gifts at home. Landon and Annelise helped out.

Daddy showing Asher how it's done!

Grandma showing Asher how it's done! :)

This is SO my kid! Loving him some ice cream!

Saying goodbye to Aunt Sis

I was very sad I didn't get any decent pictures of Asher with his cousins. It's almost impossible. Better luck next time:(

Two Years Already!

2009-03-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our little Asher-Man! We couldn't ask for a cuter, funnier, or healthier child!

Things Asher dislikes:
Most meat, pineapple, when Mommy or Daddy leaves, jackets, long sleeves that go over his hands, going inside, being woken up, brushing teeth...

Things Asher likes:
Anything sweet to eat, pancakes, Thomas, Elmo, Blue's Clues, gymnastics, drawing/writing, sliding, swimming at the Y, phones, the water squirt bottle, bathtime, any dog, napping, blankie, his paci:(, balls, going to school, going to church, finding stop signs and flags, fried okra, grapes, one particular baseball cap, drinking from an open cup, riding Granddaddy's school bus, airplanes, squirrels, Jello, "driving" Momma or Daddy's truck, brooms...

We'll have his stats this week after our check up

A little trip down memory lane: Getting ready to pop...in about 8 hours!

About to go home not realizing how fast this all goes 7 months

1st Birthday
18 months

The Big Boy he's become

Today is such an emotional day for me. I mourn the baby I had. It goes by so fast, and when it's over, it's over. All I have are pictures that make me cry when I look at them. Who knew having a child could be so heart wrenching! I wouldn't trade it for the world though!
I love my family so much!

Pigs Didn't Fly...

2009-03-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

But hell froze over! No kidding, I thought I was there for a short time! On the way back from Virginia Asher and I got snowed in at the Charlotte Airport. After having our flight to Chattanooga delayed a few hours it was finally completely cancelled. We met two very nice ladies that helped us out that were trying to get to Chattanooga also. They found flights to Huntsville for us. From there, we'd rent a car and be home within a couple of hours.

We got on the plane to Huntsville at 10 pm. I was very excited to finally be leaving, and it would work out well because Asher could sleep. Well, after getting on the plane they informed us we would have to wait at the gate for about an hour before we could proceed to the de-icing pad. So, we waited. Then we waited 2 more hours in that line. During our de-icing the truck doing it broke down! We had to then go to another line which was another 2 hours long! When our time came everyone was ecstatic! Now, we were getting closer to home! We got on the runway where we were about to take off when the plane pulled over. What now?!?! A temperature sensor on one of the engines went out. We had to be grounded! Asher and I got off that plane after 5 long hours at 3:20 AM!!!

Asher slept while we waited (again) for a 7:30 AM flight to Chattanooga which of course got cancelled. We then planned on getting on a 10 o'clock plane to Nashville. It wasn't cancelled but delayed because it had no crew! The crew was coming in from Memphis and were running late. Close to noon we boarded that plane and went to Nashville where Mark picked Asher, the nice ladies, and me up. We arrived on our doorstep at about 6:00 Monday night after driving, dropping off the nice ladies, and going to the Chattanooga Airport to find our luggage. We were about 25 hours off schedule! Then of course, I had to be at work Tuesday morning. I promise I'm still not recovered from 24 hours in an airport with an almost 2 year old by myself!

I have to add though that Asher was a real trooper! He thought he was at Disney World! We just kept busy pushing the stroller (I think I walked 10 miles:), playing on payphones, and riding the moving sidewalks! He was in much better spirits than his momma! That is for sure. I was sick of rationing diapers, eating overpriced junk, and not sleeping!

Thank you to everyone that was concerned and kept calling and texting! That was my source of sanity. A lot of ya'll were very helpful. Thanks Pam and Conner for your offers!

Trip to Virginia

2009-03-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

Asher and I took a few days to go visit Erin one of my best friend's from college. We had not had the priviledge of meeting little Miss Shelby Claire yet. It was great to catch up with her, let the boys get to know each other better, and of course love on Miss Shelby Claire!

We did a lot of kiddie friendly activities including 2 children's museums and the zoo.

Daddy taking us to the airport for Asher's first time to fly! Asher loved the escalators!

Strong boy pushing the mountain

The boys watching the animals at the zoo. Yes, they are wearing the same thing...We're complete dorks! Believe or not someone asked us if they were twins! Ha!

The twins loving the train:)

Asher "fixing" the car the Richmond Children's Museum

Little grocery clerks

Catch up...

2009-03-08T16:26:00.001-07:00

I haven't been blogging lately. Life has been very busy. I'll try to sum it all in a few blogs.

1. Valentine's Day:

I just love being a mom and doing things like this. These were the cookies and Valentine's I made for Asher-Man's class. The card cracked me up! I had to share!

Help from Experienced Moms Please!

2009-02-23T14:59:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I feel like I have a newborn child again! Let me premise this by saying my child has been a excellent sleeper since he was 3 months old. Most mothers hate me for how easy he is in this department. However, there were a couple of nights last week that Asher did not sleep well, and I was constantly getting up with him. I even took him to the doctor thinking he had an ear infection. She said he was fine.
Well, he did it again last night. He woke up every hour between 10 and 5 this morning, and I'm exhausted! This is just a strange age for us. He's even regressed to using his pacifiers again. We were only giving them at bedtime. Now he wants them anytime he's home!
Nothing in our lives has changed except that all his main buddies were moved up in class simply by luck of the draw between 4-6 weeks ago. We finally insisted he be moved up hoping that would help some of his behaviors (which started around the time his classmates left him). It has helped some. He's actually excited to go to school again.
I don't get the sleep thing though. Any ideas?

Pay it Forward

2009-02-21T09:39:00.000-08:00

here are the details/rules:

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!

2. Winners must post this challenge on their own blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your 3 Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!SO, REMEMBER... Pay it forward

Special Delivery!

2009-02-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our good friends Justin and Ange and Big Brother Owen!

Mattie Elizabeth "Meg" Godfrey
Feb. 14, 2009
7lbs, 9 ounces; 20 inches long

We can't wait to see you guys!

Almost Famous

2009-02-13T08:22:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered what people really think about you? You know do you REALLY know what you look like? You never actually get to see your own face in 3-D. Well, yesterday Asher was wanting a snack out of the cabinet when he came across a box of raisins. He pointed to the package, and said "Ma-Ma". I want to laugh now just thinking about it. He thinks the Sun-Maid Raisin Lady is his mother! The entire time he was eating his snack he walked around pointing at the big haired, big bonnet woman calling her Mama! I asked him one time "where's momma", and he pointed to her picture again! Cracks me up! My baby thinks I'm famous!

Busting at the Seams!

2009-02-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

Saturday while in Eupora we had Asher's 2 year old pictures made (I know it's a month early) by Kim Kelley. She is an incredible photographer that Mark and his sister went to high school with. I have been admiring her work for a while now. She does my sister-in-law's kids. Anyway, I was thrilled to finally get her booked. She was on maternity leave last year for Asher's first birthday.
Kim said that the proofs would be ready in 7-10 days. I'm really anxious to see them, and she put a little sneak peak on her blog today. I promise my child is precious!...she's great at what she does too! Check out this sole picture that has me in suspense of what else is to come. The picture under "For Me" is my angel:)

Happy Anniversary!

2009-02-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

Today my handsome husband and I have been married for three wonderful years. We've been through a lot in that time, and he's been my rock through more than most know.
This weekend Asher stayed with his Gran and Granddaddy while we spent the night in Philadelphia, MS which is only about an hour from them. We ate at one of the fine dining restaurants, and got a great room. We don't even like gambling that much, but we gave ole Lady Luck a shot. We actually won a little! Overall the weekend was fantastic! I have to say I was ready to see my baby though:) So...thanks Mark for a great time and a great life together. I love you more than I can express!!!

Cheap Fun

2009-01-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

This is Asher with his $8 consignment Dora cash register. He picked it out all by himself. He thinks the scanner is a phone. In this picture he got his phone hand and screwdriver hand mixed up. He's not intentionally holding the screwdriver like a weapon. He's just talking to one of his buddies on it. I promise ANYTHING can be a phone to that kid!...even a taco bell cinnamon twist. LOL!
(BTW, I don't let him play with screwdrivers usually. He just saw me using it to put the batteries in. He had to "fix" his cash register.)

Coffeemaker of My Dreams

2009-01-29T03:48:00.000-08:00

This is the awesome coffee maker I've been coveting since I visited Erin in Oregon over two years ago. My sweet husband gave it to me for my birthday Tuesday. I can't believe I'm so excited over this thing. It take individual coffee pods. You get to pick out your flavor. Put the pod in without opening it, close the machine and then press the button to start. You then have a beautiful single cup of glorious coffee in less than 60 seconds!
Ironic though, I went to the Dr. yesterday, and he said no coffee or chocolate!!! I just got a way cool coffee maker, AND my husband works in a chocolate factory. Come On!

Conner in the Kitchen

2009-01-21T09:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Conner started a great blog with easy, yummy recipes. Check it out under favorite blogs. I'll be contributing some too, and hopefully help myself and other moms get out of a dinner rut! Happy cooking!

Victory!

2009-01-16T18:17:00.001-08:00

Do you know what this is? You might say a really messy freezer. Well, it is. However, I was referring to the month's worth of meals I prepared on my day off on Wednesday! One of my greatest friends Conner (aka stay at home mom extraordinaire) inspired me. Our household spends WAY too much money on eating out simply because of convenience. There are so many nights that I come home from work, and I just opt to order out from pure laziness. Other scenarios are I've neglected to get to the grocery store, or Asher and I are the only ones home (on Mark's second shift rotation) so we entertain ourselves by eating out. No more in 2009! Besides, let's face it. I don't make as much as I did when I was working full time.
I remedied the problem by getting the book Once a Month Cooking. It gives you meal plans, grocery lists, prep plans, and full instructions on how to assemble, store, and serve the dishes. Believe it or not I cook pretty healthy around here so I was able to make each entree Weight Watcher friendly. So far we've eaten 2 dishes, and they have also tasted great!
Now, the book offers 2 and 4 week plans. I did the 2 week since I was nervous about freezer space, and I figured since we aren't scared of a leftover we could draw most dishes out for 2 meals. They typically feed 4-6 people, and picky little Asher won't touch most of it with a ten foot pole.
It was hard work though. I did about 6 hours straight on my feet with no breaks except to go to the restroom. I think next time may go a little smoother though. I have to be honest. There were some major flaws in the book I had to work out. I had read reviews that the new revised version of this book did have problems. It sure did!!! With that said, I had researched several other similar books. This one did seem to be the best. The recipes were simple and good. Some of the other books appeared to be more complicated and expensive to prepare.
Here are some things to consider if you do Once a Month Cooking:

Inventory your recipes with the grocery list to double check. For example, I had 2 recipes that called for taco seasoning, but the grocery list only had 1. That wasn't a big deal because I just made it homemade which is way better anyway. Also, the chicken amounts and prep was very messed up for my particular menu. There was even a recipe listed on the menu that wasn't even in the book at all!
Get a kitchen scale. It'll help you from having to guess how much meat for each dish. It was a little frustrating because some recipes would call for 2 pounds worth of cubed chicken which you cubed in bulk before hand. Other recipes called for 4 breasts worth. Hello! They're already chopped up in a pile with the rest! The scale wouldn't help there, but I promise it would come in handy.

Get one of those Reynolds vacuum sealers. If you don't want to fork out the cash on one of those Food Savers then there's a $7 hand help vacuum sealer that you buy specific freezer bags with. It worked great, and the bags weren't that much more expensive than regular ones.

Our menu this month: Herbed Chicken, Winter Pot Roast, French Stuffed Potatoes, Chicken Nuggets, Playoff Burgers (burgers stuffed with cheese), Spaghetti Soup, Farmer's Casserole (breakfast casserole), Poppy Beef, Country Captain (a maroccan like dish), Black Beans with smoked sausage (basically red beans and rice), Chicken Taco Salad, London Broil, Mexican Chicken Lasagna, Sopa de Maiz (kind of like taco soup)

Another good thing...Mark can help "cook" dinner. No excuses:)

Gettin' on the Potty Train

2009-01-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

I would just like to announce to the world that my baby went pee pee in the potty tonight!!! YAY, Asher!
We've had the actual potty for a while, and we ask him occasionally if he wants to use it. Sometimes he'll even say yes. We'll go sit, and nothing will happen. That's nothing too regular, and I think he thinks it's a game really because he's real enthusiastic about it. Well, tonight we went to Toys-R-Us, and for the heck of it we bought him some big boy underwear. We let him pick, and he chose Handy Manny. When we got home Mark ran to the bathroom, and I preceded to get Asher ready for bed. Of course, I couldn't resist getting a sneak peak of those saggy little britches on his cute booty. We then paraded around and admired them in the full length mirror. Then, mommy got the urge to go so we went to the bedroom to get to that bathroom. I noticed Asher tugging at himself so I asked him if he needed to potty. He said yes so I whisked him up and put him on my potty backwards since I don't have a potty chair in there. Mark was still busy with his business evidentally. Well, hanging off my commode became way too uncomfortable so we went to harass Daddy. Asher was banging on the door jabbering something. Finally, Mark answered and after a few minutes of Asher sitting on his potty there was a beautiful puddle of gold liquid under my baby's bottom. We made such a fuss, but I think he was really like "what's the big deal" cause we went on and on, calling all the grandparents of course.
I realize this might be an isolated incident, but it's something we can realistically think about now. He moves up classes January 26th into the "Big Boy" class where they will start toileting the children. I'm excited and dreadful too. Wish us luck!

Good Buddies

2009-01-13T19:20:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago one of my partners in crime from graduate school came to visit along with her husband and little boy. Like always we enjoyed their company so much, and the boys had a big time. They played hard and got to see the Choo-Choo and aquarium downtown. We really hope that Asher's buddy Owen can come back real soon. Next time, he'll have a baby sister with him. We can't wait to meet Meg! She'll be a great excuse to get to see our good friends again!

The boys hugging after some coaching from their moms I'm sure

Blogging Ding Dong

2009-01-13T18:24:00.001-08:00

So, I guess I don't get something here, but I finally found a cute Valentine's background I could live with. After rocking the minima template and being upset over loosing all my links, they reappeared. Yep. Poof! After applying the new background it was there. I don't know why or how, and I don't really care. I'm just really happy it happened...that's the end of a good day!

Oh No!

2009-01-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

While experimenting with new backgrounds today I lost all my links. I'm such a ding dong!!!...A very frustrated ding dong! Just be patient as I look for new backgrounds and get everything filled out again. Ugh!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2009-01-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after Christmas was possibly the best day of my child's life. He was finally getting over the ear pain, and he got to have some fun the morning we left. His grandaddy does his civil duties as the mayor of his town but also as a bus driver for the schools there. Just before we left Grandaddy took him to see the bus and to take a ride. Asher was all smiles as he and his cousin Annelise wabbled in their seats along the bumpy back roads. I just can't describe to you how much he loved it.
As if that weren't enough, we stopped at the airport in Columbus to see one of Asher's favorite things...planes. Mark was hoping to take him up close to the plane he used to fly, but it was actually at another airport. We were a little bummed, but Asher still got to see planes take off and land. It was definitely a good end to our trip.

Asher calling his Daddy yelling, "Mark" out the window. He had just heard me do it. Too funny!

Asher and Annelise (still in her night gown:)

Asher as usual with a cell phone. Are those allowed on school buses:)?

Christmas

2008-12-28T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well, from the last blog you can tell already that Christmas was not what we had hoped. I was sick and had to go to the clinic Christmas Eve. When we got back that morning Asher started having terrible ear pain again. No doctor in Eupora would see him so our doctor in Chattanooga called in some medicine for him. It was a rough couple of days. I don't want to sound too negative though. We did have some wonderful moments. We spent most of the time with Mark's family but drove to my family's for a little while Christmas day. Asher was not hurting for gifts thats for for sure! Mark and I got to go on a "date" Friday night, and Asher got to play with his cousin Landon and Annelise. It made me so happy to watch how much fun he can have with them now.

A lot of our pictures are on our camcorder, but here are a few...

Asher in his little Christmas PJ's "playing" piano. Looks like he may take after his grandmother:)

The loot Santa left.

Digging in

Mamaw

2008-12-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

We have just got back from our holiday in MS last night. We left Tuesday to head to Mark's parent's, but we left a little faster than planned. Mark's grandmother has been suffering from COPD for several years now, and she took a turn for the worse Monday night. We were barely out of Chattanooga when we got the call she had already left to be with Jesus. Our holiday definitely took a bittersweet turn. Mark was close to his grandmother, and the family will miss her more than words can say.
Mamaw was such an inspiration because she talked very openly about her faith and being ready to go to heaven. She wasn't shy or avoidant about the topic at all. She loved Jesus! Because of that she's got new lungs and wings to soar!

Don't Hold Your Breath!

2008-12-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

If you're waiting on the Lott Family Christmas card in your mailbox you'll be very disapointed this year. Well, I'm sure you won't be nearly as disapointed as me for not getting them done. I feel so inadequate as a mom. Shame on me I didn't get the cutest custom photo cards on the face of the planet that somehow reflects my superior mothering skills. Just kidding. It's stupid I know, but it's something I enjoy doing right down from taking the pictures to picking out the cutest custom photo cards on the face of the planet to addressing all bazillion of them flooding me with memories of each individual in my address book. Not to mention, I've received so many stinkin' cute cards. I just love it, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that likes to get them too!
It started with the fact we couldn't get pictures done until the last minute because Asher had been sick. I got a couple good pics afterall. Then, I went to Hobby Lobby to get the kind of cards you insert a 4X6 print into, but silly me signed all of them with a gel pen. The ink smeared on just about all of them. So, I rushed to Wal-Mart on my day off to just get some regular ole folded cards to stick the 45 prints I've ordered. I got the envelopes addressed and ready. Then, all I had to do was pick up the pictures, insert, and poof! Finished! NOPE! When I went to pick them up the order did not process online (although it showed on my banking). There were no pictures! That was Thursday. I finally surrendered. No cards this year. Sorry!
I must add to my ranting (and change the tone a bit) that even though there are no cards this year please know how important you as my family and friends are to us. No matter how far the people we care for are or how long of time there is between our conversations there has been a part of our lives that have been changed. The Lord has blessed us with so many wonderful people. Mark jokes all the time that I have more "best friends" than anyone he's ever known. I'll take that as a compliment! Thank you for making our year and our lives richer! God bless!

Be Still My Heart

2008-12-16T19:05:00.001-08:00

I've expressed sadness over this before, but I was looking through old pictures. THIS was my baby a year ago! Here he was on Christmas morning. So precious!

Congratulations!

2008-12-16T11:27:00.001-08:00

I am happy to announce the birth of Tim and Erin's baby girl. Everyone is doing well, but I have't gotten the update on what Jake thinks yet!

Shelby Claire Norman

Born 9:40 AM December 16,2008

6lbs, 2 ounces

19 1/2 inches

It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year!

2008-12-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

As we get into the season there are things you have to do. You know like decorate, get holiday outifits, do Christmas cards, etc. etc. We FINALLY got some pics made today. Taking Christmas card pictures has been an ordeal this year. Asher has been very sick with allergies, teething, and now an ear infection. There have been very few oppurtunities to take his picture. Poor guy has had a runny nose and eyes and dark circles under his puffy little eyes. So, this year instead of custom printed cards there will be box cards with 4x6's inserted. I kind of like that anyway. That way folks can save the picture if they choose. Seriously though, Christmas cards have turned into a way to say "hey, we're still alive, and look how cute our kids is", right? It's terrible really. Nevertheless, I'm praying that with the economy being so bad and so many people suffering in the pocketbook that we can all just prioritize and realize the deepest meaning of the season. It's the ultimate joy through Christ's birth that has been offered to us!

Here are a few pictures as we gear up for Christmas...

Asher being VERY excited that Daddy and Mommy like to online shop!

This is Asher sitting with Daddy after a meltdown. The pictures almost didn't happen today either.

One of the better shots. I promise he could be a professional. He's just cheezin'. You'd never know he had been upset.

Another good one. Many of you will see some version of this one in your mailboxes I'd bet.

Aaaaand...Last but not least--Little shepard boy Asher. Here he's sitting very still and quiet, waiting on his cue to go up and be in the nativity scene at church. So sweet!!!

Ah HA! Found it!

2008-12-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

My sweet husband (...and handsome might I add) had the cord. I'm still not sure why. Anyway, here is a wrap up of our fall.

Asher finding out what Halloween is really all about...Candy!

Erin's last Halloween with one kiddo. Here she's enjoying some treats with Jake.

Jakey standing in Pop's store front window.

My precious boy enjoying the fall leaves.

This is my husband's craftsmanship. He made these for our Sunday School Class with no plans, nothing! He's so good:) Congrats Andrew and Wendy!

Asher being Asher

Asher at the indoor playground.

I had to work Thanksgiving Day, and Mark couldn't go to MS with us the weekend so I made a little mini Thanksgiving Dinner for us the Tuesday before. It wasn't the same though. Thanksgiving Dinner should not be cooked in an hour!
Turkey tenderloin, Cornbread Dressing with gravy and cranberry sauce, green beans, and sweet potato casserole.

Asher enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's. We don't like for him to wear the cap when he eats. However, we picked our battles here. He loves that hat!

What in the world?

2008-12-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, just when I'm getting a few extra minutes these days to write on my blog, I can't find my USB cord to download pics. Really, how does a cord like that just disapear? It never leaves the computer.
I've got SO many pictures I haven't posted lately. So when the little elves bring back my cord I'll get everyone caught up!

Here We Are!

2008-12-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

Life has been very busy lately. We've gone to MS 3 times over the last 6 or so. I was sick and in the E.R. one of the few weekends we've been home. I started my new job at the nursing home. I like it so far, but it's very tough work. They've been without a steady speech therapist for a while, and we're playing catch up. I'm almost working a full time job in 3 days. Plus, I still have one home health care patient in my neighborhood I'm seeing. As if that's not enough I start orientation for a PRN job. I think I'm going to have to start saying no which is so hard for me.
As for the little man...Asher is great! He still loves Elmo and asks to watch "Lala" (meaning Elmo because of the theme song) or "Boo" aka Blue's Clue's almost everyday. He understands so much, and his vocabulary is growing. "No" is officially his favorite word, but I hope it's not because that's the word he hears the most:) He loves to give Momma Eskimo kisses, and he "fixes" my hair. One of his favorite things is a "bunga" or pen or crayon or any other writing utensil. He usually has one handy with a piece of paper. Maybe that means he'll be artistic like his Daddy. That brings us to another Asher favorite...his Daddy. They wrestle and do all that rough play boys do with their Dads. He likes to mimic Mark and hammer and work on the house too.
Well, that's about it for now. I'm off tomorrow and Friday so I can get the house cleaned and decorated for Christmas. We're also waiting on word of whether Erin's sweet baby girl will be making her debut soon.

Halloween '08

2008-11-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

For Halloween we had lots of fun things to do. We hosted a trunk at our church's Trunk or Treat. The theme was Elmo's World since Asher was Elmo. Then, we had a Halloween party at a friend's house. Finally, for actual Halloween day we went to the Boo Parade and trick or treating in downtown Columbus, MS with our good buddy Jake (We'll get those pictures downloaded soon:).

Way cuter than the real Elmo!

Our friend Stone at Trunk or Treat. How fitting is his name?

Feeding our new "Dorothy" we got for a Trunk or Treat prop

Asher waiting on the fun to start

Lili Kay at the Halloween party

Asher's other Halloween outfit

One Year Ago

2008-10-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

We lost my sweet Daddy to a horrible disease last October 28th. Before he was even given a chance to fight he lost his battle with cancer. He had only been diagnosed 11 days! Most people don't know it, but this yellow ribbon stands for more than support for our troops. It's the symbol for liver cancer awareness. When you see one think of Jimmie, and pray for more cures and treatments!

We miss him more than words can express.

One of my Best Friends

A New Friend

2008-10-25T18:29:00.001-07:00

Asher is a lot like his dad--easy going. He's been a wonderful and even easy child thus far. However, I'm worried about the pacifier situation. He's grown quite fond of that thing. Ironic, really coming from a child of a mother/speech pathologist that said her baby would never have one. Well, just write it in the books of one of the MANY words I've eaten. At least, he doesn't have it much during the day anymore.

Now, we've got a new friend to accompany Asher and Pacifier. It's his blanket. I typically don't let him sleep with his bedding quilt so for no good reason I started grabbing this particular green blanket that a coworker gave us. That's the one he usually uses at night. For about a week he'd wake up at 6:00 am standing in his crib waiting for me to come and get him to put him in bed with us for another hour or so. EVERY morning waiting holding that blankie. We've gotten out of the habit of coming to Daddy and Momma's bed, but we still want to carry our blanket around after we get up. It's really sweet actually. I don't mind it, but I don't want it to become an issue like I'm afraid the pacifier is about to become. So far he's ok when I tell him we need to put the blanket up, and he watches me put it in his bed.

Just see how precious Asher is with his blankie!

Another Life Change

2008-10-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

About 8 short months ago I wrote a similar post about job change. It's happening again. As much as I hate leaving a job after such a short duration, I've been given another great opportunity. Every experience is a stepping stone into the next, right?
When I started doing home health care it worked at the time. It paid well which got us closer to our get out of debt goal. It was flexible for Asher's sake, but that season has passed. The travel has increased, and the paperwork I have to do at home is just not practical anymore.
However, I've been blessed again as I sit on the see saw of mom and career woman. I have accepted a position in a skilled nursing/rehab facility 3 days a week. Since there are no benefits I'll have to supplement myself for professional dues, license, continueing ed, etc. with some occasional prn work. I've already gotten that lined up too. There is a hospital here that'll I'll help out when their speech therapist takes a day off here and there. It'll be an on-call type situation.
Even after my last day full time with the home care agency, I'll be covering a few patients for them until either the plans of care run out or they replace me. I don't want to leave my patients hanging. So, the part time gig will take a little time to transition into. It's just awesome to see it in sight though. My ultimate goal was to work part time by the time Asher was two, and now it's about to come true. God is so good to provide for us the way he has!
Please keep us in your prayers 1. We've made the right decision and 2. The employer I'm leaving will replace me quickly. Speech pathologist are VERY hard to find in this area.

Reunion revisited

2008-10-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures I stole from Katy's blog of our reunion. It was so much fun!

Shaking our Bon bons! The leis were given out to the winners of different awards like newest parents (way to go, Betsy!), honeymooners, most fashionable, etc, etc. Well, my sweet friend Crystal gave me hers because she said I deserved it for the category she won. Thanks, friend!

Still fabulous after all this time!!!
One of my favorite couples of all time--Cliff and Katy

Fall Fun

2008-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

I love living in Chattanooga because it's like once October comes there is so much to do until the end of the winter holidays. Every weekend we can do something different. It makes it even more exciting for me now that we have a child. Although, sometimes he isn't as excited as me! Yesterday, we went to the Rock City Enchanted Maize. I had my camera ready to go, but Asher wasn't in the mood. He generally is a VERY happy little boy, but it was hot. Plus, he was a little unsure of the loud tractors. The bouncers were the only real hit. He always loves those!!!
I guess we have discovered early on he is definitely not a country boy!

Asher not really into the whole country scene

Daddy trying to boost morale

Over it!

Goofy Haircut #2

2008-10-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I took Asher to get another haircut. I figured this one would redeem the mishap of last time. I was sure to explain very clearly what it was I wanted to my stylist. In the end, it was worse than ever! It was way short in the front! Not to mention, it was crooked. I was so mad because that was the week before my reunion. I felt bad for her because she knew right off that I was disapointed. In her defense, he's really squirmy during his haircuts. I love the way she does my hair, but I think we're going to shop around for someone more comfortable with toddlers. Luckily, not even a bad haircut can hold my kid down. He's just too darn cute!!!

10 years!

2008-10-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

Last weeked Mark and I went back to Tupelo for my 10th high school reunion. There was a family picnic that Saturday with a great party that night. It was so much fun to catch up and dance the night away. I'm just now getting feeling back in my pinkie toe!
It was amazing how fast 10 years passed. A lot has happened in that time, but some friends are just so dear and loyal. Here I am with my wonderful friends Melissa and Katy. I'm sad I didn't get more pictures. We actually forgot our camera in TN though.
The coolest part of it all was how enjoyable a time it was with some of the people I didn't even like way back when. It just goes to show it was just as much me as it was them. We've definitely grown up! It was a fun time as well as a learning time. I'm looking forward to 20 years now!

New Background

2008-10-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I knew that the last one was bad, but I wasn't sure how to fix it. I did a little self education tonight. Ta-dah! The season's newest blog template:) You can actually see my pictures now!

Just look at this...

2008-10-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's depressing really. I was going through some recently downloaded pictures, and this is what I found...A big boy! 18 months old! What happend to my baby?

We had our check up 2 weeks ago, and the doctor said everything looked great. He's still in about the 15th percentile for weight, but that seems to be his norm.

This was taken on perhaps one of the best days of his life thus far. They had a dog day at the park. Dogs were everywhere! That's heaven for Asher!

Just one year ago. Mommas hold on to your baby blobs! They'll be running around begging for Elmo before you know it. I know, I know. They'll be going to college too!

Some funnies!

2008-09-15T13:23:00.001-07:00

To give everyone their Asher-fix here are some recent funny pictures of him. He is hysterical!

Asher walking the dog in his underwear. We had left MS coming home VERY early in the AM, and he was still halfway in his pj's.
Asher huffing a cupcake!

So pitiful, but so cute! Mommy wouldn't give him the camera.

Where's Asher? Asher hiding in the closet.

Daddy's Boy

2008-09-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some blogs covering the last few weeks. One Sunday after church Mark wanted to go to the driving range and take Asher. Asher loved it with all the open space and balls! Well, he loved it until it got REALLY hot:) Then, Momma and Asher went inside and sat with the nice golf pro man.

Happy Birthday!

2008-09-06T05:26:00.001-07:00

Today is our good buddy Jake's birthday. He's 2! We just want to wish him a happy day with lots of cake!

Boo hoo for Summer

2008-09-04T13:42:00.001-07:00

It just hit me the other day how summer is running out. It's like I don't realize until all at once. It's definitely wierd even after all this time not having a school schedule to remind me of the season.

It really made me sad for Asher that summer is winding down. Here are a few of the things we'll miss.

...Playing in the pool. Actually throwing Daddy's golf balls in the pool and fishing them out is the highlight.

...Going to the park anytime we please

...Fresh, local produce. Yummy!

...New and exciting outdoor adventures. This was Asher's first time on a boat. He was so relaxed!

We're still kickin'!

2008-08-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

Well, once again I've gotten in the rut of using my work computer which does not have any pictures on it. So, that's one reason I haven't posted anything lately. Besides that it's been a little crazy around here. Asher had strep throat last week, we've had company, and I've got a new patient that is almost an hour and half away! On a more positive note, I went to weigh in yesterday for my Weight Watchers. I've lost a grand total of 13.2 pounds! I'm really excited and hope to keep doing well despite my 3 week sabbatical around vacation time. I'm not sure if I'll make it to my 20 pound goal before my class reunion, but I'll be awfully close. That's all here. I'll post new pics soon!

"Tah"

2008-08-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Asher received a very nice surprise in the mail from his Aunt Sisi. It was a Thomas (aka "Tah") the Train flashlight. It was a well thought out gift since his new infatuations are with Elmo, Mickey, and Thomas.

Well, so far he's a little unsure about the new toy. It chugs and choos and whistles. I suppose that's a little scary to a 17 month old. So once you get the new Thomas out and turn it on Asher goes running for the hills. However, he flocks to the FedEx box it came in. He LOVES it! He can stand on it, jump down from it, reach up on it, and push it like a car. It's loads of fun!

So, Sisi I'm sure he'll warm up to the Thomas flashlight like he does so many of his other toys but until then we're going to have a blast with the box. Next time just an empty FedEx box will suffice:)

Mississippi University for Women Name Change

2008-08-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! The tensions are high about my alma mater changing it's name. Now, I'm very protective of this institution because it was a way of life for me and so many of my dear friends. It still is such a large part of my life as its unique and sometimes wierd traditions succeeded in making life long friends for me. I simply love that place. It makes me sad to hear of the change. I want it to stay the way I remember it. The truth is the school is not the way I remember it though. It's numbers are going down fast. It's reputation is going down fast, and if this is what it takes to change it then so be it. Sentiment alone is not going to save that institution.
With that said, I don't think the name alone is going to be a cure all for MUW. All the legal battles alone are quickly sending the school down the toilet. Why would somebody want to go or encourage their child to go to a school that is so unstable. I know that if I seriously had thought in ten years the school might be going through so much turmoil and risked closing I would have reconsidered getting two degrees from there. What does that do for someone's professional credibility?
It's much easier for me to form solutions in the comfort of my home with no real influences on the school's demise so I want waste your time. It's really in vain. However, I do believe that the successful women's college in TX should be used as a model. What are they doing to make people go to thier school. Face it. It's not "cool" to go to the W anymore.
I just pray that so many of us are wrong and that there will be a turn around. Yes, it would have been better as the name I know best, but whatever it takes I suppose. Maybe somebody is making right choices.
God save the "W"!

Plum Crazy

2008-08-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

See what I did on Saturday! Of course, I had Asher as an assistant since Mark had to work. We got up early and went to two produce stands until we found some jelly making fruit. Plums were the most abundant for the price. If I had my pick though, I would have driven to a blackberry farm about 45 minutes away, but I knew that wasn't realistic since we'd have to pick them. I just love blackberries though. Anyway, after getting our pretty little plums we went to Wal-Mart to buy our jars and stuff. I'd never done any kind of canning before on my own(I grew up around it), and Wilma said I bought stuff that wasn't really necessary. Oh well. Live and learn! Next time will be much easier since I understand the process better. I'm just very proud. I hope to make a different flavor real soon!

Beach Portraits

2008-08-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

Our photographer from vacation has posted some pictures on her blog. If you're ever in the St. Augustine area I strongly recommend her. Check them out!http://www.alisonmillerphoto.blogspot.com/

Asher being Asher

2008-08-09T17:30:00.001-07:00

Like Father, like son...playing with electronics!

Asher update

2008-08-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Asher is 16 months, and Monday was his first day in his new class. I think I just stood there for like 30 minutes waiting for him to freak out or something. I stared as he ate his breakfast. I had another mother peering on with me as her baby girl ate too. When I got in my car I realized it was ME that was freaking out. Sure, he's not starting kindergarten but this is huge for us! He's going from two naps a day to one. They don't eat in hi-chairs anymore either. He has to sit a little table like a big boy! It's just a whole other vibe in this class. There is much more curriculum. I'm excited but very scared to experience the things he'll learn. I'm scared only because of the realization of how quickly it all goes.
Well getting back on topic-- I called to check on him about noon. To my satisfaction the teacher said he was actually doing better than the other kids. Of, course! His transition was made a little smoother because four of his buddies from his previous class moved up too. Anyway, I was very pleased to hear he was just rolling with the punches. That evening he was very tired though. Evidently, they play hard in the new big boy class!
Today, he had his first gymnastics class. They have an instructor that comes to the daycare that you can pay extra for. They said he was so funny. He was trying with all his might to jump. When I asked how it went the daycare manager demonstrated for me what he did. It was a jumping motion that left him still very well planted on the ground. He's still a little too unsteady to be airborne. Once again I was happy to hear that he handled the new gymnastics time well since it's out of his sheltered little classroom. They went on and on about how social and cute he is. Tonight he was a little entertainer showing us his new trick of "jumping".
Then, my mommy ego grew even more as I entered his classroom to pick him up. His new teacher met me at the door gushing over what a good boy he is. She said that she just tells him that she needs to change his diaper and he comes right on. He never fusses, and he's a very happy boy! She went on and on, and of course I let her. I like to think he has the perfect personality. He's very social like me, but he's very chill like his Daddy. Man, am I glad he got the chill part:)
Well, thanks for humoring me by letting me brag. That's the latest on our very well adjusted little Asher!

Vacation pictures

2008-07-28T17:23:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few highlights of our trip (in no particular order).

The lighthouse in St. Augustine

Asher and Mommy on the beach

Crawling around the condo floor after our family portraits.
Hopefully, I'll get those to post in the next few weeks.

The Fam at what is to be believed (and greatly debated) oldest house in the country

Playing on the beach at night

Asher and Daddy having fun. Don't be fooled though. Asher did not like the sand AT ALL. Most of our sun-time was spent at one of the pools.

Getting our fresh seafood fix...exept Mark. This was his first meal after the "plague". A turkey sandwich had to do:(

Asher's favorite part of the resort...the kiddie pool. He loved to let the sprayers knock his pacifier out of his hand and say "uh oh" over and over.

Doing it again!

We're Back!

2008-07-28T11:54:00.001-07:00

It's Monday, and we just walked into the door about 30 minutes ago. We left Tuesday (22nd) and stopped half way. We arrived at our resort in Palm Coast on Wednesday (23rd). Then, we left there Sunday (27th) morning and spent the day in St. Augustine. Now, we're back in good ole Chatt-Town. We're grateful for our vacation but relieved to be back. I must be getting old because I'm looking foward to my own bed:)
The trip was interesting to say the least. It FLEW by. There were 4 couples each with a child a piece. Well, out of those 12 people and 2 condos only 3 did not get a stomach virus!!! We were the first family to get it so we had the burden of feeling like we ruined everyone's vacation by bringing the sickness. I promise we didn't do it on purpose!!! Not to mention, one of the girls lost her wedding set off the balcony and never recovered it! Someone will be a VERY happy person one day if they find it. Needless to say, she was sick for the rest of the time just for that. However, I'm going to try to focus on the short positive, well time we had. Asher loved the kiddie-pool, and St. Augustine was a lot of fun. The resort was beautiful, and the niceset place I've ever stayed really. It was the Ginn Hammock if you're ever looking for a great spot. There are pictures to follow, I promise! My gears are already turning planning our next family vacation!

Countdown...

2008-07-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm goofing off right this minute, but in just a moment I'm getting hard at work...working on my job, packing, cleaning, getting excited, so on and so forth. I'm beginning to get really excited because we leave on Tuesday for our vacation in Palm Coast, FL. We're not leaving at any certain time since our reservations aren't until Wednesday. We're just travelling at our leisure and will drive as far as Asher and we can stand. Also, it's Mark's birthday Tuesday so I'd say that's a pretty good present! We'll be heading back sometime Sunday or Monday. We don't have to be back to work Until Tuesday the 29th. So, please forgive me if you can't get me while we're there. I'm certain work will call so my phone will be OFF! If you need me or want to talk just call Mark's phone, or leave a message. I'll check them periodically. Please pray for safe travels. Tootles!

The House continued

2008-07-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Speaking of the house, here are a few pics to show the progress under way.

Living Room Before-- That white under the chair railing is some lovely wallpaper. mmm!

Before again

After...I'm still working on accessories and little things. I had lamps but returned them. I've got to find some still.

Please over look the bottom shelves and Asher's toys pushed to the side. You get the idea though.

There is still a little molding that needs to be finished around the fireplace. Trust me it's come a long way though. The white under the new chair railing is wainscoting instead of that nasty wallpaper.

The pictures don't even do it justice. The work has been MUCH more than paint. Not to mention, Mark is rewiring each room by as he goes. I'm very proud of him!

I'll try to find some more pics. For some reason I can't find the others on the computer.

Thanks to my sweet Hubby!

2008-07-12T10:23:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I fail to brag on Mark and his hardwork on our house. If I do it's usually overshadowed by my whining or fussing about how slow it's all going. We closed on our house 2 years ago today. We were hoping to be mostly finished with it at this point, but somedays it's like we're just getting started good. That's ok though. We've had a few changes in plans and the Lord has blessed us in much larger ways. We found out less than a week after closing on the house we were pregnant. New house, new baby, right? Truth be known, we wouldn't have gone through with such a house had we known. In retrospect I can't imagine this place without Asher. He's made this house a home! There's a lot of hugs, kisses, and laughs going on within these walls.

As far as the actual work, Mark has done it all himself. He amazes me. However, he can't finish the foyer until we get our new front door. It got ordered this week and will be installed within about a month. I'm excited because it's one step closer to helping the exterior and boy does it need some help:)

Mark's last project- recessed lighting in the living room

Celery Anyone?

2008-07-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

The other night I was eating some celery for an evening snack, and Asher decided he wanted some too. I didn't think he would like it or actually be able to eat it since it's so hard and tough. He did though. I honestly don't think he liked it that much. He just like the novelty behind eating something that texture. Who thought eating celery could be fun or cute? It's so great to watch him experience new things!

Scalped

2008-07-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, admittedly Asher's hair was getting too shaggy. I wanted to keep it long, but it definitely needed shaping. So, I decided instead of going to one of those Great Clips kind of places he needed to get used to one person. I made him an appointment with my stylist. I was working, and Mark was off so Mark met me at the place with Asher. I don't know what I thought I was going to do that Mark couldn't. Anyway, Asher climbed up me crying before we even tried getting in the seat. My stylist told me that most kids do better with just Dad. I knew this made sense, but it kind of busted my bubble. I mean, I had rearranged my work schedule so I could be there for my baby. This was like his 4th haircut, but the first in a while. He NEEDED his mommy, right. Wrong! So, I said my good-byes and "left". Really, I just sat in the waiting area and soon he quieted down. Before long my stylist came up and said he was the best child she had ever cut! Of course, I was very pleased. Then, I saw my little toddler waddling around the corner. He had no hair! Well, at least that's the way I perceived it. He looked totally different. It was NOTHING like I wanted, but in the middle of the crying and my big getaway, I didn't have a chance to explain well exactly what I wanted. Poor girl doesn't have ESP. I was horrified because we're having family portraits done at the beach in 3 weeks. Surely, it will be grown out by then. Granted, my child is beautiful no matter what and would be adorable with a buzz. I have been trying to style it in a faux hawk, but it just want stay.

Weekend Past

2008-07-04T06:36:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Asher's Grandma (my step-mom) visited. It was a short visit but we had a great time. She was able to go with us to our Sunday School party. We have some cool people in that class, and we always have fun. Asher stole everyone's thunder during one moment in the evening though. He kept going to the tub of drinks and getting out an energy drink. He would tip it up like he was drinking it. He did this over and over and over. I can't tell you how long he entertained himself and us doing this. He was so confident in what he was doing. We finally realized he was drinking the water off the tops (yummy:P). Silly boy!

Not a happy camper when Grandma was leaving.

Weekend on the Mountain

2008-06-29T17:13:00.001-07:00

So, I've been terrible at keeping everyone up to date the last couple of weeks again. I seem to go in spurts. It's because most of the time I use my work laptop that does not have pictures on it. Anyway, this is a week late... Last weekend we had a great visit with our good friends Lance, Pam, Lawrence, and Annabelle. We went to stay with them in Sylva NC. It's a small, cozy corner of the world in the mountains. I would describe it as very charming with its little shops and restaurants. Evidently, it's a Mecca for Floridians.
Lance and Pam have done a great job with their house. It's perched on a little ridge with the best view. I teased them that they lived on a Mountain and referred to it with their last name.
We didn't do a lot except eat out a couple of times (go figure:). We just spent much needed time catching up, and letting the kids play. We had not seen their house since they moved to NC, and we had not had the pleasure of meeting their beautiful addition Annabelle. It was a relaxing time and comforting to be with good friends.

The awesome view

Our good friends

Asher digging in. He LOVES watermelon now!

The boys sporting thier dinosaur pj's. Asher was totally obsessed with the doggie vacuum!

15 Months Already!

2008-06-18T16:33:00.001-07:00

Asher had his 15 month well check-up Monday. He had 3 shots but did the best yet. He was never fussy or ill or anything. He did get tired earlier that night, but he was great. Since we had such a great afternoon I thought "oh no, he'll wake up irritable the next morning." He didn't though. In fact he was in a great mood. They're funny little creatures. You never know what to expect. Here are his new stats.
Weight- 21# 4oz.
Height- 30 1/2 inches
He's still little and in about the 10th percentile, but he's healthy nevertheless.
One thing I forgot to get with the doctor about was our teethbrushing habits...or lack of I should say. He's stubborn and doesn't like brushing his teeth, but I don't get too worked up and say it's because he has sore gums from teething. We just keep trying everyday and hope that he dosen't get green teeth like the pirates do (that's for Hayden). Sometimes I think I know too much being a speech therapist. Some parents might hold thier children down and scrub away. I don't want him to be orally defensive (come on you speechies out there) or something then he'll be scared forever and be 20 still not brushing his teeth. I just keep trying to slowly get in that little mouth. Usually it's a 3 second swipe of the brush if I'm lucky. It just kills me! I just pray that God equipped toddlers with some super duper force shield around thier teeth!

Father's Day

2008-06-15T16:01:00.001-07:00

Today was the first Father's Day without my Daddy. Wish I could say it's easier since the last post about him, but it's not. I thought of him constantly today. One of the sweetest thoughts I had was during church this morning. Our pastor was telling a story about an 8 year old hospice patient. When his dad asked him if he was scared to go and meet Jesus the little boy said, "Not if He's like you!" I feel the same way. If my Daddy is a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father is then I really can't imagine how great it'll be. I miss Daddy's little grin, his goofy chuckle, and his positve advice.

I'll never forget the words that came from my Daddy's beloved first cousin (more like a sister) when I made the call to tell her he was gone. She said, "Jimmie was so kind. He never did anything wrong!" Now, I don't know if anyone really understands the impact of what she said to me that day. You see, Daddy was a recovering alcoholic, and had been sober for 18 years. She knew him all is life, during some of his darkest days, but still she viewed him that highly. He prevailed in greatness as a person even during the lowest of times. I thought about it, and I suppose she was right. Sure, there were times in my life when I wasn't close to Daddy. It wasn't because of anything he had done wrong. I later discovered that it was a misunderstanding I had of him. He really was a kind person, and I don't know of anything he REALLY did to anyone.

Ultimately, in the last several years, Daddy became one of my best friends. Luckily, I found out 24 hours before he died what made him tick. Not knowing that he was going to die as quickly as he did, he shared his testimony. Daddy had been a Christian since 13.He later rededicated his life as an older adult. I truly believe that it was God's grace that had led Daddy. It's all amazing to me now that he's gone , and the pieces come together. I only pray to be the person Daddy was and to be percieved and loved the way he was!

And don't forget...

Asher's Daddy...

I believe more everyday that women indeed find mates that are like their Dads. Mark has many of the same strengths. He is the best father for Asher and does it so naturally. To be a rather quiet and reserved man, he never holds back his affections for us. He lets us know just how much he loves us. There's never a doubt! I feel so blessed to have him to share our son and our lives together! Happy Father's Day!!!

House of Asher...

2008-06-08T16:01:00.001-07:00

Salon and Day Spa. Enjoy a premium hairstyle by our artisan Asher. Here he is doing a demo on himself.

Fab!

Afterwards, relax with a Italian facial. Layers of marinara are added to reduce the signs of aging. Just look how flawless and youthful Asher looks. To enhance the results of the marinara treatments Asher prefers to cover his whole body with the formula.

It's just all in a day here at House of Asher:)

*A-Lotta-Lott*

Father Knows Best

Best Mother's Day

Check-up

3?!?!

Easily Amused

Growing Pains

5 things

By Popular Demand

Bragging Right #2

Bragging Right #1

Green with Envy

Polar Express

Dear Santa

ABC's of Thanks

Cheezin'

Spooktacular Fall

Memory Lane

Well, Tickle My Fancy!

The Mickey Boat

We're Alive!

Macca

Wowza!

Sum-Sum-Summa-Time

Ketchup

Worker Bees

Gran's Visit

Knoxville Zoo

Meet My Moms!

Congratulations!

A Day with Thomas

Conner and Friends in the Kitchen

Easter '09

Cake Wrecks

Olympic Hopeful

Dear Jon...

Birthday Palooza Part 2&3&4

Whoa!

Birthday Palooza Part 1

Two Years Already!

Pigs Didn't Fly...

Trip to Virginia

Catch up...

Help from Experienced Moms Please!

Pay it Forward

Special Delivery!

Almost Famous

Busting at the Seams!

Happy Anniversary!

Cheap Fun

Coffeemaker of My Dreams

Conner in the Kitchen

Victory!

Gettin' on the Potty Train

Good Buddies

Blogging Ding Dong

Oh No!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Christmas

Mamaw

Don't Hold Your Breath!

Be Still My Heart

Congratulations!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year!

Ah HA! Found it!

What in the world?

Here We Are!

Halloween '08

One Year Ago

A New Friend

Another Life Change

Reunion revisited

Fall Fun

Goofy Haircut #2

10 years!

New Background

Just look at this...

Some funnies!

Daddy's Boy

Happy Birthday!

A-Lotta-Lott