Proud Mama

I have THE sweetest 5 year old on the planet.

Today was the Christmas party on the BMT unit, and of course I wanted to go see everyone. It was so great to see how well everyone was doing, and celebrate the holidays with them. I have to give credit to all of my patients and their families....they make me want to be a better person, a better nurse. They help me to appreciate the small things, to not take time with my children for granted. I was so honored, and so proud, that I got to share my family with my patients, and my patients with my family.

On to why my baby Grace is so sweet. I told her last night that we were going to the party today. I wanted to prepare her for the fact that a lot of people would not have there hair, and some people may be wearing masks. That could be pretty scary for 5 year old. Well, not my five year old. She had a half day at school today since it was the last day before the holidays. They pretty much played all day. WELL, Grace decided to color and cut out hearts for "mommy's patients" She wanted to do something special since they are "sick". (Unfortunately, dumb ole mom left them at home.) But, she visited and chatted with everyone. Jack was a doll, and got his fair share of loving as well.

I forgot my camera, but I believe some other folks got some pictures, so I will try to share.

Also, sad day....my baby, baby is 8 weeks today, and I have exactly 9 days before I go back to work. I'm stressing.....

Going to the Chapel....

And they're FINALLY getting Married!!!!
YeA!
We are headed to Columbus tomorrow (if we don't get snowed in..haha) for the big wedding. My dear, dear friends Andrew and Sarah are finally getting married. After, oh, 10-12 years of dating. It goes all the way back to 7th grade, and I'm honored to say that I have been there through most of those years, and I will be there Saturday. I absolutely can not wait!!

Attempt at a Christmas Card...and more

So accurate!






We put up our Christmas decorations the other night, and I attempted to take a picture of the kiddos to use for a Christmas card....HAHAHAH!!! If Jack was behaving, Grace wasn't. Typical, huh? I did get some cute photos though. We had a good time together. This may be the last year that our tree is safe for many years.

We took LOTS of pictures, and Grace even snapped a few.....future photographer maybe?!? To bad her subjects look kind of rough.

Speaking of rough, Grace had a bout with the stomach bug last night....not pretty. She hasn't learned the art of aiming for surfaces other than the carpet. Poor baby. she is feeling much better today though. Needless to say , none of us got any sleep last night though. We're just praying Jack doesn't end up with it. Grace's biggest concern was missing school!


The next couple of photos are a little older, but they're sweet, and I thought you might enjoy.

She really was sound asleep in this picture. Jack was sleeping on the couch, and she curled up next to him and was OUT. She does this in the car too....lays her head on his carseat and zonks out!
Pray for us!!!!
To sweet.


Oh--I have a prayer request also, I am searing for a Mother's Day Out Program for Jack to attend a couple of days a week so I can catch up on my sleep (since I'll be working nights). It seems as though they are all September thru May programs (apparently you don't need child care in the summer). There is one that is year round, that is near our house. Currently they only have a Wednesday spot available. We were really hoping for a two day a week option, so we are praying hard that one wil come open.

Hope everyone has had a good week!

Giving Thanks....

First off, I know my banner is not center, and the picture is old....bear with me. I have NO pictures of the four of us, and I CANNOT CENTER MY PICTURE!! Help, please, someone!

Our Thanksgiving break was wonderful. We checked Grace out of school at lunch on Tuesday and headed to Columbus! We did a lot of hanging out with the family, and visiting a few of our favorite people. Nearly ALL of the Ellis' were in town (minus my sweet Jake and Meagan, Georgia and her babies, and Uncle Bernie). We had a great time visiting with them as well as all of my in-laws. It was a very relaxed Thanksgiving day (considering we had to be in three places). Grace LOVES being around family. She's got a lot of me in her, I'm all about family and traditions.
Most of my family got to meet Jack for the first time....it was wonderful.
These two are one in the same. Grace adores Daniel. That's another trait she got from her mother. I was sure for the longest time that I would marry him (and if we lived in East Tennessee, I probably would have :) ).

I also got some good quality time in with Ben and of course sweet Davie Ann. This is such a sweet picture of them that I couldn't help but share it. They decorated a gingerbread house with Grace, and we enjoyed sharing our love for MadGab with the rest of our family. Of course it will be hard to beat the "Gay twin sled" moment!


Jack got to hang out with Uncle Bud last week a good bit. Little JW really loves big JW!

It is no secret that my daughter is madly in love with Tyson Lee, nor is it that my husband would like for Jack to grow up and be QB1 at an SEC school. But, most importantly, I want my children to grow up with a heart like Tyson's. I won't go on and on....but what an amazing kid.....I hope I am half the mother his is to him.

There are a few other fun things that I did not get pictures of....like our visit with the Carters, and with Kristy and DeAnna. Wes and I have all ready spoken to Jesse and Delene about the arranged marriage between Jack and Abby. That girl is precious! And we LOVE baby Caleigh, even though she is all grown up. Kristy is half of my sanity. She loves my family nearly as mch as they love her. She is my strong person. I want to be like her one day.

Our Christmas decorations are up....but that is a post for another day.

Ready for a break.....

I know, I know. I've had a break for the past 4 weeks, but I'm still ready for a break. I am ready for Wes and Grace to have a break, to go HOME for 5 days, and just enjoy my family. I'm ready to sit around and visit with all of my family (minus Meagan, Jake and Jon). To love on and be loved on. To play with sweet baby Charlie. To eat LOTS of good food. To visit with dear friends. To hang out with my parents. To hang out with my brother. To show off my two beautiful children. To snuggle with my hubby in the town we fell in love in. I'm just ready.

It is so hard to believe that our sweet baby Jack is nearly a whole month old!! He's so big, and so sweet. We had to retire our 0-3 month footie pj's, because he just did not have enough room to stretch out in them. He couldn't straighten his poor little legs. So yes, our nearly one month old is now wearing 3-6 month pj's. So sad how quickly he is growing up. Soon I will be posting about him starting Kindergarten.

Speaking of Kindergarten...let's talk about my favorite kindergartner! THis has got to be one of my new favorite pictures. This is Grace the first time she saw Jack. Amazing isn't it?!?! The emotions that a five year old baby experience. She was so overwhelmed, so excited, a bit nervous, and so so so so in love at first sight. It was feelings both Wes and I experienced when we first saw Jack, first touched him.....but we we're both blown away when we watched Grace experience those same emotions. She is a perfect, perfect baby girl. I remember those same emotions the first time I saw her....and watching her, wow....I don't even know what to say. She is an amazing sister and daughter (Iknow you're tired of hearing this), but she has been perfect. No jealousy. Completely loving. Now, that may change when we go to Columbus for a week, but we'll see.

I am madly in love with my two babies.

I hope you've enjoyed the professional pictures...after looking at the pics I take, I'm lucky to have someone so good to take pictures of my babes!

As Promised

Follow the link to view our pictures.....we love them, and hope you enjoy them as well.

http://www.fairytalesandfireflies.com/pickpic/gallery/login.php

The password is 21122.

I need suggestions for which ones to order...so please give me some input on your favorites.

I got to go home yesterday.....to Columbus....for a whole 10 hours. It was a very productive visit though. I had to go babysit my precious nephew, Jake. He managed to get suspended from school for 2 days. Yes, that's right, my sweet little 17 month old nephew got suspended from school. For biting! Granted, he's been doing a lot of biting, but it seems rather silly to me. Maybe if I was the parent of the child being bit I would feel differently. It was nice to be home though, and I can't wait to go back next week for lots of days. I cannot wait to visit with all of the fam, minus my sweet Jake and Meagan, and maybe even see some friends as well. I think the four of us will benefit greatly from some grandparent/parent/aunt/uncle/cousin/friend loving. WE CAN"T WAIT!!!!

I have some fun pictures to post...and I will do that soon. I thought the link to the other pictures would keep you busy for a while (and I have to go cook supper).

Happy Wednesday to you all!

Big Week

****I will worn you in advance.....my pictures are not high quality this week. My digital camera is failing me this week. So, Jack's official 3 week picture is pretty terrible. No worries though, I took more with my "real" camera, they just won't be up today.****

Gracie-loo lost her two front teeth in the past week....she looks like a totally different child (again, sorry for the poor quality picture). She is so funny. It's sort of sad how quickly she is growing up. She also finished up soccer season. So sad. Good news is that we will be on the same team in the spring. We have all made so many friends through soccer, and we will be so sad when we start playing on an all girl team next fall.

Jack is good. Really big. We went for a check up Tuesday, he is 10lb 6oz and 23 1/4 inches long. The doctor said he is off the charts for his age, and is bigger than most 2 month olds. His hands are huge, so we've decided he will either be a quarterback, pitcher, or a piano player. Seriously, he's a big boy....but his hands are HUGE. He enjoys lying in his bed and talking to all of his stuffed animals. He just coos....it is so sweet. He is a very good baby, we have been so blessed.

I managed to get an infection this week called mastitis. I will spare the details....you can google it if you would like. It is HORRIBLE! Other than the localized paint hat was keeping me awake at night, I was running 102 degree fever, and had flu-like symptoms. AWFUL! Wes had to take off work two days, and my mom ended up coming over. Thank goodness for the two fo them, I don't know what I would have done without them. Also, thanks to Kristy for the awesome bubble bath she got me after JAck was born. I don't think I have ever taken so many baths. I am feeling much better though...I have 72 hours worth of antibiotics in me now.

Meagan and Jake came to see us last weekend.....I can't believe they are going to move him even further away from me. He's trying to say all of our names now. SO sweet, but he is deifnitely ALL BOY!!!!

I get to go out tonight for Sarah's bachelorette party. I am very excited, and so lucky to have a husband who wants me to get out of the house so he can have the babies to himself for a while. Then, Aunt Dana's going to watch them tomorrow night so we can watch the State/Bama game. No trash talking from me this year. However, I will certainly have my maroon on, and be the loudest one cheering....no matter what.

I must run...school's about to be out. I will try to get better pictures up soon!!
Have a great weekend!