Keeping up with Jenn & Nicholas

Big day today!

2011-08-05T22:32:00.005-05:00

This morning we went to school so Nicholas could meet his teachers for the year. He'll be going m-w-f and I think I'm inappropiately excited about school starting back. yes sireeeeee I'm not ashamed!
Then it was home to ride on our new big guy bike! This was a present for NO MORE DIAPERS!!! Below is the little sweetie in action.... well, he tries to be sweet.

This one's better....

Then I FINALLY took him to get a haircut! His hair was so long! So here's the after picture of my big guy.

Also, on the way home from the haircut and a little frozen yogurt with gummy bears we had a little discussion. This is how it went.

N: 'I have to pee'

Me: 'We are almost home, you'll just have to hold it'

N: 'If I hold the pee it will drip through my fingers'

At this point I almost wrecked the car from laughing.

Guess I should choose my wording more carefully.

Have a happy weekend!

hello again!!!!!

2011-08-01T00:00:00.013-05:00

Well, I'm trying this again. After a long blog break I'm going to try and see if I can start this again. First up, a weekend at Uncle Allen & Aunt Lissa's. Please know that these are two of N's most fav people in the world and he loves going to visit them! There is always something fun to see, ride, or discover at their house!

First up, picking blueberries.

Concentrating VERY hard driving the boat.

And... lovin' every minute of it! First time on the tube- yes, he does look a little hesitant... but let me just tell you- this guy is fearless. After about 30 seconds he was riding without holding on, it was rediculous. Actually, we fell off once... no, you don't get those lovely pictures... and he was super excited about that. See. Fun! 4-wheeler rides! SO. FUN. SUCH a fun weekend!!!!!!!

ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-16T08:47:00.003-06:00

Here is the video of the kids piling on the blow-up birthday cake. This was just part of the craziness! At one time I counted 7 kids on it at once. But I figure no bloody noses, no broken bones, no harm done! It's terrbile quality, but I'm thinking that you can get the drift.... I'm asking Santa for a new video camera this year!

Thanks to Ashley for stepping in and saving the little ones before they got squished!

I'm back...

2009-10-21T09:48:00.002-05:00

Recently I've been told by lots of folks that I hadn't updated the blog in a while. SO I went from lots of posts to zero... Well, this I can not explain. We've done lots of fun stuff in Aug and Sept, so lets just think of it as a blog vacation. Now We're back! Everything's great in our house and Nicholas turns 2 next month! I can't believe it. Here's a little video from this morning.... please note that I did NOT teach him this.... :) Shake Yo Booty!

Watch out for the fence!!!!!

2009-07-26T09:24:00.007-05:00

So I got a call from my friends at Centex and they said that they were going to try and stop the falling rock and the flooding that comes from the mountain behind my house. I think it's great, some of my neighbors absolutely do not. They are mad a hornets. I'd rather not have a child (mine or others) smashed by one of the huge rocks... here is the progression....

This is the wall while my fence was being put up.
This is yesterday at about 7 am. They had done this work late last week. Next thing I see when I look out my back window is this....

DO you SEE how close this is to my fence?!!?!??!

I had a panic attack....

THEN, this! Holy Moly! I was seriously praying that this didn't turn into a disaster...

They just kept getting closer and closer to my precious fence....

Nicholas kept a close eye on it for me. He was really excited! I was definitely not....

There will definitely be more updates when they start the next step. I'm hoping that it actually looks good when they get done.

video for laughs

2009-07-20T23:46:00.003-05:00

Nicholas and Gavin love dancin to mom's accordion! This is not the best video that I've gotten, but the other ones were really bad b/c I was laughing so hard the camera was shaking. ~~~~ let's just say that Nicholas got really excited and might have knocked Gavin across the room... enjoy!

a whole new world....

2009-07-05T15:32:00.004-05:00

Here's the fence! I love, love, love it! Isn't it the most beautiful thing ever??!!?!??!?!

Nicholas & Trigger didn't exactly know what to do!

Nicholas karate chopping the bird feeder.
Trigger didn't quite know what to do without his leash. He got the hang of it though!
No more leashes for us!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A FENCE.....

2009-07-01T15:44:00.004-05:00

Fence time! below you will see the poor guys that used a jack hammer for 6 1/2 hours and finally got all my posts up! It was so rocky back there that the owner and his wife showed up to help. I felt really bad when the grandma was out there mixing and pouring concrete! GEEZ!
Anyway, they are coming back here tomorrow to finish. I just thought that you might like to see our exciting progress!!!! YIPEE!!!

Favorite thing!!!

2009-06-29T14:25:00.006-05:00

They are starting on the houses across the street and Nicholas could not be more excited!!!
All I hear all day is "tractor, tractor, tractor!!!!!!"

Seattle... the short version....

2009-06-19T14:10:00.013-05:00

So here's the shortest version of the trip that I can manage. We had the best time! Seattle weather was awesome (so great that the air here took my breath away when we walked out of the airport). It was about 65-75 degrees and NO HUMIDITY!!! seriously, the difference was astounding...

Getting ready for the big take off! The first plane ride went ok. Nicholas had 1 and 1/2 meltdowns, but nothing to get us kicked out at 30,000 ft. The only other mishap was a little goldfish spill that left us with no more to eat.... not.good. But we made it!
Nicholas and Bruno meet! Note the cast on Bruno's leg, he broke his knee cap! The cast came off on Monday, but he's still pitiful :(

After we got to Andrea's we realized that Nicholas had a lot of energy to burn so she took us down to the beach. It's just a few seconds from their house and Nicholas loved the rocks!

**side note** this place was stinky!

Monday we went to Northwest Trek and saw lots of fun animals. The first part of the park was kinda like a normal zoo. It had cougars, wolves, coyotes, grizzly bears, black bears, all different kinds of owls, and bald eagles. (all animals native to the region). They were all in habitats, but there was a HUGE difference between this place and any other zoo we've been to- the animals were awake, running around and playing! And they were SOOOOO close! I mean about 5 feet away! It was crazy! The second part of the park was a tram ride through about 400 acres of open range. It was amazing. Right when we started the ride a bull caribou came charging at the tram! It was awesome! He ran about 6 inches by the tram! After that we saw bison, more caribou, mountain goats, and lots more! It was one of the coolest things I've ever done. The picture above is really how close we were to the animals-- NO ZOOM NEEDED!!

After Northwest Trek we went up mt. rainier. It was actually pretty fun, and Nicholas really loved playing in the snow. The highest point that you can get to is 5000 ft by car. It was such a pretty drive and we had to stop a few times on the way to take some fun pictures. a.k.a senior pictures... In this one, I became a tree hugger like the rest of those foreigners up there!

here's EC at the Seattle Aquarium. They have a area where you can touch starfish and other little creatures. Nicholas loved it! also- they had a little tank with Nemo, his dad, and Dory. Andrea and I were super excited about that tank... Nicholas not so impressed!

This is the huge octopus that was in one of the tanks. It was really active and gave us a good show.

Nicholas the jellyfish.

Scuba diver and an eel!!

This pig is at the Pike Place market. There's a rumor that rubbing the nose of the piggy gives you good luck. . . rub Nicholas rub!

Emma Claire during her photo shoot with me. Seriously, she's so sweet and cute I could eat her up!!

Nicholas and Bruno wrestling. They both loved it!

1st trip to the movies!

2009-06-09T16:32:00.006-05:00

Today Nicholas & I went to the free movies in Hendersonville with Julie, Kinsey, & Caden. They were angels... Nicholas, however, was unimpressed with the movie. So we spent our time like this:::

Water fountains... fun.

Race cars... super fun!

So, all in all, it was a good time. I recommend it to anyone with small kids.

What's better than a free movie?

Eating some watermelon... sort of....

2009-06-09T16:22:00.008-05:00

Just hanging out outside eating watermelon and blowing bubbles...

and climbing on chairs....

Ssssshhhhhhhhhhhh.....

he doesn't understand "one piece at a time"

bowls are tricky.

I'm guessing that this means that the photo shoot is over.

Very subtle.......

1st trip to our pool!!!

2009-06-03T16:46:00.009-05:00

Today was our first trip to the pool in the neighborhood. Kinsey, Caden, Cole, & Clayton came over and we all jumped in (the VERY VERY VERY cold) water. I can see that there will be lots of fun times to be had at the pool this year!

Nicholas' first close up look at the fun! (I'm thinking that he liked it!)

Cole hitting the slide!

Nicholas and Clayton

Miss Kinsey having a snack.

Nicholas having a snack!
Caden having a cracker 'hamburger'

Bec and her boys!

Visit from Gavin and Graham

2009-06-01T21:26:00.009-05:00

Last week Gavin & Graham came in town. Nicholas had SO much fun playing with them. Here are some of the pictures from the visit.

Hanging out at Grandma Shuff's house.
Playing at the playground in a tunnel.

At mammo's exclusive pool.

Just hanging out reading.

So sweet with Shuffie!

Cage match at Shuffie's... Willie was the ref. I'm not sure who won!

Gavin (almost 2 years!) & Graham (almost 4 months!)

2 little sweeties!

AND...... we're back!

2009-05-30T22:36:00.002-05:00

Today Nicholas and I took a little trip to Wolf Camera to try and get my camera fixed. Of course, the damn thing started working as soon as we walked in the door. Either that or cousin Andrew had magical powers. Anyway, camera fixed. Evidence below! YEAH!

Congrats Eric & Mary!!!

2009-05-30T22:17:00.007-05:00

Last Sat night was Eric and Mary's wedding. It was beautiful and we all had SOOOO much fun!
Congrats to the newlyweds!!!!

here is a pic of the cups from the wedding. So fun... shortly after this my camera quit working.... AAAAHHHHH!!!!

planting a tree can't be that hard.....

2009-05-18T15:17:00.006-05:00

So today was our big tree planting day. Melinda had grown me a little tree from a tiny twig at her house and brought it over last week. So, since the 40 days & nights of rain decided to stop~
it's tree planting day! I thought that it was kinda fishy that no one else had really planted any trees in their backyards, but oh do I get it now. ROCK. I mean big thick rock is about 8 inches down. I hit the rock and didn't exactly know what to do. I was gonna move my spot, but I was mad that I had already torn up my sod in that spot so I dug on. It took a while, but we did it! Here's the proof!

my big helper
Success! Thanks Melinda! Now let's just see if I can keep it alive....

Next~ mow the yard.....

Nicholas LOVES mowing the yard!

If anyone needs a good yard mower I've got one!

You provide the snacks and juice and we'll be there!

1st trip to the zoo!

2009-05-15T13:22:00.013-05:00

Tuesday Andrea and I took Nicholas and Emma Claire to the zoo. It was a little scary when we pulled up and saw just about every available school bus in a three county area in the parking lot, but we made it through! It was a blast!

Nicholas relaxing on the was to the zoo!
Nicholas and I in the bamboo area.

This could me seen as mean, but look at the little guys mullet.... I'm not sure why these lovely haircuts make me laugh, but this one was GOOD.

Emma Claire having a super fun time!

Chillin' in the bamboo.

the petting zoo was a huge hit!

let me explain this picture~

This is the exit of the bird area where the birds fly around your head and you can feed them nectar. After you exit they have this super area to wash your hands. To the right of Nicholas is 2 birds that have water that comes out their mouth to wash your hands. (he, of course, loved it) Then you walk over to where he is where the dryers are. They are super cute too, but I found it a little weird that the hot air comes out their butt. I mean, seriously, how did someone not see this as a little strange....

Us and the giraffes.

Nicholas & Andrea with the elephants.

SO much fun at the zoo!

Visitors!!!!

2009-05-15T13:17:00.005-05:00

Chillin' waiting on Nicholas to wake up
Nicholas was REALLY excited to see Emma Claire!

AND, she was excited to see him!

Andrea & her sweetie!

Watching Seacrest and the Idols.....

2009-05-15T13:15:00.002-05:00

I could set the house on fire and he wouldn't notice...

Playin'

2009-05-15T13:13:00.004-05:00

Just hangin' out in a basket...

Thurs to Tues.... whew!

2009-04-29T14:04:00.012-05:00

SOOOO ~~~ made it through the biggest weekend! Friday Annie, Shannon and Andrew came into town. After a yummy dinner on Friday night Andrew ran the half marathon on Sat morning. Shannon, Annie and I were on site to cheer his crazy ass on... Congrats Andrew!

Andrew and Shannon post run~~ smiling among the smelliest people ever!
Then it was on to Robert Earl Keen, Jason Mraz, and Dave Matthews Band!
This is Jason Mraz. I've never thought of myself a Mraz fan, but I do now. He was great and VERY entertaining.

Here are the other runners! Erika and Jeremy ran the half too! They looked really sad when they saw all the stairs they had to climb to get to the seats... ha!

Congrats to you both for running!

Annie & I getting ready for Dave!

Happy 30th !!!!

Mr. Dave Matthews!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUCH A GREAT SHOW!

I heart him...

Annie, Shannon & I ~ I'm thinking that this is pre-air violin preformance by Shannon!

SO FUN!

THEN>>>>>> on Monday.......

Emma Claire is here!

Nicholas loves her! Seriously~ hugs all over her all the time. It's too cute!

So, EC was a little pissed at the time of this pic, but seriously, look at that freakin' outfit! How could I resist?????

Egg hunting video...

2009-04-12T15:56:00.004-05:00

Beware that you should mute this... I apparently took a Southern pill this morning. geez.

Note to self... don't talk when recording..... :)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T15:05:00.008-05:00

Happy Easter!

The Easter bunny was so nice this year!
Nicholas got a recorder. Of course, I immediately took it and played some songs... thank goodness for 4th grade music class!

Egg huntin'

Happy Easter from the Menace & me!

What to do????

2009-04-08T14:04:00.003-05:00

SOOOOO~~~~ check these pics out. Why in the world is my yard green and no one elses? Anyone got any great ideas? I'm just not sure what to do...... They put in sod when I moved in and now this.....

R.I.P. - Clyde E Bear

2009-03-31T14:06:00.004-05:00

Clyde E Bear Graham- born Jan 1999 died Mar 31, 2009. Survived by loving mom Jennifer, brothers Kenzie, Trigger and Nicholas, step-sisters Sophie and Annie, uncle and aunt Eric and Annie Buehner, previous roomie Erika, and loving second momma Andrea Darko.

Clyde and his brother came to us in Kentucky from Ohio. He lived with me in 2 states and called 7 different houses home. He loved sunbathing and getting petted. Two of his greatest loves were eating and wrestling with his brother. Clyde enjoyed playing with others and taking naps with Andrea. He loved all of his family and will be truly missed by all that survive him.

On a personal note, Clyde has helped me through all things good and bad in my adult life and I hope that he is happy playing with the catnip toys in the sky. He was a loving, snuggly, adorable cat that helped me get by with loving kisses and soothing purrs. Bless your heart my sweet sweet angel. You will be missed. my love always.

1st hair cut!

2009-03-17T13:25:00.005-05:00

Whew! Haircut done, sweet curls swept away....

one side done... then he freaked. So of course, I took pics instead of helping. Then the sucker came from the lovely lady cutting hair beside us and POOF!!! Finished!
What a big boy!

Happy St. Patty's Day

2009-03-17T13:12:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patty's Day from Nicholas McKinnon!

My little Irish man!

Uncle Bobby & Aunt Betty's 60th wedding anniversay

2009-03-17T12:44:00.008-05:00

Last Saturday Nicholas and I had the great pleasure of taking a road trip to Erin, TN to go to the 60th wedding anniversary of Uncle Bobby & Aunt Betty. 60th years.... can you believe it? That's a long time. Anywho, it was really sweet and they were surprised and really happy to see everyone.
If you are not familiar with Erin, it is the home of the TN Irish. It is everything Irish.

Here is the Wikipedia entry for Erin-Go-Bragh for your St. Patty's Day learning:::

"Speakers of the Irish language assume that the phrase is a corruption of the Irish "Éire go brách", or "Éirinn go Brách", which would be pronounced [ˈeːrʲə gə brɑːx]. The term "brách" is equivalent to "eternity" or "end of time", meaning the phrase may be translated literally as: "Ireland until eternity" or "Ireland until the end (of time)". The form "Éirinn go bráth" or "Éire go bráth" which also means "Ireland forever" or literally "Ireland until the Day of Judgment", is also used in Irish."

Long live little Erin, TN!!!!

Nicholas having his first Krystal on the way... well, really he only had fries and some bread... but it's the box that matters!
mr. nicholas mckinnon~~ the little Irish man.

Grandma Shuff and cousin Amber.

Grandma Shuff and Nicholas with Great Uncle Bobby.

Grandma and her brother discussin' things...

Congratualtions Betty & Bobby!

Sweet Emma Claire!

2009-03-17T12:35:00.005-05:00

Why I love Portrait Innovations...

2009-03-17T12:32:00.004-05:00

Nicholas and Emma Claire got their pics taken while EC was visiting and these are all the picutres! I mean, seriously. That's a LOT of pictures and they were all less than $300!!!!

It's the best deal~~~

Playin' with Shuffie

2009-03-17T12:27:00.001-05:00

Chillin' with Shuffie and Willie

Sharin' with Shuffie

2009-03-06T09:52:00.002-06:00

visitors...

2009-02-20T22:11:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Julie and Steph came for a visit. We were all SO happy to see Julie~~ it's been too long!

Today Sarah brought Michael over to play. He's too freakin' cute!
please excuse Trigger... cameras make him nervous!

Yes, it's the cutest!

2009-02-16T13:17:00.003-06:00

How cute is this!!!!!?!!?!?!?!?

Apparently, Emma Claire and Bruno are getting along rather well!

walmart....no time for a nap!

2009-02-04T22:33:00.005-06:00

Today Nicholas and I had to get up early and go to work for a meeting. After this we went to Grandma Shuff's. We took shuffie with us to walmart. After we were about half way through the groceries this is what I saw....
Such a sleepy menace. I then looked down at my phone to check this pic and THIS is what I looked up and saw!

Po' thang
For the record... (just so DCS stays away from my door) I then took him out of the cart and we found he and Shuffie a place to sit (after she got a sandwich). This is the sight that I saw after walking back over from the diaper isle.

LOOK AT HIM!!!! Notice the shirt.

just f.y.i. we made it out of walmart alive and in one piece.

Meet Emma Claire Darko

2009-01-29T18:43:00.003-06:00

Emma Claire was born today at 1:06p.m. (pacific time) She weighed 8 pounds, 14 oz. She is 19 inches long and has TONS of dark hair.

2009-01-28T21:24:00.001-06:00

Read the sign on the pole.... this is one of the MANY reasons that I love Seattle...
This is a busy street and to the left is a mall. Does this mean that you can race between 5am and 10pm WITH attendance? Hilarious!

Trigger and Nicholas

2009-01-25T14:41:00.002-06:00

Poor Trigger!

You say... "Jennifer why don't you have any money???"

2009-01-20T17:32:00.003-06:00

Today I got the piece of furniture that broke the bank, but I'll have to say....

I FREAKIN" LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

BEFORE.........

AFTER......

There's a shelf that goes across the top and one that goes over the TV, but alas, back-order strikes again... so this is it.......... for now!
awesome....

this is a test.

2009-01-18T13:27:00.002-06:00

trying something new. hold on tight..

Caden's Birthday!

2009-01-12T21:47:00.006-06:00

Saturday was Caden's birthday party and Nicholas had SOOO much fun!

Happy Birthday Caden!

Passey in to keep Nicholas from chewing on others....
Pin the tail on the donkey.

About 2 seconds after this pic he tackled the donkey.... I'm sure that he almost popped the thing.

this is what i'm talking about...

2009-01-04T21:15:00.002-06:00

So we're having a little issue with our clothes. Note the belly below...
Now see this. The shirt doesn't cover his belly ~~~~ and the pants are rolled up about 4-5 inches.... hilarious!

funnies....

2009-01-04T21:05:00.007-06:00

I looked over yesterday and Nicholas was using one of his stacking cups as a koozie....

So PROUD!

He had a little milk spill. When I started to clean it up he took the napkin from me and did it himself... sort of....

As you can see the milk was almost where he was putting the napkin.

No worries though, as you can see in the backround Trigs was lickin' his chops waiting to get to that milk!

Advice for life....

2009-01-03T16:01:00.003-06:00

This is my advice for you.... buy yourself a Christmas present every year... This is mine for this year. A 47 inch LG tv! I just got it today and I love love love it! Thanks to Andy for helping me pick it out! Now I just have to get furniture to put it on.....

Christmas Eve

2008-12-30T21:57:00.003-06:00

Hangin' out on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T17:52:00.006-06:00

Christmas was a BIG hit. We had a great time and Santa was GOOD to us!

Sweet Gavin with a bright red nose! Nicholas didn't like it quite as much.....

Later, he was feelin' better!

Sharin' cheese puffs.

Hope that everyone had as great a Christmas as us!

Santa and the train

2008-12-17T14:15:00.009-06:00

Yesterday was the big santa visit. This picture is right before I got yelled at for trying to get a picture with Santa with my camera! Last year we went to Cool Springs... they were MUCH nicer, but whatev. Nicholas cried and I had to hold him and sit by Santa so I guess it didn't really matter!

After the trama of Santa I decided that Nicholas needed to go on his first train ride. (cash only... what a sham!) But he liked it, so it was cool.

Me waving for help on our millionth time around the track. I didn't think that I was ever gonna get out of that sweat box.

After our ride!

1 minute!

2008-12-16T19:13:00.004-06:00

I was unloading the dishwasher this morning and had my back to Nicholas for 1 MINUTE; I turned around and THIS is what I saw!!!!

Gavin visit!

2008-12-16T13:32:00.007-06:00

This past weekend we went to Louisville for Jackson's b-day and made it over to Ashley and Joey's house. Nicholas and Gavin had a BIG time! By the way~~~ Nicholas only tried to bite Gavin about 4 times and only knocked him down twice.... a new low!

Playin the drum with Abby

Watchin' the UK game with Joey.
C.A.T.S. cats ... cats.... cats.....

Abby and Nicholas were worn out when we left!

Christmas cards.

2008-12-07T06:51:00.009-06:00

Yesterday Nicholas had a photo shoot to attepmt to get a pic worthy of the yearly Christmas card... it was a struggle, but I think that we got the one that we needed so here are some of the losers....

our one chance with Trigger.....

This was first runner up....

2nd runner-up

done......

Mornin' from Nicholas!

2008-12-02T08:26:00.002-06:00

Nicholas was wondering if his hair was messed up.....

I say "scrunch your nose" and this is what I get! Hilarious!

Christmas tree. . .

2008-11-30T22:11:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Bethany, Andrea, Nicholas, and I put up our Christmas tree. It went well... Nicholas was a BIG help, therefore a few of my special ornaments just didn't make the cut this year. For some reason I felt like they were in jeopardy. . .They are in a box waiting for a safer Christmas :)

Andrea's shower

2008-11-30T22:05:00.008-06:00

Andrea's visit

2008-11-30T21:55:00.004-06:00

Andrea and Brian came to visit for Thanksgiving. It'll be the last time they come until Emma Claire shows up in a few weeks! ~~~ sooooo excited!!!!!!~~~~~~~ and sure enough, they brought gifts!

Nicholas got a 'live elmo'. It's super fun!

and a four wheeler... it'll be good for my walls! Nicholas loves it!

Nicholas says thanks to Andrea & Brian for all his fun stuff!!!!!

Visit from Ryan!

2008-11-30T21:51:00.003-06:00

playin' a little ball with Ryan.

Ducky cake!

2008-11-30T21:46:00.003-06:00

Delicious!
clean up crew!

1 year MD appt

2008-11-30T21:39:00.003-06:00

Happy to report that the appt went great... not counting the screaming after the shots ~~ OUCH! 5 shots! Nicholas is weighing in a 24 lbs, 5 oz of cuteness......

I'm Back!

2008-11-30T20:50:00.011-06:00

Well I've been a little behind ~~~ ok- a lot~~~ so here's an update about what's going on in the lives of jenn and nicholas.....

Nicholas giving his birthday cake a hug!

Nicholas and Michelle at his party!

All the helpers opening the presents... it was interesting!Lovin' the cake!

Awesome dump truck from Erika & Jeremy!

Nicholas giving Jackson a ride!

Pic from Erika's wedding

2008-11-04T20:58:00.000-06:00

Vandy / Auburn Tailgate

2008-11-02T21:52:00.005-06:00

These are a couple of pictures from bethany's fab VU/AU taligate.

still to come...

2008-11-02T11:01:00.001-06:00

Erika's bachelorette party, Erika's wedding, Moving in to the new house, and halloween. Plus some other fun stuff, but BOO I have to go get some stuff done.
More to come!

Andrew and Shannon's fab wedding.

2008-11-02T10:47:00.009-06:00

I had SO much fun at the wedding in Baton Rouge. I got to leave town the day after I closed on the Wyoming house so it was a great little vacation and SO much fun! Congrats to Shannon and Andrew!!

Amanda, Me and the bride after the rehersal dinner.
The three amigos,~ Todd, Andrew, and David~ and me. I know that it doesn't look like it, but I'm sure that David was about to push me out of this picture.

The yummy candy table at the reception.
See this look.... I've gotten it about 7,000 times.

The reception.

Andrew looks like he's running for office.... "Smith for mayor!!!"

Cuttin' a rug....

The menace eating his mac & cheese and green beans.

2008-11-02T10:40:00.008-06:00

Clean up crew....

I'M BACK ONLINE!!!!!!!!

2008-11-02T10:28:00.005-06:00

So I'm starting the update while I'm unpacking the new house, but it starts with packing up the old house. . .

JD pointing the way to the new house....

JD and Jeremy trying to figure out the puzzle... or POD, whichever you choose to call it. This table got moved about 9 times.

Mary & Eric came in on day #2, POD #2. It was a long day. I will definitely dance at their wedding!

Nicholas being such a great helper.

This is how Andy said by to the house... he rode my bike thru it.

This is a shout out thank you to all of you that helped me. I will be thankful for all of you forever! BUT, when you move, I'll start the pool for the moving company!

YIPEE!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-17T21:53:00.002-05:00

I KNOW that I keep saying that I'm gonna get the pics from the past month up on the computer, but today is not the day~~~~~
Today is NEW HOUSE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally got the key to the house about 5:30 today! I am so ready to get in there and make it home!
Seriously, new pics soon. Promise, Promise.
Have a great weekend!

house update #1,000,000

2008-10-07T13:30:00.002-05:00

Today was the walk through on the new house! It went really well. There are few things that they have to fix and a few paint spots and then IT"S ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!!!! YIPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to Douglas for being my inside spy and helping me with the walk through, it's going to be great!!! !
New pics soon.

TOO BIG!

2008-10-06T08:39:00.002-05:00

Since I don't have my computer right now I've turned to my phone to update you on Nicholas and his messes.... This pic is from last night. When I wasn't looking he crawled in this chair and had a great time! I'm shocked that he didn't make the chair hit the floor.

I will put more on here as soon as I can get some wireless!

Tomorrow is the big walk through for the new house. If all goes well I'll be closing next Wed! !! !

Can't wait!

well, well, well

2008-10-04T20:50:00.002-05:00

Although there is much to be updated on~~~ The only thing that I have to say tonight is......
GO DORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew!

2008-09-24T22:55:00.002-05:00

Ok~ So I closed on the Nashville house today. Nicholas and I are officially homeless and living with mom for about 3 weeks. Thanks to the GENEROUS help of many many many people I got all our stuff (some would call it junk) into 2 pods, mom's extra room, and Melinda's basement. Lord help me.
I will get pics up here as soon as I can connect to wireless. Mom doesn't have it so I am a little backed up there. The following pics are to come....
1. My birthday party.
2. Erika's bachelorette party... those are GOOD!
3. Moving in all it's glory.
Tomorrow I'm flying to Baton Rouge to go to Andrew and Shannon's wedding. It'll be SO much fun, pics will be available ASAP for sure.
So let the countdown begin. 3 weeks that mom and I have to keep sharp objects away from ourselves and each other..... keep your fingers crossed!
Hope that everyone has a great weekend!

The Fabulous Tina Fey!

2008-09-16T13:22:00.003-05:00

I am a fan of the gun toting Sarah Palin and this is still the funniest thing I've seen in quite a while! I hope that it downloads for you. If not, http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/ will get you there. Enjoy!

House update....

2008-09-09T22:09:00.006-05:00

Today Nicholas and I made a quick run out to the house to see what was up and we found counter tops, cabinets, and many other exciting things. Here are a few pics.

Abby's first game!

2008-09-09T12:01:00.003-05:00

Saturday was Abby's first game to cheer! How freakin' cute is she????

Hugs to you abby! You're my favorite girl!!!!

Whew. . . 30

2008-09-09T11:48:00.008-05:00

So, after cakes, cupcakes, cards, and presents, my birthday is over. Very sad. It was a great one!

GO TITANS!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-07T17:07:00.002-05:00

Pet Detective...

2008-09-06T21:41:00.003-05:00

Today, after taking about 8 bags of my stuff to the goodwill, Brittany and I saw this on the way home. . .
If you can not tell what is going on in this picture~ it says 'Lost Cat - black with white whiskers - call the Pet Detective' and then there is a lovely picture of the cat. The picture looks like one that a little first grader drew. It even had the little triangle ears! What's even more hilarious about this is that these signs are on both sides of the van too! HILARIOUS! I went to the web site~ who couldn't~ and this guy seems like he's much better than Jim Carrey!
Thanks to Brittany for expert driving that got us close enough to get this great picture!

First Oreo!!!!!

2008-09-05T23:00:00.006-05:00

Big day---- Nicholas got to eat his first Oreo today.

He L~O~V~E~D~ it!!

Next House Update

2008-09-05T22:48:00.003-05:00

So the house inspection was Tuesday. It actually went really well. I have to have a couple of things fixed, but they are minor and should be fixed easily. So with that, the closing date for the Wyoming house is the 24th of Sept. Yes, that's just a little more than 2 weeks away!

Now the fun part starts~~~ packing~~~~ I seem to be what people call a pack rat. I've got stuff tucked away just about everywhere. Today my pod was delivered... It's NO WAY big enough for all my worldly belongings, but we're gonna give it a good effort. Today Rachael and Stephanie came over and we actually got a lot done. ((( Thanks girls)))

I'll def keep you updated! It should be quite entertaining! (much like an 'I love Lucy' re-run)

House update....

2008-09-01T13:55:00.006-05:00

Deep Breath~~~ Ok, so here's the house update for last week. I have a contract on my house. The inspection for my wyoming house is tomorrow, 9/2/08... I'm so freakin' terrified! Hopefully it will go well and then I can be excited, but until then. I'm not exhaling....

The new house is coming along. Closing date set for Oct. 15th. Holy Moly!
Nicholas' first trip in the house. This is the living room. The area directly behind him is the kitchen and it looks out into the breakfast area.

I think that he's excited!

This is looking into the backyard from where the kitchen sink will be.

This is the bonus room up stairs. It's BIG!!!!!

Short Visit from cousin Gavin!

2008-09-01T13:45:00.006-05:00

My grandma Shuff was in the hospital last week (she's MUCH better!) so Ashley and Gavin got to stop in for a quick visit. I'm mean, quick. They got here on Wednesday and stayed at my house, but by the time that I got home from work they were asleep. SO I didn't get to see them but Nicholas did! I was so excited to see that there were pictures though!

Matching pj's!

Playing in the tub!

Rachael this one's for you.

2008-08-24T21:26:00.004-05:00

So, one of my friends, whom will remain nameless.... see title.... loves loves loves the baby shower cakes with the naked babies on them. I, however, don't get this, but for my shower at work I received a cake with naked babies on it. And, of course, I saved the little scary things. Now, they seem to be a big hit with Nicholas. He likes to chew on their heads... thanks Rach, for making my menace a cannibal.

Sippy cups & puffs

2008-08-24T21:07:00.010-05:00

Nicholas has been really practicing hard on using his sippy cup like a big boy. Today I gave him those little puffs for the first time. He seemed to really like them. Such a big boy!

Sometimes he gets a little twisted...

This face doesn't really show how much he liked these little things....

Animal Rescue

2008-08-23T15:56:00.002-05:00

Hi, all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple... Please tell ten
friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble
getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of
getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.
It takes less than a minute (How about 20 seconds) to go to their site
and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals' for free. This
doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the
number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals
in exchange for advertising.

> > Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Please pass this on to all!

Funniest thing I've seen in a while.

2008-08-19T21:46:00.002-05:00

This, my friends, is why I put up with watching meredith....

Rockin' out!

2008-08-13T17:06:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Nicholas and I went to visit Andy at his studio.
I'm thinking that he might be a rockstar in training.....
Lord help me.....

Emmy's wedding weekend.

2008-08-11T22:06:00.010-05:00

It was off to Kentucky for Nicholas and I this past weekend. Andrea's little sis got married and Nicholas and I got to go for a visit. Andrea and Brian were in town so we all got to hang out all weekend. It was really really good to see them!

Congrats Emmy & Chesley!

Andrea and Nicholas at the rehersal dinner

Nicholas taking a nap in the car before the wedding.

Nicholas and Andrea at the reception.

Nicholas and Emmy at the reception.

My big guy~~~~~

2008-08-05T10:13:00.002-05:00

House update

2008-08-05T10:08:00.003-05:00

Here's the latest on the house. Sorry it's so dark. I got out there kinda late. The bricks are almost all on. . . must.... sell... house..... jeez....

catching up.

2008-07-29T08:46:00.004-05:00

I've gotten behind in my pics so here is the latest.

Nicholas and Melinda playing Guitar Hero. Does this make him her 'band-aid'?
Nicholas seems to want to chew on Gavin....

The boys playing together.

It was a good weekend.

And the boring people of the world said....

2008-07-29T08:24:00.004-05:00

let there be light.....

So in trying to sell my house many of the realtors have commented on the dark color in my dining room (which I loved). Because I'm SOOOO tired of hearing that people can't look past color and see the room I decided to paint. The color is the most boring I could find ~ drifting dune~ I waited until Nicholas went to sleep last night and then stayed up until 3 to get this boring color on the wall. So here is a before and after....

House update

2008-07-22T16:42:00.002-05:00

Well, the house seems to be coming along pretty fast. They are starting on the roofing this week along with the plumbing and maybe even bricks.... no offers on the sylvan park house yet, but people are looking almost every day. Keep your fingers crossed!

hanging out

2008-07-22T16:36:00.006-05:00

Couple of pics of Nicholas hanging out....

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-15T12:39:00.003-05:00

OK~~~~ So, here's the house update... I'm not gonna lie- when I drove up to this I had chest pain.... I was defiantely not expecting to see a HOUSE!!!! Holy Moly... anyone want to buy a house in Sylvan Park!!??!?!?!??!?!? Deadline for sale.... end of Sept....

Grandma Shuff's new friend!

2008-07-15T12:29:00.004-05:00

This weekend Shuffie got a little present from Melissa. A new schnauzer puppy! His registered name is Willim Whitefoot. Grandma will be calling him Willie ... i think... maybe billie... either way, he's such a little cutie! The best part about it is that Trigs has a new best bud!

Lounging at the lake.

2008-07-15T11:39:00.006-05:00

Nicholas and Maverick

2008-07-09T22:34:00.009-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Nicholas went to Aunt Carol's for a little bit while Mammo went to run some errands. These are the pics that Carol took. (THANKS CAROL!)

I think that Nicholas has a new friend!

This is quite interesting. . .

2008-07-08T20:53:00.002-05:00

Check this out. It's the craziest/funniest thing I've seen in a long while. It might take a second to show up but you should watch it. Apparently, the Korean Baseball league prohibits punches from being thrown and you must instead hop on one foot and bump with your knee.

July 4th... fireworks part 2.

2008-07-04T23:38:00.011-05:00

Tonight we went to Erika's for a cookout. We ate burgers and then walked down the street to see the fireworks downtown.It was lots of fun and the food was yummy too!

Erika was tons of help when the grill was trying to ruin our burgers!

Pj's from Annie were the perfect outfit!

Fireworks at the Dixon's Farm

2008-07-02T23:37:00.015-05:00

Tonight Brittany, Nicholas, and I went to the Dixon's farm for bonfire and fireworks extravaganza. It was too fun! Nicholas had a great time and wasn't scared of the noisy fireworks at all! So proud!

Nicholas at his first bonfire!

Loaded up in the goat with all the explosives!

We rode in the goat out to one of the big fields.

Biggest fire I've ever seen! I think that the flames were 40 feet in the air!

Steph in front of the fire!

One of the big fireworks!

Getting sleepy...

Dr. D and Jan watchin the festivities!

One of the biggies....

One Bad Mother..... yes it was.

So we came home smelling of bug spray and diesel fuel, but tick free.... so it was a great night!

1st tooth!

2008-07-02T17:20:00.006-05:00

Ok folks! It's here! Nicholas has one tiny tooth breaking through! Believe me this took many many pictures to capture. You have to look really closely to see it but it's there!!!!