Keeping Up with the Joneses

Birthday Fun!

2012-01-21T11:49:00.001-08:00

The birthday party was a success! Though we had an early morning (AW woke up ready to go at 5:45!), she seemed to have a great time!! We had her birthday party with our good friend Copeland Holley whose birthday is just 10 days before hers. It was at Wee Flip Gym which is a kids' gym in Vestavia. It was great in that they took care of everything-invitations, decoration, favors, and food-so all we had to do was show up! The main events for AW were the cupcakes and getting to take a balloon home. She also played on the equipment and loved the parachute games!

Copeland, his sister Ellie, and AW before the party started

Her favorite activity-the ball pit

Jumping on the trampoline

There is also a new post below about Christmas/New Years!

New Year

2012-01-20T11:50:00.001-08:00

We had a busy and wonderful Christmas starting with Christmas Eve morning at our house. We did Christmas with my parents that afternoon, went to a candlelight service at Trinity, and had a feast at the Jones for dinner. Christmas morning we opened presents at the Jones and then headed to Opp for lunch with one grandmother and dinner with the other. Whew, it is crazy but so great to spend time with our families! Then we rang in the New Year at the best possible place-the beach! The Jones graciously took us all to the beach for a long weekend. I'm thinking we should make that a tradition :) AW loved playing in the sand, especially with a daddy and 2 kind uncles there to entertain her. Next up, AW's 3rd birthday party tomorrow!

All our presents loaded up to take to Montgomery

New basketball goal from Santa

Coming down the stairs Christmas morning!

Santa brought AW this Tigger and the new Winnie the Pooh movie. We probably watched it 10 times that weekend!

Don't you just love those blond curls coming out of the hat??

Loving being at my favorite place in the world-the beach!!!

Holes are so fun-thanks Uncle Rich!

AW modeling her wings and 2 bows (her new thing) and playing with Mommy's Christmas gift-a keyboard! I took piano for 6 years growing up and have really wanted to get back into it. So I am now in business with a keyboard and headphones so I can play during naptime. It is super relaxing, and I am loving it! Thanks Mom and Dad!!!
We finally got fed up with the paci-she was begging for it more than ever!- so one Sunday morning after church we went to Toys R Us and let her pick out a toy to sleep with instead of the paci. Her dad may have influenced her choice on this huge elephant (the National Championship game was the next day though he says that had nothing to do with it). It has been a bit rocky but overall the transition has gone much better than I expected-I am so thankful! Now when the new baby comes and pacis are back in sight it may be a different story. AW has also done great with potty training-such a big girl!

Christmas Slacker

2011-12-19T11:10:00.001-08:00

So yes, I was a total slacker this year and did not do Christmas cards. I thought a birth announcement coming out early March might be close enough, but I have a had a few friends tell me otherwise. I just want to make sure everyone knows that you were not dissed by the Jones this year! Thank you for all the beautiful Christmas cards we have received, and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Happenings

2011-12-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things we have enjoyed doing lately . . . making (and eating!) Christmas cookies

Getting all bundled up to go to our church's Walk Through Nativity

And even visiting Santa! Anne Wesley told him she wanted a dog for Christmas!

We have really enjoyed watching Christmas movies like Curious George's Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Max Lucado's A Fruitcake Christmas. AW also told me she got to be Mary during Sunday school (I guess they acted out the manager scene). Next up our Sunday School Christmas party and AW's Christmas party at school. She is definitely much more excited this year about Christmas and LOVES our tree!

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving spent at the farm! The weekend before we went ahead and put up our Christmas decorations. AW loved playing with my Snow Village, but after 3 or 4 casualties I had to put a lot of it up.

We also got to meet my Aunt Beth and cousin Jason and his family at the McWane Center for a little family time the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Anne Wesley had a great time at the farm-running in the fields, playing in the dirt, watching the adults play corn hole, playing basketball, and riding the Ranger.

We had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, and then Steve did a shrimp boil on Friday that was so tasty!

As always, Steve and I watched the Iron Bowl at separate locations on Saturday, and then we headed back to Birmingham on Sunday. It was a fun time with family and great food. Now time for Christmas!!!!

A few things we've been up to . . .

2011-11-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

We took AW to the Galleria to try out the Carousel-it was a big hit!

Showing off her headgear she made at school

Awful expression I know but cute outfit! Thanks PatPat and Papa!!

Now we are really looking forward to Thanksgiving-spending time with family and fried turkey!!! We have so very much to be thankful for this year and every year!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Quick Poll

2011-10-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

So we have a list of names we are considering for Baby Jones #2. I thought it might be fun to see what everyone thought! Hence the poll on the right side of the screen. I guess you can just click to vote-I hope it works; I have never tried one of these before. A few notes: Lucy is just a name I like a lot and like how it sounds with Anne Wesley; it would probably be Lucy Gray Jones. Evie would be pronounced with a soft e and be for my Dad whose name is Everett. The full name would probably be Evie Elizabeth. This is AW's favorite choice, and she already says her sister's name is Evie. My middle name is Elizabeth so Betsy would come from that, and the full name would be Elizabeth Gray Jones. Gray is Steve's grandmother's middle name and just a name we have always wanted to use. I would love to know what you all think!

Well We Were . . .

2011-10-04T09:18:00.001-07:00

Right! AW will be getting a little sister in March. She definitely wanted a sister so I hope when she actually gets here Anne Wesley will enjoy her. We are very thankful for a healthy check-up for this new little one!

Traveling

2011-09-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Jones have been on the move the last 2 weekends! First for my grandmother's 95th birthday party in Opp and then this past weekend to Nashville for Steve's cousin's wedding. It has been wonderful seeing family, but I am ready for a little slow down time. Here are some pictures of our travels:

4 generations on the Jeffcoat-side of the family:

A sweet friend gave AW a pink flower at my grandmother's party which she loved!

She was a trooper considering all the new faces she saw that weekend

AW and I before the rehearsal dinner on Friday night in Nashville. We only made it for about an hour, but it was fun!

AW loves the McWane Center here in Birmingham so we checked out Nashville's science center

AW getting dressed for the wedding. This is a dress my grandmother made for me!

That's all for now. Next Monday we find out if AW is getting a little sister or brother. Steve and I are both pretty convinced that it's a girl, but we shall see!

Mother's Day Out

2011-09-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

Today was AW's first day of Mother's Day Out, and I am so proud and thankful to say that we made it through with no tears!!!!! She told me all morning that she didn't want to go to school, but thankfully (and after a few desperate prayers sent up by a nervous mama) had a change of heart and decided she would go. Her teachers were so sweet and welcoming and said she had a great day. It is very fun this year to hear her recount some of the things they did at school including a movie and goldfish for snacks! Here are a few "first day" pictures:

Pointing to her backpack:

For a first day surprise I bought her a sit-n-spin at a consignment sale I went to. AW LOVES to pull the cross-eyes on me and say "I see 2 mommies". I don't like that AT ALL. So here is her displaying the look while spinning-pretty classic.

Playing pretend is definitely the new thing and yesterday she decided she was Little Red Riding Hood except we had to go with Little Pink Riding Hood since we didn't have a red jacket. Here she is with her basket of cookies to take to grandma's house and the big bad wolf (little purple sheep) beside her.

Hello

2011-08-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

So I realize I have gone a little MIA on the blog, but it has been a bit of a crazy summer. Since Steve's wreck we went to the beach with my parents which was a wonderful time of relaxing and good food. We also got to share the news with our family that baby Jones #2 will be coming sometime around March 8th! We are very excited and blessed. However, morning/day/night sickness has definitely kept me close to home and not doing a whole lot. I did get to go to the lake this past weekend for a much enjoyed girls' weekend. We are also getting ready for Mother's Day Out which starts the week after Labor Day. Steve gets his brace off in 2 weeks so we are all looking forward to the fall-football, cooler weather, farm time, hunting for Steve, no brace, and hopefully less sick time! It has been a great and eventful summer though, and here are a few pictures of things we have been up to since Italy:

Celebrating Caroline's 30th birthday in Montgomery (we got a nice, quiet lunch at Wynlakes while the grandmothers watched these 2 munchkins)

Cupcakes for breakfast?? Okay at the beach I guess!

Cute ponytail thanks to Pat Pat

The best picture we could get of Ally in her beach attire: I am happy to report that she loved the sand this year!

Playing golf outside the condo

Fishing with Papa

Zoo Time

2011-07-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

I took Ally to the zoo this week, and though it was HOT, we had a great time. G had bought her some plastic animals that she is crazy about so we brought them along. Here are pictures of AW showing me her animal and then seeing the real thing!

Lamentations 3:22-23

2011-07-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning

great is your faithfulness."

P.S.

2011-06-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Just a few addendums to the previous post. The Italy trip was Steve and I's 30th birthday presents/parties, as well as birthday, anniversaries, Christmases for the next like 10 years. We told each other happy birthday a lot on the trip. So, someone please remind me when my 30th birthday comes around in Feb. that I have already celebrated, big time. Also, I didn't mention our fabulous mothers who had dinner and groceries waiting for us when we got back. That was such a blessing! Believe it or not we were actually tired of pizza and pasta, and vegetables for dinner was a very pleasant surprise. Also, a big thank you to everyone who gave us great advice and prayed for us while we were gone; I so appreciate it! Finally, though I am sure anyone who reads this is tired of garden updates, we now have squash, zucchini, okra, a tiny precious pumpkin, and even a little green tomato! Yes that's right, all of our plants produced something! I had no idea how exciting gardening could be!!!! Finally a few pictures:

Italy!

2011-06-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

So . . . we went to Italy! Steve's cousin and friend Willie married a girl from Prato, Italy which is about 20 minutes outside of Florence. We decided to go and had an amazing trip! May I first say that there is no way we could have done this once-in-a-lifetime trip without our awesome parents who gladly volunteered to keep Ally for us as well as drop us off and pick us up at the airport. We CANNOT thank you enough! While we were off vacationing AW definitely had a vacation of her own. She loves being with her grandparents!!!

We flew from Birmingham to Charlotte on Tuesday, and overnight Tuesday we flew from Charlotte to Rome. We stayed in a bed and breakfast in Rome and went to the Vatican, Sistene Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday. The Vatican was huge and super crowded! We saw a lot of art and enjoyed it, but we were definitely tired from our flight. I think we went to bed around 8:00 that night!

On Thursday we took a train to Florence and stayed in another bed and breakfast with a great view of the Duomo which is a huge and beautiful cathedral in Florence. We loved Florence-the cobblestone streets, statues, scenery, cafes, etc. The people are great too, most everyone spoke English and were helpful and nice. On Thursday we went to the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia where we saw The David. I was so blown away by The David. I am not a huge art person but the size and beauty of The David really captivated me. We had a wonderful dinner that night of gnocchi and veal with roast potatoes. Of course, the food was amazing, and we had gelato almost daily!

On Friday we headed to the Cinque Terre which is an area of 5 coastal towns connected by hiking trails. This was probably our favorite day since we love beautiful scenery especially when it involves water! We took about a 2 hour hike (Caroline, you would be proud of us) between 2 of the towns and took a nap on the beach of Monterosso!

On Saturday we went to Prato and met up with some of our friends for lunch who were there for the wedding. The wedding was at City Hall in one of the piazzas (squares) of the town. It's funny because it seemed like a lot of people just come hang out in the square to watch the wedding festivities. We carpooled with the nicest couple-Leonardo and Serena-out to the reception site. The reception was held at a hunting lodge that used to be a vacation home for Galileo. It was up in the mountain outside of Prato. The view was unbelievable; I mean impossible to describe! They had tables set up overlooking the Tuscan countryside. We had a wonderful 5 course dinner; it was a great night!

Sunday, we made our way back to Rome and checked out ancient Rome-the Colosseum, Palantine Hill, and the Forum. For our last night in Rome we took a night walk to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. We also had dinner around 10pm which is totally typical for Italians (lunch around 3 pm, dinner around 9 pm) and finished off with some yummy tiramasu.

Monday was a long day of travel. We were exhausted, but so so so happy to be home and see our girl! So, get ready for LOTS of pictures:

At the Charlotte airport-we had an 8 hour layover so we got to know this place pretty well and really enjoyed the rocking chairs

Our first gelato of the trip while we waited for our Vatican tour to start

Sites from the Vatican:

St. Peter's Basilica-gorgeous and probably our favorite part of Day 1

Nice camerawork-huh?

The green cross in the background is the sign for a pharmacy. On Thursday when we were catching our first train I went in to check it out and ended up talking to the pharmacist for awhile. I was interested in how they do things there and he was interested in what pharmacy is like in America. By the time I came back Steve was fit to be tied-our train was getting ready to leave!

Our good friend the metro!

Gelato! My favorite flavor was pear, Steve's-lemon

Looking out across the river in Florence

A little random but I thought this statue was incredible-just out in a square in Florence

The view from our room in Florence

The Duomo

The Cinque Terre-notice the walking trail, this was the first and by far the easiest hike

It is crazy but the towns are built straight up into the mountain

Beautiful vineyards

Grapes!

See the little town way off in the distance on the water? That's where we hiked to!

View from along the trail-totally worth it!

An example of how narrow the trail was in parts

Finally made it to the beach!

Steve and Willie right before the wedding. Willie had a custom-made Italian suit

The reception-wow!

Colosseum

The Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

Breakfast our last morning in Rome

Ally liked her prizes-her one request everytime we talked to her, to bring her cake, which we did!

Guess what we found . . .

2011-05-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Produce! Zucchini (which were very tasty I might add) and a couple of squash-it's a great start! Steve texted me a picture of the first ones while I was at work one night, and I was giddy excited.

Steve had some vacation days he had to take or lose by the end of this month so it has made for a fun and long "staycation" for us this weekend. We pulled out the inflatable pool . . .

And in honor of grilling week on the Food Network Steve has become a grill master. He found this recipe on the Webber Grill website and it was phenomenal! He grilled shrimp, corn, a pablano pepper, and the tortillas; then we made a salsa from avacado, garlic, olive oil, and grape tomatoes. So, we had shrimp tacos with cilantro-lime rice, and really it was AMAZING! Saturday the Jones came up and Steve cooked out ribs. Again, awesome! In other words, we have eaten good this weekend!

We also hit the McWane Center since we have a membership there (free is good!), and Steve had never been before. We got there right when it opened so there was a good 30 minutes where it was calm and noncrowded.

We will finish off Memorial Day weekend with a Supper Club cookout at our house tomorrow night. Happy Summer everyone!

Garden Update

2011-05-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

So good news for our garden-it has gotten huge! The leaves have definitely sprouted, and we have some buds and blooms. Still no produce yet, but I am hopeful! Steve had a bachelor party to go to this weekend so AW and I escaped to Montgomery. Actually she went on Wednesday and had tons of fun playing at Pop and G's on Wednesday and Thursday, and then I joined her on Friday. Saturday was glorious-I got 6 hours of uninterrupted pool time!!! Laying out and soaking up the sun is truly one of my favorite things to do. Ally got in on the action a little too:

Botanical Gardens

2011-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Steve had to work this weekend (which we are definitely not complaining about, just so thankful he has a great job!) so AW and I went to the Botanical Gardens to "explore". She really enjoyed walking around, climbing up and down all the stairs, and showing me where she wanted to go. She was most fascinated by the little streams and waterfalls flowing around the grounds. It is beautiful and free so it made for a fun morning. I could NOT get her to look at me for a picture, but here are a few of her in action:

Lately

2011-05-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

So I love these pictures of AW in her new dresses and just wanted to share! A quick update on what's been going on around here. We had a wonderful beach trip for our 6th anniversary. AW had a big break through in that she loved the sand this year! She wouldn't go near the water, but we are taking loving the beach one hurdle at a time. Steve also taught her to say "beach bum" which she said over and over-so cute! We went to the Red Bar (at 5:00 right when it opened, my how things change when you have kids :), walked around Seaside, watched the sunset, and played at the playground where we were staying. It made for a great trip! Now we've got the last day of Mother's Day Out tomorrow, and we are gearing up for a fun summer!

6 Years Ago Yesterday . . .

2011-05-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was so very blessed to become this man's wife! And yes we are honored that William and Kate chose our wedding weekend for their own :)

Easter Dress

2011-04-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

So today, to avoid a last-minute picture rush tomorrow, we went to the Botanical Gardens to get a few pictures of AW in her Easter dress. The place was packed with picture takers, and AW was much more interested in walking the trails than taking pictures but we managed to get a few good ones. This dress is another example of my grandmother's beautiful handiwork! Also, a few pictures of our Sunday School Easter egg hunt.

Lots of Randoms

2011-04-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

So here are some pictures recapping what we have been up to lately. 2 or 3 weeks ago Steve graciously helped me plant a garden on the side of our house! We planted pumpkins (wouldn't it be fun to have home-grown pumpkins in the fall?), okra, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. So far the tomatoes seem to be struggling a bit, but everything else is popping right on up. It's fun to go water it and see what has sprouted. Hopefully I'll be able to take some pictures of our fresh vegetables soon!

Steve's birthday is April 20th, and every year his request is the same-an uninterrupted weekend at the farm. We went this past weekend and had such a great time! I think this is truly where Steve (and AW) is the happiest. The weather was amazing-warm but no humidity so we spent lots of time outdoors. I went turkey hunting with Steve Saturday morning which was a first. We didn't hear anything, but watching the sun rise in the woods was pretty incredible. We ate at Red's Little Schoolhouse (if you are from Montgomery you know what I am talking about-yum!), cooked out hamburgers and steaks, and ate lots of cake! We were glad that Pop, G, and Uncle B were there to celebrate with us. Happy 29th Birthday Steve!!!!

AW got Pop to drive her (and the dogs) in the Ranger over and over. She's fortunate that her grandparents are such good sports!

This is my latest smocking project. I really like the lavender fabric. I am looking forward to seeing it on AW!

And today before Mother's Day Out we did a little photo session. This is a dress my grandmother made for me, and I LOVED how it looked on Anne Wesley! I have an extremely talented grandmother and am thankful to have all these adorable dresses. And, if you are super observant you may notice that AW is sitting on her very own BIG GIRL BED! We have had some sleep issues lately with AW waking up mulitple times during the night. So we figured while things are already crazy, why don't we try to make the switch. She has done really well and seems to like her new "bed". Don't worry we'll get a bed frame eventually, but for now we are just testing things out with the mattress on the floor. She has especially enjoyed jumping on it!

Happy Easter everyone!

Little Miss Priss

2011-04-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

I just love the fact that before AW gets into her Little Tikes car she stops and opens the gas cap and pretends to put make-up on. I guess to her the gas cap looks like a compact? Is that hilarious or what? Such a girl!!

Got It Made in the Shade

2011-03-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

We had a fun, quick trip to Montgomery this weekend and packed in a lot in less than 24 hours. We went to Ben's baseball game, AW got to play with some older girls that live on Pop and G's street, I went to a wedding, and Steve went to an engagement party. Whew! Since everyone was going in different directions Uncle B (Ben) got left with babysitting duties. Fortunately, he is an awesome uncle and handled it no problem! Steve and I used to babysit him when we were dating so it's pretty funny for me to see him babysit our child now-where has time gone?? Thanks again Uncle B, and thanks G and Pop for the great new lounge chair set up!

Cousins

2011-03-21T21:07:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to get down to Opp this weekend and see my family. AW got to spend quality time with both of her great-grandmothers and her great-aunt KK! My cousin Meredith was also in town with her husband and 2 boys. These are some pictures of the cousins playing in my grandmother's garden.

Jumping!

AW and Nolan

So happy to be outside playing in the wonderful weather

They look like they are the same size, but Mason isn't quite 1 yet!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T06:41:00.000-08:00

Random Pictures

2011-03-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Let's see what we've been up to lately . . . AW went for her 2 year check up and got a good report! She has climbed to the 35-40% in weight (even though she was wearing her clothes and holding 2 toys when she was weighed :) and stayed around 50% in height. We have enjoyed the warmer weather and been playing outside a lot more. We kept Ellie and Copeland last Friday and AW LOVED having friends over to play. Here are a few pictures of them:

Last Saturday Steve and I went to a dinner with our high school friends to celebrate 2 engagements! It was great to spend time together and get a night out!

AW hanging out in her tent with all her stuffed animals!

Say Anything

2011-02-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

Anyone ever seen this movie? It was a little before our time. It came out in 1989 and starred John Cusak. It's a high school romance movie. Now I tend to be a bit kicky when it comes to movies. If I find one I like I can watch it over and over and over. So I saw this movie about 6 months ago and then decided to buy it. Since, I have watched it 4 times (3 nights in a row!). It's just such an interesting story with super likeable characters. And honestly it reminds me so much of Steve and me (minus the part with her Dad). But she's this girl who takes herself pretty seriously, and Lloyd makes her laugh and lightens her up and takes care of her. Other similarities-she loves the elderly, studied oceanography, and they get together the summer after their senior year. Okay so that was round 3 for Steve and me, but I think it was the best summer of my life! I am so thankful for Steve and the complement he is to me. He is a servant leader, gives me great, Godly counsel, and keeps me laughing! So, in honor of Valentine's Day here are a few pictures of us:

Engagement Dinner

Our Wedding (obviously)

First Dance

Trip to DC

Wedding at Pinehurst (FYI-I am pregnant here hence the big face)

Wedding in Washington State

Chilly Days

2011-02-10T06:04:00.000-08:00

It has been chilly here the past couple of weeks so we've done a lot of this:

Reading! AW has always loved to read, but she used to want the same book read over and over. Lately though we read one book, and then she throws it down and runs to get another one. Much better for mama!!!

Last night it was so cold it snowed! I was working at the hospital, and if they had called a Code White I would have been stuck there. Thankfully though I got out and got to enjoy the snow this morning! It was beautiful, fluffy, powdery snow!!

Warming up after playing. . .

Play Date and Ice Cream Friday

2011-02-04T17:26:00.001-08:00

We kept Copeland for a little while on Thursday. They only sat this way for about 5 minutes, but it made for a cute picture. And Fridays have turned into ice cream (or some kind of treat) Fridays which we both enjoy immensely!

Dora Dora Dora

2011-01-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday we celebrated AW's 2nd birthday with a Dora-themed party with our family. We were so excited that AW's grandparents (including Addie), great-grandparents, great-aunts, aunts (including Aunt Caroline), uncles, and future husband Reid (just kidding) came to celebrate with us! Everything turned out great-from the Dora tablecloth, balloons, and plates to AW's favorite Italian ice that my sweet parents had for her. Thanks Mom and Dad for hosting such a fun party! She soaked up the attention, presents, and all the sweets!!! We are so proud of our sweet girl and thankful for her and all the joy she brings to our lives!

Favors

Blowing out the candles with a little help from Daddy and Pop

Who needs a spoon?

Happy boy

Burrell Baby

2011-01-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

Isn't the resemblance uncanny?

Anne Burrell

Anne Wesley

First Hair Cut

2011-01-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

So, not that she necessarily needed a hair cut, but on the advice of my grandmother that it will look better and grow faster, we went in on Saturday for the first official hair cut. My sweet hairdresser Tammy (who has done my hair for years including for our wedding) was great, and AW seemed to enjoy the whole experience. She sat in my lap and looked at herself in the huge mirror. It probably helped that she was super sleepy from not getting a nap that day!

We also did a photo session Saturday morning. The Jones very generously gave us this for AW's 2nd birthday present. We are planning on getting a panel of 5 pictures that will be the same as Bob, Steve, Richard, and Ben have. I can't wait to see the proofs! Ally started out great and then melted down about halfway through. She laid on the floor with her head down and kept saying "bye-bye". With a LOT of effort from the grandmothers I think we got all the shots we needed.

Saturday was big for another reason-we celebrated my Dad's retirement! His company had a really nice dinner at Wynlakes in honor of all his years of service. It was a special night, and I was honored to be a part of it. I have always been super proud of my Dad, but after hearing his bosses talk about what a great guy he is and how he is the epitome of a family man (one of them said he was the best guy he's ever met!) I couldn't help but feel a little prouder. He has taught me so much about life, and I am beyond grateful for him and excited for this new chapter of life.

Love you Dad!

Headed into the party!

Doesn't Mom look beautiful?

New Orleans

2011-01-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

Right after Christmas Steve and I snuck away for a little getaway to New Orleans. Dad won a free stay at the Marriott and didn't want to go so he graciously gave it to us! We stayed for 2 nights and had a great time. We stocked up on recommendations before we left so we definitely ate good on the trip! And really that's probably the best thing about New Orleans to me-awesome seafood, tons of restaurants to check out, and the beignets at Cafe Du Monde of course (we went both nights)! We also took the trolley uptown to see some of the pretty homes, but due to freezing temperatures (and let's be honest I am not a trooper when I'm cold) that was a short venture. I also had to sneak in a little aquarium time of course. We listened to the dueling pianos at Pat O'Briens and watched some of the Saints game in the huge lobby at our hotel with lots of Saints fans. It is always nice to get a little "just the 2 of us time", but I was ready to get back and see the little one. When I came in she was sitting in the middle of Uncle Ben's bed eating a Chick-Fil-A kid's meal-she had it pretty rough! I think it was probably a vacation for her too!!!

Steve showing off his photography skills!

Trolley

Huge shrimp po-boys for lunch

I know this picture is dark but look closely and see the teeth on this sand tiger shark-crazy!

I have raised this child right . . .

2011-01-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Or weird! Today I was going to let AW watch some of The Sound of Music, but instead she requested the shark video. (For Christmas one of my gifts was a 10 disc DVD set called The Deep which is Mysteries of the Deep and Discover Planet Ocean documentaries). She doesn't exactly say shark, but she has this sound she makes which is kind of like a growl that means shark. So, while I started dinner Anne Wesley watched a dcoumentary on the hammerhead shark. I must say, I was pretty proud!!!!

Christmas!

2011-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Be forewarned, this is a long post. Feel free to skip to the bottom for tons of pictures if you'd like!

Christmas was amazing! A bit of a whirlwind due to travelling, but I am so thankful we had family to visit!!! We started off with presents at our house Christmas Eve morning. The slide was a HUGE hit. AW took right to it and has been sliding ever since :) We cooked pancakes and had a fun breakfast then headed to Montgomery. We went to my parent's house for presents which included a new kitchen set with food and a grocery cart plus a new tricycle (along with other goodies). Ally loved her toys! She was so funny about the tricycle though. She kept pointing to her head and didn't want to ride until we put a "helmet" on. I think she saw the girl in the picture on the instructions with a helmet and she wanted one. Since we didn't have a helmet we put her hat on and that seemed to suffice. She has also enjoyed cooking in her kitchen, and I love that she enjoys pretending!!

Then we went to the Candlelight Communion Service at Trinity Church with Steve's whole family. It was a beautiful service! Next on the agenda was Christmas Eve dinner. Since Steve and I got married our families have had Christmas Eve dinner together. It is such a blessing to be able to be with everyone at once and always such a fun time. AW had all she could take that day and went to bed, and my parents and Steve and I all exchanged gifts. My Dad and I (and Steve sort of) stayed up until Christmas morning (a little after midnight) watching White Christmas! That is definitely my new favorite Christmas movie. I had never stayed up until Christmas morning but thought it was really fun (although I was pretty zonked Christmas morning).

Christmas morning we headed to the Jones' house. As always we had an amazing time! All our parents are beyond generous! AW got a new Power Wheels which she jumped right in. Her feet don't quite reach the pedals but she has still figured out how to ride and really likes it! We had a wonderful breakfast and then loaded up to go to Opp.

We did had lunch at Mimi's and opened gifts and spent time with family and then had dinner at Nana's. 36 people got to come to Nana's this year and it was awesome getting to spend time with family that I haven't seen in awhile. As you may guess, Ally did not make it through all of the festivities that night; she was pretty wiped out and a little fussy I might add from all the activity. My Mom did a Happy Birthday Jesus party for the kids which was really cute, and AW got a kick out of following her cousins up and down the stairs at my grandmother's house.

The next morning my aunt hosted a breakfast for everyone then Steve and I headed to New Orleans for a 2 night getaway (post to follow). Steve took the whole week after Christmas off so we got to spend lots of time with everyone plus get in a night at the farm. With all the leaves and the nice weather it was amazing out there. I think Ally may be happiest at the farm. She loves to dig in the dirt, play in the rocks, run around, and this time ride her new Jeep. That is definitely where Steve is happiest too, so once again, like father like daughter!

This was Steve's present from his parents-a new recliner! It was really a present for me too; I was so happy to get rid of the old one.

Ally's loot at our house

I've got my helmet-now I can ride!

New kitchen-with Daddy and Uncle Ben in the background putting it everything together

Riding her new Jeep out at the farm-check out the hair!

An adorable chair that Anne Wesley got from Grandmama Alice-love it

Showing off her new kicks from Uncle Ben; pink Converses!

Cousins

Worn out!

Brrr . . .It's cold out here

This is the life-wide open spaces!

Leaves

Merry Christmas from the Jones!

2010-12-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

To all our friends and family: we love you and hope that the joy of the Savior fills your lives!

Luke 2:14

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!"

Baking Cookies

2010-12-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

So today, since it is FREEZING outside, we decided to bake some cookies. I gave AW a little dough to play with and cut out star shapes. Her favorite parts of the process were mixing, playing in the flour, and of course eating!!! One of the words she says pretty consistently is the Spanish word for stir which is bate (thanks Dora!). So here is Ally demonstrating how to bate:

Having fun:

Making a mess:

Eating!

More Mommy!

(this is the sign for more, definitely one of her favorite signs!)

Happy 2nd Day of December!

2010-12-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

No, I am not going to post a picture every day in December (at least I don't think I am :) I just loved this one of Anne Wesley all bundled up to go out and play yesterday. It is finally cold and feels like Christmas! When you ask Ally what she is getting for Christmas she says a dog; not so sure if that's happening, I hope she won't be disappointed. She is also now calling herself Yaya. Poor kid, she's probably so confused b/c we call her so many things but really I think she is trying to say Ally maybe? Anyway, we hear a lot of "I, yaya" or she waves us off and wants Yaya to do it herself.

Happy 1st Day of December!

2010-12-01T06:03:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T14:31:00.003-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the farm. We are so very blessed, and it was such a great time to celebrate all that the Lord has given us. Steve's uncle fried turkeys which were amazing; and Ginger prepared a wonderful meal! I also got Mom to bring me a Thanksgiving plate from my grandmother's house in Opp so I had plenty of food!!!! Saturday I headed to Montgomery to watch the Iron Bowl with Auburn fans (my parents). Anne Wesley got in on the action and when everyone was cheering she would do this adorable high-pitch scream! I must say Steve handled the loss very graciously; I was so impressed. Saturday, Mom and I got a little shopping done, and I got a chance to visit with my favorite little man-Reid Omastiak! (plus his Mom and Dad :) Mom and I also took AW to get some Italian ice. I wish I had a picture b/c she LOVES that stuff. She cries everytime we have to leave.

Steve, AW, and I had actually decorated our house for Christmas last weekend so it was fun to come home and have everything up. With the addition of a gorgeous ribbon for our tree and a new wreath thanks to Mom and Dad I think everything looks great! Merry Christmas everyone!

Having fun at the farm!

She keeps her boots on pretty much the whole time she is there

Trying to steal a kiss from Tripp (Alisa's nephew) but he would have none of it!

Our tree

Fire Station Fun!

2010-11-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today was John Henry's 3rd birthday party, and AW had the best time! For starters it has been an absolutely gorgeous, warm day. Secondly, the party was at a park, and Anne Wesley is LOVING the park these days. She has gotten really brave and wants to climb up the stairs and go down the slide by herself! The kids got to go the fire station that is right beside the park and climb in the fire truck and explore. I was shocked, but she was all about getting in the truck and sitting in the drivers seat! Such a fun morning!!

I just like this photo!

Having fun at the McWane Center. Steve was so sweet and got us a membership so we'll have something to do on cold days!

Fire Station Pics:

Fire Chief AW:

Big Weekend

2010-11-01T05:00:00.001-07:00

We had such a wonderful weekend! It started with lots of playing at the farm. Saturday was one of the prettiest days I have ever seen-gorgeous blue skies and perfect temperature!! AW was beyond happy to get to have so much space to run, play, and explore in. She stayed outside most of the day. Steve and I snuck away for a rare just-the-two-of-us lunch at Red's which was wonderful (thanks Ginger!). We are so blessed to be able to come to such a gorgeous spot for mini-vacations!

This was AW pretending the badmittion raquet was a lawn mower, complete with sound effects:

Then that afternoon, this happened:

Steve killed his first deer with a bow, but not only that it was a 9 point buck!!!! I am so proud of him-that took some serious skill! It made for an exciting end to the day (plus the AU win!).

Sunday we went to church (Mom graciously kept Ally for us) and we came home to find our future pianist in action:

Then we got to spend a little time with very dear friends. Katie was home from Hong Kong for a brief visit so we had lunch at her parents' house with her, Linsday, and the supper club!! It was so nice to see everyone!!!

Sunday aftenoon we tried on AW's Halloween ladybug costume and to my surprise she loved it!

This is her flying across the yard:

Practicing with her bag:

In Homewood there is a certain street that is blocked off and everyone trick or treats on. They go all out with the houses decorated and lots of people and candy. This is us getting ready to walk to the trick or treat street:

The whole gang! So thankful for friends to share these experiences with!

Tada!

2010-10-27T07:49:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the Smocking Bird's beginners sewing class here is the first dress I have ever sewn myself! I love the fabric and overall like the way it turned out, but to be honest I don't know if I really "took" to sewing. I definitely liked smocking more. I am really glad I took the class though (thanks to a super generous gift certificate from my in-laws). It is nice to know at least a little about sewing. My ultimate goal is to learn how to "put together" a bishop dress after I smock it, but I think that may be a long way down the road. My grandmother has an old sewing machine that she is going to let me play around with so maybe I'll get more into it the more I do it. But for now at least AW has a cute, new Christmas dress!

Help!

2010-10-26T06:08:00.001-07:00

So remember the child that was asking to go to bed at 6:30 and loving her nighttime sleep? Well she is gone!!!! I am so hoping this is temporary and due to a cold that she has had about 2 weeks (we are going to the doctor today). But in the meantime I need help! What do you do when your almost 2 year old refuses to go to sleep? We rock her, let her sit with us, let her cry it out for about 20-30 min at a time, and then start the cycle over. Anyone have any advice??? She falls asleep in our lap and then the minute we put her down in her crib she is up screaming Mama, Dada, over and over and over. I know this may not be that unusual but it certainly is for us. Last night we got her to sleep about 9:30 but then she still woke up at 5:15! Here's to hoping tonight is a better night!

PS-see the post below about the pumpkin patch if you missed it; it's more upbeat!

Old Baker Farm

2010-10-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday we finally made it to the pumpkin patch! It was super fun and we got 3 cool, unusual pumpkins to show for our efforts-a yellow one, a squatty orange one, and an orange and green round pumpkin. The best part of the day was having Uncle Ben there with us! AW LOVES her Uncle Ben, and we always enjoy having him come stay. After the pumpkin patch we had a fun afternoon of football watching and playing outside, then a chili dinner with apple dumplings for desert-definitely a good fall day!!! We tried really hard to get some cute pictures, but for whatever reason Ally refused to look at the camera. So these are our best efforts:

Loving the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch:

Farm girl!

Quiz Time

2010-10-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

So I was tagged to answer some quiz questions and since, and only since, it is from my best friend, Caroline this is for you:

1. What is your favorite 80's song?

Was Can't Touch This by MC Hammer in the 80's?? I'm going to assume it was and if so there is no contest, it's the best by far. Straight Up by Paula Abdul would come in as second and maybe Congo by Gloria Estafan as third.

2. If you had $1000 to spend in one day (frivously!) what would you buy/do?

Honestly, (and this is probably sad) I would go the Georgia Aquarium and spend all day there and do the swim with the giants experience or hey maybe for $1000 I could rent it our for myself for a couple of hours now that would be awesome. Other options would be heading down to the beach and eating some premium seafood and a really big dessert or blowing it at the spa.

3. If you had to rename your spouse, what name would you pick?

I haven't put a lot of thought into that, but for awhile a guy in our Sunday school class thought Steve's name was Scott. So he was called Scott for a little while and I think it fit him.

4. What piece of advice would you give to your younger self, if you could?

Relax and have fun a little more, things work out, and you don't have to figure it all out. Maybe that's generic but I am trying to tell myself that now!

5. What is the best NON-wedding/delivery moment of your life thus far?

Getting my car (the exact one I wanted) on my 16th birthday was a good one; that's the most surprised I have ever been in my life (and I love surprises!). And lately just certain moments when I am outside playing with AW and she gives me a big hug or does something adorable, I am really trying to soak those in.

6. If you could pick any (outside the home) career in the whole world what would it be?

No brainer, marine biologist. My other dream job would be working with seniors somehow, maybe directing a nursing home or I heard about an organization kind of like Make A Wish for older adults, that would be really rewarding I would think.

7. What is the BEST laugh you have had lately?

Catalog Living!!!

Okay, so actually this was really fun. If anyone that reads this blog wants to participate I would love to see what you have to say! Thanks CT for the fun quiz!

And here's a picture because I can hardly blog without including one:

Beach Take 2

2010-10-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

So if you recall from a previous post, Ally's 2nd summer at the beach was a little different than her first. She didn't exactly love the sand. We went back this past weekend, and I was hoping for a change of heart. Instead when we tried to set her down on the beach this is what we got:

Not exactly a happy camper. She did learn to tolerate it though as long as someone was holding her or she was on a beach towel. Still a little unsure here but at least not screaming:

Back in the condo, feeling better about things:

My favorite part of the trip-watching the sunrise on our first morning there. There were dolphins everywhere just swimming and playing in the water-amazing!!!!

Ally took a real liking to herself in the giant mirror wall in the condo. It provided great entertainment and after a good Windex wash looked as good as new!

Giving herself a good morning hug.

Our last night, enjoying the sunset.

God is so good!!!!

We were so fortunate to get to go stay at Steve's uncle's condo with Uncle Rich and Aunt Leese. It was a wonderful, relaxing time with lots of football and lots of beach time (8 hours for me on Saturday :) We also squeezed in a visit to the Red Bar and some shopping at the outlets. October is a fabulous time to go to the beach (but I mean really, when isn't a good time for the beach?)

Happy Fall

2010-09-27T12:05:00.001-07:00

Thankful for the cooler weather today and ready for fall!!!!

My Favorite Place

2010-09-20T19:39:00.003-07:00

We made a quick trip down to Destin this weekend to my aunt's place. It was the first time AW has been this summer, and I'm sad to say that she has developed a slight aversion to the sand. If you ask her if she likes the beach she will point to her feet and shake her head no. I guess she's going to have to learn to love that sand between your toes feeling; I know I sure do!!!

MDO

2010-09-07T18:13:00.005-07:00

Ready to go!

Here's my lunchbox

Bye Mom!

Look what I made!

So today was Ally's first day of Mother's Day Out at our church. I tried to prepare her (and myself), but it was still a little overwhelming for us both. Thankfully, when I picked her up her teachers said that she did fine, and she had even made a craft! They had dipped their fingers in paint to make the little apples on the tree. However, whenever I asked Ally how she made her craft she would hold up her pointer finger and put it in her mouth, huh. I'm guessing the paint was non-toxic :)

We had a really nice, relaxing Labor Day weekend. Since the weather was so incredible we went walking, went to the park, and decided to try out the Birmingham Zoo on Monday. Steve and I were pretty impressed, however AW was underwhelmed. She was scared of most animals except for the lion, funnily enough. The lion got waves, and smiles, and kisses blown his way!

Ally is really acting grown up these days. She definitely knows how to throw a temper tantrum to try and get her way. She also cocks her head to the side to give us this great "I'm so cute and I know it" look. She will pick things up and go put them in the trash and help unload the dishwasher. She loves to be outside, watch Dora, and spin around the room until she falls down. It's a fun age for sure!

Born Free

2010-08-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ally had such a great weekend! She kicked it off with her first trip to the McWane Center on Friday (which she loved). Friday night we took Uncle Ben out for a birthday dinner at SaZa's in Montgomery. Saturday she got to watch him play football (and run up and down and up and down the ramp that led to the bleachers), then go to Ginger Anne Woodruff's beautiful wedding reception, then have another birthday dinner with all the Jonses! The Jones' house backs up to a golf course so Saturday evening AW had full range to run and play. It was fun watching her!!!!

Love

2010-08-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

So you figure when you have kids you'll love them right? (even if you are like me, an only child who hated babysitting). But, I didn't know it was going to be like this? I mean I am crazy about this kid!!!! I think it can be overwhelming-being a parent, having so much responsibility for someone, wanting them to be safe and well taken care of, and wanting to point them to Christ-but for all the times I take it for granted or complain, I am ashamed b/c Anne Wesley is SUCH an amazing, precious gift from God. I mean how thankful am I that I get to see this face every day?!

And speaking of love . . . Ally LOVES her baby doll that G gave her. She takes her baby everywhere and loves on her, kisses her, pats her on the back. It really is precious.

Finally, in this family we LOVE sweets. Today we decided to have an end of the summer (excuse to make myself feel better for consuming a giant cupcake) cupcake party! Ally and I went to Dreamcakes bakery right down the street from us and had incredible strawberry cupcakes. It made for a fun afternoon!

Sign!

2010-08-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

Sharks!

2010-08-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

So, I just have to blog about how much I love Shark Week! For anyone out there who doesn't know me super well, I LOVE sharks and have since I was a little girl. I used to check out all the library books about sharks (our school librarian even recently gave Mom a shark book to give me :), I had 2 National Geographic videos on sharks, I used to e-mail with a guy in Australia who does shark expeditions, and would sketch out the different types of sharks in a sketch book. I always wanted to be a marine biologist until my Dad reminded me that I jump everytime a fish touches my foot in the ocean! Who knows, maybe one day I'll do it still but for now I'll just enjoy watching them on tv. Happy Shark Week everyone!!!!

Memphis

2010-07-26T04:06:00.000-07:00

Lunch

Ducks!!!

Giving Nathan "loves"

This weekend we headed up to the home of Graceland to visit our best couple college friends Jenny and Jonathan Fratesi. They have a little boy, Nathan, who we hadn't gotten to meet in person. It was a quick trip but such a good one! Ally really took to Nathan, as you can see from the pictures. We hit Rendezvous for ribs which is a must for Steve anytime we are in Memphis. Then headed over to the Peabody. We were really excited the ducks were in the lobby because duck is one of Ally's favorite words and animals. She was beyond excited to see some that close. She also LOVED staying in a hotel. She ran back and forth through the rooms and climbed up and down and up and down on the couch. That afternoon we went swimming at Jenny's parents' house then cooked out that night. The next morning we did church and lunch then it was back to Birmingham.

Ally is at SUCH a cute stage right now. She loves to tease us, make funny faces, "scare" us, and even give hugs and kisses. She is also super opinionated. She picks out what she wants to wear, tells us when shes hungry, lets us know what she wants to eat and drink (by pointing and sign language). She also wants all her stuffed animals (and sometimes even her bath toys) fed when she is fed. I hope that's a sign that she'll be good at sharing :) She has also started staying up a little later the past week which is nice. She was wanting to go to bed at 6:30; she would even go back to her room and point at her sleep sack. Now though she's staying up until about 7:30. We go to the doctor Aug 2nd so I'll be interested to see her stats, but it definitely seems like she has had a growth spurt. She is growing up!!!

Summer Fun!

2010-07-15T18:45:00.001-07:00

We have gotten to do some fun (and mostly free) things this week here in town. Last Saturday we went to Mt. Laurel and walked around, played at the park, and went to a Farmer's Market. On Tuesday, we headed up to Gardendale for the Splash Pad-a little mini waterpark. Then today we went to Morgan Creek and picked blueberries. Surprisingly Ally really enjoyed picking and eating the blueberries. It made for a fun day and a long nap :)

Happy Girl!

2010-07-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

Swimming!

2010-07-09T17:25:00.001-07:00

We have been very fortunate this summer to get lots of good swimming time in. From the lake, to my parents' pool, to friends' pools, and even the pool at Ross Bridge it has been a very welcome break from the heat.

We had a fun and relaxing 4th of July. We stayed in Birmingham and enjoyed Steve's family coming up on Friday/Sat and then Sunday we went to a patriotic church service and had a cook-out with friends and watched fireworks in Homewood. So fun!

AW and her buddy Miller

This is a nightly activity now-walking around the backyard and exploring!

Mom look at those fireworks!!!

Very brave! Going down the slide at Ross Bridge with Daddy

Summer so Far in Pictures

2010-06-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

These pictures are in random order, but here are some things we've been up to lately . . .

Steve and I went to a wedding in Ft. Payne, AL one weekend. That afternoon we went and checked out this gorgeous waterfall. Who knew this was in Alabama right?

We were supposed to go on a beach trip with my parents but got scared off by the oil reports. We all went to Opp for the weekend instead (which was great), but Steve and I got to go down for the day on Saturday. We saw this one tar ball which was immediately caution taped off and shoveled up. There were lifeguards everywhere!

Otherwise the beach looked like this-gorgeous! It turned out to be such an amazing day. I literally was on the beach from 11:30 to 7:15 with one bathroom break :) We had a Whataburger picnic on the beach and even got to watch a wedding take place. Thanks to my awesome aunt KK for letting us use her condo.

Ally having some fun in the sun

Chillin' in the pool; one of Mom's favorite activities too!

Bucket time

Tea party, anyone?

While we were in Opp, we had Father's Day lunch at my cousin Meredith's house. Here is Ally at a real table with her cousin Nolan. We were surprised she would sit in her chair and eat-Nolan was a good influence on her for sure!

Motoring around Pat Pat and Papa's house. They kindly took us in for a couple of days when our AC went out at home. It felt like a vacation; getting to lounge at the pool all day!

Sheer excitement watching Dora the Explorer-yes it might be for a slightly older audience but Ally loves some Dora; I forsee a possible Dora-themed party in our future!

One of Ally's favorite activities, taking everything out of the pantry-fun for everyone :)

This is Liza (a precious bunny that my good friend Jenny Fratesi gave AW before she was born). She is now a treasured toy and gets to eat with Ally and even talk on the cell phone.

Growing!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!!

First Trip to the Lake

2010-06-09T06:06:00.004-07:00

The Sunday before Memorial Day Ally got to go the lake! Thanks to the Thompsons for letting us spend the afternoon with them at their beautiful lake house, and thanks to Aunt Caroline and her new camera for these great pictures! As you can see the life jacket was a little big, but at least she was protected! It rained most of the afternoon, but we squeezed in a boat ride and some good Reid time!! Such a fun day!

She did it!

2010-06-02T10:22:00.001-07:00

Thanks Aunt Caroline for my awesome bathing suit

Quality Uncle Ben time

I love playing with my uncles!!!

AW has been taking 6-7 steps at a time for the past month or so but no real walking. That is until this weekend! Miss Priss decided to show-out for Memorial Day. When she had a crowd of all her family watching she walked like she had been doing it for months. She was so proud of herself; it was really cute!

Oops!

2010-05-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

I forgot to include a picture of the finished swingset and I had a request for it so here it is :) Steve made it big enough to add a double swing for us which will be nice. Happy Memorial Day everyone!!!

Project

2010-05-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

Ally has decided that she finally like her Bumbo seat and climbs in and out of it all day

Playing at the park-not so sure about the tunnel

Being silly

Clapping for Daddy as he builds her swing

The end result-worth all the effort!

As you have probably noticed AW is really into swinging right now. Unfortunately, our yard just doesn't have that perfect branch to hang a swing from. So . . .this weekend Steve built her a swingset! (it's nice to have a handy husband :) It took a lot of time, energy, and sweat (for Steve), but Ally is loving having her very own swing. Now I have to keep the blinds in the kitchen closed so she won't see it and beg to go out all the time!!

Mother's Day Weekend and Other Things We've Been Up To

2010-05-10T12:07:00.003-07:00

Spending some quality time with her buddy Sam in the double stroller

Swinging high at the park

Trying to get AW to love coloring as much as I do :)

Our first attempt at Ally using the spoon by herself-it was semi-successful

Just being precious

Feeling a little sleepy after the wedding

Looking out the window waiting for Pat Pat and Papa to come rescue her from dinner

Mother's Day!

Feeling pretty good swinging in the sun and G and Pop's house

What a great weekend! We started off with a little Mother's Day celebration here at home by going to O'Carr's for dinner Friday night and then headed to Montgomery Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon Steve's Grandaddy got married! We are so happy for him and had so much fun at the wedding. A lot of Steve's family was in town and after the ceremony we had a really nice sit-down dinner and got to catch up with everyone. Sunday, we all went to church in Montgomery (AW even braved a new nursery :) and then had lunch at the Jones' house. It was great to get to spend time with family!!

I can hardly believe it . . .

2010-05-07T04:26:00.001-07:00

This is my first project from smocking class! If smocking intimidates anyone out there, don't let it! It really isn't hard, and it was so much fun! I took a 3 series class at the Smocking Bird a little while back. They taught us the basic stiches plus how to do leaves and flowers and ta da! AW now has a new dress! Now, if only I could learn to actually sew the dress . . . who knows? Maybe one day!

Chicago

2010-05-05T21:03:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous!

The view from our room

The Hancock Building

Our view at the Cubs game-we got "obstructed view" tickets at a discounted price!

So here are some pictures from our trip to Chicago. It was great! Just like everyone told us it's such a clean, nice, big city with a lot to do. I mean check out those tulips! There were beds of them everywhere!! Thanks to our informants (Caroline, Jenny, and Kari) we had a lot of good suggestions of what to see and where to eat which helped out so much.

We got there Thursday afternoon and walked around a little and did the architectural riverboat tour-super fun and interesting. Then we went right for the deep-dish pizza. Friday was my favorite day-shopping on Michigan Ave, lunch at an amazing Italian place, then a deep dish chocolate chip cookie covered with ice cream and whip cream (yum!). That night we went to the Hancock Building for drinks and then had a really nice dinner for our anniversary. Saturday we went to a Cubs game (Vince Vaughn threw out the first pitch) and then saw Stomp that night. I also went on a mini Ferris Bueller tour and tried to hit all the spots he went to on his "day off". I did pretty good-the Chicago Institute of Art, the Sears Tower, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and a Cubs game (the restaurant he went to was closed). Such a wonderful trip!!

Ally-Who?

2010-05-04T04:42:00.001-07:00

So if you hear me refer to our daughter as Ally don't be confused, same kid, new nickname. I have actually been calling her this for awhile due to the somewhat long nature of her given name. Feel free to do the same, substitute whatever you like, or stick with the full thing. She may never be sure of her real name but at least she'll have different options for what she wants to be called!

In other news, Steve and I just got back from a super-fun anniversary trip to Chicago (I'll post on it soon). For her first time to spend the night away, AW acutally spent 3 nights at her grandparents' house! She had a great time and got to see lots of family including her 3 great-grandmothers and great aunt KK. Many thanks to our parents for keeping her; we felt so good about her being with them, and I really think it was probably good for all of us.

While she was at G and Pop's, AW finally decided to try a step without holding on to something! Currently she cruises all over the house on furniture, with a push toy, or by holding our hands. She seems to have good balance but just doesn't want to step out on her own, and she hates to fall! Any advice on encouraging her?? Maybe if we didn't pick her up all the time and bring her toys to her! Oh well, we are learning too!

As you can see from the picture, Ally is LOVING her shoes! She cries for us to put them on her and wants to wear them all the time. This is crazy b/c the first time I took her to Sikes she threw a fit when the lady put the shoes on her feet and we had to leave the store. These are lightweight little leather shoes which I think she likes better, and we also made a big deal about how cute she is when we put them on her so she loved that!

Finally, a recap of other things she is doing now. She can make the signs for milk, more, all done, eat, thank you, and rarely she will sign please (I'm pushing that one really hard since usually it's just a point and scream when she wants something). She can give hugs but a lot of times when you ask for one she just pushes your face away. She can tell you what the sheep says, she can say bow-wow and a few other random words, she gives high fives, still loves peak-a-boo, and has a really great mischevious look!

Okay, that's enough for now. I'll post on Chicago soon, and we go for her 15 month check-up tomorrow!

Prasie the Lord, Oh my Soul

2010-04-22T04:32:00.001-07:00

So, we had a really scary thing happen on Monday night. Anne Wesley was crying, and I gave her a butterbean which she proceeding to choke on. I think she just inhaled it rather than chewing it as she normally does. Steve flipped her over and started beating on her back. She started turning blue and we both just cried out ot Jesus. Steve continued to beat on her back a few more times and she coughed the whole thing back up. God used Steve to literally save her life; he is my hero. I am still having trouble dealing with/talking about/thinking about the whole thing, but I just have to praise God for saving our baby girl. His provision and protection amaze me; I am so undeserving of all the blessings He so graciously gives (including the blessing of Steve and Anne Wesley). Life is so fragile, and I am just beyond thankful for the Hope we have in Him.

P.S.-Check out a post below about Steve's birthday weekend if you missed it. I posted back to back.

Steve's Birthday Weekend

2010-04-21T06:48:00.001-07:00

We had such a fabulous weekend at the farm celebrating Steve's 28th birthday. He got to hunt a lot, and thanks to the swing (check out the pictures below) AW was totally entertained which made for some great laying out time for me! We realized that we didn't even watch a bit of tv (quite amazing for us) but just really enjoyed the beauty of the woods, relaxing, and being together. We also saw some beautiful sunsets from our rocking chairs on the porch-not too shabby!!!

Eating in the swing

Sleeping in the swing

Sitting outside with Mom

Getting into Daddy's presents!

2010-04-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

Headed to church on Easter

Taking a little nap after a long morning!

Playing with Reid is so much fun!!!

All dressed up for Mommy and Daddy's reunion

So here are some pictures from the last couple of weekends. Easter was wonderful! Our families all came to us so it was great to spend time with them and get to go to Briarwood this year. Then this past weekend was our 10 year high school reunion. It was so much fun!! We went to a baseball game Friday night (and brought all our little ones along) and then had a dinner Saturday night. It was wonderful to catch up with friends; we are blessed to have a class that was close in high school and have remained close through the years.

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-02T18:29:00.001-07:00

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-31T06:11:00.000-07:00

Doing one of AW's favorite things: paying peak-a-boo!!

Getting ready to go hunt some eggs!

I found some!
The group shot
AW and Sam

Here are some pictures from the Easter egg hunt on Monday that our sweet friend Katherine Bailey hosted. It was a gorgeous day so the kids got to play outside the whole time. AW had fun picking up the Easter eggs and shaking them and hanging out with her buddies. We are so thankful for our friends and playmates!

What we've been up to lately . . .

2010-03-22T06:19:00.001-07:00

Loving the wagon that G and Pop gave me for Christmas!

Hanging around at the farm!

Pulling up on everything.

And since I'm not that into taking regular naps I keep falling asleep in the weirdest places!!

My 28th Birthday!

2010-02-20T16:38:00.009-08:00

Today was my 28th birthday, and it was such a wonderful day! This morning Steve surprised me with 2 AMAZING strawberry cupcakes from DreamCakes with fudge icing and chocolate covered strawberries on top; yum! He also, very thoughtfully, bought me a Garmin for my car since I am always getting lost. Then we headed to Atlanta and had lunch with Caroline, Kyle, and Reid which made the day really special. Then on to the Georgia Aquarium!!!!! As always, I was mesmerized by the sharks and had a hard time leaving (especially the big tank; it is incredible!). I got to touch a sting ray, sea anemone, and a shrimp. Anne Wesley made the trip and seemed to enjoy the crowds of people and the activity, but after about 3 hours she was ready to go so we headed back home. Thanks to Steve for planning such a great day!

Beach in the Snow

2010-02-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

I've ridden down to the beach lots of times but never in the snow! It was a beautiful drive to Destin on Friday as we enjoyed all the snow covering the trees on the side of the road. My aunt KK graciously allowed us to use her condo for Valentine's weekend. I got about 3 hours of beach time, and AW even got to stroll along the sand by the water (all bundled up of course!). The third picture is our lunch on Saturday at Dewey Destin (our favorite place to eat at the beach). Also thanks to Mom and Dad for babysitting on Saturday night for Steve and I to have a "date night".

The last picture is one of AW's new favorites. She "rides" in her Cozy Coupe all over the house with her lamb and puppy safely tucked in with her. Hope everyone had fun snow days!!!

Party Girl!

2010-02-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

AW celebrated her birthday with her friends at a little come and go get together at our house on the Sunday before her birthday, the 24th. I must say I was unsure how she would handle all the activity and attention, but much to my surprise she seemed to really enjoy herself! She smiled while everyone sang Happy Birthday (which by the way has turned into her new favorite song and we have to sing it while she's getting her diaper changed so she won't jump off the table). She wasn't so sure about the cupcake and shook her head no after tasting a little of it. We tried the whole cupcake thing again (this time a chocolate one) on her real birthday, and she liked it a little more but was concerned about the icing getting all over her hands. Thank you to our sweet families for driving up in the rain and helping out so much; I don't know what we would do without you! Thank you to all our wonderful friends; we are blessed to have you in our lives and to share life with you!!! And thanks to Steve for putting up with all of my "planning" and for as always being so supportive and helpful. We have tons of wonderful pictures from the party thanks to Heather Park. If you need someone to come take pictures, she is great!!

We also went for our 1 year check-up on Friday. Dr. Amason was pleased that AW is holding steady on the growth chart. She was 17 lb 9 oz which keeps her at around 5% for weight, and she was 50% for length and head size. We got 4 shots this time and it was a bit traumatic since she had fallen asleep before they came in to give them to her. She was a trooper though and was definitely over it before I was.

This has been an amazing year, definitely like no other! Through having Anne Wesley, God has taught me a lot about myself, my priorities, and His plan for my life and my identity in Him. I look forward to teaching her about God's Truths and His love for her (for now we just sing Jesus Loves Me a lot :).

AW has grown up so much and is now drinking from a sippy cup, pulling up on her toys and furniture, "reading" books by flipping through the pages, and babbling and crawling all the time. She has adopted a stuffed lamb as her favorite toy and still loves to be held and cuddled (I hope that lasts I long time)!

Happy Birthday Anne Wesley!!!!

2010-01-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

A few new ones

2010-01-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

Well, 2010 has already been a fun and somewhat exciting year at the Jones house! Steve got to go with his Dad to the National Championship game in Pasadena which was of course an awesome experience for him. He brought back a little souvenier for AW (thankfully no Alabama gear!), but she loved her football.

In other news, AW is crawling all over the place! It is fun to watch her explore and figure out all she can do now. But sadly, this has also come with a few bumps on the head and a nervous mama! I'm trying to learn to chill out but it's a process :) She is also feeding herself finger foods (bananas and Cherrios are by far the favorites). And she graduated to a new car seat!

Our next post will be from her ONE YEAR OLD birthday party!

Christmas Part 3

2009-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

AW started her present-opening on Christmas Eve at our house before we headed out to Montgomery. We then did presents at Pat Pat and Papa's house followed by church for the grown-ups and Christmas Eve dinner at G and Pop's house-what a fun day!!!

The next morning we had presents at The Jones and then went to Opp for lunch with great-grandmother Mimi and dinner with great-grandmother Nana. Whew-it was a lot of activity, but Anne Wesley acted great!

We are so thankful for our wonderful family and the time we got to share with them. They are generous, kind, loving and make every holiday so special. We love you!

Family Time

2009-12-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

Anne Wesley got some good family time even before Christmas. She attended her first basketball game at Trinity (our high school) to watch Uncle Ben play ball. Then she helped celebrate Pat Pat's birthday!

Christmas!!!

2009-12-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

Well AW had a GREAT first Christmas. I think it's going to take about 3 posts to get all the pictures in, but to start, these are some pre-Christmas activities. The first picture is Anne Wesley and I dressed up to go to one of the Christmas services at our church. They had the symphony and ballet. AW liked it so much that she couldn't contain her excited sounds, and she and Daddy ended up in the lobby for most of it.

The next picture is a shopping trip to Bass Pro. We considered letting her visit Santa there but since the line wound around the store we figured we would skip it, but we still got a cute picture!

I tried many poses in front of the Christmas tree with AW in her different Christmas outfits. She was interested in the tree but thankfully didn't try to pull on it. She mainly wanted to point at it and touch the ornaments.

The last picture shows our visit with Santa at Brookwood Mall. Would you believe she didn't even cry? I had warned Santa that she probably would but instead she just sat there for her picture.

Brooke Got Married . . .

2009-12-09T07:36:00.001-08:00

in August. But I just got this picture and love it so much that I had to post it. Brooke is one of my closest friends. We met in pharmacy school my junior year at Auburn and have been good friends ever since! I was honored to be her Matron of Honor and had so much fun being a part of her wedding. This was Anne Wesley's first wedding to attend (and only one so far), and she acting so nice! Don't both girls look lovely?

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

2009-12-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful I live in the South b/c I'm such a wimp when it comes to cold weather!!! Here are a few pictures from this weekend. We woke up Saturday to a little "dusting" of snow on the ground, and then bundled up for church today.

10 Month Appointment and Tacky Christmas!

2009-12-04T19:26:00.001-08:00

First off, happy 10 month birthday Anne Wesley! We went for her check-up this past Wednesday, and it was by far our best visit to the doctor. She was up to 16 lb 5 ounces which I am proud to say, puts her back on the weight scale!!!! She got her blood taken and got a flu shot and amazingly she smiled through both-no tears! She is at such a fun stage right now where she will interact readily and give out lots of smiles!

AW has also learned to shake her head no when she is put on the changing table or buckled into her car seat. She is babbling non-stop and even said "dog" last weekend when she was visiting Papa and Pat Pat. Blowing bubbles is a favorite past-time along with getting a work-out in the Jumperoo, and having daddy come home each day is super exciting!

GiGi and Pat Pat have made valiant efforts to take Christmas card pictures without much help form AW. So, I decided to try out Portrait Innovations-a chain of studios that takes kid's pictures. Seeing that it is Christmas and EVERYONE wants a cute Christmas card picture you can imagine what a zoo it was. There were screaming babies everywhere! AW was very interested in all the commotion and actually seemed to have a good time (though I can't say the same for me). After all the craziness we did end up getting a few really cute shots. The posted pictures are ones we have taken at home. The last 3 are of us dressed up for our annual "tacky Christmas" party-as you can see AW went all out for the event.

Hopefully, we'll have more cute Christmas pictures to post soon. Hope everyone has a blessed Advent as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and seek to keep Him at the center of all we do!!!

Catching Up

2009-11-22T15:51:00.002-08:00

So. just to catch up on a few happenings in the Jones' household . . . since we refer to "the farm" so much I thought I should include a picture of the beautiful view looking out from the front porch. We have been there a good bit and will continue to be b/c hunting season is in full swing! Also, big news-the Jones got a new tractor. AW wasn't so sure what to think of it (hence the weird facial expression in the picture), but her daddy does-he is in love!!!!

AW has definitely gotten more active recently; a little too active a couple of weeks ago when she dove head first off of the bed as she went after the remote control. It scared me to death, but I am just so totally thankful that she is okay. One of MANY things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We are so blessed to have amazing family and friends, food and shelter, jobs, and most importantly a Savior who loves us. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!!

I Thess 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

Pumpkin Patch?

2009-10-26T10:58:00.003-07:00

So we went today with our Mom's playgroup from Sunday school to the botanical gardens in Hoover to take pictures around the pumpkins. Sadly, all the pumpkins had been sold, but we still got a few pics on the hay bales. The pictures pretty much tell the story. AW was thoroughly annoyed at being placed in hay and let everyone know it. She tolerated it if I was holding her and then conked out in her stroller. I had fun though!!!

Fall at the Farm

2009-10-11T11:44:00.001-07:00

As most of you probably know, Steve's family has land south of Montgomery which we fondly refer to as "the farm". This is one of our favorite places to hang out, especially when the weather is cooling off and the leaves are changing color! This weekend we spent a relaxing time there with Uncle Richard and Aunt Alisa. Between Steve and Richard setting up tree stands and watching lots of football we squeezed in a little photo session. Happy Fall everyone!!!!

Littles

2009-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

We have called Anne Wesley "littles" since she was born-hence the web address of this blog. Never has this title been more appropriate than Monday when we went for her 8 month old well visit. AW's weight at birth was pretty normal at 7 lb 4 ounces, but at every visit she has gone down percentage-wise until this visit when she actually fell off the chart weighing in at 14 lb 5 ounces. Obviously, I have been a little concerned, but we are now on a new diet that will hopefully beef her up!!!!

The picture above is 2 ounces of formula mixed with oatmeal and fruit; we do this 3 times a day along with nursing every 3 hours. When we first mixed it together Steve and I though there was no way she would eat all this. It's more that we would eat at breakfast; but she did it!

Her other stats were 50% in length and 75% head size! I am very thankful that all else is well and that she is taking to the oatmeal/formula combo. Hopefully there will be some new pictures of a chunkier AW very soon!!!

Caroline's baby shower

2009-09-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Anne Wesley is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her soon to be friend Baby O (as in Omastiak)! My best friend Caroline is set to deliver November 8th, and we had a shower this weekend to celebrate. Above are a few pictures. It was a great time to visit with high school friends and get excited about all the babies that are on the way! AW made a brief appearance at the end, though she seemed a little overwhelmed by all the people there. On a side note, we are pretty confident that she is now saying Dada; I'm waiting for a Mama but so far no luck!