The Barnett Blog

Update: As you see it now

2011-09-28T15:00:00.004-05:00

So much to say, but I won't. Just pictures...Parts of our house...AS YOU SEE IT NOW...for real..no picking up here.. :)

The french doors from the living room

Living room
fireplace

As you see it now...our living room...
continued

the pantry/laundry room

my laundry room!

Kids' play room...looking out to the deck

Play room..one side...no toys picked up...like I said "as you see it now"

play room other side

thank you to Caleb, Randy and my mom for all of their hard work! As you can see below,
the boys insulated some attic space!

and my favorite picture of caleb..I couldn't find it to upload it...but I will..it is awesome (and on facebook if we are friends there)

Changes

2011-07-24T09:37:00.002-05:00

It has been almost 3 months since I've last blogged...and there is so much to catch up on! Major life events are happening...
1) I spent 10 days in Germany with my mom, Kylie, Aunt Monica, and cousins Crista and Laura. It was an amazing, God-ordained time. We were primarily there for the ISF International Adult Skating Competition in which my mom and Monica competed in. It was so fun! I have to do a post on just that. While I was away, Randy took rockstar dad status to a new level by taking care of our 2 littles for 10 days...by himself..I know--rockstar

2) I got back and Randy had a job interview---with a position and place really out of nowhere....and to make a long story short, he took the job, we are moving to Columbia, SC and I quit my job at GPS and will be a stay at home mommy for a while...this situation has so many faucets to it that I'd like to share also in more detail...

3) Summer has been crazy...our parents have taken care of our kids, Randy has been doing this with his new job and I have worked 4 weeks of summer camp at GPS...we've looked at houses and are currently trying to work on a contract for a home in SC...we will be first time home buyers which is very exciting. We've been packing, having yard sales and are getting ready to officially move in 5 days.

4) I will start blogging more..just as soon as we move and have internet access in our new place of residence...and in between there we will make our annual trek to CAMP FITCH with my family...we always knew when God moved in this situation that everything would happen so fast...

5) I have no idea if anyone will read this seeing that I have not blogged in months, but if you made it this far, I applaud you!

Blessings to you today!

Anna Kate: 15 months and full of personality!

2011-05-01T13:09:00.005-05:00

Oh my. These last two months with Anna kate have been so fun. She is a hot mess...just a hot mess...is very opinionated and silly. She can be so fun one minute and then give you the cold shoulder the next minute. We just love her to pieces. Her vocabulary is constantly growing and her interaction with Rody is just plain hilarious---they play really well together and often we can hear giggles and squeals from behind the curtain in their bedroom of them playing hide and seek together...

I snapped these last evening as we were outside most of the afternoon playing in the water and grilling out chicken...

Here she is on the hammock...

She looks so long here!

She has cut 2 molar teeth and working on some more

She loves to laugh

Is silly

Gets in to everything...and is growing some hair (you see it?)

says cheese for the camera

Our other "hot mess" child Rody...he is so fun right now too...I love his imaginative play and he loves to tell us what to do and how to go when we are driving

Here, one night at dinner wanting his hair in a pony tail "like daddy"....I think it is time for both of them to get a haircut :)

Happy 15 months, Anna Kate!

Can you stand the cuteness???

2011-04-24T19:21:00.005-05:00

Oh, what a glorious day...and we got some cute pictures...read on only if you can stand the cuteness (ha ha)...

So sweet...Rody is a great big brother

Love it!

It is hard to get a good picture of both of them...and it would have helped if I did not have them looking into the sun :)

We had a nice Easter dinner at home...pot roast with potatoes and carrots, mac-n-cheese, green beans and peanute butter pie for dessert..which Anna Kate LOVED, but Rody--not so much...

She kept saying "yum"..

And she has started saying "cheese" when we take her picture...here is a "cheese" face

My favorite....

Loving it

silly siblings

And some family shots

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

2011-04-23T20:09:00.002-05:00

What a full, fun day...we woke up to an Easter suprise....Peter Cottontail left us some Easter baskets...so nice of you, Peter Cottontail

Rody--my big boy---
Anna Kate was enthralled with all the lollipops

And we headed out for the entire afternoon--a nice ride in the jeep, lunch at Jason's Deli and our church's Easter Eggstravaganza!

AK loved the bouncy balloon...

The Egg Hunt...Rody took off like he was running a race...it was so sweet to watch

AK slowly but surely got some eggs herself

Our little bunnies...Rody just over 3 years old and Anna Kate just over 1 year old

The kids also got to ride a donkey... :)

AK really liked it

Halfway through the afternoon, Rody and Randy both got their hair sprayed pink

And we continued to have fun!

Her hat was adorable, but a little floppy...

Overall, we had a great afternoon! Looking forward to Easter Service at our church tomorrow!

April

2011-04-23T19:58:00.002-05:00

This month is nearly over and I have hardly even blogged. Spring is literally the busiest time for our family...my apologies!

We've been having fun, growing, learning, loving...Anna Kate is blosoming--amazes me with her vocabulary...already saying sentences like "Where's the ball"..."the ball right there"...

Here are some random pics...

I always get this face when I ask for a smile

This must be genetic...I slept with a blanket on my head when I was little and both of my children do too...no wonder she sleeps in till 11 or 11:30 everyday (I am NOT kidding...it is marvelous)

Sweet boy with firetruck sheets..thanks grandma kia!

Future Dawg!

Loving on her baby doll

having a conversation while Rody uses the potty. We have an open door policy here...the door to the bathroom is always open. There is no privacy...we all share one bathroom and our place is about 1,000 square feet or so---

playing outside in the water...

And celebrating my 32nd birthday!

Water!

2011-04-08T20:41:00.002-05:00

We went straight from a cold spring to a hot summer in one week...high 80's...what? Where is spring??? We are trying to not turn on our AC for a while, but I tell you that I hate sleeping when I am hot and sticky..yuck...We ventured out tonight before baths for a little water fun...

Oh, like my toes?? Randy picked out the color

Rody's face when I ask him to smile is always something like this...

As you can see, Anna Kate loved it!

Rody loved throwing water on her too!

**MANY NEW POSTS BELOW**

Grandma Kia

2011-04-08T20:37:00.001-05:00

Thank You for coming up two weeks in a row to spend a few days with us! We loved having you here and all the help you supplied us with...

Mom, you are so fun...and such a trooper...we love you!

napping?

2011-04-08T20:34:00.002-05:00

They take naps in separate rooms. Or so we thought. This is what Randy saw the other day after being alerted by banging on a wall...

Rody got out of his room, came into AK's room and got in her crib and they were both jumping with delight

They sure are cute!

**NEW POST BELOW**

Happy 3rd Birthday, Rody! (Happy belated on the blog birthday)

2011-04-08T20:13:00.005-05:00

I feel so behind on blogging. But, I definitely want to document Rody's 3rd birthday! Happy 3rd Birthday, Rody! Our celebration started on Thursday the 24th when we met Randy's parents in Pigeon Forge for some time at Dollywood. It was opening day of the season on Friday. We spent Thursday afternoon hanging out, going to dinner and then swimming in the indoor pool for hours!

We woke up Friday and it was COLD! The days prior were in the 80's, but a cold front came in and it was a high in the 50's that Friday. Needless to say, we were not completely dressed for the weather, but we managed.

We had fun afternoon at the park...along with all the other thousands of people that were there. We have never seen it so busy...

We rode the carousel!

The coal-fired train...the kids LOVE this! It is an old WWII Engine...named Klondike Katie :)

The flying elephants with daddy

the teacups

And we saw Dolly! Yes, she was there and rode her antique car through the park. We did not get that great of a look, but here is the back of her hair :)

took a nap!

Rode the cars with grandpa

Then came home...Saturday was a rainy day. We made do though. Rody got a bike for this birthday and he loves it!

and a real bat with a nice 360 degree tee and glove

We had his cake made with a water tower design. He loves water towers!

We had a few friends come to help us celebrate too! Here are James and Elijah

and then we enjoyed left over cake the next couple of days too!

It was fun few days that we got to celebrate our little boy. He is three years old now! Happy Birthday, Rody!

Spring Break Glimpse

2011-03-24T08:17:00.002-05:00

The weather has been BEAUTFIUL this week during my spring break! Very warm for March (80's) and sunny...we've been soaking it up. We've been meeting friends for play dates, going on walks, playing outside...I even got the water table out and introduced AK to it....

Ha ha...this is what I get when I prod and beg for 5 minutes for them both to look up...

I've been cleaning, organizing. As I was doing something, I heard nothing, which alarmed me. I found the kids on their room reading books by themselves..it was precious!

Anna Kate really loves books right now...which is fun! I love reading to both of them. She will find a book and toddler over to me handing it to me...she really loves Dora books right now--she even pointed out "map" and said "map"...she walked more than she crawled yesterday! She is getting so big...and she is communicating more and more..she has new words all the time..she loves her blankie and I caught her counting "one, two" the other day--it was really precious. She has started shaking her head to my questions--even if she means yes! ha! I've enjoyed this time at home this week--makes me thankful that I am a teacher and have so much time off during the year--

**Another NEW Post below**--it is your lucky day :)

camping

2011-03-24T08:02:00.004-05:00

Last Friday night we loaded up the jeep, the trailer and the children and set out for a family camping night out...

The weather was warm, it was a full moon and the children were excited!

We had an eventful time--it seems as though everyone else also wanted to camp that night. The free sites we were thinking of were all taken, so plan B...we stopped along the Hiawassee River to eat our hot dogs and smores before it got too late... Rody loved throwing rocks

Anna Kate chilled in her pack-n-play

And Randy started the grill

We did eventually find another free site up on Chilhowee Mountain. I tried not to think about the fact that a little boy was killed and a mother attacked by a bear up on Chilhowee about 3 years ago....I guess that is why I love going camping with my husband...needless to say, we definitely had the means to protect ourselves...ha ha

Anna Kate seemed to like it! but she did NOT like the family style sleeping---uck...I was up most of the night with her or she was sleeping snuggling on me...

Loved that we had this one with us too!

And Randy's friend, Aaron, literally "hang" out with us too...

Do you see Rody snuggled in that corner? He actually slept really well! We had to wake him at 8:30...

I did lots of laundry on Saturday and we recovered from no sleep...but it was SO much fun...will definitely do it again...once Anna Kate turns two!

He's ALMOST Three!

2011-03-18T07:57:00.002-05:00

A little post on Rody. He is so funny--keeping us busy! He loves to organize things...like sea shells, his cars, his boats. I saw this on the floor the other day and he had organized the shells according to type of shell--pretty impressive

Here he is showing me some of his shells

And the humidity is back! I know this because of his sweet curls...

In about one week we'll be singing Happy Birthday to this little man!

Another NEW POST below!

We Were On a Break!

2011-03-18T07:48:00.002-05:00

Don't worry blog world, I didn't break up with you--we were just on a break. And now that I am literally on a "spring break" (although it isn't even spring yet), maybe we can get reaquainted!

Something has sprung up in our garden plots...no, its not last year's vegetables, it is our children...

Apparantly Anna Kate has an affinity for eating dirt--yuck

But they won't be able to play in these much longer as we have started our spring planting---2 types of lettuce and brocolli yesterday

And the Greatest Show on Earth was in town, so we took the kids to the circus! It was so fun, but I did not get many pictures. Rody loved the clowns. I loved the Elephants and the motorcycles. Did you know they have dogs and cats in the circus too? who knew???

The weather is supposed to be beautiful this next week--lower 70's, no chances of rain--I am loving it!

AK 12 month well check

2011-02-28T09:27:00.002-05:00

We are in a crazy, trying season of life right now. I pause and take a breather to blog at the moment--this is what I see mostly of AK these days--crawling away, climbing, getting into things she shouldn't..

Ah, there is my sweet girl..

She is walking now-did I tell you that? She will take 5-6 steps at a time and then just dives forward--it is funny.

She is 30.5 inches in height--90%

She is 23 lbs 9 ounces--90%

And her head circumference is 90% too!

So, we've got a proportioned girl on our hands, ha!

Here is a random shot of our dining table...the kids eating bananas and blueberries

And my sweet boy--he doesn't sit still enough for a pic most days--he is keeping us on our toes and keeping us relying on the Lord for widsom and strength in parenting

Happy Monday!

Anna Kate: 12 months and 1 year old photos

2011-02-15T09:41:00.005-05:00

Actually, Anna Kate is 12.5 months old today! that is crazy...February is already half over--time really does fly!

I had her one year old pictures taken outside on a sunny, 60 degree day at the end of January by my friend and personal photographer( ha...seems like it), Veryll...thank you Veryll for capturing Anna Kate at this age in such awesome photographs..

Look at those teeth...and the cracker, ha!

I am so pleased with how these pictures turned out with the vibrant colors of her tutu and the matching balloons (my last minute idea that I am so glad I followed through with!)

This one is probably my favorite...she was playing peek-a-boo with the balloons

Where is Anna Kate??

so sweet

Ha! love it

I got her birthday outfit from a seller on etsy (in case you are wondering)

so cute

Oh, cake time. Poor girl..she gets her affinity for cake and icing naturally...

must feel nice on the toes

fistfulls I tell ya, fistfulls

happy girl

don't worry, we cleaned up the mess

And she is telling us "all done"

She does not have her well check until later this month, but I am guess she is around 23 pounds right now and really tall still...She is saying new words...like fish, diaper, doggie, apple...She took her first steps (about 3 on her own) on Saturday, February 12th!!! She was so proud...and she is into everything...I mean everything...she doesn't stay on one thing too long like Rody did, so she seems to make much more of a disaster path in our home than Rody did--oh well-- :)

We are definitely enjoying her!

Celebrating Anna Kate!

2011-02-04T18:18:00.006-05:00

The day began with Randy making AK her 1 year old pancakes in the shape of her initials...I think he did a really good job!

Anna Kate really liked them too!

yummy

Then when I got home, we loaded up in the rainy weather and went to Chick-fil-A for family night!!!

I couldn't get her to look at the camera much...she was too busy looking everywhere else!

daddy and Rody

We got back home and waited on some of our friends to come join us

Once they got there, we got the cake out and started to celebrate! (I regret that I am in all of the following photos, but I was the one bringing her the cake!)

Blow out the candle

Trying out the icing (frosting if you are from the North like me.. :)) right away

Still liking that icing

Where is my piece?

Love it!

AK's friend Ria...

The boys

The boys had their own table too!

Veryll and Ria

Bethany and new baby Jesse

The kiddos

The men

Cake all over her face!

Opening some gifts...Veryll made a sweet pillowcase dress for AK!

The fam

It was a wonderful day celebrating our sweet Anna Kate! Happy Birthday, baby girl

Happy 1st Birthday Anna Kate!

2011-02-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Ok...I am trying not to get all emotional on this post, but it was very difficult to go through all my photos and pick just one for each month. I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. I wish (at moments) that time could stand still.

Newborn- Welcome to the world, Anna Katherine Barnett! Born February 1st, 2010 at 9:27 am weighing 8 lbs. 10 ounces and 21 and 1/4 inches long.

One month old- highlights- you slept a lot

2 months old- highlights-you started to smile and coo

3 months old-highlights- more alert and so sweet

4 months old-highlights-rolling over, lots of tummy time

5 months old- highlights- sitting up and having fun

6 months old- highlights- said "mama" for the first time!

7 months old- highlights- such a happy baby all the time!

8 months old- highlights- I cut my first tooth!

9 months old- highlights-I am eating more and more solid food!

10 months old- highlights- I started crawling, pulling up and moving more and more!11 months old- highlights--I'm cruising around everywhere, talking more and more, learning my sign language and having fun!

12 month highlights--learning new things everyday! I'm not too far from walking!

Oh baby girl you are so loved! We are so thankful to the Lord for giving you to us. We hope and pray that we lead and guide you toward Jesus in your life and that you would glorify Him and be a strong woman of God. You are such a blessing in our life. We enjoy you every day...your personality is blossoming and you have such a sweet disposition. Happy FIRST Birthday, Anna Kate! We love you SO much

Love,

Mommy

bath and bubbles

2011-01-28T20:39:00.002-05:00

We've had a ball the last two nights taking a bath with the addition of .99 bubbles..you know--the kind you blow in the air, not the kind you put in the tub

the kids were intrigued that the bubbles stuck to their bodies...Anna Kate didn't quite know what to do with them

bubbles all over my face!

Bubbles all over my face too!

fun times :)

Are you ready for some football?

2011-01-23T16:12:00.001-05:00

She is!

And she talks to herself too!

Caleb, Almost 30, all over the world, presently in GA

2011-01-22T09:32:00.006-05:00

*Updated*...if any of you lovely ladies are checking this site again, just wanted to let you know what was going on! thank you for all your kind responses to my brother...I told him about all these responses and he said he is just not really interested in seeking a lady right now--so, I am going to keep all this info on file and maybe one day when he is ready, I'll be back in touch (that is if you haven't already been snagged..all of you are beautiful girls and I know will make a man so happy one day!)...Blessings to all of you!

So I am hooking up with Kelly's Korner today in show us your life "singles"...I have three people in mind that I'd like to link to, but I am choosing to show my brother--since I am doing this without permission and would rather do it to a guy than my sister or best friend :)

this is a last minute entry for me. My brother does not know I am doing this (well, he does now if he is reading this!) Anyways, back to my brother, Caleb.

He is the baby of 4...with 3 older sisters! I am the sister closest to him in age...

He will be turning 30 this spring, is college graduate with some post graduate work, speaks fluent French, loves sports, has traveled all over the world (almost literally), lived in France for many years (currently in North East Georgia), and comes from a great christian family!

Meet Caleb

See...he is fun too..ice skating with my mom :)
and can be goofy...and grow a lot of facial hair at times...
Loves the outdoors...including skiing
And is an uncle to 6 nieces and nephews!

He is great catch, peeps!

11.5 month communication

2011-01-20T10:05:00.003-05:00

At 11.5 months old, Anna Kate is starting to communicate more and more each day. She is in a big growing phase right now--learning new things and doing new things each day.

For example, last night I had her in the bath with Rody...let me back up...I had Rody in the bath first alone for a few minutes and she could not stand it. I even tried to block her off from the bathroom and she pitched a fit. The minute I turned my back, she had crawled her self into that bathroom and was standing up on the bath. So, I put her in. I let her play. Then I took her out--and she pitched a fit. I had her on my lap and she was reaching for the bath and since that didn't work, she signed "more"...so I put her in the tub and she was happy as a lark! Until I took her out again and no matter how many more times she signed "more", she did not get her way which was inevitably confusing to her.

She is getting into more and more these days. She is a turbo crawler and has starting walking behind push toys. She pulls up and cruises on anything and stands on her own for short periods of time. She can eat some food--sometimes more than Rody--and is on all table food (except for the fruits that we put in her oatmeal in the morning)
She can sign "more", "all done" and "please"
She can say "mama", "dada", "good night", pease"
She blows kisses and gives kisses like it is going out of style
She loves to try to feed us and then quickly pull it away and she thinks this is hilarious!
She likes to dance...but she dances sitting down on her booty right now--she definitely shakes it to the music.

She is so much fun right now--I am enjoying this stage so much. She seems to be getting over her stranger anxiety and seems less attached to me overall.

We finished breastfeeding a few weeks ago. She is completely on whole milk and doing great!

snowed in and such

2011-01-16T21:33:00.005-05:00

Well, the snow is still on the ground a week after the snow fall! We were "sniced" (snowed and iced) in for 4 days. I had Monday-Thursday off of school and had to go back Friday with a late start. It was such a fun week! We just played, hung out, stayed warm and had fun with the kids. We played out in the snow the 2nd day with Rody, but then the snow just got hard and not fun after that...

This was his face after a little bit of a meltdown. Randy made him a little tunnel out of the snow and we were trying to get him to crawl through it. He eventually did

Happy boy in the tunnel

Anna Kate has turned 11 months old! I cannot believe it!!! She is so much fun. She is signing please and all done and tries to say them. She also loves books right now and is pretty peticular about the ones we read to her. She is a turbo crawling and is cruising around everywhere. She can stand on her own for a few seconds. She is so happy and getting over her "I'm scared of anyone and everyone...especially those that smile at me" period. We are enjoying her so much!

One night we got out some play tents and the kids had a blast. Rody thought it was so fun that Anna Kate was crawling through the tunnel too

The kids have been sleeping really well lately. They share a room and they do pretty well...it is funny to listen to them on the monitor!

This is how I found Rody one afternoon after he had been napping almost 3 hours...no wonder...he was totally inside his blanket--over his head

And today after church...they were just both in the corner together looking at some books

Very cute!

And Saturday I took the kids to the Aquarium with my friend Veryll. It was quite an outing! I had free tickets that day for teachers and could get a guest in free too...so off we went. It was fun, but I did not take pictures. However, Veryll documented it pretty well here.

Good night!

When it snows in the South....

2011-01-10T21:30:00.004-05:00

the birdies must be so confused...but what a beautiful color contrast...love it

We play!!! and play and play...Randy and I even went outside by ourselves when the kids napped!

So many of my pictures are of Rody looking down and playing in the snow...

Randy ventured out many times in his jeep...this is what a jeep is made for...or so he says...it was fun (I took a ride while a friend watched our kids for a few minutes)

we played snow football...

And got all bundled up...

and brought our baby girl out in the snow for a few minutes...

and took some fun pictures

The fam

Happy boy

best picture I could get of both of them

not too enthused at first

Ready and excited

It was such a fun, low key day. We knew nobody was going anywhere...we couldn't...it snowed almost 8 inches...of the nice fluffy snow...Rody played a few times, then he took a 3 hour nap...We got to spend about 2 hours with Anna Kate alone while Rody napped--which was way fun (that does not happen much as you can imagine!), and we topped it off by spending the evening with many of our neighbors--eating dinner, talking, fellowshipping, laughing--so good.

And tomorrow I have the day off again--so round two! I am blessed for this special time with my little family!

White Christmas

2010-12-31T22:41:00.002-05:00

The south does not normally see a white Christmas. It had been almost 80 years since Roxboro, NC experienced a white Christmas. Almost 130 years since Atlanta, Ga had a white Christmas. We had a white Christmas 2010...it started to snow noon on Christmas day and we had a couple inches by that evening. It continued to snow until around noon on the 26th and we had a total of around 6 inches...that is A LOT of snow for the south... A LOT...and it was fluffy snow...just loved it!

We went 4 wheeling, sledding, and just plain playing in the snow...Rody loved it too...

and I love how the pure whiteness turned out in these pictures...snow is so pure...it was just so white...I felt like I was in Narnia when we were 4 wheeling in the woods...and it reminded me of just how pure Jesus washes our sins..."Those are sins are like scarlet, they are made as white as snow"...wow

stud

Anna kate enjoyed it briefly too!

What is this stuff?

What a great memory. Anna Kate--your first Christmas was a white Christmas!

A few of my favorite things: picture version Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T22:11:00.006-05:00

Christmas 2010 is in the history books and I have a heap of photos for memories. It was one of my favorite Christmas times ever...we spent almost a week at Molly and Jason's house and my parents came up for a few days of that time. It was just so much fun...being with family, lots of laughter, playing outdoors, snow...the list could go on and on...

Get ready for a bunch of pictures...I tried to capture some highlights (minus the white Christmas...that is a post in and of itself!)...

All the grandchildren...

4 wheeling with my nieces!

Rody's first 4 wheeling ride

Jason...

Kasen and Anna Kate's first Christmas!

Kylie...the first grandbaby

We had some fun with jingle bells...turining them to earrings!

The fam...

Anna Kate loved the jingle bells

The girls

I enjoyed Kylie playing for us

The babies

Oh, these next 2 photos have a story behind them...and I wish I could capture it...but these two pictures just make me laugh...Jason had to get a tetnus shot....done by none other than Molly!

priceless

A day full of air gun tactics and games...this is tied to why Jason had to get a tetnus shot....he was going in camo where most men would not go...

Dad always naps with the babies!

Rody and Kaitlyn really got into Grandma Kia's Christmas craft...Rody worked on this for a solid hour....

Anna Kate finally got comfortable....

I LOVE this picture....

My boba carrier...a lifesaver

sweet baby Kasen

Oh, the memories....we had a wonderful time...memories etched in my mind...

Merry Christmas

2010-12-20T16:04:00.002-05:00

Here's to wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Above is our Christmas card this year from shuttefly. I was very happy with that experience!

We are off tomorrow for our Christmas travels during which we will visit every state in the south east...just kidding...it only feels that way!

Merry Christmas and see you next year! (I may or may not be blogging...who knows???!)

Blessings!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2010-12-14T23:33:00.003-05:00

So, with the cold weather (highs in the 20's) and the fact that I am off for the break, we've been doing a lot of hunkering down and hanging out. It has been fun, although it does always seem to take me a while to be OK with doing nothing :) I've enjoyed being with the kids and Randy and we've had lots of concentrated family time...here are some pics from the last few days...

We got the kids their Chrismas pajamas...they are wearing them tonight because tomorrow morning is our little family's "christmas" since we'll be out of town for actual Christmas..

I promise my kids are happy and fun...even if this picture says otherwise!

Rody's pajamas are very fitting...Thomas the train PJ's..this is a Thomas the Train Christmas. I can't wait to post pictures of Randy making him a wooden train table...it is awesome...and we have some good ebay finds on trains/tracks, etc...so I know Rody will LOVE it!

Anna Kate is pulling up on everything these days...loves Rody's fire truck...

I tried getting her pic in her cute Christmas outfits...this is the best one I got of her!

ah, joy

Sweet girl

I love this one!

Top National Defensive Player of the Year: Bronko Nagurski Trophy

2010-12-08T12:05:00.011-05:00

My dad received a very prestigious award on Monday evening and most of our family (minus Maggie and some grandchildren) were able to attend. And I am so thankful we were able to be a part of it. He received the Bronko Nagurski Legends Trophy. The "BN" trophy is given annually to the top Defensive Player of the Year by the Football Writer's Association. It is basically the Heisman for Defensive players (since no defensive player has ever won the Heisman). A few years ago they started giving a Legends award too--given to a past player. This year they highlighted the year 1969 (my dad's senior season at Notre Dame).

The day was a busy one for my dad. They had the 5 finalists for the award there, my dad and the keynote speaker, Dabo Swinney (Clemson football coach). They held a leadership forum, a luncheon, and visited an area hospital. They signed numerous things for the silent auction and had a jam packed day!

Our night started around 5:45 at the VIP gathering. There were tons of great food items and people mingling and mixing...They had this station set up where all the guys came in and signed autographs.

The 5 collegiate finalists for Top Defensive Player of the year included: Da'Quan Bowers (Clemson), Justin Houston (Georgia), Nick Fairley (Auburn), Patrick Peterson (LSU) and Luke Kutchley (Boston College)
Randy was so excited. He grew up a huge Clemson fan and this night he got to meet Dabo Swinney...My dad had spent the day with him and told him about Randy

Molly and sweet baby Kasen joined us...it was my first time meeting him---he is already 6 weeks old!

Here is the frenzy of people crowding to get all these signatures...it was crazy!

Randy and I

We then moved upstairs to the banquet hall. It had many different tables for all the guests to sit at...there were almost 1,000 people in attendance!

We found a poster of my dad on the wall

Dad and daughters...we missed you Maggie...wish you could have been there!

Bronko Nagurski himself!

Sweet Kasen

Dabo Swinney was the keynote speaker...he did really well and gave a great motivational speech

My dad's award was presented towards the end of the evening...it was almost 9pm at this point!

He gave a really good acceptance speech which my mom said he did not prepare before hand. He is used to speaking in front of people and his comfort was obvious

This is dad and Da'Quan Bowers of Clemson who won the collegiate award for best Defensive Player of the year

The trophy...it weighs at least 50 pounds

All the guys doing the Bronko "pose"

Dad and his sister, Aunt Sandy

Mom and Dad...they've been married 40 years!

My dad's uniform will stay here

heading to our "after party"

Which really just included hanging out, holding Kasen, and eating M&M's... ha ha

If you were wondering, our kids stayed at Grandma Debbie's and Grandpa's house...it was nice to get away and stay at the WestinI think Kasen favors Karson a whole lot

And then the next morning we got up and headed to breakfast together...I had to take a pic of my mom with all of her fun colors on!

It's amazing how small babies are to begin with!

It was an incredible experience, a once in a life time honor for my dad and I am so glad most of us were able to be there to experience it!

I'll post again with some video footage and some more pics of some of the current players...so fun!

Uh OH

2010-12-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

rody's new favorite thing

Anna Kate's new nightmare

Packers

2010-12-04T10:58:00.006-05:00

At 2.5 years old, Rody can say he did something that many people cannot say they did in their lives ever...He went to a Packers game (not a home game, though). What an experience! A bunch of Pack fans from Wisconsin came to the game and wanted my dad to come and meet some people, etc, so they got some more tix and there you go!

rody LOVED the "fire" as he called it!

The Original Packer himself
Cheesehead

Cheers Caleb
He even ate a brat with sauerkraut

Watermelons looks like footballs!

Riding the "esckabator"

Great seats!

Priceless Picture!

The Fire again!

The tailgate, the game, everything was a fun experience. Rody did great even though they left at 9:30 in the morning and did not get home until 5:30 at night! He was a trooper...thank you Papa and Grandma Kia for the experience!

McCoy Thanksgiving

2010-12-04T10:45:00.004-05:00

Well, the first thing Rody did when we got to my parent's house was take inventory of everything...his toys, lollipops, the fire place, etc. He acts like he owns the place there...ha ha...he got bundled up and took Papa outside right away to play...and then he grabbed a lolli and his "motorcycle"...which he loved to ride in the house!

Rody and Grandma Kia also made their annual gingerbread house...that ended up collapsing this year, but you live and learn!

so fun

uh oh...Anna Kate is in the mix now...

Can I eat some of this please?

Anna Kate tried all sorts of new things like goldfish, ginger cookies and lollipops...all of which she LOVED!

And she started to feel better the last day we were there, so she let me let her go and hung on to Grandma Kia instead....

And on Sunday, everyone went to the Packers/Falcons game...I'll post that next...except AK and I--we hung out with Laurin and Peyton! It was so fun :)

Barnett Thanksgiving

2010-12-04T10:37:00.002-05:00

For some reason we did not take a lot of pictures at the Barnett house...and no pictures were actually taken thanksgiving day...oops! Here are a few from our time there...

fires out in the pasture with friends Tony, Austin and Cameron...

Anna Kate and Lily crawling around in the living room

Seeing Great Aunt Alma at dinner one night--she is holding Lily

Grandpa

And Grandma Debbie!

It was fun...but AK was progressively not feeling well...and once we got to my parent's home, it kinda "hit the fan"... :)

Stand UP!

2010-12-03T21:11:00.002-05:00

She's on the move! She's been crawling...not just army crawling anymore...

AND...standing UP!

father and son

2010-12-03T20:56:00.004-05:00

I am about 5 posts behind in blogging! It has been a couple of crazy weeks and right now I am in the middle of the craziness! We've been traveling as a family, then I traveled by myself and we are getting ready to travel as a family again soon! I had to post these pics of a few weeks ago--a rare, warm November afternoon...

feeding each other puffs

Randy was blowing the leaves with a blower and it turned into a fun game for Rody!

I was quite impressed with his discus stance here...what do you think?

Hopefully I will be catching up soon with some more blog posts!

Instead of napping

2010-11-21T16:04:00.003-05:00

Little Miss decided to only take a 1 hour nap today...and Rody is still sleeping...so this is what we did

We enjoyed the 70 degree November afternoon

Flashback Friday

2010-11-19T09:21:00.003-05:00

Rody at 9 months!

I almost cried looking at some of these pictures...but here is Rody at the age that Anna Kate is now...such a sweet age! He spent his first christmas at Aunt Molly and Uncle Jason's house...looks like the start of a tradition? Anna Kate's first Christmas is this year...watch out M & J..we are coming your way!

The cousins...so much has changed. Everyone is 2 years older AND 2 new cousins are in the mix (Anna Kate and Kason) (and one other new cousin on Randy's side...sweet Lily...Stephanie and Ford's baby girl only 17 days apart from AK)

And my hair was SHORT!

Love his goofy smile!

Oh my heart!

Christmas Cards

2010-11-17T16:41:00.004-05:00

Don't you just love getting Christmas cards in the mail? It is one of the things I look forward to the most. I remember when I was growing up I would take all the christmas cards that my family got and put them up on our walls in the kitchen. I loved looking at the pictures and seeing how people have changed and how children have grown up. Now as I have my own family and my own children, I look forward to sending one out just as much as I do getting some.

There are so many different places to choose from when making your Christmas card. I have used shutterfly before and will be using it again this year thanks to an offer for free Christmas cards to bloggers (that would be me!)

Just look at all of there adorable choices (over 700)! Here are some of my favorites...

I love the list of highlights on the right side of this card...I'm thinking of the highlights we've experienced this year!

A classic example

So sweet

I seriously don't know which one to pick! I guess I will play with the different designs and pictures that I will include (thanks to my friend Veryll). We have so many adorable pictures and I won't post them on here so it will be a surprise when you get your card!

Check out more of their choices here!

And, do you have any coffee drinkers in your family? shutterfly also has some great personalized gifts...what a sweet touch. Check them out here

And if you are a blogger and want to get in on this too, you can check my facebook page!

is it too early to say MERRY CHRISTMAS???

TOOFERS

2010-11-16T08:39:00.001-05:00

All FIVE of them (all cut within 2 weeks of one another...4 of them in 2 days!)

LOVE it

update

2010-11-14T19:19:00.003-05:00

The days are getting shorter on daylight, but it seems like more and more is on my plate right now. Life is full and I wouldn't have it any other way!

The children are doing well as are Randy and I...enjoying the cooler weather!

Rody and I raked and played in the leaves the other day...

It was fun...he is almost camoflauged in the leaves...see him?

And we bought the kids some hats (consignment) and it was so funny...AK just kept looking at Rody as if to say "what is on your head"? and I coudn't get a good picture of the two of them...

And here is AK after her afternoon nap...cookie time!

Yeah!

Would you like one?

mmm...tastes good!

Happy!

sneak peak

2010-11-10T12:54:00.002-05:00

Okay, my lovely friend, Veryll, took some pictures for our family last weekend. I think she is so talented with photography and editing...and here are a few sneak peak pictures...I just LOVE a good picture...a picture is such a great way to freeze time...make a memory...that you can look back upon, remember...there are so many things I just want to "freeze" at times...take a mental picture and I can conjure up some of those, but for all the other memories that I will one day need a picture to help me recall, I'll have these...

This is how she rolls

2010-11-06T13:56:00.003-05:00

Wow...so many changes since my Anna Kate: 9 month post...She has cut through 4 more teeth...Yes...4 more teeth in 2 days! Crazy....they are popping out all over the place and she is taking it all in stride...

And she is doing an army crawl thing...she can't quite figure out how to do belly off the ground and move all at the same time...

Step 1: focus on an object I want

step 2: butt up, head down, arm down

step 3: scoot forward

step 4: getting closer to what I want...dig in with knees

step 5: REACH

Step 6: victory!

oh, and this was funny...so she had a ball in each hand; she loves these little balls..and I offer her a cookie. She doesn't know what do do...she doesn't want to let the balls go..so, she leans forward

And makes due

ha ha ha..so funny

Anna Kate: 9 months old

2010-11-02T07:34:00.003-05:00

Anna Kate: You officially turned 9 months old yesterday!

Your well visit is in a couple weeks, so I'll have your stats later.

Still not crawling, but getting closer

Still only 1 tooth, but some really swollen gums so I know more are coming

Still a great sleeper...We've put you and Rody in one room and everything is going great!

You love cookies and have started squealing more...

Still just babbling "mama, dddaada, nnnaannnaa"....not much else

You clap your hands, wave bye bye and sign "more"...

You are a big time mama's girl right now...you don't like me out of your sight...its really sweet..

Happy 9 months!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T07:16:00.005-05:00

Halloween 2010 will always be remembered. It will be remembered for many reasons, but one is especially funny. So, there was all this confusion on which night halloween would be celebrated since it fell on a Sunday. Some places were doing Saturday, some Sunday. Back in September, I saw in the paper that the annual Cleveland Block Party was going to fall on Saturday, October 30th. I even showed this to Randy and his parents since they always come up for Halloween...they love it.

So, we all get dressed up on Saturday...relectantly on my part...and leave for the block party...see us here all dressed up?

For lack of inspiration, I was again a nun this year...just not a pregnant one this time :)

Well, we drove towards town and noticed how empty it looked...we kept driving..and driving....and then realized that we were the only crazy people dressed in costumes looking for a party that was not happening that night. sigh.

So we laughed and went back home to catch the end of the Georgia/Florida game...which we just shouldn't have watched anyway...and called it a night.

I was again reluctant to venture out on Sunday night, but did it for the kids
See...aren't they cute? There is one hotspot in town...in the historic district...that hundreds of people go to in order to trick-or-treat. So, we loaded up the wagon and joined the masses

Anna Kate...sweet bumble bee stayed close to me in the wagon..enjoying watching people...as long as they didn't get too close

While Rody stood in lines (yes, lines for trick-or-treating) to get some, in my opinion, not so good candy....but candy he likes..the dumdum lollipops!

These houses really go all out with fun decorations. I enjoyed looking at them

Our train conductor liked them as well

Having fun yet?

It was fun, but Randy and both agreed that we will do things differently next year. It seems like young girls and some older ones think Halloween is an excuse to dress like a hooker...seriously...and I've never been around so many people that smoke in all my life....it was crazy...

But, all in all it was a delightful evening. Everyone had a fun time and we made memories for us and our kids. I like looking back at pictures of my childhood, dressed up in Halloween costumes. My parents made it fun for us and we hope to continue that tradition!

little miss tutu

2010-10-30T11:13:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween...or Happy end of October...Anna Kate is sporting her tutu today....

This one is precious....

And on Wednesday night we went to a fall festival at church...AK went as a bumble bee...

Happy Girl

Can someone say "snot" much?

Happy Fall Day!

Welcome to the world Kason David Evans

2010-10-26T09:13:00.001-05:00

My sister, Molly, gave birth to her 4th baby yesterday! What a whirwind...check out pics here on their blog:

http://jasonmolly3.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/kasen-david-evans/

fall leaves

2010-10-25T21:35:00.001-05:00

Some cute pictures of the kids one night...

Cookie Screamer

2010-10-25T09:33:00.002-05:00

* We may have created a monster

By we, I mean my mother :)

Cousins

2010-10-24T21:19:00.002-05:00

We went on a quick trip to South Carolina this weekend. Randy, Stephanie, Ford and I went to the Clemson game on Saturday afternoon and the grandparents took care of all 3 of their grandchildren...it was fun to see them interact...especially AK and Lily since they are so close in age (17 days apart)...

And the report when we got home was that AK was the high maintenance one...go figure...she wasn't happy and didn't take her bottle, but all survived!

This picture makes me laugh because AK is so much bigger than Lily...she looks older, but they are both 8 months old...

Holding hands

And Lily loved rody too...at one point he hugged both of them and said "best friends"...so sweet

And we had great seats at the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game...we forgot our camera in the car or I would show you some great shots...the weather was beautiful and we sat in the shade the whole time..so no sweating for me...yay!

a first

2010-10-20T11:57:00.002-05:00

Anna Kate is smiling to say "I cut my first tooth yesterday"...

It's the bottom left, it's no big deal

I even started to squeal

I'm smiling big, but you still can't see it

But one day soon my mom will blog for you to hear it (the squeal)

Rody: 2 1/2 years

2010-10-19T13:13:00.002-05:00

I've been dedicating monthly updates of AK as I did of Rody when he was younger, but thought a Rody post was in line next...Rody turned 2.5 years old the end of September and boy does he bring us joy and laughter every day!

Some highlights at 2.5 years

You are potty trained..whoo hoo!
You still sleep A LOT...you sleep till 9:30 or so every morning and take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon
You are all boy...full of wild and fun energy...
You've learned how to ride your tricycle and will go and pick tomatoes and put them in your bike trunk
You are a good eater...oatmeal, all fruits, most veggies, love salad
You drink LOTS of water...we don't give you juice (I think you get it at church though...explains the craziness)
You still like to watch Dora
You've know your ABC's for a while now and can recognize most of the letter
You spell your name
You sleep with your 2 blankies and some stuffed animals
You are very methodical
You love your matchbox cards and your trains
You speak so well. Your sentence structure amazes me...
You are so loving...and you are learning your manners. I love when you say "thank you mama" totally unprovoked
You are usually nice to AK...this has been an issue lately, but we are working through it!

You have the cutest blonde curly hair!
You love to wrestle around with daddy...and you have started in on imaginative play. I love to watch you play as you commentate what your toys are saying to each other

Pretty good 3 point stance here...randy and rody work on this a lot

This was his face when I told him to look "mean"

You are really funny and make us laugh all the time. You are the total jokester and will do anything for a laugh

You are full of life, full of energy, and the sweest 2 year old boy I know!

And you find AK hair bows around and put them in your hair...

You have an incredible memory, don't forget a thing, love to sing, love to dance and don't like being told "no" when you have it in your head to do so...Randy says he is getting what he deserves (as in this is how Randy was when he was little) and I'm thinking "what did I do to deserve this??" (as in, I was perfect when I was little).. ha ha peeps..

Oh yeah, Rody walked in to me and nanny two talking (our neighbor) and says "what's up peeps"? He is always coming up with stuff like that...just out of nowhere...it is so funny!

We love you Rody Barnett!

fall fields

2010-10-19T11:54:00.002-05:00

I am so behind on blogging...gotta catch up...we love going to a big open field and taking over...fun with balls, etc...

rody was not in the best mood this day, so we didn't get many pics of him

Randy punting the ball

Fun chasing around

And AK and I just chilled on a blanket

She is SO sweet

and has got personality to go with that

loving the jeep rides

Honor

2010-10-12T12:45:00.002-05:00

My dad was chosen to receive the Bronko Nagurski Legends award this year. This award is given to the top defensive player of the year in college football. A few years ago, they started giving an equivalent "legends" award to one player in the last 40 years. My dad is the recipient this year. This is a big deal and I am very proud of my dad. I know he wants God to have all the glory in this, but I wanted to honor him and his life and his service to the Lord here on my little blog on the "world wide web"...

He will be receiving it at an awards dinner/banquet in December in Charlotte. I really hope to be able to go and experience this too...

Here is a picture of dad playing college football... #77...

And here are dad and mom during the halftime of a Notre Dame game this year honoring my dad for receiving this prestigious award

Congratulations, dad! And mom, get ready for your tribute when you compete at the Word Ice Skating Championships!

Anna Kate: 8 months

2010-10-05T06:54:00.005-05:00

Wow...the months seem to be going faster and faster. Anna Kate is now 8 months old!

At this point you still don't have any teeth, but it looks like your upper front teeth may be coming soon. I see them right under your gums and your gums are swollen.

I'm not sure on your weight--you are probably 21 pounds and a few ounces.

You are wearing 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

You are not crawling yet, but can go from sitting to hand and knees, but then quickly just collapse on your stomach. You still love to stand with our help and can around much better in your walker now.

You start to squeal and kick whenever you see the neighborhood dogs and cats.

You tend to be shy around new people and hold onto me for dear life...

You cry a lot when I put you down..Randy says I spoil you...and that you are a big time mama's girl...but I don't mind ( I know it won't always be like that!)

You still sleep about 12-14 hours at night and take the equivalent of a 2-3 hr. nap a day--either all at once or in 2-3 little naps

You babble "mama, dada, and have said things with a nana sound"

You nurse 4 times a day and eat fruit with oatmeal in the morning and a vegetable at night. I have not started any finger foods yet since you have no teeth!

You adore Rody and Rody loves you too (most of the time...)

You were playing "peek a boo" here

This picture reminds me so much of Rody...

Sweet baby girl...you are loved!

love

2010-09-29T08:43:00.002-05:00

I love fall. I love cool weather. I love open windows. I love a cold bedroom that you can get warm with your covers. I love hot chocolate. I love leaves changing colors. I love fall.

I love that Randy lets his hair down every once in a while (smile). I love Anna Kate's "I just woke up face".

I love Anna Kate's big blue eyes, beautiful porcelain skin

I love how Rody says "silly girl". I love that Rody is potty trained. I love how my children are becoming friends. I love how Anna Kate squeals when Rody plays with her.

I love my little family!

time for a haircut?

2010-09-28T08:17:00.002-05:00

Our sweet boy has adorable curls and I hate to cut them...because I know they probably won't grow back!

But when people start mistaking him for a girl...then it might be time for the scissors!

Dollywood....

2010-09-20T09:22:00.004-05:00

So we went up to Dollywood for the day and invited our friends Veryll, Jermaine, and their two kids...Jermaine had to work, so Veryll came with us...

We drove 2.5 hours up to Pigeon Forge and as we were driving into PG realized that our hopes of an uncrowded day were fleeting...there was big car show there and I have never seen it so crowded...it was ridiculous. It wasn't bad when we were driving in, but when we were leaving at 7pm it took us about 1 hour to drive 1/3 of a mile...we didn't have to stay on the main road long (thankfully), but it added to our trip. In the park it was fairly crowded too...and hot...but that didn't stop us..we had a nice time, but definitely will check the activities going on in PG before we go back again... :)

Anna Kate...hung out most of the time like this...and the good thing about Dollywood is that there are nursing rooms that are air conditioned, have gliders in them, private bathrooms, changing tables...just really nice!

Sweet Ria...she is so much fun...

Rody and Javan were in heaven with the train....

Love this picture...

We were really having fun...even in this picture seems otherwise :)

The boys had a blast on these little rides

Veryll and Ria

How many car seat photos do I have of her???!!!

Eating some lunch...

Sweat, Crowds, Traffic, Children, Dollywood, Rollercoasters...a good time was had by all!

randomness

2010-09-20T09:08:00.003-05:00

Random pictures that our camera has collected the last few weeks...

Crawling pose! (but not yet!)

Is it a hazard to have cords sitting right behind your children?? uh, don't answer that...
Rody still wants to be a baby sometimes...

Laurin has been to visit us twice in the month of September!

Bath time is fun time...until someone does a face plant in the water (not saying who though)

We play outside a lot these days...especially between the hours of 6-8 pm...beautiful outside...

rody making a rainbow...actually pretty good and accurate!

Daddy's girl...

Rody getting good at riding his tricycle!

Anna Kate: 7.5 months!

2010-09-20T08:57:00.002-05:00

Oh, I know I missed her 7 month blog, but not too late for her 7.5 month blog post! Wow, Anna Kate is not 7.5 months old...and so fun! What are you up to these days?

You LOVE to stand..you pull up with our help (and our hands) and love to stand
You are almost ready to pull up on your own..
You are not crawling yet, but I am in no hurry...
You say "mmm..mama...ma...mmm...mama" all the time...especially when you want me to come get you
You've said "dada" too now...
You LOVE bathtime. We've started giving you baths with Rody and y'all splash and play for a good 20 or so minutes each night
You squeal with delight every morning-you are so happy in the mornings
You sometimes sleep on your tummy...
You are nursing about 4 times a day now and eating solids 2 times day. I have not found anyfood that you won't eat yet!
You weigh about 20 lbs. 9 ounces...and are wearing 9-12 month clothes
You are in a size 4 diaper
You are delightfully chubby and I love it!

ha ha...always grabbing for the camera!

Mama loves you precious one...

Labor

2010-09-07T08:45:00.006-05:00

We enjoyed a delightful Labor day weekend at home in Tennesee. The weather was gorgeous, football officially started, and we had some visitors..and we played outside a lot!

Grandpa and Grandma Debbie stopped in for a short visit on their way to Branson, Missouri for the week. The kids loved seeing them...even if it was just for one night....

Rody and his "friends"

We played outside Sunday evening and watched Rody play tball...he is actually pretty good for a not yet 2.5 year old! Anna Kate and I just chilled out on a blanket most of the evening...

She was starting to feel better at this point....

Loves to stand up too! (with help of course)

And Rody ran around most of the evening with a blue mouth (ring pop) and no pants on (potty training...and he likes to pee on trees..)

His expressions are priceless

Keeping his eye on the ball

A fantastic time was had by all!

I don't really know what to title this...it's football season?

2010-09-04T14:51:00.006-05:00

Ah, mom, don't put my hair in a pony tail...

And don't take a picture of me...

Name that photo? Any takers???

The neighborhood doggie, ptail

Loving this fall weather...

So handsome

Can you tell she is not feeling well by her eyes? She enjoyed being outside nonetheless...

In her new toy...the walker...

Giving mommy kisses...big, wet, open mouth kisses

Hanging out with mommy

So, we've been under the dark cloud of sickness. I've already taken 2 sick days from work...and we've only been in 2.5 weeks! Took both kids to the doctor Thursday...Randy went to a walk-in clinic last night...the good news is that I am feeling well- just not anybody else....trusting and praying that we all get over what we need to get over soon!

Happy Saturday!

church

2010-09-04T14:46:00.002-05:00

I tried to get some pictures of the kids before church last week...and here is what unfolded....

I would love a "name that photo" contest on the picture below..

Anna Kate has started to pull stuff off her head these days...she is becoming more aware I guess.. :)

???!!!!!

2010-08-30T15:52:00.002-05:00

Ok..I'm totally bored here at work, unable to go home because of parent's night which starts at 5:30....I could get really organized and plan like my whole year, but who wants to do that? Anyways, I started looking at my back blogs...mostly of Rody when he was Anna Kate's age and I'm just laughing. It is so funny how you grow, change, etc...I am so much more laid back--whatever--with my children (in some ways). And a lot had to do with their personality differences...but they are so different

Rody was pulling up on everything at 6 months...Anna Kate--not a one thing. She rolls over a lot and tries to get to things and sits up really well, but that is about it!
Rody cut a tooth at 7 months...no toofies for AK yet..and doesn't look like we are even close
Rody had this high-pitched alarming cry...distressing if you weren't used to it...Anna Kate hardly makes any noise...crying or anything...half the time I don't even know there is a baby in the room :)
Rody started crawling right before he turned 7 months..Anna Kate not so much...she hasn't gotten on hands and knees yet...and I don't see that happening anytime soon
I was feeding Rody a whole lot more at this age...I'm pretty slack with Anna Kate right now...
I was making homemade baby food with Rody...haven't gotten to that with Anna Kate yet

Oh, poor 2nd child...

But, honestly, I am no rush for her to crawl or pull up or whatever...stay baby baby as long as you want to little girl...keep saying "mama" and shaking your head no and laughing...you are just too sweet!

Fix

2010-08-28T17:45:00.004-05:00

Get your updated fix right here, peeps...It is Saturday and I woke up today ready to conquer the world...the first day in 9 days that I woke up without a sore throat...and felt fairly good..Praise the Lord! It's been a rough week or so...so, we had a splendid day...we made a good breakfast, cleaned up the house, went to the swimming pool and everyone had a blast!, and cooked hamburgers for dinner. And now I am dowloading and then uploaded our pics...whew!!!

Rody just worn out...

Bedtime! Anna Kate trying to get her some Rody

Sweet Children

Our "almost" 7 month old little girl...still sweet, quiet, and still no toofers either!

She loving wearing all the cute clothes her friends have given her...Thank you Miss E, Anika, Eve, and Ria!

Reading and rocking time with daddy...

Enjoying the lush green grass

The sun is setting on summer and fall is in the air...

Happy

2010-08-20T15:18:00.002-05:00

It's been a rough week. We got in late Saturday evening after 700 + miles in the car with two kids...and I started work Monday. Perfect timing for both kids to get sick...head colds, coughing, AK's ear infection, lots of suctioning out noses (Rody can now blow his nose, yeah!), and then I got sick...took today off of work....but in the midst of it all, our 6 1/2 month old baby girl is still all smiles (except for when I clean out her nose)....

I think the antibiotic they have her on is creating a rash around her mouth....see it?

And sitting up so well all by herself!!!

Oh, and Rody is doing great today at potty training. He is running around naked and all day today runs to his potty when he has to go....we were in his room as I was putting up clothes and he says "I gotta go poo poo" as he is running to the potty...yeah for Rody!

Camp Fitch: the Final Post

2010-08-19T13:23:00.004-05:00

There is so much I could blog about concerning camp fitch. I however don't have the time to do what I'd like...but here are some random pictures of camp fitch fun...

A family that prays together...

The Epitome of Caleb McCoy
It's an Erie thing..

This is what happens when you don't flip over while laying out on Lake Erie (I'm not saying who the picture is of...)

The best family picture we go the whole week...

Hudson and Rody

The rope swing

Rocking the babies lake side view

Great Aunt Sandy

I even got a round of corn hole in

Caleb and Anna Kate napping together

Loving my baby girl

Swing Time

"Oh the camp fitch bunch is the truest and the best; they keep things going and they never get a rest; and they have one yell and they yell it all together and it goes like this; CAMP FITCH FOREVER"

Camp Fitch : Hanging Out

2010-08-19T11:13:00.004-05:00

We do a lot of hanging out at camp fitch...no real agenda to adhere to...doing what you want to do...not really knowing what time it is (unless it is a meal time.ha!)...

Anna Kate loved the swing. I have an adorable video of her in the swing saying "mama", but blogger won't let me upload it for some reason..

Playing Corn Hole.....Lake Side

Loving on some cousins....

Riding horses...

Getting your face painted

Riding more horses...Rody really did like this...he however was in a lack of sleep coma for the first part of the fitch experience...

Hanging off a tree

LOTS of boys...it was fun to watch them self-play...getting sticks out of the brush and making them into swords...all the good stuff...

Courtney...Jason's brother...now comes and brings his family too...

Eating lollipops

Hanging out with uncles and aunts

A good time was had by all!

AK

2010-08-16T20:40:00.002-05:00

Randy took AK to the doctor today for her 6 month check up...here at the stats

weight: 19lbs. 2 oz...90%
Height: 28 inches...off the charts
Head: 90%

Randy said she did really well smiling at everyone...until the shots...and she has an ear infection in her left ear..so antibiotics here we go...

Some 6 month notes

can sit up unassisted fairly well....I still put pillows around for support
started saying MAMA last week...I've tried uploaded a video of this sweet sound, but haven't been able to yet
Loves playing with Rody's toys
Is still the chillaxest (I know that is not a word) child I know...
wearing 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diaper

Sunsets

2010-08-16T20:14:00.003-05:00

Lake Erie boasts some of the most beautiful sunsets...

My attempt at a pic with my babies...

This spot is directly located behind our cabent...so nice...goodnight sunshine

Pre Camp Fitch Part 2

2010-08-15T20:54:00.002-05:00

We arrived at Camp on Saturday afternoon, but it didn't officially start until Sunday at dinner. We had some fun where Aunt Sandy was staying...the lake was beautiful....

Randy and Kylie jumping off the pier

Grandma Kia and Anna Kate hanging out (I love this picture)
Rody enjoying the "ocean" as he called it. If you've never been to one of the Great Lakes, then you have to know that it looks like the ocean...so vast, no end as far as the eye can see....easy to mistake it when you're two years old!

Looks like Grandma has a shadow...he was attached to her the whole week :)

Cousin Kylie...she also stole Rody's heart this week...he loved playing with her!

As I sit and type this I can't believe that Camp is already over. You look forward to something for so long and then it happens and it ends. Such is life I guess...but I'm experiencing some post-fitch blues today...

Some reasons why we love camp fitch

You're outside 24/7
The weather is awesome
lake side breezes
family
riding a bike everwhere
nightly sits around the fire
roasting marshmallows, making smores, roasting hot dogs over the fire
Bingo
Improv
No TV
lots of exercise
Tasty Twist/Dairy Oasis
Peggy Gray's Candy

Pre Camp Fitch

2010-08-15T14:50:00.002-05:00

We left Wednesday around 1:30pm and drove until 8:30pm to stop in Beckley, WV. We spent the night at the local Days Inn...noboby slept well...lease of all rody....we tried having him sleep in a bed with Randy and he maybe slept 6 hours. So, everyone was up at 5:30am and we decided to get back on the road. We ended up meeting up with Molly and Jason who were also on the road to Pennsylvania. We finally arrived in North East, PA around 2pm on Thursday. We stayed at the place my parents had been renting for the last 2 weeks. Here are some pics of Day 1!

Anna Kate: 6 Months

2010-08-02T14:17:00.003-05:00

6 months old! Half a year! Amazing....

Anna Kate still sleeps in a crib in our room...not sure when we are going to switch her over yet. She continues to sleep through the night as well. She takes at least 2 naps a day...usually 3...and they range from about 1 hour - 1.5 hours each.

Happy, Joyful, Content

I've been slack in feeding her much cereal yet. I'm going to try to start more scheduled eating attempts...just as soon as we get back from vacation!

Not sure on height/weight. She has her 6 month well check on August 16th...so we'll see then!

Happy 6 months, Anna Kate!

Hello August

2010-08-02T08:26:00.003-05:00

Goodbye July, Hello August! We've spent the last several days at the Barnett home in Greenville, SC...a short 4 hour jaunt from Cleveland, TN...Our main reason for going was for Randy to tile their kitchen. He's been doing some updating/remodeling for this over the course of this year. Randy is a rockstar and can do all things remodeling..he is very good and pays attention to detail and always does a fine and professional job! Anyways..here are some pics..the grout was not completely done or wiped down..that is why it looks "dusty"...but you get this jist...

And here is a before pic of part of their 20 + year old floor that got a make-over!

As usual there was some sort of family get together...3 of us ladies were all expecting girls at the same time last year....all due about 1 month apart..and here are the girls now and their dads! (Matt and Zoe, Ford and Lily, Randy and AK)

Cousin Matt and Zoe. We don't get to see them often...Matt is an engineer and they live in August, Ga...Zoe was born the beginning of April...

And the girls...Tenneille on the left had Makayla (sp??) last September (she is 10 months old), myself with AK (6 months old), Stephanie and Lily (5 months old), Danielle and Zoe (4 months old)...what are we going to do with all these girls???!!!

Sweet baby girls!

And GREAT Uncle Lloyd (Debbie's brother) got to meet Anna Kate for the first time....

Sheewww! So, we are home for 2.5 days, pack up and head to Pennsylvania next! This will be my family's 26th year at Camp Fitch...

And that's our Sunday

2010-07-25T19:58:00.004-05:00

Fun, relaxing day...our attempts at getting pictures of our kids these days...it's a challenge!

Yeah...not sure about this one...I think Rody was in the middle of saying "cheese"

And some adorable pictures of what Rody made in church today...I think they were learning about Daniel and the Lion's Den....

Where have we been??

2010-07-24T14:38:00.002-05:00

Where have we been? Well, not in front on the computer much if you are me...It's been a busy summer. However, I am now done with summer camp and have 3 weeks off before the start of another school year! Here are some updated pics of the kiddos for you to enjoy..

Rody wants to hold Anna Kate all the time. He'll say "Anna Kate sit on my laps"....he thinks he has two laps...and he'll say "both ones" to indicate this...hilarious...she doesn't seem to mind. She just goes with the flow like everything else!

We made a quick trip up the Gatlinburg last weekend to see the Barnett Family...it is a great 1/2 way point to meet. We took Rody to Dollywood for a few hours to ride the train and the cars...he LOVED it!

And Anna Kate rode the carousel for the first time! She really enjoyed it!

And we will be living it for the next few weeks too...we have two trips planned. One to South Carolina to visit with Randy's family and so Randy can finish tiling their kitchen floor and then our second trip is to CAMP FITCH!

Dancing

2010-07-13T12:37:00.003-05:00

Today I (Randy) have the kids while Katie is at summer camp. Rody was watching Cars today while he ate lunch. Anna Kate woke from her nap and we came into the living room at the same time 50's music was playing on the movie. I began to dance holding Anna Kate. I told Rody that I was going to dance with Anna Kate when she gets married. I asked him, "do you know who you will get to dance with when you get married"? Without taking time to think about it he said, "Grandma Kia". I said, "yes you will". Thought you would like that Grandma Kia!

A whole new world

2010-07-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

anna kate entered into a whole new world tonight...the world of solid food. She's been showing signs of readiness now for a couple of weeks...and boy did she enjoy it! She basically attacked the spoon and bowl and wanted more...it was funny...we got it on video. I just mixed a little rice cereal with some breastmilk...

And whatever she didn't finished was polished off by her brother...