Ho, Ho, Hmmm?

Aubrey Kate's experience with Santa was not so pleasant. The first time she saw him was at the Bass Pro Shop. She was very tired and not in the mood to make new friends. After many talks about him, I took her to the mall for a visit. As soon as she saw him, her body got stiff, the look of sheer panic came upon her face, and then she let the tears flow. We had to wait in line for about fifteen minutes, and by that time she had calmed down (or so I thought). I told the picture lady to snap the pic just as soon as I sat her in his lap. This is the result. I'm sure he still has bruises on his legs from all the kicking. Santa sure is a good sport. The funny thing is though, when we are not around him, he is all she talks about. Throughout the day, she will frequently say "sit in Anna Cause's ap" (aka: sit in Santa Clause's lap). Oh well, maybe better luck next year! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cheer

Here are a few pics of Aubrey Kate helping me bake some Christmas cookies. She's a pretty good decorator! Also, a few pics of our trip over to Winner's Circle park. We saw some beautiful lights and Santa Clause.

Baby #2

Just wanted to let you all know that we are expecting baby #2! The due date is July 3rd, however, we will have to schedule a c-section for the last week in June. We are very excited! Aubrey Kate will make such a great big sister.

Surprise, Surprise!

Michael sure does know how to help take the edge off of me turning thirty! My birthday was Thursday (29th) and I knew he was up to something. The morning started off with three dozen roses and two of the sweetest birthday cards, one of which was so beautifully decorated with scribbles from crayons! Next, we loaded up Aubrey Kate and met my dad to drop her off for a few days at Papaw and Mamaw's house. Then, to Natchez we went! This was my first surprise trip, ever, so it was really exciting. Plus, I've never been to Natchez and it was one more place I could mark off my list. We stayed at the Monmouth Plantation, which was super nice. Michael and I had a great time exploring the city and sitting down by the Lazy Mississippi watching the boats pass by. On our way back home, we took a detour and visited the Ruins of Windsor. It is the remains of a gigantic antebellum home which survived the Civil War, only to later be destroyed by a house fire.

All in all, turning thirty wasn't so bad, we'll just see how the rest of the year turns out! A big "THANK YOU" to my sweetie for the best birthday ever!

No Pictures For This One

For those of you who know Aubrey Kate and could possibly see her in the next few days, her hair is not wet, it's just slicked back with a whole lot of petroleum jelly.
This morning, I could hear her playing in her room, so I went about getting myself dressed. Next thing I know, I've got a little girl standing in the doorway, three inches deep in petroleum jelly. Yes, from her head to her toe, nothing but petroleum jelly.
I've had a number of people ask me if I captured this moment on camera. NO. I did not. I was too busy disciplining and cleaning her to even think about getting out the camera!
So, after three baths, she still has a greasy head. If anyone would like to offer some ideas as to how to get this out, please do so. I've heard cornstarch works well.

No Tricks, but a lot of Treats!

Yesterday was a lot of fun. Aubrey Kate, aka: Ladybug, went to her daddy's office to pass out treats. I think she ended up getting more treats than she passed out! She has a new found love: M&M's and Snicker Bars!

After a long nap, we went to church for some food, games, and more treats! It didn't take her long to grasp that when she walks in a circle and the music stops, she gets to fill her bag with candy!

We came home around dark and we walked over to the park for some more games and treats, of course! We had a great time with our friends, The Scotts and The Hellrungs.

Now, I just have to work on finding a good hiding place for all the candy!

.45-70

Here is the 100 yard group I got from the .45-70 long-barrel handi-rifle. At 200 the spread was a little more broad but about 4-5in below red dot. I was really hoping for a three in one, but the last shot at 12:00 broke my heart (and if not for the recoil pad my shoulder).

Pun'kin Patch

We spent a wonderful Saturday afternoon at the pun'kin (that's what A.K. calls it) patch. The weather was beautiful and actually felt like fall! Aubrey Kate, as well as moma and dada, had a great time on the hayride looking at all the interesting animals! They had a zeedonk (a cross between a zebra and a donkey) (yes, I'm for real). They also had an assortment of other farm animals that they stopped to feed along the way. The last stop of the hayride was the pun'kin patch. Aubrey Kate got off the hayride trailer with her pig tails whipping in the wind and her little pink boots carrying her to touch almost each and every pun'kin! She went through the hay bale maze with her dada and rode the potato sack swings with her moma. We had such a great time and I look forward to going again next year!

Fun Rides!

The Beach

We drove down to Orange Beach on Monday evening. Tuesday was somewhat overcast, but we were able to get in a few hours on the sand. Wednesday = rain, Thursday = rain, Friday = rain. Oh well! We still had a great time. I got my fill of fried oysters and steamed shrimp. Aubrey Kate had a blast on the kiddie rides at an amusement park. I'm thankful we had a change of scenery and a break from our normal routine.

FYI

Just to let you know, we are going down to Orange Beach for a few days. There probably won't be another post until we get back (Thursday or Friday). Hope to have some cute beach pics when we return! Have a great week everyone!

It's Official!

Well, I've lived in Mississippi for ____ years (my age this year is a sour subject :) ) and I've never been to the Canton Flea Market. Well, now I have joined the elite group of true Mississippi women because today, I went "to Canton". My friend Jen Scott and I loaded up our kiddos and had a nice afternoon browsing around the square. I ended up buying some cute stuff for Aubrey Kate, a glass of sweet tea, and some pretty fine tasting pistoles (???) - pastry filled w/a spicy crawfish mixture. Anyway, I'm glad I can finally say that I've been "to Canton".

Fun Weekend

We have had such a fun (and busy) weekend! It all started on Friday afternoon. Aubrey Kate and I were playing outside and found a ladybug (aka: "badybug"). For those of you who don't know, Aubrey Kate has been our little ladybug since before she was born. Michael bought her a little ladybug charm for her baby bracelet the Christmas before she was born. From there, everything has been ladybugs! Her room, her clothes, etc... So, finding this ladybug was fun.

Next event was Friday night. Elmo was in town (at Miskelly furniture store!). Of course we had to go see the real, live Elmo. Aubrey Kate was a little timid at first, so I had to be in the picture with her, but she warmed up and even ended up giving him a kiss! Also, she got to ride the carousel with her daddy.

On Saturday morning, Aubrey Kate and I ran in the Wellsfest 5k in Jackson. One of my favorite things to do is run with her. She loves to sit in her jogging stroller and watch everyone and say "hey" to the sweet workers who give us water! Saturday afternoon we went to visit papaw and mamaw Ables in Benton (michael's dad's side of the family). They were excited to see Aubrey Kate. That evening we went out to eat with Michael's mother's side of the family.

Today is Sunday and we had a great morning at church. Now, Aubrey Kate is napping well because she is totally exhausted from her fun weekend!

Day at the range.

here is my target from yesterday. this is about 60 yards with the .22 mel got me for graduation. nothing to send to 'guns and ammo', but shure fun doing it. still trying to get a good feel for the trigger.

Teachable Moments

Papaw Gavin "accidentally" left $10 in our Tahoe. When I called to ask him about it, he said, "give it to Aubrey Kate." So, I took the opportunity to begin teaching her about money. I explained to her what it was and how it could be used. She (we) decided to spend some at the Dollar Store, save some, and give some to the Church. She ended up picking out some Elmo stuff (of course) and buying a little happy for her dada too.

The Great Outdoors

There are so many fun things to do outdoors. Yesterday, Michael was off so we took Aubrey Kate and Lucy for a walk. Lucy is a lean, mean, fetchin' machine. She loves to fetch in an open field or the water. Aubrey Kate loves to watch her and will occasionally throw her a ball. Also, we have started walking around the block a few evenings a week. Aubrey Kate started out really slow, but is getting the hang of it and can almost make it around the whole block!

Morning at the Park

Now that it's not 100+ degress outside, we will be spending more time at the park. We went this morning and Aubrey Kate had a blast! She LOVES to swing and slide! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

flower beds

we've lived in our house for three years and very little has been done w/our landscaping, except for sweet michael keeping the grass cut and edged. so, with aubrey kate at her gran and grandpa's for the weekend, i decided to work in the flowerbeds. after a nice morning of sleeping in, waffles, and a nap, i got started. what began as just simply pulling some weeds turned into a complete demolition of the front flowerbed. now that i've gotten myself into this project, i'll have to somehow find the time to finish it w/in the next few weeks. so, if you drive by any time soon, don't be disappointed in what you see. hopefully, we'll have it fixed up cute for fall, w/a little display of pumpkins, mums, and a scarecrow for picture taking.

have a nice rest of the weekend!