Growing the DuBois Family

Blogger of the Year Award

2010-03-12T09:41:00.002-05:00

HaHa--please don't tell me you actually thought I could be up for such an award?!

Well, sad to say I won't be winning any kid of award like that if I keep this pace up.

So sorry for the extreme blog neglect. I had full intentions of tackling this project this week. I even wrote it down on my to-do list! I am sad to report that it is unchanged on my to-do list. There is no check mark next to it, it has no strikethrough line, no nothing. It is left in the same condition as when I wrote it down. That's pretty sad...

I've been very busy over here (click below):

So, updates to come...soon?
How do you like that question mark and sense of uncertainty?

Ah, let's be optimistic for once.
Yes! Updates to come soon!

And yes, I will be posting pictures from Christmas, etc. Even if they are, oh, over 2 months old...

And look how the little queen has grown in the past few months!

Straight No Chaser

2009-12-13T05:45:00.022-05:00

We have fallen in love with these guys! They are awesome, hilarious and can sing like no other!

I first originally heard these guys on the radio while listening to none other than some snazzy Christmas tunes and I thought to myself "I love that song! It sound's like there's an audience in the background, I bet I can find it on youtube." So after putting my detective skills to work, I found them and watched almost all of their videos, all the while having Kyndall sitting next to me bobbing her head.

I found out they are a very well-known a cappella group from IU. They also just released a Christmas CD so of course I ran straight to Target to get me a copy. They are currently on tour in the US and here is their website. I love their renditions of the songs they perform and the added humor they throw in! They are coming to the big ATL in April and guess who's going--yea, you got that right!

Here are a few of our favorite Christmas songs/videos they perform. You can check out their website to hear regular songs they perform.

I love "9 ladies dancing just for me and 8 maids of milking they were milking just for me" and "I had Christmas down in Africa"!! OMG! Too funny!

Flashback Friday

2009-12-11T12:31:00.020-05:00

This time last year, our little girl was just starting to sit up on her own.
She goo-goo'ed and ga-ga'ed all day long.
A lot has changed in this very, very short year.

Opening presents at MeMaw's house Christmas 2008.

Turn off the music below and listen to her sweet babble! :)

She was just starting to sit up and swat at her toys!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T17:20:00.003-05:00

Naughty or Nice?

2009-12-08T05:18:00.000-05:00

Which list are you on?

Happy 17 Months!

2009-12-07T05:42:00.033-05:00

One month closer to 18 months...

Children are like flowers, water them daily with love and watch them bloom and grow.

Our Christmas Card & the out-takes

2009-12-06T21:43:00.149-05:00

(click on the card below to enlarge)

I'm pretty sure that everyone who received my Christmas Card asked me "How did you get that baby to do that? How did you get her to cry? Did you pinch her?"

So I am going to share with you my adventure in trying to get Kyndall's Christmas card picture.

I started out my morning by going and taking pictures for a good friend for her Christmas card. When I returned home, I was elated with the weather and so I decided it was the perfect time to try and get our Christmas Card picture.

It was nearing Kyndall's nap time but I opted to instead bathe her up, change her, pack my car up with some props, extra outfits and lollipops and head to the Christmas Tree Farm. All the while, the seconds are ticking closer to her nap-time.

When we arrive at the farm, she spent a lot of time doing this.

And this.

She didn't want to part with this purse for pictures.

She collected lots of sticks, leaves and rocks which I later found.

So, I decide I'll sit her up on something high so she can't get away as easily.

She's not very happy about this.

I decide I'll give her a candycane (still wrapped of course, because a messy-candycane-face is not quite the Christmas card I'm going for.)

I decide that maybe it was not a good idea to put her up here when 1) I've decided to skip nap-time, 2) she wants to run around, 3) she can't quite figure out how to get down and 4) I've left plastic wrapped around her candycane...

I move her down to the bottom step and she seems to like this a little better. I am also in the process of opening a lollipop and this, too, makes her smile in anticipation.

When I realize the lollipop looks like a Christmas tree I decide to put on her Christmas tree outfit and decide I like this one better anyway.
She is extremely pleased with the lollipop.

Oh, wait. Now we're not as pleased. It was short-lived.
We remembered we're super-tired and it's now past naptime.

As she sits and now enjoys her lollipop, I look back through the camera.

I see this one and think it may just have to do.
But I'm not very fond of it going on the Christmas card because she's not smiling.

I decide to call it quits and I decide to just let her run around and play for a few, while I get the truck packed up.

Back to running around,

and playing with sticks. (Ah, look at those red-rimmed tired eyes.)

And there's that messy-candycane-face I was talking about.

Before I even pulled out of the Christmas Tree Farm and onto the main road, she was out like a light.

I called Shawn to tell him I was still empty-handed with a Christmas card picture but that if they had a card that said "You better not pout, you better not cry" we 'd be all set. He surprised my by saying "Ah, you should! That would be great! That's very different from the normal Christmas card." I thought to myself "Should I really send out a card like that?" I called my mom and ran it by her as well, and she agreed it would make a great Christmas card.

With missy sleeping away in her crib, I downloaded the pictures, picked out a few that would work, and began brainstorming a card. And wa-la...our Christmas card is born.

(click on the card below to enlarge)

I loved it and couldn't wait to get them sent out. I received so many calls when our family and friends received them telling us how much they loved our card. Let's just hope that next year's is just as good!
Merry Christmas!

Kyndall's Kastle

2009-12-05T22:53:00.020-05:00

We have began to collect some very large boxes from a few Christmas gifts we had ordered and had shipped to the house. Shawn thought it would be a great idea if we made Kyndall a fort out of the boxes. He came home from work armed with duct tape (of course) and Crayola markers. We went to town and had 'Kyndall's Kastle' slapped together in less than 30 minutes. We can all fit in it and she loves this thing! It looks like this "kastle" will be taking the place of our living room for a few days...

Daddy gettin' down with the duct tape!

Kyndall helping decorate her "kastle".

Well, it has to be decorated somewhat like the front of our house!

Peek-a-Boo!

She had a blast with the flashlight!

Welcome Christmas

2009-12-04T21:20:00.002-05:00

Winter Cotton

2009-12-02T22:51:00.003-05:00

Christmas Countdown

2009-12-01T14:52:00.017-05:00

Kyndall is super-excited about her Harry & David Chocolate Advent Calendar...and so is mommy (if I can ever get a bite).

After having just one piece, she keeps going to the calendar and pointing while saying "Biiiiite, biiiiite!"

Oh, the next 24 days are going to fly by...

Christmas countdown has begun. 24 days of treats and fun!

Busted!

2009-11-28T23:22:00.049-05:00

We went over to our besties to watch the Florida/Florida State game today.

Huge rival game.
Huge rival teams.
Huge rival besties.

I thought we were all getting along great...throwing the football around at half-time, eating some yummy pizza, jumping on the trampoline, sharing laughs..

until...BUSTED!!!
Just where did you go during commercial? Ah! Here you are!

Our besties, who are huge Florida State fans (blah) decided to deface my (oh-it-needs-a-bath-so-bad) Tahoe.

Ah, but winning with bragging rights for a year is payback enough! Go Gators!!!

Nipper Twinkletoes

2009-11-27T23:31:00.065-05:00

Meet Nipper Twinkletoes.

Shawn bought Kyndall 'The Elf on the Shelf' last year for Christmas so that we could begin it as a yearly tradition this year. I decided to make Nipper a girl elf by putting a bow in her hair and giving her a skirt!
Ah, much better!

It is customary for your child to name their elf when he arrives and since Kyndall is not able to do so, (and we really don't think 'hot dog' is an appropriate name, which she probably would have called it) we put her full name into an elf-name generator online and this is what is spit out: Nipper Twinkletoes!

It was perfect!

If you are not familiar with how the elf on the shelf works, here's a quick run-down. The elf is supposed to arrive around the time of Thanksgiving. His sole responsibility is to watch the child's behavior and report it to Santa each night when he returns to the North Pole. The next morning when the child wakes, they discover their elf has returned from the North Pole and is now resting in a new and different place. To better preserve his mystique the children are not allowed to touch him but talking to him is a different matter all together. Once Kyndall is older and can better understand, we can remind her "the elf is watching and will surely tell Santa tonight" if she is displaying inappropriate behavior.

The elf comes with a book and we are going to read it to Kyndall every night before she goes to bed along with all her other Christmas stories. The book tells the story of the elf to the child and what he does when he is gone at night to the North Pole. Kyndall might not understand right now but we are laying the foundation for a wonderful Christmas tradition in the years to come. For now, she enjoys telling Nipper "nighe-nighe" and trying to find her every morning in her new location. We ask her "Where's Nipper?" and she will start walking through the house, looking up, for her little elf. We usually have to help her but she gets really excited when she finds her.

Nipper will return to the North Pole (read: the store box she came in, in a Christmas tote with the book, in our attic) the day after Christmas and will return on Thanksgiving next year! I love family traditions!

Happy Turkey Day

2009-11-26T23:58:00.003-05:00

I love Thanksgiving!

I love getting together with all our family, eating a big feast, playing games outside, watching football and thumbing through the newspaper mapping out our Black Friday itinerary for the next morning while sipping on some wassail!

This years Turkey Day menu includes: turkey, ham, roasted potatoes, broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn bake casserole, dirty rice, brussel sprouts, cherry salad, watergate salad, candied apples, greens, lima beans, macaroni and cheese, corn, chicken 'n dumplings, rolls, green bean casserole, cranberries and deviled eggs.

Desserts include pecan pie, pumpkin pie, red velvet cake cheesecake, brownies, cookies and peppermint bark.

If you leave here hungry, it is no ones fault but your own. We always have plenty of leftovers and it has always been tradition to come back over to Shawn's moms to eat again Friday night after the girls have gotten back from Black Friday. And it is just as good the next day as it is on Turkey Day.

Thankful

2009-11-26T23:47:00.052-05:00

I have an extremely long list of all the things I am thankful for. Trust me when I tell you that it is a very long list. Take for example, my wonderful hubby and daughter, my awesome mom and mother-in-law who also serve as our babysitters, our careers, our health, our supportive and loving family, our comfy house, our wonderful friends and all our blessings that have been bestowed upon us.

I am thankful that all of our "needs" are met, and so many of our "wants" too.

All that said, I'll keep it super simple and list a few lines from a Darius Rucker song - Alright - to show just a smidgen of some of the things I am thankful for.

Que music. Commence toe-tapping and finger-snapping.

It may be a simple life, but that's okay

If you ask me baby, I think I've got it made

Cause I've got a roof over my head,

the woman I love laying in my bed

And it's alright, alright

I've got shoes under my feet

Forever in her eyes staring back at me

And it's alright, alright

And I've got all I need

And it's alright by me

Photography Blog

2009-11-24T23:57:00.026-05:00

I've finally did it.

Cue music: Dah-da-da-da.

Yea! The long awaited photography blog that I kept saying I was going to do...is now done.

What a huge relief to have that done. Pictures compiled, favorites chosen and posted for your viewing.

Whewwww! I just had to let that out!

If you are a follower of this blog please follow along on my photog blog as well to be notified of new photography session posts at www.shaunaduboisphotography.blogspot.com

Click on the button below and thanks for looking!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-23T00:30:00.003-05:00

Mistletoe Kisses

2009-11-22T00:14:00.027-05:00

I am usually one who is all for tradition, especially when it comes to the holidays.

But honestly, who says you need traditional juice glasses for Christmas morning breakfast when you have these?

I'm the Mistletoe Ho (kiss me)

I swear I laughed till I cried when I found these! I bought these at the Mistletoe Marketplace in Perry, Georgia. I love attending this show every year, it really gets me in the Christmas spirit and I am usually able to get quite a few cute Christmas gifts for my fam! I fully intend to use these with my table set-up for breakfast on Christmas morning!

Kyndall was in attendance with me and was more than happy to model her first Christmas outfit of the season.
(Click on collage below to enlarge)

Here's wishing you many Mistletoe Kisses this holiday season! Muah!

Hey! That's me!

2009-11-20T23:33:00.001-05:00

I'm thumbing through My Town Monthly, which is a local monthly community magazine, while waiting for a doctor's appointment, and I literally say "Hey! That's me!" My picture of Jill Cole is staring back at me!

Jill is a wonderful and beautiful woman who works out with Mary Toole at Body Evolution. She looks ab-sol-ute-ly amazing! I took some pictures of Mary and the Body Evolution Beauties back in July for a calendar and their upcoming bodybuilding and figure competition.

(Click on photos below to enlarge)

Meet Mary.

Mary is scary.

And by that I mean she will whoop your butt into shape.

Not only is she is a good friend but also a wonderful trainer.

She is having a Grand Opening of her new gym located at 171 Spring Street in Macon. I challenge you to go meet Mary! She offers gym membership, boot-camp, personal training sessions, kick-boxing classes and...a new way of life!! Those New Year resolutions are right around the corner ya know!

And I do have some words of advice.
Don't ever say the words "I can't" in front of Mary.
It. will. be. UGLY.

It's beginning...

2009-11-18T22:38:00.026-05:00

...to look a lot like Christmas!

I came home tonight from taking pictures of a sweet family and when I pulled up in the drive, I was surprised to see all my dining room windows illuminated by a joyous sight! Our ~~Clark Griswold~~ 14-footer Christmas Tree was standing and just begging to be decorated! What a sweet hubby to surprise me so by putting our tree up so early!

And Kyndall!? Well, she is fascinated with all the lights! I know what I'll be doing this weekend... decorating this monster!

Rain, Rain...

2009-11-17T05:46:00.026-05:00

...go away.

What are you to do when it has been pouring the rain for days on end?

You go grab Mr. Ducky from the bathtub toy crate, put on your raincoat garb and go play in the sprinkling rain and puddles.

All we need are some fashionably cute puddle jumpers (for both of us) and we'll be better prepared next go 'round.

Now, come again another day.

Project Night-Night

2009-11-13T23:25:00.074-05:00

Every Christmas Season I try to give to others. We most certainly know that times are tough for a lot of people right now. People are hungry. People are cold. Some parents won't be able to provide their children with Christmas gifts. And while we too have had to scale back, we are blessed. Rarely, if ever, does Kyndall go without. Unfortunately, there are many children who do.

I especially wanted to concentrate on children this year. I looked and asked around to find something different than the usual organizations I donate to such as Kids Yule Love, Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army Angels. I ran across Project Night-Night and immediately felt compelled to donate what I could.

Project Night-Night is a charity that packages donated blankets, books and stuffed animals in small canvas totes to homeless children living in shelters. There are over 29,000 homeless children in the US alone due to economy changes, natural disasters and every day misfortunes. A blanket would help to provide security, a stuffed animal is considered a new friend and a book will help to encourage reading and family bonding while easing the fear of sheltered living.

I know how very important reading a bedtime story is to Kyndall and how much she enjoys cuddling into us on our laps at night, eager to listen to her favorite book with her blanket and stuffed pig ready to go "Nihe-Nihe". I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for children living in a shelter. I looked in Kyndall's closet and gathered up some blankets she had never used. I took a trip to Kohl's Department Store and purchased their books and stuffed animals they offer for $5 a piece through 'Kohl's Cares for Kids'. 100% of the net profits from these purchases go to help fund children's health and education initiative programs. Two great deeds for one! I can't wait until Kyndall is older and we can teach her that Christmas is about giving and she can help me go through her toys and pick out the ones she doesn't play with anymore and give them to children that are less fortunate.

I am boxing these up to send off because every child deserves a good nights sleep.

Ava's Rule

2009-11-11T22:12:00.030-05:00

I wanted to post something from another blogger I follow. I know many of you that follow my blog have children, or of course, know someone close to you that does. I love following the blog of a wonderful photographer in Queensland, Sheye Rosemeyer. Her daughter, Ava, tragically passed away 2 years ago in a preventable accident. She has created a memorial in the form of "Ava's Rule" and ask that we please pass this on to spread the word.

Recently, Sheye posted a reminder for all parents about the dangers of children in heated cars during summer. The way time flies around here it will be summer before you know it. Please read this and don't judge anyone. It can happen to the best of parents. The ultimate tragedy is if people don't learn from other tragedies.

Please click here to read Ava's story. Click on the postcard below to enlarge and read Ava's Rule.

Pineola Farms Historic Christmas Tour

2009-11-09T05:59:00.002-05:00

Paul and Delise Knight, the owners of Pineola Farms, are hosting a Christmas Home Tour on December 5th, with tours available from 10am-4pm. On the first Saturday of December each year, Paul and Delise Knight dress up their treasured home in Victorian-style décor and open it to the public.

I got a lil sneakee-peekie the other day when I was out there taking pictures and let me tell you--it was breathtaking. Delise took me in the house and showed me the Christmas pine floral she had begun decorating with and it. was. amazing. The house is gorgeous inside and full of family heirlooms and antiques original to the home. Paul and Delise are so sweet to allow me to come out there and use their farm as my 'prop' and 'backdrop'. Many people request to take photos there because it is so beautiful and comforting.

This year, the Cotton Barn is being utilized in an exceptional way. Several regional authors will be on hand in the barn, selling and signing their books, including a children's author. What a great idea for a Christmas gift for someone!

Come on down to Pineola Farms located in Fort Valley. I will definitely be there in the morning to see the completed Christmas decor and get my full tour of the inside of the house. Paul and Delise will be serving hot cider and muffins. Yum, yum! Admission is $6. Click here and click on the 'Directions' tab on the left side of the page to get quick, easy directions. See you Saturday!

Happy 16 months!

2009-11-07T05:16:00.077-05:00

16 months. Going on 16 years...

This girl is high-tech.

No, not maintenance. Thats me.

High-tech.

The I-Phone? Kyndall can operate her daddy's I-Phone better than I can. She has mastered turning it on, sliding it to unlock and can easily cruise through pages with the slide of her finger. How does she learn this stuff so fast? She will bring you one of our cell phones and happily declare "Hot-Dog" because she has watched a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "Hot-Dog" song on our phone via youtube.

The computer? If it gets quiet in the house and Kyndall is no where to be found, I bet you can come back here to the spare bedroom and find her standing at the desk, on tippy-toes, playing with the mouse, clicking on stuff and typing on the keyboard. When she's caught, she makes the biggest O-shaped face, and says "Hot-Dog, Hot-Dog, Hot-Dog" and starts dancing because she knows this is where "Hot-Dog Mickey" lives too.

The Tahoe? Yes, even the Tahoe. Every time I put her in the carseat, she points at the DVD player and starts saying "Hot-Dog, Hot-Dog, Hot-Dog". Thanks to long car trips that may have required the use of some digital entertainment, she now knows that this too can play "Hot-Dog" and tries to press all the buttons on the DVD player as I put her in.

The T.V.? Well, she doesn't watch T.V. but she does get to watch some of her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to see the "Hot-Dog" song. We DVR the show and fast-forward to the hot-dog song at the end so she can get her dance on. She has almost a hip-motion that resembles Elvis. When she is in the mood to hear "Hot-Dog", she walks over to the T.V. remotes, attempts to turn it on herself (she has somewhat of an idea of which buttons to hit) and then brings it to you when she can't get it turned on. If it is not loud enough, then she brings the volume remote for you to turn it up. When the song ends and it turns back to regular T.V. she says "Uh-Oh" and comes and brings you the remote again.

She has a terrible addiction to "Hot-Dog". I think we need an intervention...

Santa Claus...

2009-11-05T06:59:00.041-05:00

...is coming to town.

Every year at Christmas Made in the South, we have Kyndall's picture made with my friend Katie's dad, er, Santa Claus. Isn't he a great Santa Claus? He does a lot of work with the professional photographers in our area when they are doing their Christmas photo sessions.

I was really worried that Kyndall would by shy or cry when we put her in his lap. Boy, did I worry for nothing! We stood to the side of Santa while he took pictures with the other kids so she could get comfortable. No sooner did we stand there, she began waving frantically at Santa saying "Hi, hi, hi". When it came time for our picture, she sat right on his lap and gave him a funny look at his beard. Come to think of it, she had never been around someone with a beard before. No wonder she looks so perplexed!

After our session, she gave Santa a hug and a kiss. Santa went on break and came out to join us while we waited on our pictures to be ready. Kyndall spent this time hamming it up with Santa. I guess she really wanted to make sure Santa did not forget her this year!

And let's not forget last years Santa picture. Ahh! She was so small!

I am so in the Christmas spirt...already!!!

But...I have a confession.

I have completely broken the rules.

On November 6th, just a few short weeks before Thanksgiving (and a very, very short week after Halloween), I turned the Christmas music on.

Yes, I have now joined the group of crazies that turn on Christmas music in the early weeks of November.

I don't know if it was visiting Santa, excitement for Kyndall and seeing her participate in Christmas this year or going to Christmas Made in the South and getting my first taste of Christmas music that got me in the mood or a combo of all of the above.

Here's to taking a walk on the wild side. Break out the boxes of tangled lights, baked Christmas cookies and goodies and Mannheim Steamroller Choir...it's Christmas time.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T23:45:00.000-05:00

Busy, Busy

2009-11-03T22:13:00.050-05:00

Busy taking lots of photos! And lots of photos equals lots of editing. And lots of editing equals no blog time. No blog time equals nothing exciting for you to read. And nothing exciting for you to read makes me sad.

I will get this blog caught up...AND I will get that photography blog going that I've been talking about since, oh, I don't know August! :) That way I can have some separation. Can someone please tell me how I can find more than 24 hours in a day? If you find them, please let me know. Thanks.

Suckers...

2009-11-01T18:01:00.014-05:00

in our jammies are the best-est.

Watching Moose A. Moose videos on Daddy's I-Phone...even better.

Trick...

2009-10-31T13:23:00.146-04:00

or Treat!

Kyndall loved Halloween!

More importantly, she has found a new love... Kit-Kat's and suckers!

Our little bee rode around in her wagon and carried her treat bucket on her arm like a purse.

After seeing mommy put away a ton of Kit-Kat's earlier in the day (honestly, I was afraid if I kept eating the Halloween candy like I was, I wasn't going to have any left to hand out to the trick-or-treaters), she remembered how good the nibble was that I fed her, and she actively seeked through her treat bucket until she found one. When she did, this is what we found.

She was bound and determined to have a Kit-Kat! So I took it (read: Kit-Kat paper she was using as bubble-gum) away and gave her a sucker instead. This "sucker" became her new door-knocker when we approached the door to say "Tis-Teet" (trick-or-treat).

When the door opened, Kyndall tried to go in everyones house. She's a friendly little gal...
We stayed in our neighborhood and went down our street and the next one over.

Kyndall made out like a bandit and filled her treat bucket right up to the top! We gave most of the candy to ~~mommy~~ her cousins.

When we returned to the house, we still had a lot of trick-or-treaters and Kyndall loved handing out the candy to the children. She did so good! She never even got scared once!

And we can't finish this post without even one little brag on my Florida Gators! I thought to myself as soon as I seen Georgia hit the field "Uh-oh, they came dressed for their funeral again..." No pity.

Man, what a great day!

Happy...

2009-10-30T05:42:00.005-04:00

Halloween Eve!

Sweet Bee

2009-10-28T07:18:00.009-04:00

We are excited for Halloween to get here! So excited to take Kyndall trick-or-treating for the first time and dress her up in her little bee costume.

All of the little kiddos dressed up in their costumes today to spook their Kindermusik teacher, Ms. Donna. Here is Kyndall with a few of her spooky friends from class.

Lil' Red Riding Hood {Umay}, Scary Dinosaur {Ethan}, Bee-utiful Bee {Avery}, Lil' Punkin {Brody}, Bee-utiful Bee {Kyndall} and Scary Lion {Sam}

We made and packaged up some yummy treats for Ms. Donna and Kyndall's spooky friends. Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins! Oh. My. Gosh. They are beyond delicious. I got this recipe from Avery's mom, Deborah, and suggest making these for a sweet fall treat! Easy, peasy...just follow the recipe!

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes

1 cup flour

2 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup vegatable oil

4 eggs

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Make sweet potato puree by cooking sweet potatoes in boiling water until tender. Puree in food processor.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, mix together oil, sweet potato puree and eggs. Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in sweet potato mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon into mini muffin tins lined with paper cups. (I used regular muffin tins and made 24). Fill to top. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes 4 dozen. Enjoy!

Have you ever...

2009-10-25T05:25:00.003-04:00

seen a bow-legged bee?

Yea, me neither.

Kyndall and Cousin Makenna

2009-10-24T05:37:00.069-04:00

Yea! My family is in from Indiana!

It was so fun for Kyndall because she could play with her cousin this time! Kyndall followed Makenna all around the house. They played outside, they placed with their shopping carts, their babies, their strollers, and the list goes on. Every time we went somewhere Makenna said "I want to go back to Kyndall's house so we can play." The kids had a blast! If they end up anything like we were, we'll need a matching one of everything...for each.

My cousin Heather and I make sure to take lots of pictures of the girls when we're together so they can look back when they're older, kinda like we do now. We have a lot of pictures of us together when we were younger, mainly around the holidays and I love, love, love looking at these old pictures.

This was one of the first pictures we had taken of the girls together. Kyndall was 6 weeks old and Makenna was 2. Our girls are the same age difference as Heather and I.

While my family was in, we took pictures of the girls playing together, Fall pictures, Halloween pictures in their costumes and some Christmas pictures. I hope it won't be long before we make it to Indiana to visit.

Live for the moment...hold on to it as long as you can.
You will only ever be there once...and so will they.
Such is life.

Laney Blaire

2009-10-21T23:12:00.001-04:00

Wowza! I can't wait to share these photos with you!

(I know, enough time already, where's the photography blog?)

Happy Fall Ya'll

2009-10-20T21:45:00.007-04:00

It's that time of year.

The tree's turn a beautiful red, yellow and green.

The slightest smell of a pot of chili can warm you in seconds.

Long-sleeved shirts and thin jackets have had the dust brushed off of them.

The weather is perfect almost everyday.

The countdown to Christmas has begun and Christmas shopping is in full force!

Georgia National Fair

2009-10-12T06:28:00.235-04:00

I never really cared too much about the fair, except when I was a child.

When you have a child, they teach you how to be a kid again.

I am now...all about the fair!

We ate ourselves big. I tasted a ~~little~~ lot of everything.

Even grotesque-looking corndogs...that resembled, well, you use your imagination.

And there were so many beautiful candy apples that I had a hard time choosing. I eventually decided on an old-fashioned candy apple--Granny Smith with caramel and nuts. If I had it my way, I would have chosen one of every flavor, minus the Georgia one of course. I'd have rather starved...

Kyndall loved playing the games...and I did too! She seen the duck game from her stroller and started screaming "Dus, Dus" and pointing frantically. We took her over to the swimming duckies and let her pick 3 for 5 bucks.

At first she kept picking them up and throwing them back in the water, I finally had to grab them from her before she had a chance to put them back. She picked a small, medium and large. The carne-girl said it was rare for someone to get that (I think it's because they only have one "large" labeled duckie floating around.) The carne-girl let Kyndall have her choice of prizes because she said she was so cute. What a nice carne-girl. Kyndall picked a bright, pink "Baw" (ball). Her MeMaw won her a "Pupp-eeee" from another game and she hugged it nonstop.

Flying drumsticks! That is what was almost the cause of death to my camera as I tried to grab a shot of these awesome guys!

These guys were so fun to watch. You can youtube a video of 'The Procrastinators' from gotdrummers. Kyndall and her cousins were mesmerized when these guys performed. I must admit I was totally into it, there might have been some toe-tapping, a little head-bobbing.

I can't wait until Kyndall can ride some of the little kiddy rides next year. She could only ride a few but she watched mommy make a fool of herself from the stroller.

Oh look! It's my classic face!

Notice I am just sitting on 'The Green Monster' slide...and not sliding. Yea, the great carne-lady tucked my tater-sack under some metal in which it got stuck! So, when me and my niece were all-set-and-ready-go she went "go" and I went as far as my arms pushed me...which was about 5 or 6 feet. I couldn't move without my tater-sack so carne-lady had to throw it down to me. Everyone was laughing at me...thanks carne-lady. Notice I have my arms thrown up in the "WTH? Where's my tater-sack? Why ain't I sliding?" motion. Oh, and my niece...look at her...having the time of her life!

I can't wait for the fair to come back next year. Never thought I'd say that.

Thank you Kyndall for teaching me that not everything matters, to always laugh, to always smile and to have fun with everything you do. I love you for this. Thank you for my one-thousand-plus smiles a day.

Evan's 6 Months

2009-10-11T23:06:00.003-04:00

He's such a happy little thing!

I honestly think he was so happy because he got to see me-this baby loves me-or maybe I'm just really funny looking! :)

Look at those lashes will ya. I asked her if she used her eyelash curler on him before she came to take pictures...she said no. Just in case YOU were wondering too.

Central Georgia Heart Walk

2009-10-08T23:20:00.073-04:00

Create Hope.

Inspire Change.

Celebrate Success.

This is the theme for this year's 2009 Central Georgia Heart Walk.

Our team walked in honor of our friend Lauren's dad, Larry Shadwell. Lauren's dad passed away suddenly on March 1, 2007 from heart disease. He was only 53 years old. We all wore shirts in his honor that said "In Memory of Larry Shadwell". Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. All donations help to provide research and education to stop this horrible disease.

Lauren raised over $1100 dollars in donations for her team! We held a bake sale at work and thanks to the hard work of all our coworkers who helped to contribute yummy goodies, it was a hit! We raised over $350 alone! I made some yummy cupcakes but sorry, I cheated! I don't have a recipe to share. You'll have to consult your local grocer for directions on the back of a Duncan Hines box.

Total donations for the 2009 Central Georgia Heart Walk totaled $93,671. Want to do a Heart Walk? Go here and find one near you to walk for healthier hearts--for us, for you and for our future.

Happy 15 Months!!!

2009-10-07T06:13:00.003-04:00

Kyndall is 15 months old today!

We had our appointment with Dr. Smith today. Kyndall was a real ham!
He told us that she has the vocabulary of a 20-month old! I know I'm considered to be biased because this is my child but this girl is smart.

She is still off the charts in height, at 32-inches, and I really think she will eventually pass me up and be tall like her daddy. She weighed 23.25 pounds and we are moving into 2T clothes. She still only has 6 teeth and her favorite foods are cheese and anything Italian- such as spaghetti or lasagna. She loves all fruits and vegetables, minus avocado. Kyndall is down to one nap a day (for the most part), and when she's awake, she's AWAKE! We don't want to miss a second with her!

We have bought Kyndall a potty and have been putting her on it to get her comfortable with it. She has poopied and pee-peed in it 5 times already! Dr. Smith agrees it is a good idea to start early. She won't be potty-trained any time soon but it increases our chances of having her trained by 2 years of age.

Kyndall is so eager to learn. She has such a personality and it is all her own. It's amazing how much toddlers take in. Kyndall is really into books, puzzles and her babydoll. She loves pop-up, touch-and-feel, and lift-the-flap books. She will sit there and just jabber up a storm while turning the pages. She loves to practice her Melissa & Doug puzzles and we're working on shapes and colors now. She is such a great mommy! She loves to push her baby around in it's stroller, feed her baby food and give it its passy. She nurtures her baby and rocks it when we tell her "Your baby is crying."

She really amazes us with her ability to quickly pick stuff up. She's like a sponge! She is getting so good with her recognition. Her little brain is really working! To see the "gears" turning is great. Sometimes just sitting back, being quiet and observing her is the best gift you'll get. The "in-your-face" play is fun too but she truly blossoms when she is learning something new.

There have been MANY firsts for us. Everyday is something new and exciting. The fear is that we may forget our moments. We always make sure at the end of the day to look back on the day and take out the best parts to share. She continues to amaze us. It's so easy to take the memories, lay them on the table and reiterate to each other how important they are. These are our days! Simple things like watching your child play itsy bitsy spider with you or dance around the room to a radio song is awesome. Each day tops the day before....it only gets better!

We have a gift and her name is Kyndall Layne!

Beautiful Bayou

2009-10-04T00:26:00.002-04:00

Finally I have had a chance to go through all the pictures we took in Louisiana back in August.
And. trust. me. It was a lot!

It is so beautiful there! My camera stayed glued to my eye...it's a wonder it didn't get stuck.

This is the road Shawn's dad grew up on. Yes, it is Louis DuBois Road. (Dew-Bwa. Say it with me.) Yes, it was named after Shawn's grandpappy and Shawn's dad carries this same name. Yes, there is still family that lives on this road.

I'm glad I wasn't driving because I wouldn't have made it off the first street. All of the streets are names I can't pronounce and I had to keep asking Shawn's dad "How do you say that one?" Imagine trying to follow directions down there-it's a whole 'nother language.

We ate the best Shrimp Po'Boys you could have at this little hole-in-the-wall diner.
I should have taken a picture of my sandwich. I got the double-stuffed shrimp. Surprised?

I enjoyed riding around town and having Shawn's dad point out places he frequented as a child and the stories he told along with it.

This was the house he was born in.

He learned how to swim in this canal.

And as we're riding around...just when I thought I'd seen it all...

...I realized I hadn't.

We enjoyed spending time with our family and visited some gorgeous places-state parks and historic plantation houses. I wished we could have stayed longer and can't wait to go back! Our family spoiled us to the core with delicious meals and the best hospitality anyone could ask for. Thank you Clayton & Elaine!

Our cousins Clayton & Elaine really fell in love with sweet Kyndall. They were toying with the idea of coming to visit us in Georgia soon and they said after meeting Kyndall--it sealed the deal. They said they don't want it to be that long before they see her again and plan on coming to visit in the middle of November!

Zinnia's & Bugs

2009-10-03T05:23:00.074-04:00

Where do you take two beautiful girls to go and learn about nature's little creepy, crawly critters?

To the Zinnia Garden at Lane's Packing!

I was babysitting Serena for most of the afternoon and she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

She had such fun trying to find creepy-crawlies on the flowers!

"Here smell. This one doesn't have a bug."

We picked some flowers to bring home and put around the house in some vases.

Serena picked some lovely pink flowers to bring home to her mommy.

Her mommy takes beautiful pictures and I know she enjoyed taking pictures of them as well.

Grow-cabulary

2009-10-02T05:52:00.058-04:00

Kyndall has been talking a lot lately. She tries to imitate a lot of the words we say but still has a lot of babble. Her vocabulary is growing by the day...which is both wonderful and sad at the same time. My baby is growing into a big girl!

Some of her words are perfectly pronounced while others are, well, her own words. "Hot-Dog" would have to be her most clearest word. And not a hot-dog as in the one you eat, but "hot-dog" from the hot-dog dance on Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse. It can be found here.

Kyndall has a vocabulary of well over 30 words plus animal sounds. I just love listening to her talk. And I know, I know, I might not be repeating that sentence 2 years from now.

Here are some other cute Kyndall misspeaks/alternate pronunciations:

beebee = baby

dahee = Daddy

bah = ball

em-byye = bite

peese = please

tenkta = thank you

tendel = Kyndall

ow-syes = outside

souss = shoes

hap-eeee = happy
ideedet = i did it

peeks-pie = peek-a-boo

tiddy-tat = kitty-cat

pah-ee = potty

pupp-eeeee = puppy

juus = juice

And I'm sure as each week passes we'll just keeping adding to the list!

Lilley Kate & Vada

2009-10-01T04:36:00.014-04:00

Meet Lilley Kate (3 years) and Vada (18months)
More pictures of them to come!

Our Reflection

2009-09-29T23:10:00.002-04:00

We have a spy.

We have a copycat.

Her name is Kyndall.

If you don't want it repeated, performed or copy-written--don't do it in front of Kyndall.

She is a big sponge and she is soaking up everything in her little world around her.

I thought it was bad before, when she was younger. But as she gets older, bigger and more independent-the plot thickens. I thought it was so cute when she would copy cute, little things I did in my everyday life. But now it's everything! I was dusting the furniture one day and she is notorious for grabbing a cloth or wipee and attempting to copy me and "clean". I go about dusting away and here she comes waddling in from my bedroom and she has grabbed her Daddy's dirty sock out of the dirty clothes basket and proceeds to clean the furniture with me! She is such a character!

When we were gone to Daytona Beach last week, she shocked me by grabbing her diaper after I was done changing her and walking into the kitchen, lifting the lid on the trash can and dropping it in there! The next day she seen the condo key card lying on the table. She grabbed it off the table and walked to the front of the condo, down the hallway, to the front door and tried to stick it in the slot. This just goes to show they pay attention to everything! Car keys? She knows they go in the front door too and will attempt to open the door to go "um-byebye".

Shawn and I talked and agreed that we should definitely pay attention to everything we do and say. She is watching our every move. It makes you think twice about your behavior, the way you speak to people and the tone of voice you use. All these things are lessons learned to her and helping to shape the world in which she lives. I have to be honest, I just didn't think that these things mattered at such a young age, but oh how they do. I thought these were things you worried about when they were much older, not right after first birthday!

Kyndall continues to impress us with her quick grasp on things we teach her. She is able to do "The Gator Chomp" when we yell 'Go Gators'! She mimics all the things I do when I am getting ready; scrunching her hair, rubbing lotion on her body, putting on jewelry, wearing my shoes. She just recently began going in the bathroom and getting 'TP' and pretending to wipe her bottom. She tries to stick Q-tips in her ears, she grabs pots and pans out of the cabinets and tries to cook like Daddy does, dance like mommy, she talks nonstop and jabbers away on my old cell phone (I wonder if thats what I really sound like when I listen to her), she carries around her purse and looks at you with 'stink-eye'.

Stink-eye originated with Shawn while we were at the beach. He was feeding her lunch and went to give her a bite of food and she started throwing her hands around and shaking her head 'no' like she didn't want to eat. Shawn said "Kyndall, you're gonna take a bite and eat". Then he cocked his eye at her. She cocked her eye at him. Then he cocked both of his eyes and squinted at her. She did the same. He said "Are you giving me stink-eye?" And from there she would make stink-eye when you looked at her the same way or said stink-eye. It's the most hilarious face! We were eating at Bonefish one night and Kyndall kept waving at this very busy waiter who kept walking by her. He was very rushed and running around. Kyndal continued with "Hi, Hi, Hi" and waving frantically. Finally, she just kept giving him the ole stink-eye. I thought we were gonna die from laughing so hard.

I swear, this girl doesn't blink because she doesn't miss nothing!! She is a class-act and will keep you smiling all day! It's so funny to look at her watching you, with such intense concentration, then perform whatever it was that you just did, then smile at you because you're wearing the biggest smile. She's a perfect, little reflection.

Notice her first boo-boo in the pictures above. She was reaching over one toy to get to another and cut her little face on some plastic packaging on a new Florida Gator dinnerware set I had just got her. It broke our hearts! We'll just call her "Grace".

Mop-Head

2009-09-27T01:53:00.012-04:00

Stinky-Pinkerton, Stink, Missy, Sweetpea, Stinky, Stink-Bombbb, Baby Girl, Kynee, Kyndall Rooter, Little Girl, Baby, Lil Missy, and now I'm thinking of adding Mop-Head to the long list of names we call her.

A Toddler's Lunch

2009-09-24T23:34:00.014-04:00

Mr. Oodles.

Grilled Chicken Hair. Sweet Pea Eyes. Cheese Cube Nose. Banana Slice Ears. Watermelon Smile with cheesy buck teeth.

Now don't you wish someone served your food like this to you?
I bet it'd make you smile. :)

Daytona Beach Days 11-15

2009-09-22T23:38:00.130-04:00

Perfect, sunny weather everyday.

A good game of beach soccer equals good beach fun.

Shawn is finally back to join the last of the vacation.
What a view to come back to from the 19th floor!
Go Gators!

Great Gator football Game.

Great Gator football Attire.

Great Gator football Family.

Last sunset.

Last sunrise.

Bye Daytona. Bye Beach. Bye Vacation.

Daytona Beach Days 6-10

2009-09-17T05:27:00.002-04:00

Life here continues to be great!

Carefree. Total state of relaxation. No clocks.

Shawn had to return home for a few days to go to work. He will return at the end of the week to finish out the vacation. Me, Kyndall and mom miss him dearly.

Lauren (one of my best-ies) & Sam (Kyndall's best-ie) came down for a few days to experience the good life.

This is Sam's
first
beach trip!

Beach life continued
from sunrise

to sunset.

Early morning beach walks with a good cup 'a coffee.

Laying on a comfy beach chair, smiling, watching your child interact with the all the new and wonderful things around 'em.

Bombarded with perfect waves for boogey-boarding with a best-ie.

The best beach kisses!

Daytona Beach Days 1-5

2009-09-12T23:06:00.090-04:00

Memories!

These past five days have made everlasting memories!

We have spent most of our days taking nonchalant beach naps whenever the urge arises, building whimsical sandcastles,

watching Florida Gator Football,

eating yummy food we can only get around these parts,
leisurely morning beach walks,

early morning sunrises,

crisp ocean air,

balcony gawking,

refreshing ocean swims,

and some much needed family time!

Beach Bound!

2009-09-08T04:22:00.027-04:00

We are headed to the
~~beach, ocean, Florida,~~
Daytona--however you want to put it.

We will be gone for
~~15 days, 2 weeks,~~
1/2 a month--however you want to look at it.

We are
~~so happy, so excited,~~
absolutely elated!

We are going to
~~eat, shop, sleep,~~
R-E-L-A-X!

~~Bye. Ciao. Adios. See ya later. Peace out.~~
See ya soon!

All packed up and heading out!

Kindermusik

2009-09-07T23:03:00.053-04:00

Follow me to Kindermusik!

I have signed Kyndall up for Kindermusik classes and she LOVES IT!

You can read all about Kindermusik here.

I heard about Kindermusik from two places. I first saw an ad in a Macon Magazine and thought it would be perfect for Kyndall because she loves music so much. I then spoke with a good friend and found out her daughter is in Kindermusik already and she told me how wonderful the program is.

I immediately got on the phone and spoke with the class director, Miss Donna, and she is amazing! I signed Kyndall right up! She has the most contagious smile, a beautiful voice and she is a wonderful teacher. Anyone can come and preview a class for free to see if it is for you and your little one.

Kyndall is in the 'Village' class and it is for Newborns to 18 months. We meet on Wednesdays mornings for about 45 minutes. Next semester she will advance to the 'Our Time' class for 18 months to 3 years. You can get an idea of what we do in class here. We sing, we dance, we play instruments, we read music books, the babies interact (and parents too)!

Since Kyndall does not attend daycare I think it is important for her to be around other babies and learn social interaction as well as enjoy her love for music! She is so funny--I can sing our songs from class and she will waltz (yes, waltz, or turn around in circles to the beat, however you look at it!) around the kitchen and play with her instruments.

I love this class! Kyndall loves the other babies in the class and we have such a great group of moms (and dads!) that are so fun to dance and sing along with!

It's here!

2009-09-05T23:40:00.004-04:00

It's here!!

It's finally here!!

Florida Football has begun!!

We are so excited for our game today and are looking forward to this season but hoping these next three months don't fly by so fast. It always seems to come and go so quickly and with the blink of an eye we're back to counting down the days until kickoff starts again in September.

I have heard that the Florida Gators are having some construction done at their school--it seems we have run out of room for trophies so they're having to make more space. I totally agree with them--where else would we put that National Championship trophy we'll receive in January?

We headed over to our friends house (but they're such amazing people to us that we like to call them family) to watch the first day of college football!

Good food + Good friends + Good football = Good times!

Go Gators!

Ahhh, I guess Gators and Dawgs can be friends after all.

Yummy Florida cake! (Can you tell a guy decorated this cake?)

I would have preferred polk-a-dots!

Chris (FSU Criminole), Sargit (UGAy BullFrog) and Shawn (UF Gator...AKA 'a winner')

The "H" Family

2009-09-03T05:28:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share a photo or two or four from my photo shoot with the "H" family. I am still diligently working on my photography blog but have incurred problems with the template and the size of the photos I am trying to post--so once I work the kinks out that is where a few more of the photos will be posted...along with many others from some other shoots!

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Just another reason

2009-09-01T23:10:00.003-04:00

Oh, just another small reason to get hyped up about football season starting in just a few short days...

I have often joked with Shawn and told him "Honey, if the opportunity ever presented itself, I would probably have to leave you for Tim Tebow." His response "No, honey. If that opportunity ever did arise, I would probably leave YOU, for Tim Tebow!"

Yes ya'll, he is that good!

This shirtless photo of Tebow can be found in next month's GQ magazine. I'll be first in line at the store to buy it and I'm sure Shawn and I will argue tonight over who's side of the pillow Tebow gets to sleep closer to.

Go Gators!!!

Sending Birthday Thanks

2009-08-30T23:51:00.002-04:00

Here is Kyndall's 'birthday thank-you cards' we sent out!

Thank you for helping me celebrate my turning one!

Your love & generosity made my day oh so special!

Hugs & Kisses,

Kyndall

Big Bite

2009-08-29T05:37:00.006-04:00

She "screams" baby-talk at me every time I tell her to "take a big bite" of chicken, peas, peaches or cheese.

If only I could decode baby-talk I would love to know what she is saying!

(Turn off the music at the bottom of the page so you can hear the video)

Natural as they come

2009-08-28T05:20:00.015-04:00

This girl sure knows her priorities...it just comes natural.

(Turn off the music at the bottom of the page so you can hear the video or you can click on the video and watch it at youtube.com)

Happy 36th Birthday!

2009-08-27T04:55:00.010-04:00

Daddy...

thank you for your sweet, rough-face kisses.

thank you for tucking me in at night.

thank you for getting down on the floor with me and letting me climb all over you, play kitchen with me and chase me all around the house.

thank you for teaching me your ways...your caring nature, your infinite love, your positive attitude and ocean-wide smiles.

thank you for all the snuggles.

thank you for being the greatest dad I could ever wish for.

What did I do to be so lucky?

(Turn off the music at the bottom of the page so you can hear the video or you can click on the video and watch it at youtube.com)

Birthday Boy

Look at that cotton-top! Now you know where Kyndall's blonde hair came from!

Shawn...

I love your sweet face.

I love that Kyndall has your sweet face.

I love that you chose me to be your wife.

I love that you were born 36 years ago on August 26th.

I love you! Happy Birthday! xo xo xo

On hold

2009-08-26T05:30:00.002-04:00

Many of you know that I am having to put my blog on hold for about a week or so while I create and post to another blog.

No, this is not my photography blog, I still have that hanging around, this is a blog for a little fella named JB.

You can read JB's story here.

I could use your help! I am creating a blog that will feature photos of JB's name to let him and his family know that people, family and friends are thinking and praying for them.

Here is our first official JB photo! Isn't it great?! This photo was courtesy of one of my close girlfriends, Michelle. Her husband, CPT Randy Broach, is the Commander of the Delta Company, 1-121st Infantry of the 48th Brigade at FOB Vulcan in the province of Ghanzi, Afghanistan. When she spoke with her husband that night on the phone, she told him what we were planning on doing for JB. Randy and his fellow mates wanted to do their part! Click on the photo to enlarge! They put 'JB' on the tank and included two Georgia Tech t-shirts!

It just brings tears to my eyes!

My whole goal in this is to provide a smile to JB's face as well as to his families. I want them to know that people everywhere are praying for them. I hope to provide a sense of peace and rest when they lay their heads down at night. May they see the light in the darkness during these challenging times. May they feel the loving presence of those who hold them in their thoughts and prayers. May their spirit find what it needs to sustain them on this journey. May they discover their inner strength and face all difficulties with dignity and grace. May they be filled with comfort, love, grace, and strength.

Here are my contributions for the blog.

Kyndall's JB Shirt

JB Spaghettios

I would love it if you contributed a photo! Please email them to SwanSwanna@cox.net or ShawnShauna@cox.net Please pass this on to your friends and family!

Will you join me in praying for this family?

Pray for JB's complete healing. Pray for strength for his family as they face each day.

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

The blog can be viewed here. This will be ongoing as JB has quite a journey ahead of him.

Saying good-bye...

2009-08-25T05:51:00.003-04:00

to precious little baby bibs.

to well-used burb cloths that bring back so many precious memories of Kyndall and I's bonding moments during breast-feeding.

to baby spoons in the cabinet to make room for toddler spoons.

to the sound of a 4-beat pitter-patter to just a 2-beat footed pitter-patter 'round the house.

to small baby bows.

to using the word "baby" and replacing it with "toddler" (but she will always be my baby, even when she's 50 years old with her grandbabies and I'm old and gray at the age of 78).

to bottles.

to 12-18 month clothes.

to baby rattles and baby handheld toys.

to baby gear.

to size 3 diapers.

to baby food jars.

to a precious 'little baby face' as the new 'little girl face' appears before my eyes.

I can sit here and box all these baby items and baby gear away, but I will forever keep these precious memories boxed in my heart.

They sure don't stay like this for long...

This time....

2009-08-23T11:28:00.002-04:00

next year Kyndall will be saying "But Mommy, his piece is bigger than mine. I want that piece."

Recent shoots

2009-08-22T22:56:00.009-04:00

Well, I'm trying to decide on 1 or 2 photos to post from my recent sessions to share with you. It's just too hard. I like too many.

I'm now down to playing "eenie-meenie-miney-moe" to determine which photographs land beneath you.

Baby Waylon ~ 9 Months

Mason ~ 17 Months

Baby Sam ~ 1 Year

Rhett & Brooke ~ 3 Years

I am working on a new & separate blog, in addition to this one, that deals with nothing but photography and will feature more of my favorite photos.

I hope to have it up and running soon! Please check back!

First item on my Christmas list...

2009-08-20T21:58:00.006-04:00

Who says you need a professional camera to take good pictures?

The picture below was taken with a Canon SD1100 IS Digital ELPH.

I'm in the market for a new point-and-shoot camera since my Canon SD800 bit the dust. The lens just basically quit working although Shawn might attribute it's malfunction to by butta-fingers. Yes, if it is electronic, costs a good bit of money, is meant to be hand-held, it's hitting the floor sometime or another if it belongs to me.

Now, you may be wondering if I have ever dropped my Nikon D60 or D90 or any of my beloved lenses and the answer to that is "Thankfully, no" although Shawn would beg to differ and state "Not yet." Hmpph.

I need a good point-and-shoot for those vacations I love to go on and when I don't feel like lugging around a big camera and all it's "friends" that come along for the ride. I also miss shooting little short videos of missy and sharing them with you on my blog.

I'm definitely putting this on my Christmas list.

This camera even comes in pink! It must be meant to be!

Who says you need a big hefty camera?

Smiling?

2009-08-17T21:49:00.003-04:00

If this doesn't make you smile...then please check your pulse.

I'm absolutely lovin' the new song by, I know, I know, I hate to say it but...Uncle Kracker. It's called 'Smile' and I think of my wonderful hubby and beautiful daughter every time I hear the lyrics! I couldn't be more blessed! Now smile!

Cajun Country

2009-08-12T19:58:00.002-04:00

That's where we're headed!

My little helper...or at least she thinks she's helping.

I don't know if this constitutes helping because someone keeps emptying the suitcase of all it's properties and I'm left to repack and refold everything...a couple of times! She absolutely loves to empty bags, boxes, buckets and now we can add luggage to the list.

Our family is headed to the swamplands of Louisiana for five days to visit with our Cajun kinfolk! They are such fun people!

I love to listen to them talk! If you haven't heard cajun dialect then you're missing out. People from Louisiana talk very, very fast and their vowels are clipped - there is no southern drawl in Cajun speech. Usually after being there for a day or two, you start to speak just like 'em and pronounce things the same way they do!

Now, I can't help but wonder if some of you know how to pronounce my last name correctly. Our last name is Cajun French so therefore our title is pronounced 'The DuBois (Doo-Bwah) Diaries". Once in awhile we may find someone who reads our last name and pronounces it the right way, they're usually from Louisiana or lived close to it. I always hear it pronounced Due-Boys or Due-Boy. Eeek, it's like nails on a a chalkboard to me! :o)

I have been very busy the past week or so. I have lots of pictures to post when I get back! I have photo sessions of Rhett, Brooke, Baby Waylon, Mason and Baby Sam to share with you. It will be very hard to narrow it down to just a few to post. I have so many favorites! I delivered some of the photo CD's to the momma's today before I got ready to head out on vacation.

We are leaving very late tonight so Kyndall will sleep a majority of the way and not get thrown off of her schedule. I'm so excited for all our Louisiana family to meet her! I know these five days will fly by very fast.

My husband...

2009-08-05T23:56:00.000-04:00

...the aspiring photographer?

Row Row Row Your Boat...

2009-08-02T23:47:00.008-04:00

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream.

Eh, not so much.

Shawn and I had never been white water river rafting before and we were super excited about going!

We got up early and headed to the Georgia/Tennessee state-line to the Ocoee River in Ducktown, Tennessee with some good friends of ours.

We had a blast and the day was full of laughs!

The 1996 Olympics for Canoe and Kayak Slalom Competition were held here in the upper part of the river. We actually paddled the middle portion because we honestly did not know what to expect. After rafting that day, we now wished we had done both the upper and the lower and are planning to return to complete the upper.

The middle portion is a 5-mile stretch that includes class III and class IV rapids. Some of the rapids (and where our pictures were taken) include: Grumpy, Second Helping, Slingshot, Hell's Hole, Double Suck and Double Trouble.

We had an awesome paddle guide named "Turbo" who had 10+ years experience. We highly recommend the company we used and our guide. They can be found here.

Did anyone else notice that I have the same exact face in every picture?

Eyes closed, mouth wide open...probably screaming!

And just in case you're wondering.

No, we didn't hear any banjos...this time.

Counting Down

2009-08-01T12:36:00.003-04:00

We have some things we are looking forward to!

We are counting down the days!

12 days until we leave to go to Louisiana for five days to visit family.

25 days until Shawn's birthday.

4 weeks until Florida Football season starts.

5 weeks until we take our nieces and nephews whitewater river rafting in Tennessee on the Ocoee River.

5 weeks and 5 days until we go on our 12-day beach vacation in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Baby Rowan & Baby Steps

2009-07-31T23:53:00.006-04:00

Kyndall and I went to go visit my good and oh so sweet friend Hollie today.

But the real reason behind our visit was to go and welcome her new precious bundle of joy, Baby Rowan.

We brought Hollie and her family some good breakfast foods to last them a few days for the mornings after those sleepless nights when you just want to lounge and take it easy.

We had such a great time just relaxing, talking motherhood, eating a good brunch, marveling over the wonders of God's creations, holding baby Rowan and being entertained by Kyndall.

(click on photos below to enlarge)

Baby Rowan is almost two weeks old and is a precious sight!

He has perfect little features, bright beautiful eyes, a perfectly round head and just a handsome lil thing! I even got to see him smile from ear to ear!

"Will this girl just keep it down a little?" :o)

I love baby skin wrinkles.

Giving baby Rowan some "lovey".

Hollie and I were treated to a REAL BIG surprise today!

Kyndall walked!!!

Kyndall spent most of the morning entertaining us and playing with her toys. She later discovered the T.V. on the entertainment center and it's buttons. I held out my arms and called for her to "come to momma" and "leave those alone". I expected her to drop to her knees and crawl to me but instead she took about 4-5 steps and came walking right towards me!

I flipped!

All you could hear was a cascade of

"Oh my God Hollie!"

"Isn't this the first time she walked?!"

"She walked!"

"I can't believe she walked!"

I told Hollie I was so glad she was here to witness her walking because who knows when she may do it again! Some babies have been know to walk and then not walk again for a few days, to a few weeks to a month.

Kyndall knew she did something that excited us because she kept trying to do it over and over again but her little feet just couldn't keep up with her! It was entertaining to watch I can tell you that! I am so proud of my baby girl and I know a whole new world has now opened!

Later that evening after we returned home, she continued to practice taking her first "baby steps"!

Just Peachy

2009-07-27T22:25:00.005-04:00

We headed over to Lane Packing Company for some delicious homemade peach ice cream and to gather some peaches for snacking. Kyndall was full of giggles playing on their swings and really enjoyed the peach ice cream too.

Last summer when I was newly postpartum, Shawn would bring me out here for an ice cream to get me out of the house and it was the perfect location to travel to in between breast feeding and dealing with barely being able to walk after my C-Section.

When my dad came to visit when Kyndall was 3 weeks old, we would bring her out here and we would eat lunch and peach ice cream. It's so hard to believe that was a year ago and she has gone from a little baby I cradled with one arm to a baby that doesn't want to be held in new places because there is so much to explore!

We couldn't resist her photo on the alligator!

If you don't live around here and you're ever headed south on I-75, make sure you stop off and pick you up some peaches and grab you a cone of homemade peach ice cream at Lane's.

Not planning on traveling? They ship! Have some peaches sent to your home and make your own homemade peach ice cream! There's nothing better than homemade ice cream-any flavor!

Grab the Garlic

2009-07-24T06:38:00.000-04:00

Kyndall's third tooth has sprouted!

It's her right canine tooth and if the left comes in next, she will soon resemble a vampire.

Ah well, she's still cute as a button!

Kauffman's Cooking Class

2009-07-23T22:32:00.004-04:00

Me and some girlfriends attended a cooking class down at Kauffman's Farmarket in Montezuma.

We had an absolute fantastic time!

Kauffman's Farmarket is a 25 year old strawberry u-pick 'em farm with loads more to offer such as peaches, fresh herbs, veggies, fruits and flowers.

My sweet girlfriend Ashely has an Aunt Kay and sister that host cooking classes in a barn they have converted into a kitchen and giftshop! It makes for such a wonderful and relaxing atmosphere!

We started the night off by making some fresh picked peach Bellinis that were so delicious and the flavor didn't stop there!

We made some fantastic dishes and I enjoyed every bite I had that evening! Our dishes included Tortellini Skewers (my absolute favorite), Fig & Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberry Balsalmic Dressing and Sweet & Spicy Pecans (yum, yum), Fresh Pesto with toasted french bread, Chicken Cordon Bleu with a white wine sauce and Sweet & Sour Green Beans and a Blueberry-Peach No Dough Cobbler with vanilla ice cream!

(Click on photo below to enlarge)

I had such a fantastic time and can't wait to attend the next class.

(Click on photo below to enlarge)

The next class is a couples cooking class and the menu looks great!

On August 14th couples will enjoy making fresh pesto with homemade bread, grilled flank steak, roasted tri veggies, asparagus bundles and white chocolate bread pudding with a rum sauce.

All information can be found here.

Now doesn't that just sound yum to ya'll?!

I don't cook so I was proud of the dishes I made and all the tips I took home. I'm also proud of myself for trying all sorts of new food and the combination of the flavors together!

Wow! It really makes a difference in the way a dish tastes!

Also be sure to check out the website as Kay has some recipes she has posted for sharing.

I had a great time and hope to see ya'll at the next cooking class!

A big thank you to Aunt Kay and Courtney for providing such a wonderful menu, great hospitality and expert teaching!

To see all the pictures from the cooking class: Click HERE!

Bracelets

2009-07-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

This girl loves bracelets.

And they don't have to be bracelets, anything round that can fit on her wrist is a "bracelet" and she puts them on all by herself and wears them around the house.

Do not attempt to take the "bracelets" off as she'll take them off when she's good and ready.

Take for instance, these lovely Boon Bath Toy Rings that have now become her latest jewelry phase the past couple of days.

Blog Slacker

2009-07-21T23:11:00.003-04:00

Okay, I finally have Kyndall's 1 year pics up and the pictures from her birthday party.

Sorry for being a total blog slacker this past week!

Make sure to scroll down to view these posts!

That ole 100th post...

2009-07-21T22:40:00.004-04:00

This is a blogger moment for me.

It's been less than a year since I started blogging and I've come to my 100th post.

Blogging has become a very enjoyable part of my life and I love sharing our stories and photos with all of you!

Blogging gets me all fired up to take pictures, but then there are times, I'm as slow as you know who, to transfer my photos to my computer, edit them and post them.

Read: Where are Kyndall's birthday party pics already?

My blog topics are random. You may find something Simple, Sassy, Sweet, Sappy, Silly, Spiritual, Studious, or Sarcastic, but always Something!

Thanks to everyone out there who stops by to see what's going on in with us in The DuBois Household.

And just like I mentioned above, I'm a bit behind in getting Kyndall's birthday party pics up so be sure to scroll down over the next couple of days because that post is already dated and drafted and will be posted with the date July 11th, which will fall below this post. :o)

Sorry guys for my undoubtedly and perfected procrastination skills!

It takes many, many years of practice to get this good!

And how boring would this post be without a pic of lil miss priss?

I ♥ Faces Feet!

2009-07-19T23:08:00.008-04:00

I got so excited when I saw the listing for this week's theme because I have so many pictures of hair, feet and hands!

The one thing they have in common--they all grow too fast!

I took this photo of my daughter, Kyndall, when she first began pulling up to a standing position.

She was trying so hard to reach up to her daddy that she even climbed atop his feet for some extra leverage!

To see more "little piggys" head on over to I ♥ faces by clicking on the button below!

First ER Visit

2009-07-14T21:34:00.005-04:00

So, we didn't egg-actly have a typical morning.

We endured our first ER visit today...and hopefully it will be our last.

As you know, I was given the go ahead yesterday by Kyndall's pediatrician to give her eggs if I wish. She has had plenty of food with eggs in it so he felt this would not be a problem.

I decided to fix me and little missy some scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. She loved them but apparently her immune system did not.

She took some good bites out of her bowl and even used her spoon! I noticed she began sneezing--a lot--and then she started rubbing her eyes--a lot. Her eyes started turning red which I first thought was from her rubbing and that she possibly got food in her eyes because she had it all over her hands. Within five minutes, I noticed her eyes were more red and I began to question myself if there was in fact swelling around her eyes I was seeing.

I'm watching her continue to rub her eyes... eat egg in between...and sneeze.

Then hives started appearing before my eyes!

And fast!

On her forehead, cheeks, neck, arms and mouth. It was so bad around her eyes it looked like she had a red sleep mask on.

Then the swelling was undeniable! I literally watched it swell right before my eyes!
I immediately started freaking out! Yes, I am a nurse but all that goes out the window when a loved one, especially your child, is involved.

I called my mom who is an ER nurse who also happened to be at work. She told me to give her a dose of Benadryl and get her in the tub immediately to wash the egg off of her and her mucous membranes. Well, being the great mother that I am, I don't have infant Benadryl at my house. (Remember that Mother of the Year Award I didn't win?!)

With missy in the tub and continuing to swell, I call the pediatrician's office and they patch me through to a nurse who immediately starts reprimanding me and lecturing me on why I don't have Benadryl at the house. Thanks lady, but my main concern is my daughter right now; not why I don't have Benadryl.

At this point, Kyndall's face is now so swollen that her eyes are completely swollen shut. The hives are everywhere and she is so red around her mouth and eyes. Note: I was absolutely freaking out!!! I get her out of the tub, barely dry her off, throw her in the car, call mom to give her a heads up and rush her to the ER because I am worried about her airway. Meanwhile, Kyndall is becoming fussy because she doesn't understand why she can't see and jabbering away.

I come flying through the ER doors and they rushed her back to a room they were holding for her. My mom started crying as soon as she saw her, then I started crying. She looked nothing like our baby! People in the ER waiting room were staring wondering what was wrong with her-you could see the horror on their faces. Poor Shawn was in a Pacemaker case at a Macon hospital and could not come.

They immediately gave her a shot of epinephrine and a dose of Benadryl. No lie, within twenty minutes she began to look like our baby again. The hives began to disappear and the swelling began to go down. The doctor tells me I might as well take her to Monkey Joe's (a huge air-inflated playground) because the meds are going to have her hyped up the rest of the afternoon! :o) Yippe!

I called her pediatrician's office when I got home to give them the heads up on what happened so they could document it in her chart. Thank goodness I got our regular nurse on the phone. She spoke with Dr. Smith and he does not believe this will be a permanent allergy. He believes it was too much egg for her at once with the whole eggs I gave her plus the MMR shot she got the day before which was packed with egg product. He said we will try whole egg again at around 16-18 months. (I'm going to make sure I'm either close to a hospital or have an epi pen at the house when that happens.) I'm still hesitant about giving her food with egg product in it though.

She still has some facial swelling, especially around her eyes and the hives are all gone.

You're probably wondering if I have a pic. Well, of course I do. But I would never post that pic in a million years. I think Shawn would shoot me...

By the way, she never did nap today! :o)

And FYI, Benadryl is now in my house.
Now, if I can just score me an Epi pen, I'll be in better shape.

Kyndall's 1 Year Appointment

2009-07-13T22:05:00.002-04:00

Kyndall had her 1 year appointment today with Dr. Smith and everything looks great!

She's developmentally right on track and should start walking soon! Eeek!
She stands alone and does laps around the house with her push-toys.

She is still in the 100% percentile for height and weight. She weighed 22 pounds and was 30.25 inches long. She is getting into 24 month clothes in some brands. It's so hard for me to buy clothes on the sales/clearance rack for next spring & summer because I'm not sure what size she will be in.

I have been given the go ahead to give her eggs and cow's milk and wean her off formula. I am keeping her on toddler formula for awhile because it is much more nutritious and better for her developmentally. I may start substituting one of her feedings with cow's milk to get her belly used to it. She still has only her bottom two teeth and they are rising up at a fast rate. Dr. Smith thinks that all four top teeth will come in together and quite possibly soon.

I have also been given the go ahead to turn her car seat around to the forward facing position! How exciting! I can't wait to turn her around and let her see everything!

She had to get three shots today and we return for her 15 month appointment at the beginning of October. I'm sure it will be here before I know it.

Spaghetti Sunday

2009-07-12T22:00:00.007-04:00

Spaghetti, Spaghetti Everywhere!

I would have to say that this is one of Kyndall's favorite meals. She is practicing eating with her spoon and bowl. It's sometimes hard for me to let her make such a mess but I realize she's got to learn somehow!

Now, for the kicker. Wouldn't you know I sliced off a big hunk-a-chunk piece of Kyndall's birthday cake and gave it to her. She dug right in and made such a mess! Better late than never!

Who needs to clean-up the floor when you have one of these four-legged vacuum cleaners to do it for you?

After Party

2009-07-11T23:58:00.006-04:00

Mommy and Birthday Girl

Birthday Girl getting caught rising to a standing position all by herself!

Mommy really excited because it was caught on camera!

Bye Bye Balloons

Told you he was wearing this shirt to her birthday party

Playing with all these wonderful new toys

Crusin' in style

I hope she don't think she's driving like this when she's a teenager...

Kyndall's First Birthday Party

2009-07-11T23:57:00.009-04:00

We celebrated Kyndall's first birthday party with close friends and family at our house.

We are so very blessed to have such great family and special friends who came out to help us celebrate!

Birthday Girl

We had such a great spread of food: Two 3-foot-long subway sandwiches, Pepperoni and Mozzarella Pasta salad, Veggie Pasta Salad, Herbed-cheese crackers, Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Salad sandwiches, Grape salad and Veggies/Chips/Dip.

Yummmmm

Kyndall had her own birthday cake (which looks nothing like it was supposed to but thats a whoooole other post. All I have to say on that is I was not a happy or satisfied customer.) Her cake was a giant cupcake and we made yummy, chocolate cupcakes for all the guests. We decorated her party in pink/brown cupcakes, polk-a-dots and stripes.

My mom did such a fantastic job helping me make the party favors. We made chocolate number "1" lollipops made from a plastic mold. We decorated them pink and brown with coordinating polk-a-dots. We also made and packaged pink chocolate popcorn (called crack-corn because it is so horribly addicting) with personalized M&M's that have Kyndall's face on them and say "Kyndall is 1" and "Kyndall thanks u". I owe a huge thank you to my mom and mother-in-law who helped me prep for the party as well as clean-up after the party.

"Thank you for making my birthday so sweet"

When it came time to eat her cake--she would not. I started by letting her sample a mini-cupcake, maybe get the sweet taste-buds jiving. Well, that plan totally backfired. She took a big gulp of icing off the top of the cupcake, gagged two to three times then threw it up. I have pictures but I will not be posting those! After that, she wouldn't have anything to do with cake. She kept shaking her head "no" and pushing my hands away. We finally gave up after trying numerous times and so mommy was left to self-indulge on a number of chocolate cupcakes that I am not comfortable revealing...

Pre-Gag

...and another one

Kyndall received some great birthday gifts. She got clothes, books, money, gift cards, toys and jewelry. We had no duplicate gifts and she didn't receive anything she already had. One of her favorite gifts was an activity block made by 'Parents' that her MeMaw & Pepaw got her. She also loved her stylin' little buggy from her GiGi and was instantly attracted to this shiny gold bracelet from our friends, Chris & Bonnie. (In love with jewelery already--my kinda girl! She must "get it from her momma!") Her daddy and I got her a headrest DVD system put in my Tahoe for her to watch movies on those long car trips. I can't wait to turn her carseat to the forward facing position. We are so thankful for all the wonderful gifts she received!

Where's ~~Waldo~~ Kyndall?

We would like to thank all of you again for the wonderful birthday wishes. Most importantly, thank you for coming and helping us celebrate Kyndall's special day!

50 candles on the cake

2009-07-10T13:11:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is my mom's 50th birthday!

I have her best friend's from North Carolina coming in to surprise her.

She has no idea and will be beyond surprised to see them at her birthday party dinner tonight!

Shawn and I bought her a great gift that I know will surprise her!

Isn't that what birthdays are all about--surprises?!

My mom is a COACH fanatic and will just love this watch!

It is going to be very hard for me to part with this watch--I, uh, might have tried it on--and I gotta say, it looks pretty dang niffty on my wrist!

I got her an absolute, make you slap-yo-momma, twice...or maybe four times, scrumptious, delicious, and mouth-watering cheesecake from our cake lady. It is covered in strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries then drizzled in chocolate.

See, I told you it would make you wanna slap yo momma!

There won't be any pictures to post from my mom's birthday dinner party because if you know my mom, then you know she does not like her picture taken--at all!

Unfortunately, I have to respect this fact...especially on "her day".

I can't believe that 50 candles will be required for her cake!

I can remember living in Arizona, around the age of 11, and my mom was turning 30 that year.

I actually remember thinking to myself, "Gosh, my parents are so old. They're 30!"

What?! I'm going to be 30 next year! I can't help but wonder, are there 11 year olds out there that think of me as old? Because I feel far from it! My mom no where near reminds me of someone "old." She runs circles around me!

My mom is my best friend, an absolute wonderful mother and a gracious, gracious loving GiGi to my daughter. I hope for her the best birthday wishes she could wish for and look forward to celebrating 50 more birthdays down the road!

Happy Birthday Mom!

We love you so much!

More 1 Year Photos

2009-07-09T23:11:00.008-04:00

I can not imagine life with out this spunky, cheerful, and beautiful baby.
She's my doll, baby-girl, lady bug, spider monkey, and princess.
Who knows what I did to be so lucky?
Mommy Loves YOU!

What better way to celebrate your birthday than in your birthday suit!

Happy 1 Year!!!

2009-07-07T23:08:00.014-04:00

Happy 1 Year Birthday Kyndall!!

Happy, Happy Birthday indeed!

Shawn and I were like two kids on Christmas morning awaiting for Kyndall to wake so we could go in and sing Happy Birthday! As the slightest noise was heard from her room, we busted in singing and clapping Happy Birthday! She kind of had this look on her face like "wth?" but greeted us with the biggest smiles and joined in clapping her hands!

I can't believe that I will now be saying "she's 1" instead of naming a number of months. Oh my! Please somebody tell me where 1 year has gone and why more scientists haven't researched this phenomenon of "growing up" since it happens at such a ridiculous rate. People weren't lying to me when they said "they don't stay babies for very long."

Look at how my little baby has grown!

Newborn

6 weeks

3 months

6 months

9 months

1 year old!!

It seems like yesterday that we were in the operating room, seeing her sweet little face for the first time, and wondering at the miracle of life! This year we're laughing at all her silly antics, icing her boo-boos and wondering where the time goes. We're so excited to go through this next year as she grows and learns, little by little becoming our big girl!

It's been a while since I posted a "Kyndall loves" post so here-goes:

Kyndall loves:

to let us know when she is ready to get out of her bath. She puts all her toys away in her bath basket, lets the water out and waves bye-bye to it!

feeding herself multigrain cheerios.

drinking from a regular cup and not a sippy cup.

trying to eat anything and everything off of our plate.

sitting in her PePaw's lap.

to copy everything I do, including cleaning! (What a great child!) :o)

to go for rides in her wagon.

emptying all drawers and cabinets of their contents.

to make hand gestures to itsy-bitsy spider and patty-cake.

to get in the pool and splash water...and drink it.

jewelry, especially wearing bracelets on her arms like mommy.

music and will dance like there is no tomorrow!

tomatoes, chicken and cheese.

to give big, open-mouthed slobbery kisses (and we love getting them!)

to unfold all my laundry.

books with pop-up flaps or music buttons.

to try and eat cat food out of the cat bowls.

spending time with her cousins!

to be where ever we are.

sleeping on her tummy.

walking with her push-toys (but not walking alone yet.)

I'm busily planning and getting ready for Kyndall's birthday party this Saturday.

We can't hardly wait!

We didn't want this day to go unrecognized so we did the family-traditional-mexican-birthday-dinner-celebration for her! (Whew! That was a mouthful!)

All the family came over to our house for a wonderful taco dinner (Kyndall loves beans & rice by the way) and to watch Kyndall eat some bites of cake and open some presents.

She was more interested in the bows and boxes than the actual presents.

I think this girl knows we love her more than anything!

We've only told her 787 billion times!

And look at my LilyPie ticker at the top of my blog page!

It say's "Happy 1st Birthday Kyndall!"

Baby Gabriel

2009-07-06T23:55:00.003-04:00

I went to go visit my good friend Breanne today and bring her some much needed "girl-time" and breakfast.

She is out on maternity leave and I'm sure she's missing some girly social time!

Little Baby Gabriel is just 6 weeks old and a little doll!

He looks JUST LIKE his daddy, Greg.

You might remember baby Gabriel from here and here.

So, where was Kyndall while I was shooting these?

Oh, here she is...looking out the front door at mommy on the porch taking pictures with squishy-window face!

Baby Evan

2009-07-06T05:43:00.004-04:00

Remember baby Evan from my post here?

He has grown!

His mommy and my good friend, Torri, came over today to let me snap some 3 month pictures!

I can't believe it's been that long already!

Happy Birthday Week Girls!

2009-07-05T06:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Week to Kyndall & Adele!

Kyndall (left) 2 days old & Adele (right) 12 hours old

Oh, that precious newborn cry at 2 weeks old! (Hit play!)

Kyndall (left) & Adele (right)

Happy 1 year birthday girls! You have grown so fast!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T23:37:00.000-04:00

We celebrated The 4th of July on Friday, July 3rd because myself, as well as my mom and brother-in-law, had to work it this year. The 4th this year at work was extremely busy for me but I had a great group of girls to work with and we had an awesome spread of food!

Should we even mention that this time last year I was almost two weeks overdue with Kyndall, extremely hot, very swollen and getting very uncomfortable?! Her "birth" day was coming right around the corner. At this point I was praying she would come on her own so I would not have to go in for my scheduled induction we had set for that Sunday night.

Kyndall and a very pregnant Mommy

So, we know what this means! Kyndall's birthday week starts tomorrow!! One week until her birthday party and just a few days until she turns 1!!

Little Missy really enjoyed her first 4th this year! We had all the family over for a pool party/BBQ and swam, ate, laughed, swam and ate some more! We had such a relaxing day and enjoyed it greatly! Kyndall loves spending time with her cousins and as you can see below, it's pretty evident why she does! What a fun bunch of kids!

Eating Watermelon with MeMaw

Cousin Ethan

Cousin Kaitlyn

Cousin Lauren

Fill 'er up, please

Mmmmm, whippy cream

Happy 4th Y'all!