We are the Harps

January Weather Days Are Usually For Snow

2012-01-23T14:40:00.004-06:00

Today feels like a summer day. Capris or shorts would have been comfortable.

I'm not a big fan of cold weather, but weather this warm in January is not good.

The weather sirens started going off around 3:00 this morning, so we turned on the TV to watch the tornado coverage. After last year's bad weather, I'm pretty sure most people were awake. We went to our safe place for a few minutes until it passed {Riley seemed to enjoy his late night travel through the house}, and thankfully our area was fine. Some other areas had some major damage.

picture from al.com

We got notification that schools would be delayed for two hours, and I was so happy to have a little more sleep since I had been watching James Spann and the polygons during my normal sleep time. A little later I got a call that schools were closed all day. At least one school in the district had damage, and we're not sure what's going to happen tomorrow.

Like I said earlier, January weather days are usually for snow. Today isn't one of those. Please pray for the families of the two people who lost their lives and those who lost homes and other things.

This is from Fultondale. The scoreboard was damaged in the April 27th tornado, then replaced. It was damaged again this morning.

Roll Tide!

2012-01-10T06:07:00.006-06:00

I know there are lots of haters, but I am so proud!

from http://www.washingtontimes.com/multimedia/image/aptopix-bcs-champions_hascjpg/

Defensive MVP Courtney Upshaw
So proud for this hometown guy! This makes his 2nd BCS championship!

from http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2012/01/lsu_vs_alabama_bcs_121.htm l

Get Away From Me, Sickness

2012-01-08T20:18:00.002-06:00

We went back to work this week. {My school feeder pattern had meeting on Tuesday no where near the area we work in. Then they realized the room they rented (yes, rented, meaning they had to pay for this instead of having it at one of the schools for free) wasn't big enough for all of us, so they put my school and another school in a room behind the main meeting room. We couldn't see anyone or anything, and there were no speakers in our room so we couldn't hear anything. So yeah, I'd say that was a waste of half of my day. But that's neither here nor there.}

Riley got sick Tuesday night (kids came back to school on Wednesday) and did not sleep. AT. ALL. So neither did I. I could barely hold my eyes open by Wednesday afternoon. Then Thursday I developed a bad chest cough. It was so bad by Friday that my chest was burning every time I coughed. And I coughed a lot.

Saturday I slept all day. Joey and I went and ate breakfast and bought some medicine, then we got home around 10:00. I got in bed and didn't wake up until around 5 that afternoon.

This morning we got up and went to the doctor. I had bronchitis so I got two shots and two prescriptions. Joey had more head congestion, so he got one shot and two prescriptions. I'm already feeling better, but I'm hoping to all better soon.

Hopefully that will meet my sickness quota for 2012!

Dear 2011,

2011-12-31T10:30:00.005-06:00

It's been fun (most of the time). We made it through a lot.

You started with a bang. We had lots of snow and missed 4 days of school in January. Then in April our state saw some of the worst weather ever with a tornado that damaged lots of towns, businesses, and homes, and took the lives of hundreds of people. After all the devastation, we witnessed people from all over the state and country pull together to help those who needed it.

We have seen my baby boy become a little boy with developing personality and quite the temper. He turned one in April and had a great first birthday party. We all learned what he thought about cake! He learned to crawl and walk while you were with us, and now he is in to everything. He got tubes in his ears and got his adenoids out in November.

He still makes me smile and melts my heart like no other.

So, 2011, thanks for the good times. It's time to move on. Tomorrow we start a new relationship with 2012. We will see if 2012 can be any better than you.

Love,
The Harps

Maybe It's a Sign

2011-12-28T12:46:00.004-06:00

Last year my school's feeder pattern zone was part of a grant for Take One, where you complete one entry of National Board certification. The week before everything had to be boxed and shipped, my computer battery died. Not only did the battery die, but the charger stopped working too. This was the one time I didn't email myself a copy of what I was working on. (The paper was like 12 pages of instructional context, planning and instruction, video analysis, and reflection.)

Enter panic mode.

I ordered a new battery (which was way too expensive) and borrowed a charger from a friend at school, so I was able to get my work back.

Lesson learned.

My score was decent enough to bank on that entry, so this year I am working on the rest of the entries for full certification. I spent some time during the break working on one of my entries, hoping to get it pretty close to finished before school starts back so I can focus on the other entries and get them done by March. I finished two of the sections on morning, saving it of course...but not on my jump drive.

Guess what happened that night...computer died.

Apparently lesson not learned.

I was able to get it to work long enough to save my paper to a jump drive.

I said all that to say this. . .maybe this is a sign that I shouldn't be pursuing National Board certification.

I did get a new computer thanks to after-Christmas sales at Best Buy.

Joey's Christmas Toy

2011-12-28T12:16:00.003-06:00

Joey always gets me nice stuff for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I usually get him more practical things. But this year I decided I was going to get him something that he would love and be able to use a lot.

I got him a Kindle Fire, and he has loved it! He can get a free app everyday from Amazon, so that's one good thing about it. He started talking a lot about an IPad after I got him this, so I was nervous that he would be disappointed. This one is smaller than an IPad and doesn't do everything the iPad does, but the Kindle Fire cost a lot less. I think if he keeps using it as much as he has been and decides he wants a tablet that does more, we may eventually get an iPad. He seems really happy with this right now, though.

I've been back on my Swagbucks kick since I bought this so I buy Joey some books or apps or whatever without spending more money! (Or I may try to save enough to get myself a Fire one day! Ha!)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T11:55:00.006-06:00

I can't believe Christmas is over already! We had a great time this year. Riley got lots of new fun toys, and Joey and I got some good stuff too!

We did Christmas with Joey's parents on the 23rd, then my parents and Carly and Lee came over to our house and spent the night on Christmas Eve. Riley was so excited to see them, but he was even more excited when he saw that they brought their puppies! I think Carly got some pictures of his fun with them...I will share later if she did.

Photo Recap:

Riley must have been really excited about watching Uncle Lee work on Aunt Carly's camera!

Coming down the stairs on Christmas Morning! (Making his usual stop at the light switch!)

Santa left the best present ever! He must have really known how much Riley loves driving trucks!

These are some family shots. Somebody might have been getting a little tired.

Christmas just wore him out!

Note to self: It is worth the extra time to straighten your hair on Christmas morning so you don't have this hot mess in picture all day. Just sayin.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

The Faces of Riley

2011-12-14T17:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Riley's teachers sent home some pictures they took during their Halloween activities. I think they really show his personality!

I didn't know they took these, but I am so glad they did! He had to leave a little early that day to go to the doctor for a checkup and shots, so I'm glad he got to do some fun stuff before that!

Weekend Trip

2011-12-11T16:02:00.002-06:00

We visited some friends in Nashville this weekend. Our plan was to leave Friday night after Joey's basketball games, but we all had to fight off a stomach virus this week, so we were exhausted. We got up early and left Saturday morning though, so we got there early enough to hang out and go to OpryLand. We had fun letting the boys see all the lights and flowers and Christmas decorations!

We took a few pictures in front of Shrek's house.

Carly and Cally were in Nashville Saturday, too, so we got to have dinner with them. Of course I didn't take any pictures.

We had a great weekend, but I learned that Riley is not good at sharing. :(
Hopefully that will get better in 2012!

Good Deal!

2011-12-07T17:03:00.002-06:00

If you ever shop at Zulily, there's an awesome deal today!

Plum District has a $50 towards clothes, accessories, etc from Zulily for $35. And if you like their facebook page, you get a $5 credit! I was looking at some clothes for Riley when I saw this, so it was perfect timing!

Here's a link if you're interested: http://www.plumdistrict.com/three_for_free/12fa9ca677/click

You have to have an account at Plum District and Zulily, but they are free and really quick to sign up for.

Just for Fun

2011-11-30T19:27:00.002-06:00

We went grocery shopping tonight.

Thank you pay day!

We found a way to keep Riley entertained for a few minutes!
Apparently he needs two steering wheels!

We didn't totally avoid a meltdown, but we were able to get most of the things we needed!

Crazy Alabama Weather

2011-11-30T19:12:00.003-06:00

We know weather here in Alabama is crazy. I'm going to take a minute to document the changes in the types of clothes we have worn in the last week. (Enjoy the action shots I used as my documentation!)

Thanksgiving {less than one week ago}:
Riley wore a long sleeved shirt and vest.
He was a little warm, so the vest didn't last too long. It sure looked cute though! :)

Saturday {Iron Bowl Day!}:
Riley wore shorts. All day.

Today {Wednesday}:
Lined wind pants. T-shirt. Hoodie. Toboggan.

So Riley has worn clothes for every season this week. Good times.

Shopping and Saving

2011-11-27T11:14:00.003-06:00

We've done a pretty good job with our Christmas shopping this year. We've been buying things since September when we've seen things we thought our families would like and there was a good price. We even braved some crowds and did some Black Friday (really Black Thursday Night) shopping.

Even though we've gotten a lot done, I'm still watching for sales online. Today I read about a website called Shopping Notes. It's similar to another site I've used that tracks prices and alerts you when the price on an item you're watching drops. When you sign up on Shopping Notes, you can refer friends to use it. If the friends you refer use your link and set up at least one alert, you get a credit toward a Target or Amazon gift card. You get $1 for each friend that sets up an alert, and you can get your reward when you reach $10.

I love using any websites I can that will help me earn or save some money! Some others that I use are Mr. Rebates to get money back when you shop online; Inbox Dollars that pays you a couple of cents for each email you read, different amounts for surveys that you can complete, and 10 cents for each coupon you print and redeem from their website; and SwagBucks that rewards you for lots of different things, mainly internet searches from their site.

You can click on any of the links above if you're interested in joining any of these sites to earn or save some money! Most (all?) of them give you some sort of credit for referring friends, so check them out and invite your friends if you like them!

Are there any other money saving websites you use?

Tiny Prints Talent Search

2011-11-16T19:21:00.003-06:00

Tiny Prints is having a contest for a chance to win some great prizes! There is a grand prize of $1,000 plus a $500 Tiny Prints gift certificate! {I could easily spend $500 on stuff from Tiny Prints.}

So, about the contest(s).

Tiny Prints is looking for the cutest pictures in several categories: Cutest Baby (0-24 months); Cutest Kid (25 months-10 years); Cutest Family; Cutest Couple; and Cutest Pet and Owner.

When the entry period is over, people will vote on their favorites to choose the winner. You've only got until November 21st to enter, so if you've got some cute pictures, go enter on the Tiny Prints website or their Facebook page. You can also read more about the official rules on their website here.

I'd love to know if you enter so I can go see your pictures!

Tubes Tomorrow

2011-11-15T19:45:00.002-06:00

We have to be at Children's South at 6:30 in the morning to get Riley checked in. They are going to get us in a room, then take him to the operating room. They said it will take about 30 minutes to get everything done if he ends up having to get his adenoids out. I'm assuming he will get those out, but I guess we'll find out for sure tomorrow. After the surgery is done, he will have to stay in recovery for an hour, then he will come back to us, then we'll stay for another hour, then we should get to go home. That's what I understood from my quick conversation with the nurse today.

I got a little nervous when they started talking about the anesthesia, but I know that everything is going to be fine and this is a very routine procedure. Riley is tough. I'm praying that he gets some some good sleep tonight and that God comforts us with the knowledge that He is guiding the doctor.

Spoiled

2011-11-13T14:26:00.003-06:00

This long weekend has spoiled me.

Thursday night Joey had basketball games. Riley and I were planning to go, but the team they were playing was late getting there, so we ended up staying home. That was probably for the best, though, because I don't think Riley was feeling too good. He sat in the chair with me for about an hour. He hasn't done that since he was probably 5 months old. I loved every second of it!!
We kept him home from school on Friday and did some shopping for him. He was really in need of some new fall/winter clothes.

Saturday we went to a birthday party at the McWane Center then we had some friends over to watch football. He played so hard all day!!

Today we have been lazy. Riley must have still been tired from yesterday, because he took a nap on the couch with me. Again, something he hasn't done in over a year probably.

It's been fun getting to spend more time with the family! I wish we could do this more often!

Riley's Visit to the ENT

2011-11-10T18:26:00.004-06:00

We took Riley to the ENT on Monday for a consultation about getting tubes. He has had six ear infections in the past year, so I had been expecting his doctor to set up this appointment for a while. When I was filling out all the paperwork, I read a notice they put on the clipboards that said the appointments could last a minimum of two hours. Great news when the appointment was right in the middle of naptime!

He did great through all the different parts of the appointment (including 3 waiting rooms, a hearing test, and visits with the audiologist, nurse practitioner, doctor, and the scheduling nurse). Luckily, it only took about an hour to finish everything. His hearing was fine, but he has fluid behind his ears, so he is getting tubes next week. They are probably going to take his adenoids out too. I am glad he is getting this done if it is going to stop those ear infections!

We went to eat lunch when we left, and Riley grabbed his bag on the way. He found his placemat and had a good time entertaining himself in the car.

Praying that his surgery doesn't make him too fussy next week!

It's Time to Start Thinking About Christmas Cards!

2011-11-08T17:21:00.008-06:00

I love Christmas cards! I love getting them in the mail. I love sending them out. I love everything about them.

Riley got Joey a Father's Day card from TinyPrints this summer, and I loved it. It was probably my favorite card ever, so I decided to shop TinyPrints for this year's Christmas cards. I have spent a lot of time browsing through them trying to choose my favorite. So far these are a few of my favorites:

I'm really liking the cards with just one picture right now.
There are so many choices of card size, corner designs, number of pictures, and pretty much anything else you could think of though, so who knows what I will actually end up choosing.

Check out all their Christmas and holiday cards here!

TinyPrints is doing a promotion for bloggers right now, so if you have a blog and you're interested in getting 50 free cards, go here and fill out their form. Let me know if you sign up! :)

*Just FYI--Every time I go back to make a decision about the cards, I find more that I love! I guess that means I need to go ahead and make a choice and stick with it, huh?

Halloween at Work

2011-10-30T12:30:00.003-05:00

We had our fall festival at school on Friday, so teachers were encouraged to dress up. I worked at a booth with my friends Natalee and Ruth Ann, and we dressed as The Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2.
The kids thought we were dressed as Katy Perry! Ha!

We are taking Riley to a fall festival/trunk-or-treat tonight. I'm glad they are having it tonight so we can go as a family. Joey has basketball practice tomorrow, so it would be late before we could get out.

Hopefully I will have some pictures from tonight posted tomorrow!

Another Birthday Party!

2011-10-25T17:25:00.005-05:00

We made a trip to Nashville with Nana for David's first birthday this weekend. Riley had so much fun playing with the school bus. This school bus has been a favorite toy for all three of Amy's boys and all the cousins and friends. I would love to get one for Riley but they are pretty hard to find.

Here is a picture of the birthday boy!

Fall Picture

2011-10-18T17:13:00.002-05:00

Riley had fall pictures at school yesterday. They got individual pictures and a class picture. In his class pictures he is the only one not crying (probably because he got to stay on the tractor!).

Winn Dixie Success

2011-10-16T17:48:00.005-05:00

I haven't had a chance to take a planned shopping trip in a long time, but I made some time for it today. Winn Dixie had Cottonelle toilet paper and Viva paper towels on sale this week, so I definitely didn't want to miss going this week. I was proud of my trip today. It wasn't really anything spectacular, but I saved quite a bit and got some things we needed.

I got...
2 (12 rolls) packs of Cottonelle toilet paper
1 (6 rolls) pack of Viva paper towels
2 32-ounce bottles of Powerade {Joey has been sick for about 3 weeks, so I felt like he really needed some Powerade}
2 boxes of cake mix {since the holidays are coming up I figured I should go ahead and start stocking up...never know when you'll need cake mix! And these were both FREE!}
2 tubes of Colgate toothpaste {I paid 50 cents each for these}
2 pork roasts {I try to buy these every time they are on sale if I can find a coupon. I love to have these done in the crock pot after work}
2 boxes of FiberOne brownies
1 pack of cookies
1 box of Cheese Nips
1 bag of Ritz chips {a current favorite}

The total before coupons and Winn Dixie reward card was over $77. I spent less than $35. And I got a $3 catalina for the Cottonelle and a $5 of $55 coupon for my next trip.

Like I said earlier, nothing spectacular, but since the toilet paper and paper towels normally cost around $10 at Winn Dixie, I was pleased. I feel like Winn Dixie is really hit or miss. Sometimes they have great sales, and sometimes it seems like there is nothing I need on sale. Since some of the things on sale this week are things I always seem to need, I may go back and use the catalina to get a few more if I get a chance this week.

Emma Kate and Leah's Birthday Party

2011-10-16T17:25:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Emma Kate is 5 and Leah is 2! We went to Mobile last weekend for their birthday party, and Riley had such a good time playing with his cousins! Their party was at a place called The Watermelon Patch. It was like an indoor playground for kids with toys, inflatables, and all kinds of things for kids to do.

We almost got Riley to sit still long enough to take a picture!

He loved playing with in the wagon with Emma Kate...

and opening and closing the gate with Leah!

Riley found a room with puzzles during the party, and that's where he spent most of his time. I had no idea he liked puzzles so much. He now has some at home. I'm just wondering how long we will know where all the pieces are! :)

This was there! I loved it!

On Sunday morning all the boys (except Riley) played golf, so we went shopping and to lunch. When my mom got her food Riley swiped her roll and had no intentions of giving it back!

We had such a fun weekend celebrating Emma Kate and Leah's birthdays!

Bugles

2011-10-16T17:17:00.004-05:00

Riley still loves to eat! He recently discovered his love for Bugles. We were sharing at one point, but that didn't last too long!

Catching Up

2011-10-16T17:09:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged in a LONG time.

I don't really know why.

Maybe it's because I've still been trying to get accustomed to my new job at work.
Still not sure if I'm loving it. I'm really torn about whether or not I want to stay in the library next year or go back to the classroom. I know that if I go back I will be complaining about all the paperwork and other things that have to be done, but I really miss teaching and having my own babies to work with. So it's something I'm praying about.

Maybe it's because nothing terribly interesting has been going on.
Riley has been back in school and we've been back at work.

Maybe I'm just lazy.

I don't know. But I'm back. And I'm going to try to catch up on some things today so I will be able to look back later and remember what was going on. Hopefully I won't take any more 2 month blog breaks...we'll see how it goes!

Falcons

2011-08-06T19:13:00.004-05:00

I've finally declared my NFL team. Thanks to this guy.

{picture via atlantafalcons.com}

I've never cared too much about NFL football because I've never had a team that I just really wanted to win. There have been several that I've liked, but none that I cared a whole lot about.

Now that Julio has joined some other former Crimson Tide players, I've decided that they are my team. Riley got his first Falcons shirt this summer, so he will be supporting them too!

Of course Saturday football is definitely my favorite...I don't know that I will ever be able to love the NFL as much as I love college football, but we'll see!

Friday Afternoon Fun

2011-07-22T16:37:00.002-05:00

This afternoon Riley and I took a walk down our street. He loved watching cars drive by, and he stopped to look at every bug we saw. When we got back home, our neighbors were having their yards done. Riley loved that! His head turned every time he heard a noise. We sat down for a few minutes, then he decided he wanted his own chair.
It was a fun afternoon!

Surprise Interview

2011-07-12T19:52:00.003-05:00

I had a meeting at the Board Office today to get ready for a conference I'm presenting at this month. I figured while I was there I would go by the library director's office and ask her some questions that I've had while I've been cleaning and rearranging. I called at about 11:25 this morning (my meeting was at 1:00) to make sure she would be in her office. While I was talking to her she told me that I still had to come and interview with her...

Interesting...It's been "my" job since school got out.

Anyway, I was telling her that I would be there for a meeting at 1:00, and she said, "Oh well can you be here at 12:00?" Since I live about 20 minutes away, I had to pretty much leave my house right then.

Good thing I got up and got dressed before Joey went to football practice this morning.
I got to her office at like 12:01 and we did the interview. I was so nervous, and I have no idea if anything I said to her made sense. She was really nice and I guess it went well.

She welcomed me to the department, so I guess it's a done deal. Assuming UWA really did send all my paperwork to the state.

4 Years

2011-07-07T22:07:00.001-05:00

Joey and I have been married for four years! I am so thankful that he has stuck around this long! :)
Joey--if you ever read this--thank you for being you. I love you!

Just a Picture

2011-07-06T17:53:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to post this picture of 2 handsome guys waiting for dinner at BoonDocks.

Let Freedom Ring

2011-07-04T21:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Independence Day!
Last year we took a picture of Riley (when he was a little bitty baby) in a precious little patriotic Bailey Boys outfit. So of course I wanted a picture this year, too. But now he has to wear boy clothes instead of baby clothes. I decided to try some family pics, thinking we could get a few good ones.
I was pretty much just wrong. These are a few of our goofy pictures!

Splash Pad

2011-06-26T19:27:00.004-05:00

One of Riley's friends had her 2nd birthday party at the Splash Pad today. We had not taken Riley there to play before because we were never sure how he would react to the water. But he got there and played and played and had so much fun!

Trying to Escape

2011-06-23T14:00:00.001-05:00

This has been one of Riley's favorite things to do lately. He has been successful at locking the door on several occasions.

Fun Weekend

2011-06-21T09:13:00.002-05:00

This weekend our friends Crystal and Marcus came to visit. They have a little boy named Aiden who is just a few months younger than Riley. Aiden is such a precious, happy little guy! It was so much fun watching them play.

Saturday morning we went to the pool.

Then we played.

Saturday afternoon we went on a wagon ride. Riley was studying the wheel very closely.

Saturday evening a few other friends came over. We grilled and the boys played horseshoes. There were several kids here, so Riley stayed busy chasing people and toys. Judging by the nap he took on Sunday afternoon, he must have worn himself out!

The Fathers in My Life

2011-06-19T20:12:00.006-05:00

I can't even begin to say how thankful I am for my Daddy. I realize how special it is to have a dad in your life who is supportive, patient, and kind. He knew what was best for me when I didn't. (And he still does.)

Quick story: When I was younger, I wanted to cut the grass. (Yeah I don't know why.) He never "let" me. Well maybe one time, but I'm sure that was a big fail. Thanks for that Daddy! I no longer have any interest in cutting grass! :) See, now I know that he understood that cutting the grass was not the best job for me!

Now I live about 3 hours away from Daddy, but I know he would be here as fast as he could if I needed anything. I feel so blessed to have a dad who loves his children unconditionally. I know that lots of children grow up without a strong father or father figure.
Thank you, Daddy, for being you. You couldn't be a better daddy or grandaddy.

Joey is a wonderful father to Riley. He takes time to play with Riley, feed him, change him, and anything else he needs. Riley's face lights up when he sees his daddy or hears his voice on the phone. I cannot wait to see their relationship grow as time passes.
Thank you for being such a great dad!

We love both of you so much!!

Pool Success!

2011-06-10T14:14:00.003-05:00

Riley had issues with water for the first several months of his life. He finally got over those issues and started loving bathtime and playing in/with water.

Well...a few months ago he decided he was not a fan anymore. He wanted nothing to do with a pool and he screamed when we took him outside near his baby pool. I was a little stressed because we are going to the beach in a few weeks and I was not excited about having to stay inside (which would lead to too much shopping and spending too much money).

Today we decided to go to the pool. We didn't plan on staying long because we knew he would be miserable. Joey sat with him in the shade for a while, then decided to see what would happen if he took him in the water. They sat on the steps for a few minutes and played, and Riley even started splashing some. We took a chance and took him in the water, and he did great! Hallelujah! Hopefully he won't change his mind again before we go to the beach!

Pending Board Approval...

2011-06-09T20:24:00.003-05:00

I will have a new job next year. I am going to be the library media specialist. That sounds so much more sophisticated than just librarian. Ha! The board meets at the end of the month, so it should be "official" then. (Assuming they get their act together and get all my stuff from grad school--that I finished a year ago--sent in.)

I am excited and terrified. It feels like I'm going to be starting all over again. There are going to be lots of changes at my school next year, though, so I won't be the only one who has to figure things out. There are going to be two split-grade classes. (There's probably a better way to describe them?) One will be a K-1 split, and one will be a 3-4 split. I have no doubt that the teachers who are taking these classes will do an awesome job.

I've started doing some work already. I want to rearrange some things, and I want to have that part done before we go on vacation at the end of the month. I'm also trying to decide if I want to have a theme. I've taken a few pictures, so I hope to do a before and after post when I get things set up in a way that I like them.

Is It Friday Yet?

2011-05-26T19:41:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is end of the year party day. We usually do ice cream sundaes, but this year we decided to keep it simple and just do popsicles and bubbles. We are taking the kids out to the playground so they can just play. There are two sets of twins in first grade, so we like to have our parties as a grade level so the parents don't have to split time. (We like to have our parties together every year anyway.)
Tomorrow is also Riley's last day at daycare until August. I am so looking forward to being able to spend the summer with him!
We are going to Eufaula this weekend for my dad's birthday. (Happy birthday Daddy!) My sisters and brother will be there, so it's going to be a full house. It should be fun getting to just spend time with everybody without having tons of stuff to do.

TGI{almost}F.

picture

The Things They Say

2011-05-18T19:10:00.005-05:00

There are times at work when I get frustrated, but there are so many times when I can't do anything but smile. Six and seven year olds say some of the cutest and most innocent things. Today we were putting together some packages for tornado victims. While we were talking about what we were doing, we talked more about the tornado.
Conversation between two kids:
K: "Who made the tornado?"
S: "God and all the people up in heaven."
K: "Oh."...pause..."They must have been spinning around too much."

It was one of the sweetest things. I almost cried. The boy who said it is one of the most honest kids on the planet, and he is always happy. I love his little personality!

Thinking about that comment made me remember some of my favorite little gems from the last couple of years.
From last year:
A: "Mrs. Harp, when you were 17 did your mama put you out of the house? Cause my mama said when I'm 18 I have to get out of her house!" HA! No filters!

And one of my most favorite of all time (from a kid who knew about my addiction to Diet Dr. Pepper):

picture from sodahead.com

E: "I know Dr. Pepper is your favorite drink. I know why it's so good. It's cause it has 23 flavors. . . and one of them is Mr. Pibb!"

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T18:04:00.004-05:00

My mom is the greatest. I know a lot of people say that, but my mom is the perfect mom for me. She taught me how to think and make my own decisions. She knew there would be times that I was going to make mistakes, and she helped/helps me through them when I did/do. She wants the best for all of her children and grandchildren, and she is so proud of all of us.

She came and stayed at our house for a week when Riley came home, and I cried when she left. I remember standing in the driveway when she was about to leave and asking, "What if I can't do it?" She assured me that I could. I know that she will be here in a heartbeat if I ever feel like I can't.

Mama, I love you so much and I hope that I can be as great a mom to Riley as you are to me.

What a Week

2011-04-29T15:17:00.009-05:00

I think most of the world knows about the tornadoes that swept through the south on Wednesday, April 27th. I've heard a lot of people talking about how you can see things like this, but you never think they will actually happen to you. It makes me really sad to see that the town where I lived for 4 years of college is demolished. Parts of the city where I live now are gone. Areas very close to the shool where I work are absolutely destroyed. At this point, I know that two people who work for our school system were killed, and many have lost family, friends, and homes.

We were very lucky to have no damage to our home. We lost power for about a day and a half and had some debris in our yard, but that is nothing compared to the devastation these tornadoes caused only a few miles away. Joey walked outside Wednesday afternoon and yelled for me to come outside. This is what we saw:

Here are a few more pictures from Pratt City (really close to my school):

pictures from al.com

After all the losses our state and communities have had, I'm really proud to be from an area that pulls together. I heard that they had trouble organizing all the volunteers in Tuscaloosa yesterday.
I found some encouraging words for this difficult time:

“I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” (Anne Frank)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

There is no doubt in my mind that God has a plan for all of us. We definitely will not always understand His plans, but I know that He knows best, and that He loves us more than we can possibly understand.

Shutterfly!

2011-04-25T19:13:00.008-05:00

I love pictures. I could spend hours looking at old pictures at my parents house. Now that we have Riley, I take pictures ALL THE TIME. I hope that one day he will like to look at them and maybe even share them with his own family.

Right before his birthday, I decided that I wanted to make him a photo book for each year. I thought it would be neat to have a book that showed special events and "firsts" that he can keep for as long as he wants. Shutterfly has tons of book sizes and designs to choose from, so none of his books will look the same. (Unless I want them to!)

I made a photo book for my mom for her birthday. I hope she loved it as much as I did! I had so much fun making it, and it was so easy to do!

Shutterfly has so many more things that I just love! Their birthday invitations are adorable! How cute is this? I love that it has places for so many pictures!

I also love their Mother's Day cards

and gifts, like this notepad.If you love pictures (and Shutterfly!) as much as I do and you have a blog, go here to sign up for a chance to get 50 free cards!

My Toddler This Week

2011-04-19T19:52:00.004-05:00

So I got this email from babycenter today: Ummm. . . I haven't decided that he's a toddler yet thank you very much.
He's still a baby to me. But one day he won't be a baby anymore. Sad face.
At least I was at work when I got it so I didn't really read it.
I'm not too sure about this whole my baby is growing up thing.
I guess I better get used to it though.

Happy Birthday, Riley!

2011-04-19T00:21:00.000-05:00

One year ago was probably the most exciting and scary nights of my life. I was watching The Apprentice downstairs, and something felt like a balloon popping in my stomach. I went upstairs and told Joey, but I told him I wasn't hurting so I would call the doctor during my planning time at work the next day. Riley wasn't due for over 4 weeks, so I figured it was nothing. A few minutes later (after talking to my mama) I decided I would go ahead and call. Good thing I did because I started feeling really bad. They told me the doctor wouldn't be returning any calls until the top of the hour (this was about 9:05). I tried everything I could to get comfortable, but nothing worked. I got some clothes together and told Joey we had to go somewhere. Sometime after 10, the doctor finally called me back and sounded like he thought I was crazy, but he told me to come in and they would check me out and send me home if everything was okay.

We got to the hospital a little after 11, and Riley was here at 12:21. I used to laugh at people who said they were having a natural birth. I never in a million years would have thought I would be one of those people who had one!

A couple of hours after he was born, they told us they were taking him to NICU because his lungs were not developed completely. They ran tons of tests on him and found out that he had E. Coli too. I was terrified, and the doctors in the NICU weren't really the most optimistic sounding people in the world. I cried a lot, and sometimes I still do when I think about those days.

Thankfully, after a couple of weeks in NICU, Riley was all better and we got to bring home our wonderful little boy!

Happy birthday, Riley! Thank you for a year full of blessings!

God is good all the time.

Birthday Party!

2011-04-17T11:38:00.009-05:00

Riley's first birthday party was yesterday. :( I can't believe he is such a big boy! We had a great time with all his cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends!

Here are a few pictures of Riley's fun with his cake:

Having some water to wash it down!

I am so thankful that God gave us this handsome little guy. I never could have imagined how much joy he would bring to our lives. We love you, Riley!

In One Month

2011-03-19T21:04:00.002-05:00

Riley will have his first birthday.
I can't believe he is already 11 months old.

How We Spend Our Time

2011-03-16T16:21:00.001-05:00

One of the ways we've been entertained during Spring Break. . .

Awesome Giveaway

2011-03-15T14:13:00.006-05:00

So there's this giveaway that I really want to win!

It's being hosted by one of the best teacher blogs ever, but anybody could use $100 to use at The Container Store. You should go to What the Teacher Wants and check it out.

Riley Gets Giggles

2011-03-07T18:24:00.001-06:00

So Riley seems to think it's funny when I cough.
{I thought I was about to choke and he just laughed and laughed.}
When I was able to breathe again, I started coughing to see what he would do.
This was the result:

The after school kids at his daycare had him laughing when I picked him up today, so that could be why he was in such a giggly mood. {The "big kids" were playing with him through the gate in his classroom door, and he screamed and cried when they had to go back to their room. Luckily I was there to get him right as they were leaving, so he got to see them again on our way out!}

The Best Part of Waking Up

2011-02-17T18:40:00.002-06:00

This guy.
Even when he squirms and tries to crawl away when I'm changing his diaper in the mornings.
He loves to get dressed and then go crawl all over his daddy to wake him up.
♥ ♥ ♥

I Washed a Phone

2011-02-12T15:33:00.002-06:00

It was Joey's phone.
And now it doesn't work.
So he got a new one.
That's what I get for not letting the laundry pile up.

Riley Loves the Stairs!

2011-02-05T10:55:00.001-06:00

Riley loves going up and down the stairs.
I could have watched them do this for hours!

Cold!!

2011-02-05T10:37:00.006-06:00

I went to put some things in the mailbox Friday morning and this is what I found.

Crazy.

I think it's a little better today. (As in no ice. Still way way too cold.) But I haven't been out yet. I have some errands to run this afternoon, but I won't get out until Joey gets home from baseball practice.

I'm going to Rite Aid. Again. I love Rite Aid! I've gotten some really good deals this week, and there are a few more things I want to get before this week's sale ends. They probably won't have what I want, but I've been doing good with getting rain checks! I'm proud of myself for that!

Really, weather?

2011-02-03T18:59:00.002-06:00

It was almost 70 this weekend. I saw people in shorts and t-shirts. Then today it snows and the roads are iced over. I don't like it. I do not enjoy driving in this. I don't like walking to my car from the school in this.

But I do not want school to be canceled tomorrow. I'm not loving the fact that we already have to be there in June. A delay would be just fine with me, though.

Dear Diabetes,

2011-01-31T19:25:00.004-06:00

I would appreciate it if you would not make me (almost) late for work again. I hate to be late. For anything.

I checked my blood sugar before I went to sleep, so there was no reason for it to drop while I was sleeping.

Luckily I had a meeting at school today, so I already had a sub scheduled. However, there were a few things I wanted to do before my meeting started. I was not able to get those things done.

Thank you for your cooperation.

-Sunny

New Word!

2011-01-29T18:37:00.002-06:00

Riley has been saying dada (or DAdadaDAda) for a while now. Today he said mama! Or something that sounded a lot like that. He said it a few times, so it totally made my day!

I know that he doesn't really know what he's saying, but that doesn't matter! He's got time to learn! :)

Cookies!

2011-01-23T13:43:00.006-06:00

I can't go to Picky Palate without deciding that I must bake something. Today it was candy bar chocolate chip cookie sandwiches.

I made chocolate chip cookies with a Snickers middle...

and chocolate chip cookies with a Twix center.
Oh my goodness.
They were delicious.
And muffin-size.

I'm sure my clothes will remind me just how good these cookies were when they don't fit me pretty soon. I did limit myself to just one. I may have to hide the rest of them.

(But I would make them again in a heartbeat!)

Five Question Friday 1-21-11

2011-01-20T19:56:00.005-06:00

TGIF

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?
Joey and I met while we were student teaching. Thanks to a 2nd grader named Donnell. (He wouldn't talk to me until Donnell, who was in the class I was interning in, told him: "Hey Coach, my mama say you look cute.") I knew it was love pretty quickly.

2. What is your favorite room in your house?
I love the kitchen when it's clean!

3. Can you wiggle your ears?
No.

4. What is your evening ritual?
I don't really have a ritual. After I get Riley in bed, I relax for a few minutes and usually do some work-related stuff, then I brush my teeth and check my blood sugar. Then I watch TV and sleep.

5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?
6-8. The more the better. I love to sleep!

9 Months Old!

2011-01-20T19:22:00.012-06:00

Riley turned 9 months old yesterday.

He weighs 19 pounds, 8 ounces. (The same thing he weighed at his 6 month appointment.)

He is crawling around all over the place, and I think he gets more curious every day.

He still loves to eat. He is starting to eat "real" food, and he has just starting learning how to get Puffs in his mouth by himself. More of them end up on the floor or in his shirt, but he's getting there! It's so much fun to watch him learn how to do things.

He LOVES water. If he hears water running, he goes to it. I never thought I'd see the day when he would do that!

It's getting more and more difficult to get a picture of him sitting up straight because he wants to be into something all the time.

I love this little boy.

Shout Outs from Conan

2011-01-19T17:44:00.002-06:00

My hometown (Eufaula) and the town where I live now (Gardendale) were mentioned in this song that was on Conan last night.

Pretty interesting for two pretty small towns! Ha!

Miscellany Monday

2011-01-17T14:17:00.004-06:00

Since I have a lot of random thoughts right now, I thought I'd link up with Miscellany Monday.

*I'm liking short work weeks. Next week should be back to reality without a holiday in sight. (Well, Spring Break will be here in March, but that's like an eternity away.)

*I just love these guys.

*We had a fun trip to Eufaula this weekend. Riley got to spend some time with his great grandmother.

*Riley did a great job on the trip. He decided to have his only little outburst while we were out to dinner on Saturday night. We now know for sure that he will not accept other people eating without giving him some food. Even if he just finished his meal. (He does this at daycare, too. They have to try to not let him see the other kids' bottles or he pitches a fit. He may be a food bully. We'll have to work on that.)

*I'm tired of cold weather. I'm ready for spring/summer, at which point I'm sure I'll be complaining about the heat.

Back to Work We Go

2011-01-13T19:23:00.005-06:00

Wow. We have had four (4) snow days. It's been crazy. And tomorrow we go in late. I'm glad we're going back because it will probably be much worse when we have to make up these days in June. Or on Saturdays, which could be a possibility. (There were only 3 weather days scheduled into the winter semester of the calendar. And two of those are after graduation and Memorial Day and a teacher workday.) Boo.

I'm really going to miss the time I got to spend with this guy:

Caught!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day and everybody will stay safe and warm. And maybe the kids won't be too snow-crazy. We shall see!

Top Two Tuesday: Strange Addictions

2011-01-11T15:27:00.003-06:00

Top 2 Strange Addictions

1. Diet Dr. Pepper

from sodahead.com

I don't think I even need to explain. And it's probably not that strange. But I'm definitely addicted. And this is not an addiction that I plan to end.

2. Blog ~~Stalking~~ Reading
I read all kinds of teacher blogs, crafting blogs, and personal/family blogs. People amaze me with how creative they are and the things they make and do. I really learn a lot from them, so it's okay if I'm addicted, right?

Snow Days 2011

2011-01-11T11:11:00.002-06:00

We've had two days off work because of the snow (or ice, really). I don't mind having days off, but the make-up days are really not fun. I would much rather be in school now in January during this cold weather than in June when I'm sure the weather will be perfect. But oh well.

I took a few pictures of some of the snow. I don't have any of us in the snow because Riley is still getting over a runny nose and cough, so I didn't think it would be a good idea to have him out in it.

Joey "shoveled" our driveway. I never thought that would need to be done!

This is a picture of some footprints in the backyard. The dogs were not crazy about the snow. You can kind of tell how much snow there was in this picture. We probably had about 3-4 inches. That's a whole lot for us!

Riley can crawl!

2011-01-08T16:37:00.002-06:00

He's been working on this for a while now, and a few days ago he finally figured out how to really get going! I was finally able to get it on video!

Gold Star

2011-01-04T19:01:00.003-06:00

I got a gold star from my doctor today.
My Hemoglobin A1C (an average of blood sugar levels for the last ~3 months) was at 6.4. The last six times I have been to the doctor it has been under 6.5. (6.5 is what they-whoever they are-consider under control.) That's pretty good considering that it was over 9 the first time I saw this doc. Last time I went, it was at 5.8. That's the best it's ever been. But I was using a continuous glucose monitor that insurance isn't covering now that I've already had Riley.

So that was the good news. But then I had to get a flu shot. My arm is already sore. And I had to go get some more bloodwork for thyroid, chelosterol, and kidney checks and some other stuff. The lab is usually the worst part of my trip to the doctor because there are so many doctors at the Kirklin Clinic and they all use the same lab. So I had to wait for what seemed like forever. (It was really about 20 minutes, but still.) I should be getting the results of those tests in the mail in a week or so. Those tests are usually fine, but sometimes I can't read what my doctor writes, so I have to guess if he's telling me the results are good or if I need to change something.

Happy New Year. . . Roll Tide!

2011-01-01T20:08:00.001-06:00

Welcome 2011! It was nice to start the year with a Crimson Tide win in the Capital One Bowl.

It's not crazy. It's (Alabama) sports.

2010 was a wonderful year. We had a couple of pretty draining weeks with Riley in NICU, but he is such a strong and healthy little boy. (He has gotten so big that I feel like calling him a baby is not accurate anymore. Ha!) I am very thankful for everything God provided for us in 2010, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for 2011!

Today's Naptime

2010-12-31T12:57:00.005-06:00

Beautiful

2010-12-30T20:11:00.003-06:00

I love it.

He did good!

I'm very lucky.

Top Two New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-28T12:49:00.005-06:00

1. Stick to a Budget
We're really trying to save money and get things paid off, so I really need to stick to a budget. I'm not usually bad about splurging on big things, but I spend way too much on little things. We've made budgets and used them before, but then we fall off the wagon. So one of my biggest goals this year is to plan a budget and stick to it every month. (That means I'm going to have to keep track of what I'm spending where! That makes me a little nervous!)

2. Keep the House Tidy
It doesn't take much to pick things up and put them in place. I figure if I will take just a few minutes every day and put things where they go, the house will look much better. And maybe if I do that I won't feel embarrassed if people just drop by the house!

So there are two of my resolutions. In writing. Posted for everybody to see!

The Most Wonderful Time

2010-12-25T19:33:00.004-06:00

I really believe that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. I love that most people are in a good mood around the holidays. I love that most people have things to look forward. And I love the excitement.

Most of all, I LOVE the reason we celebrate Christmas. I am so thankful that God sent His son to live and die for me so that I can be forgiven. It's so easy to lose focus during this busy time, but I just wanted to make sure that I expressed how grateful I am for Christmas.

Christmas wagon from Nana B. and Granddaddy! (On Christmas Eve. . . thankfully he got to take a ride in it then since we had a white Christmas this year! First one I've ever seen I think!)

I hope that we can always help our little boy have great Christmases, but I also hope we can help him understand the things that are really important in life.

Merry Christmas!

Today. . . We Clean

2010-12-23T08:14:00.002-06:00

Our house must be cleaned today. We're over all our sickness (I hope), so now it's time to clean and disinfect (again) and get everything in place.

Clearly I don't enjoy cleaning. I should be working on it right now, but I'm stilly typing. . .

Joey has already started working, so I guess I should help.

Wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-22T15:27:00.000-06:00

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

2010-12-21T18:10:00.005-06:00

Santa came to Riley's school a few weeks ago:

Merry Christmas!

If I Had to Get Sick. . .

2010-12-20T09:31:00.004-06:00

at least it was a Friday night. And I didn't have anywhere to be on Saturday.

Around midnight on Friday, I got sick. I told Joey that my chest hurt before I went to sleep, but I didn't think much more about it. Then I woke up and felt really bad. And I got sick. A LOT.

Poor Joey had to leave for a basketball tournament before 6:00 Saturday morning, but he stayed up checking on me, so he probably got about 2 hours of sleep. And he went to the store to get some things for me before he went to his school.

Sprite was all that I could handle.

Joey's parents came and got Riley because I did not want him to get what I had, and I knew that if I didn't feel better while Joey was gone, we would have had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I started feeling better around 6:00 Saturday morning, but I still felt really weak. So I stayed in bed pretty much all day.

Joey got home around 7:00 Saturday night, and he went to sleep pretty soon after he got here. I let him sleep late on Sunday because I figured he deserved that!

We're all well now, and we're praying that Riley stays well!

Bath Time!

2010-12-12T14:05:00.004-06:00

It's hard to believe Riley used to hate bath time!

We dreaded giving him a bath because he SCREAMED the entire time he was in the tub. He has gotten over that now though!Thank goodness!

Help!

2010-11-30T18:00:00.001-06:00

A class from my school needs your help! They made it to the top 5 in a music video contest to win technology for their classroom! They are way behind in the voting right now, and voting ends tomorrow! If you have a minute, check out their video at http://2010classroommakeover.shycast.com/submission/show/883. To vote for them, you will have to create an account with your email address and a password, but it doesn't take long, and I haven't gotten any junk mail from them!

Please take a couple of minutes and vote for them if you can! They worked hard, and I think they did a WONDERFUL job!!

Click This Way

Tomorrow is Monday

2010-11-28T19:35:00.004-06:00

So that means that it's time to go back to work again. I've decided that I am going to have a wonderful day tomorrow. Then on Tuesday I will be going to visit a school in North Alabama. On Friday we have a field trip. So it really shouldn't be a bad week. (Field trips do stress me out a bit, though. But this is one of my favorite trips that we take, and the kids always have a great time.)

Even though Thanksgiving is over, I want to try to stay thankful for all the blessings I have been given. It's easy to get down about things (like football and having to go back to work and all that stuff), but I think I would be much happier if I would take a little times to reflect on the good things.

These pictures show a couple of things I'm thankful for:

Five Question (Black!) Friday

2010-11-26T19:37:00.004-06:00

It's been a while, but this week I wanted to have some Five Question Friday Fun! I love the Thanksgiving questions!

1. What is your favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal?
I like so much of it! Usually it's fried turkey (yum!), ham, and sweet potato casserole. This year I have to add the new green bean casserole that I made from Picky Palate. It was so delicious and I'm planning to start having it at my house pretty often with chicken or anything else!

2. Are you a host or a guest for Thanksgiving this year?
Usually a guest. We were at Carly's house this year.

3. When you think of one Thanksgiving tradition, what comes to mind?
Does football count?

4. You have two pieces of pie in front of you and you HAVE to eat one...do you choose pumpkin or pecan?
If I had to choose one of those, I would probably choose pecan.

5. Are you a Black Friday Shopper?
I'm not a get up at and be at the stores at 4:00 shopper, but sometimes I will go a few places around 9:00. Today we left the house around 9:00 and didn't have to fight any big crowds. When Riley gets bigger and starts really wanting things I may go a little earlier, but right now I'll go a little later in the day and shop online. I try to pick things up here and there instead of doing so much on one day.

Medtronic Diabetes Disappointment

2010-11-26T19:10:00.006-06:00

A few years ago I started using an insulin pump again. I was so excited because they had a pink one!

So I get my supplies for my insulin pump from Medtronic Diabetes. I have recently become very disappointed in this company. Almost to the point where I want to talk to my doctor about switching to a different pump or coming off the pump. I have had good results using the pump, so I really don't want to stop using it, but I am so tired of all the problems they are causing.

On October 1st I got bill from them saying that I owed them over $1000 dollars for pump supplies. This was strange to me because I have NEVER gotten a bill from them. The bill didn't say which supplies they were charging me for, or when I supposedly built those charges. (I have been getting shipments of supplies every three months that include different infusion sets that attach the pump to my body, reservoirs that I fill with insulin and use in the pump--I change those ~every three days, and test strips that I use to check my blood sugar.) So I called and finally talked to someone about it. I actually talked to about 4 different people before anyone knew what I was talking about. So this lady figured out what the problem was. They told me that I was being put on auto delivery, and that I would be charged $30 every time they shipped supplies. That was cool. No big deal. Well apparently that was wrong, so they sent me a bill for the last 3 shipments (from March, June, and September). Insurance covered everything except test strips. So they sent me a bill for $1000 for test strips. I could get those much cheaper at my pharmacy. So the lady figured out that the information had not been entered correctly and that it was "an error on our part." She told me to send back what I had and they would credit me for the rest.

No problem. So I thought.

Well I get home from Thanksgiving today and find another bill from them. They totally didn't do what they said they were going to do again. And of course no one will be in the office until Monday. I couldn't leave a message, and I tried to find someone that I could email, but of course no email addresses were available. There is one person from the company that I communicated with when I started using the pump, so I am going to send him an email and see if he can get me in touch with someone.

So now I'm stressed. And I don't like it. And I really don't like Medtronic Diabetes.

If anyone you know has an insulin pump that they like from a company that is easy to work with, please let me know!

I Don't Cook Much. . .

2010-11-24T15:02:00.006-06:00

because I hate to clean the mess.

But today I made this

Cheesy Bacon Green Bean Casserole Pot Pie from Picky Palate

Oh my goodness. It looked and smelled SO good. I can't wait to eat it up tomorrow! If I had enough of the ingredients I probably would have made another one to eat tonight. But I guess I need to work on my patience anyway!

(That is definitely a picture from Picky Palate. All her stuff looks so good. I probably shouldn't read her recipes anymore. I'm pretty sure that won't happen!)

I also made a hash brown casserole and a peanut butter chocoalte chip cheese ball. It's really more of a dip, but the recipe says cheese ball, so that's what I call it. I'm going to make a pasta salad later too.

I'm planning to take pictures of everything tomorrow cause I'm just so proud of myself being all homemaker-y.

And I cleaned up the kitchen!

7 Months

2010-11-23T16:39:00.002-06:00

Riley turned 7 months old on Friday. And now he has his first ear infection. We took him to the doctor this morning so he could get the second part of his flu shot. While we were there we saw the doctor because Riley has been so congested and coughing so much lately. We found out that he has a slight ear infection, probably due to the coughing. So now he's taking some medicine twice a day for 10 days. Hopefully he'll be well very soon!

Here is his 7 month picture:

Here are some more pictures of the fun he had after we got the picture taken:

He is becoming more animated and playful every day. I am so thankful for this little boy and I pray that he will grow to love the Lord and trust His plans.

I was looking at pictures last night from Riley's 2 weeks in NICU, and they just reminded me how good God is. I am so thankful to know that even when I don't know why things happen the way they do, God knows. And His plans are perfect.

Christmas Cards

2010-11-19T17:56:00.007-06:00

I love Christmas cards. I love getting Christmas cards with pictures of friends and their families. I've never sent photo Christmas cards because I've never thought that anybody would really want a Christmas card with my picture on it. But this year we're going to show off our little (seven-month old today) man on our Christmas cards!

We're going to use Shutterfly for our cards. I've ordered pictures from Shutterfly before, and it has always been super easy. I'm sure ordering Christmas cards will be just as simple!

Here are some of my favorite cards:

You can go here to see all the cards. I'm not sure which ones we'll end up getting. There are so many cute cute cute cards! I also like that they have a pretty good selection of cards that celebrate the true meaning of the Christmas season.

They also have other photo gifts like mugs and calendars. I love that there are different types of calendars and that you can add pictures to certain dates on them! I say every year that I'm going to make one, but I haven't yet. Maybe I'll make one for Joey's office so he can have some pictures of his family!

Shutterfly is offering 50 free cards for bloggers! Go here to find out how to get them!

Thanksgiving at School!

2010-11-18T18:18:00.004-06:00

This week I did so many Thanksgiving activities! I could make some sort of educational connection to everything we did, so that was a good thing! I even learned some things that I didn't know (or that I had forgotten). I will try to take some pictures before I leave the school tomorrow. My halls look good! It's just sad to me that I'm going to have to take all the wonderful down after I just put it up, but I guess that's the way it goes. I'm trying to get all my Christmas activities planned so we won't have to cram it all in like we did with the Thanksgiving stuff.

We had our Thanksgiving lunch for parents and families today. That's usually a stressful day for me, but I think it was set up better this year than it has been in the past, so we weren't as rushed as usual.

I talked to one parent today and found out that their family lost a cousin this week. Apparently two men broke in his house wearing shirts that said POLICE and shot him. I know things like that happen all the time, but it broke my heart to know that a 6-year old is having to deal with that. I don't know if she really understood everything that happened, but she did tell me that her mom 'was crying so much and I just told her to try to calm down.' I will definitely be praying for them as they are coping with this.

On a happier note, I have ONE day of work left until the week long Thanksgiving break. Happy face!

I Made a Scarf!

2010-10-31T17:17:00.004-05:00

Actually I made two scarves.

I saw them on http://www.kevinandamanda.com/. But she made hers with Auburn colors. Boo.

Here are mine.

So these probably aren't too impressive to the more crafty people out there, but since I never make anything, I was proud. Joey even let me cut up some of his t-shirts to use. I don't think he really wanted to let me, but he did. He even said I needed to make more. (Not sure that I will, but that was nice for him to say.)

Can't Help It. . .

2010-10-21T18:44:00.003-05:00

I just had to post these! These are his first ever school pictures!

Check out those shoes!

I think they turned out okay!

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-18T20:08:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch last weekend.

I'm excited about going back next year. Maybe then he'll know a little bit about what's going on!

Happy Birthday Emma Kate and Leah!

2010-10-18T19:53:00.005-05:00

Emma Kate and Leah had a joint birthday on October 2nd, the weekend between their birthdays! It is so hard to believe that Emma Kate is 4 and Leah is 1! They are such precious sweet girls and we were so glad we could make it to Mobile for the party!

I got a few pictures of Emma Kate and Riley on Saturday morning. (Emma Kate was dressed and ready to go and Riley was still in his pajamas!)

Riley had fun hanging out with his cousins!

Because I am terrible at taking pictures, I didn't get any of Leah. :( Hopefully someone will send some my way!

Riley's Dedication

2010-10-18T19:48:00.003-05:00

Riley got dedicated at church on September 26th. (I'm a little behind!) He did such a good job! There were 19 babies being dedicated during that service, so he had a long time to behave himself in front of the church!
We had to change his outfit a couple of times before we made it out the door, but luckily he didn't spit up too much after we got there. This picture was taken when we got home because we didn't get one taken with my camera while we were there.

My New Obsession

2010-09-27T17:17:00.005-05:00

I am so in love with my new candle. Carly has gotten me so focused on all things fall, and I have no fall decorations, so this is pretty much the extent of the seasonal changes in my house. Since it actually feels like fall today, I thought I'd share some of my current favorite things.

This candle made me happy all day yesterday. And I lit it as soon as I got home today. It's Spiced Cider from Bath and Body Works. I think I smelled it before and didn't really like it, but while I was in the store yesterday I decided I really liked it. And I still love it today!

Spiced Cider from Bath and Body Works

Cinnamon and Clove Buds is one I will be burning this one right after Thanksgiving. Or maybe a little before. I had a Wallflower from Bath and Body Works in this scent last year and I loved it! I'm not using it right now because I'm afraid it would make me even more ready for Christmas!

Cinnamon and Clove Buds from Bath and Body Works

Thank you for putting your candles on sale, Bath and Body Works!

Quick Recap of the Last 5 Months

2010-09-19T19:32:00.002-05:00

My review in pictures!

The biggest difference I see in the pictures is in the 2 and 3 month pictures I think.

I think I look at these everyday!

Have a good week!

Green Beans!

2010-09-18T14:12:00.003-05:00

Riley got to eat green beans today!

I think they were a success!

I Love Football

2010-09-05T18:08:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited that college football season is underway! (Even though we probably won't be in Tuscaloosa for many, if any, games this year.)

I'm even excited for NFL football. I usually don't care about the NFL too much, but I have a fantasy team this year. It's okay that I don't know who is on my team. Or how to log in to make changes and all that.

Football season makes me happy.

One Year Ago. . .

2010-09-02T18:29:00.006-05:00

I turned 25.

And I found out we were having a baby.

A few weeks later, we got to see our first pictures of our child.

That was probably the best birthday ever.

4 Month Checkup

2010-09-01T19:19:00.002-05:00

Riley is growing so fast! He weighs 14 pounds and 8 ounces now, and he's 26.25 inches long. His head measures 16.75 inches. For weight and head circumference he's in the 50th percentile, but his length puts him in the 75th-90th percentile. CRAZY! He goes back for his 6 month checkup on October 18th, so we'll see how much he has changed by then.

He had to get more shots when he was there, so he was tired and a little fussy for the rest of the day. Here is a picture of him resting when we got home:

He also got to eat from a spoon for the first time last night. It went better than I was expecting it to, and he seemed to like it. He thinks he's a big boy now!

Happy Birthday Joey!

2010-08-31T06:04:00.002-05:00

To celebrate Joey's birthday, we are taking Riley to get his 4 month shots. Then Joey is going back to work. And I'm staying home with Riley. I might make a cake. . . that will depend on how Riley handles the shots and if he lets me take him to grocery store!

We got Joey's birthday present (a new truck!) this weekend. I might post a picture later. We haven't taken any yet.

Happy birthday Joey! I love you!

Five Question Friday

2010-08-27T20:34:00.009-05:00

1. How many pets do you have?
Two.

Deuce
and BarkerThese pictures are from years ago, though. They're a lot bigger now.

2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?
Good question. Can I go back in time? I'd love to go way back and switch places with somebody to see what life was like back in the late 1800s. But only for a day. No longer than that.

3. What is your favorite money saving tip?
Mr. Rebates. I got a check from them last week. It takes a little while to get your money back, but it was so exciting when the check came!

And all the coupon blogs I read. I wish I could figure out all those scenarios.

4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up?
Responsible.
As far as a career, I don't really care. Something useful or something that helps other people.
Mosty importantly, I hope that he puts his life in God's hands and realizes that God's plans are perfect.

5. What is your favorite quote?
There are so many good ones. Right now I have a favorite Bible verse that helps me get through the days when I wonder if anything I do is worth it.

Galatians 6:9-10
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Silent Music

2010-08-26T17:40:00.002-05:00

When I picked up my kids from music this week, the music teacher told me that they will be having silent music next week.

They might be the first class EVER to have silent music.

I'm interested though. I may go watch.

Growing Boy

2010-08-25T18:51:00.005-05:00

Riley is growing so fast. I'm starting to understand what people mean when they say that. He is rolling over now. He has also started grabbing my hair and jewelry when I'm holding him. He is "talking" all the time too.

AND. . . .

He FINALLY decided that bathtime wasn't so bad. I thought that day would never come. He has been having fun in the bathtub for about two weeks now. I am so thankful.

Here are few recent pictures:

Worst First Day Ever

2010-08-11T17:18:00.002-05:00

Today was bad.

I had a kid sitting by herself away from the rest of the class at about 8:30.

The rest of them weren't much better than her.

I don't know how I'm going to get through it. I know it's only the first day, but the first day is usually a pretty good inidcation of what's in store.
*I WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK LATER AND SAY HOW WRONG I AM.*

All I can do now is pray.