The Car Ride

Stu started school a few weeks ago. He is at night school by my work, so he meets me at 5 and gives me Abby and her and I drive home together.

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Don't get me wrong...I love the extra time with her.

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But, I really miss that half hour to myself. It is my quiet time to unwind from work. I can not talk and just listen to the radio or enjoy the quiet by myself.

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Now....I get to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Pat a Cake" and the Alphabet song the.entire.way home. I really need to learn some new songs. Or we have to talk about everything under the sun. Or she needs me to hand her something. Or she needs me to take something from her.

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I know once I get used to it, it will be better. But for now, it is driving me (pun intended) crazy!!!

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Am the only person still watching The Bachelor? Brad drives me insane. He is "too" nice and just thanks everyone the whole time. But I guess it keeps me wondering who he will pick. Please don't let it be crazy Michelle. I have to say that I am rooting for Emily.

Walking the Baby

Today was such a beautiful day! I just knew that we had to get out and about.

Since I couldn't find the stroller for Abby, I figured she might enjoy walking her baby.

And she did!

Please look how grown up she looks!

We walked Ali to the dog park.

Abby stood at the gate and yelled "Ali, Come!" the entire time. Poor Ali.

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After the dog park, we went to the slide at our apartment complex. We met a little girl named Taylor that was 5 days younger than Abby. They played so cute together. I didn't take any pictures as I figured the mom might have been weirded out by that.

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After our nap, we went to the Discovery Center (forgot my camera). We met Tracy and Michelle there. It was blast to hang out with 5 girls between the age of 5 and 1. Crazy times!

What Abby Has Been Up To

I don't have any pictures, but I just wanted to share a few things that Abby has done lately.

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She peed in the potty tonight!!! Right before her bath, as she was showing me Mommy's potty and Abby's potty, I asked her if she wanted to potty. She sat right down on her potty and peed in it! Granted, it was about a teaspoon, but still! I am really excited in case you can't tell.

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She is really into possession. Everything is "somebody's". Abby's ball, Ali's ball, Daddy's truck, Mommy's car, you get the picture.

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Her new favorite words are Mommy's work. Stu has to bring up to my work every night before he goes to school. She is very excited about getting to see Mommy's work and Mommy's 'puter.

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Abby loves fruit. That is sometimes all that she will eat.

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She loves her babies. She is so sweet on them and always wants to dress and undress them.

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Tonight she played with stickers.

She LOVED putting them on a certain someone.

Abby's Photo Shoot

I am really hoping that they don't mind, but I "stole" these pics from the Cuddle Bugs site to show case Abby's first modeling shoot.

In case you are wondering, this was Abby's first experience with the Sweetheart Candies (the ones that have sayings on them). That is why her hand is in her mouth the ENTIRE time.

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But seriously, click on the site. April has adorable clothes! And although I don't have a son (yet, lol), I am loving the boy clothes!

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And I really can't say enough good things towards My Friend Lindsay and her amazing photography skills. Seriously, if you are in the area and need a photographer, she is awesome!

Maybe she will let me host a giveaway sometime ;), let me know if that is something that you might be interested in!

Busy Sunday

Sunday morning started with having to wake Abby up at 8:30! I swear that girl can sleep! But we had to go to church, so she needed to get up and have breakfast first.

Then we went to church and Stu and Abby left so that Amanda and I could watch the 4 year olds. Man, that is a tough group.

My favorite moment was asking a few girls what their favorite food was. The answers that I got were:

• A real pig
• A giraffe with a long neck.
• Pizza with mud on it.
• Fruit with pictures on it.

Seriously, how do these kids think these things up?

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After that, I went and got Abby. I have really been wanting to work on her toys. Nothing "matches" as in you find one toy that is missing pieces or half a puzzle.

So, I took all of her toys around the house and put them in her room.

Yes, it is really this bad. But after about an hour, I got it all organized. Not quite sure how long it will last though (and I didn't take any after pictures).

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I just walked in the other room and came back to my dog on the couch drinking my wine. I am really hoping that she doesn't throw that back up.

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Thanks for the comments on my church post. I did go to the larger church this morning because of the preschool commitment, but we are going to try another one next Sunday. I know that I will find one that is right for us. And for the person that left me the anonymous comment, please leave me a comment with your email address....I would love to talk more!

A Heavy Heart

Ugh, I just feel the need to write it all out. Maybe it will all make sense in my head when I am done.

I have been attending a church since we moved back here. It is a large church and all of my friends attend. But, I am having some serious reservations about it.

Pros:

• I love the preacher. He is a great speaker and I am always moved to do better in my life every Sunday morning.
• They have a great kids program. Mainly for kindergarten and up. I have seen the program and I love the message and way they promote it.
• They have a wonderful Wednesday night program for women. The speaker, Beth, can usually bring a tear to my eye as she emphasizes the role of being a mother and woman.
• I like the contemporary music. I know all the "old" hymns by heart and is nice to see fresh music.

Cons:

• I am a numbers person and when I read the financial statement, it is hard for me to ignore the fact that over 60% of the budget is spent on "staff". I know that it takes alot to run a church, but my belief is in helping others. When I write a measly check for $100 and I realize that only $40 of that is helping people in the community, it is hard.
• The outreach program is lacking. I signed up for Community Service Day, prepared to spend a day helping others. I spent 20-30 minutes delivering processed snacks to firefighters. The program said "Baked Goods", that was not the case. I was even prepared to bake (gasp!) if I needed to.
• I am really looking for a church that is more of a community. I want to see the same people every Sunday and see the same people when working on community service.
• I have only seen about 5 people be baptized in this church. And absolutely no "members" added. It is not something that they do. And I noted above about the new music, but I do still like the classic hymns.

Am I crazy? Does this church exist? Maybe I am just not participating in all the activities that I should at this church and not giving it the chance it deserves?

What I want:

• I want Abby to grow up in a church that she wants to get married in.
• I want her to have life long friends that have the same values.
• I want to give back. Not always monetary, but with my time and using the skills that I have.

So tell me....do you know of a church that I might like? I have done some research online tonight, so might be checking out a few new ones soon. But I will take any suggestions!

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Other note - congrats to my next friend that is pregnant and is due Sept 1st. I know she doesn't read my blog, but I am still so happy for her!

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Edited: Reading back through my post, I sign whiney. And I am. It is hard to form a good relationship with a church/God. But I was so upset about today that I just needed to vent it out. I wanted to write a letter to the church about my disappointment, but after my friends made fun of me ( ;) ), I decided to just write it out on here!

Mom's First Meal

I think I might have mentioned it before, but Stu started night school this week. Not only does this mean that a certain little loud mouth comes to my work every day at 5 (and loves filing papers), but this means I have to cook dinner. Gasp!

Until tonight, I have gotten away with not cooking (parents and fast food).

Tonight, I made chicken quesadillas. I did cheat a little and had Stu cook the chicken this afternoon.

But Abby seemed to enjoy them and so far doesn't have food poisoning!

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Note her puppy. She has become obsessed with this Beanie Baby pug. I am hoping it is because it reminds her of Ali.

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I am hoping to get a picture of it soon, but Abby's newest "trick" is to purse her lips and roll her eyes. Not only is it the funniest thing that I have ever seen, but I am pretty sure it is a good indication of what is to come.....

Footed PJ's and a Rare Pic

We don't normally put Abby in footed pj's, but it is laundry day and it is COLD. This was the only pair that we had that had long pants and long sleeves.

She was loving the frogs on her feet and danced around for a long time watching the "Ribbit's" dance.

Then she disappeared. And....this is why we don't put her in footed pj's. Crafty gal.

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Stu took these pictures.

We can NEVER get a picture of Abby and Ali together.


One of them is ALWAYS an action (i.e. blurry) shot.

I am not exactly sure what Stu was doing, but apparently something to keep both our girls looking at the camera!

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It is snowing yet again in TN. I am so over it. I drove home on the interstate about 30 MPH. When I took Ali for a walk tonight, it was bad. IF it freezes tonight, tomorrow will be a nasty day!

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Check out my post below. I am so happy to introduce my dear (single) friend Teesha. She is so amazing and I can't wait for her to meet a great guy!

SUYL - Singles!

This week at Kelly's Korner, she is hosting "Show Us Your Life - Show Us Your Singles!!!"

I am so excited to introduce my dear friend, Teesha. I have know Teesha, since, well seems like forever!

Teesha is 29 and lives right outside Nashville, TN. She is a beautiful, strong, loving and intelligent woman. Anyone who knows Teesha knows she is passionate and determined. She has an incredible loyalty to her friends and family. Whatever she sets out to do, she’ll do with forethought, focus, and follow through (as you will see from the pictures below).

She loves kids and is known to many children as "Aunt Teesha". She works in the nursery at our church every month and volunteers for many community service activities. She has an extremely strong relationship with God and loves to talk about His plan for her life and the influence He has on her.

Teesha works at an insurance company and is very dedicated to her work. She has worked in multiple departments and has a great relationship with her co-workers.

As you can see from the picture, Teesha has a great sense of fashion. Living in the great city of Nashville, Teesha is always quick to throw on a pair of cowgirl boots, ready to dance the night away. She is always dressed for the part whether it be for a night out on the town or a girls night of watching movies and drinking wine.

Did I mention how fit she is? Oh yes, this gal is a marathon runner (far right). This was at the Middle Half in Murfreesboro. She finished right under 2 hours!

And still managed to look beautiful! Teesha loves to work out and eat healthy. At 5'8", she is a tall, blonde knockout! You can find her most mornings at the gym getting ready to start her day.

Teesha loves to be outdoors. She goes White Water rafting and canoeing each summer. She loves to travel and take trips. I know she has a trip planned to NYC and Vegas this year. She also loves low-key trips to the beautiful Gatlinburg. She is so much fun to be around and travel with.

Teesha's perfect guy would be a tall, handsome guy that shares her values and loves to go out for an exciting date, but also a quiet night in. She is looking for a guy that is fun to be around and will get along with all of her crazy friends. He would be laid back, yet strong-minded. He would have a relationship with God and be family oriented.

If you are interested in a beautiful, fun-loving, Christian, all-around wonderful person to be around, Teesha is the perfect girl. Please leave me a comment with your email address and I will make sure that Teesha gets in contact with you.

**And any girls that read this, if you know that a guy that might interested, please let me know. I will be happy to send you her email address ;)

My Take

I have been getting a ton of spam lately on some of the my posts. So, instead of naming this title G0lden Gl0bes, I had to go a little generic.

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But here are my Hits and Misses:

My Number ONE top pick. Maybe it was the glow, but she looked fabulous.

Always stunning.

Sofia is so pretty and shows off her wonderful curves.


I think this color is splendid.

Not traditionally what I would pick, but I give her points for creativity.

Another one of my top picks. I have never seen Glee, but Lea looked priceless.

At first, this was going to be a miss. But as the night went on, the dress really grew on me. I thought it looked like a wedding dress, but the "veil" was quite pretty.

This dress was a pale blue that was different than the usual bold colors on the carpet. Kudos!

I am pretty sure that Halle will catch alot of grief for this one. But hey, if you got the legs, then flaunt them!

Another one that caught some grief. Hey, newly single, time to show what he is missing!

Claire Danes has come a long way since My So Called Life (which incidentally was the last time that she won a GG). Stunning!

I think Kaley is one of the prettiest gals on TV. She looked very beautiful last night.

Carrie can do no wrong in my eyes.

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Misses:

Too much noise on the dress. Bangs overshadowed the dress as well.

Tina can rarely do a red carpet. She really needs a new stylist. Velvet (or velvet looking) is not in.

Way too pretty to let this dress swallow her.

I am really hoping that she just bit a sour pickle. Her mean face just ruined the whole look.

I saw only the top part of it at first. Boy, was I disappointed when the camera showed the rest of it.

It is like the right arm decided to go "skinny jeans" at the end of it.

Whoa. Where did she think she was?

Mess on so many levels. And who is wearing the other pair of mis-matched shoes?

Blonde hair, blonde skin, blonde dress.

She has an extra wig on her shoulder, just in case.

Oh gawd. One word: hairbrush.

Horrid. Only thing that made her look good was her arm candy.

Least Favorite. Hands down. Shoulder pads went out a LONG time ago.

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Well those are my thoughts. Share yours, please!

And let the awards season begin!

(All pictures are borrowed from Yahoo and People)

Bouncy Fun

Abby and I went to Casey's 3rd Birthday today at BounceU. I was verrry nervous about going. Abby has never been in a bounce house before. I tried to "toss" her in one a few times, but she freaked out. So, I really wasn't sure how this was going to go over.

Verdict: IN LOVE

Me climbing the stairs to try and hand her off to Amanda to go down the slide.

Amanda continuing with her. I had to take this picture because I was laughing so hard at "Manda" trying to get Abby ready to slide.

Finally, they made it up and slid down.

Abby bouncing in the ring. She loved it.

Not a great picture, but this was the giant slide. Randy and Abby are on the right. Heather and Colt are on the left. Poor Colt hurt his ankle and didn't get to run around, but he was still a trooper!

Abby and Randy in the obstacle course. I did go through this thing with her a few times, but after almost breaking my back and doing a triple flip, I knew my days were numbered!

Hard to see, but she was having a blast.

And I LOVE this picture. She could totally be an actress in a horror film. I swear that she had a good time!

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I really couldn't believe how great of a time that she had. Serious consideration for her next birthday. And rainy days. And weekends.

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After the bounce houses, we went to a room for cupcakes and snacks. I didn't get any pictures of her eating her cupcake. I was too busy laughing at her. I sat across the room at the "adult table" and Abby yelled "Hi Mommy" the entire time. The.entire.time. Even when the room was quiet.

Big day planned tomorrow of church and then a bridal fair with Jess. Can not wait!