What Happens When Mama Leaves

Abby got to stay home with Daddy one day this week while I went to a seminar to keep up my RN license. Abby fell asleep in her play cave, which never happens.... this baby does not like to sleep! Often, she'll go all day with only a 30 minute nap!! She did well, though, and, according to Daddy, was an angel all day long. I missed her so much... it is the first day I've been away from her since she was born!

Yes, that is a fire in our oven. Now, this actually happened after I got home... so, I can't blame it on Dan. Some oil from fish we had cooked the night before had dripped into the oven, so when we heated it up again, it actually caught on fire. We were tempted to get out some marshmallows, but decided against it. Little smoke, but everyone is fine. :)

Am I weird?

My mom asked me this question the other day because she LOVES football, and thinks she is weird for yelling at the television when a game is on like a twenty-something at a fraternity house. No, I don't think she's weird. I think I fit under that category now. I am now living in the middle of SEC country.... and I have no interest whatsoever in football.... college or otherwise. I think the last football game I saw any part of was the year the Titans won the super bowl.... that's in January, right? People around here are getting pretty hyped, so I guess the finals, or whatever they are called, are coming soon.
There is a big rivalry here between Alabama and Auburn.... people have car flags, mailbox covers, car stickers, even wall-to-wall carpet in their homes - everything you can imagine with a logo on it, and when I am asked who I am rooting for, I stare and stammer and say, "I don't really follow football." In the south, that is like saying you don't like sweet tea.
Growing up, I can remember the family watching football games, and I always fell asleep... for me, it was like a Pavlovian response to whistles, announcers, and my mom yelling, "GO, GO, GO, GO!" So, I guess I will continue to get stares, jaws dropping, and really good naps (.....oh, right, there's Abby) while we live here in Montgomery. Go Alaburn!

Thanksgiving

Stephen is Dan's youngest brother, and this is his wife, Robyn. They are expecting a little one in June, and we are all excited about the new cousin!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with Dan's side of the family at this parents' house. This is Dan and his brother, Bruce, both shoveling in the delicious dinner. We love being near his family, a rarity when you are a military family, but missed getting to see my side of the family. Dan is the oldest of three, Bruce and Stephen are his younger brothers. Jessica, Bruce's wife, wasn't able to join us, but their adorable daughter, Isabella, was there - she is a fearless, caring, and beautiful child.

Remembering Wyoming

After talking to Katie last night (in the picture below in blue), I realized I omitted a large part of our time in Wyoming from the initial post. We belonged to a great church there and helped out with the youth group for three years. Katie was in my small group for all three years, and is now graduated from high school. We really enjoyed our time there... God blessed us in so many ways.

Ah... nap time

Somehow the angelic face of a sleeping Abby erases all the midnight wakings, screaming in my ear, and lack of sleep. I have had some trouble adjusting her to her new room. She slept through the night when she was in our room, but has only done it once since moving into her own room.... hopefully this will work itself out, but I never realized how nice it was to sleep all night long! When they say, "Sleep while you can" when you are pregnant, you never really get it until after she's here. One look at this face, though, and I fall blindly in love again!

Precious Moments

They come so quickly, and so closely together they seem to step on one another... the moments that envelop you, that consume you, are gone so fast that they hardly have time to find a permanent home in your memory, but are replaced just as quickly by another. The slowness and quickness of time is a puzzle to me since Abby came into my life. It seems like forever ago and yesterday that we were waiting for her to come. I try to hold onto all the moments that I know I'll search for later in my memory, but I soon surrender to time, and just enjoy.

Well, that is enough cheesy mommy talk for one post..... we are here with Abby while getting dinner ready, she likes to watch me cook and talk with Daddy when he gets home. She had her "tickle box turned over", as my mom would say, at some noise I was making, and we had to try to get that priceless, toothless smile on film.

Rubber Duckie!

Here is Abby in her "duckie" costume.... she wore it to a halloween party at our neighbors' house and trick-or-treating with cousin Bella. She had a doctor's appointment that day (shots and all!) and she is in the 95th percentile for her weight! We call her a little Buddha baby because she's got a little belly and no hair!

She just moved into her own room upstairs from mom and dad... the first night was rough..... mostly on mom, but she is sleeping so well up there now. I'm getting lots of extra exercise, too, because, of course, I have to check on her every 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Carving

Abby and Daddy after we carved pumpkins.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch in Clanton, AL with Poppy, Maw Maw, and Bella... we got to take a hayride and pick out a pumpkin.

This is Abby just before our trip to the pumpkin patch.

Our life before Abby (wait...really?)

Here I am after finishing my first Half Marathon in Loveland, Colorado... it was exhilirating! It was my 27th birthday... what a way to celebrate!

Heather Tipton and I on the "over-the-hill" hike that crossed the continental divide... it was pretty cool! ... I mean, literally, it was really cold up there.

These are our good friends, Dave and Heather Tipton, who were stationed with us in California and Wyoming.

Here is a vacation we took to Tulum, Mexico with the Tiptons. It was an eco-vacation, no electricity, but plenty of scuba diving!

These next pictures are from Haiti, where I have been three times to participate in health missions (free clinics for Haitians who are unable to afford healthcare), accompanied once by Dan, who helped with construction on the team.

These are pictures from a three day backpacking trip Dan and I took through Yellowstone National Park.... we hiked all day, and slept in a tent at night, and carried all we needed with us. It was WONDERFUL, and one of our fondest memories of living in Wyoming.

While in Cheyenne, I became an RN, and worked in an intensive care unit, a great experience which I loved and miss.

This picture was taken during a three day blizzard shortly after we moved to Cheyenne. No one was allowed on the streets, and the police were issuing tickets for those who dared venture out. We were holed up in our apartment for three days.... it was GREAT!

Seriously, this was taken with my cell phone at a McDonald's drive through in Cheyenne, WY.... unstaged, and completely unexpected.

Before our beautiful daughter, Abby, arrived (the impetus for starting this blog), we had six wonderful years when we had each other all to ourselves. We lived in Tennessee, California, and Wyoming... and did some memorable things. Here is just a glimpse at our lives before Abby. (yeah, yeah, yeah, you wanna see pictures of Abby, I know.... forget the parents)