Here are LOTS of pics from the family reunion and from the beach! We are back at home, trying to recover from our vacation. Even when you have a relaxing vacation, it seems you are still worn out when you get back home. Not to mention all the unpacking, laundry, etc. that has to be done, yuck! This is a busy week for us. I took mom to Hickory today for gum surgery. She did great and is recovering at home tonight. Tomorrow, Gabriel has his 6 month check up and next round of shots. I am not looking forward to those at all, even though I am not the one getting stuck with the needle. I always feel so sorry for Gabriel :( Thursday I will be stuck at home all day...we are switching from cable to satellite, so I will be there while it is being changed over. Sunday, I am meeting Susan and her family in Hickory for lunch, I can't wait! I haven't seen them since my baby shower in October or November of last year. They will be stopping through on their way home from a weekend in the mountains.
In case you were wondering, I have exactly 3 more weeks off until school starts back up. I know it is hard to feel sorry for me, since I have been off since mid-December, but please try...I am DREADING leaving my baby. I know it will be fine and that life will go on, but dang, I am gonna miss him. Enough of that. I am trying not to think about it until the day I have to leave him.....Speaking of my big boy, he can now get to a seated position on his own and his 2nd tooth is coming in! He is growing up too fast!!!
Good luck to Cynthia and my cousin Wes tomorrow, they will be taking the BAR exam so they can become big time lawyers!!!! Now you know who to call when ya get in trouble with the law!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Beach!
We arrived down at M. Beach late Sunday night. Gabriel did pretty well in the car ride, we had to do a lot of singing and acting crazy (me mainly) to keep him entertained. He LOVES "Old MacDonald" and when you stop singing it, he starts growling at you! Monday morning, we took him straight for the ocean, which he did not like. This is the first time we have ever seen him be afraid of anything, he was clinging on to Cedric for dear life! I think the noise and the splashing waves were just too much for him. After awhile, I had him sitting on my lap in a sand chair and he started warming up to it. But the pool is his favorite place on earth and we spent the rest of the day on Monday and all day yesterday there. He had a blast and when you hold him up on the side of the pool, he "jumps in" and then tries to crawl back up and do it all over again. The pool also has a big waterslide closeby, the kind that they have at big waterparks, just a mini version, and Ceddy, me, and dad all went down it, very fun. Last night, we took Gabriel up to Bar*Fo^T L*n%ing to walk around and he took his first ride on a carousel, he loved that of course. We are having a blast! He is napping right now, then we will be hitting the pool again.....Pictures will be posted soon, I promise!!!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Beach Bound!
We are heading for the beach tomorrow, and I can't wait! We haven't decided if we are going to take the laptop yet, but if we do, I will post some pics of Gabriel in the water. Right now I just need to finish packing and do one last load of laundry. Hope everybody has a great weekend!!!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Still Here, Just Been Slackin'
I have not been doing that great on my blogging lately, but we have been BUSY! Last week, we headed over to my Aunt Carol's to learn how to make homemade mints. My great-aunt Laura has made these for years, and I have always LOVED them (and assumed they were very difficult to make)...She taught Carol to make them this past year, and Carol taught me! They really aren't hard to make and I am so happy that I can now make them. Gabriel had a blast playing with Parker and Peyton, and then Uncle Mike came home and got to play a little too. It was so much fun!
We spent the weekend playing a lot outside and in Gabriel's little pool. He loves the water and I can't wait to spend next week at the beach so he can spend a lot of time in the big pool! And, I finally finished cross-stitching his Christmas stocking...it is just like the one my mom did for me and Zach when we were born. Now, I just have to find some red velvet fabric for the back, and take it to the seamstress to sew it into a stocking! I am so excited, it really turned out great and I have been working on it since before he was born!
This week, we have been running around making sure we have everything we need for our trip to the beach. We went out to dinner with Zach and Nicole tonight, since they aren't coming with us to the beach this year. Nicole is doing good, she is having some morning sickness but is hanging in there! Mom and Pete are coming over tomorrow to hang out with us and have lunch, and we are looking forward to seeing Melissa and Pete while we are at the beach (they are going to be down at Myrtle next week too!).
We spent the weekend playing a lot outside and in Gabriel's little pool. He loves the water and I can't wait to spend next week at the beach so he can spend a lot of time in the big pool! And, I finally finished cross-stitching his Christmas stocking...it is just like the one my mom did for me and Zach when we were born. Now, I just have to find some red velvet fabric for the back, and take it to the seamstress to sew it into a stocking! I am so excited, it really turned out great and I have been working on it since before he was born!
This week, we have been running around making sure we have everything we need for our trip to the beach. We went out to dinner with Zach and Nicole tonight, since they aren't coming with us to the beach this year. Nicole is doing good, she is having some morning sickness but is hanging in there! Mom and Pete are coming over tomorrow to hang out with us and have lunch, and we are looking forward to seeing Melissa and Pete while we are at the beach (they are going to be down at Myrtle next week too!).
Thursday, July 10, 2008
My Soapbox
While in a conversation about money, getting a college degree, etc. I was asked recently "Don't you want more for Gabriel than what you had growing up?". This question deeply offended me, has been on my mind all week, and here is why....
I grew up in a home where I knew I was loved and I have never questioned this fact in 30 years, EVER. Do you know how important that is to a person?? I grew up in a home where we ate dinner every night as a family, where we went to church and Sunday school together on Sundays, and where we were encouraged and supported to play sports and do other activities of our choosing. Not only did my parents cart us around to various practices, my dad coached our teams and my mom cheered from the stands. They rarely missed a game. We were taken on family vacations every summer, on a 7 Day Carribean cruise, and to Disney World not once, but twice! When we got older, we took our friends with us! When my parents went places, we went with them. They wanted to be around their kids and we knew it. Holidays were and still are made very special by my parents. We always decorate our house for Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and most years, my brother and I are still there to do that even now that we have trees to decorate of our own. My dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible and The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve, and let me tell you, there is nothing that could keep me away from hearing that, year after year. My most prized possession is my Christmas stocking that my mom cross-stitched for me and I bet Zach feels the same about his. We always had plenty to eat, nice clothes to wear, and more toys that we could have ever played with. We both had nice rooms of our own and I always thought we had a big house. We had plenty. At what point is enough enough??? How many pairs of shoes, outfits, toys,etc.???? My parents have always supported me, even when I worried that they might not accept my relationship with Cedric, they did not let me down. When something is bothering me or worrying me, I don't feel better until I can talk to my parents about it. These are all things that I wouldn't trade for a million dollars and I really cannot express my thankfulness to my mom and dad for providing these things to me.
My parents expected us to work part-time jobs so that we would learn the value of money, but they never "threw us to the wolves" even when we were older. I know if I needed help now, they would do anything in this world to help me. Yes, they did bring us up to value education and instilled in us a love of reading, but I never felt they looked down upon someone who had not gone to college. My father is the most hardest working person I know, he values hard work and education as well, not just a degree (he is a Carolina graduate, for the record).
So let me say this. If Cedric and I can provide EXACTLY what I had growing up to Gabriel, no more and no less, I think he is one very lucky little boy. I can only strive to be the kind of parents that they are.
And you can stick that in your pipe and smoke it :) Boy I feel better after writing this!!!
I grew up in a home where I knew I was loved and I have never questioned this fact in 30 years, EVER. Do you know how important that is to a person?? I grew up in a home where we ate dinner every night as a family, where we went to church and Sunday school together on Sundays, and where we were encouraged and supported to play sports and do other activities of our choosing. Not only did my parents cart us around to various practices, my dad coached our teams and my mom cheered from the stands. They rarely missed a game. We were taken on family vacations every summer, on a 7 Day Carribean cruise, and to Disney World not once, but twice! When we got older, we took our friends with us! When my parents went places, we went with them. They wanted to be around their kids and we knew it. Holidays were and still are made very special by my parents. We always decorate our house for Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and most years, my brother and I are still there to do that even now that we have trees to decorate of our own. My dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible and The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve, and let me tell you, there is nothing that could keep me away from hearing that, year after year. My most prized possession is my Christmas stocking that my mom cross-stitched for me and I bet Zach feels the same about his. We always had plenty to eat, nice clothes to wear, and more toys that we could have ever played with. We both had nice rooms of our own and I always thought we had a big house. We had plenty. At what point is enough enough??? How many pairs of shoes, outfits, toys,etc.???? My parents have always supported me, even when I worried that they might not accept my relationship with Cedric, they did not let me down. When something is bothering me or worrying me, I don't feel better until I can talk to my parents about it. These are all things that I wouldn't trade for a million dollars and I really cannot express my thankfulness to my mom and dad for providing these things to me.
My parents expected us to work part-time jobs so that we would learn the value of money, but they never "threw us to the wolves" even when we were older. I know if I needed help now, they would do anything in this world to help me. Yes, they did bring us up to value education and instilled in us a love of reading, but I never felt they looked down upon someone who had not gone to college. My father is the most hardest working person I know, he values hard work and education as well, not just a degree (he is a Carolina graduate, for the record).
So let me say this. If Cedric and I can provide EXACTLY what I had growing up to Gabriel, no more and no less, I think he is one very lucky little boy. I can only strive to be the kind of parents that they are.
And you can stick that in your pipe and smoke it :) Boy I feel better after writing this!!!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Had To Try This Out!
Thanks Maryellen,for the new fun site to edit photos...Just another great way for me to waste time I don't have on the Internet!!!! If you want to check this out, look at TBG Happenings blog for a link to this website, it is very cool!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Well, I think we have finally recovered from our crazy July 4th! We had a great time at the lake cook-out, lots of good food and hanging out. The best food award has to go to Aunt Betty, who made the most delicious cake I think I have ever tasted!!! It was a yellow cake with AWESOME chocolate icing. Apparently, my great grandmother used to make an icing similar to it. Let me tell ya, it was good!!!! Aunt Betty, you have to bring it to the next event!!!!! Then that night, Gabriel had a blast in the pool at Uncle Mark's as usual. I am convinced he is going to be the next Michael Phelps!!!
Speaking of Michael Phelps, I have no idea what Cedric and I are going to do now that the Olympic Trials are over...we have been watching the track/field and swimming every night the past week. We are sad it is over, but are now looking forward to the Olympics in August. Cedric's good friend Dremiel Byers will be in Bejiieng (spelling?)competing in Greco-Roman wrestling (heavy weight) so be sure to look for him!! Everyone has been asking for new pics of Gabriel, so here is an updated slide show.
Cedric is off today and tomorrow...we had a great visit from Mamaw Dot and Pete today. Tomorrow I think we are going to wash our cars and do a little grocery shopping. Only 2 more weeks until our beach trip, and I am SOOOO ready. I can't wait to see Gabriel's reaction to the ocean.
Speaking of Michael Phelps, I have no idea what Cedric and I are going to do now that the Olympic Trials are over...we have been watching the track/field and swimming every night the past week. We are sad it is over, but are now looking forward to the Olympics in August. Cedric's good friend Dremiel Byers will be in Bejiieng (spelling?)competing in Greco-Roman wrestling (heavy weight) so be sure to look for him!! Everyone has been asking for new pics of Gabriel, so here is an updated slide show.
Cedric is off today and tomorrow...we had a great visit from Mamaw Dot and Pete today. Tomorrow I think we are going to wash our cars and do a little grocery shopping. Only 2 more weeks until our beach trip, and I am SOOOO ready. I can't wait to see Gabriel's reaction to the ocean.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
3rd of July
Gosh, is anyone else in shock that tomorrow is already the 4th of July? WTF???? Where is the summer going?? Really, I just can't believe it. But speaking of the 4th, we do have an exciting day planned. We begin the day at lunch with a big traditional cook-out at my grandma's house, down on the lake. Lot of good food and we may let Gabriel try out the lake. After that, we head to Uncle Mark's pool...we are having barbecue for dinner and there are rumours of a frozen margarita machine.....sounds like a recipe for a good time to me!!!! Big fireworks show on the lake tomorrow night that we may try and check out. Also, I am going to try out some of those Bud Light Lime beers tomorrow. They look good to me and since I am really watching my diet these days, beer has been a no-no. But tomorrow IS a holiday, so I am going to indulge in a few...Let's see, what else....this week has been pretty uneventful...I have been cleaning up around the house and trying to get stuff together for our beach trip, which is only 2 weeks away now.
Oh, I do have some big news...Guess who is going to be Aunt Moo???? Me!!!! Zach and Nicole are expecting, due date is February 16th! I am so excited for them and ready to have some company in the momma and daddy club!
Oh, I do have some big news...Guess who is going to be Aunt Moo???? Me!!!! Zach and Nicole are expecting, due date is February 16th! I am so excited for them and ready to have some company in the momma and daddy club!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)