Sticky Air

Last night, Matt and Caroline took their daily garbage drop-off and mail pick-up run. For some strange reason, this has become one of Caroline's favorite things to do since we moved into our temporary apartment. Perhaps it is because she gets to ride up front in Daddy's car since the garbage disposal and mailbox are both located near our apartment building. As soon as Matt walks in the door from work, Caroline reminds him that it is time to "take the trash out and pick up mail". Anyway, it rained most of the day yesterday, so once it cleared, we were left with that yucky, muggy feeling in the air. Matt told Caroline that the air was sticky, so the little booger stuck out her hands and acted like she was trying to feel the sticky air. Toddlers...they take everything you say literally and it is so much fun to watch them learn!

Playing with Cousins

This past weekend, we made a trip to visit Matt's family in Louisiana. It was wonderful to have only 2 1/2 hours to drive compared to the 8 hour drive we had become accustomed to traveling. On Saturday, we went to the lake to play at Aunt Charlotte's and Uncle Roy's lake house. Caroline and Will had so much fun playing with Ethan, Mick, Mason and Jenna. They played in the pool, went fishing and even got to play on a Slip n' Slide.

The food wasn't bad either...just ask Matt. He ended up eating 5, yes, I said 5, bowls of ice cream. Needless to say, his stomach has just now gotten back to normal because I don't keep many sweets around our house. That may explain his over indulgence.

The kids all got together to make a picture for Mamaw Elsie. It turned out so cute. I just can't believe I didn't get a picture of it! Oh well...here are some pictures that captured some of the fun we had on our trip.

Say Cheese!

On Tuesday, my mom and I took the kids to get their picture taken at Portrait Innovations. Portrait Innovations is a new contemporary-style photo studio that just opened in Madison. Since their prices seemed reasonable, I thought I would give them a try. Will is 6 months old and since I did a "Grow with Me" picture package for Caroline, I feel obligated to capture Will's first year in pictures as well. I must say that I was quite pleased with the photos they took. I was even able to get a CD of the pictures taken so that I can upload them to my blog...to me, that's the best part of the deal! I know I'm partial, but don't you agree that my kiddos are just precious?

KK's Visit

This past weekend, my sister, Kristin, and her husband, Stephen, came back home to Mississippi for a visit. They currently reside in Texas, so anytime she is in town, we make certain that we see her. Caroline loves her Aunt KK, and I enjoy lending her my kids since she doesn't have any yet. During her visit we rode horses with Pop (including his new Palamino), had a fish fry (complements of Pop Buddy and Matt who went fishing Saturday morning), went to my grandfather's family reunion, had a picnic at the pond with Nana, played with water guns, and even found our old wagon to play with at Mommaw and Pappaw's barn.

Matt stayed busy in the garden. Since we've lived so far away from home, we have never really had the chance to work in the garden, so this year we're seizing the opportunity. So far, Pappaw has planted corn, tomatoes and peas. We're hoping to add watermelons, butter beans and squash to our garden in the near future. Granted, they won't be ready until later summer/fall, but that is better than not having them at all.

As you can tell, we love when Aunt KK comes home because we get to do all sorts of fun things, and we can't wait until she comes home for Mississippi's Giant Houseparty in July!

Catching Up

Unfortunately, it took a few days to get internet access in the new condo (Caroline's name for it), and I quickly learned that I am addicted to the internet. I went into withdrawals after two days without it...even Matt noticed I was a little on edge about not being able to surf the net. Thankfully, I finally got access! In the meantime, I've missed some pretty big events so this post is for catching up.

First off...Happy Mother's Day! Our family is so fortunate to have wonderful mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers. Our lives would not be the same without them. They are all precious and we love them very much. As for me, I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be a mother. My life is much richer and enjoyable with my precious babies in it. Granted, it is the toughest job I have ever had, but it is by far the most rewarding. Matt and I took the kids to the park and for ice cream to celebrate Mother's Day and had a blast.
The 13th of May was my Daddy's birthday, so Happy Birthday, Pop! I can't wait to get you out on the tennis court and prove that you are officially over the hill!

The 14th of May was Matt's sister, Erin's birthday...so Happy Birthday wishes go out to Aunt Erin too! Bless her heart, Caroline is all confused about all of the birthdays this month and can't seem to get the song out of her head.

On Wednesday, the 15th, my precious little boy gave me the best Mother's Day present by saying MaMa for the first time. He actually said it several times (while crying for me of course) and it was so distinct that even Caroline noticed. She said, "Mommy, Will said MaMa. Go get him." Precious!

While last week was full of pleasant events, I also experienced a major loss. As if not having internet access was enough...my new digital camera bit the dust! UGH! I quickly shipped it off for repair, so hopefully I'll be back in business again soon. I am a picture taking fanatic, so I think my kids are glad I don't have one readily available. But you know me...I've got a plan....Pop and Mimi said I could borrow their spare camera! Yeah....I won't miss anything afterall!

Alive and Well in Mississippi

If you are wondering, we did make it to Mississippi...finally! It has taken me a while to catch my breath long enough to update our blog, so I have alot of catching up to do. Therefore, this post may be a little lengthy, so pull up a chair.
For starters, it seems that we had to pack alot more than originally planned for a temporary move...at least that is what my dear husband discovered. The temporary apartment that was provided for us came fully furnished, so Matt assumed we just needed a few toys and clothes. Well, he quickly learned that nothing is easy with two little ones. He forgot that we needed Will's bath tub, his pack n' play, Caroline's kitchen, Will's high chair, Caroline's booster seat, all of the strollers...the list goes on and on. I obviously concentrated on the kids' essentials, because it seems that I left all of my essentials back in Dothan.
Thankfully, Pappaw and Mamaw Kat came down to help watch the kids and load everything into the UHaul for our move. Matt drove the UHaul which pulled Ol' Red (the only one who was treated like a king in this whole ordeal), his Dad drove the Expedition, I drove the kids in my Tahoe and Matt's Mom drove her Explorer. (Yes, we have realized it is time to get more gas friendly modes of travel...but that will have to wait unit we get settled.) Finally...the caravan was on its way! Matt and Pappaw headed out an hour earlier because they figured since they would have to drive slower in the UHaul, and we'd catch up with them soon.

Once we were all packed and on the road, I breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, that sigh of relief came way too soon because traveling from Dothan, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi with a baby and toddler by myself about drove me over the edge. For starters, it takes a normal person about an 1 1/2 hours to get to Montgomery from Dothan. Our little trip took 3 hours....we had to stop 3 times! My favorite stop was when Caroline yelled out from the back seat in panic mode..."MY BELLY BUTTON!" You see, Caroline has to play with her belly button in order to go to sleep, and of course her mother put her in a bubble suit for the ride home which limited belly button access. I thought something was terribly wrong with her screaming like a maniac in the back so I came to a screeching halt. Thankfully, once belly button access was granted, all was well until the next stop a few miles down the road.

We finally made it to Philadelphia after about 7 1/2 hours in the car (it should only take 5 1/2) so that we could drop Bama off at Pop's. We let the kids play for a few minutes and then back in the car we got...oh boy! At this point, we have still not caught up with Matt and he has made it to the apartment already. As we were leaving Philly, Matt calls and informs me that he can't get into the apartment. Oh fun...at this point, I'm thinking we should abort this little trip and call it a day. My husband thinks otherwise and tells me to keep coming...he'll figure something out. Thankfully we all finally made it in one piece. We got settled in pretty quickly and enjoyed a few days of playing with Mamaw Kat and Pappaw before they made the trip back to Louisiana. In closing, I'd like to thank both of Matt's parents for their help...I would have definitely lost my mind without them!

Final Farewells

Today was the last day for Matt and me to work at Flowers Hospital, for Will to go to Evergreen Presbyterian, and for Caroline to go to 1st Presbyterian. I knew this day would be hard because it would mean it is time to say farewell to all of the many wonderful friends we have made over the years. Our family has been so blessed to be able to get to know so many kind people who have become our extended family.I have worked 6 years at Flowers and Matt has worked there for 5 (previously he worked at a sister hospital down the road in Enterprise). Our careers have blossomed over the years and much of that is attributed to the leaders (Keith, Talana, Suzanne, Joey, Dan, etc.) at Flowers. We will always be grateful to them for giving the two of us a chance, for their patience in dealing with "green" graduates, for the many things they have taught us over the years, and for their support of our decision to pursue other opportunities. We will miss everyone, but truly feel that God has given us a wonderful opportunity to move closer to family, while still being able to work at a high quality healthcare organization. I've included a few pictures from our last day at the hospital. If you are wondering where Matt is, well he was missing in action...he was visiting other departments during the picture shoot.

Also, there are some precious pictures of the kids with their daycare teachers. I cannot say enough good things about Ms. Pat, Ms. Wyndi, Ms. Barbara, and Ms. Tamara at Evergreen and Ms. Delores and Ms. Victoria at 1st Presbyterian. I can honestly say that I was never concerned about the care my children received while under these ladies supervision. For those of you who really know me....this says a great deal because I have awfully high expectations and want the best for my kids. These ladies do an excellent job, and I am so thankful that God put them in our lives.

In closing, I know that Matt and I will look back on the past few years as some of the happiest times in our lives. Before graduate school, neither Matt nor I had ever heard of Dothan, Alabama. After visiting, we quickly fell in love with the town and as a result it makes our upcoming departure bittersweet. If only Dothan were a little closer to our families! As for Flowers Hospital....well, it is where both of us began our careers and had our children...need I say more? I would not take anything for the memories we have made in Dothan, Alabama, and I will cherish every friendship I have made here forever. For my Dothan friends who may be reading this right now, THANK YOU for all of the fun times and please keep in touch with us. We will miss you!

Opening Doors

This morning Caroline went with me to drop Will off at play school. Since I had my hands full, she volunteered to open the door for me and her little brother. Before I knew it, she had backed her little rump into the door and tried to push it open to allow all of us to enter the daycare. I couldn't resist laughing...I must open doors with my rear end more than I realize. Granted, I usually have one if not two kids in tow, a diaper bag, a purse, a planner and any other necessity with me wherever I go, so an extra set of hands to actually open a door has become a thing of the past. I guess I need to put all of those things down every now and again to make certain my 2 year old knows how to properly open a door!