Kayla & Erin

I was finally able to get these 2 together; long story.

Erin got to spend New Year's Eve with Kayla & they had a ball. It's been a long time, too long.

Erin's Mother & I are hoping for a drama free 2010 as far as the girls are concerned.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL

My amazing niece turned 3 today. We celebrated her birthday with family & friends. Cecilia got out of the hospital this afternoon and was able to join us. Addie was in the best mood & she was the only one at her party that could have pulled off a tutu & polka dot tights.

HEAVY HEARTS

Our family is in need of your prayers. Cecilia is in ICU & the twins are safe in God's arms. Please pray for strength for us to get thru this difficult time, pray for Cecilia to make a full, speedy recovery & pray that Gabi can somehow make sense of this tragedy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

This morning when I got home from work Mary had taken the girls gift cards & hid them in her bed and had gotten into Santa's snacks......Santa didn't take her with him. What's up with that? I guess since she got here late she gets to stay later.

Addie was running a temp of 104 & had no problem crawling in Uncle Howie's lap and going to sleep. We had an awesome dinner & the kids really enjoyed opening presents. We declared today pajama day so we spent the day in our pj's.

Aunt Jenn bought Gabi & "Gabrielle" matching pajamas from American Girl & Gabi looks absolutely precious in them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Christmas Eve

This afternoon we went to Jenn's for snacks & opening presents with the family. Addie & Gabi were busy decorating rice krispie treats, Jenn had the chocolate fountain going and of course National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was playing in the background.

At it again....

Little Ms. Mary thought she'd be cute & open one of Kayla's gifts & keep the bow to herself. We tried to tell her Santa would not be happy if he knew she was misbehaving.

Kayla's final exam.....

Kayla had her final exam in her floral design class today. Her it is; she made a 100, the highest grade in the class. She really enjoyed this elective & is sad it's over.

Awww....

Gabi woke up this morning with these 4 beside her. The baby doll is a Bitty Baby (with her teddy bear) from American Girl. Apparently Mary didn't like sleeping alone. At least she was being good. After the long day we had in Atlanta we didn't need any more excitement.

Thank you DaDa!!!

Centennial Park

Mom dropped me & the girls off at Centennial Park for a bit. Kayla & I couldn't talk Gabi into going ice skating so we took a few pictures & headed for the car. It was soooo cold. Brrrrr.

AMERICAN GIRL

Gabi ask for an American Girl doll for Christmas so Mom decided to surprise Gabi with a trip to the store in Atlanta to get her. Mom had also made reservations at the Bistro for lunch. I love Gabi's face when she realized where we were going; priceless. Gabi dropped her doll off at the hair salon to have her hair done & get her ears pierced. After that she joined us for lunch....what a cutie pie.

Gabi had picked "Rebecca" out of the magazine months ago but once we were there she decided on a "Just Like Me" doll. I can't get my camera to cooperate with me these days but Gab did a good job of picking her out....matching her skin tone, eye color & hair color. She also decided to name her Gabrielle.....which means Angel, who knew. :-)

Mary.....

heard tonight that we were going to Atlanta in the morning so she left Gabi this message!

PREVIEW

Cecilia went to the doctor today. Here's a preview of Baby A & Baby B (Ethan & Evan). All is well, they both weigh 4 pounds & are head down. Cecilia's BP is fine & she LOST 2 pounds!

Looking....

so sweet & innocent. Last year when Mary was here I don't think Gabi was as into bows as she is now. It didn't take Gabi long to fall asleep last night & it didn't take Mary long to decide she wanted in on some bow action too. Gabi will have no problem finding Mary in the morning because it's part of her morning ritual to fix her hair just right with a bow to match her outfit.

Sneak peek

Gabi's 1st game isn't until the 9th of next month but I couldn't resist. She got her uniform, pom poms & megaphone last night. Isn't she cute?

UPDATE

We saw the surgeon today & he said Kayla's gall bladder has to come out, which will take place in 3 weeks. Having her tummy stapled was one of her concerns & he said he uses dissolvable stitches on his younger patients. I hope she's this calm & collective the day of.

P.S. I love this picture, she's so pretty.

FINALLY

Look who FINALLY decided to show up! Here it is December 14th & Mary is just making her appearance. I can't wait to see what all she'll get into this year. Gabi has been asking & asking for her, she was so excited when she came home from cheerleading practice & realized she was here.

CUTE

Plaques made for the boys!

In trouble....

I got my hand slapped yesterday for being a bad blogger, I'll try to do better JTB.

TWO BY TWO....

I feel like we should be getting on the Ark, everything in two's. Here are the quilts Aunt Jenn bought the boys. Cecilia's friend bought these bibs which are absolutely adorable. As are the outfits & blankets on the left.

I bought Gabi a shirt to where to the hospital when E & E are born that says, "I'm the Big Sister of Twins". The ladies that hosted the shower let Gabi play a big role in planning, she picked the cake out herself. :-)

Lots of helpers.....

Cecilia had a lot of help opening her gifts; Gabi, Shannon, Addison & Addyson. Jenn got the boys quilts with their name embroidered on them, precious. She also received lots of clothes, a bouncy seat, a car seat, diapers, socks, bibs, a bathtub & the list goes on. The ladies she plays Bunko with gave her a surprise shower Thursday night. We have one more car seat to get & I think it's a go.

We still need to get the baby bed, wash the sheets & get a bag ready for the hospital. We have procrastinators in our family & I have a feeling things are going to slip up on them (we won't mention any names).

Cecilia's Baby Shower

We went to Cecilia's baby shower @ Kim's this afternoon. She had several great hostesses, good food, fun games & a yummy cake. She had a good turnout & got lots of gifts to help welcome Ethan & Evan into the world. Two peas in a pod; here's a pic of the cake, the diapers cakes & one of the party favs, popcorn.....indicating Cecilia's ready to POP!

Christmas centerpiece

Before Kayla got sick with bronchitis & missed 6 days of school, she made this centerpiece which will adorn her Aunt Jenn's table this holiday season.

Busy day....

I worked last night, studying every free chance I had for an exam at school today. Kayla had her follow up doctors appointment from her ER visit. Then me, Mom, & Kayla went to the movies to see The Blind Side (AWESOME). We finished the evening with Julien's 1ST basketball game of the season. His team won 35-5, great job....keep it up. His game wasn't until 8 & as you can see past his sisters bedtime. Kayla did a great job of keeping her entertained during the game.

Happy Thanksgiving

We all went to Jenn's for Thanksgiving today. Her tree was awesome, as was the Thanksgiving centerpiece Kayla made at school. Pics of the kids & my very pregnant sister. Great food, company, & weather! Gobble gobble!

Kayla & Co.

Haley, Kayla, & Brianna. Acting silly & having a good time.

Julien

We celebrated Julien's birthday tonight at Taziki's. Happy 11TH Birthday J-Rod.

Kayla

Kayla spent the night at Haley's Sunday night. Monday morning around 1:45 Mom brought me the phone, it was Kayla & she was so hysterical Mom couldn't understand her. I was able to get from her that she was hurting from her back & side. It took me all of 3 minutes to get to Haley's. We came back home & I told Kayla we were going to the ER & I went to change out of my p.j.'s. In the meantime Kayla's starts throwing up, off to UAB Medical West we head.

I signed her in at 2:25 & within 20 minutes she was triaged & in a room with them starting an IV. They did blood work & sent her for a CT scan. She was discharged 3 hours later with Tylenol #3 & a diagnosis of gall bladder cramps. We have a follow up appointment on Monday.

Kayla hasn't been to the ER since she was little bitty so this was an experience for her. Thankfully we had a doctor with a great bedside manner.

Please pray that all goes well & she doesn't have any more episodes.

Tannehill

The girls & I went to Trade Days at Tannehill today. The weather was perfect!

MY....

long lost daughter.

Cecilia @ 27 weeks

I thought it would be fun for Gabi to paint her Mom's tummy! She did a good job & she has something to share with her little brother's when they get older.

Happy Halloween

Gabi wanted to go to work with me so she dressed as a Maiden Princess & off we went. Toni brought some movies; we watched It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Finding Nemo, & Kung Fu Panda.....needless to say it was a slow night. Thank you Toni.

Gabi drew on the board, this is her elf Mary that she's anxiously waiting for Santa to send her way again.

Hope everyone had a safe & Happy Halloween! Kayla was at Tannehill most of the day enjoying time with friends!

Gabi's clone....

Gabi had to do a project at school....write a paper & decorate a pumpkin to look like her. Good job Gabi (& Kayla).

Kayla's....

latest 2 arrangements. The pictures don't do them justice. The first is a fall arrangement, obviously. It's artificial & can be brought out every year from here on out. The second is a candy arrangement which she is very proud of.

Sweet Girl

Addie has been sick this week so Aunt Nonna (Rhonda) & GaGa got to spend some quality time with her. As busy as everyone's schedules are these days this is few and far between. I got to see her Wednesday, Thursday & Friday! At one point she needed to go "potty" & I wasn't moving fast enough for her, so she called "Rhonda". This is not the first time & I'm sure it will not be the last; but it's music to my ears each time.

She is much better, thank goodness! XOXOXO Sweet Girl.

Cecilia's 39th Birthday

We celebrated Cecilia's birthday at Jenn's tonight. Julien was watching Gremlins which I haven't seen in years.......or should I say attempting to watch, wild crowd. We had taco salads & this ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Addie was all over the place & the other 3 were just as rowdy! Addie was all about Cecilia which is unusual, I guess she knows there are 2 little boys brewing in her tummy!

Cecilia & Gabi

Me, Mom, Cecilia, & Gabi took a day trip Sunday. This was a pic a got of C & G. Cecilia is 23 weeks, identical twin boys....one facing up, one facing down.

The ATROX Factory

We had Friday night dinner at Applebee's last night then me, Kayla, Haley, Austin, & Chance headed to The Atrox Factory. Kayla's Dad & his fiance met us there. Renae held the jackets & cell phones and James went in with the rest of us. I was content letting his 6 foot 7 inch self lead the way. We were the Ghouls; Darth Vader & his crew were there and they played the movie throughout the evening. Prepare to wait if you go on a Friday or Saturday night, fun times!

It seems....

as though I've been disconnected from everything lately. With work, school, STRESS & the rest of life's craziness, it's not hard to do! Funny how life goes on.

I'm only taking one class this semester & I'm thankful for that. I don't know how I'm going to juggle things once I'm in the Nursing Program. ONE DAY AT A TIME. I've heard it's very hard to work full-time while having to do clinicals, etc. It's not an option for me, it has to be done & things will be better in the end, I keep telling myself that!

I hope all is well with everyone.

OUT COLD....

ROSES

These roses were planted earlier in the year & I wanted to take pics before the cold weather set in.

Another....

Floral Design....courtesy of Kayla!

Kayla....

is taking Floral Design as an elective this semester. Here are some of the things she has made; a bouquet, a corsage, & a boutonniere.

Tethered Ballon Ride

Me & the girls went on a tethered balloon ride which was awesome, the two top pics are looking out & the bottom two are looking up which is not easy to do when you're floating in the air. We (I) had to wait in line for almost 2 hours & of course sign a waiver form but it was worth it. The girls were resting on a blanket nearby taking in the sights.

AUBURN UNIVERSITY

As most of you know I was raised an Alabama fan. We were too close to Auburn University not to stop by & see the campus. It's a beautiful campus & as long as Auburn is not playing Alabama War Eagle is okay too, I guess.

HOT AIR BALLOONS

More fun times....

We went on the paddle boats then went swimming at the beach for a little while.

Tattoos & pool time.....

The girls got tattoos; Gabi had the kitty & a heart, Kayla had the Chinese symbol for love & the stars. Here they are enjoying some pool time. It was in the upper 80's so a little cool down time was needed. And yes.......Kayla is aggravating Gabi.

Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel

I LOVE this Chapel. The way it reflects in the water, the beautiful windows, the sound of the organ playing. I could sit there for hours. Kayla liked the tree with the heart carved in it & every time we go they have to climb on the rocks, fun times.

Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center

Of course you can't go to Callaway Gardens without stopping at the Butterfly House.

Callaway Gardens

Me, Mom, & the girls went to Callaway Gardens for Labor Day Weekend. They were having their 11TH Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival. It was a short trip but none the less it was a trip. A much needed one at that; even though we were only three hours away it was a nice getaway. Here are a few pics from Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden. We ate lunch at the Country Restaurant where they served muscadine preserves with the biscuits & cornbread, yummy! Any yes, I had to take a picture of the spider.