Baby Dedication

Having a baby is a gift from God! He has faith in us to raise this child and show her His way! I hope that we can show her how much God loves her and teach her His word!

Yesterday, Whitney's baby dedication was held at Monticello Baptist Church, where Kyle and I were married a year and a half ago. This was such a special day for us. We had so many family and friends there to witness this great event with us.

My parents ~ MeMe and Gramps

Kyle's parents ~ Granny and Papa

Kyle's brother and his family ~ Uncle Greg, Aunt Heather, Ben, and Ginny Grace

My BEST FRIENDS:

Lauren

Lindsay Ann and Eric

A co-worker/friend/family ~ Lyn and Daniel

Having the Lord in control of my life was the best decision I ever made! I cannot wait to teach Whitney all about the Lord and his love for us!

Silent Sunday

3 months

Cannot bellieve my baby girl is 3 months old today!! These last 3 months have been AMAZING!!! Being a Mommy is the best job I have ever had!!!I cannot wait to watch her grow!!!

My family...Me, Whitney and Kyle

My sweet baby girl

Time is going so fast but I am enjoying every minute of it!!!

WRG

WRG

Are y'all tired of hearing about my baby girl?!?! I cannot help but talk about her and out up pictures of her!!! I love her with all my heart!!! Being a Mommy has always been a dream and I am living that dream right now and watching this sweet little girl grow up right in front on my eyes!!!

Sucking her thumb....so cute!!

Smiling at Mama

Taking a nap on the couch.....so comfy!!

This little girl is my world!! She has brought so much joy to my life!!

Roses from my husband :)

Birthday presents

Wow....I am so blessed!!! I have the most amazing husband, daughter, friends, and family a girl could ask for!!!




Kyle gave me a gift certificate for a massage, pedicure, and manicure for my birthday! I cannot wait to use them!! He also had worked out with one of my students parents for her son to deliver me 2 dozen pink roses!! Roses are my favorite!! It was so sweet to see that little boy standing at the classroom door with flowerrs for me....but when he told me that they were from "Coach Gourley" I couldn't help but smile! He is so sweet and does everything he can to make me happy and make today special!! When I got home from school, he took me to the Japanese steakhouse (which is one of my favorite places)! I really enjoyed just spending some time with Kyle and Whitney! While we were at dinner, the family at our table had a 5 year old son and a 20 month old daughter! They were so cute....and today was the little boy's birthday too!



I cannot imagine my life without Kyle!!! He makes me smile every day and I am so glad to see him walk in the door every evening!! When he picks up Whitney, I fall more in love with him!!

So What Wednesday

So what.....

• if I look at etsy.com, Carter's, and other sites every day for clothes for WRG
• if I check P is for Pigtails facebook page every day for new pictures of the cutest outfits
• if I kiss my daughter every time I pick her up....you can never get too many kisses
• if I remind my husband when my birthday is close....don't want him to forget :)
• if my favorite bedtime ritual is when my husband kisses my nose :) I can't sleep if he doesn't
• if I still countdown to my birthday....WHICH IS TODAY!!!

I'm 28 years old today!!! It is my first birthday as a mom!!! I cannot wait to celebrate with my husband and daughter!!!

Birthday

For my 26th birthday, Kyle surprised me with one of the best "gifts" ever! He had be scheming with my best friend Lauren for her and her little boy, Tripp, to come spend the weekend with us! I was so shocked! I don't get to see Lauren very much because we live so far apart and getting to see her for my birthday meant so much to me! I don't know what I would do without her in my life!

Lauren and Me

Lauren handsome little boy Tripp (Whitney's future husband:))

For my 27th birthday, Kyle told me he had me a surprise again and that it would be delivered by 3pm on Saturday before my birthday. He told me that it was bigger than last years surprise of Lauren and Tripp coming. Well I racked my brain trying to figure out what it could be. I talked to Lauren several times and she promised she didn't know what it was. I told her I would let her know what it was as soon as it got to the house. Well, I was like a kid at 3pm waiting for my surprise to arrive. I look out the window and what do I see...........

that's right....I see Lauren and her husband driving up!! She had lied to me again and so had Kyle! They had been keeping it from me again for about a month!!! I had talked to her earlier in the day and she told me I better call her when my surprise got there!! I believed she really had nothing to do with it!! I am not sure I'll ever be able to trust her again!! :)

Well, we were sitting in the living room talking and Lauren looked out the window. I turned to see what she was looking at and I see.........

LAH and her husband driving up!!! LAH was supposed to be babysitting all weekend (supposedly). Kyle had been scheming with her for a month too!!

Well, while I am sitting here with two of my best friends, I am thinking this is the best birthday surprise I could have gotten, I hear a car door. I turn to look in the driveway, and there is.........

Brittney and her husband!!! She teaches next door to me and I have looked at her email several times and never noticed that she and Kyle had been emailing back and forth!!!

Brittney made me a Key Lime Cake too!!!

I have the best husband and friends a girl can ask for!!! I cannot believe that they would do all of this for me!!! I know it was not a tangible gift that I can keep forever (well I will keep these friends forever) but having the most important people in my life there to celebrate my birthday with me was the best present ever!!

I can only imagine what he will do this year!!! They all PROMISE they haven't talked to him!!! Should I trust them?!?!?!

Monday again?!?!

It's Monday again....I hope I can make it 5 days this week with these little boogers! :)

I hope everyone has a great Monday!!

Silent Sunday

Weekends

Have a child truly changes your life! I knew that but I never knew how much! It is unbelievable how much you can love someone! I LOVE my husband with all of my heart but when I see him with our baby girl, I fall more in love with him! When I wake up to that smiling face in the mornings, my heart melts!! I LOVE her so much! I want to love on her and snuggle with her all the time.

Before she got here...our weekends with spent with friends, staying up late, outside around the fire, etc. Now they are spent with friends too but we are home much earlier and spend more time inside snuggled up together as a family which is so nice! I love this little girl to pieces!

The LOVE of my life....well one of them :)

TGIF

THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY!!!

I know we only worked 4 days this week...but sometimes those weeks seem longer than 5 day weeks! I haven't worked 5 days since the week before Whitney was born...which was in October. I hope I can make it all week next week....we actually have to work 5 days after a 4 day week (3 days with students), a 2 day week (3 snow days), and a 4 day week (MLK day)! Next week will be the true test to whether I can handle a 2 month old, working full time, and getting my Master's. I know I can do it if I put my mind to it! Just have to push myself but remind myself to have fun too!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

TV

I have always been the type to watch TV while I studied and did my homework or cooked dinner, if I could. When I first got my own place, the first thing I got was DVR so that I could record the shows and watch them when I wanted to. That way I would always have time to finish a show and always have something to watch. When Kyle and I started dating, we would DVR shows so that we could watch them together. Of course, we didn't watch all the same shows. But we have our favorites! Now, we record almost everything that we watch and we watch it at a later time. The only thing we don't record is football games. Here are all of our shows:

• CSI
• CSI: NY
• CSI: Miami
• Grey's Anatomy
• Desperate Housewives
• Modern Family
• House
• Friday Night Lights

This is the last season of Friday Night Lights. Kyle has watched it from the beginning...I just started watching it when Kyle and started dating but have grown to love it! We aren't sure what we are gonna do when it goes off! We are gonna have to find a replacement show....any ideas?

These are the shows I record and watch:

• Teen Mom 2
• 16 and Pregnant
• The Bachelor
• Rachel Ray's Week in a Day
• Challenge (Food Network)

I also watch Food Network all the time...I love to cook! Some of my favorite shows are the wedding shows ~ My Fair Wedding, Say Yes to the Dress, Four Weddings; the baby shows ~ A Baby Story; 1,000 ways to die; Snapped. I know it is a variety of shows....but they are fun to watch!

Kyle watches the ones we record plus ANY football game that he can find! He also likes anything on ESPN....like 30 for 30 (a documentary show). He is a sports fan!

I know we shouldn't watch so much TV but we can't help it!

So what Wednesday

So what ......

• if I check facebook first thing in the morning.
• if I have taken hundreds of pictures of WRG and she is not even 3 months old yet!
• if I look forward to The Bachelor each week....reality TV is so addictive.
• if I look forward to my afternoon Diet Coke when I get home
• if I love to watch the show "1,000 ways to die"
• if I talk to LAH and LSL almost every day! They are my BEST friends!

Brag

My Mama always taught me not to brag about myself....but this time I have to!!! I just started taking Master's classes on January 3. They are all online which is good for me so I don't miss any more time with Whitney! I turned in my first paper last week and I am so proud of the work I did and the grade I got!!! I got a 98!!! I have NEVER made that high on a paper...EVER!!! I am not a good write!!! I am pretty proud of myself!! I hope I can keep up the good work and good grades throughout the Master's program!

Goodnight everyone!!!

Monday, Monday, Monday

It's Monday again, but we have another day off work! I am sure most people are off today for MLK day! I know we only worked two days last week due to snow but I am glad we are off today! That means I get to spend more time with WRG!!! And Kyle too! :)

We are going to go shopping today! Hope I have time to rest some today too so I can get rid of this cold! I miss kissing all over WRG!!!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

SNOW WEEK

What a week!! Snow and ice on the ground since Sunday night. Three days out of school....and I cannot think of a better way to spend those three days than with Kyle and Whitney! :)

Kyle and Whitney out in the snow on snow day #2

Our outdoor fire place


The nice fire inside

Family pic in the snow

Whitney all bundled up in the snow

Sadie wanted to be in the picture too!

I hope everyone had a great week and stayed warm!

WAR EAGLE

AUBURN = NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 2011

My family getting ready to watch the game!

What a great game! I stayed up til the end of the game to see the Tigers pull out the win!

It's GREAT to be an Auburn Tiger!!!!

WAR EAGLE!!!

Happy Birthday Sadie

Many of you know that we have a member of the family that is very important to us! Her name is Sadie and she is a bassett hound. She is two years old today!!

We got her in March before Kyle and I got married in June and she is like a child to us! We love her so much! Whitney loves her too! She can be fussing and Sadie will bark and Whtiney calms down (it's the weirdest thing....you would think it would be the other way around....her bark would make her cry). Sadie always makes sure Whitney is ok! She will sit at her feet and make sure nothing happens to her! She is so sweet! We were worried about how Sadie would react when we brought Whitney home but it has calmed her down a lot and she has donw so good!

We have had a few times that we wanted to send her away cause she was so wild or chewed up a sock or a pacifier or a diaper....but I cannot imagine not having her! We almost didn't have her....she will run out the back door if she has a chance. Kyle has always found her though. Sunday night, when all the rain/sleet/snow was starting, she ran out the door and we couldn't catch her. Kyle had to run to the store to get a few things and while he was gone, I kept checking the back porch to see if she would show up. She never did! I knew that with the weather the way it was and it being so dark, that Kyle would not be able to find her if she wasn't close and in the open (there are some woods behind our house - so thought she may be in there). When he got home, he rode through the yard and then around the block to see if he saw her....luckily, he did!! I was so relieved!! If he had not found her, she would have died in the weather, because she is so spoiled!! Sometimes, I think life would be easier without her (especially when Whitney gets older and we have to tell her Sadie has died.....it will be so hard because Sadie has always been part of her family). But knowing she was out there and that we may never see her again broke my heart!! I was holding back the tears....usually I cry as soon as she goes out the door....When Kyle walked back in and told me that she was on her chain outside, a huge relief came over me. I know some people think we are crazy but Sadie is family and we love her!

This is my family....plus Whitney :) This was during maternity pictures

She loves Kyle and gets so excited when he comes home!

Bev took a picture of Sadie when we were doing maternity pictures

Sadie in the snow

Happy Birthday, Sadie! We love you! Mama, Daddy, and Whitney

So What Wednesday

So what.....

• If I walk out the door of my classroom at 3:45 sharp....I'm ready to see my baby girl!
• If I could eat Mexican every day of the week
• If I love Sadie, our dog, so much....she is part of our family!
• If Sadie sleeps in the bed with us on Friday nights
• If I text more than I talk on the phone....it's so much easier
• If I love to watch cartoons even though Whitney isn't old enough to watch them with me yet!

Sometimes you have to have fun! :)

Family

Every January, my dad's side of the family gets together in Ellijay, GA. Not everyone can always make it but we always have a good time together! We have some photographers in the family so we alwasy take a lot of pictures (two are professionals). Here are two that my cousin Beverly, took.....she is the one who took my maternity pictures! Here is her website....if you ever need a photographer, I highly recommend her!! She is amazing and her daughter, Abbey, is awesome too!! :) More than a Snapshot

Whitney....I'm in love with this picture and cannot wait for her to take some more pictures of her for me!

Kyle and my cousin, Sherri....she is a Bama fan!!! But we still love her!! :)

Getting together with family is always great! We don't see each other nearly enough but being able to be apart of all their lives is wonderful! I am so blessed with such a great family! As we all know...."Reece is the word" :)

WAR EAGLE

Today is going to be a great day!!

We are snowed in today with 2.5 inches of snow and ice! Kyle and I get to spend another day with Whitney! So glad I get to spend an extra day with my husband and baby girl!! Snuggling with Kyle, Whitney, and Sadie, sitting by the fire, watching movies, and of course school work (but it's better at home cause I can do it in my pj's :)) are what is in store today!

Then tonight is the night....the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!! WAR EAGLE!!!

Everyone have a warm and safe day!!

Scrapbooking

I have always loved scrapbooking! It has been a hobby and passion of mine for a long tme! I have so many scrapbooking tools but my absolute favorite is my cricut!

This is the Cricut Personal Machine that I have had for three years. It is used to cut out letters and shapes for scrapbooking. It can do so many things and I love making things with it! For Christmas, my wonderful husband got me the bigger Cricut that I have been asking for for a couple years! This is it!

This Cricut will cut pages that are 12 x 12 so I can cut bigger letters and shapes out! I LOVE IT!! I have used it so much since I got it! I finished Whitney's scrapbook that starts during my pregnancy and goes through her first Christmas! I am so proud of it! Here are some of the pages from it! I couldn't put them all or this would be the longest blog post ever!

The cover


First Page

Ultrasound page ~ when we found out she was a girl!

3-D Ultrasound

The day she was born

Her second week

WAR EAGLE!!

Newborn Pictures and her third week home

Our first family trip

Love this page!! These are two of my favorite pictures

Her first Christmas!! This is one of 6 pages!

Another Christmas page! Showing off her dress and bloomers! :)

Two pages showing how much she has grown in the last 2 months

I am so glad that I have done this and I started her 2011 album this weekend!!! Mrs. LAH came to hang out with us and scrapbook!!! We had so much fun!!! I will post pictures from our day together soon!!!