Hurricane Happenings

Christmas Dog Parade 12-6-08

2009-03-20T11:56:00.001-07:00

That's right! There is a Christmas Dog Parade here in Hurricane. We saw it in the paper and thought we would take Reese since she loves dogs. The dogs were all dressed up in the Christmas outfits. Some were really good too!

Reese had such a great time going up to the dogs and petting them. However, we did have to leave with an upset little girl because she wanted to keep petting them, but couldn't when they were parading around. Overall, I believe she had a pretty good time!

1st Real Christmas Tree 12-2-08

2009-03-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

I grew up having a real Christmas tree, sadly, Andy did not. Not that there is anything wrong with artificial trees, we had one our first 4 years of marriage, but there is something about having a real one. It's so much fun to pick out your tree each year and see how they are different from one to the next, and you can't beat the wonderful aroma they bring to your house!

We were going to get an artificial tree, but I drove past a little place in Hurricane and saw they were selling them for a great price. My dad had an extra tree stand, so Andy decided to give in to my asking and get one!! It was a great day!! We had to trim down the stand a little so it would fit under our tree, but Andy got to use his saw!

And our finished product!! Isn't it beautiful!!

He was too worried it was going to be a big mess, but it proved otherwise. I didn't have to vacuum any extra for the needles and he even enjoyed the smell! Next year = another real tree!!

Visit from Adam and Shivani 11-29-08

2009-03-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

We were excited that Adam and Shivani were coming to WV over Thanksgiving. We left Canaan early so we could spend Saturday with them. I think they were suprised at how much Reese had grown since they saw her last! While we were at my parents we decorated the tree together!! Adam wowed us by putting on the tree skirt and twirling for us! I was rather impressed he could still fit in it, it never loses its touch! That is one Christmas tradition that will not be forgotten!

It was fun decorating the tree again with Erin and Adam, and this time Reese and Madilynn got to help! However, Reese enjoyed playing with the ornaments and little Christmas figurines mom and dad have more than anything I think.

Adam even broke out into a dance for us while we were decorating.

Reese found Shivani's motor scooter and loved it! I was a bit relieved she didn't figure out how to make it go, we could have been in trouble then!

And of course we had to do more family pictures!!

We had such a great visit and enjoyed seeing Adam and Shivani again!! We can't wait to see them next time!!

Thanksgiving at Canaan 11-26-08 to 11-29-08

2009-03-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Andy's family goes to Canaan every year for Thanksgiving. This was our first year with Reese, so we were pretty excited about it. The weather was crazy, they already had tons of snow, and it was going to be Reese's first time being able to play in it (pics below). We shared a house with Andy's mom, dad, sister, aunt, uncle, Ben, Sarah, Nathan and their dog, which Reese loved.

Debbie had bought a Little People van with a mommy and baby in it, so that was a big hit for Reese. And here she is with more of her favorites: Ben, oh yeah and his wife, Sarah! haha...

There was so much snow at Canaan, so we figured we would take Reese out to play. She did really well walking out on the sidewalk and even waved to me!

But once we got in the snow, we think it may have been a little too much snow and she wanted us to hold her the whole time in her brand new snow suit and boots. Well, at least she looked adorable!

This is our Thanksgiving Day family photo. As you can see, this was Piper's first time to Canaan too! The neat thing is that Reese was up at Canaan at just about the exact same time Reese was for the very "first" time. So it's neat to see pictures of me pregnant with both of them because the timeline is almost exact.

Here are a couple shots of people around the house for Thanksgiving. Once all the food and people get there it gets a little crazy.

We were able to make actual ginger bread houses! This was a huge hit, even with the adults! As you can see in a few pictures, Reese enjoyed eating the candy as well as decorating with it. What fun is it if you can't eat the decorations?!

Trip to Texas

2009-01-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

I cannot tell you how fortunate I am to have a group of women who have continued to be there for me even now when we are states away. My gaggle back in TX decided to fly be down so I could see them and just get away for a little while as a vacation. I was so surprised and overwhelmed by their gift, but completely excited as well. Reese and I flew standby on the way there and back, and were blessed both trips. Andy drove us to Columbus to fly out so we would have a direct flight, and we got on both flights without a problem and Reese even had her own seat both ways. It was such a blessing. I have to say I didn't take as many pictures as I had planned because I was just enjoying each moment I had there, but we were able to capture a few things.

I had to get my picture in front of my famous column at the seminary. Here I am 28 weeks pregnant. And here is one with Reese! I figured she should be in one since we took pictures of her every week while she was still in my tummy!

Then of course we had to get a picture of the co-workers! However, I have to say, Jonathan somehow missed out on this. And here is one of Reese and I as we are talking to Miss Amy. She still had to work!

Our next stop was by the Fuller's. Mandy watched Reese while I went back to work. She recently just had a little girl so I was able to meet her and see how much Clark had grown. Matt came by and brought us lunch too, it was so great to catch up with them! We got their picture together and enjoyed watching Reese and Clark play together this time. When we were here last she couldn't do much! Clark had a bike that he would ride down a hill and Reese just laughed as she held on, it was really cute. The wind was blowing like crazy too, so she really enjoyed that!

We had dinner one night with all the girls and families and I still cannot believe that I only took a couple photos, but here is one with Reese and Cathryn playing with the stroller. It was a big hit! All the girls enjoy pushing that around! After everyone left, Reese and Abby had the best time together just playing and giggling. There's not really a great shot of them, but it was funny to watch.

I was able to take Reese to the zoo with the girls that Monday. We had taken Reese before we moved, but she enjoyed it much more this time around, plus there were more people to enjoy it with!

Here she is looking at the giraffes and the goldfish in the pond below.

Here she is asking, "Where did they go?" meaning where did the fish go once she couldn't see them. I loved seeing all the kids climbing on the fence, they are all so intrigued.

Here is her good buddy Drew who wanted his picture taken!! Reese has more serious moments and just won't smile...she is probably thinking, mom why do you keep taking pictures?

One of Reese's favorite parts was the bird aquarium (is that right?) where you were able to go in and the birds were flying all around and you could feed them as well. She had such a great time with them and would stick out her hand and wave them to come to her, it was so cute. But I think the best part was after they landed on her stick she would try to shake them off! It was hilarious, but she had a great time!

She also loved the train ride! Here is Miss Kaci with Jonathan and Elizabeth! And me and Reese, but yeah, she's yawning after a long day!

Kaci was kind enough to take the camera and try to get some pictures of her smiling! I think they turned out rather well!

Our last stop was by the flamingos and Reese seemed to enjoy watching them as well. Here is a picture of Reese, Elizabeth, and Cathryn. We are missing Miss Abby of the 4 who were born so close together. But I thought this was a cute picture.

And the gaggle minus one. We went out to On The Border one night just to chat and enjoy some mexican food that you can't get here in WV. The entire trip was a blessing and came at a perfect time for me. These women are amazing and continue to support and pray for me even though we are states away. It is truly a blessing when you find friends like that.

The Bookshelves 11-3-08

2009-01-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

Since we moved into our house I always thought it would be great to have some built in bookshelves in these 2 cubby holes we had in our living room. There was nothing you could really put in there and make them useful, sooooo my dad built some for us!! The turned out so great and I was so excited to get them! They really make the room look completely different from when we first moved in. Of course we needed them not only to make the house look better (that was my reasoning), but Andy needed more room for his books and we needed more room for Reese's toys. So the bottoms are storage for toys, books, games, etc. Dad did a great job! Thank you!!! Now I have to think of what I can get him to do next!!

Andy's Birthday 11-10-81

2009-01-10T20:18:00.001-08:00

Andy finally turned 27!! He always gives me a hard time about being older than him, so I look forward to the day when we are the same age, even though he still reminds me that I was there first. We didn't get pictures of the day, but we got some of his favorite apple pie! I don't know why he won't just give a normal smile. Oh well.

Having Some Fun 10-31-08

2009-01-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the day. Reese loves coloring! And as you can see, instead of her going down the slide, she had her bear go. (Kaci, do you recognize the bear?)

Sweet Moments 10-31-08

2009-01-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Reese absolutely loves to read. Andy was playing with her one day and decided to set her animals up for her to read to them. She looked so adorable and grown up.

Trick or Treating 10-30-08

2009-01-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

Reese was a flower this year for trick or treating. I was so excited for her to go this year, since last year we just carried her to a few houses in my parents neighborhood. I was a little worried she wouldn't wear the flower on her head, but she actually liked it and wore it the entire night and even some afterwards.

She loved her Elmo bucket. We continue to use it now to hold her crayons.

Andy gave Reese her first piece of candy, which just so happened to be a Reese's peanut butter cup.

Here we go! Off to trick or treat at the neighbors!

And finally she gets a piece of her peanut butter cup! I do believe she likes it! So much in fact that she threw a fit when I tried to get her inside to eat dinner before she had anymore candy.

Reese's friend India came over after trick or treating to play for a little while. Both girls had their outfits on still, but it was rather hard to get their picture.

And here they are as we tried to get their picture. One minute we're fine, the next minute, not so much.

But a minute later, everything is fine again!

The Infamous Crib 10-30-08

2009-01-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

Reese is known for sleeping with as many stuffed animals as possible. I do believe we counted 17 this day. She loves to play with her animals before she goes to bed, as you can see some of them are stuffed between the bumper and the crib. It's always fun to hear her over the monitor talking away.

Playing Outside 10-28-08

2009-01-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

Reese decided she wanted to play outside one evening when it was really really cold. She loves playing in the cold for some reason. So we tried to get her dressed somewhat appropriately while she was on the porch. Instead of mittens, we put her gloves on and she seemed to do ok with that since she could still see each finger. She had a good time and even let her bunny and dog enjoy the cold weather for a bit.

WVU Football 10-23-08

2009-01-09T12:08:00.001-08:00

We were able to attend the WVU vs. Auburn game in Morgantown, WV. It was soooo cold that night! We started out at Lori's apartment to get something to eat. Reese found a WVU necklace that she was quite fond of. She was quite the hit of the party I must say. But look how cute she is, how could she not be?

The famous WVU marching band!

It was so cold that night, Reese did pretty well though. You can see that her cheeks are a little red! Her hands were so cold, they seriously felt like ice, but she refused to wear her mittens or put her hands in her sweatshirt, she likes to see her hands!

Debbie and I headed back to Lori's apartment after halftime and warmed up and finished the game there. But it was fun to be at the game for a little while.

Big Sister 10-22-08

2009-01-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

One reason why I believe Reese is going to be a great big sister.

Pet Store 10-20-08

2009-01-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

As we have established before, Reese loves animals. So we take her to pet stores sometimes to let her get her fill of them. The one we went to this day had bunnies there and she loves bunnies, so the lady that worked there was nice enough to get one out for Reese to play with for a bit. She had a great time and almost made me want to get her a bunny. But alas, we walked away just us, no bunny.

Centerpointe Family Fall Festival 10-18-08

2009-01-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

We were able to hold our first Family Fall Festival this year at the middleschool. We had a pretty good turnout considering it was freezing outside! The wind was crazy, but God continued to bring people to us which was fabulous!

Everyone seemed to have a great time and each child walked away with a decorated pumpkin and a whole lot of candy! I definitely stayed busy that day but was glad it was such a hit. We had a great turnout and are excited for next year's festival!

Firemen at the Library 10-15-08

2009-01-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

We went to the library for our story time and were surprised to find out that it was a day the firemen were visiting! They showed the children their gear that they wear and even let them come up and see them after they were all dressed up. I thought it was a great idea, so that if there were ever a fire, they wouldn't be scared to see someone in all this gear that could be a little scary to a kid. And some of the kids were scared and wouldn't go up to them, but miss Reese went right up. They even gave out fire hats to all the kids. Reese had a great time wearing it while we were there.

Next, we went outside to see their truck, "Big John." The gave a tour around it and told us what everything was and then even let the kids sit in the front.

Reese actually had a picture put in the Putnam Herald! She looked so cute and I know her Papa Young (he's a firefighter) was so proud!

Centerpointe Cookout 10-12-08

2009-01-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

Some of our members invited the church over for our first church cookout! We had such a great time sitting around the fire, grilling hotdogs and making smores. We even had corn hole play and Reese absolutely loved the animals!

No one would let me take a close up of them, so I had to do it myself!

Reese decided that she was big enough to go for a ride on the tractor.

We had such a great time that night just being able to hang out with everyone. I do believe we will have to ask if we can do it again!! Thanks to the Lipscomb's and Neal's!

Tagged for my Top 8s

2008-12-04T20:08:00.001-08:00

So I've been tagged again, and since I don't need pictures for this I can do it much quicker!!

8tv shows I love to watch: Friends, The Office, Biggest Loser, Ellen, Kath & Kim, Brothers & Sisters, Jon & Kate plus 8 (when I'm somewhere w/ cable), Law & Order SVU

8 Favorite Restaurants: Olive Garden, Rio, Chipotle, Chili's, Outback, Panera Bread, Texas de Brazil, Applebee's

8 things that happened today:
decorated the Christmas tree, about peed my pants watching Reese, sword fought with Reese, did family devotions, cleaned up the kitchen, got ready for my Tastefully Simple party tomorrow, watched the Office while eating fried Cheerios, went to the doctor

8 things I'm looking forward to:
sleep tonight, baking tomorrow, the reindog parade on Saturday, meeting Piper, losing weight from Piper and Reese, Christmas, finishing work on our house, another trip to TX

8 things on my wishlist:
cash (haha), someone to do all the work on our house for free!, more consistent time with God, a completely organized house, vacation time with Andy and our girls, to know Piper's exact due date for planning purposes, time to scrapbook, certain Texans to come visit the big WV

8 people I tag:
Haley, Abby, Jodi, Erin, Lindsey, Kristie, Amy G., Amy W.

Buddy Walk

2008-11-25T13:18:00.001-08:00

We participated in the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk. We had a great team come out for support. Of course we took lots of pictures to document it.

Helping Papa

2008-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

Reese loves to help Papa Young when he is over fixing things for us. One of our latest project was replacing the handle on the dishwasher. So of course Reese had to help. She is actually very smart about her tools. She picked up a screwdriver and started turning it exactly where she needed too. I was very impressed! And the dishwasher works great!

Pumpkin Festival

2008-11-25T12:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I'm behind, but here we go. Let's start at the Pumpkin Festival. It was probably more for me, but we made it a family event. There were lots of booths with different items for sale and I always enjoy looking at that stuff. We did come across a booth that sold Sugar Gliders. These are little chipmunk looking animals that can glide. I knew Reese would enjoy that so we took her over there and Andy was the brave one who held it and let Reese pet it. She thought it was so neat and got the biggest kick out of it. Unfortunately for her we did not buy one, but her cousin Sarah and Ben did! So she can go see Bella whenever she wants!

We also went to see the largest pumpkins and I have to say, they are not very attractive pumpkins. You would think they would look like perfect round orange pumpkins, but no, they are quite ugly. But they are big!

Then we found a large tank from the army that Reese was allowed to climb in. She enjoyed driving this and was not so excited about getting up. It was pretty funny to see how much bigger the tires were than her.

The highlight of the day were of course the dogs. It was a little shelter that was promoting adoption (of pets of course). So we had to stop before we headed out so Reese could play with the dogs. She had a great time, but had a hard time telling them goodbye. And no, we did not get one.

Outback

2008-10-20T17:05:00.001-07:00

Reese loves being outside. So with all the beautiful weather we've been having, we have spent quite a bit of time outback. Now when I get our scanner working, I am going to scan some pictures of me so you can see that my daughter does resemble me! Yes, I know she looks like her father, but there is quite a bit of me there as well (when I was younger), especially in these pictures.

She has really been enjoying her stuffed animals, so we of course had to bring one out with us. She was so funny because she would play with the slide/swing and then go to something else, but then she decided to take a break and get her bear and go sit on the side of the deck. It was really sweet, but she had such a serious look on her face she almost looks sad. Then she patted the deck beside her and had me sit with her. It was a very sweet moment.

Playing in the Rain

2008-10-20T16:57:00.001-07:00

It was raining one evening but it felt so good outside, so Reese and I decided to go and wait for Andy to come home. Please disregard her outfit and let me explain what happened. We had to put the pink pants on with the shirt, which does match. However, I was going to put on these cute boots with them, but when I did, she flipped out! It was crazy, she got so upset. I don't know if it was because they had fur on them or these little ball things hanging down, but she did not want them on, but she was very eager to go outside. So I had to throw on the closet pair of shoes which happen to not cover up the gap between her pants and socks. So that is her outfit. I promise I do dress her better!

She loved having the wind blow and the rain getting on her. She also loves the stairs, so she was all about going from one to another and sitting on them, even though they were all wet! So here is a shot of her little bottom after being soaked! It was pretty funny. She did not have a care in the world, and I love that about her!

She had so much fun as you can see her laughing! We had a great time waiting for Andy to get home and they even stayed out afterwards while I got dinner ready. I love those kinds of days!

I've Been Tagged

2008-10-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

So this is my first time that I've been tagged and had to do things I was told!! Hopefully I am doing this right.

1. Post the sixth picture from the sixth file in your pictures. So here it is!! Meet CS Lewis!! Andy used this during one of his sermons (it's not just a picture of a random man).

2. Share 7 pieces of random information about you on your blog.

- I hate feet, touching them, them touching me, yuck.

- I don't drink milk because I'm scared of a piece of utter hitting my lip. Yes I know it's almost impossible, but there's that slim chance.

- I'm weird about eating other people's food, I won't go into all the details, but I am getting better.

- I'm still a New Kids on the Block fan at heart! I even have a cd in the car!

- I believe that chocolate covered coffee beans may be my favorite sweet snack of all time.

- I love spicy food!

- I absolutely love fall: the weather, the leaves changing, and the cute clothes for my little girl!

Ok, so here are the people I tagged (some this will be their 2nd tag, others hopefully their 1st):
Erin, Haley, Kaci, Amy, Lindsey.

My Little Princess

2008-10-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

We played dress up the other day and normally Reese will not let me put anything on her head, but she finally did!! She wore one of her tiara's around the house for quite some time and I got a couple pictures of her. These are from her snack time that afternoon.

The second picture is of her giving her "smiley face" smile. I had to find a way to get her to smile in some of her pictures, so now she shows me her "smiley face" and it seems to work!

Jeffrey's Birthday

2008-10-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

We had a girls day out with me, Reese, mama Young, Erin, and Madilynn and thought we would do lunch and some shopping. Reese always loves seeing Madilynn and has a great time talking to her. She decided to sing to her after she was finished eating which was very cute, but poor Madilynn could not turn away from her because every time she did Reese would tap her on the shoulder as if she was saying, "hello, I'm still singing! listen to me!" It was hilarious. Unfortunately none of us got a picture or video of it, but it was still funny!

We went to Toys R Us afterwards and found out that it was Jeffrey's birthday! They had little play stations for the kids and Jeffrey even came out for a while to take pictures and do a parade. She could not take her eyes off him, it was so cute seeing her looking up and staring at him. Mama Young took her on the parade so I could try to find a few things, and apparently afterwards when Jeffrey needed to take a break, she followed him all the way in the back because she didn't want him to go.

Billy Bob's Wonderland

2008-10-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

We took Reese to Billy Bob's Wonderland the other day as a special family day. If you're wondering what Billy Bob's is, it's just like Chuck E. Cheese just with a bear instead of a mouse.

We decided to get some pizza and eat lunch before we started playing games, and you can watch a show while you eat. Well, this was not the best idea. Reese loved the show so much she wouldn't eat! You can kind of see in the picture, but the show consists of these "animal manicans" I guess you could call them, dressed up and playing music and singing. She could not take her eyes off them. So Andy decided to take her up the front to get a better view. We decided that we would try to get her to eat later, so we headed to the rides and games. She loves the rides and has a great time driving and pressing the buttons.

We did a couple rides and then decided to try some games. The one on the right is like a "whack em" game, but you stop on the lights. It was pretty funny to watch because Andy would point to the lights to help and either she was too slow, or just wanted to do her own thing.

And then we were back to the rides!!

Next up was the carousel. She wasn't a big fan of it at the town fair in Hurricane, but she really seemed to like it this time and even held on by herself!

We tried the ball pit, but she wasn't too excited about that but I imagine it was just because she was the only one in there at the time.

And of course, we had to get in another ride before we left!

We did get Reese to eat before we left, but not without watching another show!!! We had a great day and I expect we will be heading back to Billy Bob's in the near future.

Vacation to the Beach

2008-09-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

We were able to take a much needed vacation to the beach this month. We headed down to the Outer Banks and had a great time. It was Reese's first time on the beach and seeing the ocean and she loved them both!

Here we are outside our hotel on the way to the beach. Reese loved the fountain and probably could have stayed there playing in the water for hours.

Here she is her first time on the beach. Andy took her to let the waves hit her and it take her a time or two but laughed when it happened. We had a couple big ones get us, so we had to go change before we headed to dinner.

Here are a couple pictures of the pier behind the hotel.

As you can see she had so much fun letting the water hit her legs.

After the beach we cleaned up and went to dinner. Of course we had some left over, so Reese made sure she was able to help carry the food to the room.

We went back to the beach the next day to play some more. The ocean had brought up lots of little shells so it made it harder for Reese to walk on, but she still enjoyed. She spent a lot of time playing in the sand though. As you can see from the pictures, she was very into what she was doing.

It rained our second day there, so we did a little shopping in the morning and then came back to the indoor pool. Reese had a great time, she loves the water! I believe we have a little fish on our hands!

We went to Awful Arthur's for out last night out. We had a little bit of a wait so we went upstairs so we could look out the window and try to keep Reese occupied. Instead of wanting to look outside though, she was more impressed with Andy's diet coke.

After dinner went tried to find Reese a cup that had Outer Banks on it, but had no luck. So I ran in to Rite Aid to check, just in case they had something and found a cup I knew she would love. As you can see, she carried it the whole way to the room and was so excited for me to put something in it!

These are from our last breakfast at the hotel. Poor Reese lookes like she's still waking up. But she still made her funny little face for me.

We went for one last walk along the beach before we headed out.

And of course, Reese rode home with her Elmo cup!

Trip to Chattanooga, TN 8-22-08 thru 8-25-08

2008-09-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

We had an unexpected, but great opportunity to go to Chattanooga, TN for a Missions Celebration at Red Bank Baptist Church. Due to some already scheduled appointments, Andy left Wednesday and Reese and I left Friday morning, very early!!

It was our first trip flying together and just the two of us, but she did great! She slept through the entire first flight because it was so early and our second flight got her own seat because there were only 10 or so of us on the plane. So we put in Toy Story 2 and had a great time. During our layover, she played with her Disney characters and put on a show, she did so well!! I only took a couple pictures of us on the plane.

I didn't take too many pictures the rest of the time, but I did get her first time riding a horse! Well, not riding, but sitting on. She did pretty well and loved petting the horses. Here she is with Mr. Kent and Mrs. Julie and the horses. She took very well to their daughter Kendall and there is apicture of the two of them with the horses as well. She had so much fun playing with her! (thank you Kendall!)

We stayed in TN through Monday morning and then went to see a few site for Reese. Our first stop was the Discovery Museum. We didn't have too much time because we were meeting Lori and Omar for dinner, so we picked out the best things for kids Reese's age and took her there. She had a blast!!

I do believe she is ready to drive!! After she finished driving around, we took her to dig up some dinosour bones!! I have to say, it's a pretty neat exhibit even for grown ups!

Next, we headed up to see Clifford's section. She loved it! We don't really watch Clifford, but she loves dogs and found some more buttons and things to drive, so she was as happy as could be.

We were told to do the water exhibit last because most kids don't want to leave once they're in there and I can understand why! She loves water and this was nothing but playing the water. They had some sections where you can change the way the water flows, etc. but she just wanted to play in this little pool of water and toys.

As you can see in the pictures above, she found a bucket that she decided to drink the water from, or at least try. They give you these little water proof things to put on over your clothes, but it doesn't work so well if your child dumps water down the little gap between the protective wear and her neck!! Needless to say I didn't catch her in time and she was completely soaked by the time we left.

After the Discovery Museum, we headed over to the Tennessee Aquarium. Reese loves fish so we knew this would be a big hit. The first display were the penguins, and I have to say it was the best group of penguins I've ever seen. They were very playful and swimming in the water and would come up to the window and just look at you. Reese loved it!

On our way to the fish, we passed a shark that almost ate me! It was very scary! We spent about 45 minutes in front of these large windows with the fish. She was so funny to watch. She kept saying fish and pointing, but she didn't want to leave. We sat in front of the window and just watched.

We found a place where you could pet these little sharks or sting rays if you wanted. Reese just liked playing in the water. I was able to touch a sting ray and Andy touched both. It was pretty neat, and sting rays are very soft! Who would have thought?
Then we went to see some butterflies. Reese had a great time touching them, and Andy did a great job having them land on him. We had to watch Reese though because she just thought she could do whatever she wanted with them, so we had to get her hand and help her be a little more gentle with them.

The aquarium had these little places you could crawl under to get your picture with the fish, so Reese and I thought we needed to do be one with the fish, so we did!

We had a great trip and can't wait to see our friends from Chattanooga soon!!!

FBC Martinsburg 8-17-08

2008-09-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

God blessed us tremendously with a great church while we were in college, FBC in Martinsburg, WV. We grew as individuals, and as a couple there and made great friends while we were there as well. They continued to support us as we went to TX for seminary and continue to support us here in Hurricane, WV.

We were fortunate to have them come down to Hurricane for a vision casting weekend, so they could get an idea for a mission trip the following summer. It was great to have them and they were such an encouragement to us. It was awesome to see familiar faces, and new faces as well! It was great to hear about how the church is doing and how God is working in their lives, as well as telling them as He is working in ours and in Centerpointe's. They will be coming back May 2009 to do a sports camp/family fun day and we can't wait to see what God has in store for that trip!!

Park Day 8-11-08

2008-09-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Reese loves being outside and loves going to the park. We tried to get her to look through the little circle (as you will see below), but she wouldn't look right at the camera.

As I have mentioned in other park postings, Reese loves the stairs! So of course, we spent a great deal of time going up and down, up and down.

Then we were off to see those pescky little ducks again, but didn't get too far. Reese had a ball walking over the bridge. So we hung out there for a while instead of looking for ducks.

I love this picture of Andy walking with her. The first one, with her hand out makes it look like she is having a very important conversation with him. Very cute!

Here she is going back and forth. One side to the other. I love how simplicity pleases her.

Cute pics 8-7-08

2008-09-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here are just a couple pictures of Reese and her cute little pig tails!!

Girl #2

2008-09-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

That's right!!! We're having another little girl!!! A picture will follow soon!! But I wanted to let those of you know who read this. Yay for little girls!!

Feeding the Ducks 8-4-08

2008-08-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

We took Reese to the park and thought we'd give it a whirl and try to feed the ducks. The ducks here are a little iffy. You throw them food and they run away, who runs away from food?! So we've never had much luck with the ducks, but always enjoy trying and it's fun to watch them.

There is one picture where you'll see me with my mouth open because I'm laughing once I discover Reese eating the bread instead of throwing it, but as I looked at the pictures before there is another one where she stuck the bread in her mouth. Maybe that's why the ducks decided to swim away! Of course Reese may figure, hey if they're not going to eat it, then I will! It was rather funny.

Now we head back to our favorite part of the park!! The stairs!! She loves going up and down the stairs. She doesn't really climb on anything at home, but she loves climbing on these stairs, which I figure will be a great help once our 2nd comes along since we have a bunch of them in front of our house!

Corn on the Cob 8-2-08

2008-08-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was cute and wanted to share Reese's first time eating corn on the cob. She did pretty well, but I ended up having to cut most of it off for her, but she had fun!

Back Yard Bible Club 7-14-08

2008-08-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

The mission team from Florida came to help us with a Backyard Bible Club. Here are some pictures from the fun we had! By the last day, we had 4 kids showing up and one of the boys accepted Christ!! We were so excited!! We had so much fun with them and appreciate all the hard work that they did! Can't wait to see them next year!

Trip to Marshall 7-13-08

2008-08-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

We watched the We Are Marshall movie with Steven one evening, so we thought we would take him to Marshall to see the fountain dedicated to the people that were killed in the crash. While we were there Andy showed him the chapel that you see in the movie where people gather once they hear of the crash.

This is also the chapel that Marshall students have Revolution (Christian ministry on campus) and where Andy spoke one evening, so Andy thought it was pretty neat he was able to speak there.

Block Party 7-12-08

2008-08-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

We had a block party after our first service at the middle school as well. It ended up raining off and on that day, so our turn out wasn't as many as we hoped, but we had people come nonetheless and that's all you can ask for!! The team from Florida was a great help and took charge of the face painting, registration, snow cone machine, and popcorn machine! It was great to be able to concentrate on meeting the people who came through.

In the third picture, you can see a great action shot of Steven who was playing some of our games! I'm thinking he was throwing a little harder than the accepted speed!! haha!!

Centerpointe's First Sunday Morning Service 7-12-08

2008-08-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

We moved to Hurricane, WV as church planters in late December 07 and started to work in January 08. We have been meeting in our home for the first 7 months as a Sunday night Bible Study and looked forward to the day when we could have our first Sunday morning service. The day came in July and we were very excited about it! Our good friend, Steven, came up from Texas to fill in as our worship leader and did an amazing job. We had a couple rough patches with the music equipment, but Andy and Steven were able to get everything together and Steven was able to get music coming out of the speakers, so that was great!! We also had a mission team from Florida come up that week to help us with a Backyard Bible Club, so they were also there for our first service. Here are some pictures from the morning while things were being set up. I didn't take any during the service so I wouldn't be a distraction, but we did video tape it! Hopefully from the 5th picture you are able to see how we set the room up for worship.

We are meeting in Hurricane Middle School which is a great location, and we're praying we will be able to stay there for a while since it holds so many people. They have given us 2 rooms to use for children's areas as well.

Our mornings start off with the men coming over at 8am to load up the trailer and take everthing to the school. Then they get to unload everything and set up for service and then I come in about 9am with Reese and we set up the nursery and other room in case we have older kids. Reese is adjusting to the Sunday morning routine pretty well. She normally sleeps till about 9am, so I try to wake her up about 8:30am to get her ready and then just take her breakfast to eat at the school while I set up. We've been blessed with so many people who are willing to help us set up, so it doesn't take that long now that we've done it a few times and we are able to be ready to greet people as they come in!
And of course we got a family shot to document the day of our first service!

This One's for the Skippers 7-10-08

2008-08-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Reese loves her Mississippi State Bulldog!! She spent a few days playing with him and even dressed him up in some play clothes and jewelry. I don't know where I put those pictures, but I thought these were cute of her with Bully.

Last Day with Taylor 7-5-08

2008-08-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

As I posted before, we knew we were going to be passing Taylor off to another family and that day came 7-5-08. We took one last family picture with her.

I must tell you, she was a good dog, just very hyper and with our life right now, we're not home enough to have a hyper dog that needs that much attention. We needed a much calmer dog. The final straw came when she started jumping the privacy fence outback which is about 4 1/2 feet high. Since we couldn't keep her outside for any length of time and I couldn't have her inside all the time, we knew it was best to give her to a family who wanted a dog with A LOT of energy. So she is now in a good home with 2 kids who can play with her and hopefully get her to calm down some!!! haha!!

July 4th, 2008

2008-08-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

We went to my aunt and uncles house for the annual Holiday Picnic!! This is where we celebrate them all so we can all get together since the other holiday's seem to be packed with things to do now that we're all having kids and all live in different places! Here are some pictures of all the great grandkids and then the whole family!

Reese also thought that she should put on a show for everyone by singing into the umbrella. She did a fabulous job!

Last Days with Taylor 6-29-08

2008-08-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well we ended up getting rid of Taylor and we knew the day was coming after we spoke to a family who sounded interested in her. So I figured since Taylor really did well with Reese and Reese had a good time with her that I should get a few last pictures of them playing together. Taylor is actually calm in these pictures!

Reese loved playing with her and petting her. She would take her toys from her so she could throw them or even just give them back to Taylor. And Taylor took it very well I have to say. Good dog, just too hyper!

Ketchup

2008-08-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well let me just tell you, Reese loves ketchup. Really she loves anything tomatoey (is that a word?) However, ketchup is at the top of her list. My mom and I had gone to Wendy's one day and given her some ketchup and she loved it, so while Andy and I were out we too her to McDonald's and gave her some to see if she would still like it. Oh yes, she did! So much so, that she likes to dip her fry in the ketchup, suck off the ketchup, and redip. She will do this about 3 times and then eat the fry. She has gotten better about that, but it is pretty funny to watch. She's also funny to watch her dip they fry. She is very proper, and will dip it elegantly a couple times before taking it out to eat.

My Birthday 6-23-08

2008-08-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple fun shots we took on my birthday. Andy and I were actually able to have a date that night. Mama Young came over to watch Reese and we went to dinner and then did a little shopping. It was a much needed and appreciated date!

Pool Party with Daddy 6-21-08

2008-08-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Reese loves the pool!! But she has so much more fun when her daddy joins her! I think Andy has a pretty good time as well!

Reese loves to play with the water when it's being poured out of her little snail. And she loves to pour the water out. I think she could spend about an a hour just doing that! Ahh, the little things in life.

Late Father's Day Present 6-16-08

2008-08-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

I apparently had a present for Andy that I was unaware of on Father's Day. I found out the day after that I was pregnant, so I thought it would be fun to give him a late present. So I put the test in a gift bag and had Reese give it to him. He had no clue. Actually Reese was the only one that knew, because she was the only one home for me to tell!! In the third picture you can see him asking, "Are you serious?" with a little bit of shock on his face.

Of course, I had to get a family picture to document the day!!

Father's Day '08 (6-15-08)

2008-08-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty busy day on Father's Day this year and didn't get to take a picture of Reese and Andy until she was already in her pj's!! But we got one anyways!

Spaces

2008-08-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

As I'm posting, I'm noticing a lot a blank room in between pictures. I'm not sure why that's there because it's not there in the actual post. So I apologize for all the blanks, but there's not much I can do about it!!! Sorry!

Carnival 6-13-08

2008-08-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

We went with our good friends and took our daughters to the carnival that was being held at the local high school. Once we got there we found out that there weren't too many rides two 1 year olds could do, so we hung out on the carousel and this elephant ride and also did a duckie game. We all had a great time though.

Reese wasn't too fond of the carousel. She was very unsure at first and held onto me more than the horse. I thought she was getting a little better when she rode with Andy, but she was still a little nervous.

After a couple rounds on the carousel, we headed to the duck game. The girls had a blast here and I think if they would have been allowed to just play in the water the rest of the time, they would have. They had so much fun splashing and trying to get the ducks out.

I love the picture of Reese picking out her toy. I don't know why, but I think it is my favorite. I guess because she seems like such a big girl.

Then we headed over to an elephant ride. Reese and India were the only two on there, so we made sure they didn't put the elephants in the air and just kept them on the ground. We didn't want anyone climbing out!

Then we headed back to the duck game for one last round!

I like the picture of Reese giving the lady her duckie. I have to say she was pretty cute when she did that! (and I am talking about Reese, not the lady)

I had to get a shot of where all the magic happened!!

Popsicles with India 6-10-08

2008-08-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you give your daughter a popsicle with free reign. She loved it though!! I'm learning she really likes cold things, she loves to chew on ice and could eat a whole cup of it and not give it a second thought.

India wasn't into hers as much as Reese was, I think she would rather play with it. As you can see, we've got some red streaks on the tummy!

I need to get better, but I'm not the best with Reese getting all messy, so unfortunately this does not happen very often. Of course now I feel like I should go get her a popsicle and let her go at it.

Dress Up with Papa 6-9-08

2008-08-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Reese loves to play dress up, and lucky for my dad, he came over one day when she was in the mood to play with her dress up stuff and of course she could not leave him out!! I thought this was a fun picture showing what a good sport papa Young is!

Visit with Dawn and Jess 6-7-08

2008-08-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

I had some good friends come to visit for a wedding the weekend of June 7th. We were able to catch some time with them after the wedding and it was so great to catch up with them. It's like we never missed a beat with them. Reese had a great time with them as well.

Andy's biggest thing was that they HAD to go get something from the DQ down the road. He is fascinated by it simply because it has a fireplace inside. They also hook you up with the blizzards, but the biggest thing is the darn fireplace. So we took his picture in front of it since it seems to be his best friend. Of course we had to get some pictures of everyone, and I apologize ahead of time for the red eye, Reese can't seem to get a picture without it and sometimes I can get it out and other times I can't.

I believe Reese is showing Jess how to use her phone correctly.

Time for kisses!!

We had to get some group shots, and miss Reese wanted in one as well!! It was so good to see Dawn and Jess and we can't wait to see them again!!!

Cute pictures 6-5-08

2008-08-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

I just thought these two pictures were cute.

WV Power Game 5-4-08

2008-08-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

We took Reese to her first WV Power game. She did pretty well with it, but I'm glad we brought a baby doll with us!!! Here are some pictures of her watching the game and some of her not watching the game.

We also enjoyed the camo uniforms of the team!! We weren't sure why they were wearing camo, but thought we should take a picture.

Centerpointe Block Party 5-18-08

2008-08-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Centerpointe has its 2nd block party May 18th. It was a big success and we had a great time. Here are some shots of the group working! I only got to take a couple shots because I was running around with Reese and talking to people.

However, once the block party was over and the crowd had left, the girls decided it was their turn in the bounce house!! They had a blast!

Apparently they were all jumped out, and it was time for nite nite. What a hard day!!

My 2nd Mother's Day 5-11-08

2008-08-06T11:44:00.001-07:00

We went out to Mama and Papa Young's for a Mother's Day dinner this year. We finally got a shot of all the women!! 4 generations of fabulous women!

We tried to do another photo shoot with Madilynn and Reese, but weren't as successful as last time. Reese was very intrigued with Madilynn and kept trying to kiss her!

Of course I had to get a picture with my daughter, the one who calls me mommy!! She brings me so much joy and I am so blessed to be her mother.

Then we tried to get some pictures of the girls with Mama and Papa Young. Reese loves her Papa. She goes around the house saying papa and will even point him out in pictures. It's pretty funny and I have to say I don't think my dad minds it one bit!

Playing Dress Up! 5-8-08

2008-08-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here is Miss Reese playing with all her dress up stuff. She already loves being a princess!!! She's very intrigued by the wand and the powers that it has!! She has 3 of them now!!

This picture was taken when mama Young came over to watch her (5-10-08). Can you find Reese??

Here are some more of her playing with her dress up clothes (5-10-08). I love how she utilizes all her body, holding the wand in her mouth so she has her hands open for other things!

Park Time 5-2-08

2008-08-06T11:20:00.001-07:00

I'm putting the dates up top so you know how long ago these were and can keep up with us in order!! These are from a play date with Miss India at the park. They decided to get on the merry go round this time.

And of course, they had to give each other a kiss. It's pretty funny how Reese opens her mouth to kiss and India sticks her tongue out to kiss, however now India has picked up on Reese's way of kissing and just opens her mouth as well.

Oh how we love the swings!!!

Ouch!!! Our first scrapes and cuts on our pretty little legs!!! But we had a great time!!

April 25, 2008

2008-08-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from what seems like forever ago!! We were trying to get her to walk that night. She stood there for quite some time and I thought that she may take a step, but nope. She did not. And yes I know that I've already posted about her first steps, but remember I haven't been very good about updating!! I have to go back and fill in!

She liked touching the grass, but not such a big fan when she fell down!!

The Number 2

2008-08-04T20:29:00.001-07:00

So what does the number 2 mean to you? Is it a day on the calendar for a birthday or anniversary? Is it the time you have to be somewhere? Is it the number of dollar bills you have in your pocket?
Well none of those are what the number 2 mean to me anymore. The number now means, the number of children that we will have in our household. That is right!! Andy and I are expecting a little one in February!!! We are very excited and things have been going very well. I will be 12 weeks on Tuesday, so we waited a little longer to tell people this time. The funny thing is that my due date is 3 days before Reese's birthday!! Fortunately, since I have to have a c-section again, they will let me go at 39 weeks, so we are shooting for the 10th or 11th of February. That way I will be home in plenty of time for Miss Reese's 2nd birthday!!
I just wanted to share our good news with everyone!!

Oh and by the way, yes I know I have been absent from blogging for quite some time now, however with good reason. Our computer's internet is down and I don't have a place to download my pictures right now so that I am able to post. (I am on someone else's computer right now, just so you know I'm not lying!!) But as soon as it is fixed I will spend much time updating!! I believe I have almost 300 pictures on my camera right now!!!

Playing at the DeHart's

2008-05-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of watching India while Jacob and Lindsey were at a rehearsal dinner one evening. It is so funny to watch the girls together. I think everytime I took a picture they looked like they had been caught doing something wrong or just wondering why I kept taking pictures!

We found out the first time we watched India that Puppy was a big ticket item, so India brought her own this time. However, I believe the books were a big hit this time and after deciding who got what book, Andy was able to read to them both.

Another couple hot items were the infamous Easy Button and the princess wand Reese got for her birthday. I had to capture this on video. This lasted for a few minutes, but it was so funny, because they just kept hitting the buttons over and over. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It was too funny!

Reese's Buddy

2008-05-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Reese has made a dear friend in the good ole' WV. Miss India is her name!! We have been on many playdates to the park, the library, and to each other's houses. We were actually at their house the other night when Reese took her first steps!! Here are some pictures of the fun we've been having!

This is a picture of us at our first story time at the library.

And these are at India's house while the girls were playing in the pool. Reese loved the turtle!

Here are some from the park. We finally found one that had swings for the girls! I had to take a couple of these to show the static in Reese's hair. They had so much fun playing on the slides.

India was enjoying Lindsey's water, so I had to get a few pics of her!

She was too cute climbing up on the slide!

She Can Walk!!!

2008-05-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

She is finally walking!! Everyone has awaited this moment and it is finally here!! Enjoy!!!

Walking part 2

2008-05-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is just a funny video of the sinful nature of kids!!! However, we love India and this is not a judgment against her.

Cute pics

2008-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures that I thought were cute!! (for all of you in Texas!)

Photo show

2008-05-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

My aunt's company likes to have local artists come in and display their work. Well, since I just moved back, my aunt thought it would be good if I put my photos up. So I did! They had an opening night and miss Reese was the hit of the evening. She looked so cute in her little green/white dress that I had to get some pictures. And then of her having such a good time with Papa and Nana Young!

She was having so much fun being rolled around in that chair!!

More Pennington's!

2008-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have another visit from more Pennington's! You can read all about them at http://www.livinwithllamas.blogspot.com/ . They are dear friends of ours and missionaries heading to Peru after a year of language school in Costa Rica! They stopped by on their way to see family again before heading to Costa Rica. It was so good to see them! I have to apologize, but I didn't take too many pictures because we were just focused on seeing them!!

Andy, Trevor, and Jordan spent sometime outback widdling (is that how you spell that?) wood and painting. Meanwhile, Brian and Reese enjoyed putting things in this basket!

We played putt putt on Saturday and had a great time. The boys climbed up the rocks for a quick picture (we almost made it without getting into trouble! apparently, you're not supposed to climb them). I still have the score card and don't know who won!! I need to add up the scores!

They were able to stay until Monday morning and our church was able to meet them and hear what they will be doing when they reach Peru so they know how to pray for them. It was so good to see them, to hear about their training, and how we can be praying for them as they make their next journey to Costa Rica. They are an amazing family who is going to great things for God and His kingdom!! We miss you guys!

First Haircut

2008-04-27T10:21:00.001-07:00

Reese got her first haircut on April 1, 2008 (papa Young's birthday!) I had a hair appointment that same day, so I went first while she finished napping and then it was her turn.

Here are some pictures of her before we got the hair trimmed.

We put her on my lap when I was finished to keep her a little more still. She was a little unsure at first, but then did very well!

And here are the pictures of the final product!! She wouldn't look at me, so I just took these.

So beautiful!!

Easter 2008

2008-04-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

I am really behind with the blogging!! Sorry!! Here are some pictures of Reese's Easter this year. We got her a basket with lots of goodies, and she also got some fun stuff from Nana and Papa Young and Grandma and Grandpa DeHart!

She was still waking up when we gave her the basket, but we wanted to give it to her before we left for church. We went to our sponsor church, Good Shepherd and heard a great message. I tried to get a picture of her in her Easter outfit, but she was a little hungry and I was giving her goldfish so she would wait till we got to church to eat her breakfast. She's not used to being up this early!

Then we headed over to Gram's to show her Reese in her dress because she got it for her, so we got our family photo there!

Then we headed out to Nana and Papa Young's house for lunch with Erin, Scott, and Madilynn. And of course, we had to get a photo shoot with the girls in their Easter dresses! Reese was too funny though, she wouldn't really sit there and pose for the camera, she was too busy crawling over the couch and Madilynn. She made us laugh quite a bit that day! She also found it a bit hard to crawl in her little dress, but was quite amused by it.

A Fresh Breath of Texas

2008-04-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when Haley told me that they were making a trip our way! I missed them so much and needed a Pennington fix. We met them in DC and headed to the zoo because we figured the girls would enjoy that, now that they were old enough to somewhat understand what was going on.

It is so great to have friends that you can just pick up where you left off. It was like we had gone out of town for a week and were back, conversation didn't skip a beat.

Of course not too far in, it was time for the girls to eat, so we gave them a little something to munch on. Getting the food ready was quite interesting. Apparently I was not going fast enough for Miss Reese and she started crying loud enough where I'm sure it was like, "does that woman not feed her daughter?!" But once the food hit the tray, all was well.

It was so funny seeing them together and how much they had developed since the last time we were together. No more baby food, they were eating on their own, which they'd been doing for a while, it was just fun to see it together!

The girls were beat by the end of the zoo visit. We were so glad that fell asleep though, I think they look pretty comfy.

Here are a couple pictures of the girls. The first is on the metro and the 2nd is outside while we were waiting to tour the White House. The tour of the White House was fun. Andy ended up having to wait outside because we had strollers and couldn't take them, so we carried the girls. Let me tell ya, after a while, Reese got a little heavy! I took a cup in there with us to give her something to play with in case she got restless, but she ended up throwing it into one of the display rooms. I gave the security guy this look of, "well crap, that's mine and I don't know how to get it back." Luckily, he gave it back to us. Needless to say, Reese did not get that toy back.

Here we are outside of the White House (in case you couldn't tell!)

Here are some fun pictures after we walked around for a little while.

After our adventures that day, we headed back to Lonnie and Barbara's to rest up before dinner. The girls had quite a bit of fun with the exercise equipment. The 2nd picture is of Reese and all her bruisings from the day. It was pretty rough.

Of course, we had to try to get the group picture. So here are all of our tries. Did we ever get one where we were all looking or no one had their hands out to get the girls to look? haha

Good Clean Teeth

2008-04-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is from Reese's first time brushing her teeth. Sorry I didn't put it up before, but it is here now!! She loves it!! The doctor had mentioned that we might need to give her the toothbrush after each meal to get used to it and so she could hold on to it to get used to the idea, but i tell ya, she knows exactly what to do and LOVES IT!!

She had fun getting into everything as I loaded up the toothbrush with toothpaste.

She did really well and wanted to take over right away, but I figured I should actually brush her teeth and then let her play!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-04-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Our church, Centerpointe Church, put on a community Easter Egg Hunt/block party March 16th. We were praying that we would have 50 people show up, but God brought about 100 more than that!! We were so excited and I think everyone had a good time. We had bounce houses, face painting, popcorn, nachos, drinks, games, and music. It was a little chilly, but no rain!!!

Reese even had a good time with her first egg hunt!

Reese enjoyed opening and closing the eggs after she came back inside.

Here we are with our first banner!! We were pretty excited! God did an amazing thing that day and we are praying that the people we met will develop into relationships so that we are able to share the Gospel with them!

Birthday Party

2008-03-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

We had Reese's birthday party one week later. We had a good crowd there, but did miss both grandpa's. Here are some pictures to enjoy!

My mom always made our birthday cakes and I thought it would be fun to do the same. So here is a picture of the big one everyone ate, and a picture of the top of Reese's little one she once again enjoyed. We did the pattern to match the cups and napkins. I have to say, I thought it turned out very well for being my first cake. (thanks mom for showing me how!)

We played a game first where we passed around pieces of paper and had a certain amount of time to draw something about Reese and everyone had to add to the previous picture. I would post those, but frankly, they are rather scary. So we'll just skip to her opening some gifts! She got some pretty good gifts, but she loved the farm from Cindy. It was pretty hard to get her to concentrate on the other gifts after we opened that one!! And it was the 2nd one!!

One of our friends decided that his portion of Reese's gift should be a recorder!! Holy crud! I have not seen one of those since 4th grade! Now I loved it, but I'm not so sure a 1 year old playing it will be the same as a 4th grader! She hasn't grasped the concept of it yet and loves to play the wrong it, which right now is great! But everytime I try to show her how to play it, she loses insterest. I guess she just likes the wrong way! We were able to get a picture of her playing the correct way though!! After the gifts we had cake! I knew she would like it since she already enjoyed a cupcake the previous week, but it was fun to watch her again!

The fun thing was that she pretty much had her feet crossed the whole time. This is her favorite way to sit. It's the funniest thing to see, I just think it's too cute! We brought out the big cake after she had already started. Apparently her own cake was not enough, so she tried to get into the big one as well! You can see in the 2nd picture as we are laughing because she got a little swipe of it!

I eventually had to take the cake away from her. I'm pretty sure that if I had not, she would have eaten the whole thing!! I was glad she enjoyed it, but I didn't think she would enjoy the upset tummy that would have followed had she eatedn the entire cake!

I tried to take a few pics of the decorations. I didn't get any of the cups or napkins, but they look just like the big balloon!!

Oh my gosh, she's 1 year old!!!!

2008-03-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that my little baby girl is actually 1 year old!!! The year really went by so quickly. It's one of those things that people will tell you, "it really does go by fast, just wait, she'll be married before you know it" but it really DOES go by fast!!

We were supposed to have her birthday party on her actual birthday (20th), but she had been sick and I got sick the day before, so we cancelled not wanting to get anyone else sick. Well of course we both felt better the next day so we had our parents over for a little celebration. She had a great time and it was fun watching her with her little cupcake! Oh my goodness, she loves icing!! Here are some pictures from the evening!

We decided that we would pick a flower for Reese so that each year we would get her a flower for each year, she her flower is a tulip.However, as you can tell, we just got a little bundle this year, next year she will get 2 flowers.

Andy and I bought her the Animal Sounds Leap Frog toy for the fridge and she seemed to really like it. She kept wanting to get it out of the box, so we opened it and took a detour to the fridge for a while.

Then we brought out the cupcake! I didn't want her to have too much cake since she was just getting over being sick, but everyone needs a little something on their birthday!! So here she is with her little cupcake. I do believe she likes it!

She took her first taste and then realized, hey, this is really good! So she went back for more, and more, and more!!

I thought she might play with it a little bit, but she was more concerned about getting it in her mouth before we took it away!! Luckily, the sugar did not seem to affect her and she still slept well that night and didn't get sick at all!!

Valentine's Day and the Dog

2008-02-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

Reese celebrated her 1st Valentine's Day (although it should have been her 2nd!! but as we all know, she was a week late!)

As you will also see in the pictures, there is a dog. Her name is Taylor. We drove to OH to get her because she does not shed!! That was my only stipulation with getting a dog, I didn't want dog hair everywhere. So here she is. The non-shedding Taylor.

WV Basketball

2008-02-26T22:17:00.001-08:00

We went to a WV vs Marshall basketball game in January and had a great time. Reese really got into the game as you can tell.

Since we didn't go to WVU or Marshall, we decided to have our family stay impartial, so we all wore our Shepherd University shirts!

I don't even know what happened here, I believe she paid more attention than I did!!

Dolls

2008-02-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

Reese has been learning how to "love" things, meaning hugging and kissing and being gentle.

So I showed her how to rock her baby doll and give it a hug and she caught on rather quickly.

She has two dolls, so she had one and I had one, but she soon wanted them both so she could "love" them both.

Chef Boyardee

2008-02-26T22:05:00.001-08:00

As you can tell, he's a hit with Reese!

I had to feed her the last couple bites because she enjoyed playing in the sauce so much.