Finally decided on what the kids would be for Halloween. Colby chose to be a doctor, Meredith was a train engineer, and Natalie went as a lion (some may recognize Nat's outfit because it was Colby's costume on his first Halloween). We trunk-or-treated at our church, Eastwood Baptist, then had dinner at Mom and Dad's house. Well, the adults ate dinner. Colby and Meredith ate candy, then didn't want any. Enjoy the pictures!!

Times are busy!!

Seems like I never have a spare moment to sit down and write one of these things, but I guess while all three kids are sleeping, I should type up as much as I can.

Last week was Fall break. Colby has been out of preschool since Friday the 2nd. Everyone involved is ready for his return tomorrow, haha. Colby needs some interaction from friends and playmates his own age rather than the television, and Ryan could probably use a break. It doesn't matter for me, really, as I work the days Colby is in preschool, but I can tell the effects of being stuck at the house all day is having on him. He'll be glad to be back at learning.

Everyone has asked me what the kids will be for Halloween this year. As of today, I have yet to decide. I tell everyone that I won't be able to top last year when Colby went as Charlie Brown and Meredith went as his sister Sally. I have considered Tom and Jerry since both Colby and Meredith both enjoy the cartoon, but the costumes are atrocious, so that's probably a no-go. I intend to go costume shopping 'for serious' this weekend and maybe will have made a decision at that point. As for now, enjoy this picture from last year's Halloween night!




As for little Natalie, who was not even sitting up at last post, or much of anything, she has had an eventful few weeks. She has started crawling, she sprouted two teeth (the bottom two), is waving, clapping her hands, sitting up on her own and even on her knees, and is pulling up to her feet! We were never concerned that she was behind on her milestones, and as predicted by these two practiced parents, did EVERYTHING suddenly at the same time. She's a sweety!

Mercy!! Things have been beyond busy around here lately. I had intended on posting a couple blogs between the last one and now about Meredith's second birthday and Colby's first day of preschool, but haven't found the time. I'll give the condensed version here.

Meredith had her second birthday party on August 1st, the Saturday before her actual birthday. Most of the day was spend moving my mom and dad from their apartment to their new rental house, but a party took place later in the evening, complete with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake and a small grill fire. She and Colby enjoyed the day by playing with all their cousins since Leslie, Terry and their family drove up from Florida for the week, and Eric, Emily, and their girls drove over from Sebree. It's a good thing Mom and Dad's new place has a huge yard.

Colby started preschool on Monday, August 10th. He's attending a Presbyterian Church preschool in downtown Bowling Green and L.O.V.E.S. it! Ryan and I bought a camcorder for our 5 year anniversary the Friday prior, but I didn't get a chance to take good footage since, in typical fashion, we were late. Colby walked into his classroom and never looked back. I am beyond happy that he is enjoying his first school experience, and haven't looked back either, haha! Most people would see this as a sad experience of, 'My baby's growing up and getting so big!' However, I am glad to have my baby out of the house for a few hours a day, and although love Colby and I feel that my baby is growing up and getting so big, he and I need some time apart.

The week after Colby started preschool, I re-entered the work force. I'm working a few hours a week at the office that Ryan works out of. Last semester, I took a Social Work class that required 15 hours during the semester of volunteer community service work, and I opted to do mine at the Family Works office (the name of the company Ryan works for). I told the office manager if she ever needed some help to let me know, in an effort to put my name out there since I knew she would need someone to fill the position shortly. When the girl that held this position went back to school (the boss's daughter), I recieved a call from the office manager asking me back. So I guess my subtle hints paid off, ha. The office manager keeps telling people I did an internship last semester when introducing me to therapists and service coordinators, and it sounds better than volunteer work, so I haven't corrected her.

Tomorrow I will begin two classes, which should be my last, but we will see if they are at the end of the semester. I should be graduating in December with both my degrees in History and Psychology, but only time will tell. I've finished up my History requirements and will be taking two Psychology classes. I go to church and am aquaintances with one of my professors, so I'm hoping I don't fail the class for the sheer fact that it would be incredibly embarassing, besides the fact that I need it to graduate. Ah, well, we'll see.

This weekend is Labor Day weekend, and WKU is playing UT in Knoxville. Ryan and I scored some tickets to the game and are looking forward to attending the season opener. I am soooo ready for some football, but probably in a few short weeks, I will be over it. I'm not sure how Western is shaping up, but if last season is any indication, it's not going to be pretty. But I will be able to enjoy some friends and family who are planning on tailgating, so maybe that will make it worth while!

Goodness, that's a lot going on here! I'll work on getting pictures put up and staying on top of this blog a little better. Right now I have to go wrestle a bottle of lotion away from Meredith and start dinner. Hmm, what should we have?

A few weeks ago this family took a trip to Gulf Shores for a much needed vacation from our old Kentucky home. It was a fun trip with visits to friends and with family on the beach. We took a detour through Enterprise to visit with two old friends from high school (mine) who were expecting their first baby. Ashley and Kyle are stationed in Enterprise while Kyle is in flight school at Ft. Rucker. When he is finished they will return to Somerset, but it took them moving to Alabama for us to get together, haha. This is NOT how Ashley and I looked in high school.



After a fun afternoon eating pizza and playing at the park, we travel a while longer to make it to Gulf Shores, but not after Meredith yelled and screamed due to cabin fever, Natalie whined and cried, and Colby sang, "The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid." We were glad to arrive!

The week passed with Pawpaw, Nan, Melissa, and Katie quickly, but not before all of us had sunburn (except Natalie, who did get pink on the cheeks), much seafood, and more sand than I care to get out of our shoes and clothes for a while. While there, Meredith had a birthday party where she got bubbles, blocks, and her very own tank engine, Molly! Of course she had to fight Colby for it but he's letting her play with it more now.



While in Gulf Shores, we took a trip to the local zoo which, I must confess, was smaller but much better than the Nashville Zoo. Colby had a great time but Meredith had some issues staying with Ryan and I. We finally got her attention when we visited the goats and deer, where she was able to feed them animal puffs. Yum! In Colby and Meredith form, they fed the animals. Colby had to warm up to the idea, so he spent the first few minutes with his fingers in his ears. Fearless Meredith immediately gave the food to the animals and laughed hysterically when they showed enthusiasm and climbed the gates after her. Natalie checked it all out when she woke up from her nap.






Also, Colby and Meredith went on 'The Dolphin Express' (actually, it was a different boat, but since The Dolphin Express was being advertised outside the condo, that's what Colby called it) in search of dolphins with Pawpaw and Nan. They found some, but unfortunately Colby lost his cap in the process, so he came home with a different one. The story goes that there is now a dolphin in the ocean wearing Colby's old cap.

Hmm, what to do today? Meredith and Natalie are napping and Colby is enjoying some cartoons while I type this and decide what we will do today. Probably play in the sprinklers. Considering the heat, that might be the best option.

Ryan got ahold of the camera a few nights ago and took some pictures of the kids. It's probably the second time he's used the camera since we got it a couple years ago. Something about not knowing how the zoom works or some excuse like that, haha! I have very few pictures of myself, and it is because of this very reason!


Natalie had her 6 month check-up a couple weeks ago. She weighed in at 14 lbs. and was 26 inches long. Tall and skinny! She's been rolling all over the house and babbles and yells constantly. Ryan finally won a round; she made the 'dada' sound first!

Happy Independence Day!! This weekend has been all kinds of fun! Yesterday, Ryan took the day off and he, Colby, Meredith, and I went to the water park for the first time this summer. The water was freezing!! Colby had a blast as usual, but Meredith was just too tired. She started out strong but faded over the next couple hours, so we only stayed for a little while.

Today was a busy day. We celebrated the holiday with cleaning and house maintenance. Ryan mowed the lawn and hung out clothes while I washed them and tried to entertain the girls. Colby spent most of the afternoon doing man work outside, following Ryan pushing the push mower with his own makeshift mower (a play grocery cart) behind him. Ryan said the neighbor drove by and he could see her laughing at them. I made lunch, and also some poppyseed chicken to eat on next week, as well as the fixins for a couple lasagnas to go in the freezer.

We're passing on the fireworks this year since it rained this afternoon and the forecast was for it to continue into the evening. We would like to have gone to the WKU extravaganza, but are just too tired and don't feel like being killed by an irresponsible drunk driver (it is the Fourth, you know). Safest to stay home, haha!

Well, the thunder is rolling, which solidifies our decision to skip the works and stay home. Happy Fourth!!

OH MY, MY!!! What a busy weekend! The kids' cousins, Audrey and Kendell, came to visit. My brother Eric and sister-in-law Emily, the girls' parents, went on a vacation weekend to Savannah, Ga and left the girls with my parents, and I must say, I've about decided that three children is my personal limit. Audrey and Kendell came to our house on Friday where everyone except Natalie played in the slip-n-slide and sand box. We were outside for several hours and got LOTS of sun. Colby and Audrey are tight friends, so they spent much time playing with each other, running and chasing each other. Meredith tried running with the 'big dogs' and kept up well! Little Kendell, who will be 1 year old in just a few days and who has recently started walking, took a couple nose dives into the pool of the slip-n-slide, but managed to keep her face out of the water and laughed when it happened. Natalie mostly stayed inside in the cool and played in the floor. Much fun was had by all.

Saturday, Ryan and I took Colby, Audrey, and Meredith shopping in the severe heat, which was a mistake. The shopping was fun; the putting three kids in car seats three or four times in 90-100 degree weather was not so much. However, the day was made worth it when we ate at the food court in the mall and spied on Western's basketball team, haha! At least it was a big deal for Ryan.

Sunday went well when all 5 kids were asleep at one time for about 30 minutes (thank the Lord for small miracles), and Monday was the birthday party! Since Audrey will be 4 on July 9th and Kendell will be 1 on July 7th, we had a party complete with balloons, two birthday cakes, and one messy 1 year old. Eric and Emily made it to BG in time for the party.

WOW!! June already!! And Father's Day, no less. Time sure does fly when you have three little ones running rampant through the house, and trying to get out of it, and running around the yard...

As of now, Colby is 4 1/2, Meredith is 22 months, and Natalie is 5 1/2 months old. Colby is still into trains and insists that he's a conductor, unless he's chosen to be a tractor man, a golf man, or some other kind of man because he's seen something else of interest that day. Today, though, he's a terror. He is currently fighting with Meredith over who knows what. I think it may have to do with his lack of rest this weekend since we went to my Aunt Renee's house for a Father's Day family lunch and swam yesterday. He's a fish. He loves to swim and is great at it as long as he has his water wings!

Meredith is quickly becoming a fish as well! She does almost as well as her big brother in the pool and wore water wings for what I guess was the first time (although I could be wrong). She hasn't learned the art of the doggy paddle, but has floating down to a science. She thought she was big enough to jump in like her older cousins (12 and 11) without her wings, but Ryan redirected her since she isn't one of the big dogs yet.

Sweet Natalie is content to lie in the floor and play. She hasn't been swimming yet but i'm sure she'll enjoy it. She has found her voice and is competing with her older siblings here in the noise factory; she seems to be winning. Colby and Meredith both went through the stage where they learned to squeal and scream, but I don't remember it being this loud.

Monday was Ryan's birthday. We wanted to go to the water park but Meredith had hand/foot/mouth disease and was still contageous, plus it was suppose to rain, so we weren't going to make it. To compensate, I got him a slip n' slide for his birthday and he, Colby, and Meredith played on it for a looooong time. Natalie watched from her bouncy seat and I made lunch (hamburgers, mac & cheese, fries, broccoli and cheese; yum). After lunch, I tried to light up ryan's cake, but Meredith kept blowing the flame from the lighter out before I could light the candles. Ryan had to hold her back to keep her from blowing all of them out. Colby sang the birthday song. Before I could cut the cake Meredith stuck her fingers in it and Colby the follower followed her lead, so we just wiped off our forks and ate from the community cake. I guess it works though; it was great cake!

As stated before, today is Father's Day. We went to church where Ryan sang in the Men's Choir, ate at Ryan's (haha), then went to Wal-Mart so I could pick up Ryan's gift, then came home and lounged all afternoon. It's been an excellent day!