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.