Back 2 Back

Well, once again, Kevin is smiling and running to get the State paper first thing in the morning. Anyone who knows Kevin knows he's a big Carolina Gamecock fan. However, Kevin has 2 sports that he cares about football and baseball and he only cares about the Gamecocks. I am so thankful that Kevin's not a big crazy sports fan like some men are that I know, meaning he doesn't have to watch it all the time and he only watches games when the Gamecocks are playing. Over the past week and a half Kevin's been the last one to go to bed for a change. He's had to be careful not to yell in the result of awaking Madalyn; so that's been a challenge. He was very excited that the Gamecocks won the national championship again; however he said that it wasn't as exciting this year as it was like year. He said the reason was because they won last year, so it wasn't as big of a deal and he was now use to winning. He also said it was because he knew by the 3rd inning that they had won so it wasn't a dramatic finish like the Monday night game. However, going to Aiken last night to look for a microwave, he made me drive because last year the day after they won, he got pulled so he didn't want to risk it. The really funny thing is that it cost us the same for a microwave as it did for his speeding ticket last year. So he said that he could afford that price each year if it meant the Gamecocks won each year.

Lightning Struck!

Yesterday afternoon, we had a horrible thunderstorm hit us. We needed the rain very badly, but all the thunder and lightning, especially the lightning, we could do without. About 2:30 yesterday, I started to hear the rumble of thunder and I checked outside and it looked dark over town, and I wondered if we would get it. I checked the weather and it said only 50% chance, but the radar showed that it was coming our way. In the next 30 minutes it started raining, thundering, and lightning. The lightning was popping like crazy. I was sitting in the floor with Madalyn and Abby, trying to stay away from the windows. (I'm not crazy about storms in the first place, and I have great respect for lightning.) Madalyn started to get fussy and I got up to change her diaper. Before I could get to her room, this flash of orange lit up my house and then there was the loudest pop of lightning I have ever heard. I screamed and ran into my bedroom. I sat on the floor in between our bed and the wall, the only place in our house besides the closest that doesn't have windows. Madalyn was crying, I was crying, Abby was sitting in between my legs, and she was shaking. We were all scared to death. I kept on petting Abby saying, it's ok Abby, it's ok; praying that it would be. The lightning continued to pop and just wicked stuff. This lasted for 1 solid hour. Then it was another hour before the thunder and lightning finally went away completely. We found out that the lightning got our microwave-so off to Lowe's or Home Depot tonight to look for a new microwave. It got Madalyn's swing-didn't think to unplug that during the storm. We are going to see if it will work with just batteries, but I have my doubts. And my alarm clock is gone. I got it when I was a Senior in high school or just going into college, but that's no big deal. And the alarm clock in our guest bedroom is gone; again no big deal. And thankfully nothing worse than that. We just hope over the next few days or weeks that nothing else goes out. Kevin called our insurance man this morning to let him know what happened. I tell you, I have never experienced something like that before, so thankfully all 3 of us are safe, and I hope not to go through that again, I was so scared. Thankfully too, the house didn't catch on fire or a tree fall on the house, that was my other worry during the storm, me having to get all of us out of the house and safely with the lightning still going on. God kept us safe; praise Him!

Nap Time

This afternoon, my mom changed Madalyn's diaper, and then put her in her crib while she was doing something and the next thing she knew, Madalyn had turned over on her side and went to sleep. This is the first time Madalyn has taken a nap or slept in her crib. She's growing up fast and becoming a big girl!

Pictures Take Two

Since Madalyn didn't want her picture made yesterday at Heather's, I decided that I would go back over there and try to get some pictures on my own. I got a little bit better results with her smiling a little more. And I was able to change her outfit (which I was going to do yesterday but she showed us she wanted no part in that.) and get a few pictures. But she still wasn't wanting to smile as much as she would normally. Here's the best from my photo session with her today.

But once again, her fingers, hands, or dress was always in her mouth!


Here's a few pictures that we got without something in her mouth.

A Sneak Peek

Yesterday, Brantley came down to take Madalyn's 3 months pictures. Madalyn did not want to have her picture made at all. We went over to my sister-in-law, Heather's house to have some pictures made in her backyard. Madalyn didn't want to smile, she kept her dress in her mouth or her hands at all times. She then she got hungry so I fed her but that didn't help her mood. Then we moved to a different spot and she decided she was hot and she was done. So we headed back to our house. We took a few pictures on the front porch and some with her inside on the floor. But she just wasn't in the mood to have her picture made; and what can you do with a 3 month old that doesn't want to smile, absolutely nothing! Ha, ha!

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

I had a surprise today when Kevin came home for lunch....he came home carrying flowers! A beautiful bouquet of a dozen white roses with tiny white daises mixed in. How sweet is he! And we exchanged cards and we both picked out blue cards with hearts on them. And the message inside the cards were similar as well; great minds think alike!

Since we couldn't go out for a romantic dinner, I cooked one instead. Each year on our anniversary I pull out our "good" china to use. It seems that so far, we haven't been able to go out to eat actually on our anniversary for some reason or another, and end up spending the night in.

Here I am hard at work cooking for my hubby. What am I cooking you ask? Hamburger steak, fried squash and zucchini, and speckled butter beans, with eclair pie for dessert.


Happy 3rd Anniversary! When Kevin was asking the blessing, he prayed for us to celebrate 85 more. I don't know that we will make it that far, but we will do our best to get as close to that goal as we can! Love ya, Babe!

Happy 3!

Today, our family gets to celebrate the number 3! What do you mean, you ask? Today is Kevin and my 3 year anniversary and Madalyn is 3 months old.

3 years ago on June 21st, Kevin and I were married. Wow! How the time flies! This 3rd year of marriage had been a challenge for us; not our marriage, but we both have had so many challenges with our jobs. Kevin has worked harder than he ever has with this flock. He's had so much trouble and problems with these chickens. But at the same time, he has gotten the egg production to the highest it has ever been. He's had to work 7 days a week; and that can really wear on someone not having a day off and the hours he keeps (5-7). He's had so many problems with employees as well. For me, this school year was the toughest since my 1st and 2nd year. I had a very immature class, who didn't care about anything. They didn't care about their grades, if they got in trouble and had no respect for me. I had more write-ups, parent phone calls, and parent meetings than I've ever had. And it didn't do any good. My poor Sub even had parents come in and sit with the kids to try help with their behavior, but that didn't work for long. If I didn't have this year cut short due to having Madalyn, I was on the edge of loosing my mind. But God has gotten both of us through and He will continue to see us through. Happy 3rd Anniversary, Kevin! I love you and I am so blessed to be married to you. There's no one else that's more perfect for me than you. Thank you for a wonderful 3 years of marriage. I look forward to celebrating many, many more anniversaries with you.


3 months ago today, Miss Madalyn came into this world. Boy, has she changed since that 21st day of March. Kevin and I have been so blessed to have this precious little girl in our lives. My, how things have changed around our house. You know, you realize how selfish of a person you are once you have a child; because once they get here, it's all about them and their needs and when they need it, no matter what you have planned; and they become your whole world. But then again, to be a great parent, you wouldn't have it any other way. We are rejoicing with her milestone accomplishments, yet sad how fast she is growing up. Happy 3 months old Madalyn! We love you so much and can't imagine our lives now without you!

Here's what she is up to now:
-She rolled over on Friday, June 17th, but she hasn't rolled over since. But she tries every time I put her down in the rain forest or crib.
-She is holding her head up higher and better when on her belly.
-She is smiling and giggles more.
-She is starting to take naps more on her own (meaning to get a good nap, I don't have to hold her)
-She is watching TV; with me I will put her in her bouncy seat and she will watch Sesame Street; with Kevin, she is watching the college world series for baseball games.
-She is really enjoying bath time; she kicks and splashes.
-She still enjoys her stroller and we still have to stroll every night; if the weather is too bad outside, we stroll inside.

Happy 1st Father's Day!

My parents and Papa came down yesterday, and we had a good weekend with them down here. We didn't have anything pressing to do; which is very unusual and it was just a nice relaxing weekend. We got a few pictures before they had to leave; but it was so hot and humid outside and as you can see, Madalyn wasn't thrilled with the picture taking.


Happy Father's Day, Kevin! I know this is your favorite job title that you have ever had;being "dad". Thank you for loving Madalyn so much and being a great dad to her. I know you and her will share some very special times in the future. I love you!


Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Thank you for all you do for me, Kevin, and now Madalyn. You have always been a great dad and I'm so blessed to have a dad like you! I love you!

Happy 1st Father's Day! Papa's first father's day as a great grand pa, my dad's first father's day as a grand pa, and Kevin's first father's day.

Happy Father's Day, Papa! Thank you for all that you have done for me, Kevin, and now Madalyn. You are very special to us and we are so glad you got to come down and visit with us. I love you!

2 Firsts

On Friday, June 17th, Madalyn had two firsts.

The 1st first of the day: She rolled over for the first time at 12 weeks! (For mother's day, Kevin gave me some money to get a camcorder and so I got in about 2 weeks ago. It's amazing how small they are now and what all they can do; like I can take movies or still pics.) All last week, every time I would lay Madalyn down, she was rolling to her side and acting like she was going to turn over. I would grab the camcorder and start filming. Friday, once again I grabbed the camcorder and starting filiming. And wouldn't you know, just as soon as I turned the camera off, she flipped! So, I quickly turned it back on. She hasn't turn over again yet, and when I know how to work my camcorder a little better, I will post the video.

The 2nd first of the day: We had a Skype converation with Nana and Grand Dad (my mom and dad.) My laptop that I got for Christmas has a camera built in, so my dad just got one for their computer and we got everything ready Friday night and we had our first Skype call. It was so neat! Kevin was like, I can see now that instead of a nightly call, this will be our new nightly thing.

Our Day

Our day today began at 5:30 am with Madalyn ready to eat, then at 6:30 am she was back asleep, so Madalyn, Abby, and I were back in bed. Kevin, unfortunately, had left for work at 5:00, so he didn't get to join us. Then Madalyn slept until 9:30 am.

We tried out our bumbo for the first time today, and look whose sitting up like a big girl! She kind of has that deer in the headlights look though.


She got tired of her tummy time today in the rain forest and took a 30 minute nap.


Then we went on our evening stroller ride; but the bugs were so bad tonight, we had to cut it short and Madalyn's not to happy about that. This was the first time we had to cut it short due to the bugs. I have one of those OFF! fans that we hang on the stroller and that normally keeps them away, but not tonight for some reason.

This is always the end result of our stroller ride, even on a short night like tonight.

God painted us a beautiful sunset to enjoy tonight.

In the Rain Forest

What is Madalyn up to these days?
-She will be 12 weeks old tomorrow and will be 3 months old June 21st (our 3 year anniversary!)

-she is now sleeping about 7-8 hours a night. She is going down somewhere within the hour of 10. Some nights it's 5:30 when she gets up, yesterday it was 8:00 when she woke up and we had two days of 7:00 this past week.

-Our bedtime routine begins with a stroll around our yard, then if it's time to eat, she gets her bottle, if not then we take a bath and then get our bottle.

-She's becoming so alert and holding her head up very well. She's smiling and cooing more and drooling more. :0)

-She is still loving anything that moves and loves to be outside, which is hard to do until late in the evenings with the weather as hot as it is.


One day I got a surprise email from one of my cousins, and they had sent Madalyn a gift card to Amazon as a baby gift. I really wanted to use the money wisely and get things that she would need for her next stage of development in line of toys. One thing that was on my registry was an activity center and I didn't get it. So, that was the first thing that I ordered for her and I'm so glad that I did. She has really started to enjoy it. The theme of the activity center is a rain forest and it plays music, has lights, and different toys that rattle and she can play with. Every day Madalyn gets time in her "rain forest". She starts off on her back and then she has some tummy time. She has really started raising her head more on her tummy now. She's always done it, since we got home from the hospital when someone holds her, but you can tell she is developing more and more.

Last night, Kevin was watching the Carolina baseball game and had both his girls with him. I think it looks like Madalyn is cheering in this picture.

Last Day of School

Today is the official last day of school. The students' last day was Wednesday, they had two half days; Tuesday and Wednesday. Then the teachers had two work days. I have spent the last two days packing up my classroom. Next year I'm going to be teaching 2nd grade again. I taught 2nd for the first three years and have been in 3rd for the past 3 years. I'm excited about going back to 2nd. It will be a nice change and fun to move into a new room and get it all set up. However, during the summer they are going to be doing a lot of work to our school because it was flooded during some of the bad storms we had the end of April first of May. I won't be able to start getting my room ready until that it completed and I don't know when that will be. So my plan is to do the computer and paper work part of getting things ready throughout the summer. Since I have been out of school for the past 9 weeks, I feel rested and ready to go. However, I will admit, that when I came home Tuesday, Madalyn, Abby, and I took a 2 hour nap. It's been a trial run for us this week with Madalyn going to Mrs. Katie's' (Kevin's mom) and us getting her ready along with ourselves. However, I didn't have lesson plans and papers to grade this week. Most of the time by today, I'm so ready for a break I can hardly stand it. But like I said, I just got my summer vacation, so I'm ready to work. At the same time, this was an extremely hard year and so I'm glad it's over.

Memorial Weekend

Thursday, May 26th: Kevin, Madalyn and I headed to Greer. My best friend, Lindsey, had her baby on Wednesday, May 25th. "Mason" Timothy Riddley was born at 3:30 pm, he was 7.1 lbs. and 20 inches long. Mason was 4 days past his due date to coming, he was due the 21st. Mason also had a dramatic entrance to this world and a very scary one as well. Lindsey was pushing and Mason's heartbeat started to drop. The doctor had to quickly pull him out, then once he got out, his heart stopped. The doctor immediately called for backup and they had to do CPR on him, and thank you Lord, Mason is doing just fine now and is still with us. What Kevin and I experienced with Madalyn and the car seat was something I will never forget, but we both can't imagine going through what Lindsey and her husband Tim went through just as Mason was born. A little miracle he was! I hope to have pictures to come later. Both Lindsey and Mason are doing well now.

Friday, May 27th: Kevin, Madalyn and I went over to my Papa's house to spend some time with him. Then we headed to the lake with my parents to spend the weekend and Memorial day with them.

Here is Big "Ray" holding little "Rae"

Madalyn in her bathing suit. It was a bit big on her and we didn't take her to the water, she's way too little. But I had to get her picture in her suit since it was her first time to the lake.

This picture cracks me up! Lil' Miss Diva Hollywood

I didn't realize this boat was in the background when I took this picture; but how fitting for Memorial Day to have the flag flying in the background.

Kevin on one ski

We found this tree one night when we were taking a boat ride and I had to come back the next day and get a picture.


In case you can't tell, her shirt reads "born in 2011"; not many babies get to wear this outfit.

After all the excitement of coming to the lake, Madalyn and Grand Dad look wore out and as you can see Madalyn decided to take a nap.