I'm Back

For the past week I have been sick. I started feeling bad last Friday evening. Madalyn woke up that night at 2:00 (we believe that her teeth were bothering her. That's the first time since she was like a month old that she has woken up during the night). I got up with her and I was so nausea feeling that I had to put her back in her crib after an hour of trying to get her back to sleep. Kevin got up with her and she finally went down around 4:00. Then she was back up at 6:00 and I felt even worse. I still had the nausea feeling, a headache, running constantly to the bathroom, you name it, I had it. We said that I had sinus/stomach bug. Saturday night I was running a fever. I went to school Monday, but couldn't make it and was on my way home by 8:00 that morning. Then I shared my germs with Kevin and he came home early from work and was sick with the stomach bug, running a fever. Madalyn had her first sleep over at Meme and Pop's house. Then the rest of the week I have struggled with a cold and I'm not 100% back yet, but I think I'm getting there.

You can't put Madalyn down without her pulling up on something. These were taken last weekend when I was sick.

My happy girl!

Happy Veteran's Day!

For most of you, you are still cozy and snug in your beds as I am awake at 3:47 and have been awake now going on for two hours. I have tried and tried to go back to sleep, but I just have too many things rolling around in my head. Or it could be the excitement of not having school tomorrow. Tomorrow or today really, is Veterans' Day... which as a kid, it's hard to comprehend what that means; but as an adult you begin to understand. I just wanted to say thank you to all those men and women who have severed or who are still serving for our country. It doesn't matter if you have seen action or not, you still gave of your time (no matter if you volunteered or the if you were made to volunteer) and you still knew the risk you were taking. We, I, could not enjoy the freedoms that I have if it wasn't for you. Thank you!

For the Veteran's in my family:

1. My Dad-served in the National Guard. He spent most of his time in New Jersey, where the winter's are colder than anything we in the South have yet to experience.

2. My Papa-served in the Army during WWII. He was the first wave to hit Normandy and ended up being a medic and following General Patton around. He has seen and experienced things that none of us could begin to imagine.

3. My Papa Pick-served in the Army during WWII also.

4. My Uncle Bobby-served in the Army during the Korea War.

5. My Uncle Dan-served in Germany.

6. My childhood best friend, Rhett-served in the Army and spent most of his time around here with the Cost Guard.

7. My best friend from college, Noelle, her husband Dee, is still serving in the Army Reserves and just got back from about a 6 month leave over seas.

81st Birthday for Grandma Thelma

Today we celebrated Kevin's grandmother, Mrs. Thelma or Grandma Thelma to most, 81st birthday. Mrs. Katie (Kevin's mom) with the help of her sister Wanda, planned a surprise birthday party for her today. (Tomorrow is her actual birthday). And if you can't tell from this picture she was very surprised and grateful.

She is blessed to be surrounded today by family and friends that love her very much. She has many grands (7 grands) and many more great-grands (10 great-grands).


There was a big blow up slide and jumpy for the little kids and us big kids too had to join in. (Jared and Kayla on the slide)

Hunter in his coon cap. It was a bit windy out.

My precious little one. Love that smile and her expression! She is doing her favorite thing...bouncy, bouncy, bouncy!

4 Generations: Mrs. Katie, Madalyn, Kevin, and Grandma Thelma

4 Generations on the other side: Kevin, Madalyn, Mrs. Kitty, and Mr. Tim

Some of these pictures were taken by me and the others by Brantley. (As you can see the ones that are more professional looking are done by Brantley.)

Play Time

I have been trying to teach Madalyn how to play Peek-A-Boo and patty cake. With patty cake, she will put both of her hands around mine and try to push my hands together. In these pictures we are playing, "Where did Madalyn go?" There she is! She just smiles and laughs!

Happy Halloween!

Last weekend Madalyn was 7 months old. Here is what she is up to:

-a very busy little bee. She doesn't sit still, do not expect to put her in one spot and she will stay there.

-if there is something that she wants and it doesn't matter where in the room it is, she can get to it.

-she has started pulling up; she did it 3 times last week at Mrs. Katie's but Kevin and I haven't seen it yet.

-she has become very vocal and to Kevin's delight is saying "dada" over and over.

-she is a wiggle worm when it comes to changing her now; in fact she has been moved to the floor this weekend after she almost took a nose dive off the changing table with me. Thankfully I caught her before the rest of her body went over. Scared me!

*OH, and Thursday evening I got the report back from Madalyn's allergy testing and everything she was tested for came back negative. So the doctor said that she was going back with what she thought before it was viral hives. However, Mrs. Katie gave Madalyn squash on Friday since we had gotten the ok, and it messed her little system up. She was spitting up a good bit and had an upset tummy. So, even though the test was negative I think we still stay away from squash and pears for now. But Kevin and I were so thankfully the test came back negative, but we will still be keeping a close eye on her when we start her on a new food.

Madalyn celebrated her first Halloween. She really didn't have much of a costume this year. I looked and looked for something but I never found anything that I really liked for her to wear. So she went as a "Diva Farmer". Mrs. Katie had a "Halloween/Fall" party this evening. There were lots of people there and the kids wore their costumes. We had hot dogs, chips, dessert, and the kids rode on a hay ride and got to trick or treat. It was too cold outside for Madalyn so we skipped the hay ride this year, but it was a nice time. However, when we left the bigger kids were continuing to dive into their candy and you could tell the sugar was kicking in.

My Diva Farmer with her John Deere shirt, zipper boots, pink overalls (which were mine), and her horse.

Madalyn and her pumpkin she got at Grandad's Apples last weekend.

I carved the pumpkin and I thought it turned out good. Just in case you can't tell, it's a cat.

Pop and Madalyn (Pop was a bull rider for Halloween)

The younger kids made a Halloween gingerbread house.

Spiderman (Geoffery), Red Power Ranger (Kayla), Miss America (Lily Kate)

Our finished house.

Hunter and Kevin. Isn't he the cutest little monkey! He had a booboo over his eye; so we said he was one of the monkey's that were jumping on the bed and fell off and bumped his head. (I'm not really sure how he got his booboo.)

Cow Train Ride

Madalyn and I riding on the Cow Train at Grandad's Apples.

Pumpkins, Apples, and Mountains Oh My!

Today Kevin, Madalyn, and my parents and I rode up to Hendersonville, NC to Grandad's Apples. The weather was perfect; a little breezy, but it was a nice day. We rode up after lunch so the weather would be warmer. We had a wonderful day in the mountains.



This is the biggest apple I have ever seen! It was almost as big as Madalyn's head!


They had two animals there to feed.

Our first trip to the pumpkin patch!

Madalyn got to bring home her first pumpkin!

We had to get a picture of Madalyn and her Grandad with Grandad's tractor.

Grandad, Madalyn, and Nana

Then we ate dinner with this view; over looking Lake Laure. We ate at Larkin's on the Lake. Here's the funny thing, it's owned by the same people who have Larkin's on the River, downtown Greenville; which is where we had our rehearsal dinner!