Little Voices

5x7 Folded Card

2011-05-27T11:38:00.001-07:00

D Is For Father's Day 5x7 folded card

Shutterfly has modern graduation announcements and photo cards.

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Pictures from Crystal

2010-01-25T09:10:00.001-08:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

We took very few pictures during our recent trip to Disney World. Aidan took many of these so please forgive the quality.

Birthdays and Beaches

2009-10-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

October is only halfway over and it has already been a busy month. Halloween activities have started, daycare has been closed off and on for three weeks, JT's 78th birthday has come and gone, and I was in Ft. Walton for meetings most of this week.

Meetings at the beach seem like a great idea but it can be a little depressing watching everyone have fun while you are discussing grade schemes and candidacy forms. Aidan and Avery stayed with Mitchell everyday and they explored the beach and went to visit the dolphins at the Gulfarium.

How Long Has It Been?

2009-08-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to post because we have a busy but boring life. I do want to share Avery's 18 Month picture. I can't believe how quickly she has grown.

Picture Update 3- Easter Baskets

2009-04-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Baskets from the Easter Bunny and the UPS Man (via Nana and Papa)

Picture Update 2- Aidan Attacks

2009-04-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Picture Update 1

2009-04-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Not much to say so I thought I would update my pictures. These are from the Elmore Church of Christ Easter Egg hunt and Easter Sunday. My children would not cooperate.

What a weekend!

2009-03-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

As everyone knows we live right smack dab in the center of Alabama (mabe not technically but really close). Since that is our choice of residence we have the absolute craziest weather in the world. For example, on Saturday my kids looked like this.

Pretty much nearly naked, which was comfortable. ( And yes I know Aidan will want to kill me later in life for this picture). But then on Sunday they looked like this:

70 to 20 in about 24 hrs. Did the kids like it? Only for about 20 seconds. Then Aidan decided that it was too scary and that e must go hide inside.

In case you didn't notice in the first picture, Avery's nursery had some new limited edition artwork on it. It is called "Ode to Sidewalk Chalk, May You Never be Seen Again"

Doesn't the artist look so proud?

He even felt the need to show me some of the finer details. If you are trying to cook and the house seems too quiet, it is definately time to search out the new art.

Avery's Birthday Party

2009-02-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the pictures from Avery's party on Saturday. They are pretty self explanitory so I won't bore you with a lot of details. As you can see the 4-Wheeler was pretty popular.

Avery's First Birthday

2009-02-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

Avery's first birthday was last Wednesday and it is amazing how fast a year can go by. She had a small birthday party at daycare on Wednesday and her real party was this past Saturday at the church. I think the party went really well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I know Avery did. Thank you to all of you who drove such a long way to join us.

Here is a short video from Avery's birthday party last Saturday. I will post again tomorrow with pictures.

2009-01-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

I've been away for a while so instead of trying to upload the hundreds of pictures from the holidays I will just show you my favorites.
As you can see my babies are getting so big and it makes me sad sometimes. Avery will be one in just under a month.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

For thanksgiving this year we went to Mitchell's Mimi and Grandaddy's house in Birmingham. The kids ate a huge lunch and then enjoyed a beautiful afternoon outside. Avery, once again, snacked on the available foliage.

Here comes the ...flower girl!

2008-11-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

Avery was a flower girl this weekend in my "secretary" Lindsey's wedding. She and the ringbearer were pulled down the aisle in a red wagon. It was too cute!

Emory and the Cousins

2008-11-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Aidan and Avery also got to spend some time with cousin Emory. Avery was not very interested in playing but Aidan thought that she was great. He kept hugging her and saying that she was a pretty girl.

Rebecca's Shower

2008-11-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

Hamilton Crossroads had a shower this weekend for Ron and Rebecca. They got lots of great stuff and we actually got to spend more than a few minutes with them. Of course, Aidan had to get in in the present opening.

Eden's Bouquet

2008-11-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the pictures that I took this weekend to show off my favorite clothes line for Avery. She is such an agreeable model.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-03T07:16:00.001-08:00

BOO!!!

2008-10-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

from Buzz Lightyear and

the fanciest pumpkin you've

ever seen.

Childhood Friends

2008-10-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

We have had so much going on and I have so many pictures to show but I am just not in the mood to load them all now. So I will just load this one as an ode to childhood friendship.

Aidan and Raegen in the Pumpkin Patch

Alabama Nature Center

2008-10-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Mitchell and I took the kids to the Bass Pro family picnic at the Alabama Nature Center. This place is a little known gem located in Millbrook. They have days scheduled every month that are open to the public and when everything is finished it will definately be a regular visit for us. It is a photographers dream. The picnic was not too exciting so I decided to try to get some Christmas card shots in. (So, sorry if you get one of these pics in the mail in a couple of months). Avery cooperated and I got the shots that I wanted of her but Aidan was not so kind.

Aidan was very reluctant to get involved with the festivites in the beginning but loosened up when the fishing started. He 'caught' about five tiny bream that he thought they were big wonderful fish.

Halloween has come early!

2008-10-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Buzz Lightyear has moved into my house. Aidan got his halloween costume on Thursday and has had it on every day since. He loves it and begs to put it constantly. He will walk up to anyone in it (including dogs) and annouce that he is Buzz. I just hope the costume makes it till October 31.

Aidan and the Trampoline

2008-10-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

While we were at my grandmothers house Aidan decided that he just had to jump on the ancient trampoline there. It has a huge hole on one side and about 12 years worth of dirt and sap on the top. Aidan loved it though. He managed to avoid the hole and not break his neck. We did have a little trouble with the dirt. Aidan didn't think there was enough on his body so he decided that he needed to spread it onto his face. For a child who hates to take baths, he sure know how to create the need for them.

While Aidan was enjoying the trampoline, Avery was enjoying all kinds of snacks.

Hamilton Crossroads Homecoming 2008

2008-10-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

Aidan, Avery and I made the trip to Hamilton Crossroads for Homecoming on October 5. We got to see the majority of my family and actually spent a little time with the cousins. I wanted to get some pictures of Avery with Jace and Emory but Uncle Charles swept Emory away before I got a chance. We did try to get some pics with Jace but both babies were pretty uncoperative. All they wanted were the windows and his shoes.

No Pictures and No News

2008-09-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am officially horrible at this. I have seen worse but I am still pretty bad. I should be able to post everyday with all of the crazy things that go on but I would not want to bore anyone. Nothing has been going on lately. Just working, taking care of kids, and of course shopping. I can honestly say that I HAVE A PROBLEM. I never had a problem with Aidan but Avery is a different story. There are so many interesting and unique things out there for her to wear that I can't stop myself. Of course sometimes I must stop myself or they would be coming to kick me out of my house soon. One day I will have to take a picture of her room just so everyone can see how out of control I am.

Life with the two monsters is getting better. Now that Avery is semi-mobile and not so fragile Aidan loves to play with her. He actually went to play with her in her crib the other night and fell asleep there. When I went to check on them I found him asleep on his back and Avery was poking at his face. It was quite amusing.

Speaking of the monsters, Aidan has discovered the fear of real MONSTERS. Apparently monsters live everywhere but especially in his bed. I had no idea that he was old enough to develop that fear but he definitely has. If anyone knows of an effective monster removal tool then let me know. I have tried the magic umbrella and stick and the monsters don't exist line but nothing has helped. It looks like I am going to have to hunt down some older kid and shut his/her mouth do that Aidan doesn't find out about any more terrors. I may never sleep again otherwise.

Weekend with the Outdoors

2008-09-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went camping for the first time in months. (And by camping I mean in the camper with Mitchell's parents.) We went to Wind Creek State Park and had a really nice time. The weather was not too bad so we were able to spend most of the time outside. Aidan got to go fishing in the boat for the first time. He was so proud when he got back and had fish to show me. He caught his first bass which made daddy so proud. It wasn't much bigger than a minnow but it was still a bass.

Just a Quick Note

2008-08-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in a while so I thought I would write a quick hello note. As always we are constantly on the go and I am just trying to keep up with life. Avery is now 6 months old and is growing beautifully. Aidan is still an exciting handful and I am just hoping that he remains fully intact.

One event that has happened that I do not have any pictures of is that RON GOT MARRIED! Yes that Ron, the one most still see as a teenager. He called me about a month ago and told me that he was getting married on August 4. I nearly fell out but I have now adjusted. The idea is still a little weird but it probably will be for a while.

As always here are a few new pictures of the kids. Avery is wearing one of my very favorite outfits and I had to take pictures. Aidan actually jumped up and asked that I take his picture too. He also had to have his picture taken with his new best friend, Woody. You should hear the conversations he has with that doll.

One more lovely weekend!

2008-07-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

One day I will learn that life with a 2 year old and a 5 month old is going to be challenging and eventful. This weekend we decided to take a little vacation to Atlanta. We planned most of the trip around doing things that Aidan would enjoy. I guess I don't really know my child because he did not enjoy much. We started with a trip to the Lawrenceville Bass Pro Shop (what an exciting start for a vacation) because we love where daddy works. Well the Bass Pro there does not even compare to ours. It was dull and boring. Aidan was not happy and did not get happy enough to sleep until 3am. On Saturday, we tried to take him to Build a Bear. He did not want anything after we got there and once again was not happy. We made an executive decision at that point to change plans and go to the haven for all children, Chuck E Cheese. He did have fun there but the fun ended as soon as mama's part of the trip started. Some quick outlet shopping was all I had planned for myself this weekend and 2 unhappy children made that a bust. On Sunday we planned to go to the Georgia Aquarium and to Imagine It, Children's Museum. We decided to go at 9am based on the advise of some work friends. They were definately right. The aquarium gets overcrowded fast and it is really overcrowded when a 2 year old that has previously loved fish decides that fish scare him. We finally called it quits with the Aquarium and headed to the Children's Museum. First of all it is not a museum. It is a high class learning playground. Aidan thought that it was wonderful (finally mama did something right). It even had a play area for two's and under where Avery could roll around. On Monday we headed home a took a long detour to visit another Bass Pro. Better than the first but still not as good as P'ville. We finally made it home and Aidan decided he did not hate me anymore (for now).

I don't mean to complain and don't take me wrong, I love my children and I love spending extra time with them but it is not always a pleasant experience. The terrible two's is not a lie. Believe me. I am surprised that we made it back with two whole children.

As wonderful as my trip was I still ended up with some cute pictures. Here are some of the aquarium and Imagine It.

Our lovely holiday weekend!

2008-07-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the 4th of July weekend. It was not particularly exciting but I did get some interesting pictures. On the 4th itself we stayed home and once we decided to actually shoot some fireworks we realized we had brought the wrong bag home from Birmingham. We had nothing particularly exciting to use so we pretty much played with sparklers. Aidan actually enjoyed them.

On Sunday we went to Hamilton Crossroads to visit the family. I am currently obsessed with smocked clothing and have bought Aidan and Avery a couple of matching outfits. Aidan is a little too rough to look right in smocked clothes so I get him an appliqued outfit to match Avery. I wanted to get some good pictures but they were both pretty uncooperative.

After we got home Aidan decided he wanted to change his clothes, BY HIS SELF. This is what happened.

We ended up with no diaper but I thought I would spare you those pictures. I just thought it was hilarious. He just kept putting shirts on.

So many updates! So Late!

2008-07-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ok well, as I said when I started I am not great at keeping up with this thing. I will start off with an update for June. June pretty much consisted of VBS and building a swing set. VBS took several months of planning and several weeks of preparation. It went pretty well and I have already started working on next year. Here are some pics of our Cactus Canyon.

After VBS was finally over Mitchell and I got to work putting together Aidan's big birthday present. I was hot couple of days, and after some severe sunburn, this is what we ended up with.

Aidan loves it and as you can see he also loves red kool-aid. That smile is just beautiful don't you think.

Avery

2008-06-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Avery is now nearly four months old. It is hard to believe how much she has grown. I have not been able to get any good pictures of her, so while I had someone to watch Aidan I took some new pictures. Here are my favorites.

Aidan's 2nd Birthday in Birmingham

2008-06-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

We had Aidan's 2nd, 2nd birthday party over the memorial day weekend. This party was at Mitchell's parents house in Birmingham. He had so much fun and the next day finally decided he wanted to blow out the candles. The other little boy in the pictures is his cousin Parker.

Emory

2008-05-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

At Aidan's party on Saturday we did an impromptu photo shoot with Emory in Avery's new tutu. Emory is Chan and Shannon's little girl and she will be five months old on Sunday. Here are some of my favorites.

My Big Boy!

2008-05-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Aidan's 2nd birthday and we had a party at Hamilton Crossroads. Last year we had the party at my house and everyone had to drive so far that I decided to come to them this year. We had a lot of fun and Aidan was so excited with all of his gifts. Of course, I am not the super mom who can make their child's cake so I just bought cupcakes and decorated them.

Aidan got some real golf clubs and we are hoping to have the next Tiger Woods on our hands. Of course if we don't, we just hope the house survives the experience. Here is a picture of him playing golf in the backyard and some random pictures from the party.

Starting Out!

2008-05-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

I enjoy looking at everyone else's blogs so much that I thought I would start my own. I am sure that I will not keep it up the way I should but I will try. I love photography so I will be sharing lots of pictures.

Aidan will be turning 2 on Saturday. Life with him is a joy and a challenge. I have rarely seen a braver, more energetic child.

Avery is about to be 3 months old. She was a surprise addition to our family but she is a wonderful little girl. I am having the most fun dressing her up and Aidan loves her to death.

As you have probably already realized, Aidan and Avery are my focus in life. I still have other responsibilities but none as important as listening to their little voices.