Christmas Dog Parade 12-6-08

That's right! There is a Christmas Dog Parade here in Hurricane. We saw it in the paper and thought we would take Reese since she loves dogs. The dogs were all dressed up in the Christmas outfits. Some were really good too!




















































Reese had such a great time going up to the dogs and petting them. However, we did have to leave with an upset little girl because she wanted to keep petting them, but couldn't when they were parading around. Overall, I believe she had a pretty good time!

1st Real Christmas Tree 12-2-08

I grew up having a real Christmas tree, sadly, Andy did not. Not that there is anything wrong with artificial trees, we had one our first 4 years of marriage, but there is something about having a real one. It's so much fun to pick out your tree each year and see how they are different from one to the next, and you can't beat the wonderful aroma they bring to your house!

We were going to get an artificial tree, but I drove past a little place in Hurricane and saw they were selling them for a great price. My dad had an extra tree stand, so Andy decided to give in to my asking and get one!! It was a great day!! We had to trim down the stand a little so it would fit under our tree, but Andy got to use his saw!

And our finished product!! Isn't it beautiful!!

He was too worried it was going to be a big mess, but it proved otherwise. I didn't have to vacuum any extra for the needles and he even enjoyed the smell! Next year = another real tree!!

Visit from Adam and Shivani 11-29-08

We were excited that Adam and Shivani were coming to WV over Thanksgiving. We left Canaan early so we could spend Saturday with them. I think they were suprised at how much Reese had grown since they saw her last! While we were at my parents we decorated the tree together!! Adam wowed us by putting on the tree skirt and twirling for us! I was rather impressed he could still fit in it, it never loses its touch! That is one Christmas tradition that will not be forgotten!

It was fun decorating the tree again with Erin and Adam, and this time Reese and Madilynn got to help! However, Reese enjoyed playing with the ornaments and little Christmas figurines mom and dad have more than anything I think.

Adam even broke out into a dance for us while we were decorating.

Reese found Shivani's motor scooter and loved it! I was a bit relieved she didn't figure out how to make it go, we could have been in trouble then!

And of course we had to do more family pictures!!

We had such a great visit and enjoyed seeing Adam and Shivani again!! We can't wait to see them next time!!

Thanksgiving at Canaan 11-26-08 to 11-29-08

Andy's family goes to Canaan every year for Thanksgiving. This was our first year with Reese, so we were pretty excited about it. The weather was crazy, they already had tons of snow, and it was going to be Reese's first time being able to play in it (pics below). We shared a house with Andy's mom, dad, sister, aunt, uncle, Ben, Sarah, Nathan and their dog, which Reese loved.

Debbie had bought a Little People van with a mommy and baby in it, so that was a big hit for Reese. And here she is with more of her favorites: Ben, oh yeah and his wife, Sarah! haha...

There was so much snow at Canaan, so we figured we would take Reese out to play. She did really well walking out on the sidewalk and even waved to me!

But once we got in the snow, we think it may have been a little too much snow and she wanted us to hold her the whole time in her brand new snow suit and boots. Well, at least she looked adorable!

This is our Thanksgiving Day family photo. As you can see, this was Piper's first time to Canaan too! The neat thing is that Reese was up at Canaan at just about the exact same time Reese was for the very "first" time. So it's neat to see pictures of me pregnant with both of them because the timeline is almost exact.

Here are a couple shots of people around the house for Thanksgiving. Once all the food and people get there it gets a little crazy.

We were able to make actual ginger bread houses! This was a huge hit, even with the adults! As you can see in a few pictures, Reese enjoyed eating the candy as well as decorating with it. What fun is it if you can't eat the decorations?!

Trip to Texas

I cannot tell you how fortunate I am to have a group of women who have continued to be there for me even now when we are states away. My gaggle back in TX decided to fly be down so I could see them and just get away for a little while as a vacation. I was so surprised and overwhelmed by their gift, but completely excited as well. Reese and I flew standby on the way there and back, and were blessed both trips. Andy drove us to Columbus to fly out so we would have a direct flight, and we got on both flights without a problem and Reese even had her own seat both ways. It was such a blessing. I have to say I didn't take as many pictures as I had planned because I was just enjoying each moment I had there, but we were able to capture a few things.

I had to get my picture in front of my famous column at the seminary. Here I am 28 weeks pregnant. And here is one with Reese! I figured she should be in one since we took pictures of her every week while she was still in my tummy!

Then of course we had to get a picture of the co-workers! However, I have to say, Jonathan somehow missed out on this. And here is one of Reese and I as we are talking to Miss Amy. She still had to work!

Our next stop was by the Fuller's. Mandy watched Reese while I went back to work. She recently just had a little girl so I was able to meet her and see how much Clark had grown. Matt came by and brought us lunch too, it was so great to catch up with them! We got their picture together and enjoyed watching Reese and Clark play together this time. When we were here last she couldn't do much! Clark had a bike that he would ride down a hill and Reese just laughed as she held on, it was really cute. The wind was blowing like crazy too, so she really enjoyed that!

We had dinner one night with all the girls and families and I still cannot believe that I only took a couple photos, but here is one with Reese and Cathryn playing with the stroller. It was a big hit! All the girls enjoy pushing that around! After everyone left, Reese and Abby had the best time together just playing and giggling. There's not really a great shot of them, but it was funny to watch.

I was able to take Reese to the zoo with the girls that Monday. We had taken Reese before we moved, but she enjoyed it much more this time around, plus there were more people to enjoy it with!

Here she is looking at the giraffes and the goldfish in the pond below.

Here she is asking, "Where did they go?" meaning where did the fish go once she couldn't see them. I loved seeing all the kids climbing on the fence, they are all so intrigued.

Here is her good buddy Drew who wanted his picture taken!! Reese has more serious moments and just won't smile...she is probably thinking, mom why do you keep taking pictures?

One of Reese's favorite parts was the bird aquarium (is that right?) where you were able to go in and the birds were flying all around and you could feed them as well. She had such a great time with them and would stick out her hand and wave them to come to her, it was so cute. But I think the best part was after they landed on her stick she would try to shake them off! It was hilarious, but she had a great time!

She also loved the train ride! Here is Miss Kaci with Jonathan and Elizabeth! And me and Reese, but yeah, she's yawning after a long day!

Kaci was kind enough to take the camera and try to get some pictures of her smiling! I think they turned out rather well!

Our last stop was by the flamingos and Reese seemed to enjoy watching them as well. Here is a picture of Reese, Elizabeth, and Cathryn. We are missing Miss Abby of the 4 who were born so close together. But I thought this was a cute picture.

And the gaggle minus one. We went out to On The Border one night just to chat and enjoy some mexican food that you can't get here in WV. The entire trip was a blessing and came at a perfect time for me. These women are amazing and continue to support and pray for me even though we are states away. It is truly a blessing when you find friends like that.

The Bookshelves 11-3-08

Since we moved into our house I always thought it would be great to have some built in bookshelves in these 2 cubby holes we had in our living room. There was nothing you could really put in there and make them useful, sooooo my dad built some for us!! The turned out so great and I was so excited to get them! They really make the room look completely different from when we first moved in. Of course we needed them not only to make the house look better (that was my reasoning), but Andy needed more room for his books and we needed more room for Reese's toys. So the bottoms are storage for toys, books, games, etc. Dad did a great job! Thank you!!! Now I have to think of what I can get him to do next!!

Andy's Birthday 11-10-81

Andy finally turned 27!! He always gives me a hard time about being older than him, so I look forward to the day when we are the same age, even though he still reminds me that I was there first. We didn't get pictures of the day, but we got some of his favorite apple pie! I don't know why he won't just give a normal smile. Oh well.

Having Some Fun 10-31-08

Here are some pictures from the day. Reese loves coloring! And as you can see, instead of her going down the slide, she had her bear go. (Kaci, do you recognize the bear?)

Sweet Moments 10-31-08

Reese absolutely loves to read. Andy was playing with her one day and decided to set her animals up for her to read to them. She looked so adorable and grown up.

Trick or Treating 10-30-08

Reese was a flower this year for trick or treating. I was so excited for her to go this year, since last year we just carried her to a few houses in my parents neighborhood. I was a little worried she wouldn't wear the flower on her head, but she actually liked it and wore it the entire night and even some afterwards.

She loved her Elmo bucket. We continue to use it now to hold her crayons.

Andy gave Reese her first piece of candy, which just so happened to be a Reese's peanut butter cup.

Here we go! Off to trick or treat at the neighbors!

And finally she gets a piece of her peanut butter cup! I do believe she likes it! So much in fact that she threw a fit when I tried to get her inside to eat dinner before she had anymore candy.

Reese's friend India came over after trick or treating to play for a little while. Both girls had their outfits on still, but it was rather hard to get their picture.

And here they are as we tried to get their picture. One minute we're fine, the next minute, not so much.

But a minute later, everything is fine again!

The Infamous Crib 10-30-08

Reese is known for sleeping with as many stuffed animals as possible. I do believe we counted 17 this day. She loves to play with her animals before she goes to bed, as you can see some of them are stuffed between the bumper and the crib. It's always fun to hear her over the monitor talking away.

Playing Outside 10-28-08

Reese decided she wanted to play outside one evening when it was really really cold. She loves playing in the cold for some reason. So we tried to get her dressed somewhat appropriately while she was on the porch. Instead of mittens, we put her gloves on and she seemed to do ok with that since she could still see each finger. She had a good time and even let her bunny and dog enjoy the cold weather for a bit.

WVU Football 10-23-08

We were able to attend the WVU vs. Auburn game in Morgantown, WV. It was soooo cold that night! We started out at Lori's apartment to get something to eat. Reese found a WVU necklace that she was quite fond of. She was quite the hit of the party I must say. But look how cute she is, how could she not be?

The famous WVU marching band!

It was so cold that night, Reese did pretty well though. You can see that her cheeks are a little red! Her hands were so cold, they seriously felt like ice, but she refused to wear her mittens or put her hands in her sweatshirt, she likes to see her hands!

Debbie and I headed back to Lori's apartment after halftime and warmed up and finished the game there. But it was fun to be at the game for a little while.

Big Sister 10-22-08

One reason why I believe Reese is going to be a great big sister.

Pet Store 10-20-08

As we have established before, Reese loves animals. So we take her to pet stores sometimes to let her get her fill of them. The one we went to this day had bunnies there and she loves bunnies, so the lady that worked there was nice enough to get one out for Reese to play with for a bit. She had a great time and almost made me want to get her a bunny. But alas, we walked away just us, no bunny.

Centerpointe Family Fall Festival 10-18-08

We were able to hold our first Family Fall Festival this year at the middleschool. We had a pretty good turnout considering it was freezing outside! The wind was crazy, but God continued to bring people to us which was fabulous!

Everyone seemed to have a great time and each child walked away with a decorated pumpkin and a whole lot of candy! I definitely stayed busy that day but was glad it was such a hit. We had a great turnout and are excited for next year's festival!

Firemen at the Library 10-15-08

We went to the library for our story time and were surprised to find out that it was a day the firemen were visiting! They showed the children their gear that they wear and even let them come up and see them after they were all dressed up. I thought it was a great idea, so that if there were ever a fire, they wouldn't be scared to see someone in all this gear that could be a little scary to a kid. And some of the kids were scared and wouldn't go up to them, but miss Reese went right up. They even gave out fire hats to all the kids. Reese had a great time wearing it while we were there.

Next, we went outside to see their truck, "Big John." The gave a tour around it and told us what everything was and then even let the kids sit in the front.

Reese actually had a picture put in the Putnam Herald! She looked so cute and I know her Papa Young (he's a firefighter) was so proud!

Centerpointe Cookout 10-12-08

Some of our members invited the church over for our first church cookout! We had such a great time sitting around the fire, grilling hotdogs and making smores. We even had corn hole play and Reese absolutely loved the animals!

No one would let me take a close up of them, so I had to do it myself!

Reese decided that she was big enough to go for a ride on the tractor.

We had such a great time that night just being able to hang out with everyone. I do believe we will have to ask if we can do it again!! Thanks to the Lipscomb's and Neal's!

Tagged for my Top 8s

So I've been tagged again, and since I don't need pictures for this I can do it much quicker!!

8tv shows I love to watch: Friends, The Office, Biggest Loser, Ellen, Kath & Kim, Brothers & Sisters, Jon & Kate plus 8 (when I'm somewhere w/ cable), Law & Order SVU

8 Favorite Restaurants: Olive Garden, Rio, Chipotle, Chili's, Outback, Panera Bread, Texas de Brazil, Applebee's

8 things that happened today:
decorated the Christmas tree, about peed my pants watching Reese, sword fought with Reese, did family devotions, cleaned up the kitchen, got ready for my Tastefully Simple party tomorrow, watched the Office while eating fried Cheerios, went to the doctor

8 things I'm looking forward to:
sleep tonight, baking tomorrow, the reindog parade on Saturday, meeting Piper, losing weight from Piper and Reese, Christmas, finishing work on our house, another trip to TX

8 things on my wishlist:
cash (haha), someone to do all the work on our house for free!, more consistent time with God, a completely organized house, vacation time with Andy and our girls, to know Piper's exact due date for planning purposes, time to scrapbook, certain Texans to come visit the big WV

8 people I tag:
Haley, Abby, Jodi, Erin, Lindsey, Kristie, Amy G., Amy W.