Fun In The Sun

Last Friday, Brantley and I went out to Leeds Memorial Park to meet some of my family members and play on this playground. Look how big it is!! WOW!! The kids had a blast. I can't wait until Brantley is 3 or so and we can go back and watch her slide down those HUGE slides. They have a little playground as well but Brantley is still too small for that obviously. ha!

Alyssa was staying with my parents for a few days while her mommy and daddy went to Colorado. Her momma, my sister-in-law graduated from college last Saturday so she and my brother went to Colorado for her graduation ceremony and they're anniversary. I'm a little jealous because I think they went skiing and I really want to do that soon. Anyways, Alyssa and my parents came to the park as well. Alyssa loves her little cousin so much! It's really cute! She had so much fun running all over the place playing with Will, Abby and Judah.

Andrea and her boys, Judah and Elijah were there with us also. It was SO great to see them and hang out together. Andrea loved holding baby Brantley. She is pregnant and expecting #3 for them. They found out yesterday that they are having another little BOY! Yay! I'm very excited for them.

Adorable!

Double Adorable! She had a good time just laying on the blanket while I ate my picnic lunch. Then she started to fuss halfway through my chicken salad so Sara took her for me and walked around with her. Thank you so much Sara! 

Just as an FYI...Piggly Wiggly has the most wonderful Honey Roasted Pecan Chicken salad EVER! I could eat it everyday, but that would be a little over the top. ha!

Brantley snoozed most of the time we were there. She was such as angel! I can't wait for her to start staying awake more and more. I guess she's already doing that actually but that day she just wanted to sleep.

Look at that sweet face...I told her she love her baby cousin!

My Aunt Mary Jo and Uncle Mike were there as well, along with my cousins Tim and Sara and their kiddos. We all had a great morning and afternoon. Hopefully we will go back one day when Andrea and the boys are back down here when it's warm out again.

Just in case anyone wants to know, the park is off of Hwy-119 in Leeds. You can't miss it!

I know, I know...

I've been slacking on my blogging lately. Sorry! Last week was really busy because I had family in town from PA so Brantley and I were visiting with them a lot. I've got lots of pictures to post and share so hopefully I'll get around to it real soon. Maybe tomorrow! 

p.s. I can't wait for the warmer weather. I might just have to sit out on our deck. :o)

Night Night!

101 in 1001

So I got this idea from Marcie and Tiffany. I'm going to come up with a list of 101 things I want to do in 1001 days. I think this is gonna be kinda hard to think of all the things to put on the list and to complete them all by the deadline, but I'm gonna give it my best shot. So my start day is today, March 18th, 2010 and my deadline is December 13, 2012.
(If you decide to do one you can use THIS Date Calculator to figure out your deadline date.)

So here it goes...

101 in 1001

1. Lose my last 10 pounds of pregnancy weight so I won't scare anyone in a bathing suit. ha!

2. Get family pictures taken by a professional photographer

3. Take Brantley to the beach

4. Go back to Six Flags with friends

5. Grow my hair out long (I'm halfway there already but I want to see how long I can let it get)

6. Go snow skiing again and/or try snowboarding

7. Donate things we don't use or need anymore

8. Have another baby!

9. Have Alyssa spend the night with us at our house

10. Take Brantley to the Zoo

11. Take Brantley to an aquarium

12. Let Brantley spend the night with Grandparents so Chase and I can have a date night and a full nights sleep (This is gonna be sweet)

13. Have some of our wedding pictures printed and framed to hang up in our house 

14. Paint BR's room a less annoying color (yes the BRIGHT green is starting to bother me already)

15. Get a new car I now drive a Honda minivan. I guess this officially makes me a mom. ha!

16. Buy a bigger house - Add on to Our House

17. Make another quilt

18. Take BR to meet her Great-Great Grandmother in Millbrook

19. Cook dinner every night of the week except for Sunday and Wednesday nights (we eat with our parents those nights)

20. Make Brantley another dress

21. Take Brantley to an Auburn baseball game

22. Take Brantley to an Auburn football game

23. Take Brantley to Alabama Adventure

24. Start a scrapbook of Brantley's life

25. Read a book all the way through

26. Go to Chase's 10 year class reunion We didn't go. Darn!

27. Put Brantley in the nursery for church

28. See Act Of Congress in concert again

29. Have a cookout at our house

30. Plan and throw Brantley's 1st birthday party (2011)

31. Plan and throw Brantley's 2nd birthday party (2012)

32. Stand next to Ashley as she marries the man of her dreams

33. Start getting NOGGIN on our TV

34. Breastfeed Brantley for a full 12 6 months

35. Buy a jogging stroller

36. Finish mailing/giving out Brantley Rae's birth announcements (if you haven't gotten one yet, I'm sorry)

37. Visit the Preston's in PA

38. Join a bible study group

39. Complete a bible study
40. Learn how to use Photoshop Elements
41. Buy a carpet or rug for Brantley's bedroom
42. Eat at the Cheesecake Factory because I've never eaten there before
43. Start working again  I started my own business with Willow House and I also keep a little boy at home with us 3 days a week. Success!
44. Have pictures of Brantley framed and hang them in our house
45. Go back to the Leeds City Memorial Park. (it's awesome!)
46. Start P90X
47. Plant flowers in our yard
48. Have some outfits monogrammed for Brantley (She doesn't have ANY, can you believe that!)
49. Clean my car inside and out
50. Get a manicure and pedicure just because I wanna
51. Take a photography class
52. Go whitewater rafting
53. Go to Sips-N-Strokes
54. Join Twitter again
55. Get a new cell phone
56. Dye my hair a lighter brown, maybe a few blonde highlights
57. Go to the mountains for a vacation
58. Get some Friendship bread starter from Sarah
59. Make Friendship bread 3-4 times a week.
60. Watch Brantley sit up for the first time
61. Watch Brantley start to crawl I've already blogged about this, I just need to link it up.
62. Watch Brantley take her first steps
63. Teach Brantley her first word (Dada and All  Done are her first two words)
64. Read a Beth Moore book
65. See Beth Moore live
66. Fill out Brantley's baby book I'm almost done with this one!
67. Take Brantley to the McWane Center
68. Pay off my student loans
69. Change the fonts on my blog to new cute ones
70. Have our blog redesigned by Leslie Nevermind, I like the way I do it.
71. Take Brantley to a Baron's game
72. Do something special for our 2nd and 3rd anniversary since I was 38 weeks pregnant for our 1st anniversary
72. Make the bed everyday for a month
73. Potty train Brantley (2012)
74. Convert BR's crib to a toddler bed (2012)
75. Do a Beth Moore Bible study
76. Take Brantley and Alyssa to Portrait Innovations
77. Have Brantley's picture made with Santa for the first time (2010)
78. Wean Brantley from breastfeeding sometime after her first birthday Didn't make it
79. Teach Brantley to say her bedtime prayers
80. Buy new bedding for Brantley's toddler bed
81. Redecorate her room to be more girly
82. To finish filling out this list (this is kinda cheating but I'm stuck)
83. Meet Ashley's little boy Westin Heath Waldrop
84. Meet Taylor and Josh's twin boys Jack Henry and Harrison I unfortunately don't have pictures from when I met the twins for the first time but I have met them.
85. Help host a wedding shower for Ashley
86. Teach/get Brantley to sleep unswaddled We did this a LONG time ago!
87. Give Brantley a bath every other night. Then maybe it will be part of our bedtime routine
88. Get a massage
89. Take Brantley back to Do It Yourself when she can paint something all by herself (2012)
90. Have her hand prints or foot prints put on something for me
91. Make a silver necklace with her initial and fingerprint on it at Do It Yourself (2010)
92. Grow my bangs out (I've always had them and I'm ready for a change and to not have them hanging in my eyes anymore)
93.Take Brantley swimming for the first time
94. Plant pretty flowers in our yard
95. Cut the grass at least one time for Chase
96. Run a 5K
97. Go to a drive-in movie
98. Have dinner at Flipburger (I've heard it's really good)
99. Go on a vacation with friends
100. Give Marley a bath and a hair cut
101. To complete as many things on the list that I can.

Hopefully I can do all these things by December 13th, 2012.

101 in 1001 (Original List)

So I got this idea from Marcie and Tiffany. I'm going to come up with a list of 101 things I want to do in 1001 days. I think this is gonna be kinda hard to think of all the things to put on the list and to complete them all by the deadline, but I'm gonna give it my best shot. So my start day is today, March 18th, 2010 and my deadline is December 13, 2012.
(If you decide to do one you can use THIS Date Calculator to figure out your deadline date.)

So here it goes...

101 in 1001

1. Lose my last 10 pounds of pregnancy weight so I won't scare anyone in a bathing suit. ha!

2. Get family pictures taken by a professional photographer

3. Take Brantley to the beach

4. Go back to Six Flags with friends

5. Grow my hair out long (I'm halfway there already but I want to see how long I can let it get)

6. Go snow skiing again and/or try snowboarding

7. Donate things we don't use or need anymore

8. Have another baby! 

9. Have Alyssa spend the night with us at our house

10. Take Brantley to the Zoo

11. Take Brantley to an aquarium

12. Let Brantley spend the night with Grandparents so Chase and I can have a date night and a full nights sleep (This is gonna be sweet)

13. Have some of our wedding pictures printed and framed to hang up in our house 

14. Paint BR's room a less annoying color (yes the BRIGHT green is starting to bother me already)

15. Get a new car I now drive a Honda minivan. I guess this officially makes me a mom. ha!

16. Buy a bigger house - Buy a bigger house! haha

17. Make another quilt I made baby Grayson an Auburn quilt.

18. Take BR to meet her Great-Great Grandmother in Millbrook

19. Cook dinner every night of the week except for Sunday and Wednesday nights (we eat with our parents those nights)

20. Make Brantley another dress

21. Take Brantley to an Auburn baseball game

22. Take Brantley to an Auburn football game

23. Take Brantley to Alabama Adventure

24. Start a scrapbook of Brantley's life

25. Read a book all the way through

26. Go to Chase's 10 year class reunion We didn't go. Darn!

27. Put Brantley in the nursery for church

28. See Act Of Congress in concert again

29. Have a cookout at our house

30. Plan and throw Brantley's 1st birthday party (2011)

31. Plan and throw Brantley's 2nd birthday party (2012)

32. Stand next to Ashley as she marries the man of her dreams

33. Start getting NOGGIN on our TV We are loving PBS these days.

34. Breastfeed Brantley for a full 12 6 months

35. Buy a jogging stroller

36. Finish mailing/giving out Brantley Rae's birth announcements (if you haven't gotten one yet, I'm sorry)

37. Visit the Preston's in PA

38. Join a bible study group

39. Complete a bible study
40. Learn how to use Photoshop Elements
41. Buy a carpet or rug for Brantley's bedroom I made the Owl rag blanket.
42. Eat at the Cheesecake Factory because I've never eaten there before My MIL took me there for lunch one day and it was great!
43. Start working again  I started my own business with Willow House and I also keep a little boy at home with us 3 days a week. Success!
44. Have pictures of Brantley framed and hang them in our house
45. Go back to the Leeds City Memorial Park. (it's awesome!)
46. Start P90X
47. Plant flowers in our yard
48. Have some outfits monogrammed for Brantley (She doesn't have ANY, can you believe that!)
49. Clean my car inside and out
50. Get a manicure and pedicure just because I wanna
51. Take a photography class
52. Go whitewater rafting
53. Go to Sips-N-Strokes
54. Join Twitter again
55. Get a new cell phone
56. Dye my hair a lighter brown, maybe a few blonde highlights
57. Go to the mountains for a vacation
58. Get some Friendship bread starter from Sarah
59. Make Friendship bread 3-4 times a week.
60. Watch Brantley sit up for the first time
61. Watch Brantley start to crawl
62. Watch Brantley take her first steps
63. Teach Brantley her first word
64. Read a Beth Moore book
65. See Beth Moore live
66. Fill out Brantley's baby book I'm almost done with this one!
67. Take Brantley to the McWane Center
68. Pay off my student loans
69. Change the fonts on my blog to new cute ones
70. Have our blog redesigned by Leslie Nevermind, I like the way I do it.
71. Take Brantley to a Baron's game
72. Do something special for our 2nd (anniversary trip) and 3rd anniversary since I was 38 weeks pregnant for our 1st anniversary
72. Make the bed everyday for a month
73. Potty train Brantley (2012)
74. Convert BR's crib to a toddler bed (2012) We did this in November 2011
75. Do a Beth Moore Bible study
76. Take Brantley and Alyssa to Portrait Innovations
77. Have Brantley's picture made with Santa for the first time (2010)
78. Wean Brantley from breastfeeding sometime after her first birthday Didn't make it
79. Teach Brantley to say her bedtime prayers
80. Buy new bedding for Brantley's toddler bed She is getting a twin size bed for Christmas and bedding
81. Redecorate her room to be more girly
82. To finish filling out this list (this is kinda cheating but I'm stuck)
83. Meet Ashley's little boy Westin Heath Waldrop
84. Meet Taylor and Josh's twin boys Jack Henry and Harrison I unfortunately don't have pictures from when I met the twins for the first time but I have met them.
85. Help host a wedding shower for Ashley
86. Teach/get Brantley to sleep unswaddled We did this a LONG time ago!
87. Give Brantley a bath every other night. Then maybe it will be part of our bedtime routine
88. Get a massage - I was given a gift certificate for Christmas 2010 but didn't use it until May 2011
89. Take Brantley back to Do It Yourself when she can paint something all by herself (2012)
90. Have her hand prints or foot prints put on something for me
91. Make a silver necklace with her initial and fingerprint on it at Do It Yourself (2010)
92. Grow my bangs out (I've always had them and I'm ready for a change and to not have them hanging in my eyes anymore)
93.Take Brantley swimming for the first time
94. Plant pretty flowers in our yard
95. Cut the grass at least one time for Chase
96. Run a 5K ( I walked in the Race for the Cure in Oct. 2011)
97. Go to a drive-in movie
98. Have dinner at Flipburger (I've heard it's really good)
99. Go on a vacation with friends Devin and Mary's wedding in Orange Beach, AL
100. Give Marley a bath and a hair cut
101. To complete as many things on the list that I can.

Hopefully I can do all these things by December 13th, 2012.

A First for Daddy

March 15th was the first time Chase ever got to feed Brantley. I gave her formula for the first time too. I sat there and I cried because she liked it. It was kinda pitiful of me, but I really like nursing her and I hated thinking that she might like a bottle better than me. Thankfully she's over it now and would much rather nurse than have a bottle and she really doesn't like formula any more. She only took formula a couple of times, but now when I try to give it to her she makes a funny face and won't drink it. (She needs to gain some weight, that's why we've tried formula if you're wondering)

I love my baby girl and I love nursing her!

I just wanted to share this first.

Cathedral Caverns

 Yesterday we went up to Cathedral Caverns with some of my family. We had a great time and the caverns were beautiful. These pictures do not do it justice at all! If you ever have the chance go there and see them for yourself I would definitely recommend it.

Largest Frozen (in time) Waterfall in the world. 

Cathedral Caverns holds 4 world records inside and this is just one of them. It is no longer alive and growing because a long time ago a man by the name of Mr. Gurly blasted a tunnel and dried up the water that naturally flowed over the rocks above creating the falls. Mr. Gurly believed he was the first to see much of the caverns and that it was his job to show the world it's beauty.

Originally the caverns were called Bat Cave. But at some point a woman, I can't remember her name, when she saw this room she decided the cave should be called Cathedral Caverns because of the beauty of this room. Still alive and still growing.

My mom and I in the Cathedral room.

Nana and BR after our tour. BR was SO good during the tour. She slept in her stroller the whole time and didn't make a peep. I had been a little nervous about taking her in there but thankfully she was an angel.

These are my adorable little cousins, Judah on the left and Elijah on the right. They live in PA and are down here for spring break with there momma, Andrea. I love when they come to visit!!

Andrea, BR and I after the tour. This was the first time Andrea and the boys got to see Brantley Rae. Sadly, Andrea has a cold so she didn't get to hold her but hopefully she'll be better by Wednesday when we go to visit our Grandmother and she'll get to hold her then.

Even though it was a bit chilly outside, we had a great time! I'm not sure that we'll go on another day long road trip with BR anytime soon. She got really tired of being in her car seat on the way home. It was pretty sad and I felt really bad. But we made it and she slept beautifully last night.

I Love My Little Family