Family Time

What a great weekend we had! Friday night, a friend of mine offered to babysit while Dowell and I went on a date, so we gladly accepted...thank you Andy!!! It was so nice to get out of the house and be together, just the two of us. The biggest change for us, having a child, is the inability to just get up and go somewhere whenever we feel like it. We used to go to movies and out to eat whenever we felt the desire, but now we have to think about nap time, bed time, feedings, etc. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but we do miss that time of being spontaneous. I'm sure our sweet baby girl, as she gets older, will love doing those things with us! Anyway, we got a much needed date night. We went out to eat at Cantina Laredo. It's a new mexican food restaurant downtown in an area called The Gulch. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great too. We had so much fun and were going to go to a movie afterwards, but decided to go on a walk instead. It was so nice out, warm with a nice breeze (and we ate early enough that it wasn't quite dark yet). When we got home, Reese was already sound asleep in bed and Andy told us she was 'so easy'. Reese had a good time and was happy to see us when she woke up.

Saturday, Dowell and I took Reese to her 1st Razorback baseball game. The Hogs were playing Vanderbilt in Nashville, so we decided to take her. We at at Ted's Montana Grill for lunch before the game and Reese was SO good. She played with her toys, drank out of my straw, played with the straw, smiled, looked around, and tried to get the attention of a big group of people sitting at a table next to us. It was a gorgeous day for baseball. The game started at 2pm and we sat in the bleachers under the sun. It was hot, but it only made the cool breeze feel that much cooler! We were pushing it close to nap time and we only lasted a few innings, but we all had a great time. The Razorbacks won 7-5 and took the series too!!! Go Hogs Go!

Saturday night, we made plans with some new friends for dinner. One of Dowell's former coach's daughter lives in Nashville with her family. She and her husband have 2 little girls, Noelle 3 years old, and Julia 10 1/2 months old. They are beautiful little girls and Noelle is a character! She was waiting for us at the front door when we pulled up! As soon as we walked in, Noelle was looking at Reese and talking to us. All of a sudden, Reese just starts laughing...a lot! I mean LAUGHING! Noelle was just standing there smiling and Reese was staring at her and giggling so hard that she started squealing! Noelle began jumping around and playing peek-a-boo with her, which only kept the laughter flowing. It was at least 3-4 minutes, non-stop laughing! My stomach hurt from laughing at Reese's laughter. The whole night was a blast! As soon as we got home, Reese was ready to take a bath and go straight to bed. She was asleep before I even finished praying with her. Too much fun for one day!

worn out

Eating some chicken noodle

Cooper just lets her pet, pull, and chew on him

"Look what I found, Mommy"

We are still here. Last weekend was very busy. One of my very good friends from college, Barrett, got married on top of Petit Jean mountain Saturday and I have been looking forward to going ever since she got engaged. Dowell, Reese, Cooper and I were supposed to leave Friday evening, but more severe storms came through Nashville. It has been the wettest month! Anyway, we decided to get up early Saturday morning and drive straight there. Since it was a 2 hour drive to the wedding from my parents house, Dowell and I decided to stay in a hotel in Conway. We love staying in hotels! Reese and Cooper got to have a sleepover at Nana and Popsie's house, while Dowell and I stayed in Conway. It was nice to get a little break. The wedding was gorgeous and the reception was something out of a movie! I even got to spend a little time with Kristen and Trey.

The next morning, we got up and headed straight back to Nashville. It was a super quick trip! Reese did well in the car though. I sat in the back to entertain her (a.k.a. sing and hand her toys) and sweet Dowell drove us the entire way. Cooper maintained shotgun and we were one travelin' family!

Monday was busy at work. Reese still isn't taking naps at school, so she has to play 'catch up' at home the rest of the week. She's still getting good notes from her teachers! She is trying harder and harder to crawl and is starting to pull up on our ottoman. It seems like she does something new every day. We always say how we could'nt love her any more, but each day it seems like, somehow, we do.

Mother's Day

My 1st Mother's day was the best! I got to spend some quality time with kids, got lots of hugs from my baby girl and snuggles from Coop. They each got me a sweet card (Reese's was a Happy Mother's Day and Cooper's said Happy Birthday) that made me cry and laugh. I even got a new camera! Expect some fabulous new pictures as soon as I learn how to work it!

Dowell kept the kids and let me have some pamper time too! I got a pedicure and a haircut!!! It was wonderful! I've been waiting, what seems like forever, for a pedicure. And Linda Nguyen did a great job. Excellent scrubbing and massage! Ahh, just thinking about it relaxes me. It's always wonderful to get away and have some time for yourself. Then come home to a happy Daddy and children. I love knowing that everything is ok while I'm gone. And I love seeing what 'buddies' become of my absence. It's so cute to see Reese smile and play with her Daddy.

I feel so blessed. The only thing that would've made it better would have been able to see my wonderful mother on that special day. I hope I can become 1/2 the mom she is to me!

Poor Reese

Last week, Reese wasn't acting like herself. She was having a hard time sleeping at night (which is very uncommon) and becoming a little more fussy when she would lie down. She had also been congested with a runny nose and cough. Friday morning, she didn't even want to lie down to eat, so I got worried and took her to the doctor that day. She had a small ear infection in her left ear :( Dr. Ladd prescribed us an antibiotic and we started that night. It already seems to be working. The next day, she was 10x happier. She has been sleeping all night again and her congestion is even clearing up a little. Thank goodness I took her that day. I can't imagine if it would have gotten any worse. Yesterday at work, I discovered that 3 other babies in her class have had the same thing! Poor kids! I'm sure they've just been passing all of this around to each other.

New things that she is doing:

1. Rolling over in her crib

2. Eating out of bottles...even from me

3. Scooting backwards and sideways (hasn't quite gotten the hang of pulling forward)

4. Getting on her hands and knees (most of the time, it's the push up position you see above)

5. Eating finger food cereal all by herself.

6. Babbling a lot!!! (baba, mama, dada, bama, & lots of squeals)

7. Crooked little smile with 2 bottom teeth...my favorite

8. Sleeping without being wrapped up

The Invasion

A lot has happened since the flood (most not entirely flood related), but this is the headline story at our house...

Invader Takes Beth Hostage in Her Own Home
Thursday, May 6 11:33 p.m.

Reese was not feeling well and had been fussing in her crib for close to 30 minutes. After numerous attempts to soothe her, I headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I told Dowell to use his best judgement and listen for Reese. After I brushed my teeth, flossed, and washed my face, I sat down on the floor to do a few more things. I was very tired and could hear Reese still having a hard time in the next room. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. All of a sudden, something ran out from under the ledge of the sink, hit my leg, then ran into the corner of the bathroom. I did the only thing I could think to do...scream like I had just found a dead body!!! I jumped on top of the sink and yelled for Dowell to come in there. It was a mouse...a mouse with a gun! (at least that's how I remember it). It threated to take everything I had, then kill me. So that's why I screamed (yeah, that's why I screamed). Anyway, SuperDaddy Dowell ran in there, took one look at the giant masked rodent, grabbed a tea pitcher and CAUGHT it. (He made him drop the weapon 1st of course). I was on the bed with Reese in one arm and Cooper in the other! It took us until 1 a.m. to completely settle into sleep. What a night!

Wet Weekend

Wow, what a weekend it has been! I'm sure that most of you have heard that Nashville experienced the worst flooding in decades. Friday night, the storms began and the city began to fill up early Saturday afternoon. The news showed part of I-24 where there were close to 50 cars completely under water. The water was so high on the interstate, that it was up to the hoods of semi-trucks. And it kept raining. The rains did not stop until Sunday night. Unfortunately, the damage was done. Many people were having to be rescued from the roofs of their home by boat. Over 4,000 people are without power. The Cumberland River's boundaries are indistinguishable. Many of the buisnesses downtown had over 2' of water. It's just crazy! I just heard on the news that President Obama has declared it a 'disaster area'. Luckily, our apartment is up on a hill, so all the water was just rushing by us. A 14'+ dam behind us was almost running over and we still have water steadily rushing down the hill.

Our apartment complex backs up to rock cliffs around the back perimeter. The rain caused 6 or 7 different mudslides that brought down bushes and some entire trees. These are some pictures from around our apartment. We haven't seen all the damage first hand. Schools have been closed for the past two days and a lot of businesses don't have power. High Hopes was closed on Monday, so Reese and I were here with Cooper and Daddy. The Titans facility is closed and powerless, LP field is damaged and had close to 3'+ water filling it yesterday. I was going to post sooner, but our internet and cell reception has been pretty spotty. Thank you Lord for keeping us safe and please pray for our town's recovery.