Happy New Year!

4 months old

As Aunt Jamie says, "Too cool for her pool"

I know, I know...I'm still playing catch up. So, our new year was SUPER exciting! Wait til you hear about this...Dowell came home from work around 8:30 or so and I was giving Reese a bath. Reese and I had a pretend countdown after her story and she went to bed. Sound asleep. 2009 was a year that I resurrected my love for bubble baths, especially since we moved into our new apartment with the 'big tub'. So, I decided that I would take one last bath in 2009. I ran my bath water, turned the lights down and lit some candles. As I stepped into the tub, my hot bath was 'room temperature' at best. I tried to make the best of it and enjoyed it as much as possible, but I decided that I'd just take a shower instead. Well, my shower water went from warm to freezing! That was it. Thanks 2009. It was 11: 55 p.m. so I got my pajamas on and walked through my house to ring in the new year with my family. Reese was sound asleep in her crib, Cooper was sound asleep in the chair, and my husband was sound asleep on the couch. So, I found my old buddy Dick Clark and pretended that I was in Times Square! When it was 11:59.45, I poked Dowell and we counted down from 10 (he was only awake enough to hit about every 3 or 4 numbers), but nonetheless we welcomed 2010 with much enthusiasm :) About 15 minutes later, we were in bed. Gosh, we're old.

Since then, 2010 has been good to us. The Titans won their last game and finished 8-8. Bittersweet. Bitter because the Titans did not make the playoffs, but sweet to have my husband home. It's been so fun to have a little vacation with him even though we don't really leave the house. We had a little bit of snow this past weekend that was really pretty to look at, but not quite enough to play in. Not to mention, it's been in the single digits and low teens for the past few weeks. Only today has the weather been above freezing at a whopping 34 degrees. Brrr!
Cooper loves it! He'll go outside and just let the wind his his face for as long as we'll let him. His fur gets so cold, but he seems to stay warm.

Reese went to the pediatrician for her 4 month check up on Tuesday. She is 24 inches long and weighs 14 lbs! I'm so proud of her. The doctor was shocked when I told him she was sleeping about 12 hours through the night. His jaw dropped and he said that was awesome! Again, such a proud momma. She is talking so much now. Mainly squealing, but I love it just the same. She loves her new exersaucer and is able to sit up for brief periods when we play on the floor. I've posted a few of our newest pictures. Enjoy!

Christmas Eve

The Titans played on Christmas day, so Reese and I made the journey to Benton solo. My sweet parents drove to Nashville to pick us up and we spent Monday thru Thursday in Benton. A trip that literally flew. My family celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve this year and what a Christmas Eve it was! So different than any other year, but maybe my favorite one yet! If you've ever seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, this Christmas Eve was definitely one to compare! I don't know if I'll be able to describe the festivities to their fullest, but here goes...


On Christmas Eve Eve, it began raining and raining and raining...didn't stop and ended up being the worst flood Little Rock has seen in over 20 years! We woke up Christmas Eve morning to a vaccuum sound coming from the basement. My dad was already awake, trying to clean up over 1/4 inch of water that had flooded our basement. Usually, we open gifts in the morning, but we decided that this year, so we woulen't have to rush, we decided to wait until the evening. We loaded up the car in the rain and started toward Cabot to my Aunt and Uncle's house. As we headed to get on the interstate, we noticed that there were cars completely stopped for miles. The flood was so bad that parts of I-30 were completely shut down. We had to take back roads to get there (which were also very wet) and a trip that normally takes 45 minutes took almost 2 hours! The main highway that we take to Cabot, Hwy. 67/167 was shut down from Jacksonville to Cabot because of flooding. Luckily, we made it to Cabot safely and had a great visit. Papaw especially enjoyed having Reese in his arms again.





On our way home is where it got really interesting. The highway was opened up again, so we decided that we'd take it since it seemed that traffic was moving smoothly. And really, if there was serious flooding, then SURELY it would still be closed, right? Mom, Jamie, Reese and I were following Mark and my Dad in separate cars. All was well until we saw a little sign that read "Caution road flooded ahead", so we're thinking 'slow down because there is probably still water on the highway'. We saw cars ahead start breaking and all of a sudden, there was what looked like a tidal wave on both sides of Mark's car! No lie, there was at least 8 inches of water on that road!! The water was halfway up the tires of a truck and past the lower door jams of cars. We had no choice but to drive thru it and all of us in the girl's car were freaking out. When we finally saw the lines on the road again, I called my brother. He and my dad were both laughing so hard. He said that they didn't see the water at all until they saw break lights. By that time, they had already hit the water going about 60 and the flood slowed them down to 30 on impact! I'm glad they got a kick out of it, because we were so scared!





We made it home to Benton safely, praise the Lord! But we still had presents to open there. It was almost Reese's bedtime, so we had to hurry (which we were initially trying to avoid). We got about 1/3 of the way thru gifts and we heard, what sounded like a baby shrieking, outside. Mom jumped up and said "Winkie.." (the cat that hangs around our house). There was apparrantly another cat that was trying to eat his food and they were about to start fighting. Mom opened the door and yelled "get outta here!" but just as she said that, the other cat ran right between her legs and into the house. Luckily, the cat ran downstairs (in the flooded basement) and into the laundry room behind the washing machine. Eventually, mom and dad got the cat back outside, but we kept laughing about it well into the next few days. We felt like the Griswolds when the squirrel jumped out of the Christmas tree and they were chasing it thru the house. That was the only moment that I was glad Cooper wasn't there, or else he could've been like Snot, chasing the cat thru the house! Reese definitely had an eventful Christmas Eve. Mom and Dad drove us back to Nashville on Christmas Day. The sun was out and had dried up some of the water, but there was still A LOT of water left, 3 to 4 feet in the ditches!





Back in Nashville on Christmas Day, the Titans played the Chargers and lost 47-17 which ended their hope for a playoff spot. The Loggains were in town for the holidays, so we decided to celebrate Christmas on Sunday since Dowell had the day off. It was so much fun to be with Dowell and go Christmas shopping for Reese together. Santa made a special trip to our house on Saturday night and brought Reese several wonderful toys including her very own ExerSaucer! Santa also left her 1st pair of sunglasses in her stocking that fit her perfectly. Mimi, Big Daddy, and Darcey brought her a truckload of gifts that should last her for the next few years! Reese got a new stuffed moose that she really liked, but I think her favorite gift of all was her new ballerina baby doll with brown hair. When Dowell opened it and handed it to her, she gave it a hug and a kiss!!! It completely melted my heart! So glad that I got it on video!





We all had such a wonderful Christmas! Reese had a very merry 1st Christmas and we will definitely never forget it.

Here comes Santa Clause

Let me preface this by saying...Merry Christmas! I know that I am behind on these posts, but bear with me because I am just going to pretend that I'm not. So, pretend that it is a week before Christmas (wink, wink)...

Dowell and I took Reese to see Santa Clause for the 1st time. I was so glad that Dowell was able to come with us. We picked him up from work and drove to Cool Springs. The traffic was awful trying to get to the mall, even though it was 2:30 p.m. on a weekday, but we eventually made it. Reese was dressed in her elf outfit that Uncle Mark and Aunt Jamie gave her and she was a HIT at the mall. Just trying to get thru Dillard's was a hoot! People kept stopping us to see and talk to her. She was such a trooper!

The line to see Santa was wrapped around the zig-zag (like at Six Flags) and took us 1 and 1/2 hours to get thru. Dowell walked her around while I held our place in line for a while and she really enjoyed looking at all the lights and Christmas decorations that were hung from the ceiling. As we made our way thru the line, every once in a while, you'd hear the wailing and screaming of another child who was terrified of Santa. I didn't know what Reese would do once she saw him, especially since we had been standing there for over an hour and it was getting close to mealtime, but she didn't seem to mind at all. He took her and sat her in his lap while her picture was taken and then we were done. All that waiting was over and all we got was one picture with Santa. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!! I will cherish that picture forever. On top of that, she slept all the way home! What a great time we had as a family!

Hungry Cooper

Yeah, he looks innocent, but let me just tell you about this puppy. I don't know how he does it, but if there is something that he wants (on the counter, say) he will find a way to get it as inconspicuously as possible. Saturday, there was an Arby's roast beef sandwich sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I was saving it for when Dowell got home. There was 4 packages of Arby's sauce, a little tub of barbeque sauce, and possibly some ketchup (you see where this is going). When we left the house that evening, I pushed the sandwich all the way back, where I thought he couldn't get to it and didn't even think twice about the sauces because they were all individually packaged and there was no way that he would eat those anyway...or would he??

When we got home, the paper that wrapped the sandwich was on the kitchen floor...with NO signs of the sandwich. I immediately went to get the fly swatter and I noticed something reddish on the carpet. I stopped and got scared (Cooper has a sensitive stomach) because I thought it was blood. But NO, it was a trail of Arby's Tangy Barbeque sauce from the kitchen into the living room and slung all over the wall! When I saw this, I looked back on the counter for the Arby's sauce and ketchup...gone. He had eaten the packages whole!! Needless to say, he got into some serious trouble. You'd think he'd learned his lesson...

Yesterday, I made cornbread muffins for dinner and had set one on a spoonrest at the back of my stovetop while I put Reese to bed. Well, when I came back into the kitchen to eat...there were merely crumbs of cornbread on my stove. Somehow, he had quietly pulled the spoonrest to the edge of the stove and enjoyed a cornbread muffin without me knowing. You'd think the boy is starving! I have to say, it cracks me up how smart he is.

Weekend Fun

This weekend, Trey and Kristen Holloway came up to Nashville to visit us. It was Kristen's 3rd time to see Reese, but Trey's 1st time to meet her. They are expecting their 1st little one in May and we are all so excited for them. They came up Saturday morning and we went to the Titans' practice, then went to Jim N' Nicks for dinner. It was a lot of fun even though Reese and I were a little stuffy-nosed. With all the weather changes lately, it's been quite a struggle to keep from catching a cold.

Sunday morning, Reese seemed fine but I had a burning throat and was not feeling my best. As the day went on, I felt a little better and I really didn't want to miss out on any of our visit. We all went to the Titans vs. Rams game that afternoon, Reese too, and had a great time. Titans won 47-7 which made it even better! Trey and Kristen stayed Sunday night and drove back Monday morning. It was so good to have them here. They love Baby Reese and are awesome with her! They are going to make wonderful parents. They have fun together no matter what they are doing and it makes me happy to be around them. I know I laugh a lot harder when we are all together.

Monday, the weather was very nice (around 65 degrees), so Cooper, Reese, and I went for a jog to help boost my immune system. That, orange juice, and water seems to have done the trick...feeling much better today!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Wow! I really can't believe Christmas is already upon us. I love this time of year! Reese and I went to Sams a few weeks ago and she got to see her 1st Christmas tree! It was so cute to watch her face as she stared at the lights, the bows, the decorations that were on display. I wish I could be in her head, though, and know what she is thinking. Everything is a 1st for her and that is so much fun for me. People probably think that I am a complete goober in stores. I'm always showing her things and talking to her like she knows every word that is coming out of my mouth. We went to Target yesterday and I was showing her stockings and asking her which one she liked better :) We were probably on that aisle for 20 minutes just picking up the stockings and letting her stare at each one.

Finally got our Christmas tree out, up, and decorated! When I turn it on each morning, Reese just stares at it and looks at each ornament. She gets this look of amazement. It's so cute. Cooper is having to adjust to having less room in the living room to run. He has to be extra careful when playing, so he doesn't knock off any more ornaments (we have lost several in years past by either hitting them with the frisbee or Coop's tail whacks them off). I strategically placed most of them higher on the tree and reserve the bottom layer for the plastic, less breakable ornaments.

Dowell and I are hoping to take Reese to see Santa tonight, but she has a little bit of a stuffy nose, so we'll have to play it by ear. With the holiday season, comes the colder weather, and MY has it gotten chilly! The lows have been in the 20s and even got down to 18 degrees last night. Just recently has it been pretty steady. The past few weeks have fluctuated between 40s and 60s as the highs, which really does a number on our systems! She and I both are getting a little "cold" ish, but I'm hoping that we can find a way to adapt to all the weather changes and get our immune systems in check!

Thanksgiving

(sorry this is so overdue)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...a few days late! What a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday we had. Dowell had to work, so he stayed in Nashville. Reese, Cooper, and I went to Benton, Arkansas to be with my family for the holiday. My mom and dad, Nana and G-Pops, offered to pick us up and bring us home since it is the first long road trip with Reese (about 5 1/2 hours). They rented a mini van, drove up Sunday, loaded us up, and drove us to Arkansas...all in one day! My dad was a trooper and drove the entire way. What would normally take us 5 1/2 hours, took closer to 7 hours with the little one. She does not like her car seat and cried most of the way home, which almost made her Nana cry all the way home. Cooper got a whole seat to himself and loved riding. In the van, he was able to rest his head on top of the seat and stare out the back windshield. He LOVED it! Although I'm not quite ready for a mini van, I have to admit that it was nice to have all the extra room.



Reese had a lot of visitors while we were there. On Monday, Ashley Sexton (one of my very good friends from elementary school), her little boy Will, and her mom Cindy Douglass came by to meet her. It melted my heart to see them holding her and loving on her. They are such precious people. Will is 2 and 1/2 and was more interested in Cooper than Reese. He wanted Cooper to eat his food, so he would go into the kitchen, squat down beside Cooper's bowl, point and say "Coop, pood." He also loved "throwing" Cooper's frisbee and having him bring it back. However, everytime Cooper would drop it, Will would say "Tay", then pick it up and hold it where Cooper would take it out of his hands! He just laughed and laughed. It was adorable and Cooper was loving all the attention.



On Tuesday, Mom and I took Reese to meet Angie Young and her Baby Davis. Davis is 6 months old and super cute! His eyelashes are a mile long and has the sweetest personality. He was Reese's first baby friend to meet. They both kind of looked at each other like "hey, so you're a baby too?", then looked back at the toys. Angie let Reese play with some of Davis's toys and Davis showed us how good he was in his jumperoo! My good friend Anne, and her 14 month old little girl, Leia, drove in from Conway to meet Reese on Tuesday night. It's so funny to see the little ones interact. Leia would crawl over to Reese and look at her, but was more interested in discovering anything and everything on the floor. Anne is such a great mom and is so laid back. I have learned a lot from her already. She is so funny and really lets Leia play and discover without being overprotective. I still have a long way to go on not being overprotective :)



Wednesday, my best friend Kristen drove down from Northwest Arkansas and we got to spend the day together. It was awesome to see her and she couldn't believe how Reese had grown. She and her mother drove all the way to Nashville to meet Reese when Reese was just 5 days old! Needless to say, Reese looks like a different baby. My good friend Barrett stopped by with her new puppy, Napa, that afternoon. Cooper was super protective of Reese while Napa was there. He is not usually aggressive, but when Napa was jumping around close to the baby, he got between them, growled and showed Napa his teeth. I was glad that Barrett got to meet Reese. Uncle Mark (my brother) and Aunt Jamie (my sister-in-law) came in that night from Fort Smith for Thanksgiving. They love Reese so much and I absolutely love watching them interact with her. Uncle Mark would stand her up in his lap and do animal noises for her. Reese would just talk and coo...it was so cute. That night, when I went to bed I gave them both hugs and here was our conversation:



Beth: Good night Jamie

Jamie: Good night. I'm thankful for you.

Beth: (to Jamie) I'm thankful for you. Good night, Bub. I'm thankful for you.

Mark: I'm thankful for Little Reesey!



Thursday, when Reese started waking up, I had just begun to change her diaper and her Uncle Mark was already coming into the room to say "Good Morning little one. Hello love." to Reese. He just couldn't stand it! We went to Beebe, AR, to Mamaw and Papaw's house for our Thanksgiving meal, which is always delicious. There, Reese met her Great Aunt Lea and Uncle Denny, Sarah, and Michael Branscum. Aunt Lea had fun dancing for Reese and making faces that made Reese smile. Reese really liked looking at Sarah. When she held her, Reese would just stare at her forever. Of course, everyone had to fight Papaw to get their hands on her. Everytime I turned around, he was holding her. And when he wasn't, Reese's G-Pops was trying to get ahold of her. I had to sneak by Papaw, so that Mamaw could hold Reese while I ate. Sure enough, after I ate, I went into the living room and Papaw had her in his arms singing and talking to her! Papaw put it best when Reese fell asleep in his arms, he said "this is paradise!" She is definitely a VERY loved little girl. After our visit in Beebe, we all headed back to Benton to meet more aunts and uncles. Reese got to meet her Aunt Liz, Uncle Phil, Aunt Diane, Uncle David, and cousins Clay and Jennifer. She also got to meet Aunt Liz's mother, Nonna. They got to hold her and love on her. It was really a long, but awesome day. Reese was such a good girl!

On Friday, my parents loaded us up and drove us all back to Nashville. A much better trip this time, as Reesey slept for about 3 out of the 7 hours. It was so fun being with Nana and G-Pops, but felt good to be home. Mom and Dad stayed the night with us and left early the next morning back to Arkansas. Dowell's family drove up from Fort Worth, TX on Friday and got to spent Saturday with us. It was Darcey's first time to meet Reese! The camera got a lot of action...needless to say. Big Daddy was getting a kick out of Reese's smiles and funny faces. He was doing the "spaceship" with her where he picked her up above his head and made spaceship noises. She really liked that and would smile and make noises every time. The also brought up Reese's Christmas presents and, let me tell you, it seems that Santa came early! My dining room table was piled high with gifts.

After all the traveling and visitors, we were SO exhausted! I'm pretty sure that it took a few days to get back on schedule, but by Monday night, we were in hibernation mode. Reese slept for 10 and 1/2 hours straight! It's going to take us a little while to catch up, but we'll be back in the swing of things soon. I have to say, it was ALL worth it. I am so thankful for my family, the time that we all got to spend together, and the love that is so apparrent among us all. Dowell and I are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.