The Adams Family

What I'm loving Wednesday!

2012-02-01T10:04:00.000-06:00

I have been MIA for a week or two now, I apologize. I'm trying to catch up on lots of things, and I just can't seem to get them all done. I still need to post my 365 pictures from last week, and I have not been very good at taking pics this week :( I will def. have to try and remember to get better with that. I really wanted to start AND finish that little project. For today, I have a few things to share and have a little fun with.

I'm loving several things this week, some new, some old ;)

I have been reading through the Psalms and have gotten behind lately but last night while reading this verse really spoke to me.

"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let YOUR glory be all over the earth." Psalm 57:11

I pray that I will glorify my Father with my life so that others will know Him. They will never be the same after they have felt and experienced His love :)

I am loving these two precious ones!

This was taken Saturday afternoon on our family walk :) I love getting to do fun things like this with the kiddos! They enjoy being out in the sunshine, and I get a workout pulling them! I wouldn't let Chris pull them b/c I wanted to get some exercise-HA!

I love our small group with our church for this semester. It's a video series that we watch together once a week. It's called Love and Respect. Click here for details if you are interested. I'm so excited about learning ways to have a better marriage! I am so excited what the Lord has in store for us this coming year. It has been a great January, and I just know it's going to get even better :) We have been blessed SO much!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Ephesians 1:3

Lastly I'm loving Chris Tomlin! I have really been listening to his music a lot the past week or so. The song "Jesus Messiah" is so beautiful. Click here to listen to it if you have never heard it. Here are the lyrics:

Jesus Messiah :

He became sin
Who knew no sin
That we might become His Righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing
Love so amazing

Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

His body the bread
His blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled
And the veil was torn
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/c/chris_tomlin/jesus_messiah.html ]
Love so amazing
Love so amazing, yeah

Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

All our hope is in You
All our hope is in You
All the glory to You, God
The light of the world

Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

Hope you all have a blessed day! and Happy birthday to my awesome Father-in-law! :)

Simple Starfish giveaway!

2012-01-24T10:36:00.000-06:00

I recently won another giveaway from Simple Starfish, and I wanted to tell all of you about another opportunity to win a necklace from them as well. Do you have a word of inspiration for 2012? Well if you do and would like to have a necklace with that word on it to remind you everyday for some inspiration, visit their blog HERE to enter :)
Happy Tuesday!

Project 365-week 3

2012-01-22T14:30:00.000-06:00

I had a successful week photographing, mostly because of Alyssah's birthday :) I hope some of you are doing this project as well!

day 15: Mark fell asleep watching tv last Sunday afternoon in this weird position!

day 16: Taking some pretty pictures of my pretty girl :)

day 17: Playtime before bed!

day 18: Treat bags for A's 1st birthday party

day 19: The night before A's 1st birthday. I hung this banner for her big day and it's been up for her b-day weekend :)

day 19: Eating breakfast on her big day. Happy 1st birthday to my sweet princess!

day 21: The day of her party :) She was kind of still asleep in this picture. She took a really good nap before our visitors arrived!

One Year!

2012-01-20T11:58:00.001-06:00

I can hardly believe a year ago today my sweet baby girl entered my life. She has been a blessing since day 1, and I'm sure she will continue to bless my life for many years to come. She is silly, smart, beautiful, energetic, a wonderful sleeper and eater, daring, snugly, petite, loving, and most of all-mine! I'm beyond thankful for her little life. Although life got instantly crazier with 2 kiddos to take care of and love, she made the transition so easy. I feel so complete and grateful for her entering my world. I have loved doing girly things with her and cannot wait to do the big girl stuff like tea parties, dance classes, weekend shopping trips, mani/pedis, etc. I hope she always knows that she has a friend in me, and we are close friends. Thank you Lord for giving me a daughter to have on this earth. I pray I will raise her to be a Godly woman, a virtuous woman. I pray that she will live for you and make a big impact in your Kingdom.

Alyssah's stats/facts right now at 12 months:
-She is in size 4 diapers.
-She is wearing a size 3 shoe, but will be in a 4 very soon.
-She's wearing mostly 12 months clothes. Some of her 9 months things still fit, but are getting too short ;)
-We have been transitioning to whole milk this week. I'm doing half formula, half milk. She's starting to like regular milk a little more. She has to get used to it being cold, and I think she'll be fine.
-She is crawling like a mad lady, pulling up on any and everything, but not walking yet. She will free stand for a few seconds then she just plops back down. I know she's so close!
-She is completely on solid foods. Right now she loves any and all cereal, bananas, green beans, turkey, applesauce, rice, and Ritz crackers.
-She loves to talk. She can clearly say bye, hey, dada, mama, uh-oh, and we are working on baby and love you :)
-She loves to dance and clap her hands. I really hope she wants to take dance. I wish I had taken ballet or something like that growing up.
-She has 10 teeth I believe. She has been cutting them in 2's and 4's :/ Cranky baby some days, but with every right to be!
I think that's about everything...but I'm sure I left out something.

Here are a few recent pictures. I will do a separate post of her 1 year pictures later this weekend. We have a big party planned for our little princess. Stay tuned for that post as well. Happy Friday :)

Forever Reign

2012-01-19T11:57:00.000-06:00

We sang this song at church this past Sunday, and I've had it in my head since then!  Just thought I would share :)  Happy Thursday!  It's almost the weekend and my girl's 1st birthday! Stay tuned for birthday details.  Have a blessed day!
Forever Reign
You are good, You are goodWhen there's nothing good in meYou are love, You are loveOn display for all to seeYou are light, You are lightWhen the darkness closes inYou are hope, You are hopeYou have covered all my sin
You are peace, You are peaceWhen my fear is cripplingYou are true, You are trueEven in my wanderingYou are joy, You are joyYou're the reason that I singYou are life, You are life,In You death has lost its sting
Oh, I'm running to Your arms,I'm running to Your armsThe riches of Your loveWill always be enoughNothing compares to Your embraceLight of the world forever reign

You are more, You are moreThan my words will ever sayYou are Lord, You are LordAll creation will proclaimYou are here, You are hereIn Your presence I'm made wholeYou are God, You are GodOf all else I'm letting go
Oh, I'm running to Your armsI'm running to Your armsThe riches of Your loveWill always be enoughNothing compares to Your embraceLight of the world forever reign
My heart will singno other NameJesus, Jesus
Oh, I'm running to Your armsI'm running to Your armsThe riches of Your loveWill always be enoughNothing compares to your embraceLight of the world forever reign

Project 365-week 2

2012-01-15T17:38:00.000-06:00

Well week 2 was a bit of a struggle for me, but I got it done. I would remember a little late that I hadn't taken a picture for the day, hence some sleepy pics of the kiddos ;) They are still worthy of being my pictures for the day! They are so sweet when they are sleeping ;)

Day 8: Sleeping beauty

Day 9: I'm reading through Psalms right now and it's definitely uplifting. Thank goodness David decided to write down some of his dark days. It's a great reminder that although we go through struggles, God is always close by!

Day 10: Smiling even though she caught the stomach bug at school :( Her 1st sickness since she was born.

Day 11: And day 2 of the bug-She went through a lot of laundry this week!

Day 12: Also the eve before Mark caught the dreaded stomach bug. Squeaky clean babies!

Day 13: Mark had to leave school early b/c he was throwing up so I decided to work on some decor for Alyssah's party next weekend.

Day 14: Have you ever seen a sweeter boy?!

Day 14 bonus: Mark said A had a scratch on her face and needed a "dan-daid". There wasn't anything on her face though ;)

Project 365-week 1

2012-01-07T22:11:00.000-06:00

I am attempting to do Project 365 this year. Basically it's your whole year in pictures. You take one picture a day to document something from that day. I really hope I can keep this up; it's such a neat idea :) I'm going to be posting the pictures by weeks. I figured it would be easy to keep myself organized that way. Here goes...

Day 1-Happy New Year!

Day 2-My sweet boy!

Day 3- Mark's "puppy". He actually left him unattended at Wal-mart on this day. He said "I think puppy is lonely." He was quickly recovered ;)

Day 4- I'm constantly faced with messes like these, but I'm also so blessed to have precious little ones who make these kind of messes :)

Day 5- My new haircut. Also-Mark took this one ;) He's getting pretty good!

Day 6- A night with my girls! Sweet Alyssah with my sweet Kristin. Love her :)

Day 7- A day of shopping with my girl! It was so fun! I look forward to many, many shopping days with her :)

Stay tuned for next week's pictures. I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:27:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that everyone had a wonderful New Year holiday. I know we did. I have a lot of blogging to do about Christmas, and have cute, recent pictures of the kids to share. For now, I want to share a few thoughts from day 1 in my prayer journal. Each day has verse(s) and a little devo along with space to write down specific prayer requests, etc. Todays verses are Psalms 139:23-24. It made me smile when I read it b/c it is absolutely perfect and describes a specific prayer of mine lately. What an awesome Creator! He always shows us the way ;)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." NIV

What an awesome verse to start the new year off with?!

This is from the devotional reading:
"Wherever I go, whatever the challenge, I pray that You will be there, guiding me completely.
...O Lord, be near, surrounding me continually with Your love."

There is nothing too big for my God, and I know His love is unfailing and faithful. I pray that you all have a blessed New Year and that Jesus will be Lord of your lives and hearts!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T23:03:00.000-06:00

"When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts, and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:10-11

"The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord'." Luke 2:10-11

"A child has been born to us; God has given a son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas!!!

Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-19T19:15:00.000-06:00

I have been so busy trying to get everything ready around here for the kids, etc It's so easy to get caught up in all of that and forget what Christmas is really about. This is something I'm really thinking about this year...Why celebrate Christmas as the rest of the world? What do I mean?? Christmas has become something so far from what it should be. Instead of celebrating Jesus and our families, we just WANT and WANT! Chris and I have been talking a lot lately about this.
What do we want our kids to know about Christmas? Do we want them to know about Santa? I think Santa is fun to do with kids. They get so excited about getting a surprise on Christmas morning. I always loved it when I was a child. And while there is nothing wrong with believing in a man in a red suit bringing you presents, believing in Jesus means SO much more! Although Jesus' birth is considered to be around a different season than Christmas time, I love the idea of setting aside a time to really focus on the birth of our Savior. That's a celebration that is neither false or materialized! I so want my children to know that a Savior was born into this world of sin and sadness to rescue them, to redeem them. That to me makes Christmas the most special time of the year.
Just thought I would share some of the thoughts whirling around in my head lately. Maybe I sound ridiculous, but I think I'm seeing things so much more clearly.

"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." Matthew 2:10

Holy

2011-12-09T11:38:00.000-06:00

This song is a recent favorite of mine! I love the words...God is so holy, and we are so unworthy of His faithfulness and love. What a beautiful song of praise for our Redeemer! I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

"Holy"

What heart could hold the weight of Your love
And know the heights of Your great worth
What eyes could look on Your glorious face
Shining like the sun
[x2]

You are holy, holy, holy
God most high and God most worthy
You are holy, holy, holy
Jesus, You are
Jesus, You are

Your name alone has power to raise us
Your light will shine when all else fades
Our eyes will look on Your glorious face
Shining like the sun
Who is like You, God?

You are holy, holy, holy
God most high and God most worthy
You are holy, holy, holy
Jesus, You are
Jesus, You are
[x2]

Jesus, You are
Jesus, You are

Who shall we say You are
You're the living God
Who shall we say You are
You're the Great I AM
The highest name of all
You're all You say You are

You are holy, holy, holy
God most high and God most worthy
You are holy, holy, holy
Jesus, You are
Jesus, You are
[x2]

Jesus, You are
Jesus, You are

And You shall come again in glory
To judge the living and the dead
All eyes will look on Your glorious face
Shining like the sun
Who is like You, God?

You are holy, holy, holy
God most high and God most worthy
You are holy, holy, holy
Jesus, You are
Jesus, You are

Jesus, You are
Jesus, You are
[x3]

Betwixxt/Handmade Home giveaway

2011-12-08T12:13:00.000-06:00

Hello friends :) Hope you are all having a fabulous Thursday! It's almost Friday...hang on! I have another giveaway opportunity. If you aren't keeping up with the handmade home yet, you need to be. The next giveaway opportunity is from Betwixxt. Check it out here for more details and learn how you can enter :)

Simple Starfish/The Handmade Home

2011-12-06T16:03:00.000-06:00

I have another giveaway opportunity! This really is a week of giving for the handmade home! This one is for a $50 gift certificate :) You can use it for someone special on your list or keep it for yourself. Check it out here.
Have a wonderful Tuesday night!

Crafty Addictions/The Handmade Home

2011-12-06T09:33:00.000-06:00

I have another giveaway opportunity for all of you bloggers out there! This giveaway includes 2 winners for $25 each to this cute etsy shop. Check it out here.
Hope you have a terrific Tuesday! Are you done Christmas shopping yet??...18 more days!

London Reid Jewelry giveaway/The Handmade Home

2011-12-05T10:11:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone and happy Monday...well at least hello Monday. Anyone else loathe Mondays??? Anyway, I follow a really awesome blog called the handmade home, and they are hosting a week of giving this week. Their 1st giveaway opportunity is from London Reid Jewelry. Check it out and enter to win a $50 shop credit. You know you're not done Christmas shopping! ;) Hope you have a fabulous week! Click here for more details!

Home for the Holidays

2011-11-30T21:54:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Hope your week has been wonderful so far! I am pretty much done decorating our place for Christmas and thought I would share. It has been so fun experiencing Christmas with both of my kiddos already. Alyssah has done great with the tree. She loves looking at it but hasn't tried to mess it up YET. I may have just jinxed myself ;) I still have to get her her 1st Christmas ornament and take the kids to see Santa. I think we are going Sat. Mark is actually excited about it, but we'll see what he thinks when we get there. I'm hoping for a smile this year [fingers crossed]. Merry Christmas...it really is the MOST wonderful time of the year!

The tree is a free-for-all this year. I usually do a theme, but it's just a random collection this year. I love it :)

And the stockings were hung by the chimney, er kitchen bar area, with care ;) I hope to have a mantle next Christmas! Alyssah is using Mark's "Baby's 1st Christmas" stocking until I can find one that sort of matches Mark's "M" one.

Don't you just love Pinterest!!!

the kids' hallway

Thankful 2011

2011-11-29T21:21:00.000-06:00

I feel so very blessed this year. I have a precious little family, awesome friends, and an amazing family! I can't wait to see what our next year has in store! Mark and I made these cute little pilgrim hats (pictured above) the day before Thanksgiving. They weren't as cute as the ones on Pinterest, but they were pretty yummy ;) I like finding cute, new ideas for the holidays.

My sweet friends! I'm very thankful for them...they rock :)

my beautiful daughter and Matthew

Taylor made Mark's night by letting him bowl with her! I'm so glad to have this pretty girl as a new friend. I feel like I've known her for years.

Mark and his Aunt Joo, who he adores ;)

Happy Thanksgiving from the most handsome boy I know :)

the Adams girls :)

my crazy, wonderful babies!

I seriously have the most gorgeous girl on the planet!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Adams family! 2011

Alyssah-10 months!

2011-11-26T19:45:00.000-06:00

My sweet girl is already 10 months old! She is all personality and is happy all the time. At her 9 month appointment she weighed 18 lbs, 8 oz. and measured 27 1/4 inches long. She is crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. She will be walking in no time. She has started trying to cruise along the couch but doesn't stand for long. She is wearing size 4 diapers and eats anything! She is on solid foods for the most part now. She just stopped wanting to eat baby food, so she eats what we eat for the most part. She is resisting her sippy cup right now, but in time I know that will get better. Here are a few recent pictures. We had a studio session done a few days ago with Alyssah and Mark. I'll be sure to share those soon. Hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving holiday!

before Auburn's homecoming game-A's 1st game (Mark's 2nd)

Alyssah on her 10 month b-day; decorating the tree

Brittybird's Favorite Things Giveaway

2011-11-12T08:47:00.000-06:00

http://brittybirdbaby.blogspot.com/2011/11/favorite-things-giveaway.html

One of my favorite etsy shops is doing a huge giveaway with things from some of her favorite etsy shops. You should check it out...it's a good one :)

Chris and Brandi Nicolais

2011-11-09T10:54:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law got married on November 5th, and it was a beautiful, fun-filled day. This time Mark was the only one in it, so it was less stressful for me. He did a great job being the ring bearer. He's kind of a professional now-this was his third one and he's only 3! :) The ceremony was gorgeous, and the reception was so fun! We got to spend time with some dear friends and enjoy some family time. Here are some of the pictures I took. I can't wait to see their professional pictures. I know they will be wonderful!

Sweet Alyssah

My adorable Marky Mark

Me and the hubs! We never get pictures anymore...I'm always behind the camera!

My Mom-in-law and Sis-in-law

Me and the gorgeous bride

the kiddos...I think A was sleeping ;)

during the ceremony

beautiful cake...I loved the colors!

Me and my friend, Jess

Janine and Dustin's wedding

2011-11-09T10:40:00.000-06:00

Our sweet friends were married on October 22nd...yes I'm late getting this post up! The day was so much fun. This was the 1st wedding that I was in that I knew all the bridesmaids, so we had a blast :) Marky Mark was the ring bearer and is now a pro at it. He was also in my sister-in-law's wedding this past weekend. More on that soon ;) Here are a few pictures I took and some I borrowed from facebook. Congrats to the newly weds and God bless your marriage! Love you both!

My sweet little family!

Me and my gorgeous daughter!

Cutting the cake

1st dance :)

Janine and her girls (and boy) before the wedding

Just the girls!

Perfect :)

Sweet kiss

Gracie and Mark! These 2 were great sports all day!

And this is what happens when you think you can light a handful of sparklers at once....My face is priceless. haha

Just for fun!

2011-11-07T12:16:00.000-06:00

I kept all of Mark's clothes from when he was little. I have sold some now or given them away since we were having a little girl. We're not sure that we will have more, so I just started getting rid of some things. Well I have kept special outfits or ones that Alyssah could wear too. I have recently taken her picture in some of the same things and wanted to compare to see how much they resemble. I think they look alike, but she is definitely changing a lot lately. You tell me what you think ;)

Mark at 7 months (almost 8).

Alyssah at 9 months.


Alyssah at 9 months.


Mark at about 7 months.

Thanksgiving meal ideas

2011-11-03T21:42:00.000-05:00

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/marshmallow-pilgrim-hats-682463/

Of course I started with a cute little dessert idea ;) I love trying out new, cute recipes. These little hats are precious!

I also like these. For a snack...

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/pigs-in-pilgrim-hats-1027250/

And this. SO fun!

http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-dinner-recipes/thanksgiving-appetizers/fruit-gobbler-688370/

I love the holidays and love having kiddos to make it more special!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-01T22:12:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I took the kids to the pumpkin patch. We met some friends and my parents there. Mark had fun picking out pumpkins and riding the hayride. Alyssah took it all in and even got in a nap, thanks to Uncle Joe :) Here are the pics. Can't wait for next year when both of my punkins will be walking around picking out pumpkins!

Mark showing me the fish.

Alyssah looking at the pond.

I just love this sweet face!

Telling me which way to go ;)

Yes, this was the only one I got of them together...oh well. There's always next year!

Mark's, mine, and A's

Handsome thing! :)

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween from the Adams family :)

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-10-19T11:57:00.000-05:00

My heart is so full! I'm so very thankful for these two precious ones!

Update on Maw-Maw

2011-10-06T09:52:00.000-05:00

My sweet Maw-Maw made some awesome progress yesterday in therapy. She took ten steps on the bars with some assistance today :) This is HUGE progress for her. She still has no mobility on her right side and she's still not speaking. When I saw her Saturday, she was in much better spirits. I can't even imagine how hard this has been for her. Please keep the prayers coming for those of you who pray! The Lord is definitely working!

Maw-Maw and me with my babies and nephew

What I'm loving Wednesday

2011-09-28T10:55:00.000-05:00

These precious little baby leg warmers!!!

I am SO ready for it to be fall-like weather! It is my first fall with Alyssah so I'm super excited about her accessories like these leg warmers :) I'm in love! If only they looked as cute on older people ;) HA! I can't wait to see her all bundled up in cute sweaters, beanies, and tights!


Brown nails...so much better than black, although I like that too ;)

I'm so tired of my summer clothes that I want it to be colder just to wear my sweaters! I love wearing the browns, oranges, and reds...


I have found a new tea flavor as well. I haven't actually tried this one yet, but a local coffee shop has the vanilla chai and it's amazing! I got regular chai tea a while back so I still have some of that to finish before I get this but I'm excited about trying it! The chai tea is great with honey and sugar. If you are a hot tea drinker, you should def. give it a try!

I would love to hear some of your favorite things about fall :)
Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! It's rainy and gloomy here, but the week is halfway over ;)

Terrific Thursday!

2011-09-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share a song with yall that has been stuck in my head and constantly sung in my car these days :) I can think of nothing better to be sung continuously to our Creator. Hope you all love it as much as I do! Have a terrifically, fantastic Thursday!

You are Great

John Larson

How great is the love that you lavished on me, How infinite your majesty

You formed the mountains, You calmed the raging seas

And redeemed this heart in me.

You are great, Your mercies never fade, Your grace is all I need,

Forever, forever I will sing, You are great.

You are great, the Heavens boast your praise. My heart has been set free.

Forever, forever I will sing, That you are great.

You are great.

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD." Psalm 150:6

Prayer request!

2011-09-20T20:15:00.000-05:00

My sweet Maw-Maw had a stroke last week. She has been moved from the hospital to a rehab facility. Please pray that she will do well with therapy and her speech and mobility will improve. She was pumping gas last week at a gas station when she passed out. A delivery man saw her and helped her get into her car. He found her phone and scrolled to my Dad's number. He got to her and drove her to the ER. They admitted her into the hospital. She cannot speak and the right side of her body is immovable. She is completely aware of her condition. She has been so frustrated and worried. It's so hard to watch her go through this. My family and I appreciate the prayers. I know God hears our prayers and concerns, and He is bigger than anything we could ever imagine!

*"I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer."
Psalm 17:6

*"Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God." Philippians 4:6

*“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them."
Mark 11:23

Alyssah at 7 months

2011-09-18T13:06:00.000-05:00

Alyssah is days away from being 8 months old, but I wanted to post some pics I took on her 7th month birthday. :) She is the sweetest, most fun little princess and it's a joy being her Mommy!

Fall already?

2011-09-18T11:50:00.000-05:00

I have been forgetting about blogging lately, but life has been crazy! I can't believe Fall is already here and life continues to go by so quickly. I wish I could slow it down just a little. We have had a lot going on lately, but I wanted to catch up in pictures. It seems to be the easiest and most fun way to do so :) Here's are life lately...

Mark with his new lunchbox for school from Aunt Jess!

my kiddos :) This was A's 1st time riding in a buggy!

Kick-off to football season (Fan day 2011)

Auburn family

sweet friends!

Christopher's 27th birthday party :)

Will you be my bridesmaid? from Janine! The big day is Oct. 22nd :)

My little boy's 1st day of preschool (3 1/2 years old)!

Just for fun

1st time she held her bottle :)

downtown Opelika. He loved this fountain!

pretty girl!

driving at Publix

charming fella-1st Auburn game of the season!

A's 1st Auburn game :)

eating at Loco's to watch the game

my little strawberry :)

War Eagle!!!

Our weekend at the beach

2011-08-21T13:20:00.000-05:00

I am super behind at blogging. Life has just been a little crazy lately. Work is starting to pick up because football season is about 2 weeks away...wow! I'm so very excited about that :) These are some pictures from our July beach trip. We had a wonderful weekend with our sweet friends! I am one very blessed girl! The pictures are a little out of order but you get the idea ;)

1st day on the beach!

Mark finally warmed up to getting in the water :)

lunch on our way

dinner at Shuckums as soon as we checked in our room

bikini babe

Mark and Gracie at Ron Jon's...precious!

Alyssah's signature face these days...old lady face!

last day before going to the pier

1st time in a highchair!

Mark loved the pier.

Marky Mark showing 'Lyssah Lu the turtles :)

My cup overflows!

6 months!

2011-07-30T08:49:00.001-05:00

My sweet Alyssah had her 6 month appointment last week and did great! She now weighs 16.5 lbs. and measures 26.25 inches long. I can't believe she is so big already. She is wearing 6 months clothes and 6-9 months, although they are a little big. She has graduated up to size 3 diapers. She is still eating about every 3 hours, but goes 12 hrs at night without eating. I love that! She is eating baby food now and pretty much likes everything. I have a happy, healthy, beautiful little girl. I am so blessed and grateful :)

at the doctor waiting on shots

all smiles!

because brother wanted a picture....not the best but it will do

Sweet prayers

2011-07-18T10:18:00.000-05:00

I was putting Mark to bed the other night, and this was Mark's prayer! Priceless :)

Dear God,
Thank you for cars, balls, Jess, Bupa, Joo, Daddy, Mark, Mommy, Alyssah, trains, books, football, baseball, Matt-Matt, Mimzy, Big Daddy, Blake, Grace, blankets, gummies, Paw-Paw, Nana, Ms. Crystal, Max, Tommy, Allie Guy, and my puppy.

It may be out of order slightly, but that was how he prayed. So honest and sincere. I have such a sweet little boy with the biggest heart. My cup runs over!

July 4, 2011

2011-07-09T11:20:00.000-05:00

Alyssah's 1st 4th :)

my loves

playing around at Angel's Antiques

my sweet boy!

me and my girl!

me and my babies :)

happy girl!

They are just the cutest things I've ever seen ;)

5 months old!

2011-06-28T20:27:00.001-05:00

Every month I feel like I just wrote about the previous month yesterday...5 months old! My sweet daughter is 5 months old and is really starting to show her personality. She got her 1st tooth on the 06/23. Her second one looks like it will popping up any day! She also weighs 16 lbs now...WOW! She gained 3 lbs in a month :) She's a very good eater! Alyssah adores her brother more and more every day. I picked them up from school today, and she just laughed at him for the 1st 10 minutes they were together. It was a full laugh-out-loud-uncontrollably laugh too. SO cute! She is still in size 2 diapers and 3-6 months clothes, some 6 months clothes. She is trying so hard to sit-up on her own too. She can for a sec or 2 then falls forward. It won't be long though. Here are a few pictures of A recently.

She loves her Daddy!

Happy 5 months :)

my sweet blessings :)

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-06-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

Summertime!

2011-06-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

Our life lately has been pretty busy, but wonderful. This post is mainly for updating but I have included some sweet pictures from our weekend. I don't think I have shared with the blog world that the hubs got a new job about a month ago now :) This was a HUGE praise and BLESSING from our wonderful, faithful, good God! Ever since the beginning of the year and esp. during my maternity leave things were very trying around our house. We made it through with the help of the good Lord watching over us. Chris has been working really long hours during the day, but he loves his job and now we are a step closer to a house...hopefully in a year. We have other things to do first, but we will get there and it will be something we both love :)

We have been swimming a few times at our pool, and Mark loves it. He is going to be a little fish this summer. He asks everyday to go to the pool when I pick him up from school! Alyssah has gotten in, but doesn't seem to care either way if she's in or out. She is such a little sweetie and smiles non-stop. We are so very blessed to have these sweet little ones!

I think it's safe to say that Mark is potty-trained now :) Yay! He still wets at night some so he is still in a pull-up when he sleeps, but during the day he is in big boy underwear and is finally pooping in the toliet! I am so glad that something finally clicked and he just got it. I've heard that's how some kids are and well, he was one of them. He's such a big boy and a wonderful brother! Alyssah adores him, and he can't get enough of her. He always wants her with him, and he has to know where she is at all time. She will just sit and watch him. She will just smile and laugh at him when he's making faces and playing around. I love to see them interact.

These pictures were taken at the beach this weekend. We went to lower Alabama to visit with Chris' family Saturday for his grandparents 50th wedding anniversary party. We stayed the night and went to Ft. Walton for the day on Sunday. The weather was perfect, and we all had a wonderful time. Mark didn't care too much for the water but LOVED the sand. Alyssah just loves being outside, so she did great. I can't wait to go back in July with our friends!

You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!

I sing for joy because of what you have done.
Psalm 92:4

Unforgettable moment

2011-06-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

One day last week I was getting Mark dressed for school and this is our conversation. Totally out of the blue may I add...

Mark: God made me.

Me: yes He did

Mark: God made baby Alyssah.

Me: yes

Mark: and Daddy and Mommy

Me: yes, that's right

Mark: and pull-ups, and underwear, and toys

Me: (laughing) yes...

Oh from the mouths of babes :) Mark has the biggest heart, and he is so loving. I know God is going to do great things through his little life. I'm so blessed to be a part of it!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week! Hold on...it's almost Friday!

Playing!

2011-05-30T06:58:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how big my kiddos are! Alyssah is sitting up so well with support and loves to sit in the bumbo seat. I'm very thankful to have it. I didn't have one of these when Mark was this small, and I don't know how I lived without it! She likes sitting in the floor exploring her toys. Big brother likes being able to play with her too :) It's so sweet!

Brittybird giveaway!

2011-05-26T12:31:00.001-05:00

Check out this awesome giveaway opportunity from Brittybird! There will be 3 lucky winners! I like that because I'm one of those people who never win anything so there is a better chance for winning :) Click this link to learn how to enter.

http://brittybirdbaby.blogspot.com/2011/05/birthday-giveaway.html

Hope everyone is having a good week! Tomorrow is Friday...yay!

4 months old!

2011-05-24T21:08:00.000-05:00

4 months old! I don't know where the time has gone... Alyssah just keeps getting more and more beautiful and fun :) She is now a whopping 13 lbs. and 24.25 inches. She is wearing size 2 diapers now and 3-6 months clothes for the most part. She is the best baby and always has a smile on her face. Her sweet little laugh will brighten any bad day! She did pretty good with her shots yesterday, but is having a rough time today. Daycare called me to come get her early today b/c she had a fever of 102! She's doing ok now just fussy. I called the doctor and the nurse said to just keep an eye on her...I may be taking her tomorrow! Here are her 4 month pics taken at home. I wanted to do some of her sleeping. She looks so peaceful and just gorgeous!

Things every Mom should know-part 2

2011-05-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

Since Mother's Day is tomorrow, I thought I would do part 2 of the post I started a few weeks ago. I hope all the Moms out there feel special not just tomorrow but everyday. We probably have the hardest job on earth, but the most rewarding. You just have no idea until you experience it yourself. Happy Mother's Day to you all! Enjoy :)

Now on to the rest of the list:

11. Embrace their quirks.

12. Know this: That stain won't come out. And it's ok. (The sooner you accept this, the better.)

13. At some point it will be February. Things will seem bleak. You will think more about vitamins, glasses, more exercise, more sleep, more chores, less TV, more rules, fewer rules, and organic food. Just wait. Things will get better when the snow melts. Know that it will happen again at the end of the summer, right before school starts. It's the circle of life, baby.

14. Always get boys' haircuts at barber shops instead of hair salons.

15. Answer this question: What is the worst thing that can happen if your kids sleep in their clothes?

16. Never stifle a generous inclination.

17. Try to like what they like. It kind of sucks when it's Bob the Builder, but the payoff will come when they discover Lemony Snicket.

18. Teach them to pump on the swings ASAP.

19. If your child falls asleep occasionally without brushing her teeth, don't wake her; baby teeth do eventually fall out.

20. I know you are supposed to use natural consequences to punish bad behavior, but sometimes it's hard to think of natural consequences. In these cases try threatening your kids with clipping their toenails or some activity they dread. I've had great success with this one, but you must find your own.

Calling all Moms!

2011-05-06T12:11:00.001-05:00

I wanted to let you all know about an amazing giveaway going on at Jackie Ranson Photography. This would be a great opportunity to enter a Mom or enter yourself. We all deserve a "happy" every once and a while :) Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! For all you do, you deserve a wonderful day! Treat yourself, relax, and allow yourself some time to breathe. I'm pretty sure I should take my own advice... ;)

3 months!

2011-04-26T18:25:00.000-05:00

This sweet little girl is 3 months old now! WOW! I can't believe it...

She is still wearing size 1 diapers, and I'm not really sure how much she weighs now. She is definitely growing though. She's pretty much in 3-6 months clothes, but can still wear 3 month things. She's holding her head up so well and tries to sit-up when she's in her car seat. She is almost laughing. She gets to the point where she sounds like she is about to, but it just doesn't quite come out. She smiles all the time and LOVES attention. She will fuss if you quit talking to her. She is a little priss that's for sure ;) She is such a great baby, and she is starting to sleep longer if she is awake most of the day. Last night she slept from 9-6! Mommy likes :) She's not sleeping in her crib yet, but I'm thinking that within the next month we are going to start transitioning. She's not sleeping with us anymore, so we have made some progress. She's doing great in her pack-n-play for now.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T21:17:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter! It was the first big holiday we have celebrated as a family of 4! Alyssah was too little to really do any Easter activities, but she looked super cute in her Easter dress! Mark really enjoyed hunting eggs, and he did a really good job! Sunday morning we went to church with Chris' family and had lunch at my Grandparents (Mom's side). We hunted eggs at my grandparents and then went to Chris' family's house to visit before we headed back to Auburn. I loved our whole weekend, but I'll post on the rest later. Hope everyone enjoyed their Easter! I love celebrating my Savior, the one and only risen King!

The Easter bunny stopped by ;)

my babies with their goodies

our little family

with my beautiful blessings!

big boy found a lot of eggs!

my 1st Easter!

I know I'm cute :)

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
John 11:25-26, ESV

Easter bunny 2011

2011-04-18T21:28:00.000-05:00

We took the kiddos to the see the Easter Bunny a few weekends ago and it went really well compared to Santa. I guess Mark is getting used to it now. Of course Alyssah did great ;) She was asleep the whole time. I still had to be in the picture with Mark but there were no tears! Baby steps...

Alyssah's 1st Easter bunny visit :)

Mark wasn't too excited when we got close...I don't really blame him though! He is kinda scary...

sweet :)

Things every Mom should know

2011-04-11T20:48:00.000-05:00

I was recently reading through a very old Parents magazine and came across an article titled "39 Things Every Mom Should Know". I'm going to split it up into several posts so this one isn't ridiculously long. The top 10 are as follows...

1. You never have to go to obnoxious kid-themed restaurants. Ever. I wish someone had told me that.

2. Don't make birthday parties a huge deal. (I don't totally agree with this one personally. I like making b-day parties special, but I try not to spend too much money. Not sure if that's where they were going with that.)

3. Do your chores while kids are awake. Using up naptime to wash dishes or clean the bathroom is truly soul-crushing. (*I struggle with this one!)

4. Put Band-aids on everything your kids want to. Why not?

5. If the kids are awake, bite the bullet and be awake yourself. You'll waste so many hours trying futilely to extend early-morning snoozes that it's not worth it. If you are sick, pregnant, or it's the middle of the night, ignore this advice.

6. Just throw away the poopy underwear.

7. Don't beat yourself up if you have to use a bribe.

8. Teach your kids not to pee outside unless you are camping-you'll be glad you did. But if other people's kids do it, don't judge too harshly-it's all about karma. If you're in the midst of potty training all bets are off. You gotta do what you've gotta do.

9. Buy cheap shoes when kids are little. Feet grow faster than you think.

10. Don't forget about board games. You'll suffer through way too much Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders, but Connect Four and Battleship aren't half bad. And Clue rocks.

Stay tuned for more...Hope you are having a great week.

Aiden's 2nd Birthday!

2011-04-05T20:18:00.001-05:00

My sweet nephew, Aiden turned 2 on April 2nd. He had his party at McDonald's in Phenix City and the kids had a blast :) Here are a few pictures from the party. We had a great time visiting with our family!

sleeping beauty!

the birthday boy :)

Mark and Aiden playing

silly boy!

I love this one :)

He loved the slide!

2 months!

2011-03-30T19:39:00.000-05:00

Alyssah had her 2 month check-up on March 25th and Dr. Carter said she looked great! My little girl now weighs 11 lbs., 2 oz. and is 22 1/4 inches long. She is in the 50th percentile in both. She was such a trooper. She got 4 shots and barely cried! I was very proud ;)
She is smiling all the time now, and I love it! She is starting to smile when she sees me, Mark, or Christopher. It just melts my heart! She loves her swing now, well the mobile at least. She is content to watch it while she swings. Sometimes she even smiles and coos at it. She just started cooing this past week, and it is the cutest thing. She is drinking 4 oz. of breast milk at each feeding at daycare and is in size 1 diapers. I think that's about all of her milestones/stats for now. She's growing and becoming more and more beautiful every day!

This was the day she had her check-up

ready for church

in one of my shirts from when I was little...it's so cute on her!

Idea Book

2011-03-22T13:24:00.001-05:00

All you Moms out there have to read this book! I'm not too far into it, but I love it. My mother-in-law gave it to me, and it is a must-have for any Mom. It would make a wonderful gift too :) Mother's Day is just around the corner.

I'll be sharing a few things from it as I read through each section, but I think any Mom would benefit from getting this awesome tool. Being a Mother has it's challenges, at least it does for me ;) I appreciate any ideas/advice/encouragement, etc. I can get! Have a great rest of the week!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-18T18:57:00.000-05:00

Aren't they cute?!

my 1st St. Patty's Day!

My 27th birthday

2011-03-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

Well I am another year closer to 30...and loving it! Life is great, and aging is part of it. I have had a wonderful life these past 27 years and I look forward to another wonderful 27 more :) I have a husband that loves me, a son who is the most handsome thing I have ever seen, and a daughter who couldn't be more gorgeous. I don't think it gets much better!
This year our friends have been combining birthdays when possible for expense reasons. It is much more fun to me anyway. So there were 3 March birthdays in our group of friends which happen to be in the same week! (besides Mark's...we let him have his own!) We celebrated being another year older this past weekend. I enjoyed sharing my big day with 2 of my guy friends. Let me add though that they are both older than me :) Here are some pics from our cookout get together. Thanks to all of our friends for making our night special!!!

me and my babies...this is so Mark's personality these days!

yummy cake :)

It was hard fitting these candles on or around the cake!

my "27" candles

March friends :)

1st day at "school"

2011-03-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

I am a little behind blogging, so bear with me on the next couple of posts. We have a lot going on this month! I went back to work on March 7th, and overall I'm doing good adjusting to getting 2 kids ready in the mornings and still looking decent myself ;) The day went smoothly. I had a good day at work, and Alyssah did great without me. And apparently being in a swing most of the day there doesn't seem to bother her...she's liking her swing at home more now too. I definitely like that adjustment ;) Stay tuned for more news from the Adams fam!

Mark's 3rd Birthday Party!

2011-03-11T10:43:00.001-06:00

Mark before his birthday party! He was so excited!

I have a 3 year old...wow! My sweet little Mark turned 3 on March 4th. We had his birthday party on Saturday, March 5th, and he had a blast. This year we had it at McDonald's in Columbus. I know he loves playing in the playplace, so I knew he would enjoy that. I also didn't feel like doing a whole lot of work. Selfish?...maybe but he loved his day anyway! I thought I would have so much time to work on it since I was on maternity leave, but other things kept me busy. The laundry never ended, baby Alyssah wanted to cuddle, cleaning was time consuming, etc. Adjusting to having 2 children was hard, but I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it. Okay, enough rambling! I am so thankful for the 3 years we have had our Marky Mark. He has taught me so much with his curiosity about the world around him, his sweet smile, and his loving nature. I'm proud to be his Mommy! I can't wait to see what this little boy accomplishes with his life. Thank you to all of our family and friends that came to share his special day! We love you all :)

Sweet love all dressed up for her brother's party!


Banner I had printed and colored...yes it took a while, but I like to color ;)

Cupcakes that I made. They were pretty yummy!

Singing happy birthday...he was loving it!

Opening presents


At home with his gifts. We have wonderful friends and family that love our little boy so much!

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-03-02T19:22:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-21T12:08:00.000-06:00

This was Alyssah's 1st Valentine's day, and we spent the whole day at home ;) I forgot to have her a shirt or an outfit made...I wasn't on my game since I was pregnant I guess! Oh well, there's always next year. Here are a few pics from that day of my kiddos :)

Happy 1st Valentine's Day sweetheart!

checking out his loot from his party at school

my big boy!

1 month old!

2011-02-21T10:55:00.001-06:00

Alyssah had her 1 month check-up today, and our doc said she looks great! She weighs 9 lbs, 6 oz and measures 21 1/4 inches long. She's absolutely perfect :)

She is wearing mostly 0-3 months clothes now. Her newborn outfits have been getting tight, and today she actually has on a 3 month outfit. She has a lot of room in it, but it doesn't look too terribly big.

Happy 1 month sweet daughter! Mommy loves you!

It's been awhile...

2011-02-19T11:41:00.000-06:00

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages, but I guess a little break was allowed since I've had another child to look after. Right?! It has been an interesting transition. I have felt many things over the past month: exhaustion, joy, pride, frustration. It has been fun and very tiring at the same time.
I've been in the process of getting ready for Mark's birthday party, so that has kept me busy this week. I can't believe he's turning 3. I feel like I just brought him home from the hospital too. He's growing so fast, and amazes me everyday with the way he speaks and helps me do things around the house. I'm glad he is old enough to help take care of his little sister. He loves it. He always brings her a paci and blanket. It's precious :) I can't wait to have their pictures made together. I've got to find a day to do that very soon.
Alyssah is getting bigger every week. She goes for her 4 week check-up Monday. I can't wait to see how much she weighs now. She feels heavier to me, but who knows. She hasn't really gotten in to a predictable routine which makes it difficult to go places sometimes since I'm nursing, but we are coping. She typically nurses every 3 hours, but some days it's every 2. Some days she's every 4 hours...it is a little frustrating, but I'm getting more used to it. I guess I just forgot how demanding they are when they are really hungry ;) Mark was worse than her though. I just hope she gets into a routine soon. Last night I tried to keep her awake longer before her last feeding before I went to bed. It seemed to work better, and I got more sleep :)
That's the latest news at the Adams' residence. Hopefully it won't be weeks before I blog again. Have a wonderful weekend!

My loves!

2011-01-27T12:06:00.000-06:00

"I will meditate on your wonderful miracles."

Psalm 119:27, NLT

"Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights..."

James 1:17, NLT

"Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are formed by your hand."

Isaiah 64:8, NLT

Alyssah's birthday!

2011-01-24T14:15:00.001-06:00

On January 20, 2011 my sweet little girl entered the world! We arrived at East Alabama Medical Center at 7 am for induction. I was already dilated to 2 cm and about 80 % effaced, so I had a head start. I was settled into a room, etc. and started on pitocin at 8 am. I started feeling the effects after about 30 minutes. I was handling the pain pretty good until about 10:30. I went ahead and ordered an epidural and about 45 minutes later the anesthesiologist arrived. Right before he came in I thought my water broke, so the nurse tested the fluid. It had broken on it's own, but it wasn't alot so I wasn't sure. Well as soon as I was getting situated for my epidural it really started gushing...maybe this is too much info for a blog, but I was super excited. I was so glad it broke on it's own. After that and the epidural things really started going quickly! After my epidural started taking affect the nurse checked me and I was already dilated to a 7!!! About 20 minutes later she checked me again and I was at a 10!! I was so shocked and amazed! Dr. Smith came in, and I literally pushed like 6 times. My sweet baby was born at 12:22 pm. My delivery was quick, easy, and just beautiful! I couldn't believe how gorgeous and perfect my daughter was, is :) She weighed in at 7 lbs, 7 oz and measured 20 inches long. I am unbelieveably blessed!

Welcome to the world baby girl!

Daddy cutting the cord!

Love

Alyssah Elaine Adams

Alyssah is here!!!

2011-01-21T16:40:00.000-06:00

Alyssah Elaine Adams
Born on January 20, 2011 at 12:22 pm
7 lbs. 7oz., 20 inches long
She is absolutely perfect!

I'll post about the delivery later, but for now here are a few pics :)

38 weeks!

2011-01-15T09:41:00.000-06:00

I'm 38 weeks and oh so ready for my little girl! I'm going back to the doc on Monday to check my progress and probably schedule an induction for Thursday. I had a check-up this past Thursday and I was still the same. I think Alyssah may think it's too cold to come out ;) Here is my most recent pic. I feel like a whale and waddle like a duck...

37 weeks...

2011-01-07T12:18:00.000-06:00

Well I'm now 37 weeks and feeling oh so pregnant! I went to the doctor on Wednesday, and there was no change since my last appointment. I'm still dilated to 2 cm, but he said her head was very low! I'm so glad that she is head down and ready. I go back on Thursday, and we are going to talk about an induction date :) I'm hoping to go on my own, but it will be nice to know I have the option. I'm going to try to be very active this next week so that maybe little priss will decide to make her debut! I have a lot to do still to get ready for her anyway ;)

This week has been pretty laid back for us. We are looking forward to Monday night and hoping Auburn brings home that championship trophy! We are going to have a low-key weekend also. I'm hoping to get caught up on household chores so that everything will be nice and clean for our sweet new baby :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend! War Eagle!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T11:48:00.000-06:00

Our wonderful friends came up to see us for New Year's this year. Christopher was supposed to work New Year's day so we weren't going to go to Columbus, but that changed. He ended up finding out New Year's Eve that he was going to be off. We had already made plans, so we stayed here. It was nice being able to be home and relax New Year's day. Here are our first pictures of 2011!

36 weeks

my sweet girls!

About to go to bed after being up until after midnight. He did really good!

Christmas Day

2011-01-02T09:45:00.000-06:00

Christmas day we woke up to a very happy little boy! He was so excited to finally get his bike from Santa. He looked so cute trying to ride it. His legs are just a little too short, but I'm sure he will grow into it soon.

his loot from Santa...minus his train table

all smiles!

Since we were at my in-laws, we didn't take all of Mark's gifts. We waited to do his gifts from us later that night. Also Santa left his train table at our place...it was way too big to carry around.

After the kids opened their gifts, we had a yummy breakfast. We had eggs, bacon, and rolls. We ate so good while we were there. I really have the best in-laws ever :)

Mark and Grace eating breakfast

We had lunch with my family Christmas day. I tried to get some pictures of Mark with my nephew, but Mark didn't want to cooperate.

our little family

SO excited about Alvin and the Chipmunks:the Squeakquel :)

I love his Big brother shirt from Uncle Brian and Aunt Lacey...so cute!

When we left from lunch, we came back to Auburn to do our Christmas together. I know next Christmas is going to be so different with Alyssah around. I can't wait ;)

He fell asleep on our way home, so we let him sleep before we did presents. He hadn't had a nap all day!

Checking out his new table from Santa

We had a great Christmas! I hope all of you did too :) God Bless you this New Year!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-30T21:58:00.000-06:00

We spent Christmas Eve with Chris' family this year. Since we live out of town now, we stayed the night. It was so much fun spending the day with them. I got to help prepare dinner for that night, although my Mother-in-law did most of it. I helped where I could ;) We also had a visit from Santa! The kids had a blast! Here are a few photos from that night. I'll post Christmas day later.

Christmas Eve breakfast

Mark with Santa Claus

the kids telling Santa bye

opening presents

Tag Junior from Big Daddy and Mimzy! He loves this gift.

He was excited about his pillow pet too!

Our family on Christmas Eve :)

36 weeks

2010-12-29T19:45:00.000-06:00

I had my 36 week check-up today, and got some fun news :) I am dilated to 2 cm already, and I'm 70% effaced! I have also gained 3 more lbs since my last visit; total of 28 lbs gained. My blood pressure was great and so were my measurements. She is also head down! I am so ready to meet my little girl. I want to put a face to this little wiggle worm in my belly!

I'll post some recent belly pics soon and post about Christmas. I have a few days off work for the New Year, so hopefully I can get around to updating the blog.

Hope everyone is having a good week :)

35 weeks

2010-12-23T19:18:00.001-06:00

I can hardly believe that I'm 35 weeks pregnant. I feel like it was yesterday that I found out we were having another little one. I'll never forget that day...shocked doesn't begin to describe how I felt! Now in just a short few weeks I'll be holding and loving on my precious new daughter. I can't wait! I can't wait to see how gorgeous she will be and if she will look more like me or her Daddy. I know she will be a wonderful addition to our little family :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T11:53:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours and many blessings for a wonderful New Year!

Christmas at Maw-Maw's

2010-12-18T17:35:00.001-06:00

We had Barnes' family Christmas last night at my Maw-Maw's house. We had so much fun visiting with each other and laughing. I enjoyed watching the kids play with each other and watch Mark interact with his girl cousins. I know it will be even more precious to watch him with his little sister. He's so loving and caring when it comes to babies! I sure wish Paw-Paw was still with us to see all the little ones in our family now. I miss him so much, but I know he was there with us last night.

34 weeks...

2010-12-16T20:43:00.000-06:00

and feeling HUGE! I had another check-up today and have now gained 24 lbs. I gained 2 lbs since my last visit. My blood pressure was a little higher than usual, but nothing too alarming for the nurse or doctor. It was still close to textbook, so I guess that's good. I'm still working and feeling pretty good. My back has started to hurt more quickly since my belly is now huge, but I'm hanging in there.
I haven't taken a belly shot this week yet, but I'll post it later this weekend.

In other news, Mark is headed into the terrible 3's. Did anyone else ever hear of that?? I know terrible 2's, but 3's?! Geez...He's being more and more stubborn and opinionated. He's a sweet boy, but sometimes he is so foul. It's similar to being bi-polar in a way. You never know which one you are going to get and it can change at anytime! I'm hoping this stage passes quickly. I keep telling myself it's just a stage, and he's trying to figure out how to further express himself about his feelings. I also know he learns a lot of this behavior from the kids in his class. I hope I can quickly change his behavior....Please someone tell me the 4's are much easier. I need something to look forward to ;)

33 weeks!

2010-12-10T22:31:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that I'm already 33 weeks! Time is flying by and I can barely keep up. Work has been insane on top of trying to keep up with an energetic, wild little boy ;) Auburn's success=huge business for us and right now people are loving some Auburn! Who can blame them, right?! Anyway I have been feeling drained by the end of the day, but really great considering how much I'm on my feet all day. I have great luck, and I'm so grateful my body really was made to have babies!

My check-up this week was right on target. My blood pressure was great, and I gained 4 lbs since my last visit. I have now gained a total of 22 lbs. I gained 30 with Mark and will probably gain about the same or more with this pregnancy. Alyssah's heartbeat was 127. I go back to the doc on the 16th and then I start every week check-ups.

I am getting ready to meet my sweet baby girl! Here is my belly shot for the week. I'm a few behind...

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-06T20:58:00.000-06:00

Our little family

My big boy!

sweet cousins

Iron Bowl 2010

2010-11-30T18:48:00.000-06:00

Our family went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Iron Bowl this year, and we had a blast! Here are a few pictures. War Eagle!!! It was a great day on the Plains...28-27! How sweet it is :)

31 week check-up!

2010-11-23T12:25:00.001-06:00

Well I continue to have excellent check-ups, and this week was right on track :) I have gained 2 more lbs., a total of 18 lbs gained now! I'm getting on out there, and gravity is not my friend most days, but I'm feeling pretty good overall. Alyssah's heartbeat was 142, and belly is measuring perfectly. I have been busy lately getting most of her clothes washed and ready for her. I have already set aside most of the things I will be taking to the hospital for her too. I know I'm early, but what's the point of putting them away when I'll be pulling them out in a few weeks anyway ;) I'm getting very excited for my daughter's arrival. It's so weird to say that still... I still have some things to get for her, but it's coming together. My friend and I still have to sew her bumper for her crib, but hopefully we can get that done before Christmas. Life is starting to get a little chaotic with the holidays approaching! I love it :) Happy Thanksgiving!

Shutterfly's photo card promotion!

2010-11-17T20:50:00.000-06:00

This year Shutterfly is doing a blog promotion for their photo cards. All you have to do is blog about the promotion, talk about your favorite cards and you get 50 free!! It's an awesome deal, plus they have some great designs. I have been looking at several other sites, but Shutterfly has such a huge selection that I have found so many I like! It's going to be so hard to choose. Click here to get started.

Our family is in the process of changing, and I wanted to document that this Christmas season. Next Christmas we will have a little girl to add to our family photos. One of our friends recently took pictures of us as a family and of just me and Mark. This one is my favorite. I wanted to select a card that I could use for several pictures. This is the one I will most likely use, although there are others that I love. Click here!

I also like this one. Click here to see! This is an option if I only use 2 pictures.

And if I decide to just use one picture, I like this one. I love how elegant this one is! Click here!

And just because this one is fun... Click here!

Now that I have told you about this awesome opportunity, if you are interested here's the link :)
I hope all you bloggers out there take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. It will help you out, and you will be getting a fabulous product. I ordered a photo book from Shutterfly last year, and it turned out great. Go here to see what they have and how to get started!
I'm getting very excited about Christmas, and I can't wait to order my cards!

30 weeks and growing!

2010-11-16T21:55:00.000-06:00

I had my check-up last week (29 1/2 weeks), and everything is still going great for me and baby Alyssah. I gained another 2lbs, now a total of 16 lbs gained. My belly is right on target and blood pressure was good. Her heartbeat was 136. I am now starting to feel very pregnant, but it's almost over. I know once the holidays roll around, it will be no time. By the way, I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! I guess I need to start Christmas shopping...

Here are the latest pics :)

29 weeks at my baby shower...pics coming soon!

30 weeks...today actually :)

October 30, 2010

2010-11-10T10:52:00.000-06:00

On October 30, our friend Kristy took some family pictures of us as well as a few maternity shots of me and Mark! I wanted to include him as much as possible so he wouldn't feel left out. I never took any cute shots when I was pregnant with him, plus he such a proud big brother already. Here are a few...there were way too many to include them all in this post. Some I have saved for later postings. Just to keep you guessing ;)

This one turned out to be my favorite :)

and just for fun...Isn't my belly button hilarious?! It looks like a perfect nose! HA!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-11-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

:) My heart smiles!

28 week pic!

2010-11-02T14:04:00.000-05:00


my pumpkin at 28 weeks!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween festivities! I'm ready for Thanksgiving now :)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

This Halloween weekend was almost as busy as last year's! Our niece's birthday party was Saturday, we took family/maternity pics, then we had trunk or treating. I'll post about the party and pics later. For now I wanted to share a few pictures from Halloween night. . .

Our family!

Trunk or Treating

This is the aftermath of trunk or treating...he was worn out!

Leah Grace is here!

2010-10-29T10:26:00.000-05:00

Leah Grace Barnes

My niece, Leah Grace was born on Wednesday, October 27th at 5:04 EST at the Columbus Medical Center. She weighed 7 lbs., 10 oz. and was 19 inches long. She is beautiful and perfect. She was sleeping so sweetly the whole time I was there for a visit. Mark didn't know what to think about her. He stared at her the whole time, and wanted to know where she was at all times. I CANNOT wait to see him with his sister!

It just made things so much more real. I am about to have two children, two little sweet lives! My heart is so full of so many things right now. As I am heading into my 3rd trimester (yes, it flew by!), I am anxious, excited, a little nervous, happy, tired...I could go on and on. I am beyond joyful to be having another child, especially a little girl, but I am a little nervous. I have been content up until now, but it's getting so close now I'm beginning to have overwhelming thoughts about delivery. I know that I will be taken care of. I know that God is here and has been. I know that trusting in him will put my fears at bay. I just have to keep telling myself that. I know I've been through labor, but they are all different so I guess that's what makes it scary. I'm also going to be at a different hospital. I loved the Medical Center in Columbus and always thought that's where I would have all of my babies, but I know East Alabama is a wonderful hospital too. I also love my doctor, so that helps a lot :) I'm just feeling so many things, and it's exhausting. I wish I could just turn my brain off! ha! Pregnancy is a wacky journey, but at least I'm lucky enough to be on this crazy ride :) I wouldn't have it any other way!

27 1/2 weeks and growing!

2010-10-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

I had my 27 week appointment this morning, and everything went great! I had my glucose test, which is not my favorite but I passed with flying colors :) I wasn't worried, but it's good to know that all is as it should be with my health and my little girl's. Her heartbeat was 144, and I'm now on an every 2 week check-up schedule. I weigh 128 lbs now, so that puts me at a total of 14 lbs. gained and 7 lbs since my last visit. She is really starting to grow and last week my stomach hurt so bad from stretching. My body is adjusting now though. I'm feeling normal, just really big and pregnant. Some days I can't wait to have my body back, but I'm trying to enjoy these last weeks of feeling life inside me. It truly is the most amazing feeling in the world! I am so lucky as a woman to experience pregnancy and birth. So the days I don't feel comfortable or long to have a little belly again, I make myself think about how awesome this experience is and soak it up!

Here are a few pics since my last belly post:

24 1/2 weeks

26 1/2 weeks

26 weeks, 6 days

My niece will be here tonight, so I'll be blogging about her in the next few days. Her arrival is making me anxious for my little girl's, but I know she's not ready yet ;) Happy Wednesday! Can't wait for Halloween festivities this weekend!

pumpkin patch 2010

2010-10-18T21:48:00.001-05:00

I love having family traditions, and one that I started every fall was going to the pumpkin patch. Last year I took Mark with friends. This year we went as a family and had fun, even though it was way too hot to be October! We went to the pumpkin patch in LaFayette, AL, and it was really cute. We rode the hayride and it takes you to an actual patch where you pick out your pumpkin. Here are the pictures from our family trip. I took Mark to another patch in Columbus, same as last year, with friends this past weekend. I'll post pictures from that trip later.

Living room and kitchen pics

2010-10-14T09:56:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our kitchen and living room. I'm going to post the rest of the apartment later. We haven't completely decorated our room yet, and of course I'll post more of the kids' room when we get Alyssah's stuff ready for her. They are a little out of order, but you get the idea. I haven't decided what to do with the wall space above the flowers by the tv. I may wait til Alyssah arrives to hang more recent pics!

Fall decorations :)

I love our huge living room :)

2 1/2 years old!

2010-10-12T12:14:00.001-05:00

Wow! Where has the time gone?! My sweet little boy is now 2 1/2 years old, and amazes me more and more everyday with how much he has learned in his short little life. I still can't believe he will be 3 in March and be a big brother in January! He is a great little helper around the house already, and talks about his sister all the time. I have started getting more and more of her stuff out, and he asks all the time if it's for her. I love how he already loves her. It's going to be so sweet to see them interact!

His other milestones/likes as of now:
-His vocabulary is expanding everyday and literally repeats EVERYTHING we say!
-He is not completely potty trained, but is improving everyday. He has a few (pee-pee) accidents here and there, but has yet to use the toliet for #2. I know it will probably still be a while for that one.
-He still loves to play baseball, and is very good at catching.
-His favorite show to watch is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse still, but watches Barney and Dora at school. He talks about those 3 shows all the time.
-He loves to watch Auburn and the Braves play, and always wants to know what is going on during the games.
-He is learning shapes and colors at school, and recognizes them when we are out places.

Those are just a few things that come to mind right now. I have to say I'm a pretty proud Mommy :)

Fall favs!

2010-10-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year for many reasons, but I just wanted to share a few with you! When the weather starts to cool off I love snuggling up on the couch with a big bowl of homemade chili. It's a prefect solution to the crisp, fall air!

Another favorite of mine is college football, more importantly Auburn football. I shared in a post a while back how much I was ready for football, and it has been a great season so far. We are doing so well, and I'm proud to say I'm an Auburn tiger :)

Fall leaves are one of the most beautiful sights. I love to drive down the road and see all the trees starting to change colors. God is a wonderful creator!

My most favorite activity about fall is going to the pumpkin patch! It is especially fun when you have a child, and I love having this tradition with Mark. Next year my little girl will be here, and I can't wait to take them together :)

I'm trying a new pumpkin patch this year in Lafayette, AL, and I have heard that it is really cute. Can't wait to go Saturday. Hope everyone is having a good week. Thank goodness it's halfway over ;)

23 weeks

2010-09-29T19:57:00.000-05:00

23 weeks with Alyssah!

23 weeks with Mark!
I think it's so fun to compare my bellies from both of my pregnancies. I am slightly larger this time around at 23 weeks, but I'm loving every minute!

23 week check-up

2010-09-29T10:27:00.000-05:00

I had my 23 week (almost 24 weeks) check-up this morning, and everything looks great! My blood pressure was wonderful, and Alyssah's heartbeat was 145. She was moving the entire time I was there :) She's going to be a wild child. I've gained 5 lbs since my last visit, so that puts me at a total of 7lbs. gained :) I'm so glad that I have caught up from my first trimester of being sick.
I have gotten so many things done at the apartment since my last post. I need to take more pics of our new place to share, and post my recent belly pics. I will try to do that very soon. I have started decorating for fall, and I'm enjoying this cool weather we have been having. It's such a nice change from the long, hot summer we've had. I'm sure it's not here to stay, but it's a nice little break.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I can't believe that it will be October in a few days! I'm so ready for it :) Happy Fall!

Latest obsession

2010-09-23T10:16:00.003-05:00

I have been totally consumed lately with anything remotely girly for my little Alyssah. I know I still have a little while until she is here, but with the holidays quickly approaching I know I will run out of time, especially with my 2 year old running around. I feel I should get things done whenever I can ;) I have been obsessed with accessories for this little priss! Hair bows are my favorite, and etsy is the place to score some really adorable ones! If you have never heard of etsy.com, you are missing out greatly. Go visit now!

This is the first one I ordered, and I have been hooked ever since! I found some headbands like these in a few colors at Hobby Lobby and grabbed them up for the low price of 99 cents! They also have a few colors of the gerber daisy flowers on clips to clip on them. I LOVE them and I love how big they are...I know my poor child. I just think it's adorable! I can't help myself :)

A fabulous giveaway!

2010-09-22T14:02:00.004-05:00

I just love getting things for free and winning free stuff is even better. You will all want to check out this giveaway if you have children and love unique clothes! Take a look and enter for your chance to win :)

http://pure-and-lovely.com/supa-blogga-supreme-mama/2010/9/21/falootin-palooza-a-giveaway.html

New!

2010-09-11T09:05:00.007-05:00

We have pretty much gotten everything unpacked in our new apartment, and there have been many new things for Mark. He got a new room and a new big boy bed! We have already begun to get things ready for Miss Alyssah, and his new bed was one adjustment. I'm not sure how he will like sharing his toys when she comes or his room, but hopefully he will be sweet about it all. I will be posting more pictures of the rest of the apartment, but this is a few of his room for now. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend :)

1st night in his big boy bed...He did great and slept through the whole night!

This is the room looking from the door; Alyssah's crib will be in the other corner.

Mark's side of the room :)

I thought it turned out cute :)

Can't wait to get started on my baby girl's side!

He is so proud of his new bed :)

19 1/2 weeks!

2010-09-01T21:42:00.002-05:00

My belly is really starting to get big! I'm loving feeling her kick me. She has really started to get more active. It is my favorite part about being pregnant :)

August 21, 2010

2010-09-01T21:24:00.003-05:00

August 21st is Christopher's birthday. It was a busy day. We started moving into our new place, and we had big plans to hang out for Christopher's birthday all day! It was great, except for dinner and the cake. I had a cake made at Columbus Corner Bakery (yummy), but it turned out all wrong. I wanted to do a poker cake. When I ordered it I told them I wanted it to be grass green like a poker table and instead they did actual grass icing! I was so disappointed! Dinner was awful. Christopher wanted to go to Cheddar's but the wait was ridiculous! We went to Chili's instead and had the worst waiter ever! We were all so mad when we left. Let's hope next year will be better :)

My belly bump at 18 weeks...my belly button is hilarious!

Revealing Party

2010-09-01T21:02:00.004-05:00

August 4th we found out we are having a little girl! These are pictures from our Revealing party. We wanted a special way to tell our closest friends our big news. I found a few ideas online and came up with wearing a pink ribbon with her name on a card. All of them were in the living room and when it was time to tell I lifted my shirt to reveal the color of the gender. It was priceless, and I couldn't have been more excited to share the news with them!

Marky Mark enjoying Aunt Joo's salad.

Me in the middle of blinking and grinning from ear to ear :)

This is probabaly going to be one of my favorite pregnancy pictures!

Alyssah Elaine...It was so hard coming up with a name Christopher and I could agree on. When we were thinking of names when I was pregnant with Mark before we knew he was a boy, I liked the name Alyssa. We decided to add an "h" at the end so her name would be like mine. Beautiful and unique :) Elaine is after my grandmother. It's her middle name. Now both of our babies have special names!

At 15 1/2 weeks baby girl was the size of an apple!

Baby update!

2010-09-01T10:45:00.003-05:00

I had my check-up this morning. I am 19 weeks, almost 20, and Alyssah is doing great! She has been moving a lot lately. I felt her all day yesterday and she did not want us to find her heartbeat this morning ;) She kept moving away from the nurse. haha She's already stubborn like her Mommy. Life should be interesting when this little princess enters our world! her heartbeat was 150 and my blood pressure was 117/61. I have gained 3 lbs since my last visit, which puts me at actually gaining 2lbs. I had lost a few lbs. during the first couple weeks due to morning sickness. I am completely out of my regular jeans. I wore the largest pair I have yesterday and they were uncomfortable by the end of the day. I would rather have on sweats than anything these days. Too bad I don't work at home ;)
We are recovering from our move this weekend. It was a little stressful, but we survived. Now I'm trying to get us unpacked and organized. We are still living amongst a few boxes and a lot of empty ones that need to be thrown away, but we are slowly getting there! I have a lot of pics to post and I'm going to try to do that tonight and relax... Hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday! The weekend is almost here, and I am super excited about some football! Enjoy! War Eagle :)

Busy, Busy

2010-08-17T12:12:00.002-05:00

I have not forgotten about this blog and plan to update it very soon with baby news and others. We will begin to move our stuff into our new apartment this Sat. (21), and I have been busy getting things packed and ready for that among housework, etc. We are all very excited about our new place of residence, and I can't wait to post pictures for all of you to see. We have so many changes going on. It's going to be hard to keep up, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Mark has begun potty training at school, although not much progress has been made yet. I know it doesn't happen overnight, but his teacher has promised to have him potty-trained by the time little Alyssah joins our family. I hope she's right ;) It would make things much easier for me and cheaper! I'll already be buying lots of diapers and eventually formula for her.

Stay tuned for more updates on our little family! I have got to take some more belly pics as well...one more thing to add to the to-do list! ;) It's never- ending!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2010-08-05T12:33:00.004-05:00

Alyssah Elaine Adams!!

Yesterday (8/4) we found out we are having a sweet little baby girl, and I couldn't be more thrilled. All of my friends kept saying that we were going to have a little girl, and even Mark knew. I wasn't sold on it until I saw her, but I did dream she was a girl. Her heart rate was 154 and she weighs 4 ounces. I was in tears when I heard her sweet little heart beating, and I just knew my life would forever be changed. I am now a mother to two precious little lives! My love for Mark is abundant, and I always thought it would be difficult to love another baby as much. There is no denying it though, I'm smitten with her already! It's amazing how much love we have to offer as mothers. I can't even describe it in words.
Now we have a lot of planning to do because I have nothing for a little girl. My mind has been on little boy things for the past couple of years, but it will be a fun change. I just love baby girl clothes and can't wait to start her, what I know will be huge, wardrobe :)
Thanks for all the prayers for us during this time, and appreciate many more please! Here are her pictures from the ultrasound. I will be posting about our Revealing party later with pictures. Happy Thursday everyone. Have a great weekend!