News Year's Resolutions

Every December, Chris and I start working on what we want to improve about ourselves in the coming year.  I love writing down goals because it helps hold me accountable.  We print out the resolutions and tape them somewhere where we will see them every day. This year, they hung in our closet and I'm sure that's where we'll put the next list!  We keep every list from the previous years and it's always fun to go back and look at our goals.  We did pretty good this past year!

I know everyone will be blogging about their New Year's resolutions. It's just so fun to see what other people write and maybe get some new ideas!!

I just copy and pasted this from My Documents. Just wanted to share how we write out our goals!!!!

Enjoy!

New Year's Resolutions 2010

Maintain Weight: GOAL  < or = to 155

Jan_____  Feb_____ Mar_____  Apr_____  May_____  June_____  July_____  Aug_____  Sept_____  Oct_____  Nov_____  Dec_____


Read 12 Fiction Books

___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___ 


Read 5 Nonfiction Books

___  ___  ___  ___  ___


Read 3 Biblical Books

___  ___  ___

Read 2 Biographies

___  ___


Volunteer for 3 Organizations

1.

2.

3.

Learn about different religions

___Catholicism
___Buddhism
___Judaism
___Hinduism
___Mormonism


Running: 200 Miles by 2011

Jan: ___    Apr:  ___      Jul:  ___    Oct: ___
Feb: ___    May: ___     Aug: ___    Nov:  ___
Mar: ___    Jun: ___    Sept:  ___    Dec:  ___

Be able to do 20 Push-ups by the end of the year:

By May: 15  ___
By Dec: 20  ___

Memorize 12 Bible Verses

1.               4.               7.               10.          
2.               5.               8.               11.
3.               6.               9.               12.


PLACES TO VISIT

Day Trips:
Cincinnati
Columbus, OH: Franklin Park Conservatory, COSI- 1:15 Hours
Mansfield, OH: Creation Museum- 2:20 Hours
Dayton: Boonshoft Museum, Packard Museum (Cars), SunWatch Indian Village, Oregon District, Riverscape Park, Carillon Park


Weekend Trips
Great Wolf Lodge- Mason, Ohio- 45 Mins
Berlin Lake- Berlin Center, Ohio- 3:30 Hours
Marblehead Lighthouse- Marblehead, Ohio- 3:30 hours
Cleveland, Oh: Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Botanical Garden, Amish Country, Riverboat Cruise- 3:20 Hours
Canton, OH: NFL Hall of Fame, Al-Bi Winery, Chocolate Factory, Cheese Factory- 3:20 Hours
Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Museum, Children's Museum, Mt. Washington, National Aviary- 4 Hours
Indianapolis, IN: Crown Hill Cemetery, Scottish Rite Cathedral, Indiana War Memorial, Zoo- 2 Hours
Chicago- 4:30 Hours
Michigan: Mackinaw Island- 7:30 Hours

Christmas with The Trobough's

What an awesome Christmas!!! Not only did we get awesome presents, but Jesus' birthday makes it even better. We attended a beautiful Christmas Eve service last night at the Methodist church in Jasper.  We sand Christmas carols and the pastor reenacted Jesus' birth coming from the Shepard's perspective.

We were so blessed with so many gifts this morning.  Whitley Claire had loads of fun too!! She loved tearing the wrapping paper off! But was bored after a few presents!  She got a gorgeous bible, Little People's Noah's Ark, wooden blocks that will last forever, a fun pop up toy, some books, and a few stocking stuffers. I hope we can get it all in the car for the trip back to Ohio!

We finished Christmas Day with a delicious meal made by Deb and me. Pork tenderloins, mashed potatoes, red pepper carrots, roasted asparagus, rolls, corn, butter beans, and in a few minutes, we will be enjoying the chocolate mousse pie. YUMMY!

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!!!! Merry Christmas from the Trobough's!!

Christmas with The Whitley's

This week we had Christmas with my side of the family. It has been an eventful 4 days here in Jackson. We spent Friday just relaxing because we didn't want to ride ANYWHERE after being in the car for 2 days! On Saturday we drove to Ruleville, MS for my cousins wedding. It was so nice and such a sweet ceremony. I can't believe Mary got married!!! I was thinking on the drive there that she is too young to get married....but I was thinking about it and that's how old I was when I got married! I just picture her as this little girl still and not a beautiful woman! Sunday we went to church and saw a bunch of old friends. They were amazed at how much WC has grown since this summer. WC was not in the best of moods. She has just started the whole arching the back and squealing routine...not cute! Sunday night I was able to enjoy a night with my girlfriends from high school....well a few of them anyway! We went and ate at Margaritas. It was good fun to see friends! I miss them so! Yesterday we ate lunch with Dana and went to her husbands basketball game. He coaches at Velma Jackson in Camden and they were in a tournament at Ridgeland High School. That was fun to watch! Then we just relaxed the rest of the afternoon and Dana, Russell, and Jackson came over for dinner. We are yummy meatloaf and veggies and then Swedish apple pie for deserst! Mmm Mmm good!!

We had a great time opening up presents. Whitley Claire was just a doll and in the best mood. She loved  opening the presents. I don't think she cared for the toys that much....she just wanted to bang on the boxes and tear the paper! She got some bath toys, a ball popper, a sit and spin Zebra thingy, and a few other little toys. Chris got a new game for his PS3, a giftcard to Penny's, and a few other little things!  I got some cooking items, FOOTED PJ's :), long underwear, a pretty cross, a watch, and a Micheal's giftcard. We are so blessed to receive such awesome gifts!

So today we are off to Jasper, AL to spend Christmas with Chris' family! I'm wondering how all this is going to fit in our SUV....so we shall see :)

Sexiest PJ's EVER! Don't be jealous......

You know you want a pair....or if you have some, you wished you looked as cute as I do in these AWESOME Bunny PJ Footies. I feel like I'm 2 years old again. However, it's an odd piece of clothing to wear....since I'm already gigantic, these PJ's are a weird fit. Just a little tight in some uncomfortable places????? I will be wearing these a lot in Ohio. I was sad that it was too hot to wear them here in the south.

Aren't I just the cutest bunny you ever did see?

1920's Highchair!

This is such a great highchair! My mom bought this a few months before I was born. It was made in 1920! I love it :) She has learned how to stand up backwards in the highchair. That's how old it is...there's no straps! It's such a beautiful peace of furniture and I'm excited that WC gets to use it!

Momma's Makeup

Whitley Claire's favorite new toy is my makeup bag. She goes absolutely berserk when she sees that leopard print bag. I'll unzip it for her and in a matter of seconds, the whole bag is dumped out :) A few of her favorites in the bag is the mirror, blush brush, foundation sponge, and eyeliner. I hate to break it to her, but she won't be wearing makeup for a looooooooong time!

Happy Bday to the best MIL

In case your not as cool as I am, MIL stands for "mother-in-law". :) Yes! Today is her bday! And guess what? Her awesome present that we all pitched in and that I ordered never made it to their house in Alabama this week. Total bummer! I am really mad at Bed Bath & Beyond! I have called and emailed...called and emailed. And no one will get back with me. I'm tempted to ask for a refund? Of at least a refund on my UPS moola.
I LOVE this tea kettle. It's from the Paula Deen collection. Deb is a very earth tone kind of person and I thought this would fit her perfectly :) We also got her a kitchen timer because she hasn't had one in forever. And when I'm there helping with the cooking and I ask her how long something has been in, she never knows! ha!

So I feel bad that she didn't have any presents to open up on her bday. Hopefully it will come before we get there on Wednesday!

HGTV is the best medicine

I miss my house in Cabot soooo much! I hope that the renters are treating it nicely :) Isn't it an awesome house! Here it is to the left during a rare "snow storm" in Cabot!

Since we are living in "base housing" here, we can't really do a whole lot and I've been watching HGTV a lot this week because I haven't been feeling well. I would love to just go wild with this place. Put up crown molding, bead board, and some other thing....I think I am brainwashed by this channel. Whenever I watch these design shows, I have all this inspiration....then when it actually comes to painting a room, I just go with my comfort colors: green and brown. You can never go wrong with these! Our living room is brown and so is WC's. Our bedroom, downstairs bath, and sunroom are green. Those are such soothing colors to us! I would love to do something different, but we are so textbook and afraid. And I wish all this decorating stuff was free.....it can get really expensive! Our goal when we first moved to Dayton was to put together a room once a month. That way we don't go overboard and stick with a budget. For the most part :)That's our bedroom here in Dayton...we've added some pictures above the bed and on the far right wall. I LOVE this room. So calming!

What are your favorite colors and designs? My new favorite pallet is lavender, silver, and black. I love those colors together!

New Favorites

I just wanted to share what our family has been enjoying lately!!

Whitley Claire's new favorite thing to do is open up doors/cabinets and pull EVERYTHING out! I let her do it, so I guess I can't complain? It is one thing that keeps her busy for a long time and I don't mind picking up after her...for now. I usually just wait until the end of the day to pick up everything because if I picked up when she was through, she'd be right back at it in a few hours. I will have to go buy some cabinet locks for the ones I don't want her in. For example, the cabinet under the sink! I noticed it had been quite for about a minute, and I went in to the kitchen to find Whitley Claire holding my Clorox kitchen cleaner and my BarMaids. One in each hand and looking mighty happy! She also loves pulling out all the DVD's :) I love watching her study each one!

I have been enjoying the cold weather and comfy clothes. I love to get bundled up in the house and just relax on the couch. Also my holiday candles are soooo yummy smelling throughout the house. I have a peppermint plug in, pumpkin candle, cocoa candle, and the a "holiday" scent candle. I have one going in each room so it's a different smell wherever you go.
I also love laying by the Christmas Tree. I keep the lights on until we go to bed. It gives our living room such a nice glow!

Chris has been enjoying his PS3 a lot. A WHOLE LOT! Ha! He has been playing the College Football game daily and has fun playing with his friends online. I am glad that he has something that he likes to do around the house and he's very good about making sure I didn't want to watch anything before he plays. He's very courteous!
He is also enjoying reading lots of books and keeping current with the news. The Wall Street Journal is a favorite and also books about the human mind and psychology.

We are looking forward to Christmas Vacation. He leave on the 16th and will be back in Dayton on the 27th!!!

Creationism VS. Evolution

My newest interest has become the on of the most talked about controversies in the world. I am a Christian and a firm believer that God placed Jesus Christ on this earth and that He died for our sins. I believe the Bible is accurate and true, and there is only one God.

Now that I have made that clear, what is your belief when it comes to Creationism VS. Evolution? There are many questions that I have had lately....so I'm reading this book called Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction by Euguenie C. Scott. I am pretty sure that he leans toward the Evolution/Natural Selection theories, but he shows the facts to both sides without being too biased.

Some of the things that Mr. Scott writes about are different kinds of evolutionists and creationists. There is so much information in this book, that it overwhelms me. I just want to know more about this issue so when asked questions about why I believe what I believe , I can give a more definite answer. I believe there is NO way that this earth could've just "popped up" without an "intelligent designer". There are too many things in this world that didn't happen by chance; which is a big saying with Evolutionists. For example: the human eye and waterproof feathers on ducks. How did those things just happen to evolve through time through natural selection?

Another big topic is how old the earth actually is....did Creation really take place in 6 days where the days were 24 hours? Or did the Creation actually take millions of years? Creationists say the earth is somewhere between 6,000 to 10,000 years old...Evolutionists say the earth is billions and billions of years old. Was there a gap in time? Some people argue that the time lapse between Genesis 1 (the Creation) and Genesis 2 (Adam and Eve) was quite a long time.

Just wanted to hear everyone's view on these topics. I am welcome to all thoughts :)

Oh Microwave, Oh Microwave....

Where hast though been?? In case you didn't know, we've been a microwave free house since we moved to Dayton last Thanksgiving. For the past year, we've had to adjust to reheating and cooking everything in the oven or on the stove. It hasn't been too bad, you just have to plan ahead of time when you want to eat leftovers or anything!

Our sweet friends, the Hollen's, are moving to Atlanta next week and I just happened to mention at small group that we didn't have a microwave and Amy offered us theirs!! How nice right?? So a BIG thanks to them for letting us have their super clean microwave.So why you might ask would we want one now...when we've gone over a year without one? Well, I should say why would I want one because Chris nixed the idea. It was just a little difficult timing when WC would want to eat and then working around that and the oven to warm up her meals. She doesn't want to wait 15 minutes for her food, so she would fill up on cheerios or graham crackers and then not eat what I fixed her. Tonight she had warm broccoli and cheese soup and she ate a very generous portion!

Woo hoo for my new microwave :)

Gobble Gobble!!!

What a great Thanksgiving!! We celebrated the holiday at The Michael's house this year. My brother is in town and it's so nice to have him here visiting! Chuck cooked a D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S fried turkey. It was so juicy and yummy. There was tons of other food.....PEAR SALAD ( just for my Ohio friends!! ha!), veggies everywhere, sweet potato casserole, dressing, pecan pie, apple pie, it was just deliciousness everywhere :) Whitley Claire enjoyed eating the dressing. Cornbread is her new food obsession. She was double fisting.

After a relaxing afternoon, we came back to our house and just hung out! Turkey sandwiches were for dinner and we watched I Love You, Man which is absolutely hilarious. I haven't laughed so hard during a movie in forever.

Today we are decorating for Christmas. It's going to be so much fun since I haven't been able to decorate in 3 years because of moving! We'll see what all we can put out since we have WC crawling everywhere these days. The Christmas tree at the Michael's didn't phase her, so we shall see :)

I am thankful for so many things. Most of all, my wonderful family, a beautiful daughter, a caring husband, and awesome friends. I am learning not to take things for granted and to always praise God for everything that I have...because I would have NOTHING if it weren't for him! He is so good!!! Everywhere we have moved, God has provided us with more than we could ask for. I hope that all of you have had a fantabulous holiday! Now off to the gyms folks!!!

9 Month Well Baby Appointment

Today Whitley Claire had her 9 month well baby with Dr. Powell!! At her weigh in, she was only 17 lbs 11ozs. More than a whole pound less at her last visit....which was 3 months ago. She is 28 inches long. So that puts her in the 20th percentile for her weight...she was in the 90th. BUT, that is A OK because she is one active kiddo! She is crawling around like crazy and getting in to everything that she's not supposed to have. Dr. Powell is a little concerned about her weight...considering that it was that much of a drop. So he suggested that I try and supplement formula every now and then. But there is a problem with that. WC won't take a bottle!!! Or sippy cup! I tried tonight to give her a bottle before bed, and she kept shoving my hand away :) It was cute how she just wanted to nurse! For me personally, I didn't want to ever use formula (no offense to any formula users whatsoever!). I hope to be able to nurse for 1 more year. We'll see though. If using formula means a healthier baby because I cannot keep up with my milk supply, then that's what I'll have to do...supplement! I'm going to call the lactation consultant tomorrow to see what she thinks! She's a great gal :)

As far as everything else with WC, the Doc said she's doing great. He's happy with her two teeth and her cruising around. He says that she'll probably be walking soon! Heaven help me.....

Whitley Claire has been eating table food for 2 months now. She loves to feed herself and if I try and feed her baby food in disguise, she turns her nose up at it. Right now her favorite meal is Broccoli and Cheese soup with some peas and carrots in there. Not too bad right?? She also loves french toast and pancakes :) Oh yeah, and chocolate! But I don't let her have a lot of that! I want it all for myself! I am so thankful that the Lord invented Cheerios and Graham Crackers. WC LOVES them. I mean loves loves loves them. It keeps her occupied for a while and keeps her happy!

We go back in a month to see a nutritionist and then in for a weight check. I am blessed that God has given us a healthy baby. I know that her weight will be fine!

My Second Child: Mr. Lucian Sterling

This little boy lives next door to us and I cannot even tell y'all how much I heart this kid! And Miss WC is infatuated with him. He's one goofy kid, and WC will just laugh and squeal when he comes over. I've seen him a lot this week and he is so fun to be around.

It's so sweet when he says my name. He pronounces it "Air-ine" and Whitley Claire is his "Bee-bee". I can't spell out how he says her name, but it's pretty funny. His daddy's deployed right now, so he is all worried about what "Shrish" is doing. "Shrish!!" "Shrish do it!". That's what I hear when Lu's over hear. Forget about Air-ine, what's Shrish doing??? It's so sweet :)

Lucian just said the cutest thing. We are sitting at the table eating breakfast and he heard the planes outside and said, "Daddy work plane.....sky!!!!". He does know that his daddy went to work in a plane. Oh what a deployment can do to a kid! He's a trooper!

Just wanted to share my morning.....isn't that picture just the cutest!!

Dear burnt granola,

I am not happy with the turn out today. I've made you many times, but today was a disappointment! Was is the lo mein noodles??? Do you miss the coconut?? Please tell me so you don't burn the next time!

Truly yours,
Caroline

Yes....I was very saddened today when I pulled my homemade granola out of the oven. It was burnt to a crisp. But I will still be eating it. I can't waste the chocolate chips that are in it! I absolutely love this recipe. The oats are sweet, yet a little salty, and the pecans and chocolate chips are just outta this world! Just in case anyone wanted the recipe, I'll copy and paste the link!

www.amateurgourmet.com/2009/01/easy_homemade_g.html
I added the chocolate chips and coconut. There were a few things I didn't want to add just because I didn't have those things!

I hope y'all enjoy it! And don't burn it....it's not as good!

My baby is 9 months!!

Can y'all believe it!! It's already been 9 months and she is growing up every day! This month hasn't been the easiest for me. She is resisting naps and not sleeping well. It must be this 9 month growth spurt that everyone is telling me about! It was REALLY stressing me out...but I've decided that there is nothing I can do about it except pray when I get stressed. It's been a blessing having friends that are moms. It's good to hear their stories and advice because it makes me feel like someone understands! And WC can put up a good fight....she has cried for as long as 2 hours before finally going to sleep. Some days I just pray for a little cat nap just so it's quiet for a little bit! I am trying to turn those moments into something positive by just thanking God for my strong willed child. It's just part of her personality and one day this will be a great thing! I hear strong willed children make great leaders :)


Whitley Claire is a blessing in every way. No one said that parenting is easy! Even though I am cherishing every moment with her, I am looking forward to the day when this stage has passed.



Things WC likes:
All books.... Especially ones with flaps and touchy feely pages.
Crawling around and chasing Rosie.
Getting in to EVERYTHING she's not supposed to have.
Cheerios.... Thank the good Lord for that big yellow box.
Watching people and little kids. She thinks it's so funny to watch kids playing!
Bath time
Playing peek-a-boo with Daddy.
Any food that she can feed herself.
Going on walks.

WC's dislkes:
Sleeping
Being buckled in the carseat
Getting dressed
Having her diaper changed

As you can see, she has many things she likes!!! Every day is a new adventure! We are having to make sure that the things we have out she can't choke on. And I have to keep up with Rosie's shedding because WC likes to put Rosie's hair in her mouth. I don't want my human child to cough up a hair ball!!!

Whitley Claire will be one before you know it....I am so excited to watch our baby grow!!

San Antonio

So we're back!!! And what an eventful trip it was!!! We left Monday afternoon, and we were all able to fly together. Whitley Claire did GREAT! She was a busy body the whole day, then crashed when we got to our room. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on the Riverwalk and it was amazing! We had never stayed down there before, since we used to live in San Antonio! Chris had to work during the day, but Whitley Claire and I kept busy visiting old friends! On Tuesday, we went to Rainbow Station where I used to work. It was so weird seeing all of the kids that used to be 2-3 years old and now they are 5 and getting ready for kindergarten. Most of my kids remembered who I was, they were just a little shy! One little boy asked me where I got my baby. Then asked if I was the mommy and if there was a daddy. I wanted to joke with him and be like, "Yeah there are 3 daddys!" or "No, but she does have 2 mommies!" but I thought that was inappropriate! tee-hee
On Wednesday, we spend the whole day with Jan. She used to be the nurse at Rainbow Station and it was so nice to be able to spend a lot of time with her! WC really took to her. It was sweet :) We went to this super nice mall called La Cantera. It was a beautiful day, so different from Ohio, and just enjoyed walking around and looking at all the nice stores :) This is Jan:
Thursday I had brunch with another friend and Chris got off work early so we just relaxed the rest of the day! We ate at all of our favorite restaurants and now I feel like I need to run every day this week.
On the way back, we weren't able to all fly together, but that's ok! I've flown by myself before! Except this time, WC cried all the way to Houston. She was so tired she didn't know what to do with herself! Poor baby! Luckily, the people next to me understood and were very helpful and trying to focus her direction on other things. She just wouldn't have it though! Once we were at Houston, I was able to get her to take a short nap, and she was happy all the way home! We were so lucky to have two seats to ourselves the way home and we were sitting in the front of the plane, so we had extra leg room! WC loved playing peek-a-boo with the people on the plane. It was a VERY small plane, so everyone could see her. She just started getting shy when strangers say hello to her. She'll bury her face in my neck or chest and just act so weird! It's cute though :)
We are very glad to be home! WC wouldn't nap in the hotel room because she new we were in there, so it will be nice to have her own room back where I can just shut the door and let her fuss if we need to!
I already want to go back. It was nice visiting there, but I DON'T miss the traffic!

ADIOS!!

San Antonio here we come!

Woo Hoo!! I'm so excited. I just can't hide it. Woahhhh woahhh. I'm so excited! For all you late 80's early 90's kids, that was from Saved By the Bell :) The Trobough's are taking a trip to San Antonio!!! Chris has some work to do down there for a couple of days, so Whitley Claire and I are packing up and going with him! I can't wait to see all of my friends. I am planning on spending a day with my Rainbow Station friends and an evening with my church friends. I didn't think I'd ever get to go back to visit, so this opportunity just couldn't be passed up!We are staying at the Holiday Inn ON the Riverwalk! That's right! We have never stayed on the Riverwalk...obviously..since we lived in San Antonio. This hotel was built like lego's. Each room was ocnstructed and decorated, then put into place by a big crane! How do I know that you might ask? Well, I've taken the Riverboat Cruise about 1,234,865 times. I would be a great tour guide!

Wish us luck with a successful flight!

Cough Cough

I love coughing....no really....... especially when I don't know if I have bronchitis or pneumonia! I can't even spell that word. I went to the doctor yesterday and got a chest x-ray. I guess I am ok since they haven't called and when I called the receptionist poliltely told me that she couldn't tell me what the x-ray said. Oh come on :) I have a right to know what's on my x-ray! I never could get in touch with my doctor, so I guess I will wait on the little letter in the mail that says I'm fine. I am just bummed because I had to cancel a lot of plans yesterday!
But we are excited about the weekend. Football always makes me happy! Even though I have a feeling we are going to get whooped by Florida. That's alright though! It will make for nice entertainment!
Chris is coaching 5-6 year old basketball through the Y this fall. The first practice is Saturday and we are really excited! We have some of the same players that Chris had on his T-ball team that he coached this summer so it will be nice to see some of the same parents and kids again.
I am glad that I am the only sickly one in the house...for now I hope!

Fulton Farms Pumpkin Patch

This morning, WC and I drove to Troy, OH (about a 30 minute drive) to hang out with our MOPS family. We went on a fun hayride to the pumpkin patch where WC and I picked out a pumpkin for us to carve! WC had a blast. She loved the hayride. There were 2 other little girls that are around WC's age and they sat in the hay together and played! She loved giggling and explored the texture of the hay. She was concentrating very hard!After the hayride, we went in to the country store and bought some homemade honey, maple syrup, corn salsa, and apple butter. I can't wait to taste it all!

The weather is a bit chilly! WC has a runny nose so I'm sure all that wind didn't help. She wore her Halloween costume (a pink leopard) so she kept warm. I should've worn a heavy jacket. I thought my windbreaker would do!

Chris couldn't come with us this morning :( He had lots of homework to do!

John Bryan State Park

Today was a fun filled afternoon of hiking. Chris brought along Hasaan, his "little brother", and we all had a blast. Rosie had the most fun....killing a squirrel, rolling in dog poo... she liked being in the wild. We hiked around 2 miles. The path was a little confusing. There were no markers or anything to let us know how far we hiked, where to go, nothing! We started hiking down the path, but had to turn around after a mile because we realized it wasn't a loop. But it was still pretty! Lots of trees to look at with changing leaves. Hasaan had a great time running with Rosie and playing hide and seek in the woods.

Rib Dinner

Whitley Claire had the most fun today eating ribs! Well, I don't know if you would actually call it "eating". She liked sucking on the bone to get all the flavor off of it. Kind of like a dog, ya know? She also enjoyed the Saffron rice I served with it. She was just making the cutest noises when she was eating. If it comes from our plate, she'll love it!
We also played with Ally Pike and Lu Sterling. Ally lives up the street and is 9 days younger than WC. I watch her on Friday mornings so her mom can take her brother, Cam, to Kindermusic. They are very cute to watch!! I just happened to watch Lu, my little neighbor, so his momma could go to the doctor! He had his "bink" over here and WC was wondering if that was HER passie! She was grabbing for it!
My mom and dad are coming on Sunday! They will be staying a few days and we are really looking forward to their visit!!

Bye Bye Gus Gus

So Chris and I have decided to give Gus to my parents. Hopefully not forever. He has just been too much for our family lately and this is the best decision. Chris and I are VERY grateful that they have decided to take him because if not, I'm not sure where he would go! Am I sad?? Kind of....I mean I have had him since he was 4 weeks old. I found him in a ditch.....about to cross the road and I rescued him.

Gus' problems recently:

• Jumping on couch we we aren't home (this has been a problem for quite some time)
• Getting in the trash
• Getting food off of the counter
• Getting WC's stuffed animals from her room (thankfully not tearing them up)
• Escaping from the backyard and running away
• Barking at nothing and waking up WC
• Pooping in the house
• And the most important, GROWLING AT WC. Which is NOT acceptable!
  

I'm sure there are more, but he has worn me out I have lost track of what he's gotten in to.

We are worried about Rosie and if she'll get lonely. She has grown up with Gus for the past 3 1/2 years! She loves to play with him. My plan is to take her running with me. We can do more as a family with her because she is so good in public. For example, last fall when we get camping, we had to leave early because of Gus. Then the next time we went camping, we just boarded Gus.

I am so glad my parents are willing to take him. At their house, he has a little more leeway. He can jump on their furniture and is not bothered by a baby. There is also a great backyard to go snooping and hunting in.

So life with one dog will be different. Hopefully for the better!!!!

Air Force Marathon

This past weekend, Chris, Deb, Moriah, and Mark ALL completed the 10K at around 1 hour!!! Chris came in at 53 minutes!! There were over 9,000 people that ran this weekend! And my family placed in the top 1/3! I am so proud of them!
Monte, Whitley Claire, and I were routing them on at the finish line! It was a cold morning and WC was waiting very patiently! Getting up at 5:45 in the morning had it's toll on ALL of us. Most of us managed to get a nap in and we had a great afternoon! Next year I hope to run/walk in at least the 5K. I am going to start training for the Halloween Fun Run in October and the Turkey Trot in November. It gives me something to look forward to and train for! I just hope they allow strollers so I can compete!

Swing Time!

Whitley Claire's new favorite thing to do is swing. There is this nice little swing set just up the hill from our house. Just wanted to share some pictures! The other baby is Ally Pike, WC's best baby friend, and her brother, Cam. They are always fun to play with!

Julie and Julia

I had my second girls night out last night since WC has been born. It was fabulous! Six of us girls went to get desert at Fox and the Hound. I had this marvelous Chocolate Chip cookie with vanilla ice cream and fudge!! YUMMY!! Then we went to the movie theater to see Julie and Julia. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so tired! The movie didn't start until 9:30! Getting me home at midnight!
I would love to cook my way through a cookbook. I have a knack for baking and would love to expand my horizon to entree's! Chris is more of a plain Jane type of eater. He doesn't like to explore new meals. That's ok...BUT I would love to try out new meal ideas! It also costs more money to make elaborate meals. We have a bunch of really quick and easy meal ideas. My newest food kick is preparing fresh veggies for dinner. Some of our favs are brown sugar glazed carrots, sauteed onions with mushrooms, steamed zucchini or squash, and green beans cooked with teriyaki sauce!
We also love salads. I try and buy a bulk of vegetables and then chop them up to have them ready for salads. We are more likely to eat something already prepared and it doesn't go bad as quickly!
I would highly recommend Julie and Julia. By the end of the movie, I had this urge to go cook! It's a great film!

Puppy Chow....or Baby Chow??

While I was gone this evening, Chris was watching Whitley Claire. She has been quite the crawling baby so we've been having to keep a closer eye on here. This is what happens when daddy took his eyes off of her for just a minute......
That's right. My child was eating dog food. She crawled over to Gus' dish and helped herself! Rosie didn't seem to mind the company! I am sure there is plenty of nutrition in dog food, but I don't plan on this being a daily habit. Whitley Claire has also found that chewing on the dog toys in really fun. Again, this is not going to be a daily habit. Rosie thinks it's funny to get out all her toys after I pick them up....so childish :)
Whitley Claire had a really rough day today.....and bad night. She's really stuffy and is having a hard time breathing! I hope she is not going to get Asthma! We pray for a better day tomorrow....after all, it is College Football time!!!!

Mark of the Lion

My dear friend let me borrow this series by Francine Rivers. I am a big fan of her writing, so I am excited about reading these books! I just finished reading all of Jodi Picoult's books, so now I need a little change :) There is just one problem with reading books, I can't stay awake to read more than a chapter! It takes me forever now to finish books. It took me a whole month to finish my last book. I remember way back in the day, like 6 months ago, when I could finish a book in a few days...yeah..not so much. Granted I am reading a book about the presidents, but still, it will take me quite some time to finish these!!

I've heard great things about them and I am excited about getting started!

MOPS

The 2009-2010 MOPS year has begun!! I am co-coordinator this year and today was C-R-A-Z-Y! I was making sure that the Steering Team had everything they needed while I was trying to get Whitley Claire situated in the nursery AND making sure I met all the new faces and making them feel welcome. I am very excited about the girls on the Steering Team. They all have a passion for God and are so great to work with.
Whitley Claire had a looooooong day. She was up at 7:15 and didn't nap until we got home at 12:30. She won't nap in the nursery because there is lots to see and do! But at least she was good...until I came in the room and then she lost it! She fell asleep in the parking lot and took a good 2 hour nap when we got home. She's sleeping as we speak....that means she will be up late tonight since I'm letting her take a long late afternoon nap. But I'd rather have a happy baby that's up late than a cranky baby :)
Chris is hanging out with his "little brother" tonight. He's so great with Hasaan!
Now I'm off to finish off the baked ziti and get our veggies ready! I love food :)

Labor Day Weekend

We have gotten a lot accomplished this weekend! Chris has had a 4 day weekend, so I put him to work. We had some major renovation to the backyard and it looks ten times better. Chris removed this big bush/tree to open up our backyard and give us more sunlight. Also, we tore up all the lilies (I know I know....but they only bloomed for a month and were hideous when not in bloom) and then put cement slabs down and rocks so we could move the grill about a foot back. Now we have so much more patio space! I can't wait to start my herb garden and flower garden in the spring. We will eventually get furniture and a swing for out back. Next is the front yard....but it looks good enough. So it will have to wait!
We are just doing odd jobs around the house to make this base housing feel like home. The only thing left we have to do in the living room, is put up curtains. I will post some pictures when we get everything clean and arranged!
I can't believe we've been living here for almost a year. It's gone by so fast. We are ready for the snow and cold weather and we're excited for Whitley Claire to see the snow!

Bulldogs on HD

Who knew that watching football could be so much fun! We've been lounging around all day doing yard work, watching football, and just playing with Whitley Claire. I am just amazed at HD. You can see all the glitter on the players helmets and all the imperfections on the uniforms. I have got to be the most fun wife. Right now we are watching the Bulldogs play against Jackson State and the game hasn't been that interesting. I just like looking at all the people's faces on HD! So fun :)

About time!!!

So I've been trying to start this blogging business for quite some time now. I've wanted a place where I can share my thoughts and keep everyone updated on what's been going on in our world. I still have a lot of tweaking to do to this page. I just can't figure a lot of this out. Hopefully I can keep this page updated. There is definitely a lot to blog about! With 2 dogs and a baby...oh yeah...and a husband, I will be able to keep my fingers busy!