Picture of Love

Baaaack! May 29, 2009

2009-05-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well. It's been almost a whole year, and now I'm back, mostly thanks to my hubby having to leave for THREE whole weeks and needing to see pictures of his babies every day to survive! I plan to keep up with this again, though...we'll see if it works out. :)

It's summer! We're so excited. We played in the water today for the first time since it got hot. Here are the kids having fun with their new water guns and sprinkler:

Tuesday, September 2

2008-09-02T18:10:00.001-07:00

Can I just say that my kids HATE when I get on the computer? Particularly Gavin. He's either (a) screaming his lungs out, or (b) repeatedly pressing the buttons on the number pad. 623453. Guess which one he's doing right now?

So anyway, it's been FOREVER, I know, but here are my three new favorites to hold you over until I can update you with Gavin's birthday pictures and the thousand other ones I've taken.I got a new camera, so all my pictures are going to be oh-so-beautiful now. Come back soon! I promise to update sometime in the next 3 years.

Monday, June 30

2008-07-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

These first three are actually from Sunday night after Chase got home from spending the weekend with Chris's parents. Anna missed him *so* much, as you can see:
I think he missed her, too. I asked him. He said, "Not really." But I think he did.

And these are from June 30:
Check out this one. Gavin already knows I'm a crazy driver. (I wasn't actually driving, BTW.)

Sunday, June 29

2008-06-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

Don't be mad at me for not updating in a month. Just enjoy the massive amount of cute pictures coming your way. I can't possibly put captions on all of these, but all of it has happened during the month of June, we're all doing great and having a fun summer, and we hope y'all are, too! Oh, and we bought a boat, which you'll see in the last few pictures. Here you go:

Sunday, May 25

2008-05-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the lake today! We met my sister Jaime, her husband Bobby (who I apparently didn't get a picture of...sorry, Bobby!), and my little nieces over at Lake Claiborne. There were a ton of people there, but we still had a great time. We even rented a canoe (which I also didn't get a picture of) and rowed the kids across the lake one at a time. I was too busy to take a lot of pictures, but here are the few I did get:

My youngest niece, sweet little Emma Catherine.

Me & the Gavster.

Chris & Gavin kicking back.

The little girls enjoying Uncle Bobby's cooking.

Anna just being cute in the sand.

My sis Jaime and her two girls getting a tan.
Or a burn, as we would later find out.

Chase floating.

Miss Elizabeth.

My sis and me.

All the kids (minus Gavin) getting ready to eat.

Daddy & Gavvy again.

Jaime and Elizabeth.

Anna. Still eating.

Chase looking much sweeter than he really is. ;)

Saturday, May 24

2008-05-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

The swingset is up. That's all I'll say about that. Chris would probably prefer for me not to go into detail about his cursing, fit throwing, and otherwise nasty behavior while putting it together.

Just kidding. Sort of.

Honestly, it was pretty ridiculous how stupid the instructions were and how half of the pieces didn't fit like they were supposed to. But it's together, and hopefully it won't completely fall apart. At least not while our children's lives are depending on it.

Here they are enjoying it:
And eating a very nutritious McDonald's lunch, because we were too tired to even think about cooking:
Tomorrow we're going back to the lake! We're meeting Jaime, Bobby, and the girls over there sometime before lunch. I should have lots of sweet pictures tomorrow night.

Friday, May 23

2008-05-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking today about how Friday used to be my very favorite day of the week. Now Fridays mean nothing to me, because my whole life is one big weekend! It's amazing.

On with the pictures now.

Stick combat.

Sooo sweet.
You'd never know their two favorite hobbies
are kicking each other and handcuffing each other's feet together.

More fun with sticks.
It wasn't the most thrilling day.

Wow, I look scary.
But this is the only Gavin picture I have today.

Rocket and Phoenix.
We're trying to find better names for them.
But for now, they're Rocket and Phoenix.

Phoenix looking happy.

And Belle looking even happier.
She is such a ham.
She should be a dog model.

We bought a swingset tonight, so tomorrow should be a good day for pictures as Chris tries to assemble it.

Thursday, May 22

2008-05-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Long, boring day today. We gave 5 puppies away, which was sad. We'll miss you, doggie friends. The only other thing we did was go to Wal-Mart. Yawn.

Wednesday, May 21

2008-05-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day at Lake Claiborne in Homer, Louisiana. Gavin LOVED the water and the sand.
Someone had made some HUGE sand sculptures of turtles, sharks, etc. before we got there. Here's Anna with the turtle big enough to sit on!
They have a playground at the lake, too.
Gavin really loved the monkey bars:

Big Wide World

2008-05-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

We've done a lot of going and doing in the past month.

We went to the mall:

To Logoly Park:

To Mimi and Pappaw's house:

On a field trip to Cypress Black Bayou
Nature Center & Petting Zoo:

To a tee-ball tournament in Taylor, Arkansas
(We were there for hours upon hours upon hours.
Our team won third place!):

To Aunt Jaime & Uncle Bobby's house
for Elizabeth's SEVENTH birthday party:

To Chase's Kindergarten graduation!:

To the Shongaloo tee-ball tournament
(where we stayed even LONGER,
and won second place!):

To the Springhill Park:

And now the daily posts will resume, so check back with us!

Stay-At-Home Pictures

2008-05-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

There have been a few occasions in the past month when we have actually stayed at home, and I have pictures to prove it! These are all pictures of the kids playing at home in late April and early/mid May.

Still not eating real food,
but give him a (closed) chocolate syrup bottle any day!

Here are my pretty Mother's Day flowers from Chris & the kids:

How much did you miss me?

2008-05-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, so when I gave my two weeks' notice and envisioned my life as a stay-at-home mama, I thought I would possibly...you know, STAY AT HOME every once in a while, relax, catch up on my reading. It's not really working out that way. I actually think I'm busier now than I was when I was working full-time! It's insane.

But I'm back. With a metric ton of pictures, just for you. I'm going to try to get them all up today, but we're talking about over a month's worth of pictures. It might actually be two metric tons.

I'm going to start with my good friend Tessa Lynn's precious twin girls. These pictures are from the very first day I met them, which was April 16, 2008. They are much bigger and have much more hair now, but you'll get the general idea, which is that they are beautiful and look just like their big sister.

The first two are of Lily Grace, and the others are Emma Claire. (I think. They are identical, you know.)
And one of me with the big sister:

Thursday, April 10

2008-04-10T19:41:00.001-07:00

We had a pretty busy day, but I did make time for you! Here are some cute bathtime pics of the kids:

I only have 4 days of work left, and then I'll be home with my little people! Yay!

Wednesday, April 9

2008-04-10T19:20:00.001-07:00

Today you get mugshots of our beautiful babies!

Sorry about the crotch shots in every photo. I kept trying to tell Chase to limit the exposure to their privates, but he apparently wasn't catching what I was throwing out.

I've named all of them, just because I love names. I realize that their new owners will probably want to give them new names.

First the three little girls:

This is Meg.
She's a friendly, playful pup.
Her back is mostly black, but the rest of her is tan.

This is Lola.
She's our little loner.
She likes to hide from her brothers & sisters.
She looks a lot like Rocket, but with tan feet instead of white.

This is Callie
She's a sweetie and loves to be held.
She is just plain tan with white "socks."
She looks the most like her mama.

This is Scout.
He's pretty shy and mostly keeps to himself.
He loves to eat!
He has very light grey spots on his back.

This is Phoenix.
He has black & dark grey spots all over his back
and looks like he's covered in soot.
He's pretty outgoing and is always chasing his mama,
trying to nurse.

We're keeping these two boys:

This is Rocket.
He's bold and adventurous,
and he has a big, fluffy coat.
He was our first barker of the bunch!
He barked LOUDLY when he was only 3 weeks old.

This is Dash.
He is sooo sweet and loving.
He wants to be held and petted all the time.
He's a "people person."
Dash has stolen all of our hearts!
My mom said, if she was keeping one of them,
she'd fight us for him!
He's also the "runt" of the litter,
although he's catching up now.
He has a white stripe down his forehead/nose
that looks like lightning!

Thanks for looking at our sweet babies.

Tuesday, April 8

2008-04-08T18:35:00.001-07:00

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you bought a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone from a convenient store and let a 2-year-old eat it unassisted on an 85-degree afternoon in Louisiana?

No? Well, I'm going to show you anyway.

Monday, April 7

2008-04-08T18:31:00.001-07:00

Lame, lame, lame. We had our first tee-ball game today, and I FORGOT MY CAMERA. It was only a scrimmage, and we actually thought we were just practicing, not playing a game, so that's my excuse. I did get one lonely picture of Chase putting his cleats on:

And here's Anna telling Gavin, "No, no, that's dangerous!"
She's got my back with the baby safety stuff.

I have no idea why my first paragraph is underlined.
It apparently wants to stay that way,
because it won't let me fix it.

Sunday, April 6

2008-04-08T18:23:00.001-07:00

We're finally back!

We played outside a bunch today. We've been playing with our puppies outside a lot since the weather's been so nice. The time is nearing when our babies have to go to their forever homes. We are going to miss them so much! We think Belle is sick of being a mama, though!

She doesn't let them nurse anymore.
It's really sad. They follow her around everywhere trying to latch on.
She actually growled at one of them today when he tried to take her food!
I was thinking she'd be sad when we started giving them away,
but now I think she'll be relieved!

This is one of the two that we're keeping. His name is Rocket.

Just me and the husband.

Thursday, April 3

2008-04-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

No pictures from today, sorry. We had a very busy of tee-ball, Pizza Hut, and cleaning. We're going to spend this whole weekend cleaning JUNK out of our house. I want to start my journey as a stay-at-home mom with a clean, clutter-free house.

Wednesday, April 2

2008-04-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Welllll, I have some very exciting news today. I gave my two weeks' notice to the church this afternoon! I am thrilled that I get to stay home with my babies, but a little sad to leave. I know it will be the best thing for our family, though.

Looks soooo much like his Daddy & Chase here! My goodness.

"My mama is so embarrassing."

Being a little mama.

Chase still doesn't feel very good.

We're still alive!

2008-04-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I updated. We have all been sick with the pukies and colds and busy with starting tee-ball, etc. etc. etc. Gavin had an appointment with his pulmonologist today, and he's starting some new medications that she thinks will really help him breathe easier. We're doing a long-term trial of an inhaled steroid we haven't used before (Flovent). He'll get two puffs of that twice a day. I'm excited because she gave him a puffer (inhaler with Aerochamber/spacer), so now we don't have to fight with him to use that stupid breathing machine that I HATE so much. I think the puffer will work much better for us. It will still require holding him down and making him mad, but it will be a 2-minute ordeal rather than a 15-minute one.

So that's the new news from us. Instead of feeling totally overwhelmed by having to go back for a week and make a bunch of posts, I think I'm just going to start fresh with pictures tomorrow night. Come back and see us when you can!

Tuesday, March 25

2008-03-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Well, today was very uneventful, but I did get some cute pictures of the kids.

Just seconds after a hit-and-run assault by Gavin.

Smacked her right in the forehead.
She was giving me a play-by-play when I snapped this photo.

Three little monkeys, laying in the bed...

"Heh. I can see right up your nose."

Just because I think this outfit is super cute.

Monday, March 24

2008-03-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

Look at what Gavin's doing as of today!

Have you ever seen a cuter boy?

Sunday, March 23 - Easter!

2008-03-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun Easter this year! We hunted for eggs and played basketball and "The Singing Bee" DVD game and ate and ate and ate and ate.

Waking up to find their Easter Bunny gifts!
Anna calls the Easter Bunny "The Bunny Rabbit."
As in, "Look what I got from The Bunny Rabbit!"

Gavin's Easter Bunny gift wasn't as well received as I thought it'd be.
He does like trying to cram the balls in his mouth, though.

Getting into their gifts at my parents' house.

I kept thinking about how, next year,
he'll probably think he's too old for Easter egg hunting.
And how I'll make him do it anyway.

My baby girl.
Here she was saying, "It's windy!"

My niece, Elizabeth.
This was before she noticed that Chase had found more eggs than she had.
And before she threw her basket down on the ground.
And ran away screaming, "I hate Easter!"

Sweeeet picture of Daddy & Gavin.
I swear my husband is a legal adult.

Me, Chris, and our littlest person.

You can either laugh or cry with all these crazy kids running everywhere.
My parents chose to laugh.

My sister Jaime and her husband Bobby.

"I'ma take your eggs now. 'Kay?"

And I just have to preserve this conversation for memory's sake:

Bobby: I have a great idea! After we eat, we're going to go outside and play baseball.
Jaime: Our family doesn't play sports.
Lindsay: We're all a bunch of fat couch potatoes.
Jaime: Yeah. And this skinny ass man thinks he's going to come up in this family and make us play sports.

Saturday, March 22

2008-03-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Baskin, Louisiana, today (about 2.5 hours from home) to spend the day with Chris's other grandparents, Janice and JL, as well as Chris's parents, little sister, and little sister's boyfriend. We also saw Chris's aunt, uncle, and two younger cousins later in the day. On the way home, we stopped at Wal-Mart so I could buy the kids' Easter presents, and then we ate at "Fye-Fye's" (Popeye's in Annaspeak). I forgot my camera at home, so all you get is one lousy blurry picture in which Anna is making a strange but amusing face:

They are posing with their new "Bee Movie," which was their Easter gift from Chris and me.

Friday, March 21

2008-03-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

We spent the day with Chris's grandparents in Farmerville, Louisiana, about 1.5 hours from where we live. It was a nice day with lots of good food.

Gavin and Pappaw Harvey, who apparently Gavin found quite amusing.

All three kiddos with Mammaw Laura.
She has such a small lap for so many great-grandkids!

Gavin trying to go see Mammaw.

Chase looking *so* grown up and tall!

This is what I see 99% of the time that Anna's with me.
She's my little shadow.
And she *really* looks like me from that angle. Wow.

Thursday, March 20

2008-03-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day of work until Tuesday! That, my friends, is awesomeness.

So we didn't really do anything exciting today. Just played, messed around outside, rented some movies. Chris should be home any minute. We're going to be running running running for the next few days, visiting family and such, so I might have to take a small hiatus from blogging. But here are some cute pictures to help you make it through the coming days without us.

She was saying, "I love you, Gavin!"
He wasn't all together interested in her affections.

"Huh?"

Methinks he was sick of sugars.

Playing pirates in the Dora Pirate Playhouse:

What a sweet face!
His, not mine.
I look like a dweeb.

Wednesday, March 19

2008-03-19T18:22:00.001-07:00

Wow, I spent most of my evening talking on the phone, so I didn't get many pictures. Chase did take this one of me and Gavin, though:Reaaaally horrible picture of me, but isn't Chase a good photographer for a 6-year-old?

Don't worry, I'm getting my hair cut on Friday.

Tuesday, March 18

2008-03-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Fun day! Play cooking and fingerpainting...err, hand & foot painting.

Monday, March 17

2008-03-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patty's Day! Alas, I have no pictures today. Bad mama.

Sunday, March 16

2008-03-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning in Minden trying to find a left-handed tee-ball glove for Chase, with no luck. Then we ate lunch at Dorcheat Seafood, which was soooo good and one of our new favorite restaurants! We just played at home for the rest of the day.

This is the face she makes when I tell her to make her fairy princess face:

Her first braid:

Saturday, March 15

2008-03-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

We played long and hard today. As evidenced by our daughter falling asleep in her highchair. While eating a really healthy supper.

Friday, March 14

2008-03-19T17:54:00.001-07:00

Following in his big sister's footsteps, Gavin *really* doesn't like it when I cook. Anytime I step foot in the kitchen, that's his cue to start fussing and wanting to be held. But since blackened baby toes is not one of our favorite side dishes, I set out on a mission to find an activity that would take his mind off of being held. Here you have it.

I change up the kitchen utensils every few days so he doesn't get bored.

We were cooking spaghetti, by the way. And I didn't cook the noodles long enough.

Thursday, March 13

2008-03-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

Didn't do much today, just played and enjoyed Chris's first day home.

Anna playing with her Dora puzzle, her new obsession.
She puts this puzzle together at least 5 times a day. At least.

He plays with toys like a big boy now!
He is crawling so well, too. All over the house!

Wednesday, March 12

2008-03-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

We decided March 12 should be Halloween in our house. Here are the big kids in costume:

Gavin slept right through his second Halloween. At least he wasn't in the hospital for this one.

The kids made me dress up like a man, and I did take a picture, but man, it's embarrassing. I don't get embarrassed by much, but you're not seeing that picture.

Tuesday, March 11

2008-03-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Just watching American Idol together like best buddies.
You'd never know they were pulling each other's limbs off 10 minutes earlier.

Again, no news.

Monday, March 10

2008-03-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Gavvy Lou:

Nothing exciting today. But my baby sure is cute, huh?

Sunday, March 9

2008-03-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

All we did today was play at home. Well, we did go to Mimi and Pappaw's house for a little while, but other than that, relaxing day at home. I baked my first loaf of bread in my new bread machine, and it turned out perfect! I just knew it'd be as hard as a brick, so I was really excited. Just a couple pictures today:

This picture of my living room should be
good birth control for all you childless folks out there.

"I love playing near the toilet!"

Saturday, March 8

2008-03-09T19:36:00.001-07:00

We ran around town for most of the day today, so I just have one picture for you. Anna reading her books on the couch:

I can't believe how big my baby girl is getting!

Some big news today: Gavin is officially crawling! I've already caught him with a puzzle piece, breathing machine tubing, and a pair of his sister's shoes. So I guess I actually have to watch him when I put him down on the floor now! Oy.

Friday, March 7

2008-03-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

SNOW DAY! So exciting. We never get snow.

Eating lunch. With a view.

She really did fall asleep in heels and butterfly wings.

My little future computer programmer.

Excuse the tummy. I just thought it was a sweet picture.

Thursday, March 6

2008-03-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

Again, nothing much to tell today. I do have some really sweet pictures, though.

He's getting TOO big!
Time to have another one. Right, Chris? :D

Still looks like my teeny newborn when he's sleeping, though.

Chase working diligently on his St. Jude Math-A-Thon problems.

And Anna taking a pink bubble bath with her "bathtub princess."
I'm pretty sure all that dye can't be good for her, but it's fun every once in a while.

Wednesday, March 5

2008-03-07T17:38:00.001-08:00

Ugh, today involved lots of yucky stuff, including waiting in a doctor's office for 3 hours with Gavin. Ear infection & throat/sinus infection. No pictures.

Tuesday, March 4

2008-03-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Nothing too exciting today. Here are random pics of some pretty cute kids.

Monday, March 3

2008-03-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

Hm, not sure why I didn't take pictures this day. It's been so long, I've forgotten my excuse.

Sunday, March 2

2008-03-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

Threw a baby shower for my BFF, Crystal. Here she is in all her adorable pregnant glory:

Cutest belly ever!
Ava Claire will make her debut sometime in mid- or late April.
I'm so excited for Crystal to be a mama!

Saturday, March 1

2008-03-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

Gavin woke up bright-eyed and ready to play after not throwing up during the night, so we foolishly took that to mean that the evil stomach bug had left the premises.

LOOK what we have!

Seven beautiful puppies!

Our sweet doggy, Belle, with her brand new babes.
She's such a good mama! Very protective and loving.

Close-up of the cutie pies.
Belle is a cocker spaniel/lab/chow mix,
and the daddy is an Australian Shepherd.

Gavin kicked back in his bouncy seat:

The big kids playing golf.
Check out Chase's professional Tiger Woods stroke!

Mama Belle stretching her legs after hours of nursing her pups.

Chris spent like a bazillion hours washing his truck.

And then the stomach bug returned with a vengeance.

Friday, February 29

2008-03-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Have I ever told you how much I hate stomach bugs?

A big, bad one came to visit our house Friday. Gavin woke up at 3 AM throwing up everywhere, and so it continued until late that night. I must have changed clothes something like 18 times. Horrible, awful day. But of course I took pictures anyway. I LOVE this one of Anna, shows her beautiful eyes:

This is what we did all day.
Note the towel.

Poor Anna had to fend for herself most of the day.
Hence her falling asleep on the floor.

Gavin felt okay enough to play with Daddy at one point.

Still not crawling, but any day now!

Thursday, February 28

2008-02-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

I lovelovelove outside photos. I got some of my favorite photos ever of my kids this afternoon at the park. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 27

2008-02-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

Chase got a new train set today, and Anna got new dress-up clothes. Mimi joined us for chicken tortilla soup (well, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches...and scrambled egg sandwiches) at our house. That is all.

Tuesday, February 26

2008-02-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

Today was pretty basic, but I took pictures anyway. Please excuse Anna & Gavin's junky room--we were doing some serious playing in there this evening.

Gavin loves the flushing noises on our potty time book.
Maybe this means he'll potty-learn early?

What could be better than a fat boy baby in puff sleeves?
My husband is going to kill me for this.

Monday, February 25

2008-02-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, did I hate today. But I did get lots of cute pictures. And Mimi came over to eat lasagna and play, so the day ended on a good note at least. Here's all kinds of cuteness:

Chase manages to avoid the camera most of the time because he's either playing the Wii or the computer or doing something equally boring. When tee-ball starts in May, he'll get more airtime.

Sunday, February 24

2008-02-25T18:24:00.001-08:00

Sunday was a lazy day. Well, we did go grocery shopping in the afternoon, but mostly we laid around in our PJs. Here's a few cute pics:

A Sunday night wrestling match:

Nobody even cried.

Saturday, February 23

2008-02-25T18:22:00.001-08:00

We had a birthday party for two of Chase's little friends (twin brother & sister, Ethan & Raimey) and then Tessa's shower, which I helped host, after that, THEN we fried fish and watched boxing at Mimi and Pappaw's and didn't make it home until around midnight, so there's only one lone picture for Saturday:

Gavin made himself right at home at the baby shower.

Friday, February 22

2008-02-25T18:16:00.001-08:00

Chase escorted his little girlfriend in the school beauty pageant on Friday night. Here he is looking super handsome in his $70 tux (yeah, I know, how ridonkiculous is that?):

The cute little "couple."

Anna Kate with my friend, Tessa, who'd just had a C-section a week before:

Tessa's kids, Blake and Dixie, being sweet:

Hannah didn't win anything in the pageant, but I personally thought she was beautiful. Gavin did not enjoy the pageant, to say the least. I spent more time walking around looking for inconspicuous places to nurse him than actually watching the pageant. We went out to eat with Mimi & Pappaw after the pageant and didn't get home until way past my bedtime. It was a long day for everyone.

Thursday, February 21

2008-02-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking so much when it comes to this thing for the past few days. Sorry. It won't happen again. (Except it probably will.)

Thursday we went to Mimi & Pappaw's for supper. Mimi cooked some really good food, and we stayed to watch the American Idol results show. Here are some cute sleepy pictures from after we got home and got settled down:

Wednesday, February 20

2008-02-20T15:24:00.001-08:00

Today is my grandmother's birthday. She would have been 89 today. Happy birthday, Gram.

No pictures today. We had Gavin's upper GI this morning and allergy testing this afternoon, so we have all had an extremely long, rough day. Good news, though--he doesn't have reflux. We'll hear back from the allergy test next Wednesday or so.

Sorry so short today. I promise lots of pictures tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 19

2008-02-20T15:18:00.001-08:00

Chris's brother, Cody, came to spend the night last night. We were busy cooking and entertaining (and watching American Idol), so I didn't get many pictures, but here's one of each little person:

Gavin's getting really good with his hands now.
He can finally make them go where he wants them to go.

Chase got a "virtual pet" type thing.
He played with it for, like, hours upon hours.

Mimi wanted me to post a pic of Anna in this outfit.
Please excuse her wild woman hair.

Monday, February 18

2008-02-19T09:24:00.001-08:00

Apparently all my cute pictures from Saturday got sucked into the vortex. I'll try to fix that later.

Monday was a boring day. Well, we did go out to eat. Other than that, boredom. No pictures. I did take a couple, but since I broke my little input thingie on my computer here at work, I can't put them on right now, and they're not good enough to wait on pins and needles for, I promise.

Sunday, February 17

2008-02-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Another lazy day for us. Gavin still isn't feeling very well. He slept a lot today. He had a little fever about an hour ago. Chris doesn't feel good, either. It would be awesome if everyone in our household could be well all at once, really it would.

We went to Mimi & Pappaw's house this afternoon for a while. Both the little ones sacked out almost immediately and slept through the whole visit.

Mimi loves cuddling with the grandbabies.

"Yay, tacos!"

Weekend's over now. Boooo.

Saturday, February 16

2008-02-16T20:24:00.003-08:00

Today is my sister-in-law Jayci's 21st birthday. Happy birthday, Jayci!

We did so little today, it's almost embarrassing. Well, Anna and I did go grocery shopping. It's the first time I've gone grocery shopping without Chase & Gavin in...well, ever. It was very relaxing. Who knew grocery shopping could be relaxing?

Gavin with banana face.
Banana is the only food he'll eat so far.

Chase's new hair cut.
He looks so grown-up!

Gavin slept most of the day.
He doesn't feel very good.
Sorry about the crusty nose there.
He rarely gets mad, but stay FAR AWAY from his nose.

Chris got his hair cut off, too.
I loooove him with short hair.
E-mail him at skeet_taylor@hotmail.com
and tell him he looks better with short hair. *wink wink*

Again with the upside-down sunglasses.
Chris and I thought she looked like Elton John in this get-up.
Of course, we didn't tell her that.
She doesn't know who Elton John is anyway.

Chase as a pirate.

Scaaaaary children.

Tessa and babies are still doing well. We didn't get to visit today because of Gavin's cold. Hopefully on Wednesday when we go for Gavin's upper GI, he'll be feeling better and we can stop by. I can't wait to see them!

Friday, February 15

2008-02-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

Tessa had her sweet baby girls today!

They are both girls. Lillian Grace (to be called Lily Grace) weighs 2 lb. 7 oz., and Emma Claire weighs 2 lb. 4 oz. They are 14 1/2 inches and 15 inches, respectively. The most amazing thing is that they are breathing on their own right now! They seem really healthy, considering how early they are. Mom and I are going to see them tomorrow, so I'll post pictures if it's okay with Tessa.

Pictures of MY kids from today:

Caught her dancing in the car.
"Apple bottom jeans and the boots with the fuuur..."
We love that song.

Chase slept on the floor most of the evening.
His brother and sister didn't care for it much.
They tried their hardest to wake him up:

My new favorite of Anna.

This is so...Anna. :)

Thursday, February 14

2008-02-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a really good day. I kinda went overboard on the kids' gifts, then my parents kinda went overboard on the kids' gifts, so they had lots of fun.

Wednesday, February 13

2008-02-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty boring day. Work/school, chicken nachos, and American Idol. That's about it.

BUT WAIT. There is one thing. CHRIS GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!

This is *major* for us. Major.

Tessa should be having her sweet baby girls sometime today, so please say a prayer or send good thoughts their way for big, healthy babies and a smooth recovery for all three of them. I can't wait to meet them!

Tuesday, February 12

2008-02-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

We didn't get to do Gavin's upper GI study. He woke up throwing up everywhere, so I thought he had a stomach bug. Apparently he just didn't want to go for the test, because he was totally fine for the rest of the day.

I didn't go to work at all, so I really have no excuse for only having one measly picture. But at least it's a really cute picture...

Apparently American Idol bores them a little.

Chris and Chase spent the whole day playing the Wii and barely came up for air, so no pictures of the Couch Potato Twins today.

Monday, February 11

2008-02-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Pizza Hut Night!

Then bath time. But not at Pizza Hut.
They don't have a bathtub.
Well, they might, but I think it's filled with salad.

I have a hard time choosing which pictures to post here every day. I struggle with wanting to post the “best” ones—the ones where my kids are all smiling sweetly and looking stylish and clean—and wanting to post the not-so-great ones, too. I want to remember everything. Not just the “perfect” stuff.

I want to remember that my oldest child yells rather than talks and runs rather than walks—unless, of course, you need him to speak louder or go faster. How he somehow turns the top of his dresser into a total disaster every single day, and he only wants to wear the same pair of shoes all the time. I want to remember that my 2-year-old wants to do absolutely everything for herself, and when she’s eating and says she’s “done,” she means it—she’s not eating another single bite. How when she tries to put her socks on and can’t quite do it, she throws an absolute fit, and how she hates to pedal her tricycle. I want to remember that the baby hates being put down and is so incredibly picky about what he eats (breastmilk only, and only from the breast, please) and would rather be anywhere than in the car. How he flips over in the bathtub and refuses to stay on his back, no matter how many times you turn him back over.

There are fun things I want to remember, too. Like how Chase laughs until he’s out of breath and makes every song into a silly song about poop or puke. And how sweet and prissy Anna looks when she pushes her hair up out of her face with both hands, and how she loves for the car radio to be turned up so loud it hurts my ears. How Gavin looks in a winter hat, all chubby cheeks and big blue eyes; how he grabs your hair with both hands and tries to pull you in for a kiss; how he somehow sees me through the steamed-up shower door when I smile at him, and he smiles back. I want to remember blow-drying Anna’s hair and singing “I feel like a hero, and you are my heroooooine…” together. I want to remember nursing Gavin in my bed on lazy Sunday afternoons, making silly noises with my mouth until he giggles so hard he can’t stay latched on. I want to remember Chase holding his arms out for a hug every time I pass by his bedroom at night after he’s in bed.

And yet I know that, in a few years, when life is busy with teenagers and preteens and school and basketball games and homework, these memories will grow foggy and dim. My hope is that they will always be replaced by new memories that are just as precious to me, and that hopefully some of these old ones will stick so that, when I’m 60 years old and all my babies are off raising their own families, I’ll have a little piece of them to hold onto. And maybe these pictures and this blog will help with that.

Sunday, February 10

2008-02-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

Nothing too exciting today. Anna's cousin Haley came over to play for a while, but I don't have her parents' permission to post her picture here, so I won't. In the evening, we went over to Mimi & Pappaw's to visit for a while. Just some random pictures:

Apparently Chase avoided the papparazzi for the day.

Saturday, February 9

2008-02-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

Look what Gavin can do now!

He's still a little wobbly.

I have to sit beside him in case he decides to launch backward.
But it's a start!

We went to the park for the first time in forever.
It felt like spring. It was 65 degrees or so.

Can you find Chase?

Gavin loved being outside.
He hasn't been able to sit outside in months.

The many faces of Anna Kate:

Nothing too exciting today, folks. Chase said it was the "best day ever" because we got to go to the park, and because we ate our lunch while sitting in the carwash. haha. He thought that was the coolest thing ever.

Anna went to spend the afternoon & night with her Nana Marilyn. I miss that little stinker!

Friday, February 8

2008-02-08T21:55:00.001-08:00

GAVIN DOES NOT HAVE CYSTIC FIBROSIS!!!

We found out this morning. Words cannot describe the relief. I know now that the sweet, happy, giggly, beautiful, fun-loving LIGHT OF OUR LIFE is going to be okay.

We're going for an upper GI study this coming Tuesday, February 12, at 8:30 AM CST. Please keep Gavin in your thoughts that day, because it will probably be a rough test for him. He'll have to drink barium from a bottle, and he's never taken a bottle in his whole entire life. (He absolutely refuses every bottle we've ever tried.) I don't know how in the world they'll get him to drink the stuff, but it has to be done. The upper GI will tell us if he has reflux. They're afraid the pneumonia might be caused by reflux aspiration.

We also have an appointment with his pediatrician that day so that we can get the RAST allergy test drawn. It's a blood test that will tell us if he's allergic to milk proteins. Not sure what we'll have to do in that case, because I'm pretty sure my breastmilk contains milk proteins.

AND today I also spoke to the pediatric pulmonologist at LSU that we saw while we were in the ICU in December. We have an appointment with her at 1:00 on April 1, which is a miracle, because I'd been told she was booked until mid-August. We're going to be going over all the test results with her, and if everything is negative, making some kind of plan to keep Gavvy as healthy as possible with an unknown diagnosis. I'm really hoping for answers, just because I can't stand not knowing what's causing his problems, but I guess no news is good news sometimes. At least we know now that the two bad things (CF and autoimmune disease) are ruled out.

And look how sweet and beautiful and wonderful he is, sleeping with one of sister's babies:

Don't those look like 15-year-old boy legs?
I love me some fat baby legs.

Chase with his Play-Doh snake.

Anna trying really hard to make one, too.

I ended up making one for her.

Chase threw up again tonight, poor bub. And poor carpet. Luckily I was still awake this time, so I was able to clean up the mess before it got...old. It was a big freaking mess, too. Yikes. I put him in the shower while I was cleaning it up, and I went back in 10 minutes later to find him sitting on the seat in the shower, SOUND ASLEEP. He is just like his daddy. Dead to the world the minute his eyes close at night. I don't think he ever truly woke up, but I finally got him to wash himself somehow. He's been back asleep for about an hour and a half now with no sign of throwing up again, so hopefully it's passed, at least for tonight.

Well, I'm going to go lay down with my favorite 6-month-old now. Hope everyone is doing well!

Thursday, February 7

2008-02-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

Again, I don't have much time, and again, I left my camera at work, so this will be brief.

Gavin's cystic fibrosis test went GREAT. He didn't fuss the first time. He laughed and smiled throughout the whole thing. I'm not even really sure if he noticed anything strange was going on. He's such a sweet, happy boy. How did I get such great kids?

Wednesday, February 6

2008-02-07T06:12:00.000-08:00

Ate at Nicky's with Mom. Went Valentine shopping at Wal-Mart. Came home. Chase threw up all over the couch and himself at some point during the night and didn't even wake up.

(YOU think it's gross? I'm the one who cleaned it up.)

No pictures. No one wants to see pictures of throw-up.

Tuesday, February 5

2008-02-06T07:44:00.001-08:00

I was a mean, evil, stressed-out mama yesterday, so taking pictures was about the last thing on my mind. I was lucky to get everyone fed and bathed without slamming my head against the wall repeatedly. BUT, after the 6-month-old Cranky McCrankerton FINALLY took a nap, the big kids and I did have a little fun.

Bed-jumping was involved. And hide-and-seek. About an hour of hide-and-seek. Anna never wants to hide, just seek. Chase never wants to seek, just hide. And since I'm "too big to hide" and "would get stuck" (direct quotes from Chase), I'm a seeker by default. So it works out well. We all find Chase.

By the way, I'm now back to the nice mama we all know and love.

Monday, February 4

2008-02-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

Everyone's feeling much better at our house! I didn't get many pictures from Monday because we were busy working on Chase's Mardi Gras float for school and doing puzzles most of the evening. Here's the finished float:

Gavin is inching backwards all around the room now.
He can get to the other side of the room SO fast!
He'll be crawling in a week for sure.

Caught Chase dancing while playing his Wii. haha.

Anna teaching Gavin how to crawl.
She kept saying, "Look at me, Gavin!"

My big sister has a job interview today, and she really wants the job, so everyone reading, please keep your fingers crossed that she gets it! Have a great day!

Sunday, February 3

2008-02-03T20:19:00.001-08:00

We stayed home all day today, never even left the house. I love days like that every once in a while. I do have some exciting news! Gavin got up on his hands and knees and rocked back & forth a few times today! My big boy. He'll probably be crawling in the next week or so. Hopefully he'll hold out until Daddy gets home so he won't miss it!

Anna's staying at her dad's tonight. I'm worried about her, because she was running fever when she left. I called to check on her around 8:45 tonight, and she was already asleep (strange for her). Her dad said she told him she didn't feel good before she went to sleep. He's going to take her to the doctor in the morning.

She looks pretty even when she's sick. :)

Gavin had his first taste of a plum today. Is there anything better in the world than the look on a baby's face when they first taste something sour? So cute. He ended up liking it quite a bit and wanted to suck on it for longer than I wanted to hold it for him!

He's getting so big now, but when he sleeps,
he still looks like that tiny newborn
I brought home from the hospital.

We had to make a Mardi Gras "float"
out of a shoebox for Chase's school.
He thought the mask I bought was pretty cool.

Here's me making the thing.
Chase didn't help much.
The funny thing is that, after *I* did a bunch of work on it,
he goes, "I'm tired of working on this." haha.
I guess standing there watching me do it
was just too much for him.

Just a cute picture I snapped while we were all watching
"When Good Pets Go Bad" on my bed.

Me and my chunker.
Please excuse my accidental emo hair.

I have a funny story from today. We were looking for a shoebox for the Mardi Gras float, and the only one we had in the house was the one holding Chris's black dress shoes that he wears with his suit. I took the shoes out of the box, and Chase said, "Did you forget to take your new shoes out of the box, Mom?" I said, "No, those are dad's shoes." He said, "Those GIRLY shoes are Dad's?!" I told him, "They're his dress-up shoes!"

He goes, "Those are GIRLY shoes is what they are." LOL.

Off to bed now. The weekend is, sadly, over.

Saturday, February 2

2008-02-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Groundhog Day! Not that I know what happened with that, but anyway. The cutest thing happened this morning. We had just finished eating breakfast, and Gavin had been playing in his (very noisy) Jumperoo. I went to the sink to clean up the dishes, and I realized after a minute or two that I hadn't heard the Jumperoo's many noises. I turned around, and he had fallen asleep in the thing without so much as complaining one time! Check it out:

I'm kind of disappointed with myself today as far as photos go. We had lunch at Mimi's and hung out there for a while, and I didn't even get one photo. I also should have taken a photo of the two little ones in our new double stroller at Wal-Mart, but I accidentally left my camera at home. Oh, well--here are some random cute ones:

"Bubba! Play with me!"

She ate a WHOLE cinnamon roll this morning.
Anyone who knows her eating habits knows that's a miracle.

It took them about 50 forevers to clean this mess up.

They're having a camp-out in the living room tonight:

Anna keeps waking up crying. She's had some low-grade fever all day today. She was pulling at her ear earlier, so I'm wondering if she has another ear infection. She might be the next one to have to go to the doctor.

Gavin seems to be doing a little better today. I ended up not taking him back to the doctor this morning because he wasn't wheezing at all when we got up. But wouldn't you know, right around noon (when the doctor's office closes on Saturday), he started wheezing again. I think he's going to be okay, though. He was in a good mood today anyway.

Must go to bed! I'm about to fall asleep sitting at the computer. I'm narcoleptic--just ask Chris.

Friday, February 1

2008-02-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

Gavin and I were home alone all day today! I think this was only the second time, other than hospital stays, that he's had Mama all to himself! I actually think he's tired of me now, though. haha. I laid him down in his bed only half-asleep earlier, and he laid there awake, just talking to himself, for about 15 minutes. He normally would NEVER do that, so all I can figure is that he's sick of me!

Anyway, here's what we've been up to the past couple of days (other than the doctor visit and a million breathing treatments and medications every day):

Toothpaste, toothpaste, everywhere.

Gavin thinks Anna is either interesting or scary. Ha!

The infamous hair in the face.

I LOVE this picture. Check out those fat legs!
And the boys look like they're sharing an inside joke.
So sweet.

Big smile!
(Please excuse the snotty nose.)

Chase kicked back on Anna's bed.

Anna teaching Gavin how to play with
one of his Christmas presents.

She thinks he needs to be sucking his paci at all times!

"What's up, Mama?"

Me and my girl.

I think he looks like my dad here. :)

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that Gavvy weighed 20 pounds 8 ounces at his doctor visit. He's gained over 2 pounds in a little over a month! We're still going strong with nursing. We tried a few little purees with him a couple weeks ago, but he didn't do too well with them, so we're holding off a while longer on solids. He still nurses something like 25,000 times a day, so he probably has no room for food!

In other developments, he can also sit up by himself for about 5 seconds now without falling over. And today when my mom was here, he was trying to get up on his hands and knees. I bet he'll be full-on crawling in a month. It's so much fun watching him learn new things, but it also makes me want to cry, because it feels like 5 minutes ago that he was this teeny little fuzzy-haired newborn, completely new to the world, looking up at me with those big eyes full of wonder. We gave his infant car seat away to some friends of ours who are expecting a baby in a couple of months, and I cried. It was so hard to give up something that I feel like we just picked out for our brand new baby.

I don't think we're going back to the doctor in the morning. He's doing a lot better. He's still wheezing and coughing some, but nothing like he was on Wednesday night. I'm hoping upon hope that he'll pull through this without a hospital stay. My poor bub. He's got a test for cystic fibrosis next Thursday at LSU, so everyone please think of us. That is the worst-case scenario as far as what could be wrong with him, but we are hopeful that it's not the cause. We should have the results next Friday.

I also want to ask for good thoughts for Chris. He's waiting on news about a new job that he really, really wants, and it would be great for our little family. So please send get-the-job vibes for him! He should know about that by Wednesday.

That's all for now. Chase & Anna want me to play dollhouse now, so I'll be back tomorrow!

Oh, and funny kid quote of the day:

Chase: I just bit into a chicken brain.

Thursday, January 31 - Baby Gavin sick again

2008-01-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

Yep, sick again. My poor little guy can't seem to catch a break. We had a very bad scare last night that would have ended up with an ER visit if I would have felt okay driving him 30 miles by myself without being able to keep my eyes on him. I did take him in to see his pediatrician today, and we are trying a bunch of new medications. If he's not better by Saturday, he's going to be hospitalized, so please send good, healthy vibes our way. He got an antibiotic shot today in the office, and his breathing already seems to be a little better, so hopefully he'll kick this bug without another hospital stay.

My parents drove us to the doctor visit, and Chase ended up going with Pappaw to Circuit City and to PetSmart to pick out some clothes for my parents' poodle, PJ. Anna went with Mom, Gavin, and I into the doctor's office, and she acted so sweet, as usual. Except that every time a nurse or doctor came in the room, she said, "I want a sucker." haha. That's my girl. Chase got a movie at Circuit City called "Firehouse Dog," which we watched tonight. He and I also played Scrabble. What fun it is to play Scrabble with a 6-year-old. Anna is staying with her dad tonight, so I'm actually getting a little me time before I go to bed.

No pictures today, because I left my camera cord at work and didn't go to work. I'm going to go pick up my paycheck at some point tomorrow, so I'll try to post the pictures from last night and today tomorrow evening. Hope everyone had a happy Thursday.

Wednesday, January 30 - Morning

2008-01-30T06:11:00.001-08:00

Gavin was up half the night coughing and wheezing, so I slept until 6:30 this morning. Yikes. We're supposed to leave the house at 7:15. I did manage to get everyone ready and out the door by 7:30, and I even took some pictures! (Don't ask me if I washed my hair.)

Chase knows how to tie his own shoes now.
Saves me a couple of minutes in the morning!

Anna being waaaay too perky and happy for 6:45 in the morning!
(See the orb in the photo? Creepy.)

Check out Gavin's "RASCAL" pants!
This is his first time to wear this outfit,
and it's already almost too small.

Loves his Jumperoo.
This thing has been a lifesaver for us!

Chase had to eat his breakfast in the car this morning.
He looks so grown-up in this picture! *sob*

It is absolutely ridiculously COLD here this morning. 21 degrees in Springhill! The weatherman was talking on the radio on the way to drop Anna off at the sitter's, and Chase goes, "Hey, Weatherman, what about some snow?"

Then Anna sneezed EVERYWHERE. She's not great at wiping her own nose, either.

Then Gavin sneezed, and Anna looked over at him and said, "Are you okay, Gavin?"

And you know how, when you're a parent, you sometimes say things and then realize how crazy it would sound to a non-parent? This is my Mom Quote of the day:

"Here's a paper towel if you need to wipe your hands. There's not much snot on it."

Have a great day, everyone!

More of Tuesday

2008-01-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

Gavin was all smiles as we got in the car to go home today. Then he realized about 5 miles down the road that he was actually in the car, and cried the rest of the way home.

We stopped by my parents' house to pick up Chase and visit with Mimi for a bit. (Pappaw's working graveyards tonight.)

Gavin loves Swiper.
Or at least he likes to bite his nose and whiskers.

And Anna Kate can't miss a chance to play grocery store.

Gavin played in the high chair
the whole time Mama cooked supper.

Tessa and her kids (Dixie in front in the pink shirt, and Blake at the back of the table in the navy shirt) came to play and eat supper with us tonight. Both of our hubbies work offshore, so we eat supper together a lot when they're gone.

The kids & I played Dora Chutes & Ladders
after our company left.

We let Anna win, since it was her first time to play.
Chase really won, though. :)

Tuesday, January 29

2008-01-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

Hey there! We're a family of five from somewhere South of you. The Daddy Person works offshore, and we have lots of family and friends who can't be with us on a daily basis, so I'm making this blog for all those who wish they could see us every day but aren't able to.

Today is just an ordinary Tuesday. Gavin and I will be here at work until 4, then we'll go pick up the Big Kids and head home for supper and American Idol.

Gavin came to visit me in my office on my lunch break today.

Check out those big blue eyes!
He hasn't quite figured out what this camera thing is yet.

He's just learned how to give kisses!

He also likes to try to rip your hair out and tear your face off.

He tried out my keyboard.
Gah, the problems a 6-month-old can cause on a computer.
It will never be the same.

He was oh-so-serious about the work he was doing.
Future CIS personnel?

We had a little upside-down time before he had to leave.
This was not nearly as dangerous as it looks.