My Birthday

My birthday always falls around Thanksgiving. Having your birthday around Holiday time can be lots of fun or a real bummer. For me, most of the time it's lots of fun. This year was one of the best because I got to go see TSO in concert and I got a couple of movies on dvd that I've been wanting.

If there is one thing everyone knows about me that is that I am a movie person. I have lots of them. In fact, several of my friends call me "Lisa Buster". Movies are a gift that keeps on giving. When someone gives me a movie as a gift that is huge to me because I can enjoy it over and over again. Of course, that makes it easy to buy for me and hard all at the same time. Easy because movies, for the most part, are cheap and hard because I already have so many that it's hard to know what I don't have.

At any rate, I had a great birthday. I may not always get to celebrate it exactly on my birthday but that's ok. I understand that it's around a holiday so I make concessions. This year it was the TSO concert a few days before my birthday and a couple of dvd's that I've been wanting on my birthday.

Everyone has been asking did I do anything special on my birthday? Not really because I was busy getting my house in order for my family coming over on Thanksgiving. Some people when they hear that think what a bummer but it wasn't. I enjoyed getting everything ready for everyone coming over. I don't have to go all out on my birthday. I know that is how it is with some people but it's not that big of a deal for me. I consider myself very blessed to have gotten the movies I've been wanting and seeing TSO. Those two things were huge for me.

Thanksgiving

This is the first time that I've been able to get on and blog since Thanksgiving day. We had my family over for Thanksgiving. My brother (Calvin) and his wife, my mom, my sister (Regina) and her son (Tristan), my brother (Ernest) and his girlfriend (Amy). We had lots of fun. The food was great!!! My mom cooked and I cleaned with the help of my sister in law. All in all it was a very pleasant Thanksgiving and that's saying something with my family.

Timmy did real good with everyone here. He was being his usual cute and charming self. He pretty much steals the show. We tried giving him a tiny bit of mashed potatoes but he didn't care for them at all.

After everyone was fed and full some of us sat around talking while others sat and watched the latest Indiana Jones movie. Alvin and the Chipmunks was also watched. A good time was had by all.

Scottie got to relax for a change. He needed it because he's been working a lot lately. Thanksgiving day was all he got because he worked a big commercial project yesterday and today. He's actually finishing it up as I write this to you now.

We are looking forward to going to church tonight and spending Sunday resting and having family time. After all the action over the past few days it will be nice to have some time to ourselves.

As I've sat back reflecting about everything I've thought about how blessed we are. We have family and friends to share our lives with, a roof over our heads, heat for when it's cold, a/c for when it's hot, running water, an awesome church family, a handsome baby boy, two dogs that give us lots of laughs (mainly b/c one is a pup and the other an adult), money in the bank, and a deep love that binds us together with bonds that can't be broken.

In a time when so much is going on and so much is changing it's nice to think about all that we have to be thankful for in our lives. Take time to reflect and realize how blessed you are today and everyday.

Things that make you go HMMMM

I will start out by saying that this is a story only the members of my family will be able to relate to. Because several of us have lived it before.

Today, I started a 2 day commercial carpet cleaning project. I took every precaution to make sure I had all of the supplies I needed and to make sure all of the equipment was in good working condition because it is a Holiday and supply stores are closed.

The day started out great and we were making good progress. When we took a break for lunch, I noticed that I had used most of the water in my supply tank. I decided to connect to the building water supply. Initially, everything was fine. After several minutes, the pressure pump on the machine stopped. This usually means that the cleaning solution tank is empty or the small water tank on the machine is empty. When I got to the machine, I found the water tank on the machine was empty and a safety switch had shut the pump down.

I knew that the water supply was good, so I thought it must be a stuck check valve in the input line. After taking the water system apart, the check valve seemed to work correctly. I put the system back together and I still have no water getting to the machine. I then decided to take the check valve out of the system entirely. Still no water.

My mighty carpet cleaning machine that has taken on and beaten the toughest Chinese Restaurant carpets, the nastiest rental house carpets and the most disgusting pet contamination you have ever seen is for the moment a boat anchor.

At this time, I started to reflect on some of the methods I have seen used to get things to work. I and several others have witnessed the execution of these methods and they are a sight to behold. I must say that the correct tools must be used to get the desired result.

The first repair method came to mind, so I looked for the correct tool. My carpet repair tools are still on order so I didn't have a 22 oz claw hammer. Darn.

I thought some more and the next repair method hit me. This one was good, I have witnessed great success with this one. I think to myself, this is a carpet cleaning truck, I am sure I have the main tool for this one. I look franticly, I can't find it. I say to myself "What kind of carpet cleaning truck doesn't have a throw rug on it?" At this point, I think to myself that it probably would not have worked anyway because I am not sitting on the shoulder of I75 somewhere in Georgia during rush hour and it isn't raining.

At this point, I decided to take all of the brass connectors and pipes apart. When I got the last two pieces separated, I found the problem. What was it that temporarily defeated my mighty carpet cleaning machine?

An acorn!!!!!

At this point, all I could do was laugh. Acorns and peanuts, small but powerful.

Even More Christmas Pictures

Here are some more of the Christmas pictures that we had done at Lundies Photography. The first one is what we have chosen as our main Family photo and what we are giving out to the entire family. To look at these pictures you would never know that we were dealing with an extremely fussy baby that day.

"P.U., What's that smell?"

Timmy really loaded his diaper last night. I couldn't resist getting a picture of his daddy's scrunched up nose as he was taking him to get changed. If you look closely in the pictures Timmy is smiling and laughing. He thinks his daddy is funny.

More on Christmas Pictures

When we went to choose what package we wanted from our Christmas photos we were able to bring some prints home but are waiting for the bulk of our prints to come in that we had to order. This is one of the pictures from the photo shoot. Scot scanned it into our computer with our new printer/photo printer/copier/scanner.

Charlie and Timmy have never been this close before. They were checking one another out and Candia just had to get a shot of it. What a great picture! We will post more of the photos later. But for now enjoy this one.

Christmas pictures

We went and had our Christmas pictures done on Nov. 15th. We get our pictures done at Lundies Photography by Photographer Candia. Timmy was very fussy the day we went and had them done and we thought for sure that we were going to have to do another photo session but to our surprise they turned out great! To look at the pictures you would never know that Timmy was very fussy that day. The pictures are on order now and we are getting a couple of them on disc so we will post them as soon as we get them.

Santa v/s Grandma

Nan bought this for Timmy and he got to wear it for the first time today. I wanted to be sure to post a picture of him wearing it for his Nan to see. He wore it proud Nan!

TSO (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) Concert

For my birthday my mom got us all TSO tickets. It was my first time to get to see the concert. I had heard how great the light show was over the years but had never had a chance to go check it out for myself. The light show was phenomenal! We all had a great time watching the show. Scot and I were both surprised at how well Timmy did. We were expecting to have to take turns with getting up and walking with him but he did great!!! He loved the lights and watched most of the show. He took a short nap half way through the show and then he was ready to go again. Tristan (my sister's little boy) on the other hand was on the move the whole time. Getting him to sit still was hard and eventually my mom and Gina just went up top with him where they could walk around with him and still see the show. It was the opposite of how we thought it would be with the kids but regardless the show was a blast. TSO really puts on a great show. It still doesn't compare with the TSO Christmas Concert that Living Word (our church) used to do. We have some great vocalist at our Church that are better than the TSO vocalist by far!!! It's too bad :-( that our church doesn't do the concert any more b/c I really prefer them over the TSO concert even though TSO was great. If you have never seen TSO in concert and they are coming near where you live be sure to go see them. You will love everything they do and it's well worth the price you pay to see the show.

Q: A Mini Van v/s A Sprinter? Which do you think won?

A: The Sprinter of course.

This is what happened to our work truck yesterday morning when some idiot driver that was late for work couldn't see a mile long line of stopped traffic with the Sprinter being the last vehicle. He was driving too fast and lost control of his vehicle and of course it was an old van.

Minor body damage to the Sprinter. The front of the mini van had to be replaced. There is something to be said for large vehicles.

"You couldn't see this...They can see it from space."

Sitting

This afternoon I thought I'd try letting him sit without my help. He did good for his first time sitting by himself. He's still not stable enough to do it for any long period of time but with practice he'll get there. Here are some pictures of him sitting. He's such a big handsome boy!!!

Playtime This Morning

Here are some pictures from playtime this morning.

Timmy loves having all his toys around him.

"Which one do I want to play with first?"

"I think I will play with my butterfly. It makes neat sounds that I like."

Snow!!!

We had snow flurries earlier today. It didn't last long but it sure was exciting to see. Here's a picture of the snow that my friend, Deanna Laughinghouse, took. It sure would be nice if we get to see a White Christmas this year?!

Reaching

Timmy has toys on the tray of his high chair. Tonight for the first time Timmy reached for them and got one. He picked it up and sat back in his chair as if it was a normal thing to do and started playing with it. It was so cool to see him do that. We cheered him on and are so proud of him. I'm hoping the next time he does that I can catch it on camera so all of you can see it too?!

More on shots

I forgot about these pictures. These were taken at the Peds office the day he got his shots.

Daddy holding Timmy just after he got his shots.

Daddy getting Timmy dressed after his shots while Mommy is still filling out paper work.

Shots

We have been blessed that Timmy hasn't been fussy or ran a fever from his shots up until now. This is the first time that we have had to deal with him being fussy and running a fever from his shots. He has wanted to be close to me and I've let him. I can't believe he wasn't fussy or had a fever the other times he got shots?! I mean, he fussed when he got them but that was it. They poke him four times in his legs. It's awful to have to watch :'-( but he needs his shots so it must be done. Some people spread their kids shots out over several visits but I think that is more torture than just getting it over with in one visit. Of course the draw back to doing them all at once is that they can tend to be more fussy which has been the case this time. Thank God for Tylenol! It helps a lot when they are fussy and running a fever from their shots.

Prunes

Prunes are definitely good for one thing. They will make you go in a big way! Timmy has had some big BM's. If I hadn't been on top of it with changing him when they happened they would have probably come out of his diaper. I know, TMI (too much information), but hey it's part of what comes with being a parent. I told Scot if people wouldn't get grossed out I would take a picture for everyone to see. Too bad you wouldn't be able to put the smell in a picture.

Anyhow, I said all that to say this, I think that we are going to hold back on the prunes unless he really needs them and move on to carrots. I'm sure he will like those better. He hasn't hated the prunes but you can tell that they aren't his favorite and why should I make him eat something that I would never eat myself anyways?! Makes sense, right?!

6 Month Checkup and Other News

Timmy had his 6 month checkup today. He got his shots. He did better this time around with them than he did at his four month check. Because we are heading into Flu season we went ahead and did the Flu shot as well.

Timmy is now weighing 16 lbs. 4 3/4 oz. and he's 26 1/2 inches long. He is right where he is suppose to be on the growth chart. Timmy is doing great and the doctor is pleased with his growth.

Other news that you might be interested in is that Timmy is eating more foods now. We have him on rice cereal, bananas, sweet peas, and prunes now. Next we will be trying carrots but that won't be for another week.

We are so proud of how well our little boy is doing.

Anniversary

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary today. My mom watched Timmy while we went out to dinner at Rio Churrascaria. It's a Brazilian restaurant. They bring the meat out on skewers. It is a fantastic place to eat. We don't go there as often as we'd like but it's one of our fav's. If you've never been there and you live in the area give it a try sometime. If you love to eat meat you will love this restaurant.

6 Months Old Today

"I'm 6 months old today and I got to spend this evening with my Maw Maw."

Charlie and Dexter

Daddy playing with his boys last night.

Dexter says, "Give me my toy back." Charlie is saying, "No way!"

Here Dexter is getting closer to getting it from Charlie. He sure gives Charlie a run for his money so to speak.

Our New Addition

"Who am I? I am Dexter. I am 11 weeks old and a bundle of energy or so they say. I have quite the personality. I love playing with my new big friend Charlie."

"Who am I? I am Charlie, the big dog, and I'm going to teach Dexter everything I know. Dexter is going to be a good student and be a good dog for my Mommy and Daddy."

I have found my feet!!!

We took this right after bath time tonight.

"What is this? 1-2-3-4-5 wiggly things. Hmmmmm, I have 1-2-3-4-5 wiggly things that I put in my mouth all the time. Now how am I going to get these wiggly things in my mouth???"

Da-Da-Da-Da-Da

Timmy is saying DaDaDaDaDa now. He started saying it the evening before last. I know that he doesn't understand what he is saying yet but it is so cute that he is saying it. The first time he said it he got this look on his face like where did that sound come from but now that he knows that he can make that sound he loves saying it. He said MaMaMaMaMa once but he hasn't repeated that sound again so I think that one was an accident. This one he is doing a lot now so I know it's not an accident. It is so exciting to hear him make that sound.

I Love Fall

Here's a beautiful Fall picture. I swiped it from one of my friends on facebook.

Aunt Gina, Cousin Tristan, and Timmy

We took these pictures after Church on Sunday night (Nov. 2nd).

"What's that thing my cousin is holding? Can I get that in my mouth?"
Tristan is holding a sippy cup. It won't be long before Timmy is drinking out of a sippy cup.

Timmy is watching his Cousin Tristan while his Aunt Gina is loving on him. Awwwwww!

Gina is sitting back relaxing while Tristan and Timmy are on her. I'm not sure what Timmy is looking at in this picture but it has his full attention?!

More on Ladybugs

I believe we have licked the Ladybug problem. We haven't seen any coming in Timmy's window in a couple of days. Scottie sealed the entire window. We never use it anyways so he sealed it tight. Scottie referred what he did to a Jaguar engine when they seal it with the blue silicone that they spray all over the engine. I'm loving it because the Ladybugs were all over the wall and the window seal. They were crawling and flying all over the place. I'm sure the Ladybugs aren't happy because of Scottie sealing the window but he did it for their own good because if they come in they will die.

Another Day

So, Scottie is washing and shining the work truck, Timmy just went down for a nap, and I'm on the computer looking out the window at how beautiful the trees are right now. The leaves are falling and blowing all over the place and it's overcast but the color on the leaves make it a beautiful day.

As I'm looking out the window and seeing Scottie cleaning the work truck and watching the leaves I've been reflecting on yesterday and the election results. I'm saddened, as many are, about the results and where this country is heading over the next four years. I've heard people make comments about how we really need to pray now. As I hear those comments all I can think is that you should have been really praying all along. Now we have a new leader and while it's not the leader I would have wanted he is our leader nonetheless. The bible tells us to pray for our leaders. We don't have to like them or approve of them but we do have to pray for them and that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

So now that we're moving forward I'm just thanking God for my life, for my husband, and for my son. God has blessed my life so much and that is what I'm going to focus on as we head into these next four years. I'm going to focus on our blessings and our relationship with God because no matter who the President is God is who I look to! As Ed Young said on Sunday, "I Vote For Jesus!" That's where I stand and stand firm! Jesus is my rock! Everything else is just sinking sand. I love you Jesus and I praise you!!!

Jousting at Family Fest

I had to do some doctoring to the picture so that it could be seen. It's not the best pic but it's one of Pastor Steve (Senior Pastor at LWFC) and Chelsea Jousting. Chelsea won! It was fun to watch.

Pastor Steve is the one on the left and Chelsea is on the right.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs are pretty as long as they are outside. When they get into your home they are pests. And they don't just come in ones or twos but in droves. We thought we had the Ladybug problem licked but they're back. For a couple of years now we have been dealing with Ladybugs getting in our upstairs windows. Every Spring and Fall we have had the Ladybug problem. The house is an 80's built home and most of the windows are as old as the house. We believe we have found how they are getting in and once we get it sealed we shouldn't see them anymore. Hallelujah!

Anyhow, I just had to share that. It's been a long battle with the Ladybugs but they are going to loose because I'm going to get rid of them!, with my Scotties help of course :-).

Family pic from Family Fest

One of our church members took this one for us. Timmy is checking out one of the big blow up things with the kids playing on it. A good time was had by all.

Family Fest Last Night

We had a lot of fun at Family Fest last night. We had Timmy dressed up in a pumpkin costume with his halloween bib that his cousin Brittany got for him. Timmy had lots of fun. He was checking everything out so there aren't many pictures of him smiling. A lot of the pics we got of him were where he was looking away because there was so much going on that he was looking at it all.

Timmy looking at his Maw Maw.

Timmy with his Maw Maw and his cousin Tristan, who is smiling big because he is such a ham for the camera, and Aunt Regina.

Timmy and Tristan are checking one another out in this one.

Daddy and Timmy. My two handsome men!

Timmy and Me. Awwwwwwww:-)!

This was taken on October 28th

Here is how we found Timmy this morning. He's facing the opposite way. His stuffed animals are at the end of the crib. He woke up facing them and still covered up. We're not sure how he managed that but he did it.