Preston Mac Clark~ he's here!

Preston Mac Clark

January 15, 2014

4:55 PM 

11 lbs 11 oz 

22 inches long

I want to write about Preston's grand arrival before it becomes a blur! Let me start with the ultrasound from Dec. 31. Because I'm diabetic they did an ultrasound every 4 weeks beginning at 32 weeks to determine Preston's size. Well, on the 31st it was determined that he was approx. 9 lbs already. Needless to say, I was huge and miserable. I hate to say miserable because I was so thankful that I was pregnant and had made it that far in my pregnancy with no complications, but I still had around 4 weeks left for him to grow!! I went to the doctor 2 times weekly for non-stress tests (NST) and I left the office a few times in tears, everything was looking great on the NST- and for that I was EXTREMELY grateful, but I was so ready to have him!! Anyways- fast forward to Tuesday, January 14th, I had been hurting for a day or two at this point and I woke up Tuesday morning having contractions every 5 minutes. Thankfully, Seth had not left for work yet. I told him to call and get a sub- we needed to go to the hospital. He started calling people and I took a shower. It was the longest 45-minute drive to EAMC. I got there and they hooked me up to the NST machine and you could see my contractions. Well, I had to wait on the doctor on-call to make his rounds and then he came to visit me. By time he made it to my room, the contractions had stopped and I had not dilated or anything. He sent me home (huge upset) and said that he would see me again on Friday for my scheduled c-section, but to come back if my contractions came back and were 3-5 minutes apart, lasting for 30 seconds or longer and lasted more than an hour. Well, we headed home and the nurse told me to get a biscuit just in case we did have to come back- if I ate at that time, by time I came back I should be fine for surgery. So, we went home and I attempted to sleep. I would wake up every hour with a strong contraction, but they never got close together. I was extremely nauseated and my back was KILLING ME. Tuesday afternoon I did call my Mamaw Parker and asked if she would come sit with me on Wednesday so Seth could go to work and I would have someone with me in case I did go into labor. She agreed. Know; let me rewind just a bit... My mom was supposed to be flying into Alabama on Thursday- the day before Preston was set to arrive. After Tuesday's incident I called her and told her to get her ASAP!! Thankfully, she was able to purchase a new ticket for Wednesday Jan. 15, arriving in B'ham at 1:30. Now... Wednesday. Seth woke up and got ready to go to school and Janie Ann went to school, too. I was hurting all over still, but only 1 contraction per hour. Seth left around 6:30 and my grandmother arrived around 8:30. I had moved from the bed to the couch at this point- trying to get comfortable. Again, my back was KILLING me. When my grandmother arrived she asked how I was doing and I told her I was hurting, I had taken some pain meds and was in and out of sleep. I honestly have no idea what she did while I was lying on the couch! I know she cleaned a little, watched a little TV and made sure I was ok. Around 10 she started asking me if I needed to go to the doctor. I told her about the "rules" that I received from the doctor on the previous day, but she was adamant that something wasn't right and I needed to at least call the office. So, around 11:30 I was tired of hurting so badly and I called and left a message for the nurse to call me back. Well, 12:00 rolls around and no call. So, I call before lunch one more time and still nothing. This did not make my grandmother real happy. :) So, she fixed some lunch and begged me to eat something, but I was so nauseated I had no desire to eat! At 1:00 I called back to the office and finally talked to the nurse and she informed me to come on into the office and they would do a labor check. So, I brush my teeth, put my shoes on and grab my purse (thankfully my camera was in the bag from the previous day). I just knew that I was going to be sent home to wait, again. My grandmother drives, fairly quickly, to Auburn and drops me off at the door and parks the car. I sign in and do all the pregnancy stuff- when I come back to the waiting room my grandmother is at the window talking to the receptionist. I wait about 10 minutes and my grandmother goes back to the window and I finally get called back. I have to wait about 3 minutes and the doctor and nurse walk in the room and he checks me and says, "Well, your water is about to break and you are approximately 7 CM dilated. Why don't you get dressed and head on over to L&D. You will be having this baby shortly." I look at him and question him about the c-section- can I still have it? He looks at me and says, "You might not make it to the hospital before you have to start pushing, and you might have to have a VBAC." At this point I begin to panic. Seth knew I was at the doctor and I was anxious to call him. As I'm getting dressed my grandmother is making her way into the room. The nurse told her to go get the car; she would walk me to the door. L&D would be waiting on me. I get to the car, get my phone out to start calling everyone and.... it's dead. DEAD! I ask for my grandmother's phone...it's dead. I'm thinking- seriously, how can this be happening?? My grandmother takes me quickly across the street to the hospital and drops me off at the door and I head on up. When I get there I inform the nurses that my husband has no idea, could they please call him? Thankfully, they did!! While I'm in the room getting prepped to deliver our baby boy, without thinking, when they asked who was with me I inform them it's my grandmother... well, at the time EAMC was on "lock-down" and only allowing immediate family members to come back- immediate meaning mom, dad and siblings (over the age of 12)- NO GRANDPARENTS. I looked at the nurse and begged to let her back, at least until my husband got there, but they couldn't. At this point I'm frantic because I'm scared I'm going to have this baby before Seth makes it to the hospital and I will be back there by myself! Thankfully Seth arrived pretty quickly and he had called everyone. My mom was dropping off my grandfather in Alex City; my dad was headed to EAMC- along with Mrs. Vickie and Mr. Billy. Mrs. Vickie had to leave Hall's in New Site and Mr. Billy was coming from Sylacauga. Needless to say, no one was fully prepared to meet Mr. Preston that soon! When Seth arrived the on-call doctor, Dr. Litsey, walked in. When he walked in the room I felt instant relief. He delivered Janie Ann and knew that I was going to have, as he liked to put it, an extra-large baby. He discussed our options with us and the concerns he had with me having a VBAC. I informed him that the thought of a VBAC scared me and that I had mentally prepared for another c-section. So, it was set- c-section to begin at 4:30. (It was 4:10). Shortly after that my dad arrived and he was able to come back and see me for a minute, but he was the only one to make it before I went into surgery. From what I have been told- everyone was there when they were taking me back for surgery. So, they get the spinal done and everything set and they bring Seth in, I was nervous until he arrived. I'm lying there and I ask Seth and the anesthesiologist when they are going to begin. The anesthesiologist informs me that they are about to pull him out! With Janie Ann I felt so much pressure as they were getting her out, but with him I didn't feel any and it was instant relief when they pulled him out! I could truly breathe for the first time in 2 months without struggling! Dr. Harris, the assisting doctor, said, "he's going to need a haircut next week," and Dr. Litsey commented that we had a football player on our hands! He started screaming instantly! Then they weighed him, Seth said they did it 2 or 3 times to make sure the scales the correct! With Janie Ann, Seth brought her over and I was able to kiss her/see her and then they took her to the nursery. This time, Seth was able to walk around the OR with him and then they went to the recovery room with me and we were ale to do the Kangaroo care for the entire time I was in recovery. I really liked this experience- it was completely different than Janie Ann! Seth was able to go out and tell everyone that Preston was here and how much he weighed. Needless to say, everyone was shocked!
 And that is the story of Preston Mac's grand arrival into this world! More to come later. Praying that I am able to update this more often!! 

Wow...

A lot has happened since my last post! Janie Ann learned to swim this summer without her life jacket, she went water skiing for the first time (and did a GREAT job!), and we also found out that Janie Ann is going to be a BIG SISTER!!!! 

We were very shocked, nervous and excited when we found out the last week in May that we were expecting. We did not tell anyone for a little while because of the previous 2 miscarriages, we did not want to get our hopes up and then have to go through another miscarriage, even though those close to us would have found out anyways! I went to many doctor appointments, blood work and finally in June-- with my mother-in-law by me (because my mom had to go back to Reno), we heard the heartbeat of our precious new baby. Needless to say, tears were everywhere! That afternoon, Seth bought Janie Ann a BIG SISTER shirt and we told her about the baby in mommy's belly and let her call and make the announcement to her aunts, uncles and grandparents! Needless to say, she was SUPER excited! (Although I don't think she knows what is about to happen to her world!). She has been so sweet saying a prayer for mommy and the baby every night at bed time and she will rub my belly and talk to the baby-- it brings tears to my eyes EVERY.SINGLE.TIME! Due to my previous miscarriages I was put on progestrone and weekly visits to the OB and Endocrine doctor, but thankfully my OB says I'm doing VERY well and he has let me go 4 weeks between visits, TWICE! This is huge because with Janie Ann the longest I went between visits was 3 weeks- once! My bloodsugars have been awesome, praying they continue, I haven't gained too much weight and the baby's heartbeat is strong. I am currently at 20 weeks- half way there! This pregnancy has flown by, I believe partially, because did not tell for so long! I had a few weeks of morning sickness, heart-burn like no other and fatigue, but thankfully that was all during the summer while I was out of school, so I was able to manage it pretty well. Since going back to work the only issue I have had is my legs cramping, but I think that would have happened no matter what! 

AND we just found out this weekend the sex of baby Clark! We went for an ultrasound on Thursday, September 5th and had the US Tech fold up the sex of the newest baby and I quickly handed off the paper/picture to my co-worker who made the cutest little box filled with pink or blue silly string and we waited until Saturday for the big reveal! Although I would like to figure out who first did the gender reveal thing and punch them, I have to admit-- it was fun finding out with the rest of the family. (Although some family was unable to make it-- you can watch the video on Facebook). We had enough bottles of silly string for Janie Ann and all of her cousins to have a bottle. All the kids lined up and we put Granddaddy Kenneth in front of them, on the count of 3 all of them sprayed him with the sting and it was BLUE! We are having a little BOY!!!! Needless to say, Seth and I were in shock! (Still are). When we had the ultrasound done, the tech was talking about the position of the baby and the tech said, "she's laying" this way... although we did not want to find out, we thought she accidentally left us a "clue". So from Thursday night to Saturday we discussed names, room color, decor, etc. and just about had everything planned....until Saturday at 2:00 when we found out that we were WRONG! :) You can look at the pictures on Facebook-- everyone had a great time and Janie Ann is warming up to the idea that she is going to have a baby brother instead of a baby sister! 

I guess that is a lot of information for right now! Praying I can continue to keep this updated-- we have  a lot of stuff planned over the next 2 months with tailgating and Janie Ann turning 4-- so stay tuned!

Update

It seems like the only thing I do around here is update what has been going on-- no current posts. I really need to get better at this, I enjoy going back and reading my posts! You would think that would keep me blogging, but sadly it hasn't!

So..since February/March, what has happened? Well, we went to Reno for spring break and was able to be with my mom when she got married. She married Jim Dobson, but everyone calls him Dabo. He is very sweet and he loves my Janie Ann, so as long as he is good to my mom and is sweet to my baby, he is ok in my book! Yes, it was hard for me, but my mom is happy and that is all that matters. Now- if I can just get them to move to the south! Reno is too far away!!! I did not take any pictures, unfortunately, but the wedding photographer had some great shots- they are on facebook! 

While in Reno Janie Ann took a private ski lesson. She wasn't too happy at the time, but once she was not able to see mommy and daddy, she did great! Her instructor was Mike and he was so sweet and patient. She went down the bunny slope about 4 times, he taught her how to pizza (stop) and go (french fry). He said by the end of the lesson she was even able to use her weight to turn a little. He bragged about what an awesome job she did and my favorite quote from him was, "I will definitely be seeing her in the Olympics one day!" (SUPER proud mom!) After her lesson, Janie Ann and I went back to my mom's house while my mom and Seth skied the rest of the afternoon! The next day (wedding rehearsal) I went up to ski with Seth, Paden, Aunt Steph and Uncle Mark. I have skied once before this day-- and it was a horrible experience. Needless to say, I was very timid and scared! We signed up for lessons, but they did not start until 1:00 and we were there at 11:00, so Steph, Mark and I went and "taught" ourselves how to ski. I'm sure it was entertaining to all the avid skiers that watched us! We were basically skiing on flat land with a minor slope, for a good 30 minutes before we had enough courage to go on the Flying Jenny (bunny slope ski lift). We successfully made it down the bunny slope (after getting off the lift- it wasn't one you sit and ride, you stand and ride on it). So, we did the bunny slope about 4 times before Seth made it down and gave us a few pointers. After one more down the bunny slope, we took a break, got our money back for the lessons and ate some lunch! Then the true test came... Seth and Paden took us to the blue slope. My first obstacle was getting on the ski lift. I am terrified of heights and especially heights when nothing is holding you in!!! But I survived, and I was even able to get off the lift without falling, the first time! Paden was put in charge of us and leading the way, Seth was going to stay back and help if anyone fell (thank goodness!). So, we are going...it isn't too bad...until we come to a sign, "THIS IS THE END OF THE TRAIL." Needless to say, I was NOT very happy that Paden was leading the way! We had one way to go...and it was down a steep hill! I started off ok, along with everyone else, but the closer we got to the bottom the faster I was going... I look up at one point and notice Mark on his back sliding down the hill, I start to laugh and down I went! I was laughing so hard at this point that I was unable to pop my ski off and get out of the way! Seth was trying to help me, but the way I landed every time I put pressure on my foot to move, I would pop my ski back on. Needless to say, it was entertaining to me, a little frustrating to Seth! I was finally able to flip over, stand up and get my ski back on and down the hill I went! And then, stupid me thought- "hey, this isn't so bad, lets do it again! And up I went...." I should have stopped at that point, but I didn't. I was getting tired, my legs were KILLING me and I had done just enough to enjoy it, but no... We went up and then caught another ski lift and went up a little higher... still blue slopes. First problem-- I come flying off the ski lift and bust it. Thankfully,, the guy running the lift did not have to stop it, he was able to run behind me and lift me up. So, down we go...we go around some big trees because it is an easier/less slope way to get down. I'm taking my time, wedging my skies so I don't go flying down the hill...you know, being cautious. Then we get down and I do not see Paden, Steph or Mark and it's just Seth and I. At this point, I'm ok, I'm tired and cranky, but ok. Then I see the HUGE slope in front of me and Seth is telling me that it will all be ok-- just go side to side and it's easier because you have more room to ski, so you can go slower. I start out ok and the longer it takes, the more tired I become and at this point, I'm pretty sure my blood sugar is dropping-- which all three of those combined do not make me nice. :| I might have said a few things to Seth that were not sweet and loving...but at the time, I felt they were appropriate because I felt like he was trying to kill me! When we FINALLY make it to the bottom (I might have cried.. and after stopping a few times next to trees so that we were out of the other skiers way) I popped my skis off and inside I went. I was DONE! Honestly, I don't care to ever ski again. It was fun for a few minutes, but the ski boots were uncomfortable and I never felt like I was in control of what I was doing. I felt like I was going slow one minute and then out of control, flying down the hill the next! I'm pretty sure I tweaked my knee at some point because it was killing me! So, Mark and I were done (yes, they were concerned because they had been waiting for about 15 minutes for us to get down!)-- we took off our skis, boots and returned them to the car- got on our tennis shoes and chilled out in the lounge until everyone was done! So, I waited for Paden to make it down the slope so taht we could head to the rehearsal... it was taking a while and I later find out that Paden had a pretty bad fall, he even thought he broke his leg, so he was taking it easy down the hill! We were about 10 minutes late for rehearsal, but we were alive and well, so there really wasn't much that could be said!

Besides skiing we went on a nice drive through California (Donner's Pass), ate lunch at a super nice resort (can't remember the name, but it was where the Olympics were held), went on around and let Janie Ann play in some snow-- took beautiful pictures! We had a nice, relaxing day with mom before everyone got to town! I have pictures that I will post later (I don't have my SD card with me right now). We had a wonderful, long, enjoying spring break, but when we returned I felt like I needed another break from my vacation!

After we got back from Reno, April hit us in full-force! We were busy EVERY.SINGLE.WEEKEND. First, when we returned (on a Saturday), that Sunday was Easter. Then the next weekend we had my dad's birthday, then the next weekend we had something, but I can't remember! Then it was A-day and Toomer's last roll, then we headed to Nashville the next weekend for Kelly Owens wedding- it was great weekend spent with my dad, brother, Seth and Janie Ann-- even though it rained the ENTIRE TIME! We enjoyed the beautiful wedding and Janie Ann danced her heart out at the reception! Last weekend we were able to relax at home all weekend...then Saturday night... :( My grandfather was on his way to bed after not feeling well all day and he became dizzy and called for my dad. When dad got to him, he had slid down the wall and did not take a hard fall. Daddy called Seth to come over and help him to get him back up. When Seth got there to help him up, Papaw told them that he was too weak and felt he needed to go to the hospital. Seth called me over to the house to talk to Papaw for a little while-- I was a complete mess, but Janie Ann, Ty and I loaded in the car and drove over. He was laying in the hallway, extremely weak, sweating and could barely hold his eyes open. I, of course, cried and told him how much I loved him. He, very weak, told me that he loved me and that he would be fine. Needless to say, I cried myself to sleep worried about him. Janie Ann slept with us that night, because life is too precious and I needed her next to me that night. He has been in the hospital since Saturday night-- we are hoping he can return home today, but not positive. The goal is to make sure he is comfortable, eating and drinking to keep him from being dehydrated. I'm scared that my Papaw will not be with us much longer and so I want to enjoy every minute I can with him-- and I want him to be comfortable and not in pain. I could be TOTALLY wrong, and I hope I am, and he could be with us for many more years. So, please keep him in your prayers-- along with his family as we prepare for what is to come.

That is all for today's post. I will add more later- as we have dance pictures this afternoon (for the 2nd time!) and the school year is coming to an end! YIPEE!!

What's Happening?

Wow, it has been a while. Am I slacking or am I just enjoying life? I would say that I am enjoying every little bit of life that is happening right now and just haven't stopped long enough to blog! Let's see.... in the past month we have welcomed a new puppy into our family, Tyrone- the toy poodle, went to the circus, celebrated 14 days of Love, attended the church Valentine's Banquet, enjoyed busy weekends and preparing for a trip to Reno for spring break! 

So, first- Tyrone. After Cadillac passed away Janie Ann asked us for a puppy that would live inside with her and sleep with her. A little background info- Caddy lived inside with us UNTIL Janie Ann was born and started crawling. I couldn't stand to see the white hair from Caddy on the floor, knowing that she would be crawling all over it. So, Seth and I began the search for a hypo-allergic, non-shedding dog. We started looking for a poodle-mix, something that would stay little and not get over 15 lbs and would not shed. Let me tell you what- there are some cute puppies out there. If you ever have time you just need to search Poodle Mixes, cavapoo, maltipoo, shihpoo...all cute fur balls! All SUPER expensive. The cheapest one we found was around $350, it was a cavapoo and they had to get rid of it because of a family problem. Seth then started searching for just a poodle and found some in the Montgomery newspaper. The guy had 6 male toy poodles, CKC registered in Deatsville, AL. So, we went to look at them, they were a red color and when we contacted him he had 5 left. He sent us pictures and I had my heart set on one of them. We texted him back and asked him to hold him for us, we were on our way after picking up our daughter and some friends (The Whiteards went with us!). I also contacted some friends that lived close to Deatsville to find out more information on the place we were going- is it safe, do you know the guy, etc. Turns out they didn't know him, but it was a safe location. We walked into his little shed and he had 2 puppies left, one of which is the one I wanted. He was a dark red color and cute as could be. He came running to us when we walked in and Janie Ann instantly fell in love. We were the proud new owners of a 2.3 lb poodle- to which was named 

Tyrone Jackson Clark. 

Janie Ann was in love! And I'm not sure that Tyrone knew what was going to happen to him! He was going to get so much love from such a little girl!! I can't wait (well, I can) to watch them grown up and become best of friends!!

Yes, super spoiled already! 

The weekend after we got Ty we found out the circus was in Birmingham and thankfully they still had tickets for sale the day before!! So, we called the Whiteard family to see if they wanted to go with us and of course, they did! So Sunday afternoon we loaded up in their Expedition and headed to see the greatest show ever! 

Neither Hudson nor Janie Ann took a nap on the way to Birmingham, which is what we had hoped to happen, so about half-way through the circus they started getting a little anxious, but the tiger and elephant events captured their attention, but after the elephants they were ready to go and it was almost over- so we headed out early to miss the traffic! Janie Ann also enjoyed the poodles and if you ask her about the poodle show, she will talk about the "tiny poodle that looked like Tyrone, he danced to Go shorty, go shorty- it's your birthday"- HILARIOUS! 

The next thing on the list is the 14 days of love- we started this a little late, on Feb. 3rd, but every morning I would put out a treat in a box on the counter- something that Janie Ann loved- candy, snacks, games, etc.- she received a small treat every morning until Valentine's Day. I loved getting up with her on those mornings and she was so excited to see what she would get in her box. Seth and I made sure that she knew it was from us and not a special Valentine's cupid and that we did it because we love her so much. It was so sweet because each night she would come home, get her box and fill it with toys from her playroom so that she could give mommy and daddy prizes because she loves us so much! 

Well, that is pretty much up to date for now! Today we have a birthday party to attend and another one tomorrow- then the twins have a party next weekend, then March comes along and my nephew will be turning 7- yes 7! Then we will be going to Disney on Ice and flying out to see my mom for spring break!! We have been super busy, but hopefully I will update more often, but no promises! 

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

Here is a little recap of 2012... granted most of it is the negative, I did end on a positive note!

2012- one word- tough. But we made it. And overall it wasn’t really that bad, but at different times it was extremely tough and I questioned myself and God, a lot. I know I should never question God, but I did and I learned that He has a plan for me and my family and I just have to trust that His plan is the correct plan for me.


The first issue came in May—I have already blogged about the miscarriage that we went through at that point and I thought I would never get over it. I still haven’t gotten over it completely, but I have learned to cope. I still get depressed when I find out someone else I know is expecting, but I also have to realize that I had a successful first pregnancy, did not have any complications due to my diabetes, or any period, and my Janie Ann is healthy and beautiful. I just have to look at her and see how blessed we are whenever I get down and depressed.

The second issue came in October…I did not blog about this yet because it hurt so much—it still does but I have learned, again- His plan, not mine. But it was around October 20th—about 4 days after beginning our workout routine, I was extremely tired, fatigued, nauseated…something that normally does not occur with working out. So went to the store, bought a test and got a positive…. Yes, we were expecting again! Excited? Yes! Nervous—oh, boy YES! With the previous pregnancy it was tubal- therefore I had pain in my left side (which was sympathy pains because the tubal was on the right side). Anyways, I called and set up an appointment to see my doctor the following Thursday. Of course, I was panicked and very aware of any pains that my body had. Well, it was a Friday night and I started having pains in my left side. I stayed in bed all weekend and had an appointment with Dr. Marino on Monday to be checked out. They did a bed-side US and the only thing he saw was a cyst on my left ovary-- he thought it was approximately 2-4 MM, they did blood work and my HcG Level was around 250. So, I had an appointment to come back that following Wednesday- with the US tech and more lab work. The US tech noticed the cyst and said it was approximately the size of a grapefruit (9CM)- MUCH larger than earlier stated!! So, more blood work- levels increased to 340. They did not double as they should have, but they did rise. Let me say- this was the most difficult part. One nurse would tell me I was having a miscarriage, the next was very positive and it was just a slow start to pregnancy… this went on for 2 weeks. 2 weeks of pure torture. It was awful… miscarriage, pregnant, miscarriage, pregnant…. For 2 weeks. So anyways- Dr. Marino finally called me himself after my 3rd round of blood work and informed me that I was having another miscarriage. I was outside the AJHS cafe and I attempted to hold it together through the last 3 minutes of lunch. I got back to my classroom and lost it. Yes, I had students in there—who were all clueless, but it was the hardest and quietest that they have ever worked! So I went in to see him the following Tuesday (he called on a Friday) and because of the large cyst, he did not want it to burst because that would cause extreme pain, so we decided to go ahead and have surgery to get it removed. I was set up for surgery the following Tuesday (we are now in November), which is the day after Veteran’s day. Now- during all of this we celebrated Janie Ann’s 3rd birthday- I will have a blog dedicated just to her!  So, I was set up for surgery and went that morning- cried a few times because this was it. Along with removing the cyst he was going to do a DNC to make sure that everything was cleared out… maybe TMI?? Sorry! Anyways, got out of surgery and found out that there were actually 2 cyst- one on the tube and one on the ovary- both extremely large. They are both gone…hopefully for good! But needless to say, it will be an EXTREMELY long time before we attempt to get pregnant again, if ever. This is one of those times that I have to trust Him and not push what I want. Do I still have difficulty when people post on FB that they are pregnant? Yes. Have I cried? Yes. Do I get angry? Yes. Has Seth been extremely helpful and a good listener? Yes! Is he tired of my crying and being depressed at random times? I’m sure he is! Anyways- it’s now 2013 and we are moving forward—at times it will be extremely hard and I’m already preparing myself for the future “baby boom” of my friends and family (NO ONE IS CURRENTLY PREGNANT in my family, but I know it is coming). I still have not been able to attend Baby dedication at our church and it is something that I have been praying about, hard.

Anyways- the third thing is my grandfather getting sick and being in the hospital for about a week and then being placed in a 21-day rehab program at Chapman’s nursing home. Thankfully he did get better and is now back at home and doing great! :) So- one positive, right?!?!

The last thing that made 2012 extremely tough was on December 31, 2012; that morning Seth came and told me that my sweet Cadillac was no longer with us. :)Cadillac came into our family in the fall of 2004 as a sweet little puppy and he quickly took his spot in our family. He was 9 years old and we have no idea what happened to him. Janie Ann was a little sad at first, but because he was never an inside dog she only played with him when we went outside. She has requested that we get a dog inside…which I hope we can do later this year.

Along with the bad stuff- we had an overall great year! I know that it seems like all I have done is complain about how awful this year has been, but honestly we were able to celebrate many birthdays- my grandfather turned 91, Seth and I celebrated another year of marriage- 6 years, we both celebrated birthdays and Janie Ann has grown so much. She started her first year of preschool and she LOVES everything about it! She is still staying with Memaw 2 days a week and going to preschool 3. My dad is still able to take her every morning- which is a wonderful blessing for everyone! Seth and I started our 7th year of teaching, only 18 more years before retirement! :) I’m looking forward to 2013 and everything it has to offer! I’m going to start working out, taking more pictures and updating the blog more! I have enjoyed being able to go back and look at things from years past and I regret not posting more!!

Here’s to 2013!

October Birthday Girls!

Today all the girls went to Mix It Up in Dadeville, AL to celebrate the October girl's! Clark Madison was born on October 18, 2006. Harper Baylee was born on October 21, 2008, Janie Ann was born October 30, 2009! Georgia just joined us because she was the only girl not born in October! :) It was a lot of fun and we will definitely be going back for more celebrations!!

 Janie Ann and her Aunt Neena- her mini-me!

 Clark was the pumpkin princess and Janie Ann was a butterfly!

Everyone had a great time!!! I still can't believe Janie Ann is going to turn 3!

Happy Birthday my October girls! I LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!!

Can we say slacker??

So, I made a promise that I would update the blog weekly and I failed. I'm sorry to my readers (if I have any!) With the start of school and football season, along with Janie Ann's weekly dance lessons, time spent on the computer has decreased and time spent in the road has increased!! I am loving life right now, though and would not change it for the world! Janie Ann has learned so much in her little time at school and she is constantly amazing me and what she knows. She will be turning 3 soon-- too soon! We are beginning to play her birthday party which she has chosen the theme of "pretty in pink". Little does she know that she will be getting a bounce house to play on for her birthday party, but that we will also have to return it when the party is over! I'm so excited to see her face when we set it up!! She has also been asking to get her ears pierced for about the last week. Her older cousin, Harper, got hers pierced around July and Janie Ann has been wanting them pierced and so we went once and she backed out... now she is asking again and I'm thinking her daddy is not wanting it just yet! I can't decide if I want them pierced or not... I was very little (maybe 6 months??) and while I think that is too young, I'm not sure of the 'perfect' age to get your ears pierced. Any thoughts on this moms or dads?

Anyways- here are a few pictures of last weekend! We started out Saturday by tailgating for the AU vs. LSU game! It was a wonderful game and while we did not win- those boys gave it all they had and for us to almost beat the #2 team, I was very proud! And sadly, this is the only picture I have on my camera from the tailgate and we weren't even at the tailgate spot yet! But she has on a cute AU outfit made by Mrs. Debora Hunter or Gammie! :)

 On Sunday we went with the church to little petting zoo in Clay County, AL. It was pretty nice little area- perfect for toddlers! Janie Ann was able to ride a pony and then a big horse and to say that she loved it was an understatement! She now has her heart set on getting a horse.... we shall see!

 Hay ride with my nieces and Janie Ann (minus Georgia!).

 She did not want her mommy or daddy walking with her- she wanted to do it all by herself!