Easter 2008

We spent Easter this year in Vienna with the Woods. Natalie (Landon's sister) married Matt on Saturday. It was a beautiful ceremony and my baby girl was the "flower girl." Natalie broker her ankle the day before so all things considering, everything went great! She was a real "trooper." She had to come down the aisle in a wheelchair and then Matt carried her out. The ending was sooo sweet. And, Laura Beth was so adorable. I was reminded again what a brave, bold little girl I have. She is definitely a mixture of my sister Jennifer and Natalie. I was a more reserved child and Landon still is at times. When they opened the doors for her to walk out she had no reservations. Over 100 people were staring at her and she started trying to hand people her rose petals. Landon ended up having to scoop her up because she was taking so long. Then she got upset that he wouldn't let her finish. Sunday we went to Mema and Grandaddy's lakehouse for lunch. Laura Beth was spoiled with lots of goodies. Nana and Papa sent her a very thoughtful basket full of treats, books, and clothes. Meme and Poppy gave her a new pair of shoes and a dress, and Aunt Frances and Uncle John brought her a basket full of goodies, a dress, and a cute Teddy. Her favorite treat was the oreos the Easter bunny left. I let her dig into them against Daddy's wishes. :) I wish I had a picture of all of the black goop running down her chin. We attended church with Meme and Laura Beth almost made it through the service. I ended up missing the end of the sermon and joining the other toddlers that couldn't sit still either outside. It was a nice weekend but we were glad to get back home in our own beds.

Who's Counting Anyway?

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me.... I have a one year old and I am 30!! I celebrated my 30th birthday last week. Don't have cute pictures of a big party like Laura Beth's but isn't that how it goes now. We do it all for our children! I did realize though looking at pictures of Laura Beth's birthday party that I have let myself go a bit. So I did buy myself a dress and am getting my hair highlighted and cut tomorrow. Best of all, I retired the maternity jeans and bought myself a new pair of jeans!! Landon and I didn't get to really celebrate because our baby was still fighting her ear infection last week. However, Laura planned a birthday celebration for Paula and I Saturday night. Laura, Paula, Julie, Paige, and I went to dinner at Eclipse De Luna and then out for a night on the town. We stayed downtown. My favorite part was sleeping in (well sort of...). Paula and Laura did wake up early to go have breakfast. One day when they both have kids, they will want to stay in bed and savor that moment as well. :) Laura decorated the room and had us cupcakes, gifts, etc. She is truly an amazing friend!! I thank God I have her in my life. She's such a giving, selfless person! Everyone asks how 30 feels. Most days I actually feel about 40 but I can't say I don't enjoy it. I love my life and smile everyday! Who's counting anyway.. it's just a number! In my opnion, life gets better and better. Cheers!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Laura Beth!!!

It's official! I am the mom of a one year old. Where does the time go? It absolutely blows my mind that just a year ago I was welcoming our baby girl into the world and then this weekend we celebrated her first birthday. I began planning the big day in my head the first of the year. I feel some guilt as I know I probably overendulged and she "won't remember it anyway" as many say. However, I had so much fun planning it and was so humbled by our friends that took time out of their busy lives to come celebrate with us. Laura Beth was in her element, loving the crowd of people and all of the yummy food. She bopped around until after 9:00 socializing with everyone and eating anything she could get her hands on. What a trooper! I expected some drama and tears from exhaustion or being overwhelmed but nope, not my little party animal. Every time I turned around, someone else had her and she was just fine. We woke up to snow and I thought my big plans were going to be a mess. But thanks to quick thinking from Mom and Tiffany, we moved everything inside. I had planned on a bouncehouse for the bigger kids and had to cancel it. We moved the bed out of the basement and up the tables went. I ran to Michaels and grabbed some crafts for the kids. It did get a bit crowded in the house but it just made me realize how blessed we are by the people in our lives! Not one person at the party lived right here in Douglasville. Most traveled to be with us! And a big thanks to Mom, Randy, and Tiffany for helping us pull it off! Happy Birthday Laura Beth!!!

Georgia Aquarium

We visited the Georgia Aquarium for the first time on Friday. We went with our friends Lara and Jack, Stacey and Ava, and Natalie and Parker, and Shannon and Hayden. The kids were probably a bit too young as they slept half of the time. I enjoyed it though. The fish were amazing! I look forward to taking Laura Beth when she's older and Landon can teach her about all of the different fish. It was nice to hang out with our playgroup friends and we didn't have any meltdowns. :)

My Daddy!!!

Today, I miss my Dad. He has just been in a "funk" lately and not himself. He's not his usual upbeat self and hasn't called to say "heayy Heeethher, just wanted to tell you I love you" in a while. I know he's upset about some of life's circumstances right now but I just miss him. I pray he is able to lift his head up soon and see all the good things life has to offer. I wish we lived closer and Laura Beth misses her Pawpaw. I love him more than words!! Some of my favorite memories are; going to the Seven Eleven on the weekends and getting slurpies and candy to take back to the house and watch football with, when we girls used to climb on his back and scratch his back, pop his toes (yes pop the knuckles in his toes :), and scratch his head for money. Cracked toes usually paid about a dime and a good back scratch was about a quarter!!, his yummy breakfasts and how he just likes to wait on us at his house and make sure we've eaten enough, watching him play with Laura Beth -- kids just adore him. Patrick just about flips out when he knows he's about to see Pawpaw, and much more. Here are some pictures of Pawpaw, Grandma, and Erica with Laura Beth.