Happy Halloween!

Trick or treating was a blast and it was neat to see how much Courtney has grown from last year to this year.  Last year Courtney wasn't talking or even walking on Halloween, so this year she was more involved and voiced her opinion when necessary.  We all had a wonderful time going through the neighborhood and even stopped for a few photos here and there.  We drove down to my cousin Lee's house which is about five minutes away and Courtney LOADED up on candy.  Lee wanted to be sure that Courtney got to sample every kind of candy possible and she also grabbed extra pieces from his stash when we weren't looking!  Here are a few photos of our fun evening with our VERY special "BEE" carrying her very special Elmo bucket!

Stopping in front of the house for some photos before we began our evening.

On our way to our first stop at cousin Lee's house.  Courtney decided she wasn't going to smile for this picture because she hadn't gotten her way and was pouting.

"Look Mommy at all this candy cousin Lee gave me.  I'm going to stay up ALL night eating it and you can stay up with me"!

Grandaddy Paul and Courtney.  Grandaddy Paul has been sick the past two weeks, so we decided to stop by and cheer him up.

2 Years

Today we have officially been in our home for 2 years and it doesn't really seem that we've been here that long. Since we've been here 2 years we decided that the carpets needed some much needed love and attention. With help from the "Rug Doctor" our weekend was spent cleaning and shampooing the carpets until they were looking brand spankin new. It's amazing what will happen to your carpets in 2 years (baby spit up, baby poop, tea, coffee, food, dirt, milk, etc..), but now ours are looking good as new. We continue to LOVE where we live and are looking forward to making more wonderful memories at the place we call home.

Driving Down the Road...

While we were all riding along in the van and about to pull in our subdivision, I noticed how pretty the sunset was and then I realized I had my camera. I took a quick photo and this is what it looked like. Thought I would post a photo of the beautiful view out in the country.

Atlanta

Last weekend we made it to Atlanta and had a wonderful time visiting the Georgia Aquarium and the Atlanta Zoo. Courtney loved looking at all the animals, especially the fish. Courtney is now at the age where she is actually enjoying going to different places and observing new things. We also enjoyed looking around at a few neighborhoods and learning more about the Buckhead area. Buckhead is a nice area in Atlanta that has great shopping, excellent food and wine, and lots of family activities to enjoy. We should be going back sometime in early spring, but here are a few photos of our trip this fall to Atlanta.

The Atlanta Zoo

Courtney loved watching the Flamingos.

Carly the elephant showing off her new tricks.

The hog obviously didn't want to be disturbed.

The mama gorilla hanging out while eating some food...

...while the baby ran around getting into trouble.

 Kangaroo

Courtney and I posing for a picture.

Orangutan

By the end of our trip, we all felt exactly like this meerkat...tired!

The Georgia Aquarium was amazing and the largest aquarium in the world.

Hammerhead shark

Nestor, the beluga whale.

This tank was Courtney's favorite.

Jellyfish

Nemo in the gift shop.

Lion Fish

Courtney enjoying her new friend from the aquarium, Crush.

 

"Lil Stinger"

My mom (Nana) went ahead and purchased Courtney's halloween outfit last weekend while we were shopping at Opry Mills Mall and today I had a chance to put it on her to make sure it fit. Well it fits and it's adorable!!!!! This year Courtney is going to be our "Lil Stinger" and hopefully really get to enjoy halloween since she wasn't walking last year and was limited in what she could do. I had to post a few pictures and give everyone a preview of this years halloween costume. We will be departing VERY early tomorrow morning for Atlanta and be back sometime Sunday night. I'm sure we will have tons of pictures to post of the zoo, aquarium, etc... Take care!!!!

Phoebe was just a little confused by Courtney's new costume.

Courtney for some reason likes hangers.

Happy Birthday Phoebe!

Today Phoebe officially turned 3 years old or 21 in doggy years. Here are a few pictures we have taken throughout those three years while we've had Phoebe. It's hard to believe we've had her that long, since time flies.  She is a huge part of our family and we couldn't imagine not having her with us. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHOEBE!!!!

Return to the Beach

I took these photos when we were on vacation in New Smyrna Beach, FL back in May, but I never posted them due to the fact that we were giving them out to people as gifts. Since we have given them out, here they are and they turned out BEAUTIFUL!!! Our little Courtney was wearing a outfit that Philip's grandmother (Agnes) bought for her back in the spring at Strasburgs Children's Store. Anyway, I was VERY pleased with how the photos turned out and I wanted to share them with everyone.

A Not So Good Day

Courtney and I met Melissa and her two kids (Jacob and Hannah) on Wednesday at Chuck E Cheese in Clarksville for a little celebration that didn't go so well.   Jacob, who is Melissa's oldest child (2 years), fell and broke his leg 2 months ago and we were all meeting to celebrate Jacob getting his cast removed from his leg.   I really thought Courtney would've LOVED Chuck E Cheese, but that wasn't the case. She HATED it and fell off a ride and busted her head on the fence that separated the toddler area from the big kids area. I had her strapped in, but somehow the strap broke loose and she went flying.  Anyway, the only thing that she seemed to be happy doing was holding a skee ball.  I did take my camera, but only managed to get a few shots and some aren't so pretty.

Here's the infamous ride that Courtney flew off of.

Not a happy girl!

"Mommy, I want that darn Chuck E Cheese pizza now!!!!"

Courtney holding her only friend, the skee ball.

Jacob kicking the soccer ball through the tunnel.

Future gold medal skee ball champion.

Jacob, Hannah, and Melissa

New Elmo Chair

Since we have a new TV in the living room, Courtney was needing a place of her very own to sit and watch her Elmo DVD. We found a cute Elmo chair at Babies R Us and went and purchased it last night. When we brought it home we weren't sure if Courtney would sit in it or not, but she LOVED it. Once we sat her in it she wouldn't move and even cried when we took her out of it to put her to bed. Anyway, we couldn't resist getting the camera out and taking a few shots of Courtney in her new Elmo chair.

The new Elmo chair that spins and giggles!

Courtney always has a smile on her face when watching ELMO!

Just chillin out!

And here is Phoebe looking all left out and wondering why she didn't get an Elmo chair.  Don't let her fool you, she is WELL taken care of!

Happy Birthday Philip!!!

We celebrated Philip's birthday ( August 2) at his grandparents house and I was able to capture a few photos. I can't believe he's already 32!!!!!! Anyway, here are a few pics of the big day. This weekend we will be celebrating his birthday with my side of the family at Outback and I'm sure I will have a few photos to post of that event as well. My weight loss continues to go well and I have lost a total of 8 pounds. It seems since I've had Courtney that the weight doesn't want to come off as quick as it used to, but I'll take what I can get. Eight pounds is eight pounds and I'm proud of myself for making some progress. I've been looking into switching nursing school programs, but I haven't decided yet. I visited Aquinas yesterday and their program would only take me a year and a half to complete verses Belmont's program that would take me 2 1/2 years. Belmont would also be more expensive since I would be there longer, but then again I would be getting my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) verses only a ASN (Associate of Science in Nursing) from Aquinas. However, I did learn that Aquinas does have a new BSN program, so after I completed my ASN from Aquinas and started working, my employer could pay for me to finish my BSN at Aquinas and that money wouldn't have to come out of our pockets. So many decisions to make, but I will keep you posted on what I decide. Enjoy the pics!!