Emma Grace

2010-06-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Vacation 2010 Day 1

Change!

2010-03-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well about nine months have past since my last blog post. I could blame it all on the increasing busy-ness of our lives, but that's just an excuse for not making time for it! Much has changed over this time. Emma is proving herself to be very intelligent with her vocabulary! Everyday that passes I am in awe of her. She's a very kind-hearted, strong-minded, and loving little girl. A mixture of personality that I hope she always keeps. Yes, she's stubborn..she's a Rogers you know! But then again I guess a few Gailey's have been accused of the same offense a time or two! She's a kisser and a hugger, which I love love love love! She's a fit pitcher...And GREAT at it, strong willed and in charge. Those who know her just love her and those she knows she loves more. I'll do my best to keep up with her funnies, exciting moments, and more. Ta Ta For Now!

Easter Pics 2010

2010-03-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Thank You Farrah @ Farrah Nicole Photography for capturing these sweet photos of our girl!

Cute stuff!

2009-06-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that I haven't blogged about all of the "cute stuff" Emma has been doing and saying lately. Plus in my attempt to remember every single cute thing she does in her wee little life, I had better write (well, type) them down...

Today, while we were cooking pancakes for breakfast, she looked over at me hand in air and said "hee ya" (see ya) and walked away grinning! Who even taught her to say that?

Also, with all of the flies that seem to follow living nearby a human waste dumping facility, we seem to have them everywhere. Some have made their way into my car, which has turned Emma into a maniac. Anytime one comes around her she yells at it "shoo NO"! Not shoo fly don't bother me, it is "shoo No!" I think she hears me say that too much!

She saw Dusty smack me on the rump while passing thru the kitchen this evening and now she gets a kick out of running up to me, hitting me on the behind, and laughing histarically while running away!?!

I've also decided that I'm going to have to purchase a video camera to capture her hilarious dance moves. Her favorite dance music is what I call "thumping music". She'll stand right in front of the radio, pulls one arm up as if she is showing off her muscles, and shakes her booty around in circles. Hilarious!

And lastly, since "Doo and Papa" (Sherry and Mike) built a pool, we've been swimming every evening after daddy gets home from work. She's become quite a swimmer, with floaties of course. She loves to jump off of the side...instead of jumping however, she pulls one leg up throws her arms straight up and falls forward. It looks very difficult to do, but it seems to be the only way she knows how to enter the water. If only she can hold onto her pool stance in the air, she'll make quite a cheerleader!

Amelia Island~Day6

2009-06-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today is our last full day at Amelia, and tomorrow we'll go home. It's been a great vacation this year. Full of exciting adventures with the family. Who knew we'd see Otters in the lake, mating lizards on a guard rail, an entire zoo full of crazy animals, go trespassing on a boat ramp just to take a family photo, catch tiny fish in the ocean, and many more exciting things.

This will be our last trip to Amelia for a couple years at least. Disney World and other fun adventures have captivated our future interests. We've really enjoyed the last three years here though. We've even added a new family member to each trip making it even more fun. Farewell Vacation, we can't wait for next year.

Amelia Island~Day 5

2009-06-03T07:57:00.001-07:00

Due to the fact that the beach pictures all look the same over the past 5 days, I gave myself a break from camera duty to enjoy re-reading "THE SHACK" while soaking up some Vitamin D.

After a full day of sun and naps, we headed off to dinner. On our way, we attempted a family picture on the beach. We may be doing a re-do on this one, but here's what we have so far!

After dinner, Dusty, Emma, Bubbles, Caitlyn and I headed to the beach for a few sun-down photos...

Amelia Island~Day 4 Continued...

2009-06-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

AN OTTER SIGHTING!

It was Monday afternoon when we were all startled by Aunt Bubbles' sudden freak out!
"OOOO OOOO OOOO, Oh, Oh, Look! Is that an Otter?!?" Yes, you had to be there to get the full effect, but to all our amazement, YES! It was an otter (or make that two otters). In the pond outside our beach house, they were fishing and playing in the water.

Here we are waiting on the otters to come out...

And here they are...

Amelia Island~Day4

2009-06-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

We had the dolphin sighting of the year this morning. It was about 9:30 when we got to the beach and they were following a shrimp boat sailing close to the shore. There were at least 6 of them that I could count. It reminded me of the first year we came to Amelia. I was 4 months pregnant with Emma Grace and my usual 5:30 "wake up call" hit me one morning. I took my cheerios out to the balcony and saw my first dolphins swimming near the shore. Sweet Memories!

The day went almost exactly like every other day, but with a few new exciting things to mention...

Just in case you didn't know...the beach is a great place to...

#1 TAKE A NAP

#2 CATCH A FISH

#3 TAKE A WALK

#4 THROW A FRISBEE

#5 MAKE A SPLASH

#6 TAKE A BATH

#7 FIND SOME "SHE-SHELLS"

#8 TALK WITH DAD

Amelia Island~Day 3

2009-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today was quite eventful. It all started with a 30 minute car ride to the Jacksonville Zoo. In the midst of our travels, we were stopped by a drawbridge for some boating passer-by's and quite to my surprise, I looked out my window to find two mating lizards! In my scrambles to get the camera for such a shocking viewing, I missed all of the "action" so to speak and was left with only this picture to prove it!

The zoo was a hit! Well, minus a complaining husband or two. Emma was silent throughout the zoo just taking it all in. Hilarious! Her cousins had a blast also. They even fed the giraffes!

As promised, we let them ride the zoo carousel. Emma decided she wasn't too fond of the moving animals once it started and wouldn't let go of my neck in her terror!

The trip to the zoo ended with a train ride to top it all off.

After a much needed nap that didn't last long enough, we took Emma to the beach just the three of us to build (and destroy)her first sandcastle.

The day ended with dinner at Barbara Jean's and a short photo shoot with the "pretties" aka: FLOWERS.

Amelia Island~Day 2

2009-05-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today felt like sleeping in since our typical early riser decided to sleep 'til 8:00! We did much of the same....

Beach time...

Pool time...(Well, actually Emma slept thru pool time today, so you'll see no pictures of this fun time, but after she woke up we proceeded our first of many photo shoots with my new camera lens and filter.

shopping in Historic Fernandina and Dinner at Brett's Waterway Cafe (yum!)...

It was yet again another wonderful day on Vacation. I keep reminding Dusty of how wonderful life would be if we could just buy a house down here. Don't act like that makes any of you blog readers upset, because you know you'd love it too! :)

Amelia Island~Day 1

2009-05-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today started with a wonderful 7:30 wakeup call from Emma Grace. We had a quick breakfast and headed down to the beach for some great fun with the family...

Lunch consisted of an hour drive to Pizza Hut and back thanks to the Garmin who completely fooled us on the mileage! Who said technology was perfect? (Just don't ask Bill Gates that question). Oh, and don't ask my husband about the Pizza Hut excursion, it wasn't the best decision I've ever made. Anyway, the pizza was a hit for lunch followed by a nap for the kiddos (including Dusty).

After nap, we drove over to the plantation to swim at the pool with Mimi, Aunt Bee, and John. Mimi insisted that floatation devices hinder children's learning, so very few of those were used! I couldn't tell you how many times she told Emma to "kick and dig" as if she understood what either of those meant. But a good attempt on her part. Emma enjoyed the 1...2...3...blow in her face and dunk her technique. She even started counting the numbers out herself. Smart Girl!

Swimming was shortly interrupted by a call from the Gailey clan that dinner plans were to be in 1.5 hours causing us to scramble back to get ourselves cleaned up and to the restaurant by 6. We made it-Even EARLY I might add. THE SURF on Fernandina was fun. We sat on the deck (all 14 of us) and listened to some entertaining live music while the children danced the night away.

Today ended with some glorious peace and quiet. Trey, Dusty, and Amanda took a stroll over to the Falcon's Nest for some fun, while the ladies and papa enjoyed the silence and some early sleep!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Emma Grace,
I am blessed to have you in my life. Your journey through baby-hood is now over and watching you grow into a gorgeous little girl has been exciting for me. You are quite independent now with a slight diva complex that I am sure your aunts and mimi's have given you. Some call you rotten, I just call you "loved alot"! Your eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue that I have ever seen and your hair is slightly blondish red. (I'm just glad you finally have some to play with!) Your words are becoming sentences, you even ask questions now like "what's this?" and "who's it?". Your hugs are really big now and your kisses are sweet. I love to watch you sing and dance and hopefully you'll never grow out of it. I am thankful that you are mine and I pray that your future holds all things wonderful. I love you more than life.
~Mommy

A Daddy's Dream

2009-04-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Happy Golfer(s)

Papa and Emma covering up from the wind

Yesterday was Piedmont's last golf tournament for the year. Can I get a "Whoop Whoop" that Dusty is finally ours for the next 3 months! (okay that was silly, but I'm excited). Emma Grace and I thought it would be a nice day to join the team on the golf course and to watch Aunt Bee play. We were greeted by Daddy who took us on an exciting golf cart ride to the first hole. If you've ever been to The Orchard it is like a mile to the first hole from the parking lot, so we were ever so thankful for the ride. Emma took along her favorite golf club, THE PLASTIC PUTTER she got for Easter (typical gift from her daddy). She was definitely the crowd favorite as she attempted a few hits of her own. Though he never really says it aloud, Dusty's dream for his little girl would be golf. He knows that not only is it a great source of fun, but also a great source of SCHOLARSHIPS in college. (If you know a Rogers, you'll know there is always a reference back to money saving somewhere in every thought.) Anyway, the day was beautiful and my little TIGRESS is well on her way to the LPGA!

Coach Daddy showing Emma how to putt

"I can do it on my own daddy"

Hole in one!

Welcome Sawyer!

2009-04-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

On April 8, 2009 We welcomed Sawyer Trey into the world! He was a 9 pound,1 ounce ball of joy!

His big sister Caitlyn and big brother Blake were elated at his arrival! Dusty and I took them to see their baby brother the evening of his birth. Blake said he was "bootiful" and "sweet", while Caitlyn corrected him by saying he was "handsome" and "so cute".

Emma Grace met him on Easter Sunday! She just giggled and said "pitty baby" aka pretty baby! She loved him as long as her mommy wasn't holding him, then she was a ball of tears and screams. We have decided that it just means baby #2 for us will have to wait a while longer. We love you Sawyer!

Random Emma-ness

2009-03-14T19:47:00.001-07:00

Being cool with the big kids at Ella Blair's party.

Loving on daddy!

Sweet Emma

Mean Emma

So happy daddy came home from his too long golf trip.

More beautiful pictures from the warm days last week...

A Source of Joy...

2009-03-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

Emma kissing her cousin Ella

Dear Emma,
Today marks a year since we lost your Aunt Carolyn to cancer. You met her only a few times before her passing, but I remember the last time like it was yesterday. Her weak hands stroked across your face that day as if to let you know how much she loved you. I believe that day she gave you a gift that one day you are to pass along to sweet Ella Carolyn. Her MaeMae's love. We celebrated today with Ella's first birthday to make today extra joyous because that's just how Aunt Carolyn would want it. I hope that as you grow, you hear more stories of how wonderful her life was and how much love she gave to all of us. We miss you Aunt Carolyn, thank you for giving Ella a beautiful day to celebrate today.

Emma and Nana

Ella after eating her first cake!

Emma and her cousin Ashley

Emma holding the coveted GEORGIA BULLDOG!

Emma and her Uncle Trey

Emma in the FAMOUS tree at Nana's

Emma clapping for her audience

Emma in the tree

Hey Emma, You're supposed to be blowing the bubbles, not sucking them!

When Papa's have a birthday, you know it's special...

2009-03-06T07:34:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA. I LOVE YOU!
~EMMA GRACE

Birthdays, Bubbles, & Boogy...

2009-03-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

CAITLYN & AUNT BUBBLES

25 Years ago today, March 1st, My little sister Amanda was born into the world! Though our brother and I tried to convince her growing up that she was adopted... Well actually, found in a dumpster on the backstreets of Clermont... We sure are thankful that she is our sister. We celebrated her big two-five at Longhorn with just about the whole family. Aunt Bubbles as her neices and nephew call her was definitely the princess of the show tonight as she was smothered in kisses from them all the whole night. They even ended the night with a little dance show for the others dining with us. Can you tell who has the best moves???? Thank you Bubbles for bringing such joy into our lives. We love you very much and wish you the happiest year of your life thus far!

BOOGIE NIGHTS...

BLAKE

ICE CREAM...YUM!

Cute stuff happens when Mommy is away...

2009-02-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

There'll be no pictures to prove it, but I actually got away with the girls this weekend for a much needed R&R break! The girls from my Thursday night bible study took a trip to Destin for the weekend. We enjoyed having the luxury of doing absolutely nothing on absolutely no schedule and laughing 'til our bellies hurt the entire time. Our trip down on Friday was smooth with a minor hiccup once we arrived that ended up being the highlight of the trip. (inside joke-coocoo for coccoa puffs). I'm still not positive if I went to bed at 2am or 3am but who cares by that time anyway, right??? It was no big deal since I could sleep in late the next morning, which ended up being a joke when I woke up around 7:30. There went that plan!!! Saturday was fun, we walked the beach to eat lunch at a great seafood place down the street, crashed at the house for the rest of the afternoon, and enjoyed an evening of hilarious games to top it off. We discovered that Amanda should go to Nashville for her humming abilities and I might possibly be this year's Oscar winner for Best Actress in a Guesstures or Cranium game!!! Anna you would be so proud!!!Bedtime was much earlier Saturday night and I actually slept until 8:30 on Sunday morning...Now that's late since Emma likes to get up at 6:30 every single day. We lounged for the morning, ate brunch at a nice little restaurant and headed back home to find we had to detour to bypass bumper to bumper traffic for miles on 85! Thanks to our friend Garmin we can proudly say the detour was problem free! I arrived home to hear of all of the wonderful cute things that Emma had been doing....

1. When her aunt bee told her she would spank her on the count of 3 if she didn't stop touching her laptop. Bee counted to one and Emma decided to finish her off with 2 and 3!!! So funny. Like Aunt Bee would spank her any how???

2. She is now fascinated with "getting" people. She reaches out as if to scare you and when you jump and scream she laughs so hard her belly hurts. She sounds like an adult when she does it! Hilarious. Then she started saying "I get Papa".
I consider that a sentence!

I hate that I missed some of her cute moments but thrilled to return as a sane mommy after a much needed girls weekend. Thanks Dusty for taking such great care of our little girl. I love you so much.

A day with the cousins...

2009-02-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

Ella's Friend, Emma Grace, & Ella chilling at Brody's Birthday party!

Emma hogging all of the candy from the pinata.

Emma organizing all of the candy from the pinata.

This just says it all!

Emma listening to mommy tell her "those are not your presents".

Emma ticked off because "those were not her presents".

Mimi keeping Emma out of Brody's presents.

Rylee and Emma wearing KayKay's valentine shirts at church! Aren't they cute?

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

2009-02-08T18:33:00.001-08:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood... Quite a fitting song considering the Rogers family loved the gorgeous weekend God gave us in the middle of February! Just as the winter blues had consumed me, this warm sunny weekend came to save the day. Friday, I enjoyed another wonderful girls night out with my sister and friend Juliana. We went out for sushi and to see HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU! A must see. You'll laugh and cry and cheer and act silly all at the same time.

Here's a picture of Emma after one of my crazy clients, namely Donna Stoc... got ahold of her. (Note to self...Never leave your child alone with this woman!!!)

Saturday was a hectic day, but fun at the same time. I threw my sister in law a baby shower, played outside with Emma and Aunt Bee, then went to watch Piedmont's basketball game with Emma and Dusty. She got to see her long lost boyfriend Hagen, whom we hadn't seen in months and was entertained by the enormous lions mascot dancing on the court. We ended the night with some delicioso Mexican food. Emma ate a cheese quesadilla and pitched a fit in front of everyone. (Is this really starting already????)

Aunt Gina really loved the gift Emma gave her!

Binkly licking Emma's hand.

She has a thing for Angels...

Sunday was another great day. After church we grabbed a nap. Well actually, this was quite hilarious. Emma insisted I rock her to sleep, but I woke her up while trying to put her down for the second time, so I jumped in the bed with her (Yes her crib!) Don't laugh, at least I can fit in there! I ended up falling asleep myself. I woke up with Dusty standing over me shaking his head in total amazement. Then later that day, we took Emma to the driving range to hit golf balls. (Brag Moment---I actually hit the ball this time.) I really loved this warm weekend and pray for many more to come.

2009 Update

2009-02-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well it has obviously been a while since our last post and much has happened in the past month...

Emma had her 12 month check up (really at 14 months because I just kept putting it off) and she now weighs 23 pounds and is 31 1/2 inches long. The doctor says we are going to have a tall, skinny girl in our future. We're not too sure that she "feels" skinny when we're lugging her around now-a-days!!!! After receiving her bill of health, they proceeded to give her 5 shots that I wasn't expecting and everything went south from there. I have found that I will no longer do the "multiple vaccination" thing again. She (or maybe I) can't handle it.

Here is a picture of Emma getting her first mohawk from some of the kids in our youth group! She loved the attention.

Since then her vocabulary is constantly changing. A few of E.G.'s words include: Dada, a really whiny mama which really sounds like baba most of the time, Papa, bubbles (sounds like bubba) our name for Aunt Amanda, bee (sounds like bu)for Aunt Bethann, she calls her Mimi's "DooDoo"<--Really funny!, Pup, "TANTU" for thank you, "Duce" for juice and so on!

Emma blowing a kiss!

Her walking has turned into a goofy running of sorts which usually ends in a bang to the forhead or pounce on her hind end! It's cute to watch until the dreadful tears start pouring, but she is getting the hang of things.

Here we are snow tubing at Scaly Mountain.

Her favorite toys are now spoons and spatulas from my kitchen drawers. She gets a kick out of pulling everything out of them and banging around. Everything except that spoon drawer is child-proofed around here. The day she found my makeup drawer was the end to free reign! It makes having a small house wonderful so I can keep up with the little booger.

Emma having fun and eating snow!

We are truly enjoying watching her grow and seeing first hand the miracle of God's creation. I have randomly put pictures throughout the post of some of our crazy adventures with Emma. As you can see, she loves life and we really love her.

Christmas Started Early

2008-12-17T18:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas always starts early in the Rogers Family. We typically have a "friends" Christmas party, however, it has developed into a "babies & friends" Christmas party, which makes it that much more exciting.

Who knew kids toys could be so difficult?

You said I could open it.

Busted!

Then we went to my Grandma & Papa Gailey's for a family Christmas gathering. Everyone was there except for Aunt Sarah and her crew. We missed you guys like crazy! My sister Brooke was there spoiling her nieces and nephews since she only sees them a few times a year. Grandma gave everyone pajamas for Christmas, which by the look on all of the kids' faces, you would have thought she had given them a 100 dollar bill! I was astonished and humbled by their reactions to a pair of pj's, which made me realize what Christmas is all about.

Blake thanking Grandma for his PJ's

Caitlyn thanking Grandma for her PJ's

Emma digging in to find her PJ's

Emma and her Aunt Brooke

She's One!

2008-12-09T12:53:00.001-08:00

I could never had dreamed that the day would come when my 5 pound little angel would turn one. I think this was the fastest year of my life, full of so many wonderful changes. Here are a few pictures from Emma Grace's first birthday party!

Emma's personal birthday cake dec'd out with her fave...Puffs and Wagon Wheels of course!

Everyone else's birthday cake.

Party Decorations

The Big 1

Party Hat (she actually kept it on!)

Emma blowing out her candle!

Everyone else blowing out their candles!!!

Emma's first cake (ever)! The deprived child LOVED it, can't you tell!

She destroyed it!

Emma's unwrapping her gifts (with help of course!)

She loved all of her gifts!

And still hugs them every day!

Weekend Recap

2008-10-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy weekend, but a great one. Daddy was finally home for the first weekend in a while. Golf trip after golf trip after golf trip had taken him away for the past 3 weeks and Emma Grace and I were sure to take up all of his time and attention this weekend. Friday he took us out to eat at my FAVE-Red Lobster. Emma ate her first cheese bisquit and LOVED it. A girl after my own heart! After dinner, daddy took his girls shopping and to Starbucks to finish off the night. Saturday we worked most of the day and Emma spent the night with Mimi and Papa while I took a much needed girls night and daddy went to watch the game with uncle Rog-GO DAWGS!!! Then after sleeping her way thru church on Sunday, we at lunch with the Grand-folks and had our Christmas card photo shoot to end our busy weekend.

A few more things that happened this weekend in the midst of all of the craziness...

Emma Grace learned hilarious new tricks from her Aunt Bee...

Daddy captured this great shot of Emma showing off her new teeth!

She entertained the crowd at lunch on Sunday. We are so proud of our little musician.

And she captured the camera as we prepared for our photo shoot on Sunday evening.

Happy 10 Months Emma Grace

2008-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Emma's First Day

Emma Going home from the Hospital

Emma at 3 Months

4 Months

6 Months

Emma at 9 Months

Emma Today begging to get out of bed after her nap.

Today is Emma Grace's 10 Month Birthday and as I recap on this ever so fastly flowing year, I am astonished at what amazing creatures God has formed in us. I can remember how fragile she was the first weeks of her life and how terrified we all were to touch her and move her. I remember watching her breathe at night, just to be sure those lungs were working right. Then came the day she recognized us and I realized that she really did love us back. Then she laughed, and crawled, and clapped for the first time. She said daddy, then baby, then papa and bye bye and pbbbllll, then she made clicking noises and started blowing kisses (the kind of kisses where she sucks in her cheeks and smacks her lips like a fish- I taught her that!!!) Now the house is baby proofed and her feet are starting to carry her around her little life. She hugs me and holds on tight as if I might leave her at any moment. She kisses me when I beg her and she tries to tickle me back. Her words are forming and her jibber jabber sentences get longer. Her body has grown into a 21 pound, 30 inches long big girl and she still keeps on eating. Her food is less pureed now and chunky pieces of meat and veggies now fill her high chair. What happened to my baby? I wonder? She is growing into a big girl who I admire and love so much. Here is a quick recap of the last 10 months! Happy Birthday Emma Grace and Happy Birthday Kay Kay who is the big 6-0 today!!

Can you say....

2008-08-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

ppppbbbbllll?

After a long Hiatus, we are back to the blogger world! Hope you enjoy this oh so cute picture of the little rotten girl!

Speechless Sunday

2008-08-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers.

2008-07-17T19:56:00.001-07:00

Thank you all for praying for my Nana. She has moved from the hospital to a transitional care facility for Physical Therapy. The funniest thing happened when we moved her there. She arrived by ambulance from the hospital and my mother was off in an office somewhere in the building getting her checked in. Once she got there, they wheeled her into her room, just passed a bunch of old folks wandering around the halls. When she got there, she realized she was by herself and my mom had her cell phone and all of her belongings from the hospital. She rang the bell for the nurse and asked her where they had put her. SHE THOUGHT WE HAD PUT HER IN A NURSING HOME! It was so funny. She thought we had put her there and just took all of her things and left her. If you knew my Nana and my family you would know that is just the funniest thing ever because we would never put her in a nursing home. Afterall, she is the next thing to Jesus and God. Needless to say, she didn't think it was too funny. Anyway, she will be going home on Monday! She's in a good deal of pain and won't be able to stand on her leg for at least a month. Her shoulder is in a sling and is the cause of most of her pain. Continue to pray for complete healing in her arm and leg. I guess it is just God telling her to get out of that garden this summer! If you like to pick beans let me know! Thanks again.

Nana

2008-07-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

As I sit in this very cramped, small, dark room, I watch her breathe. The air is dry and quite cold in here. The faces all familiar. They come and go just as you get into that wonderful REM sleep to poke and prod you in all the wrong ways. The attitude while somber, still joyful in some folks. The phone just keeps ringing. The sound of rolling casters going up? Oh, no, down the hallways only to annoy the still quietness as I sit in this uncomfortable chair. I look over just to see one of the most precious faces God has ever created...My Nana! As she lay in her hospital bed~she sleeps, sometimes sighing~I am sure from the constant pain in her shoulder and leg from the fall that she took last week. As she wakes, we just talk about nothing sometimes, but about everything, if you know what I mean. She broke her hip and her shoulder on the left side causing her to have surgery this weekend. As I grow older, God lets me see a little more of how very special this woman really is. He created this woman who has given such love for all people, has taken care of many including me, while never thinking of herself in return. She is a mother/grandmother to the motherless, a sister, a friend. A woman I know that God is very proud of. A true VIRTUOUS woman. I thank God He let me be here this very night with her, to give her one night in return for many that she has given me. Afterall, she took care of me during chickenpox, flu viruses, food poisoning (boiled peanuts-Amanda YUCK!). As I soak it all in I am reminded of how precious life is and how I hope to give God, my family, my friends, my world at least half of what this woman has given in her eighty something years. I am convinced that when God made her, He made perfection and for any of you who know her, you'll agree.

God, thank you for choosing me to have this woman as my Nana! Thank you for the life that she has lead and for the many years you still have for her. She is truly an angel in human skin. Feel better Nana! There's still beans to pick and string next year!

HOOORAY!!!

2008-07-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

HOOORAY!!! She said "Mama"! Okay Okay, It sounds more like "BABA", but I know it! I just know it is "Mama"!!! How do I know, You say? Because when she says it, she looks directly in my eyes and with the sweetest of voices and love in her eyes, she says "BaBa"! (No Aunt Bee and Mimi! It is not "bottle" or "bye bye", it is definitely "MAMA"! =) How sweet! I should YouTube it. It is just that great!

~You'll never guess what she is saying just as I post this while lying in her bed awaiting my retrieval! See ya! Got to go get the precious baby!

I appologize for the goofy posting, but I just had to let you all in on this very special moment! I know I'll probably post again once she REALLY says Mama!

Happy 4th of JULY

2008-07-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I never really stopped to think about WHY I was celebrating the 4th of July until I read a friend's blog today (one whole day later). Yesterday, the REAL 4th of July, was a fuzzy day filled with housework, dinner in the mountains, and ended with watching illegal fireworks that my brother and his father-in-law thought would be COOL until 10pm. Way passed Emma Grace's bed time. Today, was filled with even more housework, dinner with friends, and ended with another display of an illegal fireworks show given, once again, by my crazy brother until 10pm. YES, again I kept Emma Grace out that late. (BAD MOTHER)! But, as I lay in bed, yes in bed, laptop in hand, reading my favorite blogs, I came across one of my favorites, whose husband is going for a year in Iraq, and like a slap on the face I remembered that while yesterday may have been the 4th of July, it was really Independence Day! The day that many men and women fought for just so I would be able to live freely in a country that I love, in the way that I want to live, what a gift! Yes, it's a day late, but to those of you who fight for our country, no matter how you fight, THANK YOU! Thank you for the sacrifice you make from your own FREE lives, from your family, from your homes, from all of the things you love. THANK YOU and may God bless you for your sacrifice.

SPEECHLESS SATURDAY

2008-06-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

Well, I've never been too good at posting "Wordlessly" on Wednesday, so here's my first edition of Speechless Saturday. Who knows? Maybe I've started something...

Sisterly Love

2008-06-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day and just perfect for Emma Grace and I to go swimming. We packed up our bags after lunch and headed down to Beth's pool to get some great splash time in. As we pulled in, our friends (or cousins!) MaryBeth along with the triplets~ Maggie, Kate, and Sarah were pulling out to go home for naptime, which made us very sad. But much to our surprise, Ella and Scott were still there to play with us! Aunt Bee got there early and must have told Ella that Emma Grace was coming to swim because she was thrilled to see us arrive. Her little "nek-butt" (Ella's version of Naked Butt) threw on her bathing suit and jumped right in!

It makes me happy and gives some relief to know that Emma "Gace" as Ella would call her, will have so many wonderful girls to look up to and grow with in her life. As a parent, there is some fear of the unknown when your children grow up and make their own friends and lives, but to know that God has hand-picked my daughter for this time in a place that He created and with the sweet Godly girls that He created for her to do whatever it may be that He created them to do takes much of that fear away. <---Hope you got that-I even had to read that twice!!!

Anyway, These pictures were taken today of Ella and Emma Grace loving on each other after swimming all day! Can you see how much love they have for each other. Poor Ella, I think you might have another little sister to look after! (And MaryBeth, Ella says she's never too old for the pack-n-play) She even called it a pack-n-play! That girl never fails to astound me.

Ode to Fathers

2008-06-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Emma wearing her "Happy Dada Day" onesie

Dusty on his first Father's Day!

Papa Mike on his first Papa's Day!

Papa Gailey loving on his little Emma Grace!

Today was Dusty's first Father's Day and I think I can speak for him in saying, "It was a good one!" Emma Grace and I woke him up singing Happy Father's Day to You....then we made Emma Grace a onesie that said "Happy Dada's Day", which she wore just about the entire day, later we made him breakfast and made sure he got plenty of daddy/daughter time all day! I am thankful that God has blessed me with a husband who is madly in love with his daughter. I watch him with her even when he doesn't see me and I know that God has made them just for each other (and me). Her eyes light up when he is around and I can see how hard it is going to be for him to ever tell her "no". Thank you to my daddy for being such a wonderful father and for showing me what to look for in a husband, and thank you to my father in law for instilling in Dusty~patience, love, and understanding of what it takes to be a great father. But especially, thank you God for creating such a wonderful gift for Dusty~his daughter and ultimately, thank you for being our Father~Happy Father's Day!

Time Flies

2008-06-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Emma Grace at one week old, 5 pounds, 14 ounces and 19 inches long

Emma Grace at 6 months old, 16.5 pounds and 27 inches long

It's hard to believe that she is halfway to one year. It has gone by so fast and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get it back. I have found myself dripping with tears at night as I lay her down to sleep. My prayers are getting longer and my pleas and "deals" with God continue to increase as I can see my little angel is definitely going to "GROW UP". Each night is exactly the same. She takes her bath, I prepare her bottle with one hand while holding her with the other as she giggles the entire time because she knows exactly what is coming next. I take her to her room, turn on her flowery night light, put a bib on her as she is now grunting because I am taking too long, then as I give her the bottle~she looks up at me with such love in her eyes and watches me sing to her until she drifts off to sleep. It's hard for me to lay her down anymore, so I just hold her asleep on my shoulder as she nudges her face into my neck and in the quiet I pray for God to bring her health, joy, love, and all of the things that her heart can desire. I pray for her to grow into a humble, joyful, loving young lady. I pray for her to respect others, for her to love God so much it hurts, for her to love her family, for her to give to the needy, for me to be able to learn from her and her from me. I especially thank God for giving her to me and I thank Him for the angels that I know surround her each night as she sleeps. Then I kiss her on her cheeks and lay her down for the night, go in my room and thank God that she sleeps all night long.

This place I am in as a mommy, I hope every mommy has in her own experience. I love her so much it hurts sometimes, but the greatest gift of all is knowing that I don't have to be a perfect mommy, just the best one I can be~and to give her to God is the best gift I can give her.

Family Vacation

2008-06-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I'll catch up on some old news and blog about Emma's first family vacation(s). It all started in Hilton Head where we stayed for nearly a week with Papa and Mimi Rogers, Aunt Bee, and John. We spent most of our days at the pool, since the nearest beach was a 1/2 mile down the road and Beach Access parking was a nightmare. Emma Grace enjoyed her first swimming pool experience as you can see in her expression...

John and Emma Grace sporting the shades...

From Hilton Head, Papa and Mimi Rogers, Dusty, Emma and I all drove to Savannah for my first trip EVER. Can you believe it? From my unimpressed trip to River Street during the hottest day of the year to my oh so impressed trip to the squares of Savannah on a trolley. It was a trip that I am glad I made once and I am glad I don't have to do it again all at the same time. Here you can see Emma Grace with her Mimi and Papa. Can you tell how excited she was to be riding a trolley?

Dusty and Emma on River Street

From Savannah, Dusty, Emma Grace and I drove to Amelia Island and met up with Mimi and Papa Gailey, Aunt Bubbles (Amanda), Uncle Trey, Aunt Gina, and Cousins Caitlyn and Blake. In Amelia we spent another week. Emma had more time at the beach since it was right out our back door. She enjoyed the ocean but was quite disgusted with the feel of sand on her fingers. Here are a few photos of her ocean experience...

After taking these wonderful photos a nearby fisherman (I mean only 5 feet away) caught this sand shark that was just swimming around our little toes...

As you can tell, the trip was quite eventful and much to much to blog about at once, but here are some cute photos to enjoy...

On the docks at Fernandina Beach

A big Happy Family

Caitlyn and Trey...
Can you tell who wears the pants in this family?

Blake riding the "boat"

6 months old & "dada"

2008-06-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today was Emma Grace's 6 month birthday and not only has her little personality come out, but so have her vocal chords! She has finally found that the little noises that can come out of her mouth can actually become big noises when she raises her voice. Her little sweet coos are now very loud, deep screams making us quite noticeable in all places public. Not only is she now screaming, but her official first word is now "DA DA", making Dusty's head even bigger and causing him to be quite hard to live with. You would think that her saying "Da Da" made him father of the year-and maybe it has, for her anyway! He just glows when she says it, making mommy even more jealous. It is not as if I haven't tried to make mommy her first word, afterall, I've been working with her for 6 months!!! However, as it is supposed to be, she is very much a daddy's girl and I am proud for Dusty that her first word is definitely "Da Da". She even looks right at him as she says it and with the sweetest little voice, too! She's madly in love with him, and I can't say that I blame her. The best thing is that Father's Day is next Sunday and this is all the gift he could ever want! I can't wait to see how she is at church tomorrow, we have a guest preacher that I'm afraid no one will ever hear over Emma Grace! Oh well, maybe God speaks through loud baby noises, too!

Proud Moments

2008-06-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

HOLLYN BEFORE HER HAIRCUT

HOLLYN AFTER HER HAIRCUT

HOLLYN PROUD OF THE 12 INCHES SHE GAVE TO SOME LITTLE GIRL WHO NEEDS IT

Today was a proud day in my family. My cousin Brooke's little girl, Hollyn, told her mommy that she was ready to get her beautiful LONG hair cut and while discussing this with Hollyn, Brooke told her about Locks for Love. Locks for Love is an organization where long hair (Must be at least 10 inches in length) can be donated to make wigs for those suffering with cancer. After losing our Aunt Carolyn in March to cancer, the subject was quite fresh on her mind I am sure. Making the moment that much more special for all of us. As a hair stylist and educator, it makes me extra proud that this sweet little girl would do what most women would never do. Afterall, a woman's hair is generally more important to her than most things and for Hollyn to give her's away with such joy and dignity should be an example for all of us. Just look at the smile on her face as she holds up her hair! I am so proud of her!

Beach Bums!

2008-06-02T19:30:00.001-07:00

Yes, it has been nearly two weeks and we are STILL at the Beach! Dusty left this morning for home and arrived around 3:30pm. But Emma and I are still here doing absolutely NOTHING and loving it! Sorry there are no photos of Savannah or Amelia Island, but I have posted some photos from Hilton Head Island below. This LONG trip away from home has really caused me to realize how truly blessed I am to have such a wonderful baby girl. It doesn't matter what I do with her, she is just Always happy! I pray that one day Emma has a baby girl as wonderful as she is. I know some moms tell their children that they hope they have a child to pay them back for their bad behavior, but I don't think I will wish that on any of my children. Emma is a wonderful child who truly deserves a baby as wonderful as she. The beach has been a blast! I have enjoyed spending all of the quality time with the fam., but I am ready to get home. Especially after I learned that my cat (Harley) just about "bit the dust" from dehydration while we've been gone. The miscommunication of WHERE he drinks water almost lead to his demise. Dusty and I are pretty clear as to where he likes to drink his water (the toilet), however, my sister thought we surely would have his water jug full in his automatic feed/water, so she decided she would close the lid to the toilet when she moved out of the basement the week before. Thankfully, before she left for Amelia Island she thought she would check on him and to her surprise, he was deathly ill from dehydration. She got the situation under control and headed down to the beach. Anyway, he's fine, but I would really love to get home to the little rascal. We'll be home Wednesday night with lots of pictures to post. We love and miss you all.

Emma at the Beach

2008-05-29T10:28:00.001-07:00

Busy Bees...

2008-05-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it has been quite a long time since my last blog posting, and believe me I've heard about it from our many friends and family who check the blog, but never leave comments so that I know you're reading!!! May has definitely been busy with the end of year school activities, my birthday, mother's day, graduation, vacation, night classes, trying to fit in all of my hair clients in the middle of just being mommy to a growing little almost 6 month old little girl! Emma's personality is changing every day. Her little jibber-jabber has turned into almost words. We really think she says "hey" and "dada" and maybe even "bee", "bubbles", and "papa". I really think these people only hear what they want to hear because my continuous attempts to teach her to say mommy has yet to happen! Anyway, I'm glad that these folks actually think that she is saying their names, it gets them all excited and it's funny watching them freak out when she does it. She's already trying to walk!! Well not really, but I always said she would walk before she crawled. The little girl just hates being on her tummy so bad that she refuses to roll over on it. However, if you let her stand on those little feet she just loves it. I know that it's probably terrible that I let her do that. My brother even had to have braces on his legs from walking to soon, but she just loves it. What to do? What to do? Your opinions are welcome! As you can see in her photos, she's definitely growing in every way. I used too dread her growing up, but I am finding that I love it more every day!

Special Olympics

2008-05-03T19:36:00.001-07:00

Emma putting on Sunscreen before her big parade performance.

Uncle Brian praying

Emma, Mommy, and Papa

Brian kissing Emma

Emma and Mommy
Friday was Special Olympics for our school system and since I only teach one block in the mornings, Emma Grace, Aunt Bee, and I all went to watch our dear friends. The parade was fun to watch. Emma's Papa Gailey was in the parade representing the Chamber of Commerce and he asked if he could stroll Emma around with him. The two almost stole the show as her favorite Kay Kay announced her in the parade. Emma's uncle Brian said the opening prayer which was delightful as always. I bet God loves it when Brian prays! Then we stayed to hear Cool Cat Carter Cruce sing the National Anthem. -Go Carter!- The two are members of our church, while Carter is a student in my Ninth Grade Academy Cosmetology class. (You should see him do hair and nails-you'd switch hair dressers if you could). The day was great and I can't wait until next year.

It brings me joy to know that Emma Grace will have a lifetime of Love and Enjoyment out of her uncles Brian and Carter, who love and adore her.

Golf Banquet

2008-05-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Emma Grace with her favorite golfers!
Emma Grace after a LONG night at the banquet!
Another golf season has come to an end, and Piedmont honored our atheletes with a banquet last night. Emma Grace and her boyfriend Hagen joined the fun at the P.U. dining hall. Since the boys' team crumbled this year, due to grades and finances, the girls were the only ones there to get a picture! As you can see, P.U. likes to have beautiful girls on their team. I hope Emma Grace grows up to be as beautiful as these girls are inside and out! I am going to miss my girls this summer, but I am sure I can talk them into coming over for a haircut or two! Be safe this summer girls, we'll see you next Fall! Love, Kim & Emma

Memorial Golf Tournament

2008-04-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today was the Memorial Golf Tournament in memory of my Aunt Carolyn that passed away in March. Her husband Bob and children Collin, Courtney, and Corey (son-in-law) put it on in order to raise money for Relay for Life. The one day event raised nearly $9000 and counting! The turnout was great, even Emma Grace and I went to cheer on our favorite golfers. The event was in Monroe, so after my LONG 2 hours at the Ninth Grade Academy, I picked her up at Memma's (that's Sherry-she changed her name!) and off we went on the 1 1/2 hour trip. Emma slept all morning at her Memma's, so I was afraid she would scream all of the way, but the sweety decided she would only scream for the last thirty minutes! We finally arrived around 11:30-Just in time to feed my starving daughter-then off to see her daddy we went. My husband Dusty, brother Trey, Coach Glenn, and Sister-in-law Bethann all played in the tournament and ended up -13 for the tournament. Not quite winners, but close! Emma strolled thru 4 of the 18 holes with her dad, he can't wait for his little Tiger to get out there and play with him. She also had a great time playing with her sweet cousin Ella. Bethann's friend Erin was a student of Courtney's and she decided she would ride along with the group. I wish Carolyn could have been there, she would be very proud of her family!

Blog Complaining Works!

2008-04-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well after my Friday night woes, my sweet husband woke up Saturday and read our new form of communication...THE BLOG! Isn't that terrible. Well, it worked 'cause he felt so bad that after my FULL day of hair, he took me out for an early birthday DATE! Emma stayed with her Mimi Gailey since Papa was in Canada, she was practically begging so that she wouldn't have to spend another evening alone. I can't say I blame her. And not that she ever has to ask! Anyway, we took advantage of the evening. Our date started at the Olive Garden, where I ate everything on the menu that I had been craving since my pregnancy began over a year ago. Things like salad, o man how good, that I had been craving due to the fact that it made me too sick during my pregnancy and Emma too gassy while nursing. I ate it all, including the Cheesecake, yum! Anyway, after dinner we took a stroll thru the mall and stayed 'til they closed! Dusty knew that the next two weeks are going to be crazy, so he went ahead and let me pick out my own birthday and mother's day gift! I am sure I will always get a birthday/mother's day gift for the rest of my life. I know what those poor Christmas babies mean! But that's ok, they are all the gift I really want! Well, the evening was great and the extra sleep on Sunday morning was even better since Mimi wanted to take her to church with her after their spend the night party!
Emma and I ended the weekend in Blairsville. We went to visit my grandparents who are completely in love with her while Dusty went to Youth at church! As you can see, it ended up being a great weekend and Dusty and I will work on the whole blog communication issue!! (This is probably news to him as he will read this before we talk about it!) Just kidding, I thought that would be a funny ending though!

Friday Night

2008-04-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

As I sit on my bed, laptop in hand at 11:30 PM, all alone, I am wondering WHY ON EARTH AM I NOT SLEEPING? Dusty is gone on ANOTHER golf trip. He took the girls to play at a nice course in Atlanta and to a nice dinner in Buckhead to finish off the season. AND WHAT AM I DOING? Baby duty-AGAIN. Not to complain, I love to be with Emma Grace more than ANYTHING in the whole world, but where date night went? Who knows? I got so bored today that I decided to take Emma to Gainesville. She screamed all the way there, she cried in the store, then she cried all the way home. These new teeth are going to make me crazy. Needless to say-I should have never made that MISTAKE! I sure am glad golf season is almost over. Maybe I'll get my husband back. I don't think I've really seen him since January, at least without a cell phone in his ear or a bag packed up ready to go again. I think my sister's dog-Phoebe, my cat-Harley and I will just stick this thing out together. By the way-the weather sure was beautiful this week!

Cousins

2008-04-24T19:23:00.001-07:00

Rylee Ann and Emma Grace enjoying each other at Church on Sunday!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-24T19:21:00.001-07:00

Bunco Babes

2008-04-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Monday night was Ladies Night Out Bunco for Relay at the Community Room in Cleveland. Mossy Creek puts it on every year to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. We raised around $3000 playing Bunco with approximately 120 women. The night was full of excitement, and the ladies (and Marshall Anderson) had a great time. I allowed my Esthetician Students from the Technical College come and enjoy the night instead of spending the evening in the classroom. I don't know about them, but it was a great change for me. We were able to demonstrate for the ladies how sun damage has affected their skin and stressed the need for Sunscreen and necessary procedures needed to counteract skin cancers forming on their faces. Everyone was completely disgusted with what they were able to see through the Skin Scope we provided, but I have to admit that I enjoyed seeing everyone's skin through the scope. Afterall, my favorite thing in the world is extracting gross things from peoples' faces. It's immediate gratification. The evening ended way too soon, only leaving us with the desire to play again. Can't wait 'til next year. Now, here are some photos you'll love!
Bunco Babes doing what they do best!
The BUNCO LOSER! Can you tell?

So Much LOVE!

2008-04-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Since I just had to have a night to myself, Monday night I went for a fun night at Bunco to benefit Relay for Life. Emma Grace had a blast with her aunt Bee and her boyfriend John(Emma's that is, MOVE OVER BEE, he's mine!).

Emma Lovin' on John

Emma and her Aunt Bee (Sorry Bubbles, we'll put some pics of you on here next time!)
Emma asleep in the car on the way to hang with her Aunt Bee and Boyfriend John

Random Pictures of the week!

2008-04-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago a fellow blogger posted a blog encouraging friends to randomly pick old pictures and post them on their blog. I picked 3 of one of the cutest babies you'll ever see. Can anyone guess who this precious one is?
IF YOU KNOW THE ONE HOLDING THE BABY, YOU'LL REALIZE THIS IS AN OLD PICTURE! SORRY SUCH A PRETTY PICTURE, BEE!! hahaha!
HINT-MIMI IS IN THE BACKGROUND! AND SHE THINKS SHE'S TIRED THEN, YOU SHOULD SEE HER NOW! hahaha

HINT-IF THE LAST TWO HINTS DIDN'T HELP, HERE ARE PROUD MOMMY AND DADDY!

Hero's Softball Game

2008-04-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Emma and Aunt Bee Cheering on our HERO'S

Last night we went out to watch the FAMOUS HERO'S SOFTBALL TEAM play at the park and rec. The Hero's team consists of some of the best that White County has to offer. These special education students and graduates of the county were awesome. I've never seen such joy and excitement in all of my life. The infamous Brian (SHORTCUT) Head and Carter Cruce from Mossy Creek played an amazing game. Emma watched as her Buddy Carter hit the ball as hard as he could, he's known for hitting it over the fence. And then she watch as her adopted UNCLE BRIAN attempted to hit his ball directly at his father who poorly attempted to pitch! Sorry Doug! Then as Brian quickly ran to first, I hoped to see his famous skip second go straight to third move, but tonight he decided to take the long way around second, third, and then HOME! We took some great pictures that I know you local folks are going to love. It makes me proud to be a part of a county that supports these kids. If you haven't seen it, you have to go...Thursday nights at 7:30!
More pics to follow...

Emma's Boyfriend...

2008-04-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Emma's first date with her boyfriend, Hagen. Dusty works with Hagen's dad at Piedmont, they coach golf together. The two fell in love the moment they locked eyes with one another! Hagen was born 3 weeks after Emma and has already caught up with her. We finally had them over after two years of saying "We need to have ya'll over". Dusty grilled burgers (or should I say burned burgers) and we enjoyed our dinner on the back deck. It was a great night and Emma and Hagen had a blast!

The pictures prove what Dusty is so afraid of...the two are in love! See for yourselves...

4 months old

2008-04-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

As of April 7th, she turned 4 months old! My feelings are quite mixed about the whole thing. I love her in this new stage of her life, but I miss my little 5 pounder! She is growing so fast.

Her doctor was very pleased with her on Tuesday! It had been two months since we had last seen her. The anticipation of her four month shots left me a mess leading up to Tuesday. I made Dusty go with me; I just couldn't stand to do it by myself. Once it was all over, she acted as if it was no big deal, making mom of course look like the BABY.

Emma weighs 14 1/2 pounds and is 24 1/2 inches long! A few pounds smaller than I thought from carrying her around so much. I guess maybe her mother needs to join the gym to build up her muscles. I can tell she's getting stronger and her little legs never stop moving. I think she'll run before she can crawl. I wait every day for her to start rolling over, but since she really can't stand being on her belly long (she likes to see what's going on) she doesn't seem to be very interested in rolling over on it!

I tell Dusty that she says mommy when he's not paying attention, but the truth is she just loves the sound of her own voice. Maybe she'll sing like her Aunt Bee??? We are blessed to have such an angel as a child. I'll never know what I did to deserve her, but I thank God for her every second of the day.

We'll put some new pics on soon!

Where did it go George??

2008-04-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

"Where did it go George"?? - A saying that my dad said frequently as I was growing up, and probably still does as he is hunting that "OTHER" sock. Where does it go? Well that's a topic for another day...Anyway, Spring Break is almost gone and I can't figure out where it went. The whole concept of Spring Break is really a tease to make you really wish it was SUMMER BREAK! But I don't make the rules! The greatest thing is that the week is ending with a BANG! I finally decided to try and make Emma put herself down for a nap thing today. I put her in her bed when I wanted her to go to sleep (BABYWISE MOMS) and shut the door. The wide awake baby didn't seem to like it at first, but after a few moments of pitching a little ROGERS fit, she closed those beautful GAILEY eyes and went right to sleep! It's amazing! It actually works, I knew it did, Gina's kids did it and Marybeth's kids do it, so Emma Grace must be capable of such a thing! Well, it's true for those of you wondering, just put those babies down and let them fuss for once, it doesn't hurt them afterall!!

Pictures!

2008-04-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the long awaited photographs of Emma Grace's trip to Jekyll Island and some updated photos of our trip to Ella Carolyn's house are here!!! I hope you enjoy these cuties!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-02T20:15:00.001-07:00

Play Date

2008-03-31T19:44:00.001-07:00

Well, it's finally spring break!!! Thank God-those ninth graders were getting crazy! My girlfriends from High School and I planned a play date for our little ones today, a much needed mommy's day out of the house! Laura came with her 8 week old Maddie Kate, Darla came with her almost one year old Billie Kale (Hope I spelled her name right Darla), Miranda came with her 1 year old Bryson, Danielle came with her cute round belly (expecting Luke in May!!), and Emma Grace and I were there too! What a day! Emma Grace did so great, I think she was so interested in all of the other babies that she never said a word, no crying, just sat there on the floor watching everyone! Maddie Kate was sporting her cute hairstyle, her hair tends to stand straight off of her head in every direction! It's the cutest thing you've ever seen! I'm just jealous that Emma Grace has NO HAIR! (It's a shame that a hair dresser has a baby with no hair!) Billie Kale came in sporting her adorable head band with the biggest flower on it! What a cutie, she's gonna be a stylish little girl! Bryson was hilarious, into everything~the reason why Miranda offered to have the date at her house! But what a handsome little guy he is~these girls are going to fight over him, I am afraid! Danielle is getting closer and closer to the arrival of her little one. Another boy thank goodness! Emma Grace and I took a side trip to see his nursery on the way and I have never seen so many clothes and shoes in my life. He is sure going to be a cutie! It was a great time! I am so excited to watch our children grow together. I just pray that they stay as close as their mommies have! I'll have pics on soon, the girls are emailing me some.

Ella Carolyn O'brien

2008-03-30T18:35:00.001-07:00

As of 1:10 AM, Saturday, March 29th Ella Carolyn O'brien arrived into the world. For those of you who don't know, Ella is the granddaughter of my Aunt Carolyn who passed away this month from cancer. Ella, her namesake, is 7 pounds 9 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. She has the most beautiful red hair you have ever seen. Her arrival was dramatic to say the least... Courtney, my cousin, called on Friday evening around 9pm to let my mother know that she was having minor contractions and to just be ready for a call. Carolyn's last wish for mom was that she be with Courtney during her labor and she was not going to miss it if at all possible. We all went to bed, or tried, with the hopes for a call to go at any time during the night. At 1:15 AM (5 minutes after her arrival) mom got a call to get to the hospital that Courtney had given birth on her bathroom floor! Courtney got out of bed that morning having what she called minor contractions that were timing about 5 minutes apart, so she decided she would just go ahead to the hospital. After taking a bath, putting on her makeup, getting her bags and still not feeling very much pain with her contractions, she decided to go to the restroom before leaving. Once she began to leave, her husband Cory called Uncle Bob to come over and watch her son while they left, and while on the phone with him, Courtney looked over to tell Cory that Ella was coming!! He looked at her and told her that NO She wasn't and that they would go ahead to the hospital. No sooner did those words come out of his mouth, than Ella's head was crowning! Cory helped Courtney to the floor and within a minute Ella Carolyn O'brien was here! Ella's cord was wrapped around her neck multiple times, but once Cory unwrapped her and tapped on her chest a few times, she began to breathe. I know it was God's perfect will the way it all happened. If she hadn't come as fast as she did, it could have ended very differently with her cord around her neck. The midwife told Courtney that she was having SILENT LABOR, which Suzanne is going to have to explain to me so that I can grasp this whole concept. We arrived only minutes after they did to Gwinett Medical Center. Once I saw the two goofballs, who I call Gomer and Goober, that brought her in the ambulance, I knew that Courtney was probably ready to scream. The poor girl had to tell them that she still had to deliver her afterbirth, which she did by herself because the goofballs didn't know what a placenta was, they thought she was having another baby! I thought you moms would get quite a hoot out of that! Anyway, she is a perfect, healthy, beautiful baby girl and her mother is doing GREAT in spite of everything. Plus, she has the best guardian angel in the whole world, Mae Mae!!

Stormy March

2008-03-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I appologize for the extended length of time between now and our last blog. Thanks to Brandi, maybe I'll get back on track (thank you Brandi). March has been stormy in many ways. I think God has had us in the valley here lately and believe me I'm climbing fast to find that mountain. My sweet aunt Carolyn passed away earlier this month, leaving my entire family heartbroken. I've never seen anyone fight as hard as she did. She found out last January/February that she had stage 4 cancer that had spread from her Colon to her liver, lungs, and it seems like everywhere in her tiny little body. She attempted every kind of treatment, but God had better plans for her. We were blessed to be with her in her last hours and witnessed the angels come to greet her into heaven. Then came Easter...Dusty had a golf tournament in Jekyll Island, so Emma and I made the long trek down to be with him. She travelled great! No tears, Just sleep! What a great baby I have. We enjoyed the first two days together lounging by the beach one day and strolling around the island another. But then came Easter Sunday...I had great plans to stroll her around the golf course (you can do that with sweet babies like Emma), but the wind decided to blow and the temperature decided to drop, so we had to stay in the car and wait on the team to finish so that we could make the long trek back to Cleveland. This ended up being a terribly boring day, being in the car from 11 am to 11 pm with a baby is NOT a good idea for anyone-FYI. I am not sure if it was the stress of the weekend or the emotion of the entire month piling up at once, but poor Dusty had to witness a melt down when he finally arrived at home around midnight Easter Sunday. He somehow put the pieces back together, as usual, and we got to sleep around 1 am. The late night lead to a crazy Monday morning, which I hate anyway, and just as the bell rang for the students to be in class, I walk into work, not a good idea with ninth graders! They like to remind you of these things when they walk in late!...Well, enough of dwelling on the stormy month of March. The great news is that Spring Break has started today and North GA Tech is out for a few weeks too! Emma and I have great plans for the next week and hopefully by the end of it we'll be standing on top of that mountain and watching the flowers bloom! Tomorrow I'll put some pics of Emma Grace at the Beach on the blog.

Story Time

2008-03-05T17:34:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know it has been a while since our last post. I apologize to all of you who have been constantly checking in to view our latest updates only to get disappointed to find that everything was still the same. Kim and I have been talking about how long it has been since our last update, but things have not been all that exciting around here.

Aunt Bee came by the house tonight to get a little help on her research paper. We worked on her paper for a little while until Emma got a little fussy and then Bee decided to pick her up and read her a story. Apparently Emma loves Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham. Soon after Bee started reading to Emma her mood changed. The evidence is in the picture below. In fact she giggled and smiled through the entire story. After story time Emma went to sleep on Aunt Bee's shoulder.

Happy Valentines Day Mom & Emma

2008-02-13T18:34:00.001-08:00

Love....
Is from the heart
Of the Father
The giver of every
Good and perfect gift,
For love is
The greatest gift of all.

Love....
Has touched us
And brought us
Every meaningful thing
That is in our lives,
For love always gives
The BEST.

Love....
Will keep us
And nourish us
Enriching each day
Of our journey
For love is always growing
And will abide FOREVER!!

Today I thank the two of you for being my valentine. However, today I praise God this day for placing the two of you in my life. He has blessed me beyond belief and I am forever grateful. I am eagerly looking forward to the years to come and the excitement that we will experience. Words can not express the love that I have for the two of you, but John 3:16 says it best, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life". There is nothing that I would not do for both of you. I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH. Happy Valentines Day!

Love Dad!

HAPPY BABY

2008-02-10T18:21:00.001-08:00

What a Week!

2008-02-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

It all started with Emma's 2 month birthday on Thursday the 7th. It seems like all of the BIG things happen when you least expect it. She gave us her first REAL smiles on Monday. All it took was her BEST friend Madelyn Kate coming into the world. I got the call from Miranda that Laura had just given birth to her beautiful baby girl. As soon as I told Emma Grace that her new friend had arrived, she started smiling and hasn't stopped!!!
Then Tuesday, while I was at work, Dusty witnessed her rolling over as she was having play time on the living room floor. He called me to tell me the news, which made me sad to miss it, of course!
She got to spend quality time with her Aunt Gina and cousins Caitlyn and Blake on Tuesday and Thursday. I hear Caitlyn had Emma smiling, while Blake loved on "HIS MEMMA"!!!
Then came Friday...Fridays are usually great because Dusty gets off at lunch and He, Emma, and I get to spend the whole day together. This Friday was extra special because we had a special visitor. A real life SUPERSTAR came to visit. When Superstar Ella walked in, she walked right over to Emma Grace...stroked her sweetly across her face...planted the sweetest kiss on her head...and in the kindest of voices said "Hey baby, wanna sing?". What she meant was, did she want to swing because she had brought Emma a baby swing to play in. We had a great time with Ella. We gave her a pom pom to cheer for Bee 'n John at the Piedmont baseball game and we played Beauty Shop while Ella got her bangs trimmed. (Marybeth, you have an angel.)
Saturday was quite busy, and quite honestly, I don't remember getting to see much of Emma that day. We ended the day, however, at Zanzo's with Papa and Mimi Gailey, Uncle Trey, Aunts Gina and Amanda (BUBBLES), and Cousins Caitlyn and Blake to send Papa off on his trip to Africa for a few weeks. We will miss him sooo much! (Papa, don't forget to check the blog so you won't miss us too much.)
Then finally, Sunday came around. Dusty, Emma, and I got to spend the day just the three of us. She really started giggling today. What a sweet noise that is. I got the camera out to capture her sweet faces, you can check out the slide show to see them for yourselves.
Another week has gone by that I wish I could get back. I love to watch her grow, but I don't want her to grow too fast. I have never felt such love, nor have I ever been so happy. Thank you God for giving us this blessing.

Pray for Aunt Carolyn

2008-02-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well, Mimi, Aunt Bubbles, Emma, and I went down to see Aunt Carolyn this weekend. Emma had never met her great aunt, who, for those of you who don't know, is my mother's sister. Aunt Carolyn has been battling cancer for the past year and has undergone all kinds of treatment, but this week she is planning on going to M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX to begin a clinical study. She looked great when we went to see her yesterday. Emma just soaked up all of the loving she could from her great aunt. After visiting with her a while, we all packed up and went down to see our cousin Courtney who is expecting her second child in April. She was so cute with her little bump! Emma is going to be thrilled to meet her new cousin Ella! We had a blast playing with cousins Collin and Brody, too! Oh, and Uncle Bob, we love you too!! By the way, for those of you who grace our site...Please keep Carolyn and our families in your prayers as often as you can. She will need it in these coming months! Pray God gives her the strength and courage to endure this journey and that at the end her body be cured of this aweful disease. We are thankful for all of our friends and family.

The Piedmont Lion Cub

2008-02-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

Thursday night we took Emma watch her Aunt Bee cheer. To our suprise she loved the lights and the crazy noises that Basketball games tend to have. She loved it so much that we took her Friday to watch her cousin Luke play, too! While we were there she finally got to meet her future golf boyfriend. Haygen is the son of the Head Golf coach at Piedmont (he coaches w/Dusty). Their handsome son was born on New Year's Eve. The two seemed to hit it off instantly. (Maybe there is a golf scholarship in our future!!!) Anyway, Aunt Bee, you did a great job of not breaking any bones. Way to stunt girlfriend!

Emma's First Full Night Of Sleep

2008-01-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

This week everyone has been telling us that we needed to update Emma's blog, but the truth is there has not been much going on. Well, that was true until last night. At 10:00 last night Kim and I decided to try and get to bed a little early so we decided that since Aunt Bubbles (Amanda) was holding Emma we would let her put her to bed. I guess once Kim and I went to sleep we must have been out for the count because we did not wake up until Kim's alarm clock went off at 6:00 AM this morning. I woke up and the first thing I said to her was, why did you not wake me up to help you with her in the middle of the night? She told me that Emma slept the entire night. I said you have got to be kidding me. She is only two months old. So I don't know what the deal was, but little Emma Grace decided it was time for her to sleep 9 hours straight. I praise God every day for such an amazing child. She is the best. Oh yeah! Aunt Bubbles, you might be putting her to bed more often. Thanks!

Below are a few pictures of Emma Grace at eight weeks old!

Acid Reflux

2008-01-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

Ever since her birth Emma has had issues with choking while she was eating. We first thought that she was not able to handle the milk flow due to her small size. However, now that she is over 10 pounds she is still having issues with choking. We talked to our Aunt Sarah, who is a pediatrician in South Carolina, and she said it was most likely acid reflux. She recommended that we take her and have a upper gi test to make sure everything is o.k. She went to Lanier Park on Tuesday morning and the test revealed that everything looked normal. Aunt Sarah called us in a prescription for acid reflux and she also recommended mixing some baby rice cereal in with her milk. Since then everything has been much better. She is not getting choked near as much anymore. We have also realized that if we give her the rice cereal before bedtime she sleeps a lot longer. She went seven hours between feedings last night!

Emma's Dedication

2008-01-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

You never realize how much God loves you until He gives you the blessing of a child. Sunday, we had Emma Grace dedicated and gave back to God the blessing of our daughter's life to Him. As I bathed her before church, I had the amazing opportunity to tell her about Jesus' love for her, and as I cried she listened and watched with those beautiful blue eyes as if she understood. I can't wait to watch her grow into a beautiful Christian woman.

BATH TIME FUN

2008-01-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

We thought you all might enjoy seeing our naked youngun'. Oh how she loves her bath time fun.

The little Biggun!

2008-01-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Emma's a Biggun! The doctor said today at her one month visit. Our little 5 pound 14 ounce baby is now 9 pounds 4 ounces. It makes me sad to see her grow so fast, but it also makes me proud that she is such a healthy and happy baby. She is in the average for her height and weight, making her Nana right when she said that all of her grunting is because she is trying to grow! We love our little BIGGUN'!

Emma in the Mountains

2008-01-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

We finally made our way up the mountain to grandmother's house we go! Emma finally got to meet Nana and Papa, her great grandparents in Blairsville. She even wore her "Future Georgia Cheerleader" outfit to make her Papa proud. GO DAWGS!

Emma's Photo Shoot

2007-12-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

On her one week birthday, Dusty and I took Emma to have her first photo shoot. Looking at the pictures now, I can't believe how much she's grown. We took her right at feeding time, which I thought would be a disaster, but she she did pretty well in spite of her hunger. She didn't,however, enjoy being naked and cold and she sure let us know it by pottying all over the both of us. We love how her pictures turned out, thanks to our favorite photographer...Jim Haynes of JHPhotography. For all you new mommy's and daddy's, you can check him out at jhphotographs.com.

How Time Flies!

2007-12-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

Not only did Emma Grace turn 3 weeks old today, but her due date was today also. For her birthday, we took her to have her weighed and she has grown into a 7 pound 14 ounce chunk of love. (She eats like there's no tomorrow!) She's beginning to be more alert everyday and we are enjoying her awake times so much-she even lets me read her bible stories. Mommy-hood has been the best experience of my life and I think I can say the same for her daddy too! We can't wait for our friends and family to get to meet her.

She's Two Weeks Old

2007-12-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

I can't believe two weeks have passed since Emma's arrival. She changes every day, making it harder to figure out who in the world she is going to look like. (Her Papa says that it shouldn't matter anyway 'cause she looks like Emma to him) and I think he's right. We have enjoyed getting to know her little quirks! Today she found her hand and stared at it in amazement for what seemed like forever. Our little Christmas present also loves to stare at the Christmas tree, which is going to make taking it down that much harder this year. Needless to say we are absolutely in LOVE with her and are blessed to have such a good baby. Happy TWO WEEK Birthday Emma!

Emma Is One Week Old

2007-12-14T13:43:00.001-08:00

Emma Grace at One Week Old

As many of you are probably aware of, today, Emma Grace is one week old. She has been amazing thus far. Many people have ask us if we are staying up all night with her and we are pleased to respond with "no". Emma is eating great and sleeping very well and yes, we are getting some sleep right now. I know that is probably going to change so we are taking advantage of it while we can. She has been a complete bundle of joy. Kim and I look at each other often and say God must really love us because we have been blessed far more than words could ever say. She is definitely our little blessing.

To honor her one week birthday we took Emma Grace for her first professional photo shoot. She was a little fussy because it was close to her feeding time. However, the photographs look great and we hope to have some soon to show everyone.

Emma's First Doctors Visit

2007-12-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today Emma, Kim, and myself made our way down to the pediatricians office for Emma's first doctors appointment. Emma was amazing. She sat there and let the doctor check her and didn't even offer to pitch a fit. The doc weighed her and she now weighs 5 lbs 10 ounces. She has gained 6 ounces since we left the hospital on Sunday afternoon. We were all so excited. The doc said she looked great and she would not see us again until Emma's one month checkup. She did tell us that she highly recommended all of us that is around Emma for a long period of time to go get a flu shot (which Kim and I have not done). It looks like we will be getting a shot within the next day or so.

I would also like to thank everyone who came to the hospital to see Emma, Kim, and myself. It really meant a lot to us and our family. Our entire experience and stay at the hospital was great. It meant a lot to Kim and I that Suzy hung around to deliver Emma after she was off her on call period. I am not sure, but I believe that she had worked over 30 hours without hardly any sleep once Emma was delivered. Words can not express how grateful we are to you Suzanne.

EMMA IS HERE!!!!!!!!

2007-12-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

Emma Grace
Emma & Mommy Right After Delivery

Emma & Dad

Emma Grace made her arrival on December 7th, 2007 at 4:07 PM. She was exactly three weeks early. She weighed 5 lbs 14 ounches and measured 19 inches long. Mom and Emma are doing great. We are still at the hospital and we will most likely be coming home on Sunday afternoon. I hope to post a few more images later. Thanks for all your prayers and support. We love you all and hope to see everyone soon. What a Christmas present!

Emma Is on Her Way!!!!!

2007-12-07T10:46:00.001-08:00

Not Much Happening

2007-12-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. As aunt Bee pointed out to us yesterday, we have not posted a new blog in a few days. Truthfully, there has not been a lot going on around here. We have been taking everyones advice and resting. Kim is still doing great. We currently have less than four weeks until Emma's due date. I thought that I would include some pictures of her room for all the people who are wanting to see what it looks like. Kim has been decorating and organizing so that everything is ready when Emma gets here. These are not the best pictures. They are just a few quick snap shots.

Thanksgiving Day

2007-11-22T18:16:00.001-08:00

Thanks to our "road sign reading friends" we were blessed to find this lovely road sign in Blairsville with Emma Grace's name on it! We've discovered alot due to this little road sign...not only was it named after the little girl of a cousin I never knew I had, but the little girl was named after a great-great aunt that I never knew. It's funny how God puts little blessings in your way. We still can't wait to enjoy our favorite little blessing. Needless to say, it was a great Thanksgiving!

5 Weeks Left

2007-11-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

Kim went to the doctor today for her checkup. Suzy said that everything looks great. Emma Grace now weighs about 5 pounds.