More Pictures...

M&Ms melt in your nose, not your hand....

Yes, I do realize I said that wrong. But I also do know for a fact that M&M's can melt in your mouth as well as in your nose!! Thursday night, the day after Grandma left and the day Bobby left again....(of course I was by myself with the kiddos:) Trey decided to stick a red M&M up his nose. I was actually laughing so hard I could barely figure out what to do, but the poor guy was almost hysterical. I called my mom and she said to take him to the ER. I was like heck no, not with baby Elizabeth all sound asleep in her crib. So, eventually I got the yummy chocolate candy out and Trey promised to never stick anything up his nose again. What an eventful night!! The next day, Trey had his Christmas party at school and since I'm the room mom, Elizabeth and I got to join in on all the fun! Saturday, the whole family went to watch some of Bobby's players graduate from UNO. We are very proud of their hard work and I know it's rewarding for Bobby to get to see some of his guys finish school. Above are some pictures from the party, graduation, and just from around the house! Enjoy!

Grandma came to town!

We have been busy here in New Orleans! Grandma came to visit for a whole week and while she was here it snowed! The day before I had the AC on in the house, so it really surprised us to wake up and see the snow. Trey and Elizabeth loved having their Grandma here and I loved having the company while Bobby was away. Grandma was a big help around the house, my laundry is all caught up and my room is actually clean!!!!!:) We also managed to get in a few shopping trips, go out to eat a couple times, and Grandma got to go to Trey's school for a breakfast with Santa. Here are some pictures of her visit...we miss you Grandma!!

WOW

So today something happened that I thought was worthy of a post on "the blog"!!! Bobby called me from work to talk about what he's going to get me for Christmas. Let me just back up and tell you he's been going back and forth about it and been so unsure about what to get me. Well he called today and was asking me if he should get it or not. I said "how much does it cost" and he said "425 dollars"! I was like UM NO WAY. So I ended up getting him to tell me what the present would have been. He was going to pay for a maid service to come in and clean my house twice a month for six months. He told them mostly we needed help on laundry. So I guess this is my clue to get going on the laundry!:) It was a sweet idea and I love him for it, but it kinda made me feel like a lousy housekeeper, so I am vowing right now to do a better job keeping up with the laundry and having a neater house for Bobby to come home to!:)

O Christmas Tree

The Sunday after Thanksgiving I made Bobby help me put up the tree....yes I have to MAKE him!! He does not love it like I do. We of course had to listen to Dolly Parton and Kenny Roger's Christmas CD while we reminisced about EVERY single ornament we put on the tree. I also pointed out every single Christmas decoration that Meemaw has made. (Bobby gets to hear the same stories every year...it's great). :) Trey and I had a blast. Bobby tried very hard to seem like he was having fun, and Elizabeth was content just watching us from her swing! I told my mom today, this year we are going to have a "country music video" christmas!!!! It is going to be perfect and we are going to celebrate it remembering the reason for the season. I am so excited for Elizabeth to experience her first Christmas, and Trey is always so much fun now...he's at a perfect age to just love everything about the holiday. Enjoy the pictures!

Sarah's favorite holiday

I'm almost 100% sure Sarah doesn't just love Christmas because of the gifts. (Believe me, she opens them all before Xmas anyway, so I don't know what she really likes about 25DEC anyway). She really loves Christmas because of being around her family - or family members, and being able to spend time with them. It made me start to think of several things:

1) I met a kid recently that just met his grandparents for the time, his mom died when he was a toddler and his dad was shot and killed a month ago. He actually met his grandparents at his dad's funeral - astranged family, kid hardly knew his father. This kid basically raised himself on the street, going without eating for days, stealing, etc. He's actually in college now after a rough life and is hopefully on a path for success. He just met his grandparents! (I'll come back to the point after topic #2)

2) I have always had a special place in my heart for Michael J. Musiol Jr or "Mikey" for short. He was the first grandchild of my parents and my sister's in-laws and was my oldest sister's first of 4. I remember Leigh Ann showing my parents and I the pregnancy test in Fayetteville, NC over the summer at a bar-b-que joint if I remember correctly. By Christmas, some of LA's tests had come back with abnormal results. Over the next 3 months before Mikey was full-term, LA and Mike found out that Mikey had a heart problem where his left ventricle was about 5 times the size of the other valves in his heart. Between trips to Bethesda, MD and Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, LA had a doctor that gave her the option of aborting her baby. The doctor told her there was no chance Mikey would survive. On March 13 1996, LA had a C section and they immediately took Mikey in to operate. I think it was 8-10 hours in the operating room, he survived a couple days on his own, then died 15 days later. There are a couple of images that will stick in my mind forever. A baby in a basonette covered in so many wires, tubes, and gauze that only his hands, feet and the top of his head were uncovered. Mike and LA sitting beside the basonette talking to Mikey, rubbing his hands and feet. At the funeral, a casket that was much too small to see. Mike at the funeral, broken down, beaten down, in a pool of tears.

Mikey didn't survive, just like most doctors said he wouldn't. He never had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas. He only had the opportunity to live for 15 days and impact my life (as I am sure he did many others). I cannot imagine not knowing my parents or grandparents, because how would I have celebrated Christmas then? I hope all of you realize how precious life is, how tomorrow is never guarenteed no matter how much exercise you do or vitamins you take. Time to spend with those you love is the best time in the world. Make sure you make the most of it this Holiday Season!

By Bobby

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving here in New Orleans! It was weird actually doing the cooking in my house....I only managed to make Crock Pot macaroni, so good thing Nanny and Mom were here! Here are some pictures from our fun week. Nanny, we are so glad you got to come visit! (and you are the cough expert, Elizabeth did have to be put on medicine:)

YUMMY!!

On Tuesday, November 25th, Elizabeth had her first taste of the good stuff......RICE CEREAL!! She loved it as you can see from the pictures:). Nina (my mom) was able to give her the first bites and Nanny was here to see the first "feast" as well. It was so exciting to see her eat big girl food:)

When Mom's are sick....

...Life Goes On!!! I had to go to the doctor today....I have a sinus infection! It is not pleasant.....but Trey and Elizabeth are happy as ever so I am trying to keep up. Elizabeth was 4 months old yesterday!! She weighs 13 lbs. 12 oz. and is 24.5 inches long....she's getting to be a big girl. Her new thing is eating her feet...she loves those toes!! Trey is so happy to have the week off and very excited that Nina, Dan, Drew, and Nanny are all coming in tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for....wonderful friends, family, the roof over our heads, our children.....I could go on and on! I am thankful for all of you and hope you have a great Thanksgiving....eat lots of turkey and my favorite, Pecan Pie!

McLane Women

Two posts in one day....I must have a lot on my mind!:) Most of you know that Elizabeth's middle name is McLane, which is my Meemaw's maiden name. I absolutely adore my Meemaw and was able to pass on her great name to my daughter, which was such an honor to me. My relationship with my Meemaw is such a blessing and is based on unconditional love. She has always been there for me and is just the most amazing woman who has loved me through even my darkest moments. Our family is full of great McLane women and we all have such a strong bond. I hope Elizabeth will grow up to know and love these women like I do! My Aunt Alane, wrote this amazing poem about the McLane women. I was so proud of her when mom read this poem to me. Alane has such a sweet heart and an obvious talent for putting her thoughts on paper. Alane, I am proud to be your niece and a fellow McLane woman! Thanks for writing this wonderful poem about our family. I love all you crazy women!:) Here is her poem.

Praise Poem
I am 5 feet 6 inches of white, sun-damaged, passionate southern charm
Raised in the heart of smalltown S.C. to be a gentle, tenderhearted steele magnolia
By the McLane ladies of the backwoods of Birmingham, Alabama.
I was taught to kill the world with kindness as sweet and smooth as dripping golden honey.
But don’t be fooled.
I was also taught to let the redneck of my heritage surface like a fierce, dark lioness
When my family hurts – just like my Mamaw would do.
Life is like the S.C. landscape – plains, valleys, hills, and mountains
With the exhilarating, rejuvenating mountaintop experiences being few and far between
And the lonely, drought-stricken white-knuckled valleys seeming forever and eternal.
One thing I know for certain though is I never walk alone.
On those mountaintops, I hear the tinkling laughter of those sassy, strong southern women of mine.
And in those low places, I feel their strong arms and taste their metallic tears mixed with mine.
No, I will never walk alone. I am of the McLane clan.

Written by Alane Mills

(pictures are of some McLane women. Alane is the on the far left looking at the baby.)

Congrats Mandy!!!!

My sweet cousin Mandy just found out she is expecting her third baby!!! I am so excited for her, so I wanted to give her a shout-out on my blog! Mandy is one of my cousins and best friends....we were lucky to grow up with a special relationship. I can't wait for our babies to play together when I move to Kershaw:) ( Still working on Bobby for that one....why can't there be a Kershaw University in need of a good basketball coach!:) I love you Mandy!!

Bumbo=Success!!

Elizabeth loves her bumbo!!! Some days I feel almost desperate to find something this girl likes, so I hopped in the car (which is never pleasant...E hates her car seat!!), went to target and bought a bumbo. While I was tutoring that afternoon, she sat in it and just laughed and watched everything that was going on. Of course I had to take a tutoring break to snap a few pictures, so here they are!! She has such a pretty smile!

Is it already November?!

It is hard to believe it is already November! Time sure is flying for us. I woke up this morning very disappointed in the outcome of the election, but then my mom reminded me that Obama is not in control, God is. I am glad that my life is in God's hands and that His will will be done for me and my family. All I can do is pray that Obama will seek to do for our country what God desires. In spite of my bad mood this morning, I was quickly cheered up by my sweet baby girl. She rolled over from her stomach to back today and is trying oh so hard to go the other way too. She smiles and laughs a lot these days which just makes my day. Trey is becoming more and more like a wild and crazy boy these days. He has endless energy and runs around constantly.....I am glad he is so active, just wish I could keep up a little better!! I'm sure when Elizabeth gets older she will do her best as well! I will post some new pictures soon.

I know I'm biased, but what beautiful kids!:)

WOW, I feel like I've been busy lately. Elizabeth and Trey keep me busy, but on top of that, I tutor kids 4 days a week after school, I go to MOPS (a bible study for preschool moms), I am helping start up an FCA at University of New Orleans, and being a Room Mom for Trey's class is like a part time job!! It's crazy. I do enjoy all of it though, I just need to take a deep breath. I wanted to post some new pictures of the youngins!! You will see some of them in their costumes for Trunk or Treat. Don't forget to take notice of the hair bow in my baby's hair!:)

Daddy's first post

Sarah's been buggin me to post on her blog. She always refers to herself as a "blogger" and about how cool her "blog" really is compared to everyone else in the world, so I decided I'd post and bring Sarah's blog back down to earth. Actually, I just wanted to write and say how proud I am to be a daddy to Trey and Elizabeth. I love my nieces and nephews and I feel like they love me back, but to see the joy in your kids' faces when they look up at you, it's something else altogether. The only reason I get to see the joy on their faces is because their momma makes sure I'm apart of everything in their lives whether I'm travelling or at work. Sarah has turned into a remarkable woman and wife. She loves and cares about her kids - and always makes time to tell me I'm a good dad or husband. I appreciate and love her for it because I don't always give her a whole lot of credit for all her hard work. The people we've met in New Orleans have always said what a wonderful woman Sarah is and it's about time I gave her that same shout-out on her blog! Love you, baby.

My baby is three months old today!!

I can't believe Elizabeth is 3 months old! We have been really busy lately. This weekend we went to the zoo and had a great time.

Trey and his friend Elizabeth Hurd wore shirts of their favorite teams who happened to be playing each other that day. We don't talk about who won...it's a sensitive subject in our house. Go Gamecocks!

Country Music.....

I have more than once said to my dear sister, " I wish my life were like a country music video.":) Don't get me wrong, I love my life, but I mean come on....those country music videos make everyday seem pretty good. Days on the boat, summers of love, awesome front porch views...I mean, they even make selling turnip greens from the back of your truck seem cool. So for your listening pleasure I have added a playlist of my current favorites. Mostly Sugarland...I absolutely love "All I Want to Do". Trey already knows most of the words, and Elizabeth loves it when I sing it to her, even with a voice like mine!:) ENJOY!

Just some Recent Pictures!!

Trey loves his sister!

Big smiles for Daddy!!

Mom's always dressing me up!!

Tummy time-not my fave:)

Aren't I cute?! and getting so big!

Elizabeth's Baptism

Yesterday at church Elizabeth was baptized. It was a really special moment for us as a family, plus it gave us an opportunity to explain to Trey what it meant. I was reminded yesterday of how great it is to be able to give my child "back" to God. I feel so blessed that He gave her to me for this time on earth, and yesterday I laid her life in His hands- I want God to hold Elizabeth in His hands. Baptism by no means saves Elizabeth, but she is a part of a covenant family and we as her parents promise to help guide her in her own decision to make Christ her Savior. I cannot wait for the day that both of my kids make that personal decision and pray that they will live a life full of the blessings that can only come from above! Often I am so hard on myself for making mistakes or not being the perfect parent...it can literally drive me crazy. But then I remember that Jesus is the perfect parent and loves my kids even more than I do. When I feel like a failure or that I have nothing left to give, Jesus will carry me and pick up where I can't! It's so comforting to know that Bobby and I are not alone...we do not have to worry about being the perfect parents, because Jesus will take care of it for us.

It was so cool because we also sang my favorite song, "In Christ Alone". I was so happy that they picked this particular Sunday to sing it! We also sang a new song, "Jesus Paid it All". One part of the song really stood out to me, so I thought I would share it.

And I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in me thine all in all." I couldn't even really sing the words because I tend to get choked up when things really touch me, but I prayed right then that YES Lord, my strength is so little, I am so weak, help me to find my all in YOU! Life would be so much easier if I could just learn to do that on a daily basis.....my worth is in Jesus, and He loves me for me, weaknesses and all. :) I hope everyone had a great weekend! I have attached a picture of Elizabeth in her baptism dress.....not a very good one, but she was passed out!:)

I can't sleep!!

For some reason I've got the giggles tonight. For those who know me really well, I can be really silly at times and act like I'm in 7th grade...those were the glory days Brooke!:) Anyway, I really wanted Bobby to rub my feet....I even tried telling him that they hurt because of something tied to my labor (that was over two months ago). Well it didn't work, so then we broke out into our favorite song. "Even though we ain't got money....I'm so in love with you honey"....but then that's where our knowledge of the words end....so we start doing the whole "...love with you honey.....mmmmmmm mmmmmm of looooooove....". That just cracks me up, especially since no one in my family is particularly gifted in the singing area. Has anyone sat by Dad in church? A man singing soprano, now that is truly a joyful noise. :)
So, anyway, today was pretty uneventful...I managed to get Trey to school without Elizabeth screaming the whole way there or back...quite an accomplishment. I'm sure some of you have heard about her "particulars". Such as, always have the pink fuzzy blanket around her head. Better have a pacy on hand. Change the diaper as SOON as the poop hits it. Do not and I repeat DO NOT let the swing run out of batteries. Girlfriend even has a fake cry already!:) That baby just blesses my heart....I just love my kids:)!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weekend

Let's just say this weekend was not the best for me or my family. Lots of arguments, tears, and mean things were said. Once again it was reaffirmed to me how hard being a parent is. Bobby and I were dealing with some things with Trey and basically the perils of growing up! I literally hurt when my children hurt and I just can't stand to see them go through anything bad. I was also reminded of what a great father I have...I called him to get some "words of wisdom" and somehow he always knows what to advice to give. I really appreciated him making me feel better and encouraging me as a mother. So if you read this, Thanks Dad, you are the best!:)

Going to give this a try....

I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog just to let people know what's going on in our lives and I think it will be a good way to get some thoughts out....we'll see how it goes!! I don't have much time with Trey and the new baby Elizabeth:). I'll try to keep it updated as possible!
Trey has his 2nd football game tonight......and then we're off to the fair. He is growing up so fast....at practice the other day I told Bobby how sweet Trey is. Bobby said "You're not supposed to be sweet in football!" Guess I have a lot to learn..:)