1 year!!

It is so hard to believe that my baby girl is a year old!!!  This year has been a year to remember! We have learned so much and have really enjoyed being parents.  Yes there have been days when we want to scream but I wouldn't trade those days for anything!  We celebrated her birthday on Saturday and it was a pink elephant theme.  We were so blessed by everyone who came and loved on our sweet girl.  I cried when we started to sing Happy Birthday, so hard to believe its been a year, and she was just smiling away!  She wasnt to fond of her cake, but she did enjoy racking it in her lap!  Here are a few pics of her special day!  Thanks to everyone who came we love you all!

Peyton's invitation

Her food was all so good!

The cake was amazing!!!

Playing with her cake

Her monogrammed napkins =)

Happy Birthday baby girl!!!

The last 8 months

Where do I even begin on these last 8 months.  My precious baby girl has completely melted our hearts!  She is the absolute best thing that has ever happened to John and myself.  I love being a Mommy and I'm so happy she is mine! In these last 8 months she has changed so much.  She  can roll and crawl all over the house, she loves sitting her highchair and eating all the yummy baby foods. I don't know who can eat more her or her daddy ;). She pulls up on everything and likes for you to hold her hand and walk her around.  She now gets excited when she sees her Mommy or Daddy and kicks her little feet in glee.  She smiles and laughs all the time! She can say Mama and
Da-Da. She has flown on her 1st plane and traveled to Alaska like a champ!  She sits up on her own and can hold her own bottle. She has 2 little teeth that have just popped through.  It's just amazing how much she can do from the 1st time we brought her home from the hospital.  I remember staying up late at night just to make sure she was ok...I still sneak in her room to make sure she is breathing ;). I love watching her explore all the new things around her, its amazing what you notice through the eyes of a child.   She is absolutely the best baby in the world!! I'm so lucky to be her Mom and like I've said a million times you never know true love til you become a parent. I've only known this little baby girl for 8 & 1/2 months but I would do anything in the world for her! I love her more and more everyday!

Heart Break

As I tucked my sweet baby girl in tonight, I found myself not wanting to put her down. I just held her and cried for all the Moms and Dads in Conn. who weren't able to do the same tonight. My heart breaks for these families who lost a child, a family member, a spouse, or friend. I think of my daily routine like many other moms we wake up, get our kids ready, and drop them off at school, daycare, or some other form of child care. I always tell Peyton ill see you later sweet P, and I can't even imagine not being able to see her later. As a parent the love you have for your children is indescribable. I'm saddened for the parents who are having to plan funerals for their child just 11 days before Christmas. I think of the siblings who are grieving over losing their brother or sister.
My mind wanders to these sweet children who were involved in this horrific event. Who at this age love going to school, loves their teacher, enjoys learning about new things, who gets excited about field trips and science projects. Will these kids ever want to set foot in a school again? Will they ever fill safe again? This man not only stole the lives of 20 little angels he also stole the innocence of these children who are left with painful scars of the day.
My prayers go out to these families and I pray for the school as they recover from such a sad day. Hold your babies tight tonight and thank God that you can.

Labor and Delivery

Well where to begin... I went to my last appt on Monday April 2nd to check on Peyton and go over last minute instructions for our induction on Thursday. On April 4th I got a call from St. Vincent's saying that they did not have any rooms available for my scheduled induction. I was heart broken not knowing what was going on. We were told we would be put on stand by and to call in the morning when we woke up to check on the status.  John and I walked around our neighborhood twice just talking about how our life was fixing to change forever =)  Well as you can imagine we didn't sleep that much and I got up and called the nurse around 6 am.  She said it didn't look good but took my number and would call to update me through out the day as to when we could come in. John and I decided to make the most our of the day and ran errands, and enjoyed the day together before we got the phone call. The nurse called around 2 and told us to come in at 8 that night and we would have a room and start the process :). John and I ate dinner and ran by his dads house. We got to St. Vincent's a lil before 8 and got a huge birthing suite, which made me very happy!! I had to get in my gown and jump in the bed. Our 1st nurse was so sweet, she had a hard time getting my IV in though =(  She tried to get the IV in my right arm but blew 2 veins.  This was pretty painful!! Luckily the left arm worked like a charm :). I slept off and on through out the night, just nervous about what was to come. They came in at midnight and started a low dose of pitocin. Once they started it I wasn't allowed to get out of the bed :(. Dr. Estes came in at 6:30 and broke my water and uped the pitocin. Dr. P came in to check on me around 7:30. My contractions started up and the nurse said it was time for my epidural.  I thought it was a lil early for my epidural and the nurse asked me if I could see my contractions on the screen.  I said I couldnt see them but they were tolerable which made her and John laugh.  I kept telling them I had a high tolerance for pain little did they know I was telling the truth ;)  I was scared to get the epidural but it was actually not that bad.  Dr. P came in around 10:30 am and said was time to push.  John said now!!  We were both shocked at how quickly things were moving, but 9 pushes later Peyton was born.  It was the easiest delivery ever!  I never knew how much I could love this lil girl who had just entered my life but it is a feeling you cant even describe.  She is healthy, happy, and we fall more in love with her daily!

We are so close!!!

Well we are now in the teens =)  Peyton should be here within the next 19 days, and Mommy and Daddy are so excited!! 
These past few weeks have flown by!!  My girls at dance threw me a baby shower last Tuesday and I must say Peyton will be one snappy dresser thats for sure.  We have some of the sweetest friends!!

I went to the doctor last Thursday and I was already 1cm dialated =).  John thinks she will be here before the end of March but Im still hoping for my lil April baby.  We will find out tomorrow if Im any closer or if we need to keep her in there longer.  My doctor has also recommended that I stay off my feet more, so I now have shorter hours at work which is a blessing.  The swelling has started and that is no fun, I cant even wear my rings anymore which make me pretty sad.  I packed our hospital bags last night and it just became so real.  We will be parents in the next few weeks and we couldnt be more excited!  I will tell you now that her daddy is a baby hog, so you will have to just take her away from him if you want to hold her ;)

Well hopefully the next time I post we will know when Peyton is coming or she will be here =)

Best Birthday ever!!

  Well I turned 29 on the 23rd of February which is scary to think that Ill be 30 next year!!  So John took the whole day off so we could spend it together.  He never has off days during the week so that was a gift in itself.  He woke me up by cooking me pancakes which I love, he fixed everything for me and wouldnt let me get up to touch a thing.  We then went to 4D Mommies to have our 4D ultrasound to see Miss Peyton.  She is precious just like we thought she would be, and I have a feeling she is going to look just like her daddy =).  She kept her face hidden most of the time which she always has in ever ultrasound, and she was not very cooperative.  I say she is already stubborn like her daddy.  From there he took to the cheesecake factory so I could get a piece of their famous red velvet cheesecake....it is to die for!!!  We didnt eat there cause we were off to our next surprise on the to do list.  John then took me to Driver's Way to test drive a Ford Edge he had found that he thought I would love.  Well I loved it, and we ended up signing papers on it that day.  I then had to rush off to dance.  There is a lil girl in my class who has the same birthday as me, so we had a joint birthday party at dance.  We ran through our dances and then we had cupcakes, and ballet chocolate bars it was so much fun!  After dance John had one last surprise we went and picked up my car and we went to eat at P.F. Chang's with my fam.  If you know John he doesnt like Chinese/Japanese food at all so this was something sweet he did all for me. He also got me 2 birthday cards 1 from him and 1 from Peyton.  They both made me cry, it was the sweetest cards ever!!   I told him at the end of the day that I didnt know how we was going to top this birthday and he said "Ahhh Im sure Peyton and I can come up with something ;)" 

3rd Trimester

Hello 3rd Trimester I have been looking foward to you =).  So this pregnancy has all of the sudden flown by!!
  The 1st trimester saw its ups and downs with morning sickness in weeks 5-8, and then was followed by a kidney stone which is by far the worst pain you can imagine.  John and I got to see our lil peanut for the 1st time and it was as if nothing else in the world mattered.  We just stared at the screen imagining what he/she would look like, and got a lil teary eyed at our small miracle.  We counted each week looking forward to the next knowing each week would bring us more peace of mind.
  The 2nd trimester was perfect.  I was able to enjoy more foods, got a little more energy back and finally felt her move.  It took awhile before I could feel her move due to the placement of my placenta, but now we can feel and see her kick all the time.  She is most active around 10:30 which means she will be a night owl like her Mama.  She loves her daddy already its crazy!!  When I get home from work and start talking to John about our day and we begin cooking dinner she goes crazy.  It is by far the sweetest thing to see her kick in delight at the sound of her daddy's voice.  We have proved this theory over and over again.  People will say I want to feel her kick and John will come talk to my stomach and there she goes.  He bought a house so she would have a place to call her home and have been working on her nursery in our spare time.
  Now we are looking into the 3rd trimester.  This will bring about finishing her nursery, our baby shower at the end of this month, and finally getting to meet our lil blessing.  Ill post pics of the shower, the nursery, and anything else exciting that happens in the next couple weeks.

A lot of changes going on

Oh my Im totally slacking on updating this blog.  So since our last post John and I found out we are having a baby girl and we bought our 1st house in Calera.  Big adjustments....

On Nov 10th we went in for our 18 week appointment and everything looked perfect which we were overjoyed about.  We also found out that our sweet lil baby is a lil girl which I cried and cried over.  Ive never been so happy to hear those words its a girl.  John said I knew it!!  He swears he had a dream about her and just knew in his heart is was a girl and I told him you should have known it was Peyton.  The story of Peyton goes waaayyy back.  When John and I started dating in 2005 he says he knew he would marry me one day and of course 1 of those days he asked me about kids names and I told him if I had a girl I wanted to name her Peyton but didnt know what her middle name would be.  A few weeks later on a Sunday I was suppose to go with John to Oak Grove to meet his grandparents before we left I called into work at CVS and told him if he didnt mind I would have to schedule a raincheck.  I was almost done with my shift when John called to let me know they were rushing his grandmother to the hospital.  She passed away on Wednesday and so I never got to meet her, but at her funeral I noticed her middle name was Alice and fell in love with it.  I knew immediately that would be her middle name.  So after it was all over that night John came back to my house and I told him I knew what Peyton's middle name would be and I told him Alice.  He looked right at me and said you know I love you right?  That was the very 1st time John had told me loved me, and so for all of you who asked where did you come up with Peyton Alice this is where are sweet babies name came from =)

Team Pink

Team Blue

My sister and her family came in for our reveal party and it was just a blessing to have her here for our special time.  They all stayed with us and John and I loved every minute of it.  I got to meet my sweet lil nephew Ezra who is just as precious as his sister Hollis.  We went to see Santa, we stayed up late and talked/watched tv, we ate at some of their fav places, we went shopping and had a great time!!  I just wished they lived closer =(

On another side note John and I bought our 1st house in Calera.  Its a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage brick home and we are loving it!!  It was a long process to get to this point but we know we could not have done it without the good Lord above.  We know we are so blessed and cant wait to see what the future has in store for us!  We closed on Wednesday and we moved in Wednesday night...yes we know we are crazy but we were just to excited!!  I will post pictures soon of all the fun that has been going on.  John spend all last night painting Peyton's room.  He is going to be the best daddy in the world and he loves his lil girl so much it makes me tear up just thinking about him with her. 

So this is a quick update of the last few months.  I go to my next doctor's appointment on Thursday so hopefully I will be able to update on what our lil girl is doing now and let you all know sooner than later

Day 18

Favorite places to eat.....
  I am a huge Italian fan, I love Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, you name it I love it.  I could eat pasta all day.  Id be as big as a house but I would be happy. 
I also love P. F. Chang's but John doesnt like Chinese so I have to go with my girlfriends which is rare.
My favorite barb-q resturant would be Jim N Nick's....omg at the cheese biscuits!!  I love their kitchen sink nachos they are amazing!!
So I guess my tops are Jim N Nick's, P.F. Changs and Macaroni Grill

Day 17

Something Im looking forward to.....well as most of you know John and I will be expecting our 1st child in April and I can not wait!!  We have already started buying little things here and there but nothing major yet.  We are going to find out what we are having in November, I didnt want to, but John does so I guess we will both find out together =)  Im working on 11 weeks now and so far so good, the nausea is subsiding and I can keep most foods down during the day.  I still get a lil queasy around the meat department in the grocery store, but each day gets better and I wouldnt trade our lil blessing for anything in the world.  Its hard to imagine how much we love our lil Mini Muss and it isnt even here yet.  We have an appointment tomorrow and Ill try to keep everyone up to date as we take on this journey together. 
On a side note John and I were approved to buy our 1st house and couldnt be more excited.  We will start looking at houses to raise our sweet little youngin.  So please continue to keep John, Me, and Mini Muss as we take on this huge new journey in our life!

Day 16

Day 16.....my dream house

Oh where do I begin...I would love to live in a huge brick house, with an open floor plan.  I would love to have a huge kitchen where I can cook and bake and prepare all the fabulous meals I love to make. I would need a huge pantry to store all of our yummy treats.  I would love an arched brick wine cellar in the basement.  I would love the downstairs to have a wall of windows that at a press of a button open to the pool area.  Downstairs would also be our media room for games, movies, and an large pool table.  At the pool area I would love a fireplace with tables and chairs and a tv to watch Alabama football games. I would also like a small bar area by the pool to hold drinks and snacks and a big grill to barb-q all of our delicious steaks. I want it to have a 3 car garage so we have plenty of room for cars and toys ;)  I would love a craft/wrapping room where I can go and scrapbook, wrap amazing gifts, and use my fun creative talents to make a complete mess and then close the door when I am through =)  In the master bedroom I would love a small balcony overlooking the pool area.  I would love a huge whirlpool tub with a huge walk in shower.  I would love a fireplace built in to the wall so it can be used in the bedroom or in the bathroom.  I would want a huge walk in closet for all my clothes and shoes.  The guest rooms would have to be just as amazing so people enjoy their stay as much as we enjoy living there.  The kids rooms will be decorated to the T and their playroom would be something out of the movies.  So this is just a preview of  my dream house and maybe by the time Im 50 I will be able to afford it =)

Day 15

Day 15 a favorite Bible verse.


Well with all the craziness that is going on in this world I have found comfort in this verse:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Psalm 46:1-3,7
It seems every other week we have another natural disaster, someone has bombed a public place, violence is taking over our great nation.  It helps to know that no matter what we can always turn to the good Lord no matter what the situation at hand.  He is always in control even if we dont always understand it. 

I also love this one, I know it may be over done at times but it rings true to me.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Day 14

Day 14....a picture of me from last year and how Ive changed....

This picture was taking on John's bday last year at the beach and we will be celebrating his bday this Saturday so lets see how have I changed....Ummm I now wear 2 rings on my left hand and Im happily married!  I now have a husband that I come home to each night. My hair is about the same length but curly.  Im not as tan as I was in this picture.  Im still about the same size and still love wearing that dress.  I now have a neice and a nephew from Haley & Bruce, in this picture I only had Hollis.  Raleigh & Jenny are also going to bless me with a nephew in Decemeber.  John and I love being and Aunt and Uncle!!  My main change was getting married and that was the best change of my life, so I look forward to looking back next year and seeing how I have changed!

Day 13

Day 13--Goals

My goals for the next year.  I would love to complete this 30 day challenge blog!!  Haha!!  I would like to continue to make healthier choices and drink more water.  I would love to get all of our bills paid down so that at the beginning of the year we can buy our own house and not have to rent anymore.  I would like to start my dance classes "recital dance" earlier so we can have more time to play ;).  I would like to save up for a Ford Edge so I can one day fill it up with kiddos.  Im not a real goal setter, maybe I should be though...haha!

Day 12

Day 12......
Something I dont leave the house without ummmmm my phone and my wedding rings.  I will turn around and go get them both.  My phone has everything in it I need, my calendar, my contacts, pictures, emails, everything!!  My rings mean so much to me and everytime I look at them I think of John and back to our wedding day.  So boring but theses are my items!

Day 11

Day 11...my favorite tv shows

Well I have several favorite tv shows. My all time fav was LOST, I watched it from day 1 til the very last episode and cried my lil eyes out. It was the best and no other show can even come close to it.

In the summer I love to watch So You Think You Can Dance. I love it!! I am inspired and get great ideas for my fall dance classes. I'm not a fan of all the choreographers but I enjoy the diversity :).

In the fall you will see me glued to Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Both crack me up 1 minute and have me crying the next. They are both ultimate chick shows, but every once in awhile John slips in to watch them with me.  I also love GLEE!!  As far as day time shows I love Ellen and Jay Leno both crack me up.

There are 2 shows I love that I only watch with John. Together we spend Mondays and Thursdays watching Hawaii five-o and The Mentalist. When Hawaii five-o comes on John and I stop and do this goofy dance we made up. We do it automatically and in sync, it's pretty funny if I do say so myself.

For the reality junkie in us all I love the Bachelor/Bachelorette, and Bachelor Pad, these people are completely insane yet we watch each week to see who gets let go, who is going to cry, and what stupid person they made-out with this week.

Then I have several silly shows I enjoy watching like toddlers and tiaras, jerseylicious, dance moms, and say yes to the dress. These are just goofy shows that make me giggle, make me angry, yet I can stop watching them.

As far as rerun shows I love Friends, How I met your mother, and Will and Grace.  These are classics!!

I love to watch tv!!  Although I dont get to watch a lot of these its still fun to catch up on them when I can =)

Day 10

Something I'm afraid of...hmmm. I can honestly say I'm afraid to stay home alone at night when John is out of town. I cant stand to be alone at night :(. I hear noises, I hear car doors close, any lil thing makes me paranoid. I live in a very safe neighborhood with great neighbors and yet I'm still the biggest chicken in the world. I sleep so much better when John is home.

Other than that I'm not really afraid of anything. I mean there are certain things I might not like for instance bugs, mice, snakes, and that sort of thing but I'm not afraid of them.

They say fear is false evidence appearing to be real, and that's what I have to remind myself sometimes ;).

Day 9

Ok so this 30 day challenge never said it had to be 30 days in a row...haha!! 

Day 9 is a favorite picture of me and my bestfriend.  I must say though that I have several bestfriends.  My 1st would be my hubby, then my sister Weezy, then Mammers, and the list goes on from there...I have lots of people I consider to be my bestfriends so no one get all upset if I didnt list you.  You know I love you!!

This is my Hubby and bestest friend in the world!!!  He makes me the happiest lil girl in the world, and I can tell him anything.  He always knows what to say to make me smile, he makes me laugh til my sides hurt, he takes care of me, he is the best, and I couldnt image life without him!

This is my sister Corn aka Weezy.  I can tell her all my goofy feelings and deep dark secrets ;)  She is pretty much the only person who can put me in my place and while I get super mad at her she makes me think.  She is 100% honest with me, and  I trust her completely.  I wish she lived closer cause sometimes I just need my sister to help me find that perfect outfit, or go see a movie, or just have a lil girl time.  I miss her daily but know she is happy in Alaska so I try to keep a smile on my face.  She gave me the sweetest gift last June with Baby Hollis whom I love with all my heart!!

Mammers is my bestie!!  She has been there for me through thick and thin.  She gives the best advice, and is always willing to lend a helping hand, she goes out of her way to make me feel loved and appreciated and there is no way I could make it a day without her!!  She probably knows more secrets and funny stories about me than anyone.  I can pretty much tell her anything and she never passes judgement she just smiles and shakes her head.  She teaches me fun words like doddle-bop that I use daily. I love her hubby and her lil man Owen and cant wait to meet baby Eli in the fall =) 

So these are the besties and I have several others but these 3 complete me =)

Day 8 A place I have traveled to

I have traveled to several different places over the years that I have throughly enjoyed. 

I went to Puerto Rico in 2004 (I think) and it was absolutely beautiful!!  The water is super clear and the prettiest blue color you have ever seen.  I went scuba diving and the sea life was amazing.  I had one of the best massages you could imagine.  The airport was probably the tiniest one Ive ever seen.  All in all it was an amazing trip.

I also went to New York City in 2002 which was AWESOME!!  I saw Hairspray on Broadway while sitting on the front row, so cool!!  I went to the top of the Empire State building and took in the sites and sounds of the city that never sleeps.  We stayed in the Westin Hotel and were treated like princesses.  We rode the subway and went to ground zero almost exactly a year after it happened and still cried at the mass destruction of it all. 

Then in 2006 I left for Alaska to visit my sister and bring her home....it didnt last long til she was gone again =(  I had so much fun!!  I froze my lil rear off, but enjoyed the beauty of it all.  We visited the cities of Anchorage, Seward, Homer, and Cooper's Landing.  We climbed glacier exit which is a huge giant chunk of ice, and the water that runs off of it is a gorgeous ice blue.  I loved the shops, the yummy food, and the view.  Its something you cant describe in words, just breath-taking!!

So these are just some of my favs but I'd love to travel to Italy and Australia one day!

Day 7 my favorite movies

My favorite movie would have to be The Notebook!! I read the book years before it came to the theatre and absolutely loved it!!! In a way it reminds me of John and I. He lived with his dad, didn't come from a lot of money, worked hard, asked me out several times until I finally gave in, and loves me with all his heart. I cry everytime I watch it, and I know I've found my Noah!

I also love the Sound of Music and Phantom of the Opera. As a child I would act out the scenes from the movie Sound of Music. I use to pretend I was the different Von Trapp girls. My mom introduced me to Broadway classics at a young age and I remember singing the entire cd to Phantom of the Opera in her classroom =}. It's fun to think about it now cause I had no idea what I was singing about...haha!

My favorite cartoon movie would have to be The Emperor's New Groove and Tangled. I can quote pretty much all of The Emperor's New Groove. It is hilarious!!! Tangled was a sweet classic fairytale and 1 day I want to send up a lit candle lantern thing.

I love movies!! These are just some of my favs but I have lots!! Sweet Home Alabama, We are Marshall, Transformers, The Proposal, What happens in Vegas, basically any chick flick =}.