Trick or Treaters?

We only had 4 trick or treaters! I did not expect many since we are surrounded by retirees. Most people did not even have their light on. It reminded me of my great-grandmother who was a really sweet lady but hid in her kitchen on Halloween night.

Here's a picture of my two favorite treats! My nieces, Mary and Lucy. Evie would have loved to see her cousins dressed up for Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

Evie has slept through most of her first Halloween. She took two really long naps and then went to bed before the first trick or treater arrived. Maybe next year, she can go trick or treating and see all the kids. Evie was the cutest pumpkin and enjoyed her costume so much except for the shoes.

We went to the pumpkin festival in Franklin today. It was a dog friendly event and there were so many dogs in costumes. Evie enjoyed all the dogs and seeing everyone in their costume. She kept pulling her socks and shoes off so we were getting a lot of looks since it was pretty chilly. Most of these looks were from people who have forgotten that 9 month old babies do not always enjoy socks. Carl had a delicious BBQ sandwich and I had a cupcake. There were a lot of really cool vendors selling interesting stuff. I found a cute little turkey shirt for our little turkey. It was getting cold so we decided to leave the festival.

After Evie's nap, we went to look at our new house. Carl likes to go every day to check on it. Not much longer until we move in. There were a bunch of kids playing in the backyard. Carl showed me all the ways to get in and out of the neighborhood. We took Evie to Pei-Wei for dinner. It's the most delicious Chinese restaurant and it's a chain. Check it out to see if there is one near you. It tastes like P.F. Changs for 1/2 the price. Evie really enjoyed her rice and I let her play with a fortune cookie.

Hope your Halloween was filled with lots of treats - mine sure was!

Pumpkin Carving!

Evie and I were glad to get back in our routine today. We had lots to put away so Evie got into some things while I was working. She pulled every tissue out of a Kleenex box. Carl said he would get me a new box for my birthday. She investigated the contents of the fridge and then clapped each jar of spice with glee. It's going to be interesting getting unpacked in our new house. Luckily, both sets of grandparents are coming to help us when we move in. Our house in North Carolina closed succesfully today so that is a HUGE relief.

We were so excited to carve our first Jack-o-Lantern with Evie. She has loved pumpkins all month and spends a lot of time patting her pumpkin. Evie really liked the insides of the pumpking and thought it was really cool when Carl carved her pumpkin. It turned out very spooky and made her a little nervous. She really enjoyed the carving process but was not so interested in the final product.

It's raining really hard and it's such a relaxing sound. I hope the rain goes away in time for my little pumpkin to enjoy her first Halloween.

Rocky Top is home to us

We finally made it back to Nashville. It's been an exhausting process. Our movers showed up late and then they moved at an incredibly slow pace. My dad showed up to help and if he had not come we might still be there. One of the guys asked me to go get him some food. I was so taken back but Carl went to get them some McDonalds. You should have seen the orders they placed. Take my word for it - they were not simple orders! One guy even commented that there was no bacon on his burger.

Evie did great during all this. She wanted to be held a lot but she was happy. I was so surprised that she even took a nap. One of the movers went in to get her glider and she opened her eyes. We did not hear from her for awhile.

My dad and I left with Evie and Carl stayed to finish things up. Yesterday, was such a crazy day that I was not even emotional when I left my house for the last time. I was just ready for it all to be over. Carl got back to my parents around 5:30 so way too late to drive to Nashville. We stayed with my parents last night. My mom was so sweet to make us some chicken noodle soup because we needed something healthy.

Evie lost Raffi on our walk so my dad and I went to look for it. We found one of her socks along the way and her Raffi was sitting in front of David and Terry's house. Thank goodness that we found Raffi!

Carl and I felt much better after getting some sleep. We left Gastonia around 8:30 and got to Nashville at 5. Evie likes to get out for a little bit so we stopped for about an hour at Cracker Barrel and then one other time. The rockslide on I-40 makes it a much longer trip! We will be glad when that is repaired. It was a beautiful drive up I-26 and I-81 with the changing leaves and scenic mountain views. We were so happy to get back. Evie did not sleep from around 11 until 8. She was perfect on the trip but by the time we got home she was cranky. It took 1.5 hours to get her to sleep and she just woke up while I writing this. She is so tired that she is having a hard time sleeping.

We are going to try to stick around Nashville for the next few weeks. Traveling is a lot of work!

Moving Day is Almost Here

Our packers came today and they were here ALL day. They arrived at 9 and left after 6. It was exhausting just watching them and tomorrow the movers come to load it all. Our stuff will be in storage until we close on our next house - two weeks from today! Evie enjoyed watching the packers from the safety of our arms. She did not crawl a single bit today because she was held all day!

Evie has not felt well today. Her nose is so runny and she is coughing a little. Of course, I call the doctor and the nurse told me not to bring her in or she would get even sicker. She said there is a "bunch of germs here" and gave me some advice. Her suggestions were lots of fluids, Benadryl before sleep and a humidifer. We were doing most of this already so she said to bring her in later this week if it continues. It will have to be to the cranky doctor in Nashville though because we leave tomorrow after our stuff is loaded on the big truck.

It feels weird being in our house with all of our stuff packed up. It does not feel like our home anymore and hasn't in a long time. We loved living here and have lots of wonderful memories. Our favorite memory is the day we brought Evie home from the hospital one cold January day and our life has not been the same since. We knew we would not live here forever but we had no idea it would be such a short time. Today, I was driving around Huntersville while Evie napped in the truck and I drove past my first school. That seems like another life ago that I taught there. It's so funny because I used to worry about Evie having to go to CMS schools. HA - that's probably not going to happen. We will miss some things about Huntersville but are looking forward to the next chapter in our life.

My parents and brother came tonight to see us. Nana and Ipop brought Evie a doll and she immediately planted a BIG kiss on her new doll. So sweet! It was sad to say goodbye to my parents but I know that I will see them again in a few weeks. We have just become accustomed to seeing them quite often and have enjoyed it so much. Carl was telling me today about how it must have been hard for his parents to move from Charleston after 9 years of living there. I would imagine his Gamma was really sad to see her sweet grandsons go from living one mile away to living in Knoxville. Gamma and Gampa must have been really excited when they moved to Atlanta only one year later and even more excited when they moved to Pawleys. This moving thing seems to run in the family! It really has not been that bad except for the distance and that it has been a really long process. We found out in April that Carl was offered his new position and we are just now really getting there. Nashville here we come!

Mama Monday!

Evie has been very attached to me all day. She does not want to be put down and is not happy unless I am holding her. She has had a runny nose so I am hoping she is teething. Let's hope she got her mama fix today because it's going to be crazy around here the next few days.

We had the gas company come out and guess what there is not a problem with CO but we already knew that. He did find a trace amount right above the fireplace but that is considered normal for gas logs.

Carl and I went to sign the papers for our house today. It's so much easier to sell a house than to buy a house. At least when it comes to closing! Not sure Evie will be able to make it through closing unless we take some Ritz. Here's a picture of Evie with her Great-Grandmother.

Weekend!

We had a wonderful weekend. Our last one in Huntersville. Yesterday, we mostly hung around the house and then we went to my parent's to celebrate birthdays. My grandmother and I are both having birthdays this week. Evie was so excited to play with the dogs and crawl under the tables. She is so funny. My mom made a yummy dinner and a delicious birthday cake. It was a poundcake with lemon cream cheese frosting. My mom had described the frosting as lemon velvet and I think she is right. It was divine! I love anything lemon except candy.

Evie slept really well at Nana and Ipop's house although she woke up quite early. She did go back to sleep for an early morning nap and then slept a little on the way home. It was sad to leave since I will not be back until Christmas but my parents are coming to visit us at our new house. It's very nice to have family close by especially when you have a small child. We are bittersweet about moving but one thing we have learned is that we never live anywhere very long so we might as well enjoy it while we are there. There are lots of places way worse to live than Nashville.

We went to run some errands this afternoon. Suddenly, I am worried about my Christmas ornaments and wanted to pack them in storage boxes. However, most people are not thinking about putting Christmas stuff away so it's been a real challenge to find anything. We did find some shallow boxes at Target that will work for our most special ornaments.

We were feeling brave (and since we do not have cable at our house ) so we took Evie out to eat supper. Usually, we reserve all eating out for lunch when she is at her happiest but she did fine. Probably due to the constant stream of Ritz crackers that we fed her and that we went to the loudest restaurant in the area: Hickory Tavern. It was good and since we are trying not to bring any more stuff into the house it worked out well.

Our house is a TOTAL disaster right now and I am going crazy. I am very neat and do not function well with clutter. It's hard not to have clutter with all of the different piles related to moving. We have the stuff for the packers to pack, our stuff to take with us back to TN and the things we need while are still here. If you have ever had packers, you know they will pack your trashcan with your trash still in it if you are not careful. Gotta run pack my ornaments so they all make it safely to our new house. Sorry, I did not post more pictures - my pictures take FOREVER to load and I have things to do. Hope you had a wonderful fall weekend.

Fire Department visits us again . . .

Our buyer's mother is worried about the carbon monoxide level in the house even though we have had multiple licensed people tell us that it's fine. She is worried he will get sick if he falls asleep on the couch at night. It's become comical at this point since my 9 month baby is fine so my guess is he would be too. Nevertheless, I had the fire department come out again to check my house. They used two different detectors and found zero traces of CO and were kind enough to make a written statement for me. I understand that we are fortunate to have a buyer but we have done everything in our power to have this checked. Our agent said they can now pay to have it re-inspected if that is what they desire. Goodness knows, I have spent enough time trying to take care of a non-existent issue. My neighbors are probably wondering what in the world is going on at our house.

Carl is home and Evie was so happy to see her Daddy. She gave him a big hug in her own special way. Evie has had a few firsts today. She got her first bump on her head from running into a cabinet door and she has learned to clap. Both caused some excitement at our house.

We are about to have our last pizza from Brooklyn South. It is so good and we will miss it. Maybe we can find a place that we like in Nashville. Friday night pizza is our tradition so we have to make sure to keep it going.

Adventures in Moving!

Yes, we are under contract! It's been under wraps to most of you because we felt like there were a lot of hurdles to cross before the finish line. Next week, is the finish line - AKA: closing. Carl and I will feel so much better after that happens. I have spent this entire day with moving related issues. It started bright and early this morning waiting for our handyman to come fix our door. It had two rotten spots and needed to be repaired.

He showed up about an hour late! Can anyone get somewhere on time? I am starting to wonder. He was kind enough to check a few other things while he was here. While he was checking the fireplace he knocked over a vase and all the stuff went flying. The vase shattered into a million pieces and he was freaking out. I tried to tell him it was okay while calming Evie because the noise scared her. He was very upset and was convinced the vase was special to me. I really was not worried about and thought he could just take a little bit off my invoice. He went to Target to get me a new vase. So sweet! All of this started because the inspector found elevated levels of carbon monoxide. No one seems to think it is a big deal except for the new owner. It seems to have escaped his attention that I have lived here with my family and we are all fine. We have had the fire department here and a repair guy. Plus my dad was kind enough to let us borrow his detector but they are still worried. I called five gas log dealers/contractors today. They all said the same thing - if there was a problem than I would already know.

My favorite was the owner of Affordable Gas. I went through the whole story with him and told him everything that I had done. He was REAL Southern and he said, "Mam, I am not sure what the problem is but with all due respect if you had a problem with CO2 than you would be dead." HA! I couldn't have said it better myself. He than went through all the things for me to tell my agent so maybe we have this problem solved. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this stressful time. We are under contract with our new house in Nashville so we really need everything to go smoothly.

Then Evie and I went to return our DIRECT-TV boxes and fax the reciept to our realtor. They do not allow charges for less than $5 so I had to find something else to buy. Evie picked out a cute little elephant. She has had her elephant with her all afternoon even in the grocery store she held him by his trunk and swung her legs over the side of the cart. We captured a TON of attention!

That's just a glimpse into our day -it was crazy! Thank goodness Carl comes back tomorrow being a single mom is too much for this mama!

Evie meets Baby James!

Evie only woke up one time at Ipop and Nana's house. I slept in my room and she slept in the guest room - that might be the trick.

We headed to Belton this morning to meet Baby James. Evie did great until we got off the interstate then she decided she could not wait any longer to meet her new friend. We stopped twice in the last 45 minutes. Once to get wipes, what kind of mother leaves for a day trip with two wipes. HA! It was so wonderful to meet James and see Lindsay and Mac as parents! They are doing a great job and learning to survive on less sleep than they ever imagined. Evie loved playing with Lindsay's mom, Jane. They played Pat a Cake and went to see the dogs. Evie LOVES dogs more each day so she enjoyed meeting Phyllis and Jumper. James is so tiny at about 6 pounds. He is so adorable and I had a great visit although quite short. New mommies need their rest so we only stayed a little bit. Evie thought James was pretty interesting. She pet him, she watched him eat and get his diaper changed. I can hardly remember Evie being 2 1/2 weeks old. It seems like so long ago!

Evie was worn out from meeting her new friend so she slept all the way home! YAY for Evie. We came home to play for a little bit and then we took a walk to Birkdale Village. I had a return to make and Evie decided to throw a puff in the store. She lost her puffs after that incident. Then we went to Poppie's. That's my very favorite store and it was good to see Joan. She always remembers my name and is so sweet. She was so excited to tell me that she just got back from meeting her fifth grandson, Owen.

We came home for Evie's playtime and dinner. She choked on her chicken. Scary, even though it's part of the learning process. I think she still prefers cheese over anything else. She did eat a little bread and some green beans. Now, she's asleep and I am not far behind her. It's been a LONG day. I will post more pictures of our trip to see the Horton's later!

9 Month Check Up!

We started our day very early this morning at the eye doctor. Evie tried so hard to be good and we were there almost 2 hours. She did really well and only cried once while the doctor was checking my eyes. Luckily, the doctor thought she was pretty cute. The nurse even brought her friends in to meet Evie and to show them her snack trap. We got the snack trap as a gift and this morning seemed like a great day to try it out. I was so proud of her because she picked it up very quickly and really enjoyed herself. Thank goodness for snacks!

Evie came home for her nap and I got a few things done. My to-do list is getting longer and longer! We went to run a few errands this afternoon. We saw a little girl while shopping and she said, "Baby!" Her mom, said, "No, that is a big girl." I wanted to stop her and say, "Yes, she is a baby." I guess she really is growing up. Carl said she is more like a little girl and less like a baby.

Evie was offered a cookie so I let her try it. She LOVED it and thought it was so much fun to eat at the store. I learned today that the Fresh Market has a policy that anything in the store is open for free samples - just ask. I knew the deli section offered this service but it applies to the whole store. Even packaged food - the baker told me this is something they are quite proud of as a company. It impressed me!

Evie had her 9 month check-up with Dr. B. Apparently, either she is shrinking or they measured her incorrectly in Nashville. That's another reason to switch to a new pediatrician. Evie weighs 18.5 and is almost 29 inches. Her head is still pretty tiny measuring in the 25th percentile. Her nurse told her that she had perfect proportions and Evie kept patting her while she was checking Evie. Such a sweet girl! We ran into our friends Michele and Jack in the waiting room. Jack is so big now and is running around. He will be a Big Brother in April. Now,we are at Nana and Ipop's house. Evie is having a BIG time crawling around and playing with the dogs. She was so tired and ready for bed. It's been a busy day!

A bunch of nothing!

Evie and I mostly hung around the house today. We had a repair man come and he was here for four hours then it was time for Evie's nap. So, we did not make it out of the house until 3:30 and by then we were both ready to get out for a little bit! We had a few documents to fax and then we went to Target. That was easy because it was all in the same shoping center. It takes me at least twice as long to run errands with Evie. Then, we went to get the oil changed in my mom's car since she is so sweet to let me borrow her car this week. I love how they always tell you 15 minutes and you are still sitting there 45 minutes later! There's nothing express about that! We went for a walk, got a drink, read a magazine and looked at the cars in the big window. We were so happy when it was time to go home.

Evie and I have been trying to get some things done around the house but we have different agendas. Evie thinks the books look better on the floor instead of the shelf and she thinks her bananas look nice smeared on the blinds. Why did I think it was so hard when Evie just stayed in one spot? I ask myself that everyday but of course I love to see her change and grow!

We got a sneak peek at our pictures from yesterday. You can see them too - Evie has found her tongue. She has decided that it is really fun to stick it out especially during photo sessions. We think it's cute but we also like to see her toothless grin. Sheshe thinks Carl taught Evie this new skill but I PROMISE that he did not teach her this. Lindsey did a great job. We cannot wait to see the rest. It looks like it will be hard to choose which ones to get.

9 Month Pictures!

We woke up to sunshine! Evie woke up around 8 so we had plenty of time to prepare for her 9 month pictures with Lindsey. She did not have a nap so we were a little worried but she did fabulous! We are so proud of her and cannot wait to see the proofs.

Evie took a nap after her picture so we had a chance to take care of some things around the house. We had to move some stuff in the garage because we have termites! Not fun but it's part of having a house. Our neighbor had them so I think they decided to come check out our house. Termite man is coming in the morning to take care of business.

Carl decided to leave later this week so we went to Jetton Park for a walk this afternoon. It was a crisp, cool day and it was beautiful to see all the leaves. Evie loves to be outside and even though her hands were cold she had fun. All of the cold, made us decide soup would be good for dinner. We went to the Fresh Market to get soup and yeast herb rolls.

It was a great day - one of our very last in Charlotte which is bittersweet for us. It seems like we just moved here in some ways and then I feel like we have always lived here too. It's hard to remember our life before Evie and now she is our life.

Dreary Day!

Evie was up a lot last night. Guess she does not remember that this is her real house. She slept until 9 which was wonderful. Our pictures were rescheduled for tomorrow due to the weather. Lindsey is a natural light photographer so it is hard to take pictures without Mr. Sunshine.

My parents came over to help us do a few repairs at our house. THANK YOU so much! We appreciate your help so much. Carl got us some barbecue and then he and my Dad got to work. Evie loves her new pumpkin and Jack o' Lantern bib. She seems to like celebrating Halloween so far.

We went to Target to get a few essentials and then Evie tried her Stage 3 pasta dish. She was not impressed. I might try mixing it with some Stage 2 to see if that helps her get used to the new texture.

Sorry for the short post with no picture but we are exhausted! Life is catching up with us -maybe it will slow down a little soon.

9 Months Old!

Carl and I cannot believe our sweet little baby is 9 months old. It seems like just yesterday that she was born and now she is 3/4 of a year old! Everyone tells you that it goes fast but until it is your baby you don't really get it. Evie is having her 9 month pictures made this weekend. Her 9 month check-up is on Tuesday.

Evie Facts:

Evie wears a Size 3 diaper and is wearing some 12 month clothes. She weighs about 19 or 20 pounds.

She eats two or three meals a day and one or two snacks. Evie likes boiled chicken, Ritz crackers and pasta. Her favorite snacks are Puff's and Gingersnaps. She is still eating Stage 2 but I just picked her up a few Stage 3 at Target. It seems like the selection really dwindles at Stage 3 probably because they can eat whatever as long as it cut in small pieces. Evie nurses every 4 or 4.5 hours and tries really hard to use a sippy cup with water. She gets enough to satisfy her thirst but not as much as if she took a bottle.

Evie takes two great naps a day. She goes down about 9 and 1 and sleeps for 1.5 - 2 hours most days. Her night sleeping is improving slowly but surely.

Evie loves to climb and manipulate her way around the house. She thinks it's really fun to climb into cabinets and finds toliet paper very interesting. She crawls from room to room and chases after me if I leave the room. Her favorite activity is getting into electrical cords. She thinks they are really cool so I spend a lot of time distracting her.

She loves other children and likes to get super close to them. Evie may need to learn about personal space when she gets older because she will put her fingers in your mouth and check out your eyes closely. Other babies find her hair very interesting and always want to check out her bow. She does not mind as long as they do not pull her hair that makes her a little upset and she crawls to me for a cuddle.

Evie has not been sick yet and we still do not have any teeth. She very rarely cries now unless she is tired. Evie pulls on her hair and ears when she is ready to take a nap.

Evie is so ticklish and will giggle like crazy if you tickle her belly. She loves things that are a little different and will smile at you in amazement. She enjoys going to stores where she can ride in the cart but will only last about an hour at the mall.

We are having so much fun with her and cannot believe she has been here almost as long as she grew inside of me. Carl and I feel so thankful to have such a wonderful daughter and we fall more in love with her each day. She is the best thing that ever happened to us and we feel blessed to be her parents.

I have a little helper!

Evie did great sleeping last night. She slept from 7-10 and 10-6:15 and then again until 9:30. Carl and I were up all night though. Maybe we will all sleep tonight.

I took Evie to Gymboree to try another class. It had kids in it so that is a plus but it still was not great. Evie is fascinated by the other kids especially the walkers. She is not fascinated by the vacuum. Carl was holding her while I cleaned and she was not happy. I decided to let her touch the vaccum and get to know it. HA! She liked flipping the red switch but it was not plugged in. Maybe she will get used to it if I use it more often.

She loves to be in the kitchen with me and has learned to help me with the dishwasher. Well, she tries to help. It was another rainy day in Nashville. I am ready to see the Carolina blue sky this weekend. I made a chicken pot pie for dinner and we have our pull-overs on. We are looking forward to a cozy, relaxing evening at home. Tomorrow we are meeting friends at the Frisky Berry before our trip to North Carolina.

What a Day!

Another rainy day in Nashville! Evie and I went to MOPS this morning. I could hear her crying which is heartbreaking for a mother. When I went in to check on her, she was hysterical and had lots of tears. I took her out with me for a little bit to calm down and then let her try the nursery again. When I picked her up, the teacher told me that Evie had kicked a little boy. He had tried to take her bow and then a few minutes later he came back to take her pacifier. Then he came after her again and she kicked him! HA! I thought that was so funny! Obviously, it was just a reflex but how funny is that! Evie has a really hard time in the nursery because it is her naptime. I feel badly for her but know she needs to learn how to trust other adults. She will get better with more practice.

Evie came home and crashed. She slept in the downward dog with her head face down. It was so funny! I decided to call the gas company while she was sleeping because the carbon monoxide levels were noted as high in our house in Charlotte. I explained this to the technician and she told me she had to send 911 because this was considered an emergency. She would not listen to me so then I freaked out because she said they were going to knock down my door. That's not a good thought when I am 420 miles away in Nashville. I had to think fast so I called Chris since he has no children and works from home. He went over to open our garage door so they would not knock down the door! Thank you Chris - you saved the day.

Carl surprised Evie by coming to Gymboree on his way home from work. She was in the tunnel when he got there and she found him at the other end. It was so cute to see her so excited to see her Daddy. Carl enjoyed seeing Evie play and seeing the other kids.

Carl and I have been busy working on lots of housing issues. We will hopefully have everything figured out shortly. Moving is a BIG pain with lots of to-do lists but we feel fortunate that Carl has a job. It's a bonus that he loves his job. We are headed to North Carolina this weekend to take care of some things and to get Evie's 9 month picture. Can you believe she will be 9 months old?

Rainy Days with Ritz

Evie did much better sleeping last night. She slept from 7-12 and 12:30 - 5:00 and then again until 8:00. YAY! She was quite unhappy around midnight. Usually, she goes right back to sleep but something was bothering her. She was so HAPPY to see me this morning. I love walking in to get her and she smiles so big as she leaps into my arms.

Evie took a little nap and then we headed to Amanda's house for a playdate. It was so much fun! Logan got a new riding toy for his first birthday and Evie LOVED it. She sat there for about 15 minutes - that's the test of a toy. Does it occupy her for more than 2 minutes? Cassidy has grown so much since I met her in July. She will be 6 months tomorrow and is sitting up! I love seeing the changes in the babies. Amanda said Evie is a little explorer. I could not have said it better myself.

Evie and I went to McDonalds for lunch. She loved it in there and was quite interactive with the cashier. Three different people have told me today that Evie is such a friendly baby. She does love people.

Evie was pooped and slept for 2.5 hours. I kept looking at her on the monitor because she was not moving. I was beginning to get a little worried so I went in to look at her. Of course, that woke her up so we headed to Gymboree.

I am not sure we are going to keep going to Gymboree. It's not working out for us because we are the only ones who come consistently. I wanted Evie to make some friends and become comfortable with others. It's hard for her to do that when it's new people each week. Also, it's not developmentally appropriate. They have 9 month old's pushing inflatable logs. Evie does not think that is fun. I am going to try Kindermusik since Evie is so interested in music. She spent most of the free time today playing with the teacher's drum. Maybe she takes after her two musical grandmothers. Both Sheshe and Nana have beautiful voices, we hope Evie will be able to carry a tune unlike her parents. The best part was when Evie crawled really fast through the tunnel to get to me with a big smile. She is such a sweet baby. I have so much fun with her each day and feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to be with her every day.

It started raining on our way home. Imagine that! Evie and I ran out to get the mail and she loved feeling the rain. She put both her hands in the air and squealed. It was so cute. Evie had dinner early tonight. She has decided that she really loves Ritz crackers so she had four tonight plus sweet potatoes, sliced banana and rice cereal. I am going to try to feed her more tablefood. It's cheaper and more accessible. Tomorrow, we have MOPS and it's our turn to bring the snack. I made pumpkin dip and bought some gingersnaps. Easy and delicious!

Frisky Berry Fun!

Evie did a little better with her sleeping last night. Maybe tonight will be even better! She did sleep until 8:30 again so it was not so bad.

We met some moms and babies at the Frisky Berry at The Factory in Franklin. I had a caramel latte. It was delicious. There were so many of us there that we had to go out into the lobby so we did not take over the place. It was great to be with other moms. I think that it is so important for moms to find other moms similar to them to share parenting tips and bounce ideas off of each other. Some of us are meeting again tomorrow at Amanda's house.

Evie was so tired but she came home to eat lunch and play. She took a short nap but slept a little in the car this afternoon. We went to the grocery store and since Evie was asleep I ran in to get our groceries. It's so much easier to get groceries when it's just me. HA! As I was shopping, I heard a really loud scream. Then I saw a little boy, about 4, running through the store screaming his head off. His mom was pregnant and running after him. I felt like asking if she needed any help but I am not sure that I could have done anything to help since he did not seem to be responding to anyone. Other customers were gawking and their carts were stopped to avoid running over the kid. It was so loud that I could hear him while checking out. Even the cashier commented on it so I told her that the mom was pregnant. They decided to send someone to help her. She was probably so embarrassed but glad that someone finally helped her. I dread tantrums. Carl never had tantrums so maybe Evie will take after him. I decided to give Evie a break from the camera today but here are some pictures from our trip to Gentry Farms. Don't worry, I will get some more pictures tomorrow.

Fabulous Fall Day!

Evie was up ALL night long but she slept until 8:30. I fed her two containers of babyfood plus rice cereal and nursed her before bed tonight. Let's hope that makes a difference. I was up at least 8 times. She has been doing much better and I do not want her to go back to pulling all nighters.

We went to Bruegger's for lunch. Evie had a cracker, a tiny piece of turkey and cheese. She seemed to like it. Then went to look at a few houses. One of the houses we looked at on Friday was having an open house so we decided to check it out again. It's a beautiful house with a huge ammenity; you can walk to Crockett park which is our favorite park in the area.

Gentry Farms in Franklin was our next stop. What a treat! We had so much fun. Evie loved looking at the animals, going through the corn maze, looking at the other children and seeing all of the orange pumpkins. She was fascinated with a gourd that she picked out. We hope to go back next year and go on a hayride with Evie. It was a beautiful sunny fall day. Those seem to be rare around here so I am glad we took advantage of the day.

We came home and took a walk around the neighborhood. It was rather crisp late this afternoon and Evie had a cute pink nose when we got back. I made some Chicken Tortilla soup for dinner. It smells so good. I think it will be a perfect ending to a fun fall day! Here's the recipe, my sweet friend, Maura gave it to me and it is delicious.

Chicken - I cooked a chicken in the crock-pot and shredded it

3 chicken boullion cubes

4 beef boullion cubes

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 green peppers, diced

2 large cans of stewed tomatoes, orginal recipe

2 cloves garlic, diced

salt/pepper

Put everything in a big pot and add water. I used a 5 quart pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 hours. Add more water as it boils down.

Toppings: corn tortillas, sour cream, cheese, cilantro

Put a handful of cilantro in the pot about 15 minutes before serving. YUMMY!

Soggy Saturday!

It was such a yucky day here and we heard it was beautiful in the Carolina's. It felt like fall but was so gloomy out. We did not do much today. Evie wanted to go to the mall to pick up her pictures so of course we took her. Grandparents, check your mailbox next week for some pictures of Evie. We checked out the Halloween store and Stride Rite while we were there. Evie needs some shoes since she is standing more. I knew they were pricey but goodness. Do you think Stride Rites are the best?

Look how big Evie looks in her little overalls. My mom bought these for her at a consignment sale and they are just too precious. It's cute to watch her crawl in them because they are a little long still and she looks like her legs are missing as she scoots across the floor. Notice the water bottle in the background. It is filled with pennies and is supposed to be something babies love to roll. Our baby prefers drinking out of water bottles.

Evie has gotten so ticklish. It's so cute to hear her giggle. We had so much fun playing with her today. Evie loves her stacking blocks and pulling things off the coffee table. Carl grilled some steaks for dinner and we are watching some football.

Stormy Sky

Evie and I went to the mall this morning. It's Gymbuck time and we had two coupons to use. It was crazy in the store with lots of strollers and crying kids. That's not for me no matter the deal. Evie decided she did not need any fall clothes right away so we ordered them online. She picked out lots of pretty pieces. I could be a Gymboree spokesperson because I LOVE the clothes. They hold up so well, coordinate together to create multiple outfits and are so adorable. Another selling point is that they are age-appropriate. I am enjoying that Evie likes what I like for the moment which is lots of pink with polka dots and stripes.

Evie has been taking long morning naps this week and short afternoon naps. She slept for 2.5 hours this morning but did not want to nap at all this afternoon. We had another appointment with the realtor to check out a few houses so she took a snooze in the car. We saw four houses and liked three of them. They are all very different from each other. We have learned a few things through all of our moves.

1. We do not like to paint at all!

2. We like nice kitchens.

3. Hardwood floors are easy to keep clean.

4. Garages are important since we have so much stuff.

5. We do not like to be super-close to our neighbors.

Evie decided to make a run for the fireplace tonight. I had to move the fire tools from her line of sight. They are sitting on the mantle and make a lovely decoration - very fallish. She decided to try her swing again this morning but she spent the time hitting the side of the swing and trying to do a forward flip out. It was a good thing she was buckled in tight.

We had a horrible storm this afternoon! There was even a tornado watch - very scary! All of my Facebook friends were writing about the storm which made me more nervous. Carl came home and then I felt a lot better. Storms are part of living in Middle Tennessee but they are my least favorite part.

Busy Bee that likes to eat Peas!

I say this a lot but Evie is into EVERYTHING! A friend said, "I don't know why we thought it was so hard when our babies just sat there." It was hard then too but goodness she keeps me on my toes. My wise friend Krystal said, "it does not get easier or harder as the baby changes it's just different." She is correct!

Evie took a really long nap this morning which worked out great because I had a lot of things to get done but her afternoon nap was so short. She thinks it is more fun to crawl around the crib and practice standing.

Yesterday, I ran to the bathroom and left her playing in her room. Two minutes later, she had crawled across the hall to the bathroom and had a can of comet in her hand. OOPS! It's time to move the cleaning supplies. Evie is really enjoying her new finger foods. She is eating Cheerio's, cut up banana, frozen peas and mini penne pasta. She HATES babyfood peas so I was not expecting her to love her frozen peas. Maybe she likes that they are green and cold. She will munch on them while I eat my lunch. They probably feel good on her gums too. I can feel a sharp edge on her top gum but still no teeth.

Sunshine at Last!

We woke up to a beautiful sunshiney day! It was so nice. Evie and I went for a walk this morning and to the neighborhood park. We had so much fun being outside and getting some Vitamin D. Evie seems to enjoy eating leaves as much as she did eating sand at the beach.

Evie came home and took her nap for about 30 minutes. Then she sat up and played for a little bit and went back to sleep. I was able to see all of this on the video monitor. She seems so happy in her crib and plays all kinds of games. She hides her Raffi, throws her pacifiers out, rolls around, practices standing, and her favorite hanging onto the rail looking around the room.

We went to meet our realtor this afternoon. One of the houses that we liked back in July is still on the market. We are supposed to go look at a few houses on Friday. That should be interesting now that Evie is getting older and more active.

I just put a chicken and broccoli casserole in the oven. Carl has been playing with Evie. Thanks for the break - I needed it!

Sun: Do you ever shine?

I am so tired of the rain. Apparently, all of this rain is quite unusual for Nashville. Even the locals are becoming Vitamin D deficient.

Evie and I went to a music class at Gymboree today. We were the ONLY ones there. I am so worried that Gymboree will close too. There were a lot of kids there for the play class but Evie is too young for that class. She loved the music class and did not even notice that she was the only one. Evie loved the musical instruments. She tasted every one and especially enjoyed the mallet for the xylophone. Paisley had some really cool shakers last week and today Evie LOVED playing with them. I might need to get her some when they are the item of the week.

We went to look at two rentals today. One was in a fabulous location but needs MAJOR updating. It is listed through a property management company and the owners are willing to do a lot to get the right tenant. We liked the second house a lot more and it was about 5 minutes from the Puffy Muffin and Harris Teeter. It was a beautiful house with all the things we are used to granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, lots of space and a great neighborhood for walking. However, we have gotten a lot of feedback from our friends and family regarding buying versus renting. It's hard to decide what to do since we seem to move every 2 years or so. Interest rates are super low and there are some deals out there. As you can probably tell, we really are not sure what we are going to do yet. Tomorrow, we are meeting with our realtor to get his take on it. I am sure he will encourage buying a house. We made a list of some things that we would like in a house so we will take with us to our meeting.

Baby James is home now. Lindsay sounds like a real mom now. It's so fun to talk to her about mom things. We are so excited for them and cannot wait to meet their sweet boy.

Rain Rain Go Away

Evie and I are so tired of the rain. Does the sun ever shine in Nashville? We are beginning to wonder. Not much happened today. Evie slept until 8:30 which was so nice. I told her she could wake up in the night if she'd sleep until 8:30 every day.

We went to Open Gym at Gymboree and we were the only ones there. It was fun to see Evie explore everything. Now that she has learned to stand, she hardly crawls. She pulls herself up on to everything. It's really cute to see someone so short standing.

Evie has decided she really likes her crib. She plays in there for about 10 minutes after she wakes up. Evie bangs her extra pacifiers together and looks so happy.

Carl got home and we went for a walk at the park. It was cool but dry at that point in the day. Then we went to look around at a few houses. We are still trying to figure out what to do. We had planned to rent a house but are having a lot of problems finding one. However, we have had so much difficulty selling our home in Charlotte, it's hard to decide what to do. I wish that we had a way to know what the future holds for our family.