March 2008

Our household never stops but I decided I needed to share some pics from this past month because my babies are growing up before my eyes. Its devastating to watch time steal them away from me but it is such a joy to see them together, growing and developing a bond only sisters can share. These pics are not in any specific order and I apologize but it's late and I'm exhausted! In the picture above, Chad was checking Stella for ticks.....Courtlyn was helping =)

Chad is teaching Courtlyn all about "hoops" . I told him someday this picture will be framed next to the one of her shooting a three pointer to win the National Championship game. He just grinned and nodded his head.....I'm pretty sure he was holding back a tear.

Taylor had her Annual Sock Hop last week at school. Its a HUGE event and the kids love it. Almost every single kid who attends is dressed to the nines...even 1/2 the parents get into it. Its really fun and the kids have a blast. It lasted from 6:30 to 9:00! Whats the big deal with that you ask? Well its way past our bedtimes!!! Chad and I were exhausted when it was all over with!

Look at those choppers!

Dressed up pretty for Easter in her pretty pink dress. It's a shame it was so cold outside and we couldn't really show it off!

Taylor really loved her Easter dress - she said she felt like she should be attending a conference. And she did look that way! It almost broke me down! Just look at her - she is 1/2 grown. I mean seriously....we are 7 1/2 years away from driving! If that times flies by as quickly as the last 8 1/2 years, I'm definitely going to need some nerve pill of some kind.

Easter morning - the girls were pumped. And just notice how pumped Daddy looks to be up at 7 a.m. doing the "Easter Basket Thing".

This one right here is a CHATTER BOX. I don't think it's normal how much this one talks. She can answer almost any question appropriately and only has to hear or see something once and she has the hang of whatever it is! She LOVES to sing and her favorites right now are "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Happy Birthday to You". She's just learning "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and its so cute to hear her do her E-I-E-I-O! She wakes up every morning like a ray of sunshine. She pops right up in the bed with a "Hi, Mommy" or "Hi, Daddy" and then breaks into a sunrise rendition of "Twinkle Star". I know I'm her Mommy but I don't care who you are that's just stinkin' cute. She just turned 20 months old yesterday. It's hard to believe she is almost TWO! Geez...

We had Spring Break / Vacation a couple of weeks ago and the first day and 1/2 of it was decent but the rest of the week was AWFUL. Chad and I had a debilitating stomach bug and it took us a hundred hours to recuperate. We did manage to get to the Discovery Centre in Murfreesboro one day to visit Elizabeth, Carter and her new precious son, Mason ( see above ). Dee and Hannah came along to play too - we really enjoyed that because life is busy and we don't get to see them enough! We met up with Joy, Wyatt and Abigail later at the park. That was fun too but let me tell ya - 7 little kids runnin' around at a crowded park = NERVE-WRECKING. Again, I think Liz and I both could have used a Nerve pill....somehow, Joy was calm and cool as a cucumber....good for her. I, myself was worried sick about everybody getting lost. However, we all made it home with right kids and I can't wait to get together with them all again soon. ( hint, hint )

CUTE - doesn't it look like she has a giant curl like rat tail sticking out of the back of her head?

Hannah playing in the Canal Exhibit at the Discovery Centre. She was really concentrating on making her boat float...see her tongue sticking out?

Taylor paddling through the Discovery Centre. Again, looking all grown up...did I mention we can almost share shoes?

Courtlyn really enjoyed playing in the water - the challenge was keeping her from drinking it.

I've not posted in a long long time but I have good reason! My computer has the flu. I thought I would try again tonight to post a new blog but everytime I try to upload a picture the computer locks up on me! We need to take it to the doctor. Speaking of the flu my family has all escaped it up to this point (knock on wood). We've had a few sinus infections and croupy cough but so far we've avoided anything severe.

I wanted to post pics to go with my update but I guess I'll have to try that again later!

For starters, my baby ( the big one ) got glasses a couple of weeks ago. They look cute on her but I know what lies ahead for her! Don't worry girls, I didn't get her pink ones!

Last Thursday, Taylor was in the school play. She was Rosalyn Carter ( Jimmy Carter's wife ). She did a great job. I cannot believe she is in the 3rd grade.

Courtlyn has started potty training! We have been working on it for about a month now! I'm so proud of her - she is such a go getter. She is my little motivated peanut...she picks up on things so quick! She can almost count to 10 and she is singing along with us when we say our ABC's. She is speaking in small sentences such as " I gotta go potty" or " Mommy, I'm scared" and " I'm tired, it's bedtime". What a little sponge of knowledge she is. I'm pretty sure we are Harvard Bound.

I'll update more soon - we stay busy, busy, busy and it's a rare moment I get to sit at the computer and work on downloading and posting new info. Spring Break is on the horizon though and I CANNOT wait!

Love you all!

2 Blogs in 1 Day. Makin' up for lost time.

This is a picture of Chad's mom as a little girl. The resemblance between her and Courtlyn is quite unbelievable.
Taylor on the giraffe rocker at "The Discovery Centre"

All 3 of them disappeared from the kitchen while I was cooking. I went looking for them & found all of them on the dog bed. Taylor and Stella were snoozing and Courtlyn was snuggled up sipping on some cold milk. HILARIOUS!

Courtlyn enjoyed painting at "The Discovery Centre". Look how serious she is.

Courtlyn and Stella are the best of friends.

Beware: YUCK-O!!!

As most of my close friends and family know, I am trying to move towards vegetarianism. I know, I know....where in the world did that come from? We're talking about the girl whose own mother gets a kick out of her description of food and has always said I should star in food commercials because no one could sell a food product or recipe better than me. I'm still that girl, I'm just trying to make better choices in that arena! I was always floored by vegetarians. I could not understand why anyone would want to eliminate any food from their diet ( except for beets ). BUT, I have begun to do some research and am making some lifestyle changes to improve my health and well being! I'm certainly not trying to push my (work in progress) lifestyle on anyone but I just want the people who matter to me in my life to be educated about what they are ingesting! In case you've been under a rock lately, I need to inform you that the F.D.A. has decided that food from cloned animals and their offspring is safe to eat and they will be offering it in grocery stores in the near future. The NY Times noted that it is likely consumers won't be privvy to what they are eating - cloned meat most likely won't have to be labeled as "cloned" or "genetically manipulated". WHAT!?!?!?!
Again - I'm not preaching anything...I certainly haven't made any extreme moves myself. However, I am definitely researching and eliminating foods from my diet which seem a little shady.
If you're interested in learning more for yourself regarding cloned meat, slaughterhouse practices, organic food products and a vegetarian lifestyle you should check out these information sources :
1.) The book : Skinny B***h. Quite a harsh read...Rated R for vulgarity and graphic content!
2.) The book: Slaughterhouse. Hmmmmm..... prepare yourself for the reality of the meat industry if you choose to read this one!
3.) GoVeg.com - you'll never want your kids to each chicken nuggets again!
4.) Fast Food Nation - Disclaimer : I've never seen this movie myself but it comes highly recommended from my favorite vegetarian friend. I can't wait to see it for myself.

& remember, the bottom line is ...... You Are What You EAT!!! Love Ya'll ! Jamie

We had a wonderful Christmas and Santa was very good to all of us! Chad and I were talking the other day about how lucky we are to have both of our families so close. It's nice to be able to share all the holidays with both sides of our families. It does however make for constant running and rearranging! We spent Christmas Eve day with my family opening gifts and snacking on finger foods - which were yumm-o! Then on Christmas Eve night we went to Nana and Papaw's and had Christmas dinner, which was also yumm-o! We opened gifts there and as usual walked away with the trunk loaded down. Our girls sure weren't hurting for anything after spending 1/2 the day with Gram and Papa, Aunt Carly, Tim and Allie and then the second 1/2 of the day with Pops, Aunt Dee and Hannah, Nana and Papaw, Uncle Eddie, Aunt Susan, Marybeth, Matt & Lauren! Gifts galore. We're still sorting through the goods =).
I had a hard time deciding what pics to include on this post because I took about a million trillion! It was Courtlyn's first Christmas where she knew what to do and that was fun to catch on film. And of course, Taylor is getting so big and pretty, I keep turning the camera on her too! Chad and I had a very big Christmas present to share with the girls this year.....I attached a pic at the bottom so we could share our news with everyone! We are all very excited about our new addition......

Taylor at Nana and Papaw's - High School Musical 2 : I guess the motto with that stuff is "the more the better".

Courtlyn inside her Dora Fiesta Ball Pit she got from her Gram and Papa.

Courtlyn playing with her cousin Xander's new cowboy hat he got for Christmas.

Courtlyn's big present from Mommy and Daddy. A Dora the Explorer Four Wheeler. She didn't require any training - she just jumped on, pushed the button, and took off. We think she's a genius.

Taylor with her BIG GIFT - An American Girl Doll named Julie. They kinda look like twins don't they?

Chad, Courtlyn, Pops, and Aunt Dee

Taylor and Mommy on Christmas Eve
Taylor Abigail

Aunt Dee and Taylor

Posing again......

The Youngs, Christmas Eve 2007

Tim, Carly, Me, Chad, Courtlyn, Allie, Gram, Taylor, and Papa on Christmas Eve

It just took one present and Courtlyn had the unwrapping present thing down to an art

Taylor and I's Gingerbread House

Our newest addition : Stella LouElla Young

What?!?!?!?! You thought we were pregnant? An 8 year old, a 17 month old, a crazy cat and a brand new puppy rounds us out quite nicely. We have decided we are now the "All American Family" minus the picket fence. We're quite content right where we are right now.

We wish you all a Happy New Year! Love ya'll!!!

Everyday Moments......

Well.....I haven't posted in a while and I've gotten a few complaints so I decided to sit down & pull together a few moments to share with you all! We've been soooooooooo busy living our hectic lives these days and I just haven't had time to sit down and share it! I suppose that's just part of the chaos of the holidays!

Taylor was in the church play last week. She did an amazing job and I was so proud of her for remembering all her lines and speaking clearly and slowly. She's getting so big.

Taylor posing with her favorite WebKinz, Pugslee.

Courtlyn is learning to feed herself....it's a hysterical process!

What? Am I doing it wrong? For some reason, I'm still hungry!?!?


I thought we'd do a little "Christmas Jammies Photo Session".
Courtlyn really didn't agree with my plan.

I love them.....my wonderful friends.



&

last but not least.....

BATHTIME!!!!!!!!

Ooooooohhhhhhhheeeeeeee! Sisssy is naked!

Tub Time Cuddlin.......

Tub Time Snugglin.......

And sweet kisses!

Turkey Day

The above picture is a shameless advertisement for my precious friend Courtney and her business...she makes and sells these too cute dresses and many other baby items. Check her out at the link to the left - Maddie Moo's Boutique. She's also on MySpace as my # 8 friend!

Today we had a very busy Thanksgiving! We went to Monterey to hang out at Pa Becks - thats up in the mountains for those of you who don't know and it was 37 degrees! Yuck. It started sleeting right before we left. It's hard to believe it was 70 something degrees yesterday. We had a fantastic feast at my Pa's house. We had more food than we knew what to do with. It was so yummy. We went by and visited with my Dad's side and Courtlyn ran around the house the whole time with my Aunt Tina's broom. She's my little sweeper....have to cash in on that when she's old enough to figure out how to use the dust pan!
Next, we came back home and went to Nana and Papaw's where we ate AGAIN! And it was fantastic too! My sister-in-law made a CARAMEL PIE!!! I ate a piece even when I didn't need to. Then she let me take the rest of it home...and I've already dipped into it once. I love her for letting me have it but it's gonna put 5 pounds on my backside!
We're very lucky to have such wonderful families and fortunate to have them close by so we can see them often.
I feel fortunate to have such an amazing husband who is an extraordinary father to our two precious, beautiful, sweet daughters. Life is crazy and busy and overwhelming all the time. But ... at the end of the day there's nothing better than spending time with my family, putting the kids down for the night and snuggling on the couch with my very best friend. I am so thankful for our relationship, our children, our home, our family, friends and church family. We feel blessed to be where we are right now and look forward to the future!

Taylor and Courtlyn were kissing each other through the door. It was so sweet!

Me and my sweet little neice, Hannah. She says the FUNNIEST things!

Taylor and Hannah

Isn't she sooooooooo pretty!

Me and my favorite cousin, Jennifer.

Courtlyn was playing her new favorite game - "Get ( fill in the blank )'s nose.

Today the lucky contestant in this picture is Gram!

Mommy and her BIG baby. Love her!

She says she loves me too. =)