September

Now I know everyone thinks their kids are special - which I would agree with - but I think God blessed us with one of the happiest kids He has made. (I'm not partial at all, am I?) Caleb is truly a JOYFUL little guy! He has his rotten moments, but for the most part he is a pleasure to be around, and we're really enjoying him and REALLY THANKFUL! September was a busy month. A couple of pictures of my boys playing at a park just because I think they're sweet...

Little Sloane Powell turned one on September 9th and we went to help celebrate on the 10th. Erika took a few pictures of my growing belly and Caleb while we were there.

I didn't feel very well while I was there. On the way home, we decided I might as well go to the hospital and get checked out. Turns out I was dehydrated, and it was causing me to have contractions every 8 minutes. I drank water, they monitored the baby, and we were home in a couple of hours. I never thought I was actually going into labor, but I didn't know what was going on. It sure made me sympathize for my friends who have gone into early labor. Thank the Lord all I needed was water.
(Sidenote: My joyful little boy is also T-R-O-U-B-L-E sometimes. He managed to climb in a chair, onto the desk, grab my camera sitting on the shelf above the desk and drop it. It bit the dust on September 16th so I only have pictures friends have been nice enough to provide from then on.)
Of course, we have LOVED this football season and Caleb has worn his jersey almost every Saturday. He knows all about Aubie and can cheer along. Wes fished in the Bay Point fishing tournament the weekend of September 24th. They normally hold this tournament in July, but it was rescheduled because of the oil spill this year. Below is a picture of the wahoo Wes caught. It was only a 2 day tournament this year, and I was grateful because that Saturday night I ended up back in the hospital. I caught some kind of terrible stomach bug that day and was SICK. They admitted me that night, gave me an IV, and I felt like a new person the next morning. Thankfully, my parents came down Sunday afternoon and I was able to recoup that week. Again, very thankful that was all it was!
Oh- and somewhere along the way Caleb turned into a Wiggles (he pronounces it 'Uggles') fanatic! He watches and sings and dances along with them. It is fun to watch, but I admit I hear about the 'Uggles' at least a million times a day :). Be back soon...

It's Been A While... Anyone still out there?

So it's just been a short 3 1/2 months since I've updated. Sorry for the delay and thanks to Makenzie and Molly for your continued interest in our lives. Y'all motivated me. Let's see (this will most likely be a recap of times I had my camera)... we went back to Orlando in August with Wes's company for the FTBA convention. It was great, and we were SPOILED while we were there. Billy Dean and Travis Tritt were the entertainment. I'm pretty sure that my country music loving husband and I might have enjoyed it as much as anyone there. The first night we went to Universal Studios downtown and ate at Emeril's Restaurant. Delicious!
Friday night was a renaissance costume party. Here I am with Hercules (who is also apparently a Billy Dean music lovin' man). Wes knows every word to every Billy Dean and Travis Tritt song and we danced a LOT while we were there which makes me happy (6 months pregnant and all).

Saturday night was when Travis Tritt performed. Notice how close we are in the picture below. It's a relatively small crowd - it was fun! Wes's parents were kind enough to vacation in Orlando while we were at the conference and kept Caleb with them. That was so nice. We spent a couple of days with them and got to visit some of Wes's family that lives near Orlando before the conference started. Wes's parents brought Caleb to the place we stayed one afternoon to play. A picture of Pete and Repeat... Caleb and I went to Hartselle the end of August with Ashley and her boys. We stopped at the Williams to help break up the trip. If I haven't mentioned it before, Ashley's backyard is toyland, and Caleb LOVES it there! And the fact that Sawyer and Eli are there doesn't hurt his feelings either... See the look on Caleb's face in the picture below? This basically sums up the way he feels about Sawyer Williams...
Dancing in the sprinklers...
My dad, Ashley's crew, Caleb and I met the Braddocks at the Hartselle football game on Friday night. It was fun, and we got to see lots of people I hadn't seen in a long time.

We went to a wedding on Saturday night (our good friend, Renee's sister got married). Then, we were getting ready for church on Sunday morning and realized Ashley's and my parents' cars were broken into during the night. A bummer, but a memorable part of the trip. Caleb and I stayed in Hartselle for a few more days and enjoyed hanging around with Katie and her girls and my parents. I'll be back soon with September highlights :).

We've really been enoying summer around here. A recap... Fourth of July (also Wes's birthday) was great. Well, church was great anyway. The rest of the actual day was pretty good- we enjoyed being together. Wes's company closes down the week of the 4th for vacation and it was WONDERFUL to be at home and have him here for the entire week. He works A LOT of hours the rest of the year, and I REALLY enjoyed just hanging out. It makes me remember how much I really like spending time with him and how easy he is to be with (even if it rains and we miss the fireworks on his birthday). We went out on the boat, went to a bounce house place, did the bouncey stuff and the carousel at Pier Park and went to the pool. These two precious friends came for dinner one night. Aren't they sweet?

While they were here, Erika took pictures of Caleb for me -

Caleb and Sloane were sweet playing together. Erika is easy to be with, too and we ended the night with a dance party in the living room :) This little girl is a DOLL and I LOVE HER!!
Caleb lounging at the pool

The end of the week was spent in Dothan for Harrison's birthday party. It was really fun and a cute party, but somehow I didn't get a picture of the birthday boy on my camera :(

Let's see... the next week Caleb and I rode with the Williams to Hartselle. It was a quick trip, but we got to go to Pt. Mallard one day, fishing with Grandaddy, meet our new friend Samantha Weinman and see the progress on Katie and Scott's beautiful new house.

Turner (Bo & Kim Weinman's little boy), Eli, Sawyer & Caleb

We've also spent a bit of time at hospitals lately. Wes's Grandmother Harper has been in the hospital for almost three weeks with an infection on her brain. She is doing a little better, but still has a LONG road to recovery. She is a PRECIOUS woman who is loved a whole lot and remains in ICU so any and all prayers for her are sincerely appreciated. While we've been in Dothan, Caleb gets to see the two things he talks about most often- Poppy and Pedro (well besides his daddy). This is Caleb with Poppy...

and here he is feeding Pedro...

He loves his Nana, too and the blueberries they have had this summer
and I had to show the peaches because I have really enjoyed them :).

On July 15th my good friend Lindsey (who we hang out with most days) had a new baby. This is Lindsey with Tripp who is a couple of months older than Caleb. Baby Beau was born healthy, but Lindsey had placenta precreta, and it was a really scary situation. She had emergency surgery and had to be given 11 units of blood that day. She is now recovering at home and doing great - Praise the Lord! Whew! That was a day!!

Two of my best friends from high school were in town this week. We went to dinner on Monday night. It was wonderful to catch up!
Jana (on the left) lives in Hartselle so I get to see her when I go home, but Alisha (in the middle)lives in California now and it had been four years since I had seen her last. Alisha, Ashley and I were best friends since kindgergarten, and we picked up like we hadn't missed a day. I love being with them. They are some of the sweetest people I know.

Ashley's crew was in town this weekend with Walker's family. I'm sure glad they picked PCB as their vacation destination and then let us hang out.

I went to the doctor today for a checkup and ultrasound. They couldn't see the baby's heart last time but told me today everything looks good, and I am very thankful the x-ray tech. was able to check 'normal' on everything. She told me he has my exact chin. What do you think :)?

It's A....

BOY!! We are thrilled and excited Caleb is going to have a little brother. The dr. said everything looks healthy, and we are VERY thankful!!

18 Months Old

Caleb turned 18 months old last Monday (6/19) and I wanted to be sure to record what he is up to right now. He is such a blessing and we are so thankful for him!!
1. He has LOTS of words. Some of his favorites are duck-duck, pop-pop, bath, BALL!, blocks, BUBBLES, I don't know (as in Caleb, where is your other shoe? He has a hard time keeping them both on - "I don't know"), Thank you, UP (I want to get up from this high chair, put me up on your bed, etc.), Da-dy, Maaaaaaaaaaaama, Amen (he bows his head and says it every time he sits down to eat), Hi, bye bye, Saw-ya, Nana, Ashee, juice, Aubie, Hooray, Hooray, Hooray, Car (he calls outside car now for some reason), Jump, Happy-Happy-Happy, Pool, I wuv you, ELMO!
2. He still likes to eat and is not picky about what you give him, but his favorites are fruit (blueberries, cantelope, strawberries, bananas), Goldfish a.k.a crackas, Spaghetti and Capri Suns. (This is a treat that he gets at the pool, but he can drink one in about 3 seconds.)
3. He is SUCH a happy/smiley kid and is really tickleish. He can't stop his laughter sometimes, and I think that is the BEST!
4. He wakes up in the morning, calls for Maaaaaaaaama (or Da-dy), when I go in there he is standing up smiling, hands me his duck and his blanket and then starts swaying back and forth to the music on his aquarium toy in his crib.
5. He will still give us 'sugar' right on the lips and has learned to give tight hugs.
6. He's an explorer/wanderer. We go to a pool almost every morning and he likes the water, but he also likes checking EVERYTHING out. One of my friends says, "Caleb is in the weeds again." He is fascinated by the gate, the chairs, everything!
7. He is CRAZY about his da-dy!! This is an understatement and the feeling is mutual! Wes plays with him, tickles him, teases him, reads to him... As soon as gets home until Caleb goes to bed, and Caleb thinks he is the best! It's really sweet. It's also sweet that when he gets hurt, needs something to eat, is tired, wants to snuggle he prefers me :)!


We should find out what the new baby is TOMORROW MORNING!! Be back soon!

Happy 4th Anniversary Wes!

I'm so glad you married me! I love you, and I love sharing my life with you! Some older pictures just for fun...