Winter in Kentucky (part 3)

We had a wonderful Sunday with our Kentucky friends.  We enjoyed church with the Jones family and then we headed to Lexington to meet another friend, his wife and new son.  They drove down from Ohio to spend a little time with all of us and so we could meet the newest addition to their family.  Once we got to Lexington, it started snowing.  We enjoyed a nice visit with the Hatches and Edward loved playing in the indoor playground.  Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of our time with the Hatches.

When we woke up Monday (President’s Day), it appeared that it had snowed all through the night and was really starting to accumulate.  Unfortunately, we were planning on heading home.  Thomas gave us a little time to enjoy the fresh snow.  Edward really enjoyed the snow and was a trooper the whole trip despite being off schedule and in a different time zone.  I believe the highlight of his trip was the new pair of rain boots I bought in preparation of the snow.  We literally had to wait until he was asleep before we could take them off.  You will see the green boots in several pictures!  We look forward to our visit in Kentucky in October when Jonesy ties the knot!!

Thank you Jones family for a fun filled trip!

  

 

 

 

The Jones’ beautiful home.

 

 

One last ride with Daddy

 

 

 

I love this area.  It is so pretty especially in the snow!

 

 

Reading with Mrs. Jones while trying to warm up!

 

Winter in Kentucky (part 2)

On that Saturday, we started off by doing absolutely nothing.  We stayed with our friend Jonesy and his parents (he is in the process of building a house and living at home in the meantime).  His parents live in a very old plantation home surrounded by LOTS of farmland.  Living on a farm requires a tractor or two and Edward LOVES tractors.  Saturday morning after breakfast, Jonesy went and got a tractor out and took Edward for a nice drive.  Edward was so excited.  He talked for hours about the tractor ride and seeing the cows.  After lunch, Jonesy decided he would take us to find a nice hill to sled on.  They still had some snow on the ground from several days earlier.  None of us had ever gone sledding so we were really looking forward to it.  We found a nice little hill with a creek running below it.  We had a blast and even this pregnant mama gave it a try.  I was terrified of sliding into the creek as you will see from the pictures below!

  

 

Driving the tractor with Jonesy    

 

 

  

 

Thomas and Jonesy sledding together – Crazy guys!!

  

Yes, that’s me!  24 1/2 weeks pregnant and sledding!  I was terrified that I was going to slide into the creek and that’s why my legs are spread eagle.  I was trying to prepare to stop!!

 

Sledding with Daddy

  

Brooke thought it would be fun to catch a ride on Jonesy’s back!

Winter in Kentucky (part 1)

I will start by saying that I will break this up into a couple of posts so that you are not totally bored by my words!!! President’s Day weekend we decided we would take the kids for a short vacation since Brooke had President's Day off. It just so happened that we were expecting up to 4 inches of snow on Friday so they canceled school for that day as well. We were very fortunate that schools were closed on Friday so we could get on the road in the morning instead of after Brooke got out. We packed up the car and headed out just as the snow began falling. We were a little sad to be leaving home with the expected snowfall but we knew that snow was expected to fall in Kentucky while we were there. The drive wasn't too bad until we got to the Birmingham area. Once there, the snow really began to fall and the roads didn't look great. We decided we would take our time driving since we were not expected in Kentucky until 9 that night. It snowed on us all the way to Huntsville. We stopped in Huntsville for a long lunch and to allow Edward to stretch his legs on the playground. He was a real trooper!!! We loaded back up and headed north. We had planned to stop at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY to eat up some of our time. For the last 10 years, every time Thomas and I headed to Kentucky, he has wanted to stop at the museum. We figured it MIGHT be a good idea this trip since Edward is so into things that move. Brooke was totally NOT into looking at cars!!!! Edward didn't care a thing about the cars. Well he was slightly interested but he really just wanted to run. I spent the whole time wrangling him so that Thomas could enjoy looking. It was a really neat place and had Corvettes that dated back to the very first one. I highly recommend it if anyone is ever traveling that way. It is right off I-65. After a short break we headed on to our destination. We stopped again for supper and then headed off to our friend Jonesy's house. Edward was thrilled to get out of the car and ate up every ounce of attention he got from Jonesy and his parents.

He wanted to get behind every railing that said “do not enter”

This Corvette frame said “Do not sit”  He’s a mischievous little guy!

 

 

 

   

  

 

 

 

Lazy Saturday

We have had the best day today.  It has been cold and rainy all day and we have all enjoyed staying in our pajamas and relaxing.  After Edward’s nap, he enjoyed trying to play Super Mario Brothers on the Wii with Brooke. 

Welcome William Alfred Hughes, IV!!

My nephew, William Alfred Hughes, IV was born January 12 at 1:18pm.  He was 5 weeks early and weighed 6lbs. 10oz. and  was 19.5 inches long.  It is truly a miracle that a baby born so early was so healthy!  Mom and baby are both doing well.  We had the opportunity to visit with my brother, Will and his new family on Tuesday.  Baby William is absolutely precious.  Edward was smitten the second he saw his new cousin.  As soon as the nurse brought him in, Edward held out his hands and said, “I holt” (his version of “I hold”).  It was so sweet.  As I held little William, Edward wanted to hug and kiss him.  He loves babies and I hope this means he will be just as loving to his new baby sister!  Here are a few pictures from our visit.

21 Months

I haven’t done a recent post on Edward. I also haven’t been very good about updating his baby book so I want to at least have one place where I have documented his milestones. He is 21 months and into EVERYTHING. He is all boy but tends to show a feminine side every now and then. I know he is just exploring and curious. I will touch on the feminine side first by saying that he likes to march around the house in my heels and with a bag on his shoulder. I guess he is trying to imitate mommy.

He talks all the time now. He is constantly saying new words and phrases. He also repeats just about everything we say. He still loves any type of vehicle. His new thing now is lining up his cars and trucks to race. Once he gets them into position, he says, “on your mark, get set, go, go, go” and gives them all a good shove. It’s amazing to me how they learn. I don’t know if he has gotten the racing idea from watching the movie Cars, but I know I didn’t teach him how to line them up! He now loves to climb onto the changing table. One day he was being quiet and I walked into his room and he was sitting on top of it. I guess we are going to have to secure it to the wall!

Before Christmas, we attempted trying out a “big boy” bed. He would sleep in it, but not great. We finally decided that he just wasn’t ready and reverted back to the crib. We have a few more months to work on the new bed. He is still a pretty good eater. We still struggle with him not wanting to drink milk. The only time he wants it is at bedtime.

He is still a very loving, affectionate little boy. He loves to kiss and hug. He has started saying “num you” for “I love you.” He doesn’t say it all the time, but when he does, it melts my heart! He loves Brooke very much and gets so upset when she leaves. He loves his grandparents and gets so excited when he sees them.

He also still loves to play outside. He got a wagon for Christmas and we have enjoyed a few walks with it. He loves, loves, loves our neighbors, Tyler, Haley and Kelsey. He thinks he is big stuff getting to play with them.

and yes, I found him there!

The Name Game

Well, I know we have plenty of time to be planning/worrying about baby names, but I want to be totally ready and don’t want any last minute planning. By nature I am a procrastinator, however when it comes to the baby, I want to be prepared!  I think that the reality of having a baby girl has finally set in.  The shock has finally worn off and we can begin our preparations.  When I found out I was pregnant, we argued over boy names because we were certain that we would be having another boy.  I pushed and pushed for a certain name and Thomas finally agreed on it UNTIL we got the big news on Wednesday that our little bundle of joy was NOT a boy but in fact a healthy little girl!!! In reality, I wanted to throw up but instead I cried…TWICE!!  You see, all I know is boy.  I love my sweet Edward and have loved learning over the last 21 months what little boys love.  Bugs, balls, dirt, trucks, cars, boats, airplanes, helicopters, etc…   I dreamed of Edward and his little brother and all the fun that they would have and the trouble they would get into.  I am thrilled to now have a daughter of my own and I look forward to the special relationship I will have with her just like I have with my mother, who is my best friend. 

Now onto the naming process.  For the last couple of days we have tossed around several different names.  We finally came to two that we both really liked, but struggled with the final decision.  I’ve made Thomas talk about it every opportunity we have had.  I want to be able to refer to her with a name and not just “her” or “baby girl.”  So, we have finally decided on Emily Katherine and we will call her Emily Kate.  Emily is after my paternal grandmother who suddenly passed away when I was pregnant with Edward.  We were very close and I want a special way to remember her.  Katherine is after my maternal grandmother (and who I am named after).  She and her family live in Florida and we don’t get to see her often.  I felt that choosing this special name would be a good way to honor/remember two important women in my life. So, we look forward to introducing you to Emily Kate at the end of May!

I hope you all had a Happy New Years day.  Ours was very uneventful and I enjoyed it.  It’s  been nice after such a busy week to just relax a little!!