Allie-4 months old

My baby girl turned 4 months old on the 17th and we took her in for her check-up this past Monday. She is doing wonderful!! She weighed 14lbs 5 oz and was 24" long, she is hitting all her milestones and the Dr. was very pleased! She has been having some skin issues the past couple months, really bad cradle cap and red spots on the creases of her elbows and neck, but I have been very diligent about putting baby oil on her head and cream on the red spots and it seems to be working (you will see in the pics that it is still a little red) but the cradle cap is all gone!! Aside from that...she is just so sweet and is sooooo in love with her big sister. I think I have said that before but it is just so true, anytime Marissa is anywhere near her, Allie just stares at her and smiles. It is truly amazing to watch their bond forming already. Marissa is pretty fond of her baby sister as well, she loves to lay in her crib with her and look at the mobile, she likes giving her high fives and she tries really hard to feed her (although I have to keep telling her that shoving the bottle in Allie's mouth until she gags isn't quite how it works...we'll keep working on it:)) Ok, so here's the fun part-recent pictures of sweet baby Allie:)

Here is Marissa telling Allie all about the jumperoo and Allie is just loving it!

Daddy and his girls:)

I love the look on Allie's face in this picture-so sweet:)

And finally, Russell's mom scanned some baby pics of Russell so we could compare and well, I don't think there is much denying that Miss Allie looks A LOT like her daddy (minus the eye color....) What do you think?:)

Easter '09

Despite Marissa, Allie and myself all feeling a little under the weather, we had a wonderful Easter Weekend! On Saturday morning, Anniston Country Club had an Easter egg hunt for the kiddos on the driving range-and well, actually, in Marissa's eyes, it was a golf ball hunt because by the time we got there all the eggs were gone and only driving range balls were left:) (She didn't seem to mind) I was able to get myself dressed and put a little makeup on so I could cart Allie around in the bjorn so she could check everything out. It was a little chilly that morning but I think Marissa had a great time meeting the Easter bunny and to top it off, she got a big ol' chocolate chip cookie!! Here are a few pics from Saturday morning.

Me with my beautiful girls!

Look how long her hair is!! Russell has been blow-drying after her bath at night and it looks so pretty the next day!:)


I thought Allie's hat was a bunny, therefore appropriate for the occasion, but Russell sadly informed me that it was a cat...oh well, at least she looked cute:)
Marissa on the "hunt"

Marissa and Daddy with Bryce and Adam and the Easter bunny (Bryce is one of Marissa's best buds-she walks around at home saying "Byce, Byce!)

And finally, she got her cookie! I love this picture of Russell, it looks like he is going to eat it right out of her hand-chocolate chip cookies are his favorite too:)

On Sunday Morning, we all got up and went to church. The service was amazing-Pastor Carlton did such a wonderful job of explaining the significance of Easter. Russell and I are absolutely loving this church, the people and the pastor! Allie did a great job in the nursery, she slept the whole time...Marissa, on the other hand, not so great-she pretty much cried on and off the whole time-oh well, we will just have to keep trying! We then came home and had a big Easter dinner consisting of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (I'm pretty sure that qualifies me for the worst mom of the year award...) We then gave the girls the Easter baskets that Pops and Nana got for them! And finally, after naptime-we took the girls out on the golf course to hit a few balls. We have done this a few times since the weather has been nice and it's a lot of fun! I hit the ball while Russell holds Allie and then we switch and Marissa just runs around! It takes about an hour to play 3 holes but it's great!! Here are some pictures from Sunday!!
Allie chillin' in the bumbo while we eat our dinner feast;)

The girls with their baskets-this was Marissa's first time with pez and she loved it!!

She was also a big fan of the solid chocolate bunny!

But was clearly not happy when mean ol' mommy wouldn't let her eat the whole thing:(

Here she is all dressed up to play golf!

Daddy trying to get her out of the "big sandbox"

Training her early:)

Well, that's all!! We hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter remembering that this is a special weekend because our Savior, Jesus Christ, took us from death to LIFE!! "just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."Romans 6:4

Funniest Video Ever.

Let me first say a few things before you watch this:
1. I'm sorry it's so dark, however you don't really need to see anything, just listen-so turn your volume up.
2. Russell does this every single time he changes a poopie diaper.
3. Be sure to listen to Marissa try to imitate her daddy.
4. I sound like a man because I have a cold...ugh.
Ok, now, for your viewing pleasure....

I would also like to say....to Russell, my sweet hubby, I love you very much and I love you even more because, although it makes you gag, you are always willing to change a poopie diaper:)

My blue-eyed girls

One look from these big blue eyes and daddy will be wrapped around their little fingers....

by the way....how cute is Marissa and her little pigtails:)

A visit from Pops and Nana

A couple weeks ago, we were able to spend several days with Russell's parents, aka Pops and Nana, and we all had a great time visiting and spending time together. We don't get to see them often enough because they live in Texas, but Pops' job has him traveling a lot so on their way home from Pennsylvania, they stopped here to see us. Marissa got seriously spoiled while they were here...they got her a kitchen for her playroom!! It is so cute and she loves it...(I am in the process of putting up curtains in her playroom, so when it's complete I will post some pics) She also took a trip to Target with her daddy and Pops and they got her an Elmo doll and video and a Handy Manny doll. Marissa is always asking to watch her "elmee bidibee" (Elmo video). :)

We also had a surprise visit from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Loren (and her adorable growing belly!). It wasn't exactly under the best circumstances as they had to travel to Memphis b/c Loren's grandpa passed away, but we were sure glad we got to see them. Loren is pregnant with a little boy and due in August, so I was able to loan her lots of maternity clothes and a few other baby items we don't need right now. Here are a couple pics from our visit!

Loren, Allie and me (and baby boy Nichols:))

the boys with their girls-Uncle Ryan, Marissa, Allie, Pops and Russell

We hope to see y'all again soon!!

Well, we almost made it....

through an entire church service, that is. This morning was our second attempt at going to church as a family of four, and, unfortunately, it got cut short. We arrived a little early, the girls both had full tummies, Marissa had her paci and silky (blanket) and Allie just needed to take a nap. Russell and I go in, talk to some people, give some hugs and get situated in our pew. We made it through the worship time and prayer and then, about halfway through the sermon, I see the head nursery woman (who is very, very sweet) walk into the service and start looking around...and, you guessed it, she's looking for me! I immediately think it's going to be Allie. She spots us and comes over and whispers, "Do you mind if we take some of Marissa's clothes off, she is really hot." Uh, ok-that's certainly not what I was expected, so I just kinda laughed and said, "sure, take off whatever you want." The weather channel said it was 55 degrees this morning, so I put on a turtleneck, sweater dress over that and tights, looking back now, probaby not the best outfit choice. I felt like an idiot. Russell assured me I was not and then laughed at me. Ugh, thanks. So, about 5 minutes later, the door opens, I look back and see the other nursery lady (also, very sweet person) looking around for someone...and, you got it, me again! She comes over and says, "Allie is screaming, she won't take the bottle and I think she is hungry." So I smile, get up and go get my baby. I get back there, and as I'm on my way to Allie's room, I peek in Marissa's room and I see her, stripped down to just her turtleneck and diaper and still crying, all red-faced and snotty-nosed. I laugh to myself at the sight and then proceed to Allie's room, who I can hear screaming bloody murder as soon as I walk into the hallway. I pick her up and she stops crying and then I can hear Marissa crying from down the hall. So, I smile and say, "Ok, I think it's time to go home." I hand Allie back to the nursery lady, go back to the service, wave Russell over and we proceed to load up our half-naked, snotty-nosed, screaming, red-faced babies in the car and go home. We look over at each other and just laugh, because well, what else is there to do in a time like this?

I will leave you with a picture of the above mentioned girls...can you believe that these two sweet little babies could cause so much trouble!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's 50th birthday and to celebrate, I would like to dedicate this post to my mom...my very best friend. I'm having a hard time putting into words what my mom means to me...I just know that I don't know what I would do without her. My mom is the most beautiful person I know, both inside and out. I can remember one summer when we were living in Houston, she and I were driving down the road and we passed a woman who was propping herself up against a tree, trying to stand up. It looked like she was going to pass out at any second; it must have been 100 degrees outside and mom pulls over and gets out and puts the woman in the car with us. I don't remember all the details because I was young, but I know she brought her to our house, let her take a shower, fed her and gave her clothes and then found somewhere to take her so she would be safe and have a place to sleep. I will never forget that day because, looking back now, it helped me understand just how kind and giving and amazing my mom is. And now that I have children, I have a whole new love and respect for my own mom. I didn't always make things easy for her, but no matter what happened, she was there by my side, never giving up on me or anyone else in her life. She is strong, independent and so very intelligent and I hope more than anything that, today, on her 50th birthday, she knows just how much her family loves her and truly appreciates everything that she has ever done for us, sacrificed for us or cooked for us (haha:)). You are the best mom in the world, and as I enter into this time of my life as a new mom, I'm so incredibly grateful that I have you to look up to. I thank God everyday that He picked you to be my mom. Happy Birthday Mom, I love you!