Ella Kate and Amelia

Stationery card

2011-12-07T22:28:00.001-05:00

Regal Monogram Christmas Card

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Stationery card

2011-11-17T00:24:00.001-05:00

Bright Joy Holiday Card

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2010-12-21T22:27:00.006-05:00

Mimi and Pops came in to celebrate Christmas last weekend. We had a great time and always appreciate the extra hands!

Ella Kate thinks it's all about her (surprise!)

I'm learning to love little kid activities! How about this card of Frosties ready to be colored!

and my big gift- new sunglasses!

I've never had a "nice" pair b/c I tend to beat them up. I just get the $5 ones from Target. Chris surprised me with these, and I love them. I do feel like a movie star!

Of course, Ella Kate had to model my new "movie stars," too. I think they look just as good on her as me!

Getting ready for Christmas, still gotta find the perfect place to hang those stockings since we're afraid they'd melt above the fire place!

Ella Kate and Olivia

We watch Olivia almost every day, but when she got to Smart Toys to see this live Olivia she was more interested in the toys- go figure!

Last day of Soccer Shots

Ella Kate and her man, Fenn

Big hugs!

Easter egg dressed up like a soccer ball. It became a "baby" soccer ball and we all had to be very careful around it :)

Geez, she's growing up so fast! Look back at these same pictures from this summer and she looks so much taller!

Wow, my baby is turning into a little kid!

Big week for Amelia

This week we noticed several new things in Amelia's motor development. How she had time to develop any motor skills I'll never know- until just recently she's spent all her time swaddled like a straight jacket and fussing when she's not!

Here she's following her mobile as it goes round and round. She's becoming more tolerant of sitting still and un-swaddled. Baby steps!

Kinda sitting up, and not crying at the moment!

Holding the rattle! She tracks objects as we move them slowly in front of her. She can also turn her head toward voices. She's a genius for sure!

Better body control, too. Super Baby!

Look at her holding that little round head up!

Showing Abbey the ornaments. Abbey was very excited, can't you tell?

Topping the tree with Daddy.

Vinson Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-09T09:37:00.001-05:00

Cinnamon Elegance Christmas 5x7 folded card

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Holiday Festivities and Christmas Card Pictures

2010-12-04T21:32:00.007-05:00

We are getting into the swing of the Holiday Season! Ella Kate is at an age where she can enjoy and appreciate the Christmas festivities and the cold weather rolling in just adds to the ambiance. Here are some shots from this weekend. Yesterday we took some family shots in front of the tree on Market Square. Maybe one will make it to our Christmas card, so if you see it again in your mailbox just smile and look surprised! After our photo shoot we went over to the skating rink. Chris was so excited to see how Ella Kate would enjoy it, I was worried that she would hate it and cry. Should've known our little dare devil would LOVE it- even when she fell down! It's a good thing there's an ice skating rink right next to our house, I see this becoming a regular thing!

Mommy and her girls

Possible Christmas card shots. Got any opinions?

We intend to use Shutterfly for our cards again. We have used them almost every year since Chris and I have been together. I should put up a little montage of our past cards- I'll work on that! Anyway, click here to check out their unique card options. I love the card stock ones and especially the folded ones, but since we send out so many we usually do a photo card because they are so affordable in large quantities. In case you're wondering why I sound like an add for Shutterfly, I am! They have a promo going on for some free Christmas cards, and we could certainly use that! This year we've mailed out Ella Kate's birthday cards, Amelia's birth announcements, and enough thank you notes to keep the USPS in business even on Saturdays!

Another option for all these great pictures is to make a calendar, which we've done in the past as well. I'm planning to do it again this year if I can get it organized soon enough. They also do photo books, which I just got introduced to. They are SO easy to put together. Easy to upload pictures from your computer, phone, or even facebook! The designs are simple and look nice- it will even arrange the photos in the book for you if you choose! I will definitely be using it again.

Uncle Joe with his niece. Well, one of his nieces- he's got three now! I'm thinking he won't have any nephews- girls are ruling this generation. I think that's plenty fair since in our generation I am the only girl! I've got 2 brothers and 5 boy cousins. Even all the second cousins are boys! The next girl wasn't born until I was 6 years old, but since then there have been almost nothing but girls. Crazy, huh?

Chris and Ella Kate ice skating. She LOVED it and he so loved taking her. She's so little they didn't have skates for her, she just buckled those little training blades to her shoes. SO precious! She wasn't a bit awkward just walked right out on the ice. She held Chris's hand for the first half of a lap- after that she kept trying to shake his hand away and said "I do it by myself!" By the end of the first lap she was even trying to dance to the music. She was very upset when we had to leave to go watch the parade. I promised her we'd go again- maybe I'll even venture out on the ice with her!

This is Amelia dancing to the music- ha! Seriously, though, the music was so loud you would have thought she'd be screaming the whole time, but no, she was out (until she got hungry!).

Ella Kate and Uncle Joe. Funny that she looks down to see if she's managed to cover his eyes. She loves that!

This morning we went to church to have breakfast with Santa. Ella Kate enjoyed having her face painted by Callie- a candy cane with a bow.

And handing out candy canes to other friends.

Making a beaded snowflake with Ms. Lauren.

Decorating a goody bag with Mommy

Showing off her stickers

Showing her art work to Amelia.

Describing her goody bag art work to Amelia (a whole conversation!).

Here's Amelia posing in the same outfit Ella Kate wore for her first Christmas. So fun :)

Telling Santa what she wanted for Christmas

She said a baby Barbie. What she meant was a baby doll and a Barbie. Good to know!

Both girls with Santa- no one crying! We've been really lucky with all our Santa shots-- none have had that traditional crying kid!

Another shot of me wearing Amelia. She really likes it!

2010-11-27T21:04:00.004-05:00

Life is getting better in the Vinson household. We are officially a family of four now, but we have been temporarily a family of five as my brother, aka Uncle Joe, has been graciously staying with us for a few weeks to help us get settled into the swing of things. Amelia is crying less and less and is getting better at being awake without constantly fussing/crying. The silent reflux seems to be treated well with Prilosec, so long as we remember to give it to her! She's gaining weight just fine and we'll have another check up next week for her 2 month. She is amazing to look at when she's peaceful, which we are just now getting to enjoy. It feels like these first 2 months of her life have been a blurr of soothing, shushing, bouncing, feeding, and a lot of asking WHY???? She is holding her head up, looking around, and following sounds. She smiles and occasionally even gives little giggles and coos. She still eats about every 2.5-3 hrs, but we're working on going longer. She is a beautiful baby and we are just thankful that we've survived almost 8 weeks. I think if we can get to 12 we'll be even better!

Ella Kate has been truly amazing in this transition. She always asks for Amelia (pronounced Mil-i-a) and has named every new toy or doll after her (and even my new work car!). We have a new toy horse named Millie and a monkey named Mil-i-a. She kisses her gently and tries to shush her and tell her it's alright, every thing's ok. She offers suggestions on how to stop her crying- "maybe her hungry? maybe her need to burp? maybe her need new diaper? maybe her need some lip gloss!" I am thankful every day that I have such a sweet angel in Ella Kate. She is so well behaved and mild mannered- if she was a "spicy" one like Amelia just might turn out to be we surely would have gone insane by now!

I just thought this one was cute b/c of Amelia's eyes wide open- wonder what she saw or is thinking?

My Girls!

Ella Kate and Uncle Joe, our savior!

Thanksgiving/my birthday morning. The boys let me sleep in and Chris even wore Amelia around for a while. We all hung out in our pj's and ate junk food- sausage balls and pumpkin pie. We took a long family walk- me with Amelia, Chris with EK, and Joe with the 3 dogs (his dog Kita is here visiting, too). It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed every moment!

Our Thanksgiving dinner. Notice me wearing Amelia- finally got that Moby wrap figured out. She likes it there, but she won't let me sit down, which makes eating dinner a challenge!

Daddy snoozing with his girl.

MY PANTRY!!!! Finally, a project we've been talking about for months, has been completed! Chris, Jody, and Pops started working on the frame a couple of weeks ago and finished the shelves, which slide out, this weekend. Now I get the challenge of deciding what goes where! J and I started pulling the kitchen apart today and rearranging all the cabinets. Woo-Hoo! Fun times! I do so get a thrill out of organizing :)

2010-11-15T14:29:00.004-05:00

Sip-n-See in Amelia's honor!

My sweet sweet girlfriends threw us a Sip-n-See (sip some champagne and see the baby) in honor of Amelia's arrival. We had such a wonderful time and I really enjoyed seeing my girlfriends and visiting. What a great feel good kind of day - and the mimosas didn't hurt!

Lauran and Kristi came in on Saturday and we got to enjoy some quality girl time, although it was way too short!

Amelia all dressed up for the party

Hmmm... still a little floppy!

Ella Kate's Beauty Parlor

She got a Tinkerbell vanity set for her birthday and has really enjoyed playing with it. Daddy got a hair cut and style- notice he's even wearing the cape!

Then she had to make a quick phone call to Tinkerbell

Then we had to have a little silly time with Daddy. These girls will have him completely wrapped around their little fingers!!!

Relaxin' on my Daddy

I tried to take weekly pictures of Ella Kate next to this Pooh, but I wasn't very consistent about it. Here's my first one of Amelia in the same position- obviously not sitting up on her own quite yet!

Mary Frances's Princess Birthday Party at Smart Toys

Ella Kate and Mary Frances's- they've been friends since before their 1st birthdays!

Ella Kate and Charlotte- they've been in school together since they were babies.

This is an attempt at posing 3 three year olds for a picture- they were supposed to be hugging :)

Dancing with Riley

Amelia with Uncle Joe and Pastor Dave

Sweet sweet baby girl, Amelia

2010-11-12T11:44:00.008-05:00

Halloween Trick-or-Treat in the neighborhood

Chillin' with Ranger (Heidi & Dave's baby!)

She was a Pumpkin Princess for Halloween- it was a combo of b-day outfit and costume. She loved it!

She actually really likes broccoli- funny shot of a toddler, though, huh?

Disney Princesses on Ice!

Shay gave Ella Kate this precious outfit to match Bree. Aren't they adorable!

She spent most of the show sitting on Daddy's lap and had such a great time!

Layla all dressed up!

Posing in front of the Snow White display

Belle is one of her favorites!

Ella Kate's Birthday Party Bash at the Little Gym!

My good friend Tiffany gave Ella Kate her first lip gloss set. She's carried it around ever since and she offers lip gloss to all of us, even Amelia! Once when Amelia was crying she said, "her not happy, maybe she need some lip gloss!"

Ella Kate got to celebrate her birthday at school with some pink cupcakes (with sprinkles!) during their Halloween party. What a sugar overload!!!

Sophia's Birthday at the Little Gym

She never gets juice from us, so she was more excited about this juice box than the cupcake!

This was just after Amelia was born and she was fascinated with helping and being just like a little mommy herself. She carries her babies around and wears a burp cloth and holds them up to be burped. She's adjusting to being a big sister really well. She's so very sweet!

These pics are from Matt Mitchell's 2nd birthday party. All summer Ella Kate was just a little water bug, but this was the first time she got in and out on her own and jumped without one of us to catch her. Also, she really turned over on her belly and "swam" around! What a big girl!

The sweet girls at church threw me a shower and Baby Vinson got some wonderful gifts. They also had the cutest "diaper cakes" that Ella Kate really enjoyed helping me take apart!

2010-11-02T16:24:00.014-04:00

Amelia DeLacy

10-6-10

8lbs 12oz * 20 inches

Chris and his girls :)

He is officially surrounded by women!

Mommy and her girls-- ooohhh how much pink can we have???

Both of our mothers were in town for the big event. Gama (my mom) was at the hospital with us and Mimi (C's mom) took Ella Kate to Little Gym and came over right away for her to meet her new little sister.

Last picture at the hospital before we ventured out on our own.

Me just before the induction. Yes, this one was almost a full week late and had to be induced, too. Just like her big sister!

Amelia was UGA's good luck charm for 3 weeks running. I guess our luck ran out, though, last weekend when we played FL. BUT, we did keep the score close, and that counts for a lot!!!

Amelia

Ella Kate

Do you see the resemblance?

Ella Kate has been a wonderful big sister. She's doting and caring and always concerned about Amelia (especially with all the crying!) being happy. She asks for her all the time and has named every new toy and stuffed animal "Mil" or "Millie."

First trip to the pediatrician- they make you feel like a celebrity!

Ella Kate's first trip- funny how time repeats itself!

First bath- Daddy is so careful!

She looks so angelic you'd never know she screams all the darn time!

Beautiful baby girl

Love my October babies

Not a baby anymore!

The weekend before our Amelia arrived we went to the hot air baloon festival with the Goodletts. Ella Kate loves to play with Noah and Amelia and they are so sweet with her!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

On the hay ride with the Goodlett's kids- Noah and Amelia

Going down the big slide- such a dare devil, she wasn't even scared!

The first time down she rode with Noah, after that she was on her own!

My sweet angel

Ella Kate's friend Claire turned 3 just before she did and her baby brother was due on the same day as Amelia (but arrived a week early as opposed to a week late). Claire had a pony party and it was SO much fun.

Notice Ella Kate trying to blow out the candle-- "I just helping!"

Fenn, Ella Kate, and Claire enjoying the cake- yum!

Fenn and his ladies (Layla, EK, and Claire)

Layla and Ella Kate on the wagon ride

Ella Kate's favorite part of the party was decorating the pony. They had brushes with glitter and an endless supply of stickers. The pony didn't even notice and Ella Kate hasn't stopped talking about it since!

EK and the birthday girl, Claire.

They got to ride the real horses, too. So much fun- great party idea!

EK with Claire and Riley from school.

Ella Kate and her main man, Fenn. OOHHH they are SO cute I could just eat them up!

Labor Day weekend on the lake

2010-09-06T00:42:00.003-04:00

My Georgia Bulldog Babies!

2010-09-06T00:39:00.001-04:00

Jazzy Bugs at Little Gym

2010-09-06T00:11:00.004-04:00

Ella Kate, Claire, Layla, and Sophia are having a great time in their new class at Little Gym. They get to do ballet, tap, and gymnastics. And the moms are enjoying it just as much as the kids because this class is all teacher led! No more parents chasing the kids around! Plus, 3 of us are very pregnant and it's getting harder to chase them around, anyway (not to mention that they listen to their teachers way better than they listen to us!).

Anna Claire's 4th Birthday pool party

2010-09-05T23:55:00.002-04:00

More Soccer Shots

2010-08-14T08:51:00.003-04:00

Fourth of July weekend in Atlanta

2010-08-14T08:46:00.001-04:00

Center for Puppetry Arts

Blackberry cobbler at Aunt Katey's house

Getting ready for our annual Peachtree Road Race

Soccer lessons with Claire, Fenn, and the Daddies

2010-08-13T22:48:00.002-04:00

Zoo date with Fenn, Layla, and Sophia

2010-08-13T22:42:00.002-04:00

Pit stop driving through the Smoky Mts

2010-08-13T22:25:00.002-04:00

Weekend with Mimi & Pops' on the farm

2010-08-13T22:06:00.006-04:00

2010-06-15T22:30:00.003-04:00

I love the summer program at her school. Every week they have Ijams, Little Ponderosa, a bounce house, and water days. The older kids take field trips, but the younger ones have the field trips come to them! Ella Kate loves the little animals (maybe a vet one day....?).

Brownies for Daddy (well, ok, for Mommy, too!) We had a fun time making some tonight while Daddy was out playing basketball. Ella Kate kept saying "Mmmm! Yummy! I LOVE brownies!" while she made a mess "cleaning" the bowl and spoon.

This is what you do when you don't have a pool! Make your own water park!

Picnic after playing in the water. Wonderful summer days!

Reading a few of her favorite books.

Visit with Gran-Gran (my Dad's mother). She's almost 98.5! Amazing, but the numbers are starting to catch up with her.

Catharine/Kathryn (I'm her only granddaughter; she has 4 grandsons)

Four generations!

Having a great time in the hotel. She enjoyed running up and down the hall, the swimming pool (where we saw a tiny frog), and the afternoon cookies!

Little Gym Graduation

2010-06-03T00:21:00.005-04:00

Little Gym Graduation

Ella Kate and her favorite friends, Fenn and Layla.

Trying to get 2 year olds to pose for a picture is pretty impossible!

As close to a group shot as we were gonna get!

Congrats, Fenn!

Miss Layla waiting patiently (with hands on hips).

Way to go, Layla!

Accepting her award

So proud!

Now that's a ball hog!

She always has to have that one slightly pinkish ball.

Her first somersault on the beam (with assistance from Ms. Sarah!).

Silly Monkey

Can just quite get it!

This looks innocent enough, but I think she was actually trying to tell Fenn she didn't want to wait- it was her turn!

Ella Kate's little man, Fenn :)

Last pictures from the Charleston trip & some rainy day shots

2010-06-02T23:58:00.006-04:00

May Showers

Lovin' on Miss Abbey (Ella Kate's new 'baby').

Notice the tu-tu. She wore it most of the day and got lots of attention. Several older gentlemen asked if she could do a pirouette!

Tu-tu and the matching headband stayed on even at lunch :)

Admiring Mommy's new necklace. Love The Market in Charleston!

More from Isle of Palms, SC

2010-05-10T22:44:00.010-04:00

Daddy's Girl

Family shot- only one we got the whole trip!

So tired after a long day of fun. This was the day we saw the turtles at dinner, but apparently we only took pictures with our phones, so I'll have to upload those later.

Can tell she's tired when she's zoned out and has her hands crossed so sweetly.

Chris (and Ella Kate) surprised me with a wonderful Mother's Day gift! Triple strand pearl necklace and matching bracelet. I felt so dressed up! A nice distraction from the belly :)

Such a big girl eating cereal with milk all by herself at the counter. She did a GREAT job and didn't spill or make a mess. Such a sweet angel!

'Taking a picture.' She likes to have a picture already on the screen so that when she "takes" it she can see her creation.

Mid spin

Dancing at dinner. She's loving all the local restaurants with live music and open dance floors! Wish we had more of this back home. She loved it (and all the attention she got didn't hurt her ego a bit!).

Ella Kate quickly introduced herself to Max the 10yr old 'puppy' and his owner Jake. Jake, probably about 4 or 5 seemed a little too bashful to dance with her, although his mom encouraged him. It actually gave me a brief glimpse of what middle school could be like! He looked at Ella Kate (spinning and 'dancing' to the music) and almost blushed as he looked back at his mom. SO CUTE!

Oh, how we love the local seafood joints! Red's was certainly not small, but it was great. Shrimp caught right there on the Shem creek. Live music- they even played Rocky Top (can we NEVER escape that song?!). Great food and atmosphere!

Waiting on dinner & enjoying the view.

Sweet little love bug!

Ella Kate's first golf (ok, putt-putt) outing

I believe Chris has been waiting for this day his whole life: teaching one of his kids to play golf. He tried to get her to do the right stance and hold the club properly. She was excited about putt-putt all day and really did well- until she saw the turtle shaped sand boxes around hole 14-- it was all downhill from there!

Got the stance down!

Ella Kate the golfer, not the pitcher! (That's what he always tells me when I'm playing, which isn't often.)

Now, if only I could get this ball to stay on the tee!

Umm... how do I hold this thing again, Daddy?

Listening attentively as Daddy gives some pointers.

Good drive, Daddy.

Gotta line it up just right for my putt.

Gettin' close!

Sometimes we just have to make that little ball go where we want it!

One more lesson from Daddy.

Ooooh, I'm getting good at this! (notice the grip!)

I even look like a pro!

Silly Mommy! Let me give you some pointers!

Do I need to be your caddy, too?

At the end of the day, I am still just a 2 1/2 year old, and playing in the water is just too much fun to pass up!

Back to the ocean. Ella Kate loves the waves, as long as she's being held!

Jumping over the tiny waves-- we have to start somewhere!

IOP 2010 (IOP means Isle of Palms)

Jumping some slightly bigger waves

Building sand castles

"Look! A tiny baby alligator!"

More wave jumping

Running through the tidal pool (also known as the little ocean vs the big ocean).

The pier used in the movie Dear John

Beach Trip to Charleston

2010-05-09T09:31:00.006-04:00

Day 1: We arrived in Charleston- well actually Isle of Palms since Charleston isn't on the water- yesterday morning. The trip down went well; Ella Kate slept about half way and the rest wasn't too unbearable (just tried not to fall asleep!). When she woke up she immediately said "I go to the beach! Starfish, sea shells, dolphins, octopus!" When we arrived we went straight to the pool and then after a nap out to the beach. She had a great time exploring every new sight and sound. At some friend's (Shay's sister-in-law) suggestion we went to a great hole-in-the-wall called 'See Wee's Restaurant' and had some great seafood. Ella Kate danced with some other little girls to live down home low country music. Isn't it amazing how little kids can make friends with anyone?!

Chili Cook Off at St. Marks

2010-05-02T23:29:00.009-04:00

Chili cook-off at St. Marks as a fundraiser for the youth group's mission trip. There were 11 teams and we managed to raise $1210!!! That was way more than I thought was possible! Each team had to have a youth member on the team and a theme.

Derby Day Chili

We had on our Derby attire (Chris' blue seersucker suit matched Ella Kate's pink seersucker dress). Ella Kate and I had on matching aprons courtesy of Aunt Amy-Chris! I'm so excited that we got to wear these out for everyone to admire!

Our youth member was Daniel Linebaugh. He was a great addition to our team, maybe the nicest 8th grader I've ever met!

Our spread included the chili (Dad's recipe) and rice (b/c Dad always serves his chili with rice b/c in the cajun world you need something to cut the hot & spicy flavors!). We also had sour cream, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, Fritos, and faux mint juleps.

The Linebaughs contributed a horse saddle set up to be "ridden" by the little ones. Ella Kate was hesitant at first, but LOVED it once she was on and "riding."

This is Wesley Graybeal (minister's youngest son) and Steve Linebaugh.

Here are some shots of the other competitors.

Hillbilly Chili

Hillbilly Godfather Chili

Kiffin's Killers

Hot Chili Volun'tears'

There wasn't a single spoonful left at the end of the evening. We actually should've made more (we doubled the regular recipe and we could've tripled it!). We actually only got a tiny sample bowl between the two of us! The evening was so fun and was a frenzy of chili feeding. It went by so fast that at the end of the night we realized Ella Kate hadn't even eaten anything and had to fix her a quick sandwich when we got home!

We won the "Best Dressed" award, but we think we should've won the overall award. The winner was decided by "votes" in dollars. The winning team was sneaking $100 bills in the box-- but we weren't upset b/c all the money went to the youth. We had LOTS of compliments and many people told us ours was the best. Of course, we thought it tasted best, too!

Thunder Road 1/2 Marathon

2010-05-02T22:50:00.004-04:00

Charlotte's Thunder Road 1/2 Marathon with Lauran. I set a PR at this race!!! Yipee, I broke 2 hrs for the 2nd time, but this time it was much more plesant (except for the sub freezing temps). Final time was 1:58.

New Orleans December 2009

2010-05-02T22:46:00.004-04:00

JLK Rose Gala

2010-05-02T22:43:00.004-04:00

Are we Derby ready, or what?

Kathryn & Deanna (next year's president elect)

Laura and me, my oldest JLK friend!

Ella Kate had to get in on the action, too :)

Boat Days

2010-05-02T22:36:00.002-04:00

First trip of 2010 to the boat. Ella Kate had SO much fun. It's amazing how much difference a year makes. She had fun last summer, but she really didn't know what was going on. This year she ejoyed every aspect of it. So much fun for us, too!

Abby Kate's 3rd Birthday

2010-05-02T22:10:00.008-04:00

Abby Kate's 3rd Birthday party at the Little Ponderosa Zoo

I can't believe AK is 3 years old! That means that Ella Kate will be 3 this year, too! We had a great time, as always, with Abby Kate and her mom, Heather- two of our favorite people!!!

Fun with Daddy

2010-05-02T17:01:00.001-04:00

She loves to copy us-- notice how her feet are crossed like Daddy's and she's leaning up against the cabinets like him, too. Very intentional!

Copying Daddy getting ready to play basketball. Every time Daddy leaves the house she says "Good Luck, Daddy!" She always thinks he's off to play some b-ball.

Asheville with Amy-Chris

2010-05-02T16:52:00.001-04:00

Listen Daddy!

2010-05-01T23:14:00.000-04:00

Ella Kate was very excited about wearing her new shirt to school. She got so much attention that she had to tell us all about it that night. In case you can't understand her, she's saying "Listen Daddy, Listen! I'm gonna be a Big Sister!!!" This is now what she says any time she wants the attention brought back on her. Getting a head start on the big sister attitude!

Wow, has it really been 4 months???

2010-04-27T23:18:00.002-04:00

I'll just go ahead and apologize to any of my blogging friends/fans for my lack of blogging over the last few months. We've been busy with the day to day life with a toddler. We survived the most miserable winter I can remember. I thought last winter was bad! I heard we broke a record for the most number of consecutive days when the temp didn't get above freezing. I couldn't bear to run on the treadmill everyday, so every chance I got I ran outside- even in 16 degree wind chills. It's not that bad once you get moving! Here's a basic run down of what we've done since the last post :

In January I went to our headquarters in PA for a week of training- it snowed then, too. That week Ella Kate went to Mimi & Pops house for a week where, thanks to wonderful grandparents, she successfully completed her potty training and she's been fully trained ever since!!!
We went to Mary Rose' (Chris' grandmother) 90th birthday and got to see more of C's family in Asheville.
In February I got to spend a weekend with my dear mommy-to-be Amy-Chris in Asheville.
We took a family trip to Chattanooga where I ran a 5K with some of my most favorite friends from high school (Jaime, Lara, and Michelle)-- I even set a PR! Chris, Ella Kate, and I all went to the Aquarium after the race and had a GREAT time! She's at a wonderful age and really enjoyed all the different areas of the aquarium.
In March I went to Chicago for a week for our annual meeting.
Two weeks later Chris went to DC for a week of training.
The week after that I was in Nashville for a couple of days of more training.
My lovely Lauran came to Knoxville for the Knoxville 1/2 marathon and I very much enjoyed spending the weekend with her and getting some good girl time! I miss her very much!
We had several Easter Egg Hunts for Ella Kate this year. One with church, one with the neighborhood, one at school, and one here at home. She REALLY loves egg hunts, but she mostly wants to see whats inside the eggs, rather than competing to find the most.
In April we went to Abby Kate's and Jacob's birthday party at the Little Ponderosa Zoo.
We took the boat out the first chance we got and Ella Kate had so much fun. She really enjoyed it, and we enjoyed her joy. It's amazing the difference a year makes!
And last weekend we went to Lake Weiss, AL for a weekend with Chris's parents and his Aunt & Uncle (Joyce and Blake). Ella Kate mistook Joyce for my mom and called her 'Gama' for a while and b/c Blake "June" is so goofy she called him 'Silly Man.' We had a nice weekend, even with the torrential downpours! She got to get in the pool for the first time and has been asking for it ever since.
Whew, it seems like a lot, but mostly it's been routine- oh yeah, and we found out back in January that we will be happy parents again! Baby Vinson is due October 1st (10-01-10)!!! That actually may be the main reason I haven't had the energy to update the blog in the last few months!

2010-04-27T22:26:00.000-04:00

Neighborhood egg hunt. She definitely looks like a little rag-a-muffin! Skinned knees and all :)

Making a beach- 'Look Mommy, I made my foot print!'

The shoes have become sand toys. Bet Sam 'n ' Libby never expected that!

Playing in the sand box- notice the shoes in the sand....

Having tea on the new Tinkerbell tea set the Easter Bunny brought.

Easter Egg hunt in our yard

"Hi Fishies!"

Trip to the Zoo with Daddy when Mommy was in Asheville with Amy-Chris

"It's 'nowin!"

Amazing frozen waterfall on the side of the road on the way to NC via the 'Dragon' aka Hwy 129. Thanks to the rock slide on I-40 we had to find alternate routes to visit our families.

Mary Rose' 90th Birthday party. Ella Kate was kinda grumpy (no nap) until she got some ice cream!

Potty Training and Snow Day

2010-01-08T16:41:00.003-05:00

Potty training happens anywhere anytime! We've been eating supper in the living room in front of the fire b/c it's so cold in the dining room! Anyway, Ella Kate randomly tells us she needs to "tinkle on potty" (which is GREAT!) and on her way over to it she grabs the pork chop off my plate and proceeds to take big bites out of it. Notice the get up: balerina (aka princess) slippers, a tu-tu (aka choo-choo train-- guess it sounds similar??), big girl panties, her jacket (no, it's not that cold in the house, she just wanted to play with it), a plastic cow in one hand, and a pork chop in the other. Whatever works, huh?

Giving Abbey "lovin." I guess she was trying to give her a kiss! I meant for her to hug and pose for the camera.

Coloring on Mommy's bed. All dolled up in 3 hair bows, necklace, bracelets, and a spider ring from Halloween!

"Calling" Daddy at work.

There's the one I was aiming for!

And a cute pose with "Pink Francine"

December catch-up

2010-01-03T16:16:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. They're in reverse order, sorry, I didn't have the energy to sort them out! We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. Here's hoping 2010 is as good as 2009 was!

Ella Kate's new dress!

So, do you like it? I hope so because I made it!! Ok, well, I didn't make it by myself, there was more than a little help from Linda. Neither of us thought it would turn out well, but we were pleasantly surprised! We even made it reversable. I now understand why we pay professional seamstresses to make these dresses, though, they're way harder than they look!

New Year's Eve

Since TN played in the Chick-Fil-A (aka Peach) Bowl on New Year's Eve all of our friends were preoccupied. We went out to dinner by ourselves and truly enjoyed our evening out. Thanks to Mimi and Pops for babysitting. It was rainy and cold, so we didn't stay out to watch the ball drop on Market Square. It was a nice night and we're looking forward to 2010.

Christmas and Christmas Eve

After a full morning of opening presents from Santa, Ella Kate was super tuckered out and took a great nap during which the Elves returned with some more gifts! She had so much fun going through her stocking, couldn't get enough of the play-dough and her necklaces and bracelets. She also got some plastic Dairy Queen ice cream cones. I think we had just as much fun watching her open the presents as she did opening them! Each time she opened one she cried "WOW!" even if she didn't know what it was. Kinda like she's already aiming for politeness :)

New vacuum from MimiPops, wish it was real, we'd have super clean floors!

The jacket was from MimiPops and she wanted to wear it as she opened and played with more gifts!

She got a set of doll toys- a pack 'n' play, baby carrier seat, high chair, bouncer, changing pad, and a carrier that she wears. She loves taking care of her babies!

She brought out each gift, even the ones that were way too heavy and big to carry. She had SUCH a good time divvying them up and tearing off the paper.

She got a big stuffed dog that she named Snoopy (after she saw the Snoopy Christmas "book" from my parents). Snoopy is a girl and she wears Ella Kate's necklaces and bracelets when Ella Kate is napping :)

Chris' photography

An ornament Ella Kate made at school of her hand print. Too precious for words. I'll cherish this one.

Ella Kate setting out Santa's cookies and milk. She was so excited to see they were gone and nothing but crumbs was left the next morning. She kept pointing to the chimney and saying Santa? Reindeer? Cookies?

Reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" with Mommy

Reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" with Daddy

Making Santa's Christmas cookies.

Mixing the cookie dough-- she LOVES helping in the kitchen, even washing dishes!

Funny picture of Lacey hiding under my desk when Chris was vacuuming. She is so scared of that vacuum!

Cuteness after church. I love that hat!

Sitting with Daddy in front of the fire. It has been SO cold here. Today it was a high of 24 and the wind chill made it 13!!!!

Ella Kate loves her Abbey. Abbey is SO patient with her, too. Abbey was just lying there and Ella Kate climbed on top and rather than asking her to ride she just hugged her around the neck and loving her to pieces. She loves her doggies and asks for them all the time. One of her favorite books right now is "Busy Doggies" and she labels each dog as one of hers and giggles and laughs at each picture.

Visit with Gran-Gran

2009-12-13T22:37:00.006-05:00

Weekend in North Carolina

Lauran and I ran another 1/2 marathon this weekend- Thunder Road in Charlotte. Kristi ran, too, but she didn't stay with us so no pre-race pictures. The temp was MISERABLE-- 32F at the start line and 36F by the time we finished, at least it wasn't raining! We wore double layers top and bottom- I had on cuddl duds under my tights and a turtle neck with a fleece over that. La wore pretty much the same type of thing. We had gloves and ear muffs, too. I didn't shed a single layer the whole time! For the first several miles I could see my breath, but either it stopped, or I just quit noticing. Needless to say, it was cold. I guess I'm paying for it now b/c I have laryngitis. It was worth it, though, b/c I ran a PR. YIPEE! It only took me 2 years to get back to my old self after Ella Kate was born (2y 9m if you could the pregnancy time!).
After the race we drove up to visit my Grandmother, my Dad's mom, who the great grands call Gran-Gran. That night at the hotel I was trying to coax Ella Kate to bed with bribery of having Papa read her bed time story. It was a great family moment and thankfully Chris had the presence of mind to get it on camera. I love this picture!

Catharine 98, Kathryn 32, and Elizabeth Kathryn 2yrs. Gran-Gran will be 98 in February, and they call her young, b/c there are people well over 100 (one that's even 109!) at her resort-I mean retirement home!

Ella Kate sat in a booster seat for the first time on this trip. She did really well and didn't try to wiggle out of it. We called it her "big girl" seat. This was at lunch in the 50's style diner at the retirement home (one of 3 restaurants/dining rooms). There was an old Mickey Mouse hidden in a mural on the wall- man, she picked it out way before any of us noticed it. I'm afraid a trip to Disney may be in our future.

I think she looks great for almost 98! I'm so lucky and proud to have her in my life!

Chris tried some different features on his camera and took some picts in black & white - they look pretty cool!

We had to try a new route home thanks to the big rock slide at the TN/NC line. This one took us up through VA, but somehow it was actually shorter than our normal route-only took 3.5 hrs instead of the usual 4+hrs! After 2 hrs of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she finally fell asleep; cuddling "pink lovey" as usual.

We got home with enough time to spare to work on our Christmas decorations. It's looking pretty good thanks to our little helper.

Ella Kate even did the honors of putting the angel on top of the tree. She was so into putting the ornaments on the tree- oh, to be 2 again!

Playdate with Bree

2009-11-07T23:33:00.005-05:00

SNAKE!

2009-11-07T23:32:00.001-05:00

Misc pictures of our angel

2009-11-07T23:13:00.004-05:00

Ella Kate and George, good friends

After church one Sunday. She just looked so adorable we had to get some pictures on the back steps.

This little white stool may look like just a stool, but it is so special to me. It is actually from my Grandmommie's house (my Dad's dad, also named Catharine, who is now 97.5 years old!). As the only grand daughter (surrounded by tons of boys) I remember sitting on this stool when I was a little girl. I don't even know why I liked it so much, but it is the perfect size for just about everything when you're a kid. When Granmommie moved into an assisted living apartment a couple of years ago she was going to get rid of it. Luckily my Dad just happened to be there that weekend and I specifically asked him to save it for me. Now Ella Kate uses it for everything, and as you can see, she's found yet another creative way to work it into her life. She's into apples lately and when I peeled and handed her this one she first had to go get the stool and push it into the kitchen and position it just right. I just love this shot. She's eating an apple and drinking milk sitting in/on the stool from my most precious Grandmommie (her Grand Grand). I will cherish this one.

Just looking sweet, as usual :)

Chris dumpster diving

2009-11-07T23:06:00.004-05:00

Chris is in this paper recycling dumpster for a reason, I promise! We managed to accidentally throw his replacement cell phone away with the paper! I didn't realize it was in the box with other papers and put it with the recyclables. Chris didn't check it when he dumped the whole thing and there you have it. We were lucky on many counts: 1) we caught it pretty soon after it was dumped 2) there wasn't much paper in there yet 3) it was paper not plastic so it was pretty clean 4) it was a week day so there weren't too many people out yet. It was quite a fiasco having both of us in and out of that dumpster in our work dress clothes (me in a black dress and heels!- where's that picture?) but ultimately we won out. Actually, I won out-- I'm the one that found the phone. I think I scared the wits out of a sweet elderly lady, but other than that no harm was done. Whew! LOTS of antibacterial gel was used after that adventure!

Ella Kate's first hair cut

2009-11-07T23:04:00.002-05:00

Ella Kate's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-11-04T13:21:00.007-05:00

Ella Kate's Birthday at Pride & Joy

2009-10-30T16:21:00.003-04:00

Ella Kate's class enjoying some lady bug cupcakes on her 2nd birthday

This girl's not afraid- she bit right in, didn't even wait for all the cupcakes to be served!

Fenn sitting between his ladies, Anabelle and Ariyanna

Ariyanna

Ty, Sidney, Charlotte

Noah, Ty, and Sidney

Trunk or Treat

2009-10-25T15:39:00.000-04:00

Boo at the Zoo

2009-10-18T14:58:00.000-04:00

Our little lady bug took a little time to warm up, but she had a great time at Boo at the Zoo. Glad we went- she got to say "trick or treat" for the first time! I was proud, she said "thank you" more consistently than the "trick or treat!"

A little family shot with tigers and giraffes

So she's blocking the ghost, but this particular ghost reminded me of Mr. Peanut, so it's ok that she's blocking him!

There was a little kids area with a DJ so we did a little dancing

Learning to "raise the roof"

Well, this is really the "freeze" move from Little Gym, but it doubles as a dance move when needed!

Doing my own thing!

Doing the "cha cha slide"

Watching from the side lines with Daddy

Posing with the Oz cast!

Tried to take this pumpkin home with me, but it was not for the taking.

All good things come to an end, bye bye Zoo!

Corn Maze

2009-10-11T15:23:00.000-04:00

13.1 Atlanta

2009-10-06T16:17:00.000-04:00

I had the ultimate pleasure of joining two of my circles of friends when I ran the 13.1 Atlanta 1/2 marathon with my high school friends, Jaime and Lara, and my post college girls, Lauran and Kristi. It was so much fun (except the running part!) to see my worlds collide :)

My girls: Lara, Jaime, me, Lauran, and Kristi

Me, Kristi, and Lauran all sweaty after the race.

Lara breathing a sigh of relief after it was all over

Lara, me, and Jaime. Jaime is one of my oldest friends (no, not in age!)- the only one I actually keep up with from elementary school. We've known each other since 5th grade, can you believe that?

Kristi, Lauran, and me before the race. Funny, we don't look all fresh and bouncy-- guess it was too early in the morning!

Me, Lauran, and Kristi the night before the race goofing off in Target.

Chris' first game at Sanford Stadium

2009-10-05T16:30:00.000-04:00

We went to the UGA v Arizona St game for Chris' first trip to Sanford Stadium. It was a great day, until the rain set in, then it became super soggy. It was clear until about an hour before kickoff then it POURED. It let up a little at kickoff and rained some on and off for the first half. We couldn't take it any more and left at half time, good thing, too b/c the second half of the game was miserable to listen to on the radio, it would've been much worse in person. But they did pull it out and won, literally in the last seconds, with a field goal. We're crossing our fingers for next season at for our dawgs at this point....

Can you say soggy?

Blurry shot of UGA, but we saw him live and in action!

In front of the infamous UGA arch. Being on the campus made me wish I had gone there, but I would never have met my best girlfriends and may never have met my Mr. Wonderful, so I will settle for going there for the games!

2009-10-04T19:04:00.006-04:00

The last time we were at Mimi & Pop's house we went to check out their new splash park. Ella Kate loved it, can you tell? And of course, her favorite, the swings just made it even better :)

Random picture of Ella Kate exploring Charleston- she loved the old doors and tried to open every one up and down King street.

Labor Day at the Zoo

2009-10-03T12:04:00.012-04:00

chillin' in my ride!

Checking out the HUGE black bear

riding the carousel

Miss Independent

rare white tiger

chimps

checking out the camels

toucan

flamingos

we love those elephants

Standing in the elephant box

Red Panda

Rhinos

Camping at the beach and new adventures

2009-09-26T13:35:00.014-04:00

I grew up camping- camping all the time everywhere: the beach, lakes, the mountains- my parents were experts at packing it all up and setting up our home in the woods for a week or so. I haven't been camping like that in probably 15 years. Chris and I took a weekend trip backpack hiking camping a few years ago, but that's as close as we've been. So, after almost 10 years together, I finally convinced him to try tent camping at the beach. We packed up everything we could think of (including Ella Kate, her pack-n-play, and more toys than she could use) and headed down to South Carolina- Edisto Beach State Park. We anticipated an adventure, but really it was a wonderful trip! While the rest of the south was flooding we were enjoying beautiful weather.

Our home away from home

Our idea of "roughing it" included the DVD player for Ella Kate, my coffee maker, an oscillating fan in the tent, 2 laptops (one with internet access), 4 cell phones, and one electric mosquito zapper. We also had our stove and another tent for the "dining room" aka picnic table.

Making smores, Ella Kate was a big fan, especially of the marshmallows which she squished and got everywhere!

We did have some nightly visitors; 3 raccoons! We hid everything edible in the car so there wasn't anything for them to eat, but that didn't stop them from looking!

The beautiful view from our tent. It was so nice to sleep in the open air with the stars above and the sound of the waves crashing just over the sand dune.

EK pushed her little wagon of beach toys all over the campsite. Loading and unloading it and making quite a mess out of the sand and dirt. Then she'd take off her shoes to clean her little feet, only to make things worse! We did a lot of rinsing off this past week!

And, of course, there was the beach. Ella Kate was in love- a definite water baby! She wanted to run into the waves and as they washed back out she laughed and let them pull her feet out from under. Then she'd jump up and do it all over again. We had to keep a constant hand on her or she would have tried to run out much further. She's such a dare devil! A wave would knock her down and we though for sure she'd be wary of the next one, but no, she just jumped right back at it! She also loved looking for sea shells and digging her toes in the sand. We had such a wonderful time playing, I wish we lived closer to the beach so she could enjoy it all the time!

We made some nice new friends, Eric, Karen, and Marylyn, who have been camping for several years and had great pointers and tips for our future camping adventures! Karen had a whole set of bubble wands and kept Ella Kate entertained while we were packing up the car on the last day.

Pictures and updates

2009-09-11T23:02:00.008-04:00

Trip through the Smokies and weekend at Mimi and Pop's while Mommy and Daddy celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in Highlands, NC.

On our way through the Great Smokey Mts. National Park we stopped for a little hike- she did really well and very much enjoyed the woods!

Mimi got Ella Kate a bike to keep at their house and she couldn't wait to try and ride it! Mimi pushed her up and down the driveway several times-- I see this as a reoccurring event!

Later EK got to ride her first John Deere with Pops. She really loved steering it and pushing all the buttons-- good thing the blades weren't running!

Ella Kate's baptism was earlier this summer, in July, and here are some pictures of her big day. Our minister at St. Mark's, Rev. Dave Greybeal, performed a lovely ceremony, and as he promised, he is a "Baby Whisperer." We were worried about Ella Kate squirming around, but she was pretty good, especially when Rev. Greybeal was holding her. He gave us a new adjective for her energetic personality-- "spirited!" I like it!

They walk among us but are not like us

2009-08-26T23:52:00.004-04:00

No, they are most certainly not like us. They are monsters. The Christian-Newsom murder trials have been going on here in Knoxville for about a month now and they reached the verdict and sentencing today of the first of four "defendants." It makes me go numb, though, as I hear about the details of this horrific crime, and I know that there is no punishment that could ever ever bring justice to these families. I won't go into the gruesome details here on our blog, dedicated to our sweet sweet little girl, but you can do a search or read one of these links here or here. Sadly, I know these events are more common than we could possibly imagine. This one strikes at my heart because it happened here in Knoxville. Also, the victims were so young- 23 and 21. They were literally in the wrong place at the wrong time. More than anything I now can't stop thinking of how to protect my little one from the evil lurking in the shadows.

Hug and kiss your babies. They grow so fast and before long we won't be able to protect them from the monsters. My heart hurts for the mothers of Chris and Channon.

Back home, finally!

2009-08-01T15:05:00.007-04:00

We did finally arrive back in Tennessee Saturday night. Flights were delayed for both of our flights, out of Palm Beach and then out of Atlanta. We didn't care, though, because we got home in time to see Ella Kate before she went to bed. It was a wonderful homecoming, but I think it will be the last vacation we take without her!

Here are some more pictures from our vacation.

On our balcony

Chris' toes while lounging in the hammock-- night time is deffinitley the best time to hang out in Key West!

Wathching the sunset from the southern most point of the United States.

Our jet ski tour around the island. The water was so clear you could see all the way to the ground! It was crazy to be able to touch the ground with nothing but water for miles around. Beautiful.

Chris "playing poker" with some of the locals out by the pool-- ha! those are statues!!

Going out to dinner at Loui's Backyard. The only night we got dressed up and I put on makeup!

I got chosen to participate in one of the street performer's shows. He had a dog named Cleo who could run across that crazy setup behind us.

Pepe's restaurant- the oldest in Key West and some of the best food you've ever had!

Stranded in South Florida....

2009-08-01T14:17:00.004-04:00

What a past couple of weeks. Currently I am sitting in the Palm Beach International airport waiting and waiting to make the next leg of our trip home from our vacation in Key West. I should have known things were going to be an adventure when our first flight out of Knoxville last Monday morning was delayed. Here's how things started:
Monday morning's 7:00 flight was delayed until almost 8:45 which put us into Atlanta with about 15 minutes to make our connection to Key West. We literally ran through the airport, skipped the tram, ran across the moving sidewalk, and skated up to the gate at the very last second. We were the last two people to board the plane. We made it to Key West, though, and things were looking up. The whole week went well-- we did a lot of beach and pool lounging, ate good food, took a 26 mile jet ski tour around the island, biked all over town, and sweated a whole lot. The hardest part was leaving Ella Kate at home with my parents-- I wasn't worried about her (maybe worried that she would run them ragged!), but we missed her SO much that for the first time ever we were ready to come home from our vacation early. Friday morning we packed up our things and stored our bags at the front desk and headed to the pool for one last day of relaxation. Around 3:00 we headed to the airport for our 5:12 flight. We relaxed in the air conditioning and had one last piece of key lime pie, then found out the flight was delayed to 6:00 b/c of weather... then 6:30...then 7:00...then they discovered the plane had issues with it's wing and couldn't make it down to Key West. By 8:00 they officially canceled the flight and here were our options 1) pay for our own hotel room in Key West (on a Friday night, yeah right! big $$$) and wait till the next (now over booked) flight out of KW on Saturday at 5:12pm 2) take a mini van shuttle (courtesy of Delta) with 8 people up to Miami (2.5 hr drive) stay in a Delta approved hotel (roach motel?) and fly out of Miami on first flight (again, around 5pm) or option 3) fend for yourselves!! We went with option 3. Here was our plan. Rent a car, drive to Nicole's house in West Palm Beach and get on a flight into Atl then hopefully make one of the already overbooked connector flights from Atl to Knoxville. Thankfully Chris gets a gov't rate at the car rental, so that part wasn't so painful. We hopped in the car and started driving, planning to look things up on our phones and my laptop as we went, but wouldn't you know it, batteries were dead or dying. Around 11:30pm we made it to Miami and stopped at an IHOP mainly to recharge the phones and laptop. We eventually made it to Nicole's house (who, by the way, wasn't home b/c she's on a family trip to Disney in Orlando!). We crashed immediately and actually got some good sleep. Our flight from West Palm to Atl was scheduled for 2:30 so we had plenty of time to grab lunch, return the rental car, and get checked in at the airport. All went well, we even met one of Chris' mom's friends at our gate, until they announced the flight is delayed. Here we go again. If things actually go as currently planned we will make it to Atl in time for our connection, but you never know..... Otherwise, we'll be renting another car to drive from Atl to Knoxville. I just want to get home to see my baby! We miss her SO VERY much!!!!

Views from the pier at our hotel and from our balcony

Wild chickens roam all over Key West- this one ate luch with us!

Riding bikes all over the island and eating a famous chocolate covered key lime pie on a stick!

Mr. and Mrs. Smith's Wedding Day!

2009-07-22T00:03:00.004-04:00

Icing on the cake! I finally am up to date with my blog pictures, and what a way to finish up! The wedding was a huge success- all of Amy-Chris' planning over the last year and a half definitely paid off. She looked GORGEOUS; the most stunning bride ever! The bridesmaids dresses looked fantastic and the groom's men looked so handsome and their blue pocket squares were such a nice touch! There wasn't a single hiccup, it was so very perfect. I hope they are enjoying Hawaii right now and excited about reliving those memories! Maybe there will be some baby Smith's soon to come!!!

2009-07-22T00:03:00.001-04:00

Amy-Chris and Jonathan's Wedding Weekend

2009-07-21T23:02:00.002-04:00

The festivities started on Thursday evening when AC and Jon hosted a luau themed cookout at their house. They are honeymooning in Hawaii as we speak, so that's why they picked a luau theme!

Friday AC hosted a Champagne and Cupcakes bridesmaids luncheon for all of her girls. It was so precious! What a perfect party idea! The cupcakes were delicious and the almond flavored champagne was fantastic. She gave us each monogrammed red satin pj's-- how thoughtful!

The rehearsal dinner was Friday night where I delivered what was most likely my last Matron-of-Honor toast. I was nervous, but I think it was a success. Especially the part where I explained the similarities in our names. I went from Smith to Vinson and she's going from Vinson to Smith. My husband's name is Chris and hers is Amy-Chris. What I didn't mention is that Jonathan and I both have brother's named Jody Smith. Crazy, huh?

2009-07-21T23:01:00.001-04:00

Summer Stuff

2009-07-20T22:10:00.004-04:00

This bunch of pictures is of Ella Kate's trip to the splash park, Father's Day, Fourth of July in Atlanta (my 10th running of the Peachtree Road Race!), visiting with Gama and Papa in Gainesville, visiting with Mimi and Pops and Chris' Grandmama, and a super fun zoo play date with some of our friends.

2009-07-20T22:08:00.001-04:00

Amy-Chris' bridal shower and bachelorette weekend

2009-07-20T21:20:00.005-04:00

The Wesleyan girls, Melissa, Nicole, and I, threw Amy-Chris a wine tasting bridal shower in May. It was so much fun and a big hit!

A couple of weeks later a bunch of AC's closest girls took a girls trip to Charleston for her bachelorette party. It was a blast and I think we sent her off in style!

Serious catching up!

2009-07-20T21:10:00.000-04:00

Ok, so my slacking has gotten REALLY REALLY bad! I do so appologize for not updating in SO very long, but in my defense, this has truly been one of the busiest summers of my life! Since there are so many pictures to post from the last few months I've decided to do a slide show for groups of photos. This bunch includes a cook out for Memorial Day and the Lewis' (Kristen, Phil, Chase, JuJu, and baby-to-be) visit to Knoxville. They came for a week and we packed it FULL of adventures. Two days on the boat, Chris and I joined St. Mark's Methodist, our first trip to Dollywood, and we ended the week with a trip to the Knoxville Zoo. Whew-- and that was just the first week of June! More to come....

2009-07-20T21:08:00.001-04:00

April/Easter

2009-07-18T20:50:00.000-04:00

Colin's birthday at the Bounce House, Ella Kate's first Easter Egg hunt, Easter service at church, and reading with Mimi & Pops!

Filly Fling

2009-05-03T23:35:00.004-04:00

Friday night was the Junior League's Spring Gala, and this year was Derby themed again, "Filly Fling" because the Friday before the Kentucky Derby the female horses (the Fillies) race. While I was getting dressed Ella Kate wanted to play with my hat, so I took her picture and showed it to her and she loved it. She's at such a fun stage!!!

Laura, me, and Kellie-- I can't believe they didn't wear their hats this year!

We won several things in the silent auction including memberships at the KMA and the Zoo, a few rounds of golf, dry cleaning, and this one the "Beans Beans Good For His Heart" package. The description said a "supply of Bush Brothers baked beans, a car tune-up, and a Pilot gas card." When we were collecting our winnings they said oh yeah- there are two baskets! We really had no idea that there were 20 CANS of baked beans and aprons, children's books, and two autographed pictures. They weigh a ton, too, getting those baskets to the car and home was a challenge. We'll be eating baked beans for months, too bad Ella Kate doesn't like them. She does, however, walk by the baskets and point to the infamous Jake and say "bop-bop" (her word for dog) and squats down and pats her leg as if to call to him- it's precious!

Playing Catch Up!

2009-04-07T22:49:00.018-04:00

Ok, ok I know I've been a blogging slacker lately. It's not that I haven't meant to post and catch up on everything in the last couple of months, but we've been SO busy around here! Here's a brief synopsis since the last post.

The next week Ella Kate was diagnosed with another ear infection and this was really concerning b/c she was put on Clindamycin (nasty nasty nasty antibiotic) which smells like floor cleaner even when it's flavored with lemon, strawberry cream, or grape. She'd had bad diaper rashes when on antibiotics in the past, so I was mostly concerned about that and also C-Diff. The clinda was 7ml 3 times a day and EK HATED it. I mean really really hated it. We had to hide it in anything we could find, and really, nothing worked more than once or twice before she'd wise up to us and refuse-- even a chocolate Frosty from Wendy's! A couple of times it even made her throw up (unfortunately both times were on my brother- sorry Uncle Joe, welcome to babies!). We did learn to successfully combat the diaper rash, and maybe the c-diff, by loading her up with probiotics: yogurt, Keifer, and probiotic granules (which oddly made her wet diapers smell like buttered popcorn) and it worked! Not one spot of diaper rash!

In the midst of this mess I had to go to LA for work for a week which just made me even more stressed out. By this point I was adamantly voicing my concerns to the pediatrician. EK had chronic double ear infections from December through February. Within 10 days of completing one round of antibiotics another infection would set in. She had constant congestion and even developed an antibiotic resistant strain of strep in her nose and a different one in her ear. I was really pushing for tubes at this point, but the pediatrician wanted to get through cold season and see if things cleared up. The plan was to finish the Clindamycin and then put her on low dose amoxicillin for 6 weeks. Seeing as how we already had developed those resistant strains I was not excited about putting her on yet more antibiotics. Regardless, I went to LA with a follow up visit to check her ears scheduled for the following Saturday. At this point the ears were looking mostly ok and we were to finish the Clinda and start the amox. By the end of that week, before we could get the amox filled, she was acting fussy again so I took her in and yep, double infection. We got yet another round of Clinda prescribed, filled, and flavored (whole 'nother story there) and scheduled a visit to the ENT for the following week. In the mean time, that weekend we took a family trip with my brother and dad to visit my 97 year old Grandmother (Dad's mom) in NC for her birthday. Great weekend- EK loved the attention from all the people at Gran-Gran's retirement home. On the way home we ran into that huge snow storm that hit NC; not fun to drive in, but we made it back to Knoxville (which hadn't seen a single flake!). So on Tuesday we went to the ENT, scheduled surgery for tubes and adenoid removal for Wednesday, and by Friday we had a new baby. Seriously! It worked that well. Amazing! Dr. Joe Graves was fantastic! That was the first week in March and things have been much less eventful since. Lauran came in town at the end of the month to run the Knoxville 1/2 marathon and then last weekend EK and I went down to GA to see my parents. This week Chris is gone to DC for work, but will be home on Friday in time for the Easter egg hunt on Saturday and church on Sunday. Whew! I'll try not to let it go so long next time!

At the ENT for our surgery follow up visit. A totally different baby from the last time we were there!

Getting ready for bed with Gama

Don't worry, it looks scarier than it was, that slide was only like 3 feet off the ground and Gama (my mom) is right there beside her.

She loves slides!

Sliding with Aunt Katey

My neighbor Jill ran the race too, again, a fast one!

Lauran came in town to run the Knoxville 1/2 marathon. While I was busy having a baby she's been speed training and has gotten fast!!! Glad she waited for me at the finish line :)

I'd give way more than $1000 for this little outlaw!

Ella Kate and Abby Kate, so hard to get toddlers to focus!

EK eating some delicious birthday cake-- notice how she holds the fork all by herself!

Ella Kate playing with Anna Claire's doll house.

The Ellis' have such a great back yard for kids! A bounce house, swing set, trampoline, and a fort-- who needs a playground?!

She LOVES to swing. This is at Holly's house for Jacob and Abby Kate's birthday party.

Who needs a Big Wheel when you have a diaper box to ride around in?!

Getting ready for surgery-- love that Happy Juice!

Going down the twisty slide with Mommy

Playing on the playground at Bearden Elementary.

Her first car date with Noah Hagg at his birthday party.

She looks like a little person, not just a baby!

Daddy's girl :)

EK riding around in Gran-Gran's walker!

Hard to get babies and great-grandmothers to pose for pictures!

She had a great time playing on the big bed at the hotel.

EK, Joe (my bro), Gran-Gran, and my Dad

Lovin' the phone at the hotel during our trip to NC to see Gran-Gran.

Opening her birthday present from the Lewis'-- she loved to tear the paper and the gift, a tea pot that sings in a slightly British accent and teaches manners!

Favorite past time-- books!

Isn't it funny how babies can sleep in any position?

Ella Kate and her daddy

A trip to Sequoia dog park

2009-01-29T21:51:00.005-05:00

As soon as the weather turned even mildly warmer on Sunday we took all the girls to the park. Of course, we failed to take any pictures of our first generation babies-- the doggies. Poor things. Ella Kate had a GREAT time toddling around. We had her all bundled up, but she still had a lot of fun.

EK is really hooked on noses lately.

She also likes to copy us when we stick out our tongues.

This is an action shot of EK leaning in for a face plant.

I don't know if she was aiming for a kiss, or what, but she kept getting my nose or chin. She did this several times. It was slobbery, kinda gross, and incredibly funny.

Making faces. She likes to purse her lips and puff out her cheeks.

Ooohh, a favorite.

Finding Mommy's nose again.

Me warding off another nose bopping.

2009-01-19T23:36:00.010-05:00

Snow day at home

Ella Kate and I spent a snowy day at home today. I successfully kept a fire in the fireplace (yeah me!) with minimal side effects, other than smelling like I'd been around a camp fire all day.

She's been a little dream baby lately. Yes, she's very active and we can't take our eyes off her for half a second, but she's so much fun I'm not complaining. After her first nap and then lunch I decided to attempt an outing in her first real snow. Pops (Chris' dad) got this precious snow suit for her last winter. We didn't know what size she'd be, so we got an 18 month, so it's a bit big-- I had to do some tucking, but it worked great! Thanks, Pops!!

EK is still working on walking outside in uneven terrain, so snow just adds to the mix. She didn't seem to mind when she lost her footing, just giggled and with some help from Abbey, got right back up and kept going!

Miss Bree turns One!

Saturday afternoon we drove up to Johnson City to celebrate with Shay and Brian and their families the one year anniversary of the arrival of Miss Bree! Ella Kate had a great time playing with Bree's toys, and as usual, Bree let her! This may have been the first time that Ella Kate looked bigger than Bree, but Bree is still taller.

Doesn't this shot remind you of the Partridge Family or the Brady Bunch?! Can you believe this kind of look is back in-- at least for toddlers. She's even playing her token "instrument."

EK really loved Bree's gift from her Mimi and Popi (Shay's parents), this precious mini rocking chair that matches the big ones Shay and Brian have on their front porch. How cute!

The living room, after Hurricane Ella Kate came through.

The only thing that could calm the storm was Baby Einstein Mozart-- it's like baby crack-- she's totally transfixed by those little hand pupets!

Typical Morning with Ella Kate

See, now you know why we made the high chair a "low" chair.

Learning a Lot

2009-01-11T21:27:00.004-05:00

As a first time mom I've learned that no matter how many questions I ask of my more experienced mommy friends we still have to stumble through most of this parenting thing on our own. Ella Kate is growing, learning, and changing by leaps and bounds, and we are struggling to keep up with her!

She's babbling all the time in a very distinct foreign language all her own (I swear sometimes it sounds like French and then the next Japanese) I guess my dad, the linguist, has been teaching her a little on the side! I really think she said belly button tonight in the tub, she definitely calls the dogs "bop-bops" and "mama" and "dada" come out all the time, but I don't really know if they refer to us. She signs for milk, more, bye-bye, kisses and mimics us with sounds and movements. She points out other babies and says something that kinda resembles the word "baba."
When asked, she points to her belly button, her nose (ok, finger goes in the nose and then she tries to put it in mine), and sticks out her tongue.
Tonight she did the cutest thing after she got out of the tub: I had my hands on her knees as she sat on top of the potty holding a bath toy fish whose tail moves when you wind him up. When he stopped flapping his tail she kept holding him then she took my hand off her knee and put the toy in it. I handed it back to her, so she did the same thing with my other hand-- that's when I realized she was trying to tell me to wind him back up, so I did and she giggled with joy.
She's a daredevil and thinks everything should be done upside down; I'm starting her at the Little Gym next week and I know she'll love it.

On our front we're learning things, too, like, how to read exactly when she needs sleep and how not to dare go past that point. She doesn't like the car seat-- rides do not calm her down unless she's extremely tired.

She's almost finished up with another round of antibiotics for a mild double ear infection-- Augmentin this time. If you or your children have ever been on this one you know the side effects include diarrhea-- and should always be taken with good starchy food. Easier said than done with a finicky baby. Ella Kate is very prone to diaper rash-- thankfully only when on antibiotics, but it usually gets really bad. This time we tried to prepare by loading up on yogurt, Keifer (a probiotic type yogurt/smoothie- thanks Kristen), Triple Paste, and looked up home remedies for diaper rash. The Triple Paste certainly helped, but the Augmentin was fighting against us causing her to have loose bowels at almost every changing. I don't know if the Keifer helped or not, but probiotics can't hurt, right? We also gave up wipes in place of a warm wet washcloth. The rash didn't look so bad, but it must've really hurt b/c every changing was a true struggle-- tears and screams-- you'd think she was getting shots, but she doesn't even cry for those! We found suggestions for at home remedies including Maalox, and Melissa had used it on one of her boys, so I thought we'd give it a try. Mixing it with Aquaphor was really quite a challenge, I mostly ended up with Maalox floating on top of the Aquaphor-- no matter, Mel said she just poured Maalox straight over the bottom and it worked like a charm. So, we tried it and, truly, it has helped tremendously. Tonight Chris successfully mixed the two, it took lots and lots of stirring- I'm sure his arm was tired after that, but he made a beautiful paste that we will cherish! I don't know why a company has not manufactured this on a large scale! hmmm.... maybe that's an idea....

Feeding is another challenge. So I've landed on a few must haves -- they have become staples around our house and if you'd like any of the recipes please let me know, I'm happy to share! The first is mini muffins either of banana bread or applesauce bread made with whole wheat flour. I make a huge batch and freeze half so we always have some on hand. Every morning we start with a sippy cup of milk, a mini muffin, and about 1/3 of a banana cut into chunks. This morning I created a new one that will be added as a staple and might be made in batches and frozen, as well. It was eggs, cheese, some Heart Healthy Bisquick, and milk all mixed together and baked in a muffin tin. Worked great b/c it wasn't messy and EK could carry it around and bite off it- just like a muffin!
We've moved her booster seat/high chair to the floor so that she can get in and out at her leisure-- I guess this give her some independence-- and also keeps me from having to constantly pick up things that she throws on the floor.
Some dinner items we've found to be a hit are :

grilled cheese with either broccoli or spinach
cheese quesadillas with mashed black beans and spinach
flat croissant rolls with mashed black beans, spinach, and ricotta cheese
mac-n-cheese with broccoli
crustless quiche (a Vinson household fav!!!) I add cheese, chicken or turkey, and a veggie. This one has also been great for her to learn to use her fork. I cut the quiche into little cubes before I heat it then when I put it on her tray she can still stab at it and get it to her mouth. This is also the best way I've found to get her to eat at meat and veggies.
turkey dog (white meat only, less sodium and fat than the "franks") cut into little tiny non-chokeable bites.
cheese cubes
spiral pasta made from veggies (tomatoes and spinach) with a little olive oil and salt (thanks, Haley!)

New fav snacks include:

Mandarin oranges
graham crackers
cheese bits (you know, those little square crackers) they're great b/c they crumble easily keeping them from being a choking hazard, but not keeping them from being a terrible mess in the living room.
Goldfish
applesauce

The dogs love cleaning up after her, but she is getting better at feeding herself and keeping a lot of it in her mouth or on the tray.
She amazes us daily with something new she's learned and we are pretty amazed with ourselves for adapting to life with a toddler. Today we bought a treadmill b/c I just have to face the fact that I can no longer be a gym junkie. So, life is good. She even slept till after 10am this morning (Chris gave her a sippy at about 7:15 and amazingly she went back to sleep). It was a very nice treat for us all.
On a side note, if you read this on Monday scroll on over to Kristen's blog for some updates on Baby JuJu. She's got an appointment with an immunologist at St. Jude's and should actually have some answers by the time they leave in the afternoon. I will be eagerly anticipating the results of their very long day.

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-31T12:09:00.008-05:00

That's Gonga she's holding. He's been in our family since I was a kid. Thanks, Gama and Papa for bringing him to Ella Kate so he can live on.

Yes, her name is on her bootie!

"Helping" mommy wrap some presents

Posing with our new Santa hat from Aunt Mel.

Knew that hat wouldn't last!

Our photographer, aka Chris. This is actually a self portrait reflected off a Christmas ornament on the tree.

2008-12-31T11:57:00.005-05:00

I love this shot of her looking out the window at Lacey in the back yard.

"What? You don't like chewing on these things, too?"

Just chillin' in the doggies room (aka the utility room). She likes crawling over their beds and splashing in their water bowl.

She loves scooting all over the house with her horse and the baby doll who always rides in the basket. Thanks, Holly and Heather, for such great birthday gifts! She definitely knows the button to make the horse "neigh" and pushes it A LOT!

2008-12-30T20:56:00.002-05:00

Ok, ok, yes, I know I've been a blogging slacker lately. I have a lot of catching up to do, so I'll have to do it in separate posts.

First set of pictures are from Chris' 15 year high school reunion. Yes, the Franklin High School graduating class of 1993 managed to have a reunion where more than ten people showed up!

This second bunch of pictures are from two trips to the little playground at the mall. This was the first real time that she got to "play" at a public playground, mostly b/c it was the first week she was really getting good at that whole walking thing. She's a pro now, though! She also thinks she'll be a gymnast or perhaps a trapeze artist in the circus! She's a wild woman: fearless, inquisitive, and rambunctious! She wears us out, but we enjoy every moment of it. She totally makes us laugh and we are constantly calling to each other to come see what new wonderful thing she's discovered.

Funny mirror

Big goofy car and another kid

Very excited about her "salad bar"

Perfecting her walking with the hairbrush and snacks in hand

On her favorite ride of all, Daddy's shoulders!