Hippity Hop

03.28.2009

We took Andrew and Megan to see the Easter Bunny on Sunday. This was Megan's first visit with him, but Andrew was an old pro. I don't insist they try to get both kids to smile at the same time. At this point, if we can get them to look in the same general directions, we've accomplished a lot!
I wonder what goodies the Easter Bunny will bring this year?

Dollywood

03.27.2010

Today was opening day at Dollywood. We've almost always renewed our season passes and decided to do so again this year. There were several small problems we endured at the park...William's pass hadn't been activated, every adult ride poor William tried to ride was closed or closed before he made it to the front of the line, ride attendants weren't quite in their grooves yet, etc. But we still had a good time. Andrew's favorite ride - though you can't really tell from the one picture I took before my camera's battery died - was the bumper cars. Everything else seemed like "kid stuff" to him. Toward the end of our day there we stopped for the parade and was surprised to see Dolly Parton herself. She enjoyed flirting with our little Andrew And no, I didn't get a picture - remember, my camera battery was dead. But here are some of the pictures I did get:

We went to Tennessee the night before the park opened. We thought this would be easier on all of us. We left Megan with Neena. It was the first time I left Megan and though it wasn't easy, I survived. I enjoyed putting all my focus on Andrew. Here he is with he toy spread and his Superman pajamas.

It was pretty cold the morning we headed to the park. We dressed Andrew in layers. That worked out pretty well. I think by the end of the day he was finally down to one shirt!

We were sitting on the Lemon Drop ride (much like the tea cups you're probably familiar with) and enjoying the sun!

Last year, the elephants were Andrew's favorite ride (or maybe they were really William's favorite ride?). This year he wasn't so sure about them. That's pretty typical for Andrew...

Andrew really enjoyed the carousel this year. You never really know how he'll take to a carousel. Sometime he just hates them. But this time he really enjoyed riding on the horse and saying "uuuup" and "doooown" each time it moved.

No trip with Andrew is complete without a train ride. He really enjoyed his trip on the Dollywood Express. What I found most interesting about the ride was that the engine, Cinderella, is a veteran of World War II.

Playing drums with Daddy. This was party of one of the Festival of Nations booths set up around the park.

Andrew was a little too cool for the kiddie rides. He didn't seem to enjoy them much at all. Why must he insist on growing up too fast?

But the bumper cars - they were the best ever! I wish I could have gotten a better picture. Andrew loved to bump. He laughed and threw himself all around inside the car. I love my little dare devil so much!

We had a great time. Special thanks to Neena for hanging out with little Megan while we were gone!

Cooties

03.16.2010

Our kiddos are sick. Andrew has all the symptoms of a stomach virus and has for 6 days now. We're able to keep enough fluids in him to keep him from being dehydrated but he's had no real nourishment for nearly a week. We have tried most everything but the poor little guy just can't keep anything down. He also has some head congestion and a really yucky cough. Megan has the same head congestion and yucky cough but though she does show some virus-type symptoms, she's doing much better than Andrew. Say a prayer for my little ones, please. It's so tough to see them sick. (Oh, and just so you know, I have taken them both to the doctor. In fact, I've taken Andrew to two different doctors. Both say this will all have to run it's course. Please let that be soon!!)

Did I Tell You?

03.13.2010

I'm going to be an aunt! Well, actually I've been an aunt for several years - William's brother Jerome and his wife Linda have two children, Allison and Nicholas, and his other brother Richard and his wife have two little girls, Ella and Caroline. But my brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in October. I'm super excited. Derick loves kids and he's super excited that he's going to be a dad. And I know Leann will be a great mom too!

Welcome Home Javien!

03.11.2010

My college roommate and dear, dear friend Amber had her first child, a little boy, on February 17. She and her husband, Jarrod, welcomed Javien Lee sooner than expected.

Javien was born 2 months early. He weighed 3 pounds and 15.7 ounces. But he came out a fighter. He was welcomed in the Special Care Nursery but didn't need as much special care as everyone had imagined. And on March 7 - just 2 and a half weeks later - Javien's mommy and daddy took him home!

I am so very excited for this new family and just had to share this great news!

Up, Up, and...

03.10.2010

Sigh...

Megan is growing before my eyes. Last week I caught her trying to pull herself up on the side of her crib and a couple of days later, she did it - and hasn't stopped! She prefers her knees (for now) but has made it to her feet a couple of times. She's such a big girl.

Fun at the Park

03.08.2010

Hooray for sunshine! With all the snow (and yes I do realize the snow we had this year doesn't compare to other areas - but it was a lot more than we're used to!), we have been longing for a little sunshine so we could get outside and play. So, the first day of sunshine and off we went. We took the kids to the Rec Park but since it turned out to be pretty windy, Megan and I quickly made our way back to the car and left the boys to play. Andrew had a good time and enjoyed making a couple of new friends. We can't wait for spring to officially get here so we can make trips to the park part of our normal routine.

8 Months Old

03.07.2010

The last 8 months have flown by. Megan is a pure joy. She's been the perfect addition to our family. Andrew is in love with her. William and I are too.

At 8 months Megan...

• weighs 17 pounds
• still isn't crazy about eating but tolerates it
• is beginning to enjoy "puffs"
• is crawling all over the place
• loves to pull herself up onto her knees
• is beginning to pull herself up to her feet
• enjoys her swing and exersaucer but would much rather be crawling all over the place in the floor
• looks for dropped objects
• shouts for attention
• smiles a lot
• loves to check herself out in the mirror
• pushes away undesirable objects
• "clicks" her tongue
• has 2 teeth
• responds to her name
• play coughs
• tries to drink from Andrew's sippy cups
• loves to bang on things
• enjoys playtime with Andrew
• travels well
• had her first virus - yuck (Andrew too!)

Our Friends from The City

03.07.2010

My heart will always hurt from loosing my grandfather, but good times with good friends helps a lot. So, after church, William, the kids and I caravaned with Tommy, Danielle and their little boy to Concord to see our friends Tim, Sarah and Avery.

Andrew loves to play with Avery. Avery says Andrew is her "friend from the mountains." I love to see them play together. Avery is such an intelligent little girl - and very funny too!

And in celebration of Sarah's birthday, we all went out for a nice Italian dinner. The food was yummy and the company was even better. We had a great time and look forward to seeing them again soon.

Kenneth Hendrix Trantham

02.25.2010

Kenneth Hendrix Trantham passed away on Thursday, February 25. He was my Pop. He was the best Pop ever. He loved his family, his farm, his God. And we loved him. We always will.

There aren't enough words to describe what a wonderful man my Pop was, what a wonderful grandfather he was, or how very much he will be missed.