Construction progress

Thought you might like to see some pictures of our construction progress (particularly for those who are not on Facebook). Since I'm off Facebook until July, this contains new photos that aren't there either.

Here's the front corner view of the dried-in addition. We are expecting windows to arrive today.

Here's the front of the house with the old gable removed and the new roofline.

Here's the before picture of the guest/Will's bathroom at the end of the hall.

And here's the after photo. Will said, "Daddy, you made a BIG MESS!". This will now be the hallway to connect to the addition. Directly behind Will in the photo you can see where the new bathroom will be.

This is the back side of the addition which is our master bedroom. You're seeing the two windows on the back wall and the space between which will be filled with built-in cabinetry.

This space is the bump-out you see on the end of the addition (in the photo above). This is the view from the bathtub in our new master bath. Underneath that big piece of OSB is my new bathtub.

I'll have more photos soon hopefully as they add windows and being hanging sheet rock.

I know! I know!

Yes, it's been ages. Yes, I haven't posted anything in months! In my own defense, we've had a lot going. God continues to bless us!
-We've started the construction to expand our house. We're adding a master suite, another bedroom and bathroom, and a new laundry room.
-Mac and I celebrated ten years of marriage in April. Time flies!!
-We've had fun trips (sometimes two of us and sometimes three) to New York City and to Atlanta.
-AND, in more important news, we are expecting another baby. We are expecting a baby girl to be exact. I don't think there was any doubt of her gender because it seems that she's not terribly worried about modesty. She doesn't have a name yet; Will says that she doesn't need a name because we are going to call her Sister.

Here are some pictures to catch you up on where we are these days!
For Will's 3 year old pictures, visit http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=225&cat=2 Jill Higgins is an amazing photographer! The rest of these are amateur attempts but I think you'll enjoy them.

I'll try to do better about keeping them updated here. My Facebook photos are much more up to date! ;)

Thankful...

Well, it's been two months since we've posted last. I decided to get on the ball and post today. I know that after next week starts, things will be a blur of holidays and food.

This morning the First UMC preschool had a Thanksgiving feast and program. Each of the classes got up and sang one song and gave a blessing. It was precious and hilarious. Some were loud, and some were quiet. Some were shy, and some were hams (read: Will).

Both sets of grandparents joined Mac and me along with Grandmama and Susan. After the program we had a "feast" in the fellowship hall. The tables were filled with Will's art projects from school. In particular, there was a construction paper chain of things for which Will was thankful. His answers were:

• My mommy and my daddy
• My dog Sammy
• My Beebo
• Fire engines and trains

It made me start thinking that I don't very often sit down and list God's blessings for which I am thankful. In that spirit, I decided to make a list of my own. So, here are a few of those blessings for which I am thankful....

• My wonderful husband who works so hard and still has the energy to come home and play Tickle Monster with his son




• My bright, adorable, healthy child




• Parents, in-laws and family who love my little family so much and help us immeasurably

• The world's most precious niece, the Dode




• Sisters who are smart, funny, sincere, and with whom I can lay my soul bare (some biological and some adopted. You know who you are!)




• A lovely home and more than enough food on our table
• A successful business that helps provide for numerous families
• The ability to be of service in some small way

And, last but certainly not least...

• an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God who sent his Son as the price for my sins.

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gifts!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

I hope that each of you have a wonderful holiday and take the time to think about the things for which you are grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

School Days

As hard as it is to believe, summer is over and school has begun. This is something new and different for our household as Will started preschool this year. He is attending First Methodist's 2 1/2 year old class, and he loves it. His teachers are Mrs. Shannon and Mrs. Karianne, and we couldn't be more pleased. They have a cowboy theme, and you know that Will adores cowboys, farmers, builders, and anyone else who might get to work with tractors or animals.

Here are a few pictures from the first day of school. They were encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animals, blankies, etc. if they wanted for the first few days. Will has had NO trouble adjusting and jumped right into the mix. I assure you it was more of an adjustment for me than for him!

We've had a busy couple of months. We went to Tennessee to see Mac's family, went to the Chattanooga Aquarium, went to our friend Charlie's birthday party (which included a jet ski ride and a fantastic dinosaur blankie), and we've seen a lot of Lauren & Dodie! We went to the TitleTown event here in Valdosta, and Will got to meet "the Big Head" (aka Blaze the VSU Mascot). Below are some pictures from July & August.

We are looking forward to taking Will to his first football game soon! We'll post those pictures when we have them.

Tiger by the tail....

Hi everyone! Sorry these posts have been few and far between. We are doing great. We are in the throes of potty training and, all in all, it's going pretty well. I've posted more pictures from the past month. Someone gave Will a tiger costume which he adores. We tried it on last night, and it was hilarious. He ran around growling and telling us he was Shere Khan (the tiger from The Jungle Book). He got very upset with me when he had to take it off before bed.





His best scary tiger growls....



He had a great time at the beach. He is swimming like fish now. As you can see, he had real digging skills. I don't think I knew about putting your foot on a shovel until I was grown! He likes his cousin Dodie, and she watches him like a hawk!




We are leaving for TN this week to visit Mac's family. I'll have more pictures of that soon.
Have a wonderful Independence Day!

Better late than never, right?

So, these new pictures are LONG overdue. I know, I know! Things have been very busy around here. Will is non-stop in every way: moving, talking, singing, playing, laughing, learning, and surprising us.

This past weekend we went to the Relay for Life opening ceremony to cheer on Mrs. Marbeth (director of his Mother's Morning Out program) in the survivor's lap. He had a lot of fun in the bounce house (for about 2 minutes) and getting his face painted. We also helped Molly plant a garden. He was FILTHY by the time we were done.


Very pleased with himself!


More dirt on his face than in his shovel!

Good "clean" fun!

A boy can work up a thirst digging in the dirt all day!

Will's first time in the bounce house (which was shortlived).

Will trying to sit still (a feat in and of itself)...

Woo hoo!

Where is that train she said she painted on my face?

Oh there it is!

I like it!

We are going to the beach in 10 days and I will have lots more pictures then.

2008 - off to a running start!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season. We were very busy but it was great. Between a new baby in the family, Christmas, and Will's second birthday, it's been an eventful few months.

This month our cousins Laura and Trey came to visit which was a LOT of fun! The boys hit it off!
Will is talking non-stop, and that's not an exaggeration. The only times when he's not talking are when he's singing and when he's sleeping. He loves to sing anything and everything. His recent favorites are Do Re Mi from Sound of Music and Jesus Loves the Little Children. He can say/sing two different blessings and can now say his prayers by himself.

He is quickly mastering his shapes and colors. He can sing his ABCs and seems to know a letter or two. Mostly he just knows the letter "o" which he always calls out on his Daddy's Amore Pizzeria t-shirt! He's also been pretending that he is someone/something. "I'm a (insert person, animal, occupation here)." One particular favorite is, "I'm a football man." As you can see from the picture, he likes to hold his UGA helmet (read: little plastic ice cream dish in the shape of a helmet) on his head while "I run for touchdown".

He has changed quickly in these last few months from a toddler to a little boy. We're having a big time!