Evans Family

AL and AU Football

2010-01-30T09:55:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving

2010-01-30T09:42:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was much like many in the past...very busy!!! Lunch at Mema's and dinner at my parents. But it was still well worth it!

We got to spend much needed time with family and got to eat some incredible food! But, also as usual, Raylee was exhausted (as you can tell in the pic above) when we left Mema's. So we got to my parents a little early so she could lay down for a quick nap before more fun began.

Raylee got to spend some time with her cousins too! Madelyn on left and Gracelyn and Ella Jayne on the right. Madelyn and Raylee read books and played together all night that night at my parents house. And theses three little stooges on the right played in closets and had a blast!

Umm...See What Had Happened Was...

2010-01-28T10:16:00.003-06:00

OK, let me explain...I know it has been 2 months since I have updated and I have been reprimanded for it by many, but it has been crazy around here! Looking back I really can not pin point one thing that has kept me from it, except for the fact that the further behind I get and the longer I wait, I dread it even more...But hopefully I will be able to update soon with pics from Thanksgiving, Disney World, Christmas, and any other events I have left out.

And I haven't even been able to make an official announcement (I think word may have spread anyway) but... I AM PREGNANT! I am about 14 weeks...due July 31. We are so excited! The first trimester exhaustion may have played a big role in my lack of blogging too. OK, I know, enough with the excuses, but I do hope to at least start catching up this weekend so hang in there, don't give up on me yet!

Disney On Ice

2009-12-05T12:29:00.005-06:00

Well back in November we went to Disney on Ice and Raylee enjoyed it so much! She was mesmerized at first and was completely emotionless. Then she loosened up a little. She sat in Michael's lap and did not move the entire first half. But then there was intermission and the VERY LONG and drawn out Pinocchio and Mulan pieces...she was very uninterested in...She does not really know either of them and has not seen the movies so I couldn't blame her. Her favorite of course was the princesses, Nemo, and the Lion King.

When I would call her name for a pic I couldn't even get a smile. She was all business!

Soaking it all in!

This pic above is one of my favs because it was after the first scene and she started saying "Where did they go?" like the show was over! She almost got upset. I guess she thought, WAS THAT IT?!

Best family photo I could get

This was her sad face as she watched one of the princesses cry (I can't remember which one).

And her cheering and yelling "YAY" after she loosened up a little.

And her mimicking the dancers! LOVE IT!

The funniest part... We had been talking about Disney World with her for months because we were going in December (pics to come) so when we got home that night and were getting ready for bed we started asking her about who she saw, ect... She said "Disney World"!!!! We laughed so hard...if that was true, we could have saved a lot of money!!!

"My Child Will Never!"

2009-11-17T14:34:00.002-06:00

She may kill me one day for this, but I just could not leave this out! After breaking our arrangement that she could "get down" in Hancock, ONLY if she did not run away from Mommy, Raylee made it quite clear that she did not like the results Mommy imposed. I then had to HOLD her. What torture...right? Well any of you who have ever had a strong willed toddler as I do, know what it is like to feel your blood boil while they kick and scream to no avail and every eye within 100 yards is on you like glue. I continued to hold my place in line, not going to give up my spot because we had been in line so long already, while my "sweet angel" kicked, screamed, cried and went limp over an over all while nearly tearing my clothes off. All happening while flashbacks of myself saying "my child will never" ran through my head!

After this went on for probably 10 long minutes in the store, we finished checking out and headed to the car where I hoped the light at the end of the tunnel would come... But, no! After many scoldings and attempts to put a stop to the madness, and another 10 or 15 minutes later, while going down the interstate, I decided I would be the one to give up. NOT GIVE IN! Just give up trying to make it stop and just relax despite the ear piercing screams coming from behind me. So as I breathed deeply and sang silently to myself, I decided to capture this precious moment on film to share with all of you!

Much to my surprise, this was the answer I was looking for. As I was filming (and yes, driving) I simply asked her, "Are you through?" And out of no where, IT STOPPED! She just simply said, "Uh huh" while nodding her head. I about died! If I had known that was all it took, I would have used those words MUCH earlier!

THE BIG 30!

2009-11-03T20:05:00.003-06:00

Let me start by saying that I would consider myself hard to surprise. Not because I don't like surprises, or because I am a snoop or anything like that. I just am!

But this year they got me good! A week before my bday and on a Sunday night Beth (with the help of others) managed to surprise me by inviting us over for what I thought was dinner with the family in her new house. But as you can see there were more than family there when I walked in. I think I was more dumfounded than anything. I just did not know what to say, so I guess I did not say much at all (which is definately unlike me, just ask my Dad).

Thanks to all of my friends and family who were there to wish me a Happy Bday! I am so blessed to have such a great family and so many great friends. Love you all and thanks again!

Worth Showing

2009-11-03T19:55:00.002-06:00

Just some extra Halloween stuff that I have not posted yet but could not leave out...

Love the bottom right pic with her and her "punkin" that she made at Mimi and Pop's while we were out of town.

Building a ginger bread house with a little help from Lex, May, and Mommy. As you can see she enjoyed snacking on it while making it.

And these pics of her with the "puppy" that she literally carried around during her weekend with Mimi and Pop.

Happy Bday Kinsley

2009-11-03T19:47:00.003-06:00

After trick or treating we went to Kinsley's bday party. Yes, she was born on Halloween! I can not believe she is 17 years old. I hope Raylee's first 17 years go by a LOT slower than Kinsley's!

After a long night of trick or treating, partying, and eating WAAAAAAY too much candy, we stayed and hung out a little bit with Bryan and Tracy since all the teens had headed out to do their own thing. And there is nothing like ending a long and busy day with nice cold glass of milk and "cookies"! (which were actually crackers, but Raylee called them "cookies")

Trick or Treat

2009-11-03T19:34:00.005-06:00

Instead of going around our neighborhood door to door we just jumped in the car and did some "drive-by and stay a while" trick or treating. First Rock Mountain Lakes, then Lipscomb, then Pleasant Grove, then back to McCalla for the tail end of Kinsley's bday party. We only managed to make 6 or 7 stops in about 3 or 4 hours, but we were able to stay and visit a few minutes at each stop and that is what counts. But even with just a few stops Raylee had a full bucket of candy at the end of the night...minus what she insisted on openning immediately!

Costume Party

2009-11-03T19:23:00.008-06:00

We attended a Halloween Costume Party as a family this weekend dressed as...can you guess?

Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinkerbell!

Michael was such a good sport, and agreed to dress as Peter Pan only if he did not have to wear tights! We had already decided on Raylee's Halloween costume (made by Nana) so we had to come up with something to go with her, and something that I could easily make myself. So Peter Pan and Wendy were the obvious choices! Below are pics of Raylee accepting "Best Costume" award for our family, singing "Some Day My Prince Will Come" during karaoke, and looking a little dazed and confused late in the evening with some party jewelry on.

And pictured below with Raylee: Peter Pan, Veronica Corningstone and Ron Burgandy from Anchorman, Spiderman, Abbi Scuito from NCIS, Wendy, and Spencer dressed as Michael's Dad! There were so many good costumes, I am sorry that I did not get pics of them all.

So glad to have been able to spend time with friends and family! We had such a blast!

Critter Creek

2009-10-31T15:18:00.005-05:00

Well, the day we drove back from Gatlinburg I made sure that we left early enough to get home to spend some time with Raylee. We got home just in time to pick her up from school after her nap. The Pumpkin Patch was already closed for the day (guess bc it was a weekday) so we decided to take her to Critter Creek for some fun! We went last year but Daddy did not get to go with us so we were glad to go as a family (funny to look at pics from last year, check them out)! She loved feeding the animals, and as you can see, when they were eating from the cup, Raylee's tongue was hanging out too! It was cute! She even got to feed the bear by pouring food (which consisted of cheerios and marsh mellows that SHE wanted to eat) down a long tube that ran into cage. Then she got to get down and get up close and personal in a small fenced in area with some pigs, baby cows, and goats! She thought that was funny until they were actually FACE to FACE, then Daddy had to pick her up.

Thanks to a camera timer we were able to get a family pic!

Just love this pic!

We had a great time and enjoyed just watching her be her usual self. But can someone, please tell me why is seems like she had changed so much in the 3 days we were gone?

Much Needed R&R

2009-10-31T15:12:00.004-05:00

Michael and I had such a great time in the mountains! If it weren't for Raylee, I would not have wanted to come home. The weather was beautiful, the trees were beautiful, and the much needed rest and relaxation was beautiful as well. It was good to get away just the 2 of us for a couple of days, but we were glad to get home in time to spend some time with Raylee before getting back to work the next day!

Gatlinburg Getaway

2009-10-21T15:00:00.002-05:00

Michael and I are going to Gatlinburg this weekend for my 30th Birthday! We have not been away by ourselves since our 1 year anniversary. I am super excited! I am sure I will have plenty of pics to post when we get back, but can't promise I will post them promptly. Raylee will be staying with MiMi and PopPop Friday and Saturday and then with Nanna and Daddy Bruce Sunday night. I am also sure I will have a lot of pictures from them of Raylee's weekend to post next week too.

Bama Homecoming

2009-10-19T13:24:00.001-05:00

We went to Bama's Homecoming game this past weekend. First let me say that for some reason Raylee did not take a nap that day before we left. She just layed in the bed for 2 hours, but never fell asleep! So I was completely SCARED of what was to come since this was a 6:45 game! I even thought that she would fall asleep on the way down, but no... So we headed out about 3:30 so we could get there and have time to hang out and tailgate. And I have to say...this baby was soooo good. She hung in there and had a ball! She was a little hard to keep up with while we were tailgating, but she was just her usual selft. During the game she yelled "Go, Go, Go" and "Roll Tide" as much as anyone. What was funny was that she kept loosing sight of Big Al on the sidelines and she would ask with her hands up "Where Al?"

Then Aunt May got to twirl with the Alumni band during the halftime show. So we went down to the sidelines and sneakily handed Raylee over the fence to Meghan so she could get some pics with her on the field like we did 2 years ago. She was so tired that she hardly even smiled for us. She was in a daze for the most part. She got more excited later seeing these pics of herself with Big Al than she did when she saw him in person. She was just a zombee by then. After the halftime show we made it back to our tailgate area and then quickly shed some layers and then headed home. She was asleep less than 15 minutes down the road. We had a great time and even Daddy, being the AU fan that he is enjoyed himself. I guess to be fair we will have to find an Auburn game to take Raylee to before the season is over.

Western Day

2009-10-19T13:23:00.001-05:00

Last week was Homecoming week at Raylee's school and they had a theme for each day. I had actually forgotten about it until I saw someone's post on Sunday night at bedtime that the next day (Mon) was Western Day. So at the last minute I dug around to try to find her Halloween costume from last year, praying the whole time that it would fit. Well, I found it and it did fit! The skirt was a little shorter, but I just put some leggings on her and we luckily had a black tshirt that I could turn inside out to go under it. Unfortunately the pink cowgirl boots did not fit, but we made do. I took some pics that night as we tried it all on since I don't see her in the mornings before school. But we made sure Daddy had clear instructions on all of her assessories which included a sheriff star, and cowboy had. We left the stick horse at home though. I am sure that would have been a big hit with the rest of the class!

Once again she did not hesitate to put on a show with her horse!

Cooking with Mommy

2009-10-12T15:27:00.004-05:00

Just some cute pics of Raylee licking the beaters after helping me make a cake. It was Red Velvet and we enjoyed making it almost as much as we enjoyed eating it!

"BEE, FIVE"

2009-10-12T15:24:00.006-05:00

Last weekend was McAdory's Homecoming. Kinsley was in the Homecoming Court this year so of course we had to join in on the festivities. Here is Raylee waiting on the Homecoming parade on Thursday.

And then Tracy took her to the pep rally on Friday after she picked her up from school. She apparently enjoyed it! And of course she did her usual...dancing. (video to come)

And then on Friday we went to the game. Raylee yelled "Go! Go! Go!" at the players, it was so funny! and of course loved dancing with the band.

And then there was halftime. Raylee yelled for Kinsley on our cue, but she never saw her from the stands, too many people on the field, I guess.

But by far, the highlight of her night (better yet, her week) was when Bradley (Kinsley's BF) took her to see the Yellow Jacket and she got to give him a high five. She is still talking about it a week and a half later. This past Thursday night when I was putting her to bed I told her she was going to school the next day. She said "Tracy, bee, five". I had to break it to her that yes Tracy would pick her up, but they would not be going to the pep rally or the game. Any time she sees a bee she has to say "bee, five" and throw up her hand in a high five motion. Too funny! Thank goodness we got a picture.

Lord Help Jasper

2009-10-12T14:33:00.003-05:00

We have a new addition to our house, a new kitten we named Jasper. He is less than 2 months old and is soooo tiny. Raylee does not understand how to be gentle when playing with him but we are working on it

These pics are from the morning that we got her. I went and picked her up before Raylee woke up. You should have seen her face when she woke up and there came the kitty walking into her room. She started saying Kitty, Kitty and just had to get her hands on her.

Don't Ask!

2009-10-12T14:03:00.006-05:00

. Raylee trying on one of her outfits Nana has made for Disney!

This is Nana's pantry that has become Raylee's play/work closet. She is getting into Daddy Bruce's tools here and CHECK OUT HER ATTIRE! Well at least if she is going to be a carpenter her shirt is tucked in to her panties and no "exposure" will occure when she has to bend over. LOL

Screwdriver in one hand and chicken bouillion cubes in the other. What a combo, huh?

And a good old fashion foot washin'! A girl can't have stinky feet!

Uncle Jay

2009-10-12T13:54:00.007-05:00

Although it has been 4 or 5 months, Uncle Jason, my sister Beth's new hubby, is Raylee's newest Uncle. I did not have any pics of him and Raylee to post when I did the Aunt and Uncle tribute so Beth made one for me. Jason definately plays a big part in helping Beth make Raylee feel like a princess. Thanks Jason, for supporting Beth's "habbit" (spoiling Raylee that is)!

New Videos

2009-09-19T03:40:00.005-05:00

Again I have fallen behind on videos so I just posted some my new favs on sidebar. Some of these are not necessarily new videos, but just new to the blog. There are more to see once you click on one and get to photobucket. Post comments to let me know what you think!

I know there is a recurring theme, but sorry, the kid just loves to dance!

"CHEESE"

2009-09-19T03:20:00.001-05:00

I was cooking supper the other day while Raylee was playing and moving from playroom to den. The den being in my line of view and her play room being in the room next to kitchen. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary...until...QUIETNESS! You know, that moment when you realize that it is just TOO quiet! Well, so I began to call her name...no answer and no pitter patter of little feet. So I moved quickly as I could only imagine what I would find and hoping that she was just hiding, right? Well as I came around the corner of the play room and looked into the foyer this is the sight I saw. My purse pulled from its usual spot and a few apples on the loose.

So as I continued down the hall calling for her, I began to get a little more nervous and probably a little scared at the same time. I made it to the end of the hall and made quick U turn when I thought I heard some rattling in the direction I had just come. I got to the bathroom door (which was shut and lights out, pretty dark actually) and as I opened it I found my "sweet angel" actually hitting her with the door she was propped behind. And as you can see...this is what I found! My makeup bag, stolen from my purse, and now with its contents spread across my floor. Now I dare to say this could have only happen in a matter of a minute, but you know how fast they are! So I began to get on to her and was marching her to the dreaded chair, while she is crying she looks up at me and I saw this face staring up at me with mascara across her nose and under her eye. And I could not help but crack up! So as I grabbed my camera. I took her back, still crying, into the bathroom and sat her down next to her mess. As I lifted the camera to my face to snap, Raylee, again still crying, gives the biggest "CHEESE". I lost it!

She may kill me for this one one day!

Needless to say she still had to sit in her chair while I put the pieces back together. We waited on Daddy to get home (he was due home any minute) before we washed her face and then had a little fun with it. She was surprised when she actually looked in the mirror and saw herself. Then she wanted it "OFF".

2009-09-19T02:50:00.000-05:00

Just could not leave this out! Raylee's "ROLL TIDE" dress (as she calls it) thanks of course to Nana! She just points to the trunk and says "nose" as she giggles.

Changing of the "TIDE"

2009-09-19T02:44:00.000-05:00

Raylee and "BF" Payton last football season, and then this football season. Wow!

Loved like no one Else!

2009-09-08T13:16:00.008-05:00

As I was trying to get some pics together to post from this weekend, I realized two things.

(#1) I did not have very many, which led me to this post, and
(#2) Raylee is soooooo loved!

I began scanning through folders and folders of pics and I started thinking of how close Raylee is with her aunts and uncles and how much she loves them. And then it really dawned on me... how much they REALLY love her too!

First there is her Uncle Blake...my younger brother and the baby of our family. I was a little concerned when I was pregnant that Blake would be a little jealous because we have always been so close. But that is not the case at all! They have a special bond, even though he would not touch her until she was like a year old! He is usually our partner on outings to the zoo and he is Raylee's back seat buddy. She now insists that he come with us every time we leave my parents, and is beside herself when he does not. She is his "RB" even if she does "mess with his things" as he says.

Next there is Aunt Meghan, Michael's youngest sister, who is commonly referred to, first by Raylee, and now many more including myself, as "MAY". Meghan is Raylee's creative and super talented aunt. The first to let Raylee finger-paint, the first to build Raylee a fort, and the first to introduce Raylee to Big Al! Meghan got to keep Raylee a lot this summer and has told me several times how much she misses her since school started back. More than one person has told me that Raylee reminds them of Meghan when she was little. I will be blessed if Raylee grows up to be anything like her "May".

And then there is Aunt Alexis, Michael's oldest sister. And WOW does Raylee love her! Alexis may have been the last name Raylee could say, but it is not because she didn't know or love her. She has been called "Mommy" almost as much as me. But Alexis was patient and then out came "Wessie" (Lexi). Alexis is so much fun and if she is around Raylee insists on being stuck to her like glue. She even prefers her over me at times. But I don't mind, Alexis loves her like her own. She even says she doesn't want any of her own because she is afraid she will still love Raylee more. (I know, I told her how silly that was!) "Wessie" you will make an incredible mom!

And meet uncle Chris...Alexis's other half. A big kid at heart who could not love Raylee more if they were actually blood related. He would give her the shirt off his back and he literally has at her request. He checks on and watches out for her at school and apparently reads her a lot of books. (LOL) He bought her her first Dale Jr. coloring book and will probably be the first to give her a sip of Mountain Dew Amp (if he hasn't already). He makes sure to give her a kiss and a hug every time he sees her. Maybe that is why she so innocently calls him "Kiss".

And let's not forget my sister Beth, who always makes sure Raylee feels like a princess! She lets her eat in WalMart (much to my dismay), lets her crank up her radio in the car, rides her on the golf cart, and is usually the one in cohorts with my mom when they are trying to surprise me with pics. She has introduced Raylee to some of her now favorite dance songs like "Boom, Boom, Pow" and "All the Single Ladies". Raylee loves to go and stay with "Bess" because Beth has almost as much energy as Raylee and they do whatever Raylee wants! Beth loves Raylee so much that she says that I just can't have another.

And then my oldest brother, Rayee's Uncle Bryan. This relationship also had a slow start but as you can see, I think "Byne" has found the way to her heart! She may not see Bryan as much as her other aunts and uncles but that is because, as he would say, "Someone has got to work!" (LOL). But that does not keep her from asking about him regularly. I am counting on him to help me keep her in line. Looks like he is doing a good job so far, look at those hands behind her back! I think Bryan may be learning a lot all over again on Fridays when Raylee gets to spend the afternoon with them. Before feeding her these princess shaped spaghettio's he asked Tracy if she had teeth to eat them with! hahahaha

And then lastly, but certainly far from least, there is Raylee's Aunt Tracy. Tracy, along with the rest, spoils Raylee terribly (in only a good way of course). As you can see she was the first to let Raylee help her with her makeup, and bought Raylee her fist lip gloss. She took Raylee for her firsts to the Disney Store and Build a Bear, introduced Raylee to her first bunny, and went out of her way to get Raylee a boogie board to ride on at the beach. Tracy picks Raylee up from school every Friday and even though I am not there, I have been told that Raylee just lights up when she sees her "Tacy".

Raylee is so blessed to have such wonderful people in her life. And I am blessed as well! Between the random outfits that showup at my house, the phone calls asking if they can just stop by or come pick her up, and all the pics that I get sent... all are proof positive that this child is loved like no one else!

5 YEARS AND COUNTING

2009-08-23T15:06:00.002-05:00

THIS WEEKEND MICHAEL AND I CELEBRATED 5 YEARS OF MARRIAGE. GOD BLESSED ME SO MUCH TO BE ABLE TO MARRY MY TRUE BEST FRIEND. I ONCE HEARD THIS SAYING AND THOUGHT, HOW TRUE!...IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THE REST OF MY LIFE WOULD BE SPENT WITH YOU, I WOULD HAVE STARTED THE REST OF MY LIFE SOONER! MICHAEL, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I LOVE YOU MORE THAN WORDS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SO MANY MORE!

2 year checkup

2009-08-20T16:00:00.004-05:00

This check up went sooooo much better that any other doctor's visit we have ever had. And thank God! Because of all of her ear infections in the past, she has had some bad experiences at the doctor and she HATES it! Well, it has been a while since we have had to go to the doc so we have been talking about it with her for some time. She got a little doctor's kit for her birthday and we have been playing with it so that she would know what to expect when she went for her 2 year check up. It came with a stethoscope, a shot, a blood pressure cuff, and even one of those things to look in ears with. We let her "doctor" us and she would even let us "doctor" her. I had hoped that this would help, and it did! The whole way to the office that morning I kept telling her we were going to the doctor and she would point to and say "ear", and "mouth"...letting me know she was going to let the doctor look in them. I would tell her "we are not going to cry, ok?" She changed her mind a little once we went back, and even though she cried a little, she actually cooperated rather than FIGHT! I was so proud of her!

Here she is playing in the waiting room. Different from the last visits when she would start crying the minute we went through the door and would not get out of my lap.

Once we went back, she acted scared, but was just quiet. We got her undressed and she got to weigh like a big girl by standing on the scale! (30 pounds) She thought she was something else, especially when the nurse gave her a little gown to put on!

Then she did so good only crying a little while the doctor looked in her ears and mouth and listened to her chest. She was still sitting in my lap though. She used to pull and tug on me and my clothes the entire time. I always looked like I had been in a brawl by the time we would leave. She did have her "come apart" when we had to lay her on the exam table to measure her though. (34 inches) I think that was tough because she felt like she was being held down. Then after the doctor left she kept saying "go" and I had to break it to her that she was going to get a shot! These are the pictures I took while we were talking about the shot to come and that she would get a sucker afterward... I couldn't help but laugh at the pitiful faces she was making!

And then... it was all over! She only cried for a second before and after the shot, and that was it.

She did so much better than I ever expected! I just hope each visit gets better. And hopefully we won't have to make any visits except for check ups.

Randomness

2009-08-20T14:39:00.005-05:00

None of these pictures really go together except they are all completely random...so I'll explain...

These pics were taken one night at bedtime when Raylee saw her box of bandaids and just had to have one. I let her pick one out so she decided to go with Snow white. The catch was that she did not want to wear it herself, but she wanted to put it on Daddy and insisted that it go on his face. Only a "Real Man" would be able to wear a Snow White bandaid so proudly. Thanks Daddy for always being such a good sport! Just wait til I catch a picture of him at one of our many Princess tea parties these days! Last picture was taken when Mommy had to break the news that is was time for bed :(

Warning: Grape, purple, lip gloss is not very attractive when applied in large amounts... or by a 2 year old. LOL!

And can you spot my "Wild One" amongst the "WILD"?

Here is Raylee sporting her Uncle Chris' t-shirt after she expressed her need for it and her Uncle Chris so graciously gave her the shirt off his back. The hat was just the icing on the cake!
And last, but not least...pictures taken this weekend just hanging out at Mimi's.

Minus One Nap

2009-08-20T14:13:00.002-05:00

Any Fridays that I work Raylee will go to school and Tracy will be picking her up at 230. I am so excited that she will get to spend some time with Tracy, Kinsley, and Bryan (when he is home). Last Friday was her first full day at school and she did fairly well after a rocky start. The only bad thing was that she did not sleep AT ALL at nap time! This made for a "fun" experience for Tracy and Kinsley that afternoon. She played with the bunny for a while...she had not seen it since Easter (look back at howmuch it has grown!) But Tracy said that when Kinsley got home she was DONE with her and the bunny! You can see why she was destracted from catching up on her sleep. But no worries, when the day was done Raylee was minus some sleep, but was plus some fun times with her only cousin "Kinky".

Tracy, I hope for your sake she learns to nap at school soon! Hopefully she will tomorrow!

First Day of K2 :(

2009-08-12T14:05:00.003-05:00

Well today was Raylee's first day of K2. She only went for half a day, but it went well I guess. I think she had a little bit of a rough start and apparently was hard to calm down after I left her. She does not usually cry when she is left in the nursery at church and stuff like that, but she knows the kids and the teachers are familiar to her. Hopefully it will not take her long to get comfortable with her new teacher and classmates. She will only be going a couple days a week and I think it will be good for her. She has always either been at home with me, and then days that I work she is used to being with Nana, Beth, or Casey and usually at her own house. I had a rough start too and I still get emotional thinking about her having to stay all day on Friday, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. Just keep us in your prayers!

Mommy's Little Princess!

2009-08-11T15:29:00.003-05:00

Saturday we celebrated Raylee's birthday. Lately Raylee has been in love with all of the Disney princesses, and since we are going to Disney in December (can't wait), I decided to have a Princess themed party. Raylee even dressed up as Snow White for the party, thanks to my mom's great sewing talent. Her outfit was complete with dressup high heels! They did not last very long though...too hard to walk in I suppose. But besides the sweltering heat...she had a great time!

We began by opening gifts. She still seemed a little destracted, she wanted to play with everything she opened at that minute and it was a chore to get her to open the next gift. But she got so many cute things. Thanks everyone!

Then it was cake time! The cakes turned out beautifully!...and they tasted great too! Thank God for Christina's great talent too!

When it came time to blow out the candles, Raylee was actually able to do it herself this year. She loved hearing everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to her.

And of course she (and everyone else) enjoyed eating the cake too.

After the presents were opened and the cake and icecream were eaten it was time to cool off. She had tried earlier to cool off Merilyn Monroe style, but that only worked for a minute or two.

So of course the only real option was to dive right in!

We even finished off the day with some princess bubbles!

We had such a great time. Still can't believe I am the Mommy of a two year old!

Introducing...PINKY

2009-08-10T16:35:00.007-05:00

Well after all of the excitement at the Disney store, it took some time for Raylee to get focused on building her bear.

First she picked out the bear she wanted...

then on to the suffing...

she loved to press the petal to make the suffing come out!

she picked out a heart...
and then had to rub it in her hands so she wouldn't get cold...

touch it to her cheek to give her a kiss...

and then hold it to her heart and close her eyes and make a wish...

and then she was all hers!

She gave her a bath, and picked out some clothes.

She even got to name her and get her a birth certificate.

And as for the final result...Introducing... PINKY!

A little side tracked

2009-08-10T16:30:00.002-05:00

Tracy and Kinsley took Raylee to Build a Bear for her birthday on Saturday. We got there before Build a Bear opened so while we waited we were a little side tracked by the Disney store which was right next door. I know they are glad that Mommy tagged along because Raylee would have let them buy the entire store for her. She went crazy, running from one thing to the next. It was so funny! The stack of stuffed animals in the back was completely overwhelming for her. She just continued to point and call out by name the ones familiar to her.

It was hard for her to decide exactly what she "needed"

...so she just got it all! Here she is wanting to carry the bag herself. I guess she thought we were going to take it from her.

I think I have decided that we will just save our money and instead of going to Disney World in December, we will just take a couple of mini-trips to the Disney store! Wait...on second thought, that may not save us very much money at all!

From Day 1 to Day 730

2009-08-07T07:56:00.001-05:00

I can not believe by baby is 2 years old! It really does seem like yesterday I was looking at her for the first time. I am so blessed to be her Mommy. I love her more and more every day. I can't even imagine that I could love her more, but as each day passes and before I know it, i do! Happy Birthday Raylee-bug!

And now for the pics from the Birthday Weekend! Stay tuned! (and stay patient)

My Favs!

2009-07-21T13:21:00.001-05:00

My Favs!

2009-07-20T14:17:00.004-05:00

Dolphins and Blue Angels

2009-07-20T00:52:00.002-05:00

While we were at the beach we went one day on one of those Dolphin cruises. I will have to admit, the 45 minute or an hour ride to find the dolphins was a challenge. Trying to keep Raylee occupied was exhasting, but once she saw the first dolphin she was fine. She would point at them as they would surface and then say..."He go?" like where did he go? She had a great time. The boat even played Finding Nemo on the way back and that just topped it off. She sat contently and watched. She was soooo tired, but I know she loved it!

On the day we were leaving to go home we got up extra early and went to see the Blue Angels in Pensacola. If you have never seen them I would recommend it to anyone. It was incredible to watch. It was a little loud at times, but Raylee had a blast. When they would pass us she would wave and say "bye, bye hair-pain". We have decided that it is something we will do every time we go to the beach from now on.

Gulf Shores

2009-07-20T00:45:00.004-05:00

Well, another beach trip! I know what your going to say, but this one is our last this year for sure (I think). We went down with my parents for 3 days and i don't have to tell you that we had fun and Daddy got to go with us this trip. Yay! These are some pictures from on the beach. Very top right...We found this chair in the stack of broken chairs that the beach attendants had picked up, Raylee saw it and thought it was a Nemo chair and had to sit in it and point out every "MoMo". Much to my surprise she let Daddy Bruce bury her in the sand (only up to her hips) over and over again and loved it. As I have said before there is nothing better than spending a day in the sand and water with ones you love.

4th of July Fun

2009-07-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

We spent 4th of July by the pool and on the volleyball court as we usually do. We had an awesome day full of family, friends, food, fun, and sun. Raylee swam her little heart out while Mommy and Daddy tried, but failed, to pull out a "W" in the volleyball tournament. Thats ok, there is always next time!

Destin Girls Trip!

2009-07-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

Raylee and I went to Destin the week before 4th of July with Alexis, Connie, and Evan for a "girls trip". We spent some good quality girl time together and enjoyed it so much. We were just like a bunch of teenagers. Especially the giggling and laughing we did when lights went out for bedtime. Raylee and I had a great time guys, we love you all!

Pool at Home

2009-07-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

It is sad to say, but we really have nowhere in our yard, front or back, to actually play safely and peacefully (front yard is down hill to the street, and back yard is home to Sadie the slobber queen!). So I thought an at home kiddie pool would be a good investment. The challenge came when trying to find a flat place to put it. After many attempts on what "seemed" to be flat surfaces we finally ended up in the driveway under the carport, but it actually worked out well, shade and everything. To empty the water you just bend the sides in and I think after it was all said and done that was her favorite part. Love this shot from behind of her doing just that!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

2009-07-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

We had agreat Father's Day this year. We went to church as usual and then Michael, Raylee and I went out to eat, just us! Any of you that know us know that this is unusual on a Sunday afternoon. We usually go with a group from church, but this day we went alone. We had a really great time. I snapped some of these pics before church and then some that evening. As you can tell, Raylee LOVES her Daddy. She laughs with him and loves on him every day. I hope she is always a Daddy's girl and I am pretty sure Daddy does too. I love you so much Michael and I am so glad you are the Christian Father that you are. I could not ask for a better husband and a better Daddy for Raylee. I will always love you and Raylee will too!

Just Mommy and Me!

2009-07-14T20:29:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago on one of my off days Raylee and I took a last minute trip to the Zoo. I had no particular plans that day and I knew if I stayed home I would feel the need to do things around the house (which probably still need to be done) so Raylee and I took off to the Zoo. We got there a little late for the Sea Lion show, but they were still out and swimming around.

And Raylee loved the little birds that you get to feed...sorry I cant remember what kind...She did not want to leave that area. I guess she thought that was what we had come for. She did not realize there was more to see. We did not even buy any food for them, she found an empty cup and just held it out to them anyway. She started off a little timid, but soon became a little too brave...crawling under the bushes after them.

And then the reptiles... she banged on all of the windows and kissed every animal that was close to the glass...except for the snakes.

She even got up close and personal with a few birds. The one on the right ended up snapping at her while I was taking a picture and she turned to look at me. I think it scared me more than it did her.

And of course the train. We saw much more, but my camera battery died and I wasn't able to get any more pics. All in all we had a great time...just Mommy and Raylee!

A lot of Catching Up!

2009-07-14T20:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it has once again been like a month since I have posted anything. I don't know what is with me, I go through spurts and post a good bit, and then I go through phases when I don't post a thing. We have been back to the beach twice since my last post, we had 4th of July and a lot of other things to talk about so just bear with me and I will catch up sooner or later.

Gotta be Quick!

2009-06-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

Tracy had recently bought a precious top for Raylee and she got to wear it to church Sunday. So I was trying my best to get a good picture of her to send to Tracy so she could get to see it on her and this was the best I could get. She was in rare form that morning. She kept running to the front door, then running down the hall to tell Daddy "mone...go". Top left pic is her leaving front door, bottom right is her telling him to come on. Guess she was ready to get to church asap! Thanks for the cute outfit Tracy, it was precious!

It was a Good Day

2009-06-09T14:04:00.000-05:00

After a long day in the sun and water, we had our weekly Evans family dinner out by the pool. This night we had steaks, baked potatoes, baked beans, rolls, etc... Then we all pulled up a chair and sat around the fire pit. And Raylee had a popsicle for dessert. She was so funny to watch. She always gets it all over herself...

This only added to the Doritos and baked beans that were already smeared all over her. Now all of that was stuck to her face and hands. Oh well, no problem a bath won't solve.

Then her and Daddy sat down to talk and reminise about the day. Love the bottom left pic, I only wish it wasn't blurry.

Swimming with Pop

2009-06-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

This child wore herself out Sunday at the pool. And she probably wasn't the only one worn out after this day was over with. Her swimming partner...

Pop! She jumped in, swam, got out for a chip or two, and then climbed in again. I think she probably even wore Dallas (Mimi's dog - pictured here bottom left) out as well. She threw his ball for him over and over again. Usually in the pool.

Although it never rained this day, Raylee insisted, as she usually does, on carrying around the umbrella that goes with her pool chair. She learned how to block the splashes from Pop with it.

Hanging by the Pool

2009-06-09T13:25:00.000-05:00

Just some pics from a random day at the pool. Can you see why the child is always swallowing water? Her mouth is open all the time! I don't know where in the world she gets that from (see top left pic).

Happy Birthday Mason!

2009-06-07T15:23:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun yesterday at Raylee's buddy Mason's first birthday party! They had an oversized, blowup slip 'n' slide that all of the kids loved. Even some adults had their share of fun on it (including my hubby). Raylee loved to let the water splash in her face.

She loved to slide with Daddy...and Daddy liked it to!
And I know this next picture may tell a different story, but she even loved going by herself. She only had this look on her face during the slide and then would get up smiling.

She enjoyed playing in the kiddy pool with her good pal Payton, too. You may not be able to spot Raylee in this pic, but those are her legs flying up in the air behind Payton. Don't worry she was ok. It's one fall after another with this girl!

And this is Raylee with her buddy McKenzie. Raylee always has fun with her! She was a big help with Raylee on the slip 'n' slide. Thanks again McKenzie, Raylee loves you!

All in all it was a good day! Happy First Birthday Mason! Your party was a blast!

The Poop Incident

2009-06-06T13:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, this may cross the line of what NOT to post on a blog, but I thought it was WAY to funny to leave out! Meghan kept Raylee a couple of days this past week and enjoyed every minute of it. Well...maybe all except this one. Meghan took her to MiMi and Pop's to swim and sent me this picture with the following text:

"I was taking off Raylee's swimmy and poop fell out...ON MY HAND!"

I laughed so hard! Now for this to really hit home I gotta tell you that Meghan, being the loving aunt that she is, has probably not changed very many poopy diapers in her lifetime until Raylee. So you can only imagine how tramatic this was for her. Even still, Raylee and Meghan are just a wee bit closer than they were before the "poop incident"! Thanks Meghan, We love you!

Memorial Day

2009-06-06T13:24:00.000-05:00

Just some pics from Memorial Day! We swam and played volleyball even in the rain. Raylee pictured with Evan, Alexis and Josh! Great family (and friends) fun!

She Lights Up My Life!

2009-06-06T13:23:00.000-05:00

My little actress in training has started acting like she is scared of everything in her path. But the key here is that she is "acting". When she sees things like bugs, snakes (pictures only), and even sea shells while we were at the beach she holds her hands over her mouth, gasps like she is terrified and then looks up at you to see your reaction too. She may have others fooled, but she is not fooling me. She even has this little smirk on her face as she does it. Another give away that she is faking is the fact that when she thinks no one is looking she will approach ANYTHING. It is so funny and even though I think it is cute sometimes, I don't want her to start convincing herself she actually IS scared. So I have started making her conquer these, so called, fears (except the fear of snakes, cuz thats actually a healthy one).

The other night at the ballpark while walking around with Alexis, they spotted lightning bugs! Don't you remember being facinated by them as a kid? Well, after all the "I'm scared" drama was over, we caught some pics and a video of her holding one and letting it crawl on her hand. She even cried if anyone besides Mommy, herself, or Alexis was holding the lightning bug. (Sorry Mrs. Sharon!) The poor bug did not have a chance. It kept trying to fly away and we kept catching it over and over again. Raylee thought that was the funniest thing, to watch it fly away and then watch us catch it again.

I can not believe this little drama queen is all mine. And she truly does light up my life!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2009-06-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

Any of you that have an almost 2 year old would probably agree that keeping them occupied is sometimes a major task. And its no different with Raylee. While waiting for our softball game to either get underway or be called off because of the torrential downpour the other night, several of us just hung out on Alexis and Chris' front porch (they live in the parsonage in back of the church and right next to the softball field). Well, if I haven't said it before, this child loves to get wet. Whether it be in the pool, with a hose pipe, stomping in every puddle she can find, or by playing in the rain. So you can imagine how hard it was to keep her distracted. On her travels in and out and in and out of the front door, Raylee happened to find these orange cones that Uncle Chris had. (Don't ask, cuz I don't know!) And they were a life saver. I tried to get a good picture of her, Meghan, and Pop with them on their heads, but between my camera phone's delay and Raylee's eagerness to move, this was the best I could do. They still turned out kinda cute, I think!

Teeny-Weeny MultiColored PolkaDot Bikini

2009-06-04T21:47:00.001-05:00

My Beach Beauty!

2009-06-04T07:13:00.000-05:00

Evans/Handley Beach Trip

2009-06-04T07:11:00.000-05:00

Last week after Memorial Day we went to the Beach with the "college and career" from church. This actually turned out to be a trip that included: us and Meghan, and then Jason, Jessica, Kelsey, Megan, and Spencer Handley. We had beautiful weather and no rain, which was surprising after it rained on us the entire drive down.

We had fun in the sun...

Once again, Raylee loved the beach! Michael did not get to go with us when we went in March so this was his first time to see her on the beach since before she was walking. We sat under the tent, played in the sand, played in the ocean, all the usual stuff of course, but I think Raylee enjoyed rubbing sunscreen on our backs the most. (Don't ask!)

We went to Margaritaville...

and had a blast. Raylee enjoyed her dog shaped balloon for about 2 minutes and then after a little twisting/untwisting the cute little dog was now a snake. She then enjoyed it for a little while longer, swinging it and hitting anyone with in a couple of feet (notice the pics). After it was all said and done she had popped her balloon as well as Kelsey and Megan's... sorry girls! They also had a carousel that Raylee got to ride with Daddy. She was so funny. Every time she would pass by me she would throw up that hand and scream "ByE!"

And as you can tell, we NAPPED!

I caught Michael and he caught me. We took Raylee's pack-n-play for her to sleep in and we knew it would be a challenge since she has learned that she can climb out on her own. We literally had to lay down with her until she fell asleep and then put her in the pack-n-play ever so gently to keep her from waking up. We took turns putting her down for naps and bedtime so of course we each took our share of cat naps as well.

Raylee did so well on the ride down. She was awake the entire time on the way down, but was ready for a nap as soon as we got there. Then on the drive back she finally fell asleep by the time we got to Pelham, which only gave her a small nap before we got home. This is the picture of her asleep in the car...hair is a mess and passy has fallen out. Too cute!

What has been going on?

2009-06-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't think we have been any busier than usual, but for some reason I have fallen behind on blogging. We have been spending a lot of time with friends and family, and a lot of time at the pool at Mimi and Pop's. We did go to the beach last week, so I will post those pics soon too, but for now I will try to catch up on the other pics I have.

Raylee hanging out at Nana and Daddy Bruce's...

Notice the mischeiveous look in the bottom center pic, I love it!

And Raylee hanging out with Aunt Beth for the day...

Raylee enjoys spending the day at Beth and Jason's cuz she gets to sleep in the big bed for her naps and Beth will even lay down and sleep with her. She thinks she runs the show over there, and by the time we pick her up Raylee and Beth are both ready for another nap!

Like I said, we have also been hanging out at Mimi and Pop's by the pool. We were there all day for Memorial day, and then Raylee spent the afternoon with them on Sunday too. But for some reason I don't have any pics. I don't know how that happened, but I do know that Alexis and Pop have taken some lately so I will get pics from them to post soon.

(PS to Alexis, Mimi, and Pop... Please send pics asap)

He Knows Me Too Well!

2009-05-11T17:51:00.000-05:00

I have to say, I have the coolest husband of all! And most of all , whether good or bad, he knows me too well. For Mother's day he gave me a Flip Video. He knew it was someting that I would get a lot of use out of and love! And he's right. This little device, as small as a digital camera, will hold up to one hour of video. The best part of all... No discs, or memory cards, to keep up with. A USB connector "flips" right out of the side of it and the camera itself plugs straight into the computer. Then using the program that is also on the camera, you can slice and edit videos and even capture still shots from the video as photos. Gone are the days of 60 second video clips using my digital camera. So get ready guys, for longer and more "professional" Raylee clips!

Mom's Know Best

2009-05-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

So who knows best about what a mom would want for Mother's Day, well another Mom of course. And what does every mom love? Pictures! My mom surprised me with pictures of my one and only...Raylee! To hear her and Beth talk it was not as easy a task as it looks. These are just some extras that were on the CD. Some not necessarily top quality or best pose, but they are the ones that crack me up the most. Apparently Raylee really put on a show, as usual. This first 2 groups of pictures are of her in her Easter dress since I did not think I got any really good ones of her in the dress on Easter Sunday.

This bottom left picture gets me everytime... From the look on her face, that flower did not smell so good.

Again notice the right picture. Beth said she just found her a corner and sat down. Too cute!

But this one says it all...BLESSED! Wow, how blessed I am to have such a beautiful, happy, little girl with so much personality! And my word what a personality she has!

Here comes the Rain!

2009-05-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

Last week Raylee stayed with Beth while the softball team (I'll explain later) drove to Dothan for the second time that week (again...I will explain). These are the pictures I was sent. We all know how much it has rained in the last few weeks around here and Beth's yard was living proof of that. The small lake/pond nearby had overflowed and was puddled up near her driveway. I noticed all of the water when I dropped Raylee off at about 7 am. Well, Beth came out to meet us and lets just say they never made it inside before Raylee needed a morning bath. Notice she is still in PJ's. I though these were the funniest pictures. It is just like her! This kid loves a puddle. And thank goodness for crocs.

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-04-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, so now that I have been tagged twice I guess I should participate.

The rules are...

(1.) List 7 things you love

(2.) Choose 7 of your favorite bloggers to give the award to.

Of course the first will be super easy, but the 2nd...not so much! I don't know 7 people that blog. But I will give it a shot anyway! So here goes...7 things I love, in no particular order:
(to keep it interesting I will leave out the obvious, Jesus, Michael, Raylee, family, and friends)

1. sitting in a chair on the beach (umbrella of course)

2. the white cheese dip at Mexican restaurants

3. singing with the radio... wow how I miss that since the dvd player in the car became unable to live without...but the sad part is I still sing with Cinderella, Peter Pan, etc.

4. laughing until the tears come

5. cute shoes

6. raised seams on a softball

7. dancing around the den with Raylee and knowing no one else is watching

7 (or 4) Kreativ Blogger Awards:

1. The O'Bryan Family (http://lilytate.blogspot.com/)

2. The Stanley Family (http://madelynandtate.blogspot.com/)

3. The Hughes Family (http://hughestwins.blogspot.com/)

4. The Beverly Family (http://lifewiththebevs.blogspot.com/)

So if you'e been tagged, then you're it, its your turn... Copy and paste the award and start listing your 7's...

Big Money Bunny

2009-04-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

After church on Sunday we all went to Bryan and Tracy's for lunch. The big surprise was that Kinsley had gotten a baby bunny last week and they could not wait to show it to Raylee. She was very cautious and would only touch it for a brief second. But she did not want to miss out either. One minute she was smiling and laughing then the next saying "no" and pushing the bunny away. She was a little afraid of it at times, but seemed upset after he "disappeared" when it was time to eat. I asked Tracy and Kinsley if it was a boy or girl and they were not sure, but both laughed when I asked what they had named him..."Big Money Bunny" Cracked me up.

Check out videos...

In our Sunday Best!

2009-04-15T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hand made, smocked dress compliments of Nana...Thanks mom, it was almost as beautiful as she was!

She just had to get down and go give Daddy Bruce a hug as soon as she saw him.

I just love this family of mine! What more could I ask for?

Christ is Risen!

2009-04-15T21:40:00.000-05:00

Well Raylee had enough candy on Easter Sunday to last her for a good while. And I am sad to say there is still some left. Even though I do not allow her to have very much..."She does not need it"...I guess I think I do cuz I keep eating it! Anyway, she really did not know what to think that morning and I don't think she even got the whole Easter bunny "thing". But, hey, who cares, right? Easter is not about the Easter Bunny at all anyway. It is about our Savior Jesus Christ who defeted death, hell and the grave by raising from the dead just as he said he would! Praise God! She may not be old enough to understand the real meaning of Easter, but one day she will! This first picture is for all of you who make fun of the fact that Raylee always has a bow in her hair. As you can see, it is not about the bow at all, but it is all about being able to see this sweet little face...

Once she figured out that the eggs openned up and there was candy inside, it was on!

(bow was placed after about 2 seconds of watching her peek out from under her hair)

I guess she wanted her bunny to taste the giant lollypop first! Hope you all had a great Easter Sunday!

Miss Carpenter

2009-04-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

Nanna and Daddy Bruce are adding on to their house and guess who just has to help. She thinks she is so big hammering nails in and helping Daddy Bruce tear out walls. You should see how many "extra" nails have been added just for her sake. We are going to have to put her to work at our house. There is plenty to be done here. (video to come)

Favs from Beach

2009-04-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

When will I learn that less is more?

Our beach friend we met, Noelle

Snack Time!

Deep thoughts...

Love this one!

Nap time... Don't worry, she did not sleep on the beach!

Watching for the birds

Some beach reading

She did not like the taste of the sand, cant say I blame her.

3 Weeks Later!

2009-04-04T13:51:00.001-05:00

I wish I could say we are just getting home from the beach, but just as it sounds, that is too good to be true. The truth is that I am just getting around to posting, and even now I am doing it in shifts. Besides the busy schedule we have been keeping lately (work, softball, Easter drama practice, and just life in general) the main factor that slowed me down was the over 350 pictures I have had to sort through. So I just had to pick out some favorites and just start posting.

This first collage is just of Raylee and Kinsley. Raylee just loves Kinsley and her Aunt Tay Tay so much. They are so much fun to be around and even Raylee knows it. Raylee wanted Kinsley to be involved in everything she was doing. Even when Raylee would play in the water she would periodically stop what she was doing and just go and hug Kinsley's neck or give her a kiss. I think the most fun was the boggie board Tracy went and bought just to pull Raylee through the water on. It was a two person job though. It took one to pull and one to hold on to Raylee to keep her from falling off backward. Thanks Tracy and Kinsley for the entertainment help you gave to me as well! We love you guys!

Just being able to watch Raylee enjoy the beach was awesome. The only thing that would have made it better was if her Daddy could have been there to see it too. This was actually her second beach trip, but she wasn't even walking yet the first time, so this one was the first time she was able to enjoy it for herself. She was scared for about the first, oh, 2 minutes, which surprised me, and then she became WAAAY to brave. She would have just run right off into the ocean if I had let her. I had to stay close at all times. Thank God, (literally) for the little strip of water that had pooled up along the edge of the dry sand. It ran the lenth of the beach and the water would wash up and refill it from time to time throughout the day. I would not have made it without it. That is where she spent most of her time. She started off the first day telling the ocean "NO, NO" when it would wash up on her feet. Then she shifted to telling me "NO, NO" when I would pull her away from the crashing waves. But by the last day she had it down pat. She would run toward the ocean and through the little section of water, then slow down and say "NO, NO" to the ocean before turning to run through the pool again.

Here we all are at LuLu's. And of course, the stranger taking the picture could care less if the child is looking or not. Still a great picture though. Had so much fun ya'll, can't wait to go back.

Beach Fun!

2009-03-17T13:34:00.000-05:00

I am going to have to make this quick because Raylee is having a fit to help with the computer, so here goes... Raylee and I are at the beach with Nana, Aunt Tay Tay, and cousin Kinsley and I just wanted to post a couple of pics for Daddy to see. Most of out pictures are on Nana's camera, but she did not bring her adapter, so this is all I can post for now. I will catch up later.

Not my Daddy

2009-03-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

So for whatever reason, Raylee is now calling her Daddy "Michael"! I think it is kinda cute, but Daddy doesn't like it at all. I have been told by a few people that it is probably my fault, and that I should call him "Daddy" or "DaDa" more and "Michael" less. Michael seems to think it is just because I call his name too much in general! (LOL) Don't worry, he's not getting off the hook that easily. I AM trying to work on calling him "Daddy" more, but come on now, it is hard. After all, he's not MY Daddy!

I posted a couple of videos on the sidebar of her calling him today when he would leave the room. Pardon the near naked child. She was eating lunch after church, so we just stripped off her dress to keep from getting it dirty. It is always a mad rush to get home, get fed, and get to bed for a nap.

March Snow

2009-03-01T13:49:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it was almost 70 degrees 2 or 3 days ago? Only in Alabama, right? This was Raylee's 2nd time in her life so far to see snow, but this time she was actually able to enjoy it. We did not really have the appropriate attire so we just layered up and only stayed outside for a short time. But that was long enough. Raylee could not figure out what was going on. She did not understand the gloves, especially because they did not fit and her fingers were not in any of the glove fingers correctly (as you can tell in the pics). And after she saw how the snow was sticking to her shoes and Daddy's she had to try and clean it off (picture #4). The dogs also enjoyed the weather, although for the most part they just got dirty and muddy. The fun really came when we had the snow ball fight in the parking lot after church. YES, we still had church (no SS), and NO I did not get any pictures. I was too busy throwing and ducking. I think Alexis got a few, and I will post them if I can. Too bad most of the snow was gone by 1 or 2 oclock, we were just getting the hang of this.

The First of Many

2009-02-28T21:54:00.000-06:00

This is a perfect picture of an unsuspecting Raylee about to get her first haircut. She was just running around waiting on her turn. I was so afraid of how she would act. Would she be scared like at the doctor's office? Would she even know what was going on? Well... She hopped right up in the chair and did so great! With a little thanks to some heart candies I brought along for the occasion.
This was the first snip...
She sat so still and did so much better than I expected. It took less than 5 minutes and we were done! Just in time I might add, she was beginning to realize something was up.

the before......and.........the after

Look for video on sidebar.

Smiling through the Snot...

2009-02-12T12:24:00.000-06:00

Raylee has not felt her best the last couple of days. She has a terribly runny nose, and now a cough. Her ears are draining a lot too and we are having to put drops in them twice a day which is a two person job and torture for all who are involved (especially her). But she still manages to smile through it all. These are just some pictures my mom sent after their day together on Wednesday. You can really tell she does not feel great in this first picture, but I bet that did not stop her from going outside.

Raylee sure does love her Daddy Bruce.

I think this may be one of the many reasons she loves Daddy Bruce so much...Goldfish

In these last 2 pictures Raylee is trying to get Daisy (Nanna and Daddy Bruce's Jack Russell) to come out of her "box" and play. I am sure Daisy would jump at the chance.

Fun Fridays

2009-02-12T12:14:00.000-06:00

Doin' some entertaining with her sidekick Cason

Raylee loves spending Fridays with Casey and Cason. There is always fun to be had.

Anna Grace gets to come hang out with them on some Fridays too.

These two look like they are up to no good with those mischievous grins.

Paintball

2009-02-10T13:58:00.001-06:00

Alexis and me, a far cry from Charlie's Angels.

Alexis, me and Mandie .

Saturday Michael and I went to play paintball with some friends. The weather was beautiful and we had such a fun time. Lots of bruises to show for it too!

A Day with MiMi

2009-02-10T13:32:00.000-06:00

While we were playing paintball Raylee got to spend the day with MiMi. They don't get very much time together without everyone else around, so I know they had a great time just spending the day together.

Our First Official Ponytail...

2009-02-03T11:41:00.000-06:00

and just about the time I decide it may be time for our first haircut. For those of you who are freeking out: nothing drastic, only a small trim in the back just to even it all out, and to get rid of the "rat tail". (Uncle Chris calls it a "bullet", AKA a baby mullet) We still have some growing to do on the sides and in the front, but this ponytail works for me. It seems that Raylee's hair has grown so fast in the last few months. Her bangs would hang in her eyes at all times if I didn't keep a clippy in them. After her bath while it is drying, and in the mornings are the worst. She just cocks back her head and peeps at us from underneath her bangs. You can barely see her eyes.

Play Ball!

2009-02-03T11:34:00.000-06:00

Raylee got her first chance to actually play on Franklin Field this weekend. No, she wasn't playing ball, but she had her share of fun just running around. She cracks me up, the way she loves to get outside and just RUN! Won't be long and we'll be teaching her to run bases. Can't wait!

Just Chillin'

2009-02-03T11:28:00.000-06:00

The Long Lost Christmas Eve Pics

2009-02-03T10:26:00.000-06:00

What about Christmas Eve?

2008-12-29T22:46:00.001-06:00

I am waiting on pictures from Christmas Eve. I am supposed to be getting pictures from my mom and Alexis from Christmas Eve, so when I do I will post them to. Sorry for the delay.

Check out the Videos

2008-12-29T22:43:00.001-06:00

I have been a slacker on my videos lately and I have been called out on it several times so I am trying to catch up. If they just didn't take so long to download it would be easier. Anyway check out the new videos on the side bar. There should be about 6 new ones. Some are not that great but I posted them anyway. Hope you enjoy!

Tubes Today

2008-12-29T22:28:00.001-06:00

Raylee had tubes put in her ears this morning. It was such an easy process, I could not believe it. She was only away from me for about 20 minutes and it was all over. Everyone had told me that it was very quick, so I don't know why I was so surprised when the doctor came to tell us it was over after she had only been gone for about 8 minutes. I hope and pray that this will solve our ear issues. She has had 6 ear infections just this year and 5 of the 6 have been since June. She had one on Thanksgiving and then another one Christmas too. It has been a great year but we are planning on an even greater year in 2009 without ear infections.

I did not get any pictures at the hospital, I just can't bear the thought of taking her picture when she is unhappy. Anyway, she is feeling fine now. We got back home at about 8:30 this morning and she took a 3 hour nap (been up since 5:30) and has been playing ever since. It was actually about 5 hours later when we found this. Raylee thought it was hilarious. We finally got rid of it after she has stuck it on everything in site. Thanks to everyone for your prayers.

Forgot This GIft

2008-12-29T22:21:00.000-06:00

Forgot to tell you guys about the potty Raylee got from Mimi. Potty Training is new to me and Raylee, so it may be a while, but we are just going to start nice and easy. Our first goal is for Raylee to learn how to sit on the potty correctly. So far every try we have had, her feet end up inside the pot! We need to learn how to sit right before we get out feet wet (or dirty)! We'll keep you posted on our progress.

Christmas Evening at Nana and Daddy Bruce's

2008-12-29T22:04:00.000-06:00

After Lunch and the afternoon with the Evans' we were on the move again. We had more food, fun and presents waiting on us at Nana and Daddy Bruce's so we were off to the Heaton's. It is a good thing they only live a mile or so from each other and we did not have a long trip. And by this time my camera's memory card was full. So Nana's camera came in handy (it's better than mine anyway). I will have more pictures to post when I get them from her. But here are a few for now.

This is the kitchen that Raylee got from Nana and Daddy Bruce, which was also a BIG hit. The thing litterally has all the "bells and wistles". Maybe Daddy Bruce will be able to teach Raylee some of his cooking technique. Seriously, I don't know what I am going to do with all of this stuff. These presents were much bigger than the ones from last year. I just hope they don't keep getting bigger each year or we will be moving!

Our yearly family photo that is always a "blast" to take. So glad to have such a wonderful family to spen Christmas with. We love all of you!

Christmas Afternoon at Mimi and Pop's

2008-12-29T21:06:00.000-06:00

After spending some time at home Christmas morning and after Raylee's morning nap, we headed off to Mimi and Pop's house where more fun awaited us. By then Raylee had gotten the hang of this present stuff. As you can see she had a blast! Thanks to Mimi, Pop, Alexis, Chris and Meghan for all the cool stuff we got. Love you guys!

I love this picture! She was concentrating so hard on the name tag. Not that it would have mattered whose name was on it, cuz she was opening all of them anyway.

Showing off some of her clothes that she got

And here is the ball pit that Meghan ( and later, Bryan, Tracy, and Kinsley also) gave Raylee. She is in love with this thing, and I am trying to love it even though it is taking up the middle of my living room as we speak.

And the ol' Sit-n-Spin... but they now play music. We are still practicing the spin part.

The stick elephant from Mimi and Pop

The "Silly Faces" books also from Mimi and Pop

And then the fun had with the bags.

Love this one too. A total accident, I swear!

Christmas Morning at Home

2008-12-29T17:19:00.000-06:00

Although last year was Raylee's first Christmas, this was really the first Christmas that really counted. Christmas morning Raylee woke up and after a few cues went running to the Christmas tree to see what Santa had left. I had so much fun just watching her open her presents, and I know she had fun too. I only wish that I had left more unwrapped. Once she opened the first present she wanted it out of the box immediately. So while Daddy was getting things out of boxes (you know how hard that usually is) I was trying to persuade her to focus her attention on opening another gift. This was a viscious cycle until all the gifts were unwrapped and unboxed. Then she did not know what to play with first. She was a little overwhelmed, but I don't think she was the only one. Just a few pictures of her with some of her things.

"helping" Daddy

"feeding" the new baby

"helping" Daddy put the baby stroller together

She had a little bit of trouble getting the hang of this riding thing. She kept getting on backwards at first...

but she finally got the hang of it.

Just some fun family photos from that morning.

playing in the floor with Daddy

I know it is pathetic, but this is the only picture I have of the 3 of us on Christmas morning. Well, as they say, "You live and you learn", so I will be better prepared next year.

MiMi and Nanna's Lasting Impressions

2008-12-29T17:07:00.000-06:00

Donna helped us out again this year with Christmas presents for the Grandmoms. Afterall, what grandparent doesn't like pictures. I loved them too, they turned out great! We had a shorter photo shoot than normal because Raylee fell out of the chair (pictured last) onto her sweet little face/head, and wasn't in the best of moods afterward, but I couldn't blame her, it was a pretty bad tumble. But it worked out perfectly, because the photo of her reading her Bible was what I had in mind anyway, and it just so happened that you can't even see the blue knot on Raylee's right side of her forhead. Anyway, I could not have asked for anything better. Thanks Donna the Grandmoms loved them as usual.

Knock off the Dust

2008-12-23T22:47:00.000-06:00

This was one of Raylee's Christmas dresses this year. It is about 26 years old. My sister Beth actually wore it one Christmas when she was about a year and a half. I of course had one almost identical that I wore the same year, but it was too big for Raylee right now (I was 3 at the time). Maybe one of the next 2 Christmas's she will be able to wear mine. Either way, I just wanted to share it.

Hanging Out with Daddy Bruce

2008-12-23T22:27:00.000-06:00

Practicing our "Ho, Ho, Ho"

Visiting the only life size Santa we can get her to visit.

After a hard day's play.

Who or What is "BoBo"

2008-12-23T16:59:00.000-06:00

Raylee has really started voicing her opinion lately, it's just too bad we don't what in the world she is saying. When she gets excited, everything is a "Bo-Bo". Dogs are Bobos, Snowmen are BoBos, and when she is overcome with excitement looking at Christmas lights, BoBos fly from her mouth one right after the other. Just a snip-it video to explain.

Look what I found

2008-12-23T16:18:00.000-06:00

Over the last few weeks we have walked into the den several times and found Raylee inside her toybox and all of the toys outside of the toybox. I just happened to get some pictures and a video this time. As you can tell the smocked dress did not slow her down any either. I don't know why I am EVER surprised.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

2008-12-01T14:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T12:20:00.001-06:00

We all have so much to be thankful for. God has been so good to us. He meets all of our needs so faithfully. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was a little different this year. Raylee was not feeling well, and had been running a fever since Wednesday, and I suspected another ear infection. Long story short -- this is how we spent ours:
First some great food at Memaw's...
Then some more great food at Moma E's...
And despite Tylenol and Motrin every 3 hours, and in lieu of closed doctor's offices, we made a trip to Children's ER, where on arrival Raylee's temp was 105.0! She was feeling so bad I could not bare to watch her suffer anymore.

They were able to finally get her temp down and just as I thought, it was an ear infection. We were able to go ahead and start on antibiotics that night and she is already feeling better. This may have been a crazy Thanksgiving, but like I said, we have so much to be thankful for. I thank God for antibiotics. And I will soon be thankful for tubes.

"Beauty Shop"

2008-11-28T12:13:00.000-06:00

I found some pictures the other day on my camera that I had not taken. I laughed so hard when I saw them. Casey comes to our house every Friday to keep Raylee while I work, and I guess this was the fun I missed, "Beauty Shop". Sorry I missed it, but thanks to Casey for the pictures. We love you, Casey!

Chuck E Cheese's

2008-11-13T12:27:00.000-06:00

After the doctor's visit, Beth took Raylee to Chuck E Cheese's while I went in to work for a little while. They had a great time. Beth said that Raylee was part of the entertainment during the show. Everyone was laughing at watching her dance with the characters. (check out the video-not great quality) After all the excitement, good and bad, this baby crashed.

15 Month Checkup

2008-11-13T12:05:00.000-06:00

Another doctor visit, but this time just for a checkup. It didn't matter what we were there for, Raylee still wanted no part of it. She started by being very clinging just while we were sitting in the waiting room. Then as we walked down the halls to the exam room she started with just a little whining. And then of course all heck broke loose when the nurse came into the room. Just trying to weigh her was an ordeal. She would not let go of me so that I could sit her on the scale. The nurse suggested that I leave Raylee with her and that I go back to the exam room and maybe she would ease up a little. Well, she got weighed (24 lbs and 5 oz), but she never eased up. I could hear her screams echoing throughout the entire doctors office. I just laughed to keep from crying myself. I love my little drama queen!

So after finally calming down and sitting still in my lap for a little while (which never happens), I think she forgot where she was. She got down in the floor and started playing with everything in the room. She played in these empty cabinets for a good while before Dr. Sahlie came in and it all started again! She did not even want her to listen to her chest, she kept pushing her hand away. I don't know how Dr. Sahlie heard anything through the screams. And don't even get me started on the shots. All in all she checked out great. I hope to God we don't have to go back for anything before her 18 month checkup. Her and I both need some time to recover!

Hanging out with Payton

2008-11-13T11:53:00.000-06:00

We hung out this weekend with our friends Joe and Mandie and their sweet little girl Payton. Raylee and Payton are beginning to be able to play together a little bit now. Raylee is still a little to rough for Payton, but it won't be long and Payton will be able to hold her own.

Christmas Village

2008-11-13T11:36:00.000-06:00

Raylee took her first (maybe her last -JK) trip to Christmas Village last week. I don't know why I thought she would be able to nap in her stroller while we were there, cuz it was not happening! She fought it so hard for so long. You can see how sleepy she was in the first picture. But she finally gave it up and fell asleep for a whopping 20 minutes. We saw so many people we knew and Raylee even got to see her cousins Gracelyn and Kinsley and her Mema for a few minutes. The girls even gave each other bye-bye kisses. It was so cute!

Jumping on the Trampoline with Daddy

2008-11-13T11:27:00.000-06:00

Check out the video on the sidebar too!

Our Tiny Dancer

2008-11-06T09:23:00.000-06:00

This is just a taste of Raylee's dancing talent. If I haven't said it before, Raylee is always dancing. Almost any time she hears music she will stop what she is doing and just dance. Sometimes it is a head shake, sometimes foot stomps, but whatever it is almost always makes me laugh. This particular night in the video she danced for what seemed like forever. It may have been 10 minutes or so. She knew we all were sitting around watching her, so she just kept it up. This is only a glimpse of her performance. It took us a while to actually get the camera out because usually she stops when we do. But she danced for so long that I think she forgot about the camera. I am not sure where she gets her rythym, but the girl's got it.