Ideas Anyone???

We are broke!!! Since we just moved into our new house we have NO MONEY!!! So I need ideas for how to make your own picture frames. I have tons of pictures and no way to display them. Why do I need to go buy and spend lots of money on frames???

Today was great!!! We went to our clubhouse pool and Matthew loved the kiddy pool. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a video up for you all to see. After the pool we came home and I fixed dinner...we had sweet peas, rice, and roast beef with rolls. YUM YUM!!!

Tomorrow our renter moves in so pray that everything goes smoothly.

Good night!

My Wedding Party and Flowers

Show Us Your Life Friday---Wedding Party and Flowers from www.kellyskornerblog.com

Last week I was out of town and did not have access to my wedding album so I thought I would start with a few more pictures of my wedding gown. I love how this one has the trees around the arches. Samford University has a beautiful campus!!!

Again, I do not have digital pictures of my wedding day so the quality may not be so good.

Seth and I were married at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. Samford is where we both got our music degrees. The chapel we were married in had a huge pipe organ which was very important to us since we are both musicians.

My old flute teacher played and we had the trumpet player that also performed for Harry Conick Jrs. wedding. I actually taught his daughter flute lessons so he offered to play for free. He is an awesome trumpet player.

Anyway, I am from a small town north of Birmingham so I decided to use our local florist and cake designer which was very nice. The flowers were yellow calalillies and yellow roses. I didn't really like the bridesmaids bouquets very much but I loved mine. The bridesmaids bouquet is on the left and mine is on the right.

The bridesmaids wore navy blue dresses but in different styles. I wanted them to be able to pick out which ever one they wanted in the navy blue color. The grooms men wore black tuxedos with a button for a tie. Since we are musicians and the guys are always wearing tuxes for concerts we wanted something different for them to wear for the wedding.

My flower girl was the daughter of our school of music director of instrumental studies and flute/theory professor. Her grandmother made her flower girl dress and my mom made a flower wreath for her head. She was so cute because she threw the flower petals over her shoulder when she was walking down the isle. When we asked her why she did that she said that she didn't want to step on the flowers. HA!!



Thank you for stopping by!!!

Frustration!!!

OK...so today was Matthew's 7 month birthday. We made our monthly trip to the doctor for a weigh-in and found out that he weighs exactly the same as last month!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would have bet money and lots of it that he weighed more and I mean lots more. Nothing I can do makes my little boy gain weight. Luckily Dr. Goosby was in and talked to me. He suggested that we continue doing the same things we are doing right now (adding 1 bottle of formula a day and baby food) but add butter to some beans or rice so he will gain more calories. The doctor also said that he is not worried at all because Matthew does not show ANY signs of malnourishment. While we were there Matthew decided to show the doctor his curiosity with his surroundings and impressed him with saying da-da and sitting up in my lap without me holding him. I was so proud!!!

AHHHHHHH!!! OK...now I have that off my chest....

Now for some pictures of the cutest boy in the world!!!

HAPPY 7th MONTH BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE MATTHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at that beautiful smile!!!

I love it when he smiles like this!!!

Concentrating on sitting up on his own...man he is growing up so fast....(I just wish he would gain weight to match)

OK...OK He is still the cutest boy in the world...even with green beans all over his shirt!!!

He looks so happy!!! Doesn't it just make you smile right along with him???

Sweet dreams everyone!!!

Big Boy Now

OMG...I woke up this morning and found my little baby growing into a big baby. Finally he has started to eat more so he is getting when I like to call a 'milk belly' (instead of "beer belly") HA!!!

I mean look at that belly!!!!

Anyway, today we got settled back in at home from our trip. I dropped by my school today because we are getting a new principal. She was not in the office when I dropped by but everyone seems to have a positive attitude about her. Of course our school always has a positive attitude because they are a great bunch of people!!! I can't wait to get started in a little less than a month. We should have a great school year.

Enough about school!!! I am still on summer vacay for now. I think we finally found a renter for our condo. We were getting nervous but it looks like this guy with his cat is going to work out. Hopefully he will be a good renter because we need the money.

Here are a few pictures from our Alabama visit. Enjoy and have a great night!!!

Matthew and Pop!!! Matthew would be crying up a storm and Pop would take him outside and sit in the swing and Matthew would stop crying and start to relax. Or maybe Pop just had the special touch!!!

Matthew developed a fascination for toes and feet (especially if they were painted red!!!) Time for a pedicure I guess (if I have too!!)

Tia Kay-Kay is a natural mom!!! Maybe one day soon!!!

Nearing the end of our stay

Last night we had the chance to see some long time friends of ours. Tim and Dusti were great hosts and Dusti made an out of this world dinner for us!!! I absolutely love showing Matthew off to my friends because I am so proud of him.

This is Seth, Matthew, Tim and Dusti. Matthew is still showing signs of stranger anxiety so he just cried every time someone else held him.



Later Matthew was getting a little grumpy so I got out one of his favorite books to read. As you can see...he let Tim help him out with the reading.



Tonight Dad grilled filets wrapped in bacon...yum yum. He also grilled some hot dogs which are my favorite. We had cookies-n-cream pie. Matthew absolutely LOVED the pie. He has been eating much better here in Alabama. I hope for his 7 month birthday weigh in he will have gained a lot because he has been eating more solids. Right now he is eating carrots, sweet potatoes, sweet peas, pears, apples, and sometimes some easy to eat food off of my plate. Sweet potatoes and carrots are his favorite though.

We are going to miss our family and friends in Alabama. We will not be back to visit until December for his 1st birthday.

Favorite Kid Photo

Hopping on the Blog Hop this week is my favorite photo of Matthew!!!

He looks like he is having so much fun in this picture.



I also like this one from when he was much younger. His uncle got him a Red Head hat and I think he could make an excellent model for the brand!!! I don't think he liked modeling the hat for a picture though!!! What do you think???

Alabama Adventure

Yesterday we had a lot of fun!!! First off it was my mom's birthday so we decided to take her out for lunch and then for a little adventure. We went to a BBQ restaurant in a town close to here called Blount Springs, AL. The restaurant was called "Top Hat BBQ" but when my brother and I were little we would call it "The Naked Pig" because they used to have a sign with a naked pig on it. Aren't all pigs naked??? Oh well. Matthew ate some squash and behaved very well while we were there.



After lunch we decided that we wanted to find the place that mom and dad met. When they were young they both went to a party that was at a cave called Bangor cave. So I can officially say that my parents met in a cave. (No they are not classified as a caveman or cave woman.) Well what turned out to be a wild adventure through a creepy old road and bridge with holes in it (not to mention the dead dog and fish in the creek below the creepy bridge with holes in it) We eventually ran into the road (which was 200 feet from the main highway we were originally on). The road to the cave is now all grown up and we couldn't make the hike with Matthew (not to mention the fact that my car had a OBAMA sticker and Florida tags in the middle of rural Alabama).



This cave (in the early 1900s) was actually known as an illegal gambling casino and was decorated very elaborately. Now it is filled with graffiti but is for sale along with 63 acres for $200,000.00.

http://www.alabamalandinvestments.com/data/listings/l0003.html

You can visit the site above if you are interested in looking at pictures.

Although the drive was a little scary it was rather beautiful at times. This picture was taken looking off the creepy old bridge.



After the creepy old bridge road (with no cell phone reception I might add)...we decided to visit an old cemetery. ***Although my day seems to get creepier and weirder the cemetery is actually a very peaceful and serene place to be.*** We found a tombstone of a Civil War Vet that was buried in 1883!!! He lost his right arm in a battle in Tennessee. I know that 1883 doesn't seem that long ago but being in the vicinity of that grave gave me chill bumps just thinking about all the events that man missed and I always like to think about what historical figure was alive when he was around??? What events did he see that I didn't get to??? What was his life like??? Did he hang out in Bangor Cave any???





There was a beautiful Alabama view from the cemetery.



If you didn't think we had enough adventure for the day we decided to go and visit one of the covered bridges of Blount County. Our county used to be named the covered bridge capital of the world until some idiot burned down one of the bridges. This bridge is found in some of the most amazing landscapes in our county. Matthew enjoyed getting out of the car to feel the nice breeze and have a photo opp!!!





Tonight we visited another old friend of mine (old meaning that we have been friends since we were kids...not old in age) I will post about that tomorrow night

As our trip nears the end we will miss being together with our family and friends. I am glad I have this blog to look back on this trip.

My Wedding Dress

Unfortunately I do not have digital copies of my wedding pictures. I have a few pictures scanned into my computer but that gives them a lower quality so I hope these look ok.







Our anniversary was actually this past Tuesday so it was neat to look back at some of the pictures. We have been married for 8 years and now have our first child together.

Swimming and Family

The last few days have been tiring so I haven't had much time to post. On Monday we went swimming at a pool in Cullman, AL. This pool was awesome. It had a kiddy part as well as adult diving boards and large slides. Matthew enjoyed his time however, the water was a little cold so we stayed sitting and watching most of the time. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Matthew and Daddy havin' some fun in the sun!!!

Matthew didn't enjoy his trip in the lazy river with daddy!!!

Matthew and momma relaxing in the shade.

On Tuesday night we had some family over for homemade ice cream...Yum Yum!!! The ice cream was great and Matthew loved it...however this morning it didn't agree with him so I guess we should continue to keep him away from dairy products. It is kinda sad that the ice cream bothered him because I can't eat it either since I am still breastfeeding. These pictures below are of some of his cousins and him. Eva decided that Matthew was her doll at one point of the night which was really cute until Matthew decided that he didn't need to be tossed around like a ragdoll.

Tomorrow night we are going to Outback Steakhouse for my mom's birthday. We invited my aunt and more cousins for Matthew to see again. It should be a great night!!!

Baby in the hospital

Please pray for a friend who has a baby that is 2 weeks old and was recently put in the hospital for a fever and low oxegen levels. He is doing better but still is in need of prayer.

Favorite Recipe at the Blog Hop

I am not much of a cook so I do not really have a recipe that I can post. I will however post my favorite meal at a restaurant. My family loves going to Outback Steakhouse. Whenever there is an event (i.e. birthday, anniversary, holiday, or just any excuse to go) we end up at Outback. My brother and his wife went to Atlanta for their anniversary and every night went to Outback. Tomorrow is my mom's birthday...where do you think we'll be???? You guessed it...OUTBACK!!! So when you ask about my favorite recipe the first thing I think of is Outback Steakhouse.

When we go to the OB S, I love ordering the filet with baked potato and a salad with ranch dressing. We also LOVE LOVE LOVE the cheese fries.

I know that is not that exciting but that is technically my favorite recipe. Happy hopping!!!

Getting to Know New Friends

Today was a great day for Matthew. Well...at least the last half of it anyway. Matthew and I went to church this morning while Seth stayed at home to study for his Doctoral Qualifying Exams. Matthew absolutely HATED his stay in the nursery!!!! I think the lady was just being nice when she said that he hadn't been crying the whole time because he didn't look happy that I left him behind. He is going to have to get used to being with someone else during the day though. I hope he can manage!!!

After church we went to meet an old friend and his wife and little girl who is a year and half old. Her name is Zoey and she is soooooo adorable. She even leaned over and gave Matthew a kiss...which I thought was so cute. They seemed to really like each other as you can see from the pictures below.

Zoey was teaching Matthew how to share.

We met at Cracker Barrel and you know how they have all of the rocking chairs on the front porch...well they had one that was Matthew's size and I sat him down in the chair and he loved every minute of it. I just wish I had 79.99 (goodness I didn't realize how expensive the kiddy size one is).



We had fun today. Seeing and spending time with them makes me wish we could spend more time with them.

Here is Michael with Zoey!!! They are so much fun!!!



Tomorrow we go to a pool and water slide park so hopefully I will have plenty of nice pictures of Matthew catching some rays!!!

Meeting the Family

We had a really good day today. Matthew got to go and see our Granny (his great grandmother) and he just smiled and smiled at her. He also loved touching and holding her hands which I think is precious because their hands are so different. After we had our visit with Granny, we dropped by my cousin Josh's house and saw his new baby...McKenna who was born about 2 weeks after Matthew. She seemed to be fascinated with Matthew but Matthew didn't want to flirt back. (I guess I am all the girl he needs right now)

Momma, Matthew, McKenna and "uncle" Josh

(Josh is really Matthew's cousin but in our family we tend to call any cousin who is older an uncle or aunt)

Granny (Matthew's great grandma), momma and Matthew

Couldn't resist posting cause he looks so cute in this picture with his daddy!!

He is having some trouble going to other people. He seems to just be happy with me, Nana or his daddy right now. I hope no one takes offense or gets their feelings hurt because I know it is just because he has stranger anxiety. We are going to church in the morning so maybe he will do good. Pop (my dad) can't even hold him without a cry fest. Maybe its just a phase he is going through.

I am convinced that Matthew can sleep anywhere and at anytime. On the way up to Alabama he actually slept from 11 p.m. til we got here at around 7 a.m. The only time he woke up was when we stopped for gas at around 4 and he still just fell right back to sleep without the need to be nursed. Since we have been here he has slept soundly in my old room. We only have full size beds so I am sleeping in the same room as Matthew and Seth is in Scott's old room (my brother). He just whimpers around a couple of times and re-adjusts and then falls back asleep.

He has also said..."Hey Nana" and "I Want My Momma" since we have been here. I am so proud of my smart little boy!!! I thank God for such a wonderful little guy that I absolutely love with all of my heart.

Have a great night!!!

Sum-Sum-Summertime

As expected the summer is flying by...way to fast. I realized that exactly 1 month from today...I have to report to work and leave my life as it is with little Matthew. Right now I will live in the moment though.

We are in Alabama right now and Matthew is having so much fun.

Matthew liked feeling the grass between his toes at Nana and Pop's house today. He got to sit down on the grass with all the bugs and everything...(even though mommy was nervous he would get bit by an ant or something)...he loved it!!

Here is Matthew finding out what it feels like to stand barefoot on the gravel road. He quickly started to stand on my feet.

Picking the flowers...Nana is sooo proud!!!

Sitting in the swing with momma...he really like being outside!!!

Getting ready to eat some watermelon...yum, yum!!!

Now for my favorite pictures of the day!!! Matthew had his very first piano lesson with momma today!!! Even though he is not playing the music in the picture...he still seemed very interested in the keys and how they worked. He even "played" along while Nana was playing a song for him. I hope he continues to love the piano and listening to classical music.