Happy New Year!

I've decided to make some major changes for 2008. Wait...I always say that...it very rarely ever happens. Some of my bad habits are just so ingrained in me that I have a very difficult time breaking them. Some of my goals for 2008 are:

eat better (but isn't that on everyone's list?)
exercise more consistently (again, on everyone's list)
make a budget and stick to it (takes cooperation from the husband, so we'll see about that one)
increase my show schedule and be more effecient and effective at my business
take time to stop and enjoy my children (I'm guilty of thinking that they are in my way instead of getting down and playing with them)
start looking on the positive side of things first
let my husband know how much I appreciate him working so hard so that I can work from home and take care of our children
make time for "date nights" once a month, every month

This is just the tip of the iceberg for me. Let me know what your goals are for the new year. Accountability is one of the things that helps you stick to your goals when the going gets tough.

I know, been a while...but we were sick

The last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy. Ray had a bad cold, then Kyler got sick the week before Christmas, the next day, Aaliyah was sick, then I started running a fever, then Aaliyah started running a fever. We finally got over the throwing up, messy diapers, not eating, and fevers...just in time for Christmas Eve. I have discovered how much NOT like Kyler my daughter is. After a week of feeling crummy and me throwing her schedule out the window just to keep her happy, she is completley off schedule. She's waking up at night, again. She's not napping well, again. She's not nursing well, again. oh, lovely motherhood! I'll post Christmas pics as soon as I get the camera out of the car (yes, it's been there for a week).

Absolutely great!

One of my dear friends from college sent this clip to me and I laughed my head off. You've got to watch it. Couldn't figure out how to put the video directly on here, though. You'll just have to follow the link. Sorry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

How do you give?

How do you give back at Christmas? This is the season when everyone is thinking about giving to others and what the true meaning of Christmas is. Well...I've already commented on the true meaning of Christmas, but we are also wanting to teach our children to think about others especially at this time of year by giving to others who don't have as much as we have (not that we have a whole lot of anything). So, my question to you is...how do you give to others at Christmas...or at other times of the year that are not so obvious? Let me know. I always love new ideas.

Bragging on the Hubby!

It's not often that I brag on my hubby. I don't know why that is. I guess I'm just bad at seeing the positive all the time. Anyway...this is the time of year when I can see how much my husband and I can accomplish when we communicate and use the gifts that God gave us.
I am an organizer. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I have to have everything in order and go according to plan or I lose it (not the best when you have kids). My husband is NOT an organizer. He makes plans and figures out the details while he's in the midst of completing those plans. This drives me nuts! Every year at Christmas, though, we come together and work amazingly well together on our Helping Hands ministry Christmas Tree program. I guess it's because we've been doing this ministry long enough that I know what the big plan is and he knows that I will take care of the details.
Something else always happens this time of year. My husband begins to remember why God has placed him in our church and why he does what he does. There is always one person who God puts in his life (through our ministry) to remind him the reason for all of our hair-pulling, late nights, hours away from our children, and stressful Sundays. It's because we have been placed in a specific position at a specific time to be Jesus to someone who may not have seen His face in any other way.
My prayer this year is that we (me included) will remember the reason we celebrate Christmas and pass that on to our children. It's not about stuff, it's not about decorations or music or even the wonderful time spent with our families. It's about Christ sending his son to earth to live as a child knowing full well that 32 years later he would die the most horrible death that anyone could know just to raise again and give us eternal life. How much will you sacrifice this season?

Ladies and Gentlemen...we have success

The Princess is sleeping!!! Wednesday night...slept 11.5 hrs straight through...Thurs. night...12 hrs!...Friday night...11 hrs...Sat. and Sunday night straight through, too. I think we can offically say that she is sleeping throught the night! Yeah!!!! I feel so much better. It's amazing how much just a little extra sleep (or solid sleep) can change how you feel. I only hope this sticks. The next hurdle is to get Kyler to stay in his bed all night.

Finally!

Finally, Aaliyah slept through the night last night and didn't wake up until 6:30!!! I don't know what my husband did different (he put them to bed), if anything, but she did it. Question is...will it happen again anytime in the next year????!! Have a great day. I know I am!

...enough...Day 4

Okay, she didn't sleep through the night, but I only had to pick her up and sway with her about 5 minutes or so, then I put her down and she went right back to sleep! Maybe tonight I can just pat her back and start her aquarium.

...enough...Day 3

I have to admit, I was skeptical. Deep down, I didn't think it would work. She is so stubborn. Last night we were only up for less than 15 minutes! I went in, held her and calmed her down for about 5 or 6 minutes...put her down...she fussed a little...patted her on the back...turned her ocean aquarium on (I had been doing this all along, but just realized there is an ocean sound)...and off she went. She did pull at my shirt when I first went in and picked her up; she wanted to climb on me instead of be comforted. Maybe she'll actually sleep all night tonight??!! I won't count my chickens before they hatch, though.

...enough...Day 2

Last night wasn't as bad. She woke up about 1:30 and there was less crying and screaming on her part, less picking her up on my part. I thought for sure I had her down, left her room and turned around to see that Kyler had left his room and come to ours. I picked him up out of our bed and returned him to his room, then the princess started fussing again. I let her for about 10 minutes because it was mild and she was just kind of whimpering...then she started getting worse so I went back in, held her for about 2 or 3 minutes, then put her back down and she went to sleep. This whole process lasted about 45 minutes or so. Much better than the hour last night. We'll see how night three goes!

I've had enough...Day One

The princess is going to be dethroned. At almost 9 months old, she is still not sleeping through the night and I'm about done with it. She started out a great sleeper. Sleeping 5-6 hours straight at 7 or 8 weeks. Then at about 4 months, it stopped. 5 months started sleeping again. 6 months...stopped...and hasn't looked back. NEVER had this problem with Kyler. He slept through the night at 5 1/2 months and has been a great sleeper ever since (except he comes in our bed in the middle of the night). I've decided to try a combination of methods. She's not a cry-it-out kinda girl (she just gets hysterical) and I'm not a no-cry kinda girl. Last night I finally had the strength to try and get her back to sleep without feeding her. At first I picked her up and held her until she was calm, then laid her down...she screamed...picked her back up and swayed...put her back down...she screamed...picked her back up and swayed and sang...put her back down...she screamed...(This cycle went on for about 30 minutes or so. There's not a clock in her room so I'm just guessing.)...finally laid her down and she seemed to stay calm like she was going to go back to sleep...ha, ha, ha...started crying...at least she's not screaming...leave room and let her cry...go back in after about 8 minutes...pick her up...sway...sing...lay down...cry...pick up...sway...lay down...wait, is she asleep...maybe...maybe...YES!
Finally after an hour she went to sleep. I was so proud that I was able to stay strong and not get angry. We'll see how tonight goes...keep you posted!

1st letter to Santa

Kyler is finally old enough to know about Santa, what he does, and tell him what he wants. We are loving every minute. I had a great idea since Kyler couldn't write, yet. Instead of my husband or I writing his letter to Santa, what if we cut out pictures of what he wanted and let him glue them to the paper. Then we can either take it to mall Santa or we can give it to the mail carrier to give to Santa. Here is what we came up with this morning.




Now, we have to explain to him that just because it's on your list does NOT mean that you will get it. It's just to give Santa an idea of what you like. I'm sure that will go over great!

Black Friday

I have various ideas about why they call the Friday after Thanksgiving "Black Friday." Perhaps it's because that's when all the stores that have a loss for the year jump up into "the black," maybe it's because people get up while it's still black outside (as in, not even approaching daylight or even dawn) to get the best deals, or maybe it's because that's the attitude many people have on this day.
My family got up at 5:30 am on Friday (mainly because that's when the princess decided she was hungry) and was out of the house by 6:00. We were off! Ray and I have always loved to go out on this day because it helps get us in the holiday spirit. We haven't gotten up early the last couple of years because our son was young and I just didn't see the point. This year, we went for it since we are all up before 6 almost every morning anyway. We rarely buy anything, just walk around and be in the crowds. I saw more families snapping at each other and other people just flat out being rude. It was so sad. This is a mere 12 hours after you just loved on your family and spent a day giving thanks, and now many people are back to the idea that they are all that matters. Getting stuff, saving money, getting stuff, all about me, me, me, me.
Personally, this was a day that was about my family. In all the chaos and craziness, I loved spending time with my family. My most memorable moment will be looking back on that day and remembering that my son and I are CRAZY! We went to go see a movie and when it was over, we started dancing like lunatics to the credits (we were the only ones in the theater). The princess was asleep and my husband was just sitting there looking at us. We had so much fun. Then I just stood there and looked at my son dancing, my husband watching him, my daughter asleep in her stroller and thought...this is MY family and I LOVE them so much. Hope you had a weekend of giving thanks and not getting things.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday to Me

Thanksgiving is a time of food, fellowship, football, and reflection. I always look forward to this time of year for several reasons; the "official" kickoff to the holiday season, lots of food, great football games, and, most importantly, my birthday (on Saturday)! Okay, so my birthday is not the most important thing about Thanksgiving, but it always lands in the same week, so my mind is always there. So...in honor of my 29th birthday here are 29 things I am thankful for (in no particular order past number 3):

1. My Lord and Savior for giving his life so that I can live life abundantly and worship him for all of eternity.
2. My husband for loving me despite all my faults.
3. My children for allowing me to love them.
4. my parents and in-laws that live close enough to provide wonderful advice and free babysitting!
5. puddle hopping with my son after the rain
6. 3 1/2 years of teaching with the best faculty at the best middle school in Mid Tenn
7. the freedom to worship my God without persecution
8. my son's voice when he says "Hi, mommy. I missed you sooo much!"
9. the way my daughter smells after her bath
10. the way the leaves change colors in the fall
11. flip-flops
12. jeans with stretch
13. my husband's strong arms around me when I'm having a meltdown
14. the ability to stay home with my kids and still run my own business
15. my friends' ability to know when something is wrong despite what I tell them
16. Sister Schubert's rolls
17. my ability to hear music
18. my ability to perform beautiful music and worship my God with my voice
19. my son's curiousity
20. my daughter's laugh...and cry
21. ponytail holders
22. that my husband has the "fun" side covered with the kids so I don't feel so guilty about being the serious one
23. my brother, father, and several cousins who proudly serve our country in the Army National Guard, Air Force, and Navy
24. Pete and Jodi Brennan and their ministry in Brazil. I hope we can join them again soon.
25. my past and the ability to learn from it
26. my husband's honesty and drive to do better
27. the fact that we have clothes, food, a car, and shelter
28. the technology that allows me to stay in touch with friends all over the world and share my thoughts with you
29. CHOCOLATE!

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. Take the time to really think about what you're thankful for beyond friends and family.

Gobble, Gobble!

I was on MySpace...

and I was filling out one of those "get to know you" kind of things that you always get. It was 50 random questions and one of them really caught me off guard. The question was, "What one thing do you hate about yourself." Now, there isn't anything that I really hate. I usually answer these questions with various parts of my body (ie. fat rolls, double chin, bad eyesight, etc.), but this time I didn't. I don't know what came over me, but my answer was my inability to keep my mouth shut. I don't think of myself as a big mouth (although my husband does) and I don't think of myself as one to be rude. But then, a couple of months ago, I thought, "am I the one everyone wants to shut up but they're too nice to tell me?" There are a few people who have crossed my path and they were that one. I just wanted to look at them and say "can you really just keep your mouth shut?" They weren't talking excessively, but they were just rambling about nothing and talking about themselves WAY too much. Am I that person? I know I talk a lot, but am I that EGR (extra grace required) in every group? My mission this holiday season (since I'll be around many people I don't know) is to smile and keep my mouth shut. We'll see how that goes!

Why?

1. Why is this weather so crazy? Two days ago I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans and was sweating. Today, when I go outside, I need my sweatshirt. If it's so warm I have to wear a t-shirt on Thanksgiving, then God and I are having words. I despise starting the Christmas season when it's 75 degrees outside. It kinda dampens the spirit. I'm still getting my Peppermint Mocha next Friday; I don't care how hot it is outside.
2. Why does it take over 6 months to do with the second child what only took 6 weeks to do with the 1st? Aaliyah's finally on a good schedule...at 8 months old. She is not, however, sleeping through the night again.
3. Why does everyone's life always look better than yours?
4. Why do we envy other people's relationships?
5. Why does my dog insist on sleeping on the couch no matter how many times we tell him to get off?
6. Why can I never live up to my own expectation of myself?
7. Why do preschoolers insist on watching the same movie 500 times in one week?
8. Why do I procrastinate?
9. Why can't I have the good genes that make you skinny no matter what you eat?
10. Why am I griping on a blog?

I'll work on something positive for next time.

Man I'm getting good at this.

I have always loved taking pictures and I have been trying to become a better photographer lately since I now have 2 children. We have had a good camera since Kyler was born and we have a few good pictures here and there, but not a whole lot. I have always been able to spot a good picture, but when I take it, it never looks right. Then...the digital camera came along!!! I love being able to review my pictures immediately and decide if I need to take another or not. I also have gotten a lot of ideas from looking at my friend Alison's pictures. She is an amazing photographer and has a real knack for catching people in their natural state whether at their wedding or playing in a field with the whole family. Here are a few shots I have taken of Kyler and one of Aaliyah (maybe for their modeling portfolios?).

Here's Kyler back in May.





These are from just last week.






I'd have more of Aaliyah but she hasn't quite learned how to sit still for the camera and always seems to stop smiling the second it's in her face. Maybe she's more suited for high fashion!

looking back

I was looking through some old pictures on the computer and was amazed at how much Kyler and Aaliyah look like each other.


Here's Kyler at 9 days old. He was such a good sleeper!



Aaliyah at 12 days old. Almost the same picture, but not the same sleeper ;)




Kyler's first cereal at 4 1/2 months. He wasn't quite ready yet.



Aaliyah's first cereal at 4 1/2 months. She ate it up and didn't stop!




Kyler at 6 1/2 months.



Aaliyah at 6 1/2 months.




Kyler at 8 months with our friend Pete Brennan.



Aaliyah at 8 months loving her new sippy cup.

bathtime fun

While I was giving the kids their baths on Sat. night, they just looked so cute I had to go get the camera.


This is the shot that made me go and get my camera.



They are learning to share.



Showing off her new 'do.




Not to be left out...but his hair doesn't quite do the "faux-hawk" since he got it cut!

Ups and downs

Being a parent is hard. It's one of those things that you look back and say, if I knew then what I know now, then I would have waited longer/not had kids/had fewer/put more years between (choose your answer). When people say it's hard, you say "I know" but then you have one of those days when you understand exactly what they were talking about. You are always living for someone else, you never have time to think, any extra money that you think you have needs to be used to buy clothes, diapers, wipes or shoes, and, if you're not careful, you completely lose sight of why you had children in the first place.
Yesterday was a great day. I had several of those "this is why I have kids" moments and it felt great. I was able to get things done, play with my kids, and still get a few moments to myself. I made dinner, was nice to my husband, and just had an all around good day.
Today...is NOT one of those days. Sometimes you just have days when you wonder if you can do it. To be completely honest, on days like these I wonder, seriously wonder, if I did the right thing by having kids. Some people reading this are going to say that children are a blessing and I should be thankful that I was able to have kids. Yes, I know that. Some are going to say that I need help because I don't like my kids. Yes, probably. And some are going to say that they know exactly how I feel. At least I hope someone does.
I truly believe there is a difference between love and like. Do I love my children? Yes, very much. I can sit and vividly remember the day I found out I was pregnant, the day I found out what we were having, and the day I gave birth to each of them. Do I like my children? Sometimes, no. They whine, complain, stay attached to me all day, pull on my pants, invade my space, change their minds constantly and just generally get on my nerves. Sometimes I just can't take it. That, my friends, is why I will be taking a trip to Wal-mart later today...ALONE!

Kyler turns "free" (3)

Okay, first I feel I should explain all previous statements in this blog regarding "Kyler the Edward King." When you ask Kyler what his full name is, he always states very proudly "Kyler the Edward King." I try to correct him, but it's just too cute. We now call him Kyler the Edward King, King of all the Edwards. I'm sure my brother and father (for who he is named Edward) would agree whole-heartedly. ANYWAY. We celebrated his 3rd birthday at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday night. "Why in the world would you take a bunch of 3 year olds to Chuck E. Cheese" you ask? Because my husband is a big kid and has been begging to have his party there since he was 18 months old. I said that he could have his party there when he was old enough to ask for it, not thinking in a million years that a 2 1/2 year old would have the vocabulary of a 5 year old! So we ended up at Chuck E. Cheese. It was nice to not have to clean the house for guests and worry about making food and a cake and then cleaning up afterward. It was still crazy, though, and I spent most of the time behind the camera instead of with my son (or my daughter for that matter. thanks, MIL and mom!). When it was all said and done we were exhausted, but Kyler was thrilled. Pardon the blurriness of some of the pictures, when you put four 3 year olds, one 2 year old, and four under two with Chuck E. Cheese, there is not a whole lot of holding still for pictures!


Kyler posing with his golf bag and 3 wood from daddy. He already has a 9 iron and a putter.


The table set-up for the kids.





Grace B. with my MIL.


my "nephew" Nathan and his daddy Daren


Katie with Aiden W.


Zoe chewing on her nails.


The "loot" that kept Kyler up until 10:00 that night!


Zoe dancing with Chuck E. Cheese.


Kids with Chuck E. Notice Tyler has his hand over his eyes. Apparently, that is a new greeting in Tylerworld!


After all the hype, Kyler would rather eat a 3rd piece of pizza than go dance with Chuck E.


We finally got him to get up and give Chuck E. a hug.


Aaron and Jen - "Ahhh, this is why we don't come here!"


The Johnsons (Jason, Daphne, Jackson, and Savannah) - "we do this all the time"


The boys and Zoe.


This is the one that got me choked up. I think I realized that my little boy is already 3.


Grace getting some pizza (crust).


Aaliyah with Grandma. She was done and ready to go home.

There are way more pictures, but I think that's enough. I'm sure I'll have something new to talk about in the next week. Life with a 3 year old will be interesting.

Happy Halloween!

Here are some pics from last night and Tuesday night. I never got any good shots of the two of them together, so I am going to dress them up again and get a couple of good pictures with their pumpkins full of candy! Aaliyah had a great time looking in her pumpkin and Kyler had a blast as ususal. We all slept really good after everything was said and done...until Aaliyah woke up at midnight and Kyler woke up at 12:05 screaming because he threw up in his bed. That's a whole other post.
Here are the pics from Tuesday at Keller-Williams in Murfreesboro. Grandma and Grandpa met us for Trunk-or-Treat.





Halloween night at Nana and PopPop's in Lavergne. Their neighborhood has more kids so Kyler had fun looking at all the other costumes. He also had a bad habit of looking in other people's houses after they gave him candy. We'll have to work on that.


Obi Won Kenobi getting ready to fight the Dark Side.


Our monkey princess. Notice there is a bow now. We had to correct way too many people on Tuesday who kept calling her a "he".


Obi Won's secret weapon...the thumb. Aaliyah thinks he is acting like a baby!


The monkey with her Nana.


Obi Won Kenobi learning the power of The Force and how to safely use a light sabre.


I love pics like this!


The cousins. From left to right; Obi Won Kenobi (Kyler), was an evil pumpkin before the picture (Jaesean), Dracula (Daesun), the Monkey Princess (Aaliyah).

That's all for now. Stay tuned for Kyler the Edward King's 3rd birthday at Chuck E. Cheese!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

Coming Soon...

to a blog near you...
Obi Won Kenobi and the Monkey Princess
plus...
Kyler the Edward King turns 3

Verdi, my hero

I have found a small, but vital part of myself again. I got to sing one of my all time most favorite pieces in the whole world yesterday. Verdi's Requiem. It was AMAZING!
I had a revelation of sorts this summer and realized that I have completely lost who I was before I had kids or even who I was before I got married. My husband and I had a long conversation about this and we came to the conclusion that I HAD to get back into singing classical music on some level. When school started back and I was home with the kids, that just solidified our decision. So...I went over to MTSU and joined the local community chorus. I have sung with them before when I was in college and once after I graduated, but then it just got hard to drive to the college after working all day and especially during my first year of teaching. We had our first concert yesterday and I loved every minute of it. It's like everything that I had lost came rushing back in that hour and a half. I actually teared up during our dress rehearsal on Friday because it just felt so wonderful. I know that God gave me this gift to glorify him, but have always struggled because our church doesn't sing classical music. Then it hit me...why do I have to be in church to glorify God with my voice? Just that I use the voice that he gave me is all He asks. It is by using my talents that I glorify Him. That can be the door to live boldly for Him. I'm still waiting to see how he will use this, but I am going to enjoy the ride.

Makes you think

I was reading my friend Jamie's blog and she gave this link to one that she reads regularly. It really made me think. Especially since we are a multi-racial family.

GOD IS GOOD!!!!

My mom just called and said that my brother has passed his PT test. He did just the minimum number of pushups and situps, but ran the 2 mile faster than he ever has. Then he had his blood work done and they ran the cholesterol check. It is down 30 points!!!!!! I am amazed at how God works when we all pray and pray specifically. Nothing is beyond our amazing God. My brother is a go to report to Ft. Rucker on Tuesday. I'll keep all updated as he goes through WOCS and Flight School. Thank you for your prayers.

Happy Friday

TGIF!!!! If I can make it through this week, I can make it through anything. Of course, next week could be worse. You never know. Aaliyah is still on a princess kick and it's messing with our nursing. I'm kind of upset because it is kinda her fault for not nursing as long as she needs to. She's almost at the point where she would rather take a bottle. I hate that, but whatever gets her to take what she needs to be healthy! I think she just likes making my life hard. ;)
Kyler's also on a kick. It's the "I can do whatever I want because I'm a boy" kick. I don't know where he got that from, but that's his answer to almost anything. "I can because I'm a boy!"

No updates on how my brother did on his PT test, yet. He won't have the bloodwork results until Monday. It's going to be a long, rough weekend.

Pray, Pray, Pray

I don't know who all reads this, but I hope there are more than just a couple of people. I have a major request. Pray for my brother.
As long as I can remember, my brother has always wanted to be a civil servent of some kind whether as a firefighter, police officer, or military. The firefighter thing fell through. For the last few years he has been a detention officer with Metro in the prison system (non-violent). And now, it is time for his military career to take off, literally. However, there have been some major "snags" along the way. When he signed up to be in the National Guard 8 years ago, there were all kinds of paperwork problems that took almost a full year to straighten out. Then everything was great. About 1 year ago, he decided that he wanted to change units and go back to his original plan of becoming a blawk hawk pilot. Well, it's taken a year to get the orders to go. Great!
Now for the major problem that needs prayers. He has his bloodwork done and they tell him that his cholesterol is too high! He had no idea. Come to find out, it was high (medically speaking) the last time they took it but didn't tell him what it was because it wasn't over the limit! Gotta love the Army. He has to have it re-tested (fasting) on Friday...after his PT test which is a 2 mile run, situps, pushups, and the like.
We are all praying that his cholesterol is below the limit on Fri. so he doesn't have to be tested again on Monday. This will take an act of God, and we are counting on it. God can work miracles, I've seen him do it. Now we need one for my brother. This is not beyond God's power and I want to see Him glorified through this situation.

random things

I love fall! It's so wonderful to wake up to a cold house (I know, I'm weird) and make a nice hot cup of coffee to drink. Even though I was up at 5:00 this morning, I still had a small window of time to drink my coffee and curl up on the couch to watch the news before the chaos began. What's even better is that it's sunny outside which always makes me feel better. Fall is the best time of the year!

I have declared today PJ day. Kyler and I are still in our jammies and plan to stay that way most of the day. Anyone who can join me in this is more than welcome. Send me a comment and tell me what you do on your lazy Fridays.

Why is it that with the second child you let everything slide? I am still pulling my hair out because Aaliyah has yet to be on a good solid schedule. Maybe it's because I was the one home this time (Ray worked from home with Kyler) or maybe it's because there was no rush or major need to have her on a schedule early on because I was not going back to work. Ray just thinks that she is on her own schedule and changes it whenver she wants to. I call it the "I'm a princess and you know it so cater to my every whim" schedule. I'm about ready to put my foot down and let Ray know that his little princess is about to be de-throned. She will be okay if she cries for more than 5 minutes and she will learn that I'm the mother and the original queen of this castle! Sounds harsh for a 7 month old, but she's already thrown more tantrums than I can count in her short 7 months. It's time for that to stop.

My son is awsome! As I was leaving last night to help a friend with her Pampered Chef show Kyler stopped me. He yelled at me when I closed the door so I opened it again and he looked me dead in the eye and said, "don't hit anybody and be careful and don't let anyone hit you." That's not a word for word quote, but as best I can remember that's what he said. I love him.

More Pictures

Just some pictures I took of Kyler and Aaliyah on Friday.


Here is my cousin Chasie playing with the kids. She is so great with them!




I realized I didn't have many recent pictures of Kyler or the two kids together. I decided to take some inspiration from my photographer friend, Alison and just snap some as they interacted. I think these turned out really well.






















These pictures are of my family at Cannonsburg. Again, thank you Alison for the ideas!

Four generations of Carter women. I only hope that one day we can have a picture of five.




four generations of Carter men.


My grandparents, uncle Darrel, Chasie and Chase, and Rory.


Kyler and Chase. They had so much fun together.