Thanksgiving

Four generations! Carter looks rough...He already has on PJs and it's two hours past bedtime. Oh, well...

Carter and Pappy

Hi all!

Lots going on around here between preparing to travel for the holidays, Andrew's school, church responsibilities and, not to mention, I'm starting to feel the tired-ness that comes with being 8 months preggo!

Thanksgiving was perfect. We traveled to Panama City (an hour and a half away) to visit some of Andrew's family. The company, food, relaxation and weekend with my normally MIA hubby was fantastic. Of course, it wasn't home for me, as this was my "first" holiday without seeing any of my family; however, I did quite well :)

Baby and I are doing great. She moves quite a bit more than Carter ever did. I tend to have trouble sleeping as she moves during the night but overall, all is good.

Carter is getting to be such a big boy! Not in size, as he takes after his father and I, but in personality. He is really repeating and learning new words everyday! I'm excited to see how he responds to little Miss Aubrey.

Andrew is plugging away at school. He is doing great and is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. He is SO ready for a holiday break and is counting down the days already!

Pumpkin Patch

26.5 Weeks Prego!

Here is the picture you've all been waiting for... I'm 26.5 weeks pregnant in this picture. All is going great with the pregnancy and little Aubrey Nicole should join the family sometime in January. I'm due Jan. 25th but have an induction schedule Jan. 18th!

Visit to Columbia!

Can you see the chipmuck cheeks? HAHA.

While in Missouri we were able to go and see Andrew's mom and Rob! It was so great to spend time with them and allow them to bond with Carter boy or their "Little Bear." Thanks for everything Deb and Rob! We love you!

Trip to Missouri!

I'm horrible at taking pictures while in Fredericktown but we've just returned from a two week trip there! My mom is also snapping pictures like crazy and so I never worry about it but then I never get copies and therefore, have nothing to post!

My parents bought Carter and I plane tickets to come home for a couple of weeks for my birthday. It was SO much fun and much needed :)

I did manage to get Carter and Grandpa on the new tractor!

Fun, fun!

My Birthday!

My favorite two people!

Where we ate...

It's been awhile since I've posted but we've been super busy!

Here's a little of what's been going on...

My birthday was in late July and we celebrated by eating (my favorite) and walking along some of the many piers in the area.

Backyard Fun

It's hot here in Florida. I'm talking like a heat index of 120 degrees, which isn't too far off from what we were accustomed to in Missouri but the humidity makes it SO much worse. Needless to say, we don't get outside much. Today; however, it is cloudy and there are chances for thunderstorms which make it a bit cooler. Carter and I enjoyed a picnic lunch and playtime on a blanket in the back yard!

Carter's First Birthday

Carter turned one on June 19th and I feel horrible that I've kept all of our blog followers out there waiting for these! In between picking up Carter's ordered birthday cake and our catered meal (we were busy, right?) Andrew and I left the house without the camera. My cousin Abby took hundreds of pics of the birthday event; however, she hasn't had the time to send them my direction. Luckily, we received a few in the mail today that my aunt had taken.

Carter James - Mommy and Daddy love you SO much. You've brought more joy to our lives than we could have ever imagined. You are ALWAYS happy and that's encouraging to us. Your giggles and grins can brighten any day. We will always strive to protect you, guide you and love you forever!

Carter's Tropical Smootie

A few weeks ago I posted Carter enjoying his Tropical Smootie. I forgot to add the picture of his hilarious family trying to capture the moment!

The Beach

A decent family pic captured at the beach!

Pirate Fun!

The black ship is named the "Black Beard." It takes over FWB during the festivites.

All the locals dress up as pirates!
"Black Beard"

Carter didn't know what to think about the pirate man!

Fort Walton Beach is a fun, tourist fun about 30 minutes from here. We traveled there for their annual Pirate Festival about a month ago. To be honest, I talked Andrew into going because I thought I needed carnival food. My idea backfired...I ended up getting sick and we had to leave shortly after the pirates "took" over. Enjoy the pics!

First Haircut

Carter got his first haircut a few weeks ago! He has already had another since then :) Needless to say, these aren't great pictures. There was TOO much going on to sit still and get a decent photo! By the way, it took Andrew two weeks of nagging (yes, he nags) to talk me into letting go of his curls. Yes, I admit I cried; however, it does look much better! The picture above makes his hair look alot worse than it really was on a day to day basis. Andrew felt that it needed a little messing up. I wish I had a good "after" picture...but I don't!

Aubrey and Eric!!

Hi all,

Today I'm catching up on blogging! Enjoy the random posts!

At the end of May, my best friend from college, Aubrey, and her other half, Eric came to visit! They drove from KC and stayed four nights. It was SO much fun. We enjoyed good food, the beautiful beach and many late nights of conversation! Thanks for coming, Aubs! Oh, and since then Aubrey has passed her RN certification test. Woo Hoo!

Nothing New...

Things have been pretty quite around here. Andrew is plugging along with school and doing really well! We are super proud of him :) We are starting to get anxious about our new assignment - aka location - and can't wait until we find out. Andrew seems to think we'll know around September.

Carter is getting big. He can say: All done, Hi, Bye-Bye, Mom, Da-Da, and Whats this? Of course, Andrew and I are the only ones that can understand half of them! He still has absolutely no interest in walking and I'm starting to fear I'll have two non-walkers at once! AH!

I have been feeling really well. Today, I am 13 wks and 3 days along. I get really tired in the evenings but the sickness has pretty much stopped completely. I am still working from home and loving it! It keeps me busy during naptimes and downtimes and helps us save and spend more than we noramlly would be able. I have started looking into Master's degrees and we've decided that I'll start "something, somewhere" as soon as we get settled at our new station.

Here are just a few pics of Carter that we've taken the last few weeks. They are not off of Andrew's "super, new and cool" camera but they are cute nonetheless.

Baby #2's First Photos!

I had my first doctor's appt today! It went great. I was a little nervous about being "placed" with a military doctor and not having an alternate choice; however, my doctor, Dr. Susin, was fantastic and spent over an hour with me! Everything seems to be right on track and moving forward great! I've had some issues with nausea but it seems to be calming down a bit. As of today, I'm 10 wks and 4 days which gives me a due date of January 25th. The ultrasounds pics are a bit fuzzy but apparently the "good" machine was getting repaired. I think these turned out great though and even give "Baby #2" a girlish figure...right?

Since we were already at the hosiptal Carter had his one year shots as well. He was such a trooper! Of course, he cried and as the technician tried to "make up" with him Carter hit him BUT we successfully left without harming anyone!

Andrew's New Camera

I was able to purchase Andrew this nifty new camera for Father's Day. Needless to say, he was speachless. He has ALWAYS been interested in photography but never had the time/money to explore it. Well, he still doesn't have the time BUT we're planning on getting some great family pictures over the next several years. I have a family member that has this camera and she has taken amazing pics. I'm excited for Andrew to learn the ins and outs! He hasn't had time to play with it too much but this weekend we are planning on taking some great family photos! I think I made a great investment (and believe me it was quite an investment!)

Carter's Tropical Smootie

So we didn't celebrate Carter's birthday ON his birthday due to Andrew being at school but he did enjoy a Tropical Smoothie...so fun! He enjoyed it quite a bit more than he did his cake a few days later...

Our House

Here are a few pics from our humble abode...

Fun in the Sun!

Now that we live in Florida, the beach is close by and we make frequent trips! Here are just a few pics from the last couple of weeks!

Carter LOVES the water, HATES the sand.

Andrew's Motorcycle

For the last year we've only had one vehicle. In Arkansas, Andrew's work was 3 minutes away and due to his flexible work schedule we were able to make our schedule work around having one vehicle.

We knew that when we arrived in Florida, Andrew would be gone 5 days a week from 5 AM to 8-9 PM. That news meant we needed a second form of transportation! Obviously, we had a budget and with that budget we could have purchased a really nice motorcycle or a really cruddy car.

Andrew is a pretty smooth talker and it doesn't help that he's a bit spoiled. This is what we ended up with!

Updates, updates, updates!

I know it's been a century since I've last posted! We've moved, Andrew has started school, Carter is almost one...the months just fly by! I've promised myself (and Andrew) that I would update the blog TODAY. I have several different posts planned and will update around our afternoon activities!

Happy reading!

Grandpa is Here!

Hi all,

Rob is in town visiting! We are so grateful he was able to come for a visit and meet Carter boy! They LOVE each other and are creating some great memories! The weekend has been quite relaxing. Friday, we went to the zoo, out to lunch and shoe shopping. Today, Saturday, Carter boy has been a little sickly but we've managed to have a great day of games, movies and BBQ. Next, apple pie! Here are a few pics from the weekend, thus far.