First Airplane Ride

On Feb 21 Cooper & I somehow endured the crazy security check (with a baby, stroller, 2 bags this was not an easy thing), boarded the airplane & set off to Kingman, AZ (via Las Vegas). I was so worried that Cooper was going to be a terror during our 4.5 hour flight. Fortunately with many prayers, much faith, & a blessing-I was completely wrong! Coop was a champ! (even though we were squished in the middle seat)

One of my bestest friends Rachael (& daughter Charlotte) picked us up from the airport. (I may or may not have teared up at the sight of my dear friend) After a quick stop at In -N-Out Burger (my first experience) we headed deeper into the desert sand for Kingman, AZ.

I was in Kingman from Tuesday until Sunday morning. We seriously had a blast. I loved spending so much time with the Adams. My apologizes to Scott for taking over his house, wife, & child for so long. Thanks for putting up with me & my kid!

Here are some of the fun things we did:

-Toured Kingman

-Ate some delicious food made by the Adams

-Took the babies swimming for the first time

-Planned Charlotte & Cooper's future wedding :)

-Made Quiet Books for the babies (SO glad we finished in time!)

-Toured Lake Havasu (sp?) & saw THE London Bridge (it didn't fall-they just took it down & put it back up in the middle of no where Arizona!)

-Rode the Rhino around in the desert
-I may or may not have almost killed myself & Coop in the pool by stepping backwards & thinking the 1 inch drop off was really a 50 foot drop off... (maybe this shouldn't go under the fun list-but it sure was funny for some!)
-Drove down Route 66
-Listened to lots of music (Rach claims that Charlotte is the one that loves Justin Bieber...hehe)
-Rach & I did lots & lots of talking. Man I love that girl!
-Went to the park
-Rode over & saw the Hoover Dam
I'm sure I'm forgetting a million things



Now here are LOTS of pictures! (no particular order)

Baby Tummy Time!

Bridge over the Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

Colorado River (Right??)

:)

Rach & Charly at Story Time

seeing what it's all about!

:)

one of my all time favorite pics!
(One we'll show THEIR kids! hehe)

Scott was there too!
(Thanks for all the pics)

Trying cucumber for the first time.

Holding the babies while Rach is cooking.

cuteness

London Bridge

Heading out on the Rhino

The desert is different but beautiful!

Coop on the way out west.

Their first time meeting! haha

My first experience!

Love this kid!
Thanks to Rach for the super cute onesie!

Getting ready to FaceTime with Daddy!

Out in the desert. We're quite attractive!

I want to start planning our next trip out there... but I guess I should start saving first! ha!

A Whirlwind Weekend!

A couple of weeks ago Kyle took some time off of work & we loaded up the car & headed to the coast-Mount Pleasant, SC that is. We rolled into Mt P Thursday evening & spent some quality time with my Aunt Ann & family. It was so fun to see her love on Cooper.

Auntie Ann!

Toes in the water!

Friday was our only full day in town & it went by SO fast! That morning we took Cooper to the beach for the first time. He had a blast kicking around in the water for a few minutes but he was in need of a nap so it didn't last very long. ha! (there's a video somehwere of Coop playing in the water...) For lunch we met up with Bryant & Jilli for some Melvins! It was good BUT not as good as it once was. I still love their 'Lil Joe Basket!' That night the Geralds came by to meet Cooper. Cooper wasn't in the best of moods-again it was nap time-but it was so great to see the Geralds. I miss my Mt P parents! The Adams came by too. We love those 2.5! (Rachael is preggers with Cooper's future wife.) We are SO glad we got to hang out before their BIG move to AZ.

Pam making Cooper cry. ;)

a LATE night pic with the Adams

Saturday morning was here before we knew it. Kyle got up at 5am to go fishing with Scott & his dad. I don't think they caught much BUT they had a fun time. Ann & I went to Rachael's baby shower. It was so fun to see some friends & be there to celebrate with Rachael. We had to leave the shower early so I had to say my final goodbye to Rach. It was so sad. I cried like a baby. I'll blame it on the hormones/lack of sleep/anything. I am SO beyond excited for the Adam's new adventure but they will be SO far away that I'll have to take plane to see them! One day we will live close again! 

There were SO many friends we didn't get to see in Charleston but hopefully next time.

At the reception

Saturday we drove down to Brunswick, GA to meet up with a bunch of the Ensign crew for Brian & Ashley's wedding reception. That was a whirlwind of a 24 hours. We ended up not being able to spend much time with everyone due to Cooper & Moose. (Cooper needed to be in bed early & Moose being nervous in a hotel room & barking like CRAZY) We were glad we went to support the fam but sad we couldn't hang out much.

Poppa & Cooper

A Weekend of FUN!

Kyle & I took Friday off of work so we could hit the road this past Thursday evening. Our destination? MOUNT PLEASANT, SC!! We rented a car for fun & our drive was pretty uneventful. We made it into Mt P at 11:30pm & our first stop was Isle of Palms to see, hear, & smell the ocean. I loved just standing on the beach feeling the wind in my hair. Moose definitely enjoyed running around eating sea shells. :) I didn't realize how much I missed living on the coast.

Friday started early because we were so excited to be 'home' & we had tons to do. Kyle went downtown to pick up his Cooper River Bridge Run packet & I went to visit my old job. I had such a great time seeing Dr Goltra & the girls. I miss it there SO much! For lunch Kyle & I met up with Scott & Rachael for some delicious Melvins BBQ! It was A-Mazing! I ate everything & given the chance I probably could've had more!

Friday afternoon we spent some time with Kyle's parents, Marc & Pat before Cooper's baby shower that evening. (I'll post on the shower later) After the shower we invited a couple of friends over to play games. The Adams, Artls, Bryant, & Jilli came. We played Catch Phrase & we had some good laughs! There are phrases from that weekend that will never be forgotten!

Just thought I'd throw in a belly pic from that weekend.

Saturday morning came quick! Kyle set his alarm wrong but we woke up early enough anyhow so I could drop him off for the BIG race! I went to the grocery store, took a quick nap, & enjoyed the sun while Kyle was at the Bridge Run. Kyle did have a good time at the run even if it was solo. For lunch Kyle & I met up with Marc & Pat downtown at Poogans Porch. The company was GREAT & the food was pretty good (not our best visit there). We did have their delicious Gouda Mac & Cheese even if I did have to beg for it since it's not on the lunch menu. :) That mac & cheese is seriously life changing! haha After lunch we walked down to Waterfront Park to look out at the Charleston Harbor. There was a cruise ship, sail boats, & dolphins! It was great smelling the salt air & feeling the warm sun on our skin. (How can you not just LOVE it there?!)

Kyle after the race! So proud of him! :)

Me, Kyle, & Marc at Waterfront Park dwntwn Charleston.

Saturday afternoon we hung out at Ann's house enjoying the nice weather with Bryant, Jilli, & Dad. The boys tried to fly kites-that didn't work out well-so they moved on to skateboarding. Moose loved the skate board...well she loved to bark & bite on it. ha! Later I was able to meet up with my friend Rachel really quick before dinner. The visit was SO not long enough-I miss that girl!

We had a fun dinner date with Scott & Rachael at the one & only Gringos! The food was pretty amazing & the Adams rock my socks! :) After dinner the boys headed off to the Priesthood Session of General Conference so Rachael & I were able to have some much needed girl time! We chatted, cried a little (gotta love hormones!), got some special treats for Ann, & made a poster before the boys were done. We tried to go to Cupcake but they were already ready closed. :( When the boys were done it was time for dessert! We ate at Menchie's. It's new frozen yogurt place where you basically make it yourself & pay by the ounce (or by the pound if you ask Kyle. hehe). It was hard to decide what we wanted but it was super yummy!!

Sunday we had a little breakfast shin dig. I made Pat's famous Breakfast casserole & the Adams brought their homemade cinnamon rolls. Basically it was delicious & great to spend a little more time with special people before we left.

Now we are home & exhausted. We ended up staying up every night until 1am & waking up EARLY each morning so we're glad to be back to ATL but SO so sad to leave Mt P behind. It really feels like home there & I miss my family & friends. Who wouldn't want to live on the beautiful SC coast?! Hopefully we will get back there one day for good!

So Far in 2011

I can't believe it's already MARCH & less than 3 months left til we meet our baby boy! Crazy stuff. Time is flying by!

Here's a list of some of the fun things we've done so far:

-Had a blast with the Adams for New Years.

-Registered for baby stuff for our little boy.

-We had a snow day followed by some pretty intense ice.

-Tiffany & her girls came to town for MLK weekend.

-the Greenburgs visited & we babysat Grace & Cage.

-Stake Conference (we have an amazing Stake President)

-Game night with the Carron's.

-We've become even more addicted to Netflix.

-Found out we're going to Disney in December with the Ensign crew! woo hoo :)

-I started doing Prenatal Yoga & I'm loving it!

-Went to the Columbia Temple to be with Karl, Onna, & the boys for their special day.

-Made Chicken Cordon Bleu for the first time ever. (So delicious!)

-Tried Vietnamese food for the first time (Dinner with the Malans).

-Made funnel cakes with the Crolleys.

-Had a Superbowl party with the Malans & the Crolleys. (Ate WAY too much but it was totally worth it)

-Had more snow. Fortunately NO ice & it melted quick.

-Got Moose a hair cut. (she needed it BAD)

-Celebrated Valentine's Day with my lovely hubby

-Took my Sugar Test & passed! :)

-Kyle started training for the Bridge Run.

-We've planned a trip to Mt P in April (SO excited!)

-Spent an evening with Bryce on his way to SC.

-I endured a gruesome stomach bug... (I was so close to making it thru this entire pregnancy without puking!)

-Got Cabin Fever in the mountains of North GA with Kyle & some friends. (a post on that later)

We've had some fun & I know there is more to come! This weekend we are heading to Hartsville to visit family & to have our first baby shower! We love going home even though it can be a bit exhausting with so much family to see. I will post on our weekend later too. :)

Ringing in 2011!

We had such a fun New Years Eve Weekend! Our awesomely amazing friends from Mt P came to visit us! (We heart Scott & Rachael!) The Adams came in on Friday afternoon. The boys went & played some frisbee golf while us gals went to the store to get some food for our NYE Party. We had a good time preparing various foods for the shin dig!

Our NYE party was fun! We invited the Crolleys & Carons over to join in on the fun. We ate WAY too much, laughed a lot, played some games, watched the ball drop, & even sabered a bottle of cider off of the balcony! :) The time flew by & next thing we knew we were watching the ball drop on TV. We proceeded to all pile up on the couch & take pictures with our cheap-o 'champagne' glasses with yummy sparkling cider! Thanks to Scott for the extra entertainment with the whole sabering of the bottle! If only we had fireworks to shoot.

Moose may have had the most fun of all-eating off of everyone's plates!

Saturday the weather was very dreary so after we played some Super Mario Brothers on the Wii we headed to the movies. Rach & I saw Tangled (way cute) & the boys watched Tron 3D. We then gorged ourselves at the Vortex (interesting atmosphere...BUT their famous burgers were yummo! they've been on Man v. Food-LOVE that show) Then back home to play more Wii! We had a Beatles jam session!

Sunday after church & lunch (Kyle made his delicious taco soup & tortillas) the Adams sadly had to go home. We hated seeing them go. We miss hanging out with them so very much. They are amazing people & even better friends! I hope they come & visit us again soon! Thanks for making the end of 2010 & the beginning of 2011 memorable! (& that's in a good way! ha!)

We basically forced Rachael to drink eggnog. She was a good sport about it. :)

The boys toasting their eggnog-glad someone likes that stuff!

Beatles Rock Band time! Woo hoo!

Happy New Year!

Take a hike!

All last week Kyle & I kept throwing out ideas of what to do this past weekend but nothing really stuck. We finally just left it alone & figured we'd just enjoy a boring weekend at home. As soon as we decided that it all changed-in a good way! We were invited to our new friends', the Malan's, house for dinner on Friday. I offered to bring dessert because as most of you know I LOVE sweets! I made brownies with toffee bits, topped with coolwhip, more toffee bits & syrup. (I forgot to take a pic! Rats!) Anywho! We had a nice evening with them. I have actually hung out with Erin & lil Finn a few times but this was the first time our hubbys got together. It was fun chatting & getting to know each other. Erin made some yummy food including corn on the cob because she remembered me expressing Kyle's love for corn. :)

Saturday Kyle & I decided to head to Stone Mountain. We heard you could hike up the 835 foot tall mountain made of stone so we thought we'd give it a try. I dressed as if it was a rather quick & easy walk/'hike' to the top telling myself that if it's quite the tourist attraction for ALL ages that it has to be easy right? So wearing my jean shorts & sneakers (a last minute decision because I'm usually rocking flip flops) we headed out. Upon arriving we couldn't figure out where to start up the mountain. (there was barely any talk of the hike on the web site nor with the actual people that work there-Kyle & I later agreed that it must be because it isn't a money maker). After finally getting some vague directions on where to start our ascent we head off into the trees. We walked on this trail thru the woods for about 20 minutes wondering A-why it felt like we weren't moving up the mountain B-why are haven't we passed anyone C-if the mountain is made of stone-where's the stone?! Another 20 minutes of trekking ahead, sweating like crazy & swatting mosquitoes ticked on before we actually came across people & the REAL trail to head up the mountain. Come to find out we were on a trail that took you AROUND the nearly 600 acre mountain! By this point I'm frustrated at myself for the way I have dressed, wondering if it's worth it, wishing I had a snack packed for a quick boost & bugged that after almost 45 min of hiking we haven't even begun to conquer this mountain! So to cut to the chase we made it up to the top!! (after plenty of rest stops) It felt amazing to have made it & boy was the breeze wonderful! After doing some sightseeing, reading some fun facts, & actually lying down on the smooth stone mountain, we decided to take the easy way down by riding the Summit Skyride & head home. It was quite an experience & next time we will definitely be better prepared!

Stone Mountain

Kyle being awkward because I wanted to take a pic of him. :)

We were pretty happy about finally making it to the top!

(Kyle took this with his nifty new iPhone!)

Resting & enjoying the view.

Saturday evening we were invited to the Crolley's to play some games. Kyle & I were excited to hang out with Paul, Mandy, & lil Olivia! We introduced them to some of our new & fun games: Blokus & Ruckus! (shout out to the Adams for hooking us up!) We had a great time playing & before we knew it it was 11:30. We are so blessed to have them so close! They are so fun & have helped in making our transition into a new area & new ward so easy! Major thanks to the Crolley Crew! :)

Overall we had a great weekend. At one point this weeekend Kyle & I were talking in the car about how much we missed our friends! Especially the Adams in Mt P & the Bartons in MB! They complete us-haha! We really miss the funtimes & familiarity of it all. But looking forward we are SUPER excited for next weekend because we are heading home to Hartsville! There are so many family members that reside in the ville now! We can't wait to see everyone & have some fun!

the BIG move

Kyle, Pat, & Madison (niece) arrived late Thursday night. (Pat & Madison were in ATL for a few days & brought Kyle to Mt P so he could just drive the Uhaul to ATL) Let's just say that Pat had NO idea what she was in for & we had NO idea just how much we needed her. With 95% of the condo in boxes & the clock ticking we started cleaning Thursday night. (we won't get into the details of the cleaning but let's just say that for Pat's sake we will hire Molly Maid or someone to clean up after our next move)

Friday morning started off with a bang! Kyle & I started the day picking up the Uhaul & tying up some loose ends in Mt P (library, bank, etc). Since we had most everything in boxes we decided to start the Uhaul load up in hopes that we could hit the road sooner. (We asked the Mt P Ward to come help us out @ 6pm that evening) After about 378 trips up & down 2 flights of stairs carrying boxes-we finished with what all we could carry. We only had a couple of big pieces that we needed help with (couch, hutch, armoire, etc). Madison wasn't feeling the whole moving thing-I don't blame her-SO Pat the Incredible offered to vacuum & shampoo ALL the carpet if I would take Madison to the beach. I don't think I even finished processing that offer before I answered DONE! It was nice to take in the salty air, feel the sun on my skin, & the sand between my toes one last time. (yes we plan to visit but it will be a while) When we came back the condo had been transformed! It was spotless!

The Adams were the first to show up to help. They amazing & gave us the game Blokus as a going away gift (they always have the funniest games!). I was so happy to see them! I got all teary when they walked in-I just felt so blessed & so sad at the same time. I got over the emotions quickly because there was still stuff to be done. We are SO very grateful for all those that came out to help us move out. Much to our friends' surprise there wasn't much if anything to be moved-depending on when they came by. We had a nice time chatting with friends & spending some final time with them before we left. Kyle & I took one last trip to take out garbage & check the mail. Right as we got to our gate Bishop Young & Jennefer drove up! It was such a surprise! (Jennefer called earlier to check in & I told her not to worry about coming because they were so busy) I got all teary again with much gratitude & sadness.

Friday night we caravan'd to Augusta, GA for the night. We didn't end up getting there until after midnight. The hotel didn't allow pets & we had Moose so.... we snuck her in! Her code name was 'suitcase.' Moose did great!

Saturday morning came WAY too quickly. We got up early. Grabbed breakfast & took off. Come to find out we didn't take off early enough! I had asked our ATL ward to meet us at 9am to help us move in.... I TOTALLY spaced & thought I said 10am. Long story short we got stuck in traffic, my car came oh so close to over heating, & we had to take a back way to our loft which put us at arriving at 11:45am! Our friends, the Crolleys, & the others that signed up to help us move were troopers. They totally waited for us & didn't hate our guts (well maybe they did-BUT they did a great job at hiding it! ha) They did an amazingly awesome job at moving us in. It took less than an hour!

After everything was in Marc, Pat, & Madison took off. I hugged them for longer than I probably ever had before. I wanted to grab them & hold on tight so they wouldn't leave. I wasn't ready for them to go & leave us here-it was making this whole new adventure too real. I didn't want to cry & be a baby so I tried hard not to blink-I didn't want the tears to overflow. They offered their help & worked harder than I could've ever imagined- just for us. Their love was deeply felt. Kyle & I talked about it later & we were overcome with gratitude again.

We went to lunch with the Crolleys. We were tired but starving so we filled our bellies with some Mexican food! It's so nice to have them here. They have helped us so much! We are grateful for their friendship.

After about a 3 hour power nap. Kyle & I went to work unpacking. My ipod was on shuffle & playing some good tunes so we had to take a couple of dance breaks. We still have a mess everywhere but at least some of the boxes are gone.

Last night Minnette (my sis), Avery (niece) & Drake (nephew) stopped by for a visit. (they were on their way back from FL) It was SO great to see them! Minnette offered to stay & help us with whatever but we had done all that we wanted to do for the night. We are planning to get together next week. Hopefully the place wont be such a hot mess by then but we shall see!

We returned the Uhaul, took our showers (we were so very smelly from all the sweating), & got ready for bed. After a long search we declared my pillow as MIA & just went to bed. Sleep still came quickly.

Here's the Uhaul!

All packed up.

(thanks Rachel for taking this!)

Kitchen & Living Room. Anyone want to come over?! We can play a pretty wicked game of Hide & Go Seek!

Guest Bedroom

Our bedroom...eeeeek!

The first wall piece! "Gone to Carolina in My Mind"

Girls Camp 2010-No Fear!

I had the pleasure of going to Girls Camp as a leader! (it is still weird to be considered a leader)I LOVED camp when I was in YW. It was such a fun, spiritual, & learning experience for me. I loved everything about it! Ok maybe not the heat BUT I loved the songs, the friends, the certifications, testimony meeting, the food, etc! This experience really made me reflect on my years as a YW. It made me miss the old days A LOT.

The theme of Camp was "No Fear!" It was at a state park in Millen, Ga. Overall we had a really fun time-well at least I did! I just had to make sure all the YW were where they needed to be then I got to do whatever. :) I enjoyed pretending to be assistant nurse-or assistant TO THE nurse, who was Rachael Adams. We had a blast together! It was way fun to be able to spend a few days with some of my fave people & very interesting to see how the YW interact. It was my last major experience with all the YW (all but one YW came to camp!) before the BIG move. :( Enjoy some of the pictures!

This is the Mount Pleasant/Georgetown Crew!

Upon arriving to camp we all got a pink hair thingy. It was pretty fun to rock :)

This is the Nerd group-it was part of our skit on Knowledge & surfing.

These are some of the Surfing Chicks (we tied surfing the waves & the web together).

We all had our matching shirt on! :)

We had a refreshing pool! (remember when I said I was a leader...sometimes it was hard to act the part)

Rachael french braided my hair! First time EVER!

Again my leader skills are shining for everyone to see! ha!

Bishop Young came to visit us! We loved having him there!

Here's a collage with the rest of the pics!