Our big kid!

Eileen posted this picture of Gabe on her blog and I forget how much out big girl looks like her daddy until I see a baby picture of him. So precious and it explains so much about their great relationship, they truly are peas in a pod!



















Well I have accepted the job to manage the new restaurant that the owners of Big Whiskey's are opening. It is called Whole Hog BBQ and altought I am nervous I am very excited as well. I am excited that I will no longer be coming home at 3 in the morning or smelling like cigarette smoke and bar funk. I will be exchanging that for smelling like smoked meat and home by 10. For the first few months I will be gone none stop while opening the restaurant until all of the chaos settles down. I have found a babysitter for Aubrey that I think will work out great. She is the wife of a guy I work with and she stays home with her two children ages 2 and 4. I took AJ over there for a playdate the other day and it was a success. I am excited that Aubrey will have a friend to play with and get to socialize a bit more. I mean mommy and daddy are fun but lets be serious they are only intersting for about 3 seconds in Aubrey world.

She sure is bigger than life now a days. My little baby is a toddler and I just want her to sllllloooooowwwww down!!!! Although that is not going to happen I just try to cherish everyday with her, because one day she will be off to college doing her own thing just as I set out to do 6 years ago and now look. I can't even begin to understand how my parents must feel watching me now. So for now it's one day at a time and as long as my little family is happy and healthy we will be just fine and can handle anything that comes our way. I am confident that everything will always work out.

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOBIES ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!

Dancin!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjrMuruL1Ps&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efacebook%2Ecom%2Fhome%2Ephp%3F&feature=player_embedded

Everyone check it out! Aubrey Jo dancing in Mama E's car (she dances just like her daddy)

It's HOT HOT HOT!!!!

Well summer is off to a great start! Aubrey and i are getting to spend tons of time together and I could not be happier. I can't speak for her but I think she is enjoying mom being home a little more. I have not been able to find a teaching job so I am working more at Big Whiskey's for now. The owners of Whiskey's have presented me a with a job offer that I am still thinking on. They are opening up a new BBQ restaurant and would like me to run the front of house. There are many pro's as well as con's, I am meeting with them tommorow to discuss details. Gabe is rarely home now which we hate but he is busy working as much as possible so that when school starts back up he will be able to take days off if needed. We are looking forward to the 4th of July since we are headed to the lake. I can not remember the last time Gabe and I were not playing mommy and daddy so this is a much needed mini vacation.

Aubrey Jo is growing growing growing. She had her first birthday party which went off without a hitch. We had great weather for a party at the park, where daddy bbq and aj got to play in a cake. At her 12 month check up she was weighing in at 24 lbs 6 oz and 30 inches long. The doctor looked at the growth chart and went WOAH!!!! I guess most kids tend to level off around 1, well AJ has excellerated. Someone is going to be tall like their daddy. Lets see... her vocabulary now includes, MAMA, DADA, BABA, HI, PLEASE or (peas as she says), MORE, PAPA, CHEESE, MOOOOOO, and WOOF WOOF. She is transitioning from formula to milk and that is where we are starting to struggle. She doesn't mind the milk, just the sippy cup. I know that it is not crucial for her to be done with the bottle right now but she just seems to have no interest taking milk from a sippy. But we are trucking along and will get past it just like we have with evertything else. This kid gets bigger everyday. She now puts herself to sleep... we ask "are you ready to go nigh nigh" and she will grab her lamby and head on into her room. We put her in bed and usuallly don't hear a peep out of her. The first time she did this I almost lost it. It just reminds me of how big my little girl is getting. Well that is it for now... the pictures that I am posting are from her party taken by her Aunt Molly (Uncle Cookson's girlfriend) xoxoxoxo

Another Laugh from AJB

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Funny Video

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Mommy Graduated... Now what???

Well, I finished student teaching and I finally got my first 4.0 in college, to bad it was my last semester. I have not been able to find a job right now, I check on the internet everyday to see if there are any openings in the area and no such luck. So for now I am staying at Big Whiskey's, bartending and filling in as a manager when they need it. There are talks of another store going in on the south side of Springfield and I will be moving there if that happens. It has been a tough semster but college is finally over. I really could not hav gotten through it without Gabe. He really stepped up and helped me through my hardest semester yet. It is great to see a father so engrosed in his childs life, those two are peas in a pod, alike in almost every way. My two little babies.


As for the little bitty she just is not so little anymore. She is up and mobile and into EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!! Gabe and I are pretty exhausted by the end of the day, but it is so worth it. She is so funny!! She dances and sings and loves to read books. In her toy chest she has all sorts of goodies plus books and as of right now all she digs out are the books. She will walk to book to me or Gabe and say booooook. She also moooo's like a cow and woof's like a dog when you ask her. She is done with baby food, she only wants what you are eating and will let you know it as soon as you take a bit. We are extreamly lucky to have a good eater, I have yet to find something that she does not like. She ate spinach the other day, what kid eats spinach. We are also transitioning to milk, so far not a huge fan she is still kind of attached to the "baba". I am also excited that the is a fruit eater. She loves cantelope as much as I do and she will eat 2 bananas a day if you let her. All in all she is the best baby (well toddler now) EVER! I am pretty bias but I am scared to see what the terrible two's bring because she has been such a good baby.


As we approach Aubrey's first birthday I am so sad, happy, excited, worried and every other emotion there is. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT IT HAS BEEN A YEAR! They really do grow up fast and I find myself missing that little bundled baby that we brought home almost a year ago. All of the worry, the sleepless nights and days, the missed days of school and work, and stress of it all has been so incredible worth it that I wonder how I was so lucky to be blessed with this little girl. She truely is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I thank god everyday that she is happy and healthy.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend my graduation and all of those that sent their wishes. Thanks for all of the support over the past year I love you all.

Sorry! Student Teaching has taken over my life

I know it has been awhile, Student teaching, moving, Aubrey and trying to have some if any alone time with Gabe has consumed my life for the past 2 months. I don't even know where to start. Aubrey is up and movin!! I am going to predict an early walker. This has to be my least favorite stage so far. I am a nervous reck with her. Everytime she falls I hold my breath and try not to make that mommy face. So we clap our hands and say YEAH!!!!! She is a tough kid, I would assume she gets that from her daddy. I know I have said it before but those two are peas in a pod. Even more so now that Gabe is the one home with her the majority of the time. He is also busy busy busy. He has been working at a new place for a little over a month and still managing to take 12 hours along with being a full time daddy. I AM SO LUCKY to have a guy support me the way he does. I am sure when the time comes for him to buckle down and put on that cap and gown I will be taking on the Aubrey load.

We have moved to a new house in Ozark. We figured it was time to get out of the city a little. It is country enough for Gabe and only 10 minutes from Springfield. Also we are closer to my sister which is awesome since her and AJ have a blast together. I would love to buy a house here once we graduate. I would also really love to work at the high school. But what do you know the economy is awful so most of the schools around this area are on spending freezes. So cross your fingers and we will just have to wait it out and see what happens. Aubrey loves the house! we have so much more room and today we had a beautiful day so Gabe took her on a walk down by the lake. She loves being outside so the fact that we have a backyard now makes me even more anxious for spring to come. I see a baby pool in my future.

I will make sure that it is not another 2 months before I update again XOXO

by the way CRACK KILLS AUBREY JO :)

WEEEWW! Holiday season is over!

OOOHHH the holiday's. Although enjoyable they are exhausting. Aubrey Jo handled them well though. She enjoyed all of the action and attention. First stop was Papa Bill's in Arkansas, where she befriended Bill's new puppy. After a brief visit there we came back to Springfield for a day so I could work and then it was off to St. Louis where we visited with the whoooooolllllllleeeee family:) Aubrey did so good the whole time she was home with us. She really is a fantastic baby, so happy and excited to learn about the world. She got her first tooth a few weeks ago and this morning we noticed that another one has decided to join. She is also making attempts to crawl, she gets up on her knees takes one little move and then falls. So close i would say she will be zooming around the house by next week. With all of the holidays and working I feel like I have had no time off. I start my student teaching in Ozark on the 12th. The end of the tunnel is near. I graduate On May 15th and then I am DONE!!! I am so proud of my little family for bearing with me while I finish school (then it is daddy's turn). I ended up with a 3.2 for the semester which was very unexpected. Gabe did well and is looking forward to doing even better next semester even though he will be a stay at home daddy while I am student teaching. Uncle Tyler will be looking after the little one while Gabe is in class on Tuesday's and Thursday's. We have been so blessed with loving people who care for our family and are willing to drop everything to help. We hope that everyone had a great holiday we will catch up more soon. XOXOXOXO