Bad Blogger Trying to Play Catch-up

Yeah, yeah, yeah…

I know.  I have not blogged in months!  It has been crazy around here.  So, when we left off we had just closed on the house and moved into the rental.  We closed on the house on September 15.  I was so glad to be out of the rental house.  I had never heard of, or seen, spider crickets before we moved in that place.  And, I hope I NEVER see them again.  Ugh…I get chills thinking about them.  Anyway, I forgot to take pictures of the rental.  It was a trip!  There was a pepto bismol pink bathroom (tile from floor to ceiling) and a mint green bathroom (all tile again).  But it was big enough we didn’t have to get a storage building so we didn’t complain. 

At the end of July I found out I had finally been accepted into the new teacher pool at MCS.  The next day I interviewed at Oakhaven High, and the principal offered me the job on the spot.  This was less than two weeks before I had to start.  So, I wasn’t able to give a full two week notice at GTx, but they were cool with it.  It was a sad day on my last day, but I have really enjoyed teaching.  I definitely have my hard days, but I have great kids for the most part.

Alyssa is doing great!  She is growing like a weed.  She started walking on her birthday which was super excited since we had so many family members in town for her party.  She has stayed in the 50^th percentile for weight and around 75^th for height.  This makes it hard to find pants that fit everywhere.  Usually, they are too big in the waist and too short. 

Anyway, I know you want pictures, so here you go!  These are my favorite pictures since July:

Alyssa showing us her ring

Alyssa practicing walking with her Uncle Chris

Hanging with my Grandaddy

Just chillin’ while eating dinner

 

Playing in my toy box

 

Again…

Video of Alyssa walking in the beginning days of walking

Played herself to sleep

Watching the dryer

Halloween parade at daycare

(Alyssa [bee], Bella [ladybug], Molly [bee], Kenzlee [lamb])

More parade

 

Trunk-n-treat at church

(our Sunday school class did Wizard of Oz theme)

Alyssa and Gavin

Glenda the good witch and Alyssa

Just giggling…showing off my teeth

(we have the front four on top and bottom, and both bottom molars are in and the top ones are coming in)

Riding her new car

Playing in her kitchen

Not really enjoying the snow

Josh’s dad came to town this past Sunday through Tuesday.  He took Alyssa to the children’s museum in Memphis on Monday.  These are some pictures he took while he was here.

Driving the fire truck

Playing policewoman

Dancing the night away

Me and my Grandpa playing in the snow

After this post, there are two more posts (Christmas 2010 and Alyssa’s birthday) finishing up my catch up session.  I will try to do better, but we don’t have great internet access right now.  I have to tether off my iphone to be able to get on the internet, so it is terribly slow.  I still haven’t even taken pictures of the finished house (I know, I know…I’m horrible), but I will try to do that this weekend so you can see the house.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy my updates.  And, sorry again for the slacking!  Love you all!!

Christmas 2010

We left for Mom and Dad’s on Tuesday afternoon before Christmas.  Josh wanted to get all the hunting in that he could.  Chris and Lauren came in on Thursday evening with their dog, Boomer.  Alyssa LOVED Boomer (Bear did NOT). 

As usual, we had a VERY busy Christmas in Columbus…five Christmas’s in three days.  It was a lot for our little munchkin. 

So my Dad’s family came in on Christmas Eve for lunch.  Then, we went over to Cheryl’s to spend Christmas Eve evening with Pampaw (Josh’s grandfather) and Joey and Rene,  Christmas morning we woke up to snow!  This mine and Alyssa’s first white Christmas…such a joy to be able to share that with her.  After opening gift with Mom, Dad, Chris, and Lauren, we went over to Annie’s (Josh’s grandmother) to have Christmas lunch and spend some time with her, her sister and brother-n-law, and Cheryl and Danny.  Then, we traveled to my grandmother’s the day after Christmas for lunch with my Mom’s side of the family.

Here are pictures’ from the weekend:

 Alyssa cheesing while playing with Boomer’s tail

Hitching a ride on Boomer’s back

The Boomer attack…

(and, no, he is not really trying to hurt her)

Christmas morning…just getting up

First white Christmas

Opening gifts

Checking out the drum Uncle Chris and Aunt Lauren gave her

Playing with her new toys at Annie’s

Showing Grandaddy the new drum

Playing in Uncle Chris’s new tool box

(why do we buy children toys?)

Everyone looking at deer pictures from Dad’s land

Family picture

The whole family

Alyssa got a new phone from her great-grandmother

Chit-chatting with the greats

So, that’s a good recap of Christmas 2010.  I did not take a single picture of our house while it was decorated this year.  I was such a slacker. 

Oh, and here is our Christmas card from last year:

Alyssa's First Birthday

Alyssa's birthday fell on a Saturday this year, so we had her party on her actual birthday.  I was excited about doing it this way.  We had it at the church multi-purpose room, since we were still living in the rental house.  There were so many friends and family that came to help us celebrate.  It was a wonderful day.  I was really pleased with how everything turned out!

Here are some pictures from the day:

The cake table

The birthday cake and her “smash cake”

Food table (we had Central BBQ)

Gift table

The picture we had done…3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year

This is how she was most of the party…asleep :(

Scared to death of the candle

Beginning to dig in

Now she’s getting the hang of it

Playing with her new toys

Playing some more

Helping open presents

 We had her one year pictures done in Columbus the week before her birthday.  Addie Talley did them, and she did an amazing job.  Here is the post she did on our photo shoot.  She chose almost all the pictures I would have posted, so go check them out!

Daddy's little girl

So Alyssa has become a spoiled rotten daddy's girl over the past month.  Don't get me wrong it is totally adorable, but sometimes becomes a little heart-breaking for me as mommy.  I mean this is to the point that she won't even come to me at times when we are out somewhere.  She loves her daddy, what can I say.

This post will just have pictures and captions...no real story behind anything.  I know that's what you come for anyway: pictures, not stories :)

Alyssa teasing poor Bear through the door

(did I mention he can't live with us while we rent...very sad)

Father's day

like I said...daddy's girl :) tehehe...

but seriously the next pictures will show she really is a daddy's girl

Alyssa relaxing with her daddy

(you'll see this same type picture a lot in this post)

relaxing again...

and again...

and this is how she goes to sleep almost every night now

yep...asleep on her daddy

and again...

and again...

playing with her grandaddy

digging through the toy basket

playing with her table

my child has no manners...feet always on the tray

her new favorite toys...a pot and a spoon

Alyssa in her swimming pool

One little story that doesn't have to do with Alyssa.  Congratulations to my mom!  She recently retired from Mississippi State University after 32 years.  I am very proud of her and the decision she had to make, even though I know it was really tough for her.  Some of her co-workers threw a retirement party for her and another guy who also retired.  Here are a few picture from that evening.

Mom and John opening their bulldogs

Mom showing off her new silver bracelet

some of the people who attended

(there were tons of people there)