Lifesong

Little photographer strikes again

This is Ansley's favorite subject to photograph. These photos are just as she took them; no modifications from me. I wish I had my (other) camera when she was taking this picture of Kota. She was actually squatting down (so observant!) to get this picture of her. So funny!

I was taking pictures of our house (for the scrapbook pages) and of course she wanted to take some too. She said she wanted to take a picture of her room, so she snapped this picture. Ahhh, I'll miss this room. John and I worked so hard on it when I was pregnant, and Ansley really loves it. I guess we'll just have to create another one in the next house!

For all you wondering (and thanks for wondering, by the way!) I haven't received any feedback yet on the Two Time house looker (we're naming them all to keep track). But, according to neighbors, it was a male, and he was snapping a bunch of pictures all around the house. Sounds promising. Today we have Nap Time Visitor coming, any minute now. But, no need to worry if they will wake Ansley up, she's never fallen asleep since I put her down at 1.

*sigh*  Daddy's coming home today - yahooooooooo! We're all excited for Daddy to be home. :)

I'll keep you posted! (pun intended LOL)!

A new post!

Are you surprised? Another post from me! Really, you shouldn't be. I mean, my home is spotless, I have no meals to cook, I can't scrapbook because my scrapbook room is perfect and it wouldn't be if I whipped out some pages....so what else do I have to do but blog? :) Good for all of you who like more blogs. I'm just giving you plenty so when we actually move and there's a little lapse in there, you can remember all these blogs and be happy. :)

Last night we went over to our friends Shawn, Christina and Alex's for dinner. Ansley and Alex played, we chatted, Ansley swung (is that the past tense of swing? The girl LOVES to swing) and we ate pizza. It was fun. How did I get there, you ask? Christina picked me up, and then Shawn came back and jumped my car off. Yeah! Thanks, guys, for a fun time and for allowing me to be able to leave the house now. ; ) We unfortunately missed Alex's birthday party last Friday, but we got the party favor last night, and Ansley has had a blast with it today. Here's a picture of her enjoying one of the goodies:

In other news, we have only had one person look at our house (but really, you should come by. It's *spotless*. The best it's ever looked!). But, they are coming back again today to look. How cool would that be if the first and only people ever to look at our home made an offer? A stretch, I know. :) We are off to Mark and Ashley's tonight to hang out and eat dinner (like I said, I'm playing my cards right ;)). Thanks, guys, for the invite!

It's rainy here, and we didn't have any plans (except the photographer for the house pics) so I was a little worried. But if I may toot Ansley's horn here, she has been *so* sweet. I have underestimated her. I tell her she can only play with one toy at a time. Why, Mommy? Because our house has to be clean so someone will want to buy it. Oooh. Ok. So we can get our new home in Tensee? Yes, baby so we can get a new home in Tennessee.

And just like that, she takes out one toy, plays with it, puts it back and gets another. We have had a fun day just playing with long lost toys. One at a time. And she's been perfectly happy. So have I.

Pictures

I just wanted to point out that I added some photos to the Photo Album over there....

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A few pictures of our spring time so far.

Today we went to Webb Bridge Park with Kelly, McKane and Riese. It's a great park with a stream that runs through it, and swings, slides and a big open spot that's perfect for picnics. We had packed a picnic lunch and ate in the middle of the park, and then the kids played and played. On the way home we got them ice cream (the battery in my car is dead, and the jump cable - is that what it's called? - is in John's truck - so we're all riding together), and Ansley is still napping. She didn't go down until 3, but she's pretty worn out!

Last night we had dinner at Ron and Kelly's, and jumped in their Bounce House, and tonight we are going over to my friend Christina's for dinner. Maybe if I work it out just right, I won't have to cook again! LOL. It does seem silly to cook for just the two of us.

So, that's our week so far. So far, so good! Looking forward to Friday. We've just had a couple of showings of our house so far, so hopefully it will pick up soon once the pictures get in the system.

I'll try to take more pictures and keep this updated as much as I can! :)

It's official

Our home is up for sale. It is rather sad seeing the For Sale sign in the yard. It still takes me by surprise; I have to do a double take. Today is also John's first day at Rubbermaid, which starts my first week of being a single mom. Ok, well not really, but during the weeks, I will be, at least until we're in Knoxville. I've been stressing about it, but I'm optimistic that things will go well, and I've got tons of support here, which is very appreciated. To all our wonde rful friends, thanks for all you do!

I will try and blog more often than this, but it has been a busy week. We were in Augusta last week for John's Grandma's funeral, then we had a bunch of stuff to get ready over the weekend, so it's been hectic. Today we went to the park with Kelly, McKane and Riese (and did a little shopping beforehand). Ansley is very into pajamas, which she calls, so adorably, pa-naj. She found a cute, cute pair with silk capri bottoms and a cute little tank top, and since they were on sale for $9, I got them for her. :) My crazy girl would wear her pa-naj all day if I would let her. I'll see if I can get a photo of her in her new pa-naj and post it.

Guess who took this picture? Hmm, since John is gone and it's pretty much me and Ansley, it's probably not hard to guess. Yep, my little budding photographer. She is so funny - you can tell she's absorbed a lot in her two and a half years. In this picture, she told me "Mommy, come a little closer" and then "Look here". Too funny! :) I thought it was actually one of the better pictures of me I've seen in awhile (could be cuz it's just my head LOL) - as you can tell, I'm usually not too fond of pictures of me, since there are very few on here, but that one wasn't bad. Plus I had to share her creativeness. :)

I will keep you all updated on the goings-ons (is that a word??) here. Busy times, but a lot to look forward to and lots of changes that I think will be for the better. News from John is his first day is going really well, so that's good to hear. :) He has felt very welcome - they had a big welcome lunch for him today, a big welcome to the team email sent out to everyone - very thoughtful. Now if we can just find our house!

In Loving Memory

January 8, 1922 - April 18, 2006

John's Grandma (his Mom's Mom) passed away today. My last memory of her is seeing her at Thanksgiving at John's Uncle Nelson and Aunt Wendy's home. John's cousin, Katie and I spent hours cutting out pictures and getting them just right in a frame to present to her. She was so delighted when she got it - you would have thought it was something amazing. But to her, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are nothing short of amazing. She was always smiling, laughing, wanting to know how everyone was doing. I could always count on a card in the mail from her, and fun, honest conversation.

I love this song by Matt Redman. The lyrics particularly hit home:

Every blessing you pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing you pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord Blessed be your name

Lord, we mourn, we grieve, yet we rejoice and trust in Your promises. Blessed be Your Name.

The Hunt

A quick update of our Easter Egg Hunt pictures today (we didn't get to dye eggs yesterday, hopefully today!). This was our last Kimberly-Clark Easter Egg Hunt. It's been a fun tradition since we've had Ansley to go to this, and see how much she changes from year to year. The big change this year is that she LOVES the Easter Bunny! She kept asking about him, and hugged him three different times. It was quite cute! This picture is from the "photo shoot" with the Easter bunny, and we will get a 5x7 and some wallets of the picture the photographer took. Jonathan and Missy are getting a kick out of seeing her and talking to her. She caught on quick to the hunting of the Easter eggs, and had a basket full by the end! We hope you all are having a wonderful Easter weekend!

Pool Time!

It's definitely warm enough here to break out the pool! Ansley and I ran out yesterday to Target in search of a pool. She was quite excited about this. Unfortunately, Target doesn't have any yet, so we ran over to my favorite store, Walmart, and l o and behold, they had one. (Guess I can't talk too bad about them then). Ansley picked this one out and could not wait to get in it. She had to take a good nap first, and then I promised when she woke up she could get in it. She woke up saying "I'm ready for my pooooollllll." She went charging in it, saying at least a dozen times "THIS is fun, Mommy!" It kept her entertained for hours. Not too long after we were out, Kelly and McKane and Riese came over. I love this picture of the three of them playing ring around the rosey. So cute! Then a little later some other neighbors came over  with their kids, so we had a crowded but fun pool, plus an Elmo sprinkler going. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Ah, we are going to miss this neighborhood and these friends!

We had our carpets cleaned this morning. I was very impressed with the company, he did a great job. When someone comes over to the house, you can pretty much tell if they are "kid" people or not. Yesterday when the guy came to fix some things, he was definitely a kid person. Ansley chatted to him the whole time he was here, and he even made some "repairs" in her dollhouse, at her request. Today, he was a nice guy, but not so much a kid person. Ansley starts in with her usual chatter: "What's that name?" (His name is Michael). "Mr. Michael, did you know I two? I not three." (no response) "You want to see my dollhouse?" (no response) Ansley looks at me and says "Mommy, why he not talking to me?" Ooh, talk about funny and sad all together - I mean, who wouldn't want to talk to my cute little chatterbox, right? ; ) To top it all off, she didn't wait for my answer, she just said "Hmmm...I wonder why?" : )

Jonathan and Missy (my brother and SIL) are coming in town tonight for Easter weekend. Ansley is excited about seeing them, and has been talking about it all week. Hopefully, we will dye some eggs tonight (pictures to come?) and we have an Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow (will definitely post pics from that one).

We hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." John 11:25-26

Why?

Ansley has begun the "Why?" phase. It's cute and sometimes embarassing all at the same time. We had some work done on our house, and the guy that came out to do it had holes in the seat of his pants.

A: Mommy, what's THAT? (pointing, laughing)

M: Those are pants. (please let the conversation end here)

A: But, why?

M: Why are they pants?

A: No, why they have holes in the heinie? THAT's funny!

Ah, an endless cirlce of why's these days.

She has started saying "Daddy, you're a funny guy!" And, Ansley has started cracking up at me. She does this quite often, which makes me laugh. She thinks I'm funny, which is good, I suppose. I can say something silly, or dance around like a crazy-girl, or say a certain phrase that makes her laugh every time. This picture is just one of those moments. I love it - so cute, having so much fun, laughing with Mommy. Part of me stresses out about what change will bring - will she be sad? Will she miss her friends?Will she know her Mommy and Daddy are stressed out? Will she miss John when he's gone? Will I stay sane? But part of me knows that life with this little girl has always been, and always will be, about change - some big changes, some small changes, but changes nonetheless. She is always changing, growing, not staying the same. Becoming more independent, more talkative, more grown up - so much more than she was just the day before. So I know that God is guiding us, watching over us, and we will make it, as a family, changing together.

ETA: Thank you so much for all your thoughts, prayers and well wishes. It means so much to us! We will definitely miss all our friends here that we have gotten to know over the last 4+ years, but it's great to know we can keep in contact via the blog at least! :)

A Bittersweet Goodbye

After a 14-year career with Kimberly-Clark and four and a half years of living in Atlanta, we are sadly saying goodbye. After much prayerful consideration, we will be taking a new job and moving to Knoxville, Tennessee. We are excited for the adventure that lies ahead - a new career, a new area, a new journey. We are sad for what we will leave behind - amazing friends, great neighbors, a wonderful neighborhood and church. We are so grateful for the priceless friends we have had the awesome privelege of knowing. It will truly be very difficult to leave, but we know that we are only 3 1/2 hours away, so we will remain close.

John and I spent this past weekend in Knoxville looking for homes. (Ansley stayed here with Joe and Tiana - big thanks to them! It would have been nearly impossible to do all we did with Ansley!) We were looking at homes from early in the morning to well after Ansley's bedtime. :) Rubbermaid arranged our hotel reservations for us for the weekend, and when we got into our room (after a long day of looking at homes) there were two surprises - one was a huge welcome basket for me and John, filled with Tennessee things: a bottle of Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey (when the househunting got to be too much LOL!), a beautiful book on the Smoky Mountains, Saltwater Taffy, and pens engraved with each of our names; the second surprise was just for me - a beautiful bouquet of flowers that said "Megan, Welcome to the team!" We were so delighted at the thoughtfulness, not only of making John feel so welcome, but me as well. John will be the plant manager for Newell Rubbermaid, a large manufacturing facility just outside Knoxville, with 650 employees. You are familiar with their brands for sure - Calphalon, Sharpie, Little Tikes, to name a few. The area is absolutely beautiful, with many lakes and rolling hills and the Smoky Mountains. It really is a beautiful area. And a big plus, my brother Jonathan and sister in law Missy are in Nashville, plus my parents will be retiring in Nashville this September, which is about 2 1/2 hours from Knoxville. And, the rest of my family - my aunt and uncle, cousins and their families and grandparents, live in Johnson City, TN, about 2 hours from Knoxville. Previously we have only gotten to see them once a year, so it will be so nice to be in the middle of my family, visiting (and having visitors!) often. :)

We will be here for probably a few more months, waiting for our home to sell. We are hoping to get it on the market next week (anyone you know looking for a home? send them our way! ;)) and John will be starting his new job in May. Definitely lots to do! Fortunately Rubbermaid will be handling our move for us, which is definitely a plus.

I will continue the blog as often as I can, keeping you updated of what's going on. I'm so glad I have the blog to keep you all informed, and especially now for everyone to keep track of what's going on even from Knoxville!

I'll keep you all updated! : )

A Normal Week

Ansley has been back to her happy self in the last few days. Thankfully, at least for the moment, all is well and good in the world of Ansley.

We had a playdate on Tuesday where Ansley met a new friend, Jace. Jace's mom, Laura, and I play Bunco together, and since Jace and Ansley are just two months apart, we thought they would hit it off. They are quite cute together, and by the end of the playdate, they were running around the playground holding hands, talking to each other and giggling. Quite cute.

Today is my good friend Christina's birthday. This morning we had a  birthday breakfast celebration for her. This is a picture of the gift I made her. Don't be too impressed - it took an army of four to carry the project details out! But, I was determined to make it, and I thought it was cute, so here it is. :) Happy Birthday, Christina! You are, and will continue to be, a priceless friend.

And speaking of good friends, I must say a big thank you to our good friends Mark and Ashley, for all their help this week! You guys are amazing!

So, that's about all the news here. We hope you all are having a wonderful week!