Saturday, September 24, 2011

Roberts Wedding

Last weekend was Abby and Gabe's wedding.  If you know Abby, you'll know what I mean when I say:  planning a wedding isn't exactly Abby's cup of tea.  But, it turned out to be a beautiful day and wedding.  Don't get me wrong, there were a few mishaps along the way but bridezilla didn't freak out too much.  It started raining about half an hour before the wedding and I thought we were going to have a meltdown, but she held it together pretty good and it stopped just in time for the ushers to wipe down the chairs and the guests to be seated. 
The beautiful bride!

Mr. and Mrs. Roberts

Abby looked absolutely beautiful.  She looked so pretty that I don't think J.D. recognized her at first!  It was either that he didn't recognize her, or he was too interested in riding the golf carts.  It's a tough call!  J.D. looked so handsome in his little tux.  It's too bad that he was busy, busy, busy and wouldn't stay still long enough to get good pictures of him. 

(Photo courtesy of SBR Photography. Check her out on Facebook!)

Here's one with J.D. standing still!!!

Here's one with J.D. running like a wild child!
Ainsley was the flower girl, and Clint pulled her down the aisle in a wagon.  I wish we would have got a picture of J.D. and Ainsley together all dressed up, but like I mentioned earlier, that was impossible with J.D. running around like a wild man!  I have to say that Ainsley made the cutest little flower girl that I've ever seen.  By the way, I'm not the least bit partial or anything.

Cutest flowergirl in the world! 
(Photo courtesy of SBR Photography.  Check her out on Facebook!)
The wedding was short and to the point (just the way I like them), but wasn't quick enough.  Near the end of the wedding, J.D. was standing in between me and Abby, in front of the guests, and started digging for gold.  The look on Jim's face (the grandpa) was priceless.  It was like it happened in slow motion....J.D.'s little pointer finger heading toward his nose, Jim seeing him and starting to "yell" in a hushed tone for him not to do it, J.D. not listening and instead digging deeper and deeper until......he finds the mother-load and strikes rich!  Warning:  if you have a weak stomach do not read any further.  (Jeremy-I mean you).  Jim's face at this point started turning red and it was seriously one of the biggest, green boogers I've ever seen.  I didn't see it for long, because before anyone could say anything, it was in J.D.'s mouth and into his stomach.  I absolutely lost it.  In between Jim's face at that point, J.D. getting full off of one giant booger, and a few other people seeing it, I started laughing.   Yep, laughing so hard I started crying standing in front of the guests as the maid of honor beside the bride.  I couldn't stop laughing.  I did everything I could...told myself I had to stop because my makeup would run, pinched my skin in between my thumb and pointer finger, looked the other way, but nothing helped.  By this point, J.D. had run off and Aunt Peg was chasing him and the guests all thought I was crying because of the beautiful ceremony!  Thank goodness the wedding was about over.  I'm glad Abby didn't turn into bridezilla on me and tell me how ridiculous it was that I was laughing hysterically during her wedding.  That's why I love her!


After the wedding, the wedding party went to sit at a few holes (we were at a golf course) while we waited for the reception to start.  Abby had to pee, and there isn't exactly a bathroom in the middle of a golf course, so we helped her squat.   Two of the other bridesmaids had already ran into the woods to squat while me and another one helped hold Abby's dress.  As we're holding her wedding dress up, in the middle of the golf course, one of the bridesmaids (that had ran into the woods) starts to come out and immediately starts hysterically laughing.  I see her and know exactly what she's laughing about and lose it (alcohol was definately a factor with my uncontrollable laughing at this point).  All she can see as she's coming out of the timber is Abby's white butt in the air peeing.  I fall over from laughing so hard and Abby yells at me because she thinks I'm laying in the pee and it just gets worse from that point.  Once we get Abby standing again and I get up, I decided that I needed to go to the bathroom.  Into the timber I went, and that was the biggest regret of the entire day.  Why didn't I just go in the middle of the golf course like Abby?  If I would have done that, I wouldn't have ended up with poison ivy the next day.  That's right...I had a reaction to the poison ivy the next day at Drake's birthday party.  My wrists started itching and Joel kept telling me that I probably had bug bites from the night before (the reception was outside).  The inside of my wrists kept getting redder and redder and Joel finally looked at them and said I had poison ivy.  It was also on my back at this point.  So, I made a trip to prompt care to make sure I didn't need a shot or anything.  Luckily, I didn't and he gave me ointment to put on it and it was cleared up by the next morning.  I've learned my lesson:  I will never squat in the timber again.  Ever.

J.D. seeing Abby for the first time on Saturday.  He wanted back outside!

Aunt Sudi helping Abby get ready

Grandpa Bill and Daddy keeping Ainsley dry and warm before the wedding.

We all rode golf carts to the ceremony site.  Abby had to hold onto her veil so it didn't fly off!

That would be my husband, who was thrilled pulling around the wagon!

There's her tongue!

Thomas and Tanner....it looks like Tanner has passed up his "big" brother and is now taller.
 
Jamie and Thomas
I'm sure the reception got wild and crazy, but this girl was home and in bed by 10:30.  I was completely exhausted from the long week I had and slept like a baby that night.  I'm so happy for Abby, Gabe, and J.D. and wish them lots of luck in the future. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Harvest is in full swing

Joel and Jim have been in the fields for two weeks now and have got quite a bit out already.  I know I'm ready for them to be done, so Ainsley can see her Daddy again!  I took Ainsley out to the field to ride in the tractor for a little while Sunday afternoon.  She loved it!  There were so many buttons and gadgets to play with.  The steering wheel was pretty cool, as well as the control panel by the armrest.

 
She LOVED the steering wheel!


She's already kicked Daddy out!



Saturday night I took Ainsley's helmet off to give her a bath and she had started having another allergic reaction to the new helmet.  It was only on the bottom ride side of her head, but it had already started oozing orangish stuff out and was all over her helmet.  I gave her a bath, medicated her head and put lotion on it and we left the helmet off all night.  Sunday morning we put the little knit hat on her that we got from the Orthotist in case she had another reaction and we've been doing good since then.  She has to wear the little hat underneath the helmet at all times now so her skin isn't in direct contact with the helmet.  We go back tomorrow afternoon for her follow up appointment.  I'm going to pick up plenty of extra "hats" while we're there.  I had to cut ear holes out for the other one and didn't quite get them matched up!

Ainsley is getting to be quite the snugglier.  She loves to burrow her head (helmet and all) into your shoulder and grab on to your shirt.  She loves grabbing my hair and giving it a few good pulls.  Smiles are still few and far between from her, but it just makes them more special.  If we lay her on her tummy, she works herself around and has just about done a complete circle on her belly.  She scoots a little forward and still isn't rolling over.  She rolled over three times and that was weeks ago and hasn't done it since.  It seems like she's already into everything and she isn't even mobile!  I swear, sister can spot a remote control or phone if there's one in close proximity, and will do everything she can to get it.  How is it that she's already obsessed with remotes and phones and she doesn't even know that she isn't suppose to have them?!?!?
Can you tell Daddy put her pajamas on?  He messed up the buttons!
She's also sitting up to take her baths.  Splashing is getting to be a fun game!


I went back to the dermatologist this morning for my three month follow up since my melanoma diagnosis.  The good news is that I don't have to go back for six months (only because I'm good about doing my own skin checks).  The bad news was that she removed two more moles and sent them off to the lab.  I should get the results back on them in one to two weeks.  She didn't think I should worry about them, but she also didn't think I should worry about the one that turned out to be melanoma.  Hopefully I get good results this time.

I've been swamped again with work, which I should think of as a good thing because there are so many people out there without work, but it just comes at the worst times.  Joel's in the field all day, I'm working very late nights and it seems like every other day we have a doctor's appointment or something comes up.  Abby's wedding is Saturday, so watch for some pictures of a cute little flower girl next week.  Ainsley's going to be in her second wedding and she's only 7 months old!  She's quite the socialite!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Who does Ainsley look like?

There have been numerous times in the past few weeks that I see Joel when I look at Ainsley.  I put her in her crib tonight and put one of Drake's old toys that he is letting Ainsley borrow behind her and took her picture.   I found a picture of Joel when he was about Ainsley's age in his crib with a toy that was about the same as the one I had in her crib when he was a baby....waaaayyyyyy back in 1977/1978.  I only have one picture of me when I was a baby, and I was a little younger than Ainsley is now.  Who do you think she looks like more?

I think Joel was a little chubbier than Ainsley!!!


Mommy wasn't nearly as chunky as Daddy or Ainsley!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Hadlee is here!

Lou and Alaina welcomed their adorable little girl, Hadlee, Friday morning.  They were expecting her to weigh at least 9 pounds, so when she came out at 7 pounds 11 ounces, they were shocked!  She was just perfect.  Because we had sickness running through our house last week, we didn't go to the hospital, but we did manage to go over on Sunday afternoon.  
Hadlee Jean Hallock

Drew, Kara, and Ainsley playing....while Kara told us everything there is to know about babies!
 
Me and Hadlee!

Proud parents!
Mommy and Hadlee are doing good (Daddy is too), and I can't wait to go over and hold her again!  I know Ainsley was two pounds smaller than Hadlee, but I don't remember her being that small.  It was so weird to hold a baby that little.  In a few short months, Ainsley will have a little friend to play with!
Ainsley with her new friend!

Abby's Bachelorette party was Saturday night, and I'll just say that I had fun.  The next morning was a little rough, but we had things to do on Sunday so I didn't have time to feel bad.  And, Joel says that the "brown bottle flu" doesn't count as being sick, so I didn't have anyone to feel sorry for me!
The Bachelorette
I think we were suppose to act "gangster" here....obviously, I'm not very good at it after I've had a few drinks!

After we visited with the Hallock's, we met Dad and Tanner that night for Dad's birthday in Springfield.  Ainsley was, of course, a perfect little angel while we ate (did you really expect anything else out of our perfect baby?!?)  She only tried to grab Uncle Tanner's food, glass, menu a few times!
Ainsley with Grandpa Bill
Friday morning I picked up Ainsley's new helmet.  It has a different type of foam, which is much softer than the other foam.  So far, she doesn't seem to sweat as much in this one.  I don't know if it's the cooler weather, the different foam, or a combination.  Her face/head also isn't as red as it was with the other one when we took the helmet off.  It's like she didn't miss a beat with having the helmet off for a week.  She doesn't seem to mind this one either.  I put her decals on the back of the helmet Friday night and it turned out super cute!  I had to put modge podge over the top of the decals so they don't come off, and I picked up the glossy modge podge instead of matte, so her helmet is a little shiny in the back!

Ainsley's new helmet

Notice her monkey feet????

She doesn't skip a beat with her helmet on.

Watching the Brockhouse guys out the window

Thursday, September 1, 2011

7 months

Ainsley is 7 months old today! 
Ainsley 7 months
She's really changed just in the last few weeks.  Her hand/eye coordination has gotten much better, she's started putting anything she can get her hands on in her mouth, and she will mimic certain things.  If you laugh when she does something, she'll do it again.  She's starting to get her personality and it's adorable!  She's sitting up in her bathtub to take a bath instead of using the bath sling, and likes to play with her rubber ducks.

Bath time!
Her head looks a lot better than it did earlier in the week.  There is no more redness, and almost all of the skin has flaked off where she had the allergic reaction.  We go tomorrow morning to get her new helmet, and start the process over again.  I'm hoping she does as good with this one as she did with the last. 

That tongue is constantly out!
Joel has had problems with allergies all week, and my throat started hurting on Monday.  I woke up yesterday morning and it felt like my throat was swelling shut.  I tried calling a few doctors in Jacksonville Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, but all of them have to have the doctor's approval before they'll accept you as a new patient.  They said it could be a few days before they would get the approval.  I couldn't wait a few days because I felt like crap, so I ran over to urgent care in Springfield.  That place was wonderful!  I was in and out in 40 minutes.  They said I have acute laryngitis and an allergy infection.  I got an antibiotic and came home and slept most of the afternoon.  I'm totally exhausted and slept quite a bit today, too.  I went to pick Ainsley up from Lisa's this afternoon and Lisa said she's had a runny nose all afternoon.  Isn't that just great?!?!  I got her home and she's been sneezing, coughing and her nose has a constant trickle of snot coming out of it.  I hope she doesn't get what I had and it's just a common cold and will be gone in a few days.

Of course, all this sickness couldn't have come at a worse time.  Alaina's scheduled to have Hadlee tomorrow morning, and that means I can't go meet little Miss Hadlee.  We're going to have to wait until next week when we're all better and Alaina, Lou and Hadlee are home to meet her. 

I got Ainsley's 6 month pictures the other day.  There are so many good ones.   Here are a few of my favorites!