Babies Babies Everywhere!

So yesterday my sweet friend from work, Sara, had her first baby...Alwyn Thomas Staley (Wyn for short). He is too precious. I went to see them for a bit this afternoon and the new little family is doing great!

And one of my bestest friends (and personal photographer), Melissa is having a baby girl in January 2009!!! Congratulations Melis and Chris! I knew it! I should be paid for my baby predictions...the only one I got wrong was my own. She has got so many cute girl clothes coming to her whether she wants them or not. From me...and Delia.

Denira's first shower is next Saturday! She has a lot of goodies from the Gentrys.

Babies are too much fun!

Happy Birthday Sawah!

Has anyone seen the Labyrinth with David Bowie? I can recite that movie the whole way through. There's this giant orange monster named Ludo that calls Sarah (the main character), Sawah. So when I was little, I thought it was funny to call my younger sister that.

Anyway...that brings me to the point I was getting at.

Which is to say...HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SISTER SAWAH!!!

She is leaving the nest and getting her own apartment on September 20th and I am so excited for her! I love my sister!

This post isn't as happy as the last

There's no good news in this post.

A friend of mine in Nashville, Sara Brindley, lost her little sister, Caitlin, Sunday night in a car accident in Kentucky. Caitlin and three of her friends were returning from a trip to King's Island when the car they were in crossed a median and hit a tractor trailer truck head-on. All four of the kids were killed...they will need to be identified for sure by dental records because the car caught fire. Caitlin was only 18 years old and was going to start college in Florida next month. She and the three others all went to my high school and my youngest sister knew most of them. I cannot imagine what Sara and her family and the families of the other victims must be feeling right now. My heart hurts for my friend. I just ask that you please keep the Currey and Brindley families in your prayers as well as the families of the other three. If you are in or around Nashville and you want to help with food or time, etc., let me know. I am trying to set something up for the family. Also, Sara is not a believer but she specifically asked me to pray for them right now. I just ask that God grants them peace in their time of grieving and that though she is certainly angry right now, that God will be real to Sara through this.

8 months old!

Delia turned 8 months old yesterday! I can't believe how fast it's gone by!

She is growing so fast and finally putting on some weight, although she can still wear her 3-6 month old clothes.

She is eating stage 3 foods now and can sit up all by herself. She has been rolling and scooting to get where she wants to go...although it's never very far. She loves playing with her guitar, her farm, and her blocks. She has figured out that everyone else has a mouth like hers so she tries to share her pacifier with everyone. Too cute! She loves to see herself in photos or in the mirror. I can't believe we just have four months until she's a year!

Scrapbook Fevah!

I have officially been bitten by the scrapbooking bug...

I said I would never get into it...but a girl needs her hobbies. And I do have an adorable little girl who needs to be showcased in her very own book. I went nutty today and got some starter stuff. The thing is...I have no idea what I'm doing. There is a lot to this mess. I mean, they have stores dedicated only to scrapbooking. I was overwhelmed looking at all the stuff you can use. It's insane. I'm starting small-scale. Simple. I'll be moving onto bigger and better things when I get the hang of things and when I get more money.

Any suggestions/ideas from the pros out there?

Goals

I have some serious goal setting to do:

I need to lose like 40 pounds...I am not even joking. I don't even recognize myself in photos anymore. I know I'll never get back to near what I was in high school...but I at least want to resemble the "old me". I also don't want Delia to pick up the bad habits I've started the last few years. I want her to have a healthy family.

I need to be working more on my Southern Living business. It's weird being in transition when I know we're moving soon...but I don't know exactly when. But still...I need to be getting on that.

I want to be a member of a church so badly. Again, this is where the transition thing throws a monkey wrench in the plans.

The whole transition thing makes me think of our biggest goal...which is to get the heck out of Knoxville and on to Nashville. Mike has a phone interview at 4:30 today so hopefully that will go well and we can leave soon.

I know that when I seem so eager to leave, it may seem strange to our friends here in Knoxville, but I am just ready to go. It has nothing to do with them. I am ready to not be at Holston anymore, to be a stay at home mom, to be able to see my family more. That's what it's really about.

I need help with sticking to these goals. So if you see me...or if you don't...every once in a while, give me a nudge. I need it.

I'll get the July 4th weekend photos up soon. Hopefully this evening.

Busy, but fun, weekend!

Hello! I had a great weekend with my family. My mom, dad, youngest sister, and her boyfriend all came to stay with us. We took Delia to see fireworks on Friday downtown. Then we went back home and had our own display. She was so fascinated by the sparklers...too cute! Saturday, we took everyone down to the Sunshpere and then to the World's Fair Park fountains. We then headed out to Turkey Creek for some eating and shopping and then took a tour of the UT campus for Jacob (Caity's boyfriend...he had never been to Knoxville before). There were hamburgers Saturday night as well as my yummy potato and pasta salads! Then a lot of Guitar Hero and some Trivial Pursuit. On Sunday, Mike, my dad, and Jacob all went hiking near our house and then we took Delia to the water park that is right down the street from our house. We ende their time here like we always do when the weather is nice...with a trip to Brusters. Delia had her first strawberry sorbet (since she's lactose-intolerant) and she loved it! I can't wait till I get to hang out with my family everyday! I love them sooo much and I always have a good time when they're around. Photos to come when I'm not at work... :)

Photos of my beauty!

Thanks so much to one of my best friends, Melissa Hill, for doing such an awesome job on the photos! Delia was not the easiest subject to shoot and she wasn't able to sit on her own yet (but she can now!!!), but you did a great job. If you need photos for any occassion, see Melissa...her link is over to the right.

Also, I need to thank Ashley from Great Grabbie Designs for creating my wonderful new blog!!! It's so pretty and it reminds me of my wedding! She does these free of charge as a hobby. I'll be adding a link to her site shortly.