Headed Home

I've been meaning to post about my last trip home to Kentucky two weeks ago, and now AK and I are getting ready to make the trip again on Friday. Living a bit closer to home is so nice! I can drive home in less than 8 hours with my baby and my pup, no problem! If we had been told we had to live in Corpus Christi (a 20-something-hour drive), I don't know what I'd have done! Flying with a baby is the worst. Flying with a baby and Junah is unimaginable.

So anyway, I went home a couple of weeks ago to throw a bridal shower for my friend, Lyndsay. I then stayed for a wonderful 10-day visit with my family and got to go to my grandmother's 80th birthday just before I left. I had such a great time at home, as always. William and Abby Kate got to play (er, look at each other), I met up with several different friends to do some catching up, Mom and Dad got to babysit AK, we all went shopping a few times, and Brian, Carrie, William, AK and I had our own little Derby party at Hometown Pizza.

The shower. Lynds got some great gifts! She gets married June 2!

AK at her first bridal shower. Everyone loved her dress, courtesy of Grami. Thanks, Mom!

Lyndsay, getting some help opening her shower gifts.

William was quite the helper. After he assisted in gift-opening, he headed out to mow Pawpaw's lawn.

Grami pushing AK in the swing. She loves to swing! During our visit next week, she'll get to swim for the first time!!!

Kids start driving so early these days.

Mesmerized by Pawpaw's glasses. (She's most likely wondering what they'd taste like.)

Pawpaw gives her a taste of something else instead. Sweet potatoes, I think.


William was planning to run for the roses, until this chick got on.


Yay! A night out with my buddies. I can't remember the last time I was up until 4 a.m. At least not by choice, anyway! I had a blast. Thanks guys! From left: Nikki, Ellen, Maggie, me and Tracy.

Mawmaw turned 80 May 4. We attended a luncheon in honor of the birthday girl. So many people came. Some from her high school cheer leading squad. It was so cute, they even did a little cheer for us.


This was the gift my cousins, Kristy and Holly and I gave Mawmaw. I designed a collage with some of our baby pictures and recent pictures with her. I think she really liked it.


Kristy and Abby Kate, enjoying the party.

I'm looking forward to going back next week!

Great News!

The Tuckers are moving to Meridian!!! Chad was selected to fly jets (way to go, Chad!), and he, Sommer, Griffin and their Lab, Maggie, will all be moving here soon. I'm so excited we'll get to live close for another year. They are in the process of getting checked out of Pensacola and deciding exactly where to live here in Meridian, but they should be here in just a few weeks. Congratulations guys! Can't wait until you're all moved in.

Never Leave Home Without Them

Keys, that is. Duh, right? Well I thought my garage door opener would work just as good as I put it in the cupholder of Abby Kate's stroller and took off this afternoon. Not so. I was out for no more than a half-hour, I came back, pushed the button to open the garage... and nothing. Dang thing, I thought. I angled it a different way and pushed again. Nothing. For the next 10 minutes I wore that little device out. I walked up and down the driveway, pushing it up high, pushing it down low. Pushing it upside down, pushing right side up. Pushing it and holding down for a few seconds and pushing it real quick. Pushing it standing on my head and pushing it hopping on one foot. Ironically, it was the hopping that worked. Ha, kidding.

I was certain the stupid thing was accidentally reprogrammed or maybe it was out of batteries. But the little green light was lighting up each time I pushed it, sooooo, who knows! All I know is that I was stuck outside with my infant daughter under a dark, cloud-filled sky with no way in and no way to drive anywhere. Mike wasn't scheduled to be home until after 7, and this happened at 1:30! I tried to call him about five times or so, then sent him an urgent text. He didn't receive any of them because he was in class and his phone was on vibrate in his bag.

I tried to see if I could find an unlocked window with no luck. So there I sat on the front porch, holding Abby Kate, watching the pouring rain for almost two hours. Once the rain let up, I walked up and down my street, knocking on doors to see if I could switch batteries with someone else's opener just to see if it worked. But most everyone must've thought I was some sort of solicitor. There were three cars in one drive, one of them a police car. Oddly, no one was home? Riiiight. Or maybe they saw me being all weird hopping on one foot in my driveway and decided to keep the crazies out. The teenager across the street tried to help me, but he didn't have the right battery.

Anyway, I continued on until I came upon a very nice neighbor who not only opened his door, but let us come in while he searched for a battery for me. His wife, still in her pajamas (at 2:30 p.m. - I know, right? I NEVER do that. [grin]), had jumped behind a wall in the kitchen as if her floor length, long sleeve, terry cloth, zip-up robe was going to flash me an ankle or something crazy like that. She was super nice though. While her husband was digging through his battery collection, she was asking me where we'd moved from, how old AK was... and then she stopped mid-sentence, her face lit up and she yelled "Oh! the electricity's out! That's what it is!"

Ah-ha! I said. That explains it. She went on to tell me that it had been out for the last hour and "they" say it'll be off until 4 p.m. As soon as I was about to blow steam out of my ears, a little florescent desk light behind her started to glow. You'd have thought I'd just won the lottery. I squealed and thanked them, then turned toward my house and pushed that stupid button one last time. The deafening screech of the garage door going up was now music to my ears!

I'm glad I didn't pound that little piece of crap into the ground like I considered so many times. However, as many times as I pushed that button, I'm sure the battery actually is running low now.

The moral of the story: Don't trust your garage door opener. Always take a key! OK, I may very well be the only one who didn't have this particular wisdom. But whatever. :)

First Mother's Day

Mike and Abby Kate gave me a wonderful first Mother's Day yesterday. I was surprised with two beautiful, thoughtful cards (one from AK, one from Mike), and was also given a gift card for a spa pedicure and manicure. Just in time for the summer months! We spent the day shopping for household things and then enjoyed an early dinner out at Outback. Mike and I ate a big plate of cheese fries (Mmmm, my fave!) and fed Abby Kate some tasty banana puffs in her highchair.

Thanks to my family for such a special day!

To all the moms I know (and especially to you, Mom): Hope you had a great Mother's Day, too.

Welcome to the World

Braewyn Faith Brooks

Congratulations to my cousin, Matthew, and his wife, Kim, on the birth of their daughter! Braewyn was born May 2, 2007. Weighed in at 8 lbs, 12.7 oz. and 21 inches long.

Six Months

Abby Kate turned six months on April 26th. Time is flying and she's growing so fast, both physically and mentally. At her 6-month wellness check-up, she weighed 15 lbs and 10 oz. and measured 26 inches. Our new pediatrician, Dr. Price, said she is doing great.

Her developments, to list a few:

- Speaks all sorts of gibberish, including consonants. "Da-da-da" is her favorite (which is Mike's, too, of course).

- Smiles and laughs at everything.

- Sits up very well.

- Reaches for toys and to be held.

- Waves.

- Rolls both ways.

- Holds her own bottle/sippy cup.

- Beginning to teethe.

- Eats everything I give her!

Since our move, she hasn't been sleeping so well. We think it's a combination of being in new surroundings and the fact that she's teething, which has given her a bit of congestion and a runny nose. We look forward to her getting back to her 10-12 hours stretches at night that we used to enjoy!