Gym Time!

Unfortunately, my visit here in KY doesn't mean I get to slack off on my workouts. And thankfully, Mom and Dad have a little workout room in their basement. I've been encouraging Dad to eat better and workout and gave him a diet plan. He has done so well with it. He lost 11 pounds the first week! Way to go, Dad! This weekend, we recruited Mom and Abby Kate to feel the burn for an hour as well.

Abby Kate spent her hour contemplating picking up the weights and staring at us like we were crazy, but then she discovered a flashlight which was much more fun.







Thank you, Lyndsay and Carrie, for inviting me to go to the gym with you several times during my visit. I really enjoyed going back to my old gym and getting to do some of the classes, which I love.

Abby Kate and I are set to head back home later this week. We are SO excited to see Mike. But of course we will be sad to leave Mom and Dad and all of our loved ones here. We really appreciate you letting us come visit for so long. We enjoyed every second, as always, and it made the time away from Mike fly by. I feel so blessed to be able to travel home to my family when Mike's away. Mom and Dad, thank you for loving us so much and always welcoming us with open arms. We love you and we'll miss you. Please come visit us soon!

About Design Shop

As most of you know, I'm a freelance graphic designer. I used to work for Lexmark International when we lived in Kentucky - a job I really loved. Since Mike joined the Marines, I'm now working in my field the only way I can, which is from home. It's almost the perfect setup, except for the fact that I miss the face-to-face interaction with co-workers. Most of the clients I have now I've never even seen before. All my work is done via e-mail, phone and ftp sites. But it's great considering my circumstances (moving to different states, having a toddler, etc.).

Primarily, I design for print - everything from business cards to billboards. (I may venture into Web design in the near future.) I love doing invitations and stationery and other personal pieces, but the biggest part of my work comes from businesses in several different states.

If you know of anyone needing a designer (my rate is considerably less than most firms), feel free to give them my name! And thanks to everyone for all the business you've sent my way the last four years simply by word of mouth. It has made all the difference!

You can find my new site here. Please excuse the fact that it's pretty basic right now. Updates will come. Also, please let me know if there are any viewing/browser issues on your end. Thanks!

Snow and Other Delights

Turns out the snow wasn't that big of a hit with Abby Kate. I bundled her up and took her outside to play in it for the first time. I put her down and she didn't move a muscle, just looked at it like, "uh, so what?" My thoughts exactly. So I said "you're right, it's dang cold out here, let's go back in!" But not before I got a couple pictures as least. She kept saying "nose?" She can't quite get "snow" to come out right. ha, ha.

Just so you know, Daddy, Abby Kate has had a packed social calendar lately. Rosies, Babies & Tea Parties - what more could a little girl ask for? Yesterday we visited my friend, Sara, and her beautiful, 3-month-old daughter, Isabella. (Sara, you look wonderful and Isabella is precious! It was great to see you, thanks for inviting us to come by.)










Then we came home to find roses from PawPaw for Valentine's Day.


William came over to play after that and the two of them had the best time, laughing and running around. They even learned to play Ring-Around-the-Rosies together. They couldn't wait to get to the falling down part, however, so they kept going down on the "pocket full of posies part."







And then today, my grandmother had her three grand-daughters (Holly, Kristy & me) along with all of our daughters (Maggie, Raelin, Emily & AK) over for a tea party. Mawmaw has some little antique tea sets that were perfect. The girls drank "tea" (apple juice) and accessorized with Mawmaws scarves, hats and jewelry. They were so cute. Abby Kate was not interested in the hats or scarves, but she is crazy over the jewels!

Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy!

Daddy - Here's a silly picture of me having fun with my new "bees" [beads]. I miss you! You've been gone too long now. Time to come home. Love, Abby Kate

Happy Valentine's Day, honey! Hope you had a good day today. Good luck with your flights tomorrow and Saturday. Be careful and fly safe. We are counting the days until we see you again. I love you, Casey

Play Date at Aunt Carrie's

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had a play date at my sister-in-law's house. A few of our old friends from high school came over with their children and they all played for a couple of hours. It was nice to catch up with my friends and to watch our kids play. It was weird though - how did we all grow up and have kids of our own so fast? Carrie, BJ, Cristy - it was great to see you all!!! Your children are precious!

"Mmmm, your cookie looks gooooood!" Ak with Savannah.

Abby Kate enjoyed hangin' out, and eating of course with her cousin and friends. From left: Caden, AK, Savannah, Miller and William.

A Kiss for Daddy

My mom has several pictures sitting around the house of Mike and me. Abby Kate knows exactly where they are and points to each of them saying, "Daddy?" There's one in particular that sits on the mantle that she likes to carry around. Yesterday I asked her if she could give Daddy a kiss, and she immediately leaned over with puckered lips. I know she misses you a lot, Mike - as do I - and can't wait for you to come home. I can't imagine how excited she'll be when you get back.

Mike talked to her on the phone this morning and asked her if she was going to play in the snow today (we got 4 or 5 inches last night). She replied "no-mee?" [Snowman] ha, ha. I guess we'll be building her first snowman today!

El Centro

Mike sent me a link to a video where you can see exactly what he's doing over in CA this month. Thought you might like to see it, too. It is really impressive how close they fly to each other. The main thing they're learning, however, is how to use their weapons and hit targets and such. It's a little less than five minutes if you have the time. Looks dangerous, Mike, please be careful!!! We love you.

A Special Valentine Treat!

I realize the typo in the word Valentine's. I'm too lazy to fix it. :)

Horsin' Around in Horse Country

We arrived safely at my parents' house on Friday. The trip wasn't bad at all. We had no more than 30 minutes of fussiness the entire 8-hour trip which was great!

On Saturday, I traveled to the Lexington area for a double baby shower for my friends, Meredith and Ellen. They are due to have little girls within the next couple of months. It was so great to spent time with all my college buddies that I hadn't seen in awhile.

Since then, we've just been hanging out at home. I've been extra busy with work lately, so we haven't done much outside the house except have lunch with Dad one day. And we went to the gym this morning. AK played in the nursery with William while Carrie and I sweat for an hour or so.

Abby Kate has enjoyed the extra space and all the fun new things to look at and touch in Grami and Pawpaw's house. In the basement, she found the rocking horse I made back when I took a woodworking class in college. I knew all that sanding would be worth it someday!

We're looking forward to lunch with Lyndsay tomorrow, a play date at Carrie's house on Saturday, lunch with Sara and Isabella on Tuesday, and a tea party with AK's great grandmother later in the week with all her little girl cousins. Should be fun!

We miss Daddy and wish him well on his trip out West tomorrow morning. We'll be thinking of you and we love you!

February Travels

One of the obvious downsides of being a military family is the time spent away from your spouse. Luckily, we have not had to endure many extensive absences so far. However, Mike is now in a part of his training that will require him to be away for a few weeks. He'll be going out West to learn how to drop bombs. (Never imagined I'd say that.)

Without Mike here, this place just isn't home, so Abby Kate, Junah and I will be heading to Kentucky to stay with my family while he's gone.

It'd be nice to just hop on a plane and fly home, but the extra baggage and extra carry-ons (AK, Junah, diaper bag, purse, stroller) ... uh, impossible. So we will stuff the Escalade to the brim and cruise up I-65. For anyone that's not had the pleasure of driving 7+ hours in a car with a toddler, here's how I anticipate it going...

Minutes 1-10
AK: sweet baby coos, pointing out the window and naming things seen. Laughter.
Junah: quivering and whining. Wide, scared eyes. (Thinks he's headed to the groomer.)
Me: content

Minutes 10 - 30
AK: naming things, except louder and repeatedly. "house, hooooouse, HOOOOOOOOUSE, DOOOOOG! [screech, laugh, squeal] Eeeeeba deeba? OOOOOOOH!
Junah: looking for water and food
Me: laughing at Abby Kate, trying to feed Junah

Minutes 30 - 60
AK: WHINE, WHINE, WHINE!
Junah: snoring
Me: agitated, inserting earplugs

Hours 2 - 4
AK: sleeping (hopefully)
Junah: snoring
Me: bliss!

Hours 4 - 4.5 (stop for gas)
AK: happy!
Junah: quivering, scared, senseless barking
Me: stressed. Quickly trying to pump gas, change AK, hold her while I go (tough), buy water, find a patch of grass for Junah, make AK's milk, feed her lunch. Get back on the road!

Hours 4.5 - 8
AK: a mix of talking, crying, laughing and silence.
Junah: snoring
Me: starving, tired, contemplating burning every last nursery rhyme CD there ever was.


Yep, can't wait. :)


I'm kidding, of course. Not about the the descriptions, they're honest. But I don't mind the drive. I'm dreading us not seeing Mike for so long, but I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and friends. They make Mike's absence SO much easier to bear! Hope to see a lot of you while I'm home. Please call me if you want to get together!

Weekend in TX

We awoke to beautiful white snow falling on Saturday here in Meridian. Someone in my kickboxing class told me it snows only about every seven years here. Abby Kate was mesmerized as Mike held her on the front porch to watch it come down in huge chunks. A few minutes later, we were in the car and heading west, where the snow was no more.

Mike was off for the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, so we traveled to Texas for a stay with his family over the weekend. We had a nice visit, although very short. Thanks to CJ and Amber for letting us stay at your house again. :) Luke and Abby Kate had a ton of fun playing, eating and bathing together. We loved watching them interact.


Mike's parents' new home was recently completed and they were moving in the day we arrived. So we all pitched in to help them unpack and arrange a few things. Their house turned out beautifully, every inch!





Now we're back home and the snow is already gone. It's just as well. I only like it the first day anyway. After that it gets all dirty and ugly and slushy!

Overnight in Birmingham

Sommer, Jolie, Sarah and me

In honor of my friend Sarah's 30th birthday, we (Sarah, Jolie, Sommer & I) packed the car up full of our overnight bags as well as a ton of guilty pleasures - such as candy, salty snacks, drinks and celebrity trash magazines - and headed to Birmingham, AL (a 2 hour drive). It was to be a fun-filled shopping/spa/dinner out kind of girls' trip. And that's exactly what it was - minus the spa. Too much shopping was in order for us to visit the spa, so we canceled our appointments and headed in the direction of big(ger*) city shopping. (*Comparably speaking, here, to what we have in the armpit of the nation that is Meridian.)

We looked like four kids at Disneyland, pointing in all different directions. "Look, Bebe! J.Crew! Arden B.! And ooh, Food Court!" Which is of course where we started. Then we shopped and shopped until we could no longer stand up straight. ha, ha. And we headed back to the awesome hotel that Jolie found for us... ever-so-conveniently connected to the looooovely mall.

We were very excited about the equally loooovely hotel. Jolie booked us on an all women's floor and we entered the room to find the most comfy beds, a huge, clean bathroom and a fully-stocked mini refrigerator. We opened it to find little shot bottles, candy bars, cokes, etc. So we started pulling stuff out to look at it. Each time we pulled out an item, we heard these little "click, click... clickclicks." Being the ignorant hill-jacks that we are, we failed to understand that you are charged every time you pull something out of the mini fridge, regardless if you consume it or not. "That'll be $79.99 for your stupidity, ladies." But Jolie quickly enlightened us and called the front desk to ask them to take it off our bill! Oops.

Dinner out was so fun. We headed to a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed sitting out in the enclosed patio and listened to an awesome local cover band. We proceeded to be first out on the dance floor. Some might say, "what dance floor?" But we didn't say that. Our thought: large-ish space with no tables = dance floor!

Fun times, fun times. Thanks to you gals for such a fantastic trip! And especially to Jolie for planning it all perfectly and then driving us. Sarah, I hope you had a great birthday!

I was so excited to see my little girl when we got back the next day. It was the longest time I'd spent away from her. I know she had fun with her daddy, but I couldn't wait to get my hands on her! She squealed and laughed when she saw me, which warmed my heart.

1st Lt. Wallace, a.k.a "Dah-dee!"

AK getting some extra Daddy love just before he left for work today.
(There's a Change of Command Ceremony, hence the dress blues. I love this uniform.)

I know Abby Kate will enjoy looking at pictures like these when she's older.
And I'm just as sure Daddy will be her hero.

Thanks, Sarah!

I wanted to thank my dear friend, Sarah Kinser, for knitting this adorable sweater for Abby Kate. It was given to her when she was first born. And I love it because she's been able to wear it since she was very little and it still fits this winter. Sarah, you are very talented and I appreciate such a special and beautiful gift that we will keep forever. Thank you!!!

Since the holidays have passed, we've been busy trying to get back into our routine. Mike has flown a few times and is getting back into the groove of flight school. And I've been tackling a big handful of graphic design projects - which is a really great start to 2008 for my business. I'm hoping to add a few more clients this year, even if that means I have to work more at night (good thing all my favorite shows are posted online!).

Abby Kate is growing, walking and talking all over the place. She has so much personality and is the sweetest little girl. She still LOVES to "read" and be read to. She's now into climbing and feeding Junah. As soon as I lay his food out, she marches straight over there, scoops up two handfuls and feeds him every last morsel. I don't mind because she is entertained and Junah feels like a king. Need I say more?!

Christmas in Kentucky

The trip to Kentucky for Christmas this year went by WAY too fast. We visited with so many friends and family while there. I felt blessed to have been able to spend at least a little time with so many people we hadn't seen in a long while. My mom's sister Ruth Ann, her two sons Matthew and Jonathan - along with their adorable families - traveled from North and South Carolina to spend the holiday with us. I hadn't seen them in a few years. It was great to catch up with them. And we also enjoyed seeing meeting up with several friends from high school and college while in town. And most importantly, we cherished our time spent with Mom, Dad, Brian, Carrie and William. We love you!! William and Abby Kate played together, shared toys and raced each other up and down the stairs. (William taught AK how to go down the steps on her belly.) We could hardly keep them away from the stairs without them throwing fits!

I explained the birth of Jesus to Abby Kate before laying her down on Christmas Eve, even if it was just practice for the year she'll actually understand. :)

She was spoiled with all kinds of toys and clothes for Christmas. She got two baby dolls and a little stroller to carry them in. She could care less about the dolls, but she LOVES that stroller. Even Junah let her push him around in it. Grami also got her her very own laptop (pink, of course) so she can practice her letters and sounds. Right now she's only interested in opening and shutting it, however. :)

Thanks to my family for a wonderful Christmas spent with you and for all the great gifts you gave us. Here are just a few photos from our week at home...

AK and Will burning rubber... er just sitting there... in their Jeep.

It was so great to see you, Sarah!! You look awesome and Ryan is a catch!

Yep, that's Lyndsey, incognito. I seriously like your hair dark, Lynds. And the purple thing will fade. See, you can't even tell in this pic. It was GREAT to see you!!! It was great to have met Brian finally!

Opening gifts = fun for all ages. I had to keep myself from playing with AK's dolls. :)

Climbing stairs = fun for babies only. They could do it for hours.

Love you, Mom! Thanks for everything!

Got to see both my grandmothers while we were in town. Always a blessing. This is my dad's mom.

All dressed up on Christmas Day.

We wished we'd had time to watch a movie at my aunt and uncle's house, as they have this awesome movie theater in their house! Especially since we haven't been to a theater since before AK was born. But she's more fun than movies anyway.

The Brooks family. It was SO great to see you all. It had been too long!

Getting 10 kids under the age of 3 to pose for a picture is quite the task. And, actually, it never happened. Thank you, Photoshop! You should see all the pictures I used to make this one. Babies everywhere! They are all so cute.

The Pollard family. Thank you for having us! The food was great and getting to spend time with all of you was even better.

And this is my other Mawmaw. I think somewhere in her heart she still knows us and remembers us even though it's hard to tell some days.

Jimmy Dan and Jennifer. Thanks for having us! We had a great time catching up (and boxing, haha). So good to see you!

My how things have changed in the last few years... look at all those babies! These are some of my high school friends and their newest additions. Thanks for having us over, Liz. I loved catching up with all of you.

My forever friend, Lyndsay. Can't wait for February! Working out together will be fun. It'll be like old times in dance class!

I love you, Mike and Abby Kate. Thanks most of all to you for a WONDERFUL holiday! I am so blessed to have you both.