A Friendly Reminder

I'll bet a lot of you out there still haven't backed up your hard drives. Huh, huh?! Am I right?!

I feel like I'm called to remind you every so often, kay? So here it is: back up your hard drive before you lose everything! Maybe I should start up support groups for people who have lost their hard drives - or know someone who has. I could speak about my loss and try to help others cope with theirs (ha, ha, kidding).

So Mike and I purchased this FreeAgent external hard drive by Seagate. Just wanted to pass along the recommendation. It's great - it holds 500GB and fits nicely on my desk. With one or two clicks, I can back up everything in less than a minute. I sincerely hope none of you has to go through the pain of losing all your stuff, especially if you work independently from home like me. Back it up, people! :)

Thirty!

Mike turned 30 on Sunday. I'm sure he would've liked to have a quiet day of golf and then dinner, but uh... NO WAY! So I - with MUCH help from our friends, Sarah, Colin and Chad - successfully fooled him for weeks and surprised him Saturday night with a 30th birthday party. Nearly 20 people came and we had a great time. We were all glad to have Mike finally walk through the door at 6:30 p.m. so we no longer had to work so dang hard at keeping the secret.

Several days before the party, I had bought huge bags of broccoli and carrots from Sam's to make a relish tray. Upon seeing them a few days before the party, Mike said, "Why did you buy such big bags of this stuff? It's all going to go bad, we'll never eat it all." The concern and worry in his eyes about this wasting of food was hysterical. My cover was that it was "a good deal at the grocery store" and "you know, we should really start eating healthier." He agreed and started packing away carrots and broccoli, eating them all day and taking them for his lunch. He'd ask me, "Did you eat your broccoli and carrots for lunch?" I was cracking up inside, but tried to keep a straight face every time he questioned me about this or that. We had a couple of close calls where I thought he knew, but Colin was great at throwing him off over and over again. It was stressful, but so much fun!

Thanks to everyone who came and all who helped me before/during the party! Mike was so appreciative and he had a great time with all of you!

This is when Mike first walked in. Chad and Colin brought Mike home after playing golf all day. All the cars were parked down the street so he wouldn't know.

Thanks so much Sommer and Sarah for coming over early to help me set up!

Abby Kate did not want to leave the party. Here she is on her way upstairs to go to bed, stopping to put on a show for guests below.

Walking This Way:

Seating Upgrade Required

On the left is our 2-day-old daughter. Can you believe the difference 10 1/2 months makes?! As you can tell, Abby Kate has outgrown her infant carrier. We purchased a new one while in Texas visiting Mike's family and she rode the 6 hours back to Mississippi strapped into it. It's flowery, beautiful and most importantly, it's safe. We think she likes it! She still has to ride facing the rear until she is a year old. I can't believe that's less than two months away! (I'll post some pics of her new big-girl car seat later.)

Ten Months Old Today!

Our Little UK Fan

Since Abby Kate can clap her hands with such great precision, she has earned her status as a UK cheerleader. And now she's proud to wear the white and blue! (Let it be noted that Cousin William is not (and will not) be a cheerleader. I believe he's on the football team.)

C-A-T-S, Cats! Cats! Cats!

A Blank Slate

Losing all the stuff of my hard drive was really bad. If you still haven't backed up yours - Do. It. Now. So I finally got my computer back from the shop. A cool $400 to give me my computer back with nothing on it except the operating system.

"Oh, you need us to take a look at your computer? That'll be $50. No, nothing's salvagable, so you'll need a new hard drive. That'll be $120. Oh and we'll need to install it, so that'll be another $100. Yeah, and it's another $100 for the OS and for us to install that."

Awesome.

I've spent the last few days uploading all my design software and catching up on tons of projects for clients that were put on hold. It feels weird to start from scratch as far as my library of design work. It's sort of refreshing at the same time, though. But, OK, totally not refreshing enough to be worth losing everything!

So I'm back up and running with our new external hard drive in place. Which means there are new blog updates and pictures to be posted... so ya'll come back soon!

Computer Crash Update

It's gone. All of it. Lesson learned.

Let This Be a Lesson!

Stop what you are doing right now, find or buy any external data holding device and back up your hard drive. Really, right now!

I'm blogging from Mike's computer today after my system crashed this weekend. We're still not sure if I've lost everything, but if I have, it's going to be devastating. If the computer store I took my laptop to can't recover my files, we'll lose every picture I've ever taken of Abby Kate. We'll lose the 10 months of the video editing I did, creating a montage of AK's firsts. We'll lose the hundreds of iTunes songs we purchased. We'll lose all the financial history and addresses and tons of other information we need. And worst of all, I'll lose thousands of dollars of all of my clients' design work over the last five years.

I had never had one issue or problem with my Apple Powerbook G4. But I think I must've overloaded it with software and files. I should've known to back it up. I'm such an idiot thinking it would never crash. Please pray that the computer people can retrieve our stuff!

And, again, take the time to back up your hard drive!

Nine Months and Crawling!

I can't believe our baby girl is over nine months old now. When she lay across my lap at night taking her bottle, I'm amazed at how much she fills the space. While her head is cradled in my arm, her feet now reach to the other arm rest of the chair. At her nine-month check-up last week, she weighed 20 lbs, 11 oz. and she measured 28 inches! In three short months, she'll be a year. Time flies. But she has been the greatest joy. We love her so, so much.

Unfortunately, Abby Kate has been sick for the last few days. She's had a sore throat and has lost her voice. Weird for a baby, huh?! What would normally be an ear-thrashing, high-pitched scream is now open-mouthed silence, but with big rolling tears. Very pitiful. I hate that she's hurting. It's sad to see, but at the same time, I can't help but appreciate the temporary silence!

Being sick doesn't seem to phase her development though. She started crawling this weekend! We've been waiting for her to take off for weeks after she started getting into the crawl position. And Saturday it finally clicked for her. All it took was a little enticement in the form of a Club Cracker (Of all things! I mean, is she my daughter? Come on, kid, hold out for an M&M, a cookie, a marshmallow... anything!). So I placed the cracker on the rug a few feet from her and there she went! On a mission for salty, buttery goodness.

On Sunday, we captured it on video. Take a look... AK's Crawling, Day 2:



We are very proud of her! And apparently, she had a thirst for more that day because right after we taped her crawling, she started walking behind her push toy! Genius. We're calling NASA this week.

Please pray, as I'm sure you heard her nasty cough in the clip, that she feels better soon.

More Visitors!

Mom made her first trip to Meridian last week to visit with us for a few days. We had a great time shopping, touring the "big city" (ha!), eating out and just spending time together. Abby Kate loved having her Grami here. We even ventured out to a blues festival one night. We thought it'd be a big event downtown, given all the signs we'd seen promoting it. Turns out there were only 100 or so people there, mingling on a street corner, eating and drinking beer. The music was good though - Abby Kate seemed to enjoy it as she got to stay up past her 7 p.m. bedtime.


To our surprise, Dad called and said Brian would be flying him down so Mom wouldn't have to drive back by herself. (Dad didn't come earlier because of work.) I was elated to be able to see not only my mom, but my Dad, Brian, Carrie and William for a day! Carrie and William decided to ride along - just a quick two-hour flight. We had lunch at McAlisters and enjoyed watching Will and AK play and offer their snacks to one another. Too funny.

I like this photo. It's like Abby Kate is saying "It's OK William, don't be scared. I'm right here." But in reality, she's probably thinking, "Hmmm, I'm seriously thinking about grabbing that pacifier right out of your mouth."

And now she's like, "fend for yourself cousin, I gotta hold on with both hands!"

Fourth of July

Mike's mom and dad, his brother CJ with wife, Amber, and 4-month-old son, Luke, all came to our house for a quick visit on the Fourth. It was the first time we met Luke. He is such a cutie, as you can see from the pictures. Abby Kate enjoyed being the oldest for once. She played with his feet and wanted to be right next to him the whole time.

We grilled out hamburgers and hotdogs in classic American style while sipping on Diet Dr. Pepper. It was a great visit, although way too short. Thanks to all of you for coming to see us!






Due to the extreme heat and humidity here, we recently purchased a pool for Abby Kate (and us). She loves it! Junah secretly does, too. He acts like he doesn't want to get in, but then gets closer and closer to the edge like he wants to join the fun. Here's AK enjoying her swim time while sporting her stars and stripes (well, stars anyway).

Yay for swimming! (She's an expert hand clapper now.)

See what I mean about Junah? He teeters all the way around the edge.

Time for a long nap!

We Have Teeth!

Well, the start of them anyway. Abby Kate now has two little bottom teeth (the central incisors) poking through her gums. They seemed to have just appeared overnight! They don't bother her one bit, but I could tell they were coming soon because she had been rubbing her tongue over that spot a lot. I'm not going to even try to take a picture of the little buds because I know it'd be a struggle, so I'll post a picture when they've grown in well enough to see.

Happenings in the Wallace Household

I am really slacking at the blogging thing lately. I've had several work projects recently that have taken up all of my computer time. By computer time, I mean AK's naptimes. That's pretty much the allotted time I get each day to get my work done.

So anyway, we've been doing fine. Abby Kate is growing faster than ever. After almost eight months of breastfeeding, I decided to switch her to formula because I didn't think my supply was sufficient anymore. I've got mixed feelings about it because while it's more convenient when we're out just to give her a bottle, I get tired of mixing them up and cleaning them every three hours. Plus, formula is so gross. The smell of it makes me gag. I don't know how she drinks it! But I am enjoying not having to pump. I was happy to stow that monster away! So all is well with her diet. In addition to the formula, she eats baby food (of course) and has tried various table foods, such as mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrots, toast, crackers, Cheerios, and yesterday at Sam's she had a small bite of a sherbet sample they were handing out. (It was cotton candy flavored, and I don't think she liked it.)

Abby Kate has become slightly more mobile. Besides being able to roll around on the floor, she can now pull herself onto her knees... but that's as far as she goes. No crawling just yet. I'm certainly fine with it as I enjoy sitting her down and not having to chase after her. It won't be long - I'm thinking less than three weeks - before she's crawling all over the place. I can tell she knows what she wants to do, but can't quite figure out how to get her little knees going.

Up and ready to go!

As I've mentioned before, AK loves the pool. She not only likes to be in the pool, but also to watch the pool and all the people in it. I swear she could sit out there for hours! I had the opportunity to catch a photo of her slow-growing tresses while out in the sun. It's very short still, but judging by it's texture, I think she's going to take after her mommy and be a curly-headed girl. Hey, at least she gets something from me!

In other news, Saturday, June 16, was our 6th wedding anniversary. Love you, honey! Mike's parents were in town visiting that weekend, so they kindly watched Abby Kate for us. (Thanks, Lee and Ginger.) And of course we celebrated Mike's first Father's Day on the following Sunday. Since his back has been achy lately, AK and I got him a massage at a spa here in town.

Hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Wallace.

Fun with Grandpa's hat. Turns out it wasn't fun for long...

Just before our anniversary date. Happy 6th Anniversary, Mike!

AK provides dining entertainment wherever we go.

Happy Daddy's Day!

Today (yes, a Sunday) Mike has his first flight in the jet. All this time here in MS, he's been training in the T-45 flight simulators. But today he puts all of his gear on (flight suit, G-suit, a big vest full of all kinds of things, oxygen mask, helmet, etc.) and gets to fly it for real! I see the jets fly overhead everyday here. They are SO fast! It's strange to know he'll be flying one of them today.

Here's Mike practicing putting all his gear on before leaving this morning.

Another Fun Trip Home

I just returned from another trip to Kentucky. I was home for 10 days, soaking up my family and friends. It was a wonderful visit, and a very busy one, as always. I didn't get to see all the people I'd planned to see, because I simply ran out of days. To those wonderful friends I missed, I'm so sorry I didn't get to see you!

Some of the highlights of my trip were...

My nephew's first birthday party; taking AK swimming at my aunt Linda's house - Linda, Lindsay, Cheryl, it was great seeing you guys and all your little girls; taking Abby Kate to the Aquatic Center in Oldham Co. one day - the water was cold, unlike Linda's heated pool, but she liked it just the same; visiting my grandmother; and being part of my best friend Lyndsay's wedding.

I was so happy to have been able to attend all of Lyndsay's wedding events. We celebrated at a bridal luncheon followed by her bachelorette party the day after I drove in. We had too much fun! The rehearsal dinner was a great time, too. I asked Mom to be my date since Mike ended up not coming in for the wedding. Abby Kate joined us, too, and she was an absolute angel the entire night. The next day, we stood in the church's bridal suite and were in awe of Lyndsay in her gown. She was so beautiful! She didn't seem nervous until she stood just outside the sanctuary doors. But her nerves faded quickly as the ceremony went perfectly. Abby Kate was the "honorary flower girl," having been too young to actually take part in the wedding. Lynds is AK's Godmother. So we dressed her as a flower girl - complete with her own little hair ribbons - and Lynds took some pictures with her.

The reception was held in the Brown and Williamson Room of Papa John's Stadium in Louisville. It was a beautiful place. As I approached the reserved bridal party table, I noticed a card with my name on it, laying on top of a cookie cake that read "Happy Birthday Casey." I was standing there by myself with tears running down my cheeks. This was Lyndsay's big day, and with all the planning and running around, she still made the time to remember that it was also my birthday (and that cookie cake is my favorite!). I was instantly reminded of how she is the greatest friend, and why it was such an honor to stand with her as her matron of honor on her wedding day. Lynds, thank you so much for letting me be part of your wedding!

The bachelorette party.

Mom, just want to say thank you (again and again!) for helping me with Abby Kate all week. I don't know what I'd have done without you. I wouldn't have been able to do everything I wanted to do for Lynds without your help in caring for AK leading up to and during the wedding. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

William's first Birthday! Held at Chuck E Cheese. He had a great time digging into his cake and opening all his presents. AK enjoyed it, too. So many fun things to look at there!

Abby Kate's first swim! She LOVES the water. That's my cousin, Lindsay,
with her daughter, Amber, born last July.

Will and AK, playing with one of his new birthday presents - a fire truck!
Thanks, William, for sharing all your fun toys with your little cousin.

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!