Hodge Podge

This post is a hodge podge of things from the last 2 weeks. I had the blessing of "showering" my best friend Jenny to help prepare her for the birth of their 3rd child, yet 1st boy in a few weeks. Out of about 20 women, there were 8 pregnant women at my house(not including the hostess!!!) That just blew my mind - but tis the season of life. We are anxiously awaiting Josiah's entrance into this world!

Jenny and I have been best friends since 4th grade - can you believe she isn't tired of me yet?

Jenny's 2nd daughter, Cassia celebrated her 2nd birthday this weekend in all out Dora style! It was a fun party with lots of little girls!
These 2 little people love cupcakes!

On Sunday night we took Erin to Chuck E Cheese as a special treat. She has been so well behaved the last couple of weeks and truly trying to do her best in all areas. We felt she deserved an unexpected treat. We all had a great time playing and winning and then used up our free frosty coupons on the way home!

It's always a treat when the real Chuck E is there for a birthday party. Erin always manages to get a squeeze in.

Anna and Stuart - quite the pair!

I wouldn't suggest getting on a jet ski with this one.

On Monday we used some bowling coupons to hit the lanes again. We went a couple of weeks ago with friends and Erin really liked it. We figured we'd try it again and she did so well. By the end of the first game she was doing it all by herself. Her score looked very similar to mine!

My Husband, his friends and their 15 min.

Joe went to the GT vs NC State game on Saturday with Chris and Anthony in Raleigh. Dr. King scored them great tickets which scored them great air time. Beth taped the game, so Joe was able to snap pictures from the TV of his 15 minutes of fame with his buddies. He was very excited to have me put them "on the blog" which happens to be a very common phrase around our house!

Chris, Anthony, Dr. King and Joe

Maddam Tussauds Wax Museum

Our Days in Vegas!

What Happened in Vegas...

So we've returned from our adventure that was Vegas and am happy to report nothing that happened in Vegas has to stay in Vegas! Never having been there before, I really didn't know what to expect. I now know why they call it "Sin City." I won't go into all that here and will highlight the good parts of Vegas. My favorite thing was the food. Any hour of the day, any place you wanted to eat - it was all terrific and my waistline shows it. Joe was in meetings both full days we were there so Becky and I hit the town. We visited several malls as well as hotels just to see their grand decor and architecture. We road the monorail, the city bus and walked about 2 miles if not more. There is so much to see and do there that doesn't involve bad things!

The highlight of our trip was discovering that there was a Ghiradelli ice cream shop within walking distance of our hotel. This is by far the best chocolate ice cream and hot fudge you could ever indulge in and so we did, twice. I would have bottled that hot fudge up and brought it back if I could have.

My only disappointment with the trip was not getting to see the water fountains at the Bellagio at night.(like in Ocean's 11). It was beautiful in the daylight, but I know it would have been spectacular at night. Between the time change effect and the icy cold weather, we just couldn't make it down there.

Will I go to Vegas again....probably not in the near future, and never with children. Given the opportunity to go on another business trip I'd be there and pray for warmer weather. Hope you enjoy the pics. Make sure you catch the one of Joe's Grammy. She lives in Vegas and met us for breakfast!

Anna gets an A+

Anna had her 6 month follow-up with the Cardiologist today and she is doing great. They did an EKG and and ECHO and both came out perfect. We have been cleared to go to yearly visits. The Dr. hopes she walks by 18 months(and so do we). If you will all pray with us that she'll reach this milestone so that we won't have to put her through any testing at that time we'd be thankful. One thing he said was that Anna didn't have to be treated any differently than any other child her age, and I laughed and told him we do treat her a little differently - she gets a whole lotta loving! She is so special to us. Every child is a reminder of the greatness of our God, but having a child that has had health issues is a daily reminder of all that He does for us and means to us. Sometimes I just stare at her and think how lucky she is that God has actually touched her heart and held it in His hands. Anna Banana brings us an immeasurable amount of joy and we are so blessed by her!

Anna and Erin's New Year's Resolutions

Erin has resolved to become more like a princess than ever before this year. As you can see, she's off to a great start.

Anna has resolved to stop using her knees as a mode of transportation and start using her feet! She's up to about 6 steps at a time - well on her way. As you can see from the video, she is also resolving to "Eat Mor Corn" in 2009. This was her first go at a cob, and she left no kernel uneaten!