Getting Settled

Hi Everyone! We are really getting settled here in our new home in Georgia. I think we only have around 5 boxes scattered around the house left to deal with. We have begun putting pictures on the walls and making it more homey. I have really gotten motivated to finish up over the past few days because I am having lots of contractions! Here are a few snapshots of our home. This one is of the den, which we are still working on hanging the pictures above the fireplace and decorating the mantel, but it is coming along nicely. This is a shot of the dining room. We got the table set up and decorated and the curtains fixed cute, but there are actually 2 boxes left in the room and walls in desperate need of decoration. These are a couple of Elsie's room. It has probably been the least worked on room in the house, mainly because we do not have all of the furniture here yet and we don't want to decorate until we decide how the room will be laid out. But these pictures show what we have done which is install a ceiling fan (ben did a great job and I love the fun ceiling in this room!), set-up the rocking chair (and notice the cute polka dot blanket with Elsie's name embroidered on it. thanks candace! (ben's boss at Southwire)), spread out the cute girly rug, and set-up the pack-n-play with a pink blanket and pink boppy. We have the curtain rod to go up, but I am still looking for fabric to make the curtains. We are going to Newnan tonight, so maybe there will be a fabric store there that I can look in. fun projects!!
Hatcher is still just as fun as ever! He is talking SO much, pretty much saying everything and putting multiple words together. Quite a while back he learned that steam rises off of hot stuff, so anytime he sees steam he points it out and says steam. Well, over the past few days he noticed many things that he has thought looked like steam and pointed them out to us. Some of them were when we open the freezer and the cold air comes out, it looks like steam; the clouds were moving really fast in the sky yesterday and hatcher pointed to them and said steam; we were enjoying a nice lunch at moe's the other day until a lady came outside to smoke and hatcher saw the smoke rising and said steam. Ben and I thought they were all very good observations on his part! It is so fun watching him learn.One other little story...Hatcher brought me a book that he loves to read about Jesus being a very special baby. As he was bringing it to me he was saying, "I love you Jesus, I love you Jesus." it was very sweet.

Last night I went out shopping while Hatcher and Ben hung out at the house. Ben said they had a GREAT time playing and Hatcher was awesome the whole time. They started out playing in the backyard hitting wiffle golf balls and then they came in and played "tent" for a while with a sheet in the den and then Ben decided to put together Hatcher's dino tent and they played in for a while before eating supper. Then I got a cute picture/sound message on my phone while I was in Target and it showed Hatcher's first shower. Ben turned the shower on in Hatcher's tub and he said Hatcher loved it! It's always fun when daddy is in charge!! afterwards, they brushed teeth, put jammies on, and rocked and prayed together and hatcher whispered "i love you" over and over through his pacifier while they were rocking. ben said it was an awesome night! he is such a good daddy!! All of these pictures of Hatcher were taken by me yesterday as we were playing while waiting on ben to get home from work. hatcher was having so much fun running from the foyer to the den and right past mommy's tickling fingers. he was giggling so hard and having so much fun! then we went in the kitchen and he hid in the cabinets from me, which is always great fun as he yells "bye-bye" and then shuts the cabinet door and then says "dark" to let me know it is dark in there. then i say over and over "where is hatcher? where is hatcher?" and he opens the door giggling and says "hi!" and I act surprised that he is in the cabinet and he thinks it is great fun! i do too just because of how much fun he has doing it!! he really is so much fun to play with! anyway, hope all is well with you and I'll keep you posted on the status of little Elsie and when she decides to arrive!

Fall in Georgia

Hey! We had a great weekend with Ben getting in some guy time with a camping/fishing/shooting trip with his brothers, dad, and uncle in mississippi and I got to hang out with my parents and the hatch in alabama. We both had a really good time! It really showed that I enjoyed the good food over the weekend because I went to the doctor on Monday and weighed in 6 pounds heavier than I was 9 days earlier! haha...I'm finally putting on a little weight! I guess Elsie enjoyed it too! I have now gained around 20 pounds and I only have less than 3 weeks until my due date, so it is coming up soon! We are excited to meet little Elsie! Here are a few pictures we have taken recently. Here is Hatcher helping me make some apple bars for Ben to take on his "man" trip. Hatcher LOVES to be a part of anything we are doing. He wants to do it exactly like we do. Even at the table he wants his own plate, spoon, fork, and napkin just like mommy and daddy and today he even wanted a cup, not a sippy cup, but a real cup with water in it like mommy. We are having many table manners lessons on not banging our spoon or cup, not playing with our plate (which always leads to dumping it over), not playing with our real cup (which was spilled twice today), etc. It is such an adventure to teaching a little one everything! :) he is such a sweetie and loves to learn and be like us and challenge us. Everyday I am praying for patience and wisdom! Here is a picture of Hatcher snoozing on the way home from Alabama on Sunday. and here are a few pictures from Sunday a week ago here in our house in Georgia. Hatcher was dressed up in his fall outfit and Ben was chasing him around the pumpkins to make him laugh. Hatcher pronounces pumpkin like "puck-um" and I think it is so cute! :) he loves to play with his daddy! He loves to get up in the morning and ask me to read to him before we do anything else (and I'm usually starving and ready to go eat breakfast!) but I love to take the time and snuggle and read with him on his big stuffed giraffe on the floor. Anytime you say ouch he says, "a boo-boo...kiss" and he gets really close to kiss your boo-boo. so sweet! ben and i chuckled at him yesterday as he was sitting on a little stool (like 4 inches off of the ground) and he fell over backwards off of the stool onto the carpet, but it was like he was moving in slow-motion as he fell over with his arms and feet going up in the air. It really just scared him more than anything but he immediately got up crying a little saying "a boo-boo, a boo-boo" and wanted a kiss. :) we are more than happy to give our sweet little guy a kiss even if it is not really a bad boo-boo.

I am continuing to unpack and make the house cuter and cuter, so I'll have to take more pictures sometime soon! oh, and many have been asking about seeing a pregnancy picture of me. I don't really have a good one, but at least you can see my belly in this one. These pictures were taken the friday before last when we went to see my new little niece in the hospital on her birthday! Here is my brother andy with hatcher...congrats andy, jess, and jaden on your sweet addition of little shayne! hatcher had a great time seeing the tiny baby and was very interested in helping her out with her little hat and pacifier. Here is Hatcher, Shayne, and my dad, Papa. He is going to be a great big brother to little Elsie when she comes! Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak Peek at Our New Home in Georgia

Hi friends and family!! Just thought I would post a quick update on our new home since so many people have been asking to see pictures. there aren't many pictures of the inside yet because it is not "cute" yet :) haha. There are too many boxes and not enough decorations! We are working hard on that though and we should have some decent pictures soon! anyway, here is the outside of the house and here is a picture of the two story den with amazing light shining in because of the many windows! The thing I love so much about this house is that it is so bright and cheery!! Here is Hatcher sporting his Auburn colors at his new Georgia home... and I'll end on a fun story about little Hatcher. He has adjusted very well to living in his new home with mommy and daddy. I was putting sheets on the bed the other day and he came in there saying, "Mommy, drill. Mommy, drill" and he grabbed my finger and took me out to the garage. He walked over to his tricycle carrying an electric screwdriver and he stuck the screwdriver (which he was calling a drill...pretty good for a 21 month old I thought!!) in the screw and started unscrewing the seat on his tricycle!! then he went over to the garage door casing and started to unscrew the screws he saw there! oh my...this little one is going to take our house apart!! :) I love how much he is learning and picking up from us! he repeats everything and understands concepts SO well...it just amazes ben and me! anyway, I'll try to post more later! Have a great Sunday worshipping the Lord!!