GOOD TIMES, GREAT LIFE!

EASTER BUNNY!

2008-03-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

MGC saw the Easter bunny for the first time today. She did great! She just wanted to chew his hands and ears! I think it was love at first hop!

SMARTY PANTS

2008-02-19T04:09:00.000-08:00

MGC has decided to chew on her crib. Well, Linda and I put some cloth around the rail last night so she wouldn't mess it up to much. This morning I go to get her out of the crib to discover she has stood all the way up and is now chewing on the top rail! She is getting too big for her britches! (or diapers)

MGC on the move

2008-02-18T16:46:00.001-08:00

Tonight I was cooking dinner and talking on the phone to my BFF April. Well, I heard water splashing and looked around to find MGC splashing in the dog's bowl. My first reaction was to tell her no, but first I grabbed the camera and caught her in action. She was having a ball. I have to really watch her close now that she crawles. Man, she keeps me on my toes. This is just the first of many more experiences to come, I am sure!

Sunday Dinner

2008-02-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Grandma's house

2008-02-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

My dad and his wife Kathy have been visiting so we had a family dinner Sunday night. We had 17 of our family present. It was a great time. MGC was quite the attraction. Uncle Rickey and Blake both held her! The other kids played with her as well. It is good to get together; I just wish it could be more often. Time flies so much that we aren't able to spend enough time with our loved ones. I am thankful for such a great family!

2008-02-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

THE OLUSTEE FESTIVAL

2008-02-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

Each year our town has a festival celebrating the Civil War Battle at Olustee. Olustee is about 15 minutes outside of Lake City. This year MGC went to her first festival and Kathy, my step-mom also came along. We had a great time and saw a lot of friends.

EDDIE AND MGC

2008-02-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

Just another day at our house!
Dog brings toy to MGC.
MGC puts toy in her mouth.
Dog takes toy away.

riding around

2008-02-16T06:02:00.001-08:00

Well,MGC is growing like a weed. We took some pictures of her riding around in the car that turned out so cute! She is also crawling. I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

painting...

2008-01-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

I have decided to repaint my kitchen. I started with the ceiling. Wow, what a job! It looks great though. You don't realize how dingy something looks until it gets a new coat of paint. I am still working on the kitchen and only have 4 days until I start my new job at the VA. I had better get to work. Pics soon of the new painted area!

Christmas

2008-01-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas was great here. Stacy and I actually had our first Christmas together totally off from work. His was by default since he had the little mishaps with the motorcycle. For those of you who haven't heard (please don't tell my Grandma either!) Stacy wrecked our bike the week before Christmas. He is ok; just a little crack to his right hip to slow him down for a few weeks. MGC was vomiting all day but was still able to open her gifts. She had a great time with the wrappings. She has had fun with her new toys and books. One day I will get a digital camera so I can upload pics sooner! I will upload some Christmas pics soon. We had a great time with our family and K enjoyed playing with all the cousins. We were ALL together so there were 6 crazy kids running around having fun! We were very blessed this Christmas season and hope you all were too!

2007-12-23T06:50:00.001-08:00

Christmas Parade

2007-12-23T06:29:00.000-08:00

Bethany, Little LCC, MGC and myself went to watch the Christmas parade this year. K was in the parade with her school. She is in float toward the front wearing a brown coat and a santa hat. She is a little hard to spot. MGC and Little L had a great time. They even enjoyed the lights and loud sirens even though our little friend P-bug did not. We had a great evening with a great group of friends.

MGC's first Christmas event

2007-12-23T06:05:00.000-08:00

Well, this year is special since it will be MGC's first everything. We started with the tree. All the girls were there to help decorate. K placed our newest ornament that has all three girls names and Stacy and me written on the santa hats. MGC also got her first present early. My parents sent her some Christmas outfits and we let her open them early. She loved the paper and putting it in her mouth. Then she put the clothes is her mouth! This year started out great.

Thanksgiving

2007-12-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

This was MGC's first Thanksgiving and we house hopped! Daddy had to work so we started out with a sleepover at Granny's. (Stacy's mom)I joined MGC early that morning and we had a great time with her Aunt BoBo, Uncle Steve, Granny and PaPa. Later we took daddy some food and then went to Grandma Hirtz's hosue. (My sister-in- law's parents' house)The night ended with MGC falling asleep later in her pumpkin PJs in Great-Grandma Smith's arms. What a great day! We were very thankful for so many family members that love us!

CHRISTMAS TIME

2007-12-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to tell all my family and friends to remember what Christmas is all about. We get too busy in getting all these overpriced gifts that people don't need or want and loose what our focus should be. Let's remember that Christ was born only to give His life for us so we could be free from our sin debt. He did that so willingly even knowing how big my debt would be for Him. I love all my family and friends and I am so blessed to have all of you share in my life. Know that this year is even more special having a new baby to share the memories with. I am also thankful for all my supportive friends and family who help out with MGC and keeping me sane as Stacy and I raise a child together. We pray that this Christmas season you will see Christ's love and share it with others as so many have shared with us. WE LOVE YOU!

I LOVE WAKING UP

2007-11-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

MGC IS SO HAPPY WHEN SHE WAKES UP! Even in the middle of the night when Momma and Daddy wish she was still sleeping, she is so happy. Most pictures don't show her smiling. I promise she smiles a lot just as she was captured here by her Aunt BoBo (Josette). She laughs a lot in the am as well. My brother is always trying to get her to giggle and has yet to have that happen. He is funny to watch though as he acts silly to get her to laugh!

FAMILY FUN

2007-11-21T07:26:00.002-08:00

We enjoy taking pictures at our house to record all the great times. We really just love taking snapshots of the girls at anytime. Here are some from around the house and at K's soccer game. MGC wore that cute yellow hat to keep the sun off her eyes. As soon as K spotted her on the sidelines she came over to take her out of the stroller and show her off to her friends. We captured them together before K made it over to her friends. K dressed up MGC in her sunglasses one afternoon and we thought she looked really funny. Actually K said MGC rocks! K has really enjoyed being the big sister now. She takes MGC into her room at times and they have play time or something. K shuts the door and they sound like they are having fun. It is all fun and games until MGC gets K's hair in her hand! MGC loves to grab hair! And last but not least, there has to be a picture of Eddie in all the fun!

2007-11-21T07:26:00.001-08:00

HALLOWEEN

2007-11-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

This year K had some of her friends come over again to trick-or-treat. The group is growing each year. The kids enjoyed going house to house and even enjoyed passing out candy to other kids when they arrived back at the house. Stacy and Buddy stayed and passed out candy why all the women took the kids around the neighborhood. Next year; they guys do the walking!

BATH TIME ROUTINE

2007-11-20T11:56:00.001-08:00

MGC is growing so fast. She is about 4 1/2 months in this picture. (I know, I am lagging behind!) After her baths we like to put her in a robe for awhile to allow her lotion to dry before struggling with clothes. Oh, how sweet she smells! She is growing up so fast I just can't stand it!

WATERMELON FEAST

2007-11-20T11:51:00.000-08:00

This summer we attempted to grow some watermelons. Since Stacy can eat one in about two days we thought it might be worth our money to grow some. Well, they did not get enough sun and not quite enough water. We did open some up and were able to have a few pink bites. K had fun watching Dad chop them open with a huge knife and then she played with them. By the looks of the pictures the watermelon patch at least provided an afternoon of fun for K.

BUSY! BUSY!

2007-11-01T07:47:00.001-07:00

I know I have not posted anything in awhile, but life has been so busy since I went back to work. MGC also has a new sleeping pattern. She likes to wake up twice a night now instead of once. We shall be working on breaking that soon! We went on vaction recently with the Brim's to Waynesville, NC. It is right outside the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Pictures to appear soon. MGC did a great job in the car! It was great to get away. Stay tuned in the next week or so for the pictures!

15 weeks and growing

2007-09-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

I had MGC's 3 month pictures taken...closer to 4 months. We had a great time taking them. My good friend Angela took them for me. MGC wet on her drape and I felt so bad, but babies will be babies! Enjoy the pictures.

GOD'S LOVE IS AMAZING!

2007-09-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

I don't think until I had a baby of my own did I truely, truely know how much God loves me. I was emaild a video by Brad Paisley and Sara Evans entitles "New Song." A Stacy and I watched this video we both cried. I finally knew what unconditional love really is. My husband I and spoke about how much we love our little MGC. We loved her instantly. We even agreed our love for her is different than our love for eachother. We found things in each other to love and that we love very much, but with a child it is different. My husband, already having two beautiful girls knew this love. I am just finding it. God loves us MORE than we love our own children. We are so unworthy, yet he gave His only Son for us. How can I not give my all to Him. I am really blessed to have wonderful step-daughters and now my own. I can't imagine giving any of them to anyone for any reason, yet God gave his Son for the sinners so that we might be saved. WOW is how I can sum it all up! Hope you are blessed as Stacy and I were!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NaSROohLzs

2007-09-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

2007-09-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

One morning I was getting ready for work when I heard a cry outside of my kitchen window. I began to investigate and found a baby squirrel that had fallen from its nest. It was so small. We kept it outside where other animals could not get to it. K gave it milk with one of her doll baby bottles. It lived, to our surprise, about 4 days without its mother. K loves animals and one day wants to be a vet. This was a great way to work on her skills, especially washing her hands. (Even though she wasn't allowed to touch it!)

LOVE THE GRANDMA'S

2007-09-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

MGC spends a lot of time with her Granny Linda (Stacy's mom) and her Great-Grandma Gladys (Karen's G-ma). She enjoys her time with them both. Recently she went to her great-G's 80th b-day party. She was really a great baby that day. Granny Linda is the lucky one to keep MGC when momma works.

A DAY AT THE BABYSITTERS

2007-08-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

MGC had a great day at the babysitter's. It was the first day getting up and taking her somewhere before I went to work. I am usually very spoiled because Granny Linda comes to our house! Well, MGC loved time with April and P-bug. P got so excited she almost choked MGC. (See picture) April even kept track of her feedings and such. MGC got her first report card. HaHa! Those of you who know April are probably not surprised. Aunt Krissy, her other babysitter, said she wasn't that organized! All in all I don't think she even missed me and Daddy because she had so much fun.

MGC CAN THROW A FIT

2007-08-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

I know it is hard to believe, but MGC can be ugly when she doesn't get her way.

Look at her face. All this because momma put her down for 5 seconds! HaHa! I had to change her diaper. Life is so hard for her! This was late afternoon when she wants her momma and that is about all she wants. At least I know I am loved!

FAMILY REUNION

2007-08-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

We went to Stacy's family reunion last weekend. We had a great time seeing everyone and enjoying the food. K had fun playing with her cousins. They played king of the hill on a clay mound. Those shorts will never be the same. Little L had fun too along with MGC. They kept everyone on their toes!

BATHING BEAUTIES!

2007-08-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

We had a fun evening over at Papa and Nana Tucker's house last saturday. We had a cookout and enjoyed the pool. The kids had a great time, even little MGC had a nice relaxing dip in the pool. She has grown so much her swimsuit didn't fit so she chose her swimmy diaper and that's it.

BEST FRIENDS

2007-08-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Eight days before MGC was born, LFB was born. B and I were due two days apart and had a great time being pregnant together. We would stand side by side with our bellies together and tell the girls, "There's your best friend." So far they are the best of friends and they haven't had a fight yet! HaHa! LFB weighed 9lbs 3 oz and MGC weighed 9lbs 2 oz and both were 20" long. They both even weighed the same weight when they went to their first peds appointment. What are the chances of that? MGC is blessed to have such a great friend and so are her parents! We all love the B family very much!

2007-08-09T18:26:00.001-07:00

Growing Grandson

2007-07-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here is our little grandson, LCC. He is growing so fast. This picture was taken right around his first birthday the end of June. He is waving his signature wave while laughing with Great-Granny Linda (Stacy's mom). L is walking now and finding everything he can, especially on my floors! He just had his 1 year check-up and he is doing well. He weighed 27 pounds. I think his Aunt MG will soon be catching him if she keeps growing at her current rate! I tell L all the time that he will grow up to be MG's protector! He is such a joy and BLC is blessed to have such a fun little boy.

OUR FIRST DATE

2007-07-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

We went on our first date when MGC was 5 weeks and 5 days old. We rode the GSX-R to Starke with some of Stacy's friends. We ate at Cowboys. It is a new restaraunt owned by our good friends, the Helms. It was great to go on a date again. MGC stayed with Aunt Krissy and had a good time! We took this picture to give my OBGYN. He laughed when we gave it to him and said, "Look at the bike!" Notice he did not say look at the baby on the bike! Read our delivery story below to understand the joke about the bike!

Palm Coast, Florida

2007-07-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

We were blessed to be able to go to the beach for 3 days with the Freeman family. K had so much fun playing with their kids and MGC had her first beach trip and dip in the pool. It was great to get away even if it was only for 3 days. We are very thankful the Freemans opened up their condo and family time to us!

ANNOUNCEMENT

2007-07-25T08:14:00.001-07:00

These pictures were used on MGC's birth announcement. I can't get enough of her!

FAMILY MATTERS MOST

2007-07-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

I have spent some time organizing pictures lately. Here are some pictures of my family members. The Christmas pic was 2006. My cousins had this picture taken for their parents two years ago. The boys have grown so much since then. My Dad is pictured with his wife Kathy. That pic was taken on a cruise they went on for Kathy's retirement present. Can't wait until I retire. HaHa! The picture of my brother's family was also from Dec 2006. His family coordiantes well with their clothes thanks to Krissy. I heard that was quite a job. Good looking families if you ask me! We now need a family picture with Madeleine!

Bathing Beauty

2007-07-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

MGC is such a beauty! She was small enough at first to take baths in the kitchen sink. She is now almost 13lbs and has moved to the bathroom tub with her baby tub. She doesn't quite know what to think about baths. She is starting to not get nervous when placed in the water. Hopefully soon she will like it. We see some smiles during bath times. We are waiting for laughs and splashes!

GROWING GIRL

2007-07-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

M is growing like a weed. She gets bigger and stronger everyday. She is 3 weeks old in this picture with her Great-Grandma Smith. I can't believe how time flies.

Our Sweet Pea!

2007-06-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

Well, our little girl is growing. She was 9lbs 6 oz at her second MD visist and he said all is going well with her. We are adjusting to life with a new baby and each day gets a little easier. We thank God each day for blessing us with a beautiful new baby. The picture of she and I was taken when she was only 5 days old. We were headed to her first MD appointment. The other is when she was about two weeks old. Today (06-30-07) she is 27 days old and likely weighs at least 10lbs by now. She is eating like crazy!

OUR NEW BABY GIRL

2007-06-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Finally after 40 weeks and 3 days, our new baby girl arrived. MGC (her initials) was born June 3, 2007 at 5:57pm weighing in at 9lbs 2oz. After 16 hours of trying to induce labor, we decided on a C-section after a long talk with the greatest OB/GYN in the world, Dr. Brazzel. When Stacy and I went to the OR for the C-section, I was a little nervous but yet excited too...then relaxed after I was drugged. When MGC was pulled out of her nice warm home, everyone in the room exclaimed what a big girl we birthed. I was happy we went with the C-section afterall! Stacy guessed her weight exactly and Dr. Brazzel was over by 1oz. The C-section was a good experience for us. Funny thing, Stacy and the Doc end up talking about motorcycles during the surgery while I am thinking, "He had better be cutting a straight line and not the outline of the Ducati he was talking about!" All in all she is great and we are so blessed. God gave us a precious gift that we don't deserve at all. Isn't the Lord great in how He blesses us when we don't even deserve it!

GETTING READY FOR BABY

2007-06-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

The Smith side of the family gathered around for two weeks awaiting the birth of the newest grandchild. She liked it so much in there, she did not want to come out! We all gathered together at Karen's Uncle Rickey's house four days before the baby arrived for a low country boil. We had a great time. My belly was about to bust and my clothes were pulling at the seams. The kids had a water balloon fight that ended up with Grandpa Smith (Karen's dad) getting wet along with Uncle Walter and last but not least...Walter pored a 5 gallon bucket full of cold well water on me, nine months pregnant! I thought I was going to go into labor. The family made guesses at how big our baby would be and Stacy ended up with the bragging rights. Read the baby blog to learn more about the birth!

PROM MAY 5, 2007

2007-05-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

B went to prom this year with her boyfriend; a senior. They went with quite a few couples and had a great time. B always looks so pretty; almost like she was getting married in a white dress. I know Stacy's not ready for that yet though! The couple pictured with them is Stacy's niece and the guy is actuallyKaren's distant cousin. Small world in a small town! Doesn't B's baby boy look so cute playing in the grass.

HORSE BACK RIDING LESSONS

2007-05-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

K's second love after dogs is horses. She started lessons last fall and has really enjoyed them. She rides a horse named Ranger and she is learning how to care for him and ride him at the same time.

2nd GRADE FIELD DAY 2007

2007-05-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

K's field day was a lot of fun. Stacy and I made it for the big event....Tug-of-war! All the second grade classes competed against each other and K's class won a blue ribbon in the overall contest. She was so excited. We were very glad we could be there to cheer them on!

WILD FIRES

2007-05-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you not here in Florida, we have wild fires all around our area. There is one burning just north of us on the Florida/Georgia line. Today it is very smoky outside and ash is falling rather heavily. Please pray for rain in our area and for the fires to stop. Oh, also that people would quit burning their yard trash. Some people don't have much common sense. A couple of weekends ago a neighbor, 3 houses down, caught an area on fire that took 4 hours to contain due to winds. Thank the Lord no houses were damaged. PRAY FOR RAIN!

Baby Update

2007-05-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, our little one is moving on down. She has dropped some over the past week and is causing lots of pressure so maybe soon we will have a new family member. We have another ultrasound this friday so watch for more updates. Maybe she will be born on Mother's Day!

eddie polka-dot

2007-05-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is our son, Eddie Polka-dot. He is a Jack Russell that came to us via Santa when Littlebit was only 4 years old. He is now 3 and is a joy to have. Eddie does not know he is a dog, so please don't anyone break the news to him.

Grandson

2007-05-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Stacy and I were blessed last year with another addition to our family. We have a beautiful grandson who was born last June. He has a great mother and very loving grandparents!!! We are excited that he will grow up with our new baby!

Getting Ready for Baby

2007-05-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

Well everyone!( Ok the two people who know I have a blog at this point)I am ready for our new baby. Life has been so busy here lately. I have finished having baby showers and now have a beautiful nursery for our new baby girl. Thanks to a couple special friends that showed up last Sunday afternoon, I am now organized, decorated and cleaned. Well, at least the baby's room is all of those. A special thanks to my best friend, P-bug's mom, for helping so much with all the preparations. I don't where I would be without her. If you ask my husband I would still be digging through gift bags wondering where we will put are new little one amongst all the "stuff" in her room!

My baby shower last weekend was great. I have always known that the Lord has truely blessed me with great Christian friends. During the shower this was so evident. I had to sit in the middle of the room and each person prayed over me, my baby, my husband and my beautiful two step-daughters. I don't know when I have been so moved. I really felt the Lord embrace me and my family as my friends and family prayed over us. What a great experience I shall never forget.
Stay tuned for more updates as I make it a plan to get some pictures up and more info about our family for all of you to read.

Just getting started...

2007-04-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Blog site. My best friend inspired me to start this so friends and family can see what we are up to. If April can do it, so can I! Stacy and I recently went to BikeWeek in Daytona beach. I walked around 6 1/2 months pregant but survived! The opposite picture is some of our good friends. It is hard to tell, but she is also 6 1/2 months pregnant. We are two days apart! Hopefully I will be able to keep up my blog so ya'll can see our lives.