Happy 2010!

I know it's been forever, but we just got home from Tennessee last night. I promise there will be several posts coming up about Christmas, the accident, and lots of other stuff as soon as I have time! But for now...

Happy New Year!

So Sorry My Pictures Are Too Good for You!

I will no longer be a customer of the Wal-Mart photo center. Specifically the one in Demopolis. We have had trouble with them on a couple of occasions trying to get photos printed. First, my mom got this picture printed there.

When she went to pick it up they gave her grief and didn't want to let her have it because they thought it was a professional photo. Mom told them thank you and that I would be flattered they thought so. In the end they let her have it.

A few weeks ago I went to get copies of a picture of my mom when she was 1 and one of myself at around one also. They wouldn't let me copy them because they were taken by professionals. Mine did have a professional stamp on it so I understand, even though it is around 25 years old and there is no way I could ever get another copy from the photographer. They also wouldn't let me copy mom's which is about twice as old as mine and was a copy, not even the original. It didn't have a professional stamp or anything but they still wouldn't let me do it. On these two I somewhat understand, but really, how am I supposed to get a copy from the photographer?

Today I sent a couple of pictures in to get printed and I quickly received a phone call. The lady, who was very polite about it, asked who took this picture.

I told her that I took it. She asked if I still had it. I told her yes, on my computer. She then asked if it was still on my memory card. I told her no, I put it on the computer and deleted the memory card because it was full. She said that it looked like a professional photograph so I would have to prove that it was mine in order to get the print. I asked how I was to do that and she said that I could put it on a pen drive and maybe that would work...MAYBE?! I called Justin and told him about it. He said, "We're done. We will get these pictures and then we're done." He even called a manager and the manager told him he couldn't tell if it was professional or not so we'd have to bring in a pen drive with the picture. Now, I do take it as a compliment that someone would think my photos were professional, but really, have they never seen a good professional photo? Mine don't have near as good lighting and aren't near as sharp as professional photos. They just aren't the same quality. Justin took it up there and the machine's usb port was worn out so they couldn't bring it up. The lady decided to shut the machine down and reboot it to see if that would work. It didn't. Then she took it to a computer behind the counter. When she pulled it up it automatically uploaded all the pictures I had on the drive, there were quite a few. She tells Justin we had a lot on there and he says, "yes, we do." :) She never did find the one of Reagan but saw the curtains in another picture and said she guessed that would work. After Justin sat there for 20 minutes while she did all this she finally gave him the picture.

We will now be customers of CVS one hour. They cost a few cents more but hopefully will be much less hassle. To Wal-Mart I say, so sorry my pictures are too good for you!

4 Months

Really!? She's 4 months old already!? Wow. Today Reagan is officially a 4 month old. We went for her 4 month check up today and she weighs 12 lbs 13 oz and is 24 inches tall. It's funny because she is tall and skinny for her age. Maybe she will stay that way instead of doing like her mommy and never get any taller after the 7th grade. The doctor said she is perfect...which we all knew already! She is still talkative and happy as ever. She's little miss personality. That is, until her gums start hurting or you try to put her to sleep. It's like she gets offended when you start trying to put her to bed. :) If you keep up with the blog or facebook you know she rolled over for the first time recently. She also can hold up her own weight when standing...she can't balance, but she can support her own weight.

She grabs everything now, including your hair or your face, and loves to pull (ouch!).




Can I have the camera Mommy?


My sweet, happy baby!

She also love to chew on everything since she's teething. That includes your face Daddy!

She can push up much better now and even smiles during tummy time. A big improvement from licking the blanket then screaming her head off. :)

Chillin under the tree.

I love this little person so much!

Christmas With the Canal Heights Family

This past Saturday night we had a big Christmas party for the whole congregation at our house. We had somewhere around 40 -50 people here. It was a lot of fun! We ate, played dirty Santa, and watched a slide show of pictures from the past year. I love having gatherings like this at my house but I always end up stressing myself out and wearing myself out. I'm trying not to stress so much...but that will take time. :)

It's so fun to spend time with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I think we forget how important fellowship really is. These are the people we should be spending quality time with. They should be as close as family. The fact that the Bible refers to the church as a brotherhood shows that we are a family. Romans 12:10 states, "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another". In Matthew 12:48-50 Jesus refers to His disciples and those who do the will of God as His mother and brothers, His family. There's nothing like having a support system. I know that no matter what happens I will always have a family behind me to pray for me and with me and to help me through any situation. Best of all, I know I will see this family again one day in heaven.

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin on the ...floor.

Update: I couldn't ever get the video to load on here, but it did on facebook. I put in a link to it below.

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Reagan rolled over! Last night we were playing on the living room floor. I had put her on her belly for some tummy time when all of a sudden...she rolled over onto her back! Yay! I immediately yelled for Justin and went for the video camera. He came running in thinking something was wrong. She did it again but I missed it with the camera. We were able to get her to roll over a third time and did manage to catch it! She hasn't rolled over from back to stomach yet, but is getting really close to that as well. Here's a link to the video on facebook.

Sometimes I wish I could freeze time so I could have her just like she is for a little longer...then she starts screaming her head off because her gums hurt and I say, ok enough of that. :) I've been taking all kinds of Christmasy pictures of Reagan. Here are a few.

Reagan with her Christmas Tree

In one of her Christmas dresses

The best present of all :)

I'm Special to the Times

So, I know it's not actually a big deal, but I thought it was pretty cool. A photo I took was used in the local paper yesterday! It's a photo of the football team and the state trophy during the COTR parade. The story in the Demopolis Times is about the team trying to raise funds to buy their state championship rings. The way it happened is this: Justin is best good friends with Jeremy Smith, the sports editor. Jeremy was over at our house and looked through my pictures from the parade. When he saw the pic he said it would be a good one for one of his stories. You can see the actual picture in this post I wrote about COTR.

Of course, Justin couldn't resist teasing me about the credit under the picture. "Special to the Times" is what they put if you are someone who isn't on the paper's staff. Justin just kept saying I was special to the Demopolis Times or that they called me special...silly boy.

New Stuff!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've added a couple of new features to my blog. I've now opened up my comments to everyone. You can now leave an anonymous comment without registering for an ID. I did this because a lot of people who don't have IDs read my blog and have said they wanted to comment but didn't want to get an ID. If you want me to know who is leaving the comment you will have to sign your name though. :) I also added email subscriptions through feedburner! There is a widget in the sidebar that will allow you to subscribe to Adventures of a Not-So-Desperate Housewife and have it sent straight to your inbox. I thought that was a pretty neat tool. I want to say thank you to everyone who reads and comments on my blog. I'm so glad people are enjoying it and it is working very well for keeping family and friends updated on what's happening in our lives!

Christmas Decorations!

Saturday night we are having the entire congregation over for a Christmas party. We have finger foods and play dirty Santa. Nothing more entertaining than watching a big group of Christians fight over gifts! ;) It's always a realty great time and something I look forward too every year. I worked hard last week to get the house all decorated so everything would be up in time. There are decorations all over my house but I still want more! :)

Here are some pictures of my Christmas decorations. Hope you enjoy them!

Snow globe collection.

O Christmas Tree!

Front porch with the wreaths I made.

Christmas on the River

Christmas on the River was this past weekend. Mom and Meeka(my sister-in-law) came in to see us and enjoy some of the festivities. It was really cold this weekend so we didn't go to the night parade this time. We went to the day parade and to fair in the square to do some shopping around and to get some fair food(yummy!). Here are a few pictures of the day parade from this year and also some of the night parade last year so you can see what it's like.

Day Parade

The Demopolis Tigers just won the 5A State Championship!

Flyover during the parade.

Reagan slept until the very end of the parade. She was all snuggled up in her stroller.

Night Parade last year

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. I love the twinkle lights and glittery ornaments. I love the color red everywhere. I love how people think of one another and go out and try to do nice things for one another. I love the parties and time spent with family. I love Christmas music.

I have been decorating the house all week. When everything is totally done I will try to get some pictures up. I love the tree this year and Justin keeps saying he really loves it too. It's red and green(the lighter bright green, not the traditional green) with a little gold. I'm really excited about how it turned out.

We live in a great place for people who love Christmas to live. They have a huge deal here called Christmas on the River. There are candle lit tours of historic homes, a big bbq cook off, a children's day parade, arts in the park where they have food and other vendors, and a night parade with lit floats that actually float on the river and a huge fireworks show at the end. It's so much fun! This year Mom and my sister-in-law Meeka are coming down. This will be Meeka's first COTR so she is really excited. It will be a busy and fun weekend!

And this, my friends, is what happens when I try to layout and check lights...Punkin comes and lays on them. I guess he likes the warmth of them. He's always laying under the tree!

6 Days, 1400 Miles, Lots of Family and Friends

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! So sorry it has been so long, but I've been super busy. We went home (that's Tennessee in case you don't know) the 24th through the 29th for Thanksgiving. As noted in the title we traveled over 1400 miles in 6 days! Whew! We were all sick of the car when we got home, including Reagan. Here's a breakdown of how the trip went. I encourage you to pull up a map of middle and west TN so you can appreciate the driving around we did. We left Tuesday the 24th and drove to Yorkville, TN where my mom lives. Wednesday we just hung out there and then drove over to Kenton to go to church with Justin's dad, then came back to Mom's. Thursday we drove from Yorkville to Medina to my Mom's parents for lunch. Then we met Justin's dad in Jackson and drove to West Memphis, Arkansas for his family get together. When we have it there we do it at the Pizza Inn where Justin's cousin is the manager. They just load the buffet up with the turkey and dressing and other food that everyone brings! It's pretty funny. We drove back to Yorkville again that night. Friday we drove to Smyrna (near Nashville) for my Dad's side of the family's gathering. There we have a new tradition that started about three years ago. We go eat at a restaurant called the Omni Hut. It's Hawaiian...and VERY good. Then we go over to my Aunt Beth's to eat desert and hang out. We spent the night with my grandparents. Saturday morning we got up early and drove to Alamo for my best friend from high school Tristan's baby shower. I was so glad they had a shower for her then because she lives in Texas now and Thanksgiving is pretty much the only time we are both in Tennessee at the same time! Justin got some mini burgers at Dairy Queen(there isn't one anywhere near us here) and then took a nap in the car while Reagan and I were at the shower. :) After that went by my dad's house in Maury City, and then on to Memphis where we stayed with Justin's Aunt Brenda. Sunday morning Justin preached at Woodland Hills, where we attended while Justin was in Memphis School of Preaching. After services we ate at Aunt Brenda's then drove home. We got back to Demopolis at about 6:15 and went straight to the church building (late) for services here. Are you tired? Cause we sure were! :) But we were so happy to get to see so many family and friends!

Picture time!

Meeting Uncle Robby

In our Thanksgiving bib



Talking to Aunt Kelia...imagine that! Kelia talking :)

Gran Gran and Pops with all the grand children and great grand children

Reagan and I with my dad and brothers

With Tristan at her baby shower

Sacked out in the car on the way back to Alabama