A weekend away...

This past weekend, we went to a friend's wedding reception in Jacksonville, AL. It was the first time that we have left Halle overnight! I think we took it harder than she did. She stayed with my mom, who of course was overly excited about keeping her. I called and checked on her about 100 times while we were away. I missed having my little girl with me. I have to admit, when it came time for us to get ready to go, it was nice not to have to switch out turns on who was watching Halle. The "getting ready process" takes a couple of hours, but it only took about 45 minutes this time! It's amazing how much time having a kid adds to the "getting ready process". I can say that I truly missed her SOOO much! Me and Rusty talked about her and couldn't believe how ready we were to get home to our princess. Rusty said, "It's weird how you miss someone so much when it seems you haven't been away long enough too". He was telling me on the way home that he was going to tickle her and get her belly and smother her in kisses! Of course, I couldn't wait to do the same exact thing! When we pulled in the driveway, we raced to the door to see who she would come to first (of course Rusty gave me a shove and took off so he could get to her first lol). Once she saw her mommy, she dove into my arms and hugged me so tight! I loved it! She laughed and giggled at her daddy for getting her belly. Those were the giggles we missed so much! We are happy to be home again with our girl :) I know it's good to get away and spend time together as a couple, but it's hard when all you think and talk about is your child. I'm not sure there will be any "get aways" for us in the near future... but we will definitely take some time for ourselves before Rusty deploys!

everywhere that halle goes, her bankie always follows

What is Halle up to these days? Oh, she just drags her "bankie" around where ever she goes. She has to make sure her slide is safe enough for her to slide down so who gets to test it out? Her bankie. She does this over and over again for about 30-45 minutes. I just sat back and laughed at my silly girl!

"I Just Call You Mine"

I was cleaning the house today listening to the radio and this Martina McBride song came on called "I Just Call You Mine". As I listened to the words, I thought of Rusty... I posted the lyrics and if you haven't heard it you should look it up! It makes my heart fill with joy b/c it's how I feel about Rusty :)


I pinch myself sometimes to make sure I'm not in a dream
That's how it seems
I close my eyes and breathe in the sweetest moments I've ever known
It feels like home
And here I am I want to be your everything
There you are
Turning winter into spring

And everyone that sees you
Always want's to know you
And everyone that knows you
Always has a smile
You're standing ovation after years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing
Yeah
I just call you mine

I fall apart
Just a word from you just somehow
seems to fix
Whatever's wrong
Oh, you reach into the weakest moments
And remind me that I'm strong
You've got to know
I'd be a fool not to see you even worse
To forget that you're more than I deserve

Cause everyone that sees you
Always want's to know you
And everyone that knows you
Always has a smile
You're standing ovation after years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing
Yeah
I just call you mine

Nothing makes sense when you're not here
As if my whole world disappears
Without you what's the point of it

Cause everyone that sees you
Always want's to know you
And everyone that knows you
Always has a smile
You're the dream that I've been chasin' after years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing
I just call you mine
Everyone calls you amazing
I just call you mine

Doing laundry has its perks

My princess loves to help mommy with the laundry. I hand her the clothes from the washer and she puts them in the dryer for me. When we get all the clothes in the dryer she waits for me to get the dryer sheet so she can add the last item. Sometimes she gets mad b/c we run out of clothes for her to put in the dryer so we have to get a few back out just so she can put them back in. It can be a long process, but I look at it as precious time I get to spend with my girl. She is such a good helper! I couldn't ask for anyone better :)

From one extreme to the next

This past weekend my mom and sister came to visit. Rusty went on a "guys only" canoe trip, so we thought we would have a little girl time :) We shopped and ate and shopped some more. Halle was really good through the process of shopping, but when it came time for eating, she wanted nothing more than a sweet tea. As you will see, she goes from one extreme to the next within a milimeter of a second. Never take her sweet tea away... lesson learned.


So excited about her very own sweet tea ;)




After a few spills plus some more, mommy had to take it away and she wasn't happy at all!

freezing time... if it were possible...

I wish, as I'm sure everyone does, that I could freeze time. Just stop, take in the moment of the very thing you want to keep with you forever. The little moments that me, Rusty, and Halle spend together are timeless. It's not the trips to different places or fun adventures that matter to me, it's the small moments. Laying in the bed in the mornings watching T.V. (usually Dora), playing together in the bonus room before bedtime, sprawled out on the floor with Halle rolling all over us, laughing, talking, smiling, just enjoying each others company. Those are the moments that I want to freeze so I can go back and re-live them anytime I want. As you all know, Rusty's deployment is growing closer and I don't want to miss a chance to spend all the time together we can to create these little memories. I want Halle to soak up as much of his time as possible, and him to soak up as much of her time as possible. They are already so close and have this father/daughter bond that is strong. She is constantly calling for her dada. She gets so excited when she hears the door chime go off when he walks through the door after work. She squeals and jumps around, dancing. You can see the love that she has for her one and only dada. I cannot express the joy I feel when I see them two together. These are the memories I love to make. I am so lucky to have the life I do. I thank God everyday for blessing me.

new hiding place

One day I was searching for Halle, and yes she does escape from my watch sometimes when I'm doing dishes or laundry or vacuuming. I knew she wasn't upstairs b/c I had the baby gate up so I went looking everywhere downstairs. I looked behind every door, in every closet and nothing. I then went into our bathroom and saw she wasn't in there. I turned to leave and that's when I heard a little voice behind the shower curtain. Low and behold it was her :) My girl found herself a secret hiding spot to play. She had her Dora book and princess ball in there with her and she was as happy as ever :)

The Greatest Men in Our Life

First I would like to say Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there and especially to the love of my life, Rusty :) You are such a terrific dad to Halle. She loves you so much and looks up to you as a daughter should look up to her daddy. I know how much of a daddy's girl I was growing up (and still am!). I hope Halle takes that after me, I am so glad you two have this beautiful beginning to father/daughter relationship! A girl is never to old to depend on her daddy. She knows he will always be there for her, and Halle will grow up knowing how precious a bond between father/daughter really is. Thank you so much for being the man you are. I can't imagine life without you or Halle. You gave me something that is irreplacable... a family to love and cherish. We love you with all our hearts babe!


Next, I want to say a HUGE thanks to my dad. He has been there through thick and thin with me. He was my crutch to lean on whenever I had a bad day. He was my coach not only in basketball and softball, but in life growing up. I am so proud to call myself his daughter! He guided me through these 25 years of life, and he continues to guide me. I love him with all my heart and I couldn't ask for a better dad or a better Papa for Halle. She really loves him so much and I look forward to seeing her grow up being Papa's little princess :)



Next, I want to say thanks to my future father-in-law for being there for Rusty, me, and Halle. I remember the first time I ever met him all those years ago (about 6 yrs now I believe), I was very intimidated. I thought "I really hopes he likes me". Now, I know he loves me and Halle both dearly. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful dad/poppy! Halle is a really lucky girl to be able to grow up as being one of Poppy's little ladies :)



Last but certainly not least, I would like to say thanks to my step-dad. You were there for me and supported me whenever I was pregnant with Halle. You let me stay in your house after I graduated from college (you just thought you got rid of me, but I came back :)). Now you've watched Halle grow into the amazing little girl she is. You love her and me and for that we can't say thank you enough. We are so grateful to have you in our lives!



Me and Halle are so blessed to have these men in our lives. I don't know where we would be without them (not here that's for sure *haha*). Seriously, I wish each and every one of them the best Father's Day! We love you SOOOO much!! I had to post pictures of Rusty and Halle, it's only appropriate, right?



First official Father/Daughter picture




Looking into the eyes of his precious daughter




Being fed by her amazing daddy




Pool time with her favorite guy :)




Watching TV with daddy




Like father, like daughter




Cool shades you two :)




Christmas 2009




Supporting her daddy at his Captain promotion




Napping on daddy

Unsolved Mystery

The mystery has been solved!

Halle has been extremely irritable the past few days, chewing on everything (but that's not really out of the oridnary for her), and slobbering like a St. Bernard. I finally noticed today that she has her pre-molars in, the top two are completely through the gums and one of the bottom ones have broke through the gum. Just one more and she will have all her pre-molars! What happened to my little girl who once smiled with her gums justa shining? It's so sad how fast they grow!

Dancin' Queen

Halle loves to shake her booty!! She definitely has her own style of dancing... she climbs onto the top of her slide and shakes her booty before she slides down. She also loves to climb on the couch and "shake it like a salt shaker" lol, I love my little dancin' queen :)

toes in the sand

You look forward to summer vacation every year, right? Well, we just got back from Myrtle Beach about a week ago. We had SOOO much fun! The whole family was able to be together for the first time since last year. We had 1 week to pack in as much fun as possible. Of course we spent a few of those days just lounging by the pool and at the beach. Halle loved the beach and the kiddie pool! She gave me a few scares by running around on the wet concrete, but, hey, kids will be kids! Or as my future mother-in-law says "You can't make a grown-up out of a kid", and she's right! The guys went deep sea fishing one day which gave us girls some time to shop and eat at the Olive Garden. One night after eating dinner, we ventured across the street to a big carnival to see what kind of rides and games they had. I played a few of the games and won Halle a small stuffed fish :) I was so proud of myself. We also visited a waterpark while we were there. It was alot of fun! We got to ride go-carts (which by the way I beat Rusty *ha!*, although, he would tell you he let me win, yeah right!) and play mini golf along with all the water slides, wave pool, and the biggest lazy river I have ever seen! Halle especially loved the lazy river, everytime we would go on it she would fall asleep... it definitely made her lazy! Halle even managed to picked up a phrase or two from her cousin Gabby.. she now says "dank you" which she never would say before. I was sad to leave b/c I knew I would have to go back to the "real world" once we got home. It's sad to leave your family that you don't get to see that often too. I'm so thankful to have them in my life! I couldn't have asked for better people to spend my vacation with!!

P.S. I would love to sit and talk about everything thing we did in detail, but that would mean I would spend hours on here and I just don't have the time tonight :) BUT I am posting a few pictures of trip!


Rusty and Halle in the lazy river at our condo




Our wonderful little family :)




Sara and Gabby on the beach!




Halle and Gabby searching for treasures




My little princess enjoying the beach




Whose that beach babe?!




Nanny and Poppy took the grandkids to Build-A-Bear... Halle didn't enjoy the loud machine




Hello Sunshine!! She just woke up for the fun at the Boardwalk




Gabby at the Boardwalk, that's such an innocent face




Poppy and Halle having fun in the kiddie pool




She liked the fountains in the kiddie area :)



I would like to leave with these few lyrics by Zac Brown Band, it pretty much sums up our vacation...

I got my toes in the water **** in the sand
Not a worry in the world a cold drink in my hand
Life is good today life is good today

another check to the list of projects

My latest project to improve the decor in our house has been a picture display of our little family. I printed out black and white pictures and put them in black picture frames of different sizes to arrange on the wall. I bought a "Family" wall hanging to hang along with the pictures. I always see nice picture displays in magazines and I have always wanted to have something like it. Mine is not nearly as fancy and well put together as the ones you see in the magazines, but I really like what I came up with. To me it shows how wonderful our family is and how beautiful our little Halle bugg is :)


"Family"



our family pictures display :)

O Captain, My Captain

Today Rusty got promoted to Captain! I am so proud of him, and I know that he was very excited for this day to come. They had the families come up and pull their old rank off their uniforms and place the new rank on. Halle did great at pulling Rusty's old rank off! She had a little trouble putting the new one on so I had to help a little bit. Rusty was so proud that she cooperated (and so am I). Everyone was bragging on how cute it was and how beautiful Halle was. Who can blame them right?! She was definitely the talk of the room as she ran around in her squeaky shoes (I did take the squeakers out for the ceremony just in case she got loose from me). Everyone complimented her on her dress and her beautiful blue eyes :) I am so lucky to have such a wonderful guy and daughter, both who I love more than words can say! Congrats Rusty for your achievement today, you deserve it!!!



Rusty and Matt waiting for the ceremony to start



Rusty and Halle before the ceremony



Halle running around looking for daddy



The princess all ready to go, she looks so cute!



What a beauty queen!



I'm so proud of these guys



Getting ready to be promoted




The four new Captians



Our family :)



It's getting nap time for her



Halle pulling off Rusty's old rank and putting his new one on



Waiting for the commander to finish his speech

Happy Belated Memorial Day!

This weekend has been extremely busy! We have yard saled, cooked out, went to friend's houses, I worked, and we managed to get in a little shopping time for vacation items :) It was a great Memorial Day yesterday! My princess wore her red dress with white stars on it to show that she supports all of our military and their families. She also wanted show her daddy that she loves him and is thankful for all he does! She is such a daddy's girl :) Those two have become so close and the love between them is irreplacable. We LOVE our soldier dearly and everything he stands/fights for!!


My little sweat pea playing with my camera case



Trying to eat my camera case, as usual :)



All ready for Memorial Day

In Loving Memory of Nelson Wayne Rogers

I dedicate this post to my dearest little "Bubba". My sister's dog/the family dog passed away this past Saturday. He was 10 years old, and loved to the fullest every second of those wonderful 10 years. He was such a spunky little guy. He was always so excited every time someone walked through the door at my sister's house. He greeted everyone with his ears pinned back, wagging his little nub of a tail. He would run and grab the nearest toy or sock to let you know he was ready to play! He attacked water bottles and all the cleaning supplies kept under the sink. He loved to snuggle on my sister's bed in her pillows and would be grouchy if he had to be moved when it was time for my sister to make the bed, or unmake the bed when it was time to crawl in it :) He accumulated a thousand nicknames throughout his 10 years! To mention a few: Bubba, Nelly, Nelson Mandella, Nelly Wayne, Mr. Stinker-pants, Mr. Jinxsy-pants, stinker feet, Nels, etc. I can still see him running around in his Alabama football jersey with his toy football in his mouth on the Saturday's that Alabama played. He also had a tuxedo that he wore one year for Christmas! He even had sweaters for those chilly winter evenings to wear on his bathroom outings. Even though I called him a grumpy old man, I will miss him SOOO much! He will always be remembered, never forgotten, and he was truly loved. RIP Nelson we love you so much!!

Nelson Wayne Rogers March 2000 - May 2010

she's a big girl now?!

It's time for another yard sale, and with that goes cleaning out my sweat pea's closet. It makes me so sad when I clean out Halle's things b/c then I know she's growing, growing, growing! I can't believe that she is 15 (almost 16) months old now. She has grown into such a beautiful little diva. She is extremely mischevious and spoiled rotten to the core! She is definitely a little monkey, climbing on everything. She continues to climb on the couches and stairs, with supervision of course :) The other morning as I was hearing her wake up, I thought I heard her "talking" more from in the hallway than I did over the monitor. I thought, "hmm, there's no way she's climbed out of her crib". That's impossible for a 15 month old right?! So as I got up to go get her, there she was meeting me halfway down the stairs! She had indeed climbed out of her bed, opened her bedroom door, and was making her way down the stairs like she's a big girl, which let's face it, she is! She continues to amaze me everyday.... taking on new tasks herself, wanting no help from mommy. She is so precious and I thank God everyday for the angel he has given me!

All aboard the Hogwarts Express!

Imagine you're awaiting to hop on a huge red train, surrounded by tons of people whose characteristics you have formed through mere thought/imagination, white smoke is coming out of the engine, *choo choo*, we're off!

That's were I have been over the past few days.... the world of Harry Potter!! I have been obssessing over the plots of the stories, the characters, and the anticipation of what happens in the final chapter. I finished the Harry Potter series around 4 a.m. this morning. No I didn't just stay up to read, I was working, and took full advantage of an extremely rare night of peace at work :) From the first book, I have not been able to put them down (although it was hard to read with an active toddler wanting to do anything other than let me sit and read). I mostly had to read during Halle's naps or before I went to bed, and still I found myself staying up til' all hours of the morning. I can finally say that I have finished, sadly, but true. I was really sad to reach the end. You get so invested in the character's and their lives. It's almost like they become real people. There are so many important things that are not mentioned in the movies. The movies would be 100 times better by the mention of details described in the book. I have been wanting to go rent all the movies now that I am finished with all the books. I know the movie for the 7th book doesn't come out until November (can't wait!), but I know that it is being split into 2 different parts b/c there is so much that they can not leave out or it would not make sense. I must say, I was skeptical about reading these books, but I proved myself wrong yet again, just like I did with the True Blood series. I truly enjoyed the Harry Potter books! I wish that the author would come out with another one, telling us how they became to be where they were at the very end of the book (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it yet by saying anything about the ending)

stack around silly town

I'm sure most of you have seen the Stack Around Silly Town toy made by FisherPrice. Yesterday, Halle was getting jealous of the little block people you put on it that get to go up and down with the music. With that being said, she decided that she would give it a go! She sat her butt down where the little people go and thought it would push her up and down along with the music. I started laughing, saying how silly she was being in her "silly town". She then started to laugh after she noticed I was laughing at her. She is such a little ball of energy!


laughing at mommy and herself



noticing mommy is laughing at her



turning to get the music going



plopping her tush down on her silly town




putting the little people to safety while she experiments



I love her little grin :)



sitting down for round 2



giggling girl!