18 weeks and 22 to go!

Well I cannot believe it has been 18 weeks and I'm just getting around to posting a pic. Maybe that is because until now I have just felt fat and not pregnant........you know the stage when you can't fit into your pants, but your maternity clothes are too big? But I wouldn't trade it for anything! In case you were wondering.........yes, we are expecting a little one to arrive in May! We found out recently that IT'S A BOY!!!!!!! I think I am still in shock. In my family, we RARELY have boys. I won't even know what to do with him! During the ultrasound, he would NOT uncross his legs for us to find out anything. He was playing shy........very unlike his dad, LOL Matt was pacing back and forth getting up as close as he could to the screen looking for a glimpse of that little something, if ya know what I mean. When we finally got a little glimpse and the technician said "there it is!" Matt did a fist pump and a "YES" like he was watching the national championship or something. I, of course, started crying (and laughing) at the same time. I honestly still didn't believe it until they confirmed it at the next ultrasound. We had our boy and girl name picked out forever ago, so he is our little "Mattox"........middle name yet to be determined. Madeline was wishing for a girl, but hopefully she will give him a chance, LOL. I think she is most worried about giving up her playroom. These days, I am more concerned with planning the nursery than decorating for Christmas, so I have barely done anything this year. We got wild and decided to get a real tree, which turned out to be a nightmare to put in the stand and keep it straight. After a whole night of adjusting and the next night decorating, we awoke to a loud crash at about 3AM in the morning. What did my eyes see as I walked into the living room? The tree of course with all the ornaments strung out across the living room floor. FUN!! Nothing like decorating a tree for the second time!! I am thinking next year will be back to the fake tree. :) Merry Christmas!!

a CHEERful weekend

2008 Cheerleader Day at GSU
2007 Cheerleader Day at GSU

Tomorrow is the yearly Cheerleader for a day at GSU! Our girls love participating in this tradition. Jessica has always made it so fun and special for them! Thank goodness this year she is the graduate assistant for the cheerleaders now that she has graduated, so we will still get to have her there. GO EAGLES!

Matt and Missi Plus 8

Friday night we created our own version of Jon and Kate Plus 8..........I was the blonde overobsessed with the details, and Matt was the Asian dude running around helping out! LOL I was terrified at the thought of that many kids spending the night, but all turned out better than expected! The girls were so well behaved and had a blast. I decided that our Wii paid for itself ten times over by the end of the party. The Disney Sing It game is a blessing from above. I strongly recommend it for all sleepovers! These superstar divas can sing and dance, let me tell you! After one good Hannah Montana movie, they were down for the count.

Things to survive a sleepover.........Wii, awesome cake, lots of Clyde's pizza, TONS of drinks, EARPLUGS, super organizational skills for the piles of stuff, and a space for the stack of lost and found underwear, LOL

Cute sign by Etsy's Painted with Heart, thanks Mary!

Cute standup Minnie table decoration, stickers, and invitations by Etsy's A Paper Lane........and the super talented MaryAnn!

Adorable Minnie cookie treat bags, cutest Minnie cake ever, and delicious cupcakes all by my awesomely talented friend Lacy at http://www.downontheshumanfarm.blogspot.com

Hello from Miss Minnie!

The Birthday Girl............my how 8 years can fly by! If you have little ones or plan to, cherish every moment............isn't it funny how when you were younger you never realized what older people meant when they said "Time flies"? Man they weren't kidding! Have a child and everything goes on fast forward. I cannot say how much God blessed me with this little miss. She is the joy of my days!

One more sidenote.............as a Georgia fan, I shocked my own self last year by becoming a huge Tim Tebow fan. For those of you who somehow don't know, he is the quarterback for the Florida Gators. I had a student last year who is probably without a doubt one of the biggest Tebow fans alive, and he proved me wrong by convincing me what a good Christian guy Tebow is. Without going into a great deal of detail about all the good things Tebow does as a missionary, I just wanted to share one of my favorite things to do now is notice what verse Tebow has written on his face each game. Yesterday his verse was Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and yet loses his own soul?" I thought that spoke volumes! Way to go that we have an athlete worthwhile to look up to these days! Go Gators......mmmmm.....I meant DAWGS! Did I say that? LOL

Fall, Football, and Fun

Heidi's recent post on fall got me feeling the fall mood! Our first tailgate at GSU this past Saturday was much fun with two of my favorite things, food and friends. Football is one of my favorite things because it involves tailgating and good food. The pic above is all of us decked out in our Georgia Southern colors at the UGA/Georgia Southern game last year. Great fun........only comes every four years! It was very strange to wear those colors in Sanford Stadium though. :) I do love a Georgia Bulldogs game anytime I can get a chance.........nothing like the Athens experience. Most Saturdays we are in the Boro if their is a Southern home game cheering on our Eagles. When they are away, you can find me at home watching the Dawgs on television. It is fun planning what appetizers we will chow on. This past Saturday I made Mexican layer dip and redneck caviar. Maybe in a later post I will add those recipes, although I know most around here probably have them! I got my redneck caviar recipe from Mrs. Donna Tarver years ago after she made it for a shower at the coast. YUM! It is always a hit! I have heard it called other things, but redneck caviar just has a ring to it, doesn't it? I also love fall decorations......pumpkins and mums.....and a little polka dots on the pumkins never hurts. The pic above is of some pumpkins Madeline and I painted last year. Pray for me tomorrow night, as I will have about 9 girls at my house! My baby turned 8 so it is party time! Pics to come........

YEE HAW!!

As of today, I am DONE with my gifted endorsement classes! Now I can do fun things again like blog or chat! Had a great time at Lake Oconee this past weekend with Cristan, Marc, Braden, and Ella so I'll get to blog about it soon! Madeline enjoyed her time at Splash with Lacy and Ash while I was at class!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL SIS!!

Yes, this post is a little past due.......I have decided that all of you who blog faithfully every day do not have an annoying, slow computer like I do! One day you will ride by my house and see mine come flying out of the upstairs window and know I finally had all I could stand!

So as some of my oldest friends know, when I was little I was one of the only "only children" in my class. All of my friends had siblings, and I prayed every single night for God to please give me a sister or brother. On July 7th, 1984 along came this little chick............

Little Miss Candice was like my new doll! I was so happy......I cried and laughed hysterically at the same time when mama told me! She is the spitting image of my daddy in personality.....a fireball! To her dismay, some people say we look alike..........lucky me, poor her! On both of the picture days below, I did her hair as always...........there is one infamous picture somewhere of the time I was away at college and couldn't do her hair.........mama did her best, but that one will remain hidden, LOL. This one is kindergarten..........
And this was sixth grade.........loved her with her bangs grown out! This is one of my favorites!

On her birthday, we went to eat at the Millhouse in Statesboro..........YUM! DELICIOUS! She turned the big two-five this year, a whole quarter!!! And she thinks she is old! OH MY! Trust me sister, you just get smarter and better with age! Here she is with the MOMS! Mom-in-law Nancy on the left and our mom Elaine on the right. Poor Tom was out of town working........BOO......but we ate enough for him too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER! I LOVE YOU!

Random Food and Salon Fun

Okay, so anyone who knows me or has ever seen my from the backside knows that I love to eat out!! The past couple days were just what the doctor ordered, as I got to eat at two of my favorite places in Statesboro. Last night we went to eat at Mellow Mushroom with Candice and Tom. It was AWESOME....make ya slap somebody AWESOME! I had the greek salad, and Candice and I shared a pizza that had all kinds of cheese, sundried tomatoes, onions, sliced tomatoes, and the best sauce ever. Can I just say that Mellow Mushroom is my new favorite place??? Madeline said "Mama, this is the best pizza in the history of pizzas!" Now I don't know where she gets her flair for the dramatic side from.......Candice and Tom also ordered Hummus with Pita bread for an appetizer, and it was to die for! Yes, you heard me.......HUMMUS!!! Who woulda thunk it? Not me, that is for sure! Never had it in my life, and if I'm not mistaken it is supposed to be healthy.........now that is just wrong! Nothing healthy tastes that good. So here is Candice enjoying her pizza........

Today Madeline and I headed back over to the Boro to have some Shane's for lunch. I guess that is my second favorite place in the Boro. Their "buffa-q" chicken fingers are the bomb......and the Statesboro Sweet Tea.......hush your mouth!

Little Miss enjoying her chicken.........child loves some chicken and honey mustard! As you can see, this pic is a little blury which is what happens to about 80% of my pictures and is why I want a new camera..........SANTA BABY do ya hear me??

After Shane's it was off to Aunt Candice's Salon.......67 Styles. She was busy as usual so we just hung out, and Madeline decided to help. Aunt Candice loves me taking pictures of her all the time..........NOT!! She even told her client, "see my sister just started this blogging thing......."

Madeline thinks sweeping is the coolest........now why isn't this cool at home??? She even helped Haley to fold towels! I tried to take her shopping at Deal's Antiques and she said, "Hurry, I have to get back to the salon and help Haley." Oh my...........

It has been a great couple of days! Thank you God for your many blessings!