It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

We are so blessed! I know it's always a long time between my blog entries, but being a mom to a toddler is so consuming! Being a mom, period, is consuming...now that I think about it :) So you understand. But just to write a few updates....

My parents aren't going to be here for Christmas with us, but they were here last weekend to visit. They got Anne-Kelly a Pottery Barn chair for Christmas as her large present. Green with white polka dots and hot pink monogram. They left on Monday after my Christmas concert (FBCSimpsonville's Enterchange, which I've been singing with since August). Sandy and Trey arrived on Tuesday and are staying for a week. I am so excited that Anne-Kelly's grandma will be able to be with her on Christmas day! Don't tell Anne-Kelly, but she's getting a wagon from her Grandma. It's covered and everything. Cupholders, storage compartment, all the bells and whistles. This far outshines my beloved radio flyer from childhood!

On a separate note, Brent and Trey are repainting our bathroom as we speak. The guy who sold us this house painted over a BORDER. I could punch him, really. Ok, just kidding....but seriously, it's a lot of work to remove a border that has been painted over. So they're working on doing that right now and then will begin painting tomorrow or the next day. The reason for all this action is....drumroll please: Brent is relatively sure that we are going to be moving to North Carolina in the next few months. Belmont, NC to be exact. There's a job at another Duke Energy plant (Allen Steam Plant) that is a step up for Brent, so he's thinking of taking it. So, with that being said, we are going to have to sell a house before long. Please pray for this whole process, as it has me scared stiff. I know that the Lord has a plan for our future, though, and I'm claiming it!

To finish up, thanks so much for all of your friendship, love, and prayers over this past year. You are truly a blessing to this family! We love you all. Merry Christmas!

Brent, Rachel and Anne-Kelly

A dirty excursion and God's grace.

So I was entertaining my friend Ashley and her little girl today while they were at my house visiting, when I suddenly realized that things were a bit too quiet. So I began looking around for Anne-Kelly. And lo and behold, I find her doing this:





Up to her elbows in dirty toilet water. Yep, that's my dirty little toddler. The one that I swore I'd never have, you know. When I was pregnant, I always fantasized about my perfect little bow-wearing angel of a toddler. But here's the reality, and the truth is, I couldn't be happier cleaning toilet muck off of her and peas off of my floor (the undesirable portion of her lunch).

And call me crazy, but being a mom to this little person makes me see God in the smallest things. I mean, honestly, I couldn't help but think about how we, as God's children, are so much like my little miss: discovered up to our elbows in muck and yuck. And what does God do? He pulls us out of that circumstance, cleans us off, and gives us another chance. Just because he loves us and his grace is that big and all-encompassing. Now I know you might think I'm silly for seeing all this in a toddler's commode excursions, but I'll take every word that God sends me. :) just thought you other moms might appreciate hearing about it.

Here are a few other photos for your enjoyment:












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Check out those pearly whites.

Today Anne-Kelly went to the pediatric dentist for the first time. The whole office was gussied up like Falls Park on the Reedy (local downtown park) and was really adorable. There was an actual tree and grass carpet for kids to play on in the waiting room. Anne-Kelly loved it.

After being called back to an ice-cream-shop-themed room, they cleaned her teeth and checked them out. She cried a little, but I was overall very proud of her. They deemed her teeth "perfect" and told us to come back in six months. After the hard part, she got to pick out a bouncy ball (she chose pink) and a sticker (Mickey Mouse, of course). Here's a photo of her playing in the waiting room:





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A trail of destruction in her wake

Anne-Kelly has recently become infatuated with taking stuff out of drawers, cabinets, etc. Here's a photo of her disassembling her sippy cup drawer. Note the cute bed head, as well :).








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A new era

I'm hoping that today will begin a new era for my long overlooked family blog. Forgive me, readers, for leaving you hanging so long. This post is actually just a test - I'm trying out some software on my new iPhone, hooray! Yes, alas, I broke down and got a new one when my contract needed renewing. There are so many positives to having one as a mommy. First of which is the ability to document and share the life of this precious 16-month-old. So here's to a new start for the McDaris family blog. Cheers!

we saw a frog, and other adventures

Our little family had such an amazing Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, we met Papaw Don and Nana Grace with little Grayson McD for some good times at Frankie's Fun Park. Brent and Grayson rode the go-karts twice and played put-put golf. Then we went over the Chick-fil-a for a little dinner. After, Brent, Anne-Kelly, and I went to the movies to try to see the new Shrek film. It was SO cute. How did Anne-Kelly do, you ask? Surprisingly, she slept the first half hour, and after waking, she sat in her daddy's lap, watched the movie, and ate goldfish crackers. I couldn't believe my big girl!

On Saturday morning, we got up and went separate directions, for the morning anyway. Brent went mountainboarding up near Caesar's Head with some friends from church. Mountainboarding, if you're wondering, is similar to snowboarding, but without the snow. It's like a giant, off-road skateboard that you ride down hiking trails. Sound dangerous? It is. I've long ago gotten over worrying about Brent when he's on one of his adventures though. It's just in his nature, and he says that it's not any fun if you're worried about getting hurt....so I just let him go and make sure he has a big disability policy! Ha.

Anyway, while he was doing that, Anne-Kelly and I went to the Greenridge Shopping Center here in Greenville for some quality mother-baby retail therapy. Anne Taylor LOFT, my favorite store, was running a "40 percent off your entire purchase" promotion, so I couldn't miss it. I have been in desperate need of some new, better-fitting clothes for a while. I ended up with a nice pair of dark brown shorts, a cute black tulip skirt, a new blue tank, an adorable summer cardigan, and a pair of sunglasses for four bucks! I then went on to Barnes and Noble and picked up a few books that Brent and I had been wanting to read. One of them is the Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. He wrote the Percy Jackson series, which we were big fans of. Haven't gotten to start the RP yet, but looking forward to it.

After our morning forays, the entire family met up at Greenridge, left Brent's car there, and headed downtown. We had dinner at a fantastic hibachi/sushi place, The Orient, where we were early enough to catch a special. Loving that! Afterward, we walked around in Mast General Store and then down to Falls Park to check out Shakespeare in the park. They were performing Romeo and Juliet, so we sat down for a while and watched. Not before we stopped at Spill the Beans for some awesome ice cream and coffee, though!

On Sunday, we attended church as usual, but afterward we went out to eat at Tequilas Mexican Restaurant with good friends. Then we made our way over to the mall for Brent to pick out some new jeans. He definitely deserved them! His old ones were worn out from crawling around in boilers or something. After the mall, we came home where I cooked beans, cornbread, turnip greens, fried squash, and sliced strawberries. Yum.

Monday morning dawned rainy and icky. That put a damper on our plans to go up to Caesar's Head for a hike. We packed up and went anyway, hoping the rain would slack by the time we got there. No such luck. When we pulled into the parking lot, we asked a couple carrying their son in a Kelty backpack where they'd gotten their awesome child-carrier and they told us that they got it just up the road at the Frugal Backpacker in Arden, NC. So, being that it was all rainy still, we headed up there to check out the Memorial Day sales on the Keltys. We were lucky enough to find a Kelty TC 3.0 for over 50 percent off!! So after we bought it, we ate the lunch we'd packed, and then went over toward Asheville and the NC Arboretum. The sun shone for a few hours, and we went for a small hike around the property and toured lots of the gardens. If you've never been there, it's definitely worth a trip. We also got to see an amazing photo book display by Tim Barnwell. It made me cry it was so beautiful. I can't wait to get the book. Anne-Kelly loved being in the great outdoors and seeing all the lovely flowers and fountains. She even saw a bullfrog hop into the big fountain and swim around! We also really enjoyed their bonsai garden. However, the sun didn't hold out, and when it began raining, we knew we were ready to go.

After that, we drove home and had leftover beans and cornbread. Doesn't sound too glamorous, but it was yummy after such a long day.

So, as you can see, we had a full weekend, but an amazing weekend. We are so blessed.

something good

I went home last weekend to Kentucky. We had such a great time with a lot of the McDaris family. Some might call me a homebody, as this move to South Carolina was never an easy thing for me. However, I am glad to call SC my second home. :) And gladly so, as it is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. However, nothing compares to the farm I grew up on, if you ask me. I often tell Brent that I am like the big tree in my parents' front yard: deeply rooted.

So after being there this weekend, the muse descended, and I felt compelled to write a little verse. It's nothing impressive, just how I feel. It is my hope, though, that every person finds a place that gives them such peace and rest.

I went home today

with tears in my eyes.

No sadness.

Tears of a happy reunion

with the place my soul comes from.

Over the fields I hear

the river's voice singing a sweet melody,

the story of so many

who loved this place before me.

These hills were trod
by my grandpa's boots
and his grandpa and his grandpa before him.

The same walls of this house
hear my songs
and the ones my great-grandmother used to sing.
How many secrets does it have?

Argument and embrace,
Summers and winters,
Birth and death.
This place, a silent witness of it all.

And I can't help but realize
when I'm standing there,
overcome,
that God has been good to me.

Photos are up!

The entire album of Anne-Kelly's photo shoot is up! Check it out here. Just a word of warning: there are some pics of me nursing Anne-Kelly. They are so gorgeous and are done very discreetly (read: you can't see anything!), but if you find that off-putting, then don't click "View All" or "Nursing" under Folders. Just click the album called "Favorites" or "Other."

Photos are available for purchase through the site. That's all! Enjoy!!!!

Like father, like daughter.

I entitled this post, "Like father, like daughter" for the simple fact that Anne-Kelly learned to climb in the last day or two. Brent loves rock-climbing now as an adult, but the stories are many about Brent's climbs up various things as a child. Anne-Kelly's favorite thing to climb is stairs. She figured out how to climb just a few stairs from the sunken den at her Papa Tom's house, but has since graduated to trying to climb our stairs here in our living room. It's time to invest in a baby gate, people.

I'm sort of from the school of thought, however, that I don't want to completely babyproof my house because then she won't learn not to do things. Does that make sense? If you just barricade the stairs, how will she ever learn that she's not supposed to go up them when they are no longer barricaded? There are two ways of thinking about babyproofing, I've heard. Anyway, I think we are definitely getting a baby gate, but we aren't going overboard with all the other gadgets. For example, I only have one cabinet latch, and it is for the cabinet under the sink that has cleaning products in it. The rest of them have stuff in them like pots and pans and tupperware, which is Anne-Kelly's favorite. She drags it all out and has a grand time doing it.

Anyway, looks like this post has gone about as far as it can go. Anne-Kelly is crying and needs her mommy.

A quick update, however. This Thursday we are leaving to go to my parent's farm in Kentucky for the weekend. Joining us will be Brent's mom and brother, his McDaris grandparents (Gary's parents), Aunt Whitney and the kids, and my grandmothers. Possibly my brother too, I'm hoping. We should have a great time, I hope. Or we might drive each other nuts! We'll see. Just kidding about the nuts part, haha. Hope you're having a nice week!

no explanation required

just read this quick thought by one of my favorites, elisabeth elliot. thought it was worth sharing. here it is. enjoy.

We sometimes imagine that God must eventually "sit us down" and "explain" his mysterious ways to our satisfaction. Let us suppose we have never seen a skyscraper. We discover a whole city block surrounded by a board fence. Finding a knothole, we peer inside. Huge earth movers are at work; hundreds of men in hard hats are busy at mysterious tasks; cranes are being moved into place; truckloads of pipes and cement are being unloaded. What on earth is happening? There is nobody around to answer our questions. If we wait long enough, nobody will need to. When we see the finished building, all the incomprehensible activity becomes comprehensible. "Oh! So this is what that was for." "I shall be satisfied when I awake, with Thy likeness" (Ps 17: 15 AV). - Elisabeth Elliot

life means so much

Every moment is a gift. Let us never forget it.

I'm up right now, unable to sleep for some reason. The clock reads 1:14 am. All is quiet in my house. I was catching up on reading some blog posts and came across several random blogs, all about either special-needs or premature babies. I don't know why God drew me to these stories this evening, but if I had to guess, I'd have to say it would be to remind me of what I have.

To carry a baby for nine months and then give birth to a perfect little human being whose lungs work and whose brain functions and whose heart beats is in itself an unbelievable miracle. I think about parents who are dealing with all sorts of problems in their sweet babies, and I can't help but ask the Lord: "Why them? Why not me? Why not Anne-Kelly?" I think these things mostly because there was a time during my pregnancy when they ran innumerable tests on me and AKG, and they said words like "chromosomal abnormality" and "intrauterine growth restriction" or "insufficient placenta." During that time, I lived in fear of what was to come. I wondered what we might be facing when we brought our daughter into the world. And yet, here I am, one year later, able to peek into my daughter's crib and see her little chest rising and falling with each tiny breath. And you know what? Each one of those tiny breaths is a gift from God. Each one. Each blink. Each time she cries or spits up on me or looks at me for the millionth time, holds out her arms and says "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma." I pray that the Lord never lets me take her for granted. Not for one second.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." - Psalm 127:3

joy. brightness. geniune meaning.

Anne-Kelly turned 10 months old this week. I cannot believe it. What a blessing she is. I cannot express in words the joy and brightness and genuine meaning she brings to my life. I wanted to celebrate her little life.

So I was in Target today and I saw the cutest little pink swimsuit with a TUTU around it. Who knows if it's actually a swim suit and the tulle can get wet and all that, but for ten bucks it was worth it and perfect for celebrating Anne-Kelly. Look how adorable she was running around in it today:




















My mom is here visiting all week, which is really fun and nice as well. We're hoping to get some serious cleaning and rearranging done tomorrow. We have promised each other that we're not taking showers tomorrow until we get all our cleaning done. It's going to be a pretty monumental task.

Which reminds me: to all my friends who are pre-baby and possibly thinking about buying a house...be sure to look at all angles before purchasing one. We have zero storage space, especially in the kitchen area, and that is why I'm having to completely regroup when it comes to storage. We were fine until Anne-Kelly arrived! But unfortunately, having another person in the house brings more stuff. Not too much, as I'm trying to be a minimalist when it comes to raising my child...but still stuff nonetheless.

And speaking of stuff, I am starting to plan for Anne-Kelly's first birthday party, at which I'm sure she will receive a great pile of presents. And on the one hand I find it wonderful that our friends and family love her enough to buy her something, but on the other hand, I don't want her to grow up attached to things and as a spoiled-rotten American kid. Part of our deal is that I really don't want a lot of plastic. It seems like every toy out there is made of plastic. Not that we don't have a few plastic ones that we're fond of; we do. However, for the most part, we are shunning the idea of plastic. So I'm hoping to encourage the people who feel obligated to buy presents (which you are most certainly not...your presence is our present!) to buy more classic, wooden toys or books. Those are lasting things that we will keep for a long long time. :) And that is lovely for everyone, including us and the wonderful Earth that we live on.

Which leads me to my final point: it's Earth Day this Thursday, and our family is trying to do our part to live more sustainably. Composting bins and rain water bins are on sale this weekend at Whole Foods, and we're excited to purchase our very first composting bin, yay! Also, we have cut down MAJORLY on the amount of trash we put out this year by cloth diapering, recycling and reusing, and my favorite, of course, breastfeeding. I encourage you to try and live more mindfully toward this sweet world that we live in. It's a gift from God, and it is ours to take care of, is it not?

Prayers your way for a beautiful week.

my first stream of consciouness

Lots of thoughts flying through my head this beautiful Saturday, so I'll try my hand at my very first stream-of-consciousness blog.

Been going through a bit of writer's block lately, so that's why you haven't heard from me. That, and I think I might be anemic again because I have been so darn tired! I could sleep, literally, twelve hours (sometimes I do, I'm afraid), and I would still be tired. Don't worry, I'm actually going for some blood work on Monday just to check my levels since I'm still nursing and my iron does tend to dip. Hoping to get a handle on that soon.

As far as Anne-Kelly goes, she's asleep at the moment. She only takes a one hour afternoon nap, but I'm thankful because she sleeps well at night. Usually about six hours in her bed (a pack n play at the foot of our bed), and then she's ready for a snack and a snuggle with mom and dad. We're cosleepers, as most of you probably already know (a fancy word that means we share sleep with Anne-Kelly), and I am so glad we are. I know that having your baby sleep with you is a heated topic (much like breastfeeding, natural birth, and all the other fab stuff that goes along with motherhood and natural parenting), but it is just what works well for our family. Friends of mine who do the same have had no problem transitioning their children to their own beds when the time comes, so we are content. It makes me wonder if we will ever actually use our crib. Good thing it was just on loan from my cousin Leigh! If you're interested in learning general information along with the benefits of cosleeping, check out this link.

Which sort of reminds me - I bought the CUTEST leg warmers from babylegs.com for Anne-Kelly this week. They are basically just little knit leg warmers that make it easier to do diaper changes....rather than having to deal with tights and pants. And I've also heard they make babywearing much easier. I can't wait for them to come in! Also, I ordered two sleepy wraps for two friends of mine who are expecting. My sleepy wrap is my must-have nursing, babywearing, general could-not-live-without baby item. I love it more than a Moby (sorry Moby lovers!) just because it has a little bit of stretch in it, which makes it possible to slip Anne-Kelly in and out without having to retie. Also, if she goes to sleep, I can just tuck the strap over her head and she has a cozy place to snooze.

On a separate note, Anne-Kelly is now about 29 inches long, which means we are closing in on the car seat's upper height limit. We're still only 17 pounds in weight, so we are nowhere close to the weight limit! I've been browsing different brands of car seats, and I seem to like Britax and Graco. If you have any experience with either brand or other brands that you love, feel free to share advice!

Finally, here is a little Easter snapshot for you to enjoy. Our camera is in the shop, but my MIL Sandy too lots of photos throughout Easter weekend, so I'm hoping to get copies soon.

All to Him I owe.

Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow.

Have you stopped today to think about what this actually means? It means that we can live life without fear of getting what we actually deserve: an eternity of separation from God. We, and by we I actually mean me, often do not stop to really appreciate what Jesus did when He came to earth and died and rose again. And for who? For you and for me! Hallelujah, what a Savior, as the song on the radio says!

I want to live my life in light of what He did for me, but sometimes it seems so hard to be the mom and the wife and the daughter of God that I want to be. I look at my daughter in her attempts to learn to crawl and to stand up, and I can't help but feel like I'm just like that so many days in my life with Christ: a baby just learning to stand. But that's the beauty of grace. That's the whole point. We can't do it. We can never reach it, and yet Jesus died for us so we didn't have to strive in vain.

Do you know Jesus? If not, consider inviting Him into your life today.


A quick update, as I need to go to bed:

We've had Brent's mom here visiting all weekend. It has been a pleasure to spend this time with her, and I am so glad that Anne-Kelly got to see her grandma for an extended period of time. I know it did them both a world of good.

The one year anniversary of my father-in-law's death is coming up on the eighth of this month. It's going to be a very difficult day for the family, I know. Also, it will also be six months since Brent's dad's brother, Dale, passed away. As you might have read in prior blog entries, both had brain cancer.

We still do not always comprehend why God allowed this to happen in the life of our family, but we are confident that He has used it and will continue to use it to grow us, teach us, and draw others to himself through this entire experience. As Sara Groves said in one of my favorite songs: "I can't say that life will always go like it should/but I can say that God is always good." Amen. He is good, and we are thankful.

If you're looking for photos from Easter, or actually, from anything in the life of our family lately, there won't be any for a little while, as our camera is currently in the shop. Don't worry! Grandmas have been taking up the slack, but I don't actually have the photos on a disc to upload. I'm working on trying to procure them before too long, however. Also, I have some adorable photos from our Disney trip a few weeks ago that I would like to get up here before long. Be looking for those.

On the schedule for this week is watching one of Grayson's t-ball games tomorrow, mom and baby yoga on Tuesday as well as my Mothers of Preschoolers group at church, a dentist appointment Wednesday (ick!), and lots of fun play time in between. Hasn't God blessed us with tremendous weather lately? I hope it continues this week.

To close, an Easter haiku:

Blessings overflow
A husband, baby, Savior.
Thanks to God alone.

I know what it looks like.

I realize that it seems as if I've dropped off the face of the earth. I haven't, I promise. Spring cleaning has ensued, and almost-crawling has begun, and mom's leisure time has disappeared. Hang on, photos are coming. And it will all be worth it. Happy April!

Money talks, but I don't like what it's saying.

I hate money. I hate what the love of it has done to America and to many people I love. I hate that Brent and I never seem to have enough of it! I know what some of you are thinking: quit complaining and go back to work...haha. Never. I'd rather be slightly disadvantaged but at home with my sweet girl. I'd rather eat pinto beans every night and hang dry all my laundry to save energy.

Where is all this animosity welling up from?

I have decided, as a result of my delayed/unconventional vaccination methods combined with my desire for a more homeopathic healthcare lifestyle, that I'd like to take Anne-Kelly to a more holistic pediatrician. The closest one that fits our needs is in Asheville. It's called Family to Family. Potentially problematic, but not enough of a deterrent to keep me from taking her to them. However, they are not in-network for insurance coverage, and this is a major bummer. We have out-of-network coverage after meeting a 1k deductible, but that's a lot of money! Enough to deter my money-managing hubby from us taking her there. However, I feel like you can't put a price on quality health care, especially after the year we've had losing Brent's daddy. It's like a dream to think about having an MD who can not only treat symptoms, but make herbal, dietary, and other recommendations to enhance my child (and my whole family's) overall health.

So I'm at a crossroads. Can you put a price on this sort of thing? What do you guys think?

English at heart.

I think I'm English at heart. I've always had a love for the great English classics: Austen, Dickens, and even J.K. Rowling. Ok, I know she's not exactly a classic, but you get the idea. I have an inordinate passion for a good cup of Earl Grey, and I also have a vast appreciation for formalities like black tie affairs, good manners, and a traditional hymn.

So, when I checked in with Brent at our home for the last week, the Firehouse Inn Bed and Breakfast, I was delighted to meet our host for the week, Mr. David Robinson, a retired English/Australian butler. Actually, he's pretty much the butler of all butlers, as he's the current Vice President of the International Institute of Modern Butlers. Well, all that aside, he was a "delightful chap" and made me feel right at home. Brent was away much of the day during our visit, and so I spent many afternoons upstairs in the lovely dining room/parlor. The hospitality at this particular B&B was really impeccable. In addition to our small efficiency apartment on the ground floor, we were treated to a delicious breakfast (I really loved the little melon balls every morning!), Italian linens, and our own Keurig coffeemaker. I love those things. I tried every kind of decaf available, and then moved on to all the teas. Anne-Kelly and Mr. Robinson really hit it off as well. He called her "Chatty Cathy" all week long because of her friendly, babbling nature, and she loved his sing-song accent.

Anyway, after staying at the Firehouse Inn, I have realized that I should have been English. I was really born in the wrong country....and perhaps the wrong century. :)

Aside from that epiphany, Anne-Kelly and I had a delightful week. I am going to post some precious photos I took of her in the lovely parlor. Hope you enjoy them.

After getting home on Thursday, we unpacked (well, almost.) and relaxed for a few hours. Then we went out to eat at Ruby Tuesday - we had a buy one get one free entree coupon! Then today Anne-Kelly and I went to a friend down the street's second birthday party. It was train themed and his mom, Jennifer, did an awesome job making a train cake all by herself! I hope I can be that cool when the time comes for my kids' parties. Also, our friend Cameron who is a few months younger than Anne-Kelly but a few pounds heavier (he's a precious little chunk!) was in attendance. :) I took some amazingly adorable photos of Cam and Annie-K!

My Snowy Valentine

This last weekend was so much fun! Not only were we blessed with nearly four gorgeous inches of snow, but it was Valentine's Day and, as I wrote in an earlier blog post, Brent and I had plans to go to the Melting Pot. It's pretty much been my favorite restaurant since I don't know when, but since I've been trying to lose those last few pounds of baby weight, I was worried about splurging too much while at the restaurant. Long story short, we ordered their Big Night Out, which includes appetizer cheese, fabulous salads, an entree of various meats, and my favorite part: chocolate fondue dessert!!! I didn't do the worst ever, but I didn't do the best either. So, when I went to weigh in at WW on Monday, I thought for sure I wouldn't have lost any weight. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I'd lost another pound! Amazing. I was so excited.

Anyway, back to the weekend. My parents came into town on Friday night to visit and watch Anne-Kelly while we went out. Actually, they weren't going to get here til later because of the bad snow, so we ended up calling Brent's grandparents, Tom and Charlotte (Or Papa and Gan-Gan, as Anne-Kelly will refer to them), to come over and watch the little munchkin until my parents arrived. They graciously obliged, and we were thankful. So after my parents arrived, amid huge amounts of snowfall, they got Anne-Kelly into bed. And when we woke up, there was SO MUCH SNOW ON THE GROUND!!! IN SOUTH CAROLINA! THIS ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS! Can you tell I was excited?

Unfortunately, it was bitterly cold, so I couldn't get Anne-Kelly out in it too much. It was a stellar photo opp, though:

The Perfect LBD

Today I went shopping for the perfect little black dress. Tomorrow night, Brent is taking me out to the Melting Pot, our favorite, to celebrate Valentine's Day. Yay! My parents are coming into town, so they will be watching Anne-Kelly. Well, actually, Brent's grandparents Tom and Charlotte DeZurik are watching her until my parents arrive. In any case, we're going out, and I am pumped!

So today Anne-Kelly and I went to Williamston (the small town that Brent works in about 30 minutes away) to eat lunch with Brent. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Fiesta. I'm pretty sure Fiesta was responsible for 3/4 of my pregnancy weight gain, actually, but that's beside the point. Anyway, after we ate with Daddy, Anne-Kelly and I went to Aunt Elizabeth's house to see about Stewie, their cat. Seth and Elizabeth are good friends of ours. Seth is in his second year of residency for pediatrics, but he's hoping to do a fellowship in pediatric emergency room medicine, which is why they're away and I'm taking care of Stewie. They're in Birmingham, AL for a few weeks while he test-drives the fellowship program there.

So after we saw about Stewie-boy, we stopped by the house. I started thinking about what I am going to wear for my Valentine's date tomorrow night, and I realized that I don't have any dresses that fit me! I have fat, post-preggo dresses, but I don't have any of my skinny dresses here. They're at my mom's house from the last time I was home and let Chelsea (my bff) borrow one for a date-night with her man. At this point, I naturally said, "Anne-Kelly, we have to go shopping." She, of course, agreed because, after all, she is my daughter.

And if you're wondering where the money came from, that's also a neat part of the story: I found a refund we got back from Greenville Memorial Hospital that I'd never cashed!! Yeah, free money! So we set off for Greenridge, which is an outdoor upscale sort of shopping mall. It has all sort of different stores and is very outdoor walking friendly, so I love it! My favorite stores there are Anne Taylor LOFT and White House Black Market. We went to WHBM first. I tried on nearly every dress in the place. It was glorious. I hadn't gotten to shop like this in what felt like years, but shopping, I found out, is much like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it well. I found one dress that I was in love with. Too bad it was entirely too expensive. Well, not entirely, but I just hadn't spent that much on myself in quite some time. So I told them to put it on hold for me, and we set off for LOFT, thinking that I would not come back for the perfect LBD.

Once at LOFT, I was SO excited to see that vast quantities of stuff in their store were marked down. However, I was disappointed to find that there weren't any dresses that I was really crazy about. So, I bought a super-cute jacket and an adorable top. Oh, and a wonderful sparkly blue bracelet to match the top. It was on sale!

So we go back to WHBM. I try on the, like, three dresses that I didn't try on earlier. I find one that suits me, but I don't love it like that first one. The ladies in there, including the saleswoman who looks just like Paula Abdul, tell me how much they like the second dress. I am almost convinced, but then I try on love it dress again. Oh....I forgot how wonderful it felt. And then I remembered what the lady at Weight Watchers said this week: "Pamper yourself sometimes. It's not a bad thing. You've lost the weight, and you deserve to feel good about your body." Ok, so that's not what she said verbatim, but that's the jist of it. And the saleswoman told me that if I spend a certain amount, I get 50 dollars off. So I broke down and bought the dress, along with two gorgeous lacy camisoles to wear under almost anything. I couldn't resist. It was at the point that I was checking out that I remembered that my phone had been dead all day. Oops. Hope Brent hadn't tried calling me, I thought. It couldn't be that late. Ask saleswoman what time it is: 5:20. Oh jeez. So I drive home, and right when I pull into our neighborhood, I see Brent pulling out. I roll down my window, and he yells, "WHERE WERE YOU? I THOUGHT SOMEONE HAD KIDNAPPED YOU!" Oh, cell phones. Remind me to write a post about why I hate cell phones and what they've done to our addicted society.

Anyway, after reassuring my worried husband that I had not, in fact, been abducted, I proceeded to tell him that anytime I'm MIA, I'm probably shopping somewhere. It's really the only time I ever "disappear." Haha. Well that's about it for the day. Look for more on how the evening goes tomorrow. And, with that, I leave you with this photo of the perfect LBD.

Mom and Baby Yoga: Day 1

I was so excited when I received an email this Monday announcing that a local yoga studio would begin their mom and baby yoga class this week. I've been looking for an exercise class that Anne-Kelly and I can attend together since last fall, and I was even more delighted that it was yoga, mostly because yoga is so calming and centering for me. It's like a workout and a spa session in one. I did some yoga in college, but it had been quite some time since I'd attended a class. Also, I wondered how Anne-Kelly would do or if she would be disruptive to the meditative environment I'd come to expect in yoga studios. However, upon arrival, I was glad to see three other moms and babies already there, and the instructor, Jessica (a moam of two and one more on the way, by the way) was there to greet me as well. She very nicely informed us that even though this was a yoga class, our babies were our first priority and that we were to see to their needs first, even if that means stopping our workout to nurse, comfort, play, change, etc. I thought that was very nice of her to put out there first thing. It definitely calmed my worries about disruptions.

So class began. We began stretching and going through the usual poses, including downward dog...the only one I could actually remember the name of. We put the babies on pallets of blankets in front of each of our mats, that way they could watch mommy. Anne-Kelly found it very amusing watching me contort myself into various positions. Her favorite was anytime I was in a hands-and-knees pose because my nose was practically touching hers. She would giggle and interrupt the semi-silence of the room (I say semi- because other babies interrupted periodically as well.). Anyway, the whole thing went really well, and now, a day later, I am very sore. More sore than I can actually remember being in a very long time. Which, I think, is a good thing!

On a separate note, I weighed in this Monday and had lost another pound! Woo hoo! And with that pound brought a new triumph: getting back into some pre-baby jeans. They don't fit as nicely as they did before, but I have a feeling they will after five to ten more pounds come off. Thank you Weight Watchers, yoga, and breastfeeding.

That's all I have for now, as it is now bedtime and six o'clock will come quite early. Wishing you blessings for a good night and a good day tomorrow :)

Party time!

Today we had the pleasure of going to our friend Matthew Bessom's birthday party. Matthew and his wife Bethany are close friends from our Sunday school class at church, and they very graciously brought us dinner after Anne-Kelly's birth. At that time, Bethany said Matthew wasn't much of a "baby person." That is, until he held Anne-Kelly. That day, he held her and talked to her for quite some time, and I started joking that it would be their turn to be mommy and daddy before long. And to our delight, we just found out that they are indeed expecting this August! So, you can imagine how excited we were to celebrate this new dad-to-be's big 3-0. Bethany orchestrated a big surprise with all Matthew's friends around, and the party was held at our other friends' home, Ryan and Erin Gambrell. Their home is bee-yoo-tiful by the way!

So, to our excitement, Matthew had no idea that we were all gathered in his honor. He was all smiles, though, when we jumped out and yelled "SURPRISE!" Even Anne-Kelly attended and bought him a gift: a bib for the baby that says, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my dad!" Below are photos from the fun night:


They gave me the piece of cake with the UT "T" on it! Ick!

Also, here are some cute photos of Anne-Kelly that I took earlier today.

Jumping, sunshine, and green bean tricks.

Yay! The sun was out today! For the first time in several days, it hasn't been dreary, cold, wet, etc. I was so thankful. Yesterday, I dropped by Whole Foods to pick up a few things, and I bought a lovely bunch of flowers just because I needed a shot of spring! Those of you that know me well know that I am really not a fan of hot weather. I would actually much prefer cold temperatures to warm ones, but I get in a serious funk without sunshine. Most likely due to the fact that I was raised on a big ol' farm, I have to have a good dose of yummy, sunny fresh air in my lungs to keep my body functioning properly. And I got it today :) Thanks, Lord.

Also new on the agenda today was the discovery of a baby jumper that our neighbor gave to us. I initially thought jumpers were a bad idea (in case you don't know what they are, they're those things that hang from a doorway that a kid sits in and bounces around), but Brent, my wonderful engineering husband, did numerous safety tests on the thing and then reassured me that it was safe and sound. I still don't like the idea of putting her in it without watching her closely, but since she's been so fussy in her Exersaucer (see earlier post) I thought I would give it a try.

Well, hallelujah! When we put her in it, she went crazy. You would have thought we'd let the kid drink a mountain dew or something. She started spinning and bouncing and just going reasonably insane. It was all pretty wonderful and cute to watch. I'm hoping to post the video once I have a chance to upload what's on our camera.

On a separate note, I decided to give Anne-Kelly green beans for the second time ever tonight. I haven't really mentioned it here yet, but Anne-Kelly is not a fan of the green veggies. She hates peas so much that she projectile vomits them out if I try and feed them to her. I'd say it more nicely, but there's really no other accurate description, ha. Green beans, however, are just sort of a "I really don't like these so I think I'll grimace until you give me pears" abhorrence. Therefore, being the genius supermom that I am, I decided to give her some pears and cereal with a side of green beans tonight. And here's how it went: two bites of pears, one bite of green beans, two bites of pears, one bite of green beans, two bites of pears, one bite of green beans. And it continued. Believe it or not, it worked! I thought she'd be too smart for me and see through my sly tricks, but she didn't. So now I'm giving myself a pat on the back. That's today's big accomplishment for me. Is that sad? I don't think so.

Anyway, the blog stops here because I have to head for bed. It's nearly ten-thirty, and I'm trying to get up with Brent every morning at 5:45 to start the day now. It's hard, but I get so much more accomplished when I get up early. It also allows Brent and me to spend some time together in the Word before he leaves for work at 6:30. And we find that time invaluable. I can't imagine a better way to start my day.

A day with "baby Kelly"

As you know, the biggest snow to sweep through the southeast came through in the last few days. Well, it was more like ice for us, but that's neither here nor there. Naturally, because we live in South Carolina, all services at our church, Simpsonville First Baptist, were cancelled. For those of you reading that are thinking, "What? You got one soggy inch of ice!" Let me explain something about us southerners. We are terrified of snow. To us, driving in a light dusting is simply unthinkable and probably up there on the danger scale with something as crazy as skydiving or setting yourself on fire. Ok, so maybe I'm being a bit facetious. But either way, services were cancelled.


However, I'm lucky to be married to my husband, Mr. Adventure. Mr. Adventure stayed in the house yesterday until about 11 am, at which point he declared that he had cabin fever and "had to get out of here!" So after about two more hours of showering, packing up baby stuff, agonizing over whether we should actually go out, and finally deciding it was safe enough for us to go, we set off for Barnes and Noble. By the time we arrived, it was already 10 after five, and there was a sign on the door that said B&N was closing at six o'clock. Guess what? Due to snow! Bah humbug. "Ok, let's go get some Chick-Fil-A," we said then. So we load everything back into the car and set off for Chick-Fil-A, only to see that the sign is not lit. Closed for snow. You've got to be kidding me, I think. So finally we swing by Whole Foods to grab a bite. Just closed at six. Bummer. However, for Mr. Adventure, the trip to Whole Foods wasn't a total loss as the entire parking lot was empty and a solid sheet of ice. To my unfortunate surprise, he decided to take our car straight across the icy parking lot, with true Mr. Adventure style and flair. What this means is that he did anything possible to scare me, Mrs. Cause-and-Effect, you might call me. When we finally made it out of that parking lot alive, we drove down the road to Publix, which was in fact open. We bought one of those Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Meals for Two. This is Mr. Adventure's idea of cooking for me. I appreciate it.

Then we go home to put the little sweet potato to bed. Well, little sweet potato has other plans, since she's currently cutting her second tooth. Needless to say, she didn't go completely to sleep until we did, which was around 11:30. It was a long night, to say the least.

Today, however, we had a great day, in spite of our church's services being cancelled. We met friends from church for lunch at an Italian pizza and grinders place for lunch. After, we headed over to Papa Don and Nana's. These are Gary's parents for those of you who don't know. Nana made us a yummy dinner and followed it up with a delicious banana pudding. Yup, you heard right! We had two amazing banana puddings in one weekend. I guess karma or whatever you'd like to call it wanted to tempt me twice. This time, I did sneak one bite of the banana pudding. I just couldn't help myself. The meringue was too beautiful.

Anyhow, Grayson and Tinsley, son and daughter of Dale, Gary's brother, and Whitney, came over to Nana and Papa's soon after we did. Tinsley loves Anne-Kelly, or "baby Kelly," as she deemed her shortly after her arrival into the world. Tinsley is almost exactly two years older than Anne-Kelly. Her birthday is June 27. Anne-Kelly's is June 17. Anyway, the kids played all afternoon. And by the kids, I mean Anne-Kelly, Tinsley, Grayson, and Brent. Brent and Grayson played basketball, Grayson's new-found passion, and Tinsley entertained Anne-Kelly with various stunts and vocalizations. It was a great evening for everyone. Whitney, Nana, and I also got to have a good talk. As you all know, it's been a rough year for all in the McDaris family, but especially Nana, as she lost both her sons, and Whitney who just lost Dale, her husband, October 8.

But these small gatherings are good for all of us, as the kids keep our family feeling somewhat normal, in spite of all that has happened. As Nana said, the children are what keep her going. So, with that thought in mind, I leave you with a few adorable pictures of our beloved munchkins.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

...but the fire at Tom and Charlotte's last night was delightful! For those of you who aren't familiar with the McDaris family tree, Tom and Charlotte are Sandy's dad and step-mom...or great grandparents to Anne-Kelly, if you prefer. Anyway, we went over to their house last night just as the snow was beginning to fall. We had a delicious dinner of ribs, cole slaw, beans, and potato salad, followed up by banana pudding. Brent had some banana pudding, but I opted out since I'm counting my Weight Watcher's points these days. He said it was also to-die-for! We had a ball, as usual, and Anne-Kelly entertained all night. I always joke and say that Charlotte is the "baby whisperer," because she can calm Anne-Kelly more than anyone else. And her great-grandpa Tom never ceases to make her giggle and smile. I took a few photos to share:







Today, we woke up to a small blanket of snow (an inch or so), but mostly ice. That didn't stop us from putting on our cold-weather gear and taking Anne-Kelly out to see her first bit of snow at home. She loves cold weather, as long as she is bundled, and she always sticks her little tongue out into the cold wind. I'm not really sure why, but it's pretty adorable when she does it! :) Here a few photos from our little trip into the great outdoors:








Hope you're enjoying your snow day!