Christopher, Eliza and Reese

We are growing . . . here is proof!

2011-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Its Family Picture time again! I can't believe a year has gone by since we last got family pictures done. So much has changed and we are definitely growing! My best friend here in Atlanta took them again this year and I think she did a great job again! These were my favs!

There is also someone I would like to introduce. This little guy will be joining us in late March! We cannot wait to meet this little man!

Halloween

2011-11-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

This year we were the Peter Pan Clan. Meet Tink, Peter and Wendy.

Reese made a perfect little Tinker Bell.

She even won the cutest costume at Trunk or Treat! That little pumpkin was her prize she carried that thing around all night.

Some little chick came up to me while I was playing with Reese and said "You know Tinker Bell and Wendy aren't friends right? So are you guys friends or not?" It was just kind of funny. The stuff kids think about.

On Halloween night after eating the best soup ever! Christopher took Reese out Trick or Treating. They were cute together, instead of saying trick or treat when people came to the door she would just get kind of shy and say "I'm Tinker Bell" over and over.

She is not that into candy yet so Christopher and I capitalize on that eating all of her good stuff!

In exchange for eating all of her candy we gave her an extra long story time!

P.S. I love how Christopher will now do anything to show this little chica a good time. I would not have been able to get him in a costume before she came. She pretty much owns him, its sooo adorable!

One Year Older and Oh So Much Wiser

2011-11-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

My Baby is 2! She had a great birthday this year filled with all of her favorite things. Here is her day in pictures!

Mani/pedi the night before her big day! What 2 year old doesn't like to be pampered!

Woke up in the morning and was crowned birthday girl! I decorated her room while she was sleeping she woke up to a floor full of balloons, she loved it!

Birthday breakfast: "fruit bar and milk" is what she asked for with a side of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Then it was off to "school" as we like to call it. It is actually a daycare that I work at a few days a week. Her bestie Ella was there which always makes Reese happy!

A little Gymnastics . . .

A little Art . . .

And this chic is ready to head home for some cake, ice cream and Daddy time.

Spaghetti for dinner

Cake for dessert

Presents!

She got a Rapunzel doll and dress and four pairs of Princess shoes. She spent the rest of the night switching her princess shoes every 5 minutes. And when we realized the dress was not coming off we read stories sang songs and sent Rapunzel to bed.

This is how I found her when I went to check on her later. Yes, that is her Rapunzel doll underneath of her.

We had such a happy day with her. I can't believe how fast these two years have gone. She is so awesome. Christopher and I still say every night how in love we are with her and how perfect she is to us, like we did the night we held her for the first time in the hospital. Even after the really rough days when she is a little on the freaky side. Its something about putting her to bed that just melts my heart everynight. Maybe its the way she tells me every night without fail "I love you mommy so much" even when I have my freaky days as a mom she still tells me she loves me. How much longer will that last? I hope forever!

There are five videos from her birthday, below are the links.
Mani/Pedi Interview video
Birthday Morning video
Presents video Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Baby Aimsley

2011-09-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

Christopher is in Denver for the month of September and last weekend Reese and I flew out to visit him. As much as we miss him, I don't know that we would have made the trip without the extra motivation of this sweet little one.

One of my best friends, Michelle, had her first babe. Needless to say Reese was smitten by little Aimsley Mae. She is pretty darling and a very good baby! It was so great to see Michelle and Porter and watch them turn into love sick fools like we all do when a baby makes three (or four, five, six ya know whatever number you are on).

Reese also loved their other baby, I think a little more then he loved her . . .

but seriously Indo is the best dog in the world. I don't really like dogs that much but I would take Indo home with me anyday.

When Dad wasn't at the hospital we spent all the time we could with him.

We had a great time of course you wouln't guess we spent that much time together by my lack of picture taking but we went to the zoo, had a picnic in the park, Christopher took Reese for an afternoon while I took a much needed nap! It was nice to be with him. He loves us and we love him, its always better when we're together.

Thanks Michelle for letting us crash your house for a few days!

Dougherty Family Fun

2011-09-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

We got to see Christopher's family while we were out west too. Travis, beautiful Ade and two of their four boys Trav and Aiden made it up to Salt lake to see us! We met at Christopher's Grams house and spent the day together. I wish Gram was in this picture. She is so sweet and we loved spending time with her as well. Its always nice to see her! Reese had never met these cousins but her and Aiden hit it off pretty great. If I ever have boys I hope they turn out as great as these boys are. I wish we could have seen Michael and Tanner too.

Reese loved Ade, she is such a great aunt. I wish so bad we lived closer. It would be so fun to be able to go to some football games again!

Here is a Video of Aiden making Reese laugh. He was sooo good to her. I loved watching them together.

Thanks Ade for making the extra trek up to see us. We are so grateful you did. We love you guys so much!

Mary Gets Married!

2011-09-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

In August we got to go spend two weeks with my Family celebrating my little sister Mary and her new husband Ryan. We love these two peeps and were happy to travel the world for them!! First we had a reception in MI.

Ryan and his new Seeesters, minus Roxy.

This chick basically ate srawberries and tried to feed this bunny flowers all night.

She stole a few Specs from this guy too.

*Explanation of what I mean by specs*

See those yellow ball flowers on my dads shirt. Well Reese has a small obsession with Horton Hears a Who, and when I say small I actually mean she is crazy about that elephant and his spec on a clover. My dad gave her one of those yellow flowers and told her it was her spec. She walked around for a week straight holding onto her spec talking to the Mayor of whoville. It was pretty darling. Every once in a while she would come around the corner saying "HELLO Mayor are you there? Hello?". It was pretty funny to watch her little mind work.

After the reception in Michigan we packed up and moved it out west to Salt Lake City. I wish I had more pictures of Mary and Ryan because they looked great but somehow I don't. I don't even have a picture with them at all. I hate when I don't take the pictures I am actually going to want, but here are a few from her beautiful wedding day.

Reese Loved the flowers and wanted everyone to know how good they smelled. That is her sniffing face.

Isaac, Reese and Jackson

At the reception being silly.

I am so mad at myself about the lack of pictures I have. But I do have one more good story I need to document.

Reese was really cranky while we were waiting for Mary and Ryan to come out of the temple. So when picture time came around she was not having any of it (could explain the lack of pictures). Once the big group shots were over my dad came and took Reese and Isaac for a walk, all by himself i'd like to add. About a half hour later when I am done with pictures I am walking back to the hotel which is right across the street from where the wedding took place. I am crossing the street when I look to the other side and I see a naked (diaper only), barefoot Reese and Isaac who looks like he has chocolate all over his face. They are walking across the street hand in hand with my dad not with a care in the world. I meet them at the other side only to see Isaacs face is not covered in chocolate but in blood. My dad took them to get a cookie. Reese picked out a cookie that was covered in blue icing so he took her dress of b/c he did not want to get in trouble if she messed it up. Which makes sense I am just not sure why it never made it back on, I am still not sure why she was barefoot though. Isaac had tripped and busted his face on a curb. I love this story because despite how they looked they all were so happy to have escaped the wedding craziness for just a minute. It was really sweet to see my dad loving it too.

Here is a little video of Reese in the hotel room still dressless but oh so happy to not be in the sun taking pictures.

It was such a beautiful day.

The 4th of July

2011-07-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

Christopher had the week off of school so we headed down to Tallahassee to visit his family. We always have the best time when we go down there. We met the newest member of our family, Camden, who is a darling baby. I don't think I heard him cry once, what a dream, right? We spent a day at the beach soaking in some sun. We had our own little fireworks show and on the fourth we went to a big show. Reese had so much fun with her cousins and eventually warmed up to her Nana and Aunts and Uncles. Maybe next time it won't take her so long!?!? I ended up getting sick but despite that fact we still had a really nice time. I love seeing Christopher with Reese and his family completely free from stress of school. Here it is in Pictures . . .

These kids loved Christopher and he had a lot of fun playing with them.

Reese loved holding Camden, she would get a little crazy if anyone tried to take him away when it was her turn to hold him. She would say "NO, mine mine" she is is getting pretty possessive these days. Gotta love a 2 year old (almost).

I could not get this kid to look at me. She had a lot of fun though. She loved drawing in the sand with her fingers, which is what she is doing in the picture below.

At least we got her to look in the group shot.

On sunday we had our own fireworks show in the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald house and Reese was a little reserved about the whole thing but she gave sparklers a chance until she started seeing her cousins burn their fingers and toes. After that she wouldn't touch a sparkler or even watch the fireworks for that matter. I guess I would rather her be cautious about fire then the opposite.

She loved her Aunt Becca

The girls minus Becca who was graciously dealing with my freaked out child. If someone wasn't holding her she was running to the door of the house to get away from everything. Eventually she found a way to entertain herself behind the cars away from the scary lights and sounds of the fire.

On the actual night of the Fourth when the fireworks were high in the sky she really did enjoy them.

I love this picture the three babes watching the fireworks.

Reese really loved being with Landon and Bella.

If they were in the same place they were always together.

We are so happy to have family close enough for a weekend getaway. Thank you Nana, Ben, Ursula, Becca, and Ruth for showing us such a good time!

Its Summertime . . .

2011-06-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

It brutal here in Atlanta. Seriously peeps it gets HOT here! Heat + 100% humidity = Hell on Earth, quite literally. We have been enjoying the sun though in small increments. And by that I mean we don't go outside before 7pm unless we are going straight to the pool. Christopher doesn't find this story as amusing as I do but everyday (never fails) when he gets home from school in the evening and changes and finally sits down to relax. Reese goes and gets his flip flops and follows him around saying "shoes on, shoes on," then she will continue if he doesn't respond to that by saying "side, side" and pointing to the front door. When that doesn't work she grabs his hand and pulls on it until he gets up and she can pull him to the door. He is a good dad so he always takes her. He always asks me why don't I take her outside before he gets home? I always respond with "she likes it better playing with you", because its the truth. I do take her outside all the time and we have fun but she LOVES to go out with him he is a little more relax about what she does out there. Which is actually kind of surprising to me and would be to you too if you know Christopher very well. Anyways here are some pictures of what we have been up too indoors and outdoors.

if its not swimming its the sprinkler in the backyard . . .

And if we are not outside then we are inside painting nails (which is her new favorite thing) and making messes. Always having fun though right!?!

And every once in a while we will get lucky and have the perfect rainy day!

Here is a little Video . . .

Nashville Rock N' Roll Marathon

2011-05-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Nashville. I wish we would have stayed longer then we did because is is such a cool city from what I did see. I absolutely go back to check out the city. The reason we were there this weekend though was for the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon. It was a really fun Race with the bands all along the way and so many people came out to cheer us on. The course was pretty rough though definitely had some rolling hills that just never seemed to end. It was a very hot day and I don't think I started hydrating early enough on in the race and I paid for it at the end. One of these days I am going to figure out how to stay properly hydrated during races. All in all though I am so happy it is over and I am proud that I ran and finished the race. Its pretty hard not to feel good about yourself after completing something that is so physically and emotionally taxing on your body and mind. I always say that I will never run another marathon while I am training and while I am running the race. However I've found marathons are kind of like pregnancy. As soon as I cross the finish line I forget about how absolutely adamant I was at mile 22 about never putting my body through this again and I start thinking about the next marathon and things I will do differently. Its a little crazy but its kind of addicting. Christopher and Reese and my friend DaNae were my own personal cheering section at the finish and I was so happy they were all there when I came in. It was a great day!

My Biggest Fans!

Love this girl! I was day dreaming about these ice bags for the last 5 miles of the race.

Rare Occasion

2011-04-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky here in Atlanta to have a special opportunity to take part in a LDS Temple dedication. Our temple here in Atlanta has been closed for two years as they have been doing renovations on it. This Sunday the Prophet will be rededicating it. Christopher and I have been very lucky to live 20 min or closer to a Temple these last few years, and are excited to be able to go again. Last week we were able to walk through and view the Temple at the open house as a family. I was so glad to be able to take Reese. I was a little nervous because I didn't want her to be crazy in the temple trying to have us chase her and touching everything (you know how 18 month olds are). I was so surprised and touched when as soon as we entered the temple and she got her special little booties on she was as reverent as could be. I know she had a little sweet spirit helping her to be calm and content as she walked through each room taking it in. Of course like any little girl she loved the bling in the sealing rooms. She walked around those rooms with her head up starring at the chandeliers, pointing and saying "pretty pretty" over and over again. It was a sweet experience.

We had a great Easter weekend as well! The Easter Bunny came bearing baskets of books and a new movie and of course a new dress! We told her the story of the Resurrection through pictures. I love teaching Reese about Jesus. I know she doesn't have any idea what I am talking about when I tell her yet, but she knows who Jesus is and that he is someone she should remember. There are a few pictures in her room and one is of Jesus and I love when she wakes up and I come in and she points to the picture and says "Jesus" it kind of melts my heart a little. Seriously though what doesn't these days with her.

Lately . . .

2011-04-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Destin, FL a few weekends ago for one of Christophers conferences for his future occupation. His family in Florida came with us for a few days. We are missing them and the beach so much!

She kept Nana Dougherty pretty busy running in and out of the ocean . . .

Reading magazines

and of course taking long walks on the beach. Nana didn't even have a chance to look at the camera the bug kept her so busy. She was pretty fond of her aunt Becca and cousins too! How i dion't have any pictures of her with them is beyond me. I was a little to lax about pictures this weekend. I'll try to be better next time. Oh and there will be a next time because Destin has the best beaches I've ever been to, and we live too close not to go back again. Maybe the rest of the Doc family can join us!!!

In other news I had a birthday, the big 26. It was a good day, Christopher made me feel special and he made a cake and frosting from scratch! It was really good too. I was impressed.

Reese had a birthday of sorts as well. My baby is 18 months! How did this happen?!?! She is growing up way to fast. I have to be a proud momma for a minute and gush about how smart she is and all the things she is loving.

- She is counting! she has one to five down and she does 1 to 10 very randomly on her own not to much on command yet.

- she loves to sing songs and fill in the blanks. for example, I will sing twinkle twinkle little . . . and i will stop singing and she finishes it for me by singing star. We do this all the time but especially at night before she goes to bed. She will snuggle with me as long as we are singing so sometimes i will draw it out just to get some extra squeezes from her.

- She has this need to hug and kiss everything, especially me like 1,000 times a day. This can never get old to me and i know she won't be doing much longer.

- She LOVES shoes!!! We always have at least 3 different pairs of my shoes out durring the day. She knows how to open all of our doors so she will go in my room and try on shoes and wear them around the house. She has a stroller she likes to go for walks with around the house. Lately miss piggy is her most frequent passenger. I noticed today that if I ask her if she is taking piggy for a walk and she doesn't have shoes on she has to get some on immediately before she can continue "the walk" (because of course you need shoes when you go for a walk)

- She loves listening to my Ipod, and she knows when I come back from running I always have it so she automatically insists she listens to music when I walk in the door. She is a pretty good little dancer. We have tried to capture this on video a few times but as soon as she knows a camera is on her she stops and gets all shy.

She is just the sweetest thing and I love her more and more everyday. I don't know how we made something this cool. It blows my mind everyday. Here are a few pics of her in her shoes and listening to "mugics" thats how she says it.

These are her favorite pair of shoes at the moment. Thats right my nude colored pumps. What can I say the girl has style.

I forgot to mention above but the child is rarely seen without a bag if she is wearing heels and preparing for a walk.

Walking Miss Piggy

She always brings theses boots to me for her to wear.

So there is a quick update on our lives. We are all well and happy!

Birthday, Peendas, Nemo, and Emmies = Perfect Weekend

2011-03-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was jam packed! We celebrated Christopher's 28th birthday.

Reese and I made him dinner of his choice and of course his go to cake, White on White. He is pretty easy to please and that would have been enough for him, but because Reese and I were going out of town on his actual birthday we threw in a nice breakfast for him too! Happy Birthday. Thanks for always being so great about us leaving you babe!!

So once again Reese and I were off. We went to DC to see my sister Emily. She has wanted us to come so bad for a while now and we were finally able to make it happen. It was such a great weekend I really love DC and want to go back soon and spend more time checking out our Nations Capital. I'll break it the events of the weekend down in pictures for you.

Friday we went to the Zoo. Reese had so much fun looking at all of the animals one animal in-particular she kind of died over. Thats right folks that would be her good friend the Panda or in the bugs language "Peenda". I don't have the best pictures of her drooling over this guy I think my sister took those ones but she could have watched him all day. He was just sitting eating a bamboo stick he really seemed like the sweetest thing. After the zoo and after my sister bought Reese every piece of Panda memorabilia the zoo sells (watch for the pandas in almost every picture we take the rest of the weekend) we went to lunch. It was a great day!

Saturday I woke up super early to go and run the DC National Half Marathon. It was Freeeeeezing, well ok it was like 33 degrees when we started but I am super sensitive to the cold when running. I feel like I can never warm up. Most people would have considered it a perfect day for a race but I remain unmoved in my opinion that it was entirely to cold despite the fact that I had my best race to date. The course was so nice and fast, and we got to run by some pretty great places. After the race we walked around to check out the cherry blossoms and a bunch of the monuments. Reese was such a trooper to be so happy out in the cold all day she really is such a dream!

She was mostly interested in feeding the ducks, chasing the birds and running back and forth to Emily and I.

Sunday we went to church and then hit the Smithsonian again. We went to the Aerospace Museum and the Natural History Museum, need I say more. It was another great day.

Flying the Airplanes was a big hit.

Checking out the Spaceships and Rockets

Checking out some large animals with Big Teeth.

After the stuffed animals Reese found her new favorite thing. A whole fish tank full of Nemos and Dories. She was in Heaven. We tried to leave this tank once and we were across the entire room about to turn the corner into a new exhibit when she caught sight of the tank again and took off running towards it saying "Nemo, Nemo" the whole way. It was a good distance away, to the point where the people by the tank were wondering where this babies parents were by the time we caught up to her. She is a little obsessed with fish right now.

HERE is a little video.

Monday morning Reese and I packed it up and said goodbye to Emily and D.C. and headed home. We were sad to leave our Emmies but were so grateful to have gone! Its always good to leave wanting more. Thanks Em, we love you so much!

She slept the whole way home!

There Is No Place Like Home

2011-03-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I can't believe I have not posted since December. I do have a few problems with staying consistent in my endeavors and I am really starting to realize this lately. Maybe that's the first step though right? Acknowledgment of the problem. In my defense I have been pretty busy. Since the new year Reese has really become quite the world traveler. She officially has her first stamp in her Passport. We have seen cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents on both sides and we are not even half way done with all of our trips this year. We have been really spoiled living in Atlanta. We have been able to find really good deals on airfare and of course everyone wants to see us! Okay, lets be honest there is no "us" involved here. Everyone wants to see Reese and I am just a bonus. I really don't know what I am going to do when she turns 2 and can no longer fly for free.

We really have become great little travel buddies. She is a pretty awesome little girl who is growing way to fast. We pretty much have air travel down to a science and we learned that she pretty much needs her entire bed from home with her at all times in order to sleep well at new locations. Her entire bed being: her binkis, her teddy bear (booboos), her cow (Ms. Darcy), her pillow (one of those travel pillows that are shaped like a horse shoe), and her blanket. There really is only one bad thing about traveling with this kid. She misses her dad terribly. Those two really do have something special. Its always nice to come home and see their relationship just pick up right where it left off. I'm a lucky girl.

Okay without further adieu here are a few pictures from our travels . . . .

First up: Wichita/Grinnell

In January we flew to Wichita to see Christopher's sister and her girls. These girls are so special to us and they just love love LOVE my little Reese. They are a fun family and we miss them dearly. After a few days in Wichita we packed it up and drove to Grinnell, IA to see Nana and Poppa Dougherty and Christopher's twin brother and his family. Reese was having a hard time feeling comfortable with any male figure on this trip and was missing Christopher a lot until she saw Joseph. She loved him from the very first sighting. I think she caught on that it was not her dad but he was so good to her she didn't care. She followed him around everywhere it was really sweet.

(Joseph and Reese)

(The cousins at Nanas house)

(Reese and the newest addition to the Dougherty family, Eli, this was also the beginning of Reese's obsession with babies, just wait you will see what I am talking about)

(Madz, Papa, Reese, me and Eli)

(Love these crazy girls! We were also so happy to see Jason too for a day. Reese really took to him right away, which never happens with guys. He is a great dad to his little girls so it didn't surprise me to much.)

Next Trip: Mexico

We went to Mexico with my friend Danae and her family for a week in February. We had the best time with them. Its always nerve racking going places with people you are just meeting for the first time but this trip was not that way at all. Reese and I felt right at home with the Davenports. Reese loves Danae and her kids so she didn't have a hard time adjusting at all. I don't have as many pictures as I thought I did but here are a few. We definitely got some good stories from this trip that we will always remember. A few small lessons might have been learned as well, but maybe that is for another post.

(Danae and Bugs on our way to the resort)

(Walking the beach at sunset it was Windy by the ocean. It wasn't the smoothest beach but the pools made up for that.)

(This girl loved the sand)

( It is almost impossible to get her to look at the camera long enough to catch her cute smile.)

(Perfect view)

(Knox and Reese sharing treats. They became good little buddies)

I can't believe I do not have a picture of Reese and Ella. Ella is pretty much the light of Reese's life these days. Ella is Danae's 4 year old little girl who is so kind to Reese. Reese follows her around everywhere and Ella doesn't mind keeping her entertained. I love that little Ella too!

To Michigan in March

My sister Abby had her baby girl Katherine (Kate) in Feb. So Reese and I were lucky enough to go meet her in March and be there for her blessing. My brother was there with his family too so there was no way we were going to miss a chance to see them and meet their newest addition as well. We had a really good time. I was pretty exhausted from all of the traveling we were doing but this trip was so worth the extra push I had saved up. I loved watching Reese with her cousins. She had a blast! It also was a plus because my sister-in-law Angela who is also my sister Abby's sister-in-law (it gets a little complicated trying to explain that one in words, its much easier for me to just explain in person how we are all related) was there with her boys so we got to see them again too. We had a great time!

(Reese informing me that Kate has eyes, ears, a mouth and nose for the one millionth time. Somehow it just never gets old though)

(Jones cousins to the right of Reese and Dougherty cousins to the left)

(Reese loving on Eli. This is the same little boy Reese was holding 2 months earlier in Iowa from the pictures above. He has gotten so big in just two months.)

(Duck Duck Goose for family night)

( Bedtime Stories with Papa)

(fusball with Papa and Isaac)

(Bathtime with Uncle. It was a tight squeeze in there)

(Pretty Abby and her sweet Katherine)

(And of course Reese mauling the baby. this is pretty much what happened everytime she saw a baby. She just wanted to hold it or find its toes or fingers or point out any body part. She really was pretty sweet to these babies though, she never got rough with them.)

(Charlotte, Reese and Kate)

(Abby, me Phil and Marge)

(Ring around the Rosie)

(Love these two!)

We really had a great time on our trips but it was always nice to come back to Christopher. Even after the best trips there really is no place like home!

Reese stuck in the Grass

2010-12-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

I found this video when I was downloading pictures from Thanksgiving. I didn't know Christopher took this. I think its pretty funny he pushes her back down on the grass to try and get up again. (Is that bad that I think its funny?) Anyway for your enjoyment!

Family

2010-12-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

We have been lucky this year I feel like we have seen a lot of our family. Mostly my side but we were lucky enough to spend the weekend with two of Christopher's brothers. Ben and Ursula came up from Tallahassee, Fl with their two babes and Travis and Ade came for a company Christmas party so they left their four boys in Utah for the weekend. We had a lot of fun just hanging out. Reese was pretty happy about having some other people in the house to follow around besides Christopher and I. She has the best Aunts, Uncles and cousins. It didn't hurt that two were her size. It was fun watching her try to keep up with Bella(4) and Landon(2). It was a great weekend. We captured a few moments through pictures so here they are . . .

(Reese loves her Auntie Ade, seriously she wanted Ade to hold her all the time.)

(the boys went golfing)

(so sweet)

( The Dougherty Boys married well. I love the sisters I got when I married Christopher)

(These three were too cute!)

I miss you guys already. Can't wait for this summer! Love you and thanks for coming to Atlanta to see us.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

This year my Mom and Dad and 3 of my sisters came to Atlanta. It was a great time. On Thanksgiving morning instead of a Turkey bowl, this year, we did the Turkey trot, which was pretty appropriate for my family as we are mostly girls. I think Christopher missed his football but he was a good sport and ran the 5k with my dad and sisters. I ran the half marathon and my mom and bugs were the cheerleaders.

(Before the race)

It started at Turner field and we live really close it. But it took us so long to get there because of all the traffic that we were a little rushed, at least I was. My race started a little before the 5k. I didn't quite hit my goal time, but it was a good race. Next time I definitely don't want to run alone. I'm still trying to convince Christopher to do it with me. Maybe next year! The 5kers had a blast though. They all ran together nice and slow. Most of them were in no shape to run a race. Margie was pretty rocked from the race the rest of the weekend.

My mom and bugs had fun too while they chased us down and waited for us to finish.

I saw Reese and my mom twice during the run. The first time I stopped and gave her a big kiss. She was so happy to see me and then I had to go. I guess as soon as I left she just lost it. She did not like seeing me run away from her and vanish into a sea of people. Then I saw her again and she was sitting in her stroller just scanning the runners going by. I thought I would be ok if I just waved this time she saw me and again just lost it. When we all met up after the race Reese was a mess. She was so afraid I was going to leave her again she would not let go of me. She wouldn't even go to Christopher. Apparently it was pretty traumatic for her. I was so tired I could barely hold my self up, but I felt bad putting her down, so I lugged or I guess hugged my 26 pound baby all the way back to the car. It was kind of nice to see how much she really does love me though.

Notice her white finger tips. She was holding on so tight, so I wouldn't put her down.

Then we went home and made an awesome Thanksgiving dinner. It was one of the better ones that I can remember. It was also my first experience with sweet potato pie. I must say I think it is my new favorite, even over pumpkin and I am a big fan of pumpkin.It was sooo good. Wish I had pictures of dinner.

The next day we went ice skating in the park and to the aquarium. It was so fun. Atlanta has some really nice parks and a few of them set up outdoor ice rinks. It was so much fun. We were all a little shaky on skates at first but we got pretty good after a while.

Umm. . . Reese had a little wave of PTSD from the day before whenever I would skate over to her then skate away, so I had to steer clear of her side of the rink. She loves her grandma though, so it wasn't too bad. The rest of the time we just hung out, played games and played with the babe.

She had so much fun with her aunties and grandma and grandpa. Her new obsession is purses, shoes and hats. Thanks for coming everyone. I'm so grateful to have such a great family on both sides mine and Christopher's. Happy Holidays!

Tasmanian Devil

2010-12-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Bugs got Tubes a few weeks ago. It was a sad day until she got her drugs . . .

She was so scared of anyone coming near her that they had to give her something to help her relax and oh did it ever. Even though I knew she was happier and less stressed I think it was harder for me to see her drugged up and "high", for lack of a better word, than to hold her when she was going crazy after the surgery. She just laid there and was perfectly quiet, just looking around, eyes completely glazed over, and then they rolled her down to surgery. And of course I was crying.

The doctor came in when it was done and said everything went fine. She told us to expect anything from a sweet little angel to a Tasmanian devil when she came back from recovery and was coming down off the anesthesia. We waited for a little bit while she was in recovery and then we heard her. She was wailing when they brought her in. She had her eyes closed and was just thrashing and spinning in my arms. No position was comfortable for her and nothing soothed her. It was so awful. As sad as that was it made me feel so grateful to have a healthy baby. She finally calmed down after about a half hour of crying. We took her home, put her down for a nap and when she woke up she was just as happy as can be. She has not had any problems since the surgery so I think all is well. Little kids are tough. I think ours is pretty feisty. I love her for it.

Holiday Cards

2010-12-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

I love holiday cards! It is so fun to see the cards start coming in the mail and to touch base with so many friends and family. It is so nice to see what everyone has been up to during the year when you can't keep in touch as well as you'd like. Okay so I've never actually sent out Holiday cards before but I've always wanted to and this year I have decided to use Shutterfly.com. They have some pretty awesome products and Christmas cards. I have made a few books using their site and they turned out so great with such high quality. They really take the stress out of finding, designing, and printing all your holiday cards. The hard part is picking your favorite from so many different designs. One of my favorite Photo Christmas Cards is this little number. Click here to check out my other favorites. I love them all! Now I just need to decide on a family picture that we all look good in. Which shouldn't be to hard considering my last post.

Shutterfly is doing a sweet deal right now for bloggers: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards. To sign up visit here You need to see all the cards. There are so many to choose from. You can also go to shutterfly.com and see the fun possibilities for books.

Family Photos

2010-11-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

We finally got our family pictures taken. My friend DaNae took these pictures for us. She was a little nervous about how they would turn out as she had never taken pictures for a family before but I love them and I think she is a natural with the camera. These are a few of my favs . . .

There are so many more that I liked. I'm so grateful to have a friend in Atlanta. DaNae's husband goes to school with Christopher. They have two little kids, one is Reeses age and then they have a 4 year old Ella who Reese is in love with. Whenever they are together Reese follows her around repeating "Ella, Ella" its really sweet. I'm so glad we are here in Atlanta together going through the same thing for the next two years. Thanks DaNae!!

Halloween

2010-11-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to both Grandmas Reese was a big hit at all Halloween festivities that we attended
Grandma Jones pretty much made the Peach even though I like to tell people I helped, I really didn't do much. and Nana Dougherty found the sweetest bug costume! Reese had a lot of fun this Halloween. She is such a social little thing. We took her to a fall festival and she wanted to pet and chase every dog that passed. Seriously she is obsessed with "puppies" as she would say. She starts to pant and bark every time she sees on or thinks she hears one. Its really cute. And at the trunk or treat at church. Christopher and I could barely keep tabs on her. She was everywhere. Even when we went outside to do the trick or treating and it was dark out she took off running to the one car that was playing music and wouldn't leave the area around that car. She didn't care who was with her. She just wanted to dance. She has got some pretty good moves too!

Christopher and I dressed up as trees (of the peach variety), but nobody really knew what we were. A lot of people thought Adam and Eve and maybe we didn't make the best trees but we tried, really, that's all that counts. This picture below was the best we could get of all of us. She is pretty much against taking pictures these days. She will not hold still for anything. I don't know I guess it has something to do with that fact that she is 1 or something like that.

HERE and HERE are two videos (b/c they are so much better then pictures sometimes). One is of Bugs dancing at the trunk or treat. Its kind of dark but still cute. And the other is Reese trick or treating with her friend Ella. She is obsessed with Ella. Its kind of the sweetest things I've ever seen. And Ella the four year old is so sweet to love my little bugs back. Maybe Reese needs a sibling!

Buggies Birthday!!!

2010-10-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Our sweet little Bug is 1. I really can not believe it has been a year but sure enough her birthday has come and gone. We had a little birthday party for her. It was fun to have some of her friends over to our house. We have made and reconnected with some really great friends here in Atlanta. We did a little bug theme for the party. We made butterfly pasta salad, ants on a log, grape caterpillars, butterfly pb&j (I forgot to take the foil off of the sandwiches before I took pics, I always forget something)and my mom made this awesome bread that was in the shape of a caterpillar and we had subs out of that. It was so awesome and I didn't get a picture of it. Lame. Anyway here are some pictures. It really was a fun little party and Reese was so happy the whole time. Oh and the cakes are in the flower pots. Bugs got her own and then I made mini little dirt cakes in the small flower pots for all of the kids. It was such a cute idea I found.

Bugs is def. a one year old. She is walking and running all over the place, and she is talking like a maniac. She does some good animal impressions too her best ones are the cow, monkey and doggie. She dances and twirls on command. She gives big opened mouth wet kisses and she blows nice dry kisses. Her favorite thing to say is Hiiee and she says it just like that. My favorite thing is that she just started saying "Hi mommy" it seriously is the cutest thing ever! I have tried to capture this on video but she is getting wise to the video camera and chooses not to respond when it is on now a days. She loves Elmo (why are all kids obsessed with this red little monster?) and she loves watching Kung Fu Panda. No idea why but one night I put it in when she was teething and we were up all night and she will just sit and watch it ever since. Not sure if its a good or bad thing my one year old will sit and watch movies. Maybe we need to get out more. Anyway she has her own little personality and it comes out more and more everyday. We die over her everyday!

My mom and sister Emily came too. I loved having them here. bugs loves them both so much. Especially my mom they are best buddies and have been since day 1.

Labor Day or is it . . . Memorial Day?

2010-09-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

This Labor Day was so nice here in Atlanta. We went to the pool and got to hang out with some friends from back in MI, who live here now. Here are some pictures and a VIDEO from the weekend. Please ignore the fact that I don't know which Holiday it is, it's kind of embarrassing.

Buggy left her sunglasses on the whole day at the pool. I was so excited and thought she would wear them all the time now, but of course it was short lived. The next day at the pool she wanted nothing to do with them.

I also have to tell you that we tried to buy her baby sunglasses but her head was so big that none of them fit so she is actually wearing little kid sunglasses. I need to get her those glasses that strap around the head.

Oh and I have to share this cute story. So, I don't know where she gets this but every time we are reading with the bug and there is a baby in the story and on the page she will bring the book into her chest and hug it and say some form of "awww". She doesn't have any baby dolls yet to do this with, so I'm thinking she just learned it from me doing it to her so much.
She is the sweetest thing and she is just a little sponge lately. She is growing up so fast. I can't take it.
Here is a little VIDEO of her reading with her dad.

Summer

2010-09-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

So since this last post we have been very busy. We have been back to Utah for a wedding and family reunion. Then we came home to Texas packed up and headed north. We went on a big road trip to see the grandparents. We went to Iowa then to Michigan then back to Iowa and then we headed back down south to Atlanta, our new home. Needless to say we had a busy summer. Annabelle (this is what we have been calling our Reese its her middle name) met and played with a lot of her cousins. For the most part she was so happy and did great with so much transition. Just a few hiccups in her sleep patterns which have worked themselves out.

We took a lot of PICTURES from our road trips. These were some of my favorites but there are way to many to post all so you can see the rest HERE.

We've been in Atlanta for a little over a month now and we are finally starting to feel at home. Buggy (also a name we call the babe) is finally comfortable enough to roam the hallway alone. Which I can't decide is good or bad. And might I add the is roaming on two feet these days. She started walking in between Christopher and I about a week before she was 10 months. Now she is walking better and getting braver in her distances everyday. She just needs some teeth to go with that walk. We are still waiting on those.

It was nice having Christopher home with us for 3 weeks before school started. We went down to Florida to see his brother Ben and his family. We had so much fun and took buggy to the beach, which she loved so much. We also had my cousin Tyler and his family come for a weekend and we got to meet there little Camden who is the same age as Annabelle. We went to a Braves game and the Coca Cola museum with them.

(She loved playing in the sand and water)

Coca Cola Museum.

Braves Game. Turner field is awesome can't wait to go to more games here!
Here are some more PICTURES from Florida and our weekend with Tyler and Lynae.

Lately . . .

2010-05-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

So Reese is 6 1/2 months now. She is getting so big. Her last stats were 19.2 lbs and 27 inches long. She still has rolls for days and she is still the sweetest little baby. She is sitting all on her own now and rolling all over the place. I am sure she will be crawling soon. She chews on anything that she can get in her hands. Still no teeth but I think they are coming. she loves when music is playing and she laughs all the time. We have been so busy since the last post, so here is a recap in pics.

Reese and I went to Utah for Scrapbook weekend and got to see family and friends in Utah. We had a lot of fun. Then my Grandparents came to texas for a week to spend time with their family in Texas. More Pictures from this trip here.

Christopher turned 27 and we ate one of the best cakes I've ever made!!

We celebrated Easter with the Zepp cousins. We will miss them so much when we move this summer.

After Easter Reese and I took another trip, this time to Michigan. We went to help my parents move from their hose in Saginaw to a new house in Midland. It was kind of sad packing everything up but this new house will be so much fun and new memories will be made there. More pictures from this trip here.

I'm 25!!!
Now we are home for a while and are loving this Texas Spring. Trying to get outside and enjoy the nice weather while it is still bearable. Texas summers are not fun. I am looking forward to a summer of not being pregnant though that will be nice! The babe is growing so fast so we are just trying to enjoy everyday with her. Here are a few pictures from Lately. And here is a video Christopher took of her the other day. It is pretty sweet. I love the play by play Christopher is whispering in the background. He is a great dad it is fun to watch him with her.

4 Months

2010-02-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

4 Months
2/18/2010
Weight: 15 lbs 5 oz
Height: 25 1/2 inches
She is a healthy little baby and by that I mean we have a serious chunker on our hands.

just a little something to make you smile . . . .

Oh and I almost forgot to post this but we had some great news recently. Christopher has been accepted to Emory University in Atlanta Georgia. He will be earning a Masters of Medical Science in Anesthesiology. He will be an Anesthesiologist Assistant which is the same thing as a Physicians Assistant. We couldn't be happier and I am so proud of him!! We will be moving from Texas to Georgia in July!!!

These are a few of my favorite things . . . .

2010-02-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

These are some of my favorite things about Reese lately. . .

1. She squeals like a pig about everything. She has a happy squeal and an angry squeal and there is no mistaking one from the other. Both are so adorable. Click on this link to see her in action!

2. She Holds her own bottle!!! she has been doing this for about 2 weeks now and its a little bitter sweet for me. It only proves she is becoming more independent everyday, which is a little sad for me, but I love to know that she is growing and learning so much.

3. She plays with her feet like a little monkey, this might be my favorite thing.

4. She is rolling over from her back to her stomach, she can't quite figure out how to get back though. We need to work on this because she is not a fan of being stuck on her tummy.

5. She has a handful of names that we call her: Reesee, bug (all forms of bug: buggy, bugs, buggers), pieces, chancha (pig in Spanish), chunk, belle

6. She laughs and smiles at anyone especially her dad.

7. Whenever we bring her close to our faces to give her a kiss or just to look at her she will open her mouth so wide ( we haven't quite figured out why she does this but we like it!)

We are having so much fun with her! Everyday she stays awake a little longer to play but for the most part our days are filled with this . . . .

First Laugh

2009-12-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

So in love with this girl!!!

Chunk!

2009-12-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

Weight: 11lbs
Height: 23 1/2 inches
97th percentile in both categories!
She really is getting so big. She is smiling like crazy and loves making noise. She grunts all of the time. Everyone always says "oh she is really working on something there" or " wow she pushing something out" but no, that is just our sweet little girl trying to talk. She sounds like an animal.

Thanksgiving/Blessing Weekend

2009-12-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

Wow time is going by so fast. Thanksgiving has come and gone and it is time for Christmas. This year we celebrated Thanksgiving here in Texas at my sister Elizabeth's house. Christopher's Family came down and it was so wonderful to see them and to have them meet Reese. Christopher's parents, 2 of his brothers and their families came and also Grammy came from Utah which we were so happy about! We had a lot of fun and the timing was perfect to Bless our sweet baby. I know Christopher loved having his Dad and some of his brothers here to stand with him. We can't wait for Reese to meet the rest of her cousins, Aunts and Uncles in Utah, Idaho and Hawaii.

Reesie!!

2009-11-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been 5 weeks. She is getting so big!! Which I know is good because at least I can feel like I am doing something right, but it is sad cause it is happening so fast! Here are a few pictures.

This is the dress we brought her home from the hospital. Her arms and legs are shooting out of this now.

ROLLS!!

Love this kid!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

Reese had a few Halloween costumes this year. My dad bought her a flower costume for newborns but when he came to visit and we put her in it to show him he admitted to not knowing it was a costume. He thought he had bought her a little outfit. Regardless it was adorable. Thanks Gramps!

She got to dress up with her cousins this year too!! She joined the care bear family for the night. She was Bedtime Bear, which was fitting since she is asleep 95 percent of the time. She was so adorable and she fit right in with her aunt,uncle and cousins!! These girls are just too cute!!

She always has this one eyed grin going on!!

Reese also loved her pumpkin butt PJ's from G.G. (Great Grandma)!

Reese Annabelle Dougherty

2009-10-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Born 10-18-2009 @ 8:48 pm
Stats: 8lbs 2oz
20 3/4 inches long

Contractions started at 2am on Sunday morning by 4:30 they were 5 min apart and what I thought at the time were relatively intense (I had no idea what was ahead). Christopher and I left for the hospital around then and stayed for about 2 hours watching the progress. I was only dilated to 1cm. They gave me a choice to either break my water and see where things went or go home take some Ambien and try to sleep because I hadn't slept at all yet. I chose to go home and wait. They told me at the hospital to take Ambien not just one but two if I needed it. So I took one when I got home but Christopher was so worried about me and he wanted me to sleep and kept insisting that I take two like they said. So I took two and never having taken this stuff before I had no idea how strong it was. I went to sleep around 6:30 am and woke up at noon when my mom arrived. Looking back now I don't really remember much between the time when I woke up and when we left for the hospital its all a little blurry. Next time if there is one I think I will just take 1 Ambien. At this time my contractions were much stronger and and kept building until around 4:00 pm when we went back to the hospital. I was dilated to 3 cm and they decided my contractions were close enough and strong enough that she would be coming soon. I went from a 3 to a 7 in about 2 hours and got an epidural! Around 8 pm she was ready to come. I pushed for about 30 min and she was here. Everything went so smooth and she is healthy and so perfect.
It has been a week and I think we fall in love with her all over again every time we see her!

You can see more pictures HERE and Here

It's a . . . . Girl!!!

2009-06-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

So we found out we are having a baby girl today. What an amazing feeling! I have always been excited about having a baby but now that we know that it's a girl I just can't stop thinking about her. I love knowing. I feel like we can bond with her now and really prepare for her. Christopher is excited, he was right all along and I was wrong. It really didn't matter to either of us what we were having as long the babe was healthy! Which from todays check up she is doing great and measuring exactly 20 weeks. She was moving the entire time in the ultra sound so we didn't get a great shot of her face but we saw all of her parts(brain, spine,heart,stomach, bladder, hands, feet)they seemed to be working! Can't wait for you to get here baby!

2 years

2009-05-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

May 12, 2009 marks our 2nd year together as Mr. and Mrs. What a crazy 2 years it has been. We have moved 5 times and lived in 3 different states. Needless to say it has been quite the adventure. Couldn't be happier! Love you babe!

Christopher + Eliza = ?

2009-05-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Come October we will have an addition! Hopefully it will be a very small addition (no 11 1/2 lbs please) but as long as it has cheeks like that we really don't care! We couldn't be happier and can't wait to find out what we will get! I am 16 weeks along right now and I am feeling good. I think the sickness is behind me now so I'm very happy about that. So far it has been smooth sailing no complications and everything looks good. We find out on June 1st the sex and we can't wait. I think it's a boy and Christopher kind of thinks it's a girl but we will be happy either way!! We are really happy and I promise to keep you posted on here. I know after looking at my past blogging record that it might be hard to believe, but I will prove it!

My Lovely Weekend

2008-10-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Of Course this is a week or so over due but I had lovely weekend with my family and I want to show you and of course it's always better through pictures right!?!

Abby picked me up late late Thursday night and I got to squeeze him!! This was our first meeting. (I died a little he is SOOO cute!!). After the initial meeting we drove home to Saginaw. It was a long night. . .

But Isaac and I got some good sleep and we woke up at the same time this is us stretching of course. Well I guess this is just me stretching That is actually how he prefers to sleep. Arms out and up right buddy?

JacksonThen I spent the day splitting my time with these two adorable little children because I love them so. How lucky am I?
CharlotteSee that is his favorite position! It's really funny he is only a month old and he does not like to be swaddled he will fight to get out of it until he can be in this position right here and then he will sleep.

Then these two came to see us and I was so happy to see them!!! Jake is so big and crawling. He is adorable, he NEVER stops smiling. And my sweet sister Angela I loved seeing you!!

Saturday was the early Halloween/late birthday celebration!!

First we wished birthday balloons off for Jackson and Isaac.

Then we dressed the kiddies up in their costumes . . .

Jackson and Charlotte

Can you say adorable?

Don't worry I didn't forget about little Dino (my dad's nick name for Isaac) you are going to say awwww . . . . ready.

Then we went here and everyone picked a pumpkin!

It was such a cute pumpkin patch!

after the pumpkin picking there were games played and food was eaten and then it was time to prepare for the whole reason we all got together. The Big B day.

It was a perfect day and a great end to a lovely weekend. Only one missing in the fam picture is Christopher but he had a pretty good weekend himself. His interview at Iowa went well and he feels really good about it. So now it's back to the waiting game! Abby you look amazing and so happy. What a great weekend. I'm going to leave you with this cute picture, it will make you smile and say "oh he is so cute".

He looks just like Abby it's really sweet!

Love you

Looking Forward

2008-10-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend could not come at a better time. I am going home to Michigan and I can't wait. I am having serious withdrawals from my seesters (in-laws included of course) and Pheeelip. I am going to meet my sweet new nephew and squeeze his cheeks. I am going to soak up the fall weather. I am going to go for a run with my dad. I'm going to love on my marmie and just soak her in, I really miss her a lot, I only call her that when I miss her a lot a lot. I'm going to see my other sweet nephew that is crawling now!!! Charlotte and Jackson will also be loved on quite frequently by me! I am going to eat really good food and I am going to laugh a lot . . . .That one is just a given. I am going to walk around our back yard and soak up the fall goodness. Maybe a game of whoofle ball or two will be played. I believe a bonfire in the back with s'mores is brewing as well as a newly adopted balloon launching tradition. Only one thing will put a damper on this weekend. My sweet Chreasy will not be coming with me, I only call him that when I know I am going to miss him a lot. He is going to Iowa for an interview at University of Iowa. I know I will wish he was there, I always do when I travel alone. But he has our future to prepare for, Good luck babe, we will all miss you in MI. Anyways I need to wrap this up and look for a new camera charger so I can take pictures of my lovely weekend and come back and share them here!

love you

2008-09-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

So I owe it to all those who read our blog to give you the details on our life. We are in Texas in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. We moved here at the end of June from Mississippi. I got a job right away working at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I worked there for a month when I was offered another job that is relevant to my degree, well it is more then relevant I got the job because of my degree so that is pretty cool. It turns out a BSW is useful after all!! So that is going well. I have also started my own little business selling a product I am really falling in love with! Arbonne is the product name and it is some good stuff! Anyways Christopher was studying for the DAT very diligently and has taken the test again and improved his score, so now we wait and hope for the best!! We just moved out of Elizabeth and Jason's house and into our own apartment which is coming together nicely. We like having a our own place but we miss being so close to our family here. Even though we are only 25 min away that seems like a lot after living with them for 3 1/2 months.

While living with them we just fell in love with our nieces. They are both so sweet Little Olivia melted Christopher's heart, she really did a number on him. They are adorable and we are getting another one here in about a month. We are excited for that. Hopefully we get to do a lot of babysitting and give Elizabeth a break from the craziness she is about to have in her home. She will be great though!!

We have been adjusting to the weather it has been a scorcher this summer and it is finally cooling off a little bit. I am going to really miss the Michigan Fall but I guess I'll deal with it. I'm trying to think what else I need to update you on but nothing comes to mind . . . but it's late so I will save more for another time. Love you.

11lbs 5 oz

2008-09-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

Now, what are a few things that come to mind when you think of 11lbs 5 oz?

I think of a very large Christmas ham or 2 5 pound weights + a pound and a half. I also think of one of my new chairs I just bought to go along with my dining room table ( ok maybe the chair is a little heavier). Christopher said he thinks of twins at birth with their weight put together. These are just a few but I wanted you to get the idea that 11lbs 5 oz can be a heavy load.

Now, what are somethings that don't come to mind when you think of 11lbs 5 oz?

I guess I wouldn't think of, lets say, a spring chick or my purse. I probably wouldn't think of a blanket or my cell phone. I wouldn't think of a little kitty or the bag of baby carrots I got at the store last week. I think I would definitely not think of a new born baby, especially if that new born baby was my sister's and she had pushed it out through the birthing canal!

But I'm here to tell you folks that I have a new little nephew, who remains nameless, that weighed 11lbs 5 oz at birth. Needless to say he is very large and has lots of chubs, just what we Jones girls like! The fatter the better!! Maybe not right when they come out, right Abs?

Anyway, my sister is amazing. She was in labor for 42 hours and could have had a c-section on the first day but that is not what she wanted. She is pretty cool. I think she is my new hero!

Can't wait to see you nameless!!! I love you Abby and Jonathon. Congrats guys!!

Sorry I don't have any pictures to post, I'm not there remember!!! :(

The "magical moment"

2008-09-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

So my sister Abby has been in labor for over 30 hours now and she is still waiting. It all started yesterday morning when she began have contractions in the hospital. It was progressing all day long, it was slow but it was progressing. This morning at 7:30 she had hit the home stretch at 8/9cm and 90%. She could feel the baby's head! This was amazing considering the length of time my sweet sister has already waited for her first born. 2 hours later they came to check again and the little bugger had moved. This in turn slowed the process and even sent her backwards. Back to 7 cm and cervix getting thicker. This upped her chances of a C-section to a 50/50 percent. Currently they are still waiting just praying the little guy will return to the ideal birthing position. He's got two hours and then it's time to go in a get him. This is Abby's worst fear coming true here. This has been really hard for me being in Texas and all because I am so far away and I am having a hard time grasping the feel of what is really going on. I'm worried about my sister. I was just talking to my dad though and he is so cute!! (I miss him like crazy by the way) but he said " what's the big deal if I were Abby I'd want the c-section right away I wouldn't even go into labour" I had to answer him " dad, if she has the c-section she won't have the "magical moment" when the baby comes out and they lay it on you, and you get all slimy and such." He ofcourse said some elequent response that I can't quite recall at this moment and I wouldn't want to miss quote anyone. But I know you will be sad Abby if you have to have a c-section, so I hope you don't, but I know no matter what it will be a magical moment when he comes out. And who knows you still might get all slimy and stuff if your awake for it! You are a Queen! I'm so proud of you. Now get that baby out so I can see pictures. Love ya, Eliza

Inspired

2008-09-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

My sister gave me a website to look at for some new recipes and I did get some great new ones to try, but I think I gained a little more from it. It is a blog of a woman who talks about the experiences of her family and being a wife and mother. She shares her creative ideas and just talks about everyday life. These are cool things about her blog but it is not what I drew inspiration from. I was inspired by her outlook on life. Never once on her blog do you read of the negative or frustrations she has fulfilling her daily duties. She focuses on the good things and the things that make her life so beautiful. It's not that she is any more amazing then any other mother of four children and wife and citizen in this country but she sure makes me feel like her life is magical. Anyways the last four days at work I have been reading her blog from start to finish. I have been inspired to focus on the good things in my life (because there are soooo many) and I feel like lately I have just been worring about everything that is not so great and lets be honest I felt like crap.
But this week was different this week was happy. I mean sure I probably got mad and whinned at Christopher over something but I can't rememebr any of it. All I can remember is that Christopher and I made dinner together and we snuggled a lot and last night when I was sick and miserable on the bathroom floor at 3am he came in and sat with me and rubbed my hair and stayed with me untill I felt better (2 hours later). Then this morning when I woke up I would usually be thinking how tired and miserable I was from the fact that I spent two hours on the bathroom floor the night before, but all I could think about was how amazing it was that someone loved me that much to sit with me all night and make sure I was ok. I feel happy this week and it is my goal to feel like this all the time. Everyone should try this, it feels so good to focus on how awesome your life is. And everyone has awesomness in their lives no matter how bad your situation is.

The bloggers name is Stephanie Nielson and she and her husband were just in a horrible plane accident. They both survived but have suffered much. This is a website you can go to to donate if you choose. Her story also confirmed to me how amazing the blessing of the lord are when we are living as he has asked us too.

Love you all.

It's official

2008-09-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

A few things that are official:

#1 I am the worst blogger in the history of these past 4 months (maybe longer).
#2 Christopher and I no longer live in Mississippi, in fact we havn't lived there for three months. We now reside it Hot Hot Texas. Nedd I mention it is Hot here.
#3 I will officially be missing the birth of little Dunford Jr. starting tonight whenever she goes in to the hospital. I'm very sad about this.
#4 Christopher and I are going meat-less. (more on that later)
#5 We are getting internet tomorrow so I can officially not have an excuse not to blog more often and post pics! so that is double official.
#6 I am missing my beautiful nice mild michigan transition from summer to fall!!
#7 I have been inspired and it is already making me happier!(more on this at a later date as well)

Love ya!

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, here we come!!

2008-06-04T21:47:00.001-07:00

So Christopher and I packed up our things and said good bye to our home in Michigan. We've loved living here and will be sad to say goodbye, but we are looking forward to our new adventure together. We packed up a big 16 footer truck said our goodbyes and off we went. It was a 14 hour drive and we did it in one day. I of course was scared out of my mind to drive the truck, but Christopher needed a break about half way through the trip so I took over. I was really proud of myself for those 45 min I drove. I was holding my breath the whole time and I had my hands at ten and two, and they were glued there. I was actually a little sore after he took over again because I was squeezing the wheel so hard and I was tense. I was grateful for a husband who would drive almost the entire time!! He is wonderful and he is working hard in Southaven, MS to provide for our little family. I'm still on the job hunt but hopefully it will be over soon!!! We are currently living with Christopher's sister Elizabeth and her sweet family. We are loving it! They have the cutest little girls, and one more on the way!!! I wish I had more pictures of Mississippi but my camera has been dead the entire time we've been here until now. So pictures shall be posted soon.

May 12, 2008 (One Year Mark)

2008-06-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

We actually celebrated our one year anniversary a little early this year. Christopher bought tickets to go and see STOMP and he took me to one of my favorite restaurants before hand. It was a really good night. We did eat the top of our cake exactly one year later on May 12, 2008. It was quite the event and these are only half the pictures we took. For anyone who was at our wedding you will know that our cake was the most amazing tasting wedding cake ever!! (I realize that might be an extreme statement but I just want you to get the idea of how good it was.) When we stored our top layer in the freezer lets just say it wasn't the most gracious way you freeze your wedding cake if you are planning on eating it. Basically it was put in a bowl and we covered the top with foil and someone stuck a fork in it, which ended up ripping the foil. All this was done before storing it in a freezer full of meat that had the tendency to turn off every once in a while. Needless to say I wasn't that thrilled to taste it. So after we took a million pictures to try and just get one good one we finally tasted it!! Much to our surprise it tasted just like the day we got married. It was so good!! And seriously not even ten min after we had cut it, it was gone. Christopher inhaled it. You can see my face in the picture below as he stuffs his face luckily we got that on camera. I like when he eats food I make for him like this because then I know he really does like it and he's not just trying to make me feel good. He is so sweet to me and after a year of marriage we are both doing great!! We love being married and we are excited about this next year and what it will bring!!!

. . . . and it's gone

Graduation DAY!!!!

2008-06-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

We did it!! Christopher and I graduated on May 10th. It was a good day and I am happy that I "made" him walk. His parents came up to see us and Joseph was graduating too. I should have known though that by making him walk I was going to get what I wanted, but with a price. (story time) It had already been a long morning because we had to go early for all the graduating athletes and listen to a few people talk. After that we went and checked in and waited for the ceremony to start. Of course there were faculty trying to get everyone in line and organized before we all marched out and they asked us to get in line. So I go and get in line and Christopher and Joseph just continue to sit at this table not moving. I think one lady must have asked them to get in line at least four times, but you better believe they were the last people in line, only to get in line when the music started to play. So at this point I'm already nervous and semi embarrassed that they weren't getting in line, but I decided not to choose this battle and just let Christopher sit since he was only walking to make me happy in the first place. Okay so they get in line and we walk out together and sit. We are the first college that will be called after the Masters students and we are pretty close to the front being that our last name is Dougherty. The boys bust out the plan that we are going to walk up get our diplomas and just continue to walk out after we go back to our seats. At first I was not liking this plan I was nervous that everyone would be watching us just walk out, and I think Christopher was a little nervous too. Looking back on it now though I'm grateful Joseph made the final decision. We followed through with the plan and bypassed about 3 hours of pure torture!!! I think our families were pretty happy with our decision as was I after we did it! We are both so happy to be done with our undergraduate education. For now we are taking a break but a higher education is in the future for both of us!!!

The SVSU Graduates!!
All of my sisters except for Margie are graduating this year. Mary from High School, Emily and Abby with their Masters, me with my BSW, and Christopher with his BA. Yea for us!

This is of the three of us while we were sitting waiting to walk.

We were so happy Dennis and Kae could come!!!

Celebrating Mr. and Mrs. Bowen

2008-06-04T20:04:00.001-07:00

The lovely couple
Michelle, Britt, and Tia 3 of my most favorite people ever
The happy couple stepping out for the first time as the Bowens!!!

One of my best friends got married in April in SLC and I was so happy that I could be there!! It was such a fun wedding, and it was so good to see all of my old friends from school. Unfortuantely Christopher wasn't able to come on this trip with me either but one of these days we are going to go somewhere together. Even though I missed him I had so much fun with my girlfriends!! Tia made the most beautiful bride ever and Cam (the groom) didn't look to shabby either. We all danced the night away in a huge mansion, it was a great party!!! It was a big weekend I was lucky enough to attend two weddings I went to my long time friend Miriam's wedding as well. I also got to see my family too. I loved my trip to Utah it was well needed. I miss my girls already though. Love you!

Everyone was taking pictures with their significant others and I was feeling sad because I missed Christopher so I imagined he was there and this is me hugging him . . . . I think it looks like I'm doing some weird dance but at least he knows I was thinking about him.

Birthdays!!!

2008-04-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Christopher turned 25 on March 24 and I turned 23 this weekend and we had a good time on both occasions. Dennis and Kae were here from Iowa and we were with family the whole weekend. I actually got to blow candles out twice, unfortunately I don't think either wish will come true since I failed to blow all the candles out in one breath both times. In my family April is a busy month of birthdays. Abby and my birthdays are 3 days apart well 3 years and 3 days but mine is the 12 and hers is the 15. We were talking about old memories this weekend and she remembered a pretty good story. I always use to tease her and tell her I was older because my birthday came before hers. She would always end up in tears because I would never let her tell me I was wrong. Somehow I always made Abby cry . . . . sorry I was such a mean little sister! I'm glad it was just a phase, Love you! Christopher was so sweet to me on my birthday. He took me out to dinner the night before to my favorite place (outback), and he got me something I told him I wanted just in passing days before, but he remembered, and of course wrote me a birthday poem! I love him for that! Overall it was a good weekend. We had a lot of fun with our families!

Little Jake

2008-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

We have a new Nephew. Angela and Joseph had Jake Dennis Dougherty on March 8. He is so cute and he is getting big so fast. He is one of the biggest 5 week old babies I've ever seen. So maybe the title of this post isn't the most appropriate. We have had a lot of fun with him. This past Sunday He was blessed in church by Joseph. Dennis and Kae made the trip to Michigan to be here and it was so good to see them. They are such devoted parents and grandparents we love them a lot. We are so happy for Angela and Joseph they make a good pair! We are also excited to be getting 3 more nephews this fall! Well maybe 3 nephews . . . for sure we have two boys on the way and then we have a question mark still for the third, but we think its time for a boy in this particular family (right Elizabeth!). No matter what it is we are excited!

Scrapbook Weekend (cousin style)

2008-04-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

So we had our first scrapbook weekend, and needless to say scrap booking was not first on the list by any means!! However, just let me say we did bring some paper and supplies just in case we felt an urge. I know all I wanted to do was play with the babies! I went with my sisters Abby and Emily. We drove to our cousin Alicia's house in Wisconsin , and it was a great weekend. Christopher couldn't come but its probably a good thing because I don't think scrap booking or playing with babies all day is his style. But the Girls that were there had a lot of fun!!! Can't wait for the next one. Thanks Slish!!

Happiness

2008-03-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

It will be one year in May and Christopher and I are doing great! We have had an eventful year with both the good and the bad but we have grown so much and are truly happy with life right now. We are both will be graduating in May, and could not be more excited to be done with school. I will have my BSW and Christopher will have his degree in Spanish. Our plan was to head right on into Dental School for Christopher, but it looks like we might have to be patient and try again next year. Christopher worked hard to get his application ready for dental school over the course of last year and we waited for a long time to hear back from all the schools. He is on a waiting list at Creighton and will find out in May or June. In the mean time an opportunity has opened up in Mississippi where Christopher can work with his brother-in-law for a year while he re-applys. We are grateful for this opportunity and are excited to make it a reality in the case he is not accepted to Creighton. We have been so blessed through this whole waiting process. I know our prayers were answered because even though we were disappointed after hearing "no" time after time from the schools we were able to stay positive. We really felt comfort in knowing that the lord had a plan for us and that if we did our part we would be fine. Christopher and I know that we are on the right path and we are excited to see where it takes us.