Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

Here is a little recap of 2012... granted most of it is the negative, I did end on a positive note!

2012- one word- tough. But we made it. And overall it wasn’t really that bad, but at different times it was extremely tough and I questioned myself and God, a lot. I know I should never question God, but I did and I learned that He has a plan for me and my family and I just have to trust that His plan is the correct plan for me.


The first issue came in May—I have already blogged about the miscarriage that we went through at that point and I thought I would never get over it. I still haven’t gotten over it completely, but I have learned to cope. I still get depressed when I find out someone else I know is expecting, but I also have to realize that I had a successful first pregnancy, did not have any complications due to my diabetes, or any period, and my Janie Ann is healthy and beautiful. I just have to look at her and see how blessed we are whenever I get down and depressed.

The second issue came in October…I did not blog about this yet because it hurt so much—it still does but I have learned, again- His plan, not mine. But it was around October 20th—about 4 days after beginning our workout routine, I was extremely tired, fatigued, nauseated…something that normally does not occur with working out. So went to the store, bought a test and got a positive…. Yes, we were expecting again! Excited? Yes! Nervous—oh, boy YES! With the previous pregnancy it was tubal- therefore I had pain in my left side (which was sympathy pains because the tubal was on the right side). Anyways, I called and set up an appointment to see my doctor the following Thursday. Of course, I was panicked and very aware of any pains that my body had. Well, it was a Friday night and I started having pains in my left side. I stayed in bed all weekend and had an appointment with Dr. Marino on Monday to be checked out. They did a bed-side US and the only thing he saw was a cyst on my left ovary-- he thought it was approximately 2-4 MM, they did blood work and my HcG Level was around 250. So, I had an appointment to come back that following Wednesday- with the US tech and more lab work. The US tech noticed the cyst and said it was approximately the size of a grapefruit (9CM)- MUCH larger than earlier stated!! So, more blood work- levels increased to 340. They did not double as they should have, but they did rise. Let me say- this was the most difficult part. One nurse would tell me I was having a miscarriage, the next was very positive and it was just a slow start to pregnancy… this went on for 2 weeks. 2 weeks of pure torture. It was awful… miscarriage, pregnant, miscarriage, pregnant…. For 2 weeks. So anyways- Dr. Marino finally called me himself after my 3rd round of blood work and informed me that I was having another miscarriage. I was outside the AJHS cafe and I attempted to hold it together through the last 3 minutes of lunch. I got back to my classroom and lost it. Yes, I had students in there—who were all clueless, but it was the hardest and quietest that they have ever worked! So I went in to see him the following Tuesday (he called on a Friday) and because of the large cyst, he did not want it to burst because that would cause extreme pain, so we decided to go ahead and have surgery to get it removed. I was set up for surgery the following Tuesday (we are now in November), which is the day after Veteran’s day. Now- during all of this we celebrated Janie Ann’s 3rd birthday- I will have a blog dedicated just to her!  So, I was set up for surgery and went that morning- cried a few times because this was it. Along with removing the cyst he was going to do a DNC to make sure that everything was cleared out… maybe TMI?? Sorry! Anyways, got out of surgery and found out that there were actually 2 cyst- one on the tube and one on the ovary- both extremely large. They are both gone…hopefully for good! But needless to say, it will be an EXTREMELY long time before we attempt to get pregnant again, if ever. This is one of those times that I have to trust Him and not push what I want. Do I still have difficulty when people post on FB that they are pregnant? Yes. Have I cried? Yes. Do I get angry? Yes. Has Seth been extremely helpful and a good listener? Yes! Is he tired of my crying and being depressed at random times? I’m sure he is! Anyways- it’s now 2013 and we are moving forward—at times it will be extremely hard and I’m already preparing myself for the future “baby boom” of my friends and family (NO ONE IS CURRENTLY PREGNANT in my family, but I know it is coming). I still have not been able to attend Baby dedication at our church and it is something that I have been praying about, hard.

Anyways- the third thing is my grandfather getting sick and being in the hospital for about a week and then being placed in a 21-day rehab program at Chapman’s nursing home. Thankfully he did get better and is now back at home and doing great! :) So- one positive, right?!?!

The last thing that made 2012 extremely tough was on December 31, 2012; that morning Seth came and told me that my sweet Cadillac was no longer with us. :)Cadillac came into our family in the fall of 2004 as a sweet little puppy and he quickly took his spot in our family. He was 9 years old and we have no idea what happened to him. Janie Ann was a little sad at first, but because he was never an inside dog she only played with him when we went outside. She has requested that we get a dog inside…which I hope we can do later this year.

Along with the bad stuff- we had an overall great year! I know that it seems like all I have done is complain about how awful this year has been, but honestly we were able to celebrate many birthdays- my grandfather turned 91, Seth and I celebrated another year of marriage- 6 years, we both celebrated birthdays and Janie Ann has grown so much. She started her first year of preschool and she LOVES everything about it! She is still staying with Memaw 2 days a week and going to preschool 3. My dad is still able to take her every morning- which is a wonderful blessing for everyone! Seth and I started our 7th year of teaching, only 18 more years before retirement! :) I’m looking forward to 2013 and everything it has to offer! I’m going to start working out, taking more pictures and updating the blog more! I have enjoyed being able to go back and look at things from years past and I regret not posting more!!

Here’s to 2013!

October Birthday Girls!

Today all the girls went to Mix It Up in Dadeville, AL to celebrate the October girl's! Clark Madison was born on October 18, 2006. Harper Baylee was born on October 21, 2008, Janie Ann was born October 30, 2009! Georgia just joined us because she was the only girl not born in October! :) It was a lot of fun and we will definitely be going back for more celebrations!!

 Janie Ann and her Aunt Neena- her mini-me!

 Clark was the pumpkin princess and Janie Ann was a butterfly!

Everyone had a great time!!! I still can't believe Janie Ann is going to turn 3!

Happy Birthday my October girls! I LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!!

Can we say slacker??

So, I made a promise that I would update the blog weekly and I failed. I'm sorry to my readers (if I have any!) With the start of school and football season, along with Janie Ann's weekly dance lessons, time spent on the computer has decreased and time spent in the road has increased!! I am loving life right now, though and would not change it for the world! Janie Ann has learned so much in her little time at school and she is constantly amazing me and what she knows. She will be turning 3 soon-- too soon! We are beginning to play her birthday party which she has chosen the theme of "pretty in pink". Little does she know that she will be getting a bounce house to play on for her birthday party, but that we will also have to return it when the party is over! I'm so excited to see her face when we set it up!! She has also been asking to get her ears pierced for about the last week. Her older cousin, Harper, got hers pierced around July and Janie Ann has been wanting them pierced and so we went once and she backed out... now she is asking again and I'm thinking her daddy is not wanting it just yet! I can't decide if I want them pierced or not... I was very little (maybe 6 months??) and while I think that is too young, I'm not sure of the 'perfect' age to get your ears pierced. Any thoughts on this moms or dads?

Anyways- here are a few pictures of last weekend! We started out Saturday by tailgating for the AU vs. LSU game! It was a wonderful game and while we did not win- those boys gave it all they had and for us to almost beat the #2 team, I was very proud! And sadly, this is the only picture I have on my camera from the tailgate and we weren't even at the tailgate spot yet! But she has on a cute AU outfit made by Mrs. Debora Hunter or Gammie! :)

 On Sunday we went with the church to little petting zoo in Clay County, AL. It was pretty nice little area- perfect for toddlers! Janie Ann was able to ride a pony and then a big horse and to say that she loved it was an understatement! She now has her heart set on getting a horse.... we shall see!

 Hay ride with my nieces and Janie Ann (minus Georgia!).

 She did not want her mommy or daddy walking with her- she wanted to do it all by herself!



WAR EAGLE!!!

We are ONE WEEK away from College Football kick-off!!! Needless to say, after a wonderful summer break and starting back to school I'm ready for Saturday's on the Plains! Seth and I have been purchasing season tickets for about 7 years now and starting 4 years ago, when I was pregnant, we started purchasing 3 tickets so that Janie Ann would be able to go with us. Here are the pictures of her with her tickets every year! It is crazy how much she changes from year to year! NO- she has not had a hair cut!!

WAR EAGLE!! 

More pictures from NYC

Here are a few more pictures from our time in NYC!

Times Square

If you can't tell...NYC was under an air quality alert while we were visiting.

The memorial fountain where one of the towers once stood. There are two of these to represent the North and South Towers. Around the fountain are the names of the people who were in the specific building that lost their life. When you touch the names in the summer it is cool to the touch and when you touch them in the winter they are warm- it was beautiful.

The Survivor Tree

This was the only tree that survived the attack- it was saved and kept alive

and it is now the only tree of this type in the memorial gardens.

In the 9-11 Memorial gift shop, the Flag of Honor with

every ones name that lost their life on that day.

Brooklyn Bridge

New York City!!

Seth and I were lucky enough to be able to visit New York City 10 years ago after high school graduation with our mother's. We saw and did a lot then.... 10 years later we were lucky enough to be able to visit NYC again with the Whiteard's! We had a BLAST!!! I'm not going to lie- I was scared. The last time we went to the big city we had our mom's to protect us and make sure we were where we needed to be, when we needed to be there and tell us how to get there! This time we were responsible for getting ourselves around the town! Thank goodness for smart phones and free Trip Advisor Apps, we survived and had a wonderful trip! We packed so much into our short time in NYC. We arrived on Thursday afternoon and had a limo at the airport waiting on us! It was a wonderful ride to our hotel, which was a block from Time's Square! We dropped off our luggage at the hotel and hit the streets, walking! I honestly can't remember what we did first, but I do know that we ate dinner at Carmine's Italian restaurant. It is a family-style dining that was absolutely wonderful! I would have eaten there for every meal! We ordered Chicken Parmesan and because it is family style, we only ordered one meal and then split the dessert. Carmine's was just around the corner from Time's Square and we only had to wait about 10 minutes! We also took a walk through Central Park and actually walked approx. 10 blocks, one way, to the Natural Museum of History...which was closed. Therefore, we turned around and walked back through Central Park. We passed Tavern on the Green, it is currently closed but had a sign stating they would be reopening in the spring of 2013. We continued walking back and stopped to watch a personal soccer coach helping a little boy, a softball game and 2 different games of kickball. We then returned to Time's Square and we visited different stores including the HUGE Toys R Us and Forever 21! I can't remember if we ate at Roxy's Thursday or Friday night, but we did stop one night and enjoy a wonderful piece of cheesecake! It would melt in your mouth- delicious!

Friday morning we woke up and had places to be! We purchased the Double-Decker bus tour tickets because we, Rachel and I, thought it would be a wonderful way to get around town (hoping for no taxi fees) and learn more about the City. So, we picked up our tickets and loaded the bus! We rode until we reached Battery Park, which is the area where you can get onto Miss New York and go visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We had about 2 hours before we had to be back at the World Trade Center/Freedom Tower/9-11 Memorial visiting area. We didn't spend too much time at either location, but they were doing a lot of construction on/around Lady Liberty and you were not able to go up her. So, we walked around the entire base and then loaded to go visit Ellis Island. I did wish we had more time to spend at Ellis Island, but we quickly went through the museum and ran back out to catch the boat back to Battery Park! We walked from Battery Park back to the Finical District where the 9-11 Memorial is located. There is a huge line/security area that you must go through before entering into the memorial area, but it went by quickly. Once I entered the memorial I instantly had an overwhelming feeling that felt very surreal. Seth and I saw the huge hole in the ground approx. 9 months after the attack, we saw all the rubble and flags, prayer ropes, signs, etc. Nothing was there- it was so peaceful there. The huge waterfalls were beautiful with every one's name around that had lost their life in the attack. I felt like I could have cried and I'm pretty sure I had a tear or two fall down my cheek. As I was the first time we visited, I was trying to imagine the chaos that was happening after the attacks and I also thanked God that my family was not effected. From the memorial park you exit through a gift shop. While the gift shop was PACKED with people, you would never know because it was so quiet- everyone paying respect to those that lost their lives. After we left the memorial we ate lunch and began walking again... we walked to Wall Street and went through Tiffany's, saw one of the Trump Towers and then headed towards the Brooklyn Bridge. At this point we were all pretty exhausted, but we wanted to cross the Brooklyn Bridge- and we did!! We might have purchased some $1 waters from random guys with white coolers, and they might have been the best thing we purchased on the trip, we might have all been complaining a little bit about being so tired, but we did it! After that we walked back to a bus stop and took the longest bus tour ride ever back to Time's Square! We then went in and rested for approximately 40 minutes before heading to the Yankee Stadium! That night we rode the Subway, and survived, to Yankee stadium to watch them play in the new stadium! After the game we rode back and wondered around Times Square some more! Then we rested for another busy day! We woke up Saturday morning and started off by going to the Natural Museum of History and then a taxi ride to Macy's! Macy's is an AMAZING store! We rode on some of the original wooden escalators and visited the Children's clothing that was located on the 7th floor!! We then wondered around the city- walked around NBC Studios, FOX News, etc. We ate some wonderful pizza for lunch and continued just walking around. Saturday night we were able to see "WICKED" on Broadway- A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! No other way to describe it! I loved every minute! I was scared that I would be so exhausted that there would be a lull in the play and I would be out! I'm so glad I was wrong! It was a wonderful play and I would definitely go watch it again. Although "The Lion King" is still my favorite- "WICKED" is #2 and then "42nd Street" is my 3rd. After the play we once again wondered around Times Square- picked up some more make-up for Janie Ann and headed back to the hotel to pack for flight home!

The Statue of Liberty

 Seth at Ellis Island

 The Clark's and Whiteard's in the 9-11 Memorial Park

 The Brooklyn Bridge

The Museum of Natural History

We had a wonderful, quick, exhausting trip and while I loved every minute of the city that never sleeps, I sure was happy to get back to my little home in Daviston! I definitely want to go back, but I will be good for another 10 years! :) Janie Ann will be old enough to go back with us, then! I definitely could not handle taking her to that city- WAY too busy for me and baby!!

*Also, totally random side note, but a co-worker and I have decided to keep each other accountable for updating the blog. SO every weekend we will each be posting a new blog. So no more long breaks between updates! Up next- Auburn football!*

Where has the time gone?

We started out the summer with so much to do and now we reaching the end of the summer with our last trip coming up in 2 days and I'm wondering where in the world did the time go??? I have enjoyed every minute of my summer break and I'm not ready for it to end- at all! While we did have a lot of trips planned and I was excited to go on each one, I did not wish my time between the trips away because with each trip we went on, the closer to the end of summer we were getting!! We went to the beach twice, my mom came in for a week long visit and we spent most of that time at the lake, and on Thursday we leave for NYC! With that....school starts in 2 weeks. :( Which also means my baby girl will be going to preschool 3 days a week and starting dance on August 14th! She will be taking ballet and tap- I didn't think she would be old enough to even care about it, but boy was I wrong! She is SO excited about preschool and dance she doesn't know what to do! She talks about it constantly and can't wait. We had to register for dance yesterday and she was so excited to try on tap and ballet shoes and was upset when we left without her getting to dance! So, needless to say this is going to be a hard school year to begin with and everyone at AJHS I would like to apologize ahead of time for being emotional- ha!

Here are a few random pictures from our summer adventures!

 Family picture at Mexico Beach- the only one all summer!

 Janie Ann and Hudson- I'm not sure what I'm going to do when school starts back and I don't get to see this little boy all the time!!!

 Janie Ann and her cousins tubing! Clark and Georgia's first time tubing- Janie Ann's second! They all LOVED it! Clark told me, "Thanks Aunt Tippy for taking us tubing- this has been the best day ever!" (Of course, that was before her trip to Six Flags!! HA!)

I LOVE this picture- Janie Ann and her Daddy flying a kite at Mexico Beach!

In other fun news- Janie Ann can now swim from one side of the pool to the other with out her life jacket! She has truly done a great job swimming this summer and I can't wait to spend Saturday's at the pool once school begins!