The Band Adventures

Where did the time go

2010-09-19T14:46:00.001-04:00

Yikes! Someone is gonna take away my blogging rights if I don't get on here soon, huh? I never intended to get so behind!!

Well, first things first!!! In case you missed it... Our little family is expanding! Yup! Looks like the "Cortlyn Adventures" will be getting a new name here soon. We were caught by surprise, but are very excited about our April addition to the family! So, for now, we'll call the baby The Bean and just pray that everything goes smoothly! Cortlyn wants a baby sister- and she doesn't fall for any tricks! She knows she wants a girl. I'm sure she will be a super big sister!

Football is in full swing at USM! Cortlyn and I enjoyed a WONDERFUL game last week. Even going to the top of the stadium to watch the band at halftime. It was great! This past game was on TV and on a friday night. That didn't work for the Prego and Tired Christen, so Cortlyn and I stayed home. :( BUT in two weeks, one of my best friends Stephanie will be here and we'll leave the girls with a sitter and enjoy the game together! Cannot wait! Cortlyn is looking forward to "Sepony and Anyah" coming to the house!

Hopefully, I'll be able to get on here more often. I've been a little preoccupied planning our family trip to Disney World in December and now with the new Bean, I've just not gotten on here as much! I promise to try to get on and post more often!!!

Ready for some Football!

2010-08-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

So, we are gearing up for another GREAT year of Southern Miss Golden Eagles Football! Woohoo! This year, Cortlyn and I are officially members of the PRIDE of Mississippi Marching Band. Doesn't she look professional? Well, defiantly look cute, right?

I really do enjoy the football season! And I'm sure that this season will be just as great as last year. Corey is having a great year with the GA's so far and things are running so smoothly. We are on the downhill slide of this DMA thing. Hopefully, we will be settling in back in the Atlanta area in a year??? Who knows. The fact is, we are open to going where God opens the door. We're hearing good things about openings across the country, so as always, we will be praying and keeping a good eye on the ATL.

My work is going really well, and in fact, I'm starting to work in a different department with more responsibility this week. I'm very excited after talking to the director of my dept. I am grateful for a job and training in the medical field. I really have enjoyed working in Nephrology, but I'm looking forward to a more challenging department.

Joining "Wear a Dress Tuesday"

2010-07-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

So, I like to read what my friends read out here on the Internet. I mean, some of the BEST blogs I read are gems that I stumbled on! So, every once in a while I check out the people who follow this blog and see what they (YOU) are reading!

My SIL/friend has been blogging and reading blogs for a long time and I joined her in this Internet world several years ago. When I was active on Xanga, many of her blogging friends became MY blogging friends. She has really good taste in what to read! So, when I saw she was following a blog called The Strength of Faith, I knew it had to be good.

I read through some of the blogs about a young woman who is working as a Chaplain Intern at a trauma center in Atlanta. Wow. What an amazing job. Then I noticed this button on the side of her page, and I clicked it and it took me here to explain her movement to encourage women to wear a dress on Tuesdays. What an idea! Really? Yup. I am ALL over this. I immediately passed the link to one of my best friends who has really been struggling over the last year and I said we HAD to do this. You know what? It didn't change the world... it didn't bring me more money... it didn't make me popular. But it did ONE thing. It lifted MY spirits and I knew that there were other women who needed encouragement and strength that were all joining together for Wear a Dress Tuesdays. My best friend here at my new job in Southern Mississippi just HAPPENED to wear a dress last Tuesday, and when I shared the idea with her, she jumped in- she has an all or nothing attitude that I LOVE. Our daughters are in dresses, we are in dresses and we are telling all the women that we work with- ITS WEAR A DRESS TUESDAY! (Yes... later I will post a picture....)

I think its a wonderful thing! And if you can't wear a dress due to your work requirements, then wear one AFTER work. You will be glad you did!

Proper Mommy attire.

2010-07-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

This post is going to take away from the usually blogs about our wonderful Superstar Cortlyn, and be a little more personal. I'm hoping to sprinkle the musing about our family life with some other stories from my day to day life.

Today, we will again return to the water and to the swim lessons. As I said before, Cortlyn has been taking Mommy and Me swim lessons and there were two other Mommy and Me Couples. T & K's mommies were nice women and our daughters were close to the same age.

Now, you have to understand. I'm living in a little Deniallandtopia. I have gained a few pounds since moving to Southern Mississippi. I credit that to Cortlyn weaning and from being slightly depressed about leaving all of my friends behind in Georgia- but mostly, I think that my clothes all shrunk in this Mississippi water. Therefore, I'd like to think that the fact that my pants no longer fit is because they have shrank and not that I have actually eaten too many burgers... or nachos... or ice cream. I know I'm out of shape, but I like to pretend that I'm still the same girl I was a year ago. And I'd like to be able to BE that girl without having to diet or exercise. Thankyouverymuch!

Back to our story. The first two days of the class, all three of the mommies wore tankini's. I felt confident standing next to these women, because, well, in Deniallandtopia, we all looked the same. Until day three. On day three, K's mommy wore a two piece that while not a bikini, was showing more of her mid drift than I was. So, I might have been a teeny tiny bit jealous. I mean, she had no noticeable stretch marks. And *I* had no stretch marks until my daughter decided to be stubborn and late. She didn't have a 6 pack, but her ab muscles were definitely there. I'm not sure if I have ab muscles anymore. I do have a nice cushion to hide them though- I see it as protection if nothing else. Pretty much, I wanted to poke her in the eye. And you know what's worse?? She's a really really nice young mom that I would love to hang out with.

So, I have decided that Mommy and Me classes should have a dress code of a MuMu. MuMus should be worn to protect the fragile self mirror image in another mommy's head. You think about this, while I sit here and eat my lunch and contemplate my dinner and dessert for the evening.

Water Fun

2010-07-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

This week was Cortlyn's first swim lessons! The child loves the water, so we thought we better stay ahead of the game and get her in some lessons!

We are in a Mommy and me class and there are two other mommy and daughters. Cortlyn has done great this week. We have worked on floating, kicking and jumping in the water. Cortlyn was ahead of the game as far as jumping in and going under water. The other little girls don't like to get their face wet- but not Cortlyn! If you have ever been with us when we are near water, then you know how much fun Cortlyn has going under the water! She jumps in without hesitation... but more on that in a minute.

Cortlyn's weakness in the lessons this week had been floating on her back. She did NOT like that at all. Which I understand. I remember when I was little and trying to learn to float on my back. Its hard to believe that keeping your head back will make you float better- I mean you can't SEE anything that way! Cortlyn did finally get the hang of it, and I barely had to hold her booty or head... yay! Kicking has been pretty decent, sometimes she's really into it and sometimes she's not so much.

On Thursday, we were waiting for the instructor to tell us to get in the water so we could start the lessons. Cortlyn was standing RIGHT next to me and kept asking to get in the water. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a splash- yup. Cortlyn had jumped into the water by herself. I was so scared, but calmly jumped in and grabbed her. She came to the surface smiling and I had to get on to her. I had a hard time with that. It was really the first time that I was happy she was okay, yet knew I had to discipline her for her action. We got out of the water and I told her how sad (an emotion I know that she understands) and scared (one that I don't think we've quite gotten down yet) Mommy was when Cortlyn jumped into the water by herself. I told her that she is NEVER allowed to jump into the water unless Mommy is there to catch her. I also made her sit in time out, against the wall near the pool while the instructor started the lesson. I only did this for a minute- I AM paying for these lessons after all! Anyway, she told me and the instructor that she was sorry and she was very good for the rest of the lesson. Hopefully this will teach her to be more cautious around the water now!

Crazy Summer

2010-07-11T08:19:00.000-04:00

Wow. Its been a year! We have survived our first year here in Hattiesburg! We are excited for the future and are on the downhill slope. The chances for Corey getting a great job next year seem pretty good, we already know of several openings in different states for the 2011 school year and we are sure that more will open up. We have a lot to consider as we gear up for finding a job! Of course, our first choice would be to end up back in the North Georgia area, but we are NOT being closed minded! If God opens doors in Texas, Florida or Arizona, that's where we will go!

On Father's day we ended up going to a local lake park. Nothing like Lake Lanier, but it was a blast. Cortlyn enjoyed swimming and playing in the sand and the adults got to go out on some jet ski's! Cortlyn got to go out in a tube for the first time. which was scary and fun at the same time. Of course, Mommy rode with her, but she seemed to have a good time!

We've been so busy lately! For the Fourth, we traveled to Birmingham to see our friends Stephanie, Scotlon & Alaina. It was a perfect time to rest and hang out! I would post pictures, but because I aim low, I left my camera! Stephanie is suppose to be mailing it to me... at some point!

Cortlyn is officially big enough to be turned around to forward facing. While the "law" says they can be turned at one year and 20 pounds, research shows that staying rear-facing to the limits of the car-seat is the safest! Cortlyn actually was sort of shocked when we turned her in our car. She is a tall little girl, with short legs (like her momma!) and we have her in the tallest carseat shell we can afford. She's growing up so fast!
Football/Marching season is quickly approaching. Just thinking about the football games and the excitement of the pre-game festivities makes me want to wear my Gold and black!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T08:49:00.001-04:00

What a cute photo shoot! Cortlyn was happy to show off the letters over at USM for her daddy! She was such a ham! Our friend Julie came and took the pictures with her nice camera and as soon as my little model saw the camera she was posing! Of course, keeping it a secret from Daddy required some skills- luckily I can pull off a pleasant surprise!

Cortlyn turns two...

2010-06-05T20:29:00.000-04:00

Cortlyn's birthday party was a small affair this year. We figured that at two, she wouldn't remember the party, but wanted to celebrate it with our friends here in Hattiesburg. But apparently, most of the people IN Hattiesburg had plans for May 22nd, but that's okay. We enjoyed the small turn out.
Cortlyn's best friend is Stella. Stella is just a month older than Cort, but she's a little smaller than Cort. Stella's mom & I work together and we are always getting the girls together, and the really love each other. As you can see, they were happy to see each other!

Cortlyn was also joined by Caleb and the kids enjoyed some fruit, Capri sun's & got to decorate their own cupcakes. They had such a fun time with the sprinkles and the cupcakes, I must say tasted SOO good!

Cortlyn enjoyed opening her presents and she got a lot of fun books, puzzles and a special Birthday Barbie from Corey & me.
Cortlyn and Stella had a blast playing with the balloons after the party and one got away... look at how cute they are as they run after the balloon!

I Love you TOO, Momma!

2010-05-25T08:37:00.000-04:00

I have decided that having a little person running around my house is a lesson in English at all times. Cortlyn has her own little language, sprinkled in with actual words. Lately, her favorite word is "too." She is using it in the right context so its amazing that she's catching on to the meanings of words. In the morning this is how a conversation will most likely go:

"I wake! Daddy wake TOOOO!"
"I wake! Peyton wake TOOOO!"
"Barbie wake! I wake TOOOO!"

You can tell she is super proud of using this word correctly, by the way she drags it out! Of course, there are dozens of other words she uses correctly, but this word isn't something I can point to on a flashcard to explain. So, I think she's a genius, don't you?

We had Cortlyn's birthday party this past Saturday, but I can't upload pictures here at work to blogspot for some reason. She had a blast. I'd hate to write a blog about her birthday without pictues! :)

Living by the seat of our pants!

2010-05-08T23:17:00.000-04:00

Well, last night, Corey looks at me and says "What do you want to do for Mother's Day?" I thought about it for a minute and said "Why don't we go to the beach?" With the oil spill in the Gulf, the time to go enjoy the beach could be significantly shortened this summer. So, why not? We're close to the beach- lets do it!

Cortlyn LOVED the beach. When we told her this morning we were going, she got so excited! She was ready to be there!! We put in the Car-Ride-Helper (That good old Mary Poppins!) and headed to Pensacola. We have been there before so we knew what to expect as far as the parking/showering. It made the most sense to go with what we know!

Enjoy the picture overload!!!

Adventures in Discipline

2010-04-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We've been a little busy and my camera isn't working well (probably thanks to a toddler that wants to try and take pictures herself), so we don't have any pictures to post. But, I know you will enjoy this story from this morning.

Cortlyn had been playing in the cabinets in the kitchen while Corey and I were busy cleaning up the house. She had picked up a stack of lids and thrown them on the floor and then wanted to play with the football. I asked Cortlyn to pick up the lids and put them up before she played with the ball. She said "No way!" which is her new favorite phrase. I asked her again to pick up the lids and the said no way again. So, we took the football away from her and set it on the counter top- out of reach, but where she could see it. she begged for the football, while stepping on the lids that she refused to pick up. We tried everything, and Corey brought out his stadium cushion out that is our naughty spot (Thank you Nanny Jo!) and sat Cortlyn on the cushion. Well... she said "No way! I don't wanna sit there!" and moved 3 inches away from the cushion, right next to it with her arms crossed. So, Corey and I took turns for the next few minutes sitting her back on the cushion with her crying and moving everytime. Finally, I bent down and said "Cortlyn, I want you to pick up the lids on the floor" and her face lit up and she enthusiastically said "Okay!" and rushed to put the lids away. Then, we offered her the football and she shook her head and marched over and happily sat down. On the naughty spot cushion.

Really???????

Introducing...

2010-04-05T20:39:00.000-04:00

We finally broke down and decided to get a Puppy! I am positive we have absolutely lost our minds, but now that we're settled in Hattiesburg we felt like we might be ready for this huge undertaking! We knew a family that had a dog that was pregnant with Chorkies (A Yorkie and Chihuahua mix) and we talked about it on and off about getting one. We finally decided we should do it. Hopefully this isn't a huge mistake- I mean, potty training Cortlyn AND a dog?!?!? But, our sitter said she would actually help and take him some, so he won't be locked up in the house all day every day.

Here's Peyton!!! And then, of course, here is the one good shot we got of Cortlyn in her Easter Dress! She wasn't interested in having her picture taken on Sunday!

Hubfest and a Win!

2010-04-02T20:52:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was Hubfest and it was SOOO much fun! If there is one thing we have grown to love about Hattiesburg, is the activities that the city plans for the community! Its great to live in a town that host community events so often. Hubfest is pretty much just a spring celebration where vendors have tents set up and they have a kiddie area.

Cortlyn got her first taste of a Mugshots burger. MAN those are SUPER good! They are huge and just the best burger you have ever tasted! Mommy and Cortlyn shared a burger, and Cortlyn wanted to show it off... and so did Daddy!

In the kiddie area, they set up coloring stations for the kids. Cortlyn thought that was super cool!

Waiting in line for the bouncy house!

And here is Cort getting ready for her audition for Stomp!

We also had a HUGE success this week for Homes of Hope for Children!!! They are the unofficial winners of the grant for $250,000!!! That means they will finish the girls cottage (and lets be clear- this cottage is a BEAUTIFUL home!) and Commissary as well as furnish the home! All while continuing to be debt free! This means, that there will be seven girls living on campus this summer hopefully in time for school to start! Praise God!

Beach Time!

2010-03-21T11:34:00.000-04:00

It was bound to happen, and now it has! We have a beach bunny on our hands! Cheryl and Emily were in Pensacola for a volleyball tournament and we went to go watch Emily kick some hieny and then tagged along with the Volleyball girls to Pensacola Beach.

It was warm, but VERY windy! If the wind hadn't been so bad, it would have been a perfect day at the beach. I was very glad that I brought some knit capri's for myself! Cortlyn thoroughly enjoyed playing in the sand! This is where she proved that she isn't my kid! She was pouring the sand on her arms and rubbing it in her hair- She LOVED the sand! Bring it on!

She was very excited about the water too! When she saw the water she was ready to get in there! So, Cortlyn and Daddy headed towards the water! Of course, we knew it was freezing, but how could we keep her out of the water? And this wasn't a bath- she wasn't slowing down on her way towards it!

She had no problem being in the cold water! She was not happy when we took her out! Crazy girl... I see a lot of sand in my future!

So excited!

2010-03-18T20:29:00.000-04:00

So, we have begun potty training around here! We are letting Cortlyn guide us, and trying not to push it. She has started asking to sit on the potty, and we are more than willing to let her sit. And Sit. And Sit. Get the picture?

The other morning, she said she needed to sit on the potty. So, Corey took her in her bathroom and TA-DA! She peed on the potty! She was sooo excited! She came running in our bathroom, where I was getting ready for work and said "I peepee!!" and I was sooo excited. Daddy was excited! We put on her big girl training pants and she was so excited- that she peed in them too! Well, we're getting there! She is asking to sit and that's okay with us! We'll get there sooner or later, right?

I have to ask again, for your help with my friends at Homes of Hope! The voting goes on all month long. We have been in first place for over a week and then today, we were down to second place. The group that is in first now came out of NOWHERE! I hadn't even seen them in the top 5 before today. Please share with friends and co-workers, use every email address you have! Currently, I am voting 6 times a day! That's a lot of votes, but I truly believe in this organization and their ministry! They have a heart and passion for what they are doing!

Homes of Hope for Children

2010-03-04T21:28:00.000-05:00

Shelley and Addy came to visit along with the Belmont Softball team (ok, ok- the girls on the team were here to play softball & Shelley tagged along with them). While they were in town, we went with our friends Michael & Julie Garrett to the Homes of Hope for Children campus. In the picture, you can see the building that is housing the offices and the house parents (And actually, the house parents are almost cut off in our picture there!). This is going to be an AMAZING ministry to the children of southern Mississippi. They are currently trying to win a grant from Pepsi for $250,000. If they win this money, they WILL open DEBTFREE this summer! Please visit the website to see more about their incredible vision and vote daily in the month of March for Homes of Hope for Children. I'd love to be a small part in helping them change the lives of 7 young girls this summer!

Girls Night

2010-02-27T07:48:00.000-05:00

Last night was a Girls Night for Cortlyn and I. I had invited a co-worker to come over, with her daughter who is about a month older than Cortlyn. I had no batteries for my camera, and I don't know how to transfer photos to computers- that is Corey's sort of thing!

Megan and Stella arrived and Cortlyn immediately hugged Stella. After about 5 minutes of being here, Cortlyn was saying "Stehlla" and they were having a very good time! They were so excited to play with each other, although, Stella had to figure out what this place was before she really got down to business! We had a cheesy pasta for dinner and then for dessert, Megan brought stuff to make strawberry short cake! YUM! We let the girls help with their whipped cream which was SOOO much fun! Cortlyn first took the tiniest little scoop and wanted to eat it. I grabbed her hand and showed her how to get a scoop of the cream and place it in her half of the little cake. Then, the four of us proceeded to eat the whole package of fresh strawberries! They were really good. We hung out and played with the girls and they even cleaned up some of their mess- of course, they IMMEDIATELY messed it up again, but we're looking at the positives here!

We knew the night was over, when they started arguing over toys when they each had a similar item. We decided that meant it was time for jammies and for Meg & Stel to go home. Cortlyn was very upset to see her new friend leave and screamed for about 2 minutes after I put her in the crib. And then she was OUT for the night. Silly girl!

Today will be spent (Hopefully!) at USM watching the Women's softball tourney! Shelley & Addy are in town, since Addy's daddy is the coach for the Belmont softball team. Julie, Micheal & Caleb will be there as well so it should be a lot of fun! I'm hoping for nice weather, although the forecast said 60% chance of rain. BOO! I'm tired of this crazy weather! We had SNOW FLURRIES again this week. SNOW FLURRIES!!!!!! Is the cold weather following me? I really think it was snowed more here in Mississippi then it did in GA last year! Sigh.

So Proud!

2010-02-18T22:24:00.000-05:00

Cortlyn is just getting bigger and bigger. I can't believe that this little girl was beginning to pull up on everything this time last year! Its amazing that she runs around the house and chases after us to tickle mommy or runs to hug her daddy. Her hair is finally starting to grow, but man it has the weirdest pattern. I'm sorry baby girl- that would be something you inherited from me!

She's getting very interested in putting on her own clothes. However, this new "talent" is still a work in progress. Shirts become skirts and shoes on the wrong feet. But she is proud of what she's doing! She recently found a pair of our socks and successfully put them on and was running around the house with her latest fashion statement! Mommy's little trendsetter!

Our sitter has been working with her own daughter preparing for preschool with flashcards of letters and numbers. Cortlyn is always close by in the highchair and while they are doing their lessons, Nita includes Cortlyn in all of their studies. This week, Cortlyn counted to 8 using the flashcards with Nita. I feel so blessed to have found such a wonderful woman to care for my daughter. It broke my heart to leave Stephanie *MiMi* behind in Georgia (and this is a different Steph from the one we are seeing this weekend!). I'm glad that we were able to find Nita just in the nick of time!

Cortlyn and I are excited to be headed to Birmingham, AL this weekend to spend some time with Stephanie and Alaina. Steph's family lives there and have allowed us to crash there so we can get the girls together! Cortlyn loves her An-yah! And we have the DVD player ready with Poppins ready to play. Corey will be home focusing on a Paper, Project and Test that he has next week. My hard working student is doing so well down here in school. I'm proud of how hard he is working! We are a pretty good team, if I say so myself. We have found a routine that works for us and we are seeing that light at the end of the tunnel beginning to shine ever-so-softly!

Oh, it's a lovely holiday with Mary...

2010-02-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

So, we have found the movie that leaves Cortlyn spellbound. And I, for one, couldn't be more happy about what movie she has chosen to be her favorite movie. Its Mary Poppins- which is a childhood favorite of mine! I have always enjoyed watching the movie with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. I have already decided that when she is older, we will read the books together. It's something I always wanted to do- I remember my cousin telling me about reading them when she was a child, but of all the books I read growing up, I missed the Mary Poppins series.

We haven't actually hooked up the DVD player to the TV in the living room, so the only way that she can watch the movie is on the portable player we bought for the car. Which for now, is just fine. She has watched it while on long car trips, but she found the case for the movie and flipped out, saying PEEZ! repeatedly while pointing and shaking the case. I had no idea that she would even know what the movie was by just the case. I'm so happy that she enjoys this movie so much!

They are calling for snow in Hattiesburg AGAIN! I tell ya, I really didn't think I'd see this much cold weather, especially after the LONG hot summer! People here say that this rarely happens, but I have a feeling the weather wants to follow me here, because it knows I don't like being cold! Bah!

Cortlyn also got her first taste of a coastal tradition! A Mardi Gras King Cake! It was VERY tasty and she enjoyed her little bite.

Just an update!

2010-01-30T23:14:00.000-05:00

Things have been quiet yet busy around the Southern most Francis household! We've been enjoying the bipolar weather, with a trip to the playground last weekend and bundling up in the puffy jacket this weekend! Crazy. I really thought the weather in Georgia was crazy, but I believe that Southern Mississippi has the corner on that now!!!

Cortlyn is getting more vocal everyday. We're struggling some with her extremely good manners. "Peez!!" is said several times in a row on a daily basis, yet we have no clue what she is wanting when she says it! We're getting better, but we are hoping that she figures out some other words to help Mommy & Daddy out here!

We've got a busy spring ahead for us. Corey's school schedule is full of concerts, events and recitals (well... they haven't quite made it all on the books yet- but he is trying to schedule them!). We're trying to enjoy as much family time right now as possible! We've been cooking dinners at home a LOT and sitting down at the table together. I know that this won't always be possible, but I do love it!

We made it out to Target today with the sole purpose of purchasing shoes (Can someone tell my kid to STOP growing??? We're going to go broke here!!). Of course, the shoes are past the dollar spot and really- who can resist a stop at the Dollar Spot? I searched to see what we needed (a new spoon for the kitchen, a counting book for Cortlyn) and then I saw some silcone cupcake holders! I had already decided with Cortlyn's newest interest in helping and how much fun she had with cookies for Santa, that for her birthday, we'd be decorating cupcakes as the cake AND game! Well, these cupcake holders are colorful and come in different shapes. I got flowers and butterflies! I'm so excited! Strange that cupcake holders would make me so happy, but I'm a mom- isn't that what we do? I also happened to see some sprinkles that were pink and red for Valentine's Day! So, I grabbed those too! I'm thinking I'll have to check back, because they may have some green and gold sprinkles at St Paddy's day and pastles at Easter if I'm lucky! :) We'll be ready for lots of cupcake decorating by the time May rolls around! Oh, and in case you were worried, we DID end up buying some shoes for the girl! She's now comfy in her size 6 shoes.

Our Little helper!

2010-01-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

We have a budding chef on our hands! Cortlyn has become quite excited about helping make dinner or lunch as of late! Its been interesting as we try and figure out (quickly, I might add!) how to let help. Sometimes, its easy. We made meatball subs the other night, so we let her sprinkle the cheese on the bread before we toasted. Othertimes, its harder, but we are figuring it out as we go. She is an EXCELLENT cheese sprinkler though. Maybe we should open a pizza place...

Melting for "chalk"

2010-01-11T22:44:00.000-05:00

I know... I'm terribly behind in updating the blog. Has it really been over 3 weeks from Christmas? 2010 is already going terribly too fast, and I wish someone would find the slow down button!

We haven't taken too many pictures lately, I know. We're bad parents! We've missed 3 whole weeks of her life at this point. Honestly, our biggest task has been cleaning up after her with all the toys she got spoi- er- blessed with at Christmas. She has enjoyed her activity table and loves when we change out the top of the table for her. There is one small problem that I wasn't prepared for... See, she now understands that she can easily open the bins herself. Oh, and that she can carry said bins. Which means, the contruction bin will end up in the living room and the nursery bin in the kitchen, while the kitchen bin is mixed in with doctor bin on the floor in her bedroom. I thought these bins would be great, but I'm starting to think that MAYBE they should be kept in the closet and brought out one at a time. Oh well, live and learn!

Daddy has been busy prepping for his qualifying exams. He has spent time studying at home and at the office. Its a good thing he has stuck around the house. I mean, how else is Cortlyn going to be able to help him study and show him what he is missing if he's always at the office, right??
Isn't she just adorable sitting there with him? I could really just scoop her up and squeeze her to death!

We have now entered the stage where Cortlyn is getting increasingly more frustrated because she KNOWS what she wants to communicate with us, but her language skills aren't there yet. Its hard, when you can see that she wants something. (I know there is a difference when she is just whining!) Tonight was a prime example. Cortlyn walked into the kitchen, while dinner was cooking, and started fussing. She wasn't hungry (as I had watched her stuff her face with cheerios when I picked her up from her sitter's house!), but she didn't want milk or water to drink. I picked her up, thinking maybe that is all she wanted and when she was in my hands she THEN reached towards the cabinet where the Ovaltine is kept. Sigh. Well, I reached in and got it out and she started clapping and wiggling with excitement. I went ahead and put some in her sippy with her milk and she was happy as a lark. I wish it was always that easy to help her find a way to communicate with me. We worked on saying "chocolate" but it turned out to sound like "chalk." Chalk works for me though.

Cortlyn & Alaina

2009-12-22T19:24:00.000-05:00

Alaina belongs to one of my best friends, Stephanie. Alaina survived very grim odds when she was born and is our little miracle! Stephanie decided spur of the moment to drop everything and run away for the weekend and visit me- something we both were overdue for!!! Cortlyn LOVED Alaina!

Stephanie got here late on Friday night and then Saturday morning, we decided to follow USM to New Orleans and spend a few hours over there. It was SOO much fun to have Alaina around! I can't wait til our next girls weekend!

Our Christmas!

2009-12-13T16:41:00.000-05:00

We had to make a few more cookies for Santa... Chef Cortlyn was on that!

When we woke in the morning, Cortlyn had so many things under the tree that Santa had brought (And a few things Aunt Cheryl had sent!)

Cortlyn was VERY excited about her very own telephone!

Santa left one half eaten cookie... which Cortlyn promptly took care of!

After baby got her new outfit on, Cortlyn shared her winter cap that she got from Santa

Doctor Cortlyn making sure baby is okay (she is!)

I think this table is going to be a lot of fun for her, she has enjoyed it so far today!

Cookies and Santa

2009-12-12T17:17:00.000-05:00

I decided that Cortlyn needed to prep for Cookies for Santa... since he would need some for Christmas Eve, right? So, last weekend we had our first trial run!

Cortlyn was not all that excited about cutting the cookies... So, Mommy just had to cut them out and let her get on to the fun part anyway...

THE SPRINKLES!!!!

She got the idea of the sprinkles, right?

And we had to let her taste the yummy-goodness!

Due to the traveling back to Georgia at the time when Santa usually comes to visit, we have arranged for him to visit us a little early. It is a little early, but Santa made the necessary changes to his schedule to help us out! So, since he is coming tonight, we went to visit him today. Cortlyn seemed very excited about visiting with Santa, so I was sure we'd get a great picture like we got last year.

Except someone didn't want to sit in Santa's lap!!!! So, instead of freaking her out, we decided that Momma would just stay close- and in the end we got a GREAT picture... that we can crop!

Snow in Hattiesburg???

2009-12-05T09:16:00.000-05:00

First things first! Big Mama Blog is giving away $100 gift card from Hersey Kisses! I could always use a little extra cash, and if you are interested, go comment here!

So, they had been talking about it on the TV all week... but do you really expect in Southern Mississippi to wake up to this outside your front door??

Cortlyn has a little cough and a runny nose, so I couldn't let her stay out for long, but she has to play in the snow a little right?

Here Daddy is giving her a little snow to see what it looks like, and how cold it is!

This is the view from our back yard... the sky doesn't look real, but I swear it is!

And then, she was done... she had walked in it, touched it, but like her mother... she wanted where the WARM is!!!
And this week we went to the Tree Lighting at USM, the pictures I took came out horrible, so this is really the only one. You can't see the tree and the ornaments very well, but it is a beautiful tree!

Oh Christmas Tree!!!

2009-11-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

Today was the day... while Cortlyn took her afternoon nap, Momma & Daddy worked hard to rearrange the living room and put up the Christmas tree! Cortlyn was VERY excited to see her surprise when she woke up...

I hope we have the "touch, don't throw them to the ground" part down... Since our ornaments are all from Ikea, they are plastic, so they *shouldn't* break. We'll see.

She was so excited she kept covering her mouth! It was cute!

She really wanted to have the "Tar" but, it was just out of her reach... darn!

I can't wait for the rest of the holiday and for her to enjoy this Christmas. Last year was so much fun, but this year will be even better! Now, if the USM athletics would decide what Bowl game we're going to, that would be great!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

Sorry its taking so long to post another blog! Last weekend Nana & Pops came to visit last week, and do you know, I don't have a single picture from that visit?? Sigh. I do have a picture of Cortlyn and daddy hanging out on the couch from that saturday morning (Cortlyn is in her USM t-shirt, although, she had to miss the last game of the season due to freakishly cold & wet weather)

We were able to find a parade on TV (stupid DISH), the Chicago/McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Cortlyn LOVED to watch the parade and the floats.

She sat there and watched, until I said "Look, Cortlyn! It's Santa!" I didn't expect her to remember Santa or even know what he was about. Well, she shocked me and JUMPED to her feet and pointed at Santa and dancing around. Who'da thunk it?

This is Daddy carving our delish crock pot turkey!! It was SOOO tasty, if I do say so myself!
And this was my shot of the table. We didn't decorate much, but SOMEONE couldn't wait for the meal to start...

Little Miss...

2009-11-14T13:43:00.000-05:00

Today we took Cortlyn for her first pageant. It was a small local natural one. She did pretty well, so I thought, but she got 3rd place. She had a blast playing with the other kids that were in the pageant!

These were the three girls in her division. The girl in the middle won.

There was also a little boy in her division... he was a cutie!

Exciting month ahead!

2009-11-09T22:28:00.000-05:00

So, the ice cream truck stopped by again on Sunday!!! YEA!!!! Although, it was RIGHT at naptime but it was a nice day and I want Mr. Ice Cream Trusk to know we're a good place to stop in the spring! I thought we could just buy the ice cream and then put it in the freezer and she could have it after nap... Wrong! She figured it out and was NOT happy that we were planning on not giving her the Push Pop right then! So... Momma was the pushover this time. I gave her the ice cream. I figured she was going to eat it anyway, better now than around bedtime, right?

Cortlyn sharing with daddy!

Is this the spitting image of her father or what?

In other exciting news, I found a local beauty pageant to put Cortlyn in! It's not a glitzy, makeup and hair piece thing... just a natural little pageant. I promise... Cortlyn will NOT become a pageant kid! I just think she's so adorable!

The Zoo

2009-11-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

As previously mentioned... there is a Zoo in Hattiesburg. Its nothing terribly exciting, and it only cost $2/person to go, so at least its affordable! But we don't have gobs of animals to look at. But Cortlyn seemed to enjoy it, even if she could understand why she couldn't go play with the big cats and birds...

The monkey didn't seem very happy about being in a cage with the parrots...Peeping at the prairie dogs
Super Cortlyn!

I wish this had turned out a little better... but the guy who drives the train took it.

Butterfly's events!

2009-10-31T22:15:00.000-04:00

Cortlyn had many opporunities to wear her Butterfly costume this week... First there was the Zoo Boo (see last post!) and then we went to the Oak Grove Elementary School's Fall Festival. When we arrived at the school, I let Cortlyn run in the field behind the school, while I got the stroller and things out of the car... she thoroughly enjoyed the chance to run in the wide open field!

While at the festival, Cortlyn also had fun in the bouncy house! She would barely get stood up, when she'd get knocked down again! The girls in the house with her, were so sweet and helpful, but of course, their bouncing was knocking her over. She didn't mind though! Cortlyn was smiling and squealing the whole time, and was NOT happy when Mommy crawled in to get her out!
Cortlyn got to play a few games, although, she had a hard time understanding what the games were at times...
On Saturday, our friend Julie invited us to her friend's house to go trick or treating in their neighborhood. Cortlyn enjoyed all the new children and toys. She played very well with them!
We decided that we needed the kid leash for Cortlyn though... she didn't want to hold our hand while we were walking around... but she's nearly 30 pounds!!!

Zoo Boo!

2009-10-28T22:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight, we joined Cortlyn's Sitter Nita and her daughter Alyssa, sister Amy and niece Emma at the Zoo Boo! It was the first time we got to try out the Butterfly outfit I came up with for Cortlyn! My friend back home Michael Ann, made the tu-tu and I've had the wings for a while!

We finally have a picture of Cortlyn's Sitter!! This is Nita!

Cortlyn LOVES Alyssa! They get along very well!

This was while we were waiting for the train to take us on a little trip around the zoo. It was dark and all the animals were put up for the evening, so there aren't any pictures from the ride.

Cortlyn enjoyed the Carousel ride!

USM Homecoming!

2009-10-24T22:17:00.000-04:00

Today was Homecoming for USM! Cortlyn had a VERY long day, and did pretty well, even if she refused to take a morning nap. She is now FAST asleep!

At lunchtime, USM has a homecoming parade... so, we headed towards the campus and waited for it to begin! Momma was smart and packed up a picnic...

Cortlyn enjoyed the bands and floats and was amazed that they kept throwing things to her. She got fast about grabbing the candy... Mommy & Daddy are VERY happy she caught so much candy! :)
Cortlyn and Alyssa (her sitter's daughter)

After the parade, we head home for a much needed nap and when Cortlyn woke up, we went back to the campus for the tailgating festivities! Of course, we had to have an outfit change!
Cortlyn eating some Catfish at the tailgating
The family with Seymore... the mascot for USM
Cortlyn enjoyed exploring new parts of the statium... Including climbing the stairs and finding the glass wall that is in front of the band members in the stands. That was amazing to her.
We had a wonderful yet tiring day... and momma is now going to go to bed!

Cortlyn GO!

2009-10-23T22:48:00.000-04:00

The good thing about having a wide open living space, is that it gives Cortlyn and her daddy plenty of room to race!

The great Push-Up

2009-10-18T20:37:00.000-04:00

Tonight was a GREAT night! Why? Because while we were inside our little duplex just hanging out, Momma heard the music of what can only belong to every child's most desired vehicle... THE ICE CREAM TRUCK! We rushed around trying to get somewhat decent (its been an afternoon in pajama's, okay?) and trying to find some cash laying around. We ran outside and up the the window and Cortlyn got her very first Push-up with rainbow sherbet!
Figuring out how it worked...
Good thing we hadn't had a bath yet!
Daddy was worried that the girl would have a sugar rush, but all is well, Cortlyn enjoyed her Push-up and mommy has an ice cream bar in the freezer for later (daddy's still isn't100%... no ice cream for him).

Not MEANING to not post...

2009-10-17T22:16:00.000-04:00

We returned from our whirlwind trip home... This is my FAVORITE picture of the girl at Jaemor's Farms.
Since we saw most of our family during our trip home last weekend, we just haven't done anything terribly exciting since then! Corey got sick, I've been working... just kinda normal stuff. Cortlyn still continues to say new words. Tonight she said "sock" as I was putting a pair on her little feet. I love to watch her learn every day!

It has gotten COLD in Southern Mississippi! I'm sure all of you that know me, understand that when I say cold, I mean, it was in the 50's today! BRR!!!! I resisted the temptation to turn on the heat in the house though- SOMEBODY ought to be proud of me! Its been pretty warm until this week here in Mississippi, and last week before I packed to leave on the trip I wanted to try some of Cortlyn's pants on her. She had not worn pants since early spring I'm sure. Well, she was so adorable grabbing the bottoms of her pants and trying to pull them up to her knees and when she walked around she sort of kicked her foot. Poor kid!

Apparently Cortlyn also thinks she's a big kid. She was eating a WHOLE apple at her sitters on Friday. Not pieces cut up. No, Cortlyn saw the other kids eating the whole apple, and so SHE wanted to eat the whole apple. She did great according to Nita (the Sitter) and Corey.

Hibachi!

2009-10-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

Tonight was a friend of Corey's birthday party. We packed up and headed to the Japanese Steakhouse...

Look at this face? Seriously? Too cute!
Waiting for the food...
Cortlyn was QUITE amazed with the dinner show...
See... she barely moved!
Until there was food on her plate!!!! :)
We had a wonderful time celebrating Heather's birthday. It was Daddy's visit experience with Hibachi as well, so we had a wonderful night. Corey ALMOST caught some rice in his mouth! The cook we had was very entertaining... he even tried to get Cortlyn involved in the meal. She did great until she was finished eating. She has little patience for the whole "paying the bill." When she's done eating, she is ready to get down and play!

The Art-LESS Walk

2009-10-03T09:32:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, we went to the ArtWalk... which was missing most of the ART! It had rained earlier in the day... But we still had a good time walking around at the few things that were there and exploring what downtown H'burg has to offer. Which isn't a whole lot, other than a great looking tiny whole-in-the-wall greasy spoon and a brick oven pizza place that looks yummy.

We took peanut butter samwich for the Cort Cort. She enjoyed her dinner and ride. (It looks so dark... but it wasn't really even all that late! I think it was the flash.)

Cortlyn thoroughly enjoyed getting her groove on to the steel drum band...

We met her sitter at the art walk... her daughter decided she didn't want to be in the stroller anymore, so Cortlyn decided THAT was the stroller she wanted to be in.

Fun filled weekend

2009-09-27T21:15:00.000-04:00

Cortlyn had a great weekend... starting with Saturday morning... when Daddy brought home Shipley's Do-Nuts! YUMMY!

I can't be cute right now- I'm EATING my DO-NUT!
Then, we all went to the university to take some pictures and play. Cortlyn FINALLY has just enough hair in the back to do some mini-pigtails...

This is where Daddy and Cortlyn are admiring the water...
and this is where Cortlyn got mad that Daddy didn't let her take a swim... mean ol'daddy!

Bad posting mommy!!!

2009-09-26T10:57:00.000-04:00

This week has been a pretty laid back week. I got hit with my yearly upper respiratory junk (no flu here- trust me, I got the yucky test!) this week, so I have been resting a lot! Cortlyn on the other hand is just getting bigger and faster. Nothing really to report right now, so I'll just share some pictures of her!

Sitting on the front porch:

From the video game last weekend (it was from the cell phone!):

Exploring new play areas!

THERE'S THE SUNSHINE!

2009-09-20T20:57:00.001-04:00

Well, folks... there was sun and lots of it today! Cortlyn got to play in her kiddie pool in the backyard. She enjoys splashing around in the pool in the backyard. We have the big umbrella up to shade her though, since the sun is SOOO bright here!

For lunch today, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Cortlyn had a good time and was amazed at all the TV's to watch her beloved football on! She started to get restless after we ate and while we were waiting on the check, so we went to the small little game room. I sat her in the car racing video game, and she was having fun pushing the flashing buttons and steering. Corey has a picture of this on his phone... we'll have to get it loaded on here for you later!

Yesterday, Cortlyn and I went to Mobile to go to a friend's baby shower. Cortlyn proved again that she is not a fan of car rides. I had a passenger seat full of toys, snacks and books to help keep her entertained. Didn't help at certain points. I hate to hear her crying in the backseat, but I also know that car rides are a fact of life, so she will have to get used to them at some point. I'm going to start looking for a DVD player that you can strap to the headrest. I hate to have to use that in the car, but I also, think our sanity is going to need a break of some sort when we do try and come home! She did however fall asleep within 5 minutes of getting back in the car to come home... but it was a short nap of only 20 minutes. SIGH... It was great however to see Constance and help shower her expected baby boy with lots of cute clothes and diapers! Cortlyn enjoyed chasing the kitten that belonged to the girl hosting the party, along with Constance's little girl Ella.

I did however win the stupid mom move award last night. :) I put Cortlyn to bed and she was out like a light... well, after about an hour, I heard her chatting. That's VERY odd for Cortlyn, so I left her alone, thinking she'd fall back asleep. Not so much. So, I went to her room and the LIGHT was on! I had accidently turned off her ceiling fan instead of the light! YIKES! She was jumping in her crib and all hiped up. I knew we'd have a fight if I tried to just turn off the light, so I let her get up for a few minutes to see her daddy (since he was at the USM game ALL day long!) and put her to bed about 20 minutes later. She went right back to sleep... but I'll never forget that look on her face. Something like I KNOW I'm awake past my bedtime- woohoo! Sigh... Corey put her to bed tonight and YES the light is OFF!

Rain, rain go away

2009-09-18T22:48:00.000-04:00

Okay, I hope this loads right! This is my big girl helping mommy load the washer! She is loving helping mommy. We're getting really good about throwing laundry in & putting all the toys up, but somehow she's missing the fact that everything should STAY! She likes to pull things out as fast as she puts them in! Oh well, she IS learning!

She has also learned that her paci is for bedtime only! We've been taking her paci out of her mouth when she gets up and saying "You don't need that!" and throwing it in the crib. Well, the last two mornings, we've said "You don't need that!" and SHE threw the paci in the crib! YEA!! I suppose soon, we'll start weaning the paci at naptime, but geez... its hard to think about that when she goes to bed so well.

I think Noah will be by any minute to pick us up... its been pouring rain here for a week and a half... and I heard tonight that its supposed to keep raining on & off until Monday or Tuesday. Yikes! I hear the rain is making it up there, so I'm sorry, but you guys are looking at several more days of unpredictable showers! Tomorrow we're headed to my old stomping ground Mobile, for a baby shower of a dear friend of mine! It's my first car trip with Cortlyn solo... hopefully she won't fall apart... Typically she is done with the carseat about 2 hours after we leave. But there isn't much in between where we are and where we're going! So... Hopefully, she'll just take a good nap in the car! :)

Cortlyn's way of doing things...

2009-09-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

So, Cortlyn has her own way of getting things done. It amazes me to watch her figure out how she's going to accomplish something...

Example Number One:
Cortlyn doesn't like to cross the threshold of the doorway. She loves to go outside or go "bye-bye." BUT... open the door and ask her to walk outside? She stops. Either you pick her up over the threshold or she does this:
Now, if you can see... its all of an inch. But goodness, you'd think we were asking her to cross the ocean!

Example Number Two:
Cortlyn will repeat 1, 2, 3 if you ask her to. So, we've been working on a, b, c. Well, she has the "a" down pat! What comes after "a"? "BA!" Literally she says a, BA! It's adorable... although, we are still working on her saying B!

Example Number Three:
I love this one. This shows that she truly is a woman...
Nobody has to tell her, she just knows! Daddy's wallet is ALWAYS open for her! heehee. Her other love is credit cards... but we have some old giftcards that she's happy to play with in her purse.

The beginning... Somewhat

2009-09-13T13:12:00.001-04:00

I'm not that talented of a writer, but this blog is more to update friends and family of our live as we're living so far away! It probably won't be all that entertaining... with the exception of the pictures of the CUTEST little girl... in my opinion anyway!

Yesterday was the second football game at USM. We almost didn't go, as the weather was extremely iffy, with a 80% chance of rain. I checked the weather and decided that we could at least go for the tailgating festivities. I'm in love with the tailgating aspect of college football. USM has a tradition that is wonderful. They have what they call an "Eagle Walk" parade about 2 hours before the game. The band marches down through part of the campus and then the football players follow behind them towards the stadium. You should see the little boys that are lined up to give hi-fives to the players as they are walking (in their suits in the 4 million degree heat) to The Rock, as the stadium is referred to. From what we have gathered from the people here, Eagle Walk is something that people come to, even if they aren't going to the game. Parents bring their kids every home game to participate in this tradition.

People start tailgating much earlier in the day. my employer has a tent set up with free food for those of us that go. Last weekend, we had hamburgers and hot dogs. This week, we had Ribeyes. Not Longhorns or Marc's, but free steaks are always appreciated! :) Corey gets to join us for a few minutes between the Eagle Walk and the second parade at the Tailgating. The second parade, is a slightly different route through the campus towards the campus to excite the fans before everyone heads into the stadium for the game to start. Cortlyn and I get to join in this parade. Of course, Cortlyn is being held by another Grad Asst, Callie, her new best friend. We march to the stadium and its just electrifying!

I've always loved football, watching it on TV and high school games, but the excitement of the USM games is just a whole new thrill. Cortlyn has a lot of fun running around. In fact, she got her first scraped knee last night at the game. She didn't cry- she was too busy getting up and running around!

That's all for now... I'll try and make time to update this blog as we go! :)