Winter Wonderland!

What a wonderful 1st Christmas! Britten has been showered with love from friends and family and loved every bit of it! The holiday weekend started with the 2nd annual Santa party! It was a little different this year with our normal Jolly Ole Man being under the weather but Jay stepped up to the plate and he really did a great job as santa! With 12 little ones in attendance, santa handed out gifts and was very comical doing so! It was a great night with really great friends and I am so glad that we started this fantastic tradition!

Christmas Eve we spent the whole day at the farm! Noah, Rachael, Alaina, Mom, Nanny and us celebrated all the beautiful blessings our family received this year! Christmas morning, Britten snuggled with us in bed which was such an awesome Christmas present! We woke up and did stockings and had an amazing breakfast. I tell you what, I married well! I have a man who knows his way around the kitchen! Britten had such a awesome day with Jay's parents!

This Christmas was truly amazing! For some reason lately I found my way back to church, and going has really inspired me to be a better person. I found myself really in the spirit of giving and family and cherishing all of these blessings that God has been so generous to give us. I am loving life!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Anyone still there?

At this rate I am going to be a once a quarter poster... I have actually really missed writing. But, between the job, the kid, the dog and the husband blogging just takes a back seat.

Britten will be 11 months next week. Its so hard to believe that this time last year I was waddling around, miserable with PUPPS, and permanently stuck in the incline position because of heartburn. The funny thing is that all of the misery that I can sorta remember, I don't feel now... the pain that I thought was earth shattering is barely even a distant memory now. Now I feel each tooth that Britten is cutting, I hurt each time he has a ear infection, I cry with him everytime he just isn't feeling right. And though the long days are long, when he first started laughing my heart melted, his first army crawl I swelled with pride and when he pulled himself up all on his own I teared just a little because I didn't see a baby anymore, I saw a boy who is learning to be independent and strong. I have to admit that there is no better love than a love a mother has for her child.

Can I have 1 more hour???

I really think if I could add one more hour of awake time during my day, I might actually get everything I need to get done accomplished... well, maybe. Or if I did have one more hour, would I try to cram more things in. hum...
In the past month since I last blogged, Britten has had his 6 month check-up, started eating solids, and totally sits up on his own. He loves to sit on the floor and play with his toys. He is almost ready to crawl, but I am pretty sure he knows that he can get everywhere he needs to go by rolling over and over and over, and boy is he fast!
I went to Charlotte for 3 days for work, it was a exciting trip but my first time leaving Britten, but daddy did great, and i think it was a wonderful bonding experience for them both. Kim had her bridal shower, Heather had her bridal shower, Bekah had Baby Katelyn Kellys baby shower, Kelly had Baby Barrett Knudsens baby shower. Ed & Annie came to visit, (so much fun! We love them and hope they come to visit again really really soon, p.s. so glad you finished the bar, and I know you did awesome!) We also took a family vaca to Murrell's Inlet with everyone, we had a blast, what a cool place. Britten & Alaina love each other, they are going to be such close cousins!
Phew, I just made myself tired writing all that. What a crazy, packed, awesome month!
Looking forward to August and all of the other pre-wedding parties!!!!

Fireworks!

It was 3 years today that I had my own personal fireworks! Jay came down to va beach for the weekend, the weekend started off like all the others, he came down we went out on the bikes to the beach, we went out to dinner, we hung out with friends. Then July 4th came and I invited my mom and nanny over to enjoy the neighborhood fireworks and have a cookout. Jay didn't seem thrilled about this invite and I couldn't figure out why. He wanted to go watch the fireworks on the beach, he kind of created a big stink about it. But, it true Jay fashion he got over it, cooked the burgers and had a great time. There was a big wind storm that year so the fireworks ended up being cancelled anyway, so really no harm no foul. After my family left he asked if I wanted to go get ice-cream, I was tired and not totally feeling it, but he was a trooper all day so I said okay, sure. Well it was a good thing I decided to go, we got down to the dairy queen, went out on the sand and he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! In the background there was a concert and the song playing, was "All I need is Love", and how true! That night was the start of such a new life for us! So Happy Birthday America, and Happy Engagement Anniversary baby!

Fun in the Sun!

The old saying "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold" holds a lot of truth. This past weekend one of the first people I met freshman year came to visit. Patty and I met the fall of 1998, both so young and full of curiosity and hope. We had an instant connection and have remained close friends ever since. The thing about old friends, they know your past and accept it, they live in your present and enjoy it, and are look forward to your future! Our lives over the years have changed, no longer are we just here for the party. This weekend we laughed, we talked, we reiminised just like the good ole days but embraced our new "lives" with the same enthusiasm of days past! Often during the weekend I found myself filled with emotion, all of the good things and all of the bad things that we both went through made us the people that we are now and I fill up with pride for the women that we both have become!

Mr. Snake

Allie the Elm!

Jay & his dad have a Oak tree that they planted together many years ago, every year they get their photo taken in front of it, I always thought that was a great idea! Trees/plants to me are a symbol of life and what could be better than having a brand new tree, brand new Daddy, and brand new baby and capture the growth of all 3!

I looked up what tree symbolized Britten's birthday and its the Elm tree, so we went and bought a beautiful Elm whom we named Allie! Britten helped his daddy plant his tree and we look forward to watching them both grow big and strong!

ELM TREE (the Noble-mindedness) - pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Yes I Know!

I know I have done a horrible job at updating lately, but life somehow keeps getting ahead of me. The last few weeks have been utter chaos. I left a job that I loved to start a new one that I am loving even more! I miss my bosses' but I am enjoying having the freedom to be more creative and having so much fun taking the "ball and running with it". This job is definitely more of a brain bruiser, but I am loving being mentally exhausted and excited for the next day!

Memorial day weekend, we traveled down to Lake Norman. Lake Norman is seriously my happy place, its my zen. I love it. We get to spend time with one of the greatest families that I have had the priviledge to get to know. They are whatcha call good people. When we found out we were pregnant, Ramona also had just learned of her happy news! Its exciting now to watch the little ones play and we are so excited that they will grow up knowing each other and being lifelong friends!

So sunday night after the kiddies FINALLY went to bed (apparently Maggie & Britten decided amongst themselves that napping was not apart of their day on sunday) all of us "adults" were sitting on the porch, chatting, laughing, drinking a few cold ones. I stood up, thought I felt something slimy under my foot but I didn't want to draw attention to myself because for some reason I felt that stepping on a slug would be embarrassing or something. So, Ramona screamed OH MY GOD there is a snake, YEP, I totally stepped on a snake. We all went running faster than I have ever seen 4 old, totally out of shape adults run. The snake was HUGE, probably 4ft long and quite plump around. Yah, I didn't have sweet dreams that night :)

The weekend was fantastic, Britten went on his first boat ride, he loved the wind in his hair, he got in the water for the first time and didn't cry! Its amazing to watch experiences happen for the first time in the eyes of my son, these are the times I will always cherish and remember!

Booze Cruise!

This past weekend a bunch of us ferrum folk traveled to Baltimore to see Miss Katie Booze marry her man another ferrum alum Tony Besche. The wedding was so creative, she married Tony on a cruise ship that traveled around the harbor. It was a beautiful ceremony matched with a gorgeous setting. It was a great time!




Tuesday, Britten had his 4 month appointment. I can't believe he has already been in our lives for 4 months, time is flying by! He was so brave through the shots and didn't cry at all until the last one when he looked right at me and said Mom, I am over it already! He is weighing in a little over 16lbs and is 25 inches long! I am so glad that he is thriving, makes me feel like I am doing something right!

Another year older!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, caring, absolutely awesome husband!

Happy Birthday to the most loving, cutest, cuddliest puppy in the entire world!

I Regress

I must first say that we have been completely spoiled by our little boy Britten. He is a unbelievably happy, relaxed baby! He started sleeping through the night around 3 months and he has never had a issue with sleeping/napping in his crib. Well, so much for that! For the last 4 nights Britten has been waking up not once but three times in the night. By the looks of the video monitor that we have he is not sleeping peacefully he is very restless, and when he is finally asleep he is rolling over to be tummy down, which freaks this momma out. I have done some research and I know it could be just a growth spurt or it could be sleep regression but I am so exhausted that I feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Believe me I am not one of those mom's that do not take advice, I love advice. I know that some of the readers of this silly blog are a great wealth of baby knowledge, and this momma needs some help! So advice, any advice, all advice, gimmie what you got! PLEASE!

Cloud 9

This weekend Britten & I traveled to Dunn NC to watch my beautiful cousin get married! Britten is also lucky enough to share his birthday with her! She is younger and though we don't see each other often I think she is an amazing woman and she looked absolutely stunning, what a beautiful bride! My favorite memory of Ashley is, when we were younger and got together during the summer she would always in her sweet little carolina twang say, "See my pinky, see my thumb, see my fist you betta run!" My dad thought it was the cutest thing!

Britten did so great at the wedding, he barely made any noises, except his little grunt that is a sure sign that a explosion is quickly approaching. We got out of the church in the nick of time before his belly let out that loud burst of excitement, and it was quite the explosion which required a quick outfit change. Silly little boy just laughed and cooed through the whole thing, like pooting in public is the funniest thing ever!

Seeing Ashley get married also came with a great perk! Britten & Alaina finally met! Alaina is also so curious and she is as sweet as she can be. She loved Britten, tried to share her bottle with him & gave him the sweetest little kisses! They are adorable together and I can't wait until the next time they can play! How fun to have a cousin so close in age! It was also great for my mom, GG got to see both of her grandbabies in one weekend! Probably the best mother's day gift she could have ever asked for, and boy was she loving every minute of it!

Saturday after the wedding Britten and I packed up and headed home so we could celebrate my first mother's day with Jay! Sunday morning we got up went to brunch, came home and Jay had created a scavenger hunt for me. He & Britten walked around with me as I found each clue. I was so impressed, it was probably the most romantic & best "gift" gesture that Jay has ever done for me! All of the thought he put into it made me feel special and appreciated, and though the end present was AWESOME, all the thought he put into it was the best part! Everyday he surprises me, and everyday I fall more and more in love with him!


So my first mother's day, definitely put me on cloud 9!!!

When Daddy is away, we play!

Thursday Jay went to Florida with 2 of our friends, Tim & CP. I really thought it would be a good thing for him to get away, rest & relax. He has had a great time out on the boat, dining like kings. This trip of his had definitely opened my eyes, I think sometimes its easy to get caught up in the mundane day to day stuff and not realize how good you have it. Its only been 5 days and I miss him so much, I didn't realize how much he helped me both physcially and mentally with Britten. He is my sounding board he eases my anxiety of being a new mom, he is more than anything my rock. I think his vacation gave me something more than it probably gave him!
Friday night Britten's GG (my mom) came over and stayed the night with us, we had a great dinner and watched The Blind Side (excellent flick, a real tear jerker!) saturday morning she got to see Britten in his element! He is such a morning baby, he plays and coo's! There is no way to have a bad day when you get to wake up to his little smile and his curiousity of the day! Saturday afternoon Britten & I went on our first solo roadtrip. We went up to Williamsburg to celebrate Amy Jo's birthday. If you would have asked me 2 years ago how I thought all of us would be celebrating our big birthday's my life now would have not been the answer. But, I love where life has taken me, and I love that I have a best friend that is enjoying the ride with me! Amy didn't mind that I was carrying a diaper bag instead of a 6 pack, or that I have distinct smell of maple syrup these days, she was just happy that Britten and I came to give her big hugs on her big birthday! Happy Birthday my sweet friend, I love you so much!


And now to today, Another big day for the Lewis'. Mister man would not nap. After several explosions, several sheet changes, I finally gave up and we went to target. Being the naturally curious kid that he is, he loves public places. Loves to people watch! We then went to a baby shower for one of my oldest friends! Melissa her husband Robert & little man Jake will be welcoming a little princess in July! I am so excited for her! Then we went to the kickball field but it was way to hot for the mister man, so we came home he hung out in his skibbies!

We miss our man of the house and can't wait till he gets home tomorrow, but atleast we had great friends and family to keep us company!!!
p.s. Thanks Storcky for putting the pop up tent back in the bag for me, my rear view mirror thanks you!

We party like winners!

So the kickball season is in full swing! Friday night a few of the balls and dolls got together and schemed & strategized preparing for our seaason debut on Sunday. Our team has never had a "winning streak", we have never actually won more than 2 games in an entire season. Each season we just know that its gonna be our year, that we are going to "vegas" but it doesn't take more than one game to prove to us otherwise. So we give up our hopes and dreams of going to "vegas" and go back to doing what we do best, we party! Sunday was a great time! It was a long winter of no Balls & Dolls, and we had a great time catching up with our friends! We also have a few new members who probably didn't know what they were getting themselves into with this bunch, but they are fitting in nicely and we are very happy to have them!
Britten did terrific out at the field, everyone on the team just love him! He was passed around and he smiled through it all. The weather was beautiful. We bought him a little pop up tent with UV protection and it worked out perfect! It was a great weekend!

One year ago today!

It was a year ago today that the sweetest little love bug entered our world! My niece Alaina Rose Garrett was born bright and early on April 26, 2009. I am so sad that I missed her big celebration this weekend, but loving the world of skype! Britten, Jay & I all watched as Alaina enjoyed her first cake, she was such a cute little mess! We sent along with my mom Alaina's birthday gift and her uncle Greg was kind enough to put it together, and my brother filmed her playing on it. She loved it! She is such a big girl and really has such a personality. I miss her and wish I was able to see her more often. I can't wait for Britten to finally meet his older cousin, I know the 2 of them will have so much fun growing up together!
Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Almost TGIF!

Its been quite a long week, starting monday night when I woke up to feed Britten around 2am. He is such a efficient eater that waking up in the middle of the night really isn't that daunting. He eats, he burps, he goes right back down. 20 minutes tops. So when we were finished I went back to my room to go back to sleep, well I guess I must have been sleep walking or 1/2 asleep and I somehow tripped over something, maybe even my own 2 feet. I went head first into the side of the dresser having several water cups tumble on top of me (house cleaning isn't top priority anymore) so the huge crash woke up Britten in his nursery so he immediately starts to wail. I start to get up and realize that my face is wet and warm, oh yes I am bleeding. Not just bleeding, I am covered in blood... I am thinking, Great! I poked my eye out. So I start to scream because lets face nothing really hurts until you see/feel blood. Jay runs in thinking something is wrong with Britten and then sees the gaping hole in my head. He tries to clean me up as I cry, (yes I did cry, no I am not much of a crier but I think Britten being upset, me bleeding, and the total lack of sleep just threw me right over the edge) Anyway, I have to begin the process of feeding Britten again because yup I have a comfort eater, and nothing makes him more happy than momma's milk! But would he go right back down, OH NO WAY JOSE! Yup, icing on the cake. So I put Britten in the bed with me, which I typically don't do because I am so afraid that I might roll over on him, but it calmed him down and he went right to sleep. The funny part is that I have always lost out on room in the bed. Between Jay's Jimmy legs, and Trixie having to spoon I never really had much room in the bed. Well Little Mister Britten is no exception, he just scooted himself all around until he was comfortable and that meant right in the middle of the bed with his little legs spread eagle and his arms behind his head. Oh yes he was comfortable, but this sleep deprived Momma, not so much. So this week has been so long, my face hurts something terribly, and people keep staring at my hole between my eyes. So, Dear Friday please come soon and quickly! Sincerely, Sleepless in Virginia Beach!

I heart you!

A trip to see Jay's parents is never complete without a visit to our most favorite place, The Wharf! Not only is a terrific place to people watch, its also home of the most fantastic seafood ever!!When I found out I was pregnant last May, I was fine with giving up the normal vices, but when I found out that I could not eat Tuna, and had to limit my shell fish intake, it was like being punched in the chest. There is nothing like a piece of fresh medium rare tuna, it seriously makes my heart go pitter pat! So needless to say it was a hard nine months! After I gave birth to Britten, the day before my 30th birthday, I asked the nurse if Jay could bring me in tuna, all I really wanted for my birthday, OH NO, not yet she said. She instructed me to wait atleast a month before eating my precious tuna. So I waited, and I waited patiently. However, I am happy to report, I have had my tuna and boy did I savor every single bite of it, and even washed it down with a cold bud light! Oh Happy Day!

Many moons ago!

It was August 1998, I traveled 297 miles southwest to a little school called Ferrum College. I will admit that I was extremely nervous. After going to high school and having such a close group of friends, I wondered if I would ever find anything/anyone like that again. The first weekend at Ferrum, I met someone who would become one of my very best friends. Little Heather and I had a instant connection and our friendship began to grow. We had some great times at Ferrum, trips to walmart blasting the coors, century club, 90210, Fairy Stone park, spring flings, and so many more. Its now been almost 12 years and our friendship is even stronger. Heather was a important part of me getting married, and now I get to be a part of her special day! I am so glad that she has found her soul mate, and Jay & I just love Bobby! This past weekend, Heather's bridesmaids surprised her with a girl day! She was completely clueless, and needless to say overwhelmed with happiness to see all of her best friends together! We had a great time at the spa and of course armed with funny stories throughout the day. This spa was so colorful,from the nail technician that sprayed Heather, to the hair stylist that seriously wanted to be our friends! It was a laughable kind of day! After being pampered we headed to a restaurant that the names of food no one could pronounce but it was definitely tasty, and the company was perfect! I am so honored to call Heather friend, and feel blessed to be apart of her group of girlfriends! Happy wedding Heather! Can't wait for more celebrations!