Sinuses, Eye Infections, & Gout...oh my!

Not so much of a fun play day in our house! Yesterday Chad stayed home with me and Avery because we were all sick, and he started feeling bad himself. I'm not sure if we caught something while being out of town or what, but the change in states apparently did something to my sinuses, to his throat, and to Avery's eye. . .

First, today I went to the doctor about my knee. Since I have joined Jazzercise I have been super sore. I figured my knees were just aching due to the lack of exercise on them during my pregnancy, although I did do a lot of walking, remember... in and out of Hobby Lobby & the mall, wait that doesn't count. Anyway... they have been really sore and at times I can barely touch them. Taking you back a few years... when I was in HS I actually had gout in my feet. If you are wondering what gout is, it is a very painful form of arthritis. Crazy that someone my age could have this but I do! I was a cheerleader in HS and always jumping and bouncing on my feet/legs. The doctor said it's very likely that is what is going on in my young knees, to eat lots of cherries, cherry juice, and take the anti inflammatory that he prescribed. Oh yeah, and wear a knee brace when working out. Along with the knee pain comes the sinus issues. I have had allergies my whole life! No fun! Haven't had them in a few months but new I was bound to get them while out of town and a change in weather. The sinus dranage has brought diarrhea.

Nothing I can't get over... but, the diarrhea needs to go NOW! TMI, I know... but it's awful! I had to leave the room twice at the doc's office to go. Then when I was on the way home I had to stop... pull Avery out of the car and run into the bathroom only to find the large stall not available. So I had to SQUEEZE into the smallest stall known to man. I couldn't get the door closed and was huffing and puffing already sick at the fact that I had to bring Avery in there with me. Then the lady in the large stall's phone rings and she is just chatting it up laughing while on the toilet! I was just laughing under my breath quite annoyed because I needed that stall and needed it now! Here me and my little one were crammed in there and I needed privacy and she was just laughing it up, still in there when I left. UGG!

So, Avery has conjunctivitis in her right eye. Poor girl. I noticed her eye getting red yesterday and kinda crusty like and very watery. So while we were at the doctor I had him check it out and that is what she has! They prescribed some eye drops! I think the ticket is me giving her lots of cuddles! She's just a beauty and laughs at me. I started balling while changing her because I was about to doctor that eye with warm water on a cotton ball and it just looked so painful. She just sat there and smiled and laughed. I grabbed her and went and got my camera because she was being so darn cute and here are a few pics that I got of her. If we could all only be this cheerful when we felt bad! I am in love with this girl, I swear she is my best buddy! I can't get enough!

By the way, she's holding her head up! Can you believe it? She's 14 weeks & so strong!

Labor Day Adventures

Ya'll, we had such a great BUSY but eventful first trip with Avery to see our family. We went with my parents so it was SO nice for me to have the extra help on the way there. I was so impressed how well she did! We started off to Missouri on Friday and stayed with my Dad's mom the entire time we were there. We got up early the next morning and drove to Kentucky to visit my Great Uncle/Aunts, and cousins. My Uncle has a lake house in Kentucky & growing up we use to come every year for a family reunion. I come from a "flying" family so the family would just fly in and enjoy themselves for several days. I have a picture in here of Chad with his plane. Upon our arrival to the lake, my Aunt had out some really nice strawberries, pineapple, & grapes. It was so nice! We all sat around and talked and then made our way to Barkley Lodge for lunch. This lodge sits on the lake, and is VERY special to me because it's where we would always go growing up. It's also where Chad proposed to me 5 years ago this summer. We enjoyed having lunch with the family and going to the exact spot where Chad proposed and sharing that special spot & moment with our daughter. Good memories!

Cousin Matt & my Dad:
Walking into the lodge:

Chad with his new ride (ya right):

Where Chad proposed:Me & Ave where Daddy asked me to be his wife:Sunday was Labor Day and we had a huge spread of food at my mom's families. Mom has 5 brothers and 1 sister, and 3 of the brothers were there with all of their children (& their children), and then my mom's sister was there too with her family. Must have been 40 of us! We had a Thanksgiving lunch, let me tell you! We had ham, turkey, sweet potato, green beans, rolls... and more! I was so full and stuffed my face until I was about to pop! We enjoyed some live music afterwards from some of the family members and just visited the rest of the afternoon. Sunday night was ribs at my other grandmothers where we stayed the whole time we were in town! Oh my, talk about some good eatin'!

With my cousin Sarah who is about to have a baby:

Relaxing on the porch listening to some music:

My beautiful cousins:

My cousins little girl Logan, being sassy:

My Aunt Judy with Avery, she just ate her up:

My cousin Deanna's little girl Morgan- look at these eyes:

Avery in the car, again.. trooper!

Family enjoying playing with Avery:

My sweet grandmother with her 22nd Great Grandbaby:

Love this picture of her hands around Avery:

Mommy loves her little girl, my little best buddy:

Labor Day we woke up and did some shopping. We went to Carters and of course I went a little crazy on some fall clothes for my girl! I bought about 15 outfits that are super cute! Now I need some leggings and cute boots and we are set! We chilled the rest of the afternoon because I started feeling kinda sick with a sore throat and then that evening we went to Lambert's! My Uncle is a private pilot for the Lambert's so luckily the 2 1/2 hour wait turned into a 2 minutes wait! (SHHEE, don't tell anyone)!!! If you haven't ever heard of this place, it's "home" of the thrown rolls! They literally throw rolls to you from feet away and you have to catch it. They specialize in some home cookin'. And it's good! When my grandfather was alive he had a relationship too with the Lambert's... here are a few pictures of in the restaurant of my family.

Everyone just caught a hot roll!

My Uncle who flies for the Lambert's & my grandfathers painting on the wall in the restaurant:

With Uncle P:

The family ready to eat:

Me & Chad with our huge mugs:

Uncle Perry & Aunt Pam fell in love with Avery:Being in my parents home town was so special. They drove us to their first home, where they met and went to High School together, and I was even able to see where my father was baptised. So many great memories. Mom and Dad always drove us through these parts of their hometown when we were little but as we get older they mean so much more to me.

My Mom and Dad's first home together:

Where my father and his brothers were baptised:

Where Mom & Dad met and went to HS together:

Tuesday we made our way home.. BUT, stopped in West Plains, MO where my father was born on the way home. It was so nice. We went by the house he lived in for 8 years as a little boy, drove through the town, and then made our way to my other Great Uncles/Aunts for a nice lunch. Boy did they spoil us, again! They have a nice cabin in West Plains, a home in FL, and also in Illinois! They like to travel, and deserve it! We walked into their log cabin home and Chad's jaw was literally on the floor, we fell in love. I think our next home is going to have to be log cabin. It's 3 stories and surrounds lots of land with a huge pond full of fish in the back. It's simply a dream! We sat and visited for hours with them and then made our way back home.. and here I am!

Where Dad lived as a little boy:

Chad on the porch that wrapped the entire cabin:

They really spoiled us with this desert:

And lunch, to die for:

Great trip, but ready to get back in routine! Avery did absolutely amazing. I am very impressed. She changed so much even in a few days and started raising her head, spitting bubbles and doing raspberries, and even looking around and really noticing faces. It's just unreal how quickly they grow. I truly feel blessed that I was able to see almost every family member on my side of the famiy, and that I was able to share this special joy with them.

Part 1 of family trip, minus pics!

Just wanted to drop in and say hello! Unfortunately there isn't Internet at my grandmothers where we are staying so Chad and I are up at McDonald's to get a fresh breath of air and a treat! We thought we would pull out the ole' laptop and check a few things!

The weekend has been fabulous. Yesterday we were in Kentucky with Dad's side of the family (Great Uncles/Aunts/Cousins) and today we are visiting with mom's side of the family. Tomorrow is another fun day with Dad's side of the family and my 1st cousins! We have seen everyone from Uncles/Aunts, Cousins, to Great Uncles/Aunts, Great Cousins to Grandmothers. It's been such a nice weekend for us. Today we are over at my Mom's side of the family and 4 of my mom's brothers & her 1 sister are there with their wives and all their kids and grand kids. There must be 40 of us! We had QUITE the spread to eat, like a Thanksgiving dinner!!!!

It's been perfect to say the least and much needed on my part to get out of the house and see family. Avery is doing fabulous and has ridden well in the car... it's just been FLAWLESS! I will post TONS of pics upon my return on Tuesday!

Happy Labor Day!

Not so nice Ashley, can I vent?

I am busy today! Getting ready for this trip has been crazy! Great, but crazy. Trying to get the house picked up, laundry caught up, get me packed, Chad packed, and most importantly, Avery- has been nutso for me!

So this morning I was getting out of the shower and had a phone call from my father in law. Bless his heart, he got in a wreck! His truck is messed up and the whole front of it was on the ground or up under the truck in front of him! I felt so bad for him so I rushed out of the house looking for him. I wasn't sure of his where abouts but we found him! He is okay but his truck/camper wasn't. He was on his way out of town to set up camp for a Labor Day Weekend of camping with the family, and I hate they aren't able to go now! Thank God he is okay!

After that Avery has a blow out again... my goodness! I guess better this morning than this afternoon in the car on our trip! But while that was happening and I finally got home, I had 3 missed calls from an 800 number. We all know these are annoying! I have been continuing to get them on and off for DAYS.. but when they leave a message they don't say where they are from except "Account Services" and they don't leave information as to what it's pertaining to. When trying to call them back several times, one day I was on hold for 30 minutes! Anyway, the long short of it is I got in an argument with the rep that I finally got a hold of! It was about a bill pertaining to a doctor. What I want to know is why can't they tell me who they are and where they are from and what it's regarding in the message? The rep was VERY rude... and kept telling me that he needed my social. I wasn't going to just give my SSN to someone that says they are with "Account Services"- I kept fighting with him and telling him that I wasn't giving him my social to tell me what the call was about first and who they were. VERY IRRATING!!!! Finally he put someone else on the phone and they asked for my last name, STILL not telling me who they were with. What is the big deal people? Can you not tell me who you are flippin with so I can feel comfortable to take this call and give out my info? A call that should have taken 5 seconds took 20 minutes! There are too many freaks in this world for me to just hand out my info to and I have been getting lots of random calls from 800 #'s on my cell. If they would have just said, "This is so and so we are with this doc's account services this is about a payment from blah..." I would have been like, "OH, light bulb"! Aw... SO FRUSTRATING! Don't mess with me and shoot me straight dude! He all acted like I was the crazy one for not giving my info to him! I said, "CALL MY HUSBAND"!

So now that I have vented I feel a little less annoyed and can go finish my packing and feed my baby! Hope everyone has a great Labor Day- I will try to post when I get some free time however it could be a few days!

Visiting with friends and girls night out!

Today was a great Thursday. We slept in and then I cleaned. I hate leaving for a trip with the house uncleaned, especially because I have someone house sitting while we are gone! Plus, I like coming home to a clean house after a long days drive!

We went over to my friend Rachel's for a couple hours today and visited with Avery's new friend Bree who is only 2 weeks old. I have a feeling they are going to be pretty darn close! She's a cutie pie with lots of curly black hair! Her momma had her dressed so cute! Rachel and I enjoyed friend time while holding our babies and just talked and laughed about how we love shopping for our babies!!!! I didn't manage to get a pic, Avery's blow out distracted me! UG!

She's such a fun friend.. we even planned a get together with the guys and talked about fall parties! We talked about our fall decor, and I'm going to get mine up as soon as I get back into town next week! I want to enjoy it for several months before Christmas! Last year I was way too late and it seemed like a week after I got it up it was time for Christmas! I decided that this year Christmas is going up before Thanksgiving in my house because we don't spend Thanksgiving here anyway, and I want to enjoy my decor for over a month! So I am staying on the ball early! The rule is after Labor Day you can decorate for fall anyway! Plus, who wouldn't want to with this amazing cool weather???? Bought my first fall candle today and I am burning it now, thanks Rach!

Is she not just precious!?!?!?! Miss BREE!
This evening I went on a girls outing with several girls! We went to Table Mesa for dinner and then to a movie! We enjoyed ourselves and laughed and talked about life! I love all these girls, they are just so darn sweet and hilarious!!

Before I left to go out with the girls!

All of us at Table Mesa:

The girls at the movies, Amber on her phone!

Wonderful Wednesday!!!!

We had such a great day, despite the yucky rain this morning! We laid in bed for awhile and just enjoyed the darkness the storm brought and listened to the thunder. We played for an hour and then got around and ate breakfast and I did my quiet time while Avery watched cartoons.. yes, I already have her watching the kids channel... she loves it! She sits in her bouncy chair and just stares at the tv and coo's. It's hilarious!

This afternoon I met 2 of my lovely friends Amy & Amber for lunch! We talked for about 2 hours and made plans for tomorrow night... girls night! I am stoked! Amy has 2 boys and Amber has 3 adorable kids so they offer great advice and comfort. They are such great moms! We are all going to dinner and a movie so I am looking forward to it! Us mommies still need these outings. Although I love them to death, it's super hard to be away from my girl for more than 2 hours! I keep reminding myself that it's good for me to have "me" time. To not worry that Daddy will take GOOD care of her! He always does, he is SO good!

We leave town Friday until Tuesday. We are going to see tons of my family that I don't get to see often because they live so far away. I wish I had the pleasure of all of them living close like Chad does with his family. Unfortunately they live 6 hours or more away so we don't see them often & I hate it. I am looking forward to taking Avery and seeing both of my grandmothers and all my Uncles/Aunts/cousins! Mom has 5 brothers and a sister and dad has 2 brothers, so you can imagine the cousins I have! Avery makes the 22nd great grandbaby if that tells you anything! We are even going to Kentucky where Chad proposed to me to take Avery to the exact spot of where it all happened on the lake! So special.. I can't wait to share that moment with Avery and Chad. We have a full weekend planned!!!! No worries, I will have my computer on me and blog about our adventure with my family.

This is our first trip out with Avery so I have lots of packing to do! I don't even know where to begin because I need EVERYTHING!!! HA!

For now, here are a few pics of my sweetie today...

What God is doing in my life, RIGHT NOW!

I decided to join a Woman's Bible Study Group at my church that is each Tuesday at 9am. I have felt so led to get involved and do more with other woman that are also trying to follow a life with Christ. I need that firm accountability in my everyday life.

... Having a baby, a husband to take care of, a family, LIFE in general can be hectic. There are so many windows of opportunity for satan to just come in and try to take over my life. I am such a happy person and satan HATES that. I always seem to be challenged or have someone be rude to me where he is just trying to squeeze his way in & upset me. I get frustrated easily when others can't lead the life I feel blessed to have, and I tend to think I can "fix" it by worrying about it. Ladies, you can't! God is strongly teaching me at this stage in my life to worry only about my walk with Him, and to rid myself of all of the ugly worldly things that aren't important in my life. I want to lead a strong example for my daughter through my actions and daily walk with Christ and want her to see that shine through me in all that I do.

The class that I am doing has about 50 girls in it. I walked in today and couldn't believe the girls that I knew. It was such a God thing. The study we are doing is called, "Anointed Transformed Redeemed, a study of David". I am so anxious to learn and grow with these ladies and seek out where I need to be with the Lord right now in my life. I praise God for the accountability he has thrown right in front of my face with all of these wonderful girls! I look forward to not only seeking Gods will for my life but LEARNING about the Bible and how my life relates to many of the people in the Bible such as David, and how too I (and anyone) can be transformed... and redeemed.

The most important thing that I learned today about our Lord...
He was bruised and brought healing, He was pierced but eases pain, He was persecuted but brought freedom, He was dead and brings life, HE is risen to bring power and raised to bring peace, the grace of God is sufficient, God is patient, kind, gentle, loving, powerful, HE is the risen KING and LORD OF LORDS.

Please be praying for me as I am on this journey to grow- and if you too are anxious for this same desire in your life, I would be happy to put you on my prayer list!