Trip to the fair!

We went to the fair with Memom and Pop and Libby had a blast! She was big enough to ride the rides this year, and she couldn't get enough. We had to drag her kicking and screaming to go eat dinner! Lucy just hung out in the stroller the whole time taking it all in.

Libby and Lucy started at a new daycare "school" this month that we absolutely love!

Libby is also starting ballet this week! She is soooo excited! I'm sure that I will have a post soon with her in little costume!

Beach Trip!!!

Well, I had to finish my summer off strong, so I decided to brave a trip to the beach with my best friend Karen and our 4 kids (and no husbands)! We went down to my Grandparent's condo on Satellite Beach, FL. They were so brave to put us all up for 7 full days, and I know that my kids really enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. We also got to see my whole family (the Miller Clan), but we didn't manage to get any pics with them!

We were so busy trying to keep up with our kids ranging in age from 5 to 11 months, but we had a blast! Definitely one of those vacations in which you come home more tired than when you left :)

Libby surprised me with her fearless approach to the water. She loved the ocean, and swam under water like a little fish! She and Lily enjoyed underwater tea parties and jumping in the waves. We never knew quite what to expect from Morgan(age 2). One minute he was cautious and obedient, the next minute Evil Kanievel!!!

Karen and I winded down each night with a glass (or 2) of wine and some much needed girl time. We even got a late night stroll on the beach in which we happened upon a HUGE sea turtle laying her eggs!

We also managed a trip to the Zoo one night while we were there. The kids were hot and cranky, but they got to pet a giraffe and Karen and I got to have a beer, so it was all worth it!

My girls are getting so big!

Here are a few pics of the girls! They are getting so big! We've been trying to make it to the pool as much as possible, but it has rained the last couple of weekends. We at least try and sneak out back for a little dip in the baby pool in between showers when possible! Keep reading below because I did two posts today!

Love,

Kelley

New restaurant pics

Hey!

Here are a few more pics of the restaurant I want to take some with a full dining room too because that is a really cool site! Things are going well. Matt hired a sous chef so he will hopefully be able to take a day off soon! My managers are doing a great job, so I have not been working there at all for the last 2 weeks. I have been working a lot at Cookeville Pediatrics this month which I LOVE! Keep watching for more pics! I will get some more posted soon!

Love,

Kelley

4th of July!

We decided to close the restaurant this weekend and enjoy a little family time. We laid around the house all day yesterday, took family naps, and ate three meals together as a family (unheard of these days)!

We finished off the relaxing day by shooting off a few fire works at the Bailey's house. We then loaded everyone up and to watch the Cookeville firework show from the comfort of our restaurant patio. It was a great view, we got to drink champagne, and we didn't have to fight the crowd at the fairgrounds!!!

Here are some pics Libby and her best friend Isabelle toasting up a little apple juice to celebrate Independence Day!

I also had to include this video of Lucy dancing while Matt plays guitar. She LOVES music!

Finally Found Time!

Well, we finally got the restaurant open! It has been going really well! I am so proud of Matt. He is working so hard, and he is doing a wonderful job. Here are a couple of pics of the restaurant. We have a website that has the menus and a link to the local newspaper article written about us. The web address is http://www.madduxstation.com/

Meanwhile... the girls keep growing and growing! We have been fighting with ear infections with Lucy, but she is still such a happy baby! Here is a picture of her playing in the tub. She is crawling all around the house and pulling herself up to stand. Libby is having a difficult time with her sister having full access to all of her toys. We have had many time out sessions due to a lack of sharing!

This is a video of Libby singing. She is such a ham these days!

Trying to crawl!

Here is a video clip of Lucy getting up on her knees to try and crawl!

Keep reading below because I posted another!

School's Out for Summer!!!!

Wow... I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post! Life has been crazy around here. Matt has been working hard on the restaurant. It is getting very close! We are hoping to open the week of the 19th. I just finished up the semester at Tech, and am thankful for the break! I will spend the summer working in the restaurant. I also got a part-time position at the pediatrician's office where I take the girls. I am so thankful for this because I have been wanting this job for over a year now! I am really excited.

The girls are great! Libby is doing really well with potty training (finally). She did have a little accident at school this week that required 4 staples in the back of her head! That was a little scary, but she doesn't even notice that they are there!

Lucy is sitting up and scooting around the floor on her belly. She still loves the jump-up toy! Here is a video of Lucy laughing at her sissy!

New teeth!!!

Lucy has cut her first two teeth at the same time! She is getting soooo big!!!

She is almost 7 months old now - I can't believe it. She is still only sitting up on her own for about 10 sec, but I think she will be crawling anyday! She is determined to catch up with Libby!

Libby seems to finally be getting the whole potty training thing down. We decided to give in and bribe her with jelly beans - it works!

She is quite a handfull! She has to go to time out at least 3 times per day for terrorising the dog, hitting her sister with toys, etc. She is such a sweet child, but is somewhat impulsive! She is walking around right now with tap shoes (on the wrong feet) her pj top, and nothing else... oh yeah - and a half eaten banana. Maybe we will get a good video clip of that too!

The restaurant is coming right along! We are sooo excited! I will post some pics of the progress below as promised. There will be some more detailed pics in the kodak gallery picks that I send out! - We don't want to spoil all of the surprise though!

Happy Easter!!!

The Easter Bunny came to our house! I asked the Easter Bunny if he would bring toys this year instead of a ton of candy. He surprised Libby with a Buzz Light year toy (Toy Story is her all-time favorite movie). She was so shocked when she saw it that she would not touch him. She just stared at the toy in awe - I wonder if she was confused as to how Buzz was in her house instead of on TV. She eventually warmed up though, and said "I always want dis" - she LOVES it!

The Easter Bunny also brought Libby a kids gardening tool set with some flower seeds/bulbs to plant. Lucy got some matching seeds with a little pot of her own - I'm sure that Libby will plant her seeds for her. I will definitely try and get some pics of that in action!

The girls are STILL sick, so we couldn't make it to church today, but we are going to Granny's house later this afternoon. Maybe all of that good food will be the cure!

We finally moved Lucy's crib upstairs into Libby's room last night. She has been sleeping in our room for the past 6 months! Libby is excited to share her room with her sissy. We were wondering if everyone would get up very early with the new change, but we actually got to sleep in today! Lucy woke up for her early morning feeding at 6:30 - I just snuck up there and got her and brought her downstairs. After she ate I let her cuddle in the bed with us and everyone slept until 9:00!!! It was a nice surprise!


Hope that everyone has a Happy Easter!

More video clips!!!

I've been loving the video clips lately! Here is a funny one of Lucy while I was at work. She has bronchiolitis and her first ear infection, so she is snoring! I can't believe that she is 6 months old now. It feels like just yesterday that I was lying on the couch trying to prevent preterm labor! She is perfect! (except for her ear infection)

Our good friends Jenny and Andy came up to visit from Atlanta this past weekend. It was so fun because they brought there 1 year-old daughter Mary Beth. Libby had a blast playing with her, and we had a blast having some good-ole adult interaction! We put the girls to bed and had a wild and crazy night playing cranium. I, being the wild child that I am, begged to play scrabble - but no one else was cool enough to go there I guess.

Unfortunately I think that Lucy may have gotten Mary Beth sick while she was here. Jenny and Andy also returned home to a totaled car and damaged house from the hail storms that went through. It may have been a good thing that they were not home for that.

Everything else is going well! Libby is staying the night with her Memom and Pop tonight, so I am enjoying a glass of wine and "Making the Band" on MTV - sad, I know :)

Video Clips

Libby has been playing with Lucy a lot lately. It is so hard to catch the cute moments on camera, but here is an example. Lucy worships the ground that Libby walks on - she searches the room for her when she hears her voice. When Libby hears Lucy crying she says "mom... you need to rock Lucy - she sad :(!!"

Aquarium

I have had the week off from work for spring break, so we decided to take a trip down to the Chattanooga Aquarium. It was soooo much fun! Libby had a BLAST -- and so did I! I might have been slightly more excited about the ocean exhibit than anyone else in the building!

It was so calming to stand there and watch hundreds of fish (and other sea life) swim around.

Lucy was wonderful - she just fell asleep, so I stuffed her in Libby's umbrella stroller. She is getting heavy, and Libby insists on walking. We brought the wrong stroller - it worked out though!

Libby was terrified of the butterflies. She has a new found fear of bugs and spiders. If she even thinks she sees a bug on the ground she freezes up and starts screaming hysterically - it is so weird!

After we got done with the Aquarium we went by to see my friend Kim and her family. They are an awesome family that I met while working at Vanderbilt Children's. Little Jonah is a miracle child with the most amazing attitude towards life. He changed my life!!!

Kim made dinner for us, and Libby was so tired after the long day that she fell asleep in the middle of there living room floor! Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of that!

We have had a busy week getting things ready for the restaurant. The plan is to open May 1st (as long as all goes well with the contractors). It looks great in there! Here is a pic of it a couple of months ago. It looks totally different now. I will take some new pics as we continue to make progress so you can all see! We are so excited!!!

Birthday weekend

We loaded up the girls and headed to Dale Hollow Lake for a weekend get-away. Matt's birthday was Saturday, so we rented a little cabin on the lake fully equipped with a hot-tub (we were really roughing it!). We had a really good time and came back refreshed and ready to get back to work.

Here is a video of Libby in the hot-tub. She had a blast!

Matt got all excited about taking Libby fishing. He went out and bought her a fishing pole, loaded up, and headed for the dock despite the cold and rain - he was determined! Libby stayed interested in the fishing for about 2 1/2 minutes - then she was over it! Our solution was to pack up and head for the hot-tub! Libby enjoyed fishing here much more!

Playing

Had to just post a quick video of Lucy in her Jump-up. She is still kinda small for it, but she loves it!

Here is Libby playing her new favorite game... she is a kitty cat, and Allie is her BFF.

We also had our first night out without the kids! Matt and I helped out our friends Mark and Jennifer with the Mardi Gras ball here in Cookeville. It is a benefit for the Genesis House. We had to work for a couple of hours, then we got to play! It was so much fun. Uncle Cody stayed home with the girls - I was so proud of him - he actually got Libby to bed at a decent hour!

Everyone in Tennessee is Sick!!

Well, Libby made her first trip to the ER on Sunday! She has had a HORRIBLE stomach bug since Thursday, and was having terrible abdominal pain. Tomorrow will make 7 days of this illness (gotta love daycare)! She has done nothing but lay on the couch and watch TV for the last week. I am sure she has lost a few pounds too. Everyone else in the house has had a terrible cold (including poor little Lucy). We are hoping to all be well by this weekend for our birthday-get-away-weekend for Matt. We are renting a cabin on the lake fully equipt with a hot-tub!!!

Matt is finally able to start moving forward with the restaurant. The contractors are saying it should take about 60 days for them to finish - we shall see! I will post some pics of the site soon.

I have been getting adjusted to my new job. It has been busy but good. It feels good to be getting into a routine again! I have even been finding a little time to make it to a yoga class or two!!!

Lucy is getting so big! She 5 months old now. She is eating green beans, peas, oatmeal, and apples so far. She is a really good baby too! She goes to bed at 6:30pm and sleeps until 7:30am! She wakes up between 4 and 5 for a quick feeding and goes right back down.

She also loves to play in her "johnny jump up." She played in it for so long today that she fell asleep!

Here is a pic of Libby playing in the snow with Daddy last Wed. She was sick with a cold, but she still had to go out for a minute!

Trip to Virginia

Sorry it has been so long since our last post! We took a trip to Virginia to see my family (the Miller's) and we left our camera bag with all of our cords there! We had to have my parents send it to us UPS!

It was a very relaxing trip. I was dreading the 9 hour drive, but the girls were really good. Lucy slept and played with her rattle quietly while Libby watched DVDs! Everyone got pretty fussy for the last hour of the drive both there and back - but what can you expect with a 2 year-old and a 4 month-old!

Lucy had her first taste of cereal while we were at my parents house. This was fun because Libby had cereal for the first time at my parents house 2 years ago! It was neat to continue that tradition.

Here is a video of Libby entertaining us all at my parents house - she is such a ham!

Everyone is doing well. Lucy is sleeping through the night most nights now, and has traded the crying out for laughs and sweet little coos - I thought the day would never come!

Libby has transitioned into a "big girl bed" and loves it! She fell out the first night, but we have not had any issues since. She is so proud of herself.

I started my teaching full time this week. It was a very busy week, but I enjoyed it. I really like the people that I work with. It is hard having to start from scratch. It takes me FOREVER to put a lecture together, but everyone says that it will get easier. Matt has been staying home with the girls - which they love! They will have to start daycare in about 2 weeks though because Matt is about to start working on opening the restaurant. Things will be busy around here, but I am hoping that things will fall into a routine. We will try and keep up with our posts now that we have our stuff back! I hope that everyone had a happy new year!

Love,

Kelley