Surprise Visitor

I was bringing in the stroller today out of the rain, and look at what I found! I tiny wren's nest. I love birds in particular watching them nest and their habits..anyway, this was a true blessing! but not to the poor birds that I dislodged all of thier hard work!! Notice, it is in the back pocket of the stroller where I keep gloves, keys, etc. They enjoyed using May's winter gloves and hat as background...

the Most Beautiful Day...

This is the image out of my screened porch this morning. It was absolutely perfect-the breeze was blowing, the tide was unusually high and our new grass is so GREEN! Heaven I tell you!

What a difference a year makes.

So I was scanning through PICASA and thought it would be neat to find pictures of May from a year ago. I know that there is so much growth in one short year, but looking at these pictures I can not believe it! May- you have gone from a newborn to a toddler OVERNIGHT.. Here are some things about you that I love:
*that you are a great sleeper (6pm-7am and two 1-2 hour naps a day)
*that you love to eat. with me as your mom-there is no way around it..(sorry)
*that you love music...anytime a song comes on you are bobbing your little head and flapping those arms of yours
*that you are beginning to give spontaneous hugs...I love them
*that you constantly smile
*that you do NOT cry-even when I think that you should.
*that you are mine and your daddy's...we love you more than you will EVER EVER EVER know.

OMG..

DO YOU SEE A RESEMBLANCE HERE?????
I am glad that I birthed this child or you might think I stole her from the Fitzgerald Family Farm!


13 months

4 years old

Tulips are here!

In January, I planted 100 Tulips in our front yard. Well they are in full bloom, and I must admit that I am IN LOVE! They are the most gorgeous colors of pink and red that you have ever seen...I will definitely plant them again next year. FYI- if you are in the neighborhood in the next week--please stop by-They are so PRETTY!!!

Birthday Picture

Here is a little photo montage of May's first birthday...She was such a big girl all day and enjoyed the hub=bub that was her first birthday party....We ended up having a family party and it was great....Perfect day and May had a Ball! Jeff's uncle, Bob took these photos, and I believe that they really do capture the essence of her sheer pleasure of eating the cake. IT was ADORABLE!
We love you big girl!!!

Smile!!!!

I am a Big Girl Now!
Loving bath-time and grinning for the camera...a new camera i might add that is SO MUCH more fun to use than the old one and no DUCT TAPE!

Ummm..Hello!

I am not dead to the world of blogging, although I have thought about giving it up once or twice...I have come to realize that it is sort of like a journal for me-and when I was a teenager all the way through when I met Jeff, I kept a journal of sorts that had sporadic entries. Some months-great. Others, well not so great. But instead of feeling guilty that I have not blogged, I will go from here- with some flashbacks mingled in. There was the cutest picture that I wanted to post to go along with this, but alas, the Blogger god is not with me today. I can not seem to upload any photos....Maybe tomorrow!

Things that have happened since I last wrote.....

Since I last posted I must admit that I have been slack on the picture taking. I attribute it to being so busy that my life feels out of control and now I am beginning to reign everything in and begin anew. I could not do that however without highlighting some important events of the last 2 months or so...but who is counting, right?







Halloween...Sitting and waiting for our 4 trick or treaters. The numbers are growing year by year-but I am still always a touch disapointed when we do not have child after child ringing the doorbell....anyway---







May's first day of school at John Weslyn Methodist Church. She goes M/W/F from 9:45-1:00 (weird hours, right?) and she has absolutely LOVED IT...and I love it too- her teachers are great and it is a very small class..









Thanksgiving...Hmmm.18 people in my house. IT all went very well- the only casualty was me BREAKING our joggling board after some champagne and jeers from my nephews egging me on to "Keep double bouncing us"..Enough said-OUCH.

How I set up the tables to fit the diners. I must admit that it looked fantastic and everyone had a wonderful time-or so they said!

I am not dead!

Someone, Please come help me update my Blog. I have been trying to fix it since it has been upgraded and I am a complete MORON when it comes to the computer....so here is a question: why if i have Picasa 2, does it not show the HELLO icon like the directions say? Also, why is it so difficult to upload pictures following the prompts from the icon on the screen???? Can someone please come over and give this girl a tutorial??? I will provide lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks-whatever!
Thanks.!!!

PS, next month- I will tackle the IPOD. i really do not want to be old before my time.

Chicago.

A month ago, Jeff ran his marathon in Chicago. As much as I would like to say that i knew how he did, or saw him run at different places along the course- i did not. I spent the weekend with our dear dear friend Melanie and her family. She has two gorgeous girls who are full of energy and personality and I loved getting to see them and Mel...I hate that we have such good friends who live far away, but being able to spend 3 days together non-stop and talk non-stop just reinforces the strenght of the friendship...Mel, I love you like a sister and each time that we are together-it makes me miss you!!!Here are a few pictures of the girls having a good time- i swear, Lila and Noa could move in to our house ANY time...
We love you guys.

 

Cashiers....

Jeff, May and I on the porch..

A few weekends ago, We were invited to join Jessica, David and Georgia on their vacation to Cashiers, NC. To say that it was a great weekend would be an understatement. This was the first time that we have been on a trip as a family with friends and it was a blast. There were two other couples there with girls all around the same age as May and it was amazing seeing them all interact so well together. Not to mention that how special it was to spend so much quality time with friends. We all are so busy, and i loved getting to know the husbands better and seeing everyone on down time instead of at a party... Thank you Jessica and David for including us--it truly was a treat. Here is to next year--Love you!!!

Georgia, May and Madelyn

vent....

Ummm.. ok, I have had one of the most frusterating experiences of my life unfold over the last few months. I am not sure if you know, but i have been a life and health/securities agent for the last 6 1/2 years since my days in charlotte at the grand ole bofa....(a GREAT employer by the way). Well when i was on maternity leave, my insurance license had Continuing Education that needed to be completed for me to keep my license current. Well, since I was on Maternity leave, it was not completed with BofA. When I decided to work with my dad, i needed to complete the CE. I signed up for the courses online and completed them. Well, when you work on your own versus have someone monitor you licences for you it is a completely different world....So i completed the courses which cost A lot of money ($150) and hired a proctor to come to my house and watch me take and pass each one of the tests for $25.00 a pop. A side note, I failed one of the tests several times, so the proctor had to come back to my house so i could take the test again. All in all, i think that I spent $150 for the tests...Well, the deadline was November 1st and I did everything that I thought that I needed to before that timeframe. One thing led to another and I FORGOT to check with the SC department of Insurance to make sure that everything was Status Quo. Forward to November 2nd. I called the Department of Insurance to make sure they received all of my information.....Here is the cincher, I failed to pay a $50.00 fee, so......I LOST MY LICENSE. AWESOME..... All of that work for nothing. It may not seem like that big of a deal but when working two different jobs and juggling a 10 month old that i love- it was a lot of time and sacrifice. So I move on and have to reapply for my license as a new producer. I call and schedule the exam (65.00) and think that I can study with Jeff's books. What I did not know is that i have to pass a pre-licensing exam which I can only do with purchasing the online study guides and tests (185.00). I do this and have spent the better part of the last two weeks studying, taking tests, generally being in a really really bad mood. So the test was scheduled for today which i took off from one job (grace little school) and get a babysitter==EVA. free i know, but still time for her not to be doing what she wants. I go to take the exam, ready to go and I get to the testing site and GUESS WHAT??????? THE bad word people at the testing site had set me up under my MAIDEN NAME. you know what that means??? I can not take my test because my license doe s not match the test name...GREAT. It is about 80 degrees at the testing office, i am beyond mad and they tell me that I have to call the customer care line and fix the problem. That would be awesome, but it took me 30 minutes of waiting on hold to get through to someone, for them to only switch me back in the Que. AWESOME! Still at the site, i try to explain to the customer care lady what had happened and she gave me some serious attitude. She finally realized that the mistake was in fact theirs, but I can not take the exam because of the name not matching. But, I can call back tomorrow and reschedule for another time. Right. Two hours later, I leave Prometric realizing that I am in fact not in charge of everything and that my 2nd job is lying in the hands of these dumb=a**es somewhere in Minnesota. Whew. I feel a little better, but not until having two VERY large glasses of wine and an equally large piece of chocolate cake. Tomorrow, maybe will be a better day==I hope.

.tagged...

So, I was tagged to answer some questions by Amanda, and since I still am unsure how to link (someone please help me) to other blogs-i will try and post a link to hers later when i can focus a little better!! here it goes:

I am: an overly anxious person who struggles to keep everything in line/orderly etc.
I want: to be a better wife and mother.....
I have: an Amazing daughter and an even more AMAZING husband
I wish: that I had more energy to be as productive as I wanted to be while still maintaining a smiling face.
I hate: that I do not get to see my friends (close and far) as much as I used to (esp since we did not realize how precious that time was)
I miss: my sister in Newberry, friends in far away places and that feeling of freedom that you have when you are young and dumb-like a perfect fall day in college....
I hear: nothing! baby is sleeping and the dryer just finished it's cycle.
I wonder: what life would have been like if I did not go to college in SC.
I regret: Nothing. Everything that has happened good and bad has made me who I am today.
I am not: sugary sweet, but you always know where I stand and I am not mean.
I dance: with my husband at parties.
I sing: Constantly when I am alone.
I cry: reading some people's blogs/ during the evening news/ wherever there is a story that evokes true emotion.
I am not always: the nicest to my husband. Why are we the nicest to others and then you are grumpy with the person who means the most?
I make with my hands: flowers in the garden/ dinner.
I write: not as much as I wish.
I confuse: What is important with what can WAIT.
I need: quiet time.
I should: talk less and listen more...I am working on that.
I start: my day with coffee
I finish: the day utterly content.

If i knew how to tag i would!

Can you tell...

Which one is the pumpkin or the child? Just kidding. But she sure does fit in well doesn't she?
Maybe next year she will really enjoy the Pumpkin Patch- but as for this year--well, let's just say that she could not have cared less where she was..but hey-it is all for us now isn't it?



 

This is for Jeff.....

Bollerman that is! Thank you Jeff for continuing to purchase our little May these Furman outfits...I pray that when the time comes we will be able to send her there.........only if we can afford the tuition! :0 

Newberry...

Gaillard













Julianna
Are they not so sweet? Their progress has been nothing short of AMAZING. Both weigh almost 7 lbs...Can you believe that in a few short weeks of coming home, they have gained almost 2 pounds??? Although I have only seen them once in person (while they were in the hospital i could only see them through a window), I feel like I know what is going on at all times through talking with Anne and Mom. They are sleeping well, eating great and growing into full sized babies. I am so happy for Anne and Hugh- I know that they must feel so relieved to have a lot of the worry behind them...Remember her due date was not until November 10th!! The miracle of Modern Medicine!!! We LOVE our new baby cousins!!!



May and Lauren--






May getting some GaGa time in..... 

Slack, Slack, SLACK!!

That is what I am with my blogging. One day turns into the next, and before I know it--a month has almost passed. These are pictures taken of May several weeks ago, and now I am just getting them on the web! Things have been out of control busy--when will it EVER slow down? The sad thing is- it never will-so I just need to get used to this pace of life....

By the way- Isn't she ADORABLE?

 

8 months and counting...

I feel that I have been neglecting my child...May just turned 8 months old, and I have not written about her in forever!! She still is such a joy to be around- inquisitive, deliberate, confident, happy and strong would be how I would describe her. She is aware of EVERYTHING now. She wants to hold it, lick it-feel it. It includes but is not limited to: dirt, shoes, Stella's toys, you name it, she is exploring!!
She is crawling so well and pulling up on whatever she can balance on. The most inventive thing so far is the face of the dishwasher. She palms her way up until she is standing up...
She is feeding herself finger foods ( last night i fed her Chicken Divan casserole)---What a hit!
I guess that I am not the best at expressing how I feel about her, but she is a bright light in my life. I have to remind myself that she is not going anywhere and that she is mine for life!! That makes me so happy..now in a few years when she is a teen=hmmm, i might be singing another tune. But for now-I treasure every second with you Maisy. I love you...Mama.