{19 weeks}

19 weeks - almost half way there!! I have to start by saying this: what possessed someone to use this vantage point for the picture below? I mean, could that poor baby look more miserable?? Anyway... We're up to 6 inches and about 8 ounces (size of a tomato or mango - depending on your taste preferences). Sensory development is in full swing and he/she can probably hear our voices now! Hair is sprouting, but some gross coating is forming all over the body too.

Me... I'm up about 3 pounds total, but will get an official weigh-in later today. Only 4 more hours until our ultrasound. I'm about to jump out of my flippin' skin!!

layout {girls rock}

Today my sister came over and we cropped for several hours. However, I don't feel like I accomplished much. I added some journaling to a group of pages for the foundation scrapbook. I added photos, journaling & final touches to 2 layouts from a Scenice Route class, and then I created this page.
I was excited to work on something girly, but was ultimately disappointed in how it came out. Oh well...
Photos are from when I went with a friend and her daughter to see the Hannah Montana 3-D concert movie. Sadly enough, I think these are the only photos from 2008 that I've scrapped.

supplies - stickers: cloud 9 designs; rub-ons: american crafts; miscellaneous letter stickers; pen: zig writer

layout {catchin' waves}

The last of 4 layouts from the Scenic Route class. I used the surf type items that are part of this same line. Pictures are of Spencer and a friend boogie boarding on our 2007 beach vacation. I added the mini photos mixed in with the journaling (not part of the original design). Those were photos taken on a disposable and were very poor quality. By printing them small, I was still able to use them.

layout {celebrating 8 years}

From the Scenic Route class... I finished this one up a few weeks ago. Photos from Spencer's birthday in 2006.

layout {manchester meadows}

I created the base for this layout in the Scenic Route class I took at the CK Convention. Today, while cropping with my sister, I added the photos, journaling, final touches, etc.

layout {never ending birthday}

This is one of four layouts started in a Scenic Route class at the CK Convention last month. Photos are from Matt's birthday in 2006.

photos {fall decorations}

The cooler weather has gotten me into the mood for fall. So, tonight I pulled down the decorations from the attic and added some autumn touches throughout the house. I just adore fall colors! To see more pictures, click here.

photos {room makeover}

Earlier this week, Matt did a mini room makeover for Spencer. He painted the walls official "SC Garnet". We moved the full-sized bed into his room (he used to have a twin) and I bought all new bedding (black comforter, gamecock sheets & pillowcases, and gamecock blanket). He had also gotten a few things for his birthday that go in his room so we hung those up. If you want to see pictures of the whole room, click here.

{18 weeks}

18 weeks! Only one more week until the ultrasound and it's about to drive me crazy having to wait - even had a very vivid dream about it last night. So, the baby is about 5 1/2 inches long now (bell pepper if you want to keep shopping in the produce section). He or she is flexing arms & legs, which I supposedly should be able to feel soon. All the boy and girl parts are in place now (and hopefully won't be hiding next week). Yawning has also been mastered.

Me: I've gained about 2 pounds now. I've finally gotten over the cold/sinus mess I've had. I've started doing my yoga DVD a little bit. Not much else to report...

{usc v. wofford}

We rented the Wofford game on Saturday night, and yes, we won (23-13). But it wasn't a pretty sight (we were even losing at one point). We should've stomped Wofford and we didn't - not even close. It's amazing how we can almost beat Georgia and barely pull off a win to Wofford.

Some highlights:

• Smelley still isn't a very good quarterback (his long passes just are not accurate, plus he had 2 interceptions and a fumble) but he ran a few times for some decent yardage - first time we've really seen him do that. Unfortunately, we never saw a glimpse of Garcia (except on the sidelines).


• Succup performed better than earlier in the season so I may have my confidence back in him now (Spencer Lanning wasn't around this game - not sure why).


• Kenny McKinley was still out due to injury.


• We saw some nice plays out of Maddox (scored our first touchdown).


• A freshman kid named Baker came in for Mike Davis on occasion and is really good. Davis (pictured) can't play against UAB next week (and is a senior) so it's nice to know we have a strong tailback to fill that gap.

photos {the pit}

As part of Spencer's birthday weekend, we took him and a friend to a place called "The Pit". They have a huge indoor race track where the cars go up to 45 mph. Pretty cool. They also played laser tag and a ton of arcade games.

i took this shot of me and matt while the boys were playing laser tag.

spencer in laser tag
the boys on the track
the boys playing air hockey
matt and i enjoyed playing the arcade games also :)

photos {spencer's 10th birthday}

we had a small family party for spencer's birthday that was combined with the carolina vs. georgia game. we lost the game, but spencer still had a great time. he seemed to be really pleased with his gifts this year. we got him 10 things (for his 10th birthday) and i wrapped them with numbered tags.

blowing out his football candles on his football cake

opening gifts...
spencer gets his first shotgun - he was very excited :)

photos {dalton's crop for autism}

The first weekend in September was Dalton's Crop for Autism - the charity crop I organized to benefit the Dalton Help Foundation. It went very well and we raised over $1400 for DHF. More pictures here.

we had a ton of awesome stuff in the silent auction!!! lots of generous donations.

i recently joined a group called "york county mommies". this group of ladies were all from ycm. that's me in the front, far right.
strait brought dalton by and spoke to the group for a few minutes. dalton was quite sleepy :)
my sister sherry cropping

photo {knights game}

We hadn’t made it to a Knights Game (minor league baseball) this year, so we were able to squeeze one in at the very end of the season. We were lucky and got good seats (purchased from some guy in the parking lot). It was a nice summer outing, followed by dinner out.

this picture cracks me up. this is a very common look for me to get when i point the camera his way.

photos {baseball in the backyard}

just some shots of matt & spencer playing baseball in the backyard a couple of weekends ago.

i love this picture of matt!

{it's that time of year again}

Today I feel like fall...and I'm happy for that. Usually I like everything about fall except the cooling temperatures, but this year - I'm even ready for that. There have been signs of fall, but today it really hit me. Our temps this week have been highs in the upper 70s - VERY nice - and a drastic change from the 90s we had last weekend.

I'm wearing this sweater (without the weird gray shirt underneath) - love this color. It just screams autumn.

And this morning, I enjoyed my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. Gotta love that!!!

{what i'm watching}

as the new shows start to roll their way back onto tv, i'm happy to have some decent stuff to watch. here are a few of my favorites right now:

90210

it may be a bit sad, but as a huge fan of the original, i couldn't resist tuning in when this started. it's cheesy, but i'm hooked :)

Bones

Matt & I have enjoyed this show since it started. LOVE it! Very glad that it was one of the shows to start back a little early. I'm excited about this week's episode that includes the dog whisperer!

Fringe

new show on fox. matt & i both love this one, which is always good. it's a little weird but any freaky sci-fi stuff is ok as long as i get to look at pacey, i mean joshua jackson.

photos {playground

These pictures are from back in June but I just received them from our neighbor. One weekend he was nice enough to take his son, Spencer and the little girl across the street to the playground at La Plaza Fiesta. It's supposedly a pretty awesome play area. Spencer had a blast.

photos {playground

{17 weeks}

Week 17 (ultrasound in 2 weeks!!!). The baby weighs 5 ounces and is around 5 inches long. The skeleton is changing into bone, joints can move, and sweat glands are developing (do you think it gets hot in there???). The most exciting thing is that the baby can hear now!

Me? Same ole, same ole. I'm still under the weather and feeling like crap. I've been taking antibiotics and Musinex, after seeing the doctor last week. Unfortunately, it's not working very quickly. Still very congested and have a horrible cough. It's hard to tell if I've felt better in the 2nd trimester, because I've been sick most of it :)

photo {mountains}

About a month ago, we invited our friends/neighbors (Tara & Warren) to spend the weekend with us in the mountains. We took a nice (but difficult) hike at Linville Falls.

Warren

Warren & Tara
Brokeback Mountain???
Matt & Holly

photos {ck convention}

About a month ago, my mom, sister and I went to the CK Convention in Charlotte. This has become an annual tradition for us and it's always tons of fun. My big purchase this year was the Bind-It-All machine!

Sarah is a designer for Scenic Route. She taught the class that Mom and I took on Friday morning.

Donna Downey made a "celebrity" appearance.

Me, Mom & Michelle - I have two of these and someone's eyes are closed in each one. I'm hoping Mom's came out better.

photos {scott & cameron's wedding}

Scott & Cameron's wedding from about a month ago. She was a beautiful bride!

the bride & groom

me and matt
scott, matt & geoff
shannon & amy with scott :)

{college football - north v. south}

I've read this several times but just saw it again and thought I'd share it here since I've been posting about football the last couple of weeks. Enjoy - it's all very true, but good for a chuckle.

In case you weren't aware, there are just a few differences between football in the South and the North.

Women's Accessories:
NORTH:
ChapStick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH:
Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon. Money is not necessary... that's what dates are for.

Stadium Size:
NORTH:
College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH:
High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.

Fathers:
NORTH:
Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH:
Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.

Campus Decor:
NORTH:
Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH:
Statues of Heisman trophy winners.

Homecoming Queen:
NORTH:
Also a physics major.
SOUTH:
Also Miss America.

Heroes:
NORTH:
Rudy Guliani
SOUTH:
Archie & Peyton Manning

Getting Tickets:
NORTH:
5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus and purchase tickets.
SOUTH:
5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on Campus and put name on waiting list for tickets.

Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:
NORTH:
Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH:
Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don't want to see the few hung-over students that might actually make it to class.

Parking:
NORTH:
An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH:
RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.

Game Day:
NORTH:
A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH:
Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera and wave to the idiots up North who wonder why "Game Day Live" is never broadcast from their campus.

Tailgating:
NORTH:
Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH:
30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance by "Dave Matthews' Band," who come over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon.

Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH:
You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH:
When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it becomes the state's third largest city.

Concessions:
NORTH:
Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH:
Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.

When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH:
Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH:
100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.

The Smell in the Air After the First Score:
NORTH:
Nothing changes.
SOUTH:
Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.

Commentary (Male):
NORTH:
"Nice play."
SOUTH:
"Dammit, you slow sumbitch -tackle him and break his legs."

Commentary (Female):
NORTH:
"My, this certainly is a violent sport."
SOUTH:
"Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."

Announcers:
NORTH:
Neutral and paid.
SOUTH:
Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.

After the Game:
NORTH:
The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH:
Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker. While somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon, planning begins for next week's game.

{16 weeks}

16 weeks - The baby is the size of an avocado, about 4 1/2 inches long. Legs are more developed, head is more erect, eyes & ears are closer to their final positions on the head.

Me - I feel like crap (to put it mildly). Whatever I had a couple of weeks ago came back, even worse. I went to the doctor and got some antibiotics, but the last two days have been miserable. It's basically a cold and sinus infection.