Eli's first fish

We took Eli fishing on Halloween weekend. We went to a pond where Dad works sometimes and happens to be by grandfather's birthplace. Papa, Dad, Troyce, and Chris and me were all there. Eli was very interested in what the long poles were doing in the water. Chris and Dad baited his pole and threw it out into the water. Then they let Eli hold the pole. It wasn't a matter of seconds before a fish took the bait and Eli and Boo were in a battle with a fish. We were laughing so hard the whole time because of the odds that Eli's first seconds holding a fishing pole would produce a fish! Eli watched the whole process and was fascinated by the fish. It was as big as he was!! It was a sweet little moment I was glad I captured on camera.

Halloween Monster

This Halloween Eli dressed as a monster and went to visit Baldwin Elem. and his Nene and Boo's house. He loved his outfit and looked at his hands often. We didn't go trick-or-treating because another little monster inside Mommy's tummy was making her feel horrible! Poor Eli...it was a laid back Halloween. He didn't even have a pumpkin this year. But he did get to try a piece of candy.

happy birthday chris akridge!

well, today my hubby turned the big 2-9. yes, he is younger to me...don't rub it in! in honor of his birthday, i will follow in my fellow blogging friends' footsteps and give 29 reasons why i love my hubby so much.
1. he makes me laugh
2. he is "my list" to the tee.
3. he is much more than my list...he exceeded all my expectations of a husband.
4. he leads our family spiritually.
5. he prays with eli and me every night.
6. he is a good dancer. he even has a couple of original dance moves which he has named.
7. he says, "i'm sorry" more than he needs to.
8. he drives a ford focus.
9. he wants me to stay at home with our children.
10. he loves sports.
11. he is a great story-teller.
12. he can't throw anything away...not even old white t-shirts.
13. he picks up the slack around here when things are tough for me.
14. he sees my needs and meets them.
15. he is tender-hearted.
16. but he is also "mean" if he has to be. (for lack of a better word...its late)
17. he can't keep a surprise very well.
18. he sits by me on the couch when we watch tv even though i know he is uncomfortable.
19. he loves being outside.
20. he likes to hunt and fish.
21. he is an alabama fan. (hey, it could be MUCH worse...he could cheer for an orange team.)
22. he is great at managing our money.
23. he is a cheap-o.
24. he is by the book and constant.
25. he has a hungry monster.
26. he is a hard worker.
27. he moved to georgia to be with me!
28. he is a great dad to eli.
29. he lives our vows out daily.

i love you chris akridge! you are my winning ticket on the marriage lottery. i wish for many, many more years together and pray God's best for you and our marriage.

I guess I will...

Ok, I guess since two lovely friends have now chosen to give me this "award" I will fulfill the requirements. The rules are listed below. And since I'm not up for always following the rules, more on that in a minute, I'm not going to adhere to rule #3. Here is how it works:

1) Thank and link back to the blogger that gave you the award.

2) Share 7 things about yourself.

3) Pass the award on to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy.

4) Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

Here goes nothing...

1. I don't always like to follow the rules and don't like when someone tells me I can't do things the way I want to. For example, I like making my own parking spot whenever I can, when I got married, I didn't register for a fine china (I know, living on the edge), I don't really care to follow rules of what to wear in what season, I often go without make-up (I guess this isn't really breaking a rule, but might be to some women), and I don't like punctuating or capitalizing when I'm suppose to.

2. When I was younger, I was a gymnast. I competed on the gymnast team until I was going into sixth grade. I like to say I retired for medical reasons (migraines), instead of saying I quit. I went back to tumbling class in tenth grade because my mom made me try out for cheerleading (I've never been so happy not to see my name on a list!). I can still do a round-off back-handspring, but see stars every time I do one.

3. I love to be comfortable. I love wearing sweats and sitting by a fire in the winter. I love t-shirts, gym shorts, and chacos or a knit dress during the summer.

4. I am one of three girls and didn't understand how dirty boys were until the day after I got married. I learned quickly boys make lots of weird noises, stink often, and don't always clean up after themselves. But I still love my man

5. I love to pack the car for vacations. It is almost like a puzzle to me. It makes me happy to get everything in the trunk fitting perfectly in place. I like the car to be organized and don't travel well if things are a mess in my car. If you saw my car right now, you would never believe this! But pregnancy pukiness is keeping me from doing lots of things these days...laundry, keeping a clean car or house, opening my frig, etc.

6. I love to eat,and I mean LOVE to eat. And right now I can't eat anything without getting sick. So that makes me depressed. I love trying new things and often get overwhelmed when going to a new restaurant because I want to order everything. I can't wait until I can enjoy eating again.

7. I am a horrible storyteller. I often mix parts up, forget punch lines, or leave out important information. I guess that is why I married Chris because he is a great storyteller. He is also my editor-in-chief. He usually tells me if my blog spots need anything fixed. And tonight he has a game, so if there are lots of errors, I'm sorry.

I would love to learn 7 things about you, but am not going to pass this award on to anyone in particular. If you are into these things, consider yourself tagged. I have enjoyed learning new things about so many of my friends.