The Stallings' Clan

Cooper's 9 month pictures

2011-01-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I have mentioned this before but I need to repeat myself. I LOVE our photographer. I leave a session thinking there's no way that she got any good shots and what does she do EVERYtime? Not only get good shots but GREAT shots. Once again Brittney outdid herself. We did Cooper's 9 month session at our house using the natural morning light and if you haven't guessed already I'm pretty happy with the sneak peek she posted. If you want to see more of her awesome work check out her website and blog.
www.bgannphotography.com

We had to include some sibling shots.

You wouldn't believe what all we were doing to get this shot :-)

Cooper's nursery known formally known as my office.

My baby is growing up fast!

Cooper is 9 Months!

2011-01-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Wow! Time keeps flying by even though I would love for it to slow down. My baby is already 9 months old. Lot's have happened so far. You and your big brother both had surgery for ear tubes on the same day. This was your first set and hopefully only set (Grayson's 3rd). Unfortunately right now both ears are infected and on New Year's Eve your right ear probably ruptured....it started bleeding. You go back to the ENT Tuesday so hopefully it will be good news. You are becoming very brave and have cruised a couple of times. You finally figured out how to go from sitting, to crawling, back to sitting. You also said momma very clear one day when you were mad. You also celebrated your first Christmas and welcomed in not only a New Year but a new decade.

Still a slacker!

2011-01-02T19:35:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I'm such a slacker! I keep saying that I'm going to do a better job of keeping my blog up to date yet I haven't. Let's try this again....this week look for posts from Christmas, Coop's 9 month update, and more.
Happy New Year Y'all!

8 months

2010-11-21T19:23:00.000-08:00

Wow! Where has the time gone? Cooper is now 8 months. Hmm... let's see what milestones he has hit so far...

Cooper you now have your 2 front bottom teeth. If anyone is feeding you they better watch out because you will bite. You are finally eating baby food much better but prefer to eat whatever is on our plates instead. You are trying your best to crawl. Right now you have the army crawl down and you also like to do lots of push ups. When you get really mad it sounds like you are calling for momma. You are also waving bye but only for your Nanny and big brother. You pulled up by yourself twice last week at daycare. I guess I should also note that you have had 4 ear infections and will be getting your first set of tubes next month at the same time as Grayson is getting his 3rd set. You absolutely adore your big brother. He can make you laugh like no one else can. You love your big sister but are still a little afraid of her since she tortures you so much. You really love watching the dogs and if they bark you giggle. I'm having a blast watching you become more independent. Everyday is a new adventure, I just wish I could slow time down.

Cooper-6 months

2010-10-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

This little boy knows how to melt his momma's heart!

www.bgannphotography.com

Weekly Menu Plan

2010-07-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

Ok, once again I'm late posting this but better late than never. Last week was VBS so we had a lot of sandwiches, pizza, etc. Quick foods :-(

Sunday- Chicken Pot Pie

Monday- Spaghetti, Garlic bread, salad

Tuesday- Frozen fish sticks and fries (kids choice...Mark works late)

Wednesday- Italian Pot Roast (never got to it the other week)

Thursday- Chicken Casserole, green beans

Friday- Eat out (gotta keep the kitchen clean for company tomorrow)

Saturday- GRILLING OUT

Cooper's 3 month pics

2010-07-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Lil' Man is 3 months old. Actually, he's closer to 4 months. Mommy was a little bit late with his photo session. Anyway, Brittney Gann did it again. She managed to get some great shots of my 3 hooligans. We also had family shots, but none of those were in the sneak peek.

So sit on down and take a peek of 3 members of the Stallings Clan!

Reagan and Grayson singing a song to Cooper

My smiling baby boy.

Mr. Handsome

Can you guess the title of this artwork?

2010-07-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say Grayson is my budding artist.

He loves to draw.

Sometimes his sister draws with him,
although her drawings are usually on walls.

This is one of his latest creations.

You can still find it in my driveway since it hasn't rained in MONTHS!

Can you tell what it is?

How about from this angle?

No? How about a close up of it...

Figure it out yet?

Scroll down for Grayson's description or title..............

You are looking at.....
"Man standing on ladder with two bellies and boobies"

How big does a Shark grow?

2010-07-06T16:20:00.001-07:00

Sharks grow fast.

They start out little and cute such as this one.

Then they grow

and grow some more

and hopefully one day will stop growing.

Of course with all of that growing comes bags and bags of food disappearing.

So now instead of little and cute

You end up with a large

but still cute Shark.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm an avid reader of many blogs yet have issues with keeping mine up to date. UGHH! One of the many things I love to see is everyones menu plans on Monday. So I have decided to jump on board and try to start doing this. I'm a little late posting mine, but hey at least I have posted something :-)

Monday: Grilled pork chops, oven potatoes, corn, peas

Tuesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches, chips, baked beans

Wednesday: Grilled steaks, salad, baked potatoes (maybe twice baked)

Thursday: Skillet Lasagna, Salad

Friday: Eat Out

Saturday: Mark works all day and night so maybe sandwiches??

Sunday: Italian Pot roast with carrots & potatoes, green beans, corn bread, and some sort of dessert. Maybe Death by Chocolate

I will let you know how well I stick to my menu plan :-)

The Kiddos and Mother's day crafts

2010-05-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

The kids are making mother's day crafts for all of their grandmothers. I needed a picture of all three of them together for one of the crafts so we headed outside. I think this pictured turned out great to have 3 kiddos in it, I just wished I had angled it better so that my garage wasn't in the background. I will try to post pictures of them making their crafts and the final products on Sunday. Can't reveal the surprise in case of prying eyes.

As you can see in the above picture Cooper is a growing boy. He is officially 7 weeks old today. I can't believe it! Time sure does fly and I DON'T like it! He is staying awake most of the day with 2 naps and maybe a catnap here and there a day. He's a great baby unless he's hungry. Cooper sleeps most of the night just waking up once to eat. I'm getting ready to introduce a bottle to little man. This should make Reagan very happy! She's been wanting to give him a bottle since he was born. It should make me happy also to have a break, maybe a pedicure. Ok, I will leave you with another good shot from today. This time Coop wasn't happy. Reagan wanted a turn to hold him.

The many faces of Reagan

2010-05-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Picture of the day!

2010-04-29T17:41:00.001-07:00

Brownies

2010-04-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

The kids had a pretty good day today. Grayson was disappointed that his swimming lesson was cancelled due to the weather. So, we ended up having a nice day at home (after driving to Ringgold for swimming to have it canceled). Grayson and Reagan requested spaghetti for supper so of course Mommy complied. We also made brownies. I let the kids "make" the brownies. They really thought they were doing something. Here are a few pics.

1 month

2010-04-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

Cooper is one month old , actually he's 5 weeks but since I'm a little behind schedule on this post we will pretend he's one month :-) At his one month well visit he was in the 75th percentile for weight, height, and head circumference. He weighed 10lbs. 11oz. Needless to say he is a little pig. He wants to eat all the time. I don't think he's hungry I believe that he thinks Mommy is a good paci. Just like his big brother and sister he is a squeaker when eating. No discrete nursing with this guy. Cooper is a strong little fella. He likes to hold his head up by himself until he's too tired to do it anymore. He also likes to do push ups when doing tummy time. At times he reminds me of a bobble head. The jury is still out on who he looks like. At time he looks more like Grayson than Reagan and vice versa. I guess he's just going to have his own look. Cooper is staying awake more during the day which makes it a little more difficult for Mommy to get stuff done. He likes the swing but has decided he could take or leave the bouncy seat. He also is beginning to smile more often. I can't wait to see how his little personality develops. Right now I'm enjoying every day of his babyhood knowing it won't last long and that more than likely this will be my last one (tubal).

Mr. Cooper

2010-04-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2010-03-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome Cooper Alexander!

2010-03-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Conversation with Grayson

2010-03-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

I walk into the living room and this is what I hear.....

Grayson: Hey Mommy, I'm screwin....

Me (doing a double take at my son): You are?

Grayson: Yes!............................................ When I get big I'm going to be real good at screwin!

Me (trying my best not to laugh): I bet you will be.

Now to clarify what was going on, Grayson was helping his daddy put batteries in Coopers bouncy seat. He was using the screwdriver trying to unscrew the screws. He was so serious about being a good "screwer" that I could hardly keep a straight face.

Preparing for Cooper

2010-03-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Cooper is arriving tomorrow morning! Yes, this is a week ahead of schedule but apparently he and my body thinks he needs to come on. Sunday I had another gallbladder attack...this one the worst yet! I was at a baby shower (not for me) of all places. Thankfully it was at my cousins house so I was curled up in her bed when I wasn't in the bathroom. Two of my other cousins decided they needed to call the dr and he told me to go on to the hospital. Turns out that was a good idea as the gallbladder attack triggered contractions. So, I got a nice overnight stay at the hospital so they could do an ultrasound on my gallbladder Mon. morning. The only thing it showed was Cooper kicking my gallbladder. Wednesday I went and saw my dr. and I didn't even have to bring up moving my c-section date. I had my gameplan ready to beg and everything :-) Today has been very busy. We had pregnancy pictures planned for tomorrow but fortunately our photographer was able to move them to today. Hopefully, she will have a sneak peak available soon.

So here I am the night before #3 is to arrive. The other two kids are at Nana's and Papaw's for the next couple of days. I need to be in bed asleep instead of blogging but you know how that goes. In a few days I will post some pics of the newest member of our family. So now to bed with everything running through my mind. Surely I have everything packed :-)

An update....

2010-03-12T04:57:00.000-08:00

We have a big girl! Reagan slept in her big girl panties the whole night and no one was flooded out of the bed! The only reason I let her sleep in them was to keep her from making a stinky in a pull up. Yes we have #2 issues and she only wants to do it in her pull up. Looks like I can hide the few left overs we have and go undies from this point out. Keep your fingers crossed this works.

I'm officially on maternity leave now. The doctor wanted me to start a week earlier than I had planned. I'm not complaining too loudly as I was to the point I wasn't able to do what I needed to be doing in the classroom. I already miss my class!! They were so sweet and good. When you have a class that was as good as mine you don't want to leave them.

Cooper is scheduled to come in 2 weeks. Yes, I only have 2 weeks to pick up any last minute items needed, clean my house from top to bottom (or at least make it presentable), run any errands I need to do for me, and finish Easter bunny stuff. Plus, I want to take each of the kids on a date without the other....not sure what we will do so if you have any suggestions let me know. I'm already tired thinking of it.

Progress

2010-02-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

Progress was made tonight in Coopers room. Mark and Samson carried his bed downstairs, moved the rocking chair, and armoire into the room. Reagan and I emptied some gift bags and dusted. The only downside is that after the furniture was moved in I figured out that Reagan's old changing table is 4 inches too big to fit. So, now I'm trying to see if I rearrange I can make it fit. Oh well! Now to get the bedding on the bed, curtains finished and to find pictures to hang we will be finished!

Cooper

2010-02-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

So, we have chosen Cooper as the baby's name. Of course, the kids and I are still calling him Sharkey...it's a hard habit to break :-) We're still working on a middle name, so if you have any suggestions that start with A be sure to let us know. I went back to the Dr. yesterday. I now know what is calling the rash, but the stomach issues are not related. The rash is some LONG name I can't remember but the abbreviations are PUPPP. From what the doctor said and the research I have read it only occurs to 1% of pregnant women. Most of these are first time pregnancies, pregnant with multiples, etc. None of which apply to my situation. Pretty much what this means is that I'm not reacting well to the male DNA of Cooper....Marks contribution :-) It should go away after the pregnancy. The rash can leave scars, but I'm hoping not. Right now the Dr. is treating it with steroids. I don't know if I will take these for the rest of the pregnancy or just for now. Back to the stomach issues the Dr. wouldn't commit to a diagnosis but the look on his face when I asked if it was gallbladder lead me to believe that is his line of thinking. Due to the rash and stomach issues I bypassed going to the Dr. every 2 weeks and now have to go every week.

March 25th can't get here soon enough :-)

Baby Sharkey

2010-02-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have done a horrible job keeping my new years resolution. I'm not in denial so I can admit it. Let me try to catch you up on what's been going on in our world.

First of all baby Sharkey. Yes I am 32 weeks pregnant with a boy and he still doesn't have a name. Poor #3 is already neglected. I think Mark and I have narrowed it down and may actually have one selected but I'm not ready to commit just yet. Anyway, back to the name Sharkey. In October we took a trip to the beach. Somehow on that trip Grayson decided he wanted to name the baby Sharkey Fish Stallings and it has stuck. I think that is part of the reason we have been so slow on picking a name. We have called him Sharkey for so long it seems as if he has a name. Mark's cousin, Samson, painted the nursery yesterday so now I'm ready for the boys to move the furniture in there and start getting it ready. The bedding came in last week. Grayson is disappointed because he had picked out one that was polka dots with animals. The one I went with is polka dots but no animals. I told him he could help me pick out animal pictures to put on the walls. We'll see what we end up with :-) On Friday we took the kids to see an ultrasound with us. Grayson was very excited...Reagan not so much. Grayson really thought it was funny that Sharkey kept showing us his weenie. We really didn't get a good look at his face. His hands and his feet were in front of his face. I guess it will have to be a surprise who he looks like.

The pregnancy has been pretty uneventful until the past month. I have a HORRIBLE itchy rash on my forearms and belly and it's not getting any better. In addition to that every 5-7 days I have had some major stomach issues...to the point I have to miss work. I won't go into details but I bet you can guess. Not fun anytime, but especially when you have a huge belly. Last week the Dr. took about 1/2 my blood to run some tests so I'm hoping when I go back tomorrow he has some answers. I'm tired of itching and making bathroom visits. Keep your fingers crossed that I find out some answers.

I'm going to go for now. I will post again soon and give you more updates about what's been going on and hopefully some pictures!

still lacking in the blogging world

2010-01-11T15:14:00.001-08:00

Ok, I know I said I was going to blog a lot over the weekend but I'm having technical difficulties. Our router is not working properly and needs to be replaced. Hopefully this will be done by this weekend. I hope everyone is staying warm!

Neglect

2010-01-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

My poor neglected blog. I did so well maintaining it for so long but not lately. I guess my new years resolution is to do a better job. The next few days will be a hodgepodge of posts, not in any certain order. I hope that all are doing well!

Halloween

2009-11-02T17:20:00.001-08:00

Muscle Man and Minnie Mouse

Frustration and a bad mood

2009-10-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

Lately I have had a lot of frustration and have been in a bad mood. It's not just one part of my life that is causing this but many areas. For those who work with me you understand part of that frustration. Anyway, today was another one of those days. I was so thankful that I didn't have a Dr.'s appointment because I probably would have been in trouble for my blood pressure. I'm sure it was sky high. After work Mark, the kids, and I met up for dinner and then picked up some pumpkins from the local fruit stand. We came home and Mark took the kids upstairs to play. While catching up on some blogs I found this video. Talk about calming someone down...this did it for me. The setting, the talent all I can say it is glorious. So take about 5 minutes, tune EVERYTHING else out including everything running through your mind and just absorb this video.

Snot in the ear

2009-10-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

What a title for a post but it's pretty accurate. Reagan has had one of the worst ear infections I have ever seen. We do know her tube is doing it's job because of all of the "snot" coming out of the ear. Disgusting I know but that's what Mark and the kids have been calling it. I stayed home from work on Friday with her. Her temperature that started late Wednesday night/Thursday morning didn't break until Saturday. I think we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel but it can't get here soon enough!

The Big 4

2009-09-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bit late with this post. I thought I had posted it, but I guess it I didn't. Oh well, here goes.

On Wednesday (16th) my precious little boy turned 4. I cannot believe that my first born is 4 years old. These years have been so precious and we have had so much fun. At one point in time during the pregnancy, and right after birth I was unsure if we were even going to get to have 4 years with him. I can still remember the neonatologist telling me hours after giving birth that she didn't know how long you would be in the hospital it could be months but that her goal was to make sure you lived to come home (not her exact words but close to it). I don't like to think about those moments but prayers were answered and we now have a healthy, active, caring, sweet 4 year old boy. Below you will find some pictures from the past 4 years.

Grayson you were our first child and we have loved every minute of knowing you. You bring smiles and laughter in our lives everyday. I love hearing you sing your songs and when you are helping your sister. You are full of such wonderful ideas and you care so much for others. I can't wait to see how you continue to grow and mature as you turn into a young man. I love you so much!

Here are some highlights of the first 4 years. Please ignore the dates on the pictures, especially all of the hospital pics. It was off by a day.

Mommy, Lucy, & Ginger the night before Grayson's arrival.

Moments after birth. Look at those frog legs (breech baby).

Mommy seeing Grayson for the first time.

Daddy holding Grayson for the first time.

Grayson in the NICU

Mommy's first time seeing Grayson after birth. He is one day old.

Mommy holding Grayson for the first time. He was 2 days old.

Grayson already attached to the paci. The nurse rushed us in to snap the picture before we even were scrubbed in. :-)

Grayson's first birthday.Grayson meeting his baby sister for the first time.

Grayson and baby Regan watching TV.
Grayson's 2nd birthday. Still recovering from surgery to have tubes put in.

Grayson's 3rd birthday celebrated in Disney World!Grayson with Mickey for his 3rd b-day.
Enjoying the beachProud to be an American
Handsome Young Man!

The shock is wearing off,...finally!

2009-08-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yes we are pregnant we baby #3. Right now the due date is set at March 19th but I think it will be pushed back at least a week once we have an ultrasound. I am 11 weeks and have not been sick one time, so keep your fingers crossed. I have been nauseous a total of 2 times and once was during snack time at school. Just too much peanut butter. We have told the kids. Reagan likes to kiss my belly and Grayson likes to lay or sit on me and "smush" the baby. Poor thing is already being abused. Reagan wants a girl baby and Grayson wants a boy baby. He says girls cry too much. He has also said he wouldn't mind one of each!!! I think I need to talk him out of that idea!! Mark and I are both leaning towards another boy, but truthfully a healthy baby is all I want (but I wouldn't mind it being a boy). I have been busy working full time and playing with the kids so I have neglected the blog. Maybe I will do better! One thing we worked on this summer was getting Grayson out of our bed. He use to do so good but then we kind of let it slide and he ended up in our bed with us, Reagan, and the 2 dogs. Our king size bed was not large enough!! I bribed him with a new big boy bicycle if he would sleep in his bed....thinking it would take until is birthday in 2 weeks for him to earn it. Boy did he prove me wrong!! He had a very large sticker chart to fill before he could get his bike. It took him 1 month and that's with us making him sleep with us when he had his surgery! Here are some pics of him on his big boy bike and him riding his sissy around on the tricycle. Enjoy!
first crash...no tears!

Is 5 a crowd?

2009-08-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

FIVE...5...cinco.....cinq....

Hmmm, how does that number sound to you?

I'm still trying to process it but sometime in the middle of March we will become a family of 5. Yes, there will be a new little member in the Stallings' Clan!

Reagan's 2 year old pics...A Sneak Peek

2009-07-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I had Reagan's 2 year old pictures made by a new photographer. Her name is Brittney Gann and she was GREAT! She met us at Canyon Ridge golf course on a beautiful summer morning. We shot at MANY different locations and of course now I have the hard choice of choosing between all of the wonderful pictures. Grayson went also so I could try to get some sibling shots. They didn't really cooperate but she did get some AWESOME ones of Grayson, but those are not a part of the sneak peek. Here are a few sneak peeks that she posted on her blog. If you are interested in seeing the rest of the pics let me know. I have a proof book or you can enter the gallery online.

www.bgannphotography.com

The Beach

2009-07-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the pics I took while at the Beach. They are in random order. We met up with Mark's parents and our nephews while there. They were staying at Splash so we got to enjoy some of the toys there. We had a blast and I wish we were still there....Actually, Grayson is still there. He stayed with Mark's parents and will be coming back with them Tuesday.

I'm kissing the frog so where's my prince?

This is one of my favorite pics!!! You can't see Mark but he is in the ocean waiting for the kids.

We are beach bound

2009-07-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Stallings' Clan is loading up and heading to the beach...Panama City Beach. We will be back Sunday. I'm sure I will have lots of pics and stories to tell then. Enjoy these from the past couple of weeks.

~Robin

a little behind

2009-07-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. I have lots of pics to add but I have to admit I've been lazy. I am also considering quitting blogging. I'm not sure if anyone even reads it. So if you do please become a follower so I know that I'm not wasting my time. :-) I hope all is well with you and that you have a great 4th of July weekend. Stay safe!
Robin

Sand Gnats t-ball

2009-06-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Kids and a slip and slide

2009-06-11T16:26:00.001-07:00

Today I kept my cousin's kids while she taught summer school and then went to the Dr. I think I was the one it benefited the most. They kept my kids busy and out of my hair. :-) Grayson has been bugging me to play on his slip and slide. I loved these as a kids, but I don't think my body would appreciate it as much now as an adult so I have been stalling!! Of course with the older kids here I didn't have to demonstrate what Grayson was supposed to do. Reagan was scared of it and didn't like it so I broke out her inflatable swimming pool. She has not liked any of her sprinkler toys she has received for her birthday. Of course, Grayson has LOVED all of it. She's just more of a pool girl. My neighbor's son came over to play also. He and Gavin are around the same age, so it was nice for the two of them to have someone to play with.

Gavin, Grayson, Olivia, and Reagan

The kids did not want me to take anymore pictures so needless to say they weren't too cooperative. I should have bribed them with the popsicles before I gave them to the kids. Oh well!

Trouble in the Bathroom

2009-06-10T17:32:00.001-07:00

Not a great picture but I think you can figure it out. This is what I found when Grayson called me into the bathroom when he was finished making a stinky. I don't think I can say anything else about this picure.

Playing at the aquarium

2009-06-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I took my kids along with my neighbors kids and my cousin's son to play in the water at the aquarium. We had a blast. I took the camera to take pictures, but once I got it out I realized the memory card was still in the computer. So, the only picture I have I took with my phone. The resolution isn't that great but I think the picture is very cute.

Little Man's Surgery

2009-06-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today Grayson has surgery to receive his second set of tubes and to remove his adenoids. He is doing very well. The surgery was performed at the hospital where Mark works so of course Mark knew everyone. Grayson was the center of attention once we arrived. We had people in and out just to say hi and some to play with Grayson. It was pretty funny to see some of the doctors and nurses carrying on with him. He had one nurse almost believing that we had let him eat pancakes this morning (he couldn't eat after midnight). LOL! When it was time for him to be wheeled to surgery he raised his arms and said WEEE as if he was on a roller coaster. Of course I had tears in my eyes. One would have thought he was in a parade with all of the people lining up the aisle telling him hi and bye. Afterwards he wasn't too happy with the IV. We kept telling him he couldn't get it out until he started drinking but he wasn't having that. Finally, one of the nurses said that he had won that battle and she removed it. As soon as she did he started drinking some apple juice. He slept on the way home and then we all climbed into Mommy's bed to watch a "dinosaur movie' (Land Before Time). Before the movie was over Grayson was eating pizza and breadsticks and back to his normal self. Since we have been home he has ate pizza, breadsticks, pancakes, jello, yogurt, cheese balls, and candy. Of course not all in that order. Right now he is outside playing with our neighbor (nothing too strenuous). I hope he continues to do well tonight and tomorrow. Reagan spent the night last night with Mark's parents and she's going to again tonight. We just want to make sure Grayson gets lots of rest tonight and can sleep late tomorrow morning. With Reagan home everyone is up by 6:30 am at the latest! I will try to keep you posted!

T-Ball picnic

2009-05-30T15:25:00.001-07:00

Today I have been very lazy, well at least I should say this afternoon. Today Grayson had his t-ball picnic. We ate hotdogs and the kids received their trophy's. This was Grayson's first trophy so he was pretty excited. He did receive a medal in gymnastics this past week too. I guess I need to post those pictures also. Anyway after the picnic he and Reagan went to their Nana and Papaw's house, Mark went golfing and I went home. I have had a totally relaxing afternoon of laying out and reading books. This doesn't happen very often, or should I say almost never so I took advantage. Now I'm eating left over pizza that Grayson and I brought home from Mellow Mushroom after our "date" last night. We went with another Mommy and son and saw the movie UP (tissues are needed for the Mommies). After the movie we took the boys to play in the water at the aquarium. They had a blast! Well, I'm going to go and enjoy my last few moments of peace. Here are some pics from the picnic.

Zane and Grayson (cousins)

Easton and his trophy

Zane is very proud of his trophy!

Grayson right after receiving his.

Some proud baseball players!

Easton (Grayson's friend, my friends son), Eli (Grayson's cousin on Daddy's side), Zane (Grayson's cousin on Mommy's side), and Grayson. They are all 3 and 4 years old. It's going to be a little crazy when they all start school.

Grayson's t-ball team (or most of them)

My friend and I didn't know until after the season started that both our boys had the same number.

Celebrating Memorial Day

2009-05-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Mark and I had his family over to grill out for Memorial Day. It was nice just to hang out for a while. His parents, younger brother and wife, cousin, niece, and nephew all came. We had LOTS of yummy food, including my favorite ice cream pie! Of course I probably gained 5 pounds tonight. After eating we took turns on the 4wheeler and the kids opened up one of Reagan's presents she received last week for her birthday. It was a bubble rocket which was pretty cool. The really enjoyed it. Of course we also broke out the water guns and hose for some action. Here are a few pics I took of the kids before everyone arrived and while they were still clean. If you want to see all of them go to my facebook. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Please don't forget to say a prayer and a thank you to those who serve our country!

May 18th

2009-05-18T20:14:00.001-07:00

Two years ago I received a very special gift. My sweet precious little girl. I can not believe that it has been two years. She has been such a blessing to our lives I can not imagine life without her. Every day is a new adventure full of surprises, cuddles and arguments with this one. She looks like her daddy with blond curly hair, but she is a little bit stubborn like her Mommy. I pray that she will have a long healthy life that will treat her well, and give her much happiness.

Happy 2nd birthday Reagan!

The Big 2

2009-05-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, Reagan is 2 today! We had her birthday party yesterday. The weather did NOT cooperate at all!! I had booked an inflatable slide but we had to cancel it because of the rain. The kids still had fun playing outside in the rain though. Here are a few pictures from the party.

The Birthday Cake

Isn't it too cute!?!

Lots of yummy food to eat

Dirt cups are um um good!

Singing Happy Birthday
Goofy Brother

Future Dr??

My new bicycle (tricycle).

Not sure about the feather boa brother gave me. I do love the pocket book though.

Crazy Uncle BJ! You're supposed to pin the tail on the donkey, not ride it!
Reagan and Jordain
My new night night dress
Grayson trying on the Dr. glasses.

Future Major Leaguer - Maybe....

2009-05-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

Grayson played his last t-ball game today. In a way I was ready for the season to be over with, but Grayson was just now getting into it. I guess we'll just have to keep playing in the yard until next year. Here are a few pics from different games. He even got to play first base when the regular player had to go potty. In tonight's game he got to hind catch for a bit. Of course Little Miss Diva makes her appearance.....

Mother's day craft time and presents

2009-05-09T15:30:00.001-07:00

This year I decided that the kids were old enough to participate in buying Mother's day gifts for the Grandmothers. I took them to Walmart and gave them so much money for each gift. Grayson decided that Mamaw (my mom) needed jewelry. My first thought was Oh No I don't have THAT much money, but it turned out ok. He picked out a silver and turquoise bracelet, necklace, and earrings. Reagan copied Grayson for their Nana (Mark's mom), but picked out a fuchsia and black beaded bracelet and necklace. When trying to figure out what to purchase for their Nanny (my grandmother) they decided to give her playdoh and a puzzle. They have already given Nanny her present on Wednesday, because they wanted to play with it ! :-)

We also made Mother's Day crafts for all of the Grandmothers. I have added some pics below. I think it turned out quiet nice. We made flowers out of their handprints, and fingerprints. I then painted flowerpots and dowel rods. The dowel rods became the stems for the flowers. Stick them in some flower foam, add a little moss and you have a very cute Mother's Day project. I topped it off with a poem. Of course I wrote the kids names and date on the back of the flower pot.

We also made cards. Once again we painted their fingers and made "grapes". Since neither of my kids are old enough to write I wrote Happy Mother's day on the outside and added Love you "BUNCHES" on the inside. It's a very cute card!

Mark and the kids went Mother's day shopping TWO times this week. I think it was a pretty stressful event for Mark. I can NOT stand a surprise so Mark and the kids gave me my presents on Friday. He had been VERY brave and took them to a pottery place. Each kid painted a "wiener" dog and they both made me a chip&dip/cookie plate. It is cute. They had ran out of time so we have to take it back to have them fire it. Mark said that several other objects were broken while there. Both of the dogs tails broke off, and Grayson's dog lost his head, so Mommy will be gluing them back together. Should I glue before or after they fire the pieces? Anyway, It is a very nice Mother's day present and I was surprised! I hope you all have a good Mother's Day!!

*****UPDATE*****

This morning the kids woke me up with a nice little box. They surprised me with a gift certificate for "Queen for a Day" spa package. This includes:
a stress-relieving body scrub accompanied by a full hour of relaxing, customized massage,
a custom facial formulated specifically for your skin type,
a quiet healthy spa lunch and
a spa manicure and pedicure that includes a rejuvenating salt scrub for the feet and aromatherapy heat wrap for your hands

I can't wait to go and redeem this!!!

Thank you Mark & kids! I LOVE IT!

Day Out With Thomas

2009-05-03T11:52:00.001-07:00

This morning Mark and I took the kids to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum to see Thomas the train. It is their yearly fundraiser for he Museum. This is the 3rd time we have been. It is the one time I turn in to a cheapo ... I don't purchase tickets to ride Thomas. It is a short ride in which you don't even see Thomas while you are riding, and the train just goes up the tracks and straight back. We do participate in all of the other activities, though. Last year I discovered the Missionary Ridge train ride. It is a great ride. It's at least a 45 minute ride where you cross bridges and go through a VERY old tunnel. You get off the train at the "East Tennessee" pavilion and watch the engine get turned around on a turn table. Today we even got to go into the building for a tour of where they repair and as Grayson says "fixin" the old trains. It was pretty neat. After the tour we got back on our train and headed back to the depot. We all had a pretty good time. The only bad thing was Mommy forgot her camera!!! I never go anywhere without it, but I did today! Oh well, I guess that means we'll have to go back soon and ride the train again so I can get some pics. Maybe the next time it will be a pretty day.

TV Stars

2009-04-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Check out Grayson's t-ball team on Dave's Diamond Darlings. It's a cute clip. You really don't see Grayson but you will see me in the dugout! Ughh!

Busy Weekend

2009-04-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy weekend which started before the weekend. Hmm. Thursday night Grayson's t-ball team had team pictures and practice. We ended up not having practice because it took so long for pictures. Instead we had practice Friday night. Yuck. Saturday was opening ceremonies and our first game. I have some pics I will post later but not a lot. I ended up being dug out mom so I was a little busy. At Grayson's first bat he hit the ball and ran straight to the pitcher's mound. It was too funny! Of course "Dave's Diamond Darlings" didn't show up until after that bat. He ended up filming almost the whole game. You will have to watch for Grayson's team the Sand Gnats at 5 and 11. I think he said it would air this Friday. Grayson is on the green team, #7. After the game I had the joy of working the concession stand. Actually, it wasn't too bad. I'm just glad I got my turn over with. Now it's time to go and get Grayson out of the bed so he can get ready for speech. Have a great day!

Introducing the newest V.S. Angel...

2009-04-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not a Victoria's Secret Angel but she's close. Here's Reagan modeling her first nighgown. We were at WalMart...she saw it, grabbed it, and would not let go...at all! Last night Grayson, Reagan, and I were laying in Grayson's twin bed (yes we all fit, barely) and he just kept rubbing it. I think that it reminds the kids of their blankies.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T14:03:00.001-07:00

The kids on there way to church. This was the best pic I could get. I think it's cute, but I wish Reagan was looking at the camera.

Easter Bunny

2009-04-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Crazy Weather

2009-04-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, what is up with this weather. A week ago we were wearing shorts. Two days after that we had snow. Friday we had tornadoes. Last night/this morning we had wind gusts that did as much damage as a tornado. CRAZY, I'm telling ya!!

The passing of a loved one...

2009-04-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Cecil Gilbreath, Mark's Grandfather, passed away today in his home surrounded by family and friends. The family has been expecting it for some time and hospice has been trying to prepare them also. Regardless of the "advance" warning it is still difficult to lose a loved one. It has been awhile since Cecil has been himself but we all have good memories to keep us going through the rough times. Please remember Mark's family as they bury their loved one and try to continue their lives without him.

Spring Break Snow

2009-04-07T16:03:00.002-07:00

Yes, you read the title right. This morning on April 7th...my spring break... we woke up to a winter wonderland. I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

our view this morning

back porch at 6:30am

Grayson was mad his lawn mower had snow on it.

Walking down the hill to find rocks for the snowman. Notice my newly planted azaleas covered in snow. Can you guess who didn't watch the weather?

The kids snowman. Acorn eyes and a stick nose.

QUACK Sunday, April 5th QUACK

2009-04-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Mark and I decided to spend the day outdoors since it was so pretty. The wind was a little chilly, but we were still comfortable in our shorts. Last night we went to Tyler and Allison's wedding, which was beautiful, so the kids spent the night with my mom and grandmother. We picked the kids up before lunch and started our day by eating outside at Chili's. Its always great when you can eat outside with kids. They can be a little louder, messier, and they are more distracted...especially downtown. After eating we went and rode the Chattanooga Duck. If you don't know what that is it is an authentic renovated WWII amphibious landing vehicle. Meaning it is a truck that you drive from the road into the water and then switch it over to a "boat". Quack, Quack. This was the first time any of us had been on a Duck. It was an experience...QUACK QUACK. The kids enjoyed it. Grayson more so than Reagan as it was her nap time. She really like the ride down the ramp into the water. Grayson even got to drive it a bit. Mark and I learned a lot more Chattanooga history. After we went home to take LATE naps.

Mark was off Monday. Since it was turning colder, not short weather, we went and ate at CiCi's pizza and saw a movie. This was the first time we had taken Reagan to the movie theater. She was scared at first. We were a little late so all the lights were already off. We went to the 3D version of Monsters vs. Aliens. I hadn't really wanted to see this movie, but it was the only cartoon we had not seen. It turned out to be a pretty cute movie. Who knows what we have planned for the rest of spring break.

Reagan Update

2009-04-01T10:07:00.001-07:00

We had to be at Children's hospital at 6:30am this morning for Reagan's surgery. We were out of there around 9:30am. Reagan did a GREAT job. She made liars out of Mark and I. We were both worried about how she would do, but we shouldn't had. The nurse in the recovery room even told us she was doing a great job, much better than most girls her age. The doctor did say that even though she has been on an antibiotic since last Tuesday her right ear was still infected. Her left ear had fluid on it and was becoming infected. They cleaned out the infection and gave us some ear drops to help clear out any remaining infection. It's a good thing we did this surgery.

After we left the hospital we stopped by to visit with Mark's grandfather, Cecil. Cecil is not doing so well and needs all of the prayers you can spare. As some know he was diagnosed with cancer several years ago. That along with other health issues are catching up to him. Hospice was called in last year and now they are visiting more often. Marks grandmother was happy to see us especially since Reagan crawled in her lap to cuddle and fell asleep. I think that makes all grandmothers day.

We are now home and you can't tell that Reagan had any procedure performed this morning. Mark has taken Grayson golfing. Reagan and I are just staying at home enjoying his beautiful weather. Grayson looks so old in these pics. I can't believe my baby boy is growing up on me. I had his hair cut a little shorter this time for ball and summer. I will have to get some pics of him without his hat up soon.

Take care!

Reagan wanting to blow big bubbles

Reagan mowing the grass in her pj's

Grayson getting ready to go play golf with Daddy

Pictures Finally!

2009-03-30T16:45:00.001-07:00

Ok, I finally am getting around to posting some pictures. The only problem is that I haven't been taking very many pictures lately. We have been busy with work, speech, t-ball, The Little Gym, and everything else. Here are a few that you haven't seen.

The last time it snowed Reagan tried on her snow boots that I had bought on clearance for next year. They were too small in the leg, you could hardly zip them up, but she loved them. Here she is in all her glory standing in front of the snow.

Grayson is playing t-ball in the 3/4 year old league. It's really just an instructional league but the kids think they are really doing something. Here's a pic from on of the first practices.....I've titled it...

There's no crying in baseball

I don't think Grayson has the concept down as to how he's supposed to run around and stand on base.

Grayson and some of his ball buddies at practice.

Sick House once again

2009-03-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

I am so tired of having sick children. I am VERY thankful that my kids are relatively healthy in comparison to some children and we are not dealing with major illness. BUT with that being said...I am so over it.

Tuesday I took both kids to the doctor because that had kind of sorta been running a fever on and off during the night. Well it's a good thing we went. Where shall I start, hmmm. Grayson had double ear infections, a full blown case of strep throat, and scarlet fever. Ear infections again, ughh. He is supposed to get his second set of tubes, adenoids, and tonsils removed in the near future, but not soon enough for me. Reagan, my child who HATES doctors and nurses, was also sick. Her right ear was infected once again....it's pretty much been non stop since December. Her lungs sounded congested and the strep test did not come back glowing positive like Grayson's but looked like it was going to. Sooo, her diagnosis was ear infection, strep throat, upper respiratory infection. I don't think I have mentioned this but Reagan will be having surgery on Wednesday at Children's Hospital to receive her first set of tubes. After the joy of going to the doctors office I had the joy of going to the pharmacy with 2 sick kids. I LOVE our pharmacist (and no it's not Mark). She filled our prescriptions as fast as she could, gave Reagan a dose of Motrin for her fever, and did not charge me for the tootsie roll pops my kids started eating. I love independent pharmacies!

Tomorrow I am hosting an Uppercase Living party at my house and because of the illness it is nowhere near being clean enough for company. UGHH! I HATE cleaning. Anyway if you are not familiar with their products check it out www.berta.uppercaseliving.net

Now I am going to go and clean a bit more before going to bed. I promise one day soon I will post pics of the kids!!!

Quick Update

2009-03-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

***Please pray for Summer. Tomorrow she starts her treatment for a very rare form of Renal cancer. Pray that the doctor's will treat her as their own doctor and that God will guide their hands in treating her. Pray for her family to remain strong and know that God is in control. Pray for her Daddy as he is fighting his own battle with Renal cancer and that his upcoming tests will come back with good news.

Our family has been very busy and of course I have no pictures to prove it. We have been enjoying this wonderful weather!!

I think a little munchkin may have gotten a hold of our laptop because the letter T is not cooperating. I found it completely off one morning this week. Hmm, wonder what happened there?

Tomorrow will hopefully be Grayson's first t-ball practice. His oher practice was canceled. I'm excited to watch him. He will be the one in out field making dirt angels.

I promise pictures will be up soon! More later!

The Ultimate Blog Party 2009

2009-03-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

I have been reading various blogs online and found the site 5 Minutes for Mom. From reading their blog I discovered that they host a blog party every year. It sounds like a lot of fun and I am looking forward to it. It starts next week, so if you are interested go and check out their site. Hope to see you at the blog party.

Consignment Sale

2009-03-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

I love consignment sales. I love shopping period especially when I get a bargain. The local Just Between Friends sale is coming up and I'm busy cleaning out clothes and toys. I have decided to get rid of all of Grayson and Reagan's clothes which are too little. I'm tired of having all of these totes stacked up everywhere. Of course, I may regret it later, but oh well. I am keeping a few special outfits, though. Back to work I go!

Who needs sleep...ME!

2009-03-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

I am a little sleep deprived for many reasons. The first is a stomach virus. I woke up Saturday morning around 4:30am not feeling too well. I won't go into the details, but it wasn't fun. Mark had an early morning tee time and we had plans to go to Rome to watch the D.C. Wolverines play in the elite 8. Needless to say we (Mark) had to make some quick changes to the plans. He ended up taking both kids, dressed like ragamuffins, to my moms while he played golf. Afterwards he left Reagan with my mom while he, Grayson, and a friend went to the basketball game. I will once again spare you details of what I was doing during that time. By 10/11pm that night I was feeling better. I woke up Sunday feeling great after sleeping all through the night. Reagan had ended up spending the night with my mom so that was a big bonus!! Now I know that sounds like I got plenty of sleep, but last night as Grayson was going to bed he started getting sick. He ended up sleeping on the couch with a garbage can next to him, me on the chair in the living room. Not a fun way to sleep. It also didn't help that Reagan woke up at 3:30am and it took her awhile to go back to sleep. Mark finally converted her crib to a toddler bed. I am SO ready for her to be out of our bed. She constantly rubs my skin at night or has to sleep with her head on my shoulder. There are times when I love snuggling but not EVERY night! Anyway, I am very proud of her for staying in her "big-girl" bed until 3:30. Now if we can get her to stay in it all night we will be doing great. Oh well, this was the first night. This morning Grayson is feeling better but not eating. He is drinking apple juice so as long as he keeps fluids down we will be ok. Reagan has an upset tummy this morning and she isn't really eating either. Mark isn't feeling too well either. He probably should have stayed home, but they are short staffed at work and he never takes sick days. Maybe he will make it. So long story short all of the above has made for a very tired and sleepy Mommy!

I have some pics to post later when I get a chance. I've been slacking lately!

Prayer Request

2009-03-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours received some bad news yesterday. Her 2 year old daughter, Summer, was diagnosed yesterday with Renal Cancer. Today the doctors performed surgery where they removed her right kidney, tumor, and lymphnodes. Our friends husband was also diagnosed 2 years ago with Renal Cancer. Please pray for Summer and her family as they go through this difficult time. I will try to keep you posted as I hear more news. You can also follow their blog at She Lights Up My Life

2 for 2

2009-03-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we took Grayson for a follow up visit to the Ear, Nose, Throat doctor. About a month ago his right eardrum ruptured. The next day when he finally let us clean it up we found the tube that had been in his ears. Ever since then he continues to press or hold his ear. When we visit the pediatrician Grayson always has so much wax in his ears that he can't see anything. So, I felt the need to see the ENT. Good thing that I did, because Grayson is more than likely going to receive his second set of tubes. The ENT first cleaned out Graysons ears...OMG I have never seen so much wax. No wonder he can't hear anything! Both ears had fluid on them. We go back in a month to see if it is still there and will proceed with antibiotics and tubes if it is. I am positive this is going to happen.

Today Reagan had an appointment with a different ENT (long story). She has been battling an ear infection since December in her right ear. As soon as the doctor looked in both of her ears he said she needed tubes. He is hoping that they will also help with her constant sinus infections/runny nose/gunk. We are scheduled for April 1st for the surgery. She is not a good patient at all so this will be interesting. Too bad they didn't go to the same practice so we could try to get a two for one deal. Anyway, as you can see by the title of this post we are 2 for 2 on ear troubles. They take this after their daddy in case you were wondering!

Biopsy Results

2009-03-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

I finally received the results from my thyroid biopsy. The nurse said that it looked good. The bad news is that I have to go back every 6 months for an ultrasound and possible biopsy. I really dislike needles especially ones that are big and go in your neck, so I will keep praying that this will not last. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Robin

Addictions

2009-03-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am admitting that I have several addictions... facebook, American Idol, chocolate. They should really start an AA for all of the above. Mark would especially say for facebook. I just thought I would fess up. :-)

Movie Night

2009-02-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight Mark is working late so the kids and I are having popcorn and a movie night. I think the Madagascar movies are cute. So, I stopped at K-mart on the way to pick up the kids from daycare and bought the 2 pack. It has Madagascar 2 and The Penguins of Madagascar. As you can see the kids are hunkered down for a little bit. Of course as I write this Reagan feeds her whole bowl of popcorn to the dogs. Oh well! Grayson keeps singing "i like to move it, move it....." from the movie. It is too cute.

I am still waiting for the results of my second biopsy. I am hoping that I will get a call Monday or Tuesday. Last month they called back within two days. Patience, Patience, Patience. Once I know the results I will let you know.

Now it's time to get back to the kids and the movie. Enjoy your weekend!

Busy Day

2009-02-24T03:52:00.000-08:00

I have really been slacking in the blogging world lately. We have been staying busy with today being one of our busiest days yet. Some of you know that I have been trying to get Grayson qualified for speech since he was 2 1/2 years old. He finally qualified just before Christmas, so every Monday and Tuesday. morning we are at the local school for speech. I am glad that I work part time and am able to take him, but it sure would be nice to be able to sleep in late on my days off. Another thing on our schedule is the Little Gym. Grayson started going when he was 6 months old, but we stopped when we were getting ready to move. I had always planned to rejoin up but it took a little longer than expected. This will be Reagan's first time taking a class there. I'm not sure if she will like it as well as Grayson always did, but it will be good for her. Grayson has outgrown the parent child classes so he will be attending without me. My baby is growing up. In addition to all of the above I also have a doctors appointment today with the ENT. Last month I had a biopsy on my Thyroid (I have had issues with it since my senior year of high school) but they want to do another one today to get more tissue. Needless to say I am NOT looking forward to that. Fortunately, Mark is able to meet me at the Little Gym to take over kid duties while I get to go and be tortured. Hopefully, I will have some pictures to post soon. Now let's go cook some breakfast.

Picture of the day!

2009-02-14T06:43:00.001-08:00

Can you feel the love?

Grayson and his naked sister Reagan.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day

I have a few pictures from the kids parties that I will post later!

Much love!

The Stallings' Clan

God's Glory

2009-02-09T04:27:00.000-08:00

Each morning, when we aren't going to work, we awake to the sun rising in our bedroom windows. This morning as I was waking Grayson, yes he was in our bed, I watched the sky change from night to a glorious orange. I decided that I needed to take a picture. The picture does not show the glory of the sunrise, but you can get a good idea of how gorgeous it was. I was standing on our back deck listening to the birds and nothing else, just taking a moment to appreciate all that God has made.

Fun in the Sun

2009-02-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (Saturday) I kept my cousins little boy. He is around 6 months older than Grayson. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed every minute of it. From about 9:30 until 6:30pm the boys were outside non stop, except for food and bathroom breaks. Mark had made plans to play golf so he took Reagan to his parents house so she couldn't torment the boys. I ended up taking the boys to the playground part of the day. We weren't the only ones trying to take advantage of 65+ degree weather in February. Grayson is already asking when Zane can come back and play again. They did so well together I will have to get him again soon.

Snowy Afternoon

2009-02-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Once again we are finding ourselves in a winter wonderland. I love it!! The kids are hunkered down on the couch and chair watching a movie. I'm hoping that they fall asleep, but I know I won't be that lucky. For the moment I will just enjoy the peace and quiet.

Ready for Valentines Day

2009-02-02T09:08:00.001-08:00

Reagan had what I thought was the cutest outfit at Christmas. It had red polka dot pants. I started thinking about this outfit and realizzed that the pants would be cute at Valentine's also. So, I found a girl to make Reagan a shirt to match her pants. I personally think it turned out great. What do you think? Here she is in front of her kitchen.

Bowling Night

2009-01-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went bowling with the York family. Mark had taken Grayson previously while I was in Nashville. Even though that day they bowled only one game he loved it. Of course Mommy was a little jealous because she wasn't there to see him the first time, but the boys enjoyed their day out (poor little Reagan was dropped off at daycare while they were enjoying their day). Anyway, Grayson does love bowling and can't wait until it's his turn. I loved hearing him so "ohhh, almost." Here are a few pictures, they aren't that great due to the lighting but you can get the idea.

Reagan and Daddy

Reagan looking at Daddy to see how she did.

Grayson just knocked down some pins and can't believe it. Easton is cheering him on! I wish I had a picture of their faces.

This is how Grayson would watch his ball at the end of the night.

Snow, Snow, Snow

2009-01-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few from our playtime today. I'm sure there will be plenty more tomorrow since it's still snowing, the temp. is below freezing and the weather man is calling for more snow showers in the morning!

Riding the Gator down the street. Look at those cold noses!

Mark throwing snow balls at the kids.

Mark sliding down the street.

Our house when it was just beginning to stick good.

Reagan was tired of being cold at this point. She went back in where it was warm.

Throwing snowballs at Daddy before going inside.

Grayson in front of a neighbors mailbox. Check out all the snowflakes!

Grayson making snow angels in a the same neighbors yard.

Princess Reagan

2009-01-19T15:48:00.001-08:00

Pee Pee in the Potty

2009-01-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

Pee Pee in the Potty is a little song we all sing for Reagan (20 months) as she sits on the potty. We aren't really potty training yet, but are trying to get her to become more aware of her body and when she needs to go. There have been multiple times that she has let us know when she needs to go to the bathroom and a few of those times she has actually peed in the potty. I bought her some panties and she just thought she was the stuff wearing them. Of course she peed in my lap while wearing them, but she also peed in the potty 2 times that night. Here are a couple of pics of Reagan showing off her new big girl panties. Look at those fat rolls on the thighs.

Update to the Sick House

2009-01-12T13:53:00.001-08:00

We are still the sick house. Friday night Grayson's eardrum ruptured and his tube came out. Another round of antibiotics for him. Today I took Reagan back to the Doctor for her follow-up visit from her bronchitis and ear infection. Bad news...the ear infection is still there. Yet, another round of antibiotics. Ughh!!!

Sick and Tired

2009-01-07T05:34:00.001-08:00

Why does it seem that my kids are always sick. Last week Reagan was very sick, she ran high fevers of 103+, lots of wheezing, etc. She took antibiotics, breathing treatments, had cheast x-rays, flu and RSV tests, trips to the Dr. and now is better. Last night Grayson started running a low fever. This morning it's 102.1 after taking Motrin. Ughh, another trip to the Dr.

Opryland Hotel and ICE

2009-01-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a spur of the moment trip. Saturday morning Mark, the kids, and I got up and decided to get ready to go to the mall for new shoes for the kids and then go see Bolt. We already had plans to go to Nashville on Sunday to go see Ice at Oprymills. While putting the last minute touches on our outfits....you know how Mark likes to primp....our friends The Yorks gave us a call. Dusty suggested that we go Saturday and stay at the Opryland hotel that night and see ICE the next morning as planned. Well, we pulled it off after a whirlwind packing time, and only a little bribing for the boys. (They wanted to watch the Falcons game). The only thing I forgot was a stroller for Reagan. I'm used to it always being in my car and for some reason I took it out during Christmas. Saturday night Dusty and I took the kids to play in the Hotel while the big boys got to watch the football game. We rode the boat down the river in the Delta and ate while watching the water show. The kids LOVED the lights and were amazed that they were everywhere. Sunday morning we got up and met the Phillips family to go see ICE and eat lunch at the rainforest cafe. We had a great time hanging out with Andy (friend from HS), Linsey, and their cute little boy Jake. It had been a long time since we had seen them.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with ICE it is a building full of ice sculptures. For the past two years the theme has been The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. This was the last year for that theme. The tempreture inside the building is 6 degrees so they give you the blue parkas to wear over your jackets, and clothing. As soon as we walked in Grayson said he "don't like this" because it was so cold. Once we started seeing everything he enjoyed it. Especially, the two slides built out of ice for the kids to go down.

Here are some pics from the weekend. I am still learning my new camera that Mark and the kids gave me for Christmas so watch out for some red eye...... Also, for some reason my computer wouldn't let me rotate the pictures. So for now until I figure out everything with the new camera you will have to turn your head:-) Sorry!

Reagan, Easton, & Grayson at the Opryland Hotel

My kids loved these horses for some reason.

Looking at the lights and waterfalls.

The Phillips family getting ready to go see ICE.

Yes, all of this is made from ice.

Travis and his pal the Grinch ... in ice.

Reagan wasn't too sure about all of this.

Mommy and Reagan in front of an ice Angel
The Stallings' Family

Acting Goofy

2008-12-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

For some reason Reagan decided to turn the stool over. My kids are pretty goofy. I think they get that from their Daddy.Reagan loves jackets. She found my Santa sweater and whined and cried until I put it on her. She loved it. Here she is in front of the kitchen tree.

The Stallings Family Christmas

2008-12-30T06:46:00.000-08:00

The Saturday before Christmas we always celebrate Christmas with the Stallings side of the family. Here are a few pics.

Hanging out around the leftovers.

Aunt Polly taking pictures
Uncle Steve enjoying his new hat. Notice his shirt, I don't think his hat and shirt matches. Of course I think the hat looks better! :-)

The kids opening their presents.

Nick, Addie, Natalie, Reagan, Eli, Jacob, Jordain...Grayson is behind Reagan

This year I brought sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. Here are Natalie and Addie. Reagan enjoying her cookie.
Eli and Grayson decorating their cookies. Grayson kept grabbing HANDFULS of sprinkles to put on his cookie.

Here's a video of the kids singing Jingle bells. We had them sing before they could open their presents. Make sure you watch it all the way through. Grayson ended up a "little" off beat.

Picture(s) of the day

2008-12-26T06:21:00.001-08:00

Isn't she just lovely?

Merry Christmas to all!

2008-12-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

I have lots of pictures to share from the last week, but that will have to wait until after Christmas. For now enjoy the kids Santa pictures.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Stallings' Clan

Grayson's Christmas Program

2008-12-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

This post may be a little long with pictures and video from Grayson's Christmas program at the hospital Chrismas party. Grayson didn't know all of the songs...he hadn't been to school a lot before hand, but it was cute anyway. Just remember these are the 3 & 4 year olds at his school.

Checking out the decorations

Jingle Bells

Visiting with Santa

Meet Max

2008-12-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

Meet our elf Max. Santa sent Max to our house because the kids had been so good, so far. Max reports back to Santa periodically to let him know how Grayson and Reagan have been behaving. The one thing about Max is he likes to get into mischief. Santa even warned us about this in his letter. Below you will see a picture of Max. For some reason he decided to try flying with Grayson's balloon. Fortunately, he landed on one of the beams in the living room. Unfortunately, he couldn't get himself down so Grayson had to stand on Daddy's shoulders to get him. Let's hope Max doesn't get into much more trouble before he goes back home on Christmas eve.

Grayson's Christmas tree

2008-12-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

I will try to post pictures of all of the Christmas trees as they are completed. Here are a few pics of Grayson's tree. In the past we have always decorated it with dog ornaments, but now he's in the new house he has a big boy room complete with trains. It is hard to find train ornaments, so I decided to use his trains from his train table. I still need to put something at the top of his tree and we haven't put out his train that goes around his tree, but it's a good start.

Elf yourself

2008-12-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

Enjoy this Christmas video. Just make sure you have your volume turned on.

Oh my!

2008-12-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have to give you some back story before you view these pictures. A few weeks ago Grayson has a thanksgiving program at school. His teacher painted his cheeks to look like Indian war paint. He LOVED it. On Thanksgiving two of his cousins used play makeup to paint his face again. He would get mad when they took it off. So today I was in the bathroom getting ready when I noticed it was quiet....TOO quiet. I went to find the kids and found a shut door. Not a good sign. I opened the door and this is what I found.....

What's even worse is that while I was posting this they found the yellow paint and started doing the same thing. Now I have to find a better hiding place for the paint. Thankfully both times it was the kids fingerpaints.

Christmas Lights

2008-12-06T07:46:00.001-08:00

Mark and Samson hung up our lights outside. Here are a few pics of them working on the lights. I will post some of the finished product later.

Snow

2008-12-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pics from the snow we had earlier this week. I almosted waited too late to take the pics. The snow was already melting.

Gobble, Gobble

2008-11-29T04:21:00.001-08:00

We have been very busy over the past couple of days. On Thanksgiving we ate at my Nanny's house and my MaMaw's house. We were stuffed. For my Nanny's house I had the honor, or punishment depending on how you look at it, to cook the turkey. I think it turned out well. Last night Dusty and I took her son and my two to go see the Grand Illumination on the river. They had a mini craft fair and food while you waited for the parade to start. I took my camera but didn't get any pictures. I was using the night vision and the boys were too fast for it. While waiting for the boat parade the boys had a blast rolling down the grassy hill and wrestling. They enjoyed all of the boats that were decorated with lights too. Unfortunately, we didn't make it for the fireworks. The kids were not patient enough to wait another 30 minutes or longer for them to start. We still had fun without them, though. Today we are eating at Mark's mom's house. More Turkey here we come. I figure after today this will be my 5th Thanksgiving meal. I ate with Grayson at his Thanksgiving luncheon, my school had Thanksgiving lunch, and all of the above mentioned meals. Hmmm, I think I might turn into a turkey.

The Stallings' Cousins

2008-11-23T05:13:00.000-08:00

It has been two years since Paula, Mark's mom, has been able to get all of the "grandkids" together for a picture. Reagan wasn't even born then...it was just the boys. Here are a couple of good ones. She had way too many to choose from, I'm glad it wasn't me! :-) Anyway, you probably can figure our who's the boss in the family by the last pic.

I forgot to crop this one before posting. oops!

A Preschool Thanksgiving

2008-11-21T16:38:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday Grayson's daycare had Thanksgiving lunch for the 3 year old class. Mark and I were able to go eat a yummy lunch with Grayson. The best part was the "program" at the beginning. His class sang 4 songs and then said the blessing, which I think was the cutest part. Here are a few pictures and 1 video.

Grayson's Class of Indians

My little Indian in the center.

Grayson and his best friend Noah. They can not stand it if the other one is absent. Their teacher's have even commented on them being best friends.

Little Apple Tree

Grayson loved learning this.

For some reason he can't say the words and do the actions at the same time.

Random

2008-11-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

Mark and Grayson finally got around to taking down our ghosts. Reagan and I were inside staying warm and I just so happened to look outside. The pics are blurry because I took them from our front window, through the glass and screen. Anyway, it looks like Grayson was a big help.

Reagan is a total drama queen. She can turn on and off the tears in an instant. She is also turning into a BIG Daddy's girl. These pics are of here while the boys were outside taking down the ghost. She just wanted her Daddy and kept crying for him the whole time. As soon as he came back in the house she was happy. Oh, what to do.

The Stallings' Clan

Cooper's 9 month pictures

Cooper is 9 Months!

Still a slacker!

8 months

Cooper-6 months

Weekly Menu Plan

Cooper's 3 month pics

Can you guess the title of this artwork?

How big does a Shark grow?

Menu Plan Monday

The Kiddos and Mother's day crafts

The many faces of Reagan

Picture of the day!

Brownies

1 month

Mr. Cooper

Happy Easter!

Welcome Cooper Alexander!

Conversation with Grayson

Preparing for Cooper

An update....

Progress

Cooper

Baby Sharkey

still lacking in the blogging world

Neglect

Halloween

Frustration and a bad mood

Snot in the ear

The Big 4

The shock is wearing off,...finally!

Is 5 a crowd?

Reagan's 2 year old pics...A Sneak Peek

The Beach

We are beach bound

a little behind

Sand Gnats t-ball

More slip and slide action with Daddy...

Kids and a slip and slide

Trouble in the Bathroom

Playing at the aquarium

Little Man's Surgery

T-Ball picnic

Celebrating Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day

May 18th

The Big 2

Future Major Leaguer - Maybe....

Mother's day craft time and presents

Day Out With Thomas

TV Stars

Busy Weekend

Introducing the newest V.S. Angel...

Easter Sunday

Easter Bunny

Crazy Weather

The passing of a loved one...

Spring Break Snow

QUACK Sunday, April 5th QUACK

Reagan Update

Pictures Finally!

Sick House once again

Quick Update

The Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Consignment Sale

Who needs sleep...ME!

Prayer Request

2 for 2

Biopsy Results

Addictions

Movie Night

Busy Day

Picture of the day!

Happy Valentine's Day

God's Glory

Fun in the Sun

Snowy Afternoon

Ready for Valentines Day

Bowling Night