Merry Christmas

This is Autumn's first Christmas where she really gets it. We have been counting down the days. We have wrapped presents, sung happy birthday to Jesus many times, and baked Santa cookies all to build up to this day.

First things first...yesterday morning first thing, Autumn yells out from her bed, "Where we go tonight?" I reply: Brittany and Kinsey's house. Autumn: "We go RIGHT now?!?" I reply (mind you we are in separate rooms, so we are both in our beds yelling this to each other). "No, not till tonight." Autumn replies: "Santa Claus comes tonight!!!" Then she gets up and runs into our room very excited.

Yesterday started our time of love, family, and yet a lot of rushed chaos. We went to Papa and Granny's yesterday to spend the day with them. We ate Granny's homemade gravy and buscuits, and Linda cooked us eggs. Let me just tell you that's enough Christmas present for me. I love their homemade breakfast!!! We played and opened gifts. We gave gifts. We were able to spend a lot of the day there just relaxing and enjoying each other (other than the fact that poor Kristi kept getting attacked by the killer dog, Max). We got home around 4 yesterday afternoon, and made it to church for the 6:00 service (and we were even a bit early). The service was great! It truly reminds us how Great our God is! So, I am very thankful that we were able to attend the Christmas Eve service this year.

Next stop, Brittany and Kinsey's house for Currey Christmas. We got over there a few minutes past 7 and enjoyed eating and hanging out with family. Autumn loves to play with her two cousins. She thinks she's as big as they are (7 &10). Luckily for William, she even payed attention and played with him as well. She chased Lucy (which of course that poor cat loved, right?) Autumn kept telling us all day that she was going to go to Brit and Kins house to chase Lucy! Lucky Lucy! We ended up not leaving there till after 10. Autumn passed out in the car, and she was out cold.

This morning we had to be at my nana's house (well, Donna's house for my nana's cooking) by 8:30 or 9:00 (which is what we were shooting for). So, at 7ish, Autumn cries out a bit, then falls back to sleep. Then we try to convince her to come to our room. Finally I just go get her. Brandon tries to tell her that Santa Claus came to our hosue last night. She just looked at him and nodded. Brandon asked if she wanted to go see what he left for her. She said not right now. I need to rest. But eventually I think the excitement got the best of her and she finally gave in to our begging and pleading! So, we finally got to go see what Santa left. He did eat most of the cookies, but don't worry Autumn ate what was left over and even finished up the milk!

Santa brought Autumn a baby doll (her first cabbage patch...however, we aren't sure if she's in love with her yet...but that's okay), roller skates (Brandon just looked at me and said, "What was Santa thinking? I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled), and then he also brought her a digital camera of her own. She loved it! She loves to take pictures just like her daddy.

Brandon bought her a t-ball bat, t-balls, t-ball stand, and a t-ball glove...see the theme here? She loved it all. She wanted to of course try it all out upstairs. But luckily she saw it our way and realized it would be so much more fun to play outside. So here we go rushing around (I have already decided that she was going to live in her pj's today) trying to get her to put her shoes on and run outside so that we all could play t-ball for a bit (it's about 8:25 at this point).

We get to my nana's shortly after 9, we get to spend time with everyone...well, I get to spend time with everyone...Brandon and Autumn decide to go for a walk on such a lovely day (since they are both such "people" people...if that makes sense). After a few hours of eating, presents, and just spending time with family, we are off to our next stop...Grammy Mae and Pa's house.

Well, Autumn's much too busy doing somefin as she called it to even consider opening up presents by this point, because Grammy (Mae) and Pa got her a vanity and lots of accessories for it. We seriously couldn't pull her away from it. She loved it! I will definitely have to add pics later. However, eventually we wrapped up there and we were off for some lunch...then we realized we didn't know what we were going to do for lunch. We have nothing at home, we don't eat at the Currey's till 5, and everything is closed...well everything except for the good ol' Asia Chinese in Smyrna. So, can you guess what we had for lunch?

By this time it's already 1, so we rush home for as much of a nap as we can get. Then we head off Nanny and Papaw's house. We spent time over there, ate, and opened more presents. Wow, by this time, Autumn's cranky and exhausted...as we all are. But it's still been an amazing day.

We finally get home around 7, come in we let Autumn play for a bit, while we (no, not clean...that will come eventually, right now we were just trying to sort) try to get the house somewhat under a little bit of control. Then we go upstairs and watch some of ae's new movie "Nemo". I had seen it before, but didn't realize how many scary parts are in there for a 2 year old. By 9, we put ae to bed. And now here we are, exhausted, but almost too exhausted to sleep.

We did do our present exchange just a little bit ago (we do our's on Christmas night...we've done it like this since we started dating...can't change it now). Brandon got me 2 precious moments that are precious...well, I could have probably used a better word...but there's a good reason they are called that. Then he also got me a couple of pairs of cute pj's shorts and tanks...but of course (poor Brandon), I fall in love with the flannel pants and long sleep shirt...so guess what I am wearing tonight?!?

We had a very busy holiday. It was rushed and there were lots of presents.
But we made sure that we thanked God for His gift to us...His Son, Jesus Christ. The most amazing gift that has ever been given.

Disney World-Oct. 2008

We took ae to Disney World over fall break. We went there, Sea World, and St. Augustine. We had an amazing time. There's lots to tell, but since I am so far behind, I will just share the pictures for now and tell you more later.
Needless to say, my daughter was totally in awe and in love with these amazing characters. You would have thought she had seen her long lost parents, the way she held on to them for dear life.

Seeing Autumn's face as she saw her favorite characters was absolutely priceless. She loved Disney World. She loved the rides. However, the 3D movies...not a big fan. If you are every curious, ask her about the "Big Daddy Bug that shoots fireworks". She also didn't like the "Big Bad Wolf" at one of the parades.

To see more pics:

http://www.curreyfamily.com/disney/

Halloween

I am so behind...but just bare with me.

Autumn loved Halloween this year. She actually understood the whole trick or treat thing. We were walking her around our neighborhood and she thought she needed to go to every house. I tried to explain to her that we should only go to the houses with their porch lights on. So, she figured it out. She would point and say, "Oh, I know...I know...that one...let's go there!"

She was such a polite trick or treater. She would kindly say (in a very soft voice), "Trick or Treat, Please". However, on her way to the house, she would always growl pretending to scare them first, but the closer she got to the door she'd chicken out and turn into our sweet, polite dinosaur.

This is a picture of Granny and Autumn carving a pumpkin! They had so much fun. We love going to see Granny and Papa...just ask "ScooterBelle" (that's what Papa called ae last time we were there).

This picture is pre-Max stealing the eyes, nose and mouth and eating them. Autumn still tells me about this. She says, "I spank him...No No Max! That's my eye, eye, nose, mouth!"

Here are some pictures for you. I will try to update more later.

ABC

It's 12:35 Sunday afternoon. We've been to church; we've ate lunch; and now it's naptime. So Brandon (thankfully) decided to go lie down with ae. She's in there still talking. They've probably been in there for about 20 minutes now.

They have football on the tv, because that's what they do. But he's trying to just stay quiet and let her slowly start to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it's not working yet. But she started singing her abc's and it was the cutest thing.
She sings "AB FGH...LMN...RSTU....W..YZ..." So, then the started learning time. So they were both in there singing their ABC's. So, she's getting it now. However, as cute as this precious moment is...I honestly hope they end up dozing off and falling asleep.

Bad Word

So, I noticed on Monday that Autumn said her first bad word. Yes, I know...I can't believe it either. To my surprise, she repeated it several times.

Okay, it might not be a bad word to most of you...but to a mommy of a 2 year old...it is. I assure you.

All of a sudden, we were talking and I told her to do something. And there it was: "Fvy, Momma? Fvy?"

I just sat there and stared at her for a minute. And thought, "Oh No! Not the WHY! Not yet!"

So, yes, she's now needing to know "Fvy?"

I caught myself that very night saying to her: "Because I said...oh goodness it's just started and I was about to say because I said so." So I caught myself and answered her in another form. I figured that I would use that answer soon enough. I can't believe it almost came out of the first night.

She's funny because she will ask "fvy?" and then I will answer her, and then she will ask "fvy?" and then I will answer her, and then she will ask it again. Well this time I also answer her, but if she asks again, I tell her that she only gets 3 whys and then we move on.

Brandon said he was ashamed that I was hindering her learning by limiting her whys. Well, if he had to answer them all day, he probably wouldn't make it to three. He was picking on me about it.

But to be honest with you...right now, it's so cute to hear her say, "but fvy, mommy?" Please don't tell her I said that, because I am sure the cuteness of it won't last long!

Who would have guessed it?

So this story happened a week ago tonight, or it actually started last Wednesday.

So, last Wednesday I was putting ae to bed. We were doing our normal routine, and then I started something. I told her that we were going to the fair "tomorrow night" (being the next day). She, of course, had no clue what the fair was. So, I started talking about it a little bit. Telling her that she would see some cows, chickens, rabbits, and all of a sudden she yells out..."Hee Haw". So, I said, "Yes, there might even be a donkey there, who knows?!?" She said she wanted to ride the donkey. Well, I explained to her that that was a very silly idea. That she wouldn't be able to ride a donkey. She kept on and on. Remember it's bed time, and now she's all wound up. So, here she is in her conversation: "Hee Haw Hee Haw! Ride Hee Haw, Mommy! Ride Hee Haw! Hee Haw don't bite me! No Ma'am!"

I am laughing at her by this time, and I tell her the donkey's not going to bite her. That he only eats hay. Well, then she started to pretend to give me hay and say "Here's you some hay, Hee Haw. Here's you go!" Over and over again.
She was so excited, that I was surprised she finally went to sleep.

So, we go to the Wilson County Fair. We are walking around having a good time. We see the cows, ducks, chickens, and rabbits. We are about to leave for the night....and
what do we see....A donkey....actually several of them. Then a lady asked us if she would like to ride one.

WHAT!!! I am so excited about this, that I can't contain myself. I keep saying, how did Autumn know???? That's crazy.

So she went to get on a donkey, and the lady told her she could ride Eeyore. Now if anyone knows me they know I love Winnie the Pooh. Autumn's room is done up in Winnie the Pooh. It has a mural of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. Now, not only is she getting to RIDE a donkey like she wanted, but his name is Eeyore. She's loving it! She's so excited, however, I think I am even more excited just because she's getting the chance to do what I didn't think was possible. How amazing it was to see her up on Eeyore the Donkey. Oh, and by the way, she made sure to inform me that he wasn't eating hay...he was eating grass.

She was so cute and so happy. God yet again reminds me that anything is possible. Even in the simple things.

Daddy, four airplanes?

So, Brandon had to go on his first business trip this past week, and then he has training this week. The last time he had to go anywhere for business was a couple of months before we got married. He left last Tuesday to go to San Francisco and got back yesterday (Saturday) at 10:45 am. Then he had to fly out again this morning (Sunday) at 6:00 am. So, he was home less than twenty four hours, and now he won't be back until Friday around 5:30 pm or so.

I don't think I really had time for it to truly hit me last week, because I kept ae busy all week. We ended spending two days at my Granny and Papa's house (which was truly amazing and relaxing). Kristi and mom were able to come down too, so it was great! I have pictures of AE, me, and Kristi trying to make Granny's famous homemade biscuits (I will post those pics later).
We were so exhausted on Wednesday night, that it didn't bother me too much that I was home alone. Thursday night, we stayed at my mom and dad's. Then early Friday, I took ae to Nanny's house, and then had dinner over there that night. Then De and Steve came over to my house and kept me company till about Midnight....then we went and got Brandon at the airport on Saturday morning. So, needless to say, we stayed busy.

However, poor ae is so out of sorts that this week, my goal is to try to get her back on some sort of schedule. All she knows is that Daddy left on four airplanes, and now he's on four more airplanes. So, at random times during the day she will say, "Daddy, four airplanes? My miss Daddy."

Today at lunch we were getting in Nanny and Papaw's car, and all of a sudden ae said, "Lost Daddy." She feels like she's lost daddy because she doesn't know where he is.

I started her bedtime routine around 8:30 tonight (since she's been staying up later, I didn't think I would jump back into our 8:00 routine just yet). We read two books, said our prayers, and read Goodnight Moon. I then covered her up and gave her kisses. Well, this of course went hand in hand with "her" routine of..."gotta potty momma....night night juice mama....my belly hurts mama..."

Finally she got quiet, then Brandon called and I think she heard the phone, because she started back with "my belly hurts, mama." So, I said, "Here (and handed her the phone), maybe this will make you feel better." So she talked to him for a bit. She asked him about being on four airplanes. She tried to tell him that we made a paper chain to tear off each day until he came home again. But then all she kept saying to him was, "I wanting my daddy; I wanting my daddy." She kept saying it over and over again. Even after I took the phone from him, and she would say it in the most pitiful voice. She broke my heart and his.

Just between you and me though, I know what she's feeling right now...because, "I wanting ae's daddy to come home too!" My heart misses him tonight.

Shhh....Don't tell Daddy!

What?

You see a what in my house? No Way! Not in my house!?! You must be seeing things.

Never, would I let her in the house (on a horribly hot day)... No way!

Well, who knows? Maybe Autumn let her in while I wasn't looking or something?

But, I definitely do not know anything about Bama being in the house. So, shhh don't tell Daddy, okay?!?

Baking Cupcakes

Where's all the fun in baking cupcakes if you can't lick the bowl? That's definitely ae's favorite part. Later on that afternoon, I was cooking dinner and found my sneaky child standing on her stool trying to lick the icing off the cupcakes. She would wait till I was busy doing something, and then sneak over to the cupcakes and make these licking noises and just laugh. What a silly girl!

The 5th of July

We took Autumn to the Greenway and let her play at the park for a bit. I love watching her and her daddy play together. It makes me smile to see the two of them together. It just reminds me how blessed I am.

For lunch, we went back to Nanny and Papaw's house to eat more BBQ!

Don't ask!!! I just have one word for you...Nanny!

Then we all went to our "fireworks spot" and met up with Martha, Raymond, Kyle, and Chloe. Autumn seemed to like the fireworks (from afar) a bit better than the night before.






I love this picture. Even though she's got a messy face....just look at those eyes!

4th of July at our house

So, our 4th of July kinda went like this:
First, you have to wake up and run upstairs to join Daddy in a game of NCAA football (of course...how else would you start the day?).

Then we ate lunch at Nanny and Papaw's house with De and Steve. We had BBQ and the fixings. YUMMY....said by mommy since we all know ae doesn't eat much of anything?!?

Then we started watching Daddy and Steve light some fireworks. They were good; however, our neighbors were even better =)

But Autumn didn't really care for the fireworks. She kept saying, "No like fireworks, go in the house!"

So, here's a few pictures to show what Autumn decided to do rather than watch some silly (loud) fireworks! She thought it would be much more fun to play in the playroom with De and Brutus.

Splishy Sploshy Splashing with my friends

Carter, Rosa Grace and Autumn all went to the Splash Pad this past Thursday. They had so much fun. It was great for the kiddos to get together, but it was also a blessing for us ladies to get together as well.

Carter, Rosa, and Autumn made sure that their mommies got just as wet as they did. We had a lot of fun, running through the COLD water!!!

Autumn got a bit possessive towards the end...apparently one of the fountain spouts was "HERS" and the 30 other children didn't realize that.

Anyways, we had a wonderful time hanging out, picnicing, and getting wet!

Sarah, Autumn kept saying once we got home..."Car(ter) come to my house and play!" So, I see another fun play date in the soon future!

Best Buds

On Tuesday we played at Rosa Grace's house. The girls played, while Angeline and I watched "August Rush." It was fun to have some girl time.

Later on that night, Rosa Grace came over to our house for a while. The girls played so well together. They played in Autumn's playroom. They played with the bouncy balls. They walked around the neighborhood with us. But their favorite thing was definitely playing on the trampoline.

They are just too cute! I love watching them play together. I look forward to watching their friendship grow. We love you, Rosa Grace!!!

Water Park Fun

On Monday, Autumn and I met Wendy and Cooper at the Smyrna Splash Pad. We like to call it the water park. At first, Autumn wouldn't have anything to do with it. And then when she did finally decide to play...guess who also got wet? Yep! So, needless to say, we were both soaking wet. But eventually toward the end of our fun, Autumn decided she wanted to be brave like Cooper and go play in the water.

She was so funny. She liked the one that's like a shower. I would tell her to go take a shower. She would run over there and get her butt in the water and do the "Shake your butty dance."

Here are some pictures of Little Miss Autumn at the waterpark.

Father's Day

Today was a day just like any other. There are so many things I felt like I should have done to make them special for Brandon. I want him to know how amazing his role as a father is to our little girl. He is a great husband, a wonderful friend...but He is a precious father. He may not realize it, but that little girl of ours...she wants to be just like him. She watches him, and she shadows him. She wants to be a part of whatever it is he is doing. Autumn may still be a mommy's girl for the time being, but she's in love with her daddy. He is definitely her hero.

I got the pleasure of watching them this weekend. Just being on the outside and looking in, this is what I saw:

I saw a daddy and a daughter dancing in the living room (with no music at all).
I saw a daddy playing in a tent with his daughter for much longer than the average adult's attention span could handle.
I saw little girl want to be just like her daddy as he worked out in the garage.
I saw a little girl fall down, and even though I was there for her, it was her daddy that she cried out for.

I see that God has blessed me with an amazing husband to share this parenting adventure with. Which is pretty cool to realize today of all days...not only is it Father's Day, but it's also me and Brandon's 6 year anniversary!

I always wanted Brandon to have a little girl, so that he could feel the love I have for my daddy. I adore my dad. He's an amazing man. I can't begin to explain how blessed I am because he loves me.

Thank you Daddy for being my hero, my inspiration, my first love, and just for being you. You are truly one of my greatest gifts from God.

"HE HAW"

Brandon, Autumn, and I were sitting down for dinner Tuesday night. We are trying to convince Autumn to eat her raviolis. She just laughs at us and says "No". We keep telling her to just eat three bites. Then those three bites go down to just trying to get her to eat two bites. Well, this isn't working. So we just let her sit there while Brandon and I eat. So, Brandon's telling me about his day and we are having a serious conversation, when all of a sudden....

"He Haw! He Haw!"

I start cracking up. I tell Brandon that I am sorry, but I can't help but laugh. She's sitting there and all of a sudden decided it was the perfect time to try out her donkey impersonation. I am laughing so hard that I start crying. Autumn thinks this is hilarious! So she starts laughing at me, and continues to "He Haw!" This is what drives Brandon over the edge, now he's lost it too. It was so much fun to laugh like that.

So, even though Autumn wouldn't eat the way we wanted her too, she did so much more for us that night. She made us laugh out loud and make a family memory in the process.

She is so funny right now. It's like it hit all of a sudden this past weekend. She thinks that she's a funny girl. She tries to act so silly. She's doing a great job at it. Brandon tried to have a conversation with her the other day, and he told her, "so girl, it's finally hit, huh...those terrible two's." He laughs at her, because she can't focus, she can't sit still, she's goofy, and she's into everything...oh, and everything has to be her way! She definitely keeps us entertained.

I will keep you all posted on upcoming "two" moments from Autumn.

But for right now, I will leave you with a big "HE HAW" from Autumn.

Standing outside looking in

This is exactly what I was doing this morning. I was staring inside my house at my dear sweet Aubaugh...yea right...she locked me out of the stinking house! Angeline, tell your mom that she's not alone!

I had gone outside to get her stroller out of the car for our morning walk....come back in to get her...no wait...didn't come back in....because I was stuck outside locked out of my own house while my two year old's just standing there smiling at me. How precious were not my thoughts at that moment.

I was trying not to panic. I tried telling her to turn the knob the other way. Well, she only knows how to turn it the one direction (which makes it lock). So there I am trying to decide how I was going to get back in the house and Autumn starts saying, "Momma stuck...Momma stuck" over and over again. Then she started saying, "Momma come 'ere". I told her that I was trying my best.

So while I was looking in the house, I glanced at the back door. Well, luckily when I fed Bama this morning I didn't lock the door back. So that was my way in. However, let me just tell you that a girl like me trying to jump over the fence doesn't go as graceful as some might think...especiallly when there's a 70 + pound Golden Retriever on the other side trying to figure out what's going on. But I did it. I made it over the fence and ran inside the house to rescue my dear sweet child...well not really. When I got in the house, AE looked at me and just laughed and said, " There she is, there's Momma."

Let's just say it definitely made for an interesting morning. Go ahead and laugh, I know...

Mother's Day

How sweet is it to hear my Aubaugh Beth (as she likes to refer to herself) tell me "Mudder's Day" this morning. It was so precious. I was getting cinnamon sticks out of the oven, and here she comes..."Mudder's Day, Mommy". It was the most precious thing I have ever heard.
Then she ran back into the livingroom with Brandon. They are talking about something, and then I hear little feet pitter patting back into the kitchen. She then sings me the "Momma Song". This is the Bohemian Rhapsody by Queens. She sings it like this: "Momma, oooh ooh oooh ooh, (didn't mean to make you ) cry." She sings it all the time. So why not this morning? It fit perfectly being Mother's Day.

I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day!

Here's Autumn writing my Mother's Day card. How cute is she! She "wrote" Mommy on the front. Then on the inside of the card, she drew pictures of Autumn, Mommy, and Daddy.

Moments that take my breath away...

Right now my heart is over flowing with love. I think it just might burst. I just had one of those moments that makes you want time to stand still. I just looked at my beautiful daughter and thanked God for blessing me with her. Sometimes it just hits me how lucky I am, and as I write this my eyes are filled with tears.

Moments that take my breath away...

1. (Just now) Slow dancing in the kitchen with Autumn.

2. Watching her as she inches closer to our new outdoor friend, the "scissor" in Autumn language...or the lizard that looks too much like a snake if you ask me.

3. Watching Autumn as she puts her baby to bed. She puts the baby in her bed. Then she bends down on her knees and says her night night prayers. Then she covers the baby up and reads Goodnight Moon. Then reaches over to tell baby night night and gives her a kiss.

4. Brandon and Autumn snuggling up together for a nap.

5. Watching my baby girl grow into this little independent person.

These are such a few that come to mind right now. But the first one definitely triggered this post. Makes my heart happy.

God has truly blessed with by trusting me to take care of this amazing little girl. I can't wait to see what plans He has for her!

Off to Grandmother's House We Go...

Monday morning, Autumn and I went out to Bellevue to visit with my granny and papa. Autumn was very excited...I knew this because when I asked her if she wanted to go she got very excited and started saying, "Max, Max, Max!!!" Max is my aunt Linda's new puppy. Autumn loves Max.

When we got there, you walked in and smelled the sweetest smell in the whole wide world...no not fresh flowers, but even better....Granny's gravy and biscuits! There is nothing better...oh wait...it just got better...add some yummy bacon and an egg made by Linda. Perfect way to start off the day! I was in Heaven! Did ae eat any of it, of course not, but that's okay because that just meant more for me....just kidding...kinda.

We had such a fun day. Granny and Papa both looked so good. Granny is the coolest granny I have ever met in my life. When I am a grandmother, I want to be just like her. If my grandchilden love me and look up to me half as much as I love and look up to her, I will feel blessed. She's absolutely precious and so much fun!

Papa came outside with us. He almost caught a fly ball...but instead I tripped over it and stumpled to the ground. See Autumn was playing with her bat and ball. She hit it right at Papa and with his reflexes he almost caught it. However, I tried to save the ball from hiding under their camper, and in doing this, I fell on top of the ball.

At first Autumn was concerned about me because I fell. But then she realized that I bend her ball (plastic ball, okay) in many different ways. Then all I heard about was, "Mommy...Aubaugh's ball broke!" Needless to say, she didn't appreciate me breaking her ball.

She watered the flowers with Linda. She ended up about as wet as the flowers. It was funny. She sat in the swing with Linda. She had a big ol' time. She played and talked to Granny, Papa, Linda, and Max. She was so excited and had so much fun.

It was so good to be with all of them. I love spending time with them. I feel at home. I want Autumn to feel how lucky she is to have each of them love her like they do. I am thankful that they are apart of her life.

We are truly blessed.

Perfect Day for the Perfect Outfit

Today, Autumn was determined to not wear the clothes that I had picked out for her. I was trying to just do something simple and comfy since we were just going to be here at home.

She has been wanting to wear this outfit for the past week or so. So, today, she decided it the perfect day to sport her favorite outfit.

I would have to agree with her. It's the perfect day to wear a piglet costume...too bad I don't have one as well.