Yes, we are crazy.

A week ago we added another member to the Salyer household.  I have desperately been wanting to get a cat for a few years but Dustin is not a big cat person so I was slowly letting that dream go.  A few weeks ago my sister and her family moved onto a farm (as in they live in a beautiful log cabin, not like live in the barn or anything).  On this said farm there are lots of animals.  Cats being one of them.  One of these said cats had a litter of kittens and boy were they cute.  My heart just melted when I saw them.  I begged and begged to take one home and Dustin just would not bend.  A few weeks past and we were back at the farm visiting my sister again.  She informed me that the two kittens that were left were going to be taken to a shelter the next day and that it was my last chance to fight for one.  I begged and pleaded and FINALLY Dustin cracked.  We I picked which one we I wanted and that was that.  We officially have a third pet at home plus a six month old.  It's nuts around here.  Our new addition is only 10 weeks old so she's a bit spastic.  I may have not though it through about getting a hyper active kitten.  We love her though and Emma is obsessed with her so I guess it's all good.  I have to get on video Emma torturing her.  She will grab hold of her coller with a death grip and not let go (while screaming her high pitched squeal), pull her tail and grab hold of her neck.  Fortunately, kitty thinks it's fun so no problems with scratching her have arisen yet.

Meet Lexi Kitty

(aka Wexi bc having a baby that's pretty much how I talk these days)

 Taking her home.  She fell in love with me instantly.

Lex and Bailey (friends for life yo)

Tucker and Lex getting acquainted.

Can it be possible?

Emma, my baby girl, my goose, my joy, my world, my everything...is half a year old! I repeat HALF A YEAR old.  As in 24 weeks today, SIX MONTHS people! That sweet little princess was born on 1/11/2011 at 1:14 pm and that moment was the best moment of my life.  It's so hard to believe that we are at the half way to a year mark.  She's growing up so fast.  In a flash she went from sleeping all the time and staying in one spot to awake and on the move.  Where did the time go?

Here's what is new with Emma at Six Months:

• She is a rolling machine.  She even trys to get up on her knees.  Crawling will be happening very soon.
• She is teething like crazy.  No white teefers yet, but soon very soon.  We are impatiently waiting.
• She loves to stand.  If she's in your lap she wants to be standing up.  Her's a big girl now.
• She is in size two diapers.  Moving to three's maybe in a month or so.
• She's in mainly 6 to 9 month clothes.  There are only a few 3-6 months pieces that she's in.
• She "talks".  As in screams.  She thinks she is talking but really it's just a high pitch squeal.
• She is napping great most the time, unless she has a bad teething day.
• She's eating EVERYTHING! She loves all the foods we have tried.  Peas, Carrots, Green beans, Sweet potatoes, Squash, Bananas, Prunes, Pears, Applesauce, Rice cereal...really she's an eater.
• She is recognizing people she knows and sometimes even leaning towards somebody she knows if they hold their hands out for her.
• She is wobbly but with us right by her, sitting up on her own.  She's still got a ways to go though.
• She's laughing more by the day.  Her chuckle is so sweet.
• She's got personality coming out of her ears.  She loves people.

Overall, she's just a fantastic baby.  So sweet and full of personality.  We couldn't have asked for a better baby.  She is absolutley the best thing that ever happened to us.

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Somebody has found their voice...

Yes, these videos are sideways but it was early and I wasn't paying attention to holding my phone the right way.  I was enjoying the cuteness too much.  I mean how cute is she!?

Gatlinburg Trip 2011 (Part 2)

 DAY THREE:

The third day started off with a nap for dad and baby.  A three hour nap just so you know.  While they napped me and mom sat on the deck and played some Yahtzee (that is until she dropped on of the dice through a crack on the deck).  We then pulled out a deck of cards and played Rummy.

It rained the entire second day and most of the third day.  Hence, the staying at the cabin and relaxing.  After some relaxation and napping we all got ready for a delicious dinner at The Peddler.  Wow.  All I have to say is it was amazing.  The steak literally melted in your mouth. Yum...

Paw Paw teaching Emma how to walk outside the restaurant as we waited on our table.  (Insert bad parenting here: Yes my child is not wearing shoes and stepping on the dirty pavement but she HATES I mean loathes shoes.  She eventually kicks them off.  Or if she can't get them off she screams at the top of her lungs until we take them off.  We live in the south.  She gets the redneck thing honestly I guess.)

Sunday was Dustin's birthday but because I'm impatient (working on that) I went ahead and let him open his birthday presents Saturday night.  I don't think he minded.  He was chomping at the bit to open it.

I think he liked his new grill tools the most.  Along with those he got, a grilling fish basket, clothes and shoes.

DAY FOUR:

On Sunday, Dustin's family from Virginia made a two hour drive to Gatlinburg.  We met them at the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch.  I got an amazing Mushroom Swiss burger that was to die for.  For a first experience the food was great but the music was LOUD.  I mean it is the Hard Rock right? Emma wasn't a fan of the loud music so we had to take turns taking her outside.  Guess she's going to be a country music and soft rock fan instead.

Nana loving on her grand baby.  I think she was amazed at how much she's grown in the last three months.  I'm amazed at how much she's grown so I know that his family was.

Birthday boy happy that his family is there. How about having your birthday on your very first Father's Day and spending it with the people you love the most? Pretty fantastic day.

 Aunt Leah getting some baby time in.  I think she's got the fever :)

 "What are you lookin' at?"

 Everyone relaxing after a yummy lunch.

 I absolutely, totally, 100%, with all my heart love this baby girl SO much.  She's a mommas girl right now and I'm going to soak it up because I know as soon as she's walking and talking she will be her daddy's girl.

Snoozing.

"I'm soooo exhausted..."

Later that evening, we enjoyed our final dinner in Gatlinburg and did some shopping.  It rained and cut our shopping short but we made sure to get the most important souvenir, FUDGE and TAFFY!

Daddy and his pride and joy.

 DAY FIVE:

We checked out of our cabin and made the four hour trek back home.  There are no pictures from this day because I pretty much slept the whole way home.  The four days flew by.  We didn't even have time to go to the Titanic exhibit or put put.  That's ok though because I'm going back to Gatlinburng in two weeks with some of my girlfriends and sister.  It's going to be my first over night stay away from Emma.  Regardless of her being with Dustin, I'm a wreck about it!

Overall, it was an amazing, much needed, relaxing trip.  Now I'm counting down the days until September when we go on our family vacation to the beach!

Gatlinburb Trip 2011 (Part 1)

A post in which to catch you up on how our Gatlinburg trip last week went. Since I took like 100, 389 pictures you will get this in two posts. So in photo form our trip went a little like this...

DAY ONE:

The drive went pretty smooth for the first three hours. Emma slept for awhile and then woke up starving so we stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs and feed her. Let's just say it all went downhill from there. She was tired and ready to get out of her car seat. Screaming in sued from that point on. An hour and a half of crying and you can imagine how excited I was when I saw these mountains in the background.

Needless to say, she was very excited when she was able to stretch out on her mat at the cabin.


This was what we got to look at while we grilled the first night. Brightest moon I've seen in awhile. I guess that's what it looks like when you are in the mountains with no street lights.


DAY TWO:

Our view from the cabin deck.


Dollywood trip was great. Emma did so much better than I thought she would. She only took one cat nap but my mom was such a trooper helping out with her while me and Dustin rode rides all day. We were all beat after six hours of walking a theme park though.


My sweet hubby.

Me and my beautiful momma. We were so blessed to have her go on this trip with us. Not only was she a huge help but she really got to relax and enjoy herself.


The feel and look of Dollywood was great. Just wish there weren't so many hills to climb there!

Crazy baby!


Ferris wheels freak me out, that's why I'm the one taking the picture. Is it weird I will ride the craziest, most scary roller coasters but will not step foot on a ferris wheel?




Mom reminiscing about the days of being in the back seat of one of these :)
jk, jk


Welp, stay tuned for Part Two!

Hasta La Vista, Baby!

We are officially on our way to the beautiful Smokey Mountains. Two weeks ago in a sporadic, omg, we are exausted, need a getaway while hubby has a week off for his birthday, moment we decided to book a cabin for four nights. Do you hear that people? Four whole nights and five whole days to sit back and relax. We have a lot on the agenda while we are there but regardless it will still be relaxing.

We are going to Dollywood on Friday. For those of you that read this blog (I do have readers right?) that are not from the south, Dollywood is a theme park that the great Dolly Parton built. It's amazing and you should totally plan a trip. I'm so stocked about it. I haven't been since I was a kid (because that was so many years ago ya know). Since my wonderful mother is coming on this trip with us we will be able to ride all the rides together! I'm ready to feel like a kid again.

Saturday we are going to spend the day shopping in dowtown Gatlinburg and eating as much homeade fudge as humanly possible. Dinner out that night and on Sunday a day at Titanic. I hope me and Emma survive the ship going down. Women and children first, right? Sorry babe. I know Sunday is your birthday and all but the dudes giving out the life boat seats made the rules, not me.

Sunday night, if Dustin survives we have planned a nice dinner out for his 27th birthday and very first Father's Day. After dinner my mom is going to watch Goose for us while we have some alone time. It will be nice to walk Gatlinburg hand in hand and know our sweet baby is in good hands back at the cabin. Have I mentioned I love my momma?

Needless to say, this is going to be one ahhhmazing trip. We are so so excited! When I get back I definitely have a few catch up posts since I've been m.i.a. lately. One including a story about 21st birthday bashs, creeks and four wheeler wrecks. Stay tuned. You don't want to miss it.

A decade has come and gone...

It blows my mind that TEN years ago today I lost the best man I'll ever know.  I think of all the things that my dad missed out on.  Getting my driver's license, highschool graduation, meeting my future husband, my wedding day and walking me down the aisle, the birth of Emma, watching her grow up.  I think of these things, yet I know what he's gained.  He's with his mom and dad, my mom's parents and so many friends and family lost over the years.  Knowing that heaven awaits me one day and that I will see him again is what has gotten this entire family through the last ten years.  Just because it's been a decade doesn't mean loss isn't difficult.  The scars are still there but they fade with time.  They may never go away but after ten years of healing the pain has subsided.  I miss him so much.  I used to dream about him.  I haven't in a long time.  I remember this one specific dream that I was working at a grocery store and he came through my line.  I immediately stand there in shock that he is actually in front of me, with his sweet sweet smile.  I want to reach out and hug him but he doesn't know me.  I'm just a stranger to him.  I watch him walk out the door and wake up.  The dream I suppose to anyone else could be considered a nightmare since he didn't know me, but not to me.  It's an amazing dream because I actually get to see his face so vividly and it feels so real.  I miss that dream.  I haven't had it in a while.  You know how you just wish for one more day with a loved one? Just one more chance to say I love you.  One more chance to hug them.  One more chance to see them and hear their voice.  One more chance to breathe them in.  I wish for those things the most on this day every year.  It just brings back all those feelings of the day we lost him.  Tomorrow I will go on with my normal routine like everything is ok, but today I think about him more than ever and hurt because I miss him so much.  He would be 58 this year.  I try to picture what he would look like today.  Probably salt and pepper hair, a big 'ol belly of course, lots of wrinkles since he squinted all the time and his normal facial hair (salt and peppered of course).

I look forward to the day we are reunited at the gates of heaven.  He will welcome me in with open arms along with all my grandparents and dear family and friends I've lost in this life. Dad, I think I can speak for everyone that you ever met and knew that we still after a decade, miss you more than words could ever express.  I love you with all of my heart and know that you watch over this family every day.  I know that you are watching your grandchildren grow up and watching over them daily.  Thank you for being the best father anyone could ever ask for.  You were definitely the best.

[caption id="attachment_444" align="aligncenter" width="512" caption="Giving kisses to Papa John"][/caption]

Because it's Friday...

and because I'm tired from a week of dealing with a teething baby I've decided to do a short and sweet "luurv" and "do not luurv" bullet point post.  Enjoy peeps.  You know you will....

Things I LUUURVVV

• Laying by my pool and getting a tan.


• A cold glass of sweet iced tea.


• My cup of coffee in the mornings.


• My Baby girl of course.


• My hubs.  He's pretty sweet, ya know.


• Family time and time with my peeps.


• Grilling in the summer time.


• Steak and taters.  (kinda goes with the one above)


• Vacations.


• A nice cooooold beverage.


• Make up.  Don't leave the house with out it on. I'd sleep in it but that's just gross.


• Shopping for baby clothes.


• Seeing Emma in her cute little bathing suits.


• Back rubs from my hubs.  He's sweet, ya know.


• A freshly clean house.


• Jesus.  He rocks, ya know.


• My momma.  She's the best.


• My sista's cause we are all crazy and luurv each otha.


• To eat.  It's a weakness.  That's why I "try" to workout when I can.

Things I DO NOT LUURV

• Getting burnt by my pool.


• Not getting to finish my coffee in the mornings cause mommy duties come first.


• Having to wake up early nowadays.  I miss sleeping in!!


• When my hubs gets off work late.  Which is always.  Boo.


• A dirty house.


• Humid 90 degree weather.  It's turning my pool into a sauna.


• Spinach and Turnip Greens.  YUCK!


• The devil.  He's mean, ya know.


• Birds making a nest and laying their darn eggs by my bedroom door.


• Those birds pooping at my bedroom door steps.


• Arguing with my family.  We crazy and got our share of drama.


• Arguing with Dustin.  Oh yeah, he's sweet.  I forgot ;)


• Allergies.  This might be more than dislike.  It's more like loathe.


• And empty bank account, but that never happens to anybody, right?


• Burning my thumb on the oven.  Not cool.

I suppose that is all for today.  What do you luurv and not luurv?

Happy Friday!