Bert Brothers

new blog!!

2010-01-30T08:57:00.003-05:00

who knows who still checks this blog {and i don't blame anyone for giving up on it!}... but i've created a brand new one in hopes to be a more committed blogger :) so, here you go!

one year today.

2009-05-20T20:48:00.004-04:00

one year ago today, gus and i went to the hospital for my scheduled c-section. ironically enough, when hooked up to the monitors in labor & delivery, the nurse informed me that i was having contractions. so that's what i had been feeling for days! i had no idea since i've never gone into labor. of course they weren't anything crazy, but we thought that was pretty funny. just thinking back to those first few days all i can think about is how happy and blessed we were/felt. my recovery was much better, we were more relaxed this time around and just enjoyed the moments. i remember the day after hudson's birth thinking - "oh good, he's only 1 day old"... i just didn't want time to go by too quickly! (or maybe it was the pain medication doing the thinking - just kidding!) another interesting thing is that on the OR table right after hudson was delivered, i thought about how i couldn't wait to be back on that table again. i thought the same exact thing when matthew was born. we'll see what God has in store for us! reagardless, hudson certainly completes our family :)

p.s. i'll post pictures tomorrow!

Hudson's Birthday Party!!

2009-05-20T20:40:00.002-04:00

We celebrated with family on Sunday night. It was a very fun time, and Hudson LOVED the way the cake turned out.

the party quickly turned into a gumdrop themed event when i decided to make a gumdrop wreath for the door. time consuming, but worth it!

and the gumdrop cake... (no, i did not run out of gumdrops! i'm not into a typical looking one!)

the birthday boy!

hitching a ride with lawre bradley.

LOVE this picture.

time for cake!

2009-05-20T20:35:00.002-04:00

Saturday night, Matthew and I made Hudson's birthday cake! When Matthew discovered that we were making a chocolate cake, he was thrilled to help. (and eat LOTS of batter) We even let Hudson have a taste...

(gimme that spatula!)

poor little guy :(

2009-05-20T20:29:00.003-04:00

friday night we had our first "what do we do?" moment... hudson was playing around in the kitchen opening cabinets and he pulled out a glass cake stand that shattered at his feet. one peice of glass shot up and cut his shin (and cut it pretty good). we took him to urgent care to have it checked out and thankfully, the doctor was able to use dermabond (aka: glue) as opposed to stiches. whew! we are very thankful he wasn't cut worse. thank you, Lord!

Mama Day!

2009-05-18T09:25:00.005-04:00

I had the best Mother's Day... the boys fixed breakfast, there was a "mommy & me" breakfast at church with Matthew, lunch at Mom & Dad's with everyone, and then home for the rest of the day. (my favorite) We played outside and then Gus came up with an awesome menu (grilled hamburgers, sweet potato fries & watermelon) and cooked for me/us!!! It was SO good and such a GREAT day :)

(the "grandest" mother - Mama Tom)

(the little guy who made me a mama of 2!)

(i could eat these boys with a spoon)

the last couple of months...

2009-05-17T20:12:00.011-04:00

It's been a loooonnnngg time! Here's a little re-cap of March and April for ya. I'll get to May shortly, but this is very time consuming, and I am ready to hit the hay!

At the very end of April/first of May, we went up to Charlotte for the PGA Quail Hollow Championship tournament. We had the best time. First, the boys, Lynn, Dad and I went to the practice round... Dad's 60th Brithday present from us. It was fantastic - beautiful day, not too many people, boys did great - just a lot of fun! So happy for the opportunity to go with Dad :)

(Papa can always find Hudson's tickle spots!)

(that's Rocco Mediate in the background)

The next day at the Pro Am... waiting with Uncle Adam to see Tiger Woods (not just Tiger, Tiger Woods) walk by. This day I decided that the boys would not be heading back to the course again! There was just a moment (that felt like eternity) where I swear the entire golf course was silent except for Hudson. Stressful is an understatement!

Bathing with Cousin Taylor!

And oopsy, Hudson's jammies got wet and we had to borrow some from Taylor... might be the closest thing to us actually having a girl!

Matthew was in HEAVEN playing with all of Uncle Adam's old school cars & trucks.

We went to Mexico Beach for the weekend back in April and had a great time. Matthew and Hudson would be happy never leaving the sand.

MB is also where Hudson mastered the push toy :)

Here are some random pictures of the boys playing around:

(they go all over the house like this, and it is so funny)

(a few of his silly faces!)

Matthew got his first black eye from falling off the bed :(

It's sad to say that we took so few pictures at Easter - no family shot, no shot of the boys together dressed for church - you can only tell it's Easter by the one of Matthew. Pathetic!

(our littlest chick-a-dee)

(hunting eggs at his fourth egg hunt... atleast he still got excited!)

In March, Richard & Melissa asked us to go out to Big Sky, Montana, for SIX days. (without children) We had such a great time. I learned that I could really take or leave the skiing/snowboarding. (i did try boarding and had the best time hanging with my VERY patient husband for two days!) I don't know if it's that I'm older and a parent (or a wimp!), but being on the mountain makes me so aware of the fact that I could break a bone in a matter of seconds. However, I could definitely live in the mountains. It blows my mind that people actually wake up to that scenery every morning. It's BEAUTIFUL out there!

future drummer maybe?!

2009-03-09T09:16:00.004-04:00

Matthew has a little play drum set that he just loves, but now he can say he has played some "real" drums... thanks to Mr. Mike! We went to a church in Tallahassee last night called The Well (fantastic by the way - a young church birthed by a young guy that meets at a high school - very contemporary and so inviting. even the childcare was very impressive and to think they transform this school each and every week. wow! best of all, a heart for Christ there is undeniable.) After the service, our friend Mike (guest drummer for the night) invited M up on stage to check out his drum set...

9 month check-up...

2009-03-09T08:26:00.004-04:00

Hudson had his check-up last Thursday and he checked out with flying colors... woohoo! And the bonus - no shots! He weighs 18 pounds 9 ounces and the nurse said he measured 28 inches, but that's up for debate. She marked the head and toe on the table paper and when measuring from the marks, she kind of measured diagonally. So, who knows!

Anyhoo, just 2 days before his appt, I found Hudson standing up when I went to get him from his nap!! Of course, he was crushed when I ran out to get the camera, so that's why he's crying in the pictures. Now he loves to pull up when he can and he's crawling up the 2 steps from the den to the hallway ALL the time! Gus and I are thrilled that he decided to do all this new fun stuff last week instead of this week... we leave tomorrow for Big Sky, Montana, and won't be back until next Monday. The other "first" that seems to be on the rise is a tooth, but it won't be upsetting to miss that pop through... I will feel bad for Nana & Mama Anne though :)

boys!

2009-02-21T19:31:00.004-05:00

Seven years :)

2009-02-16T23:44:00.003-05:00

Today Gus and I celebrated our 7th anniversary (woohoo!)... it was a fantastic day. For starters, it has been wet and gloomy for the past couple of days, but today it was gorgeous! Mom took the boys for several hours, allowing us to go to lunch at one of our very faves, Ted's, where we stuffed ourselves full of bison burgers - YUM! Then both boys took great naps at the same time, and Gus got home early! Yay! We just had the best day - no frills, nothing fancy, just us.

In honor of our 7 years, here are my 7 best reasons for thinking Gus is just the coolest:

1. he is SO funny, oh my gosh :)
2. he will actually watch the bachelor & real housewives with me
3. he will eat popcorn with a smile when i have no energy to cook dinner
4. he is not a neat freak - thank goodness!
5. he will go to winn dixie anytime to try to get the $10 coupon
6. he is almost never in a bad mood
7. he can turn into Mr. Mom in a flash

I am so grateful for our marriage and the fact that with all the things that truly matter in life - our committment to each other, our beliefs and trying to trust God, our love for our children - we are so on the same page. What a blessing!

celebrating love week...

2009-02-16T23:25:00.004-05:00

I guess since my Mom always made a huge deal about every holiday, I plan on doing the same with the boys. It's just way too much fun! We kicked off "love week" by baking heart-shaped cookies, which was so much fun. I kept telling Matthew "okay, that's your last bite of dough now," but I just couldn't really enforce it because we don't make cookies on a regular basis. Who cares, right?! It's just too yum!

Valentine's day was a blast... we left Hudson with Mama Anne & Daddy Nick and had a fun day with our big boy. M was in heaven the moment we pulled up to Barnes & Noble. He just loves the train set. (despite the fact that he has trains at home!) Then we headed to the $1 theater to see Madagascar II, which was hilarious. Matthew had no problems sitting through the whole thing and we all shared a jumbo popcorn. We will definitely be going to more movies... it was a hit! We had SO much fun just the three of us, but we were very ready to get our sweet Hudson. And to top it all off, he actually crawled - real crawl - for the first time that night! Here he is in action. Of course, gi-joeing it is much easier at the moment, so he hasn't really done it much since, but that's okay :)

a little update.

2009-02-08T21:16:00.003-05:00

just want to write a quick update! when life gets crazy busy, this blog takes the "way back seat". (in case you haven't figured that out yet!)

here's what's been happening with us since Christmas...

my grandmother, Mama Tom, was in the hospital for almost two weeks with double pnuemonia and is actually back home now. what a trooper for her to be 89 and fight off pnuemonia like that! she does have a very bad heart though that has taken it's toll and left her very weak and needing 24 hour care, but she really is doing well considering. i take the boys as often as possible and they always make her smile and laugh. she even gets to hold Hudson when he's not in the mood to move.

Matthew has become such a fun little guy! (again!) i think we're finally seeing less and less tantrums. please, Lord! he will be 3 1/2 on the 17th, and it is so depressing!! i cannot believe that my years with him solely at home are coming to an end in September. he'll only be gone 3 days a week and not all day, but still. i hate how fast time flies when it comes to the boys. M just looks so grown and i tell him all the time that i don't want him to get bigger. although, the one thing i do enjoy is being able to do new things with him. this saturday, we're having a "matthew day" and leaving Hudson with Nana & Papa. we're taking him to the train store (aka: Barnes & Noble kid section with the train table) and then to see his frist movie at the theater!! (madagascar II at movies 8) we cannot wait!

Hudson will be 9 months old on the 20th, which is just crazy. being the complete opposite parents when M was his age, we are thrilled that he's taking his time with things. with Matthew, we couldn't wait for all the firsts. i think having a second child and knowing how FAST they grow, we don't want to fly through Hudson's baby-hood. he looks so cute sitting up playing and he is now scooting all over. (mom informed me that it was NOT a crawl!!) he first scooted/crawled last Sunday, and now he is on the move. he's more gi-joeing then anything! Hudson is also a TOTAL mama's boy! it's flattering and sad at the same time! leaving him at church is no fun. we have to dart out of the room the moment we hand him over :( and many times i come into vision, whereever we are, all of the sudden he wants me. he's our sweet little hudson wudson!! (ps - no teeth yet)

as for Gus and myself, we have been crazy busy. i have been working my Arbonne business a lot and loving it... as well as keeping up with the house and kiddos and meals. my days fly. thankfully, Gus has been busy at work, which is always a good thing these days. he's also been studying to get his realtor's license. (taking the test hopefully this week) since it goes hand in hand with being an appraiser somewhat, we're hoping it will be a successful side job. on another note, we're turning in our Yukon this week because the lease is up and will be buying Gus' Mom's Acura in March. it will be interesting only having one car for a bit, but saving that money will make it very worth it. lastly, we're looking forward to celebrating our 7th anniversary next Monday!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2008-12-25T11:43:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a blessed Christmas day...

Holiday FUN!

2008-12-25T11:42:00.001-05:00

2008-12-18T21:38:00.002-05:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Another baby boy :)

2008-12-11T21:53:00.003-05:00

I have to congratulate my good friend, Erynn and family on the birth of their second son... Noah Harper Seidel. (you can check out their cutie-pie(s) by clicking on "The Seidels" down on the right) He was born on December 1st!! Actually, for all of you who have been secretly mad at me for not updating the blog, you have Erynn to thank. Noah is 10 days old today and so far, Erynn has made 5 posts to their blog. I realized I have no good excuses :) Congratulations Erynn & Chad!!

our little Christmas tree!

2008-12-11T21:34:00.005-05:00

We decided to go with a smaller tree this year to fit in a small spot in our den, so we can enjoy it all the time since that's where we hang out. I think it's adorable, and I love how it looks with the ornaments all piled on. Apparently, Matthew thinks it's hilarious.

Hudson's 6 month check-up...

2008-12-11T21:23:00.003-05:00

We were a little late on Hudson's check-up this time. His appt was Tuesday, and he will be 7 months old on the 20th. From now on, I'm making his next appts before I leave the doctor's office! Anyhoo, here are his healthy stats:

weight - 16 pounds 3 ounces
height - 25 inches

Most importantly, he checked out happy and healthy, so we are very thankful. It's amazing how with each child we are more and more aware of how precious health is.

We're BACK!!

2008-12-11T21:00:00.006-05:00

Wow... it has been a LONG time. Too long! (i know many of you are thinking the same thing!!) So, enjoy all of the many pictures in the album covering our lives in October & November. Here's what you missed:

1. Fall fun with pumpkins.
2. Our very fun long weekend with family in the Georgia mountains.
3. Church Fall Festival.
4. HALLOWEEN!
5. Rice cereal for Hudson.
6. Matthew's singing debut at the Thanksgiving banquet at church.
7. Thanksgiving lunch. (we forgot the camera for dinner)

bittersweet day...

2008-10-03T18:52:00.003-04:00

as i write this, my sister Anna and her family are driving to their new home in north carolina :( i am so happy for them... happy for Caleb and his great new job; happy that they will be living in the state that Anna absolutely loves; happy for their new journey and their courage to leave the familiar and start a brand new chapter in their life. but as happy as i am for them, i am equally just as sad... sad that i really do not know when i will see them next, sad that i won't have my sister just a short walk away, sad that our kids won't grow up together, sad that my kids will not have the pleasure of such a phenomenal aunt to go and see on a regular basis. she is truly one of a kind :)

on a lighter note, thank goodness for cell phones and email because i know we'll be taking full advantage of the two from here on out. and who knows, maybe we'll head up their way one day too! no plans for that of course, but one thing we've all learned over the last year is that anything is possible and we really never know what God has in store for us.

PS the matthews clan has joined the blogging world, so i've added their link!

4 month check-up

2008-10-03T18:46:00.004-04:00

Hudson had his wellness check-up last week and it went well... healthy & doing everything he should be doing at this point. Yay! He weighed in at 14 pounds 10 ounces and is now 25 inches long. Oh, and his umbilical hernia seems to be closing a bit already... not completely, but it's getting there. He was also pretty brave with his shots, but they certainly took their toll the next day and the next and the next... Poor little guy. Thankfully, he's back to himself now!

first "real" photos!

2008-09-22T12:59:00.002-04:00

Our good friend, Sara Beth, who is extremely talented, did a photo shoot with mainly Hudson for his 3 month pics. Here are a few... there were WAY too many faves to put them all in the album!

Sunday Fun!

2008-09-22T07:39:00.003-04:00

Our church had a community outreach block party at a park near our house yesterday... we had so much fun! The weather was perfectly pleasant and it was a great turnout! God certianly knew what he was doing when we had to cancel it last month when TS Fay came through. Hopefully, every "visitor" felt very welcomed and loved by the people of our church.

Matthew was a little nervous about the huge slide, but in no time he was going down by himself... he played on that slide for about 45 minutes straight!

SNOWCONES!

guess who's 4 months old?!

2008-09-20T23:26:00.004-04:00

We cannot believe that our little baby is already 4 months old! Time is going by way too fast... definitely faster than when it was just 3 of us. Hudson will go for his check-up on Tuesday, so I'll post all of his info then. Wish us luck with his shots... all four of them :(

Matthew is becoming more and more interested in "playing" with Hudson. Hudson loves to watch M, but he will get a very concerned look when the playing is just a little too much! It is really cute though because Matthew loves being around Hudson and gives him lots of hugs & kisses.

stickers!!

2008-09-20T23:12:00.001-04:00

another cousin is born :)

2008-09-14T21:50:00.005-04:00

We are so excited to announce the birth of Beckham Gregg Jarrard!! Beckham was born at 4:10 a.m. this morning... healthy and very handsome! Congratulations, Blair & Jenny!! Can't wait to get all the boys together!

Matthew's big day :)

2008-09-10T20:07:00.001-04:00

Matthew turned THREE last month... hard to believe! We celebrated with a casual backyard water party and a "Cars movie" cake. He was in heaven!

Introducing...

2008-09-09T23:08:00.005-04:00

Miss Taylor Adair Thompson :) Hudson & Matthew have a new cousin to play with in the years to come. Sweet Taylor was born on August 15th and we cannot wait to meet her. Congratulations, Adam & Sharon!!

turning t-h-i-r-t-y...

2008-09-09T19:20:00.009-04:00

okay, so i turned 30 last month and i must say that i really enjoyed it. i loved my twenties... finishing out my college education at UGA, (so what if it was my 3rd school!) marrying the guy i dreamed of marrying back in the 11th grade, and then being blessed with two healthy & happy boys. now, i look forward to the excitement of my thirties! no kidding.

to celebrate this milestone, melissa surprised me with the best day/date ever. she sent gus and me off to a scavenger hunt sort of date with 4 wrapped boxes titled location 1, 2, 3, and 4. our first stop was at a skating rink and we were instructed to wear the boa and cowboy hat below. hilarious! next we went to a private dance lesson, which was soooo much fun! (the only silly part was having to wear the gloves) after that we were instructed to go to Borders, get a coffee and stay awhile... told to search separately for 5 books to then share with each other - favorite book, language we'd like to speak, hobby we would like to learn, best joke, and where we'd like to go on our 10 year anniversary. THE most fun! by the way, it looks like gus will be heading to hawaii while i'm skiing in canada :) the final location was dinner at one of the coolest places in t-town, cypress. needless to say, i will never forget this birthday!

as for my actual birthday, i had a yummy mexican lunch with my boys and then dinner at mom and dad's with the family... it was a great day!

growing up too fast...

2008-07-23T10:14:00.004-04:00

Hudson is now 9 weeks... already :( He had his 2 month check-up last week and he is definitely eating well! Here are his stats:

weight - 12 pounds 8 ounces
height - 22 inches

So, he has grown 2 inches since birth and he's apparently storing up for winter! I looked in Matthew's baby book and he only weighed 10 lbs 2 ounces at this age :) Hudson's our little chunky monkey!! Most importantly, he checked out perfectly, so we are very thankful for that. The only "glitch" is that he has an umbilical hernia, which is why his belly button looks large in some of the pics, but it's not a threat... it should close on it's own with no problems by the time he's 2 years old.

He also started smiling around 6 weeks, so we're always on a mission to get him to smile. Now he's cooing a bit too, which is so fun to hear. He's just a happy baby all around.... eating great, sleeping great, and only getting up once to eat in the middle of the night.

So, enjoy all the pictures and be sure to double-click to see them full size.

fun with matthew :)

2008-07-23T10:13:00.000-04:00

4th of July weekend...

2008-07-23T10:11:00.002-04:00

We spent the first part of the holiday weekend with some of my family in Panama City and the rest of it at Mexico Beach with Gus' side... a lot of packing and unpacking, but totally worth it!

HUDSON BRUCE BERT...

2008-05-28T21:14:00.002-04:00

We are thrilled to introduce our newest blessing, Hudson!! Delivery went really well and he has proven to be as good a baby as Matthew was and maybe even better. He is so content and just fits right into our little family perfectly. We are so thankful for his health and grateful that everything is going as well as it is. Matthew has also really taken to Hudson... always asking what he's doing and giving him lots of kisses.

So, enjoy all the pictures and be sure to click on the album to see them full-size.

TWO weeks...

2008-05-06T12:12:00.003-04:00

we will be the parents of two boys in just 14 days!! as slow as the pregnancy has really been for me, i cannot believe we are already approaching the end. we really cannot wait to meet Hudson Bruce and are dying to see what he looks like... will he look like Matthew? will he look completely different? will his hair be dark or light? not to mention, how much will he weigh?! i know most people would guess a high number, but i'm not so sure. just last night he was all over the place, so it's clear he still has a decent amount of room to wiggle in there. most of all, we thank our Lord for the healthy pregnancy so far and just ask for another healthy little boy.

Matthew's room!

2008-05-04T23:23:00.003-04:00

after numerous trips to home depot (for gus), we finally finished the chalkboard wall... which completes matthew's big boy room! yay!!

sleepyhead

2008-05-04T23:22:00.002-04:00

Emerald Crest!

2008-04-29T10:12:00.001-04:00

We went to the beach with the May's 2 weekends ago and had the best time... next time there will be FOUR kiddos in the mix :)

Hudson's shower!!!

2008-04-29T10:09:00.003-04:00

I was given by far the prettiest shower I have ever been to (three weeks ago)... thank you girls!!!

(be sure to click on the album to see the pictures larger)

sunday with matthew

2008-04-16T08:21:00.003-04:00

walking to Nana & Papa's from church...

walking all over the golf course with daddy...
(dad & gus calculated all the holes gus played and the 2 of them walked a mile... needless to say, M slept really well that night!)

the deck is DONE!!

2008-04-16T08:16:00.003-04:00

I forgot to post the pics from the last phase, but it was a shorter work day, so they had only finished a small portion of the railing. Now all we have to do is find some caps for the posts and plant pretty things all around it! Anyway, what an accomplishment!! Very, very proud :)

BIG night @ our house!!!

2008-04-05T08:23:00.003-04:00

Matthew slept in his new room for the first time last night!! He's been watching the progression of his room for a few weeks now and thankfully, he was very excited about the change. The big surprise was a new train set & table, so as you can see, he was in heaven with that!

Big boy in a big bed!!! We were a little nervous about the unknown, but Matthew did GREAT! After our normal routine of songs & kisses, he went to sleep without any problems.

We snuck in before we went to bed to get this picture! He slept so well all night despite the horrific thunderstorm that had us awake a lot of the night!

PS his room is not 100% done yet... but it's close! as soon as it's complete, we'll post pictures.

fun at the park!

2008-04-05T08:19:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, we all went to Torreya State Park to hike a little trail and play on the playground. Despite being attacked by mosquitoes (which is why there isn't a picture of Preston), it was a fun time!

Deck - phase 4!

2008-03-31T11:33:00.003-04:00

We have steps :)

for erynn!

2008-03-31T11:26:00.003-04:00

i know you recognize where we are here! we grabbed a great lunch after the parade... gobble goodies & turkey clubs! john of course was there still looking exactly the same and even chris presnell and meghan were eating there with their baby girl avery. meghan's pregnant again too. oh, and sadly, wanda QUIT a month ago... her millions of threats became official.

springtime tallahassee

2008-03-31T08:58:00.004-04:00

we all went to the annual springtime festivites saturday and had so much fun... here are pics from the parade.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T22:41:00.003-04:00

We had such a wonderful Easter... the weather was gorgeous and we celebrated with family throughout the day. We hope you and your family had a very blessed Easter as we did and took a little time to remember what this precious holiday is all about.

(simply double-click on the album to view all of the pictures fullsize)

Deck - phase 3!

2008-03-23T22:09:00.002-04:00

From yesterday's work day, we now have the floor down!

egg hunt!

2008-03-23T21:53:00.006-04:00

these are pictures of matthew's first of many egg hunts this weekend... at our church yesterday morning. his best friend/girlfriend lawre bradley joined him and they had a great time.

off they go!

arriving at the egg hunt location.

candy! M quickly discovered there was something inside those plastic eggs.

eating as much candy as possible before someone stops her...

Prego update...

2008-03-21T09:22:00.004-04:00

Well, I had my 30 week appointment yesterday and everything is going great! We even scheduled the c-section, so we now have an actual date to look forward to... as of now, Hudson Bruce will arrive on May 20th @ NOON!!! Although, judging the size of my belly, I think there are a lot of bets going on that I'll never make it that far :)

being silly!

2008-03-21T09:06:00.002-04:00

apparently playing outside the tub while olivia & ansley bathed was not enough fun... the girls said he "fell in", but we're not so sure!!

pretending on the little potty!

Deck - phase 2!

2008-03-17T08:05:00.003-04:00

So, the deck building continues... they got A LOT accomplished, especially considering they only worked a few hours yesterday afternoon. It's exciting to see it looking more like a deck now!

YUM

2008-03-11T21:05:00.001-04:00

matthew tried corn on the cob last night for the first time... and loved it!!

Lucy McDaniel May :)

2008-03-05T09:41:00.002-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS to Richard & Melissa!!! Lucy was born yesterday at 11:26 a.m. weighing 7 lbs exactly and having brown hair. She is adorable and teeny and makes us anxious for our little Hudson to arrive :)

hooray!

2008-03-05T09:33:00.004-05:00

Gus and his Dad (with the professional guidance/help from David) are building a deck right off of our den! We are really excited and Gus is happy to be doing the work. It will be quite an accomplishment! Anyway, they started last Saturday, so here are the pics from phase 1.

someone's becoming a big boy...

2008-03-05T09:27:00.004-05:00

we are in the process of potty training and it's going pretty well. matthew is certainly on his way! here he is sporting his big boy underwear...

making brownies!

2008-03-05T09:16:00.002-05:00

SIXTH anniversary :)

2008-03-05T08:52:00.004-05:00

We spent our 6th anniversary in Beaufort SC because there was a surprise party for Gus' Uncle Terry over the weekend... it was such a treat! Beaufort is such a beautiful little town with a lot of history and as a bonus, the weather was gorgeous.
Here we are at breakfast - the 3 of us got up early and found THE place for b'fast. It had posters all over the walls from all the movies that have filmed there, including Forrest Gump & the Prince of Tides.

After breakfast, we strolled around town checking out all the beautiful old homes and architecture...

(this is the one we would love to live in!)

haircut...

2008-03-05T08:47:00.002-05:00

here's M getting a little trim last month... thanks, aunt jenny!.

happy valentine's day :)

2008-02-14T07:53:00.000-05:00

Daddy Tom (June 7, 1919 - February 9, 2008)

2008-02-14T07:21:00.006-05:00

Daddy Tom passed away this past Saturday morning at home after quickly going downhill the week before. His health had been slowly declining over the last several years, but thankfully his suffering was short-lived. However, it certainly wasn't easy to see him go. As a good friend just told me, It always sounds like it should be easier to lose someone when we have some warning... Our hearts just don’t agree what with what our minds tell us.

Matthew was about a month old in this picture and I think it pretty much sums up Daddy Tom. I don't think there is any other man on earth that loved a baby more than Daddy Tom. (Although, my Dad and Father-in-law certainly run a very close second!) It was kind of Daddy Tom's trademark. He made us all a little nervous at times, but he really was always in control of the babies! His 7 great-grandchildren (with another one on the way, of course!) brought him so much joy and he was always telling me what a "fine boy" Matthew is and would ask how much longer til our next one arrives. He was also very proud of his 3 children and 7 grandchildren and in his mind he defintely never saw us enough... anytime I called, he would always say something like "when are you coming to see me?!"

I will miss him dearly... the person who taught me how to fish and ride a pony, who reinforced my parents teaching of good morals, who lived out his relationship with God, whose face lit up at the very sight of any family member walking through the door and who cherished his wife, sweet Mama Tom :)

pregos!

2008-01-29T07:53:00.000-05:00

some friends and i threw a baby shower for melissa and here we are... for those of you wanting to see my growing belly :) the difference here is that melissa is due march 4th and i'm not due until may 27th!

weekend getaway...

2008-01-19T08:42:00.000-05:00

last weekend the 3 of us (or should i say - 4 of us!!) went to mexico beach for the weekend and it was THE best... totally relaxing and beautiful. we kept forgetting it was january because it got to about 70 everyday. so, here are some of our favorite pictures and videos from the weekend...

with no nap and about 3 hours playing time on the beach, M was having trouble staying awake through dinner...

Our latest little boy!!!

2008-01-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

And the baby is...

2008-01-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

Another BOY!!!! We are ecstatic to be having another boy and very, very grateful that he is perfectly healthy. For those of you who do not know, at this ultrasound every little inch of him is examined... the heart, bladder, brain, leg bones, you name it. We are beyond thrilled :) We'll post a picture of our little guy tomorrow. Oh, and he's not so little either... he measured 81% for growth at this stage in the game, weighing in at 13 oz. and around 10" long. And the due date is still May 27th although I'll deliver via c-section atleast a week early. We think Matthew is getting it too because I told him when I picked him up from Nana's and then tonight I asked who was in my belly and he said "baby bruder" :)

Remembering Papa

2007-12-30T18:55:00.001-05:00

Papa (my Mom's Dad) passed away on Christmas morning... pretty appropriate for him to arrive in heaven on Jesus' birthday. Although it was such a blessing for him to no longer be suffering, it still has not been easy. He was 89 and lived a very active, fantastic life up until the very day he had a stroke in mid-September. He played golf 4 times a week, came to every home FSU football game and shared Broadway season tickets with Mom for the shows that came to Tallahassee. He was just the cutest and we will miss him very much... although having the wonderful hope in knowing we'll see him again when we get to heaven! The following is from his obituary... "He was a B-17 Pilot in the United States Army Air Corp during World War II having served in the European Theatre. While in service, Mr. McDevitt was shot down over Germany and spent a little over a year as a Prisoner of War. Mr. McDevitt’s legacy is a legacy of faith in Jesus Christ that has reached down to his second and third generations." Below are pictures from his military burial on Friday. It was moving, amazing, SAD and absolutely awesome all at the same time.

what an honor with the American flag draping the casket

folding up the flag

saluting the flag - wow.

presenting the flag to Mom, who in turn gave it to my cousin Greg because he's the last McDevitt

these men did the 21 gun salute, which was really really neat

Christmas Day...

2007-12-30T18:36:00.000-05:00

We had quite an eventful Christmas with many stops... all worth it and very fun!! First things first, Matthew woke up at our house and we all got to see what Santa Claus brought before we headed out.

Next stop - Nana and Papa's house to open presents with Olivia and Lucas!!

After Nana & Papa's, we headed to Aunt Susan's for breakfast and more presents...

Believe it or not, we made 2 more stops... Googie's and then Mama Anne & Daddy Nick's to open even more presents and have lunch. Unfortunately though, we didn't get any decent pictures from our last two stops.

CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

2007-12-30T08:46:00.000-05:00

The day began with breakfast at Aunt Jane's with lots of family and friends on Gus' side. It's an annual tradition and breakfast was delicious as usual. We were too lazy to take pics while we were there, but this is one of Matthew in the car heading over.

Mom's Dad "Papa" was really sick, so we went to the Hospice House that night to cheer Mom up and make it feel more like Christmas. First stop... the kiddo play area! Then Matthew opened his Christmas pajamas from Santa/Nana&Papa :)

To end our not-so-typical Christmas Eve, the 3 of us went to eat with Mom and Dad at Ted's restaurant... one of our faves... and what do ya know, Ted Turner himself was eating there too! Even though we aren't huge fans of him, (it took Mom and Dad forever to even try Ted's because they didn't want to give Ted any of their money by eating there!!!) it still made for an interesting highlight of the night!

We put M's Christmas pajamas on him before going home and he re-arranged his hat...

Christmas at the farm...

2007-12-27T16:47:00.000-05:00

Every year we begin Christmas celebrating at the Thompson/Cantey farm in Georgia. Everyone from Gus' family who is in town for Christmas gets together for lunch. It's always so much fun because it's relaxed and informal... kids riding around in golf carts and 4-wheelers; a nice fire outside to warm up to (if it's cold!) and the best fried oysters and bacon! Anyhoo, here's one picture from the day...

Christmas Brunch!

2007-12-27T16:33:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we went to a mother/daughter/baby "Santa brunch". I cannot even count the number of babies and toddlers... just A LOT. We had a great time and the chaos was really under control! It kicked off Christmas festivities in a really fun way!!

(i was crossing my fingers this year b/c M screamed over santa last year! he wouldn't say a word, but he atleast he wasn't scared!)

(cousins Ella & Bo)

(Lawre Bradley & Ava)

(playing with Weezie)

nothing but a scarf!

2007-12-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

M got hold of my scarf just before bathtime...

playing on the church playground...

2007-12-18T11:35:00.000-05:00

it was freezing outside, but matthew did not care one bit!

playing with cousins...

2007-12-18T11:25:00.000-05:00

we don't know how this happened either...

2007-12-18T11:22:00.001-05:00

making Christmas cookies...

2007-12-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

Lawnmower Parade

2007-12-18T11:06:00.000-05:00

Havana had their annual lawnmower parade on Dec 1st and this year we were able to participate! The Havana Herald (Mr. Nick's newspaper) entered the "waiting for Santa" float and won 2nd place!!!

baby update :)

2007-12-06T08:20:00.001-05:00

I had my 15 week appointment yesterday and all went really well... except for the fact that Gus could not be there :( I got to hear the heartbeat, which was fantastic! Just the coolest. AND... the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby is... JANUARY 7TH @ 8:30 in the morning!!! We are on pins and needles! I cannot wait to post what we're having.

our Christmas tree...

2007-12-06T08:07:00.000-05:00

it's obvious we've been slacking on our blog lately... we got our Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving!

(we could not go into home depot without checking out the RED lawn mower!! made the whole trip worth it for M!)

(checking out our Christmas tree!)

(Matthew had THE best time seeing all the ornaments and helping decorate the tree)

(now we just need to buy and wrap the presents!)

Matthew & Lawre Bradley!

2007-12-06T08:02:00.001-05:00

Playing at IKEA... the coolest store ever!

THANKSGIVING...

2007-12-02T08:27:00.000-05:00

Here are just a few pictures from our Thanksgiving... thanks to Mr. Nick and Miss Anne! We were slackers and didn't remember our camera, unfortunately. We had lunch with my side of the family at Mom and Dad's, which was so much fun. Then we went to Gus' family's farm for an early Thanksgiving dinner. Although we family hopped, it was totally worth it. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we have SO much to be thankful for!

Gus' 30th Birthday weekend!!

2007-11-19T16:16:00.000-05:00

So I surprised Gus for his BIG 30th birthday... Gus' parents picked up Matthew for the weekend and we hit the road with Gus not knowing where we were headed. It was SO much fun!! He did figure out before too long that we were headed to Statesboro to hang out with Blair & Jenny. First stop - the salon, so Jenny could work her magic on me!! Saturday morning I had to tell Gus what to wear, which immediately hinted that he would be playing golf... THE big surprise! He and Blair played at the Harbour Town course in Hilton Head. For all you non-golfers, this was huge to Gus (and Blair!) because that's one of the PGA courses. Gus was quite excited when we pulled up to the course... so excited that he didn't even notice all our luggage in the back when he got his clubs out. That was suprise #2 - staying the night in Hilton Head. After golf, (and some outlet shopping!) we hit Mellow Mushroom for the best pizza. It was perfect because Gus could watch some of the Gator game while we ate. Sunday we headed to Savannah for more great food (i think we ate more than anything all weekend!) and shopping... and then headed home on Monday, which was Gus' actual birthday. So, as you can see Gus had more than a McDonalds celebration!!

Gus' 30th Birthday weekend!!

(Click on the album to view all the pics from Gus' big weekend)

Happy 30th Birthday!!

2007-11-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

Matthew thoroughly enjoying Daddy's birthday treat!

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-31T21:48:00.000-04:00

our little curious george!

preparing for trick-or-treating with mama anne, daddy nick and daddy

with lawre bradley & olivia

the monkey, one of the dwarfs, and the princess

me and the cutest monkey ever!

goofing around

Our "big boy" pumpkin...

2007-10-31T21:41:00.000-04:00

These pics are from the weekend... capturing M eating yummy pumpkin pancakes & then the rest are from our church Fall Festival on Sunday. Matthew had a blast just running around.

Our Newest Little Pumpkin...

2007-10-31T16:30:00.000-04:00

We had another doctor's appointment today! I'll be 10 weeks on Friday... double digits!! Yay :) All is well with our little one and I'm starting to feel more like myself, I guess! I have definitely been more sick then I was with Matthew, but I'll take it! Also, we now have a due date of May 27th!

aunt jenny & uncle blair: i missed you this weekend!

2007-10-21T20:03:00.000-04:00

playing with the BIG cousins...

2007-10-21T19:55:00.000-04:00

Dang it, Noles!

2007-10-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

Gus thinks I'm a bad luck charm since the only games I've been to this year have been losses... I don't think so!! We still had fun though.

playgroup time!

2007-10-20T08:54:00.001-04:00

baby georgia, lawre bradley, ava & matthew

papa and the piano

2007-10-20T08:47:00.000-04:00

And baby will make FOUR!! :)

2007-10-10T18:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are pregnant again!! I will be 7 weeks on Friday and we had this ultrasound done last week. We even saw the heartbeat! What a little miracle! Below is our little "speck"... Gus added the arrow, so he or she isn't missed!

better late than never...

2007-10-10T14:35:00.000-04:00

these are pics from the bad outcome UF-Auburn game a few weeks ago... although we still had a GREAT time. we had not been to g'ville in a very long time and it made us really want season tickets!

waiting on "gatorwalk" to begin... a couple of hours before game time, the coaches and players walk into the stadium. it's sort of like a mini pep-rally and it was really exciting!

that would be Tebow in the dark suit

tailgating with the cousins! (Daniel & Christy)

the SWAMP!

playing some tunes with lawre bradley...

2007-09-27T11:11:00.001-04:00

GO Gators!!!

2007-09-15T19:30:00.001-04:00

here's our little gator ready to cheer on a victory against tennessee... 59-20, baby! (sorry kathy!)

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY, PRESTON!!! (yesterday)

2007-09-13T09:34:00.000-04:00

Preston celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese and everyone had a great time! Sponge Bob was the cake theme and Preston got some Nascar stuff, a remote control car, Thomas the Train things, Spiderman & HotWheels... he's into just about everything, and none of us can believe he's already 7! He is such a blessing and we love him SO much!!

Riding Home...

2007-09-13T09:28:00.000-04:00

...after swimming!

Labor Day Weekend at Mexico Beach...

2007-09-13T09:19:00.000-04:00

trying out the skimboard

loving the outside shower

hanging with the big boys

our little family

scalloping

Introducing... Clark Bankston!!

2007-09-05T15:36:00.000-04:00

We got the privilege to meet Clark last Wednesday and he is SO handsome!! Katie looked fantastic as usual and there were no signs of her being pregnant just 2 weeks earlier... not fair, Katie! :) Again, we are so happy for you guys and can't wait to visit again soon!

Miccosukee Madness 5K

2007-08-25T13:19:00.000-04:00

My first cross country race... won't be doing that again! Definitely sticking to asphalt or concrete from now on! Both my knees started hurting not too far into it, so I opted for the 5K instead of the 8K I trained for. Oh, well! It was well worth it though because it gave me the "race bug." Looking forward to the next one! Most importantly, my two guys came to cheer me on :)

night, night!

2007-08-19T08:11:00.000-04:00

(taken the night of Matthew's birthday)