Gingerbread Houses

So we started a tradition of doing gingerbread houses the 1st year me and jake were dating and have been doing them every year! Some years not as successful as other..lol.. but we did it and had so much fun making theses memories =]

I def like the ones that are already assembled for you and you decorate , rather than the ones that you have to try and glue together with icing!

Funny Story... lol... 2 years ago we were doing our annual gingerbread house and my bro and his wife( gf at the time) wanted to join in on the fun with us! Well we tryed to put the house together with the icing that they give you and it just kept falling down over and over again! So my bro with his genuis idea.. decides , Hey lets Calke the house together.. lol .. yes a construction workers Calke gun he went and got out of my dads work trailor and brings it inside to try and make this giingerbread house stay up! Well needless to say we had alot of fun and got some funny pics but our house sadly never would stay up! lol But it was such a fun and memorable time!

This year was Averys 1st year she could really help mommy and daddy with the GB house! So we got everything together sat by the coffee table and started decorating our pre built house! It didnt take Avery long to figure out what we were doing and she was helping mommy right off and then she tasted the candy! lol And it was eat the candy and dip the candy in the icing mommy and daddy are putting on the house and eat the icing! lol But we had so much fun and such fun memories! Annaliese was sitting by us while we were decorating and she even got some pictures taken of her with one of her "my 1st christmas' onsies on!

Here are some pics of all the fun that we had =]

 

Stay True to your heart and Always Follow your Dreams!

God Bless,

Heather =]

Santa baby!

We last year Avery was not fond of the Santa claus that she took a picture with in Gatlinburg... this year was not so different! My poor baby screamed and tried her best to get as far away from the big man in red as she could. She likes "Claus" (as she calls him) from afar but buddy as soon as you take her 5 feet away from him she wants nothing to do with him. So this year like last we have a screaming picture of our beautiful girl with the jolly ol man himself santa claus. Annaliese doesnt know much whats going on so she was ok but then started crying cause she likes to be held up where she can see everything and Santa held her on her back and she didnt like that! So this year I have a picture of both my beautiful sweet girls in Santas lap crying... something that they will look back on and laugh! We did get Santa to sneak up behind them to take a shot while he is saying "shhhhh" to the camera and Avery has the biggest smile on her face , because all she was seeing was Daddy jumping up and down being goofy and not paying any attention to Santa behind her! So here are a couple pics of our family christmas session with Santa by my friend Morgan of Morgan Joy Photography =]

 

Stay True to your heart and Always Follow your Dreams!

God Bless,

Heather =]

Thanksgiving 2011 & Iron Bowl

This Thanksgiving was a little different than other years past... my Nanas house was flooded by 2 over flowed toliets and so it made where we couldnt have it at her house this year. So we had it at Golden Corral the night before thanksgiving.. not what I would have chosen but at least all of the family was together. Def different.. I like tradition and that was def not! And then afterwards us along with my bro and sis in law when to Kohls ..shopped for about an hour and half and talked outside by the cars for another hour and a half. lol... but Its fun times like this we will remember!!

Then on Thanksgiving day we had lunch at my parents .. yummy turkey and spending time with the family and taking pictures in the front yard =]  Oh and I made homemade mac and cheese =] ....

Then we headed across the bay to the in laws house... I brought a homemade cake(my very 1st one with homemade icing too =]) ,homemade mac & cheese, and homemade cheese biscuits.(Tryin to learn to cook more =] ) Me and Avery decorated their christmas tree for them and later we ate BBQ ribs and yummy mashed potatoes.

It was a good day with lots of yummy food and family time. It was Annaliese 1st Thanksgiving but she didnt chow down on the food , she stuck to her bottle .lol Avery's 2nd Thanksgiving and she loved digging into the food! lol

I did NOT go Black Friday shopping.. no way not me.. I wont get out in all that craziness and madness. People are like animals out there and you can really get hurt and loose alot of sleep over saving what $10 on something... Not worth it to me. So much for christmas cheer and loving one n other , you better hope that you have your hand on that item you wanted first and can tug hard if someone else has their hand on it too! Im a lover not a fighter! lol Ill be safe at home with my christmas cheer =] I helped my mom put up her christmas decorations =]

Then sat was the Iron Bowl.. we went over to The Camps house grilled out hamburger and watched the game.

Me and Avery were the only Aurbun fans but it was ok.. we were decked out in our Auburn outfits and Jake and Annaliese were decked out in Alabama. House Divided =] Even though we will cheer for the other team on other games against other teams, on this day we are Cheering for Our team. =] Its Fun! The game was close for a while and then Bama stepped it up and Won. But Im not a sore loser or one of those CRAZY fans. I'm excited for Alabama hopefully going to the national championship game. That would be awesome if they won and a Southern Team... well not just a southern team a team from the state of Alabama Won the national championship 3 years in a row! I think that says alot for our state, and Im proud of our teams.YAY FOR THE SOUTH and the State Of Alabama! =]

Then we went and watched Breaking Dawn and it was good. We havent really been much of Twilight fans but every movie seems to be getting better and this was was the best. We always joke and say TEAM JACOB! lol Cause there are people so serious about this movie and a little obsessed if you ask me! But This one was the best one yet and now im ready to see the next one cause they left it with an open ending.

Rain ,Rain go Away... I was supposed to have 3 sessions today(sunday) but because of the Rain were cancalled and resceduled! Hard to rescedule and fit people in when Im already booked pretty good for the rest of this month. So thankful for my business and wonderful clients. I love my Job and I'm just so thankful I can do something I Love and be able to make my own scedule,and spend lots of time with my girls and hubby!

Here are a couple pics from the festivites =]

Stay True to your heart and Always Follow your Dreams!

God Bless,

Heather =]

Red Hair !

I dyed my hair red and chopped it off again! VERY DRASTIC and VERY DIFFERENT for me! I've alwasy been a blonde since day 1 out of my momma womb! I've added some red,black, brown lowlights before but NEVER dyed my full head! Well folks... Im a red head! At 1st I didnt know how to feel about it and it didnt help that it wasnt the color I origianlly wanted and the girl cut my hair to short! But after I got over being upset about all that.. it has grown on me! I def wanna try and grow my hair , like past my shoulders , and wanna see if I will let all the color out and how my natural hair color looks after all this dying I have done to it lately and get it healthy! Honestly I forget that i have dyed it until I look in the mirror or someone says ... Heather your hair looks good , the color its so different... or someone will say .. Heather your hair.. its different.. which normally means I dont like it! lol Or they say nothing at all about my hair, which also means they dont like it cause.. This is not a minor change I've done and you just cant recognize that I put a couple highlights in and got a trim.. this is like MAJOR change! lol But hey its ok if you dont like it.But Here is a pic of my red hair with a couple little blonde highlights....

Thats it for now... will post more another day! Did I mention that Avery will be 19 months tomorrow and Annaliese was 6 weeks old today! Time is going by way to fast and my girls are just the light of my life! LOVE them so such! =] But more on how awesome they are and all the cute things that they are doing now,... later!

Goodnight!

Stay True to your heart and Always Follow your Dreams!

God Bless,

Heather =]

Mom of 2

Well 11 days ago I became a mother of 2 beautiful girls. It is such an amazing experiance to have a child! Such a blessing and such a wonderful work of art by my Father God.

Oct 11,2011 at 5:15am we arrive at Mobile Infirmary Hospital. I get all checked in and registered and they send me straight up stairs to labor and deliverary. As soon as my wheel chair wheeled me into the little labor room they started coming at me left and right doing things. One nurse told me that they should have let my husband check me in and get me all registered and should have send me up there as soon as I got there. So they were running a little behind by them keeping me down at the registers office. It was a little overwhelming with one nurse asking me 50 questions ,another trying to put the IV in my arm , and another trying to get blood out of my other arm all at the same time. I felt like it was being so rushed. Well... they got everything taken care of and by 7:00 they were coming in there talking to me about my epidural or spinal tap and what they would give me after for pain since I was allergic to the pain meds with my 1st c-section. Well we decided on a spinal tap , they got the rest of the stuff ready and we were off just like that to have a baby.

Wheeling me into the delivery room I started getting nervous and shaking a little. I could still feel everything cause they do the spinal block in the delivery room right before they start the c-section. Well we move over to another table and i sit up to have the spinal tap... "Put your chin as close as you can into your chest and arch your back as much as you can." the nurse told me. I did and It hurt... which I knew that there would be pain but it still hurt and I was trying to take deep breathes and Some tears did fall.I had one of the sweetest nurses that would wipe away my tears and fix it under my eyes to that my mascara wasnt all over my face!

They layed me back and started putting up the blue "curtain" infront of my face, while I could feel the filling in my legs and stomach to start going away. Then they let Jake, my mom, and my friend Morgan(Morgan Joy Photography who was coming to take pictures for me) come into the room. Then it all started... I felt tugging and pushing but no pain. Trying to listen for my babys first cry and trying to stay calm. My sweet husband was right by my side holding my hand asking me if I was ok and just staying calm (Unlike our last c-section where he was a little frantic and asked me 50 million times are you ok , are you ok... lol cause he looked over the curtain and saw them working on me!)... This c-section was taking longer than my other and it was so silent...unlike last time where the docters where talking about golf and what they were going to be doing that weekend. It was just silent... Kinda makes you nervous.. my wonderful nurse that was by my head talking to me the whole time telling me that i was doing wonderful and that everything was fine. I asked her if everything was ok cause it was taking so long and she reassured me that everything was fine. They said ok get your camera ready... here she is... I heard her Cry 1st and instintly I started crying. Then they held her up where I could see her. I saw a beautiful baby with lots and lots of gookie stuff on her. Then they took her to the other side of the room just that fast. I was still crying , so happy that my baby girl was here. Who did she look like, how much did she weigh, I was thinking everything laying there on that table. The nurse wiping away my tears again and saying I did such a great job. (I loved having that nurse, such an encouragement ,and blessing to me trying to keep me calm and my make up in tack. =] )

Jake got to cut the umbilical cord over at the little table.. which he really wanted to do cause last time they didnt let him and he really wanted to.They wiped away some of the gook, measured her, weighed her, and put her foot prints on the pins and such....
7lbs 6 oz , I hear,,, and 21 in long! Bigger than Avery was my 1st words out of my mouth. Big girl.
Jake finally brought her back over to me so I could see our beautiful girl. She is so beautiful.. is all I could think.

They finished up with me and wheeled me back to my room... Annaliese came with us..She didnt have to go to the nursury yet cause they did alot in the delivery room. So all the family came in the room as soon as we got in there... Lots of people in one little room wanting to see a little baby was a little overwhelming since I just got out of major surgery ,Just got my baby in my arms ,and lots of people were in front of me wanting to see her and hold her. But I was so thankful for the famiy and friend that was there to be there for this special moment in our lives.

Well they took her away to give her a bath .. everyone got to go to the window to watch.. well except me.
Feeling started coming back to my legs and morphine was in my iv. About 2 hours later they moved me into another room (same room I was in with Avery). Which would be my room for the next couple of days. The morphine was making me nasusas so much and I started throwing up some and it hurt so much. So they gave me finagrin... which Knocked me OUT! And I mean OUT! lol... I vaguely remember people coming to see me and def dont remember what I said! lol My doc said.. i just dont think you do good with meds. lol I would say not! But Im thankful for everyone coming up there to see us , and I hated that I was really Out of It. But at least my hubby knew to take pics of everyone that came with Annaliese. Great Hubby =]

We stayed 4 days in the hospital and then we were off . Back to our regular routines and back home , but now with 2 beautiful girls. A new adventure here we come.

The past 11 days have been great. I've been alittle blah and ready to get back into being able to do things and esp pick up my big girl. But all in all its been such a wonderful time. I love every mintue of being a mommy. And all the worrying about the surgury and about how much could I love another child. Just went out the window as soon as I heard that 1st cry! I love both my girls Oh So much! I just feel so blessed! I thank God for them and my wonderful husband everyday!

Stay True to your heart and Always Follow your Dreams!

God Bless,

Heather =]

c-section, baby shower,& friends/church talk.

Hello there whoever reads my blog! lol Im not really sure if anyone reads it but its makes me feel better when I write down my thoughts and all. So here is goes!

Today I'm 37 weeks pregnant... and man oh man is my sweet Annaliese ready to come out.. And mommy is ready too .. I have been getting so miserable lately. She feels like she has no room left and is trying to push herself out. Thats really the only way I can describe it. I feel HUGE and my feet have been sweeling lately. And bending over is about to not exsist. lol But Trying to "take it easy" with a 17 month old at home , that Im home with all day long by myself, is not the easiest thing in the world... But Im trying! Only 2 more weeks til I have my c-section. I'm praying when I go to the doctor friday for my weekly check up that I have dialated some and maybe she will say we can go ahead and take her sooner! PLEASE GOD Im so Ready!

I LOVE being Pregnant,, but these last couple weeks are so hard. I dont remember it being this hard with Avery but i do remember sweeling and my HUGE belly... But maybe its harder to cause Im chasing Avery around.

C-Section... is sceduled for Oct 11th.. I have to be there at 5:15am and they will start surgery at 7:15.. Im nervous Im not gonna lie.. Its Major surgery. The 1st c-section I really didnt have time to think about what was about to happen because it was all so sudden and it was an emergency c-section because my blood pressure had dropped and was continueing to drop and Averys heart beat was dropping and she was stuck in the birth cancal with me only dialated 3 cm in 11 hours or so... But we were in and out and I have a little bitty scar to show for it. But being allergic to the medicine they gave me after was not fun at all. I hope that nothing goes wrong this time because I had alot of pain before and after surgery with the nurses putting monitors and epidurial in me wrong and having to re-do them .. to me being allergic to the meds after! UGH! not fun ,,, but all worth it for my sweet girl. Just nervous about how everything will be this time. Praying that everything will go more smoother and me not be in so much pain!

Well I had 2 baby showers.. a friends and a family shower. Heather Camp & Skyla Tanner my 2 bffs threw my friends shower! Which turned out so cute! But many "friends" didnt show up! Im very thankful to the ones that did! But I guess it just hurts my feelings when people dont come to special things that I have .. but i go out of my way to come to things that they have. But It seems like its just not a big deal in their minds, or something. Im beginning to finally get after 25 years that friends come and go and only a couple will stick around and be there for you. Its sad because I have had some I thought were great friendships over the years and its like now they have nothing to do with me. Even when i try to get in touch with them and they never respond back. Guess I dont mean anything to them anymore! Very sad , but I guess true!

My family shower went ok too.. Not many showed up to that one either but I'm so thankful for my wonderful mother, she threw the shower for me and made it special for me... I really dont know where I would be without her. She has truely became one of my best friends and I love it! I can talk to her about anything and she is always there for me and tells me things that i might not want to hear but need to hear, always loves me, always supports me! I love her so much. I hope me and my girls will always have a good bond!

We are struggling with finding a church home! Its something really important to us. I pray everyday that God leads us where he wants us ,where he can use us, where we will have a genuine loving caring church family. I want a church family that will be there for my family, love my family, want to do things with my family, and actually care for my family! Just as a family---extended family should! I feel I give to much or care to much for people and in return I dont get the same care back.. Its always been like this my entire life. "Treat others like you want to be treated" , well I do and it seems like Im always the one getting walked all over or ignored or feeling like my stuff isnt as important as others! Something I have really been praying about! I dont want to fall out of the will of God for us! I want all of us to be walking in it.. and where he wants us to walk. I want things not to get to me as bad and then I dwell on them.. which is not good! I want to be a happier person and not care so much about others and things that you cant fix. I just need prayer... if you are reading this and are a christian ,... please help pray for me and all the things I'm going through ! I have to become a stronger person and christian!

Im closing I love my hubby  and girls so much! My husband is the best man that I know ! Even with being at school all day and coming home and doing homework til the wee hours of the night he still makes me feel special, loved, and cared for. He helps me out around the house and with Avery when I know he really doesnt have time because of his schooling! It means so much to me and God truely knew we were ment to be and led him straight to me! I love him so much! Only this year and one more year left and he will be graduating and out of school! YAY! That will be one Happy Day!!!

Until next time...

Stay True to your Heart and Always follow your Dreams!!!

God Bless!

Heather =]

Lately!!!

                                       Alot has been going on and Alot is coming up! We have set up a c-section date for Oct 11,2011 at 7:15am and will be having to get there at 5:15.. Early Early! but i prob wont be able to sleep that night anyways so we wanted to do it bright and early. So our 2nd blessing Annaliese Joy Lewis will be here very soon! Out of my belly and into my arms! Im 33 weeks and 3 days pregnant today! Cant belive its almost time! this pregnancy has went by so super fast ! alot faster than when i was pregnant with Avery! Mabe because I have been chasing Avery around the whole time! Questions have been running through my head like, How will Avery act with Annaliese around? Will I be able to show the same amount of love and attention to both girls? i just want to be the best mother and wife that I can be! i know the Lord is with me and watching over everything we do! So i know that he will get us through everything and we dont need to worry about anything!   But things do run through my mind, just like any other mother would think!

          My beautiful 16 month old baby girl =]

                                              

Well we have built on another room thanks to my amazing hubby! He worked so hard and only had a little bit of help! He did mostly everything by his self! I'm such a proud wife! It is my laundry/office/craft room! And i love it! We def needed the extra room and I am super excited that we have our own washer and dryer! YAY! A couple years ago before marriage and babies this would not have excited me but Man this is One Happy Momma! =] i love that I can do laundry and other things around the house all at the same time! A Huge Thank you to my Wonderful parents in buying the washer and dryer for us! I def dont know where we would be without them! Im so thankful to have such selfless loving parents!

Last night we put up Annaliese's Crib in Averys room! So now its The Girls room instead of just Avery's. Its seeming so real now! Shes really coming! She's almost here! Its almost that time to bring another little girl home! Seems like this pregnancy has went by so fast, way faster than when I was pregnant with Avery! But man has it been different. I wasnt as sick as much... other than things I ate sometimes didnt sit well with Annaliese. Its been SO HOT!! I was pregnant with Avery in mostly winter time and this time its ALL SUMMER! And man next time we will try and plan baby #3 and I def would choose being pregnant in the Winter again! I just now started swelling some ... prob because Im on my feet Alot chasing Avery and getting things ready around here. ive only gained 16 lbs , but I started out 25lbs heavier this time than with Avery! Im praying that I loose the weight way faster this time and can get down to pre -Avery weight! =]

I have been trying to catch up on my scrapbooking on top of everything else I'm trying to do ! lol But man its hard when you have a 16 month old to chase around! I can only get things done when she is napping! Or if Granny will take her for a couple hours! And Ive been trying to do some crafty things too! I painted the letters and painted a picture to go above Annaliese's crib! And I must say the girls room looks so cute! Still moving some stuff around and out of there into the new room and moving some decorations around, but its cute so far! Very girly! jake is def being out numbered! lol

I got a girl to take some maternity pictures for us! Some of them turned out really cute! Of coarse Im super picky with pictures! lol but she did a good job! Here are a couple! =]

well I guess that is all for now! Def will try to write again maybe in a week or if I do something fun! =]

Stay True to your heart, and Always follow your dreams!

God Bless,

Heather =]