School Days

It has been one quick summer and now it's back to the school routine. I don't think I've ever been more excited for a school year to start. This is going to be one of the best years for our family!

Even though the school year has started and we are making the slow transition to fall we're still holding on to summer. I just love this sweet picture my mother-in-law snapped. She may be a peach but she likes watermelon too! :)

Wednesday was a big day as it was opening day for Butler County Schools. My first official day is actually Monday but I was able to attend this kickoff to the school year. Even though I know a lot of my colleagues having gone through the system not too many years ago it was nice to meet new people and catch up with old acquaintances.

Everyone in the district attends opening day so Marcus and Mom were there too. I never dreamed I would be working in the same organization as them! It feels good to be "home".

Since I am in a supervisory role I had to say a few words about my programs. Speaking in front of 400 people is not something I do everyday but I did it without falling or hurling so it was a proud moment ha! Thanks Paige McKinney for the picture!

After lunch when I returned to my office I found this sweet gift on my desk. An inspirational book, planner and chocolate. I felt so appreciated! God has placed me exactly where I am suppose to be.

Wednesday was also a big day at AKK because it was the annual day-before-school pajama party! All 25 preschool and school kids celebrated one last day together. Of course Georgia Grace couldn't miss this event. She even received a new pair of pj's to match her Aunt Shanna :)

And then Thursday was the first day of school and the first day of Marcus's fifth year of teaching. He is now tenured! He is teaching 4th grade this year and will have exactly all the same 3rd graders he had last year. One mom said her son wants to have Mr. Harrison every year until he graduates :) He has a lot of little fans and I think it's a testament to the teacher and role model he is to his students.

Happy daddy and daughter. Matching dimples and everything. She's so proud of him just like I am.

Next week will be the first full week for all of us so this weekend we are just going to relax and do fun things. We don't have any plans except maybe a little lake time and that's exactly what we need. I'm thankful for the newness this time of year brings and the opportunities we have been blessed with.

TGIF

I have been anxious for Friday with much anticipation for the "Battle of the Bluegrass"! We play Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen game in Indianapolis tonight. We have a strict dress code at my hospital with one exception-the NCAA tournament when state schools are in the tournament. Today will be seas of blue and red no doubt.

Highlights from our week:

Baby girl has been sitting in the preschool circle at AKK on the mornings she is with gram but just this week she has started participating in Show & Tell. Aunt Shanna got her saying "Uhhhh" before words because there was a book that she read her about colors and before she would pick a color to add suspense she would say "Uhhhh" first. Hilarious! I can't believe she's big enough to be participating in preschool already.

Tuesday I had the privilege of going to a local elementary school to observe a school lunch and gym class as part of a population health committee. I know school foodservice has a bad reputation but I was impressed with the meal we received. Whole grains, lean proteins, and fresh fruits and vegetables were all on the menu. This is the generation we must target to change lifestyle habits and create a healthier population.

Tuesday night I had a court date for the first time in my life. I received a parking ticket at the beginning of the month that I contested related to the ice storm and safety (I could not see the yellow lines) and I won!! It was nerve-wracking. I had to appear before five judges, it was filmed and I had to take a legal oath. It was serious business but all worth it when it was waived.

Yesterday Georgia Grace and I attended Career Day at my old high school. Since my mom is a high school business teacher I had a built-in babysitter so I didn't have to take time away from her on my day off. I had a small group of potential nutrition majors and we had some great conversations. I hope I was able to make a difference!

 I caught this little cutie standing in the hallway practicing her new mooing like a cow trick :) We are learning animal sounds right now and it's the cutest thing ever. She actually went and got one of her animal books from her room last night and brought it to me to read to her. I hope she is always interested in learning and that it comes easy for her.

It has been nine years since I walked these hallways as a high school student. I will be planning our 10 year class reunion next summer. My former teachers were so sweet to me, I felt like I had never left.

Yesterday afternoon Aunt Ash came over so we could see her new piece of jewelry-she is engaged!!!  I told her mom I was almost as excited for this engagement as I was my own ha! I couldn't be more happy for her and James. What a breathtaking beach bride she will be!

Georgia Grace was over taking pictures for the day as you can tell. I told Marcus when he came home from school that I had disciplined her more today than I ever have before. I felt like "No" was my word of the day and I was constantly redirecting her. It was mostly safety-related redirection due to her climbing and standing on chairs, playing in the trash can, and running toward the street while I was getting stuff out of my car. We have seen a streak of defiancy this week out of our strong-willed child. Bless her heart she didn't stand a chance in that department ha! We are staying strong and practicing tough love in order to do what's best for her.

Well that recap became quite lengthy but I had quite a bit to cover. I'm looking forward to a slow weekend at home with my family. Spring Break starts today at 3:30 pm for Marcus and we have a couple fun trips planned for the end of next week I am super excited about.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and GO BIG BLUE!

Week Recap

I feel like I blinked and this week and the month of February was gone. We've had a good week of just doing normal things. We are still at our grandparent's house until our house is fully repaired which is on the agenda for this weekend. We decided while we were vacating the house to go ahead and do a remodeling project that needed to be done before we decide to put it on the market. That has delayed the move back home but we felt it was better to do it now than later. This is a big and exciting step towards the next chapter for my little family!

Thursday morning I got to play with little miss driver and her AKK friends. I was amazed at how well she played with the 2-5 year olds and participated in all the activities. She sure thinks those kids hung the moon and stars. I think she was aggravated about the morning commute in this picture :)

Thursday night we went to Rupp to watch the Cats play Arkansas. It had the potential to be an epic game but ended in disappointment. It's a hard year to be a Kentucky fan (per Kentucky standards) but I wouldn't want to cheer for any other team.

#ruppselfie

We had great seats on the top row of the lower section. Even though we weren't victorious I still enjoyed a night out with my Kentucky boy. Trips that are planned on a complete whim are the best!

Friday night we went to the 12th District Championship game. The tournament was in our town this year so we had to go give our support. Georgia Grace did a lot of clapping and bleacher wallering.

The Bears won! Back to back district champions and a trip to the Region 3 tournament as a #1 seed. It was an exciting game with a huge crowd. I'm proud of the tradition that's being established in our school system.

And just a little peek at what exactly we will be doing this weekend. I can't wait to see the finished project.

Happy Weekend! I'm off to catch some zzzzs before my alarm clock goes off way too early for a Saturday.

Basketball, Boys' Trip, & Beanie Babies

We had a pretty calm and normal weekend around here. Temperatures finally rose to a comfortable level so we were ready to get out of the house. Even though we work, I think we still get cabin fever and a touch of seasonal depression when we don't get out and do stuff. So that's what we did this weekend!

Friday afternoon while I was fixing dinner unwrapping Subway sandwiches, I offered GGH some water out of a straw sippy and she started sucking from the straw like she had been using one for months! I couldn't believe it. It was like turning a light switch on. I was so proud of her! She continued to use one all weekend and we highly praised her every time she took a drink. We are still using the bottle but this is a big step for us. Yay for positive changes!

Friday night we went to the high school basketball game and sat with our friends James and Ashley. This was our first game of the season and obviously Georgia Grace had a big time. She is currently waving and saying "Hiddy" to everyone. Our friend Gary says she should run for political office ha!

I bought her a blue cheerleader smocked dress that I couldn't wait for her to wear. After a little hemming (is it just me or are all smocked dresses super long?), she was ready to go.

She thinks the Bears are #1!

The boys won Friday night so it's always nice to see a win. They beat their district rival which is also the team from the town where I work so I cheered for everyone :)

Saturday Marcus took our cousins and Brennan's friend Will for our Christmas gift of experience to the Predators game. It was all three boy's first hockey game and they loved it. And I think the husband enjoyed the night with the boys just as much. 

Georgia Grace and I went to mom's to watch the UK game. Actually we both napped through the game. It was a rough week that called for extra rest on the weekend. I'm not really a napper so that should tell you a lot.

That night we went to my dad's to watch the playoff games and...

to try to strike it rich!

Social media has been rampant with reports of folks earning lots of mullah from their beanie babies. We have just a few (actually pictured is only about 2/3's) so we went through them to see if any of them were worth the big bucks.

And we have two of the most sought after bears-Princess Diana bear and the tie-dye peace bear. After looking on eBay though we saw a lot of top dollar Buy It Now prices and but didn't see any big bids so it looks like just a lot of hype.

I already had our dream home built and paid for :) Guess we will hold on to them. It was fun seeing each one of them and remembering when we got them. They were a HUGE part of our childhood.

We had a pictureless Sunday. Church, mamaw's for lunch, home. Very basic and it gave me time to get things ready for our big week ahead. I'm thankful for a weekend of rest and fun! 

Weekend Getaway

Happy November!

I really don't know how we are in the 11th month of the year. Marcus and I sat down yesterday to discuss our holiday plans and festiivites which made me excited for the season but also made me keenly aware of how fast time is passing. This will be our second Christmas with Georgia Grace and I am anxious to compare pictures and see her excited over the magic of the season!

Ok I'm starting to ramble but that was on my heart so I couldn't stop typing :)

This weekend we spent our first night away from Georgia Grace. I won tickets to the UK homecoming football game so the husband surprised me with a hotel room and dinner reservations for Saturday night. It was such a great reward for surviving Overwhelming October!

Saturday morning before heading to Lexington we went to watch our cross-country team compete at Regionals. I coached the BCXC team for four years before turning the program over to Gran Stan at the end of the season last year. Being a working mom I knew my free time had to be spent with my family so I transitioned from coach to #1 fan this year :)

Baby girl had a big time watching all the action. Neat story- one of my XC girls had asked her grandmother to crochet a blanket for Georgia Grace when I was pregnant last season. The grandmother just so happened to be there yesterday AND I brought that blanket to put around GGH! Such a sweet sweet gift from a wonderful family.

Her favorite part of the meet though was the snacks HA!

The girls team earned Back to Back Region 2 Runner-Up titles this weekend with three girls (Olivia, Chanda, & Delaney) finishing in the Top 8! Our boys team finished 3rd in the Region with two finishing in the Top 8 (Ethan & Nolan) and Ethan became the Region Champion! Both teams will advance to the state meet Saturday November 9th at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. I couldn't be more proud of them!

When we got home from the meet we took Georgia Grace to Grandma Harrison's house to say our goodbyes and hit the road. She looks real sad we are leaving doesn't she?! We packed her an overnight bag and everything :). She split her time between both Grandma's houses because there was no way we were choosing one over the other ha!

 She did great while we were gone. We tried to call/FaceTime her but she would just kiss the phone and then she was gone HA!

I didn't take many pictures of our weekend because Marcus absolutely hates taking pictures (what a shame he decided to marry me) so I respected that for the most part and kept them to a minimum :) I couldn't resist a Starbucks selfie though!! Covered face and all!

And just one more during halftime of the game so I could send a "thanks" tweet to the twitter account I won tickets from (@ButlerCosports). We were pretty frozen by this point. It was 48 degrees but felt much colder than that since we aren't use to the cold temperatures yet. And mostly because I left my earwarmers in the room ha! But it was a great game and a good win for the Cats. And we got to see one of my sister's good friends crowned UK Homecoming Queen so it was time well spent!

We came home to a happy but worn out baby. She went to sleep at 5pm and slept until 5:30am this morning!! The daylight savings "fall back" effected all of us. That on top of spending the weekend in a different time zone had me all out of sorts. But the sun rising before 6:30 this morning was a nice start to the week for this early commuter.

Happy Monday!

Five On Friday

Taking a quick second in between laundering our garments for the big event tomorrow and writing my MOH speech to post my Five On Friday. No time to tarry so without further ado...

One

Merry Christmas to us-we are going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming!!! We are taking my dad to celebrate the big 5-0 the week after Christmas (he turns 50 January 6th). We hope to visit Yellowstone, the Tetons (a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains), and the National Elk Refuge.

We are staying at The Lodge At Jackson Hole. I'm dying over the pictures. It looks so cozy and dreamy. There is an indoor pool, hot tub, and a spa. Too bad there are so many things to do in JH because I might not leave the lodge ;). I can't wait to visit the old west! 

Two

K-PREP scores are back and our school system scored in the top 25th percentile as a district in the state of Kentucky!! Butler County Schools have earned the classification as a proficient/progressing high progress district. Only 17 districts in the state earned that distinction! (See full article here). I have several family members (including my main man) who work in the school system and I know first hand how hard they have worked to earn these honors. I'm confident in the education Georgia Grace will receive here which will be here quicker than I want to think about. Way to go BC Schools!

Three

#tbt (throwback thursday, an explanation to my 40 year old self reading this ha!) is all the rage right now so I had to post this picture of me one year ago today. We met Georgia Grace 13 days later as Superstorm Sandy hit the east coast and shes' been making waves ever since :). I'm still in denial we are celebrating her first birthday next weekend...

Four

You don't realize how much you need the government until it is shutdown. I saw this screen on my computer several times this week when I tried to access MyPlate materials for a campaign we are developing at my hospital. I told our CEO that we had the best excuse ever for not rolling out the program on time ha! I'm thankful a compromise was reached and all government jobs/services were restored.

Five

Today is wedding day!! My sister and soon-to-be brother in law are tying the knot tonight in front of family and friends in our hometown. It will be a wonderful night of low-key simplicity displaying a love that mimics Christ and the church. I can't wait to see my sister as the bride. Beautiful won't even begin to describe her. I'm just hoping I don't do the ugly cry. #passthetissues

Happy wedding day Eric and Paige!

Savoring September

Fall technically doesn't start until the 22nd but with the arrival of September I consider my favorite season has arrived! And with fall comes the anticipation of the holidays and cooler weather. My goal for this month is to savor the picture perfect weather and less busy schedule before we are all indoors and running around like banshees. Here are a few pictures of us savoring September-

"Before you know it she'll be off driving the Camaro" was the caption for this picture I received from my MIL. I am in love with this picture! This was her daddy's car when he turned 16 so it is definitely special to us. She looks so serious behind that wheel. Like she's seriously considering taking off. Dream on, baby girl!

Her favorite thing to do right now is make messes. She had just went through her entire diaper bag in this picture. Yesterday I was needing to do some things without her help  so I put her in her crib with her diaper bag and she went to town. Thirty minutes of housework completed-score!

Loving on gammy and looking extra tall after our flu shot last week. She sure loves her gammy!

Aunt Paigey gifted Georgia Grace with a shopping cart for Christmas last year and I pulled it out of storage this week. It has been a big hit! Here she is after a recent shopping trip for groceries and diapers-just like mommy :) She must be taking notes.

Cheering on cousin Keagen at his junior pro football game. We have gotten so much wear out of the bear/wildcat paw onesie Aunt Rachel made her. We are squeezing in it until the snaps pop ha!

A recent squirrel hunt for my papaw, dad, and Marcus warranted a picture with the boss. She was tickled if you can't tell. And sporting some epic bedhead :)

And Marcus with some of his kiddos after their game on Tuesday. They were SO happy he came. Melted my heart.

Happy hump day. I am running on fumes after a rough few nights of sleep. Extra caffeine is in order!

Birthdays, Ballgames and In Between

This week we...

• Cheered on the Bears at their Homecoming game with our sweet friend Raven. Sadly there wasn't much to cheer about, we were on the other end of the stick from two weeks ago. We still had fun visiting with everyone!

• Attended our best baby friend's first birthday party! Abbott is one! And this guy earns the crown as the best smash cake destroyer EVER. There is a video of him that would go viral if they put it on Youtube. It was so awesome! His party was the cutest with all the farm and rustic details.

Georgia Grace had fun playing with Abbott and Caroline. They decided to tag team her and see who could rip her bow out the fastest. Notice Caroline is holding the bow and Georgia's hair is a mess ha!

I guess she had had enough LOL! Sweet babies.

I've had several ask me where my dress came from. It is a Target summer clearance snag! I am totally making it work for fall though by pairiing it with cards and boots. Best 12 bucks I've spent in a long time. And GGH's dress is handmade by me :)

• Ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and went to church with my dad, sister, and future brother-in-law. Zane Pratt was the speaker at Eric's church and we were excited to hear him. Georgia Grace and I spent the majority of the service in the lobby but I heard he brought a wonderful message! :)

• Played dollhouse with our AKK friends. She plays so well to be just ten months old. She loves learning and exploring new things.
• Started blowing kisses! To men only. That's right, she's probably blew 10 kisses and they have all been to men. Pray for us.
• Developed a love for cheerios. It's her new favorite food.

• Upgraded to a new iPhone and realized when transferring pictures that this pic collage never made it to the blog. So I had to do something about it so here it is posted a month late ha! Nine months in, nine months out. A year and a half of accepting my call to be her mommy. I am blessed!

And last but definitely not least I have a prayer request. Please take a moment and pray for 4 month old Ryman Little. Ryman is in desperate need of a second liver transplant after an unsuccessful transplant about a week ago. You can read all about her journey here. Brandy is from my hometown and I went to school with her sweet sister Sara. Their faith is evident and they know God's hands are on her. I know they would covet any prayers you could send their way today!