Getting Closer

We are getting a little closer to finding out whether this little girl is going to have a little brother or sister! Monday is the big day and I absolutely cannot wait. I have had a feeling all along that this baby was going to be a boy, but I thought the same thing w/Hayes, and she turned out to be very much a GIRL so who knows! This pregnancy is already flying by, but I feel like after I know the big news, it's really going to go by quickly. I scheduled our appt. for early in the morning so we would not have to wait. When we had this appt. w/Hayes, it was late in the afternoon after school, and then they were running late-we won't be doing that again! Boy or girl does not matter b/c we would love either, healthy is our only prayer!



I guess the biggest difference in this baby and w/Hayes is my lack of preparation, thus far. We don't have any names narrowed down, I have not looked at one single baby item, much less any cute bedding for this new little one. There's still a lot of time, and I know that will come, especially when we get settled wherever it is that we're going to be. We are definitely on the househunt now, and so far it's a slow process. It's hard to find exactly what we want for different reasons, but we know the school system where we want to be for Hayes and any other new little Kennedy's so at least that part is narrowed down. We don't want to have to sell another house and move again before she starts kindergarten. There would be no point! We're just waiting and praying patiently and looking FERVENTLY everyday and we're confident that the Lord has the perfect home for us somewhere around here, it just may not be on the market yet!

WAAAARRRRRRRRR EAGLE! So happy the tigers pulled off their win Saturday night!


We are loving this new fall weather and I really hope it's here to stay. Afternoons outside are much more pleasant and I don't feel like we need to rush back in because of the risk of heat strokes! Hayes would live outside ALL DAY LONG if she had it her way. She can be quite the little explorer.





The cool weather on Monday morning threw me for a loop. I'm not quite ready for the fall clothes for Hayes since it warms up in the afternoons, and it turns out that the child has only gained a few pounds since last winter/spring, plus a few inches! Thankfully she can still wear a few things from last season.
If you are in the B'ham area, you probably already know this, but there are 2 good sales coming up this weekend:
Smith's Rosalina Smocked Dress Sale on Friday and Saturday-75% off Rosalina dresses, not sure about boy stuff

ROSALINA TENT SALE
FRIDAY and SATURDAY
OCTOBER 1st and 2nd
8:30 - 5:00

My Little Lollipop is this weekend too-Castles and Crowns, Chez Ami, Kelly's Kids and other brands, all new clothes-and they are less than the retail prices. I'll have to go back and look at that email or you can google if I forget to update this!
Happy Wednesday!

Pattycake Pajama Party

Friday night we went to see Miss Pattycake at our church. We've been watching her videos for a while and Hayes loves her so much, but we didn't know how she would do "sitting" (haha!) in the sanctuary and watching someone from a distance. Being still is not her strongest point. I've always been thankful for our church nursery, but this makes me incredibly SUPER thankful that we have a wonderful nursery facility available at church where she is well taken care of while we can go listen and learn. Alyssa, I don't know how y'all do it at your church with all the little ones in there!!

Waiting patiently...


Doing some spinning while she waited...


Getting a little restless b/c Nathan thought she might need to sit down...no luck there!


Finally, here is Miss Pattycake!


Miss Pattycake sang some new songs that we didn't know and Hayes loved clapping for her. She mainly stood out in the aisle and ran back and forth from the front of the aisle then back to our seats 100 times, and I crawled all over the floor the entire time. I tried not to think about the fact that George and Reba were playing the same night in Birmingham as Miss Pattycake. (I did see on another friends' blog what I missed but I'm not thinking about that, or the fact that they will probably never tour again together or come back to Bham together.) Hayes had fun and that's all that matters!

Sidenote: Miss Pattycake is from Birmingham and actually grew up at Dawson and was married there. She's been singing and dancing for little ones for 20 years. Her parents are members still and were there Friday night.

Clapping and cheering for Miss "Pat-Pay"




Her poor puppy did a great job sweeping up the floor of the aisles. He was so dirty!


Playing on the stage afterwards...


The rest of the weekend was fun too. We had a baby shower on Saturday and that night a spend the night party w/Lindsey, Brent, and Baker and watched football. Hayes and Bake Bake played so good together. It gives me hope that she is going to be a really sweet big sister. Saying some prayers for that one!

Mid-Week Happy Thoughts

I have some happy Wednesday thoughts floating in my head this afternoon. Sorry there are no pictures!

1. Today was the FIRST day of MDO that Hayes did not cry when I dropped her off!! Every single day she has screamed when I drop her off and it's so heartbreaking. But I know it's good for her and she does end up having a fun and good day, but today NO TEARS!! She was excited to jump out of my arms and chase a huge ball that was in her room. Makes me HAPPY!

2. The fall consignment season has started! This for sure makes me happy!! I live for these sales in the spring and fall. Two of my very favorite sales I am going to tomorrow night (without Hayes-thanks Nathan) and I cannot wait. I love a good clothes hunt and these sales in B'ham are always so good for finding cute clothes.

3. Tonight we're eating at church-which means NO cooking or cleaning up. Always a plus especially by the middle of the week.

4. Emails are good. My SIL Lindsey and I just worked out a fantastic babysitting trade-off for Saturday. They are keeping Hayes for the day, and we're keeping Baker for the night. Everybody wins. Thanks for the awesome idea Lindsey!

5. Moms and More-our once a month women's Bible study. It's so good and yesterday was such a validating and encouraging time for me b/c Monday night was a rough night. I keep remembering bits and pieces and stories and advice from other moms from yesterday. It's the greatest thing to have strong Christian connections to other moms, especially in all different age ranges and seasons of parenthood. Being a mom is hard and I'm learning it never gets easier!

6. Now this last one is for Hayes-this one will make her happy-Friday is almost here and Miss Pattycake (do you know her?) is coming to our church on Friday night. Miss P'cake -aka "bay bay" or "pat pay" is Hayes' new best friend. She is overly obsessed with her and it's going to be fun, especially for Hayes, to see her in person!! She is a wonderful Christian preschool entertainer if you haven't heard of her.
Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in the Sanctuary at 6 p.m.
If you are in the Bham area and have a little one feel free to come. I know it will be a great night.

Happy Wednesday!

1st Day of School

She had a GREAT day! Her little note said she was "sweet and fun and happy all day!" I knew she was going to have to like it. She only cried when I dropped her off and that was the only time. She even ate all of her lunch there which is a big accomplishment and played on the playground twice. I think she already likes her teachers and feels comfortable with them. She was so sleepy in the car on the way home. Makes this mama SO happy! GOOOO Hayes!

1st day of MDO at Covenant 2010-19 months old-she's in the PUPPY class this year


1st day of MDO last year at Covenant 2009-8 months-she was in the BUNNY class last year!

Labor Day Weekend

I have lots of pictures of our fun weekend in Dothan to share. But no narrating, I'm going to bed early!!























Tomorrow is our first day of school! Hayes is not feeling good this afternoon and tonight-just catching a little cold. If you think about it, please say a prayer for her. She has made known her "extreme dislike" for MDO already- cries, falls asleep at wierd times, and won't even eat while she is there. So sad! I have my peace offerings already made for her teachers in the morning. Maybe they can overlook a lot of crying and clingy-ness for some spice cake.

Good night!

Sausage Swirls

I have another recipe to share. That makes 3 in a row and then I'll try to back away from the food! We had these little Paula Deen sausage swirls this morning for breakfast, and they're just too good and easy not to share. The best part is they only have TWO ingredients, and they REALLY are the best things you've ever put in your mouth.

These swirls are from my Paula Deen and Friends cookbook-could not find it on her website-but all the credit goes to PAULA!

Paula Deen's Sausage Swirls

2 cans crescent rolls
1 lb. sausage

1. Separate 1 can of dough and form into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Take the uncooked sausage and cut it into 8 chunks (1 per rectangle.) Spread each of the rectangles with a thin layer of sausage. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm. Then cut each roll in to 4 or 5 slices.



2. Preheat the oven to 375 and place sausage swirls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown or until sausage is thoroughly cooked.



*I cut this recipe in half this morning for the 3 of us and we had enough with just a few leftovers. For 4 or more people I would make the full recipe.
Sorry, these are not lowfat. But they're so good you won't even care!