Feliz Nabiblah...

That's how Neily sings it. Isn't it funny what kids come up with? Actually, not just kids...After M and I married we were singing some Christmas songs and he busted out with, "and pretend that he is possum brown." Possum Brown? Are you kidding me? I laughed so hard at him I almost wet my pants! Anyway, we are really enjoying this Christmas season. Here are some picture from the last week.

One of the MANY attempts to get a cute Christmas card photo...

Decorating the tree with bubble wrap

Hanging out in Downtown Franklin where they had "Dickens Village" last weekend. There were people dreesed up like the Dickens characters, horse and buggy rides, and some tasty treats. It was a fun was to enjoy the holiday season.

On Friday we had a visit from Uncle Chris, Aunt Jen, and Elizabeth. We only saw them for a few hours, but we had a lot of fun.

Who can resist a little girl in her daddy's hat?

For someone who used to make a career out of working out, I have managed to not step foot in a gym in almost 2 years! Who would have thought??...

It basically came down to choosing between spending time with my husband at night or going to the gym. I of course chose the first option and that has been so much better for my soul than buff biceps. I have done what I can with the kids like running with the double stroller or doing lunges and push-ups while we play in the yard. Not going to the gym has turned out to be a really good thing because I have figured out how to incorporate exercise here and there throughout the day and I don't feel so obligated to "work out". Mitch and I have just started doing a workout video together a few times a week and that has been the best of both worlds...time with my hubby and exercise. This brings me to the point of this entry: our workout video. We have started doing yoga and we found this great video with 3 different workouts at 3 different levels. We are on level one and probably will there for a while. If you can get past the instructor's hair and jean shorts, it's really a great workout. So, if you are looking for something challenging to do in the comfort of you own home (maybe you can even get your hubby to join you!), try this workout by Bryan Kest.

HO HO HO..or maybe I should say HA HA HA!

This weekend was going to be the magical weekend that we went and picked out the tree, baked and decorated some yummy shortbread cookies, and decorated the tree. I foolishly idealized the weekend, but I was quickly reminded that with 2 kids under 3 your expectations have to be low.
It started Friday night when we went to pick out the tree. The plan was to eat dinner, run by walmart, go to Lowe's to pick out the tree and be home sometime around 7pm. Well, things took a bit longer than expected and so by the time we got to Lowe's for the tree it was already 7:45. Jake had wet through his diaper and it was 1/2 hour past his typical bedtime. As I said in an earlier post, we planned on Neily picking out the tree. Basically we walked on the lot and went to the $19.99 section, Neily pointed at the first tree she saw and said, "oooh mommy, look at that tree!" That is the one we got. We were in and out in a matter of minutes. Thankfully the tree we got looks pretty good considering we didn't even check it out while on the lot. We finally made it home around 8:30 and got the kids to bed.

Saturday was the day for cookie baking and tree decorating. The fun started with the cookie baking and I somehow managed to drop all of the cookies back into the oven when I was pulling them out. We salvaged most of them, although some were marked with black charred lines. In the decorating process Neily managed to get chocolate all over her new Christmas pj's (so much for the cute pictures I was planning on taking!). When we finally got to the decorating of the tree, the kids were mainly interested in figuring out how to hang bubble wrap from the tree. At least they were participating in trying to hang something!

At the end of the evening we turned all of the lights off in the house and sat on the sofa in front of the tree listening to Christmas music. All was well. We laughed about the day and enjoyed the few moments (and I mean FEW) we had as a family snuggling together enjoying our tree. Not quite the day I had expected, but we still made some fun memories.

Happy Holidays!

We are feeling quite festive here at the Stephens' house today. A little decorating, a little christmas music in the background, maybe even a little baking. So, I thought that I would change the mood of the blog to a more festive one. Because of my antique computer I can only do so much, but the color change at least shows my Christmas spirit.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We enjoyed the day with Mitch's family and I was quite thrilled to be succesful at making the dressing this year. Thanks to Lauren for passing on the recipe a few years ago.

I will post pictures again soon as we will be heading out to get the good ole tree in a few days. We are giving Neily the honor of picking it out this year, so it ought to be interesting. Seasons Greetings!!

BAD HAIR DAY

In my efforts to save a buck, I took the kids to Great Clips to get their hair cut. In hindsight, that wasn't the best decision considering they are having pictures taken next week. But like I said, when their regular "salon" went up in prices, a $9 cut at Great Clips seemed like a no-brainer. Typically they get their hair cut one at a time, but 2 stylists were available so they both got their haircut at the same time. I went back and forth to each of their chairs making sure that the kids were okay and keeping them entertained. I obviously spent too much time at Neily's chair because when I returned to check on Jake, I found him half bald with his bangs cut at the hairline. I couldn't help but laugh because he looked just like Howdy Doody (or Pee Wee Herman...you be the judge.) Here is a picture of Jake's lovely locks just days ago:

And this is Jake today...

I've tried my best to comb some hair forward to get some hair on his forehead. Thankfully it will all grow back! Regardless, he's still a cutie in my book.

A FIRST

Today was a first for Neily. She saw a rainbow. It's so fun to watch as your children experience and enjoy the beauty of nature. This picture doesn't show her face, but she is wearing a huge smile.

Catching Up -

It seems like a month since my last post. After the drama with Neily, i think I was pretty worn out! We have since enjoyed a fun night of trick-or-treating and a wonderful trip to Asheville. Thanks to all of you who gave us tips on where to eat. Early Girl Eatery was our favorite. We were happy to see the kids again after being away from them for 5 days. After we all got back home, we celebrated Daddy's birthday by baking him a cake. Below are some pics of the past few weeks.

This year the kids were pumpkins. Neily wore this outfit last year and rediscovered it when we moved in July. She was excited to wear it again (and i was thrilled to not have to buy a new one!)

Every time we went up to a house Neily would say, "We don't have to go in, do we Mommy?" and Jake would inevitably walk in the door whenever the neighbors answered. He didn't care too much for the candy, he just wanted to go inside the houses.

And here are the kids enjoying their first taste of Peeps which, in my opinion, are the worst tasting candy ever. After Halloween night, the kids never once asked for their candy. Daddy was pretty excited to have it all to himself!



Lastly, here are some pics of Neily and I making Daddy a cake and Jake enjoying tasting the batter. The last picture I took a couple of hours ago. The kids were having a blast wearing Daddy's toboggans.

Unexpected

Monday morning we got some unexpected news. Neily has been having some GI issues and we had been in contact with her doctor over the weeked to make sure we were taking care of her in the appropriate manner. Monday morning the doctor called us at home and expressed his concern that Neily may have Cystic Fibrosis. I don't know a lot about CF, but I knew it must be a big deal because they have major events to increase awareness and support like they do for cancer and diabetes. I held my composure okay when I was talking with the doctor, but had a bit of a breakdown once we hung up. It was just another normal day until he had called. Now everything looked different.

The doctor was able to get her in at Children's hospital for testing on Tuesday (yesterday) which was a big deal since you typically have to wait at least a week to get an appointment. So, Neily and I went to Vanderbilt yesterday afternoon to get her tests run. Mitch and I had decided on Monday that we wouldn't get on the internet to read everything about CF because we didn't want to freak ourselves out over something that may not be. The Bible tells us to "think on that which is true" and so what was true was that Neily may have CF, but it wasn't a "done deal" until the test proved otherwise. She had the test at 1pm and we expected to get the results in 24 hours. But as we were leaving, the doctor who ran the test said that he would have the results to my doctor by 4pm that same afternoon. We were so grateful that we wouldn't have to wait another day before knowing. I called my doctor at 4pm and was overjoyed to hear the news that Neily tested negative for Cyctic Fibrosis!!!! I am more aware now than ever before at the blessing of having a healthy child.

The next step for us is to visit the GI at the end of November when Neily will have to get scoped. Her doctor seems to think, now that we know it's not CF, that her GI issues may be able to be solved fairly easily. We will definitely keep you all posted. Thank to you to the few of you who knew about all of this and prayed for our family. We greatly appreciate your friendships.

Singin' in the Rain

We had a LOT of rain today, so after being cooped up inside all day we couldn't help but to get out and play in it.

YOU KNOW IT'S A BAD WEEK WHEN...

You know it's a bad week when 80% of the meals you serve your kids all require ketchup.

PICTURES!!

Here are a couple of photos from the past few days. On Saturday we enjoyed visiting a local farm where the have hayrides, a pumpkin patch, and lots of other fun things for the kids to do.

And here are the kids enjoying lunch together. They love the veggie corndogs by Morningstar Farms.

And a big thanks to all of you who gave us advice on Mac vs. PC. We visited the local Apple store on Saturday evening and I think we are sold on a Mac!!

X
Xoconochco - A little place in downtown Franklin that makes the yummiest chocolate. I have no idea how to pronounce it, but man is the chocolate wonderful! Eventually you will be able to order it online - http://www.xoconochco.com

Y
Yesterday - Yesterday Neily came down with a fever. No other symptoms, just a fever. This morning she woke up with no fever. Our conversation this morning went like this:
Me: Good Morning, Neily. How do you feel?
Her: I am SO sick mommy. Please take care of me.
Me: Sweetie, I think you are fine, but I will take good care of you.
Her: Mommy, I am SO sick. I really think i need a cookie for breakfast.

This little girl will try anything for a cookie!

Z
Zippity doo dah zippety ay - I have officially finished the alphabet!! Now back to my regular postings. Hopefully, with our eyes set on a new computer soon, I will be able to post pictures again!

W
What to do - So, hubby and I are in the market for a new computer. We are hoping that my computer will last another month or so, but want to have a plan just in case. I wanted to get all of your opinions - Mac vs. PC. I hear that Windows Vista is terrible and that makes us lean towards Mac. BUT, Mac's are expensive and that makes us lean towards a PC. Any suggestions??

U
Unrealistic excpectations - okay, so I didn't finish the alphabet of me by the end of the week. So, I shall try again to finish it this week. I only have 5 letters to go!!

V
Very thankful - When my parents were choosing a name for me, their top name other than Allison was Claudette. I am very thankful they chose Allison.
Vacation - 4 weeks from today hubby and I will be packing up and heading to Asheville for a little R&R and I can't wait. We haven't had a true "getaway" since the kids were born, so we are thrilled to have some extended time with no agenda.

T
Two years ago - Two years ago today our family packed up and moved to Nashville. Can you believe it's been 2 years? It seems like a lifetime ago that we were living in Birmingham. It really has been a long 2 years, but good in the fact that we have learned so much about ourselves and our Lord. We have definitely had our share of trials, but also our share of grace and gaining wisdom. This is not the path we would have chosen for ourselves, but God has been with us through the tears and the joys. We do hope to return to Birmingham sooner than later, but until then we are grateful to be where the Lord has us - Nashville in the fall is so delightful!

R
Revenge - We've all done something on our lifetime to get revenge, right? When I was little I often sought revenge on my sister. Once I peed on her brand new bike because she wouldn't let me ride it. I definitely had an evil streak in me back then! What about you? Anyone have any proud moments of revenge to share?

S
Shenanigan's - The name of the dance club in Rome, Ga that we went to every Monday night during the summer when I was in high school. It is also the location of my first (and last) "girl fight." Yep, that's right. Along with a few other friends, we got in a brawl with some of the big haired girls from across the tracks. Hair pulling, scratching, hitting and, my personal favorite, the pulling up or down of skirts. That night I had on a cute little dress. Hiding underneath, though, was a lovely pair of granny panties. "Who's going to see these anyway?," I thought to myself as I put them on. Only a few hours later, there I stood in the parking lot with my cute little dress pulled up over my head. The white granny panties were quite the site for all who were looking on. Not my finest moment. The entire night was so out of character for me. When I got home and told my family they all laughed and called me Rocky.

P

Priceless -

A new Tennessee License - $12.50
A new Tennesee Tag - $49.50
2 kids at the DMV for 2 hours - Priceless

O
Over - I confess that I am ready for the alphabet of me to be over. I never dreamed it would take me this long!! I am making a vow to myself to finish by the end of the week so that I can move on.
Oh the joys of raising a 2 year old - we have had some sleep issues this past week with little miss neily. she has started crying at bedtime for up to an hour before going to sleep. For the first few nights we would go in and spank. That only made things worse. Then we started going in every 10 minutes or so to reassure (just like we did when she was a little baby). That helped some. Lastly, we have tried motivation by the way of food. She is like her mommy and can often be swayed by a tasty little treat. After minimal crying for her nap yesterday she got a cookie and 2 stickers on her Happy Sleep Chart. Last night there was no crying for the first time in over a week!! Now she has her eyes set on an ice cream cone which she will get tomorrow if she does well tonight. This has definitely been a learning experience for us and has tested our patience with our little girl. Funny how a week of something like this can feel like a month!

N

Neily -

My sweet little girl whom we affectionately call "Peepie" and "Pickle." You love to talk and you love to sing. You love to snuggle and an hour doesn't pass when you aren't asking, "Mommy, what you doin'?" You have the most fun when we are playing outside or when you are playing chase with Jakey. You could swing for hours and never pass up going on a walk. Cookies are your favorite treat. You are growing up fast and what a privilege it is to love you through it all. I love you to the moon and back.

M

Melancholy - this is my personality type, or so the book says.

Magazines - I love taking a hot bath and looking through a new magazine. My favorites? Southern Living, Cottage Living, Martha Stewart and, when I want to know what's up with Brittney (just kiddn), People.

Munchies - I am usually attacked by the munchies when the kids go down for a nap. I am tired from the morning and am so thrilled to sit down and eat something without tiny vultures, I mean children, eyeing my every bite.

Montana - I have not had the pleasure of travelling to may places, but I have been to Montana and it is beautiful. I hope to go back with hubby sometime to fly-fish and enjoy the scenery.

L

Laughing -

K

Kiss - I got my first one when I was seventeen.

Krystal - It was always such a treat to go here when I was a little girl. Krystal burgers (if you can even call them that!) were my favorite. Can't say I recall going anytime in the past 10 years.

Keeps me going - 63 degrees, beautiful blue sky, a gentle breeze. Days like today keep me going. I absolutely love fall and when the kids and I went on a walk this morning, I noticed an extra spring in my step. Something about this weather makes me feel renewed. Goodbye 104 degree days!!

J

Jake -

My sweet little boy who will warm a heart with his smile. With dimples that you can't help but kiss and a laugh that is contagious. You love the broom and the mop and to wear anyone's shoes but your own. You would rather eat a pickle than a pop-tart and you want to be wherever the action is. Your favorite word is bye bye and you will say it to anyone, coming or going. Your blue eyes are striking and are noticed by all who meet you. Affectionately know as "Jakey" by your sister, you bring so much joy to our family. Thank you for the morning snuggles and the spontaneous kisses. You are one of a kind.

H

Hiatus - Sorry for the lack of blogging lately! We had sick kids, then friends in town, and we headed out of town for Labor Day. So, we are back home and all is back to normal.

Honeymoon - Hubby and I can't help but laugh when we think of ours. Being that we were broke, we went to Mentone, AL where one of my dad's acquaintances let us stay at their house for free. The house was repossessed from a drug dealer and was decked out in 70's decor. Our favorite? A water bed with pink satin sheets, light bulbs across the top of the headboard, and heart cut outs up the side. We ended up sleeping in the bunk house which was a large room with 14 twin/bunk beds. All of the restaurants in Mentone were closed due to a big festival they had the weekend before, so we ate most of our honeymoon meals at the McDonald's in Fort Payne. I got stung by a bee on my ring finger, had to go to THE doctor twice during that week, and it was so warm while we were there that Mitch literally almost passed out after attempting to "relax" in the hot tub. We had so much fun that we decided to come home a day early. Maybe one day Oprah will give us a honeymoon redo!

Having fun in the tub - Here are N and J pretending to have a snack in the tub.

I

"In the Ghetto" - the name of the song playing on the radio when Mitch proposed. Romantic.

Indigo Girls - The tape I listened to most in high school.

"Ickle me, pickle me, tickle me, too" - When I was a kid, this was one of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein. Did anyone else read "Where the Sidewalk Ends" as a kid?

E

Even Cooler - Today I went to Publix. No Carrie Underwood. BUT, I did see Steven Curtis Chapman. I'm on a roll!

Everything But The... - My favorite ice cream from Ben and Jerry's. Chocolate, Vanilla, and all sorts of chunky stuff.

Elizabeth - My middle name.

"Either the situation needs to change, or your heart needs to change" - this has been echoing in my heart the past 2 years. Obviously our situation isn't changing, so I have had to work through a lot of heart changing!

etsy.com - a great place to shop!

F

Free Spirit - Sometimes I wish I could me more like this.

Family - The more I am away from them, the more I realize how much I need them.

Friends - A show that I can watch and always laugh out loud.

Fashion - I need some help here. Any takers?

G

Grimace - In second grade I wore a purple jogging suit to school. All the kids called me Grimace. I never wore it again...

Green - Our family is definitely sold out to going green. We can only do so much to our home because we are renting. We have adjusted our thermostat, changed out all of our light bulbs, are making adjustments to how much we drive, and hope one day to be able to drive a hyrbid. It has become a big deal for us. So much so that hubby is trying to figure out how to incorporate it into his career. If you and your family have not made any steps towards helping our environment, I strongly encourage you to do so. Here are some sites that will tell you how.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3915
http://www.lowimpactliving.com/?gclid=CO6Wxoanj44CFRIygQodcEy5Og

D

Down Right Cool - At least I think so. I met this girl at the mall today. Well, sort of. She was mainly intrigued by my little ones who were being quite friendly. After she walked away I was racking my brain as to where I had seen her before. Turns out, I had seen her on TV on a live acoustic show. She is in a band called Paramore. They are labled as a funk band, so not quite my cup of tea. She's got a great voice, though. I'm still waiting to run into Carrie Underwood at Publix. We'll see!
Dr. Pepper - Other than water, it's my drink of choice.

B

Bailey - The name of one of our cats. She is the one who loves to snuggle and greets me every morning with a purr.

Berita - This is the name my roommate in college and I would use when we prank called. We were quite mature for our age!
Big Hair Bands - Dare I say that I loved them all in high school - Cinderella, Mr. Big, Motley Crue, Skid Row, White Lion, Great White...

Becoming - I find great hope in this word. There is hope for me, as I am becoming more like Him every day.
Banjo - an instrument I would love to learn to play one day.

C

Coffee - I have my cup every morning. Not sure if I could ever give that up.

Cable TV - We finally got Cable TV after 6 years of marraige. Most days we wish we didn't have it. For us, it brings too much distraction.

Cats - If anything were to happen to Mitch, I would be that weird old lady with 20 cats. I love animals.

Carpet Head - this is what my sister called me when I was in elementary school. I fell victim to WAY too many perms. I'll show you a picture some time. Not pretty.

Country Music - I have grown to love this more and more as we have been in Nashville.

Chocolate - I couldn't have an encyclopedia of me and not mention chocolate. Yum! It's my favorite treat.

So, I have had a bit of writers block lately and have not posted in over a week. I thought I could maybe do "Menu Plan Monday," but since we are having eggs TWICE this week I figured that may be a bit boring. I was also hoping to post this great video of Jake laughing at Neily. He has the best laugh I've ever heard. But, my computer wouldn't let me download for some reason, so there went that idea! Finally, I came across a blog and got the idea for this post...

The Encyclopedia of Me.

A -

Autumn - By far my favorite season

Apples - Along with peanut butter or some really sharp cheese, they are my favorite snack

Audrey - The name of my imaginary friend when I was little

Asheville - Where hubby and I are headed for our anniversary in October. I can't wait!

Agitated - Some days I am so quick to be this way towards my kids. I need to work on that.

We had a fun weekend with my parents. They bought N this cute little tent in honor of her successful potty training. Hmmm. I'm still waiting for my present for successful potty training...

One of J's favorite past times is smashing his face against the sliding glass door. It's not the best picture, but I thought I would still share this photo capturing him in all his lovliness.

Granddaddy and Gigi are coming in town this weekend and we are excited to see them. For this round of company, I am making Crumb Top Apple Pie. It is my favorite apple pie of all time and you must try it before summer is over. It is definitely a crowd pleaser.

2 c. all purpose flour
2/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c chopped pecans
3/4 c butter, melted
4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (approx. 3) I use golden delicious
1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 c water
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine first 5 ingredients; add butter and stir until blended. Measure 1 cup firmly packed mixture; set aside for pie topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom and up sides of a well-greased 9 inch pie plate. Arrange apple sliced in pie plate; set aside.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan; stir in water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; stir in vanilla. Pour hot mixture over apples; Crumble reserved topping over pie.

Bake at 350 for 42 minutes, covering with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent excessive browning (if necessary). Serve with ice cream. Yield: 8 servings.

We had a great visit with some good friends this weekend. Our friends Kenneth and Kathleen, along with their little boy Jay, came to Franklin to hang out with us. We had some good laughs, great conversation, and watched our little ones enjoy each others company. I made this yummy dessert by Paula Deen. It's a bit rich, but good and quite easy to make. Here is a pic of Jake enjoying his. And here's a pic of Kenneth hanging out with the kiddos.

Well, we have survived the hardest part of potty training and all is still well with the Stephens. N has done well overall and now it's time to put that training into practice as we go about our normal routine. I figure it's best just to expect accidents and plan for them rather than be fearful of them. Thanks to all for your encouragement and prayers during those days where I had to search the depths of my soul to find a little more patience. No longer having 2 kids in diapers is pretty great, especially for the wallet.

Another change we are going through is J is dropping his morning nap. This is a pretty big deal for me since I have not had a "free" morning since N was born. She didn't drop her morning nap until J was 3 months old and by that time he was set in his 9am nap schedule. So we are embarking on new territory yet again. What's a girl to do?

Here are a couple of pictures from last week when my sister Jen and her little girl Elizabeth came to visit. The girls had a great time and spent most of the time giggling. It was fun to see them interact and actually play together (not just beside each other). We went to a place called Jump Zone and had a blast with Daddy/Uncle Mitch.