karaspeak

Little Aiden is always bound to have something up his sleeve and since he's always around us, he pretty much has knowledge of lots of little (and some big) secrets that get tossed around our household by us and those who pass through. I always wonder what he would do if he really did understand all that was being said and really did have all the knowledge he could have by just being around the right people at the right time...oh my, wouldn't that be the day!


But Aiden has a secret that he wanted me to share since he can't email quite yet. I mean, we're working on it, but right now, accomplishing "hello" and "goodbye" in one scenario seems challenging enough. So, as I am his "voice," I shant tarry too long on his message.



Yes, yes, it's true. No, your eyes are not fooling you. Surprise of all surprises, Aiden is going to be a BIG BROTHER! Baby Tabler Number Two is on his or her way into our world and is planning to make a debut is March 2010. We wanted to wait until we spilled the beans to our families (hence his t-shirt) before we made the announcement to the "world." After hearing for nearly two years we would not even be able to have children (at least through natural methods), it is more than a miracle to be blessed with another child on top of the one incredibly healthy, beautiful, and amazingly amazing baby boy we already have in our lives.


I'll post the picture of our little "gummy bear" after we have more pictures - our next visit to the doctor is September 14. I am squeaking through my first trimester and so far feel pretty great. It's hard to believe I'm pregnant most of the time...I kind of just pinch myself to remember. We are shocked, but are excited to share the news of our next bundle of joy who'll join us in the spring...shortly before Aiden turns two. We will have TWO under TWO...this just sounds scary to me, but hopefully we're in the "game" enough to remember what we did with round one to do okay with round two!


I don't think any of us, including Aiden, are quite sure what to expect as this new addition joins our little family. Thank you in advance for your prayers as we journey through the next 28 weeks to a healthy delivery.

As I sit here, I realize the last time I wrote was at the beginning of August...apparently not much was going on, but here I sit, three weeks later, and August is gone. Though we didn't travel a lot in August, we had our fair share of things going on, just not in the most "expected" ways.

We dealt with the loss of our summer Nanny, Emily, who was so great and who really loved Aiden so so much. They had a great summer together and lots of great memories at the pool and in the neighborhood. Lucky for us, she's teaching right around the corner and living in the neighborhood, so she's already been able to babysit...which is great to have.

We faced the project of finding a new Nanny, which we thought we did in mid-July, but due to a series of complications, things changed with her ability to help us. We were devastated more so because we knew how perfect of a find she was and how super she would be with Aiden, but also because she was sick...and we don't like for anyone to be sick. While we went on the search for a new Nanny, she found out her treatments were going to be less invasive than the previous time, therefore allowing her to help us on a part-time basis! Hooray!! So, Liz started with us the week of August 24, and Aiden took right to her. HE LOVES HER! They have a great time together and she loves on him all day...which as a Mom that has to work, makes you feel GREAT that someone is loving on your sweet boy all day. Liz is amazing.

We dealt with the loss of a dear and precious friend, Doctor Don Hines. This man was essentially like a second dad to Nathan, in fact, he and his wife both refer to he and I as their "adpoted son and daughter" when introducing us to anyone. Without hesitation, we are their adopted kids. We went to Birmingham in the middle of the month to visit with him at the hospital he was being treated at. He was sent home with Hospice care the following weekend and passed away just two weeks after. To be able to visit with Doc and Candace two weeks before he passed in Birmingham was absolutely priceless. Though not the most ideal of circumstances, it was a great day for us to spend telling stories, hearing about life, and getting what we thought to be our last hugs before he headed to be with our Father. Nathan and I went to the funeral last weekend in Troy while Aiden stayed here with Emily. The funeral was that of a true cowboy. He had this phrase, "the cowboy way" that defined his life and his work ethic. He was an amazing man who was loved by many and who impacted more than I can count. To see the love shown and the joy displayed by those who came to say goodbye was something I will never be able to put into words, but am so grateful to have been able to see in person. I will not soon forget it.

You can read a bit about him here: http://business.troy.edu/TroyCampus/News/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=200300066

Mix all that in with a flair of family drama and you all of a sudden have one full month. So, as August closes, and September begins, and as we move from the heat of summer to the cool of fall, I begin the countdown to 3-0. Yes, 30. In a mere 23 days, I will no longer be "living free in my 20's." I have no doubt this year will carry with it some great things and exciting changes...and I look forward with anxious anticipation to what those are.

Not much has been going on at our household the past few weeks, which is some ways has been kind of nice. In other ways, I think it only exists as the calm before the storm of life is inevitably going to kick up again. What I've been struck with most recently is why it is that we fear the unknown or just fear in general whether "it" be known or not. And even though I have this amazing track record with God, who's shown me time and time again that my fear is unnecessary because He's got me and there is no fear in Him....I still find msyelf there sometimes. I would say with my own life fear tends to manifest itself more in the form of "worry" rather than actual fear of __________ (fill in the blank), but neither of these are good to carry around and should be squelched as quickly as possible because they only tend to grow, not dissipate, over time. And as they grow, it lessens our ability to remember the times when God brought us out of fear and into light as we move through change, tough times, and hardship.

So, here I find myself in a place where I fear, not necessarily anything in particular other than just what lies ahead and how in the world it's all going to shake out. To overcome it, and remind myself how faithful God has been, how many times He's proven himself to me, and how little I have to actually fear, I took the time to write out what it is I fear, or what I worry about most. It was a much longer list than I suspected. Either that, or most of my fear boiled down to only a few simple core things. Isn't that the way it is? Though all of our fears tend to look different on the outside, most all of the little fears boil down to a few simple core things when we really take the time to sit down and rationalize them. After I did that, I went back and wrote down all the times God has brought me through a time of unknown, a time of hardship, and all the places and times when He has proven most faithful. This list was long, like way more than twice the length of my fear list. This simple fact alone should tell me I have nothing to fear but fear itself. Okay, that is cliched, but really...shouldn't that be enough to remind me of all the times He's proven me wrong and come through when I thought there was no hope? That question begs another. If indeed He has come through time and time again, why do we still let fear creep in during those uncertain times?

While I can't indefinately answer that question, I do think it has to do with our mistrust of His goodness to us. That this time our good luck could be up. That we've worn out our welcome. Finally asked too much of him, so much so that he is revoking his grace. Oh, the list could go on. But the reality is, if you go back and look at your life again, you'll see he's never let you down. Even in the times when it looked like he did in the moment, the outcome was so much more than you could have ever expected it would be. The same goes for all of history, just check it, it's in the Bible...time after time of his faithfulness overcoming fear. So as I work through this fear and finger by finger unleash the hold I think I have on it, I realize my best interest is what he has in mind. What is the worst that could happen? At the end of the day I still have my amazing family, a life full of love, and something better on the other side. It's just the waiting part that's tough. But, if I sit back and relax, remember how many times he's shown up for me and how awesome the outcome has been, all that can happen is experience sheer and utter freedom. How can I be afraid of that?

So, fear and worry, get on on the street. No room for you here. Go find someone else to haunt and teach them how to throw you out too. It's about all you're good for anyway.

Apparently Mom and Dad didn't get enough of an Aiden fix over his birthday weekend, as they called us the week after and said they were ready for a weekend for him to come play again before they started back to school in August. So, needless to say, after a birthday weekend that WIPED US OUT, we were more than happy to oblige their request and soak up some much needed rest in advance of the coming school year. We were planning to spend the weekend at our house, but at the last minute decided to head down to Atlanta to hang out with some friends for some good old-fashioned F-U-N!

So, we dropped Aiden off Friday morning then completed the rest of our trek down to the ATL. We spent the afternoon in the Virginia Highlands at Rabun's new (but old) condo while Nate caught up on some work, then went down to Neighbor's for a quick snack before watching some Tour de France and getting ready for dinner. For dinner, we headed to Murphy's for some good wine and great food. We all got different plates so we could have a little of this and a little of that and enjoyed some great conversation. Walked back and crashed hard....it'd been a long day!

Saturday morning Nate and I got up early and went for a run around the area. It was fun, but cars in ATL do NOT like runners on their roads, so we were stuck on the terrible sidewalks meandering around various types (and smells) of people. Interesting, but hey, we did it. We picked up Rabun and headed to Belly for morning coffee and chat. Good place. A type of General Store if you will. Lots of candy. Fun and laid back environment. Wanted to bury my hands in the apothecary jars full of candy. After getting cleaned up, we were off to brunch at Rosebud, which was amazing. Incredible food and nice, urban feel.

Time for girl things. Drove up to Perimeter Mall for some time with Meghan that afternoon while the boys did their thing. After getting Meghan some much needed gas at Costco (she as litterally an E when she picked me up), we hopped in for a quick Trader Joe's TWO BUCK CHUCK stop, then were off to get pedicures. The BEST pedicure I have had. Ever. Really. And it was also the cheapest. I couldn't believe how much detail and time they took and was pleasantly surprised at the entire experience. Awesome. Wish it was around my corner, too.

It was off to dinner, the dinner I'd been looking forward to since Thursday. PURE! All I can say about this place is WOW. I certainly wish they had one in my neck of the woods. I think Westhaven needs one for sure. This hot spot had a 2 hour wait at 7 pm. Yes, two hours at 7:00! While we debated leaving, one sip of these phenomenal margaritas changed all of our minds in an instant. We were seated in less than an hour, but only after being treated to people watching worth paying for. This dinner spot is like watching a real like episode (or two) of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, only they're all white. It was so funny to take in the people-watching affair and enjoy the environment followed by the great food. One night to remember, for sure!

Off to bed for an early trek home in the morning. We were on the road by 6:30 am (Central time) and when we got in stopped for a great Sunday Brunch at Puckett's...one I will be sure to revisit very soon. Excellent food as usual at this local joint. After being fully satisfied by a fun weekend and great food, we decided we deserved a nap, so we took the first nap (together) that we've probably taken since Aiden was born. And it was THREE HOURS LONG. Yes, three glorious hours of nap time. A-mazing. I won't soon forget that time. Dinner plans with Jamie and Kevin got us out of bed in time to get ready, then we enjoyed more great food and a nice challenging game of Uno where the women dominated. This scenario is typical, so don't get too excited. We just generally rock.

So, there it is, a nice couple's weekend away. Though we were desperate to see our boy the next day! Monday couldn't have come soon enough, but come it did...and there he was. We both swear he had grown since leaving him on Friday, but maybe we just missed him so much we dreamed it up. Love this little dude and enjoy him so much after a weekend refresher. I'm sure he had a blast with Mimi and PopPop. Oh, I wish he could tell me his stories, too! :) One day. Not too far off I imagine and that will be all too much a reality. The family is intact once more and here we go to finish out July. More than halfway done with 2009. What will the rest have in store for us? Who knows. But what I do know is that fun is not far from any of it.


My man and me at Pure.

Nate and Parker, and their matching JL belts. How cute!

My Megs and me on the porch at Pure. And her with Rabun and Park.

These two might be long lost brothers. Two crazy peas in a pod.

Posing at REI. Random, but true.

Happy times with the hubs. And Rabun giving us his meanest thumbs up.

This week was really wild and crazy, which we knew it would be before it even began. After getting Aiden back from a weekend away with Mimi and Pops on Monday, work was nutso for both Nathan and I and we had company coming into town for the party beginning Wednesday. All the items for the party were pretty much complete, except for the cake, which masterful cake-decorator Mom had to handle. She arrived Wednesday and provided Nate and I some space to spend some time together for our anniversary, which we share with Aiden's birthday.

We exchanged gifts previously in the day, which is always fun...to see your thoughts and time spent ogling over gifts finally come through their expressions. Ironically enough, we both gave each other watches, guess that growing together thing really is true. I always enjoy seeing Nate's softer side come out when it comes to the heart he puts into his gifts. It shows he really does listen to all the random stuff I say, even if most of it is jibberish. To top it off we were able to spend the evening out together and enjoyed a great Mexican meal @ LaPaz for dinner (can't get enough Mexican food!).

Friday was spent preparing for the Saturday festivities, mostly decorating the cake, which took a long time...like 6 hours long! Thankfully, we had mom doing that part, while the rest of us played pass the baby with Aiden. It was adventurous, but we got it all done, thankfully! Jessica arrived that afternoon and she and Nate went downtown while I helped finish things up at the house and got ready for a little bit of rest before the par-doo!

The next morning was wild and crazy, too...a lot of drama insued while putting everything together for the festivities to begin at 11, the most interesting being I cut my finger open while working with some sprinkles (for the kids to decorate cupcakes) and passed out! So, that was fun and exciting. Luckily, the cut was deep, but stitches may or may not have made a difference, so I just taped it up and kept going. Thankfully we were able to still get everything done in time before the guests arrived. Whew! What a whirlwind.

To accompany our "safari" themed party, we had a "tiger belly" moonbounce, safari printed balloons on the fence posts, monkeys hanging in the trees, hula skirts on the tables, and safari printed placemats. It was so fun. We had a great layout of really good food...chicken salad, hummus, pita, a killer fruit and cheese platter, seven layer dip and guacomole, sweet dreams cookies, and of course, cake! A monkey cake to be exact! We had a cupcake decorating station for the kids, and that was their little take home party favor. They put them in brown boxes (think Sprinkles) and got an awesome sticker that said, "Thank you for making my first birthday so sweet! Aiden." They were really fun and cute take-aways.

It's really hard to believe a year has passed us by without a blip on the map it seems. I keep saying I don't know where it went, and I really don't. I can't quite figure out how we got from birth to this walking, talking, happy, laughing, giggling, exploring, creative, I could go on....little guy. He is the most special thing in the world and I cannot imagine loving anyone any more than I love him. I have the two best boys in the world in my life every single day and I love every minute of it. Though it makes me sad I now have a "toddler" as opposed to a "baby" Aiden, I am so excited to see him learn and grow and see life with new and fresh eyes. He is my sweet and special little one. Happy Birthday! Oh yeah, and happy four years, Baby!

Let them eat MONKEY cake! So fun...and of course, he LOVED it!

The tiger belly moonwalk and my curious little man.

The food....and the cookies! Yummy!

These dudes grew mustaches for the party. Why? Not sure exactly. Whatever.


Aiden's first bike! So fun...and he loves it!

This weekend, my mom and dad decided they needed to spend some QT with Aiden, so Thursday morning, Nate and I drove to Cookeville to meet them for a down home breakfast at the good 'ol Cracker Barrel. It was quite yummy and I think Aiden really enjoyed taking all the toys off the shelves about as much as he did eating breakfast.

After dropping him off, Nate and I headed back home to wrap up work and spend some time at the pool before heading to Green Hills for dinner with Brian at Sunset Grill. He's just moved here from Charlotte to work at Deloitte and it was fun showing him the Hillsboro Village area of Nashville, which is essentially around the corner from where he lives. Every time I head down there, I reminisce of my college days and how frequently we used to visit these spots within walking distance of the apartment. Always a fun time.

Friday was a short visit to the pool followed by lots of errands we'd had on our list. The day wrapped up with a visit to Arrington Vineyard for their wine tasting and jazz night along with Taylor, Rachel, and several other folks in need of good imbibement. Good times and a beautiful night!



Saturday was a bit more pool time and more errands before heading downtown to try and catch the Fireworks. On our way down, it began to POUR and they went ahead and started the fireworks early...so we saw them all from the car, then got stuck in about an hour of traffic. We'd planned to hit up Bricktops for our celebratory dinner, but missed the boat on that as they decided to close early! What?!? So, off to Jackson's for a late night meal. Back home and a plan to rest Sunday.

That resting thing didn't really happen as we remembered we needed to clean house and mow before we picked up the boy, so we did all that and then headed on our way to pick him up. We had dinner at Olive Garden and boy, do I love that bread and salad. I always forget that since I never go there. So good.

We enjoyed our time alone and getting to do a lot of errands and chores, while getting to pretend we're a young single couple without kids, but we missed our boy terribly. It's always such a joy to get him back, but know both he and I have had a great time on our own. It's nice to have a break every now and then, and catch up on the sleep we never get. :) The joys of this boy! I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Happy Fourth! Four years of marriage and a BIG ONE YEAR mark are right around the corner. Such a fun time of year for our little family!!