Saturday, November 14, 2009

Slacker

Althernately titled: UA Homecoming 2009

So, I have been a big slacker with blogging lately. When you add in the usual busyness of October (Cullen's BIRTHDAY month!!!) with both of us having to travel for work (which we are not used to doing very often), things get a little crazy. I can't believe I did not even do a birthday post for my hubby! So terrible. :-{ So I am going to attempt to update on everything that's been going on in our world lately!

I'll try to keep them brief. SERIOUSLY! I really will, it's a new goal. My posts are always way too wordy. So, here's a start...

Man, I can't believe I'm so far behind that I have to start with Homecoming weekend, October 17th.

Big Al leading off the homecoming parade in Tuscaloosa
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The Alpha Delta Pi (of which I am an alumnus) float won 1st place!!
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Nick Saban's wife, Terry, was doing the local TV broadcast of the parade.
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Brooke, Jessica, Heather, & me at the tailgate (and Jessica's little cutie, Earnest, is in there too!)
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Cullen & a couple of his "boyz"
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My parents, my aunt & uncle, and their friends who came from Miami on the quad before the game! (They are not at all in the order I just listed them... L to R: Bonita from Miami, Uncle Steve, Aunt Nonie, Mark from Miami, Mom, & Dad)
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My cousin McShan, his girlfriend Dawn, me, & Cullen hanging out after the game and celebrating a victory over South Carolina. Can you tell it had been a long day and we were tired? Well, they look great, but Cullen & I look a little beat!
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PS- We were THRILLED to have a downright chilly game in October! So unusual here. Can you pick out which one of us is perpetually hot and thus hardly even noticed that it was cold outside?

Stay tuned for (most likely combined in some way):
Boo at the Zoo
Cullen's Birthday
Ghosts, Ghouls, & Fools
Halloween
Paris
Buffalo

Friday, October 23, 2009

Fall Fix

Fall.
From Katie & Cullen


Fun.
From Katie & Cullen


Festive.
From Katie & Cullen

Focused.
From Katie & Cullen

Family.
From Katie & Cullen

Fascinated.
From Katie & Cullen

Fantastic.
From Katie & Cullen

Fabulous faces.
From Katie & Cullen

Fearless.
From Katie & Cullen

Finding fish.
From Katie & Cullen

Flattery.
From Katie & Cullen


Funny.
From Katie & Cullen

Fairest face.
From Katie & Cullen

Forever friends.
From Katie & Cullen


Finished.
From Katie & Cullen


{Fantabulous shirts from StickyFingerz Boutique! Adorable stuff. Click to check it out!!}
{Fotographs by yours truly.}

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Wordless Wednesday











[Roomba]

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Race for the Cure!!

Yesterday we participated in the Race for the Cure to fight against breast cancer. This is a cause close to my heart because both of my grandmothers have had breast cancer. My dad's mom, who we called Granny, fought the fight very hard a couple of times and was a 30-year survivor when she died. My mom's mom, who we call Sissy, fought the fight years ago and is still going strong.

Kelley, Jay, Madelyne, and Bennet were there too!


It was wet & rainy all morning, but it was kind of nice because it kept us cool! The temperature here Friday was in the mid 80s, and yesterday it was the mid 60s. SO thankful that changed happened yesterday so we didn't have to melt in the heat while we ran!!


The "before" pictures...


Getting ready to goooo...


Annnd the after... Bennett was into making silly faces and not smiling for a picture!

Btw, extra props to my sister who pushed this heavy double stroller the whole way!


We were so excited that we actually finished the whole 5K! I know it's not that long, but this was our first one, and I am not a runner. Been doing a little more lately, but I do more walking. Minimal running. But I actually ran almost the whole first 2 miles (minus a couple of blocks at the end) and about half of the third mile. My final time was 32:26 and Cullen's was around 34 something (he didn't look at the clock when he crossed the finish line). Not too shabby considering, I don't think. Ha, nice hair, hubby!


We had a great time and are hoping to do it again next year!

As a side note, remember to go to this website EVERY DAY and all you have to do is click the pink button to give FREE mammograms to those in need!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Much Needed Niece & Nephew Time

Last weekend I got to catch up on some much needed niece and nephew time. As I was loading these pictures I realized that the blog has also been devoid of pictures and updates about "i-wish-they-were-my" sweet children. So how about we catch up!?

Last Friday I had the privilege of going with Madelyne on her 4K class Fire Station field trip! Kelley had a doctor's appointment and asked if I could keep Bennett. Usually I am working during this time, but decided that I could take just a couple of hours to spend with sweet Bennett. Well it turns out that Madelyne's field trip was at the same time and they were needing some parents/helpers to go. So Kelley dropped Bennett off at our house that morning and we headed out to meet Madelyne at school.

Bennett (who I have obviously not updated on in a while) is talking up a storm and loves to point things out and ask what everything is these days. We heard a lot of "whas dat?" [what's that?] last weekend. Things are no longer just labeled by their name, but it's accompanied by the word "a." Example, upon entering our kitchen, Bennett pointed under our baker's rack and announced "a Roomba!" then turned around, saw Whitaker and announced "a key cat!" [kitty cat]

He is cracking me up with all he is saying these days. On the way to Madelyne's school, from the backseat a little voice says...."Hey Aun' Dadie?"
I said, "Hey Bennett?"
He says, "Know what?"
Ummm, seriously? Did my 21-month-old nephew just ask me if I knew what?? "What Bennett??"
"Where Gaigey?" (Gainer)
"Gainer's at home, buddy. We'll see her later."
Silence. That was all, he was just wondering. He and Gainer are tight like that. [If you remember, when he was a baby, Gainer practically thought she was his mom whenever he was around. It was crazy. I guess they bonded.]

Bennett was SO good at the fire station! He sat in his stroller and just listened to every word that the firemen were saying! He listened very carefully...
Whose reflection is in the fire truck!? Check out how he's just chilling with his feet crossed. So cute!

All the kids got to walk through the fire truck and "jump" out the other side. Madelyne thought it was pretty cool!


Sweet siblings


They turned on the fire truck sirens!


After walking back to the school all of the kids got their own special fire hats. As you can see, Maddie Moo thought it was pretty cool!


After the fire trip, we went to meet Uncle Cullen for lunch! He got off work at 12:00 that day because we had a doctor's appointment to go to later in the afternoon. Pretty girl!


Beautiful, beautiful boy!


Next, we HAD to take the kids to Yogurt Mountain (which I mentioned in this post)


At Yogurt Mountain, we met Kelley so she could take the kids while we went to the dermatologist. [For those of you who know Cullen & his head... he had to get his "horns" checked out. No worries, after waiting for about an hour to be seen, we were told they are just pilar cysts (only click the link if you really want to know...) and can be removed if he wants to do it, but he doesn't have to. Yeah, yeah... we knew they weren't horns. ;-) But that sounds more interesting than "bumps" right?? ]

Anyway, while we were at the doctor, Kelley & the kids ran some errands... clearly they were worn slap out!


Don't worry, kids bounce back pretty quick! When we got back from the doctor, Kelley and Jay headed out to dinner and the kids stayed with us. It had been SO beautiful outside and I had been dying to take some kids to the park. So while Cullen did his P90x at home, me, Maddie Moo & Benny Boo went to the park down the street. They were not lacking energy anymore! Man, I wish I had that much energy all the time!




When we got home, Cullen was still doing P90x. Well, Madelyne informed us that she does this with Daddy "all the time" and knows "almost all the moves." haha! So the next thing I know, I come in and both of them are doing P90x with Cullen! It was too cute! (Notice Mama Gainer, always watching out for her babies.)


She really did know some moves!


After we did all that and Cullen got a shower, he and Madelyne headed to the store while I gave Bennett a bath. There is not a WHOLE lot of interesting-to-a-21-month-old things to do at our house, but regardless, a bathtub is always entertaining. So Bennett spent about 30 minutes in the bath! ha!

Cullen grilled us all some amazing chicken that night. I was about to bite into mine and said "Wow, this looks really good!" and Madelyne replied "Well...just wait until you taste it!!"

So it had been a busy day and everyone was pretty tired. There were no problems getting anyone to sleep...including myself!

When the kids stay, Cullen and I sleep on the sofa bed so Madelyne can sleep in our room. It's funny because we actually kind of enjoy it. Our bed is a full size and the sofa is a queen. So it's nice having the extra room...considering at least 1 cat and 1 dog sleep with us every night!

Saturday morning, Cullen had to coach and everyone thankfully slept until 7:30! After he left, as I was putting up the sofa bed, I realized it would probably be a good idea to vacuum while the coffee table was moved. Bennett has a thing for vacuums for some reason, so I asked them if they wanted to help me vacuum - and they both were VERY excited. (LOVE this age when getting to help is fun!) So they helped me vacuum (Mama Gainer supervising again)...and then were thrilled to get to help Windex the glass door while I finished up!



While we were waiting on Cullen to get back from coaching and Kelley to come pick them up, we took a little walk followed by some sidewalk chalk art. It was a beautiful day!
When they got back, Cullen decided that Bennett would enjoy a ride in the cooler that he'd been pushing around. Haha. He loved it & didn't move as soon as Cullen put him in!


The cats have learned that if they don't stay at a distance, they will be poked, picked up, pulled on, etc. So when the kids left all the animals were glad to be able to stretch out and enjoy some peace and quiet! I personally enjoy the sound of little voices and little giggles. Allie thinks otherwise. :-)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

sweet kitty - FREE to a good home!

Some friends of our family found this oh-so-sweet kitty that needs a home. They already have 3 and can't take on any more!! Here are her stats:

Name: Willow
Female
12-18 months old
Received vet exam + all shots on 9-24-09
already SPAYED 9-26-09

Very tiny, will not grow anymore
VERY sweet & docile ("lay in your lap kitty")

Please let me know if you are interested or know someone who might be! They cannot keep this little cutie pie and want her to have a good home!





Saturday, October 3, 2009

rainy day football

Last weekend, Cullen and I enjoyed a full weekend in Tuscaloosa. We only planned to stay Friday night, but he talked me into staying Saturday too! It's always nice to spend a weekend there and reminisce about the good ole days of college! Friday night we went to our old favorite Mexican restauraunt in Ttown, El Rincon. We used to go there just about every Thursday or Friday night when we both lived in Tuscaloosa! My parents stayed Friday night too, so it was good to get a chance to hang out and catch up with them too.

Saturday, there was a forecast of rain - well, it rained. A lot! This was the first really rainy game that I have been to in a while. Luckily our tailgate group had just bought 4 new sturdy tents and a new red turf. Had it not been for that we would have been soaked and covered in mud!

Me, Heather, Kim, & Brooke trying to stay dry under the tent! (There's a rain drop on the lens apparently.)

Don't worry, we were ready with ponchos!

Lake Tuscaloosa? Close.

The new red turf. :-( Yeah, this area was completely covered by tents and it still got soaked and muddy. That's how much it rained. It was a blowing, heavy, pouring rain. Imagine if there had been no turf!

Luckily the rain stopped just in time for us to walk to the game. Literally, 5 minutes before we planned to head to the stadium. However, everything was obviously still very wet! After hiking through all of the muddy areas around campus, this is what my feet looked like when we got to the stadium. No, this is not some new fashionable "crackle" toenail polish. (Not that this look would ever be fashionable??)

It stayed stormy-looking for a while....

But the sun did finally come out for a little bit! (Beautiful photo taken by my Aunt Daphney who celebrated her birthday with my parents at the game!)

After the game we got a chance to hang out with my parents, my Aunt Daphney, & Uncle Oscar - which we enjoyed a whole lot more than the Auburn game (booo) & the Florida game (booo) that we were watching!

On Sunday, before we left, we hit up one of the best hamburger places ever... Mugshots. Mmmm, it was just as good (and just as bad for us!) as I remember!!

After stuffing ourselves at lunch followed by the long drive home...this was definitely needed:

That night, we had a Sunday School social at a local Mexican restaurant and enjoyed chatting with everyone. Afterwards, our friends the Gambles introduced us to my new favorite place - Yogurt Mountain. Most genius yogurt place ever. There are probably 20 different flavors and you walk along a long wall and serve yourself as much of each flavor as you want.... then you turn around and there is a wall FULL of toppings - everything you could imagine from Fruity Pebbles to Nutter Butters to mandarin oranges to marshmallow goo! Mmmm it was heaven. I love yogurt so much.

So that was our wonderful weekend in Ttown... makes it so much harder to get back to work on Monday!