Painting Our Household Pink!

Well, we will be welcoming a new little girl into our family around November 4! I am still completely shocked since this pregnancy has been so different from Karlee's. But, am truly excited. I just can't wait to see Karlee and another little girl grow up to be best friends (at least I hope they are).

I picked up balloons to take home for Karlee since she is infatuated with them. As soon as she walked in the door, she said "pink balloons!" and took off running for them. I told her that she was going to have a little sister but she was more interested in the balloons. From the beginning, she has patted my tummy and said "my baby sister in there." So, I guess she was right all along (and her daddy). I've been thinking boy the whole time.




If Karlee loves her sister as much as she loves Sable, we'll be in good shape! So, let the name game begin. We are completely stumped this time around.

Last Fling Before the Ring!

This past weekend I got to enjoy a relaxing girls only weekend in Destin. We were celebrating my future sister in law, Erin's, bachelorette party. Let me just say that I don't think I have laughed that much in a long time. I think I had this baby doing back flips from all the ab work out I was getting from laughter. I made the comment one time that I needed to go to CVS for a pack of Depends!

Summer of 2006 was the last girls trip I have been on. So, needless to say, I was more than ready for this trip. Chip did a wonderful job taking care of Karlee and even cleaned the house and did laundry. I think he was trying to prove a point!

To keep my promise to Erin, most of my pictures will remain the memories of the 10 of us on the trip. But, here are a few group photos of the fabulous girls I got to meet and know really well over the weekend!

We made Erin hide in her room for an hour Thursday afternoon to get the condo decorated for her special weekend. She was surprised with all the "fancy" decor!


Dressed and ready for the first night of fun!


Eating dinner at Old Florida Fish House on Thursday night. This is where Adam popped the big question last July!


All dressed for a night on the town Friday night.


Getting ready for the lingerie shower and another night of fun!
I can't believe the wedding is less than a month away. I am so excited to be getting such a wonderful sister in law.

End of the school year

I was so sad last week taking Karlee into her classroom for the last class day. She has enjoyed this year so much and I hated that it had to end. Monday morning, Karlee insisted on taking Bunny and Snoop Snoop to school with her. I wonder if she knew the end was drawing near?

I took her back on Tuesday for the class party and to tell the teachers thank you for such a wonderful year. Karlee had great kids in her class and the teachers were the best. Thank you Miss Courtney and Mrs. Jill for a fantastic year!

In deep thought as she ate her pretzels and pizza.

Trying really hard to open her sucker!

Saying her last goodbyes to Miss Courtney and Mrs. Jill.

Every time we drive by Parkway, Karlee yells "my school!" I hope she stays that enthusiastic over the summer for school so the first day back in August will be easy! (Probably wishful thinking!!!)

Possibly the One and Only

I finally finished another sewing project. This time it's a baby bubble with a smocked insert. I took the class at Opelika Sewing Center and loved it. Though it was a challenge, I enjoyed this project. But, when it came down to choosing a boy pattern or a girl pattern, I was torn. The pattern only went up to a size 24 month so I knew Karlee would only be able to wear it a short time. My gut feeling that Baby Baker #2 is a boy but I won't know until next Tuesday. So, I picked girl since I know 2 people having girls later this year and could give it as a gift.

Well, the gift idea is out the window ladies. After 14 1/2 hours of sewing (cutting pattern to finished product plus some gossiping and chit chatting) and 6 hours of smocking, I've decided to keep this project in the Baker household even if this baby is a boy. I'll just add it to the box of keepsakes that I will pass down to Karlee or baby #2 when they have children. Too much time went into it for me to just give it away. And, piping is a new 4 letter word in my dictionary! There's supposed to be piping around the sleeve edge but I just couldn't sew anymore of that crap.

On a side note, one of the girls in the class said her mother was in a sewing club when she was a little girl. They called the club "Stitch and Bitch" (excuse the language!). I just thought this was hilarious since that's exactly what we sit around and do. I really enjoy sewing and it's my only hobby. So, if anyone is interested in joining me for our own "Stitch and Bitch" club, let me know. I'm definitely no expert but we could all learn new things from each other.

Lake!!!

Karlee and I headed to the lake Friday afternoon when she woke up from her nap (Chip was at a fishing tournament on Lake Guntersville). When we got there, she immediately headed for the water and saw Granpa's boat. She called it her boat all weekend. Karlee and Molly assumed their positions and off we went for a nice late afternoon ride.

After breakfast Saturday morning, Karlee was in a swimsuit, sunscreened, and wearing her life jacket inside the house at 8:00 in the morning. Needless to say, she was ready for a day on the lake.



We did lots of boat riding, swimming, paddle boating and fishing (mainly playing with the crickets).

Showing Granny her crickets!

Cousin Lila showed up and Karlee was happy to have someone to play with. Karlee even tried to show her how to get in the water and play on the steps. We loaded back up on the boat and headed out for another nice ride. Baby cousin Raleigh was there too with his mommy. He did his job and slept like a baby for most of the ride. Gone are my days of quiet boat rides with a sleeping child!

Karlee is wearing Raleigh's hat!

We headed home after dinner and I'm glad she had a bath and put her in her pj's. She slept the entire way home and never opened her eyes when I moved her from the car to the bed. She slept til almost 9:00 this morning! She was worn out but had a great time!

Mother's Day Weekend

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. We all went to the lake Saturday to spend the morning with my mom and the afternoon with Chip's mom. Since Karlee is part fish, she absolutely loves the lake. She headed straight for the water when we got there. The Rankin boys were there too and Karlee was in hog heaven. Whatever they did, she was right there with them: paddle boat, water trampoline, golf cart, etc. I'm glad they let her pal around with them. She would have been mighty upset if she couldn't play along with them.




I stole these pictures from my aunt Cyndi's facebook page. I had my camera but didn't pull it out of my bag all day. I was being a little lazy! This paddle boat has definitely had some miles put on it. My parents bought it from Dr. Strother when Adam and I were really little. Every couple of years, my dad brings it home to patch holes and a new paint job. It's so funny to watch Karlee play on it now thinking back to how much fun Adam and I had.



This is one special lady, my Granny. Words cannot describe what she has been through in life. But, she toughed it out and raised 5 wonderful children. I still can't believe she had 4 kids in 3 years (no twins). I can't handle my 2 year old most days. She is 82 and wants to be in the middle of everything. We were all on the dock so she found a way to be there with us, sun umbrella and all!



These women are all special in my life, Granny, my mom, aunt Suzzanne, and aunt Cyndi. They are all wonderful moms and grandmothers. They all helped raise each other growing up and have a special bond. But, don't cross either one of them or you won't know what hit you! Strong personalities!!!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. I am one lucky lady to have a mom that is my best friend, a mother-in-law that truly treats me like her own daughter, and a husband that loves me even on my bad days and spoils me rotten (which I don't deserve more ofter than I do).



And, I can't forget about the reason I can celebrate Mother's Day myself, my sweet Karlee. Lord knows she is testing every fiber of my being these days with her new found 2 year old attitude. But, every day I cherish every moment because I'll look up one day and she'll be 30 with children of her own. The little butterfly in my tummy is wanting a mention too! I'm beyond excited to bring another life into the world. I am so full of anxiety though. What will Karlee think? How will her world change with another baby in the house? Only time will tell I guess.

One Year Ago...

my life was turned upside down for a few hours. Receiving the phone call that my parents had been in a car accident and were headed to a hospital in Gainsville, Florida made my heart stop beating. It was Mother's Day. Why was this happening? Why can Chip not drive my car faster and get me to my parents?

Since Mother's Day is just around the corner, I've been sitting here thinking about gifts and weekend plans. I'm also thinking about how very different this past year would have been had I lost one or both of my parents on that day. How would I survive without them? How would I survive without talking to my mom everyday? I know I will have to deal with that one day, but Lord, I hope no time soon.

How would Karlee's life had changed on that day? She adores them with all of her being. She takes off running to them whenever she sees them. I even have to let her call them sometimes just to get her to calm down at night. How would you explain death to a then one year old?

A year later, I still have no idea how my mom managed to flip the truck and camper 5 times off the interstate with no traffic around her. I guess the Lord above only knows and was definitely with them on that day.

To all reading this, don't take your mother or any parent for granted. Tell them you love them everyday, not just on special occasions. And, if you don't have a good relationship with a parent, do you remember what it is exactly you are fighting over? Is it really something bad or just plain petty? You may not have tomorrow to figure that out, or even this afternoon. Just think about it. Do you really want to go on living your normal life knowing that something could have been resolved with a simple conversation?