Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Hampton's first Thanksgiving

We have more than we could ever ask for.  And even more to be thankful for.  If I were to even BEGIN to name all those things, this post would never end.  God continues to pour out His blessings on us each and every day and I am forever grateful.  We shared this Thanksgiving with Daniel's side of the family in Marietta, GA since we are staying here for Christmas.  You know the whole, swapping each year, back and forth Holiday thing that has to happen when you get engaged and then married to someone who has family not in the same town as yours.  Kind of stinks, but you do what you gotta do I guess.  Anyways, we left on Wednesday around lunch and came back on Saturday.  It was a nice little relaxing getaway I must say.  I always thoroughly enjoy spending time with his family.  His mom has 3 other sisters that are hysterical when they all get together.  This time they were all especially excited to see, no not "us", but of course, Hampton. ;)  It's ok.  I'm getting used to it at this point.  Thursday was a relaxing, gorge yourself out kind of day, complete with smoked turkey and any side you can think of.  That morning before everyone began to arrive, Daniel and I received an "early" Christmas present I had wanted from his parents.  A Canon Rebel T3 SLR. I had known we were getting it, just didn't know I would be so lucky to already open it.  It's awesome!!  I was SO incredibly pumped.  I absolutely love it and we're both a little obsessed with taking pictures (as if I wasn't already with my little Canon Digital).  Friday, Daniel and I got treated to lunch by ourselves and to do some shopping while his grandmother and mom gladly took care of Hampton for the day.  Eating lunch just the 2 of us AND shopping.  And not feeling like I have to be in a hurry.  Ahhhh.  Pure bliss.  By the afternoon, I was already missing my little man.  We spent the rest of the day/night being lazy and spending some more time with his family.  The next morning we got up and headed back home.  The Iron Bowl was coming on at 2:30 and we were hoping to get back just in time...it had just started when we walked in the door.  Bama dominated 42-14.  Woo Hoo.  Roll Tide!!  I can't believe another season of Bama football is over.  It flies by once it gets here.  It sure was a great way to sum up the last few days of sweet family time.  I will leave you with just a "few" of the pictures we took so far with our new camera.  I hope each of you had a blessed Thanksgiving as well!!

Playing with his great Aunt Teresa
 With his 3rd cousin, Mason.  The only 2 great grandchildren as of now. :)

Great grandchildren with Mamaw :)


Einstein thinking...



 A little outside fun



God Love it!  I could just eat those little cheeks up!



LOVE, LOVE this one.  Most of all because I LOVE his BIG brown eyes :)

Sweet profile

We got a little preview of the weeks to come when he got to open a present from his
great aunt Teresa and uncle Jim...he loved it, which I figured.


"What is this big 'ole thing?!"

How sweet...his own little nativity scene for his room!! :) 
It actually lights up and plays sounds and he can play with it.
Thank you Aunt Teresa and Uncle Jim!

There's just nothing quite like a precious, wet, naked baby!

 Playing with his ducky

Going to celebrate our Iron Bowl victory with dinner at Hunt's! 
Roll Tide!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Body by Vi

It all started when I received a message from a friend on F.B. towards the end of my pregnancy telling me about Body by Visalus and asking if I would be interested once I had Hampton.  Well, at the time, I wasn't interested in losing weight really.  I was more interested in getting this moving thing that punches and kicks my ribs out of my body.  I honestly didn't put much thought into it.  I only gained around 35 pounds during my pregnancy so once I had an 8 lb. 12 oz. healthy baby boy I didn't have THAT much more to lose (and I'm comparing that to me gaining like 60 or more pounds).  I had a c-section so moving or exercising sooner than later just didn't really seem to be in the cards for me.  However, the determined person I am, chose otherwise.  I was up moving around my hospital room, walking the halls, etc. WAY before your average joe apparently.  That's what all the nurses and Dr.'s said anyways and they just couldn't believe how much I was getting up and going after a major abdominal surgery.  But, if you know me, you know I am NOT a couch potato and can't stand to lay around or even relax ESPECIALLY in a hospital bed.  So, little did I know, getting up, moving around helped me leave the hospital 24 hours sooner than I normally would have after a c-section.  Yay! Go me. So, once I got home the next day, I was outside strolling Hampton down the sidewalk in our neighborhood.  I was moving SLOOOW, but moving nonetheless.  The first 4-6 weeks post pregnancy I lost 7 pounds.  It was amazing.  I was shocked.  I was like, "whoa.  who knew it was going to be so easy to get this weight off.  Maybe I should have more babies than we've planned."  HA!  Yeah, right.  Little did I know those 7 were going to come off, but what about the rest??  Right.  The OTHER.  Well, here it is almost 6 months later and there are about 10 pounds that are truely still taunting me.  They will not go away.  I've tried about everything at this point.  I lose 2 pounds.  Gain a pound.  Etc, etc.  Sooooo, recently, I saw another friend of mine on FB who had been doing Body by Vi and mentioned she had dropped 2 pant sizes in about a month of doing it.  Of course I also remembered then about my other friend messaging me about it when I was still preggo and she by the way LOST 45 lbs out of the 60 she had gained during  her pregnancy.  To me, those are 2 pretty good testimonials about it if you ask me.  Also, these aren't 2 random people, these are 2 personal friends who I knew would give me the truth about the whole thing.  After speaking with both of them on the phone last week, I caved.  I am ready to say adios to those last few lbs that are still lingering in my body.  I hope and pray anyways.  I ordered my kit (which came with 10 shake mix in flavors and 30 days worth of shake mix) last Wednesday and I received it Tuesday mid morning.  I couldn't wait to get started!!  Both of my friends raved about not only do the shakes taste GREAT and you lose weight and inches, but you have tons of extra energy.  Also, there are literally 100's of shakes to choose from online so you're bound to find at least a handful that you would like.  Here is how it works...

If you replace 1 meal with a shake, you maintain your weight and gain energy.
If you replace 2 meals with a shake, i.e. breakfast and lunch, you will lose weight and inches and gain energy. 
You can mix the shake mix with whatever ingredients you would like, but that's why you have recipes online to go by.  For example, so far I have had a snickerdoodle shake for breakfast yesterday (tasted like a snickerdoodle cookie), a peanut butter cup shake yesterday for lunch (tasted just like a creamy reese's pnut butter cup), and a strawberry and banana shake this morning for breakfast which was incredible!!  You must eat snacks in between your meals to get your metabolism to increase and to make sure you're getting enough calories for your body to burn.  Then, eat a sensible good dinner and voila you begin to lose weight and inches.  Exercise, of course, is optional, but will only help you lose the weight and inches quicker.  So far, I am LOVING it and I really do feel great!!  I am going to try my best to be strict and stick to it.  Even though, I will be honest and say, I WILL cheat on Thanksgiving day, but just for lunch.  I will still have my shake for breakfast and supper! :)  I'm excited about it and really can't wait to see how it makes me feel in the end.  It's typically a 90 day challenge, but of course you can do it for the amount of time that fits your personal goals.  If you too, would like to say adios to those last 10, 15, or 20 lbs that are taunting you, I encourage you to check it out at http://annahewett.bodybyvi.com/ and take the challenge with me.  You never know what may happen!  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you!  One last thing, I am not selling this product nor am I making any money if you decide to do it.  I do get my next months kit free if I get 3 people or more to sign up under me which is why I gave you my website.  I just know what my friends have told me about it and so far, how good the shakes taste and I would hate not to tell others about it that are in the same boat as me.  Blogging is also a way for me to keep track of my progress as I journey through this challenge for myself.  Hopefully, I will be blogging in the near future about how much better I feel and how many lbs. and inches I've lost!!  Wish me luck!!

P.S.  I just weighed myself and I am down 1.4 lbs since yesterday! Woo hoo!!

Monday, November 14, 2011

November = Nut Fest!!

Friday, November 4, kicked off our 68th annual National Peanut Festival Fair.  I was SO excited to take our litty bitty out there to see all the sights, smells, and sounds it has to offer.  Even though he won't remember and he obviously can't ride any of the rides yet, it was still an exciting time.  You see, we (as in my my 2 sisters and I) grew up going to the fair.  My parents volunteered for as long as I can remember being in this world and it was such a fun experience and tradition to be a part of.  So, once Daniel and I got married I lovingly forced him into volunteering to keep the tradition alive and going for our family. ;)  Plus, you get to get in free ALL week.  Who wouldn't want to volunteer for that?! 

This year, we went not once, not twice, but three times, as if once or twice wasn't enough to eat your weight in corn dogs, elephant ears, and boiled peanuts (and in that order. every year).  I was also quick to remember this year how much more fun it is to go while PREGGO.  You can eat your weight in those foods mentioned above and not feel one bit guilty about it until you're about half way home and you feel nauseated because you ate so much.  So what?  You just take zantac, go to bed, and still wake up with a HUGE belly the next morning.  Eating all that when you're NOT preggo, well, not so fun.  I had to work out twice the next day just to make up for it! I told Daniel my goal is to be preggo again by the nut fest next year so I won't have to do all that working out the next day.  JUST KIDDING FOLKS.  Just a joke.  I swear.  Maybe 2013 or 14. :)  Anyways, the first night we went was Friday, Nov. 4, as our family of 3. We all had a blast! 


It was "beary" cold, so we had to bundle up tight!
I know, cheesy, but I had to. ;)

Had to take a pic on a John Deere to match our cute outfit
(that by the way of course Aunt Brooke made for him!)
you can see more of her adorable stuff here...

He thought he was big stuff!

We went again on Monday night with the whole fam and had a blast again!  It was so much fun watching Hughes and Lucy ride rides together!  They both had a ball.  I can't wait to be able to watch Hampton's face light up on rides like theirs did.  Watching pure JOY come across a child's face whether it be your own, a niece or nephew, or someone else's, there is just nothing else like it in the whole world. 

Hughes was ecstatic that they got to go to the fair together...
it is the sweetest thing to see Hughes with him.  I mean,
check out that little hand of a 6 year old on his back.  Too sweet!

Hampton listens and watches Hughes like a hawk...he LOVES Hughes and Lucy!

I couldn't resist!



Like I've said in posts before, Hughes is THE sweetest and most thoughtful
little guy ever...look at him with his arm around Lucy!  That was a tear jerker moment :)

The cute seals on their stage.  I must say, nut fest has bumped it up a notch
since I was 6 years old.  I never saw a seal perform out there.  Just sayin'.

When Aunt Brooke isn't around, this is usually what takes place :)
Don't hurt me, Brooke. Hey, I promoted your business in this post!

I truly LOVE this family pic of us...it makes me smile!

Papa had to get his time in!

Love me some Hughes man. 
This picture makes me realize how tall he is now
(or really just how short I am)

It is extremely rare to get this energetic red headed doll to stop
long enough to smile, much less LOOK at the camera too
so I LOVE this picture with Lucy!  She makes my heart smile BIG!!


By Sunday, Nov. 13, we still hadn't had enough so we went back out there for one final round.  This time I got talked into riding (by an excited 6 year old. go figure).  Wild Mouse was just that.  A little wild, but fun.  I don't think I mentioned for the last oh, about 15 years or so, I don't go for the rides anymore.  Just to stuff my face and socialize.  Just for the record, I was successful at that again this year. 


Dana rode the train with Miss Priss and as you can see, she was a little confused as who this random little girl was sitting by her and her mommy. It was quite the entertainment for most of the ride.


And sweet itty bitty was a great sport the whole time again...through his nap time and all. 
Never heard one peep from him.  He is Daniel made over. :)

And the anticipation began all over this morning...until next year nut fest...when we finally meet again.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

5 months old!!!

Hampton turned 5 months on Nov. 2.  Like I've used in numerous posts before...better late than never, right?!  He is really starting to be fun now.  He is making great strides in his development with every month that passes.  It has been SO fun and amazing watching him grow and learn.  And I know it's only going to get more and more fun for us all!  He has brought so much JOY to our lives.  Words just can't describe.  Here are just a few things he is doing right now.

As of now he...

babbles all the time.
can sit up by himself for several seconds before toppling over which is hilarious to watch.
laughs (and it is by far the sweetest sound I've ever heard).
reaches and grabs for. every. thing.

still LOVES to watch t.v. and bathtime.
still LOVES sleeping with mommy and daddy and sleeping ALL night (some nights 12-13 hours!!!).
gives kisses with his mouth wide open (one of the cutest and sweetest things, but oh so slobbery!)
sits and plays in his bumbo.
stands on his 2 feet with someone holding him and thinks it is SO funny.
now eats solid foods at breakfast, lunch, and dinner (bananas, pears, and apples are his favorite).
likes to hold his bottle by himself. I think it makes him feel like a big boy! ;)
plays with his feet (and eats them) ALL the time.


He can't roll from his back to his tummy yet, but I'm sure it won't be long!

And he (and his mama too!) still LOVES every piece of A-dorable clothing Aunt Brooke makes for him to model!! :)

 It makes me a little bit sad to think my next month old post he will already be 6 months!!  sigh. ;(  tear.
Oh well.  At least I can say it has been an incredible journey so far and look forward to what the Lord has in store for our future!!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Hampton's 1st Happy Halloween!!

This year was Hampton's 1st Halloween so I was excited to be able to dress him up and I knew he would look precious in whatever we decided.  Even though he had NO idea what was going on, he was still a good sport and we had fun going trick or treating with Hughes and Lucy!  We had us a little cow (or baby calf as I liked to call him) for Halloween this year and boy was he the cutest little cow I had ever seen.  Our neighbors across the street from us has a little boy, Caden, who is 11 months old.  They came over before we left and we let Hampton and Caden sit together for a couple of pictures.  They were WAY too cute not to.  One day he will probably kill me for these pictures, but it will be fun for him to see him and his friend for both of their first Halloween's!!   I can't wait for them both to get a litte older and actually play together.  I think they will be best buds. 
Hampton's face is PRICELESS. I can only IMAGINE what he was thinking. :)

They neither one were too fond of picture time in some crazy costume

After some good laughs at Caden and Hampton's photo shoot we headed to Mimi and Papa's house in Westbrook for more pictures and then a little trick or treating to get the good stuff.  He was hysterical when he first saw Lucy.  She was a cupcake and obviously he thought she was a pretty darn funny cupcake.  He just smiled when he first saw her and couldn't stop staring.  Hughes was Mark Ingram (AL football player in case you are in left field and don't care anything about football) so he wasn't as funny to him.  After pictures, we headed out to get the kids crack and we got lots of oooohs and awwwws over our little cow.  He had eaten supper right before we went over there so I just knew he'd probably end up being asleep or falling asleep once we started out, but oh no.  'Ole nosey rosey was awake the WHOLE time.  I was shocked.  Being strolled and all.  Never even dozed off one time.  He was such a little trooper and was in complete amazement at all the weirdness around him.  I guess in his book, staring at all the weirdness around him trumped going to sleep.  We had a great time and next year will really be a FUN time for him.  I can't wait to see how he will react to it then.  If I had to bet, I would say putting a precious cow costume won't be nearly as easy as it was this year. :)



Mimi with all her babies...this is a rare (and rather difficult) picture to capture! 
Especially with at least one child not having a meltdown.

With our precious little cow!

Since Hampton was still so little this year and can't eat the good stuff, Mimi gave him baby food and a bib in his Halloween goody bag from them.  I thought it was a pretty darn perfect idea on Mimi's part if you ask me.



Even though a little late, I hope everyone had as fun as a time as we did on Halloween this year!  Better late than never, right?!