Christmas came early!

Paul came home Saturday from "breakfast with his mom" with a new baby! He told me she would not take the place of Ace, but ,maybe she would help ease the pain. She is so tiny and adorable! I miss my Ace-y Poo, but hopefully he will find his way back home to meet his baby sister! I was going to name her Peyton, but she didn't look like a Peyton to me, so I went with Miley. Mia, Brooklyn, and Izzie were also in the running. Izzie was probably my favorite, but that nickname is reserved for a future Kinney baby girl! :) What an awesome present! When I was a little girl I always put a puppy on my list for Santa, but he never brought it to me. Being older and knowing what I know now, I totally understand. Paul definitely hit a home run with this present! Just think, 2 years in a row I got a baby for Christmas!

Today=BLAH!

We have an ice storm warning here. How crazy is that? The last ice storm we had closed down the city for at least a week. Is it really sad that I secretly wish it would ice over from here to Memphis so I can stay home with Reese? I know, I know, I'm a little old for snow day wishes! I can't help it. Reese will be 1 in 12 days. Her personality is getting bigger and bigger. She is so funny. She is quite the little diva, but what do you expect from a princess? So cross your fingers for at least a little bit of ice for me! I just want one day! One day to stay in our pjs till 3 in the afternoon. One day to cuddle up and watch Backyardigans. One day to spend hours of uninterrupted time with my Pieces!

Now I really am excited about Christmas!

No we didn't find a ton of money, but Paul did get a job! He is working at a warehouse in Memphis as a Merchandise Specialist. My reason for the newfound aniticipation for Christmas is Reese Katelyn! She absolutely adores Christmas decorations. She is amazed by the tree and all the lights. The presents are a constant temptation to her! :) I am positive she will love opening presents for Christmas and her birthday. She enjoys ripping paper of any kind...including the Bible. She ripped half the book of Luke out of Paul's Bible before I could get it from her. I can not wait to see my little girl rip into her gifts! Hopefully she will have half as much fun as she had decorating for Christmas!

Our first Thanksgiving as a family of 3!!

Thanksgiving was great! Reese loved all the food and being around everyone. When we woke up Tursday morning we found out Reese's baby cousin Will was coming soon! Regina had been having contractions all night. He was born round 9:30, ON his due date! We went to my Mama Jane and Grandaddy's house for lunch. The Titans were playing the Lions and everytime the scored (which was quite often!) Paul yelled, "TOUCHDOWN" and clapped. By the end of the night when Reese heard you say "touchdown" she would throw her arms up and clap! It is the sweetest thing ever! We went to Arkabutla, where my mom's side of the family is from, that night. My aunt pulled Reese and my little cousins around in a wagon, and Reese was loving every minute! She would laugh so hard she would have to catch her breath!

The day after Thanksgiving we put up Reese's first Christmas tree. She had so much fun! She crawled under the tree with Paul while he was fixing it. She would pick up the ornaments out of the box and hand them to us to hang. She wasn't up when we finished, so the next morning I turned the lights on before I got her out of her bed. She was excited to see the lights, she kept pointing at them and smiling at us. Paul put up the outside lights that morning too. When we got home from Gammy's house, Reese saw the lights and flipped out! She wanted to touch all of them. We let her stand by the bushes and play with them. She really liked the snowmen that line the sidewalk!

I really think Reese is going to enjoy her first Christmas. Of course she won't understand Santa, but she already likes ripping paper to shreds, so I have a feeling she will love opening her presents. I can't wait to see her with her new toys!

Oh yay...Christmas is coming!

That comment is dripping with sarcasm! Can't we just go away for Christmas? I know I sound like a scrooge, but I have very good reasons! First of all, Paul still has no job. Needless to say, money is TIGHT! We have 21 kids to buy Christmas presents for, not counting our own. I realize Reese is only one so she won't know that she got short changed for Christmas (not to mention her birthday 2 days later). So what do you do? Give junky presents, explain to a child that we are broke, or charge it? Second, people in Memphis get 10 times stupider come December. They forget how to drive, how to walk, and how to say excuse me. RUDE, RUDE, RUDE!! Plus I think they multiply this time of year. Where in the world did all these people come from? Go back to where you came from if you can't be any nicer than that! Oh and the other reason I am dreading Christmas....our families! We really love our families, but we like to love them at a distance! All of them together on one day, that my friends, is a recipe for disaster! Why can't we be on the beach somewhere, instead of refereeing a wrestling match between Paul's brothers. We could go to the mountains and see snow instead of putting up with the crazy that is my family. Better yet, here is my Christmas wish: to stay home in our warm pajamas with our baby girl and watch Elf and Christmas Vacation all day while she plays with wrapping paper!

2 Whole Days!

Paul and I are leaving tomorrow to go to Nashville for the Titans/Colts game. First of all, how in the world do you explain me getting tickets to see Peyton Manning on a Monday night the year he is so ridculously bad? I mean come on talk about bad luck. Peyton hasn't been consistently this bad since his first couple of seasons with the Colts. (will never fully admit it was his fault he was that bad then.) So what gives?!? Either way though I am going to my first NFL game and seeing Peyton play, so why am I so sad? I have to leave Reese! Paul says she can't go. Even though I know he is right, I will still say he's the one that won't let her go. I am not worried about her being taken care of; she is staying with Shelly. If there is anyone I trust her with it's Shelly. It's the thought of being 3 hours away from my baby for 2 whole days! It's definitely gonna be hard. I am going to miss her like crazy. Peyton better make it all worth it and hand the Titans their first loss!

The Pumpkin Patch

We took Reese, Maggie, and Conor to the pumpkin patch last weekend. I think Reese had a good time. She missed her morning nap, so she wasn't very smiley! The corn maze was definitely my least favorite thing. We couldn't get out; some heathen kids took down the signs! Reese and Conor had fun playing in the hay. I tried to find a pumpkin big enough to clean out and stick Reese in for a picture, but apparently they don't make them that big. :) She did however, get to ride a pony!

Reese's First Time at the Park!

That's my girl! Eating dirt! She even went back for a second helping of mulch. She absolutely LOVED the swings. Paul and I really didn't feel like stopping after a trip to Wal-Mart, but when she smiled that huge smile, we were so glad we did! She laughed and giggled the whole time. The slide was scary for me, I wouldn't let her do it by herself. I could see broken arm written all over it. I would like to make it throught the first year with out any casts. I can't wait to take her back to the park!

3/4 of a year old!!!

I love this picture. I can not believe how big she is getting. She was 9 months there. That means she is 3/4 of a year old. The night before her Gammy's wedding at the rehersal, we were watching the ducks on the pond. She kept yelling "Du-Du-Du!" I'm telling ya, I've got a genius on my hands. A genius who also likes to swim in the dogs' water bowl!

Reese Katelyn Kinney

Ok, so I realize I am starting this late. I know some of you probably don't think the first post should be about Reese. That is where you are wrong. I know Paul and I had 3 years together before Miss Priss came into our world. And I am sure one day I will go back and touch on that, but for the time being, this is where I choose to start. The birth of our little girl changed my life entirely! When I saw my husband hold her and the look in his eyes when he gazed at her, I felt a different love for him. A love I can't explain, something deeper than before. Since I was a little girl with all my dolls, I wanted to be a mom. That was my dream, not to be a movie star or have lots of money, but to be a mommy. Paul gave me that (and so much more). When we walked up the aisle after we were married, I was sure I could never be happier, and never be more in love. I was so wrong! I loved him more each day for new reasons and in new ways. When he looked up at me with that tiny baby in his arms with tears rolling down his cheek, I realized this was a whole new realm of love. She was perfect in every way. Her hair was thick wild, and dark with blonde highlights. Her lips were perfectly puckered. Her cheeks were chubby and her little hands could fit perfectly around my fingers. No matter how many times I heard how amazing it was nothing could prepare me for the emotion I felt that night at 8:00 on December 27, 2007 when they finally brought me my precious baby Reese. I can not put in to words the feelings I felt for my husband and this new life that we created. That was one moment in time that I will never forget.

I promise this whole blog will not be filled with cheesy, mushy, gooey stuff. Hopefully, if we do it right it will be full the good times we share as a family and updates on what's going on with us. Oh, and of course there will be pictures!