February Fun

Well, it's been 2 weeks since I've blogged and I feel bad about it because there has been plenty going on! Josh came home on Valentine's Day and surprised me with a gift and a VERY sweet card. My husband doesn't buy cards, and so the fact that I got one for Valentine's Day was very surprising and he was so sweet... Brady and I also had a small gift for Josh for Valentine's Day. We also worked very hard to make a card for him. I helped Brady with a few things, but 90% of the card he did by his self, it was too cute. He did all the cutting out and all the writing (except I wrote "Dear Daddy") Here's a couple of pictures:

The day before Josh got home Braden & I went the World of Wheels with Nana & Papaw. Brady loved it! He had so much fun. And of course that means the rest of us enjoyed ourselves too. He got his picture made with SpongeBob and he got a new couple of Hot Wheels and we saw hundreds of cool cars.

As most people already know we also had a nice little snow that Valentine's Day weekend. We didn't play out in it too long, maybe 30 mins or so, but I did make sure I got some pictures.

Now, since Josh has been home we've been getting our schedules back on track and he & I are both back on the work out bandwagon. He's killing me, but the fact that he's a slave driver just insures that I get results. So far I feel better and don't hurt as bad after working out. I've got to continue to push myself to get results though. For the people that don't know, Josh and I have been carpooling and working out together since mid-January when my hours at work changed to 7:30-4:30. We worked out together about 2 weeks and then he had to leave for 2 weeks. Now he's been back one week and I feel better already! Josh of course has been working out HARD since last July/August...and in the last month or so he's managed to get down to a lower weight than I think I've ever seen him. Overall, I think his weight loss is between 40 & 45 lbs. Just wonderful! He looks so good too. He doesn't believe me, but I think he's just YUMMY. ha!

February 21st 2010-

The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.

-Morrie Schwartz

Soccer time!

As usual, we're busy around our house! Our newest thing is SOCCER! That's right, Braden's going to play soccer. We've bought him a ball, shin guards, socks & paid his registration. All we need now are some shoes and pretty weather and we're ready to go! He's very excited. He loves kicking his ball in the house (he can't play outside because it's ALWAY RAINING ON THE WEEKENDS!) His buddy Ben is going to be playing too, so I'm sure he will love it. Here's the schedule:


Another good thing that has been going on is that we've been visiting with a new church. Dora First Baptist. It's smaller than GFBC, closer to home, my grandmother goes there and the preacher is really nice. It always makes me feel better after I go to church, and I can't imagine not raising Braden in the church. I always pray that God takes me where I need to be. For His glory.


Also, right now Josh is out of town. He's got Warrior Leadership Training...whatever that is. He's in Ft. Jackson, SC for 2 weeks. This was some kind of required training for his latest promotion in the reserves. BLAH! Oh well, at least he'll be home on Valentine's Day. I'm already missing him a lot.


Oh, and on a side note...I think we found one of Josh's old army friends the other day! It was a buddy of his that he was very close to and some how they lost touch right around the time Brady was born. We've been trying to hunt him down for four years. Yay! I know that Josh is really happy about it!


I hope everyone is having a great New Year and I'll update again soon.

February 4th 2010-

It's one thing I like about America - they respect the sportsman. They put them up on a pedestal. They don`t try to knock them down. And that`s a great thing, to be respected by the whole country. It`s so patriotic!

-David Beckham

Things To Do In Birmingham

I wanted to share the list I keep to remind me of things you can do in Birmingham and surrounding area. I'm always interested in CHEAP and FREE things that we can do. Either as a family, or just Josh and I. When I was looking over my list a couple of days ago I just KNEW I needed to share it with my blog friends. I've added comments about different things and links. I hope everyone finds it very useful.

THINGS TO DO IN B’HAM (or right outside the city) :

1. Visit Vulcan – the museum is open Monday through Saturday 10 am - 6 pm and Sunday 1- 6 pm. And Vulcan's park grounds and observation balcony stay open every evening from 6 - 10 pm. Evening admission to the park grounds and Vulcan's observation balcony: Just $3 plus tax (4&under free!) http://www.visitvulcan.com/

2. Visit Sloss Furnaces – Free admission & interesting stuff! They’ve got several different events throughout the year (some family friendly, some not). They also host Sloss Fright Furnace (October, duh!) , The Magic City Brewfest http://www.magiccitybrewfest.com/index.html (June) and Stokin’ the Fire BBQ Festival (August) http://slossfurnaces.com/

3. Art Galleries – You wouldn’t believe how many there are in Birmingham. Some unique Birmingham based artists, some older art from all over the world. Look around and find a few that look interesting. Of course there’s always THE Birmingham Museum of Art. http://www.10best.com/Birmingham,AL/Shopping/Art_Galleries/
4. The Comedy Club/The Stardome – seriously, if you’ve never been. I’ll be happy to recommend a few of the funnier comedians and you HAVE to experience a hilarious night at the Comedy Club. http://stardome.com/
5. Pepper Place Saturday Farmer’s Market. Every Saturday (May – Oct), - 7 a.m.-noon. Details: 802-2100 or http://www.blogger.com/www.pepperplacemarket.com. FREE – fresh veggies & fruit, music, crafts!! Very neat stuff!
6. The Peanut Depot & Morris Avenue. Historic Morris Avenue is the home to this peanut heaven built & established in 1907. They also offer free tours and very cheap peanuts! http://peanutdepot.com/

7. Temple of Sibyl – 2031 Canyon Rd. Vestavia. The Temple of Sibyl offers tremendous views of Shades Valley and Samford University from atop Shades Mountain. One of the earliest residents of Vestavia was George Battey Ward, the former mayor of Birmingham who purchased twenty acres in a prominent spot on the crest and built a home in 1924 designed after the Temple of Vesta in Rome. Across the road on a peak overlooking the valley below, he added a garden gazebo, a replica of the Temple of Sibyl at Tivoli. To read more check this out: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4113/is_200407/ai_n9418245/
8. Barber Motorsports Speedway – They offer a Porsche driving school & tours through their huge museum. And while all of that seems exceptionally cool…I’ve got to admit it’s not cheap. The museum is $15 per person. For a family of 4, that’s just ouchy. http://barbermotorsports.com/
9. Aldridge Gardens-located at Lorna Rd & Rocky Ridge Ranch Rd., Hoover it boasts the worlds largest selection of hydrangeas (best viewed April-July) and since I love hydrangeas, and it’s FREE…I really like this place. We also had family pictures made here in the Fall of 2008, and although there weren’t any hydrangeas in bloom, it was still beautiful. http://www.aldridgegardens.com/
10. Go to McWane center and IMAX – It’s definitely not free, but there’s so many fun things to do, educational & entertaining. You can lay on a bed of nails, pet a shark or stingray, let the kids play on the early childhood play area, explore the world of dinosaurs, see how an engine works and thousands of other things. Almost everything is interactive and it is literally fun for people ages 2 – 102. They constantly have new exhibits (currently it’s the Curiosity Exhibit w/ Curious George) & they have wonderful summer camps for kids! http://www.mcwane.org/
11. Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) – I know classical music isn’t for everyone, but I really like it. Especially live. If you’re also interested, ASO plays in various locations (Alys Stephens Center –UAB, The Alabama Theatre, Brock Hall –Samford, BJCC). They also play for The Birmingham Children’s Theater once every month, & are generally inexpensive & on a Sunday afternoon. http://www.alabamasymphony.org/ Oh, and the Principal Conductor is Justin Brown…who happens to be HOT. But that could just be something I’m interested in.
12. Meyer Planetarium-located at Birmingham-Southern College (226-4771) You don’t need a reservation to view the planetarium’s awesome show that is open to the public one Saturday or Sunday per month @ 2 p.m. I remember going in elementary school and I loved it. You don’t have to be a sky-gazer to like this experience (but it’s even better for those that are sky gazers). It’s pretty cheap too! $2 for adults and $1 for kids 12 & under. http://www.bsc.edu/campus/planetarium/shows.htm
13. Tannehill Ironworks State Park – Trade Days are one weekend per month March-November. 7am-sunset; admission to the park itself is $3 p/adult, $1 p/child and 5 yrs and under are free. Located off Confederate Pkwy in McCalla. They also have car shows, rock & gem shows, civil war re-enactments, Halloween Festival, Christmas at Tannehill, and on Labor Day they host the Moon Pie Eating Contest! They have a list of events on their website: http://www.tannehill.org/

14. Alabama Theatre-1817 3rd Ave. N. – Amazing, gorgeous…the Alabama Theatre is a completely renovated classic from the old days. They have concerts (BB King, Alabama Symphony) and movies all through the year. From what a friend of mine tells me they are also looking into renovating the top floor and opening it up as a bar/restaurant. I hope it happens soon! That’d be awesome! http://www.alabamatheatre.com/

15. Birmingham Botanical Gardens & B’ham Zoo are right next door to each other so you might as well make a day of it! If you haven’t been to both of these places then you are seriously slacking!! Get out of the house!! http://www.bbgardens.org/ http://www.birminghamzoo.com/
16. Historic Rucker Place Jazz on the Porch & wine tasting. First Thursday of each month (starts in May), 5:30-7 p.m. $10. Details: 558-2485 or http://www.ruckerplace.com/. Hmm, historic, jazz, wine…I’m there!
17. Ave Maria Grotto – Called “Jerusalem in miniature” and that’s a very apt description. Great for all ages, & located in Cullman…it’s a short drive and fairly cheap ($7 for adults, kids 6 & under are free) If you’ve never been, or it’s been awhile it should be on your list. http://www.avemariagrotto.com/
18. Southeastern Outings & Wild South are 2 non-profit organizations that offer Short Day Hikes, River Floats, & Picnics throughout various locations in central Alabama. They both have a calendar of events available, but only Wild South has a website. To find out more about SE Outings you can contact the founder Dan Fredrick @ seoutings@bellsouth.net And you can visit Wild South’s website for a LOT of great info on their FREE hikes. http://www.wildsouth.org/
19. Alabama Adventure aka:Visionland is located in Bessemer off I-59. Roller coasters and other rides & attractions. They also have concerts & Splash City during the summer.http://www.alabamaadventure.com/ 20. Smith’s Variety & A’Mano – 2 shops of several shops located on Culver Rd. in Birmingham/Mtn Brook. Smith’s is a true 5 & Dime with unique toys, gadgets & collectibles. A’Mano is a combination gallery & gift shop. http://smithsvarietyshop.com/ & http://amanogifts.com/

Great Places/stuff I’ve not listed, but everyone needs to know about:
Birmingham Baron’s baseball Games

Rickwood Caverns – Western Blount Co.
Birmingham Race Course – Greyhound & simulcast horseback racing
Clay & Cocktails (Imagine Clay Studio) AND Sips n’ Strokes
Consignment Chic – bus tours of B’ham’s finest Consignment shops!
Talladega Super Speedway/Museum
Southern Museum of Flight
Heart of Dixie Train Museum (Calera, AL.)
The Tutwiler & The Redmont – 2 historic downtown hotels that have lovely restaurants/bars
The Birmingham Farmer's Market - Off Finley Ave.

I'm ALWAYS happy to hear more ideas. So if you've got something...PLEASE share it with me!

Jan. 15th 2010-
A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one.

-Aristotle

Nouveau Commencement

Wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve done my blog! Christmas has gone by, as well as my baby sister – Audrey’s – birthday. We’ve ushered in a New Year and it’s time to focus on the future and reflect on the past. There really are so many things to be thankful for this past year. Josh re-enlisted in the Army to continue to provide a better future for our family. Braden had another illness free year! Kendall continued to cheerlead & play basketball. And I’ve managed to survive another year with all these crazies in my house! Like the title of this blog post suggests, 2010 is all about a new beginning .

(Braden & Kendall @ the Christmas Tree Farm)

Christmas was great. Hectic & chaotic as usual. We traveled all over the place and saw all our family. The kids were ridiculously spoiled and Santa brought far too many toys! The weekend before Christmas Braden, Ben & Kendall had a Polar Express pajama party at our house. The boys & Kendall wore their pj’s, drank hot cocoa, ate sugar cookies & watched the movie Polar Express. It was a lot of fun! I think this will have to be something we do every year! --I'm putting the Christmas pictures at the very bottom of this post--

Ben & Brady eat their sugar cookies!

(Best Friends)

New Year’s was a little different this year for us. We actually went to see the Alabama Symphony Orchestra at the historic Alabama Theatre. For anyone who hasn’t been to the Alabama Theatre, I would say it’s a MUST on anyone’s visit to Birmingham. Josh & I went with my friend Bonnie and the music was wonderful. They had champagne at intermission and then when we were done listening to the ASO we took our old selves to Waffle House at 8:45 p.m.! After that we went back to Bonnie’s house and watched t.v. and talked until midnight. Not long after midnight we decided we’d had enough fun and went home. It was all very exciting (I typed that last sentence using sarcasm, LOL).

(Me & Josh at the end of the night)

(Looking down from the second floor into the main area)

watching the symphony from the cheap seats

(Me & Bonnie)

So, what lies ahead for us in the New Year? Well, for obvious reasons I have almost no clue. I know what things are supposed to happen, and I know things that I WANT to happen…overall I hope it’s a good year, and an even better year than 2009.

Here’s a few things I anticipate will happen (no definite’s, but they are absolutely listed as SHOULD occur);

**Me, Josh, Diana, KB and several other friends are turning 30 this year. ARGHH!! I’ll miss my 20’s, but I have a feeling that I’m REALLY going to miss my 30’s one day.

**Going to West Virginia in May for Josh’s brother Nathan’s graduation from medical school. GO NATE!

**Braden starts kindergarten at Bagley Elementary. Believe it or not, I’ve got to do pre-registration for him in April! And he’ll start K-5 just a couple weeks after he turns 5. So, I get to turn 30 AND my only baby starts school. How very sad for me.

**A trip to Wyoming is in the works. An old friend of mine lives in Cheyenne and it seemed like a great reason to visit a part of the country we’d love to see. Then there’s the added bonus that I’ll get quality time with a friend that I miss.

**We’re SUPPOSED to finish putting the house in decent order so we can put the house on the market. A lot of that hinges on our job security & financial situation, but I know this needs to happen very soon if we want to have another baby one of these days. With the 30th birthday on the immediate horizon, I’m starting to feel like there is a deadline looming over my head. J

Obviously we’ll have another busy year. There’s no way around it. Just continue to keep us in your prayers. Lord knows we need them every single day.

Love you ALL, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I promise to keep up with the blog better than I did last month!

(Braden & his Papaw on Christmas Eve)

(Kendall opens her gift next to Josh & Audrey)

(Kendall opens her gifts Christmas morning)

(All the stockings lined up in a row...and our 100's of Christmas cards from friends & family)

(Braden would get SO excited about everything he opened!)

(Josh handed out the presents while I took pictures & Memaw & Papaw Moody watched)

Jan. 5th 2010-

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

-Seneca (Roman philosopher)

Born is the King of Israel

Ohhhh! I just love Christmas! Of course, I've obviously been too caught up & busy to write my blog for 2 weeks!! I've missed telling everyone so much!

First, Brady went to his first movie on Dec. 6th with me, Josh & Kendall and all the rest of Josh's unit in Hoover. We went to see A Christmas Carol. It was okay. What I really focused on was how Braden enjoyed himself. I think we're officially okay to take him to movies now because he did WONDERFUL! He sat through it quietly & pretty still. Which is saying a LOT for Brady. Well, around the time the 2nd ghost showed up to visit Scrooge, Braden had climbed up in his daddy's lap and fallen asleep. It was sweet, a very good first time movie experience.

When we left the movies we went to the Christmas Tree farm in Fultondale and picked out our tree for the year. It's become one of our family traditions and it's something the kids really enjoy. They have reindeer, free hot chocolate & apple cider, free wagon rides, Santa's sleigh (for picture taking) and acres & acres for the kids to run around. We got a gorgeous tree! I'll have to finally get some of my pictures uploaded to my computer and post them for everyone.

This weekend should be fun. Saturday my friend KB, her kids & hubby are coming over and we're going to have a Polar Express PJ party. Our boys, Ben & Braden are best buds and we're going to let them sit and watch Polar Express w/hot chocolate and enjoy themselves. Buddy Ben & Buddy Braden (that's what they call each other) will probably end up watching part of the movie and then running around & playing with toys for the rest of the night, but they'll have fun and that's what matters! Then Sunday it's time to go to my Grandmother's house for Christmas!! Yay! The festivities have begun!!

OH! And I'm off work the entire week of Christmas! Yay me!

Dec. 17th 2009-

I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely. God bless Christmas!

-Charles Dickens