Chamberlin times FOUR

Fun around the house

2010-01-14T21:20:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of playtime around the house.... This is Shelby's favorite toy!Shelby and ITrey playing... whatelse.. firetrucks!Shelby in the toy box- she loves doing this!Trey joined in on Shelbys activity by sitting in the toy boxes as well.

Shelby has figured out how to drive Trey's four-wheeler (she gets on all by-herself and then pushes the gas!)But Trey still loves to take take her out for a spin!

Walking and a visit to the firehouse!

2010-01-09T20:53:00.006-05:00

Shelby has been walking around since October by holding onto the furinture or using pushtoys- but this week she decided it was time to go it alone! Here are some outtakes of her walking across the room between Chip and I....

Making it back to Daddy!YAY!!! I DID IT!!!!Best picture of her I could get as she was walking towards me....We are so excited for Shelby and this big milestone!! Yay for Shelbs!

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Friday night we had dinner at - where else- CHIC FIL A! Anyhow Trey was in his usual attire; fireman boots, firehat, and firejacket. (seems Trey is becoming well known around town as the little fireman!) ok back to the story- a firefighter was also eating there and came to talk to Trey and invited us to come by the firehouse the next day and he would give us a tour. So Saturday AM we headed over. Chip & I were expecting the usual here are the trucks and thanks for coming... but the men at Station 1 in Glynn County went above and beyond! Not only did they show him all the trucks and tell him what they all did- they showed him the sleeping quarter, the bathroom, the kitchen, and the best part- they let him ride out of the bay in the rescue truck and spray the hose (of course it was not on high)! We were so thrilled and Trey had the time of his life... and Shelby just enjoyed smiling at the firemen!

Here is Trey and his new friend F.F. Dante!This station also sits right on the railroad tracks (Trey's other favorite thing) so we thought the station "patch" was really cool!Spraying the water hose- practice to put out fires!!Ride in the rescue truck with Daddy and FF Dante!Shelby sitting at the front of the ladder truckThanks for the tour!!

Christmas... wish I'd not kept forgetting to pick up the camera!

2010-01-04T21:13:00.003-05:00

Opening gifts!Trey in his Church clothes for Christmas Eve... and no fire boots on! He actually never asks to wear them when we go to Church.Shelby in her Christmas Eve Church clothes~We even got to see some friends while in ATL and enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve lunch with them!

New Friends!

2009-11-19T14:36:00.003-05:00

We have been having so much fun meeting new friends here in Brunswick! We've been very blessed to meet Lucy and Patrick and thier kids Kate (2yrs) and Jack (4 months)... they are here for the same reason that we are... except they didn't move 5 hours south- they came from ALASKA! Lucy and I have much in common and I've really enjoyed spending time with her - Trey and Shelby have also enjoyed having new friends as well. Here are a few pictures that Lucy posted on her Facebook page

This is the inside of a playhouse that Lucy made out of a refigerator box... we don't have that in common, I am not that creative! Trey and Shelby both had fun in it! Trey pulled all the "furniture" out of the playhouse...
Here they are sharing - yay!

And here they are not sharing....We went to Chic-Fil-A Monday night for dinner (every Monday at the local CFA is family night- kids eat free and then do a craft... needless to say we are there every Monday night!) Trey and Kate decided to hold hands on the way out. Here Trey was showing her how to put the straw back in his drink... Oh and yes, Trey does wear his firefighter boots and hat everywhere... he even naps in the boots most days!

Update-FINALLY!

2009-11-03T21:17:00.004-05:00

Well we have been in South Georgia now for almost a month! So far we are really enjoying it down here-with the exception of missing all of our family and friends. Here are some random pictures from the last month. Looks like I didn't get them loaded on here in order...Here is Shelby- since we've been here she has started crawling and now is trying to walk. She pushes this firetruck around just like Trey did!

Halloween we did a little trick or treating- here is Trey the fireman.
Shelby the toothfairy.

Me- the cat, Shelby, and Kim the Devil.We really enjoying being only a few miles from the beaches of Saint Simons- so we've been taking advantage of that on Saturday mornings. Here are some pics.We like to head to Dairy Queen after a morning at the beach for lunch- yum and peekaboo~Shelby at the parkWe headed to a SMALLLLLL town called Odom, GA for a fun pumpkin patch- great hayride, farm animals and lots of other things!Here we are at the park we take the kids to after a nice saturday morning run.

Move...

2009-10-11T15:25:00.001-04:00

In case you haven't heard... we've moved. Yes we have left Atlanta and headed south. We are now in Brunswick, GA and will be here until April then its on to Texarkana, TX! Its been a very busy few weeks and I will post pictures and news soon!

The Great Blackberry Disaster!

2009-09-22T15:32:00.002-04:00

Trey loves blackberries... not my favorite fruit but he just thinks they are "DELICIOUS"! I had given him a few in a bowl for a snack last week and I guess he didn't eat all of them. That evening I was in the kitchen cooking dinner as Trey and Shelby were playing in the living room... dinner was ready and on the table. I went to get Shelby to put her in her chair and discovered that.. well she also loves Blackberries!

rainy week.

2009-09-17T14:16:00.003-04:00

It has been raining most of the week- so we've had to find indoor activities. We visited an indoor inflatable jump house place. This one is called Kangazoom. Trey and Shelby had a GREAT time. This will be a place we will visit alot as the weather turns cold. Trey enjoyed the little basketball he found. He would kick it all over the place and take it up the giant slides and toss it down and quickly follow after the ball. They had a section just for kids Shelbys age- they called it "crawlers and wobblers" - how cute! Here is Shelby- having lots of fun!

One day I decided that playing in the rain would be just great! Shelby and I stayed under the umbrella and Trey lived it up by looking for puddles to get wet in. (I think our neighbors thought we were crazy- LOL!)
We had a one day this week (Monday) that was rain free- so we hit the park like we normally do. Here is Shelby checking out the leaves.... soon they will be covering the park.Trey the firefighter is keeping watch...We (ok... Chip- such a great man!) also got a chance to wash the car with the assitance of Trey! (Shelby and I cheered them on!)

football and chicken

2009-09-11T21:29:00.003-04:00

Each year on Labor Day Chick-Fil-A gives away free chicken sandwiches- if you wear your favorite team logo. So of course you know we particpated! For lunch I wore... RED SOX! Then dinner (yes- dinner) Chip and I wore BRAVES! Shelby borrowed an jersey from Trey (you know, when he was little and had taste in a team! Go Dawgs!) Here she is all ready for her chicken and fries!Now here is Trey... as I stated above- when he had taste. He is wearing an Eagles Jersey... sorry buddy but Mommy lost a bet to Uncle Kevin and this is the payoff. So Kev- here he is out in public in Eagles gear. (I think the bet was lost over a year ago... I am slow).

We also headed up to watch the Greater Atlanta Christian School's Freshman football game. Our friends the Bunn's son, Ian, plays and this was his first game! (We even saw Jeff Foxworthy- his daughter is a Cheerleader here. We sat close to him but I didn't bother him for a picture since - well... this was his family time) It was exciting and we were glad to be a part of Ian's big day! It brought back alot of memories from high school and Friday night football games!
Here is Trey he enjoyed the game and the Cheerleaders....
Here I am... I didn't see much of the game (wonder why).The guys- Ray, Chip, and Trey.

Whats your deal?!

2009-09-09T14:45:00.003-04:00

This picture was taken in June of Shelby and her cousin Gabby- just had to post it! (Thanks Suz for the pic and the cute caption!)

Its more than baseball... its the Red Sox!

2009-09-02T14:32:00.004-04:00

I am often asked why I have such a love for my Boston Red Sox. My typical/easy answer is I am from Boston. While it is true that I was born in Boston, I am not really FROM Boston- my heart belongs to Atlanta and the South (I am a true Southern girl). I have family in Massachusetts and spent many summers in Beantown growing up. And yes, I do have a place in my heart for Boston; but the truth about my love for the Sox runs much deeper than just being born there.
I think it is something that is in my DNA. It was something that was passed from my grandfather, to my father, to me. When it comes to baseball- Ive known nothing different. I learned everything there was to know about baseball and it was something that my Dad taught me and his love was the Red Sox.
I can remember him telling me stories of his childhood growing up in Boston; about him and his friends going to games, about his Dad taking him to games. I can still see a gleam in his eyes when he tells me these stories. I love to hear the story when he was a kid and his Dad telling him to pay attention and watch because Ted Williams was up to bat. He tells stories of The Yaz and Tony Conigliaro of his autograph book and of Fenway park and watching the players come and go. I knew that I wanted to be a part of this!
In 1986 we lived in Lithonia, GA; I was all of 7 years old. The Red Sox has made it to the World Series! I remember the excitement my Dad felt. I remember sitting in our big blue chair staying up late watching the games. I remember my Dad recording every game of the series on our new VCR. It was that year that I felt the bond between a person and their team. It was when I became a part of Red Sox Nation and learned how much I hated the Yankees (even though the Sox werent even playing them).
I grew into a bigger fan as the years past and never a World Series win. I felt the pain of well maybe next year. In college I met my husband and discovered him to be a huge baseball fan and was able to impress him with my extensive knowledge of the game- thanks to my Dad and our Red Sox. The year we married the Red Sox did the unthinkable they became World Series Champs for the first time since 1918 and I cried! (They also won the year Trey was born... so we are hoping this being Shelby's first baseball season that maybe again this year! LOL!)
I still call my Dad each time the Red Sox score when they are facing the Yankees (even if they dont win the championship- beating the Yankees is just as good- if not better!). It brings me back to being a kid again, to afternoons with the TV on and hearing my Dad yell at the screen and my Mom rolling her eyes (she still doesn't get it). It is the special something between a Dad and his Daughter- something that my Mom still doesnt get. It is something special that I will pass along to my kids. It has become something I have given to my husband and friends. But it will always remind me of my Dad and his love that I will forever be grateful for.
So if there are a few things you can know about me; I love God, I love my Family, I love my Country, and I love my Red Sox!!!

The tradition continues... Trey the year he was born. (Shelby will soon be joining the ranks as well!)

Some more randomness from our week

2009-08-31T21:17:00.008-04:00

Here is a picture of Shelby at the Varsity- this is not her first time here but her first time enjoying the food! She had some fries and cheeseburger!Trey loves Firetrucks and Police cars... no surprise there! It is hard to find things for boys that have police or police related items (when I do I usually buy it!) Trey most recently got a fireman costume from his Dimmey and Papi (his Papi was a fireman). He wears parts of it all around now... check out these pictures!

We recently bought annual passes to Stone Mountain. This is probably (next to the Beach, Fenway, and Turner Field) my favorite place to go. It is not to far of a drive (about 30 minutes) from our house and there is alot of fun things for the kids to enjoy. Here are some pictures from our visits this week... Here is Trey and Chip on top of the mountain (my battery died after taking this one and only picture this day so I'll have to get more next time).

Trey enjoying one of his favorite things- THE TRAIN!!Shelby waiting for the Train- can't you see the excitement!?

Trey is pointing the the cable car that we rode on.WOW! Can you believe it- I got them both in the picture smiling!! YAY!!!

Not sure what he is thinking here.Finally Shelby would like to thank her Aunt Suzanne for the yummy sauce (or as the Yankees from NJ say- Gravy) she made for us while they visited. As you can see she likes it!

Chic-Fil-A for a rainy day!

2009-08-28T14:05:00.006-04:00

Most morning we head out to one of the local parks- the kids ride in the stroller for a run and then have some play time afterwards... but this morning we awoke to rain, thunder, and lightning. Needless to say no park today. So instead we headed out to Chic-Fil-A! Yes, go figure the Chamberlin's at CFA?! So after we ate Trey and Shelby had some playtime on the indoor playground- YAY! While we were playing look who came by for a visit- THE CFA COW!!! Trey is having fun "driving"Shelby was enjoying looking at herself in the funny mirror...Then she gave herself a kiss!Here is Trey coming down the slide!He didn't like having his picture taken- LOL!Here we are with our friend the cow!

computer stuck....

2009-08-25T14:09:00.006-04:00

Well once again I am behind on catching up this blog! So here I go... Here is Shelby playing with one of Trey's toy... She's a happy baby!Shelby decided about 2 weeks ago that she did not want the baby food I was offering- so while at McDonalds she managed to steal a piece of Trey's cheeseburger! Before I had turned back around she had already grabbed it and was stuffing it in her mouth! She loved it and the fries... and then while she was at it I let her try an apple pie- she loved that as well!

Thanks to Karen for the tip on this park in Roswell! The sprayground at Riverside Park- it is our favorite place to go and we have visited a few times already. Not only do both Trey and Shelby love this place- but its free!! Here are some pictures from one of our visits.
Trey loves to pat Nugget... Every night before bed time Nugget comes into Trey's room and Trey will hug Nugget and say- I love him. So sweet. Here is Trey patting Nugget after giving him some "special" wet cat food.While Kevin, Suzanne, and Gabby were here we took a trip out to Snellville to visit the Yellow River Game Ranch. This was by far a favorite for all the kids- they could touch and feed the animals- they loved having such a close-up view. A funny story from our visit that day- The Game Ranch is home to the South's Offical Groundhog, General Lee. While we were looking in Gen. Lee's cage we told Trey we were looking for Gen. Lee... He got very excited "Ooooo- where is Dukes of Hazzard"! LOL! Anyhow here are some pictures of our outing!And finally here is a shot of all the cousins playing together- well sort of!

Gabby's first trip to the SOUTH! PT.1

2009-08-11T15:30:00.008-04:00

Kevin, Suzanne, and Gabby drove from NJ for a week to visit us! We had so much fun while they were here and were so thankful Trey and Shelby got to spend some time with thier Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin! Here are a few picture from our week (the rest of the pictures will follow!) ... We took a trip to Stone Mountain to feed the ducks. When Kev and I were little our Dad took us here every week. So its something special that we both cherish and were glad to continue this tradition with out kids...

We had to take them to our favorite place to eat- NY Pizza in Vinings - or as we call it the train pizza place.

We also took a trip to the aquarium- Shelby and Gabby enjoyed the whales and Trey enjoyed running from fish tank to fish tank! We also ran over to the Olympic fountain rings with Kate! This picture is 2 years in the making! Karen and I have not been able to get a picture of these 2 since they have become mobile so when they sat so still the two of us were sitting in front of them- click, click, clicking away! The girls rode in the stroller together and we were asked countless times "how old are the twins"... they are cute!The week before we got Trey out on the boat! He hadn't been on the boat since he was a tiny tiny baby... so I was glad that he was so eager to go.

Catching up!

2009-07-10T14:55:00.007-04:00

Its been about a month since my last post. Believe it or not I've been spending alot of time trying to keep the house clean during nap time instead of posting to the blog! Chip sure appriciates it - but since its Friday and I've already mopped and cleaned the kitchen I figured I'd catch up here! Trey has been enjoying learning everything we do. He is very observant and is a quick learner. Here is a picture he took all by himself of Shelby!

The Gwinnett Braves~!

We have gone to 3 Gwinnett Braves games this year! The stadium is about 35 minutes north of the city.... we live 5 miles from the Atlanta Braves stadium and haven't been to a single game. We do plan to go sometime this month... Anyhow- the G-Braves (as they are being called) are fun to watch- it is such a kid friendly place and inexpensive! Chip and I went a few weeks back to meet his friend Larry and his girlfriend Lindsey. We had such a great time. It was also Chick-Fil-A night... so the Cow was there AND the San Diego Chicken! I must admit as much as I love baseball I watched the Chicken more than the game that night! We went last Sunday to watch the G-Braves play the Tides! A friend of mine from high school was the starting pitcher for the Tides. It was the first Braves game I'd ever been to where I didn't wear any Braves gear. Andy pitched a GREAT game- a no-hitter into the 6th inning! Trey had lots of fun and Shelby again enjoyed watching the players warm up in the bullpin and then took a nap in her stroller! Lots of races!

On June 28th I participated in my 2nd triathlon- The Iron Girl (its all woman)! It was a sprint distance- 1/3 mile swim; 18 mile bike; 3 mile run. This year Rebecca did it with me. We had lots of fun. I even beat my time from last year by a little over 5 minutes! It was also filmed and will air on NBC Sports on August 2nd- so look for me because the camera crew filmed me for about 1/2 a mile of the run (now that was motivation to keep up the pace!) Can't wait to do it again next year!

Chip and I also ran the Peachtree Road Race- this was our 5th time. I had my best time ever- 55:30!! I placed 7,600 out of 55,000 runners! I was very excited and got a big boost of motivation as that was our first "long run" of our marathon training. We have 4 runs during the week and Saturdays we have a long run- tomorrow we do 7 miles.

Around the house!

Trey and Shelby are really starting to interact alot and its so much fun to watch! Trey likes to make her laugh and she likes to try and get his attention by making funny noises. They also like to play "steamroller" (where they roll around... I just have to make sure Trey doesn't roll OVER her). Trey also likes for Shelby to ride on his ride-on toys- so I have to give her some help. Shelby is starting to get the hang of drinking from a starter sippy cup! Here are some pictures- but Trey thinks she needs help...

Cow day!

Today was Cow Appriciation day at Chick-Fil-A! Dress like a cow and get a free meal. So Trey and I dressed like cows. Shelby wore a cute strawberry outfit I thought it was fitting for a cow pasture... well it made sense in my head... I knew she'd eat the costume if I put her in one- I had a hard enough time keeping her from eating mine and Trey's. Here are the pictures...

Family reunion

2009-06-24T16:24:00.007-04:00

This past weekend we drove up to PA for a family reunion at my parent's house. We drove through the night while the kids slept... We had so much fun catching up with the family and watching the kids all play! We really hope that we can do it again next year!! Here are some of the pictures! (they are not in order...)
Here is Shelby and her Uncle Kevin and Mimi: Shelby and her Cousin Gabby

Suzanne and Gabby
Chipper and Trey... he was so tired after a long day of playing

Shelby
Cindy and Mike
Trey's bath toys made for great fun for the guys- Kevin, Mike, and Chip (Chip won the boat race)

The guys also got into the slip n slide action!

Jane and Bill

Trey LOVED the slip n slide!!!

Trey enjoyed the pool also!

Issabell on the slip n slide

Trey!

Derek

Alyssa

Derek and Trey crash!

Trey again

Shelby grabbing her Uncle Kevin

It also rained but Trey didn't care

Trey and Mike playing ball

Trey and JT in the Jumpolean

cousins Shelby and Gabby

Me and Shelby, Suzanne and Gabby, and Pa
Trey catching lighting bugs with Allison
Trey and Derek playing ball

Highchair and sleeping adventures!

2009-06-04T15:04:00.003-04:00

I had to get out the camera twice this week while Trey napped. Today he wanted to wear his cowboy boots to nap... ok... fine by me! LOL! So cute!Monday I went into check on him and he had fallen alseep on the floor sitting up against the wall~ LOL!

Shelby is now sitting all alone - no more tipping over (so she even gets to sit alone on the hardwoods!) So when we went out to eat over the weekend she sat in a highchair! She loved the new perspective and had a nice time looking around and grabbing whatever she could off the table. Trey even enjoyed her sitting next time him!

A day in our city

2009-05-31T15:01:00.003-04:00

Saturday morning we headed to Pemberton Place/Centennial Olympic Park for the "Everyday Heros" event - put on by Coke, the Aquarium, and National Museum of Patriotism. (This is really a neat place since Coke and the Aquairum have moved in!) Centennial Park is now bustling with activity and is a nice place to spend an afternoon... Anyhow- Trey LOVES firetrucks and Police cars so what better place to go. He spent about an hour running from Police car, to firetruck, to police car, and firetruck. We even rode a firetruck (although I couldn't really get any good pictures of that).After all the fun checking out the police and fire stuff we walked over to the Olympic fountain rings... Trey is becoming a real water lover so we thought he might appriciate the rings. And boy did he ever! I am thankful for once I thought ahead and brought a change of clothes for him... if only I had brought myself some clothes- Iwent home pretty wet... I had to join in the fun with him! Check out the pictures!

Unfortunetly this was all happening right in the middle of Shelby's nap so she enjoyed some sleepy time in her stroller!

Sitting!

2009-05-29T15:26:00.003-04:00

Shelby is now sitting up all alone!!! She still topples over if she reaches to far for something or just randomly tips back... so no sitting alone on the hardwoods just yet! This is an exciting milestone for her- such a new world to see and even for Trey~ he is enjoying that she can sit up and watch him... won't be long until they are running around together!!

Planes and swings!!

2009-05-27T15:30:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend we spent the afternoon at a really neat park- Peachtree-Dekalb airport has a park almost on the runway! How awesome... here are some pictures. Trey wanted to try on my sunglasses- NO pictures please!
Here he is with his own Hotwheels sunglasses!

Shelby LOVED the swing! I think I got some really cute pictures of her!

Trey and Chipper watching planes take off and land!

Here is a shot of the swings - like I said the park is almost on the runway!

Trey flying like a plane on the way to the slides!

Trey wanted to ride his bike - and wear my helmet (backwards!)

I had to get a few more pictures before we put the helmet on the right way!

celebration week continued...

2009-05-16T21:28:00.006-04:00

The week of Trey's birthday was so much fun- it even included a visit from his Mimi and Pa! They drove from Penn to help us celebrate! Here are some random picture from that week...

Here is Shelby and Daddy!

Trey thought it was great fun to remove the cushions and sit in his chair on top of the sofa!
We had hoped to go to Stone Mountain but the rain kept us away- so we went to the aquarium- Trey thought it was so exciting to "SEE MORE FISHEYS"! We toured the entire "worlds largest aquarium" in about an hour. He would look and then it was on to the next thing. Shelby also LOVED seeing the fish-her favorite were the whale sharks. Here she is with a shark!

Trey and his Pa checking out some fish!
Every morning when Mimi and Pa were visiting Trey would hammer thier mattress (we don't have an extra room so it was inflatable all the way!) - it was his way of fixing it.. you know letting the air out!

We went to the park while they were here. We took along his bubbles- they were a big hit with all the kids at the park- they all wanted to watch or try to blow. Trey mastered this skill and I was covered in soap!

Mimi even got in on the action- check her out on the swing!

Trey doing what he loves- digging in the dirt!

getting ready to slide~

Trey and his Pa had a so much fun playing baseball in his room! LOL!

On Trey's actual birthday we had a big day! First was to ride the Marta train! LOL! That is always an experience. But Trey loved every second of it and Shelby slept most of it! Then it was off to Chic-Fil-A ... one of our favorite places to eat! After nap time it was off to the park and then to watch garbabge truck- finally we had dinner - grilled cheese for Trey!

Trey's train party!

2009-05-09T22:05:00.005-04:00

We had a great time celebrating Trey's 2nd birthday at his favorite place- New York Pizza exchange (the train pizza place)! Here are some pictures (in no order...)
Here is Trey enjoying his cake!!!

Happy Birthday to TREY!! He had been looking forward to blowing out his candles ALL DAY!

Trey and Zoe....

HERE COMES THE TRAIN!!!

Shelby LOVED the train as well- she laughed and squealed each time it came by!

So did all the kids!

Trey thought the pizza on the pan MUST taste even better than the piece on his plate...

HI TRAIN!

Shleby watching the train

Trey had such a fun time! Thank you to our parents and friends who helped make this birthday week so special for Trey (and for us)! We love you! (More pictures of Trey's "birthday celebration" later!)

Thomas and his friends!

2009-05-04T15:30:00.006-04:00

Last Friday we took Trey to see his favorite train- Thomas!! Yes- they actually have a real train that looks like Thomas. It travels around to differnt locations throughout the year, its called "A Day Out With Thomas". The closest place was in Chattanooga, TN- so we drove the short 2 hours to see Thomas and take a ride! Here are some pictures from our day!

A week in the life of...

2009-04-23T21:42:00.012-04:00

Trey lines up his big cars and trucks each morning at the back door...

Shelby started on "food" this week.... Rice cereal and because it tastes so bad- a little mushed up banana- she laughs and enjoys what she does swallow. Most of it still ends up on her face and bib- its a learning process!

"I am the cat that likes to go into Trey and Shelby's room at 3am and MMMEEEOOOWWW as loud as I can, I miss my sister Fry... so I hope the meowing makes you pat me"! (My ears are back because you said you didn't like the middle of the night wake up calls!)

Every morning when Chip leaves for work- Trey loves to go outside and "watch Daddy go down the street"... This morning I noticed the beautiful sun rise. Makes you just stop in the busy hustle and bustle of the morning and praise God for all blessings He has given to us even as we are so undeserving!

Holding the bottle all by herself... soon we move onto the sippy cups!

Our favorite thing to do- TRAINS!

Back to running again! Training for the Marine Corp Marathon!

Nugget has a new chair.. or so she thinks...

Trey is feeding the turtles- what a sweet guy!

All smiles!

Gwinnett Braves!!

2009-04-19T22:02:00.005-04:00

The Atlanta Braves have moved thier AAA minor league team just outside the city- this weekend was the opening of the new stadium and new team- the Gwinnett Braves! Of course in the Chamberlin household- we HAD to go- we LOVE baseball. We bought outfield lawn seats for $6 (Trey and Shelby were free!) The lawn was the perfect place to sit- Trey had plenty of place to play and he really enjoyed it! We actually got to watch the ENTIRE game! WHOA! Anyhow- it was a wonderful time and we plan to spend many afternoons there over the summer!

Here are some pictures:

Here is a shot from where we sat on the grass- and please notice the hairdo of the lady if front of us... interesting....

Trey!Shelby:Chipper, Trey & Shelby:It seems that Shelby loves baseball... Whenever I turn the TV to the Sox or Braves she becomes very still and watches very intently... Then today her over to check out the guys in the Norfolk Tides bullpin warm up- she was so excited at each pitch that she would laugh wildly!! This is the best picture we got of it!Trey got 3 balls from the bullpin of the Norfolk Tides- a friend of mine from High School pitches for them- He was nice enough to give Trey a ball and signed it for him! Trey's favorite part was being able to throw the ball down into the bullpin! (thanks Andy!)It was a wonderful day!!

Childrens musuem and baby play!

2009-04-02T15:39:00.005-04:00

Its been raining cats and dogs here for the last few weeks- which is good because we have been in such a severe drought for SO LONG now... the rain has helped so much and has even "ended the drought (although we are still under strict water regulations).... the rain however does not help a toddler pent up in a house. So we took Trey and Shelby to the Childrens muesum on Saturday. We showed up an hour before closing- which was great not only did we get a discount but the place was almost empty (and an hour was plenty of time for Trey)!

He really enjoyed just running from thing to thing and have nothing "off limits" to play with. His favorite was the water fishing area. We had to save him from taking a dive in (yes he tried to get in and we grabbed him just in time!) needless to say he was SOAKED! Here are a few pictures:

Shelby has a new favorite activity- her exersaucer! She loves to play in it. She especially enjoys when Trey will show her the different play things on it. She babbles away as she stands in it and spins the seat around to look at everything. Here are some pictures:

This week Chip and I signed up to run the Marine Corp Marathon in DC! Now we have alot of work to do! I am very excited and can't wait to train- and run it!

Pizza and trains... and some other random stuff

2009-03-24T13:25:00.007-04:00

Trey LOVES trains... I guess like most boys his age... There is a WONDERFUL pizza place just up the road from us that sits right on the CSX rail line (yes, I am becoming a train buff myself) and the place even has a great patio. In the span of 8 days we visited 3 times! It was impossible for us to go during the winter because Trey would get so excited when the trains would go by that he just couldn't calm down- he kept thinking he was going to miss the next train and wanted to be outside- so now that we have warm weather we do just that!

Here are some pictures from our last few visits:

My folks and Chip's folks for lunch

Here comes the train- WAVE!

Shelby is growing up so fast! She'll be 4 months old next week! She can roll from her back to her tummy (but still gets stuck with her arm under her!), she laughs and smiles and TALKS all the time! She can stand (the balance will come soon- but she loves being held so she can stand). She also enjoys watching Dora, train documentaries, Max and Ruby, and VeggieTales along with Trey. Trey is finally starting to show affection towards her- he will put her paci in her mouth and when she wakes from napping he'll declare "I hear Shelby, lets get Shelby Mama". Shebly still loves to watch Trey play and wants to just be around him. In fact if she is crying him walking in front of her will calm her down! Its very sweet. And no fail- to make her stop crying singing the Dora the Explorer theme song works EVERYTIME! LOL!

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks!

Trey dressing like Daddy:
And- the other exciting news! Trey started potty training almost 2 weeks ago and it has been going so well!! He gets so excited and even likes to go when we are out places (yay.... LOL!) Shelby is a super sport and waits patiently during the process! I have no pictures to post of potty training- LOL!

Fry Guy

2009-03-11T21:03:00.003-04:00

In 2003 Chip's parents found some kittens at the end of thier street- I ended up taking 2 of them. Nugget and Fry - yes I named them after McDonalds food! Fry became the big lazy one and Nugget the skinny crazy one. They each had differnt personalities but both so sweet.

Fry went to the vet on Monday and was diagnosed as having kidney disease- the Vet said she'd seen cats live as long as 2 years with it- not what I wanted but at least he could live. Poor Fry went downhill very quickly and we had to put him to sleep today- his kidneys were shutting down and so was his heart- there was nothing else that could be done.

My heart broke. We stayed with Fry the whole time and petted her as she slipped away. I was glad I did- I think it was nice for her to have us there in her last moments.

I will miss that kitty so much. I will miss her sitting on my feet in the middle of the night as I feed Shelby, her keeping my legs warm whenever I lay down, her drooling mouth when she was so happy, the sweet way she was with Shelby and Trey, the company she kept me while I watched tv, her indention on the bed each morning.... She was the best cat I ever had. Thank you Fry Guy for being such a great kitty to us!

On the Road again!

2009-02-24T14:06:00.015-05:00

We just returned from a trip up north again. We visited my folks in PA! It was a nice time- we were hoping that there would be TONS of snow on the ground- but no luck! Oh well maybe next year! Trey and Shelby did great on the long car ride - and we also got to meet Gabby
Here are some pictures:

Uncle Kevin playing piano with Trey

Trey with his Mimi and Pa reading his new favorite book:

This is as close as we got to snow:

Enjoying Mimi playing the piano:

Gabby and Shelby- they are only 15 days apart!

Shelby is watching the New Kids on the Block perform on TV- really! LOL!

Chip & Trey takin a break

BRRR!

Checkin out the Cops....

Having some fun - what a beautiful place!

Grandparents with all the grandkids!
Kevin, Suzanne, me, Chip... Shelby, Gabby, Trey:

What a mess!

2009-02-23T14:17:00.002-05:00

Here is what happened when I folded laundry in the other room!
I have some great pictures of our trip to PA and Trey & Shelby meeting thier new cousin Gabby for the first time... BUT its time for Shelby to eat.

Chic-Fil-A party!

2009-02-03T14:04:00.005-05:00

Trey went to a birthday party for Melody (daughter of Alex & Emily) she turned 2. It was a nice party at the Vinings Chic-Fil-A. I didn't even know that CFA did kid parties- but they do and it was a hit! The kids all got kids meals, a balloon, a small CFA stuffed cow, and a CFA hat. And then of course they played in the playplace! Here is Trey enjoying the fries:

Shelby looking forward to having fries in about 7 more months!Here is the birthday girl:Trey enjoyed smelling the flowers- LOL!And the highlight of the party- a visit from the COW!! Trey hugged his leg:

A picture of all four of us- amazing for everyone to be looking at least towards the camera! LOL!

Here is Shelby and Zoe after Church Sunday. Zoe is the daughter of Tara and Steve- she will be 1 in March! They were very intrested in watching each other!

Just a bit of our week

2009-01-28T14:17:00.011-05:00

Trey LOVES trains. First discovered this before Christmas when we took him to Stone Mountain Park and we rode the train. Now anytime we drive through Vinnings (where there is a railroad crossing) he gets so excited. Saturday we actaully got stopped at the tracks for a train. I've never seen someone so excited- when he heard it coming he began screaming "OH OH OH"... then he just screamed. Here is a picture:

Sunday Shelby wore her first dress! So cute! She is finally growing into her clothes so I was thrilled she could wear the dress to Church!

Shelby is smiling alot and loves to watch her brother (although he mostly ignores her at this point)... We think she is also going to be a non stop talker like her brother- check it out!

Trey is now begining to "pose" for the camera... He'll smile when you tell him you are going to take a picture- its pretty funny!

Trey has 2 mallard ducks that he'll walk around with and kiss... he was holding his big duck so I put the little duck in Shelby's arms and tried to get thier picture together- it didn't work. Trey saw Shelby with "his" duck and took it away and said "no Shelby". But here she is with it-

Here is Trey patting the cats- he loves the cats! (He is actaully very sweet and gentle with them)

Chip brought out his guitar and Trey ran yelling "drum, drum" Here is the father- son duo...

Finally I tried getting a picture of Shelby and Trey together... I got about 6 pictures of Shelby and Trey's rear-end as he was rolling off the sofa! LOL! This is the best I could get.

I see dump truck!

2009-01-23T14:07:00.005-05:00

Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday the garbarge truck comes to our complex and picks up the dumpster and Trey just thinks this is the greatest! He'll wake up and take his stool to the window and when he sees that the dumpster has been pulled to the driveway he will say "I see dump truck" over and over... He'll check outside every so often to make sure he hasn't missed it. Once the truck arrives he screams with excitement and out we run to the porch so he can see the truck lift the dumpster and pour the contents into the truck. The driver always waves and honks the horn for Trey- what excitement!

He also really loves playing with legos- even Chip has gotten into it! (here are Chip's creations)

Here is Trey trying to dress just like Daddy:

Shelby is growing by the day- in fact she gained just under 2lbs in a week! She can hold her head steady and is looking around taking in the world around her. Here is a picture.

Hopefully the weather will start to warm up soon and we can go to the park more- maybe today!

behind... behind

2009-01-19T14:45:00.002-05:00

Yep- I am far behind on posting! I have a ton of pictures to download and post- but stupid me thought it would be a good idea to show Trey the interactive web site for his favorite cartoon- Max and Ruby. Now I can't even look at the computer when he's awake- if I do- he jumps in the chair and yells with excitement "MAX, MAX!". So that is the main reason I have no pictures to post today. I plan to load them tonight when he goes to bed.
Trey is doing great- he is getting so big and becoming independent and strong willed! Shelby is still a happy quiet baby- which is such a blessing! We have gotten a routine in order and she is sleeping very well at night- yay!
Chip and I are training for the Atlanta ING half marathon coming up in March and then our first full marathon- the Marine Corp marathon in DC in October!!
Anyhow- I'll be back to posting pictures and updates later this week!
Lu

20 months... 1 month... Merry Christmas

2009-01-07T14:07:00.004-05:00

Trey turned 20 months on the 5th and Shelby will be 1 month tomorrow- time flies.

Thank you so much for all the great Christmas cards that we got this year- I especially love the pictures that were included (I am jealous of the Donnelly's trip to Ireland!)... anyhow I am sorry that this is the 2nd year in a row that I have not done Christmas cards. I even have Christmas cards- just didn't set aside time to "do" them. Next year I will get on the ball.

For Christmas this year we were at Chip's parent's house (the Chamberlin Sr's)- Chip's sister and hubby were also in town from Santa Monica, CA. It was a nice time! Trey was so much fun this year. He enjoyed ripping the gifts open and would even yell "awesome" after opening each toy. I am looking forward to next Christmas when he will be able to anticipate Santa and begin to grasp the true meaning of the season.

Here are a few pictures:

Shelby as Miss Claus:This was the best picture I got with both of them together.... LOL!

3 weeks later!

2008-12-29T14:35:00.011-05:00

Things have been very busy around the house the last few weeks! Shelby is 3 weeks old today- time really flies... (I recently bought the new CD by Darius Rucker because of the song- It won't be like this for long. How true it is!)

Anyhow- we've had a few visitors- which Trey really loves. When people come over he takes them by the hand and insists on playing "toys, toys"- here is Matt playing Toys with Trey!

My parents also came down from PA for a few days to meet Shelby and play with Trey! We had a good time and mostly just hung around the house and relaxed (oh and of course watched the Dukes- see the TV behind my mom- that's Daisy! LOL!)While my folks were here we opened some Christmas presents- Trey got a really cool drum set. As soon as it was set up he took the sticks and began to play like he'd done it before. After a few minutes he ran to our bedroom trying to bring out Chip's guitar so Chip could play that! Trey has also become a "climber"... (which makes me thankful he's not in a crib anymore) here he is on his horse... And look at what a difference 10 weeks makes! This is Charlie (Emily's new baby boy) - he is 10 weeks older than Shelby! Here is a picture of Shleby last week. Trey opened the box of goldfish crackers last week and decided they belonged in the ziplock bag... one of those moments all I could do was laugh and grab the camera! And the big news - Trey and Shelby have a cousin!!! Kevin and Suzanne had baby girl Gaby (Gabriella Faith) last week. Gaby and Shelby are 15 days apart. We all can't wait to meet her (and get more pictures!!) very soon!

"Been in trouble with the law since the day they were born"

2008-12-19T14:38:00.011-05:00

Things here are going well! Shelby is such a sweet quiet baby and sleeps ALOT. Trey is being a great big brother and really has enjoyed helping. A few days ago I heard Trey saying "hello, hello, hello" I walked into Shelby's room and he was standing on a stool looking into her crib telling her hello! What a site!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Each morning when I am getting ready Trey sits in his chair in the bathroom and I set up the portable DVD player and he watches Baby Einstien or the Veggie Tales. Well this one particular morning all of his DVD's were in the car. So I searched our DVD's for something appropriate for him to watch... The Dukes of Hazzard!!
Growing up I loved the Dukes- every Friday night I got to watch. Chip was the same way as a kid. The two of us still love the show.
At our wedding- the grooms cake was themed with the Dukes. We almost bought a General Lee... yes- really (we then found out we were pregnant with Trey and thought better of it) but maybe one day when the kids are grown... We've gotten to meet John Schnieder- Bo Duke and We even attended Dukes Fest over the summer!
We have all but season 6 of the show and couldn't wait for Trey to watch them....
Turns out Trey is a HUGE fan! Each morning when he gets up he asks to watch it telling us "Dukes, Dukes". When its on he grabs his General Lee and even says "yee-haw" during the jumps and chases. Its really funny and cute. I guess it all sounds kinda redneck- I guess its a southern thing (at least that's my excuse)

Trey and I last December (2007) in Gatlinburg at "Cooters Garage"

Chip & I in June (2008) at Dukes Fest... Chip and I (2006) with Bo Duke The Grooms cake at our wedding (2004)And here is Trey watching the Dukes!

Shelby Nicole- WELCOME!

2008-12-10T15:45:00.006-05:00

We welcomed Shelby Nicole Monday, December 8th at 12:57pm... What a blessing! These pictures are in no particular order- can't wait for everyone to meet her!

The Gov's house!

2008-12-07T21:38:00.005-05:00

This is the second year we've visited the Governor's mansion for the annual Christmas Tree lighting. We live just a few miles away and the event is free- so how can you say no?! Plus you get a tour of the mansion and refreshments afterwards. We met Karen and Tanna along with Kate... and one of Karen's friends Knoxville. We enjoyed the evening- even if it was freezing!

Here are some pictures:

Outside in front of the tree-

Trey LOVED the wooden reindeer!Group shot!We missed Governor Sonny Purdue this year- but we did see the First lady of Georgia- Mary Purdue and she was nice enough to pose for a picture!Here is a picture from last year with the Governor:

Well... tomorrow is the day. Shelby will be here! I am scheduled to be at the hospital at 7:15am to be induced. I will update with pictures when we arrive home! We are so thankful to the Lord for the new life we will meet tomorrow!

Thanksgiving and more!

2008-12-01T13:29:00.010-05:00

Chip was off this year for Thanksgiving- another reason to give thanks! We drove up to Habersham (North GA) that evening for a HUGE get together with Chip's family. We enjoyed all the favorite foods- including my favorite- Cheesecake Factory's pumpkin cheesecake! YUM! Anyhow- Trey really enjoyed himself and all the fun toys to play with. Here are some pictures:Here is Trey with his 2nd cousin- Kate:The day after Thanksgiving Chip and I actually went shopping - at ToysRUs (Trey stayed with his Grammy)! I was expecting the worst- but it wasn't bad. It was packed and you had to wait to get a shopping cart and it was hard to move through the store. But most everyone was friendly and there were no fights and rudeness (that I saw). We were in and out and complete with all of Trey's Christmas shopping within an hour! Then we headed to Longhorn for a nice lunch date.

That afternoon we took Trey to a park since it was so warm- it was in the 60's! (A far cry from today where we have not hit 40 yet- brrrrrr!!) The park backed up to Lake Lanier- which is still suffering from the drought. Here are some pictures:

Where I was standing to take this picture - is normally in the lake:

If the lake were at full pool Trey & I would be at least 15 feet under water where we are standing! (The lake is 20 feet down right now...)Sunday we went to Church of the Apostles for service (this is where I worked prior to Trey being born)... Gov. Mike Huckabee was giving the sermon! While I didn't hear all of it- I really enjoyed what I did hear. Chip really was impressed with his sermon. It was such a nice service with a wonderful guest musician as well. Afterwards we grabbed lunch at McDonalds! After Trey took a nap we went over to Lenox mall (ugh- I hate this mall!) to see Santa and ride the Pink Pig! The Pink Pig is certainly an Atlanta tradition- Chip and I rode the Pink Pig when we were kids- so of course we had to take Trey!

One was a bust and one was a hit! Check it out!

In line waiting to see Santa: The 2008 Santa picture!This is last years' picture with Santa (2007)
Pink Pig! THEN.... we took Trey to ChuckECheese! Sounded like a good idea... Trey LOVED it but Chip and I ... all I know is I will NEVER go back on a weekend. I don't mind kids being kids and having fun- but I can't stand kids who are unruly and undisciplined! We stayed for an hour letting Trey ride the "things" and then we were outta there! What a place! Oh and Trey had his first Krispey Kreme doughnut last week- it was chocolate covered... Well- there are only 11 days until my due date... Trey was born 9 days early and the doc said they will decide tomorrow if they will go ahead and schedule an induction for the end of this week (she said since I've had a healthy pregnancy it would allow me to have a "plan" since I have Trey and Chip's work schedule is crazy). So I should know more tomorrow but hopefully Shelby will be here by the end of the week!

A Stone Mountain Christmas!

2008-11-24T13:52:00.006-05:00

Last night we went to my favorite place- Stone Mountain Park! My Dad always took me when I was a little girl and I even had my first summer job there when I was 16. I've always loved going... so I was so excited to bring Trey for the first time.

First thing we did was feed the ducks. My Dad and I fed the ducks each week- and Trey loved it just as much as I did... Here are the pictures: (the ducks did show up- mostly geese at first)

After feeding the ducks we headed to the new village that the park has built. They have a special Christmas event- complete with falling snow! There are many shops and the best place to eat (which we ate at- yum!!) but most of the time we were there we spent at the train station. Turns out Trey loves trains. He would even get very upset when the train would leave the station to make the trip around the mountain. We eventually took him on the train. That was the best part of the entire night! The train makes a stop about half way for train riders to enjoy a Christmas show... and I couldn't believe my ears when I realized this was no politically correct Christmas show. They were simply telling the Christmas Story! They even shared the gift of Salvation. It brought tears to my eyes. I loved that Stone Mountain had decided not to do some "happy holidays" thing and forget Jesus like most places this time of year. Thank you Stone Mountain for a wonderful night (but maybe the $20 admission fee could be a little lower!).

On the train with Dad

Trey watching the train leave the station!

Pumpkin Patch fun!

2008-11-13T14:25:00.004-05:00

So I am posting this one a little late- but I finally loaded the pictures to my computer! We went to a great pumpkin patch near Gainesville, GA a few weeks before Halloween and Trey really enjoyed it! He picked out his own mini pumpkin and learned how to say "pumpkin" - at least the first half- he says "pump".

Here are the pictures!

We were all so excited about the Red Sox winning 2 in a row... (Trey's gotta get used to the heartbreak of being a Sox fan)This was the best family picture we could get- Trey was far more interested in running around picking up pumpkins!

Hangin' Tough!

2008-11-08T14:47:00.004-05:00

Back in the early spring my Dad called early one morning and told me I needed to watch The Today's show - odd, I thought. I hate that show and so does my Dad... Well I quickly turned figuring it must be important. Well I let out a scream like a little girl as soon as the image appeared on the screen... yep after all these years The New Kids On The Block were finally back together again!!! Not only were they planning to release a new album but were going on a reunion tour!! AHHH! It had been 15 years and now they were back!

In June when tickets went on sale in Atlanta I jumped online and made my purchase- I managed to buy floor seats. Perfect! A old friend of mine whom I hadn't seen since NKOTB was first together came with me.

I didn't expect to have so much fun- as soon as they came on stage I was brought back to being 13 again. I smiled and danced and sang along the entire 2 hours they played. I took a ton of pictures- expecially when they came down on the floor and performed 3 songs RIGHT NEXT TO OUR SEATS!!!

Here are some pictures of my night!

And one final thought on the night... single guys are stupid! Do you know that the sold out arena was probably 95% woman?! Guys---- I can understand not wanting to go to see the New Kids- but why not come to the tailgating or something? The firemen and police that were working the event sure had no shortage of woman flirting with them- all night! LOL!

Anyhow- I can't wait to go again (If they do another tour!)!

Civic duty!

2008-11-04T13:50:00.004-05:00

As you may know I have always felt very passionate about voting... I registered to vote when I was 17 1/2 - that way as soon as I was 18 I could vote. I don't think there has been one single time that I have missed going to the polls. I think voting is such an important part of being an American. Chip & I have been so excited that Trey would get to go the the polls and see what it was all about. Trey even started to say "vote" - although it sound more like boat.

After Chip left for work we headed out to the polls and waited... Trey had juice and snacks and of course some cars to play with. We waited in a long line in a gym for an hour- which was great because Trey had a place to run and roll his cars around. But after the line moved out of the gym- things went downhill. Eventually the poll workers pulled me out of line and moved me up front. This was very nice- I think they thought I was having pains becuase I am so pregnant. I certainly was not deserving of moving up front- but I am sure Trey appriciated the kindness. All in all we waited about an hour and a half. Not so bad. (here is Trey in his Patriotic- election day- outfit)

I am just thankful to have the chance to vote! I am so thankful for those who fight for us to give us this right! Now.... all we can do it pray.

Animals!!!!

2008-11-02T20:25:00.004-05:00

We took Trey to the Yellow River Game Ranch about 2 weeks ago. This place is really neat- not only is it home to "General Lee" (Georgia's Groundhog) but you can feed and pet most of the animals. Trey loves animals so we hoped that he would enjoy his visit... and he did (well mostly the deer, squirrel, and chickens)!!! It was SO much fun to watch him look in awe at the animals and feed them. We can't wait to take him back! Here are some pictures from the day:

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-28T21:02:00.004-04:00

Sunday night Chip & I took Trey to meet Kate and her Mom and Dad Tanna and Kate for a local trunk or treat. A Church down the street had this- if you've never heard of it basically people park in one area and decorate thier trunks and pass out candy to the kids. Its really a great idea especially for little kids.

Here are some photos of Trey for the short time he tolorated his costume.... he did enjoy getting candy but just not the costume!

After the trunk or treat we headed to the McDonalds next to our house- this is Trey's favorite McDonalds because they have an upstairs and it over looks the expressway! He loves to watch the cars and yell TRUCK each time one drives by! Here are some more photos...

Trey and Kate sharing some fries!I have some more pictures of us at the Pumpkin patch and carving the pumpkins! I'll post those later this week... I have mounds of laundry to fold- yay!

Its' bed time!

2008-10-22T08:37:00.002-04:00

Last night was a BIG night here! Trey moved from his crib into a "big boy bed" - well a toddler bed. I saw this bed about a year ago at Toys R Us and thought it was so cute so I searched Craigslist and found one for a really good price... anyhow...

We moved the crib into Shelby's room and rearranged his furniture- his grammy even made him a really cute blanket to match his new bed. He has really enjoyed climbing in and out of the bed so I was worried he's do that at night- but it was a success! He went into bed and slept all night! No getting out until 7am (his normal wake up time) - when I went to get him he was standing next to his bed with his favorite stuffed animal, Cow. YAY! Here is a picture of him just before bed time climbing on his bed!

4 years and counting!

2008-10-14T15:36:00.003-04:00

Chip and I celebrated 4 years of marriage on September 25th! We had our night out a few weeks later. We had such a fun time together! I couldn't imagine my life without him- he is such a wonderful man to be married to and such a wonderful Dad. God blessed me like I never deserved with Chipper!

Anyhow- we thought a fun place to start out our day would be to visit the NEW Coke museum (the old one at Underground is closed...) it was pretty neat. They had a 4-D movie complete with moving chairs, water and air effects! Check us out in our spiffy glasses!

Of course my favorite part of the Coke museum is the end... when you get to "try" as much Coke as you want!! mmmmm....

We walked around Centennial Park and CNN center and then headed to dinner at Atlanta's newest resturant- Legal Seafood! I was so excited when I learned Legal's was now coming to Atlanta. Now I don't have to wait until going to Boston to get my fix of the best clam chowder! We sat on the deck and had a nice view of the sunset (check out the broken windows in the round building- still not repaired from the March tornado that hit ATL)...

Finally we checked out Kirk Cameron's new movie- Fireproof. It was a GREAT movie! I can't really say enough about it. So if you can- go see it!

Trip to Penn

2008-10-10T22:23:00.004-04:00

We took the 2nd trip of the year to PA to visit my folks at the end of September. I guess it is going to be a tradition (this is the 2nd year). My Dad is a HUGE NASCAR fan so the last weekend in September the race is in Dover, DE... so My Dad, my Brother (Kevin), and Chip go to the race while the ladies (myself, my Mom, and my SIL- Suzanne) spend time together back in PA. It is a good time.

We had a good time on the trip - and we didn't even drive through the night like the last few times! Our new car (the Mommy mobile as I call it) has a DVD player! Trey napped and watched Baby Einstien- so even the car ride was nice.

Here are few pictures from our trip.

We stopped by an apple festival- we missed most of it- but I must say it was the first time I'd been to a Church that sold beer! LOL! I grabbed an apple for Trey and he enjoyed thowing it around the parking lot:

Kevin and Suzanne brought thier dog, Aluha (this means 2 in Hawaiian- they have a cat named uno as well... the 3rd animal they get will be named 3 in some other language... I love the concept!) anyhow Trey really enjoyed getting in and out of the dog cage:

Trey loved playing football (Good throw in this pic)... just a shame the football from his Uncle Kevin and Aunt Suz says Eagles. We still love them even though they are huge Eagles fans!

And it was time to say goodbye- next time we see Kevin and Suz- Trey's cousin Gabby will be here!

And finally this one was for my folks!

The debate

2008-10-07T13:51:00.004-04:00

So I am finally going to try and catch up on my blog... sort of.

Tonight is the 2nd debate- and I think this is the first year I've really taken the time to watch all of each debate (including VP debate). I've always followed politics and even used to volunteer alot of my time to "my party". But in honor of tonight- I thought I share a silly story about my "brush" with McCain and Trey's meeting of a candidate.

In Feb of 07' when I was prego with Trey I was in Orlando at a conference for the job I had at the time. Word started spreading that McCain was coming to speak to those who wanted to hear. Well of course I'd go and it worked out so that I had no meetings during McCain's arrival. So the bossman and I headed to the conference room to see him. We ended up all the way up front! I had no camera with me either so I was disappointed- but I DID have my cell which had a camera on it!! Well silly me had forgotten that I had been playing around with the tones on my phone weeks before and discovered when I took a picture the phone could make silly sounds. So Mr. McCain is speaking and I whip out my phone to take some pictures... and WHOO-WHOOO-HAA-HAA... yep- when I clicked to take the picture my phone made monkey sounds! AH! LOL! I was pretty embarassed! I changed it quickly and took a few more pictures. They invited people to stay afterwards to meet McCain but I figured nah- I was hungry and didn't feel like waiting. I sure wish I had. It'd be neat to have gotten my picture taken with a future President (or so I hope). I don't even have the pictures from my phone because the phone died before I downloaded them... oh well. I did take this picture in Boston last month. It's a cut out... obviously.

Then last year I got word Rudy Guliani was coming to Atlanta for a campaign stop and he'd been doing a meet and greet at the diner across the street from our place! Awesome! I loaded Trey up and off we went. We arrived early to stake out our place by the door. Trey was 5 months old at the time and many people wanted to stand near us since they knew that a politician couldn't resist a baby... you know- shaking hands and kissin babies! Finally Mr. Guliani arrives along with TONS of media and security - it was pretty cool! As soon as Rudy walks in the door he makes a beeline straight for Trey! He posed for a picture for me and the media - it was crazy all the cameras clicking pictures - it was just how I would have pictured it! Here are a few photos.
This picture is from the Marietta Daily Journal... The photographer sent it to me

25 random things about me...

2008-09-29T16:25:00.001-04:00

Here is something I wrote but never posted.... I am behind- we just got back from PA and then celebrated our 4th anniversary... So in the meantime read up on some stupid stuff about me!

So Karen posted on her blog- 33 random things about herself which I found very interesting to read! So I thought I'd give it a go...

1. I consider myself a superior driver. Really. I think there are only about 3 people (aside from myself.. my brother and mother are NOT included on this... that I even feel comfortable riding in the car with. I think I get this driving superiority complex from my Dad.

2. I am finding its true that you actaully do turn into your parents when you become one. There are things I do that I SWORE I would never do. The other day I spotted a brand new looking little tykes slide (these things retail for $40) sitting with someones trash... well yea... I pulled over and put it in my car. (Trey LOVES it and it was practically brand new) I still remember my mother doing things like this and I remember vividly being so embarassed.

3. The time my Dad saw me driving back onto my high school campus... I really had skipped a class. Sorry Dad. But really... I did nothing but drive to the McDonalds and back to school. I still was never brave enough to go do something stupid. Just wanted some french fries and a coke with some stupid boy I liked- dumb.

4. I am addicted to running (yes- still running at 8 months prego). Even 2 years ago I thought runners were crazy... but I get it now. I even love the new New Balance commercials about running and subscribe to Runners magazine. I ran my first half marathon in 2 hours 7 minutes am training for my first full marathon in Nov 09' (gotta have Shelby first) - I'd really like to travel to some different cities and run marathons- like Philly and maybe even Honolulu!

5. I love McDonalds and have since I was a little kid. I have always gotten the same thing ever since I can remeber. McNuggets, Fries, and a Coke. Heck I have 2 cats and I named them - Nugget and Fry. If it wouldn't make me fat and poor I could eat every meal there.

6. I love the summer time in Georgia. I think its some weird sick thing- but I love walking outside when its 95 and the humidty is out of control... I don't know why I love it.. I just do.

7. I have moved more times in my lifetime than I can count on both hands and feet... and will probably move another 2 or 3 times in the next 2 years. I hate packing!

8. I think Dr. Laura is one awesome lady. Most people roll thier eyes... but really listen to the woman-she makes alot of sense.

9. I had a Geo Storm and I lowered it and put rims on it. Shhh... don't tell anyone! LOL! I had a fancy paint job on it, a loud exhaust, and even a stupid sticker that said "girlie girl racing". My friends and I were even a part of a low rider car club and we traveled to car shows... Chip will NEVER let me forget that car. I sure wish he would.

10. I am going to the New Kids On The Block concert in October. I was so excited when I heard they were doing a reunion tour I screamed. I was crazy about them when I was young (I guess I still am). I had a different NKOTB t-shirt for each day of the week and enough buttons to cover my pants and posters to cover my walls.

11. I've "rolled" (tp'ed or whatever you may have called it) someones yard before... and had it done to mine (well my parents house). Stupid yes.. but one of those silly memories that still makes me laugh still. Going to Kroger late and buying nothing but a giant box of the cheapest toilet paper- LOL! We were so stupid.

12. One of my first jobs was working at Stone Mountain Park. I loved it. I got paid $4.25/hour and sold cotton candy and popcorn the whole summer I was 16. Aside from working at 96Rock it was the best job I ever had.

13. I didn't learn to type until I got to college! Sad but true- but back when I was in high school this was not a skill you had to have. Makes me feel old to think about that... If the teacher wanted typed papers they would set a class day to go to the computer lab. But the reason I learned to type so fast my freshman year of college- AOL instant messenger- and this was in the day of dial up... S...L...O...W!

14. I tear up almost everytime I hear the National Anthem. I guess its no secret if you know me- but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Country.

15. I wish I were a Southerner- LOL! I've heard the saying "I may not have been born here- but I got here as quickly as I could" well that is me. Not saying anything bad about Boston (I love my family and the Sox) but there is just something about the South and the heritage that is just so neat... This is home to me and always will be.

16. I am clueless about ebay... I have an account and even a paypal account... but always have to call my Mom when I want to bid on something. I have a ton of stuff to sell- but that'll have to wait for another time.

17. I was not allowed to get my ears pierced until I was 13... I don't know why... Just what my Mom said.

18. When I have nightmares they usually are about rats, snakes, or spiders- I hate them.

19. Speaking of rats- I hung a bird feeder out on our porch a few years back so the cats could watch the birds and was amazed at how quickly they were eating the bird seed. Discovered one night- big ole' NASTY city rat eating the seed- no more bird feeder!

20. I love Coke (Coca-Cola). I used to drink a few cans a day until 3 years ago. I quit. I even had headaches from lack of Coke- crazy! Now I have 1 per week and I always get it at- yep you guessed it- McDonalds. I think they have the best Coke.

21. Pink is becoming my new favorite color. When I was a kid it was purple, then itwas blue when I was in college... now pink. I am tempted to buy any random thing that is pink.

22. I am so cheap. Ok maybe not on the level of my mother or Clark Howard but I HATE to spend money and shop. I do love new clothes (come on I am woman)... and high heels... Chip even encourages me to JUST BUY IT!

23. I am a member of the NRA. Some people are shocked to learn this but to others- its no surprise.

24. I once burned the top of my foot on my way into work because I had the heat up so high in my car on the way.

25. I am terrible at math.

Trey.... can't believe he is 16 months already!

2008-09-13T14:39:00.008-04:00

This week I decided that it was past time for Trey to have a major hair cut. From the trimmings he'd gotten before I knew that he was not going to stand for going somewhere and getting a "real" haircut. So I thought maybe I could do it myself. I've never cut hair before... ok well once. I cut Chip's hair and it didn't turn out well at all! Anyhow- I pulled out Chip's clippers and sat Trey down on the bathroom floor with a few matchbox cars and went to work. Surprise surprise it actaully turned out pretty good!!! Check it out: Chip's schedule has been very different all week so we've been able to have alot more family time! So we've been taking Trey to the park alot... here are some pictures:Trey has an cabnet in our kitchen that is almost empty... it is "his" to play in. And he LOVES to do that. Every time I cook he opens the door and in he goes. It reminds me of the scene in 'A Christmas Story' (my favorite movie!)... It is pretty funny; he'll close the door and you can hear him talking away - when you knock- he opens the door and laughs. Trey really likes wearing shoes -at least around the house- he hates it when he is supposed to wear them.... at a consignment sale I bought a pair of slippers for him. I figured since most of our place is hardwoods not only would his feet hurt after awhile but it'll be cold in the winter so the slippers would be nice for him. He loves wearing them around now even though it is still 90 degrees out during the day. And these are pictures of him wearing his slippers just before bath time but they just make Chip and I smile so big when we look at them. I can imagine one day when he gets married these pictures will end up in a slide show!

Boston trip...

2008-09-08T14:35:00.006-04:00

We had a short but very fun trip to Boston last week. We bought tickets to the Red Sox game back in Jan when they went on sale... that was a LONG process. Anyhow- we got our tickets and have been looking forward to going all year. We decided that with the trip being so short that we would leave Trey with his Grammy and Papi here in Georgia.

We arrived in Boston on Tuesday afternoon and Kevin and Suzanne drove in from NJ and picked us up at the airport. After we checked into the hotel we headed to Harvard Square to grab dinner. We walked around for what seemed like hours- and even sat down at one place but left after looking at the menu. I don't think the 4 of us have ever felt more like a fish out of water than while being there. Soooo we jumped on the T and headed to Boston Gardens and ate at Cheers. The food was great and the atmosphere was also great. Here we are:

The next day Chip and I got up early and took the Boston Duck tour. They have the duck tours in a few cities (I've also done the Philly Duck tour) and they are lots of fun. This one certainly did not disappoint. There is much wonderful history in Boston. Here I am while in the Charles River (Love that dirty water...)

Chip even got to drive the Duck!! I won't bore you with all the pictures I took of the buildings and historical sites...

After the Duck tour we walked down to Fenway to meet Kevin and Suzanne and Chip's old college roomie who is living in Boston now. We had lunch at Boston Beer works- yum! Then we walked around the park and bought some goodies at the Red Sox store before heading into the park. The Red Sox won in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the 9th- it was a GREAT game!!! Here are a few pictures:

Chip and I before the game:

Love singing an old fav at Fenway- SWEET CAROLINE... BAH BAH BAH:
Kevin and Suzanne:

Kevin, Denny, Chip, and Denny's roomate:
Here I am after the big win!After the game we walked over to Qunicy market - shopped and ate at Durgin Park. The next morning we were up at 4am and heading back to ATL.... cant' wait to go back again!

Bye Bye Solara....

2008-09-05T16:03:00.003-04:00

Today I feel like I am offically a Mom... LOL! We just bought a Honda Pilot- and to me this thing is huge! The biggest car I have owned prior to this was the Solara we just got rid of. But I guess it was time to move to a bigger car. Trey and I made it just fine in the little sporty 2 door- but going on long trips and the addition of Shelby just made the car not a good fit any more. So bye bye Solara- it was fun... I will miss you. Here I am today with "her" for the last time.
We also just returned from Boston... more on that later!

Only Tuesday!

2008-08-26T21:29:00.007-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post- Trey loves his matchbox cars... Each morning one of the first things he does is go to his toy closet and grab his cars and car mat and 2 by 2 carefully lines up his cars on the window... Its really funny and so cute:He also discovered the stash of baseballs this week. He would run into our room- grab a baseball run into the living room- toss it and go back for another... until he'd gotten all of them. There were baseballs everywhere!! Here he is with one he'd just nabbed:

His Papi had an eye doctor appointment this week so he (and his grammy) stopped by... here is a picture:

We also went to Chic-Fil-A today for lunch. We met Karen and Kate. After we ate the kiddos played in the play area. I cannot get a decent picture of Trey and Kate together but I did get this picture of Trey and some little girl. She told Trey to sit and she would "fly the helicopter"
Now we are just getting ready for our Boston trip. Chip and I are heading up to watch the Red Sox! I am really excited. We also are going to do the Duck Tours and eat lots of yummy seafood! It'll be a short trip- but a nice mini getaway!

Blocks!

2008-08-24T21:59:00.002-04:00

Just thought I'd post this picture of Trey... he loves his nesting blocks. He spends alot of time throughout the day stacking them and nesting them. Here is the tower he built- without any help! He seemed very proud!

Just another week

2008-08-19T21:13:00.003-04:00

We are getting settled into our new place pretty quickly. If I could just remember where I put everything in the kitchen! LOL! Trey is really loving having all the extra space and a room that he can really play in.

Over the weekend (when we went to pick up Trey from Chip's parents) we went to our friend JJ's 30th birthday. It was a fun time - plus it was so nice to catch up with friends that we don't get to see very often.

Sunday we helped Chip's dad get the boat out of the water... (Ok well I just went along for the boat ride- I was no help). Yea- I know it's still August- but Lake Lanier water levels are SO low. About 18 feet below full pool. You can still go out on the water safely- but with only one ramp on the north end still open (and its scheduled to close in 2 weeks- this is because the water is so low) it was time to take the boat out or leave it all winter. Hopefully we'll get lots of rain so next summer the lake can be full. So anyhow- the open boat ramp was at the Olympic rowing venue and there were alot of rowers out. What a great workout that looks like- so I contacted the rowing club and am going to take lessons (yes- after Shelby is born). I am so excited! I need to get some tips from my brother and sis-in-law, they were both on the crew team for Rutgers.

We also went to Quiznos for lunch the other day. How could I not... my parents will be the owners of 2 Quiznos in only a few days! I can't wait to visit and eat lots of toasty subs and soup! YUM! I love that place. Here is Trey enjoying his jr. turkey...

I just thought this picture was funny. Nugget took advantage of Trey being in bed last night by testing out Trey's chair. I guess he liked it!

Last random story- I've been looking for a baseball fan for Trey's room. Its really cute- the blades look like bats and the light globe looks like a baseball held by a glove. Well didn't realize they were so expensive- Home Depot had them for $112! So I checked Craigslist (my new favorite website) and found someone selling it for $45. I asked if she would take $35 (my motto- everything is negotiable) - she said yes. This morning I went to meet her husband at his office to pick up the fan. It looked great! As he was carrying it to my car the glass baseball light globe fell and smashed all over the ground. That was the only thing that broke. Well he ended up giving me the fan free (poor guy felt so bad). I found the globe on ebay for $3.99! So now I got the whole $112 fan for $4! YEA! I love a good deal!

All done (sort of)

2008-08-16T12:28:00.002-04:00

WHEW! What a crazy last 2 days it has been around here!!! Yesterday was the worst- we were up and started moving stuff at 7:30am and didn't finish until midnight. We'd have never gotten everything moved and cleaned had it not been for Chip's parents, Jeff, John, Lindsey, and Emily. It really warmed my heart to have people call and offer help for no other reason than they wanted to. Karen even offered to watch Trey! It made the day so much smoother and of course having the extra hands was a God send!
Everything is pretty much in place and cleaned - just have to hang pictures. The cats are even enjoying the extra space to roam. Now we can't wait to pick Trey up later today and bring him home to his new place!!
We'll even be able to entertain! Something Chip and I have missed doing... so soon enough I'll be calling and inviting you over!

I hate moving!

2008-08-13T22:24:00.002-04:00

So this is sort of a long story as to why we are moving today... but I'll give you the short of it. We've been looking around at places to rent since Shelby will be here in a few more months and we need more room. Trey and I go just about stir crazy in this apartment everyday... so anyhow we want to rent b/c we know we may not be in Atlanta for much more than another year. So we finally decided to see what our current apartment complex had available. Turns out the only vacant apartment was a 3 bedroom! Perfect- we loved it! Well they didn't want to work with us on the price (Chip works as off duty security here so we THANKFULLY don't have to pay the "going" rate)- anyhow some people came by seeking to rent a 2 bedroom yesterday and wanted the floor plan we have. It worked wonderfully in our favor! BUT these people wanted to move in Wednesday- yep a week from today. So we told management - "this is what we want and if you will work with us to get to this rate- we'll move today" and they agreed. AHHH! That is a scream of excitement and HELP!
Today we began the process of moving all of our stuff (down the hall). What a pain. Trey hung in there best he could but he was getting tired also. Tomorrow is more of the same. Moving the "little stuff" and Friday is when we'll move everything else. Soooo ya know if you are around Friday (or tomorrow) and want to help- call me! Please....
I'll update again after the move- thankfully the internet will be up and running at our new place within 48hours (and as Karen reminded me... our friend Eric would roll his eyes and say "the whole internet").
Wish us luck!

cars, clothes, cats, fruit flies, and McDonalds...

2008-08-10T20:26:00.008-04:00

Trey has recently taken an intrest in matchbox cars. I can remember when my little brother, Kevin, was into matchbox cars- those things were everywhere. Anyhow- a few days ago I got out the car mat and a few cars that Trey had gotten and he loved it! Now he will pull out the car mat and lay it out best he can and drive the cars on it. Its really cute. Here is a picture.

Thursday night was the first night Trey spent the night away from the house without us. It wasn't as bad as I thought. When Chip and I got up in the morning without him it was odd not having him there. But I don't think Trey really even missed us- LOL! Anyhow I left him with his Grammy and Papi so I could get up bright and early and go to a consignment sale. They didn't allow strollers before 11am and people told me you had to go early... plus Trey would NOT have tolerated something of this nature. I ended up spending 2 hours at this sale and spent just under $200. BUT I got over 50 articles of clothing for Trey and Shelby in addition to a swing, a complete crib bedding set, a mattress, and decorations for Shelby's room. I even picked up a bouncey chair for my niece, Gabriella (who is due in Jan). I'd say I did really good. All the items I got look brand new. This is the way to buy baby stuff. They grow out of the clothes and toys so quickly that when you buy used it still looks great- plus you are not breaking the bank. Another one is coming up in September in Conyers- I can't wait!

Chip's folks live on Lanier on a long road that only has a hand full of homes. At the end of the street is a cul de sac (sp???) where from time to time over the years people will dump out animals they no longer want. Chip's parents rescue most of them and are pretty successful in finding homes for them. About 6 years ago they found a few calico kittens... well they still live with me. Nugget and Fry (here is a picture)...

Yesterday we took Trey on a walk and guess what I hear... MEOW! There she was the cutest little calico cat kitten someone had dumped out! We took her back to the house- gave her food and water and tried to find a home for her. Trey really liked having something around smaller than him. He held the cat and decided her name was "mato mato" so I translated that to Tomato... Long story short Tomato got a home. Here is her new owner- 3 year old Alyssa. Tomato loved her and she just couldn't put him down. Alyssa was just so suprised that Tomato was her new cat.

Last week our garbage disposal jammed and it took them 3 days to repair it (they kept forgetting to write down our work order!). Well fruit flies invaded the kitchen! AHHH!!! Finally it is all fixed but I have bowls filled with vingear all in the kitchen (STINKS!!) I even went out and bought fly paper (which stuck to me and kept falling into the sink. Well it all worked! Only a few hours and they are all dead!! YEA!!

Because of the invasion of the fruit flies I refused to cook or eat until they were dead today- so we went McDonalds! YUM! Something about going there with Chip and Trey for lunch on a Sunday just makes me feel so .... happy. Yes this is super strange - but I've always loved McDonalds (every big milestone in my life I've had McD's... our wedding, birth of Trey, after running my first 1/2 marathon, and of course birthdays!) Plus is reminds me of being a kid. Here is Trey and I with our drinks- I have Coke and he has an orange drink!

The Varsity turns 80... and some other things!

2008-08-02T14:59:00.004-04:00

One thing that is so great about living in Atlanta is the Varsity! If you've ever come to visit us from out of town- we've taken you to The Varsity. I love going here- the food is greasy and oh so good and its an Atlanta icon. It sits off the connector (I-75/85) across from GA Tech and just minutes from our house so needless to say we make many a trip to The Varsity. Trey has also come to love the place. He eats a hot dog (the ENTIRE thing- plus the bun) and some fries and a lemonade. YUM! Anyhow- today The Varsity celebrated it's 80th birthday party so of course we had to go. The celebration included live bands, a car show, free Mayfield ice cream, and a plenty of lunch goers. We got there at 11 - thankfully b/c by the time we left at 12:30- it was so crowded you could hardly walk around. Here are a few pictures. This week we also went over to visit Emily and her daughter Melody. She is a few months older than Trey. They played- mostly just taking what the other was playing with. I didn't get many good pictures... but here is one:One thing Trey really loves to do when we visit his Grammy and Papi is "walk to dog". He'll find the leash and bring it to us so we can hook the dog onto it. He walks around the house pulling the dog where he feels like going. Its pretty cute- but turns out its only his ploy to get outside and taken on a walk. When we take him for walks at thier house the dog always comes along- so he figures take the dog to the door and they will take me for a walk in the stroller! Funny guy! Here are some pictures!

Its a.....

2008-07-30T14:25:00.002-04:00

Well today was the day. We went to the doc this morning for the ultrasound where they would tell us if we are having a boy or a girl... And after EVERYONE was correct in guessing it- we are having a GIRL! Yep- Shelby Jane. Trey is going to have a little sister.
Chip told Trey it was time to sign up for Karate and learn to shoot! Trey and Shelby will only be one grade apart in school- so at least he can beat up all the little boys.
That is the news for today! Shelby Jane.

The President!

2008-07-22T21:00:00.004-04:00

This afternoon President Bush came to Atlanta to attend a fund raiser for Senator Saxby Chambliss and to give a community service award to a wonderful woman from Athens. I figured he'd be landing at Dobbins (which is about 10 miles north of where we live) and heading to where ever the fund raiser was- it wasn't until around 3pm when Chip and I left on an errand that I realized the fund raiser was here in Buckhead. The presence of Atlanta Police and GA State Patrol gave it away. After we got home I loaded Trey in the stroller and we walked just down the street where most of the police and news crews were parked. We were just in time- as they began to shut down the streets (Including the interstate). People began to gather in the parking lots and as close to the streets as we were allowed.

Chip & I had heard the President speak a few years back and Chip had even gotten to be a part of the security surrounding his arrival once- but I'd never seen the Presidents motorcade. So I was truly excited (and of course being such a supporter of President Bush made it even better). Trey could sense something exciting was happening but he didn't know what...

It happened really fast. The streets were all closed- then came a few police motorcycles, then what looked like 30 police motorcycles together, a few more police cars... and then THE PRESIDENT! Following were probably 30 more vehicles- everything from an ambulance to something that looked like it had a place for a gunner out of the top.

People cheered as he went by and just like that... he was gone! I got some pictures... none of which turned out great. I wanted the picture but at the same time I wanted to actaully watch his car drive by and it was hard to both of those and cheer and tell Trey that the President was in the car. But here is what I got:

Just before the President drives by- all the streets are closed- this is a very busy intersection especially at 5pm!)

My luck! I take the picture just as President Bush's car passes behind an APD cruiser!! LOL! (so the black car right behind it-thats him)

By the time the camera recovered to take another picture he was already turning left at the intersection- but you can still see his car!

Another weekend...

2008-07-21T20:36:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend we bought Trey his own chair. He'd been trying to sit on everything that was his height and I figured he needed something else to sit in besides the baby bouncer when I take a shower (he watches a Baby Einstien movie on the portable DVD player)... He really loves his new chair- here are a few pictures.

Friday night Trey and I went over to Karen's for dinner. Trey had so much fun playing in Kate's playroom. Trey has become a little lover- he loves to hug and kiss. But with our cats he will rest his head on them very softly. I think its his way of hugging them. Well Trey started doing that to Kate! Karen and I kept trying to get pictures of it- but I don't think any turned out great- but here is what I got... Saturday night we took Trey to Chip's parents house and then we headed back to Atlanta. We ran some errands (bought a double stroller and test drove a car) then we went to the Braves game. It was so much fun! Alot of our friends were there so most of the game we stayed in the Chop House (Its a bar out in right that over looks the field). Here are some pictures of our night.I can't get a picture of these guys without the hand gestures....This one is just funny because Josh looks pretty silly (guy on the far right) - have another one Josh!JJ, Jenny, Brian, Anna, Chip and IAlex and Emily - Chip & IToday was about the hottest day of the year so far... at least it felt like it. When I left for the park this AM to run it was 80 but the heat index was already 90! AH! It felt like wearing a platic bag outside today... Anyway it got me thinking about how living in the city you do miss certain things about the summer. I don't see any lighting bugs, I don't hear the loud loud crickets in the evening, I don't hear lawn mowers or smell fresh cut grass, no sprinklers clicking.... I am beyond blessed and by no means am I complaining- just started thinking about all the things that make me think of summer and remind me of being a kid (like coming in at dark all itchy because I'd been rolling around in the grass!). So happy summer - I absolutly LOVE this time of year and I'll take the 101 degree sweaty humid days here in the south anyday... there is nothing like going outside at 6am and its still 80. Maybe I am crazy but I love it!

WHEW! We made it!

2008-07-14T14:17:00.004-04:00

Well Trey had his first plane ride over the weekend! I had been a nervous wreck leading up to our flight Thursday morning. Trey does not like to sit still for long so I was expecting the worse. We headed out at 5:30a and made it to our gate just as boarding was finishing up. Trey did MUCH better than I could have dreamed! YAY!!! Once we arrived in Boston we headed to the New Balance factory store to stock up on running shoes. Then it was on to the Cape.

We had such a nice time. Trey saw the ocean for the first time- although he HATED the sand so he didn't enjoy it much at all...

Over the weekend we ate like cows- I mean I had everything from Dunkin Dounuts, McDonalds, fried seafood (twice in one day), cheesecake, and ice cream! I felt terrible about all the junk that I'd stuffed myself with that I added an extra 3 miles to my morning run today... I don't think it helped! But boy the food was good~

Anyway- it was wonderful to see family and I can't wait to do it again.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Trey getting on the plane:

Trey on the beach

Trey's first time on the ocean

Trey playing with 2nd cousins Lucy and Ruby

Enjoying his lunch on the beach

The only time he played in the sand

Me with Kevin and our folks

Its Suzanne (sis-in-law) and myself- the pregos!

All the 2nd cousins

July 4th weekend

2008-07-08T14:29:00.002-04:00

Boy I am behind on posting...

This weekend was another busy one! Friday was July 4th! This is one of my favorite holidays! Nothing better than celebrating this wonderful Country. I love everything about it- I love that at least for one day people can be patriotic, I love the hot weather, the American Flags everywhere, the hamburgers, the lake, fireworks... Just a great day. One of my favorite traditions has become to run the Peachtree Road Race. This is the largest 10k in the world and can seem more like a party or parade than a road race. Each year prior I've always walked/run - but this year my goal was to complete the race in under an hour. I BARELY made it! My time was 59 minutes and 55 seconds! LOL! Hopefully next year when I am not prego I can not cut it so close! I don't have a SINGLE picture! Only thing is this- here is a link to marathonfoto... I am going to order a few of these: http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_assigned_photos.cfm?BFI=13in99ll9b&OID=16902008S1&BibNumber=84438&CustomerNumber=P59U57&Currency=USD&Language=en

It was a ton of fun... I have finally set my goal on completing a full marathon- Nov 2009- Thanksgiving day. Atlanta has a marathon Thanksgiving morning and of course because that is only a week before my due date this year I can't do it- so I figure I'll have almost a year to train. Hold me to it!

The rest of the weekend was nice... Here are some shots of Trey with his Patriotic clothes on:

Saturday I attended Kate's first birthday party. It was a nice ceremony and the food looked wonderful! I wasn't able to stay long since Julia (my sis-in-law) was heading back home to California the next morning- so we went out to eat with her that evening.

Funny things were happening around the Chamberlin Sr. house Saturday/Sunday. First my phone took a swim in the dish water. I went to the AT&T store to purchase a new one. Now keep in mind 3 months ago when we bought our phones we paid $29.99 for 2 phones. I simply wanted to buy the same phone. They wanted $239.99!!! WHAT A RIP OFF! It wasn't until spending time on the phone with customer service and threatening to switch the Sprint that they "gave me a deal" (STILL A RIP OFF) of $80 for the phone. Should've switched to Sprint!

Then thier Ice maker broke, lighting struck the house causing the alarm to die and kill the phones! What a day!

So now its just time to pack and get ready to head to Cape Cod for the weekend! Hopefully Trey will do great on the plane!

Iron Girl and Dukes Fest

2008-06-30T20:41:00.011-04:00

This weekend was a BUSY weekend to say the least!

The highlight of the weekend was the Iron Girl triathalon. I'd registered to partipate before I knew I was pregnant and found out the same week I reigistered that I was expecting... but I knew I still wanted to compete and thankfully my Doc gave me the go ahead!

Julia and I got up Saturday (my sister-in-law came in town from Santa Monica, CA) and headed to Lake Lanier Islands (where the triathalon was) to get our numbers and set up our bikes for Sunday. We got some cool free stuff (I always love free junk- thanks Dad!) in addition to the timing chips and swim caps (sexy).

Sunday was a VERY early morning. We were up by 4:45am and out the door by 5:15am... Seth drove us down (Julia's husband) and served as our pack mule and camera man for the day (thank God- he was a huge help!). Turns out the parking was 1/2 mile from the set up area. Once to the start line we had to set up our transition areas (change of clothes etc). Then we waited until the start. We started according to age groups. Julia was the first time group to start... I was the last- ugh!

The swim was first...

Then Bike.... Then Run....

I expected to finish in around 2 hours and 30 minutes. It took me 2 hours and 32 minutes. Not bad. 750 woman started and 632 crossed the finish line.

Here are some pictures from the event.

This is the tranistion area: Julia and I with our numbers ready to go!Finally... crossing the finish line!After the long walk back to the car with our bikes.So I'd say not bad for being 4 months pregnant ... and Julia had a terrible foot injury prior to this. I can't wait to do this again next year. And hopefully compete in an Olympic length one (probably after this baby is born!). But I still have the Peactree Road Race this Friday!

Saturday Chip and I went to Dukes Fest... It is the 30th anniversary of the Dukes of Hazzard. One of the best shows on tv EVER! Chip & I own every season on DVD (including the season with Coy and Vance... and the 2 Dukes movies- the reunion and Dukes goes to Hollywood) - so needless to say we both LOVE the show. Dukes Fest is every June but it is always held at the Bristol Motorspeedway so we've never been able to get there. But this year- it was in Atlanta! After all Georgia is where Hazzard County actually was! And Conyers (where I grew up) and Covington were the orginal filming locations during season 1!

Ok ok- so back to Dukes fest... It was $20 - PER PERSON to get in so after arriving at the gate and learning of such a high admission my hopes were even higher for a neat event. Boy was I diasppointed! It was almost like a car show only every car was exactly the same.All of the stars of the show were there (of course not all at once) got a few pictures of Enus and Rosco... But all in all it really stunk. We did meet up with our friend Jody and his wife Danielle...And I even got a few pictures of some really bad Daisy Duke wanna-bes! LOL!

cars.... shoes... and TP!

2008-06-26T21:03:00.004-04:00

I really hate buying a car! I guess what it really boils down to is spending money- I don't like that feeling. I've spent the last 2 or 3 weeks researching cars and what to buy. Finally narrowed it down to the 2008 Honda Pilot. But it never really "felt" right to me to spend so much money on a car at this point (with having to move in the next few months and many other changes about to take place). We haven't had a car payment in over 5 years and didn't want to get into one. So now square one... We've decided to go with a used car. I feel better about that choice- but knowing the true value of a used isn't so easy... AHH!!! Anyone selling a 2004-2006 mid-size/crossover??

Oh and this is my car- and its for sale... any takers? Anyway- yesterday Trey found where the toilet paper is stored (as well as figured out he can just unroll it from the roll!). I was cooking dinner and turn around to find this sight! Now we have a huge wad of toilet paper stuffed in a basket in the bathroom- so if you come over to visit now you know why!

He's also become fasinated with shoes. Well now that sounds girlie- I mean he loves to try and put on his shoes and likes to look at his feet when he walks in them, I also think he likes the noise they make on the hardwood floors... here are a few shots.

His best attempt at putting on his shoes

Nascar fun and more COWS!

2008-06-23T20:32:00.006-04:00

Gosh- its been about a week since I've updated. I usually update after Trey goes to bed and in the 2 hours before Chip comes home- but last week he was home every evening for dinner so I stayed off the computer... yay!

This weekend Chip enjoyed his birthday gift- the Richard Petty Experience. I sure wish'd I could've done it also- maybe next summer when I am not pregnant... Anyway. We headed to Atlanta Motorspeedway early Sunday morning (Trey was with Chip's parents). We were not sure what to expect or how many people would be there. We drove into the infield (pretty neat!) and were directed to the media center. There Chip was "issued" a race suit (here he is wearing it). They showed a video and then took all the drivers to vans (there were about 30 people there to drive). Then the drivers went through a crash course (bad pun) in how to drive the car. Then it was on to the track! Chip rode along with a "pro driver" for 3 laps then got into his own car and driver 8 laps. They were not allowed over 145 and Chip drove 145- faster than all the other drivers that day! I think he missed his calling...Trey got his first hair cut today. We didn't take him anywhere- we did it ourselves. Glad we did. He did not like the hair cut. You would've thought it hurt. I held him and Chip cut. Chip did a good job- here is the best picture I have of his new do.We also went to Chick-fil-a tonight for a family dinner. We love that place! Since we were there last time when Trey meet the cow (about a month ago) he has become attached to a stuffed cow that my Aunt Elaine sent him for Christmas. He takes it to bed and carries it with him all over the house. Well tonight the manager gave him a small stuffed CFA cow. Well now he can't put either cow down! So in his crib tonight are the big cow and little CFA cow!

3to 30 and oh my gosh my triathalon!

2008-06-17T20:36:00.009-04:00

This weekend was certainly a busy one! Trey and I got up bright and early Saturday morning and headed to Conyers to celebrate Brenden's 3rd birthday! His party was held at Kids on Air- its an inflatable indoor jump place. It was pretty cool. Trey enjoyed running on the floor between the inflatables but didn't really want to go inside any of them. Before long there were many kids twice his size so we headed to the lobby where he played with Madison. Madison is my friend Ashley's daughter. Madison is about 6 months older than Trey. She mostly tried to hug and kiss Trey while he ran away. So it was fun for both of them... here are a few pictures:

Trey also enjoyed the pizza lunch with the other kids... but he still won't trey cake (not going to force that one!)

After the party we hurried to Gainesville to meet Chip to celebrate his birthday. We had planned to spend the day out on the lake with his friends but the rain kept that from being an all day affair... Here is Chip blowing out his candles... this is what I get for asking him to pose for me! LOL!

Sunday- father's day was a beautiful day. Chip's friend Mike stayed from Saturday and we spent alot of time on the water... I can still see the two places on my legs where I missed with the sunscreen! Here we are as we head out for the lake.While out on the lake we saw a HUGE bass floating in the water... we rode up to it it looked like he died eating a fish. Check out the picture- you can see the tail of the other fish coming out of his mouth! (you may have to click on the picture to see a bigger image to see the fish tail)Father's day was nice. Chip enjoyed his day (Trey even gave him the Dukes of Hazzard 2 movie collection... Dukes fest is coming to Atlanta in 2 weeks!!)- the rest of us were far away from our Dad's. Dad- wish you could have been there, I'dve loved to watch the race as Jr. won with you. But I love you and miss you!

Well the Aflac Iron Girl triahalon is less than 2 weeks away. I spent some time this weekend biking and swimming... I felt pretty good about my swim and worse about the biking. That bike seat hurts! Today I got the final details about the race. Oh boy... I wasn't nervous until now. I will have to go the day before to set up all my things - or transitions areas as it is refered. This is my first triathalon so I have no idea what to expect. I am also the "last wave" to begin. It is done according to age and my age group is last (20-29). Since I am the last time group to start I have less time to finish in order to go to the bike portion and the same for the bike. Wish me luck!!

30 and some Ramen...

2008-06-12T21:07:00.004-04:00

Well yesterday Chip turned the big 30! Trey and I got up and made his favorite, blueberry muffins, and brought them to him in bed. After breakfast we went to the park and ran together. Then had lunch at Chip's favorite place- Taxco. Chip has been going to eat here since he was about 14. Most of the staff is still the same and they all know Chip. Then it was off to work for him... Saturday we will celebrate with a party which should be lots of fun! Then next weekend he'll get to go the Atlanta Motorspeedway and do the Richard Petty Driving Experience! Basically you drive a real race car(NASCAR) around the track 8 laps! I'll get to go and watch and take some pictures!

Tonight I had NO CLUE what to make Trey and I for dinner. Pretty much all he wants is Macaroni and Cheese... guess the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree. My Dad said that when I was little when asked what I wanted to eat... I said "MacEr". Well anyway- I made green beans and he ate almost the entire can- awesome! Then figured why not let him try Ramen noodles. Rebecca tells me this is Brendens favorite thing (so I figured it was worth a try). Brenden calls them "Daddy's noodles". Trey liked them... but I think they were more fun to play with... Here are some pictures!

Peachtree Road Race!

2008-06-09T20:41:00.005-04:00

IT FINALLY CAME! My number! Running the Peachtree has become one of my favorite July 4th traditions. Rebecca and I started it a few years back and swore we would run each year (but both missed last year- Trey was only a few weeks old and I had been up all night- good times). So this year we are back on! The second year we ran Chip and his buddy Josh joined us and so it had become the 4 of us for a few years. This year however Rebecca's parents are joining her along with our friend Kim and her boyfriend. I am really looking forward to running it this year since it'll be the first year for me to run as a "serious runner". My goal is to complete it in one hour or less.

The Peachtree Road Race is such a fun event and draws people from all over the world. In fact it is the largest 10k in the world! This year over 8,000 people were turned down for numbers. I try telling people how fun the run is (even if you are not a runner- MANY people walk). The entire route is jammed with people cheering you each step. There are also bands playing, bars handing out beer, and everything in between you can think of- the Catholic Church even has a Priest throwing Holy Water on the runners! I can't really explain the energy the surronds this event- but I took along my camera in 2006 so here are some pictures to share!

Me, Josh, Rebecca, and Chip

Holy water ahead...
The crowd heading up Peachtree towards "cardiac hill"

Rebecca and I had to stop for a picture with the USA beer drinking teamGOD BLESS AMERICA!

Summer is here and so is the cow!

2008-06-04T14:48:00.007-04:00

Summer offically arrived in Atlanta this week... we'd been having temps hovering around 84 for the last couple of weeks but this week we passed the 90 degree mark. 96 today to be exact. Now the thing about Georgia summers is not only the heat but the humidity. When you walk outside it almost feels like walking right into a giant plastic bag! I like to run every morning around 9a or so- but I've been going earlier beacuse of the weather. This morning I went at 8:30 and it was already 82 degrees (not to mention the humidity). Trey doesn't seem to mind as long as he is outside he is happy - check him out:Here he is ready for the morning run back in Jan... Yesterday we had lunch with Karen and Kate at our favorite place to meet Chick-Fil-A. The CFA Cow was there visiting tables. Trey and Kate had thier picture made. Trey seemed to really get a kick out of the cow! After he ate he ran across the CFA to find the cow. He walked right up to him and would laugh. It was funny! Of course where was my camera.... at home! Thanks to Karen for the picture!We went again today to CFA for lunch(but I don't mind CFA is so yummy and has GREAT service) with my friend Emily and her little ones Jack and Melody... (Emily is having baby 3 in the fall!) The CFA cow was there again! I took my camera this time! Had a doctor's appointment yesterday... we got to have another ultrasound b/c the Doc was having a hard time hearing the heartbeat. The baby was just moving around to much. No new news on that front- everything looks good and we'll know in 8 weeks the sex... Everyone seems to say its a girl. I don't know. I feel the same during the pregnancy as I did with Trey and people have told me girls are different during pregnancy... probably just another of the MILLION myths about being pregnant.

nothing much...

2008-06-03T20:33:00.005-04:00

I keep forgetting to take my camera places this week- took Trey swimming at the pool here and he loved it. He really liked watching the older boys have a water and balloon fight. He even got caught in the line of fire a few times and thought it was so funny- but I forgot the camera... oh well.
The weekend was nice and low key. I consider Sunday and Monday the weekend since those are Chip's days off. Sunday was Church and baseball. Monday we got up and ran a new place. I enjoyed running a different route since I go to the same place EVERY DAY. I run the same place because I know its safe and the sidewalks are great for running with a stroller... so... afterwards we stopped by the Big Peach Running company. I'd been wanting to check out the store for awhile now. They have everything for running- a store I could spend some serious money in. BUT I was good and only spent $1! I bought a sticker! LOL! I also last week bought a heart rate monitor. It is really neat- I wear a strap around my chest (you don't even notice you are wearing it) and the watch tells you your current heart rate. It blinks when you are working outside of your target heart rate zone. It also tells me how many calories I've burned, my time, my max heart rate, average heart rate, and duration. I am keeping a log and am working on trying to regulate my heart rate more when I run. Although being pregnant I think things are all out of whack right now anyway. But I love the monitor!

Anyway I cooked a really nice dinner last night and while I was cooking Trey played in his room. I kept checking on him every few minutes... and this is what he was doing- one of his favorite things to do! AH!!
Here is another picture- he loves Chip's baseball bats! Guess he can't resist the love of the game growing up in this family! He just walks around with it- funny- like he's heading off to play a game.
Tomorrow is another check up at the doctor for me... Hopefully I don't have to give anymore blood. Last week they took a ton and I waited a little while before leaving to make sure I was ok- 15 minutes later on the way home I felt as though I were going to faint. Not fun. I am days away from being done with the 1st trimester. But thankfully this pregnancy has been as easy as the last! Thank you Lord!
And oh yea... my dork update! NewKids on the Block tickets are on pre-sale this week to American Express card memebers (THANK YOU MOM AND DAD!) so I bought my tickets! LOL! I spent way to much but I have floor seats! I can only imagine how stupid I am going to look - 8 months pregnant screaming like a 13 year old girl for the boy band I was crazed over when I was 13! I swear- I gotta dig up some pictures and scan them in- its almost too embarassing to post- but Iwill.

Memorial Day

2008-05-28T13:28:00.007-04:00

We had a nice long weekend for Memorial Day.... Chip worked alot last week and because of that he had 4 days off!! It was so nice!

We headed up to his parents house on Friday night in the pouring rain and went to eat at my FAVORITE place- Skogies! Its at the Gainesville Marina. You can dock your boat and go eat- and the food is SO good! Trey really enjoyed it as well. He had grouper and met a cute little girl and they played together most of the time.

Saturday we took Trey for a boat ride... He really enjoyed being on the boat but once we left the dock we had to put the life jacket on him and he HATED that- can't say I blame him. Here are some pictures:

Sunday our plans changed at the last minute so Chip & I left Trey with his folks and spent a few hours out on the lake (and went back to Skogies to eat).Later that night we enjoyed pizza out on the dock. (you can still see how low the water is!)
Monday before we headed home we went to the local Memorial Day parade. It was a nice tribute to honor all the men and woman who have served this Country so bravely!

Month 3

2008-05-27T08:07:00.002-04:00

ok so month 1 is actually month 2:This is month # 3! Time is flying - only about 6 more months to go. Another 8 weeks and we'll know if we are having a boy or a girl!I've got some pictures from our Memorial Day weekend I'll post later!

Its only Wednesday

2008-05-21T20:42:00.004-04:00

Here are some random things from the week...

I spent about an hour or so yesterday organizing Trey's closet and drawers. He outgrows clothes and shoes so quickly I feel like this is a monthly task. I have to go through all the clothes and take out what doesn't fit and add in things he's grown into or about to grow into. While I was at it I did the same for my clothes (since my closet is also in his room). I dug out all the maternity clothes- joy oh joy! During my "sorting" Trey was playing. This is what he did to his room! AHHHH! LOL!

After dinner last night we had some really bad weather- we were even in the line of another tornado. We've had so many tornados this year so far- beginning in Feb! Which is pretty early for the kind of weather. Anyway- here is a picture I took from our back porch as the storm was moving in.

STRAW SUCCESS! Trey figured out last week how to drink from a straw. I had wondered how I was going to teach him that- but he just figured it out. We were out to eat and he kept grabbing my water glass so I let him put the straw in his mouth and he ended up drinking most of my water! I kept forgetting to buy straws- so today I went to the store and grabbed some straws and a cool cup with a straw for him...

Dinner time is well... see for yourself! He pretty much only likes the typical kid stuff... Mac & Cheese, pizza, grilled cheese, hot dogs, fish sticks, chicken nuggets.... Tonight I made a cranberry walnut chicken- which he likes. I made green beans (he can eat canned ones but not frozen - he can't chew the skins up so instead he had corn)... potatoes, and garlic cheese bread. He ate the chicken and the bread- the corn and potatoes... again see for yourself.

cat feathers and a zebra

2008-05-20T13:58:00.004-04:00

I just thought this picture was funny! Trey knows he is not allowed to play in the cat food- but today he picked up the cat toy "feathers on a stick" and was using that to play in the cat food and he thought it was so funny- so I snapped a picture...

For his birthday Trey got a bounce and spin zebra. We got it put together this week and he loves it. He really likes to practice getting on and off... on and off.... on and off.

Its the weekend and Chip is off- yay!

2008-05-16T20:36:00.004-04:00

Today was the first prenatal appointment. I didn't remeber what happened on my first visit when I was pregnant with Trey... funny how quickly we forget things. Anyhow Chip came along and so did Trey. It was pretty routine I guess - get weighed (which I didn't mind this time but as the months go on my weight goes up and that's when I start freaking out... the Doc told me when I pregnant with Trey to "calm down" - LOL!) Anyhow- poor Trey cried everytime a Doctor or Nurse entered the room. I guess he thought he was getting a shot. They even gave him some Kool Aid to try and make "friends" with him. But it was the animal crackers that did the trick. They did an ultrasound today and as soon as we saw the image of baby Chamberlin 2 I had a feeling I was further along than 8 weeks... you could clearly see the head, arms, legs, and even the eyes! Wow! We also heard the heartbeat- pretty awesome. And as it turns out- I am 10 weeks along. My due date is December 12th! Yay!

We got home and Trey and I had lunch- he had one of his favorites; Hotdogs and Mac&Cheese. Well he has learned in the last 2 days how to spit out his food. So he enjoys practicing that. He would suck the juice off the hotdog and spit it out and suck the cheese off the Macaroni and spit out the noodles! AH! LOL! What can you do. He eventually ate some of the noodle and thankfully I guess after his small afternoon snack he was very hungry by dinner so there was no spitting out the fish sticks!

Last night while I was getting his bath ready he was playing on the floor as usual. He has a ton of rubber ducks (I guess I think they are cute) - he was playing with one and started to walk to me... I turned around to turn off the water and make sure it wasn't to hot and I turn around just in time to see the toliet lid closing. I looked at him and he looked at me as if to say "what... I didn't do anything" Well here is what I saw and I couldn't help but laugh! (at least it wasn't clothes or something else).

Finally I just have to post that I am SO excited... The New Kids on the Block were on the Todays' show this morning. I missed it but watched it later on the web. Trey must've thought I was nuts jumping around and singing 'step by step' and 'you got the right stuff'... hanging tough! Anyhow I had been wanting to go see them in concert but the only dates listed had been Boston, NYC, NJ.... so tonight I thought since we are going to NYC this summer to see the Yankees maybe we can go when NKOTB are in concert.... NO need!! THEY ARE COMING TO ATLANTA!!! I called Chip... he was "thrilled"! LOL! I can't wait to go. Tickets go on sale June 9th! WHOOO-HOOO! I am total dork!

Fernbank- not again...

2008-05-15T13:58:00.005-04:00

Tuesday was community day at the Fernbank Science Center here in Atlanta- which meant free admission! I was pretty excited (free is always good!) so I called up Karen and we made plans to take the kids. I can remember going to Fernbank so many times as a kid on field trips. I can't say I remember all that much about the place - mostly just the planatarium (which wasn't free on Tuesday) and most of my other memories include waiting outside to get in and eating the brown bag lunch we always got on field trips (which always had an apple and a chocolate chip cookie and I hated both those things- still hate the chocolate now). I guess if I had remembered what Fernbank was all about I wouldn't have taken Trey and asked Karen and Kate to come along. But then again I should've known better.... The Fernbank Science Center is well about science and of course we all know what that means- EVOLUTION! Yea- so it was kind of a bust. But at least we didn't pay to get in. The one neat thing about the place was the toddler play room- Kate and Trey really enjoyed that part- here are some pictures:

Afterwards we headed to Felini's Pizza- I love this place. There are a few locations around Atlanta and you can buy pizza by the slice- YUM! Anyhow- it was at least nice to spend some time with friends!

Bless your heart, tramp!

2008-05-13T20:33:00.008-04:00

(this picture is a little hard to make out- but its one of my favorites... it was taken in PCB for the Yankees reading this that stands for Panama City Beach, FL - the Redneck Riviera and one of my favorite places to go. The picture is NOT me- some girl I don't know- but it says "GRITS" again for the Yankees- that means "girls raised in the south". Beneath it are 3 cherries within each is the rebel flag... welcome to the south! LOL!)

Bless you heart, Tramp.... This is a title of a silly book that I picked up over Christmas after a conversation with my "Yankee" sister-in-law, Suzanne. She pointed out to me that Southerners are fake because we southern woman (YES I consider myself a southerner) feel we can get away with the most awful insult as long as we preface it with "Bless her heart" or "Bless his heart". For example "Bless her heart, she's as dumb as a box of rocks" or "Bless his heart, he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag". This really made me laugh of course because ... well... it's true. I can't count how many times I've heard myself say this. I guess being a "proper southern Christain woman" you must bless the heart because then the insult just doesn't seem so bad, right?! LOL! But come on as Celia Rivenbark puts it in her book, This "making fun" comes from folks who think the "family silver" refers to the large medallion around Uncle Vinnie's neck.

Suzanne and I like to make fun of each other about this. In fact, can you believe it, she says that until her first time to Georgia (which was probably 6 years ago) she never knew we (southerners) refered to 'them' as Yankees!? We do... and its not meant to be an insult (most of the time- unless for example you say "I wish these Damn Yankees would just go back North). Suzanne would never utter such words as "ya'll", "right close", "fixin' to"... and I'd never say things like wutter (translation- water), hooowse (translation- house), neow (translation- now) and the worst- Go Eagles or Go Yankees (gives me the shivers just thinking about it!)

As I mentioned in my last post, Suzanne and Kevin came to Georgia in the spring of 2006 for a family vacation. Chip and I along with my folks headed to Savannah for the HUGE St. Patricks day parade and party. We drove from Atlanta to Savannah via I-16 and made a stop in the "one stop light" town Cochran (where we lived in the late 80's early 90's). Now THIS place is true small town Georgia. I think the entire drive her mouth was open... The parade and party on River Street was Great (here is a picture of us).

The next day we headed back to Atlanta for the NASCAR race. Now if you think racing is a silly sport- please go to a race. It'll change your mind. This, in my opinion, is one of the BEST all American sports and family events out there. Where else can you arrive for a 1pm race at 6am- cook out and drink beer- and not be alone. In fact it's encouraged! You can even bring in your own coolers of Coke or beer and your own food - so you don't have to spend money. Before the race you can walk around and even get autographs and pictures with the drivers. Really it's a great sport. Anyhow- back to my story. This was a pretty chilly day in Atlanta I'd say 40 something and raining. And look what walks by... not helping my case about how wonderful the south is- this just played into the stereotype!
And just a few more pictures from the race just because:

Later that morning Suzanne tried her very first corn dog (she loved it). I am still not without hope that she will love the south (I even tried getting her to watch the greatest southern movie of all time... Gone with the wind- but she fell asleep during the part Where Ashley Wilkes is talking about how terrible the Yankees are) and one day want to live here.

So in closing here are some tips I found for a Yankee moving to the south:

-Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store.

-Remember: "Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. "All y'all's" is plural possessive. (example: Do ya'll want to keep ya'lls forks for ya'llses' peach cobbler)

-There is nothing sillier than a Northerner imitating a southern accent (unless it is a southerner imitating a Boston accent- sorry Chip).

-Get used to hearing, "You ain't from around here, are you?"

-People walk slower here

-Don't be worried that you don't understand anyone. They don't understand you either.

-The first Southern expression to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "Big ol'", as in "big ol' truck"or "big ol' boy". Eighty-five percent begin their new southern influenced dialect with this expression. One hundred percent are in denial about it.

-Be advised: The "He needed killin'" defense is valid here.

-The winter wardrobe you always brought out in September can wait until November.

-If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the most minuscule accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store. It does not matter if you need anything from the store, it is just something you're supposed to do.

-Florida is not considered a southern state. There are far more Yankees than Southerners living there.

-If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

-Refer to EVERY soft drink as a Coke (Atlanta is home of Coca Cola. That's all we drink here, so don't ask for any other soft drink.)

-"Sugar" is a more common form of address than "Miss". So is "Honey".

Ya'll Come Back Now, Ya hear?

ps- this is all in good fun- you know how much I love all my Yankee family and friends!!! (heck, technically I am one)

What's in the water?!

2008-05-09T21:06:00.005-04:00

It seems I know alot of woman who are pregnant right now. Funny how that happens- I felt that way when I was pregnant with Trey also. Well for those who don't already know my brother Kevin and his wife Suzanne are also pregnant- WITH TWINS! AHH! So that means my parents will go from having one grandchild to having four by the end of the year! Crazy! I am excited to be going through pregnancy with her (even though they are in NJ) but she'll be experiencing alot more than I... but either way it'll be neat.

Suzanne is actually due on Jan 6th- but I think when you have more than one you usually don't go full term. My due date is December 20th (at least that is my best guess). So the cousins will be VERY close in age. Pretty cool I think! It'll make the get togethers alot of fun in the coming years!

I got an email from another friend of mine today telling me she is also pregnant! When I saw her last weekend she was telling my that her husband wanted one more but she didn't think she wanted to. SURPRISE! Of course she is so excited! She has 3 boys already- could this one be a girl??? Hmmm?

Anyway- It's an exciting time with the blessing of new life. Thank you Lord!

ps- the picture is of Suzanne and I at Atlanta Motorspeedway for the NASCAR race(2006)... it was FREEZING! It was her first real "southern experience" (she even had her first corn dog this day) we also took her to Savannah for St. Pats day that same weekend. I was hoping to change her into a real Southerner and get them to move here... well it didn't work. "Bless her heart" she's just a yankee for life! Now go get my WUTTER... (I'll have to post about all this! Yankee/Southerner thing!)

catching up

2008-05-08T20:34:00.005-04:00

One thing that I decided that I wanted to do during this pregnancy was to take pictures of myself each month. I didn't do that when I was pregnant with Trey. In fact there are probably only a handful of pictures of me actually being pregnant. The reason... well I was beyond freaked out about "becoming fat". Yea, you can roll your eyes0 most people do. But for me it was a real fear. Most people told me I would be fine and not have a problem getting the weight off afterwards- but there were those people who told me that I better love the way I look because after a baby "you won't look like that anymore". I even read a book called "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" - AHHH! After reading that I thought I was going to have saggy 'you know whats' and a gut to cover my jeans. So I was freaked out. BUT... I continued to workout (my last workout was within 48 hours of delivery) and I jumped right back into a workout routine after Trey. Long story short a little hard work and not over doing it on the fattening stuff (come on... I can't LIVE without french fries... ok and McNuggets and Coke and well more french fries) and I got back into my jeans in no time. SO here I am at month 1. I hear you start to show earlier with the second pregnancy so I think I only have a matter of a few more weeks so I am wearing all my favorite jeans, skirts, tank tops, and bikinis now....

Here are a few more pictures from our trip to PA:

Uncle Kevin singing and playing guitar to Trey

two crying cousins! (they are 5 days apart)My Mom, Jane, JT, me, and Trey (and thier matching monsters!)

Cousin Alyssa so sweet holding TreyTrey and his Mimi laughing up a storm (how do you spell that?!)

Happy Birthday to Trey!

2008-05-06T15:34:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe it's been a year! But yesterday Trey turned 1! Time really does fly... the days sometime seem long but looking back... wow! I am starting to understand when parents say "it seems like just yesterday! Things have certainly changed ALOT since May 2007 - but I wouldn't change it for the world. I learned things I never knew... I learned that I could love more than I thought- I fell in love with Chip like I never thought I could. I gained a deep appriciation for my parents and all the sacrifices they made for me- things I was never grateful for until I held Trey for the first time.

Here are some pictures from his first days...

PA day 1

2008-05-01T20:52:00.003-04:00

Some picture highlights from our trip....

Sun coming up on as we arrive in PA:

We took Trey to the local park in Dillsburg- he loves the swing:Trey and his Pa blowing bubbles:The firetruck (yes we took it to PA with us!):My cousin Cindy (sorry Cin your eyes are closed!) and my Sister-in-law Suzanne (LOVED being able to spend some time with them.... move to GA!)Trey enjoyed swinging in the tree:More pictures tomorrow....

TWO are better than one!

2008-04-29T14:03:00.002-04:00

OK ok so I am behind on my posting. We arrived Thursday morning in PA and Chip and I were so tired. We drove all night. But more about our trip and some pictures later (when I get home!).

Well you've often heard it said that 2 are better than 1. I find that to be true- think about it. 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 arms, 2 legs.... what about in a marriage- 2. I mean even in Noah's Ark... the animals were 2 by 2. When you order breakfast you get 2 eggs. How many pillows do you sleep with at night... 2?! I could go on but the point is 2 is a great number and Chip and I agreed so why not 2 kids (at least for now)?!
So Trey is going to be a big brother! We are so excited. Of course that means a new car (the 2 door was great with Trey but with 2 kids and a new big mac daddy running stroller.... need a bigger car) and a new place to live- LOL!
The big day is December 20th (best estimate of course). Poor kid will get the shaft every year- "Merry Christmas... oh yeah and Happy Birthday".
I figured that this would be the month I would get pregnant- right after I make a blog called Chamberlin Times 3... I just signed up to do a triathalon (still doing that) and of course the Peachtree Road Race. I still think I can meet my goal of doing the P'tree in under 1 hour.
Now only 6 more weeks and this being tired and feeling sick feeling will go away!!

Random....

2008-04-22T20:58:00.003-04:00

I guess its been a busy week... Plus there is some news to share but that'll have to wait until later this week for a post! We are heading to Pennslyvania to visit my folks. We'll be leaving tomorrow night and driving through the night. We did this back in September when Trey was 5 months old and it worked perfectly! We left Atlanta around 9pm and arrived at my parents house around 7am... just as Trey was waking up. Last time he was still in his infant carrier - which is perfect for sleeping. This time I am a little worried because he is in a "big boy" car seat and it only reclines so far. I went out and bought some neck wings (that's what they are called) sort of like little pillows for him that attach to the shoulder straps. So hopefully the car ride is smooth and Chip & I have no problem staying awake. While we are there my brother, Kevin and his wife, Suzanne will drive out from New Jersey. They haven't seen Trey since ... well September! My cousin Jane Alice will also come out from Maryland. She and I are 10 days apart in age and our boys are 5 days apart in age! We thought that was funny! My cousin Cindy and her husband Mike will also get to come from New York! Cindy and Mike came to visit us in Atlanta last year- we had so much fun. We took them to shoot a gun for the first time! Mike shot so many rounds that it actaully caused his fingers to bleed! We found a few more gun lovers that day! So I am really looking forward to our trip. I don't get to see my family often since most of them are in the Northeast... Hey family- the south is so wonderful.... move here!!

Anyway I went to Toy R Us last week to buy Trey's neck wings and when I got back to my car it wouldn't start! UGH! It was actually really hot that day so I got Trey back out of the car and saw a "man" (I use that word only to describe his gender- male is more appropriate) sitting in his car. I tapped on his window and asked if he would jump my car... I even told him I had cables... He told me NO! I couldn't believe it... I ended up going back into TRU and getting the manager to help. Thankfully it was only a dead battery. The folks are Marietta Toyota have always been so great!

So to round out the week Trey learned to climb stairs! No we don't have any but his grandparents do! He loves to do it! We also visited with Karen and Kate. Of course I forgot my camera but Karen has some great pictures... check out her blog (see to the right for her link... Karen you gotta show me how to link through my text).

Well hope to post again on Thursday!

Lions and Tigers and Bears... OH MY!

2008-04-16T14:58:00.005-04:00

We had a cold snap this week- it was terrible! As soon as you think the winter is gone it comes right back. Thankfully it was only 2 days and today was beautiful! So we headed to the zoo... Trey really enjoyed the Panda and the wart hog. I think since he could stand in front of the glass and the animals came right up to him- he would jump and yell when they would come close. Most of the other animals were far off but he still got to see them and smiled.Trey and lizard statue

Cars, snails, and everything boy!

2008-04-12T20:56:00.004-04:00

Saturday Trey and I packed up for the day and headed out to Monroe... Its near Athens... to visit Rebecca & Darrell AND Brenden. Brenden is Becca and Darrell's little boy who is almost 3. When we pulled up I could see Brenden in the door yelling that we had arrived. He was excited to see "baby Trey". Brenden played and tried to get Trey to play with him- but Trey wasn't into playing with someone else yet (only a short time and he will be). I brought the fire truck and both of the boys wanted to play with that - at the same time! LOL! Here is a picture of Trey and Brenden playing carsTrey's new favorite thing to do is "share". He loves to hand things to you and then take it back. He even likes to try and feed me. It is really cute. Here is a picture of Trey trying to "share" his slobbery keys. Brenden sure didn't want those keys! LOL!
Later today we are going to buy new cell phones. Mine finally went "dead". I can make and receive calls but my screen does not work. I got to thinking about that today and it is just like having a real phone (which we don't have)... a landline. It had been so long since I'd used a "real phone" that when I used one this weekend I kept pressing the 'on' button after dialing the number, of course my call would not go through. Sadly enough I had to ask for instructions. Afterwards we are going to purchase my new bike! I am so excited! I've spent the last 2 weeks researching and finally decided on one. I am not spending alot- I just want something I can use for fun. I needed to buy one quickly so I can train for the 1/2 triathalon that Julia (my SIL) and I are doing in June (more on that later)....

Trey the ladies man!

2008-04-10T20:42:00.005-04:00

Today Karen invited us to meet her and Kate at the park along with her friend Diana. We went to a park on the other side of town- just next to where Chip & Chip used to live. I brought Trey's fire truck and boy was it a hit. It was like bees to honey! Kids were flocking around and playing - one little girl even pushed Trey right over and took over pushing. At the park they also have a giant sandbox so Trey tested out sand for the first time... he didn't really like it. I took alot of pictures- here are a few:

Bees to honey! Trey checks out the sand Trey and his lady friends!

Trey takes Kate for a spin Taking a stroll in the park

Just another Tuesday...

2008-04-08T14:03:00.004-04:00

This morning we went BACK to the Social Security office (if you ever have to go- don't go to the one in ATL)... we went yesterday to get Trey's SS# and boy was it a disaster! On the way up to the 28th floor boy Trey decided it was time to "GO"... so he went and poor guy- his diaper didn't hold up. After getting my number I took him to change him- wouldn't you know it no changing table! (Thankfully I had a little pad he could lay on) Well the super cute pants he was wearing could not go back on- they were ...well nasty. And since I had only taken the essentials the day before to the Braves game I had no change of clothes with me for him. I cleaned his shirt best I could and that was all he had on while we waited. So long story short we didn't have all the documents we needed (you know you have to also have thier immunizations records?!) So we went back again today. Now another things about the building where the SS office is... you pay $7 to park in a drug and homeless invested lot. There are two vacant buildings that you park in front of and during our visits we watched people go in and out of the buildings to buy drugs. No hiding it... no shame... I took some pictures...
I took this picture standing in front of my car...

This is space # 25 (where we paid SEVEN DOLLARS to park!)So once we finished up (2 hours later) we stopped by the Varsity to eat! This is one of my favorite places... Not really sure why because the food isn't really that wonderful but it's greasy and a one of a kind place in Atlanta so I love going (the onion rings are really good). Trey had been a few times before but this was his first time actaully eating the Varsity. He had a naked dog and a few fries! And of course wore the famous Varsity hat- What'll ya have!? Here are some pics
Trey and Chip on the way in:

YUM!

And finally - Congrats to Chip Lobeck (I have to specify with the last name - Lobeck and Chip used to live together. CHip and Chip... yea it was confusing!) on the big win for the Jayhawks! He gave Trey some neat KU gear and Trey wore it proudly today (thanks Chip!) ROCK CHALK!

The aftermath of TREY!

2008-04-07T20:48:00.003-04:00

Still can't keep out of the cat food!At least Trey the tornado messed up his play area (and not the cat food)

Our opening day!

2008-04-06T20:24:00.003-04:00

Today was the first Braves game of the year for us! We woke up this morning and just decided that we should head down to the Ted and catch the game (but we skipped Church to do it... not so good). One of the things I love about living in the city is being so close to the stadium. We don't have to plan far in advance for things like this. We both love baseball so this is a huge advantage. We bought our tickets on-line this morning got ready and out the door we went. We had lunch at the Chop House (a GREAT place to eat out in the outfield you can see the entire field while you eat). Trey really enjoyed it. We finally made it to our seats around the 2nd inning. It was a great game the Braves played the Mets (BOOOO! I hate them almost as much as I hate the Yankees...) Here are some pictures from the first game of the season!
Trey takes in the view!

Trey's first Tomahawk- GO BRAVES!

Thanks to our Officer friends who took this- guess he makes a better cop than he does a photographer! (or maybe it was the camera!)

Trey loves riding on Chip's shoulders!

Friday Friday..

2008-04-04T14:27:00.003-04:00

So its finally Friday... although it doesn't make a difference to me I guess. At least not when you stay home and Chip doesn't work a normal M-F 9-5...

First thing this morning my Dad called and told me to turn on the Today's show because I was not going to believe who was on. So I turned. At to my delight- THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!! I yelled like I did when I was a little girl wearing all those silly NKOTB t-shirts and buttons. Wow- brought me back so fast! Turns out they are releasing a new album and are even going to go on tour!! Yea- I am a total dork- but I will most certainly get the album and even go to the concert~ awesome~ HANGIN TOUGH! (I'll look for a picture of myself when I was a crazy NKOTB fan)

Trey and I went to the park this AM to run. Aside from summer this is my favorite time of the year- Pollen season. You have that here in the South. Sorry to those who have allergies- but I love when you walk outside and pollen is everywhere. Most people think I am sick- but to me it signals an end to the winter and the assurance that spring and warm weather is here! The pollen count is still low right now (yep the weather in the south includes the pollen report) at 1000- it gets up to over 5000 (if you don't know 1000 is still considered Extremly high). Here is a picture of my black pants after running- the pollen was up to my knees!

Trey and I went to Chic-Fil-A today and had lunch with Trey's friend Kate and my friend Karen. Kate and Trey are about 7 weeks apart. Karen and I have lots of fun getting them together. Here is a picture!

battle of the cat food!

2008-04-01T14:33:00.004-04:00

Now that Trey is walking and crawling his favorite new thing is going for the cat food. Not sure what is so intresting about it- except it gets a reaction out of me and it is like a race to get to the dish before I see him. He doesn't eat the cat food- he just grabs a big handful and dumps it on the floor (even if the cat is eating). He will crawl to the food and the closer he gets- the harder he laughs. I just can't help but laugh myself- he can hardly crawl because he is laughing so hard! I guess its his new game! Here are some pictures:

Almost made it!

13.1 in 2 hours 7 minutes!

2008-03-28T21:48:00.005-04:00

Well today was the day! I never thought I would be a runner- ever. I've been running the Peachtree Road Race for 4 years now and always felt that 6.7 miles was all the running I ever wanted to do... but then when Trey was born and Jazzercise (my favorite workout for 4 years before Trey) was no longer an option I had to find something new. So I got a running stroller and "I RAN" (Forest Gump voice). I started out walking and running a 3 mile path at Chastain Park- eventually I was able to run the entire 3 miles with no problem. I was doing this 6 days a week. Like the Post Man - in the rain (the stroller has a protective cover for Trey when it rains so he stays dry), in the cold (Trey wore a snow suit in addition to the cover to keep the wind off him), and heat (it is Atlanta afterall). I guess you could say I became addicted to it. Then I would run 6 miles when the moment would strike me. Then one day I decided I would run 9 miles- just because. (Forest Gump keeps coming to my mind!)

So Friday we all went to the GA Dome to pick up my race packet. I got my number (20357), my shirt, and my chip (this tracks me throughout the race and gives my time and pace). There was also an expo with more awesome stuff for running than you could imagine. But I guess runners are spenders because most of the stuff was really over priced! But it was fun anyhow.

Saturday I had to go buy a new shirt to run in because the forcast was calling for rain and I didn't want to be wearing a cotton shirt for a 13 mile run in the rain... I took Kevin and Chip's advice and broke down and bought an underarmour- wow! Nice!!

So anyhow I woke up at 5:30am and got dressed, ate, and left. It wasn't raining but it was SO COLD! 43 degrees by the time I finished and I was wearing shorts. In fact I am still cold! The race was great- basically a "tour" of all the neighborhoods in the city. Well I finished the race in 2 hours and 7 minutes!! I started in 6000th something place and finished in 2000th something. I ran the entire time and certainly the last mile was the longest of my life. All I know is I can't wait to do it again!!

Tornado in the city

2008-03-28T14:05:00.001-04:00

I guess its been about 2 weeks since a tornado touched down in Atlanta. Chip was at work and my Dad called to tell me that the roof of Phillips Arena had been damaged. So I turned on the news and turned off the computer... the wind and rain outside were terrible. I kept thinking "should I grab Trey and take cover"... But the weather man didn't seem to think so, so I stayed on the sofa watching the weather. The rain stopped and Chip came home. We talked and caught up on our day and then later turned on the news- WOW! A tornado had touched down in the city! The live pictures of the destruction were amazing. Today was the first time I had ventured downtown (even though it is only about 4 miles away) and here are a few pictures I took....

The GA World Congress Center - all boarded up.

The Peachtree Plaza hotel and the side of the CNN Center.

Wake up- its time!

2008-03-28T09:40:00.001-04:00

It was just like that- Trey woke up on Tuesday morning and decided that he was not going to stay in one place any longer. He decided it was time to walk and crawl all at the same time. He crawls only to get to a wall or chair or anything that he can grab onto to help him stand up. After that he can work his way around the entire house. He holds onto the walls or the furniture and off he goes. He walks until he finds something that he can explore- which usually means pulling everything down or off whatever it is. So I have spent this week watching him like a hawk. Here are some pictures of what this week has looked like!

No no! That is the Kittys food:

On the walls:

Easter Sunday

2008-03-27T15:13:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday was Easter and it was Trey's first! We were excited to take Trey to hunt Easter eggs and since he just started walking we thought he would enjoy it... well at least it would make for a good picture opp anyway! So after Church Trey went with the toddlers and found some eggs... here are a few pictures:

He was more interested in the bark on the ground... poor ole' city boy!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!