A Dollop of Donley

my loves

2012-02-20T14:40:00.001-05:00

The BIG Eleven

2012-02-20T09:21:00.006-05:00

So here's the deal....

*Write 11 random facts about you

*Answer 11 questions that your tagger listed for you

*List 11 questions for the people you tag to answer

I am going to cheat a little, because I have a 5 week old that doesn't sleep and I am too tired to think of 11 things about me.

- I have just learned how to sew and am loving it! I need more money for fabric and more hours in the day to sew. I have made two dresses for Harper, PJ pants for Chatham, and have fabric waiting for me to make him three more pairs.

-While learning to sew I was turned onto Pinterest and have now made several other crafty things: a valentines wreath, coasters, and a menu frame.

-I have always wanted to learn to cook GREAT, FANCY meals- I married a chef and let him cook instead of having him teach me anything- HA!

-Chatham will be three in a little over a month- he can spell him name, find his name when written in a list of other words, say the pledge of alligence, and ride a bike (with training wheels)- He amazes me EVERYday!!!

- I was shooting for five facts, but can only come up with four (unless you count this as a fact, in hich case, GOAL MET!)

Here are my questions from Lynette:

1. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would have to have as necessities?

my kids (does that count as one or two??), a radio or ipod of some sort, and a fully stocked Kindle.

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? I really want to go to Switzerland. I want to ski there.

3. What word would you use to best describe your husband? What word would he use you to
describe you? The word that I would chose for Devin would be tolerant- haha. And I asked him what word for me...he said "I can't describe you in one word"

4. What is your favorite holiday and why? I LOVE Christmas!!! My granddaddy Clyde had a Christmas tree farm in TN and we always had a HUGE celebration getting our tree and then again a HUGE Christmas at their farm. I love the smell of Christmas trees, hot apple cider, mimosas while opening presents, and all the fun parties and gatherings that happen at Christmas.

5. If you had three wishes, what would they be? a cure for all cancers, a lifetime with no disappointments for my children, enough money to live comfortable and not have to work.

6. What are you most proud of? My kids- especially Chatham he is at a GREAT age and I LOVE the heart he has!!!!

7. Why do you choose to blog? To help me remember this time in my life- I have a tendency to rush through life and always be focus on the "next thing"- blogging makes me pay more attention to NOW, so I can write about it later.

8. What is your favorite food? sushi- I love it!!!!

9. If you could take someone's place for the day, who would it be and why? *grab a tissue* I would be my cousin Ali- she is fighting a HUGE battle with brain cancer and I would want to take her place so she could rest for a day!!!!!!

10. What would you do with a million dollars? pay off all of our debt, put some in savings for Chatham and Harper, buy a bigger car, travel, help start a resturant for Devin to run, help pay off family members debt.

11. What is something weird about you that not many people know? I can't believe I'm going to post this publicly- but I have an crush, that is totally obsessive and out of control, on Tim Duncan!

Here are my questions for Amy-Leigh, Suzy, Lisa, Chrystal, Amanda, Abby- I think these are the only bloggers that read my blog- HAHA

1.What would you do with 1,000,000 dollars?

2. If you could have dinner with any three people, who would it be and why?

3. What did you want to be when you grew up, would you still want to do that?

4. If you could move anywhere in the US, where would you go?

5. What is your guilty pleasure tv show?

6. What is the weirdest thing you like to eat (i.e. ketchup on potato chips, mayo on chicken nuggets)

7. If money and space wasn't a factor, how many kids would you want to have?

8.If your life was a movie what would the title be?

9. If they saying 'you are what you eat' was true- what would you be?

10. Who would you consider your idol?

11. What teacher had the biggest influence on your education?

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

2012-02-14T11:19:00.001-05:00

From my heart.....

To yours!

life with a girl

2012-02-11T12:23:00.002-05:00

Life with a girl is SO different! I have gotten used to monster trucks, lightening McQueen, and Dinosaurs. Now I'm adjusting to EVERYTHING being pink, and fluffy, and tied up with a bow!!

Harper tried sporting a bow a few days ago- let's just say it didn't go over well. We'll be saving the bows for ponytails from now on.

When I had Chatham, my sister had Thomas... they get along GREAT! They like everything to match, same clothes, same jackets, same bikes, same toys. Now I have Harper, and Beth has Jack! We love Jack, but sharing for him might not be as fun as it has been for the big boys. Don't worry Jack- REAL men pull of the pink bouncey!

It's her party....

2012-02-09T13:58:00.002-05:00

and she'll cry if she wants to! Cara's 3rd birthday party was at Skateland this past weekend. While she wasn't a big fan of skating....

Chatham was!

Devin put on some rollerblades and partied like it was 1999 (literally!)

I haven't been cleared to "exercise" yet, so I just walked the rink with Chatham, but it was alot of fun to see him go.

Things....

2012-02-08T15:30:00.002-05:00

Things have been fun at the Donley house....We played hair salon in the bathtub
then Super Elmo came to play.

Chatham has mastered riding his bike

And I have mastered the art...no,no....I have started to learn how to sew. Here are my first two completed projects

The second dress has a story behind it...lets just say the "10-minute onesie dress" took me 4 1/2 hours!!!!!

Cell Phone Picture Dump

2012-01-31T13:33:00.002-05:00

Here are the pics from my phone to show what we've been doing this past week.
There was a party!

A trip to the doctor for both kiddos!

And Harper's first real bath!

Full stories to come soon....

The Art of Giving

2012-01-26T11:06:00.004-05:00

Nobody knows how to give the perfect gift like a sibling... This pregnancy my sister got me a GREAT diaper bag- I planned on using the same bag I did for Chatham, but my sister KNEW I needed this other bag! Well Harper is already carrying on the art of giving.

Harper came with a bike! Chatham was exstatic- after some close inspection, the bike is a keeper.

Luckily it has been unseasonably warm for January, and Devin was able to take Chatham to the park to learn to ride.

Other than a fear of hills, going to fast, the ducks flapping to close and the dog that was about a mile away- he did GREAT!!!

And don't worry- Chatham got Harper a few books with his Barnes and Noble gift card he got at Christmas. So they are both benefiting for the giving gene!

Pictures Galore!

2012-01-24T11:28:00.003-05:00

Harper is such a great baby! Not a spitter-upper like her brother; a laid back personality and already likes to coo at her daddy and brother!
Did I mention how alert and photogenic she is. It's amazing. My heart is just bursting with joy for this little angel!

Chatham has had lots of visitors over this week and loved showing them how to hold Harper.

Lauren was a natural and loved holding her....

Cara on the other hand wasn't so sure...

Harper is a great sleeper and likes her hands to be free- this picture is identical to one I have of Chatham, when I have time to get it off the desktop I will post them together.

I don't know if I mentioned this before- but Lisa and several others sent us this picture. The Chic-fil-a in town had "Welcome to the World Harper" on the sign all weekend the 13th-15th. I am pretty sure it was for the other Harper born on the 12th; but for now we're not telling Harper anything to take owe her stardom!

1-13-12

2012-01-15T06:57:00.003-05:00

Harper Annabeth has joined to world!
What a sight it was....

We got to the hospital at 5:30 Friday morning and were prepped and in the OR at 7:30.
7 lbs. 10 oz., 20 1/4 inches long- a head full of black hair and dark eyes. She is SUCH a beautiful baby!!!

Harper is so tiny, even though she weighs nearly a pound heavier than Chatham did at birth, and I just love to snuggle her.

She is a great sleeper and is breastfeeding like a champ! Now we just wait for my milk to come in and hope it continues to be smooth sailing.

Pictures of Chatham and Harper are yet to come, he was not thrilled with the hospital experience and the only pictures we got of them meeting are on my phone (or one with her feeding and not visible int he actual picture).

Chathamisms

2012-01-10T14:38:00.002-05:00

We watch a lot of football at our house and anytime a game is on Chatham can be found standing in front of the TV yelling "Come On Cam!!!" (Devin is a BIG Panther's fan andhas pep talks with Cam Newton often) We have to tell Chatham often that Cam isn't playing in this particular game and then he starts yelling "Down, A Set, HUT HUT."

Driving to school Monday we were turning to drive through downtown (also the way we go to Gram and Poppy's house) Chatham looks out his window in the direction of their house and says "Grrraaaammmmm, where arrrre you? I do not see her, is she far away?"

Chatham is VERY eager for Harper to come (as are all of us) but he talks to her often telling her she needs to come out and play, or just saying "hey, you still there." Last night he got REALLY close to my belly and said "Sister! it is time for you to listen and come out now, 1-2-3, ok then you can go to timeout"

Chatham's pat answer when asked what he did at school will start off with "I did not hit my friends"- always good to know, but he's never had an issue with hitting his friends, so I don't know why he feels the need to reiterate that point.

I absolutely love this kid!!!! I can't wait to see what Harper is like, and how they interact with one another as she grows! These are going to be the longest 2 1/2 days ever!!!!

A look back at 2011

2012-01-01T11:23:00.003-05:00

January: Snow day!
Feb- Cara's Lady Bug Birthday Party

March- Chatham's Ice Cream Social Birthday Party

April: Thomas' Party at the Park

May- Moving to the new house!

June- Dressing up for a dinner out with Gram, Poppy, Aunt Ma'am and Uncle Grump, and Ali!

July- Sunday School Pool Party; Chatham mastered the diving board this year!

August- Nevin Park with the Cadwallader's- Last hoo-ra before school started back.

Sept.- Cousin Jack was born, the big boys took a walk to the lake when we visited him.

October- HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Chatham the dog!

Nov.- another trip to the park with Thomas, Poppy, and Uncle Ben while the turkey cooks.

Dec.- getting all clean, ready for bed so Santa will visit!!!!

I can only imagine all the pictures that will be taken in 2012!!!! A new model to shoot- and lots of three year-old fun!!!

Unbelievable

2011-12-30T13:33:00.002-05:00

Two weeks from today I will have a little baby girl in my arms!!!!!

Christmas #2- the real deal

2011-12-25T20:02:00.002-05:00

SANTA CAME!!!!!! He brought everything Chatham asked for-a motorcycle and a kitchen.

Poppy got Chatham a recordable Frosty the snowman book
The best gift of the year was the guns and holster though- Chatham loves dressing up like a cowboy and this was the missing piece. It was a very controversial topic as to whether or not guns were allowed to be toys in our house...but after months of watching remotes, utensils, phones, and Lego's seeming to make fine guns- I caved.

Chatham was quite a good boy- and Tilman (our Elf) was very good at reporting to Santa every night, so Chatham was showered with all kids of treats!

Sadly, Tilman's last night with us was Christmas Eve. Luckily, he left us a little good-bye note on the fridge.

Here comes Santa Clause....

2011-12-23T16:16:00.002-05:00

Chatham is SO EXCITED for Christmas! His Christmas spirit is just contagious. So when he came home from school asking to sit on Santa's lap I was all for it. We had tried before to visit Santa, and even took Lauren with us to show him the ropes. It did NOT go well. But this time was going to be different- this time it was Chatham's idea.

We made it to the mall, we made it in line, we even smiled and liked pretending to be an elf! THEN it happened.....it was our turn to sit on Santa's lap, Chatham ran right up to him-stopped dead in his tracks and freaked out!

Our Santa thought ahead though, and brought his dog. Chatham calmed down and managed to get close enough to pet the dog- so this years picture "with Santa" only actually includes Santa's left leg. As we were leaving Santa handed Chatham a coloring book and while backing away and grabbing the book at the same time Chatham yells over his shoulder "I want a motorcycle and a kitchen!"

Chatham was VERY proud of the fact that he "talked to Santa", he is honest and lets you know "I would not sit on him, but I DID tell him what I want."
Daycare/Misty was informed of the Santa fiasco. It is quite a humorous tale if I do say so myself. Well, Misty heard that Santa was going to be stopping to see the kiddos during their Christmas party and she talk Miss Jamie and Miss Monica that it would make this Mama very happy if they were able to get a picture of Chatham with Santa.
So, here it is.....
in true Chatham fashion he is chewing his fingers nervously, giving Monica the "Really Lady?!" look, and standing just far enough in front of Santa to feel safe! BUT- at least this picture has Santa's face in it!!!

Christmas comes but once a year.....

2011-12-19T21:28:00.006-05:00

not for the Donley clan-

Christmas comes three times a year! This past weekend was Christmas #1.

Thomas, Chatham, and Jack got showered with gifts, and the big boys were SO fun this year!

They helped everyone open their gifts- and were very eager to clean up the paper at the end of each unveiling.

We took the annual Christmas pictures- my boys on the couch and the big kids on the stairs.

Saturday, EVERYONE came over to celebrate!

What more could a girl ask for!

2011-12-14T10:01:00.004-05:00

Suzy throw a WONDERFUL shower for Miss Harper and me!

There was no detail left undone!

I even pulled out my 'mommy sippy cup' from my Aunt Carrie when Chatham was showered.
There were TONS of gifts- the girls always got overboard! I got the sweetest silver bracelet for Harper from Big Mama!

And an awesome Celebrate EVERYTHING plate from my mom (there was a lot more in that bag- don't be fooled) Sharon (my pregnancy buddy this go round- her daughter Kaleigh is due two days before Harper's original due date) got me a paci clip that turns into a bracelet and a matching bracelet for Little H! It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen!

Barbara, my MIL, got all kinds of goodies for us, books, toys, a boppy, and some cute little outfits.

And there was food.....

Oh my was there food- I LOVED it! Spinach Artichoke Hummus, a veggie tray, blueberry muffins, Suzy's grape salad, breakfast casserole- all my pregnancy cravings of the past 8 months on one counter top. I was in HEAVEN!

Thanks Suzy and everyone else who came- I had a WONDERFUL day- and can't wait for each of you to snuggle Miss Harper!

A little Bragging....

2011-12-06T11:05:00.002-05:00

Every year I treat myself (us) to a family photo shoot for Christmas-
Every year I worry that Chatham doesn't smile, or I slouch, or will my hair look horrible...

I don't know why I worry- we always get Ashley at AshelyCarmichaelPhotography to take the pictues and she always does SUCH a great job!!!!!!

We took some maternity pictures too- and I am SO excited!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-04T20:49:00.003-05:00

We finally got our Christmas tree....

Joe came with us and took the annual Family picture at the tree.

Harper even got her picture taken at the tree- this is week 34 (and 2 days)

Chatham loved decorating with me, he put over half of the ornaments on! Then he put on his "wing-deer" pajamas to take some pictures.

My mom came and did our out side decorations (Thanks Mama!) So now I am all set!

Christmas Alpine Village

2011-12-03T18:41:00.002-05:00

Today we took Chatham and Lauren to Lenoir to the College Avenue Baptist Alpine Village. It was SO much fun! My good friend, Chrtystal, made these awesome shirts for the kiddos!

There was so much to do there- they got train ornaments, made gingerbread man cookies, watched a puppet show and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

They made reindeer food bags to leave out with Santa's cookies on Christmas Eve, and got to pick out a book to keep. I think the balloon snowman and candy cane were pretty high on the favorite list. Lauren said her favorite part was sitting on Santa's lap, but Chatham would have no part of that! He even freaked out just having to walk around the plastic fence next to Santa.

I think I must be growing.....

2011-12-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

How Far Along: 33 weeks
Size of baby: Baby center says: " baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark." But Dr. H says we need to have a growth ultrasound because he thinks she's closer to 5 lbs. now (I am measuring about 2 1/2 weeks ahead was his guestimate)
Total Weight Gain: 27 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: Oh yes! and it's hard to find tops long enough to cover my tummy!
Gender: Sugar and Spice and Everything nice!
Movement: not as often, but when she moves I can feel- and see- everything! I am stretched to the max and she's out of room so any little movement I can feel.
Sleep: rare. between heart burn, leg cramps, and potty breaks I get about 2 hours at a time through the night, and have resorted to sleeping at an incline when the Zantac chooses not to kill the heartburn
What I miss: bending over, fitting between the cars in the garage.
Cravings: veggies and string cheese-I get full so fast, then I am hungry 30 minutes later.
Symptoms: shortness of breath, a few braxton hicks, but nothing major
Best Moment this week: We got our Christmas picture proof back and I LOVE them all!! Chatham and I had a mommy-son date night at home, which consisted of fish sticks, fries, and apple sauce for dinner- followed by Curious George's Christmas Special- and an icey pop! He was such a delight that night. Even asked if we could snuggle after his bath!!! I love that boy!

Thanksgiving with the cousins

2011-11-30T20:27:00.002-05:00

Friday and Saturday was spent at Gram and Poppy's with Thomas and Jack.

Jack just hung out and show off his new love of smiling.

While the big boys hung out at the neighborhood park and played with EVERY toy Gram and Poppy have to offer!

There was ring-around-the-rosie; the hokey pokey, and head and shoulders, knees and toes.

This was a lot of fun! Thursday (actual Thanksgiving) was spent at home with Nana and Aunt Amby- sadly the camera wasn't charged so there are no pictures to show the yummy turkey dinner we had!

Round 1 of Turkey.....and a little back yard Football

2011-11-28T06:47:00.004-05:00

An Interview with a two year-old

2011-11-21T18:25:00.002-05:00

Name: C-H-A-T-H-A-M Donley

How old are you? 2 and 3

Favorites:
Toy- the choo-choo
Food- hats
Color- orange
Friend- Max

What did you ask Santa for? A car

Are you excited have a baby? Yeah..... What are you going to do with Harper when she gets here? Play with her.... What will you play? With the choo-choo train

Can you count? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2012 (who needs 14 and 16 anyway.... but 2012? I think you skipped a few thousand buddy)

What did eat for dinner tonight? um, brrrrmmmmm, chugga chugga choo-choo...... No, Chatham what food did you eat tonight? Salad (truth be told he had chicken with ranch dressing, corn, rice, and apple sauce)

Who loves you? um, Gram.
Who else? Daddy
Anyone else? OH, Mommy does! and Ali does and Aunt Ma'am does...... fa la la la la

What I'm thankful for.... (Chatham edition)

2011-11-21T08:57:00.002-05:00

Today on our car ride to school, Chatham was still talking about Halloween. Ringing doorbells, saying thank you, he went over everyones costumes again.... I reminded him the Halloween is over and now it's time for Thanksgiving. Turkey, Pie, and being thankful. His response......"No Candy?" Sorry, buddy- No Candy.
I tried to put myself in a two and a half year olds shoes and explain how and why to be thankful....
We say thank you to people and things that make us happy and are nice to us.....What are you thankful for? So, here's his list- in order with no prompting on my part.
1. My black doggie (it's a stuffed animal he got from a teacher at daycare)
2. Cara
3. The School Buses
4. Gram
5. Grass
6. Harper

Not bad, I don't think we've fully grasped the concept this year, but I am very proud of my little guys thankful list!!

Mark...A set.....GO!

2011-11-20T14:04:00.005-05:00

Little boys and their toys!!!

Chatham is ALL about playing with trucks and cars and motorcycles these days. He "brrrrrmmmm-brrrrrrmmmmmms" all over the house!

Some other memorable things he has said this week are:

"Mark...A set....Go"= On your mark, get set, go

"Relax and enjoy the ride mommy"= on our way home from Church I was fussing at Devin and Devin is known for telling Chatham to relax and enjoy the ride when he gets fussy in the car.

"I don't need to go to bed now, I'm not even thirsty yet"= SO SORRY- I didn't realize thirst was an indication of sleep!

"I didn't see you at Nana's today daddy, you were too far away"= Devin went to Taylorsville to shot- and of course nothing is in Taylorsville except for Nana.

We also went to the Tap Room this weekend to celebrate Suzy's birthday. The kids were SO funny and for the first time in my 2.5 years as a mom I left a restaurant happy with how everyone acted and certain that it is safe to show my face in the establishment again at anytime.

November Kiddos

2011-11-16T19:18:00.001-05:00

Harper's Room

2011-11-16T06:52:00.002-05:00

I am VERY excited about the big/little shirts I got for Chatham and Harper's first meeting!!!!

Her is a look into her not so organized closet! That is my project this weekend.

We have every dresser drawer full of nice, clean, folded newborn sized clothes!

Her bed is ready to go!

Here's a look at the room from the doorway- you can't see the end table and rocking chair but it's there! I think we're ready- Just missing that sweet baby girl!

67 days and counting!

2011-11-14T13:19:00.003-05:00

How Far Along: 30 weeks and 3 days
Size of baby: Baby center says: "Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage)." But today's ultrasound says Harper is actually just over 3 1/2 lbs.
Total Weight Gain: 23.5 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: Oh yes! and it's hard to find tops long enough to cover my tummy!
Gender: Girl!
Movement: a lot, she is a bit higher and her movement now effects my breathing. But I love that Devin can feel her so much now, and you can even see it without touching my tummy.
Sleep: Getting hard to get comfortable and breathing is difficult
What I miss: bending over
Cravings: nothing inparticular, but I have been eating smaller amounts more often- I get full so fast, then I am hungry 30 minutes later.
Symptoms: shortness of breath
Best Moment this week: I LOVED getting our maternity pictures and family Christmas Card pictures taken this weekend!! Also, I was able to sneak a peek (thanks to my FAV ultrasound tech!) at this weeks appt. heartrate was 151 and she was snoozing facedown on my hip bone.

Two and A Half

2011-11-10T14:50:00.005-05:00

The life of MY 2.5 year old!

Favorite.......

Things to do: Anything with Daddy (wash the car, mow the grass, check the mail), play Cowboy, watch pictures and family videos on the laptop, reading

Places to go: Gram's, the paint store (AKA Lowes), Church

Toys: cowboy hat, drums, any type of truck, and drawing (with a pen not crayons)

Food: hot dogs, pop tarts, sweet potatoes,

TV show: Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Club, Curious George, Dora

Movies:Any of the Elmo's World Movies, and Cars

What happened to Thanksgiving?!?!?!?!

2011-11-03T11:26:00.001-04:00

A Bit about Harper

2011-11-02T09:55:00.002-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 Weeks 5 days

Size of baby: right around 3 lbs.

Total Weight Gain: 19 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes! Had to put the Mediums away last week.

Gender: Girl!
Movement: a lot, she is a bit higher and her movement now effects my breathing. But I love that Devin can feel her so much now, and you can even see it without touching my tummy.

Sleep: Getting hard to get comfortable and breathing is difficult

What I miss: bending over

Cravings: nothing really. But I have been drinking a lot of hot chocolate

Symptoms: shortness of breath, LARGE stomach

Best Moment this week: my doctor appt. hearing her heartbeat (145 bpm) and going to the Doc every 2 weeks now- I can't beleive I'm in my 3rd trimester!!!!
Halloween was a lot of fun too. Chatham put a Frankenstein sticker on my tummy so "Harper was dressed up"

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T20:43:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween From the Donley's!!!

We had a fun night trick or treating with the Cadwallader's and Wade's!!! I didn't get many pictures, since I stayed home and handed out candy; while the kiddos and other parents went on a hayride (thanks Paul!!)

I love that we are now in a good neighborhood with lots of kids. We had over 100 trick or treaters!!!But, we had the cutest Dog, Cowboy, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Ninja in the neighborhood!!

What a Weekend!

2011-10-30T20:34:00.007-04:00

We had a very chilly weekend, so we found lots of fun activities to do around the house.

We did some dot-dot halloween art, at bats and pumpkins for lunch (PB&Js)

Devin and Chatham showing off their apple jacks necklaces Chatham made with his leftover breakfast- haha!

We even found some time to make Pumpkin Spice Muffins- YUMMMMM-O!

Sunday, we bundled up and went to church! Notice the new fireplace! Well, we've had the fire PLACE since we bought the house, but this week we had the propane company come out and hook up the gas!

pumpkin carving at its finest

2011-10-24T20:03:00.004-04:00

Chatham was very excited to have his friends over to paint and carve pumpkins with us Sunday.

This year we continued our tradition of dinner and carving with the Cadwallader's and added the Wade's to our mix.

Lauren and Chatham opted to paint their pumpkins- Cara and Harrison just ran around after they deseeded theirs- and Nick joined the adult clan in true carving this year!

It took me an extra day to finish my ghosty pumpkin- but I love it so it was worth the work.

Chatham loved the green paint- that unfortunately looks yellow in these pictures.

And Devin did the scream face on his pumpkin (which Chatham tore the left eye off of the following day) but we got some good pictures and had a lot of fun with our friends!

Red Wolf Farm

2011-10-24T19:58:00.003-04:00

We made our annual trek to the pumpkin patch! This year we went with the Smith's, Cadwallader's, Wade's, and Martin's!

We got to know our farm animals.

Mary Grace and Chatham had fun exploring the HUGE wooden ark on the playground.

Played in the corn and went through the corn maze.

We even rode on the hayride!

Weekend Recap

2011-10-24T19:51:00.005-04:00

We had a very Halloween-y weekend at Gram and Poppy's! Ali came to town as well as Beth, Ben, Thomas and Jack.

We tried on Halloween costumes and posed with our pumpkins.

We decorated Halloween cookies!

I snuggled with baby Jack!

We lounged around on the couch and watched football.

Chatham practiced holding a new baby to prepare for Harper's arrival.

Ali and the boys had TONS of fun and I know the feeling was mutual! We can't wait to get everyone together agian over the holidays!!!!!

Class of 2001

2011-10-18T20:15:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. I helped with the planning process, and I think everything turned out nicely. Around 50 people came and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

I guess 10 years isn't long enough for people to have changed much- everyone was recognizable, and some of us just haven't changed one bit.

Lots of marriages, lots of babies, I loved all the happy stories that were shared.

Devin's biggest comment was that everyone gets along- we aren't really "clichey" and that was NOT how it was at his high school. I have always loved that our entire class got along and hung out as a whole.

Here's to 10 more wonderful years for the Newton-Conover High Class of '01!!!!!

Sneak Peek

2011-10-11T15:44:00.004-04:00

Devin has been hard at work getting our little girls room all ready for her! The crib should be delivered today and then I'll show some REAL pictures!

This is the bow holder Devin made this weekend! I ran to Target and bought some little bows immediately!!

There are lots of H's and picture frames waiting to be filled! The bunny on the bottom shelve is Harper's first Lovey from her Godmother, Ali!

Sorry for the blurry pictures, I snapped these with my cell phone this morning to show my mom,

This lamp was my favorite purchase- less than $10 and matches the bedding to a T!

Our weekend in pictures

2011-10-09T19:52:00.002-04:00

Snoozfest

2011-10-05T14:39:00.004-04:00

How Far Along: 24 weeks and 5 days
Size of baby: (based on 25 week info she is the size of a rutabaga) Had an ultrasound today Harper weighed in just over a pound and a half!
Total Weight Gain: 14 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: just about everything now- I've been able to pull out a few pairs of 12's and squeeze into them.
Gender: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
Movement: more large movements like she's rolling over, but not as many little kicks as I got with her brother.
Sleep: Not as great, lots of leg cramps, but they don't seem as bad when it's my left leg?!
What I miss: This week I really missed having a beer with pizza.
Cravings: Still eating a lot! Nothing inparticular though.
Symptoms: Shortness of breath and a much larger tummy this week.
Best Moment this week: A surprise ultrasound to peek in on little miss, but she was snoozing away as she has been at most of our appts. good strong heartbeat at 138 and a big ol' noggin just like Chatham!

Welcoming Fall

2011-10-03T12:49:00.004-04:00

We welcomed Fall with the Cadwallader's and Wade's at Zootastic in Troutman!

The birds made some of us very nervous- but Suzy was a good sport and let one sit on her shoulder.

These horses were HUGE!! Chatham wasn't about to go near them- so he and Cara posed for a picture then moved on to the smaller animals.

Everyone kept asking where this Llama, Llama's red pajamas were...

This sweet kid had a PVC tube taped to his antlers because he wouldn't stop sticking his head through the fence and getting stuck~ this might come in handy for my stair banister soon! HAHA

22 weeks

2011-09-19T18:57:00.004-04:00

How Far Along: 22 weeks and 4 days

Size of baby: About 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 11 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: just about everything now- I've been able to pull out a few pairs of 12's and squeeze into them.

Gender: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Movement: not as much this week, but she has her set times that she really gets to moving.

Sleep: Not as great, lots of leg cramps and my side just isn't comfortable anymore.

What I miss: nothing really- I did hate not getting to eat oysters at he beach this year.

Cravings: Still eating a lot! Nothing inparticular though.

Symptoms: Shortness of breath and a much larger tummy this week.

Best Moment this week: Spending lots of quality time with Chatham, and hearing her heartbeat.

Had to through in a picture of big brother!

So many pictures, so little time

2011-09-19T18:38:00.005-04:00

A very happy boy, to be out of the car after 5 hours. We went to Joe's Crab Shack and had fun with the wooden fish AND the real fish in the water.

There were lots of fun things to do around Barefoot Landing. But after dinner and posing with some pirates, we headed to the beach for some more pictures

We got there just in time before the sunset- we found a horseshoe crab shell, lots of bird tracks, and some really cool seashells.

The next few days were a bit more chilly outside, so we took advantage of the indoor pool. Chatham went flying, diving, and swiming for hours.

Before heading to Murrel's Inlet for dinner we hit the boardwalk on the strip and watched the waves and the SkyWheel.

*Be warned* there are at least two more beach posts to come!

Toes in the Water

2011-09-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

Sorry we've been M.I.A.- Devin and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary at Myrtle Beach this year (and we took Chatham with us)
Chatham loved the beach even more this year than last. I took over 250 pictures and am in the process of uploading, editing, and selecting which ones are blog-worthy.

So in the meantime here are some pictures from Devin's phone. The above picture is of our last dinner at a place called Duffy's Seafood- It was AMAZING!!!

Chatham is really into sharks right now; Devin chased him around the hotel saying "dun-a, dun-a". For the rest of the weekend C loved swimming around the pool saying "donna, donna, donna."

Our last day was a little cloudy and cold so we did some shopping- Chatham loved the Disney store and even found his inner pirate- ARGH!

Plates

2011-09-14T10:00:00.002-04:00

A while back I posted about our Saturday Out with the Rosenbalm's...
We went to a cute little place called Unique Designs and painted plates. We made this cute golf plate for Gram- and Chatham was very excited to help me paint the sky.

This Firetruck plate is the last thing to be hung in Chatham's new big brother room! We've gone with a transportation theme focusing on Fire Station accents. I just can't believe how big this plate makes his foot look!!!

FOOTBALL is BACK!

2011-09-11T16:51:00.002-04:00

this is what it looked like at our house this weekend...
Harper got to know her daddy and brother well- as they whooped and hollared throught several games.

She squirms SO much when Chatham talked directly into my bellybutton (apparently that's the direct speaker to her)

We cleaned out the playroom to make room for new toys- and played some football of our own. We made a trip to Raleigh to meet the newest member of the family! All in all it was a GREAT weekend!

A boy wears many hats

2011-09-07T12:41:00.002-04:00

Like I said in my previous post, Chatham has gotten into playing pretend. This includes dressing up to get into character. Which means we are accumulating many hats and accessories.
If you're my friend on Facebook you know I was in search of a football helmet last week. Just minutes after posting my query to get some insight as to where one would find a 2T/3T football helmet, the search came to an end. Who knew it would be SO easy (haha)!
Devin's step dad is a truck driver and just happen to be in the Charlotte area making a drop and just happen to have Facebook up on his phone and just happen to get the Panthers to clear him to park his BIG truck in there parking lot for a few minutes to run in and by Chatham not only the helmet but a full on Panthers uniform (Thanks John)
A few days later as a potty/no time out for three days prize Gram got Chatham a cowboy hat, bandana, and sherriff badge. Also a huge it and will come in very handy at Tweetsie this weekend! Gram and Chatham had to wear these hats before dinner last night while they were fighting off the dinosaurs that had taken over Gram and Poppy's bedroom! That kid cracks me up!!!!!

Weekend Happenings

2011-09-06T11:21:00.003-04:00

This weekend was SO much fun! Chatham has become a boy over the last few weeks and I love interacting with him. No more whining, no more baby stuff....He is a big kid now!
We built a HUGE Lego tower, played memory, Farmer Uno, and pretend- LOTS and LOTS of pretend! My favorite was the "dinosaur game". Chatham and I have our own secret high-five.
Saturday we swam and had pizza at the Cadwallader's, Sunday we played outside with the kiddie pool and mud pie table until Nana and Aunt Amby came over with a football outfit for Chatham. It's a REAL Carolina Panthers Jersey and Chatham LOVES it- well he loves the helmet- he throws the ball all over the house yelling "hut-hut" and we're working on teaching him a touchdown dance.
It amazes me how athletic he is- he runs REALLY fast (for a 2 1/2 year old) and can throw one heck of a fast ball. Devin is SO happy to have a sports fan to hang with!

Harper has been moving SO much the past two days- and Sunday night Devin even got to feel her- just barely and only if he lays his head on my stomach- he can't feel it with his hand. But she's getting there.
We had yesterday off work and had a ball hanging out at home and having a lazy/rainy day. The Labor Day pool party was cancelled at the Country Club- but we still went to the dinner with Mom and Dad- Chatham said he didn't have fun because the "party" didn't have cupcakes or lots of kids. We'll have to remember that and have our own party next year.

Harper likes her brother!

2011-08-31T09:41:00.002-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 weeks and 5 days

Size of baby: about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 5 lbs at my last appointment, now I'm up to 7.5 by our home scale

Maternity Clothes: all pants, still trying to squeeze into some regular tops.

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!

Movement: a lot more this week- she loves to wiggle when Chatham talked REALLY loud into my bellybutton (haha)

Sleep: Good other than 3 AM potty breaks

What I miss: breathing- shortness of breath has kicked in now.

Cravings: Still eating a lot! String cheese, french fries (with LOTS of ketchup), fruit- there is a constant stock of peaches and plums in my kitchen.

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, a much larger tummy this week, more movement.

Best Moment this week: Chatham likes to say hi to his sister and tries to hear her talk back with one of poppys old stethoscopes.

Pictures from Church

2011-08-23T16:42:00.002-04:00

The photographer from church took some GREAT pictures at VBS!!!
He really captured all the fun the kids had!!

Now if we could just get Chatham to sit that still for Big Church!

Old Solider's Reunion

2011-08-20T12:00:00.002-04:00

What is old solider's week without icey's and homemade lemonade!!!!!
However, this year, the old timey fire engine took the cake for a certain little boy.

Ali was in town on parade day and as soon as I find my camera I will upload the pictures of the gang at the parade. This year the Wade's and the Martin's sat with us (us= mom, Al, Hokie and the three and a half Donleys)

Happy 4th Birthday Lauren!!!

2011-08-16T07:12:00.002-04:00

Lauren turns 4 today!!!
We celebrated Saturday at Church with a Tangled party!

She was SO happy- and so were we to get to celebrate her special day with her!!!

Paul and Lisa are much more trusting than most and let Lauren pose WITH her cake!!!! What a BIG girl!!!!!

Finger Paint

2011-08-14T11:20:00.002-04:00

Chatham is SO excited that his Godmother Ali is coming to visit!! We decided to do some finger painting for her.
We covered the kitchen table and get down to business.

Chatham made a soccer field (pictured below, in case you couldn't tell)

Mommy's picture was a big less abstract and we made hand and foot prints!

Another trip to Nevin Park

2011-08-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

We have definitely enjoyed the splash park a lot this summer.
We went back again the first weekend of August with the Cadwallader's, I am REALLY going to miss having my Friday's off and getting to spend so much time with our friends!!

The kiddos definitely enjoyed running through the water more this year- and I hope we can go back next year and watch them change!

Chatham took a quick break to show Aunt Suzy some love!

Randomness of August

2011-08-14T10:53:00.002-04:00

We have learned that a BIG ball and a hammer are just as good as a baseball and bat.
We had a GREAT day in Statesville having frozen yogurt and painting ceramics with Cora and Mrs. Betsy (who Chatham affectionately calls Ms. Speckle)

The boys had a fun day at home (and chic-fila) while I had a girls night out for Karrie's Bachelorette Party- the wedding was last night and unfortunately I didn't take ONE PICTURE!

With all the purchases being made for Harper- we didn't want Chatham to feel left out, so Gram brought over a big treat! Devin and Chatham spent an evening putting together the new table and chairs set for the play room!

August is off to a GREAT start!!!!

Slacker Blogger- but 16 weeks!

2011-08-09T12:41:00.002-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 Weeks and 4 days

Size of baby: the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: finally gained a little bit I'm up 1.4 lbs by my home schedule- next dr. appt is 8/19

Maternity Clothes: mostly- but more for comfort than actually need

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!

Movement: a few tingles here and there! I am loving it!

Sleep: Good other than 3 AM potty breaks

What I miss: MORE caffeine!!!!

Cravings: Still pretty random, Dr. Pepper was a big one. Lately I have simply eaten anything and everything I see!! String cheese, french fries (with LOTS of ketchup),salt and vinegar chips.

Symptoms: Other than starting to show and starting to feel her moving, no major symptoms to speak of.

Best Moment this week: Starting to feel little flutters and ordering things with her monogram!!!

Shake It Up!

2011-07-31T18:06:00.004-04:00

Last week was VBS at First United Methodist Church- We did Shake It Up Cafe this year and I helped with the 2-4 year olds. I think they had a lot of fun.

Our attempt at a group shot- sadly this was the ONE day Chatham forgot to bring his pack-pack was picture day- and his pack pack was wear I kept his shirt all week.

Cara was all smiles going in to sing songs and watch Scrapes (the racoon).

family gathering

2011-07-31T15:12:00.002-04:00

We had a pool party two weekends ago at Aunt Ma'ams. Thomas and Chatham had SO much fun together-

There was lots of swimming

These boys are definitely little fish!

We hope to get together again soon Smith Family!

71%

2011-07-25T14:43:00.001-04:00

The public opinion was correct 71 % of you thought Baby Donley #2 would be a girl, and it's offical!

Harper Annabeth Donley will grace us with her presence in 2012!!!

We are SO thrilled and can't wait to buy some pink!

Sprinkler Fun

2011-07-18T19:25:00.002-04:00

We finally pulled out the sprinkler ball for a little fun in the sun after dinner.
Chatham loved drinking the water

He ran back and forth, back and forth just squealing

Our weekend....

2011-07-18T10:27:00.003-04:00

Our weekend seemed to consist of food-food-and more food.

We had Mellow Mushroom on Friday night and got a YUMMY buffalo chicken/Meat lovers pizza. It was wonderful!

A few weekends ago we had dinner at my mother in laws and a church friend brought over green bean bundles (Thanks ML!) I am pretty sure I ate my weight in these joyful little rolls of goodness. Apparently I like them so much it's all I've talked about for a week! I made them this weekend when we had friends over and they were delicious! I came to work today to brag about how well I recreated ML's masterpiece and apparently I'm not the only one who made them this weekend. Nancy made them for her family and her daughter wants them every day now. Allen made them for his wife and he even used a piece of bread to soak up the extra sauce in the empty pan....I think we're on to something.

I know food isn't why you all come to view my blog, so here you are- the latest picture of Donley #2....or would this be Donley #4........

The Cold Shoulder

2011-07-14T10:50:00.003-04:00

So, as you know Chatham is 2..... I thought that meant I had at least 10 years before I get blown off for girls; but I was wrong!

Devin is taking Chatham to school over the summer while I work 10 hours M-TH to have Fridays off. On the way to school each morning Chatham calls to tell me hi and make sure I'm picking him up in the afternoon. He tells me (EVERY morning) "I sleep good. I dream of Elmo" but one morning last week Chatham didn't want to talk, in fact as they approached the door at daycare he said "I see Addy and I NEEEED talk to her".......CLICK........
that's right, no bye, no I love, I got dissed for Addyson! Now don't get me wrong- I love Addyson, she is sweet and cute and a wonderful friend of Chatham's.

Fast Forward to Tuesday of this week... I didn't see Chatham that morning because he's asleep when I leave, I had a church meeting and a class reunion committee meeting after work so Devin picked up C from school. So I wasn't going to see him that evening either. I called around 4:30 to chat and see how school was and this is when I was informed that:

C: Mommy, I need a motorcycle.
M: Really, why?
C: Not a little one Mommy, I need a motorcycle with TWO seats.
M: Can Mommy ride with you?
C: No, I take Addy for a ride on my motorcycle.

OK- REALLY?!?!?! At least he's consistent and only blowing me off for Addyson- but if I buy you a motorcycle I WILL ride on it! And why is my 2-year old planning a date ON A MOTORCYCLE! Oh my goodness, I have some adventures to look forward too when he becomes a teenager!

By the end of the day....

2011-07-11T19:56:00.003-04:00

It's not exactly a bump- but it's what we call the end of the day buldge....
I'm still pretty flat stomached (is that a word) in the mornings, but by around 4:30 I just can't keep my hands out of the cookie jar and then by 8ish this is what I look like. It is the hard preggo belly not just a flabby cookie belly- but it's still awfully little. But now you have it- a belly picture, something to look back on in 6 months and say I WISH I WAS LITTLE AGAIN!

12 weeks

2011-07-11T15:40:00.002-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 12 Weeks and 3 days (I seem to be on a theme here)

Size of baby: From crown to rump, baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: still down a few pounds, but having to pull out some looser pants

Gender: Won’t know until the end of July

Movement: not yet.

Sleep: Good other than 3 AM potty breaks - I'll probably have to put a pillow between my knees again soon!

What I miss: eating larger amounts of food. I get sick to my stomach after only a few bites.

Cravings: No real cravings right now- I can't stand meat, but love anything cold...grapes, popsicles, milkshakes.

Symptoms: I actually feel the least pregnant I have up to this point.

Best Moment this week:Chatham announcing that the baby's name should be Asign (A-sign, not assign)

July 4th and a little extra

2011-07-09T19:36:00.002-04:00

For the fourth we went to the lake with the Cadwalladers/Timmermans. Of course I took NO pictures but Suzy got some good ones (I'll steal them soon and post them). Daycare had their annual parade and Chatham took a moment to pose with his teacher Miss Lisa before continuing the march.

Poppy had so much fun at the splash park with us last year he's been begging to take Chatham back-

I don't know who had more fun!

Chatham ran laps around the other kids and Poppy was right beside him the whole way! They are such great buds and I LOVE that!

Tee Time

2011-07-09T19:33:00.001-04:00

Devin and Chatham had their first golf outing at Hampton Height's- Chatham loved the golf cart more than the golf-ing. But it was great- he hit a few balls and Devin was able to play almost 9 holes. I love what big buds they're becoming!

Cora's 2nd

2011-07-09T19:30:00.001-04:00

Miss Cora turned 2 on July 5th and we had a WILD time celebrating....
We took all the little monkey's to Buffalo Beal's in Maiden. It was so much fun, their were SO many animals!

Here is the Birthday Girl and her beautiful Mama! Mrs. Betsy throws one heck of a party!

Chatham's favorite were the Llama's...but he was wondering where their red pajama's were! We ready Llama Llama red pajama EVERY night before bed (sometimes twice)

Devin was brave enough to feed the Emu's and a Camel even ate straight from his hand- but this was as close to an animal as Chatham would get and he NEVER took his eyes off that giraffe!

First Vacation of the Summer- Washington, DC

2011-06-27T20:02:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we spend 3 days in Centreville, VA with Ali and Curly. Chatham was beyond excited to go see his Godparents!

Ok, Ok.... I was VERY excited too!

We started off the trip by going to the Air and Space Museum. Chatham was in HEAVEN! He even got his own space shuttle to take home (which he has slept with, ate with, and played with since getting it)
Chatham liked to push his stroller around, and he LOVED the big tower facing the airport where he could see the 'hairpains' take off.

Every airplane is either going to Zona (Arizona) or Texas- because those are the two latest trips Poppy has taken.

Ali and Chatham and definitely BEST BUDS!!!! They were inseparable! We also rode the Metro downtown to DC and went to the Natural History Museum- the lighting wasn't great and I didn't get a lot of pictures there, but it was really neat. It was prime nap time, so we only got to spend about an hour there before Chatham had a complete meltdown and we had to leave. He pulled it together though on the Metro ride back and we were able to get some lunch at Wegman's before going home to nap.

10 Weeks

2011-06-27T10:06:00.003-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 10 Weeks and 3 days

Size of baby: barely the size of a kumquat, is what the fruit/veggie size is. Which equals a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm making a come back after losing 4.5 lbs. Now I'm only down 1.5 from pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity Clothes: not yet, but things are just starting to get a little snug (although I can still button my pants!)

Gender: Won’t know until the end of July

Movement: not yet.

Sleep: Good, other than 3 AM potty breaks

What I miss: sushi and margaritas by the pool, and COKE (although I do allow myself one can a day)

Cravings: I’ve had a few random cravings, like a hot dog from Little Pig’s Barbecue and I have wanted guacamole a lot. But other than that I am just happy to be getting my appetite back.

Symptoms: Morning sickness is finally starting to subside. I get light headed if I stand up too quickly, and I am tired ALL the time!

Best Moment this week: I go to the doctor on Friday and get to hear the heartbeat again- the best part of last week was spending three days with Ali and Curly and sight-seeing with Chatham in DC.

No belly pictures yet- as there is no belly to see. But I am sure in a week or two they will be a blog staple! It's hard to believe I posted my first belly picture at 8 weeks with Chatham- but looking back now, it was NOTHING! I guess excitement got the best of me last time.

Chatham has decided that while he still wants "two of em" he wants pink babies now instead of blue; he also what's to take them for a ride on his tractor! What a GREAT big brother he will be!!!!

A bit behind...

2011-06-20T18:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Father's day- and Devin's 27th birthday! And I will blog about both of those occasions tomorrow. But first we have to cover MY birthday (which was May 25th)
I think I spoke briefly of the Big Daddy's Dinner and a Pool Party at the Cadwallader's- but here are some pictures.....

To prove the fun really happened!

What do you get....

2011-06-16T09:40:00.001-04:00

What do you get when you have two year molars coming in, strep throat, allergies, and a summer cold???
A not so happy little boy, staying home with his Daddy!

Weekend with Cousin Thomas

2011-06-12T13:09:00.000-04:00

Cousin Thomas (and Beth, and Ben) came to town for the weekend! We had a pizza party Friday night, went to see Thomas the Train at Tweetsie on Saturday afternoon; and then grilled out and played in the sprinkler before the storms hit that night.

The boys plan their escape!

Chatham and Thomas adore each other and I can't wait until we have four little ones running around together!!!

Q & A with Chatham

2011-06-12T08:58:00.004-04:00

do you want to be a Big Brother.... no, I a Big Sister!

do you want a baby... I want two of em!

do you want a boy baby or a girl baby... a BLUE one!

Classic Chatham answers, Classic Chatham pose!

But at least he's happy that Mommy's having a baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tons of Pictures!

2011-06-07T18:09:00.004-04:00

Just like I promised, here are a ton of pictures of what's been happening with the Donley clan.

We played skeet ball and basketball and rode go karts at Hickory Dickory Dock for Ethan's birthday.

Chatham followed a little boy up to the top of the soft play jungle gym and then got scared of the dark tunnel of the slide and sat at the top until Devin climbed up to help him navigate his way back down.

We got the sprinkler out at Gram and Poppy's last weekend and Chatham had a blast riding his bikes, cars, and lawnmower through the "car wash"

The night before Ali went back to DC we all met at the Black Angus in Statesville for a big steak dinner. Chatham and I took the opportunity for a photo op before dinner.

Chatham looked like such a big boy that night- and he even tried lobster for the first time and LOVED it. He ate several bites of Grams lobster tail AND some of mama's lobster bisque!

oops!

2011-06-06T08:19:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! Who knew moving would be so time consuming- HAHAHHAHA!

Well we are in and settled for the most part, Devin has been keeping busy with outside chores; while Chatham and I put our finishing touches on the inside.

Other than an AC issue (or lack there of) upstairs the house is great! There is so much room for C to play and he LOVES climbing the stairs. He sleeps in his new room like a champ and has helped his Daddy with any task involving a drill or a hammer.

We are spending a lot of time here.....

We moved in the weekend before my birthday- so we kept it pretty low key this year. We took our annual trip to Big Daddy's for oysters and crab legs on my actual birthday evening- and then had a pool party/cook out/ cupcake party at the Cadwalladers the following weekend.

Ali and Curly and Aunt Ma'am came to town to see the house and Chatham and celebrate with a sushi dinner at Wild Wok (my FAVORITE)! I was so excited to have everyone in one place I left my camera at home and have no pictures!

This past weekend we celebrated Ethan's 2nd birthday and Mary Grace's 3rd birthday; then Sunday we had a picnic with our Sunday School class- I have a few pictures from those that I will post soon.

Still here!

2011-05-23T12:26:00.001-04:00

We're still here- moved in to the house this weekend and Chatham had his first weekend long stay at Gram and Poppy's! (a post from C will come soon)
For now we're digging our way out of boxes and loving everything about the new place! Thanks for sticking around!

Good Help

2011-05-16T10:05:00.002-04:00

It's hard to find good help these days, but I must say Chatham LOVES to help with anything Mama and Daddy are doing......

That includes packing!

Tweetsie- You're a Blast From the Past

2011-05-16T09:54:00.002-04:00

I am finally getting around to posting the rest of our Tweetsie pictures
Chatham would tell a much better account of the trip- since he had the best view, from atop Daddy's shoulders. The kiddos had fun dancing in the tee-pee this trip.

Then they took the cars for a spin, the ride operator was kind enough to snap a picture of our whole group.

We played on the playgroup after going up the chairlift to ride some kiddie rides.

Chatham's favorite thing is still the Big Train ride, but I did get him to ride to Carousal with me (however once again he is NOT getting on the horses) Oh well, we have year to conquer that fear.

Nick was a good sport and rode all the kiddie rides with us and it totally paid off for him because Devin and Chris took him on all the big kid rides.

Tweetsie Railroad May 2011

2011-05-11T12:58:00.000-04:00

Too many jokes are possible with this picture-

Therefore it gets it's own post!!

Summer Do

2011-05-10T10:16:00.002-04:00

Chatham looks like SUCH a big boy with his new hair cut!!!

WE-EW-WE-EW-WE-EW

2011-05-03T12:49:00.003-04:00

A few weekends ago we took a tour of the Conover Fire Department with the Rainey's and the Cadwallader's. Everyone had a blast!
Chatham saw the BIG firetrucks and started saying we-ew-we-ew!
There were several photo ops, but I think this is the most still Caden and Chatham were the entire time- as you can see they were already eyeing the other trucks in the bay.

I thought it was neat to learn that Fire Departments like to exchange badges, like young kids trade baseball cards.

The kids however found the hats and Jr. Marshall stickers more entertaining than the badges.

Chatham climbed and drove and explored so much that he crashed on the way home. Took a 2 hour nap and woke up still talking about the firehouse.

Big Boy Bed

2011-04-30T08:10:00.000-04:00

It's been 4 days now in Chatham's big boy bed! He's doing great. We pile him in with his constalation turtle (which must be off) and three Elmo dolls then he's good to go.
Night 1 went well- C slept through the night and never left his room. He was however UNDER his bed when we went to wake him up the next morning.
Night 2 was easier than night 1. We read a new Llama Llama book and Chatham covered himself up and we never heard a peep. Devin went in to check on him that night around 2 AM because we were having terrible storms and aside from his head handing off the edge of the bed he was still in!

Backet bawl

2011-04-30T07:16:00.000-04:00

Chatham favorite thing to do these days with the beautiful weather is to put on his shades and play "backetbawl otside" (that would be basketball outside)

Family Fun Friday

2011-04-29T07:44:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was Good Friday and Devin and I were both off work- Daycare was closed and it was a bit rainy outside, so what better way to spend the day together than going to Bo's Family Fun Center!

We went bowling and all though Chatham looks like he's not enjoying himself, this is what he did every time he went to pick up the ball...

He would walk to the ball, reach for it, turn to me and say "Cheese Mommy", and then pick up the ball and take it to Devin-

So maybe I have taken one too many pictures of C!!! But how can you not when you're model is SO cute!!!

Whack-a-mole as I knew it has now become 'hammerhead"- but whatever you call it, Chatham LOVED it! He was also surprisingly good at it. He played it twice and earned enough tickets to pick out a mini football.

What a great day as a family, we will definitely be going back soon.

Gram's New Golfing Buddy

2011-04-28T08:15:00.000-04:00

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail

2011-04-28T07:55:00.004-04:00

PICTURE OVERLOAD!
The Easter bunny came before church Sunday and left Chatham all kinds of goodies!
Elmo eggs full of candy, big boy underwear, a mickey dry erase board, and more sticker/coloring books- but most importantly don't forget Mrs. Willie's Chocolate Peanut Butter Egg!!
We tried taking some Easter pictures at Gram and Poppy's after church- but this was the best one we got (HA)

Luckily, we were able to bribe Chris to stay after church service and take out picture with the beautiful Cross and flowers

Working our way backwards through the weekend- Saturday we went to the Cadwallader's for the annual Easter Egg Hunt and cookout.

Chatham and Cara mastered the art of the seesaw, with much help from Harrison- Chatham LOVED it, but he still freaks out if you put him on a swing.

The hunt was great! Lots of eggs and great treats in them. All the kids were able to participate this year.

At first Chatham would just point to an egg say "I see it" and then move on the "find" another one. Devin helped explain that he needed to pick it up and put it in his basket.

Here are the kiddos trying to be patient before digging into their loot!

Poppy's Tractors

2011-04-28T07:52:00.003-04:00

So Poppy doesn't actually own a tractor, but you wouldn't know that by going to there house right now.
The City is putting in a new water line (much to my parents dismay) and there is dirt everywhere!

And where there is dirt, there are tractors....

And where there are tractors there is Chatham!

Poppy was explaining that these are new water pipes- so of course Chatham wanted to see the WATER!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T07:39:00.002-04:00

Easter Post and Big Boy Bed Pictures coming soon!

Happy Birthday Cousin T!

2011-04-17T10:36:00.004-04:00

The first weekend in April we went to Jordan Lake in Durham to celebrate Thomas' birthday!

My new love...

2011-04-13T11:04:00.003-04:00

My new love is actually an old love that has come back into my life. It never really left I just moved 30 minutes away and couldn't visit as much as I would have liked....but now I'm back (or will be back in a few weeks).

What is this love you're asking......

HOBBY LOBBY!!!!

I will be a mere 10 minutes from the store! And have already been there twice to get some goodies for Chatham's new big boy room and my entry hall table (yes, I am aware that I haven't even moved in yet!)

I just had to share- as I am SO excited to have my old friend near again!

And what is a Donley Blog Post without a picture of our STAR!

Here is Chatham with his best buddy, Cara, on "dress as your favorite storybook character" day at school- Chatham took "Elmo Goes to The Firehouse" with him.

The moment you've all been waiting for...

2011-04-07T11:11:00.000-04:00

Our new house

Wordless Wendesday

2011-04-06T06:22:00.000-04:00

Moving on.....

2011-03-31T16:19:00.001-04:00

Up? Over? We don't know yet- but we do have a set date to have to be out of our house! That's right folks- we are UNDER CONTRACT!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!

Post Party Fun

2011-03-27T19:45:00.004-04:00

After Chatham's party we headed over to Gram and Poppy's for the family portion of the party. There was dressing up There were more presents Lots of smiling And fun with balloons

It's my Party....

2011-03-27T19:32:00.006-04:00

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY CHATHAM! Mrs. Nicola made C this CUTE Ice Cream shirt for his party! We had an ice cream social at church and EVERYONE came!

Chatham LOVED getting to see Addy over the weekend- He asked for her at church on Sunday again- they are BEST BUDS!

We did Dot-Dot art and made ice cream magnets

And Paul made YUMMY cupcakes- he baked the cake part INSIDE the icecream cone and then added icing on top! SO CUTE- and SO YUMMY (Chatham ate 3!!!)

Then came presents....

that was an adventure- EVERYONE wanted to help.

Over all it was a GREAT time- and Chatham loved having all of his favorite people in one room to celebrate!

Birthday Weekend

2011-03-27T19:27:00.002-04:00

Thomas came to town for the weekend festivities- and the boys started off the weekend with a BANG....literally....on the piano. Then in true Southern fashion we pulled out EVERY toy in the garage and played in the driveway/yard.

The new Tornado Golfer was a HIT!

We rode bikes and played ball until dinner time.

What a start to a great birthday weekend!!

Shopping

2011-03-23T14:41:00.004-04:00

Last weekend Lisa and I took the kiddos shopping and out to lunch.
Chatham tried on some baseball glasses that matched his baseball shirt.
Lauren stuck with the princess theme with her choice of hat.

I think they had fun! And they are SO cute playing together!!!

Let the celebrations begin....

2011-03-21T07:38:00.000-04:00

6 days and counting until Chatham turns two. And this weekend we kicked off the celebrations. Since Papa John won't be in town to attend C's party we had a cook out at Nana and Papa's this weekend to celebrate and open the gifts from them.

Chatham was VERY excited about tearing into the wrapping paper and was even more excited to see that he know has his very own tools!!!

No more sharing with Daddy! Chatham is now taking orders and hard at work on fine tuning his carpentry skills!

Thanks Nana and Papa- Great Gift!!

Elmo came to stay the weekend

2011-03-20T16:34:00.001-04:00

Chatham did EVERYTHING with Elmo this weekend....

Dressed him, rocked him, slept with him....

They even ate breakfast together!