Five Days and Four Nights Childless......

So this past Sunday, John and I woke up at 5:30 to load Mallory in the car and take her to my parents house(aka Nana and Pops). She was about to head on a fun long drive to Maggie Valley, NC. Several months back, My sister and brother-in-law Craig, were planning a trip to the mountains. My sister didn't want to be without her kids for a solid week, so she asked my parents to tag along, in hopes they would be happy to watch the kids while they went skiing and/or hiking. Well my parents could not turn such a fun trip down, and the next thing you know they are asking me if they can take Mallory too!

To be honest, the thought of Mallory being gone for 4 nights just didn't sit well with me at all. However, after talking it over with John, he convinced me we needed to let her go and she would have a blast playing her cousin EE (aka, Ethan). After much resistance.... John informed me we would have to let go at some point... and my response was "John she is only 2!!" ... he said "at this point you will probably never let go!!" Ha! Well I guess we will see as she gets older!!

As we drove up in the drive way at Nana and Pops, Mallory is grinning from ear to ear and ready to jump out of our car and into theirs!! Now, mind you this was 6:00 in the morning and she was running around very excited with no sign of sadness mommy and daddy were not going!! As sad as I was, I knew based on her excitement we made the right decision in letting her go.

At this point, it was clear that this trip was going to be way harder on John and I than on Mallory. The first two days weren't so bad, I stayed really busy unpacking boxes and organizing them in the office/storage room upstairs. Now, as you will see in the pictures... it is somewhat organized...but doesn't look as cute as the pictures you see on Pinterest!! I did all this with spending no extra money...so it doesn't look near as cute, but who see is besides John and I anyway right?? At night was the hardest for John and I. We would always start to miss our sweet Mallory then! It just wasn't the same without her, but we managed it and she had a blast!!

I actually worked all four mornings they were gone at the Goodyear store, and in the afternoons I would come home and sew a little bit. I really enjoyed the time I had to sew. I sew Mallory a few things and a shower curtain for our bathroom. I actually did all of this with fabric I already had, so no money spent!! John was very pleased about that... He informed me after seeing my fabric collection... that I didn't need to buy anymore fabric for a long time!! HA!!

While it was nice to have a few days with just John and I, I am very ready for Mallory and Nana and Pops to return home!!! Here a few pictures of what I have accomplished this week while being childless!!

Well I better go, John and I are headed on a date tonight before Mallory, Ethan, Caroline and my parents get back to town. I am more than ready for my sweet little two year old to return home to her Mommy and Daddy!! Here are some pictures of what I have been up to these few days without Mallory.

Happy Valentines Day!!

Yesterday was Valentines day. It happened to also be John's day off this week since he is working this Saturday. So, Mallory and I were lucky to be able to spend the entire day with John!! We had lots of fun. It started out with a yummy breakfast that John cooked. It included biscuits, eggs and bacon. We spent some time outside picking up pecans in the yard and just playing ball with Mallory. After a nap for Mallory, we decided to do take out for dinner instead of going out to eat. We ended picking up barbecue at this new place that just opened up the street. It was actually really good and the best chicken I have had in a long time. The meat was falling off the bone!!

John was so sweet and spoiled me with some beautiful red roses, a piece of Chocolate Pie, a sweet card, and a gift card to go eat a my favorite Thai restaurant in town. He way out did himself.

I got a little crafty this year. Mallory and I spent the afternoon making valentines last week and had the best time. She loves to color so, she loved decorating her valentines!! I also made some valentines this year for her class, instead of buying them. I was also asked to bring cookies for her class party, so I decided that I would just get our talented long time friend Mrs. Beth to make them. The turned out way cuter than I could have ever made and were also really yummy!!! I am sure they were a hit with her classmates!

There is this new website called pinterest that can be really addicting, but I actually have gotten some cute ideas from it. I put one to use for John's valentines present. I found this container at the dollar tree for a 1.00 yes, I said a dollar!! I added 20 reasons I love John typed onto strips of paper and folded them and put them in the jar. Now, to my surprise he loved it and I could tell he thought it was one of the best gifts he had gotten!! Lesson learned, that it's more about the thought than any amount of money you spent!!

I with out a doubt have the very best Husband in the world and I am very lucky that God blessed my life with him.

Here are some pictures from Valentines! Enjoy.

Christmas 2011 a little late....

Ok so I know it's like already February now and I am just getting to posting about our Christmas, but it's been really busy around here with the recent move!

Ok so a recap of our Christmas 2011....

We spent Christmas eve at the wonderful candle light church service at Hardy Street Baptist. I had to run sound for the service, so John was in charge of keeping Mallory quiet during the service since there was no nursery. He actually did a really good job, considering Mallory and Ethan didn't even last 10 minutes last year. They both lasted the entire service year, so I was really proud!!

After the service, we headed to my parents house for some yummy Gumbo and other yummy food! We invited several families that didn't have any family here. Our new pastor's family and several other families came and enjoyed the evening! It was fun to fellowship with everyone, but by the time everyone left we were pretty tired!

The next morning, we woke up and Santa had come to see Mallory!! I still don't think she understood what it was all about, but she did love her new toys!! She got some new clothes, baby dolls, a school bus from Aunt Krista, A princess Tent, books, and lots of other stuff. However her favorite gift of all was her pink stove that matches her pink sink! Nana, Pops, and Granna and Papa got her the stove for Christmas. She loves to play cook and have tea! Her next favorite gift was probably the purse from Aunt katy and Uncle Craig or her baby doll stroller and pack-n-play.

After opening up presents we had some yummy beniets Pops cooked for us and then got ready to head to church. I just love being able to go to church on Christmas Morning!! It is so awesome to be able to celebrate Jesus at church on Christmas Morning... after all isn't that what Christmas is all about anyway??

Well after church, we headed to my Grandparents, to spend lunch and the afternoon with my Dads family. This was the last year my grandmother was going to have Christmas, so it was special in that everyone was there. It's was great getting to see all my cousins and Aunts and Uncles!!

After, lots of presents and a tummy full of food, we packed the car and headed to Cordova, Al to spend a few days with John's family. It was great to spend a few days with his parents and Nanny! After 2 nights, we headed back to Hattiesburg to officially start the moving process!!

Well this about sums up our Christmas 2011...

New years ... well it was spent Moving this year, so not much else was done. We enjoyed finally getting to spend the night in our new home new years eve! Mallory is still loving her new room and our new house, but I think Daisy loves it the most!