Disney Bound

It has finally arrived!!! We are headed south to see the Big Mouse today. Stopping over in Valdosta for the night and on to Orlando in the morning. Disney World, here we come!!!

School's Out!!

Bo and Ally both had their last days of school this week, which means our baby has finished her first year of school already. No idea where the time has gone!!! She has grown so much in one year. I feel like it was just yesterday we were picking out nap mats and lunch boxes. We had no idea how to read or write what we were thinking about and now we read our own chapter books and write sentences and turn them in to stories and we don't even worry if it's spelled perfectly anymore. I am so glad we have the summer to catch-up and be together as a family!! The school year is long for everyone, but the summers make it worth it.

The First Day of Kindergarten



The Last Day of Kindergarten

So Close...

3 Days until we leave for Disney World!!! I'm not sure who is more excited...the kids or the adults. Does anyone remember the Disney commercial where the kids can't sleep because they are so excited and at the end, the commercial shows the parents not sleeping because they are so excited too??? Yep...that's us!!!

Kindergarten Program

Today was the end of year program for the Kindergarten classes at Holly Springs Elementary. Ally was so excited about her performance on the stage. Kelsey, Drew and I went to watch her sing her songs and be the 2nd Little Pig in her part of the program. After they sang all of their songs, there was a 10 minute picture slideshow of all the kids and the year's events...a real tear jerker for most of us!! After the show was over, Ally had the option to come home early with me or stay at school. When she asked if she would have to take a nap and I said yes, she replied that she would stay at school. Apparently sleep is over-rated. Not to mention, she said she wanted to stay with Mrs. Lussier and Mrs. Childers. Apparently, I am 3rd in her life right now. 4th, if you count Mrs. Lussier's little girl Era who was supposed to come for a visit today. Ally couldn't wait to see her. Below are some pictures of the program and Ally with her WONDERFUL teachers. We are SO going to miss Kindergarten. But, I know we are ready for first grade...thanks to these ladies. Bye-Bye kindergarten...watch-out first grade!!

Birthday Pictures

We had the girls annual birthday pictures done last week. And I must say, usually this is a difficult feat. However, I think the girls are finally figuring out that the sooner they stand there and smile, the sooner they can be done...especially Kelsey. Enjoy the pics!!

The Final Countdown

13 days until Disney World!!!

BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

Today the girls had their birthday party at American Adventures. The weather was kind of iffy, but we got through most of the day without rain. And after the rain showed up, we played in the foam room, ate pizza and had our party. All in all, it was a great day and I think the kids had a blast!! You can see it in the smiles all over their faces.

Happy Birthday Kelsey!!!

It was late on Friday, May 13th when Kelsey Leigh started kickin' and screamin' to come in to the world. We had had a busy several weeks with Ally being in the hospital with rotavirus and then heading back to the ER just one week later for stitches in her chin for falling off the slide. Things were just quieting down from all of that fun when it was time for Kelsey to arrive. I had a doctor appointment that afternoon with Dr. Dodder. She was the one I met with the night we ended up in the hospital with Ally and she did not disappoint this time either...she just had the magic touch. My contractions started around dinner time and were very irregular throughout the night. At one point, they even stopped completely, which seemed very weird to me. I couldn't understand why they had been coming with at least some sort of consistency, but then just stop. So, I continued to do my nightly routine in preparation for a hospital visit...we did all the laundry, took showers, made sure all the toys were put away, and we did a last minute sweep of the nursery to make sure we weren't forgetting anything. After all of that, we headed to bed, with no contractions. And I was so sure we were going in. And, I was right. I no sooner laid down in bed when the contractions started up again...this time much more regular, much harder, and much closer together. With the speed at which things progressed with Ally, we weren't taking any chances. After just 45 minutes of contractions, we called the doctor because there was no way we wanted this baby to be born on 400. We were very nervous...even more so this time than the last. At least last time we thought we had hours. This time we knew we didn't have hours...we were talking minutes. Bunky came to stay at the house with Ally. On our way out the door, I remember giving her a quick kiss as she laid in her new, big girl bed which dwarfed her at the big age of 2. And I cried as I left her room because I knew the next time I saw her, it would no longer be the 3 of us. Don't get me wrong, we were so excited to be bringing a sister home for her, but there was a kind of loss that it was no longer going to be just us. Bo drove to the hospital 30 minutes away like a controlled maniac. We had discussed several times that safety was an issue, speed was not. And if we got tagged by a cop, he was just going to throw on the flashers and keep going. If the local authorities had a problem with a man trying to get his pregnant wife to the hospital, we'd see them in court with said screaming child!! We arrived around 10:30 PM with no fanfare and got checked in to a room...just across the hall from where we had Ally. After all the paperwork, the nurse checked me and I had dilated to almost 3 cm on my own...1 more than at the doctor's office that afternoon, so I was staying for sure. And given the history, they gave me the epidural immediately. As happy as I was about that, it really slowed things down...Kelsey pretty much went to sleep after that. So, Bo and I rested in the hospital that night and the next morning at 7:00 we started the pitocin. As the morning went on, I was feeling great...SITTING UP and talking to family, friends, and the nurses. Oh...and let's not forget the real estate agents who kept calling because we were working on a final offer for our house. We had bought a new house in February and were in the process of selling ours, LITERALLY, as I was in labor. Anyhow...as the nurses came in and out of my room, no one bothered to mention to me that the epidural works on gravity and that if I was sitting up to help bring Kelsey down, that the epidural would go to my feet. At 11:30, I was really beginning to feel the contractions and that's when they decided to tell me I should have been laying down. The nurse checked me and I was at 7 cm, but feeling a lot of pressure and pain. Within 5 minutes, Doctor Rosenberg came in and checked me again. I was in a lot of pain and I had completely dilated...3 cm in 5 minutes...SERIOUSLY?!?!?!? At this point, the nurse tried to give me a bolus dose of the epidural, but it was already too late. Kelsey Leigh was coming fast. After several attempts at pushing and being tense through the pain, the doctor told me to relax as much as I could and to push through the pain. I only remember one thing after that...I looked at Bo with wide eyes...kind of like a deer in headlights...very scared and in pain. And he looked back at me and had a very serious look on his face. He grabbed my hand hard and told me to focus and do this. So, I did. And at 12:25 PM, Kelsey Leigh arrived in the world weighing 6 lbs. 4 oz.

Kelsey has been such a special part of our family for 4 years now and we hope we have many more to celebrate with her. I can't tell you how awesome it is that Kelsey has a big sister so close in age like my sister and I are. We know they will be close for the rest of their lives. We Love You, Kelsey Bear!! Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Mother's Day

"There is no friendship, no love, like that of a mother for her child."

I have been thinking about this post for several weeks now. I wanted to write about something "profound and motherly", so I've tried to remember past Mother's Days and what we've done to celebrate them. My first Mother's Day was literally hours after I got home from the hospital with Ally...a very special day, but one filled with angst about reflux and sleepless nights. Two years later, we spent Mother's Day at Lake Harmony awaiting the arrival off Kelsey Leigh, which happened 1 week later. The other Mother's Days that we have shared have been nice, but I remember those 2 specifically because they were major instances in my life as a mom. One as a new mom struggling to work things through and one as a mom who was moving in to a new house and a new phase of life as a mom of two girls.

This Mother's Day promises to be one of those I greatly remember as well. I am now the mom of a new baby, but this time it's a son. And for the first time, I know the special connection between a mother and a son, like Bo has known the special connection between a father and his daughters. It's something more than just love. I can't describe it with words, but I know what I feel when I look in his eyes and he smiles at me. It's more precious than life itself. And, I am so blessed and thankful for all the wonderful reasons I celebrate this special day. It's the best feeling in the world to be a mom!!

I Hope You Dance

The girls took the stage on Saturday for the annual Dance Recital. Both girls were super cute and did a great job on their dances. Ally...a regular at this by now...was poised and ready to go. She tried her best, did a great job, and we were so proud of how hard she had worked all year to get to this point. Kelsey, however, was a loose cannon. We weren't really sure what to expect out of her because she had never danced on the stage in front of people or with the lights before. But, we were very pleasantly surprised. The lights went on, the music started playing and there was our little girl keeping pace with the rest of the girls doing her thing. We were so excited for her...and a little relieved there was no nose picking, crying, or peeing of the pants. We were so proud of her as well. She's come a long way in just a few months.

The Girls and their teacher, Miss Kristen.

Proud Parents

Ally gettin' her groove on...

A Star is Born

The annual "Curtain Shot"

God Speed Meldrum Family

For those of you who do not know, I have a family of friends that I met several years back. Annie, their daughter, was in Ally's dance class as a 3 year old. We chatted weekly about random things as we waited for the girls to finish class and at the end of the year, registration was upon us. When I asked if she'd be returning, she said Annie would not be back because they were moving. Intrigued, I asked her where and she said Iraq!! Kristi's husband Tim was a youth minister at a local church and he felt his calling was to go to Iraq for 3 years and do God's work with the Kurds. They moved that summer to Texas to train for 2 years to go to Iraq. And today is that day. Their plane loaded down with 19 checked bags, 5 carry-ons, and 3 small children left Dallas at 4:20 and I have been thinking of them since. I think about them flying over free soil for the last time. I think about how the 2 younger boys will probably never remember life in America as they grow-up over the next 3 years. But, more than anything, I think about them leaving their families behind to fight for the Kurdish souls. I can picture them looking out the plane window right now as they fly over Georgia for the last time with a tear in their eye. Maybe for sadness...maybe for excitement...maybe for anxiety about whether or not they are doing the right thing. At any rate, I wish them the best and pray for them daily.

Meldrums...I know you are out there somewhere...and I am praying for you now. May God bless you and your family. May He give you all the tools and words you need to win over the Kurdish hearts and may you do it all with God's safe keeping. Can't wait to hear all about your adventures when you get settled!!!

Six Years of Love

What Do I Remember Most of Ally's First Six Years???

Very quick labor...Reflux, oh the reflux...2 days in the hospital for Rotovirus and stitches one week later for a busted chin at the ripe age of 23 months...Counting more bad days than good when we first came home and reflux was taking hold...A beach themed 1st birthday party where we "swim in our clothes"...The first day of pre-school...Dance recitals...The first day of Kindergarten...Going to the Braves game when she was 3 weeks old...Trips to the pumpkin patch...Going to Disney and meeting Cinderella for the first time...Losing her first 2 teeth...Spending a white Christmas in the Rocky Mountains and sledding and making snow angels on Christmas morning...Bringing Kelsey and Drew home to a big sister...Learning to write our name..."DoubleDew (W) and "Bargage" (Garbage)...Twirly Dresses...Night Terrors...Playing with Hannah in the Cul-De-Sac on the little blue push car...3 hour family nap time...Apple Picking...Tweetsie Railroad...Trips to the zoo and the aquarium...A trip to SeaWorld to see Shamu...Slumber Parties on the living room floor with mom and dad...Tons of friends who live close enough to call out the window to...Grant Seafood Festival...A week in Phoenix visiting Greatest Aunt Mary and Bob...Hugs, Kisses, and I Love Yous!!

Do you have any to share???

Happy Birthday Ally!!!

It was 11:00 PM on May 5, 2003 when we rushed to the hospital in anticipation of our first baby girl. She was our first, so we knew we had a long night in front of us...hours of labor, we were sure. We arrived at the hospital, checked in to A3 and got ourselves situated. The nurse checked me and we were at 5 cm and completely effaced. I tried everything I could to stay calm during the contractions, but they were coming hard and close. So hard I couldn't sit in the bed with the monitors on me. The nurse was kind enough to stand with me and hold the monitors on my belly because I wasn't getting an epidural without some sort of steady reading on the baby. After only a few hours, I finally got the epidural at 2:30 AM and making it to 9 cm on my own. I got an hour of rest and at 3:30 AM on May 6th, Allyssa Brynn had arrived in the world weighing 5 lbs. 12 oz. and a whopping 21 inches long. And, we have been proud parents ever since.

We love you Ally!! We are so proud of the little girl you are and what a great big sister you have become. May you have many more happy, healthy years ahead of you!! Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

Tu-Tu Cute

The girls have their dance recital coming up and we finally got their picture back. So...I thought I might post them for everyone to see. The Jackson Five have spent a lot of time at home as a family lately, so there hasn't been much to post about. But since dance is an active part of our week, it's good to note we do stay involved.

This is Ally's third year of dance. She enjoys it every week and will continue to do it next year. This was Kelsey's first year in dance. And while the start of it was rough, she has come to love it and really tries her best every week now. We are so proud of our little ballerinas!!