Top Dog

I forgot to mention...

At Kaylee's school, Jeremiah Gray, they have the Top Dog Awards. The Top Dog Award honors students for displaying the "Edison 8 Core Values." One student from each class is nominated by his/her teacher each week. Students' names are announced on Friday afternoon announcements and they are presented with a Top Dog Ribbon! And as you may have guessed, our very own, Kaylee Rider, was nominated this past week by her teacher, Miss Jenn.

Way to go Kaylee! Our Top Dog! An excellent way to begin her future as a PKA bulldog, I might add! :)

http://jg.msdpt.k12.in.us/
Kaylee's school's website address

Halloween

Last weekend, we celebrated Matthew's birthday with his mom and dad. They came to Indy on Friday night. We did some shopping for the birthday boy on Saturday; he got some new dress shirts and ties. Then we went to dinner at Red Lobster (Matthew's favorite spot!). It was delicious! Sunday, Matthew preached his first sermon and did a fantastic job, on his birthday. Thanks to everyone who sent him cards for his birthday and kept him in your prayers for his sermon. I cooked lunch, so we came home for that and then opened presents before seeing Kenny and Jacquie off. Matthew received a GPS from me, mom and dad, and his parents, which will come in very handy as he travels to his interviews. He had is first interview on Friday and it went very well! He has another one this Friday and every Friday after that until Thanksgiving! He is doing Sport Medicine this month, but since today was his first day, I don't know how he feels about it, so I'll get back to you on that.
On Thursday, I took Sydney and Bre with me to visit Kaylee at school who was having a FAll Party. Kaylee was so excited to wear her costume and has continued to wear it everyday since. Everday she wants to know what I'm going to be for Halloween. I've tried to tell her it's over for a whole year, but she's not giving up hope!
Sydney is good. The girls both enjoyed Halloween. We didn't do any trick-or-treating because the girls didn't seem to care and it's a lot of trouble to get them in and out of the car; however, our friends Michael and Lisa had a Halloween Party at their house and we all wore our costumes to it and came home with lots of goodies.
I have attached a slideshow with lots of pictures. I hope you enjoy taking a look. The girls are getting so big! Sydney is so close to walking; she's got the skills, she just won't do it. One of these days she's just going to take off and then, I'll be in big trouble. Kaylee is such a big talker. She loves making up her own songs and dancing to whatever music is playing in her head.
We do hope that all is well with all of you and that you are having a great November!

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October so far...

We are all fine here. Kaylee was on fall break last week, so we are both excited about her going back to school today. She always misses it when she's not there. She is still not potty trained. I worked with her last week while she was home, but she truly does not seem ready. So I'm going to put it off a little longer and just hope that something clicks with her eventually. On October 7, Kaylee's school class visited a local pumpkin patch where she was able to ride a pony, play in the hay, slide down an enormous slide, go on a hayride and pick out her own pumpkin. I was able to go for a little while and I was so proud to see her climb up the huge slide. A year ago, she couldn't have done that. It was very rewarding. She also talks like such a big girl. Her latest catch phrases have been hilarious. She seems to lock in on things we say and then run with them. Matthew is always saying, "This is ridiculous." And now Kaylee loves to use it, whether she's getting dressed or has to pick up her toys, you'll hear her say, "This is ridiculous." Another favorite is, "You are driving me nuts." which Matthew and I both tell her on a daily basis. However, you know you've said it too often when your own child uses it on you! Kaylee loves to sing and play pretend and it's just so exciting to watch her mind and her imagination expand right in front of our eyes. We had parent teacher conferences last week and her teachers just love her. They think she is hilarious! We also found out that she obeys them much more than us about doing what she's told, so at least we know she's normal!



Sydney is good. She is standing by herself now and seems only days away from walking, but I'm in no rush. She is a speed crawler and that's enough to keep up with! She babbles all the time but only says "mama" when she's hungry or sleepy! Of course! She is so cute and when she's sleepy, she's still pretty cuddily! Sydney went to the doctor today and she weighs 28 lbs and 3 oz and is 32 inches long! The doctor says she is a very healthy baby and with the exception of walking, she's right where she needs to be! So we're going to keep encouraging that walking and I'm sure it'll happen sooner than I'll be ready for it!



Matthew has been very busy. He has 12 interviews schulded right now. He preached his first sermon yesterday morning on his 26th birthday. He was very nervous but he did a great job! He has a presentation this morning about something I can't pronounce. And his first interview is Friday, so he's busy trying to prepare for that as well. Oh and nevermind that he has an exam on Thursday. I don't know how he does it; I just know I wouldn't want to do it.



I'm good. October has been a great month for my Pampered Chef. I made $660 in commissions this month with just over $2,400 in sales, I was pretty pumped! The babysitting is also working out well, so Matthew (he works part time doing medical reviews for a doctor) and I are slowly chipping away at our enormous debt. We just feel so blessed to able to spend time with our family and still make some money too. Life is good.

This week we're getting ready for Halloween! Kaylee is going to be a princess! She loves being a princess; she wants to wear dresses everyday because that's when she becomes a princess! Sydney is going to be a ladybug. We're planning to make some pictures this week and I'll do my best to post them next week.

We hope that you are all doing well during the beginning of this holiday season. We're looking forward to seeing many of you over the next two months! But for now, we hope you have a great week and a very safe and spooky Halloween!

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Happy Fall Ya'll

Hello family and friends! We are good. Very busy. We spent the month of September on the road but that was okay since Matthew had the month off for vacation. We first had a great Labor Day weekend trip with all of our extended family. Then we enjoyed a week in Hohenwald visiting family and friends! At the end of the week, our family traveled to Cookeville, TN, to visit my mom's parents, Hugh and Ann Qualls. It had been two years since we'd be there, so the visit was past due. It was a special trip since both my Great Aunt and her family from Michigan were in as well as my Great Uncle and his friend from California. A bit of a mini reunion. It was great to see all of them and for them to meet my girls! (I've added a picture of my mom's family at the bottom to share.) We traveled home on a Sunday and then, we made a return trip to Hohenwald on Wednesday to say goodbye to a wonderful man. A man who must have touched a lot of lives because I shook a lot of hands in a four hour period on a Thursday night. It was so great to see family that I rarely see and to hear so many kind things about a man I so much admired. It was a life lesson to me to witness the impact a seemingly quiet life can have on hundreds of people. Thank you to all of you who prayed on our family's behalf and to those who sent food, cards, and wishes of condolences. Our family was very blessed in a very difficult time. I ask for your continued prayers as the weeks and months continue to pass.
After two Sundays of traveling, we stayed home for two weeks and got back into something of a routine even though Matthew was still at home. Kaylee was very glad to be back in school and she thoroughly enjoys giving her teachers a good laugh with all of her many quotes. The last Friday in September, we picked Kaylee up from school before heading to Elkhart and her teacher had a story to share. Apparently, Kaylee earlier that day had been in circle time, supposed to be sitting in a chair,but she was more so hovering over the end of it. So her teacher said, "Kaylee sit down." to no avail. So the teacher says, "Kaylee have a seat please." No response. So once more the teacher says, "Kaylee sit on your bottom." To which Kaylee responds, "That's a great idea!" And does it.
Kaylee is back at square one with potty training. She had a good weekend about two weeks ago where she did poop in the potty twice! But both times she was very uncomfortable with it and now has no desire to even sit on the potty. However, she also seems to be regressing in worship where she feels the need to talk out loud and the inability to stay seated in the pew, so we may just be going through a faze of "I'm four and I am 100% against cooperation."
On the positive side, Kaylee caught her first fish last weekend. We traveled the last weekend in September to Elkhart and on our last day there, we took a trip to the lake where some friends live and we all took a boat ride. Kaylee took a paddle boat ride with her daddy and "bong-bong." And then she went fishing too and caught a fish on her first try. She though fishing was hilarious. She just giggled and giggled every time the "bobber bobbed" in the water and she would yank her pole out of the water with no fish and a little less worm each time! Eventually, her great-grandpa Rider gave her another fish to put on her hook and she just tossed the worm straight into the water! I guess she was fattening her fish up before attempting to catch it again. Kaylee has a new catch phrase... "Oh, girl." She tells us this all the time, "Oh girl, you're so silly." "Oh girl, you're so cute." Last night during worship I held my fingers up and told her, "You're this close to getting a whipping." And she held her fingers up and said, "I don't want to be this close." I nearly lost it. However, tonight (we're having a gospel meeting this week) I had to take her out because she wouldn't stay in the pew and I had warned her repeatedly, so I lay down my Bible and notes and she knows what's coming when I do that, so she starts flailing and so I grab her up as best I can since she's more than half the size I am. We struggle...putting on a fantastic show for everyone around us and as soon as we're up Kaylee starts hollering, "I want to sit down. I want to sit down." Oh the blessings of children.
Sydney is good. Her hair is getting so long and pretty! She is working on four more teeth right now which brings her to a total of 12! And she is drooling everywhere. Sunday night she wore a dark blue shirt (tunic from aunt katie; too cute) and by the end of worship her drool line was almost down to her navel. She looked like Matthew after he's been for a run! It was nasty. She is not walking but is getting awful close to taking steps. She cruises around the coffee table and just yesterday she got behind our walker and stoop up like she was going somewhere, but after a few seconds, she hit her knees and was off. Her crawling is plenty fast for me so I'm in no hurry to get to the walking.
So everyday the girls get up at 7:20 almost on the dot each day. And they want poptarts! Then Matthew goes to work around 10. He's currently doing a Radiology rotation and it's really light for the time he has to be there. It's a lot of time out of the clinic reading and studying slides. He will have an exam at the end of this rotation. Matthew has heard from five schools so far with interview invitations, so he's working to get them all scheduled and figured out. It's still a bit early in the invitation process, so we're expecting to hear from several more in the coming weeks. Thanks so much for all of your prayers on his behalf concerning this process. However, we need to add one more thing to the prayer list, October 26, (on his birthday) Matthew will be preaching his first sermon from a pulpit in the United States. He did preach while in Guyana on one of his trips but other than that has just taught class and small group devotionals, so he's a bit nervous, but I know he'll do great! To make matters worse, Ben (our preacher) was supposed to be out of town that Sunday but now is going to be here, so I think that raises Matthew's level of nervousness a bit too! However, I've been telling him for a while that he is fully capable of preaching; he preaches to me all the time! And I'm glad he's taking this step out of his comfort zone and giving it a try.
I, myself, am good. Can't complain...I could but no one in this house would care; they all seem to have their own complaints. "I want something." constantly rings around the house. My Pampered Chef is going well. I just had a party this past Friday night and I have another this Friday. Then I have three catalog parties in process so that's very exciting. I've been busy scrapbooking, trying to catch up and get Sydney's one year book done before she's two! I am still keeping our little friend, Bre, and that's all exciting within itself. Bre and Sydney are like having twins as they are only about six weeks apart, and they are quite the troublesome duo! They follow me everywhere. Yesterday, I was moving laundry from the washer to the dryer and before I could turn around, I had two helpers trying their best to get in the dryer! Never a dull moment.
I guess that's all the news I have. Sorry it's been so long since I've last posted. I apologize and I will try to do better. Hope all is well with each of you. Enjoy the slideshow and have a great week. Love to you all.

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August has been busy!

Hello friends and family. We are doing well and staying very busy. We began the month in Elkhart, IN, to celebrate Matthew's dad's birthday. Kenny has rounded the corner and hit 50! We enjoyed a great surprise party and had a wonderful time celebrating Kenny with many friends!

I began keeping Bre on August 12. It took a few days but we have found a routine and I think she enjoys her time here. I know my girls certainly enjoy having her here.

Kaylee began school on August 18. She is riding the school bus this year since I am at home with two other little ones. She was reluctant at first but has quickly come around and enjoys taking the bus to school. She is off to a great start at school and always comes home exhausted. We are still potty training but with little success and by little I mean none. She sits on the potty every two hours but has only actually gone once. We will continue this through the month of September before we go back to the doctor.

Sydney is good. She is a speed crawler and can now clap. She also has six teeth and loves her mama. She's a bit rotten but she's so cute; the rottenness is probably my own fault! She is beginning to want to stand but can't quite seem to get her feet under her. She doesn't say mama yet, but enjoys hunting me down just the same.

Matthew is good and is almost through another rotation. This Cardiology rotation has been good for him and I think mostly, he has enjoyed it. He has the month of September off and while I think he is looking forward to it, he is not looking forward to the test he'll take September 17 in Chicago that goes toward his license requirements. He is working on completing his residency applications and now we must just wait until March when we find out where we're going or staying.

I am good. Enjoying Pampered Chef very much. Just had a great first cooking show this past Saturday and I am very much looking forward to my commission check even if it is already spent. It's just so nice to be making money again and getting to do two things I love...be at home with the girls and cook!

That's about it for us. Sorry it's taken me so long to sit down and get this updated. I do apologize. Hope you enjoy the update. And hope all is well with each of you!

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almost four weeks

Okay, so it's almost been four weeks since my last post, but if it helps, it's been a crazy four weeks! On June 17, Sydney began really crawling and ever since then, she's been getting faster! She is into everything and has no fear. She can easily pull up to her knees but hasn't made it to her feet yet. She's been eating everything we offer to her; I gave her cow's milk for the first time today and she drank it quite well today. She has a lot of personality; she'll just sit and stick both arms out and bounce while she just laughs. She's a lot of fun! I took her to the doctor almost two weeks ago for a runny nose and cough (just making sure it wasn't an ear infection) and she weighed 25 lbs and 9 oz. She's wearing 24 months stuff for those who would be interested in that kind of information. And I think the older she gets, the more she looks like me which is nice since Kaylee doesn't resemble me at all. I've always said that if I hadn't been there, I wouldn't know Kaylee was mine by looking at her.
As for Kaylee, she is good. She's not potty trained but we have an appointment on July 28th to see a pediatric urologist, so please keep us in your prayers and hopefully we'll get some answers or at least a new game plan. Otherwise, Kaylee talks all the time. She is a bottomless pit for food. She loves to run around the house and have Sydney chase her but she doesn't like for Sydney to get into her playfood. And if Sydney has a toy that Kaylee wants, Kaylee will say, "Sydney doesn't want that." and then she takes it away, but otherwise they love each other. Often the two will be riding in the backseat of the car and will spontaneously began laughing at the other. It's sweet; they think each other is hilarious.
The girls just got back from Mimi and Pappy's. They went the week of July 6 to spend some time there while I had an opportunity to go back to Freed-Hardeman University and teach at Horizons, which is a camp they have every summer for teenagers and pre-teens. I was lucky enough to co-teach with my college roommate and even reunite in our old dorm for a week. Olivia and I had a great time. It was a well needed break from being a mom and a wife and I grew so much spiritually as I always have at Horizons. This was my eleventh year. I had eight years as a camper and this was my third as a teacher and I already cannot wait to go back next year! I was baptized fourteen years ago at Horizons and this camp continues to hold such a special place in my heart for all the good it does for our youth. And for those of you who may be worried about the state of our youth, I'm feeling much better. I spent a week with 90-100 17 and 18 year old girls who did nothing but impress me with their maturity and moral groundings. Our future is not as bleak as I once thought it was.
Matthew and I celebrated our own milestone on Saturday. July 12, we had been married for five years. Of course, I didn't intend to have two children in five years, but the Lord works in mysterious ways! :) Matthew and I were able to go out for the first time in a year and enjoy dinner at Applebee's and even go watch the Indiana Fever play a game (Indiana's Women's Basketball Team). At the game, we saw Tamika Catchings receive the jersey she will wear when representing our country later this summer on the USA Olympic team; we also saw the National Spelling Bee champion, and I got a special visit from the Indiana Pacers' mascot, "Boomer." We had a great time and finished the night at Coldstone. A special thank you to Lois for keeping the girls; we really appreciated it.
Of course, I will add a slideshow to the bottom of this post. Some of the pictures are from June 28 where we went to the Ward's house and spent the day making Corn Hole boards, so that we could all have our own game! My sweet husband even surprised me and spent the week while I was away painting our boards Tennessee orange with the team "T." I was so excited and they look so good! Some of the pictures are from July 4, where we enjoyed the holiday at the Vick's and eventually went downtown and saw the fireworks display and played corn hole.
In other news, Matthew and I are good. He's currently doing a rotation in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (which is still the speciality he plans to pursue). Next month, he'll be doing cardiology. He's doesn't seem to mind his current work which is good since he'll be doing it for the rest of his life! :) He has to have all of his applications turned in by Sept. 1 for his residency choices, so please keep us in your prayers as we try to decide which residency programs he should apply to. We'd be happy to stay in Indy but we must consider the possibility of him not being matched here and seek alternative options.
I'm good. Still on my Horizons "high" just excited about life. Special thanks to mom and dad for taking care of the girls for a week. I missed the girls and Matthew terribly but it was so nice to back to college life for a few days without any major responsibilities.
Hope that this finds all of you doing well. Hope you had a happy and safe 4th, and have a great week!

It will be well worth the wait!

I do apologize for being so long since my last post, but we have been super busy. Matthew began his summer vacation (two weeks long) on May 16th, and off we headed for Elkhart, IN. We had a great visit with the Northern folk. Matthew and I did some "yard saling" on Saturday just the two of us; it was the closest we've come to a date since before Sydney was born, and it was fun. Of course, we only came home with stuff for the girls! Sunday we had a great day of worship and fellowship at the Willowdale chruch of Christ. There was a fellowship meal after the morning service so we had some extra time to visit with friends and family. Then, after the evening worship we reunited with our former Sunday night family, Mike and Jeanne and the girls, for some marvelous chili. On Monday we took the girls to the park and had a picnic and played on a playground. Kaylee had a blast! Which is was good because we took her to Chuck E Cheese on Tuesday to celebrate her birthday and she did not have a blast. Every ride I would buckle her in, drop a token, and away she went of wailing and gnashing of teeth, "I want off. Get me out! Make it stop." Now, I know I am known for exaggerating, but folks, I am not being liberal with how much Kaylee detested the rides at Chuck E Cheese! We finally found some game where she tried to catch fish that she enjoyed but otherwise she played in the toddler area where things did not move around and seat belts were not necessary. She did get some lovely gifts and thoroughly enjoyed the pizza and cupcakes! Then on Wednesday, we made the trip back to Indy, where we did some laundry and tried to rest up for our next trip. On Thursday, Matthew met with his advisor and discussed his future, which apparently looks bright! Who knew? I spent the day repacking and on Friday morning we headed to Hohenwald, TN for the Memorial Day Weekend. We arrived in the early afternoon and enjoyed eating dinner with everyone. My sister and her husband came in as well as my brother's girlfriend, Ashley. It's always so nice to have everyone home. On Saturday, we spent a large part of the day with my dad's family, getting time to visit my grandparents. Sunday we enjoyed worshipping with the Lomax congregation, even getting to see some very old friends, which was great! Kaylee of course, opened some more gifts and may now be convince that her birthday is like Hanukkah and goes on for several weeks. On Memorial Day, we enjoyed some more visiting with the Salisbury family and even played some tennis. Then, on Tuesday, we had to head back to Indy to spend a few days at home before Matthew returned to work.
It was so great to have extended visits with our family. Our trips north and south are always so much nicer when there's no rush to return home. We were so grateful for the showing of hospitality at both homes and thrilled to spend so much time with family.
On Wednesday, we took Kaylee back to her eye doctor for a check up. Her prescription was the same, so no improvement but no change for the worse either. She did participate much better with the doctor and what he asked her to do, so he was pleased. He thinks that the way her eye turns in without her glasses may one day go away forever but before that happens he did warn us that the problem and/or her prescription may get worse, but the hope of Kaylee one day not having to have glasses is a welcomed one.
On Thursday, we went downtown to the White River Gardens and had a picnic. We were able to walk all up and down the White River. Indianpolis really has made it lovely down there. We saw the new stadium right next to the old one and made some pictures of it all. It was really pretty and the weather was just beautiful. I spent the day Friday preparing for Kaylee's first non-family birthday party. We had her a Dora party on Friday night and she had a great time. We "borrowed" our friends, Michael and Lisa Birdwell's, backyard for the festivity and Kaylee had a great time playing on their "playground." We all enjoyed Matthew's grilled burgers and some chocolate cake!
Matthew returned back to work on the following Monday, June 2. He's now doing Rheumatology at the Indiana University Medical Hospital. He says, "It's alright, I guess." (direct quote taken moments ago...very exciting!) He'll finish this one up on June 30 and move on to his speciality of choice, PMand R (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) for the month of July. He's looking forward to that for one more opportunity to confirm his feelings for this area of medicine.
The girls are good. Kaylee is just as the limerick says, "once there was a girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead, when she was good she was very very good and when she was bad she was horrid." She has moments that make me laugh until I cry and then there are these other moments when I make her cry. She told me last week this one..."Mama, I am so funny, I scare myself." Not totally sure where she got that one! She loves to tell all the ladies at church that they are beautiful and she thinks it's hilarious to tell Matthew, "you're a big girl." She tells me, "Sydney doesn't need that." or "Sydney doesn't want that." when Sydney attempts to take a toy that Kaylee has or wants. Mostly Kaylee just talks all of the time which you won't know if you call here and try to talk to her because that is the only time she whispers! Kaylee loves to go to the library and to the store or post office. She bought a new pool with some of her birthday money and loves to hang out in it. Sometime, somewhere, she stopped being a toddler and became a little girl with an incredible memory and off the wall sense of humor; I suppose that makes her a fun combination of Matthew and me. I did take her to the doctor for her four year old check up and she came in weighing 45 lbs and is 44 1/2 inches tall, so if she looks big in the pictures; it's because she is! She is still not potty trained which we extensively discussed with her doctor and we both feel that it's time to take the next step and visit a pediatric urologist just to make sure that everything is working alright. She does seem to think that since there are other parts of her body which seem to get a delayed message from her brain (the reason for many of her falls and stumbles, general lack of coordination) that there may also be a delay between her brain and her potty parts. She still doesn't seem to know when she has an urge to go, but she is now aware of when she is dirty, but not wet, but at this point we'll take what we can get. She doesn't mind to be soiled at all but does get upset if she has an accident on her clothes or anywhere else (couch, floor, booster seat, etc.), so the fact that she's starting to care does bring us hope and perhaps our appointment on July 28 will bring us some answers from the urologist.
Sydney is also coming along becoming her own person. She has demands and demands that those be met asap! She just today really crawled though she isn't fast yet. She's figured out how to crawl and then roll to where she wants to be, so she can crawl but for now still prefers rolling to her destination. Last week I found her pulling up on the coffee table to her knees and she has also learned to sit up on her changing table, so quickly we are scrambling to save Sydney as much as possible but disasters still happen. Today, she rolled into the bottom of the coffee table and that hurt a bit or a lot according to the wailing noise she made! But my four year old pulled a elephant on wheels off the table today not once, not twice, but three times onto herself, so I so much didn't notice Sydney rolling into the coffee table.
In other news, Sydney still only has two teeth but loves to feed herself anything I put in front of her. Both of my girls are great eaters and for that I am thankful! The girls love to take a bath together and get a kick out of getting the entire bathroom floor wet! I know there will be struggles ahead for years to come, but I am loving watching their relationship blossom and think of my own sister often remembering many great times together.
Life is sweet. As for me, I somehow stay as busy as ever and still have to find time to do laundry and cook supper. I really thought that when I quit working outside of the home, that I'd have all this extra time for scrapbooking and reading and cooking exquisite meals. Who was I really fooling? It's just not happening. A good day is if only one child has a new scratch and everybody has received at least three meals and three diaper changes.
We are still loving living in Indy. Ideally, we'd love to be close to both families but for now, we are so grateful for our Christian friends and our current circumstances. Again, life is sweet.
To those of you who we saw on our trips: it was great to come home and visit and hopefully, we'll be back again soon. Until then, take care and God bless.
And I'll try not to be so long in posting again. Sorry j and k. Love you all.

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Strap in and sit tight...have I got some stories for you!

Since I last posted, a lot of time has passed and I do send my apologies for being so long in writing, but we've been a bit busy. April 27, I hosted a shower for my good friend Maggie. We had a Pampered Chef Bridal party and it went really well. She got a lot of nice products as did many of the other guests. Then April 30, I took Sydney to the doctor for her nine month check up. She weighed 23 lbs and 2 oz. and was 29 inches long. That's just a bit behind Kaylee who at 9 months weighed 23 lbs and 10 oz and was 29 1/4 inches long. Sydney still only has two teeth on the bottom and is still not crawling, but she has mastered sitting up and enjoys scooting backwards which is very frustrating when whatever toy she wants seems to be getting farther away! Also on April 30, mom and Katie came to visit and on May 1, we traveled at 5:50 A.M. to Ft. Wayne to the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale where we met up with Jeanne, Paula and Michelle Stout to do some serious shopping. Our travels were safe and we had a great time although we were all exhausted by the time we got home. We were all able to get several nice things that we'd wanted at reduced prices and then enjoyed lunch at TGI Friday's before traveling back to Indy. Then on Friday, mom and Katie got to see my classroom at church where I teach the nursery class on Sunday mornings and a mothering class on Wednesday nights. I also took them to Kaylee's school where they got to see her classroom and meet one of her teachers. We also made a trip to the mall and picked up a couple of things. On Saturday, Matthew was home and we slept in a bit and then took Kaylee to a local playground to play and then mom took us all to McDonald's for lunch. Then, Saturday night we had the regular crew (our friends the Birdwell's and Day's)over for supper and a mad game of "Battle of the Sexes." Then as we left for worship Sunday morning, mom and Katie headed home to Hohenwald to get back for evening worship. We thoroughly enjoyed having them here. It was great to get to spend so much time with them. It's so nice when visits don't feel rushed!
I spent the next several days preparing for a yard sale. Our close friend, Megan Day, was gracious enough to have the sale at her home on May 9th and 10th. Friday was cold and cloudy but we still had some business and didn't do too bad; however, the weather and business was much better on Saturday, and Matthew and I ended up making about $180 in the two day venture. We were quite pleased especially since we managed to get rid of a lot of stuff!
This week has been wild has we have our spring gospel meeting going on at Shelbyville. Even though it's rough having to make our way to the church house each night, it has been worth it, even wrestling two kids. Our speaker is Phillip Brannon and he is an excellent speaker from North Carolina. To anyone who is looking for a guest speaker, I highly recommend him! Two thumbs way up! Our meeting continues through Thursday night.
As for each of us, Sydney is great. I had forgotten how fascinating it is to see the world through her eyes, everything for the first time. She enjoys discovering all of the new sounds she can make with her mouth, lots of raspberries and SPIT! She also can sit up like a big girl in her highchair and feed herself! She enjoys Frosted Cherrios and Kix mostly, but also sloppy joes has become a new favorite. She is rolling over much more and is learning to get her legs under her; I don't think it will be much longer before she's crawling.
As for Kaylee, she is good, a bit difficult at times, but good. It appears that she has an aversion to everything. To eating, to going to bed, to coming home, to taking a bath. It's all the same, "I don't want to ___________ (fill in the blank with whatever we've told her to do)." As you might imagine, this earns her moments of discipline and hopefully in the end, love and spankings will conquer all. She has had some funny moments.
Several weeks ago, it was a warm morning and I had the windows open while getting Kaylee dressed for school. There is a creek that runs behind our apartments and so since we have water, we have geese, which we really don't care for because they will not hesitate to come at you for absolutely no reason at all. Well, on this day, the geese were apparently outside our apartment and they began honking. Kaylee looked up and said, "I hear the geese." I said, "Yep, I hear them too." Then, I asked her where the geese live becaue at school they had been studying animals and their habitats. I expected her to say a lake or water or something of the sort, but without hesitation she says, "Indianapolis." Well, yeah, I guess they do. :)
A couple of weeks ago, she was saying her prayer before going to bed and she was listing the names off, "thank you God for Lisa, and Michael, and Ally, and Big Michael, and Maggie, and Kelly, and Kelly's hardware store, and Dave, and Mary...." And I'm like whoa, what? Kelly's hardware store? So let me explain, Kaylee watches a show called, "Handy Manny" on Disney each morning and on the show Manny's best friend is Kelly who owns and operates, "Kelly's hardware store." So apparently, Kaylee is thankful for her too! After all, who wouldn't be?
Then yesterday, I go to pick Kaylee up at school and as we're walking to the car, I ask her, "What did you do at the picnic today?" She says, "I got a bun." Well, sweet. I ask you, who doesn't like a good bun? Then she says, "I got a hotdog too." Well, of course, what good would a bun be without a hotdog too. Her day was complete.
Then last night during the prayer during worship service, Kaylee rocked the pew with a rumble from her hind parts. Everyone within a three pew radius of us knows that I have the "gassiest" children in the world. They don't just "poot," it's long and loud and distracting every service! But after all, who doesn't want talented kids?
As for Matthew, he is almost done with this third year and everyone has told us that comparatively, four year is "cakewalk" and they'd better be right. He is very much looking forward to getting to his "senior year" and I am so happy for him. His last day is tomorrow with an exit exam concerning this pediatric rotation on Friday.
As for other news, Matthew's grandfather's surgery went as well as possible but he's not eating as well as they'd like and they readmitted him to the hospital Monday night after finding a pocket of fluid in his lungs. He was supposed to come home yesterday, but as of this press time, I do not know if he did. Regardless, please continue to keep him and Sally in your prayers.
As for my own grandparents in Hohenwald, Bobby is at home getting stronger and possibly a little bossier every day, but he has a great appetite they tell me and for that I'm thankful. Granddaddy and Grandma were able to enjoy their anniversary yesterday and for that I am also thankful. I feel so blessed to still have my four grandparents in my life. God is good.
As for me, I had a great time having Katie and Mama here. I had a wonderful mother's day as it was my first with TWO girls! Matthew and the girls made me some lovely cards and I got some plant stands for my patio and a new pair of pants! For other news, the geese on our grounds have had goslings, so oh goody, there's more of them now! I guess that's it. I'll attach some pictures so you can get an even better idea of what all is going on up here or down here depending on where you are. Hope that you are all well, and hopefully, we will be seeing many of you soon as we do some traveling in the coming weeks. Love and miss you all.

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well...

I know I said I'd do better about posting but there just isn't much to tell. Sydney has two teeth coming in and she's not sleeping well at all. The last three nights I've been up from about 4:30 am until 6:30 am...no fun. Then, Kaylee is usually waking me up around 7:30 am wanting a poptart and a vitamin (clearly she's matthew's child!). Speaking of which, Matthew is working a lot and not enjoying it too much. He's at Riley Hospital. Between all of the really sick kids, long hours, and working with all women, he just doesn't have many positive things to say about this particular rotation except that at least he's a 1/4 of the way done with it and three weeks away from the end of third year. As for me, I'm busy. Trying to catch up on scrapbooking, hosting a pampered chef bridal party for my good friend Maggie, thinking about ideas for my Horizons lesson, keeping up with my Wednesday night lessons, and staying up with a crying baby is also wearing me out, so I am very excited for mom and katie who are coming to visit next week, so we can go to the VERA BRADLEY outlet sale! Wahoo! I'm super pumped about that and I just keep looking toward that. Kaylee is good. She stays very busy going to school, playing outside, and coming home exhausted every day. Her teacher tells me frequently that Kaylee cracks them up (she gets that from me!) by the things she says. She is very good at memorizing phrases and then using them when she feels they are necessary. It's pretty funny to hear what comes out of her mouth..so far nothing horrible or embarrassing but I'm sure that time is coming.
As for other news, Matthew's grandpa is having open heart surgery to replace valves on Wednesday. Jacquie is going to stay with them (they live in Ohio). So please keep them in your prayers.
As for my granddaddy, I spoke with Grandma on Wednesday and she said they were doing good. He's up, moving in his wheel chair, watching traffic from the front porch. She said his appetite was crazy, which is such a good thing, and generally, he's in good spirits. So thanks so much to all of you who have kept them in your prayers and have sent cards and food as well. They appreciate it so much. Please continue to remember them in your prayers.
Well, that's it. There's lots to be done. Hope you all have a great weekend. Miss and love you all!

EARTHQUAKE!

Well, today I get to mark off a big one off of my list of fun things to do before I die..."Be in an earthquake." That's right there was an earthquake and it shook Matthew and I awake. Sadly, we thought it was the wind even though it literally shook our apartment. It was approximately 5:37 A.M. today and we weren't sure what was going on but we awoke quite startled, visited the restroom and went back to sleep. There's been at least one aftershock but nothing major though the first one this morning registered as a 5.4 on the scale. So, very exciting, I know, but don't fret, the big news doesn't stop there....Sydney has two teeth. That's right. You heard it first here folks. Sydney has her two middle bottom teeth coming in and she has made it very clear that it is very painful. She is currently making it from one dose of Tylenol to the next and at the moment is sleeping soundly. (yay!) But we are very excited, we were beginning to worry that she'd have to gum everything forever. She currently enjoys crackers, french fries, macaroni, peas, green beans, rice, and long walks on the beach...what? Just kidding. No walking yet. Or crawling for that matter. She just lays there and cries wondering why I am such a cruel mother and have left her in the floor to fend for herself. Never fear though, big sister Kaylee is always near to stick the pacifier back in Syd's mouth. In fact, I get the feeling that Kaylee has a strong aversion to hearing Sydney cry, but who doesn't?
In other news, the weather has finally become beautiful and spring has sprung. We were able to get out this week and get Kaylee on her bike. We had to get her a new helmet though. Hers from last year was too small (she has so much to thank her daddy for!). At first, she didn't want the helmet on at all, but once we got it on her, we couldn't get it off. I mean, Kaylee wouldn't let us take it off. If she could have laid down with it on without breaking her neck, I think she'd have slept in it. Oh, and for all who were wondering, Kaylee doesn't so much as enjoy biking as she enjoys sitting on the bike with her feet on the pedals and allowing Matthew or myself to push without so much as moving a muscle herself! Clearly, she gets her work ethic from me and not her daddy! As most know, I've always been more of a lounger.
As for Matthew and I, we're good. He's four weeks away from finishing his third year of medical school and we are both thrilled and proud of this milestone. So much has happened from five years ago, when we were trying to plan our wedding. The time has gone much too quickly. But thanks to all of you who keep us in your prayers. Please keep specifically my granddaddy, Bobby Edwards, in your prayers as his transitions from the nursing home to home. Please also remember Matthew's grandpa, Don Arbaugh, as he is preparing for heart surgery hopefully within the next month. We have always coveted your prayers but more than ever, we appreciate them now.
Hope that all of you are doing well and enjoying the spring weather without any earthquakes! I'll do my best to post more often with pictures as much as possible. Have a great weekend! God bless!

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What a great visit!

On Friday, April 4, the girls and I traveled to Hohenwald, TN, with Michelle Stout. We arrived around 10:30 P.M. (central time) and were just glad to be out of the car. On Saturday, ten of us traveled first to the nursing home to visit Granddaddy and Grandma and then on to Henderson, TN, for Makin' Music at Freed-Hardeman University. It was wonderful to see all of my grandparents and to get some hugs! We managed to make it to Henderson without any incidents and with the exception of some cooler weather, we had a great day. Alex did a great job with his makin' music show! It was a joy to watch. The entire Makin' Music production was great and thoroughly entertaining! The girls enjoyed watching it until they both fell asleep. I'll never know how they slept through all of the music and lights! It's amazing how children can pass out anywhere. I was able to see lots of old college friends and some family members too. It was as wonderful of a day as I had hoped it would be. We all finally crawled in bed back in Hohenwald around midnight completely exhausted! On Sunday, all twelve (since we had now added my mom's mom and dad) of us showered and dressed for worship and I'd like to proudly say that we arrived early! We were lucky enough to worship with the Lomax church of Christ on their 90th anniversary of existence. It was a wonderful day and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing more old friends and hearing about the history of the congregation; and we were even able to all be together for my grandmother's birthday. Sunday afternoon after the afternoon service, we all went back to mom and dad's to pass out again from exhaustion. Then around 4:30 P.M. Katie and Josh and two of their friends from Redbank church who'd be staying with us, all went home to Chattanooga. And that left us with mom and dad, me, Michelle and the girls. So Sydney took another nap while Kaylee, Michelle and I went down and played with the Hill children enjoying the 80 degree weather! It was beautiful! We finished the day having dinner with the Hill and Haston families; it was the perfect end to a great day. On Monday, Michelle, the girls and I went to visit mom and dad at their respective work places so that the grandchildren could be shown off. Then, mom and dad both took a half a day off to spend the afternoon with us. Before dinner, we made a trip to the nursing home and visited some more with Granddaddy and Grandma. It was so nice to see Granddaddy sitting up, eating well, and telling Kaylee that she had a frog in her pants! After dinner at a local restaurant, we crashed at home again to watch the NCAA championship and then headed for bed. On Tuesday, Michelle, the girls and I left around 8:00 A.M. (central time) and headed for Indianapolis. We took our time, taking a couple of long stops for pictures and playtime at McDonald's and finally arrived home around 4:00 P.M.(eastern time) where we were greeted by Matthew who had missed us greatly. It was a wild trip but well worth the sleep deprivation and bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way down. I do believe that a great time was had by all. To all of you who we saw, it was great to see you and we look forward to next time we can do it again! Have a great rest of the week!

So much to tell...

Hope that this finds you all doing well. We're good. Since my last post, we have traveled to Elkhart, Indiana, for the Easter holiday. Kaylee received several cards and goodies and she seemed to enjoy the festivities thoroughly. Before our trip, Kaylee and I made Easter cookies. This was quite a feat. We both ended up with flour everywhere but many critics commented that the cookies were delicious. Matthew was doubtful at first but after some icing and sprinkles, we made a believer out of him. The Easter bunny visited Kaylee twice. I don't know if he had heard false testimony of her good behavior or if she was just receiving gifts on Sydney's behalf, but either way, she had a good time exploring her baskets' contents. Both girls spent the holiday weekend with runny noses and for two nights, Sydney slept with us, which is something I don't allow, so you must know it was our last resort. During the holiday, we were also able to celebrate Jacquie's birthday by enjoying a delicious meal at Cracker Barrel (where Kaylee met the Easter bunny) and finish it off with an ice cream cake! Kaylee was over joyed that a birthday was being honored and was absolutely certain that it was her birthday despite being told otherwise. The last of these attached pictures show Kaylee's bottom lip which had an altercation with her teeth on the eve of Tuesday, March 25. Kaylee was standing on her bed (which she's been repeatedly told no to do followed by some more firm displays of discipline). She decided to do an Olympic dismount only to do what she does best...fall awkwardly off the bed and cry loudly. Sydney, of course, was lying on her changing table, crying herself, for who knows what reason (we keep blaming the crying spells on her incoming teeth, but so far, no teeth, which may be a good thing, at least they can't pierce her bottom lip.). Matthew was in the bedroom changing his clothes so that he could make a brake for it to the weight room as soon as the girls were in bed, so he has no idea until he hears the commotion and I holler, "Hey, I need an old wet rag. We got a bleeder in here." It was lovely. And this children, is why you save intimate relations for marriage. How else would you keep your sanity as you rear children if it were not for sharing parenting responsibilities with another semi-capable human being? These are the memories we've been making. Hope that ya'll made some memories as well over the holiday weekend but with a little less crying and a lot less blood. Have a great rest of the week!

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Spring Pictures...Again!

So, I'm just a sucker for fun times! Why not take my children to another photo studio and endure...um, I mean enjoy the event one more time? At least this time, we came home with photos. Sydney was all smiles upon entering the studio; however, after about two shots, she began crying and then, spit up all over herself and the photographer. And I must say, Sydney handled it much better than the photographer, but after a moment and a consideration of changing into a new shirt, only to decide she should wear the dirty one while finishing our session, we continued taking pictures in an outfit with some yellow stuff on it that I managed to rub into the blue of Syd's dress. Kaylee was not any better about sitting still; it simply ain't happen'. And every time she said "cheese" she looked up at the ceiling. If she managed to look at the camera, she screamed, "ahhhhhh" or simply had no expression at all. We did manage to get several good shots of Sydney where she was either solemn or was crying but it could pass as a smile. Nevertheless, I have attached the two shots we came home with for your viewing pleasure. I just close my eyes, count to ten, and remember that these are the moments we live for...when another photographer from another shot comes over to wipe my oldest child's nose for fear that her snot will be smeared all over the toys in the kids' section. These are those moments. Have a great weekend everybody and a happy Easter!

It's been a little while...

Well, time has passed and I'm trying to think of some updates. Our biggest news is that Matthew has chosen a specialty. Yes, folks that's right. Matthew knows what he wants to be when he grows up...a physiatrist.
A physiatrist (fizz ee at' trist) is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatrists treat a wide range of problems from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. They see patients in all age groups and treat problems that touch upon all the major systems in the body. These specialists focus on restoring function to people.
And from everything I know about it, it definitely suits him. So, we're super pumped about that. Matthew will get paid to give out encouragement and help people help themselves. What better job can there be? Except for my job, which I have come to value more today than ever before.
Earlier today, I watched a fourteen year old boy hold his mother's hand while looking down on her as she lay in a coffin. It is a memory that immediately brings tears to my eyes and makes me realize that I have no idea how much time I will be given to be a mother to my children, so I must seize each moment and be the best godly mother that I can be. Lucky for me, I have a wonderful example to look to and today, more than ever, I thank God for my mother and for her being there through the dating and the beginning of a marriage, through two pregnancies and diabetes and tonsillectomy and wisdom teeth surgery, through my first kiss, every vacation, and especially my baptism. I would not trade anything for having her there at each of those moments and it breaks my heart that there are those in this world who will not have a mother or father there for those moments. So, it's with a heavy heart and a lump in my throat that I ask you to pray for all of those who don't have that example and steadfast rock in their life for their own moments and I equally urge you to love your children and live for each moment.

Dayton or Bust

About a week ago, Matthew and I discussed a trip to Dayton, Ohio, to visit his grandparents and decided that this was probably our best opportunity to make the trip for a few months, so we called the grandparents and confirmed our lodging accomodations at the Arbaugh Plaza. We had agreed to leave Thursday after Matthew got home from work since he was off the following day, and we would come back on Saturday afternoon, so we could be here for worship on Sunday. I'm not sure why we thought we had it all planned out and that that's exactly how it would go. Didn't we remember that that's how we got Kaylee in the first place...we had a plan? Yeah, sometimes plans change and by now we're getting pretty good with going with the flow.
Thursday morning, Matthew's granny sent me an email saying that they were expecting 3-5" of snow on Friday and maybe some more snow showers on Saturday, but they'd leave the decision up to us about still coming. I called Matthew and we decided that we had dealt with way more snow than that and we were still heading for Dayton that evening. Then, around three that afternoon, I received another email from Granny. Now, they were expecting around 3-10" of snow starting sometime Friday and continuing until Saturday afternoon. Again, I call Matthew. We still felt that this was going to be our best opportunity to go for a while, so we'd stick with the plans. Yeah, the plans again! We left for Dayton, specifically Beavercreek, around six Thursday evening and made excellent time arriving around eight. We were in, we were save, and there was no snow on the ground. Things were good. Then, somewhere around 8 or 9 Friday morning, things went south, or rather north, like Alaska north. It began to snow, just a bit, but it was snowing. However, by lunch time, it had picked up and big flakes were falling rapidly and it was blowing everywhere. Still not a huge problem, we can totally deal with a few inches. By the time we went to bed Friday night, there was probably 4 or 5 inches on the ground. Cool. It was pretty and we didn't have any where to go for another 18 hours. However, while we slept, it continued to snow and snow and snow and snow. We awoke Saturday morning to roughly 10 inches of snow and it was still pelting the ground and the wind was wild! By five o'clock Saturday evening, the snow was beginning to slow and eventually tampered off and we rounded off the day with roughly 14 inches of snow. We were so not going back to Indy on Saturday afternoon. Instead, Matthew got out with his grandpa and they cleaned off the driveway and dug our car out of the snow and we headed for Indy at 7:30 Sunday morning and made it safely back in time for worship.
Overall, we had a great visit. Matthew's granny kept us fed with some great food. We watched some great basketball games and disccused potlitics (boy, don't I feel like a grown-up!) and took lots of pictures. Matthew and I got Kaylee in the snow for a little while and she had a blast. Sydney enjoyed watching Baby Enstein on her great-grandparents new flat screen. Overall, a good time was had by all and we're looking forward to our next visit, just hopefully without 33 hours of snow!

Spring Pictures

So, many of you may have been expecting some Easter pictures of the girls. I must admit that I too, thought it would be a grand idea. I had this vision in my head of my beautiful children in coordinating outfits in front of a beautiful background; however, fate had a different idea in its head. And thus begins the story...

So, yesterday, I called Target and made an appointment to get the girls' Easter pictures made. We had heard very good things about the Target Photo Studio and had seen good results from a close friend of ours. However, I had intended to make the appointment for our Greenwood Target but unknowingly, I made the appointment at our Southport Target which we found out at 10:05 this morning when we arrived at the wrong Target. Immediately, I called the correct Target to see if we can get a later appointment. The girl says that she has no appointments for a couple of hours, so just come on over and we'll get the pictures done. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?
We head on over making good time and arrive in only a tiny but of distress. I smell poop! Thankfully, I hadn't yet dressed the girls in their coordinating outfits, so we're okay, no thanks to Sydney and her bodily functions. So, we quickly get the girls changed and posed perfectly in front of a lovely blue background.
Over the next hour, we only manage to get four shots and in none of them were both of the girls smiling, not to mention there was at least 6-8 inches between the girls in each picture. We began the photo session with Sydney hollering her head off in hunger. Of course, who wouldn't be hungry after emptying your stomach contents into your diaper? After we take a five minute break to replenish Sydney's fluids, we begin shooting again. Except there's no shooting going on, just sheer frustrations and madness. Kaylee refused to sit still and she most certainly was not going to smile in anything resembling a normal smile. More definite than all of that was the fact that Kaylee could only hold Sydney in a choke hold. Holding Sydney gently around the waist was a request that she simply could not comply with! Matthew and I took turns trying to get the girls to both look at the camera and then simultaneously smile. That's not asking for too much, is it? Apparently it is. When I got behind the camera to get the girls' attention, Kaylee could only mimic what I did. If I clapped, she clapped...Sydney fell over. If I jumped, Kaylee bounced...Sydney fell over. If I shook my arms in the air, Kaylee shook hers...Sydney fell over. You get the idea. Every time Sydney fell over, she cried. Then, we get her happy again only for Kaylee to let go of her or choke her and the result was the same, Sydney cried. Of course, Kaylee's response was, "What's wrong with Sydney?" At this point, I am near tears and Matthew has had enough as well. Somewhere around the hour mark, Matthew says, "Let's give it another five minutes and if we don't get something, let's call it quits." No sooner had he gotten the words out of his mouth, but Sydney spits up down the front of her outfit. We exchanged looks and decided it was the end of the road. We got the girls changed back and sadly enough left without ordering any pictures.

Family and Friends

It's been a normal week in this household. Matthew had an easy week starting each day around 8ish and finishing up between 5/6. No weekends this rotation. I think he's just about to decide what he's going to be when he grows up, either a physiatrist (A physiatrist (fizz ee at' trist) is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatrists treat a wide range of problems from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. They see patients in all age groups and treat problems that touch upon all the major systems in the body. These specialists focus on restoring function to people.) or a family medicine doctor. Both have great hours and salaries that will pay the bills on time. Both also allow you to build a relationship with most of your patients. He finishes this rotation up on the Thursday before Good Friday, and has declared he will be able to either rule it in or rule it out at that point. Yay! We are both looking forward to him having some direction concerning the rest of his schooling. His fourth year has a few specific rotations, but otherwise he chooses elective rotations which will help him build a foundation of knowledge and experience for his residency program.

Kaylee is good. Just wild. I don't know how to control her without crushing her spirit. She thinks everything is funny except for when it's not and then the drama unfolds as the tears flow and the whining is never ending. She a dramatic one, that one! I was changing her diaper (yes, she's still in diapers!) this past week and she had her fingers stuck in her mouth. Then, she removed them just long enough to say, "What that tongue doing in my mouth?" I had no response. I just smiled and thought how unfortunate it is that we don't appreciate those simple and easy years until they are long gone.

Sydney is good too. She's getting chunky; I love it. She smiles most of the time and laughs every time Kaylee looks at her. It's precious. She'll just sit in her seat and stare at Kaylee while Kaylee runs around the room, jumping, marching or just shouting, "Hay is for horses!" Sydney is really itching to go somewhere. She rocks back and forth in my lap constantly, but unfortunately, she just can't seem to make all of her limbs cooperate and help her go in a particular direction, unless it's face first into the floor! She'll figure it out soon enough and then I'll have real madness on my hands!

I'm good. A little unhappy with the unfairness of it all, but good. I don't understand why people have to die before their time. I don't understand why people have to deal with obstacles they will never be able to overcome. I don't understand why I'm allowed to encounter problems that I can do nothing about. In the end, I just pray a lot and try to enjoy all of the goodness I get to enjoy on a daily basis. Great family. Wonderful friends. A loving husband and adorable, healthy kids. God is good. May the Lord be good to all of ya'll this week. Love you.

Bare vs Bear

So...I'm not perfect. (Thanks daddy for that reminder.) But since I feel certain that none of you thought I was, no harm done. I'm sure that this won't be the last time I misspell something on here! Or use the wrong homonym. (There's a vocabulary word for the day!)
And don't worry, other than Sydney, no nudity (i.e. bare) on this website!

why not?

It's been suggested that I try blogging. It's a new way to communicate, sharing information, pictures and news. I figure, why not. Better keep up with the times, don't want to get left behind. So here it goes, I'm going to give this a try. Please bare with me as I figure this out.