A poem in memory of Tello Vasquez

The Hunter

By Mollie Perez

"He wasn't even a hunter" is what they all would say

But he became a hunter of men one beautiful autumn day

In his full life, he won the favor of each and every soul

The hunter was put on this earth to fullfill God's special goal

The goal was not a deer, nor a buck, or a dove

The hunter's heavenly goal was to teach us about God's love

"I'll be ok!" are the final words that he gave

In his life and in his death, YOU were his goal to save

The hunter should be presented with the highest gaming award

So many hearts he hunted down and laid before our Lord

While on earth enjoy this life just as the hunter would

He laughed and he loved his life each second that he could

Learn from the hunter and live life to the fullest everyday

Remember the hunter smiled as he told you it would be ok

When you're feeling lonely, just look where hunters should be

Go outside and open your eyes, he's everything you see

He's the rustle of the fallen leaves, he's the smell of fresh cut trees

Open your heart and open your hand, you'll feel him in the breeze

Put aside all of your sadness and rejoice that he reached God's goal

And thank the Lord that you knew the hunter because he saved your soul

So pledge your heart to God and ever happy you will be

To live with Jesus and the hunter in eternity

I wrote this for my dear friend Candice and all of those touched by the life and death of Tello. We love you Tello!

Caroline meets Santa

Last year we didn't take Caroline to see Santa because she was just three months old... SO...We dressed her up today and took her to meet him....too funny. Of course we had to stand in line for 45 minutes and Caroline fell asleep while we were waiting (recipe for disaster, right!)... Anyway, she didn't know what to think about him and wouldn't let go of me to sit on his lap so I got to tell Santa what I wanted for Christmas too! (sorry that it is so grainy...I took a picture of "the Santa picture" with my cell phone...no scanner) Funny...look at her face!

Need a GREAT photographer?

Sweet Caroline has learned to "give a kiss!"
My dear friend from childhood has recently started a business of her passion....photography. And SHE IS GREAT! Just wanted to put one picture on my blog and a link to hers....really, if you want some beautiful pictures...she is the one to call. She is energetic, great with children, and so very talented. She did a fun photo shoot yesterday at my house with Elena's beautiful son Dylan. Caroline was lucky enough to sneak in a couple pictures. Check her blog out and CALL HER! (* and if anyone wants her to take some photos in Greensboro you can always do it at our house. We have some great light with the windows and beautiful backdrops with the lake and trees!) http://www.lindseyturner.blogspot.com/

We love you Tello

Tello- just like a brother to me-we'll miss you my friend.

Tello Vasquez

1979-2007

Rest In Peace my Coconut!

My elementary school best friend, my partner in crime in middle and high school, my college roommate, my maid of honor, my soulmate-forever friend Candice Pickett Vasquez has recently lost her precious husband Tello (pronounced tay-o). Not only has my best friend lost her husband but Tony and myself and hundreds of other people have lost a dear, fun-loving friend. However, with all of the sadness and grief, I know that we will see Tello again. Just seconds before he passed, Tello looked up at his best friend, Kinon, and told him "I'll be okay" with a grin on his face. Tello is with Our Father in heaven, where we will see him again. I pray for the Lord to give Candice strength and that He would heal her broken heart. She has astonished me with her grace in grief and her unwavering faith in God even through the worse possible loss in life. If you know Candice, please do not be afraid to get in touch with her. She wants to hear from friends and wants to be with people...if you do not know Candice, please pray for her and her whole family. The long road through grief and healing has only just begun. Tello loved life and really lived it to the fullest at all times. The main message at his funeral was to "make things right NOW." None of us are promised tomorrow and the death of my strong, handsome, lively friend Tello has only reaffirmed that NOW is the time to get "right" with the Lord so that we can all live together for eternity. It was a beautiful service and was much more than a funeral. It probably saved many peoples spiritual lives.
I have so many wonderful, warm memories of Tello and all of our times together in college and beyond. Candice and I met Tello at the same time our freshman year of college. He was actually our suitemate's boyfriend. He was at the Citadel and we were at the College of Charleston. After the suitemate and Tello broke up, Candice and Tello reunited and started dating. He has been like a brother ever since. We did a lot of our partying in college with Tello and he introduced us to so many of his friends. He was always up for a good time and loved a lot of things in life...USC football, fishing, golfing, drinking a cold beer and his Candice of course...just to name a few:) I celebrate his life and the time we spent with him. I know the heavens are celebrating now too to have Tello there. This entry has the title "Rest in Peace my coconut" b/c Tello always said he and Tony were coconuts. Brown on the outside and white on the inside. Tello is from Rock Hill, SC and doesn't speak Spanish. His biological father was from Chili...but he was raised by a wonderful, loving, southern mama...Pam White. He may have a hispanic name and some pretty olive skin...just like Tony,but that's about it. We used to laugh and laugh about them being coconuts. I thank God for his friendship and for the wonderful husband that he was to my best friend Candice.
Link below is about his accident.
http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/200627.html

WHY have I not done this before!!!

I keep saying this over and over to myself "WHY have I not done this before??" Some people may enjoy going to the grocery store however I am NOT one of those people! I love to cook but hate to go to the grocery store! Caroline has her first ear infection and does not feel well at all, it's the day before Thanksgiving and the grocery stores are slammed, and here I am again at Thanksgiving wearing a back brace (as I was last year on Thanksgiving:)...so at 11pm last night I got on www.lowesfoodstogo.com and ordered all of my groceries! It is wonderful...it shows you a picture of the food or any item so you know exactly what you are getting, it shows weekly sales, and it is only a 5 dollar fee. I'm sorry but going to the grocery store in my PJ's and no bra or makeup is worth 25 dollars to me! No more fighting Caroline to stay in the cart, no more fighting the thanksgiving crowds, no more buying stuff just because I see it....PULL IN and they bring it to you! I love it! I highly recommend this for anyone who does not enjoy going to the store! I even called like 15 mins before and added something to my list and they said to call and add anytime...so GREAT! Check it out!

Today is THE day!

I had a surprise 30th birthday party for Tony about three weeks ago... Had to do it early to surprise him AND I wanted to squeeze a Halloween theme in with his birthday b/c he likes that holiday sooo much! Anyway, TODAY (November 19th) is Tony's 30th birthday! Happy Birthday 30th birthday my love! May the next thirty plus years be as wonderful as the last thirty!

Beautiful Family Morning

Caroline followed her Daddy around the yard for at least 30 minutes. Daddy's little girl! Caroline in her precious lamb hat! Had to keep the baby warm! (13 1/2 months old)
Walking to the lake! Such a big girl!
Caroline taking in the beautiful colors of Fall in the backyard!

We have had such a GREAT Saturday morning! We have recently had our gas logs taken out and have converted back so that we can use wood in our fireplace! We should have done it sooner. This morning we all got up and sat by a big, beautiful, crackling, REAL fire that Tony made! Tony and I drank coffee while Caroline played on the floor. After Tony's BIG breakfast (that he shopped for, cooked and cleaned up:) we went outside to enjoy these beautiful leaves. Here are some precious pics of Caroline walking and playing outside!

A visit from THE TWINS!

Meg, Mollie, and Erin...Friends for Life!
Erin and Caroline...two precious girls!
Meg and Big lips Baby C!
I lived in Charlotte, NC for about 11 months after I graduated from college. I took my first job at Huntingtowne Farms Elementary School on Park Rd. In less than a year I formed a friendship with Erin and Meg Bronson that will last the rest of my life! I am so very very blessed to call these sweet girls my friends! They make such an effort to keep our friendship strong...They recently made the trip to High Point for a Mollie & Caroline visit on their day off from work on Veteran's Day! Meg has recently gotten married and is now Meg Braddy and Erin is getting married in Key West, Fl in May and will then be Erin Phillips! Congrats girls and thanks for the great visit! Oh and I almost forgot...they are CRAZY about Caroline! They brought a precious white snow bunny outfit for her and they gave her Pinky, her favorite stuffed animal! I'm having trouble uploading pics from their visit...hopefully they will come through soon!

Walking

Well, it's official! Caroline Perez can walk...and she walks everywhere! It is so precious...she wobbles back and forth and looks like she has been drinking. We just went to her one year appt. and she weighs 21 lbs. She used to be pretty large for her age but now she is looking like a little thing compared to other kids her age. It probably has something to do with the fact that she is not a very good eater. She eats fruit, cereal, and crackers most of the time. I have even tried to mix veggies in with things to "hide" them....she will actually fish the vegetable or meat out of her mouth and literally throw it on the floor....ha, and then swallow the other food that she likes. I just bought Jerry Seinfeld's wife's book...it is a cookbook for picky eaters. We'll see if that helps. Caroline STILL does not have her first tooth but it looks like it may be in the near future! About three days ago I notice a little spot on the bottom right front of her gum and it almost looks like a little ulcer or sore. I've been told that's what it looks like before they come in. So it looks like she does have teeth in there after all...no baby dentures needed! Even though she doesn't have any chompers, the girl can talk! The Dr. asked us the other day if she could say 5 words....I was like "uhh yeah..more like 55 words!" She conquered all of the basic words (mama, dada, dog, bird, up, etc.) a few months ago. She now is impressing us with words like turtle, water, bottle, bowl, bless you, pinky, book, night night...and so on. It's pretty cute. But I do have a feeling we have a talker on our hands! Hhmmmm...Wonder where she got that...ha! :)

Dirty Little Secrets

A few friends of mine and myself have recently found a new little "secret" indulgence! It is a book and website about people's secrets. It is an ongoing community art project where people anonomously send in their deepest secrets. There are several books, the most recent one is called A Lifetime of Secrets and the website is http://postsecret.blogspot.com

Pretty wild stuff!

SURPRISE! Happy 30th Tony!!

DeAnna as Rainbow Bright, Patti as her beautiful self, & Marti as a giesha!
Pimp Daddy Danny and Burger "King" Jason! Great Costumes!
ARRRR....Ryan and Rebecca! Great Friends and a huge help to me that night!
Caroline the Pooh made an appearance to really surprise her Daddy! She was so great all night! Party Girl!

I have been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for Tony for months! It was a great party and he was very surprised! So surprised in fact that he looked behind him when everyone yelled "surprise"...funny...I had to tell him that it was all for him! His birthday is November 19th so I did it a few weeks early to really throw him off. It was a Halloween/costume party themed b-day party. Here are just a few pics. I still haven't gotten mine developed. I'll post more soon.

October 27th

7:00 pm

The Loft at Natty Greenes

Good news!

Thought you might get a kick out of this... in a low moment, saddened by the loss of my favorite doughnut, I wrote Krispy Kreme an e-mail....and this was there response...Yeah, they aren't gone forever! Can you tell it was the week in between my classes...ha:)
Dear Mrs. Perez,
Thank you for contacting us on October 20, 2007. We appreciate you providing us with the opportunity to respond to your inquiry regarding our recent menu changes. There is a standard selection of 8 doughnut varieties that all of our storeshave available: Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced Glazed with Sprinkles,Chocolate Iced Glazed, Chocolate Iced Custard Filled, Chocolate Iced KremeFilled, Glazed Cruller, Glazed Raspberry Filled and Glazed Lemon Filled. Inaddition to those eight standard doughnut varieties, our stores also offerseven of the over twenty additional Krispy Kreme varieties for a total offifteen varieties per store.The Blueberry Glazed doughnut is an optional product that your local storehas chosen not to carry based on limited consumer demand and spaceconstraints.We certainly value your feedback as a customer and will share your feedbackwith the appropriate individuals as we are constantly looking for ways toadd value to each customer's experience. Again, we appreciate the opportunity to assist you and look forward toserving you again in the future.
Sincerely,
Leslie Evans
Krispy Kreme Customer Experience

My Blue (berry) morning :(

Oh Man....The most disappointing thing happened to me this a.m. I went to Krispy Kreme to get my most Favorite TREAT... a glazed blueberry cake doughtnut....soooo yummy! I ordered and the lady say "Sorry, we don't make those anymore" I literally screamed "WHAT???...are you serious?" and I explained how my birthday cake was made from those doughnuts...they couldn't be gone forever!!! And she said "You'll need to order from the board honey..we don't have those anymore" No sympathy AT ALL! I think we all need to write Krispy Kreme and get the blueberry doughnut back!!! :) And yes, I did order something else...and LOVED every bite of it!

Happy Fall Pumpkins!

Being human is a little like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky st uff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see. Happy Fall!

Happy Birthday

I just want to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to

The Most Wonderful, Loving Mother

in the World

and to my Precious, little brother

Michael

(and congrats on your new job!)

Mom - Oct. 16th

Mike- Oct. 15th

Interesting Info...See, I am learning something!

I wish I would have started this a long time ago... In my first graduate class I am taking Human Growth and Development. It is a study from conception to death and all of the changes, problems, and patterns of development that occur over the life span. I have read some of the most interesting things over the course of the class. Yesterday when I as studying for my last exam, I jotted down some facts that I thought people might be interested in. Like I said the class covers conception to death, and so all of these facts are from the last several chapters about late adulthood and death....sorry, kinda gloomy, but interesting all at the same time!

-The mid-life crisis and empty nest syndrome are just myths
-wife beating was permitted by law until the mid 1900's- beating was permitted only witha stick that was no thicker than your thumb, i.e. the rule of thumb
-15% of married couples report serious domestic violence
-8% of domestic violoence is from wives abusing their husbands
-today 1 out of 8 americans are over 65 but in 40 years it will be 1 out of 4 Americans will be over 65
-typically older adults become thinner because they lose interest in food becasue the number of taste buds on their tongue decreases
-with decreased tastebuds comes increased hypertention, high blood pressure, b/c people use excessive salt so they can taste more
-Oh this is a yucky one, 2/3 of married men and women over 70 report having sex at least once a week :)
- Life expectancy in 1775 was 35, in 1900-47, and today it is 76
-Maximum possible human life span is 120 years
- Only 5% of elderly live in nursing homes
-20% of elderly people's income goes to cover health care needs
-it costs more than $60,000 a year to live in the average nursing home
-Manditory retirement is illegal
-75% of children live within 30 miles of thier parents
-Hospice, in the middle ages, was a place for travelers to stop for comfort and hospitality (term still used in Europe today for inexpensive sleeping quarters)
-The average funeral cost s$7,000

Chemo for MeMe

Today is my Grandmother's first day of Chemo. It is five hours long today. My mom reports that she is doing fine...I'm sure the days and weeks to come will be difficult for her. She is a very strong woman and I'm sure she will blow us all away with her resiliency and her positive attitude! She and my mom went wig shopping yesterday. My mom said they both laughed so hard they almost wet their pants! It makes me smile to know that people can find laughter in the face of fear and the unknown! Keep her in your prayers! And thank you to everyone who has asked about her and kept her in your thoughts!

The Birthday Girl

Does She Look Happy or What?

Thanks Daddy for making my Birthday So Special!

We had just gotten to the hospital at this time one year ago today (4:00pm). Caroline was born just a few hours later at 10:33pm. The first year of her life has been a real learning experience for Tony and myself. We have learned so much about bathing, changing diapers, what certain cries mean...but most of all, we have learned how deep you can love a child. I don't think either one of us knew it was possible!I taught first grade for four years and always loved my students and wanted the best for them...but with your own child...it is just a feeling that words can not describe. The happiness she brings to this house is worth every penny spent, every shot recieved during pregnancy, every lb gained, every sleepless night, every gray hair, every mess made, every night out staying in...I could go on and on...She is truly a blessing to our lives. Ok, so the whole point of this post was to show this sweet and very blurry picture. Caroline's wonderful Dad Tony wanted to take his little girl to the Disney store today to get whatever she wanted. She picked out this stuffed animal (I think it is Louie from the Jungle Book...but I'm not 100% sure) and hasn't let it out of her tight grip since we walked in the store. We have done all of Caroline's favorite things today. We woke up and I made her pancakes (well, ok they were for me mostly:) then we played with all of her great new toys, then we went for a swing by the lake and looked at all of the birds. After her nap, we went to the Disney Store with Daddy and after her next nap we are going to Red Robin...our favorite kid friendly dinner spot! What a great first birthday!

Caroline's first birthday

She loved eating her cake. We had to take it away from her b/c we thought she was going to get sick from eating so much!
Winnie the Pooh Cake
"I think I like this! "
She's got a sweet tooth like her momma!
Caroline and her good friend Ellison riding cars at the children's museum!

I can not believe my sweet angel is ONE! I never knew I could love anything sooo much. These are pictures of her first birthday party. Her actual birthday is Tuesday, October 2nd. We had party at the children's museum for family and her cousins and little baby friends! These are some great pics of the day! She was so happy all day!

We are ready for Halloween!

My Gram works at Williams Sonoma and got me this pumpkin spatula! My fav. toy!

My first pumpkin shirt

This cutie LOVES October and wants it to be here! It means Caroline's first birthday (October 2nd) Gram and Uncle Mikey's birthday (Oct. 15th and 16th) and HALLOWEEN!

What a Hairy Scary Day

In honor of my Grandmother, I cut 11 inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. When I went to visit MeMe at the hospital at Chapel Hill I saw several children that were in the children's hospital without hair. It broke my heart and I needed a haircut... It looks cute, I have never had this short of hair. But it is for a great cause! http://www.locksoflove.org/

Update on MeMe

Thank you all friends for your care and concern for my Grandmother! MeMe's surgury went well and they do think they "got it all". So that is good. She is recovering nicely and looks fantastic! Some days she gets a little carried away and then has to rest for days after. But that's true MeMe style! Always on the Go! She will start chemo in a few weeks. Keep her in your prayers.

Please Pray for MeMe

As many of you already know, we have had a very hard month. My grandmother, MeMe, had been having some problems with her stomach all summer that the doctors were trying to "fix" with medicine. Thank Goodness...she took control and made them do a colonoscopy b/c she knew something wasn't right. My parents were in Alaska at the time so I gladly took MeMe to her dr. appt. to get the results from the test. Well, I have to say it was worse than the worse case scenario. They found out that MeMe has a tumor the size of a softball in her pelvis which was been causing all of her stomach pain. She has had an MRI, CAT scan, and several other tests done since then and they said that they are 98% sure that it is ovarian cancer. To make a long story short, she is having surgury today at Chapel Hill. They are removing the tumor, most likely giving her a complete hysterectomy, and possibly removing some of her colon. They will know what is REALLY going on when they get in there today. Please pray that this is contained and will be removed from her body today free and clear. MeMe is being so brave...she always has been a tough cookie! During this very unnerving time, I have gotten to spend a lot of time with my grandmother with has been such a blessing. She is truly a special woman. All she wants is to get back on the golf course as soon as possible! Let's pray that those people at Chapel Hill aren't as bad as we usually say they are...Ha Ha...(we are NCSU people and my uncle is the soccer coach at Duke!)

Great Father, Excellent Businessman

I just have to brag on Tony for a second. I never say enough good about him, even though he deserves so much praise! Obviously he is a GREAT father but he is also soo good at his job! This is a picture of his latest accomplishment at work. This is Mid-State Petroleum's first "Pop Shoppe" store. Yes, their other stores are Pop Shoppes too but they are CITGO gas. This is all Tony's creation. It is in Salisbury and is so good looking. Hopefully we will see several more of these stores popping up around NC. Congrats Tony!

Let the games begin!

Oh boy! My first graduate class has started (Development across the lifespan)! Wow, a lot of work packed into 8 weeks then I start my second class (Childhood Psy.) of the semster right after that! All of the material is so interesting so I know I am in the right field. I'm so excited to get started and to learn about being a family/marriage counselor. I don't know the first thing about it. Clean slate, I guess you could say! Wish me luck and pray that I can do this! Yikes!

Momma and her sweet angel!

I love this child more than words will ever describe!

i HAD to....2 funny

Ha...This is a rare Barry Bonds collectors card from when he was a rookie....worth a ton of $$$ Ha...I love it! Congress meets about steroids in baseball with all of the trouble in the world...unreal!

Children's Museum

This Sunday we all went to the Greensboro Children's Museum! Amazing! Caroline had the best time! They had a huge area for children under 2. Everything is so soft and plush...tons of things to crawl on and through! She had a wonderful time! AND then...yesterday, here comes the 102 temperature. I tell you what...do you stay at home and stay "well" or do you go out and chance getting sick? Hopefully she will be 100% today and it will be worth it!

EASY Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

VERY VERY EASY!

Ingredients: 1 cup All purpose flour, 2 tbsp veg. oil, 1/2 cup milk, whole chicken, 2 cartons of chicken broth

1. Get a big pot and fill it a little over half way with water
2. Cut up some onion and put it in the water (optional)
3. Get a whole chicken and "gut it" (This might be the yuckiest thing I have EVER done...if you have never done it...just turn the chicken upside down over the trash can and try to shake all of the stuff out....get it out one way or another)
4 .Put the whole chicken in the pot of water and cover with a lid
5. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (slightly boiling) for an hour or an hour and 215-20 mins.... Just make sure the meat is practically falling off of the bone...yum.
6. Now, the water that you have just cooked the chicken in is now "chicken broth" and maybe it's just me...but I don't use it...But you can :)
7. Shred the chicken to whatever size you like and set aside
8. Making the dumplings: Mix one cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of milk, and 2 tablespoons of veg. oil.
9. Knead into dough...may need to add a little more flour to thicken
10. Roll or pat dough into desired thickness and then cut into strips
11.Bring two large cartons of chicken broth(or use the broth from cooking the chicken) to a boil in a large pot
12. Add dumplings and chicken to the broth, boil for 15 mins. (Everything will thicken)
13. Great to eat then or the next day!! Enjoy!

Our beautiful baby girl!

I Can Crawl!
Caroline in our backyard!
I love to play "SOO BIG" even when I should be taking pretty pictures!
Caroline in her fancy dress! So sweet!
This is Caroline's FAVORITE animal Pinky. She sleeps with her every night and drags her around all day! Our sweet friends, Meg and Erin, gave her this precious gift!

These are our most recent pictures of Caroline. Our sister-in-law, Staci Perez, has a very talented and SWEET father who loves photography! We are so blessed that he uses his talent to give us gorgeous pictures! Thanks Alan!

Sleeping through the Night

So Tony and I have tried everything to get Caroline to sleep through the night...and I mean EVERYTHING! She has cried it out many times, she has a bedtime routine, she has had cereal in her bottle, cereal off of a spoon, stayed up late, gone to bed early, we have done every song and dance to make this happen. So about a month ago I just gave up and got up once a night to feed herand figured that's just the way it was going ot be for a while. Well, the last night we were at the beach, she slept through the night in her pack and play. We get home and she does it again last night...12 hours! Wow...so hopefully this will continue! I guess it just goes to show you that when they are ready, they will sleep through the night....no matter what the parents do! ha!

My Favorite Week Of The Whole Year!

We went to Ocean Isle Beach this past week and had THE BEST trip! Caroline was showered with attention and learned a couple of new tricks! She is now making noises and hitting her lips with her fingers while she babbles and it is just the cutest little thing! Carole Simpson taught her that and she does it everytime she sees Carole. She had tons of people to play with and a few people her own size too (Ella Manning, Emma Grey, and Reilly Turner). She crawled on the beach and played in the sand. I was prepared for her to eat lots of sand but she only did it once after playing on the beach for about 30 minutes! Tony and I had great babysitters all week and it made for a REAL GOOD time with all of our beach friends (The Lomax family, The Mitchell Family, The Simpsons, my family, and a few brave others who decided to take a few days to vacation with us!) We ate and drank WAY to much but even more than anything else we LAUGHED! What a wonderful week. I'm already counting down the days until next year! I will post pics soon!

Well, Caroline is offically crawling forward and EVERYWHERE! I think this is when mother's really lose that baby weight! Ha.
We had a pretty big fourth of July party and ,of course, the social butterfly was passed around to all of our friends and neighbors. It was really nice. Gave my hip a break for the evening and gave her a chance to see some new faces (You know she must get tired of seeing me all of the time!) She stayed up and LOVED the fireworks! Needless to say, she crashed very hard for the night the second she hit the crib! We will def. make that an annual party!
So, now this week Caroline and I both have a a cold. I tell you what, a cold in the summer just stinks! Caroline got it first and you know me, I get everything!!! So now she is feeling better and I am feeling kinda crummy! Hopefully I'll be 100% by tomorrow. We are going to 2 birthday parties this week. It's just too cute getting invitations in the mail for Caroline to come to a party.
So between parties and our everyday stuff, I am packing up the family for our big family beach trip! We go with about 25 people to Ocean Isle for a week. We stay in the same beautiful house every year. It is such a rowdy, fun group...I was pregnant last year and had to be a spectator...def. not as fun!!! So this year will be great..Caroline will be there and I bet Grandma and Grandpa will not put her down all week! Aren't grandparents the BEST! We are also very excited because our friends Lindsey and Shawn Turner will be at the same beach all week. Baby Reilly and Baby Caroline will get to hang out at the beach!! Fun times! I'll post pics as soon as we get back!!

A Big Week for Baby Caroline

On Father's Day Caroline started to crawl. She got up on her hands and knees and went backwards! She can go around in a circle and she occasionally (and I think by accident) goes forward. She is mostly going in reverse. This has been a BIG week for her (8 months, 3 weeks old) she has started crawling, is drinking out of a cup, can sit up from laying on the floor by herself, she says "bye bye" and waves, and best of all..she is finally saying mama! What a great week!

Precious pictures

Sooo Sleepy (8 months old)
Fairy Caroline with her Uncle Jason
A bouquet picked on the blue ridge parkway by her daddy!

Happy Father's Day!

Tony is such a wonderful father! Caroline Perez is a very lucky little girl! This is a picture of them on one of our Saturday family excursions! Blue Ridge Parkway-June 2007

Caroline's first trip to the beach

Happy 3rd Anniversary Tony!

I love you!

Exciting News!!

I just found out that I have been accepted to Liberty University to start a Master's degree in family and marriage counseling! I will start in August. The degree is mostly distance (internet, video, etc.) but I will have to go to campus for several weeks for a couple of the classes. I am thrilled to be able to stay at home with my precious baby and be able to work on another career path for myself! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers...I hope my brain hasn't turned into complete mush!!! Some days it feels that way:) YEAH...who would have ever thought I would be so excited about going back to school!!

New Moms Beware

I have to wear a "hard brace" on my wrist/thumb for the next month because of a new mom injury...ha! I have a tendon that is moving around my wrist and the other day my thumb actually popped out of socket and stayed there. Apparently this happens sometimes to mothers with small baby's. The bigger the baby gets, the more it damages the tendon....weird. So this brace is supposed to give my wrist a month long break and give it a chance to heal. Cross your fingers!

One of "those" days

If you are reading this blog then you have definitely heard me complain over the last several months about being tired, about losing my baby weight or some other complaint I'm sure. Well, today is NOT one of "those" days. I have had the best day so far (it's 11:15am) and since I always voice my bitching and moaning, I thought I should share this too! My day started off at 8 am. Caroline woke up a little later than usual and gave me a few mintes of extra sleep and anyone who knows me knows how much sleep means to me :) But the best part was I was woken up by the sounds of her cooing and laughter. She was so content and happy just being awake in her crib...so sweet. So I get her up, we play a little and then I make my coffee JUST PERFECT. If you don't drink coffee you won't understand that...but if you do...you know what I mean! So, after my perfect coffee, we load up in the stroller and go on a walk. It was a beautiful morning and we took a nice long stroll around the neighborhood. When we get home, Miss Caroline is rubbing her eyes for that morning nap...YES! When I put her down, she doesn't make a peep and goes right to sleep (this is rare:) So, I take off my old walking clothes and throw on a bathing suit and take a running leap into the pool. WOW! Nothing better than a morning swim...the cool water and the warm sun. I spent a few minutes just swimming and thanking God for this beautiful day. Times like this don't happen enough...when I just sit back and think about how thankful I am to be where I am in life. I am so happy to be a mom and a wife and a daughter and a friend. I need ( and I'm sure most people will agree to this) to take a step back and just be thankful for NOW. This is my life and I love it.

A Funny Picture

Caroline LOVES Madison and Madison Loves Caroline. How funny is this!

My first Mother's Day

I have to say my first Mother's Day was a fantastic day. You get treated like a queen...it was such an unexpected surprise...card, presents, wine, etc. We went to Grandover for a GRAND brunch and then I went back today for a day at the spa. Very nice! This is a picture of me and my sweet pea on Mother's day! I am sooo grateful and proud to be her mother!

Who would have thought...so many babies!

Last Friday I went to Charlotte to visit Lindsey Turner and her new baby Reilly. I rode down with a dear friend Elena, whom I have recently reconnected with. The three of us went to high school together and now we all have babies that are within six months in age. It was a great day! Elena and Dylan (5 months) Lindsey and Reilly (1 month) and Mollie and Caroline (7 months)

A Special Gift

I was watching Oprah the other day and saw a segment about International Project Breastmilk. The organization collects breastmilk from healthy, lactating women and sends it to hospitals in Africa to help very sick new born babies. Most of the babies recieving the milk are orphans b/c their parents have died of AIDS. The sick babies immune systems benefit so much from the breastmilk. I could go on and on listing the benefits. Anyway, Caroline has allowed me to be able to donate milk to this wonderful cause. I am only nursing her three times a day and the rest of the day she is eating food and drinking juice. I just think it is such a special way to help little babies and it just so happens that my body is up for the challenge. Pass this info on to any women you might know that would be interested.
www.breastmilkproject.org

A Great (and very easy) Dinner

Beef Stew
Ladies I know Beef Stew might not sound great...but this really is sooo tasty and so easy! Tony said it is his new favorite meal...impress your man with this one! I promise you it is really yummy!

1-2 lbs of stew beef
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg of Lipton onion soup mix (dry)
1 soup can of red wine ( and then you can drink the rest with dinner)

Put all ingredients in a casserole dish. Cover and cook for 4 hours at 275.
Serve over rice or egg noodles. AWESOME dinner!

Happy First Easter

Caroline playing with her Easter eggs!
I got one!!!
Daddy and his precious baby! She is def. going to be a Daddy's girl!
Rolling over!

Caroline had a great first Easter! She is so precious and such a huge blessing in our lives!