It's a GIRL!!!!

Tony, Caroline, and I are proud to announce that we have a precious baby girl on the way! Instead of kicking myself for going overboard on all of the pink stuff for Caroline, I am now really glad that I did! WE have a pink bumbo seat, stroller, clothing....everything girly...AND I LOVE IT! WE had a wonderful ultrasound this morning that revealed a healthy, active, and beautiful little 8 oz. baby girl! We are over the moon excited that Caroline will have a forvever friend and we will have another little angel! We are keeping the name a secret until she's born...all I can say is it is sooo cute!

17 weeks pregnant

17 Weeks Pregnant

The baby weights 5 oz. and is about the size of a big baked potato (why do these books insist on comparing the baby to food...ha) My tummy is starting to really show...finally i'm ditching the beer belly look for a pregnancy look! Yeah! 12 more days until the big ultrasound!!

Cute new pics

random things...

1. i went to the dr. today and the baby is doing great! The heartbeat was 150 and everything is right on track. We find out the sex of the baby and have our "big" ultrasound the day AFTER Christmas...that will be very exciting!
2. WE are having a very hard time with baby names. Put it this way, my moms latest suggestions were Ruthie and Sally...and she was serious. I'm not even going to mention any others that were flying around b/c either Tony or I have nixed them. Ok, well here's one... Tony's latest suggestion was Claire and I can't tell if he was kidding or not...sorry if thats your name but NO! :) And the name game continues.
3. We are all decorated and ready for Christmas over here! We went to THE BEST Christmas tree lot ever. The nicest, most helpful man was running it. He gave Caroline two lollipops and GAVE her one of those ball things that has the lights all in it (he makes them)...too cool. Very very good experience..we didn't lift a finger and got a very good price! He's stationed in the parking lot of the Lowes Food in Jamestown.
4. I am going back to Liberty University for a week in January. After this week, I will only have one more class that I have to leave home for. I'm doing it now b/c it will be hard to find child care for two kids instead of just one for a whole week. I'm anxious about going (esp. b/c i'm pregnant) but excited b/c I really get a hands on experience!
5. Hope everyone had a great Turkey day!
Love,
Mollie

The SICK turkey

No, the turkey we are eating for Thanksgiving is not sick but our little turkey Caroline is! Tony and I have been looking forward to her school Thanksgiving feast and music program for over a month now. She was going to be a turkey...notice I said "going to be". After we bought a brand new video camera (just so I could catch my little drama queens first public preformance) AND I cooked all afternoon the day before for our contribution to the feast AND after buying her a new outfit AND after getting her a haircut (which is not easy or fun)AND after waking up early so she and I could both be showered and looking our best...I wake her up and BAM...her eye will barely open! Side note, Caroline has had a cold with a runny nose and coughing for five days so I thought she had just busted a blood vessel in her eye from coughing so much. So I proceed to take her to school as she doesn't have a fever and I think this eye is nothing major AND I WANT TO SEE THIS PRECIOUS PREFORMANCE!!!!(Did i mention that yet) Her teachers told me on Thursday that Caroline was such a ham in practice and hoped she would do it the day of the program...which only heightened my excitement to see her as a turkey. We got to school and thankfully (but to my great disappointment) my sister-in-law, who is an eye dr. saw her and told me she had pink eye. So, I pick her back up and am nearly in tears walking out of the preschool. Pregnancy hormones, I assure you. So, no Turkey preformance, missed the black Friday sales on video cameras, made a ton of food that is now frozen, and looked damn good all day and had no where to go...Lesson on motherhood: things don't always go as planned!

Happy Birthday Tony

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! Hope you have the best day ever! I love you! Mollie

Drunk without a drink

Ok, so I had a very scary day on Friday because my world started spinning out of control (literally). I had been complaining all week of feeling a little dizzy (like I had a glass or two of wine) but it wasn't bad enough to worry me. However, Friday morning my two glasses of wine feeling went to feeling more like 2 bottles of wine. Tony rushed home to take me to the dr. and it turns out that I had an infection in my inner ear that affected the fliud that keeps me balanced. The dr. did a test that proved it was an inner ear issue. If you ever feel dizzy and suspect it, try this simple test. Lay flat on the ground and turn your head all the way to the right, almost looking over your shoulder. As soon as I did that, my world literally spun uncontrollably. However frightening it was, it confirmed that the issue was an inner ear problem and he gave me medicine to treat it. I thought I missed having drinks with my friends but this experience scared me from ever wanting more than just one drink ever again.

What's been going on at our house

Just have a few things to share as I haven't really updated my blog in awhile besides the occasional picture or two. Caroline is loving preschool. However, I don't know who loves it more...Caroline or her mommy! I know she is safe, loved, and as happy as a clam to be there so it makes it so easy for me to run errands or come home and get things done around here. Her teachers have nothing but great things to say about her behavior and progress in school. She is 25 months old and weighs around 30 lbs and has more hair than she or I know what to do with! She doesn't like me making her do anything and I mean anything (brushing her hair and teeth are big daily struggles). Other than a little hardheadedness (which I have no idea where that comes from...ha) she is a real sweetheart and loves to be around others. Tony recently got her a little beta fish and she absolutely LOVES it. After going through about 20 names for the fish, she decided that she liked the name "Michael Phelps" (not lucky or swimmy or any of the other basic names we threw out there) and that's just what she calls him. I will have to get a video on my blog of her talking to Michael Phelps...it's just too cute!
As for me, I am now 13 weeks pregnant and feeling great! My tummy is just starting to change and I have recently dusted off the old maternity clothes. Suddenly, 6 months from now, which is when the baby is due, does not feel very far away....with Caroline, I thought 6 months felt like six years away! We have literally not done one thing to prepare for a new baby. I'm sure when we find out the sex we will start on the nursery. A few more weeks and we'll know!
As for Tony, he is as busy as ever with work and is actually with a film crew today. Citgo is making a new nation wide ad/commerical and they are at the Pop Shoppes filming this week. It's still up in the air, but Tony and/or Nelson may be on the commerical too. That would be exciting!

Happy Halloween!

10 Year Reunion

With all of the ups and downs from the past few weeks, I have been slack about adding new posts....not to worry I have tons to share. We went to my 10 year high school class reunion a few weeks ago. I was a little anxious about it but it turned out to be really great to see everyone! We had a fun night (even though I couldn't drink:)

Baby Update

Well, This is the last thing on earth that I want to put on my blog but here it goes... I am sad to announce that our precious Baby "B" went to be with the Lord this week. We are so happy and blessed that we had him/her for 8 weeks. We only knew about Baby "B" for one week but what a fun week it was! Tony and I both know that this is all a part of God's perfect plan and that Baby "B" is better off in heaven with Him. Baby "A" is doing great and for that we are thankful. Keep us all in your prayers.

TWINS!!

Oh my goodness gracious alive
Our family of 3 is going to be a family of 5

Today at our first ultrasound right out of the blue
the Dr. looked at us and said "There are TWO!!"

We saw the twins with our very own eyes
and are so thrilled, so blessed, and very surprised!

Please say a big prayer for our little baby "B"
because the next few weeks are crucial you see

Little Baby "B" is a bit smaller than Baby "A"
So, we ask that you take a second to pray

So there is our news, we'll keep you filled in
However we hope to see or talk to you before then!

All our love,
Mollie, Tony, & Caroline

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Caroline!!!

Stay Tuned...

Coming Soon...Sweet Caroline's 2nd Birthday Party Pictures!

SURPRISE!!!!

The 28th year of my life has started out on a wonderful note! God has blessed our family with a new little one! Baby Perez is due in May! We are thrilled and still can't believe that it is true! It is very very early so I ask that you say a little prayer for the health of our little peanut!

My FABULOUS 28th Birthday

A birthday kiss from my Sweet Caroline
Toasting the day with my bro and my mom...pineapple martinis! yum!
CHEERS! Here's to my mother who prepared a fabulous dinner for everyone! Thanks Mom!
Michael and Kara...I snapped this one in the middle of dinner:)
My little cupcake with icing all over her face doing her "SOOO EXCITED" face! Soo funny!

In my mind, I had planned on my 28th birthday coming and going relatively uneventful. However, to my great surprise, it turned out to be one of the best birthdays I have EVER had! Caroline slept great so I woke up very rested and excited about the day. Over coffee Tony gave me two very very sweet cards and an under the cabinet LCD TV which is just what I had hoped for:) But even better was that he had scheduled for me to have a massage that afternoon. (Thanks sooo much Tony, you are THE BEST husband ever) So just before noon, I dropped Caroline off at Gram and Gandpa's house to play while I had a fantastic brunch with my wonderful friend Rebecca. After brunch I had time to piddle around Friendly Shopping Center (which is an unusual treat) and then I stopped by my brother Jason's house for a visit before going to get the massage Tony planned for me. After the wonderfully relaxing rub down, I went back to my parents house to hang out with them and my sweet Caroline. We had a GREAT dinner (thanks mom) and a fun time with the whole fam! After a full day of birthday celebrating, I stopped by our neighborhood's wine wednesday group where they surprised me with a cake...that was sooo sweet and unexpected! The whole day was full of unexpected kind birthday wishes and very very gracious gifts. I went to bed with the biggest smile on my face and thanked God for all of my precious, special, and thoughtful family and friends who made my 28th birthday sooo wonderful!

Reunion time! 10 years!!!

Please tell any C/O 1998 Ragsdale grad about this!!!

Ragsdale Class of 1998 Reunion Cocktail Party

Ragsdale Reunion
Location: The Underground...formally known as Backstreets
When: Saturday, October 18, 8:00PM
Go to http://ragsdale98.blogspot.com/ for more info
Cost: $30.00 per person

Come see what everyone's been up to for the past decade! Mingling and general group hangage (adults only) starts on the patio (or inside if there's rain). Cash bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres will be available. The cost is $30/person ($60/couple). Please use the Paypal link above or send checks to:McKenzie Stevenson/Ragsdale 1998 Reunion1204 Eagle RoadGreensboro, NC 27407Be sure to RSVP and pay no later than September 27th to reserve your spot, as you will be unable to enter without a reservation. Thanks and we hope to see you there! Also, if you know of someone who is not on the invite list that graduated from our class, please encourage them to send their emails/contact info to jjohnson@tarheeltriad.org so we can include them. Or, just pass along the invite yourself (via the link to the left) - but make sure the person includes their name so we know who's coming!

First day of preschool!!!

Sweet Caroline before we left for her FIRST DAY OR PRESCHOOL in her precious little apple dress!
We were there a few minutes early! Pinky came along for moral support:)
I took this picture as I was walking out of the door. As you can see she jumped right in there and never looked back!

Caroline started preschool today and it was AWESOME! Of course I was very teary when I got in the car but it turned out that she didn't mind one bit that Tony and I were gone. Her teachers said she had a wonderful day, didn't cry one time and behaved very well! When I picked her up she came running to me and said "School is FUN!" Mommy also had fun going to the gym and running errands while Caroline went to school! :) We love preschool!!!

Gotta Share Some GREAT Stuff

Last night I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep and instead of worrying about all of the things that are going on around me, I actually was laying there thinking about all of the good things that are happening in my life. You would think all of my pleasent thought would lull me to sleep but I actually got excited... So hear me out about some great new things:

A GREAT NEW RESTAURANT- The Black Pearl- Wow, probably the best restaurant in Greensboro! Don't let the location stop you from going. It is on High Point Road in a beautiful, newly remodeled building that used to be some Italian place and was originally Shoney's a long time ago. (Across the street from T.J. Maxx) AWESOME seafood, low country menu. The wine list was good, reasonably priced, they had awesome martini's (key lime pie martini) and the beer is really, really COLD. I mean, really cold and that makes a Blue Moon taste that much better! Tony had a whole fried flounder which he has been dying to go back and get again ever since and I had fabulous shrimp and grits. Great place! I highly recommend it!

A GREAT NEW CHURCH - So I have been busting at the seams to tell anyone that will listen about this new church that Tony and I have been going to! It is Covenant United Methodist Church on Skeet Club Rd. Tony and I were trying to find a church close to our house that met both our likes and needs (something in between catholic, moravian, and baptist....hard find I know:). We definitely did some shopping around, going to many services at many different churches. The Moravian church is wonderful but much too far away from our house. This church is the perfect fit. It is very laid back with a blended service (has the choir in robes but uses a screen for the songs, etc.)They have a great children's program which is something that I really wanted for Caroline. It is not a high pressure church, we get really turned off when we get attacked when we walk in the door...being aske dto go to this or that or be on some committee, etc. The people have just been nice and friendly. The best part is that the sermons are so down to earth and applicable. We are still the new guys so if anyone wants to come, COME ON...you'll see how great it is!!! We'd love to go with friends!

A GREAT NEW COUPLE - Tony's wonderful step-sister Shelley is madly in love and is GETTING MARRIED! We are so happy for Shelley and Greg. They are both such beautiful, kind people who have waited a long time to find each other! Can't wait for their Sept. 27th wedding! Congrats!

GREAT SEATS - We got 8th row floor seats to the Backyardigans...oh yeah! I have not been to a concert in years and don't really even care about going to them but I wanted to get good seats to this show so my sweet Caroline could see her beloved "Yardigans." Tony is such a great Dad, he was at the box office when they opened to get the best seats he could for his girls.

GOD IS SO GREAT! - (Babies, weddings, and good health) My wonderful hairdresser Jeri just had a precious baby boy. Babies are such special gifts from God. And this weekend we go to the beautiful Duke Chapel in Durham to see my long time childhood friend Holland Barksdale get married. It will be a fantastic celebration! Also, one year ago my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and she had her check up last week and she is CANCER FREE! It's hard to believe that an 80 year old woman can go through very serious surgery and many rounds of chemo and come out a year later perfectly healthy and looking better than ever! God is soooooo Good!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST - Bittersweet news - My baby is starting preschool next week. I can't believe she is growing so fast and is going to school. The preschool (Jamestown Presbyterian) is amazing and is run by a wonderful woman, Debbie Cash (my good friend Lindsey Turner's mother). Caroline is going to LOVE school and her cousin Ella is even in her class! I'm so excited about her getting into this very small and exclusive program but I am also very anxious about dropping my precious baby off at school. I can't belive that I am one of "those" mothers. I used to see these parents get a little anxious about taking their kids to school when I taught 1st grade and thought "Oh, get a life, you should be glad your kid in out of your hair for a few hours." Now look at me...I'm losing sleep over preschool which is only 3 hours a day, twice a week. ha! Hopefully, next week, after I see how much she loves it (which I know she will) I will relax and enjoy my time while she is at school (which will be filled with school work...not soo relaxing).

Think about all of the great things happening to you... Happy Monday! Mollie :)

Pitiful Baby

My sweet Caroline has been fighting off an ear infection in BOTH ears AND a nasty virus that has given her a high fever and sores all over her throat and mouth. This all started on Monday evening...needless to say, she nor I have not been out of our pj's since then. She can't sleep b/c of the pain so all three of us have been up at all hours of the night for three nights now. I don't know how Tony does it...he's up all night with us and then he goes to work all day. Daddy's have a strength that I will never understand but I thank God for it! I feel like we have gone back to infancy except now she can talk and cry a lot louder:) Pray for her health and my mental health...ha!

In the News

This is an article that was recently published regarding a new program that Mid-State is starting. Tony is really involved in this program so I had to share this article...I'm so proud of him, he works really hard.


Mid-State partners with FuelLink at 10 Citgo Stations

By W.B. King

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Mid-State Petroleum launched the FuelLinks loyalty program at 10 company-owned Pop Shoppe locations in the Greensboro-High Point and Charlotte, North Carolina markets. James LaVoie, vice president of community sales for MetroSplash Systems Group, Inc., which operates FuelLinks, told CSNews Online that Mid-State is issuing a five percent discount for the goods sold in the convenience store in the form of Fuellinks rewards. "They are excited about the ability to reward their existing loyal customer and gain a percentage of new ones. Increase customer frequency," LaVoie told CSNews Online. Mid-State vice-president Tony Perez said in a released statement the aforementioned 10 locations represent the first phase of a planned rollout to approximately 40 Pop Shoppe locations, including dealer-owned stores, over the next six months."We did a lot of due diligence searching for a loyalty program for The Pop Shoppes," Perez said. "We chose FuelLinks for a variety of reasons. Along with its demonstrated success, we like the underlying technology, particularly its operating visibility, in terms of the downloadable reports available, and the ability to easily change promotions in individual stores." Lavoie told CSNews Online the partnership between the two companies began three months ago. Moving forward, Mid-State will offer FuelLinks rewards on purchases made in the stores. It will also honor FuelLinks rewards consumers earn from other participating local businesses and online through www.FuelLinks.com.

I cried this morning...

ok, so either I'm extremely hormonal or this is the sweetest thing I've seen in a long time. This video clip made me sob this morning...it's so precious...children are such precious gifts from God! http://www.tagtele.com/videos/voir/7383/1/

Painting is fun (and messy:)

Caroline had the best time painting with real paint and a paintbrush yesterday for the first time ever! I thought I was smart (and being really nice...I never painted with my first graders) by doing this outside and by taking off her pants....ha! I learned this would be done best in a diaper with no clothes in sight, her hair put up, outside with a hose nearby, with may towels, and a bath run upstairs...ha! I'll be ready the next time:)

Notice that in the first picture she has on a shirt and a little paint on her knee and hand... After the red paint got all over her shirt (and I removed it) she thought it would be fun to paint her chest, hair, hand, and leg! Heck, why not...she had to take a bath after the little bit on her knee and hand anyway....so we just went all out! Thank goodness for washable non-toxic paint and a hose! ha!

Precious video

Click on this link to see the most precious You Tube video of Caroline counting to 20 at breakfast this morning! This child melts my heart!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICO3hCDNLj8

Mommy's art fix

Corkboard (you can't tell but the wings are glittery)

So anyone who knows me knows that I like to dabble in crafty stuff from time to time. Well, when Caroline went down for a nap today I got my "Artsy fartsy" fix. We have recently made a little playroom for her so I had to do some painting to jazz it up. Takes me back to my teaching days:)

Check out my Slide Show!

Beautiful Book Club Girls

Morgan, Megan, Nicole, Christina, Mollie, Rebecca, Stacy, Cameron

All of the book club girls (even though we haven't read or even talked about reading a book in months) met for a wonderful dinner last night at Hampton's (formally Southern Roots). We had a great night celebrating a couple birthdays and catching up over several bottles of wine! What a FANTASTIC group of women! Only one things would have made the night better, if Ashlie would have been in town! We miss you Ash!

Summer pictures of our Sweet Caroline

Caroline loves playing with her brown eyed baby!
Is this my daughter or what? 4 inch heels at 21 months!
Caroline's new favorite food!

Hilton Head and 4th of July pics

Love My Twin Friends

My sweet friends Erin and Meg from Charlotte came last week for lunch, sunbathing, and lots of great conversation! They still teach in Charlotte and I love that b/c they can come hang out during their SUMMER BREAK! Meg was married in September and Erin just got married in May in Key West! They brought Caroline a huge lollipop and that kept her busy so we could catch up! Great seeing you girls. Can't tell you how much an adult conversation over a bottle of wine (or two:) means to a busy momma!

Erin and Meg brought me a BIG lollipop! Thanks girls!
Great lunch by the pool!
Yummy and festive dessert! Very easy too!
"I just want to gety back in the pool!" Ha...I think Caroline is tired of her momma taking so many pictures! Sorry girls...it's me, not you!

Random Acts of KINDNESS (at harris teeter)

So the past two times that I have gone to Harris Teeter grocery shopping with Caroline we have encountered people simply being kind. Last week a little old man walked up to me and gave me 50 cents. He kind of startled me and I thought he was going to ask me for money. Lesson to me on judging people...the little man handed me the money and made me promise to take Caroline up to the little dragon ride for children at the front of the store before we left. I thanked him and and he was off with a hand full of change to find other little children to make happy. I passed him later in the store and he told me "there is nothing like grandchildren...they are only small for a short time." Very sweet.
So yesterday we went to Harris Teeter again (a different one in H.P.) and another little old man approached Caroline and myself and he asked me if she had a piggy bank. I said yes but told him that he didn't need to give her a thing that him talking to her was gift enough. He fumbled through his wallet and couldn't find what he was looking to give her. So, he said goodbye to us and we went on our way. About 30 minutes later, we pass him in an aisle and he gives Caroline a dollar bill. He told me that he went to the pharmacy and exchanged some coins for the bill so that she wouldn't choke on them. He made sure to tell me several times to put it in her piggy bank, not in mommy's piggy bank...kinda funny. So many bad things happen in this world so I thought I would write about these two little but very touching acts of kindness that we experienced this week.

Our beautiful bathroom is FINISHED!

AFTER!!! New, bigger shower!
Full fish tank, new tile, and lighting!

Pic from the bath tub

BEFORE

shower, linen closet (that had lost it's door), and carpeted floor
Bath tub empty fish tank, old tile



We just finished the final touches on our master bathroom remodel this morning. We just LOVE it!!! Here are the before and after shots!