Litchfield Beach 2009

I need to hurry up and blog about our beach trip because we are going out of town again tonight. I don't want to get too far behind. Jacob, Dakota and I had a great 4th of July trip to Litchfield Beach to hang out with Gigi, Papa, Uncle Chad, Aunt Lauren & Holiver (Dakota adds an "H" to all words that start with a vowel). Unfortunately, Jacob and I didn't get the camera out too much but these pictures are a little sampling of the fun we had. Papa took a bunch more that we hope to get from him one day. Dakota's favorite things were "Water!!!", "Gigi's Beach House", "Papa's Boat" and "Bicycle." It was really nice to have almost a full week of no responsibilities other than my child. No work. No cleaning. No studying.

Cookies & Milk Cousins
Dakota bootlegged this sandcastle from somebody else.

She loves to run on the beach!

Oliver learned to walk just in time for our trip!

Our Memphis friends, Chris & Lesley were in SC that same week so we met up for a boat ride. Lesley is doing a month long rotation at MUSC.

I didn't get Dakota a 4th of July outfit but luckily Gigi had some decorations from last year's parade. I think a bandanna makes a fine tube top for a little girl.

She is so sweet and fun. I love her so much!

There's my belly for you. I think I was about 25 weeks then. I'm now 26.5 weeks! 13.5 to go. I'm getting soooo excited.

Thanks Sally & Clarence for opening your house up for another fun, family vacation! We look forward to next year!

I Could Use Some Caffeine

I feel like rambling but I should be working...just need a little break from drawring.

-I woke up a little early this morning because I had to have a mole removed at 7. I got a wart frozen off at the same time. Figured I would kill 2 birds with one copay.

-I think I'll get a diet coke when I'm done with this. I'm trying to be better about drinking lots of water because I've been having "issues". I've also added an Activia to my afternoon. That's some gooood yogrit...and I've taken the challenge. It really does work.

-I noticed on my poll that I only have 100 days left until Cricket arrives. That's kind of exciting. I also noticed that the girl votes are catching up with the boy votes. I would love to hear your comments as to why you think I'm having what I am having. Just a hunch? I look different? Just picked one at random? I haven't voted cause I'm still not sure...leaning towards a girl. Jacob says boy. Guess one of us is wrong.

-We had a great visit to the beach with Jacob's family this past week. Kotabug LOVES the water and Papa's boat and Gigi's beach house and the bicycles. I needed a week of relaxation and I feel like I got it.

-Dakota is so cute. Her vocabulary is growing exponentially and she talks a lot. We can have little conversations now.

-We're going to North & South Dakota next week for the highpoints. I hope this pregnant girl can still climb a mountain. Dad, Martha and Brad are coming too and I am looking forward to it.

-I'm not looking forward to flying next week. Flying isn't fun any more and you're pretty much guaranteed to be delayed when you fly now. That's no fun when you have a 2 year old with you. Speaking of...I think we got our money's worth out of the "free under 2" rule. Dakota has probably been on 15 flights in her 2 years of life. She's a real trooper.

-I need to start reading more books. Jacob and Brad are the most well-read people I know. Maybe I'll start a list of books I read in the margin. I saw that on a blog when I was blog-stalking (you know you blog-stalk too!). Got any good suggestions? I just started Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges while I was waiting at the derm this morning. Jacob just finished it and told me I needed to read it.

-They announced at church last night the candidate for our new pastor. After almost 3 years this is quite exciting. Too bad he's coming to meet us and preach while we are out of town. He's young and he's a SC native (went to North Greenville). Seems to have lots of great qualities that fit our church or our church needs. I hope the church votes him in. Does any church ever not? Just curious.

-I had to go measure a building this morning and it was really hot. Really, really hot in the sun. It's for a renovation I am working on at work. My friend/project manager/coworker felt bad she mad a preggo girl tramp around in the hot sun so she treated me to lunch at Holiday Deli. It's one of my faves. I told her I didn't mind being out in the sun but she insisted. I had a strawberry mandarin chicken salad....yum!

-We got another bid back from a builder. He's our favorite but his price was higher than the others so far. His is probably more accurate though...I think the others might have missed some things. We are a little disappointed but maybe we'll just cut some things out so we can afford him.

-I wish our house would sell so we could start building. We had one girl come look twice but haven't heard back from her or her realtor. Maybe she's still thinking about why she should buy our home but I know she really liked it. You could tell.

-I have lots more that I could write about because I always have random stuff running through my head but I better go get my yogurt and get back to work. I think the diet coke craving is gone now, so I'll pass on it.

Faith Like a Child

Dakota gets sweeter each day and I am amazed at how she is such an intricate work of art by our Creator. I just wanted to share a cute story with you...a little bit of our new daily routine.

Now that Dakota is in a big girl bed I can lay with her while we read her bedtime story. After her story I sing to her. Recently she asked for "Jesus". I assumed that meant she wanted me to sing "Jesus Loves Me" to her so I did. When I finished singing she said with so much enthusiasm..."More Jesus." So I sang it again. "More Jesus" And again. "More Jesus" And again. I think you get the point. This has now been a daily routine for over a week. I know that at this stage in her life she doesn't comprehend who Jesus is but I do think she understands there is something special about that name. Last night I pulled out her Bible and skipped the classics of Noah and Jonah and Adam and Eve and jumped right to The New Testament so she can begin to know more about who this Jesus guy is. My prayer is that I will reach a point in my life where I am begging for "More Jesus!" and that Dakota never loses her enthusiasm for Him and that one day He will be her Savior.

Date Night...Again. So soon!

Last Thursday, Jacob and I along with my friends Helen and Mike went to the Flying Fish for dinner and then to see Wicked at the Orpheum. I saw it a few years ago on a date with my daddy in Atlanta and I remember liking it so much that I thought we should go see it when it came here. I'm so glad we did because it was just as good as I remember. Such a fun musical with a great story, humor and great music. If it comes to a theater near you...I'd highly recommed that you go see it!

Tricia Cartner, LEED AP, CDT

I think I'll brag on myself a little bit :). I passed my LEED exam this morning and am officially a LEED AP (the AP stands for Awesome Person...ok really it stands for accredited professional). It's a little tough finding the motivation to study for an exam that isn't quite mandatory, yet sort of is...especially when you have a cute kid running around and another one kicking you in the side while you're trying to study. I'm thankful that God gave me motivation and concentration and the ability to absorb all of the information that I have read over the past 3 months. The glory be to Him.

So what is LEED? Jacob informed me that nobody he talks to has even heard of it. Well, I don't feel like writing about it so if you are interested... you can go to the USGBC website and read all about it :). I will say that it is a very big deal in the architecture, construction and engineering industry and within a few years...it will probably become the standard for new construction. For example, Clemson University already requires that ALL new buildings be at least a LEED Silver certified building. This goes for many universities, cities and a lot of government buildings.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts and for putting up with my complaints over the past several weeks. Now onto the ARE (architecture registration exam)!

Better Late than Never!

May 29-June 1 we traveled to Greenville to celebrate our sweet nephew's 1st birthday! As always, the visit was too short but we did enjoy our time with family. Saturday was the birthday party...Sunday was a relaxing trip to dad & Martha's lake property...Monday was lounging and returning. Enjoy our photos...

(and for those who are thinking I should be studying for my test that is tomorrow instead of updating my blog...all I have to say is, "I NEED A BREAK". Your prayers will be much appreciated tomorroow at noon central as I attempt to become a LEED AP.)

Happy Birthday sweet Oliver!
Lots of Presents!

Don't mess with Dakota and her cupcake!

Gigi with her 2 babies

Playing Together...so Sweet!

Dakota playing on the beach at dad's lake property. He says he bought this piece of property just for his grandkids to enjoy the beach on it.

Pregnant girl trying to Kayak. I love lake Keowee.

What a Hottie :).

My great friends Michelle and Ken came with us. Dakota loved being dipped in the water.

Poppy thought Dakota needed some CoCo Wheats. They are a personal childhood favorite. Dakota loved them. What's not to love about chocolate cream of wheat??

Taking a stroll along the Reedy River towards the Children's Garden.

Hey...it's Pooh!

Peek a boo!

Mommy & Dakota

Big Girl Bed

About a week ago Dakota and I were out and about and she fell asleep for her nap on the way home. The transition from carseat to crib never works for me since I'm so short. I practically have to drop her in and it always wakes her up. I decided to lay her on the day bed which was going to become hers once Cricket arrives. She slept great and when she woke up I asked her if she liked sleeping in the big girl bed. She said yes. That night when it was time to go to bed I said, "Time for Night Night." She pointed to the other room and said, "Big Gull Bed." I asked if she wanted to sleep in the big girl bed and she said yes. So I let her. I put pillows all around so she wouldn't fall out. The next day I bought a rail for the one side and she has been sleeping in it ever since. Every night and every morning she talks about her new bed and is obviously quite proud of this new milestone in her life. A major plus is that I can lay in the bed with her and read her a story (the rail easily folds up and down) and then tuck her in. It really doesn't get much sweeter. I'm so thankful that God has allowed so many of our transitions to go smoothly and am so thankful for a fun little gal who approaches every stage with enthusiasm. I did get a little teary eyed a few nights into this new adventure realizing that my little girl has gotten rid of one more "baby" item. Now...onto the nighttime passy and diapers (which we had 1 successful pee in the potty this week!).

The Calm after the Storm

God always gives us Rainbows after a Storm.

Big storm in Memphis on Friday. I'm thankful we didn't lose power or trees. We still need to go check on our property but I'm sure everything is fine. As I was reading Dakota her bed time story Jacob said, "You've gotta come check this out." Most beautiful rainbow out our front door...and the pictures just can't do it justice.

It's a....

SURPRISE! In a moment of vulnerability and excitement, we almost gave in and found out what we were having but I held firm (much firmer than Jacob) and said we would wait. I still remember the excitement of Jacob announcing "It's a Girl!" when Dakota was born and I look forward to that same excitement again. The good news is...Cricket is healthy and perfect...exactly the way he/she should be. The bad news is...I gained 6 lbs this month. Guess I better lay off the chick-fil-a. Mmm...just the mentioning of that makes me wanna run out and buy one. Enjoy some ultrasound photos from our appointment.

I'm pretty sure he/she is praying. We've got another saint on our hands. :) Cricket's face/chin in much pointier than Dakota's (more like Jacob maybe??) but it could just be that he/she still has some meat to put on the bones.
Cricket doesn't look anything like Dakota here.

Here is a comparison of our two little buddies. I think the mouth area looks really similar but Dakota's nose looks rounder. We'll see in 4 months! (Gosh...that sounds like no time at all!)

Hiker Babe

You can decide whether I'm talking about Dakota or myself...
Jacob, Dakota, Siler and I headed to the Ozarks in Arkansas this past weekend for a family mini-vacation which was MUCH needed. We've been spending too many weekends at home lately and we were getting a little stir crazy. We left Friday evening and heading to Razorback country to a nice area called Richland Creek. We set up our tent on a sandy area along the creek but in the morning we were told that we had to move because the campground was closed. We moved to an "approved" area and then went on a nice hike to Twin Falls. The area has gotten a lot of rain (haven't we all??) so the falls were beautiful. The hike going to the falls was an adventure thanks to poor trails and a landslide last year. It tooks us several hours for a so-called 2.5 mile hike. Thankfully on the return we had an easier way finding the trail and made it back in less than an hour. We appreciate the kind soul who put pink ribbons on the trees! Dakota did amazing and didn't even fuss when it rained on us :). She's such a trooper!! Siler had an amazing time too and was such a good dog on the whole trip. Enjoy the pictures (in no particular order)! Next hiking adventure...SD/ND highpoints over July 15. Can't wait!

Dakota LOVES Siler!
Mommy and Dakota
Snackin' at the falls.

Twin Falls

"I don't think we are on the trail anymore."

Hiking can be tiring!

I love that little girl!

Kandi's Quilt of Many Colors

My friend Kandi asked me if I would make a t-shirt quilt for her out of her sorority shirts. I said, "sure, sounds fun." 3 years and lots of jokes later...Kandi has received her quilt on her 30th birthday...also the week of her first home purchase. So happy 30th birthday Kandi and congrats on the new home!! Sorry you had to wait 1/10th of your life to get it...I hope it keeps you warm this winter...er I mean summer!

Old Navy Coupon Fun

Click on the Old Navy Link here and play the coupon search. It's fun and you just might find a good coupon. They add new coupons daily but I can't seem to check at the right time to find the $60 off coupon. I'll keep trying. I did find the 25% off coupon last week and bought Dakota and myself a few items on Friday. Once you find one you can save it but you can only have one coupon emailed to you per week. So pick wisely before you hit "make coupon." I would tell you where the coupons are but that would ruin your fun...so you have to find them yourself :). They update with a new search weekly too. Happy Hunting. Let me know if any of you finds the $60 off coupon!

Date Night

Saturday night Jacob and I were able to go on a very nice date together. Thanks to S&N we got free tickets to see The Fiddler on the Roof with Topol (in their suite seats). Topol was the original actor in the movie and this is his farewell tour. He has performed in over 2500 shows so he is quite the veteran. I had never seen Fiddler on the Roof and didn't know much about it but the music was amazing and the storyline was good too. We had a great time. Prior to the theater we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Cafe 1912 which is a little French restaurant in Midtown. I had french onion soup, roasted lamb loin with spinach & pinenuts and some type of mac & cheese but I can't remember/pronounce the type of cheese. It was all delicious and it was a special night since Jacob and I haven't been out just the two of us in a while.

Growing up my dad used to take me to the plays at the Peace Center in Greenville. He has always gotten season tickets so I got to be his date. I have seen most of the great broadway plays and enjoy them all so much. I told Jacob that I would much rather spend $100 for a night at the theater then $20 for a night at the movies. In June, Jacob and I are going on a double date with an LRK friend to see Wicked...which is one of my favorites.

Anyway, we had such a nice weekend and I appreciated my date very much. Thank you Jacob :).

Birthday Blog

April 17 was my birthday. Happy 27 to me! Dad, Brad and Martha came out for their yearly birthday visit and we had a GREAT time. For my birthday dinner we went out for sushi because it is one of my favorite foods and one of my biggest pregnancy cravings...both this go around and with Dakota. I could seriously eat it everyday but I can't afford it :). Since I'm pregnant, I can only eat the cooked stuff so we let Dakota try it too. She ate like 4 or 5 pieces and LOVED it. I'm so proud of my multicultural eater. Anyway, enjoy the photos from my birthday weekend.

My 3rd annual Strossner's cake straight from Greenville. YUM!
Grammy & Dakota

Poppy and Dakota.

MMMM...LOVE some sushi. Look at my little sushi buddy! Now I'm hungry.

Chowing down...this was after she had already eaten some shrimp, broccoli and sweet potato tempura and some seaweed and cucumber salad and edamame.

My beautiful table that Clarence made for my birthday. I've been needing one for this awkward space in our guest bedroom for quite a while. Thankfully, my custom carpenter was able to fill the spot perfectly. And the cool camel came from Carie & Chris when they went to Kuwait a couple of years ago.

Yay for my WiiFit...even if it does tell me I'm overweight.

We don't want to leave Jacob out. He got a nice present too! 12 cases of his favorite beverage. Martha said she should make him sign a waiver that he won't sue if he gets diabetes from drinking all of this. I bet they got better gas mileage on the return drive since they weren't loaded down with Cheerwine!

Saturday was a fun day for the park.

Silly banana eating girl.