I'm an AUNT!!!

Joshua Ethan Hill

December 16, 2008

8 lbs 10 oz 22 inches

My nephew Ethan was born yesterday! We are so excited that he is finally here! Check him out! He is adorable!

November 2008

Well, it's been awhile since I've sat down to fill you in on all the happenings of the Bryant family. There were a couple of interesting things in November that I'd like to reflect back on and tell you about.

The first is the Turkey Trot. The day after the Mustang 5K in October, we began training for the Plainview HS Turkey Trot 5K. Not only because we (me, Allison, & Paul) wanted a better race time on this next 5K, but mainly because of the hill at Chavies that is in the last mile. To say that hill is killer is to put it mildly! It is definitely rough! It is a challange in itself to not just want to stop running and walk up it. Well, my goals for the Turkey Trot were: #1- Run the entire way (and survive the hill!), #2- To place in my age division, & #3- To beat my previous race time.

As Meatloaf says, "Two out of three ain't bad!" I ran the entire way, placed first in the female 19-29 year old age division, but did not beat my Mustang 5K time. I finished in 30:31 (25 seconds slower than my PR). I blame it on the hill. :) Allison finished a few seconds after me and placed 2nd in our division. Paul finished in 27:32 and place 3rd in the Male 19-29 year old age division. I'm really proud of our efforts!

There were a lot of runners!

Allison, me, & Paul (pre race)

Paul finishing the final stretch!

Me & Allison sprinting to the finish line!


We did it!


WINNERS!

The next event was Logan's first haircut. We took Logan to The New You (Paul's cousin, Linda,'s salon) for his first haircut on November 29th. He did so well! The only time we really had trouble with him was when she needed to use the clippers to get it straight at his neck. He wasn't going to let something make that much noise behind his head without being able to see it and touch it! So she ended up having to use the scissors. He looks so handsome! Just like a big boy!

Before

Sitting in the chair with Daddy with a Cars cape on!

And the haircut begins...

Think we should style it into a mohawk? LOL!

Are you sure? It looks pretty cute...

He's checking out his new haircut in the mirror.

Logan & Linda

After

Halloween 2008

We had a great Halloween! Since Logan was only a couple of week's old last year, this was the first time he had ever gone Trick or Treating. He enjoyed it. We first went to April & Josh's house, then to see Paul's mother. Next we went to my parents' house. We dropped by Randy and Miranda's house and then to Donna & Jim's house next door. Everyone seemed excited to see Superman. Logan got a lot of candy. Check out the Halloween pics below.

SUPERMAN!!!

Cinderella (aka Courtney, Paul's cousin), Superman (aka Logan), Optimus Prime (aka Andrew) & Care Bear (aka Zoe, Paul's cousin's kids), Auburn Cheerleader (aka Ella, Paul's cousin), Auburn Fan (aka Emily, Paul's aunt & Ella's mom)

Paul, Superman, & Me


Superman hears a distress call and is about to fly to the rescue!


My Super Guys!

Mustang 5K Run

On Saturday, October 25th, Paul & I participated in the Northeast Alabama Community College Mustang 5K Run. The Wednesday before, Paul was really sick. He had to leave work and was at home all day Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday in bed with a headache and throwing up. We actually had to go to the ER early (1:30 am) on Thursday morning to get him checked out and some medicine. They believe he had a migraine that was triggered by being around a gas leak. So needless to say, when Saturday rolled around Paul still wasn't feeling 100% back to normal. But the trooper that he is, he still wanted to give the run that we had been training for a try. Bless his heart, try as he might, he was having a difficult time. He could hardly get in a deep breath and he couldn't run for very long. In spite of it all, he didn't give up. He just walked when he needed to and kept on trying. I am so proud of him!

This was only the 2nd 5K that I have participated in, so I was really excited.

I had 2 goals:

1) NO WALKING! Run the entire 3.1 miles

2) Finish better than my first 5K [32:53]

I am happy to say that I met both goals! This was the first run that NACC had ever hosted and the turn out was surprisingly good. There were over 75 participates in all! The course was a double loop around the walking trail and the campus. The leaves on the trees around the walking trail had changed and their color was absolutely brilliant! So beautiful. It was a treat to take in the autumn scenery as we ran. The reflection off the lake made it doubly enjoyable! The temperature started off a little cool but it warmed up a bit and it made for a very good run.

I was the 20th runner finished with a time of 30:06! I placed 2nd in the female 19 to 29 year old division. Allison placed 3rd in our division. Paul placed 3rd in the male 19 to 29 year old division. The trophy was a Mustang horseshoe with a plaque. This was a fun race and one that we will definitely want to do again.

Me & Paul

Me & Allison, my running buddy

Some of our running group
Jerry, Connie, Paul, Allison, Melanie, Me, & Stacy

We all placed!!! YAY!!

Now we are gearing up for the next 5K, the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I can't wait!

Tag

Hayley posted 7 random facts about herself on her blog and challenged me to do the same. So here goes...



1. I am an avid List-Maker. I have constant lists ranging from 'Today's To Do List', 'Books I want to read', 'Things I need to buy for the house', 'Goals for the Year', to anything and everything you can imagine. There is just something about completing a task and crossing it off my list that is so satisfying!



2. I am a runner. This year I have taken up the sport of running and I am enjoying it so much! I have completed two 5K races and have plans to take on a 10K soon. And... okay, I'm just going to throw it out there and say it now so that I will have to do it... I am training for a Half Marathon in April 2009.



3. I am a control freak. I know, I know... Those of you who know me well are surprised and alarmed by this confession! LOL! Okay... maybe you are just surprised that I am finally acknowledging that I have a problem! Yes, it is hard for me to not be into everything and trying to make things turn out my way, but I am working on this and with God's help, I will soon have this under control... *wink*



4. I love to read! I have read almost all of Francine Rivers' books. I love Janette Oke's books. I am currently reading the Left Behind series. I'm on book # 3 now. Such a good series and it really makes me want to learn more about Bible Prophecy. I have read 7 books so far this year: The Penny, The Oath, Blood Orange, Caprivating, Leota's Garden, Left Behind, & Tribulation Force.



5. I love to swim! I don't enjoy having to squeeze into a swimsuit, but I really love being in the water. If we had a pool at home, we would never leave home! I can't wait to teach Logan to swim!



6. I really like to cook! I enjoy it so much and I love trying out new recipes. Thanks Hayley for all of the new recipes you are posting on your blog!



7. I am an awesome Rook player! I don't mean to brag but with skills like mine, it's hard to be humble... LOL! My parent taught me & Kayla to play when we were around 9 and 10 years old. We have had hours and hours of fun by playing cards together. There's nothing like a rousing game of Rook to bring a family together... Oh, how I miss those times! But just a warning, anyone playing against my team better prepare to get beat!



Well, there you have it! I now challenge Kayla, Sherrie, Marla, Leslie, & Amanda to do the same!

Logan's Party

Logan's 1st Birthday Party was Saturday, October 18th. Mom (aka Grammy) & I made his cake and cupcakes on Friday night and Alisha & I iced them on Saturday before the party. The original plans were to have the party at Fyffe Town Park from 2 to 4pm. Mom & Dad ended up having a meeting at our church that was to last until 3pm so I changed the party time to 3 to 5pm. This should have been an indication that things wouldn't go as planned, but I thought nothing of it. Saturday morning we worked in the Helping Hands Benevolence Ministry and it everything took longer than usual and things were a little crazy. I began to get a little nervous that we wouldn't be able to get everything ready for the party on time. It was a bit chilly that morning and despite suggestions from Paul that maybe we should change the location, I was laser focused on getting things ready and thoroughly convinced that the day would warm up and everything would be perfect. What I didn't account for was the wind. It was probably the most windy afternoon we've have this autumn! The sun was shining brightly, but it was no match for the huge gusts of wind whipping outside! We were attempting to set things up at the pavilion in the park when it became evident that we would need to do something. By this time most of the guests had arrived and were shivering as I made the annoucement that we were going to change the party location to our nearby church Life Center. So after transporting everything to the new location, we ate hot dogs (provided by Grammy & Papa) and ate cupcakes (decorated like pumpkins), chips, & ice cream.
For Logan's cake, I used the cake mold that my aunt used to make my 1st birthday cake and made him his own little bear cake. I used Mom's Icing Decorating Tips to ice the little bear to look furry. It turned out SO cute! Using my Aunt Martha's suggestion, I used cocoa to get just the right shade of brown for the bear. Logan loved it! At first he looked at it and just grinned. Then right off the bat, he took a finger full of icing and smeared it behind his left ear! Then, he began to pinch off icing and eat it. I pulled off both of the bear's ears and fed them to Logan. He got the idea after that and began to strategically eat the head. By the time he had finished, the head and most of the belly of the bear was gone. He really had a great time.
Logan got a LOT of presents! We got him a little Power Wheels Four Wheeler. Grammy & Papa got him clothes, socks, & a 2 seater wagon. He got a drum, xylophone, lots of pajamas, clothes, balls, T ball stand, bath toys, tractor toys, learning toys, play cell phone & keys, a little pair of Nike Shox, little Bear toys, a cap, and so much more. It was literally like Christmas! He never did get the hang of opening the presents, but he loved every minute of it!
The party didn't turn out like we planned, but it was fun anyway!

LOGAN'S 1st BIRTHDAY!!!

Paul, Logan, & me

Logan really loved his little bear cake!

Logan's 1st birthday cake!

Logan licking icing off his fingers.

He really dug into the cake!


We all really missed Kayla and were thinking about her all day.

A Lot About Logan... and a Little About Me!!!

Well, a lot as happened with the little guy that I need to catch you up on! First of all, on Wednesday, October 8th, Logan cut his 8th tooth! It came in on the bottom right hand side of the 2 middle teeth. He sure does have a mouthful now!

Last Friday, October 10th, Logan was sick. He was having diarrhea & was broke out with the yeast infection again. Poor thing! I took him to the doctor's office and I got a prescription for the infection. By that evening, he had continued to have diarrhea until he had had it over 15 times that day! I was terrified that he might become dehydrated and called the hospital. The after hours PedLine Nurse called me and asked a few questions and recommended that we take him to the ER 'just to be on the safe side'. They tested his poop and got a blood sample. Turns out he was fine. They gave him some medicine to help settle his tummy and said that the diarrhea should probably ease up on it's own in a few days, but the infection wouldn't clear up until the diarrhea does. He struggled with it the whole weekend and most of Monday. On Monday, his bottom wasn't any better either, so I called the doctor and they called him in a "custom butt paste" that has helped him better than the 1st prescription. He's feeling much better now! YAY!

On Saturday, I took him to Portrait Innovations in Huntsville and had his 1 year picture made. He did so good despite what a rough weekend he had! Check him out!

He looks a lot like me at that age in this picture!

I think he looks just like Paul in this one!

What a sweet little smile!

I just love this one! The background with his outfit made the perfect match!

On Wednesday, October 15th, I asked my Dad (aka Papa) if he would come by right after work and watch Logan so I could met up with my running buddy, Allison, and a few others to go run. I was only gone for an hour and a half (we did 6.25 miles) and when I came back, Logan had started walking on his own! I couldn't believe it! He was doing really great too! He was balancing himself and walking 5 and 6 steps at a time! I can't believe I missed it! He still is crawling and walking on his knees too, but he is way more mobile now!

Tomorrow is Logan's 1st birthday! Everyone told me to cherish every moment because it would go by too fast. It is so true! This has literally been the fastest year of my life! And the most blessed! I really love being a mother! I am so thankful to God everyday for the blessing that Logan has been to my life! I know now what people mean when they say that "Children will teach you more than you will ever teach them"... I have learn so much about myself, Paul, my family, my values, God, and love than I could ever put into words. As I reflect back over the past year I am in awe. I also look forward to the future with great anticipation and excitement for the journey that God has laid before me! But most of all, this last year has taught me--more than any other time in my life, to enjoy the present. So here I am... basking in the glow of the now. I am so thankful and so grateful!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN!!!