Summer, Summer, SUMMER!

Well, my first full week of summer has come to an end. Can I just say that Allie and I have taken FULL advantage of this time off of work together! On Monday we started our swim classes, and pretty much hung around the house the rest of the day. Tuesday, we went to swim, then errands around town in the afternoon (like wedding present shopping, etc.) Wednesday we went to swim, then to get my oil changed, the new Buy Buy Baby, and Zaxby's for dinner (daddy had a night out with his guys.) Thursday we went to swim, then just played outside in the afternoon before I went to Bunco. Then Friday we went to the McWane Center, lunch with daddy, and then a little shoppping. Whew, I am tired...but LOVING it! Allie is doing great in her swim classes. The point of this class is mainly to get them used to the water, and she loves it! Of course, I do have to dunk her under the water a couple of times each class, but she is a trooper and has done great with it! Yesterday she started jumping off the side of the pool into my arms...so cute!

Tomorrow her daddy and me are going to an old friend's wedding in Enterprise, AL, so she will be spending the night with her NayNay and PawPaw. As for next week, I am not too sure of our plans. We do have swim class each morning, and we leave Friday morning for vacation to Tybee Island/Savannah, GA (can't wait!)

Here is my cutie pie at McWane today. She was waving to Mr. Potato Head, but would not go near him!(Sorry for the poor cell phone quality...I left my good camera in the car!)

Is this really happening?

I can't get over this crazy oil spill mess! First of all, I can't believe it ever happened...and second of all, I can't believe it is still happening! It truly makes me sick to my stomach! In my opinion, the gulf coast has the prettiest beaches in the entire United States, and now they are going to be ruined! My heart breaks for the families who live there, and all of the marine life that must suffer. This is not a thing that is just going to go away over night...it is going to have lasting effects that will take YEARS to clear up!

Of course, I am very sad that vacations will be different for us now too. I have grown up going to the gulf coast at LEAST once a summer my entire life. I can't believe that Allie may not have that opportunity now. I am praying that BP will get their act together and fix this mess! As far as I am concerned, they will no longer be getting my business!

Worst blogger...EVER!

Okay, so I may just be the worst blogger EVER! I have not updated this thing since February...but I have just been so busy! I promise to do much better over the summer!

I am going to give a quick update. Allie is now 16 months old! Yep, that's right...16 months! She is no longer a little baby, but now a little girl with a hilarious personality. She is definitely smart...much smarter than any of us give her credit for! She is talking, babbling, and running all over the place!

I have one more day of work, then it is officially summer break! I have several days of professional development, but I should still have about 6 weeks to be home with Allie. During the first two weeks of summer, we will be going to swim classes at the local YMCA. Other than that, we don't have too many other plans other than hanging out, relaxing, and definitely working in some days at the pool and splash pad. I can't wait!

Here are some recent pictures of my, not so baby, girl:

Being Honest

I know most of my posts are about Allie and our little family, but this one is just something to get things off of my mind. I have decided that throughout my life I have had many friends. I think in some cases, I think we're closer than the other person does. As I have gone through many BIG events in my life over the past few years, I am learning who my true friends are. Those people are there for everything...even the sad and bad stuff. Those people I can call when I just need to cry and make no sense at all. Those other friends, that I thought were close friends, have not been there for some of the biggest things in my life. It has bothered me for awhile, but I think at this point I am ready to move on. Why should I care and try so hard, when the other person does not? Of course, I know there are times that I haven't been the best friend either, but I hope that when the big things have happened in their lives, I have been there.

Sorry this is sort of a rant...but I just need to get it out and say it. To my dear friends, my close friends, I love you so much and truly don't know what I would do without you!

My baby is O-N-E!

January 26, 2009, Allie's BIRTHday!

Wow, I know my last post was about the previous year, but can I just say it once more...time flies! My baby girl, Allison Nicole Jenkins, turned one on January 26th! She is so big now. She is walking every where and jibber-jabbering away, with many mommas thrown in there. Sometimes she says daddy, kitty, drink, and bye bye, but only when she is in the mood. She also echoes a lot of what we say. We had her birthday party on Saturday, the 23rd, and it went great! We did a cupcake theme and I have to say it was perfect! Most of our families were able to be there and celebrate our little girl with us. On her actual birthday, she spent the day with my mom, and then after work we took her to get her pictures taken and out to eat at Red Robin, where they sang happy birthday to her and brought her a hot fudge sundae.

Her party!

One year pictures!

What a year!

Looking back, 2009 has been a crazy and wonderful year! We basically started the year off with Allie's birth. Of course, that was the most amazing day of my life. People have always told me how much a child would change my life, and how much I would love it, but I completely understand now. She is the most incredible thing, and amazes me daily. I will admit that I also can say that I am even more amazed by God. From the moment she was born, all I could think was, wow, that was created inside of me! When I hold her sleeping, I notice the small pores of her nose, the small hairs on her body, the tiny veins running through her body, and of course, the sound of her heart beat. How incredible! I love those tiny fingers and toes, and the sound of her babbling (especially now that she says mommy non-stop!) How can someone not be amazed by all of that?

Of course, I am not going to sit here and say that every day has been easy either. There have been many restless nights, and trying to get to the bottom of reflux, and other sicknesses. It is so hard to listen to your baby cry and not be able to instantly fix it. I have seen a whole new side of my husband as well. He is a better dad that I even imagined that he could be. I know he does ten times more than most dad's and I truly appreciate that. I really think that I take a lot of what he does for granted. I honestly wonder how single mom's do it. I love our little family & I look forward to 2010 and what it has in store for us.

Christmas!

Well, Allie's first Christmas has come and gone. Of course...with a few ups and downs. We went to the pediatrician twice the week of Christmas (once being Christmas eve!) for a virus and the never ending ear infection. Although we feared she was so sick that we would have to spend Christmas alone, she did get well enough to enjoy the family festivities. Christmas morning was so exciting! I promise you, this Christmas was the best ever! I LOVED watching her see her stash from Santa. When we carried her into the room she saw her wagon and other toys and her mouth literally opened so wide...it was hilarious! Here are some pics from the day: