Future Baller...

If at first you don't succeed (gracefully).....

Try, try again!!

Old Stomping Ground

We made a trip to Nashville last weekend to visit Katie for her 20th birthday, and also to see some of our very dear friends. First of all, I can't believe Katie is 20!! Time with her is always a blessing to me. She is so much fun to be around, and is also someone I truly look up to (and I am 8 years OLDER!).

It is always such a sweet treat to go back to Nasvhille. My four years there were wonderful. Here are a few of my favorite things about Nashville;

1. Opryland Hotel, especially at Christmas
2. Antropologie (I finally got to go to this store for the first time this weekend)
3. Brentwood Hills CofC
4. The statue
5. Nashville Marathon and Half
6. Maggie Moos
7. Bread and Company
8. Mazatlan
9. Big city feel (girls wear things you would only expect to see in NYC)
10. US Border Cantina

Some favorites about Lipscomb;
1. Sunny days in the square
2. The professors
3. Elam - especially the 3rd floor front hall
4. Singarama
5. Intramurals - especially flag football
6. Eating upstairs at Marriot
7. Phi Sigma
8. Chapel
9. Tuesday night devos
10. Mission trips to Australia!

Thanks Keely for these great pics!!

With our friends Lisa, Brooklyn, Bear, and Keely

Halloween, Carhartt, and Leaves Galore!

Here is our little cow -- yes, it is a homemade costume, utters, tail and all!! We were farmers:)

With my good friends Bishop the grasshopper, Sawyer the cowboy, and Gabe the bee.
We missed Carter the skunk in this picture!

At Peeks Eeks Party

Our girl in her Carhartt overalls and Ugg boots -- Those are for you Aunt KK

Daddy in his Carhartt, and Syd in hers:)

Sydney in our first of many leaf piles this fall:)

me and my daddy...

In the mornings usually I feed Syd and we hang out in bed together for a little while before we actually get up. Drew was in the other room getting ready for work when I got done feeding her. When she heard him coming towards the bedroom where we were, she went crazy! She squealed and crawled up to me like a speeding bullet to hide from him. It was hilarious and really really cute.

Twins

Our little climber and stander!

Here is a video I took of Sydney today. Hopefully it's not too boring. I just want to have it for later on, and therefore you all can enjoy it too (hopefully)!!

She then stood up using the door to watch for her daddy to get home:)

Montgomery, AL

We are here in Montgomery visiting with one of my lifelong best friends Hannah, and her husband Jeremy. They have been amazing hosts, and I truely cherish my time with Hannah. We went today to a beautiful park for a short but sweet photo shoot. Enjoy!

My listy list

Thanks for tagging me Cindy -- I think these are fun:)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:15, but then got to dose off till about 7:30
2. Diamonds or pearls? Both, but probably diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
4. What is your favourite TV show? ER or Law and Order SVU
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal, right now I'm on a Special K with strawberries kick
6. What is your middle name? Now it's Connell but it was Joy (just like Cindy's!!)
7. What food do you dislike? raw sushi
8. What is your favourite CD at moment? I've had Tim McGraw greatest hits in my CD player for the last few weeks so I guess that...but don't really have a fave
9. What kind of car do you drive? white 2004 Toyota 4Runner
10. Favourite sandwich? Croque monsieur from Hogans
11. What characteristic do you despise? greed
12. Favourite item of clothing? comfy tshirts and pj pants
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Seaside with the family again!
14. Favourite brand of clothing? I am hooked on Ann Taylor Loft these days
15. Where would you retire to? Right here in good ole Ktown
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? maybe my 21st when Roochita sent me on a scavenger hunt around Lipscomb to find 21 gifts!! That was great!
17. Favourite sport to watch? Basketball
18. When is your birthday? November 24
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? was morning, but since being married to drew more night now.
20. What is your shoe size? 8.5
21. Pets? 2 boxers Millie and Flash
22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? can't think of anything
23. What did you want to be when you were little? a mom, teacher
24. How are you today? great
25. What is your favourite candy? it changes but right now probably twix
26. What is your favourite flower? roses
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Oct 4 - being in Montgomery with Hannah for a visit
28. What is your nickname? Al, Deanna, Big D, Farfo
29. What are you listening to right now? The dryer and Flash snoring
30. What was the last thing you ate? 2 peanut butter cookies heated up in the microwave
31. Do you wish on stars? No
32. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Red -- I always used to say that was my favorite color but I have no idea!
33. How is the weather right now? Very fallish!
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Drew
35. Favourite soft drink? Diet Caff Free Coke
36. Favourite restaurant? Soccer Taco
37. Real hair colour? what it is - brown
38. What was your favourite toy as a child? Anything ashley was playing with
39. Summer or winter? summer
40. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate
42. Coffee or tea? Sweet Tea
43. When was the last time you cried? today when I got some amazing news from a dear friend
44. What is under your bed? some of drew's shoes and lots of dust :)
45. What did you do last night? went to my Bible study at Annie's
46. What are you afraid of? being home alone at night
47. Salty or sweet? both
48. How many keys on your key ring? 4
49. How many years at your current job? Being a mom to Sydney - for exactly 8 months on Friday, Connell Properties, Inc. - 3 years
50. Favourite day of the week? Saturday
51. How many places have you lived in? Tennessee - Knoxville and Nashville
52. Do you make friends easily? Usually

Wild Eater

This is Sydney eating a puff...she has just learned to do this over the past week or so. I also wanted to post this video because this is what she does every time she eats...The following is a result of her wild eating habits;) The tapping you hear is her feet going crazy against the table.

I was going in to give her a bite of her peas and she starting swinging her arms I think because she was excited, and her peas ended up on her forehead.

The Vols!!

Here is our little Volunteer!! Unfortunately the vols aren't looking too good this year. We might be better off putting Sydney in her Roll Tide colors for football! When basketball season rolls around though, there is only one color for her!! ORANGE! Thanks Katie for these sweet pics.

Crawling!

Sydney is officially crawling -- she isn't real fast yet (thankfully), but she gets around

Sydney and her daddy at beautiful Lake Watauga

Sydney and cousin lydia had the best time when we got to visit them last week! They are in Chattanooga now, and in a new house! We are so happy to have them back on the east side

Millie and Flash

We sure do love our two boxers Millie and Flash. When we first brought Sydney home we were anxious to see what they thought of her. They really didn't pay much attention to her till recently. Now that she's a little older and more interactive, they are noticing her a lot more. Thankfully as of right now, they are a hit with each other. There is no question that Sydney LOVES them. No matter how upset she is, if you take her over to see the dogs her frown is automatically flipped upside down into a huge smile.

If given the chance to visit with her, Millie and Flash want to say hello by licking her (this doesn't bother her one bit...she actually likes it, we think). If any of you know Flash personally, you know he has a serious tongue problem (his tongue is too big for his mouth). The result of this is constant licking. We are trying to teach him the command "No Lick" (and have been for a while) but not with much luck. If you happen to know any tricks, please share:)

Hilton Head

Our first trip to the beach with Sydney was a blast! The trips to and from were a little rough, but overall she did great. We aren't too sure what she thought of the beach itself, but was definitely a little afraid of the waves. She sure loved being with her Nana, Uncle Matt, Uncle Michael, and Gabby!!

I love going to the beach. It never fails that seeing the HUGE ocean reminds me of how big God is, and how small we are. This makes His love for each one of us that much more amazing.


"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Eph 3:17-19



Good luck to Katie who is going back to LU today to start her second year there. We love you and will miss you SOOOO much. You'll be in our prayers!

Sydney and Nana

Uncle Matt and Uncle Michael

Much needed new post

I haven't written in what seems like forever, so I don't know where to begin with an udpate. Basically, we are loving life as parents and are cherishing each day with Sydney. She is 6 months old now and is so much fun. She is sitting up, and reaching for EVERYTHING. I wasn't used to this at first and wasn't as careful as I should have been. A few weeks ago we were eating at Panera and somehow Syd got my napkin. I didn't notice she had it till I heard her gagging...she had bit off a piece of the napkin. It scared me to death. Praise God she was okay...she just ended up swallowing it:)

We took her swimming tonight for a little while, and have decided she is going to be the future female version of Michael Phelps...she LOVES the water, and is already going under and even doing the breast stroke kick......okay the only part of that that is actually true is the part about her loving the water. We are off to Hilton Head this weekend for a short but sweet vacation. It will be Syd's first trip to the ocean!! We are excited. Anyway, thanks for reading!!





Some other eating milestones I'd like to jot down;


1.Sydney is eating cereal twice a day pretty well

2.She has tried carrots and peas and has not been too thrilled with either (any ideas?)

Little Blessings...

1. Spending great time with both old and new friends. We went to KY this weekend to visit Keely and her family, and had a great time. We were sad for it to end, but so thankful we were able to see them! I'll try to post pics from that soon! We just got home from spending time with our new friends Sara and her son, Carter, who was born one day after Sydney. Sydney and I have really enjoyed getting to know them. It is so much fun watching Sydney and Carter interact...not that they do much, but they look at each other and sometimes smile, and reach out for each other. It is precious.
2. Good long naps that Sydney takes and that I am sometimes able to take too:)
3. Sunshine that is so hot, you have to be near a pool to be out in it!
4. Then the awesome storms that usually follow such a hot and humid day.
5. Getting a good long run in!! -- thanks Katie R for that last night!!
6. A supportive and loving husband.
7. New date nights while Nana keeps Sydney...Thank you!!
8. The Lord's reminders of what is really important
9. Opportunities to help someone else -
10. A sister who is about to turn 30!!! HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY ASH!! Love you!

More Utah Pics

Drew got Sydney some much needed sunglasses.

At Sundance

With the Millers at The Blind Dog

With Betsy and John

The family after Sydney's first time eating cereal!!