Billy's 30th! :)

Billy turned 30 on May 17... That's right - he's out of his 20's and onto bigger and better things, lol. He doesn't look a day over 21 though. :)

We celebrated Friday night with a bunch of our friends at our house. We grilled burgers and dogs, had lots of toppings, pasta salad, baked beans, cookies, cake, and chips. We set up corn hole in the front yard and the kids played inside and out

**Funny story: There were about 6 kiddos playing in Meredith's room and she went in and said "Kids, kids - I have something to tell you. You're making a Big Mess!!" lol

**2nd funny story: The kids were in the backyard and Meredith ran out and said "Guys! You're being too loud!"

**DRAMA QUEEN!!!**

Anyway, Billy enjoyed it and kept saying how much fun he had when everyone left. He also kept saying how much he loved having a yard and house where our friends could come hang out. He's pretty proud of our old, small, but comfy house. :) I guess I am too. Here's a couple pics of his special treats. The pink cupcakes Meredith was determined to make... and his birthday "cake" - which was an ice cream sandwich cake. Billy's request. :)

Saturday morning we left for Richmond. Billy was under the impression that his dad & brother were taking him to see the new Star Trek movie and then we were all going out to dinner. Little did he know that his parents had worked for weeks and weeks (ok, probably more like months) to plan a huge 30th birthday party complete with high school buddies and Nannie & Joann who flew in from Texas. They had homemade Brunswick stew made (one of Billy's favorites), several Boston Butt BBQ's cooked (apparently the fillet mignon of bbq?!), plus some other catered items and then lots of finger foods. He was shocked and excited and extremely happy. It was a great night. My mom and sister came as well (Sharon was giving me a baby shower the next day so she had a crazy busy weekend, lol) and it was just a great night over all. :) Here's some pictures from that party. :)

my beautiful sister in law to be... photo courtesy of Meredith Kate :)

the photo collage that Sharon & I put together. Its so crazy how much Meredith looks like her daddy when he was little!!!



Happy 30th Birthday, Billy. We love you very much. :)

Moving Weekend!!

I have some major catching up to do. I think I'm going to have to do multiple posts. Yikes! Blame it on the move... errr... baby... err... traveling? Whatever you want! :) The first of several posts will be move in weekend. It was crazy/hectic/fun/exciting/overwhelming/blessed. Dad & Carol & Kate arrived Friday afternoon. We worked really hard to load up the boxes that were scattered around the townhouse so we could make our first trip to the new house. We figured we'd get a head start, and it was supposed to rain, so we wanted to get the big stuff in before it started. (Dad had brought my dresser from home which is the "big" thing I'm referring to.)

Well... we got to the new house... unloaded the things we brought... and the rain hit. But it wasn't just rain - it was pouring down, crazy wind, weird lightning rain/storm... and the power went out. haha! Our first attempt at moving and no power. (Lord... what were you trying to tell us?! lol) So... what else do you do when you have no power? Go out to eat! :)

Saturday morning started bright and early (Thanks again to Ashley for watching Meredith allllll day long - this includes getting out of bed much earlier than her norm, heheee.). We brought biscuits for the guys helping move and sure enough, by 9 am, we had a bunch of helpers.  Grapes, Billy H, Wes, Phil, Dad, Joe, & Billy (Carol & Kate helped some too!) started loading alllllllll of our crap up and bringing it to the new house and unloading allllllll of our crap into the bonus room. This went on all morning.

The bonus room just kept getting more and more and more stuff in it, which overwhelmed me, but it had to be done. Also - I want to insert here a few things.

1) When we moved the first 2 times, I had everything packed, labeled, and organized. This time... not so much. Oh I had everything that was packed organized and labeled.. but there was A LOT of crap that didn't get packed. My excuse? I was 7 months pregnant & had a 3 year old. The end. :)

2) The guys that came to help us had to pack up a lot of our crap by throwing it in to boxes to get it out of the townhouse and into the new house. Bless. Their. Hearts. and... Thank you. :)

3) The unpacking didn't take long and we were settled and livable without boxes everywhere by Monday. :) For that, I'm proud of myself. :)

Anyway, after we fed the boys at lunch, the organizing and unpacking and setting up began. Poor dad started feeling like crap. I was exhausted. Carol went to the townhouse to start scrubbing and cleaning. Billy had to go pick up our fridge and I'm pretty sure Katie had a headache at this point. lol :)

Have I mentioned how much the crazy unorganized overloaded bonus room stressed me out? K. Just wanted to make sure.  Basically we worked in the new house til dinner time... We went to the townhouse to get all of our clothes... and let me introduce you to the way an Eastern Shore family moves clothes! :) hahahaha...

That's right - load 'em on a trailer and cover it up! :) It works - promise. :) We got everything for all 3 of us in 1 trip, lol. We got food at Arbys (dinner of champions) and then took Meredith to see her new room (which by the way has already been rearranged. haha).

She loved it... and was very excited about her purple wall. :)

We spent the night there for the first time, got the kitchen organized, worked on the bedrooms the next morning and tried figuring out how we wanted the living room. It was a productive and exhausting and exciting weekend... Whew. But... we're all moved in...the townhouse got cleaned... we turned in our keys.. and our new home is now on Richland Drive. :) It became official when we got our "D" flag from the Nagy's. :)

Welcome Home...



 Thanks Dad... Carol... Kate... all the guys who helped us move... Thanks for all your hard, exhausting work... and for keeping me sane. :)

-The General (the name Grapes dubbed me with all weekend!)

32 weeks!

Apparently when I'm home, and I have a patient photographer (my sister) with a good camera... I have the desire to post more. lol That and the fact that mom's laptop is sitting in the living room so it's easy to do without much hassle. :)This picture definitely isn't the best, but it's late, I'm tired, and tada.

This week at home has been wonderful. Baby boy is spoiled... I'm spoiled... Meredith is spoiled. :) Life is good, haha. 

How far along? 32 weeks, 5 days. :)
Total weight gain/loss: 14 lbs... see? :)
Maternity clothes?: If the weather would stop being so crazy I could go without and just wear summer dresses and skirts. Geeze...
Stretch marks? No (please)
Sleep: It takes me awhile to get comfortable but once I am... I snooze :)
Best moment this week: Baby Boy's shower. It was so much fun and I got to see all my closest friends and family. I loved catching up, eating yummy food, and just enjoying the company of people I love. <3
Miss Anything? I miss a lot of things... belly sleeping, guilt free sweet tea (not because of the caffeine, but because tea can dehydrate you/cause stretch marks, lol), bending over, breathing (lol), painting my toenails, holding Meredith comfortably... lots of things. :)
Movement: All the time.
Food cravings: Egg Rolls... frostys in a waffle cone from Wendy's are ahhhhmazing!... Fraps & Iced Lattes!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really...
Have you started to show yet: Yes.
Gender: Stilllllllllllll a boy!
Labor Signs: No true labor, but Braxton Hicks have started full force!!!
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody. Very emotional!
Looking forward to: Seeing Megan & the Pinner clan this weekend, warm weather & sundresses!!!

31 weeeeeks...

I can't believe how fast these weeks are flying by! We're already at 32 weeks... even though I'm just now posting 31 weeks. Oops! :) I left my chalkboard at my house... so we're making due with paper and markers. :)

How far along? 31 weeks, 6 days. :)
Total weight gain/loss: 12 lbs... I lost a few pounds while cleaning/packing/moving. I'm pretty sure I'll gain them back with the trip to the shore. :)
Maternity clothes? Half & Half. I like the way maternity clothes fit, but I don't like the price so I may due with what I have, borrow some, and look for stuff on sale at Target. :)
Stretch marks? No (please)
Sleep: It takes me awhile to get comfortable but once I am... I snooze :)
Best moment this week: Arriving on the shore to spend a week with my family. <3
Miss Anything? I miss a lot of things nowadays. The end...
Movement: All the time.
Food cravings: Chinese food... Pineapple...
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really...
Have you started to show yet: Yes.
Gender: Stilllllllllllll a boy!
Labor Signs: No true labor, but Braxton Hicks have started full force!!!
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody. I'm just being honest. 
Looking forward to: Baby Boy's shower... Warm weather... Sundresses... :)