Wicked Jumps and Alligator Juice

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Hollis' 2nd Birthday

2010-09-16T19:36:00.001-07:00

We had such a great day with our big 2 year old girl! She had an absolute blast spending the day with mom and dad, but as you can tell it wore her out!!!

I cannot believe our Hollis is already two! We love you Hollis!!!!

Click here to view photos

Birthday Season has begun!

2010-09-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

So as you know the Fall months are very crazy! All of our birthdays are within a month and a half of each other!

Today we started the first of 3 weeks of celebration with the girls! We had Hollis' party at school with her new friends!

Tomorrow is Hollis' actual birthday and Todd is taking the day off (part of our annual tradition) for us to spend time with just Hollis. We are taking her to the Aquarium. She is going to have a blast!

Next weekend we are doing a combined party for both of the girls and then the following weekend is Allyn's actual birthday! CRAZINESS!!!

Here are a few pictures from the school party!

She's Crazy!

2010-09-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Look at this face... what a nut!!

Where to Start?

2010-09-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

First, yes we are alive!

Second, we have been VERY busy... well I have been busy so as a result the blog does not get updated!

What is keeping me busy these days? Well, teaching online and doing development work for Gwinnett County is causing me to lose sleep! Hopefully, in the next week I will be done with the development stuff and return some normalcy back to our lives! I had been sewing like a sweat shop worker, but have had to take a break and push back a lot of orders in hopes of getting my school work done! And, the girls always have me going in several directions!

We had so many changes to our lives since my last post. We had a great summer full of swimming and travel! The girls had a blast and they are both swimming. That makes for a nervous mama at the pool, but luckily they did not give me too much of a scare and we were able to go lots during the day when Todd was at work!

We are slowly being able to leak out our big secret we have had to keep for too many weeks. We are expecting baby #3 in March! We are very excited, but as you can imagine it will me a lot of changes around the house to get back into baby mode! We have not told the girls anything yet, because Allyn would ask every day if today was the day she was going to have a baby! I guess we will wait until we know what it is before we let them know we are going to rock their world!!

Last Tuesday, both Allyn and Hollis started preschool! They LOVE it... and so do I! It is just nice to have a quiet house for a few hours a day!

Well, there is no way I can possibly post pictures from March till now so I am just going to post a few beach pictures and some start of school pictures!

I promise to be better about posting!

I would like to set a goal of 30, 60 or 100 days of posting, but don't want to let you down when I fail!

Baby steps for now.....

Hollis' picture on Beautiful Baby Contest

2010-03-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

I am stopped frequently and told that Hollis is just beautiful and how she has gorgeous eyes.

Well, this year I submitted her picture to Live with Regis and Kelly's Beautiful Baby Contest.

I have not heard anything... not like I was anxiously waiting by the phone or anything, but I did go to the website just to see when the Beautiful Baby week was. There was a gallery of pictures that had been submitted and I found her!!

Take a look! This might be all that comes of it... but at least it can be her claim to fame for now!! :)

Oh Geez... Not again!

2010-03-02T09:17:00.001-08:00

Snow again! Are you sure we still live in Georgia!?!?

Snow....Again!

2010-02-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

I guess the old wife's tale of if snow is on the ground longer than three days it will snow again, must be true!

We had a great time in the snow! Here are some pictures of the girls and pictures of trees and such!

Enjoy!!

Hollis' First Haircut!

2010-01-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

Well we did it! We cut off the rat tail/mullet that Hollis was sporting! We took her to Pigtails and Crewcuts this morning. It was way overdue, but of course I was stalling doing it because I hate cuting off that baby hair. She was not so sure at first but then got better once she got a sucker and animal crackers and watched a movie. Geez... how spoiled!

Hollis has extremely curly hair and I was so scared to cut it myself. I know that cutting curly hair is A LOT different than cutting straight hair so we left it to the professionals and I must say they did an awesome job!

You can see from the pictures just how curly her hair really is. No one ever believes us because it does not look that way normally. I guess they get matted down and go away when she sleeps. The lady told me how to "style" her hair to keep the curls from falling throughout the day! Can you believe I got a lesson on how to style a one and a half year old's hair?!?!?! Did I mentioned spoiled? I guess this is what I get with two girls! Ha!!

One more thing... I forgot Allyn's first ballet recital!

2010-01-18T11:59:00.001-08:00

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Snow Day 2010

2010-01-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Snow Day!!!

We had such a great time playing in the first snow of the new year... well maybe the first and only snow of this year!

It was especially fun because Todd was home from work!

It was so cold outside we were only able to stay outside for just a little bit and the roads were so slick we kept falling down!! The girls did not like this!!!

The worst part was we were snowed/iced into our neighborhood until Sunday. That made for a little bit of stir craziness!

Nonetheless, we had a great time will it lasted!!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season was such an incredible time at our house this year!

Both Allyn and Hollis are at such a wonderful age to understand Christmas and seeing excitement through their eyes is priceless!

This year, we adopted an Elf on the Shelf. Allyn named him Rick. Rick was quite the mischievous elf. Every night getting in to stuff around the house. The girls would wake in the morning with the anticipation of what Rick had done the night before! Too fun!

We were able to spend some time with my dad which I know him and the girls both enjoyed. Then we had our big family gathering at our house the next day. It was fun to have all our family in our house! Kids were every where and the house was a wreak when everybody left, but it was great!

Christmas Eve, we tried to keep some tradition going and went to church at North Metro with Dianne. Then instead of going to her house for dinner she headed up to our house for our traditional steak dinner. We made cupcakes and sang happy birthday to Jesus. Allyn got a kick out of doing this since they really worked hard at instilling this message at church and school. Dianne spent the night Christmas Eve night and was able to celebrate Christmas morning with us. The girls were so excited!!! Around lunch my mom, Mark, Abbi and grandparents stopped by to see what Santa brought.

The big request from Santa was a Disney Princess car which he delivered. The girls LOVE it!!!!! Allyn has really gotten good at steering and driving! Hollis sits as a passenger and waves like a pageant queen to all the cars that drive by! Oh Geez!!!!!

Allyn's 1st Dentist Visit

2010-01-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

In October I took Allyn to the dentist for the first time! She did great!
Dentist said her teeth looked great!

My Get-a-way trip to NYC!

2010-01-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

For my birthday, Todd allowed me to fly away to New York to visit my best friend Tyler.

A trip to New York was something I have always wanted to do and it was high time for a visit to see my friend!

We had an absolutely blast! The weekend went way too fast!

I cannot wait to go again!

Thanksgiving

2010-01-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Thanksgiving.

Allyn had a program and feast at school. We practiced and practiced and she was so good at singing the songs and then wouldn't you know when the curtain opened she stood there in silence. Oh well!!

We then headed to the lake for the Thanksgiving weekend! So much fun!!

Halloween 2009

2010-01-17T12:56:00.001-08:00

We had a great Halloween season! We kicked it off with a trip to Uncle Shuck's pumpkin patch and then some trick-o-treating with the Holland family!!

Hollis Turns 1

2010-01-17T12:34:00.001-08:00

Can you believe our sweet Hollis is one!! (Well actually, she is almost 18 months now... but whatever!)
Here are pictures from her birthday!!

Allyn's 3rd Birthday

2010-01-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

Here is our Big Girl turning 3!!!!

For her birthday Todd and I took her to Baby Land General to pick out a real Cabbage Patch Kid. Her baby's name is Mary Allyn. We were able to see a baby be born from Mother Cabbage. It was named after Allyn and the other little girls that were present at the delivery.

Unfortunately, this baby was a little too expensive to adopt, we compromised on another one.
It was awesome! She had such a blast.
We also had a party for her at school with all her school friends!!

It is 'bout time!!!

2010-01-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

Time to update! World's Worst Mom Award... handed to me!!!

Here is the table of contents of what needs blogged about:
1. Hollis' first birthday
2. Allyn's 3rd birthday
3. Halloween
4. Thanksgiving
5. Christmas
6. Snow Day

Happy Reading!!

Preschool Time!

2009-09-15T06:25:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday was Allyn's first day of preschool. I cannot believe she has started school. Everyone says once they start school you will blink and be at their high school graduation. I hope not, but I am sure it is true!
Allyn did great when I dropped her off. I think every parent dreads taking their child to school and having them pitch a fit, but when it did not happen, it made me a little sad.
She loves school! It is fun to get her report at the end of every day to see what they worked on and learned.
So far she has learned:
A
blue
circle
Humpty Dumpty
Luke 6:30- Share with others!
I love that they do bible memory verses. To hear her say it is so sweet!
Here are pictures from day #1:

She really was excited to go to school we are just going through the not going to smile at the camera phase! Lovely!

"Allyn's Doin' Ballet" ... as she sings it!

2009-09-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

We decided our fall activity this year would be ballet. She LOVES it! I am not sure she does anything during the class, but when she gets home she shows us everything she did in class! Two of her good friends are in there, Emily and Genevieve! Too Sweet!!
*Parents are not allowed in the class, so it is hard to get pictures of her actually doing ballet.

Check out the panties coming out under the leotard. Precious!!

Todd's Big 3-0!

2009-09-15T06:13:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe I am married to a 30 year old. Seems like I could not possibility be married to such an older guy! We had a fantastic time celebrating his birthday. His best friend Jon Baker was able to score us space at the private club the Warren in Virgina Highlands. It was great! Food was wonderful and the friends that came were fabulous!!!

bEaCh tRiP 2009

2009-08-02T06:21:00.001-07:00

We did not think we were going to be able to squeeze a beach trip into our hectic schedules this summer, but when Todd's job sent him to Jacksonville for business we could not help but tag along! Jax Beach was not our usual beach hot spot, but sand is sand and we took what we could get! With less than a week's notice we were able to find a condo on the beach... double score! We packed up and headed out Saturday morning and were there by 4ish. The ride down was eventful as you can imagine with two kids and a dog. We only stopped a few times and everyone made it in one piece! Ha!

Todd had to work Sunday evening, all day Monday and then only a half day on Tuesday. After that we had Daddy all to ourselves!

Todd's mom Dianne was able to change her plans and headed down on Monday to join the fun! I kow she had a blast we six straight days with her granddaughters.

The girls LOVED the beach! They could not get enough of it! I guess it truly runs in the family!

I have joked with several friends over the summer when they talk about going on vacation about it being more of a trip rather than a vacation when you have small children, but I can say we had a great VACATION!!

Blueberry Pickin'

2009-08-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

Before we headed to the beach we caught up with some good friend to pick blueberries. One of the great things about living out here is there are farms everywhere, so we do not have to drive far to pick some really good home grown stuff!

One For Hollis, One For Moe

2009-07-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

The other night Todd had given Hollis some Cheerios while we got dinner together. We kept hearing a sweet chuckle coming the table only to look over and see...

4th of July

2009-07-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we loaded up and headed to the lake for the 4th. It was great family fun! My brother invited his girlfriend Noelle. We have met once before, but it was nice to spend more time with her and find out just how sweet she is! My mom bought a new pull behind the boat float... whatever you call it... and Allyn loved it! When we would ride it with her she would say go faster, go faster. The more waves we hit the more she laughed. No Fear, it was Awesome!

We headed out for fireworks on the lake. I tried setting my camera to the fireworks setting, but did not have much success. I saw Kim Lockhart's pictures and mine stink compared to hers! Oh well!

Fun, Food, Fireworks, and Family... does not get much better than that!

Christie Does it again!

2009-07-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

As you may know by now, our good friend Christie Carey is a photographer and loves to take pictures of our girls! We needed some new pictures of the girls so Christie agreed to come take some pics. She did an awesome job!

Please check out her website at http://www.3cexpressions.com/

**of course I only posted a few pictures! I could have posted so many more, but decided to not bore you too much!**

We're Pool-o-holics!

2009-07-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Our favorite summer activity...the POOL! We have been at the pool almost everyday! Both Allyn and Hollis love it! Allyn is an absolute fish and has learned how to swim!

It has been so nice to finally meet some of our wonderful neighbors!

First "Official" Haircut

2009-07-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

We took Allyn to the newly opened Pigtails and Crewcuts that opened near us. It was time for the professionals to take over hair cutting duty! Mom's bathroom job just was not cutting it anymore!

She did great! I do not think she even knew they were cutting her hair. Between the sucker and tv she was well distracted!

Contrary to the fact that the lady cutting her hair could be on work release from jail, she was so nice and patient! It takes a special person to cut little kids' hair all day!

Father's Day

2009-07-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Todd had a great Father's day being a dad of two! Here are some pictures I tried to take of the girls for Todd's card. It ended up being harder than I thought to get the both of them looking at the camera together, so his card ended up being a montage of blupper shots!

Pee-Pee in the Potty!!!!

2009-05-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Check out this video! I am very excited can you tell? More excited than she is!!

Playing at Central Park

2009-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Finally beautiful has arrived and is here to stay!!

We took full advantage of the fantastic weather this morning by going to the park to play. We invited Genevieve to come with us. The girls had a blast. You can see from their rosy, red cheeks it was HOT!!!

Medical Woes Continue...

2009-04-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

So apparently Hollis is allergic to penicillin!

Take look and you be the judge...

Our House

2009-04-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I tried to earn my keep a little by helping Todd in the yard. We spread mulch in all our beds and around our trees. We did this in our last house and just love the look of it. Personally, we just think it continues to look fresher longer than pinestraw... but that is just us!

I thought I would show you our house... I think the last picture I posted was before we even moved in. Anyhow, I love when the weather is warm enough for the ferns to be hung on the front porch. Don't know why I love this so much... Just do I guess!!

I also wanted to post some pictures of the bulbs that came up this spring. I have never done bulbs before and feel so good that they actaully came up! I/Todd must have done something right.

And, lastly I posted a picture of a door decoration thing I made today. I need your opinion, is it too big for the door? I like it, but do not know if I should have gone with the smaller basket size!?!? I can always take it back to get the smaller one!!!

P.S. Make sure you read all of my new posts! I have done 10 in the last two days!!

You have a lot of reading to do!

2009-04-20T17:25:00.001-07:00

To those of you who have been on me about blogging, I have given you several posts to read!!

To make sure you read them all here is a list of the new postings:
1. Hollis' First Plane Ride
2. Earrings
3. Videos
4. She is growing up too fast
5. She's on the move
6. The Lake
7. A girl after my own heart
8. Easter
9. Ice, Ice Baby

Ice, Ice Baby

2009-04-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

She's got more rhythm than her mom already!!

Two things I love about this video:
1. It looks like she is singing along!
2. When you listen to a video from the Masterson family there is usually worship music on in the background... this is what you get at the Fahring house! I wonder if the Lord approves??

Easter

2009-04-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time for Easter. We were fortunate that our family could all come to our house! I know the girls ate up all the attention!!

A girl after my own heart!

2009-04-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Allyn loves books!
For some real cheap entertain I unleash her in the library.
During our last visit she checked out 18 books!! I had to limit her to this amount! She would have checked out half the children's book section if I would have let her.
Here is a video of her reading her favorite one that she checked out! It is Bernstien Bears, "Bears in the Night"

The lake!!

2009-04-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Every year for spring break we load up and head to the lake. For seven years now my great friend Jessica has been able to come with me! Every year we have a great time and this year was no exception!!

Things were a little hectic at the start and the weather was trying to misbehave, but by the end of the week a good time was had by all!!

She's on the MOVE!!!!!

2009-04-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

My world just got a little crazier!!!

She is growing up too fast!!

2009-04-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

There are times in the day that I just look at Allyn and I am amazed at how quickly she is changing!
I tried to take some pictures of this new big girl!!
(She loves her hair in braids now! What a goof!!!)

Videos

2009-04-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute video of Allyn singing Tomorrow and one of Hollis swinging.

Earrings!!!

2009-04-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Allyn got her ears pierced and could not be more proud of her new earrings!

Todd and I talked about this day probably before she was ever born and decided we would let her pierce her ears when she asked us to. When she started asking me that morning, I called Todd and we decided why not!

She was great! She hardly cried and looked in the mirror every chance she got! It makes her look so grown up! That toddler is slowing fading away into a girl!

Hollis' First Plane Ride

2009-04-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

At the end of March there was a memorial service for Todd's dad in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Since we were only going for a short time and flights were very expensive we only took Hollis with us. Also, we were on the go so much there would have been no way Allyn could have kept up. We left the hotel early and did not get back until late. The good thing about Hollis is she is still at that stage where she can sleep anywhere!
This was the first time we have taken either girl on a plane. Hollis was awesome. She slept the entire way out there and then entertained half the plane on the ride home!
Here are some pictures!!

Redefining

2009-02-27T02:20:00.000-08:00

I write this on the morning of Alan's passing. I am flooded with several emotions at the moment and since I am not sleeping I thought I could blog. It is funny, as I was laying down trying to go back to sleep I was almost drawn out of bed to do this post. I kept trying to tell myself to go to sleep and that I could do it later, but I feel like I cannot rest until I write this!!

Do you have a relationship with the Lord?
The reason I ask is because I think so many of us and myself included have entered into a relationship with Him because we are scared not to have a relationship with Him. It is as if we know that having a relationship is the right thing to do and we get a tug on our heart and take the leap of faith. But then what? What is next? What have you done with this relationship?

I certainly do not pride myself on being a good Bible scripture person. I am good with the stories, but when it comes to actually quoting verses... never been so good. Partly because I have never taken the time to memorize them I guess. Well, in the recent days with Todd's dad I literally find myself quoting verse after verse after verse. It is amazing that quoting these scriptures have been such a peace for me. I find comfort in the words of the Lord and I think this is a first for me. I guess the scriptures had been written on my heart even when I thought I did not know them!

You would think that I might be mad at the Lord for taking Alan, but instead I feel so thirsty for the Lord. I really have never felt closer to my Savior than I do right now. I guess looking back on the fantastic life that Alan led I am beginning to see the prophecy that the Lord wants to fulfill in each of us. If we have entered into a personal relationship with the Lord because we were scared of what might happened if we did not, then we are selling ourselves short of what the Lord has planned.

There have now been two very defining moments in my relationship with the Lord. One was when I entered into a relationship with Him and then now when I begin to understand the Lord is good, the Lord is divine, the Lord does not forsake us and His word is ALIVE!

So many times through Alan's battle I found peace in knowing Jesus will take one to save 1,000. Knowing I had been saved I rested in the fact that he was saving others through his testimony... funny now how I think I might be one of the thousand.

I guess what I am trying to say is if you feel like when you speak to the Lord or when you are in church and you are just going through the motions you are not there yet. Will you recommit yourself to the Lord in such a way that you begin to feel His awesomeness? Will you enter into a relationship that is alive and well, not one that is scared and obligated?

Come taste and see that the Lord is GOOD!!!!!!!

Mom Guilt

2009-02-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Does Mom Guilt ever get the best of you?

Do you ever think you could be doing more or what you are doing is not good enough? I feel like every mom I talk to experiences this several times a day and I am no exception!!!!

It seems like a million times a day I think to myself did I sing the ABC's with Allyn enough times today or did I stimulate Hollis enough. Also, I feel like when I wake up in the morning my list of things I want to do with the girls is huge, but then I fall asleep at night not having done enough! I know this is mom guilt!! Why do we have mom guilt and why does it have such a hold of us???

Today was Cleaning House Day and while cleaning mom guilt was getting to me more than ever. I felt horrible that Hollis was playing in her jumper and that Allyn was playing by herself in the playroom. I just felt like I should stop cleaning and play with the girls, but then how would the house ever get clean? We do not have a house elf that lives here! (Harry Potter humor!)

So alas, I found a way to minimize my mom guilt when I have to get things done around the house. I coin it, "Learning How to Be a Mommy Day." These are the days that you have lots of laundry to do and lots of house chores that need to be done, but you feel guilty about not interacting as usual with your children. Rest easy all you moms, you are not being a bad mom when you have to clean house one day... you are simply showing them how to care for your home! I guess this theory works well when you have girls. Hmmm... for all you boy moms I think you can rest easy that you are showing your son how to appreciate his future wife and all she will contribute in keeping their house in order!! Whatever makes you feel better right? I know this sounds weird, but I feel so horrible when I have to do housework and do not get to play with the girls like I would normally do! Please do not try to analyze what goes on in my head! You will get further pounding sand!

After all, how can mom guilt get the best you when you look at these faces???

Videos speak for themselves!

2009-02-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

I decided I would just post some of the videos we have taken recently so you can see what we have been doing! The girls are great and keep us laughing constantly!! Allyn continues to become more and more animated and everyday she is becoming less of a toddler and more of a little girl! Hollis' personalitly is developing at a rapid pace. This past week she has learned how to do "raspberries". She does them all the time and cracks herself up everytime! Too precious!!

Moving and Shaking!

2009-01-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

I promised you last post that if I could get a video of Allyn doing her No Paci Dance I would post it... so here it is!

Also, Miss Hollis has learned to roll over! Hallelujah!! She showed off her skills last Saturday morning. She rolled over like she had done it a million times before!!!Of course she will not do it once we get the camera out... but when she does we will post it for you! Last Monday, Hollis had her four month check-up! She is a growing girl! She weighed in at 14lbs 12.5oz and was 24 1/2 inches long! This puts her in the 72% for weight! Completely opposite from Allyn. Todd and I said she will never be able to out scream Allyn so she is going big to be able to beat her up! If she keeps growing at this rate and if Allyn continues to refuse to potty train they will soon be wearing the same diapers! Economical for us, huh?!? Not much else is new with us. We are just hanging tough day by day and enjoying these sweet blessings!!

Surrendering All

2009-01-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

Seriously, only 13 days into the new year and already so much has happened? That is right, it has been a very busy time here at the Fahring household. Without sounding too long winded I will do my best to keep it from becoming a novel!

Surrendering our comfort zone:
A little before Christmas Todd began sending his resume out and interviewing for a new job. Not because he was unhappy at his current place, but there was and still might be a possibility of a future lay-off at his current job. Well, because he is so talented and wonderful he received a job off right after the start of the new year. We were excited that finding a new job seemed so easy. Wouldn't you know that his current job is looking a little brighter and looks like things might turn around. So, here at our house we were faced with the dreaded, do we place it safe and not be risky...take the new job offer; or do you stick it out and hope for the best at your current job... oh by the way your passion and what you really want to do??? After much debate and back and forth decision making Todd has decided to stay at his current job. I am proud of him for making such a huge decision. We are going to risk it and put our family on the line, but we feel in our hearts this the right decision. Go Team Fahring!

Surrendering the Pacifier:
Allyn is moving on step closer to becoming a big girl and liberating Mommy from the pacifier. As of Monday, she can no longer bring her paci out of her room. She can only have it for nap time and bedtime. She was not so sure about this decision, but the time has come and it needs to be done! Basically, I am just tired of keeping up with it and she takes it into public which I think she is too old to be doing! Yesterday while we were grocery shopping she stood up in the cart and did a No Paci dance. If I can get it on video I will post it! Very cute!

Surrendering our Sunday mornings:
What you may ask? Well since Allyn has been born we have fallen out of going to church. There were several more reasons than Allyn being born that caused to take a time out, but I will spare you all of that. We have popped in and out of church occasionally, but since then have always had an excuse to not start back consistently. First it was Allyn takes a nap then, then it was Allyn is awake during that time and we want to play with her, then it was well we are about to move, then it was Hollis is coming, then it was Hollis is born. Well our excuse tank has run dry and with two growing girls... we are back in the game! It was hard trying to motivate ourselves to go try something new because we either did not want to get up and go, or we were reluctant to put Allyn and/or Hollis somewhere we were not so sure about ourselves. For three weeks now we have been going to Browns Bridge Church. It is been great so far. Allyn loves Waumba Land and Hollis has been sleeping through the sermons very nicely! This is a satellite church which mean the Pastor Andy Stanley is not really there. It is simulcast from North Point Church. The scary thing is... you would think he was there. It looks so real! Anyhow, both Todd and I really seem to like it so far. The best part, minus traffic, it is only about ten minutes from our house. We have been going to the 11 o'clock service which gives us a good part of the morning to spend together. We are not so rushed to get out the door!

Surrendering it all Hollis style:
Being almost four months all you can take certain things out of context. Hollis did just that on Sunday at church. It was at the end of the service and we were praying one last time before we were dismissed when Hollis just blew out her diaper! The ironic thing was it was right when we were praying about Honoring God and Surrendering everything we have to Him. Guess she thought He might enjoy a little poop! Haha! Several people around us all heard it and Todd and I were trying so hard not to bust out laughing! Oh and the smell was quite nice too!

Here are some pictures:
(Allyn in her Hendrix shirt... this is for you Uncle Lyle, Allyn eating Hamburger Casserole... this is for you Grandma, Allyn playing play-doh, Hollis getting Allyn up from her nap, Hollis adorned in stickers done by Allyn, and then both girls hanging out on the couch!)

It's been too long! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2009-01-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well, call me the slacker mom or just the busy mom, but I have not blogged in quite sometime. My deepest apologies!!! What is new with us? Let me tell you...

The Christmas season was such a wonderful time for our family. Todd was fortunate enough to have almost two full weeks off of work. It was so wonderful having him home to play with us. With all his time off we were able to get a lot done around the house and were able to go to my parent's house and Todd's parent's house several times! I know that I am dreading Todd going back to work, but I think he might be dreading it more.

Now, I will try to detail our entire Christmas in this blog... good luck, huh?!
On the Monday before Christmas we still had not had the girls' picture taken with Santa. With Thanksgiving being so late this year, we blinked and Christmas was here. Since we waited so long, most of the Santas we called about had already gone back to the North Pole... of course they had. The only place we were able to find a Santa was Bass Pro Shop. (Thanks Kim Lockhart... your blog saved the day!!) We were afraid he would be in flannel or in camo... thank goodness no! He actually turned out to be a great Santa Claus. The elves were wonderful as well. We were certain that Allyn would have a fit and not want to sit on his lap, but figured every Santa picture montage has one of your child screaming. We talked to her about him the entire way down there... which was about an hour and a half car ride. We kept telling her that Santa would come to her house and bring her toys if she sat on his lap. She was not so sure. She kept telling us that she wanted just Hollis to do it and then she would give him Rabbi but not sit on his lap. When we got there the Elf took her by the hand and said, "Santa, you remember Allyn don't you?" I thought this was wonderful because it made her a little more comfortable. Well, she sat up on his lap and although not completely sure she sat there and did not cry... picked her nose... but did not cry! Yippee! Hollis of course did wonderfully! Just chilled out!
The best part of the whole thing was that the picture they give you was free and we were able to take our own pictures.

After the Santa pictures we headed to my mom's house for dinner. As a little extra Christmas present she bought us Guitar Hero for our Wii. We of course broke it out and started rocking... I do not think we have stopped since!!! I have already beat the game on easy and now working through the songs on medium. Todd is awesome! It is almost just as fun to watch him play!

Tuesday was friend catch up day. My friend Jessica from college came over and we did a little outlet shopping a lunch at Moe's! Yum-o! Later that afternoon Tyler came over for a visit! It was so great to see him! I do not ever feel like I get to spend enough time with him and love every second we are together, so on Christmas Eve I took Hollis over to his parent's house! I guess we spent about an hour there or so... still not enough time with such a dear friend! One day I will hopefully make it to the big City to see him!!

Christmas Eve we packed up the car and headed to Todd's parents for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner down there. Funny how you can have traditions and kids not comply!! Christmas Eve was a diaster! Time had gotten away from us a little bit and it was already about 30 minutes past bedtime and we had not eaten or opened presents yet! Yikes!! Painting a good picutre huh? I felt so bad for Dianne; she had done all this work and prep and we basically had to pack up and leave. Allyn was a completely different child. She was not listening and just being whinny! Hollis would not sleep and was getting fussy. And to top it off, we forgot diapers for both of the girls. It was with that we decided Christmas Eve traditions needed to change and we should stay close to home for the girls sake. It is not that they are bad and cannot be taken any where; I just think the hype and excitment of Christmas might have gotten the best of us!

Christmas morning we got up and came downstairs to see all the great presents from Santa. Allyn's eyes were as big as I have ever seen them. I think she finally was able to put the whole Santa thing together! We had made cookies for Santa and left a note from him. He wrote her back and ate some of the cookies. She kept looking at the cookies and then decided she would finish off the cookie he started but did not finish! Santa was good to us and brought more toys to our already bursting playroom!

After we did presents and Santa my mom, brother, sister and step-dad came up. We played lots of Wii and opened presents with them. It was great having them over! It was a fun day just being silly and not doing a whole lot. Later in the afternoon Juice and Gus came over to visit and see the girls. The highlight was probably watching Juice and Gus rock it out on Guitar Hero!

That evening, Dianne and Todd's grandparents came over to finish the Christmas Eve we started but did not finish! After all our visitors had left we were exhausted! The girls were pooped! Everyone went to bed early!!

Well now here we are already in the New Year! Where did time go??? I guess Monday we are back to the norm! It has been a great past two weeks!

On another note, we have gotten lots of calls and e-mails about Todd's dad. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the thoughts and prayers. Todd was there this morning and had a great visit with him! I am thankful for every second he can spend with him! Whether Alan can remember it or not, Todd will treasure it forever!

Ok, enough talking... onto the pictures! (P.S. We do not have a ton of pictures... most of the pictures were taken by family members since we were the present openers.)

Recent Hollis Pictures

2008-12-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

It is funny how fast they change! Seems like overnight that your sweet little newborn transforms into a baby and their personality takes shape! She has only been here for two and a half month, but already Miss Hollis has settled right into the Fahring family.

Hollis is such a happy baby. She has a smile that can melt your heart. She is content and very go with the flow... except of course now, she is screaming because I will not hold her and put her to sleep. Her one flaw... she is a snuggler and wants to be held when she sleeps. Totally cool when they are newborns, but I cannot come to college with her and rock her to sleep so I guess now is as good as time ever to break her habit!

I took some sweet pictures of her this afternoon, so I thought I would let everyone see how much she is changing. Literally, I think she grows everyday!

Oh yeah... she is already a sleep! I guess it not too bad falling asleep all on your own!

Thankful

2008-11-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Of course it is Thanksgiving time which means it is the one day of 365 days that we are supposed to stop and count our blessings. Something about this the crisp air or the warmth of our home reminds me to think of all the things we are grateful for. I am, however, more disappointed that I cannot think to be this thankful all year round. Our family is blessed beyond imagination! I am convinced that I certainly do not deserve the blessings I receive every second of everyday. Instead of getting hung up on New Year's resolutions I am making a personal resolution now to be more grateful for the wonderful blessings we have been given.

I think I can speak for all when I say there are several times throughout the week or even the day when we get stressed and overwhelmed. Instead of getting mad or upset, I am trying to remember that today is the only day when the girls will be at this stage. Tomorrow they will change and be doing something new. If I choose to feel stressed then I have chosen to miss out on a day I can never get back. If I really put things in perspective, there is going to be a day when I look back and miss how small they were. I am going to miss their little fits because they are sleepy or because it has been two hours since the last feeding and we are about to die of starvation!

Aside from the girls, We are thankful for our family. We are glad they are always just a phone call away and can be such a great part of live. By family, I also mean friends. We cannot believe the wonderful people who have chosen to surround us with their love. They have fallen in love with our children as if they were true relatives. It has brought us such joy to watch both of them look at our friends and family with admiration, love and the occasional crush... Brett Carey!

If you are reading this, then you are one of the people we are truly thankful for. You have taken time from your day to check in on us and see what we are up to. While it might only be a minute of your time it means the world to us that you care what wonderful blessings the Fahring Family has received lately!

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving... Eat up and get stuffed!

Go Dawgs!

2008-11-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

I am on a posting roll! Two in one day... simmer down now!

On Monday night, we drove to Athens to meet Todd who was at a conference for work. We spent the night at the Georgia Center and then spent all of Tuesday in Athens.

It was great being back in Athens. I love being up there! I think a part of my heart will always be in Athens. As were driving around I would reminded of what a wonderful town it is, and I was flooded with memories from my four years there!

Anyhow, this was the first time Allyn has been to UGA. As we drove into campus on Monday night she could see all the campus transit buses. Each one she saw she said, "Mommy, Go Dawgs bus!" It was hilarious! We have been working with her on when she sees the Georgia logo to say Go Dawgs. Well you can imagine being on campus she was saying Go Dawgs constantly! I am sure Gus and Juice could not be more proud than they are right now! NOT!!

Todd and I would ask her if she like college and she said Ya! We should start with baby steps first and conquer pre-school before we tackle college!! Here are some pictures of her at East-West getting her first taste of sweet potato chips (which she loved), and chasing squirrels on North Campus! Oh yeah, and one picture of Hollis enjoying college life also!

We County Folk Like'em Big!

2008-11-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

On Monday we had Hollis' 2 month appointment and Allyn's 2 year check-up. Allyn weighed in at a whooping 23.5 pounds. She made a HUGE gain in her percentiles... from 0% to 6%. Watch out!! (insert sarcasm now)

On a heavier, (play on words)Hollis was 11 lbs and 5 oz. This puts her in the 65% for weight! I guess she is just trying to get accustomed to country life. Should we tell her we do not have horses to feed and hay to carry? Nah... she is too cute with her little fat rolls.

Hollis is a spitting image of Todd. He said he was concerned that he would not be a pretty girl, but now seeing Hollis he is convinced she is super cute! Hollis absolutely adores Allyn. She stares at her all the time. She smiles when she is being silly. You can tell Hollis is taking in everything Allyn is doing. Allyn still loves her so much. Sometimes we have to hold her back because she is suffocating Hollis when she is kissing all over her!

Other than feeding two growing girls we are doing great! The days fly by and are filled with non-stop excitement! I would not trade places with anyone!

Lastly, I said I would never do it, but I did. I dressed the girls alike. How can you resist when they are both so cute?! Allyn loved being dressed like Hollis. She kept running over to Hollis and telling her they had on the same shirt! I am sure Hollis knew exactly what she was saying! Haha! I tried to get some pictures of them, but of course Allyn was being a goof!

Just for fun, what is something you find yourself doing that you swore you never would?

Halloween

2008-11-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween was great! This was a great year because Allyn is finally getting old enough to actually get trick-o-treating. It took her a few houses to get the idea, but once she did she was hooked!

Her good friend Genevieve, or "Jesse" as she calls her, came to our house to go trick-o-treating. Genevieve was a black cat and Allyn was a monkey. They were so cute! I would say cutest in the neigborhood by far!!

We only made it to about 15 houses and that took about an hour and a half! Once we got home both girls came straight into the living room dumped out their bags and dug in. It was like they knew exactly what to do! We just let them eat and eat... why not!!

Hollis was a little ghost. She thought Halloween was great... well great for napping that is!

Here are some pictures:

Oh yeah, the pictures of Allyn as a Ballerina are from Gymboree. We tried it out the day before Halloween and it was costume day.

Ode to Maci and Kristy... old running buddies!

2008-11-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

Since the weather has been so wonderful and I deperately need to try and get back into some shape I decided to go for a run yesterday afternoon. I was great. I was by myself and happily ran through the neighborhood jamming to my favorite tunes. I was about half way through my run when I began a small trip down memory lane. Most of you remember that about two months before I got pregnant with Allyn me and Kristy Masterson ran in the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon. I started to think about how completely insane we were. If it was 19 degrees we were running, if it was pouring down rain we were running, if was a heat advisory and no one should be doing physical activity we were running, if we had strep throat we were running. Who is that crazy? We were so decidicated. We would get up on Saturday morning before the sun was even up and embark on our 13 mile trek around Suwanee.

As I was struggling to even complete thirty minutes of continuous running, I could not believe that we could run for a continous two hours and really not feel so bad when we were done. Granted we spent our fair share in ice baths after our runs and went throw several boxes of band-aids to cover our blisters... but isn't that what running is all about?

Running is fun, but I do not think I ever want to be that crazy again! On the final stretch of my run yesterday, I had a small memorial service in my head for the old Maci and Kristy running team... may we never be that insane again!!!

Kristy is such a dear and wonderful friend of mine and it is funny how we both look back at that time and just laugh. We laugh at how we even did it and how it completely consumed our lives. I think we will both just stick to the light jog around the park on warm sunny days!

Love you Kristy!!

Pictures of Hollis

2008-10-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Our dear sweet friend Christie Carey took picture of Hollis. She does such an amazing job. There were so many more that I could post, but I had to control myself. There are not many of Hollis and Allyn because Allyn took a nap during our little photo shoot. Christie is going to come back and do several pictures of just the girls and then some of all four of us. Please check out her website at 3cexpressions.com.