We have a name!

Sean and I have decided to name our baby girl Calleigh Claire. Sean came up with the name, and it just fit. She will be named after both of our sisters. Sean's sister is Ashleigh, so the "leigh" in Calleigh's name is after her. My sister's name is Claire. I know you are thinking, "Do they know her initals will be CCC?" Yes, we know and thought about that, but love the name so much we did not care. We plan on calling her just Calleigh, but many of our friends and family are already calling her Calleigh Claire.

We had our routine doctor's visit with Dr. Alverson yesterday, and everything looks good. Her heart beat was strong at 153 BPM. I did feel her move when they were looking for the heart beat. I cannot say that I have felt a definite kick. I feel all kinds of weird feelings, but don't know if that is her or just my stomach growling. Once I get her ultra sound pictures scanned into the computer I will post them.

Other than Calleigh, we are busy with Christmas. Sean bought a huge Christmas tree this year since our new house has much taller ceilings. We are looking forward to Christmas, but sad we will not be going on a bowl game trip this year!

We plan on starting the nursery after Christmas. I will post pictures of the progress.

The Pate Twins

One of my good friends from college, Dana Pate, is pregnant with twin boys. Her husband is Rob Pate, who was a football player at Auburn for four years. Dana and Rob already have three beautiful girls, Claire, Ellie and Jenna. Dana is now pregnant with twin boys! Their names are James and John David. These twins are mono mono twins. This condition only occurs in about 1-2% of twins. Basically the boys share on of everything. Dana is now 28 weeks along, and is in the hospital so she can be monitored around the clock. She has a blog that she updates everyday. You can read it a www.patemiracles.blogspot.com Please keep Dana, Rob and their girls and the twins in your prayers. Dana and Rob are such strong Christians, and such an amazing testimony to God.

Baby Canaan is a.......

GIRL!! I was shocked because I just knew this baby was a boy. We had a boy named picked out, and I only looked at boy things in the stores. I even looked at the ultrasound screen and told the lady I saw a boy. She quickly told me I was wrong. The baby is healthy and growing like she should. We are so excited to be having a little girl. I cried when I saw her on the screen. We had an ultra sound done at seven weeks, but seeing her as a little baby just took my breath away. My sister bought her a dress that has cows smocked on the collar, and Sean just loves it. I had a little boys nursery all planned out in my head, so I am now starting over. We don't have a name picked out yet, but there is one name we are strongly leaning towards.

Thank your for all of the support and prayers for our sweet baby girl. Have a great week!!

Boy or Girl???

We will find out in exactly 2 weeks. We had our routine doctors visit today, and scheduled our ultrasound for November 10th. We are so excited!! I just hope these 2 weeks go by just as fast as the rest have. Everyday, someone new will ask me if I want a boy or a girl. We just want a healthy baby, but I do have a feeling it is a boy. I am not sure why, but for a while now I have felt like this was a little boy. I guess we will see soon. The doctors appointment went great. All they did was listen to the heartbeat and talk to us. The heartbeat was a strong 162 BPM. I was talking so much to the Sean and the nurse, I could not hear the heartbeat. I know it is hard for you to imagine me talking too much. At first, the heartbeat was loud, and then it would get softer. That concerned me at first, but the nurse told me the baby was moving around a lot. My doctor is Dr. Alverson, and his nurse is Vicky. They are both wonderful!!! I could not ask for two better people to take care of me and this baby.

Nothing else new is going on with us. We are getting ready for our first Halloween in a new neighborhood. Our neighborhood has a Halloween party for the kids right before trick or treating, so that should be fun.

I will keep everyone updated on whether Baby Canaan will be a boy or girl. Please continue to pray that this baby is healthy and strong, and thank you for the prayers you have already sent. Sean and I both feel them everyday!!

Happy Fall and Tactfulness.....

I am so happy that it is finally Fall!! I am a much happier person since the weather is cooler!! Sean and I worked in the yard Saturday morning. Yes...I did help. I raked the limbs and leaves in piles. I even volunteered to help! Nothing new is going on in our house. I am enjoying have three football weekends where we are either not playing, or playing away. Since I work every home football weekend, I cherish the weekends we have off or away. I love everything about the Fall. I love all of the leaves, the smells and most of all the wonderful weather. Fall is without a doubt my favorite season!!

Baby Canaan is doing great. I go back to the doctor next Monday the 27th. That will be just a routine visit, but our count down is officially on. 19 days until we find out if it is a boy or a girl!! I am trying to figure out a way to push the day up a little.

I know I have blogged about this before, but people just come out of the no where to give you advice about your pregnancy. I mentioned to someone a work that we liked the name Sam for a boy, and this person looked me straight in the eyes and told me they hated that name!!! There is tact for you! I have also had many people encourage me not to find out what I am having, and some people have even gotten mad at me for even entertaining the thought of finding out. Some people don't want to know, and other do. To each their own. All of this advice just blows me away because I would never dream of pushing my opinons about pregnancy and babies on someone else. A complete stranger started talking to me at the Arkansas football game about how I should have a water birth. He said both of his kids were born through a water birth, and his kids are the smartest in their class. I did not even know this man, he just came up and struck up a conversation with me. My favorites have been when I tell people I am pregnant they tell me they are happy to know that because they had noticed I had put on some weight, and now there was a reason. I have had two people tell me that!! I promise, I am not making this stuff up!!

I do appreciate any and all suggestions and advice that people give me, and I love to hear what people have to say. I just feel there is a tactful way of doing it. There, I can get off my soap box now. Please keep sending me advice and suggestions, I really do love to hear them!!

Baby Update...

Well, things with the baby are moving along great, and on Thursday we will be at the end of our first trimester. Time has flown by. I can officially not fit into any of my pants. The good news about that is I get to by new clothes. I have decided that I don't like maternity clothes. They need clothes that are for the in between stages. Everything I find is for the later stages of pregnancy.

I had a doctors appointment yesterday, and it was the usual check up. I did get to hear the baby's heartbeat again, and it was strong at 160 bpm. I go back September 27th for another rountine visit, and then the week of November 10th, we get to find out if it is a boy or a girl!! You will be surprised at the number of people that put their twos cents worth in on that one. Everyone wants to know why we want to know. The answer is simple. I am a planner, and will need to have everything plannd to a tee. Everyone asks what we want, and all we want is a healthy baby. I have had the traditional baby predictor testsdone on me. We have held Sean's wedding band over my belly and it indicated a boy. The Chinese chart said a boy as well. Someone told me to pour Drano in the toilet before I pee. The color it changes indicates boy or girl. I am not buying a bottom of Drano just for this purpose. If anyone wants to know the results of this test, they can donate a bottle of Drano. People are also asking about names. Sean and I have always loved the name Sam, so if it a boy, it will be Sam. We can't decide on a girls name yet. Several people suggested I post picture of my growing belly. I am not too sure if the blogging world is ready for that.

The morning sickness has subsided, but the emotional swings are in full force. Anything can make me cry. The tiredness is not as bad, and I am slowly getting my energy back. Sean has been great for the past 3 months. He has cooked, cleaned, done laundry, ran errands, and listened to me cry, complain, moan and groan. He has been a trooper.

That is pretty much all that is going on with us. This entire pregnancy so far has been such an amazing experience, and we have already been so blessed by this child. Please continue to pray for our sweet baby.

Our Greatest Blessing.....

Most of you know by now, but for those of you who don't, Sean and I are having a baby! We are due April 24th, and could not be any happier. We were a little shocked in the beginning, but our shock has turned into joy.

We got to see our sweet baby today, and hear the heart beat. It was the sweetest sound. Everything looks great, and I go back to the doctor October 8th.

Any and all prayers for our baby would be so appreciated! As soon as I figure out hope to post our ultra sound picture, I will.

Busy, Busy!

Nothing too new has been going on in our lives. I am busy at work getting ready for football season, and Sean is busy at the farm. We have 25 days left until football season begins! Sean and I are ready for the excitement, but I am not ready at work. Football season and the beginnig of each semester is my busiest time at work, and I am not even close to being ready for the first day of classes or August 30th!! Two a days started today, and everyday when I come into work, there are football players asleep on the couches in our lobby. I think they catch up on sleep every chance they get these days. I will take some pictures of their naps, and post them soon.

We are still loving our new house, especially all of the space. We love to have company, so stop by anytime. I found out that our house is the official "bus stop" house for the neighborhood, so starting next week, all of the kids will in our yard waiting for the school bus. It will be fun to meet all of them.

Wish I could tell you more was going on with us. This time of year, I appreciate things when they are calm!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

One year ago......

One year ago today, Sean and I were married. I can't believe how fast a year has gone by. The Lord has blessed both of us with this marriage. He has taught us so much about ourselves, and we are such a stronger couple because of Him. I am so grateful to God for giving me Sean as my husband. He is caring, loving, compassionate, supportive, hard working, and most of all, has the biggest heart of anyone I know. The best way to describe Sean, is he is my rock. No matter what happens day by day, Sean is the one who stands firm and is my voice of reason!! If someone told me 10 years ago that I would have the life I had now, I would never believe them. I could not ask for a better life or a better husband. I know this sound cliche, but Sean makes my life complete. My life does not work without him. I just pray that we have many, many more wonderful and happy years ahead of us!!

Crazy few weeks....

Well, we survived moving. Thanks to my mom, Sean's mom, Ashleigh, Tim, and Kevin, Sean and I are all moved into our house. My sister was getting ride of her living room furniture, and gave it to us! It looks perfect in our house! My parents got us an awesome TV as a house warming gift. Tim and Cindy gave us Two Men and a Truck, and they were life savers. We could have never moved all of our furniture by ourself! They moved everything from one house to the other in 4 hours!! Ashleigh painted both of the upstairs bedrooms with the help of Cindy. They look great! We are so happy to have so much more space. The house is just perfect! Sean has been busy making sure every detail has been taken care of.

We spent a good week getting everything moved in, and put in its place. Then, we took a much needed break, and went to the beach for the 4th of July. Sean's dad lives on the bay, so we always stay with him. It was very relaxing, and just what we needed. While we were gone, Tim pressure washed our deck and fence for us!!

We are looking forward to have many family and friends visit us at our new house!! Drop by any time!!

Birthday and Boxes!!

Happy Birthday, Sean!! Today is Sean's 31st birthday!! We spent the weekend at the beach celebrating Father's Day with Sean's dad and my daddy as well as Sean's birthday. We had a great time, but hated to come back to Auburn to face all of the boxes!

Yep, we are packing up and moving out!! We put our house on the market for sale by owner on March 22nd, and we had a contract on it by the end of April. Once we had a contract on our house, we began searching for our new home. Me, Sean's mom and my mom always went to look at the houses first. If we thought Sean would like them, then we took him back to look. The first house we looked at I marked off the list because I did not think Sean would like it. We kept looking, and one day we drove by the first house I looked at. Sean wanted to see it, so we called our realtor. Sean walked in and knew immediately that this was our house. It is funny how things come full circle. The first house I looked at is the one we are buying.

We are so excited! We close on the new house June 23rd, and we close on our house June 30th.

Here is a picture of our new house! Happy Monday, and Happy Birthday Sean!!

Grandaddy and Paw

I decided to tell you all about my two favorite people over the age of 80.....Grandaddy and Paw. Grandaddy is my grandfather, and Paw is Sean's. They both are the most genuine, kind hearted people I know. Grandaddy and Paw have a lot in common. Grandaddy was an Army Ranger in World War II, and Paw is a retired Marine, They both love Auburn as well. Both of them will turn 84 this year. When we are all together, they have the best conversations about history. They both are always thinking of ways to make us happy. If any of you know Sean well, he loves hooded sweatshirts. He wears them all of the time at the farm in the winter. Grandaddy lives in Alex City, and is retired from Russell. A couple of times a week he will go to the Russell Outlet store in search of a new hooded sweatshirt for Sean. Since it is getting warmer outside, he is on the hunt for Auburn t-shirts. He is always looking for something he thinks Sean would like to have. Now Paw, he always puts a smile on my face and always makes me laugh. He always has a good story or a good joke to tell. He gives the best gifts, and wraps them even better! The best wrapped gifts I have ever gotten have come from Paw because he puts so much of his personality in the wrapping. He is the one who taught me how to play Suduko. He plays it alot. Paw is the one who cuts out newspaper articles that he thinks we might enjoy reading, and he mails them to us.

Paw loves to hear about Sean's cows and what is going on at the farm, and the cows really amaze Grandaddy! Grandaddy is also amazed at how much food Sean can eat! Sean and I are so lucky to have grandfathers who are so lively, outgoing and young at heart. I know Paw reads our blog frequently, so Paw, we love you!! Paw is a lot more computer literate than Grandaddy, so I will call Grandaddy tonight to tell him the same!!

House Hunting

Well, we are on the house hunt. We have looked at just about every house in the area of Auburn we want to live in. You can probably give me an address, and I can tell you the square footage, number of bedrooms and baths, and the size of the yard. The whole process of selling a house, and searching for another one is very tedious. As most of your know, I lack patience in my life. I have never been the one to sit and wait. I find something I like, and I don't like to take time thinking about it. This lack of patience has made house hunting more stressful than it needs to be. I think God is instilling in me a new gift...Patience!! At least once a day, if not more, Sean says,"Just be patient, Susan." Hopefully, we are nearing the end of our search. We have a couple of house that we really like, and have had more buyers looking at our home. I will be so happy when it is over!!

First Place

I started a Bible study at church almost three years ago called First Place. This bible study takes a holistic approach to weight lost, but it is so much more than that! We have nine commitments that we strive to keep everyday. Some of them are exercise, eating healthy, reading our bible and doing our bible study, encouragement, and spending time with God in prayer. When I joined the group three years ago, my main objective was to lose weight. I figured I would go to the meetings, and then pray to God for me to lose weight. Wrong! While I have lost weight, God showed me very quickly that he had different plans for me with this Bible study. I can honestly say that my relationship with the Lord is much stronger now than it has ever been. God has used the group to show me my weaknesses, and help me improve my strengths. It has brought me closer to the things that matter most to me. I have met a wonderful group of women who are very near and dear to my heart. First Place has given me a renewed hope and a renewed strength. To put it simply, it has changed my life! If you are interested, you can go to the First Place website at www.firstplace.org

Have a great weekend!!

I have finally learned how to post pictures to our blog. These are some of my favorite pictures from our wedding. I hope you enjoy them. Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!!

Watch Out!

Sean left for Cullman today. He decided to take my car since gas prices are so high, and mine gets better gas mileage. Well, that left me with his big truck for the weekend. Watch out!! When I back up in the truck, I just hold my breath and hope nothing is behind me. I also have a very hard time parking Sean's truck, so I tend to park at the very end of the parking lot. If you see me driving the truck in Auburn this weekend, you may want to distance yourself from me. I am not very good at driving this thing!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

New Beginning!!

I have decided to start over with our blog because the old one was out of date. As most of you know, Sean and I have been married for 8 months! We got married July 21st. Time has really flown by. My marriage has been the biggest blessing of my life, and I thank God everyday for bringing us together. Everyone needs a person like Sean in their lives. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He makes my life easier, and most of all complete. Our marriage has been the biggest and best adventure of my life, and I look forward to every new day with Sean.



Things have been very busy in our lives since July 21st. Sean and I have put our house up for sale, and are busy looking for a new one. We love the house we have now, but we are in desperate need of something bigger. If you know anyone who is house hunting, send them our way!!