An update on my employment...

Well, let me begin by saying that I haven't worked at Gymboree at all since last October. In September, I was having some problems with my pregnancy and was diagnosed with placenta previa. I decided at that point that I would step down as assistant manager and continue to work there as a sales associate because I wouldn't be required to work as many hours. I worked until the beginning of October and it seemed like when I worked, I would have spotting so I just decided to take off until Abigail made her arrival since the risk of bleeding would be greater as my pregnancy progressed. The store manager was great about it and allowed me to keep using my discount throughout my pregnancy and then thru my maternity leave. I spoke with him about returning in July and he was going to work me back onto the schedule on a very limited basis. I planned to work one shift every two weeks and he was fine with that. He ended up putting in his notice a little over a week after I spoke with him. To make a long story short, he was replaced and the acting store manager just deleted me from the system without even calling me first. When I spoke to her, she said that she had no idea that I was planning to come back, but that I was welcome to reapply for my job. Whatever! I won't be reapplying for a job that I held since the store opened about three years ago.

At the end of July, I decided to start selling Premier Designs Jewelry. I can continue being a stay at home mom and get out of the house at night sometimes, too. I can set my own hours and make some "fun" money for extras around here. (Everyone that knows me knows that I love to keep my girls dressed cute...LOL!) So far, I've had two shows in addition to my training show. Things are going well and I plan to have my initial investment (for jewelry samples and my application fee) paid for by the end of September.

Our baby is 4 months old...

It seems like it was just yesterday that Abigail was born. She is growing up so fast. I'm not sure exactly how long she is or how much she weighs since she won't get her checkup until next week. She rolled over for the first time on July 17. I was able to catch the second time on video the same day.

There's no stopping her now. We can't keep her on a blanket. She rolls all over the floor. If she could just get that baby belly off the floor, she would be able to crawl, too. It's just a matter of time. After all, she has a big sister and a puppy to chase around. She also found her feet and held them the other day, but she really hasn't looked at them too much since. I guess that they aren't very interesting!

This month, she watched fireworks for the first time. She really did watch them and wasn't startled by the sounds. She seemed to be staring at the sky. She also went to the zoo for the first time.

Here are a couple of pictures from the 4th of July. We watched the Southaven fireworks from the amphitheatre at Snowden Grove.

Jeremy's trip to Jamaica & our trip to Arkansas

Jeremy just returned from a mission trip to Steertown, Jamaica. He went July 9-13 with a group from our church. He had a really good time, but I won't elaborate since I wasn't there...LOL! He brought Rachel a t-shirt, a green outfit (her favorite color) and a Rasta hat (w/ fake dreadlocks). He brought me two sets of jewelry. He also brought back a painting and some carved wood pieces for the house.

Here are pictures of the girls showing off the souveniers.

While he was away, the girls and I went to stay at Mom's house. We got to White Hall on Thursday evening. We went to my sister's on Friday afternoon so that Rachel could play with her cousins. On Saturday, we drove to Jeremy's grandparents' in Monticello and visited with them and his great-grandmother. They always enjoy Rachel's entertainment!

Abigail's first trip to the zoo

Since Jeremy was going to be out of town for a few days, he took the day off from work to spend time with us. We took the girls to the zoo. We had a nice day together even though it was the hottest day of this summer so far. While we were there, we enjoyed the sea lion show. When we went to see the monkeys, one came up and played with Rachel. It was the cutest thing. This was Abigail's first trip to the zoo.

Abigail is 3 Months Old!

Well, time seems to have flown by. It doesn't seem like Abigail should be 3 months old already. She has grown a lot. She now measures 26" and weighs about 14 lbs. She loves for us to talk to her and enjoys playing in the floor with her sister. She smiles and "talks" a lot. She has been trying very hard to roll over, but hasn't succeeded so far. She has started showing some signs of teething (drooling and chewing her hands) so I am guessing that she will get some teeth earlier than her sister did, but we will just have to wait and see. A little over a week ago, her tear ducts opened. We are so thankful that she won't have to have surgery for blocked tear ducts. I must say that I am very excited that she just started sleeping up to 9 hours at night.

Here are her 3 month portraits and a few of the girls together in their matching dresses.

Jeremy's wreck

On Monday, June 9, Jeremy was on his way home from work when I asked him to stop by Kroger to pick up a couple of things. When he attempted to cross Goodman Road to head home, he was struck by a Hummer H3. The impact was so hard that our Camry was spun around 180 degrees and it was a total loss. We thank God that Jeremy wasn't hurt. He did hit his head and he was sore for a few days following the accident, but that was it.

The Camry was a third vehicle for us. We bought it from my Mom last January. Jeremy used it for road trips for work and driving to and from work a few days each week. He also has a small truck that he drives, but only one passenger can fit in it. In addition to our Altima, we felt that we needed another vehicle that all four of us could ride in. That way when Jeremy uses the Altima for road trips, the girls and I would have another car to use.

We were able to get a great deal on a 1999 Ford Expedition. A friend's parents were selling it so we knew that it had a good history and only 86,000 miles. It doesn't get the best gas mileage, but it will be a great third vehicle. We plan to use it for road trips since it is so roomy. And, I will drive it when Jeremy has to take the Altima out of town. Rachel loves it and since it is red like her Daddy's truck, she calls it "Mommy's truck".

Rachel's Busy Week

Rachel had her first overnight visit at her Gramsy's last weekend. We met my Mom (aka Gramsy) in Brinkley, AR on Friday evening. That's just about halfway between Southaven and Pine Bluff (where my parents live). Rachel was so excited to spend the night at Gramsy's without Mommy and Daddy. She spent the night there Friday and Saturday. I met Mom in Brinkley again on Sunday afternoon to bring Rachel home in time for Team Kid at church that evening. Here are some pictures of her and Gramsy just before we headed back home.

Vacation Bible School started on Monday morning. This was Rachel's first VBS. The theme was Power Lab. She learned about the power to be thankful, the power to help others, the power to be brave, the power to live forever and the power to share God's love. She had a great time. Here are some pictures from the sing and play finale from a couple of days.

Abigail is 2 months old.

Yesterday, Abigail was 2 months old. She is such a little blessing. She is a good baby and usually only cries when she is hungry. Most nights she sleeps 5-6 hours straight. She is growing so fast. I took her for a checkup today and she weighs 12 pounds, 2 ounces and is 23 3/4 inches long. She is still having problems with her clogged tear ducts and will probably have to have a surgery to resolve them, but we will discuss it further at her next check up. She is starting to coo and smile at us. And, I must say that her little smile is adorable! It's fun to watch the new things that she does each day.

2 weeks after Jeremy's back surgery...

Jeremy had back surgery on May 8. He had a ruptured disk between L4 and L5 (in his lower back). The ruptured disk was pushing on a nerve bundle and causing severe pain in his leg. The surgeon removed about 1/3 of the disk including some fragments. The surgery was a success. As soon as Jeremy came out of the recovery area, he could already tell that his leg pain was gone.

His back has been really sore and he has been limited physically for these first two weeks. He couldn't ride in a car for the first week (after the ride home from the hospital.) He hasn't been able to drive or lift anything heavier than 5 pounds for the first two weeks. His doctor okayed him to work 1/2 days during the second week so I and some coworkers have been transporting him to/from work. He has been able to walk a little more each day and he is doing much better. It has been really hard for me to get him to adhere to his doctor's guidelines.

We are so thankful that his pain is gone and that we had so many praying for us during this time.

Our Dallas Is Gone.

Dallas, our 13 year old dog, had to be put to sleep today. It is a sad day for our family. Jeremy and I got Dallas when he was about 3 months old. A coworker of mine had found him as a stray on the side of the highway one day on her way to work. When I saw him, it was love at first sight (even though his fuzzy hair was matted and he was covered in cockleburs.) I brought him home with me that day.

Over the last year, his health has been declining. His arthritis had gotten very painful and it was getting hard for him to move around. A few months ago, he developed a cough. It turned out that the cough was a side effect of an enlarged heart that was surrounded by fluid. He was put on a heart medication and a diuretic to relieve the fluid. That seemed to help for a short time, but he started to get urinary incontinence due to the diuretic. So two weeks ago, we took him off the diuretic and added a pain pill for the arthritis. Last night, he had a very hard time breathing and was coughing a lot so we decided that it was time to say goodbye.

He was a good dog and truely has been a best friend to Jeremy. He was always my protector. And, of course, Rachel thought he was great, too. He was an "inside dog" since we moved to the Memphis area in 1998 so he was definitely a member of the family. He had a scary bark and was very protective of me and Rachel, but he was actually very gentle and loving to those that he knew. He will certainly be missed.