Troy, Meghann, and Ansley Reeves

The best playground EVER!

2011-03-24T16:17:00.000-04:00

My mom and Jim have the most amazing playground, ever, right behind their neighborhood. I'm not sure why we hadn't been before but I'm sure we will be visiting it more often in the future.

See!...

Ansley was a big girl and we trekked all the way to the top to go down one of the big slides together...

Say 'cheese'!

...and a nice little family picture to end the day!

The Children's Museum in Greenville!

2011-03-24T16:00:00.000-04:00

These are from a few weeks ago (go figure!) from our visit to Greenville! Troy, Ansley and I spent a Friday morning at The Children's Museum. We've been there once before but it was right before Ansley turned 2 and really didn't have a ton of interest in a lot of things. This time she had a blast!!

Hmm, where did she learn to steer that buggy like that I wonder?!

Troy wanted to see how he fit in a 'smart car'

Good times were had by all!!

Some extras from awhile ago!

2011-03-04T13:39:00.001-05:00

The date on these in iPhoto say they're from the end of January! Must have been the first warmer day we had this year! We've spent many many days outside jumping, swinging, and sliding since this!!

edited with Picnik...

The Zoo!

2011-03-03T21:04:00.000-05:00

We met my mom and Jim at the Riverbanks Zoo last Saturday! Ansley is a lover of anything animal so the zoo is really her ideal place to be in life!

She enjoys animals, but the bigger ones mostly from a distance! She didn't want to get close to feed the goats but she overheard another mom walking by telling her son to hold his hand flat while he was feeding. If you look in the picture below you can see that she has perfect form, just nowhere close to any animal!!

She managed to time her emotional breakdown of the day with our first attempt in a long time at a family picture of all 3 of us.

Here's take 1...

Take 2...

Take 3...the best we could manage!

Feeding the ducks!

2011-03-03T14:51:00.000-05:00

I am not sure of the exact moment I went from having no life and all of the days blending together; to having no time to myself and always having something that has to be done this moment...but it's happened. This blog unfortunately has fallen to the bottom of a long list of priorities and for that, I apologize! I have several different posts in the making but I can't promise they'll all get up this afternoon...

Since the weather has gotten nice, one of Ansley's most favorite new things to do is go and feed the ducks at the Winthrop Lake. I can remember skipping class in college to go lay out there, and now I go there with my 2 1/2 year old in tow...my how times have changed (in a good way)! A few Saturdays ago we picked up some Chic Fil A and headed out for a nice little picnic with the ducks.

She's so brave...

most of the time!

Such a great little Daddy/Daughter moment!

The we played a "soccer game" as Ansley called it! (There was another family there that day that was kicking around an actual soccer ball so we talked about it and then Ansley decided her ball was a soccer ball too!!)

I love my family and I love sunny warm days in February!

ABC/Jesus Loves Me

2011-01-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

Picture Catch-Up!

2011-01-13T11:46:00.000-05:00

NYE play date with Asher!

Dress up!!

Snow, Part 2!

New Years Resolutions...

2011-01-13T10:57:00.001-05:00

This is a little late, huh?! I don't usually make New Years Resolutions. Honestly, I can't tell you the last time I made any. This year I decided to make some. I wanted them to be ones that were attainable and really relevant to struggles I have on a daily/monthly/yearly basis. So here they are...hold me accountable!!

1. Read the Bible, in its entirety! - One of the things I asked for from Troy for Christmas was a new bible. I need to do better about making God's word a part of my daily routine. Troy got me a very nice journal bible that has a one year Bible reading plan in the back, so now I have no excuses!! We also bought Ansley a new 'age appropriate' Bible and have been taking time after her bath every night to have a family devotion time. Troy and I also have joined a new Journey Group at church that is making marriage its focus. We have just started reading the book "Love and War" by John and Stasi Eldredge which I am very excited about. Its amazing to see how God is already pouring into me on a personal level as well as in my role as a mother and a wife.

2. Try at least 1 new recipe a month! - I've gotten into a pretty good routine of cooking the same things in a 2 week rotation. I need to do a better job of introducing new dishes on a regular basis. So far I've cooked 2 new recipes this week! I'm on a roll, people!

3. Build our savings account! - Last year was not a good year for us when it came to financial obstacles. Almost anything that could break in a house or on a car, broke on ours. I'm not sure even if we had a good stash in savings we would have been prepared for all that came our way. So, I've made it my mission this year to build our savings account to help soften the blow if 2011 happens to be anything like 2010 was. Please stop now and say a prayer for us that it won't be!!

4. Get into and have an actual start date for nursing school! - This also encompasses me doing well in my Anatomy & Physiology (and possibly Microbiology) classes I will be taking this year. I am attending an information session later this month for my ideal nursing school in Charlotte. I hope to have a better plan after that as to what my next step will be in applying and an idea of when I'll be able to start!

So there, my goals for 2011!

SNOW, wrestling and a family picture!

2011-01-01T19:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day!

2011-01-01T18:52:00.000-05:00

Christmas day started with a visit from Santa!

Anlsey got some new fun things to play with...

After the 3 of us opened all of our gifts it looked as if Santa Clause threw up in our living room!

My mom and Jim came up and spent the morning with us which we were so very thankful for! Among other things, Ansley got an assortment of musical toys from them. Here she is working on her first recorder composition!

After nap time we headed over to Troy's parents' house for a Christmas dinner. They were able to put tables in their basement to hold everyone together! Even Steve's office manager Lori and her husband Mike were able to join us. We all agreed that after surviving that meal, they are now officially family!! I'm not sure the last time we had that many laughs!

Then Madeline introduced us to a new and interesting game involving carrying a quarter to a trash can using, well, I'll let you figure that one out!

We had so many laughs this Christmas! I told Troy that short of my grandparents showing up at my house with trash bags full of toys when I was a kid, this was probably the best Christmas I've had!

Christmas Eve with a LOT of Reeves!

2011-01-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

Willow in Ansley's shoes

LOTS of wrestling...

Grandpa reading from the Bible

Anlsey was more of a runner than a present opener!

"CHEESE"

Troy's uncle Mark and his family drove down from Wisconsin for the holidays...in turn, they were rewarded with some interesting gifts...!

Our first attempt at a Gingerbread house!

2011-01-01T18:09:00.000-05:00

I bought a gingerbread house kit at Target a few days before Christmas because I thought Ansley would enjoy putting it together. As we started, Troy and I both discovered that neither he nor I had ever built a gingerbread house either.

Side note: she has this weird attachment to a Jimi Hendrix shirt my dad and Shari gave her for her birthday, she would sleep in it every night if we would let her (and most nights we do, we'll even put it on over her one piece, footie pajamas). In the last few weeks she has also developed a similar attachment to this vest. This would be why she is wearing both, first thing in the morning.

We discovered a few minutes in that we should have constructed the house the night before so it had ample time to dry. Since we had not done this, it didn't take long before the walls and roof were all sliding apart...

Oopsie!

Maybe next year we'll be better gingerbread contractors!

The Ick...

2010-12-15T12:54:00.000-05:00

Ansley had a cold around Thanksgiving that went away and then came back as a terrible cough and wheeze a week later. I took her to the Doctor who ordered chest xrays, worried that she may have pneumonia but we luckily dodged that bullet! Fortunately she never really ran a fever, and she was put on an antibiotic and the liquid form of Albuterol. Unfortunately, after a week on both she wasn't any better. Her cough was so bad that it would leave her gagging which turned into several days of throwing up...ick! She went back for another check last Friday and since she hadn't made any progress, she was switched to breathing treatments. She started them last Friday and her cough was pretty much gone by Sunday! I'm so thankful that even though these treatments are a pain, she's healed up quite nicely!

We're headed back for another doctor check this Friday in which we'll hopefully done with all forms of medicine. She's been a trooper though, sitting for these things 3 times a day!!!

The Annual Reeves Family Christmas Tree Sacrifice

2010-12-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

We took our annual trip to Penland Tree Farm Saturday morning to pick out our perfect Christmas Tree. It was FREEZING outside, but we tried to make the most of it!

Ansley played on their mulch playground and then we went on a hayride!

I'm not sure Troy could have managed cutting the tree down without Ansley's help!

Ta-Da!!

The Christmasville Parade

2010-12-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

We took Ansley to her first Christmas parade Friday night in downtown Rock Hill. I have never seen her sit still and that mesmerized for as long as she did that night. She LOVED every minute of it.

Ansley and her BFFs, Jackson and Emme!

Before the parade started Jackson and Ansley made the best of time by running full speed in circles around Troy!

Supper Club Thanksgiving Dinner!

2010-11-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night we had our 'Supper Club' over for an early pot-luck Thanksgiving celebration. We had one 2 years ago and Ansley was just a baby and Kristen R and Kristen P were both pregnant...it looked a lot different this time!

The 'kids table', because what's Thanksgiving without one!!

The girls called 'dibs' on eating at the dinner table which put the boys in the living room with the kids...it turns out none of the guys complained. I'll let you see if you can figure out why!

Of course, the kids table didn't last long because there was just too much playing to do!

After the kids went to bed we pulled out what has become a Supper Club tradition...'The Game of Things'. We bought it for $10 at Target and I think its one of the best investments I've ever made. We managed to burn off all of the calories indulged at dinner from all of the laughing we did afterwards!

Whoa...

2010-11-15T14:06:00.000-05:00

*Scroll down to the bottom of the page to pause the music!*

I thought I'd share this video that was shown at the end of the sermon yesterday at our church. I'm not sure how many reading this are familiar with Francis Chan, but this guy is on a whole new level when it comes to serving the Kingdom...if we, as Christians, were all on his level, this world would look totally different. I read his book "Crazy Love" a while ago and it messed me up something fierce. It took me a long time to get through it because it stepped on my toes in the most uncomfortable, but necessary way.

Catalyst East 2010: Francis Chan from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Recently I made the decision to go back to school. It makes absolutely no sense...and I readily tell people this when they ask me about it! I never thought I'd want to be a student again, but I really feel like this is something that I'm deciding to do, knowing that the outcome will be bigger than 'me'. My hope is to start nursing school at the beginning of 2012, spending this next year taking some pre-requisite courses at York Tech. I'm the kind of person who needs to know what steps 3 and 4 are before I even start on step 1 and let me tell you, I have NO IDEA how all of this is going to work out. I just know that I'm enrolled in the class I need to take next semester and that I've given this whole process to God so steps 2, 3, 4 and so on are going to be totally what HE wants them to be. Our church was doing a series on the book of Esther the Sunday that this was all laying heavy on my heart and the key verse was the following:

"For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

It's the 2nd part that messed me up the most. It doesn't make a lot of sense to start this endeavor at this point in my life...but what if that means this is the exact time I'm supposed to go after it. Also, if I were to do nothing with what God was screaming so loudly at me that Sunday, I can without a doubt tell you the outcome...nothing. God is at work in our world everywhere, every day. He doesn't NEED me to get the job done (HE is God, after all), but what would happen if I took a big trip out of my comfort zone, stepped into His bigger plan, and met Him where He is already at work...what would that look like for my life? I guess I'm about to find out!

Playdate with Asher!

2010-11-03T20:14:00.000-04:00

Photo Booth

2010-10-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

We came home from California to a non-working computer...the same computer that cost $400 to fix a few months ago. We saw signs before we left that it was on its way out so we had prepared ourselves to be ready to buy something new. With everything we've endured with our last PC we made the decision that it would be the last PC this Reeves family ever purchased, so we've moved on with a new MacBook. So I guess I should say, Hi my name is Meghann and I'm a Mac! One of the many very cool features on this thing is the 'Photo Booth', and Ansley and I have been having lots of fun with it. I thought it would be a shame not to share some of our recent fun times...

I think I get more of a kick out of it than she does sometimes!

This one was the 'fish bowl' setting so I was trying to get Ansley to do a fish face!

"Ansley, where's your head?"

****In other exciting news...Our big girl is officially potty trained!!!!! I started training with her Monday and just told myself that we were going to get her trained however long it took. We were low on diapers so I just figured what better time than now?! It's been a long week but she's got it down and we could not be more proud of her!

Windy Hill Orchard

2010-10-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

We took Ansley to a pumpkin patch in York yesterday afternoon. Troy and I were joking that we've gone to a different pumpkin patch every year since Ansley's been born. I think we will be sticking with this one, though, for the coming years. It was the most kid friendly place we've been to yet!

Ansley was holding on to me with the death grip of fear while standing beside this horse. There were 2 horses in the stall and both were very friendly but I think the size of them completely freaked her out. I've realized that while Ansley loves animals, she mostly loves them with her eyes and from a safe distance!

Again, she's loving these pigs with her eyes, from a safe distance!

They had a "hay playground" and Ansley wanted no part in it, strangely though she LOVED this "hay house". There were even windows and she spent a large amount of time climbing through one to Troy on the outside of the house. I was just trying to not have a panic attack caused by claustrophobia.

Fun times on a Saturday afternoon!

California - Part 5

2010-10-16T15:23:00.000-04:00

The last night we were in California we made a trip up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

on our way up the mountain

at the top!

Note to self: the tops of mountains are cooooolllllllddddd!

the view of Palm Springs from the top

...and one last pic of Ansley and 'Great' at 7am the morning we left!

It was a great trip and we can't wait to go back!

California - Part 4

2010-10-16T15:04:00.000-04:00

Troy and I rented a car and had a day of sightseeing, just the two of us. We drove to Los Angeles and spent the day driving around in a Mustang convertible.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard

Then we drove to the Santa Monica Pier

This was a memorial that Veterans For Peace puts up on the beach every Sunday for the American military who have lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After leaving the beach we took a drive up the PCH through Malibu.

We then attempted to go back in to LA and go to the Griffith Observatory. Unfortunately, parking started not long after I took this picture on the long windy hill and neither Troy nor I felt like taking a hike that day!

California - Part 3

2010-10-16T14:37:00.000-04:00

Ansley and who she now calls "Great", for Great Grandma!

'Great' celebrated her 77th birthday while we were there!

Troy's cousin, Krista, was able to be there too!

California - Part 2 - The Living Desert

2010-10-16T14:26:00.000-04:00

If you know Ansley, you know that she's up for going to a Zoo any and every day. What can I say, my girl loves animals (I guess she gets that honest). So, our first official outing in California was to The Living Desert.

this was the petting zoo area with tons of small goats

And what's a trip to the zoo without lunch and milkshakes at a diner?!

California - Part 1

2010-10-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

I'm going to have to break up these California pictures b/c we took over 300 while we were there!! (don't worry, I won't be posting all of them!) We went with Troy's parents to visit his grandmother in Desert Hot Springs for a week. This was an exciting trip because it was Ansley's first flying experience! She ended up sleeping on every flight except for the final leg coming home from Dallas. Luckily there was an amazing flight attendant on that one who took Ansley under her wing and let her walk around with her and gave her snacks!

We left our house at 3am on Tuesday and didn't get to Grandma's house until around 8pm, pacific time. I thought she would go straight down, but she had to put on a concert first!

...and then play with toys!

our amazing view

Ansley watched the sun come up with Troy the first morning...the time change was a bit of an adjustment.

Ansley's first In & Out Burger experience

Ansley took up crocheting while we were there!

My little girl and my big girl...I mean, my husband!

2010-09-22T15:21:00.000-04:00

Can you tell what Ansley's new favorite hobby is?!

Edisto!

2010-09-20T14:11:00.004-04:00

We went to Edisto Beach the week of Labor day with my mom and Jim. We had a very relaxing week in an oceanfront house! The view was amazing and now that Ansley is a little older, she's a lot more tolerant of the sand and ocean.

Ansley is my brave little girl here!! She loved going out with me and jumping the waves! Troy almost had a panic attack every time we did this but we were having fun! (PS: I'm crouching down in the water...we aren't in as deep as it looks)

And what's a trip to the beach without at least one major meltdown!

This is as fas as Troy will go into the ocean!

Ansley is chasing a bird here yelling "C'mere, hold you!"

I'm not sure if its this particular beach or just this time of the year but dolphins would swim up and down the coast all day and evening. I've never seen as many dolphins in my life as I did on this trip. I was so amazed watching them swim and jump out of the water! (I have a 5 minute video of them doing this, which I will spare you...but if you'd like to see it, let me know!)

Our first family kite experience!

The last day we took a ride to Botany Bay. It's an old plantation with a private beach that is opened to the public certain days/hours. It was an absolutely beautiful place! This is our drive in.

On our 1/2 mile trek to the private beach!

You aren't allowed to take shells from the beach...look at the pile up!

Since you're not allowed to take shells with you, people pick up ones and hang them on branches of trees or anywhere they can find a special spot. Troy and I picked one out and perched it high on a branch!

Since the tide was high that day, this is what parts of the trail to the beach looked like. It made the journey that much more interesting!

Our last visit with the native wildlife before we head home!!

A trip to Riverbanks with Kristen and Asher!

2010-08-30T14:51:00.000-04:00

Last week we made a trip down to Columbia and went to the zoo with Kristen and Asher.

This guy/girl? was the neatest thing to watch. And while Kristen made the point that we fully believe these are not our ancestors, it is amazing how human like they are!

Ansley was much more intrigued by the "baby" monkey. She was a little intimidated by the size of the gorilla and felt much safer spying on the smaller monkey.

The kids had a lot of fun playing around and running through the gardens...

Ah, young love...

Matt and the kids visit!

2010-08-30T14:01:00.000-04:00

I've been slack about updating this blog, so sorry!! Here are some pictures from a few weekends ago when Matt made a trip with their kiddos to Rock Hill.

We only had one 'swim' diaper left so we let Willow use it and just put Ansley in a regular diaper...

Check out that bottom!! The regular diaper took no time to fill right up with pool water!

A little 'Willow Love'

Ansley followed Madeline everywhere!

a porch full of Reeves!

Grandma wanted a nice picture of all 4 grandkids...here's take 1

take 2

take 3

take 4

take 5!!!

Some extras...just for fun!

2010-08-06T13:17:00.000-04:00

Saturday project at Grandma and Grandpa's house!!

2010-08-06T13:06:00.001-04:00

Here's how Troy's mom and I spent last Saturday...

...making chalk board and dry erase elephants on the wall of their basement/playroom

one coat of "paint" on both

adding a little extra scenery...

Done!!

**I would also like to thank Troy and his dad, for without them we would not have been able to figure out the projector to get the elephants traced on the wall.

Ansley's first haircut!

2010-08-06T12:56:00.000-04:00

I decided on a whim last week that Ansley's hair could use a trim and asked Troy's mom to cut it before I changed my mind! There were several different layers in the back that were all different lengths and doing different things so to the family hairstylist we went!

We managed to occupy Ansley's attention with cookies!

See, it looks so much better!! Thanks Grandma!

The toddler bed!

2010-07-20T13:20:00.002-04:00

So, Ansley has been in a toddler bed for 2 weeks now. Troy and I always go in and check on her before we go to sleep. This was what we found two nights ago...

she was completely passed out!

...and then last night we found this, AGAIN!

Who knows if she's getting herself into this position every night and then somehow waking up and climbing back into bed?!

The after party!

2010-07-13T18:48:00.000-04:00

3 out of 4 of the couples we have Supper Club with hung out for dinner after the party. Then Kristen, Brent, and Asher stayed the night! Here are the kids eating our pizza dinner Saturday night.

Unfortunately for Harley, the only food that was dropped were peas...and he apparently isn't a fan of veggies.

...and ice cream cones for dessert, of course!

After bath time the kids enjoyed a little bit of jumping on the bed, courtesy of Ansley's newly converted toddler bed!

Here is Asher practicing his trike tricks on Ansley's new tricycle.

Goodnight kisses!

The next day Ansley and Asher were able to try out some of Ansley's new toys.

His and hers lawnmowers!

Ansley turns 2...Party Time!!

2010-07-12T19:49:00.000-04:00

Ansley LOVES babies...this is her favorite one, Emme. Troy's mom was holding Emme when Ansley informed her she wanted Emme in her bed, then in her 'yap' (lap)!

I have a feeling Jackson will be coming over to play with this one!

Ansley's first laptop!

She racked up on lots of bubbles!

Ansley had a great time, and that's all that matters!!

Lazy 5 Ranch!

2010-07-12T19:32:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Ansley's birthday Friday with a visit to The Lazy 5 Ranch! It's a drive through ranch located in Mooresville, NC (about an hour north of Rock Hill). You can drive your car through or you can pay a little more to ride a horse drawn wagon that includes feed buckets, so you can feed all the animals! Our visit definitely started out on the wrong foot...or shall I say I started our trip on the wrong foot. As soon as everyone loaded onto the wagon, the leader of the tour explained how all of the animals were to be fed. Birds could peck out of your bucket, animals on four legs eat out of your hand, for some animals you needed to throw the food on the ground, and then others you dropped food into their mouths. Well, he pulled out into the pasture and we had our chance to feed for the first time! The majority of the animals around were tall ostrich, so I put the feed bucket over the wagon for one to come and peck....when out of nowhere this large moose thing (this could be an exaggeration, as there were no moose there but you get my drift) came charging to my food. He then latched onto my bucket and after a little tugging (obviously he was considerably stronger than me), bye bye food bucket...at our very first stop. It wasn't a fair fight! Well, since my hands were free at that point I decided to pull out the camera. I take then lens cap off, put it in my lap, only to have it roll right off, onto the wagon floor below, then roll directly behind my legs and onto the ground...surrounded by pigs and ostrich. At this point we were about a minute into our wagon ride and I had managed to lose 2 very important things...luckily my husband is a patient man and after I steamed for about 30 seconds, we both had a nice laugh and the rest of the trip was such a success!!

white dear

little baby ostrich

zebra

The nice lady in the yellow shirt here offered one of their buckets to us and I told her 'thank you, but no', I would take it as a sign that we weren't meant to feed that day. I think Ansley was more comfortable sitting on the outer edge without me feeding animals.

water buffalo

giraffe...our camera wasn't on much of a zoom here, these things were really that close

It was HOT outside!

Yum!

It really was a great trip! One I'm sure we'll take again when Ansley is a little older. They also have a petting zoo and lots of smaller animals you can walk around to look at. There was a pig pen with little baby piglets that were the absolute cutest things. I also made friends with an older white headed lady sitting beside us who was an absolute hoot! Grandmas are my people, and she definitely kept me entertained!

Trip to Greenville!

2010-06-29T14:44:00.000-04:00

We spent last weekend in Greenville! Friday morning we got up early and met Nee-Cee to take Ansley to the Children's Museum. It was such a neat place! There was so much to look at and do, Ansley was a tad overwhelmed. I'm sure as she gets older she'll be up for exploring a little more.

She drove a race car!

She went grocery shopping!

She wouldn't get near the scanner, so I played!

We gardened!

...and cooked!

...and practiced brushing teeth!

...and played with a gigantic Lite Brite!

...and then Ansley's favorite part, Water Play!!

Such a great day, such a great place!

Saturday we had lunch at my grandparents' house, and after lunch we played with bubbles!

My dad showed her that if she didn't want to blow the bubbles she could wave the wand to make them...

which inevitably soaked everyone with bubble soap!

Father's Day!

2010-06-20T17:34:00.006-04:00

Happy Father's Day!! We celebrated here at the Reeves' household yesterday...well, because that's how things operate around here!! I bought Troy a smoker and we were able to spend the day making the neighbors wonder if our backyard was on fire!!

Here is Troy gearing up to make dinner (at 1pm!)

Ansley and Sampson observing in the smoke-free zone inside!

(side note: for anyone out there who thinks Sampson is in any way a safety threat...this child can do whatever she pleases to him without so much as a second look as you can see in the picture!)

Potatoes go on after a few hours

Troy adding more chips to the fire

I took this picture b/c I believe we have baby blue birds in that house again so we thought it best to move the smoker into the yard instead of keeping it on the deck.

Finally, the meat after 4 1/2 hrs in the smoker...It tasted AMAZING!

The potatoes on the other hand...well, lets just say we popped a bag of frozen french fries in the oven and ate those instead!

We had a great day and then dinner with Troy's parents!

On this Father's Day I am just overly thankful for the incredible man Ansley gets to call 'Daddy'. The importance of a relationship between a little girl and her father has taken on a whole new meaning for me after actually having a daughter. I am so thankful that Ansley has so many positive male influences in her life, and I fully appreciate how important this will be as she matures into a well rounded young woman. We're so lucky to have an amazing family, support system, and most of all a God that loves us in bigger ways than we can even fathom or understand. I don't go a day without feeling how truly blessed we are!

A weekend with the Reeves!

2010-06-13T18:07:00.004-04:00

Matt and Jill and the kiddos were in town this past weekend...here are all the kids getting acquainted with Freckles!

These 2 are quite a pair!

Sweet Willow

Time for fun in the sprinkler!

and bubbles

I just love the genuine reaction on Ansley's face on this one!

And then a Saturday night at the Charlotte Knights baseball game!

Isle of Palms!

2010-06-13T17:39:00.003-04:00

Kristen called last weekend and proposed that Ansley and I join her down at Isle of Palms for part of last week...how could we say 'no'?! We drove down Tuesday and enjoyed a full day on the beach and in the pool Wednesday, and a morning in the pool Thursday, then headed home. It was a short trip but these short trips help me keep my sanity in the monotony of staying home full time.

This was our first night after dinner, Asher peacefully enjoying his apple...

until someone started to follow him around begging for bites!

even in the seemingly clever hiding place of sitting in his toy bag, he could not escape my little girl!

This was his breaking point! He said, 'now what are you going to give me!?'

Wednesday morning, ready for the beach!!

Asher is a little more adventurous than Ansley!

A little after beach play in Mommy's sunglasses!

another garden update

2010-06-01T14:55:00.003-04:00

I've been puzzled as to why our squash have been growing like crazy but we haven't seen any zucchini yet...well, I was outside with Ansley this morning and walked over to inspect the garden and this monster thing caught my eye! I guess because the actual zucchini plant is so large that the actual zucchini was just blending in with it and the dirt. Only the middle plant (of 3) is actually producing any vegetables, it was so hidden I just wasn't paying enough attention. I guess we're having zucchini with dinner tonight!!

I put it in a frying pan so you could get an idea of the monstrous size of this thing!

Picnic by the lake!

2010-06-01T14:39:00.002-04:00

We get together with the Herrings now every other week for dinner. Our small group disbanded so we've replaced it with this...which has been very refreshing (no agenda=a welcome change)! This past week Jessica packed up sandwiches and other goodies and we met at Winthrop Lake for a picnic.

Ansley is just absolutely smitten with babies, especially this one! She spent most of the evening kissing and touching Emme!

...and then Jessica let Ansley 'hold' her which was like Christmas for Ansley

You can see Jackson in the background of this picture chasing after the aquatic wildlife!

More chasing, except with the ball this time!

Ansley and Freckles!!

2010-05-24T17:16:00.002-04:00

Troy's parents have a new puppy, her name is Freckles. She is absolutely adorable and just the sweetest little thing.

This was their first meeting...Freckles was very excited!

First garden picks!!

2010-05-24T17:12:00.001-04:00

So apparently I have a green thumb after all!

Oh, the things we do for entertainment on rainy days!

2010-05-17T13:10:00.003-04:00

Garden Update

2010-05-15T12:57:00.003-04:00

Last time I mentioned the garden, we were having issues with Sampson digging. It became a regular occurrence and Troy had to make-shift a barrier so he couldn't get in. It looked a little ghetto but it served its' purpose...

...until yesterday

Our garden got a makeover with a little help from some rabbit fencing!!

I can't believe how fast everything has grown in just over a month! Hopefully I'll have some pictures of fresh produce soon!

Our Mother's Day Feast!!

2010-05-09T15:54:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Mother's Day yesterday b/c Sundays are typically the busiest day of our week! Troy made pancakes for breakfast and then had a 3 course meal planned for dinner. I'm so very lucky to have an incredibly loving and encouraging husband!

The Menu

Our Appetizer

Main Course (with a glass of homemade Sangria)

And Dessert!

(my newest obsession is strawberry ice cream with chocolate chips, so this was Troy's fun take on that!

Water Fun!

2010-05-09T15:46:00.003-04:00

I washed my car yesterday morning and then we used the hose for this...

She was soaked but loved every second of it! I decided we needed to get her a bigger kiddie pool so I ran out before lunch and picked one up. She got in it 3 different times yesterday but I don't have any pics...yet!

Vacation in Orangeburg!

2010-05-08T09:53:00.002-04:00

We had the pleasure of spending a few days with Kristen and Asher in Orangeburg this past week at her parents house. I joked that this was vacation for us because when you're home all week, every week, any break in your schedule is vacation!

We played with lots of dogs!

We blew bubbles!

We sat on the dock!

We dodged Asher's kisses!

We visited the 'Kristen Petersen Hair Salon for Little Girls'

We jammed out on the piano!

We went fishing...

where we had no real interest in the fish, so we did this

and then this!

It was a great trip!!

The newest addition to the Reeves fam!

2010-04-25T16:52:00.003-04:00

Courtesy of her great aunt "NeeNees", Ansley now has a "BISS" (or Nee-Cee and fish, for anyone who doesn't speak 'Ansley'). She walked up to him yesterday and said "mo!" out of nowhere, so here he is ladies and gentlemen...Mo Reeves.

Some park pics!

2010-04-25T16:29:00.004-04:00

Our Garden!

2010-04-25T16:12:00.003-04:00

My birthday gift this year from anyone who donated $ to the cause was a garden in our backyard. My loving husband built it for me a few weekends ago!

And then I planted the crops!

We have onions, watermelon and pumpkin, broccoli, squash, zucchini, okra, and strawberries. I wish I could say that it has gone untouched by our four legged child back there but unfortunately we are down a few plants than what we started with. Troy gave him a bone the week after we finished to occupy his time and unfortunately he occupied his time by burying the bone in the garden. Troy has managed to make some larger barriers around the perimeter and took away the bone so it looks like the garden is safe for now!!

Birthday Weekend (Part 3)

2010-03-30T13:17:00.003-04:00

We finished up Saturday with a little 'Ansley and Asher date' to the park!

This would be Ansley's "get me off of this thing" death grip! (Notice Asher in the background loving every minute!)

Birthday Surprise Weekend!! (Part 2) SKYDIVING

2010-03-29T21:20:00.006-04:00

So early Saturday morning the 3 girls loaded into the car and drove to Chester for our skydiving adventure. I think we all had a freak out moment when we drove up! But shortly after we arrived we got to watch a group of jumpers land and I think we were all calmed by discovering that people do this ALL the time and rarely do you ever hear of anything bad happening.

After, literally, a 10 minute training session we were suited up and got ready to fly at 14,000 feet!

Our tandem partners. My partner was at about 3700 jumps and Neely's had 4800...just to give you an idea of how often these people jump!

The boys got there a little later than expected and didn't realize we were in the air until we landed. Here is one of us just as we all touched down. Notice I'm still wearing the cool hat, and Neely is still in the 'slide' position on the ground.

"I'M ALIVE" - what I'm saying in this pic

Ansley and I watching the jumpers who went up after us.

This was truly and amazing experience that I hope to have the opportunity to do again before I die. It was one of those things that had so much anticipation leading up to it, it was over way too soon. So, if anyone reading this would like to go skydiving, I HIGHLY recommend it and would love to go back with you!!

Birthday Surprise Weekend! (Part 1)

2010-03-29T20:42:00.003-04:00

Troy told me we were having dinner with his parents Friday night. But when we walked into The Bistro, to my surprise...

He had actually arranged a surprise Birthday dinner for me with great friends!!

This is the amazing gift Neely made me (Ansley)!

MMMMmmm, Strawberry Cheesecake!

Here, Troy is demonstrating Ansley's new dance move for the table!

At dinner I was informed that Neely, Kristen and I would be going skydiving the next day (Saturday)! I mentioned to Troy about a month ago that I would LOVE the opportunity to go skydiving. My only stipulation was that I didn't want to go by myself. Troy was a definite no go, so Kristen and Neely were troopers and went with me!

Like Mama, Like Daughter...

2010-03-23T10:39:00.002-04:00

She makes me so proud!!

Nashville!!

2010-03-21T19:54:00.007-04:00

Heading to the pool for the first time...

Ansley's first time swimming...she LOVED IT!

Monday we ate lunch at the Aquarium Restaurant. It was the neatest place with this HUGE tank that took up the whole middle of the restaurant and all Ansley wanted to do the whole lunch was look at the fish.

Just testing out some possible birthday present ideas from Grandpa!

Preparing to ride the Carousel that was in the middle of the mall...

...she hated it!

...so did Troy...

Another restaurant with fish!

Getting ready for our nightly swim trip!

Just look at that face to get her opinion on the big horses...

Downtown Nashville!

We went to the Nashville Zoo on Tuesday and had the best time. There was a lot of walking but Ansley loved every minute!

We had such a good trip with Troy's parents. I had concerns about how Ansley would handle being in the car for 8 hours but it turns out that when she's got company in the backseat she's totally fine! We appreciate the opportunity to have taken such a neat trip very much!!

Front page of Sunday's paper...

2010-02-22T20:44:00.003-05:00

The Rock Hill Herald did a front page story on our church in yesterday's paper...and Troy's face graced the cover! Enjoy...

http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/02/21/1961120/north-rock-hill-church-expands.html

Girl's & Boy's Weekend!

2010-02-22T20:23:00.003-05:00

We had the opportunity this past weekend to spend some quality time with great friends! Kristen and Brent came up Thursday night and the boys took Friday night to go camping. Then, the girls went to ADPi's 30th anniversary semi-formal dinner (or dance as Kristen liked to refer to it as) Saturday night! Here's a picture of the car packed up and the boys ready to hit the road (minus Jason who had to work a little bit later that day).

They went to Kings Mountain and definitely proved their manliness by sleeping in a tent in 30 degree weather...

Saturday night the ladies went to the dinner and stayed with Neely. Side note, the next time I say I'm going to pay $30 to go to a semi-formal dinner...remind me that I'll have way more fun hanging out with those same ladies in the comfort of my pjs at someone's house for free!

Troy was nice enough to be our chauffeur for the night. None of the boys were interested in paying to hang out with 250 sorority girls.

Unfortunately, the Reeves family and Asher all ended the weekend sick :( Ansley caught a cold at the end of last week and then gave it to me (and then Asher). We took her to the doctor this morning and found out she also has a double ear infection. I'm feeling better but she's still pretty pitiful. Troy also went to the doctor this morning to find out he has a "2nd degree lung infection" and a sinus infection. Apparently the lung infection was caused by inhaling too much campfire smoke. We're a mess!!

PS...let me take this time to also let the world know how awesome I think Brent is! After Troy left for church yesterday morning (and before Kristen and I got home from Neely's) he cleaned our kitchen. I don't think I've seen our microwave this clean in a long time! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends!!

We have Snow...AGAIN!!

2010-02-13T14:46:00.004-05:00

And this time it's the fun kind, that isn't covered in ice!!

She's wearing socks, tights, and a pair of thermal pants under those overalls!!

Ansley's only concern was eating the 'no'

Everything was going well until this happened...

Then she was totally over it and wanted to be held! Notice Troy is covered in the snow that came off of Ansley from her face plant!

Troy's snow angel

This stuff was way too powdery (is that a word?) for snowman building...so I did what I could and made a snow turtle!

We have snow.....

2010-01-30T20:09:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately it's under about an inch of ice...

The Greatest Show on Earth!!

2010-01-28T15:44:00.002-05:00

We took our old camera so I apologize for the picture quality, these were really the only 4 that weren't a complete blur!! We took Ansley to her first circus last night and we had a really good time. I found some lower bowl tickets for $12.50 and decided at 5pm to buy them and go! The circus started at 7pm so this was the epitome of spontaneity for our family! I wish I could say that we only spent $25 but apparently we had to pull out all of the bells and whistles and buy $10 cotton candy and other much needed concessions! I was worried about how long Ansley would sit on our lap but she held out until 8:30 which was way better than I expected! We were hoping for animals to be a bigger part of the show, for her sake, but it was still exiting to watch the magic and acrobats! All in all it was a great way to get out of the house and have a family date night!!

You're in luck!!!

2010-01-23T16:47:00.003-05:00

Ansley is napping and Troy is playing Madden on XBox, so I figured I'd post some pics from our last play date with Asher and Riley!

Giving Asher kisses...

We were trying to recreate the photo we took of them as babies...as you can tell, it takes Ansley some motivation to lay straight!

Troy walked in the room to try to help us get the kids to all smile and when she realized that he wasn't coming in just to pick her up, the waterworks began...

I'm not kidding, I have no idea where she gets the drama from but she's on her way to an Academy Award with this performance!

One more...

2010-01-23T16:39:00.002-05:00

Our new favorite website...Picnik

2010-01-17T18:12:00.002-05:00

I discovered this website a while ago but Troy and I have re-discovered our love for it with our new camera and all of the pictures we've been taking. It's www.picnik.com and you can play around with pictures in such neat ways...here are a few we've done over the last few days!

Our New Camera!!!....I love it!

2010-01-08T16:49:00.004-05:00

When we went to the beach with Kristen and Brent in September, Troy spent some time playing around with their really nice Canon. Ever since then Troy has been on a campaign for us to get a new camera. We finally went and bought one last week and I already don't regret spending the money we did. We bought a Nikon D3000 and this thing is AWESOME! Ansley and I were waiting for Troy to get home today with lunch so I figured I would take a minute to play around and take some pics. The quality on this thing is so much better than anything we've ever had before!!

One More...Ansley, by 2pm Christmas day...

2009-12-27T21:02:00.003-05:00

Where will it all go?!

2009-12-27T18:22:00.002-05:00

When we got home from Greenville it looked like Santa had just thrown up all over our living room!.......check out Ansley's expression, priceless!!

Luckily with the help of some Target gift cards we were able to buy some better storage!!

PS...don't mind the random paint on the wall above, we're trying out different colors in hopes of painting the living room and kitchen SOON!

McAbee Christmas!

2009-12-27T18:01:00.004-05:00

We were in Greenville for Christmas this year. We stayed with my dad and Shari so Santa delivered lots of presents there for Ansley. I had told my dad that this would not be necessary because Ansley isn't old enough to actually understand that it's Christmas but I'm sooo glad he and my step-mom made a big deal out of it. The look on her face when we came down the stairs Christmas morning was priceless!! We went over to my grandparent's house for lunch where they and my aunt and uncle had more presents waiting for my little one! It was such a special day!

This picture gives you and idea of what was waiting for Ansley that morning. She picked out all of the Elmo stuff first...then the baby dolls!

I don't think she could ever get tired of playing with babies!

Here, Ansley is playing with magnets with Nee-Cee...if she only knew what was waiting for her in the other room!

After Ansley looked at all of the toys, she seemed more fascinated with my grandfather's baseball figurines on the bookcase...until one of them fell on her in attempt to grab it. My step mom had Lasik surgery 2 days earlier...she doesn't usually wear sunglasses inside!

1/2 of the set up...

...the other 1/2!

MORE baby dolls!!

Ansley got a cleaning set to help mommy around the house!

One of the kitchens she got for Christmas...this one will stay in Greenville!

Looking at all of her groceries!

We celebrated with my mom and Jim Christmas eve...but I was apparently distracted and took zero pictures. They got Ansley a nice kitchen that is now in our living room. She's played with that and the groceries non-stop! It was a busy 2 week Christmas but it re-affirmed with us how wonderfully the Lord has blessed us with family that just absolutely adores us. We are so thankful for not only the many gifts that were given but also the wonderful food that filled our bellies, the beds that we were allowed to sleep in, and great conversation. We LOVE you ALL!!

Reeves' Christmas!

2009-12-27T17:54:00.002-05:00

We celebrated with the Reeves the weekend before Christmas! We flew Troy's grandmother in from California for 2 weeks so she could be a part of the festivities. She hadn't had the chance to meet Ansley or Willow yet so it was nice to have everyone together! It's always fun to watch Ansley interact with her cousins...she gave Willow lots of "love"!

Christmas Tree Time!!

2009-12-03T18:58:00.003-05:00

We went to Penland Tuesday and cut down our tree...Ansley wasn't even crawling yet at Christmas time last year so this year will be much more exciting for her!

Um, seriously...could she be more excited??!! Our chosen tree Before...

Ansley helped Troy cut...

...and After!

We have the tree up and decorated and surprisingly Ansley hasn't messed with it much! We've only broken 1 ornament so far...I guess it's a good thing they all came from Big Lots and weren't expensive!!

Pics of Thanksgiving!!

2009-12-03T18:52:00.003-05:00

The triptophan kicked in immediately with Willow!

Ansley just loved the 'baby'...they're only 9 mos apart!

Ansley playing with Nee-Cee after lunch at my grandparents!

Future CEO

2009-11-16T08:19:00.003-05:00

Here she is working on her "You're Fired!" face...

Until then, however...she's learning the meaning of 'WORK your way to the top'!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T20:57:00.008-04:00

Our Little Duck!! (with added bow so no one gets confused!)
Trick or Treating at Mrs. Peggy's house, Ansley waves to her decorations!
For anyone who wonders what a duck in a car seat looks like!
Trick or Treating at Riley's house...otherwise known as go to Riley's house and play with all of her toys!

Trick or Treating at Grandpa and Grandma's house!

Digging into her Halloween treat bag...

OOooh, M&Ms!

Finished up the night like most kids on Halloween!!

Pumpkin Time!!

2009-10-26T09:26:00.008-04:00

We took Ansley to a pumpkin patch Saturday!! We told her she could choose which one we got, here's Troy trying to convince her to get this one!!

The pumpkin patch is put on by a church and this house sits between it and the patch. Here Ansley is telling us "bye bye" as she attempts to leave us to go in the house...

Ansley sized pumpkins
I'm glad she really didn't understand the fact that we would take home the pumpkin she picked out because she had a fascination with the weird ones...

see...

Here's the mini-pumpkin I carved for Ansley

And then the bigger one for Troy!

Our front porch is officially festive!!

State Fair time!

2009-10-23T14:01:00.002-04:00

We met up with Kristen and Asher on Wednesday to visit the South Carolina State Fair! They have this deal where you can come in after noon and pay $5, and if you leave before 2pm you get your money back. So it was a "make it snappy" trip but it was fun to let Ansley see all the animals.

This was Ansley's reaction to having to sit in the stroller after being in the car alllll morning!

She's not dramatic at all!!

Ansley looking at the 20 lb. bunnies...
Ansley and Asher...they're really excited, can you tell?

"Hey goat"

4 Generations

2009-10-18T18:21:00.002-04:00

15 Month stats...

2009-10-13T11:19:00.003-04:00

Weight - 23 lbs 7 oz - 61st Percentile

Length - 31 1/2 inches - 75th Percentile

Head Circumfrence - 19 1/2 inches - 97th Percentile

That's right, she's already 15 months! Troy and I were laying in bed last night and I said "can you believe it's been 3 months since her birthday", and he said "can you believe it's been 15 months since she was born?". And no, I can't...It's gone by waaay faster than I ever imagined it would. She's getting so fun and smart, she knows colors and will point to things I ask her to in books (she's fallen in love with books) and most importantly she makes her daddy and I laugh...A LOT!

Seriously, could she be any cuter?!

2009-10-03T18:17:00.001-04:00

Thank you Family Dollar for having such affordable, adorable pjs!

...Please disregard 'Behind the Music: Bret Michaels' in the background

Ansley and daddy enjoy a fudgesicle!

2009-10-01T14:35:00.002-04:00

Turnin' Circles...Ansley's favorite new hobby

2009-10-01T14:09:00.002-04:00

Sorry it's so dark!

For Nee-Cee

2009-09-14T20:37:00.003-04:00

Who knew that a baby and a cookie container could provide so much entertainment...she played like this all Saturday afternoon and most of the day today!