Tagged (Scroll past this post for your daily fix of Reed photos!)

So, I'm(Abbey) it. My friend Jane tagged me. And, if I knew enough about blogger (which I don't), I'd have a link straight from where I mentioned her name. However, her name is listed under friends link in case you need to verify that I was tagged.

Here are my seven things about me. I'm not sure if they are supposed to be things most don't know or not. Considering I have no idea who reads this blog, I'm going on faith that some of these things aren't known by our readers.

1.When I was younger, I would pretend I was on a cooking show. I'd get out all the bowls, measure things out, and talk to my audience of thin air. I'd like to say I did this for several hours at a time, but someone else would have to verify that.(Don't worry, I saved the lamest thing for the beginning. I didn't want to set your expectations too high as you read on...)

2. Once I got really lost in London. As in, completely lost and I wandered aimlessly for a couple of hours searching for a tube station. Eventually I made it back to our hotel, and strangely, no one even seemed to notice. And, I wasn't really that freaked out about it, which is surprising.

3. Currently I have a job I thought I would have to wait years to do. I write Sunday School curriculum for 3rd and 4th graders as well as for a product called Worship KidStyle. It's a lot more fun than it sounds, and I still can't believe they let me do it and I get paid. However, it is a lot of hard work, so I am glad I get paid. And, I'm a waitress when we can fit it in with Jeff's schedule. (Strangely, another dream job of mine.) I know it doesn't make sense, but I love it. Plus I'm a stay at home mom to the most incredible little boy in the world. I struggle to live in the moment with Reed as well as savor every second as I watch him grow up so fast!

4. I once went two weeks with a broken shoulder (I was told it was a broken shoulder, althought I'm not sure that was the technical term for it). No one believed I was in pain. It happened in kindergarten when Joel Mahaffey pushed me off a tire that was stuck upright in the ground. I still haven't gotten over it.I also sliced my pinky finger open with a pairing knife at Fred's Dollar Store. I remember saying, "Why couldn't this have happened to Ava (my sister)?" And who puts knives at a checkout counter anyway?

5. I'm addicted to reruns that I've seen a thousand times, especially Full House. How could Mary Kate, Ashley Olsen turned out so badly? And I think Reed totally has a crush on her/them. I haven't told him yet that there are two Michelle's.

6. I haven't balanced a checkbook since 1996. (Insert gasp here from people who are very detail orientated and probably my Mom who saves receipts. I don't.)

7. A bird attacked me once in Florida on the beach while I was eating a Subway sandwich. He decided to take a bite at the exact same time as I did! Then, he came back and pooped on my leg. (This one was for you, Jane.)

I can't believe I actually completed this. As far as who I tag, well, if you think it'd be fun to put on your blog, go ahead. Otherwise, I'm not in the mood to place unneccessitated guilt on anyone tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll change my mind. And, it's almost midnight, so I'm going to bed. This seems to be the only time I can focus on my writing.

Now, you can get back to looking at pictures of my happy baby, soon-to-be one year old!

Oh Happy Day!

Reed had an extremely happy day! He was smiling a bunch! Abbey took a bunch of pictures today and he was smiling in all of them.



"Mama, this cell phone is funny!!!"



Those more astute and dedicated LandLife "reed"ers will notice that his eyes are smiling and you can also see the smile behind the stopper.



Abbey also realized today that you can tell Reed to clap and he will start to clap immediately. We used to say, "Yeah" and he would start clapping. Now, he knows that "clap" means to start clapping. He is so smart.



People have commented that Reed is starting to act like me. That's a little scary for some I know, but I think it is just great. One really funny thing for those of you who've ever taken a picture of me is that I almost always smile with my mouth wide open. It looks like Reed is going to be an open mouth smiler.



Tonight, Reed took a couple of steps tonight without the support of anything. I am not sure that we can count it as walking, but one thing is for sure, he definitely thinks that trying to walk is HILARIOUS! You can hold him up and he will take a step and jump forward and laugh his head off!



Tonight in the tub, which also doubles as a container of water that Reed tries his hardest to empty onto the tile during the course of his bath, Reed would stand and hold himself up by the side. I would say, "Reed clap." He would let go, stand, and clap. Poor little guy, he has great balance, but he's scared to let go and take a step.



I am thinking that we need to get him a "magic feather" like Dumbo had. Maybe if he would hold it in his hand he would be willing to take a step.

We are thinking that Reed is going to see his first snow and ice! That is going to be a bit of a challenge for me as I am supposed to be teaching a VBS conference downtown in the morning. Hopefully the department of transportation will be putting the brine on the roads.



I love this kid.

Two Posts in One Day!

Our faithful blog "reed"ers, we must give you a second post since yesterday you didn't have your fill of Reedness.



Today, Mommy and Mrs. Tamara had lunch at The Depot. Of course, Reed and Britton got to hang out. They had matching bibs on.



It also looks like they had matching "food" marks on their cheeks.



Reed had a great and happy day! He was very smily and happy. Tonight at church he had a blast playing and was totally exhausted when he came home!

What Didn't Get Posted Yesterday!!!

Once again, I apologize for not posting last night. It was very windy and we didn't have electricity for a couple of hours. During that couple of hours, I fell asleep and didn't wake up until morning.



Reed has a few signs he gives off when he is sleepy. One is the "if I am really still and don't say anything, nobody will notice I am sleepy." That would be the picture above. Reed will get his sleepy face and it is so funny.

The next sign is one of my favorite things ever!



The Yawn! Is that not the cutest thing you have ever seen ever? He has the most perfect formation for his yawn.



Later on in the day, Reed came to see Kay Kay with Mommy. I couldn't go eat with them, because I am leading a Bible study with some of my coworkers on Tuesdays at lunch.



But, Reed did come and visit after lunch.

He got to go and see lots of people.



All of the excitement must have made Reed sleepy, because after he had his bottle, he went to sleep in my arms.

I keep blankets in my office (it gets cold in there), so I was able to make Reed a pallet, and he ended up sleeping for an hour and a half. Mommy was able to visit with some of my coworkers like Debbie and Kay Kay.

Since Reed wasn't interested in waking up, Mommy left to go to Hobby Lobby and Reed stayed on my floor. We had to leave soon anyway, because we had an appointment with our financial planner for us to get Reed's college fund set up. College will probably be very expensive in 17 years!



After we came home (in a monsoon!) Reed was ready to play! He immediately went to his favorite cabinet and pulled out a silver tray and piece of pewter. He decided to push them all throughout the room.



He also opened the drawer under the oven, another one of his favorite past times. Just to point out, we do generally button up his outfits, but I had changed him three times and that outfit is HARD to button up. It wasn't long until his bathtime, so we just let him wear it open for a little bit.



Another favorite cabinet. Anyone noticing a pattern here?



The only cabinet we have safety locks on. Cleaning supplies you may guess? No! Mommy's china? YES!



"Mommy, I think this cabinet is bwoken!"

So, now to recap the events of last evening.

I gave Reed a bath and then was getting him in his PJs while waiting on Abbey to bring his bottle up (HE LOVES WHOLE MILK!). We were getting things done, when all of a sudden, BAM! The lights went out! Mommy came upstairs with a candle and more importantly, a bottle. I rocked Reed to sleep and put him in bed.

When I came downstairs the wind was HOWLING. We sat in the living room for a few minutes when we decided that we would have Reed with us downstairs. I brought him down and all he wanted to do was play in the living room. Abbey and I decided to go and lay down on the bed with Reed. After a while, Abbey woke up and went to work, by candlelight, on a writing assignment. I fell asleep with Reed.

Finally, around 9:30, the lights came back on and I continued to sleep. Mommy came to bed around 10:20. I decided that since the weather seemed to have passed, I would go and put Reed in his bed. I set the alarm and Abbey came to bed. It was so funny, she didn't know that I had gone to put Reed in bed, so she started looking for him. (She didn't even know that I had gotten up.) I cracked up when she lifted up a pillow and looked under it!

sorry for no post

We didn't have electricity last night.

I promise some really cute pictures today.

Clumsy Monday!

Reed had a silly day! He was climbing in boxes that were too small for him and finding toys he had forgotten he owned.




Mommy said that Reed was thrilled when he found his bowling pin. He must have forgotten that he had it.



We haven't seen any new teeth, but we are pretty sure that he is getting some new teeth somewhere. He is chewing on things a lot!



What exactly is that expression his face!?!?!



Back to the tiny box in order to get to the big box!



"Mommy, I think that I need a bigger box to stand in."



Tonight, I had to teach a conference on the opposite side of Nashville. It was pretty well attended, but I was really missing my family!!!



With a face that cute, and a mommy that is so great, who wouldn't miss being with my family!!!??!?!? When I came home. I gave Abbey a quick kiss and talked for a second. Then, I headed off to Reed's room where he was soundly sleeping. As you might imagine, he was soon soundly sleeping in my arms where I was rocking him in his glider for a few minutes. Come on now, you didn't expect me to let my sleeping child lie did you? I hadn't seen him ALL DAY!



Wow! He was excited about something!



He loves the stuffed animals that he got in his package from Taiwan!

Schoolhouse Cafeteria

We ate lunch after church today with the Wright's! It was so great to see them, because it has been quite sometime since we have seen them. We've been busy moving into our house and making sure that the gas stations stay in business as we have been constantly in the road. The Wright's also have been busy settling into their new home and Jeff has been busy coaching basketball.



It took Reed a minute to remember Raleigh, because she has grown so much. She had a blingy bracelet on today. I bet if Reed had seen it, he would have loved it.



Check out the "faux hawk" on Reed. It was so cute! I'm telling you, the boy can pull off some really cool hair styles. His hair is starting to get thick, just another sign that he is growing up too quickly!



Reed was so excited to find that Raleigh had a mouth. Always, the accomodating girlfriend, Raleigh was happy to let him put his finger in her mouth. Reed thinks that everyone's mouths are happier with his finger in them. Try that with your finger in his mouth though, and well, get ready to get bitten, HARD!



Reed was also excited to get to see Ms. Jennifer. We also were able to make a date for Reed and Ms. Jennifer for Friday night. She is going to babysit Reed since I have to work and Abbey is going to go to stamping.



It was a thrill a minute for Reed, since his best friend Britton was also at the schoolhouse!

Tonight, Abbey began leading Worship KIDstyle at church and I was helping her. Reed had a blast playing in the nursery. He was so sleepy when we picked him up. We came home and he went straight to bed.

Special Guests!

Reed woke up this morning at 6:45ish. My plan on Saturdays when Reed wakes up is to get him immediately and bring him to our bed, in hopes that he will fall back asleep. No such luck this morning, he was literally climbing the headboard. Around 7:05 though, he sort of dropped his head. I took this as he's getting sleepy and laid him down between Abbey and me. Sure enough, after about 3 minutes he was asleep. Abbey and I followed suit and at 10 until 9:00, he woke up! Woohoo! We sort of slept late.



Some of our dearest friends came for a visit today. Wes and Abbie were friends of ours in Texas and amazingly, they were called to a church in Jackson, TN shortly after we moved to the Nashvegas area. We were beyond thrilled! They were in town for a little getaway, so we had the pleasure of their visit.



Reed was totally into Mr. Wes. Mr. Wes is the Equipping Pastor at Fellowship Jackson, and he is also a genius, so one day, he and Reed will have to have deep theological discussions.



For now, Reed is teaching Mr. Wes what a drumstick is.



Unfortunately, this is the best picture I got of Mrs. Abbie with Reed. So, we have Abbey (Mama), Reed, and then Abbie. Wes and I served on staff together at a small church in Texas, so it was pretty unique to have two staff wives named Abbey(ie).

Okay, so now, I haven't done this in a while, but I have to have a little rant.

Please, Mr. Hollywood, give the writers whatever it is that they want. I am guessing it is money. The problem is, I am being way too productive since there is nothing to watch on TV. I have been reduced to watching CMT!!!

So, here's what I have done so far this weekend. Swiffered (dry and wet) the kitchen, living room, and bedroom, vacuumed the upstairs, cleaned 2.5 bathrooms, put our pottery/Gail Pittman out over our cabinets, hung a curtain panel, cleaned Abbey's van, got the garage clear for Abbey to park in it, hung a couple of crosses on the cross wall, and hung our stained-glass crosses in our bedroom.

Now here is what I have seen on TV since the strikes.

1. 1 vs. 100
2. Truth (a show on fox where you have to tell the truth)
3. My Big Redneck Wedding (on CMT, I'll probably start watching this regularly)
4. Gone Country (A reality show on CMT that occurs in Nashville. Side note: the house where they are staying is right down the street from where I used to serve as Children's Minister)
5. Miss America Reality Check (I know, PATHETIC!)
6. Miss America (This is going to be another RANT, but Miss America is RAUNCHY. I thought they used to be role models for women. Now, they walk out in skimpy bikinis and do all kinds of funky dances and walk silly. Supposedly, according to No. 5 on this list, they were trying to recreate Miss America by making her a modern day woman. Well, the talent portion was still very old fashioned but that is about it. The elimination method seems cruel and harsh.)
7. Trading Spaces (I'm excited about this one, since Paige Davis is BACK!)

I guess until Writer's Strike is over, we are going to be watching a lot of Iron Chef America, Food Network, TLC, and HGTV!

I'm thinking our productivity around the house is going to increase as the strike continues.

Reed and Daddy's Big Adventure

What a difference a day makes! Reed had many happy faces today, so he must be feeling a little better.



After I got home, it was time for our, uh, I mean Reed's nap. Reed went right to sleep and since I am a father that wants to lead by example, I took a nap alongside him. Finally, Enna gave us a wake-up call around 5:40.



After I fed Reed supper, we decided that we would like to go on a little adventure to the places that everyone loathes, sorry, loves!



Because it is FREEZING outside, Reed and I had to bundle up!



"I've got the keys, Dada!"



We also made sure that we brought along the "Reed's Daddy" diaper bag. We couldn't be walking around the site of our big adventure with the girly Vera Bradley diaper bag, I mean really!



Safety first! Reed had to get all strapped into his carseat!



Our first stop at the "secret destination" was the Aquatic Adventure Science Museum. Okay, so, it was really just the pet department, but "Aquatic Science Museum" sounds so much more interesting!



Reed also checked out a set of wheels at the "BMX Speedway." Once again, it was really just the bike department, but that just makes it sound boring.



Then we bought Mommy a GINORMOUS stuffed teddy bear for Valentine's day! (Note: That preceding sentence was a complete, ball-faced lie! Mommy would kill us if we bought her a stuffed animal!)

This was also where there was a lady on her cell phone and she was walking past us and said to the phone "Hold on!" She then proceeded to reach for Reed and said, "You are the cutest thing I have ever seen. You are an angel, sweet boy!" Then she proceeded to tell the person on the phone about the "cutest baby boy she had ever seen."



Finally, we saw Laura, a girl from my Sunday School class and we took advantage of the photo op. It was here that Caleb, a guy I knew from our last church and an employee at the "secret destination" said, "If a manager sees you taking pictures, he is going to chew you out!" Hmmm ... I thought, I have never seen this policy posted anywhere in this destination.

Oh well, I went and got some lithium batteries because as you can imagine our digital camera can BLOW through the batteries. Then we headed to get Reed his new favorite beverage, Whole Milk. Then onto the cleaning products for some "Swiffer juice" and since I love buying cleaning supplies we also bought some kitchen cleaner (Note: Reed and I went to another place yesterday and bought some cleaning supplies, I love the smell of clean!). Finally, we went down the candy aisle and then down the ice cream aisle (my two favorite aisles at the secret destination). I was scared to take a picture because there was a mean looking manager type stocking the freezer section, but they have "Lifesaver" flavored sherbet! I didn't buy this time, but, mmmmmm.

So, then we checked out where it was obvious to me that the secret destination doesn't enforce all policies, like say, the "10 items or less" aisle!!!!! I mean, the people in this town must think the "secret destination" is the only place to be on Friday night!

So we finally made it through the checkout lane and I was loading up the van when I realized we had not paid for the lithium batteries. I hauled Reed and the batteries back and stood in line to pay for the batteries. The line was completely not moving, so I put the batteries down and left! But, hey, I should get an A for honesty!

So, have you guessed where we were yet?



That's right, Wal-Mart, where apparently it is against the rules to take pictures of your beautiful baby!