We went back to Knoxville this past weekend for Ellen's matches. She had a big weekend ... Friday night was her first official start as a Lady Vol & Sunday was her first televised match vs. Florida! They won Friday, but fell short on Sunday. They were both very exciting matches!

Aunt Annie & Ellie at the match on Sunday! We had a good time cheering on Ellen. Then we went out to dinner @ the Copper Celar~yummy!

The Coy's were also @ the match on Sunday. Ellie & Travis are only 3 months apart & had a great afternoon cheering on the lady vols! They were definitley the cutest 2 cheerleaders there!!

Ellie had her 6 month Dr. checkup this week! She is doing great & Dr. Farmer said she could not find a thing wrong with her!! She did get 4 shots & fell asleep in the car on the way home! Sweet girl~ She weighs 18 pounds 6 ounces & is 28 inches long!

This is her new trick! Playing peek-a-boo when she wakes up!! She figured out how to pull the bumper down to see out!! I just laughed the first time I walked in and saw her looking out then said hold on & ran to get the camera!! TOO CUTE!

Play date with Madelyn! She wore her Birthday shirt :)

Well, this was our fun week!! We also went to visit our friends in the hospital. Scott & Allyson had their baby boy Zachary! He is a cutie with a full head of dark hair! CONGRATULATIONS to the Denham family & baby #3!!

Marie ~ MVP

Marie & her volleyball team played in a tournament here last weekend! She is a setter for the Austin Peay Lady Govs! They came to Johnson City Thursday to play @ ESTU!

Thursday, Ellie & I shopped for groceries then met Robin & Kate @ Panera for lunch. It was such a beautiful day, we sat outside!


Friday, the whole team came to our house for lunch! Mom & Maggie came in town, too! Thank GOODNESS mom was here to help me cook for 17 people! Then that night, AP played ETSU & won! It was a great & exciting match. We wore our RED to support the girls!




maggie & ellie @ the match saturday morning. marie got this AP dress for ellie before she was even born & she finally was able to wear it! SO CUTE!!!




Marie & Ellie after the last match on Saturday afternoon! They won the whole tourney & got t-shirts & a trophy! Ellie napped through the last match, but @ least we got a pic with our favorite lady gov!!

Ellie is 6 months old & sitting up pretty good! I use the boppy to support her, just in case!! She is miss independent & loves that sing alon nursery rhyme book!




Sunday morning before they left... We had such a great weekend!! & I think we have decided, we are going to call my mom, RaRa (her name is Sarah & we have not all agreed on her grandma name until now). I am sure Ellie will come up with something on her own, but until then, it's RaRa!!

Ellie & Daddy, Sunday afternoon, about to cheer on the TITANS!!

Our sweet girl after a weekend of FUN


We had a great & busy weekend! Ellie was a trooper, going from one place to another since Thursday! We so much enjoyed having Marie's team here for their pre-game meal. It was great to cheeer her to VICTORY! Then she actually was able to stay with us Saturday night. So, we had a day to all be together (Mom, Marie & Maggie) I hate to say goodbye ... I know, 4 years later, but it's still hard!! But, they left Sunday morning & stopped to visit Ellen in Knoxville. At least I will see mom & ellen Friday, & hopefully dad, maggie & ann on Sunday! YAY!!

Labor Day

Well, Chad actually had 3 days off in a row! AYAY! We spent them with friends & family in Nashville. We drove in on Friday night. This is Chad & Ellie hanging out before we left~she loves her daddy!! There are definitely times when she wants her mommy, but she lights up for Chad! He can make her smile & laugh everyday! She likes to play peek-a-boo with him & wonders why he isn't paying attention to her at every moment!

Great Granny & Ellie
Cousin Gianna

1st time having green beans for dinner & she loved them! She is doing really well with different foods. She now has oatmeal for breakfast, rice cereal with either squash, sweet potatoes or gr beans for dinner. She still nurses during the day & before bed, but has been sleeping through the night :)

Jumping after dinner & so glad to be home. She likes our quiet little house & her own bed (she didn't sleep well while we were gone :( ) but maybe that is because she cut her 1st tooth! It is the bottom left & oragel has been our friend. Love that messy hair~

We came home Monday evening. My mom scheduled Ellie's 6 month pictures while we were in Nashville with Melinda Norris photography~she wore the same dress I did in my 6 month pictures! I CANNOT wait to see them! We are doing great here & hope you are, too! HAPPY FALL ~love~

lady vols

My sister Ellen is on the volleyball team at The University of Tennessee! She is a freshman, defensive player & looks good in orange! :) They had a pre-season tournament last weekend, so it was Ellie's 1st game as well!!

wearing her UT ladyvol cheerleader skirt & volleyball onsie
Signing autographs after the match
Aunt Ellen, Ellie, & Yaya
with daddy on the court
waking up the next morning (we are only 1.5 hours away from Koxville)

We had a great night watching Ellen & being with mom. It is going to be a fun & busy fall! Hopefully, we make it to all of her home matches. Ellie did great in the car both ways & in the gym. They play in Thompson Bowling, which is the BIG arena the basketball team plays in, so when the music started over the loud speaker it scared her @ 1st, but she adjusted well & loved watching the girls! GO VOLS! I will have another volleyball post soon ... Marie & her Austin Peay volleyball team are coming to JC for a tournament in a couple weeks ~ of course Aunt Marie got Ellie a cute, pink AP dress with bloomers! LOVE IT & SO proud of my sisters!!

August Fun!

We have had such a fun, hot & eventful month! First, our trip to Nashville ... then visitors, doctors appts & daily plans! This week, the weather has finally started to cool off! It seems like all of our play dates have been inside or cut short. I really like having something to do, if not everyday, most days! So, we try to find something to get ourselves into when Chad is at work! We meet friends for lunch, we go to friends to play, or have friends over here! Last Thursday night, Ann came to visit! We had such a nice couple days with her! She is busy coaching Siegel High School Volleyball in Murfreesboro, TN but, she squeezed in time for us! Saturday, Ellie's friend Maddie (pictured below) had her 1st birthday party! It was monkey themed & very cute. Her mommy, Marianne is staying home this year as well, so we get together often!

This week is not as eventful ... but, tonight we are having a double baby 'sprinkle' shower for resident families here in JC. Both familes are having boys (Zachary & Bowen) & have 2-3 kiddos already. Friday & Saturday, Ellen has a pre-season tourney in Knoxville & Chad is off!! So, we are heading to k-town for some volleyball!! I am so excited to see her & let Ellie wear some orange~ :)

I am proud to say, Ellie is back to sleeping throught the night! YAYAYAY! I am so happy & well rested! She had been doing so well & then 2 weeks ago after a upset tummy day, she was back to waking up 1-3 times during the night. Sometimes she wanted to nurse, sometimes she wanted her paci & sometimes she was just fussy & wanted her mommy to hold her. But, all of the sudden, Friday night she slept all night 8pm-7am! I was beginning to think that this darn cereal was to blame! We have added veggies~loved the squash, spit out the sweet potatoes! We will keep trying :) She is so cute, I just love her SO much! Chad is pretty in love with her, too! She smiles & laughs @ him every evening when he gets home ~ it is so sweet! Sometimes I have to remind him for a kiss~hehe!
Here are some pics of our girl~

Helping me with laundry
Maddie reading to Ellie

Fast learner ...

Happy Girl~

She loves bath time & so wrap up in a arm towel after!!

5 months ALREADY!!

5 months old
such a cute little outfit~love Miss Emily

On her head, in her so cute onsie @ her 1st gymnastics open gym

eating oatmeal in her high chair for the very 1st time

Our sweet girl turned 5 months old! It is SO SO SO hard to believe~time is flying! I am so glad I am able to stay home with her right now. I am witnessing every little thing she does! She is rolling over both ways now, all the time. I have given her rice cereal & oatmeal so far. She is liking it more & more (one Tbsp with 2 Tbsp warm water). I think next week I will try a veggie! Hopefully that goes ok ...

Ann is coming to visit next weekend~YAY! If Chad's schedule stays the same, we might get to go home labor day weeekend, but if not that's ok because my family will be coming up a lot soon! Two of our friends are turning 1 year old in the next couple weeks~we have some partying to do, FUNFUN! I have all her little cupcake outfits washed & ready!!

And, I also have washed all her ORANGE for Ellen's matches! Good thing Elllie looks good in it! We are going to Knoxville the 27 & 28th to watch her play! Ellie also has the CUTEST Austin Peay dress for Marie's matches! APSU comes to ETSU in Septmeber & I am cooking for the team whoohoo!! So, I must mention Maggie now ~ she is cheering this fall for the first time. We all cheered 1 yr in the 8th grade ... mom said it is non stop cheering/dancing in the house ... 'hold the line Saints hold that line' ... HAHAHAHA!!! Oh, and Courtney, Chad's sister, is planning a beach wedding for May!

Lots of FUN stuff around here! Missing all my friends in Nashville & Memphis, hope to see you all soon!

Visitors & a Road Trip

Playing with the Dehham sisters ~ Caitlin & Maddie

They are expecting a little brother in September! Their daddy works with Chad.

Ellen came for a visit ~ We shopped, ate & went to FunFest to hear The ZacBrownBand play. It was such a nice visit, we will be seeing her ALOT this fall since she is in Knoxville now!!

Allie & Ellie

The Sutton's came up for a long weekend the end of July. Bubba & Chad have been best friends since little league. His wife, Brittney & I have been friends since Chad & I started dating 10 years ago! They got a head start on the children though ... we are 2 behind!! Brianna is 7, Allie is 4, & our Goddaughter, Chloe is 15 months.
We had such a great time with them!! There were a lot of girls under 1 roof, just like my childhood~FUN memories!! They brought the slip n slide - what a fun afternoon! We even ventured to Target & all out to dinner!


Miss Chloe

Brianna all about the slip 'n slide
as well as several neighborhood kids

@ Aunt Charlene's pool. Ellie loves the water!

Ellie & I headed to Nashville the 1st week of August. We had a great time, but missed Chad greatly! He was on call Tues & Thursday, so he didn't have much time to miss us! Tuesday was Marie's birthday! We had such a fun day with her & had GiGi's cupcakes for dessert~yummy!

Marie, the birthday girl, with the kiddos she babysits~Jack & Jake~ & Ellie
The week was BUSYBUSY! Lots of people to see! We had an agenda everyday!!

We went to visit @ my dad's office, Aunt Charlene, my old dentist office, Kate Rosenthal, Monica/grandma, Cara, The Pilote's, & the aunts: Colette, Jeannine & Shana. Whew~all in 3 days, then my mom's family Friday!

Meeting cousin Avery

The girls are only 1 month apart & Ellie is WAY bigger! Avery is my cousin Kevin's daughter. All the family was able to meet both the girls @ the get together Friday! It was nice to see everyone & the girls did great getting passed around all day!

Matching Aunt Maggie in pink&white striped POLO

Pops

We came home on Saturday. I still have a hard time leaving, 4 years later, but Chad was off the whole weekend & we were excited to see him!! It took us 5 hours to get back .... Ellie was not as happy in her carseat this time. But, we had 2 nice days as a family! Sunday, our girl turned 5 months old!!! WOW! She is still as sweet as ever~smiling & laughing! She is in size 3 diapers, 6 mos clothes, doing better with cereal, rolling over lots & loves her jumperoo! We have a busy week planned~ glad she is so good, I just take her with me everywhere! She is still sleeping about the same, 8 pm-5am in her crib, nursing, then sleeping til 8 in bed with me. She is putting everything in her mouth ... I guess teeth are on the way.