Fall 2010

What a wonderful time of year. The kids have gotten into the swing of things with school. Andrew is loving middle school, some days are better than others. It is very hard for him sometimes because he is so small. Overall though I think he is adjusting well. He brought home his first report card. All A's and 1 B. We couldn't be more proud of him. Andrew is also in a phase of wanting/having longer hair. It drives me nuts but it is a battle not worth fighting. I see Andrew changing daily and sometimes it is a little scary. He no longer wants to hold my hand in public. I am also starting to hear "mom" more and more, and "mommy" less often. That's a sucker punch to the gut! Andrew is growing into a wonderful "tween", (as he calls it).....


Addison loves kindergarten. She comes home daily with a smile on her face. She received her report card as well. Addison got all 3's with a couple 2's. She said her teacher made a mistake, she shouldn't have gotten a 2. I tried to explain to her that 2's were not bad, she didn't want to hear that! The next day she told her teacher about her mistake.....
Addison has been very busy with her Dogwood obligations. She has done a couple of parades and some community service. She has been going to nursing homes and visiting. Andrew came with us on one of the visits. On the way to the nursing home I asked Addison to explain to Andrew what we were doing and why we were doing it. Addison proceeded to tell him that we were going to see old people that were in nursing homes. She said we needed to be nice to them because they were getting ready to die.



I also started a new chapter in my book of life. I am now on the Dogwood Festival Board. I am really excited about this new adventure. It should be fun and very rewarding. This will add to my full-time job, being on the PTO board at SRE, being on the Monticello Little League Board and most importantly, the hardest of all jobs--being a good wife and mother. I wouldn't change a thing though!



Travis and I are loving every moment in our lives. We love raising our babies together. There are so many times that we just look at each other and know we have it all! We have to remember that we can't change others and that to be truly happy in life we have to let go of things we can't control and concentrate on what really matters.

Some Garrett-isms....

Addison-"Andrew, why do you always flip your hair like Justin Beaver?"
Andrew-"It's Beiber, NOT Beaver"...
Addison-"Well, you look like a beaver"....

Addison at school...After using the restroom Addison marched up to a little boy who had used the potty before her. With her hands on her hips she says, "You need to hold "it" with two hands, you peed all over the seat!"

First day of School

I did it, I put my baby girl on the school bus this morning! She was very, very excited. As we were waiting on the bus she noticed I was a little teary eyed, she told me not to cry that she was going to be fine. The bus pulled up and she hopped right on, turning to blow us a kiss. I can't believe that day is here. She is not a baby anymore.




The bus drove away with my baby girl on it. She is going to have a great day, I am going to be fine. I think I'll just wait at the bus stop till she gets off:)

Then it was Andrews turn to go to his first day as a middle school student. You will notice there will be no pictures of him getting on the bus. He told be that I better not embarress him. I worry about him too, new school, new friends......

My babies are growing up. They are both starting new adventures in their life. One day I will wake up and they will be all grown up. Till then, I will continue to cry when they start school and take all the pictures of them that I can.

Summer 2010

Wow, It's been a little over 3 months since I have written anything. WoW!


What a busy summer we have had. I feel like I am in the fast lane of life....


For Fathers Day this year we had a cookout at our house and did family pictures. The pictures came out great! The whole Nay side of the family was able to make it. These are pictures we will cherish for years to come. These are just a few...

In July Addison was in the Scottsville Parade, she loved it. She is having a great time being a princess!

We took our trip to Nags Head. We had a very relaxing time and enjoyed each others company. This year Dad and Sylvia were able to come. Little did they know it was going to take them 12 hours to get there. I think it was well worth it though! We went to the beach almost daily, had amazing food, took the kids to ride jet skis and so much more.....

I always enjoy our trip to the beach. We make it a point to not make daily plans and take it easy. We also were able to get our family pictures....










After the beach Andrew went home with Grandpa Jack and Grandma Sylvia. He spend about 3 weeks there. He had loads of fun, as he always does. They went swimming daily, movies, aquarium, the Coke Factory, a Braves game and everything in between.....He always has a blast when he goes. It's special that he gets to spend quality time with them. Too bad Addison has to wait till she is 35 to go there for 3weeks:)



Every year Albemarle County has a County Fair. This is where Travis and I had our first date. This year Addison got to represent her title there. She was such a cowgirl cutie.......

Summer is close to being over. Fall is getting closer. The kids will go back to school and start a new chapter in their lives. Andrew will start middle school and Addison will start (gasp) kindergarten. I've said it before, these are the best years of our lives.........

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Andrew 5th grade Graduation

Andrew graduates 5th grade tomorrow. I am so proud of him. He has made honor roll. I can only imagine how hard it has been for him. I am on him all the time to try harder. He has and he did. He has proved himself to us. My hope for him is that the transition between now and middle school will be easy and he will continue to do his best and make us proud!

This is a letter I have written to him:


My Dearest Son Andrew,

There are not enough words to express how proud I am of you today. Congratulations! You did it, Andrew. You did it. You set your sights on a goal and you worked to achieve it. But that should not surprise me, because that is what you have done your whole life. All children learn, all children grow, but you have fought so hard to achieve that growth. I know at times it has been hard for you. I have watched you cry, I have watched you fight and I have watched you want to give up. But you haven't! Many of these things you will still have to work on but you have proved that you can do it!

And so, my son, you inspire me. You have challenged me to be the best possible parent I can be because you needed the best from me. “Difficult” would be an understatement for the road we have traveled together. But Andrew, if you can do it, so can I. I will continue to be right beside you, letting you lead the way. We have a big transition coming up, but when I look at what you have achieved today, and what you have gone through to get here, I’m daring to dream. I know you are too.

You can and will be anything you want to be. Hold your head high knowing that you are an awesome son and I am so, so proud to be your mom.

With all my love,
Mommy

Dogwood Festival

This is going to be a long one. So sit back and enjoy.....

4/13/10--Addison had her first Dogwood Event. It was the Pork BBQ. The proceeds went to support The Charlottesville Dogwood Festival. Addison got to hand chips to people. She actually really enjoyed it! As the night went on, it got colder and colder. They had fireworks at 9:00 but by 8:00 Addison was cold and couldn't take anymore, so we went on home!

4/14/10--Kids Fun Lunch at McIntire Park--This was a very special experience for both Addison and myself. The Festival gets children from the around the area that can't afford to come to the carnival and serves them lunch and lets them ride the rides. To see the joy and laughter on these children's faces is something that I will remember for a long time. Addison got to serve pizza, bananas and water to the kids. She even got to hand them all a stuffed animal to take home. I had talked to her beforehand about what we were doing and why. She understood completely. When we left she said, "Mommy, was what I did called Community Service?" I told her yes! She said, "Well that was very nice of us!'" It sure was!

4/21/10--Belks Fashion Show. Addison and I were asked to participate in Belks annual fashion show. I had been very nervous about this. I was asked to do it, so Itook that as an honor. The make-up artist at Belk applied make-up to both of us and we both got to wear very nice dresses. It was very quick and I think Addison and I did a great job. She had told me the night before that it was all about having fun! She is exactly right!

4/22/10--Addison and I went to Richmond to pick up Grandma Sylvia. She came to spend the weekend with us to take part in all of Addisons events. It was so nice having her with us. I told her that we were going to be very busy and she would finally get a glance at what our world is like. Dishes in the sink and mounds of laundry with no time to do either!

That night we had the Chicken BBQ at McIntire Park. Once again Addison got to help serve food. Only this time so did I! I got the honor of scooping cole slaw. It was a beautiful warm day so there were a ton of people there. The food didn't last long! After serving the food we let the kids ride some of the rides at the carnival. They had a blast. Throughout all the events Addison gets to wear her Tiara and sash!

4/23/10--Dogwood Festival Breakfast---This was held at the DoubleTree Hotel. It was a '50s theme so Addison wore a poodle skirt outfit. She looked very cute! They had breakfast and raffles. All of us won something! They had the choir from AHS perform a couple of oldies. Ms. Virginia also sang. The highlight was when Jim Carpenter came out in over sized shoes and pants Dancing to, "Pants on the Ground". It was very, very hilarious! We also got to keep the glasses that were on the table. They were donated by Pepsi. Pepsi is written on one side and Dogwood Festival is written on the other. A very nice keepsake.

After the breakfast we went to a rededication ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial in Charlottesville. This was a very touching ceremony. There were many veterans there showing their support. The princesses all laid American Flags. Very, very beautiful.

We then ended the morning with lunch at Michie Tavern. We all ate so much. They have the best chicken in town!

Friday night was the Presidents Dinner at the Doubletree. This was also a '50's theme. Jim Carpenter showed a slide show of pictures from the previous week. There were about 4 pictures of Addison in it! Dinner was amazing. The princess also got up and did a hoola-hoop dance. Very entertaining.

4/24/10--Parade Day! This was the event that Addison had been looking forward to. Unfortunately when we woke up it was raining! I went ahead and started curling Addisons hair. I ended up putting a shower cap over it until she got on the float. I knew that the dampness in the air would make all the curls fall. Luckily, it stopped raining on the way to the parade. Addison got to ride a float with the other Miss Dogwood Princesses, mommy got to ride too! She had an amazing time waving at all the people. She smiled and waved the whole time. She showed the grace and attitude of a true princess. We were so proud of her!

Queens Ball--This was the event that all the events lead up to. This is the event that they announce who the 2011 Dogwood Queen will be. It was an awesome reception in the ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel. There was dancing, dinner and drinks. Needless to say we were all exhausted when we left at midnight.

Andrew has been such a good big brother through all these events. He is really proud of Addison and Addison loves having Andrew at all her events. He danced the night away at the ball and he proudly cheered for her at the parade.

This was a very exciting and fun week of activites. We are all very grateful that we were a part of such a wonderful organization. We are also thankful that Grandma Sylvia was able to come up and be a part of this. Addison has a year worth of parades and activities so there will be more to come.

6th Grade??

6th Grade? Really? I can't even believe I am typing this. My baby is going into the 6th grade. Andrew had his 6th Grade Parent Question night at Walton. The parents stayed in the cafeteria while the kids went outside to do friend building skills. This was really just a time where they talked to the parents and answered any questions you may have. There are only about 8 kids going to Walton that are currently at his school now. It is going to be a big adjustment for him. Andrew has always been very good at making friends, so I don't think he is going to have a problem doing so. It just worries me that he is going into a school where he will only know a couple of kids. I also know that this is when kids really grow-up. They learn about things that I don't want him learning about. They hear and see things that I wish I could shield him from. There are things that I know we will have to talk about this summer. I don't want him learning about things from other kids that he should have heard about from us. I didn't think we would have to have the sex talk until at least high school, maybe even college.....:) The principal said to go ahead and have the talk because they will hear about things from other kids....yikes. I don't even want to know!
Looks like I will be going to Barnes and Noble. Have you ever seen those Dummy books. They have one for everything. I wonder if they have one for sex talks? I'm gonna need it!

4-11-10

Baseball season is here! Andrew pitched his first game yesterday. He only pitched one inning but he did pretty well for his first time. I am not sure who was more nervous, him or Travis and I. They won 6-5. Way to start off the season. He has the same coach as he did last year and Andrew loves him. Last year they went undefeated so hopefully they will do it again this year. When we got in the car I told him how proud I was of him and asked him if he thought he did well. He said, "Mom, my legs were shaking a little bit"! Very understandable. He was proud of himself and so were we. He loves ball, just like his daddy did.

Andrew has been on Spring Break all week. He went to Travis' cousins house. Lorie has 6 kids so he had a blast! He plays very well with Gannon. (Gannon is their only boy). So I am sure it was just as much fun for him as it was for Andrew. I love that he knows and is able to play with family. Travis comes from a large family and it is awesome that our kids can play with theirs. Memories in the making.

Addison is officially "Wee Miss Charlottesville Dogwood"! She had a wonderful time, all the girls did. There were 9 girls in her age group. I am so happy for her. There will be many things in the next coming months that she will be involved in. I hope that this will be a great experience for her to learn and have fun!

I signed Addison up for kindergarten this week. I can't believe it! Where does the time go? When she steps on that school bus in August it will feel as if my little baby is grown up. It already does. Although, I know she will always be the "baby" of the family, I just don't want her to go to kindergarten. I wish she would stay 4 forever. They are just so much fun at that age.

She also turns 5 next week. Wow.

Next week we have to go to Middle School Orientation for Andrew. Thats right, 6th grade. He came home last week and told us that the boys and the girls in 5th grade got, "The Talk". After I picked myself up off the floor, I asked him exactly what he meant by "the talk". He said, "you know mom, about what happens to boys and girls at puberty". He then proceeded to tell me that the other stuff they told him he couldn't talk with me about. Oh Lord, please help me!

We finally got the great news that "Dad Nay's" cancer has not spread, this is the best news that we could have hoped for. Considering. We will find out in the next week or so what the next step will be. Hopefully he will be able to have surgery and go on to live a long and happy life. We hope.


The weather has finally started to warm up. This means more time outside doing yard work, days at the baseball field, days hanging out on the boat and relaxing in the sun. Summertime has always been my favorite. Not that I don't like winter, its just that there isn't much to do. I would much rather be outside.

More to come in the coming days.......

March 2010

We finally got Andrews batting cage up and running. He has hit in it everyday since. He loves it. Andrew will start ball practice within the next couple weeks. He can't wait! He is doing really well in school. I got a letter from his teacher explaining how well he is doing. I think Andrew might have put her up to writing it......:)

Addison had her first beauty pageant 2 weeks ago. She did excellent! Although she didn't "win", she had a blast and wants to do it again. I have never told her that a pageant is something that you "win". So she does not realize that she didn't. She went out there and had fun, her smile and personality showed through. Her daddy and I were so proud of her. She will be in another pageant on Saturday, hopefully she will have just as much fun with the next one!


Our family did receive some not so good news this morning. My step-dad, Ronnie, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. We won't find out until later this week the details or the treatment. This will be a hard journey but we hope and pray that the news we receive in the next few days will be that of hope. Needless to say I am devastated. We have not told our children but that will also be something that we will have to face in the coming days and weeks.

Tonight I will thank my blessings and pray for strength for the days to come.

What the future holds....

Today is a sad day in Charlottesville. Morgan Harringtons body was found yesterday morning on a farm here in Albemarle County. She was last seen at a Metallica concert at JPJ arena. Her parents have been looking for her for a long 3 months. There is still no word about what happened to her or how she got in that field. Her body was found by a land owner.
Being a mother, this hits close to home. I can't imagine going through what her parents have gone through. Not knowing where your daughter is or what happened to her. Raising a child it is always in the back of your mind that something terrible could happen but you never think it could happen to you.
As I put my kids to bed tonight, I will stay in there a little longer. I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms , and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore. And when I kiss them good night I will hold them a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for them. I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.












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Chistmas has come and gone..

Christmas has come and gone. The decorations have all been put away and our annual Goodwill trip has been made. We had a very nice holiday. Once again I was able to take the week off between Christmas and New Years. I always enjoy having that week of vacation. It gives me time to spend with the kids and get my house back in order. This year we stayed home in our pajamas, played games and watched movies. It was a special time that I spent with my babies. They are getting so big, I know one day they would rather do other things than hang out with mom. I am enjoying it while I can.

Andrew asked for a batting cage and other small items. He got his batting cage. He knew how expensive it was because he said to me, "I bet I wont get anything like this again"........ Andrew had been asking for this for a while, we told him that this was both his birthday and Christmas gifts. We have not gotten it put together, but the site is ready. He is so excited to be able to use it.

Addison wanted a TV for her bedroom and Santa brought it. Every year that Santa comes he leaves Addisons toys in one place and Andrews in another. This year he had to switch it. When Addy came downstairs she honestly thought Santa had not come. The look on her face was priceless. Although, it was heartbreaking to see. I quickly told her to look near the fireplace and when she did, she was all smiles.

On a sad note, we did have something terrible happen. Dad and Sylvia had sent us a box of presents. The UPS guy couldn't get down our subdivision road due to the 25" of snow we had just gotten, so he left the boxes at our mailboxes. You guessed it, someone stole everything in the box. We weren't the only family that this happened to. There were 5 of us in the neighborhood. They have launched an investigation into this so hopefully dad and Sylvia will get reimbursed for the items. It is awful that people would do this to someone. I hate that my kids had to see that there are people out there that would do this to another person. It was hard to explain to them why this had happened. Andrew told me not to worry, they were just gifts.

Travis and I are back to work, Andrew is back in school and Addison is back at Leahs. Christmas is over and the New Year has begun! I wonder what this year will bring? Hopefully good health, happy times, and special memories.......

Some Garrett-isms......

mommy: "addison, scratch mommys back."

addy: "just for a second", (she scratches it for half a sec)
mommy: "Andrew always used to scratch my back when he was your age"
addy: "well maybe he should come scratch it now!"

Addison: 'Five Gollllden Rings, 2 turtle ducks, and a pa pair pear tree'
Andrew: "Thats not what it is, it's a postrich in a pear tree"