mel in motion...

Well, Mel is in my favorite "baby stage" right now. She is on the move. As you probably read in a previous post, she has been crawling for a while, but within the last week she has started to pull up on things. She is only 6 1/2 months old!!!!!!! I guess she thinks she needs to keep up with her big sis. She is a little more adventurous then b was when she was a babe. B never really bothered anything that wasn't hers. Melaney on the other hand, is into EVERYTHING. The likes playing with the lamp cords, the protective covers on the outlets, the VCR door.........the list goes on and on. I might actually have to babyproof with this one!!:) Yesterday when I came downstairs from putting B to bed for her nap, she had pulled herself up on the stairs. Don't you just love the smile?? She was so proud of herself. We tried to put the baby gate up, but B didn't like it because she wasn't able to go up and down the stairs. I think Brad is going to make one that swings open and closed. I love being married to such a handyman. He can fix anything!!

In this picture she was trying to get B's basketball that was on the other side of this stool...she just climbed right over it.

She is sitting up on her own...still takes a few spills every once in awhile.

I couldn't post without a picture of B...

she climbed in her exersaucer...

B had to do the same...She moved her head right when I snapped the photo so her head is blurry!:(

total sweetness...

I am kicking myself in the rear for not being in very many photos with my kids. I am usually the one behind the camera, plus I don't really like having my picture taken. Well, I have given that up. Life is too short and I have decided that I need to be in more pictures with my kiddos. This is a lovely self portrait. I set the timer on my camera and placed it on the mantle. Not the best photo, but it is a memory!!:) Melaney loved the beeping noise that the camera made so getting her to smile was easy!!(she smiles all the time anyway!!) I think she might have inherited that trait from me!!

I was talking to a friend the other day who just had her second child. Adding a second child to the family is a challenge. Several people have told me that and I quickly found out it is true. It is a lot easier now, but those first 3 months were hard. I felt like I was neglecting b because I couldn't devote all my attention to her. So, I guess what I am trying to say is...if this friend is reading this, trust me...it does get better, and I am thinking of you!! The last 6 1/2 months have flown by.

vacation photos...

Well, I finally found time to post our vacation photos. We went to Gatlinburg the first weekend in March with our friends, Dylan and Sara. For those of you who haven't heard, I fell the following weekend and fractured my elbow, so that is why i haven't posted in a while. My elbow is on the mend. I am able to remove my brace as needed throughout the day and, hopefully, when i go back to the dr. in two weeks, i will be able to keep it off!! the following photo is the cabin that we all stayed in...



the living room...

kitchen...

one of the bedrooms...

brad (the grill master)...

game room...

the 7 foot t.v. in the game room...

view of downtown gatlinburg from the side of some road...

one day we went hiking. we went on the same trail that brad and i went to last time we were in Gatlinburg. This is Dylan and Sara...

view of the smokies...

the huge waterfall that was at the top of our long hike. Definitely worth it...

look at how small dylan and sara look next to the waterfall...amazing!!

dylan, sara, and brad decided to hike further up the mountain where there weren't any trails. I decided I would rather stay where I was and take pictures. I have discovered that I am quite the klutz since I had kids(or at least the kids are my excuse) and I didn't want to break a leg and have to trek down the mountain.

look closely...brad is in there somewhere:0)..

Brad and Dylan climbed to the top of the waterfall...

a cabin that belonged to a noah ogle(i think that is his name) not really sure who he was...

his barn...

we went to the Ripley's Aquarium. I personally like it a lot better than the Newport Aquarium. I like Jellyfish, they amaze me....

Okay, so only people in the Mahan family will get the humor in this photo. Brad's great-grandpa's name was Fred Mahan. We were walking past this parking garage and it was named after "Fred McMahan". We decided to cover up the "Mc" and take a picture. We aren't sure who Fred McMahan is, but he must have been important enough to have a garage named after him.

Lastly, a little side note to my blog readers.... My Grandma went in for open heart surgery yesterday. They replaced an aorta and did four bypasses. The surgeon said the surgery went very well, but she isn't out of the woods. She has a long road of recovery ahead of her. Brittney has a prayer that she says every night before bedtime...

Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

May angels watch me through the night

and keep me in their blessed sight

Amen.

(She has added this part recently and I think it is so sweet)

And please make Grandma C. all better

Amen.

So, please keep our Grandma in your thoughts and prayers and may she get "all better".

Sorry, about the spacing in this post...not really sure what happened!

noisy...

We are in the process of remodeling our upstairs bathroom (photos of that to come later). Brad was sawing the bathtub to get it out. It was really loud, so b had to cover her ears.
I decided it was too loud for the girls' little ears so we moved to the bedroom. love the grin in this pic...

and finally mel who always goes with the flow...so thankful for that because sometimes it is pretty chaotic around here!!:)