Florence to Rome

Well, it's pretty ironic that my last blog entry was from our Rome trip in May. Because this Saturday we are moving to Rome! Matt is starting a new job with Advance Rehab. He will be the director of the Cedartown clinic. We are excited about moving to Rome for a lot of great reasons: location, professional opportunity, family, friends and Rome is just a great town. However, as we start our last week in Florence, my heart is so heavy and scared. We've spent the last 5 years building our lives in S.C.; getting married, Matt's first job, my great job, our first home, our first dog and of course our first child. Living so far from our family has strengthened our marriage and our family unit. I'm so thankful for all the lessons we've learned on our own. I'm so thankful for our church where Matt and I have had the opportunity to grow spiritually as a couple. We've made so many wonderful friends, had some great adventures and have so many magical memories that we are taking with us.

Some of my favorite S.C. memories:
1. Walking on the beach with Matt the night of our wedding...holding hands, taking a leap on love
2. Canoeing in Cheraw State Park for our birthday a few years ago...it was a beautiful day!
3. Eating hot dogs @ Jack's Cosmic Dogs in Mt. Pleasant...just sitting on the porch and talking
4. Looking at the stars from our hammock in the backyard
5. Walking in our neighborhood, walking with Brady and now Reed AND Brady

And even though I'm a born and bread Georgia Peach, I'd like to think a part of me will always been "Going to Carolina" in my mind...our first home.

May Trip to Rome

At the beginning of May we all took a trip to Rome, GA to visit Ashley, Kevin & Taylor. Ashley was my college roommate. Taylor is 2 years old and has personality to spare! She calls Reed "Baby Reed." She was really good with Reed and really enjoyed all his toys.

Reed and Matt goofing around

Matt had just given Reed a "raspberry"

Caymen, Brady, Taylor, Becky & Reed

Ashley's mom, Teri, stopped by to meet Reed. Taylor is "winking" in the picture

We had a party on Saturday night with our friends and babies.
Lilly and Reed got to meet for the first time! Lilly is 3 months younger than Reed.

Ashley, Allison, April & Becky (I fell left out b/c my name doesn't begin with an "A")
It was so great to see everyone!

Brady had a little too much fun at the party. He disappeared under the deck and um...reappeared as a brown dog. We just let him stay down there and be a dirty dog...it was hilarious. He kept trying to get back on the deck with us. He was probably eating worms or something disgusting! BOYS!

Here's the "after" picture. Matt had to wash him twice in a cooler outside.
"You play, you pay" That's what we tell Brady.

And finally, we couldn't leave the state of GA without Grandma and Aunt Sara seeing Reed.

Rolling Over!

Yea! A few weeks ago Reed started rolling over.
Here are some action shots..

Almost there...

Boom...on the tummy!

Sitting up (with help) playing with the farm toy.

Grandma's Visit in April

Grandma came to visit Reed in April. (Let's face it...Matt and I are content in knowing that we are now just Reed's mommy & daddy)

"Grandma, your fingers taste good!"

Grandma loves to give Reed a bath. Here he is in the "big boy" bathtub. He looks like he's saying: "Um...a little privacy, please!" He's doing well in his little bathtub seat...won't be long and he'll be slashing in the whole tub and playing with the toys.

All clean!

Brady, before long, Reed's going to be chasing you and trying to ride you -- LOOK OUT!

Aunt Sara's Visit

My sister, Sara, came to visit us in late April. She arrived just after Reed got out of the tub. Brady was extra excited to see Aunt Sara, too!

Sara showed Reed another way to play with his toys. Why reach when you can just kick?!?

"Thank you for my jammin' new style, Aunt Sara!" That's "Blue" in the picture with Reed. He likes to hold Blue while I change his diaper. Even in the middle of the night, if he starts to cry while I'm changing him, Blue will calm him down :)

Thanks for coming to see us Sara...come back soon!

Bathtime

Ever since Reed was born, we've been bathing him in Matt's bathroom (which now is really Reed's bathroom) on the counter, in his baby bathtub. Well, towards the end of April, Reed started kicking so much and flailing so much that is started becoming dangerous (and quite messy). So this is Reed's last bath in his baby bath tub. So cute and squeaky clean :-)

Reed really needs a bath to wash his hair.