Live from Knoxville!

18 Months...Finally an update!

2010-03-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted any pictures! So sorry Aunt Allie :-) Here are some that I have taken the last few days.

Will and I went in to wake up Laurel from her nap because we had to go somewhere. We laughed about the "diva-ish" way she was sleeping with her little hands under her head! It looked like she was posing. Also, notice the 2 babies in her crib. She will ask for them if we put her to bed and they aren't there.

Laurel has developed a great fondness for pizza these last few weeks. It is one of her new words (along with about a million other ones!). We had pizza last night and the box was by the trash waiting to be taken out. Laurel ran and got some of her plastic pizza and put it in the box. Here she is in action.

This was a few months ago, but I thought it was too cute not to include. Notice the lack of hair in this picture compared to the more recent ones! It is finally coming in.

When I say "worship God!" this is what she does! This is also one of her main dance moves (as she spins around in a circle).

Here is a good hair shot...don't worry, normally it is laying flat. I was trying to show how much there is!

We are heading out for Spring Break tomorrow, so hopefully I will get some shots of Laurel in her adorable new swimsuit...that is a sight not to be missed!

Laurel Update - 15 months of fun!

2009-11-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

Our little Laurel is 15 months old. Many people seem to be sad when their babies enter toddlerhood, but I have been enjoying Laurel SO MUCH it is hard to miss her babyhood! We just continue to love and delight in her more and more. The list of wonderful (to us) things she is doing increases by the day! Here is a list of some of her favorite things:

- Her babydoll "nana" (thanks Oldacres)! She loves to carry around her baby, put her in her cardboard bed, feed her bottles and snacks that she is eating, pat her, rock her, etc. It has been so sweet to me to see her little mothering heart towards her baby. It is 100% girl!

-Music continues to be one of Laurel's top loves! She loves to play her little piano or listen to the ipod and dance around the living room. She has begun a little bit of "singing" as well :-) To support her love of the ipod she has figured out a creative, little way of getting to it. She pulls out the small suitcase that sits on top of the larger one under the end table, climbs up and grabs the ipod! Yes, we have a problem solver. She also uses this method to type on the typewriter. Recently climbed completely onto the table and started typing. We have to keep a good watch on this girl!

- Going outside! After getting her first pair of shoes, she would get them from her room and bring them to the front door...her subtle way of telling us "let me out!!!" Now that the weather is FINALLY cooling down a little bit (say 80 degrees) we are able to do more outside which is great. Here she is helping Will "drive" the parked car.

She went to the doctor last week and weighed in at 20 lbs. 4 oz. and she is 31 inches tall. She is only in the 10%, but the doctor says she is growing perfectly and doing great! We are so grateful to God for our little Laurel Anne. I can't imagine a sweeter, funnier, more wonderful daughter.

There and Back Again

2009-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

Last week Will, Laurel, and I took a last minute trip to Charlotte. What fun! It was so wonderful to see family and friends and to enjoy some beautiful Fall weather. Also, it made the time until the holiday's seem a lot less daunting. Here are some pictures from the trip!

Laurel loving her some PF Changs with Mom, Anne, and Kate!

Kate ADORED the apple cider that we put in her bottle! She chugged it SO fast.
I love these to girls! Laurel really loves her Auntie Anne.

Dad and Laurel watching football. I'm so sorry that I didn't get any pictures

with "Granny" and Laurel :-( Maybe at Thanksgiving!

Sporting her "headdress" for Mike and Liz's wedding. So cute!

Alligators with a Capital G!

2009-10-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the month of no posts...to make up for it I am posting pictures of Will, Laurel, and I's recent gator sighting!

My two bird-watchers! The girl loves her coffee...don't worry! It was empty.
"umm...I think I see a gator!"

Notice the tip-toes!

Laurel's personality in a nutshell! She's loving her some chocolate doughnut!

They seem A LOT closer in real life!

It was so amazing to see these huge, scary animals in the wild.

It was much creepier than I thought it would be.

Our first visit here we counted 20!

Where are you Fall?

2009-09-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

It sure is weird to realize that it is almost October and to still be roasting at 90 degrees! I have begun to feel excited about the changing seasons and I've been wanting to decorate for Fall and light my pumpkin candles, etc. but it seems pretty pointless in a place where we won't pull the coats out of mothballs until December! Oh well...it is just one year. I will just have to look forward to visits home to enjoy the nice crisp weather!

Can you believe how much our little girl has changed in 1 year? She seems like such a little toddler now! I can't believe it. September 2008. Baby Laurel Anne one year ago!
Talking about Fall...here is a carrot cake I made for Will 2 days ago...sadly it is more than half eaten already!!! Lauren - please try to overlook my sub par decorating skills!

The Laurel Anne fashion show. These are for Aunt Allie! As you can see she will have time to grow into them while we wait for colder weather. Thanks so much for her beautiful birthday presents!

She was really fascinated by the bug on this one!

She REFUSED to wear the hat!

Last weekend we had the great fun of a visit from "Uncle Zach" for the UT/FL game. It was so great to get to spend some time together. As you see, Laurel loved him!

Laurel loves carrying around little baskets of all varieties. Here she plucked the silverware holder out of the dishwasher!

Gainesville Days

2009-09-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

We have already had 2 sets of visitors in our little apartment! Walt and Kim Alexander were able to come and spend the night with us on their way to vacation. They were our first FL guests and we had a wonderful time together talking, laughing, and eating Belgian Waffles! It was a short trip, but we packed it with a lot of fun times. Our next visitors were Dad and Mom. We had such a wonderful time all together as always! Dad and Mom are so generous to us. Here are some pictures from their trip:

Laurel getting tickled by Pop! (yes, those are Laurel's pants on Dad's head...)

Laurel really loved Dad and Mom! As you can see, she finally has enough hair to clip a bow straight up...at 13 months :-)
Laurel LOVES reading books! She has recently started getting books and then coming over to sit in my lap and read them. I love it!

This past Saturday we had a wonderful family day at a beach near Tampa called Honeymoon Island. Will found it the night before we left and it was perfect! It is a state park, so it doesn't have any houses or businesses on it. Even on a busy weekend like labor day, you could look down the beach in either direction and see no one! We had such a wonderful time together. I am grateful to Will for wanting to make such special memories on his day off!

Here is Laurel learning birdwatching from her Dad. She loved all the birds.

Once you walked for about 1/2 mile past the parking area this was our view in either direction! It was so beautiful! I can't wait to go back.

We took a walk on the beach and Laurel fell asleep on Will and slept for a long time. Those are such special times and I'm glad Will got to experience it!

Here is Laurel talking to Grandfather on the phone. She has started holding the cell phone to her ear on her own. It is really cute!

Laurel and I before enjoying our picnic lunch (in the shade!).

This is for all the Vols fans...Laurel is remaining faithful to the home team!

We took a little after diner run to chick-fil-a for some ice cream...I think I might have enjoyed it even more than Laurel :-) I don't think it is supposed to work that way!

I recently made some bread that turned into a HUGE loaf. Here is a picture for comparison. I like how Laurel is fingering the cutting board.

Laurel had a really sleepy day recently where every time I turned around she was lying on the ground sucking her thumb. It was really cute! Here she is in the dining room by the trash can.

Here she is in the kitchen.

Laurel has become very fond of waving!

This is what Will has been doing! He wanted a picture of the ridiculous amount of books for his first semester.

The youngest LLM student!

Trepidation!

My wonderful Aunt Allie gave Laurel a lot of adorable clothes for her birthday. I promised to post pictures so she could see how cute Laurel looks, but both times I tried to put her in all the outfits something happened, so here is the first in a series....I will post the rest when I take the pictures.

That is what we have been up to the last few weeks! God has really blessed us in a lot of unexpected ways so far and we know he will continue to be faithful to us while we are here. But we sure are excited about coming home. May can't come soon enough!!!

2009-08-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

I had written a nice updated about our life in Gainesville and how well we are settling in, but somehow it is deleted and I can't easily get it back. Suffice it to say that we are doing great, although I am already eager to be coming home. I am thinking of this trip as an extended adventure/vacation and in that light we are really enjoying it. The best news from the last few weeks is that we are going to be able to come home in early May rather than mid July as we were originally planning. I am extremely excited about this! I have caught myself already counting down the days, as in, "one week down...only so many more to go!"

I am so far behind that I am doubtless going to leave a lot of pictures and events out, but I thought I could begin updating on our recent Kittrell Family Vacation to Anna Maria Island. On the way home from this vacation the Kittrell's dropped us off in Gainesville so except for the last few weeks this is as updated as possible.

The Happy Little Kittrell Family The Happy Little Almost-Kittrell Family
The Happy Big Kittrell Family

Adorable Laurel with her first tan!

This was a BEAUTIFUL sunset!

The bird-watcher in action!

Yum! Will and I at our farewell lunch with Bill and Cheri. A few tears were shed, but I think we managed to keep it together fairly well :) All you can eat fish and chips certainly was helping our cause!

Breakfast on the beach!

My favorites! Lucky girl :-)

Here we all are in the new apartment before anything has been moved in.

Off to Gainesville!

Here is the trailer all packed up with our worldly goods. Will worked VERY hard to fit everything I packed inside.

This isn't from vacation, but I thought it was too cute not to include! Laurel is waiting for will to come home from the Bar exam.

This is where Laurel got her baths on vacation.

Enjoying some ballpit time in the backyard.

Annual Smuggler's Cove mini-golf trip! If you are interested I came in dead last :)

Cheri and Laurel enjoying the waves!

Will and Laurel. I love her little hand holding on to his shirt.

Grandfather and Laurel reading one of her favorite books.

Laurel LOVED the shopping cart we got her for her birthday. Here she is playing with it for the first time.

A new ball.

I just think this is funny!

Devotions with Grandfather...you know you are getting up early when you have to wear a headlamp to read! This was also useful for grilling at night (I do have that picture, but it isn't posted :O)

This is my new favorite picture of our little one year old! I forgot to mention that she has started walking!!!! She took her first few steps a couple days after we arrived at our apartment. She is getting better and better every day. We are loving it!

Will and Laurel enjoying some pool time. You can vaguely see that Laurel has a little more hair. It is growing by the day.

Summer Days with my 11 Month Old

2009-07-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted Laurel pictures! She is doing great and Will and I just continue to grow in our love and enjoyment of her. She turned 11 months last week and is seeming so much more like a little girl to me and less like a baby. She is eating different kinds of table food now which has been lots of fun. She has turned into a really good eater after getting off to a rather slow start! She doesn't seem to care about learning to walk yet, being very content to crawl around very fast and cruise around on the furniture. Will and I try to lure her into standing by offering her favorite toys just out of reach! Dada is still her favorite word and is used for most people and situations. Even so, when she says it to Will we get excited and think she is figuring it out :-) We have recently discovered that her favorite music is classic rock with her favorite song being "Sweet Home Alabama"...very interesting. When it comes on she will get very excited, wave her arms wildly, and "dance"! She is such a joy to take care of and spend time with!

Here are some pictures from the last month:

Our sweet Laurel Anne

Looking SHOCKINGLY like Will when he was little!

"Pick me up, Mama!" I still love it when Laurel holds out her arms even though she has been doing it for months and months.

A couple weeks ago, I was in the bathroom getting ready for church when I came out to discover Laurel "getting ready" as well! The eye shadow container was actually IN her mouth when I found her!

She looked like the Tin Man!

A recently family outing to Dunkin Doughnuts. My kind of outing! We let Laurel get a doughnut hole which she loves.

Poor "Uncle B" after getting his wisdom teeth out a couple weeks ago.

Gainesville

2009-07-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Will and I had a wonderful getaway/trip to Gainesville this past weekend! We got to visit the church, find an apartment, see the campus, and get acquainted with the area. God was so kind and we are extremely encouraged about living there starting in August.

Here we are in a National Park area called Payne's Prairie. We saw an alligator (as well as tons of lizards, birds, some wild horses, and a turtle)!

I cut bangs! I am enjoying having a new style. I get bored with the same one if I keep it to long.

We are very pleased with the apartment complex we choose! We looked at 3 different places that got consecutively better. You gotta love being able to sunbathe in winter!

Kitchen and Dining Room (the front door is to the left). They won't be furnished like that...I was taking pictures of the model.

View from the front door

Our room on the left and Laurel's on the right.

I really like how small the buildings are. Only 4 apartments per unit.

Home Sweet Charlotte

2009-06-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Will let me and Laurel go on a wonderful, last minute trip to Charlotte this past weekend. Although I hate being away from him, it was so great to spend some time at home with my family. We packed a lot of wonderful times into 2 days!

Laurel and Kate's favorite game is grabbing toys from eachother! See the progression...

I sure love my little "Kate-ums"!!

Dave, Anne, and Kate (Anne and Kate are visiting at the end of July. I can hardly wait!)

Me and my two favorite babies! They are less than 3 months apart.

Studious Laurel in Pop's glasses

Studying

I know I have missed MANY interesting events in the past couple months and I apologize. Every time I sat down and thought about posting I just didn't know where to start! I just decided to forget about all those pictures and start afresh. If you really wanted to see an event just let me know :-)

9 months old and Overdue update

2009-05-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

I looked on my blog and the last post was April 16! It looks like I have some catching up to do!

Laurel is 9 months old today! It is hard to believe that she has grown so fast. When Laurel was an infant 9 months sounded so old, but she still seems like my little baby to me. A little baby who is learning a lot of new things! As of this past week she has learned how to climb stairs and pull up to standing while in her crib. I love seeing all the things she is discovering with her new found mobility! One of her favorite bits of mischief is to climb on to the bathroom scale which is below the toilet paper roll and start unrolling all the toilet paper. It is hilarious to me, because that is such a classic baby thing to do and I don't know how they all discover it! I took her to the doctor for a cold last week and discovered that she is 16.5 lbs. I'm not sure what percentage that is, but I will find out at her doctors appointment coming up soon. All is all, she is just such a delight to Will and I. We laugh about her little antics everyday! She is a happy, bright, fun loving little girl!

Here Will is teaching her the finer points of juggling. She is enthralled!

My little bathing beauty!

(this is before she tried crawling in the tub and got a mouthfull of water...poor girl)

Good times with Granni and Pop. In this picture she is "flying through the heavens like a cherubim". Dad used to sing this to us when we were little too!

Laurel is a big fan of her sippy cup of water! She gets maybe half of it in her mouth and the rest on her clothes and has an absolute blast!

Recently we had our friends Josh, Sarah, and Lucy Andrews over for dinner. It was so cute to see Lucy (2 months) and Laurel interacting together!

Playtime with Dad wearing nothing but a diaper, a strawberry hat, and a smile.

What else could you need?

Laurel has developed a deep and abiding love for her "Lambers". This lamb sits on a chair in her room and when we are carrying her by the chair she will crane her neck and make noises and reach out her hands when we bring her near it. She will grab it and hug it and make happy sounds. It is SO cute and fun!

Kittrell ladies annual shopping trip to the outlets in Pigeon Forge. A highlight of the year :-)

Shocking sight I know! Lauren (exersizing amazing patience!) is teaching me how to play tennis. I actually really enjoyed it and would love to keep "playing".

Easter and One More Month of Law School!!!

2009-04-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

Another great and encouraging Easter has come and gone! The morning started with a very encouraging message from Tony Carter about the Facts and Fruits of the Resurrection. We came home to a delicious Easter dinner graced by the presence of Bill's Mom, Granny, which makes anything and everything more special!! The afternoon was spent consuming large amounts of candy from our Easter baskets and watching the masters. To finish everything off we had the Annual Kittrell Family Easter Egg Hunt! Will was this years winner (although I think Laurel and I came in second).

It is hard to believe that Will graduates May 8!!! Classes, work, GA work, etc. are coming to an end making this an exciting time! I am beginning to look towards August when we are moving to FL. I am really looking forward to all the good things I know the Lord is going to do when we are there, but I am certainly anticipating come home to Knoxville and settling into our new life.

Here are some pictures from Easter in reverse order:

Our Easter basket!

"um...can I eat these?"

"get me off of this grass...right now!"

Our winner (12 eggs)

Before the hunt!

Laurel enjoying the Easter basket extravaganza!!

Fun at the Beach - Vision Quest!

2009-03-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

We had a really wonderful time hanging out with the VFC'ers at Vision Quest 2009! We were staying at a vacation home with the Kittrell's about 15 minutes away from the retreat center which made for a nice mix of vacation and conference. Here are some pictures from our time:

It looks like she is all alone! Gotta love the beauitful, clear Florida water!

Laurel eating sunglasses in the cafeteria while we enjoyed delicious lunch...I must say I have a weakness for that food! I was sad to leave it behind :-) On another note, look how huge Laurel's head looks and tiny her body looks. I didn't notice that before.
One of my favorite highlights from the trip was getting to spend the whole afternoon with Will on Wednesday! We left Laurel with some of her adoring fans and headed out for lunch after which we hit one of the local beaches and then went to Seaside for some ice cream. It reminded me of being on our honeymoon for some reason. I love, respect, and enjoy Will so much!

I think he is squinting, but I like to think he is winking at me :-)

Laurel was tired out from all that fun in the sun. I love it when she falls asleep when I am holding her. She does it less and less as she grows up!

Family picture (minus Uncles Dan and B) as we enjoy a famous Laguna Beach sunset!

One of Laurel's enjoyable pastimes...biting. Here she is taking a small chunk from Aunt Lauren's shoulder! Don't worry. She doesnt have any upper teeth so the damage and pain are minimal (also she isn't angry!).

I like the cute expression on Laurel's face. She loves her Aunt Lauren with good reason :-)

Will in his super cool dodgeball headband. His team made it to the championship but then lost.

You win some you lose some! (Also, I just noticed that I am wearing the exact same thing in almost every picture...I really did have other clothes that I wore!)

So the big question is, Did Laurel enjoy the beach? The answer:

and

yes!

She really enjoyed sitting in the sand and moving it through her fingers, etc. and she also loved being in the pool (I knew she would because she loves her baths). The only thing she didn't like was the water. I set her in the wet sand and let the waves come up to her, but I think it was just a little too cold and unfamiliar. I think she will enjoy it when we go in August and the water is warm.

Heated pool...hurray!

Laurel and one of her wonderful friends from Care Group...Uncle Hallerin!

Laurel and Grandfather! This screened porch made me want to have one of these at home.

Our 7 Month Old

2009-03-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to express how much of a joy our little Laurel is to Will and I! She is bursting with personality, fun, and happiness. Each month continues to get better and better. By now Laurel is a fairly proficient eater and enjoys rice cereal, veggies, and fruits. I haven't really noticed a preference for any one food over another. She seems to like everything. She loves reaching out and pulling the spoon into her mouth, getting food ALL OVER her hands and then rubbing her hands all over her tray and face! At this point, I am still really enjoying all that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it got old after awhile :-) Laurel is "talking" a lot more these days, even saying her "first word", da-da. She says it all the time and it is very cute, but she isn't really referring to Will. We are trying to make the connection for her, but it hasn't happened yet! She whines da-da when she is sad, babbles it constantly when she is happy, and shrieks (I mean SHRIEKS!) it when she is excited. Her newest "trick" that I am really loving is holding out her hands to be picked up when she is sitting. I think it is just adorable!

Enjoy these pictures taken on her 7 month birthday last Friday!

The back of Laurel's head with her little sticking out ears and birthmark is one of my favorite things about her!

I think she looks a whole lot like Michael's baby pictures in this one.

What do you think Dad, Mom, Anne, and Mike?

I wanted to get a picture of Laurel's adorable face when she gets tickled and starts laughing really hard. I held my camera in one hand (big camera!) and tickled her with the other hand and hoped that she was in the frame. She was!

Mamma and Laurel :-) I love my girl!

I love how Laurel and Will are laughing in this one!

We are so enjoying the beautiful, Spring weather! Will and I played a board game in the back yard on Sunday and Laurel had a good time playing with toys and being outside!

Spring has Sprung?

2009-03-05T09:02:00.001-08:00

Probably not yet, but we are enjoying some beautiful warm days in the beginning of March! Here is my tiny, little dewdrop looking like Spring itself...

Cousins!

2009-02-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday through Wednesday we had such a wonderful visit with Dad, Mom, Anne, and Kate. It was a blast to spend such a nice amount of time with my family (I only wish Mike and Dave could have come)! Having the little girls together was SO much fun. We had a great time going to outlet shopping, eating out, playing games, watching a movie, chatting, playing with the girls, and eating some more! I am so blessed to have such a Dad and Mom and sister who I respect so much and who are such a joy to be with!

For the most part the girls got along fine, they did have one significant altercation! See below:

The stage was set when we put them on the same chair close together. If you add together:

one little girl very interested in her cousin

the same little girl needing to work on hand/eye coordination

one mom needing to trim the before mentioned little girls nails

the little cousin in close proximity

what do you get?

Look closely at poor Kate's forehead. That's right...a huge scratch! Laurel is currently making every excuse in the book..."her head is huge", "she moved toward my nail", "she hit me", etc.

(side note: observe that they are almost the same size!)

"hmmm...I'm glad my forehead doesn't have a big scratch!"
"I'm never coming back here again!"

"ahhhhh...save us from each other! Pick us up! We never want to see each other again"

We walked them through some of Ken Sande's Peacemaker material and they responded very well. They are back to being friends :-)

Here the sweet little cousins are going out on an adventure!

Granni and Kate

Pop and Laurel

Eating lunch at Cracker Barrel in Pigeon Forge while Outlet shopping.

The girls were great, little outlet shoppers, but were pretty ready to come home!

The Food Chronicles

2009-02-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that baby Laurel is already 6 months old! Everyone tells you about how quickly time flies with babies, but it sounds cliche until you experience it for yourself. Will and I just couldn't be enjoying our little girl more! She has such an enjoyable personality and we just can't get over how cute she is! She is constantly learning new things and enjoying exploring, but her favorite place is still being held by her parents. These days she is enjoying patty cake (she holds out her hands to hit mine...very cute), getting tickled, peek-a-boo, getting thrown in the air (carefully!), and lots of other things. We have begun taking her to Children's Ministry at church, which seems like such a big milestone. I guess I should clarify...when I say "taking her to Children's Ministry", I mean dropping her off, coming back to my chair, listening to the message for 5 minutes, seeing her number go up on the screen, coming back to a screaming baby! If any of you ladies have suggestions, I would be grateful, but I'm not really concerned about her since 6 months is pretty young to be in a class (although the other children seem to be enjoying it a lot!). Probably the 2 biggest things she has done are SITTING and EATING! Here are the pictures to prove it:

For a while now Will and I have been putting Laurel in a sitting position and seeing what she does, topple over. The day before her 6 month birthday she didn't topple over and has been sitting ever since! Somehow, instead of making her look like an older baby she looks even smaller! She can already stand up if she is supported by something (like holding onto the ottoman). Next thing I know she will be crawling around!

This is the beginning of the food chronicles! She is ready to go with her Rice Cereal and 3 spoons!
"hmmm...I guess I will give this a try!"

"I'm not so sure..."

"Mom, I'm not really sure what to think."

"What are you trying to do, gag me!"

"I deserve better than this...I am miserable!"

"What part of gross don't you understand!"

"I guess I will try one more time."

"AAAAAAAAAAA...GET ME OUT OF THIS STUPID HIGHCHAIR!"

So, as you have no doubt observed, Laurel's first taste of food wasn't "love at first bite". We have the whole thing on video which is hilarious to watch. We were cracking up the whole time at all her faces. By the end we wouldn't even have to get the food to her mouth, when she just saw the spoon coming she would blink her eyes and grimace! We love our little drama queen!

Update: Later in the week I tried again with a different brand of rice cereal mixed with water and she enjoyed that A LOT more! I think she didn't like the particular kind we made and I really don't blame her, because it smelled horrible!

Tomorrow I take Laurel for her 6 month well visit, so percentages, etc. will be posted shortly.

Happy Times in January

2009-02-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

Some updates from January! My next post will be for Laurel's 6 month birthday...including her first taste of rice cereal...will she like it? will she spit it out? We will find out on Friday!!!

Poor Laurel scratched her little face in the night. I know I need to cut her nails when this starts happening!We had the wonderful surprise yesterday of tons of SNOW! I think we got 3-4 inches. We had so much fun sledding as well as being warm and cozy inside watching it fall.

I'm afraid Laurel wasn't as big of a fan as the rest of us were. Give her a couple more years...

Laurel and her friend London Oldacre enjoying time together at a Super Bowl party. Little London is such a doll and I am excited about Laurel being friends with her (and her baby sister!!!) for many years to come.
Will took Laurel and I on a great family date/day to the mountains this past Saturday! We had so much fun seeing the wildlife (including a coyote!) and just spending time talking, drinking Sonic drinks, and being together. I am so grateful for Will planning special times for us to be together. There is nothing like having a whole day just to talk and hang out.

Wow! What a blessed girl I am...my favorite person holding my second favorite :-)
My cutie!

On a recent Monday Laurel and I joined the Kittrell family in taking Chick-fil-a to Granny (Bill's WONDERFUL Mom) at her assisted living home. It is always a joy to see Granny and it is especially fun to see how much she enjoys Laurel. The times with them together are priceless.

The beginnings of a new year...

2009-01-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

Laurel is down for her late afternoon nap and so I have time to finally post some pictures from 2009! As you can see from the picture below we finally have gotten a little bit of snow in Knoxville! It was so beautiful to watch the snow coming down all day while we were snuggled up inside by a warm fire. Of course, Laurel is too young to really care, but give her another year or two and I'm sure she will be right out there in it. Will and I were hoping that the law office would be closed, but welcome to the real (adult) world...only schools close for snow, not businesses!
Oh well :-)
Here is Laurel enjoying our most recent purchase for her...a highchair! We are preparing to start her on solids (rice cereal!) when she hits 6 months. It is such a big step from little, tiny baby to older baby, but I don't really feel too sad. I am excited about all the new things Laurel is doing and I am enjoying looking ahead to all the adventures that await us in the future. We put her in her highchair while we eat our dinner and she loves to be up with us playing with her toys.

Family picture taken too early one morning before any of us had the benefit of getting ready for the day!!
Hehe...this makes me laugh! I was taking Laurel's 5 month picture, but as a 5 month old should, she was having a much better time rolling around in the blanket than in posing!
This is one of Laurel's funny expressions captured on film! She has a very expressive and mobile face!
I'm afraid we have been seeing more of this little face! Sinful attitudes are certainly coming out such as screaming when we take away something she was enjoying. I am grateful we are not at the discipline stage yet! For now we are firmly saying "no" and not giving in to her demands.
Which as you can see can be rather hard to do considering this little face...
In this picture Laurel is doing a "baby push-up". She rolls around a lot these days as well as pushes herself up on her hands and sometimes on her knees. She is practicing sitting up, but she hasn't really gotten the hang of it yet.
These are some pictures from my 23rd birthday on January 1. I'm not sure what Will is doing in this one!
It was my first birthday not having my family with me! That was hard for me, but the Kittrell family and my little family (Will and Laurel) spoiled me rotten and I had a wonderful, blessed day.

The Last Days of 2008!

2008-12-31T08:20:00.000-08:00

I have a little backtracking to do before catching up with Christmas pictures...

On December 16 Will and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! It is hard to believe that we have only been together for 2 years. I feel like I have always been Will's wife! What an extraordinary husband! I am so grateful for Will's unselfish, servant leadership in my life. I see so much good fruit from his influence in my life. This year has been filled with so many big changes and Will just keeps stepping up to the plate. I love being married to my best friend!

For our anniversary, we took our first overnight trip without Laurel. We had such a wonderful and refreshing time together in the Smoky Mountains. Laurel had a great time with her Mom-mom and Aunt Lauren and didn't seem to miss us a bit! We did miss our little girl, but it was completely worth it!

DECEMBER 25 finally arrived!

Here is Laurel enjoying some Christmas ribbons...this was probably her faorite part of the holidays! Uncle Brient bought Laurel her adorable Santa hat, which she loved.

This is Laurel's amazing toy from Grandfather and Mom-mom! It is a cross between a johnny-jump-up and a walker. Laurel can't jump yet, because her feet don't touch the ground, but she really enjoys playing with all the fun toys on the top.I think this picture is so funny! Laurel's aunts and uncles were so generous to buy her beautiful clothing, but it looks like we are going to need to work on gratefulness!

Ever since Laurel was a infant Grandfather took Laurel on "Safaris" all over the house looking for Zebras. It was a special way that he would calm her down and keep her entertained. For Christmas he looked long and hard and finally found her a special zebra of her own!

Heading of to Charlotte and home!

Wonderful Anne and my sweet, little cousin Kate! I so enjoyed getting to spend time with her. She is such a calm, happy, and serious baby. She has a very different personality than Laurel! I am so excited about watching them grow up and be great little buddies. I love my little niece so much.

Adorable baby Laurel in her new hat! She got a lot better at sucking her thumb over the weekend.

Laurel licking Kate...enough said!

We are SO blessed!

Laurel and her fabulous Pop!

Laurel chillin' in front of the TV.

LALA (Aunt Allie's special name for Laurel!) had a wonderful time with her Great Aunt Allie.

Ode to Pop

2008-12-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Due to the terrific pressure exerted on me by a certain anonymous commenter on this blog, I have decided to display some photographs of Laurel with her wonderful Pop and my wonderful Dad. Laurel really does love him! They have special times when they are together such as Dad always putting her PJs on before bed, rocking in the rocking chair and singing "Summertime", and, of course, lots of good conversations together...she even talks to Dad on the phone sometimes (mostly listens!). We are all so excited about being together at Christmastime!

Embarrasingly Long Picture Post...

2008-12-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it has been a whole month since my last post...hence the shocking amount of pictures. I have started with the least current and by the time you get to the bottom you should be updated!

But first I need to give Laurel's stats from her recent doctor's appointment. She is 24.5 inches long (75%) and 12 lbs. 11 oz. (approx. 37%). She is a little string bean!

This picture is from Laurel's 3 month photos that I took in our backyard. Even though I missed and only got her eyes, I think they look so cute and "smiley".

Here she is with her new jungle gym that great-granny bought her. She loves playing with it. Especially the monkey on the left of the picture. I'm not sure if I should be worried that she is gazing at herself with such adoration (that is a mirror on the other side of the "tiki hut".)!

Poor Laurel...I took her outside for some nice fall pictures, but it was way too cold for her.

I just thought this was such a cute way for her to be sleeping! (Don't worry...I didn't just leave her there where she could roll off!)

There is much rejoicing from the fruits of Laurel learning to suck her thumb! She is really able to soothe herself to sleep and it doesn't fall out like a pacifier. Plus, I think it is very cute.

Recently Bill built a firepit in our backyard and we had a fun family night making s'mores and talking. Add s'mores to the list of things that I didn't like in Charlotte and like in Knoxville (Egg salad and baked beans are also on that list...go figure!).

It was so wonderful to have Dad, Mom, and Mike come for Thanksgiving at the Kittrell's. We had such a great visit filled with lots of eating, talking, and laughter. I am so grateful that the Connollys and Kittrells are such great friends! Mom and I got a lot of special time together!! Here we are before talking Laurel on a nice, long walk. I am SO grateful for a mom like mine!

Granny (Bill's mom) was able to join us for Thanksgiving which is always a wonderful joy. She really loves her little great-granddaughter and it is so fun to have them spend time together. I hope that I am as joyful and contented as Granny when I am her age.

Celebrating "Pop's" birthday!!

NOT celebrating "Pop's" birthday. This picture cracks me up!

So does this one!!

How can you not adore this little person!

Laurel adores her bath time! She gets a bath most every night and no matter how tired she is she will almost always be very excited in her bath and splash around and smile. After seeing how many bubbles she ate, I think I will wait on the bubble baths until she is a bit older.

I was talking on the phone to Anne recently and telling her about how I didn't used to like these little hairbands on other peoples babies, but now that Laurel has them I just think they are the cutest thing in the world!! Do you agree with me?

"Gosh, I have such a terrible stomach ache!"

Looking back over these pictures I realize that allowing Laurel to play with plugged in Christmas lights really isn't such a great idea! God is the one protecting our little girl!

This is one of Laurel's favorite activities. She loves playing with her Dad and being turned up in the air and being upside down.

Oops! I didn't realize this was sideways! Anyway, check out those pretty eyes!

I like this picture of Laurel with "Grandfather" and "Mom-Mom".

Will is a wonderful Dad who sure does love his little girl!

The 2nd annual Kittrell Family Christmas Tree!

3 Months!

2008-11-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

Our baby girl is 3 months old! Every time she enters a new stage I say that it is my favorite and this is no exception. I am so enjoying all the new things that she is doing. Her newest fascination is her hands. She loves to play with them, hold them, and try to jam them into her mouth (still hasn't really figured out the thumb thing). She is also getting a lot better at grasping things and trying to hold things. Hands are her almost constant occupation. It has also been so fun to see her develop an interest in toys. She will now stare at her "Freddy the Firefly" and try to grasp him and put him in her mouth. Very fun :-) Right now she is in the midst of her first cold which has been so sad. She is so stuffed up at night and I think it has made her a little extra cranky. I gave her a Johnson's Vapor Bath last night (per Mom's recommendation!) and I think it helped clear her nose a bit. I have also been ATTEMPTING to use saline drops in her nose (per Anne's recommendation) but the package directions don't tell you what do do if your baby turns her head and screams and cries! We are praying that her cold is healed quickly. All in all I am loving my baby girl so much. I just can't imagine life without her and I am looking forward to all the years ahead of us together.

Smiling at her much adored Daddy.
When we were in Charlotte for Kate's birth Lizzy and I got to spend some wonderful time together and we also got to introduce our kiddo's. I think this picture is hilarious!

3 of my absolute favorite girls!

Sweet, beautiful baby Kate! It was such a wonderful joy to get to see Kate and Anne in the hospital and spend a couple days in Charlotte. I love my little niece so much...I had no idea that I would miss her so much :-(

Pop and Granni with their little "lovey".

Loving those bubbles!

It is probably mean to take pictures when Laurel is crying, but so funny also! I wouldn't do it if something was truly wrong...she is just fussing because she doesn't want to be in her swing any more.

We certainly have a little drama queen on our hands! I don't know how Laurel learned to make the perfect pouting face...and I don't think we should speculate about it either...This is the face she makes right before she is about to start screaming and crying. For now I think it is adorable!A couple weeks ago Will, Laurel and I went to Cracker Barrel for a family breakfast (although it was noon by the time we got there...life with a baby!). We haven't done a lot of family things all together and it was so much fun! I'm sure we will be able to do a lot more as Laurel gets older and Will is less busy with school.

Laurel enjoying the fall weather outside of Cracker Barrel.

Family picture.

Dad and Mom's Great Visit

2008-10-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time with Pop and Granni when they visited a couple weeks ago! They just can't visit enough.

This is Laurel enjoying her first trip to Cade's Cove.

She loves her Pop!
I love this picture.
Me and my Will.
Tired after a long day in the mountains.

It was so great to spend some time with Mom and Dad. I so miss living in the same town with them. I am so grateful that I am able to spend more time with them when they come since I'm not working.

In other news, my poor, sweet Laurel had to have her 2 month shots this past week :-( It was terribly sad and I'm so glad that it is all over. At 9 weeks she is 10 lbs. 6 oz. and 22.5 inches. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th for weight! I am glad that she is so healthy. Will and I are enjoying and loving her more and more! More pictures to come...

This past weekend "Aunt" Bebbie (Bethany Bussell) came to visit this past weekend. We had a wonderful time together but sadly we didn't get very many pictures.

Kate's birth...only 2 weeks away!!! Yeah!!!

7 Weeks and Fall Days

2008-09-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about the arrival of Fall! I forget how much I enjoy the seasons until they arrive. We have been enjoying sleeping with the windows open, taking breezy morning (and evening) walks, feeling a little chilly in the morning when we wake up, playing Scrabble, and anticipating the arrival of apple cider, campfires, hikes, leaves, sweaters, and everything Fall!

September has been a great month! Laurel is 7 weeks old today. These last few weeks have been my favorite age so far! She has begun making little noises and interacting with us a little more as well as enjoying blowing lots of bubbles. Also, she seems to be finding out that she controls her hands and is experimenting with putting them in her mouth and holding and touching things.

Will has gotten somewhat busier with his school work, but we are still really enjoying his long weekends and having him home on a lot of week days. He accepted a job offer a couple weeks ago, so he is officially employed by Egerton, McAfee, Armistead, and Davis Law Firm starting when he graduates in May! I am really excited about the law firm. I really like all the people that work there and most of them are Christians and value the family and making that a priority which is SO not typical of law offices. Also, my favorite part about them is how much they adore Will! One of his buddies said that there was "jubilation in the halls" when he accepted the offer. That is a testament to my husband! He is a very hard worker and really excels at what he does as well as being the nicest, friendliest person you could possibly meet. He will be a wonderful addition to the office! As part of working there we are going to be moving to Gainsville, FL for 9 months starting in August 2009 so that he can get his "Masters of Law" in tax. I would love it if we didn't have to move away, but at the same time I am excited about such a big adventure and I know that 9 months really isn't a very long time at all. We will be attending the Sovereign Grace Church in Gainsville and I am looking forward to getting to know the people there as well. I'm sure I will write more about that when I have more details.

The following pictures are in no particular order...just what we have been up to recently:

Laurel with Kevin and Bethany Shipp enjoying one of her first UT Football games on TV.

Poor little Laurel with a scratched face...still looking really adorable!
I just had to include this terrible pictures because it is hilarious!
Hanging out on the couch.
I love it when Laurel smiles in her sleep! Don't worry...she wasn't sleeping here during the night! Just in the morning while I was having my devotions :-)
Laurel loves to play with her Dad!
Although she will suck on a pacifier, by far her favorite thing is to suck on our fingers. She could do this all day!
Our little Sleeping Beauty.
"Gosh Mom, can't this go any faster!" Laurel has been enjoying time by herself recently which has been wonderful because it gives me a chance to take a shower, etc.
Our happy Baby! I think she looks a little bit like a little dinosaur in this one...I think it is her hand.

Chillin' with Dad while he sleeps.

"I love my Daddy!"
She melts my heart when she smiles!!
Finally here is a picture of my new haircut! Mom and Dad have been asking to see it for the last few weeks!
Next up will be Mom and Dad's trip to Knoxville on the 5th, Bethany Bussell's visit on the 12th, and then Kate's birth (yahoo!!!) sometime at the end of the month. I can't wait!!!

Savor the cuteness...

2008-09-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

September Days

2008-09-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

Will and I have been busy enjoying our little family! Laurel is now 5 1/2 weeks old! She weights 9 lbs. 1 oz. and is in the 50% percent and is wonderfully healthy. For an early Christmas present Will bought me a new camera so I am hoping to post a lot more pictures!!

12 Days with Baby Laurel!

2008-08-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Laurel is 12 days old! In some ways it feels like we have known her forever and in other ways the time has gone very quickly. We are just enjoying and loving her more and more every day! Every day I think we are learning more about her little personality and how to best take care of her. God has overwhelmed Will and I with grace and even in the times that have seemed hard we have been so aware of his kindness and presence with us. What an adventure! We are just loving our little girl so much and are so grateful that she is ours! I could say a lot more, but I know that what everyone really wants is pictures, so here they are!

Baby Laurel less than 2 days old! She loved her thumb in the hospital, but since coming home has mostly given up on it. I'm glad we got some pictures so that we won't forget!

Her favorite place to sleep is being held by her family, but she also likes to be in the corner of a couch or chair. Now if we could convince her to like her crib at night!!!

Sweet baby Laurel! She stays wide awake for about 30 minutes after she eats. This is some of our favorite times with her...she just looks around at everyone and takes in the world :-)

Laurel adores her Daddy! Will has been really wonderful as a Dad, just like I knew that he would! He loves baby Laurel so much and has been so unselfish in the way that he has cared for me and Laurel over the past couple weeks. I couldn't love him more!!

Laurel, 26 hours old

2008-08-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

More Laurel...

2008-08-07T05:51:00.001-07:00

Welcome Laurel Anne!!!!

2008-08-06T13:22:00.001-07:00

I have one photo.
Courtesy of Grandpa Bill :)

She's here, she's here!

Laurel Anne Kittrell arrived at 3:50 p.m. today, August 6, 2008.
She is 8 lbs, 5 oz. and 20 inches long.
It was also noted that she is, "bald as a bat!"

Welcome Laurel - we are so happy to have you!!

(of course I'll be working hard to have pictures to you as soon as possible!)

M.O.

Thought you all should know..

2008-08-06T11:20:00.001-07:00

that Meg is 9 1/2 cm dilated!!!!
How very exciting! Will says that Meg is feeling great.
Pray that Laurel comes soon and effortlessly!
Stay tuned....

M.O.

Good Morning, Meg's in labor!!! UPDATE

2008-08-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! This is Melanie, Will & Meg's friend, reporting "Live from Knoxville" on behalf of Meg. Tune in here for the latest in Baby Laurel reporting!
Meg is now officially in labor. What is so neat is that she was already having contractions 2 1/2 to 4 minutes apart before they even hooked her up to anything this morning! That's great! Apparently Laurel knew all along that today was her birth day.
Please pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby Laurel. I'll try to keep the blogging world updated as much as possible.
Come on Laurel; we can't wait to meet you!

***This just in: I talked to Will at 10:00 and Meg is already 5 cm dilated! (That's from 1.5 cm dilated from when I talked to him at 7:30)!

M.O.

Happy Due Date Day!!!

2008-08-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

August 1 has finally arrived and although baby Laurel hasn't I am still having a good time celebrating due date day :-) Will and I went to the doctor's yesterday (39 weeks 6 days) and I was still not dialated at all. We aren't really sure why that is because everything would indicate that her due date is completely right. Our doctor (who I really respect and trust!) recommended that we set an induction date for next week. I am pleased to announce that Laurel's new birthday (unless she surprises us by making a rapid entry into the world) will be Wednesday, August 6! I am so excited to have a date on the calendar and to know we will be going to the hospital in only 5 days. I had been excited about going into labor on my own, but Will and I really think this is the best thing for us to do and I am trusting in God's perfect plans for the delivery day.

Check back later today for my 9 month belly picture!!! I know I have been horrible about getting pictures, but I can at least take one at 40 weeks.

Laurel's Nursery

2008-07-26T11:09:00.001-07:00

I have finally finished Laurel's nursery and can post pictures! All it needs is a baby :-)

This is the view of her room if you come down the stairs and turn right.

This is the view from the doorway leading to Will and I's room.
This is her changing table and dresser.
A closer shot of her bedding.
The view from her rocking chair.

Laurel has the biggest room per square inch of body mass of everyone in the family!! I really love her nursery and I had a great time getting it ready for her. I am enjoying having it be clean and perfect, because I know that it won't last long!

Here is Will sporting the Baby Bjiorn! Looks like a natural to me!

39 Weeks!

2008-07-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Wow! It is hard to believe that we are only 7 days away from August 1 and Laurel's due date. At this point she seems very happy to stay where she is, but I know that all that could change at any time. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I hadn't made any progress, but I haven't felt discouraged about it which is God's grace! I just know that he has the perfect plan for the day that she is born and that day is coming very soon whether it is in 2 days or 2 weeks. I am still feeling very comfortable physically, but I think the waiting is beginning to become more of a temptation emotionally. I feel like I am in a holding pattern knowing that my life is about to DRASTICALLY change, but not knowing when! As always, Will has been so encouraging and done an A+ job of caring for me through my different stages of feeling super excited and then bursting out crying for "no reason"! He is such a gift from God and I am so grateful for him. I just can't wait to see him in his new role as a Dad. I know that he will be wonderful.

Even though I'm not posting anything particularly interesting, check back often, because one of these days you will be graced with the image of baby Laurel!!

Waiting for Baby Laurel

2008-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

To me this is the most exciting time in pregnancy! I love knowing that baby Laurel will be born for sure within the month and hopefully within the next 2 weeks. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and Laurel is making absolutely no moves to be born any time soon. She is a very contented baby :-) I have so enjoyed working on getting her room ready, purchasing the last few things we needed, and packing up Will and my bags just in case we need to head to the hospital in a hurry. There isn't much left to do. I am fully confident that God has the PERFECT date for Laurel's birthday and in the meantime Will and I will soak up these last few weeks of this season of life.

Last weeks pre-Laurel!

2008-07-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast time is flying!!! Only 25 days left until baby Laurel's due date. Will and I have been having a wonderful time getting ready for her arrival as well as spending time together just the two of us (although we miss the Kittrell's who are gone on vacation). Over the past 2 weeks we have painted her room, purchased and set-up her crib/dresser, and gotten most of her things in order awaiting her arrival home. Here are some pictures to document....

This is the color of Laurel's new room! Of course it looks a little different in real life, but this is basically it. Also, this chair was my first spray painting project ever. I have decided to love spray paint!! It really is amazing. I think I may have been a little over-enthusiastic about it, because my finger that pressed the "sprayer part" was numb for days afterwards!

Will wanted his efforts to put together the crib to be well documented! We had a hilarious time!

VICTORY!!!

I am planning on posting pictures of Laurel's completed room, but I wanted to wait until it actually is completed. I have some pictures and stuff to put up on the walls and I will post the results when that is done!

Going even farther back here are some pictures from the Connolly Family Vacation to Oak Island, NC in mid-June. It was so wonderful to get to spend a whole week with my family! The Lord really blessed our trip and we had a wonderful time.

One day Anne and Dave (my sis and brother in law) and Will and I took a little trip about 1 hour away to a town called Southport. It was sort of like an extremely miniature Charleston.

Yum! We ate ice cream at a delicious place called Spike's Dairy Bar. I can skip the "pickles" part, but pregnancy had greatly increased my love of ice cream! I would like to eat it pretty much every day, especially now that it is Summer. Thankfully the closest ice cream to our house is TCBY, so I don't feel as bad about it because it is frozen yogurt :)

One of my special vacation memories is going pier fishing with Dad and Will early one morning! I used to go fishing with Dad a lot when I was younger and it was a great memory to go with Dad AND Will! Here were are on the pier.

This was a great moment! I really wanted to catch one of these tiny sharks during the trip and I did!! You can see the pride in my face :)

I really like this picture of Will.

A self-portrait of my brother, Michael, who just had a very successful open heart surgery 2 weeks ago. Praise God for all those answers to prayer!

Relaxing at the Leaky Tiki Ice Cream Parlor after a great game of putt-putt golf!

Dad being gored by a wild elephant while Mom looks on in horror.

That is a little preview from our vacation! Of course, we did a lot more then that, but I just didn't get as many pictures as I should have!

I know that I am a horrible blogger, but I fully intent on posting pictures of baby Laurel when she is born! I will probably appoint someone to post them for me, which will probably insure that they will be put up a lot faster!

Getaway!!!

2008-06-09T18:02:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Will took me on a wonderful getaway to a cabin in the Smokies. It was so special and fun to get to spend so much time just the two of us. It was the last getaway we have planned until Laurel is here. The little cabin we stayed in was perfect and we had such a great time playing games, talking, bird-watching, going to the mountains, etc.

This is a bridge that goes over the stream where Will and I were engaged! I am so glad that we got engaged in a National Park because we know that the area probably won't change very much at all since it is protected as a tourist place.

The water felt so good, because it was a pretty hot day...although I was a little bit afraid of snakes and spiders in the stream...thankfully we didn't see any.

Will and I loved the little cabin that we stayed in! Pictures really don't do justice to how cute and nice it was. It was very new feeling, clean, and well decorated. I hope we can go back in the Winter sometime and be there when it is snowing!

I look like I am ready to pop, but I still have 7.5 weeks to go! Laurel is growing by leaps and bounds (and therefore I am too!!). I thought it was fun that we were staying off Laurel Road. I am trying to hold up eight fingers for eight months, but it turned out a little funny in the pictures :)

Cades Cove is SO beautiful. I just love it!

Me and my Will! I am constantly growing in my love, respect, and gratefulness for him.

This was a really cute, young deer that was trying to cross the road, but was too afraid of the cars. It was cool to see him so close!

You probably can't tell how cool this was from the picture, but in real life it was amazing! There was a birds nest with 4 baby birds plastered to the wall in the one of houses in Cades Cove (Will just looked over my shoulder and said that it sounds like the four baby birds were plastered too the wall...oops!...I meant the birds nest was plastered with the birds in the nest!!!). Will and I sat on a bench in the room and watched the Mom and Dad make trip after trip outside to get food and then up to the nest to feed the babies. It was amazing to see it so close! Especially for someone who is very interested in birds, like Will.

I guess this one really isn't very interesting...it is a turkey. We did see a turkey with all it's feathers out (picture the typical thanksgiving turkey). It was really cool, but we didn't get any pictures.

This is an old grist mill.

In addition to these things, we also saw a bear and a coyote (which I had positively identified as a wolf until Will enlightened me!).

I am so grateful to God for blessing me and Will with such a wonderful trip that we don't deserve! We have been given so many sweet blessings :)

In other exciting news, this is my last week of work at the Cornerstone office!! I am very excited about staying home and getting ready for baby Laurel's arrival as well as being able to take better care of Will with my extra time.

This weekend we head off for a week at the beach with my family!! Pictures will be forthcoming.

Big Update!

2008-05-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

I am long past due for an update! May has been very busy (and great!) so there is a lot to report.

First, Laurel's Baby Shower!

The ladies in my Care Group threw me a wonderful baby shower on May 18. I was absolutely blown away by everyone's generosity and kindness, both by those who served to make the shower possible and to everyone who came and blessed us with many gifts. Here is a picture of all Laurel's things piled up in Will and my room!

I can't wait to decorate and set-up her room! I only have 12 more days of work, so I should have lots of time to devote to preparing for Laurel in only a couple weeks!!

Anne and Mary DeGennaro took a road trip to visit over the shower weekend! It was really special having them there and we had a wonderful time shopping, eating, talking, and spending time together. I don't have any of those pictures, because they are on Anne's camera. Hopefully she can e-mail them to me soon.

This past weekend Will and I had the opportunity to attend New Attitude. The conference was excellent and it was wonderful to get to spend so much time together. The messages were all about God's Word and it was encouraging to me to hear about prioritizing my bible reading and memorization because I know that it is going to become a lot more difficult in the months/years ahead! I highly recommend listening to the messages which are available at newattitude.com.

On the last night Will and I had a special meal together at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Notice our matching colors :-)

It was wonderful to see so many special friends! Bebbie and I got to eat breakfast together and catch up a little. We both agreed it wasn't nearly enough time!

I am still trying to recover from the business of the conference and catch up on my sleep, but it was completely worth the lack of sleep for so much fun and great teaching!

We have a lot more fun and exciting things coming to us in the next weeks and months. This weekend Mom and Dad are coming for visit, next weekend Will and I are going on a long awaited getaway together (!), and the week after that I finish work and we head off for the Connolly Family Beach Vacation. We sure are blessed!

This is becoming a long post, but there is one thing that was on my heart to clarify concerning this blog. I assume that it goes without saying, but just in case I think I aught to say it. I want to make sure that everyone who reads this blog understands that the things I choose to post about are not necessarily the most important things in my life and that the amount I might devote to a particular topic doesn't mean it is more important than another topic that I don't really discuss. For example, I have recently been posting more about pregnancy and baby Laurel that I post about Will and my relationship. I am very aware that Will is my primary human relationship and I really do cherish him far more then I could ever cherish anyone else. I love Laurel and I am very excited to welcome her into our family, but she will never have Will's place in my heart. I don't want anyone to think that I am more consumed with her just because I post about her more often. Another example is that I don't really discuss Will and my involvement in Cornerstone and my relationship with the Lord on this blog. I love to discuss what God is doing in my heart and what I am learning about him, but I don't consider this blog to be the place to do that. My primary purpose in writing is to update friends and family who don't live in Knoxville with pictures and short descriptions of my activities.

Sorry that I took so long writing about that! It was on my heart to make it clear and I hope I have succeeded!

First week of May happenings

2008-05-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

Will is very hard at work studying for his finals for school. We really miss each other for the 2 weeks of hard studying, but it is almost over (or at least it is the beginning of the end). His last final is this Friday morning! He got to take a little break after the Sunday meeting to enjoy the CCK Church Picnic. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and we ate bbq and treats until we were stuffed.

Here is Will enjoying his meal!

We rented bleachers from a man who uses them for Rodeo's.
I can certainly picture them in that environment!

Everyone enjoying the beautiful day.

One of our favorite little friends, London Oldacre!

Another little friend, Braden Blanton. He is about to celebrate his 4 week birthday!

We can't wait for Laurel to meet these 2 friends and for her to come to her first picnic!

100 DAYS!

2008-04-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Today marks 100 days until Laurel's due date! I can't believe how quickly the time is flying. When Will and I got married we did a 100 day countdown where we periodically took pictures of ourselves and an object that had the number of days left until the wedding on it. It was a fun way to countdown the days! This time I am going to buy jelly beans and a container (maybe a large baby bottle!) and put 100 beans inside. We will eat a jelly bean each day until we only have only one left and that will be August 1! It will be fun to watch the container get more and more empty. I do have visions of certain members of the household coming down and eating some jelly beans unauthorized....it will be mid-July and we won't have any left in the container! I will have to carefully explain the situation and provide an alternate source for those with a sweet tooth...including myself!

This weekend Will and I are off to Franklin, WV for Bethany Teter and Kevin Shipp's wedding. We are very excited to see those two get married and also very excited to see my family and all our friends who will be there!

24 weeks 4 days!

2008-04-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to announce the arrival of my pregnancy tummy!! Spring is not the only thing that has sprung :-) God is overwhelmingly kind and I have really been enjoying this season of pregnancy. Laurel has continued to grow in her activity and it is so fun for Will and I both to be able to feel her moving. I can't believe that it has been almost 6 months already(as a side note...does 6 months come at 25 or 26 weeks?)! Everyone told me it would go slow, but if this is slow, I don't know what fast would be like. For a recent date night, Will and I stuffed ourselves with chick-fil-a and then had a great time choosing all sorts of things for Laurel for her registry. It really makes me so excited to be getting so much closer and to begin doing actual projects connected with her arrival! I also had my first experience of "nesting." It all started when I decided to switch out all my too small clothes and winter clothes and pull out the spring/summer clothes that still might fit...within 30 minutes I had pulled tons of stuff out of both of our closets and had it spread all over the floor in trash piles, goodwill piles, back in the closet piles, and who knows what other piles! By the end I was very tired, but I just LOVE having clean closets and I am already planning and getting excited about my next projects! This is very rare for me, so I am trying to take advantage :-)

Here is a picture of Laurel's new-to-her travel crib! Cheri and I had a great time going to a massive children's consignment sale last week. There seems to be a whole consignment sale subculture and it was hilarious to be immersed in it for a couple hours. I am very pleased with my purchase, because it was in great shape and a pattern that I really like (and that they are still making I think, although not this particular pack-in-play style). I already have it all set up in Will's and my room awaiting Laurel's arrival!

By the way...when I was cleaning my closets I found my camera cord!! I should be able to post a lot more pictures now.

I am very grateful to the Lord (most of all) and also to Will for the way they have cared for me during this season. I have definitely been feeling many more emotional fluctuations than normal! I have been so encouraged through spending time with the Lord and knowing his care and faithfulness and greatness! He is completely worthy of ALL my trust and I am so excited about all that he is going to do in the upcoming months and years! Will has been so gentle and caring and wise in bearing with me and my undue emotions! I'm so grateful for him! I couldn't imagine a better husband or man!

Spring has Sprung!

2008-04-02T09:08:00.001-07:00

This has been a wonderful and busy Spring so far! I have temporarily (hopefully!) lost the USB cable that connects my camera to my computer, so I can't display the pictures that I have taken, but I have an idea of where the cable is and I hope to recover it soon.
Will and I had a wonderful trip home to Charlotte for Easter. It was filled with March Madness, food, shopping, time with friends, The Train Game, and lots of time with family! Some of my dear friends got together for a little party and Laurel got many beautiful outfits! She is going to be a trendy baby. I will post those pictures when I get them!
In other exciting Spring news, Will and I got to take our first picnic of the year! How I love my husband and all the creative and fun dates he takes me on. There is NO ONE I would rather spend my time with. I'm so grateful to God for him and still completely amazed that he picked me!
Will and I went to the doctors this morning for another ultrasound and an update on Laurel! I am pleased to annouce that she is doing great! She is 22 weeks and 5 days old and she weights 1 lb. 2 ounces. Sadly she has not lost her love of hiding her face and she kept 2 hands, 1 foot, and the umbiblical cord in front of her face! We still loved getting to see our sweet, little girl.

As you can see, she is holding her foot with her near hand and putting her far hand on her forehead!

Here is her profile again, but this time her nose is getting smashed by something. Possibly a foot?

I guess that Laurel just really wants us to be surprised by her beauty when we see her in person! No sneak peaks! I really don't need to be worried about her not having the correct amount of fingers and toes, because we got plenty of shots of those!

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice!

2008-03-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

That's right...we are having a little GIRL! Will and I are so excited. Seeing our little baby for the first time was amazing! It is so encouraging to know that she is growing just like she should and that everything about her is perfectly normal (except of course, above average cuteness!). Will took most of her ultrasound pictures to Law School to show his buddies, but the one I have is pretty funny! We got to have a 3D ultrasound after the normal ones, so that we could see her little face, but she REALLY didn't want us to see her. She kept both of her hands covering her face the whole time!!! Here is an example:
As you can see her little hand is covering up her whole face and that is her ear that is facing the camera :-) The great news is that the ultrasound lady told us we could come back in a month and get another 3D ultrasound free of charge so that we can see her!! That is the kindness of God toward us. I can't wait to see Laurel again! We just love her so much already and even more now that she had her own little girl personality. We can't wait to meet her in person!

2 Days to Go!

2008-03-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

Wow! The votes are neck and neck! Only 2 more days of suspense. I am praying that they will go very quickly. Will and I get to go for our ultrasound at 10am this Thursday. We are very excited about it and can't wait.

Check back on Thursday afternoon for Baby Kittrell's first pictures!!

15 WEEKS!!!

2008-02-08T06:21:00.001-08:00

So many exciting things have happened since I have last posted! I have entered my second trimester, heard a wonderful little heartbeat, AND scheduled my first (and probably only) ultrasound for March 6! Will wasn't able to come with me to hear the heartbeat, but thankfully Dad let me borrow his little recorder so I got to let him listen when I got home. It was for sure the most exciting thing that has happened in pregnancy so far! It was 148 bpm if that will help you in your boy/girl guessing, but I don't think you can really tell from those sorts of things. I have started a poll for boy or girl guessing. Please cast your vote! Pregnancy has been such a fun blessing and joy so far! I am enjoying it even more than I ever thought I would! It is so excited to think of Will and my little baby growing bigger and stronger every day!

I will post about other aspects of life later! I just wanted to give a quick pregnancy update!

11 1/2 Week Update

2008-01-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

I guess there isn't too much to post about, but I'm trying to be a better poster so I'm staying a little late after work to write my update!

As far as pregnancy news, I am still feeling great! I have been having lots of fun looking at maternity clothing websites and I'm tempted to want to fit into them as soon as I can, but I am reminding myself that those days will come before I know it, so I should enjoy my normal clothes and size while I can. My next appointment is February 1st and I am very excited about hearing our little guy/girls heartbeat. I am hoping that Will is going to be able to come so we can experience it together! So far pregnancy has been so much more fun and amazing than I could have imagined! It is a wonderful feeling to know that you have a little companion with you all the time, everywhere you go (even if they are only a couple inches long!) I heartily recommend it :-) I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures to post! I can't take my 3 month picture because I'm not there yet, but as soon as I take it I will post it up for all to see!

As far as other news, I got enrolled in a photography class that UT offers as a birthday gift from my parents! I am excited about learning how to take really nice pictures. It will be just in time to take all the 3 billion first baby pictures that I will need to own! The class is for Digital SLR photography, but I am borrowing Lauren's camera and I think if I stick with it and really enjoy my new hobby that I will perhaps be able to get my own someday. I guess we will have to wait and see!

Well, it is "Family Night" at the Kittrell Home, so I better get home and spend some great family time! Pray that I win whatever games we play ;-)

Pregnant!

2008-01-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

I think most everyone already knows this, so it isn't much of a surprise, but I still thought I better post about it! Will and I couldn't be more excited! We found out about 3 weeks ago, but decided to wait until my doctor's appointment on Friday before sharing the news.

Our baby was 10 weeks this past Friday and his/her due date is August 1. Sadly I have already missed 2 whole months of "belly pictures," but I will take a picture in 2 weeks for month 3. Plus, I don't really think there is much to see yet! I am so so excited about all God has in store for this new year! Will and I really appreciate all prayers for the health, growth, and SALVATION of little baby Kittrell! Also, names are already picked out, but if you have any perfectly wonderful suggestions please let me know :-)

Breaking News

2008-01-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

I will be updating my blog on Friday...check back soon!

GIVING THANKS FOR THANKSGIVING!

2007-11-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

Yeah! It is 2:30 and I am leaving work for the start of a wonderful LONG weekend! My whole family is coming to Knoxville and we are going to have the best Thanksgiving ever! I am so grateful to get to spend the holidays with both the Connollys and the Kittrells. I will be sure to take lots and lots of pictures and update when the weekend is over.

I guess some explanations are in order. The reason I haven't blogged in such a very long time is that I dropped my camera and broke it and haven't been able to take pictures. I know that entries are generally more entertaining with pictures and so I haven't updated. The WONDERFUL news is that I found my old camera this past weekend along with everything else I have ever lost (practically!). So I should be back to my old picture-taking ways in no time!

Until then enjoy Thanksgiving!

Christmas/1 Year Anniv. Pictures

2007-10-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Will and I had a wonderful trip to Charlotte! We had so much fun catching up with everyone. God was very gracious to make the trip feel very long and full! Sometimes I feel like we are just arriving and then turning around and coming back, but not this time. On Saturday, wonderful Liz Shea tolk some pictures for Will and I that will be on our Christmas cards as well as marking (almost) our 1 year anniversary. I think they turned out really well and I love them! Here are some of my favorites! I guess the Christmas cards won't be much of a surprise! Oh well...

We got a little silly midway through the pictures and decided to take our very best "model" shots :-) I don't think anyone could accuse us of looking like real models, but we still had lots of fun!

If someone happens to be reading this who doesn't know, the other couple in these pictures is my sister, Anne, and her husband, David.

Boring Life or just Lazy Girl?

2007-10-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I don't know have boring life, so I guess the latter is true! I haven't taken many interesting pictures recently and that has slowed down my desire to post. Not too many notable things have been happening in the Kittrell home. We have rearranged a lot of our furniture and I love our new design. I will try to remember to post pictures of it soon. Will's Fall Break is this weekend and we are going to be taking a trip to Charlotte. I am VERY excited and can't wait to head out on Friday. It is so wonderful to take a trip home. Since Dave and Anne are currently living with Mom and Dad we will all get to sleep together under the same roof. That hasn't happened in a very long time! I will write up a longer and better post when we return from Charlotte and maybe even sooner if inspiration strikes! Until then, enjoy all this beautiful Fall weather!!!

One more picture of London!

2007-09-19T10:58:00.001-07:00

She is just too cute!!!

Welcome London Fiora Oldacre!!!

2007-09-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jonathan and Melanie (our Care Group Leaders)!! London was born yesterday at 1:25pm. She was 7 pounds 1 ounce and 20 inches long. I think she looks a whole lot like Melanie. I can't wait to see her in person!

Wedding!

2007-09-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

This girl is getting married and I am so honored and excited about being in her wedding!!!

Mark your calendars for January 5, 2008.

Pictures from the Weekend

2007-09-05T05:55:00.001-07:00

As I already said, Will and I had such a wonderful time together in Chattanooga! How I love my William :-) Here is a photo-tour of our weekend:

This was Sunday night after we arrived. We ate at a Italian restaurant in the art district. It was an older, really cool building and we got to eat on the 2nd floor which was sort of fun and out of the ordinary. From this picture, my food looks really gross, but it was actually delicious! Here I am on Monday morning standing outside of our hotel. I felt pretty funny standing there with my hand held up in the air waiting for Will to take the picture (I looked like I was making an oath) but I think the end result really looks like I am waving which was the goal :-)
Here I am in the aquarium! As we were driving home, Will said that this was his favorite part of the trip because I didn't realize that there was a top on this display and I wacked my head on it!
Here are a ton of trout. Someday perhaps I will catch one like this!
Thanks to Melanie, we made it a goal to find Candyland. We took a break from the aquarium in the middle of the day and made our way to bulk candy heaven! I LOVE bulk candy and have yet to find a really good place to get it here in Knoxville. We sat on a bench, drinking lemonade, and eating candy and nachos. A great mid-afternoon snack.

My favorite part of the aquarium...the SHARK TANK!!! I took almost 10 pictures of the sharks, but in most of them the sharks are either turned away or the picture is of only a portion of the shark...my shark photography skills are somewhat lacking :-)

Here we are in front of the shark tank.

A sea turtle.

This was in the butterfly garden. It was so cool because there were butterflies flying around everywhere and they were pretty tame! I had a couple land on my dress. I think they liked the color. Leaving the aquarium.
We walked around downtown for a while and came upon this wonderful old/used bookstore! Will bought me a little book to remember our trip!

We had been looking for Clumpies Ice Cream the whole day and finally found it! It was across the river on the other side of Chattanooga. Totally worth the walk!

After we ate our ice cream we walked back to the hotel where our car was parked and drove home. I am so grateful to have a husband who loves me so much and is so generous with his time and money and affection! As I have already told him, I would far rather spend one day with Will in Chattanooga than a whole month anywhere else without him. How great to be married to your best friend!

Back from Chattanooga!!!

2007-09-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

You know I must be a true Tennessee girl when I can spell Chattanooga correctly! Will and I had the best time together. We were only gone for a little over 24 hours, but it felt a lot longer than that. It was so refreshing and fun! I will post a better update with lots of pictures tonight or tomorrow, but I just wanted to sign on and say we had a great time!

here we are in the aquarium with the city in the background. Sorry the picture is pretty dark.

Back to work and the "real world"...

Home (away from Home)

2007-08-31T06:10:00.000-07:00

There are many sad things about moving away from home, but one of the good things is that you end up with TWO homes! I know that no matter how long I live in Knoxville there will always be a home and a room for me in Charlotte. Will and I had a great visit this past weekend. It always seems way to short when it is time to leave, but short visits are much better than no visits at all. Here are pictures from our time together:

I was very excited to see Dave and Anne's new house! I can't wait for it to be finished!

Mom, Anne, and I went out for lunch and shopping on Saturday while the boys played golf.

What precious times when we are all together!

The happy brothers-in-law
Saturday night we went to one of our family's favorite ice cream places, Carolina Cones
Mike, Dave, and Anne cheesing it up

On Sunday, Will and I are leaving for Chattanooga for a little get-away! I am very, very excited about it! I haven't been able to spend half as much time with Will now that school has started again. He has to leave at 7:20 every morning and some days doesn't get back until 7 at night! I will post about our trip on Tuesday when I am back.

Sanibel Island, 2007

2007-08-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a week since we made it home from our Kittrell family vacation to Sanibel Isalnd, FL. We had a wonderful time! It was great to spend so much time with Will and the family as well as being able to relax without an agenda and without feeling like the clock was quickly ticking towards Monday morning (which is what happends on the weekends!). Vacation was filled with many adventures, mostly fun, but some that were not so fun. On Thursday morning (the day we got there) I came down with a UTI that over the weekend started making its way up into my kidneys (which means weird lower back pain, fevers, and general bad feelings). Will and I went to an urgent care on Monday (which happened to be located in the same building with a gas station!) and I got some serious antibotics to kill everything inside me. Unfortunately, the antibotics were SO serious that they made me feel really nauseous. All this went on until the following Thursday giving me another day to enjoy the beach before packing up and heading home! It wasn't exactly my plan for vacation, but I was reminded again and again that what I deserve is HELL so being able to be in Florida with a wonderful husband and watched over by a loving God is MUCH, MUCH better that what I deserve! That will give you a fresh prespective like nothing else! Tucked between those sick days, God still gave us plenty of time to have lots and lots of fun! We played Kittrell family putt-putt, Kittrell family poker, watched movies, floated in the pool, read books, fished, saw a real alligator, went shopping, swam in the ocean, went out to eat, Daniel caught a shark, we ate the best milkshakes ever, and much more! About mid-vacation I began to have the onset of post-vacation withdraw. I was in the midst of hoping that vacation would go on forever, when I realized "just a second, I love my life at home too!" So to wrap up my thoughts about vacation, I LOVE vacation and Ihad a wonderful time and I can't wait till next year, BUT I also love home and love the day to day things that make up everyday living! I'm grateful to God for the gift of both! Most people probaby don't care about the previous 3 paragraphs (I know who you are!), so here are the PICTURES from vacation!

Lauren, Will, Daniel, and Brient

Will and I on our last beach day (these are all out of order)
Will and I going out on a date. We are standing on the deck coming off our room.
The putt-putt course had a castle theme, so here are Will and I in the stocks.
This was on the way home! Everyone made fun of me for getting a burger at this hot dog place!
BEAUTIFUL Sunset! This picture is courtesy of Will.
This is the view from the back of our house.
Will and Dan each caught a much sought after "Snook"
The Kittrell Men...I love 'um
My FAVORITE Kittrell Man

Brient checking out the local birds
ALLIGATOR!!!
In front of a map of the island

I'm REALLY looking forward to being in Charlotte this weekend! Those pictures will be my next post.

Pictures!

2007-08-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Today I finally have the winning combo of bringing my camera to work AND not being out of battery power, so I will be able to post some new pictures...

A couple weeks ago went went to beautiful Cade's Cove (where we got engaged!) and went fishing, "hiking" (i.e. - walking), and driving around. It was lots of fun. I always love going up there with Will because we have many, many wonderful memories of time spend there during our courtship and engagement. I am grateful to live so close to such a beautiful place! This past trip, we saw the tiniest, cutest baby deer I have ever seen! I couldn't get any good pictures of him because he was too small and far away.

This next picture is not for the faint of heart! I just thought it was so funny that I had to show it :-) One night Will came home from playing basketball and had been drinking a blue icee. For whatever reason, his body is very "dyable" so whenever he drinks colored drinks his tongue and teeth turn a very BRIGHT color! He was already wearing blue gym shorts so we thought it would be funny for him to wear all blue with a blue tongue and look like a little smurf. The unfortunate part of the story is that the only shirt we could find that was the right color was one of my tank tops! Here is the result...

hehe...fun memories!

As I already posted about, Will and I were housesitting this past weekend and Bethany came to visit! Beth and I got to ride their horses which was SO fun!! Unfortunately, my horse tried to buck me off and he threw me up and over the saddle and I landed on his neck! It was pretty scary, but worth the fun of geting to ride horses! Here are the pictures!

So that it our last couple of weeks in a nutshell! Next post will be vacation pictures!! I can hardly wait (for the vacation...not the next post :-)

Little Updates

2007-07-31T06:29:00.000-07:00

Will and I have really been enjoying our Summer! It is hard to believe that school is starting back at the end of August. It has been wonderful to get to spend so much time with Will in the evenings and on weekends. I will really be looking forward to next Summer break! This past weekend we have been housesitting for a family in our church who owns a horse farm complete with a fishing pond and a pool. It has been such a wonderful blessing to have a little "mini honeymoon" with my Will. Pictures will be forthcoming! I am also very excited because later on this afternoon Bethany B. is coming to visit me. Her very first visit since we have been married! Pictures of that will be forthcoming as well! I don't feel like any blog post is complete without a picture, so here is one of Beth and I at my wedding!

The last update is that I have installed a little ticker to count down the day's until Will and I's anniversary! It is at the top of the page. Just to clear up any confusion it is an ANNIVERSARY ticker...I know it looks a lot like a baby ticker, but it isn't :-) Remember those 2 years of law school!!

Ping Pong Tournament Preview

2007-07-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Our Home

2007-07-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

I have finally taken pictures of Will and I's Love Cave! Now you will all be able to picture us in my new habitat. This is a very quick tour seeing that we have 3 rooms and a bathroom :-)

The Living Room

The Bedroom

The Bathroom

The Study/Dining Room

Presenting....

2007-06-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

...Knox Plewniak!!!!

Knox was born today in the very early hours of the morning. He is 7 lbs 14 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. He looks just like a little Plewniak and I really love him!

bad blogger

2007-06-20T07:16:00.001-07:00

Sorry for being such a bad blogger and not updating in a long time! I still don't really have many updates to bring. It was great being home this past weekend, but I didn't take any pictures and I know that pictures are the main reason that people like to look at blogs! This weekend the whole Kittrell family (with the exception of Bill) are going to be in New Martinsville, WV celebrating Cheri's parent's 50th anniversary. I have met some of Cheri's relatives, but not all of them. I am glad to get a chance to meet them! I will be posting that trip next week (God willing!). My Charlotte friends might find this stunning, even shocking, but all the same it is true! That's right, I have purchased a day planner! I am planning on becoming somewhat administrative and organized! Every Sunday Will and I are going to sit down with our planners (i suggest Starbucks for this!) and plan out our week! I am really looking forward to it because I think it will really help me in being purposeful about my time and I think I will be much more effective in getting things done! We will see how it goes, but I hope that I am faithful and that my planning is fruitful.

Just for good measure, here is a picture from Matt and Kathleen Bowman's wedding. Doesn't will look a lot like a vampire!!! I didn't notice that until just now :-)

Yet another wonderful night with my William

2007-06-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

Last night Will took me on another wonderful date! Since I have my new camera, it can be a date in pictures!

First we went to The Fresh Market and bought a picnic dinner (yum!). While I was trying hard to pick out my pasta salad (I had to sample three different kinds...) Will prenteded to be going to pick out some chips for us, but really he bought me these roses and put them on my seat to surprise me when we got back to the car! They are really beautiful and I love them!

Then we went to a tree house in a park that we found soon after we got engaged. It is a little tricky to climb to (since it is over a river!), but lots and lots of fun once you get there. I really like feeling like we are all by ourselves.

After we ate our dinner...

We played Yahtzee, watched the sun go down, and read a book aloud...

I LOVE MY WILL!!!

Date Night!

2007-06-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Will and I's date night last night. It sure is fun having a new camera!

It's finally arrived!

2007-05-31T14:24:00.001-07:00

That's right folks...I'm a camera owner!!! Will very generously bought me a new camera after I lost my old one directly after returning from our honeymoon. I have missed being able to document the beginning of our life together, but now I will be able to. I am hoping to post a lot more on this blog since I will have easy access to lots of pictures from our life! I can't wait to start posting them tomorrow!

This weekend Will is in the wedding of his very old friend Matt Bowman! I enjoy seeing him all dressed up for a wedding and standing up on stage, but at the same time I miss having him sit with ME! I plan on posting the weekends pictures on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Will!

2007-05-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

I meant to post Will's happy birthday message on his actual day (May 21), but he gave me a wonderful surprise by getting me off work so that we could spend the whole day together! It was so great, especially since he had been out of town for so long. We had a great time together and I think he had a great birthday! I will post pictures as soon as I get them from Lauren. I am working on getting a camera of my own so that I can document all these moments myself! Hopefully we can buy one pretty soon. Meanwhile, here is a picture of baby Will - I love him so much!

Honeymoon!

2007-05-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

I thought I would post some of Will and I's honeymoon pictures for those of you who haven't seen them! They are in no particular order, so you will have to date them by degree of "tan-ness!" I hope you enjoy them!

Missing my William

2007-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Will left for his fishing trip yesterday morning at 6:30. I am really missing him, but I know he is having a really great time! We talked on the phone last night and I found out he caught the biggest trout he has ever caught! It was a 19 inch brown trout! You can look forward to those pictures being posted next week :-) That is nice that he got to start the trip with such a great catch. At home, Cheri and Lauren and I have been watching North and South. I think we should be able to finish it up tonight. I am really enjoying it! We are planning on taking a walk and doing at-home pedicures when i get home from work. It is fun to get to do all these girly things, although I would far rather have the boys home. Anne is coming to visit this weekend, so I am very excited about that!

Here is a picture of the Kittrell girls from a recent shopping trip to Pigeon Forge...we will try not to spend that much money this week!

Here's to 365 days...

2007-05-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

...of belonging to Will Kittrell! On May 12, 2006 Will and I were sitting on a rock in a stream in Cade's Cove and he was proposing to me! It is amazing how much more I have learned about Will and how much more I love him since that day. It really does only get better! I doubt anyone wants to hear me go on and on about how much I love Will, so suffice it to say that he is the best husband in the history of all husbands and I can't believe that he is MINE! Thank you, Lord, for the greatest earthly blessing I will ever receive!

Here are some pictures from a couple seconds after we got engaged:

I wrote on Friday, but forgot to post on Saturday! On Saturday night, Will surprised me and took me back to "our" rock in Cade's Cove where we got engaged. It was so special and fun! We bought a disposable camera and took all the same pictures we took 1 year ago. Once I get them developed I will post them. I am so glad that we got engaged somewhere close by. It is so special to me to get to go to the same place. Also, since it is a National Park it will always be there! Will is leaving for his annual fishing trip tomorrow. I will REALLY miss him, but I know he will be having a great time and I am glad for that!

The Connolly Girls

2007-05-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND ANNE! I couldn't ask for a better mom and sister. You are the 2 ladies who are dearest to me in the whole world. I love you so much and I'm so glad that we got to celebrate last Saturday. I can't wait to see all that God does in our lives this year!

Finals!

2007-04-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Will is done with all of his first year classes! I can't believe how quickly the school year went. "All" that is left now is 4 tests that are each 3 to 3 1/2 hours long! Most of the exams are worth 100% of his grade, so pray, pray, pray. Will is working so hard and I'm sure he will do great, but as I'm sure you can imagine it is very tiring to study from dawn till dusk. We can't wait for him to be done!
Here is a picture from Will's undergrad graduation, one day before we got engaged!

And we're off!

2007-04-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

Me and Will are off to our very first CCK Marriage Retreat! I am so excited to get to spend so much time with my boy! I will post an update when we get home.

Here is a picture from Easter!

Weekend Update

2007-04-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

Will and I had a fun and busy weekend watching the Plewniak kids! They were so sweet and so much fun to spend time with. The worst part of the weekend was Zeke crying and crying when he got dropped off with me because "I thought THIS was the day they were coming home...I miss Mommy!" I felt like crying too but I contained myself and by the time Will arrived he was having a great time! One of my favorite things was what a wonderful "dad" Will was. Zeke and Lily loved him and he was so patient and sweet with them. My other favorite moment was Lily singing me the "Gospel Song" as she was drinking her bottle and falling asleep. She is so adorable! Here are some pictures (thanks to Lauren for letting me borrow her camera!):

We're Parents (sort of)...

2007-04-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

...well not exactly. Tonight Will and I are babysitting Zeke and Lilly Plew while their parents are at the Leadership Conference. It will be our first overnight babysitting job as a married couple. I am looking forward to "playing house." Also, I love these kids, so I am looking forward to being with them! I will post pictures of our adventure later on!

Life from Nine to Five...

2007-04-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

My plan was to post pictures of the "love cave" today, but Daniel had a party for his 20th birthday and I ran out of time. Instead, I will introduce where I am from 9:00am to 5:30pm every day...the church office!

My favorite part about working is the people I get to work with! Since the very first day I got here, everyone has made me feel so welcome and at home. They are the Knoxville friends I see the most (other than the Kittrell's!) and I love them!

Elizabeth, Laura, Leslie, and Me!

Here we are at my wedding!

This is my office.

I thought about cleaning it up a little for the picture, but decided against it!

So there you have it! I will try to take pictures of my house and put them up some time next week.

I am a blogger (part 2)!

2007-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have tried this one time previously and I think I only posted twice! In an effort to keep in touch with friends from out of town, I am going to try again. Since I am settling in to being married and have some free time at night while Will is studying I think this little blog has at least a meager amount of hope for survival! I am open to taking bets as to how long this will last...let me know if you are up for a friendly wager :-)