Great Aunt Kitty

I wanted to post this last week but time got away from me as usual. That seems to be a never ending theme in our life these days but I am comforted to know that we are not the only ones! I have been told by so many that they feel the same way. Anywho, I digress.....



We were so saddened to have to say goodbye (for now) to such a wonderful person, Great Aunt Kitty a few weeks ago. She was such a warm, caring, loving, person who just touched your heart in such a special way. She always greeted everyone with a smile, hug, and kiss and right away you knew how much she loved you, even if you were a new member of her "family" :) We know that this was not goodbye but as the pastor put it at her funeral- A see you later Kitty! She is now in heaven with Jesus and all of the other family and friends who have gone before her. But she will be missed here on Earth by all of those who loved her dearly.



We were lucky enough to have spent some time with her a few weeks ago when we went to pick pumpkins. She adored Lucas and it was such a joy to get to see her again and catch up for even a few minutes, even if Lucas was into everything at the store! ;) We are now so thankful that we made that visit....



I have included a video clip of Lucas from another visit we had with her back in early spring. He adored her and thought she was just the funniest entertainer! We love you and miss you Aunt Kitty but we know that you are in a much better place free of all your earthly pain and made well again!!!

Down and out....A day in the life of US!!!

Well, Tuesday was interesting to say the least. I wish I could write how non eventful it was, just a typical Tuesday but that is not the case, not this week! I should have known that things had been going to good and something was bound to change...Ha, I never learn do I!!! :) That is just life with little ones and crazy pets.

When we got home Monday evening we noticed poor Nala kitty was hoping around and not her usual happy self. After investigating we found a swollen leg with some matted fur. Uh-oh, we have been here before. Apparently she made some other kitty upset Sunday evening on her adventures outside and is now paying the price of their encounter. So she cuddled up in Bailey's bed for the evening until bedtime and we moved her to her own comfy bed for the rest of the night. I knew she was feeling crummy when she just laid there and let Lucas crawl up to her and poke her face after his bath! Poor Nala!!!

I got up early to make sure she was still OK and she was snuggled up in her basket and greeted me with a meow and purr but still did not like anyone touching her foot. Todd helped her into her room where she used the litter box, and then laid down on the floor for a little breakfast and water. So sad.... :( But we were thankful that she wanted that. So we ventured off to work and left the patient behind in her bed for the day. I consulted a few co-workers who have been through several similar kitty traumas and they both agreed- she has an abscess and it needs to be cleaned....For those of you who are not cat owners- this is NOT an easy task. They HATE to be held captive for anything, let alone attempting to clean something that is obviously causing them so much pain. One friend suggested wrapping her in a towel and pouring peroxide on it... Maybe? But I opted for the vet since it is a holiday week, they agreed on the phone that the longer you wait the worse, so off we went!

Well, not so bad you say? Ha! Ha! There is more....On my way home to get Nala Todd called to say that TLC (AKA- daycare) had called and Lucas needed to be picked up, he had a fever of 101.0. Yep, you heard that right- sick kitty and a sick little boy. So he left work early also to get Lucas from school.

The good part of that story is that he seemed much better yesterday evening; a little fussy and cuddlier but no more fever. But state law says that if they get a fever then they are not allowed to return to school for 24 hours...So mommy and Lucas had a day of rest (can you call it that?) at home today with the wounded kitty cat :) She is still limping but seems to be acting a little more like herself. Needless to say she is not interested at all in venturing back outside yet! Lucas has a little bit of the yellow/green goop but he isn't congested or any of that so we are relieved and he is for the most part comfortable. He does have another tooth on the bottom front (7 total) and a molar working its way down too. Maybe that is where the fever came from? None of this has slowed him down at all though! He has been practicing his walking skills more and more and took a few steps on Monday. I think he will be cruising by Christmas :) Look out world, here he comes! His talking skills are also non-stop: he has added hot, turtle, and uh-oh over the last couple of weeks. It is amazing how fast he picks things up and remembers each little detail. If he is playing in the kitchen and I ask him where Justin is (his big cousin), he points to the spot on the fridge where his pictures are :) His teachers at school always have funny stories about how he tries to teach all of the other babies what they are learning about A-Apple, B-Ball... They have pictures and letters on the wall that the teachers use during the day to show the babies the different things. Lucas crawls to the front and pulls up to point out what they are learning and tells everyone what it is ;) He's our little professor or lawyer considering the attempts to "argue" his point!

Hopefully we will all start feeling better soon, it is that lovely time of year again so I am sure this is not the last time a bug stops in to visit our household. I'm telling you we will have immune systems of steel!!! Hope that you all have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

Sending our love, hugs, and kisses :)

We would love to hear from you

Several people have asked how to leave comments on this blog/website for us. Here is the how(IT is super EASY):

- Click on "Send messages to Lucas, Heather, and Todd" that is below each post .
- Type your comment in the box .
- Select the "Name/URL" button, which will allow you to put in your name (you don't have to put in a URL...just leave that blank).
- Your message will appear as a comment on the page for us to see.

It's that simple...we love to hear from you all!!! ;) In fact I really think you all should start your own blog, that too is very easy ;)
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us! Hope that you have a fantastic weekend.

The Bathroom can be....

SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Lucas' thoughts:

Wow, this place is pretty cool. Look how much fun I can have in a matter of minutes if mommy just leaves me alone :)

When mommy discovered him:

BUSTED!!! Really, I didn't do it, I think Bailey or Nala snuck in here and set me up!

If you have to turn 30........ :)

I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with LOTS of great friends!!!!

Well last weekend was a milestone around our house. Not for Lucas this time around but for me! I crossed over into a new decade of life.

Goodbye 20's- you were great, some of the best years of my life thus far. Longwood days; hanging out with so many of my closest friends on the DZ hall; crazy nights; all nighter study sessions; 21st birthday at Macado's; graduation; first job; marrying the love of my life; first home; adding 3 furry friends to our family-Abby (over the rainbow bridge now),Bailey, and Nala; meeting many more lifelong friends; giving teaching a shot-I learned so much about myself!; summers in Aruba, St. Martin, the outer banks, visiting family; finding a job that I really enjoyed and making a difference; sharing so many special occasions with so many great friends; joining Atlee Community Church and forming a personal relationship with God (I don't know if I would have made it through all of this without him!); realizing that my mom was my biggest hero and best friend(aside from Todd) and having to say goodbye- we have a special guardian angel now :) ; bringing the most precious gift into this world-Lucas, a rocky road but so worth EVERY worry and tear!; moving into our new home. There is so much more but those are the highlights that stand out to me tonight. Wow...if all of that can happen in what seems like a blink of an eye, what is still yet to come?

Todd decided that we needed to have all of our close friends over to help celebrate and I could not argue with that! We had a great time catching up with so many dear friends- some that we see often and others that I think we haven't seen in forever- all from different facets of our life. It meant so much to me that they all came together to share in this special occasion with us, I couldn't think of a better night! Although, a few more hours with everyone and a chance to really catch up would have been fantastic ;) It was a great way to cap off a great decade....

Thanks guys, I love you all LOTS ;)

Here are some pictures of a few of the great friends that came out to help celebrate! We didn't pull the camera out until later so unfortunately we missed some. But I had a blast catching up with everyone :) We'll have to find another reason to do it again soon. We used to do this a couple of times a year, not sure what happened but, I am definitely up for restarting that tradition!

Me and Erica

The Edmond's Family (Keri, Aubrey, Preston, and Greg)

Maria and Kevin Gyure

Kristen, MacKenzie, Lucas, and me

Todd and Rachael Fleming

The Brittle Family (Justin, Kristen, and MacKenzie-yummy marshmallow!)

The Watt's Family (Madison, Chris, Beth, and Kendall)

Rachael, Tracy, Lucas, and Emily
Me and Shannon

Me and Tracy

Lucas and Aunt Kristi playing
The Zaremba family (Randi, Melanie, and Jillian + Ethan and Lucas)

Shane and Tracy Olson

One of my co-workers/good friends (Maria) made this beautiful birthday cake for me :) It was so yummy, but almost too pretty to eat!!! She knows how much I love fall, what a perfect cake!

Shannon and Scarlett Smith (Matt was hunting :)

Pretty sure you know who these people are! ;)

These were taken on Sunday. Dad came down and visited for a little while. We relaxed all day and just spent time together, it was the perfect way to end such a great birthday weekend! I didn't have to cook or clean, just enjoy the day with Todd and Lucas! I could not ask for anything better :) I can't wait to see what the next 30 years have in store for us....

gimmee some candy corn!!!

If you know me really well, then you know that I LOVE candy corn. I think it might even be classified as an addiction. Guess if you are going to have one, that is a safe choice, right? :) I have to have it every fall, Todd always starts buying it for me within the first few days after it hits the shelves. He picks it up at lunch time from the druugstore and fills the dish back up for me. The candy dish stays well stocked throughout the fall with it! ;)

Well, we both dip into it during the day/evening and I guess Lucas has picked up on that because about a week or so ago he started reaching and fussing like he wanted something off of the counter. He had been doing that the last month or so to pick up his little toys, medicine bottles, whatever, but not this time.....he wanted the yellow, orange and white things in the candy dish- and nothing else would do!!! If mommy and daddy could eat them, he could too!

So we caved. Yeah, I did it even after saying throughout pregnancy and after he was born that sugar would not be an option for a long time in this little mans life, HA! So much for that huh? What do I expect with my own addiction to them, not to mention his father's sweet tooth (microwaved M&M's anyone?). So every time Lucas finishes a meal in his highchair (not quite sure why that triggers it) he reaches and begins to "whine". If we try and ignore it he really gets upset, to the point where serious tears are shed and a temper tantrum (baby meltdown)ensues!!! Not a pretty site at all. My boss assures me that when the candy jar is empty Lucas will get over it and move on to something else that he has to have- hopefully something that is not edible. I guess we will see soon how well that works but until then, he gets the candy corn!

So here is a video of our little addict for you to enjoy ;)

And here are some pictures of Todd, Hunter, Bailey, and Lucas ALL enjoying the candy corn. The doggies love it too :) It is a family affair that is for sure!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!

Fall Fun with the Bryant's

Happy Fall Ya'll!!!

I have to start by saying this is absolutely my FAVORITE time of year. For this reason, there is no way I could survive living in Florida or the west coast. I MUST have this season :)

Reasons why I love it:

The weather is absolutely gorgeous, I think I could live outside :)

The crisp air that makes you feel so good you can't get enough...

All of the beautiful colors God created in the leaves, completely breathtaking!

The falling leaves the blanket the ground, so much fun to play in!

Going to the mountains to take in all of the beautiful scenery and pick apples.

Pulling out that favorite cozy sweatshirt and blankets and snuggling to get warm :)

Apples, pumpkins, mums, scarecrows... :)

Apple cider and hot chocolate, smores by the fire -YUMMY!!!

Celebrating fall birthdays, so glad God gave us our special blessing in Lucas this time of year. I have such great memories of my fall birthday parties- especially playing in the leaves that my parents would rake into giant piles :) Who needs the summertime and the pool!! ;) Hopefully we can do the same for him over the years...

Our wedding anniversary :)

Precious little ones dressed up for Halloween :)

Just thankful to get to be here, enjoying another beautiful change of season with as our own little family!

LOVE IT!!! :)

Here are some pictures from our adventures the last few weeks enjoying fall and all of the beautiful blessings it brings. We have got to spend time with both close friends and family and enjoy more firsts for Lucas. Life is good, God is great- really, really GREAT!!!!

Enjoying the view and the apples at Carter Mountain Apple Orchard. We ventured to Charlottesville a couple of weeks ago to pick some apples and check out the beautiful scenery, it was such a beautiful day and we all had a blast! Lucas and Aubrey watched from afar with Daddy's while myself, Keri, and Preston ventured in to the trees to pick the apples. We'll get everyone out there next year! :) The Edmond's family - Keri, Preston, Aubrey, and Greg - at Carter Mountain Orchard.


Lucas playing with his surrogate big brother, I think they could pass as twins if they were the same age! They have VERY similar mannerisms, habits, etc. And since we are all such good friends I'm sure Preston will be teaching Lucas the ropes, I know they are gonna be best buds :)

Here are some pictures from Halloween night. Lucas was a chocolate milk cow :) Kind of ironic (as a friend pointed out) since he spent many of his first months of like really disliking cows. He would pout like you have never seen and burst into tears if he heard any mooing....Now, thankfully, he is past that and likes to play with cows :) Actually his Little People farm is probably one of his favorite toys right now!

We did actually take him trick or treating to a few houses in our neighborhood. He seemed to really get a kick out of it. We had to help hold his bag but he would light up when we walked from house to house. We ventured around with some other neighbors who have little ones right around his age. More future friends!!! ;)

He was totally intrigued by the candy. We let him try a bite of a Kit-Kat and a piece of candy corn (mommy's favorite) We'll share more on that later, it is completely worthy of its' own story!!! :)"Sharing" with Hunter.....Playing with big cousin Justin, another favorite buddy. I am most definitely sure these two will get into trouble together ;) But they really love each other for the time being. Hopefully it stays that way and Justin never thinks of Lucas as the little "tag-a-long" as they get older.

That is it for now, we will be back with more soon :) Hope that you all are enjoying this beautiful fall season and may your lives be blessed beyond measure.