A Little Monkey Business...

The BIG Update!

2010-12-17T17:29:00.018-05:00

I have been noticing for quite some time that I needed to update the blog! I decided that right before Christmas was as good a time as any. So prepare yourself....this is going to be a long one!

We had our first season of Soccer. Kevin signed on for a coaching position. Andrew loved it! Davis tolerated sitting or lying around and watching, his day will come soon enough.
We spent much of the fall doing the typical fall stuff: UT football games and tailgating, hiking, pumpkin patches, Halloween, and enjoying the beautiful East TN weather and leaves. We were able to capture a few good fall pictures with the boys and the beautiful colors. We had a great Thanksgiving(s) with family. I think the plan is to have it at our house next year, but I don't have to do the cooking!We have also been spending a great deal of time getting our newly finished basement actually finished. It's furnished, decorated, and full of toys. We are waiting on the bar cabinets to be completed and we can officially mark that project off the list. Pictures to come when it is all finished and cleaned.

Kevin got a new job! He got a new, bigger office with a window. He loves his new job:) Here is a picture of Andrew in the new office, BEFORE we decorated it.
Now we are in Winter, well almost officially. That means it's a time to get lost in all the comforts of your childhood and enjoy the innocence of your own children. So...

We've made s'mores, dressed up like reindeer and have just enjoyed time with family. We also already had our first snow & ice for the year, and 3 snow days!
And, we are all geared up for the Holiday season and ready (literally Andrew is counting down) for the big day. We have made a visit with Santa as well, the first time with no tears! We asked Santa for some pretty basics this year: Andrew wants a dog pillow pet and either a monkey or bee for Davis (Santa has both on standby for the last minute decision). They both want a zhu zhu pet. Andrew also would like a remote control fire truck. So Santa has been done with the gifts for a while, but now regrets not using some snow days to get the wrapping done:)
Hopefully the next post will include some winter pictures and we won't wait until Spring to post again:)

Happy Holidays!

Happy 5th Birthday Andrew!

2010-08-05T20:26:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that 5 years ago (and an hour) I finally got to see my sweet baby for the first time! Now he is growing up to be a polite, energetic, loving, kind, and generous big boy! It has been an amazing 5 years. We love you very much Monkey Boy!

Here are few pictures of our week long birthday celebration.

We started the festivities with a Batman themed jump party.
We spent the weekend in North Carolina taking our annual ride on Thomas the Train. We had our first birthday dinner with G-dada, Mimi, and Uncle.
Our second birthday dinner tonight was at Chucky Cheese.
We have had a ton of fun celebrating this birthday milestone with friends and family!
Happy 5th Birthday!

Summer

2010-07-08T08:23:00.003-04:00

We have had a busy summer so far! We have been spending a lot of time enjoying friends and family at the lake, taking a family vacation to Panama City, doing a lot of swimming, attending a wedding, working on the house, and going to Dollywood. Here are a few pictures of our summer adventures...

Happy Birthday Big Boy!!

2010-05-05T08:21:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that 2 years ago, almost to the minute, my little baby was born! Our life hasn't been the same yet and we are blessed to spend every day of the last two exciting years with you!

Happy 2nd Birthday Davis!!!!!

Much needed update!!

2010-02-26T21:23:00.003-05:00

So life has been crazy busy as always!!! We are still in the process of finishing the basement and I will post some pictures once there is more than white sheet rock walls to look at.

We have been enjoying more snow days that I can remember in many years. However, a few warm days recently had us completely geared up for spring to kick in fully!Kevin got a new job!!!!! We are of course thrilled, excited, and very proud of him. I know he will do a great job and will just love this new career path!

Enjoy these few pics of the boys and stay tuned, for hopefully more regular posts, as the weather turns nicer and we venture outside of the house!

First Snow!!!

2009-12-05T09:56:00.003-05:00

We woke up to neighborhood kids screaming and laughing this morning at 7:45 and knew that could only mean one thing... SNOW!!!!

We quickly put on our "snow" clothes and headed out to begin playing in the fluffy white stuff. Kevin and I were both surprised to have as much as we did and decided to try for a snowman. You never know in TN if this is the one and only snow of the year of if we could end up with blizzard conditions in March.

Here are a few pics of the boys making snowballs and building the first (of many we hope) snowman of the 2009 winter!

A day in the Smokies...

2009-11-15T19:45:00.005-05:00

Today we decided that it was going to be too pretty to do the usual Sunday afternoon chores like grocery shopping and such. So instead we loaded up the van and headed into the mountains. We decided to hike the moderate 3 mile hike (1.5 straight up and 1.5 straight down) to Grotto Falls. It was a beautiful hike and a beautiful water fall. We even enjoyed the drive around Trillium Gap.
The boys did well for the most part. Davis got a little chilly (mom and dad didn't dress him for the 15-20 degrees cooler weather up near the falls). Andrew hiked like a champ on the way up and then got a little tired on the fast paced hike down. We stopped only once for a quick drink and snack and a few quick pictures, and yet it still took us just about an hour to get to the falls and then just under 30 minutes to get back down!

I LOVE Fall in East Tennessee!!!

2009-10-31T16:33:00.005-04:00

Return trip to Chatta-town

2009-10-03T09:45:00.003-04:00

We decided last Sunday, since it had finally stopped raining after about two weeks, to get out and enjoy the sunshine! What better way to do that than drive down to Chattanooga and finish our weekend getaway from a few weekends previous. We went to Rock City, the Incline Railroad, and at lunch outside at Mellow Mushroom. It was an absolutely beautiful early fall day with the family.

Balloon Festival

2009-09-26T14:56:00.007-04:00

We have had rain, rain, and more rain the last week or so! We have tried to stay as dry as possible while also trying to get out of the house and not get cabin fever. So last night during a small break in the rain we ventured next door to Pellissippi State to the Balloon Festival and caught the balloon glow. Here are a few pics of the glow.

I also included a picture of the big bunny balloon that caused major traffic issues on Thursday as I drove home with the kids. Of course after seeing a gigantic pink bunny (that was taller than the statue of liberty) towering above the treetops, we had to keep going to see it up close. They had it all set up at the high school, testing it out and drumming up attention for the upcoming festivities!

Surprise weekend getaway!

2009-09-14T21:12:00.004-04:00

We went to the first UT game, and lasted till almost half time!! Andrew was ready to go shortly after kick-off and it was right in the middle of Davis' nap time. So we stayed as long as we could and then loaded up the car and headed south. I figured out pretty quickly we were headed to Chattanooga, but still had no idea what we would be doing.I had told Kevin months ago that we had taken Andrew to both Rock City and Ruby Falls when he was younger and that we needed to go back and take Davis. Well he listened and surprised me by planning it all!

We arrived at the Chattanooga Choo-choo hotel, which is pretty nice and super fun for little boys who love trains! We went that late afternoon/evening to Ruby Falls since it was getting a little late and the weather was iffy. We had tons of fun, and the boys loved the cave!
We woke up with plans to ride the incline railroad and go to Rock City. However, the weather was really foggy and rainy and we figured we'd do good to see one state, much less seven. So we found out that the tickets never expire and plan to go back soon and do those two adventures. So we instead hit the children's discovery museum and the mall for a few hours.
Despite the weather we had a great little git away weekend with just the four of us!!! It really didn't matter if we had stayed in a building down the street, it's just nice to do something different and get out of your own house for a bit:) And since the tickets never expire, we get to have another get away down in Chatta-town again very soon!!

My baby turned four!!!!

2009-08-06T14:43:00.007-04:00

Happy Fourth Birthday Andrew!!!!

Not sure where in the world the last four years have gone, but I sure can remember tons of fond memories as if it was just yesterday! As Kevin and I laid in bed last night discussing how crazy it was that we had a four year old, we thought back and remembered what we were doing at that exact time four years ago with a few hour old newborn!!! Those memories seem so vivid and marked one of the best life changing moments for us. The last four years have been exciting, stressful, wonderful, exhausting, and we both couldn't imagine life any different!!!

Here are a few pics of Andrew's party, our weekend in North Carolina seeing Thomas the train and the NOC Kayak shootout, as well as his birthday dinner at Chuck E. Cheese last night.

New camera...

2009-07-27T20:33:00.006-04:00

Kevin finally got his new camera after selling tons of baby gear on craigslist. We both love it and have been thrilled with the great pics we've been able to get.

We had a very busy weekend with a wedding shower, two birthday parties, and a day at Dollywood. We are also on our second week of swim lessons and the new camera worked great today for capturing all the fun. We have way too many great pics to post, but I did pull out several of my favorites.

Davis with his big blue eyes...
Andrew playing in the water...Andrew and Davis at the birthday pony party...
The boys looking for all the other kids (there were several) at Shaun Duncan's party...Andrew riding the rides at Dollywood and Davis resting after a hard day...
Andrew at swim lessons...

A much needed update...

2009-07-14T18:09:00.005-04:00

So as I looked at all my friends updated posts, I realized ours was a bit overdue for an update. There hasn't been too many life changing events to post about, just a lot of summer fun!

Our one big update is that Davis' eye surgery went great and we are keeping our fingers crossed that over the next two months or so all stays well and it doesn't re-close. Here are two pictures of Davis before surgery, after taking his "happy juice" to help him with anxiety. The last one is a pitiful picture of him after surgery, after he had finally calmed down and stopped screaming long enough to drink something (his first in over 12 hours)!We've spent several weekends at the lake (including the long July 4th weekend), a few nights at the pool, and we even managed to squeeze in another trip to Dollywood. Here's Davis sitting in the wagon with Savannah waiting for dinner and fireworks to start at the Morgan 4th of July show. Andrew "rowing" his boat and enhancing his fishing skills, he's actually pretty good at casting. Then a few pics of the boys being goofy poolside.Currently we are clearing out baby gear (selling it on Craigslist) and preparing for a house full of company this weekend. It should be a fun weekend with friends and hopefully we will get a few great pictures out of the weekend.

Riviera Maya

2009-06-24T09:54:00.006-04:00

We took our annual trip to Mexico, and this year we decided on the Riviera Maya area just between Cancun and Playa de Carmen. The trip was lots of fun and the boys had a blast together. Here are some highlights from the trip.... iguanas, dinner shows with elaborate costumes, building sandcastles, dinner at Senoir Frogs, and lots and lots of swimming and jumping (diving)!!!!

Thanks for the great vacation G-dada, Mimi, and Uncle!!!

Nasty storms sometimes have beautiful aftermath...

2009-06-11T11:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we got caught in a nasty storm driving home from shopping and then had another bad one hit after dinner. We sat outside on the front porch and watched the last of the storm move out and then looked up to notice the beautiful rainbow outside our front door. This is truly the first time I have ever seen a full arched rainbow. The pics are a little hard to see, but look closely and you'll get the idea.

The view to the left, the right, and then the full arch!

Random moments from the last week or so...

2009-06-11T11:11:00.004-04:00

Davis is growing up so fast. He's eating oreo's and drinking from a straw. The first I can do without, but the straw thing is just so much more convenient!!!
We had a great time at our friend Olivia's birthday party and decided to book Andrew's there as well.
My grandparents were in Gatlinburg for the week with my great aunts and uncles. So Friday mom and I took the boys to Dollywood again and then had a short visit with the family. We had a great day and of course the boys were beat!

Kicking off Summer!

2009-06-02T19:00:00.006-04:00

So what do you do in the summer when it's 90 degrees and humid outside... play in the pool on the deck in the shade of the big rotating umbrella!

It was too hot today to bear the thought of going out front and playing on bikes in the sun, so I had to think of something else to get us outside but yet have some relief from the heat. I decided on setting up the small inflatable pool on the back deck and putting the big rotating umbrella out to try and give us a little shade. Even despite the very frigid water, the plan was a success and seemed to keep everyone happy for several hours.

The boys had a blast jumping in the pool, squirting each other, and then having a picnic outside too. We may have to make this a new part of our summer routine!

Hello Pappy Fairy...

2009-05-30T08:54:00.002-04:00

Bye bye pappy!!!! It's official, as of this morning Andrew now has no more pappy's to comfort him at night. He hung them all in a little bag last night over his bed for the pappy fairy to come take to give to a little baby and left some money for him to go buy a toy of his choice with.

I'm sure most of you are thinking that we are absolutely crazy to still have him using a pacifier at night anyways, but there is good reason I promise. We talked to the pediatrician about it and they assured us better to have him sucking on a pacifier than his thumb, which is what happened if we took it away from him. My dad noticed a while back that his teeth were starting to get a little messed up from the pacifier and so we decided to get tough. It helps that Davis has never been very attached to his pacifiers, and we just decided to take his away as well. So a few nights ago we made the big step and then last night we gave them away for good.

It took him a little longer to fall asleep and he ended up sucking on the tail of his stuffed animal monkey to fall asleep, but at least he did so and there was not a tear shed over the whole thing. This morning he woke up grinning from ear to ear and looked up to check his bag for the money the pappy fairy left. So needles to say we will be heading to Toys'R'Us later today!

First Trip to Dollywood of the season!!!!

2009-05-28T18:39:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my first official day of summer vacation and what better way to spend it than at Dollywood!!! We had a lot of fun and had several hours with our friends to ride rides and run around and act silly before the rain started. Here are a few pics of the day and one of the worn out boys soaked on the ride home!!!!

Graduation

2009-05-15T19:19:00.003-04:00

We went to Andrew's preschool graduation last night. He in the Preschool class and sang for he kids in the PreK class that will be going on to Kindergarten next year. The whole thing was really cute and Andrew actually danced and sang a little.

The theme was songs across the decades and they were in the 90's singing Blue. The best was the twos class doing YMCA though:)

Davis' 1st Birthday Party!

2009-05-04T17:24:00.007-04:00

We decided on a monkey theme first because he isn't really into anything right now, and secondly because the monkey theme just fit him. His nursery is done in monkeys, his clothes all seem to have monkeys on them, and we call him little monkey or some variation of that. So once we decided on the theme, the planning began. There is more and more planning that goes into birthday parties each year it seems, and although a little stressful at the time... totally worth it! Davis had a great time and we have some great memories of his first birthday! Here are few pics of the occasion.

The Decor-The Cakes-The Banana Split Bar-The Birthday Boy-Happy Birthday To You...-Andrew feeding Davis-"This isn't half bad after all"-Opening Presents-Why is everyone else playing with my toys?-Opening more presents after the guests left-The Birthday Boy's First Bite of Pizza-We had a great time with Davis' first birthday party and thanks to all those that came to help us celebrate!!!!

Now if only I can survive his actual birthday with no tears...

Easter Festivities

2009-04-13T14:59:00.010-04:00

We had an absolutely wonderful Easter weekend!

Friday we kicked off the weekend with some shopping since I was off work and then had a nice family dinner.

Saturday we spent most of the day at Nana's house hunting Easter eggs and eating a yummy lunch. Nana and Davis got to spend a little extra time together while we took Andrew to go see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. We left there and went to G-dada's & Mimi's house to "play golf" and got our first real golf lesson from G-dada. Later the boys went "swimming" in the hot tub. This was an unexpected event, and so they swam in the buff.Sunday we woke up to find our Easter baskets full of goodies. The boys were equally excited about what was in their basket as well as each others.
We went to a lovely service at FUMC, Oak Ridge and then back to G-dada & Mimi's for our second Easter egg hunt.
We had a nice lunch and then back home for yet another Easter egg hunt. Then we had a lazy day playing with toys, organizing closets and switching out seasonal clothes, and watching the Masters.

It was a great weekend and the boys are already looking forward to next Easter!

A great day...

2009-04-08T07:56:00.005-04:00

Today was beautiful!!!! We spent most of the day riding our bikes at various parks. Andrew got to ride his bike while Davis rode on the back of mine at one park. Later we put both boys in the bike trailer and took in a little more of this fresh air and sunshine. We had so much fun that I forgot to take some pictures of the boys riding around. We did manage to get a few pictures of the boys at one of the parks going down the slide. Andrew loved taking care of Davis and helping him slide, and Davis loved going down the slide over and over (even despite the sometimes choke hold)!

So far so good...

2009-03-20T20:13:00.005-04:00

Davis had tubes put in his ears on Wed! Although people assured us he would start sleeping through the night immediately, he hasn't quite made it there yet. He has however slept much better than before. He woke up twice the night before last and only once last night (minus waking up with a very nasty diaper at 6:30)! All in all, the tubes have been a great success thus far. He's sleeping better, eating better, no longer shaking his head and pulling on his ear, and his overall disposition is great (all this despite a nasty battle with a stomach bug right now too)!

Here are a few pics of him before surgery. They aren't great and we didn't get any of him snoozing after the surgery, but you'll get the idea.
Thanks to everyone who sent us their well wishes before and after surgery. It was definitely not something I want to go through again... handing your baby over to someone else to put under is NO FUN!!!

First haircut!

2009-02-26T08:26:00.005-05:00

Life has been crazy in the McArthur house the last few weeks with all the sickness running through us. But, we did manage to find some healthy time to take Davis in for his first haircut. This came long before I wanted it to. Andrew didn't get his done until after his first birthday and boy did it make him look like a little boy instead of a baby... so naturally I wanted to wait and keep Davis' long for as long as possible. Well, several people kept asking about when we were getting it cut, threatening to cut it themselves, or mistaking him for a girl. Before Pics!
I finally gave in and decided it was time. He did well and was relatively cooperative. Although towards the end he was ready to be on the move and not really into sitting and keeping his head still. The Cutting Pics!
It is much better now that it's short. It no longer gets in his eyes, he looks like a little boy instead of a girl, but it did make him look older which I hate! After Pics!

Remembering my grandfather...

2009-02-11T17:26:00.005-05:00

Written by: Nancy Hall

Dr. James Wilson Hall will be remembered fondly at a Celebration of Life Service on February 14, 2009 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Trenton, Tennessee. Dr. Hall passed away February 10th with his devoted wife of sixty-five years at his side. The presence of his children and grandchildren comforted him in recent days. He will be missed.

James Hall was born on June 2, 1921 in Trenton, Tennessee to James Henry Hall and Zora Dowland Hall. He was preceded in death by his father James, Marshall of Trenton and Deputy Sheriff of Gibson County and his mother Zora Dowland Hall Taylor; stepfather Ab Taylor; stepbrothers Albert Taylor and Joseph Taylor; son-in-law John Richard Arnold, Sr.; and granddaughter Melissa Arnold Nichols.

He is survived by his wife, Jo Young Hall; a daughter, Sandra Hall Arnold of Jackson; three sons, James Wilson Hall, Jr. and wife Nancy of Trenton, Dr. Richard Gene Hall and wife Debby of Oak Ridge, and Robert Barker Hall and wife Brenda of Bartlett; nine grandchildren, John Richard Arnold, Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia, James Gregory Hall of Kansas City, Missouri, William Douglas Hall of Honolulu, Hawaii, Michelle Hall McArthur and husband Kevin of Knoxville, Justin Richard Hall of Knoxville, Stacey Lynn Hall of Nashville, Stephanie Hall Taylor and husband Nick of Brighton, and Susan Leandra Hall of Bartlett. Also surviving are three great-grandchildren, John (Jake) Nichols, Andrew Hills McArthur, and Davis Ryan McArthur.

Dr. Hall was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church in Trenton where he served many years on the Building Committee and was actively involved with the Rice Adams Sunday School Class until recent health problems.

He graduated from Trenton’s Peabody High School in 1939 and attended the University of Tennessee Junior College, Martin, where he was a member of the football team. He graduated from Memphis State University and then earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1945 from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. After completing his internship at Memphis’ John Gaston Hospital, Hall served in the U. S. Army Medical Corps during W. W. II. He continued his military service with the National Guard until his retirement as Colonel in 1991.

In 1948 Dr. Hall began his practice of medicine at the Trenton Clinic with Dr. J.O. Barker and Dr. Edward Barker. In 1959 he returned to the University of Tennessee Medical School where he completed a residency in anesthesiology. In 1962 Dr. Hall, Dr. Edward Barker, Dr. Eugene Crafton, and Cecil Yates founded Trenton’s Gibson General Hospital. Hall served as Chief of Staff at Gibson General and was a member of the West Tennessee Consolidated Medical Assembly, Tennessee Medical Society, American Medical Society, and American College of Anesthesiology. Among his peers he was considered a great diagnostician. In addition he was on the advisory board of Extendicare Corporation, which later became Humana Inc.

An active citizen of his hometown, Hall was a member of the Lions Club, the Masonic Lodge, and a fifty-year member of the American Legion Post 35. He was a member and chairman of the Board of Directors of Citizens State Bank, Trenton. In 1990 Dr. Hall was honored by his community as the Grand Marshall of the Trenton Teapot Festival.

Dr. Hall was very active in the University of Tennessee Alumni Association serving as Gibson County President and on the national Board of Governors from 1975 to 1984. In addition he served as the UT National Alumni President for 1978-79.

An extremely avid sports fan, especially with Peabody High School football, Dr. Hall served as team doctor for many years. He was also a long time season ticket holder for University of Tennessee football and basketball and followed the Vols all over the USA. Other hobbies included hunting, travel, reading, and genealogy. Some of his fondest memories were of duck hunting with his best friends and family.

An enduring constant in Dr. Hall’s legacy will be the many patients who remember his kindness and the many community members who remember his generosity. Doc was very proud of the number of two generation babies he was able to deliver in his long practice in Gibson County.

The family requests those wishing to make memorial donations consider the Dr. and Mrs. James Wilson Hall Scholarship Endowment Fund at the University of Tennessee supporting students interested in the medical field, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or their charity of choice.

Future Volunteer...

2009-01-27T19:42:00.002-05:00

We're off to a good start!

We went to the Memphis game this past Saturday and despite the loss we had tons of fun! Andrew had a great time watching the game and the entertainment, while Davis had a nice nap!
After the game Andrew got a few things signed by Coach Pearl. Look behind the table right between Bruce and Bob Kesling to find Andrew. He didn't think he needed to wait in line and just made himself at home getting right up there between them! Andrew enjoyed some court time of his own. Not to be that bragging mom, but the boy can dribble!We got a picture of some of our crew up in the box while we waited. We also got a picture of Andrew with Bob Kesling (the voice of the Vols)!

A day at the circus

2009-01-27T19:32:00.003-05:00

We went to the circus on Sunday with Andrew (Davis had to stay with Mimi since he had gotten sick Saturday night)! We had a good time, although it was very different from the Ringling Bros. three circus of years ago. I actually still prefer the Shriner's circus over this one.
Andrew had a good time though and I think the highlight for him was the white tigers!

Playing in the "snow"

2009-01-19T13:40:00.005-05:00

The boys and and I were hanging out this morning waiting for the carpet guys to arrive and noticed all the snow coming down outside. I bundled Andrew up and sent him on the back deck while I got Davis dressed. Not knowing how long this snow would last, I had to get a picture of the boys before it stopped snowing and melted.
Kevin came home for lunch and since it was still snowing and sticking a little this time, we decided to try for a few more pics and then Andrew and Kevin had a little snow ball fight out on the back deck. Lucky for me, I was able to capture the fun from the safety of inside.
They even built a tiny little snowman! Sadly it was time for daddy to head back to work, with a promise to go outside again after work if it was still snowing. Andrew had to come back in and admire the snow from inside.

First introduction to the Wii

2009-01-19T13:28:00.006-05:00

So yesterday we promised Andrew that we would pull out the Wii and let him have his first go at it. To my surprise he did well with some of the games that didn't require a lot of button pushing and such. He beat me at tennis the first time and then he "beat" me again during boxing. Kevin was thrilled at the prospect of having a new video game buddy, especially since attempts to convert me have failed for the most part. When it was all said and done, I think he was secretly a little disappointed that he didn't immediately pick up on all games and become a little vidoe game protege. Of course Davis was close by making note of all the new skills his brother was learning, he may pick up on this earlier than I'd like.

Band Practice at the McArthur House

2009-01-08T22:06:00.006-05:00

This is a typical night at our house. Too bad, we didn't get a very good video to capture the sound for your listening pleasure!

Andrew even plays the guitar behind the head (where he learned this trick, I can't be sure)!

Pump knot or goose egg...

2009-01-08T21:43:00.006-05:00

No matter what you call it, we've got them. Many of you may recall the famous picture of Andrew and his battle wound after having an encounter with the door frame/trim.
Well now little brother has gotten his first one. Here is Davis' first battle scar wound after some rough housing with big brother (actually Andrew had just left and Davis just hit the coffee table leg perfectly). Although it isn't quiet as big and impressive as his older brother's, he did get his at a much younger age.
At least we made it 8 months without incident. I imagine we will see a few more pump knots/goose eggs on both boys over the next few years.

MIA

2009-01-08T21:31:00.004-05:00

We've been a little MIA the last week or so, partly because we are recovering from a busy holiday season and partly because we have been finishing the boys playroom. Here are a few pictures from the last week or so. Pictures of the finished room will be posted soon. We are awaiting carpet installation!

A picture of the boys hanging out in the kitchen after a long day of working in the basement.
Davis playing peek-a-boo after getting back from dinner one night.
Andrew helping daddy paint the basement stairwell.

Christmas across the state!

2008-12-28T09:28:00.008-05:00

We started off our Christmas festivities on the 24th at Anne's house here in Knoxville. We had Christmas dinner, watched Mark and Melissa's episode of DIY to the Rescue, and then opened tons of great gifts. We had a great time Nana, Yia-Yia, and Mark!
Then it was off to West Tennessee for Christmas Eve dinner, we got there just in time to make cookies for Santa before sitting down to eat a huge and delicious not so traditional dinner of brisket, sea food gumbo, and tons of other yummy goodies.We had our first annual fireworks show (great idea Uncle Bob and Cousin Susan)! Finally it was time for gifts. Again, the boys got tons of wonderful goodies, Thanks Doc, Mom-mom, Pooty, Nanny Goat, Sandra, Jake, Bob, Brenda, Stacey, Stephanie, Nick, and Susan!Then we set out our Santa cookies and milk and headed off to bed. The boys woke up early, as expected, and anxiously waited in their new matching pj's to go downstairs and see what Santa had brought.
After playing with all our new toys for a bit, it was time for breakfast and more gifts under the tree. Thanks G-Pop, G-Nana, G-Dada, Mimi, Randy, Sarena, Rae-Rae, Russ, and Susan for all the great gifts! Finally it was time to sit back and relax, play some trivial pursuit, eat some more of course, and play with all our new toys! I see tons more days like this one in our future!

Pre Christmas Festivities

2008-12-21T08:41:00.009-05:00

I wanted to post a few highlights from our pre Christmas festivities before the holiday fun begins and we forget about these.

We went to a Christmas party the other night and had a blast. Santa made an appearance and handed out gifts for the kids. Andrew took his gift from Santa with a big smile of course and was even captured with his hand on Santa's hand!!!!!
We also got a few pictures of the boys with a large dancing Santa statue and a decent family shot.
Then we headed to Nana's house the other night for pizza and gingerbread house making time!!! Andrew did a great job, loved every second of it, and of course had more than his fair share of sugar!!! Happy Holidays from Santa's little helper and rudolph's protege!!!!

Look Santa, NO TEARS!!!!

2008-12-18T20:13:00.008-05:00

We actually got our picture taken with Santa without any tears this year. It took some serious convincing and a little bit of pulling, but we finally got Andrew to agree to stand next to Santa (forget the lap), but only so he could be in a quick picture with his brother. Davis was intrigued by the beard and could care less who was holding him. Andrew on the other hand had to be moved a bit closer so they could even get him in the picture at all. This version is certainly not the best picture ever since I just took a quick picture of our picture to use for the blog, but you get the idea. We are going to cherish this one for a while because I am sure the next few years will include a some tears from Davis and Andrew if he hasn't fully gotten over his fear of Santa.

Thanksgiving Potatoes

2008-11-30T10:22:00.002-05:00

Davis had his first real food and it's only fitting that it's was at Thanksgiving and that it's his momma's favorite... G-Pop's mashed potatoes. Andrew's first real food was sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving four years ago. We had to give Davis the same experience and capture the moment. Here are pictures of Davis and Andrew both enjoying their Thanksgiving potatoes.

Baking with Mommy!

2008-11-23T18:42:00.006-05:00

Some of my friends always seem to be baking with their children and they have inspired me to be a little more domestic with my own. So I decided that Andrew and I would do a little baking and figured we better start nice and simple... Rice Krispie treats! Andrew did great helping me melt the butter, pour in the marshmallows, and count out the cups of cereal. He even added his own little decoration after we finished. They were pretty tasty and he gave them a big thumbs up. I would say that our first real baking experience together was a success. Watch out Santa, I forsee some decorated cookies in your future!

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest women

2008-11-19T17:41:00.005-05:00

As I sit and check my e-mail, pay on-line bills, and of course post this blog...my boys are busy cooking and learning! Andrew is right at Kevin's side helping him to cook dinner and Davis is close by observing every little thing his brother and daddy are doing. Even sick Davis is laid back enough to let us get a few things done while he jumps around and watches everyone hard at work (and play). And of course the construction hat is a necessity for cooking.

So right after I posted the last blog, Andrew washed his hands and got his shirt soaked. After stripping off his shirt he was back to cooking chicken and counting biscuits. I looked up and noticed the outfit and wondered if everyone cooked in their underwear, socks, and construction hat! After a little chuckle, I felt compelled to capture the outfit and add it to this post!

Photo Session!

2008-11-12T21:34:00.003-05:00

We went tonight for Davis' 6 month pictures and to get a few of the boys together. It was exhausting to say the least. The first outfit session was by far the best, but even after that we managed to get some good pictures. These are a few highlights and I will post the rest on the website soon.

Football Time in Tennessee.... well sort of!

2008-11-08T16:01:00.006-05:00

We decided to take the boys to their second game of this football season. The game started at 1:00 and the weather was supposed to be perfect, (and let's face it, the tickets were easy to come by)! So we took the train to the stadium, which Andrew loved, made the trek all the way up to our seats, and got all settled in to watch the Vols play what should have been a fairly easy one. We ended up leaving at half time since the weather was a little chilly and windy, the boys were missing nap time, and the Vols were losing badly! Despite all this the boys enjoyed the experience. Andrew loved watching Smokey and the players run out on the field, and singing Rocky Top at the top of his lungs with all the other fans. Davis slept through a big chunk of the game and then woke up and seemed perfectly happy to sit around watching everyone, especially his brother. At least we got a few good pictures to remember the day by.

Happy Six Month Birthday Davis!!!!

2008-11-05T06:25:00.003-05:00

It 's so hard for us to believe that it has already been half a year since your arrival into our lives. We are so blessed to have you as part of our family. You have been such a loving, laid back, easy going baby and we have loved watching you grow over these last six months. We are excited for all the adventures that are fast approaching as well as all those in the many years to come. We anxiously await those days when you start crawling (soon if you have anything to say about it) and eating the big people food (it'd be now if we'd let you). Each day is an adventure and a blessing with you and your brother and we couldn't be happier. We just want you to know that we love you and can't imagine our lives without you!

Love, Mommy, Daddy, and Andrew

Ready for trick-or-treating!

2008-11-01T08:36:00.003-04:00

Here's my boys all decked out for the festivities! Andrew was literally on gram of sugar away from bouncing off the walls he was so excited about trick-or-treating this year. Davis of course had no clue was about to come his way. Andrew, Davis, Kevin, and I went out just before dark and covered our street and two others in the subdivision before heading back home for some pizza. We got our second wind and Andrew, Kevin, and G-dada all went back out and covered a few more streets at the top of the subdivision. Just as they were about to head down the big hill to the bottom half of the subdivision, Andrew stopped them and said that was the wrong way to go back home because he was feeling very tired (and cold).

It was a great Halloween and lived up to all the hype for Andrew and I think set a pretty high bar for Davis next year! Thanks to all those who came over to see the boys go trick-or-treating!

Now we have to go get ready for Sophia's first birthday (she was born a year ago yesterday). I am sure today's festivities will add even more Halloween fun to Andrew's list of memories.

Switching to a new (old) blog!

2008-10-31T16:17:00.002-04:00

As much as I like our current website and blog set-up, I am getting a bit tired of the whole logging in bit. I would like to have a blog that I update a little more regularly (at least that's the plan). So I thought I would switch back to a previous blog site and then just copy and paste a few of my favorites to the website/blog page.

Hopefully this switch will improve my blogging!

Successful 30th Surprise...

2007-08-22T11:40:00.000-04:00

August 16th and Michelle turns 30. A date that gives her something every woman loves, another year under their belt.

Thursday night we went out to dinner with the typical crew. Michelle's parents and brother, myself, Andrew and our very close friends Charlie, Sherry and Kim.

In typical fashion we went to eat at Connors Steak House in Turkey Creek. We grace this establishment ever few months, but apparently since Andrew was born it has become an annual place to celebrate Michelle's birthday. Strangely enough we have sat at the same table 2 of the last 3 times we've been.

Dinner was great! Sadly, the evening came to a close and we lazily headed home with full bellies.

Soon after getting home we found ourselves snuggled up in bed mindlessly watching TV. Andrew was between us hugging on T.C. - his build-a-bear triceratops. Truly was a Kodak moment, but honestly, if I looked anything like I felt - I would look like Al Bundy in a stained wife beater tank top with his hand down his pants. (Please note I don't sit around the house like that.)

Now let me rewind a bit here to set up VERY QUICKLY for the events that took place on Sunday. I had been thinking for quite a while what to get Michelle for the all important big Three - Oh. To add to the fun we have Andrew and anyone who has a kid(s) understands that they come first, and just about everything you do has them ahead of yourself. Lovingly so mind you!

Well, in this case August puts that to the Xtreme! Andrew's birthday is August 5th and I've come to realize over the last two years that all subsequent years will completely drain the McArthur Vault. This of course leaves me in a fine pickle - no cash to spring for the beautiful wife.

So, I brain stormed on something nice and inexpensive to get Michelle.

I'll make something!!!

Well, the charm of construction paper birthday cards apparently wore off in early elementary school.

So, I thought to cook something or to prepare a picnic or to setup something else romantic. But yet again, the child unintentionally gets in the way. You do need to understand; having Andrew around IS indeed the most incredible and rewarding experience and I would not trade it for anything. Just know, that he adds another variable to the already frustratingly difficult task of finding something meaningful for your wife on her birthday, much less a large round number birthday like 30.

To cut this short I decided to throw her a surprise birthday party. Something that took approximately a week and a half to properly prepare. I won't go into all the hiding and sneaking and other wonderful hurdles that presented itself.

I will say this though. I now have a greater appreciation for my wife and my mom and mother-in-law and really the female mass in general.

This past week and a half has forced me to do things I normally don't have to or want to do. Things like ordering cakes/cookies, coordinate colors, balloons, streamers, shopping for food, drinks, cleaning, guest lists....AAAHHGG! I'm not very good at these types of things. It requires a strange and mystical level of organization and understanding that only woman have.

Looking back at everything it seems tedious and trite, but at the time was quite the opposite. Work doesn't get me this stressed...

We were out at Michelle's parent's lake house and Sunday was finally here. All the guests have been schooled on when, where and how to arrive.

It's noon!!! I took Michelle out on a boat ride and a picnic of PB&J's, potato chips and cookies. Yes, I know it's oozing romance. While we were out, the lake house was flooded with people setting up music, the decore, the cake, the balloons, the presents, etc... Things I wasn't able to do and for that I thank everyone SO much. No one wants to hear, "you're invited to a party, but you have to set up everything." but I digress.

An hour later Michelle and I return from our delicious picnic and boat ride to discover about 40 people waiting on the dock to wish Michelle a happy birthday. She seemed surprise and she even said she had no clue, but honestly I think she knew. We'll never know I suppose, and really it doesn't matter. The party was fantastic! Most everyone was able to make it and thanks to Michelle's parents we had plenty of food. All in all everything went off without a hitch and good times were had by all.

Thanks again to everyone who helped, and made this such a special and memorable day.

-Snack

Daddy's Little Helper

2007-08-15T19:11:00.000-04:00

Andrew is such a big help in the kitchen! He loves being right there under his daddy's feet. Tonight he really got involved with making dinner, choosing to put his whole head into it . . . later we just resorted to letting him beat on the pot with a wooden spoon.

Our Little Trooper

2007-08-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

Andrew put up a good fight against the doorframe, but in the end the doorframe won.

Although the doorframe did receive a small dent; Andrew received a HUGE knot.

Poor guy...

Allow me to clarify what happened...

Andrew has a ball he LOVES to kick. It's about the size of a basketball, but much softer and lighter. He was running at top speed and tried to kick it. He missed, got tangled up with the ball, lost both legs from underneath himself and charged head first towards the door.

BOOM!

WUUUAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

He actually took it like a little trooper.

There was a bit of initial crying, but it seemed to stem from fear rather than shear pain. A few minutes passed and he was fine, or rather, not crying. A bit of tylonol, an ice pack and a cookie fixed him right up.

Man, kids are amazing...I'd still be sitting in bed crying if that happened to me.

Oh and this happened on my watch...Michelle was at a meeting.

Luckily, Michelle understands our sons gracefulness and gave me no grief

-kevin

Trying to find a good blog service is hard work

2007-08-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

Trying the fifth blog service now and still looking!