Reflecting back on 2008

The phrase "Time Flies By" is a phrase I have been saying all year long. I've thought years past have gone by pretty fast, but I really think that this year has literally flown by. There have been so many exciting events that have taken place this year not only for our family, but for our friends too! I thought that I'd go month by month and just jot down a few things that come to mind that have been significant in our lives!
January-8th: Courtney Linn Majors was born!
February-still waiting for Marlee's arrival
March-I turned 28
April-16th:Marlee Grace was born at 4:30am joining our family! (11 days early)
May-Kendall graduated from Kennesaw State with his Masters in Educational Leadership
June-I officially finished teaching at North Cobb Christian School
July-Kendall and James turned 30, a trip up to Michigan for our good friends Nate and Alissa's wedding
August-Kendall gets a new job as an Area Lead Teacher (ALT) in Cobb County, good friend Parker Riese turns 1 (on the 20th)
September-Marlee's first ear infection
October-Marlee visited the Due West Pumpkin Patch a couple times and also celebrated her first
Halloween by dressing up as a Hunny Pot
November-Marlee's first Thanksgiving-spent with my parents in Huntsville the weekend before and with Kendall's family on Thanksgiving day, Marlee really starts crawling right after Thanksgiving
December-Marlee's first Christmas!

As I look over some of the things that have gone on this year, one word comes to mind: Blessed. I feel blessed beyond measure. Blessed to be Marlee's mommy and Kendall's wife, blessed to be an aunt to Courtney, blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom, blessed to have a husband who supports me in this new role, and blessed that God has placed Marlee in our care and that she is a healthy, beautiful, smart, and loving child. I could go on and on, but I really do feel blessed!
In 2009, my resolution is more that I hope to enjoy each and every moment with Marlee. So many people tell us to enjoy our time with her because before we know it she will be graduating highschool and going off to college! Even though I have spent every day with Marlee, I can't believe she's already 8 months old. I hope that I never take her for granted or the time we have with her for granted.
I pray that 2008 was a good year for you, but that 2009 brings much joy, happiness, and peace!

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Marlee's first Christmas

Christmas has come and gone already, but the memories of that special morning will not be forgotten! It was so exciting for Kendall and me to celebrate Marlee's first Christmas with her and our families! We had some fun days leading up to Christmas morning. On Christmas Eve, we went over to Kendall's grandparents house for a yummy spaghetti lunch! While there, Marlee got to open her first 3 presents! From her Great-Grandparents she got a caterpiller toy, a Leap Frog Alphabet Ball, and from her Grandparents she got a Learning Doggie! What fun! Of course the wrapping paper and the ribbon was also so much fun to play with and eat! After that we went home for a quick nap then onto church for a Christmas Eve service! Marlee stayed in the service with us and did great! After the service we went over to the Riese's house for another spaghetti meal! By the way-both meals were very good-even though both were spaghetti they were very different! Bath time with Parker followed dinner and after that came time to open presents with Parker! Marlee gave Parker a froggie towel that will match his froggie bathroom and also more Clippo pieces! Parker gave Marlee a Clippo Creativity Table! By that time it was really late and time to head home!
At home, Marlee was fast asleep and Santa (myself and Kendall) proceeded to set up the big toys! It was a lot of fun and it gave us a sneak peak as to what Christmas Eve nights would look like for us in the upcoming years-putting together toys!
Christmas morning came early-7am and Marlee was up and ready to go! We got her up and walked her into the livingroom to see all of her gifts! She was a little fussy because she was still a little sleepy, but that didn't stop her from playing with her toys! Mommy helped Marlee open the gifts that were wrapped! Marlee got a Crawl n Cruise Musical Jungle, a walker/wagon, Fridge farm, learning drum, and a rabbit towel!
After opening presents, it was time to head to the Grandparents house for more! Breakfast first then opening more presents! Marlee got another fun toy from Charter and Leigh, a Busy Ball Popper, Tigger and Eeyore stuffed animals, and music c.d.s from Granddaddy and Grandmommy Foster, and a stuffed bear from Uncle Jim! By the end of all of that excitement, Marlee was so tired she fell asleep on Grandmommy's shoulder for a power nap!
Later that evening, my parents and James, Audrey, and Courtney came over for dinner and more presents! From James, Audrey, and Courtney, Marlee recieved a Pooh plane, and some other fun things like tights, shoes, and a dress! From Grandpapa and Grandmama Fonnegra, Marlee got a handmade knitted blanket and some new clothes!
It was a fun evening! We played some new Wii games that we got and enjoyed good food and fellowship!
Kendall and I will never forget this first Christmas with Marlee. We are so thankful to have her in our lives and couldn't imagine her not being here! We are truly blessed to be her parents and thank God each day that we get with her! I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas season as we celebrated Jesus' birthday!
I hope you enjoy the pictures from Marlee's first Christmas!

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Santa Who?!!!?!?1?

Well, Marlee's first trip to visit Santa was a memorable one, that's for sure! Leading up to the trip, she was a little fussy, possibly a little sleepy. I should've known that meeting Santa wasn't going to go so great, but I was hopeful! We got to Town Center Mall with Jenn and Parker and surprisingly the wait wasn't too bad. We got there at a great time-right before all of the parents with school aged kids! 30 mintues later it was our turn! By that time, Marlee was happy and smiling and then.....as soon as she sat on Santa's lap, she took one look at him and his long white beard and did not like him very much! She cried and screamed and I heard an "AWWWWW" from the crowd! Poor Marlee or should I say poor Santa? Actually, Santa was great-he just sat there and smiled while Jenn and I tried to get her to crack a smile so the photographer could take some pictures, but no such luck!! I rescued her and then it was Parker's turn! He didn't think very much of Santa either! Then to top it off, Jenn and I thought it would be funny to get both Parker and Marlee's picture with Santa!! The both cried and cried! Oh well!! Maybe next year they will be more pleasant to Santa! Let's just hope that Marlee won't recieve any coal in her stocking! (I doubt she will! ) :-)

Marlee's First Christmas Season

It has been so much fun so far to see Marlee light up when she sees all of the Christmas decorations that are up around the house! She loves crawling over to the tree to find an ornament that she can get ahold of that is at her level. She also loves staring at the singing Christmas tree that is on the fireplace! As we approach Christmas day, Kendall and I are thinking of different things that we can start doing to begin Christmas family traditions! One of them may not necessarily be a tradition, but something that we have enjoy doing the last few years.

The last 2 Christmases, Kendall and I have made and sent out a photo Christmas card. We didn't send one out the very first Christmas (we had just gotten married), but Christmas '06 the card was of the two of us and the dogs. Last year, the card was just of the two of us and we waited to send out the card until we found out what we were having. This year, of course we were so excited to send out a card with Marlee in it! My good friend Jenn Riese and I arranged a "photo shoot" at a semi local park-we would take their pictures and they would take ours. Saturday rolled around, so we got dressed in our coordinating outfits and off we went! We thought that the day would be a little warmer (upper 50's), but it turned out to be in the lower 50's! Poor Marlee and Parker! Their little noses and cheeks were bright red and their noses started to run!! Never the less, the pictures turned out great! The pictures that made the Christmas card cut aren't posted-you'll have to wait to see which ones made the cut!

Unrelated to Christmas-Marlee has been pulling herself up to standing for a few weeks now. She finally figured out how to pull herself up in her crib. Yesterday I had laid her down for a nap and when she didn't fall asleep, I decided to check on her. I peeked in her room and caught her standing in the cornor of her crib having a grand ol' time laughing!! Kendall and I cracked up at her and while we didn't get a picture of her that time, we had her do it again and caught it on camera!!

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Happy Fall & Turkey Day!

It's been awhile since I've last posted. Thanksgiving has come and gone (already) and Christmas is fast approaching! This holiday season is going to be so much fun to see it, experience it with Marlee, and see it through her eyes (even though she won't really know what's going on). She is growing so fast and each day she is trying or doing something new! Currently she is pulling up to whatever she can get her hands on! She would much rather stand than sit! I know she is trying to keep up with her cousin Courtney who is walking all over the place! Marlee is also crawling too, though she's not very fast! I'm sure she'll be walking in no time, so I'm just going to enjoy (really enjoy) her while she's not running away from me! The slide show is of some random pictures from the last few weeks and Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy!

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Happy Anniversary!

November 19, 2008: I can hardly believe that Kendall and I have been married for 3 years! It seems like yesterday that we were scrambling to plan a wedding (we only had a 5 month engagement)! Our wedding day was perfect! Our family, friends, and a lot of students came to celebrate our special day with us!


Here are some pictures from our wedding 3 years ago! Enjoy!

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A Free Parlee Pocket!

We are giving away a red and black Parlee Pocket! To enter, you need to go to http://www.parleepocket.blogspot.com/ . The contest ends this Friday!!

A "Pooh and Friends" Halloween!

We had so much fun on Halloween! It was Marlee's first time to get dressed up in her costume. Even though we didn't take her trick-or-treating, we did go up to our church for Pumpkin Fest, then we went over to our good friend's house (Mike and Jenn Riese) for some yummy chili, and of course more pictures! A month or two ago, Jenn and I were at a consignment sale and while looking through costumes, came up with the funny idea of dressing up Parker, Marlee, Courtney, and Luke in costumes that go together. We thought of the Winnie the Pooh theme and went from there! Parker was Winnie the Pooh, Marlee was his Hunny Pot, Courtney was Piglet, Luke was Tigger, and Abbey (the dog) was Eeyore! All of the babies were so cute and even wore their costumes well! We are already thinking about next year's theme! Any ideas?
I hope you enjoy all of the pictures!

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Pumpkin Patch-Part 2

Marlee had so much fun at the pumpkin patch that she insisted that we take her again! This time we met cousin Courtney and Aunt Audrey and Uncle James!

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Parlee Pockets

Parlee Pockets is officially in business!! Jenn Riese and I are ready to take orders and create the perfect Parlee Pocket for you!! Check out http://www.parleepockets.blogspot.com/ to see the most recent designs. Of course we will create a Parlee Pocket specifically with your nursery colors-just let us know! To place an order for a Parlee Pocket, go to http://parleepockets.etsy.com/ Parlee pockets cost $30 plus $10 if it needs to be shipped!

A Crafty Idea

Now that I'm a stay at home mom, I'm always trying to figure out ways to save money and earn money. My good friend Jennifer Riese and I have come up with an idea to earn some money. We're calling them "Parlee Pockets"-a shoe organizer that has decorative pockets that can be used to store various items. The Parlee Pockets will be made in different themes and would make a great baby shower or birthday gift for someone! For more information on pricing or if you are interested, send an email to: parleepockets@yahoo.com . Below is the first Parlee Pocket we made!

The Cutest Cousins

Two to three days a week, Marlee's cousin Courtney gets to come over and play! I have the awesome privilege of watching Courtney during the week for James and Audrey while they work! It has been so fun for me to watch the two girls begin to recognize and interact with each other. When Courtney first started coming over in June, the girls did not interact with each other at all! Over the last few weeks, they smile at each other, giggle, and play! Well, actually, their version of playing consists of taking away whatever toy the other one is playing with! I am so excited that Marlee and Courtney are getting to grow up together. My hope and prayer is that they will not only be close cousins, but also close friends!

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Fun times at the pumpkin patch

Today Marlee and I met Aunt Jenn, Parker, Aunt Shawna, and Luke at the Due West Methodist pumpkin patch! While it wasn't a true pumpkin patch, there were still lots of pumpkins to see and take pictures around (our real reason for going)! The babies did great and we had a fun time. Of course towards the end of the visit, Marlee and Luke started to get a little fussy, so that was our sign to pack up and head to lunch-yummy Steak and Shake!
I am so lucky to have good friends that are also stay at home moms. We get together weekly and have a fun time with our babies, sharing stories and encouraging each other!

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Go Dawgs!

Marlee loves to show her team spirit by wearing her Georgia Bulldogs cheerleader outfit! Go Dawgs!

Eatin' more veggies than daddy!

Marlee has started to eat green beans recently and loves them! Marlee is already a better veggie eater than daddy!

Yummy Toes!

Marlee has become so flexible in recent days! Today, she discovered that she can put her foot in her mouth! Good thing she had just taken a bath and had clean feet!

A New Napping Place

Marlee loves jumping in her jumperoo! She loves it so much that she has fallen asleep a few times in it while jumping!

Back in the game

Kendall and Marlee

















The best cheerleaders-Courtney and Marlee


Mommy and Marlee




Cheering for mommy is exhausting!





Cousin Courtney's balancing act!










Today was mine and Audrey's first soccer game since the babies were born. It has been over a year since we've played! It was really fun to get back out on the field and play. The weather was hot and I was very thankful for the waterbreaks the refs gave us and for our 5 subs (a recocrd number for our team!). The best part about the game (besides winning 4-0) was having our favorite cheerleaders out to watch us-Marlee and Courtney! The girls showed their support for the team by wearing FFC onesies! James and Kendall did great entertaining the babies so their mommies could play. They even were assigned a job at the end of the game-to pick up the cornor flags and make sure all of the soccer balls were accounted for! I'm looking forward to a fun soccer season and getting back into shape! Go FFC!

Vacations, Friends, and More....

Yeah! Charter graduated from Kennesaw State last spring ('07), so it was fun to celebrate with him and our good friends Todd and Shawna Plunkert and Nate and Alissa Benzin!

July 2007: Last summer, Kendall and I went to Hilton Head, South Carolina with our good friends Nate and Alissa!

June-2006: One of the wedding gifts we recieved was two tickets to a Boston Red Sox game in Boston! What a great excuse to visit! This was our first adventure, and we had a great time! Unfortunatley, we never did see the Red Sox game. It got rained out and rescheduled for the next day, and we were scheduled to fly out that morning! Oh well! I guess we'll have to visit Boston again sometime!

A peek into our past

Our wedding day was perfect! Kendall and I got married on November 19, 2005. We were surrounded by friends, family, and a whole bunch of our students! The day was fun and went by so fast! We can't believe that we have been married for almost 3 years!

A New Adventure

Well, I've finally decided to enter the world of blogging. Since I have enjoyed reading so many other people's blogs, I decided to start one up too! My goal is to update it at least once a week, so we'll see how that goes! I hope that you enjoy reading and seeing into our lives!