Aldridge Gardens

Edie and I have been taking a photo class from Grethel Van Epps Photography. I have learned so much about our camera and the timing has been perfect. I dropped the camera at the Mercedes Marathon back in February and since then the flash has not worked. But now after taking the class I have learned how to use the camera without the flash - even when it is dark outside! (well not completely dark) Above are a few of my favorite practice shots from our recent class at Aldridge Gardens. I have never been to Aldridge Gardens and we will have to go back soon for more photo shoots!

Edie is becoming more and more of a "big girl" each and every day. Her personality is really blooming. She talks so much now. Especially to her babies. She loves her babies, kisses her babies, bathes them, feeds them and puts them to bed patting them and says "night-night". It is so cute to watch her. I can't get enough of Edie and all of her love.

We Have Our Selves a Walker!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you our baby....walking!

Over the weekend Edie decided she was tired of having dirty knees, stood up and said "look at me!  I'm walking!".  Really she did not say that, but we knew that's what she was thinking :)  Edie is now walking about 75% of the time.  She is still learning how to keep her balance, but she is stopping and starting again, bending and standing, she is even turning to to walk around objects! 

She thinks this is the best thing ever and we could not agree more!  Edie, we are so proud of you!!

Jump! Jump! Jump!

Click to see Edie and Da Da Jump! Jump! Jump!  It may look dangerous, but I promise she is having a blast! 

nest EGgS design

As you know everything about me is "all about Edie". I simply just cannot get enough of her! Last year I met this wonderful friend who made photo necklaces and of course I had to have one of Edie! So I bought one and I LOVED it! I loved it so much that I decided I wanted to learn how to make one myself. I thought about it, read about it and talked about it for months. Finally Scott and my friend Grethel Van Epps was tired of my talking and not doing so they encouraged me to go for it and I did! So after much research, 100's of attempts (and I do mean 100's), many tears and frustrations later I finally found a technique that I felt was perfect and { nest EGgS design } finally "hatched".

{ If you are wondering where { nest EGgS designs } came from let me tell you a little story......... I decided a while back I wanted to do something creative, fun, involving Edie and to put a little money away in my "nest egg" for us girls. Edie's full name is Edith Gabrielle Shunnarah, which is where the EGgS part came in. Brilliant if I do say so myself! }

My friend Grethel of Grethel Van Epps Photography (my most favorite photographer in the world :) was kind enough to not only let me use some of her photos from past sessions for my samples but she was also kind enough to take photos of my samples to get me started. She has also advertised for me on her fb fan page as well as her blog. Grethel is having a contest and will be giving away 3 of my necklaces so please visit her blog to enter and win one for yourself!!

I have lots of ideas for { nest EGgS design } and this is just the beginning - please take some time to visit the blog and see for yourself what we have instore for you. Don't forget to tell your hubby you want one for Mother's Day or you can just buy one for yourself or for your own Mother or Grandmother!!

Easter Sunday

Edie in her Easter dress with Aunt Mindy

We had the perfect Easter Sunday. Church, lunch at Gigi's and Giddo's and an Easter Egg Hunt. Edie got more chocolates and candies (as did mom and dad) a new summer outfit and money eggs!! To our surprise after we got home we found a few special gifts in Edie's eggs. I do believe Edie has more money than we do. As a matter of fact, I am sure of it! Thank you Gigi and Giddo for a fabulous lunch and all of the goodies!

SONIC

This year the Easter Bunny brought Edie much more than just chocolates and bubbles.....he brought a SONIC gift card too!! Thanks Nannie and Pawpaw!

Easter Weekend

Edie and her cousin Wylie

Edie walking all  by herself

Saturday we spent the afternoon with my family in down South. We headed to Clanton after Edie's nap for a Easter Egg Hunt and dinner out. The day could not have been more beautiful. Scott and I did not know what to expect with Edie and the egg hunt. We were not sure if she would understand or even like it. Well she did clearly understand, she found six eggs and placed them all in her basket. Edie absolutely LOVED it! As you can see she loved holding and walking with her basket like a big girl. She even got up a few times and carried her basket all by herself - such a show off! The smiles just warm my heart.

April Already!

Where oh where does the time go? I just posted "Is it March Already?" for goodness sakes!! I can't believe how fast these days are going by. Something else I can not believe is how much Edie has changed this past month. She is talking a lot more, singing, laughing out loud at her videos on TV (which is so funny to see), dancing, standing and walking short distances all on her own! She is doing this so well that it has become her nightly entertainment. She tries each night to see how many times she can stand and sit, stand and fall, stand and walk. Over and over again just giggling away. She thinks it is fun. We think it is GREAT!! These are a few photos from Edie at The Bell Center last week.

Edie Walking

We finally have video of Edie walking!  Nan and Pawpaw came for a short visit on Sunday and even though Edie was feeling bad she still had it in her to show off a bit.  She is really starting to get the hang of the walking thing.  Sure she still wants us to hold her hand and be there to catch her, reguardless she is making great progress.  She even walked accross her classroom THREE times ALL BY HERSELF this past week!  That is 18 feet without sitting down!!  We are so proud of Edie.  I think she just might walk down the asile at Aunt Mindy's wedding afterall.

To see the video click here - - EDIE WALKING!!

Exciting Stuff

We have had some really exciting things going on at the Shunnarah house lately. Edie is talking up a storm! She has even put together two word phrases like - "ziggy outside", "ziggy stop" and her favorite "ziggy no! no!" I am not sure where she is getting all of this from ;) I do feel sorry for Ziggy getting in so much trouble but it is so cute to see Edie discipline Ziggy. Poor Ziggy - she needs a nice long walk...alone. Edie is driving her crazy!

I also have to give credit to Edie's school, Primrose for making such a difference in her this past month. Not only is she talking more, she is signing a lot! Sometimes I have to consult our sign book just to see what she is saying. I am also giving credit to Edie's Primrose buddies for teaching her some "terrible two" lessons. I am only kidding - but I must say these past few days have been challenging. Although Edie has been sick (again) we are not quite sure if her attitude of slapping, biting, "no-no", whining, throwing, not sharing, and crying at the drop of a hat is from feeling bad or from feeling spoiled. Edie has always had such a good disposition that when she acts out it puts us all in a tail spin. I just want my sweet, kissy-face baby back. But even at her worst, Edie is still the most precious little girl ever.

Above is Edie getting ready for school. Yes she likes to brush her teeth while watching Tv. We have to get a better routine down for dental hygiene. Where did she get that precious dress from? Ms. Jackie of course! It was chilly out so we wore some brown leggings. Thanks Ms. Jackie! We LOVE the dress(s)!!

Is it March Already?

I can not believe how fast time is flying by. I can't believe I have not posted since Feb 21st! So much has been going on and we have a lot to share. Edie is doing so well in school. She loves Prim Rose and continues to excel at The Bell Center. Edie has started to stand up completely from the "frog" position which shows great strength. She is also really starting to find walking fun. She giggles as she comes towards you (we have realized that if we continue to scoot backwards - she will continue to walk towards us). The best part for her is falling into our lap. She thinks it is quite fun and we think it is so exciting to see her taking steps, many steps on her own. Now we have to work hard to keep it going!

Speaking of walking and standing alone. We were able to get a few photos of Edie showing off at her recent 2 year photo shoot with my friend Grethel, owner of Grethel Van Epps Photography. I have always loved Grethel's work and she is truly amazing, but this time it was one of my favorite sessions. We took our time and enjoyed just "playing" and being together. We played with books, bubbles and keys. You can see her slide show here once on site go to clients login and type Edie. Enjoy!

Don't You Love It!

 

Just wanted to share with you our newest love. Edie and I received these precious calling cards and gift cards from my dear friend Stacey Day owner of RocPaper. They are the sweetest things. My cards include My name - Mom to Edie, my phone number, email and blog address. Edie's has her name and a Ladybug design on the front and a cute design to match on the back of the card. I LOVE them!! Check out her site, she just uploaded some really cute stationary. Thanks so much Stacey - your the best!!

Halle's Hamper Playdate

 

Today Edie and I hosted a Halle's Hamper party at our house. Our home was filled with the cutest little clothes, the cutest little babies and some really great friends. Edie had a blast playing with all of the children and having some "girl time". At this party you can pick your child's outfit and design it yourself by choosing your own combination of some really precious fabrics! It is a really fun concept! With all of the cute designs and fabrics how could any mommy resit! Check it out soon - spring/summer orders end March 15th!

Pee Pee in the Potty!

 

Edie has really grown over the past month. She continues to amaze us. We bought her a potty several months ago with no expectations and no real plan. We just put it in the powder room, talked about it, played with it and let Edie sit on it while we were in the restroom. Sunday night to our surprise Edie was sitting in the kitchen floor and started to touch her diaper. When I asked her if she needed to "go potty" she pointed toward the powder room. So we went in there, I took her bottoms off and she sat on the potty for the first time without any pants on. She got off a few times and then sat on it again, looked at me with big eyes and she pee-peed!! I could not believe it! I grabbed her up gave her a big hug and called for Scott to come and see. With all of the excitement I scared Edie to tears. I reassured her that she had done a perfect job and gave her so many kisses. Like I said....she continues to amaze us.

Kiss the Cook

 

Last weekend after Edie went to bed Scott and I were lucky enough to have two of our good friends over for dinner, Chris and Shannon Poole. The best part was I did not have to cook! Chris, a super great chef, delighted us with a pheasant and cheese appetizer and for the main course shrimp and grits. Might I add some of the best shrimp and grits I have ever had. Chris picked up the fresh gulf shrimp on his way back from Pensacola that same day. They were delicious! Great food and even better company. Thanks Shannon and Chris for a wonderful evening!

Click On Me!!

"Click On Me" to see photos from our special Mercedes Marathon weekend

2010 Mercedes Marathon

I have so much to share!! I have so many pictures to share!! I am still trying to gather them all for a video. So above is a sampeling of some of my favorite shots from over the weekend. What a big week and weekend we had!

It started last Saturday with Edie getting sick with pneumonia. She stopped eating, ran a fever for several days and had a terrible cough that kept everyone up for many nights. It got so bad that Scott and I did something we said we would never do. We let Edie sleep with us. I am not sure if anyone got any sleep, but it gave us peace of mind. Poor little thing. She stayed out of school all week. We canceled all of her therapy appointments and we just kept her home praying for her to get better before the big weekend. The Mercedes Marathon and The Bell Center Children's Run. Edie was sick this same time last year which caused her to miss the Children's Run so we really wanted her to make it this year. On Wednesday her fever broke, on Thursday she ate for the first time in 6 days!! By Friday she was on the road to recovery and acting more like herself. We were so thankful to see her bright eyes and smiling face on Saturday morning and know that she was back to her happy self again. We missed her.

So Saturday morning we bundled her in two layers of clothes, two coats and gloves and we headed to The Bell Center Children's Run. It was in Scott's words "The most exciting thing he had ever seen" and it was! All of the children from TBC were carried, pushed, walked, whatever means possible across the actual Mercedes Marathon Finish Line where they received an official Medal. Edie was in the "Walker Heat". We were not sure how well she would do since we had not been practicing but she did fantastic! She got right in there, grabbed on to her walker and she literally took off!! Almost at a running pace. She actually won her heat (if there is a winner) so maybe I should say she crossed the finish line first. The cutest part was seeing the look on her face as she passed by the cheering crowd. She LOVED it!! I thought at one point she was going to stop and wave. I wish everyone could have been there to see her in her glory. We were soooooo proud!

Sunday morning we bundled up again and headed back out to Lynn Park to watch Team(s) Ladybug cross the finish line. Scott, Jimmy and Eric crossed the finish line first around 9:30 after running the 1/2 Marathon. It was really exciting to see the three of them round the corner and see the smiles on their faces knowing they were so proud of their accomplishment. After they crossed the finish line we went in for a while to warm up before we headed back out to see the rest of the teams and Lisa who ran the full marathon run past. We had a total of 22 family members and friends running for TBC and in honor of Edie on Saturday. Scott, Aunt Mindy, Uncle Zach, Uncle Chuck, Jimmy, Eric, Randy, Matt, Mark, Russell, Tanner, Candy, Heath, Conner, Lucy, Cissy, Shanna, Amber, Brandi, Lisa, Amanda, and Daphney. It was such a special day that I will never forget. I can not tell you how great it felt to see everyone come together in support of our cause and most of all in support of Edie. I am so grateful to every runner who made this day possible and I so grateful for the love and support everyone has shown. It means more than you will ever know.

Hot Diggidy Dog

Edie loves to dance to the "Hot Diggidy Dog" song on the Micky Mouse Clubhouse show. She will even squat down in the floor, push up with her hands and bounce her bottom in the air if we sing it to her (I will get this on vedio next). This is the first song I have ever really noticed her dancing to everytime she hears it.

Scott recorded this on his phone the other morning and it was too cute not to share. She really only dances in the first few seconds, but if you watch it to the end you may catch her letting go of the toy and stand on her own for 1/2 a seconded. She can stand alone - you just have to trick her into doing it!

The Great Funundrum!

Saturday we took Edie to the Circus. I was so excited all week to show her the elephants, tigers and clowns we had been talking about. I must say Edie LOVED it!! I think I spent more time watching Edie and her reactions than I did watching the Circus myself. I loved to see her eyes light up when she heard the music and saw all of the flashing lights. She really loved the trampoline part as well as the elephants. There were a few times when she enjoyed watching the crowd more than what was going on with the Circus. But she never got bored nor did she ever want down. She just sat in her daddy's lap taking in all of the sights and sounds. For me this may have been one of the most memorable outings yet.

What she did not like was the funnel cake and cotton candy. Surprising, yes. Disappointing, no. Especially since mommy got to eat the biggest part of it!

Blog-worthy

Scott took this photo of Edie last week on her way to school. She loves her Lolly Dolly.