New House Finale

So, we are FINALLY in the new house! Well, our stuff is not in the old house and somewhere between the new house and the garage! But our butts are sleeping in our new beds in our new rooms! Kaleb is excited but still a little confused. He calls it the "New House" and still asks to go "Home" when he is tired. We just explain that this is our home now and remind him that his bed and all his toys are here. He doesn't get upset or anything so we think in a few days, everything will be back to normal.

Oh, and a BIG thank you to my mom. She came down here on her days off from the field and helped us move! She was a HUGE help and we couldn't have gotten everything without her! Thanks again Momma!

Here are the pics that I took on move in day!

The landscaping and shutters turned out great! 

This is the view from behind the kitchen sink looking into the living room. Notice the mantle with Paul's new HUGE TV. We ended up staining the beams so they were more cohesive with the floors. We were warned that it might not turn out right but we couldn't be happier with our decision.

This it the hutch with our ice maker. We did a wood counter and stained it to match the floors

This is the finish on the hutch and island.

Our master shower. This was my pet project and it turned out better than I could have imagined.

The finish on the master bath cabinets. They were this weird color orange for so long that people started questioning me about it!

Here is a close up of the finish

Our Master bath. I really wanted a chandelier over the tub and Paul's mom and dad were so nice to give us this one! The electricians hung it up before Paul could tell them not to and ended up hanging  it a little high so Paul is going to lower it for me.

The Island in the kitchen. It has the same finish on it as the hutch.

The entire kitchen looking from the living room.

Our Vent-a-Hood got distressed too. 

So, that is pretty much the new house. We have two guest rooms and a play room so we expect company! As I tell everyone, we are half way to the beach so if you need a place to crash or even a potty break, just give us a call!

House updates

The brick has been painted and the fireplace and wall have been bricked! I couldn't be happier with the way it has turned out!

Autism Awareness Month/Gift of Giving

April is Autism Awareness month and I have waited until the last day to post about it. I don't have any kids with autism or any family for that matter. BUT, I do have a few patients with Autism and they are the most challenging but most rewarding patients. You can't just do a normal routine exam. You have to come up with creative ways to get the same information. And I LOVE it! It is what really makes me appreciate being an eye doctor and getting to help people every day.

I am also a member of the Lion's club of Yazoo City and meet with them for lunch every Thursday at a local restaurant. It started as a way to get more involved in the community there but I have met a lot of really nice people and look forward to it every week. Part of being a member is having to find a speaker to come speak to us during lunch, usually only once a year. (I have noticed most people end up being twice a year, so I'm pretty sure they are taking it easy on me since I don't really know anyone in town!). Last year, one of my employees was head of the Relay for Life, so I got her to come talk about how much money they raised and what RfL is all about. This year, since my speaker was scheduled for April, I thought it would be a great idea to bring someone in to educated us more on what Autism really is and how they help. After some research, I found a not-for-profit company based in MS called TEAAM (Together Enhancing Autism Awareness in Mississippi). I got in touch with the founder, Dr Yeager, and he agreed to come talk to us.
I just thought I knew what Autism was but I now have a whole new respect for the Autistic person and their family. One thing that TEAAM does is host a summer camp for autistic children. They have children come from all over the US and volunteers from all over the world. It is the only camp of its kind in the COUNTRY. They are truly amazing people and I am just in awe of everything they are doing to help people with autism and their families just live a normal life.
Fun Fact: The first person ever diagnosed with Autism if from and still lives in Forest, MS. He is 80 years old and plays golf every day! He said they have to go get him when it starts storming because he won't stop playing! At 80 people!!!! Wow!

One thing that really shocked me to hear and the real reason I am writing this post is to inform you how national charities really give back! Everyone has heard of Autism Speaks, a national campaign that raises money for autism research and funding for families. Last year, the state of MS raised $190,000 dollars for Autism speaks. THATS ALMOST $200,000 FOLKS! Guess how much Autism Speaks gave back to organizations in the state of MS? $1000! Thats it! TEAAM was the only organization in the state of MS to receive any funding from Autism Speaks and they got a whopping $1000. I was shocked and pretty sure my jaw hit the floor. I have now decided that if I chose to give, you better believe that I will know where my money goes. If I truly want to help my neighbor, I'm going to give to a local charity that will help the community around me. Sure, if a tragedy happens, I am looking at the big picture, but if MS or TN has a crisis and needs something that I feel like I can give, I am going to find a way to make it happen locally.

Examples:
TEAAM (Autism)
GoLucyGo (LeBonheur)
St Jude (Memphis)
Blair E Batson (MS Children's Hospital)
MS Blood Services

Thanks for listening and I hope you have a wonderful day!

New House Progress

Let the framing begin

Roofing comes next

Starting to look like a real house

Living Room Windows installed. I am extremely nervous that we are gonna have a broken window. 

Dining room windows. Love all the natural light

Front entrance

Side of the house

tongue and groove ceiling on back porch

She's a BRICK....HOUSE!

Love our Old Chicago style brick on the face of the house

Don't worry, that ugly red brick is going to be painted a white/off white color

Back porch

Looking into the dining room from the kitchen. The archway is going to be framed out with trim

looking into the living room from the kitchen. the divider is going to be trimmed with cedar beams

looking into the kitchen from the living room. this side of the divider will have the beams AND a brick surround

front entrance from the living room

As we get further and further along, I am falling more and more in love with this house. It is a lot bigger than we had initially thought it was going to be, but it is our home and we love it!

Birthday Flight

A few weeks ago, I went to Kentucky to visit my best friend, Aubrey. Well, Kaleb and Paul picked me up at the airport when I got back into town. Apparently, that was all Kaleb could talk about that day. He kept telling everyone that he was picking momma up on the airplane! When they got me, he was very disappointed that he wasn't going to be riding the airplane like me. He kept talking about it for the next few days. So, I got the idea of trying to find out if there was anywhere we could pay for a short flight in a private airplane. There is a small airport in Madison with private planes. I knew they did flying lessons, so I contacted them and asked if they did any flights for birthdays, explaining Kaleb's situation. He got right back with me explaining that they will do an introductory flight with me and Kaleb for $98. That would include about a 30 minute flight! We decided that instead of a birthday present, we would do this for him instead. With Christmas just a few months ago, and the party in Covington in a few weeks, we really couldn't think of anything to get him. So, they told me to just stay in touch and if there was a weekend that looked pretty, to let him know a few days in advance and we could get everything organized. This week, the weekend forecast was supposed to be high 70's and clear skies. So I called Mr George, the pilot and let him know we would be planning on a Friday afternoon flight. We got to the airport around 3:30 pm. A person was learning to fly the helicopter and Kaleb was very excited. He actually wanted to ride the helicopter, but we persuaded him that an airplane was more fun. We went into the office and met Mr George, who couldn't have been nicer. He sat down with Kaleb and explained everything that we would be doing. After getting instructions, we headed out to the plane. It was a little four seater, single engine plane. Kaleb got to sit up front with Mr George while I sat in the back seat. He looked so big and was so excited! We put the headphones on him and he left them on for a total of 5 minutes, and then wanted nothing to do with them. Oh well! I got a few shots with them on so I was a happy momma! I love to fly so I was just as excited as Kaleb. I was very nervous as to how he would do when Mr George cranked the plane, but he did great. Mr George even moved his seat close to the front so he could reach the steering wheel, which Kaleb LOVED! Luckily, he couldn't control anything from his side. As we taxied around the runway, he did really well. Mr George did warn us that it was going to be a little bumpy because of the wind, but I was even a little surprised at how much turbulence there was. I guess I'm not used to the small planes. After we got into the air, Kaleb wanted to hold my hand due to the turbulence but didn't cry or whine. He just kept looking out the window. Mr George had said that we would fly over the Reservoir and look at all the boats, but after about 5 minutes, Kaleb said he wanted to "go down". So, we turned around and headed back to the airport. We did fly over our new house as we were coming in, which was neat. Overall, it was a great experience and Kaleb did really well. I honestly didn't expect us to get off the ground before he wanted to get out. I guess my little man is growing up! (tear)!
Here are a few pictures of Kaleb's first plane ride! Excuse my hair... we took the top off the jeep and my long hair doesn't do well unless pulled back!

Isn't he so adorable in the headset! Too bad he wouldn't leave them on.

Here he is getting all buckled in.

This is after the instructions but before we got on the plane!

Waving by to daddy!

He LOVED being able to reach the steering wheel.

Looking at Mr George for instructions

Holding my hand on the way in. It was a bumpy ride for sure!

On the runway fixing to take off.

Flying over the Reservoir

Me, Kaleb, and Mr George

Me and my little pilot!

Cowboy Up'

It was cowboy day at daycare today! This is my hat I got at the mid south fair when I was little!

Happy Birthday to Gary!

Today is my uncle Gary's Birthday! And I just wanted to use my blog to send out a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him! He has been there for everything that I can remember growing up. The memory thing that sticks out in my head from when I was little is Gary getting to sing solos at church. He has the most beautiful voice and I used to love seeing him in front of everyone, praising the Lord in song. He is a very special person in our family and I just want him to know how much we love him! Happy Birthday Gary!

Gary and Meme with Melodie at her graduation from UT Med.

Me and Gary at my graduation from SCO.