Zoo Boo

Makayla and I attended Zoo Boo with our friends Christine, Caleb and Abbie. We got up early to head to the Houston zoo. We met Christine and the kids so that we could follow each other there since I have only been there a couple of times and couldn't remember the way! :)

We got there at 9:00 and the parking lot was already getting packed! I'm so glad we decided to go early. Once we got inside, we stopped at the first booth that was set up to get the kiddos zoo boo tattoos. The girls got theirs on their cheek. It was so cute. Caleb got his on his hand.

We went to the children's petting zoo next. Makayla was NOT interested in touching any of the animals. I thought she might like them though, since she loves dogs, but she wanted nothing to do with them. We walked around and looked at lots of the animals. I think Makayla was more into watching the other kids that were there instead of looking at the animals. Next, we went to the pumpkin patch so the kids could pick their own pumpkin to decorate. While inside the pumpkin patch we decided to take some cute pictures of the kiddos sitting with the pumpkins.

We also saw a dance performance from the Aldine Dance Company. It was so neat because that's the school district that Christine and I work for. They were dressed up as animals and they performed to the song "thriller." It was awesome! Makayla really enjoyed the music and dancing since she loves to dance!

We spent a couple of hours looking at all of the animals. It started getting very crowded and we could hardly walk around. Once it got that crowded...it was time to go! We had a great time before everyone else in Houston decided to get there. :)

Here are some pictures from our fun day at the zoo!

It's FUN to be ONE!

Jeff, Makayla and I headed to sweet home Alabama on October 1st to celebrate Mak's first birthday with our family and friends. The plane ride was an adventure, as usual! Mak is just not into sitting still for 2 hours. She would rather get down and play. She cried and screamed most of the time (I apologize to the other passengers). However, we did survive. We arrived in Birmingham at 9:30 p.m. Grandpa Ken (Jeff's dad) was there waiting for us.

We spent all day Friday visiting family and just relaxing. We got together with all of my family Friday night, at Nana's house, for dinner. It was great having everyone in the same place. All of the kids had a great time playing together. And of course Nana had a present for Makayla to open!


Saturday was spent with my mom shopping for birthday party supplies. We went all over the place trying to find the perfect party decorations...and we DID! I was so tired when we were finished but I love going shopping with my mom no matter what we're shopping for. We always have a great time and I miss it so much.

Of course Saturday night was spent watching the Auburn game. We all went over to Jeff's dad's house. Dinner was great and so was the game! WAR EAGLE!

Sunday was the day of the BIG party! We got up and got everything together. We met my mom in Hueytown to get the few last things we needed and to get all of the balloons blown up. After that, we were off to Grandma Ann and Papa Bob's house to decorate for the party. We didn't really have a "theme" for the party but we had a pink and brown color scheme. Everything was pink and brown...tablecloths, plates, napkins, balloons, even the cake! Her dress was supposed to also be pink and brown but I couldn't find one I liked, so it was pink and black...complete with a beautiful hairbow from Aun JenJen. We started setting up the tables outside on the deck and of course...it starts raining!! The tables looked great so we decided to move them inside. We were still able to set up the food table on the screened in porch and it looked great! I was hoping it would stop raining but it just rained harder and harder. I was disappointed to have to move it indoors because I wanted the kids to be able to play outside, but it was still a wonderful party. We were so glad that so many of our family and friends were able to come! Although I was so sad that my sister was sick and couldn't make it.


Before eating, we decided to go ahead and open presents while everyone was still there. Makayla wasn't really into opening them, so Abby, Morgan and Reese were able to help us! Makayla wasn't sure what was going on but she loved all of her gifts! She got lots of toys and lots of clothes. We had 4 boxes full of toys to ship back to Texas! She got a push behind walker, a push behind baby doll stroller with a baby doll, books, a ball pit with balls, a cabbage patch doll, more baby dolls, puzzles, and lots of cute clothes. She got so many toys, I don't even remember them all. :) She also got a very special gift from her cousin, Abby...a picture that she colored just for Makayla!

After opening presents we ate the yummy hamburgers and hot dogs that Jeff's dad grilled. Next, it was cake time! The big cake was in the shape of a 1. Nana had it made at Edgar's Bakery. It was so cute and it tasted so good. She also had them make a little cake for Makayla that also had a 1 on it. We sang Happy Birthday to Makayla and as soon as I set the cake down in front of her, she picked it up and took a big bite out of it. It was so cute. She really did a number on that cake. She ate almost the whole thing. She had cake from head to toe! I think that was her favorite part.

After getting her cleaned up, it was time to start saying good-bye to some of our guests. It was still pouring down outside! Even though the rain changed our plans, we still had a great time and are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! Makayla was so tired after her party. She fell asleep as soon as we got in the car to leave.

Monday, we spent the day relaxing and getting all packed up for the trip back to Texas. We headed out of Birmingham at around 5:00. Makayla did better on the trip back because she had her own seat. The plane was almost empty, so they let us use an extra seat so she would have more room to move around. We were so very tired when we got home but we had to get ready to go to work the next day.





Thank you to everyone that came to the party and made it a special first birthday for my sweet baby girl!!

WAAAAR EAGLE, HEY!

Jeff, Makayla and I are so excited that it is once again football season. It's our favorite time of the year! Makayla was sporting her "My first Auburn shirt" that Grandpa Ken got for her last football season...it finally fits her now! And of course, no outfit would be complete without a hairbow from Aunt JenJen!

It's crazy how much things can change in just one year. Around this time last year I was pregnant and we were surviving through hurricane IKE. Hurricane Ike hit on September 13th and I remember how miserable I was with no power for a week. We couldn't find an available hotel room anywhere, so we survived with a generator! A week after Ike hit, I was hospitalized for high blood pressure and the long journey began! I spent a week in the hospital and I remember everything like it was yesterday. On September 27th, Jeff and I were at the hospital watching the Auburn-Tennesse game. During the game, the nurses and doctor continued to monitor my high blood pressure. I wasn't actually watching the game because I was in and out of sleep but I'm sure Jeff was intensely watching the game. At some point during the game, my doctor decided that enough was enough and it was time to induce labor to relieve my high blood pressure. I vividly remember them having to change my IV and giving me magnesium to reduce my chance of seizures. It was horrible but the Auburn game was still on and I'm pretty sure Jeff was still watching. :) (by the way, Auburn won!)

I was taken to the labor and delivery room and labor was induced. After nothing happened the entire day on the 28th, the doctor scheduled my c-section on the 29th and Makayla Ann was born at 10:35 a.m.

So, as you can see, football season is very special to us. We have always loved Auburn football, but now it is even more fun with Mak Mak around. She wasn't too interested in the game but I'm sure she will be one of the biggest Auburn fans ever!

Here is a picture of Mak a year ago when she was born on Sept. 29th

And here is a picture of Makayla, almost a year old (notice her first pair of "big girl" Nike tennis shoes)

WOW, HOW THINGS CHANGE IN JUST ONE YEAR!!!

Countdown to the big ONE!!

Makayla Ann turned 11 months old yesterday!! We are now starting the countdown to her first birthday. We are so excited about going to Alabama to party with our friends and family.

Mak's developments this month:
She is still "walking" by holding on to any and everything. She loves to stand by mamma's bookshelf and throw all of the pictures and books in the floor!

She is learning how to drink out of a sippy cup. It's not her favorite thing right now but she'll drink her apple juice out of it but her milk HAS to be in a bottle or she won't drink it....we're working on it!

She finally started crawling the right way! She no longer does the military crawl. One day she just started using her knees and now she is so fast!

Mak is now saying, "Ma-Ma", "Da-Da" and "Ba-Ba"

She loves to dance when there is music on. I think she learned this from her friend Abbie. It is so cute!

While playing with her toys by herself she will just start laughing out loud! I don't know what she's laughing at but it is too cute!

She loves to eat! She has been eating more people food lately. If we're eating, she thinks she needs to be eating as well. Even if she just ate!

For some reason, Mak has been waking up a couple of times each night. She was sleeping all night long during the summer while I was home, but now that I'm back at work, she's waking up! Hopefully this doesn't last long!

Makayla is getting bigger and more beautiful everyday. She is finally getting some hair and can start wearing more hairbows that Aunt Jen Jen makes for her.

We are so blessed to have such an amazing little girl in our lives. I really can't believe it's been almost a year. Time really has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in the NICU holding my baby girl in my arms. We truly are blessed. I love her SO MUCH!

Untitled from Amy Herbert on Vimeo.

Much Better!

After lots of hard work




So, after working in my classroom for over a week, it is now almost completely finished. I still have a few little things left to do but I'm pretty happy with how it looks. I'm excited about getting in there and teaching my third graders!! They come back on the 24th so wish me luck!

The Madness....

Before pictures


This is what my classroom looked like today when I went in to work! I'm hoping that I can post a nice "after" picture by the end of the week! That's what happens when you change classrooms 5 years in a row! I have a LOT of work to do before I can teach any kids in that place! :)

I had to take Makayla with me today so here is a picture of her make-shift playpen!

ALMOST ONE

Makayla is ten months old today! Only two more months and my baby girl will be one year old. I'm feeling better about her getting older than I was before. At first I wanted her to stay a little baby forever but I'm looking forward to all of the fun things we can do as she gets older.

These days, Mak is able to get around just about anywhere she wants to go. She loves to stand up and play with her toys. She has pretty good balance as long as she's holding on to something. She starts to cry if she loses her balance, even if she doesn't fall. She sometimes gets a little too brave and tries to walk from one toy to another and of course, she falls down! She has mastered pulling up on just about anything. She loves to walk up and down the couch, too. She is pulling up on the couch to help me type as we speak! Her favorite toy is the computer! She just deleted the last sentence that I had typed. She also loves the remote control. Daddy gave her an old remote that she can play with and chew on but of course she still wants ours.

Makayla now has 3 teeth! Two on the bottom and one on the top. She loves to eat real people food now. It's hard to take her to a restaurant these days because she loves to scream when she wants another bite...I'm just not fast enough for her. She will eat just about anything! And she thinks that if you're eating, she is supposed to be eating, even if she has aleady eaten! She still eats her baby food but I have been trying to introduce her to other foods such as mashed potatoes, carrots, apples, and bananas.

She has also started trying to say words instead of just squealing all of the time. She says ba-ba most of the time. It's so cute! I can't wait for her to start talking.
Nap time has become an issue within the past week. She has decided that she doesn't need to take naps. She gets so tired and just crawls around crying but she will not take a nap. Every time I put her in her bed, she just stands up and cries until I come to get her. Yesterday, she was so tired, she fell asleep in her exersaucer. Even though naps aren't that good for us anymore, she still sleeps all night...thank goodness!

I have enjoyed being home with Mak for the past month! I love watching her grow and discover new things every day. I wish I could stay home with her forever, but I also love to teach and must begin working in my classroom next week.

Here are some videos of Mak playing and walking up and down the couch.

On the go! from Amy Herbert on Vimeo.

Just playing! from Amy Herbert on Vimeo.