Since we last spoke.....

A lot has happened! Our computer was out of commission for quite some time. We turned our "office" into Daley's new bedroom over Christmas Holidays and therefore had to take out our computer. Since then I convinced Zach to bring it back into civilization until our bonus room above our garage is done being built. We also have since finished Daley's new bedroom and are working on Demi's nursery and our bonus room. Believe me I will be so proud of our accomplishments I will post many pics as soon as we have it all complete. I feel like so much is happening around us right now. I will try to be brief since there is always so much to say about Christmas!


First, we were able to go and get Demi's 4D ultrasound! This was such an exciting experience! We did not do one of these for Daley because they are awfully expensive, but luckily we have a loving Mimi who was dying to see a 4D ultrasoud and was generous enough to take us to see this miracle. It truly is a miracle that technology has advanced enough to perform these types of things! I was in awe!

Second, we experienced Daley's first Christmas program! This is a mother's dream! I was so proud and so surprised. For months she had been singing Jingle Bells and I assumed this would be the only song her class sang, but little did I know that when I arrived she would be listed as a SOLOIST in the program! Her class sang 3 songs and she had a solo to Jingle Bells and it was the most beautiful rendition of Jingle Bells I have ever laid my ears upon :)

Third, we went and had our picture made with Santa! This was quite the accomplishment given that she has all but hated him in years past. We literally offered her anything she wanted in the mall if she would just not SCREAM! She did not scream.....she doesn't have the most lovely expression on her face, but there was no crying. She ended up getting a ginger bread man from the Cookie Co. and a sucker and a new Christmas book from Books A Million. She really did all she could not to cry and I was happy to get her what I promised.

We had a snow day somewhere in the middle. Sadly, I don't really even remember when this was, but pregnancy brain will do that to you. And, living in Alabama these happenings are few and far between so you had better get a picture! Believe it or not, it has snowed both years of Daley's life so far!

And at last we had a a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior! We of course spent a wonderful time with our families and were spoiled, spoiled, spoiled by their kindness and generosity. We are truly blessed and look forward to holidays in the future with our ever growing family!

-Lindsey

Thanksgiving/Iron Bowl Weekend

Or Iron Bowl/Thanksgiving Weekend, whichever is more important to you :) We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Iron Bowl weekend. I started my vacation off right with a visit to the "Iron Bowl Sips N Strokes" Wednesday night with my friend and next door neighbor Dana. We painted AUBIE hanging Big Al upside down with paw prints all over him. For those of you who don't know, I just love AUBIE! 2nd to Daley (and quite possibly Zach depending on how he has behaved that week :) By the way, I had no business going in the first place for all the Thanksgiving food and tailgating food I was supposed to be preparing. But I did do that when I got home and most of it turned out quite well!

Thanksgiving Day was a blessing as always to spend time with the people we love the most, OUR FAMILIES! We started it off my going over to my Nana's house where we had a slightly larger than usual crowd, but with family is never tooo crowded, right??? We had a wonderful lunch prepared by all (even ME)! I am also fortunate enough to have such a talented cousin Kelsey who took some pretty awesome pics of Daley (posted below).

Next we were off to Yia Yia and Robert's where Robert prepared a delicious Thanksgiving meal as well. There was a slight hang up in that the Turkey Fryer went out of commission for a couple hours, but once it was ready we enjoyed a delicious Cajun Fried Turkey! My Aunt Cathy and my cousins Spiro, his girlfriend Courtney, and Jimmy came in town. It was great to see them! Especially Spiro and Courtney since they live in TX and don't get up to Alabama much! It was also wonderful to spend Jameson's first Thanksgiving with him, I really love that baby!

After Yia Yia and Robert's we headed down to Auburn to spend time with Zach's family and to see our beloved Tigers play the hearts out in the Iron Bowl. I must say I was disappointed not to get a win, but proud of my Tigers for giving it to the #2 team in the country! By the way, GO GATORS! I just had to post the pic of Zach below that was posted in the Birmingham News. There were several pics posted but I felt like none showed his true "game face" as well as this one. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and I wanted to sign off in saying that I am so Thankful for my family! Zach included, even when he is not behaving!

Love,

Lindsey

Dodiyos!!!!!!!!!!

Last Thursday me some of my favorite friends from church went out to eat at Dodiyos. I have but 1 word for this place.....MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! It was wonderful! The company and the food. Dodiyos is a Mediterranean Restaurant so it has so many of my favorite foods. For appetizers we shared Hummus and Saganaki. If you have never had Saganaki it is cheese that comes out flaming and you spread it on bread. A.K.A. a little spread of heaven! And for my entree I ordered vegetable Moussaka which is like a vegetable casserole with topped in a cream sauce layer. Am I making your mouth water? I want to go back and eat just as am typing this.

My friends and I had a great time hanging out. We do not do this often so it was great to get together outside of church with just the girls. It was actually kind of funny because the three of us that arrived first were all pregnant, and some lady asked if we were all members of the same Lamaze class? It is funny to me because so many people around me are pregnant right now. Not just in this group, but I bet I can name at least 15 people that I am either related to or very good friends with. I am so lucky that both my girls will be surrounded by my wonderful friends and their wonderful children!

Mary, Brooke, Helena, Angela and Me

-Lindsey

Halloween and Baby Jameson

Have not been on my blog in a while so I thought I would double update! First of all we had a great Halloween. We did several things to celebrate throughout the month of October. First we went to the pumpkin patch and then we were invited to a Halloween Party at Will Vakakes's House. Will's Halloween Party was a great way to get the kids together and allow them to wear their costumes an extra time. We also had Daley's school Halloween Part and the kids were dressed up there too. They were sooo precious! On actual Halloween we did not celebrate much or trick or treat. We were down in Auburn for the Ole Miss Auburn game which was a SWEET VICTORY!

Daley and I with our church friends at Will Vakakes's Halloween Party

Daley and Caroline (Tinkerbells) at Daley's School Halloween Party

Most importantly November 4th was the birth date of mine and Zach's first nephew, and Daley's first cousin! We are so in love with him already and we are so happy for Tiffany and Philip upon the birth of their sweet baby boy. Jameson Foster Bolen came into the world weighing 8lbs 9oz and was 21 ans 1/2 inches long. He was born Wednesday November 4 at 8:15 p.m.

Jameson Foster Bolen

Tiffany Me and Jameson



Aunt Lindsey and Jameson

Hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks and has a great Thanksgiving Holiday! Happy Holidays and War Eagle!

Love,

Lindsey

Demi Sophia

It's a girl! She will be named Demi Sophia Alsobrook! We have known since about 14 weeks. I went to the Dr.'s office where my mother works and the ultrasound tech there was able to tell. Then, at 16 weeks I went to my Dr. and there was a little trouble finding the heartbeat. No worries though! I got another ultrasound and she confirmed it. Then again, 2 weeks ago, we went back to the Dr. for our 20 week ultrasound and it was confirmed again. Definitely no third legs here!

I have 2 other friends who are pregnant right now, Helena and Angela and they are both having girls too. Then I have 2 friends from church, Melanie and Mary who both just had girls (Lane and Emma respectively). I think it is the year of the girl! I am still waiting on a few friends in my mommies group (the ones I went to Sips and Strokes with) who are a little behind me in the wonderful journey that is pregnancy, and with the way things have been going surely we'll get some more boys!

I have attached a few pics from our last ultra sound. They are mostly of her head and her bottom. Enjoy!

-Lindsey

Head and Hand of Sweet Demi

Bottom of Sweet Demi

Head Hand and Spine of Sweet Demi

The Great Pumpkin Patch

We normally go to the Pumpkin Patch out in Clanton every year on Columbus Day, but this year the weather did not permit. I had also taken Tuesday off to prepare for some work we are getting ready to do on our house, but I decided to go ahead and try to go to the Pumpkin Patch since it was the one day in the past month or so that it hasn't rained. Luckily when I got in the car I called to check and make sure I knew what exit to get off on because it was CLOSED! They are actually not usually open on Monday or Tuesday any week, they just make an exception for Columbus Day, I guess since some businesses are closed. I then called the Pumpkin Patch in Harpersville and it did open at 3:00, but it was 11:00 and we were already in the car. I Googled Alabama Pumpkin Patches in my phone and found that there is one in Hayden just above Gardendale on I 65 so we headed to Hayden! After all the trouble of finding a Patch we did have a great time once we got there!

Daley LOVES to take her picture in these things. This has gotten to be like our 4th or 5th picture we have like this, but they are cute!

Daley picking her very own Pumpkin!!!!

Daley making her VERY SCARY Halloween face

Daley at the petting zoo. I will say that the petting zoo at the Patch in Clanton is MUCH better. These animals were not so spiffy!

Daley and Mommy at the Pumpkin Patch

Church Fall Picnic

This Sunday after Church we had a fall picnic complete with BBQ, pumpkin painting, flag football and fishing. Daley LOVES "barbecubes" and she had such a great time painting the pumpkins! She also played football with Dad. No flag football quite yet and we did take her close to the water but she walked in off the bank, so after we changed her wet shoes into dry shoes we were out of any more clothing options, we then opted for dryer activities.

Daley pumpkin painting. She is a very stubborn pumpkin painter too. I had a lot of good ideas, but instead we just scribbled.

More pumpkin painting. The face on the front was some of my good ideas, but like I said, she liked to scribble all over it!

Football with Dad!

More football, running away from Dad!

Will, Brooke and Helena Vakakes enjoying the beautiful day!