Alsobrook Family

Finishing Up for November and Starting December!

2011-12-16T12:03:00.000-06:00

I will start by completing my list of things I am thankful for.....
9. My ears to hear the sweet giggles of my girls.
10. My eyes to watch them and everyone else around me grow and morph in to someone older and wiser.
11. My nose to smell the wonderful Thanksgiving food!
12. My mouth (sometimes) when I am able to communicate what I want to say :)
13. My legs to walk and run
14. My hands to touch and feel all that is around me
15. Little Witt in my belly teaching me patience every day! Hopefully that won't continue when he arrives! HA!
16. My house for not selling as of yet. (Strange, but I know it is for a bigger and better reason)
17. Being financially stable enough to afford help with a few things in life, because without the help I would sure be overwhelmed. (examples: yard man, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, pest control, you know the important things)
18. My yard man because he looks out for snakes and killed one and didn't let it bite one of us
19. My inability to say no to committing myself to things. Sometimes I over commit, but I definitely don't miss out!
20. Dinner at my mom's more than once a week. (You just have no idea!)
21. My trip to Gatlinburg with Zach's Family for Thanksgiving. It will be so fun for the girls and Zach and I to spend a few days with them!
22. Being fortunate enough that our families are close enough in proximity to share the holidays with both!
23. Our puppies. They spent a week in the kennel while we went on vacation. Since our family has continued to expand we have really neglected them and they were once all we had! :)
24. Thanksgiving Day...eating with family, traveling and long conversations with loved ones.

The last few days of November consisted of unpacking from our trip to Gatlinburg and traveling to Auburn for the Iron Bowl. It did not work out in our favor but I do love the Iron Bowl. The anticipation of the event is never disappointing, however only less exciting when we lose.

The first two weeks of December have been crazy! I love all the Christmas parties, but I do wish we could spread them out over a couple months instead of having 3 per week! It is a little overwhelming. I have NOT completed my Christmas shopping yet and Christmas is next weekend. Ahhhh, the joys of Christmas :) I do love this time of year though, even though we are super busy. I love shopping and get super carried away at this time of year. I really love shopping for the little ones. Even if they don't like their gift it is so fun to picture their little faces in your mind getting excited as they open a present :) Daley had her Christmas program at her school. She was a Bethlehem Traveler and it was a wonderful performance by all! We have been traveling a lot lately so unfortunately we have not been to church in a couple of weeks. I hate that, as this is truly what the season is all about. We will get there though!

I am constantly getting larger! According to Baby Center Witt now weighs about 2 pounds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber????) from head to heel. He is kicking kicking kicking! A very active little boy. I don't think I have felt this much movement in the past two pregnancies and I hope this is not a sign of his activity level post birth :)

I have attached a few pics of the girls below! (Won't be referring to our children as "the girls" much longer. How exciting!)

Iron Bowl Week

Skylift with Daddy in Gatlinburg on Thanksgiving

My Little Bethlehem Traveler

Christmas Card Pic

Santa Pic

And let's not forget Baby Witt!

Thankful or Impatient?

2011-11-07T16:03:00.001-06:00

My patience is pitiful! I like for things I want to happen immediately, who doesn't though, right? I think my perception of how fast things will happen for me is often times skewed. I understand that many people's homes have been on the market for a year and often times longer than that, however here I am DYING TO MOVE TODAY and my house has only been on the market for less than 3 whole mos! I also understand that I will be pregnant for 40 whole weeks, however here am at 22 weeks wondering everyday HOW MUCH LONGER? Not only am I torturing myself, but since the 1st wish (house selling) hasn't been accomplished, why in the world would I be rushing the 2nd wish (baby hurry up!)? There is not even a bedroom for our little man when he gets here! HA! I am pregnant, emotional and irrational at this very moment! Ask Zach or Daley even for that matter! They will testify! Daley has even asked me several times lately, what is wrong? I think I must just have a terrible blank stare on my face all the time! Why am I wishing all this time away?

In other news, I am missing my very expensive camera (pic below)! Oh camera what has happened to you? It may not seem like I treasured you, but really I did! I want you to come home so desperately so I can take my most exciting Christmas Card pic that I take every year! Why have you disappeared???

It looks and is the exact camera pictured above! Please let me know if you have seen it!

I am falling apart at the seams over here! And at a time when I am supposed to be Thankful! I want to take the rest of this post to state what I am thankful for, because so far I feel like I have been a whiny baby and dare I say "impatient"! There have been 7 days in November so far and I have seen a cute trend on Facebook in which people have been posting daily what they are thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving toward the end of the month. So here are my first 7 days!

1. Zach. (Mostly for putting up with my pregnant, emotional, irrational self, but also for working hard and always trying to come up with new a better ways to take care of his family.)

2. Daley (For putting up with me too, but also for making me laugh. She has a very smart mouth and is very blunt and honest about what is on her mind and I am glad I am able to have a sense of humor about it otherwise I might cry. Zach gets on to me for laughing at her and not disciplining her, but she is so darn funny sometimes!)

3. My Sweet Demi (For being the light at the end of each day for me. She is so kind hearted and snugly. If she just has a blanky and her baby she will lay in my lap forever and although it is irritating that she wants to be held so often, I am glad she is in the stage of being so loving, because it makes me feel forgiven for my craziness!)

4. For the roof over my head! (Even though I am ready to sell it I am very fortunate to be in the financial situation I am in of being able to afford a home.)

5. For my job! (There are so many people out there without employment that desire to be employed and I often complain about working when I am really fortunate to have a job at all.)

6. Family (My Mom and Robert, Dad and Jill, Philip, Tiffany, JB, Mother and Father In Law (Mimi and Big Bad), Pearson , Lauren, Peyton, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Without this wonderful support unit my little family would not be thriving!)

7. Old Friends (Because they so much resemble family in that most of them have been around so long they feel like family, but also because even though we may not speak every day and our friendships may not always be convenient because we are in different places in our lives, I know I could turn to them in the darkest of times without fear of judgement and they make me smile even if the last words shared between us were Happy Birthday on Facebook :)

And I'll go ahead and do one for tomorrow because it is silly of me to think I will remember to do this tomorrow too!

8. New Friends (We are friends because it is convenient and we are in the same place in our lives, and for providing me someone to share this time in my life with!)

Love,

Lindsey

Lately Pics

Halloween with the cousin!

Demi, JB and Daley

Turn Trussville Pink!

Cinderella and her pumpkin!

War Eagle!

Softball Trophy!

Pumpkin Patch

Field Trip

It's A Boy!

2011-10-12T15:26:00.000-05:00

Imagine my surprise!!!!! And Zach's!!!! Daley is also so excited! She has been saying she wanted a brother so bad that we were actually worried about her disappointment had it been a girl, although a girl is what I expected. I had heard that the chance of having a baby of the opposite sex decreased to like 20% after having two of the same sex. A good amount of people I know have been blessed with having this happen, so I REALLY thought that decreased my chances! But, here we are...expecting a boy. His name will be Zachary DeWitt Alsobrook Jr. and we will call him Witt. Wow! It is really like being pregnant all over again for the first time! I get to shop as if I have never had a baby before, outside of the pack and play, swing crib, etc., things that we purchased gender neutral. They aren't the fun things to purchase anyway. I get to do a nursery!!!! And, buy little baby boy clothes! How fun! We have been teaching Demi how to say Witt. she actually sounds like a little German baby pronouncing it more like "Vitt". But she has several months to work this out. ;) According to Baby Center our little man us 5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces. Too bad my weight gain has been slightly more than this! ;) HA!

Something I have been struggling with most recently has been the sell of our home. I know, welcome to your life! Everyone seems to be struggling with the sell of their home. But I REALLY want to sell mine! I pray and beg and bargain, everything short of something illegal! I have been reminding myself of this a lot lately....

It is so hard though! To imagine something not working out for the best and in my timing and not His?!?!?! Doesn't He think my timing is acceptable?!?! It sure seems like good timing to me! It is easy to tell myself to "Let go and Let God" but relatively impossible to put into action. I have a request that you pray I realize I don't know what is best and that there is a bigger plan. It is hard for me to come to terms with my planning possibly not being THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY TO DO THINGS. Is it a woman thing, a wife thing, a Mom thing, or just my inherent stubbornness? Pray God helps me see. ;) And don't answer me directly, especially if you think it is my stubbornness. ;) And if you're feeling generous, pray my house sells!

In the mean time we will continue to pray our seemingly healthy baby BOY continues to be healthy and that these two live up to being the Big Sisters we know they can be! Thanks for reading!

-Lindsey

Hillbilly Day October 11, 2011

Daley (Flower Girl) October 8, 2011

Daley Softball October 3, 2011

Demi (Spiro's Wedding) October 1, 2011

Demi Ball Park October 3, 2011

September Alsobrook Update WAR EAGLE!

2011-09-20T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well, for the past couple weeks we have been experiencing some lovely fall weather! I sure have enjoyed it! We have done lots of fun things to celebrate the good weather. First, we spent the first two weekends of September in Auburn celebrating VICTORIES! And then last week was not so great for OUR Tigers :( We have also been enjoying several birthday parties. People are really amping up on kids birthdays these days! One party had a snow cone truck come and you got to pick the snow cone of your choice, large size and everything! HEAVENLY! As second birthday party had a bounce house, very fun for the girls and much more affordable than actually having it a bounce house party place (ask me, I know!)

According to Babycenter Baby Alsobrook #3 is about 3 1/2 inches, about the size of a lemon, and weighs 1 1/2 ounces. ****Newsflash**** I have gained slightly more than 1 1/2 ounces! Let's pray this ratio doesn't keep up. If so, by 40 weeks when the baby is relatively 7 or 8 or 9 lbs, I will be one of those that has to be cut out of her house and transported to the hospital by crane! On the positive side of pregnancy, OCTOBER 5th we will know if Baby Alsobrook #3 is a boy or a girl!!! YIPPEE! This is the most exciting milestone for me outside of when the baby actually gets here! It adds a totally new spin on being pregnant and gives the little black and white skeleton you see in the ultrasounds a whole personality and a name of his or her own. Please, for Zach, hope it is a boy! I would say pray, but the deed is done. I really have to tip my hat to those folks who don't find out! Who are they torturing anyway???

Sorry I don't have any pictures to attach to the blog! I have not been toting my camera around a lot lately, but maybe I will scrounge some up and post an additional blog. Hey, maybe there will even be more than 1 or 2 blogs this month! Thanks for reading!

-Lindsey

Alsobrook Party of 5?!?!?!?!

2011-08-22T11:17:00.002-05:00

Yes, that is right! We are having a 3rd!

Surprised? Yes......
Panicked? Yes......
Excited? about another baby actually arriving? YES!.........

A moment of honesty here...... I think I have been pregnant enough! If you go through this twice you should just get a freebie for the third and the baby just appear! It is true that we wanted a 3rd! We were not quite ready as of yet, but I know that God's plan is not always the same as mine and I am learning to adjust. We had a plan! We were going to go on all these special diets and do all these special things so that God would bless us with a boy! That's how you convince him right, go on diets and do special things?! :) Guess he thought better of that, so here we are! Blessed no doubt, we are super excited about the pending arrival of baby Alsobrook #3! I am a week and a half away from entering my second trimester, so here is what Baby Center says about our little one today.....

Baby is the size of a kumquat!
Your baby, now barely the size of a kumquat, weighs less than a quarter of an ounce.
(Length: a little over 1 inch, head to bottom.)

1 inch, huh? I know all of this glorious "getting bigger" stuff happens faster in subsequent pregnancies, but the getting bigger part is my least favorite! Not good news that my pants are already uncomfortable! I went to the doctor again last week and although I haven't actually gained any weight yet, I feel like my clothes already don't fit so great. ;( It was really fun seeing my little man (or lady) wiggle around in there though! In the ultrasound he/she looks like a baby already! And, much bigger than 1 inch I might add! It was very exciting and I found myself already wishing he/she was here. I do realize though that baby would not be so cute outside the womb at this point. That is why the pictures are in black and white, I think! ;) But, the heartbeat was excellent and everything looks great, so we couldn't be happier!

More changing for us! Now for the past several weeks we have been in a whirl wind trying to get our house in order so that we can put it on the market and sell it and get a bigger house, more suited for ALL of us! It has been on the market for one week as of today and we have had one call. My prayer request for all of this is that I can see clearly God's plan! I do not know what will come of all this, but I am trying to be at peace with it while waiting. If we are meant to be cramped in our little house so our family will have a strong bond then I am trying to be okay with that, but I am also ready for my house to sell because I feel like if we have the means to purchase a larger home, then that is what we should do. Houses are being sold at excellent prices right now, but that also means that our house we are selling is offered at an excellent price, which doesn't feel so excellent!

So, that is all the news I have for now! We sure are busier, and just when we think we can't get busier we get busier! Apparently we can handle this or it wouldn't be tossed our way! That is what I keep telling myself ;)

June and July

2011-08-08T20:52:00.000-05:00

It seems like I might have been on a blogging hiatus this summer! We have been super busy and having lots of fun! We have been to the beach twice and took a trip to Lake Martin July 4. I have lots of pictures to share below to document the girls as they are ever growing and constantly coming into their own personalities.

Demi has become quite the social butterfly. When we went to the beach with my family she was chatting up everyone within a walking distance. Her favorite toys right now are purses. If she doesn't have a purse she will use anything that could substitute! She grabs buckets and boxes if she can't find her Elmo purse and loads it and unloads it and waves and says "bye bye"! I THINK she might be my girly girl?!?!?! Towards the end of June when Daley's dance class was wrapping up for the summer she couldn't stay away! I have been taking her to most of Daley's dance classes since August of last year and she NEVER showed any interest whatsoever about going in the room, but the last class was awful as she was screaming a pitching a total fit to get in the door. Not so bad except for when we went in to watch she wouldn't sit with me, she wanted to go up there and dance with Daley's class! This has carried on throughout the summer as she has been performing anytime music has played. she entertained a restaurant with her shenanigans later in the month of June when we went to the beach with Zach's family. August 1st Demi will be moving into the big girl class at her school! "One Step Up" is the name of the class. She will no longer require sippy cups to be brought to school because the provide them for us (huge for mom not to pack a bag every morning!) She will sleep on a nap mat! This is a big deal! She has NEVER not slept in a crib or a pack n play! I do not see how they are going to manage to get her to sleep! I can remember switching Daley to a cot at her old day care and I thought the same thing though, so this will probably work out too! Demi is getting to be such BIG GIRL!

Daley is forever becoming such a young lady! She is so sweet and I am not just biased because I am her mother! She is a really sweet kid! I love that when I pick her up everyday her teachers as well as other teachers tell me how sweet she is and what a great kid she is. It is one of the few times that I feel like I must actually be doing an okay job. She is a wonderful big sister to Demi. She always tries to help whenever we ask. Now sometimes she over helps when not asked and i can become a problem, but she is only 4 and some of that is expected. She is very cautious and I mean RARELY does anything ha might cause her to get injured. This summer started and she would not even come off the steps in a swimming pool, so we enrolled her in swim lessons at the YMCA every day for 2 weeks. It was great timing because we left the minute after her last swim lesson to go o the beach and she was jumping off the side of the pool and swimming all over the place. It is so rewarding to watch a child learn and overcome fear! Another thing Daley has come down with a severe illness this summer commonly known as Bieber Fever. Yes.....I originally let her hear the song, but I do not believe that there has been to many days since Spring started that Baby Baby has not played in the car or in the house. Girl has got it bad! Daley will be moving up to the 4K class at her school. They are referred to as the "Challengers". It is hard to believe that our first born is in 4K let alone to process that next year she will be in 5K at an actual elementary school. CRAZY AND SCARY! Daley is a smart girl that knows the difference between right and wrong. The trick is getting her to believe that she knows that and not letting the mere suggestion of another child question that. I know that this is going to be a problem for many many years and that it will only get worse, but I am so proud of her so far!

As both of our girls are beginning a new fall school year it is fun to reflect back on them and how they have grown. :) We are so blessed. A friend of mine on facebook asked friends to share "pearls of wisdom" regarding raising children. One friend wrote to ask your children "what if you woke up today with only what you gave thanks for yesterday?" At first I thought "what a great lesson!?!" Then, I became very disappointed because I don't even know what I gave thanks for yesterday! So, today I am thankful for family and friends and very few material possessions. I would be just fine if tomorrow that was all I had!

-Lindsey

Care Walk 2011

2011-06-01T19:48:00.000-05:00

One thing I have never blogged about before is that when Demi was an infant she was diagnosed with Thalassemia. I have never really posted anything on the blog regarding Thalassemia as we are lucky and it really doesn't affect Demi so it is not really on the forefront of my thoughts, but I think I should at mention it for the benefit of raising awareness in the few people that may read this blog regarding the more severe patients with this blood disease.

Thalassemia is a blood disease that originated in the Mediterranean Region which is where 50% of my family originated. There are two types of Thalassemia: Minor and Major and fortunately Demi only possesses the Minor type. This will virtually have no effect on her life whatsoever except for she will require some genetic counseling when she is old enough to think about having children on her own as 2 Thalassemic Minors make up a Major. Thalassemia is a genetic defect in which their is a reduced rate or no rate of synthesis in the globin chains that make up the hemoglobin, thus causing her to test anemic. Some symptoms of anemia include fatigue and we have taken into consideration that this may be why she is so sleepy.

Demi is a powerhouse sleeper. Most nights she goes to bed around 7 p.m. and I have to wake her up for school in the morning, otherwise on weekends she sleeps until 8:30 or 9 a.m. In talking with a lot of my "mommy friends" I realize that I am lucky as both of my children are that way. I can understand Daley's sleeping in since she is a night owl much like her Dad, but Demi goes to bed so early. There are a host of other symptoms though of which to our knowledge she has never experienced. Surely not pale skin....she appears to be dark like her Mommy. Surely no decrease in appetite....Demi is a little chubber and LOVES to eat, often times I am in awe of her ability!

May 1, 2011 was the 1st Annual Care Walk sponsored by the Cooley's Anemia Foundation and the Thalassemia Action Group. The closest one in our area was in Georgia, but there were several across the country. There is not much awareness regarding Thalassemia because it affects so few people in our region, but this is the greatest form of awareness we have come across so far and unfortunately I didn't know about it on May 1, 2011, but next year it will be April 29, 2012 and I may be calling on you to walk with me and help raise money to raise awareness as well as fund seeking treatment.

I have posted a few links below to reference that I found helpful and that you can go to if you are curious about learning more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassemia

http://www.thalassemia.org/

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-center/thalassemia-symptoms.aspx

Daley is 4!

2011-05-23T20:40:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we had Daley's 4 yr old birthday party at Pump it Up and let me just tell you how much fun we had! Destination birthday parties are definitely the best, and they are the fondest memory I have of my birthdays as a kid, but there is a reason that you only get one or two of them, because they are EXPENSIVE! It was totally worth it though to see how much fun she had and the smile on her face. We had a small hang up with a carpet burned elbow, but other than that she was having a ball. I didn't get a whole lot of pictures as Pump it Up parties are my favorite too, but I did post the few that I got below.

Love,

Lindsey

Demi even got in on some of the fun!

Daley and her sweet friend James from Church ;)

Daley and her sweet friends ;)

The Best Day of a 4yr Old's Life

2011-05-16T19:25:00.002-05:00

There are Birthdays and then there are BIRTHDAYS and when Aubie pays you a visit and you are a 4 yr old little girl.......it is THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANOTHER beautiful weekend!

2011-03-21T22:41:00.005-05:00

With another beautiful weekend came fun in the sun! This weekend we had Will Baker's Birthday party. Will is a friend of Demi's that is about one month younger than her. As you can see below he had a great time and so did all the big kids "helping" him open all of his gifts. It was also really pretty outside and a great opportunity for me to attempt to get a photo of Daley and Demi in a matching outfit. The photos are okay....I only wish I could get Demi to cooperate! I don't remember this being a huge deal with Daley, but with Demi it is next to IMPOSSIBLE to make her look at the camera!

After Will's Birthday Demi was exhausted so we took her home and Zach stayed with her and I took Daley to the Carnival in Trussville to meet her Cousin JB, Uncle Philip, Aunt Tiffany, Yia Yia and Berts. She had a great time. She was able to ride most of the rides. I should get some type of award though for keeping her out of the bounce house as there were boys in there that looked to be 12 years old or better that would have flattened her like a pancake!

I am glad that we got another weekend to play outside and enjoy our friends. I also would like to wish John Vakakes (a dear friend from Church) and Laura Brantley (a dear friend for the better portion of my life who also turned 30) Happy Birthdays this week!

Love,

Lindsey

Birthday Boy Will Baker

Best photo I got

Easy Rider Alligator Roller Coaster

Carousel with JB

Spring Fever?

2011-03-14T14:36:00.001-05:00

Spring is here! And poor Demi had a fever!

Demi is doing good now. Zach was able to leave work early Thursday when they called from school and asked us to come and get her. I called and immediately got her an appointment and they said it was her ears. She has been on antibiotics and has been at home. I stayed home from work with her on Friday and since then she has been doing and feeling great. Friday was only when the great weather merely started to make an appearance though, so it wasn't like we were stuck in doors the whole weekend at all. Saturday and Sunday we were able to get out and do a couple of fun things. Saturday night we cooked out with friends and Sunday after Church we went to the park for a sweet baby friend Alexa's first Birthday Party! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the girls had a blast. I am so excited for many weekends to come like this one. I will never get sick of great weather!

I really just love this time of year! I love everything about spring except for maybe the pollen which is not in full force yet. What's not to like other than that though? Cute clothes for the girls! Outdoor activities........ swimming, beaching, parks or heck.....just hanging out in the backyard! Daylight savings time ensued this weekend and this makes me oh, so happy! I will never understand why it needs to be dark at 5 p.m.. It is just silly! There is so much we can do after work and school now and it makes my house run much more smoothly. I can cook while at least Daley is playing in the backyard. Zach and I have actually committed to start running together too! We did our first 5-K together last weekend. I thought he would not be interested in this at all and now that he has run one he is totally set on improving his time and wants to do another race! All child illnesses pending I think we will be running in Crestline this weekend.

I love taking pictures of the girls in the Spring because the colors are bright and the scenery is beautiful! I have posted a few of our racing pics below and some pics from Alexa's birthday party. I think my camera will be making more appearances with me in weeks to come so stay tuned!

Demi's Birthday Party

2011-03-13T20:24:00.001-05:00

Demi's 1st Birthday Party was at Yankee Pizzeria. We had a great time! There was another party going on at the exact same time and he was also celebrating his first birthday, so it was a little hard to keep our parties seperated. We even had a sweet little boy from our party climb up on the table of the other party and start eating their cup cakes. I think that is the best part of these brithdays though. Stories like that! These kids are just precious at this age! We are so happy that so many of our family and friends were able to come and we enjoyed celebrating this milestone so much with our sweet Demi!

Demi is turning 1!

2011-02-14T17:09:00.001-06:00

This week our baby will be 1! And my "our baby" I mean mine, Zach's and Daley's! Daley is very quick to correct you and tell you that Demi is her baby too and in so many ways she is! It is so hard to believe that a year has gone by since our sweet Demi came into this world! One year and 9 months actually because that is how long we have known about and been planning for her. I can remember right before we had Demi, sitting on my bed and crying because having Demi meant Daley was not the baby anymore. Oh how it was going to change Daley's life! Daley has gotten to be such a big girl as a result of becoming a big sister and I am so proud of her for it! I would never change their age difference for anything in the world! Daley was able to help us feed Demi her bottles when we were in a rush in the mornings for work. She loved to feed her jars of baby food, even though sometimes the mess was not worth the help. She plays with her and was eager to teach her to crawl and has been right behind her nudging (sometimes pushing) her along all the way to this special day. The way I talk you would think she raised her all by herself and while that is definitely not the case I also don't know how we would have made it with out her. Of course we would have made it, but I can't imagine how different things would be.

Demi was the perfect addition to our set up. She is like our family mascot! OUR AUBIE! No matter if we are winning or losing, good day or bad, she has a smile and a way about her that can cheer you up just by being in her presence. Her gruff and raspy little laugh! I wouldn't trade it for anything! When the alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. we are exhausted and then we get to wake up Daley and have a royal throw down about what she is going to wear and what she is going to eat (see....Daley and her Dad share the same morning attitude) and then Demi gets up and she is grinning from ear to ear. No matter if you wake her or she wakes on her own she is so happy! Zach was obsessed with her saying Da-da before she said Ma-ma since he lost that battle with Daley, and it is so funny because she has been saying in now for like 4 or 5 months and just now every so often musters up a Ma-ma. While I long for the day that she says my name and actually knows what it means it has been a true pleasure to watch him hop-to her every command because he is so excited she "chose" to say his name first.

Someone once said that having a child is to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body. That is the truest thing and the best description I could ever put into words regarding what it feels like to be a mother. It is a huge risk to think that your heart is outside your body walking around, but for it to take a life form and to watch "her" little characteristics that you can tell our yours and your husbands is the most joyous experience. It is such a responsibility, but one that can produce so much joy! Don't get me wrong, I definitely can see our bad characteristics walking around out there too. Having Daley is like having my heart and my sassy mouth out there except I have less control over her mouth than I do my own, and I know there is more to come of that!

In so many words, we all are so honored that God picked Demi to join our family and while not a whole lot is definable about her personality yet we definitely look forward to all the rest of her years in our life and discovering her personality as it grows!

Happy Birthday Demster!

Quarterly Blog.......Thanksgiving and Christmas and Birthdays and National Championships....Oh my!

2011-02-01T10:47:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since I last blogged! We have been busy at the Alsobrook house. After Thanksgiving came Christmas. After Christmas came my Mother's Birthday. After my Mom's Birthday came Zach's Birthday and Demi's big ONE is next month! But.......I have found a moment to breathe and catch up on the blog posts of others that I have been missing and write one for us too!

THE MOST EXCITING THING that there is to report is that Auburn Won the National Championship. I wish I had pictures to post, but I don't because I wasn't there. :( You will have to ask my loving husband to show you his as he left us to go witness the most exciting event in Auburn football in 50 some odd years! (No animosity there!) :)

My little D-Rae watching the Auburn Game in the Ice Storm while Daddy enjoy's the 70 degree weather in the desert!

Thanksgiving is always wonderful because we get to spend it with our families. This year we stayed in Birmingham with my family and got to share Thanksgiving with all of my relatives and it was nice to see Demi and Jameson (my nephew) to get to share their first Holidays together. Jameson was actually around last year for Thanksgiving, but I don't think he ever even got out of the car seat, so this was his "real first Thanksgiving"!

My little Turkey at her Thanksgiving Feast at school

Christmas was a blast starting off with a party at my Uncle Jimmy's Christmas Eve Eve. Christmas Eve we went over to my Aunt Lisa's to share with My Dad's side of the family. all was well until Daley started feeling bad. She did not get to go over to Aunt Agatha's with us to hang out with my Mom's side of the family and Christmas morning she woke up with a 103 fever! Yuck! She was not in her best spirits on Christmas morning, but she still appreciates her and Demi's new Wii and their new trampoline!!!! We have jumped on the trampoline only a few times since the weather has NOT been the greatest and we have been freezing nearly to death, but she talks about how she can't wait for it to get warmer so we can jump all the time! Can't wait!

Sisters!

Jameson, Daley and Demi enjoying Christmas Eve. Daley loves her Cousin and Sister!

Demi Doo in her new Christmas Chair

In January came the National Championship and Zach's 30th Birthday! We went down to Auburn and attended the Celebration in the stadium and went to the AU vs UA basketball game and watched Auburn receive the Iron Bowl trophy! This was the ultimate present for Zach as he has a passion for Auburn that only a few people in this world could possibly share.....strange thing is I think a know the few other people fairly well too! ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful new year and I look forward to all the blogs and miracles to come in 2011! In a few weeks my sweet angel will be ONE and I will definitely be posting some pics of her very special day!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

We have had so much fun in the month of October. A few things of note have occurred for the Alsobrooks this month.....Auburn has continued to win (9-0) and was ranked #1 even if only for a week, all except for Daley almost perished from the most violent stomach bug ever, we went to the Pumpkin Patch and Boo at the Zoo with Demi's Nouna and Nouno and their daughter Alexa and we of course Trick or Treated! I have attached a few pics below. I have really enjoyed reading all the other blogs this month and seeing all the little ones at the Pumpkin Patch and all dressed up in their costumes! I hope everyone else is having a wonderful fall.

We are also looking forward to family and friends throughout the upcoming holidays. I can not believe it is November and Christmas is just around the corner too. This is absolutely my favorite time of the year!

Daley's Dance Class Halloween Party (Daley, Maddie, Miss Sarah and Brooke)

Demi, Daley and Alexa at the Pumpkin Patch

Demi and Daley at the Pumpkin Patch

#1 Auburn Tigers

Me, Demi and Daley at Boo at the Zoo

It's Fall Y'all!

2010-10-06T09:27:00.000-05:00

September Happenings:

A few things happened in September after Daley's first Auburn game. 1. Demi was Christened! Our sweet little Demi started her journey with our Lord Saturday, September 11, 2010. With the help of her wonderful Godparents Sam and Angela Sessions (forever now referred to as Nouno and Nouna) we were able to pull of a wonderful Christening and lunch in her honor. I think everything went perfectly and could not have asked for a more perfect day!

2. Daley went to her second Auburn Game. Which by the way did not go as well as the first. The first game she was so into the game and on her feet cheering. This time she could have cared less and continuously wanted to get up and walk around etc. As a result we left sometime in the beginning of the 3rd Quarter. She said she wanted to go back out to the tailgate and I tried my very best to explain to her that no one was out there they were all inside the game like us. When we got out to the tailgate she was of course upset that no one was out there! Fortunately Jimmy and Mary Velotas tailgate close by and there were a few people down there to hang out with and watch the end of the game. Then my sweet friend Nichole Bush walked up with two out of three of her kids Taylor and Bella and all the kids proceeded to have their own football game in the grassy area. They had a great time and if it took us leaving in the 3rd quarter to turn the game around and Auburn win in OT to beat Clemson.....then it was all worth it!

3.Our sweet Demi has gotten her first two bottom teeth in! I took a pic below, but it is hard to see as they are still very small and only one is all the way in. Demi has been such a joyful addition to our family this past 7 months. I love watching her a Daley grow together as sisters. They love each other so much and Daley is such a great helper and entertainer for Demi and just an awesome big sister all around!

Love, Lindsey

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2010-09-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

Football season! Daley got to go to the first Auburn football game with us this year and boy oh boy did she have fun. Everyone always asks what age should they take their child to their first football game and my answer is 1 wk shy of 3 yrs and 4 mos old! She was on her feet cheering to the top of her lungs the whole game! She had the best time. I think she probably understood more about the game then I did. I only wish she could go to every game with us, however I am sure Zach does not share this wish with me ;) It is hard to keep up with her especially at the tailgate where it is so easy for her to wonder off and get lost in the crowd, lucky for us she LOVES the RV and that is where we could find her most of the time. The absolute excitement she got in the week leading up to this game was such a build up for her. She and Zach watched old Auburn football games everynight together the week leading up to this game. The excitement on her face as a parent is the most wonderful thing to witness as a parent! I posted some pics below and some of them are a hoot!

Love,

Lindsey

Smile! ;)

2010-08-29T20:59:00.000-05:00

We got surprise pictures made of our girls! The girls have been at their new school "First United Methodist Church of Trussville" since the first week of August. I suppose a letter was sent out right before we started stating that there would be pictures made, but because we weren't there yet we weren't informed. Thursday the pictures came in and everyone was up in front sorting through their pictures. At first I was kind of glad we didn't have pictures...especially watching ALL the parents try to find their child's pictures all at 5:00 p.m. Yikes! Anyway, they asked if I had gotten my pictures and since I didn't know anything about it I said "No, I think these were taken before we started" and left. Friday I came to pick the girls up and there was a huge note on Demi's daily report saying WE DID HAVE PICTURES! They guy was super apologetic that we didn't get them the day before, but he had misfiled them under them name Demi Moore. HA! I was like "the actress?" and he said "I knew that name sounded too familiar!" So....the pics are posted below and I thought they turned out pretty decent since I had no idea they were being made. I could have spruced the girls up a little bit, or a least brushed Daley's hair, Ha! ;) They are a really cool sepia color and the outfits were provided for each child. I got a super huge discount on the price since they didn't have them for me on Thursday, which was super generous of them. I hope you like them as much as I did and I hope I don't think they are cute just because I didn't know they were being made ;)

Love,

Lindsey

Alsobrook Wedding

2010-08-21T19:03:00.000-05:00

Pearson and Lauren were married in Charlotte, NC July 31, 2010. Our sweet Daley was their flower girl and this was Demi's farthest trip so far! Maybe Daley's too??? We were so proud of Daley for the great job she did as their flower girl and we are SO HAPPY for Pearson and Lauren!

It was a wonderful weekend! It started Friday with the bridesmaids lunch at the Rolling Hills Country Club. That night was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner which had an amazing band and our poor girls were out way too late but everyone had a great time! Zach, Revel and Peyton did their traditional Alsobrook Wedding Performance of Ice Ice Baby. I guess it is unfortunately a staple now if you are a family member getting married. I think Zach secretly wishes he were a rapper???

Saturday was the wedding day and it was absolutely beautiful! It was wonderful seeing Pearson and Lauren profess their love for each other in front of their family and close friends. Daley did a great job with her flower girl duties and everything went great without a hitch! I haven't gotten any professional pictures back yet. I got a preview of a few of them from Lauren's photographer's website, but I will post those as soon as I get some copies. In the mean time we took a couple family pictures that I wanted to share with my bloggers!

I hope all of you had a great summer and are looking as forward to the fall as we are! God Bless and War Eagle!

-Lindsey

All the 3rd Generation Daley, Demi, Flinn Teichman and Eve Gholston

Daley in the "Brick House" Contest at the Rehearsal Dinner

Me, Demi, Zach and Daley Before the Wedding

All the Alsobrooks Before the Wedding

Zach's Mom's Extended Family Picture at the Wedding

(it was so great to see you all)

It's a Party in the USA!

2010-07-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday America! On July 15th??? Hey, I blog when I can! We had a great 4th of July weekend! We went to the lake with Zach's family and their very good friends, the Taylors. It is a family tradition that these two families get together each year to celebrate our country's birthday and we feel fortunate to be included each year with our constant growing family.

Most of our time Sunday was spent on the boat on the TERRIBLY rough water of Lake Martin. Lakes are just getting more crowded and more crowded every day and the 4th is of course EVEN MORE CROWDED! My back hurt for about 2 or three days after. I only go to the lake about once a year these days though, so maybe it was worth it.

Thanks to Ryan Taylor I was able to do a lot more relaxing than I expected. She is Doug and Beth's daughter and she absolutely loves babies and she was so good with Demi! Daley and Dad had a great time on the wave runner (pic posted below) and we had a wonderful 4th of July BBQ that night (thanks to Uncle Doug's Big Green Egg) and a fire work show to follow courtesy of Peyton Alsobrook. What's more American than that?

Daley and Zach on the Waverunner

Big Bad (Daley's Grandad), Daley and Uncle Doug

Demi, I feel sure being held by Ryan ;)

Daley, Demi and Gina (their Great Grandmother)

Alsobrook Beach Trip 2010

2010-06-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

We took our annual family beach trip to Sandestin last week. Thank goodness for no oil yet! I think that is all we could ask for, and we got that and wonderful weather as well. There were a couple late night storms that got pretty bad, but wonderful weather all day long! It is amazing that both of Zach's brothers were able to make the trip and "Aunt to be" Lauren. It is so hard to get families together these days and I was glad to have everyone there.

Daley got a few good swimming lessons from Dad and Uncle Peyton and Demi got in the water for the fist time! Both girls had a great time and we all got a good tan.I have posted a few pics below to document our trip. I suppose my next post will be 4th of July and then Pearson and Lauren's BIG DAY!

Talk to you soon!

Love,

Lindsey

Daley learning to swim

Sisters!

Demi fun in the sun

Alsobrooks bust out the Cupid Shuffle at the restaurant

Daley and Daddy

Recital!!!!

2010-06-07T19:00:00.000-05:00

I am going to try to type this without going over board, but it is almost impossible because we (Daley and myself) had the BEST TIME EVER! I was a little worried in the beginning that we were paying all this money for recital and she may not even dance, so I wasn't expecting much, but was very hopeful. But she did dance!

At rehearsal she did not dance her first song (ballet) but she did dance her second song (tap) and she fell in love with the stage. I feel like her first song she was a little nervous and didn't really know what to expect, but when she got back stage I just told her to watch the little TV that showed them the dance steps or to watch the girls around her and she did just that. The next day when we got to the recital as soon as we put her costume on she was all smiles. She was dancing all over the place and running and laughing. I was just so overjoyed to see her have such a great time. I really don't think I have ever seen her have that much fun before! Now I am super pumped because this is what I did for 16 years of my life on the exact same stage at the exact same dance studio. I wasn't going to be disappointed if she didn't like it as much as I did mostly because I didn't think she acted like she was going to, but now that she loves it, I am obsessed!!! I have already been talking about getting her enrolled in gymnastics for the rest of the summer so she won't get bored while waiting on dance to start back in the fall.

I promise on this blog to whoever reads not to be one of those moms who lives vicariously through their daughters, but what is wrong with seeing someone enjoy something just like you did when you were little? Even if it doesn't turn out to be "her thing"!

Here are some pics from rehearsal. Yia Yia has the recital pics on her camera and I will put those up as soon as I get them in another post.

Practicing

Backstage Sister Demi

Me and Daley after her ballet rehearsal

Daley and Yia Yia getting ready for tap

Daley(bottom left) and her class

2 Months And Here We Go Again!

2010-06-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

It's been two months since my last blog! Time is absolutely flying in our growing family! A lot has happened since our Easter picture. Easter for one, Demi was Churched, Daley had a birthday and now Memorial Day has gotten by us!

Big Sister Daley is 3 years old. She is still a challenge and a joy everyday. I keep telling myself she has a smart mouth and a quick temper because she's so intelligent. Funny, that's how I would describe myself! Just Kidding ;) Maybe that's how I would describe Zach??? :) Either way payback is heck! Daley is a wonderful big sister and is so proud of "her baby". Just last night we were at my friend Lisa's and there were so many babies there! Daley just kept telling people that were holding other babies "Did you know I have a baby sister?" "Have you seen my baby?" Sometimes people were looking at the other new small babies and she kind of looked like "Why aren't they paying attention to my baby right now?" It really brings tears to my eyes to say how much she loves her. When I go pick them up every day I go pick Daley up first and she runs into Demi's room and gets in her face to say hello and everyday Demi smiles so big! It is the sweetest thing and it absolutely melts my heart.

Demi is growing so much everyday. We don't go to our 4 month appointment until June 23 and we will be doing Daley's 3 year appointment that same day! YIKES! Demi is smiling and cooing and just growing such a personality. I can't wait to see her form into her own little person. She is still napping 2 to 3 times a day and is taking a bottle every 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours throughout the day. She is sleeping from about 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. so 7 hours! That's do-able, but I am still exhausted. I wish I had one more day of the weekend each week to get a little cleaning done. If you saw my house and I didn't know you were coming over you would think so terrible of me. I have been taking off 1 day ever month just to clean and that has been about the only way I can get it done! We do what we can I guess.

We had two wonderful holidays with our families on Easter and Memorial Day! Our next event is Daley's recital this weekend and I am so excited about that! She started dance class in February and has made me such a proud Mama! We doubt with their age group that there will be a whole lot of dancing. Hopefully no crying, but I will have pictures of that to post for sure and will try to get that blog up within the week. I am going to get better at this slowly but surely.

I have posted some of our favorite pics. Enjoy!

Love you all!

Lindsey

Visit to the Easter Bunny

2010-03-31T13:00:00.001-05:00

THUMBS DOWN! Will Daley ever not fear this 7 ft bunny?!?!?! A.) I am so sick of being in the Easter pic and B.) this is Demi's first Easter pic!!!! I am ready for a kids only Easter pic.

It's not just the bunny though, it is all mascots/huge stuffed animals. We even told her it is not the real Easter Bunny, it is just a costume and it is just clothes and she said "Mommy but the clothes will touch me!" :( She is truly terrified though. She was screaming to the top of her lungs and her feet were pushing off my stomach. This picture really does not do the horror justice.

Oh well, maybe next year????

Demi's 1 Month Birthday

2010-03-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

And the first day of Spring! Needless to say Daley enjoyed our Birthday visit to the playground more than Demi did, but it was fun to get out of the house since it was such a beautiful day. Daddy was able to spend the day with us too which is rare since we began our bonus room project. He has spent a lot of time up there and I am sure it will be great we he is finished and we are definitely appreciative of all his hard work, but we miss him too!

So far Demi is a little more alert and is having a little more awake time throughout the day. She is not near as noisy as she was her first week in our lives. I guess she has calmed down and gotten more used to her surroundings. She also has been smiling a little bit. :) Happy 1 month in our lives Demi! We all three love her so much!

Love,

Lindsey

Bath Time!

2010-03-10T10:29:00.001-06:00

The pics are limited because my camera is full and I haven't gone to get the pictures printed out yet, so I can not delete them! :( We gave Demi her first bath! Her belly button has not fallen off yet so we can not submerge her, but that is probably a good thing because she didn't like it much anyway! See, she is extraordinarily loud when she cries for such a small person and this event was no exception.

This bath was actually a week or so ago, but her belly button has still not fallen off! I am ready for it to go since she is now 16 days old. We will post first REAL BATH pics as soon as it does. :)

It looks like she knew what was coming. :(

Poor Clean Demi!

Demi is here!

2010-03-02T09:38:00.000-06:00

We are so excited to announce the arrival of our sweet baby girl Demi. She was born February 22, 2010 at 12:22 p.m. weighing 8lbs. 11oz. and measuring 21 and 1/2 inches long. We were very shocked at her size as Daley was the same length just at 7lbs 6 oz! I hope this does not speak to the increase in size in possible future children or we may have to reconsider!!!!

Demi is a joy thus far! She is a little on the noisy side, but we are all adjusting. Big Sister Daley is so proud. She calls her Demster! Cute!!! Zach called on the way home from picking Daley up from school yesterday and she ways yelling in the back ground "Don't worry Demster, we are almost there!" Daley is a handful on most days, but she has really put on her "Big Sister Pants" and been a great help. She likes to sleep in the room with us now has been the only issue. She does not seem to mind that the screaming baby keeps her up when she sleeps in there either. I tell her when she wakes up that she doesn't have to stay. She can go to her bed and not listen to the baby and she says no...she wants to sleep near her sister! Melts my heart!

I have posted some of my favorite pics below. Thank you to all our friends and family who have helped us out either with physically being here, sending gifts, bringing food, or simply offering kind words and words of encouragement. We appreciate all of you!

Love,

Lindsey

Showered With Gifts!

2010-03-01T13:24:00.000-06:00

January 31st my dearest oldest friends threw Laura, Jamie and myself a joint baby shower to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our second children. Laura has a girl and is expecting a boy, I am expecting my second daughter and Jamie is expecting her second son. We are all so excited and it is a wonderful excuse to get together with those that are closest to us.

Laura, Jamie and Me

All the preggos: Meredith, Lisa, Laura, Jamie and me!

Me opening some of Demi's sweet gifts!

Snow February 2010

2010-03-01T12:23:00.000-06:00

So.....doing a little catch up blogging today!!!! Wanted to post Daley's snow pics, even though it was a couple of weeks ago. She was really excited to be picked up from school early to come home and build a snowman with her Dad! She named him Frosty (original I know) :)

Daley and Daddy building their snowman

Frosty is finished

Daddy was really proud of his snowman

Daley eating some snow

Daley's playground covered in snow

January

2010-02-14T07:39:00.001-06:00

Still a little slow at blogging even after my "computer not being hooked up" excuse is gone! So....I'll use my "9 months pregnant excuse" and then next month I'll use my "brand new baby" excuse and then maybe I'll have run out and I'll get better at this.

I the month of January we celebrated my Mom's and Zach's Birthdays. Their birthdays are within the same week, so it is always a busy one! Friday night me, My Aunt Cathy and my Mom went to Carrabba's. My Mom's favorite dish is there and it is called something that sounds like Picchi Pacchu, but I am sure that is not spelled right :) Then we headed off to Sips N Strokes to paint a "Woman on the Beach" which I must say was one of the more difficult Sips N Strokes classes I have been to yet and I have been to quite a few. This has been the case with my mom the past two times we have been though. She always picks the tough ones!

Then, for Zach's Birthday we went to Kinomi, the Japanese Steak House in Trussville on Thursday. Then his parents came in town Friday and took us to the Melting Pot. This was a first time for his parents and I think they really liked it. Of course the cheese and the dessert are the best part, but it was so yummy! Overall I think Zach had a really great birthday, at least I sure hope so since it will be his last in his 20's!!!! :)

The month of January was a busy one for us and the month of February looks like it will be even more busy!!! We are getting so excited abut the upcoming arrival of Demi Sophia!!!

Love,

Lindsey

Since we last spoke.....

2010-01-20T20:32:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-04T08:19:00.000-06:00

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!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-29T22:52:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-15T15:14:00.000-06:00

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

2009-10-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

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

2009-10-14T22:05:00.001-05:00

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

2009-10-13T15:05:00.000-05:00

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!

Race for the Cure

2009-10-12T15:11:00.001-05:00

This Saturday was the Race for the Cure to help find a cure for Breast Cancer. I walked with Melissa Ashdown for the benefit of her mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer less than five years ago. There was a wonderful turnout at the race in spite of the weather. A lot of people are dedicated to this cause and we had a great time celebrating with the survivors.

They dyed the fountain pink in Linn Park! How cool is that?

Daley pre-race all decked out in her pink!

Daley and I before the race

We got there pretty early before the race started so we could see the survivor parade. They all stood by a sign to celebrate how many years they had been fighting this terrible disease. We couldn't get close enough to get a picture of Melissa's mom, but she was in the 5 years and less group.

Melissa Daley and I after the race. Daley was such a trooper!

Girls Night Out at Sips and Strokes

2009-10-10T06:27:00.000-05:00

Once a month I have a "get together" with some of my dearest and oldest friends. We all graduated from high school together and some of us have even been friends since 1st grade! This is a great group of girls! All very spiritual and I am so lucky to have them in my life! Here are a few pics of us at our last Girls Night Out at Sips and Strokes.

This fist picture is a picture of all the preggers! 4 of us! Lisa and Meredith our both having their third child, they both already have two boys. Laura and I are both having our second and we both already have one girl. Kind of ironic!

Girls in Action

LEFT (Me, Laura and Jen) RIGHT (Kim, Nichole, Lisa and Meredith)

Our finished product!!!! Aren't we the artists?!?!?

We went to the fair!

2009-10-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday I forced Zach to go to the fair! He really did not want to go. His major complaint was how much money we would spend. I assured him he was wrong, it was only $16 total to get in because Daley was free, she wouldn't be able to ride many rides so we wouldn't have to pay for many tickets. Boy was I WRONG! We could have taken a small vacation for the amount of money we spent at the fair! It was really fun though! Zach is a little peeved that he got ripped off by some fat guy at the balloon popping game, but Daley loved it and she got 2 of her 4 stuffed animals there. I was a little tired to begin with since we also had the Greek Festival this weekend but I still had a great time, and most importantly so did Daley. And Zach will agree, he talks about the Fair as if it were designed by criminals who take you for everything you have, but then he adds....but at least Daley had a great time!

Daley came home with 4 stuffed toys...2 sharks, Tigger and Dora.

First we went to the petting zoo and Daley fed some of the animals.

After the petting zoo we took her to the fishing booth where she won the first shark and she loved it!

She rode the Ferris Wheel with Zach and I, some spinny ride that Zach took her on (I never would have made it).

She also rode the boats and she went into a fun house that she got stuck in and Zach had to crawl in and get her out. They had a monkey named Gilligan there and you could get your picture made with him for $5, but Daley would not have anything to do with him! Overall our 2 hour trip to the Fair turned out to be an expensive success! Hope you enjoy the pics!

-Lindsey

Can You Smell It????

2009-08-30T14:09:00.000-05:00

That smell you are trying so hard to find ladies and gentlemen is the smell of Auburn Football! Whether you are at home or at the game you smell the wonderful fall weather, the hot dogs, the hamburgers and sometimes the alcohol if you are lucky and not pregnant:) This time of year means everything in my household. It makes riding around in the car year round listening to Auburn Band music for Daley all worth it as she now knows all the songs. It marks the last Friday and Saturday (August 28 & 29) that you will catch an Alsobrook in a non orange shade of clothing. It also means waking up to the glorious sound of Eye of the Tiger, which we have now set our alarm to play to wake us up in the morning. It also marks the last weekend we will be in Birmingham for a month as the first four home games will be in the Loveliest Village on the Plains. This will be one of Daley's games she gets to go to this year and she is prepped and ready to go. We have been brushing up on the fight song and I feel sure she can pull the Tigers through to a victory against Louisiana Tech. all on her own. I suppose I will be taking a brief hiatus from blogging as well as we will be in God's Country for the next few weekends, but I wish you all the best and may all you teams WIN this football season (especially if you're an Auburn Tiger). God Bless and War Eagle!

Cruisin' to Mexico

2009-08-29T10:04:00.000-05:00

I am sad that I can't post every single picture to document this cruise because we had such a FABULOUS time! My Mom and Robert were generous as always and invited my family and my brother and his wife on a cruise for summer vacation. Unfortunately my brother and his wife could not go as she is too far along in her pregnancy to travel.

On our cruise we stopped in two places, the Yucatan and Cozumel. We left for Mexico out of Mobile aboard the Holiday. I think they are about to retire this ship as it has been around for a really long time and I am really glad that we got the opportunity to go on it before they did that because it is a really neat ship! They had a really awesome section for kids with netting all around the side rails of the boat, so it was really easy to play there since we were worry free. It had a Fisher Price like slide section and a baby pool and we could lay out there ALL DAY. There also wasn't as many people there and it wasn't as wild as it was at the other pools.

Aboard the ship they had a buffet style type breakfast and lunch and then of course the sit down dinner at night. I REALLY think we had the most entertaining waiter on the boat. I know this because they perform for you every night in song and dance and of course you know Zach had to bust out his moves for the dining room as well. I had unfortunately left my camera in the room that night so there are no pics to document this special event. :)

Our First stop was the Yucatan and we barely got off the boat to shop. There were a lot of excursions to go visit the ruins, but I really could not see Daley hiking 2 miles plus to see pyramid ruins. I didn't think she would appreciate it. There was a beach excursion that I thought would be alright, but I was out voted by the other members of the trip. "We" decided we should save our money for Cozumel and we could do a larger excursion there. Then, what did we end up doing in Cozumel???? Shopping! And who came out on top??? ME!!!!!! I got a really awesome watch in Cozumel at a really great price. My watch that I've had for a few years now has broken twice and the cost to fix it just wasn't worth it. I was supposed to get one for Christmas, but Christmas came early for me this year! When we were in Cozumel we also stopped along the way and ate at a "real Mexican restaurant"! Of course I was in heaven as Mexican food is my most favorite of all.

Overall we had such a good time and I hope we get to go on a cruise again in the future. They are so nice! You get towels folded into little animals every night in your bed. They take pictures of you everywhere, so you never have to worry about getting everyone in the picture. There are casino games and shows to watch at night and miniature golf and a huge pool slide to play on during the day. They are just the best and you are so well taken care of. I would recommend it to anyone! Hope you enjoy the pics!

Alsobrook July Beach Trip

2009-08-26T13:34:00.000-05:00

We went down to Destin with Zach's family last month and I am just now blogging about it :( We had a great time though! There was a small hiccup the first day we got there and we were unpacking our stuff. Daley decided she would hang on the small dresser with a BIG TV on it, and she pulled it on top of herself. Luckily the TV went over her head and landed on the bed, or we probably would have made one of our trips to the emergency room again! After this incident our beach trip began. We had a great time on the beach, not so much a good time in the water since Daley will not go within 100 ft of it :) But, she was really content just playing in the sand despite our many efforts to try to get her to at least put her foot in. We had great dinners every night. We also went to the Trak and she rode the swings, the train, the tea cups and the bumper boats (with Dad). Overall we had a blast and we love going to the beach each year with Zach's fam!

Most importantly we got to meet Uncle Pearson's girlfriend Lauren who we fell in love with from the very beginning. They met each other in East Asia with their similar interests, and she is also from the U.S. (North Carolina actually so not too far!) Hopefully she will be vi sting more and more and maybe we can even go visit her since I have never been to North Carolina before :)

Love, Lindsey

Big Sister to Be

2009-08-22T19:12:00.000-05:00

I realize that my blogging skills are NOTHING AT ALL to speak of. I formerly tried to update my blog every other week, but it has gotten to be more like once a month which is totally unacceptable for our family members that follow and can't get on Facebook.

I have not even been prompt in letting the world know that we are EXPECTING! I am now 13 weeks, which in the picture the baby is 9 weeks. The baby is the blob in the middle of the picture between the two plus signs. It looks a little like a rodent, but we love him/her anyway :) I am so excited to be pregnant (or actually just to have another little blessing, being pregnant is actually not all it is cracked up to be). We have been so blessed with Daley and I know we will be even more blessed with two! Please keep our family in your prayers for the next 27 weeks!

Love,

Lindsey

Zach's 10 Year H.S. Reunion

2009-07-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

I so enjoyed Zach's high school reunion! I know he did too. I got to meet a lot of people that he graduated with that I had never met before and got to see some his friends that I have met that we hadn't seen in such a long time.

We started the weekend off with a family picnic. The attendance was not up, but they all had a long night the night before and it was like 95+ degrees. Nevertheless I got a cute pic of Daley chowing on a watermelon.

The night of the reunion a couple of us rode over to the county club together and I have to say the highlight of the night was the band. They were a little hip hop to say the least and no party is a party with out Zach sporting some of his best Dance moves. I also loved the bulldog cake! The Bulldog is their mascot. (Insert Barking Here)

Zach had a really great time, and we had a very interesting ride home since I was the only one not originally from Opelika, but was doing all the driving. The passengers were not in the best condition to direct me on how to take everyone home (namely Zach) and it was a little chaotic!

A good time was had by all, and I inserted pics below as usual!

Love,

Lindsey

Independence Day

2009-07-16T19:28:00.000-05:00

We had the best 4th of July we could possible ask for this year! Uncle Pears-Pears (Pearson) came home from East Asia! We have missed him so much this past year and we are so happy he is back. What a better way to celebrate America's Birthday than to return to America.

Zach's parents were so thoughtful and kept Daley Friday the 3rd while her day care was closed so he could study for the BAR exam. We met them at the lake on Saturday the 4th and had beautiful weather. See pics below!

-Lindsey

Daley and Uncle Pears-Pears

Daddy, Mommy, Big Bad, Daley and Uncle Pears-Pears

June Because I Am Not the Best Blogger

2009-06-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

So I haven't posted in a while...... I could use the excuse that we have been too busy, but since I started this blog I have learned that everyone is too busy to be blogging. It is tough to keep everyone updated on your life! Especially when you know everyone else is having a great summer with lots of vacations and is probably not reading your blog! :) It's just been such great weather since the flood in May!

In June we had several events. Zach's mom celebrated her birthday June 8th (we won't mention which birthday :) We went to D.C./VA the weekend after that to witness two of our dear friends tie the knot and had THE MOST FABULOUS time ever. And, Zach and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary with the satellite technician on June 24th (there's no story there, that's what we did on our anniversary)

Since we didn't actually get to celebrate Zach's mom's birthday with her in Opelika on her actual birthday, and spending our anniversary with the satellite technician wasn't really fitting for a photograph, I have attached a few pictures below of the wedding at a beautiful vineyard in VA and pics of Zach's family and I in D.C. We really did have the best time at Jonathan and Crisina's wedding. There are so many stories to tell and so many that should not be told! I also had never been to D.C. before and really enjoyed our short time there. I think we definitely hit the high points in the day that we had!

Love,

Lindsey

The Graffeos and the Alsobrooks

The Boys

Keith Jackson, Zach, Jonathan Graffeo, Matt Eady, Harrison Peer, Brandon Graffeo and Kent Hodges

What would a blog be if you didn't get to post a picture of your husband in which it appears he peed in his pants? Rest easy folks, he just drank to much and spilled his drink all over himself! (Wait is that better than peeing in your pants?)

Zach and I at the WWII Memorial

Zach and I with his parents at the White House

Pomp and Circumstance

2009-05-17T11:23:00.000-05:00

Three years have gone by so quickly and I am so proud of my husband and father of my child! I know that it has not been easy on him to focus with Daley and I constantly requiring his full attention. He has been so disciplined and even with the birth of sweet Daley one day after his Spring 2007 finals! There are not too many people who can pull of what he has with all the stresses a family provides and we are so proud an excited for him!!! We love you Zach!

-Lindsey and Daley

Too Fast Too Furious

2009-05-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, for those of you that have been around me the past couple weeks, this is ALL I have talked about. I signed Daley up for her first race. The Turtle Trot at the Birmingham Zoo's race for the Orangutans. We have really been training. :) Daley is absolutely obsessed with being fast so I thought this would be a really cool opportunity for her. My biggest fear was that she would panic and not run at all, but it turned out really great!She finished 2nd amongst the females 2 years old and under! We also got some arm bands and were able to walk around the Zoo for the remainder of the day. Too bad the bottom fell out and it started raining at about 10:00, so our visit was cut a little short. Enjoy the pics and maybe this is a sign and Daley will be our next American Track Star!

-Lindsey

Zach was so pleased to be up at 6:00 am on a Saturday!

Daley getting crunk for the race!

Look at that girl! She is like lightning!

#2 BABY!

Daley's 2nd Birthday

2009-05-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Daley's 2nd Birthday last Saturday. I am a little late in posting because we actually video taped the party while my mom and Zach's mom took pictures. I had to wait for them to get some developed so that I could post!

We had the party at the park in Trussville and it turned out great! We were so worried about the rain, since you have probably realized, it has been raining for 40 days and 40 nights! We were so pleased with everything though, and Daley had such a good time with her friends! Thank you all so much for being so good to my sweet girl!

-Lindsey

Christ Has Risen!

2009-04-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

We are so fortunate that unlike most people we get to celebrate Christ having risen twice each year. Every so often Orthodox Easter, and as we call it "Methodist" Easter, fall on the same weekend but for the most part the Easter Bunny is pretty common in our house throughout the month of April. I have come to the realization that this is going to be very complicated to explain to someone as young as Daley. :)

We went to Opelika this past weekend to celebrate our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Zach's parents have such a wonderful church (First United Methodist of Opelika) and they are so fortunate to have such a wonderful preacher as Dr. Tim Thompson. I love that we get to be a part of this church every time we go and visit! He has such a profound way of bringing home the teachings of our Father. After church we had a great Easter lunch at Zach's parents house in which Daley's Great Grandmother Gina was able to attend. She has not been feeling well as of lately and is adjusting to being at home from the hospital so we were very lucky that she was able to make it. Daley has 3 great grandparents right now in her life and we thank the Lord above for allowing her to spend as much time with them as possible.

We got some great pictures of Daley and her Easter Basket and a Family picture of us in front of Zach's parents house. We also got a picture of Daley and Gina enjoying Mimi's excellent Easter lunch!

Love you all and Happy Easter! <><

Good Friday and Barber Motor Sports

2009-04-11T09:04:00.001-05:00

This Friday was of course Good Friday, but also Sam Gardner's Birthday. We went to an awesome Easter Egg Hunt at my great friend Lisa Sonwden's (husband Kip, sons Sam and Luke). After the Easter Egg Hunt we then made the trip to the Barber Motor Sports Museum for Sam's Birthday. It was a wonderful start to a wonderful Easter weekend!

Easter Bunny

2009-04-10T15:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday we went to see the Easter Bunny after Church. There is really not much to say that the picture below misses, except for I am sick of being in these things. It was awful. I really can't wait until this stage is over! I want cute pics! Not pics of me looking 400lbs because I am being pulled every which way!

We talked it up the whole way to the mall, "Daley are you sooo excited we are going to see the Easter Bunny?" we would ask. She said "YEAH!" "You're not going to cry?", we would ask . She would say "NO!" When I show her this picture I ask her "Daley, what re you doing in this picture?" She says "eating a sucker!" At least she find the good in things! :)

-Lindsey

Les Miserables and Playhouse Disney

2009-03-31T21:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the BEST! Saturday we went down to Opelika to visit Zach's family and to see Peyton (Zach's little bro) in Les Miserables. He played the part of Thénardier (sp?) in the musical and it was absolutely wonderful. Zach's cousin Revel is the director and he has the most amazing ability to bring out talent in these teenagers. They really are phenomenal! I don't have any pictures to document this event because apparently my camera got turned on in my purse and it lost all of its battery, but he is on Facebook and you should check them out! In spite of Peyton's wonderful music abilities, Daley was not amused. He had this big ugly chin stuck to his face with warts on the end of it and she was terrified of him!

Sunday when we returned we went to Playhouse Disney with Nichole and Bella! It was entertaining enough for me and the girls had the best time ever! Bella is so energetic! She was climbing the chairs wanting to get on the stage with the Disney characters. Cast was as follows; Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Handy Manny, Tools, Darby, Pooh, Tigger and Little Einsteins. I would love to say she had a favorite, but she really was intrigued by them all. Her face was bug-eyed and straight the entire show, she never moved an inch (see pics below).

Love, Lindsey

Spring has Sprung!

2009-03-21T16:13:00.000-05:00

I am so happy it is Spring! I am loving every minute of this weather. Today we went to a carnival at the First Baptist Church in Trussville with Dana and Aidan. I was so shocked when I got their because I thought this would be a little bitty carnival with just a few kiddie rides! WHAT EV! It was HUGE! I really don't know why I expected any less. If you have ever seen the size of the First Baptist Church in Trussville you should know that small is not in their vocabulary. We had the greatest time ever! It really was more like a State Fair! Daley was a bit shy when we first got there, but it didn't take long for her to come out of her shell. Her favorite ride was definitely the motorcycles. If you will see the pic of the Gigantic Wheel below, you will probably give me the "Worst Mother Ever" award because I actually took her on that ride. All it said on the sign was that if you were less than 42" you had to ride with an adult, and I saw the ride in motion briefly and was like...this might be fun. WRONG! It goes so fast! The little carts that we are suspended from whip around in circles! I felt like I was going to throw up I was so scared that Daley would go flying out and we were like 5 stories in the air! Daley was laughing her face off the whole time, and when we got off she said "again mommy" I just had to simply say "never again in our lives!" Hope you enjoy the pics!

-Lindsey

Look Alike Meter

2009-03-15T15:15:00.001-05:00

I found a "Look Alike Meter" online thanks to my good friend Brooke Vakakes. I was always wondering who Daley looked more like, Zach or myself. I am thinking though, that no matter what, it only varies by a few percent. Hers said her baby looked more like her husband by 6% and mine says that Daley looks more like me by 3%. Whatever, I thought it would be cool!

-Lindsey

Alsobrook Look-alike Meter

2009-03-15T15:12:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Snow 2009

2009-03-02T20:44:00.000-06:00

I know it snowed just a smidgen last year, but this was the first year Daley was allowed to go outside an stand in the snow. In the morning when we first went out she was not so pleased! She did not like it actually snowing on her, in fact she spent most of her time outside standing in the garage. When we brought her in I made her some hot chocolate (you know, because that's what you drink when it is snowing) and she hated that too! We took her outside again after a couple hours, when the snow had stopped falling but was still on the ground, and she liked that much better. Her sweet Dad made her a snowman. (see pics below) It took him a really long time to make such a little snowman! But you know me, I was out there the whole time sharing all of my suggestions on how to make the best snowman! I am sure that made it so much easier. :) We really enjoyed the snow, but hopefully winter is over now and it will be warm soon! I am much more of a beach person I think!

-Lindsey

Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T19:39:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful that we have Daley in our life! She makes every holiday so much more fun. Holidays I guess get kind of blah as you get older, and I think that a child brings so much youth back into it that it livens them up again! Daley got her first "b-ball" goal for Valentine's Day this year. If you knew how much she likes basketball you would crack up! She asks to watch it on television and she really has enjoyed going to the few Auburn Basketball games we have taken her to this season. She came in out of the car the other day and Zach had been listening to the game on the radio. When she walked in the door she yelled "B-BALL" and turned on the radio. It just so happened that the last time the radio was turned on it was because Zach was listening to a game so it was on the right channel and everything! It was so hilarious! IT really looked like she intentionally turned it on, which I guess she kind of did!!! I hope every one's Valentine's Day was special this year! Talk to you soon.

-Lindsey

Tag I'm It!

2009-02-05T18:15:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by Perri Speigner and I was given these rules....

A. First list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
B. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

1. I just did a "25 Random Things"about myself on Facebook so sorry if it is kind of repetitive. I can possibly list 10 more interesting facts about myself!

2.I wear Orange every Friday because I love Auburn and all Auburn Sports. My obsession is team spirit. I really am not more of a football or basketball fan etc. I miss living in Auburn, AL. It is my second choice of places to live other than here in Birmingham.

3. I have a sweet baby girl Daley Rae Alsobrook. I hope that if God blesses me with more children that they are all just like Daley because I think she is cute and absolutely hilarious and perfect. She is 21 months old. She is named after her Uncle Pearson Daley Alsobrook. My middle name was also Rae (like my daughter) before I was married, now it is Bolen I also have 2 dogs a Black Lab and a Golden Retriever Shug and Jordan (male and female respectively) I support my family while my husband is in law school, he graduates this May and I am so proud of him!!! It has been a long and penny pinching journey :) I am very scared of the thought of being a stay at home mom, but am sometimes very envious of the time lost with my daughter!

4. I am sooo not the disciplinarian if our family, even though my husband and I discussed this while I was pregnant and it was believed that I would have been. I really have a hard time not laughing and getting angry when she does something deceitful! As long as it doesn't cause a mess that I have to clean up. Then I have no problem being angry.

5. I LOVE to run and am trying to get back into it. I used to be up to 8 miles at a time which I was pretty proud of.

6. Most of my best friends are people I went to high school with, with a few exceptions :) 2 of my very best friends are my Mother and my Mother in Law. I think every friend I have is special for a different reason and I would love to send them a postcard and tell them what that is. I can only hope they feel the same about me.

7. Unless I am so busy that I am exhausted and should not have made so many plans, I am not happy.

8. I have witnessed so many miracles in my life that there is no other explanation than Jesus and he is my Lord and Savior! I love my church and Zach and I have made some really great friends there since we got married and starting going there as a couple. Not many of our church friends had children when we started, but they are definitely all drinking out of the same Communion Cup because now it seems they are all either parents or about to be. I can't wait to see our children grow up together!

9. I am a TERRIBLE driver! (one of those miracles listed above is that I am still here)

10. My favorite food is Mexican and I overindulge almost every time I eat sweets or drink wine. I love to do both!!!

Now, TAG YOU'RE IT...
Mary Velotas
Brooke Vakakes
Helena Vakakes
Nichole Bush
Laura Brantley
Kim Miller
Evan Wright
(I really think these are the only seven people I know with blogs! :))

Dad's Birthday

2009-01-25T18:43:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Zach's Birthday this week. He is 28 years old!!!!! We went to visit Zach's parents at the beginning of the week and got to go the the Auburn vs. Alabama basketball game with Uncle Peyton. WAR EAGLE by the way!!!! We did not dare try to take Daley down to see Aubie this time. We did offer by asking her if she wanted to go see him up close and she replied with a prompt NO! She really likes him from afar, but no so much close up. When we got back in town we went to Konomi. It is a Japanese steak house and Sushi bar here in Trussville that Zach picked out. It was really great! They came out with drums and sang Happy Birthday and everyone was clapping. They took his picture with his fruit they brought him and gave him a hand painted pair of his own personal chopsticks. We also had some friends over Saturday night and we celebrated a little bit more. I think Sam had more fun than anyone else as he was attempting to shave with the blue icing from the cupcakes (see below). Overall I think Zach had an awesome Birthday Week!

-Lindsey

Christmas in Dixie

2009-01-19T13:11:00.000-06:00

I am a little late on blogging, as usual, but Christmas is finally posted nonetheless. We really had the best Christmas this year. I get a little frustrated around Christmas time (Zach will attest) as we are traveling all of the state of Alabama the week of, and this year we went to Nashville too! After it is all over though I always feel silly about getting so stressed out because we are so blessed to have such great Family and Friends.

We got to talk to "Uncle Pearson" via Skype on Christmas Day which was a really neato experience. (See pic below) We really missed him this Christmas and it was so great to see his face.

We also went to Nashville the day after Christmas for Daley to meet Andrew, Max and Jack. Those of you that attended our wedding, they were our sweet ring bearers. They live in Texas though, so Daley had not gotten to meet them yet. It was a really fun time. Mostly for her. I think the boys were a little irritated with her constantly getting in to their stuff.

Over all Christmas was really wonderful and I am glad the good Lord blessed us with his only son, everyone we were able to share it with and sweet Daley Rae!!!!

Talk to you all soon!

Santa X's 2

2008-12-15T18:43:00.000-06:00

So we went to see Santa AGAIN! We had already been once with Zach's family Thanksgiving weekend and it was an absolute disaster. It was so bad the poor girls could not even take a "bad picture," because she wouldn't stay in is lap for any amount of time (not even a second) for them to snap it. This time was no better as you can see. Me and my mother woke up and got her to the mall as soon as it opened so we wouldn't have to stand in line AGAIN. I ended up having to squeeze the holy heck out of her so she could not get down so we could get a "bad picture" just to say we got one. Don't I look festive in my black sweater and blue jeans though? :)

Love,

Lindsey

Thanksgiving Fun

2008-12-11T20:27:00.000-06:00

Okay, I am getting a little worse with this blog thing, but I promise it is just the holidays! We are so busy trying to find all of the present s we have to get! I do this every year though. I take off work a few days before Christmas so that I have time to get this stuff done, but I just can't seem to allow myself to procrastinate that long. I feel like there won't be any presents left in the stores the few days before Christmas.

Anyway, I was writing to say we had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and I hope everyone else did as well! We spent time with both sides of my family this year, which usually we have to divide it up every other year, so that was really nice. Thanks to my wonderful cousin Kelsey who took some wonderful pics of Daley and Zach and I playing in the yard ,and we ended up using one of them for our Christmas card!!

Love,

Lindsey

Sips and Strokes GOC Style!!!!

2008-11-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

The YAL (Young Adult League) from my Church went to Sips and Strokes on Monday and OH MY GOSH I had so much fun! It started off kind of rough for me because I went to the one in Vestavia and we were actually scheduled to paint at the one on 280. I was super worried that every ones' painting was going to be 15 minutes better than mine, because that's how late I ended up being, but it turned out REALLY well. We reserved a spot for 12 people and 6 only ended up showing, but I am pretty sure that they have given us all the opportunity to come back based upon the fact that poor sweet Brittany still had to pay for the other 6 that didn't get reserved.

If you have not been yet IT IS A MUST!!!!

What have the Alsobrooks been up to lately?

2008-11-20T20:15:00.000-06:00

I have not blogged in a couple of weeks, I know. We have been so super busy, but we have stuff to document for sure! Daley went to her first Auburn Basketball game for the year. She had been to one last year, but she was not quite as into it as she was this year. She also went to 2 Auburn Football games this year, but as you can imagine we were a BIT preoccupied to take pictures. I think her Mimi got a couple of the first game this year. She definitely likes the basketball games better. I think it is just because we are closer to the actual game and she can kind of focus on what is going on.

I took her down on the court, but as you can see she and Aubie didn't hit it off to well. It is at the least how every child's first Aubie picture should be.....

Halloween 2008 Pics

2008-11-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun this Halloween. We just went to a few houses on our street and the rest of the time the kids just rode in the wagon, but Daley had such a good time. Afterwards the big kids went to have a costume party of their own!!!

2008-10-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

Boo at the Zoo

2008-10-30T22:08:00.000-05:00

We went to Boo at the Zoo this past weekend with Micah and Sam and we had such a good time. It really makes me laugh sometimes how much you have to pay for this stuff. $7 to get in the Zoo and then you are forced to buy and $10 arm band to do ANYTHING inside. Luckily Daley is under 2yrs. old so she was free, but can you imagine if she weren't I would've had to be $34? Just think if Zach would've wanted to go too $51. To go to the Zoo!!!

Aside from the cost, I really LOVE for her to get to do this kind of stuff. Especially for the first time. They had the Carousel running in reverse, the Haunted Train Ride and The Haunted Hay Ride. She is too small to be scared, but she was so observant!!! I really enjoy watching her have a good time and experience Holidays and things she's never seen before. There are pics to follow!!!

2008-10-13T18:54:00.000-05:00

The Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-13T18:46:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch. This is our second year to go since Daley was born. We went with Micah (my friend) and Sam (2, her son) last year, so we made it an annual tradition and went again this year with the addition of her new little one Eli (5mos).

It is so weird to think that Daley is about to experience all of her holidays for the second time. She still seems so young to us! She really had such a good time this year though. Last year she was just too small to enjoy anything, but this year......she picked out her own pumpkin and fed the animals at the petting zoo. She even got in the pin with the pot belly pig! She thought it was a dog! She kept saying, "WOOF WOOF"! I have attached pics of her and Sam Gardner enjoying their day.

And, bless Sam's sweet soul because on the car ride home Daley was a force to be reckoned with. We extended our trip slightly passed her nap time and she screamed from Montevallo until Irondale. Her face was purple!!! Sam said she was scary!!!! We got home and she napped and she's doing much better now. When we got out of the car to drop the Gardners off Sam said "bye Daley, I hope you feel better"! He is such a sweetheart!

-Lindsey

Daley at Gymboree for Maddie's 3rd Birthday

2008-10-05T20:54:00.001-05:00

Zach's Softball Pics

2008-10-05T16:25:00.000-05:00

Here are the pics of Zach playing softball. They are a little blurry, I know. No one told me not to use the flash if there's ball park lights! :)

It's Fall Ball Season

2008-10-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

And I am NOT referring to football! Zach and I have both signed up to play softball AGAIN this season. I play on a co-ed team with the bank and he plays on an all men's team with our church. This will be our 3rd season. He is loving it and I am HATING it! I thought I would be good at this and it would be so much fun since I used to play. WRONG! In 3 seasons our team has won 2 games and 1 was because the other team didn't show up. Out of like 24 games or more we have won 2 (1 really). I want to quit! I vow to never sign up for this again. I said this last season, but this time I am soooo serious!

This is what our schedule looks like right now. Tell me this doesn't make you want to cry.

Mon. - Spain Park Ball Field for Zach's softball games
Tues. - Girls night with my mommies group
Wed. - Family Night Bible Study
Thurs. - Hoover East Ball Park for my softball games
Fri. - Travel for Auburn Football Game
Sat. - Attend Auburn Football Game
Sun. - Travel and Church

Do you see anytime in there for cooking dinner, washing clothes, straightening up the house, watching TV or relaxing???? Me neither!!!! I am so tired. I just had to vent my anger for putting myself in this situation.

Soon I will post pics of Zach at his last softball game. I took pictures! The camera is in need of being charged at the moment though. There will not be any photos of me playing softball on here EVER!

We Are Bloggers!

2008-09-28T15:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have a few friends that are bloggers and I have been sucked in. I feel like it's a diary as I sit here typing our lives to friends and family that will hopefully be interested! I have chosen the format of orange and blue as these colors define our lives especially in the fall. For those that do not know we are Auburn fans, be warned. There is no one in the entire history of the world that can clap as loud or boo as loud as my husband at Auburn football games. It is embarrassing on so many levels, but he is just so passionate. God love him! We also wear orange and blue to work and school on Friday's. I did not know that this was strange behavior but a few of our friends have pointed it out that it's not so normal.

Aside from the introduction but on the same subject, we of course traveled to Auburn for the Auburn vs. Tennessee game this weekend. We never miss a home game! A few of my high school friends were coming down this weekend too since it was Zac Ashdown's birthday and I was really excited to see them. It is so sad now that we don't live there anymore! I miss all of our friends being at all the games and tailgating with everyone. Anyway, I was super pumped to seek out my good friend Jamie this game as she traveled all the way from Birmingham and sat in the stands 9 months pregnant! I finally found her after a LOT of searching for her seat, which happens to be only two sections away from ours, only to find that this woman that sits behind her should be on one of those hunting shows that are so miserable because I SWEAR she has the turkey call down! This has got to be one of the loudest women ever and she is cheering on our Auburn Tigers. Bless her soul! On that note Jamie did very well at the football game. I sat with her for the entire first half and she didn't even get up to pee once. At her stage I was peeing every five seconds. She is so fortunate to be so tall!

I go back to our seat at half time only to find that the "turkey gobbler" is not so bad because my husband is booing to the very top of his lungs as he does not approve of Tony Franklin or the infamous Chris Todd. He is a Kodi fan! I feel terrible as it looks as if he is booing Chris Todd even though he tells me it's disapproval of the coaches decisions, but people turn to stare nonetheless. Thirdly, we have this Tennessee fan in front of us. She is like 6 feet tall and every time she stands up her dress is stuck in between her butt cheeks. Bless her soul too! My brother in law (have a mentioned he is the most hilarious person that ever existed) asks me to dare him to throw an ice cube at her and before I can even get the next word out of my mouth there flies the ice cube out of his hand into the back of her head. She turns around to see who threw it and there is me with my mouth WIDE open looking guilty as ever. He totally played it off though! Again, I am sort of embarrassed, but sort of relieved because I'm thinking maybe she will quit standing up and screaming and I won't have to see her dress stuck between her but cheeks.

I hope that you all enjoy reading our blog and I promise to keep it updated with as many pictures of Daley as I can upload as that is the ultimate purpose, so that family and friends can see her. I must spare you of any additional rambling for now. Daley 's Yia-Yia and Robert have taken her to see ELMO in concert and I expect her back any minute. Will upload photos later!!!

-Lindsey