Weekend

Kevin and I just got home from our weekend in South Carolina. These whirlwind trips are starting to wear on me, but still had a great time. I had intended to take our camera home with me and take pictures of the weekend to post here, but I forgot the camera, so you're just going to have to read. Enjoy.

Friday, we both got off work early and left about 4 to go to SC. We arrived at my parents house (almost exhausted) at 8:30. My mom had cooked Sloppy Joes for dinner and so we ate some when we arrived. We watched some television and talked to my mom and stepdad for a while before going to bed.

Saturday: We woke up early and ate breakfast with my mom and stepdad and then got ready and left for a lot of driving! We went to Anderson to see my grandmother. It had been a few trips since we'd seen her. We spent a couple of hours with her just talking and laughing. Kayden kicked me a couple of times and my grandmother laughed at me because I kept jumping. It was fun.
After we left my grandmother's we met my daddy for lunch. That was good too. It was nice to see him and have a great lunch too. It was also nice to have free lunch, right?
After lunch we drove 2 hours to Union to see Kevin's family and some friends. On the way to Union we stopped at Starbucks. I was so excited. My sugar was good and I was going to be able to get my favorite drink. Well, we found out when we got there that they no longer make frappaccinos in decaf because "it's not popular." Well, I had my first breakdown in almost a month. I had to leave the store and go to the car before I made a complete idiot out of myself. Well, my sweet husband told them that I am pregnant and so they made it for me special and didn't charge him. It was a good thing they didn't charge him because in making it, they forgot the sugar and the mocha. It tasted like cold coffee with milk in it. I had to put some of Kevin's drink in mine and stir it up to make it bareable. But it was still sweet that he did that for me. So, after that, we went on to Union and met his mom at a pool party. It was funny because we were around all these crazy couples who were our parents age. :) It was nice to be in the pool and just chilling for a while.
After a couple of hours at the pool party we went to a church in Union to be with some of Kevin's friends. We had dinner with them. We laughed at some stories that they told about their days in college together and told some stories about how we got together. It was fun to meet some of Kevin's friends and see him interact with them.
After we left there, we went to see Kevin's daddy and stepmom. It was nice to sit and talk with them, but it made for a really long night. We got back to my mom's at 11 and we were both exhausted. We went to bed right after we got there.

Sunday: We went to church with my parents at the church I was a member of when I lived in SC. It was nice to be there and see some familiar faces and get some hugs from some people. They are also in their new sanctuary. It was huge and beautiful. It was nice to see it.
Kevin and I didn't stay for Sunday School so we picked my nephew up from the nursery right after service so we could spend some time with him before we had to come back. He has soooo much energy and he's so incredibly funny to be 2 1/2 years old. When we got back to "G'ama Nena's" I asked him what he wanted to play and he said "I wanna play...um...doggy." This meant that he would get on the floor and crawl around and pant like a dog. He chased my mom's dog around and when she started growling at him he got mad. Then he started eating. That boy ate so much. It didn't hurt that he didn't eat breakfast before church, but I couldn't believe how much he ate. He played hard. We watched a couple of his favorite cartoons and tried to get him to lay down (to no avail). But it was fun to be around him. He is so loving and sweet.
At 1:30 we went to City Range with my college roommate (Erica) and her husband and daughter and also her mama and daddy. My mom and stepdad and my stepsister and nephew went with us as well. It was so good to see Erica and catch up with her. She lives in Texas and since college I haven't gotten to see her that often. She is awesome and I wish I could see her more.
After lunch, Kevin and I left to come back to Wake Forest. So, now we're back home and I'm exhausted (and even more after having typed all of that). :) We're now watching Army Wives which is my favorite show. And pretty soon going to bed to start the work week.

Have a great week everyone!

Children's Church

This morning Kevin and I were approached by our Children's Minister's wife to see if we would sub for her in Children's Church. Her little guy was sick and she needed to take him home (I hope he feels better soon). So, Kevin and I agreed to go down for her. It's sweet to see Kevin work with children and it was neat to see what Jordan goes through every Sunday.

So, we walked in and there were about 15-20 kids in there. They were ages from about 4-7. And let me tell you...VERY rambunctious. The boys outnumbered the girls, about 2-1. Jordan started by talking to them about the "5 Do's of Children's Church." He drew a hand on the board (this is so that later he can hold his hand up to remind them) and talked about the 5 "rules" or "Do's."
1. Look at Mr. Jordan
2. Be Quiet
3. Be Still
4. Keep Your Hands and Feet to Yourself
5. Listen

Now, let me ask you. How many of these things do you think any of the children did? The first thing I did, was walked in and sat behind one of the children who was touching another one of the boys. Kevin went in and sat with another child. I then pulled another little boy from across the room to sit beside me. His friend started yelling for him to come back over with him. They seemed to be out of control. Not bad, but not being familiar with the ways of these kids, that's what it appeared.

We sang, we took the kids to the restroom, Kevin got to play "guess what's in my head" with the kids to see which group went back to the room first. It was funny to hear the questions they would come up with and then the fact that they weren't listening to each other (or even their own questions).
child:"Does it have fur?"
Kevin: "Yes"
child: Is it a lizard?

child: Does it have stripes?
Kevin: No
child: Is it a zebra?

Even telling them that it was close to a sheep and that it has to do with Jesus got the response of "Is it John?" Needless to say, the answer was a lamb. This had to do with their lesson. Jordan talked to them about sacrifices.

Going home Kevin and I talked about this experience. It was interesting. My first response was that I don't envy Jordan doing this every week. And then we talked about how the lesson seemed to be a little mature for these little ones, but that Jordan did a good job bringing it to their level (and also taking it back to their parents). He said, "If you have questions about this subject, ask your parents. It'll be a good conversation to have with them."

All in all, it was a great time with these kids. I only wish I had pictures to share. :)

Dinner tonight

Kevin and I cooked dinner together tonight. He grilled the chicken and corn and I made the potatoes, veggies and fried green tomatoes.

This was my first attempt at making fried green tomatoes. I found out today at the veggie stand that Kevin loves fried green tomatoes. When I mentioned (half joking) that I could make some he got really excited. So, I bought some, called my mama to find out how to make them, and started at it. Here is a picture of the tomatoes for your viewing pleasure.

Don't they look yummy?

I also took a picture of my hubby finishing the grilling. Here it is also for your viewing pleasure.

I enjoy cooking for Kevin, but I also enjoy it when we cook together. :)

Moving Baby

Wednesday evening I had choir practice for a little while. I got home fairly early and brought Subway home. While we were eating we decided to watch the new movie we got from Netflix. The Pursuit of Happyness had just come in the mail that day.
After we ate we decided to lay on the couch and cuddle. I had my hand on my belly and thought I felt something moving. I had Kevin put his hand there and asked if he felt anything. He said, "what am I feeling? It feels like your stomach." Typical man response, right? When I clarified that I meant movement he sat there for a minute feeling. He then got really excited and said that he could feel her move. It was such a sweet moment. It was awesome. We've seen her on the screen several times, but the first time we felt her move was the most amazing feeling.

Registering

Yesterday afternoon we went to our monthly doctor's appointment to check on the progress of our little girl. She still has a very strong heartbeat. Yes, I'm still experiencing some nausea and the doctor says that's fine. Yea, easy for him to say, right? Everyone keeps saying, "Good, that means your baby is healthy." Again, good? Easy for them to say.

While we were waiting to go back and see the doctor, Kevin found a brochure for Babies R Us and decided that we were going to go register. We left the doctor, grab dinner at Chick-Fil-A and then went to Babies R Us.

After the brief orientation by the lady at Babies R Us, we got started. Kevin took the gun and I picked things out. Yes, I did give him choices too. The one thing that I kept saying was, "There's so much to choose from." There were so many different types of bottles, a ton of passifiers, and oh goodness the toys. We chose a car seat, a swing, bedding, a hamper for her clothes, teething rings, toys, passies, bottles, thermometers. Oh so many things. And we never got to the clothes. I will probably go back this weekend and pick out clothes and maybe some books.

We did buy our little girl her first stuffed animal. There was this beautiful and soft pink bunny that prays the "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" prayer. Kevin started to register for it. I told him that this was not the type of thing you register for. That this is the type of gift mommy and daddy buy for her ourselves. So, he let me go ahead and buy it for her now.

Our Church

Kevin and I have a wonderful church. I brag about our church all the time. So, I thought I'd blog about it for a minute.

Kevin had already been going to Open Door before I moved up here. When I would come up and visit the people I met were wonderful and always made me feel that I was welcome and even an "honorary" part of the church the weekends I would visit. There are people who I know from my college days who are members of our church. However, when I moved up here I was prepared to talk with Kevin about the need for us to find a church together and not me just go to the church because he was already there.

The thing was, the more I went to the church and heard Pastor Dwayne preaching I liked the church more and more. I got involved in the church and grew to love it more and more.

Now, Kevin and I work in the nursery some. I coordinate nursery one Sunday/Wednesday every other month. We are in an amazing care group that loves hanging out with each other and prays for each other and with each other often.

The pastor isn't afraid to teach the Word of God no matter how offensive it might be.

However, the most amazing thing about our church is this: it is the closest thing to the New Testament church I have ever seen. Since I've been at our church, we experienced a tragedy. The way our church responded was amazing. One of the couples moved out of their home to give the family a place to go. People brought food. Others sat and listened and cried and prayed with the family. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. No one stood around and said, "What can I do?" or "Let me know if you need anything." Everyone just did. Half the time I felt like I was sitting around with my mouth open in awe of what was going on. It was absolutely amazing. I'm still in awe of the church we are privileged to be a part of.

I just wanted to share with you guys the awesome place that we call "home." If you're in the area, we'd love for you to join us. If you're not, come visit. You'll be glad you did. :)

Journey to the Center of the Earth

So, last night Kevin decided that we were going to have date night and go see a movie. He cooked dinner for us and then we left for the movies.
He left the choice of movie completely up to me. So, I started looking at what was playing. There were NO chick flicks playing. So, I decided to start looking at everything that is playing. There are 4 movies that Kevin and I have both said we want to see: Kung Fu Panda, Wall*E, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, and Hancock.
Then after looking at all the movies I started thinking about which ones would be just as fun to rent and see on television. That eliminated Kung Fu Panda and Wall*E from our choices last night.
Hancock has gotten wonderful reviews, but it could be fun to see a 3D movie. You can't really watch a 3D movie at home and get the full effect. So, even though I thought it would be silly, I chose to see Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.
To my surprise, it wasn't as silly as I thought it was going to be. It is based on the idea that the sci-fi book by Jules Verne is real. There were parts of it that were obviously fake. However, there were lots of parts that kept you on the edge of your seat. Just when you forget it's a 3D movie....BANG something would pop out at you. It was definately neat to see a 3D movie and it was a fun date night.
The only part that I could've done without was the commentary by the 4 year old behind us who talked the ENTIRE movie about how "That scared me" or "Hee hee, he just said..." I kept expecting his parents to tell him to be quiet, but they just kept laughing at him. The only thing that kept me from turning around and looking at them is that I know in 4 years Kayden will probably be doing the same thing. :)
I would definately recommend this movie.

Kayden Grace Elliott

I'm sure over the next 100 years I'll be talking a lot about this little girl who is growing in my belly. However, she is especially on my heart today.
Yesterday Kevin and I along with both of our moms went into the doctor's office to hopefully catch a glimpse of who this baby we will meet in a few months is. Everyone has laughed at me along the way, but I have known in my heart that it was my little girl. We picked out 2 names (one for a boy and one for a girl) several months ago. It was the same name regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl, but the spelling was different and the middle names were different. Kevin was excited because either way his child will share his initials. :)
When we were at the doctor's office yesterday I was nervous that our baby was going to be shy and we weren't going to know. However, Kayden Grace showed herself. She looked like she was sleeping for a few minutes and then all of a sudden she waved at us. Then she started dancing. I think she knew her daddy was watching and she's practicing for all the dancing they will do together. I think about Kevin and his little girl dancing around every time I hear Steven Curtis Chapman's "Cinderella." It brings tears to my eyes everytime.
All that to say, I'm really excited about Kayden Grace coming into our lives. Continue to pray that she grows well and continues to be a healthy baby.

First Blog

OK, so I've succumbed to the peer pressure. I've created a blog on blogspot. Part of the reason I've been dragging my feet on this is because I have been thinking about what I wanted this blog to be. I have decided to blog about goings on in the Elliott household as well the updates on baby Elliott...who we now know is a baby girl named Kayden Grace. Hope you enjoy my rantings about things that I don't understand or make me mad and also my babbling about everyday life. Thanks for reading my thoughts. :)