Mason Arvin's Baby Shower

Yes, Baby Arvin now has a name! I had the privilege of throwing a coed shower for Mason and his parents Nicole and Chris, who are so special to Michael and me, this Saturday evening. Michael and I and Chris' parents Kevin and Susan threw the shower together at their home. This was my first opportunity to host a baby shower, and it was so much fun. I enjoyed the opportunity to be creative with the shower, and I fell head over heels in love with the shower's owl theme that goes along with their incredible nursery. I was in charge of the decorations and one food item...I did contribute a dessert by making smore pops. Susan and Chris' sister Mary were rock stars! They made so much delicious food for the shower. I don't know how they accomplished so much. The shower was a lot of fun, and I am so happy that Nicole and Chris got so many great items for Mason who will be here in less than a month!



Mom and Dad! Mason is going to be so good looking ;)



Entry decorations adorned with owls



Owl family cupcakes created by Mary



More owl cupcakes





Yummy smore pops!



Mason's Presents



I thought this was so perfect!



This was the funniest gift of the night from our friend Drew who gave Chris a gas mask for all the late night changes. Ha!!



What a difference a year makes....we took this picture of us last year when Jamie was pregnant. Now, both Lindsey (to my left) and Nicole are pregnant. Lindsey's due date was yesterday, and she is in the hospital being induced as we speak. She is having a baby girl named Aldrie. Mason will be here any time, adding another baby boy to the group.

Congratulations Nicole and Chris. I can't wait to meet Mason!

Some pictures were taken by Kristie Arvin.

SpRiNgInG Forward!

My facebook friends flooded my News Feed all day complaining about how exhausted they were and how this was the worst Monday of all Mondays! How come? Daylight Savings Time!

I can't relate because I may just love springing forward more than I love Christmas! It means I don't have to drive home in the dark, I get to read or drink a glass of wine on our deck after 5:00 pm, and I have more time to exercise outside when I get home from work. The best part is that the longer days mean warmer days, not that we've had too many cold days in Alabama this year. I personally feel refreshed today, and I couldn't be happier!

Our poor Scarlett feels quite differently. It doesn't help her that allergy season has set in and she is miserable. I thought she would grow out of her allergies, but so far they still drive her and us insane. She kept Michael up most of the night licking and scratching, and for some reason, all of the licking causes her to throw up. Michael and I don't do puke, but there has been a lot of that lately!

To make Scarlett feel worse, we took her to the vet this morning to have her teeth cleaned. To say her teeth were in bad condition is an understatement! She's been rocking shrimpy breath for a very long time, but the vet never said she needed to have them cleaned until her last visit. I knew the time would come, but I kept putting it off because I knew she would have to be put to sleep. Anesthesia makes me a nervous mommy :)! Her cleaning turned into a little more serious because 5 of her teeth were pulled. Michael and I feel like the worst parents, but our vet assured us that most small dogs have this issue. I got to pick her up around 3:30, and other than the occassional drunken walk, she has been doing lots of this.



I hope she feels better tomorrow and isn't in a lot of pain. I walked by myself tonight, and I missed her so much!

I hope you all had a wonderful Monday and weren't too affected by the loss of sleep that everyone seemed to experience by springing forwarded.

Missing Michael

I'm finally at the end of my five day hiatus from my hubby who has been in Asheville, NC since Thursday for the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament. He is on his way home now, and I couldn't be happier although I won't actually see him until the morning because he will arrive long after I go to bed. We had a fun date last Wednesday before Michael left. He took me to see Wicked, and it was so much fun! I have been wanting to see this production for years, and though we almost decided not to spend the money to see it, I'm glad we bought tickets at the last minute.





Another round of tornadoes swept through Alabama on Friday night. I was a bit nervous because everyone on the news was being super cautious. Luckily, all we experienced were thunderstorms in Birmingham although some parts of Alabama were hit pretty hard for the second time this year. Saturday was gray and cold, and I thought I would go crazy if Sunday turned out to be just as ugly.

God gave us sun on Sunday, and it was beautiful! I think it's been cold and rainy for 3 weekends in a row, so Scarlett and I took full advantage of the perfect afternoon yesterday. Right in the middle of Birmingham is a park called Moss Rock Preserve. It is one of my favorite places to go because it reminds me of the mountains in Tennessee, but it's much closer to home and Scarlett is allowed to hike too! Yesterday was especially great because the streams were full and the waterfalls were gorgeous. It's a blessing to have something this beautiful only a few minutes away. It's that time of year to take full advantage of the park before it gets too hot this summer. Here are some pictures of our fun afternoon!






Scarlett loves the water! She was in heaven!









We definitely missed Michael on our adventures this weekend, and we can't wait until he gets home!