My First Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

I turned 1 and had the best birthday ever! Puppy dogs are my favorite so Mommy decorated the house with dogs that Grandma and Granddad had saved all these years. I even got a shaggy dog cake! When people first came over I was a little nervous but as soon as I saw David and Johnson I knew everything would be okay. I opened lots of presents but mainly played with the toys that weren’t mine.


The best part of the party was when it was cake time. I didn’t understand why everyone was standing around me. As much as I love attention this was almost too much attention. I don’t eat sugary foods so this was a whole new experience for me. After Mommy got me to try the icing and I was sure it was okay to eat I dug in. It was so good I had to smear it all over my face and hair and dress. Everyone should have their very own cake on their birthday!









Mommy was a little sad that I turned 1, which is odd because being 1 is so much better than being a baby. I can run and giggle, and play patty cake and peek-a-boo, and be chased, and ride on toys, and feed myself, and say Mama and Dada, and look through books, and play ball…. Why would she want me to be a tiny baby?

Birthday parties are so much fun that I've decided I'm going to have one every year!

I also got to spend the entire weekend with MeeMaw and PawPaw. Thanks for visiting me!

She loves going fast on her princess car! We absolutely love when she laughs :)

Jury Duty

I’ve heard there are people who go their entire lives without being called to jury duty. It seems a little unfair then that at the age of 26 this is my THIRD TIME to open the mailbox and see the dreaded jury summons envelope!

The first time I was in college had just turned 18 and just registered to vote. I figured my name was chosen since I registered to vote so recently. I was able to get out of it because it was during final week. I did have to go to all my professors, get them to sign a form, have it notarized, then mail it off.

The second time I was working as a nanny and it was right after I legally changed my name to Shehane. I’ve heard when you change your name it gets you put back on top of the list of possible jurors. Don’t know if that’s true but that’s how I explained being chosen again so soon. I went, spent the day there, was chosen, filled out a 10plus page questionnaire. After, I was told it was an insurance case and could last between 6-10 weeks! That was not okay with me and apparently it wasn’t okay with the family I nannied for, because she called them and I don’t know what she said but I somehow got out of it.

This time I can’t figure out why I’ve been chosen. It says if you’re the primary care giver of a child under 6 you’re excused. Fulton county is going to hate me because for the 3rd time I won’t be fulfilling my American right and serving as a juror. Why can’t I be chosen for a one week trial or when I don’t have a nursing baby? They are the ones with bad timing! It’s really not my fault I keep getting out of it…

Maybe this will teach them that I simply am not reliable and they will stop picking me!

Old School

Ode to Broom Hockey

We were invited to participate in a rowdy game of Broom Hockey. What is Broom Hockey, you ask? We didn’t know what it was either. When Jason first learned of it his reaction was, “There’s no way you can run around on ice with tennis shoes, there must be more to it.” Oh no, you do run around on ice with tennis shoes, while carrying a stick and trying to hit a ball. Doesn’t sound like fun? Well, you’re completely wrong and don’t know what you’re talking about!

We had a blast! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard. I had Kate so I mainly watched her, but was quite entertained looking at everyone trying to get the hang of it and running into each other. The short time I did play, I’m proud to say I only fell once and that was when two people collided with me and we all fell on each other. It really didn’t hurt! The only thing that did hurt was my hands. They were freezing, even with the gloves I borrowed.

Jason played the entire time and was pretty good especially for a first timer. I love how the picture above shows people with helmets but no pads. You don’t wear helmets, though I did see an occasional fall on the back while their head kept going and hit the ice. You did wear knee pads for all the impressive knee sliding, trying to steal the ball away and score maneuvers. Jason wouldn’t have minded elbow pads for the time he slammed his elbow into the ice.

Back at the party was a pretty little dish filled with advil for everyone to take☺ (on a side note, the party was even more fun than broomball and their house was amazingly decorated. Some people are natural at throwing parties and they definitely were!) Jason was a little sore that night, a little sorer the next day, but 2 days later he could barely move, and will still complain about hurting. Even with the soreness he now claims it’s his favorite sport and can’t wait to play again! (maybe next year…)

Christmas Down South

Our next road trip was to Columbus to be with Jason's family. We got home from TN around 1:30AM, went to sleep, Jason went to work in the morning for a meeting while I unpacked and repacked, then around lunch time we drove to Columbus for Christmas number 3! If that sounds crazy you wouldn't believe how the rest of the week progressed.

Jason’s family did their Christmas party that night and the kids were loving playing together and opening gifts. Kate always has a blast playing with all the other nieces and nephews. She can't keep up but tries as hard as her little body will let her. The best is when she and Brady take a bath at night. It is so funny to watch them together, especially since she's older and not a very scrawny girl. She could crush Brady if she fell the wrong way!

The girls went shopping in the morning... this seems to be a new trend and I like it! Then we headed to Chucke Cheese for the most incredible pizza. I find little joys in being a parent; like when the greeter stamped Kate’s arm to match Jason’s and mine since she is our child or when Kate laughs going down the slide or holding Kate’s hand as she walks around the games and kids.

Kate's sad she can't ride a big wheel too

Look at her go!!! You'll also note how incredibly dirty she is. This is what happens when I leave her with Jason.

I love their blond hair! Such handsome boys

I did not plan on it being 75/80 degrees in December! Poor Kate only had sweaters and turtlenecks but was able to wear a 3T shirt, thanks to eating entire grilled cheese sandwiches. My mom likes to point out that I didn't eat an entire sandwich until I was 5!

The best part of our visits are when everyone is sitting around at night just hanging out and talking. The other best part is all the amazing food Jason's mom makes for us. Being with family is a big part of what makes Christmas so special!

For Laura

You only need to watch the first few seconds. I don't know how we missed this but later when we were watching the Christmas videos we couldn't help laughing! See you Thursday and Happy Early Birthday!

Only the Beginning...Merry Christmas

We are out of our minds and traveled all over the south in under 5 days! I was very nervous about how the traveling would affect Kattherine, but she was great as always. Here is the 1st and 2nd of our 3 Christmases.

My sister was in town for 10 days but had to fly out on the 26th due to insane plane ticket prices that almost doubled if she flew out even one day later. So, on the 23rd, our Christmas Eve, we spent the night at my parents. I made cookies while Jason wrapped a few gifts and then we opened our traditional Christmas Eve PJs. Kate also got her 1st ornament. You always hear how special a child’s first Christmas is and it’s true! I think it was even more fun for us because Katherine is 11 months old so it’s not like she’s a little baby. She may not understand Santa or the true meaning of Christmas but she does understand tearing paper, toys, and pretty sparkly trees. She loved Christmas morning and there was definitely a favorite gift from my parents. My parents brought out this big bag and inside was a huge stuffed dog. My first reaction was really? Whenever I see these enormous stuffed animals I always wonder who would ever buy them? Well, I was wrong because Kate absolutely adores her dog. She loves on him and crawls and rolls all over him. We now have to be careful around real dogs that are big because she'll try to grab its nose and crawl on top which most dogs don't respond to with fondness.

After breakfast and Kate’s nap we loaded up the van my Dad rented for the 5 hour drive to TN. Kate only slept about 45 minutes but had a blast riding next to the big window and staring at my sister. About 15 minutes after we left we had to make an unexpected stop when a not so pleasant smell filled the van. We had barely left the house when the first diaper change was needed. This made me quite apprehensive about driving the next 5 hours with her but she was fine and we only had to stop one more time to fill up the van.

My family’s Christmas centers on food and eating at all times. We probably didn’t go an entire hour without eating some Christmas treat. Of course, that’s what holidays are for :) Christmas night there’s a big party with all the TN family. They’ve done this every year and it’s a huge crowd. My Mom was 1 of 8 kids… We’re close to our extended family so it’s great we can see everyone at least once a year. Kate can get nervous in large crowds but luckily my cousin and uncle have dogs and she loved chasing after them. I’m sad I didn’t get pictures of everyone at the party.

Our only family picture since Kate's blessing!

She's so sweet!!!