Our Little Climber I had a surprise today. I found out Kaleigh knows how to climb stairs! She hasn't been around any until today but she was pretty good at making her way up those stairs. We were at Immanuel Baptist for a Friendship International meeting and Kaleigh needed a little break so that's when we made the discovery. Speaking of Immanuel, I really like their church. They have a neat little food bar/ coffee shop and a workout room and some really cool playrooms for the kids. They even have gymnastic equipment and have mommy & baby classes. I can't wait until our church gets our new coffee shop and one day a rec center. I will be up there all the time! So anyway, back to Kaleigh, after she discovered her climbing ability she came home & was trying to climb up on the couch. We put a little cushion down to help her. I think we may have created a monster!

Today was Lake Day at Degray with the Sunday School class. We had such a good time and the weather was gorgeous. I was so excited because I actually wakeboarded! I've gotten up once before but this time I stayed up for a few minutes. I asked Nathan later if I looked as wobbly and clumsy as I felt, but he said no, that I looked really in control. That made me feel good. Nathan was even more excited about it than I was, really. He was the one who talked me into doing it anyway. I'm just disappointed not to have any pictures of that.
We had a great time. Randy did some awesome jumps for us and I think us girls just liked hanging out in the water (other than in the swimming area where the fish were attacking us!)

Hi, this a post from Kaleigh Statton. I used to love sleeping in my daddy's arms but I hardly ever do that anymore. Only when I'm really really tired like I was in this picture. And I know I look angelic while I'm sleeping, but do not be fooled!



My teddy bear is so much fun to play with. He likes it when I give him kisses on his little black nose.








I really enjoy bathtime and wearing my washcloth on my head like this.








Also my mommy got me this new little riding toy and I like to sit on it and zoom around the room if somebody pushes me.

Being a Stay-at-home-mom (SAHM)
A recent discussion with a friend led me to evaluate the status of being a SAHM. Personally, I love staying at home with my baby girl, and it has always been my dream job. Although my position is now enviable by some moms who are working outside the home, try being a high-schooler whose only true heart's desire is to be a SAHM. It just didn't sound that great to most people to say that I hoped one day to stay at home and take care of my husband and children, but what can I say? Even now, I know a lot of people look down on my "job", but it's nice to have some appreciation for what I do.

Stay tuned for more on the ups and downs of my career. - Shelly

Sunday Night Supper Club

Wow, life sure does seem busy lately! That's fine with me though, I get plenty of time to sit around the house. We went to church on Sunday and actually went Sunday night. Afterwards was supper club at IHOP. I think the workers were a little overwhelmed by our 20+ group (& all at one table), but the waitress did a great job. Monday morning I took Kaleigh to storytime at the Bryant library. It was so much fun. At least I had fun, Kaleigh was mildly entertained. They did a really good job. There were books, puppets, songs and hand motions. It's good to be able to find some activity for a 10 month old. Monday night was bible study at Sara's house. The bible study is really wonderful and I'm learning so much. Sara made some amazing black bean salsa. I ate so much I can still taste the onions but it was worth it! My 3 fave foods with onions - 1. black bean salsa, 2. Philly steak sandwiches, 3. chicken & dumplings. That list was in honor of Jill's lists, which I really enjoy.

Okay, I'm going to try & write more from now on since pictures won't load on our slow speed internet. I'll just start from last week. On Monday Kaleigh and I went to Cabot to visit my friends Amy and Tracy and Kaleigh played with Tracy's adorable kids. We got back just in time for me to get to my bible study at Nitzia's. Then Tues. night was bunko. I almost won the loser prize but Begina beat me out on a roll-off. Wednesday, Kaleigh came down with stomach bug of some kind. It was not a good day to be a mom! I won't go into details, but let's just say there were two incidents in which Kaleigh, onesie, diaper and all were rushed into the bathtub. Fortunately, through the whole thing, Kaleigh remained perfectly happy and by Thursday and a whole bottle of pedialtye, she was all better. Kelly came down Wed night and on Thursday we went back to school shopping for her. Thursday night she babysat while Nathan and I went to eat at Kobe for a work outing. I had Sushi for the first time and even though I didn't love it, the fried shrimp roll and unagi were pretty good. We came back & watched Glory Road (good movie!). On Saturday, me and Nathan finished the guest bathroom that we have been working on for a while. We sponged the walls, painted the cabinet and put down peel & stick tiles and finally finished at 9:00 p.m. WHEW! It is a good feeling to be finished.