Have you ever wondered who reads your blog? I did about a year ago and decided to do something about it. I installed software to tell me anything I could ever want to know about each view or search of my blog. I can see the the person, their location, computer address, what was searched, what was viewed and so much more.
It has been a very comical and little scary at the same time.
Recently, there has been a creeper that likes to do some searches on my blog. It's pretty interesting to see what they are searching for and when. Apparently some people have nothing better to do than search blogs.
So just a word to the wise, make sure you know who is reading your blog or install some software.
When baby Staton arrives, we might just have to go private.
Happy Blogging!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
S'mores
Thanks to the addiction called, Pinterest, I have "pinned" a lot of recipes lately.
We ate dinner at a friends house recently and I told them I was bringing all the food. It was a great excuse to try some new recipes.
I made crockpot honey chicken, brown rice, salad and s'more cups. They were all devoured, but the s'more cups were the biggest hit!
The following week I made dinner for a couple in our Sunday school class that recently had a little girl. I pulled out a Staton house favorite- chicken enchiladas. Since I still had the "s'more" ingredients, I decided to make another "pinned" recipe.
S'more cookies were made and turned out really well! I actually didn't eat one but my personal taste tester said they were amazing.
I think the s'more cups are easier to make but both are worth a try.
Happy pinning...
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We ate dinner at a friends house recently and I told them I was bringing all the food. It was a great excuse to try some new recipes.
I made crockpot honey chicken, brown rice, salad and s'more cups. They were all devoured, but the s'more cups were the biggest hit!
The following week I made dinner for a couple in our Sunday school class that recently had a little girl. I pulled out a Staton house favorite- chicken enchiladas. Since I still had the "s'more" ingredients, I decided to make another "pinned" recipe.
S'more cookies were made and turned out really well! I actually didn't eat one but my personal taste tester said they were amazing.
I think the s'more cups are easier to make but both are worth a try.
Happy pinning...
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Telling the families
By far, our favorite part about finding out we were pregnant has been telling our families We knew we wanted to tell our families in person and tried to figure out the best time/way to tell them.
We decided to tell my family at Abby's 2nd birthday party when we went to Tuscaloosa in November. I bought 2 "big cousin" shirts off of etsy and planned to have Abby & Nate spill the beans.
We got to Em's house Friday late afternoon/evening and the Gibbs girls had already started our usual "wine time". I refused a drink and said I would get some in a little bit. While dinner was being cooked and everyone was hanging out around the kitchen, I took the kids into the playroom and put on their "big cousin" shirts. I walked them towards the kitchen and Mike was ready with the camera. It took mom a minute to understand what the shirts said but then started screaming. Em's reaction was the best...she flipped out and then started crying. Greg was in the background plugging his hears to protect himself from all the loud screams. Abby and Nate got a little freaked out at all the screams too!
I was so thankful they all finally knew because it was really hard to keep it a secret from my mom and sisters.
We waited until Thanksgiving to tell Mike's family because that's the first time we were all together. We bought a frame for his mom and had her open it when we arrived. She was absolutely shocked and thought it would be years before we started a family. She was even more excited because she is getting her first grandchildren within 4 weeks of each other. Mike's younger brother and his wife are due exactly 4 weeks before us.
We decided to tell my family at Abby's 2nd birthday party when we went to Tuscaloosa in November. I bought 2 "big cousin" shirts off of etsy and planned to have Abby & Nate spill the beans.
We got to Em's house Friday late afternoon/evening and the Gibbs girls had already started our usual "wine time". I refused a drink and said I would get some in a little bit. While dinner was being cooked and everyone was hanging out around the kitchen, I took the kids into the playroom and put on their "big cousin" shirts. I walked them towards the kitchen and Mike was ready with the camera. It took mom a minute to understand what the shirts said but then started screaming. Em's reaction was the best...she flipped out and then started crying. Greg was in the background plugging his hears to protect himself from all the loud screams. Abby and Nate got a little freaked out at all the screams too!I was so thankful they all finally knew because it was really hard to keep it a secret from my mom and sisters.
We waited until Thanksgiving to tell Mike's family because that's the first time we were all together. We bought a frame for his mom and had her open it when we arrived. She was absolutely shocked and thought it would be years before we started a family. She was even more excited because she is getting her first grandchildren within 4 weeks of each other. Mike's younger brother and his wife are due exactly 4 weeks before us.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Back story
Thanks for all the sweet comments, emails and phone calls. We are definitely excited about the little munchkin but still a little shocked.
I have gotten the same question a lot from friends...was this "planned" or was it really a complete surprise. My answer has been, BOTH!
Here's the story with not too many details since my husband would probably not be too excited. Since I'm a control freak and a major planner, Mike and I have been discussing the baby topic since we got married. We both really love our careers, traveling, being on our own schedules and our current lifestyle but wanted to start a family at some point. During our anniversary trip to Hawaii, we started to seriously talk about "our plan" and when that would happen...since we are both getting old :).
Due to our work schedules and only seeing each other once in a while, we knew this baby things would take a while. The plan was to start trying in the winter of 2012 and hope to get pregnant within a year. The doctor told me it could take 4 months for the birth control to get out of my system. So if we wanted to start trying in the winter, we decided to go off it in the fall. Well, I went off the pill and 2 weeks later I was pregnant. When I decided to take a pregnancy test, I NEVER expected it to be positive. That's why it would only make sense to take 5 at home tests, urine test at the doctor, followed by 2 separate blood tests...just to make sure. Even though all the tests were positive, I still didn't believe I was pregnant until our first ultrasound at 7 weeks. Clearly it takes me a while to adjust when things don't go according to my plan! Once I heard the heartbeat, I knew there was something alive in my belly!!! It was such a cool experience to hear the heartbeat for the first time.
I have to tell you that God really does have a sense of humor, and I probably needed the reminder that it's not MY plan. So hopefully that explains to everyone that we 100% wanted to get pregnant, just weren't planning for it to happen that soon. But I am VERY VERY thankful we didn't have any issues and I've had an uneventful 1st trimester.
I have gotten the same question a lot from friends...was this "planned" or was it really a complete surprise. My answer has been, BOTH!
Here's the story with not too many details since my husband would probably not be too excited. Since I'm a control freak and a major planner, Mike and I have been discussing the baby topic since we got married. We both really love our careers, traveling, being on our own schedules and our current lifestyle but wanted to start a family at some point. During our anniversary trip to Hawaii, we started to seriously talk about "our plan" and when that would happen...since we are both getting old :).
Due to our work schedules and only seeing each other once in a while, we knew this baby things would take a while. The plan was to start trying in the winter of 2012 and hope to get pregnant within a year. The doctor told me it could take 4 months for the birth control to get out of my system. So if we wanted to start trying in the winter, we decided to go off it in the fall. Well, I went off the pill and 2 weeks later I was pregnant. When I decided to take a pregnancy test, I NEVER expected it to be positive. That's why it would only make sense to take 5 at home tests, urine test at the doctor, followed by 2 separate blood tests...just to make sure. Even though all the tests were positive, I still didn't believe I was pregnant until our first ultrasound at 7 weeks. Clearly it takes me a while to adjust when things don't go according to my plan! Once I heard the heartbeat, I knew there was something alive in my belly!!! It was such a cool experience to hear the heartbeat for the first time.
proud papa after our 1st ultrasound
I have to tell you that God really does have a sense of humor, and I probably needed the reminder that it's not MY plan. So hopefully that explains to everyone that we 100% wanted to get pregnant, just weren't planning for it to happen that soon. But I am VERY VERY thankful we didn't have any issues and I've had an uneventful 1st trimester.
here's little tater at 12.5 weeks!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
2011 Christmas card
Our Christmas cards have finally gone out and most have been received...I should have scratched out "Merry Christmas" and replaced it with "Happy New Years"! If you didn't receive one in your mailbox, consider the one below yours (we had a little quantity issue with shutterfly).
That's right folks, Mike knocked me up (sorry dad)! Surprising I know since Mike and I are usually traveling in opposite directions! It's been hard keeping this a secret for the last 3 months but worth it to see & hear all the great reactions to the news. We are still in shock by the little surprise, but looking forward to meeting Tater in July. More fun details to come...
That's right folks, Mike knocked me up (sorry dad)! Surprising I know since Mike and I are usually traveling in opposite directions! It's been hard keeping this a secret for the last 3 months but worth it to see & hear all the great reactions to the news. We are still in shock by the little surprise, but looking forward to meeting Tater in July. More fun details to come...Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Book Review
During Christmas 2010, I opened my stocking to find the Hunger Games trilogy set from my husband. I thanked him and then thought..."why the heck did he buy me these weird books". My oldest sister had already read them and told me to stop being a brat and read them. My sisters have always been good at putting me in my place!
Over the next week, I finished all 3 books and LOVED THEM!!! When I was done, I was so sad they were over and have passed the books along to anyone that would listen to me.
A few months ago, a blog friend recommended another book. She said if I loved the Hunger Games, then I should give this new author a chance.
I introduce you to DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth.
This was a quick read and pretty good. Of course it wasn't as good as Hunger Games, but still worth a read. Divergent is the 1st in a trilogy, but the 2nd book won't come out until May. boo
If you are lame like me and enjoy reading "young adult" books, give this one a chance!
On another note, is everyone as excited as me to see The Hunger Games in March?!?!
Over the next week, I finished all 3 books and LOVED THEM!!! When I was done, I was so sad they were over and have passed the books along to anyone that would listen to me.
A few months ago, a blog friend recommended another book. She said if I loved the Hunger Games, then I should give this new author a chance.
I introduce you to DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth.
If you are lame like me and enjoy reading "young adult" books, give this one a chance!
On another note, is everyone as excited as me to see The Hunger Games in March?!?!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Charlotte time
We headed to Charlotte to make the rounds seeing a few dear friends. Wednesday we tried out Vivace for the first time and it was so good. We met one of my business partners and his wife for drinks which turned into a long and fun dinner. I met this couple when I first started working at my company in 2004 and we've been friends since.
Thursday, Kel & I spent the day together...errands, shopping, lunch and nails. That evening was our monthly (or every other month) FAMILY DINNER! We have been having these dinner for the past year and half and they always make me so happy. It was even more of a treat because my husband was in town (usually he isn't able to attend) and we had special guests...the Hines! The Chids hosted this time and did an outstanding job. Not only was the dinner and dessert delicious, they introduced everyone to a new game. I will now be begging to play this game every time I'm with friends! Can't wait until our next family dinner in February. (I was a slacker and sadly didn't breakout my camera a single time during the evening)
Friday was the big day! Lauren has been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for Kyle and I couldn't wait to celebrate. I have to brag on Lauren for a minute...she did an AMAZING job with every detail of the party. The food, custom koozies, personalized cupcakes, invitations and all the little "theme" details that were carried throughout the party. There were so many people there and it's just proof how much everyone loves Kyle & Lauren.
We had a great time, but grandma was so tired and had to sneak out early!
Here are a few pics from the fabulous party...
Thursday, Kel & I spent the day together...errands, shopping, lunch and nails. That evening was our monthly (or every other month) FAMILY DINNER! We have been having these dinner for the past year and half and they always make me so happy. It was even more of a treat because my husband was in town (usually he isn't able to attend) and we had special guests...the Hines! The Chids hosted this time and did an outstanding job. Not only was the dinner and dessert delicious, they introduced everyone to a new game. I will now be begging to play this game every time I'm with friends! Can't wait until our next family dinner in February. (I was a slacker and sadly didn't breakout my camera a single time during the evening)
Friday was the big day! Lauren has been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for Kyle and I couldn't wait to celebrate. I have to brag on Lauren for a minute...she did an AMAZING job with every detail of the party. The food, custom koozies, personalized cupcakes, invitations and all the little "theme" details that were carried throughout the party. There were so many people there and it's just proof how much everyone loves Kyle & Lauren.
We had a great time, but grandma was so tired and had to sneak out early!
Here are a few pics from the fabulous party...
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Christmas 2011
My sister, Em, was very diligent and already blogged about our Gibbs family Christmas! If you want to see more pictures and stories, you can go over and say hi to her. For memory sake, I'll give a quick recap with lots of pictures. You know time with my family isn't complete without taking a million pictures.
Mike & I headed to Charlotte on the 23rd so we could attend the Christmas service at Elevation. The service was amazing and I probably cried through half of it. After the service, we grabbed a quick dinner and headed to Clemmons. Nate got to stay up late and greeted us when we arrived...he was so stinkin cute! We were so happy to see our sweet dog, O'Malley, who showed us lots of love.
The 24th was spent working out, last minute errands, baking cookies with the kids, reading and hanging out with the family. That evening we went to our home church, Clemmons United Methodist, for Christmas eve service and it was quite entertaining. I can now say that I have experienced church with a 4 and 2 year old. I really didn't pay attend to the service (sorry baby Jesus) because I was laughing at the kids or playing with them. Even though Em thought they didn't behave very well, I thought they were angels and other kids were MUCH worse. When we got home, dad had gotten Deedee (grandma Gibbs) from the home. She has Alzheimer's so we never really know who she will know or what will come out of her mouth. She was in a great mood, LOVED watching the kids and was very engaged. She acted like she knew me but had no clue who Mike was...we just had to laugh about it. My mom made a yummy dinner & dessert and we had a good time catching up with Deedee. After dinner, it was time to get Santa's cookies & milk ready before reading the Christmas story.
We woke up bright and early on Christmas morning so we could get breakfast started. In our family, we open stockings, the "kids" make a big breakfast and then open presents. Nate & Abby got SO MANY PRESENTS! It was so fun to watch them open presents and get so excited. We got to talk to Lora on Christmas morning while she was vacationing in Italy. Lora & John went on a 2 week vacation in Italy so it was weird not having her there...she was definitely missed! The rest of the day was spent playing with presents, reading, napping and just hanging out around the house.
I woke up on the 26th to lots of "Happy Birthday's" from my family. For the record, Nate was the first one to wish me a happy birthday! It was the perfect day...went for a walk with Mike & O'Malley, met some of the West Girls for lunch at The Loop, a little shopping, relaxing, dinner with my family at my favorite spot- The Village Tavern, finally we ended the night with a little party, presents & dessert!
Love these 2 polo boys
We always have such a great time when my family gets together and this year wasn't any different. After 5 full days, we packed up and headed to Charlotte for a few days with friends. Christmas 2011 was another great one for the books!
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