Super Halloween Party

For those that may not know, Holly is really into Halloween. We have just as many Halloween decorations as we do Christmas decorations. Maybe more. She puts all of this to good use each year by throwing a Halloween party and this year was no exception. Thanks to everyone that attended.

Spider webs, spooky houses, and other random decorations fill the house.

Here is Holly's scary guy looking out the window. I think his name is Stan.


I got into the spirit and created a little grave yard by the front door to greet our guests. I even hooked up a fog machine to it. Check out the video



I also created a scary flying guy as you come in the front door.



We were Mario and Luigi this year. The big hands were the best part, although it is really hard to hold a drink with them.


Here are some additional costumes that made an appearance at the part.

Clemson Victory!

Matthew and I once again packed up the car and headed to Clemson to watch the Tigers battle the Maryland Turtles. We got off to a little of a rough start when my feet swelled to more then double their size in the span of an afternoon. After talking with my doctor, she assured me it was alright to attend the game, given that I drink lots of Gatorade. Here we are in the stadium after a chilly morning; it was the first game where it was cool enough for pants.

All the guys posing for the camera before kick off; proud new daddy Shannon front and center.

Omar was incharge of all the food this weekend, and I must say he set the bar pretty high. He deep fried three different kind of chicken wings, had awesome burgers, and great dips. I think we should all just pay him to cook every time. Here he is manning the deep fryer.

As the tailgate went on into the evening, I got a little chilly. Here we are bundled up and snug as a bug in a rug. Baby Vera was kicking like crazy after all that spicy food. Great weekend, and we'll be back at it again this coming Saturday for Georgia Tech!

Jackson has a Spend the Night and Aunt Holly Takes a Two Hour Nap

This past weekend, my oldest nephew Jackson came over to the house to spend the night. We started off the afternoon with a trip to Wal-mart to pick up some much needed Hot Wheels. As it currently stands, our house is not very "kid friendly" when it comes to toys. Jackson took almost an hour to decide which set of cars he wanted, finally settling on the police set. After that we headed off to what could be the coolest park in the world! I discovered this hidden gem near our house one day when I took a wrong turn. It has five different gigantic playgrounds, a river through the middle of it, rope nets to climb, yes I did, and more. We stayed there until a potty break was needed, and until the Clemson game was almost over. Uncle Matthew needed his alone time for the game, but we were early, and Uncle Matthew ended up being the bad guy in a car chase as the final seconds ticked away. We ordered pizza, ate in the Halloween room, and generally had a great time. Favorite comment of the day, "Uncle Matthew's sport is computers and mine is football" Hysterical. Here Jackson is wearing my witch hat.

After a few episodes of Thundercats, it was time for bed. I was nervous to let him sleep in a bed so high off the ground, but Matthew convinced me it would be alright. Around two-thirty in the morning, it was not. The thunk heard round the world, Jackson fell out of the bed. Luckily I had only half listened to Matthew and placed all the extra pillows on the floor, which made for a soft landing. After a rough night, Jackson was safely delivered to his parents this morning at church. I promptly came home and took a two hour nap. The heart is willing but the body is weak.

South Carolina Baby Shower

After the big surprise at the tailgate on Saturday, Matthew and I had our first baby shower in South Carolina. Before the shower started the family went for a nice and relaxing walk on the river in Greenville. Here we are in front of one of the many beautiful fountains they had around the town. We enjoyed our walk, but towards the end we were almost attacked by a squirrel. He came out of his tree, and I swear to you, he chased my mom and I. Matthew says it is because people feed the squirrels, but I think he was just nutty.

After Greenville, we packed up and headed to The Potter's house for the shower; they were so generous to open their house for us. Carrie, Jon, Kimberly, and Richard threw us an amazing shower. It was so nice to see everyone, and to know that Vera will have so many people loving her when she arrives. Everything was prefect; they even had a fabulous little scrapbook for everyone to sign when they arrived. Vera will be able to look back and see that she was loved before she was even born. Here are the guys enjoying the beautiful deck and fall weather. They all must have planned to wear blue.

Matthew and I received so many wonderful presents; Vera will be ready to go when she makes her big debut. My cousin Pam made her letters to hang on the wall in the nursery, and I already know just the spot for those.

Here we are with a sock monkey and some Indiana gear. Vera will love both schools equally, even though she will attend IU when she goes to college.

Baby Vera also received a full fledged tiger suit to wear to the Clemson games. This picture does not really do it justice, but that poor child will be wearing this next year, photos will be taken, and they will haunt her when she is older.

One of the most unbelievable gifts had to come from Ruth Ann. Since the nursery theme is a little unique, it was hard to find artwork to hang on the walls. Can't find what you need, ask Ruthie. She painted these three sock monkeys just for Vera. The monkey in the middle is holding not just any cat, but our cat, Norm. She even captured his personality by giving him a frown. They are going to make the nursery look so special; thank you Ruthie!

We took some time after all the fabulous gifts to take some family photos. Here we are with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim.
The Indiana gang.

One final shot with my mom, and then a wonderful day had to come to a close. It was hard saying goodbye to mom, but we'll get her back again around Christmas when Vera arrives. Words cannot say how special this day was. To be surrounded by friends and family who are praying for and supporting us is just an amazing feeling. I am so blessed to call everyone that attended my family and friends. Thank you all from baby Vera, Matthew and I. It was truly an awesome day!

Best Tailgate EVER!

Clemson tailgates are always a good time with good food and friends; however, this week I got a little more then I bargained for. My mom had conspired with pretty much everyone at the tailgate to surprise Matthew and I and come to a game and our baby shower the next day. As I sat there munching on snacks, I noticed Kimberly was standing nearby, camera in hand. With that as a clue, I looked around and saw my mom, Uncle Bill, and Aunt Judy climbing up the hill to our tailgate. I just about lost it; I actually cried, but nothing totally ridiculous. It was such an amazing surprise. They all hopped in the car the day before and drove fourteen hours to get to us. Here you can see mom and I in front of the stadium as the band marched past. We also snapped a good one of the entire Indiana clan.

Matthew and mom went into the game, while Aunt Judy, Uncle Bill, and I walked around the campus. I did my best to remember all the Clemson facts, and then we headed back to the shade of the tailgate tents. They took a pretty snazzy photo if you ask me. I insisted that mom go into the game to see the players run down the hill. Nothing beats it.

Since it was Homecoming, there were bunches of floats out in the field. We took a nice little walk to check them out. Here we are in front of my personal favorites. It was by far the best tailgate experience for me because I got to share it with my Indiana family. I think next year we may have to get the entire group down here for a game to show them what tailgating is like southern style. Thank you Uncle Bill and Aunt Judy for delivering the best surprise to me and making this weekend out of this world!