Gabby's 1st Day of Preschool!

Gabby's first day at St. Francis and Clare went smoothly!  This school has a start time that is "early" for Gabby(7:45).  Not too bad really, however, she is normally used to sleeping in each day until 8:45/9ish.  So 7am for her came early...and the 6:30 alarm clock for me came early too!  However, much to my surprise, she woke right up and did not give Jeff or I much of a fuss when we got her ready for her first day!  We will see how she does when "early" comes tomorrow again.  

i can't believe how grown up Gabby is looking these days...

gabby was "over" the picture taking by this point.  poor thing...I think she figured she better just "cheese it" for Mommy and I would be out of her hair much faster ;).  afterall, she was ready to get to those puzzles, drawing and circle time for cryin' out loud

there she goes...she was ready for her 1st day of school! 

Gabby was excited to hear about all of the people that called to check in on how her first day of school went.  MaMa, Aunt Di, Grampy, Grammy and many friends!  She was a little upset with me after gymnastics because she was not able to talk to Aunt Di when she called in during gymnastics time. Apparantly, Gabby wanted me to come out on the mat and get her to talk to Aunt Di.  So cute!  On the way home from gym class she said, "i am so loved".  Yes you are child.  You will never know just how loved you are....

Aunt Jeanine also called Gabby on the evening of her first day of school to see how everything went.  Aunt Jeanine teaches 1st grade at St. Pius and they both started school on the same day!  So they compared stories from their first days.  Gabby had danced around the topic of what she actually did on her first day of school with me all day.  However, when Aunt Jeanine called, Gabby proceeded to tell her everything she did the entire morning at school.  Jeff and I looked at each other and smiled...glad to finally know what she actually did for three hours while she was away :).  When we hung up the phone, Gabby said, "i told "NiNi" everything I did because she was a teacher today".  I explained she is a teacher everyday at her school.  So funny!  Tonight at dinner she said, "NiNi is sooo special"!  That made my heart melt! 

xoxo, Katie 

Let's Play Catch Up....

I think we have been busy? I had to get the camera out of my purse and scroll back through the gazillion pictures in order to play catch up on the blog.  You know to be able to remember everything we did.  I guess that is what pregnancy brain does to you...I am forgetful a lot lately.  Or I just do really crazy things.  For example, when my mother in law calls the HOME phone and I answer, start to talk and before I know it I am half way down the street driving with the cordless phone against my ear!  She says, "didn't I call you on the home phone?"  Um...YES....as I very gently say goodbye and set the phone down on the console.  Or the other day when someone ran into me, literally, in the grocery store and I told them "I'm so sorry"!  Say what? I wondered why, after the fact, I apologized to someone for not watching where they were going and running into me.  Whatever!  It has been crazy around here.

We finished up library time for the summer a couple of weeks ago.  It is getting ready to start again in a week and a half.  Shows you how far behind I am on posting to the blog.

  I can only imagine how infrequent these posts are going to be when the baby arrives in November.  I hope I can update just as much, however, I think I would be crazy to make any promises. 

The county fair was in town.  We take Gabby each year to see the animals and eat plenty of fair food! This year she decided to interact with the animals more. 

She also loved watching the judges give out the prizes for the competitions.

We attempted the Tractor Pulls.  Daddy -L-OVES the Tractor Pulls!  It happened to be one of the hottest days of the year on this day and Gabby was fidgety in the stands so we ended up leaving early. 

The county fair ended one day and the Old Settlers Fair in Mooresville started the next.  Gabby got to ride in the parade with Grandad.  He is the Commander of the American Legion this year and Gabby got to ride on the convertible with him.  Don't they look like stars? 

He taught her how to parade wave...or 'princess' wave as Gabby calls it...ha ha!  She had a great time and MaMa and I had a great time watching them roll by.  Grampy stopped by also.  So Gabby and Grandad had plenty of support from the family!!!  We were sure to collect plenty of candy for Gabby in her bag so that she did not feel left out in the candy department!  We are going through the phase with Gabby where she HATES to be last.  She always has to be first, does not like people to "cut" in line, has to win every competition, etc.  Jeff loves this phase and wants her to have the 'always first' mentality.  I sort of think it could come back and bite her in the rear and wish we could somehow meet in the middle.  However, until then...first is good I guess!  And the bag of candy Gabby had at the end of the parade was top notch!!! 

Have I ever mentioned Maxwell, Gabby's Boyfriend?  This is him.

Well...the back of them.  Isn't he dreamy?   He and Gabby have been in gymnastics together for the past year and have a great time together.  They are two peas in a pod.  Unfortunately, Gabby tends to boss him around a lot.  Max buys into it, for the most part, and pretty much does what she says.  I finally captured a picture of the two of them. 

That's a rap...  I feel like we are caught up to the current.  More to come soon!  Gabby starts preschool at St. Francis and Clare on Tuesday!  Early mornings for us start soon!  7:30-11am...WoWzErS!  Just two days a week.  So not that bad, but definitely an adjustment considering that we don't wake up until 8:30 ish most days.  Very exciting though!!!   

Be back soon...
xoxo, Katie

Time With Cousins....And A Turtle?

A couple of weekends ago we were so excited to have Aunt Di, Cousins Jenna, Risa and Ali in town!  We hung out by the pool, ate yummy food, and played!  Also on the agenda...Turtles? 

We went out to mom's friend, Bill's, house to feed his fish in his pond and enjoy nature for a minute.  He saved a turtle he found for the girls.  They LOVED it! 

It really amazed me how thrilled they were with this turtle!  Our three loving girls! 

I am not sure we gave this turtle a name?  Oh well, Tom the Turtle is so cute!!  How's that for a name girls!?

We can't wait to see you all again!  Hopefully, Gabby and I can get there for a trip to Holiday World before school starts again!  Love you guys so much! 

xoxo, Katie

Gabby LIVE...

Black Eyed Peas or Dirty Dancing Style.  You take your pick! 
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=e9300b8371a530ebac8ded&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
This child seriously cracks me up everyday with the things she says and does!

Vacation...Lake Barkley/ And Some Analyzation For You

We took a long weekend and celebrated the 4th at Lake Barkley this year!  Gabby's godfather, Teddy

(aka., Uncle Teddy), has three lake houses on the lake and we were very lucky to be invited to stay in one of the houses!  The grounds were beautiful!

We were all very close to each other all weekend and enjoyed each other's company so much!  We thank God for wonderful friends like the Bertuca family and feel fortunate to have them in our lives! 

We enjoyed boat rides on the Sea Ray and the Pontoon! 

Gabby is rough around every little edge of her body and LOVES danger zones.  She had no problem with high speeds in the boat and the waves we rocked!  She even busted out some dance moves during one of the rides that made us all laugh! 

she loves everything her daddy does! 

Daddy and Gabby did a little fishing which is always so much fun for the both of them. 

I joined them...but enjoyed sitting on the dock and watching them.  Fishing sometimes is my sport, but usually I am ready to throw in the towel after 30 minutes of so.   

sunsets are beautiful here! 



We traveled to a Eddieville on the lake to watch the fireworks on Sunday night.  Of course we weren't close enough for Gabby's liking...ha!  She would have crawled up on the hill and helped the men light the fireworks if she would have had the opportunity to.

We went to antique and craft stores one afternoon.

  The town of Cadiz, KY is lined with pig statues? 

They are in front of every store(even the police station...in which the pig was dressed as a police officer...I thought that was funny;).  Gabby had a great time trying them out!

The rest of the vacation was spent relaxing and enjoying time with my sweet family and wonderful friends.

 Gabby was mostly her adorable, bubbly and goofy self...

 And at other times she was not...

Overall, we had such a wonderful time and hope to be able to do it again!

We headed home on Tuesday.  Gabby did a great job in the car as we traveled.  While she napped(because I want my child having no part of knowing about this trial at such a young age), Jeff and I listened to the verdict of the Casey Anthony trial.  He thought she was going to be convicted on manslaughter and I thought, honestly, Murder 1 or Murder 2.  After our stomachs were sick that she "walked" with fines that she only has to pay reimbursements of 20.00 a month, but will have a million dollar book deal by this Sunday and get another 200,000 for picture rights by next Tuesday and what?...a 7 day jail sentence, we arrived "home sweet home".   I know that was a MAJOR run on sentence, however, can you all tell I am bitter about this topic and HER?  Oh well...after this post you will NEVER hear me talk about this case again...on Blogger.

I have caught myself analyzing my life these past couple of months.  I am so thankful for my sweet baby girl

 and all of the memories we make together.  

I couldn't imagine my life without her.  With that being said, it is so easy to get frustrated with life's burdens and chaotic situations. Like when the library lady looks at you as if she is sending you death threats because your child is running around the library screaming, "it's a great day in the neighborhood" in the completely wrong side of the library where elders are reading newspapers(in peace).  Oh...and the"kind" lady at Michael's today that said to me, "hee hee...she is spirited".  Holy cow, I know she was meaning, wowzers you have your hands full.  Hey, we picked up the fifteen sets of coloring books and markers that were thrown through the isle.  I know that my child is loud, is defiant, screams when she is told she has to leave a store or the library, etc, throws toys, hits me at times, yells, "i don't like you anymore" and "you are not my best friend" about three times per week.  Aren't a lot of children?  If you say no, then visit your local park, pool or fast food restaurant(with a play area) and get back with me... :) 

However, after each and every day, whether good or bad, defiant or not, I continue to rest at night and thank God for my blessings.  Because in Gabby's little body is a beautiful little girl that is so loving, so smart, so sweet.  She is "three" and if you have ever spent a lot of time around a child or parented you should know that "three" is the new two and four and five and so on....yikes!

 However, it is these little or MAJOR things sometimes in life that we experience or that we see and hear in the media(thank you Ms. Anthony)that make me stop, breathe and remember how much I love my babie(s), family and friends.  I am thankful for the support I am given when needed so that I can re-group or re-charge rather.  It makes a difference doesn't it? 

Have A Great Week Everyone! 

xoxo and "spirited",

Katie

We Are Excited To Announce...

Gabby is going to be a BIG SISTER!  

and....It's A GIRL!





Baby Girl Chamness #3
expected to make her debut on or around
11-11-11



We Are All Excited To Say The Least...



Especially Big Sister Gabby! 

On Friday we went to the doctor for our 20 week appointment.  We are thrilled beyond belief that Baby Chamness looks healthy!  Praise God!  We pray for a continued healthy and safe pregnancy and delivery! 

On Saturday, we had a "gender revealing" cookout with our family and closest friends.  

My Brother, Nick, and Loni

Hillary and Katie

Amber, Katie and Ang

Stephanie, Katie and Ang

Pink Or Blue???

 We made everyone wait until the party to find out whether Baby Chamness was a boy or girl???  Cruel I know right?  Actually, this could very well be our last baby so I thought, "why not go out with a bang" honestly! 

Everyone gathered around for the reveal. 

Daddy cutting the cake...

IT'S A THIRD GIRL! 

I love Pink!  Pink goes great with everything!!! 

Grammy Susie and MaMa Doris...Proud Grandparents! 

We could not be happier about the news of a healthy baby and another GIRL! 

Thanks for checking in!!! 

xoxo, Katie

Here We Go Again...

Well...it seems I have lost my mind these days!  Out of the blue, (after three long years), I forgot my blogger page password.  Sad sad day in the Chamness household that was.  I pretty much went crazy while Jeff and Gabby stared at me with what seemed to be a "usual" look they give me.  So, needless to say, I am in the process of printing off three years of blog posts and going to have them made into a book of some sort.  Does anyone know if Blogger will do that for me?  Ha!  Wish me luck...

So, let's pick up right from where we left off.  We are well into the Chamness' version of Summer.  Even though I know the first day of summer was just yesterday, we are already one busy household.  This week alone we have Gymnastic Day Camp twice per week for four hours, library time, the zoo and are in our second week of swim lessons which meets every day in the morning.  Whew!  I can't blame anyone other than myself for our crazy schedule.  I am the one that plans all of this anyways and honestly I forget what we have going on until I look at the schedule and plan more on top of it :).  I would not have it any other way though.  When we do have days at home Gabby starts asking me at 9:30am, "mom...where are we going today? and mom...who are we seeing today" and proceeds to list people's names and kids' names that we see on a weekly basis. 

We are playing catch up with this "brand new" blog post.  We have been doing a lot of fishing lately.  Jeff loves to fish with Gabby when he is not on the road and MaMa and Grandad have been joining in on the fun too!  On Monday night they came over and picked Gabby and I up and we had a ball!  Here are some pictures of our recent fishing fun! 

Aunt Di and Uncle Mike...this one is for you!
Reminds me of the picture in your home.  Uncle Mike, "sittin' on the dock of the bay"! 

MaMa and Gabby concentrating on fishing.  This is a serious job to Gabby ya' know!

Gabby and Grandad

Look at that HUGE fish!  We let Gabby and her "Mickey Mouse" pole take ALL the credit!  Jeff's first words when he saw this picture were, "what pole caught that fish"?  Darn it...BUSTED! 

Ok...if we are now telling the truth?  MaMa is the proud owner of that fish!  I have video of the catch.  I really should upload it!!!  Priceless! 

Our third annual "Ronald Run" was this past Saturday!  We had a great turnout!  Our team grew from last year and we had 35 members register.  It was a rainy morning but the sun tried to peek through during the 5K walk.  We ended with dry weather....which was all I prayed for that morning.  Yay!  I am so thankful to our family and friends that helped us this year!  Some traveled from far and I am sure some did not want to battle the weather when they woke up and saw rain....but THANK YOU!  We could not do this every year without all of you!  We love you guys!     



My Great Friends From HC Mom's Group!  Wonderful Mommies...and Daddies too! 



Family Photo
We had to convince her that Ronald had left the building!  She had a death grip on cousin, Molly. 

Our 2011 Team! 

Kind of a blurry pic...but Gabby(well over her fear of Ronald for some reason?) is holding our HUGE trophy!  YES...we won 1st place for most participants AND most money raised!  GO ALL FOR ELLIE TEAM!  So proud! 

Close Up...We Are So Proud!  Can't you tell?  Ha ha! 

We also have been to the Zoo with cousins!  It had been a while for Molly.  Sean has been in the last year and Kyle went with us last summer!  Aunt Jeanine was working...boo!  Missed her!  

Sean and Gabby!  Gabby must have been "raising the roof over something"?  Sean is her new bff! 

Molly and Gabby!  Gabby totally talks non-stop about this woman!  She loves her godmother...the feeling is mutual I am sure!



Lastly, Gabri-Ellie Hair Bows is booming!  Take a look at this season's best seller for the 4th! 

I love this style too!  I am also getting ready to introduce a new line of onesies and monogrammed shirts and hair bows for kiddos!  I love my new sewing machine!  Did I ever mention to you guys that I failed Home Economics in Middle School?  It called for sewing a gym bag.  Grade=F!  I would like to believe that I have made some progress since those years?  Don't let this story scare you away...ha ha!   

Save This Blogspot Address and Check Back Often!  Become A Follower On The Right Side of This Page!  It will update you when we update the page!  Simple to do! 

xoxo, Katie