Happenings

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. It's not like there is a ton going on but I just haven't taken the time to write it down. We are all doing pretty good. We have "settled" in about as much as we are going to for now. We have adjusted fairly well. I had one small break down the other evening. It hit me that night that I didn't have any friends here and since we are not in a perminent place I will not really get the chance to make friends any time soon. But after Matt and I talked I felt better. I know this was the right decision for us and I also know that it would be difficult at first. I am doing much better and just keep focused on the positives and get out as much as I can.

This past weekend we celebrated Ian's birthday with the family. We all met at the Nashville Zoo and had a great time. We have a membership here so we will be going quiet often. It is really neat they way they have it set up. The areas are set up like the natural habitat and you get real close to the animals. There is a ton of room that they will be building things in over the next 5 years. I am excited to go back. After the zoo we took Matts' family over to Vandy to let them see the campus and where he worked. Then it was off to Oprey Mills for the Rainforest Cafe. It was fun and the kids loved it. Riley could have cared less about it, but the boys were running around looking at all the animals there. Caleb was not to fond of the Hippo at the entrance of the restraunt. He was fine tilll it started grunting and moving. It freaked him out a little. After we got home he was asking to go back and touch it. :)

Papa found another turtle for the boys. We named this one Stumpy since it only had 3 legs. He was still a baby so we are unsure if he was born that way or was hurt. The boys had fun watching him and trying to get him to eat. But in the end the boys asked to let him go. I think once we get a house we are going to get the boys a turtle. They seem to like them so much.

Riley now has a tooth! Her first one broke through yesterday . It is the bottom right if you are looking at her. She is growing so fast. She has been trying to get on her knees and if there is somting behind her she is successful. Other wise she assumes the push-up position. She has gotten real good at going in reverse. We find her under the ottoman and the table all the time. And I must say- Riley is definatly a Daddys girl! She will follow him with her eyes everywhere he goes. She screaches for him to look at her and then smiles when he does.

This weekend we are heading up to KY for a visit with the fam. Since it is a long weekend it is the perfect opportunity to visit. Heather is such a cute prego woman. She is all belly of course. I can't wait to see that precious baby! Hopefully she will arrive around the end of July.

Well I hope to get some pictures up of the kids soon. I have not been able to find the cord for the camera so I can't download them- But I hope to find it this week and then I will get some up there for you to see. Please continue to pray for our house to sell. We appreciate all the prayers lifted up already! God Bless my friends!

Decision Time

Well we found out that we have the apartment if we want it. Matt and I have been discussing what we want to do. As much as we want to move into town and into a place for us, we think the better deal financially is to stay with the parents for a little longer. Having a house and utilities in LR and then having a place with utilities here would put a heavy cramp in our budget. So we will just mooch a little while longer. Hopefully our home will sell soon and then be able to find a place here.

Caleb and Ian went to Bible class on Sunday and Ian did great. Caleb had a hard time and was sad that he wasn't at his class. But after they started he did great. Answered all the questions correctly and had a great time.

I am hoping that we can celebrate Ians birthday at the Nashville Zoo next weekend. I am going to contact all the family and see if that will work for everyone. Guess it is better late than never and then the KY grandparents will get to see the kids at least for a little while.

Hooray!

We are anxiously awaiting a phone call that will tell us if we have an apartment or not. We found one that will fit our large family and is in a decent price range. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment. They have just replaced the carpet, countertops and apliances. Hopefully it will all work out and we can begin moving in this week. Please pray that this will go through. It would be nice for Matt not to have to drive 1 1/2 hours to work (one way). It is close to the zoo, stores and groceries (we would have the pick of 8 with in 4 blocks!). The kids are doing great. Ian is talking so well. He speaks mainly in complete sentences. Caleb is quite the mother hen around here (even to the animals). Riley is sitting up real well and has been pushing up on her hands and knees. She is able to scoot backwards now- it won't be too soon before she is crawling around after her brothers.

Congrats to the Albright Family on the birth of Asher Jonathan Albright. He weighed in a little over 7 lbs. A beautiful baby boy to complement his georgous sister! Also congrats are instore to the McCrea family. Ryan and Regina moved away from us a few years back to minister (and do lawyer stuff) to the north west. They have welcomed Kerensa Lynn into their lives. She weighed in at almost 7 1/2 lbs. We are now waiting for Michelle to burst and then a few others (Allison, Laura and Joy) who need to wait a little longer before they burst. Our prayers are with the new mammas and the ones still waiting to meet their bundles of happiness!

Have a wonderful evening!

Apartment Hunting

Well we went apartment hunting this weekend. We saw a ton of places and really only found 2 that could work. I am going to look at a few more this week and then tell Matt which ones Ilike and he will check them out during his lunch. It is hard going from a house to an apartment. But then also trying to find one that fits in our budget till we sell the house. We had looked in Bellevue and now are going to look in the Brentwood area and a little southeast of there. I am hoping to try and find one soon. We are currently trying to figure out which is the lesser of 2 evils (driving 3 hours in a day/ paying a ton in gas or adding to our monthly expences with an apartment). We shall see what transpires. Thanks to everyone who is praying for a sell on the house. I know it will happen in time. I am having a hard time letting God be in control right now and just trusting that he will allow things to work smoothly. Well gotta run. Will try to update more later. God Bless!

Life in TN

Well we made it in. We got to my parents about 8:30-9 pm on Saturday. The kids did real well and so did I. We stayed at the Welches home on Friday night. The kids were excited that they were staying at Emmas house. Their first co-ed sleep over......no Emma was not in the same room but it counts right?? They got up really early on Saturday so we went and finished cleaning the house. Then we headed back to Martis house to say goodbye. I think that was one of the headest things I have done so far. I made it through it all and had to struggle not to loose it on the drive here. So far the kids think we are on vacation. They don't quite comprehend that Daddy goes to work everyday and he usually dosen't do that while we are on vacation. Matt and I are going to look for apartments this weekend. It is too much of a long drive to get to work everyday from here so we will see what we find.
It has been nice to stay with my parents. They hardly ever get to see the grandkids so they have enjoyed it. Papa found a turtle the other day and the kids had so much fun watching him. The boys named him Ladybug at first and then decided to stick with Turtle the turtle. We let him go the other night and the boys look for him everytime we are outside. I got some pictures but I haven't gotten them up on here. It would take a really long time on Dial up. Yes we are WAY out in the country! :) So as soon as we get DSL I will get them up for you. Grama took the kids on a wagon ride adventure this morning. My parents yard is on a slope and pretty bumpy- but she hauled the wagon around the house and down the gravel driveway. I am not sure that I have seen the boys laugh so much and have a ton of fun on a wagon ride. Of course they have never had one on such a rough road. They loved it and begged to go again. Mom and I took turns since it was a great work out.
Matt likes his job so far. They are finishing up a project this week so there isn't much for him to really do till next week. But he seems to be happy. I will let youknow more as he gets into it. There are so many wonderful benifits to working there that we are truly blessed to have found this job.
Well that is about it on the Clements homefront for now. I will try and update again soon. Miss all y'all!

Moving Day

Well the day has finally come for all our belongings to be packed up and placed in a truck. They arrived about 7:30ish and will start loading soon. Then all we have to do is paint, pull up carpet, pack our cars and go. It will probably be a while beofer there is a new update. God Bless!

Graduation Day

*Lawson (Rod Stewart style) and Caleb*

*Ms. Nancy, Caleb and Ms. Christy*

*If your happy and you know it*

*receiving his diploma and Bible from Ms. Nancy*

*Eating (Caleb, Zane, Lawson, Brett)*

*Levy 2 Year Old Bible Class-2006*


This evening Caleb had his graduation party at church. They have a small ceremony for those coming out of the nursery department to the preschool department. It was a lot of fun. They had a cookie cake, juice and snacks. Then they had a slide show of pictures ranging from the cradle Roll class to the 2 year old class. After the slide show we were entertained by their singing. They sang: Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, If Your Happy and You Know It, and Roll the Gospel Chariot. They did a great job. Then Ms. Nancy handed out their Bibles and Diplomas. The parents got a wonderful treat- a picture book filled with all the photos taken while they were in class. We have a collection of Caleb from a few weeks old through now. Most of Calebs' photos are of him and Claire or Lawson. Unfortunately Claire wasn't there tonight. She wasn't feeling to good but we are going to play with the Noels on Friday for one last playdate till they come through Nashville. The teachers at Levy are so dedicated to teaching the kids about God. They have helped us so much in teaching our children and they will all be missed.

A fond farewell

Today we said goodbye to our friends. Cauy and Hadyn had their last day today and we had a load of fun. We watched Chicken Little and played games. I got some Hadyn snuggle time in this morning. She crawled up in my lap and settled in and said I love you. Talk about making me bawl!! Cauy was running around with the boys and they played hard as usual. They will be missed so much. At least in the fall Cauy and Hadyn will be at the same preschool. Love and hugs to you guys! We will miss you.

Bath for 2....what about the 3rd?

What does Riley do when I give the boys a bath? She sits in her bath chair on the floor beside the bath tub and plays with her daddys hat- of course! She had so much fun watching the boys and playing with the hat on her head. They splashed their animals at her and danced in the tub (sitting on bottoms-quite interesting to watch). Anything involving her brothers is fun to her!

Ian's first 2nd Birthday party

Last night at the farewell party we celebrated Ians second birthday with all his friends. It was nice to be able to do that before we move. After we get to Nashville we will have another party with family at the Nashville Zoo. And just in case you can't see it there is a baseball glove with a baseball cake on the table.

Good Bye Party

We had a "Good Bye" Party last night at the Bewley's home. It was real nice to get to see and talk with our friends. Caleb and Ian got to play with their classmates from church. It was a good time had by all. I didn't get any of the outside festivities but the kids did some swinging, some wagon riding and some tennis ball throwin'. After the adults were tired of pulling the wagon around Lawson and Caleb pulled the kids around. Meme (Emilyn in Ian speak) tried to pull the boys but I think they were a little to heavy for her. We truly appreciate the friendships that we have here. I know the boys will miss their friends immensely and Matt and I will as well. It has been a great 5 years here. Thanks for all the memories!

Sitting up

Riley has been sitting up real well the last few days. She can sit up for at least 5 min at a time. It make her happy because she can now sit on the floor while her brothers play and still feel included in on the fun.

Then and Now

Our sweet baby boy turned two today. I guess that means he can't be my baby any more. He went to the dr today and is in the 50% on height and weight and the 98% on his head. Big head means really smart! :) From being a tiny baby to the toddler that he is today- God is so amazing! Lift a prayer up for Ian today- for a healthy life, to grow in God's wonder and to love unconditionally as he does now. We love you sweet boy!

Family Reunion

This past weekend we had the chance to head to my parents house for a quick family reunion. My cousin Jeremy was graduating from High School and all of my moms family was there. It was so nice to get to see everyone. We hadn't seen my Aunt and Uncle from FL since Matt and I got married and they had never seen the kids. We all had a great time and plan to get together more often. It will be easier when we are actually living in Nashville. The boys put on a show and everyone played with them. They loved all the attention. Riley didn't get spoiled at all! ;) We all got together the day after graduation at my Uncle Gerry and Aunt Candys house and ate ham, wild turkey (which Matt will start hunting soon) and a ton of other food. The boys got a ride on the 4 wheeler and played baseball with pine cones and sticks (Country baseball!). They really wanted to play football with Jeremy and his friends. The guys actually played with them for a while then had their own game. We were all wore out after that whirlwind weekend but it was worth every ounce of sleepiness! Look for pictures coming soon!

Riley update

Well baby girl had her apt last week and she is growing steadily. She now weighs in at a whopping 14 lbs 13 oz (only 8 oz heavier than Garrett who is 2 months) and is in the 35%tile in weight and 30%tile in height. She is sitting up real well now and loves to play with her toys and watch her brothers run around her. We are on meats now. She LOVES to eat. We don't think it will be too long till she is trying to crawl. She pushes up on her hands and has made it onto her knees a few times. I know she is wanting to chase after her brothers. Her brother absolutely adore her and love to talk to her. Caleb gets this really high voice when he talks to her and Both Ian and Caleb get right in her face to make her smile. She is constantly watching them and laughing at them.

What is in a Name??

Caleb has recently begun calling me Marie. It started a few weeks ago when he was up stairs and needed something. Instead of calling Mommy he yelled down "Marie.... Marie......Marie I need help". Needless to say he got ignored till I heard Mommy. I then pretended to not have heard him untill he said Mommy. Caleb then appologized and said I know your mommy "but you have to listen Marie" He has only done it a few times since. But every now and then he sounds just like Matt when he says my name. Luckily Ian has not caught on.

Have to watch this!!!

Ok just got this off of Karole Anns' blog site. It made me laugh- Ahh the memories! :)




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

2 down, 1 to go

Riley has offically eaten all her fruits and veggies. She is not a huge fan of pears or peaches. But she likes all the others. So maybe we will start meats before we move. The boys are doing great. I think they are excited about moving. They don't understand that they won't be able to go to Emmas house or to Claire and "memes" house, though. I think that will be the hardest transition. But they are young and should end up ok. If not then I guess we have a ton of therapy on our hands! ;)

Mothers Day

Today was a wonderful Mothers Day. I am probably the only woman in the world that was really excited to get exercise equipment on Moms day! ;) But I am so excited. I can finally start working out to loose all the baby weight. I am so happy. Hopefully it won't wake Matt up in the morning. But he will get use to it- He'll have to!

Today CAC had their graduation. The kids and I didn't make it to the actual ceremony but we went to Mandy's party. It is hard to believe that she is now a high school graduate. I am sad that we will not be here to watch her go through college and eventually get married. But I hope that we will still get to see her and talk to her through out her life. The boys LOVE her! In church this morning Caleb saw a girl with blonde hair and said "there is Mandy. I want to see her. I want to give her a hug". We told him that wasn't her and he was not too pleased. At her party Riley showed her exactly how much she loved Mandy- she snuggled, she cooed, she puked on her. Thats right- Nailed Mandy almost in her mouth and down the front. If Mandy hadn't closed her mouth in time there would have been other issues. Needless to say that made everyone laugh (even Mandy had a great sense of humor). Mandy's brother Matt, her Uncle Jeff and her brother-in-law Scott played with the boys and they had a ton of fun! We are really proud of Mandy and the woman that she is.

Well I am off to bed. Have to get up early to test out the new machine!

Happy Day

Happy Mothers Day!!