the cauthens

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

Every year we have a dove hunt opening weekend/Labor Day weekend at my family's camp. We celebrated Carlisle's first birthday with mine and Russell's families and also got to meet my new niece, Carson Reid Lester, who was born on the same day as Carlisle! Congrats to them!!! We hunted, played and ate over and over and over...Knock on wood, we've never had an "accident" at the camp until this year. Sherrod was riding on the 4 wheeler and whopped himself in the face-thought we were getting stitches, but luckily it was a smooth cut and they just glued it. He was such a big boy! Other than that bump in the road, GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Happy FIRST Birthday, Carlisle!

2010-09-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Due to families living out of town, we had a "friend" party and a "family" party-spoiled already!!! She really enjoyed both of her cakes she had and definitely made a BIG mess! We are so blessed with this special girl and also our little man!

Eating Habits

2010-09-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

For anyone who really knows Carlisle, she LOVES to eat! Anything and everything you'll give her, it's gone! These are just funny to me...

First Day Back to School

2010-09-15T18:48:00.001-07:00

Carlisle moved up to the toddler room and Sherrod moved up to the 3 year old room-my babies are getting so big!!

Christening

2010-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

This was as good as we could get with 2 kiddos, but what a special day!

Orange Beach 2010

2010-08-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

This summer we went to the beach with the Flautt's and had a wonderful time!! We took two sweet girls to help us with the kids so we could get a little adult time and it was so nice. From eating, to the pool, to riding go carts, to the beach, the kids didn't miss a beat! Carlisle is a little beach bum...The layer of sand in her swim diaper every day was about an inch thick but oh how she loved it! She ate it, rolled in it, crawled in it, and charged the waves. If she went under, she came up smiling even bigger! Sherrod was more of a pool guy, but he really enjoyed playing with his dump trucks and letting us know that they "done got stuck" in the sand! All in all it was a successful trip and we are already looking forward to next summer! Thanks to Alben, Emily, and sweet Aubrey Claire and to Hallie and Olivia for such a great time!

Life since Christmas...

2010-07-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

So my last post had Halloween pictures in it, so I'm way overdue! Our life is so busy with 2 little ones. They are growing up so fast. I can't believe it's already time to be planning Carlisle's first birthday! I could go on and on about what we've been doing the past few months, but it'll take long enough to see all of the pictures I've posted. I will admit I got a little carried away. When you get to the bottom, you'll have to click "older posts" probably 2 or 3 different times to see everything I uploaded today. Sorry in advance and enjoy :)

4th of July

2010-07-11T13:55:00.001-07:00

We spent the 4th at the farm this year with family and friends. It was very eventful for the kiddos-swimming in the lake, riding tractors, picking blueberries, fishing, etc...Needless to say, we were ALL exhausted afterwards. Take a minute to notice in the one million pictures that I post, how many of them Carlisle is eating ribs-she eats them like a grown man! (But of course I could do a whole separate blog based on Carlisle and her eating habit ha!)

Happy THIRD birthday, Sherrod!!!

2010-07-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

This year we celebrated Sherrod's 3rd birthday at Local's. The kids did a craft where they made a little fish with tissue paper. At the end, they "fished" for their party favors. It was lots of fun and the kids enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who came!

Moon Lake and the Mississippi River

2010-07-11T13:29:00.001-07:00

*Note: Carlisle was with a babysitter!

Pool Time

2010-07-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Tractors and Westwood Drive

2010-07-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Fishing

2010-07-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

DSU Basketball Camp

2010-07-11T13:08:00.001-07:00

Swim Lessons

2010-07-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Under Construction

2010-07-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

My dad has recently added on and remodeled our cabin at the hunting camp. The kids got to help out by painting their hand and footprints on some boards-This was MUCH more successful than I had imagined!!

Random Pictures

2010-07-11T12:51:00.001-07:00

Photographer at the Farm...NOT so easy!

2010-07-11T12:49:00.001-07:00

Easter

2010-07-11T12:47:00.001-07:00

Yee Haw!

2010-07-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

Sherrod's second rodeo-he loved it. He talked about those "crazy bulls" for 3 months I bet!

Lots of snow this year, but very few pics!

2010-07-11T12:42:00.001-07:00

Deer Season (Carlisle goes on her first hunt!)

2010-07-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

New Years

2010-07-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2009

2010-07-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

Trick-or-Treat!

2009-11-01T10:55:00.001-08:00

Whew! What a weekend! Halloween weekend was quite eventful. After a long night on Friday night listening to the dueling pianos at Hey Joe's and celebrating my birthday (the big 2-7)we had to take Sherrod to get lots and lots of sugar! Originally we were planning on taking Carlisle but since the weather has been so crazy, we decided it would be best for her to stay in and watch the Bulldogs WIN with her daddy. She was supposed to be a ballerina, but with all the spitting up she does, I didn't bother putting on her costume. So this year, Candice and I took Sherrod and Hudson. Sherrod was Rocky Balboa and Hudson was the cutest little Indian I've ever seen! When we got Sherrod's costume, Russell wanted to spray his hair black, but I just couldn't stand the thought of doing anything to that pretty white hair of his. And I told him it just wouldn't look right with black hair and very fair skin-so daddy dearest's idea: "Just get Candice to give him a spray tan..." HA! So needless to say, Sherrod was Rocky Balboa, the "Irish" stallion-even though his robe said Italian. The boys had such a good time! Happy Halloween!

Sleepy Time

2009-11-01T10:51:00.001-08:00

Bath Time

2009-11-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

Bath time has really turned into swim time at our house. After Trick or Treating, Sherrod and Hudson were some dirty boys, so they played in the tub for quite awhile! Not to be a sicko, but we thought their little booties were cute :)

Baby Einstein

2009-11-01T09:44:00.001-08:00

Baby Carlisle loves her some Baby Einstein (and so do I)! Even Sherrod loves it. He says "I wanna watch the baby movie." Glad they aren't fighting over which movie to watch yet! However, they are fighting over the boppy pillow!

Lately...

2009-10-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

So since we added baby Carlisle to our family, life has been super busy! She is growing like a weed-almost 9 weeks already! She'll be getting her 8 week shots on Tuesday (boo!) and we have LOTS of questions for the pediatrician. Just as we did with Sherrod, she is having to try every kind of formula out there because nothing seems to work-not even the expensive "liquid gold" as my doctor calls it. Poor baby girl! But she is beginning to smile a good bit :)
Sherrod has been a great big brother. I thought when we came home from the hospital that it was going to be rough considering he loved to hit her but daddy dearest put a stop to that quickly! Now he always wants to know where she is and why she isn't going somewhere that he is. He loves holding her hands and playing with her feet. Sweet boy! I can't wait til they can actually play together and communicate with each other!
Two healthy babies-God sure has been good to our family!

Best Buddies

2009-10-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

This little boy has been in lots of my previous posts. Sherrod and Hudson absolutely love playing together. Last week their school went to the PDS pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin. I didn't get to attend since I just started back to work from maternity leave, so thanks Candice for the pictures! We also took the boys to the air show in Merigold where they could see old fighter planes and ride on a hayride. They had lots of fun and we finished at Locals where they got to pick out and paint a pumpkin. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend with perfect weather!

Jackson Street Fall Festival and State Fair

2009-10-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

We went down to visit my parents a couple of weeks ago so that Sherrod could go to the Fall Fest in Ridgeland and to the Mississippi State Fair. He had a blast! He was able to ride a train, paint pumpkins, ride a pony and more at the Fall Fest. It was a bit chilly, but fun for the family. We also went to the fair and I think the highlight was either the race car ride or the petting zoo. He insisted we do those twice and of course we did. I was disappointed I didn't get to eat much of the greasy fair food, but it's a little bit different with a little one wanting to go in a million different directions all at once! Can't wait for next year!

Sherrod and Carlisle's First Bath Together

2009-10-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sherrod LOVED this!!! He thought it was the funniest thing ever! Wasn't too easy for me so for now they take separate ones...

Carlisle's First Day at Delta State

2009-10-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Dove Hunt 2009

2009-10-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind - we're going all the way back to Labor Day weekend with our annual dove hunt we have at the Lester Farm. It was a weekend full of fun, friends, family...and of course lots and lots of food! Oh and a little bit of hunting! Wow how things have changed...This used to be a weekend ALL about hunting, but then we all got married and started families! Although some of the men would probably prefer more hunting, I doubt any of them would change a thing :) The kids played their little hearts out from jumping in the space jump to swimming in the lake. I'm sad to say that we were missing 2 of the usual little munchkins (the Carter boys)but hope to see them next year so we can add to the craziness!

Family of 4

2009-09-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well, baby Carlisle is here! She was born on August 25 at 5:28 P.M. weighing in at 6 lbs. 8 oz. and measuring 19 inches. She looks JUST like Sherrod did, and even more so when I put her in his old pajamas to sleep in :) She is such a sweet baby and a wonderful sleeper! She is 3 weeks today and only getting up once a night, well most nights. We went last week for her 2 week check-up and she had gained 2 ounces and the doctor said everything looked good.
Sherrod had a great time visiting us in the hospital. He got gifts from his baby sister, including a baseball bat and ball that he played with in our hospital room-picture posted below! Once we got home, we got off to a rocky start with him. He felt the need to hit her a few times but after some parenting, that has been stopped! Now, he loves her-always asking where baby sister is and always wanting to love on her. Thank God for sweet little boys!!! We have been blessed with 2 little angels! Thanks everyone for all the calls, texts, emails, facebook messages, etc...What great friends and family we have! God is good!

Baby #2 Update

2009-08-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

People who talk to me on a regular basis already know what's going on with baby 2-oh by the way her name is going to be Carlisle Douglas, "Carlisle" - I had a little deja vu with this pregnancy. Just like Sherrod, when I went in for my 35-36 week check-up, my blood pressure was high. Unlike the first time where the doc didn't give me medication and left me hanging, my new doctor in Clarksdale put me on something that has my blood pressure looking great! I went in yesterday for my check up and everything was good. I will be 37 weeks tomorrow. She wants me back Friday and if I've dilated any more (I've been sitting on 1 cm for about 2 weeks) then she is going to send me on over to the hospital to have this baby! If not, then we will make an appointment for next Tuesday to induce! Did I mention that Sherrod is in for a RUDE awakening?!?! Last night he told me "baby Carlisle come out soon" followed by "I don't like baby Carlisle" hmmm....advice???

Bedrooms

2009-08-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Another couple of projects we've had to tackle lately were the kids' bedrooms. We moved Sherrod to our guest room and had our neighbor Totten paint for us. I figured since Sherrod was 2 now and had been in a toddler bed where he could get in and out on his own, he was ready for a "big boy" bed. (The toddler bed was one of those that converted from a crib and we did NOT want to have to buy another crib)So for his birthday, his Ri Ri (Russell's mom) helped us out on big boy bedding. We had my dad make him a headboard out of pine cut from our hunting camp. It turned out really cute overall, but the picture does not do it any justice. It was taken with my phone and just to show how the headboard and bedding turned out. And yes, that is a queen size bed for a little bitty boy :)
For the baby room, I got away from pink because those of you who know me-I'm not a pink person! The main colors are red and a light blue. Once again our neighbor painted Sherrod's old room (yeah the one that I worked my butt off on painting stripes on the walls, etc-I only shed a couple of tears but I'm hoping that was just pregnant hormones). So the baby GIRL room is light blue and almost complete. Still just have to hang a couple of things on the walls and we will be ready for this little girl! I did take one picture of the bedding with her name hung on the wall over it.

Cousins

2009-08-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! Does Sherrod loves his cousins, Drake and Landry!! Just wanted to post some pictures of the 3 of them! Oh and one of him fishing with his Uncle Reid...just thought this one was too cute to not post!

Lots of Catching up to Do!

2009-08-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

First, I just want to apologize for how far behind I am! I'm sad to say that I have misplaced my memory card to my camera that has ALL of Sherrod's 2 year old birthday party pictures on it-I'm still looking though! His birthday party was back in June and was so much fun. We had it at Wade, Inc (John Deere store for those of you who are not from around here) and Sherrod loved every minute of it. The boy is obsessed with tractors. His daddy and I gave him the John Deere gator for his present and he has almost mastered driving it now. He knows how to put it in low speed and high speed. The only thing he can't do is reverse it but you have to do to 2 things at once to make it go in reverse. He'll learn soon! Another favorite of Sherrod's lately are hats. He will NOT ride his tractor without a hat on, and it's usually his "green John Deere hat" (as he calls it) or his cowboy hat. Already a "delta boy" I guess you could say-his daddy is so proud! I do have a couple of pictures that I took on my phone-excuse the quality!

Orange Beach

2009-06-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

We just got back from taking Sherrod on his first beach trip. He had a blast, except for the elevators...Right after we checked in, we got on the elevator to take everything to our room and Sherrod flipped out! By the time we got ready to come back home he was saying "elevator fun momma!" (but he was just saying that) We went out to the beach and he did not like the sand right off, but by the end of the day, loved it! We played in the sand most of the first day and then went to the pool, which happened to be his favorite. He was a little beach bum by the time we got ready to leave! He ate lots of yummy food-including snow crab!!! We were scraping our shells clean trying to get more crab meat for him to eat. Naps weren't really on his agenda but we were fortunate enough to get one in on Saturday! He was much more of a trooper that night for our friend's wedding, which was wonderful...Congrats Tiffany and Chad! When I came home, I noticed that I had taken entirely too many pictures and when I started to choose which ones to put on the blog, I decided a slide show would be much easier! Can't wait for next year...Enjoy!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T11:20:00.001-07:00

After a weekend FULL of rain, we were able to take Sherrod for a little boat ride Monday afternoon. It was short and sweet because it started to rain about 30 minutes after we got there, but Sherrod loved it! After we got loaded back up and hit the levee, Russell let Sherrod ride in his lap so he could really see the cows and horses. We were able to call a few of the horses up to Russell's window so that Sherrod could pet them. I think it kind of scared Russell more because he had two of the horses' heads INSIDE his window! Sherrod had a blast!!! Notice that his white hair matches the white cows :)

Better Late than Never...right? - Easter and Play Time

2009-05-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

Due to the warmer weather we've had the past month (or more), my time has been occupied by playing outside ALL of the time, rain or shine! Some of these pictures are from the Easter egg hunt at DSU, Easter morning and the numerous times we've played outside. You'll notice a very nasty puddle that Sherrod seems to love...we have a lovely low spot at the end of our driveway and everytime it rains, it fills up and takes forever to dry! NOTHING will stop him from getting in it so we just go straight to the tub when we're done!!! Enjoy!

Videos from 18 Week Ultrasound

2009-04-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

2009-04-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

2009-04-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

2009-04-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

To All Voters...

2009-04-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

For those of you who voted, the sex of baby 2 has been determined...IT'S A GIRL!!! We went yesterday for an 18 week ultrasound and the doc said everything looked good. They said she's weighing in at about 7 oz. and her heart rate is good! We have a video of the ultrasound and I'll be posting that as soon as I figure out how to do to it. Please keep Russell in your prayers-he is now convinced we will be broke...but I still can't figure out why he doesn't think we're broke already??? Baby girl will be called "Carlisle" after my middle name, but that is all the info we have right now! I worked on getting Sherrod to say "baby sister" and "Carlisle" yesterday and he said it a few times but was on to something else very quick! He'll come around :)

War over Licking the Spoon

2009-04-05T13:31:00.001-07:00

Anytime I make something sweet, Russell likes to lick the bowl and spoon. Sherrod thought he needed a taste today when I was making cookies, and unfortunately for Russell, he liked licking the spoon (or whisk) too! Of course Sherrod won!

Gone Huntin'

2009-04-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Russell went hunting this morning and wanted to share his "kill" with his little soon-to-be hunter. Sherrod liked the turkey so much that he helped daddy dearest clean it...and then came in and wiped blood on my couch! I wasn't too happy about his hand having turkey blood on it OR that he wiped it off on my furniture!!!

Boys will be Boys!!!

2009-04-04T19:59:00.001-07:00

After chowing down on Spaghetti-O's, Sherrod thought he needed a little bit more play time before bath time-he was a mess!!!

Day Trip to Memphis

2009-04-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

We took a little road trip to the Memphis zoo to let Sherrod and Hudson see the animals. We had a blast and the weather was perfect!!!

After the zoo, we went to Chuck-E-Cheese...yummmmmmy!!! Needless to say, Sherrod and Hudson were exhausted!

Our Favorite Thing to do Outside

2009-04-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Reid and Lauren for loaning it to us!!!

Who is this child???

2009-04-04T19:40:00.001-07:00

2 Little Monkeys Jumpin on the Bed...

2009-04-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Luckily neither fell off and bumped their head!!!

Notice we've converted to a toddler bed and so far it's been very successful!!!

Bath Time

2009-04-04T19:21:00.001-07:00

These 2 boys can really make a mess in the bathroom, but they enjoy every second of it!

After bath, they enjoy reading with Russell...for a whole 5 seconds!

Catch Up!!!

2009-04-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on blogging...between everyone being sick and running up and down the roads on the weekends, I haven't had any time to put new pics up, so prepare for LOTS of them!!!

You will see several pics with Sherrod's best friend, Hudson. They've been spending lots of time together lately since the weather has gotten warmer and the days have gotten longer!

Pooped!

2009-02-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

Just thought this picture was funny. Sorry for the quality-it was taken with Russell's blackberry. Sherrod was wiped out!!!

Update on Baby 2

2009-02-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor yesterday for a check up. Unfortunately, that was the day I had to do the glucose test and drink that nasty red stuff. I think I swallowed it in one gulp so I could avoid tasting it several times. I'm waiting to hear back from that, but hopefully all is well. My blood pressure was good (the past 2 appointments it was a little elevated) so I was certainly glad to hear that! The doctor did do an ultrasound because it is too early to listen to the heartbeat with the other little gadget. Everything looked good-got to see some little arms and legs! I'm still feeling a little weak and faint from this little one, but hopefully I'll be over that sooner than later! Any advice on how to entertain a little one when you're this tired ALL the time???

Funny Little Guy

2009-02-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

Sherrod has developed quite the personality. He definitely knows what he wants and how to get what he wants. His vocabulary is constantly improving and growing! He still has a love for Mickey Mouse, however he calls him "Mickey Cow." He can say the word mouse by itself but something about Mickey before it makes him say cow-it's so funny! Every night when I ask him if he's ready to go take a bath he responds with "Come on Daddy," which means I don't have to give him a bath!!! However, since I've been pregnant and very very sleepy, he has started saying "Get up Momma!" He will say it over and over and over until I get up. He has a new love for "momma's bed" and wants to go lay in there every night for a little while before he goes to get in his bed. He's such a good snuggler! But when it's time to go to sleep, he will immediately let you know by saying "bed!" We've been working on counting and our ABC's. Sherrod likes the numbers four, five and six...then skips to nine and 10. He does the same thing with the alphabet-he really liked the letter "D" and "H"...strange I know! He is definitely ALL boy-he loves to ride the "bota" (aka Kabota) and also likes to ride on "back roads." He and his daddy go ride down gravel roads and Sherrod likes to sit up on his console pushing all the buttons on the radio/air conditioner and he also like to sit in Russell's lap and steer. It's actually causing major problems because now he thinks he needs to get out of his car seat EVERY time we get in the car to go somewhere! As rough and tough as he seems, he always comes to kiss me goodnight before bedtime...he's the funniest/sweetest little guy ever!

2009 Dixie National Rodeo

2009-02-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

A family tradition of ours from as way back as I can remember has always been to go to the rodeo that comes to Jackson every February. I can remember the horses all decked out in glitter and these fabulous costumes and it was love at first site! I was very excited to take Sherrod to his first Dixie National Rodeo. (Note-we got a babysitter last year because he was just too small) The 3 of us went with my parents and my brother and his crew. The kids were wild! Sherrod was constantly saying "moo cow" and "horseeeeee." He had a blast! We chased him all over the coliseum. During the half time entertainment with the Oak Ridge Boys, the kids were able to go down on the dirt and run around playing. This definitely helped release some energy! Drake, Landry and Sherrod rotated laps to sit in, sharing goldfish, pickles and cotton candy. Sherrod's new found favorite treat is cotton candy. He inhaled it. We actually had to buy 2 things of it. I just knew all the sugar would have him wired, but as soon as we hit the road to come back to Cleveland, he was out like a light! I'm already excited about next year...yee haw!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!!!

2009-02-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday was Sherrod's first trip to the zoo. He loved it! Russell, Sherrod, and I along with my brother and his 2 little ones packed up the car with strollers and coolers. The weather was perfect...finally! We strolled through the whole park and looked at all of the animals. Sherrod seemed to like the monkeys the most because they were the only ones awake and moving around. All of the other animals were snoozing. I wonder how in the world they sleep through screaming kids and parents screaming AT their kids! Unfortunately, the children's zoo was shut down for renovations, but the elephant trunk slide was open. By the time we made it through the park, everyone was exhausted so we skipped the train ride. We do have plans to go back once they re-open the children's zoo!

The Newest Addition

2009-02-01T18:48:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Day we found out Sherrod is going to be a big brother!!! After a couple of visits with the doctor we decided to share the news. I am due September 10th. We're both nervous/excited but wonder what on earth we're going to do with 2! When I was pregnant with Sherrod, I felt great the whole time. Baby 2, however, is giving mommy dearest a run for her money! (Makes me wonder if it's a girl!!!) We go back to the doctor on February 10th for our next check-up. Please keep us in your prayers!

Spaghetti Supper and Chips N Dip with Daddy

2009-02-01T18:35:00.001-08:00

One night we had Candace and Hudson over for some spaghetti. Sherrod and Hudson sat at the kids' table together and pretended like they were eating, but really made a mess! Russell joined them so there was a guys' table and girls' table. The babies seemed to eat a little bit better with an adult sitting with them! Notice they are both shirtless considering red spaghetti sauce would have ruined their clothes!

Sherrod and Russell chowed down on some Ruffles and French onion dip. Sherrod got up on the coffee table to sit, while Russell sat on the floor. Sherrod would match Russell chip for chip and drink for drink. They were so funny and the dip was everywhere!

2009-01-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I had decided Sherrod was getting stir crazy and needed to get out for a little bit. We went to the park with Hudson, one of Sherrod's school friends, and his momma, Candace. It was so windy that we didn't stay long. We came back to our house and they played and played! They both wanted to ride the little 4-wheeler, so we put them both on there together and Candace pushed. (The battery had not been charged-whoops!)They had the best time. Hudson even let Sherrod push him in the stroller!

Tonight our neighbors, Tiffany and her little girl Kaitlyn (or "Cake" as Sherrod calls her), came over for dinner. Sherrod loves Cake. In the afternoons when we get home he will walk over to their house before they get home and knock on the door. When nobody answers, he turns around and sits on their doorstep. It's the saddest/sweetest thing! While the food was cooking tonight, Cake held Sherrod in her lap and read to him-so cute!

The Past Week...oh and Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

This past week I had to work. However, Delta State was closed so Russell played the role of "stay at home dad." We had been running up and down the roads visiting family and doing Christmas stuff, so needless to say the Christmas presents/Santa presents were not unpacked and put away. Sherrod decided he was going to unpack his toys while his daddy watched. I got a text message from Russell one afternoon that read something like this..."I think he has every xmas present he got in the floor." Take a look!

Playing with his new work bench-too funny to not post!

Russell and Sherrod attempting to do sparklers but they were too "hot hot...it's hot!" according to my little man!

A Weekend at the Farm

2008-12-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we stayed at my family's hunting camp. My aunt and cousins came. There was lots of hunting, eating and playing! My cousin, Drew, killed a doe. Sherrod is obsessed with anything deer...the word, one on a hunting show on TV, one hanging on the wall...ANYTHING! Please excuse the nastiness of these pictures.

Drake and Landry got a trampoline from ToTo and Poppa for Christmas. They put it together at the farm so the kids would have something different to do and it was perfect considering the unusually warm weather!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!!

Sherrod must have been good, cause Santa came!!!

2008-12-28T18:52:00.001-08:00

We spent the night in Oxford at RiRi and Bugs on Christmas Eve. Luckily, Santa found Sherrod anyways! The only thing missing was his table and chair set. Santa was still painting them, so he'll be making another visit in the next couple of days! He did leave him a chair from Pottery barn, a tricycle, a workbench like his daddy's and TONS more!

Christmas with the Cauthen's

2008-12-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve with Russell's family in Oxford. We did run over to New Albany just long enough for my aunts, uncles and cousins to see Sherrod. He acted shy the whole time but loved his presents! After we got back to Ri Ri and Bug's house, we opened presents with them. I think Bug had the most fun playing with Sherrod's tractors that they gave him.

Christmas with the Lester's

2008-12-28T18:24:00.001-08:00

Tuesday night before Christmas, we exchanged gifts with my family. My parents, my brother and his crew, and the 3 of us all went out to eat then went back to the house to open gifts. Sherrod wasn't all about opening the gifts. He had way more fun taking all of Drake's presents when he opened them! He was really excited about Mickey Mouse that Drake and Landry gave him and the "big truck" (as he calls it) that Toto and Poppa gave him.

After we opened gifts, Sherrod's Uncle Reid was in charge of making ginger-bread houses with the kids. Sherrod LOVED it!

Toddler Room Christmas Party

2008-12-28T18:13:00.000-08:00

Sherrod had so much fun at the Delta State Christmas party. Each child brought one gift and they drew names to see who got which gift. Sherrod got a puzzle, which he loves! They had cheetos, cookies and chocolate milk. See how cute each one of these babies are! We're sad though because a few of Sherrod's friends will be moving up to the 2 year old room after the New Year, so this was their last day together until next summer when Sherrod moves up.

Family Christmas Night

2008-12-09T17:17:00.001-08:00

Tonight we went to Delta State for Family Christmas Night. The child development center teachers had different stations set up for the kids to make ornaments and other little activities. Sherrod had fun making an ornament with bells on it and a Christmas tree ornament made out of popsicle sticks. We hung them on the tree as soon as we got home. He also made a stocking.
Everything was going well until it was time to sit on Santa's lap. I don't think he was scared of him, but he did NOT want to sit in his lap. He wanted his momma. I managed to get one picture even though he was fussing.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, we didn't do much. I had to work Wednesday and Friday, so we just drove down to Jackson for Thanksgiving day. We went to the farm and ate lunch with my family. Sherrod, Drake and Landry went to pick out a Christmas tree for Poppa to cut down and put up. Sherrod's Aunt LaLa had Drake and Landry make ornaments for it. Remember way back when...your teachers would cut strips of construction paper and you would make loops out of each piece and eventually have a string? Well, that's what she had them do. We didn't stay long enough for Sherrod to make one...as if he knows how!

After we left the farm, we went to Russell's aunt and uncle's house in Madison. Sherrod's cousin, baby Russell, was in town from Kentucky. They only get to see each other about once a year. They played in the leaves forever and were so cute! Russell was mainly interested in the rake, and Sherrod wanted to spread the leaves out.

Sherrod playing Peek-a-Boo in the leaves...

Baby Russell

Sweet cousins!

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-11-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

Halloween wasn't too successful for the Cauthen family this year. First of all, Sherrod got "jipped" as his dad calls it. All of our neighbors have kids so they were all gone to see grandparents. Luckily, a few were home and they dumped lots of candy in Sherrod's bag. Second, Sherrod wouldn't keep his coonskin hat on. Nobody knew if he was supposed to be an Indian or Daniel Boone. (Did you know Daniel Boone wore New Balance tennis shoes?) Third, he wanted to ride in the stroller. I couldn't get him to go up to anyone's door. And last, I got a new camera and can't work it too well, therefore all of the pictures are blurry except for this one!

Better luck next year!!!

Delta State Fall Festival

2008-10-27T18:21:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went to Sherrod's second Fall Festival at Delta State. The sororities set up little games for the kids to play but of course Sherrod wasn't interested. All of the girls had on their Halloween costumes and everything was so cute. Sherrod just wandered around for a few minutes then got sleepy so he and his daddy went on home so I could stay and help clean up. This year Sherrod is Daniel Boone for Halloween. We got lucky and got a couple of pictures with his coonskin hat on before he yanked it off. Hopefully I will be able to get better pictures Friday when we go Trick-or-Treating!

This is Shanta, one of Sherrod's teachers. He followed her around too. She's so sweet and he adores her!

Sandbox, Chocolate-Covered Pretzels & A Hayride with Friends

2008-10-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we all went down to the farm with a weekend full of family, friends and fun. Sherrod, Drake and Landry played in the sandbox all day on Saturday and also on Sunday when all of our guests arrived for a hayride put on by my parents. Some of the kids wore their Halloween costumes.

It took 2 baths to get all the sand off of him...not to mention he was using the shovel as a spoon and eating the sand! I never could get a picture of him doing it, but he was actually chewing on it. Yuck!

Sherrod's aunt Lauren ("La La") was making chocolate and white-chocolate covered pretzels for Landry's class on Monday. Drake and Landry were helping, so of course Sherrod had to put his 2 cents in.

Did I mention we had to have a bath after this too??? You would think we would actually do something that didn't involve dirt or a mess!

My parents invited a bunch of people out to the farm for the hayride on Sunday afternoon. My dad ("Poppa") drove the tractor pulling two trailors full of hay. After about a 30 minute ride it was time to eat! The kids played and ate hotdogs, chips and lots of sweets!

As you can tell by the pictures, Sherrod was only interested in riding on the tractor with Poppa. He was exhausted after all of the festivities. He slept the whole way home!

Toddler Room School Pictures

2008-10-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not real sure what he's doing in some of these, but please take a vote on which picture you think I should order!

School Boy

2008-10-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

I left to go out of town for a couple days this week, and of course Sherrod had his school pictures. I took him a few days ago to get a haircut so he wouldn't have crazy hair in the pictures. Russell was in charge of getting him dressed cute, sending a change of clothes for after the pictures, making sure his hair was brushed, and all of those other things that moms have to do! He sent the change of clothes in Sherrod's little camouflage backpack. Take a look and see how well daddy did!!!

He looks like a 5 year old little boy. I can't believe how big he's getting! I'll post the actual school pictures when I get them.

Sherrod's "Girlfriend"

2008-10-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sherrod's first friend was Caroline Fioranelli. There is about a week and a half difference in their age. She lives down the street from us and he calls her "Ca-Kine." When we go for a stroll, he knows exactly which house is hers and starts saying her name over and over. It's the sweetest thing! She loves his stroller, so we picked one up for her one weekend while we were in Jackson. She was begging to get in the stroller and he was wanting out, so we just put her in the stroller with him...in his lap!

Sherrod's First Trip to the Fair

2008-10-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

After a fun-filled weekend full of deer hunting, it was time for the fair!!! Sunday afternoon the whole family went to the state fair. This was Sherrod's first visit to the fair. He did a lot of "people watching" which is what I like to do...besides eat!
Sherrod loved seeing the animals. We walked around all of the cows and he said "moo" probably a million times. We also fed some goats, which he called dogs. That was probably the highlight of the fair for him.
Sherrod's cousin, Drake, was running around like a wild child wanting to ride all of the rides multiple times. Drake's little sister, Landry, was a little bit sketchy about all of it so she did the rides that Sherrod did.
First, Sherrod and I went down the big yellow slide. I hiked all the way up the steps with all 26 pounds of him in one arm and the rug for the slide in the other. He rode down the slide in my lap, and Russell said his expression never changed. Lots of stairs...very little excitement!!!

After all of the excitement on the big yellow slide, Landry wanted me to take her on the "ponies." Sherrod, Landry and I rode the carousel together. Still, no change in expression for Sherrod. Landry, however, loved it!

Sherrod's blank face again...

Sherrod rode the last ride, the elephants, with his daddy. Drake and Landry wanted to ride too, so they hopped in one of the elephants and Russell and Sherrod got in another one. By this time, it was dark and Sherrod was exhausted! He didn't know whether to go to sleep while riding or cry. So, his head bobbed and every now and then when they came around you would catch him fussing. Poor little guy!

After the elephant ride, we came straight home. Sherrod got a quick, but much needed bath and then he went right to bed. We were all so sleepy!

Spaghetti O's

2008-09-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sherrod loves to eat Spaghetti O's. We're not sure if he really likes the taste, or just likes playing in them. Anytime he eats them, we strip him down to just his diaper, then it's straight to the bathtub! After his bath, we have to clean the spaghetti o's out of the tub. Yuck!

If you look closely in the last picture, you'll notice the spaghetti o sauce smeared all over his belly...that's why we strip him down! He is really practicing using forks and spoons and refuses to eat unless he has one or the other in his hand. Do you really see the need???

Wow! Time flies!!!

2008-09-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

If you look over on the right side of our blog, you'll see Sherrod's announcement picture. We took that picture when he was about 4 weeks old. 14 months later we decided to take another picture of him in the same piece of Mccarty.

If Sherrod slightly moved, the whole thing would turn over. He is now 26 pounds and we can't believe it!!!

Please don't call social services!!!

2008-09-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Every Friday I work until 6, so Russell and Sherrod have some good father-son time. They go see friends, get some food, occasionally stroll and play inside. So yesterday I get home from work and the conversation goes something like this:

Allison: "Hey! What have ya'll been doing?"
Russell: "You've got to see this!" (As he is handing me the camera)
Allison: "Oh my gosh!!!" (As I'm going thru the pictures he had taken)
"Why is Sherrod in the dog kennel?"
Russell: "Well, I walked into the other room for a minute and when I came back
he was in there. I had to take a picture of it."

I did laugh about it. Sherrod loves to open and close the dog's kennel door, but usually from the outside... NOT the inside!

Sherrod's Favorite Things

2008-09-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

Now that Sherrod is almost 15 months (Wow! Time flies), he has learned to tell you what he likes/dislikes and he is very clear about it!

Food & Drink: Milk, milk, and more milk...Cheese or anything cheesy, Spaghetti O's, Teddy Grahams, Chips, Lasagna, and anything else you can imagine that is unhealthy. If you try to give him fruits and vegetables, they will all be on the floor...or in the dog's mouth! He loves to feed the dog his leftovers or anything he doesn't like!

Toys: Four wheeler-this one is a new found love! He doesn't know how to hold the button down to go so he just pushes it every now and then and almost throws himself off. He also likes his other riding toys, except he doesn't ride them. He just gets on then off and on and off...

Chores: Sherrod loves to do laundry! He opens and closes the dryer door the whole time I'm doing laundry. What a great little helper!

Words: "Down" is the newest, but everything is "down." Whether he is already on the floor or if I'm holding him, he says "down." So, I'm not sure if he really knows what it means. He also likes saying the words outside (pronounced outsiiiiiiiide), car, tractor, Seika (the dog's name), night night, bye bye (with a big Miss America wave), bite, Daddy (sounds like Daddeeeeeee), bath, boo (which he says Boooooooooo in a deep voice) and a whole bunch of other babble that we can't quite figure out. We're trying to work on manners. He did repeat me the other day when I said "thank you."

OUR favorite thing Sherrod does: We say, "Sherrod are you ready to get in your bed?"
Sherrod walks back to his bedroom and grabs on to the posts on his crib! He actually wants to get in his bed and go "night night!" He also walks to the bathtub when you ask him if he's ready for a bath. Sweet little boy!

Labor Day Weekend/Dove Hunt 2008

2008-09-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to my family's hunting camp in Canton. We had a HUGE crowd, including 8 children under the age of 5!!! All 8 kids stayed under the same roof one night. They played on riding toys, driving in circles around the cabin like maniacs! Sherrod just climbed on and off of different toys over and over again.

After lots of play time Saturday, some of the kids decided it was time to go for a swim in the lake. They all just stripped to their undies/diapers and jumped right in. Sherrod loves the water, but he didn't take too well to the lake water. He just wanted to ride in the "jet ski." They were all exhausted!!!

This was Sherrod's second dove hunt, but his first to really attend! He stumbled around in the field, rode on the kubota and played with shotgun shells in the dirt the whole time. I apologize ahead of time if I get carried away with the pictures!

The Bite

2008-08-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call yesterday from the Center to let me know that Sherrod had been bitten and it broke the skin! When I picked him up after work he had these little teeth marks in his arm. They informed me that he had been bitten twice! They said he cried and cried...poor little guy! He knows how to hit, but I hope he doesn't learn this bad biting habit. No wonder guys grow up fighting! They really do have an excuse considering they learn how to do it when they are 1!

The Last 2 Months...

2008-08-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Since Sherrod's birthday party, which was 2 months ago, a lot has gone on. More words are beginning to come out of his mouth, he's finally walking and he's obsessed with Mickey Mouse. Speaking of Mickey Mouse...Russell won a trip to Orlando! He and I packed up and drove to Orlando while Sherrod stayed with his grandparents. Sounds terrible, but like he would remember the trip if he did get to go! Russell and I acted like kids, riding EVERY possible ride we could. It was a blast! We'll take Sherrod back in a few years.

So after we got back from vacation, we returned to work and Sherrod moved up to the Toddler room at the Delta State Child Development Center (that's where he goes while we work). In the toddler room, they aren't supposed to have bottles, which Sherrod can't live without! They also sleep on nap mats rather than cribs. I laughed because I was dying to see them try to get him to drink out of a sippy cup and sleep on a nap mat! The first day he only had 1 bottle and they got him to sleep for an hour and a half. I was shocked! Those are some good teachers!!!

Now that we have played "catch up" on the past 14 months of our lives, hopefully I can keep up with this blog thing...

Sherrod's First Birthday!

2008-08-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

We had Sherrod's birthday party at Ann Marie Smythe's parents' house. We had a pool party...since Sherrod swims like a fish (kidding)! He loves the water though and had a blast! Thanks to the Malouf's for such a great time! I thought he would really tear into his smash cake, but he just dipped his fingers in it one at a time so no mess! Thanks to all of our wonderful family and friends who could come!

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG!

2008-07-30T10:54:00.001-07:00

We have finally joined the blogging world. Sherrod has recently turned 1, and it has been an interesting ride. We hope you enjoy watching Sherrod and our family grow!