The one with Sugar and Spice....

AND EVERYTHING NICE.... ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!! That's right, we are having a baby girl. So excited that we can finally share the good news. We have been holding it in since September 20th!!! Such a long time for that kind of secret. We had the family over to share the news. I had everyone where their "team" color, pink or blue. I was wearing blue, Josh in pink. I think once everyone saw me in blue, they were convinced was a boy.... haha we fooled them. Once we opened the box and the pink balloons flew out, we had most everyone in tears! Probably because Josh and I were so emotional. Baby Girl McCarty already has daddy wrapped around her finger! Can't wait to meet her. We hare having the hardest time thinking of girl names, so we are open to suggestions!

Cooper is going to be such a good big brother. We were around his baby Cousin Adalynn a few months ago and he was such a big help.  Sunday was also the first time we got to meet Ashe, the newest baby to the Jacksonville Family. Ashe is 5 months old, his momma is Jessica our cuz (Aunt Kelly's daughter). He was the sweetest and cutest. Such a happy baby. Didn't cry one time he was here. Cooper  was intrigued. He was helping Ashe put shoes on and sharing his Lego's with him. It was precious! Meet the family....

Look at my little precious angel, he is becoming quite the fan of Sesame Street, well all cartoons really. He sat down for at least 20 minutes watching TV without a peep other than him talking to the TV... I kept hearing him talk to Elmo, at one point he said "Stop it Elmo, Stop"! haha he really is too cute.

Have a great week!!

LOVE

The one with the 28th BIRTHDAY....

Happy Birthday to my smart, handsome, silly, confident HUSBAND!!!! I hope you have a blessed day! I thought I'd share a few great photos below of Josh. This is the side of him I am blessed with every day. There is never (and I mean never) a dull moment in the McCarty House. Which is also now combined with the Hermann's. Josh has such a contagious personality, he lights up every room. He's such a wonderful husband and loving father. He's great with Cooper. Cooper can't wait until daddy comes home every day to play and giggle!!! They have such a special bond that's so sweet to watch. I am taking Josh to Hurricanes tonight. Its nothing too fancy, but he LOVES their wings. So I figured he can drink some cold beer, EAAATTTT and watch some football!!

Big news this Sunday, we are getting the family together to announce the sex of our second baby! Super excited about it.  It's a small get together, but we figured it was a great way to celebrate us back home and the new baby!! Stay tuned for the news!!

LOVE

The one with the MOVE....

Well, we made it. We are as settled as we are going to be for now. We got to Jacksonville Saturday early evening. With 3 cars full of STUFF. Mainly toys and clothes. We left the house "staged" up in Atlanta,  sspotless and cleaned in hopes to get a buyer soon. Ironically we didn't have a single showing this past weekend. Every week since we put it on the market we've had people come through. So I hope this does not start a trend. Keep your prayers coming, we need to sell this by Thanksgiving. So while I was doing the last round of mopping on the dark hard wood floors I now hate, I was crying. Not because I was mopping, no no I was totally used to that after 2 years But because its hard to believe Josh and I are already moving from our first home we ever bought. We've put a lot of hard work in to that home, a lot of hard work in to our friendships we've built and to family that still remains. Ok, Josh likes to attribute my tears to the pregnancy and the extra hormones pumped into me every week. But it's sentimental. The move means a lot. Deeply saddened to leave all our loved ones and friends but extremely ecstatic to be "home". To have Cooper growing up around grandparents and great grandparents is a gift. And at the end of the day, all you have is family. So this was the right "move" for us.

To make it feel more like home, we went to the beach on Sunday. Cooper has only been a few times. The last time it was too cold to get into the water so we didn't even try then, but at this age he loved it. Once I took his shoes off and his toes were in the sand, he was a bit skeptical. But who doesn't love sand squishing between their toes. He got used to it in about 5 seconds. He made good use of his shovel and buckets and does what every kids does, throws sand. Not into the big open ocean, but at me and on my chair. Oh yea, and of course squashing the sand castles Josh built. He ddidn't get close to the water without holding someones hand. I bet it won't take long before he's boogie boarding! (ps. notice there are NO pictures of me in a swim suit. I am saving your EYES!!! )

Anyway, back to the beginning. We are as settled as we are going to be for now. It feels good to be around family have and support. Heck, we are going to take advantage of the babysitters (grandparents) that we haven't had! We've already got tickets to the Florida vs LSU game this Saturday! It's Josh's birthday and what better way to spend it than drinking beer and watching LIVE football. Well for me, its just watching football. Maybe next season :)

Have a great week!!

LOVE

There one where I am finally back in action...

I feel like every time I write one of these blog posts, I am apologizing for not keeping you up to date!! My life is a whirlwind right now. We have a TON going on with the new baby, moving, working, life, Cooper, etc. So with that said- I haven’t really made my pregnancy public yet, however with social media these days it only takes one word! So we’ve had tons of praises and congratulations. I was trying to wait until we knew the sex of the baby… but hey its exciting news! We’re PREGNANT due March 2013. So what that really means for me is the baby will be here in January 2013. Ha! Just kidding, we will have a scheduled C section this time (I should say scheduled loosely- nothing is ever really planned with us McCarty’s). AND With a new baby, comes a new job, for Josh, that is. Well not completely “new”. A new territory in Jacksonville, FLORIDA! So with a new job comes a new move!!! That’s right folks, we are moving back home. While I never in a million years thought it would happen so soon, we are completely blessed to have this opportunity. Raising 2 kids without family around would be a struggle. Our friends and family here have been worlds of help letting Josh and I enjoy those romantic dinner nights and afternoon lunch dates, but something about having your parents and grandparents around is something special. So much like 2010 being a huge year for the McCarty’s, 2013 will be yet another. We will accomplish and do more things in 3 years than many do in a life time… let’s see. Jobs. Marriage. Baby. Purchase of a new Home. Sell the home. Move to Jacksonville. Baby. Purchase a 2^nd home. Tired yet?? I DEFINITELY am. I don’t know how we do it. But it will all be worth it in the end. So with the big move to Jacksonville, my last day working in the office CAT-ISO will be the 28^th of this month. Notice I said “in the office”. I will be working remotely a few months. The end of the year is typically busy for us, so I’d hate to jump ship when the waters get rough.

Anyway, we had a great vacation in Pigeon Forge at the end of August. That seems like a life time ago now. We ate entirely way too much. For me it’s ok since I am eating for 2… wink wink. But for Josh, he’s still running off the Klondike bars. We had a huge cabin, I didn’t once feel cramped. I feel like we accomplished alot. There is WAY too much to do in Pigeon Forge, kinda like I-drive in Orlando. Just tourist hell, only because there is way too many people and a bunch of random stuff to do like mini golf courses on every corner, magic shows, dinner shows, wax museums... I mean they really have something for everyone. For me, they had the outlet mall!!! We did go to the aquarium one day. Cooper loved all the fishies. This was his 3rd time going and I think this time we really could understand. He didn't sit in his stroller once, he loved it. When we were leaving the aquarium he waved and said bye bye shark!! Too cute. We did a little bear hunting up by the cabin too. There was a note on our fridge when we arrived stating black bears were see on the porch around dusk, so they didn't recommend cooking at night. But guess what??? When your husband is Josh, you take a walk on the wild side and buy spicy spam and put across the street and you grill big fat juicy steaks at night. And you know what, after all that, we didn't ever see a bear. Every little sound I heard out there I was peaking through the blinds. But didn't have any luck. Another highlight of the trip, at least for us, was when Cooper rode his first pony. He's a little pro and loved every minute of it. Of course Josh lead the pony, but Coop held on himself with a big ole smile. He wasn't the least bit frightened. It seriously was the cutest thing ever. I know what a proud mom feels like!!! I guess I always thought going to the petting zoo and things like that would be boring but when you see your kids smiling and having fun, nothing else matters. I could be at the petting zoo all day as long is Cooper is happy. He truly had a great vacation. He loved being around Brooklyn. He followed her around, like any smart boy would do. She's a cute thang!! She would help him eat and do things for him. She is a great big sister.

Enough with the writing is what your thinking and show me some pictures!!

 Love!

The one with the vacation...

See y'all folks in a week or so. We are headed to Pigeon Forge, TN in The Great Smokey Mountains for a week. Josh is mowing the lawn, I am doing last minute things in the house to get ready to leave for a week, and of course making a quick post, and Cooper is still asleep- yes that's right, is 9:00. He made it through is one day of sickness. I had to pick him up at school Friday, he was running a 101 fever. I gave him some baby Advil and he slept most of the afternoon. He was still eating food, so we knew he wasn't THAT sick. Saturday he woke up like is usual self, no fever and running like a wild banshee around the house. So, we decided to head to Grant Park in downtown Atlanta for their Summer in the Shade festival. It was great, relaxing, and truly in the shade. We listened to some reggae music in the lawn and ate frozen yogurt. There were local artist around showcasing their stuff, nothing I was interested in... and of course every restaurant in Atlanta got a booth AND everyone there was eating. No wonder Americans are so fat, we eat ALL THE TIME- we eat when we aren't even hungry. At least we munched on a low fat snack rather than a Philly cheese steak or Caribbean jerk chicken on a stick, nothing about food sitting out all day sounds appealing to me. And with all the smells mixing together from the various vendors I was good with my watermelon frozen yogurt topped with blueberries!! So with that said, I must go make the bed or something so Josh doesn't think I wasn't all morning on the computer!

The cabin

Much love family and friends- see you in September. Happy Labor Day! Enjoy your "free" day off!!

LOVE

The one with the anniversary....

Happy 2 year anniversary to us!! Wow, time has flown by. 2 years ago today I married my best friend on the most gorgeous afternoon. Well it wasn’t gorgeous until the wedding itself. Gosh, I remember looking out at the beach, getting ready for the biggest day of my life, pouring down rain and all I could do was cry. I was determined not to have an indoor wedding. Josh and I are both so outdoorsy that was the last thing I wanted. My wedding planner kept calling, “Allie we really need to make a decision, do you want to bring the ceremony inside”… I kept saying no, no, no- It’s going to be outside it HAS to be outside. As me and my bridesmaids made our way to the River House, it’s still raining, but I see blue skies… Our driver told me it was good luck to have rain on your wedding day because it washes away all your past and clears the path for your new life! You know what, I totally believe him. When we got there, the rain had stopped, the weather had cooled down (slightly, any relief is great in summer in Florida) and the intercostal water way was a smooth as glass. It made for a perfect ceremony and it truly was. There were lots and lots of happy tears. I remember one point in the ceremony there was silence, right before we prayed and you heard dozens of people in the crowd sniffle (including me and you know who else, JOSH!!) Josh was the one who started all the water works! Oh what a wonderful day, fun party, crazy dancing, delicious food and we are so blessed to have all our friends and family be apart of it!! I wish it didn’t all happen so fast. It was like I blinked my eyes and the night was over, the honey moon was over, Cooper was born and here we are 2 years later… holy cow. I need a remote to slow life down a little bit.

Also, want to shout out to my grandparents, Mamaw and Papa, who have been married 58 years today!! Happy Anniversary!!! We have a lot to learn from you two, you are an inspiration to us all. I just hope Josh and I are as blessed with as many years and some.

I hope everyone has a blessed day and week.

LOVE

The one with the “Uh-OH Reports”…

 

As I stated a few weeks ago, we think the terrible two’s are starting. Some people like to call it the terrific two’s however I beg to differ. While Cooper is getting cuter and cuter each day and growing like a weed, his attitude is changing drastically. As it should. He is becoming more and more vocal and expressing his feelings, not so much with his words but short tantrums. At school he expresses himself by biting other kids. I mean like chomping down on other little ones with no relief.  One of the reports said he pushed another kid out of the chair and bit his arm. I know all little kids go through this, or at least most do, you always think your kid is going to be the exception!! The later of the week he has had better behavior in school. AND he is eating most of his food at lunch which entails veggies. I swear they are lying to me, because I can’t get Cooper to eat veggies at home. Maybe one day…

Last weekend we made our way up to Boone, North Carolina for our friend’s wedding. It was GORGEOUS right in the mountains, perfect weather, beautiful wedding  and overall a great time. I know I just ranted a little about Coopers behavior, but I got to say, he was a little angel during the wedding ceremony. Not a peep, you would have never known a 2 year old was there. I learned something new about Cooper this weekend, he has rhythm and LOVES to dance. He was getting it on the dance floor and he isn’t shy with the ladies! He had a lil dancing partner too. It was so cute! Stealing ladies hearts already, it’s just a preview! It was a nice get away for us and a great change of scenery. I loved it up in the mountains, the smell of fresh cool air just puts everything at ease and peace. Maybe I can talk Josh into buying a cabin in the mountains in a few years and we can have family vacay’s! (after the boat!!) We always use to vacation in the mountains when I was growing up. My grandparents had a cabin in Franklin, NC and I remember loving it up there. I was a little bit of a tomboy, climbing trees, hiking through the woods, collecting rocks (Josh still laughs and me and my rock collection—true story) and building teepees outside. But hey I loved it. It would be cool for Cooper to share some of those same experiences (maybe not making teepees OR collecting rocks, I was a bit of a DORK). My main goal with him is to get him to love the outdoors. I don’t want a kid who plays video games all day long. So you know what?? We put away the Wii system and the PlayStation and wont introduce him to it for a LONG time…. Maybe on family game night or something but certainly not on a regular basis. The kid loves being outside anyway, I don’t want to ruin that.

Speaking of cabins and the mountains we are headed up to Pigeon Forge at the end of the month with the McCarty’s (plus us), the Elmore’s and the Herrmann’s. Josh’s dad and step mom rented a big ole cabin for the week- 3 story’s 4 bedrooms in the heart of the mountains. We are really really looking forward to this. It’s going to be a blast. Lots to do around that area and just the beauty of the Smokey Mountains is going to be awesome. PLUS we get to meet Adalynn for the first time. Niki and Brian’s new baby girl. Cooper will get to hang out with his favorite cousin Brooklyn for 7 days straight and will just love having another youngin around to cut up with. Both Josh and I (and I probably speak for all couples involved) we REALLY need this vacation too. We get so caught up in everyday life we forget to spend time with our families. I will definitely have TONS of pictures to post from that trip, so stay tuned.

The McCall's first dance <3

The view

I will try to post more updates on a regular basis, I know I haven’t been the best blogger these past few months. Have a great weekend and until next time.... LOVE