Cape Madras

I love Cape Madras! Kyle always looks so cute when he wears his Cape Madras so I thought I would give it a shot when I saw them on sale for women at Kevin's. They are now my favorite! Check them out.

Fun with Paint

Yesterday Abbie and I went to the front

door and found a package from Poppa! In the box was Abbie's favorite thing... colors! So this morning we set out to the back porch to draw and color with 3D sidewalk chalk and paint. It was so much fun and they even included huge animal stencils to trace and color in. We were messy and had the best time!!! Thanks Poppa!

AWESOME Website!!

I love this new website I found and think that everyone needs to go there and get inspired!! It is called Garnish and they have everything you need to make your gifts, parties and packages look cute. I think I might make my families homemade ice cream recipe and order some cups to deliver to all my friends. Check this one out!
www.thinkgarnish.com

CUTE SHIRTS!

Look how cute the girls look this morning. Last night Kyle went to pick up our friends at the airport from their week long trip in Michigan and they brought back the girls t-shirts. They are so cute and really, really soft. Abbie was so excited to wake up this morning and put on her new pink tee! Thanks Mr. & Mrs. B and Lindy Lou. We love them!!

Okra and Tomatoes!

Yummy!

I love Southerfood.com. I had a ton of tomatoes from our Alabama trip and I bought fresh okra that only I will eat. (Kyle is not a fan) So through the magic of Google I was able to figure out how to stew the tomatoes and cook the okra. So GOOD! I wish I bought more okra. ~ Next time.

4th of July

4th of July we headed to Columbia, AL for our family reunion and of course stopped in Slocum to go to our favorite produce stand for Tomatoes! Here is a picture of the girls in their 4th of July Preppy Little Dresses at the stand and all the yummy fresh produce we brought home from our trip! This was Kate's first trip to Alabama and she even won the youngest cousin at the reunion.

Thank You for your Prayers!

Thank you for all your prayers for Kate. We went to the doctor this morning and Kate got a clean bill of health! We could tell over the last few days that she got the pep back in her "step" but it was wonderful to hear it from the doctor. These past few months have taken quite a toll on us and we are so glad that it is all behind us. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends that have been lifting our family up in prayer. I am really looking forward to reconnecting with all of you over the coming weeks.

Please Pray for Kate

Hello Friends & Family,
As some of you are aware we have had a rough couple of months with Kate and now we are reaching out to you for prayer. Since our ER visit on Thanksgiving weekend Kate has been sick and we are not sure what is going on. She has had pneumonia and constant fever among many other things. It always seems to get better and then a couple of days later it will come back starting with a fever. We are not sure what to think about all this and are just reaching out to you all for prayer. We pray that our precious little girl will be healed totally of whatever is ailing her. I will say that through all of this she has remained a true joy. She is a blessing and we are so proud to be her parents. I am so sorry to all of you who I have not gotten to spend time with. I have missed birthdays, births of good friends children, baby showers for dear friends among many other things. I am sure that each one of you understand the position that I am in and as soon as we get Kate back on track I will get in touch with each one of you to catch up. Kyle and I are trying to hang on and it has not been easy with the two businesses and the girls. So please keep us in your prayers as well. We need strength to keep going each day. We love each and everyone of you and thank you for keeping our family in your prayers.

Polka Dot Obsession

We have a polka dot obsession going on in our house. Kate is wearing the newest shipment from Grammy and Gee of Margery Ellen and she has never gotten more compliments. Kate was laying in our bed while we were getting ready to go out and Abbie crawled up beside her. Abbie loves snuggling up to her little sister, kissing her, and making her laugh. We just love seeing them interact. Kate is getting a little personality and loves to smile now. We even have her cooing.

Kate Update

We came home from the hospital last Friday and have been adjusting ever since. Abbie has been fantastic but you forget how much a baby needs at first. (Especially from mom) Upon leaving the hospital we brought home a billy blanket for Kate's jaundice and she has been on it ever since. We have been going every day to get her blood drawn to determine if she is getting better. At first her levels went up but now they look as though they are coming down. We go again today to see how she is doing so please keep her in your prayers. We are so blessed with the birth of Kate and am happy that Abbie has adjusted well. I will get in touch with everyone next week when I get back on my feet. Thank you to everyone who has shown us such love and support this past week. Kyle and I have been blown away by every ones generosity.

Here She Is!

We are so proud to announce the birth of our second little girl, Katherine Elizabeth Hartmann. "Kate" She was born on September 17, 2008 at 6:08 am. 7 pounds 3 oz, 20 inches long After her much awaited arrival she came into the world very quickly. So quickly that the midwife didn't have a chance to get into the room. She is a delight just like her big sister and has been nothing but a joy. Abbie is adjusting great with the addition of Kate to our family; she loves giving her kisses and helping to rock her cradle. Besides a little bit of Jaundice, Kate is doing great with eating and sleeping well. More to come...

Child Abuse

"GO NOLES!"

Still Walking

Thursday of last week Kyle, Abbie and I all went to the OB for another check up. In anticipation of another big baby we had Rachael (the mid-wife that delivered Abbie) strip my membranes. *Sorry if this is to much info for some of you. We then all trek home in hopes of little Kate's arrival. I could not get my walking outfit on soon enough. So at 5pm Thursday afternoon I left the house with my cell phone, i-pod and a bottle of water. I thought surely this long walk in the Florida heat would get things going. I walked every hill I could find in our neighborhood and blasted music by Beck, The Connells and Miles Davis. After a hour of this I marched home with some irregular contractions and a lot of sweat. Later that night Mom and my Aunt Barbara (who is in town to help with Abbie while we are at the hospital) came over for dinner. We were all so hopeful and even after dinner Kyle and I went for another walk. However, nothing happened. Well it is Monday morning and after 7 long walks, 50 laps in the pool and a full moon no Kate yet. I swear my children like to stay put and all the help in the world doesn't get them out of there. For all the wise tales, none of them WORK! I have tried: Primrose Oil, Raspberry Tea (4 times a Day), Sex, long walks, laps in the pool, Eggplant Parmesan, Foot Message, walking under the full moon, walking pulling Abbie in the Radio Flyer and many other things but nothing yet. I know Kate will not stay put forever but it sure feels that way now. I tell you I feel as though I might loose my mind waiting for her to come and my house can not get any cleaner or more organized. I think I am even going to start scrap booking to pass the time and as most of you know... I DON'T SCRAPBOOK. I will keep you posted as to Kate's arrival. Pray it's soon!

Uh-Oh!

Tuesday night we wake up at 1:30am to Abbie saying Uh-Oh Daddy, Uh-Oh. And we discover that she has thrown up in her big girl bed. Uh-Oh is right! After cleaning it up and getting everybody settled down again Kyle sleeps with Abbie that night to help her with her sickness so I will not get sick. So what happens. 2 Days later I find myself in the hospital throwing up with her virus. So much for precautions. I tell you, if it is not one thing it is another and when it rains it pours. Wow! What a week. God bless my mom who comes over at 1:30 in the morning to watch Abbie while we trek to the hospital and God Bless Kyle who stays up with me all night through my sickness and in the hospital. After a night in the hospital and a day in bed I feel much better but boy oh boy am I ready to just have a baby and feel like myself again. Pray this child comes soon or I might loose my mind. (ha.ha)

Not YET!

OK guys... I am ready to have this baby. Last Friday during the storm (Tropical Storm Fay) mom and I sandbag the front of the store and decide to close for the weekend. I come home and take a nap because at this point it's hard to keep my eyes open. Then I wake up and start to get ready to go to the movies with my mom. So I do all the normal stuff... go to the bathroom, get dressed, brush my teeth and as I am walking out of the bedroom to go with my mom, who has come by the house to pick me up and I double over in pain. Now seeing how I did not go into labor by myself with Abbie I wasn't sure what was going on. But I am pretty sure that labor doesn't start like this. So after not being able to stand and in so much pain I am crying uncontrollably they get me into bed and call the doctor. During this time all I can say is "All I want to do is go to the movies". (We are big movie people and I am trying to get as many movies in as I can before this baby comes.) After a few hours of laying still and trying not to move because it hurts so bad the doctor says to come in to make sure we are not in labor. So hunched over off we go. Sure enough I am not in labor but Kate was sitting on a nerve and we just needed to give it time for her to move. Well two days later and I woke up from a nap and she had moved. YEAH! I am still sore but at least I could get out of bed by myself and walk without help. But let me tell you after that experience I am really ready to get this child out. I will keep you posted when it happens. Keep your fingers crossed it is soon.

Poo-Poo Party

Potty training anyone? Don't you love it? In preparation for the new baby girl coming soon we are trying to train big sister Abbie to potty train. Part of the process is to have her learning to pull down her diaper by herself. However, the intention was for her to do that before she goes to the potty... not during nap time. As you can see we had a big mess on our hands. I don't think she missed a surface! Kyle and I have never laughed so hard.

Here it is!

Ok... I have finally given in to the blog. I have been looking for a way to get all our pictures and updated family info to everyone in a better, easier way. Time is always a issue. So I have decided to give this a try. Kyle and I are thrilled to be expecting our second little girl in September and I know things are only going to get more hectic. So here it is....