Alday Living

kitchen reveal

2011-02-24T14:52:00.005-05:00

for those out-of-towners and stalkers that have been waiting so patiently. you might want to grab something to drink or take a bathroom break. this a long post. just warning you. here are the before and afters of our kitchen/nook/laundry...

the dark tile, white washed cabinet kitchen before....

(sorry for the small picture.this was copied from our mls listing
when we were crazy and thinking about selling our house)

and the oh so wonderful after...

it's crazy how much wider our kitchen feels with the wider doorway opening and hardwoods. hard to believe that the kitchen dimensions did not actually change at all. since we replaced the tile floors with hardwoods, we lost our tile counters. darn. so we were able to replace those with a remnant piece of bianco romano granite and painted our cabinets benjamin moore briarwood. definitely a different look than before. briarwood is a grayish-brown color that changes throughout the day and works great to hide all of the little spills that only a toddler would cause. i keep telling byron that it will look even better with the cabinet crown molding and hardware he needs to install sometime soon :) nope, my project list never stops. it runs in my veins, i can't help it.

here's the before view from the former dining room...

and now the view from the new family room...

talk about a major change on the color wheel. i'm on the greige train for sure. although, i do plan to add some pops of color in the curtains, well, no maybe the throw pillows. hmm, maybe both. these are the crazy things that circle through my brain daily. decisions, decisions. anyhow, it's amazing how much more time we spend in this space now that it is open to the kitchen and actually has furniture for lounging. here's the view looking back towards the family room from the nook.

the leather cocktail chairs are from the grove park inn. and they are oh so comfy. we grabbed those at the habitat for humanity store. benefits of byron being an insider :) the couch and rug are a new addition since the last 2 weeks. when i told mary adelyn we were getting another couch she said, "but we already have a couch." poor child was born with her daddy's mentality. although, it didn't take much convincing when i told her that we should have two. and there are more decorations to come soon. i have big plans for that huge empty wall above the couch, along with some possible diy curtains and art. my new year's resolution is to DECORATE and enjoy the home that we've chosen to stay in. anyone who knows me well, knows that i love to browse but have the hardest time pulling the trigger. so, watch out decor/wallet...the safety is definitely off.

the nook turned out exactly how we were hoping. a gathering space with lots of light. if only i had a nickel every time our contractor told me that we could save money if we'd lose some of the windows. i mean really, is 9 windows + 1 dutch door really considered a lot of windows for a 180 sq ft addition? maybe so. but i couldn't imagine our new spaces without them, that's for sure. byron has requested some sort of curtain in the nook and bathroom to hide the fact that he refuses to buy a robe like every other normal urbanite in this universe.

the nook has become the most used spot in the house. it is so great to be able to work in the kitchen and still be able to see mary adelyn at the table. delia on the other hand has considered the new openness to be a personal invitation to join us at table at meal times. she literally cannot stop herself from inching down the kitchen floor to make it to the table. that dog just gets weirder and weirder.

the dutch door is awesome and i've never regretted it for one second. not even when i gave myself a near concussion last weekend from bending down under the opened window portion and then standing up quickly only to find out that the window portion does not stay put very well. while i type, i can still feel the knot left on my head. ouch. yes, that little issue has been added to the project list.

another view into the laundry space...

while it's not a huge space, it's a space nonetheless. i found the antique sliding door on craigslist from a contractor who had driven to indiana and back through a tornado to save pieces of his grandfather's building that was being torn down. byron actually goggle mapped the door's address to see a picture of the buidling. pretty crazy, that the door now blocks our dirty skivvies. guess that's better than being in a trash pile. the tall chalk board is the back of the laundry built-in that i decided to paint with magnetic and chalkboard paint. mary adelyn likes to practice her abc's and colors while eating. what can i say, girl loves to learn.

and finally, the view of our old backside...

and the new (bigger is always better, right?)...

we are looking forward to discovering our new backyard all over again in the spring. while we've had a few warm days, it still isn't enough to really be out there planning and enjoying our new backyard living area. although, mary adelyn has managed to break in her new deck/playhouse. so much so, that she has offically laid claim to the deck. it is hers--just so you know. the slide and swing were my ideas, because i'm cool like that. i think i've been down the slide just as many times as mary adelyn. what? is that weird?

a not-so subtle hint

2011-02-03T20:43:00.005-05:00

mary adelyn refuses to eat breakfast without having her shades handy. girlfriend's gotta protect those baby blues. maybe one of these days her mama will get around to putting up some cafe curtains. although, i'm sure she'll move on to complaining about the calluses on her knees due to the lack of cushion.

a day in the life

2011-01-29T22:35:00.002-05:00

8 paws of approval for the new bathroom space. i can't believe byron and i actually thought that the huge tub in the room would deter them from entering the bathroom, seeing as how they despise baths more than having to pee outside when it's raining . they probably spend more time in there then we do.

bathroom reveal

2011-01-21T20:29:00.004-05:00

finally...here are some photos of our beloved master bathroom for anyone still interested, still checking this lazy blog, and still wondering if we ever finished that HUGE undertaking.

here's the new view from our bedroom

and our super cool, kinda loud, but still so cool, antique sliding barn door

another view from our bed, looking towards the bathroom

yes, there is a chair and an ottoman in our bathroom. is that weird? the idea is to expand our living space from our small bedroom towards the open space under the two huge windows in the bathroom and provide a place to actually sit down while getting dressed. which is quite a novelty in a 100 year old bungalow. unfortunately, delia has decided that this is her new favorite spot in the house, so i find myself sitting on the toilet to put my boots on. not quite how i imagined it.

our vanity, which i love and had made based on the one i saw here

i found a woodworker on craigslist to make our vanity and built-ins for the laundry and kitchen nook. never under estimate the power of craigslist :)

our built-in shelves, which i have yet to figure out what i want to put on them. still not used to having all that storage in a bathroom. and honestly, sometimes the best part is just knowing that it is there. ahh, the possibilities, which justify my continued internet browsing...

laundry pass through, which is AWESOME! i keep telling myself that surely it won't take too much longer for byron to understand that one side is for whites and the other is for darks.

and mary adelyn's tub, as she refers to it

more pictures to follow of kitchen and laundry, i really promise this time.

until then, here are some pictures of our little stomach-bug-recovering honey-bunny. it's amazing what wonders polka dot balloons can work on a sick toddler.

we've had our hands full

2010-11-16T20:31:00.004-05:00

chasing ladybugs

trick or treating

enjoying the weather

playing in the leaves

and potty training...no pictures on that one :) there's nothing like a little halloween candy to jump start the potty training. parental note: when raisins were are longer cutting it, peanut butter m&m's seem to do the trick. 5 days and counting of big girl underwear with only a few accidents. woo-t0-the who! growing up is hard to do. unless there's candy, of course.

no need to pout,

2010-11-16T20:30:00.000-05:00

it's starting to look alot like christmas

2010-09-15T19:17:00.004-04:00

well, at least that's what is feels like this week at the house of alday. we've had so much progress over the last two weeks, it'd be hard to name it all. it's amazing how a little paint can make a space feel like a home. luckily, for byron, i am having no regrets about the color choices. unluckily, for byron, i am now inspired to paint the rest of the house to match our new living areas.

so, drum roll please......

view into the kitchen from the soon-to-be family room
(new countertops installed, but not the best picture--more to come)

kitchen nook with bench seat installed

laundry room with built-in laundry hamper pass through from master bath

master bath vanity and built-in laundry pass through

our wonderful, incredibly heavy, cast iron pedestal tub

view from the master bath (imagine a backyard oasis--spring project 2011 :)

view of addition and deck from backyard

the reason why i might possibly sell delia on craigslist

any suggestions for how to keep your dog from scratching your most favorite house splurge?

we hope to be close to 90% done by this weekend before our company arrives for a child-free staycation. woo-hoo! mary adelyn went off to mimi and papa's house this morning. i think i've only spoken her name 1098 times so far. not too shabby.

sometimes

2010-09-14T22:15:00.003-04:00

balloons

crack

them

i'm pretty sure they could have done this for hours.

just a little snippet of our refuge in the ga mountains while the poly on our hardwoods dried, which i am officially declaring as the worst part of this whole construction process. headache inducing fumes + plastic drapes to prevent entry + dogs + toddler + no kitchen = we need to get out of town....fast.

old bones

2010-09-14T20:24:00.004-04:00

well, hello folks. i've got no new excuses for you this time. just plain busy around here. we are definitely looking forward to this wonderful fall season and having our house back, new square footage and all. i thought i'd share some pictures of what was our kitchen for a few days.

(looking back towards to the former dining room/make-shift kitchen/soon-to-be family room)

i told byron that i could have gone through this whole construction process without seeing what an almost 100 year old sub-floor looks like. there are just some parts of an old house that are better off not seen. at least not by those who happen to reside there.

luckily, the sub-floor was quickly covered by beautiful new hardwoods and my fears of falling through the floor has subsided...a little.

more pictures soon. i promise this time.

wide open

2010-08-14T13:24:00.004-04:00

the house of alday addition is moving right along. one of our kitchen walls is now officially down. woo-to-the-hoo! unfortunately, the flies and mosquitoes are just as excited about this open access.

every weekend i make byron help me move the kitchen table to it's soon to be eternal resting place, just "so i can get a good feel for the room."

can you tell how excited he is about that?

here's a view of our unbelievably messy under construction kitchen. i'm just trying to keep it real on this blog. the far wall doorway is due to be expanded this week, allowing for a much more open feel between the former dining room (which now houses are unusable washer/dryer) , kitchen, and nook.

we initially tried changing shoes and wiping down the dog paws anytime we walked on the addition space to keep the dusty floors to a minimum. obviously, that idea did not last long.

here's a view of the bathroom, towards to pedestal tub.

and another view of what will be the built-in shelves with a hamper pass through to the laundry room...

i think delia might suffer a major heartbreak when she realizes her new favorite sitting/drooling/squirrel stalking area is actually a bathroom. this big slab of lab detest baths. despite her love for swimming. figures.

up next, finish sanding sheetrock, painting (yikes! no decisions made as of yet on colors), siding and trim.

"they're working!"

2010-07-31T14:14:00.004-04:00

this is what mary adelyn proclaims every morning when the workers arrive. she's not going to know what to do when handy mandy stops coming to our house every week.

we are well on our way to having a dried-in space. the electrical, plumbing, and hvac were all completed this past week. up next, sheet rock and drywall. i guess i should start thinking about paint colors. i'm sure the mere thought of paint samples sends chills up byron's spine. have i mentioned before that i'm not one for making quick concrete decisions? well, at least when it comes to decorating :) enough talking, here's the current view of our lovely abode.

view of the kitchen nook

view of the master bathroom

(tub/shower under the far right windows. chair & ottoman under the windows on the left)

view of the back and with a larger than planned deck (thanks to a little thing known as the exposed sewer line incident). now, i have one more space to gather inspiration photos for :)

view of master bathroom windows from the side of the house

the pedestal tub with shower enclosure will be directly under those windows. here's a little insight into the master bathroom inspiration...

luckily, i scored a great chair at the habitat restore for only $10. this will be my first ever reupholstering project. any and all advice welcome!

we are looking at maybe one more week of no disruption in our living areas. after that, they'll begin to open up the walls and windows to the new space. this will also lead to the removal of all things (cabinets, appliances, etc...) in the kitchen for the new wood floors to be placed. fun, fun.

where did it go?

2010-07-31T14:01:00.003-04:00

this might end badly one day.

yes, i'm the mom that is just not quite ready to let the water explode on my child's face. i completely understand that one day i am not going to make it to her rescue in time and that will most likely be the end of splashville as we know it.

splashville!

2010-07-31T13:38:00.003-04:00

mary adelyn's new favorite thing to do in town. every time we leave the house to go to the water fountain she says, "water, i'm coming!"

i'm pretty sure i have just as much fun watching as she does playing.

note: any visitors to the house of alday will be subjected to this local attraction, because it is quite possibly the cutest thing i've ever seen.

the latest and greatest

2010-07-17T12:20:00.003-04:00

foundation: check

sub-floor: check

framing: check

(from left to right: two large windows are the master bathroom; next window is the laundry; dutch door entry to the kitchen; and then the kitchen nook)

here's the view from the kitchen door onto the new kitchen nook.

another view of the kitchen nook

here's a view towards the master bathroom. the far wall has yet to be framed since we have yet to decide on the specifics of tub, valves, etc... ahh, the joys of construction. mary adelyn doesn't seem to mind that she is eating breakfast in the soon-t0-be master bath. she just likes to look at all of the tools.

and what used to be our backyard.

looks like sod needs to be added to our project.

snack time and the living is easy

2010-07-01T20:40:00.002-04:00

there's no turning back now

2010-06-30T19:31:00.003-04:00

remember that post a while back where i was dreaming about convincing byron that we should add on some of that much loved square footage? well, it's hard to believe, that it is finally happening! as of last monday, we were officially "under construction." it's definitely been an adjustment to say the least. living without laundry and a 19 month old is not advisable.

so, here's a little recap of our future plans...

this is the view of the back portion of our house
not the exact plans, but pretty close

master bathroom, check
laundry room, check
kitchen nook, check

what else could a girl want? actually, just a few more things that i've saved in my "bring these up post addition construction" file :)

so, here are the before pictures of our wonderful bungalow (backyard view)...

master bedroom on the left and kitchen/laundry area on the right

and yes, the tv is gone. we were just waiting for the dumpster to arrive, i promise.

here's the view looking into the kitchen from the soon-to-be family room, former dining room...

and after just 3 days of demolition (of a perfectly good house, i might add)...

delia and layla are still trying to get used to the fact that they can't just walk out the back door anymore. they are actually tempted to jump every time we open the door. but don't worry, we walk their old lady legs around the side to the back yard. and just for caution sake, we've asked that the door be screwed shut. byron blamed it on mary adelyn's increasing ability to reach the door knobs, although, i think it's because he's afraid he might just forget and walk out one morning. we've each had to make the climb into the house on separate occasions, after having left the house without a front door key. not fun at all.

here's one of mary adelyn watching handy manny work on our house...

she thinks it is too cool that we have our own personal handy manny at our house. although, she keeps calling him daddy, because i tried to explain that he is working and she thinks that the words "daddy" and "working" automatically go together. interesting.

please stay tuned for pictures and much needed design advice! i can't close my eyes without seeing vanities, light fixtures, tubs, banquettes, kitchen colors....the list could go on and on.

long time, no see

2010-05-04T20:48:00.004-04:00

i feel like i've said that once before. i guess the spring not only brings showers, but also more travel and less blogging time. over the last month we've traveled to perry, ga, fort campbell, ky, and washington, dc (say that out loud in the tune to johnny cash). hopefully, that will better explain my absence on the blog :) we've had a wonderful month of family visits and weekend trips. and we miss everyone already!

to kick off a little recap of our month, i thought i'd share a few of our easter favorites with a little spring color...

let's go

2010-03-28T20:49:00.002-04:00

DUKE!

mary adelyn has been running around the house chanting that phrase since march madness began. i hate to break it to her daddy that she'll probably be a tarhole, unless duke decides to offer free tuition to blonde hair blue-eyed girls.

too cute, for words

2010-03-25T21:37:00.004-04:00

we are loving the time change. hard to believe this picture was taken at 7pm (with no flash, for those that don't know i am about as anti-flash as you can get).

more pictures soon.

ok, just one more :)

something's in the water

2010-03-20T21:40:00.004-04:00

whoops--it's close to the end of march and i've only posted one other time this month. sorry folks. we've been a little busy here with architectural plans, budgets, a 16 month-old, and a hopeful new side career. yep, that's right. i am officially building my photography portfolio. and i've been fortunate enough to have three new babies (all within one week of each other) to practice on. something is definitely in the water. i've been steering clear of the tap, so we definitely won't have any big news to report anytime soon.

now, back to my hopeful new side career. here's a few sneak peak photos of the beautiful babes that are now in our wonderful family of friends:

meet the newest little moore, gabe

and baby girl heimburg, vera clair

and finally, super cutie quinn lee

needless to say, my nights and weekends are now filled with editing pictures of these cuties. three shoots within eight days makes for a great start to a hopeful new side career...and an unbelievably high pile of laundry.

rain, rain go away

2010-03-12T20:32:00.003-05:00

we're pretty sure that we aren't going to spend anytime indoors by the time the days of spring are in full swing. but until then, we sure are glad that we found this cool little place just down the road in hendersonville. it's called the hands on museum. any toddler's dream come true, with a grocery store, bakery, nursery, arts & crafts, waterfall.... the list could go on and on. and so could mary adelyn.

this girl loves to shop. but she's not so big on the paying part. imagine that.

she'd prefer to cut and run. and leave all the groceries behind.

she's just a little more interested in exercise equipment.

can someone please tell me where we can find a toddler treadmill? it was AWESOME!

and no daughter of school nurse can pass up the opportunity to wash her hands.

"tiki" clean. hmm.

"published"

2010-02-27T11:58:00.004-05:00

go here to see byron's first "publication." we passed this on our way to a "resort" ski weekend while we were living in missoula. byron immediately pulled over and took a "picture." "this" has always been a "pet-peeve" of his. it seems that he found a "blogger" that feels the "same" way.

so, for a little more background on the "resort" weekend. byron decided to give me a weekend away for my very first skiing trip. while i was imagining a view like this...

he had signed us up for a view like this...

and getting excited about things like this...

(anyone know what "historica" refers to? maybe they just ran out of "L"s)

and making me do stuff like this, while being told to "pose the hell out of it"...

i think i did a pretty good job tolerating, i mean, posing. i will admit, it was a very memorable trip. and i've never been that sore before in my life--from the skiing--not posing.

more sun, please

2010-02-23T20:03:00.003-05:00

this past weekend we were finally able to emerge from our hibernation. and since the exteneded weather forecast did not (and still does not) look promising we decided to spend every waking moment outside.

sitting on our hopeful, soon-to-be, master bathroom

testing AWD capabilities of the baby stroller

throwing the ball to delia. nope, just delia. layla prefers not to do dog things. she's much better than that.

soaking up the sun

and, you guessed it, more stroller testing.

unfortunately, she preferred to head this direction. you know, towards the "minefield" as us dog owners call it.

a hershey kiss holiday

2010-02-15T12:07:00.006-05:00

mary adelyn had her very first valentine's day party at her school last week. so in celebration of her first hallmark holiday, i decided to make a little outfit for her. with the pure intention that homegirl was going to swoon every heart in the building. whoops, did i just say that out loud?

what started out as this...

later turned into this...

due to a few stubborn snaps in the crotch that just wouldn't stay....well, snapped.

and then i made a bunch of these...

inspired from this oh so wonderful baking blog. (warning: if you have a sweet addiction, this blog might not be the best place for you)

and decided to package them like this...

i'll give you two guesses where i got that idea from :) ahem, thanks mimi :)

and off we went to the girlie's first valentine's day party. she was super cute. and no i didn't get any pictures, because i forgot that i even had my camera with me. whoops. but to make up for it, here's a not so great photo that i took of her before she left that morning...

we were told that they paraded her around into each classroom to show off her outfit, while she walked on her tippy toes. too funny. i was just glad to see that she was still wearing it when we arrived for the afternoon party.

her valentine's were made from the fabric scraps of the dress. it was a pretty neat idea that i'm sure i stumbled upon in the blogosphere somewhere. i just cut them out in the shape of a hershey kiss and sewed them to cardstock. the original idea was for mary adelyn to draw on the back of each one, but she decided she'd rather eat the crayon. maybe next year.

the life and times of a snow bunny

2010-02-14T20:47:00.004-05:00

wake up, bright and early, once more to snow on the ground.

wonder what in the world we are going to be able to do inside all day...again...for what seems like the 4th weekend in a row.

read a book with daddy.

learn how to chase bubbles inside

blizzard warning

2010-02-10T14:19:00.003-05:00

this is our current weather forecast. luckily, our house sits right on top of a hill and faces directly north. oh wait, that's only a good thing for potential flooding, not so much for blizzards. hopefully, our almost 100 year old single pane windows will be able to withstand the wind gusts. man, i really need to get past my inability of deciding which curtains to buy. our windows could use a little extra layer this winter.

layla will definitely be sleeping under her covers tonight. yes, our dog prefers to be tucked in each night. yes, we know she is spoiled. but she's an old lady. hopefully, someone (ahem, mary adelyn) will spoil me when i'm old and gray as well.

don't move...

2010-02-09T21:07:00.005-05:00

IMPROVE!

well, this is what we hope to do. for those that are not in the know, we took our house off the market about a month after putting the sign in the yard. did i ever mention how much we love our house? well, if not. we really love our house. and deciding to sell was very much a blessing in disguise. as we didn't realize that we really, really love our house. so i guess the fact that i cried the entire day that we put the for sale sign in the yard was a pretty good sign that selling might not be the best choice. well that, and the fact that we were canceling showings in fear that the house might actually sell. so, after a little convincing on my part, the dreaded sign was taken out of the yard. woo-hoo! considered that victory #1.

now onto, victory #2--convincing byron that our dream improvements are in our budget. 3 contractors , 1 architect and 1 possible pulled muscle later(from doing the 'yea, i told you so dance' after each of the before mentioned professionals left our house), we are one step closer to adding some square footage. whoot-whoot! yes, these are the sounds of joy that byron is now subjected too, pretty much on a daily basis.

before i get to the specifics of our dream improvements, i feel like i should list a little disclaimer that i am my father's daughter. and that my father just so happens to be a contractor. just a minor detail, in my book. but a detail that byron likes to remind me of quite often. specifically, when i've tried to talk him into doing some diy projects around the house. you see, byron and i have two completely different ways of thinking about home projects and diy. while he'd rather pay someone an outrageous amount of money to do it, i'd rather try it for much less and have the satisfaction of mastering something. and i tried to explain to him that diy does not refer to any project that you do around the house. i mean, if you are working on something that you wouldn't think to call in a professional for (i.e. changing screws in a door frame), then you're not diying, you're maintaining. i'm sure byron would explain these differences in another light, but hey, i don't see him writing on this blog any, so i guess you lucked out with my point of view.

while i'm sure byron would much rather all house of alday projects be referred to as diya (do-it-yourself-amy), i'm certain that i'll be able to rope him into some projects. i mean, surely he won't leave me to tile the entire kitchen backsplash myself, right? and i have just so happened to come across a handful of great blogs here, here, and here that have only increased my propensity to try some diy at our own little abode.

now, onto the dream improvements. approximately a 150ish square foot addition directly off the back of our house, which will house the following:

1. master bath addition--not really in the sense that most people think of a master bath. just happens to be referred to as that because it will be connected to our 'master' bedroom. including a laundry closet.

2. kitchen nook--we spend a lot of time in the kitchen and would love to have an area for mary adelyn to work on her coloring skills, while still being able to cook and interact with her.

now, obviously, the above projects will not be diy. but, they will lead to other diy projects that i, err i mean, we hope to accomplish at some point before mary adelyn graduates high school. you know, easy things, like removing a small portion of the kitchen entry way to promote a better flow, painting the kitchen cabinets, installing a new backsplash, building a bench seat (oh yea, byron, forgot to mention that one to you in person, whoops), and well, i should probably stop there before an executive halt in placed on the project.

and just so you'll have an idea of what i, dangit i mean, we are thinking, here's a few inspirational photos...

wouldn't this be a great way to get clean every morning?

or maybe this...

photo: bhg

i don't think we'd know what to do with more than one sink.

and here's the vision for the kitchen nook.

pretty self-explanatory.

and new kitchen colors (cabinets, countertops, etc...)

so, if any of you that actually read this blog, have any insight in home renovation, please feel free to share. i'm sure we'd appreciate all the info, and of course advice, that you might have.

and you better bet that we'll have some before and after photos, as this is my new favorite thing to look at on home improvement blogs, if this dream project actually does get off the ground. stay tuned. i promise, i'll update this time :)

mountain babies

2010-01-26T09:16:00.000-05:00

a.k.a:

bunch

monkeys

fyi

2010-01-25T09:10:00.002-05:00

just because the circle sponge brush was thoroughly washed after painting with it 2 months ago, doesn't mean that once it gets wet again (read: put into the mouth of a one year old) no paint will show up. notice the hint of blue around her lips.

lesson learned.

luckily, the paint residue on her lips didn't seem to phase her.

all thawed out

2010-01-21T21:18:00.003-05:00

i apologize for the delay in posts. we have finally thawed out from our crazy winter weather and just got back from a wonderful weekend trip to aunt gigi and uncle johnny's cabin. we had a great time hanging out with our friends the moore's and wright's. you might recognize them from our beach trip. it's crazy to think how different all three of the kids are now since we were last at the beach.

three mobile kids makes for a much different weekend gathering. there was plenty of eating and any kind of chip that you could imagine.

a lot of chasing this little man around

did i mention there was eating?

too funny.

baby, it's REALLY cold outside

2010-01-08T22:19:00.005-05:00

i hope it is nice and toasty wherever you are today. it seems like our temperatures haven't risen above freezing for the last two weeks. it's been cold enough to cancel or delay the school schedule just about every day this past week. so, we've been making the most of our time together at home, while trying to stay warm in our almost 100 year old house. i keep telling myself that i'd probably be much colder if i weren't chasing this little girl around all day.

new year, new look

2010-01-02T19:57:00.001-05:00

if you haven't already noticed, there is a new look in process here at alday living. still in process being the key words. feel free to let me know what you think. i'm up for ideas.

here's to a happy, healthy, and joyful new year!

christmas celebration--round one

2009-12-28T18:51:00.007-05:00

one of the joys of having such a big family is being able to have multiple celebrations. fortunately, we were able to forge the snow roads and make it to georgia last weekend. i'll give you two guesses for all that jack wanted for christmas.

speaking of two. i'm thinking there are only two things that keep little emery's bottom stationary. 1. video game 2. opening presents

these are pretty much the only non-blurry pictures i have of him.

mia drew an excellent rendition of our very own family portrait. byron's the one on the far right. evidently, mia was feeling pretty generous with the brown marker. 'tis the season.

while she wasn't practicing on becoming the next davinci, she was cuddling up to our little honey bunny.

and here's a shot of quite possibly the cutest kids in history

hope your holidays were as merry as ours.

have yourself a mary little christmas

2009-12-25T20:02:00.003-05:00

photos by kristi hedberg photography

baby it's cold outside

2009-12-19T13:01:00.003-05:00

snow-mania. here's a shot of our driveway and outback. yep, there's a car underneath that white stuff.

luckily, we still have power, heat, and beer. so, we're good to go for the weekend. although, we might try and tackle the roads and head to georgia. wish us luck.

snow way out

2009-12-18T16:00:00.004-05:00

we woke up this morning to snow falling from the sky and it hasn't stopped yet. this is definitely the most snow that we've seen since living in Montana. unfortunately, since it hasn't really stopped falling, we haven't been able to play for very long. well, that and the fact that we haven't gotten the girlie a snow suit yet. whoops.

mary adelyn liked the snow and loved watching delia rolling around in it. so much so, that she let us know she was not happy about coming back inside.

believe it or not, she was really interested in putting my boots on. that is until, we put her on the floor to stand. we're hoping the weather will allow us to leave town tomorrow to begin our holiday celebrations. if not, looks like we be staying close to the fire and wishing we had made a mad rush to the grocery store.

i'm in love...

2009-12-15T18:55:00.004-05:00

with this little girl

and my new camera lens

and my new boots. merry christmas to me. have i ever mentioned how long i've been searching for a pair of brown boots? well, i don't think that i will. it's a little embarrasing in regards to my inability to decide on the perfect pair. but, all that is behind me now. because i couldn't be happier. may this be the first and last pair i ever buy. of brown boots, of course. there's always more room in my closet for other colors.

better run, got to return the three others that didn't make the cut.

new uses for old things

2009-12-14T20:27:00.003-05:00

we've had an extra crib mattress for quite some time, just sitting in the corner of the guest room. obviously, we both hate to just through something away, as evidenced by the amount of time the mattress remained in our guest room corner. well, that or the fact that it would require spare time to be able to take it somewhere. so, byron had the great idea to use it as a "gate" to block the entrance into the hallway this weekend. with the crazy idea that if we could block her in one room, we might actually be able to just sit and hang out on the couch--not so much. so, i decided that we could spoil the dogs a little and lay it flat for them in the living room. and yes, it was intended to be a one time thing. but it seems that the dogs and mary adelyn have adopted it as their new favorite place in the living room.

delia doesn't mind sharing this with babies.

real or fake. and the best part is, mary adelyn has a new place to watch for her daddy to come home.

let's...

2009-12-09T19:30:00.003-05:00

...go

for

a

walk.

are you coming?

good.

then, i'll run from you.

this is the new game.

mary adelyn tested,

2009-12-04T20:16:00.002-05:00

mary adelyn approved.

what better way to try out your new coat and hat. the fridge. she's a smart one.

the o-o-z

2009-12-03T20:02:00.003-05:00

as it is now referred to at my sister's house. if said allowed or spelled correctly, riley kate, my 3 year old niece, has her bags packed and car seat buckled in 2.5 seconds. so, it was fun to finally experience the zoo through riley's eyes. this girl is destined to be an elephant trainer, or at least a zoo tour guide.

mary adelyn was actually a little more interested in the animals than what we thought she would be. probably because byron and i were both expecting to see the zoo that we remembered growing up. luckily for the kids, and the animals, it is in much better standing. the parakeet retreat was definitely a fun spot.

but not quite as fun as the goats and sheep.

this girl loves to 'pat them gently.' the zebras were pretty cool, but not nearly as interesting as the fence that contained them.

and to finish off the tour, there's nothing better than a merry-go-round.

we had a great time and somehow managed to escape with these three monkeys.

first things, first

2009-11-30T19:03:00.003-05:00

here's a peek of the girlie's first birthday tailgate. she wasn't quite sure of what to think while watching us run around and get the tailgate situated. so, she just sat on the chick-fil-a nugget platter (minus the nuggets, of course) and soaked it all in.

and then, like the light above the griswold family christmas tree, her cousin mia arrived.

oh, how we love mia. i'm already thinking of ways we can smuggle her back to asheville with us. and when mia found bigger people to play with, the tunnel arrived!

i have a feeling a tunnel very similar to this one will find a permanent place in our hallway. i'm sure the dogs will adjust to their new mode of travel down the hallway. don't worry, cousin elic got his chance in the tunnel too.

now for the most important of details...the sweets! mmm, hamburger cupcakes.

well, not really hamburger. more like brownie-burger cupcakes. they actually tasted as good as they looked. i found this really cute idea on one of my favorite cooking/baking blogs. and you know, you can't have burgers without fries.

that's what sugar cookies are for. special thanks to the chick-fil-a of clayton, ga for sponsoring this event.

mary adelyn thoroughly enjoyed her very own red velvet birthday cake (although, i'm pretty sure she never really made it past the icing).

and even decided to share with her daddy.

this girl is a true sweetheart, especially now that she has entered the world of sugar. all in all, it was a wonderful tailgate. we couldn't have asked for better weather. and the amount of friends and family that traveled to athens truly amazed us. byron kept saying the last time we had that many people gathered for an event was for our wedding. which just so happen to take place about 15 feet to the right of our tailgate.

it's still hard to believe that mary adelyn is officially a toddler.

here's to many more years just as fun as the last!

thankful

2009-11-29T20:47:00.003-05:00

we are so thankful for our wonderful week long trip to georgia, visiting with friends and family, celebrating mary adelyn's first birthday, and of course making it back home safe and sound. stay tuned for pictures and details...

pick and choose

2009-11-17T22:07:00.003-05:00

we were able to schedule a family photo shoot with a wonderful local photographer a couple of weeks ago, you know, when we all had the flu. despite our symptoms, we decided to go ahead with the shoot since the weather was beautiful, and boy we are so glad we did. the pictures turned out wonderful! you can click here to see our sneak peak on the photographer's blog.

now comes the hard part of picking and choosing which ones we want. while i keep saying, " i just can't decide," byron keeps shaking his head to the notion that maybe we should just buy them all.

so, here's where you come in. click here, then click on 'your photos' and type in the password: alday

tell us which ones we can't live without. we have until november 30th to decide.

she hearts carbs

2009-11-12T17:29:00.004-05:00

this girl could live off of bread and biscuits. she loves, loves, loves them. about as much as we love sunny point. if you've ever visited us, then you've definitely eaten there. it's pretty much our staple go out to eat with visitors place. this little clip was from her first sunny point meal. yes, we love it that much.

it's a whole new world

2009-11-10T20:06:00.001-05:00

for blogging and for walking...

the hands behind her back is a new trick that evidently helps her balance. too cute.

be. back. soon.

2009-11-03T09:02:00.002-05:00

until then, enjoy our fall colors...

one small step for baby,

2009-10-20T16:53:00.003-04:00

one giant leap for mary adelyn. it's official. mary adelyn took her first steps today while waiting to get her flu shot. yep. right there in front of byron and i both. i mean, what are the chances of both of us seeing it? pretty, pretty cool.

so, how many days are in between the first steps and the no longer requiring any assistance to ambulate? i'm thinking we have at least another week or so.

any baby gate recommendations?

pumpkin patch kids

2009-10-19T16:36:00.004-04:00

we decided to brave the cool weather this weekend and head out to a local pumpkin patch while the skies were still blue. mary adelyn and deacon had a great time, despite the super cold wind. it was fun to see her experience all of the barnyard animals that we've been reading to her about. but first, we had to venture through the kids area. and no kids area complete without one of these...

i'm serious. those cheeks crack me up. and just in case you've been wondering how tall the girlie is now...

just about pigs height. and now for the pumpkin patch. or what was left of the pumpkin patch.

she's not one for sitting still very long anymore, so as far as the pictures go, you get what you get.

did i mention we were skipping her nap time?

fun. fun. pumpkin patch, check. now, i'll have to try my hand at carving.

stay tuned.

couch potato

2009-10-17T15:11:00.002-04:00

there's only one thing to do when it's this time of year and the weather is cold and windy.

lay around the house

watch football with your sock pom-poms

make funny faces

and work on being a true couch potato in your favorite p.j.j's

burr, it's chilly up here in the mountains. fall, if you're listening, please come back for just a little while.

family affair

2009-10-16T16:53:00.005-04:00

please accept my apologies for lack of posts lately. i've just got a few things on my plate that seem to be taking up more time. have i mentioned that we are trying to sell our house? that should explain it pretty easily.

anyhow, on to the pictures from papa pete and grammy pam's wedding. we had a wonderful time with our georgia family last weekend and now miss them more than ever. for those who don't know, i am the middle child of three. older sister and younger brother. and it didn't really hit me, until i saw all of these beautiful children sitting on the step, how crazy it is that we now have children of our very own. three of us, now six of them.

from top left to bottom right: aysia, phoenix, lily ann (matthew's), mary adelyn (do i really need to say?), ben, and riley kate (sandy's).
aren't they precious? thank you aunt sandy for the cute outfits! this is pretty much the best i could do. it's not easy trying to arrange six kiddos while attempting not to fall over and praying that the little ones don't lean too far forward on the step.

now, that's a little better. thanks lily for the helpful hand. i'm not sure mary adelyn could have handled another tumble that weekend. oh, i guess i forgot to mention that. mary adelyn had her first official fall off the bed. she's ok, not even a bump or scratch to show from it. byron on the other hand, turned white as a ghost and left the room to "get her pacifier." i'm told that there is some old wives tale about falling off a bed before turning one. although, i'm sure you could find an old wives tale for just about anything. enough about child endangerment. more pictures please.

this is my bro.

don't let that cute little smile fool you. he's got some spunk and plenty of stories that will make your stomach hurt from laughing so hard. i'm sure it has something to do with the tricks we used to play on him. but hey, that's what being a middle child is all about, right?

mary adelyn loved her uncle matthew. he's one of the few people that have been able to hold her in my presence without some major leaning, whining, or absolute rejection going on.

and finally, mary adelyn and her daddy.

please tell me my husband will one day dance with me again. i'm thinking it probably won't be until mary adelyn has a boyfriend. or until she realizes that it is so not cool to dance with your dad. which one of these stages come first?

in the genes

2009-10-15T16:48:00.005-04:00

mary adelyn has an official best friend at her day care. they smile when they see each other, they play together (yes, they actually play together--not just next to each other), they make each other laugh, and today it was taken to a whole new level. the little man had just awoke from his afternoon nap and was not very happy about it. so, mary adelyn crawled over to him and patted his back while leaning down to give him hugs. it was by far the cutest thing that i've ever seen. all the grandma's kept saying that she's going to be a nurse and it must be in her genes. i told them that i would make sure to share that with byron, seeing as how he is convinced i lack compassion or nurturing abilities, towards him anyway. i tried to explain that there's only so much compassion and nurturing that one can hand out everyday. and it just so happens that the little elementary students reach my max daily, leaving little left for a 33 yr old man.

and just because i do not like posts without pictures. here's a shot of our big girl from a few weekends ago.

i'd say she's adjusting to the cold weather walks pretty good. thanks mimi for the super cute sweater find! we love it!

how in the world

2009-10-07T19:49:00.002-04:00

did i make it the through the day without seeing this face this morning?

i had to leave before this girlie woke up. yep, it was that early. and i didn't like it one bit. to make up for it, i did get to have her all by myself this evening.

well, not really to make up for me missing her this morning. it just happened to work out that i had to work early the same day that byron had to work late. i'll take early mornings any day. byron, not so much.

new normal

2009-10-04T19:26:00.005-04:00

well, we've tried our best to settle into what is our new "normal." is it sad, and possibly a little embarrassing, to say that our new "normal" is to keep the sink clean, floors swept, laundry folded, and toothpaste off the mirror? i mean, surely we should be doing that already. maybe if there wasn't two dogs and a nearly walking 10 month old meandering through the house everyday, we'd be able to do some of those things. i keep saying this house selling thing could be good for us. you know, we just might learn that it is possible to keep the house clean and still have time to watch hbo. so far, so good. maybe i'll have a different stance if this continues for much longer. as of right now, we've had a few showings, one broker lunch, and one open house--with two very interested parties. keep those fingers AND toes crossed!

the dogs on the other hand are having a little harder adjustment. i'm thinking by the time this is all over with (moved or not), they are not going to like riding in the car as much as they used to. luckily the weather has been nice and cool, so it hasn't been bad at all to drive them around while the house is being shown.

fortunately, the rain has subsided and allowed for their much needed sun-bathing time. so, they quickly forget about the boring tours of all the downtown neighborhoods.

this is their favorite little perch in our backyard. it's our own wizard of oz entry door to the basement. (i'm thinking this could very well be a selling point. who doesn't love the wizard of oz?) the sun beats down on the wood all day and provides the perfect amount of heat for any four-legged bum.

they would sit out here all day if it weren't for the endless possibilities of finger foods hitting the dining room floor at any minute. this is their new found love. mary adelyn eating finger foods. they've even become picky eaters. delia doesn't even bother to eat the fruit anymore. she's never been one to watch her figure.

speaking of sun-bathing. i took this picture through our back door this weekend. notice the panting.

oh the heat, it's hurts so good--to layla that is.

speaking of hurting. the georgia game was a tough one. this is by far the best thing that came out of that game.

i could just eat them both up. thank you to nan west for the super cute georgia shirt! i doubt it will be the last time these two are forced to wear matching outfits. luckily, mary adelyn has enough hair to hold a bow, so we can tell them apart.

on the market

2009-09-26T19:08:00.005-04:00

whew. to say that we've had a busy week would be an understatement. we managed to stay dry and make it to the annual brewgrass festival, visit with our friends mick and michelle from d.c. (who by the way are planning to move here. yay!), and make some potential life changing decisions. but before we skip ahead too far, here's a shot of the little lady partaking in her very first brewgrass festival.

pretzel necklaces are pretty much required for all attendees. i'm thinking we should use this brilliant concept for tailgating as well. i can't believe we haven't thought of that before.

now on to the potentially life altering news. the house of alday is officially on the market. yep. for sale. we stumbled across a house a few weeks ago and decided to walk through it "just to see." this is how i convinced byron :) after walking through the house and daydreaming about what we would do with more than one bathroom, we decided that it was worth trying to sell ours for. so, after some major cleaning, decluttering, and depersonalizing there is now a sign in our front yard. our hope is to try and sell ours before the other one goes under contract. if we aren't able to sell in time, then will most likely pull ours off the market. the good thing is that we really love the house that we are in. evidently, more than i was even aware. i've felt bad ever since they put the sign in the yard. almost like we've been cheating on our house. i keep looking at the pictures of our house on the real estate website and asking myself, "now, why are we moving?" and then i remember the thought of having extra bedrooms, another bathroom, a master bedroom with a bathroom, and then i start the whole daydreaming process again.

it will definitely be an interesting process. you know, trying to keep a house in 'showing condition' with a little one (almost walking--mind you) and two dogs running around. so far, so good. we made it through the first day. now, the weekdays might be more of an issue. coming up this week we are having a broker preview on tuesday, a broker lunch on thursday and our first open house on sunday. wish us luck!

ivory grill

2009-09-17T19:42:00.004-04:00

it's here! mary adelyn's first tooth has fully emerged and graced us with it's presence. my little girl has a tooth. ah, sigh. a tooth. poor little thing was tortured during her dinner just so we could capture glimpses of the new ivory accessory. yes, the camera was present.

no, i did not get a shot of it. really, you didn't think it would be that easy did you? maybe next meal time.

13.1

2009-09-14T15:57:00.004-04:00

byron and brian ran the citizen times half-marathon this past weekend. while lori, carson, mary adelyn, and i had a great time ~~cheering~~ chasing them. amazingly, we were able to make it out the door with two kiddos in tow and arrive at mile marker 7 before ANY of the runners went by. so we sat up camp and told carson and mary adelyn to keep a look out...

and lookout they did.

that is, until the cheering section grew larger and the pots and pans started banging.

carson practiced cheering, "go dad-dy!", "go by-ren!", and "yay runners!" while mary adelyn made sure he didn't drop her 'ipod.'

mary adelyn was super excited when her daddy ran by,

and then she sat and wondered why he didn't stop.

and tried to attack the signs.

so, we quickly gathered our things and hurried to the finish line. i think i pulled my hamstring just trying to get there in time. sad, i know.

congrats to both daddies meeting their goal time and both babies (or should i say mommies) surviving the event. it was pretty obvious that we had the cutest cheering section, hands down.

so far each year has brought a better race day strategy and a new baby. don't worry, the moore's are providing the new baby next year. mary adelyn will still be sporting the 'only child' title.

finger foods

2009-09-10T16:25:00.002-04:00

check.

got baby legs?

2009-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

we do. two in fact. i found this great tutorial on how to make your own babylegs. they are just too cute and perfect for the cooler season that is quickly approaching. these are great for the bigger kiddos as well. under skirts, pants, short sleeve shirts. the list could go on and on. not to mention that i was able to make four pair in one evening. there's nothing better than quick turn-around for a sewing project. can you tell that i'm addicted?

here's a close-up.

stocking stuffer anyone?

gameday

2009-09-07T11:20:00.005-04:00

mary adelyn had a great time gearing up for the georgia football season opener. evidently, she thought we should start the season off with a blackout. fortunately, we were able to talk her into changing. i'm sure you remember this onesie/dress.

it fits a little better theses days.

she was very interested in the t.v, since it is rarely turned on when she is awake.

not because we are against letting her watch t.v., just because the shows we watch don't come on until after her bedtime. believe me, we watch our fair share of HBO.

she handled the first game fairly well...much better than her daddy. here she is wondering why he's talking (very loudly) to the t.v.

delia too, was interested in the game.

or maybe it was just uga she was looking at.

rusty cage

2009-08-30T20:19:00.004-04:00

mary adelyn has officially graduated from her crib at daycare. unbelievable. she is now taking her naps on a cot. yes, my eyes teared up just a little when they told me.

mark your calendar

2009-08-27T20:40:00.002-04:00

more details to follow

hold steady

2009-08-25T21:08:00.006-04:00

i mentioned to mary adelyn that it would be great if she could stop growing for just a little while. each day brings a new trick and even more independence. we've already found ourselves reminiscing about the baby she used to be.

mary adelyn was not too fond of the idea.

laid back

2009-08-23T16:12:00.003-04:00

because sometimes sitting up to eat is just too much work. this girlie is funny. really funny.

she's a niner

2009-08-21T20:52:00.004-04:00

9 months (+2 hrs) old!

stats:
28.75 length (75%)
17 lb 4 oz (25%)
=1 string bean
(confirmed by the doctor herself)

tricks:
crawling (yep, she's on the move)
climbing (did i mention that she's on the move?)
waving, high 5s, blowing kisses
dancing (thanks to daily dance parties w/ daddy)

vocab:
da-da
ma-ma
da (dog)

**interesting side note: the pediatrician told us today that based on statistics, babies that remain in the 75th % in length after 6 months of age are more likely to be tall as an adult. we're just hoping this growth spurt doesn't hit until after middle school. i'd like to think that i have a few more years of being taller than her.

america's game

2009-08-19T21:10:00.003-04:00

mary adelyn made her first trip to our local minor league baseball stadium. it was a great day for baseball. she was definitely interested in what was happening on the field, but mostly she was fixated on her index finger (see above).

it was fun to watch her take in all of the sights and sounds. and clap when the crowd clapped.

and give high 5's

and enjoy her daddy's company

and wonder what the heck the umpire was thinking

and hang out with this cutie

and sit back, relax, kick her feet up, and enjoy what is known as america's game.

summer reading

2009-08-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

mary adelyn's summer reading is going well. she has graduated from the board books and is now moving on to her daddy's library. she'll be a theologian before we know it.

new tricks and olympics

2009-08-11T15:11:00.004-04:00

we have a little saying in our house anytime byron cooks, "looks like daddy's been cooking." this means: most likely every pot we own is on the counter and dirty, as well as most of the ingredients that were meant to make it into the meal. we have now adapted this saying to whenever he feeds mary adelyn.

i was trying to capture the amount of broccoli, sweet potatoes, and tofu left behind; however, mary adelyn did not much appreciate being photographed in that state.

i know we have said it many times, but our days are definitely numbered in regards to mary adelyn's mobilization debut. this is pretty much the only thing she wants to do now...

and if she is not standing by the ottoman, then she is using delia to stand up, walking with our assistance, rocking back and forth on her knees,

or telling me to stop taking pictures of her without any pants on. i think she gets her modesty from me :)

**********************************

we had another great weekend spending time with the partridges and cheering them on in the brucemont olympics (their neighborhood field day, so to speak). luckily there was no spelling/grammar competition (see sign above).

mary adelyn loved being a cheerleader and hanging out with a fellow little one.

although, she wasn't quite sure what to think of the balloon race.

see ~~gators~~ dawg food above. they were the winning team, as much as it pains me to type it. we try our best to ignore the gator socks. he really is a nice person. mary adelyn won cutest baby award. well, once big john went home :)

tree huggers

2009-08-06T17:09:00.005-04:00

we've finally settled into having our weekends free with no plans to follow. it's nice to be able to enjoy the town we live in and remember why we moved here. this past weekend we spent some time with the partridges at the aboretum. i'm a little embarrassed to say that it was our first official visit to the arboretum since we've lived here. we were very pleasantly surprised...and hot. there's nothing like a little sweat to help with a hair style...

speaking of surprises. we happened upon a really cool bonsai garden while walking around the grounds.

evidently, byron is a BIG fan of bonsai. who knew? mary adelyn was not nearly as enamored by the mini trees. we've defnitely noticed that her personality is starting to really show through. and she's not afraid to tell anyone what she thinks. here are a few of her many faces.

can you tell she is starting to get tired of the camera just a little bit? we always know there is trouble when she brings out the cheeks (see middle picture above). she wasn't keen on being placed in the midst of the potato vine. and she was definitely letting her daddy know it.

meanwhile, john was really digging the boxwood basil.

i was too. it was a super cool plant. i wish our boxwoods were basil.

applique me

2009-08-04T22:03:00.004-04:00

this a just little taste of what i've been working on in the sweat shop. a cute little birthday present for my niece, riley kate. thanks to my new blogging friend margaret, who provided me with an excellent tutorial for appliqueing letters on shirts. luckily, she was able to look past our SEC ties (she's an auburn fan...yikes :) and help a fellow southern sister out. and just because i'm crazy, i'll give you a close up.

the rounded sections are definitely a little bit more tricky. as you can obviously see. but i'm sure i'll get plenty of practice with all of the "m.a." items that i'll be working on.

the girlie is going to be sporting her initials for years on end.

dog tired

2009-08-03T19:10:00.005-04:00

byron is currently training for a half-marathon in september and full marathon in november. thankfully, the weather has been cooperating enough (meaning not too hot) for him to take the old ladies with him. layla LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to run. delia goes because she forgets what is about to happen. before they left for a run on saturday morning i made sure to say, "good luck byron, good luck delia, have fun layla." oh, how true that is.

with all the running that has been taking place, we're able to witness first hand the real meaning of dog tired.

there's nothing like a good sun bath after a long run. unfortunately, they never remember that we don't have air conditioning.

on a side note: i mentioned to byron what i ate for lunch today. he said (and i quote), "maybe you should start running." hmm. how should one react to that suggestion? he claims he was inferring that the amount of carbs would help with my energy. i'm not so sure he wasn't talking about my cookie handles, as i call them.

beautiful living

2009-07-27T14:02:00.006-04:00

it was a nice feeling to be in our town for the weekend. we were able to spend time with our asheville family and enjoy the bele chere festival. byron and i used to drive to asheville before we lived here just for this festival. it really is a great event, especially since we live within walking/bumbling distance.

we decided to head down on saturday a little later in the evening. and just as we locked the front door and walked off the porch, the rain came. figures. so, we sat on the porch, enjoyed the rain, and debated whether or not we should take this as a sign to stay home for the night. mary adelyn passed the time by playing on the front porch swing.

byron passed the time by talking on the phone

luckily for him, mary adelyn still finds that funny. 30 minutes later, after a quick weather check...

and a bump on the lip (notice daddy not paying attention),

we decided to take our chances and head downtown. so glad we did. the weather was perfect and we had a great time. mary adelyn handled the festivities very well. here are few shots from her first festival.

giving kisses is her new trick.

watch out layla and delia, mary adelyn is quickly approaching your trick capacities.

we also discovered new uses for the bumbleride.

the all-in-one stroller has taken on new meanings in the house of alday. mmm, funnel cake. for those who are wondering, mary adelyn and i are very much alike...

as long as we are fed, we are happy. we had a great time enjoying good music, food, friends, and our beautiful town.

(behind the scenes view of the outdoor crafts market)

although, i am sad to report that we did not get to watch the ultimate air dog championship this year. i know, i can't believe it either. this is the first bele chere that we haven't seen the dog show. so, for memory's sake, here's a clip of our own pride and joy competing a couple of years ago. the first 2 min is a "warm-up" period to prove that she'll even jump in the water. duh, she is a lab. the big show starts at 2:30, where she reveals that dogs can have stage fright, completely panic, forget how to get out of the water, and then nearly fall off the platform. duh, she is a lab.

needless to say, we did not receive any phone calls to join the circuit. delia had her very own cheering section (as you could hear from the video clip. amanda is the voice behind the video. she speaks the truth and nothing but the truth : ).

yes, this was before any of us had babies.

life's a beach

2009-07-26T11:29:00.008-04:00

byron's always said that he could live at the beach. i've always kindly reminded him that it would have to be a beach with plenty of shade and a nice cool breeze. you know, like the kind of beaches they have in hawaii. i mean, who couldn't live there?

for those of you who didn't know or haven't ascertained already, mary adelyn and i are true whities. blonde hair, blue eyes, and absolutely no pigmentation talent to speak of. believe it or not, there are some disadvantages of having porcelain skin (as my nan always called it) and blue eyes. unfortunately, our skin tone doesn't exactly lend itself to beach living. although, we decided to put it to the test over the past month with two back-to-back beach trips. luckily, those who were blessed with tanning abilities took good care of us, making sure we were well shaded, sunglassed, and breezed.

speaking of those who tan...

aunt margaret and her coppertone boys, elic and ~~j money~~, i mean jack (see pizza hut $ necklace he acquired on road trip to the beach). it's always nice to spend time with the boys. especially for byron. i think he gets a little estrogen overload sometimes in our house of women.

boys are fun. boys are active. boys are very, very active. here's a little taste of beach life with a seven year old.

pouting. kite flying. racing.

all within a 35 minute period. and i didn't include the shots of us playing frisbee. maybe the word active doesn't quite do it justice. don't worry. i let him win. and yes, i'm still sore. obviously, i need to start running again.

jack is a lot of fun and super sweet. during his brief resting periods, he'd run by and say, "she's so cute." directed to mary adelyn, of course. he's definitely a lover. among his list of top favorite things: uncle byron and layla.

holy, moly. he did sit down. and someone got it on film.

margaret kept saying how she wished her boys looked like her, if only just a tiny bit. i think this little cutie certainly takes after his momma.

it's crazy to think that these two are related. they are like night and day, in regards to their skin color. they're actually pretty similar-- they both love their mommas (a whole, whole lot) and really like eating (sand and/or food, doesn't matter).

looks like elic is wondering what that little white girl is doing. did i mention that she really likes other babies?

or is it boys?

it's hard to tell since we are surrounded by only boy babies. byron's hoping its just babies in general.

see mary adelyn, they break your heart in the end and then throw their hands up in the air wondering was it something they said, or didn't say? something they did, or didn't do? if only they could read our minds. everything would be much easier.

at least, at the end of the day, you can always count on mimi to love on your wounds.

we were so happy that we were able to make the trip down. it's not everyday that we get to surround ourselves with family from california, new mexico, and georgia. family that we unfortunately did not get any pictures of in our camera. how did that happen!?

i guess we were too focused on this little girlie.

as you can imagine, we are trying to recover. 2 beach trips in 2 different states, 1 trip to ga, 4 airplane rides, 1 night spent in the atlanta airport by super-daddy byron, and 1 music/crafts festival (pictures to come) just might be all the alday clan can handle in a summer.

but what a nice summer it has been.

leaving on a jet plane

2009-07-21T20:52:00.003-04:00

well, we've already left and returned again. we've been at the beach for a wonderful family get together with the alday's. more pictures to come from the beach. until then, here's a shot from mary adelyn's first plane ride. (i apologize for the poor picture quality. it's the best i could do with a baby in my lap, while trying to gather our things to deboard the plane.)

she was a good passenger. too good, in fact. we might have a world traveler on our hands.

thank you aunt margaret for the buddy passes!

georgia on my mind

2009-07-21T14:55:00.004-04:00

we made a trip to georgia for a wedding a couple of weekends ago and were able to spend some time with my dad and pam (aka: papa pete and grammy pam). mary adelyn had a great time exploring their flowers and plants. but she wasn't quite sure what to think of the mini-moose.

and she quickly learned, that papa pete has a whole different way of holding babies.

by the end of the visit, mary adelyn was mocking any face that papa pete would throw at her. too funny. we can't wait to see y'all again. we had a wonderful visit!

straight from the sweat shop

2009-07-05T19:39:00.003-04:00

i mentioned to byron when i was pregnant that if we happened to have a girl, i would try and make her clothes. now that mary adelyn is 7.5 months old, byron has reminded me of that statement multiple times. so, i went to work.

and the model herself...

it's just a tad too big. but i figured that she can probably wear it next summer too. i mean, surely she won't grow that much right?

there's more to come from the sweat shop de alday. i now have a slight sewing addiction. let's just hope i become more efficient. special thanks to my mom who passed along all of her wonderful sewing supplies and hopefully an inkling of her talent.

beach bums

2009-07-05T13:18:00.004-04:00

we just returned from a wonderful beach vacation with some of our closest friends. we had a great time and are looking forward to making it a yearly trip. mary adelyn loved the beach, especially the sand, and somewhat tolerated the ocean. she wasn't the biggest fan of the waves, but neither is her momma.

it was definitely interesting trying to set up our spot on the first day. just imagine scenes from any national lampoon vacation. danna thought it would be a good idea for the babies to have a kiddie pool under the tent. chris thought there was no way the pool would make it back to the tent with water. brian volunteered to help out with the quest.

there is some major stra-tea-gery going on in this next picture...

keep in mind, we are all watching this play out from the tent. and wondering how in the world they are going to be able to carry that thing back fifty yards without it breaking.

now comes the true test.

success!

thank you d for your persistence. the kiddie pool is now a must for any beach trip. 3 trips to the ocean without any breakage. pretty impressive. although, my knuckles are still sore from carrying that thing.

here are a few snapshots of our kiddos at the beach...

check out that belly. girlie loves to eat food, but she's not afraid to try a purple walrus every now and then.

carson giving mary adelyn that all important advice--don't eat the sand, yuck!

notice, hand in mouth again. we're thinking maybe next year she'll get it.

mary adelyn sporting her favorite suit.

here's walker, doing what he pretty much did all vacation. eat.

carson and his mom-ee {pronounced in carson language}, lori.

a good time was had by all.

we learned multiple things from our first beach vacation:

there's no need to pack any books or magazines--it's just wishful thinking
the sand will keep showing up no matter how much you wash and rinse
it {sand} bothers us way more than it bothers the kids anyhow
the kids will never all be on the same schedule, or even have a schedule for that matter
it's always a good idea to reinforce the stakes in the tent (yes, we were those people on the beach who let their tent blow over w/ the wind. luckily, byron and mary adelyn were present to hold down the fort...literally)
we are much older than we used to be

and finally, i'll leave you with this--the man-kini.

appropriately named by brian. can you tell byron is married to a fair-skinned nurse?

the graduate

2009-06-24T21:11:00.004-04:00

10 trips to charlotte
3 meltdown car rides
3 chocolate milk shakes (to help with the meltdown car rides)
8 weeks of band treatment
10 weeks (+ 54 more) of neck exercises
1 round head

here are the exit photos...

is the top left picture not the cutest little girl you've ever seen? notice her head tilt in the earlier pictures. this is what the neck exercises are targeting.

the bottom right picture in the next set of photos, shows the area that was the main focus of the treatment. you can definitely see the difference from the first photo study.

notice the right side of her forehead no longer protrudes more than the left. just about symmetrical. pretty crazy.

look close. mary adelyn might have a pearly surprise in the near future.

that explains the unusual night awakenings, loss of appetite, and gnawing of everything in sight.

mary adelyn is adjusting to her de-banded, rounded head life well. i keep wondering if she is thinking that we've forgotten to put her band back on. i mean, after having worn it for a third of her life, surely she notices that it is missing. right?

looking at these comparison pictures really brings home how much she has grown and changed already.

time flies. it truly does.

happy father's day!

2009-06-21T19:44:00.007-04:00

thankfully, mary adelyn fully recovered from the stomach bug and we were able to celebrate byron's first father's day--with a nice brunch, a trip to best buy, and some good front porch sitting.

since mary adelyn is not yet able to type (well, or talk really), i thought i'd pass along what i'm sure she is very thankful for.

thank you daddy,

for bringing me home from the hospital safely. very, very safely at 5 mph.

for showing me off at my first thanksgiving

for volunteering to do the night shift

for teaching me how to tailgate for my first georgia game

for explaining to me in detail the meaning of Christmas

for styling my hair

for keeping me entertained

for taking me on my first trip to athens and telling walker to keep his hands to himself

for making sure you always have plenty of kisses for me

for giving me my good looks AND sharing your very own baby clothes

thank you byron, for being a wonderful daddy to all of our girls. we are so thankful you are ours.

yes, delia's eyes are closed. dangit. and yes, layla was given a treat afterwards--she immediately lost her attitude.

under the weather

2009-06-20T21:12:00.003-04:00

mary adelyn is battling her first stomach bug. she's been sipping pedialyte and taking full advantage of sleeping on our bed.

poor little girlie, has only wanted to cuddle all day. thankfully, it looks like she's on the upswing. hopefully, the night will not be a long one.

lowrider

2009-06-16T19:02:00.004-04:00

due to recent mobile attackings, mary adelyn's crib has been lowered a notch. funny, i keep calling it her big girl bed now. i know, i know. she's got a ways to go before that happens. we also thought that the lowered mattress would allow her to get into the crib herself. looks like she's thinking the same thing.

in other much more exciting news: mary adelyn's banded days are numbered. SIX. yep, six more days and then she officially graduates from the doc band! 8 weeks of banding= 1 round head. next monday will be our girlie's first graduation. no gifts necessary.

moving on...

growing up, after a long day of shopping with my nana and papa hammock (aka nan and pop), we would always come home and model the clothes that they so graciously bought for us. i thought it would be fitting for mary adelyn to start the same tradition.

watch out boys, girl looks good in polka-dots. as you can see, byron is not quite sure what to think. thank you mimi for the super cute outfits and bathing suit!

past-times

2009-06-14T21:56:00.005-04:00

one of mary adelyn's favorite past-times is to swing on the front porch. looks like mimi enjoyed it just as much!

and since it had been a full five days since we gathered with our local family, we decided to have a little backyard bbq.

speaking of past-times. this is amanda. this is her favorite past-time :)

deacon trying to figure out what the big deal is about laddergolf.

obviously, we've yet to show him how to play. eating the golf ball is not part of the game.

matt displaying one of his many daddy talents...

big john kept his eyes on the sky, just in case any spontaneous storm developed.

we had a wonderful visit with mimi and papa alday. and are looking forward to many, many more!

waiting

2009-06-11T20:28:00.004-04:00

we told the girls that mimi and papa alday are coming up to visit this weekend.

this is pretty much where they've been ever since.

freebie

2009-06-11T15:47:00.004-04:00

for those of you who lean a little to the crafty side. here's a free download that i stumbled across for some super cute gift tags.

for more cute printables from whisper graphics, visit their etsy store.

laundry day

2009-06-07T20:11:00.005-04:00

yes, it pretty much takes us a whole day to get our laundry sorted out. we definitely were not prepared for the increase in amount of laundry that this little 14.5 pound addition would cause. since it was so pretty outside on sunday, i thought it would be nice to fold the clothes outdoors.

evidently, it was a little too exhausting for mary adelyn.

maybe she was just bored. if that's the case, she's got a long road ahead of her.

pool party!

2009-06-06T23:16:00.005-04:00

we had our very first kiddie pool party this weekend at the partridges. funny, in the past these parties used to involve kids of the four legged version running around. things have definitely changed around here. mary adelyn had a great time hanging out in the pool and showing off her new tankini.

thank you big john for letting her borrow your hat. got to protect that soon-to-be round head.

here are a few pictures that we captured of our asheville family. this is jill and deacon.

deacon is the one who started all of the baby mania amongst our friends. once he was born, the rest of us decided we too wanted to join the procreate in 2008 club. he's such a big boy now...

speaking of big boys, big john has just about caught up to mary adelyn. they were supposed to be 3 months apart, but john decided he had to be a part of the 2008 club as well. so he decided to come 8 weeks early, making them just 2 weeks apart. here he is with his mom, vicki.

john preferred to play in the pool from this direction.

it was so much fun to see the two of them playing together. we definitely got flash forwards of what is to come.

as you can see, mary adelyn couldn't get enough of him.

i'm sure you can imagine what happened after that. poor john did not enjoy his nose being smushed by mary adelyn's band. i'm sure it won't be the last time she makes him cry. watch out big john, she's going to be a heart breaker.

run ,daddy, run

2009-06-06T22:38:00.002-04:00

while byron has been busy getting back into shape and running in the chamber 5k this past weekend...

i've been busy doing this...

mmm, cookies and cream.

mary adelyn has managed to keep herself entertained as well. we had wondered why the mobile said that it was only good for ages 0-5 months.

now we know.

new do

2009-06-01T20:26:00.003-04:00

mary adelyn is sporting a brand new paint job. same basic design, just a few differences in color. we are beginning week 6 today of her treatment. so far, so good. she had a wonderful ride. can't you tell by the pictures?

a good nap works wonders.

are you ready to bumble?

2009-05-30T21:44:00.002-04:00

this is now how we ask the dogs if they want to go for a walk. our stroller is a bumbleride. and they've already started to associate the stroller with going outside. smart doggies they are. we finally had a nice day of weather, so we decided to head over to the biltmore for a picnic.

this is the view from above the stroller, looking through the canopy...

nope, that's not mary adelyn. it's a good thing we can check on marie to make sure she is having a good ride.

nice little saturday.

string bean

2009-05-30T12:13:00.006-04:00

6 month measurements:

26.50 length (75th percentile)

14.5 pounds (25th percentile)

any guesses which side of the gene pool she got that from? well, at least she got my blue eyes.

pretty in pink

2009-05-28T20:02:00.005-04:00

we managed to sneak in some picture time on the front porch this afternoon while the rain subsided for a few minutes. is everyone else getting as much rain as we are? it has rained at least once a day for the past week or so. if it weren't for the mountains on the horizon, i'd think we had moved to the beach. ok, enough a/b the weather, onto the girlie!

we've been waiting anxiously for the day that mary adelyn reaches out for us to hold her. we had no idea she'd be reaching out for her baby first.

meet marie. mary adelyn's new best friend (thanks mimi!). i'm sure she'd still consider layla her best friend if she could just squeeze her like that.

speaking of layla, she was at the screen door whining to get out on the porch during our photo session. mary adelyn thought it was the funniest thing.

i mean really, it should be a crime to be this cute

do you see what i see?

yes, those are ruffles on her shorts. who would have thought that we'd be in to pink ruffles?

still there?

2009-05-26T19:52:00.007-04:00

sorry for the pause in posts. we are now the new owners of a brand spanking new laptop. so, we should be back in the blogging business. things have been quite busy here in the mountains. i'll let the photos do the talking.

nah, i'll still narrate. it's hard to believe that the girlie has reached the SIXTH MONTH milestone!

six month tricks:
sleeping on her side and belly
attacking the mobile at 4am
yogurt, avocados, sweet potatoes, and bananas
reaching out to pet the old ladies (aka the dogs)

looks like she is just as surprised as we are.

nope, the six did not last long.

and for anyone wondering how delia managed to get a bacterial infection.

this is pretty much her new sitting area in the backyard. the groundhog hole happens to be just a few inches from the end of her nose. evidently, close calls with groundhogs can lead to bacterial infections. ah, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. no learning curve there.

b-a-n-a-n-a-s!

2009-05-17T21:55:00.006-04:00

she ain't no holla back girl... so, mary adelyn has added one more food to her menu. and it is clear that she is bananas for bananas.

and for everyone wondering what the heck that is on her head, it's called a doc band. evidently a combination of her being past due, a long baby, and my short torso all conspired to keep her head from being perfectly round. basically the back right side of her head is a little flatter than the other side. plagiocephaly is what all the cool kids are calling it. she starts week 4 tomorrow, of a probable 8-10 week treatment schedule, wearing it for 23hrs a day. we've been making weekly trips to charlotte for adjustments. so far, so good. she hasn't shown any signs that it bothers her. and we've already started to see progress. the photo on the right was taken on mother's day, so this is after 2 weeks of treatment. check it out...

yes, this girl is going to have more head shots than an actress.

bad karma?

2009-05-15T09:23:00.008-04:00

our house has been under a bit of a curse this week. despite the fact that i informed a bank teller that she accidentally gave me an extra $200 when i cashed a few checks on wednesday.

we've had multiple trips to the vet for both layla and delia. layla is on her 2nd round of antibiotics this month. she has somehow injured her left dewclaw. and as you can see from the picture below, she is now sporting a new head accessory. the alday girls are trendsetters when it comes to head gear.
and delia has come down with a bacterial infection causing her to vomit and poop blood. yeah, it wasn't pretty. so she has been on iv fluids (see catheter on her right leg), antibiotics, and a special diet. we were just thankful that it was an infection, and not a baby ground hog obstructing her bowels. whoever said that there is nothing that can prepare you for parenthood, obviously never had a lab.this might be a sign that we have officially entered the world of senior dog owners. they have more prescription medications than we do.

and to top it all off, our fridge has been making a loud humming noise. so we've been crossing our fingers and hoping that it will just magically go away. the noise, that is.

needless to say, our week has been busy.

mother's day

2009-05-13T16:47:00.017-04:00

i hope everyone had a wonderful mother's day! we certaintly did! of course, the day is destined to go well if you wake up to this...

mmm, chocolate. as you can see, i didn't waste anytime checking this place out. my little girl knows me so well already. and byron is still trying to get used to addressing me as mom on gifts from the little one.

here are few pictures from the day...

and be careful, eating too many sweet potatoes and avocados might cause you to have these...

not sure where those cheeks came from. they just showed up that morning.

Ta-Dah!

2009-05-13T13:12:00.001-04:00

yes, it is true. the aldays are finally joining the blogosphere. i hope you were sitting down when you opened that email. maybe someday we'll venture over to that thing called facebook. but i wouldn't get your hopes up.

so, how did this all come about? or what you are really thinking: how in the world did she convince byron to embrace yet another part of the 21st century?

as i was sitting down to send a mass email of pictures from our first mother's day, i mentioned to byron that it would be much easier if i could just post them online and everyone could view as much as they liked and whenever they pleased. and then i went on and on (according to byron) about how i'm not even sure that everyone enjoys having their inbox raided by our pictures, how it might improve our "keeping in touch" skills with our friends and family, and just the mere fact that mary adelyn is way too cute not to share. so, since it was mother's day, byron said that i could have anything i wanted. and lucky for you, i decided to create this blog.

please join us as we attempt to share a little piece of our everyday life while stumbling through this thing called parenthood.

stay tuned for mother's day pictures...ok, here's one to tide you over.