Whoa....It's been a while...

Geez, yes I know it has been MONTHS since I have posted anything. Sorry to the out of towners who don't get to see Aidan because of my laziness. So here's the major updates...

Jobs: Zach and I are both working at Pope High School. I am teaching Geography to freshmen (gag!) and Government to seniors throughout the day. Zach is in the special ed department there. I was a JV Volleyball coach and Varsity Asst. coach on the volleyball team at Pope this year (where we won the third straight volleyball state championship this year). Zach is a Varsity Assistant at Westminster and is still in season. I am also coaching club for Tsunami (15-1) and we are really just getting started.

La Casa: Well since about May/June we were homeless- yay! Our lease ended on the apartment that we were at and we definitely did NOT want to resign. Our goal was to buy a house, but we didn't want to rush anything, so we moved in with my mom for a few months. We went through quite a process in the home-buying department. Not awful, just lots of offers put out there. Sorry if you are trying to sell your home- me and Zach would have been the people you hated. Last time I checked, we are in a housing crisis, so yes we are going to low-ball you. If you don't want the offer, see ya later, we will find someone who will sell their house for cheaper than you.

The PERFECT house came on the market in a different neighborhood (and city) than we had been looking at. We went to look at it, and it was in our price range. An unfinished basement (at this time, we thought our price range included NO basement, so we were shocked that we could get the space and then be able to work on it in the future).

Our realator Linda Monroe is the most amazing woman ever. She was a long-time family friend of the Darlings and is INTENSE to say the least. Half the time I can't even understand what she is saying on the phone because she talks a mile a minute and has this amazing go-go-go personality. She got to the house before us and happen to see that another house was for sale across the street.- but it was a little out of our price-range and a little bigger than we had intended to buy.

She asked if we wanted to see it- and we did. It was BEAUTIFUL. This was ten time better than the house we thought "was perfect" right across the street. It was a foreclosure, but amazine news- it was on the market just long enough for the bank to come in and put brand new carpets down and brand new paint up- and A FULLY FINISHED BASEMENT. It would be MOVE-IN -READY! WHAAA??? 5 bedrooms, two and a half baths, and three walk-in closets just in the master bedroom. Linda called the bank, and that afternoon they had dropped the price 10,000 dollars from what the listing said. Oh my Lord, this was too good to be true. But it was true, and we moved in late October. We are still in the process of "decorating." What a great problem to have= we don't have enough furniture/pictures/decorations to fill the house. And great news for Zach is that we moved in at the perfect time for him to have ZERO yard work. Oh yeah, and did I mention that they left a huge hot-tub on the back screened in porch? Oh and did I also mention that they took the freakin oven racks out of the oven with them?? Who does that? (Hot tub>oven racks though)

Babay News: Oh yeah, we are having another baby! Baby D2 (I really want to call him R2D2) will be here May 29th (remember Aidan's b-day is May 28th and mine is May 30th). It is a BOY! Amen to not having to buy anything new. He is healthy and happy and moving, and I am gaining weight like there is no tomorrow. I gained 50 lbs with Aidan so my goal is to NOT have a "I am actually a few pounds away from 200" scare again...we will see.

I think that is it for now... stay tuned.

Amazing Weekends

This weekend was full of lots of memorable moments. On Saturday, I got to go to a Bridal shower for my girl Ashley Weider. I played volleyball with her at Berry and she is getting married in August. It was soooooo great to see her and her fiance, Justin, and some other teammates Taylor and Leah. I love them to death!! Wish more would have been able to come. I don't have any pictures- maybe I can steal some from Taylor and put them up later~

Sunday was complete with a great church service at North Metro. It was baptism Sunday, so it was great to watch the testimonies of all of the people who were baptized that morning. We had Poppy's birthday party at Lunch on Maine- he turned 94 on Thursday!!! Amazing! Then we came home and played with da bebies in the pool.

This is officially how Aidan starts off the day. He lays on the cute dog pillow that Wes and Ally got him, drinks his bottle, and watches cartoons (I know, he is not supposed to be on a bottle at 1 yr, but the sippy cup is not working!)


Next, we get nakey and watch cartoons.

The mornings are VERY slow for us.... haha



Next we moved outside and got in the pool, played with the water hose, and had a blast.

Little Miss Riley.

Babysitting both Riley and Aidan at the same time was....interesting. At one point, Aidan was eating dog food while I was holding Riley. While tucking her like a football, I was pulling pieces of dog food out of Aidan's mouth. Haha. Precisely why two this close in age will NOT happen for me. Ahhhhhhh. Riley is also very.... needy. I will just go ahead and say it. Praise my sister! I got very lucky with the temperment and personality of Aidan-bug. He is so self-sufficient and self-entertained. Right after he was born, he was sleeping in his own bed in the other room. Riley needs to be held all the time- which is great when you want to cuddle- not so great when you have other things you want to be doing... like SLEEPING! Ally is doing great though! She is a great mommy! Thank goodness I had an easy baby, that's all I have to say!

For those of you who don't know, we have a couple birthdays on the schedule. Of course, the most important is Aidan's 1st birthday this Saturday on the 28th!!! We are having a Mickey Mouse Party. This is him at Party City on the verge of a meltdown. That was a fun experience. The next birthday is mine on the 30th. Can't believe I will be 24. A little less eventful than the last birthday!

Riley Elaine Campbell

Riley Elaine Campbell was born May 11th at 10:13 pm. She was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 inches. I do have to brag on myself saying that I guessed the weight and height EXACTLY and beat Zach and both my parents! :-)

Ally and Riley about 45 minutes after she was born

Me and my little niece!

Cute little newborn face with her daddy.

Aunt Shawn and Riley

Aidan was very inquisitive. He was a little rough but if we held his hands so he couldn't smack her, he would give her sweet kisses. Haha.

Precious little lips.

Lately...

Life is busy and it is hard to keep up with this thing in the middle of Graduation Tests, EOCTs, Volleyball Tournaments every weekend, an ear infection in each of little man's ears, and the rest of life in general. To tide you over- here is a pic of Aidan in Louisville this past weekend. The girls on my team absolutely adore him and take care of him. These are some of the special sunglasses they gave him.

Elton John Style

Healing and Showers

This one is going to be pretty long since a lot has happened in the past week and a half

This has been the wonderful view of my spring break....

Last Monday I went in for surgery. The goal was to do a bone graft on the shin, but when he "got in there" he saw that my bone was in tact and there was no fracture. He saw that instead, the bone was extremely soft but all in one piece. When he cut into my shin, the area did not bleed like it was supposed to, which means that the area is not getting enough blood flow to heal the bone (which is why it is so soft). He "roughed up" the tissues around the bone (not sure exactly what that entails) and hopefully this will help the bone heal again.

It has been an interesting few weeks.....

Jo and Norman sent me some flowers with balloons and Aidan was giving them to me

Turned out to be a new favorite toy of his

Still trying to be a mommy even if I can't chase after him

Look at that precious face!

On Friday and Saturday I went to the Georgia World Congress Center to see my team play in the Big South Qualifier. I was exhausted both days from being on crutches there (not suited for that!) Sunday, Zach had to work so I wasn't able to go because I didn't have a ride (driving on painkillers not legal). But, overall I was happy I could go a few days- I had already told the girls I wouldn't be able to make it, so it was nice to surprise them.

On the way home from GWCC- we were both exhausted from a day of volleyball.

A few days ago, Zach had to go to work so I was left to watch Aidan by myself for a few hours. I was EXHAUSTED by the end of it. Zach got everything ready for us in Aidan's room. We had the door shut so he couldn't escape and we just read books, played, and looked out the sliding glass door. One thing Zach and I did not anticipate is that I would want to change outfits for my sister's baby shower that afternoon.....with a baby....on crutches. So, I put Aidan in the stroller and pushed him around the house while I got ready. It was quite a sight.....

All of my boys ready to run outside and play

Baby Shower time! Please, crowd around me because I am not moving.

Kristin, Ally, Kathy, Betty, Shannon and Aidan.

Now add Mom to the group

Flirting with the ladies

He was a mess! Running around everywhere.

By the way he is STANDING ON HIS OWN!! Ahh!

Walking with Kathy

And now exhausted...

We went to the Dr. on Monday. He is 23 pounds (75th percentile) and 31 inches (97th percentile!). Everything was perfect and boring, which I love! He has 4 top teeth coming in (which now explains his extreme crying in the middle of the night, which is not like him at all). Best part of the day though was when he did not even cry when he got his shot! I couldn't believe it. SOOO tough!

Surgery Info

Details for Monday:

I am having a bone graft done on my shin. They basically go in, file down the bone that is kind of sticking out away from the rest of the bone, fill in any splits in the bone, sew me back up and I'm done. I will have to wear a "bone stimulator" around my leg for six hours a day. Not really sure I know exactly what it is - I stopped listening at "expensive."

At first, I was told I will not be able to bear weight for 2 weeks and then will be on crutches for 8-10 weeks. Now, he is not sure, and he will let me know after he goes in and sees everything.

Monday, I have to go to the out-patient center at 5:45 AM! That might be the worst part about the whole thing. The surgery will begin at 7Am, and I should be home in the afternoon.

I am taking off one week from school (the week before spring break) and then will use spring break as another week to recover. After that, I will be back in the classroom, and depending on what the doctor says, I might be in a chair teaching for a few weeks or the rest of the semester.

That is the update for now, but I will be sure to keep posting all next week to let you all know how I am doing.

Lazy-Boy Swimming

Yesterday, Ally and I took Aidan swimming at the pool at WA. Thought it was going to be heated, but apparently they turned it off for the weekend...did not phase little man a bit.

He absolutely loved watching Ally do laps and watched her go up and under the water. So, he wanted to be like her. I had him on his belly kicking around and he kept dunking his face right in the water on purpose- because he saw Ally doing it. It was hilarious.

Ready to go in brand new swimming gear.

"Seriously.... is this a joke?"

Lounging around in the pool

He thinks everything he sits in is like a Lazy Boy chair

Ready to play

Lazy-Boy

Hello paleness....

My son (who never GOES in the sun) is tanner than me... fabulous!

Update: I will be having a bone graft (surgery) 3/28 which is next Monday- will write up the details in a few days. We are graduation test testing so I will have some free time!