Smiles

Don't Hate Me....

Because my child did surprisingly well visiting Santa Claus! We did this about a month ago, and I have been so bad at posting pics! Last year Harrison was a 6 month old blob when he visited this very same Santa....and the people in line said, " just wait until next year, he'll hate him!"

Then, as we approached Santa time this year, again, friends warned me, "he will cry and cry and scream and scream." We were first in line (score!) and he was a little hesitant to get into Santa's lap, but he smiled and even let Santa kiss him on the cheek! They even snuggled!

Of course, the professional picture we got done is much better than these snapshots where he just looks confused! But, it was such a fun, sweet experience! I'm sure the tears will come later....I secretly want a crying shot because his crying face is just too cute!

Elves

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Thankful

Hi Everyone!

Well, on this Thanksgiving Eve, I am thinking of how much there is to be thankful for. I have heard of some doing the ABC's of Thanksgiving, and I thought I would give it a shot. Some letters were harder than others! There is so much to be thankful for! I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving! We fly to Atlanta in the morning! I can't wait!

A. Athens, Georgia! I truly think Athens is one of the best places on Earth! I love the city, the restaurants, the shopping, and mostly, the 4 years I spent there. It changed my life. I love the Classic City!

B. Brett. I am so thankful for my husband. God literally dropped us right in front of each other 7 years ago! Brett is everything I ever wanted in a husband, but I never knew it until I met him!

C. Christ Kingdom Church...I love this place with all of my heart and soul! The sweet people here have truly become our family! They have rallied around us in our joys and tragedies, and I will be forever grateful for this place!

D. Difficulties. Although it's so hard to be thankful at the time, I am always thankful in retrospect. Our life, as everyone else's, has been deeply difficult more often than not, but God always uses these times to refine me and make me better than I once was.

E. East Asia. I love this place. A part of my heart will always live here whether I am there or not!

F. Family. I can't wait to see every single one of them, Fierers and Dooleys, this coming weekend! We are blessed!

G. Good friends! I LOVE my friends! They have each uniquely shaped my life. Most of them are stretched across the country and even the world, so I spend a lot of time missing my sweet friends, and I'm even more thankful for the ones I see face-to-face on a regular basis!

H. Harrison Case Dooley! The one person who has made my heart walk outside of my body the past 18 months. I never knew I could love a person so much! I am thankful beyond measure for this sweet, sweet boy. I am thankful for his life, that I can be a part of it. I am thankful for his tantrums, to have the opportunity to teach him. I am thankful for his smile and for his hugs and the way he clings to my hand. I know life will only get more difficult as he gets older and more independent, but I will never stop thanking God every single day for this precious boy whom I have the privilege of raising...the best is yet to come!

I. Ireland. This is where my beloved Mr. Dooley hails from (not originally), so I am grateful for this beautiful place. It's also where he took me (as a surprise) on our honeymoon. It is my first memory (aside from our wedding) of us as a married couple. I loved our time there and hope to go back. I also love surprises!

J. Jesus. He saved my life.

K. Kevin. My one family member who gets a specific shout-out. I lost my brother Kev in April, 2008. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him several times. I still hear his voice and see his face clear as day. I am thankful that my memories of him have not begun to fade. I am thankful for the 16 years I knew him. I am thankful for the way he made me laugh. I am thankful for how he never doubted other's love for him, and how he taught me to do the same. I miss him so much, and I am thankful for his life.

L. Laughter. I love to laugh! Life is so much more fun with laughter!

M. March Madness...I love this tournament!

N. Nap Time! From roughly 12:30 to 3pm each day, I get my built-in break! I love this time of day! It goes by too quickly, but I am thankful for the rest and time to catch up on things I need to do (if I choose to do them!)...although, I do wish that naptime would last until 4pm so that I could watch "Ellen" in it's entirety! Love her!

O. Orlando. There were times I never thought I would say this. I am so thankful for this city and the almost 5 years we have lived here. It has been the place that has truly shaped us as a couple and our memories here are priceless!

P. Phone. Some days I spend a little too much time on this little device, but I am very thankful that I can pick up my phone at any moment and call or text a friend. Being a stay-at-home mom with a young child, some days the phone is my life line.

Q. Quarters. Specifically State Quarters. I collect them (yes, you can laugh, but if you know me well, you're not surprised!) I still have a few to go before I complete my beloved quarter book!

R. Regis and Kelly.

S. Sweet Cupcakes by Good Golly Miss Holly. I frequent this store of deliciousness at least once a week! If you ever come visit, I will take you!

T. Travel. Before Harrison came along, Brett and I spent a third of each year traveling domestically and internationally. We have been to some of the darkest places on this Earth and I am grateful to have seen a small glimpse of what God is doing in the furthest corners of the world!

U. Ultrasounds. When I was pregnant with Harrison, I loved seeing a picture of a little pumpkin growing inside of me. Our 20 week ultrasound was so fun that I asked Brett if we could do it every week! I can't wait to have another child in the future to be able to have more ultrasounds! ,

V. Visitors! I love it when family or friends come to see us here! I always feel like the best time we have had with people has been here! I also love my Guest Book that said visitors must sign upon staying here!

W. Watersound Beach. I love vacationing here with the Dooleys! I am truly thankful for this place!

X. X-hiliration brand at Target. X is a really hard letter!

Y. Youth Group. I loved Youth Group growing up....and I love Youth Group now. I specifically LOVE leading a small group of 4 sweet sophomore girls. They are my heart and my soul!

Z. Zara....one of my favorite stores! In all seriousness, I am very thankful for the clothing on my back!

There you have it! There is much more! I am thankful for you, my friends and readers! Have a great weekend with your loved ones!

18 month stats

Height: 32 inches (50 %) (truthfully, she had to measure him twice because the first measurement showed he shrunk....so, I'm not quite sure how accurate this is, but we will take it!)

Weight: 23 lbs, 8 oz (25 % ish)

Head Circumference: 48 (50 %)

At 18 months the little turkey is:

--WALKING!!! Finally!!! Truth be told, he just took his first steps 2 days ago (as documented below) So, he's just taking a few steps by himself, but he....

--Walks holding our hands ALL DAY LONG

--loves his walker

--LOVES stacking things, anything...soup cans, shampoo bottles, toys, books, etc...

--loves to eat...favorites: waffles, turkey, roast beef, cheese, grapes, bananas, chicken nuggets, fries, carrots, oranges, peaches, pears, cheerios, milk, and oh so much more!

--loves going on walks with mom each and every morning

--copycat to the max! imitates every. single. thing! examples: covers his mouth when he laughs, shrugs "i don't know", and does the "touchdown" symbol when watching football, all things his parents do throughout most days!

--barks at dogs, but it sounds like a meow

--says mama, dada, car, doggy, and go a lot, I think we heard a "war eagle" the other day as well. Georgia fans, I'm trying to get him to say "Go Dawgs", but this one may be an Auburn fan...I'll try harder with the next one, I promise!

--takes one nap about 2-2.5 hours each day

--sleeps 7-7 every night

--has 9 teeth, with #'s 10 and 11 rearing their painful, pearly white heads!

--LOVES Daddy! LOVES him! All is right in the world when Daddy is home.

--loves hide and seek, peek a boo, and CHASE!

--has the best giggle in my world and graces me with the sound of it most of each day

--has been on 19 flights with flights # 20 and # 21 coming this week

That is all I can think of for now. I'm sure there's tons more. I can see a little bit of an attitude coming out in him and he is really gaining his independence (which is a really nice way of saying he can be quite the pill), but he is still such a sweet, mellow, mild-mannered, friendly boy! He is meticulous and organized, and we are still trying to figure his little personality out, but for now we think he is a gentle extrovert, getting his energy from people, but not having to be the life of the party! We shall see if that continues to be so! Every day we are so thankful for him and the joy he brings us! His life is a true gift and we are so grateful to God for letting us borrow His precious child for a little while here on Earth! I can't believe he's 18 months old! More soon....

He Walks!

Well, the moment we have been waiting for has finally arrived! On Saturday afternoon, Harrison took his first steps by himself! At 18 months old, we were MORE than ready! Please excuse the pit that this room is in the video, but that's pretty normal these days!

Pumpkins

Friday Night Lights...

One of our favorite pastimes here in lovely Orlando has been going to high school football games. Oh, we only make it to a couple each year, but it's a blast! The local High School (Timbercreek--Go Wolves!) is fairly new and just a hop, skip, and jump from our house...so close that we can hear the band practicing daily!

Friday night was the last home game of the season, so we made sure we were there! Harrison LOVES going to the games (mainly he loves the cheerleaders and we always manage to sit very close to them!) Although kickoff is past his bedtime, we usually are able to stay until halftime before walking home.

It has been so fun to do this over the years and each year, begin to recognize more and more of the players and their families. We love our community that feels like a small town in a big city! Below are pictures of the little sports fan!

Please let me introduce you to Jason (above) whom we love and adore. He is the youth director at our church so I have the privilege of serving the youth alongside of him. His friendship to our family is a treasure!

Sweet Harrison is all fired up for the game! He is even wearing his football pajamas!

and he's probably totally gawking at the cheerleaders in this one as we are desperately trying to get him to smile!

The little linebacker is 18 months old today! stay tuned for a report!

Under Construction

Hi People,

Did you know that both of my granddaddies are in the constructions business? Yep, it's true! I come from a family of builders! Well, looks like it runs in my blood! What do you think of my newest projects?

I love to take all the bottles out of the refrigerator and line them up and then put them back! I'm very meticulous, just like my daddy!

I was very pleased with my project below! I love to stack things...particularly canned goods! I do it all by myself, and I have gotten 7 high! (Mommy helped with that building, or should I say, skyscraper!)

In progress...

Please contact me if you are in the market for something built out of canned goods or bottles of salad dressing. I may have fierce competition in my age group, but I assure you, I'm your man!

Gotta get back to work,

Harrison

Me and my Pop

Hi guys,

Wow, can you believe it? Two posts in one day...Life is very exciting these days!

So, a little over a month ago, my Pop came to visit me. Pop is Mommy's Daddy. Let me just say I love all my grandparents sooooooo much! I can't wait to see them over the holidays. They are THE best!

So, back to Pop. He's a pretty cool dude, and now that I'm a little older, he really loves to play with me! He loves the pool, so we went to the pool and played with the beach ball and he pushed me in my float. What a guy! It was a very short visit...but, he comes down a lot so I can't complain! I really love my Pop and he's been through a lot the past few years. I am lucky to have him in my life and am thankful for him!

Oh, and I have his exact same feet (except the baby version)! Maybe that means I will walk in his footsteps! Now if only I could have his tan....oh well, I guess that's the luck of the Irish for a Dooley boy like me!

Cheers!

Harrison

Not to worry....

I have found a costume for Halloween. We can all sleep at night now (I know it was keeping you up!) This Saturday, I will be dressed as something little and sweet that most everybody loves...yep, that's right...a candy corn! You know, when I'm honest about it, the outfit really does suit me. Candy corn is something so sweet that you can't get enough of! Okay, okay, I'm kidding, but how could you not adore this face?

Mommy will update with a picture...also, be on the lookout for more posts. The paparazzi have been out lately. It's exhausting dodging the 2 of them!

See you soon!

H-man

What are YOU going to be for Halloween??

Hey gang,

It's been awhile, but here I am, in the flesh, cyberflesh that is! Don't judge my parents for keeping me up late and letting me surf the net!

Well, since I've got you for a minute, I'd like to ask all of you a question... What are you going to be for Halloween? Parents, if you are reading this, I'm really asking your children.

You know, this is only my second Halloween...I've got a week til the big day, and I'm stumped. There is so much to choose from...Elmo, a Fireman, a Princess (no wait, not that!)

So, the truth is out, I don't know what I'm going to be this October 31st. Honestly, I don't think Mommy knows either! Oh, but we will know. I guarantee you that there WILL be pictures of my in some cutesy little outfit. Will I be happy about it? I'm not sure about that...I'll let you know!

Let me know what you've decided to dress up as, please?

And until me and Mommy decide, here are a few shots from last year's Halloween. I was a 5 month old red hot chili pepper! And Mommy is a makeshift ladybug....she wears foil on halloween to get a free burrito at Chipotle. Daddy does too. I will make sure to get pics of them as well!

Later,

Harrison

not happy

bored...i only spent about 15 minutes in this little get-up!

Today was a doozy of a day...

It could be for a number of things. Brett has been gone for close to 2 weeks. Harrison and I galavanted all over Atlanta for a week and celebrated my beautiful cousin's wedding....During our time there, he got nonstop attention from many people. I wonder if he was bored with just me today.

Also, he is definitely cutting a very painful tooth. Man, he has been a pill!

And, I think to top it all off, he misses his Daddy. Gosh, I should have known it would be a long day!

Without boring you to tears with every single detail, I will say that it was the kind of day where I kept thinking "Okay, I only have this many hours until bedtime..." I hate thinking like that, but today was a survival day.

At 6:00 pm, only one hour shy of bedtime, I really didn't know how I was going to make it the last minutes of the day....so, we went outside and I let Harrison crawl around on the ground. And yes, for those of you wondering, he is STILL not walking at 17 months! So, you can imagine my cringing as I watched his hands and legs turn black. Well, as I watched my cautious yet adventurous little man crawl around, I was reminded of a prayer that I have prayed for awhile now. Some of you bloggeristas have shared prayers that you love to pray for your precious children, so I wanted to share this with you...

I pray that my sweet boy would always want to come home....not in a weird, 35-years-old-and-still-living-at-home kind of way, but I pray he would always feel so safe and loved here that it would be a place he would always be excited to come back. As he was crawling around, he would look back at me and smile to see if I was watching. I started following him and he would go farther down the sidewalk. It was like he got more and more confident when he knew I was there cheering for him. It gave him the push he needed to go further. It was really cute. I hoped so much at that moment that I would always be an encouragement to him and that, again, home would always be a place he would desire to spend hours as he grows up, when he's a teenage boy with his friends (and maybe even girlfriend--gulp!) and when he's a college man visiting over the holidays, I pray that he would find solace and comfort and FUN at our house. I pray that Brett and I can foster and encourage him in such ways that he is totally confident in who he is in Christ, and that home would be a huge part of that.

And I know I will fail, just as I did today in so many ways. I'm telling y'all he was MAD as fire at me (not his typical character). But, I'm thankful that even on days when I am just surviving, that God overwhelms me with love for this handsome little miracle that He has let me borrow for awhile.

Thank you, Lord, for letting me take care of Your child. Please let home be one of his favorite places in the world and one he always wants to come back to....I love him so much even on his worst days!

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's that time of night...when I go peek at my little angel in his sleep!

Good night!

Vacationland

Hey folks! Shame on me for not writing in awhile! I definitely have so many things to say, and then get on the computer and become speechless, which leads to a lack of posts! Bummer! But, our past weekend is certainly noteworthy! Brett and I went to MAINE! I was tickled to find that on the local license plates is written "Vacationland" hence the title of this post. Since our rental car was from Louisiana, I felt very criminal getting a picture of a license plate, so Brett did my dirty work! notice his face in the background...hilarious!

Moving on....we had such a wonderful time celebrating our 5 year anniversary! We have been planning this for some time and were so blessed to be in such a beautiful place for a very low cost (thank you, skymiles!) It was the perfect time for us to get away from the 95 degree heat and humidity of Orlando to 60 degrees and changing leaves! We loved it!!!

Aren't these belted cows cute??

we went hiking for a day in Acadia National Park...it was so so fun!

We loved the Inn where we stayed...the breakfasts were fantastic....the owner is a chef who has been featured on the food network. It was the most fabulous food I have ever tasted! And everything was SO charming and vintage and colonial....have I mentioned that we loved it??? There are so many details to write, but these few pictures hopefully give you a little idea. It was a great getaway for us and so so needed!
Our little turkey seemed to have a vacation of his own...he stayed back with dear friends of ours here in O-town (he actually stayed with 2 different families and did SO WELL!) We sure were ready to see him when we picked him up Monday morning! Did I mention somebody is very attached to Daddy these days???

I'll be back soon! Happy Friday Everyone!!

Funny Story

Well, as promised, here is a picture from our wedding that my sweet sister sent to me...I'm thinking this was at the end of the night...Well, when she sent this picture, I was reminded about a funny story....A friend of mine, Cary, was giving me wedding advice and she told me to make sure to say goodbye to my dad when I left the reception. She said that was the one thing that she regretted about her wedding day...in all the hubbub of leaving, she did not get to hug her daddy. Well, I thought that was great advice, especially after the months of planning and the many dollar signs that accompanied such a special day (and did I mention that 3/4 of this time I wasn't even around? I had lots of help from my sweet, sweet family) So, I thought I Would make sure to give hugs all around to the fam upon leaving the reception. Well, everybody was checked off the hug list, but my dad was nowhere to be seen. Where is he? He knew we were leaving at 10:30ish...where could he be? Oh, I was getting so sad to not say goodbye and thank you and get my big bear hug that he is so good at giving. What's a girl to do? Nobody knows where he is. I tell Brett, "I can't find my dad." But, we have to leave! I could certainly see why Cary gave me this advice, it would be so sad to leave my wedding without seeing my father. But, he had literally disappeared, so, we had to just leave...

So, we leave the venue, get rose petals thrown in our faces and it is so fun, and all the while, I'm thinking, "Where is my dad??" We get to the limo (pictured above), the driver opens the door (with a smug smile on his face), and as Brett and I lean down to get in, I gasp because MY DAD IS IN THE LIMO! He is sitting there with a glass of wine in his hand waiting for us just laughing so hard! I could not stop laughing and Brett is saying, "Get out, Pops! She's mine now!!" So, I got my hug and I was so happy...It was a great laugh too!

Did I mention he walked me down the aisle with his zipper down??? What a fun day!

5 years!!

Today is the day I married my best friend 5 years ago! I cannot believe it...I remember when we were first married, meeting people who had been married for 5 years (or even 3 years) and thinking that was SUCH a long time! And here we are now....the past 5 years have both felt short and long at times. There are days and moments that I remember vividly, and others that are already starting to fade. God has packed a lot into our short marriage. I have literally been to the ends of the earth with Brett, and I can't imagine a better way to spend my life with him. I have loved our adventures across the globe, and have loved the little life that we have created here in Orlando (never thought I would say that, but I really do love it here!) We have been through unimaginable pain, and we have experienced joy that I cannot even describe... And we have learned to walk both of those roads at the same time, which has given us some really hard and sweet times together.

Our first dance at our wedding reception was to the song "Unforgettable." At the time I thought it was kind of a rush decision and thought maybe I could have come up with a better song to describe us....but, as that song came on the radio the other day, and I listened to it reminiscing of our fabulous wedding day, I realized how perfectly it describes life with Brett for me.

"That's why, darling, it's incredible,

that someone so simply unforgettable,

thinks that I am unforgettable too."

I love you, Brett. Happy Anniversary! I'm sure the next 5 will be just as memorable in every way!

PS--I don't have a picture from our wedding on my computer...I know, Boo! But, I plan to post one soon....And our plans are to go out for a fun dinner tonight and go out of town next weekend!!!! Pictures to come!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Chris!!

So, today is my brother's 27th birthday!

I must also give a shout out to my dear friend, Blair, who also celebrates a birthday today! Happy Birthday Blair! You are the best!

I know today is a day that marks monumental loss for our nation, and as I remember that day, I do mourn, but I also celebrate...because today so many years ago is the first day I can ever remember!

Chris knows this story all too well, because it's what I love to remind him of every single year, whether over the phone or in a birthday card, or in person if I ever get that special privilege!

I don't recall a day without my younger brother in it. I know there was a time where it was just Robin (my older sister) and me, but I was too young to have made many memories from that time....But, there is truly no time that I remember without all of us in it...

My first memory that I can think back to is the day my brother was born...September 11th, 1982. I remember being at the hospital with my sister and my dad and a family friend. Robin and I were on our tippy toes (okay, maybe it was just me, she has always been the taller one) looking into a window. Maybe it was a nursery? However, at the back of the room was my Mom. She was in a rocking chair holding a bundle and smiling at him.

I remember asking my Dad, "What's that?"

He said, "That's your new baby brother."

My response...."WOW!"

And so his life began....and mine too.

It's hard to believe that day was so long ago...My mind fills with so many fond memories that it's impossible to pick just one...Chris taught me how to beat Super Mario Bros, and we spent long hours playing WallBall and selling lemonade. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I loved watching him play baseball, and he would watch me play the violin or come to my plays! And I loved driving him to school...and getting a little bit of air as we drove too fast over certain intersections in my old 1981 car! I loved watching him come to know Christ and seeing him grow into the man he is now. I think about the first time I saw hair on his chin and when he starter getting taller than me...what?? I love that I was with him on his first visit to Virginia Tech where he graduated from and met his beautiful bride, Lindsey, whom I also love.

Anywho, there are too many memories to count, both good and bad, but I had to document this day, not because it's just another birthday or even a memorial of a tragic event in US history, but because it is the day that created my first memory. I will always remember the day you were born, Chris. I love you so much and I am so glad God gave me a brother like you--He knew exactly what I needed. Happy, Happy Birthday to you!

Drivin'

Hey Guys, Harrison here...I have to tell you something...I cannot wait until I'm 16. I know I'm a little young, but, I've already started driving. Doooon't worry...I have been supervised closely and so far I have nothing on my record. Well, my first experience was driving a horse. So, maybe it wasn't a car...but, it was something that moves. After my ride on the merry-go-round, I am seriously considering becoming a cowboy. It was pretty fun, and all I need is the hat! But, let me tell you, things got better. I went for a drive with Mommy...she barely fit in the car, but was not about to let me go by myself (is she strict or what?) Well, we had a blast and I grabbed the wheel a couple of times when she wasn't looking. What a rush! It was nice that my first drive was in a convertible too...Mom and Dad really know how to treat me right!

Oh, and there's a picture of them too at the end, in case you forgot what they look like!

I love Daddy's face in this picture! I'm sure that same face will embarrass me one day!

Mom, I'm trying to concentrate!

Man, this is fun!

Where do you want to go, Mommy? It's my turn to drive you around! Hold on tight!