My brother...

My younger brother has such an amazing talent! He is creative beyond belief and he has an eye for perfection through his camera lens like nobody I have ever seen.

I never could have imagined when he moved to TN 10 years ago that he would have had so many amazing, memorable experiences. From being a star escort at the CMA awards to touring with Alabama, Keith Urban (the year he won Entertainer of the Year), Alan Jackson, Dirks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Amy Grant, Mercy Me, Michael W Smith, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock to name just a few! To him all of these experiences are part of his job and the industry in which he works. To my family and I it's a world that we will never experience, so we live vicariously through him and the stories he tells.

My brother is not the star struck type. He has such a respect for those he tours with. He doesn't ask for autographs or photos (that is why I was shocked when he sent this photo to me last week.)

What you should know about this particular experience is that this artist has a great respect for the work my brother does behind the camera as video director of his tour and he has taken Jason "under his wing". To Jason, he is not a just a star. He is a good person that has had a hard life and has waited his entire life to entertain those in Detroit, Michigan that thought he would never make it. This was taken after a weekend of shows in that very city!

Pretty cool I think! I am so proud of you Jason and I think you ROCK!!! Love you!

Swimming with Daddy!

Sunday Mike took Sayer swimming at our next door neighbors house. We've been meaning to get over there all summer long, but it's been way too hot! We finally had a cool enough morning that Mike could take him swimming. He absolutely loved it!

Fun Times!!!

This weekend everyone came over for dinner and fun!

The kiddos had a great time getting fake tatoos, playing dress up and Emma and Jared (with the help of Mike) built a fort in the living room. They then made pallets on the living room floor and spent the night. For breakfast Mike even let them eat chocolate cake! They had the best time!

No words needed...

Don't we all have a picture like this in our baby book?

Old Friends...

When Mike and I were in IL we met up with one of Mike's oldest friends and his family for lunch. I can't tell you how excited I was that I was finally going to meet Chad for the first time. For as long as I have known Mike I have heard story after story about him from Mike's sisters, Mike and Chad. So, it was finally great to put a face with the name!

How times have changed for these two... from two single teachers to married men with children. It's amazing to me how good friends that haven't seen each other for years can just pick back up like they just saw each other yesterday.

Hope you guys can make it to KC sometime soon! We had such a great time and look forward to hanging out again soon!!

7 Months

At seven months I love to sit on my own and play with my toys. I am now rolling all over the floor and can army crawl backwards. I have started to pull my legs up under my belly and raise up on my arms. Mommy says that is the first step to learning to crawl on my own. Hopefully I'll be able to check out the rest of this house on my own soon!

Visit with Grammy and Papa

Last weekend we were in IL visiting Grammy and Papa. They last saw Sayer in April and could hardly get over how big he had gotten. He was able to show to show Grammy and Papa how he could sit on his own, eat baby food, and talk (A LOT). While we were there Sayer got a big kick out of Molly and Gracie (their dogs)! We even heard a few giggles (which we haven't heard before)!

Sayer talking in the car...

I have teeth!

Sayer's two bottom front teeth came in over this past week. The first one broke the skin last Thursday, July 2nd and the one right next to it came through this Friday.

He is so stinkin' cute with those two little teeth!

He wants to bite on EVERYTHING now!

Sisters-Gone-Wild with Coach, Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd

July 4th Jason was in town for a show with Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was able to get tickets for Kelly, Stacy and I and we dubbed the night "Sisters-Gone-Wild!" We left the kids home with the Daddies and went and watched an amazing show!

Earlier in the day we took a picnic lunch to the venue so we could spend some time with Jason! Kelly, Emma, JoDe, Aunt Karen, Mom, Dad, Sayer and I spent a couple of hours with him just hanging out and catching up. He couldn't get over how much Sayer had grown and changed since he had seen him last a little over two months ago.

That night Kelly, Stacy and I went back to the show and we hung out with Jason on his bus for awhile, then he took us on stage so we could see the production. WOW - what a production! There is so much equipment that they have to bring to every show. It's amazing!

Our tickets were fabulous! We had a clear shot of the stage with an open aisle in front of us. It allowed plenty of room for us to dance and karate kick (Kelly)! Stacy knew every word to every Lynard Skynard song and Kelly and I knew almost every word to every Kid Rock song. I have one word for the production = AWESOME! I was so proud of my little brother... COACH ROCKS!

The show ended with Kid Rock singing Born in the U.S.A. and an amazing fireworks show. It was a great night!

Branson here we come...

Three Words... Griswald's Family Vacation!

That is what we most closely resembled as we packed the cars and loaded the families to head out to Branson for a 3 day family vacation weekend! Packing to go anywhere with an infant is CRAZY, but for a long weekend out of town. Holy Cow! There is so much stuff that you have to take with you, because you just never know what you might need. We had the car completely loaded to the ceiling! Then loading 3 adults, one 6 year old and a 6 month old in on top of that - we were packed like sardines. And that was just our car. We had another car that was just as loaded trailing behind us.

We left our house at 9:30 that night and pulled into our hotel at 2:30 am. So, the weekend started off with all of the adults dragging! We "enjoyed" 2 days at Silver Dollar City on the hottest weekend of the year and then played in the indoor water park at the hotel!

The hi-lights of the trip were:

• Getting into an air conditioned car after leaving Silver Dollar City

• Swimming in the indoor water park and introducing Sayer to the pool for the first time



• Having a great meal at "The Fish House" restaurant

• Enjoying cocktails until the wee hours of the morning on the "veranda" of the hotel after putting the kiddos to bed

• Riding Go-Karts! Watching Mom beat Mike on Go-Karts. Beating Mike on Go-Karts.

• Watching Mike open his 1st Father's Day present from Sayer (tears = success)
• Having a "Dirty Sunday" meal at Lambert's (home of the throwed rolls)

6 Months Old!

On June 17th, Sayer turned 6 months old. I cannot believe how fast 6 months have gone by. Honestly, it seems like only yesterday that I was pregnant and we were anxiously awaiting his arrival.

You know that Kenny Chesney song "Don't Blink"? Every word of that song is so true. Life passes by so fast, you really need to pay attention to the moment because next thing you know it's gone and months have passed!

At 6 months Sayer is:

• Eating solid food. His favorite fruit is bananas and vegetable is sweet potatoes. He does not like peaches or peas!
• Sitting on his own without support.
• Army crawling backwards.
• Making lots of sounds and babbling non-stop. Mike and I frequently refer to him as M.P. (MagPie).
• Squealing with delight.
• Smiling at familiar faces.
• Recognizes and responds his name.

My favorite part of this age is when we get him up in the morning or after a nap he greets us with the biggest smile and is so happy to see us. We always sing "Good Morning to You. Good Morning to You. Good Morning SAYER MICHAEL. Good Morning to You." When we get to the SAYER MICHAEL part he smiles so big! It's precious.

I got his 6 month pictures taken a few weeks ago and a few of them are posted at the following blog site. Now the hard part, deciding which ones we should order! Meredith does such a great job.

http://meredithgutshall.blogspot.com/2009/07/when-sayer-smiles.html

Sippy Cup

Mommy has been letting me drink out of a sippy cup during dinner. I've had pear juice, apple juice, white grape juice, water and formula out of my cup. Sometimes I have more fun chewing on the spout or throwing it around than drinking from it though!

Sitting Up By Myself!

Mid June I finally started to sit up by myself! Sometimes I would topple over and face plant right into the carpet, but by the end of June I pretty much had it down pat! These are a few pictures of me first sitting up by myself!

Emma's Softball Game!

I went to watch my cousin Emma play softball! She has a really good team this year and Mommy says it is a lot more fun to watch then t-ball was last year. One day I'll bet she teaches me how to hit the ball!

Happy Birthday Mommy and Daddy!

Mommy and Daddy celebrated their birthdays back to back on June 3rd and June 4th! I think it's pretty cool that they are one day after the other. We get two days in a row for cake and ice cream. This year we went to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants... Bravo! We sure had a good time!

My cousin Emma really makes me laugh!

I love being with MiMi and Grandpa!