Happy Easter---- a little late

This post is a little late, but last week was busy.

A little backround information: My parents were kind enough to take in our canine kids when we moved the Nashville. We initially moved into a 2 bedroom apartment and although they allowed dogs, it was a little tight with 3 people and 2 large dogs. So, in September we dropped them off at the grandparents for an extended stay. We were very anxious to get them back now that we have a little more room for them. We knew if we didn't get there soon we wouldn't get there at all. At Easter I was 35 weeks pregnant and my OBGYN didn't recommend traveling after that.

So, we headed to Macon, Georgia for Easter this year. We left Nashville after work Thursday evening. The Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon has a contract with Cogent Healthcare. So, Matt had arranged for a site visit that Friday. He worked Friday morning and learned more about the program while mom, Ella Catherine and I shopped. (seemed like a fair trade :))Then we all met up for lunch with Dad, Becky, Kelly and Cori at Keith's new restaurant, The Nowhere Cafe. I would highly recommend it if you are ever in Macon, Georgia!

Saturday morning started with a training session for our 2nd born Canine, Elway. During his stay in Georgia, my father has been training him for Duck Hunting. Let me just say, he has come a LONG way!!!! He is actually still in Georgia completing his training. We will not pick him up until he passes Cassidy Duck Hunting training 101. :) After the training, we all went to go see Cori play softball. She played well, and they won. However, it wasn't a very exciting game as the other team was not very good. We still enjoyed cheering her on! I do enjoy getting to see her play atleast 1 game a year. My oh My have things changed throughout the years. I can still remember her T-ball years when one of her teammates laid down and took a nap in the outfield.

Saturday afternoon we all met up at my parents house for a family dinner. My godparents came too and it was great to spend time with them. They hadn't seen Ella Catherine since she was very little. Ella Catherine had a little Easter Egg Hunt and fun blowing bubbles before she retired for the evening. The adults stayed for a while and played Mexican Train Dominos. Now a favorite past time of Matt and I. Sunday we went to Easter Mass and then had a fabulous breakfast before hitting the road with Baylor for Nashville. We had a wonderful time in Macon, but after 5 hours in the car we were happy to be back in Nashville. Baylor seems to have adjusted well. I know she misses Dixie, Mac and Elway but she loves the attention!

Shortly after we arrived home, Beth McCrate, was knocking at our door. I couldn't be more excited that she has come to stay with us for a month (April 13-May 8th). She is doing her last clinical rotation here in Nashville at the clinic I work in. YAY!!Ella Catherine and her Cousin Cori
Ella Catherine, Matt, and Elway heading down for Elway's training session

Bubble fun with daddyMore bubble fun!Me and my favorite Niece, Cori. I can't believe how tall she is, I can remember when she was Ella Catherine's size. Time does fly!!The family after Easter Mass. ( Matt, Amy (with baby Lynch #2), Pop, Becky, Nana, and Ella Catherine)

Ella Catherine's first Easter Egg Hunt

Sunday our church had its annual Easter Egg hunt. They divided it into age groups so that the little ones wouldn't get run over and would actually get some eggs. Each family brought 12 filled eggs to church that morning and dropped them off in the appropriate box for your age group. Then with the hunt you were asked to restrict your child to 12 eggs. This would ensure that every child went home with some eggs. It was way more politically correct than the easter egg hunts in my day!
Ella Catherine was very excited and ready with her Easter basket. I was a little concerned about her being able to find the eggs and told Matt one of us might have to go along and help her. However, when we got there we realized that was not going to be necessary! They just had a big square blocked off and filled with eggs. No problem finding those eggs!!! :) When it was time to go, she was slow to start but finished with a bang. I think she was so interested initially in watching the other kids that she didn't think about getting any herself.
After the 0-2 age group went, everyone scattered up the hill to a different area to let the 3-6 age group have there hunt. Matt and I noticed there were still some eggs left in the square. So, we let Ella Catherine go pick them up. Well, there was another family that had the same thought. There little girl was disabled and unable to walk yet. So, Ella Catherine without any prompting picked up an egg and went and put it in her basket. It made Matt and I so proud of her!! She really is such a sweet child.


The Big Squareof Eggs for the hunt!! Not a real challenge but it did get her used to the concept for this weekend.

Posing with daddy but anxiously awaiting the start of the hunt.
She is off!
Hunting eggs makes a girl thirsty.

A family shot after the hunt. Next year we will have 1 in the 0-2 group and 1 in the 3-6 group! So hard to believe!!! Only 6+ weeks until Baby Lynch #2 makes his/her debut.

Reunited

We met up with our friends the Sams at the zoo Saturday morning. Ella Catherine had not seen Reese in about 6 weeks. Kirsten had the baby, Erich, and Reese has been out of daycare. So, they were VERY excited to see each other Saturday morning. They picked up like they had never been apart, running and chasing each other. It was sooo cute. It was also our first time to meet little Erich. He was a doll! We wouldn't have even known he was there if it wasn't for the baby carrier. He slept most of the time we were at the zoo and when he was awake he didn't make a sound. Such a good little boy.
Jamie, a friend and coworker of Matt's and her daughter Jallen also joined us at the zoo. The kids all got along really well and believe it or not the adults actually got to have a little adult conversation too. A good time was had by all!

Ella Catherine Petting and brushing the goat at the Petting zoo.

Reese petting the goat. This goat was in heaven!!

Reese, AKA: The goat herder! :)

Reese, Jallen and Ella Catherine. (ever so hard to get 3 Two year olds to all look at the camera)

So, close but Jaden was the only attentive one the whole time. Oh well.

All 3 kids out of their strollers and on the loose. We were in the Larakeet house and they loved the colorful birds.

Matt and Ella Catherine. A fun family and friends day at the zoo.

It's official!

It is official, we are no longer Memphians. Although Ella Catherine and I moved to Nashville in July and Matt followed in August, technically we were still Memphis residents as we still had our house at 1382 Glen Oaks Dr. As of a week ago, Friday March 20th, we are no longer owners of 1382 Glen Oaks Dr. YAY!!!! It was a long and sometimes stressful process selling our home and we are very happy to have that Chapter behind us. It frees us up mentally and especially financially to concentrate on our life here in Nashville and of the upcoming arrival of our second child. Thank you to all our family and friends who have been so supportive during these last 8 months. We couldn't have done it without your words of encouragement and prayers.

A quick update on Baby #2. I had a check-up this week and baby #2 is right on track. His/her heartbeat was strong. He/she was moving around and showing off for the doctor. :) My stomach is getting bigger by the day but according to the doctor is measuring right on track. So, in 7 weeks and 2 days (give or take a few) we will have a new little member of our family. I don't know who is more excited about it, Matt and I or Ella Catherine. Let's just hope her enthusiasm continues once the baby is born and it is not a scenario where the build up was more exciting than the actual event.

Memphis trip/good times with good friends

I am trying to catch up with my posts. Last weekend Matt, Ella Catherine and I went to Memphis. I drove over Friday morning and spent the majority of the day sorting through the remainder of our things there and pricing them for a moving sale the next morning. A BIG thank you goes out to John, Debbie, Michael and Katie Lynch for moving everything down from our attic. This was a HUGE help!! It saved a pregnant lady many trips up and down the stairs and she is VERY grateful. Matt and Ella Catherine drove in Friday Evening. Matt and I were very skeptical that the sale would be productive as the weather was not the best in Memphis last weekend. The weather man has predicted rain. Of course, weather men are not always right. In fact, it is the one job I know of that you can be wrong the majority of the time and still keep your job. But I digress. It was sprinkling early that morning(5am) but by the time the sale started it was no longer raining, just cold and dreary. It did not stop the avid garage sale goer and we had a great turnout. We got rid of a lot of stuff and what we couldn't sell, we took to goodwill.
Mimi watched Ella Catherine for us so we could concentrate on the sale. A Big thank you to Mimi.
Saturday evening we had an adult night out with old friends. Matt and I forgot our camera in Nashville, but if you go to the Cole's blog link on our blog you can see some pictures. It was sooo great to see everyone and spend time catching up. We even managed to have some adult conversations in addition to talking toddler and baby talk. We LOVE Nashville but We miss our friends greatly and always enjoy seeing them again.
Sunday we packed up the remainder of our things from 1382 Glen Oaks Dr and then headed over to Roger and Sarah Ella Cole's house for a play date and to watch the SEC basketball championship. As a nice surprise, the Thomas family was there too! So, we got to spend time with some of our other dear friends. As always, Ella Catherine was a little shy at first but warmed up and enjoyed playing with the Airey and Campbell Cole's toys tremendously. She was completely taken with Campbell. She couldn't get enough of him. She kept hugging and kissing him and holding his hands. She would bring him toys and try to make him smile.
My parents brought her a book about babies and being an older sibling for her birthday. She wants to read it daily and always says "I hold the baby", "I help wash the baby" and "Ella's sister". I keep asking what about a brother and she says "no sister". So, we might have to work through that one, but all in all I think she will be a good big sister. It makes me even more excited about our new little one due in a little over 8 weeks. I can't wait to see them interact. I know there will be some adjustments but if last weekend was any indication, she will be a little momma and help me take care of the baby.

Two is twice as nice!

So, I am VERY late in getting this posted on our blog. We have had a busy few weeks. Ella Catherine turned two on 3/5/09. We decided just to have a family birthday celebration. Her birthday was on a Thursday this year. I made and decorated some sugar cookies for her to take to school. She had a little celebration with her classmates and teacher. That night my parents, Nana and Pop, came to town and we celebrated by a dinner out after opening some presents. Aunt Katie and Mimi came to town Friday and then Grandpa, Grams, uncle Michael and Uncle Christopher came in on Saturday for the actual birthday party. We celebrated with hamburgers and hotdogs and an Elmo cake (made by yours truly). Ella Catherine had a ball and so did we! She was so excited to have all her favorite people at our house at once. She was wound up tight that day and I didn't think we would ever get her to bed. She woke up the next day asking for everyone to see who was still in town. She was very sad to see everyone leave, but has enjoyed all her birthday gifts tremendously. I have pre-birthday party pictures posted below but will add some from the party very soon.

She went last week to the doctor for her 2 year old check-up and her last round of shots until kindergarden. She is a very tall girl for her age. Dr. Haraf was very pleased with how well behaved she was and gave her a treat at the end of the visit. Matt's mom came in town for the day and so Mimi spoiled her a little after the MD visit by letting her watch her Elmo video multiple times.

The Birthday girl the morning of her birthday before she left for schoolDaddy and the Birthday girl before school
Taking George for a spin in her new wheels

So excited opening her presents. My mom made her the cutest Elmo card and she loved it!

Her baby doll and carriage from Nana and Pop
Opening her Curious George present.
The Elmo Cake

SNOW FUN!!! Mabye?

We have been teased in Nashville all winter with snow. However, on the rare occasions that it actually has snowed, the ground has been too warm for it to accumulate. So, when we woke up Sunday morning to the ground dusted with snow we were excited. It wasn't the 10inches that our former home received but it was better than nothing. Not only did it accumulate, but it happened on a weekend so I could actually enjoy it (In the Medical world, there is no such thing as a snow day. People are still sick and in the hospital and they still need caregivers). I'll have to admit some of my excitement was that Ella Catherine would finally get to wear her little snow pants and snow boots. She was equally excited as we were getting dressed and bundled. She was ready to go play ball in the snow. However, that excitement quickly faded the moment she stepped outside. In her defense, it was 7 degrees outside with the windchill, BRRRRR. We actually ended up spending more time getting everyone outfitted for the snow than actually outside in the snow. But she looked cute! :)

Getting dressed in my snow duds to go play ball outside.

Looking so cute decked out in my snow gear!!

Let's go! So ready to play ball in the snow.

Can we go inside now?