Life with the Stancil's

Happy 4th!!

2009-09-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July with the family! We went to Suzanne and Bill's(Stephen's aunt and uncle) house for a cookout and then over to Bill's parents house to watch Colonial Country Club's fireworks which is our tradition! We(Stephen and I) have been doing that for 12 years now! The very first time he called to ask me out was the 4th of July in 1997 and he invited me over to his aunt's house to hang out with the family and go watch the fireworks. So we get very disappointed if we miss a year since it's such a special thing for us to do together! It was a great night! Burgers, homemade ice cream, hanging out with family, and fireworks!! Does it get any better than that?

Everyone being goofy and taking a bite of ice cream!

Caroline and Kathryn(or as Caroline says Kathfrin) on our way to watch the fireworks!

Caroline with her Aunt Tonya and Uncle Mark

Florida

2009-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

My great aunt passed away at the end of June and she lived in Pensacola. My mom was close to Aunt Boots and especially close to her daughter Joan. So my sister and I felt like we should be there because Momma loved Aunt Boots and Joan. She lived a long life...most people don't make it to their 90's but Aunt Boots did! She was a school teacher and loved to learn new things and teach new things to anyone around her. We will miss you Aunt Boots!

So, since we were all the way in Florida and so close to the beach we decided to stay a couple of days longer and enjoy some beach time. I didn't know what Caroline would think of it because I hated the beach as a child. The sand, the salt water...I just didn't like it! Well, she LOVED every minute of it. She just played and played in the sand and we took a cheap inflatable pool for her to play in as well. She didn't know what to think of the ocean though. She would go in with us but you could tell she didn't really want to because she had a death grip on us the whole time! Now the traveling part and the sleeping issues were not all that fun but we still enjoyed being with family!

My nephew Austin made Caroline a chair out of sand and she thought it was so fun!

Caroline and Daddy playing in the sand!

Notice she is not smiling in the water!!

2009-09-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Oxford for the day shortly after our anniversary to visit Stephen's Aunt Monica who moved their last summer. We hadn't had the chance to go down and see her house and visit with her since Stephen works every Saturday and I work every Sunday. So, he took a Saturday off and we drove on down to see her. We got the tour of her home and then went to a local farmer's market there. While at the farmer's market Caroline couldn't help but notice there were horses that had carriages you could ride in so we went for a ride and she loved every minute of it! Then we had a yummy lunch and visited with more family who were bringing Monica a piece of furniture she had ordered. We all sat outside on the front porch of this antique store and I saw something that I had never seen before! A bed swing! I mean these adorable day beds that had cute cushions and throw pillows on them that were SO very comfortable! One day I would love to have a big front porch and put a couple of those out there on the porch. A good book and a bed swing=HEAVEN!! Once again, I didn't document these adorable inventions because I was chasing after my two year old! I HAVE GOT to do better....

Caroline and her cousin Isaac hanging out together!

Aunt Monica, me and Caroline enjoying the carriage ride!

9 years...

2009-09-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Things were so crazy with the birthday party and the excitement of the engagement and making wedding plans that we decided to slow it down and just stay in for our anniversary this year. On June 3rd we celebrated 9 years together! I cooked a yummy meal and Caroline spent the night at my sister's so we enjoyed a nice quiet evening at home. We started the meal with some delicious creamy squash soup. Then we had beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, and green bean bundles. We've sure had some highs and lows during our 9 years together and I wouldn't want to share my life with anyone else in the world!!

The Big Announcement!

2009-09-01T19:10:00.001-07:00

So I know it's been awhile but I'll try to fill you in on what's happened over our wild and crazy summer! We kicked off the summer on Memorial Day with a big birthday bash for my mom #2! It was her 6oth birthday and we partied! Her sister Suzanne and her girls(and a cousin) sang their very own version of YMCA except it was D-I-X-IE and they had us in stitches....very funny! But before that was the big announcement.....Dixie and Charlie announced to all of the family and some friends who were there that they were engaged! We were so excited(well they had told their children before the party) and it was especially neat to see every one's reaction! We love Charlie and are so blessed that he and his kids and grandkids are now part of our family too! There aren't too many great pics of the night. I have found it gets especially hard to document such joyous occasion with pictures when you are chasing around a two year old!

Charlie calling some friends and family after the announcement was made!

Dixie calling to fill her friends in as well before word spread!

Dixie, Caroline, and Lilly having some birthday cake

How Can This Be?

2009-04-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

I guess I blinked. I don't know how it happened but my sweet baby girl turned 2 on Saturday. Two years ago today we had just made it through our first day with Caroline in our home away from home.....The Drury Inn and Suites. It was a cozy little room and the walls were lined with baby gear....pack n play, swing, stroller.(for our mulitple trips to Target to pick up an item we forgot to pack) We stayed in Texas for almost 3 weeks but we didn't care. We would have stayed there for 3 months if it meant that we really were finally Momma and Daddy to this precious little girl!

We thank the Lord that he led us to Bethany. And we thank Bethany for being so brave and giving up so much so that we could be parents to Caroline! There are no words that could ever express how much joy she has brought into our lives.

She talked non stop about this tricycle(except she called it a bicycle) before her birthday!

She loved it when everyone sang Happy Birthday to her!

Looking for the fish in the pond!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year! It was my birthday so that made it even more special! We spent Good Friday doing brunch with the family and were hoping to enjoy sitting outside on Uncle David's new deck in the backyard but it was a little too chilly. Saturday night we partied for my birthday out at Mark and Tonya's and had a great time. Then Easter started bright and early for me(5:40 am) to get up and head to Highpoint for a wonderful Easter service! Needless to say I crashed this afternoon and took a 2 hour nap!! What more could I ask for on my birthday? I hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well!

A Great Season!

2009-04-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

So as most all of you know we are HUGE Tiger basketball fans in the Stancil household! We had a great season and are so proud of the Tigers(3 of which became the winningest basketball players in NCAA history after this season....that's a pretty big deal!) for a job well done.

Caroline loved watching the games this season and cheered those Tigers on to the Sweet 16! And yes, we are such loyal fans that we welcomed the Tigers home from the airport after their last game. It's really a full circle moment for me(for lack of a better term) and it's so much more than basketball for me. For me.....it's holding on to a piece of my mom that makes me feel close to her and that keeps her memory alive for Caroline. I grew up watching Tiger basketball. It was an event at our house! We didn't just watch the game. We had people over to watch the game...with yummy game food of course. If it was an away game we listened to the post game show on the radio(I actually called in once to talk to one of the players and I asked him out on a date-I was 9) and then loaded up in the car for the airport to welcome the Tigers home. I spent so many nights in the airport as a child and I would fall asleep wherever I could find a spot. Ok, I think you get the picture. Tiger basketball made my mom happy and so it's only natural that I would be enjoying it today with my daughter just as my mom did with her daughter!

What's in the cupcakes?

2009-03-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at lunch the girls from the office were discussing Muddy's cupcakes. We decided that anytime there needed to be a happy topic brought up after anything heavy or sad was discussed then we would talk about Muddy's because we stayed on that topic for quite awhile! Needless to say what's been on my mind since that conversation.....you guessed it-Muddy's. So Stephen and I took Caroline this afternoon and we all picked out our flavor. Caroline sat and stared at the cupcake and smiled...too cute for words! It was if she knew how delicious it was going to be and she didn't want to rush it. She finally dug in and ate every last bite! Fast forward to bedtime. It's eight o'clock...her usual bedtime and she seemed chattier and sillier than normal but I thought she would settle down and fall asleep.(I really had forgotten about the cupcake) Well she talked and sang and clapped and sang some more and talked.....finally at around 9:15 I didn't hear her anymore. Of course I thought my little angel must be sound asleep now so I'll go and make sure she's covered up. I walk in her room and peek into her crib to find her TOTALLY NAKED and still wide awake!! She has never done that before so I really didn't know whether to laugh or discipline at that moment....so I did both!

On my way out of her room I asked myself....what's in the cupcakes?

The Little Things....

2009-02-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

It's the little things in life that make me happy....like making Valentine's Day cookies with my sweet daughter.

Or having lunch yesterday with two very sweet friends. So thankful for them. Or hanging out with our small group last night....love them! Or a date tomorrow with my wonderful husband. Just us. It's the little things. I am so blessed!

Yes, we're still here....as if you were really worried!

2009-01-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the looonnnggg period of silence but you all know how busy life can be! Let's see....there were the holidays. We had a wonderful Christmas! Caroline absolutely LOVED her second Christmas. From baking cookies to wrapping presents to watching Christmas movies to opening presents...she simply loved it all!! Stephen and I could not get over how much she liked all the Christmas movies and she REALLY got into them. So much so that a month later she is still asking to watch The Grinch(Ginch), Rudolph(Roo-off), Elf, and Home Alone(yes, it's considered a Christmas classic in our home....oh and she asks for this movie by putting both hands on her cheeks and opening her mouth wide-the scene when he puts his dad's aftershave on his face!)

New Year's was wonderful as well. We drove to Nashville on New Year's Eve to hang out with our friends from med school days. We all went out to dinner and then back to the hotel to ring in the New Year! It was great to catch up and TRY to plan a celebration cruise for the completion of residency. We did this after med school and it was much easier to plan! Now, 5 babies later, 2 of the husbands already busy in practice, one husband starting with his practice this summer, one of the husbands going into sports medicine which keeps us from going in the fall during football season......you get the point! It's next to impossible but we are determined to make it work and go on a trip sometime in our lifetime to celebrate!

Now on to January. My LEAST favorite month of the year! (Sorry Heather-I know it's your birthday month and all....) Well, quite honestly I just get down in the dumps this month and I'm so glad it's almost over!! My sweet husband will be too as he's been working like a dog.....will the sickness ever end?

Things I'm looking forward to......

2008-11-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

Watching Tiger basketball! I hope they win tonight....they didn't play so well last night.

Thanksgiving Eve party with friends and family!

Making my mom's dressing for Thanksgiving.....it's so yummy!

Putting up our Christmas tree. We will do that next weekend after Thanksgiving!

Happy Friday!

A Big Blessing.....

2008-10-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention in the last post about my new job! Stephen and I spent the summer praying about a way for me to bring some income in without taking me from home too much. We quickly realized after I resigned from my last job when he started with his practice.....that it would be almost impossible to save for adoption #2 without more income coming in. Well, God answered that prayer and blessed me with a part time position with my church.......Highpoint Church. I am really excited about it and the hours are extremely flexible so I don't have to miss a minute of this..............

The latest and greatest.......

2008-10-27T11:45:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog.....guess we've been a little busy! Here's what's been going on.....

Stephen is taking his boards today so he's been really busy studying lately. We're all glad that it'll be over in a few short hours.....

Stephen has had a cold that has lasted about a month now.....the docs keep telling him that if he can get through his first winter he'll be fine after that. He is still enjoying his job though so that's good.

Friday night we went to a pumpkin carving party with our small group and it was a lot of fun. We carved pumpkins and made smores around the fire.....see pics below

Saturday morning I did Race For the Cure. It was really neat and I will be looking forward to next year. There is so much bad/evil in this world and it was great to see thousands and thousands of people all coming together for a good cause!

Happy Fall Ya'll

2008-09-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great time yesterday going to pick out our pumpkins. The tradition in our family is you each get to pick out one so we left with 3 pumpkins and some pretty purple mums. The man selling the pumpkins fell in love with Caroline so he gave her a little bitty pumpkin of her very own. She carried it around with her the rest of the afternoon!

Girls just wanna have fun!

2008-09-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

I met Christina, Jodi, and Lindsay while our husbands were in med school together. I know I could NOT have survived living so far from home, Stephen being best friends with his cadaver, and his non stop studying without these girlfriends! We instantly hit it off and have been such close friends ever since. We all had to move away from each other when our husbands all started residency and that's been tough but we have gotten together every year for a girls trip. This year we went to Temple, TX to Christina's house and we arrived there in TX on the day she turned 30.....it was special getting to spend the day with her on her birthday! We laughed A LOT, went out to eat, shopped, got pedicures, and spent time on the lake. It was a great trip!

(I somehow couldn't delete this photo...I was trying to rotate it! Christina picking up me and Lindsay from the airport....yes, I made her wear a tacky necklace and carry that sign!)

At little "dream" jewelry shopping! I'll take one of these and one of those!

Out to dinner to celebrate Christina's birthday!

A day at the spa....what could be better?!?!

I was in need of the spa after I did this!!

Picture Update

2008-09-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Currently, Caroline's favorite thing to do is sneak into the office
and climb into the chair and type on the computer....she does
manage to pull up itunes and dance a little too!

I decided to let her feed herself pudding the other day. We
started out with the spoon...

but she decided her hands were more fun!!

Caroline and Molly! My dearest friend of all(Shanna) had a
little girl in March just so Caroline could have a best friend
to play with! Wasn't that so kind of her? Just kidding......she
and her hubby thought they were done having babies, they
have 3 boys all in elementary school, hubby had the v surgery,
and along comes Molly!

Where would we be without friends?

2008-08-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Every girl needs a friend like Heather......
You brightened my day yesterday with these beautiful flowers!
Thank you(and Paul too!)

2008-08-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

We went out to dinner tonight with my family to Cracker Barrel.....my mom was the queen of "comfort food" whether cooking it or eating it. We thought that was the perfect place to honor mom.....sit and rock while waiting on a table.....drink sweet tea and eat some yummy veggies. We all love you mom!

Me and Care Bear sitting and rockin'

Then she wanted to rock all by herself!

Caroline and her "Brit-Brit" (Brittany)

Yes, that's butter she's eating...after all we were at Cracker Barrel!

Mitch(my brother-in-law)Thressa(sister) Brittany(my niece)
Andrew(nephew) Carolne, me, and Stephen

Missing Mom

2008-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 2 years since I said goodbye to my Mom. That was THE hardest thing I've ever done. A few of the many things I miss about my mom......

1. Watching Tiger basketball with her. She absolutely loved Tiger basketball more than anyone I know. They made you proud Mom...Final Four....so close to being National Champions.

2. Having fresh pecans. She would go around the city(she knew where all the best pecan trees were in Memphis) and pick up pecans that had fallen from trees. She would then sit and shell them. (while watching a lifetime movie no doubt) Then she would distribute the pecans to all of her loved ones. You knew my Mom loved you if you were lucky enough to receive a gallon size baggie of fresh shelled pecans. I would put mine in the freezer and pull them out whenever I needed them for a recipe.

3. Being able to call her when I have a cooking question(which is like everyday) or when Caroline does something cute(which is like every minute) or ask if she's read anything good lately so I can borrow her book.

4. Her lasagna!! Oh how I would love to have a big helping of that yummy lasagna right now....because mine never turns out as good as Mom's!

5. Her generosity. My mom was always giving something to someone-even though she had very little to give! She used to collect change. There wasn't a time that I was with her that she wasn't bending over in the parking lot or a restaurant or wherever we were and picking up a penny, nickel, dime, etc. Every few months or so she would roll all of her collected change and give it to her grandchildren. While Stephen was in med school, she would often send us a little of that money she collected and tell us to go out to a nice dinner.

miss you so much Mom........

More pics from camp.....

2008-08-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our friends Todd, Eileen, and baby Cecilia who was adopted
last November!

Family photo! (our only one from the whole trip because
we have such a busy body on our hands!)

Caroline showing Justin(her birthfather) how much she
likes limes!

Caroline and Bethany(her birthmom)

Camp Pictures!

2008-08-19T14:29:00.001-07:00

We're home from camp and exhausted! Nothing like chasing around a 16 month old all weekend while outdoors and no fences or doors to close to keep her somewhat in your eyesight. Just out in the wide open to run free...she had a blast! We on the other hand had a good time but found it hard to really sit and visit with others but oh well...there's always next time. Caroline did really well on the plane ride....we took along lots of things to keep her still. We got to meet lots of other families who have adopted through Abrazo, see friends we already knew, and visit with her birthfamily. Overall, it was a great trip and we're glad we went even though it wore us out!

Momma and Caroline on the playground!

Daddy helping Caroline on the stairs!

Checking out the teepee.

Clapping along to songs from the guest musician!

Opening a present from her birth grandmom!

Camp Abrazo Here We Come!

2008-08-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

I hope that our experience last night is not an omen of things to come this weekend. We drove to Little Rock last night which is where we fly out of this morning to San Antonio. We are headed to Camp Abrazo....a camp that our adoption agency does every summer for all of the families who have adopted with Abrazo.

We get to the hotel last night, unload the car, get Caroline to sleep, and settle into bed ourselves....when we hear some sort of alarm sound and it was extremely LOUD!! This sound went off and on for about 2 hours and none of us got any sleep during this time. It finally stopped and then we all fell asleep but our little angel decided to wake up bright and early at 6:00 am!! So needless to say that we are all exhausted and we are about to board a plane with a tired and cranky baby......we could use your prayers!!

One of those days....

2008-08-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was.....shall we say an eventful day! It all started when the crew arrived bright and early to clean our carpets. Stephen headed off to a morning training session and Caroline and I went shopping for a wedding gift. Not just any wedding present....a wedding present for her birthmom so we wanted it to be special. Well it took all morning and we finally came up with something. We met Stephen for lunch and then rushed home because the Direct TV guy was coming to install our DVR box(Yes, I know what you are thinking....how could ya'll have gone this long without Tivo? And the answer is.....I DON'T KNOW! I already love it and it hasn't even been a full day.) I put Caroline down for her nap and started working on a couple of pies. We were going to my sister's house for dinner for my brother-in-law's birthday and he loves pies....I of course being the perfect sister-in-law said I would make him some pies. I thought it would be okay because Stephen was home so I could work on the pies while he let the Direct TV guy in and handled that. However, we just purchased a wireless router for his laptop(I know, I know...we are behind the times. But hey, we're catching up....now we have Tivo and wireless!) and he decided to install that. Well, that took all afternoon and several phone calls so he was locked up in the office all afternoon. Meanwhile, I'm making a pie and I'm at the part where you are supposed to be constantly stirring the ingredients on the stove while it comes to a boil and of course who shows up right at that moment....the Direct TV guy! I let him in and try to juggle answering his questions while stirring the pie filling on the stove. He then tells me he needs in the attic so I thought ok he'll handle that. But then I look outside in the garage and he is just standing there.....I assume he is waiting on me to pull open the attic stairs so I proceed to quickly take care of this because I remember I'm still in the middle of pie making. Something was in the way of the stairs so I shove it out of the way and then the stairs come crashing down....ON MY HEAD! I am bending over holding my head and then Stephen appears and says...."What's going on?" I yelled at him to handle that situation so I could tend to my pie and I think I said something sarcastic about him being a huge help.

So anyway, now that I've rambled on....we now have really clean carpets, a wedding present, Tivo and wireless internet. Oh, and the pies turned out alright if I do say so myself!

Feeling Better

2008-08-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

My ankle is feeling better.....after lots of meds that is. I am doing well getting around on it but I still can't exercise so hopefully the ortho doc will shed some new light on the situation next week!

She makes me smile everyday!