SUYL - Singles....My Big Brother Kelly.

Today I am linking through Kelly's Korner. It is Show Us Your Life Friday - Singles. If you are coming from Kelly's Korner, then welcome. I know there are a lot of posts to look through so I will keep this as short as possible.

I would like to take this time to tell about my single big brother Kelly. Kelly is 29, and lives in Central Kentucky. He is a Probation and Parole Officer and is very proud of the work he does.

Playing Church Softball.


He is a great guy that loves all sports, and plays softball and basketball year round. He is a fan of UK basketball and football, Reds baseball, and Bengals football.



Kelly with our Grandmother.

When not playing or watching sports Kelly enjoys spending time with family and friends, eating, and listening to music.


Kelly at Family Christmas Party.



Kelly has been a great brother to me and deserves a great down to earth girl. I am hoping everyone in Kelly's Korner will help match this great guy with a great girl.

18 Months already??

Haley is 18 Months already?! I can't believe how fast time has gone by or how grateful I am that I am able to be at home with her each and every day. As sad as I am about her growing up so fast, I am also very happy because I have not missed any of it. Anyone who had visited our house in the first twelve months of Haley's life can attest to the fact that I enjoyed every minute possible with Haley. They can tell because my OCD about the cleanliness of my house had gone to the wayside. I didn't vacuum the house everyday, I didn't scrub baseboards, I only shampooed the carpets twice. Anytime I thought about cleaning I thought of how fast other parents said time would go, and how I should enjoy this time with her while I can. I took all that advice to heart and am so glad I did. My OCD about the house is back, but has had a major tone down. I love this little girl more than anything in this world, and look forward to all the fun we will have this summer.

Four years and counting!

On May 26th, Jason and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.

I cannot believe I have been married to this amazing man for four years already. Then it really blows my mind when I think that we have been together almost 8 years in all. Time has gone by so fast, and only faster now that we have Haley. I can only imagine what it will feel like as we hit those milestones of 25th anniversary or 50th! I wonder if it will still seem like time is flying by us.

One of the things I am very proud of is that we were married in the same church as my parents, my grandparents, and many other family members of mine. I love my church so much and growing up I always dreamed that my wedding would be here.  Following are some more pictures from our very special day.

For our anniversary Jason and I always get all dressed up and go out to eat at the same little romantic restaurant in downtown Lexington. The Metropol always shows us a good time and this time they didn't disappoint. They have expanded and had a gentleman playing the piano in the background. It was just simply wonderful. I look forward to many more great years with Jason.

You just can't reason with a toddler.

I am quickly finding out that you just can't reason with a toddler... (they are almost as bad as husbands)



Jason was off work today so I took full advantage. It is always so great when he is home. I get a chance to relax and sit back a little bit while Haley gets some one-on-one time with her daddy.

We had lunch gathered around the coffee table today. Jason gave Haley her first taste of some spicy food. Now, it wasn't real spicy, but I am sure to Haley the spices on it were enough to catch her attention. She immediately started spitting it out. Then she grabbed Jason's fingers and tried shoving them into her mouth in an attempt to let him know to get it out. She then made the move of going over to our recliner and shoving her face into the cushions licking the fabric...haha. Poor thing. She was so caught off guard she didn't know what the heck that was. I tried getting her to take a drink of her juice, but she was not having any of it. It wasn't a few minutes after I explained to my 17 month old about spicy food and how drinks help that she tried another bite, only with the same results. I explained it to her again that taking a drink of juice is always a better option than licking the cushions. Finally the third time was the charm. She took one more small bite and immediately started drinking her juice. She had such a look of excitement like she had figured it out, she had beat the spices that time. It just amazes me so much how quickly she will pick up on things or how well she will listens. It is as if she says, "I will listen to what you have to say Mommy, but I am going to figure this out on my own."

It was a great day and I love all the sweet little moments she gets to have with her daddy. Thank goodness I am never far from my camera so I can catch these moments. I know we will cherish them forever, and I am sure we will cry over these when she becomes a teenager and wants nothing to do with us. Until then, she loves us, and I know by the way she looks at us as if we are the coolest people in the world.

Wordless Wednesday!!!

Someone is ready to watch the Reds play!

The Mom I want to be!

Mother's Day and Father's Day are right around the corner which gives me a bag full of mixed emotions. I am constantly questioning how I can be a better mother for Haley, and constantly keeping my eyes out for good role models to learn from. Growing up I have two friends whose mother's I admire the most, and who have made lasting impressions on me. These two mother's couldn't be more different, and yet they are a lot alike. Both Susan and Gina have devoted as much time as possible to their children and have really taken active roles in who their children have become. I am a firm believer that a child's behavior is a direct reflection on the parenting they have received. And I think it is all based on open communication, not only between the mother and child, but the family as a whole. The best way for a family to support someone through a rough time is to be involved completely in what the details are to a certain situation. Keeping no secrets.

With this said, I am a firm believer in family dinners. I think it is a good time to get the whole family around one table and talk about what is going on in each other's lives. Jason, Haley, and I try to make sure each and everyday that we are together for dinner and enjoy that time together as much as possible. Since Haley is only 17 months old at this time I think Jason and I are still trying to figure out what kind of parents we will be. We have discussed tactics for teaching money management. Money management is something I was not raised with, but Jason was. So it is interesting for us to talk about how we have learned our money management skills and how we will instill these qualities in her.  Another topic we find ourselves discussing often is that of discipline. Again, Jason was raised in a very strongly disciplined home and I was not. Thankfully I didn't need a lot of discipline...lol. I do want Jason and I to be strict parents, and I think starting off with this early on will help Haley learn the limits of us as parents. Learning early on that there are consequences both out in the real world and within our home to everything she does.

I am always looking for ways to make a positive impact on her life and have seen many negative things to show how not to do things as well. I guess only time and a lot of prayer will show if we have succeeded in raising successful self-sufficient children.

I also want to add....since I have not advertised that this blog exists and Jason is the main follower I want to add that Mother's Day IS coming up soon....a mani/pedi would be greatly appreciated!!!!  I love you honey.

Easter Weekend

What a great Easter weekend we have had here at the Dickerson House. We started our festivities on Friday when Jason's parents and sister came for dinner and to play with Haley. We grilled out, colored eggs, and just enjoyed each other's company. I love it when they come, and I know Haley does too. Here are a couple pictures from that night.

Haley and Grandpa. Given just a short amount of time I think Haley can cause anyone to lose their voice. All she wants are books read to her. She will bring me book after book after book everyday.

Haley and Grandma. I love this picture!

On Saturday Jason, Haley, and I went to the annual BLUE/WHITE UK Spring Football game. Since Jason played football for UK there is an alumni lunch that takes place before the game itself. These events are always such a great time, we get to catch up with some great friends and past teammates of Jason's as well as talk with and hear stories of some of the older guys that played at UK. It is always neat to see them all talking together and to see just how things have changed over the years. It catches me off guard every time to see how everyone has had such different experiences within this one program, but then again the program has had a lot of changes itself.

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day. We attended a great church service in which we were able to be witness to eight people who have come forward to be baptized and show their devotion to the Lord. Although it has been a few years, each time I see this I reminisce back on the day I was baptized and how proud I was. I also look forward and think of the days when I get to watch my children take this step of faith. I know I will cry my eyes out.  

We also did an Easter egg hunt with Haley at my mother's house. She is so darn cute. She had such a blast and didn't quite understand what the basket was for. Each time she would pick up an egg Jason would ask her if she wanted to put it in her basket and she would immediately say. "No!". Shake her head and move on to the next one. She got to the point where she was carrying six eggs at once all tucked into her arms.

I am starting to find out that the perfect family pictures I would like to get from time to time are no more. Haley refused to cooperate in the picture this year. I finally had to put my hand up her dress to tickle her belly for the slightest smirk.







This is a comparison of us from Easter last year. I cannot believe how much Haley has grown and changed over the past year. We have been so very blessed to have her in our lives.