The Ballentines in Tennessee

The 5th Tennessee Ballentine!

2010-10-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Now that I am past my 12th week and can start posting updates about the alien on here! Baby X is in his/her 15th week! Growing well and according to the ultrasound tech moving all over the place! I cant really feel any movement yet but I will update when the kicking starts. Should find out gender in about 4 weeks! Exciting times here but now we have to buy a car that holds 3 car seats! Further updates in the future!

2010-05-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Shelby put daddy in a time out! She was nice enought to give him a baby and a blanket. Guess she thought he needed a nap too!

2010-05-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

We went to watch the

highway department fix the road at my parents house. Shelby got to sit in the backhoe. She loved it.

2010-05-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Love the look on her face.

2010-05-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

Jay gave his self a summer hair cut while I was at work this weekend. How handsome is he!

2010-05-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Love how my girls fall asleep in the car but this couldn't have been very comfortable for Shelby. She must have been really tired! Too funny!

New Family Members!

2010-05-10T17:04:00.001-07:00

These are our two new family members Shadow and Sassy. They were resuced during the storms that we had a couple of weeks ago, found near a recycling center in Henry County.

This one is the boy Shadow. He is so tiny!

This is Sassy the female. They both have blue eyes and are adorable, cuddly and playful! They even tolerate the girls carrying them all over. Watch out when you walk though they like to attack your feet and bite toes! Kitten teeth are sharp!

2010-05-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

Shelby wanted everyone to see her "Gauze Paws" Hope fully the one on the right hand can come off soon but the left one will be on for a while longer. Notice the many colors that she picked.

2010-05-10T17:00:00.001-07:00

I love this pic of Julia. Jay took it with his phone after she woke up from a nap one day. Look at those eyes! She is so beautiful!

2010-05-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Jay took the girls on a "picnic" after work one day. This is the picnic table he built for them. She the McDonalds. Bad daddy!

Our Monkey!

2010-05-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

There is a reason we call her monkey. Very good at dangling.

2010-05-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you put a extremely tired child in time out. It only took a minute for her to crash. Look closely at her legs and you can see the many bruises she has. Her doctor calls them boy legs!

2010-05-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

Fun on the bikes after the storm. Got really nice outside and couldn't stay in!

This is her CHEESE face!

The Great Flood!

2010-05-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Jay with the super cute Dora umbrella!

This is a restaurant in town! The water flooded the inside of the restaurant.

This was a 5 foot high fence down the road from my parents house. You can barely see the top of the fence.

2010-05-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

How cute are my girls! Julie had a scarf that matched her sun dress and Shelby had to have a head scarf also! Too cute!

2010-05-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Devan has to do a book report on Benjamin Franklin and he has to dress up like him also. I found this super cool costume on Ebay for him. How cute is he!

Just Like Daddy!

2010-05-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

Jay had to work on the push mower before he could mow and Shelby decided to work on hers too. Like father like daughter! Notice that she is wearing a pink skirt and white shirt and dosen't care! Thats my girl!

2010-05-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Captured these super cute naptime shots on the way back from

Nashville. Tired babies. Good thing I brought along the pillows.

2010-05-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Shelby went for her 4 year checkup right back in March. These were some cute pics that I got of her examining her sister and pretending to be Dr. Minor.

2010-05-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

Shelby touched the charcoal grill lid last weekend and got 2nd degree burns on both thumbs! You can see the blisters on both thumbs in this pic. Thank god it was only the thumbs!

2010-03-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Daddy gave me hot chocolate!

Yummy!

2010-03-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Too cool!

2010-03-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Must have a spa treatment after all the partying!

Julia was worn out also!

Sisters relaxing together.

2010-03-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Shelby had been asking for a Spongebob pinata for her birthday party for about 2 months. Here are some pics of the fun that was had trying to bust it!

Amazing no one was hit during all the wild swinging.

"Let it down daddy!"

2010-03-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

This is a random cute photo that I found in the camera. I love the look on her face!

Shelby is 4!

2010-03-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

Shelby turned 4 today! Where has the time gone? She is such a big girl now.

Can I eat the cake now?

Our good friend Emily made this cake for Shelby because Shelby had to have a Spongebob cake.Thanks Emily!

2010-02-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Mommy can blow out the candles. Someone is touching me!

I am so tired

How cna I get some cake with no one noticing?

2010-02-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

Is this my baby doll?

Look! I got cars from daddy!

I can"t get this thing open!

Notice the cousin and sister in every shot!

Julias 2nd Birthday Party!

2010-02-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

Here is the awesome Elmo birthday cake that the dietition at work made! Tasted pretty good too!

My Baby Is 2 Today!

2010-02-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

Julia is 2 today! I can't believe it! We are having a party for her tomorrow so there will be pics to follow!

2009-12-04T12:42:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken at daycare! Don't my girls look beautiful!

Shelby is a little diva! Look at the bare feet!

Fun With Leaves!

2009-11-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

Who needs to go to an amusement park! Just rake up a pile of leaves and let your kids slide down into them and jump in them for hours of amusement, giggles, and smiles! ( and one or two boo boos)

Representing Daddys Home State!

2009-11-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

The girls were cheerleaders for Halloween. Shelby was a IU cheerleader and Julia was a Colts cheerleader. Jay said that if they were going to be cheerleaders they had to be something from Indiana. Aren't they adorable! Weactually got lots of good comments from people. Wasn't really expecting that being in Tennessee! Thanks Grandma Bling Bling!

2009-11-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

There was a accident aross the street in the neighbors yard. We went over befor the police got there. After they arrived the girls had to sit in the car and work the lights and siren. I hope the cop got everything working properly again because they touched everything in there!

Fun At The Pumpin Patch

2009-11-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

Look Daddy I can haul them in my big truck!

We are too cute for words!

My beautiful happy family. We went to a pumpkin patch to get our fall pumpkins. We had to explain to Shelby that we couldn't take them all home!

2009-09-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

During all of the fun indoor tent camping Shelby decided that it would be fun to put ducktape o her mouth and pretend to sleep in the tent. She looks like she has been kidnapped and that is where I threw her when i got her home! (Yes, she has no pants on. She refused for some reason today.)

Rainey Days

2009-09-23T16:02:00.001-07:00

It has rained all week here so it is really nasty outside. Because of this the girls have not been able to go out and play at all

which is why there is now a tent set up in my living room The girls think that this is totally awesome and I am the coolest mom in the world. (On a side note look at the eyes on Julia, gorgeous. She looks more like Jay every day.)

2009-09-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Shelby decided that it would be fun to experiment with make up. She even tried some out on her sister. I was very thankful that she climbed in the bathtub to do it because after she painted herself and her sister she painted the tub. Thank god for make-up that comes off with water! Aren't they pretty!

Our Princess

2009-09-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

We found Shelby some new princess dress up clothes the other day and when we got home she had to put all of them on. She was so pretty!

Our little diva

2009-07-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

This was taken at Jaima and Andys house when we were in Indiana. She was not feeling very photogenic at this moment.

Grandmas pretty flowers

2009-07-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Notice the bug. Great camera!

We Love our Grandpa!

2009-07-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Don't tickle me grandpa!

Our Sepia Beauties!

2009-07-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

She is such a camera hound!

Shes Shelby, need we say more!

The Many Poses of Shelby

2009-07-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

I am cute and innocent!

Julie did it!

Vogue! Strike a pose!

CHEESE!

Funny Julia!

2009-07-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

"I got a red block!"

"Yes. I will allow you to capture my cuteness."

She is too Cute!

Trip to the Indy Zoo!

2009-07-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

This is the backside of our daughter on her daddys shoulders when she got tired!

Cute giraffes!

Funny smelly monkeys!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for taking us to the Indy Zoo!

2009-07-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

These are more pics from our great trip to the Indy zoo. Shelby loved the elephants. We were really glad when Julia passed out finally. She really didn't feel good. Poor baby!

2009-07-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jay had Shelby pose by the pond at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The second pose she did on her own. Too cute!

Future Indy Car Driver!

2009-07-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Shelby enjoys riding in and driving anything with 4 wheels and some things with 2 so when she said she wanted a go cart like Devans Jay was extremely happy ( and I liked the idea too). jay found the helmet at a yard sale. One of my requests was that she have a good helmet. Isn't she adorable. I can picture her driving in the Indy 500 some day.

Weight Loss!!

2009-05-20T15:06:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know that I have been trying to lose weight. I actually have lost about 10 lbs since the beginning of may!! Yeah me!! There will be no pics of me on here until I lose the rest of the weight that I am attempting to get rid of. Some people have said that they can tell a difference already in the way that I look but I can't. Some of my clothes feel a little bigger but I may be halucinating! I think that some of the weight loss can be due to the fun I have been having with my Wii Fit! Oh well, wish me luck!

2009-05-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Julie is trying to get the hang of the slide. Shelby thought that it would be fun to slide down while her little sister was trying to go up. Of course Julia got slammed off the slide. I thought that it was kind of funny though!

2009-05-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

We have had some really decent weather lately so the girls have been able to play outside alot. Shelby wanted to ride her bike so Julia decided to get the other bike and be like her big sissy. It was adorable.

Sweet and Innocent

2009-05-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

They fell asleep on the couch together Sunday morning. They look so sweet. And then Jay woke up and the illusion ended. Ha Ha!

Mini Me

2009-05-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

Like father like daughter. The cows across the street must have been doing something very interesting that day. Look closely at the matching poses. Too cute!

Share With Me Daddy!

2009-05-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Julie teaching her daddy how to share the cheddar popcorn. You just have to sit on him and make him pay attention to you!

Let Them Eat Dirt!

2009-05-03T18:39:00.001-07:00

I have heard it said that if children eat a little dirt every now and then it is healthy and will bulid immune systems. Well, mine must have the best immune systems in the world. Well, Shelby didn't actually eat any it just looks like she did. Julie was the only one who wanted to experiment and find out what mommy's new flower bed dirt tasted like. Oh well, it was clean dirt!

Update On Julie

2009-05-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

Julie went to see the surgeon on Wednesday. We got great news. The lump is not anything that will require surgery! Yea! It is actually a fat pocket. What the heck?! You hear something new every day. It is just a pocket of fat that formed in her belly that will flatten out and/or dissolve on its own as she grows. For now she is still Lumpy!

You Might Be A Redneck

2009-04-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

You might be a redneck f you fix your pants with duct tape insted of sewing them. These are the pants that Jay had on at work Friday. He tore them on a piece of metal on a machine. He decides to fix them with duct tape. Yes, Jay has officially become a redneck. Oh, he decided to wear them even when we went out that night. He is proud of his redneck status. And he kids me about being a redneck.

Mini Mechanic

2009-04-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

She may look like me but she acts like

her daddy. When her truck finally arrived she thought that she should help daddy put it together. Daddy agreed and she got out her tools and went to work. One picture looks like the truck fell on her. She said she had to fix something under there! A little mini Jay in the making. Jay is so proud.

Great (and weird) Weather

2009-04-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

We had really pretty weather yesterday so the girls got to play outside for most of it. I say weird also because one day it is almost 80 and you are wearing shorts and the next day it is 40 and you need a coat. Julie tried to get Lacy to cooperate with her and play but Lacy was too busy watching a bug.

Shelby's New Ride

2009-04-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

It stopped raining yesterday so we were able to let Shelby finally ride in her new truck. She rode around the yard for about an hour listening to her radio. Yes, her truck has a working radio. They didn't have things this cool when I was little.

2009-04-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wait for me sissy!! I want to go to!!!

Let Me Out! She Can't Drive!!

2009-04-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Julie was not impressed with Shelby's driving skills. Some of the pictures are Julie trying to figure out how to get the seatbelt off so she can escape. She screamed until we got her out of the truck and then her sister tried to run over her. Julie loved sitting in it when it wasn't moving. I thought Shelby did really well for it being her first time driving.

Hot Rod Baby!

2009-04-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

Shelby did really well with her new truck. She only ran over her sister once! Shelby and Jay thought that was hilarious. She had to wear her super cool shades when she drove around. Too cute! (Is this a preview of when she turns 16? Yikes!)

Too Adorable!

2009-04-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Just a cute picture I was able to snap when we were outside yesterday. Look at the cute smile. She has 6 teeth!

The Lumpy Belly

2009-04-17T07:41:00.001-07:00

If you look closely you can see the lump that we are worried about. It will not freaking go away!! This is the size that it is when she is sleeping. It gets bigger then she cries or strains. Her new nickname is now Lumpy!

Sleepy Monkey!

2009-04-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

Julie is such a good baby! She took off her own nightgown this morning. It was kind of chilly in the house so I went to get her some clothes. When I came back in the living room this is what I discovered. How lucky can you get when your 14 month old puts herself down for a nap. On the couch no less. Awesome! She even tried to cover herself up! My naked angel!

An Update on Julie

2009-04-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

Some of you know that we discovered a lump in Julias stomach on Friday April 10th. As you can see from the pic she has not been her usual happy self. She went to the doctor on Monday the 13th. We were told that she had a lot of stool on her left side (which is where the lump is). We were told to give her things to make her poo and see if that made the lump go down. So after about 10 stinky diapers and no decrease in lump size we called her doctor back. We now have an appointment with a surgeon on April 29th. We hope that it is something minor that can be fixed easily. We will give another update as soon as we know something.

A Day With My Princesses

2009-04-15T07:12:00.001-07:00

Shelby got a princess dress up set for easter and decided that Julie needed to play with her. Julie thought that that was a good idea also so

I grabbed the camera before the good mood went away. Aren't they beautiful.

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Easter here in Tennessee was great. A quiet day for all of us which is what we wanted. I tried to get shots of my girls dressed in their easter finest, but as usual, at least one of them did not want to cooperate. I think that they turned out cute anyway. I have a great family.

Our Baby is 3!!!!

2009-03-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

I am such a bad mommy! Shelby had a small party at home for her birthday. We got the camera out and took a pic of her blowing out the candles on her cake, and then the batteries died. But we did get the important pic of the candle being blown out and pics of her with 2 of her important presents, bubbles that are grape scented and a giant bubble wand! She really got into opening the presents and had a really good time. She didn't mind that there was no camera flashing in her face. I was really mad at myself though. (Don't you love the wild hair. She was playing with a friend outside and lost her barrette.) I can't believe she is 3!

2009-02-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

I am soooooo cute!

2009-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Shelby was being a good big sister and helping Julia open her presents. Julia really got into ripping the paper off.

2009-02-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

More cute first birthday pics! Gotta love the cake up the nose!

Happy 1st Birthday Julia!

2009-02-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

We had Julias birthday party at McDonalds this past Saturday. She loved every bite of her cake!

Happy 35th Birthday Jay!!!

2009-02-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

This was the cake from Jays birthday party. Good thing he has a good sense of humor!

2009-02-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

I said i wanted grapes in the bag from the store, not in a bowl!

2009-02-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hey I like this dress grandma bought fo me. I soo pretty

2009-02-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

For some reason julia was hungry later that day. Julia fell asleep while eating. She had a long day and had been playing hard earlier, and refused to take a nap.

2009-02-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

Shelby ran off and was playing in the pasture. Next we heard she laughing and squealing. She had climbed up the fence. She thought it was funny, although she could not get down herself.

2009-02-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

It was gorgeous outside last sunday so we thought we would let the kids run off some energy. Julia decided to try and ride the bike for the first time. So cute!

2009-02-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Like father like daughter.

2009-02-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

She can be so pitiful at times. (The lip is what gets to you!)

2009-02-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

We actually got enough snow a couple of weeks ago for the girls to play in.

2008-12-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

Proof to show them later that they can get along. Aren't they adorable!

2008-12-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

Coffee time with daddy! She

is actually drinking hot chocolate.

2008-12-18T07:32:00.001-08:00

Cute bathtime pics. My daughters will hate me later for this!

2008-12-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

I gave a baby shower for my best friend this past Sunday and the girls were at there best!

2008-12-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics that are going to be on the christmas card that everyone will get. The big pic isn't the one that I had originally planned on putting there but the kids had different ideas.Hey I'm flexible. :)I think my kids are cute even when they are not grinning:) Shelby was distracted in the ones with her and Julie in them, we were at Pizza hut!

I'm Mobile!!

2008-08-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Julia finally started crawling and sitting up on Friday. She is all over the place and the war over the toys has started!! When Julia first got into Shelbys toys Shelby said, "Keep her out of my room."

2008-08-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Shelby playing in the sand with some of the boys from the scouts.

2008-08-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

Devans birthday was Sunday and his party was at the park. We put Julia in the baby swing for the first time. Too cute!!

2008-08-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Here are Shelbys favorite animals at the zoo, the giraffes and the elephants. We have lots more pics to numerous to put on here.

2008-08-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is a rope bridge that Jay had as much fun on as Shelby did.

2008-08-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

The snake at the playground that ate my daughter, and then spit her back

out. (Thats Jay under the bridge in the background watching the snake eat Shelby)

2008-08-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is the really cool jungle gym at the zoo that Shelby and her daddy played on for about an hour. We mamaged to avoid it until right before we left so that we could see the animals or we never would have left there!

The Girls First Zoo Trip.

2008-08-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

We went to the Nashville zoo last friday. It was wicked hot but we all had a great time. Shelby loved all the animals. Julia didn't get to excited but give her time. Here is how Julia spent her time at the zoo.

5th Anniversary!!!!

2008-07-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has been 5 years already! We watched our wedding video and laughed at parts like Jay saying his vows to the minister and Devan picking his nose. Now we

have 2 beautiful little girls. Happiness!!!

2008-07-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

For some strange reason Jay took pics of the garbage truck. Is he missing Anderson that bad?

2008-07-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

Julia trying to figure out what this is