A quick post from Gavin.

Shalaine has been doing a great job at taking over the blog, but I just wanted to brag on her for a minute. She’s been playing around with our camera, as new mothers are wont to do, and she’s been taking some pretty good pictures of Addie Pearl. Head over to Addie Pearl’s World to see some of the results from Shalaine’s little photo shoot yesterday.

I loved so many things about Charlotte but now that I have moved away it was not the city that I loved the most. It was the many friends that made it great and that is what I miss. Those Hurst’s, Brocks, and Hunters are some great friends (I get a little choked up thinking about them). I also miss my cooking buddy Mary Nash (probably the sweetest women ever). My coworkers where awesome and also great friends to me. The beach trips we took where always filled with laughter and fun. Let me tell you if you want to have some fun always take 4 science teachers, 1 dance teacher, and a Media Specialist!!!

So that was one Queen City and now for the other!!

Meridian has some of the sweetest people I have ever meet. They have treated Gavin, Addie Pearl, and I so well. We will have some great friendships!! As for this Queen City it has one thing that I have missed the many years we were in Charlotte.

That’s right people, it’s what I call a cow pasture!!! I go running at this little park at least twice a week and this is right next to it!! My college roommate Megan Hubbard would love this field and she would run right through it! I get to hear cows mooing while I run which is something that I have missed and I absolutely love it.

I love the South, I love the heat, I love small towns, I love new people!! Therefore, I am loving Meridian, MS!!

There are several things about Dachshunds that all people should know! This might not apply to every Dachshund but definitely applies to our crazy dogs!!

1. I believe Bailey and Molly could truly sleep at least 23 1/2 hours of a 24 hour day (the other 1/2 hour is needed for eating).

2. They will find a place on the carpet that they think smells interesting and will try to roll there body on it! Sometimes they will do this in the grass and on concrete if the smell is very interesting!

3. They want to be next to you all the time! We have tried many a time to keep Bailey off the couch but he needs to be laying in your lap or right next to you. Molly likes to cuddle but not as much as Bailey. We think it might be because of the way she was treated before we rescued her when she was two.

4. They can smell bacon as soon as you open the package. Once you start cooking the bacon you might as well cook some extra pieces because they will beg until they get least two pieces from you.

5. There breath is terrible. It smells as if they have released toxic fumes straight into your face.

6. Speaking of there terrible smells. If they have gas, run far away because it smells as if they are rotting from the inside out.

7. If you are walking Bailey don’t expect him to make it more than a 1/2 mile before finding a nice soft patch on the ground to lay down. If you are walking Molly just be prepared to stop at every tree so she can look for squirrels to chase.

8. Don’t expect them to lay on anything that is hard. They won’t even sit down in the kitchen because they refuse to put their butts on the hard floor. They hate it so much that even if you offer them a treat they will still refuse. Now this does not negate number 2! The only way they will roll around on hard ground is if there is a smell they want all over their body!!

I thought I had ten things but it looks as if I only have eight! We love our Dachshunds like we love potato chips, but just like potato chips three might be too many!!!

The following picture is suppose to melt your heart (if it has not already melted away due to this extreme heat)!

The great thing about hot days that we are having is my baby gets to spend a lot of time in just her diaper! This is the most adorable thing that could come from 97+ degree heat. While sweat was rolling down my back, Addie Pearl had the luxury of stripping down to her diaper which she can do at any time and not be criticized for it. I guarantee there are tons of people in Charlotte who at this momment wish they could do this same thing.

Another thing that I love about the picture is you can actually see drool and spit up on Addie Pearl’s chin! She just has this look on her face that say’s “It’s too hot to care!” or she is thinking “Really?? You are going to take a picture of me now??”

We are sad to say that the next two days will be our last two days as Charlotte residents (this is for anyone reading this blog and really has no clue about us)! We are moving to Meridian, MS where the extreme heat will always exist and Addie Pearl will have no use for clothes at all! We love Charlotte and love our friends which makes it very hard to leave. However, Meridian is a great place and we are excited about raising our family there.

If you are not beat by the heat then you should come help us pack the truck tomorrow or unload it on Tuesday. If you are beat by the heat my only recommendation to you would be just strip down to your diaper! Wait!! Maybe that is not a good idea you might end up in jail or in a mental institute! Only babies have the luxury of being in their diaper! An alternative to stripping is  just sitting inside on the couch with a nice be glass of iced sweet tea!! Maybe that should be my plan for Wednesday?

When I was thinking of my first blog post I thought the only thing that I really wanted to talk about is Hot Sauce!!! I love hot and spicy foods (for instance I will order Hot Wings at any place that offers them just because I love them so much). However, this post is not about all hot foods it is about a specific Hot Sauce that I have come to love.

I was looking for new recipes on Pioneer Woman (which I tend to do on a weekly basis) and came across this awesome chicken taco recipe (which you should definitely try immediately)! While reading her post she recommeded using this specific hot sauce called Cholula Hot Sauce. So I made these amazing chicken tacos and bought this sauce because she said it was essential. It has officially changed my life forever. I have even started basing my opinion of Mexican restaurants on whether they offer this hot sauce.

So, for my first post I wanted to do something fun and something life changing. Just give it a try!! I never put hot sauce on anything until I met Cholula and although I haven’t drunk it straight from the bottle (yet), I am forever attached!

On March 10, 2011 at 6:53 PM, Addie Pearl Breeden was born! She weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 21.5 inches long. She has her mother’s mouth and chin, her father’s ears and feet, and a head full of hair! She is already a blessing and a joy to her parents. We thank God for his kindness to us in this precious new addition to our family.

Now that she is here, expect this blog to be inundated with stories and updates of our little girl. The truly devoted Addie Pearl fan will want to check out Addie Pearl’s World. That blog will feature photos and videos (because WordPress doesn’t like videos very much). We’ll link to the new stuff over there from time to time. Check back soon and often.

There she is!

This is a good look at her head.

Here is another one of her little body.

And, of course, her adorable little foot.

This begins our 24th week. We are having a little girl. She is due around March 10, 2011. Her name is Addie Pearl Breeden. (She is named after Shalaine’s great-grandmother, but there are Addie’s and Pearl’s on my side as well.)

We’ve started a blog for the sole purpose of posting photos and videos of our little pride and joy leading up till the birth and beyond. The website is addiepearl.posterous.com. Every post we do there will be cross-posted here, however, videos will probably not work on this  blog, which is the reason we started another blog.

Anyway, post frequency will definitely increase around here and then explode in the spring. Stay tuned.

(Click to enlarge photos)

Mardi Gras Arch! Decorated by many Junior Girls!

Mardi Gras Theme has to have a float!!

This was our table decoration!!

Cafe

One of our students made this sign! It is pretty amazing!!

French Quarter

This is our French Quarter! The balcony was built on Thursday by the husband of one of the teachers.

In our balcony we got standee's of two of our principles! This was liked by all!!

These lamps where made by another teachers' husband! You won't believe what it is made out of!!! Cardboard!!! You think there are many ways to use duck tape well there are just as many ways to use cardboard.

Swamp Scene

Two teachers did dress up and play the priest and priestess! Very interesting concept to have teachers dress up as characters for prom but the kids love it!

Yes we did have a fog machine!! How can you have a swamp without fog!!

You can definitely tell from the decorations! This is not your typical prom. We go all out and use our imagination. This was probably my last prom with my two mentor teachers as one has retired and the other is probably going to within the year. I will miss the time we spent working together!! I hope you guys enjoy the pictures and I know you are thinking that has got to be the best prom around!! You are correct definitely correct in thinking that!!

Well, it has been quite a while but we’re back! Here’s what has happened to us since September:

October: I officially came under care of the Central Carolina Presbytery. There’s a photo of me and three other guys from my church who came under care on the CCP website. (I’ll try to do a post explaining this more soon.) I started growing a beard.

November: We once again made our own Thanksgiving dinner. It was fun and delicious!

December: We made our Christmas Tour of the Southeastern United States. We spent time in Memphis, TN, Martin, TN, Henderson, KY, Decatur, AL, and Cleveland, TN. Wait, Cleveland, TN? Who do we know in Cleveland, TN? NO ONE! Our car got two flat tires on the way home from our Christmas trip and we spent two days in Cleveland. It was miserable and expensive. When we got back we immediately went to Greensboro, NC to spend a few days in a nice hotel and recruiting for RTS at a conference. Welcome 2010!

January: I took a winter class. Shalaine went to Charleston, SC to hang out with our good friend, Irene Oqendo. While she was gone we got snow in Charlotte (a formerly rare event) and I was more or less snowed in for an entire weekend with the dogs. When Shalaine got home the snow was mostly gone, but the ice wasn’t! She missed two days of school.

February, so far: I started the spring semester at RTS, which is my last full-time semester. It will be a tough one, but hopefully, I’ll reap the benefits next year. Shalaine is really loving her new classes. For the first time in her teaching career, she enjoys the students in each of her classes. This is a miracle in the teaching world.

Then the Colts lost the Super Bowl. Lame.

One of our favorite shows, LOST, began its final season. Awesome.

Last night, we went to our church’s Valentine’s dinner. Shalaine and I played the newly wed game (for those married 10 years or less). AND WE WON THE GAME! We each missed one question and that’s it. (The question I missed was “What article of clothing does Shalaine hate for me to wear?” I guessed my stinky Caribou cloths, but it was actually mr cardigans. Shalaine missed “What was the last book she read?” I got the answer right (The Shining) and she named a book she named over the summer.) We were in the lead at the beginning but then a 10-year couple and a 2-year couple overtook us. However, the last question was worth 20 points and we were the last to answer and Shalaine was as cool as a cucumber and she answered it correctly. The question was “What did Gavin wear on our first date?” We both answered jeans and a polo shirt. Victory!

While we were at the Valentine’s party, it started to snow. I didn’t even know that it was supposed to snow, but it did. And it snowed, and it snowed, until we had several inches. Here are some pictures from last night and this morning of our winter wonderland.

Molly wading through the snow.

Molly found some sort of animal (deer?) tracks in the snow and the smell fascinated her. This is her burying her head in the tracks.

The deer tracks?

Bailey post-snowball.

Mailboxes? More like snowboxes.

Molly shivering.

So, the snow is pretty and fun and Shalaine got to see it this time. And now we aren’t jealous of our friends and family in TN and KY that has gotten tons of snow. It’ll probably all melt today and tomorrow, but we are supposed to get some more on Sunday night/Monday. Another missed school day for Shalaine??