BUSTED!

After several days of pretending to hate Buddy, our new puppy, Miller has been caught in some awfully playful and intimate positions with his supposed nemesis.
First glimpse of some friendly play time.


Once he sees that the "puppyrazzi" is on to him, Miller quickly tries to block the camera.


Realizing it is too late to continue the charade, Miller allows Buddy to snuggle up for a post-play nap.

Merry Christmas

Mama and Buddy

Sarah and Sophie

Sleeping Buddy

It was a very different Christmas for us staying at home this year! Usually we are burning up the roads visiting as many friends and family as we can. This year, Mama, Daddy, Gerald, & Sarah (and their 2 schnauzers Sabastien and Sophie) came to Starkville. We went to Old Venice for pizza and pasta on Sunday night, then had a fried turkey Christmas dinner on Monday. Everyone cleared out by lunchtime on Christmas Day, so Grady and I lounged around napping, playing with the puppy, and watching movies. I got a lot of toys and clothes organized in the nursery and am feeling a little more prepared for baby.

Miller is warming up to the new puppy very slowly. He likes to take Buddy's toys right out of his mouth - so mean! He also sits with his back to Buddy and gets up in a huff when Buddy lies down next to him. We saw them play for the first time yesterday, so I think Miller may be getting over his "only child" mentality. There is one black lab puppy left if anyone needs one!

Jennifer is in the hospital having her baby today! They are finally inducing her 10 days after her due date!

Pick of the Litter

This mini-Miller will be ready to leave his mama right around Christmas. The puppies are selling fast, so Grady went and picked out one for us last night. Miller is not too keen on the puppy yet, but I'm sure when it is big enough to play, they will become good friends.

35 Weeks

39 weeks and 35 weeks!


I was feeling really good this weekend, so we made a quick trip up to Southaven to take the mattress from our extra guest bedroom to Grady's sister Jennifer and her husband Wes. There is a Babies R Us there, so we also made some exchanges for duplicate gifts we had received. We got lots of cute stuff and the husbands even let us go get ice cream afterwards.

Starkville Shower

I really have had to slow down the past 2 weeks. The weekend before last I started having sharp pains when I walk, so I called my nurse friends and my doctor. They all said it is just the baby dropping, and to take it easy. So Grady did our grocery shopping, put up our Christmas lights, put up our Christmas tree, cleaned up the yard, etc. etc. I am feeling much better now, but am still trying to take it slow(er).

Brandy Akers and Robin Stevens threw me a shower in Starkville last weekend! Everything was so nice! Especially the holiday coffee bar with whipped cream, chocolate chips, cinnamon sticks, and candy canes - YUM.

Amanda Wallace (Grady's mom), Amanda Stauble (came all the way from Vicksburg), Carmen Rodgers (a nurse in Labor & Delivery), Mrs. Mylroie (teaches in Grady's department), and Robin's daughter Katie.

Amy Aarhus (due first week in Jan.) and Orly Hardin, both from First Presbyterian Church.

The lovely hostesses, Brandy and Robin.

Amazing cake!

From the Stapletons. CUTE.

Amy Stapleton, due the same day as me!

Carmen Rodgers, 20 weeks along!

33 Weeks

Good grief!

Vicksburg Shower

My longtime friend Amanda and her mother Paula threw me a beautiful baby shower in Vicksburg last weekend. Everything was so cute and the food so yummy. Mama and Daddy were in town for the week of Thanksgiving, so Mama got to attend too. Everyone brought so many cute things for Baby Girl! I will post more pictures soon.


Me & Amanda

So much good food!

Erin Dixon with 8-week-old Archer

3 Generations

Me & Norma

It's a girl....and a girl, and a girl, and 5 boys

Our neighbor's dog, Abbey, had 8 puppies (5 yellow, 3 black) on Tuesday morning. Miller is the proud/oblivious new father.

Johnny Cash is Pardoned

For those of you who don't know the story, Johnny Cash played a show in Starkville in 1965 and was arrested for public drunkenness. He said he was only picking flowers, and he wrote a song about it called "Starkville City Jail." A Starkville resident, Robbie Ward, decided to work to get Johnny pardoned for the incident. People were very receptive to the idea and in 16 weeks, it turned into a full-blown music festival. Our company, Blufish Design helped coordinate the poster design competition and a submission from Blufish Arizona won! (I was NOT a judge!) The artist, Zach Crowell, came to Starkville for the festival with his girlfriend Ashley. The owners of the the AZ office, Matt & Kira, also made the trip with their new baby Weston! Here are some pictures of the fun!

Kira and Weston at Blufish Mississippi.

Friday night there was a Charity Auction at the PIKE fraternity house, where Johnny also played in 1965.

The poster artist, Zach, with Pat Cole, who had the winning bid for the poster's original artwork.

Like father like son! Matt and Weston check the Crackberry.

A Johnny Cash impersonator, dubbed "Johnny Crasher," showed up and bought almost all of the Johnny Cash memorabila at the auction.

Setting up the merchandise tent Saturday morning. JohnnyCash.com was nice enough to send us a lot of Cash goodies, including a tiny baby onesie that said "I Crawl the Line."

Little Folsom Prisoner!

Watching the early afternoon bands.

Taking a break to watch some football in the bar.

Kathy Cash, Johnny's daughter, and Joanne Cash, Johnny's sister, came from Tennessee to accept the pardons.

The mayor and the sheriff presented the pardons.

Marty Stuart, who is a Mississippi native (and was married to one of the Cash daughters), performed with his band, the Fabulous Superlatives.

Johnny Cash Festival this weekend

If y'all can make it, come on!

www.pardonjohnnycash.com

Jennifer's Baby Shower

Whew! I can barely reach across both of our bellies.

Soon to be a Grandmama!

Baby Rylee

We went up to Southaven to a baby shower for Grady's sister Jennifer this weekend. Lots of food and presents! And candy shaped like baby feet! Watching Jenn open her presents, I learned a lot about what baby stuff we need too. Jennifer's friend Megan (Tubman) Hardin brought her 2-month-old twin girls, and they were so sweet and cute. I think everyone got to cuddle them. Sunday, Jennifer took us to Babies R Us to help us register. Thank goodness - we needed help.

Big fat pregnant moment of the week:
At my doctor's appointment, the nurse said "Mrs. Dixon, let me get your weight again..." As in, "that can't be right!" Oh well!

28 Weeks

"That thing is growing by the day!" -our friend Wesley, who is also our dentist.

I am still feeling good and I think I am finally getting some energy back, but my back has been hurting a lot more. This weekend we are headed to Southaven for Jennifer Dixon Brown's baby shower. Hopefully she can help us register for all the baby goodies we need, since there are no stores in Starkville where we can register.

The weekend before last we had 5 people in town for the MSU-Tennessee game. The weather was great and we had a fun tailgate with pork tenderloin and sausage - YUM. MSU lost, but it was not that bad of a game. This week's game was tough to watch though. Mark & Robin came over for a small indoor "tailgate", but we ended up outside playing w/the kiddies before too long.

Homecoming Weekend

MSU managed to win another game! Visiting MSU alum were Dave Brommer from Tuscaloosa, Tyler Finklea from Panama City, and Laura Sidney, Elisabeth Harris, and Bo Tate from Phoenix! New rules prohibit parking vehicles on the grass, so we bought a heavy duty wagon (holds 1500 lbs.) to haul all of our tailgate necessities to our tent. It was a HUGE hit with the kiddies - we had to tear it away from crying babies when it was time to pack up and go home! I didn't go to the game. The 1:00 sun was way too hot.

Tailgate Wagon

Dave, Sam, and Baby Katie

How We Passed the Time During the Game

Pregnant friends

Look how cute my friend Amy Aarhus is! She looks like she is smuggling a basketball into the Auburn game! She is 1 week ahead of me.

23 weeks

Mama and Daddy came to visit on Mama's birthday weekend, Sept. 21. We had a fun quick visit with a tiny bit of Starkville shopping and a yummy birthday dinner at the Veranda, complete with the peanut butter balls that we have heard so much about! So good!

This Monday I will be 25 weeks. Trying to eat a little less and walk a little more, since my dr. said my weight was moving up a little fast. The baby is moving around so much that we SAW my belly move in church this morning! Crazy!

Baby Girl Goes to Mexico

The Girls!

Melissa, Grady, Matt, and Elisabeth (former Blufish MS designer, now Blufish AZ superstar)


In September, Grady and I took the Blufish MS office (Darcy and her boyfriend Darren) out to Arizona to meet all of the other Blufishes at the Tempe office. We drove down (about 4 hours) with everyone for the employee retreat at our usual "compound" in Puerto Penasco (a.k.a. Rocky Point), Mexico. There was a lot of volleyball, grilling, shopping, ATV riding, and some renegade Mexican fireworks. The group, about 25 of us, consumed many many tacos, breakfast burritos, fajitas, and about 16 cases of Mexican beer. It was a good time, but no doubt, the last big trip for this pregnant girl. Traveling is tough, even when Grady carries all of your luggage.

Melissa goes to jail!

This is the picture from the front page of the Starkville Daily News about the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin' Festival being held this November. Melissa is on the planning committee. Learn more here:
Starkville Daily News
www.pardonjohnnycash.com