ABC: The Alphabet of Our Lives

Lovin' The Weather

2012-01-30T19:13:00.000-06:00

Man, this weather has been AWESOME!! Yesterday, after we ate some lunch, we headed out to the park to play and take some pictures! And actually, it was so nice, we went to TWO parks! Katie did let me take some pictures of her at each park, which was great since Katie had on a cute Valentine's outfit that we got from Target a few weeks ago! I am really loving how great the pictures are with my new lens! Here are some at the first park....

I LoVe this picture!!

The model pose...

Looking at the water under the bridge!

Just hangin' around!!

...and then she had most definitely had enough!

She wanted to go play on the playground!

After playing for a while, Katie went potty and then wanted to get in the car. I asked if she wanted to go to another park since it was so nice, and of course she said yes! So we headed to another park not too far away and played a lot more!

Cutie!

I just love this picture - all of the colors are so intense!

And then she started sliding down on her belly. We had such a fun time!

She also played some music on the chimes!

And this was the infamous...TWO MINUTES!!! She always says this whenever she wants to either keep doing whatever she is doing - or if she is trying to delay something she doesn't want to do.

This weather makes me so excited for when spring rolls around - warmer temperatures and sunshine!

Momma's Little Helper

2012-01-30T09:11:00.005-06:00

Last night, some friends came over for dinner, so I was doing some cooking. Katie wanted to help, so she finally got to wear her apron she got for Christmas! So cute - and she loved it! I think she makes a cute little chef. And the food turned out so yummy (recipes to come on Friday)! I also love that maybe, just maybe, my new lens makes it easier for Brad to take pictures with my nice camera - the quality of the pics is just so much better!

In other news, my little sous-chef had to go to the doctor yesterday - yes, our pediatrician's office even has hours on Sunday!! She woke up at 4:30 saying her ear hurt. I LOVE that she can tell us what hurts!! I don't like that it ended up being a double ear infection, but so glad we could get it taken care of and get antibiotics going as soon as possible! She is feeling much better and slept til 8:15 this morning (and proceeded to get up, go pee-pee TWICE, and change into big girl panties - Brad caught the tail end and helped her with the panties, but I'm so proud she is doing those things on her own!) Happy Monday!

Get Your Guac On

2012-01-29T10:31:00.001-06:00

For the last week or so, I have been really wanting some guacamole from a local restaurant. You see, it is not just any guacamole. They make it tableside. And I am fairly certain they put crack in it. It is uh-ma-zing!! It is avocados, onions, tomatoes, lime juice, spice (not sure what kind), and some sort of green herb - maybe cilantro? And you can request the level of spice you like. I love it. And this week, I think I could have eaten it every single meal.

Well, ladies and gentlemen...I finally got my guac last night! And it was delicious! Every.single.bite. Their chips are pretty amazing too - they make their own.

And when we got there last night, I happened to notice the daily specials. And the tableside guacamole is half price on Mondays. I know where I'll be heading at 5:00 tomorrow!

Friday Funday

2012-01-28T09:42:00.000-06:00

It seems like our Fridays have turn into our playdate days! And yesterday was just that - - plus a Mommy - Daughter Date for lunch, too! Fun! I didn't take my "nice" camera, so my iPhone pics will just have to do!

Our first stop was an indoor playground! It is a new, local place - like the grand opening was Thursday! It was really nice and pretty cool - literally an indoor playground with a track around it for riding tricycles and the likes. And the bathrooms were my favorite part - they look like Port-a-Potties! You open the door and then it takes you into a real bathroom - with a mini potty (perfect for Katie) and a mini sink! Amazing! We met one of Katie's best friends from her class at Mother's Day Out! And they had a ball!

So cute - love this one!

I think this one may be my favorite - there is a tree house that you climb up into, and the girls were peeking down and saying hi! SO cute! This may have to go in a frame in her room!

After that fun adventure, we headed to a little store that had all their sweet winter clothes marked down big time. It was pretty picked over, and I wasn't in much of a shopping mood (very rare - have to take advantage of that!), so we walked down to a restaurant for a Mommy-Katie Date! It was so fun, and I think Katie felt super special!

I love that the kids' meals at this little place come with a fruit (grapes today) and goldfish. The perfect kiddo meal! Oh, and Mac n Cheese too!

Then we had to run a couple more errands and came home for quiet time - watching Finding Nemo again! A very fun Friday for us - have a great weekend!

Much Better!

2012-01-27T08:40:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all of the well wishes for our sweet girl! She was MUCH better yesterday...thank goodness! I did end up keeping her home from school (as I mentioned previously) - didn't want to risk getting the call to come get her or risk her catching something else while her little immune system was trying to catch up! So we had a fun day of relaxing and going to Target - our home away from home! And of course, the day she needs to stay home, I have three calls scheduled for work! AH! But it worked out just fine - Katie was a sweet, sweet girl! After "quiet time", we went to meet my friend Tanja for some yogurt and to visit...so much fun! Katie just adores her - she would only let Tanja take her to the bathroom...a-okay with me! And a big thank you to Tanja for being so patient :) And then Brad got back in town - HOORAY!

After we got home from the yogurt outing, Katie was playing with her toys and then she ate dinner. I decided to get out the fancy schmancy camera again and play with it some more.

Katie would only cooperate if Sadie was in the picture! Love this collage...

And then this goofy girl...she was loving playing with the water bottle Tanja gave her!

And her first braid! Tanja french braided her hair and it is ADORABLE!! Doesn't she look so old from the back?! Unacceptable...

I thought she looked pretty old while sitting at the table eating her dinner too. Hard to believe she will be 3 years old just about 3 months from now!!

And after dinner, she just had to do some singing into her microphone. Look at those knockout baby blues...I love that she got my eyes!

Happy Friday!!

Our Day Yesterday

2012-01-26T09:46:00.003-06:00

Hello, Winter! And hello to the colds that come along with the temperatures going up and down (and most kids having the sniffles)! I am so lucky that Katie is a healthy girl overall - she just seems so pitiful when she's under the weather! She had been coughing a little the last few days and then Tuesday afternoon she had a really runny nose. She woke up yesterday morning with snot literally pouring out of her nose (sorry...TMI, I know) - poor thing. And coughing. And sneezing. Yuck. So she got her very own box of Kleenex (special treat for sure)!

And we snuggled in bed ALL DAY - except for meals, of course! We watched shows and movies and read books. That is most definitely the only plus to a sick one - snuggling!

You can tell in her eyes that she was most definitely not feeling chipper. And her cheeks were flushed and chapped from her nose running (and continually wiping it)!

And then after lunch, she actually fell asleep. That NEVER happens - she usually thinks she's going to miss out on something!

She also had a low-grade fever of about 100 degrees throughout the afternoon and evening. Luckily, she is fever-free today and seems to be feeling MUCH better! She isn't even saying she needs to blow her nose! I did keep her home from Mother's Day Out, but that was only precautionary. She must have needed some sleep because she went down by 7:30 last night and slept until 9:00 this morning!

**I also want to add - she was accident-free, even though she didn't feel good! And I left her in a Pull-Up for the day in case she fell asleep in my bed. No accidents though! YAY!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2012-01-25T10:06:00.001-06:00

Happy Middle-Of-The-Week! Let the countdown to the weekend begin!

Here is what I'm loving today (and for most of them, I can thank Pinterest)....

I'm LOVING these Goody hair elastics that also look like a real bracelets! I have worn a rubber band on my wrist for years .... and now it can look sorta stylish! I have the black rubber bands with the silver piece on them.

I'm LOVING that there is not a chance of severe weather in the forecast. After three bouts of it in less than a week (in January, no less), I need winter to return! And I sure hope the last week isn't any indication of what spring will be like! I hate bad weather!

I'm LOVING this card! HA! It couldn't be closer to the truth. I was just thinking the other day that I am doing much better about spending money at Target! I guess that means it is time for a Target run...

I'm LOVING this neat idea! The lyrics to the first dance song are on the tree and his and her initials are on the hearts. I found it on Pinterest but it did not have a tutorial...any thoughts how to get the lyrics in the shape of a tree??

I'm LOVING this. Moms, you will appreciate this.

I'm LOVING this idea for the bath - so simple! Get shaving cream and food color, mix, and let the kids have a blast in the bath!

I'm LOVING this idea - baking a marble to make a necklace...doesn't it look cool?? Below the picture are the instructions I found!

Bake at 325-350 degrees on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes. As soon as you take them out, put them in a metal bowl or sink of cold ice water. Then you glue end caps on to make a necklace! These are just marbles found in the floral department. Here is another discussion on how to "fry marbles"! I can't wait to try this!!

What are YOU loving today?? Wanna link up? Go {HERE}!!

Just A Little Bedtime & Potty Update

2012-01-24T11:15:00.002-06:00

So, you may have read my ~~desperate cry~~ request for help in regards to Katie taking like THREE HOURS to fall asleep at night. I got some good advice and suggestions. And I will admit - most of it I didn't want to hear. Why, you ask? Well, because most mommas said that this is exactly what happened when their child was giving up naptime. Whew....not cool. I work when Katie naps. Plus, momma needs just a little bit of a break! But I thought about it for a few days, and it made total sense. So, last Friday was the first day of the test. There was no napping...we had quiet time together. We layed in bed and watched Finding Nemo. And she went straight to sleep that night. And then we did quiet time again on Saturday. And Sunday. And Monday. And she went straight to sleep at about 7:00 every night. And slept til roughly 8:00 the next morning. I certainly cannot complain about that. We are still helping her understand the concept of quiet time - she thinks if she is under a blanket, we are asking her to sleep. I also need to do better about getting her in her room by herself for an hour or so. She can play. Or read. Or whatever. Just in her room. Maybe we will try that tomorrow. But! The good news is that, for now, she is sleeping all night in her bed! I wonder if that will change at all over the next few months. Or if it will change when baby comes. Oh well...we will work with what we have going for now.

The second update is in regards to the potty training topic. It seems we have for real turned a corner! Last Thursday night I had to work and Katie had big girl panties on at home. She and Brad went on a Daddy Date and she wanted to keep her panties on. And she did. With no accidents. So Friday, when we were heading to the museum with friends, she wanted to wear big girl panties. And she did. With no accidents. She has worn them all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. And she does fine in public (probably because I ask her every 10 minutes if she needs to go potty), but sometimes she forgets she doesn't have a Pull-Up on and starts to tinkle in her panties. She catches herself and finished on the potty, but she has to change panties because she doesn't like to wear wet panties (can't say I blame her). She even did great at church in big girl panties...and she wore them to school this morning!! Sunday - she was completely accident-free!! She is wearing a Pull-Up at night because she still wakes up wet, but I am a-okay with that!!

Whew! Lots of big transitions going on in this household! I am glad that we will only have one in diapers (at least come June) and am hoping Katie will have adjusted to her new routine with quiet time. All of this makes for one very tired momma, but I know it is worth it in the end!

"Katie" For Sale

2012-01-23T10:03:00.001-06:00

No, I'm not selling my child. Just some of the cute things she has worn! I thought I'd do a quick post and see if anyone has a little Katie or knows someone that may be interested. Personally, I think these things are really cute - and why not get them used and cheaper?! :)

1) 3T Kavio brand shirt with a Hang To Dry applique - perfect for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day! $9 shipped

2) ~~3T Kavio brand shirt with a Hang To Dry applique - perfect for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day! $9 shipped~~ SOLD

3) ~~3T Old Navy white tank top with appliqued "K" and "katie" - $7 shipped~~ SOLD

4) ~~3T Old Navy light pink tank top with appliqued "K" and "katie" - $7 shipped~~ SOLD

5) ~~Size 2 Monag shirt with Cinderella applique and "Katie" with matching, custom shorts (I'd say this outfit would fit a 2T) - $13 shipped~~ SOLD

6) 3T Fall outfits - coordinating Halloween and Thanksgiving outfits - shirts both match the same pair of pants! The shirts are long-sleeved Cherokee brand and the pants are custom made (outfits came from Carleigh Bug's Facebook store). Each shirt was worn just a handful of times - $25 shipped (set retails for $60!!) SOLD

Up close of Halloween (or, really, could be all Fall) shirt - it does have two small blue dots beneath the applique.

Up close of the Thanksgiving shirt

7) 9 month adorable, boutique outfit - could be great for Valentine's Day, or even later for the 4th of July. Has monogram of kCe (C is for the last name). $10 shipped

8) Size 2 Monag outfit - red dress with coordinating turquoise leggings. We LOVED this outfit! Does have monogram kCe, but I think an applique could be put over the monogram. $10 shipped

**If you are interested, please comment on this post with what item number and your Paypal email address. I will send an invoice when I get the comment! THANK YOU!*

Fancy Schmancy Lens

2012-01-22T12:50:00.003-06:00

I am SUPER excited that I have a fun, new lens to play with and take even more pictures! YAY! And even better, is barely used (like 500 pics maybe) and I got it on eBay for like half the retail price. Nice! I wanted to play with it a little Friday night after I discovered that it had arrived. Here are some comparison pics between the lens the camera came with and my new lens....

Old Lens - Zoomed Out

Old Lens - Zoomed In

New Lens - Zoomed Out

New Lens - Zoomed In

I am so, so excited to have a lens that allows me to get even closer to objects! I was standing in the same place across the kitchen taking these pictures, so it definitely is a good indication of the difference in zoom. It seems that zoomed in on the old lens is similar to the zoomed out on the new one! Love it!

The next morning, I, of course, was eager to play with it again. Here are a few pics of Katie from across the room - she was about to eat breakfast! I love that I can get her face and not actually be in her face!

A little blurry because she is always in motion, but love that smile!!

I can't wait to really use this lens! Wonder who will let me take pictures next?? I think I may try to take some of Katie and our neighbor Stella in their matching Little Honeybee outfits sometime this afternoon - should be fun!

Friday Funday

2012-01-21T09:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we headed to our local science center for the first time - and we met some friends there! I had bought a membership last fall because they were half off - can't beat that! And when we got there, my friend and her two boys got in for free with my family membership! Added bonus!

I also want to mention that Katie went....wait for it....wearing BIG GIRLPANTIES!!! Yep, she's doing pretty well with that whole thing - and she actually asks to wear them now! We did go to the bathroom about 5 times while we were there, but she did great! YAY!

I was a little uncertain as to if they would have activities that would be appropriate for Katie and my friend's oldest (a few months older than Katie), but they had a BLAST!! Some of the activities were a bit advanced, but they enjoyed trying to figure it out and putting their own spin on it! :) I actually took my nice camera (as opposed to relying on my iPhone camera, which I am way guilty of as of lately), so here are some pics of our adventure!

{look at that intense concentration!}

{she loved all of the computer screens}

{I know this picture is blurry, but I have a story...I thought she would love seeing a big tooth to brush because she loves brushing her teeth. When I told her what it was, she tried to brush her own teeth with that huge brush...oh my}

{Katie and my friend's oldest son playing on a big machine - not sure they knew what it was for, but they loved pressing the buttons!}

{...and Katie playing with the younger of the brothers! He turns 1 today!}

{In a different section, they had this water table where you could set up veins and arteries and see how blood and oxygen flow! Katie thought it was just a water table and LOVED it!}

{I'm pretty sure she could have played on the water table for hours...}

{they also had an ambulance set up for kids to explore! Katie just loved sitting in the chairs and pretending to drive! This was as close to a smile we got...}

{And back to the water table we went...}

{She took something to the top to watch it go all the way to the bottom - I love her trying to see it!}

{Crazy driver coming through!!}

{Katie & Bode...they could totally pass for siblings, don't you think?? They were loving the ambulance!}

{They also loved this - there were levers to operate each huge finger to hit the big ball with! I think this one could've been my favorite...}

Hope you have a great weekend!

Foodie Friday: Pinterest Edition

2012-01-20T09:13:00.001-06:00

First of all, I am LOVING Pinterest!! There are endless possibilities there! And I especially love seeing new recipes on there that I am just dying to try. Two of these dishes I am going to have on here are ones I actually made last week, but they are definitely worth trying! They were delicious - and SO easy! Right up my alley!

Last week, I made Twice Baked Potato Casserole - the recipe can be found HERE. It was YUMMY! I had to change the recipe just a little because I didn't cut up enough potatoes, so I just did one layer as opposed to two. And I was a little confused as to if the potatoes needed to be cooked before baking or not, so I played it safe and boiled them first. Looking back, I do think that was the right call!

During the same meal, I made Sour Creme Chicken - YUM! And ridiculously easy. The recipe for this dish can be found HERE. Again, super easy to make! I'd definitely make it again!

This was my plate before I ate the meal - we obviously had a salad as well. And sorry for the poor picture quality - this momma was hungry!!

And for dessert, I made these cupcakes - they have marshmallow-y/vanilla filling...YUM! And again, super easy! They are just a boxed mix you can find your local baking aisle. I think they are called Fillables, but I could have easily made that up :)

Earlier this week, I made Pesto Chicken. The easiest dish ever - and the chicken was so tender and amazing. The recipe can be found HERE - totally foolproof dish for sure! I served it with homemade sweet potato fries (served with a sauce made of one part horseradish-wasabi sauce and two parts light mayo)! It is making my mouth water just thinking about it!!

I hope these recipes offer some ideas for the next time you can't decide what to make - I would make any of these again! You can't go wrong! Happy Friday!

Nursery Furniture Shopping

2012-01-18T16:52:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday we started looking at some baby furniture - pretty fun to look at and really try to picture it in the future baby's room! The store where we bought the furniture for Katie's room has a "Once a Trimester" sale that is typically their best prices on their furniture. Katie was excited to look at furniture for the baby's room too! She also loved finding all of the stuffed animals and holding onto them as she ran around!

Whenever we stopped to look at a crib, she stepped onto it so she could really get a feel for it - as seen here. So funny!

I think this was our favorite line of furniture - isn't this crib pretty? It is the same brand as the furniture that Katie has and we like how nicely that has held up. The only problem with this brand is that they don't make bookcases anymore. I had this vision of a crib, dresser, and bookcase (like Katie had)...and all they do is sell the hutch to go on the dresser. I can see where that might make it more difficult to use the dresser as a changing table, too. And since this line wouldn't be available until March, it could be April or early May when it comes in. Since I'm not due until later in June, that could work, but I'd really like to be able to work on the nursery!

And I spotted this baby boy bedding. I like the colors and the transportation theme - I think it is more subtle with the theme than some are!

We have until the end of the month to take advantage of the sale prices, so we will see if we go ahead and order or not!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2012-01-18T09:02:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday!! It's that time again - yep, time for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Here are a few things I am loving today....

I'm LOVING the way Katie colors - she sticks her pinky out! So proper, right!? HA!

I'm LOVING this new lens I bought from eBay! It has only been used for about 500 pictures (according to the seller) and I got it for less than half of it's retail value! It is a Pentax DA-L 55-300mm f/4 - 5.8 ED DAL Lens. Not sure what that means. I just know I'm thrilled! It should be here later this week!

I'm LOVING this dog! Isn't is ADORABLE!! It is a full-grown Golden Cocker Retriever. I want one like majorly - not necessarily right this minute, but eventually :) It is like it stays looking like a Golden Retriever pup forever. Adorable. I found it here.

I'm LOVING all of the wonderful recipes I have found on Pinterest! I have actually started trying a few, so stay tuned for more on that in this Friday's edition of Foodie Fridays!

I'm LOVING this idea for a window seat! I think I want one of these in our master bedroom - we have a "sitting area" and I think having a window seat would be so neat!

I'm LOVING this idea for dying Easter eggs! Use Kool-Aid .... novel concept, huh! I found this on Pinterest as well...and it makes total sense. Think we may try this method this year! Look at all those pretty colors!

And of course, I'm LOVING this sweet girl (even though she has been acting like a two year old the last few days)! She looks so grown up today with her puffer vest on! ... AND....

...she ASKED to wear big girl panties today! I'm definitely LOVING that!! She has had lots of days of zero or just one accident with Pull-Ups on, so I am hoping that we are turning a corner! Also, isn't her hair getting so long? Wondering if I should let it keep growing or get a little trim - I just love it!

What are you loving today?? Wanna link up? Go HeRe!

Art With Cee Cee

2012-01-17T12:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we headed to my mom's house to let Katie do some art with her! It is always a real treat for Katie to get to go do art AT Cee Cee's house - she loves to be creative! When we got there, she was thrilled to see a GIANT box - she took all the paper out and colored the outside. She said it was going to be her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse TV (quite the imagination, huh!). And then she turned it over and sat in it and colored a bunch. Please excuse the blur of her hand...she was an artist at work :)

While Cee Cee got some lunch ready, she gave Katie a deck of Go Fish cards and asked her to match up the numbers. Katie quickly figured out the backs were all the same, so she decided to "match them up" according to what was on the back. Pretty smart if you ask me!

And then she did blocks and made block necklaces. Please pardon the lack of makeup and quality of picture. I think it is definitely time for me to invest in some wrinkle repair lotion. For more on that, visit my friend Melinda's post from today. Here is me with my girl and our necklaces. Cute!

Katie asks to do art at Cee Cee's house at least 3 times a week, so this was so fun for her! And it let me sit back and relax just a little bit too - no complaints from me!!

Mommas...A Little Sleep Help, Please!

2012-01-16T09:25:00.002-06:00

Katie has always been a great sleeper - like from day one. She started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks. And she would go to sleep, sleep all night, and still take a wonderful nap. Then, around Thanksgiving (as in a couple of months ago), we made the big girl bed transition. Everything started off as expected - she was testing her limits and figuring things out.

I also think the excitement of Christmastime made it hard for her to go to sleep. Or maybe I'm just full of excuses. Anyways, here is the problem...Katie has been taking like 2 to 3 hours to fall asleep! Most of the time she will just lay there and talk and sing. Sometimes she gets up and gets books and brings them in bed (like last night) or goes to get her harmonica and plays it in bed (like Friday night). If we go in, she says she needs to go potty - and she always goes. So I have a hard time saying no (especially since we are still working on the potty training thing). But good GRIEF...something's gotta give! I am so ready for her to go to sleep when it is bedtime! Momma needs to get some sleep too!

Last week, Brad was out of town Monday through Thursday. When it came time for Katie's bedtime, we did our normal routine (bath, get ready for bed, read a book, say prayers, give kisses). And I try to tell her that if she stays in bed, we will do ----- tomorrow (do stickers, go get ice cream, go to Cee Cee's house, play with Stella, etc - it is typically something that we will likely do, but I want to entice her to stay in bed). I don't know if that's a good idea or not - the verdict is out as to if it is working. But when Brad was gone, Katie was asleep within 10-15 minutes. And she didn't get out of bed until around 8 the next morning! That is PRECISELY what I want!

But why isn't she doing it?!? Mommas - do you have any suggestions? We do leave a light on in her bathroom - we were doing the light over her sink area (closer to her bed) and thought that was keeping her awake. So now we do the one over the tub so it isn't as bright in her room. We also use that as a threat if we have to go in there ... "If I have to come back in here, the light goes off!!" That typically works because she doesn't want to be in the dark.

If she's just in bed singing and talking, do we still just leave her? Even if it is 10:30 and we are ready to go to sleep? We have been going in and re-tucking her in (which typically means a trip to the potty) - not sure if we should do that or not.

And obviously if she is up, we go in there and get onto her about being out of bed (which, again, typically leads to a potty stop). A lot of times she will go to sleep after going potty, but not all the time.

Could she just be a night owl all of a sudden? And she does still take a nap - and I was hoping she would until she turns 10. At naptime, there is no issue - she goes right to sleep. I would prefer she not give up naptime for a little while, especially with baby #2 on the way.

I've also tried to make it a point to do things in the afternoon to wear her out. The thinking there is that if she has been super busy, she will be zonked at night. That typically has not worked. FRUSTRATING!

Any help out there is appreciated! :) THANKS!

Weekend Randoms

2012-01-15T12:57:00.002-06:00

I had a few pictures from this weekend so far - I decided to just do one post inclusive of all of them! Yesterday, we did a whole lot of nothing. The highlight was an impromptu date night for me and Brad! We ate dinner at one of our favorite places in downtown Franklin and then we were going to go see a movie. As usual, we got to the theater and the movie sold out just minutes before we got to the ticket window. So what did we do instead? What we always do! Go to Target! We just walked around and I bought a book so I can do a Pinterest-inspired idea.

This was Katie as we were getting ready. See? She's still in jammies - shows how relaxing our day was! I think this is hilarious - she's wearing some of my heels (low heels) and using a shopping bag as a purse. Oh dear.

This morning, we overslept for the church service we typically go to, so we decided to go to late service. Here is Miss Priss in the car on the way. So coordinated!

And yesterday, I just felt like my belly was huge. I had Brad take my picture before we left for dinner last night. Seeing this picture makes it looks a little less big than I thought, but I definitely feel like I've grown. I am 17 weeks in this picture. And I was excited to get all of my maternity things out this week - hooray for pants other than jeans! And for shirts other than the same rotation of the 4 I grabbed out a few weeks ago!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I know we will :)

They Better Be Right!

2012-01-14T10:10:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems that all of the mommas in our lives are thinking this sweet baby is going to be a boy! The pregnancy has definitely been different, but that doesn't always mean anything. But, with that in the back of my head, I was glancing through the clearance items at Target the other day and found all of these cute things at least half off! The first four things are all car themed and so cute - washcloths, towels, blankets, and onesies! And then a set of onesies and pants. I sure hope these mommas are right! Otherwise, if you are having a boy, this may very well end up being your gift :)

I also found this cute sleepsack at TJ Maxx - we used one of these with Katie for a long time! So I went ahead and bought it...

And some sweet, soft, POLKA DOT blankies - aren't these all adorable?! I kind of want to keep them for myself, but that could just be weird :) I think dots are just fine for little boys, don't you??

And....just in case...I loved this one so much that I bought it in pink, just in case :)

In other baby-related news, one of Katie's buddies at school let her borrow a Big Sister book! She was SO excited to give it to Katie. Her mom had a baby boy at the beginning of December. I apologize for the blurriness - the girls were super excited :) Here she is giving Katie the book!

And Katie was showing it off to everybody - it was also fun for some of the other moms to find out that Katie is going to be a big sister!

And here they are sitting in a chair together looking through the book! I can't wait for this book to become part of our daily reading - Katie will need all of the preparation possible!

Lastly, the other day, Katie was using me to hold onto to stand up and sit up and all of that. I had to gently remind her to be careful of Mommy's belly because there is a baby in there! She sat still for a second and you could tell she was thinking hard. Then she leaned down and snuggled on my belly. Precious.

First Snow!

2012-01-13T09:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, there were predictions for some white precipitation! And they were RIGHT! It snowed - and it actually snowed the amount they predicted, which was a dusting - 1/2"! Katie was so excited, and she even asked to get her sled out! I was impressed that a) she remembered that she got a sled for Christmas, and b) she knew what sled was for! She had fun running in it and watching Sadie root around in it for sure. And then we got cold and came inside :) Here are a few pics I snapped....

Katie and Sadie checking out the snow falling outside

She was excited to see the snow! I think she was pretty thrilled to wear her Hello Kitty hat from Santa too :)

She wanted to slide and ride in her car, but she realized that she would get her clothes wet, so she opted not to (and I definitely appreciated that too)!

And Sadie...she LOVES the snow! She was rooting around in it, doing flips down the yard, and running figure eights in the yard! She was the most excited about going outside!

Stay warm! And Happy Friday!

Current Katie-isms

2012-01-12T10:08:00.003-06:00

She likes to pretend shop - and it is always for balloons and leaves. She carries a play grocery basket into the laundry room, stops at the door to the closet in there, and "picks up" the things she needs!
She also has started giving pretend presents. She gave me one the other night at bedtime and said it was a ball for us to play with the next day. So sweet!
She is into singing things - a lot. She will sing her sentences to me. Or respond in song. Not sure why, but I think it is hilarious!
She is really into her pants having pockets. She doesn't put anything into them, but she likes to stick her thumbs on the edge (kinda like I picture a cowboy doing it). Also, this morning when she was getting up, she was looking for her pockets in her pajama pants. She asked where they went after not being able to find them and I explained that pajamas don't usually have pockets. She then told me that Daddy took them. Oh my.
We ate at Chick Fil A with our neighbors last night (I had NO IDEA kids eat free!) and when we left, she said "Katie likes Chicken Away!"
That point brings up the fact that she ALWAYS speaks in the third person!
When Brad and I are communicating about something that we don't want Katie to catch onto (like going to the park, for instance), we will spell the word "park". Well, now Katie has started saying, "Katie wants W-X-E-A-I-S-P!!!" She just throws random letters out there. Again - hilarious (at least to me).
She has sat still long enough to watch a movie! We watched Finding Nemo this afternoon and she sat for the whole thing. And when it was "scary", she wanted to hold my hand. I definitely wasn't complaining!
She calls people Sugar Bear sometimes because that's what I call her!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2012-01-11T08:52:00.000-06:00

Yo, yo, yo!! It's Wednesday! And you know what that means? It's What I'm Loving Wednesday time! So fun...wanna participate? Jump on over {here}!

I'm LOVING how fun this! I found this idea on Pinterest (can you tell I'm obsessed with it, especially now that I have the app on my phone??) and Katie LOVED IT! We actually have done it twice now - and the second time we put bubbles in the tub with the light sticks....pretty neat. And that's all it is - light sticks in the tub - and then you can turn the lights out (if your kiddo will let you) and play with them in the water! They have them cheap at Michael's and I actually saw some in the dollar bin at Target last week!

I'm LOVING these boots - aren't they amazing?? I've never owned a pair of cowboy boots (even though I live in the country music capitol of the world) and just love these. I wore a friend's pair this summer for a little while and can't stop thinking about them. But there's a problem. What's that you ask? They are $350!!!! Sheesh - I have never ever payed that much for anything - my wedding dress didn't even cost that much!!! Hoping I can find a pair of knock-offs....wish me luck!

I'm LOVING having Katie's purses organized! This towel rack came from TJ Maxx and is hanging on her closet door - she loves looking at them from her bed! And I think it is just so cute - and ORGANIZED!!

I'm LOVING that I finally transitioned into the purse that I bought almost 2 years ago! Gosh I had so much crap in my old purse - it felt good to throw all that away and use a new, pretty, blue purse!

What are YOU loving today??

Katie's 2011 - 2012 Interview

2012-01-10T10:24:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, I found this form on Pinterest where you interview/let your child fill out the same information each New Year's to see how things change! I thought I'd give it a go with Katie. She understood most things (who knows if she gave me straight answers), and when she didn't understand, Brad and I decided for her :) Here we go!

A Little About Me:

Name: Katie

Age: 2 1/2

Favorite color: Pink

Favorite food: Pasta

Favorite activity: Art

Favorite book: Night Night Prayer

Highlights From 2011:

Greatest lesson learned: Swimming lessons

Hardest thing of the year: You can't always get what you want - even if you say please.

Favorite memory: Going to the "beach house"

What I loved most about 2011: Eating at Chuy's

Looking Forward to 2012:

Want to Learn: How to ride a tricycle

Want to Get Better At: Going to sleep at bedtime

Biggest goal: Be a good big sister

If you want to do the same thing, here is what I found on Pinterest. I can't wait until Katie gets old enough to be able to fill it out herself! Then it will be fun to see how her spelling and handwriting change from year to year.

Weekend In Review

2012-01-09T11:51:00.000-06:00

What a fun weekend we had! The end of last week was unseasonably warm, so we took advantage of the milder temps and headed to the zoo Saturday morning! It had been quite some time since we had gone - and apparently we picked the perfect day! It was about 60 and overcast and the animals were loving it! And the crowds were thin because it had rained earlier in the morning. All of the animals were out and very visible...Katie loved it! And this was the first time that Katie walked the whole time - we typically take the wagon for her to ride around in. She loved running around and hitching a ride on Daddy's shoulders from time to time. Katie said her favorite animals were the elephants! She also loved riding on the carousel! Here are some pictures from our adventure...

She loves brushing the goats at the petting zoo!

I swear the giraffes were posing for pictures!

After the zoo, we went and ate lunch and then headed home for naptime for Katie and some relaxing for momma and daddy! After we got Katie up (who knows how long she would have slept after all the fresh air - I woke her up after about 2.5 hrs), we headed to a local restaurant for dinner - DELICIOUS! And then we went and hung out with some friends - Katie thought she was super special because they let her play on their iPad!

Sunday, we got up and headed to church! It had been a few weeks since we had been, so it felt nice to get back into that routine! After we got home, my mom came over and we went and had brunch together and came home to start a craft project (stay tuned for that one). After Katie woke up, she did some art with my mom before she had to leave. And then we got ready and headed to dinner with Grandma and Granny at Chili's! (Yes, we did eat out quite a bit this weekend - whoops!) Here are some Sunday pictures!

Katie drew her first family photo - the top left is Daddy, top right is Katie, and bottom is Momma!

Katie and Cee Cee also did these fun stamps for the first time! Katie LOVED it!

She just looked so cute - and she was so proud of her Minnie shirt!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend! I know we sure did!

Goals of 2012

2012-01-08T16:05:00.000-06:00

I was coming up with resolutions for this new year in my head over the last few days and then I read my friend Melinda's post with her goals for 2012. And I liked her rationale. So, I'm going with it too!

I know I don't really HAVE to set goals (or as some may say, resolutions), but I like having things to try to accomplish throughout the year. I agree with Melinda...life is a work in progress and is always changing. So with that, I am making 2012 Goals!

Here are some goals that I have set for this going-to-be-oh-so-wonderful year of 2012:

1) Blog every day: I know this may not be terribly realistic, especially once we have a newborn in the house, but I want to do my best to capture the realistic, day-to-day happenings of our lives!

2) Read more: I don't think I am going to give myself a certain number this year. I know I'd like to read more this year than I did last year, but we shall see. With my new Kindle Fire, I think it will make this goal a little easier - I am already on my second book this year!

3) Read the Bible everyday: Even if it is just a few verses, I want to do better about having quiet times in God's Word each day.

4) Find a Sunday school class: This is a bit of a carry-over from last year. But it is still important to me!

5) Stay in shape (or get back into shape): I am going to try to not gain as much with this pregnancy, which will hopefully allow getting back into shape to be a bit easier.

6) Be crafty: Pinterest is inspiring me to be crafty and to continue to try more recipes! I want to do a Pinterest project once a month (reasonable, right?). Since I got my sewing machine for Christmas, I'd like to learn some basic, fun baby things and make them before June!

7) Save money at the grocery store: Does this mean hardcore couponing? Not sure. I, at least, want to cut out coupons from the inserts each week - every bit of savings helps!!

8) Simplify & organize: I feel like we are surrounded by stuff! I'd love to donate or repurpose or something! Maybe a project a month? We will see!

9) Send family and close friends a birthday card in the mail: I always intend to send birthday cards to our family and friends when their birthdays roll around, but I usually forget or it is too late. This year, I'm going to try to do better!

10) Be a better wife and momma: I think there is always room for improvement here. Patience is likely the key to success.

I hope I can say that I did a super job working on my goals (and hopefully even accomplishing them) this year. Even if there are too many...or if they are too lofty, I want to capture the real things I hope to do this year! I don't know if I will do monthly updates like last year, but I will definitely be sharing how I am doing with each one of these - once they are written and made public, it definitely holds me more accountable!

Bump Watch: 16 Weeks

2012-01-07T10:15:00.000-06:00

How far along: 16 weeks!

Size of baby: Avocado! I love how all of the references are to food :)

Total weight gained: I am actually down 8 pounds from what I was when I found out I was pregnant! I will definitely take it! I'm hoping it will mean less of a gain (as will eating fewer chocolate Hershey's eggs at Easter!)!

Maternity Clothes: As mentioned previously, I started with maternity jeans at 9 weeks. And I typically am wearing maternity tops - sometimes I can get away with a t-shirt or regular shirt that is flowy.

Gender: We should know in early February - I cannot wait! Most people are thinking a boy - I guess we will see soon enough!

Movement: Eh, not really...every once in a while when I get in bed, I will feel a quick "tickle" or quick searing pain - I guess it could be the baby! I am sure in the next couple of weeks that will start to kick in though (pun totally intended)!

Sleep: I find myself waking up when I roll from side to side. Also, I know I'm supposed to sleep on my left side when I can, but the right side seems more comfy! My back is already hurting when I sleep, too...NOT good!

What I miss: I sure do miss the occasional glass of wine or beer, etc. Especially on occasions like New Year's when everybody is partaking! I also miss sleeping the whole night without waking up!

Cravings: Nothing too major lately - the other day the Caribbean Salad at Chili's sounded delicious. And last night the sweet potato fries were divine. Oh, and Nutella. I can't get enough.

Aversions: Most of the time, I get hungry, but nothing in particular sounds good!

Symptoms: I do feel like I am starting to look more pregnant. I have also had at least one or two headaches each week - like the all-day, make-you-want-to-lay-down-and-sleep kind. Yuck. I definitely can tell my appetite is returning as I am getting hungrier more frequently. And my energy level is back - I am so much more productive (though come 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, a nice nap would be awesome)!

Best moment of the week: Katie loves showing off her new big bed to anyone and everyone that comes over, regardless of if they have seen it before or not. Recently, she has started wanting to show people the "baby's room" too! I love that!

Foodie Friday: Maple Glazed Chicken & Sweet Potato Fries

2012-01-06T10:09:00.002-06:00

I'm BACK! Thank goodness food sounds good and I have more energy now - whew! Things got a little rough there for a while! It also helps that we and our neighbors decided to get back onto the meal sharing bandwagon this week! It is so nice to visit with them and let the girls wear each other out!

Last night I made a Weight Watchers recipe from one of my WW cookbooks: Maple Glazed Chicken. It was delicious! And I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of the meal! Here is the recipe:

Maple Glazed Chicken

Makes 4 servings, 5 WW points/serving of chicken

Ingredients:

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

4 bone-in chicken breast halves (*I used boneless skinless chicken breasts)

2 tbsps maple syrup

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2) Combine the paprika, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and cumin in a bowl. Rub the mixture over the chicken breasts and place them on the baking sheet. Position the sheet in the upper one-third of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, combine the maple syrup, butter, and mustard in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until the butter melts and the mixture is well combined.

4) After the chicken has baked for 15 minutes, brush it with the maple glaze and bake 5 minutes. Brush the chicken again and bake until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer.

And there ya have it! YUM! I also made my own sweet potato fries. I sliced the sweet potatoes very thinly (like 1/16th or 1/8th of an inch - super thin) and placed them on a greased cookie sheet. I sprayed I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on them and sprinkled some salt on them. They baked at 375 for about 30 minutes with stirring/flipping them over about halfway. You want to make them until they are close to being crispy - before they turn brown. I mixed 1 part wasabi horseradish sauce and 2 parts light mayo for dipping sauce for them - delicious! I will definitely be making those again sometime soon!

And since I forgot to take a picture of the yummy food, here is one of the dirty dishes :) Happy Friday!

One of My Favorite Things: ORGANIZATION!!

2012-01-05T08:24:00.000-06:00

Oh, how I long to be organized. I have all of these visions in my head of how I want things to look. Getting to that point might be difficult, but once it is done, I figure it will make things operate more smoothly since, hypothetically, everything should have a proper place. (hah! I know...I must be living in a dream world, right??) Well, we have lived in our house for just over 15 months and there have been several things that I have wanted to do most of that time. And, ladies and gentlemen, I can now mark two of those projects off of my lofty to do list!

The first item on this list was doing something to the closet in our laundry room. I felt like it was such a waste of space as it was really hard to really store things in there. It only had the one shelf all the way across and then we just kind of threw things in there. Over the holidays, we remedied the situation! Well, at least for now. And I am so proud.

Here is the BEFORE picture:

My neighbor is an architect (i.e. spatially aware) and has also been doing lots of projects around their home (they are expecting baby #2 - a boy! - in April), so she offered to meet me at Lowe's one day. She pointed me in the direction of what shelving would serve its purpose best in this space and helped me a LOT! Then, I came home, took everything out of the closet (including the old shelf), cleaned the floor and baseboards (GROSS!), and prepped to install the new shelving. Brad definitely had to help with this part - thankfully, it wasn't difficult at all! So now, we have 5 adjustable shelves - I can move them vertically depending on what I need to store! YAY! And there is space on the right side for our steam cleaner and vacuum. And there is space underneath for the big bag of dog food and other random items that need to go there. Perfection. I also had the vision of getting rubbermaid storage containers and using my handy label maker to be uber organized. And let me back up - I wanted this to be Katie's art and craft storage space. We had been using a cabinet, but I think it will be best suited for bottle/baby food/formula storage come June, so it was perfect timing! With that said, here is the AFTER picture...

And a closer up view of one of the shelves. Pretty awesome, right? :) Right now there are 9 separate, labeled bins - and I bought extras to have on hand for new items that need a house.

The 9 categories are:

Play-Doh

Aquadoodle

Paint & Paint Brushes

Art Supplies

Crayons

Markers

Stamps & Ink

Outdoor Toys

Stickers

Am I missing any? Please make suggestions of others you think I will need! Notice in the picture above that I use a magazine storage box for all of the coloring books, etc.

Another project I had been wanting to do was to really organize the toy bins in this cabinet and make bin labels for them. I want Katie to start helping organize her toys and put things up in their place. I am hoping that this system will begin to help with that! Here is the BEFORE picture:

While at Lowe's getting things for the utility (now art) closet, I bought new colored bins. I love how they brighten up the area! And I headed to Michael's and bought small wood pieces and alphabet stickers and white paint. I painted the pieces of wood and used the stickers to label them. I thought they looked kind of dull, so I used glitter glue and put dots on them (anything can be solved with polka dots, right??) on the top and bottom. After that dried, I did a layer of Modge Podge to seal the stickers. After a little while, I hot glued some alligator clips on the back (2 per piece) of each one so they could clip to the handles on the bins. And....TA-DAAAA! Here is the AFTER picture!

There is Food, Dishes, Toys (for miscellaneous items), Dress Up, and Blocks! I had initially wanted to put pictures of the item on the block as well, but I gave up on that idea. And I think they turned out adorable (if I do say so myself)!

Here is a closer up of the toy bin label...

And there ya have it, folks! Two items OFF of my to do list. WOOWOO! AND I put the neutral colored bins in our cubbies in the laundry/mud room! A post to come on that once that is more organized. I can't do EVERYTHING at once, right?!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2012-01-04T17:27:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday again! And you know what that means! It's time for the weekly edition of What I'm Loving Wednesday! And it also means that there are only 2 days left until the weekend!

I'm LOVING that this is a short work week - it lets Brad (and me and Katie) ease back into some sort of routine. Luckily, I got lots done over break, so the only thing different is having to work while Katie naps (instead of doing projects or taking a nap myself)!

I'm LOVING my new Kindle Fire cover - isn't it FABULOUS!? It came in the mail yesterday and I just love, love, love it! Now I can take my Kindle with me and read whenever I have some spare time. I wonder if that means I will be able to read more? I guess we will see!

I'm LOVING that Katie will come get in our bed and watch a show or two in the morning so I have time to wake up and get used to the idea of a new day :) I also am thankful for lazy pajama days (which we had lots of over the break)!

I'm LOVING this idea I found on Pinterest! The idea is that you get a copy of this book and get all of your child's teachers to sign it from Pre-K all the way through 12th grade. Then you give it to your child before the head off to college...isn't that a neat idea!? I am going to try to buy a copy of this sometime soon and get started with the idea. The trick will be remembering where I put it from year to year!

I'm LOVING my Erin Condren planner. I'll be honest - I "lost" it for a while and just found it again last night! It was in a bag I had taken on a trip with me, so I forgot I had it! But it will be so nice to have that - especially once Baby C comes!

I'm LOVING this quote inside of the planner - fun fonts, fun colors, and great message!

I'm LOVING this Pinterest find as well! Brad and I have gone back and forth about putting a swingset out back (he doesn't want to because it won't be permanent since the kids will outgrow it one day...). One of our things to do this year to the house is have a bigger deck built - and I love this idea! Have the slide built into the deck and have an area under it to play with - and maybe have a swing or two attached to the underside. We shall see about this - but I do love the concept!!

What are you loving today?? If you want to link up, jump over HERE!

Friends Time

2012-01-03T14:50:00.000-06:00

Over the holiday break, we got to play with lots of friends! It was so much fun - Katie definitely slept better on those days :) On this particular day (I think it was last Friday), we went to the park with our neighbors and let the girls run around and play. We thought it would be sunny and "warm", but it was pretty blustery. The girls loved it though! We have to get better about doing our weekly dinners together - the girls really missed eachother!

And then that night we ate dinner and got ice cream with Kara and Robert and their kiddos! We came back to our house to play and eat the ice cream - the kids had so much fun! Here is Katie and Carter (about 7 months difference...C is older) playing on Katie's new trampoline from Santa. They also loved running around and chasing eachother screaming through the house - silly kids!

And while they were here, Kara and I did a belly picture together - she is pregnant with their third kiddo (and obviously me with our second)! She is 16 weeks and I am 15 weeks in this picture...I love it! I will be doing a belly picture and post and all that jazz later this week...I feel like my belly is definitely changing! Stay tuned :)

Ringing In The New Year: Pajama Style

2012-01-02T20:08:00.003-06:00

This year, we rang in the new year at one of our friend's house! I have been friends with Tanja since Kindergarten...amazing! She and her sister have a house, and they decided they wanted to have a party. I was especially thrilled because it was a pajama party! Hellooooo, comfortable clothes! And Katie was invited too...she was the only little one there and she did great! I'm so glad she is such a social butterfly :) She actually stayed up past midnight - she thought she was so special! And I'm happy to report that she slept in til 10:15 that morning! Here are some pictures of the fun....

Tanja's boyfriend, Nick, brought back a bunch of Disney movies from home over Christmas...Katie was so excited to play with them!

Me, Katie, & Tanja

They set up a photo booth in the garage...so much fun! We had to go on and get our picture taken before things got crazy.

And Tanja and Nick decided to join in too!

And of course, Tanja and I had to get a picture together!

And Katie too! Love that!

Katie was sitting with Sina and they decided to do a kissy face picture...love it!

The adults were playing flip cup and Katie wanted in on the fun too! Oh my....

And then the Wii was brought out...the dance game...here are Tanja and Nick dancing! Hilarious!

HAPPY 2012!!!

Brad and I toasting! And yes, I did enjoy about half a glass of champagne at midnight...yum!

Our family celebrating!

Our family cheers-ing!

And me and Brad....still loving the pajama theme!

Katie looks awfully chipper for it to be about 12:15 here! She also loved drinking water out of the water bottle!

Nick, Tanja, Brad, and myself...so fun!

And Katie was out...she fell asleep in the car (obviously)!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T19:38:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope you had a great celebration - whatever you did - and are looking forward to what 2012 will bring. Since I have a fun phone and apps, I spend way too much time on Pinterest! I found these two images and thought they definitely applied to a new year and a new start.

I think this one is especially fitting and I love it. This rings true even more since we will be adding another member to the family later in the year!

Stay tuned for my 2012 resolutions - I am trying to be more realistic this year :)

Happy Last Day of 2011!

2011-12-31T17:40:00.000-06:00

What a PERFECT last day of 2011 - the weather here was sunny and around 60, so that meant some definite outside time! We had a blast at the park and then walked a lap on the walking trail - it was so fun to be there together - and it wasn't too crowded!

Brad and Katie about to go down the "big slide"!

On our walk - she likes to look for fish in the creek!

Daddy and Katie walked down to the water to take a closer look...

And then we headed to a local chicken finger place and actually sat on the patio! What a fun time...and we were starving!

While Katie was napping, I took one last load to Goodwill and then hit up Target. Of course I had to look at all the Christmas stuff - it was 70% off! I got 5 rolls of wrapping paper (as if I needed more), 15-20 gift bags, and a whole bunch of other stuff I didn't go for. What I DID go for was rubbermaid containers to organize our laundry room closet! That project is just about complete and I couldn't be happier!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun New Years Eve! We are heading to a friend's house for a pajama themed party - can't wait! Ringing in the new year in comfort :)

A Year In Review

2011-12-30T17:10:00.000-06:00

I wanted to do a brief monthly recap of our 2011 - so here we are! And I apologize if we missed anything - feel free to let me know if I did!

January:
-Happy 2011!
-Auburn won the National Championship
February:
-Our friends Ashley and Andrew welcomed a sweet baby girl, Avery
-Katie had her first trip to the dentist
March:
-Beach trip! We headed to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with the Plummer family
-Katie and I headed to Phoenix for a long weekend...had to take advantage of Katie flying for free one last time!
April:
-Another successful TABS Conference for Ashley's work!
-Happy 2nd birthday to Katie! And a fun Elmo party to celebrate!
May:
-Brad's grandmother turned 90
-Brad and I ran a 5K (first and only one this year)!
-Bookcases were installed in our den (another post coming to note the changes we made to the house this year)
-Our friends Jonathan and Melinda welcomed a sweet baby girl, Elena!
-My cousin graduated from the school I went to
June:
-We got back from our tour of the Carolinas trip (got to visit the Fetrows and go to the beach)!
-Brad and I celebrated our 5th anniversary
July:
-We had the cubbies installed in our laundry room/mud room
-We headed to Atlanta for a weekend with Brad's mom - Katie's first baseball games and a visit to the Georgia Aquarium
-Our friends Jenny and Dave welcomed a sweet baby girl, Tenley!
-Katie started swim lessons for the first time
August:
-Brad and I went to the Train & Maroon 5 concert...it was the first concert for us in a while, and it was AMAZING!
-Our friends Brady and Michelle welcomed a sweet baby boy, Nolan!
September:
-Brad and I went to the season opener UT football game!
-We headed to Florida for another beach trip - so relaxing and fun!
-Brad celebrated his 32nd birthday!
October:
-We officially had lived in our house for one year!
-Annual trip to the pumpkin patch
-I found out I was finally PREGNANT!!!!
-Katie dressed up a cute little German girl for Halloween!
November:
-Katie and I headed to Memphis with Amanda and Julia for a girl's weekend!
-We finally had our 4 generation pictures taken!
-My mom and I headed to Christmas Village (a tradition for us - shopping just before Thanksgiving)
-Ashley celebrated her 28th birthday!
-We headed to the annual cabin trip to a local state park
-We celebrated Thanksgiving!
-Sadie celebrated her 5th birthday!
December:
-We ventured out on the annual trolley ride with my brother
-I had my annual GNO Ornament Exchange
-I went to see the Nutcracker with some girlfriends - so fun!
-We celebrated Christmas with all of our family

Looking forward to all that 2012 will bring!

Last But Not Least

2011-12-29T18:21:00.001-06:00

Last night we had our last Christmas celebration of the year - and we had it at our house! My dad's side of the family (minus my dad and Robbin - they were in Arizona) came over to enjoy dinner and visit and exchange gifts. It was great to be so informal and be able to spread out the fun of Christmas! Before we ate, we did our annual Bible reading - this Bible has been in the family since the 1760's...and we always burn a candle that my uncle made when he was 4, so it has been used for 52 years! My grandfather reads Luke 2:1-14 (the Christmas story)...it is so special! Definitely one of my favorite traditions ever.

And of course I wanted a family picture with everyone that was there - us, my brother, my cousin, aunt, uncle, and grandparents!! And of course Sadie had to jump in too :)

We bought BBQ with baked beans, potato salad, and baked beans - and we also had green bean casserole and squash casserole - YUM! After we all ate too much, it was present time! Here is the wreath I gave my aunt and uncle - and Katie wanted to be in the picture too! So cute!

And my grandparents gave Katie the cutest doll! And she talks and interacts too - neat! Please excuse Katie's face here...she clearly enjoyed dinner :)

Now, let the undecorating begin! Everything looks so blah once the decorations are taken down and I definitely dread that task. I guess it makes them more special to just have them out at Christmas time though. Now, time to wind down 2011 and look forward to all that 2012 holds!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-12-27T14:20:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday! Seems like forever since I did WILW...I think it has just been two weeks though. Anyways, it is good to be back! Wanna join? Link up HERE!

I'm LOVING Mr. Bubble! Katie has some and I just love how it smells - reminds me of when I was little and what a treat it was to take a bubble bath!

I'm LOVING this idea for toy bin labels! For the how-to and more details, visit this blog! I think I may have to make these, except I may do a different color on the background (instead of white - our storage bins are taupe!).

I'm LOVING that Katie is drawing faces now!! Isn't it just so great?? (I am biased, what can I say!) ... I thought it was kind of early to be drawing faces intentionally. Katie definitely loves to do art, so I guess I can't be surprised that she's doing this already!

I'm LOVING this little lady and all of her songs! My friend Tanja got this adorable outfit for her and she just had to wear it. She used the area in front of the fireplace as her stage and wanted her picture taken and sang Jingle Bells and her ABCs! SO fun!

I'm LOVING that my "want list" is fulfilled! Remember the post where I let everyone know what was on my list for my birthday? I got it all between my birthday and Christmas! Now, I just need to make more time to read books on my Kindle and learn to sew. I can do all that while smelling divine and having stylish feet too!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T11:44:00.001-06:00

I apologize in advance for the number of pictures in this post...I wanted to do a big post of our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! We had a great time - we celebrated with Brad's family on Christmas Eve and then had a great Christmas Day too - we woke up to find that Santa had visited! Then after that fun, we headed to Cee Cee's house for Christmas morning there. Last, we headed to Meme's house for Christmas with my mom's side of the family! It was a great time and we all got some great things! We are so lucky to get to spend that time with family. And this Christmas was especially fun because Katie really got it - I think she started to understand the magic of Santa and really got into unwrapping presents! I need to go through her toys and store some of the ones she didn't play with before to make room for all of the great things she got for Christmas! Here are some of the pictures of our festivities...

{on Christmas Eve, we woke up and did an Alvin hunt! we found him in the laundry room on top of the dryer...he had brought special jammies for Katie to wear on Christmas Eve! we think he must have washed them for her since he was in the laundry room. he also brought a special Christmas book to read before bedtime...and he wrote Katie a note!!}

{getting ready to celebrate with Brad's family - I thought she looked so sweet!}

{this was the gift she was just dying to rip into!}

{momma and her girl!}

{finally! after we ate dinner, it was present time - this was the first one she got her hands on!}

{Aunt Paulette and Uncle Darrell did a great job - she loved these Hello Kitty goodies! ... front view...}

{and the back view...}

{a family picture}

{Grandma and her little lady}

{Uncle Darrell and Aunt Paulette}

{after we finished, Katie helped clean up the mess!}

{she got this cute little trashcan for her room - she preferred using it as a drum though!}

{looking so grown up...love her!}

{I think she looks like me when I was little in this pic...weird!}

{Katie with Uncle Darrell and Aunt Paulette}

{she got really excited about putting cookies and carrots out for Santa and the reindeer! we made sure she left enough carrots for all the reindeer...plus Rudolph!}

{posing with the goodies}

{and my aunt gave me this to start the tradition - it is just oats and glitter! love it!}

{spreading the magic reindeer food in the yard - really, it was more dumping it out!}

{wearing her special Christmas jammies that Alvin brought! I just love this picture.}

{snuggling in bed after reading our special Christmas book - such a special time of the day}

{SANTA CAME!!!}

{the first peek on Christmas morning...love this!}

{looking at Daddy to make sure it was alright to go downstairs}

{getting a better look at the goods...}

{and the mad dash to all the goodies!}

{checking to see that Santa had come and eaten some cookies and took the carrots for the reindeer to eat!}

{she LOVED the "jumpy thing"!!}

{checking out what was in the grocery cart...}

{posing with what she asked Santa for - a purse and a camera!}

{going through the goodies in her stocking}

{Daddy wanted to wear her Hello Kitty hat - he may kill me for putting this on here!!!}

{LOVING her trampoline! she still talks about it at bedtime and wants to play on it all the time - Santa did a great job with that one!}

{she also likes to sit on it and play with other toys - like this laptop that Santa brought!}

{putting a new ornament on the tree that was in her stocking}

{reading the card from Mommy and Daddy}

{Christmas Morning 2011}

{Mommy and Daddy got her a SUPER soft pink blanket that is big enough to add to her bed between the sheet and comforter if it gets cold enough - for now, using it to snuggle works perfectly!}

{Mommy gets to open a present!! I got my VERY OWN sewing machine from Brad - can't wait to really try it out! Maybe I will get inspired to make some things for this baby closer to time. he also got me a giftcard to go get more charms for my Pandora bracelet!}

{we gave Katie a tea set - she loves it!}

{she was serving us tea that morning!}

{I got Brad a slingbox - pretty cool! He also got a new UT had and a Preds hat!}

{starting to open presents from Nanny and Papa!}

{she LOVES her DoodlePro!}

{looks like Santa came to my mom's house too! here are all the stockings!}

{Katie and April were checking out all the presents under the tree!}

{she was very eager to open more presents!}

{sitting with Momma to open the stocking at Cee Cee's house!}

{is that really my husband?? what a goofball...}

{April was excited about her stocking too!}

{Santa brought Brad a Chuy's giftcard and tshirt! Katie just saw the giftcard and knew exactly what it was for - smartypants! Brad told her that he'd take her on a Daddy Date with it :)...cute}

{Will was excited about opening his stocking too!}

{it's present time! Mom was opening the one from us - I actually wrapped AND made a bow for it!}

{my mom got this present for Baby Coulter - she is convinced we will be adding a boy to the mix...can you tell?! the tag says "Merry Christmas to our own Christmas miracle! To: Cooter Coulter Love, Cee Cee XOXO" do you recall that when I was pregnant with Katie, we called her Cletus the Fetus...my mom decided Cooter is a good name for this one while it is in utero}

{this was what was inside - one of my baby socks when I was little, a piece of ribbon from mine and Brad's wedding, and a little matchbox toy that was my brother's when he was little...too cute}

{Uncle Will gave Katie some Minnie Mouse bracelets! she LOVES them!}

{Katie got some neat blocks from Cee Cee - we can't wait to play with them!}

{momma and her girl!}

{Daddy and his sweet pea}

{family pic #1 - and a little shot at a beginning-to-blossom belly! that is a maternity shirt, so it is kinda just hanging on me - which is just fine with me!}

{family pic #2}

{family pic #3}

{Katie was on the deck with Cee Cee - love her Christmas outfit!}

{she loved watching the birds eat on Cee Cee's bird feeder}

{LOVE this picture!!!}

{at the Christmas celebration with my mom's family, my brother got a hat from my aunt - autographed by lots of the Tennessee Titans players! one of them is my aunt's neighbor, so he took it with him to practice one day...it is AWESOME!!}

{these are the players that autographed the hat...pretty cool, right??}

{I wanted to show that I wore cute shoes! my mom got these for me for my birthday and I thought wearing them on Christmas was appropriate - love them!}

{Katie playing with my aunt's "whack-a-mole" game that she got from my brother!}

{one VERY tired little lady on our way home from all the celebrations!}

Even though we enjoyed opening all the presents, we talked a lot with Katie about the fact that Christmas is Baby Jesus's birthday - we even sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus before we opened presents...I'm so glad she is started to understand the true meaning of the day.

Merry Christmas With Love

2011-12-24T13:52:00.003-06:00

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy your day surrounded by the people you love - and may we all remember the reason for the season!

{card design by On Your Time - great and local to my area! check them out hErE!}

Christmas Goodies

2011-12-24T13:37:00.000-06:00

Sweets are a must along with the Christmas season! As I type this, my mouth is watering just thinking about all the yummy goodness that Brad's aunt made (and we will be consuming tonight)! Fudge, cookies, cheesecake, cupcakes....DELICIOUS! This year, I did some baking myself!

Brad had been asking me to make a coffee cake for quite some time. Since the thought of food made me want to cry for several weeks, he just had to wait. But last weekend I finally felt up to the task! And it turned out pretty nice (and yummy), I think! It definitely tasted better a day or two after I had made it.

I also baked cookies for our neighbors as a gift from us! I made peppermint sugar cookies and mint double chocolate ~~turds~~ cookies - they were both pretty tasty - even if they weren't aesthetically pleasing (if I do say so myself)! I especially love the little boxes I put them in! Thanks, TJ Maxx!

Earlier this week, we had a little tea party! Katie, myself, Grandma, Cee Cee, and June (a family friend from many years ago) enjoyed it - what fun! I know Katie really enjoyed it. Here is a little picture of some of the food...

Earlier this month, Katie and I baked some cookies on a rainy day! Here she is ready to go - that apron was mine when I was little!

And, of course, a self portrait - not too shabby! I love my girl so much! But please excuse me looking pretty rough...

And the cookies! Aren't they cute?! Next year I want to make plain old sugar cookies and let Katie put icing and sprinkles on. This year, this definitely worked!

Katie loved it! Here she is waiting on her cookie to cool off. It was definitely a lesson on patience also - she had to wait to let the cookies bake and then let hers cool off!

I'm hoping we can decorate our gingerbread house today - if not, we may do it after Christmas and try to let it be a festive New Years house :)

First Photo Shoot: Maternity

2011-12-23T10:31:00.004-06:00

About 2 weeks ago, I took some maternity pictures for one of my friends. Katherine and I were roommates freshman year at Auburn - and she ended up marrying a guy that I went to high school with (who also went to Auburn, ended up being our realtor, and now we all live in the same neighborhood)!

I did warn her upfront that I had never done pictures for someone else, but I figured it had to be easier than trying to get Katie to sit still :) They wanted some pictures done but didn't want to really spend anything - perfect! We went to a local park and did some pictures back in a little secluded part - these are my favorites from the shoot...

I got this inspiration from Pinterest...

Their little girl's name is going to be Olivia!

I think this one may be one of my favorites...

Oh, but I really like this one too...

I also took dolls and bears and diapers for the parents-to-be to practice putting on a diaper. It was pretty hilarious...

And they passed! Here were the finished products!

I like this one too....

The "must do" heart picture!

I think this one is pretty neat too...

And I think this one is pretty sweet...

Baby shoe inside Daddy's shoe - cute!

All in all, I think I got some good ones - keep in mind, these are not edited at all...think I may try to play with them a little...or I may just burn them to a CD and see if there are any that they want me to change a little. That sweet baby girl is due January 22 and I CANNOT wait to meet her!

Four Generation Pictures

2011-12-22T09:04:00.001-06:00

Earlier in the Fall, I finally convinced my mom and grandmother to get together for a four generation picture session. I had bought a Groupon for a photo session and some of the photos and decided that would be the perfect use for it! Neither my mom nor my grandmother enjoy having their picture taken, so I'm glad they got over it and agreed to come - I love how they turned out! I think the photographer took over 130 pictures and I narrowed it down to 20 pictures. Here are my favorites from the session. We will all cherish these pictures for years to come, I feel certain - it is really special to have 4 generations together!

I do have tons of holiday-related posts to do - I just need to upload some pictures. So stay tuned for all of these posts to come! I hope you are enjoying some relaxing time off of work with family and friends! Brad took this week and next week off work, and we are loving it!

Annual GNO Ornament Exchange

2011-12-19T14:06:00.001-06:00

Last week a group of my girlfriends (including myself) got together for our annual dinner and ornament exchange! I look forward to this night every year - and I am sure to get there promptly so I don't have to sit on the end! :) This year's event did not disappoint - it was so great to catch up with great friends and eat myself sick (literally - I couldn't sleep that night because I was so incredibly full...ridiculous). When we do our ornament exchange, we are nice about it - no Dirty Santa or anything! We draw numbers and go in order and just pick a gift at random. It is fun and everyone wins! Here is the pile of goodies for this year.

And the group picture! What a fun time we had - already looking forward to next year's dinner for sure! HA! And look at all the empty bags, tissue paper, wine glasses...we certainly did have fun!

We also squished in some for a second picture - I got a picture frame ornament and I am really hoping when I order this as a wallet size that it will fit! I'll be sure to post a picture of it once it is on the tree in all of its glory!

Lazy Sunday Morning

2011-12-18T12:43:00.001-06:00

Now For Some Details...

2011-12-16T14:20:00.002-06:00

OK, now that I can be openly say it - I AM PREGNANT!

Whew, glad we got that out of the way!

On October 11, I got this...

Let me just say that this was a LONG, LONG time coming! Overall, we had been trying to get pregnant for 17 months. I know, like an eternity, right? I don't ovulate, so that makes it super difficult to conceive - therefore, we require some technological assistance. We tried lots of different kinds of medications with IUI (think: turkey baster - google it if you need more info) and finally found what worked this time on the first cycle! So, when I got that "Pregnant," I could NOT believe my eyes! I squealed and cried and just couldn't believe that this could really be it! And of course, just like with Katie, Brad was out of town. This time I couldn't wait for him to get back into town, so I texted him a picture of the positive test. I also scheduled an appointment for my blood test (when doing fertility treatments, they monitor you really closely). Anything above a 5 is considered pregnant on the blood test, and my first number was 73. They also test your progesterone levels (mine were low with Katie), which they like to see over 20 - mine was 15.1. So I started taking Prometrium to help boost that number. They also like for you to come back 48 hours later for another blood test - the pregnancy hormone level should double every 48 hrs. So, 2 days later, mine was 223. Yes - it is almost triple. At this point, thoughts and dreams of twins were running through my head. Whew - no more worries on that...there is just one! Oh, and my progesterone level was at 28.8, so we were good there! So, a few days later, I took the first belly pic...

Pretty much just some extra flab courtesy of my pregnancy with Katie :) I felt great and still was in disbelief! Within a week or two, my energy level plummeted (hence the slacking in blogging, etc). And food was the LAST thing that sounded good. I have not thrown up, but man oh man did I try! Here is the next belly picture....

I've decided to not take belly pics as frequently - at least early on. Things just don't change terribly quickly (and I know they will in just a matter of weeks). My most recent belly picture is this one!

I feel like I am in that phase of just looking chubby. I made the switch to maternity jeans at 9 weeks (why wait???) - SO much more comfy! And I am mixing regular and maternity shirts in the wardrobe. I also found these neat stickers made by Sticky Bellies - they stick on your shirt for the weekly pic! I think they are every 4 weeks until the 3rd trimester and then it is every 2 weeks. I may decide, once I have an actual belly, that I want one every week (sorry, Brad) - we will see!

So my "transition day" is Thursdays - so that is likely when I will try to do updates! This also means that I turned 13 weeks yesterday. Oh, and I am due June 23, 2012 - the day before mine and Brad's 6th anniversary!! That seems so far away, but it will be here before we know it!

Another fun fact? I lost 10 pounds during my first trimester - I will definitely take it! Especially since I can tell my appetite is coming back. When I was hungry, weird things sounded good - mostly Asian food! And Ruffles potato chips. And Krispy Kreme donuts (who doesn't love those on a normal basis, anyway, though!?). Mostly with the Asian food and chips, I think it was the salt factor - lettuce wraps, sesame chicken, sushi (the kind that the ingredients are cooked - don't worry), etc! Should be interesting to see what else makes that list!

And another question I am sure you have - what does Katie think? I don't think she has any idea. The way we told some folks was having her say "big sister" - she doesn't know what that means though! She did say the other day that she wanted a baby at our house - specifically a baby boy. I don't think she the slightest idea how her world is going to be rocked in just a matter of months! Luckily, we have time to talk about it and read books about it - and I think it will be easier to talk about once I know the gender and we have a name picked out. It does help that one of her best buddies at mom's day out is a new big sister - her mom just had a baby boy about a week and a half ago. And my neighbor is pregnant (due in April). And my freshman year at college roommate is pregnant (due in January). And one of my best friends from growing up is pregnant (due a week before me!). And one of my best friends from my first job in high school is pregnant (due Christmas Eve - but she's been walking around dilated to a 5 for a few weeks, so really any day now). Seems like the thing to do these days, huh!

Thanks for all of the kind words - I love knowing everyone is sharing in my excitement! I go back to the doctor on Wednesday - and then I think the next appointment is when I find out the gender - YAY!

Oh, and my first baby purchase was one of these:

It was on sale on Amazon, and I had heard lots of good things about it. :) It is the Fisher Price Newborn Rock 'N Play Sleeper. On Amazon, it has 600 reviews, and 492 of those are 5 star. Not too shabby (I hope)!

Did I miss anything? Do you have other questions? Lemme know! I want to make sure I try to document this pregnancy and experience as well as I did with Katie :)

Katie Has A Secret...

2011-12-15T07:48:00.000-06:00

...more details to come!! :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-12-14T11:46:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday, y'all!! I hope you have had a great week so far - I know I have! Here's what I'm loving today...

I'm LOVING my new blog design, thanks to my fab friend Melinda! Isn't it awesome??! I love dots and fun fonts, so it is perfect! She rocks!

I'm LOVING that the weather is mild enough (like upper 60's) to get lots of fresh air! We played at the park this morning and Katie is outside playing with Sadie as I type! (don't worry - the door is open and I can hear what's going on)

I'm LOVING supporting small businesses as much as possible. I just got some adorable bows from a local business (who sponsored a giveaway a few weeks ago, you may recall) and I just love it when my money can be spent locally! And now Katie has some more adorable bows!

I'm LOVING that I am COMLETELY FINISHED Christmas shopping! There were just a few little items I needed, and I picked them up yesterday while Katie was at Mother's Day Out! I also have organized e everything (which also means my guest room is a DISASTER)! Now, let the wrapping begin!

What are YOU loving today?? Link up HERE!!

A Weekend of Christmas Fun: Opryland & Trolley Tour

2011-12-12T11:01:00.000-06:00

Well, again - I apologize for the lack of posts lately...I feel like we have a few days of nothing and then a whole lot of activity. So, needless to say, I've got some catching up to do still! Anyways, we had a great weekend full of Christmas cheer! Friday night was super fun - we went to Opryland Hotel and ICE at Opryland! We went with some friends and had a GREAT time! I've Tanja since Kindergarten - and obviously I've known her sister that long too! Tanja's boyfriend also went - it was so great because he works for the larger company and knows his way around the whole hotel. I feel certain that is the only reason we didn't get lost! :) He also had some neat facts about the hotel - especially after the big flood we had about a year and a half ago. It is amazing that in some places of the hotel, there were 12 or more feet of water! Anyways - it was so fun to go out there - I hadn't been in the hotel since I was a little kid! Oh, the memories...here are some pictures of our fun time!

{the girls!}

{me with my sweet girl}

{family picture!}

{Tanja, Katie, & Sina}

{another family picture...when we got into the ICE exhibit, I think it was sensory overload for Katie - super cold, bright, loud music....within minutes she declared she was "super all done"...she did enjoy it towards the end once she got used to it!}

{Tanja and her boyfriend}

{they even have ice slides! Katie went down the little kid one - half way down, she started screaming...I think it was then that she realized she was by herself!}

{and this was when she started loving it}

{a nativity scene - all made out of ice....amazing.}

{a group shot in front of the poinsettia tree inside the hotel}

{another family shot in front of a HUGE tree!}

{cute picture of Tanja with her boyfriend}

{and another group shot...what a fun time with great friends!}

And last night was our annual Christmas lights tour (compliments of my brother)! There were about 26 people and we had a blast - great food, fun trolley ride, and awesome lights! Katie was thrilled to be riding on a trolley...I have a feeling she will talk about that for quite some time! Here are a few pictures from the fun we had!

{Momma and Katie}

{the group in the back - they were singing Christmas carols almost the whole time!}

{she was so excited....love it}

{there's a display at the end of a neighborhood and it is clearly HUGE - this is just out 4 of the windows...I'm pretty sure it is like this in at least 5 yards - amazing!}

{Brad and his momma - great picture!}

{a decent picture of me with my momma - she just CANNOT seem to keep her eyes open for pictures!}

{I love this part of that big light display!}

{and once we got back, it was time or the annual picture in front of my mom's tree! this is the first year Katie has joined us for the lights tour, so it is the first time she made the picture! To see past pictures, here are the links to 2008, 2009, and 2010!}

{and the grand host of the evening...it was a blast! now, let the planning begin for next year's fun...}

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-12-07T07:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! Time for another edition of WILW! Wanna play? Link up {HeRe}!!

I'm LOVING that my new iPhone 4S was delivered yesterday!!! My first iPhone - and I'm pumped! So, tell me...what are some "must have" apps??

I'm LOVING the new nail place I went to yesterday! I was way overdue for a pedicure - this place was so nice and swanky - definitely will be going back there! And now my toes are a nice Christmas-y shade of red!

I'm LOVING that we got our first Christmas card THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING!! That is one of my favorites of this time of year - Brad knows not to even think of getting the mail and going through it - that's my job! :) I will say - mine have been sent out! Yay Christmas cards!

I'm LOVING Chick-fil-A's Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake. YUM!!

I'm LOVING that we are doing the Christmas book Advent idea! Katie loves picking out a new one to unwrap each night - also makes her more excited about the bedtime routine!

I'm LOVING Katie saying her prayers at bedtime. It is always interesting to see who is included. Also, we can tell when she's definitely tired because she repeats herself - "Daddy, Mommy, Sadie" over and over!

I'm LOVING this picture of me with my friends Ashley and Katherine! Ashley and I hosted a baby shower for Katherine at my house on Sunday afternoon - they were both college roommates of mine at one point or another - and we live in the same neighborhood now!! Oh, and I went to high school with their husbands. Lots of connections :)

I'm LOVING my little lady - she went and got the step from the bathroom (that she uses for handwashing), took it over to the pantry, and got the cookies off the higher shelf. Oh my.

What are YOU loving today??

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2011-12-06T12:31:00.000-06:00

Well, we have decked our halls - finally! We got the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving and then Brad did the outdoor lights this past Saturday - I think everything came together great! I just love how "homey" it feels when we are all decorated! Here are a few pics of the decorations...

Have to have that Southern flare, ya know!

One of my new Christmas plates to put out - my mom gave this one to me for my birthday! I love it! And don't you love the tile backsplash?? Another post to come on that project...

The console table under the TV in the kitchen...this year's picture with Santa, a Christmas globe from Katie's MDO last year, and the basket where we keep all of our Christmas cards!

A closer up view of the annual visit - she did great! We talked about it for like a week before we went - she knew that she would meet Santa, tell him what she wanted, smile for a picture, give him a hug (or in her case, a highfive), and she was all done. It worked! She told him she wanted a purse and a camera! :)

Katie's little Christmas tree on her dresser. So cute!

And the tree! And stockings! Last year we put the tree in the office so we could close the doors. We thought Katie could handle having the tree within reach this year - plus we love being able to enjoy it! Katie has done wonderfully - we talked about just looking with our eyes. So far so good...

"And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

This year, Katie helped decorate the tree! She loved getting the ornaments out and putting them on the tree. Actually, she preferred hanging them on the actual little light bulb rather than a branch! Too funny.

And the outdoor lights - I think Brad did a fantastic job!

Cabin Outing

2011-12-05T09:41:00.000-06:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we headed out for our Second Annual Cabin Extravaganza! We all headed to a state park about an hour away and stayed the night - so fun! We had hamburgers and hot dogs and smores and watched football and enjoyed a real fire. So nice! Here are a few pictures from the fun!

This is my aunt Anne and me and Katie...Anne and Katie really had a good time. Katie would take her in a bedroom and turn the music on the clock radio on so they could dance. Katie also built a blanket tent and she and Anne crawled around in it - hilarious!

Here is my mom and brother! We had such a fun time!

And a family shot - my aunt (Anne) and uncle (Bubba) and Brad, Katie, and myself, and then my mom and brother!

We had such a fun time - I definitely like going in the fall so we can use the fireplace and really enjoy it - during the summer it is just too hot. Can't wait to go again next year!

So Much To Be Thankful For

2011-12-02T09:48:00.000-06:00

Finally! A post! With pictures! Good grief...things have been super hectic it seems, but I'm glad to be back at the blogging. We had a great Thanksgiving! Brad was able to take the whole week off work, so we loved having him around! We did some relaxing and some errand running and lots of eating! The night before Thanksgiving, we went to dinner with Brad's mom and Grandmother - it was so delicious and great to visit with them!

Then, Thanksgiving morning, we woke up and relaxed. Of course, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! Katie liked the singing and dancing - and most importantly, seeing the Sesame Street float and Mickey Mouse! Then we got ready and went to my aunt and uncle's house on my mom's side to have a great big Thanksgiving feast of a lunch together! Everyone brought a dish and it was just amazing - I still want some of the mashed potatoes and gravy! And we just sat and visited for a while.

We are so thankful for this sweet girl. What a blessing she is to everyone!

Such a little goofball. As she says, "Katie is SUPER silly!!" Yes...she refers to herself in the third person!

A cute family pic on Thanksgiving!

I was trying to get a good picture of her dress - like $4 at a consignment sale! It has dots and leaves on it and says "count your blessings" at the bottom...adorable!

When we left there, we headed to my aunt and uncle's on my dad's side of the family to visit. We missed eating with them, but we did enjoy getting to visit! And Katie and I got to go on a golf card ride - she loved it! Of course, Katie fell asleep about 5 minutes from their house. My aunt had given me this laptop bag at our first stop and Katie was convinced it was for her - so she had to hold it. And here she is gripping it while she slept in the car!

And again, SUPER silly Katie again...she loved wearing my aunt's reading glasses and playing with my uncle's phone (mainly taking pictures...of herself!). What a nut!

Gosh, we have so much to be thankful for. Food on the table, health, a roof over our heads, great family, wonderful friends...we are so blessed. We should remember to count our blessings every day!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-11-30T13:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday, y'all! GOSH, where is the time going?!? I still have to upload TONS of pics and do lots of updates from the last week or week and a half or so. Whew - will get to it hopefully tomorrow! Anyways, glad I jumped on here in time to do a WILW post! Wanna do one too? Link up HeRe!!

I'm LOVING the Chess Squares I took for dessert at Thanksgiving - super easy and they were definitely a hit! All you do is mix a 4 oz. stick of butter, 1 beaten egg, and a package of butter cake mix and pat that down in the bottom of a 9x12 dish. Then mix a pound of confectioner's sugar (reminder....I didn't say it was healthy), 4 eggs beaten, and 8 oz of softened cream cheese. Once that is mixed, pour onto the crust in the dish and then bake at 350 for 30-40 mins or until brown. YUM!!

I'm LOVING Christmas music! I love The Carpenters this time of year....and Josh Groban has a very magical voice, especially with Christmas music!

I'm LOVING this advent idea! You cut up these activity cards and do one each day until Christmas! What a great idea! You can find a printable version of the cards here!

I'm LOVING that we are going to do the Elf on the Shelf this year! I think we may get it out tonight and read the book and name it and all of that fun stuff! I am wondering if Katie will get it - I guess we will see!

I'm LOVING that I am taking Katie to see Santa this afternoon. We have been talking about it for about a week or so to prepare her. I'm hoping to have a good picture rather than a screaming crying picture like last year. She even has a list of things she plans to ask him for! We've talked about the fact that she will tell Santa she would like a purse and a camera and then smile for a picture and give him a hug and be all done. We shall see how it goes!

I'm LOVING that we are all but done with our Christmas shopping! I think I still lack a few giftcards, but other than that, we are set! Bring on the wrapping! I can't wait to get some gifts under our tree!

Christmas List

2011-11-29T21:56:00.000-06:00

I wanted to quickly note these few things so I don't forget! Katie has been hilarious the last couple of days! I have been trying to prep her for her annual visit and picture with Santa - we will see if that actually worked. And she "talked to him" on the phone tonight too! So far, she has had very different answers when asked what she wants from Santa. First, it was a canoe. Then a reindeer. And then a kangaroo. And last, a camera. Silly girl. We are visiting the jolly fellow tomorrow - wish us luck!

Oh, and tonight was the first time I have seen her pretend to hold something. She said she was going shopping for some leaves (my mom used leaves one time when they were playing outside and going grocery shopping). She ran to a closet door and pretended to pick off some leaves (off of the door) and brought me one in each hand. Then she did the same for Brad and Sadie and herself. I love that her imagination is so great!

Sorry for the Delay...

2011-11-28T15:04:00.002-06:00

I AM still here. I do realize it has been almost a week since my last post. So very sorry. There was a holiday that happened during that time, so that gets me off the hook just a little, right? Anyways, there are lots of posts to come soon - hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! Stay tuned...

Big Girl Bed!

2011-11-22T12:46:00.000-06:00

Well, since we have a little monkey on our hands, we decided it was definitely time to make the transition to the big girl bed. We went to buy a mattress and box springs so that we could get her bed in place (her crib converted into a full size bed)! And then we shopped for some bedding. So fun! And it turned out so cute! Here is the view of the big girl bed as you walk into the room...

...and this is the view from the other corner - love it!

Sunday night was actually the first night in the bed - here she is climbing in the first time.

She was SO proud and excited!

And Daddy "tuck tuck tuck"-ed her in!

And she loved being in her bed with all her buddies. Look at that smile!

And this...this is the moment I had dreamt about for years...being able to tuck my sweet girl in and lay with her in bed and read a book. It was so sweet and I love being able to snuggle with her in her OWN bed before saying goodnight!

And of course I snuck in and took a picture of her once she had fallen asleep. Such a sweet, pure look.

And I do have to say...when I was laying in the bed with Katie the first night and reading a book, the perfect song was on the radio...Martina McBride's "Blessed". Here is the chorus:

I have been blessed

And I feel like I've found my way

I thank God for all I've been given

At the end of every day

I have been blessed

With so much more than I deserve

To be here with the ones that love me

To love them so much it hurts

I have been blessed

And it couldn't be more true....

Who Knew?

2011-11-20T22:04:00.000-06:00

Apparently this is the office dress code these days....love my girl! :)

Thanksgiving Lunch

2011-11-18T14:59:00.000-06:00

Since Katie doesn't have Mom's Day Out next week because of Thanksgiving. her class had a little celebration yesterday! It was such a great day (mainly because it was my birthday - another post to come on that one) and we had so much fun seeing Katie in her element at school. She started the day loving on Sadie.

When Brad and I got there, the kids were out on the playground. It was so neat to observe Katie - she was making sure all the kids made it down the slide safely. So cute! Then we went and waited on her in her classroom. She had the biggest smile when she walked into the room and saw us there! Then she got back to her regular routine - sitting on her spot on the mat and waiting to eat.

Such a good girl - and she told me she sat on a red square! A little side story...when we got there, her teachers said they had set the table to get ready for the little party. Katie must have known it wasn't time to eat, so she picked up all the lunch containers and stacked them at the end of the table. Silly girl - but that is our girl for sure!

And then it was time to dig in! She loved having us sit with her at her little table!

Love this picture - so fun!

And then they had a craft for the parents to do with the kids - Brad was hard at work here :)

Daddy-o and his sweet girl - love it!

And they had a big GIVE THANKS banner with all the kids' pictures on it - here, Katie is pointing to her picture!

What a fun, fun lunch! It is so fun to see her interact with her friends and teachers!

And The Winner Is...

2011-11-16T17:01:00.000-06:00

Time to announce the winner of my giveaway! I used random.org and it picked comment #7 made by The Cochran Family! Congrats and I'll be contacting you! Thanks again to Amy for sponsoring the giveaway!

Enjoy your fun, new camera strap, Christin!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-11-16T14:03:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday! And you know what that means - it's time for some What I'm Loving Wednesday!!

I'm LOVING that tomorrow is my birthday! Please see previous post if you want to find me something ;)

I'm LOVING these Pinterest finds from this week! ...

{Scrappy Ribbon Garland}

{Holiday Photo Checklist}

{Cool Advent idea - wrap 24 Christmas books that you already own - or you can buy a few new ones - and let the kid(s) pick one to open and read each day leading up to Christmas!}

{A neat frame - spray the frame a cool color, put scrapbook paper behind the glass, and put a little clip on it! Then add your favorite photo! And changing the picture out is oh so easy!}

I'm LOVING the camera strap giveaway I have going on! It is the last day to enter! Jump over to THIS POST to enter!

What are YOU loving?? Link up hErE!!

Have You Shopped Yet?

2011-11-15T08:26:00.000-06:00

So, with my birthday only two days away, I thought I'd give you all some ideas for shopping for my birthday! :) Who doesn't love creating a "wish list"?? I know I love it :)

{I really want a sewing machine - even if the one I've borrowed is still in a box in my closet! At least it could be my own still in its box in the closet!}

{I would LOVE a Kindle Fire! I've been wanting an e-reader for quite some time, so it's way overdue!}

{And who can have an e-reader and not get a fabulous looking cover??? Love this one!}

{And of course I love these Uggs! And thanks go Katie being a blabbermouth, I think this is a success!! My feet will my warm and oh so cute this winter!}

{I really love any type of perfume, but this one smelled good and has a cute name! OH! And it has dots on the bottle...it is meant to me!}

{And when all else fails, Target gift cards are totally the answer! I can get ANYTHING at Target!}

{And if you prefer the old-fashioned way, straight cash works too!}

I hope 48 hours is enough time for you to shop! :) Only kidding...I just thought it would be fun to do a wish list post. Are there things you are asking for for Christmas or any other upcoming holiday? Please do share - I am always open to ideas and suggestions!! Oh, and if it includes a cutesy camera strap, don't forget to visit my giveaway HERE!

Resolution Recap: October

2011-11-14T16:47:00.000-06:00

I just realized that I never did do a Resolution Recap for last month! OOPS! So...better late than never, right?? And after thinking of all of them, I realized I've been a big slacker. Anyways, here we go:

1) Read 14 books: Ugh. I think I'm on the same book I was on the last time I did a recap. I definitely need to finish this book! And I think I've decided to buy a Kindle Fire - maybe that will make me more inclined to read!
2) Learn to sew: Still in the same boat as I was - sewing machine is in its box in my closet.
3) Cook more frequently: I was doing so well and then Brad started traveling a TON for work. I just don't get motivated to cook for only me and Katie. We (I) need to do better about that for sure!
4) Read the Bible everyday and all the way through: Still need to get back on that bandwagon. I really am going to. I am.
5) Use treadmill/workout at least 4 times a week: I haven't done too good of a job on this one recently. I will, though!
6) Use coupons when I shop: I didn't do well on this last month. I'm hoping to dedicate a special time to do this every week - maybe Sunday afternoons? We will see!
7) De-clutter & simplify: I am hoping to do a big purge next week and take a load to Goodwill. Brad is taking off work next week, so we hope to get rid of things we don't need!
8) Find a Sunday school class at church: Still on the list. We were just talking about this at church this past weekend.
9) Buy fresh flowers once/month: I don't think I did this last month. Gosh it just seems like it flew by and time got away from me...oops!
10) Have a date night with Brad at least once/month: Hm. I think we did this last month. Yes - we did. And it was delicious. I spared Brad and didn't get a picture of us, but we really did go on a date!
11) Send 2 hand-written cards/month: Finally! Something I can say I did!
12) Have another baby: Yep...still working. Hoping I can mark this off the list soon!

No Secrets Here

2011-11-13T20:44:00.000-06:00

So apparently, there is no keeping secrets for Miss Katie...

Via

I got home this afternoon after shopping with my mom and Katie started saying "Happy Birthday!" While I was gone, she and Brad had gone on a lunch date and done some shopping for my birthday (which is Thursday). Brad said she was telling everyone in each store that it is my birthday! Well, when Brad and I were talking about that, Katie said "Boots and cards!" ... HA! That is what they got me :) I'm so excited! And I told Brad not to worry about wrapping anything since I know what I am getting! Oh, silly Katie...

Still Playing Catch Up

2011-11-11T08:37:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post just a few random thoughts....

1) Last night, Katie went into our neighbor's bathroom and started brushing her teeth with Lewis' toothbrush. Hilarious. He probably didn't find it quite as funny as Jill and I did. And to justify it, she had just had a bath, so the normal next step would have been to brush teeth!

2) I love that I have reached 50 followers! Thanks, y'all!

3) Yesterday morning, I went into Katie's room to make sure that she still had all of her clothes still on. Once I saw all was well, I ran downstairs to grab the clothes for her to wear, was coming back upstairs, and guess who greeted me at the top of the stairs?? Yes, you guessed right. When I went downstairs, she was in the crib...and then she wasn't....I asked her how she got out and she said "neigh," so I asked her if she rode it like a horse to get out and she said yes. So, she got out safely and was just fine. I guess a big girl bed is in our VERY near future. We had talked about doing it over the week of Thanksgiving, but looks like it may have to happen sooner. She did stay in and go right to sleep last night, so hopefully it was a one time occurrence. I think we are going to go out and look for big girl bedding today so we can make the transition soon! Oh my.

4) We had pictures done for our Christmas card and I just got the CD of them. There is one picture on there that just makes me laugh every single time. I love these three bunches! Here it is...

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

I'm Back!

2011-11-10T11:04:00.000-06:00

Gosh, it seems like it's been forever! But I am back! I had a work trip that took me just outside of Washington, DC. And man does it feel good to be home. I missed my sweet girl, my hubby, and my bed :) It was definitely nice to take a little break from the normal routine, but I missed it!

With that said, I haven't been able to do a lot with the giveaway currently going on, so guess what? I'm going to extend the deadline! You can see the original post {here}, but you now have until Wednesday, November 16 at 3:00 PM CST to enter!

Girls' Weekend Sneak Peek

2011-11-06T15:42:00.000-06:00

Friday, Katie and I headed to Memphis with a friend and her two year old little girl. We had such a fun time! Our main mission was going to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live - but we also stayed at the Peabody (and saw the ducks make a grand entrance to their fountain), took a horse-drawn carriage ride, ate dinner on Beale Street, and did some shopping. Definite girls' weekend. And we had a blast. For now, here is a picture of the little ladies running and playing on Beale Street before we went to the show! The other momma is a photographer, so she took some pretty awesome pictures!

Another Giveaway - Camera Strap Edition!

2011-11-03T10:12:00.001-05:00

I have a friend who has a sewing and embroidery business and she has agreed to sponsor a giveaway! Who doesn't love a giveaway, right??

Amy has offered to give away an amazing camera strap! I have one of her custom camera straps and I love it - and I always get lots of compliments on it! Aren't these just adorable?!

So...wanna know how to win? Here we go!

1) Become a follower of my blog. Once you have done that (or if you already are), leave one comment stating that you are a follower! This counts as one entry.

2) Become a fan of Amy's my two girls on Facebook. Once you have done that, leave her a wall post and let her know I sent you! Also, post an additional comment saying you are a fan of hers on Facebook. You can find her store HERE!

You have until Friday, November 11, 2011 (sidenote: my favorite number is 11, so I am pretty excited about the day 11/11/11) at 3:00 PM CST. The winner will be announced on this blog. This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only. Once the winner is announced, he or she will coordinate with Amy on the camera strap! Good luck - I wish I could win this one!! :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-11-02T08:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday, y'all! I hope you have had a fun week so far - I know I'm having trouble believing that it is already November! Man, time is flying! Now, let's get down to it...here's what I'm loving this week!

I'm LOVING that it is my birthday month! Gifts are welcome. :)

I'm LOVING that my fantasy football team actually WON this past weekend! WOOWOO! I'm hoping this will become a trend (but not holding my breath)!

I'm LOVING this idea! A Mama & Me journal. Learn more about it HERE! I found this on Pinterest and definitely plan to do something like that when Katie gets a bit older!

I'm LOVING this recipe! I haven't made it, but doesn't it look DELICIOUS?! You can find the actual recipe at this link!

I'm LOVING this list of children's books!! You can find it, along with more HERE!

I'm LOVING these birthday questionnaries. On your kid's birthday, you go through these questions - what a neat way to capture each year's changes! You can download them HERE!

What are YOU loving today?? If you want to link up, jump over here!

Successful Trick or Treating

2011-11-01T07:33:00.000-05:00

First, I have to say trick or treating with a 2.5 year old is so much better than an 18 month old! She totally got it this year - and LOVED it! She loved going to each house, ringing the doorbell, and saying Trick or Treat! Though most of the time, she just looked up and held her pumpkin bowl out! Whatever her trick was....it worked! She loaded up! Here are some pictures from our night out in the neighborhood.

The basket of goodies I left on the front porch. I know they lasted at least an hour - it was definitely empty when we got back. And I didn't put out the Reeses I bought ... those are mine :)

Heidi the crazy driver! She wanted to drive around after she got ready!

Ready to head out. We went next door and ate chili before heading outside. It was delicious - such a fun tradition! And Katie and Stella were both Heidi / German girls / Bavarian Princesses. Jill and Lewis went to Germany over the summer and brought these adorable dresses back!

And of course we had to take some pics of the girls before we headed out! Gosh - if we are like this on Halloween, I can't imagine their first dance, prom, etc! Ha!

Such a cute little Heidi!

She loved trucking along to all the houses. And I love that she was super careful about walking when there were cars around. That's my girl.

Our first stop (our neighbors on the other side!)..."Trick Or Treat!"

Katie decided to help herself! Oh dear...

And she loved ringing the doorbells. We had to make sure she only rang them once.

Katie and Stella getting some good loot!

Holding Daddy's hand - I love pictures like this!

And Katie and Stella held hands between a couple houses - adorable! Brad was making sure that Katie let Stella walk on the sidewalk with her :)

My FAVORITE picture of the night - such a sweet, cute girl. I love her so much!

Our neighbors near us get together in a driveway and hand out candy together and are all decorated. They even had these ghosts that lit up and "danced" around - Katie was so interested in them! She loved making sure they stayed on!

And we were done! Stella kept taking candy from the bowl at her house and putting it in Katie's pumpkin! Hey...I'm not complaining - means Momma has more to choose from...

SO cute! They had a great time trick or treating together!

And of course - the digging into the candy. Katie ate a Milky Way and some fruit snacks. She had such fun this year - can't wait to see what future Halloweens will be like!

Happy Halloween! & Our Fun Fall Weekend

2011-10-31T11:45:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween! Hope you are having a super Monday - I am excited to see what Katie looks like all dressed up tonight. She is going to be Heidi - a little German girl. Should be pretty adorable. I do have a couple of backup options in the event her outfit doesn't fit right - I probably should have done a trial run a little earlier. Oh well! Here is a little festive pic of some of my fun hand towels!

Katie had a Fall Party at school on Thursday and looked so Halloween-y! Isn't she just the cutest??

Well, she also has her moments (don't we all?)...here, she was saying "No No Mommy!" ... that expression just kills me! I was trying to get her to smile and hold her bag where I could see the cute candy corn with her name on it. Crazy girl.

Saturday we got up and went to brunch at Cracker Barrel - yum! We hadn't done that in a long time - it was definitely fun and delicious! After Katie's nap, we headed out for some fun. This is before we left the house...

First, we headed to Pumpkinfest. It was so fun to walk around and enjoy the pretty day. Katie loved seeing all the doggies dressed up in their costumes!

Yay! A cute picture of me and my girl - love this :)

And I got a good picture of Katie too - love that smile. And those baby blues.

And when we were headed to our car, we found Stella! She and Katie gave eachother a hug...adorable! I laughed when I first saw this picture because Katie looks like a giant in comparison to Stella!

After that, we headed to a friend's family's land for a bonfire! We brought warm clothes, folding chairs, a quilt...we were ready! Katie thoroughly enjoyed her chair - so funny!

And the big event - the big fire!

And they had a TV with some REALLY long extension cords so that folks could watch the UT game. Pretty nice setup! They also had hot dogs, hamburgers, chili, brats, and the stuff for smores...perfect fall night!

And a family shot in front of the fire - I just love this picture...it is so cute! We are all looking at the camera, smiling, and have our eyes open! It's definitely a keeper :)

Hope you have a fun and safe night!!

Foodie Fridays: Chicken Primavera with Pasta

2011-10-28T14:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back! This is the post that I had planned in my head for last week and just never got to...oops! So last week I made this yummy recipe that I found on the back of a can of the new Philadelphia cooking sauces (found near the cream cheese)! And it was super easy!

I just followed this recipe on the back, but of course I had to change it up just a little bit. Instead of the bag of frozen stir fry veggies, I used diced onions and diced green, red, and yellow peppers. It was good!

And for dessert, we had this no-bake, amazing, yummy peanut butter cup creation. I highly recommend it!

And after dinner, Katie and Stella had a blast! I had gotten something in the mail in a big box and they climbed in and colored the box - so fun!

HAPPY FRIDAY! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Unexpected Playdate

2011-10-27T09:43:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago it was beautiful weather and Katie had napped at school, so we decided to head to the park! When we got there, we found Kara, Carter, and Kaylin! What fun! Katie was so excited to see Carter - it had been a long time since they had played! We sure love spending time outside when the weather is so nice. Today's weather is yuck, so I'm glad we have been taking advantage of the warmer, sunnier days!

I love this picture - them giggling at eachother is so cute!

This expression is pretty fantastic - she is a hoot!

Kara was tossing the ball and she would catch them - with her eyes closed! Hopefully she will learn that she needs to keep her eyes open and watch the ball!

AW - look at that sweet smile! So cute!

And I really liked this one too...so I put it on here too :) She had so much fun!

What I'm Loving Wedneday

2011-10-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, right? Gosh, how I've missed blogging! I've had my laptop by my bed, so I have just been out of my normal routine - lots of posts are coming, though, so stay tuned! Now, here's what I'm loving this week!

I'm LOVING blogging! I'm glad I am back at it - so fun!

I'm LOVING these cute Sesame Street character shirts - I came across these somewhere on Facebook, but of course I can't find the source again!

I'm LOVING this picture of me with one of my great friends from long ago! Tanja and I have been friends for over 20 years - like since kindergarten! She and her sister have a house together and hosted a Halloween/football watching party this past weekend. I know, I know - I didn't dress up. Oh well - still a super cute picture of us!

I'm LOVING these fun Halloween cookies my mom made! Nothing wrong with slice and back cookies - especially when they are this cute!

I'm LOVING this ice cream cone chore chart! If you love it too, you can find a tutorial on this blog!

If you want to link up with WILW, jump over HERE!! Happy Wednesday, y'all!!

Why, Oh, Why??

2011-10-21T14:24:00.002-05:00

I headed to Target this morning with one item on my list: Pull-Ups (or as we call them, "magic panties"). Well, on my way out the door, I did go through my coupons from this past weekend and cut some candy coupons out. I was trying to wait until closer to Trick or Treat time, but I wanted to be sure to catch some deals. Well, needless to say, I did way more damage at Target than I should have.

Once I hit this aisle up, what did I do? Well, I was drawn to everything that I love. Cardinal Rule of Candy Shopping - do NOT buy your faves. Otherwise they will be eaten. Well, I will see how the rest of the month goes and how much candy is left. Yep, I bought Reese's cups, Butterfingers, York Peppermint Patties, Nerds, and Mounds. Whew. Not smart. Why do I do that to myself?? We'll see how the jeans fit after Halloween, I guess. Not to mention I managed to pick up a bunch of other crap. Though, some of it was needed - Katie is going to take a book to donate to her classroom at MDO, and I signed up to bring stickers for their Fall Party (I'm hoping the fact that I bought Halloween stickers is a-okay). The Target trip was only a success because I did not purchase one iota of clothing for myself or Katie - woowoo!! And I did have some coupons, so I did manage to save a few buckaroos. Every little bit helps!

*Sorry for the lack of Foodie Friday - I didn't upload the pics, so maybe I will do a Foodie Friday, Saturday edition! :)