Happy Anniversary!

When I was a little girl I would dream of my grown up life. I would have this great husband, fantastic kids, a beautiful home - the all around perfect life. I have it, it's not a dream anymore. And it's thanks to you. I love you Big A. Happy Anniversary.

Merry Christmas

From our house to yours!

Wordless Wednesday - Oh Christmas Tree

Mommy and Me Monday

Mantel Perfection

Everyone loves a fancy fireplace mantel at Christmas. And while I start with the grandest of intentions, others have a way of getting their own decorating flair into the mix. To be quite honest, I wouldn't want it any other way.
Every year my mantel starts out this way:But by the time the tree is up and the tupperware containers of ornaments and past crafts come out, the mantel gets decorated a little bit more - Sissy's old crafts, ornaments that don't have hooks but we still want them out, crafts from this year. And like I said, while have a mantel that looks like it comes out of a magazine is great, having one with all the little pieces of family is even better. How can you not love these little beauties sitting around the house - making it feel like home:

Giving Back At Christmastime

I really want to share the belief with Little Lady that you have to give back to receive. That it is always better to help those in need. One way I plan on embracing this belief with her is to give back to the needy at Christmastime. I plan on doing this every year at Christmas. So, we cleaned out the toy boxes and the closets and we headed to the Goodwill to drop off our donations. It really warms my heart that we will be doing this every year and that as she grows older she will begin to understand and appreciate the importance of doing so and how very special she is helping someone less fortunate that her feel.

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Pretties

Deck the Halls

I love decorating at the holidays. And while my house may not look like it comes out of a magazine, it's all us. Things we love. Traditions we love. The things that make our house OURS. Here is a little of our "decked halls."

A little love at the top of the TV:
We finally got some this weekend!
Nativity set in Little Lady's room!
Even the bathroom gets a tree!

Mommy and Me Monday

Kids need more messages like this.

I have always dug Katy Perry but this video topped them all. Kids need more messages like this from Hollywood. LOVE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw

18 Months...is it the end of babydom?

It seems like such a baby still but really it's a pretty big milestone. I'm having a bit of a rough time with this age adjustment. I mean she IS still a baby but after this there is really no more measurement of age in months, it's all in years. I'll take her to the doc tomorrow and then her next check up will be at 2 YEARS OLD!!! I can barely rap my head around it. She is becoming much more independent. Her vocabulary is absolutely exploding. She is so stinkin smart it's ridiculous. I mean thanks to the programs on Nick Jr. she prefers to say hi and count in Chinese along with thinking Boots the monkey is her best friend and she can name just about every animal they showcase on Diego, especially the whale. She can have full fledged conversations with people on the phone, identify her family in pictures, and tell the dogs when they are being bad. But then when she cuddles up on my lap for some of her beloved booby, she is still such a baby. It's almost as if she is caught between being a little baby and being an independent little toddler. And I'm caught too, caught between wanting her to stay my little baby and wanting her to excel in her growth and development. I know I can't have it both ways. I'm not sure if I'll have more children, and I feel that these pinnacle baby times are closing and coming to an end. And I know that the full fledged toddler times will be just as much fun and just as enjoyable, I'm sad a little at the thought that they are already here but so very thankful in the same breath. Thankful that she has been so very healthy, thankful that she is so smart, thankful that she is her. I love her more than any words could ever describe. I just hope that with every day that passes she knows how much I love her, how much I enjoy every single moment with her, how much she means to me, to everyone in our family, how very special she is.

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Sunsets

Playtime

Now that summer is over I have been trying to keep Little Lady busy inside the house and at play dates so she doesn't get bored. Here is just a little of what she has been up to since the weather has turned cold. We may not be outside but we still have lots of fun!

Cold, rainy days seem like a good time to rock out in a tutu and a fisherman hat!

Reading is always good - note that she is sitting in a doll chair:)Play dates at the local children's museum are always a great idea.And when it's all said and done a good nap on the couch is what's in store.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Mommy and Me Monday

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Photo Shoot

Sisters Rally!

I was in a sorority when I was in college. Hands down, one of the best choices I have made in my life. I made friends that I KNOW I will have for life. We can go for minutes or months without talking and when we see each other it's as if there is no time lost. The friendship is still there and we all know that it always will be. We know we can count on each other in good times and in bad and if there is one thing us girls are good at, it's being there for each other. We rally. Whether it be for a wedding or a divorce, we rally. In the birth of a child or a loss of a pregnancy, we rally. After a good shopping trip or a bad day at work, we rally. We can rally for the even bigger, harder events in life too. The unexpected deaths of a parent. Supporting a sister whose husband got cancer, fought cancer, beat cancer. We rally. And now, when a sister is fighting for her life we rally. Some sisters I haven't seen since graduation but keep up with on facebook, other sisters I saw last week at a play date with the kids. But we are there, for her, for her family, for each other. And this is why I know these are the friends that I will always be able to count on, to call on, to love.

Each and every one of you are very special and I'm blessed to have you in my life.

A Week Off and Mommy and Me Monday

I didn't blog last week. No huge reason other than the holiday made it a pretty busy, fast paced week. My mom was off work for the whole week so I took advantage of having a caretaker for Little Lady and had a check up at the doc and everything checked out A-OK. Good to know. I hadn't had a none gyno physical since I cheered! I worked at the outdoor store on Wednesday and got home much later than usual and much tireder (is that a word?) than usual due to Black Friday set up. Than Thanksgiving at my moms. And cooking in the morning while watching the parade with my girl, which of course makes me choke up because I absolutely have a love affair with New York. And, I love that parade more than a 28 year old mother should but I embrace it. I take my teared up eyes of watching the parade with my girl and pick her up and whisper in her ear that I promise to take her to it someday. And, oh the things to be thankful for. The Little Lady that changed my life, The Big A that made it possible, The parents that love me to the moon and back and love my daughter more than that, The Sissy that showed me about being a mom a 22, The Big A's job, The roof over my head....I could go on and on. I have a fab life due mostly to the people that are in it and I'm so so thankful for each and every one of them. Then, Black Friday. It was my first year getting up with the crazies. I took Sissy at 330 to get in line at Target and we had ....a...BLAST!!! Can't wait to get up and do it again next year. I didn't go because I needed any one particular item but the sales are pretty fantastic and the thrill of the hunt was amazing! We got all of Little Lady's shopping finished up and a few other things and our holiday shopping season is off with a bang! I worked again Saturday and now have a new found respect for all that work in retail during the holiday season. Man, it's busy and I don't think that I have ever officially ran at work to keep up but I did Saturday and it's only just beginning. Sunday we got the house decorated for Christmas minus the tree. We still go the route of cutting down a real tree and bringing it home and having needles strewn throughout the house for 4 weeks, so we have to wait at least a week so the tree doesn't get too dry before Christmas. But, we got everything else up. And the feeling of seeing Little Lady's eyes light up knowing that something special is happening, well, that's pretty freakin amazing! She loves the lights outside and Big A doesn't even have everything up outside yet. She particularly loves a wreath I have hanging in the living room that has lights on it. I seriously can't wait to decorate the tree with her this year and see her love the lights and let her put her own ornaments on. So that sums up our Thanksgiving week. I'm pretty high on life right now with the anticipation of what these holidays are going to bring to our house. Little Lady's face lighting up is really the only present I need. And for this weeks Mommy and Me Monday, lets go holiday themed with a pic from last Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween Fav

Child Care Sacrifices

This months issue of Parenting magazine got me thinking. They had an article called " We Don't Pay for Child Care!" It discusses the different and creative ways that families have developed to save money and not pay for child care without giving up their jobs. While I gave up my full time corporate job to stay at home, I can relate. Whether you quit your job or not, coming up with ways to keep your child out of day care is a sacrifice. While I am truly blessed beyond words for my husbands job we still have to give up a lot for me to stay home. That's what happens when you lose a complete income. I have taken up a part time job for us to have some extra money and in that we sacrifice too, when the Big A gets home from work - I head to work, leaving not much time for one on one during the week and sometimes the weekend for that matter being that I work 8 hour shifts on the weekend. And aside from the time there are the material things that we give up as well. For me to stay home we have given up Friday night meals at On the Border for Friday night meals from Taco Bueno. I have given up hair cuts every 8 weeks to every 12 weeks. But in lew of all that I have been repaid in a benefits package that no words can truly describe. I have a rockin dress code of hoodies, jeans, and tennis shoes. I'm showered in endless cuddles. I get to see every new word, new action, new favorite thing happen before my very eyes. I have a child that to this day has not even had a cold. So, in this time of year where we say what we are thankful for I'm thankful for this. I'm thankful for my husbands job. I'm thankful for having the ability to stay home. And I'm thankful for the sacrifice we chose to make to do whats best for us. I absolutely wouldn't want it any other way.

And Then There Was Poop

Yep, poop. Sometimes I look at my sweet Little Lady and I just can't imagine how such a sweet little girl can make such a big stinky mess. And, for the most part, I'm home alone when it happens. Like the poop incident of Summer 2009, the first poop moment. The Big A was back at work, my Mom was back at work. She was three weeks old and we were in this alone. She had filled the diaper and up to her room we went to change it. Little did I know she wasn't finished and half way through the doodoo change it hit the wall, literally. There was poop on the wall. Then there was the debacle of Fall 2009. She was happily bouncing away in her Jump-a-roo and something else was happily making its way down both of her legs to my living room floor. So then, not only did she need a bath - so did the Jump-a-roo and my living room floor. And yep, the Big A was at work. Fast forward to the end of Summer 2010 when we hit up the apple orchard for a fun family afternoon. You may remember the post where I said we all enjoyed apple juice slushies and that Little Lady drank all of hers and ate an apple while we were still at the orchard. Leaving most of the details out I think you can figure out that she went straight to the bath tub - clothes and all. And the Big A got to clean the living room carpet, office carpet, and the hardwoods in between while I cleaned a certain Little Lady. Then there was yesterday. Oh, my. Little Lady loves to take showers and I needed to get ready for work. So there we were in the shower and I was washing the shampoo out of my hair and I hear a little voice saying "ucky" and I look down and to what do my wandering eyes land upon but poop in her hand. Yep, you heard me correctly - her hand. I lost all my mommy senses. I was yelling "Oh my gawd, Oh my gawd, put that down." Then she put her hands up and started yelling "gawd gawd" Followed by me yelling "We don't say that." After I had just finished saying that - some example to set. I finally got the poop out of the shower and thoroughly cleaned her and the shower...I knew there would be mommy moments that were just too big for words but I can think of a few words to describe all of these perfectly and I think that it would be - "Oh, Poop!"

Wordless Wednesday - Peekaboo

At The End Of The Day

I love to clean. I love having a clean house. One where I can smell the fabreezed couch, and the bleached kitchen, and the candles burning making it feel like a day well spent. And yesterday, I had one of those days and I'm off to a good start to another one today. But amongst getting all those things done I also LOVE spending QT with my girl. She loves to help Mommy clean and I often give her a little rag to wipe things down, or she will bring me the "pitty" pillows to put on the beds once they are made, or help to carry the laundry to the washer. She is quite the helper. But, she is also 17 months old and loves to play and do her own thing too, which I love just as much as her loving to help me. So in between the washing and the dusting and the bleaching, we play. And we play hard. She pulls all her books off the shelves and brings a few to me to read. We turn the radio up and dance. We push dollies in strollers and Buzz Lightyear in Care Bear cars and gallop Woody on her big rocking horse. And we have a lot of fun. And with a lot of fun comes a lot of mess. Which is great. And I have learned that at the end of the day, a clean house is fantastic, but a messy messy little girls room is even better.

Mommy and Me Monday

Going a little old school...

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents. I love you both so very much and you set a great example for me and the Big A to follow!

New Haircut!

Little Lady got her first haircut the other day. I found a very cute children's salon and she loved it. She got to pick out which car she wanted to sit in and watch a Barbie movie while getting trimmed. I only got little bangs cut into her style as I really want this girl to have long hair (so long as that is what she wants). I think it turned out super cute.

Before:Getting spiffied:Final product: New Big Girl Bangs!

She looks adorable and is growing up right before my very eyes!

Wordless Wednesday - College Homecoming

Mommy's Craft Time

The other day I got really tired of digging through bows to find one or two that match what Little Lady is wearing. So, I devised a quick and easy bow holder and I thought it turned out pretty cute!

Mommy and Me Monday

Outdoor Store Halloween

Since I work part time at the local outdoor store, Little Lady has the in on the fun kids activities the store has going on. Well, the outdoor store does not fall short when it comes to activities for Halloween, from fun photo ops to crafts to costume parades and trick or treating, Little Lady got to have a ton of fun participating and we had a ton of fun watching her enjoy it all. It is especially convenient when I am working at the same time as an activity as well. Here is just a little bit of the fun that she got to partake in:
Halloween Pumpkin Mask - Sissy helped her color this one because I was working at the time:
Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin Coloring Sheet: Pumpkin Bird House: