MIA

I'm MIA again - sorry all! Started a new job and life is just super busy. Someday I'll be back on a regular basis.......

18 months already?

Hard to believe Lil C is now officially 18 months. She is such a fun little girl.

• Lots of words - mommy, daddy, baby, dog, woof woof, ball, uh uh (as in no), here (more like heya), papa, mema, no, yeah, hair, eye, bubble, snack and lots more words that she will mimic after we say them. Interesting b/c at this age her brother had two words that I recall - dog and uh oh and we were having consultations with First Steps!
• Loves to read - especially our Scholastic books courtesy of the Success By Six reading program - books that have lots of pictures of babies/toddlers and include lots of labels like shoes, ball, blocks, etc...
• Shoes - a favorite of hers and we have PLENTY to indulge her but she tends to love her new Crocs the most (thank you Zulily for half price on those!)
• Babies - she loves babies - holds them, snuggles, hugs
• Climbing - what a climber this little one is! And she thinks she can walk down the steps on her own....scary
• Eating - will eat just about everything but if she doesn't like it, it absolutely ends up on the floor for Tucker!
• Sleep - oh how I love how this one sleeps. During the day I just say - time for a nap and she walks to her room, grabs her paci, and reaches for her crib. At night, same deal but with some story time in there
• Nursing - we are still nursing - about 1x/day though this cold winter dry heat air is giving me some issues.... I hope to nurse her until she is 2, though we are kinda phasing it out
• Keeping up - she HAS to keep up with her brother and mimics everything he does. Funny story - yesterday my husband told me that B-man fell off this chair in the playroom and landed on his new toy, well Lil C, not to be outdone, purposely fell in the exact same way on the same toy - only after she first laughed at him and then laughed her herself. Sense of humor
• Baths - loves to take baths and inevitably every night pees on the floor when I don't get her diaper on fast enough as she runs away from us throughout the house!
• Art - would paint and color all day (though this always includes painting her own face and hair)

Looking forward to this spring. The two kids together are at really fun ages, though honestly, there are days when I know all I can handle is two!

Spring will be good. I have a new job. My husband has a new boss. B continues in preschool. Both start swim lessons in prep for our annual summer beach vacation. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Making Home Wells

Check out my sister's new blog - Making Home Wells!
It is on my blog roll too!

Santa went to MeMaw's who came to us!

Cause I love me some Shutterfly...

Hey all - Shameless plug here for my favorite online photo company, Shutterfly! As a result, guess what I am getting? 50 free holiday cards - woohoo! I wonder, can I get the Stationary Cards that I have always wanted for free too?

So for this Christmas, I decided to do three things:
1. Order Christmas/Holiday cards (my husband hates that I always pick out the ones that say Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas, but hey, I am spending the time doing this, so I'll do it as I please!). Just got our batch in the mail this year and I am LOVING them! Check out all the options - I usually just do a standard 4x6 photo card but this year upped the size. Someday I am going to splurge on a Stationary card, but this year I am so in love with our choice. Interested? Guess you'll have to wait to get it in your mailbox! Oh, and by the way, it was SUPER EASY to make. And let me tell you why I pick Shutterfly (besides ease and cost) - OPTIONS - I love options and love bargains.
2. Calendars - after my son was born, I made a calendar for the three sets of grandparents. The next year I opted not to do this but yikes, got some backlash. So now, making a holiday calendar for the grandparents (and myself of course) is a holiday tradition/expectiation. Mine is already hanging in my office at work - gotta love looking at my sweet little ones everyday when I am not with them!
3. Photo Book - okay, so this one is not on the list of things to promote, but I am going to anyway (a big thank you for me on this one Shutterfly????). So here's the deal - last year I made a Family book for each of the grandparents - customized with things special them - they all loved it and have it proudly displayed for all to see! So I thought, why don't I do this for me? Each year I take tons of pictures, then I order tons of pictures, then I never do anything with them b/c I am lazy. So....starting this year, I am creating a Year in Review book for the previous year. Much easier than ordering - and it is such a great format. Waiting on just the right coupon to order it with though - but it is done and just waiting for me to pay/ship!

Anyway - grandparents - I know you will love your calendar. Friends and Family - hoping to send out cards soon (no promises, but maybe before X-mas this year!), and ME - let's get that book ordered (and Shutterfly - how about an AWESOME coupon for that expensive little ditty?!)

Thanks for the shameless plug so I can get some FREE CARDS!
Good day.

Con Artist?

So Lil C loves to do art projects, which of course, I want to encourage.....

 A fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon - fingerpainting!

But....

 I guess Lil c wanted to color her hair instead? Isn't she a bit young for that?

 Does she not like having white cabinets - are we in that much need of a little color in our lives?

Round 2:

 Some color fun while mama attempts to cook dinner (ha!)

 Is that marker going on to the paper?

Oh wait, no, I see - it went on your face, clothes (and floor, walls, and cabinets!)

oh Lil C - you spunky thing!

But how can we not love this sweet sweet face?

So Berry Cute!



Happy thanksgiving

Happy Thankgiving

We spent the holiday weekend with family in St. Louis. It was great to see my brother, who had been living overseas. He was quite the chef and wowed us all with his culinary skills. Great for this girl who doesn't really enjoy being in the kitchen, except for providing support by chatting it up with the cook and enjoying a glass of wine!

 Uncle Patrick cooking up a storm.

Never thought I would have said this, but he makes brussel sprouts taste amazing.

 So when I showed up to celebrate Turkey Day, I found this little devil. This was my brothers costume from years ago (obviously!). He is obsessed with wearing his cape. He claims he is a king. Love the imagination fo this age!

 Lil c was cracking me up with her sweet smile. Her aunt nae nae calls her a little ragamuffin. I cannot wait for her to really start talking - she has LOTS of words, but most of the time just points and says, "Ehhh". I'll regret this wish someday.....

 Aunt Nae Nae with drama. Such an actor.

 One of my favs. I love that these two are friends (most of the time?) and enjoy spending time together. Could I wish for anything more?

 Best buds.

B-man and his friend M. We had a great time together running, yelling, and playing.

My friend Kristin came over one morning with her kids. We finally were so exhausted we gave in to the television and let Diego take over for 30 minutes....

 Enjoying the nice weather

 Zooming around the street on the motorcycle

Family picture with my dad and deb. Notice where Lil C's hands are - immediately following this picture, that candlestick started to fall on our heads.....

We really had a fun time visiting the Ross and Hunt families in STL. I decided to get up and run the Turkey Day run on Thanksgiving morning. Have to say, I am pretty proud of myself considering I run maybe 1 day a week. My time was nothing stellar, but I'll take it! Makes me want to run/race more. We'll see.

Great catching up with friends. Very thankful for reconnecting with a HS friend that I had not seen in probably 10-12 years. It was such a great reunion and we have vowed to not let so much time pass again. Thank you facebook.

So much to be thankful for - thank you for everything and everyone in our lives.