Happy New Year

Two hats are always better than one! And, a messy face always looks cute! Andrew and Tusker think so anyway. :)

This morning Jason surprised me by saying, "Let's go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast so you won't have to cook." I was so excited! Cracker Barrel is my #2 favorite place to eat. Surin West is #1 - in case you were wondering!! Awesome sushi! Anyhoo, that is how we started our celebration for New Year's Eve and it didn't stop there.

After a fantastic breakfast, we headed over to Best Buy and bought some things we weren't planning on (Hey! the New Year isn't until tomorrow people. And that is when all the the crazy happens! Not today. Tomorrow!) We got Wii Resort and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. I know. Don't start. The obsession with that game will never end. Thank you, Blizzard. But, I really do think that it will be okay this time. Andrew is older and wants to play with Jason. So, computer time for him has been cut waaaay down actually. It is nice to have me time, too. I like not having to attend to other people every minute of every hour. But, I digress :)

One we made our crazy purchases, we strolled down to the bookstore and whatnot. It was so nice outside today. Warm, but with a cool breeze. Perfect. So perfect, that after Andrew took his nap... He drove (i.e mommy pushed) his little Cozy Coupe around our neighborhood. Yeah, I know. I used to have it in the house, but Christmas kinda made less room for bigger toys. The Coupe is now parked in the garage where it belongs.

Oh yeah! And dinner - it was cooking alllllllll day! I made a yummy Italian pot roast complete with loaded mashed potatoes, greens beans, and Southern corn bread :) YUM!

But the real "party" started afterward. The festival of laughing until it hurts.

So, I'm sitting (finally - omg, I'm amazed my feet have not yet begun to swell...) and we are laughing with Andrew about his party hat and how Max is scared of the horns (poor fur ball). Then, I'm holding Andrew and saying, "Andrew, when your Daddy and I were younger and you weren't here just yet...well, it was much different on New Year's." LOL. But, for real. Do you even know how many times I've tired to get us to go to a New Year's Ball/Party/Extravaganza of some sort?! UGH!

Well, of course, Jason says, "Nah-uh! We've gone out" and proceeds to explain various CHRISTMAS parties. Um, no. NEW YEAR'S not CHRISTMAS. Then he tells me about my parent's New Year's party. OK, 1) My brothers were all there - a party PARTY doesn't involve kids (sorry boys, I do love you very much though. 2) That first reason doesn't even matter because we were NOT 21!!! You can't ring in the New Year if you can't have some bubbly. Lame.

Then, all of a sudden....

"WHAT?! WE ARE 25?!?!?!?!? WE COULDN'T DRINK AT THAT PARTY?!?!?! WE HAVEN'T BEEN 21 IN 4 YEARS?!?!?"

He was really serious. He asked me how old we were and what year this was. Are you kidding me? Then comes the laughing-til-it-hurts-and-we-have-tears-in-our-eyes. Andrew was laughing, too! That made it even funnier. He didn't even understand and he was laughing like he totally did. Such a cutie!

So, yes, honey. We are 25. And, maybe next year we can go out on the town (wink wink!)

Happy New Year, everyone!!

If He Builds It

and I say anything about it he stops. So, I take a picture instead. But forget that the flash is on. Good job, Heather. LOL. Anyway, he was very busy working on something and humming a little song this morning. It was so cute and I really wanted a picture.

But he says "no no" right after he realizes that a picture was taken. He was not happy about it either. But, so? I win! I got cute shots of him building a very nice tower...house...building of some sort. Still not sure.

I really cannot wait for him to talk so I actually understand him. Then I will let you know what he builds next. :)

Resolution: Be AMAZING!

HA! I can wish, right? I have quite a few resolutions this year. Normally, it's the typical no swearing, no junk food stuff. But, Andrew's bigger so things have changed a bit. Most of them are for him actually. Anyhoo! Wanna know what I'm doing differently this year (and hopefully for a long time to come)?

1. I really want/need to be a better Catholic for Andrew. I've tried before to do this, but it's never worked. But, I think because of Andrew, it will stick this time. So... Andrew and I are going to start attending Mass on Thursdays. We already go on Sundays, but Andrew goes to the nursery. He's at the point now where he knows when I say "shh!" but its the actual understanding of it all. Daily Mass is shorter, too (the prayers that are usually sung on Sundays are said, plus most music is omitted except for the beginning and end). Oh, and Thursday is the school Mass. He will get to see all of the kids from kindergarten and up sit quietly and listen to the "stories."  
2. I want/need to be a better Catholic for me. In the "me" case, I'm planning on praying the rosary weekly (instead of monthly). And... (gasp!) go to confession monthly. I haven't been since the week of our wedding and that was over 3 years ago. So, I'm kinda overdue...just a tad ;)  
3. Recycle. Alabama is apparently behind the rest of the world in this idea. Why our disposal service does not offer a recycling service is beyond me. Why I cannot find a recycling center close by is also another mystery. But I will find one. This resolution may not start off on the 1st, but it will become a habit. We need to take care of the world we live in, right? So since this looks like it will become a monthly run to whatever place we can find, we at least are going to set up a dedicated spot in our garage for it. Look's like I'm heading to Lowe's for some large bins soon. 
4. And one that everyone claims they will do...save more money! Yeah, I've become one of those coupon clippin mamas, too. But, whatever we save will go straight to our new home. And, thankfully, our prayers were answered and we are having a boy. So, more savings there. And, I'm starting a new thing where each month is going to be a challenge - slash the budget somewhere. Like groceries...instead of spending X like last month, I will have to spend less. My motivation? Get my children in Hoover City Schools - at the very beginning. Pray that we move within 4 years... I'm not sure how much longer we can handle Redneck Boy's big ass truck obsession (looooong story...just pray for us).

 Well, this decade is almost over, people. I hope everyone had a super 2010 and will have an even better 2011!

Happy New Year!!

By they way, I'm so going to wear some 2011 glasses. You'll see :)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I finally have all of the Christmas pictures organized and being printed in a lovely photo book! Since, there are literally hundreds of pictures that needed to be edited, decided upon, etc...it is just easier for me to share our book with you. This is definitely going to be a thing I do each Christmas! I hope you enjoy it!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Out with the Old

...in with the new!

This morning Andy was very helpful in taking everything out of boxes for me. All of his baby clothes, clothes to grow into (thanks, Mom!), toys were all over the floor in his room. But, it's ok. I wanted that. I went through every single piece outfit to determine what will become Alex's. Luckily, the majority of Andy's are all now Alex's. There were probably about 10 outfits that were so not the right season (like all the fleece...a bit too much for summer, eh?). But, anyhoo, 1 small Huggies diaper box of cute outfits that my boys can't wear will now go to some children in need. Now I can't wait for my awesome dresser to get here! See?

It's so nice! Half for Andy, half for Alex, and the top drawers for the many different types of diapers and whatnot. It comes next week! YAY!

I'll have a picture soon of what the room is going to look like soon. I found some great things and am just figuring out what I want for them. They are going to have the coolest room in the house! Other than the kitchen. Playing, sleeping and eating. The main things that boys do, right?

23 weeks down and 16 left!! We can't wait to meet you, Alex!

What does "A" Stand For?

Alexander!!

We are having a boy!!

This morning at 8:30, we (yep, all of us!) went in and saw our new sweet baby BOY! Our little Alex :) Only this time, we were able to do the 3D ultrasound along with the normal one. He is so cute!! He is weighing at just over a pound right now. Oh, and he might be a kickboxer LOL! You could watch him punch and kick all over the place! It was quite funny. Andrew though it was funny, too - at least he was laughing when we were. So wanna see???

Alex, we can't wait to meet you in 17 weeks!

Oh! The winning room layout is #1:

And the boys (hehe!!) are going to have a vintage sports theme going on! Kinda like this, but obviously baby/toddler friendly:

We are sooo excited!!!

No More Scraping for Me!!!

HAHAHA! Merry Christmas to meeee! I bought myself a present that I didn't know existed until today. I wish I had come up with the idea though... Ever since my mom gave me the ever-so-wonderfully-amazing KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas a few years ago, I have been able to fall in love with baking over and over again. Every time I see it's beautiful onyx shine, I clap - seriously. Some of my friends have been lucky enough to see this, too. LOL!

One downside...I have to scrap the stinkin bowl every few spins of whichever attachment that is in use to ensure all of the ingredients are mixed. WELL NO MORE!! Look what I found!!

I totally had this idea first, but whatever! It is being shipped to me as we speak! Oh, you still want to know what it is, huh? Ok.

This is the Beater Blade. This attachment fits the 5 quart mixers (they have bigger ones, too) and it's just like the normal one - BUT BETTER! It has this nifty built in scraper thingy on each side. It actually reaches the sides of the bowl and scrapes it while keeping the mixing going! HA! Seriously?! YES, PLEASE!

I cannot wait for it to arrive next week! I'm gonna be baking up a storm! Get ready, family! I will be bringing some fantastic goodies with us!

Shared Bedroom - Need Help!

Ok, so we find out in 2 days if Andrew is getting a brother or a sister. I can't take it anymore! I hate NOT knowing! UGH!

Anyhoo! To help with getting through these next 2 days, I have some room layouts that I need help with. Please help me decide! The room is 11 x 13 and everything is set to scale on these photos. So which one? I've marked which crib is Andrew's. Oh, and his crib will actually turn in to a toddler bed on his 2nd birthday. Just something to keep in mind when helping me decide. Thanks!

Andrew switches to the other side of the window. A's things needed during the nighttime feedings are all right there on one side of the room.

Andrew and A share a side of the room. dressing/changing/nursing area on the other. Andrew's crib doesn't move from it's current location.

 Same as before, beds are just placed differently.

Different placement. Andrew's crib doesn't move from it's current location.

Each of a side of the huge window. Andrew's crib doesn't move from it's current location.

No, I don't have any lamps or rugs or toy boxes showing on these pics, but they will all be placed where needed depending on which layout is chosen. 

I can't wait to find out what we are having. I have 2 great ideas for decorating and I am dying to know which it will be! I will let you know when I do!

Zoolight Safari Nite

Note: You will need to have your speakers on! I have a festive song :) And, yes, it is true, "Mrs. Claus ain't got nothin' on me!" 

Zoooooooolights!!! I love the holidays!!! Tonight, we went for a quick dinner at 5 Guys Burgers (YUM! One of my favorite burger places ever). Andrew ate a whole hot dog and 1/2 of the bun! He eats like a football player, but like those big linemen or something. It's crazy. Anyway, after that, we headed over to the ZOOOOO for the opening night of the most fantastic display of Christmas lights - Zoolight Safari. FUN!

Andrew was in complete state of amazement. He had seen the decorations for the Boo at the Zoo a few months ago, but this was so much more. Lights, lights, lights! Santa, his elves, snowmen, trains, everything North Pole! I love this time of the year. It is my favorite. I wish it could be Christmas all the time! Ok, maybe not...but you know what I mean.

Anyhoo! Enjoy the music and pictures!






If you have trouble viewing, click here.  Song: "Mrs. Claus Ain't Got Nothin' On Me!" by Little Jackie (part of The Christmas Gig Album available at Target.com)

A Sweet Mess

This afternoon, during naptime, I made some super easy sugar cookies. I found a great recipe that only calls for like 6 or 7 ingredients. If you don't follow Southern Plate yet...what is the hold up? She's amazing and I have to thank my friend, Rachel, for telling me about her! Awesome stuff! Go check it out!

Anyway, after nap time and once the cookie dough was chilled and ready for the little hands of future Master Chef Andy, we got to work! I took out the rolling pin, cookie cutters, frosting, sprinkles, everything. It was a sweet mess! It seriously looked like a bakery had EXPLODED on my kitchen table. But, it was totally worth it!

He loved it! He loves being in the kitchen and "cooking" anyway, but this really made his afternoon!That last pic (above) - yeah, those are his cookies. I let him have the leftover dough to make his own cookies. I just showed him how to grab some and squish it however and put it on the pan. He made about 7 cookies all on his own. What a cutie!!

After dinner, Jason helped by taking pictures of the decorating part of this sugary madness. Andrew loved squeezing the icing out and making dots on the cookies. He picked out a snowflake to decorate. :)

Finally, the shaking of the sprinkles began and he loved that the most, it seemed... There were tiny red sprinkles all over the kitchen when he was done. Oh, well. He had fun and so did I!

He enjoyed every last bit of the frosting, too. These last pictures just made us laugh and laugh!! Good times!

25 Days of Christmas

My little boy loves trains and I think he now has a new favorite movie - The Polar Express! YAY! He has been watching the "25 Days of Christmas" on ABC Family since December 1st. He loves these holiday shows!! I meant to post these pics earlier, but busy mommies forget things, right? He sat in his blue chair for most of the movie (other than to have dinner and the random dancing and pointing during the commercials). He is totally a big boy!

He is a mini version of his Daddy, that's for sure! I don't think you can see (probably under the blanket), but he has his drink and REMOTE(!!!) with him. Sesame Street Remote, but still... For real? He is so cute!!

Are you watching 25 Days, too? Tonight they are showing Miracle on 34th Street at 7:30 pm (central time, that is). I love that movie! The boys may not...but Jason has his computer games and Andy will be in bed. I can enjoy my hot cocoa k-cups (yes, I will keep saying that, Rachel!) in peace! Whoo hoo!!

By the way, if you are a Disney Movie Rewards member, every day ABC Family is giving away 5 points! YAY!

Window Clings are soooo tacky, but...

Andrew really was about to jump out of the shopping cart to get these:

He loves these snowmen. I think it is because of the birds. He seems to love red and things that fly these days. He went all crazy-excited over a Southwest plane that flew over our house the other day. I know...it is orange, but it was close enough the color to think it was red.

Oh and he even made Tusker (his blue elephant)look at the snowmen. He pointed to them, looked at Tusker, then shoved his trunk up against the window, like "Do YOU see the snowmen???" LOL

Anyhoo! That is my breakdown for the week. $1 Window Clings. Not bad, eh? 

21 Weeks Down

18 weeks until D-Day!

13 DAYS UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE HAVING!

Nice! Everything now in the 'teens. :) Ok, ok. Here is the 21 week picture. Happy, Kelly?! LOL!

 I'm not a fan of this picture. Jason likes it. And, I promised I would post a pic. So, there!

Do you notice the blank spot on my tree that seems to be missing ornaments? Yeah, that's Andrew's doing. He takes them off and he puts them in a different spot on the tree. At least they don't end up in the toy box or the floor. He tries. He gets mad to when I move them back. So, I've just left them where he places them.

Well, nothing went on this weekend, except an awesome surprise at dinner. We got Chili's To-Go and found a surprise in our order - 2 brownie sundae dessert shots! FUN! Fine, maybe it was a part of their promo they had going on tonight... I loved it! Thank you, Chili's!

Oh, and this week Andrew and I are going to try out some new story times. AND!!!! Zoolights starts this weekend!! We might be going to the Zoo twice this weekend. They are having their Christmas for the animals this weekend. How cool is that?! The animals will get to open up their presents - that is so cute!

Anyhoo! Lots of fun this week. Hopefully, the weather won't be too bad for the night-time events :)

Are they for real?

Last night, definitely past midnight...Jason was watching TV (Comedy Central) while I was getting everything ready for the next day and getting ready for bed. And what do I hear in the background?

Ch-ch-ch-CHIA!

I haven't seen a commercial for a Chia Pet in years. But, one for a few presidents? Nope.

I asked Jason once the commercial was over and the dumbfounded looks melted from both of our faces was, "Are they for real? Is that a joke?" Jason really was not sure.

I mean... 1) It's Comedy Central - who knows what is real on that channel. 2) They still sell those? and 3) If anyone get this...we are giving our prez an afro...

Now, we are definitely Republican. But, I'm sorry the idea of a Chia Pet as ANY president (no matter how funny we thought it was that moment) is just wrong....

What do you think about this? Lincoln does look look great with green "hair."

The Man

Since we just had Thanksgiving/Christmas in Georgia this year, Jason got Andrew an early Christmas present. We thought it would be fun for the great-grands and the grands to see Andrew open some presents. First, can I just say that it took Jason quite a while to pick out the perfect gift for his little boy. Scratch that...the perfect basketball hoop. It had to be the right color. Did it come with a basketball? Does the height adjust? Will he grown into it? Will he play with Daddy? The list of specifics goes on for quite a while. It was insanity... And, all I could think (other than, OMG he is so cute with this picking out a present thing!) was wow...is this what men go through when us girls are shopping?! It was crazy. We had about 6 or so tabs opened up for each toddler basketball set, 3 or 4 tabs for stores to compare prices, and some website up for parent reviews. Very intense stuff for a basketball hoop. But, it's ok. His little boy has the best basketball hoop and they BOTH love it!

Can you believe it is December? I was freezing last night at the parade and today Andrew and I had t-shirts under our hoodies. Wacky weather, huh? Anyhoo! Look at this sporty little guy! I hope he is going to be tall like Jason! He can keep on with those slam dunks! And, yes, he is totally sporting Thomas the Tank Engine. That jacket with match t-shirt (which is definitely underneath) are his favorite things to wear. Seriously. He gets mad if it is in the hamper and he can't wear it... I've now moved that all into the laundry room. LOL

As for the rest of the evening, I was excited to watch the Polar Express with Andrew for the first time. He really liked it! Well, there is a train...of course he liked it! And where did he sit? The best seat in the house! His Anywhere Chair!! I've been dying for this (thanks again Nana & Grandpa!) since I found out I was pregnant with him! So, yes, best seat with all his elephants, his drink, his toy box, and even a bell. You know he had to have a Christmas bell to watch the Polar Express. Hello!

Just before we hear the train a coming...

This was the part when they got to the Elves. He was pointing to them - LOL!

Not sure what the rest of the weekend has in store for us, but we will let you know about whatever it is!

Tiny Town Christmas Parade

Tonight, Andrew and I met up with Rachel and her twins to check out the Christmas Parade. It was really cold outside! But, everyone was bundled up in scarves, hat, gloves, puffy marshmallow jackets, etc! It was like 40-something...probably closer to 50. But, it felt like 20. Ha! Us Southerners - we'd never make it up north.

I was messing with my functions at the time... This was the best pic of Andrew that I could get. He's all bundled up in a hat, his 3-in-1 jacket, fleece pants - nope, no mittens. I tried. He hates every pair we try one at the stores. One day...

The coolest twins, Grace & Zach! They were a big help with keeping Andrew entertained while waiting for the parade to begin.

So, since I just bought my new camera back in August, I have not had any reason to use some of the functions. Like the super-awesome-why-did-I-not-have-this-before Fireworks function?! OMG! I NEVER get good pictures of fireworks. EVER. But, tonight I did! GO ME!

Let the parade begin!!

See? How awesome is the fireworks function on  my camera?

Andrew loved the fireworks! He was just amazed by them! At first, he squeezed his eyes shut at if they were getting in his face, but then he smiled at them once he realized they were going to stay in the sky. 

Love it!! Rachel and I are wondering though...why is it we are all amazed by fireworks?

This is for Andrew. He saw the school bus and pointed to it. He said something, too. I think he was wondering where the kids were. He watches them get off the bus everyday. 

I cannot believe I got this picture. Ms. Santa is turned around, waving, and everything. That is pure luck! 

The Grinch is getting his hair done on this float - cute!

This picture is for Andrew, too! He loves Chick-Fil-A and he really liked this cow. Does the CFA cow have a name?

It may be a tiny town Christmas Parade, but look at the turnout! I think everyone in town showed up!

There were some other things that Andrew really enjoyed seeing, but I wasn't able to grab a good enough picture. He LOVED he marching band. As soon as he heard the drums, he started dancing in my arms and saying stuff. He even got to see them up close since they stopped right in front of us. Maybe he will be on the drum line one day? That would be awesome! He also enjoyed seeing the fire trucks and police cars with their lights on and sirens going every now and then. I'm glad he enjoyed his 1st Christmas parade! Thanks for the invite, Rachel!! 

What else is on our list of holiday fun? Zoolights!! The convo with Jason about this event was too funny to not post:

Me: Wanna go to Zoolights next weekend?

Jason: [grumbles] noooo...

Me: Members are free [adds smile]

Jason: [much more enthusiastic] Oh! Ok! Yeah, we should do that!

Me: Oh we have to get train tokens, though...

Jason: [loses enthusiasm noted by turning back towards computer]

Me: No! Wait! I have 2 extras from last time we went to the Zoo. See no money spent!

Jason: Awesome.

Seriously. That is how it went. Those of you who know Jason, I'm sure are laughing at this conversation. I was!

What are y'all doing for holiday fun?