A Month in Photos - February

WOW! What a BIG month for our house! So many exciting new things - it was hard to just pick 5 photos... But, here's the winning pics of the month :)

If you would like a larger view, click on the picture! Also, if you click the linked words below, you get the story to go with some of the pictures. :)

Top row: Happy Valentine's Day!!

Middle row: Our Packers won Super Bowl!! GO PACK GO!  And, Andrew's new favorite thing to do on Thursdays is to watch the garbage truck. Now, that it is nice out, we sit outside and watch it in action :)

Bottom row: Sharks and Golf! You know the weather is nice when those two somehow go together.

I hope everyone had a great month, too!

I am participating with Simple as That's A Month in Photos. If you would like to play along, click the button below.

The Simple Things

What made you smile this week? How about gorgeous weather? How about watching some golf? Ok, the golf isn't exactly my cup of tea...but that day was the best! You can check out that post here.

P90X - Week 1 (almost)

I write so many posts about Andrew and the pregnancy and the house, but for whatever reason I never have much to write about the person who provides this amazing life for us. Jason is the best husband in the whole world and I really should write more about what's going on with him.

But, since I am sure the majority of you do not want to hear about his latest raid in the World of Warcraft, I'll tell you about his journey through P90X. :) I can see the look on his face right now... LOL! He did say that he was going to post about it or start a blog of his own. But why do that when he has a blog that he doesn't really use? This one! It's about our family. So, here we go!

Week 1 - Bring it! (LOL - sorry, but if you have seen this program on those infomercials...that is the lamest tagline...omg...)

So, last Thursday night (a week ago), Jason and I sat at the kitchen table making a menu plan, grocery list, matching coupons, etc. Yes, he actually helped me do this. He has been coming up with some great menus, too! He's following the diet plan almost exactly (meaning he's only off a bit by, like, a carb or 2 or something...). It's been a bonus for Andrew and I because we both are eating better. Not that we are terrible foodies, but you know... Mac n cheese isn't the best thing for dinner. LOL. Anyway, great food!

The best part? I only cooked 1 night this week! HA! Jason's been grilling everything. And, I cheated. I used the handy dandy slow cooker. So, really... I didn't do anything! It's been a great break.

The workouts started on Sunday morning. 5 AM. 5 AM on a weekend. At first I was annoyed...hello? It's the weekend. But, he gets up does his workout, takes his shower and I barely hear him. So, I get the rest I need to start storing until Alex gets here. On the weekends, Jason gets Andrew up and they both wake me up eventually. It's so nice to see 2 wonderful smiles in the morning!! During the work week, I get Andrew up and then we all have breakfast together. It is wonderful!! We used to be in such chaos in the mornings. Barely getting the chance to say good morning and good bye. Now we all have a relaxing morning TOGETHER. Jason get to have extra time with Andrew. I am not so crabby. I still have my moments, but it's better since this thing has started.

Now about his progress so far. He made me take the "before" pictures, like the program says to do. I won't post them just yet. They aren't bad, but he said not to until he's done. So, you will have to wait! He's been doing really well! He hasn't even complained about being sore. Well, he did this morning, but he did the KenpoX (like karate sort of) and that one is evil. So, understandable.

It's been a week for him (tomorrow is the stretching day - like an off day) and he's been doing great!

He told me one evening that this was a lifestyle change for him, but I think it is for all of us :) We are all benefiting from this. We are learning to eat better and be more family centered. And I love every minute of it!

Keep watching for Jason's P90X updates!! This is a 90 day program (almost 13 weeks), so there is a lot more to come.

Update on the Big Boy!

It has been 6 days of the big boy adventures in real toddlerhood! We set up the new crib as a toddler bed and moved Andrew's original crib to the other side of the room for Alex to use when he's a month old (6 1/2 weeks to go people!). If you missed that post, you can click here.

Andrew has been doing SO well sleeping in his bed! He gets in for me with no problems at all for naptime and bed time. He STAYS in there until I come to get him. I guess he hasn't realized he can get out of it. He gets out on his own when it is time, but otherwise he's in there happy as anything.

He still sleeps super awesome through the night, as he had done since about just about 5 months old. Yep, 11-12 hours and going strong! Sweet! And, naptime is still holding at 2 1/2 hours. Very nice break for me in the middle of the day!

I did hear on Monday night something that sounded like a little monkey. Of course, when I went to go see what Mr. Man was doing, he was back under the covers with a very sneaky smile on his face... Hmmmm.... LOL!

Even though we have had such a great time with this change, we did have a mini-accident. Yep, he fell out. Oh, but he was fine. Scared the mess out of me and Jason. But, he wasn't crying because he was hurt. He was MAD THAT HE FELL OUT. He was seriously annoyed with the whole thing. He was ok with a QUICK hug from us, but then he climbed back in and shut his eyes. While we were still in there. What a sillypants! He was annoyed, not hurt. That just cracks me up. Yes, I'd be mad, too. But, he's still a little guy, ya know? Very funny. Wow. He's like me I guess. I HATE to be woken up when I don't need to be...

Other than that, everything has been going so well with the new bed. He loves it!!

Our rules:

1. NO JUMPING! Even a tiny bounce and he's off. I'm only going to the hospital to HAVE a baby...Not get one "repaired" after an accident.
2. NO TOYS in the bed, on the floor, etc. Everything must be put back into the closet during sleepytime. He is allowed to have Tucker, his favorite elephant. Also, during the day, he can read or play with a puzzle on his bed. But that's it.

Simple for us and simple for him. He knows the rules, too. He catches on to things so fast. It is amazing.

What is our next adventure? Potty training. This summer will be our potty training adventure. We've already started talking about it to him...especially when he's getting his diaper changed. He hates it. He has things to do. So, we always tell him, "A big boy goes to the potty." or "If you don't want to have diapers, you have to be a big boy and go to the potty." Things like that. He's started to get it a little bit. We aren't going to rush it or anything, but we do hope that it will be another easy change... He's a pretty easy going guy. So we will see!

There's A Big Boy in Our House Now

The moment has come. The moment when your little baby becomes a big boy. A for real big boy. No longer does Andrew (17 months old now - wow!) have to think he's one because he is one. He totally knows that a change is happening to his room other than just a big boy bed, too. He wonders about the other bed and just who this "Alex" person is that we talk about. But, he will know within 7 weeks! :D For now, we have 1 big boy in our house!

Oh, what a mess! But, a good one!

Aw, how cute!! It looks pretty cozy, too! Wish I could take a nap... ;)

I had to do it. I took a pic during his nap. Hey, it was his first time sleeping like a big boy. What a cutie! I wish the binky hadn't been in his face, but I was already risking waking him up so I didn't move it. He looks quite comfy!

This morning, after breakfast, we played and played! Now that he has a big boy room, he is always in here! Don't worry. All the toys are neatly tucked away in his closet during sleepy times. No access = no trouble (thank you to my mommy friends who told me that trick!).  Oh, and this is just the first of many shared room pics to come. The dresser is on the wall to the right, facing the window. And the crazy lamp has one more light on it with a green shade. Nice that I didn't have to change that. Oh, and art work and accessories are coming soon. Isn't their room going to look great!?

Now for a fun pic...

This cracks me up! I knew I couldn't see my feet really, but to "lose" a kid under there! HAHAHAHA!

*No kid was actually lost during this picture LOL

A Perfect Day for Golf

Due to Saturday's extravaganza at the McWane Center, yesterday seemed like the perfect day to break out the golf clubs. Jason has been dying to do this ever since his parent gave Andrew this set at his Baptism. He was about 6 weeks old. So, he was beyond ready to have a day out in the sun with his mini golfer. And look at how much fun they had!!

Note: Remember, you can click on the photo to make it bigger.

The Simple Things

Enjoying a story with Daddy :)

Big Machines Day!

Today, we went on a surprise outing to the McWane Center to see all of the BIG machines. Everything HUGE was out there for all the little kids to enjoy. Cranes, dump trucks, "diggers" (you know, backhoes and whatnot), fire trucks, everything! We didn't exactly tell Andrew where we were going or anything, except for "we are going to see some BIG things!" He looked out the car window every now and then trying to see what was so big. Well, how about a crane, little man?

Jason said that the look on his face was so funny when they walked up to this thing. 

He even got to "drive" it, but I snapped this pic to late. They were listening to the crane facts.

I wish I could have gotten the whole thing. It was HUGE! They didn't even have it raised all the way!

 Driver Andy :)

 Checkin out the digger.

 Pretty cool, he thinks.

These sharks are pretty cute, I admit. But, I was too scared to let Andrew touch. His Daddy sure wasn't! Andrew touched the fin of one and the tail of another! I'm sure the grandmothers would have tried to stop them. LOL!! 

 Can't get enough of "driving" :)

Can you guess who this is? LOL...me!!

 I hope that this is the only tornado we ever experience...

 Making clouds!

Jason telling his little engineer to be about these robots. These are the kind he actually works with!!

Out of everything we did and saw at the McWane Center, this was the winner. Those of you that know Jason I am sure can imagine the excitement! He even told me to take a video. Enjoy!

If you have trouble viewing, click here.

Outside is the Best!

This week has been wonderful! Perfect weather - great temperature, sunny skies, sweet breeze! Andrew's favorite thing to do is be outside anytime, anywhere. It really doesn't matter to him what the weather is like. He wants to be outside. Me, on the other hand... I like days like today with a high of 71. Andrew also love animals of any kind...so how about a day at the zoo!

Loves to watch the train go by.

Checking out all the birds.

 Our turn on the train :)

Listening to the "engineer" tell us about the animals we are passing. 

Loves the squirrel monkeys!

They are pretty cute :)

We fed this guy. As soon as Andrew saw the ducks, he instantly said, "quack! quack! quack!"

I like the flamingos. Most were sleeping at the time though. 

Lunch at the zoo :)

We had to go say "bye-bye" to the zebras before heading home.

Andrew's New Hat

Yesterday,we headed over to Old Navy. Apparently, they are the only ones with toddler sized hats. Fine with me! It's warmer out and I have no tees that go over my tummy. And with 8 weeks to go, I just grabbed 2 that were one sale :) Anyway, we looked at about 6 or 7 different hats. I picked out 3 and told him to pick one that he liked. He decided he had to have this military inspired hat with a jet and stars on the front. Very cute! It must be in stores only. I can't find it online. But, he sports it pretty well. He wore it ALL day yesterday.

He wore it with his sunglasses :)

He wore it during lunch :)

He checked out his new hat in the mirror :)

And he even did a little dance!!

If you have trouble viewing, click here.

He loves his new hat. Can you tell?

Valentine's Weekend & Nite

A little behind, I know... But, the end of this pregnancy is killing me... Anyhoo! This is a long update. 

On Sunday, we headed out to this amazing preserve that was the home to so many tigers, lions, and other huge cats that I lost count! Tigers for Tomorrow!! If you ever near Gadsden or taking a drive to Chattanooga, you have got to take a detour and stop here. I wish I could have taken pictures, but, unfortunately, there are signs everywhere stating "not allowed." So, boo. But, these cats are here to relax, I suppose. :)

It was such an amazing place!! They are housed in huge cages, not like at a zoo. They are not stuck behind glass. They are not alone. You can actually tell that they are happy where they are!! And, around each cage, there is fence about 5 feet away. So, we get to stand at the fence and they are there. About 5 feet away from you. We heard Boris the Great, a gorgeous lion with an awesome mane, roar a little. He was so funny. He rolled all around and laid out in the sunshine to warm his tummy! We also saw some bears, Basil and Sage. They were the party bears for the weekend (there was a special admission fee B1G1 for Valentine's). Andrew loved the tigers and the cougars the most. He pointed and whispered "wow!" the entire time we were there.

The best part was that we came at a really great time - lunch time. These animals know exactly when it is time to get their meat and veggies! There are anywhere from 2-4 of the same animal in one home and they were getting hungry - fast! Some were polite and waiting patiently. Others were highly annoyed that lunch wasn't happening fast enough so they were loud and starting little fights with one another. We watched the Shakira, one of the larger tigers eat her lunch close up. Very cool. But, those cougars...nope...we were told to back away from the fence because they do NOT like people watching. They are not the sharing type. It was a really cool thing to watch. They all eat 1 lunch that is equal to maybe a week or a week and a half of dinners for us. WOW. And, they eat pretty well. One of the keepers told us that they get chicken breast and various cuts of beef including fillet mignon! WHAT?!

As we were heading out, we checked out the little farm they had. There were a lot of goats, chickens, and pigs. But this one llama...ugh! So, I like llamas. I did anyway. He was cool at first. I was talking to him and telling him how nice he was, but no. He didn't care. He was about to (gasp!) spit at me! ARE YOU KIDDING?! Stinky llama. I bolted away from him! Andrew was laughing...so was Jason...and a few other random people out there. Nice. Mr. Llama, you are are a stinker.

Anyway, we headed home and grabbed lunch on the way. And this was the next animal noise I heard:

In one of it's natural habitats, the cute Stinkapotamus can be heard quietly snoring. Haha!

This is what the place looks like driving in or out. See? Untamed Mountain. They weren't kidding! 

On Valentine's Day - the actual day - Andrew and I went out to get the mail. And he got a letter!! A letter from Ma & Dave!! He loves getting mail. But, he was more excited to see a duck in the card! Very cute!!

Later that day, I started making dinner. Andrew had dinner just as Jason was coming home and then we both gave him his valentine heart filled with m&m's (his favorite!). Once he was all snuggly in bed, Jason and I had our dinner. I made my fabulous Cheesy Chicken (a spinoff of Chicken Kiev) and we had chocolate fondue with strawberries and pound cake for dessert. YUM! We even watch a chick flick! I told him to get whatever movie and he got "You Again" Best chick flick I've seen in a while! It was pretty funny!!

What a wonderful Valentine's!! Hope everyone had a great one, too!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Wishing everyone a lovely day!!

The Simple Things

It's your weekly dose of The Simple Things :) So, this is what made me smile this week. How about you?

My little Quarterback just a few hours before our big Super Bowl Party :)

Isn't that the cutest little jersey ever?! I think he could be in a NyQuil commercial, too! :)

GO PACKERS!!

Crazy thought...the next time that jersey will be worn...it will be on Alex! WOW!

Fun with Pictures

Andrew decided he was going to be in charge of pictures today. He pointed to my camera on the kitchen table, but I didn't understand what he wanted exactly. So, he reached with all his might and brought it to me. I asked him what he wanted me to do and he pointed to his toys. So, we had some fun with taking pictures of all sorts of things today :) He even wanted to see the toy on the camera after I pushed the button. I think I may have to put my camera in a higher place now since it seems like he knows how it works!

A mommy horse and her baby. Andrew set them up like this and then pointed to them. They are very cute, aren't they? :)

A nifty airplane found at the awesome Dollar Spot a Target. He pushed the button and then told me to take the picture. It makes "take off" noise and a little red light blinks. I must have missed the light, oh well.

How cute is he?!

Seriously. He is the cutest. He's watching "Dino Dan" in case you are wondering. When that show comes on, everything else doesn't matter. He's gotta see the dinosaurs. It's like for 5 year olds, but he LOVES it. He is 1. It's for older kids. It teaches kids how to use scientific methods to solve problems and using evidence (all with the help of dinosaurs. He doesn't even talk all that much just yet. He is 1, people. And this is probably his favorite show or at least tied with Thomas the Tank Engine. WOW. He amazes me.