Adorable photos!

My friend Jessica took pictures of the Bean the other day at a local park, and they turned out so great! I can't decide which one I like the best. :) Y'all can vote, if you like, and help me decide. Click here to see our Gallery.

Patience

I think it is true what people say about asking God for patience. Do, and He will give you plenty of chances to either choose patience or impatience!! That has been my prayer for myself lately...that I would be a patient person. I am usually so selfish...wanting things to go exactly how I want them to, and when they don't, I lose my patience!! The latest "trial" is the Bean standing up in her crib for naptimes. I put her down, she stands up and cries, I go put her down again, she stands again, etc. This went on for 30 minutes today for her afternoon nap. Usually I would get frustrated, but God was gracious and allowed me to be patient with her.

I thought, what a great picture of my relationship with my heavenly Father. I try to stand up to Him in defiance, but He gently puts me back where I should be and is infinitely patient with me. What a great God we serve!!

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. ~ Psalm 86:15

Just wanted to post some recent pics of the Bean. She is crawling everywhere, and pulling up on anything she can get her hands on. Her toys are totally boring to her now for the most part, and she'd rather follow me around everywhere. :) She won't even sit still for her Baby Einstein videos, which she used to love! She isn't really taking steps yet, but I don't think that's too far down the road. We'll see. :) For now, I'm just glad that I'm still faster than she is!

Thanks to my Mom for the cute outfit in this picture. I love anything seersucker!

We're BACK!!

We are back from our FL trip, and it was WONDERFUL! Really, it couldn't have gone better. The Bean did GREAT at her grandparents. (Thank you Lord!) She slept well, ate well, and played her little heart out. They took her to the park and let her try the baby swing, which she loved. They said she just laughed and grinned every time they swung her. I was initially anxious about leaving her for such a long time, but God did "abundently more than I could ask or think."

As for our trip, the resort was fabulous. I slept in, ordered room service, laid out by the pool, ate like a queen, watched movies w/ RR, read two books, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The food there was awesome.

Now, not to disappoint anyone, but I didn't take any pictures! (I should be ashamed, I know.) Either I couldn't find someone to take the pics when I needed them, or RR wanted me to wait, or I forgot my camera, etc. (You can, however, click here to see where we stayed.) But regardless, I have beautiful memories in my head.

The Big FL Trip

RR and I are leaving tomorrow morning to go to FL for a few days on a business rewards trip. I dropped the Bean off today at her grandparents, who will be taking care of her while we're gone. I was so sad! (I had to console myself with some cookies from my favorite hometown bakery.) But Mom called me tonight and the Bean is as happy as can be, so hopefully she'll stay happy for the whole trip and won't even notice we're gone!! (Ok, she can miss us a LITTLE bit.) I am looking forward to sleeping in late, laying out by the pool, eating whatever I want, and drinking all the Diet Coke one girl can handle.

Grocery Organization

Last week I went on my big shopping day, which made me think some of you might like to see my grocery system. Yes, I am a big nerd who has an organized way of shopping for groceries. Go ahead and make fun, but the system works!! First, I have a grocery list typed up (similar to this one) that I have posted on my fridge at all times. When I use the last of something, I just highlight it on the list. I also have a section for write-ins...items that you randomly need that week, like artichokes or edamame or something. (Yeah right, like my husband would eat anything with the aforementioned ingredients!!! Strictly meat and potatoes, my man.) There is also a section for the meal plan for the week, or two weeks, since that's how often I do my main shopping trip. That way I know what meals I am planning on making and can make sure I have the ingredients written down on my list. Lastly, I have a small section for meals for other and/or parties. I was always forgetting to write down ingredients for something I needed to bring somewhere, so now I have a section that reminds me to look at my calendar and see if I have any event coming up that I need to bring food to. My list is organized by aisles at my local Wal-Mart, so that way I don't miss anything. When I get done shopping, I save the list and fold it up so the meal plans are showing and stick it on the fridge...that way I can look and see what my options are the day before and lay out meat to thaw or ask my husband what he'd like for dinner the next night.

Using this method is great b/c I rarely forget to write anything down, I rarely miss anything at the store and have to backtrack, and I know what's on the menu for that week at a glance. And just in case anyone wants to know, I didn't come up with this idea. I stole it from someone else. :) Use the list I linked to or type up your own and customize it to suit your needs. Maybe there are other grocery nerds out there like me who will like the system. And happy grocery shopping!!

Book Recommendations, Anyone?

I am going to Florida on vacation with RR (my husband's nickname) next week, and my parents are keeping the Bean. Woo-hoo! (Even though I will miss the heck out of the Bean.) It's gonna be great - sleeping in, eating great food, and catching some rays. This is a business rewards trip that RR earned, and it's all expenses paid! They even give you a per diam (sp??) for meals, and you get presents with your turn-down service every night. I am planning on spending a great deal of the time laying out by the pool and reading something that takes very little brain power to follow. Which brings me to my point...does anybody have any recommendations? Something fictional, please, and preferably available at the library.

Handmade Baby Clothes and Gifts

I discovered an online business run by a friend of a friend that sells the cutest handmade children's and baby's clothing. It's called Elle-T's. I have some of the same sewing patterns and have made a few dresses for the Bean, like the one she's wearing in this picture. (It's called the Lucy...sorry you can't see the dress super well.) But Elle-T's has super cute add-on's, appliques and monograms, and her prices are reasonable. She also has reasonably priced baby gifts, like onesies and burp cloths. Check it out!