Visions of Sugarplums...

Here's what a professional gingerbread house looks like...this was by my neighbor's mom...note the trees, doorknob and sidewalk.

What the Bean's house looks like...

She did eat one sucker...and a little glue, so it appears...

The whole party...

Hard at work...

It seems like the Bean's greeting to most people since Halloween is "Where's my candy?", or "I want a sucker." Needless to say, the girl likes her candy. So this event was big fun for her. Our neighbors invited us to make gingerbread houses (or graham cracker houses, in this case), and we had a ball. I told the Bean we were using glue that would make her sick and that the candy was old (which it was, and the "glue" did have raw egg in it!), and she did very good about not eating it. And she really focused on her house...she was very intent on putting the "glue" on each piece and putting it on the house. There's not much of a theme here, and I should mention that the sidewalk and shingles were my idea. I did help a little. :) But she had a blast!

7 months

Baby G is 7 months old today! It's hard to believe! He FINALLY cut his tooth on the bottom front. I can't wait to try puffs and the teething biscuits...I think he'll like those and it'll keep him occupied during dinner! He's doing two "meals" a day now with solid foods. He seems to like them all so far except for green beans. I have to mix a little applesauce in there to get him to eat those. He's sort of sitting up on his own...he'll sit really well for a few minutes with the boppy around him, but sans boppy it's only for a few seconds before he grabs his toes and tips over like a weeble-wobble. And he's had a runny nose almost constantly for the past 3 weeks! The Bean loves him and even tried on his 6-9 month jogging suit the other day. He's growing like a week and is in mostly 9 month or 6-12 month clothes. Here are some pics...

He's in the covenant!

The Bean and my nephew Evan.

The best family pic we could get! We had to bribe the Bean w/ "lemons", as she calls them, or M&M's to the rest of us, to get her to take some pics!

Baby G is in the covenant! :) We had him baptized this past Sunday. And for those of you who know what a frenzy I was in trying to finish their outfits, I did get them done on time...and with a couple of days to spare! If you were there, RR came up w/ Baby G's blessing, and I thought he did an incredible job. I don't have a copy handy, or I would print it here. Here are just a couple of pics!

Thanksgiving weekend

I made turkey shirts for Baby G and the Bean, although I think they sort of look like peacocks after looking at them for a while. Maybe next year I'll leave out the blue and green!

Roll Tide!

Cheers!

The Bean loved her hat and "special boots."

We had 3 "big events" on Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving, of course, and then the Iron Bowl (of course), and decorating the Christmas tree. (Ok, so we decorated the Christmas tree on Monday, but I wanted to put all this in one post.) I only got 2 pics from Thanksgiving day b/c I am quite negligent when it comes to taking photos, but in my defense the Bean left early to go home w/ Mimi and Grandpa, and Baby G took a 3 1/2 hour afternoon nap. Thanksgiving day we went to my uncle's house in Pell City, and the Bean had a big time. There were lots of toys there to play with, and lots of desserts and "jello" (i.e. cranberry sauce) to be eaten. Then the Bean went home w/ Mimi and Grandpa, and RR and I had a very relaxing couple of nights w/ just Baby G at our house. We went to pick the Bean up and watch the Iron Bowl at my parent's house on Saturday. We were all in our Tide regalia. Then Monday night we decorated the tree after Baby G was in bed. We had brownies and hot chocolate. This was the Bean's 1st time to have hot chocolate, and she loved it! We danced to Christmas music and hung ornaments and had a grand ole' time. Enjoy the pics!

Snazzy new specs

Hello all. I just thought I'd show you all my new glasses. It's been 7 or 8 years since I got a new set of frames, so I'm pretty excited about these. I think I'll wear my glasses more since I have some cute ones now. I know everyone's had this style frame for about 4 years now, but I feel quite cutting-edge and trendy in them. I'm pretty conservative, so this is a little bit of a "fashion risk" for me. Sorry for the picture...the Bean can't take my pic and neither can Baby G, and RR was at work. So it's one of those do-it-yourself jobs. Also, I probably should have fixed my hair for this pic, but hey, it's more realistic this way, don't you think? I DID put on lipstick for y'all, so I put forth a little effort. :)

The Bean's first haircut

I know she's over 2, but the Bean had her first haircut this week! We went to a special kid's place for the first cut, and she had a blast and felt like a princess. We had a whole little "girl's morning out" since Baby G was in the nursery. We had blueberry muffins at Starbucks to start the morning...the Bean with juice, and Mommy with a Gingersnap Latte. (Yum.) And then we went for the main event...she sat in the princess chair, with the princess cape, and did a pretty good job doing what the stylist told her to do, especially once the stylist told her that she would get a sucker if she did what she was told. The Bean loves her some suckers. And then she got some sparkle spray in her hair, and some cotton candy scented "hair spray", and a purple glitter star on her cheek. And of course the much anticipated sucker as well. Then to finish off our girls morning out, we went to the grocery store where she got some Bob and Larry (Veggietales) fruit snacks, and then to eat pizza for lunch. Quite the morning for a 2-year-old. Here are some pics from our little adventure.

Half a year - 6 months old!

He is grasping toys pretty well now and will even cry if you take one away that he likes!

Ahh, the joys of dirty carrot bibs! FYI, yes, he has frog feet. Those adorable jammies are hand-me-downs courtesy of my sister-in-law Marianna.

Lovin' the jump-a-roo...

I CANNOT believe that Baby G is 6 months old. Where did the time go? It seems like it passed by a lot quicker this time around. He is doing great. We've started solid foods...a little rice cereal, squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. He wasn't too keen on the rice cereal, but he liked it once I started mixing it w/ the veggies. He's doing pretty good learning to open his mouth and eat. We're only doing solids once a day...and I'll keep it that way as long as I can!! I had forgotten what a messy experience it is. :) He's rolling over both ways really good, and lifting himself up w/ his arms. He can sit up by himself for a few seconds b/f he falls over. He LOVES his jump-a-roo. It's his favorite. And he likes Baby Einstein and his playmat still too. He's still going back and forth b/tw 2 and 3 naps a day, but most days if we're home he takes 2 long ones. He laughs all the time and is a happy baby (the B'wood nursery might not agree, but that's b/c he doesn't nap there!) most of the time. Still no teeth. Here are some recent pics of the little cutie! We love him so much!

We won!!

Did I mention that the Bean and I won the Smockingbird contest? I know, there were only two entries total...but still, I get a $10 gift certificate for my hard work! Woo-hoo! How shall I spend my winnings, you ask? Well, I'll probably put it toward some outfits for Spring. Right now I'm working on the Bean and Baby G's Christmas outfits, and I'll be lucky if I get them done in time. Click on the link above to see the Bean prominently featured on the HOME PAGE of the Smockingbird's site. She's famous!! :)

Trip to Seattle

Riding w/ cousin Ella

Note the borrowed pink John Deere cowgirl boots - how cute!

Not too sure about the horse at first!

Loving on cousin Ella

Our family at Grandpa Jim's house

As promised, here are some pics from our Seattle trip. For those of you who don't know, RR's family lives up there, and we get to visit them about every other year or so. This is the first time the kids have been up there, or even on a plane for that matter! They both did pretty well, all things considered, on the plane. (Not that I would recommend travelling on an airplane w/ two kids 2 and under for the faint of heart.) We were up there for 2 weeks, and 5 days of that was just RR and I in Vancouver, BC on a "business trip" (RR had business...I slept in and had free meals) while RR's sister and mom kept the kids. This was our first time to leave Baby G, and he did great. The Bean did great too...RR's sister has 3 kids, two boys 11 & 7, and a little girl who is almost 3. Ella and the Bean became fast friends, and the Bean even bunked in her room! The highlight of the Bean's trip was getting to "ride da pony" at Uncle Kevin's house. Uncle Kevin has a bunch of horses and a few other animals, and the Bean loved it! She was a little scared of the horses at first, but then warmed up and wanted to ride one. We had a great time visiting RR's family, and I know the Bean will remember this trip for a while!

Happy Halloween!

The Bean was a little "punkin" for Halloween! We went trick-or-treating to a few houses around our neighborhood, and she loved it! She was so excited she even ran into a couple of people's houses...oops! Our neighborhood doesn't have that many trick-or-treaters, so most houses told the Bean to get as much candy as she wanted, and she obliged. So she got quite a bit of loot for just a few houses. Earlier in the day we also went over for a photo shoot to our neighbor Ian's across the street. Baby G was unavailable for the photo shoot, as he was napping. :) Baby G was cleverly disguised as a baby in Halloween PJ's. I know, I got creative on that one, right? :) Enjoy the pics!

Recent happenings with the Bean

She doesn't like things cold on her hands like her mama, so this was her solution. Monkey see, monkey do. :)

The Bean's attempt to put on her pants by herself. She often gets both legs in one pant leg. :) But she gets an A for effort!

Showing off her ability to clothe herself.

Playing with Baby G

How cute is this??? This was at my nephew Evan's b'day party.

Here's an short update on the Bean: she LOVED our trip to Seattle and playing w/ her cousins. She got to ride a horse while we were there and loved it! (pics to come later) She's starting to "dress" herself, and pretty much wants to do everything by herself. She doesn't want to sit in her booster seat at the table anymore and wants to sit in "Daddy's chair" or "Mommy's chair." We have been hearing the phrase "ahh self!!!" a lot lately. She can climb into her car seat and buckle herself in. She also is learning to go potty all by herself from start to finish, from the pulling down of pants to climbing on the potty to wiping, etc. She talks in sentences a lot now, and it's easy to understand almost everything she says. She is singing her ABC's, not perfectly, but she gets about 80% right! And she loves to sing...she can even carry a tune pretty well. She loves Baby G and is so sweet to him. We are enjoying our little Bean so much.

He's 5 (and a half) months old!!

I have been SERIOUSLY behind on the blogging situation. Whenever you go on a two week trip somewhere (we went to Seattle/Vancouver, BC the first two weeks of October) it takes that long to recover and get back to normal, it seems like! Anyway, Baby G turned 5 months almost 2 weeks ago now, and I'm just posting about it. And I haven't even posted about our trip either! Well, here are some recent pics of Baby G. He is doing great. Still sleeping great. We've tried rice cereal from a spoon a few times. He's not a fan, so I haven't been very consistent about it. I probably need to start getting better about it. But once you add in the solid foods, feedings take SO much longer!! I nurse, then supplement w/ a bottle, then feed the solids...takes forever! So needless to say, I'm sort of putting it off. :) He's chewing on EVERYTHING b/c he's teething...drooling, gnawing on his hand constantly, and has swollen gums. But no teeth sightings yet. He's grasping toys better now, and is rolling over both ways. He loves Baby Einstein, his playmat, and his jump-a-roo. He's still not too keen on the swing (weird, huh?). And he likes being thrown up in the air now too. And we are enjoying him more and more!

Oops. I forgot to tell you.

Our house is off the market. Sorry I forgot to tell my loyal readership! :) A couple of you have asked me about it, and it occured to me that I didn't blog about taking it off the market. Basically, when our friends called us up about buying their house, we loved their house and thought it was a great deal for that neighborhood. So we said yes. But after a lady looked at our house twice and had narrowed it down to us and another property, we realized that the whole thing felt a little rushed to us. As we prayed more about it and talked it through, we had less and less of a peace about it. We felt like God was telling us to wait. So that's what we're doin'! We still may move next summer as planned, or we may wait. So, that's the update. And here's the lesson: don't make major life decisions when you have a 4 week old. :)

I've been tagged!

My friend Allison tagged me for one of these little things. I'm tagging Jessica P., Allison B., and Holly (this is your big comeback!)!

1. Five names you go by:

• Amanda
• Boo
• Doodle Bugs (what my uncle calls me)
• Mommy
• als

2. Three things you are wearing right now:

• Old JSU tee
• lounge pants
• ratty socks (seriously, I need to get some new ones badly!)

3. Three things you want very badly at the moment:

• To really relax w/ my hubby in Vancouver
• To lose baby weight

4. Two people who will probably fill this out:

• Jessica
• Allison B.

5. Three things you did last night:

• Watched Mulan 2 at my mother-in-law's
• Ate a steak
• Put Baby G to bed

6. Three things you ate today:

• BEC McGriddles
• Nutter Butter patties
• General Tso's chicken

7. Three people you talk on the phone with?

• My mom
• My sister-in-law
• RR

8. Three things you are going to do tomorrow?

• Nothing
• Nothing
• Nothing :)

9. Two longest car rides:

• Gadsden, AL to St. Augustine
• Gadsden, AL to Washington, DC

10. Three of your favorite beverages:

• Diet Coke
• Coffee
• Juice

So you're saying there's a chance...

I just got on the Smockingbird site, and there's only one other entry for their September contest! That means right now I have a 50% chance of winning the coveted $10 gift certificate! Go check out the competition here.

P.S. Just to clarify, you can't vote...the powers that be at the Smockingbird are the judges!! :)

I need your opinions!!

I got this outfit for the Bean at a consignment sale. It had a monogram on it, so I covered it up w/ an applique. (Side note: Appliques are a clever solution if you don't like ripping out monograms, and I don't!) Here's the dilemma: even though the pants and shirt are the same size, the shirt is very long and almost could be a dress. I guess it's supposed to be that way; it's the Chabre brand, which is a pretty good brand, I think. Anyway, should I shorten the top or not? I tucked it up in the last picture just to give you an idea of what it would look like shortened.

Do you mind if I vent? :)

I have noticed lately how the prices of things keep going up and places are taking away "perks" that used to be free. For instance, the other day at McDonald's there was a sign that said there would be an extra charge for condiments. Really?!?! They are going to charge me for ketchup? It's bad enough that they make me ask for it and don't just put some in the bag. And did you know that airlines charge for your checked baggage now? What!?! Yes, it's true. We are flying to visit R's family soon, and it's $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second. That's per passenger, of course. And don't get me started on the price of jeans. I had $100 gift certificate to Belk, and so I went shopping for a few things to get me through this Fall, jeans being the primary item, of course. Umm, I can't even buy ONE pair of jeans for $100! The designer jeans that are all the rage (did I just sound like my grandma?) are at least $100 each. Ralph Lauren was one of the cheapest brands I could find, and they were $70 or so. Good grief! I have no plans to buy jeans to "get me through" that cost that much! I have what I call the "$30 threshold"...if it's more than $30, I have to think long and hard about whether I should get it. And here's the worst one: the other day we were out of milk so I went to a gas station to get more. I got two gallons of milk and paid $12.06. FOR TWO GALLONS OF MILK!!! Anywho, I'm done w/ my rant. If y'all know any good deals on jeans, milk, or free condiments, let me know. :)

My #1 fan

I think that the Bean may like music and singing just as much as her Mama. She has always loved to listen to music since she was born. Now that she's a little older, she is starting to learn a few simple songs and "sing" along with them. By "sing" I mean she gets about ever 4th or 5th word right. Since she "knows" so many songs, she randomly will pick a word in it for the title. For instance, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is just "'star," and "The B-I-B-L-E" is Bible, etc. When we were potty training, we were looking for things to pass the time sitting in the living room all day long, so I made the mistake of letting her watch Barney. I say mistake b/c she immediately took a liking to Barney, and started asking to watch him all the time. So I DVR'd two of his shows. Well, to get through potty training week, let's just say we watched them a lot. She knows EVERY song on them and has made up her little one-word titles for them. So she wants Mommy to sing them to her, oh, about 1,000 times a day!! Literally, she's constantly (and I do not use that word lightly) saying, "Mommy sing Special." "Mommy sing I Dwove You." "Mommy sing Twistin." "Mommy sing Essa." (Her word for Fiesta.) And the list goes on. Thank goodness she doesn't ask me to do the choreography. Wouldn't y'all like to see that? Scary. But you may see me walking around Wal-Mart or somewhere singing Barney tunes. Oh, the things we do for our kids!

He's 4 months old!

Happy 4-month birthday, Baby G! I can't believe that much time has passed already. He is a cutie. He smiles all the time, and is laughing out loud a lot too! (I'll do some pretty silly things to make him laugh.) He has discovered his tongue, and likes to stick it out at us. He continues to be a great sleeper, sleeping about 12-13 hours a night now, and 2-3 naps a day (depending on if he takes a really long nap or not). He's not rolling over yet, but he's kicking his little legs a lot and lifting them up in the air, which I think is step 1 to rolling over. He's a really content little guy most of the time. At his 4 month check-up today, he weight 15 lbs, 5 oz (75%) and was 26 1/2" long (95%). And we all adore him!

P.S. I know y'all may be bored w/ the stats/basic info, but I put it on here to have a record of it so I won't forget. :) And let's be honest, 4-month olds don't do many exciting things. Not much to write about except how cute they are!