I took these last week while we were in Galveston. It was the day she turned 5 months old, but I didn't have the bear with me. I found the pajamas at a shop on The Strand. They also had a similar onesie and a bathing suit. Soooo darling.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Berry Berry Sweet
I took these last week while we were in Galveston. It was the day she turned 5 months old, but I didn't have the bear with me. I found the pajamas at a shop on The Strand. They also had a similar onesie and a bathing suit. Soooo darling.
Bunkitty Bunko
On Monday night I hosted bunko at my house. Let me just say that "my month" had been hanging over my head for quite a while. I'm glad to have it behind me! It was really fun though. That was my third time to host bunko in the last few years. It's a lot of work when your turn comes, but it's always worth it. My first year to host in Irving, I was about a month away from having Jackson. I'm surprised it didn't send me into labor. We had just moved into our little house and I remember that the nursery door had to be closed because that room was still filled with equipment, wood, and saw dust. For my second year to host in Irving, my theme was "homerun bunko." I served hot dogs, nachos, giant pickles, and peanuts - stuff you'd eat at a ball park. I also had a cake made in the shape of a baseball. That was a lot of fun. I've wished so many times that I'd taken pictures that night. I miss all of those girls a ton.
I didn't have a theme to this bunko. It was just "Hurry up and get those naked walls covered before your friends come over bunko." I served Sunni's cheesy enchiladas. They're really good and you pretty much can't mess them up unless you let them cool off too much before you serve them. Which, of course, I did. We had them with salad and homemade ranch (from a packet - not truly homemade) and Mexican rice. I'd made strawberry cupcakes for dessert. I've been on a cupcake baking kick this summer. They're so much harder to mess up than a cake. The bunko gifts were jewelry from Aldo - several sets of bracelets, some earrings, and a necklace. I wanted to keep all of it for myself, but that's not how it works now, is it?
I got started playing bunko when Curt and I were newlyweds and we were working with middle school kids at HFBC. The youth workers had started a group years before to have a chance to fellowship with each other. The cool thing about bunko is that you move around to different tables and sit with different people all night. It's a fun way to get to know people. When we got married I became a sub for that group. Even though I was a sub, I was invited to play almost every month. Those ladies were so much fun. There were women of all ages and they were loud and crazy. That group stopped playing not too long after we moved to North Texas.
Once we got to Irving, some of the girls my age got a group started up. That was one of the main ways I got to know my peers since we spent so much time with the students. If you read my blog back then, you know how special all of those friends are to me.
After Curt and I moved home last summer, Courtney fired up the old youth worker group. I was pumped! What's so neat about this group is that half the group is my age and half the group is my mom's age. There are some stinking hilarious women who play. I didn't want to have any regrets this time, so I made myself annoy everyone and take pictures.
Here are the beautiful bunko queens.
Cyndi, Kay, Betty and Stephanie. Can you see the red toy crawfish we used for our traveling twos? That was one of the party favors from my friend Jen's daughter's first birthday.
Eileen, me, Nancy, and Linda/Mama Sproule.
Christine/Fitine, Courtney (who you definitely cannot tell is having a wee babe in several weeks), Michelle, and Dana.
I have some hilarious blooper pictures but I want everyone to still like me after this. This is as blooperific as I'll get. Here everyone is laughing because of everything we went through to get this shot. First we tried to take it using a timer. We never could figure it out. During our struggle, Curt walked in the door and saved us from ourselves. But when he went to take it, the timer started going off. And voila'!
Then we got the timer disengaged...just in time for the battery to die! I had a backup battery, so it was all good. Here we are with our prettiest bunko smiles.
My hair was looking really flat. That's the hazard of taking Jackson to his swim lessons. It's like a sauna in the covered pool and it always ruins my hair.
By the way, one of my groups spelled bunko with a "k" and the other with a "c." I can never keep straight which spelling I'm supposed to use.
Here's Sunni's Cheesy Enchilada Recipe. Thanks, sweet friend! You were with me in spirit and Velveeta!
Sunni's Cheesy Enchiladas
Ingredients:
(Half this recipe unless you're feeding a crowd)
24 flour tortillas
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. Velveeta, cubed
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
4 (8-oz.) cartons sour cream
¼ cup butter
2 med. onions, chopped
1 dash garlic salt
Salt & pepper to taste
Brown meat with one chopped onion. Add garlic salt and salt & pepper. Drain. Coat large sauce pan with non-stick spray. Add sour cream & tomatoes, mix well. Add butter & heat on medium heat. Add Velveeta—stirring constantly. Add the remaining chopped onion. Turn heat to low, and simmer for about 5 min. The cheese/butter should be melted by this point. Add a portion of the sauce to meat. Spoon meat mixture into tortillas. Lay in casserole dish, seam down. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Cover and bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees.
*One time I forgot to put half of the onions in with the cheese and all the onion ended up in the meat instead. Curt is not a huge fan of onions, so we ended up liking it that way. I've also added some spinach in with the meat before and it was good. It might fool you into thinking this is good for you.
I didn't have a theme to this bunko. It was just "Hurry up and get those naked walls covered before your friends come over bunko." I served Sunni's cheesy enchiladas. They're really good and you pretty much can't mess them up unless you let them cool off too much before you serve them. Which, of course, I did. We had them with salad and homemade ranch (from a packet - not truly homemade) and Mexican rice. I'd made strawberry cupcakes for dessert. I've been on a cupcake baking kick this summer. They're so much harder to mess up than a cake. The bunko gifts were jewelry from Aldo - several sets of bracelets, some earrings, and a necklace. I wanted to keep all of it for myself, but that's not how it works now, is it?
I got started playing bunko when Curt and I were newlyweds and we were working with middle school kids at HFBC. The youth workers had started a group years before to have a chance to fellowship with each other. The cool thing about bunko is that you move around to different tables and sit with different people all night. It's a fun way to get to know people. When we got married I became a sub for that group. Even though I was a sub, I was invited to play almost every month. Those ladies were so much fun. There were women of all ages and they were loud and crazy. That group stopped playing not too long after we moved to North Texas.
Once we got to Irving, some of the girls my age got a group started up. That was one of the main ways I got to know my peers since we spent so much time with the students. If you read my blog back then, you know how special all of those friends are to me.
After Curt and I moved home last summer, Courtney fired up the old youth worker group. I was pumped! What's so neat about this group is that half the group is my age and half the group is my mom's age. There are some stinking hilarious women who play. I didn't want to have any regrets this time, so I made myself annoy everyone and take pictures.
Here are the beautiful bunko queens.
Cyndi, Kay, Betty and Stephanie. Can you see the red toy crawfish we used for our traveling twos? That was one of the party favors from my friend Jen's daughter's first birthday.
Eileen, me, Nancy, and Linda/Mama Sproule.
Christine/Fitine, Courtney (who you definitely cannot tell is having a wee babe in several weeks), Michelle, and Dana.
I have some hilarious blooper pictures but I want everyone to still like me after this. This is as blooperific as I'll get. Here everyone is laughing because of everything we went through to get this shot. First we tried to take it using a timer. We never could figure it out. During our struggle, Curt walked in the door and saved us from ourselves. But when he went to take it, the timer started going off. And voila'!
Then we got the timer disengaged...just in time for the battery to die! I had a backup battery, so it was all good. Here we are with our prettiest bunko smiles.
My hair was looking really flat. That's the hazard of taking Jackson to his swim lessons. It's like a sauna in the covered pool and it always ruins my hair.
By the way, one of my groups spelled bunko with a "k" and the other with a "c." I can never keep straight which spelling I'm supposed to use.
Here's Sunni's Cheesy Enchilada Recipe. Thanks, sweet friend! You were with me in spirit and Velveeta!
Sunni's Cheesy Enchiladas
Ingredients:
(Half this recipe unless you're feeding a crowd)
24 flour tortillas
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. Velveeta, cubed
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
4 (8-oz.) cartons sour cream
¼ cup butter
2 med. onions, chopped
1 dash garlic salt
Salt & pepper to taste
Brown meat with one chopped onion. Add garlic salt and salt & pepper. Drain. Coat large sauce pan with non-stick spray. Add sour cream & tomatoes, mix well. Add butter & heat on medium heat. Add Velveeta—stirring constantly. Add the remaining chopped onion. Turn heat to low, and simmer for about 5 min. The cheese/butter should be melted by this point. Add a portion of the sauce to meat. Spoon meat mixture into tortillas. Lay in casserole dish, seam down. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Cover and bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees.
*One time I forgot to put half of the onions in with the cheese and all the onion ended up in the meat instead. Curt is not a huge fan of onions, so we ended up liking it that way. I've also added some spinach in with the meat before and it was good. It might fool you into thinking this is good for you.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
5 Months Old
My baby is five months old. *Tear* How did this happen? Every time I see a baby who's younger than Annabeth, it freaks me out. She should still be the smallest baby, not the baby who stretches all the way across the whole Bobby pillow! Even so, I wouldn't trade this stage for the newborn stage. Annabeth is so much fun and so sweet at five months. She's such a happy, laid back girl. All you need to do to make her smile is look her in the eye and say something.
I just got done with a little photo shoot of her and Big Pink Bear and as I was looking through the pictures, my heart started to ache. Seriously ache. I love her so much.
While we were in Galveston for the 4th of July, my dad told my mom that he thought Annabeth and I were soul mates. I don't know what made him say that, but it was precious to me. My mom and I are such kindred spirits and we've always been very close. Nothing would thrill me more than to have that kind of relationship with my own daughter. I see a special bond between Jackson and Curtis, too, and I wouldn't have understood it without Annabeth.
Annabeth, at five months old:
-You still sleep through the night.
-You go to bed at random times and you wake up by 8. You lay there so quietly and happily that I don't know exactly when your sweet eyes open for the day.
-You nap 2 or 3 times a day. The times and lengths are different every day. Sometimes I can get you and Jackson to sleep at the same time and that is a bonus.
-You think your brother is hilarious and you love any attention from him.
-You love your baths.
-In a house full of cars, trucks, and balls, you have a few toys of your own. You have a couple of rattles, a plush fish bowl, two sets of keys, and some lovies. You like to hold your lovies and suck your thumb.
-The swing no longer puts you to sleep. It invigorates you! You think it's fun.
-You are so big in your bouncy seat. I wonder how much longer you will be able to sit in it.
-You like your jumperoo, but your feet don't really touch the bottom yet.
-You will sit happily in mommy's lap, which is something I prayed for.
-I think you know your name.
-I wouldn't be shocked if you turned out to be left-handed. I'm sure it's too early to tell though.
-You still favor mommy, but you've stopped crying when you're being held by someone else and you see me.
-Which means you've really warmed up to all your LPM Aunties.
-You know your grandparents and are very peaceful and happy with them.
-You loved girl time in Galveston with Bibby and Aunt Lissa. You did NOT want to go to sleep and miss anything. You sat alert and looked at everyone like, "Okay, let's talk!" You were so much fun.
-You've started to fuss in restaurants. I had to take you out for the first time a couple of weeks ago when we were at a Japanese Steakhouse. You usually make it until right before the food comes and then you start to cry. If I get up and walk you around for a minute, or hold you just so, you will fall asleep and I can put you back in the carrier. No problem!
-You don't have any teeth yet.
-We're working on the tripod every day.
-You're a little more okay with tummy time, but you're still not a big fan. Sometimes you roll over right away. If you don't roll within 30 seconds, you never will. You have not rolled from back to front yet.
-We will start you on cereal soon.
-You have a bald spot on the back of your head. So we need more tummy time! It will go away when you start to sit up.
-You are absolutely beautiful. You look so much like your brother (which means you look a lot like your daddy).
-You smile all the time and do little bitty laughs, but you don't belly laugh very often. When you do it just makes my day.
-You like to crinkle your nose and make a little flirty face.
-We call you Princess Peach, Annabeth Girl, Sweet Sister and Sissy.
-You are loved by everyone who knows you!
You look just like a baby doll in this picture.
In the last few days you've started to suck on your bottom lip. You look so funny when you do that - like an old lady without her dentures.
You weren't really feeling the rocking chair today.
Special thanks to Nana/Cozy for Annabeth's new bow. She had mercy on me when I struck out two times trying to get the one that was the right color for that shirt. The bow is from Jelly Beans in Springfield, MO, and the bloomers are from Ruffle Butts. Most of the bows I've bought are from Doodles here in Houston. That's probably the number one question I get asked, other than What is it like to be BM's daughter?
I just got done with a little photo shoot of her and Big Pink Bear and as I was looking through the pictures, my heart started to ache. Seriously ache. I love her so much.
While we were in Galveston for the 4th of July, my dad told my mom that he thought Annabeth and I were soul mates. I don't know what made him say that, but it was precious to me. My mom and I are such kindred spirits and we've always been very close. Nothing would thrill me more than to have that kind of relationship with my own daughter. I see a special bond between Jackson and Curtis, too, and I wouldn't have understood it without Annabeth.
Annabeth, at five months old:
-You still sleep through the night.
-You go to bed at random times and you wake up by 8. You lay there so quietly and happily that I don't know exactly when your sweet eyes open for the day.
-You nap 2 or 3 times a day. The times and lengths are different every day. Sometimes I can get you and Jackson to sleep at the same time and that is a bonus.
-You think your brother is hilarious and you love any attention from him.
-You love your baths.
-In a house full of cars, trucks, and balls, you have a few toys of your own. You have a couple of rattles, a plush fish bowl, two sets of keys, and some lovies. You like to hold your lovies and suck your thumb.
-The swing no longer puts you to sleep. It invigorates you! You think it's fun.
-You are so big in your bouncy seat. I wonder how much longer you will be able to sit in it.
-You like your jumperoo, but your feet don't really touch the bottom yet.
-You will sit happily in mommy's lap, which is something I prayed for.
-I think you know your name.
-I wouldn't be shocked if you turned out to be left-handed. I'm sure it's too early to tell though.
-You still favor mommy, but you've stopped crying when you're being held by someone else and you see me.
-Which means you've really warmed up to all your LPM Aunties.
-You know your grandparents and are very peaceful and happy with them.
-You loved girl time in Galveston with Bibby and Aunt Lissa. You did NOT want to go to sleep and miss anything. You sat alert and looked at everyone like, "Okay, let's talk!" You were so much fun.
-You've started to fuss in restaurants. I had to take you out for the first time a couple of weeks ago when we were at a Japanese Steakhouse. You usually make it until right before the food comes and then you start to cry. If I get up and walk you around for a minute, or hold you just so, you will fall asleep and I can put you back in the carrier. No problem!
-You don't have any teeth yet.
-We're working on the tripod every day.
-You're a little more okay with tummy time, but you're still not a big fan. Sometimes you roll over right away. If you don't roll within 30 seconds, you never will. You have not rolled from back to front yet.
-We will start you on cereal soon.
-You have a bald spot on the back of your head. So we need more tummy time! It will go away when you start to sit up.
-You are absolutely beautiful. You look so much like your brother (which means you look a lot like your daddy).
-You smile all the time and do little bitty laughs, but you don't belly laugh very often. When you do it just makes my day.
-You like to crinkle your nose and make a little flirty face.
-We call you Princess Peach, Annabeth Girl, Sweet Sister and Sissy.
-You are loved by everyone who knows you!
You look just like a baby doll in this picture.
In the last few days you've started to suck on your bottom lip. You look so funny when you do that - like an old lady without her dentures.
You weren't really feeling the rocking chair today.
Special thanks to Nana/Cozy for Annabeth's new bow. She had mercy on me when I struck out two times trying to get the one that was the right color for that shirt. The bow is from Jelly Beans in Springfield, MO, and the bloomers are from Ruffle Butts. Most of the bows I've bought are from Doodles here in Houston. That's probably the number one question I get asked, other than What is it like to be BM's daughter?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Weekend with the Grand-Parentals
Our time with Steve and Cozy was wonderful. It's always so sad when they have to go back home to Missouri.
The last time they came, Annabeth was just five weeks old. They were originally going to wait to visit until she was a little older to give us time to settle in, but we didn't want them to miss out on her tiny-ness. Plus, we wanted to take them to the rodeo. I thought I would be totally normal by then, but now I cringe whenever I think of that visit because of how crazy I still was from the hormones, exhaustion, and the wardrobe crises I was having every time I got dressed. Plus, at that time Curtis and I were at our wits end with the potty training marathon. We were both about to lose our minds, but everything fell into place shortly after. I think we were in a better place for this visit.
I already talked about what we did on Friday. On Saturday, we drove out to Tomball to have the world's best chicken fried steaks at a place called Goodson's. (You can read all about it on this blog review I just found.) After that we went to It'z Pizza, not to eat again, but to play the games. Well, it turned out that you have to pay for the pizza buffet to get in for the games. Awesome. We were not going to get out of there without Jackson getting to play some games unless we wanted to make a long visit to Meltdown City. Rather than pay for every one of us, Cozy, Annabeth and I left the boys and went shopping for some fake plants at Garden Ridge. Have I mentioned that I'm hosting bunco next week and that's why I'm in a rush to finish up at least some of my decorating? The boys had lots of fun playing games and I found some greenery to go above my kitchen cabinets.
After that, Cozy and I went to visit an outlet mall. The Baby Gap outlet had super cute onesies for baby boys for $4 and $5. For the record, I think the boy colors at Baby Gap are the BEST and I miss buying those little onesies. I got Jackson and extra bathing suit and swim shirt (love those) for our upcoming Galveston trip.
That night we had dinner at a neighborhood Japanese steakhouse. Yum. The only unfortunate thing was that we were seated with a young married couple who were clearly on a date. I felt so bad that they had to sit with us. I strategically placed myself and the children as far from them as possible. But from where I was sitting, I had an optimal view of their scowling faces. I don't know if they were super annoyed by us or if they were in a fight. Curtis and I have been in that position before, but hopefully we did a better job at masking our disappointment at being seated with other people's kids while ours were with a babysitter.
On Sunday morning, Steve-Papa (as Jackson says) and Nana left before 7 am. So sad. We went to church and then had lunch with our friend Ralph from Charasia. Ralph is who Curtis and Jerrell went to visit in India last fall. His organization saves young daughters of prostitutes from having to follow in their mothers' footsteps. They care for them in special homes where they are educated, taught about the love of Christ, and equipped to live a vibrant adulthood instead of being enslaved in a brothel. It's an amazing organization, to say the least.
I'm about to bombard you with a ton of pictures.
Nana and Pappaw came bearing gifts. Annabeth got a Jumperoo. She LOVES it.
Jackson got some miniature Nascars and a Tom and Jerry DVD. He also got this awesome wooden horse that his Great-grandpa Dixon made him. It's so neat!
Here's Nana reading the Dr. Seuss pop-up book with the kids.
Jackson was really amused by his sister.
After we got home from Jackson's swim lesson yesterday, Annabeth had little beads of sweat across her nose. Welcome to your first Texas summer, baby girl. It seriously feels like August right now. So does that mean it will feel like October when August does come? Lord have mercy. We might actually get some rain today. Bring it on.
Sometimes the best thing to do when you've been in the 104 degree car is to get nekked.
Here's our bed with the new quilt. It totally made the room come together. I love it. When I first saw the quilt in the store, I thought it was a little too homey for me. But I think it works with the furniture we have.
That end table had a jumbled stack of books on it until a few weeks ago. After a visit to Hobby Lobby, it's in much better shape. That's Curt's side of the bed, so I had to add a picture of Jacks in his Batman costume to man it up a bit.
Thanks for all the great advice on what to do with my frame. I'll let you know what I end up with!
The last time they came, Annabeth was just five weeks old. They were originally going to wait to visit until she was a little older to give us time to settle in, but we didn't want them to miss out on her tiny-ness. Plus, we wanted to take them to the rodeo. I thought I would be totally normal by then, but now I cringe whenever I think of that visit because of how crazy I still was from the hormones, exhaustion, and the wardrobe crises I was having every time I got dressed. Plus, at that time Curtis and I were at our wits end with the potty training marathon. We were both about to lose our minds, but everything fell into place shortly after. I think we were in a better place for this visit.
I already talked about what we did on Friday. On Saturday, we drove out to Tomball to have the world's best chicken fried steaks at a place called Goodson's. (You can read all about it on this blog review I just found.) After that we went to It'z Pizza, not to eat again, but to play the games. Well, it turned out that you have to pay for the pizza buffet to get in for the games. Awesome. We were not going to get out of there without Jackson getting to play some games unless we wanted to make a long visit to Meltdown City. Rather than pay for every one of us, Cozy, Annabeth and I left the boys and went shopping for some fake plants at Garden Ridge. Have I mentioned that I'm hosting bunco next week and that's why I'm in a rush to finish up at least some of my decorating? The boys had lots of fun playing games and I found some greenery to go above my kitchen cabinets.
After that, Cozy and I went to visit an outlet mall. The Baby Gap outlet had super cute onesies for baby boys for $4 and $5. For the record, I think the boy colors at Baby Gap are the BEST and I miss buying those little onesies. I got Jackson and extra bathing suit and swim shirt (love those) for our upcoming Galveston trip.
That night we had dinner at a neighborhood Japanese steakhouse. Yum. The only unfortunate thing was that we were seated with a young married couple who were clearly on a date. I felt so bad that they had to sit with us. I strategically placed myself and the children as far from them as possible. But from where I was sitting, I had an optimal view of their scowling faces. I don't know if they were super annoyed by us or if they were in a fight. Curtis and I have been in that position before, but hopefully we did a better job at masking our disappointment at being seated with other people's kids while ours were with a babysitter.
On Sunday morning, Steve-Papa (as Jackson says) and Nana left before 7 am. So sad. We went to church and then had lunch with our friend Ralph from Charasia. Ralph is who Curtis and Jerrell went to visit in India last fall. His organization saves young daughters of prostitutes from having to follow in their mothers' footsteps. They care for them in special homes where they are educated, taught about the love of Christ, and equipped to live a vibrant adulthood instead of being enslaved in a brothel. It's an amazing organization, to say the least.
I'm about to bombard you with a ton of pictures.
Nana and Pappaw came bearing gifts. Annabeth got a Jumperoo. She LOVES it.
Jackson got some miniature Nascars and a Tom and Jerry DVD. He also got this awesome wooden horse that his Great-grandpa Dixon made him. It's so neat!
Here's Nana reading the Dr. Seuss pop-up book with the kids.
Jackson was really amused by his sister.
After we got home from Jackson's swim lesson yesterday, Annabeth had little beads of sweat across her nose. Welcome to your first Texas summer, baby girl. It seriously feels like August right now. So does that mean it will feel like October when August does come? Lord have mercy. We might actually get some rain today. Bring it on.
Sometimes the best thing to do when you've been in the 104 degree car is to get nekked.
Here's our bed with the new quilt. It totally made the room come together. I love it. When I first saw the quilt in the store, I thought it was a little too homey for me. But I think it works with the furniture we have.
That end table had a jumbled stack of books on it until a few weeks ago. After a visit to Hobby Lobby, it's in much better shape. That's Curt's side of the bed, so I had to add a picture of Jacks in his Batman costume to man it up a bit.
Thanks for all the great advice on what to do with my frame. I'll let you know what I end up with!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Help Me With My Weird Frame
I'm so stinking excited right now. Remember a million years ago when I said we were getting a new bedspread? (Here's my explanation for that.) We finally find one today. Curt's mom and dad are here visiting this weekend and my mother-in-law loves Pottery Barn as much as I do. So we made a little trip out there to look around. (Afterward we enjoyed a fun lunch at Paulie's. Yeah!) I still had a bunch of money on my Christmas gift cards to spend. While we were there, Curtis pointed out a quilt that he liked. I was totally shocked. It miraculously works with the color of our crazy-long, hard to replace red curtains, our black furniture, and the blue gray bed skirt and pillows from our old duvet cover that we got so sick of. We brought it home, plopped it on the bed, and voila'! I can't believe that our room finally looks finished after 15 months. I need to buy a couple of pillows to go in the shams and then I'll take some pictures for you.
The only thing I can't figure out is what to do with this weird frame we bought at Ikea last year.
It looks really ugly by itself, but I promise it's cool with our bedroom furniture. You can see what we have here. At the time, I thought I'd put a mirror in it, but I was delusional. It's not a conventional shape, plus we already have two mirrors in the room. I'm not real sure what I was thinking. I put some scrapbook paper in it last year as a temporary fix. Time to figure this bad boy out. What would you do with it? Tossing it is not an option because I like the way it balances my boxy furniture.
The dimensions are:
Width: 23 ¼ "
Height: 33 ½ "
Picture, width: 15 ¾ "
Picture, height: 19 ¾ "
The only thing I can't figure out is what to do with this weird frame we bought at Ikea last year.
It looks really ugly by itself, but I promise it's cool with our bedroom furniture. You can see what we have here. At the time, I thought I'd put a mirror in it, but I was delusional. It's not a conventional shape, plus we already have two mirrors in the room. I'm not real sure what I was thinking. I put some scrapbook paper in it last year as a temporary fix. Time to figure this bad boy out. What would you do with it? Tossing it is not an option because I like the way it balances my boxy furniture.
The dimensions are:
Width: 23 ¼ "
Height: 33 ½ "
Picture, width: 15 ¾ "
Picture, height: 19 ¾ "
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Little Bunny Foo Foo
Earlier this week I spent some time going through my posts from Jackson's first year. I wanted to look at his pictures and compare his infancy to Annabeth's. I realized a few things in reading those posts. For instance, Jackson was about 2.5 pounds heavier than Annabeth at 4 months and an inch longer. They rolled over (tummy to back) at about the same time. Jackson took his sweet time doing the back to tummy roll and Annabeth is doing the same. By now Jackson was already showing signs of teething. Annabeth is not really.
Poor Annabeth - she's already been sick so many times. I guess that's the lot of the second child. Jackson's first sickness was at 7 months old and he came down with it on the morning before his first airplane ride. That probably worked in my favor since he's much calmer when he's sick. But Annabeth has had one cold after another. She was a little warm and fussy on Sunday and by yesterday she was coughing and sneezing non-stop. She has not been nursing well this week. I can't tell if it's because my milk is running low or because she can't breathe through her nose. Ever since Memorial Day, I've been really nervous about my milk drying up. I've been working on making sure she's nursing enough times each day. Since she sleeps 12 hours at night (don't hate me), it would be easy to drop to too few daytime feedings to sustain it. Today I realized that the drop in supply may be hormonal. Hopefully that's all it is. Regardless, it does not make baby girl happy.
So I've had two sick kids this week with completely different things. Jackson's was so weird because he had every sign of the stomach virus, but no vomiting. He even leaned over the bowl, cried, shook, and sweated, but nothing came. I think he just fought it so hard. That day he was the most pitiful I've ever seen him. He laid on a blanket on the floor for hours. He's been getting a little more energy back each day. I will say that he's been very easy to deal with. Today he was almost normal. But when I grab his little hand, there's still not much strength in his arm. Bless his heart.
Reading my old posts made me feel like such a loser blogger. I was much better in the past. I swore I wouldn't post again this week until I had something "good." But I've got nothing! Nothing, I tell you!
Well, I do have one thing. Jackson got this water-filled, squishy toy from my aunts on Sunday. The next morning he squeezed it in such a way that it made a weird bubble along a seam. He brought it over to me and said, "Mommy! This look like my bunny!" Sure enough, it looked like a set of hiney cheeks. I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the couch. Are you confused? Maybe I failed to mention that four generations of my mother's family have referred to the private parts as the bunny.
Really, who am I to change things? How arrogant would I be to think I could improve on such a longstanding child-rearing tradition? No pun intended. That's a lie. I totally meant it. If "bunny" was good enough for Minnie Ola Roundtree and Aletha Green, it's good enough for me. When my kid yells out that his bunny itches in a crowded elevator, I will thank my lucky stars that my mama raised me up right - and her mama before her, and her mama before her. Don't worry, they didn't leave us completely in the dark when it came to anatomical correctness - we always knew we had a front bunny and back bunny.
Poor Annabeth - she's already been sick so many times. I guess that's the lot of the second child. Jackson's first sickness was at 7 months old and he came down with it on the morning before his first airplane ride. That probably worked in my favor since he's much calmer when he's sick. But Annabeth has had one cold after another. She was a little warm and fussy on Sunday and by yesterday she was coughing and sneezing non-stop. She has not been nursing well this week. I can't tell if it's because my milk is running low or because she can't breathe through her nose. Ever since Memorial Day, I've been really nervous about my milk drying up. I've been working on making sure she's nursing enough times each day. Since she sleeps 12 hours at night (don't hate me), it would be easy to drop to too few daytime feedings to sustain it. Today I realized that the drop in supply may be hormonal. Hopefully that's all it is. Regardless, it does not make baby girl happy.
So I've had two sick kids this week with completely different things. Jackson's was so weird because he had every sign of the stomach virus, but no vomiting. He even leaned over the bowl, cried, shook, and sweated, but nothing came. I think he just fought it so hard. That day he was the most pitiful I've ever seen him. He laid on a blanket on the floor for hours. He's been getting a little more energy back each day. I will say that he's been very easy to deal with. Today he was almost normal. But when I grab his little hand, there's still not much strength in his arm. Bless his heart.
Reading my old posts made me feel like such a loser blogger. I was much better in the past. I swore I wouldn't post again this week until I had something "good." But I've got nothing! Nothing, I tell you!
Well, I do have one thing. Jackson got this water-filled, squishy toy from my aunts on Sunday. The next morning he squeezed it in such a way that it made a weird bubble along a seam. He brought it over to me and said, "Mommy! This look like my bunny!" Sure enough, it looked like a set of hiney cheeks. I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the couch. Are you confused? Maybe I failed to mention that four generations of my mother's family have referred to the private parts as the bunny.
Really, who am I to change things? How arrogant would I be to think I could improve on such a longstanding child-rearing tradition? No pun intended. That's a lie. I totally meant it. If "bunny" was good enough for Minnie Ola Roundtree and Aletha Green, it's good enough for me. When my kid yells out that his bunny itches in a crowded elevator, I will thank my lucky stars that my mama raised me up right - and her mama before her, and her mama before her. Don't worry, they didn't leave us completely in the dark when it came to anatomical correctness - we always knew we had a front bunny and back bunny.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Last Week in Pictures
I have a sick boy today. Jackson has never been so still and quiet in his entire life. He's acting like he has a stomach virus, but he hasn't thrown up yet. He's laying on the living room floor on a blanket, with a big puke bowl next to his head. Poor baby. While I wait for the puke to hit the fan, here are a ton of pictures from last week.
These are from last Monday night when the Lazos came over to play.
Here, Sunni is doing some serious Wii bowling with Baby Clara in her arms.
Curtis trying to teach Jackson how to bowl.
Old pals - Ava and Jackson.
New pals - Annabeth and Clara.
Look, they're already leaning on each other.
Father's Day
Our breakfast table. I got up at the crack of dawn to get donuts for all of us and then everyone but me ended up sleeping late. Isn't that the way it goes?
Jackson is proud to have his sprinkled doughnut.
Mom, Dad, Melissa and I always call ourselves the Original Moores. But these are the Original, Original Moores.
Dad with Aunt Tina and Aunt Mary.
Memaw, Hannah and Annabeth. I got Memaw that apron from Anthro a while back. It's so cute on her!
My cousin John with Annabeth, who was looking like a football player in that moment.
My Pappaw and Daddy
Mom with the kids. Wait for it...wait for it...
Aaaaand she's crying.
Throwing down some pop rocks.
Looking for the ones that didn't quite pop.
Confetti head.
This was the day she started trying to grab her feet and I wanted a picture of it so badly.
What are you doing, Mommy?
Tripoding it up for the first time.
Simultaneous lovie holding and thumb sucking.
Tummy time after Brother's in bed and she has all the attention.
Later that day...reaching for those toes again!
Here's Daddy doing the same and stretching before a run, only he never has been able to reach his toes. Seriously. How he can be like this and so good at every sport boggles my mind. The first time I saw him stretch, I thought he was joking. It doesn't even look like he's trying!
These are from last Monday night when the Lazos came over to play.
Here, Sunni is doing some serious Wii bowling with Baby Clara in her arms.
Curtis trying to teach Jackson how to bowl.
Old pals - Ava and Jackson.
New pals - Annabeth and Clara.
Look, they're already leaning on each other.
Father's Day
Our breakfast table. I got up at the crack of dawn to get donuts for all of us and then everyone but me ended up sleeping late. Isn't that the way it goes?
Jackson is proud to have his sprinkled doughnut.
Mom, Dad, Melissa and I always call ourselves the Original Moores. But these are the Original, Original Moores.
Dad with Aunt Tina and Aunt Mary.
Memaw, Hannah and Annabeth. I got Memaw that apron from Anthro a while back. It's so cute on her!
My cousin John with Annabeth, who was looking like a football player in that moment.
My Pappaw and Daddy
Mom with the kids. Wait for it...wait for it...
Aaaaand she's crying.
Throwing down some pop rocks.
Looking for the ones that didn't quite pop.
Confetti head.
This was the day she started trying to grab her feet and I wanted a picture of it so badly.
What are you doing, Mommy?
Tripoding it up for the first time.
Simultaneous lovie holding and thumb sucking.
Tummy time after Brother's in bed and she has all the attention.
Later that day...reaching for those toes again!
Here's Daddy doing the same and stretching before a run, only he never has been able to reach his toes. Seriously. How he can be like this and so good at every sport boggles my mind. The first time I saw him stretch, I thought he was joking. It doesn't even look like he's trying!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wrapped Around Her Finger
In honor of Curtis' first Father's Day with his baby girl.
Sweet Little Beautiful Wonderful Perfect All-American Girl...
Sweet Little Beautiful Wonderful Perfect All-American Girl...
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