Now act crazy!

Every year, I drive myself and Sean crazy trying to get the perfect family picture for our Christmas cards. For Hadley's first Christmas, we took picture after picture of the three of us in our living room only to decide that an outdoor picture would look better. Then, once we found a suitable outdoor location, we spent over an hour in the cold trying to get a picture in which Hadley was either 1) not sleeping, or 2) not crying. I ended up sending out cards with Hadley crying in the picture. I thought they were pretty cute.

Last year, we got some great fall pictures at our local botanic gardens and decided to use those for our Christmas cards. I realized as we were designing our Christmas cards that although we had some great family pictures, all of the pictures of just Hadley were of her running. Sigh. We tried taking more pics of Hadley, but you guessed it, more running. So, if you got our Christmas card last year, that's why Hadley was a little blurry.

This year, I've decided to embrace the craziness. Instead of trying to get the perfect family photo for my holiday photo cards, I'm going to use the silliest pictures I have. Like this one from our recent trip to the Ozarks for Thanksgiving:

Or this one from Hadley's birthday party:

The best part is that the pictures are a little kooky and whimsical and goofy. And I love that. Isn't life a little kooky and goofy anyway?

Now, for the really hard part: picking the perfect holiday card design. Luckily, Shutterfly is giving bloggers 50 free cards this year-- and there are a ton of gorgeous cards to choose from. Score! Right now, I'm loving these designs:

Aren't these Christmas photo cards delicious? I'm loving the red and chocolate styles this year.

So as not to spoil the surprise for those of you who might be receiving a card from me in the mail, I won't tell you which style I chose. But, rest assured, there will (likely) be no crying or running children in the photos this year. I hope.

** For the record, I am receiving compensation in the form of 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly for this post. Score:-). To get your own free cards, go here.

This is kinda how I feel about the long weekend ending, too

Somebody found her piggy face (and just in time for Thanksgiving, too)! Brynn makes this face ALL THE TIME, and it is usually precipitated by much snorting and giggling. I'm in love.

And, just a little more cuteness...

More Thanksgiving info coming up soon! Oh, and sorry for the radio silence these last few weeks. Who knew that working, parenting, and preparing for an out-of-town holiday could consume every waking minute of the day? Hopefully, things will slow down just a smidge so I can catch back up on posting. We'll see about that one:-).

Good thing I bought that costume...

The weather was perfect for Halloween-- cool and crisp with the faint smell of smoke in the air. Last night, we gathered with our neighbors in the cove and munched on chili, hot dogs, and brownies. Little ghosts, ballerinas, and ninjas ran, played, and squealed. It was glorious. Then, when dusk set in and the street lights popped on, we took to the streets and begged treats from each house with a light burning on the porch. Haddy did good. The candy jar is stocked and I've had a hard time keeping little (and big) hands out.

This is the first Halloween that Hadley actually understood that when she went to someone's door, she would get NANDY!! I fully anticipate that she will expect candy the next time we go to our neighbor's house to play. She was such a big girl. She marched right up to every door and waited patiently for her candy. She only occasionally said "Trick or Treat," but she told each person we met "Thank You!" big and loud. My sweet, polite girl. I really expected her to be shy given that we were going to strange houses and talking to people she barely knows. Not so much. Apparently, the prospect of sugar totally outweighs caution. Go figure.

Then, when we were tired and had collected way too much sugar, we hiked back up the hill to our house where we relaxed and passed out candy to trick-or-treaters. I roasted the pumpkin seeds we scooped out of our pumpkins earlier in the day and we munched while the girls played. It was perfect.

Here's my little Princess Skeleton, aka, the Princess Bag Lady. We had several costume options for Hadley, including an Olivia costume with homemade piggie ears, a fairy dress with wings, and a flower costume. Hadley wanted nothing to do with any of them. Seriously. Much crying ensued as we tried to dress her. You would think we were trying to send her off to boot camp instead of a night of partying and candy collecting. Hello teen years, you're a little early.

This little outfit is one she picked out herself and is the ONLY THING she would agree to wear. She has on every single one of her favorite items of clothing: her glow-in-the dark pink skeleton pj's, four tutus, pumpkin socks, and ruby slippers (originally planned for the Dorothy costume she refused to wear days before Halloween). It's a mish-mash hodge-podge collection, but it turned out so cute. And, it's so Hadley. My baby is true to herself, that's for sure.

And, my little Brynn was a ferocious lion. She, on the other hand, is so go-with-the-flow, easy peasy. At least this year. I anticipate that next year, we'll be fighting with her over what she wants to wear, too. I'm looking forward to it.

And another one bites the dust

Let's do bullet points today... that's all my brain can handle after Brynn's attempts last night to break the record on least sleep in one night. That'll teach me to praise her sleeping habits. Point taken, Universe.

* When Brynn finally did fall asleep last night, she was snuggled against me in our bed. Not the best sleep practice, but 1) we all finally got to sleep, and 2) she was snuggled against me. Sigh.

* Right now, I'm feeding Brynn 2 oz of white grape juice (the watered-down baby stuff) to help move some stuff through her little digestive system-- if you know what I mean. Apparently, carrots don't please her tummy.

* Not only is Brynn's tummy bothering her, but she also just cut her second bottom tooth. Yea and boo at the same time! By the way, if it is possible, that second, little tooth is even cuter than the first.

* Just recently, Brynn has started giving kisses when we ask for them. Big, open-mouthed, slobbery jobs that melt my heart every time. I've caught her trying to kiss the dog a few times in passing.

* When we put Hadley to bed at night, we hold Brynn up to Hadley, and Brynn gives Hadley the biggest, slobberiest kisses ever. Hadley then says, "She touches you!" and wipes her face off with her shirt.

* I bought Hadley "ruby slippers" to go with her Dorothy costume for Halloween. Since I tried them on her two days ago, she has only taken them off to sleep.

* Brynn is going to be a lion for Halloween. She's psyched about this choice.

* Hadley may refuse to wear any part of her Halloween costume except for the shoes. So, we may be trick-or-treating as "The Girl in the Red Shoes."

* Hadley just pointed to her banana and said she wanted more bacon. You and me both, kid.

* Last night, Hadley sang "Lullaby and Good Night" to my mom. We sing this song to Hadley at naptime and bedtime but had no idea she could sing it.

* In the car on the way to Target yesterday, Hadley sang, "I want playground" over and over and over again. Intermittently, she would stop and clap for herself and say, "Yea!!" We're headed to the playground now.

Finally: Fall!

It's finally cooling off a little bit here-- as in, the weatherman is no longer estimating the high for the day by frying eggs on the sidewalk outside the news station. Ahhh, fall in the South. I love the smell, feel, and sounds of fall: football games in the distance, cool air, chimney smoke, cinnamon, apple cider, and mums and pumpkins in every yard. It's exhilirating and makes me want to curl up under a comfy cableknit throw, sip hot tea, and nibble on pumpkin bread. Oh, and eat chili. Lots and lots of chili. We've been doing that lately.

Last weekend, I was inspired to pull out all of my fall decor. You know, since the temps only spiked in the 80's. I love how cozy and warm our house feels right now. And, as an added bonus: Hadley loves (LOVES) "Haddoeeeen" and "punkins" right now. Yesterday, we had to make a trip to Lowe's specifically so that Hadley could pet the punkins. She would have it no other way.

Here's a little peek at our fall living this year:

My little skeleton helper. We baked chocolate chip blondies yesterday and decorated them with halloween sprinkles for Daddy.

Yummy-- and so festive, too! (Don't you love my fork marks?)

This year, I pulled out our creepy tree, raven, and black feathers to "spookify" the foyer. Hadley loves it and constantly runs into the foyer to say "hi" to the birdie.

Hi birdie!

For a fun, little craft project for Hadley, I cut out some ghost and bats for her to decorate with her glitter markers. She also likes to say "hi" to the bats at least three times an hour.

Our dining room table dolled up for the season.

I also warmed up the library a little with a touch of red. Love red this time of year!

Do you guys decorate for Fall/ Halloween???

Merry Christmas!!! (And hello old friends, it's been awhile!)

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your holiday is bright, warm, and sweet. We're in the midst of baking cookies and magic bars and prepping dinner for tonight. Then, once the little one is in bed tonight, we'll get to work assembling some presents. This is our first year to tackle toy assembly, so we'll see how it goes. I'm so excited to see Hadley's face tomorrow morning. It's great that she now knows what is going on and can enjoy the holiday!

I know I've been MIA for a few weeks, but rest assured that I do have posts planned. These last few weeks have just been busy with holiday planning and shopping, travel, and a work project that I finished in mid-December. This month was also made more hectic by the fact that I had to squeeze in numerous continuing legal education hours that I delayed (i.e., procrastinated) in taking until now. The deadline is December 31 and I finished on the 20th-- go me! Hey, at least they are done.

I've also managed to check several things off of my to-do list in the last month: cleaning out the closets in the soon-to-be new baby's room, shopping for cute (or as cute as they get) maternity clothes, packing up infant items to send to my sister for her new baby, setting up a business for my contract work, and assorted other odds and ends. It feels so good to start the new year with a slightly less onerous list of obligations.

And, lest you feel deprived of Hadley info-- my baby is doing beautifully! She was given rave reviews and praise by our pediatrician (and friend) at her 15-month appointment. Our pediatrician said Hadley is definitely precocious. She asked how many words Hadley knows and when I told her probably 15-20, she was super impressed. Apparently, she only needed 3 words to be on track. And, Hadley has added several more words to her repertoire in the last few days, including "towel," "oatmeal," "I don't know," and "bottle." She loves multiple syllable words. When Sean asks her what she knows, she says, "I don't know," except it sounds like "a da loo." It's so cute.

Our new little one is doing well, too. I'm about 26 weeks along now and the little bean is soooo active. I've been able to feel her kicking since about 15 weeks (early, I know!), and now, I can see my stomach move when she gets really active. It's amazing and a little weird at the same time. I have my glucose tolerance test at my next appointment. Other than that, this pregnancy is just moving along. It is really flying by and I have to make myself stop sometimes and just enjoy these moments. Before long, we'll be a family of four and I'm not sure I'll ever have time to slow down again!

And, since I have utterly failed to post a bump pic thus far, here is a pic of my belly at about 24 weeks. I think my belly has about doubled in size since this picture was taken.

We're planning a trip to visit family the day after Christmas and luckily, there is an IKEA within a quick drive of their house. That means we can stock up on baby furniture and other goodies while we're there. I'm anxious to get the new nursery decorated and ready.

That's it for now, folks. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Trick-or-Treat

This was Hadley's first Halloween to go trick-or-treating and amazingly, she loved it! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Who doesn't love going door to door to get treats from complete strangers??? Unfortunately, Tinkerbell has not yet eaten candy and I'm not quite ready for her to start. So, that means that someone other than little Tink will need to consume her loot from last night. Judging by the Reese's peanut butter cups I devoured for breakfast this morning, I'd say that I have that job covered.

Someone is ready for Halloween

Fall Overhaul

I love this time of year probably more than any other. When the weather starts to turn a little crisper and the days get shorter, I start nesting like crazy. I want my home to feel warm and cozy and to smell like hearty stews, chilis, apple crisp, and pumpkin pie. Just maybe not all at the same time.

On Sunday afternoon, I spent a little time "autumnizing" the house. I packed away our summery throw pillows, pulled out my cable-knit throws, unearthed my box of fall decor, and bought the same soy candle I buy at this time every year. To me, it smells like Fall and I just can't start Fall without it. This candle, called Harvest Pumpkin, is at Target for $7.99 and it smells divine-- and lasts forever.

To warm up our living room, I arranged a few warmer-toned throw pillows on the couch. I'm in love with the sparkle on the little, brown pillow. I'm a sucker for sparkly.

Every year at this time, I cook a couple of things for the first time in months: chili and pumpkin bread. Both smell and taste amazing, and there is just something about these rituals that make me feel content. I also headed to the grocery store on Monday to pick up a few knobby gourds. I just love the look of gourds on my kitchen table in October.

I also put out some ceramic pumpkins. I love these, but because I don't like a lot of clutter or superfluous stuff sitting about, I always have a hard time deciding where to put them.

And, I love how this time of year, some of my decor looks a little spookier. This candlestick holder is one of my faves and this time of year, it looks a little like spooky fingers to me. Ahhh haa haa. Now all I need are big, round pumpkins to sit on our front porch... and to carve on the night before Halloween.

Please ignore my wrinkly table runner... the iron is on strike

Do you decorate your house for the changing seasons? Or, just for holidays?

My Little Tinkerbell (and NEWS)

Now that fall is finally approaching-- even though it hardly feels like it here yet-- I'm working on getting my little bug ready for Halloween. I love Halloween!! The costumes, the cool weather, the face paint, and, of course, the candy. Last year at Halloween, Hadley wasn't quite two months old yet, so we dressed her in a bunting bag costume. She was a little ladybug and was so cute it was ridiculous.

This year, Hadley will be about 14 months, and she is totally old enough for a real costume. I have had the best time scouring shops for little toddler costumes. I wanted something fairy-like with a skirt or tutu, but most importantly, I wanted the costume to reflect Hadley's personality. I finally found the best costume last weekend. It's a Tinkerbell costume and is girly and frou frou and even comes with sparkles. The costume is much greener and less yellow-y in real life. And, best of all, the costume requires no headpiece, which Hadley will most definitely not wear.

I tried the costume on Hadley as soon as we got home and her response was mixed. At first, she pulled the skirt out, looked at it, and then looked at me like, "Huh???" Then, she quickly forgot about her costume and went back to playing. I guess that passes the test, right? She looked so cute in it, too-- like my own little fairy princess.

Now, I'm on a quest to find a treat bag, preferably one that is monogrammed. On pretty much everyone's recommendation, I searched Pottery Barn Kids, but their stock seems kindof blah. I want something a little girly yet generic enough to work year after year. This is one possibility I have found:

It's close but I'm not completely sold yet. Let me know if you have suggestions!

And now, for the big news of the day, I have a new little niece, named Caitlyn Grace, who was born yesterday! She is amazing and beautiful and if I get permission from my sister, I'll post pics soon.

Slacker

I had the best intentions to take pictures of our Fourth of July party, the beautiful and delicious food, the pretty lights Sean strung up on the back porch, and all of our family and friends enjoying themselves. I failed, however, to follow through. I didn't take a single picture of the food and the few pictures I did take were taken before most of the guests arrived. Oh well. At least I managed to relax a little and enjoy the party.

And enjoy, I did. We had the best time visiting and eating. Most of our friends have babies now, so there were lots of little ones in attendance for Hadley to play with. Hadley shared all of her toys, her walker, her exersaucer, and her jump-n-go. One little guy even fell asleep in the jump-n-go. Hadley patted his arm as his mommy and daddy got him ready to go home.

And the food was fabulous. I love big parties with lots of different foods. Our guests were kind enough to bring all kinds of yummy dishes, like a sinfully good artichoke dip, my mom's marinated slaw, pies, cookies, and lots of bevarages, including a mojito. Yum. I'm still full.

My patriotic trifle also turned out beautiful and delish, although I failed to get a single picture of it. Maybe next time. I will follow up this post with the recipe for my corn salad, which is a fabulous party dish.

I hope your holiday was fun and relaxing!

Happy Fourth of July!!

I hope yours is great-- full of great food, friends, and family!

I know this post is a little early, but we're having a big cook-out tomorrow for some friends and family, so I'll likely be too busy cleaning/ prepping/ freaking out tomorrow to post. I have so much to do and with a baby in the house, so little time to do any of it. Actually, I'm trying very hard to not over-plan or stress in preparation for this little party. I want to host a laid-back and fun dinner and not care if my house isn't perfectly clean for it. We'll still have fun and we'll all be okay.

Yeah, that isn't really how I work, so that's what I'm trying to do. I don't think it's working. I spent tonight after Hadley went to bed sweeping the garage, back patio, and front porch. Then, I cleaned the kitchen to an inch of its life and was about to start vacuuming when Sean forced me to sit down. I acquiesced but only because I haven't sat down yet today. I'm really not good at the whole laid-back thing.

I do have a pretty yummy menu planned out, though. Here's what we have planned:

Tortilla chips and homemade pico de gallo
Various types of grilled sausages and hot dogs (chicken and apple sausage, spicy smoked sausages, etc.)
Marinated cole slaw
Sweet corn and cilantro salad (I'll post the recipe in a few days)
Baked beans with brown sugar and bacon

And for dessert, a Red, White, and Blue Trifle made with layers of strawberry cake, whipped cream, blueberries, and strawberries. I got the recipe here (and am modifying it slightly) and I can't wait to try it. Yum!!

Enjoy the holiday!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all you mamas had a happy Mother's Day yesterday! Mine was wonderful-- full of family, good food, and sweet, sweet baby. Sean let me sleep late, and once we were all awake, we had a light breakfast and got ready for brunch with my family. I made spicy sausage, mushroom, and basil quiches for the event, and they were delicious. We had a great time visiting and eating good food with my parents, my sister and her husband, and my nephew.

Unfortunately, the afternoon was a bit more frenetic. We were long overdue on finishing our babyproofing around the house. And, with Hadley crawling and pulling up on everything, I was anxious to finish it. We worked for hours securing cabinet doors, securing furniture to walls, securing appliances, attaching finger guards on doors, and removing heavy objects from bookshelves. It was exhausting. And one little baby was a bit cranky due to all of the activity of the day. And no, I'm not talking about myself (or Sean). Hadley was not happy that we spent the afternoon working (and really, neither was I), but I'm relieved that the house at least seems a little bit safer for her.

The best part of the day, however, was my Mother's Day gift from Sean and Hadley. It's not finished yet, but Sean is working on compiling all of the video we have taken of Hadley since her birth into one cohesive movie. It will be a wonderful keepsake for all of us, and I can't wait to see it when it is finished.

Hadley and her Maggie. Hadley cooperated with lots of smiles for the occasion!

Mom-A-Thon: Free Mother's Day Cards

Thanks to My Mom Shops, I recently learned that Kodak Gallery is holding a Mom-a-Thon, in which it is giving away one million free Mother's Day photo cards. I love deals and you can't beat a personalized gift! I spent an hour this afternoon making cards for Hadley's grandmothers and they turned out great. Only one card was free, but the price for the other two cards was only $2.95 each, plus $.99 each for shipping and handling. You can hardly get a generic Hallmark card for $2.95. A personalized photo card for that price is a steal! There's still time to order if you don't have gift ideas yet for mom or grandma.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone! Hadley is having a great one...

We hunted for eggs at Hadley's aunt and uncle's house with her cousin, who is three. He was so into finding eggs. Hadley was, too, for about three seconds. She found four whole eggs. And, she tasted every one of them, despite the fact that we found them under flowers and in the grass. Yum. (Don't worry, Mom, I wiped them off first!)

We're on the hunt!

Daddy helped Hadley find an egg!

Hadley also LOVED, and I mean LOVED, her Easter basket this morning. She could not get enough of the plastic eggs. I think I could have left out all the fun stuff and just given her empty plastic eggs and she would have been thrilled. I was so surprised that she paid even the smallest amount of attention to that basket. I figured she would glance at it and then go back to her regular rotation of toys. As you can see, that wasn't the case at all.

She found her egg!