Memorial Day

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Andrew, 13 months

My big boy is 13 months old today! (Will post pics soon.) Just wanted to give you a developmental update on the little rascal since he won't "perform" in public. ("What do you think I am, Mom, a circus monkey???")

Andrew can say:
Mama
Daddy
Sissy
Gigi (my mom)
Anna - "Nanna"
hey
bye
duck - "guck"
car - "cah"
truck - "tuck"
fish - "shish"
dog - "gog"
Dixie (our dog) - "Di-tee"
quack - "cack"
woof - "foof"

Andrew can also:
*roll a ball back and forth with a partner
*kick a ball (Yes, he chases the soccer ball all over the place and keeps up with it. Terri & Paul would be proud!)
*wave
*walk and run
*climb anything that will be still, including the dog
*blow kisses
*give REAL kiss (and make the "mmmmm-WAH" sound)
*give hugs with extra pats on the back for good measure
*fold hands in prayer

He has zero interest in television but LOVES anything musical.

This is a whole new experience for us because Peyton didn't really ever do the baby talk things. Most of her words sounded exactly like they were supposed to be pronounced. Regardless, he's getting up there in what he can say but absolutely, positively refuses to do it on command. Gotta say, he gets that stubborn streak from DADDY! Peyton had a long attention span and loved to watch Baby Einstein DVDs, but Andrew is constantly moving, moving, moving. All of those who say boys and girls are different creatures are certainly CORRECT. I guess it just makes us well-rounded parents.

Ladies' Night!

Last night, Kim and I took Autumn and Anna out for their SURPRISE graduation gift. We got them makeovers at Bare Escentuals and bought them some of their favorites from the collection. We had a really good time. You should have seen us...Kim was the "guinea pig". She let them do her makeup and ended up looking like a total hot mama/vixen. We were supposed to follow the steps they did with Kim, but it turned out that they ended up just doing all of it for us anyway. Autumn was in hog heaven, dazzled by the colors and very adventurous. Anna was overwhelmed (she's not a big makeup wearer) but was open and such a good sport about trying something new. They looked beautiful when it was all said and done! Anna with her "classic" beauty and Autumn with her spunky teal eyeliner. I went way out of my comfort zone and let them try colors on me which I would not normally use...and ended up LOVING it once I toned it down a little. After makeovers, we went to Panera Bread and had dinner. Dee-lish!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful girls to work with. I am so proud of their accomplishments and happy that I have gotten to know both of them. Kim - I am so happy you are my bestest bud. Wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone else! Anna & Autumn - I am so proud of you. Congratulations and happy graduation! We will always be here for you, no matter where life's journey takes you.

Coldplay

A couple of months ago, I won free tickets from Magic 96.5 to see Coldplay at the Verizon Wireless Music Center (AKA "Oak Mountain"). Nick and I both love them, so we were excited about our view from the nosebleeds. While we were 75.2 miles away from the stage, it was still awesome. This band rocks! They are one of the few I have seen that sounds JUST LIKE their album, but LIVE. Chris Martin's vocals were stellar; they even performed two mini-sets amongst the crowd: one on a small stage in the lower section, and one on the sidewalk between the upper and lower sections. The show started with Howling Bells at 7:30, then Pete Yorn at about 8:15. Coldplay came on around 9:00 and played for TWO HOURS! Yep, that's right. We didn't leave until 11:30. Best free concert I've ever been to, and one of the top five of ALL the concerts I've been to...and I've seen a lot!

Mission Accomplished!

On April 21, 2008 my mission began. Assignment: Nurse baby boy for a full year, with never a drop of formula passing his lips unless medically necessary. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! As of last night, I nursed my sweet angel for the last time. It was sad, and tears were shed, but it was time. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to share the experience and form that bond with him. Thank you to all my sisters who supported me through the adventure, you know who you are! And to all of you out there who are currently nursing or planning to nurse, enjoy it because it is one of the most precious, memorable experiences you will ever have with your child. No one can do it for you and no one can take it away. I thank God for giving us Mothers the ability to experience such joy.

That said, I have received my next mission: Operation Lose the Baby Weight! As you all know, each time I tried to cut calories while nursing, my milk supply would CRASH, even at the slightest dip in calories. So I gave up and put weight loss on the back burner, devoting myself to the experience of nursing since I knew it wouldn't be forever. I am back on LIVESTRONG, a health and wellness website that allows you to track your lifestyle (calories, exercise, etc) for FREE while making connections with others who share your same fitness goals. I also started taking my Advocare vitamins again, which keep me healthy and provide all my essential vitamins for the day. In order to lose 2 pounds per week, I have cut back to about 1500 calories a day. I hope to begin exercising on a daily basis as soon as school is out. Say a prayer for me and join me on the road to better health and fitness. The more, the merrier (and healthier!)

Good deal on Kraft salad dressing

There is a coupon in Sunday's paper for $1.50 off any Kraft dressing. I was able to get it for 8 CENTS at Wal-Mart this weekend (they had a "rollback" on Kraft dressings.) WOOHOO!

Preschool days are over

As of today, Peyton has graduated from preschool and been promoted to Kindergarten. She had her goodbye party today at Froggy's Family Fun Center, a local party place that is full of giant inflatables for kids to jump in. She had a good time but was so sad to say goodbye to her friends, many of which she will probably never see again because they are zoned for different schools. I am so thankful for the wonderful teachers she has learned from. They have taken good care of her, taught her more than she needs to know to be ready for "real" school, and been patient as saints. We are so blessed to have DFBK and are sad that her days there are over, but excited about the upcoming year!