Keep Her in My Pocket

Remember to Follow the New Blog

2010-09-22T21:27:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! Remember to update your blogs to show my NEW blog :) That way you won't miss out on any of our new Oklahoma adventures!

http://keeptheminmypocket.blogspot.com

No New Posts Here

2010-08-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

Remember to go to the new blog for new posts, and to change the address if you happen to be one of my followers:)

http://keeptheminmypocket.blogspot.com

The New Blog Address

2010-07-18T13:18:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of creating a new blog so that the TITLE of my blog and the Web Address match :)

Soon all posts will be found at http://keepTHEMinmypocket.blogspot.com

Happy reading:)

p.s. I changed the title of this blog back so that there's no confusion.

When Toddler Meets Door

2010-07-16T09:05:00.002-05:00

It was bound to happen one day. Amelia RUNS everywhere! Andy and I have always said that she's going to be running one day and run into an opening door and get injured. Well, it happened the other day, but in true Amelia fashion - she was only down for about 5 minutes and was back to running again.

Here is the aftermath of Toddler meeting an Opening Door :(

Ouch!

And 2 seconds later - all Smiles :)

August wasn't impressed with any of it - hah!

Amelia's Decisions

2010-07-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

I never would have thought that a 2 1/2 year old would be able to make serious, well-thought-out decisions, but that's exactly what Amelia does.
I always imagined that if I gave her a choice of 2 or 3 good things that she would just want ALL of them. Here is my example from earlier today...

We were in Target picking out new bottles for August and as we were leaving we passed by the clothing section. (Back story - a couple of weeks ago Andy and I told Amelia she could pick out new pajamas next time we were at the store because she was down to one pair that still fit) Anyway, as we pass the clothes Amelia says, "Mommy, we need new pajamas," and she was right! Her mind is a steel-trap!
I showed her 4 different pairs. Her choices were Butterflies, Kitties, Dora or Monkeys. At first she went for the Dora PJ's, but as we were walking away she stopped me and said, "No, not Dora. Maybe Monkeys!" At that point I gave her all four choices again. She looked at them very seriously for about 30 seconds, then she tapped her forefinger on the side of her head (as if in DEEP thought), and finally said, "Yes, I think MONKEYS!!!!" She was set on her decision and didn't even think to ask for both (or all) of them. It was priceless. I will have to take her picture in the Monkey PJs when she wakes up in the morning (she was way to crabby tonight)!

She is great.

Busy Town

2010-07-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

That is the name of our house these past few weeks - and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon! I'll have to catch up with pictures and stories soon :)

Happy 4th of July!!!

Impromptu Photo Shoot

2010-06-23T20:33:00.000-05:00

They were playing together today and having SO much fun. I promise to write a more formal blog soon - I've just been crazy busy :)

Sprinklers!

2010-06-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

We went over to Miss Nikki's house today to play (Amelia LOVES playing over there and misses it when we don't see the girls for a while). Anyway, she set up the sprinkler and the fun never stopped - well, until it started raining!

Big Boy

2010-06-05T13:25:00.000-05:00

August loves a good swaddle, but that time has come to an end :( He tried to roll over while swaddled (and he can roll from front to back on his own now) so he's out of the blanket and on his own in big boy pajamas. He's growing up WAY too fast! I tried to get video of him rolling over, but I think he is camera shy. I'll keep trying :)

Time to Eat

2010-05-31T21:43:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but August is 4 months old. That means it's time for rice cereal - woo hoo! I can't imagine that it tastes like anything really - so I add a little formula to it (instead of just water) and he seems to enjoy it. Here are some pics of his first big boy food experience.

Getting ready...

The First Bite

hmmmmm...

OK - this is going to be great!

Leg kicked up...All done!

She Cracks Me Up!

2010-05-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

She went into our closet - and came out to the living room like this!

Follow Up

2010-05-26T09:34:00.000-05:00

Because I know you all are on the edges of your seats...Amelia has conquered going #2 on the potty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't be more proud of her. Now, these type of posts can REALLY be over :)

Oh - and she wore another dress - progress!

The Zoo

2010-05-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

Andy and I took Amelia and August to the Dallas Zoo this morning. We had a ton of fun and it was so great to see Amelia get excited about animals she has only seen in cartoons. Now, I haven't been to a zoo in a long, long time BUT I was not that impressed with this zoo. It had a weird layout and the animals were hard to see. I am all for great treatment of the animals and giving them a natural habitat, but if you have a zoo you might want to be sure that your guests can see the animals. ha! I was most disappointed that the elephants had been moved and their new area wasn't open to the public yet. We heard one - but we couldn't see them. Sad :(

Here are the only elephants we saw.

Whoa! That's a big gorilla!

Gorilla is going to take a nap now :)

Hello Mr. Crocodile.

There's the REAL crocodile in the background. She wasn't scared - but I was! They are creepy!

August hanging out with the monkeys (and Mommy). He was a trooper!

Carousel ride before the ride home! Fun!

The kicker is - with all of the animals and attractions that they had (that we could see) her favorite was a big 'ole tank of FISH! In the kiddie area they had a tub full of Koi Fish (sp) and she LOVED them. We literally had to carry her away from them. Who knew? We could have just taken her to a pond! HA!

The Saga Continues

2010-05-15T11:44:00.000-05:00

I know I said I wouldn't write anymore about potty issues - but I lied.

First of all, she is doing great with #1 :) So proud of her.

However - #2 is a problem. She screams, fights, hits, cries, screams, screams and screams. I know she is afraid to do it, but I don't know why. It probably doesn't feel so great because she'll wait 3-4 days between each time. I've tried many different tactics. I've tried comforting her, talking her through it, giving her time outs for the fits, not acknowledging the behavior, literally putting her on the potty over and over, giving her some "help" in the form of Miralax, etc. I've tried it all - but every 3 or 4 days we spend a couple of hours "battling" this issue until she just gives in. Trust me, no matter how glad I am that it's over, she does not get praise or rewards for the deed. That would just affirm that it was OK to continue acting that way. Then, she's just extra mad because she doesn't get her reward. That's a lot of fun. Poor August is just sitting and watching it all happen from his bouncy chair. Hope he doesn't remember this when it's his turn to train!

The kicker is - one day last week - she did it without any issues whatsoever. No crying, no screaming, no hitting...just told me she had to go and she went. ----several times.

So, is she just playing me to get attention? What do I do now?

A Little Note...

2010-05-09T21:54:00.001-05:00

My Mother-in-Law, Bernice, gave me something really special today. She has had it since January 26th - the day August was born. After they came to visit us in the hospital, some of Andy's family went out to eat at Pei Wei. At the end of the meal, she found the following fortune in her fortune cookie...

This was the message...

...and this was on the back!

Crazy coincidence...but I think it was meant to be.

You Know You're a Mother When...

2010-04-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

...you spend 3 hours on the bathroom floor comforting your child while they try to go #2 in the potty for the first time.

Yes, yes...this is TMI - but she finally did it! And the kicker is...after all of that sitting and comforting, she did it on her own! I had to go get August from the other room, so I walked out, picked him up, walked back in and she had done it! It was a mess - but she did it! I was so proud. She was confused, but proud and SO glad it was over (it had been 4 days - enough said).

It's a good thing August was able to go with the flow this morning. If he was a little older I think it would have been crazy! But, luckily, he hung out in his bouncy chair - sometimes in the living room snoozing - sometimes in the bathroom with us - and sometimes just chilling and helping to comfort his sister.

And that's enough about that! The End!

TWO Milestones This Week

2010-04-29T11:48:00.000-05:00

Milestone #1: This one was a milestone for me. I drove to Austin with both kids - by myself! I knew I could do it, but I was unsure of how it was going to go. It turns out it wasn't horrible. It took 4 hours each way with a few stops along the way for diaper changes and to eat. All in all I was really proud of myself.

It was fun to be in Austin with "built-in babysitters" so that Kelsey and I could go shopping, to a high school reunion luncheon, and to get some yummy, yummy yogurt!!!!!! I don't know if I'll be making the trip by myself anytime soon, but it was fun to get out of town!
(I forgot my camera, so I'll have to get some and post them later).

Milestone #2: We are in the middle of Potty Training! Woo Hoo!
Day One - This was AWFUL! I'm not going to lie. It was hard. She got right into her big girl underwear (which was surprising). But, because I am a rookie, I only had 3 pairs. Well, we went through those in about one hour. So I packed up the car and we went to pick out some more. Amelia chose them and she was really excited about it! I spent the rest of the day cleaning up the messes and carrying Amelia to the potty and enduring the screaming and yelling and fighting of getting her on it. Well, I know she was just scared - but I was doubting if this was the right time. She shows all the "readiness" signs, but was this how it was supposed to be?
Day Two - This day started out the same...AWFUL! So, I consulted some mommy friends. With their tips and encouragement, I decided to stick it out (remember I am also dealing with the needs of a 3-month-old). Well, she really turned a corner! The tips worked and she willingly sat on the potty, and she did it! She has yet to really tell me when she needs to go. But every time I ask her to go - she goes! Woo Hoo! She did so well that Daddy and I took her out for ice cream last night.

Yeah Amelia!!!!!

Springtime Fun - Rain or Shine

2010-04-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

The weather has been weird lately, so we've been doing a bunch of different things (not including running errands)! We love having play dates with Amelia's friends John, Brylee, Brianna, and going out to lunch with Marissa and Alanna. I've taken them to the mall play area (August doesn't love it yet - haha). We've also enjoyed a lot of visits from Honey, Doc and Aunt Kelsey, and have spent time up at Granner's and Grandpa's house. And when it rains all weekend, Daddy comes to the rescue and we bake cupcakes! That was a hit! Now, if it would stop raining and get a little warmer, we could enjoy our backyard and new outside toys! Also, I am LOVING the new picket fence that Andy built to separate the yard into two areas: one for the dog and one for playing! It is awesome. Once it's painted, I'll post pictures of it:)

I just wanted to share a few cute pictures of our fun (I need to take some pictures of Amelia with her friends - those would be so cute!)

Brother/Sister

2010-04-17T21:44:00.000-05:00

Up until now, I really haven't seen a resemblance between Amelia and August. Well, the other day I took some pictures of the two of them together - and now I see it.

I love the look she is giving him in this one...haha!

Easter Pictures

2010-04-11T11:50:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures from Easter. My parents and Kelsey came to play on Saturday. Then we went to Andy's parents' for Easter lunch and an egg hunt on Sunday. It was a lot of fun - and Amelia wore a dress! (August just wore whatever I put him in. He doesn't seem to care yet.)

Coloring eggs with Daddy and Aunt Kelsey

Blowing bubbles with Honey, Doc and Aunt Kelsey

Invading the neighbor's yard for a picture - trespassers!

Silly Girl!

Sweet Boy!

Amelia digging into her Easter basket!

August getting excited about his Easter goodies!

Ready to hunt for eggs!

Granners knows where all the good eggs are hidden!

Admiring her eggs at the end of the hunt :)

Stealing an idea

2010-04-08T18:17:00.000-05:00

I've added a new little blog segment on the right-hand-side called "Amelia-isms." These are funny little conversations or situations that occur that just crack me up! I COMPLETELY stole this idea from Alison's blog! I love reading the Gavin-isms and it has inspired me! Enjoy :)

Pretty Princess

2010-04-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

Amelia is such a sweet girl, but when it comes to her clothes - she is SO stubborn! She does NOT wear dresses, she does NOT like the idea of wearing short sleeves and/or shorts, and she does NOT let us just pick something out for her. She has an opinion every single day! I am slowly getting her to choose short sleeves, but she still insists on wearing pants (for now). If she doesn't learn soon, she will have to spend all summer inside in the A/C! Also, I have NO idea what she will be wearing for Easter because I just know she won't put on a dress....so you'll understand my surprise when she said that she WANTED to play princess the other day! We have a bunch of dress up clothes from her older cousins and she's gotten them out before, but she's never actually wanted to wear them. Needless to say - I went RUNNING for the camera when she put on this pink princess dress! I got a some better pictures with my phone because I wanted Andy to see them...but these are still darn cute!!!

In other news! In my last post I talked about her big girl bed - well now it's official! At first I just took the front rail off of her crib, but now she has her own twin bed and super-cute bedding thanks to Honey! We set it up tonight before bedtime and she was SO excited! She loves, loves, loves it!

Big Girl Bed

2010-03-22T15:05:00.000-05:00

Amelia doesn't nap consistently anymore - boooo! She'll sleep about once a week now, but still goes in her room for some down time. They other day, I flipped on the monitor and saw her going head-first over the rails of her crib. So I RAN down the hall way and opened the door before she went all the way over! She was actually in control of it all. I then asked her if she could get out of bed on her own and she almost hopped right over the edge.

Needless to say - nap-time was over at that point and I went to the task of taking the front rail off and converting her crib into a toddler bed. She stayed in the living room while I was working on it, so when I finished, I told her there was a surprise for her. She was so EXCITED when she saw that she could get in and out of bed on her own!!!!! She slept the entire night that night! What a big girl!

The next day during nap-time I was worried. And I was right to be. She was in her bed for about 30 minutes, then, as I watched the monitor, I saw her start to get in and out of her bed...bringing toys back in bed with her. I didn't mind this at all...as long as she's in her room it's not a problem. Well, I was on the phone in the living room a while later...when out of the corner of my eye...I saw her peering around the corner! It was actually really cute - and she seemed proud of herself. That was a one-time-only event though. The rule is she has to stay in her room until we come and get her. She's following the rule in the morning, but she's still pushing her limits during the day. In fact during today's nap-time I heard the door open and close at least 5 times...but she went back in.

She is doing really well overall and I can't wait to get her a real twin bed :)

Every Time

2010-03-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

So - this may be TMI (again) but here's a frustration of mine.

Amelia is sort of potty training at this point. She will go on the potty in the morning, but then the rest of the day she kind of forgets to tell us. Anyway - here is the frustration. EVERY TIME I start to feed August at his 10 o'clock feeding, Amelia goes #2 in her diaper - twice!!!! Because she knows that she's going, and it feels uncomfortable, she doesn't finish her business in one shot. It normally wouldn't matter, but having to stop feeding the boy TWICE is frustrating for everyone involved.

Of course I don't get mad at her, but I don't know how to get her to "time" this any differently. Is she doing this to get my attention back on her? I do know she's feeling a little left out when I'm nursing him these days - I think the novelty has worn off. Now, when I feed him she will not only go into other rooms and do things she's not supposed to do, but she will get into the refrigerator and try to fix her own juice, food, etc. It's not that big of a deal, but a gallon of milk is heavy for a 2-year-old and I don't want her to drop it on her foot or make a huge mess during this time. If she could just wait 30 minutes I could deal with the mess - haha!

Any tips?? Andi, how did you manage all of that???? Help!

I'm back

2010-03-12T20:40:00.000-06:00

I've been busy these last few weeks - go figure...So here are some pictures and what we've been up to.

The big thing is that August is now sleeping in his own room. He's waking up once during the night - I just wish it was at 4ish instead of 2ish every night...but that will happen eventually.

Also - we've beaten the stomach bug around here. Yes, the stomach bug. It started with me walking into Amelia's room last Friday morning to discover her ENTIRE bed covered in throw-up! It was so disgusting, and I felt so bad for her. I never heard her cry that night, and I have no idea how long she was laying there but she didn't seem phased at all! Thank goodness Andy hadn't left for work yet and he was able to help clean it all up. The weird thing was that she didn't have any other symptoms - no fever, no whining, no nothing...she was just herself.

Then...Saturday night - I got it. But my bug came with the upset stomach and the fever, chills, etc. Andy had to go to work on Sunday but thank goodness my mom and sister were in town! They totally stayed and watched both kids so all I had to do was feed August and go back to sleep! I don't know what I would have done otherwise. The good news is that it was only a 24 hour thing! The bad news is that my mom and sister got it the following day! Sad :(

Other than that - things are great and we are enjoying our kids and looking forward to the nice weather!!!!!!

Amelia LOVES holding her baby brother.

Andy was cleaning his boots, so Amelia got her chair and decided to help!

Having fun at John's 2nd birthday at the Little Gym!

Tummy time on our cute new mat (thanks, Jamie!)

Big boy in his gator shirt (thanks, Kelsey!)

He started crying, so Amelia played him some music - from her toy manger! haha!

And now....tummy time for Amelia! It was so funny...the SECOND I got August off of the mat...she was on it! She just loves doing everything he does.

TV

2010-03-01T14:41:00.000-06:00

I'll admit that the TV is on a lot more these days. This is mostly because I have to feed August, change his diaper, rock him when he's crying, change his diaper again, get myself dressed and ready, etc...you get the idea.

Amelia is such a good girl, and we do still find time to play of course, but I realized that she may be too "into" TV these days when the following happened...

We were playing in her room and she started telling me this story...as I listened VERY closely (to make sure I understood her) she started telling me about volcanoes and the giant octopus! That's when I realized she was acting out the entire episode of Diego (the one titled "The Giant Octopus")! It was so funny. She knows that there are active volcanoes and sleeping volcanoes - they are called dormant volcanoes (her words-not mine). And she went through the whole plot quoting dialogue and everything!

Andy, however, was the lucky one...when he got home she invited him to go on the submarine with her to see the giant octopus. I wasn't allowed :(

Side note - I know in the past I've talked about her love of particular shows...but now that she's older she does mix it up a little bit (but not much). These days her favorites are Dora (she calls it Dora and Boots),Diego (she says DEEE-AY-GO), SpongeBob (still a favorite), Word World (referred to as DUCKY because there's a duck in the show), Super Why (again an old favorite), and Charlie Brown (oh how she LOVES Charlie Brown)!

Wrapping up February

2010-02-24T20:05:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that August will be 1 month old on Friday the 26th! Crazy!

Here are a few pictures from the end of February :)

I LOVE this picture. They are so cute just hanging out together :)

Doc and August. He and Honey came to visit last weekend and braved the Dallas snow.

So nice and clean after a bath. The first bath was quite traumatic - but he is getting better and better...no more tears :)

August apparently "hurt" Amelia. Yes, he did scratch her, but his little nails are REALLY sharp and she just got too close. Lesson learned.

Bonnie, Jenny, Ruby and Raney came to play :) It was so fun to see them! Can't believe the girls are almost a year old! Amelia enjoyed them, but I don't think August even woke up once :) He'll be more active soon enough and they can ALL play! (and with Evan too)

Things I'm Working On...

2010-02-19T11:27:00.000-06:00

1. I'm working on...living with very little sleep again. So far it hasn't been too horrible (knock on wood)! He sleeps about 4 hours and then 3 hours at night. I am usually able to get in a nap during the day, but recently Amelia has been sick and hasn't been taking a full nap (or napping at all). So, by the time I get him fed and her settled down and lay my head on a pillow - it's about 10-20 minutes of sleep. That is almost worse than not sleeping at all. However, once she's better, the naps should get back to normal!

2. I'm working on...my patience with a whiny 2-year-old. Yes, she's been sick, so whining is normal...but she is also 2 years old! That means extra whining for apparently no reason. I don't want to get mad at her, so I'm taking deep breaths and then trying to show her a different way to ask or get what she needs. It's starting to work - but there have been a few time-outs necessary :) She is a VERY good girl, and she is adjusting very well to having baby brother around - but I can tell that she is jealous sometimes and it makes me feel awful when I have to give my attention to him and not her. When she's better - we'll go do something just the two of us :)

3. I'm working on...getting out of the house in less than 30 minutes! Yesterday I did it in about 15 and conquered a big fear - going to the grocery store with BOTH kids! I did it! AND I was able to get everything on my list and get home before August started crying - woo hoo! It took about 30 minutes to put up all the groceries, but I'd rather have him cry at home than in the middle of the store.

4. I'm working on...getting back into a normal routine. This is happening some days, and then others are just out-of-whack. The difference this time around is that I was prepared for the chaos and it's no big deal! The stress level is much lower and I just roll with it.

5. I'm working on...taking as many pictures of August as I did with Amelia. I want him to have these to look back on when he's older like she does. This one is pretty easy!

6. Next...I'll be working on...getting August to sleep through the night. I'm going to wait until he's about 2 months to move him into this own room and start the "Baby Wise" techniques we used with Amelia. I have already started the "eat...wake...sleep" routine, so that is in place - hopefully the next step will go smoothly! We started this much later with Amelia and she finally slept through the night at 6 months - since we've started right on time with him, I'm hoping for a full 8 hours of sleep MUCH, MUCH sooner! Wish us luck!

Picture Post

2010-02-12T09:39:00.000-06:00

Awesome hair after a bath!

Time for a nap

First time in the snow!!!

Getting a little chilly

Clearing the sidewalk with Daddy

Static Hair!! (after playing tents)

Silly pirate!!!

So Sleepy

2010-02-10T14:03:00.000-06:00

This is the only thing I feared when we learned that we were having baby #2...NO SLEEP! I LOVE our son...but boy oh boy could I use more than 4 hours of sleep in a row! Now, don't get me wrong...I am very grateful that I am sometimes getting 4 hours (knock on wood) but I sure wish I could get 6 or 8 :)

Then, to top everything off...Amelia has decided that she doesn't need to nap every day. So, when I'd like to lay down for an hour in the afternoon, I can't! She will stay in her bed, but she just talks and talks and talks and that keeps me awake...bummer!

OK - sorry for posting my complaints - the truth is that I am so lucky to have 2 wonderful kids...and the sleep will come back again - one day :) In the meantime, I'll just drink coffee!

Thank you

2010-02-05T19:51:00.001-06:00

It has been just over a week since we brought baby August home! Life has certainly changed for us (no sleep, etc.), but we have had a lot of help and some great food :) I wanted to use this post to say Thank You again to everyone.

I appreciate Granners and Granpa for helping me out with Amelia when I had to take August to the doctor for the first time last Monday! We have also LOVED all the meals from friends and family...Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandy, Janie and Reagan, Pat and Ashli, and Jamie and John! We have been spoiled for sure!

The person who needs the most thanks is Honey! She took care of Amelia when we were in the hospital - we couldn't have done it without her. Then, she came back this week to help us out again. I was able to sleep in, take naps, and not worry about Amelia while feeding August. I even sent her on errands since getting out of the house is a little harder these days! She is definitely going to be missed. Amelia has so much fun with her. She understands that Honey went home, but she was still asking for her this afternoon. I'm sure we'll be making lots of phone calls to her until she can make it up here again.

So...THANK YOU!!!!

The Story...

2010-02-02T14:21:00.000-06:00

I've had several requests to hear "how it all went" - so here it is.

Last Tuesday, the 26th, Andy and I went to the hospital at 7AM for an induction. My doctor was concerned that this was going to be a big baby, like Amelia (9lbs 6oz) - so she wanted to get the baby a little early. Not a problem with me - I was DONE being pregnant!

My mom came in the night before to stay with Amelia, and my dad and sister were able to drive in for the day in hopes of being there in time!

The nurse, Kathy, who we had last time around, was a nice familiar face to see that morning! It was comforting having some things kind of be the same as last time. She started Pitocin(sp) around 8ish, and the doctor broke my water around the same time. I started feeling contractions right away, but they weren't bad...so I held off on the Epidural for a bit. Once Kathy told me that the "window" for my Epidural was limited (because of other deliveries and scheduled c-sections) I took it!
I was only a little shocked when Doogie Houser arrived with the Epidural! He looked all of about 25 years old...wore a thumb ring, had a goatee, and talked like a skater! When I asked him if he was good at this he said, "Ummm..I'm alright!" Not very reassuring! But the nurse said he was good, and he did a great job - it was just a good laugh at the end of it all.
After that it was smooth sailing. Monica came by to visit and my dad and sister arrived around 11:00. There was nothing to report - so they all took off and it was just me and Andy again.

Around noon, the doctor checked and I was about 4-5cm and 50% so I figured this would be another long labor. I was a bit disappointed, but it just meant a little more rest for us. Then, I started feeling a little pressure, but thought it was just the Epidural being blocked (it had done so about an hour earlier because I was laying on the tube). HOWEVER, a nurse came in and asked if I was feeling things...and at that moment the pressure became VERY obvious and I knew this was not normal. She checked me at about 2:15 and I was 9cm and at about 100%. The nurse told me not to get my hopes up because it would be "a lot of hard work before the baby was here."

Hmmm...was she ever wrong! We waited about 45 mintues for the doctor to get there...then it was time! "A lot of hard work" turned out to be about 10 minutes of not really hard work at all! He arrived at 3:15! It was crazy!

We spent the next 2 nights in the hospital - but had everything lined up so that we were ready to leave first thing on Thursday morning. We were so ready to get out of there and to be back home and with Amelia. We would have left on Wednesday if they had let us!

Well - I hope that wasn't too much information...and hope it wasn't boring...but I'm just trying to give the people what they want! Ha ha!!!

August Clark Strittmatter

2010-01-30T13:41:00.000-06:00

It's a boy!

Those are the words I NEVER thought I would hear. I still can't believe that I have a son...but it is wonderful!

He arrived at 3:15PM on Tuesday, January 26th!

8 pounds 8 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long!

He has had lots of visitors and is such a good boy.

Amelia is really taking to him. In fact, today she actually asked to hold him. It was so sweet :) She's going to take great care of him as his big sister.

We are just enjoying him so much!

Cookie Time with Grandma

2010-01-17T11:32:00.009-06:00

This past week, while we were driving, Amelia very clearly said that she "wanted to go make cookies with Grandma!" So...yesterday morning, that's exactly what we did!

Here are the pictures from the big event! She had SOOOOO much fun!!

Yes - we had a change of clothes for her! Haha!!

Potty-Time

2010-01-16T08:28:00.002-06:00

This morning was the first morning that Amelia told me she needed a new diaper BEFORE she actually went. And then - to top it all off - she was able to hold it on the way to the potty! And then she actually did it! She went pee pee in the potty!!!! Hooray!

Now...this next baby is due anytime now, so I think Amelia is just testing us on the timing of this. But good thing Honey will be here, and I'm just SURE she's an expert in potty training so I will gladly pass it onto her! HAHAHA!

Getting ready

2010-01-02T11:23:00.002-06:00

With only a few weeks to go until baby #2 is here...we are in full-on set-up mode! The nursery is almost finished...just have to hang a few pictures. We went to Babies R Us today and got our last few essentials, so now it's just a waiting game. Oh, that and we have to pick names out. That is the hardest part about not finding out if we're having a boy or a girl. We have to come up with 2 names! We're getting closer, but still have brainstorming to do. Any ideas are welcome!

Happy New Year!

Whirlwind Christmas

2009-12-28T12:12:00.005-06:00

Christmas always seems to go by so quickly, and I have to admit that we are often left feeling like there should be another party to go to or something! hah! I'm sure we're not the only ones who feel this way - we just want Christmas to last longer! It is especially true now that Amelia really knows what's going on. She is still asking to go to another party, and she really got used to opening presents! With a birthday close to Christmas - she was in present heaven.

I took the tree down today and she was a BIG helper. She only got sad when I put the snowman and the Santa snow globes away - hmmm. Funny she never even noticed them for the entire month that they were up! She does LOVE Santa though. She has really enjoyed seeing all the Christmas blow-up decorations in our neighborhood (like I wrote about in the last post). It will be interesting to see her reaction once they are all put away :(

This Christmas was great! We celebrated with Andy's family the Sunday before and Amelia was a trooper! She played all day long and didn't get fussy even without a nap!

Wednesday, my mom, dad and sister came to stay with us. We had our own little Christmas - complete with pizza (really festive)! The next morning, was Christmas Eve and we headed over to celebrate with my mom's side of the family. Amelia had her swine flu booster shot a few days before - and, of course, the side effects hit her - and hit her HARD - that day. We had to cut our visit short. Amelia fell asleep in the car for the first time in over a year...so we knew we made the right choice by heading home. That's when it started to SNOW - so we were glad to be home for the rest of the night :)

Christmas morning Santa came! Amelia was so excited! We took video and I can't wait to watch it. Also - she was feeling MUCH better and we were able to go and party with my dad's side of the family! It was really fun and Amelia had a lot of fun playing with everyone.

Saturday night - even though we were tired - we drove out to another party that one of Andy's friends was having! It's no wonder Amelia thinks there's a party every day!!! haha

Here are a few pictures from the week :)

Hot Dog!

2009-12-16T08:04:00.004-06:00

It seems we've entered a new phase - yet again. First, it was SpongeBob...then it was Super Why...now we're into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in a BIG way. Amelia is in LOVE with Mickey (and friends). If you haven't seen it, then her doing the "Hot Dog" dance 18 times in a row at the end of each show might not make sense to you, but let me assure you - it is awesome! She gets so excited and just spins and spins and sings at the top of her lungs! This morning she was even trying to get Ruby (our dog) to dance with her.

One of our neighbors has a blow-up Mickey Santa in their front yard and we have to drive by it every time we leave the house or come home. Unfortunately Mickey is "sleeping" these days. Don't the neighbors know that they are disappointing a little girl by not keeping it blown up 24/7??? Come on people!

Don't get me wrong...she's still into the other two cartoons...but Mickey is for sure #1!!

This is just a cute picture of Amelia talking to Ruby. They have become great friends!

Over it!

2009-12-06T09:13:00.003-06:00

I am so tired of someone being sick in this house! It is just enough already. Last weekend it was my turn. I had some kind of stomach bug - yuck! The only good thing that came out of that was that Amelia got to go ride the tractor with Daddy and I got to sleep it off! She LOVED riding in the tractor and still asks to go ride everytime Andy takes her somewhere :)

So, while I was on the couch all weekend - Amelia was apparently paying close attention to my actions. She will now get a blanket, lay down on the couch, and ask for pretzels and orange juice to be delivered to her. hahah! What a stinker!

Now Amelia has another little cold. This is about an every 2 weeks or so occurance. This time I blame the little neighbor boy who was over playing at her babysitter's house this week. When I went to pick her up I met this cute little boy who had a runny nose and coughed right as I walked in the door. The kicker is...his dad picked him up while I was still there and walked the little boy out the door WITHOUT a jacket (only wearing a t-shirt) in 30 degree weather! What are people thinking???? We have no hope for keeping these colds away :(

Party Time!

2009-11-15T20:37:00.005-06:00

Saturday was so much fun! We had Amelia's 2nd Birthday party at our house (even though her official birthday isn't until the 20th)! We had fabulous weather this weekend - it was perfect!!!! I am so glad we decided to do it a week early because last year it was cold and kind of rainy. I think we'll probably stick with this trend for any future b-day parties :)

Amelia loved having a few friends over and playing in the bounce house! She was THRILLED when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her and she was excited about the PINK cupcakes. Present opening was interesting. She was so intrigued with her first gift that she didn't really start paying attention to the other presents (although she LOVES them all) until the end. Then she figured out that more and more presents were coming out of the bags and she really got the hang of it. I think she'll be ready to go at Christmas.

She as been playing with ALL of her new things today and has had a blast! We have especially had fun having tea parties with Daddy and cooking in her new kitchen :) Hey - who says the parents can't enjoy the gifts too????? haha!!!!

The Bounce House (thanks, Jamie!!!)

The Princess waiting for her lunch!

Playing with Honey and the new kitchen!

Parrot

2009-11-08T21:11:00.003-06:00

Amelia is a parrot. She repeats everything we say now. And now that she is talking in complete sentences it might end up getting us in trouble! Time to start REALLY watching what we say!!!! haha.

It's also so fun to hear Amelia call for our dog, Ruby, in the mornings. While she's getting dressed she'll gently call for her until Ruby comes running into her room and it just CRACKS Amelia up! It's so funny! She has also taken to giving Ruby "treats" throughout the day. Needless to say, we might end up with one fat dog! I'll have to put her on a diet after the New Year :)

In other news - I cannot believe that Amelia is going to be 2 this month! Time sure is flying by!!!!!!!!!!

I'll take some more pictures soon :)

The Ambassador of Halloween

2009-11-01T08:39:00.005-06:00

So, I bought Amelia 2 different costumes for Halloween this year, and she REFUSED to put on either one. Luckily, I found this out in time to return each one - I wasn't going to force her to wear something she didn't like. I finally decided to just get her a Halloween shirt and go with it. Then, Andy had the bright idea to make her a "Halloween Pennant" and deemed her the Ambassador of Halloween! It was really funny! Here are some pictures from our day!

We decorated cookies, went up to Granners and Grandpa's for a little bit, and then went trick or treating! It was a long but very fun day!

She really LOVED trick or treating. Once she got the hang of it she was very brave and even waited a bit longer at each door until they have her one more piece of candy. We'll have to break this habit next year - but it was cute this year while she could get away with it! haha!

Milestones

2009-10-18T19:25:00.002-05:00

This weekend Amelia did two really great things.

1 - She mastered the slides at the park. She no longer needs any help and is fearless (at times wanting to go head first)! She had so much fun!

2 - Sorry for being too graphic here - BUT she went poo poo on the potty! It was totally unplanned. She was in the bath, and I recognized the tell-tale signs so I scooped her up, put her on her potty and she did it! We were so proud. Now, maybe that she really gets the concept, she'll want to do it more often! Woo hoo! OK - I'll stop with that. Sorry again.

No pictures this time...more to come later. Busy week ahead!

This Kid LOVES Pumpkins

2009-10-12T08:21:00.010-05:00

This time last year I would have never thought Amelia would like pumpkins so much. Last year when we took her to the pumpkin patch she was not a happy camper. This year, however, is a different story! She loves them so much. We say "hi" and "bye" to them at the grocery store. She looks for them out the window as we're driving around. And we also had to bring one of our pumpkins inside so she can see it everyday. I have to say, I am a little concerned that she may have "pumpkin withdrawal" once Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone! Yikes!

Here are pictures from yesterday when we visited TWO pumpkin patches. The first one is Grandpa's pumpkin patch and the second one was just a local church set-up where we decided to just play for a bit. Like I said - she loves a good pumpkin!

I got one just my size!

In Grandpa's Patch - going for the biggest ones!

Lining them up.

What about this one? It's all alone.

So many baby pumpkins! Can I have them all?

And, I'll take all of these too!

This looks like it's going to be great.

Getting ready to dig in and help carve!

What a big helper!

Success!!!!! Happy Halloween!

Daddy's Girl

2009-10-12T08:18:00.003-05:00

Just a quick picture that I love. Amelia LOVES her daddy and I think you can see from the picture that they are two peas in a pod!

September Wrap Up

2009-10-04T08:46:00.009-05:00

We have been BUSY these past couple of weeks! I have been subbing (which is turning out to be really fun. In the classroom without all the paperwork), we had family in town for a super-fun wedding, and we also went to Oktoberfest in McKinney.

Here's the family (plus my parents and sister) at Oktoberfest!

Amelia checking out the pony ride!

Sitting with Aunt Kelsey in the shade.

Trying to get back into the ice truck. Andy put her in there to cool off at one point.

All dressed up at the wedding with Andy and Kelsey. This was so fun - especially the photobooth! Gotta love formal maternity clothes!

Getting too big for her summer outfits :( But still cute!

She insisted on wearing her green pants and a hat after naptime the other day...no problem! She looks like such a big girl in the picture...it makes me sad and happy at the same time:)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

2009-09-21T18:02:00.003-05:00

...it's off to work I go! Well, I am finally in the sub system and tomorrow is my first full day back in the classroom (and Amelia's first full day of daycare). I am more nervous for myself than I am for her. I know she loves it over at Miss Nikki's house. In fact, she is still asking if we are going to Miss Nikki's house everytime we get in the car. She will be fine.

I'm more worried about remembering how to take control of a room of middle schoolers! The job is at my old school, so at least I am on familiar ground and will have lots of teachers there that I know. It is also for a fellow English teacher, so I will know the material (that's not the issue - it's more about getting up there again). I will be there 2 1/2 days this week. And my other weeks are filling up with quickly. This is nice because I know there are a lot of subs out there that can't find jobs (there are A LOT of subs in Frisco) so it helps to know people. I am lucky!

I'll let you know how it goes - should be interesting.

Our Week in Pictures

2009-09-13T15:32:00.008-05:00

We had a lot of fun this week! Enjoy the pictures :)

Daddy made us some temporary shade in the backyard last weekend!

Then Amelia decided to cool off in the dog's water bucket! I missed the pictures of her completely covered in mud - but you can picture this same scene...just head-to-toe mud!

Then Amelia got to play with Honey and the awesome curtains in her hotel room! It was so much fun, she wouldn't even stop for a real picture. So there's the back of my mom's head.

Amelia LOVES watching TV with Daddy and sharing POPCORN!!! At one point they were feeding each other - pretty funny!

And, finally, a scene I typically walk in on at least once a day around here. Amelia and Daddy behind a curtain (or chair) reading books. It is still clear that I am not welcome to join them, as Amelia will either push me out of the room or just close the curtain in my face. Oh well - it's still cute!

She caught me!

Summer Fun and Shenanigans

2009-09-05T11:08:00.008-05:00

Now that the weather is a little more tolerable, we are able to be outside more - yeah! So, one evening we all went out to the backyard and tried out sidewalk chalk for the first time! In the picture you will see some random scribbles - those are Amelia's - the other drawings are courtesy of myself and Andy (great artists - haha)!
I should have also gotten a picture of the dog because she ended up BLUE, and no, Amelia didn't start that one. Andy just drew a line down her white fur and, well, monkey see - monkey do! She was blue for days...it was pretty funny.

We also have a new "toy" for Amelia that we found at an estate sale a long time ago. We set up this old school desk for her and she loves it! We have another one in the garage for baby #2 (wouldn't want him/her to be left out)!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Amelia's love of hiding in small spaces before, so now I'll show you the proof. She is always hiding out behind the chair in her room. She'll take all her toys and books back there with you. Sometimes others are invitied to sit with her - other times she pushes you out of the room. I wonder what she's up to on those occasions! Here is where I found Andy and Amelia the other day - apparently he was the chosen one that day!

And finally - proof that Andy should defintitely be a hair stylist - awesome.

No pictures, please!

We Survived!

2009-08-27T20:18:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know yet - I have decided to go back to work (part time) as a substitute until baby #2 is here. We are at the point where Amelia needs to be a little more social (and so do I)! So I am going to work 2-3 days a week once I'm up and running in the Frisco ISD system again.

The hard part was finding a good babysitter. We wanted someone who kept a few kids in her home - we weren't ready for a more school-type setting just yet. Because it was so close to the start of the school year, I feared that all the "good ones" would be full. I was almost right! I went on several interviews and literally wanted to walk out of some of them. I mean, it is amazing that people will leave their kids in some of these dirty places! The others were OK and at least clean, but when we found Miss Nicole - we were set! Not only is her house spotless, but she paid attention to Amelia right away, she is keeping kids that are Amelia's same age, she has experience, she has 3 kids of her own, and she is wonderful.

Amelia went 2 times this week (for 1/2 days) to get used to being somewhere else. It was a success! In fact, when I went to pick her up both days - she didn't want to leave! That's a good sign! Her schedule is having to be adjusted a little bit, but she's pretty easy going these days and took to napping in a new place and at a new time without any trouble.

It was hard dropping her off and driving away, but I wasn't afraid for her - just for me. I didn't know what to do with myself, but I sure did get a lot done :)

Who Is This Child?

2009-08-24T08:07:00.002-05:00

It was a normal weekday and Amelia and I were headed out to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a wedding gift. I parked the car, got her out and proceeded to put her in the shopping cart. That's when I met the craziest child EVER! And it was MY daughter! She started flipping out. She was making noises I'd never heard come out of her. I'm talking about growls and howls and screams at a pitch befitting a howler monkey! It was the craziest thing I'd ever seen.

I decided to keep on and hope that she would calm down once we started moving around (as she normally does when she's a little upset in public). The key word there is a "little" upset. I was WRONG! I had to leave the store. There was no reasoning with her or comforting her or distracting her. I started to think something was hurting her so I did a full body search. Nothing. So we got back in the car. Surely she'd calm down when I told her we were headed home.

NOPE! She screamed and growled the entire way home. Good thing it was only a few minutes down the road. I was at my wit's end. I didn't know what was wrong with her or what was even happening at this point. I even texted Andy to see if he knew who was possessing our child - he didn't know either!

We pulled into the garage - still screaming. I got her out of the car - still screaming. We walked into the house - and she stopped! She was herself again. Ahhhhhhhh........

Well, it was short lived. The phone rang and I was talking to a friend for a while and she started up again! At least we weren't in public this time. I finally just had to put her in her room and close the door (I'd never had to do that before and it was well beyond a timeout situation). I stood by the door to make sure she wasn't knocking things down, and found that after about 30 seconds she was calm and talking to herself. So a few minutes later, I opened the door to check on her and she got up from her toys and closed the door on me. Apparently this alone time was doing the trick!

She was OK all the way up through her nap, but was NOT happy about waking up. This time the tantrum was short-lived, but it was still a very strange day. I will admit I was a little nervous about putting her in the car the next day to try again at the store - but she was perfect!

I wonder what set her off that day? And who was that child?

Just Some Stuff...

2009-08-15T10:21:00.003-05:00

Nothing all that exciting has really been going on lately. So I thought I'd just post some random things.

1. Pregnancy Brain is going strong. I wore 2 different shoes out in public the other day and didn't realize it until I got home! They were both black sandals - it could have been much worse!

2. I am thinking about going back to work a couple of days a week this coming school year (subbing). I think it would be good to get back into the the work world (my brain needs it) and I think finding a good place for Amelia to socialize and learn from someone else will be great practice for pre-school, etc. But, I'll still be with her the majority of the time - so it won't be a complete shock to my system (or hers)!!! We'll see what happens.

3. We have been to some fun parties - and there are more to come. We went to a backyard bash (in the rain) at Josh and Sommer's! Amelia was more interested in the kitchen set and the stairs than anything else. In fact, when I was holding Raney (or maybe it was Ruby - sorry) she couldn't have cared less! Hmmmmm...wonder if that's how she'll be when new baby gets here - doubtful. We also went to Ryan and Meredith's couple's shower (sans baby) and it was so much fun! Can't wait for the wedding!

4. Amelia is still up to her old tricks - carrying a specific object around every day (and it's usually different everyday). The top contenders have been combs, a hair brush, a big plastic spoon, and a pad of paper with Elmo on it.

5. She has also started putting things into the toilet. This is a fantastic new development - haha. She's so fast! I don't even hear her doing it when I'm in the same room with her! Sneaky little one.

Well - that's all I can think of for now...I'm sure something much more exciting will happen that will be much more interesting for my mom to read at 2:30 in the morning!!!! haha

The Lunch Caper

2009-08-04T15:59:00.003-05:00

Today was a normal lunch day for Amelia. It started with turkey, then some cheese and strawberries. Well, she LOVES fruit, and she knows that she has to eat the other things before she gets it (otherwise she'd just eat fruit and nothing else). Anyway, I gave her a plate of turkey and then walked about 3 feet from her to empty the dishwasher. She finishes her turkey, has a slice of cheese and then asks for her strawberries. Seeing that she's finished everything, I happily serve them to her (yes-I'm her personal waitress).

Lunch is now over. I wipe her hands and face...unbuckle her from her chair...set her on the ground...and there it is. ALL of her turkey is sitting in her chair! That little stinker waited for me to turn around to put dishes up and proceeded to stuff her turkey under her legs.

Now, I ask you...how does a 20-month-old know how to do this??? We certainly don't sit around stuffing food under our legs. She is plotting against us...I just know it!

It was so funny - I guess I'll have to be more diligent during lunch tomorrow!

The Cat's Out of the Bag

2009-07-26T17:43:00.002-05:00

I've done a good job (again) of keeping quiet for the last 12 weeks...but I can finally let everyone know that Baby #2 is due Feb. 9th! We are excited (and nervous), and Amelia doesn't have a clue. She's not going to know what hit her!

Hiding Spot

2009-07-21T21:17:00.005-05:00

We've known for a long time now that Amelia likes to hide - not necessarily from us - but just to be in a small space of her own for a while we think. She hides behind the chair in her room...under our clothes in the closet...she tries to hide behind the curtains in the living room(but that's a no no)...and now she hides behind the ottoman in the living room (that we have pushed aside so that there is more room for her to play - obviously that isn't necessary anymore)! She takes her favorite toys of the day and stashes them there throughout the morning and afternoon. It does make cleaning up a little easier because they are all in one spot. Today, we left them there...it will be interesting to see what she does with them in the morning. Will she add to the pile or take them out and start a new one??? Anyway...she was having so much fun today and I tried to get some good pictures, but she wouldn't stay still long enough so they aren't the best - oh well.

Yellowstone Vacation

2009-07-14T16:32:00.014-05:00

We just got back from our first official family vacation. On Thursday we flew into Jackson Hole, WY! I was REALLY nervous about the plane ride, but Amelia did great! She had her own seat so she had plenty of room to get up and down and was OK with sitting in mine or Andy's lap for take off and landing. She definitely earned her wings!

Friday morning we got up bright and early and headed off for our drive through Yellowstone!

It was so pretty!
We got to see the Geyser Basin...

Old Faithful...

Some wildlife...

and Mammoth Springs!

By this point, Amelia was going a little stir crazy in the car...so we headed out of the park!

That night we stayed in a little cabin in Livingston, Montana. We stayed there for a couple of days. We were actually there for a wedding reception. Amelia and I missed most of it since it was late at night, but we had fun playing with Andy's friends during the day on Saturday.

On Sunday we drove through the other side of Yellowstone park on our way back to Jackson Hole.
This time we got to hike a little way up Mt. Washburn (where there was still snow on the ground in July)...

We saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (although we didn't get to stop this time)...
and we saw a bear!

That night, we actually got to go out to eat in Jackson Hole before calling it a night for our early flight back to Dallas.
Amelia was great, once again, on the flight and was SO happy to get home and nap in her own bed!!

Two New Loves

2009-07-07T19:42:00.003-05:00

For the past 2 days, Amelia has been carrying the following items around non-stop...a Wii Remote and a Whisk!
Why these 2 things?
Why are they fun?
I may never know, but it sure is interesting to watch her figure things out and make her own decisions. She is so attached to these items when we are home that she will try to scoop up other things she wants to play with while leaving the remote and the whisk in her hands. I am just glad that she hasn't tried to take them into her bed or in the car...yet!!!!

"I did it!"

2009-06-29T20:23:00.001-05:00

Just a quick story...

We were out to dinner tonight and decided to let Amelia try drinking from a straw. Every other time we've tried, she's really not understood the concept. So we were so excited when she figured it out! She was quite impressed with herself too because after her first sip she looked so excited and shouted, "I did it!" She was so proud of herself! Then, she continued to say this after every sip...it was cute every time!

Random

2009-06-22T20:17:00.009-05:00

Here are just some pictures from the last few weeks/months. Enjoy :)

She got ALL of the toys out of the table...and then just got in herself!

Amelia and Andy in his corn field! Very windy day!

Alison and Gavin were in town, so we went to play at the SplashPark. This was the only picture I could get of the two of them together (and facing the camera - sort of!)

Amelia wanted to hang with the big girls...so she just got on up there next to Alison and her sister Sandra! Too Cute!

Playing on the gigantic breakfast food playground at the mall. Weird, but fun!

Splash Park

2009-06-12T19:40:00.005-05:00

We made plans with Amelia's cousins to go to the SplashPark last week - and even though a monster storm came through the night before - we were determined to go. It was a nice, clear (and slightly COLD) morning, but we were sure it would warm up. Well, it didn't. And right when the girls were in the middle of FUN we had to bundle them up and leave because we saw another storm rolling in. There was lots of screaming and protesting on Amelia's part...but I couldn't really blame her :(

It was so funny. Amelia and I got there first and all she saw was the "regular" part of the park. She was happy climbing stairs and sliding...then anther parent at the park turned on the WATER! Amelia got SOOOOOOOO excited and just ran right towards it with her clothes still on over her swim suit! I had to chase her down and rip them off before she got in there. She was loving it! Just smiling and laughing and running around with the big kids!

Comparison Picture (TAG)

2009-06-07T20:56:00.005-05:00

Here is a fun blog tag!

What to do: Post a recent picture of your child (family) and then post a picture from a year ago. Too cute!

April 3, 2009 (All dressed up for a party)

April 5, 2008 (she was so tired - she fell asleep with a toy in her hand)

Now - you're it! If you have a blog - it's your turn now. Have fun!

I think I'll do some reading...

2009-06-06T13:13:00.004-05:00

It's really fun to sneek around the corner of Amelia's room when she's in there playing by herself because I never know what I'll walk in on. She loves to play in her room, and that works out for me when I have to get things done. I am able to leave her in there and check on her every couple of minutes and she's just content to play, play, play.

Sometimes I will find that she's taken every single book off of her little shelf and spread them across the floor. Sometimes she's hiding behind the rocking chair, dutifully emptying a box of wipes (this one is not so cute anymore). Then there's the scene I walked in on yesterday...I walked around the corner and I found her reading - under her bed - with all of her favorite animals. She just looked at me (as if this was a normal thing) and then just kept on with her business of reading. It was really cute!

For Kelsey

2009-06-01T21:56:00.002-05:00

Here - I updated my blog, Kelsey. Happy now? Haha!!!!

For those of you reading this that have no idea what is going on - let me fill you in. Kelsey is my sister and she just bugged me about a million times today to update my blog. Apparently I wasn't doing it fast enough for her liking. So this is all I could come up with - for now!

Amelia's New Do!

2009-05-25T17:48:00.006-05:00

Soooo...I finally figured out a way to get Amelia's hair out of her eyes while it's growing out. And it is hilarious!

She was a little annoyed with me taking pictures in that one!

We also finally made it back out (all the way out) to Gun Barrel City (well, actually Kemp to Bonnie's) for Evan's 3rd birthday! It was so fun to be by the lake and to see everyone at the party. Amelia LOVED the sandbox and tired herself out a little too quickly. So we ended up having to leave a little early :( That's the life with a toddler! Tantrums at any moment - fun! The good news is that she settled down once we were back on the road and was an excellent passenger for the 1 1/2 ride home!

This picture is just of her running - which she did the whole time she wasn't in the sandbox!

Wardrobe Change

2009-05-15T21:15:00.000-05:00

We have gone through about 15 outfits in the past two days for many reasons.

1) She LOVES playing in the dirt and mud.

2) She needs a more heavy-duty diaper (I won't go into details here - but we bought new ones today).
3) She spills everything from every meal in her lap. (I'm sure this will pass).
4) The weather is just crazy and can mean a wardrobe change at any moment. Cold in the morning and hot and humid the rest of the day.
5) Sometimes when we go out I put her in a cute Pocket Baby T-Shirt. (I've got to advertise wherever I can)! By the way, she had on pink pants to match this shirt, but we had to change to purple because she spilled water all over herself.

6) We all got caught in a rainstorm while walking around the block! (It was really fun, though)!
7) She likes to step in the dog's water (both the inside and the outside bowls) WITH shoes on!

It may be a lot of laundry - but I don't mind - she's clean, dry, and having a really good time!

Oh - and although she won't let me put bows in her hair, I did put it in a teeny, tiny ponytail the other day :) That doesn't help the problem with her bangs in her eyes, but they are ALMOST long enough to be in the ponytail - it won't be long now.

P.S. This is the face Amelia now makes when I say, "Say Cheese" or "Smile" when the camera is out...so funny. I have to take one right after the other because she will make a really cute face after this Pirate Face...arrrrrrr!

Just some info...

2009-05-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

We haven't really been up to that much lately...but Amelia is the "Smartest girl alive!!!" (hopefully you get that one, Alison).

Anyway, the other day I decided to sing the ABC's and pause at certain letters, and wouldn't you know it....Amelia filled the letters in! Then I tried it with "Twinkle, Twinkle little star" and she did it again! Then I tried one last trick and paused while reading "Goodnight Moon" and she was able to fill in key words. She's so smart. Now, I realize that these are things she has heard over and over and over so it's stuck in her head, but I'm still convinced she's a genius! KIDDING!

It is fun to see her start to recognize letters. She definitely knows most of the capital letters now, and it's so cute when she points to words and tries to "read" them. She's such a big girl now.

We've also been having fun playing with our new friends. Last week we visited with her friends John and Jacob, and today Jacob came to visit our house. Those two are really becoming great buddies. They play so well together:) John is also quickly becoming one of her favorites...they were pretty content to leave "us moms" behind and play off by themselves for quite awhile. It's definitely a new world when they can entertain themselves!

Oh - and one last note. Amelia is officially a monkey! She climbs on everything! The couch, chairs of all sorts, the coffee table (yikes!), and tonight she was trying to climb INTO her crib...let's just hope she doesn't try to get out of it just yet!

So Quickly Love Fades....

2009-05-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

It was just a week or so ago when I wrote to let you all know about Amelia's love for SpongeBob SquarePants. Well my friends, Bob has been replaced! Her new love is a show called Super Why! (or just Why! as she calls it) on PBS. I am MUCH happier to let her watch this one, because it teaches her about the alphabet, reading, rhyming, and being a nice person in general. It is actually entertaining - featuring three cartoon kids and a talking pig - need I say more? We ARE having issues with her wanting to watch it ALL day long like she did with Bob, but she loves playing in her room and going outside (when it's not raining like we got caught in today) so the TV is easily forgotten when out of sight! Don't worry, she still loves her Bob doll (and carefully tucks him in at night - he lives in one of her dresser drawers now), and we still watch an occasional episode of Bob for fun and laughs, but it is no longer her go-to show. I know this because the first thing she said to me this morning wasn't her usual "hi" or "mama" but rather "Why!"

A Glimpse of the Future...

2009-04-30T08:45:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we went to play with Amelia's friend Jacob. He had the coolest car - a red Mustang Convertible. About mid-way through them playing in it, I had a flash-forward to her being sixteen and driving off with her friends! It was funny, and kind of sad at the same time. Anyway, the picture is too cute so I had to share it!

We had so much fun playing. The kids were so excited to see each other! We normally see each other at Storytime each week, so seeing them in a different environment was interesting. It's nice that Amelia's getting to the age where I can tell her that we're going somewhere, and she'll actually get excited about it. On the way there I would say, "We're going to Jacob's house to play!" She would smile and say, "Jaaaake" everytime! When we got there she wasn't shy or timid at all (which is rare these days).
Other than that...we are pretty much staying put this week. Swine Flu Season, ya know?

PocketBaby.com

2009-04-26T14:04:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! Today is opening day for my new online baby and children's clothing store! Check it out and spread the word to everyone you know! www.POCKETBABY.com

Obsession

2009-04-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

So, Amelia is OBSESSED with SpongeBob and it's starting to drive me crazy! I know exactly how it happened (Andy) I'm just not sure why she seems so taken with him. It's the first thing she asks to be turned on the TV in the morning. She's already learned that we have a fast forward button on the DVR and gets frustrated when we're watching a "live" version of the cartoon with commercials. When this happens she will find the remote and put it in my hand all the while saying "Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob." She will now sit and watch an entire episode on the couch without moving an inch. She's obsessed. She has a doll, coloring book, and I almost got her SpongeBob (girly) pajamas (thank goodness they didn't have her size). She also loves Elmo - but she asks for SpongeBob all day long. I realize that I am giving into her obsession by letting her watch it and buying her these things...but she really, really loves him and I'm just sure this is a phase. Right???

P.S. In the picture, she's holding SpongeBob and watching it on TV at the same time...ahhhhh....young love!

What We Do When We're Bored (and Easter!)

2009-04-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we were a little bored...so Daddy broke out the tent! Amelia loves her little tent that we have inside, so we were sure she would love the HUGE tent outside. It was a hit!

And then we practiced hunting for Easter eggs so that she would be ready for the big hunt on Sunday (and be able to hang with her older cousins!) She was REALLY good at dumping the eggs out :)

The Easter Bunny came to our house in the morning. Amelia had fun getting into her basket of coloring books and toys. After collecting (and dumping) the eggs several times, we had a nice relaxing morning at home before heading to Granners' and Grandpa's for lunch. It was raining and muddy (which is always bad on Easter) but we did do a little egg hunt at the end of the day. The main event, however, was the Bottle Rocket Launch! We brought our custom-made-by-Daddy Rocket named the "Amelia One." It was awesome! All the kids brought their own rockets, but I think it is safe to say that Amelia's was the best (and flew so high that it got stuck in a tree!)

Party, Party, Party

2009-04-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

We made a trip to Austin this weekend for my cousin Stephanie's wedding! We had SO much fun. It was a busy, busy weekend. We hit the road early Friday morning and Amelia was ready to go! She was such a good girl in the car (and it took longer than expected when traffic really backed up when we hit Austin). But, she hung in there until we got to Aunt Kelsey's house for a nap.

That night was the rehearsal dinner and it was our first test at keeping Amelia out WAY past her bedtime. She did a fabulous job, but we had to leave a little early. She was wiped out and we knew we had an even longer day ahead of us. She was in bed and asleep by 9:30 and slept all night long. I wish the same could be said for me and Andy. We were both tossing and turning until 2 AM! We were exhausted the next day!

Saturday morning, we met up with our dear friend Faith and her daughter Mary (who is 1 day older than Amelia) at the park. It was a GREAT park. It was mostly little kids and it was "little kid" friendly :) My parents, sister, cousin Cheryl and her friend Roy met us there to play. Then we saw the TRAIN! So, we were off. We took the kids on a quick ride around the park. Then it was off to lunch. Needless to say, we were successful in wearing her out for a nice long nap because the wedding was that night. We probably ALL should have napped while she napped.

The actual wedding was so beautiful. The ceremony was so pretty and the weather was really wonderful. Amelia did great. She didn't cause a fuss and she stayed in our laps the whole time (mostly). She did start talking when it got really quiet, but I only think about 2 people could hear her:) The reception was nice and we were hanging in there...but it all went downhill pretty quickly. Amelia was done around 8:30 - just before the main course was served. So we had to say our goodbyes and leave with an exhausted baby and empty stomachs (ours - not hers). We really wanted to stay and party...maybe if she'd been a few months older...or if we had been able to find a trustworthy sitter in Austin...but we made the most of the time we did have.

We made the trip back on Sunday morning. She was great once again. She got to play with her new Elmo toys (we bought those for wedding entertainment on Saturday afternoon...it was a nice treat for her). We made it back in time for her to nap in her own bed. I know she was ready for it after sleeping in her pack n' play all weekend. Then we were off to yet another PARTY!!! Andy's cousin's daughter was turning 4 and had a party at The Little Gym. Amelia was playing and hanging in there with the big kids. She was dancing, bouncing, climbing and chasing bubbles all over the place! She was completely worn out and was in bed by 6:30!!!! I think we're all ready for a good night's sleep...and a calm, relaxing few days :)

"Bye bye, Kitty..."

2009-04-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

Checkers has a new home as of today. We took her to her new home in Lewisville this afternoon. The girl who adopted her is SO nice, and I know she will take good care of her. She's already sent an update and things are going well.

Amelia sure did love that cat, so I hope it's not too long before she forgets to look for her and ask for "ki-ee". At least she has a stuffed animal kitty to hug on and love.

She is a great cat...but now she's in a home with someone who can give her more attention than we've been able to since baby was born.

This is a picture of Checkers and Amelia (7 months old).

New Spa Treatment?

2009-03-29T12:02:00.001-05:00

Maybe Amelia has discovered the next new thing to keep your hair and skin looking its best??? Whatever the case may be, it's been a while since I've had a photo op like this! Carrots were more than just dinner the other night!

In other weekend news...we had a fun (yet crazy) visit with Jenny and sweet Evan. Jenny wanted to take Evan to the Wiggly Play Center, so of course Amelia and I jumped at the chance to play! The crazy part was when my car died just as we got there! Darn battery! Luckly, Dina came to our rescue and got us all back home :)

Saturday, we went to cousin Abbi's 6th birthday party. Amelia rode a minature horse (she wasn't that impressed - and I didn't have my camera out). Then she spent the rest of the time avoiding all the big kids who were riding scooters, driving electric cars, and racing little red wagons. She survived! She loved playing with the little bubble machine with Grandpa, eating cookies with Granners, and playing ping pong with Daddy. Needless to say whe was worn out by bedtime!!! Yeah!!!

Caught on Tape!

2009-03-24T12:44:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to get Amelia to talk on film for a while now, but whenever the camera is in her sight - she clams up! So, this morning, you can imagine my surprise when I got her to do it! I think she was distracted by Sesame Street - but, hey - whatever works, right?

Talking up a Storm

2009-03-22T21:34:00.001-05:00

I have to say that I very clearly remember rocking Amelia to sleep when she was first born thinking how wonderful it will be when she's able to call me "mama." Well, she says it so clearly now! In fact, she's really talking up a storm these days. She actually calls me "mama" and calls Andy "dada" when she sees us or needs us (not just when prompted). She loves peeking around the corner and saying "hi" with a big smile on her face (even if she just walked away a second ago). She is so sweet to wave and say "bye bye" to daddy when he leaves in the morning. And she is a MASTER at barnyard animal noises (the turkey is my favorite).

Now, if I could only take back teaching her how to say "cookie" and moreover - where the cookies are stashed! She's at that cabinet almost every hour. This is giving us a great opportunity to learn patience and that we don't always get what we want.

Where are these kids' parents???

2009-03-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

We had a Thursday full of fun, fun, fun. However, I don't mean to get on a rant here, but I am really concerned at the lack of attention that some parents pay to their children while out in public.

In the morning, we went back to the Wiggly Play Center with Jacob and his mommy Jennifer. This time, we ventured into the other small toddler area. Amelia was having fun playing with new things, climbing all over the place, and dancing on the small stage...and then the fun had to stop. The big kids invaded! I don't mean to be rude, but parents should follow the rules so that the little kids can play safely. The big kids don't watch where they are going and trample all over the place. It just doesn't seem safe, and the parents don't do anything about it. There is more to the story - but I'm sure it's boring - so I'll refrain!

Later that afternoon, Andy and I took Amelia to the park (it was such a nice day)!Again, we chose a park that has a designated toddler area. What do you know, it was filled with bigger kids (and their dogs) while their parents just sat and ignored the situation. Amelia couldn't go anywhere whithout the big kids taking over. Needless to say, we packed it up and found a less crowded park to play in.

The good news is that Amelia had a great time! I was the one who was worrying over her safety the whole time, while I'm sure she was oblivious to it all! She loved the slide with Daddy and wore her new sunglasses like a big girl! (oh - and we also had a visit from Aunt Sandy and Mimi today! It was a really fun day!)

Busted!!

2009-03-16T19:47:00.000-05:00

We had a busy day! It started out with an innocent trip to the store to buy new socks (I know...funtimes). Then, before I knew it, I was dealing with a crime! Before we started looking for socks I gave Amelia a new pair of toddler sunglasses to play with while I shopped. This tends to keep her occupied so that I can get what I need with minimal distraction (I'm sure you understand). So, I finished shopping, checked out with our socks, got Amelia into her car seat, and that's when I saw them! I turned around to put her stroller in the car, and sitting in the seat were those darn sunglasses! She was BUSTED! So, later that day (because it was lunchtime and we HAD to go at the time), I returned to the scene of the crime and confessed! I paid for them and she's never looked cuter! (The store was understanding - apparently this happens all the time!)
Next, we had fun playing with our cousins and seeing Aunt Amy and Granners. I decided that the end of the slide was the perfect spot to eat my snack! It was such a pretty day.
Then, we got BUSTED again! Amelia was playing on the floor and her hands slipped...I thought it was just a regular fall that happens throughout the day...but we weren't so lucky. She managed to cut her upper lip open with her teeth and ended up with a swollen lip! Thankfully it didn't really bleed and the swelling went down very quickly! I think it probably hurt me more to see it than it hurt her. She was just fine and wanted to eat her dinner and play some more! What a trooper!

Fun-with-new-Friends Week

2009-03-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

This week, Amelia and I made some great new friends! Wednesday we went over to play with John and his mommy Jamie. John is just a few months younger than Amelia and he has the BEST playroom! They got along great, and I got to have some adult time!

This morning, we met up with our library storytime friend Jacob and his mommy Jennifer. He is a few weeks older than Amelia. We tried going to the Wiggly Play Center! It is a really fun place - filled with some CRAZY kids! (Made worse by the yucky, rainy weather I'm sure). Thankfully, they had a smaller toddler area so we were safe from the pushing and shoving that was going on. I have a feeling that I'll be in trouble in a few months when she gets wise to the fact that there's something beyond the toddler room! Watch out!

Doctor's Visits are Fun!

2009-03-12T13:13:00.001-05:00

Today was our 15-month appointment (I know, it's a little late), and that means shots! She now knows what usually happens at the doctor's office, so she started crying the minute he walked into the room - sad. However, this time she was able to calm down - yeah! The doctor gave her a great report - she is right on track with everything! Then, when it came time for the shots, her reaction wasn't as bad as it was at her one year appointment(where she screamed for about 10 minutes after it was over - let's face it - I would cry too). Today there were a few tears, but then she had some Goldfish and it was all good. She's such a good girl :)