Life As I Know It

4th of July 2011

2011-07-07T08:15:00.000-05:00

I can't believe another summer is here and that it's already July. This year we went to some friends' house for dinner then we decided to keep Scarlett up so we could go see her first fireworks show. We have many great ones near our area, and we just chose one of the nearest that I've seen before and knew was really good.

The bad part is that there are huge crowds everywhere, and if you go to watch this particular show in the park itself, you may never get out! You have to park a mile away then they shuttle you into the park.

So I had a brilliant idea to go to our old apartment complex. They have a nice big grassy area near the pool and playground, and I figured we could "sneak" in and watch the show from there without getting mixed up with all the crowds. My sister's family met us there too, and we got all set up with blankets spread out, lawn chairs, drinks and snacks. We waited and waited. Finally, the first boom sounded and the sky lit up. However, to my horror we could only see the tip of the firework because one of the three story buildings was perfectly blocking it! I felt so bad, especially for my niece London because she was really excited to see them.

So we scrambled to pack up our spread and headed back to the car. Chris drove us down the street to an elementary school. There were a million people there, but we somehow managed to squeeze our car in. We jumped out to watch the rest of the show and could now see perfectly.

Scarlett wasn't as impressed as I thought she would be, and she commented that they were, "kinda like thunder mom!" I loved it though. The finale was great, and when everyone cheers at the end I always get chills. What a great way for so many people to gather peacefully and celebrate our great country and our freedom. We are so blessed.

Here's our little firecracker, all dressed in her red, white and blue!

And I always love to look at years past:

July 4 2008

July 4 2009

July 4 2010

Pics from My Phone

2011-06-28T13:39:00.002-05:00

Having fun with a sweet friend...

Decorating cookies with GG, my Grandma...

Playing dress up with my wedding veil...

Trying on goggles and her new sun hat for our upcoming beach trip...

Lounging at our neighborhood pool...

What happens at 6 pm on the recliner when she hasn't had a nap....

Conversations with Scarlett #2

2011-06-21T19:13:00.001-05:00

Mommy, when can I take piano lessons?

(Scarlett loves my mom's piano so I'm not surprised by this question.)

Well, when you're...

(interrupts) When I'm four?

Well...we'll see....I'm just not sure when.

(I'm thinking to myself when a good age acutally would be, but I have no clue!)

Well, just call them and see when I can, mommy!

Call who?

The piano girl!

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Mommy, you need to get a baby in your tummy!

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Mommy, I don't want to go to kindergargden!

Good! I don't want you to go either! You're only three!

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(Just the other day)
Mommy, I don't want to go to the scary houses at Halloween, I just want to go to the regular ones!

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Mommy, now what was daddy holding when he was standing at the toilet?

Umm....well....he....well......

His shirt?

Yes! Exactly! He was holding his shirt!

(Whew! )

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Ode to Kelsea

2011-06-21T13:51:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, during my elementary school years, I met a girl at basketball camp named Kelsea. We hit it off right away. This is us at that camp: (And for the record, I thought those glasses were actually pretty cool.)

Kelsea and I did not attend the same elementary or the same middle school, and we saw each other here and there during those years. Then high school came, and we finally were able to be in the same school together. And for those next four years, we did pretty much everything together.

We haven't seen each other in years, but we were able to get together recently. I was able to meet her sweet little boy, Kade, in person for the first time. We all went swimming and then to lunch. It was so good to see such a great friend. I wish that we lived close to each other and could meet up once a week. Your high school best friend will always be your best friend!

Kade and Scarlett hit it off, and it was so fun to see our babies playing together.

Love you Kelsea and Kade! XOXO

Summer Kick-Off

2011-05-21T14:42:00.002-05:00

We hit my neighborhood pool for the first time this season. The water was way too cold for me and Mandy, but the girls liked it. Actually, Scarlett and London liked it, but Lily didn't enjoy it as much. It was pretty darn cold!

It's amazing how much "easier" it is with Scarlett this year. Last year, I was always worried she would just run off and jump in the deep end. I had to watch her every little move. This year, she stays in one place longer and is more aware of her surroundings. I actually go to relax on a chair while she played in the kids' pool. It was great!

A few days later, we all ventured to try out a new park nearby. It's a beach park! I love the area where we live. There's so much to do, see, and eat without ever going deep into Dallas. Needless to say, the beach park and fountains were a huge hit with the girls.

First we hit the sand park. It felt so beachy and vacationy there! The park is within a village area with people walking around and all kinds of shops and restaurants. So fun!

First we hit the sand.

Then onto the fountains! This water was really really cold too. Lily loved running around, but I don't think she ever got wet. It was freezing cold water!

We walked over to eat burgers and ice cream afterwards. It was a very fun outing!

Little Monkey

2011-05-16T13:56:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if this is normal or not for a new three year old, but Scarlett is getting very acrobatic. She recently learned to hang upside down from her swing-set bar. When she was out playing in the backyard the other day, I looked out the window to check on her and saw that she had positioned her doll on the bar too. She'll flip over sometimes, but I couldn't get her to do it for the video. I guess she's ready to start gymnastics!

Big Girl Bed

2011-05-09T12:44:00.000-05:00

Scarlett is now in her big girl bed!

The toddler bed just seemed too small so we went ahead and up-sized. I find comfort in the fact that this is still her crib since it was the conversion kind. Her little teeth marks are even on the foot-board from when she was a baby since that was the front rail of the crib which I like seeing too. She really likes having a big girl bed "like London," and she doesn't roll out of it when she's asleep!

And she's done smiling....

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T12:44:00.002-05:00

My mom is so wonderful! I love her so much. She is a huge support, a wonderful friend, so much fun, and she's the best grandma to Scarlett. I don't know what I'd do without her. Love you mom!!

And I'm so thankful to be a mommy myself! What a blessing it is to be able to raise, love, and enjoy Scarlett. God has blessed me tremendously. I am so undeserving but so very very thankful.

My memory verse for this week from the bible study I'm currently reading is fitting too:

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Provers 31:30

It is my prayer to be that woman. Happy Mother's Day to everyone!!

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Fun with Instagram!

2011-05-02T15:01:00.000-05:00

I like playing around with Instagram on my phone!

Before:

After!

Easter Celebration Part Three

2011-04-27T12:39:00.000-05:00

Easter morning we were finally able to just relax as a family and focus on Jesus. Our church is so amazing, and we love it there. Our pastor made a rare and bold decision to give every dime of the money that came in through the offering on Easter away to charities and organizations that help those in need. They did not keep any for the church or the the church's budget. I can't wait to hear how we were able to impact those in need. Thank you Jesus for your ultimate sacrifice. He is risen! Happy Easter!

Luke 24:1-7
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’

Easter Celebration Part Two

2011-04-25T19:21:00.003-05:00

My family gathered in Oklahoma on Saturday to celebrate Easter together. We all went to my Aunt and Uncle's house and had so much fun. They have plenty of land for the kids to run around and play. They also have every kind of outdoor gadget you can think of which kept us laughing and entertained all day. Scarlett did not want to leave. We started off with an Easter egg hunt! Pebbles, my aunt, hid eggs all over her property. There were lots of prizes for the kids too.

Getting ready for the hunt....

It was cold, windy and rainy most of the day, but that didn't stop us!

Ready, Set, Go!

I love this one because it shows London in action.

She really understands Easter egg hunting, but Scarlett, Lily, and Jaxon,

on the other hand, had to be persuaded more.

Jaxon, my cousin Sarah's sweet little boy

My Grandparents with Emma, Sarah's sweet baby girl

What a hoot!! My mom and Chris on the giant teeter totter....they're going to kill me for this!

Love this one of London on the rope swing!

If this sweet face doesn't give me baby fever, I don't know what will!!

Scarlett was in love with Emma. She wanted to be by her all day. She's been asking about her ever since.

Chris rode a dirt bike nearly all day. He was like a little kid out there.

As I mentioned they have all sorts of gadgets. Here's my mom and Mandy on the tandem bike. Shortly after this my sister fell off. It was hilarious...I'm so mean!

London rode their donkey several times. Scarlett wanted nothing to with the riding of the donkey. Then on the way home she cried that she didn't get to ride their "horsey." You just never know with a three year old.

Scarlett with Uncle Jeff on the go-cart.

Again with the bike! This cracks me up. My uncle is giving my parents a boost.
I'm dead after this post....

But I rode it too! Unlike my sister, however, I did not fall off.

This pic is funny because you can see Chris in the background on the go-cart, and London has the shovel she used to find the buried treasure my Aunt hid for her with a map and all. There was so much to do. It was like a circus out there!

See, I can make fun of myself too!

We had so much fun. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Easter Celebration Part One

2011-04-23T21:09:00.002-05:00

We've been enjoying celebrating Easter this week. Scarlett loves for me to hide eggs in the living room over and over again. On Thursday, we went over to my sister's house and had a mini celebration with all the girls.

First, Mandy made Easter cookies for them to decorate!

Then it was time for an Easter craft. They made tombs using paper plates to help them learn visually more about Jesus's resurrection.

They open up the plate to show a picture of the empty tomb.

Jesus is alive! He is Risen! Death could not keep him!

Great idea Mandy!

Of course we also colored and decorated Easter eggs.

And then we had an egg hunt in their backyard. Scarlett only picked up about three eggs before saying she was done and wanted to go swing.

Nanny

2011-04-17T20:50:00.000-05:00

Chris's sweet Grandmother, Wanda Camp, passed away on Thursday. Wanda, or Nanny as we all called her, was 85 years old. I loved talking with her; I found her incredibly down to earth, funny, and so loving. She has three children, including Chris's mom, who loved her so very much. But best of all, Nanny knows the Lord, and she is with Him today! We love and miss her, and we will have these beautiful pictures to keep her memory alive for Scarlett.

Here's Nanny and Scarlett when Scarlett was about 3 months old.

Christmas 2009

3rd Birthday Party

2011-04-12T22:13:00.001-05:00

We had so much fun celebrating Scarlett's 3rd birthday! We rented a huge bounce house and slide for her, and we had so much fun playing and playing all day long. Family, food, presents, cake, and beautiful weather....it was the perfect day!

She wanted a Hello Kitty strawberry cake.

I didn't really want to get strawberry,

but since it was her birthday and not mine, I gave in.

It turned out to be very delicious!

Everyone had fun bouncing and sliding, even my Grandma!! We got some really funny pictures of some of us shooting down the slide. Hilarious!!

Chris!

My Mom!

Chris's Mom!

The Birthday Girl!

London!

Me!

My sis and Lily!

Needless to say, by the end of the day, we were all exhausted!! Scarlett keeps asking, Is my birthday over?? And when I say yes, she says, Am I still three?

I took this one a few days before her birthday.

I love it because I can still see "baby" in her when she's sleeping.

There's probably nothing better than watching your baby sleeping soundly.

Happy 3rd Birthday sweet baby girl!!

3 Years Old

2011-04-09T23:38:00.051-05:00

My sweet Scarlett, you are now three years old! I can so clearly remember the day you were born, and it was such a wonderful and joyous day for me. I remember when I was pregnant, I never could really even imagine what you would look like, but when I first saw your face it was as if I had known you my whole life.

And now, three very short years later, you are still my joy and my greatest blessing. You talk nonstop all day long. You are so inquisitive! The way you speak for your age is amazing to us. You are incredibly loving and curious. Some of your favorite things are singing, dancing, dressing up, playing mommy to your dolls, playing doctor, swinging, and coloring. You are mommy's little shadow. I love being with you all day just playing at home or out running errands with you. You go to preschool two times a week, and you love your two teachers and your friends there. You love Jesus, and we love praying to Him with you every day.

We love so much watching you grow and learn. Happy Birthday sweet angel! Mommy and Daddy love you more than words could ever describe!

An Early Gift

2011-04-07T13:40:00.000-05:00

We gave Scarlett her present a little early. She now has her very own little swing set. It's the perfect size for her, and she loves it. All she wants to do from morning until night is swing, swing, swing. It's nice not to have to go to the park everyday too.

Fun Day!

2011-04-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday we went and ordered Scarlett's Hello Kitty birthday cake, stopped by the park, and then ended our outing with ice cream. I was thinking on the way home how blessed I am to be able to spend so much time with her. I am so thankful we did what we needed to do so that I could be home with her. She's my little sidekick for sure! These three years have FLOWN by. She'll be 3 on Saturday!!

Yeah Buddy! She ate the WHOLE thing!

Spring!

2011-03-22T14:23:00.001-05:00

We didn't do much of anything during Spring Break this year which is just exactly what we all needed! Scarlett's preschool was out and so was Chris, and while we did a lot of relaxing around the house, we also had some fun. We took Scarlett to the zoo for the first time. It was a beautiful sunny day, almost hot! We didn't take a ton of pictures, but we all had a great time. They have a great children's zoo and Scarlett said her favorites were the alligators and the flamingos of all things.

We've also been doing some "practicing." She's been practicing on the big-girl swings which actually scares me to death. I've seen several kids at the parks we go to just flop right out face first. She does good though.

We also practiced pedaling, and finally got it down! She would not pedal her trike but always wanted to just scoot herself around on it in the grass. This drove me crazy because as physical as she is, I know she could pedal. We took her out on the sidewalk and kept at it until she did it! She did not want to stop and kept going up and down the sidewalk. Now she's ready for a little bit bigger bike....good thing her birthday is right around the corner! She's already called Grandma and Pa and told them she wants a bigger bike!

A Little Boring

2011-03-14T13:07:00.000-05:00

It's been a little boring around here lately with not a whole lot going on.

Scarlett's 3rd birthday will be here in a few short weeks so we've been planning her big day. I've been having some fun making her invitations. She wants a Hello Kitty birthday, and we're going to rent a bounce house/slide. She cannot wait; she's so into birthdays right now. Chris and I are going to surprise her with a swing set from us which I know will be a really big hit with her.

We're also getting everything ready for her big girl bed! She's been in a toddler bed since the summer, and she's just ready for something bigger. Her crib converted to a toddler bed, and it also converts to a full sized bed. We're just waiting on the bed rails to come in. Her new bedding just arrived which is more exciting for me I think, but she's pretty excited too.

This week Chris is home with us for his Spring Break so hopefully we'll get to do something fun I that I can share!

It was PJ day at church on Sunday for the kids so that was a lot of fun!

Th...Th....Th...oh I can't even say it!

2011-03-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness; I cannot believe I am now 30 years old. Just saying, thirty, makes me cringe. I've felt like such a grown up for awhile now so I really liked being able to say I was still in my "twenties." Everyone says I'll love my thirties, but they just don't get it! I just don't want to say good-bye to my twenties. I just don't want to be thirty. I can't imagine even telling someone that I'm thirty! It sounds so old. Monday was a day of mourning and feeling pitiful for myself.

Thanks to my family though, it was very nice. This weekend we went to my parents' so they could watch Scarlettt while me and Chris went out alone. That in itself is a great birthday gift! My parents spoiled all of us as always all weekend.

Chris got me this cake:

The story behind it is really sweet. When I picked up Scarlett at preschool the other day, one of her teachers said she had been asking Scarlett that day which of the princesses is her favorite. She said Scarlett didn't really seem to know which one to say, so she asked Scarlett if Cinderella is her favorite. Scarlett thought and replied, "Well, my mommy is my favorite princess!" So Chris got the cake for that reason. I can't wait to remind Scarlett of that little story when she's 16, slamming doors in my face, and sneaking out of her bedroom window!

On Monday, which was my actual birthday, my sister and London and Lily, came over and surprised me bright and early. This is a big deal for my sister because her kiddos actually sleep in pretty good. I threw on some clothes, and they took me and Scarlett out for breakfast. It was a very sweet surprise!! Thank you so much girls!

A Little Sunshine

2011-02-25T10:07:00.000-06:00

Hope this adds a little sunshine to your day like it did to mine.

Ready for Spring

2011-02-22T13:16:00.001-06:00

Finally we have some warm weather around here! We are so ready for spring. We went out to get some new sand for Scarlett's sandbox, and what did we find? Colored play sand! Huh! Who knew?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T13:14:00.006-06:00

Crazy Cat Lady?

2011-02-08T09:46:00.000-06:00

Fun in the Snow

2011-02-04T21:22:00.001-06:00

An ice storm hit here four days ago, and Chris's school was closed for four days. This is unheard of for the Dallas area!

Then last night we had a surprise snow storm come through, and we got about four inches of snow at our house on top of all that ice. We were excited about the snow because we were already home bound anyway, but now we could actually play out in it.

Luckily, the last time I was at my parents' house, I brought home my dad's sled from when he was kid, and the sled we played with when we were kids. I mainly just want to have it because it's special, but it sure came in handy today!

First, Chris made us some snow ice cream and snow Dr. Peppers. Yes, we were that bored!

Time to go sledding. Luckily we have a really steep driveway!

And we finished it off with some hot chocolate!

Pine Cone Bird Feeder

2011-01-21T06:00:00.003-06:00

Scarlett made the cutest little pine cone bird feeder at preschool. She was very proud of it. We hung it outside and have been watching to see if birds will come to it.

Indoors & Outdoors

2011-01-18T06:00:00.002-06:00

Indoors:
Where it's nice and warm! Where she can fingerpaint and wear tank tops in the dead of winter.

Outdoors:
It snowed! Unfortunately we had left her gloves at preschool. The snow threw all of Texas into a frenzy, and Target was sold out of gloves. I sent her out in my gloves which just didn't work. She stayed out there for about 5 minutes. It really was freezing!

A Picture Really Is Worth a Thousand Words

2011-01-15T11:20:00.002-06:00

If I was entering some contest or something like that which required me to choose one photo that best represented my child's personality. This is the picture I would submit.

Scarlett is so full of life.

She's dramatic and extremely animated.

She loves being around other people and kids.

She's constantly talking.

She's already into shutting her door to keep me out.

She's incredibly observant.

In many ways, she's wise beyond her years.

The other day the phone rang, I answered it, realized it was a telemarketer, and hung up. She was watching and asked, "Wrong number?"

She's very loving. Always kissing, hugging and babying.

We were in the car the other morning about to head to preschool. I was mainly talking out loud to myself and was naming off everything we had in the car to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything. "We have your lunch, your backpack, your nap mat, your coat...." To which she interrupted, "Mommy! We forgot your purse!" She was right.

She's fiercely independent.

She put the entire outfit on she's wearing here. Flip flops (it's January and there's snow outside), some new white leggings that go with a completely different top, her bathing suit cover up, her favorite sunglasses and headband, and her new umbrella.

So for some reason, seeing this picture that Chris captured with his phone, to me, just perfectly sums up my dynamic baby girl who will turn 3 in 3 short months.

3 going on 13.

And I love her so much sometimes I think my heart could just burst.

Roller Ball Game

2011-01-01T15:51:00.001-06:00

We received a Wii for Christmas, and Scarlett is always asking to play "that roller ball game" now. My sister had the idea to take the girls out to a real live roller ball game. I was unsure if they'd like it, but it was a lot of fun! This will definitely be something we do as a family every once in awhile now.

Just look at that form!

Blurry

2010-12-29T22:58:00.001-06:00

Christmas has come and gone, and it was all in a way, a big giant blur. And I'm exhausted.

It all began for us on the morning of the 22nd when Santa visited our house. He came early of course, because he knew we were about to travel all over the state of Oklahoma. Scarlett was none the wiser. She was just thrilled Santa came and brought her a choo-choo train and ate his cookies and drank his milk. Her mother, on the other hand, is not negotiating where she spends Christmas morning next year. We will be home. At our house. And that's that.

I did not take very many pictures. I have a point and shoot. See, you don't blame me, do you? Santa did not bring me an SLR. He says when I go back to work full time, I can have all the cameras, and clothes, and Uggs I want. But until then, I just get the to delight in the fact that I get to be home with my daughter. Um, thanks Santa.

First we ventured 4 hours away to my husband's little old home town, Spiro. Then on Christmas morning we drove another 3 hours to my little old home town. And I realized there, that my sister and I were watching our babies open presents and stockings in the same house we opened presents and stockings growing up.

And two days later we drove another 3 1/2 hours back home. Now we are facing endless laundry and boxes and boxes of toys that need to be taken out of impossible packaging and put together.

Christmas was wonderful. My heart is full. And I'm very, very tired.

.

Santa Clause

2010-12-17T12:13:00.001-06:00

I cannot believe this will be Scarlett's third Christmas! This year she is very much aware who Santa is. We had planned to go see him with a big entourage, us, my sister's family, and my parents last weekend. We waited in line for an hour, and by the time it was finally our turn, Scarlett was not having it. She cried and cried and told me, "I don't want to!" So we didn't make her sit on his lap. My sister was very annoyed by this, and thought we should have just thrown her on his lap for a quick pic, but I just couldn't make her when she was that upset. It wasn't a huge deal to me, so I was just going to foret about it this year.

Then all week she started up about Santa again saying she wanted to "try again" and she said, "I not cry anymore!" So when we were at the mall last night with just me, her and Chris, and I saw the Santa exhibit, I told her he was there. We had just ate dinner so she was full and hyper, and she very excitedly said she was ready to see him.

And to my great surprise, she was! There was only one little boy in front of us, and he was crying a little bit so Scarlett started singing to him, "Oh, you better watch out! You better not cry!" I swear I'm not making that up.

She kept asking, "Can I sit on his lap now?" I really couldn't belive it! She walked up to him, and told him she wanted a choo-choo train, and she pointed to us and said, "That's my mom!" and "That's my dad!" She asked him if he was going to bring her toys. She sat on his lap easily and hugged him good-bye. Afterwards she kept saying, "But he didn't say Ho, Ho, Ho!?" That really threw her off.

So I hope my sister is happy because we do have a picture this year after all.

Last year she didn't cry until she realized she was on his lap and I was walking off.

And the first year. Ignorance is bliss!

And my favorite "Santa" picuture of all. I could just cry! They just aren't babies for very long.

Scarlett's Prayers

2010-12-16T09:37:00.000-06:00

Christmas Family Photos

2010-12-13T13:58:00.000-06:00

We drove all the way home to Oklahoma back in October so Angel Porch could take our family Christmas photos. We were lucky enough to get in on her Holiday Mini Session. I absolutely love her! She took Scarlett's two year photos back in May, and it was great to see her again. I could look at her work all day. And the way she captures newborns gives me serious baby fever. I might have to have one more baby just so she can photograph him or her!

Since I love digital scrapbooking so much and playing around with Photoshop, I decided to design our Christmas card this year. I like making my own so I can choose whatever colors, layout, and wording I want. I made my sister's card too. Here's my finished product. I had so much fun with this!

Miss Patty Cake

2010-12-07T07:54:00.000-06:00

My niece London sang with Miss Patty Cake at church last week. It was so precious watching her sing, do the little motions and stand on the risers like such a big girl. Scarlett and Lily liked watching although I think they really just wanted to go up on that stage too. This was Scarlett's first time to see Miss Patty Cake. She was a hit!

In front of the tree before leaving. Scarlett had some wild curls that night!

Can you see London! So sweet!

After London sang several songs she came back to sit with us to listen to Miss Patty Cake's message about Jesus. I didn't get any of Lily for some reason!

Scarlett LOVES her London.

Miss Patty Cake!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T14:09:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving with family in OKC. It's always so nice to go home. We ate dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa's house, then spent a few days in Mustang with my parents and my sister and her family. Chris and I even had a night out alone!

Here's the kids! London and Lily of course, then Jaxon & baby Emma, my cousin Sarah's kiddos.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Odds and Ends

2010-11-23T20:19:00.000-06:00

Scarlett has been completely potty trained at night for the past couple of weeks which means I'm officially done buying pull-ups! I am so proud of her since she won't be 3 until April.

Preschool is also going great. It's been several weeks since she has cried when I drop her off. She's finally her normal self around her teachers and friends. I think it has been the best thing for her. (It's even helped when we go to church because she doesn't cry there anymore either.) They do so many great activities at her preschool, and she loves talking about what they do. Lately they have started doing baby yoga, made and ate jello, had a chocolate tasting, and painted with feathers, pumpkin spice, and corn. Every week they talk about a new bible verse. I love to hear Scarlett tell me what they do there. She loves talking about her friends and I think she's a little busy-body because she was telling me the other day who wears diapers in her class and who wears pull-ups. She is such a hoot!

Also, Chris was lucky enough to get to go to a World Series game! He went to the only game the Rangers won too!

Conversations with Scarlett #1

2010-11-08T19:36:00.003-06:00

At Target

Waiting in line to check-out behind a disheveled, grumpy looking man.

Scarlett: (To the man) Hi! We take Vito to the doctor!

This kid has gotten to where she'll talk to just about anybody. She was right at least; we were going to take our cats to get their vaccinations later.Grumpy Man just stared at her blankly while Target Lady scanned his items.Scarlett stared back. Scarlett turned to me.

Scarlett: He can’t talk mommy?

Me: (Leaning down to whisper) Scarlett let’s be quiet, ok? Just talk to mommy.

Scarlett: But he can’t talk?

Grumpy Man was not amused. He then looked at me. I smiled and shrugged. He stared, no smile.

Scarlett: (Giving up on Grumpy Man, she began singing at the top of her lungs.) Old MacDonald had a farm EIEIO! And on this farm he had a... (long pause) COW! EIEIO!

Grumpy Man looked at me as if to say, Are you going to make her stop? He didn't even crack a tiny smile. Jerk. She‘s a two year old for goodness sakes! I noticed he was staring at her hood too; the hood I couldn't get her to take off.

Me: Scarlett, let’s sing very quietly, ok?

Scarlett: NO!

Me: And let’s take off your hood too. You don’t need it inside.

Scarlett: No mommy!

Me: Well why not?

Scarlett: Because mommy! My hair’s cold!

***************************************

On the Way to Church

Scarlett: Will Jesus be at church mommy?

Me: Well, yes, he’ll be there, but you just can’t see him.

Scarlett: But mommy, where's Jesus's car?

***************************************
At 3:40 a.m

Scarlett: Mommy! Mommy! Come cover me up!

I went. I covered her up. I walked out of her room without saying anything.

Scarlett: Mommy! Teddy needs covers too!

I was half way back to my bed. I turned back around, went back in her room, covered up Teddy, and left, again, without saying anything.

Scarlett: Thank you mommy!

***************************************
At home today (After watching an old Santa cartoon with Chris yesterday)

Sarlett was dragging around one of my huge cloth laundry bags. It was filled with all sorts of her toys. She was going around to different corners of the house. She’d stop, pull out a toy, put it on the ground, gather her bag back up, and walk around some more. She came to me, stopped, dug around in the bag some, and pulled out her beloved Curious George stuffed animal.

Scarlett: Mommy, this one’s for you!

Me: Thank you!

She gathered up the bag and dragged it off again.

Me: What are you doing?

Scarlett: I’m makin’ Christmas mommy!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T13:44:00.001-05:00

Scarlett really enjoyed trick-or-treating this year. She quickly realized that with each house, her bucket was getting more and more full. She did such a good job at saying "Trick-or-Treat!" and "Thank you!"

Little Cowgirl ready to go!

Sweet cousins! Lily made such a precious Minnie Mouse!

My niece London LOVES Toy Story so dressing as Jessie was perfect!

So stinkin' cute!

First house!

The girls got these adorable Halloween bracelets from one of the houses. Man, I need to step up my game with what I hand out!

"Home, home on the range!"

This is a house in my sister's neighborhood fondly referred to throughout the year as "The Halloween House." It is so so scary in person. Creepy music and all. Scarlett still went up to the door to my surprise, with a death grip on my hand that is. She kept saying "Candy! Candy!" as we passed by all the freaky statues; I guess reminding herself that being scared would pay off at least!

And the Two Year Olds are done!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-01T13:30:00.001-05:00

We had our first family pumpkin carving event a few days before Halloween. We bought some of those pumpkin carving kits (which actually work by the way) and had some fun! Scarlett loved playing in the pumpkin goo. It kept her busy for a long time while we carved away. I can say that she now fully understands the word, slimy!

She pretended like she was cooking...

We had a huge mess to clean up, but she had such a good time.

Ta Da!

Pumpkin Patch OK Style

2010-10-25T15:34:00.002-05:00

We made a trip to OK this weekend to see my parents and have our holiday pictures taken. On Saturday before the OSU game, we went out to a pumpkin patch. It was COLD and WINDY when we got there, and we were not prepared, but Scarlett had a blast which is all that matters, right!? We went on a hay ride, fed some animals, ~~complained about the wind~~, went through a muddy corn maze, picked out some pumpkins to take home, ~~complained about the mud,~~ and best of all....Scarlett rode her first pony!

Daddy and Scarlett and their boots!

Practicin' her rodeo moves.

They have "nighttime" corn maze adventures....can you imagine!? No thanks.

Scarlett shot down this slide; good thing Pa was there to catch her.

After coming down she said, "I'm a space ship!"

My new shoes, boo hoo.

Even though I stayed by Scarlett when she rode the pony, I was very surprised she liked it so much. When she got on she said, "Yee haw!" I tell ya, this kid is a riot.

Scarlett's dorky parents...

Blurry, but the best family shot of the day so I had to include it.

Getting Ready for Halloween

2010-10-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

Scarlett is getting more into Halloween this year. Last year, she went trick-or-treating for the first time, but had no clue what was going on. I let her have one sucker then threw the rest of the candy away, and she had no idea. I'm sure that won't be the case this time around. She's very into asking what everyone is going to be for Halloween this year and she loves noticing all the pumpkins and decorations that are out. They're going to paint pumpkins in preschool this week too which I'm sure she'll love.

This year she is going to be a cowgirl! We got her some real live pink cowboy boots from the western store, a pink hat, and a little western skirt ensemble. She originally said she wanted to be a princess, but I figured she has plenty of time for that, and that this might the last year I can fully control her costume. She wears the new boots all day around the house so I think it was a great idea. I figured she would continue to wear it all for dress-up even after Halloween too which helped me justify the cost of it all!

Here's some digital scrapbook pages I just finished of her first two years.

And a small sneak peak I took with my phone of her in 1/2 of the costume for this year....she would NOT sit still... I think it will be a fun Halloween!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T18:13:00.000-05:00

Miss Personality

2010-10-04T10:46:00.000-05:00

This little video is a perfect example of Scarlett's funny personality. I snuck up on her when she was entertaining herself the other day and singing her preschool songs. She loves to sing the songs she's learning there. It's still weird to me to hear her sing songs I don't know and that I didn't teach her. She has to teach me the new ones she learning! Also, you'll notice she's got her pjs on, but she has her dress-up jewelry on, her sunglasses, and some random shoes too. She plays dress up ALL day like this. I swear, every time she comes out of her room throughout the day, she's got a different get-up on!

Hodge Podge

2010-09-27T10:47:00.001-05:00

Scarlett is settling into preschool more and more. Her two teachers are so wonderful. They give me full updates on her progress when I pick her up. They tell me she is getting a little more comfortable and at ease each time she attends. She was having accidents so I was putting her in a pull up, but on Friday she told them she wanted to wear her underwear! And then she did fine all day using the potty for them with no accidents. Also on Friday she finally participated in art time and actually enjoyed it they said. She loves going to music too. She still gets panicky when I drop her off, and she won't play on the playground for some reason. At home, she's always asking when she can go back to preschool though and wants to include her teachers in our prayers to thank God for them.

On another note, Scarlett has started drawing faces at home, and I think it so fascinating and sweet! The first time she drew a face and showed me, I was quite surprised. Here's one she did, saying it was Vito, our cat:

She did this one yesterday:

Also this weekend, Scarlett said something very funny when were were eating out. The waitress was talking to Scarlett. It went something like this:

Waitress: What's your name?
Scarlett: Scarlett!
Waitress: How old are you?
Scarlett: I'm two!
Scarlett: (Pointing to me) And that's Michelle!
We all died laughing.
Waitress: (Pointing to Chris) And who's this?
Scarlett: That's Daddy!

Every day we get such a kick out of the things she says.

She's also developing quite an imagination. She told me this whole story about how she had to go to time out at preschool. When I asked her why, she said it was because she hit. I asked her who else had to go to time out, and she said "that girl." She included many other details. I couldn't wait to ask her teachers about it. They laughed when I told them saying they don't even do time out there, and that they couldn't even imagine Scarlett hitting anyone. (To which I told them, Oh just wait!) They said she has never even done anything remotely bad. (Again, just wait!) So she made up that whole little story! We've definitely got our hands full with this little two year old!

Digital Scrapbooking: Fall 2009

2010-09-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

Just made these digital scrapbook pages from fall of last year, and I used the same kit to make my new fall blog header. I have so much fun doing this it's ridiculous!

Good-Bye Paci

2010-09-12T15:53:00.001-05:00

Scarlett will be 2 1/2 in October, and she still sleeps with a paci. I've been dreading taking it away, but I don't want it to affect her speech or her teeth, and I knew the longer I waited, the worse it was going to be. She's been sleeping at preschool without one so I got brave, and we threw them away yesterday. I tried to make a big production out of it so she would get that they are really gone for good.

First, I told her we were going to give all her pacis away to baby Jaxon because she's a big girl now. (Which is funny because baby Jaxon is my cousin's little boy who quit using a paci a long time ago, and he's almost two, but Scarlett thinks of him as "baby" so I went with it...)

She colored a picture for "baby Jaxon" as well during which I let her have one last paci fest.

Ta Da!

One last time...

In the box they go!

In goes the picture too...

Ready for the mailman!

Bye-Bye Forever!

Since she only had them when she slept, I knew it was going to be awful at nap-time and nighttime, and I was partly right. That first day she never took a nap. She just cried in her room for an hour. Once she cried out, "I need a paci for just one more minute!" Poor baby! Then the last 30 minutes, she just sang songs, but she never slept. That night she went right to sleep and never cried or asked for it.

Then today, she had a hard time at nap-time again and only fell asleep after Chris laid on the floor by her bed. It's pretty sad for me too; that was the last real "baby" thing she had. But not having those nasty things around as a crutch will be very very nice!!

Dallas Arboretum

2010-09-06T08:42:00.000-05:00

Then & Now...about a year in between....

First Day Blues

2010-09-04T10:44:00.006-05:00

Yeah, that's right, the first day was not all smiles and giggles for Scarlett at preschool. I thought it was going to go better than it did because she seemed so ready to go. We talked a lot about it, and I had her help me make her lunch so she wouldn't be so surprised when she had to eat there.

I reminded her a lot that she was going to get to go play with new friends and that I would be there to pick her up after rest time.

When we got there, we said our goodbyes outside the door of the classroom, and then she marched right into her little room without a tear or a protest. I was shocked! She always cries when I drop her off at church on Sundays so this was new behavior! I left feeling naked without her with me. It was so strange. I thought about her all day.

I got there 30 minutes early to pick her up. I waited in the car for a minute, but then I couldn't stand it so I went inside and piddled around the church until I gave up and went to her room about 15 minutes early.

She had actually just woken up, and when she saw me, she burst into tears. I was mostly surprised to find out that she had slept on her nap mat! I never thought she would go to sleep, especially on the first day. That was the first time in her life she has fallen asleep without a paci! (Now I'm motivated to take it at home too...)

Her teachers told me she had been very nervous all day, but that she didn't cry. She's potty trained, but she had two accidents and would not let them take her to the bathroom. They said she told them, "No, mommy takes me potty!" In fact, they said she used that phrase all day. Like, "No mommy reads the books!" or "No, mommy gives me lunch!" and so on. She also only wanted to watch during art time, which was surprising because that's what she loves to do most! They said she enjoyed music time though. She ate hardly any of the lunch we packed so she was starving when we left. She said, "Let's eat lunch!" I tried to explain that she has to eat lunch there.

They did say that she had a good day considering it was her first time to be away from me for that long with "strangers." And I'm also happy she didn't cry all day. I know that it can only get better. She will start getting used to it and will hopefully enjoy it more and more each time. I can't wait for the day when I arrive to pick her up and she doesn't want to leave. Only then will I feel completely okay with it, but I have faith that that day will come!

Pre School

2010-09-02T10:47:00.001-05:00

Scarlett is starting Early Preschool tomorrow! She'll be going 2 days a week from 9-2. Besides family, she has never been "watched" by anyone for this long. I mean, she'll eat lunch there and everything! I was really worried about how she would feel when I leave her there for the first time until we went to "Meet the Teacher" earlier this week. After that, I felt much better and very relieved. This must be one of the best Christian Preschool's around! My niece attended all last year, and loved it. They are so organized. Her room is nice and big, filled with so many fun things to do. She has two teachers, and they were so sweet and on the ball. Each day, Scarlett's class will have art time, playground time, music and movement time, lunch time, and rest time. And of course she'll be learning about Jesus. They even asked us what some of her favorite books are so they could read them to help them feel more comfortable there. One of her teachers even reminded us that she'll be praying for our kids. You can't ask for much better than that! One funny thing is that by chance there are only little girls in her class. Those poor teachers and all the drama they'll have.

Here's what we've been doing to get her ready.

We had to get her a nap mat. She loves playing with this, but I would be very surprised if she actually goes to sleep!

New shoes! Ked's have come a long way haven't they?!

New outfits...(those boots are mine though...she loves putting them on!)

New lunch box and backpack!

She's ready to go! Good grief. I hope we both survive the first day.

Manipulation

2010-08-24T12:15:00.001-05:00

Scarlett has become quite the picky eater. Sometimes she'll eat a lot, and sometimes she'll eat nothing. I don't worry about this at all for some reason; I know she'll eat when she's hungry. I do, however, try to find creative ways to get her to eat. Using toothpicks instead of forks has been working lately. She loves "stabbing" the food and eating it off the toothpick.

Breakfast is usually the meal where she eats the least, but not on this day!

Then at dinner she got a kick out of seeing how many peas we could get on the toothpick, then she ate them all!

Sometimes it just takes a little manipulation to get a toddler's tummy full!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T12:33:00.001-05:00

Weekend Fun!

2010-08-16T10:33:00.001-05:00

We had a great weekend, busy as always, celebrating Lily's 2nd birthday and spending time with family.

On Friday night I watched all the girls while my sister and her husband went out for the evening. These are three of the best little girls in the whole world. They are so good and so easy. We had dinner, swam, played in the sand, played in the sprinkler, ate ice cream, and then I threw them all in the bathtub so London and Lily would be ready to go when Mandy and Jeff came to pick them up.

Saturday we all met at my Lily's house for her birthday party! Mandy chose a luau theme which was so cute! Lily wore a little grass skirt and everything. It was adorable! One problem...I did not get my camera out one time! (This is mainly because I hate my camera and must get a digital SLR soon before my awful little point-and shoot provokes me to stab myself.)

I did use my cell to take some of the kids going down the slide into the little pool. It was quite a hoot!

Here goes London, sunglasses and all!

Scarlett's turn! (Notice the funny take of Uncle Jeff below!) Sometimes, she scared me going down that slide! She would go completely under the water and one time she even when down head first on her stomach! She's a little daredevil.

Even Jaxon, my cousin Sarah's little boy who's about 4 months away from being two, went down!

Scarlett did not get a nap that day, and it was one long day! When we finally got home, gave her a bath, and put her to bed, it was after 8:00 which is past her normal bedtime when she does nap. So she was exhausted. She fell asleep in her room with all the lights on when she was waiting for me to come read to her.Yes, she still gets pacis when she sleeps; if you would like to come over and take them away from her, please, be my guest.

And if Friday and Saturday weren't busy enough, Sunday, everyone came over to our house, and the girls broke in the new toy Aunt Pebbles brought for Scarlett. It's an indoor jump-o-line. The pictures of the girls as little blurs are perfect, because that's what happens when they get in it. They run around and jump like crazy!!

Whew! What a weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

Girly

2010-08-01T13:25:00.000-05:00

Sometimes Scarlett is all boy; she kicks, runs, hits, jumps, somersaults, splashes, and slides. She can be a little dare devil with all things physical. She's definitely ready for gymnastics! She's extremely agile and dexterous. She's even built like a little athlete. Her arms and legs are already a little muscular.

Then she's also all girl. She loves dressing up, baby dolls, cooking in her play kitchen, shoes, and jewelry. She's always interested in my necklaces and earrings. The other day we were looking at costumes in a catalog, and I asked her what she wants to be for Halloween this year. I didn't really think she would know how to answer, but she said, "A Princess!" without skipping a beat.

So while I actually love that she's a little athlete in the making, I also enjoy it when she begs me to paint her toes and sits so patiently while I roll her hair and get her all dolled up!

Digital Scrapbooking

2010-07-28T13:10:00.000-05:00

I love digital scrapbooking. It's a fun way for me to be creative with all the gazillion pictures we have of Scarlett. I never did get into regular paper scrapbooking. That takes too much effort and time. Digital scrapbooking is quicker, cheaper, your pictures can't get ruined, and there's never any mistakes! I am definitely still learning. People out there can do some amazing stuff! Here's what I do:

Step One:
Buy a scrapbook kit online. *I also use these kits to create my own blog designs. I make my own blog headers and backgrounds. You can also use the kits to make cards, invitations, calendars...the possibilities are really endless!

I like:
The Shabby Shoppe
Scrap Orchard
Sweet Shoppe Designs
Two Peas in a Bucket
Scrap Artist

Step Two:
Design a scrapbook page in Photoshop (I use Photoshop Elements 8) using the elements from the kit. This is the part that takes some learning, but it gets easier.

Step Three:
Send off the pages to be printed! M PIX, Shutterfly and even Walgreens print scrapbook pages. I've also heard that Costco prints them very nicely, but I don't go there. Basically, in order to fit in scrapbook albums, scrapbook book pages are sized 8 x8, 10x10, or 12x12 so you just have to find a place that prints that size..

I've been working on albums for my mom and mother-in-law. Here's some of the pages that I've made for them. I'm pretty proud of these! They were so much fun to make, but Photoshop isn't always that easy to figure out. I think the finished albums will make really nice gifts for them.

I'm also working on a birthday album for Scarlett. My plan is to add about 5 pages each year after her birthday parties then I'll have one big album just of her birthday celebrations. I've only got some done from her first birthday so far...

I hope I've inspired someone to give this little hobby a try! If you ever have any questions, I'd love to try to help you!

Splish Splash

2010-07-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

Little Gardener

2010-07-21T12:23:00.002-05:00

Scarlett loves to do almost anything outside. She's really into bugs right now. She notices ants, rolly-polly bugs, crickets, spiders, and wasps. I've been teaching her all of their names. Most of them she wants to touch. The other day, I was telling her to watch out for a wasp that was flying around, and she said, "No, that's a dragonfly Momma!" Seriously, the kid is so smart with the things she says!

She also likes dirt. When we were at my parents' she enjoyed digging around in their garden and "helping" plant some too. She LOVES to think she's helping. She says, "Look! I'm helping!"

Helping Pa prepare the tomato plants

Showing GG and G Pa she knows how to water the garden

She also loves the ~~tacky yard art~~ cute little garden animals my mom has; she kept kissing, hugging, and petting them.

Bike Buddy

2010-07-10T19:21:00.000-05:00

Chris and I have always liked riding bikes. We recently put a bike seat on my bike for Scarlett, and we're loving it. She pats me on the back as I ride and says things like, "Go Mommy Go!" We can ride down to several different parks very easily, and we also have some fun bike trails in our neighborhood. One is heavily wooded, and Scarlett said, "Hey! We're in the jungle!" She really likes going for a ride. It's a fun thing for all three of us to do together, and I'm getting some good exercise toting her around!

4th of July

2010-07-05T10:24:00.003-05:00

How is it possible that my baby has now seen THREE 4th of July holidays?

2008

2009

2010

This year we spent the weekend with my parents and my sister's family. Chris's dad also came down and brought a big surprise for Scarlett, a Kawasaki Barbie Four Wheeler! Luckily London was here to help show her how to ride. For now Scarlett just wants to sit on it; she's not too sure about it when it actually goes. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Progress

2010-07-03T14:11:00.002-05:00

The toddler bed saga continues…

The night after I posted our toddler bed issues, I knew something had to change, but I still wasn't sure what to do. After her bath and after we read, I turned off the lights as usual, and as usual, she started getting all worked up. Then she said, “It’s too dark!” I knew then it was going to be another long night if I didn't try something new. So I said, “Ok, I’ll leave the bathroom light on, and I won’t shut your door, but you cannot get out of bed, ok?” She said, “OK,” but I doubted it would work. I tucked her in, and walked out. Cringing, I waited for the wailing to begin, but lo and behold, nothing! She didn’t cry! She didn’t call out for me! She didn’t get out of bed! Not one time! I didn’t hear a peep!

Now, mind you, I’ve been trapped in her room with her every night for almost a week (and yes, I realize I’m choosing to do that, but still…) so I was ecstatic. I got so much done! I happily worked on laundry, loaded the dishwasher, and straightened the house. I watched Bethenny Getting Married in real time! Man, was I happy. My prayers had been answered! The stand-off was over!

Around 11:30, I checked on her, found her to be sleeping soundly, shut her door, and turned off the bathroom light.

I fell into bed as all mothers with babies and toddlers and 16 year olds must do, and feel right to sleep.

The next thing I knew, I was jolted awake from a ruckus blaring over the monitor. She was screaming, crying, and her little fists were just pounding away on her door. I looked over at the clock. 12:30. Lovely.

I was too exhausted to help her fall back to sleep so we slept on the guest bed together.

The next morning I realized maybe it’s the door being closed that’s bothering her.

So last night, I left the door open again along with bathroom light and she was happy with that. She went right to sleep with no drama and no getting out of bed again. A MIRACLE I tell you!

Then I left and went to the movies with my mom, sister and DAD (yes we dragged him to Eclipse!!) Chris stayed home with Scarlett and reported that she never got out of bed or cried. At midnight when we got home, we shut her door so we wouldn’t wake her since my parents are staying with us for the weekend.

And no kidding, not 20 minutes after shutting the door, she woke up and started banging on it. I opened her door, and she walked right back over to her bed, got back in, and went back to sleep. It’s the craziest thing! So we left her door open all night, and she was fine.

The only problem is that she woke up at 6 am and came into my room wide awake and ready for the day. At least we’re making HUGE progress. I am a much happier mommy after a really good two nights! Thank you to all the supportive comments and advice!

Toddler Bed Woes

2010-07-01T12:55:00.003-05:00

We converted Scarlett's crib last weekend to a toddler bed, and I'm regretting it quite a bit! But there's no going back now. We probably could have waited longer because she never tried to get out of her crib; I just thought she would enjoy a big girl bed now that she's two. She also loves big beds so I thought it would be a fun transition for her. Um, not so much.

She's doing great at nap time. I put her down, she doesn't make a peep, and she doesn't get out of bed. I've been bribing her some though, and she gets a Starburst when she wakes up if she doesn't cry and doesn't get out, but hey it works, and if it weren't for naptime I might have lost my mind by now.

But these last few nights have been full of drama. She likes the bed; she gets right in and snuggles up. But she wants us to stay in her room with her. She pats the floor by her bed and directs us to "Sit here!" and "Mommy, go get your pillow!" When I put her down and leave, she freaks out, gets out of bed, and pounds on the door in hysterics.

We've been giving in and have sat in her room until she falls asleep. One problem with this is that sometimes we're in there for 20 minutes and sometimes it takes over an hour. My hope is that after a week or so, she'll get used to the bed, and we won't have to sit with her anymore, but this could also become a big problem.

We have one of those saftey knobs on the inside of her door so she can't get out. I'm thinking we may have to try putting a gate up and leave her door open instead; maybe then she won't feel so alone. But we've always shut her door when she sleeps, and it doesn't bother her at naptime so I'm not sure what the deal is. I don't think I'll feel so bad making her cry it out if she's crying at a gate instead of a closed door though. We're also still letting her have her paci when she sleeps so it's not that.

Right before bedtime at night she's all smiles. She takes her bath, and then we read. She likes to get a chair for herself and then one for T Boone, her zebra.

What makes me crazy is the DRASTIC difference between naptime and nighttime. Because of how well she does for her nap, I know she can do the same at night, but she just will not give in.

I am thankful that I had an easy time with potty training. Dealing with both of those right now would just be too much! Thank you Lord for the free potty training pass! Much appreciated!

Artiste

2010-06-26T23:09:00.005-05:00

On a recent trip to my parents' in Oklahoma, my mom took us to Lakeshore Learning so Scarlett could pick out some new toys. I had never been there before even though we apparently also have one in Dallas. It's a neat little store full of educational games and toys. She wound up getting Scarlett a slew of stuff for painting. We went home, set it all up outside, and let her have at it. Of course she loved it, and I loved watching her try something new and fun.

My heart...

2010-06-25T14:24:00.001-05:00

belongs to these two.

Moving is a Dirty Word

2010-06-21T14:16:00.005-05:00

For the record, I hate moving. And I will never ever live on the second floor or higher of any building again unless it involves a door man, an elevator, and a live in maid. Our house is only about 5 miles away from our old apartment so we did a lot of the moving ourselves which actually made things a lot harder and dragged the moving process on and on. Just to move one box down to the car required us to climb six flights of stairs, so we were exhausted going back and forth.

Now that the moving part is over, we're just dealing with the tornado of finding a place for everything again. I thrive on order and organization in my house so all the boxes we are still unpacking and my long to-do list (hang that picture, mount that mirror, find a spot for those blankets, and so on) are driving me batty. I don't think I've sat down in three weeks.

When we first moved in, Scarlett and the cats were all thrown off. Scarlett didn't want to sleep in her new room, and the cats howled all night long. Vito got stuck out in the garage one night by accident with no food or litter box and he decided to relieve himself on a recliner that the owners of the house are leaving there for awhile. Lovely! Needless to say, things have been a little crazier than my liking.

However.

I am so happy with our house, the neighborhood, and the extra space. The cats and Scarlett are finally settling in. I have a kitchen vegetable squirter again! (Seriously, try living without one on your kitchen sink for a year and you'll see why I'm so happy to have it back!) We finally get to grill out again! Park our cars in a garage! Be as loud as we want inside! Hooray!

Scarlett gets to go outside more & she's very happy about that. She loves checking the mailbox, watching daddy mow, waiting for the garbage truck to come, and of course playing out in the backyard---these are all very new to her since we've been in the apartment for awhile. She also loves the garage and running around on the driveway...can you see her?

And both Scarlett and Peanut enjoy the new window seats...(This is now one of my all time favorite pictures too)

All in all, I'm just relieved we survived the move, that we were even able to move, and that things are getting back to normal.

If Chris gets a principal position in Oklahoma next year and we decided to move again, I might just lose my mind. At least that gives me 12 months to forget just how awful moving actually is.

2 Year Photo Session

2010-06-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to OKC so that a fabulous photographer, Angel Porch, (some of you know her) could take Scarlett's 2 year photos. Angel is a dream photographer! She is young, hip, educated, professional, and just has that photographer's eye. Her editing skills are to die for! I am so happy to have finally found a photographer I will use again and again. Angel worked wonders with our spunky little girl, and Scarlett was eager to do just about any pose Angel wanted. I HIGHLY recommend her!! Angel posted a collage of some of the photos on her blog: Angel Porch Photography The entire gallery of photos she took is so good; we will have a hard time deciding which to order!

First Haircut

2010-05-24T12:56:00.001-05:00

I thought Scarlett would have her first haircut before she turned 2, but her hair has grown very slowly! My mom has trimmed it once, but last week, she had her first official haircut. I took her to one of those fun kids' places and was the crazy mom with the camera out the whole time! I'm pretty sure I annoyed several people there.

Anyway, her hair was getting pretty mullet-like and shaggy so it was time! The salon girl convinced me to keep it in a bob until it's all one length. I'm glad I listened to her. It turned out really cute!

Before & After:

Lately

2010-05-14T10:16:00.001-05:00

Cell phone shots of what we've been up to!

Antsy

2010-05-12T14:26:00.007-05:00

I'm an anxious person by nature. My mind is always racing with plans and schedules and ideas.

But I've been extra anxious lately.

This time of year makes me anxious. It's when I have to decide if I'm ready to go back to my "real" full time job as a school librarian. I really miss working in the school environment. As a school librarian, I was always busy. I had to run the whole library myself which meant I did everything from ordering books, teaching classes, checking books in and out, shelving books, running book fairs, giving book talks, helping teachers with lesson plans, and on and on.

In public library land where I work now part time, I don't have nearly as much to do. Half of the time I'm working at the reference desk which is very boring. I thought I would be bombarded with difficult scholarly questions, but instead patrons ask how to print, if they can use the phone, borrow a Kleenex, will I go out with them on a date, how do they get into their email, where the bathroom is, or can they have more time on the Internet because they promise they've got an important project to finish (of course it never fails that I look up later and see them playing on Farm Town.)

We deal with homeless people, angry people, drunk people and lots of weirdos (but that's a whole other Blog I guess....) So needless to say, I'm antsy to get back to my nice little secure school library world.

But.

Working part time allows me to be home with Scarlett a lot. My job pays good. Scarlett has never had to go to day care because of it. I enjoy the people I work with. So I've decided to deal with the public at least one more year. It's just not about me right now. Hooray.

I'm also anxious about Scarlett starting an early preschool class in the fall at church. I had to enroll her now to guarantee her a spot so I've got it on the brain. She's going to go 2 days a week from 9-2. It's not a full blown day care facility, just a Mother's Day Out and Preschool, so I'll have to pack her little lunch and get her a nap mat. My niece already attends and love it; she has learned so much. I know Scarlett will really benefit since she's talking so good and learning so quickly and doing fabulous with potty training. She loves to learn and play and sing, and she has so much curiosity and energy that I know this will be good for her. But I also know at first she'll be upset when I leave her since she's not used to that. I just worry it will be too overwhelming for her. I just worry in general. At least we've got some time....

I'm also anxious in a good way for our upcoming move! We've found a house to rent which is getting us out of this THIRD FLOOR apartment. You might remember when we sold our house almost two years ago. Again, we did it for Scarlett, but seriously, enough is enough. Did I mention we live on the third floor? We'll start moving in a few weeks, and I cannot wait. I can't wait for Scarlett to have a backyard and for me and Chris to have a garage and just more room in general. Scarlett can actually push her wagon and ride in her cars on the street instead of around inside. Our new neighborhood has several parks, a pool, and a splash-ground so this summer will be so much fun. Oh, I'm so excited and relieved. Thank you Lord!

And while Scarlett is doing so good with potty training and rarely has accidents while we're at home, I doubt she'll be so willing to adjust to me taking away her paci. My goal was to take it away right before she turned two, but I chickened out. She knows she can't have it during the day, but she sure wants it a night. And she's very volatile at night so I'm afraid to take it away. My firm goal is to take it away some time soon like tomorrow before we move. I know there's lots of tricks and tips, but none of that fluffy stuff will work on her. She's going to be down right pissed off, and I seriously fear her wrath.

I'm also thinking about changing this Blog some. A lot of people make their blogs private which I've considered, but I really don't want to do. I'm pretty sure only friends and family would want to read this, but you just never know. So instead, I might just change the title again and take off our last name especially since Chris is in school administration now. A crazy parent found our address and knocked on our door the other day so if they can find that, they can probably find this. So you've been fairly warned that things might be changing up again soon!

And now I've gotten all that off my chest, and I feel much better!
today

Dentist

2010-05-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

I had the chance to try my hand at dentistry the other day.

Meet the culprit: A seemingly sweet and innocent little two year old who has actually been known to smear mascara all over her face, throw daddy's nice watch away in the garbage and pull her cats' tails from time to time.

A quiet toddler means a mischievous toddler in our household so I should have known when she was coloring in silence (or colorin' as she says), we had a problem on our hands. Then I found her with this:

And so I made her open her mouth, and I found crayon ground into every one of her big back teeth on top and bottom. Using her tooth brush and my finger nails, I dug out bits of crayon over and over again until it was all out. And guess what was most distressing? The crayon bits in her mouth weren't even orange! They were purple.

2 Years Old

2010-04-24T09:20:00.005-05:00

Scarlett
     sleeps in her crib
     eats her vegetables
     sings several songs from memory
   lets me paint her toenails
     has never had a haircut
   insists on doing things by herself
   enjoys "cooking" in her kitchen and "setting" her table
     says, "Ta Da!" when she shows me something she did
     gives lots of hugs and kisses
     identifies most letters and single digit numbers
     loves scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, pickles, chocolate and popsicles
     weighs 29 pounds
     sleeps with a slew of stuffed animals in her bed
     is day-time potty trained
     talks on the phone
     loves Curious George & Caillou
     would choose a potato chip over a cookie
   has a large vocabulary
     persists until she (usually) gets her way
     tells Daddy, "Be careful!" when he leaves for work
   used the word "patient" the other day
   peels the paper off of crayons
   talks from the instant she wakes up until the moment she falls asleep
     hates having her face washed
     goes to bed at 7:30
     pulls her kitties' tales
   is seriously fearful of going to the doctor
     loves to get "cozy"
     takes a nap after lunch
   pulls out her hair bows any chance she gets
   cries when I leave her a church
     does not cry when I leave her with my sister
     says, "walkie, walkie" instead of just walk
     loves, coloring, play-dough, animals, cars, and her "little people"

Scarlett is two now and so full of energy, curiosity, life, and love.
What an amazing little girl! We love you sweet Scarlett.

Bluebonnets 2010

2010-04-20T08:43:00.001-05:00

And, WOW, what a difference a year makes.

Click here to see more from last year!

Poo Poo Scawy!

2010-04-19T19:45:00.002-05:00

Tacky title maybe, but it sure is funny when Scarlett says it! Today is definitely a day for the record books. Potty training is going pretty smoothly so far, and Scarlett had no accidents all day! And she actually told me every time when she needed to go. Before today she was doing a good job going #1 in the potty. No big deal anymore with that, but she refused to go #2. She would hold it until I put a diaper on her at naptime or would just go in her “big girl underwear.” When she does do that in her “big girl underwear” she gets very upset even though I don’t scold her. I just try to tell her where that is actually supposed to go, but she gets so upset and says, “Mommy, poo poo scawy!!” I kept thinking oh great, my daughter is afraid of poo! How will I ever get her to go in the toilet!

Well, yesterday we transitioned from the potty chair to just using the ring on the actual toilet. She seemed fine with that change. Today, she actually told me she needed to go #2, and she went in the toilet! She was almost in tears though, and she kept saying, “Poo poo not scawy” the whole time she was going as if to reassure herself. I had to hold her hands too, but hey, she went! She also surprised me several more times today. When we came home from grocery shopping, her pull-up was still dry, and she woke up with a dry pull-up after naptime. Way to go baby girl! I can’t wait to quit buying diapers, but I am most looking forward to not changing dirty diapers anymore! Whoo Hoo! At least we're on the right track...

Birthday Bash

2010-04-14T14:27:00.001-05:00

Scarlett turned two on Friday, April 9, and her party was on Sunday. On Saturday most all of our family were already in town so we had a cook-out at my sister's house. It is so funny to watch the three girls play. They are wild! There's lots of high pitched squeals and running around. We were all having dessert and the next thing I knew, Scarlett was opening her presents! One turned into two and so on until I just let her open everything from my parents. She is really good at ripping off the paper now!

The next day we had the actual party at a nearby park. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful location. We rented a clubhouse that overlooked the park and a pond. Scarlett's favorite thing to do is go to the park, and her favorite thing to eat is pizza, so that's what we did, and that's what we ate! This is the invitation I made and sent out; I chose a barnyard theme because Scarlett loves to sing "E-I-E-I-O" and loves to look at farm animals in her books.

As you can see, Scarlett got her little hands on the cake when we were decorating the clubhouse. She just couldn't stand it! I had the baker make a bandanna and cow print cake to go with the theme. They did a great job I think! It was also delicious! Money well spent....man, cakes are not cheap.

Here you can get a good look at the clubhouse view; it was so pretty! We couldn't have asked for a better day.

And here's my precious birthday girl on her big day. These have been the most wonderful two years of my life.

Grandmas!

Grandpas!

GG! (my grandma)

Sisters!

Cousins!

I guess it was too hectic for the three of us to take a family photo so here's a really cute one of my sister's family instead!

I let Scarlett drink a Dr. Pepper with her pizza (she still keeps asking for more "Pepper") and at one point, she took a big gulp of it and declared, "I love it!" We all laughed; she's a pretty funny little girl.

Time for cake!

Listening...

Blowing...

Clapping...

Thinking...

Going for it!

Time for presents! All the kids were very interested in this part!

And then Scarlett opened some cars from my sister's family, and it was over! She just wanted to play with those!

Then at the park's playground...what better time to practice the big kid swing than at your 2nd birthday party?

We had such a fun day celebrating your birthday Scarlett! You are such a joy. We love you very much! Happy Birthday!

My sister took the majority of these photos; thanks Auntie!

Happy Birthday to Scarlett

2010-04-14T07:22:00.004-05:00

Scarlett is now 2! I've got lots to post about her party and her 2 year old stats, but for now, here's a video of us singing to her. It was so windy that I couldn't get the all the candles to light, but she didn't seem to mind. What she does at the end is quite a hoot. She's been singing the "Happy Birthday" song constantly!

Toddler Talk

2010-04-06T13:18:00.007-05:00

Beacause these are things I never want to forget but will if they're not written down....

It's warming up here now, and when I turned on the air conditioner in the car the other day, Scarlett yelled: "Mommy it's windy!!"

***********************************************************************

Scarlett's favorite question right now is:

Scarlett:   "Mommmy, what's your name?"
Me:          My name is Mommy. What's your name?
Scarlett:   "My name is 'Karlett!"
Me:         Very good!
Scarlett: "Daddy, what's your name?
Chris:     My name is Daddy! What's your name?
Scarlett: "My name is 'Karlett!"
Chris:      Good job!

***************************************************************

Scarlett was awake from her nap calling out to me:

"Mommy! Mommy! MOOOMYYY? WHERE ARE YOU? Mommy?"

When I (finally) poked my head in her door, she beamed and cried out,

"I found her!"

************************************************************************

I was watching Oprah the other day just before we were heading out the door, we were almost to the car when Scarlett stopped, furrowed her brow in concern and asked: "Where'd Oprah go?"

************************************************************************

While I wasn't watching, Scarlett sprinkled a trail of cat food from their dish, into the kitchen, and on into the living room. So of course, I asked, "What are you doing, Scarlett!?" She answered, "Mommy, kitty hungry!"

************************************************************************

While grocery shopping the other day in the produce section, we were right next to a worker who was stocking vegetables. Scarlett looked the elderly man over and shouted, "Mommy, man scary!!

************************************************************************

Lately, whenever I correct Scarlett or even just tell her no, she retorts in a bossy voice, "Mommy, be nice!"

************************************************************************

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T18:23:00.002-05:00

We had a very low key, relaxing Easter this year. I worked on Saturday so we just went to church Easter morning and all came home and took a nap. It was great! We are gearing up for Scarlett's 2nd birthday party next weekend. She'll be 2 this Friday, but I'm not ready to discuss that right now...

Family photo after the church service! Scarlett looks sad because she is not a fan of the church nursery. They say she cries off and on and doesn't ever want to eat their snack. We haven't been going consistently which is probably part of the problem. We need to go every Sunday so she can get used to it. I do think she did a little better this week than last week.

My two favorite people in the whole wide world. This is from my iphone which I think takes better pictures than my actual camera, but that's another story....

And finally, with frilly socks and shoes off, hair pulled out of bow, and stripped down to her bloomers, Scarlett was much happier!

Happy Easter from our Family!

Precious Art

2010-03-29T09:16:00.001-05:00

Ode to Aub & Alli

2010-03-24T12:59:00.003-05:00

In graduate school I was lucky enough to meet a life long friend, Aubrey. We paired up together on an assignment in one of our classes and became fast friends. Aubrey is a genuine friend, easy to talk to, fun to be around, and is always up for anything. After we met, she helped me get a school library job at the district where she was working. We share a lot in common too. Besides being in the same profession and sharing similar interests, we've also endured similar life experiences. Little did we know, we were about to share even more in common. I remember she was one of the very first people I called up to tell I was pregnant, days after getting a positive test, and during that phone call, she confessed she thought she might be pregnant too! We then began another journey together, pregnancy and the birth of our first children. How comforting it was to have a friend to experience pregnancy with! We really helped each other through those 10 months, asking each other questions, helping each other with worries, and even complaining to each other about how awful we felt!

It would only make sense that we were both pregnant with little girls too. And best of all, the girls were born one day apart. We both decided to put our school library careers on hold to stay home while exploring alternative career options. I'm so glad to have her as a friend, and I really hope Allison and Scarlett become great friends too. I really don't think they have a choice!

And here they were together just the other week when we meet to play and eat lunch. They did so good together, Allison shared her beloved Puppy and Scarlett shared her beloved food. So sweet!
We love you Aubrey and Allison!

Spring Break

2010-03-22T12:56:00.002-05:00

During Chris's Spring Break this year we were very busy visiting with family. First, we headed to OK to see my side. We went out to the farm and then stayed with my parents for a few days. It's good to go home!

Once we were back home in Texas, Chris's mom visited along with his aunt and uncle. They all spoiled Scarlett rotten. We spent one day at the Dallas World Aquarium, a pretty impressive place! Scarlett was very observant. She was afraid of the giant anteater and massive manatees. I think she was most excited about her new toy from the gift shop, figures.

We finished off Spring Break with a disappointing loss for the Cowboys, a visit from Chris's dad, and several inches of snow-AGAIN! I've never seen so much snow. Now Spring Break is over, we're getting back to our routine, and Chris is in the home stretch until summer break!

Curlers

2010-03-19T09:51:00.001-05:00

My mom meticulously fixed mine and Mandy's hair when were little girls. We always had perfectly trimmed bangs and cuts. She put our hair up in cute styles complete with bows and clips. One trick of hers to make our hair look so cute was to put curlers in our hair before bedtime. I remember sleeping on those curlers many many nights when I was little. Oh the discomfort! I had to wiggle just right so as not to feel those bulky sponges and plastic clips digging into my scalp. I'm actually surprised she got us to wear them; I mean, I wonder what kept me from just ripping them all out in the middle of the night?

Now, 20 some odd years later, my mom can still work her magic with the curlers. She got Scarlett to sit still long enough to put many curlers in her hair.

We didn't make her sleep in them, but she surprisingly kept them in all morning. Here she is after her little makeover! I don't think she will let me put them in her hair; there's just something about Grandma that makes her willingly give in!

Just Scarlett

2010-03-11T08:46:00.001-06:00

I love this little girl so much that sometimes I think my heart might burst.