Happy Holidays!

Well, we definitely feasted over the Thanksgiving weekend. There were five different kinds of pies...not to mention turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, candied yams, rolls...now you know why I gained five pounds. It was all too yummy to resist. It was yummy!! We had a great time with Peter, Michelle, Parker, & Tyler. Fun times in Kansas!

When we got back to Arkansas, we opened up the Christmas decorations and had a jolly time decorating and ringing in the Christmas season. Ashley loves all the new toys and decorations around...especially the life-size Santa. Well, it's life-size to her. He's just about her size, so they have fun wrestling. So far the score is Ashley 2, Santa 0.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Treats

Here's a fun and easy way to add in a little Halloween fun to your meals. For soups (I think tomato works the best) add a spider web after pouring soup into individual bowls. Here's how... prepare a mixture of 3 tablespoons sour cream and 1 tablespoon of milk. Put into sandwich bag with tiny bit of the corner cut off. Squeeze out mixture onto soup starting with a small circle followed by larger circles. Then use a toothpick to drag lines from the center out toward the edges to create a web design. Happy Halloween!

Mean Mommy?

The teeth count is up to 6 now. Two on the bottom, four on top. It's a dangerous situation. Putting everything in her mouth is nothing new, but with the extra tools in there now, it's a whole new ball game. It started out with just a playful bite here and there.....Jared's leg, my shoulder, my arm...ok, that one hurt. So I finally decided it wasn't cute anymore, and that I didn't want biting to become a habit...especially around other kids. It was a tough realization, but I came to terms with the fact that I would have to start disciplining my little one. So, the next time she bit me I came out with a stern, "No, no!" Her reaction -- a great big belly laugh. She thought it was hilarious! She just giggled and smiled at me. I did everything to keep myself from laughing back at her reaction. Well, the next time it happened, I put my fingers on her lips and then said (possibly a bit more serious) "No, no!" Again...the giggles. So I guess I'll have to be even more of a mean mommy. I was discussing with my mom our theory of nice mommies and mean mommies. ("Mean" moms have obedient, usually well-behaved kids..."Nice" moms have brats that walk all over them.) I want to be a mean mommy....it's just so much harder than I thought it would be. I guess I'll have to learn this disciplining thing sooner than I was expecting. Until then...

Our Celebrity Moment

We had this picture taken at a vendor fair Wal-Mart had last weekend at the Home Office. It was one of those things where you walk around and people are giving you tons of free stuff and have lots of promotional items. I think we have enough toothbrushes to last us years. I did enjoy receiving so many cool pens. Oh, and the retractable Sharpie marker...that's pretty cool. Other favorite freebies included chocolate (my personal favorite), pinky size highlighters, rubber duckies, and calculators. I have a treasure box for my piano students when they cash in points from practicing and passing off songs...so it looks like they'll have some new "treasures" show up this week. ;) Have a great week!

The First One...

Ok, here it goes. This is my first official posting on my blog. I figured I couldn't go wrong with talking about little Ashley. Her latest and greatest trick is pushing the little pink stroller (although she's only done it 5-6 times now). When she's awake, she loves to be standing. If she's not standing, she's crawling somewhere really fast so she can stand up. It's great fun! She has also decided that nap time is so overrated. She has almost completely eliminated her morning nap (now usually about 30-45 minutes) and has decided that 2 hours is enough of a nap in the afternoon. Why sleep when there are so many other fun things to do?! She has two more teeth coming in now. No, not her two front teeth, but the ones on either side. I thought there was supposed to be an order for these sorts of things...but I guess not. My friends think she'll make a great vampire for Halloween. ;) Actually, we already have her Halloween costume all ready to go (thanks, Mom). She is going to be a cute little ladybug. Awh! (We couldn't resist trying on the outfit early.) Ok, for all you moms out there with little babies...here is the secret to super cute Halloween costumes -- go to the puppy clothes aisle in Target! It's true! My little one is sporting the latest fashion of puppy costumes. But hey, she's on all fours a lot of the time, and it fits her perfectly! Besides, it was half the price and twice as cute! Some people may think that is totally wrong...but I think she looks adorable! Ok, that's all for the first post. More updates to come!

Ok, here it is!!!

Ok, Michelle...this is it. I'm still totally new at it....but, I think it will be tons of fun. Thanks for getting me started. We'll see if I can keep it up, and make it cool -- like yours! Ha! You're awesome. See ya!