Bluebonnets

Welp. I’m officially that mom. You know the one who dresses her kid up, straps-em in the car seat and drives to the nearest bunch of Bluebonnets she can find. Poor Allison. Last year the bluebonnets died before she was born so I jumped at the chance to take “traditional” Texan photos of her in a bunch of ‘very pretty’ weeds! Not gonna lie…it was better than I imagined. But rest assured, I DID NOT pull over on the side of the busy interstate to take the pictures. We went to my grandparents house, where the food is delicious and bluebonnets thrive.

 

This picture makes me LAUGH! She’s such a ham.

Allison with her great grandparents and her cousin Kensley!

Love, Love, Love my sweet girl!

Happy First Birthday Allison!

Wow. I can’t believe a year has passed since our sweet baby girl has come into this world. It’s been a roller coaster of  sleepless nights, unimaginable love, and the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. We are so lucky!

We started off the day with this little mound of heaven. She was so dainty when picking out her doughnut…eating it on the other hand…she was not.

For her first birthday I wanted something very simple yet timeless, so we went with the theme “Our Little Love is Turning One”! The main colors were pink and gold and I would say it turned out beautiful!

I made all of the decorations by hand, and at times I wanted to throw in the towel and buy princess themed crap from Target, but I prevailed! lol

 

I wanted to incorporate a way for all of our family to leave Allison a note of ‘well wishes’ or hopes for her next year of life. I had an extra canvas lying around so I thought I’d have everyone sign their names and write a little note. It’s now hanging up in her playroom. 🙂

 

The picture garland was by far my most favorite decoration…one picture from every month. It was so awesome to see how she’s changed over the past 12 months!

All in all I think her birthday was absolutely beautiful!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

12-Months Old

Age: 12 Months

Stats: 20lbs & 28 inches (These are guesstimates…we go to the doctor on the 7th!)

Clothes: A few 9 month outfits but mostly 12 months. She has filled out so much in the past two months.

Favorite Foods: Cheese, Crackers, granola bars, mac-n-cheese (can you tell we feed her such healthy foods), & yogurt (this kid LOVES yogurt!).

Favorite Words: Momma and Dadda.

Favorite Toys: Books are still by far her favorite toys. But she also is a sucker for an iPhone, remote control, or the cats fur. Ya know, the important stuff.

Sleep: She is doing so much  better with sleeping in her big girl bed. 8PM-7:30AM (she ends up in our bed usually around 2AM…not to shabby…we’ll get there)  

Favorite Activities: She loves being outside and going for walks, reading books, getting into the cats water bowl, & she also has figured out how to open cabinets.

Least Favorite Activities:  I’m pretty sure this is going to stay the same forever. She absolutely HATES having to lay down to change her diaper, clothes, be put in her car seat, or anything that requires her to sit still. She is becoming more and more adamant with her protesting. It’s getting a little ridiculous.

Signature Moves: Waving “Hi” & “Bye-Bye”, “roll em up” (Ask her, she knows), & fake laughing to make us laugh (she is a comedian already! Her Great Pop Johnny would be so proud)

Proudest Moment: I took her to work with me the other day for a little while and she just could and would not stop giving me hugs and kisses. Times like those make me forget all the bad/sleepless nights and remember why I wanted to become a mom so badly.

Other Milestones: She has cut two of her back molars, the other two are on their way in…this kid has 10… yes you read that right…TEN teeth. What, the what?! She is becoming more independent and so much more interactive with Charles and I. We also completely cut out bottles this past month…only sippy cups for this little toddler! 😦 I actually cried.

I can’t wait to post pictures from her birthday party on Saturday! Where did my baby go? For all of you brand new moms, moms-to-be or even vet mom, these are the best times of your life, enjoy every little moment because before you know it they’ll be a year old and you’ll look back and try and figure out when it happened. Don’t wish them onto the next milestone, I know it’s hard, I’ve been there but looking back I wish I would have taken more time to appreciate her learning and growth.

Ten-Months-Old

Age: 10 Months

Stats: 17 lbs & 26 inches

Clothes: Officially in 9 month clothes although there are a few 6 month outfits that make their way into the mix.

Favorite Foods:  Cheese. Cheese. And More Cheese.

Favorite Words: “Momma”, “Dada”, the occasional “Hi”, and now “dao” (which we think means dog).

Favorite Toys: She LOVES books! She understands how to turn the pages and tries to help when we read books together. She’s also a sucker for tissue boxes so I made her a baby friendly version from some cut up old sheets and an old wipe box. Now she can pull out and slobber over as many “tissues” as she wants!

Sleep: We are in the process of getting her to sleep in her big girl bed but she has been sick basically all month so we are having to start over ever other week it seems like. She goes to sleep in her bed between 7-8PM and wakes up around 12-1AM to get in our bed and will fall right back to sleep and wake up around 6:30-7AM. 

Favorite Activities: Trying to be sneaky and eat the cats food, bath time, reading books and of course anything that involves eating cheese!

Least Favorite Activities:  I’m pretty sure this is going to stay the same forever. She absolutely HATES having to lay down to change her diaper, clothes, be put in her car seat, or anything that requires her to sit still.

Favorite Things

1. Shoe-La-La: Allison got this book for Christmas! It’s super cute and has glittery pages…what more could you want? She doesn’t like this book only, but finding a picture of all of her favorite books would require an entire blog post on it’s own.

2. Avent Cup:  I know the past couple of months have featured different types of sippy cups and I can honestly say this one is BY FAR the best. We have been testing out different ones and I think this one takes the cake.

3. TeePee: Ok so I did NOT spend $160 on this teepee from The Land of Nod, but instead made my own. I have to say, it’s definitely not the best but it is still really awesome! Allison loves to crawl in it and take all of her stuffed animals and sometimes Charlotte will make her way in to play with her.

4. Cheese:  I don’t think this needs a description. She loves cheese. Shred cheese, block cheese, any kind of cheese. Also, we don’t buy craft we by HEB brand but they don’t have pictures of t online so this will work. I love giving her shred cheese though because it’s easy for her to pick up and swallow.

Signature Moves: Fake laughing, Fake crying, crawling super fast, pulling the cats fur, playing pee-a-boo, and stooping (so cute)!

Proudest Moment: She’s so inquisitive and we both absolutely love that about her. She is an incredible little girl who is always teaching us new things, most importantly patience. We are going to have our hands full when she’s a teen!

Other Milestones: Getting close to being able to balance herself to stand on her own. I for sure thought she would be walking by 10 months but I think we are looking at closer to her first birthday or after. That’s ok…I’m not ready for my baby to walk yet. 😦

Allison’s Garden

Charles and I decided that we want to teach Allison how to grow her own food! Charles and his dad “Grandpa” built a sweet little raised garden bed in our back yard. We spent Saturday shopping for soil (I really hated spending money on dirt, but that’s the life of a city slicker I guess) and putting it in the bed! Now all we have to do is wait until March 1 to plant our little seedlings AND make a cute little sign that says “Allison’s Garden”! Also I found out my daughter loves to eat grass, dirt, bugs, pretty much anything she can put in her mouth. We are in for quite a ride with this sweet girl!

We will update the garden process once we start to plant and I have the energy/time to make a sign!

Spring Cleaning 101

I have always been a clean freak, not necessarily neat, but clean. In honor of my love of organization and a tidy home I am committing myself to a “Spring Clean-A-Thon”! I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who gets excited about going through things and throwing/selling no longer needed items. Since this is the first time I will clean out an actual house I have been doing my research. I know, I know how hard can it be? Throw the shit out you don’t use…but my OCDness makes me want to organize my organizing plans. See the irony?

I found this on Pinterest and it is my inspiration for my “Spring Clean-A-Thon”.

My version. Mine are not going to be all “planned” out but  because lets face it, I don’t always want to clean and some times Allison makes it dang near impossible. 

January: Find new home for Charlotte’s necessities; sanitize and heavily clean the floors in study to make room for playroom; clean out front bedroom & closet

February: Clean out all 5 or 6 junk drawers…you think i’m kidding. I don’t even know how this happened. kitchen Cabinets, Pantry, cleaning supplies

March: Our chest of drawers, master bathroom cabinets, master closet, and garage.

April: Be excited spring cleaning is DONE-SKIES and get ready for Allison’s 1st Birthday!

I have an obsession of cleaning out Allison’s room like once a week so I didn’t feel the need to list it. I love going through all of her tiny little clothes and toys, so fun. Oh that reminds me…we need to go through her toys, this girl could open her own Toys-R-Us.

Hope this give you a little inspiration to have your own “Spring Clean-A-Thon”! Happy Cleaning!

Weekend Getaway!

I survived. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated but I made it through my first weekend away from Allison. Charles and I finally got to take our anniversary trip that we had to postpone due to Allison getting sick. We had so much fun just ‘catching up’ and spending some quality time together.  Allison got to spend lots of quality time with her grammy (my mom) and I hear she was a perfect little angel. Um…Duh She’s my kid! 😉

Saturday night after Charles got off of work, we headed to Austin to the Intercontinental Hotel. It was pretty swanky, not worth the $300/night price tag in my opinion but thankfully we got it for FREE and it ended up being quite lovely. The Intercontinental hotel is located in the heart of Austin on Congress street, steps away from the Capitol. As you can imagine fancy restaurants on every corner and well, we ended up at a pizzeria. So us.

We did a little bit of window shopping the next morning during our hunt for coffee and came across this precious little red car. I’m pretty sure if Allison were old enough to actually use it Charles would have bought it for her. She’s so spoiled.

We had breakfast at the Magnolia Cafe before heading to Canyon Lake. I can’t forget to mention the Migas Charles had at breakfast…he loves migas and quite liked theirs. If you’re ever in the mood for breakfast and end up in downtown Austin, I highly recommend the Magnolia Cafe.

As we headed out of Austin we made a few pit stops on the way to Canyon Lake, obviously we had to stop at Super Target and Cabela’s. We even got to see “Winnie-The-Pooh”. We are so easily entertained, we may go back  to take Allison to see the animals.

We also couldn’t leave without getting Allison this adorable little Chocolate Lab. Isn’t he cute? Want to know what makes him even cuter? He doesn’t pee on my floors!

I tried really hard to get Charles to buy me an Uncle Si action figure. Apparently I’m not a child and don’t need awesome toys anymore.

Our forth or fifth pit stop of the day, I lost count by this point, was to Wimberly. Such a cute little town with shops and yummy frozen yogurt.

And now the highlight of the trip…. The Tiny Texas House! Isn’t it adorable! I’m so glad I returned the hammock I bought Charles for our anniversary once I found this little gem. I highly HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a quiet getaway. They are called The Homestead Cottages! Super cozy and quaint and the perfect little hideout from our busy lives. 

I would call our first weekend away from Allison a success on both venue, company and the fact I didn’t cry. Score.

We Love Our Grandma B!

We said goodbye to a very special lady this past Saturday. Even though she wasn’t my blood, she was still my grandma.  I will never forget the first time I met Grandma B and how she made me feel like family. Back in 2009 we went to Wisconsin for Grandma and Grandpa B’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. My how time flies.  We flew up to Green Bay for her funeral and I must say it was beautiful. SO many people who loved and respected the wonderful woman, wife and mother she was. I’m thankful I had the opportunity to be apart of her life. I’m so thankful that she was able to meet Allison back in September. I just hope that as Allison gets older I can tell her just how much her Great Grandma B loved her and how proud of her she was.

This is the song they played at the end of her funeral. Just perfect. I will never again be able to listen to this song without thinking of Grandma and Grandpa B.

“I’ll always remember the song they were playin’
The first time we danced and I knew
As we swayed to the music and held to each other
I fell in love with you

Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?
Would you be my partner then every night?
When we’re together it feels so right
Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?

I’ll always remember that magic moment
When I held you close to me
As we moved together, I knew forever
You’re all I’ll ever need

Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?
Would you be my partner every night?
When we’re together it feels so right
Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?

Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?
Would you be my partner every night?
When we’re together it feels so right
Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?”

We love you and miss you!

Nine-Months-Old

Age: 9 Months

Stats: 15lbs 12oz (12th percentile)  & 26 inches (4th percentile)

Clothes: Still wearing size 6 months.  Finally put all of the 3 month clothes away and are slowly collecting 9 month clothes!

Favorite Foods:  Cheese and crackers!

Favorite Words: Momma, Dada and she even told Charles “hi dada” the other night. Fluke..yes.. but we count it!

Favorite Toys: She absolutely LOVES books. She will pull them all out and flip through the pages, chew on them (a new form of reading we believe), sit on them, and share them. We are definitely going to be getting her books and a cute new reading chair for her birthday! She also really loves her zany zoo activity block that she got for Christmas. Charlotte also likes it. And Charles. Hell, me too! All four of us have been caught playing with it at one time or another.

Sleep: 7:30PM- 6:30AM  our rockstar babe is back! She is still sleeping in our bed but is no longer waking up to eat! Next week after we get back from Wisconsin we are going to start sleep training again so hopefully she will sleep in her bed. Part of me is really sad, I LOVE waking up to both of my favorite people every morning. 

Favorite Activities: Exploring the house, reading/pulling out ALL of her books, chasing the cat (still), going for wagon rides, and pulling up to stand! She thinks she’s hot stuff when she stands up. So do we baby girl…so do we!

Least Favorite Activities:  I’m keeping this the same as last month. Still anything that involves her laying/being still (diaper changes, cleaning nose, getting dressed, putting lotion on face) & being put in her car seat. All of these things are an absolute nightmare. She is waaay to busy to sit still. Duh Mom!

Favorite Things

1. Zany-Zoo Activity Block: My favorite line of children’s toys is, Just B. B You, from Target. This activity block is so much fun, even Charlotte plays with it! It’s excellent for fine motor skills and an all around good time. She loves to make the duckies move back and forth, and open and close the doors!

2.Tommy Tippee Bibs:  Best bibs I have found and cheap too!  Super easy to clean and they roll up so they fit really in the high chair storage bin. The ONLY complaint I have is that the neck hole is a little big (at least for Allison) and she is able to put it in her mouth and usually ends up getting the neck line of her shirt completely filthy.

3. Crown Pre-Walkers: I got these for Allison because the weather has turned colder and I worry about her little tootsies getting cold at school. Her classroom has one wall that is all windows so even though the heater is on it still gets chilly. These are also awesome because they are soft soled so she can still feel the floor, which helps in learning to walk and stand!

4. Grow-Up Cup: This is such an awesome design! It has a lid so she doesn’t spill but it comes out enough to teach her how to drink out of a ‘big girl cup’! She hasn’t quite grasped the concept yet but we are learning! Still so cool. Do they make this in adult size?

6. YoBaby Yogurt: Easy and healthy breakfast or snack! We get th
ese at our local grocery store and Allison just loves them. We aren’t actually sure what the difference between these and regular yogurt is but she really likes them. Well pretty much any food but especially these!

Books, Books Books!

 

Daddy brought home Hello Kitty Band-aids for her first boo-boo! Sweet Daddy.

Eating like a big girl! Yummy!

Signature Moves: Crawler on a mission! She is getting super fast. She’s pulling up on everything, she even got her very first ‘boo-boo’ because she slipped and fell when pulling up to stand. Clapping and blowing raspberries. She also started this little clicky thing with her tongue. SOOOO cute!

Proudest Moment: We are so proud to be her parents. Every single day she does something new that impresses us and we KNOW we’ve got to be the luckiest parents ever!

Other Milestones: Attempting to stand on her own with out support (still pretty wobbly but getting there) and transitioning to table food!

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!! We have had a busy couple of days and needless to say we are all pooped, but our hearts are full! Yesterday we went back home to visit our families. Charles and I were very excited to spend Christmas day at home with our cute little babe! We enjoyed watching her eat all the wrapping paper and bows. She’s still a little young to fully understand but it was still just as magical! Can’t wait for next year to when she’ll be a little more into unwrapping EVERY present!

Christmas Eve Activities:

Huntin’ for a Christmas Tree with the Free family

Presents at Grandma Annie and the Darby family

Christmas Day Magic

Santa came!!!

Christmas Reindeer Pancakes for Breakfast!

Allison’s favorite part of opening presents…eating the paper.

Playing with her new toys!

Opening Presents is HARDDDDD work!

Third Christmas of the Season!

We hope your Christmas was as magical as ours!