What is going on here??
This isn't so bad!
I am kind of enjoying myself!
So many cameras!
This cape tastes good!
The finished product.
That was exhausting!
Andrew's First Haircut
Andrew's hair was getting a little long in the back (OK, really long) so we decided that it was time for a haircut. Actually, we decided a long time ago that it was time for a haircut, but for some reason making that appointment just wasn't that big of a priority for me- I wonder why... I decided that we would just take him to Esthetiques where Jason and I get our hair done. We decided that we would let Holly cut his hair, since she cuts Jason's hair. We took him in at 9:45 this Saturday morning. I was prepared for some loud screaming, but surprise, surprise there was no screaming at all. In fact, he smiled- a lot. I think it was because he had a huge mirror in front of him, the video camera on him, and I was snapping pictures too. I think he might be a little vain, but it kept him from throwing a fit. He had a lot of hair. I was sad to see those cute little curls go, but they were getting so long that he was looking a little bit like a girl from the back. Here are a few pictures from his first haircut.
What is going on here??
This isn't so bad!
I am kind of enjoying myself!
So many cameras!
This cape tastes good!
The finished product.
What is going on here??
This isn't so bad!
I am kind of enjoying myself!
So many cameras!
This cape tastes good!
The finished product.
Pumpkin Carving and More Weekend Fun!
This was a pretty busy weekend around our house. We had a neighborhood garage sale on Friday and Saturday. It went over pretty well. We got rid of almost everything- except for the table and chairs- and we made a little extra cash too! I also had to take Andrew to the doctor on Friday. He had to get his head measured, because it is a little bit off the growth chart and in preemies their is a cause for concern of fluid on the brain. We had to go in September and get a brain ultrasound done and it showed that his brain was functioning normally. When the doctor measured his head it hadn't grown at all! Yea! The only thing was that he does have an ear infection. Yuck! As you can see, it didn't stop him though!
We tried some spaghetti o's. He did not like them- he shook his head "no" and pushed them away!
On Saturday afternoon our pastor invited some of the young couples from the church over to carve pumpkins, so we had ours that we had picked from the patch last Saturday and decided to go. Andrew was a big help carving the pumpkin. He enjoyed eating the pumpkin goop and playing playing with the spoon.
What a big helper!
Jason did the opening of the pumpkin. He thought he needed that HUGE knife to do it!
Andrew and "Jack the Lanturn". Notice the face, I carved that! (I forgot to rotate the picture- sorry!)
Andrew and the scooping spoon- he didn't want to let go of it.
Andrew and "Jack" before he rolled him down the hill.
We tried some spaghetti o's. He did not like them- he shook his head "no" and pushed them away!
On Saturday afternoon our pastor invited some of the young couples from the church over to carve pumpkins, so we had ours that we had picked from the patch last Saturday and decided to go. Andrew was a big help carving the pumpkin. He enjoyed eating the pumpkin goop and playing playing with the spoon.
What a big helper!
Jason did the opening of the pumpkin. He thought he needed that HUGE knife to do it!
Andrew and "Jack the Lanturn". Notice the face, I carved that! (I forgot to rotate the picture- sorry!)
Andrew and the scooping spoon- he didn't want to let go of it.
Andrew and "Jack" before he rolled him down the hill.
On Sunday we took dinner to Amy and Ryan and saw baby Laney for the first time. We couldn't get a picture of just Andrew and Laney, because Andrew wanted to tackle her! Poor Amy and Ryan, they had to move about 10 different things once Andrew got loose in their house! I can't decided which is harder, the constant sleep deprivation from a newborn or the constant chasing of a toddler!
13 Months Today!
Andrew is 13 months old today! Time just seems to go by quicker and quicker. This is how I found him this morning when I went to get him up (yes, I have to wake him up). I thought it was just too sweet and I had to get a picture. The LONG flash didn't even wake him up! This is a rare moment that he is still. Once he's up he's going all day long! By the way, the wet spots in his bed are drool- he sucks on his sheets when he wakes up during the night. I guess it comforts him.
I've Been Tagged
Ok, so I guess since I've been tagged I have to list 7 random facts about myself. Here goes...
1. I am an obsessive list maker. I love to make lists! I have a list for just about anything. My current list are of things that I need to get done today- one for home, one for work- I also have a list of long term goals to accomplish at my house- curtains for the kitchen, new living room furniture, curtains for the dining room, etc. (it's one of those lists that I keep hidden so Jason doesn't see it and have a stroke!)- I also have a grocery list (but that's just good sense). Another common list that I have is for cleaning my house. It has all 12 rooms that I need to clean, the jobs to be done in the room (i.e. mopping, vaccuming, dusting), and sometimes the time it takes to do it. I have more, but the more I list the crazier I seem!
2. One of my favorite things to do is organize. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment! I just finished organizing our closet- tonight actually! I have also been doing some big organization projects at work- they recruit me, because they know that it gives me such a thrill! I actually seek out things to organize- just this weekend I reorganized all of the drawers in my kitchen (mainly because Andrew has broken a couple of dishes that I really liked). If you ever have something to organize I am always willing to help- just keep in mind that I may take over!
3. I absolutely love to travel! Jason and I usually take three trips a year. Summer before last we went to Boston, Newport RI, Kennebunkport MA, and Las Vegas. I actually have a map of the US that I color in the states that I've been too (it's kind of like crossing something off on a list). I'm up to about 30 states. We haven't gone anywhere since Andrew has been here, so we've planned a trip to South Carolina to see our friends Elizabeth and Christian and the Razorbacks play SC. I also love overseas travel as well, but I don't see that happening again for a while.
4. I have to watch Nick at Night before I go to sleep. I just love it. I think it is just a way for me to not think about anything for an hour or so before I go to bed. I don't know, but I love it!
5. I enjoy my job. Not every day (who does) but most. I think that kindergarten kids are the funniest people! They say something every day that just makes me laugh. I also enjoy the school that I work at. We are an International Bacculaurate Organization school- it's a really big deal. It means that we meet world standards for education. We are one of two elementary schools in the state of AR that are IB. I got to be apart of our core team (one teacher per grade level) to get this started in our school. It teaches the kids to be self starters and it motivates them to achieve higher standards. Plus, it makes teaching fun! Not that teaching isn't fun, but it gives you a new way of looking at the concepts that you are teaching. I could go on and on. This is why I choose to work.
6. I do not like makeup. I wear it, but I don't like it. If there is ever a day that I am not going somewhere I don't wear any. I hate putting it on, I hate taking it off. I would have been very happy to live in biblical times and wear no makeup or fix my hair. If you come to my house on a Saturday you will usually find me in pajama pants, a t-shirt, a ponytail, and no makeup- unless I have something to do. Lately I haven't had any no makeup Saturdays, but here's hoping....
7. I am content with my life. I have a wonderful family (everyone included), wonderful friends, a great job, we go to a great church, Andrew is a happy, healthy, 13 month old, and 3 animals that I love! Life isn't perfect everyday, I stress out a lot, but all in all things are good and that's what matters. I think that children put things into perspective and if they are happy, then you can't really ask for much more!
So those are mine. I now tag....
Wendi Cupp
Amy Brisiel (whenever she gets her blog going!)
Lindsey Summers
Michelle Canode
1. I am an obsessive list maker. I love to make lists! I have a list for just about anything. My current list are of things that I need to get done today- one for home, one for work- I also have a list of long term goals to accomplish at my house- curtains for the kitchen, new living room furniture, curtains for the dining room, etc. (it's one of those lists that I keep hidden so Jason doesn't see it and have a stroke!)- I also have a grocery list (but that's just good sense). Another common list that I have is for cleaning my house. It has all 12 rooms that I need to clean, the jobs to be done in the room (i.e. mopping, vaccuming, dusting), and sometimes the time it takes to do it. I have more, but the more I list the crazier I seem!
2. One of my favorite things to do is organize. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment! I just finished organizing our closet- tonight actually! I have also been doing some big organization projects at work- they recruit me, because they know that it gives me such a thrill! I actually seek out things to organize- just this weekend I reorganized all of the drawers in my kitchen (mainly because Andrew has broken a couple of dishes that I really liked). If you ever have something to organize I am always willing to help- just keep in mind that I may take over!
3. I absolutely love to travel! Jason and I usually take three trips a year. Summer before last we went to Boston, Newport RI, Kennebunkport MA, and Las Vegas. I actually have a map of the US that I color in the states that I've been too (it's kind of like crossing something off on a list). I'm up to about 30 states. We haven't gone anywhere since Andrew has been here, so we've planned a trip to South Carolina to see our friends Elizabeth and Christian and the Razorbacks play SC. I also love overseas travel as well, but I don't see that happening again for a while.
4. I have to watch Nick at Night before I go to sleep. I just love it. I think it is just a way for me to not think about anything for an hour or so before I go to bed. I don't know, but I love it!
5. I enjoy my job. Not every day (who does) but most. I think that kindergarten kids are the funniest people! They say something every day that just makes me laugh. I also enjoy the school that I work at. We are an International Bacculaurate Organization school- it's a really big deal. It means that we meet world standards for education. We are one of two elementary schools in the state of AR that are IB. I got to be apart of our core team (one teacher per grade level) to get this started in our school. It teaches the kids to be self starters and it motivates them to achieve higher standards. Plus, it makes teaching fun! Not that teaching isn't fun, but it gives you a new way of looking at the concepts that you are teaching. I could go on and on. This is why I choose to work.
6. I do not like makeup. I wear it, but I don't like it. If there is ever a day that I am not going somewhere I don't wear any. I hate putting it on, I hate taking it off. I would have been very happy to live in biblical times and wear no makeup or fix my hair. If you come to my house on a Saturday you will usually find me in pajama pants, a t-shirt, a ponytail, and no makeup- unless I have something to do. Lately I haven't had any no makeup Saturdays, but here's hoping....
7. I am content with my life. I have a wonderful family (everyone included), wonderful friends, a great job, we go to a great church, Andrew is a happy, healthy, 13 month old, and 3 animals that I love! Life isn't perfect everyday, I stress out a lot, but all in all things are good and that's what matters. I think that children put things into perspective and if they are happy, then you can't really ask for much more!
So those are mine. I now tag....
Wendi Cupp
Amy Brisiel (whenever she gets her blog going!)
Lindsey Summers
Michelle Canode
Picking Pumpkins
Andrew with our prize winning pumpkins
King of the pumpkin patch
Jason and I decided that we would take Andrew to the pumpkin patch to pick his first pumpkin. We drove out to Pea Ridge- the closest pumpkin patch- to the McGarrah Farms. It was a really neat place. There were 30 acres of pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, corn, etc. They had all sizes of pumpkins. When we got there we loaded Andrew into the wagon and went to the patch where the small pumpkins were. We found a cute, round pumpkin that was perfect for Andrew. Then they had a hayride. We sat on hay bails in this big wagon that was pulled by a tractor. Andrew thought that was really fun. He also thought that the hay tasted good! We went around the farm and saw where the big pumpkins were. We finished the hay ride and got our wagon and headed out to find a nice pumpkin for our porch. We walked for like a mile through the pumpkin patch- there were pumpkin vines everywhere! We looked at several different pumpkins- there were orange, white, and green. We found a perfectly round pumpkin and I had to actually cut it with pliers off the vine. We loaded the pumpkins and Andrew back in the wagon and headed for home. It was a really fun fall adventure!
Andrew and "the great pumpkin"
Andrew's first pumpkin
Crawling through the pumpkin patch
Orange, white, and green pumpkins
Andrew's Best Buddy
So Andrew has a new love in his life, our cat Ally. If you are thinking that he is a big cat, you are right! Ally is a 15 pound tom cat. Ally and Izzy (the calico in the background, who does not share the same love that Ally and Andrew share) have lived upstairs for about a year, until we turned the loft into the playroom. Now they just kind of hang out in the laundry room until we let them out. The first "word" that Andrew said was "Ah" (for those who know it's the short a sound like you would hear in alligator or "Ally"). He would point up to the balcony where Ally would sit and watch what was going on downstairs and say "Ah". When we finally started letting Andrew get around the cats he would crawl to Ally and just grab him. That cat never flinched, he lets Andrew pull his fur, tail, etc. Ally has also realized that Andrew is just as curious as he is, so he follows him around (not too close) and watches what he does, then gets into it too. Andrew has learned to turn the water on in our bathroom tub and Ally will get in there and splash in the water (he's a strange cat). In this picture, Andrew is playing with his restaurant (which, by the way, has a mind of it's own. Jason and I woke up to Cookie Monster's voice telling us that "food is ready") and Ally is assisting him. I think that Andrew is the cook and Ally is the waiter. They were having a conversation during this process. Also, if you noticed, Andrew is in his jammies which means that he should be in bed, but sadly Andrew does not want to go to bed these days. He has decided that he will just stay up to the point that he gets extremely tired and throws a huge fit. By the time we finally do get him to sleep (which has turned into just putting him into bed and letting him calm down- unless he cries for too long) he is usually so tired in the morning that we have to pry him out of bed at 7:00. This situation is not all bad though, he is so tired from the week of fighting his sleep that last Saturday he slept until 11:00 in the afternoon and he had gone to bed at 8:30. Andrew's New Playroom
After enough of my nagging, Jason and I finally got to work on Andrew's playroom. We have a small loft area upstairs that we had made Jason's office when we moved in, but after our house had gotten overtaken by toys, we decided that we would turn the loft area into a playroom. So, on Thursday night (before Andrew's Saturday B-day Party) we rigged up a pully system and successfully hoisted the couch over our balcony and onto the living room floor below. We then moved the couch to the garage (where is still is until our garage sale) and moved the desk out of the loft and into this other area upstairs that had just enough room for it (Jason had his doubts, but I knew it would). I had previously built the shelves and had organized all of Andrew's toys and books into the bins. So once we got the loft cleaned up we were ready to move it in. I think it looks great, the only things missing are curtains. It's too bad Andrew doesn't want to play in it without crying. So now we've still got toys overtaking the house!! Oh well!! If you haven't noticed I am in the middle of a great home organization project. I've gotten Andrew's room and playroom finished and will soon be starting on the kitchen. If you know anyone who needs a kitchen table and baker's rack, ours are for sale! Otherwise they'll be in the garage sale with the couch!
Andrew's First Razorback Game
So Jason and I decided that we would be brave parents and take Andrew to his first Razorback game. We took him to the Arkansas vs. Alabama game on September 20. The game was at 11:30 in the afternoon, so this was the perfect time for him. Our parking pass is in lot 56, which is probably the farthest lot from the stadium. After we hiked what felt like 10 miles with our 23 pound son and his 23 pound bag, we were already exhausted! All I have to say is thank goodness for elevators and air conditioned seating. Andrew enjoyed looking out at the field and pointing saying "dat". I think that the highlight of the day for Andrew was getting to beat his hands on an ice chest. So we survived our first Razorback game as a family. Go Hogs!
Andrew's First Birthday!
Andrew's first birthday party was a perfect day! We had a jungle safari party at our house. We ended up with about 40 guests to celebrate with us. Andrew enjoyed having everyone at our house. His favorite part of the day was eating his cake. He started out just putting his fingers in it, but then he realized what it was and started eating handfuls of cake. When that wasn't working well enough, he just stuck his face in it. I finally had to take it away from him! He liked opening his presents. He especially enjoyed the boxes and tissue paper (as most one year olds do). He got a lot of fun things. His special things are his car, his restaurant (not kitchen-restaurant), his Old McDonald book, and his Razorback football. Jason grilled burgers for the party. This was not his best grilling day. The first few were a little pink....OK you could still hear them moo!! He did put them back on the grill and fix them and the rest of the burgers were excellent! It was just the most perfect day. It was everything I imagined the day to be. I felt like after the start we had with Andrew that we needed to celebrate. We celebrated that Andrew is a happy, healthy one year old. We celebrated that we, as parents, had survived this first year. And we celebrated with all of the people that helped get us through the year. We couldn't have done it without them.
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