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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

He did it!

He's walking. That's right folks, WALKING! What?!? MY baby is taking steps?? Steps that are carrying him farther and farther away from his mother as we speak!! Okay, maybe that was a little much. But he's growing too fast for my taste. At the same time, I LOVE watching him learn these new things. It's quite hilarious. He's been taking a few steps at a time for about a week now. And then last night, he let go of the couch and just went. He went all the way to the middle of the living room :) It was about 10-15 steps. It's just so funny to watch because he's very timid. He had a look of surprise on his face like, "No way! I'm WALKING!! Mom! Dad! Are you watching??" But he also took very small, short steps that betrayed bravado and let me know he was still a little weary of this new form of transportation.

The hardest part was that Nick and I couldn't act excited until he sat down. Every time he would start walking, we would clap and yell and all that would do is make him plop down and stare like we were crazies from outer space. Which was hilarious, but definitely impeding the walking process. So we held in our abounding joy at watching our little less than 2 ft tall bundle walking across the living room. But as soon as that kid stopped, we were all over him like white on rice!!! (what does that mean, anyways?).

I think the BEST part of him walking is how he resumes to his sitting position when he's done. It. Is. PRICELESS. He used to just fall when he was done, but now he's doing some sort of  Jedi Matrix slow motion move when he puts both his hands down by his sides, puts one left slightly behind him and then slooooowwwwly lowers himself so that he's resting on one knee (like in a marriage proposal position)! It's hilarious!! This kid never fails to make me smile at LEAST 5 times a day.

So anywho, that's my big news of the day. GO TOMMY!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

9 Months

Sigh. Yup, it's really been 9 months since my little Tom-tom was born. Tommy, at 9 months you are:

*weighing in at right around 23 lbs. We haven't had your 9 month check up yet, but that's what you were at last week. I have a feeling it's a little less now because you've been sick and not eating, but you can certainly put it away!

*29 inches long! Tall baby!!

*a tooth-growing maniac! You have seven teeth. It's like every time I look in your mouth, you have a new nubby white pearl breaking through the gums.


*QUICKLY outgrowing your car seat. Technically, we should have moved you awhile ago into your stationary carseat, but it's such a pain doing all the buckling, so mom's left you in the carseat that just locks into a base. You're wearing another kids coat in this picture that is WAY too big for you so it looks like you're spilling out of it more than you normally do, but it IS getting to be a tight fit :)


*killing us with your blowouts. I'm going to ask the doctor about it  because your "stools" have been a little off lately. I'm sure it's because you're not eating many solids since you have such a bad cold, but it's starting to make me worried a little. And I mean you're REALLY KILLING us with the pooh.


*SO close to walking!! You've taken a few steps but I wouldn't really call it walking. It was like you kind of fell in a running motion towards me or daddy. We do a lot of "Tommy, come get the pot holder from mama!!" Or you know, whatever other item that's close by that you have any interest in whatsoever.


*walking pretty well when you hold onto somebody or something. If you hold just one hand of someone, you can go quite awhile!! And you're LOVING the Tomater bubble pusher thingy that Nana got you. You get a little too excited and start moving pretty fast to push it and fell a few times, but you love being able to walk behind it!
*in a size 4 diaper. I think you'll be in this size for awhile. They're kind of big on you around the tummy, but they actually go up high enough on the front and back to prevent leaks (except for this week due to your explosive pooh mentioned above--don't hate me when you're older and realize I put info about your bowel movements on the internet).

*normally eating 1-2 jars of baby food a day and drinking 3-4 bottles a day. A lot of times you'll eat a little off of mom and dad's plate too. You've started realizing what we're doing when we have food and you ALWAYS want what we have. So far, you have tried potatoes (your fave!), noodles, chocolate, refried beans, black beans, pickles, bread, tortillas, rice, milk shakes (thanks to granny and nana!) and lots of other little things I can't think of. But potatoes are what you LOVE! One time, you ate half of a small baked potato off of dad's plate!! He was so proud :)

*making the funniest new face. It's very random when you do it, but so cute! This is the only picture I could get of you doing it, but you constantly suck your bottom lip in and just look around to see who's watching. Love it! 

*now an experienced bonfire attender. Okay, you've just been to one and it was at Uncle Michael's house, but you seemed to like it a lot! You just sat on somebody's lap (you got passed around a lot!) and stared at the bonfire the whole time. There were lots of coyotes howling and it scared the creepers out of me, but you didn't mind at all. Another nice little kid let you use their puffy coat because mom was not very smart and didn't pack yours. Nana bounced you on her knee for about 30 minutes and when mom looked over, you were asleep!
*obsessed with bath time! You hear the bath water running and in you come crawling at 90 miles per hour to stand up on the side of the tub and watch it fill up. You start dancing and bouncing around like you just can't WAIT to get in!!

(I don't know why this is blurry. Stupid Blogger!)

*really testing your boundaries. I KNOW that YOU know what the word NO means but you hear us say it, give us your biggest and best smile and do it anyways. I think you think your smile is going to be your ticket out of everything (hopefully you're wrong but it is SO stinkin hard to resist that toothy grin). So we're working on mommy and daddy being patient and you minding mommy and daddy!

Even though you are already somewhat of a rebel, you are awesome in every way. You're a challenge, but a wonderful one. I'm so excited for the holidays. It seems like they're already more meaningful because YOU are in our lives. We are blessed and so lucky to be your parents! Love you sweet pea!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

I love a picnik!!!

No, I didn't spell picnic wrong in the title. I LOVE picnik!!! I recently discovered it through another blog I like to read--Thrfty Decor Chick (http://www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/). You should check her out. She's UH-MAZING!! Anyway, I digress.

She started talking about her love for picnik.com quite awhile ago and I just recently decided to check it out. It is so awesome, but the BEST part about it is it's totally free. You can buy upgrades for like $2.80 a month, but the basics (which actually includes a LOT of editing stuff) are priceless (haha, get the pun?!?)

I thought I would include a few of the edits I did on some of my faves.
original

after editing
So, I LOVE this picture of my Aunt Becky (whom I talked about here) with all of her granddaughters. I decided to play with it a little and this is what I ended up with. LOVE it! There are so many options for borders and coloring and shading and such.

original

with editing
Then of course, there's the picture of my beloved with our beautiful baby :) I just love how the editing makes the colors brighter and it gaves me the chance to spot light my sweet boy! There are SO MANY WAYS to better your photographs. I especially loved one where you could choose what you wanted focused in the picture and then everything else in the picture is blurred. I couldn't find a picture that worked to demonstrate what it does, but it's awesome. It just gives the whole picture this dreamy effect!! Kind of like picnik has given me!! Sigh. I love discovering awesome new things. I'm sure some of you think I'm an idiot because picnik has probably been around for awhile, but I've always used photoshop and never been much of a fan. So go try picnik!! I promise you'll be addicted in 5 minutes or less! Do it. Now.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Monopoly and Coke

Monopoly and Coca-Cola are my 2 new best friends. I am convinced that I am going to become a millionare from the McDonald's monopoly game. I am only 1 piece away from winning the BIG CASH PRIZE!!!! I mean, somebody's got to win, so why not me?!?

On the other hand, my more sensible side says, "Don't hold your breath." So I started collecting monopoly pieces and going to playatmcd.com. You can enter the code off of the monopoly piece and win things at that website!! I'm not usually one to do all the 'newfangled code things' but this time, I thought WHY NOT?? So far, I've been the winner of 20 free 4x6 prints from Snapfish.com and 90 My Coke Rewards points. Sound like a big deal? No. But IS it a big deal? YES!!

Just last week, my mom and I were talking about how we needed to print some pictures off and clear out our camera cards. But it's super expensive when you have like, 600 picutres on your card. So I decided to use my 20 free 4x6 prints from Snapfish to start that project. Well THEN I decided to redeem my My Coke Rewards points. So I looked at everything you can buy with your points and you can buy 4x6 prints from Snapfish!! For 30 My Coke Rewards poinst, you can buy 50 prints from Snapfish. Sweet!! I bought 100 free prints for 60 coke points. Together with my 20 free prints I won, I had 120 pictures I could get for shipping and handling only! But wait, it gets better!!! When you sign up a new snapfish.com account, you get 40 FREE PRINTS!!! Yes folks, that's right. I am getting 160 prints FOR FREE (except s&h which I ALWAYS plan on when I get "free" items)!!!!!! I can't wait to start printing. Maybe now I'll work on Tommy's scrap book..........Probably not, but MAYBE!!

Also, keep your eyes peeled (where do you think that expression came from anyways?!?) for Tommy's 9 month post! It's coming soon :)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Complaining about complaining

Approximately one week ago, I wrote a post about how last Saturday was the best day I've had in a long time. I think God was stocking me up on the good so I wouldn't get quite so down about the bad. THIS Friday and Saturday were the WORST I've had in a loooooooooong time. I mean, a LONG time. Friday, I got "let go" from my cleaning job. Not a huge deal, but I've worked there for 5 years and they told me through an e-mail. Really?!? I thought I was worth more than that to them, but I guess not. Stinks to see the money go, but that's okay. I got over it and trusted that God would provide.

But then about one hour after I was informed of that, I found out that the drive shaft in my Jeep needs replaced and is going to cost $700. Big bummer. But wait!! We bought a warranty from a skeezy car salesman who sold us that crappy Jeep in the first place. So we try to find out if our "Golden guarentee" bumper-to-bumper warranty covers that. And of COURSE it doesn't!!! Why would it?!? Why would a warranty cover something that's extremely expensive? They only cover things like your gas cap getting a scratch in it or your winshield wiper not wiping correctly--you know, things people can actually afford to get fixed!!

It gets better. My husband, being the kind guy he is, helps our neighbor with two kids in the car round up her cows that got out........and popped an EXTREMELY expensive tire! For some reason, he feels he has to buy tires in pairs and not just replace the ONE that's ruined. That's $600 folks. Rediculous? Absolutely. Frustrating? Extremely!

There's more. Saturday, we were garage saleing (STILL not sure how to spell that) again in Towanda. Tommy got to watch his first parade--or rather some trucks driving down a road :). So we hit this one KILLER garage sale! I found a wicker hamper for my bathroom that I was TOTALLY putting off buying new because they're so expensive. I lugged my hamper out to my Jeep and went to start the car. And heard nothing but clicking. Super!! My battery was dead!! So I bought a new one.

Let's just say I had an extremely expensive weekend. LOST $400 a month, spent/spending $1300 on car repairs (who's with me on going back to horse and wagon?!?) and just overall had a craptastic time!

And then I went to church. Sigh. WHY does God always lecture me through the pastor?! A lot of times, I don't get to fully pay attention because I'm holding my squirmy wormy or making a bottle or finding a paci. But Sunday, my mom took him downstairs because he was being crazy and I got to focus my whole attention on the sermon. Which is EXACTLY what God wanted me to do. Pastor Chris preached about not finding joy in complaining. Something I hadn't really thought about before, but realized that I DO!! I do find joy in complaining. I feel so much better when I'm telling someone about all the junk I've been through. Which, don't get me wrong, I think it's okay to share your burdens with somebody and then feel better because your load is lifted, but that's not what I was doing. I was complaining to complain and to get other people to feel bad with me. I don't know why. But that is SO not what God wants from us. He reiterated that we shouldn't wallow in the bad, but we should pick ourselves up and just get over it. Work through it. LOOK for the good because there ALWAYS is good somewhere in every situation.

One day before my cleaning job let me go, my husband got a promotion! His yearly salary is increasing more than the amount that I would be making yearly by cleaning. So I get two more nights at home with my family and we won't be any worse for the wear.

When Nick popped his tire, he met the neighbors that we've been talking about meeting for 2 years. He's forming a relationship.

You'll never guess where my battery died. Right by the Towanda grade school.....which is right by the Interstate Batteries store. And you'll never guess who owns Interstate Batteries in Towanda. A family my mom cleans for and that I have gone to church with for years. He changed my battery in less than 5 minutes and only charged me $40 for the new battery and the service.

God is awesome if you let Him be. Sometimes even when you're not at ALL deserving of His greatness, He steps in anyways. Just to show you that no matter what you do, even if you're complaining about complaining, He WILL show up. He will NOT let you fall any further than your knees. He DOES provide.

Matthew 10: 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; YOU are worth more than many sparrows.







Thursday, October 6, 2011

Bye-bye curls!!

So, Tommy's hair grows much faster than his mommy's. I mean, granted, he came out with a full head of hair and since birth, it has proceeded to grow out of control! The top of it was getting long and curly, often time making him resemble Conan O'Brian or Donald Trump. The back of it was getting long and forming the shape of a rat tail and hanging over his collar. No lie. Which constantly reminded me of this kid from 1st grade named Randen (I'll leave out his last name in case anybody actually still knows him) who always had a rat tail and for some reason thought it was the coolest thing ever!





See the curls? Yuck. I have always thought boys should be clean cut with short hair. Which leaves no doubt in my mind Tommy will be a teenager who decides he wants long hair in dreadlocks or something along those lines.

Anyways, I had been dreading getting it cut for the shear fact that I wasn't sure he would hold still. He gets very squirmy when there's something going on and constantly wants to keep his eyes on the people around him. But yesterday, I couldn't stand it anymore! I wanted that mop top GONE!! So we went to Super Cuts in Andover (after being rudely informed at Snip N' Clip that she had a 30 minute wait and closed at 7pm--which was irrelavent because it was only 6pm which left an hour for her to get through her 30 minute wait and cut Tommy's hair, but WHATEV!!!). She said he would cut his hair as long as he could sit in a booster seat by himself. I told her I wasn't sure how he would act, but I would try it. And this is his 1st hair cut in pictures!!!
 Checking out the hairdresser

Looking at Mommy to make sure this is okay!

Checking out his studly self in the mirror

"Mom?!? What the heck is goin' on here??"

"Make sure you get the sides even. I don't wanna be lookin' a fool."

Super Cuts is Super!!!


Overall, he did SO great!! Much better than I thought he would. He sat really still and didn't have any problems until she had me hold his head so she could cut the back. He wasn't too thrilled about that. He had a rice puff in one hand and when I held his head, he let out a little scream and clenched his fist and totally pulverized the rice puff :) Hilarious to watch! I was SO happy to finally get it done!! He looks like a little boy instead of a baby!


OMG, this kid melts my heart!


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

$20 = the perfect Saturday

So last weekend was pretty much the most perfect weekend I've had in a looooooong time. It started off on Friday evening. I've been selling a lot of stuff on the Facebook Swap. It turns out an old friend of mine wanted a lot of what I was selling and I wanted a lot of what she was selling. So we met for dinner and then ended up swapping a lot of clothes. And getting "new" clothes will ALWAYS start my weekend off right! :) After that, I met some of the people who bought from me at the Cato parking lot and got about $20 for all the stuff I had sold. Hence, the $20 that would make my Saturday perfect!


My mom, Granny, Tommy (poor guy) and I  were all gonna go garage saleing (how do you spell that?!?) on Saturday morning. Tommy woke up in a great mood, so I knew it was going to be a glorious day! We met at McDonald's at 10am and started off with my favorite breakfast ever--bacon and cheese biscuit with a hasbrown and large Diet Coke. The breakfast of champions, folks. It was Andover Days, so there were garage sales EVERYWHERE!! It was like garage sale heaven! The main items on my list were clothes for Tommy and a coat rack. The very first sale we went to.........there was a wooden coat rack for $1.50!!! That was my tuck and run deal of the day. So we crammed that in the back along with Tommy's stroller and it rested vicariously beside my Granny's head and up through the 2 front seats for the rest of the day. Then we found a garage sale with a TON of boys clothes and it was fill a bag for a DOLLAR!! So you better believe we filled some bags!! 5 bags, to be exact. I bought some stuff Tommy can wear now, but was mostly looking for clothes to fit him in the future. My mom found a little umbrella stroller for $1 at the same sale and proceeded to push Tommy around in it the rest of the day. I think she had more fun pushing him than he had riding :) The next sale we went to, they were selling every piece of clothing for a quarter. Oh man, I almost passed out when I heard that. I found a lot more clothes for Tommy and a brand new black puffy vest for my sister. I also got some beads to make myself a brown necklace (which I've refused to pay $10 for at the store). I felt like I hit the jackpot!!


 This is all the stuff he can wear now (or this winter)


This is his lot of 2T pants/shorts


Lot of 2T shirts


Lot of 3T pants


3T shirts


4T jeans and shirt--a little soon, I know. But the jeans were Lee brand and look BRAND NEW and they fit in the "fill a bag for a dollar" sale, so I snagged them!


Size M--a little premature, yes. But it was only ONE DOLLAR!! Denver Broncos stuff even for kids is SOOO expensive, so I totally snagged it for the future :)


These are some cute little stars I got to put in Tommy's room. I'm thinking I'm going to spray paint them, but not sure what color yet.
13 tops and 15 pairs of pants for Tommy, 1 vest that I forgot to take a picture of that I LOVE for Tommy, 1 vest for my sister, 1 pair of size 5 Thomas the train shoes, set of 4 star hangers, 3 work shirts for Nick, 2 shirts for me, 5 hardback books for Tommy (including a Bible story book that is AWESOME and Where The Wild Things Are) and a coat rack ALL FOR $15!!!! And $3 of those dollars were donated at one garage sale because they were raising money for a cancer patient, so I really got it all for $12. Sigh! I love a good sale!

Then, to top off my already wonderful day, my awesome husband watched Tommy Saturday night so I could go to a movie with my mom and Granny. We got to see The Help! It was SUCH an awesome movie and we saw it at the Augusta theater, so the ticket was only $5! It was so nice to have some time with the ladies in my family and to get to watch a movie from start to finish without stopping to make a bottle or change a poopy diaper.

So thank you God for providing cheap clothes for my family, a few things I just want and didn't actually need and a night out! It was SUCH a great Saturday!! If only every weekend could be so pefect :)