Before we get to our trip...

I hate blogging out of order, just as I hated scrapbooking out of order.  As I went to start uploading pics from the trip, I realized there are a lot of things from early November I didn't post!  So...I need to photo dump some things.  It will make me feel better to get caught up.  :)

First of all - we went to First Fridays at the square for their Holiday Toyland.  Holy madness!  I think everyone that lives in our town was there.  But, we wanted to take Gavin because there were special guests - Mater, Lightning McQueen and Holly Shiftwell (maybe...I can't really remember now who the third one was) were there!  We didn't tell him where we were going, and I loved capturing his reaction on camera.  

 How fun!  Unfortunately, he wasn't as excited as we'd hoped...once he saw them, the excitement was over and I couldn't get him to stand for any cute pictures.  Oh well...

  

Then we had the birthday party of our best buddy, Lucas!  A pajama party with homemade pizzas and a movie...how cool is that???

And this little cutie just bigger and more adorable this month...

And lastly....Gavin had his Thanksgiving Pow Wow at school the day before we headed to Ohio.  We were invited to pick him up a few minutes early so we could take pictures of the event.  He was so darn cute!

Now I feel caught up!  :)  

4 Months Old!

 We're back!  What a wonderful week we had while visiting Ohio.  Now, it's time to get back into our normal routine, get caught up on the blog, etc.  But, before I post about our trip and the Thanksgiving holiday, someone is 4 months old!

The day after we returned home, Riley celebrated her four month birthday.  These monthly pictures are already getting difficult to take because of her moving so much...I can only imagine what they'll look like when she's 9, 10, 11 months old!  

I think she went through a major growth spurt this past weekend.  She was sleeping like crazy!  Maybe it was just her way of recuperating after our busy week.  :)  I weighed her on her birthday and she was a whopping 13lbs 13 oz, when just a couple weeks ago she was only 12lbs 2 oz. Her clothes are all mostly 3-6 months now, and we're in size 2 diapers now after many blowouts in the remaining size 1s.  We're finishing up the Huggies Pure and Naturals and the Huggies Little Snugglers that we have, and I might try Target brand diapers now.  Her skin seems to be getting drier every day, so we're a little concerned she's going to end up with eczema like Jarrod.  I'm curious to see what the pediatrician has to say about it.

 

Since our trip home and seeing how she slept in the pack and play, we decided to transition her to her crib.  It's weird not having her in our room, and I think Jarrod and I both miss it.  {I think she's going to be babied a little more than Gavin since she'll probably be our last.}  The first night in her crib, she did great.  Woke up once, and that was just for a quick feed.  Last night, however, was another story!  After the fourth time waking, I put her back in her Rest and Play Sleeper to finish the night so I could sleep more than a couple hours.  

She's eating every 2-5 hours...whenever she decides she's hungry, I feed her.  We're still not on a real schedule, but now that we're over the busiest of the holiday season (at least for us!) I think I'm going to try to work our way into a better napping/eating schedule.  The bottle situation is probably worse than it was before.  Thankfully I have some very understanding and accommodating hosts who are letting Riley tag along at my parties.  I can't help but keep my fingers crossed that we can get into a good evening routine soon with some solids and maybe a sippy cup that will make it easier for me to not be around.  

 

While we were in Ohio, Riley found her feet and is definitely grasping toys better.  Her hands are always in her mouth, too.  She loves watching her big brother, and is now laughing out loud at him, many times for no apparent reason.  Car rides are getting a little better...most of the time we can calm her down with the white noise app on my phone, but even then, there are times that nothing helps and she just cries and cries.  

She is still one of the smiliest babies I've ever seen. It seems like 99% of the time, if you just look at her, she smiles!  I hope she stays that happy.  :)  We had to visit the pediatrician a couple of weeks ago for her first fever, and you could tell she didn't feel well because she wasn't smiling.  

We love you, Riley girl!  

 

Thankful Thursday

Today, I'm thankful for...

...Miss Linda, and all she's done for Gavin at preschool over the past few months.  Our parent-teacher conference this morning was wonderful!
...having 9 straight days with my husband!  I love when he's on vacation.
...getting to spend a week with my family!  I can't wait to see you all.


One more week until Turkey Day!  What are you thankful for???

Behind...

I hate how behind I feel on this blog.  Blogging {almost} daily was always so important to me, and still is.  But, as is the par for the course at the holidays, I'm swamped!  Trying to get everything tied up here, Christmas shopping done, and packing a family of four for a flight {while trying to fit as much as possible in carry-ons so we're not spending a butt load on luggage!} has overtaken my life this week.  Finding a kennel for Shirley, scheduling parent-teacher conference {how is that even possible?!?!?}, squeezing in a much needed playdate for Gavin, welcoming a new member to my Tastefully Simple team....whew!  Christmas decorations are up...all the gifts are bought, with the exception of a couple that we need to get in Cincy...my last party before the trip is tonight...and then tomorrow I can finally focus on laundry and finishing packing.  There probably won't be much blogging going on while we're gone...  But I will be playing catch-up the week after Thanksgiving for sure!

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

 

Thankful Thursday

Just a hodgepodge of gratitude...

*I'm thankful for the good sleeper that is Riley.
*I'm thankful for Words with Friends and playing against my dad.  :)
*I'm thankful for my morning phone call with my mom.
*I'm thankful for my pre-lit Christmas tree, which makes putting it up so much easier than our old one.
*I'm thankful for Adam and Tony, for being so helpful and agreeing to drive Jarrod to and from work on preschool days so I can keep the car.
*I'm thankful for Miss Linda and Miss Libby for being so wonderful with Gavin at preschool.
*I'm thankful for naptime, which it now is...  And today, Mommy is napping, too.  Goodnight.

Wordless Wednesday

Superman and his Ladybug!

Halloween didn't go exactly as we'd planned thanks to a low fever for the little one and some tummy troubles to the big one, but we still had fun walking around the neighborhood and trick-or-treating last week!  Our kids sure are adorable.  :) 

All Shook Up

Things sure have been crazy here the past year, and from what long-time residents tell us, it's not the norm.  We've had record snowfall, record rainfall, record heat...not to mention the crazy week of storms and tornado threats.  Well, let's add earthquakes to the list! 

There have been reports of minor earthquakes on a few occasions since moving here, but we never felt anything.  Saturday night, Jarrod went to the UofA football game, and the kids and I were at a birthday party.  I got them home and in bed, then snuggled up in bed for some TV while waiting for Jarrod to get home.  He walked in around 10:45 or so and went into the closet to put some pajamas on.  While he was in there, I noticed something.  Things started to shake...at first I thought it was wind, but it continued for about 30-40 seconds.  I jumped up out of bed, and Jarrod came out of the closet.  I remember saying, 'What was that???'  Jarrod asked if I thought it was wind, which was my first thought, too.  But, I told him it was too long and thought it was an earthquake!  It stopped, and we both climbed into bed and switched it to the news.  It wasn't talking about any earthquakes, so I grabbed my phone to check the 'real' news source...Facebook!  Sure enough - the first 9 status updates were all from local friends - "Did anyone else feel that earthquake?" "My house just shook!"  "What was that?!?!"  etc.  And, soon enough, the news started reporting on the earthquake afterall.  It appears that a 5.6 magnitude earthquake occurred near Oklahoma City and was felt in many different states.  How crazy is that!

Jack-o-lantern Fun!

Perhaps my favorite part of Halloween is the pumpkin carving.  It brings back so many memories...sitting on the kitchen floor with table clothes and trash bags to contain the mess, carving with my parents and sister.  For some reason, I can remember one particular Halloween with our puppy Bandit there, sticking his head in the pumpkins.  {I have no clue why that one sticks in my head considering the short time we actually had that dog.}  

My most favorite part of carving the pumpkins is digging out the guts....Jarrod thinks I'm crazy because it completely grosses him out, but I can't wait to stick my hand in there and grab the seeds.  Last year, Gavin begged for the Cars templates he saw at the store and we used the Mater stencil to carve a pretty cool pumpkin.  This year, we used another from the set, and with the help of a battery operated knife, we carved King!  It didn't turn out quite as well as Mater last year, but it was still fun.  We donated our other pumpkin to the preschool and Gavin's class decorated that one, so we only carved the one pumpkin this year.   

Gavin loved watching us get started, but quickly grew bored and kept asking if we were finished yet.  Riley was a perfect angel and sat in her bouncer watching the whole time.  I can't wait until the kids are old enough to carve with me.  I love creating these fun family memories together!

 

Just venting...

I just want to complain for a minute...so forgive me.  I wish my skin would STOP breaking out.  I wish buying shoes wasn't so difficult for me {and I hope Riley doesn't end up with the same wide feet as me.}  And I wish we could hit the lottery.  That's all.
 

Thankful Thursday

It's that day of the week again...and today I'm feeling so thankful for my Tastefully Simple business and family.  Honestly, when I started this business almost three years ago, I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't think it would become what it has.  This week, the team I'm on promoted to a Senior Team Mentor team...the TOP in the company.  We're one of only 29 STMTs in the company, so it's a HUGE accomplishment.  And for the many wonderful, inspirational leaders on this team, I'm thankful.  In particular, Jen A. and Annisa M., who have been a very important part of my journey and motivate me each and everyday to continue to work this business.  It was just about a year ago that I stepped over to the leadership side of the company, and Simply Ambitious now has 14 lovely ladies!  I'm so thankful for my team, my hosts and clients, the fantastic friendships I've created, and my monthly paycheck!  I've set my goals high, and I am confident that Tastefully Simple is going to continue to help our family financially and provide me the opportunity to continue to stay home with my loves.  Tastefully Simple...thank you!  

Wordless Wednesday