New Years Resolutions

2011 was a fantastic year! I rang in the New Year in Charlotte, NC. Sipped some champagne (just a sip people...) and was 9 months pregnant! I also gave birth to the most precious baby ever, moved into a new home, lost 50 lbs, turned 21, bought a new car, and celebrated my one year wedding anniversary.

I don't usually make "new years resolutions" because I can never think of anything I'd actually stick to! I don't really think anyone sticks to their guns when it comes to them. They go in one year and out the other!
(haha)

This year I really want to stick to mine and see if I can actually do them. Dane also has a few he's started on!

1. Stop smoking
Terrible habit really...more of a social thing for me. Dane and I both quit when I was pregnant, and then one day he came home with a pack of them and hasn't put them down since. I once heard on Dr. Oz that the success rate of a person quitting that lives with a smoker is about 0% -- So here's to us. I'm not really trying to be pushing around an oxygen machine when I'm 30 and I sure as heck don't want wrinkles anytime soon...and did I mention I don't want Slade asking "what's that?" Yuck!

2. Loose this l a s t i n g baby weight
I don't think you can technically call it "baby weight" after a year. Then it becomes regular ol' "fat". I once was a size 2/4 weighing in at a whopping 113, and while I'm not really trying to be THAT thin (who am I kidding...I miss my jeans!) making it down to 120 would be sufficient, or just not having any access skin/flab. I kinda gave up after loosing 50lbs, it's very exhausting being around a 1 year old who doesn't even sleep through the night. So I have zero energy to workout...but this is a new year so don't get comfortable you 7-10lbs, you're not staying long!

3. Finish School
I could have been done with school in 2009. Yet I continued to take it lightly, missing class...being a screw up and not caring about my future. If I could kick my old self, I would. I could totally have a career by now but instead I'm worrying about childcare and looking at paying student loans until I die. My projected graduation date is December 18, 2012. ONE YEAR. 365 days-- and I'm actually 155 hours ahead, so that gives me a litttttle leeway in case I have to miss class one day! I cannot wait to finish, it's been a L O N G time coming.

4. Buy a house
Our lease is up in April, and we are definitely looking into buying ourselves a home. It's pointless to pay rent for something you will never own, although it is nice to have the security of knowing you aren't responsible for fixing anything...I want to decorate how I want, I want a REAL yard for Slade to run in, and a few extra bedrooms/playroom/office etc. and also to know the money we spend is going somewhere other than down the drain.

It's funny when you think you've made "plans" for yourself. I'm sure it makes God laugh, because we aren't really the ones in control, he is. So these are the things I want to do- but who knows what he's got in store for me! If you had told me three years ago I'd be celebrating New Years 2012 sitting in my own home, with my husband and son-- I'd probably think you were mental. So here's to all the possibilities coming my way this year, I can't wait to see what's in my future because it's only getting better!

What are some of YOUR New Years Resolutions?

little BIG things

Its officially two weeks until Christmas, and I'm not even half way done with my shopping. This is the first year ive been able to afford gifts all on my own, thanks to my new job: nanny for another 11 month old.

It definitely has its challenges, like time management and also its perks, like Slade having a playmate.

This week has already started off stressful, im in the middle of getting re enrolled in the cosmetology program. I will know for sure tomorrow how many hours I have left to complete, but I'm hoping I only have about 6 months. It's been and will be a long road (I'm giving up nights and weekends with my boys) but totally worth it in the end.

On a happier note, Dane and I have two Christmas parties we're attending Friday! And a week from Thursday one of my best friends will be driving to Wilmington, after a long flight from Paris, to visit after three long years. I can't wait to catch up and for her to finally meet my guy!

Baby Slade

Today is December 11th. Do you know what that means??? Today, my baby is eleven months old.

That means only ONE month left until the biggest milestone a little guy can have: a first birthday!

I haven't even begun planning, organizing, or dreaming of the day. I'm in total denial.

Yesterday I cried thinking about how you only get so many "firsts" and my little boy has already had many.

First car ride, first doctors appointment, first bath, first smile, first laugh, first roll, first crawl, first word, first steps, first birthday...

It seriously seems like yesterday we were staring at his ultrasound pictures, wondering who this little person was going to be. Now hes running around, talking, and hes developed such an amazing, sweet, funny little personality.

I don't regret any milestone, moment or day I've had with my son...but soon hes going to be all grown up! And the question I'm left wondering is: how long will he allow me to call him "baby slade"?

Asking for prayers

State's No. 1 Wrestler Injured During Meet - The Triad News Story - WXII The Triad

Saturday, while getting my hair done, my stylist came back to my chair and she informed me that she had received bad news while I was processing.

Her 17 year old cousin, ranked no. 1 in the state for wrestling, had suffered severe injuries during a match. He broke his neck and was flown to Baptist Hospital (in my hometown of Winston-Salem.)

I was shocked. Would he be paralyzed?! I can't imagine the terror and pain her family, especially Luke (the injured wrestler) are going through right now.

Please keep him, and his family in your thoughts and prayers. If possible please give to the SECU account set up to help pay the hospital bills they are going to be facing in months to come. I know it would mean the world to them as they are dealing with this horrific accident. Thank you!

festivities and failures

I haven't been able to write a blog in quite awhile. A week or so ago, i spilt an entire glass of water on my keyboard. EPIC FAIL.

I guess it IS time to retire my laptop. It's served me nicely for 4 great years. Yet, it couldn't have come at a worse time...Christmas. Dane's 25th birthday. Our one year anniversary. Sladeys first birthday. All of these occasions are just waiting to suck our bank account dry! Guess for now we're gonna have to wait!!!

So, I did the next best thing to keep you guys updated: downloaded a blogger app! Technology these days...who needs a desktop or a laptop when you can fit your computer in your back pocket?

Speaking of back pockets, mine were emptied when I became a proud owner of a honda pilot! It's everything I wanted, and more!

We got to test it out on our first road trip in it together last week. Wednesday night we went to Charlotte, visiting family. We spent thanksgiving at Dane's Aunts for thanksgiving dinner. I felt like I was in an issue of Home and Garden magazine at her spectacular home!

I also got to spend some QT with my mother in law while black friday shopping, which was so much fun! She's a hoot.

That friday was my sisters birthday, and in an attempt to surprise her we drove to Winston to spend the weekend with my family. We had a family lunch, where Dane and I received a beautiful one of a kind work of art, painted by my talented Uncle for our wedding gift. I'm so blessed with many amazing family members! As always, it was hard to say goodbye...especially because we probably won't be seeing eachother for Christmas.

Overall I had an amazing time and I've just got to move on with the future. We have so many special occasions coming up! Can't wait to share pictures and stories from Thanksgiving (my camera died so Ill have to steal some from my cousin) , Christmas, Anniversarys, Birthdays, and Births and everything else in the coming months! until then, heres some recent pictures of the cutest boy in the world!

eleven eleven eleven

eleven is a special number in our family.

It's Dane's favorite number, his basketball jersey number, some of his passwords are set with eleven...okay so it wasn't that special of a number to me until Slade was born.

I was super stoked when my son was born on 1/11/11. I mean, isn't that cool birthday? It would have been even cooler if he had come at 1:11AM but he waited for two more hours. (thanks buddy, I wasn't in pain or anything..)

Ever since then 11's (or 1's) have haunted me. I always catch the clock at 11:11, or 1:11. Every Dr. appointment Slade has had was made for the 11th at 11. It's just creepy...you get the point.

So, of course I was excited to 11/11/11 but mostly because my baby was turning 10 months old! I guess some people thought it was a lucky day. Not for me. Since our car wreck I have been frantically searching for the perfect car, which is SUCH a stress. And on 1/11/11 the car I really wanted was sold to someone else. (she found it first, so it's only fair I guess.) I'm just hoping that means there's something even better out there for me.

Back to Slade.

He's now 10 months old, and his personality is in full bloom.
He's very adventurous, funny, talkative (immature jargon such as: dada baba nana fafa ohoh ahah mommom) which I am guessing translates to,
 "I love my mom she is the most awesome mommy ever!!!"
He's still not walking on his own, which I am so thankful for. I am not ready to run around after him. He already gets into everything. He's started a little obsession with ice. He likes to stick his hand in my water cup to grab a piece of ice, putting it in his mouth and spitting it out when it gets too cold. Then he goes back for more. It's pretty cute. He's started to get over his fear of the vacuum cleaner, and HATES being put into his car seat. He arches his back and cries. It's....awesome. He also just started clearly calling me mom mom. He doesn't just babble, his words mean things although most of the time I don't know what exactly. He also is climbing, and actually running when he pushes his car. I can't believe how big my baby is!! Only two months until he turns one, and I refuse to believe it. My little chunker butt is turning into a little boy...

when we moved into our new house
3 months old

insisting on feeding himself...messy!

climbing UP the slide!

swangin'

love that little smirk ;)

happy boy!

can't believe how much he's changed.

rare happy day!

Lately my life has been sort of a mish mash. Sometimes I'm happy, and other times- not so much. People who act happy 24/7 annoy me. I'm not jealous, I just think that's unrealistic and it annoys me. Okay, glad you poop sparkles in the morning, but I don't need to hear about it alllll theeee timeeeee.

On that note, today IS a rare happy day!

Although last night I got no sleep. Slade is sick, and has been coughing and right as I snuggled into bed with him my throat got unbelievably sore. I couldn't swallow, sleep, breathe-- at 5am I woke up and had to turn on our vaporizer. I was freezing, but sweating. Clammy and hot. Achy and sleepy. By 7, Slade was wide awake (to our amazement) because none of us had slept all night.

Dane is a very hard worker, and unlike me he isn't the type to "call in" when he feels sick...or whenever he feels anything. Today I just knew I couldn't be a good mommy with no rest and being so sick. I really felt as if I had the flu. Just that all over, sore body feeling. Not to mention my throat felt like someone had lit it on fire. I begged asked him to call in OR call someone to watch Slade.

This is when I want to be closer to my family. I know I could drop Slade off at my grandmothers, or sisters for the day and rest. Here, I can't. I have a step sister here who would be more than willing, but she is out of town. So, reluctantly he called in...

Drove me to the doctor.
Waited for me to be called back.
Pity laughed at the weirdo male nurse who made jokes about drowning?
Sat in the room with me.
Ran after Slade.
Listened to me whine.
Waited for my strep test to come back.


my negative, negative strep test.
Pretty much the worst news ever, since you can't do anything for a virus!!
AND he had called in for pretty much nothing, although I still felt crappy.

The doctor gave me a script for some pain meds and an antibiotic just in case I started feeling worse in the next couple of days.

Then he drove me to Hardees.
To the Rite-Aid.
Waited at the Rite-Aid.
Drove me home.
And even though he could have stayed home, he went to work.

What a good husband!! I SO appreciate him.

On top of taking the first step to getting well and having a morning with my husband, I got word from my insurance company that made me super happy. I got way more for my car than I originally anticipated. Which means, a nicer car. I found one I'm obsessed with, and if it's not gone already hopefully I can get it. Which makes today, a happy day! I'm feeling really blessed.

And guess what? Tomorrow, my little sleeping snookerdoodle turns 10 months old!!!!!!!!!!!

November happenings

Fall has finally set in! I love coming out of my warm cave of a bedroom and walking out onto the cold hardwoods in the morning! Coffee is now enjoyable again, and it's nice to actually put clothes on Slade instead of letting him be naked all day.

This past weekend, I threw my friend a baby shower at my house. It was very stressful, because I wanted everything to be perfect! Everyone came pretty early and helped me set up- and in the end it didn't matter because it was just so nice to have all of us together!

Kristen, Nadia (&Parker), Kaci, Emi, Me, Annabelle, Slade, Erica, Megan

Last Wednesday we headed to the Cape Fear Fair and Expo. We hadn't ever been before and it was pretty much just like every fair you've ever been to. We met Dane's Dad, younger brother and sister, his Uncle, cousin, and her daughter. I didn't really ride any "adult" rides. The kids pretty much forced me to ride the kiddie rides with them. Guess that's what my life has come to! Slade really enjoyed the carousel and even cried when we took him off, So we rode again...

After leaving, literally 5 miles away from our house, we hit 6 point buck, going around 50-55mph. It was terrifying. Both the airbags deployed, it was the loudest thing I've ever heard. The smell was just awful, whatever powder they put inside the airbags is literally one of the nastiest things I've ever smelled. We immediately exited the car. Everyone was shocked, but pretty calm. Until I saw my car. It looked awful. Then I realized I killed an animal, which was even more upsetting. After sitting in a parking lot for an hour, we filed our report and went home, carless.

I find out from my insurance this week what kind of settlement I'm going to get for my car. Then I can proceed with getting a new one. I am sort of excited, I wanted a new car recently anyways- so here's my chance! Wish me luck! I am just very, very, very glad that everyone is okay. It could have been much worse.

sick mondays arn't fun days!

Like I stated before, we had a very busy weekend! Turns out, fall/winter is a very busy time for us. Especially since our families are spread all over the state of N.C. (and some in other states)

We had soooo much fun at Mike's farm. We went on a hayride to pick out a pumpkin from a real pumpkin patch, not just some yard with already picked pumpkins neatly in a row. This place was the real deal. I felt like Cinderella when Fairy Godmother turns the pumpkin into a carriage. It was a scene just like that! We walked around for a bit, found our [$16] pumpkin and hopped back onto the hayride. Slade loved it and it was a gorgeous day.



We also looked at all the animals, he liked the goats and the chickens and I of course loved the bunnies. They looked so snuggly! Makes me miss my bunny, Mopsie.

After all the fun I bought a Coke in a glass bottle [they taste so much better that way!] and shared it and a pumpkin roll [delish!] with Dane and Slade. It was so yummy! Then we packed up and made the hour long trip home.

When we got back we noticed Slade had a bit of a cough...
Then Sunday rolled around. We were supposed to go have lunch at our pastor's house with some other people but couldn't make it. Slade barely slept (and neither did we) and he just felt awful. You could see it in his eyes.

Which brings us to today:
My little muffin is sick. His doctor said it's "just a cold" which annoys me, because I feel like they say that every time and it seems like so much more. He had a little fever, 99.9 - and some congestion, luckily not in his chest. They told me I could give him some Benedryl [finally! some meds] I am so not that mom who's paranoid about giving her kid medicine. It's annoying actually when people are like that. I'm not going to let my child suffer. When Slade had his second cold, he was around 3 months old- and I gave him Children's Triaminic and Tylenol, without the okay from his doctor. I really don't care what they have to say either- because a mother always knows best! Unfortunately my neighbor still has our triaminic, so I bought him some benedryl and thankfully he isn't like me [it makes me hyper!] and has been sleeping for two hours. He needed it. I also got him Vicks baby rub which smells amazing- and a Vaporizer with the liquid meds that go in the water- it helps relieve coughing and congestion. Our humidifier broke yesterday and so I caved and bought a better one. Anything to make my little boo boo feel better!!

Hopefully he feels better soon, because this weekend we are packing up and heading to Winston- with a full schedule of fall, Halloween, and family festivities, I can't wait! We are finally getting a new camera from my Aunt Lisa- she is the sweetest. Dane accidentally broke ours awhile back. I can't wait to take pictures and show off Slade's adorable little costume to everyone! Hope you all have a fab last week of October!

really [too] quick.

I can't believe how fast time is going by. I feel like the last half of the year is always so short! In less than 11 weeks it's going to be Christmas! Not even two weeks later my baby will be...one. ONE, PEOPLE! ONE YEAR OLD! Holy...

Not cool.

My best friend's baby is also due right around Slade's birthday. She is measuring big [for lack of a better word, sorry noodle] and in November we find out if they are changing her due date or not. I'm pretty excited to hear the news! Seeing that precious teeny thing is going to make me nostalgic. I am not ready for Slade to walk, talk, drive, or do anymore growing up. It's all happened in the blink of an eye.

Which means I'm also getting old...fast. Not looking forward to that either!

We have so many fun activities planned in the coming weeks, and it seems like the more fun stuff you have to do the quicker life goes by.

This weekend I am super excited because we are going to Mike's pumpkin patch with Dane's cousin and her little girl who is 6. I can't wait to share the beautiful pictures she is going to take!

The following weekend, we are heading to good old Winston-Salem. We haven't been since June- and even though I have seen my immediate family multiple times since then, it's always fun to see everyone [and go home]. That weekend is also Halloween [well, kinda. It's on a Monday] but we will be celebrating on Saturday night. We are also doing a hayride with cousins, grandparents, parents, etc. Which is going to be a blast! And of course we're taking our little Slade bear [he he] out trick or treating, or rather...trunk or treating. I've never done it before but I've heard about it and I'm pretty darn excited to see my little guy all dressed up!

To top it all off...
I'm throwing Nadia a baby shower at mi casa the first weekend in November. I am so stoked. It's going to be so much fun! I already have everything purchased to decorate and I can't wait to play games- and hopefully make her cry with all the hard work I'm putting into the set up the perfect day for her.

Sometimes I wish I could hit pause for just one minute though.
Today Slade had his 9 month check up, and thankfully he is in the clear. We had sort of a scary appointment last time. His doctor was sort of concerned about how much his head had grown in 3 months, and said if the same thing happened again he was going to send us to have a CT scan and a whole slue of tests done. Um, did I say "sort of scary"? It was freaking terrifying. Thankfully though, as I thought- He's perfectly healthy and they just like freaking out parents for fun. Guess my little buddy just has lots of brains in there. I got the okay that he could have any food [with some exceptions, like honey and nuts] and today he tried peanut butter for the first time. He loved it!

We also were told he needed to be in a big boy car seat [still rear facing until one]. Thankfully we were given a very nice Britax by a family member so it was just sitting in our garage waiting to be used! I didn't think today would be his last day in his infant car seat when I put him in there this morning, so I got pretty sad when I took it out of my car. The nurse even said today, "he's turning into a toddler!" NO. He's going to be a little baby forever. Don't confuse him.

baby slade's genes

I saw someone do this on twitter, and I thought it was fun. I've never put our pictures side by side (and granted these pictures are both when we were a year old) but they are pretty much some of the only good baby pictures we have of me, and literally the only baby picture we have of Dane. So, who does he look more like? Post a comment below and let me know what you think!!

Today, I have a 9 month old.

[play video above :o)]
People weren't kidding when they said that they [kids] grow up quickly.

Someone asked me yesterday at the grocery store how old Slade was. I responded my usual "He'll be 9 months on the 11th." I didn't even realize that yesterday was the 10th. She probably thought I was weird.

So this morning when I woke up and turned on my phone and realized that today, Slade was 9 months old- I was shocked. Then a friend messaged me "He's almost a year old! It's nuts!" I know, I know. Stop. It's already depressing enough. In the same respect it's happy though, because I've survived [yes, survived.] 9 months of being a parent. There's been rough times when i've wanted to give up [like last night] and times when I just couldn't squeeze him hard enough. It's the hardest and most rewarding job on the planet, and guys- IT IS A JOB. There's no parent handbook, syllabus, manual, or instructions. There's advice coming from friends, family, doctors-- and sometimes even strangers. Sometimes you just don't know which way is up, and you wing it.

Right now we are really struggling with bedtime.
I never in a million years planned on nursing slade until he was in kindergarten [HA.HA.] but seriously, I planned on 3, maybe 6 months. Now we hit the 9 month mark and other moms are like patting me on the back, giving me high fives- and practically handing me a 6 foot trophy saying "You are AWESOME!" and I just roll my eyes...no really, there's no need to be proud of me. If I had it my way he'd be done. And we've tried...EVERYTHING.

Once he started getting teeth our awesome bedtime routine and the almost sleeping through the night was out the back door. He started sleeping with us, and now we're back to square one where he's 3 weeks old again and waking up every hour to eat. Fun times for me. He now has 7 teeth. Four on top, 3 on the bottom. They came in like literally days after his first two, and haven't stopped since.

We've debated ways on getting him in his crib, or even just in his room. Now that he crawls and pulls up it's pretty impossible to let him sleep in his big boy bed like he wants to because as I learned on Monday morning, even though you surround him with a wall, and millions of pillows he WILL fall off the end of the bed, even if there are two pillows there.

This past month has really been a trying time, especially because now he's on the move and I literally have ZERO down time. No showers, no cleaning, no laundry, no naps, no break.ever.ever.ever. but like Dane would say "That's what being a mom is." Thanks Dane. Very comforting.

With that said, i'm really blessed to have a healthy, HAPPY, baby. I mean, what 9 month old do you know that will go shopping for 6 hours with three women and not make one peep?

hello October!

As I've said before, Fall is my favorite season (mostly because of my birthday and the weather) so I was more than Happy to welcome October. Hello fall, Halloween, boots, pumpkins, cinnamon candles, blustery days, cold grass, warm homes, and jackets!


I rang in the new month by spending the night before at a house in Wrighstville Beach with my friend and her family (and of course Slade came along). The next morning I helped her get ready for her special day! It was a beautiful day- one of the coldest ones since winter, but the sun came out after a night of heavy rain and it was wonderful!

It's only Tuesday afternoon and I've already had a very interesting couple of days! Yesterday morning Slade tried to eat a penny. I was minding my own business (very hard to do with a mobile child) when I heard him cough. I went over to check and make sure everything was okay- choking is one of my worst fears...I always panic and don't know what to to do. The first time he spit up I had a heart attack and thought he was dying. Anyways, I've kind of gotten over that fear because since he's gotten 6 (yes count them....SIX!) teeth he's able to chew bigger chunks of food, which also sometimes he chokes on. They've got to learn though right?! So, I picked him up and did a finger sweep and out came a...PENNY!! Delicious! My favorite thing about him is what I call his "scrunchy smile" which is kind of devious and much too sweet. He does it when he knows he's done something "bad" and then I can't help but laugh. Probably why every time he bites me (or anyone else) and I say "OUCH, SLADE! THAT HURT!" and then he does his "scrunchy smile" I start to laugh and so does he and the bad behavior is never corrected..he thinks I'm kidding! Biting came with the teeth and he left a serious mark on my shoulder the other day, and it's no joke.

I thought that the penny incident was exciting, until we got home from the grocery store later that afternoon.

If you don't have kids- you don't understand the planning and execution that goes into unloading a car full of groceries- especially if you baby can go places on his/her own. It involves a lot of arm strength (so you can get most of it in two trips) and quickness. I was lucky enough to inherit my old playpen and I should really use it more often...because when I got done unpacking our groceries I walked into the living room to find this

and not only was there water and wet cat food everywhere- he was crunching on some too. Yummy!

Today has been a bit more relaxed and I'm glad! I wore him out playing in our yard - he got nice and muddy and even though Dane broke our camera, I managed to get some pretty cute pictures.

his scrunchy smile :)

Goodbye September, and other things.

Lately my life has been super hectic and busy!!

Once your baby starts crawling [at least for mine] he also starts pulling up and cruising, and that comes with a lot of falls and injuries. I pretty much have to have my eye on Slade at all times. Which is very time consuming! The first thing to suffer is my blog.

Today is the last day of September. My favorite month! So with that comes a lot of goodbyes. Goodbye to being 20. Goodbye to summer. Goodbye to my teeny little baby who used to just sit quietly and play. Awhile back I said I wanted to be at 125lbs by my birthday and this morning I stepped on the scale - it read: 126.2 O M G !!! I nearly peed on myself. I was just weighing in at 130.0 at my Dr. appointment this past Tuesday! A miracle? Maybe... So goodbye leftover pregnancy weight. Only 13 more lbs till I'm back at my pre-pregnancy weight. And for a friend- goodbye to singledom and her last name!

That's right, my best friend will be tying the knot tomorrow. I am her maid of honor and so excited to share this moment with her. Not even a year ago I was saying my vows at the courthouse in Wilmington. This is not her "official" wedding, but it's definitely going to be more classy that hitting up the courthouse. Dane and I wanted to be low key, after all I weighed a whopping 170lbs on our wedding day and I really didn't want the big blowout like some people have. One day we will renew our vows and have the wedding we deserve. He's never allowed me to put up pictures of that day, but here's a sneak peak....and no I didn't wear white.

So not only have I been preparing for visitors coming in town, we ourselves just got done with a mini vaca in Charlotte. Dane's soon to be brother in law owns seats to the Panthers and had invited him to go.  My dad and Dane's dad also tagged along. I was surprised with the honor of being a bridesmaid in his older sister's wedding which is on May, 27th 2012.

She had told me we were going to see some choices for her wedding dress. I was honored she actually cared about my fashion advice! When we pulled up to the bridal shop she said, "Before you go in I wanted to give you this" and it was a card. With some really sweet words ending in "I want you to stand next to me on my wedding day!" uh, how could I not cry?! Then she said, "and we aren't here to see wedding dresses. You're here to pick out your bridesmaid dress." I think I cried like a little baby.

As soon as we got home, my mom came into town- to see Slade and I and to help me out with him since I had so many things going on this weekend. It's nice to have help because I never do. None of my family lives here, and only a small portion of Dane's family does- and they are all busy with their own lives. I also try not to ask people for help. I actually was able to get a pedicure yesterday for the first time in over a year. It felt nice to relax for once.

how could you not love this baby?

A non-relaxing topic I have been avoiding is my cat, Louie. I adopted him and Sassy [our Siamese] when they were 4 weeks old. They were abandoned strays and were nursed to health by another mother kitty this nice cat man owned. He posted a listing on Craigslist and a year later they were still with us, through the birth of our son, and our move into our new house. They are a part of our family. If you know anything about me, you know what a soft spot I have in my heart for animals. I really feel like crying even writing this but one day Louie didn't come home. He and Sassy are both inside/outside kitties. He could be gone for 3-4 days and then come home looking hungover, eat, and sleep for a day, then repeat the process. Almost three Saturdays ago I held a yard sale and the next morning is the last time I saw his sweet little face. Everyone told me not to worry, so I didn't put out signs like my heart told me to. I didn't check the pound. I didn't call the vets. I didn't do what I should have and maybe if I had, he would be here. When we left last Friday for Charlotte I left a bowl of food and water out for him. I kept Sassy inside and knew if he was coming back to eat the food would be gone when I came back. Early morning hours of Monday when we got home I checked the food immediately...it hadn't been touched. I was worried sick. So the next day I checked the pound and they didn't have him but the girl knew of a big black male cat that was found with severe injuries. I went to the animal hospital and the girl told me the cat had suffered severe head trauma and was euthanized. I was trying my best to hold back tears. I think she felt bad for me so she promised she'd talk to his doctor and give my description of Louie to see if it was really him. Part of me wants the waiting to be over- but the other part hopes he is still out there and is going to come home. I just miss my boo boo kitty. Call me lame, but I love/d him. I'm hoping I don't have to say goodbye just yet.

On a happy note, in less than 24 hours my bestie will be a Benjaminson. Her little family will be complete! In less than 24 hours we are going to be together, spending some quality girl time together and I'm really excited!!

Saturday is my birthday dinner/party- I'm beyond ready to rage! look out DT. I'm finally legal.

my big boy!!

On 9/11 Slade turned 8 months old! Kind of gloomy, I know. That's probably why I didn't do a "birthday" post. butttt I finally caught him crawling on video today and decided to share it on here for his "8 month birthday update"!

he's crawling
eating people food
using a sippy cup (we're trying to wean him...and failing)
saying "words" like gaga, nana, baba, dada, mama, etc.
still a super happy baby
he has 6 teeth!!!
he still isn't sleeping through the night
taking big boy baths
walking using walker/pusher cart thing or holding hands
he can roll and throw a ball to you
he tries to pull up on certain things (chairs, crib, etc.)

everyday it's pretty much something new and I love it! At each stage I want him to stay that way until he reaches the next milestone and I think "No, stay like this!"

mish mash

Thanks for all your great input for the DIY shower invites I made. There were so many comments, I couldn't read them all! NOT. You guys suck! Anyways I finished ONE invite but then got frustrated and threw them all away. Guess crafty just isn't one of my talents (although I'd like to think it is) I'm way more creative in my mind than I am on paper- or maybe I'm just a perfectionist and get frustrated when any little detail goes awry.

ANYWAY!

Yesterday, Slade crawled for the first time! Don't get me wrong, he could definitely get around before but it was more of a scoot, with one foot under him and one foot on the ground. He still isn't crawling on demand (you kind of have to taunt him with a toy to get him to come to you) but he's finally on all fours and on the move! I think these toy cars I got him really helped (they would go flying across the room and he's chase them) and also seeing a couple other babies do it. I was sort of worried at first that he wasn't going to crawl like a typical baby- but then I read it's not even a milestone because some babies never do it. I'm glad he did though because it's nice for him to be able to go somewhere on his own and I don't think I could have waited until he was walking (which we are working on!).

The month of September has been extremely busy for us. Labor day week my family was in town, then we all got sick, and this past weekend I had a yardsale with a friend and her co-worker/friend/neighbor. Really we are all neighbors. I walked away $80 richer and kind of mad because at the end I sold 2 pair of jeans I was actually trying to keep for friends! I was caught off gaurd and totally let them go for way cheaper than I should have. Oh well, guess a little baby has some super cute jeans for this winter!

This coming weekend we are headed out of town to Charlotte. Dane's going to see the Panthers play! We're also going to be visiting with his sister and mom and possibly seeing my family for a little bit too.

My birthday is a week from today. Kind of scary... I've been waiting forever to turn 21 and I'm not even that excited anymore. I can't go out until the Saturday after which is October 1st, but my friend is also having her "wedding" that day! It's gonna be one tiring weekend. Not sure how it's all gonna pan out but I know either way it's going to be fun.

I'll be sure to post more about the coming events...and I still need to do an 8 month birthday post for Slade (totally slackin' over here!) Not that it matter anyways because I know you people don't even read these things.

DIY Shower invites!

As most of you may or may not know, my friend Nadia is having a baby due Jan. 21, 2012. She lives two hours away from me and all of our friends which is sad! Since most of us won't be able to make it to her shower, I am throwing her a small one at my house (roughly 6 or 7 of us.) So on Monday while out running errands with Dane I stopped by AC Moore and picked up supplies. I sort of copied my sisters idea for my baby shower invite (which she and her bestie made for me, thanks guys!!) because she's just so darn creative!

my baby shower invite, handmade by my sister- kelsie
and a hand painted giraffe I did at age 14 on slade's nightstand
(his room is sort of giraffe themed)

Somehow, I had to make it slightly different...which is where my creativity kicked in. I used more stamps (even for the letters) and made a border instead of a ribbon. The length and height of the card is different, and so is the color scheme. Even though I told her it was (surprise!) this isn't the finished finished product. I am kind of a perfectionist which is really tiring, but I want it to look REALLY good so I can make copies and send them out by next Monday. I think I like just his name in stamped lettering and maybe I can figure out a way to print in cool font the rest of the words? I have a lot of thinking to do! So help me out guys and leave a comment below! Let me know what I can do to improve it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

had to bleep out my number because of those crazies out there.
(kelsie you know what I'm talkin' about)

Also, as I was logging on to the computer today my SS instructor posted a link to this website. It had some really good insight (I read each day) and I plan on reading everyday now!

Happy Thursday everyone!!

:)

Having a baby really me want to have a better relationship with God. I went to church a lot when I was young and sometimes in my teens. It's a really complicated relationship - there is so many things to understand. When Dane and I started going to church after Slade was a few months old we found a group of young adults (many with children) and we just really clicked. For awhile we were even doing a Bible Study and really enjoying it.

Since then a lot has happened...
Irene, vacation, Slade being sick...

Which Caused us to miss church. I hate that. I feel like church needs to be everyday so I can stay focused on the good and what my life is really about, being his servant.

Things happen in everyday life that try to tear you away from him and so sometimes I try to read the bible on my own, which I find really hard. I get overwhelmed! I'm someone who likes to read fast and you kind of have to take your time because every sentence basically has a deeper meaning behind it.

Anyways I was trying to go back over some stuff I had read one night...but I couldn't remember the verse. Was it in...Psalm? No. I opened my Bible and literally it went right to the book, ISAIAH. And something clicked in my head and I thought "Oh yeah, ISAIAH 53" (:6-11.) It just really clicked for me when I read it. maybe it would for you too

Just funny how God works sometimes! So hopefully I will be better by Sunday. Actually preferably before because I'm doing a yardsale on Saturday morning! I'll definitely be posting about that soon, and a post about DIY baby shower invites.

Get excited people!!

Vacation!

A week ago today my family arrived from Winston-Salem to spend the week at the Kure Beach (which is about 20ish miles from our house) with us! My dad rented an amazing house, and I previously blogged a little about our week. Dane was lucky enough to have vacation time to use and took off Tuesday and Wednesday (and also had off Monday due to labor day!) here's a little peek into our fab vacation!

Saturday:

Kelsie (my older sister) and Todd (my brother in law) came over to our house around 1:30pm while we finished packing. Meanwhile, my Dad and Grandma Peggy were still traveling after taking the long way (riding the ferry and then through Ft. Fisher to Kure.) We arrived at our BEAUTIFUL home we would be staying in the rest of the week and simply relaxed. We watched Slade play while catching up on everything going on in our lives.

baby slade's newest feat, pulling up!

Sunday:

(l to r) Aunt Paigey, Baby Slade, Aunt Kelsie, and Aunt Hayes

I usually attend church with Dane, but since we were about 20-30 minutes from our church which is in Wrightsville Beach - we opted to enjoy the beautiful weather and time with our family. It was great! Sunny and beautiful, and of course there were a million vacationers (I guess we were some of them!) on vacation for Labor Day. Dane's older sister Paige and her fiance, Jeff were also in town for the weekend dabbling in some wedding planning. They met us, along with his Dad and younger siblings at our house and spent the second half of the day with us. Although Slade napped for most of their time there it's always great to see them. I definitely get along with his family well, and consider them my own. Although they were all salty and sandy I got all of Slade's aunt's together for a picture with him, which isn't something that happens often (or ever!)

Night time boat rides with the hubs

Later that night we headed out to a party boat with Dane, Kels, and Todd. I think it either went down the river or inter coastal waterway. Grandma, Angie (my dads friend) and my Dad looked after Slade. We had way too much fun! Kelsie and I even did the Cuban Slide (?) and I heard a song I used to love when I was little (The Electric Slide) I couldn't remember the steps but I sure did my own version! It was one of my favorite days/nights we had.

Monday:

Early that morning while Slade had his first nap of the day, Dane and I drove up to Ft. Fisher which is just a hop away from Kure. It's really beautiful there, we explored a little bit and found a really awesome...rabbit hole? I don't know how to explain it other than it's a huge hill looking thing thats made out of little trees, and there was a hole on the outside (see below) and when we looked inside this is what we saw (below). Dane checked the waves and when we got back, Kelsie's friends Joel and his fiance Anna were at the house. Todd and Joel made up a new version of "12 Days of Christmas" and Kelsie, Anna, and I talked about random stuff while sun bathing. We all (even Dad!) jumped into the ocean to cool off and had to fight the current while talking and joking the whole time. With the hurricane off the coast the waves were getting bigger everyday we were there. Which of course made Dane really happy. That night we ate at The Lazy Pirate, it was yummy but they didn't have high up highchairs to reach their tables so we had to sit outside...it was hot and I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes and I wasn't a very happy camper...

inside the "rabbit hole"

Outside of the "rabbit hole"

Joel  & Todd

 

Tuesday:

double rainbow

Wednesday was a pretty lazy day. Dad, Kelsie, and Todd all went to South Port which is a 15 min ferry ride. I've never been there but after a full day on the beach we three were exhausted and took a long nap! On their way back, they saw a double rainbow from the ferry, and I caught a glimpse of it out on our porch. My grandmothers cousin came for dinner with his wife and we had a good old time!

Wednesday:

Wednesday morning I drank a cup of coffee on the beach while playing photographer to my surfer husband. I got some great shots, and so did my dad who was next to me surf fishing. Sadly, they were on his camera so I'm not too sure when I'll be able to post them. We finally got time to go to the Aquarium and I must say I was pretty excited!! I had been for the first time the previous summer with Dane and it was way more exciting with Slade on the outside! Dad had never been so that made it that much better. We had a great time and Slade even touched a horseshoe crab! Sadly it was Dane's last day off but we ended it nicely and grilled out chicken Kabobs which were delicious!

Thursday:

wokeup it was 7AM and he was shaving. He didn't make it surfing (I later realized I had set my alarm to 6:15PM oops...) We left entirely too late and instead of dropping him off at our house to get into his car and go to work, I ended up having to drive him there. Then I was left with two dilemmas: He had no lunch, and I was going to have to drive from Kure Beach to his work (about an hour long drive...again.) NOT FUN. When I finally made it home I realized I had left my house keys at the beach house. Another roadblock. I was planning on having my friend, and neighbor Morgan follow me to his work in my car and then she was going to join us at the beach house with her daughter, Alaina. I had no keys to get inside to get his keys...but then, the back door was unlocked!! SO not safe for our new TV, but I was thankful at that moment. All went as planned and we spent the day with the babies playing in the sun and sand. My friend Megan also dropped by to say hello. Dane drove back after work and said he felt sick, although he surfed again for a good hour or so before we headed to Jack Mackerels for dinner. I got a Salmon Bacon Sandwich on 7 berry bread...SO YUMMY! My camera was dead at this point in time, so no pictures on my camera from this day...but here's one of Slade from Monday:

beach bum

Friday:

Thursday night we stayed at home, and so Friday afternoon after Slade's nap I drove to the beach house and spent a few hours on the beach before putting him down for another nap around 3. Dane wasn't feeling too good and wanted to have K&W for dinner and just go home and sleep so I left and met him in our driveway and we went to dinner. We picked up a movie [Paranormal Activity 2] It was stupid, and made me mad because the evil spirit wanted (and got) the baby in the movie. Me no likey. Don't watch it, the first one is better.

yucky peaches! haha his face is too funny.

Saturday:

We woke up this morning, and cleaned our house. Two kitties can really dirty up the place if left alone for more than a day. Then my dad and grandma came over and chatted awhile before we all met for a farewell lunch at Castle Hayne Cafe which is about 3 minutes from my house. Oddly enough, it was my first time there. Technically we live in Wilmington but we are minutes away from Castle Hayne (kind of a hick town with nothing in it) but it's pretty there and the food at this particular restaurant was yummy. I could tell my family didn't want to say goodbye, and neither did I. It's always sad but you just have to tell yourself it won't be long until you see each other again.

So that's what I did.

Papa Thor and Baby Slade

kisses from Aunt Kelsie

Looking ahead:
My birthday is in 15 days! (I'll be 21)
We're headed to Charlotte on the 23rd, Dane's going to see a Panthers game & I'm gonna hang with Paige!
Then my bestie is getting married and hopefully spending her honeymoon here in Wilmington.
I'll be celebrating my birthday the first weekend in October...
and guess what?
I think we found the idea for our Halloween costumes today.
Take a wild guess (the hint's in the picture) :)