Valentine Petits Fours

Check out this quick and looks like easy Petit Fours recipe over at Mckmama's blog. Very very cute.
http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2010/02/valentine-petit-fours.html

The Pacifier Chase

Last night our goal was to have everyone in the house in bed ASLEEP by 10pm, including myself and my husband. Sound do-able right? yeah right! Tommy wasn't sure we could do it, but I thought we could make it happen. Everything was going great. Tommy came down from putting Grayson to sleep very early considering how bad his bedtime routine has been going since Ashlyn was born. I think he came down around 9:30. Shortly after that I laid Ashlyn in her Bassinet. Then Tommy and I settled into our bed by 9:45.....yeah we did it and I was so very proud of us, we were actually going to get a couple of hours extra sleep. But Ashlyn had other plans. She started to grunt and wiggle around and then it happened, the paci fell out of her mouth so I reached over and put it back in. Which started what I now call the Pacifier Chase...yeah...which went on until well after 11:30. Great! She and I went back and forth with that paci. She just wasn't happy at all. I changed her and fed her but nothing worked. She just wasn't ready to go to sleep or to lay in her bassinet alone. She wanted to be right next to me (I guess). Oh and she spit up on her night clothes twice and mine once, which required a clothing change for both of us. I was so hoping to get to sleep earlier but it didn't happen. When she and I finally fell asleep, she slept until 4ish. After Tommy changed her (thank you honey) and I fed her and laid her down asleep. As soon as I was settled into bed, she started it all over again. We went back and forth again for an hour with the pacifier. Bless her heart she wants the paci in her month but I think once she falls asleep, her mouth relaxes and it falls out and it falls behind her ear. I have a love/hate relationship with pacifiers. I love that a pacifier can help to soothe a baby and can buy you a little time to get a bottle made. But I hate that a baby can become so attached to the paci. I'm almost considering taking the paci away at bedtime. I just wonder if she would sleep better without worrying about that paci.

I'm so proud of Grayson. He slept in his bed ALL night last night. He did so good. Since Ashlyn was born he has been coming down stairs and getting in our bed half way through the night, every night. This makes for a rough night's sleep for me and Tommy. Grayson sleeps in circles, he spins around in his sleep and he always sleeps with his feet at the head of the bed. So we haven't slept good in over a month.

So we reached one goal last night. That's something to build on, Right?

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures.....

If you have read any of my blog in the past, then you know that I LOVE pictures especially pictures of my family and my children....heck I love pictures period. Here's a few of my favorites of the kids. I would have posted more but blogger is just too slow and it's getting late.

So far Ashlyn is enjoying her swing a little. She enjoys it for short periods of time. Grayson did the same thing when he was a newborn but as he got older he loved his swing. I remember spending a couple of nights in the living room because the swing was the only place he would sleep.
I LOVE this picture of Ashlyn. She was really going to town on her thumb. This picture was taken at the Doctor's office for her first check up. She was 6 days old. Bless her heart she was starving and that thumb wasn't giving her anything....she wasn't happy with it at all.

I think this is so sweet....Grayson loves to give her kisses.

My sweet baby boy. Notice his bath water is blue. Santa gave him a bottle of tablets that change the color of the bath water, but amazingly it doesn't stain the tub, or Grayson or his wash cloth. He thinks it is so cool.

I love this picture of Grayson. I think it was taken the first day we brought Ashlyn home. He is always checking on her in the bassinet. He is such a sweet big brother.

One Month Old...already!

It's hard to believe that Ashlyn is one month old already. She is such a joy. I still can't believe I have two beautiful children. They both keep me very busy. Grayson is slowly getting used to having a sister. He loves her so much but he also loves her very hard. She has the brightest eyes and she follows my every move. She is growing fast, she has already grown out of most of her newborn clothes. She now weighs 8lb 14oz. Here's a few pictures of her. I plan to post more pics soon.

1 week old. I plan to take her picture every month with the frog. I'm also planning to take her picture in a 24 month size onesie. I will post that picture soon as well. I think it will be neet to watch her grow into the onesie.
1 month old in her Valentine's outfit from Aunt Ta Ta.

Brother and Sister...so sweet.

Daddy and Daughter...too sweet.

We have a picture like this of Grayson and I LOVE it, so I wanted to try to recreate it with Ashlyn. I think it turned out pretty good. She's 3 wks old in this picture.

She's Here!!!!!!

Our baby girl, Ashlyn is finally here. She is absolutely beautiful and healthy as can be. We are all doing very good. Tommy and I are tired from lack of sleep but we are so excited that she is here and we now have our sweet family of four. Here are a few pictures.

Check out that head full of hair.

I love this hat that my Aunt Kathy made for Ashlyn, it's so adorable!!!!!

Here's part of our family. This was right after she was born. Grayson had not met her yet.

Grayson is so very very prouf of his baby sister. I think he's in love. It's the sweetest thing ever. I will never forget that beautiful smile on his face when he saw her for the first time.

Grayson holding baby sister for the first time. Look at the twinkle in his eyes!

Our first family of four picture.

Waiting and Wondering.....

I'm waiting and wondering when baby Ashlyn is going to make her grand appearance. I can tell things are changing and it's getting close but when! I can't wait to see her and hold her in my arms. I can't wait for her to meet her Daddy and big brother. We were hoping to be at the hospital today, since today is my sister's birthday and she will be named after my sister, but I don't think she will be born today.....things would have to start moving really really fast for that to happen today. I guess she is already a lil diva and wants her own birthday. I finally got the hospital bags packed yesterday and tied up some loss ends around the house, so I think we are ready.
So I am waiting and wondering....what is she going to look like? How big will she be? How will Grayson do with everything? I have tried to explain things to him as best as I can for a 2 yr old to understand. He seems to understand a lot but you never know. I hope it doesn't scare him when he sees the IV in my arm. I tried to explain that to him too.
.....I'm waiting and wondering.......and piddling around the house until she gives me the sign that it is time. But please Baby Ashlyn don't leave us waiting for too long, we can't wait to meet you and hold you and love you forever.



P.S. Christmas Pictures are coming, I promise!

P.S.S. I'm typing this post on MY new laptop computer that I got for Christmas from Tommy and the kids. I have never had a computer of my very own. It's so nice!!!!!!!!!

December Catch Up Part 1

OK, I have been a bad blogger this month. You would think since I'm a Stay At Home Mom now that I would have more time to blog, but not so much. I don't know if it's because I'm getting used to staying home with a toddler or it's Christmas time or the fact that I'm very very pregnant.....could be a combo of all three. I would say that I will try to do better but I can't make any promises. Maybe when Ashlyn gets here I will post more, we'll have to wait and see.
So, here goes the update starting with Thanksgiving. We had a small family Thanksgiving at our house this year. My sister and her family came and my Daddy came. We ordered the Turkey and dressing from a local grocery store so we didn't have to cook that part but I cooked everything else. I cooked sweet potatoe casserole, squash casserole, green bean casserole, peas and mac and cheese. My sister brought the dessert and corn cassarole. I think that's everything we had. I thought it turned out very good but I cooked and ordered way too much food. So we had leftovers for days and days. I hate to say it but I ended up throwing alot away. This was my first time to cook most of the casseroles so I wasn't sure how much each made, I will know better next time.
Here's a few pictures from our day together.

Tommy carving the turkey.

Part of the food.

Paw Paw and Uncle Tim playing outside with the boys. They had such a good time.

Paw Paw with his Grandsons....so sweet
Connor on the left and Parker on the right.

Grayson was fasinated with this Christmas tree, it has a train that goes around inside of it. Granny smith gave this to him for Christmas last year. He has really enjoyed it this year and so far he hasn't broke it yet.

After the family left and we rested for a little while, we decided to pull out the Christmas decorations. I think Tommy and I had a false sense of energy that faded realllly fast. But Tommy did get the tree up. This was our first year ever to have a artificial tree and I think we were both nervous about how it would look. We bought it the day after Christmas last year. After Tommy fluffed the tree, Grayson and I started putting ornaments on the tree. Grayson really enjoyed it and he was such a big helper.

Giving my sweet Christmas helper some thank you sugar.

Grayson got a nativity set as an early Christmas gift. He has really enjoyed playing with it.

Grayson checking out the ornaments on the tree. He loved climbing on my step ladder.

Grayson helping Daddy push the tree back into the corner. He's such a big helper.