Gingerbread "House" Competition

We had such a good time last night at The Reeder's annual Gingerbread Competition. Katie and her one year old son, Bennett, joined our play group this summer and this was our first time to meet her hubs. The Reeders host a Gingerbread House competition each year and we were amazed to see the level of competition and concentration that goes in to making the winning "house." I admitedlly didn't read the evite very closely so we did not come as prepared as we will next year...

The theme for the competition this year was Movies. Your "house" had to reflect a movie and all of the guests judged on their favorite. Jimmy and I struggled with a movie while everyone else got busy with their creations. One guy, an architect, brought a tool box of supplies! Another guy had made Charlie Brown out of fondant... and I brought marshmellows, jelly beans and Andes Mints. (The Andes mints were more for inspiration) We finally came up with Hoosiers and I am pretty proud of our little masterpiece!

Thanks to Kelly for taking all of these pictures!!

Macey & Baby Vivian

Macey and I had the privilege to babysit Baby Vivian yesterday! Heather is an old friend of Jenny's and she lives just a few minutes away from us with her hubs and new baby girl. She called early yesterday morning asking if we could keep Baby V last minute for her that morning. Of course we said yes but Jimmy and I both shared a few concerns about how Macey would do.

 Baby Vivian is almost 4 months old and oh so tiny! Actually, she is a normal size baby but seemed so little next to my almost two year old. Sweet baby girl.

I could not have been more pleased with our morning. Macey loved watching Baby V and showed no signs of jealousy. Well, at one point she said, "Mommy, put that baby down." But she quickly accepted my explanation that I was going to hold her and we moved on to another activity. There were no signs of hitting, acting out or just being bad in general.

When it was time to feed Baby Vivian, Macey was quick to help me hold the bottle and wanted a swig of the formula when V was done. I did not let her drink from the bottle but all of her babies did...

This was a great dry run for me as well. I've been wondering how in the world I"m going to take care of two babies in just a few short weeks. It was a tiring morning, but I made it! I kept Sesame Street on for Macey and she did a great job entertaining herself most of the morning. Baby V was a little upset after eating so I walked around and bounced her, then sat down and patted her back, then back up to bouncing... after about 30 minutes she was all burped out and ready for her next nap. Whew! At one point I had a baby on my right side, one in the middle in my belly, and a book on my lap with a toddler at my knees... it got a little crowded but once the baby is no longer in my belly and just on my side, I think we'll be good.

"Macey hold Baby Vivian"

Around lunch, Heather called to say she would be picking up V soon so I didn't want to lay her down, then have to wake her to put her in her car seat. So, I made Macey's PB&J with one hand while holding a sleeping Baby Vivian in my other arm. I'd say this was the last "can I do it?" test and I passed. Bring it on!!!

Santa Baby

I had pretty high hopes for seeing Santa this year.... but Macey just wasn't ready.

On Tuesday morning, Jimmy agreed that it would be a great day to see Santa. He could work in the area of the mall that morning, meet us for a quick visit, and be back on the road for work. So Macey and I arrived to see Santa a few minutes early so that she could see how this whole Santa thing goes down. We watched several other kids sit on Santa's lap and Santa even looked over and waved to us! Macey kept saying "Macey's turn now" while shaking her head up and down. I tried to build her excitement while we waited for Jimmy and throughly explained how she would sit on Santa's lap, say "Ho Ho Ho or Merry Christmas" and smile for a picture. She seemed ready, even excited, when we walked her up to see the jolly old man. As soon as we got close enough to put her on Santa's lap, she started hiding behind my legs and crying, "no!" I felt so bad for her that I  couldn't hand her over to Santa and run for a picture. I quietly accepted that I would be in the Santa picture this year (and kicked myself for not getting ready that morning) and asked Jimmy to join us.

Of course, she loved the hat Santa gave her, in lieu of a candy cane, and was back to her happy self once we left Santa. In fairness, it is a strange thing to ask a child so young to do. I'm sure she thought it was a situation like nursery where we would drop her and run. And Santa is really big, with a huge beard and boots and gloves... I don't blame her for being skeptical!

Next year we will be ready! With baby sister in tow, I'm sure Macey will sit with Santa and smile like a little angel!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Jimmy loves having a real Christmas tree. It’s a subtle battle that we face every year because I would really like a fake tree that comes with lights already on it, ready to plug and play. But since Jimmy turns into a child when it’s Christmas tree night, I have happily conceded each year. We don't go to a Christmas tree lot or huge farm, just our local Home Depot. :) This year we both thought Macey would love picking out the tree… she didn’t. But Jimmy did and now we have a beautiful LIVE Christmas tree slowly drying out in our living room. I have my eye on a couple of fake trees at Home Depot that may be coming to our house when they go on sale the day after Christmas... don't tell Jimmy!

Just chattin' with Daddy

I cannot get over what a big girl my baby girl is turning into! Last night, Jimmy was getting home late from work and Macey kept saying, “Dada home soon” while looking at me with expectant eyes. I decided to call him to see if he would be home before she went to bed. Macey immediately said it was her turn to talk to Dada and she continued to talk to him for 10 minutes! She told him about her felt Christmas tree and her stuffed animals, they sang songs (Ring Around the Rosy, ABCs, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes), she counted to 10 and tried to point out some things to him on her play kitchen. I was rolling when she laid down on Bailey’s bed and looked so involved in her phone conversation. I can see her enjoying many many phone conversations in her teen years… and I hope they are all with her girlfriends or her Daddy!

 What I love about these pictures are the genuine smiles. It's so hard to get her to smile for the camera these days. These pictures are her pure excitement over talking to Jimmy. I absolutely love them.

Singing "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes"

Rosemary Beach Wedding

This past weekend we celebrated the marriage of one of Jimmy's best friends from high school in Rosemary Beach, FL. It was an absolutely beautiful and perfect wedding. Although I'm sure planning a destination wedding was more difficult than planning a wedding in the town where you live, this was the most laid back and perfect wedding I have ever been to. I have no idea how many people were there, maybe 150-200? I wish I had taken more pictures of the set up because it was beautiful.

Two days before we had planned on leaving for the wedding, I realized that I would be by myself with Macey, in a small one bedroom studio at the beach for the weekend. Jimmy had things planned with the groom and his friends for most of the weekend. Of course, I was happy that he would have the opportunity to spend time with his friends, but I had lost my confidence that I could manage a 20 month old by myself in a small living space while I'm 26 weeks pregnant. Just as I had decided to stay home with Macey, Jimmy's parents told us that their friends were no longer able to go with them to the wedding so they would have a four bedroom condo to themselves. How perfect that they could help me with Macey while Jimmy was away AND that we could all have our own rooms?! I'm so glad that it worked out for us to go because it was very important to Jimmy. Whew! Always good to make the daddy happy! :)

It was a COLD weekend at the beach, but at least we didn't get rain! It reached 70 degrees on Saturday afternoon so Macey was on the beach, in her diaper, enjoying the water and sand.

On Saturday morning we walked around Rosemary Beach and found this cute little playground. Macey loved it! I had to run to Wal Mart that morning to get her some warm clothes since I had only brought her one jacket and one long sleeve shirt... oops!

Dancing with Duckie... poor duck took a beating!

Duckie got to swing too!

Big girl swing!

"around and around and around..."

Thankfully the wedding ceremony was very quick and to the point. :) Macey lasted the first five minutes, while the wedding party walked in.

We let Macey dance before everyone else got out on the dance floor. She and Gigi had the best time together! They had some serious dance moves! And I love the below picture of Macey watching the lead singer... this sweet woman was so nice to the girls! It was a great band!

Getting Older

Birthdays have always been fun for me. It's never mattered what I had planned for the day, I was always happy and giddy on the day of my birthday. This is the first year that I've just felt old. 31 sounds so much older than 30 and I actually feel old. Or maybe I just feel pregnant? Either way, I'm slowing down.

We started the celebrations on Friday with dinner at mom and dad's house. It was delicious and topped off by my favorite cookie cake, made by mom. Macey spent the night and most of the next day with them. Sunday, they came back up after church and took us to dinner to celebrate again. It was so nice to spend the evening with them, eating fajitas at Papasitos. :) Wednesday night, Jimmy set up a little dinner with a couple of close friends. It was so nice to talk with two of my favorite girls, Amy and Krissy, while Jimmy and Chris wrangled our sweet babies. Thursday was my actual birthday and I had a wonderful day with Macey. We played outside and ran a few errands before leaving for the beach that afternoon for a wedding.

Overall, I had an amazing birthday week and I felt very loved by my family and friends. If only I were just turning 30 again for the next few years...

My 20 Month Old Baby Girl

I love this little girl. She is my world. I smile, laugh and just watch her all day long. How 20 months passed so quickly is beyond me, but I can say I've enjoyed every minute of it.

Pumpkin shirt and Spider skirt photo shoot! She wasn't really into it....

Busy busy girl! Lots of pictures to look at and games to play!

A few things I want to remember about my little growing girl:

*Sentences - She has mastered three and four word sentences. What continues to surprise me is her sentence structure and use of words. "One more book please mommy." "Last book, word book, night night." While reading her word book, "Macey uses fork." "Macey likes raisins." "Macey play with toys." "Macey ride wagon." "New movie, please." "Hang on mom, hang on." "Hold you moon." (Hold you to anything she sees... in a book or on tv or in real life. "Duckie have a seat." " Macey find the ball." "Travis (our UPS guy) brought this box." "Go Macey Go!" "Macey go backwards." (while she walks backwards...I think Elmo taught her this on Sesame Street.) "Go on bee." "No Sam, Macey's Tiger." "No bee, Macey's."

*Counting - So far, she can count to 10, unassisted. She doesn't recognize the numbers when written yet but she knows their order.

*Singing - She sings all the time. Her favorites are the ABC's, A is for Apple, Baa Baa Black Sheep,Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (all have three have the same tune... maybe that's why she likes them?), Bear is now asleep, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, If Your Happy and You Know It, Mary had a Little Lamb, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Old McDonald, Jesus Loves Me... She can sing the ABC's by herself and the rest she sings with us. She gets several more words that I would expect and loves the hand motions. I have to credit Jimmy for teaching her to sing the ABC's and A is for Apple. He sings with her on their nightly walks, bath time and putting on her pj's. Such a great daddy. 

*Third Person - Everything starts with Macey... sometimes she gets hung up on Macey and says it several times before finding the rest of the words for her sentence. "Macey hungry." "Macey watch Street." "Macey go outside." "Macey need cookie." I love the running commentary that she gives throughout the day.

She's so cute.

This is the result of finger painting with daddy... He is very proud of his work of art!

Everyone needed bibs this morning!

* Dance and Piano- At least twice a day, Macey turns on her piano to play the songs automatically. She either goes in circles, "around and around" or gathers her babies (animals) to dance with her. Her newest move that I love is her hands over her head like a ballerina while she twirls. The toddler bounce continues to be a go to move and Jimmy taught her to pat her knees. We watch her dance every evening after dinner and just laugh.

*Animals - Her best friends are Tiger and Duckie.  They go everywhere with her and are her comforts until she gets comfortable in a new environment. They enjoy sliding, swinging and dancing. And the occasional ride in Sam's mouth...

*Recognition - She recognizes her books and calls several of them by name "Word Book" "Christmas" "Arthur." While watching her movie in the car, I had piano playing in the front. She said "Piano. Macey hears piano." What?! When I asked her if she wanted a biscuit for breakfast, her mind was elsewhere. She said, "Papa brought apples. Macey like some apples." She remembers and recalls things that happened in the past, with pretty good accuracy.

Racking leaves with Dada

I love watching her grow. She is learning new things every day and it's so rewarding to see her growth based on things that I've taught her. Being a mom is absolutely the most rewarding job I've ever had. Looking forward to a fun 21st month!