Weekend Recap

We had a fun weekend at home this weekend.  I parked my car on Friday after work and didn't move it until this morning!  Wes wasn't feeling all that great all weekend, at one point he said "If I don't make it, I want to be cremated...".  Dramatic much?  His sinuses are giving him issues and his back, I know he is miserable but maybe a bit too dramatic!  

I honestly have NO idea what we did after work on Friday.  I know Jodi came over for a quick visit after work and I made spaghetti and meatballs, but other than that, that is all I can remember.  Must have been fun, huh?

Saturday, we woke up and walked next door to Mimi's house because Emily, Levi and the boys were in town for the weekend!  We played for a little while then loaded up everyone to go see Mimi at the Jump Rope for Heart event she was working.  It was nice to see her friends and also my cousins that were there.  The kids loved playing with all the toys set up for the event!  Then we headed to the park!  The kids played and played and played.  Paige was obsessed with swinging!  She was a little overwhelmed from all the people at the event still and her molars are coming in, so she just sat quietly chewing on her fingers and swinging!  

 After playing there for  awhile, we headed to have lunch at Mig's and then back to Mimi's to play until nap time.  The boys played baseball and rode 4 wheelers, while Paige watched, played in the sand box and her wagon.  It really was a great relaxing day watching all the kids playing outside in the wonderful warm weather.

Then Paige was ready for her nap, so her took her back next door, grabbed the monitor and went back to Mimi's.  Jodi and Katherine came to visit and brought some of Paige's clothes Katherine's mom monogrammed for me...yay!  Once Paige woke up, she visited with Jodi and Katherine and then it was time for supper.  We all went to The Ranch and left Daddy at home to rest.

Since Daddy was sick, we stayed at Mimi's until bedtime.  We walked in the house and Wes was sleeping in the recliner so I told Paige to be very quiet Daddy is sleeping.  She kept putting her finger to her mouth saying "shhh shhh".  Once she drank her milk and was ready to be put in her crib, I told her goodnight and I love you and she said "shhhh Da-Da".  She is just too cute!
 

Sunday morning, Wes was feeling a little better but still stayed around the house most of the morning.  Paige and I headed back next door to Mimi's and let the kids play.  We pretty much did the same thing, baseball, sandbox, 4wheelers and wagon rides until lunch.  We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and they were yummy.  We played some more and then it was naptime for Paige.  While she napped, I cleaned the house.  It is spotless...I love a clean house!  I sat down to relax and not 2 seconds after, Paige woke up and was ready to go outside to play!  The boys just left for North Carolina but we saw that Gerri was visiting Mimi so we went to see Gerri and Gene.  We miss them so much!  We sat on the screen porch and played with bubbles and play dough!  Fun times!
 

Daddy was starting to feel better, he was outside trimming trees and working on the tractor.  We all headed home for supper and just to hang out at the house. 

We had a wonderful and fun weekend..cant wait for the next weekend to come!

Oh...random but I found my doppelganger! Jodi's friend Abi sent this to her...scary!
 

 

Consignment Sales

I love Children's Consignment Sales in general but my hometown has several throughout the year and there is one that really is better (in my opinion) than the rest.  The Cambridge sale is wonderful!  I mainly just go to consignment sales to check out the Boutique Racks and this sale always has the best selection.  But the trick to getting the best is that you have to Volunteer so you can shop first!  The second part of making sure you have a successful shopping trip *I figured this part out this year* volunteer to help sort the day before the sale starts so you can see what all is available!  I helped sort the other day and I saw several cute items for Miss Paige and I knew I had to get there when the door opened!

So the sale started for all volunteers Wednesday at 5pm.  Last time I volunteered, I got there at like 4:50 and there as a line out the door.  So this time, I took my work phone and got there at 4:15.  I worked while I was in line and guess what, I was the first one in line.  I was there for like 2 seconds and then a herd of people came in!  So we just waited patiently until the opened the doors and since I sorted I knew right where Paige's size in the boutique section was and I racked up!  I think I got every cute thing in 24m-2T...well, at least everything that I wanted.  I was done in like 2 minutes, so I decided to walk around and look at the play clothes and found a sweet white cardigan for Easter and the cutest seersucker dress with the tags on!  

Here are my finds:

I was so happy when I saw this romper....Paige had this same one in size 6 months and it was always one of my favorites.  Now she can wear it in the fall and next winter! Yay!
 

This outfit actually came from a friend not the sale, but since we just got it, I had to share!

 

I searched EVERYWHERE for a white cardigan last year..so when I saw this one I had to snatch it up!

 

I have wanted this outfit for awhile.  It is from my favorite little store in town, Sweet Tea's and I debated to buy it when they had it on clearance but I never did.  Good thing because I bought this for $4!

 

Can't pass up a $7 smocked dress!

 

I found a couple pairs of cute shorts that should fit later this summer and hopefully next spring too!

 

I love Ruffle Butts shorts!

 

And Molly & Kate!

 

This cute pants for next fall/winter...

 

And my surprise find...

 

I love this dress..I want one in my size!  I am thinking this may be cute for her Spring pictures at school next week!

And the last thing I bought was for Gerri, who used to keep Paige.  She always spoils Paige rotten so we bought her new grand baby something..

 

I was proud of my purchases and my total was $46!  That is like one new outfit from a boutique store!  

Sorry to bore you with my purchases but I just had to share!

Toddler Gymnastics

A few weeks ago, I heard about  a local gymnastics studio offered a free play on Monday nights for 0-3 year olds.  I knew right away that I wanted Paige to try it out.  I don't want to be one of those mom's that force their child to do a million things, but I want to her try out a lot of things so she can figure out what she is interested in as she gets older.  I am an advocate for youth sports and I think it is SO VERY important for kids to participate in youth athletics not just for physical health, but to learn how to share, take turns, listen to instructions, and learn how to lose.  Yes I said it...a child needs to learn how to lose a game/event.  When they are really young, I agree they all need to earn an award for participating to keep them interested but by the time they are 7 or 8, it is time to compete if they are ready for that.  Some kids are not ready until 9 or 10, but eventually every child needs to learn the true meaning of competition to prepare for the real world. 

Ok, enough of that, can you tell I have a Bachelors Degree in Sports Management/Youth Sports!  Now, back to gymnastics.  I plan to introduce a lot of different activities to Paige so when she is old enough to decide on her own, she can tell me what she wants to do.  So, last night we went to the open play at the gymnastics studio and let me tell you...it was too cute!  The instructor first played some music for warm up and told all the kids (all but two were brand new and knew what to do) to either jump around, dance, etc and each time the music stopped they had to freeze.  Paige was just standing there checking it all out.  Every time they froze, she then decided to do what they had just finished.  It was pretty cute!  Then they did some stretches.  Have you ever seen little ones stretch...so much cuteness.  I helped Paige do all of her stretches and then they had about 40 minutes to do whatever they wanted...

 
 We both had a great time.  Paige's favorite thing was the trampoline walkway that ended with the foam blocks.  What you cant see is if you keep going to the other end, there is like a 4 foot slide to get back to the floor.  Paige was in heaven!  I hope to be able to take Paige a couple times a month so she can get more and more comfortable with everyone there!

Don't forget to link up with Rachel and Krystal!




 

Weekend Recap

Monday, Monday, Monday....how is it already Monday, and a cold and rainy day at that!  Yuck!  Oh well, it will be Friday before we know it, right.  We had a pretty low-key weekend and it was so nice!

Friday after work, we went by Sonic and picked up supper for the ride and we headed to the Carey's Farm in Edgefield to visit them while they are in town from Sarasota.  We rode the 4-wheelers and just hung out around the cabin with all the kids.  The Carey's have four kids and they all love with Mr. Wes comes to visit! They just love him so much, it is really cute.  We stayed until around 9pm and Miss Paige was exhausted!  We knew that she would pass out once she got in the car seat, but no..she was awake the entire time but those eyes sure were heavy.

Saturday, I was hoping Paige would sleep in since she was about an hour and half late to bed, but she woke up at the same time.  I cooked us some pancakes and hung out with Wes for a little while.  After he went to work, Paige and I played around the house and decided to take a walk down to Mimi's house...

Mimi has a bubble machine and Paige is in heaven with all of those bubbles! It was a little chilly, so we stayed inside a while and played with Play dough, colored and the toys.  Then we decided to load up and go to Cook Out and shop for some plants for our front yard.

I love the ferns..they are so pretty!  Paige even talked Mimi into buying her her very own lady bug watering bucket!  She is such a big helper watering the ferns porch.  We went to Ollie's and I found those pretty blue ceramic planters for only $10...they are like $40 at Lowe's!  I cant wait for it to warm up a little more so I can buy flowers!  Not much longer!

After nap time, Wes came home and we ate supper and then just played outside the rest of the day/evening.  Wes trimmed some shrubbery and our house and at his mom's.  It is so nice just to be outside...cant wait for it to be warm everyday!

Sunday, Wes left early to go to Wal-Mart for bullets and brought us back a biscuit for breakfast.  Then he and Jonathan headed to Columbia to the indoor shooting range while me and Paige went grocery shopping and stayed out of the rain!  We just played inside and enjoyed our time together.  I cooked all of us a yummy new recipe, Lucky Charms mix and supper.

  Paige went with BB to visit Mema that evening so we all went in our backyard for target practice, which is always fun!  We had a great and relaxing weekend and as always I enjoyed every second with my sweet Paige!

Five on Friday

Aren't Fridays the best? I'm so glad it's finally almost the weekend! I'm linking up with The Good Life, A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, and Hello Happiness for 5 on Friday!

 {one}

Did anyone else watch The Bachelor this season?  Like I do before every season, I swear I am not going to watch it and then I find myself watching it on Hulu in my free time.  It always sucks me in!  I wasn't to sure about this season with Juan Pablo and I think the main reason was because how ABC was promoting the season premier...they called it Juanuary or something like that!  That was a little too much for me.   I was never really into this season like I normally am, but I just couldn't give up on them...I had to see what all happened.  As I watched each episode, I started disliking him more and more!  I was so proud of all the girls that chose to leave!  I was shocked with the over night dates and then also with the After The Rose special.  In some ways I like that JP didn't propose (ok..in a lot of ways I respect him for that) but he was so rude about it...and awkward!

{two}

 

 Do you ever have those days where you are just tired of the phone?  That is me today!  I have three conference calls today...yes three!  I do not work in the same town as my co-workers so this is how we all operate basically.  I was chosen to be on two planning committees for two different upcoming meetings, so today is all about planning on the phone.  I will be happy to turn off my work phone tonight!

{three}

No plans this weekend! I am actually pretty excited about that too!  I am looking forward to just hanging around the house and just doing whatever we feel like doing.  I have some projects around the house I need to work on, so hopefully I will get the motivation to do those!

 

{four}

I am absolutely loving Daylight Savings Time!  Luckily losing or gaining an hour never really affects me...and even better Paige wasn't affected by it either!  You know how nice it is to get home while it is still day light? (I had to work late two nights this week and I didn't have to drive in the dark!)  I also love that we go play outside after supper!    Now if we can just keep the warm weather, we will be set!

 

{five}

St. Patrick's Day is almost here! That day isn't as fun as it was when I was in college!  We went to the Esso and had green beer back in the day.  Now, it really is just another day....another occasion for crafts or pictures of Paige haha.  I want to make this yummy St. Patty's Day theme snack.  I know both Wes and Paige will love it!

Lucky Charms Snack Mix
(Recipe adapted from Quick Dish)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups Lucky Charms Cereal
- 2 cups pretzel twist, broken
- 2 cups wheat chex cereal
- 1/4 cup green M&M’s (or other chocolate covered candy)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:- Pour cereals and pretzels into a large bowl
- In a microwave safe dish, microwave the brown sugar, butter and honey (1 to 2 minutes). Stir until the mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from microwave and add in the baking soda.
- Pour over cereal mixture, mixing until evenly coated.
- Stir in the M&M’s
- Allow the snack mix to cool then transfer to an airtight container

 

Happy Friday everyone!

18 Months Old

To my sweet Miss Paige:

How in the world are you already 18 months?  My mind is blown away just thinking about it.  I am actually not sure how i feel about it either.  In some ways, I desperately miss the baby stages, but in others...I am absolutely IN LOVE with this age!  There as not been an age that I wasn't in love with thinking back.  

I am loving being your Mama Miss P.  You have made it very easy to love sweet girl.  Of course there are days that I have a harder time but 99% of the time, it really has been pretty easy these past 18 months! It has been a while since I wrote a monthly update about you, so I figured 18 months was a great time for a catch up so we can have a reminder years down the road!  I know I will love reading these and only hope that you will love to read them as well one day!

You are growing up so very much.  You are truly a toddler, no longer a baby.  That breaks my heart a little bit...slow down sweet girl!  I look at other babies your age and they still have that baby look!  I have come to realize that you are now my little toddler and I love it!  You are about 31 inches and weigh 26 pounds.  You don't go to the doctor for another month so these are Daddy's measurements!   You are in size 5 diapers (Pampers during the day and Huggies at night) and are mostly in 18 month clothes.  All your smocked dresses that fit you run anywhere between 9 months and bigger, the 18 month  probably fit you right, but I don't like them too long on you.  Depending on the brand, you are in size 4 shoe...some size 5.

Paigey, you have changed so very much since you 12 month update, I don't even know where to start!  For the most part you are a good little eater.  Especially if we are having lasagna!  We are having a hard time getting you to eat your veggies though!  Sometimes the only way you get them is if I make meatloaf or spaghetti and meatballs because you don't realize I put veggies in there!  You do like the early green peas though!  Now fruit, on the other hand, you love! You would eat fruit all day long.  I haven't found one you don't like yet! For breakfast you like pancakes, eggs or cheese toast.  Lunch, you love a corn dog for a treat occasionally, chicken fingers (dipped in ketchup...you think everything is better with ketchup!), grilled cheese or ham/turkey sandwhich.  For supper your favorites are lasagna, spaghetti, any kind of pasta really, meatloaf, and chicken.  We just have to work on those veggies!  You love snacks!!  You can eat anyone out of raisins!

You are so outgoing and fearless!  Well, you are scared of a couple things, such as elevators (we just found this out) and someone coming in the door without you being warned first.  Other than that, you are not scared of anything...which is a good thing because Daddy loves to let you ride on his tractor, you ride on the 4-wheeler, and even get pulled behind the 4wheeler!  I know one day you will give me a mini heart attack watching you play!  I am just glad you are not a scardy-cat like your Mama!

One big change since your last update...you have new babysitters!  Gerri's grand baby was born in January and she moved to Easley to help out with him.  We miss her a lot but luckily she visits about every other week!  So we have Abbey and Mallory, two Lander students, that come each afternoon to our house to keep you.  We are so lucky to be able to keep you at our house in the afternoons!  You love playing with both of them.  They keep you outside as long as the weather is nice and y'all play, play, play!

You have a new best friend too!  Lemmy!  She is out little beagle and is 5 months old.  You love her so much and I love watching to two of you together.  Luckily she is very easy going, because you pull on her tongue, tail, mouth...everything and just lets you!  Whenever you see her, you scream "MEEE!"  Too cute!

We also moved!  We now live next door to your Mimi and you love walking over to see her, or at least play in her yard if she isn't there.  I know you will love growing up having her next door!  That also means that you have two more dogs to play with too...you are in heaven!

I have a feeling you will be a talker!  You "talk" non-stop but only a few words are clear enough for me to understand right now.  Your most popular words are: Mama, Dada, MEEE (Lemmy), Boompa, bubbles, more, Bye Bye (then you say something every time that we have no idea what it is), up, stop, boots (of course), bows (each morning after you get dressed you point to your bows waiting for me to put one in your hair), Nack (snack) and I believe those are your most common words.  You say others, but not as often as those.

My favorite thing to do is ask you lots of questions and you always say, "Yessss" but if it something you know you don't want to do, like change your diaper,  you shake your head no.  We also love to ask you animal sounds!  Right now you know: dog, cat, tiger, owl, duck, fox (like the song) and I think that is it.  Feels like I am forgetting one.  You know what a fish does (make a fishy face) and you know what a lizard does (stick tongue in and out).  You also know what a doctor says "no more" and shake hand back and forth because that is what your BB did when she read you the book "10 Little Monkeys".  You hold your finger up when we ask how old you are. You love songs too!  You like Itsy Bitsy Spider, Patty Cake and You are my sunshine and you love to play Ring Around the Rosey!

The Learning Express has to be the best thing for you.  You love going to school every morning and love Mrs. Kim!  That is the way I get you out the door in the morning, I ask if you are ready to see Mrs Kim and you run to the door!  Makes me happy to know that you love her so much!  They keep you busy too! First thing each morning, y'all go to the docking station, which is a carpeted large room with lots and lots of fun toys.  Y'all play so hard them go back to the classroom for snack.  Then you either to a craft or do sensory activities.  You also sing a lot of songs and read many books.  You are the child that whines when it is time to go!   You get so excited to see me when I come pick you up, but then you don't want to leave!

You do not sit still for even a second!  You are go-go-go all day long!  You wake up ready to do something!  Do you know what I love so much about you, when it is time for nap time (most of the time you do not show you are tired at all), we can just lay you down in your crib and give you all of your many animals and you talk to your self until you fall asleep...usually just a minute!  Then you wake up ready to go! You are not one to cuddle after you wake up, yyou want to play!  And you play hard until bed time!  You let me rock you while you drink you milk, but once that is finished, you reach for your paci and point to your crib!  Before I lay you down, I ask you for a hug and a kiss.  You lay your head on my shoulder to hug me and then pucker up (with paci in mouth) and kiss me.  I know that will only last a little while and I am savoring every second of our bedtime ritual!

 You are on a schedule that is for sure!  It works great for us and I am thankful for our schedule...ask anyone, I love a schedule and I am glad you do as well.  Here is your typical weekday schedule:
8-8:10: Wake up on your own, breakfast, get dressed
845-11:45/12 - School
12-1: Lunch with me/Home
1-230: Either Abbey, Mallory or BB keeps you at our house and you play outside
230-430/5: Nap
Play until supper
530/6: Supper
Play until bath (we skip some nights but you LOVE bath time)
830: Milk and bed time.

Only thing different for weekends, is that you are home all day or we are out doing something fun, but you nap and feeding schedule is the same!

These are some of your favorite things right now:
Swing, Bunny, Tiger, well any of your stuffed animals, your baby doll, balls, books (you love love love reading your books!), rides in your wagon, playing on the ramp at Mimi's, and of course BUBBLES!  

 
 I think I have pretty much covered everything!  I just am in love you with sweet girl.  You have the funniest personality and I never know what you are going to do next!  I have the best time with you and so does your Daddy.  I know you will be a Daddy's girl for sure...you would make his day too!  Your Daddy and I are so thankful you are in our lives and we love you so much!  I cant wait to spend every minute with you and I wish we could spend more time with each other, but I have some great people to keep and love you while I have to work!  These past 18 months have flown by and before I know it I will have a two year old!  Thank you for being Paige and I love you so much love bug!  You are defiantly my sunshine (I sing that to you every night and you smile every time, even though it may not sound so pretty!)  Happy 18 moths sweet girl!  We love you!