Here's a fun side- note... Laura and James are the SAME Laura and James whose wedding we attended the weekend before Alyssa was born. Check out this post with pics of my VERY pregnant self dancing if you want a good chuckle!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Congratulations!
Congrats are due to some more new parents... James and Laura welcomed their new baby boy Jack this morning! He wanted to come a month early to enjoy Christmas with his family! Mom and baby are doing well from all reports. What a wonderful Christmas gift!
Christmas Comes Early
I have never been patient. About anything. Christmas is no exception! Growing up, we were given a new set of pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve (a tradition I plan to continue with Alyssa). As we got older (and more crafty with our pleading) we got to open a present or two on Christmas Eve. For the last several years, my parents have been giving us Christmas socks and jewelry weeks early so that we can wear them for the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Since Mike and I have been married, I am not sure if there has been even one Christmas where we have any presents left to give each other on Christmas Day! I am usually too excited (and too impatient) to wait! And since we previously did not have kids to wake us up on Christmas morning, we weren't upset about getting to sleep in, either!
Now that Alyssa is old enough to sort-of understand what is going on, I am having an even harder time waiting until Christmas to give out presents! She has been so interested in the ornaments on the tree and the packages underneath. She has been carrying them around and pulling off tags, but has only really opened one or two. We have had such a good time watching Christmas movies and watching her dance to the Christmas music that I can't help but be in the spirit. I just want to give her all of her presents!
Yesterday, to appease my need, Mike agreed to one present each... I gave him a blanket for his game-playing comfort, he gave me a GREAT book on the making of the Twilight movie (yes, I also have been sucked into the teenage- girl crazed phenomenon... I couldn't put any of the 4 books down! I'll be glad to share it with my obsessed friends who shall remain nameless... you know who you are!), and we gave Alyssa a princess tent. She loves it! She has been having so much fun going in and out and putting all of her jewelry on while inside, peeking out the windows at me, watching her morning shows from the front door, etc. I have had so much fun watching her... I've had the giggles all morning! Check out the pictures!
Princess
PS I am trying out a new way to share the photo albums... leave a note and let me know how it works for you! Is it any quicker than the previous ones from Bubbleshare? Do you like the controls any better? How does it look in general? Thanks for your input!
Since Mike and I have been married, I am not sure if there has been even one Christmas where we have any presents left to give each other on Christmas Day! I am usually too excited (and too impatient) to wait! And since we previously did not have kids to wake us up on Christmas morning, we weren't upset about getting to sleep in, either!
Now that Alyssa is old enough to sort-of understand what is going on, I am having an even harder time waiting until Christmas to give out presents! She has been so interested in the ornaments on the tree and the packages underneath. She has been carrying them around and pulling off tags, but has only really opened one or two. We have had such a good time watching Christmas movies and watching her dance to the Christmas music that I can't help but be in the spirit. I just want to give her all of her presents!
Yesterday, to appease my need, Mike agreed to one present each... I gave him a blanket for his game-playing comfort, he gave me a GREAT book on the making of the Twilight movie (yes, I also have been sucked into the teenage- girl crazed phenomenon... I couldn't put any of the 4 books down! I'll be glad to share it with my obsessed friends who shall remain nameless... you know who you are!), and we gave Alyssa a princess tent. She loves it! She has been having so much fun going in and out and putting all of her jewelry on while inside, peeking out the windows at me, watching her morning shows from the front door, etc. I have had so much fun watching her... I've had the giggles all morning! Check out the pictures!
Princess
PS I am trying out a new way to share the photo albums... leave a note and let me know how it works for you! Is it any quicker than the previous ones from Bubbleshare? Do you like the controls any better? How does it look in general? Thanks for your input!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Simple Pleasures
I love the fall... right through the holidays. I love the change in the weather and the colors and the general atmosphere at the end of the year. No matter what else is going on, I always feel better when October arrives. Now we are into December and I am very much enjoying life with a munchkin. Some of my favorite things that we have been experiencing...
Best of ALL my fall and Christmas favorites? Voluntary kisses from sweet little lips and "I ya you!" I'm putty in her hands!
Thank heavens for simple pleasures!
- Walks in crunchy leaves
- Watching Alyssa discover things for the first time
- A munchkin carrying her bucket on walks and picking things up for her collection... pine cones, leaves, seeds, flowers, pine needles. A true nature lover already!
- A very polite little girl... "da do!"= thank you, "peas"= please. I'm so proud!
- Thanksgiving dinner... all my favorites including stuffing, cheesecake, and card games with my wonderful family
- Evening strolls... checking out the lights, pointing out the moon and the stars
- Having my sister home for a while... we've missed having Allison around the last 3 years while she's been out making a difference!
- Baby dress up. See below!
- Weather that is cool enough to warrant jeans, sweatshirts and hot chocolate or tea when we get home!
- Decorating for Christmas. And then redecorating after Alyssa has removed all the "pitty" ornaments within her reach!
- The tell- tale jingle of bells on the tree as tiny hands get curious, and then the grin that follows when she knows she's been caught!
- Being duped by a little monkey! She'll ask for "joosh" (juice) or some sort of snack, wait until I'm in the kitchen, and race me to the computer to play! I think she'll love her own mini laptop... full keyboard and mouse for her to click away like Mommy and Daddy!
Best of ALL my fall and Christmas favorites? Voluntary kisses from sweet little lips and "I ya you!" I'm putty in her hands!
Thank heavens for simple pleasures!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Back from Texas
It's official: Alyssa is now a cross-country veteran. In other words, she has successfully flown from North Carolina to Texas and back again unscathed.
Since my parents can't make it here for Christmas this year, our little trio made a trip out to Richardson, Texas for Halloween. Not only did we have a great time, but Uncle Jeff was also able to stop by for some Alyssa face-to-face time.
Check out the photos below for some of Alyssa's reactions, including her first trick-or-treating experience:
photos
Since my parents can't make it here for Christmas this year, our little trio made a trip out to Richardson, Texas for Halloween. Not only did we have a great time, but Uncle Jeff was also able to stop by for some Alyssa face-to-face time.
Check out the photos below for some of Alyssa's reactions, including her first trick-or-treating experience:
photos
Monday, October 27, 2008
To the Fair
We took Alyssa to the fair for the first time last weekend. We had a great time... perfect weather! Allison came with us, but unfortunately I managed not to get any pics of her. We all enjoyed watching Alyssa check out the animals (and people, too... she's a real people watcher!) We had lots to eat including roasted corn, apples, fresh grape and apple cider, Mt. Olive pickles (which Alyssa loved!), fried pickles, peanuts, and my favorites, honey cotton candy and fried twinkies. Yum!
We got to see some of the characters from the PBS shows (including some stand-ups of Curious George, Elmo and other Sesame Street critters) and Alyssa thought it was great. I held a baby chicken for her to touch... she wasn't too sure about that! She was also quite fascinated by the cows. It is funny to think how gigantic they must look to a baby since they are bigger than us as adults. What a shock to see them up close!
Check out the pics!
photos
We got to see some of the characters from the PBS shows (including some stand-ups of Curious George, Elmo and other Sesame Street critters) and Alyssa thought it was great. I held a baby chicken for her to touch... she wasn't too sure about that! She was also quite fascinated by the cows. It is funny to think how gigantic they must look to a baby since they are bigger than us as adults. What a shock to see them up close!
Check out the pics!
photos
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tutu Cute
I made Alyssa a tutu a couple of weeks ago... I had gotten the idea from various websites I found in my quest for crafty things to do this Fall. She wasn't too sure what she thought of it at first, but she really enjoys it now. She is becoming quite the little girly- girl... she loves to wear jewelry and carry purses and dance and sing into her microphone (or anything that looks like one). Check out the pics!
Also included are a couple of pics of her now curly- blonde hair. What a difference a year and a half makes! Her hair is curly like this in the humidity, on a windy day, or after a bath. I love it and am so jealous!
photos
Also included are a couple of pics of her now curly- blonde hair. What a difference a year and a half makes! Her hair is curly like this in the humidity, on a windy day, or after a bath. I love it and am so jealous!
photos
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Score: Bike- 1, Jennie- 2
Ha! I'm going to win! In his post, Mike alluded to MY biking experience. It has not exactly been a smooth ride, but I will survive!!!
To begin with, we had the odyssey of getting both bikes home (mine from my parents' house and Mike's from the store). We were both wrecks... driving highway speeds with a bike strapped to the car did not seem very stable, even with the bike rack. My bike was relatively simple to get into working order (we thought). It was in pretty good shape considering that I haven't ridden it in at least 12 or 13 years. Just some cleaning and a bit of grease for the chain!
Assembly and modifications took a bit longer than expected, however! Mike's bike had to be assembled. That took a few hours, thanks to the ridiculous directions that were included. I had the fun tasks of assembling the baby seat and mounting it on my bike and also changing out the seat on my bike. Just a short test ride with the old racing seat was very uncomfortable, so I decided I needed a new w i d e r seat to accommodate my new w i d e r Mommy backside! We were very glad that my parents kept Alyssa for the afternoon... she may have picked up a few expletives otherwise!
Our first ride went relatively well. Alyssa wasn't wild about the helmet, but we had a few ideas on how to make it better. My brakes weren't great, but we figured it would be easy enough to tighten them up. The problem was with stamina. Good grief! I knew we were out of shape, but I really struggled with the hills in our neighborhood. I guess we'll have to work on that!
In hindsight, I'm now thinking that it wasn't wise to ride two days in a row... the second ride started out okay, but quickly got painful. The gears decided to change in the middle of a small hill! My feet slipped off the pedals and I nearly ran into a neighbor's car (thankfully, I only had to use it to catch myself with my hands... no damage done). The pedals ran into my shins! I got a HUGE knot on one of them, as well as a nasty gash and multiple bruises. My legs look like I have been through a battle. Thank goodness for jean season!
By the end of the ride, my thighs were so tight that I could barely walk to get into the house. My shins were sore from the bruises and the gash. I was exhausted and got into a fit of laughter (you know the kind where you are so tired that everything is funny?) This used to freak Alyssa out... maybe she thought I was crying? But this time she got in on the game and was fake laughing with me. She was actually bending at the waist and slapping her knees while cracking up. If only I'd had the video camera out!
So, long story long, we have our work cut out for us with the new hobby! My brakes need some work, and we are getting a new baby seat that goes in front under the handle bars... we're thinking that Alyssa might enjoy the scenery more than the view of Mommy's w i d e r rear. I'm tired just thinking about it!
photos
Side note about the pictures... Alyssa is playing with her Little People farm lately and LOVES it! Thanks Karen! She is really imaginative for being so little. I've actually seen her making the animals "walk" around the barn and putting them to sleep in the stalls for the night. She even kisses them and gives them hugs!
To begin with, we had the odyssey of getting both bikes home (mine from my parents' house and Mike's from the store). We were both wrecks... driving highway speeds with a bike strapped to the car did not seem very stable, even with the bike rack. My bike was relatively simple to get into working order (we thought). It was in pretty good shape considering that I haven't ridden it in at least 12 or 13 years. Just some cleaning and a bit of grease for the chain!
Assembly and modifications took a bit longer than expected, however! Mike's bike had to be assembled. That took a few hours, thanks to the ridiculous directions that were included. I had the fun tasks of assembling the baby seat and mounting it on my bike and also changing out the seat on my bike. Just a short test ride with the old racing seat was very uncomfortable, so I decided I needed a new w i d e r seat to accommodate my new w i d e r Mommy backside! We were very glad that my parents kept Alyssa for the afternoon... she may have picked up a few expletives otherwise!
Our first ride went relatively well. Alyssa wasn't wild about the helmet, but we had a few ideas on how to make it better. My brakes weren't great, but we figured it would be easy enough to tighten them up. The problem was with stamina. Good grief! I knew we were out of shape, but I really struggled with the hills in our neighborhood. I guess we'll have to work on that!
In hindsight, I'm now thinking that it wasn't wise to ride two days in a row... the second ride started out okay, but quickly got painful. The gears decided to change in the middle of a small hill! My feet slipped off the pedals and I nearly ran into a neighbor's car (thankfully, I only had to use it to catch myself with my hands... no damage done). The pedals ran into my shins! I got a HUGE knot on one of them, as well as a nasty gash and multiple bruises. My legs look like I have been through a battle. Thank goodness for jean season!
By the end of the ride, my thighs were so tight that I could barely walk to get into the house. My shins were sore from the bruises and the gash. I was exhausted and got into a fit of laughter (you know the kind where you are so tired that everything is funny?) This used to freak Alyssa out... maybe she thought I was crying? But this time she got in on the game and was fake laughing with me. She was actually bending at the waist and slapping her knees while cracking up. If only I'd had the video camera out!
So, long story long, we have our work cut out for us with the new hobby! My brakes need some work, and we are getting a new baby seat that goes in front under the handle bars... we're thinking that Alyssa might enjoy the scenery more than the view of Mommy's w i d e r rear. I'm tired just thinking about it!
photos
Side note about the pictures... Alyssa is playing with her Little People farm lately and LOVES it! Thanks Karen! She is really imaginative for being so little. I've actually seen her making the animals "walk" around the barn and putting them to sleep in the stalls for the night. She even kisses them and gives them hugs!
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