The Miller's

Eight

2012-02-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

It started with a "Lovie". A small, blue blanket with a bunny head on the end. Reid use to crawl around all over the house with the tag end in his mouth.

Then one night I pulled a random blanket out of his drawer to cover him up while he was sleeping in his crib so he wouldn't be cold. I can't remember if it was the following morning, but within a few days, he had 2 attachments..."bunny" & random yellow blanket.

On another occasion while he was sleeping, maybe a few weeks later, I was worried he might get cold. The yellow blanket was all tangled underneath him, so I grabbed the first blanket I saw in his drawer & covered him up. Mistake. This blanket, also yellow, would now join the other attachments to make number 3.

It was cute until the first time we traveled anywhere, or he went to go stay with his grandparents. We needed a separate bag for the attachments. I have a back up bunny that I kept in a drawer. This was found, & became #4. For a while, we could get away with hiding the extra bunny, but lately I'll hear, "Where's my nother one bunny?"

Reid's aunt gave him a small stuffed Mickey Mouse for Christmas. I put it in his room in a canvas barrel that I have other stuffed animals in. Can you guess? #5!

And finally, Nick came home from being out of town last weekend & brought Reid a package from the Disney store that had 2 cars in it from the movie Cars. He fell in love with these cars, would not put them down, found another car that he already had that was similar, & they now have joined the rest of the team of attachments. Every morning when he comes to the bar for breakfast, for lunch, & for dinner, plus whenever he is in his bead, these 8 things have to be with him.

You can see 6 of them here

I was at a Children's shop a couple weekends ago & was really close to buying a "blanket lovie". It was so cute, so soft, & looked like his original "bunny", but was the size of a small blanket. My thinking was, "Maybe he'll love this, & I can secretly get rid of all the others, & he'll only have 1 thing!" Thankfully I came to my senses, because you KNOW that would have just joined the others. Let's just hope 8 is the final number!!

Mountain Song

2012-02-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

You'll have to turn my music off, but here's a short video of Reid singing what he calls "Mountain Song"...after he tells me what Bugs Bunny says:) As you can see, I'm really into the Superbowl;)

The Beginning of Potty Training?

2012-01-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in over 2 weeks! I've also only taken a total of 3 pictures, which were taken this morning. I was out of town the last 2 weekends, but it was without Reid, & I'm not very good about taking pictures when he's not in them anymore.

Nick & I went to Advocare's Success School in Fort Worth, TX a couple weekends ago. It was really neat & motivating to see the thousands of people there whose lives have been changed by this company. In fact I saw 2 stay at home moms, with 4 & 5 kids who homeschool, walking up on stage getting awards! That just really confirmed to me that if they can do it, I certainly can.

Last weekend was totally random, but so much fun. It involved being picked up in an airplane, flying to the Delta, staying at the most amazing hunting camp, eating some awesome food, & meeting & hanging out with some really great people. Nick had a "dude's weekend" (that's what he called it) with Reid, which is funny since I was the one at the hunting camp;) In case you're wondering, I didn't do any hunting.

Reid is just getting sweeter & smarter by the day. He's started tee teeing on the potty before he gets in the bathtub. Sunday night when he was in the bathtub he told me he wanted to poo poo in the potty. I said well we better go get you some big boy underwear, cause only big boys poo poo in the potty. This really excited him, so that was the plan for Monday...we would go get big boy underwear when I picked him up from MMO. Different story at 12:00 on Monday. Apparently he had a change of heart, because he was adamant that he did NOT want to go get big boy underwear. Every time I bring it up he is quick to say "No, I not want". Oh well, I'm not so sure I'm ready for that step either;)

Live Fit & Happy

2012-01-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

I've been contemplating for a while about doing a post like this, because I have no intentions about this blog becoming a sales vehicle, but I decided that if I didn't do it I would be leaving out a big part of our lives right now. After a lot of talking & praying about it, Nick & I decided to get into the business of Advocare. Many of you have probably heard of it before, but if not, Advocare is a big line of health, weight loss, & sports performance products. It's endorsed by a ton of professional athletes & coaches, the most popular being Drew Brees, who is our National Spokesperson. He actually turned down a large offer from a major sport drink company after the Superbowl because he didn't want to stop using the products. He had pallets of their products shipped in for his entire team when they were training for the Superbowl! This stuff is amazing.

The most popular/well know product that they have is the 24 Day Challenge. It's made up of a 10 day "Cleanse Phase" & a 14 day "Max Phase". Nick & I started the challenge on Dec. 12th & saw awesome results. Not only am I sleeping better & have WAY more energy throughout the entire day, but I have not been this size since my senior year in high school!! Seriously, I did not think it was possible to ever get back to this weight. Nick has lost around 12 pounds & has a ton more energy. We've pretty much always eaten healthy for the most part & exercised, but doing the 24 Day Challenge & continuing on their other products/supplements has just given us that boost to get to where just diet & exercise could never get us.

I would NOT be telling yall about this if I did not think it was true. It's not some fad diet. Their products are designed & tested by a very impressive science/medical board of Doctors. Dr. Oz actually did a study on Fish Oils (you can google this), & found that the majority of fish oils on the market are actually rancid, even though they were not expired. He did lots of testing & picked 2 that he recommended, one being Advocare's. Same thing with the ProBiotics...Advocare's ProBiotic was one of his top picks.

My purpose in telling you all this is not to try to get you to go to our site & buy stuff. I know that the majority of people that read my blog are busy moms that all have something in common....we either want to have more energy, lose weight, get healthier, or make more money!! I honestly would love to help any of you that are interested in achieving any of those goals. Nick & I initially started doing this because we were looking for a secondary form of income, & Nick does a bible study with a guy who has been in the business with his wife for a little over 2 years. Right now, they are averaging $15,000 a month through Advocare alone. I am not making this up. Anyway, once we got on the products & realized just how awesome they were, I knew that this was something I could be very passionate about.

If you have no interest at all, that's ok! If you do, you can go to our website. It's www.livefitandhappy.com. If you have ANY questions, email me or call me! I would love to help you in any way possible. My email is laurenmiller80@hotmail.com, & my number is 601-405-5505.

If you read all of this, thank you!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I'm finally sitting down to do this post. We have been very busy around here. Christmas was really great, but went by way too fast as usual. Forget about Santa Claus, Reid was just happy to see his grandparents on several occasions! In fact, when I went into his room on Christmas morning, I said "Reid, do you know what today is?!" His response, "Grandma!"

We spent Christmas Eve night over at the Miller's.

He's screaming "Presents!" right here

His DeDe was really creative & crafty with several of her gifts this year thanks to Pinterest.

This "sash" will hold several match box cars

Nick got a router! Something I never thought I would care about, but now he can make picture frames much easier.

These 2 crazy kids got BB guns!

Before bedtime

His reaction was "WHOA!"

This 3 story garage was definitely his favorite.

Only on Christmas morning;)

We headed to my parent's house that afternoon.

My sweet Mem-maw

Jeremiah

Javan

Mia & Grandma

Nathan & Tori

These John Deere tractors & Dune Buggy's were a hit. Before he could say dune buggy, he kept calling them "M Baby's"

Nick & Nathan

To end the night, my sister's 3 kids performed a little rap. They had been practicing & had memorized every single word to "Ice Ice Baby" & "Gangster's Paradise". Old School. It was hilarious!

Reid didn't know what to think!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I'm always sad for it to end, but I am excited about 2012:)

Reid's Dresser

2011-12-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

Reid's "big boy" room is slowly, but surely coming along. With everything else we've had going on, I just haven't had the time to knock everything out at once. I was in the mood to get some stuff done yesterday so we went to Lowe's & got a new ceiling fan (out with the nursery chandelier) to go in there, plus lots of wood for some projects I am putting Nick in charge of. I have never seen someone so excited about a ceiling fan. He must have said. "Whoa, cool fan!" fifty times. It's the little things, you know;)

We finished re-doing his dresser the other day. This was Nick's dresser when he was growing up. We had it in the guest bedroom of our first house. It's now on its 4th "look"...unfinished wood, shabby chic white, cream with a dark glaze for the nursery, & now a white washed over dark/industrial/nautical look? I don't know what you call it, but I love the way it turned out. I did all the painting & Nick had the idea for the handles. Here is a glimpse of it from last year. Exactly a year ago today, actually.

And here it is today

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Buddies

2011-12-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

Quick recap of the weekend: My best friend came in town Friday night because she had a baby shower to help host. We had such a fun, relaxing time basically doing nothing but talk & watch old hilarious videos. She brought matching pajamas, cause we're cool like that.

The four of us (Nick, Reid, Ashley, & I) went to the bookstore & P.F. Changs on Saturday night, & that was the extent of our activity. I love weekends like that. It was weird with only one child around! Reid found him a new buddy:)

I kept my niece Emory for half the day today. She & Reid are basically 2 months apart to the day. Reid had no idea she was coming (we can't tell him much ahead of time), so when he woke up & she was here, he was beyond excited! They were very busy for the 4 1/2 hours she was here.

Building stuff

Pulling each other in the block wagon

Riding the train

Emory's turn to drive

Coloring

A little bed jumping

They were so cute together.

3 days until Christmas!!

Cruise

2011-12-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

We got back from our cruise on Sunday morning. I have never been so happy to see New Orleans in my life! We had a great time, & I am very thankful we got the chance to go, but I can tell you I am not a cruise ship's biggest fan;) I came to the conclusion that I like land, condos on the beach, & restaurants with a parking lot. I missed Reid like crazy. We had zero service on our phones & the internet was very expensive to use, so I only sent a few quick emails to check in. Reid, however, did not miss us. Big surprise;) When we pulled up at my parents house (my dad was riding him on the lawnmower of course), that child busting out crying like he was being tortured. Maybe one day he'll run to me screaming "mama" with a big smile on his face when we've been away?

We went to Cozumel, Belize City, Belize, Roatan, Honduras & Costa Maya. Obviously, you would never be able to see all of those places on one vacation, so for that, I am a fan of the cruise ship. Now if you haven't ever been on one, don't take my word for it. Some people LOVE cruises. In fact, we ran into a man I knew from Hattiesburg on the ship that was on his 30th Norwegian Cruise!

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to. It made me nervous taking my big camera everywhere. I wasn't worried it would get stolen, I just never knew exactly what we would be doing & didn't know if there would be somewhere I could put it. Here are the ones we did take...

At dinner on the ship

In Roatan, Honduras. Our FAVORITE place. Definitely would love to take a trip back there.

We rented scooters in Cozumel & Roatan. I just rode on the back with Nick. I loved doing that cause we were able to see so much of the place, & come & go as we wanted.

West End beach in Roatan. Paradise, except for the people constantly coming up to you trying to sell you stuff.

The pictures do not do it justice at all.

Two of Nick's co-workers

That's not us, but Nick & I got massage's right there at those tables in Costa Maya.

Costa Maya was like a ghost town except for the port, & this long strip they called the boardwalk. You can see our ship at the end.

Our ship

There was not much to do in Costa Maya, but the water was beautiful!

about to get some rough weather on the way back. That boat was rocking. I about fell over standing in line for the chocolate party that night;) It didn't stop me though.

They had the inside decorated really pretty for Christmas.

I can't believe we are only 10 days away from Christmas!

Real vs. Fake

2011-12-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

Growing up I insisted on having a real tree. In fact, I think I remember starting to shed some tears when my mom mentioned that maybe we would just get a fake tree one year? What a brat;) I can remember my mom up on a ladder in the living room for hours putting the lights on the tree. Every branch had a light on it. She would then call me in to do what I considered the fun part...decorate it. Why she never asked for our, or my dad's help to put the lights on, I do not know, but I can tell you she now has a pre-lit fake tree...had it since the Christmas I moved out.

The first Christmas Nick & I were married we bought a pre-lit pencil tree. I guess I got over having to have the real thing when I knew I would be the one putting the lights on. It was perfect for our little house, but since we moved into a house with much higher ceilings in the living room, I've been wanting a bigger tree. Every year I've said I'm gonna buy one when they go on sale after Christmas, but every single year after Christmas the last thing I want to do is spend more money!

This year we decided to go for the real thing. We loaded up on probably not the best night to buy a tree,(rainy & freezing) & went to Lowe's. Yes, I documented the occasion.

We first got distracted by Mickey Mouse

Apparently it was a good night, cause we were the only ones buying one at the time

Helping daddy push it all the way to the car

About 5 minutes into attempting to put the lights on, I decided that I was not cut out for the job & called Nick & told him I had a job for him when he got home. He picked up one end of the lights & literally began walking around the tree. He said that's the way they did it growing up & that my mom "ruined me" for Christmas (sorry, mama). I came behind him & adjusted a few areas, but left it like it was for the most part. It may not shine quite as brightly as my childhood trees, but I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out. And you just can't beat the way a real tree smells.

My attempt at my mantle

Buffet

My Carpenter

2011-11-30T13:13:00.000-08:00

Last year I discovered that I could be crafty, after all. After taking a long break during the summer, I finally got my motivation back to create some new things around my house. I can paint or refinish almost anything, but I do not have any carpentry skills. My husband did not think he did either, but I refused to believe that. When I get something in my head, it's hard for me to stop thinking about it. (Come to think of it, that must be where Reid gets that from:)) Nick has become my new carpenter, & he's getting better & better. Here are a few things I got him to do for me recently.

A cute little step stool for Reid

A picture frame

These "crates" I hung in my bathroom

Pretty good if you ask me:)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

Two Thanksgiving meals down, one more to go! I guess that's the beauty of living close to both families...every holiday is celebrated multiple times. It's been a lot of fun, though, & I've loved having Nick at home with me all day for the last few days. We've been very productive around the house, & pretty much finished the Christmas decorating besides the tree, which we were suppose to get today, but the rain put a damper on that. My goal is to be completely finished by the time we leave for our cruise!

On Thursday we went to Nick's parent's house for lunch.

Before we left. Sporting his new boots:)

Most of the pictures I took were family pics that I may end up using for Christmas cards, so I don't want to put them on here yet.

Reid & Swayze in the Princess car

Papaw, Nick & Uncle Blake

Today we went to my Grandmother's house in Florence.

Three Generations

Kara & Mia

I think Reid ate cake about 4 different times today. Every time I turned around someone had cut him a piece.

Slice #2...I didn't get the first one

Banks

My Apple Cider Caramel Cookies

I saw them on Pinterest. They were so good!

The enormous table of desserts

My beautiful cousin, Victoria

5 of the great grandchildren & 2 grandchildren

Mia & Abbie Grace

Nick in deep thought

Slice #3

Slice #4

Cheetos face on the way home. He was soaked & beside himself tired

And he's out

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving:)

Big Boy

2011-11-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Reid has officially reached the 40 pound mark, & lifting him in & out of his crib, & onto his changing table was really starting to hurt my back. I was really nervous about moving him straight into a big boy bed. I just didn't think he was quite ready...or more like I'm scared to death he's just going to jump up & down all night & never sleep! Last weekend we decided to try removing the front of his crib. That way I at least didn't have to lift him in & out. His crib is not a convertible one, but we removed the front anyway. He did great! We had to talk to him for a while about not getting out. He tried once, we threatened, & that was it! This is him waking up from his nap after we took it off.

He loves it. He calls it his "big boy" bed, & every time he crawls in, he says, "no getting out!" I can't imagine what he's gonna do when we put an actual bed in there.

I am in heaven with all of this fall weather! I hate that it gets dark so early, but we've gotten outside at night anyway.

I even got crafty one day & we made 2 of these fall paintings for the grandparents. Good ole Pinterest.

We took Reid to the Natchez Trace trail that is right down from our house on Saturday to take some pictures. I had been playing with my camera before we left & had it on a weird setting that I forgot to change, so half of them didn't turn out very clear, but we got several good ones.

Looking all handsome to go cook out with some friends:)

Rocky

2011-11-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

Halloween was such a fun day this year. I think Reid finally gets the dress up/candy thing. He didn't get it enough to tell me what he wanted to be, so I picked it out myself, & I think it fit him perfectly!

Rocky Miller

I couldn't send him to Mother's Morning Out shirtless

You can tell the girls really know to have their picture made:)

For some reason he had a cat face when I picked him up?

A bunch of us got together at some friend's house that night for pizza, a hay ride, & trick or treating.

Before we left

Crazy house!

The hay ride was clearly the highlight of his night. He called it the "4-Moler", & we really had to convince him at about the first 5 stops that he would be getting back on....just go get some candy! He finally caught on, but kept a close eye on that 4-Moler.

You would think this child lifts weights

Yes, it was cold that night, but he would not let me put a shirt on him. I promise I tried several times! And as usual, I consumed the most candy. It is now Operation Detox! I am suppose to go on a cruise in one month from Friday!

Catch Up

2011-10-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

I will go ahead & warn you that this post will probably have a ton of pictures. I've been taking lots of them with my new camera! I still have not taken the time to learn all the different functions/buttons, but it takes great pictures on just the basic setting.

I had a really fun birthday at Homecoming last Saturday. My sweet friends had put up a "Happy Birthday" banner & got me a funny crown. I didn't bring the camera out there, so sorry, no pictures. Reid came for a few hours & had a blast. I was a little worried because he was skipping his nap, but it didn't seem to bother him. I looked over one time & he was literally rolling in the dirt.

On Sunday afternoon we said goodbye to Nick & my parents & drove to Watersound, FL to stay with my best friend, her husband, & 2 kids. I was so excited because our kids haven't been around each other since January. It was such a fun week!

Parker & Reid

Sweet little Gunner

All 3 in my back seat

We took them to "Fired Up" in Seaside to paint pottery. It was a little stressful at times, but they had a blast. I painted too, so I wasn't able to get a ton of pictures.

About to get started

Covered in paint on the way out

My finished product. Turkey platter with Reid's handprints.

Reid's cereal bowl

I took Reid to the beach briefly one day when he woke up early from his nap. It didn't last too long. He could not get over the fact that we could not get in the water, & mama could not take her shirt off.

We took them to the Panama City Zoo on Tuesday.

His new "cheese" smile:)

Ashley & I went shopping that afternoon & left her husband in charge, thinking that they would all take really long naps. I should have known better. Reid woke up first & about had a heart attack when he looked up & saw Jonathan. Apparently he threw a large fit for about 30 minutes (& bless Jonathan's heart, he never even called us). When we pulled up they were all jumping in the driveway.

Watching movies

Jump houses at a big shopping center in Panama City

Playground at Baytown Warf

This smile cracks me up

Then we said our sad goodbyes on Thursday & started on our 6 hour drive that almost made me check into the mental hospital. Reid slept zero minutes. It was a rough ride to say the least. BUT, Nick knew how stressed I was on the way home, & when I walked in the door the house was spotless, there were candles lit, flowers on the counter, the floors were even mopped & my sheets were clean!! I love him.

And last but not least, we were invited to an adult Halloween party Saturday night. Since I had been out of town all week I did not have time to think of costumes, plus I refuse to spend much on them. I did, however have a really snazzy dress hanging in my closet from an 80's Christmas party we had several years ago. Nick had his dad's bomber jacket from the 80's in his closet, so I found him a mullet wig at Wal-Mart for $7 & we went as an 80's couple. I called Nick "Randy" cause that's what he looked like to me!

Our good friends, Charlie & Becca

A little hallway pose

Clarification

2011-10-22T05:07:00.000-07:00

Just in case some of you may be thinking that I am evil....As I re-read my blog post from yesterday I thought that it might have sounded like I was calling Reid the "devil"! Not at all!!! I totally meant the devil himself!! Reid is my angel:) Just thought I better clarify that just in case!

Mama said there'd be days like these

2011-10-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

I now have a camera!! I do not, however, have any pictures to share yet. I have barely looked at it since we were at the store the other night. Nick came home with it last night, so I just haven't had a chance. For those of you that know anything about cameras (not me), we decided on the Canon Rebel T2i. It was a package deal with the extra lens & a bigger than necessary camera bag. At least I will look like a professional when I am wearing this one shoulder back pack;) Of course I thanked him many times in person, but I would like to say an extra THANK YOU to my husband! Nick, you are amazing, you are too good to me, & I thank God that he gave me you.

Now, on to the more fun stuff like when I was leaving my bible study this morning & checked Reid's diaper, only to stick my fingers into his poo poo:) Yea, this poop must have exploded cause it was EVERYWHERE when I took that diaper off. Did I have plenty of wipes? No! Never mind the booger that was hanging out of his nose. I had to use the corner of a wipe that didn't have poop on it! I couldn't get back into the building to wash my hands, so I drove with one hand until I pulled into Wendy's where I could use their bathroom. I'm not gonna go into the next 20 minutes of details that involved a whole cup of water being spilled in his car seat or a naked melt down at home. Yea, the devil knows just how to attack me after a nice morning of bible study. I refuse to let him stress me out any more. Sorry, I just needed to vent for a minute. Reid is napping, & all is good now:)

I'm so looking forward to this weekend that involves my birthday, tailgating at Homecoming with perfect weather (we are going to bring Reid for a couple hours), birthday cake made by Julie Banks on Sunday, & then Reid & I are driving to Florida on Sunday afternoon to stay with my best friend for a few days. I hope I get to see some of you at the game tomorrow!

Ma Maaaaaaa

2011-10-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am still without a camera:( The guy at the camera shop told me it was definitely not worth repairing, so I have to get a new one. Hopefully not too much longer.

Reid continues to change almost on a daily basis...mostly with what he says. For the past few months the amount of times I hear "mama" has increased on a daily basis. He'd say it for any & everything. Basically every time he spoke a word, it was followed with "mama". Of course this did not bother me at all. It was really cute most of the time. Well, I'm not sure what happened in the middle of the night last Thursday night, because he woke up Friday morning saying "mama" the same amount of times, except it sounded like"ma maaaaaa". I am NOT exaggerating. It's that drawn out. I pray this is a phase. I looked at Nick the other night & said "Make him stop!" He even started dragging out "da dyyyyyyyy" too. Help!

As I type this Reid is watching "Dumbo", his new favorite movie. Last year Nick's broker gave us a huge box of old VHS tapes that were her daughters when they were young, along with a huge VHS player we now have perched above our TV. There are some adorable movies that I haven't seen in forever, but Dumbo is all he wants to watch right now. I forgot how sad it is! He doesn't get that yet, but I can't watch certain parts!

My birthday is this weekend. It's also USM's Homecoming, so we are gonna go tailgate & go to the game. The weather should be perfect. I can't wait. I've been waiting for some fall weather all year! We were going to take Reid to the pumpkin patch last Saturday, but I told Nick I would rather wait until it actually feels like fall....plus I didn't have a camera. So I think we'll take him next Saturday. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures to share.

I'm Still Here

2011-10-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

As of a few weekends ago, my camera started acting funny, so I quit taking pictures, which led to zero blog activity. I guess you don't have to have pictures to write a blog, but it's much more fun! I'm hoping & praying that sometime in the near future I can get a really good camera (the professional looking one with the lens), but for now I may just start using Nick's work camera for the blog. I hope I don't miss out on any major life events!

We have stayed pretty busy over the last few weeks. We spent one weekend in Pass Christian with two other couples & their kids at one of the friend's parent's vacation homes. We went to the USM game last weekend, and we are headed to New Orleans tomorrow for a big wedding that I'm in. Reid will be staying with Nick's parents.

My favorite month has arrived & I've already been consuming all things pumpkin....pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin spice lattes , pumpkin cookies, & canned pumpkin in my oatmeal. Really, I'm obsessed. I haven't checked yet, but I'm sure all the yogurt shops have pumpkin flavor by now. I will be visiting soon. We plan on taking Reid to the pumpkin patch next weekend hopefully. I actually call Reid "pumpkin" a lot of the time...just thought of that!

We have some exciting things in the works! Hopefully I can share with you soon:) (It's not what you're thinking) I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Mice Cream

2011-09-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe we are already 14 days into the month of September! Before I know it I will enjoying my favorite month of the year, when all seems right in the world.

I started the month off in Florida, in the middle of a hurricane, at a childhood friend's bachelorette party. Despite the weather, it was really fun to spend a long weekend with a bunch of girls. I discovered that some things really never change. A few a yall who read this will know what I'm talking about;)

Reid started Fall Mother's Morning Out last week. He's literally been running into his classroom, so I feel like we've made huge progress from last year. I love that he brings me a craft every time I pick him up. This was his first day.

Telling daddy bye...in his towel. Sorry Nick;)

I took him to get his haircut, which I've done many times before, but this was the first time he sat in the chair by himself. I was amazed at how well he did. The receptionist said, "Hey Darlin!" when we walked in, & Reid said, "Hey Darlin" right back!

Yesterday we went to the Jackson zoo. I can't even remember the last time I went to that zoo, but it was pretty nice. We basically had the whole thing to ourselves because of school. It was so fun watching him be amazed at all the animals we usually just read about.

He was asking about the elephants the whole time, which I just assumed they had, but apparently not. Riding the elephant on the carousel definitely made up for it. This was the highlight of the trip. I'm glad we waited until the end to do it, cause walking away was a little difficult;)

After the zoo we had lunch together & got some "mice cream":)

Yesterday was also Nick's 31st birthday! Exactly 9 years ago on his birthday he asked me on our first date:) The only picture I got was of Reid & his cousin Emory at the restaurant last night.

Those two look like trouble!

Old Door

2011-08-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

I've finally started working on a few projects again. I pretty much lost all of my motivation over the summer. Sanding & painting while I'm dripping sweat is not exactly enjoyable to me. I did finish one thing last week that was really easy. I saw the idea online. My dad gave us an old door a couple of months ago that he had in his barn. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I started stripping the paint off & this really cool blue came through. I decided to leave it like it was & use it for the idea I had seen. Here it is. I LOVE the way it turned out! It's hanging in our breakfast room.

The panels are painted with chalkboard paint. I found the hooks at Hobby Lobby & thought they would look perfect on it. I got Nick to change out the knob with a crystal one & hang it for me!

We were playing outside one afternoon & I kept trying to get Reid to smile at me. This was the best I got:)

I think he was getting annoyed at me here

Eating cake at Grandma's birthday party

This morning I was on the treadmill at the gym & all of a sudden I felt something between my boobs. I tried to discreetly reach up under my sports bra, & what did I find? A gold fish! Nice:)

Doubleboo & Cute

2011-08-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

Reid's vocabulary increased about 10 times a few weeks ago. It's like it was over night. He talks non-stop, tells me constantly what every single thing in the room is, & now knows every single letter of the alphabet. When he sings his ABC's you can't understand what all he is saying, but he has this etch-a-sketch, & if I go through the whole thing one by one he can tell me each one. Makes me very proud:) For some reason "Doubleboo" (W) is his favorite. I love to hear him say it. He smiles & drags the sound out...dooouubbllebooo...like he's flirting with it! I have found the "W" magnet in every single room in my house. Love affair I guess;) Second to doubleboo, I love to hear him say "Cute", cause that's what he calls Q:)

While I'm thinking about it, & so I don't forget one day, here's a list of way he pronounces some words:

Sandwich = Ranrich

Apple = Bapple

Blanket = Wanket

Lawnmower = Mon Moor

4-Wheeler = 4-Moler

Tractor = Ractor

Bath Tub = Tab-a

Yogurt = Gogurt
Coffee = Cockie
Fish = Dish
I dropped it = Aboses?
Reid Miller = Reid Mur

I'm sure there are plenty more. I'll have to add them as I think of them.

We took Reid to the circus a couple weeks ago. I only took one picture before it started. We really didn't know what to expect with him, but he loved it. He sat perfectly still in my lap for about an hour & 15 minutes. This NEVER happens! I may have liked it more than he did! He still talks about the elephants.

We went to Carthage this past Saturday with Nick's family to visit his uncle. Besides the fact that it was 150 degrees outside, we had a really good time, & I got some great pictures.

Thanks goodness Swayze brought her 4-Moler. It provided lots of entertainment...& a couple meltdowns;)

I LOVE this picture. Sweet cousins.

Even Vince was allowed to have a little fun;)

This makes my 100th post!!

What to look for

2011-08-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

I just got back from seeing the movie again with my bible study group. It's really easy to spot Nick in the banquet scene. There are only a few other guys around him. I realized, though, that it's really easy for me to see myself because I know what to look for, what I'm wearing, etc. This post is mostly for my parents who are going to see the movie tomorrow night. I want them to be able to spot me, so I thought I would explain what to look for.

The first time you see me I'm in this blue outfit. It's at the first Bridge Club scene. You can see me briefly sitting on the couch on the right side of the screen, & then later standing up talking on the left side.

The next time I could easily be missed. This scene is at an outdoor baby shower. You don't really know it's a baby shower. They are all just sitting at tables outside by a pool. Right before the scene ends you will see me walk across the screen. I'm in this outfit.

The last time you see me is when you can see me for the longest. It's in another Bridge Club scene. I sitting down at a table (smoking) in the far left corner. It comes back to me several times. Celia comes to the door & we all get up & hide behind the tables. This is my outfit.

Someone sent us this shot today of Nick in the banquet scene. Soon after you see him for the first time at the table, it cuts to people dancing & you can see him dancing with his "wife". Just keep your eyes focused on his table & you'll see him a few more times throughout this scene.

(bottom left in this picture)

Ok, sorry to be so technical, but my dad is taking his whole office to go see it tomorrow, & I would hate it if they missed us cause they didn't know what to look for!

Oh! Wait for the credits, cause my name is on there!

Huntington Beach

2011-08-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

There is still one more part of our CA trip that I can't leave out. After my celebrity stalking tour in L.A., we headed back down south to Huntington Beach. We made sure to drive through Santa Monica & Venice Beach just to get a quick look.

I just realized that I only took 3 pictures here. I was missing my baby so bad, I think I had hit my limit & was ready to come home! HB is a huge surfing city, so it was really cool to see all the surfers which I have never actually seen in person. We walked all the way down the enormous HB pier & watched the surfers.

We also rented bikes & rode along the beach & through the town for a while, but I didn't get a picture. Nick on his beach cruiser would have been a good one!

We met up with two of Nick's business associates that night & had a really fun dinner. Again, the only picture I got was of us later that night when we were somewhere else.

I am so thankful that we were able to take this trip. It was just the break we needed (although we probably won't go as long next time), & we had the best time together:)

Premier

2011-08-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

We went to The Help premier in Madison this past Saturday. It was at 1:30 in the afternoon, so it was extremely hot, but I managed to get some pretty good pictures before we went in & got our seats.

Octavia Spencer "Minny"

Emma Stone "Skeeter"

Viola Davis "Abileen"

Jessica Chastain "Celia"

Tate Taylor & Kathryn Stockett

(Director & Author)

Aunjanue Ellis "Yule May"

"Mae Mobley"

The other "Mae Mobley"

The movie was awesome! You will laugh & cry. We definitely were able to pick ourselves out. The first three times I saw myself it was pretty quick...you would have to know what to look for. The last time was at a bridge club meeting when "Celia" comes to the door & we all get up & hide behind the tables. You will definitely be able to pick me out here...& witness some acting skills;) Nick has a few really good shots in the banquet scene. He's at the main table. You even see him dancing for a couple seconds!

I can't wait for my family to see it. It officially comes out next Wednesday, but I'm sure we'll get a big group together during the weekend.

After the movie we picked Reid up & headed to a birthday party for this guy:)

Yesterday Reid was coloring with markers. I went to the bathroom & when I came back I found this:)

He's saying "No, No" right here, cause obviously that's what just came out of my mouth! Thank goodness for washable markers.

The Interview

2011-07-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Of course I am so critical of myself & think I look & sound like an idiot, but I'm going to be a big girl & post the interview anyway. He just sent it to me this afternoon. The shots where the camera is about 2 inches from my face are especially scary;)

You'll probably need to "pause" my music first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPJMJBz8_-Y

L.A.

2011-07-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

The drive from San Diego up the coast to L.A. was so beautiful. I probably had a permanent smile on my face:) We stopped in Laguna Beach to look around for a while before we got there. Not surprisingly, it was also beautiful! I cannot imagine growing up in a place like that. We walked around & got a drink in a restaurant, but I didn't take any pictures except these.

Yes, I admit there was a time I was a fan.

Football field

You can't really tell, but this was the baseball field.

If you could have only see the view they would have had while sitting in the stands...quite a stretch from ole' OG;)

We stayed at the Andaz hotel in West Hollywood. We also got this one off priceline & were very pleased. It was super modern & big, they were constantly offering us food & drinks, & it had a really neat rooftop pool area. The only issue we had was right outside our window happened to be Pauly Shore's house, & both nights were were woken up in the middle of the night to some kind of wildness going on from his house!

This is a picture I took of it from the street.

What does he even do now??

We went & ate at a really good sushi place that night in Beverly Hills, then drove up Mulholland Dr. to see the views of the city at night. You can't tell much at all from these pictures, but it was really pretty.

I can literally thank Kenny Chesney for that idea. We heard that Tequila song on the radio on the way there & he says something about driving up Mulholland Dr.!

On Monday morning we went & ate an awesome breakfast at Urth Cafe. I've seen several celebrities eating there in magazines & I wanted to try it. No celebrity spotting, but the food was really good!

We drove all over Beverly Hills, which was so much fun to me. Everything was so beautiful & perfectly manicured. Most of the houses were unreal. We later heard that the combined value of real estate just in the Beverly Hills area, which is really not that big, is around $60 billion!!

I didn't realize that people actually have Rodeo Dr. as their address! I thought it was just shopping.

Beverly Hills Hotel

We were suppose to go on a tour that afternoon, but we missed it because of the traffic, so we walked around Hollywood Blvd. for a while. I'm glad we saw it, but it was definitely not my favorite. It was so crowded & touristy. We saw these EVERYWHERE!

These annoying people literally grabbed me for a photo. I just kind of went with it cause I really didn't have a choice, & then the lady leaned in & said "We pose for tips." Ha! I bet you do!

They grabbed Nick after me, & I was annoyed so I just pretended to take a picture.

For lunch we ate here. I had to try it. We were not disappointed!

Later we drove up in the Hollywood Hills & found this spot that was extremely close to the HOLLYWOOD sign. It doesn't look that close in the pictures, but I think it was about as close as you can get.

The view from up there

We lounged in a cabana at our rooftop pool before we started getting ready for dinner. I didn't even break a sweat:)

This was the view from the cabana.

We went back to Beverly Hills for dinner that night & ate outside at a Chinese restaurant.

Love the guy in the background;)

Since we missed our tour that day we made it up the next morning. It was a TMZ tour...celebrity centered. Yes, I admit, I like to know things about celebrities. I'm not proud of it. We felt like huge tourist dorks on this bus, but it really was fun.

The place where Brad Pitt had his first job dressed in a chicken suit.

Chateau Marmont, which was next door to our hotel

Remember that horrible reality shoe called Sunset Tan?!

I love this place

Supposedly this is a gym where a ton of celebrities go.

They were setting up for the premiere of Captain America.

Pink's hot dogs. We were told they were overrated.

For lunch we went to The Grove, which is a nice shopping area. We saw Mario Lopez out there filming Extra, & then he happened to be eating at the same place we were. So there it was...our one & only celebrity spotting. Mario Lopez. Oh well:)

San Diego

2011-07-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

We are back! I gotta tell ya, coming back to this miserable weather is depressing!! It's hot, humid, AND flooding. None of which we experienced in California. If only it wasn't so dang expensive to live there:(

I took plenty of pictures. I wish now that I had more. It's harder when I don't have my cute little sidekick with me to be in the pictures. Since we stayed in 3 different places, I'm going to blog about each one individually so this doesn't become the longest blog ever, & to help me remember everything better.

San Diego was definitely the most beautiful place I have ever been to. We stayed downtown in the Gaslamp District at the Residence Inn by Marriott, which I would highly recommend. We were surrounded by hundreds of restaurants & were able to get anywhere we wanted really fast. We got the hotel off of priceline.com for under $200 a night & it was extremely nice! It even had a full size kitchen.

By the time we got our rental car, checked in the hotel, & showered, it was getting late & we were still on central time, so we just found a good sushi place nearby & then went to bed. We drove over to Coronado Island Saturday morning. This ended up being our favorite thing we did in San Diego. It was so beautiful. There are adorable houses, big mansions, shops, restaurants, one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to, & the massive Hotel del Coronado. We rented bikes & rode all over the island, looked in some of the shops, & ate lunch outside at the big hotel. Keep in mind that these pictures do not do it justice at all!

I use to look at magazines & see celebrities at the beach with their hair down & fixed, looking beautiful. Me at the beach...hair in a bun, no makeup, & sweating profusely. Now I understand. If the weather was that perfect when I went to the beach I would probably try to look presentable too!

I had to take a picture of this bike. It's an elliptical that you actually ride on. We got behind a guy riding one of these but I wasn't able to get my camera out fast enough.

We went to Little Italy that afternoon to walk around & stop for a drink.

That night we drove to La Jolla to eat dinner. It's another seaside resort community with beautiful homes, shops, restaurants, & businesses. For some reason I didn't take any pictures. Afterwards we hung out at a cool rooftop lounge near our hotel. The view was awesome, but you can't tell in the picture.

On Sunday we went to this really cool church that I had read about online called The Rock Church. The pastor use to be a professional football player. It was an awesome service & we were really glad we went. I think it's neat to experience things that aren't so "touristy" when we go places.

We drove to the Old Town area to eat lunch & walk around. We ate outside at an authentic Mexican restaurant.

Soon after we took the top off the Jeep & got ready to head to L.A.!

I realize that we look like huge dorks, but I can't tell you how happy I was at this moment. Not to be leaving San Diego...there was still a ton of stuff we wished we would have had time to do, but the weather was perfect, we had no responsibilities, no time restraints...just driving up the beautiful coast!

Lately

2011-07-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have not been as motivated to blog. Probably the sweltering heat! The biggest news going on around here is Nick & I had our first "interview" last week for The Help. A guy that runs this news website contacted me about doing a story on the movie, & asked if Nick & I would be interested in being interviewed. It was no big deal. We met him in the Fondren area around a few of the places where they filmed. It was just him, & he had this tiny little camera. The good thing is, if I feel like I look like a complete fool on camera...which is likely, no one has to know about it;) I'll let yall know the website after I get to view it!

The guy that interviewed us has been to California several times, & actually just got back, so he's been able to give us a ton of awesome information & tips about our trip. We are leaving Friday! I am going to be completely honest. I know I will miss Reid, & I'll be so happy to see him when we get back, but I am so looking forward to this break. This is a trying age!! Add to that a child that weighs as much as most 5 year olds. There have been days that I thought I might pull my hair out;)

Here's a little about what's been going on lately...

We had our 6 year anniversary a few weekends ago. We didn't want to do too much since we are about to leave, so we went to the big city of Hattiesburg & got a hotel room. My parents kept Reid. We actually had a great time! I got all of 3 pictures the entire weekend. We started Saturday out at good ole Cracker Barrel. Reid pretty much cried the entire time for the lawnmower at my parent's house. He thought we were taking him away from it since we left their house for breakfast. He looks happy in this picture, & that's only because we were leaving;)

Saturday night at Cork. I turned around & Nick was playing the guitar with the trio band. Big dork!

The next day before we left. The 4-wheeler is now at the top of his list with the lawnmower. He calls it the 4-moler & has been asking for it every day when he wakes up from his nap.

This is how he was sleeping one night!

Playing with play-do for the first time.

Notice my masterpiece...carrots & peas;)

Getting a little carried away with the markers

We've been riding bikes a lot lately. They extended the trails on the Natchez Trace, which is really close to our house, so we have some really great places to ride. I am now official with my helmet. Just call me cool.

That's all for now!

Guest Post #2

2011-07-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Mans Perspective: Lessons from Life.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of my first guest post, Lauren has asked me to do a second. This may become a recurring thing. She may have to hire me as a columnist for her blog.

If you have been following Laurens Blog (which she has done a wonderful job with) you have most likely seen the pictures she posted of Reid and I cutting the grass. I absolutely love this. I use to not like cutting the grass so much but now I enjoy it. It is one of the cutest things you will ever see. I also enjoy spending the time with him. The funny thing is that he will copy every move I make.

Once I was cutting around a tree and scattered some pine straw from around the base. The next pass I made I kicked the pine straw back up against the tree. When I looked back, I saw Reid kicking the pine straw as well. He had no clue what he was doing, but he saw daddy do it and knew it needed to be done.

The first time I realized that there may be an issue was when I was edging the gutters by the street and looked back and saw Reid right behind me, walking in the street. This was when I was hit hard with a dose of reality.

You see, our kids are watching us and they are observing every move we make, especially at Reid’s age. They copy what we say and they copy what we do. If we’re not careful, we can lead them into danger with our actions, whether intentional or not. This is true with relationships (how we treat our spouses), financially (how we spend our money) and most important, spiritually (how we live our lives in accordance with the Word of God). The good thing is, is that if we do these things right, we can lead them into great prosperity as well (in all three categories).

One thing that I have to constantly remind myself of is this: whatever characteristics I want Reid to posses and whatever goals I want Reid to accomplish, I have to reflect these back to him through my own words and actions. I have to first be the man that I want Reid to be. If I want Reid to be a devoted husband and father than he must see me fulfill this role. I can’t spend all of my time away from home working or playing and expect him to learn what it means to be a family man.

If I want Reid to follow the Lord and serve God, than he has to see me do that as well. I can’t expect the Church to teach him this. This is my responsibility.

As men we have so many roles. Provider, protector, leader, disciplinarian, the list goes on and on. We have a lot of responsibilities and a lot of things rest upon our shoulders. But we have to learn to prioritize our time and put our lives into prospective. I could allow my work to define who I am, but instead, I choose to allow my family to define who I am. I don’t want to allow my career to be the judge of my success in life, rather, I want my marriage and the development of my children to define my success. I hear a lot of things throughout the day, some good, some bad. But my most favorite thing to ever hear at the end of the day is Daddy.

California

2011-06-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Nick & I are headed to California in about 2 1/2 weeks! I wish I could say it was for the premier of our movie, but sadly, I don't think we're invited;) There are some clients that Nick needs to go meet & spend a little time with in Huntington Beach, so we are just going to make a trip out of it. I am so excited! Nick's been to San Francisco once before, but I've never been anywhere in CA. So far, our plans are to fly into San Diego, spend a day & a half there, then drive up the coast to see Laguna Beach, the L.A. area (Hollywood, Beverly Hills), & then back down to Huntington Beach, where we will fly out of. We are staying from Friday to Thursday.

My purpose in telling you all of this is to get some advice. Is there any of you that have been to any of those areas? If so, what advice do you have? Recommended restaurants, things to see & do, things to not see & do, etc. We want to really try to make the most of it while we're there without wandering around deciding what to do. Thank you!!

Summertime so far

2011-06-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have no good excuse for my lack of blogging. I'm gonna try to start doing a better job!

So far, we have really been enjoying our summer. Reid loves the pool, but does not understand yet that his floaties would help hold him up, so he holds on to me for dear life. He likes to jump to me off the side no less than 75 times in a row;) When we're not at the pool, we've been hanging out at friend's houses, cooking out with friends, going to the bookstore & playing with the "wain" table, or sweating it out in the back yard. He started back Mother's Morning Out last week. He's only going one morning a week during the summer. He has a blast after about 1 minute of crying, & it's really nice to have a few hours to get some things done. Here he is on his first day.

I started going to a bible study on Friday mornings from 9-11. We are doing the Beth Moore Patriarchs study, which is really good! I am learning so much more than I ever would just reading the bible on my own.

We meet in the church offices, so Reid comes with me & there are a few baby-sitters that keep the kids in one of the rooms. It's worked out great.

A couple of weeks ago I came home from running errands to find this. Reid was dead serious following Nick around with that lawnmower. He made every move Nick would make. Probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen:)

Look at the change from just last September!

We went to a Braves game one Friday night. We got there around 6:30 & Reid literally did not stop moving until the fireworks show at 10:15. His head looked like he had gotten straight out of the bath tub.

I think we'll take a break from baseball games for a little while;)

I thought it would be fun to do a Father's Day craft one day. I was wrong. It was more of a disaster. I simply wanted to get a hand & foot print on a piece of white paper that I could frame. Reid freaked out when I stuck his hand in the paint?! The towels I layed down did nothing. Paint was everywhere, Vince got the wrath from me because he would not get out of our way (sorry buddy), & I'm pretty sure I said...out loud a few times..."we will never do this again!" Ha! My patience seemed to leave me just briefly there;)

As you can see, Reid has FINALLY started to acknowledge the camera & actually smile, or make a face. He may just be sick of me & mocking me, but either way, I really appreciate it.

Father's Day morning

I'm not sure what these faces are about

Leaving church

That evening we drove to my parents & had a red neck party in their back yard! Reid was in heaven. It's so much fun to get all the cousins together now. They all play so good together.

Notice the wedgie

I hope everyone else is having a great summer!

2 Year Stats & Recent Pics

2011-06-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

I finally took Reid to the doctor for his 2 year check-up today. Everything looked great! They asked me if I had any concerns & I said no, unless excessive whining is not normal. We sure have been doing A LOT of that lately:) Here are his stats:

Weight: 35lbs 4oz (off the charts)

Height: 38.5" (off the charts)

Head: 20 (not sure)

I'm dealing with a HAUS here!

We have been going non stop recently, so that's why I have not sat down to blog. Here are pics from over the past 2 weeks.

We took Reid to the Southern baseball game at Trustmark Park. He ran up & down the bleachers like a crazy person. I didn't exactly watch the game.

Memorial Day Weekend

Cooking out at the Miller's. This is where he spent most of his time.

We went out on Uncle Blake's boat.

Passed out! This would be the first time he's ever taken a nap anywhere except his bed...& the car only a handful of times.

We had some friends that were getting married in Orange Beach last Saturday, so we made it a long weekend & took Reid. The first day did not go over so well. He only had a 45 minute nap the day before on our way there so he was beyond tired. We only stayed at the beach for about an hour & a half before we had to go put him down.

Waking up from his 4 1/2 hour nap!

Thank God we brought the "mar mar"

Precious Jon Foster...our friend's little boy

Thankful

2011-05-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

I want to thank each & every one of you that left a comment or wrote me a message. Every single one was so comforting to hear. I really appreciate it. The past few days have made me even more aware of how much God has blessed us with amazing, supportive friends & family. I am so grateful for all of you.

Reid's birthday party went great. I woke up Sunday morning really not feeling like being around a bunch of people, but I think it helped, & I'm so glad we went through with it cause Reid had a blast. He would not stop moving for a picture, so I did my best to get some good ones before he got all sweaty. Trying to get a family pic is next to impossible.

Finally, a back yard!

The patio Nick worked so hard on

The sandbox was the biggest attraction for the first little while

Jon Foster

Reid's cousin, Emory

Singing Happy Birthday

Reid's cousin, Swayze

The only 2 seconds he sat still the entire time

Nick's brother-in-laws

We ended the night shirtless, soaking wet, & brown from dirt.

Success!

Difficult News

2011-05-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

I guess I just want to go ahead & get this post over with. I lost the baby last night at 12 1/2 weeks. I still feel like I'm in a dream. I got to the hospital a little after 8:00 last night & we didn't leave until a little after 8:00 this morning. It's been a long 24 hours.

On Thursday I started spotting a little, which I knew could be completely normal, but I had not experienced it when I was pregnant with Reid, so I was a little concerned. I also started lightly cramping that night. Just for my peace of mind I went to the doctor Friday afternoon. They did an ultrasound & everything looked great. I got to see the baby for the first time when it actually looked like a baby. It was moving around & the heart beat was normal. She checked me & said that my cervix was closed, which was a good sign, but since I was doing the unexplained spotting, I was still considered "at risk for a miscarriage". I felt a little better after seeing the ultrasound, but I just didn't have complete peace about it. She said that if the cramping got severe or if I saw blood, that I needed to go straight to the OB emergency room. Late yesterday afternoon we were doing stuff around the house getting ready for the party & I kept cramping. I tried ignoring it for a while, but it just kept getting worse, & finally at 8:00 I told Nick that I just couldn't take it anymore. I headed to the hospital by myself & he called his mom to come over so he could meet me up there. Just as I was turning into the parking garage I felt this big gush & I knew it was blood. I have never been so panicked. It was everywhere. Not long after I got in there I felt something again & unfortunately I saw what I never imagined I would ever have to see. It was so scary being by myself, but looking back, I'm glad Nick wasn't there yet. I'm glad he didn't see me going through that. After a few hours they decided that they need to do a D & C because my cervix wasn't closing completely. Since I had eaten a full meal around 7:00 they made me wait until 3:00 am to do it. They gave me an epidural, so after it was over we had to wait until I got the feeling back in my legs to leave. It was a long night.

We just couldn't handle the birthday party today, so we text everyone & pushed it back to tomorrow afternoon.

You know, I'm really sad that this happened. It does hurt, & it will probably take me a little while to get over it. I do know that I will be ok. I know that we will have another baby, & I am so very grateful for the beautiful, healthy little boy I have right now. I completely trust that God is in control of my life. As much as I want to take the reigns & plan it out, His plans are way bigger than mine. Our baby is in Jesus' arms right now & I will get to meet him/her in heaven one day.

Almost Done

2011-05-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for Reid's birthday party this weekend. I decided to push it back a couple of weeks to give the grass plenty of time to settle in the back yard. The back yard! How tired are you of hearing me talk about that?! I'm pretty tired of hearing myself say it. It has been a long, difficult process, but it is finally almost complete. The only thing that will not be complete for the party is the fence. They can't come & start building it for another 3 weeks or so. Nick has worked so hard out there. We were told that if we would have just hired a crew to come & do it all it would have cost at least $10,000! No thank you.

Anyway, I am trying to keep the party simple. I went all out with food & stuff last year, & I just don't have it in me this year. Plus, Reid doesn't care, the other kids don't care, why should I? I'm gonna have a couple of snacks going along with a sort of circus theme, I'm making a cake, & my grandma is bringing a couple pies:) We are renting a big space jump, so that should provide plenty of entertainment. I just hope it doesn't rain...it's in the forecast.

Here is the only picture I got of him(except for one on my phone) on his actual birthday. His friend Lila came over for dinner & cupcakes. Notice the sweat & filth on Reid, & then look at Lila! I cannot get him to look at the camera for anything.

I take that back. I did get this picture. This is what I put on Facebook to officially announce that we were pregnant.

Besides the back yard, I feel like I have been constantly working on projects around here. I repainted my living room/dining room a few weeks ago. That was a huge job but I'm so glad I went ahead & got it done. My mom came last week & helped me repaint my back porch glider & the picnic table. I will post pictures of those soon. They look so much better. While she was here Reid entertained himself with the water hose.

We went to my nephew's birthday party last weekend in Hattiesburg at Planet Gymnastics. Reid got in & out of the foam pit the entire time. He loved it!

I thought these were funny. That's his cousin Mia. Of course I could not get him to smile. I don't know why their eyes look evil in this one.

You better believe there was a melt down when the party was over. Fun coming to an end is a very difficult thing for Reid;)

His aunt gave him some Elmo slippers

My friend Becca & I took Reid & Lila to the park yesterday. They got so excited when we were about to leave the house, they started holding hands. So cute:)

Please say a prayer that it doesn't rain on Saturday! I don't have any kind of indoor entertainment!

Happy Birthday Reid!

2011-05-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it's been a year since I did this post. I cannot believe it's been 2 years since this!

These past 2 years have been the most challenging, yet most rewarding 2 years of my life. Reid, you continue to bring joy to my life every single day. You are such a mama's boy right now & I absolutely love it. I know it may not last forever:( I never knew I could love someone the way I love you. I still go into your room every single night & just look at you, & thank God for my precious gift. Sometimes you're still awake & you just look up at me & smile:) You are so sweet & so smart. Your memory amazes me sometimes. You are such a goofball & are always being silly & laughing. You are very tall for your age right now, & very heavy too. I'm not sure how much longer I can tote you around! Most people think you are at least 3! Your dad & I love you more than words can express, but as hard as it is to believe, your God loves you more. I pray that He will be first in your life at a very young age. I believe that "...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Happy 2nd Birthday Reid!!

Easter

2011-04-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend was very busy & exhausting, but a lot of fun. Friday night I went to a 6 hour church service called "Secret Church" that was really amazing. I was definitely skeptical about the length of time, but I swear it flew by. I got in bed about 1:00 am...I don't remember the last time I did that, but I can tell ya it wasn't after a church service! The sod for our backyard was delivered on Saturday. There was lots of preparation that had to be done before it could be layed, so Nick ended up doing yard work, with the help of a good friend, & later with my dad from 8:00 am - 7:00 pm. I'm waiting until it's completely done with fence & all before I post pictures. Late that afternoon Reid & I went on to an Easter egg hunt & barbecue over at our friend's house. Nick came & met us later. Reid had a blast. This was his first hunt, but it didn't take him too long to catch on.

About to leave for the party

Popcorn in one hand

Just starting to figure it out

He kept getting distracted by this cool truck

By the end of the night he was drenched in sweat & covered in dirt...the party was a success!

Easter morning started EARLY. I had to get up at 5:30 to get ready & be at the church at 7:40 to keep the nursery for early church. I had to wake Reid up, so we didn't even give him his Easter basket until after church.

Notice there is no candy. Everyone that knows me knows I LOVE candy, so I guess I have to blame that on my weird husband;) I cannot get Reid to eat any kind of candy. He'll eat cookies & cake, but no candy.

We drove to my parents house after church. He was already wiped out. His hand is completely in his snack trap.

We had an Easter egg hunt out there for the kids. As you can see, it got pretty hot. He's a sweater for sure.

Here's a sort of rough looking family pick. We didn't have everyone out there.

"The Help" Trailer!!

2011-04-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

The trailer is out! I just watched it for the first time. I don't see myself at all. I just barely got cut off in the scene where they are all playing cards, but I see several of the other "Bridge girls"! It's so neat seeing it all put together!

http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/04/18/the-help-trailer/

Lots To Do

2011-04-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

Nick probably thinks I'm trying to kill him. I use to hate "projects". Too much time & work involved. I would much rather just buy whatever it was I wanted done, or just ignore it & hope I forgot about it. I guess I use to be lazy? Anyway, I think I've gotten a little project happy lately. The biggest one we have going on is the backyard. It is slowly but surely coming along. All you people with grassy, fenced in back yards...you don't realize how lucky you are! It never bothered me until I had a toddler running around who would sleep outside if I let him. I long for the day when I can just lounge in my back yard (in my swimsuit if I want, or my birthday suit;)) & watch Reid play without worrying about him getting too close to the street or Vince running across the street to chase after a dog walker.

I have also decided, once again, to paint my entire living room & dining room (which is all one room). My mom & I did it when I was pregnant with Reid (yes, I know you're not technically suppose to paint when your pregnant, but that's one thing Nick hates doing, & I knew if I wanted it done, I better do it myself). Finding a color that I like has not been easy. I currently have 8 different color samples painted on the walls in different areas...large areas, nothing discrete. There's no turning back now, I have to paint or my living room is gonna look like a crazy person's house. Oh yea, painting the laundry room is also on my list. And re-painting our outdoor picnic table. I keep thinking of stuff!

A third project going on right now was my idea, of course, but unfortunately I would not be of any help. Have you ever heard of the website/blog ana-white.com? You can search just about any kind of furniture you can think of & find a step by step plan. She has some amazing stuff on there, & of course it's at a fraction of the cost of what it would be if you bought it. Well, I've always thought we had the perfect set up for built ins (for our TV, with cabinets & shelves). We have a small section of built in shelves & cabinets on the opposite side, I'm not sure why they didn't do it for the TV side when they built the house. Anyway, I found a plan for a media center/built ins on this website that we really liked, so that project has begun. The entire garage is officially a workshop. Neither one of us can park in there right now.

So, there is lots to be doing right now! I should probably be working on one of those things instead of sitting in this chair right now. I will keep you updated with the progress!

Here is some cuteness to add to this blog, since all I've done is ramble...

Out for pizza last Friday night.

Tucking Elmo in right between Vince's food & water bowls?

Reid & his cousin Jacob in the pink princess car!

With rims!

We took Reid to his first wedding last weekend. I held him in the back of the church the entire time (in heels I might add), ready for a quick exit, but he never said a word! I was very proud!

At the reception...holding his cousin's hand:)

Breaking it down on the dance floor

His new favorite activity (not eating the glass...playing in the car)

I thought this was so sweet. Here he is at 2 months old.

And here at 23 months. He rarely sleeps like this anymore, so when I found him like this the other night I grabbed my camera.

Sometimes Helping Gets You in Trouble

2011-04-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

My dad came last Saturday to help Nick cut down a few more trees in the back yard before our friend shows up with the excavator. You would think we had a football field of a backyard with the amount of limbs/trees/shrubs/weeds that continue to pile up each time we have a work day. I took Reid out of the house for most of the morning, but when we got back I though I would be nice & lend a hand picking up limbs. I helped for all of 15 minutes before I came in to start lunch. Big mistake. I woke up Sunday morning with some weird itching going on. By the time we were leaving for church there were two definite spots of poison ivy. By Sunday night it had spread like wildfire. I was up half the night on fire. It's now Thursday, & Nick & I both are still covered in it....even in places I won't mention:) His got worse than mine. I will spare you with any pictures. Thank you Jesus that Reid never got it! My doctor called me in a prescription cream, but I can't get a shot. I do not want to relive this week ever again! I swear I would rather have a stomach bug. We have a very busy weekend ahead, so I really hope this disgusting stuff disappears. Note to self: No More Yard Work!;)

In happier news, I had my first doctor's appointment this morning. I told Nick it was totally up to him if he wanted to come & bring Reid. He decided to brave it. I was very proud of Reid. We were there for 2 solid hours & we really only had to get on to him 1 time. Everything looked great! I am only 6 weeks, but we were able to hear the heartbeat. That makes my official due date November 28th. I will definitely have to do all my Christmas shopping super early this year! Here is the only picture I took while we were there. He climbed up & down the table I was sitting on about 60 times.

I Can't Wait Any Longer

2011-04-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting to post for a while now cause I just didn't think I could do a normal post without spilling the beans on what's been going on around here. I'm tired of being patient, so I decided today was the day. Before I go there, here's a little recap...

My trip to Ft. Myers went great. My best friend's husband planned a big surprise 30th birthday for her, so that was the main reason I went down there, although I probably would have made the trip anyway since it was her 30th. I only have pictures from the party, which was a lot of fun. I so wish Nick could have been there, but I majorly appreciated him watching Reid all weekend!

Now on to Thursday after I got back. Some days just don't go as planned, & this was definitely one of those days. Reid & I were inside getting ready to go to the gym that morning, & Nick was outside finishing up cutting the grass before he left for work. That's when he came inside & informed me that a rock just shot up from the lawnmower & shattered the back glass of my car.

Change of plans! Reid played while we tried to clean up a trillion pieces of black glass.

Later that afternoon Reid & I were out running errands (in Nick's car) for a small get together we were having at our house the next night. I wanted to do something special for Nick because he won this really big deal award through Coldwell Banker & all they give him is a plaque to hang on the wall. To brag for just a second...he won the Presidential Premier Award for last year. It's the highest award you can receive & he's the only one in the state of MS to get it! I am so proud of him:) So anyway, we were out running errands for this get together when I got to thinking. That led me to CVS to pick up one of these.

What do you know, it was POSITIVE. I was IN SHOCK. I've been saying for a while now that I wanted to start trying in the fall. Then they would be at least 3 years apart, plus I'm in a really big wedding in October. Well clear the aisle, cause it looks like I will be waddling down it;)

I knew immediately that I didn't just want to call Nick & tell him. I wanted to do something different & wait till he got home from work. However, I HAD to tell someone, so I called my sister & swore her to secrecy. I somehow managed to carry on my normal tasks for the day & when Nick sat down for dinner I told him I bought him a "little happy" for the award he got. I gave him a shoebox wrapped in wrapping paper with the test inside. He was equally shocked, but really excited.

Since we already had family coming over the next night we decided we would tell them then. I thought buying Reid a "big brother" t-shirt would be a cute way to tell them, but the only one I could find was written really small at the bottom & we pretty much had to eventually ask people to read his shirt cause no one was getting it;)

So the get together ended up being a double celebration.

I made Nick take this picture:)

I go to the doctor next Thursday to find out the for sure due date, but according to the online calculators it will be around the end of November, which will put Reid & this baby 2 1/2 years apart to the month. I am still in shock, but I really am happy. Nick has always said for our next baby he wanted it to just happen without us "trying". I'm such a planner I just couldn't imagine that ever really happening, but I am thankful we won't have to go through the stress of months of trying like we did for Reid.

By the way, I have not announced this on Facebook. I'm not sure when I will, but it will definitely be after I go to the doctor.

Mar Mar! Worse!

2011-03-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Not only have I been a bad blogger lately, I've also not been a very good picture taker either. We have been extremely busy this month. We have 6 invitations on our fridge right now for this month alone! I like having things going on, but it can be a little much. I tend to get a little overwhelmed sometimes thinking about everything at once, & then all I want is to just be at home with nothing to do. Good thing I have Nick to balance me out & remind me that we only do things one at a time;)

If you've been around Reid over the past 6 months or so, you know he "talks" up a storm. It's like a completely different language. Of course he's been saying several words that make sense too, but it was like overnight a couple of weeks ago that he is repeating EVERYTHING we say. It's hilarious, cause Nick & I will get him to say all kinds of things. This age has it's difficulties, but it is the cutest age too. I'm gonna miss that different language when he completely stops:(

Here are the few pictures I've taken over that past couple of weeks.

Dressed for MMO.

My mom has been graciously making Reid a bunch of clothes. She made these shorts, & you can't see it, but his shirt says, "The Lord is my Rock" with the 2 guitars:)

Getting wild in our room

Rainy day movie watching

This child can eat an entire bag of pop corn

Playing with his new trucks in the nude:)

Jumping on Aunt Bethany's trampoline...outfit courtesy of Julie Banks

His BFF

Reid is officially OBSESSED with the "Mar Mar" & the "Worses" (lawnmower & horses). We went & stayed with my parents for a couple days this week. One afternoon my mom watched Reid so I could run some errands. While I was gone she rode him on the mar mar for 2 solid hours. He still melted when it was time to get off. He really wanted nothing to do with me while we were there. I was the mean mom who had to change his diaper & make him go to bed. It was so sad when my dad would have to leave for work.

And finally, I just thought he looked cute this morning when we left for the gym. Again, outfit courtesy of my mom. I am so thankful that she is so talented!

I am flying out tomorrow by myself to Ft. Myers to stay with my friend for her 30th birthday! My mom is coming to keep Reid during the day tomorrow, but Nick will have him from tomorrow evening until Monday! Please say a prayer for them!

Children's Museum & Repeat Project

2011-03-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

Last Friday my friend Becca & I took Reid & Lila Jane to the new Children's Museum. If you haven't been, you should definitely go. It was unbelievable. There is so much to see & do, & there really is something for all ages probably up until 10 years old. We spent a good 2 hours there & probably could have spent 2 more.

We are at it again...the backyard! About a year ago exactly I blogged about our project.

Back then, the goal was to get the back looking nice & neat in time for Reid's birthday. We did, & then slowly it became a jungle again. Now, we are finally going to tackle it for good & make it a real backyard with grass, a picket fence, a little stone patio, the whole nine yards! My dad came up Sat. to help Nick get started. He brought the 4-wheeler & you better believe Reid was on there with him. He had a total melt down when he had to come in for lunch:)

This pile grew to about 3 times that size & is still sitting on the side of our house. I'm sure our neighbors love us;)

I thought this was such a cute picture of Reid watching his "movie" after lunch. Such a little boy:)

By the way, I had to take him to the doctor last week. This child now weighs 34 lbs. He's a beast!

Two Wheeling It

2011-02-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

I bought a seat for Nick's bike for him for Christmas so he could take Reid riding. He's never even taken it out of the box since it's been so cold. He finally got it all hooked up a couple of weeks ago. I got the bright idea to ride it around the neighborhood one afternoon. It was not fun. From the time it took me to get around our tiny circle that's about 7/10 of a mile, my pants leg got caught, the chain came off twice (a sweet neighborhood boy put it back on for me the 1st time, & the 2nd time I was too close to my house so I just coasted into the driveway), Reid's legs kept getting caught on the back of mine, & my hands got black stuff all over them from the handlebars! Needless to say, I was not in a very good mood when we got back. Nick informed me I just didn't know what I was doing. He also got that bike when he was in the 8th grade, so it's a little rusty. Regardless, it made me wish I had a bike to ride, especially since the weather has been so nice lately. Well, my sweet husband went to Academy on Sat. & got me a good ole Huffy! Before I got my driver's liscense my mode of transportation was the Moto 4 for years, so I can't even remember the last time I got a bike...5th grade maybe? I was very excited!

We went for a nice little ride that afternoon, & we've been a few times since. Reid loves it.

Just playing outside

Headed to church

Reid & Lila Jane went out on a date in her pink car;)

He told jokes all night to impress her

Cassie

2011-02-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine from small group & I brought dinner to a girl in our neighborhood last night. This girl is going through something that none of us, including her, could ever imagine happening, something we could never dream our husbands would be capable of. I'm not going to go into the details, but she/they have a long road ahead.

I wrote a note & put it in the bag with the food just in case she wasn't home or didn't come to the door. To be completely honest, I sort of hoped she wouldn't come to the door. I mean, what can I say? We'd never met this girl before, & here we are showing up with our covered dish while she's going through this tragedy. I just prayed that if she did come, God would just speak through me.

Well, to our surprise, she not only came to the door, she stepped outside & just poured her heart out to us. My nervousness left me as soon as she started talking, & I just wanted to cry with her. She didn't talk about the details, but what she did say I have not been able to get off my mind. She told us how amazing God has been to her through all of this. Every single day there has been some sort of blessing...from a friend, a neighbor, or complete strangers who heard about the story. She said that yesterday was the first day that nothing had happened, & then we showed up at her door. I am so thankful to know that she is surrounded by people who are watching out for her while she is alone right now.

She said when everything first started happening her first reaction was to say, "God, why me?!" She said she heard the Lord say "You've been professing your faith all these years, now it's time to live it." I mean, WOW. I've been thinking about that statement a lot. We can say we believe this or we believe that, we would do this or that when faced with hard times, but when we are really faced with hard times, do we really stand firm in our beliefs? Do we really trust the God we've been saying we trust?

This girl is going to have an amazing testimony to tell one day...I pray along with her husband. I would like to ask anyone that reads this blog to please pray for Cassie. She is an awesome girl going through a really tough time.

Memaw's Desk

2011-02-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

I am SO upset that I don't have the "before" picture of this desk. I took it! I think I may have erased it from my camera thinking I had already uploaded it to my computer. Having a before & after picture is much better in my opinion than just an after. Oh well:(

Nick, Reid, & I drove to Pinola, MS a couple of months ago to my memaw's house to take a look at this desk that my mom told me about (my memaw lives in Hattiesburg in an assisted living facility). Nick was thrilled to spend his Saturday morning in Pinola;) I thought it was adorable & had lots of potential, so we loaded it up. I need to find out how old it actually is. Just picture a really brown, lifeless desk if you can.

Now here is the after!

I stained the top, painted the rest, & did a little distressing.

I kept all the original hardware.

It is doubling as my bedside table

I think it's definitely my favorite piece I've done so far!

People let me tell ya bout my best friend!

2011-02-11T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is the song that's been in my head over the past couple of days when these two have been together.

Reid & I drove to my parents house on Thursday for a visit, & he could not get enough of my dad. He must have said "Paw Paw" two thousand times. It was really sad when my dad had to leave for work this morning. He basically had to sneak out, & when Reid figured it out he kept crying saying, "Paw Paw Back!" Lucky for him, Paw Paw came & met us for lunch, & then came home extra early so they could hang out before we left. He brought him to go feed the horses.

Then Reid got to pretend to ride bare back

We had a nice little visit & they are officially BFF:)

Date Night

2011-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

I guess I need to let Nick guest post more often. I think that's the most comments I've ever received on a blog! I was cracking up at his post...laughing at myself. I am definitely a little bit weird;)

Well, my day started at 5:00 am today. No, not by choice. Reid was up fussing from about 10-11:30 last night, & then woke up at 5:00 with no intentions of going back to sleep. Yes, I know that's only a couple of hours before I'm normally up, & I know that's everyday for a lot of you super moms that also work, but for me, that is TOO EARLY. I have a feeling that his two year molars may be starting. Awesome:) The good news is we made it through the day, & he is sleeping soundly over at his DeDe & Papaw's house (gosh I hope he's sleeping soundly for their sake), & Nick & I got to go on a date! We were given a gift certificate to Two Rivers in Canton for Christmas, so a free meal makes date night that much better. I was a little embarrassed to ask our waitress to take a picture of us, but we rarely take them together anymore.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to sleep without the monitor tonight. I'm headed straight to bed!

A few of you asked what the deal was with the coconut oil. I will definitely post about it soon!

Writer's Block = Guest Post

2011-02-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

I completely have writer's block. I've been wanting to post for the past several days, but every time I think about it I feel like I have nothing to say. Not that my posts are novel worthy or anything, but the words are just not wanting to come out. Sooo, I thought I would ask my husband if he had anything to say. And if you know Nick, he always has plenty to say;) Before I give him the computer I'll at least share some recent pics.

Enjoying the spring like weather we had last weekend

Little kiss through the plastic:)

What a stud;)

Yes, this is Vince's crate. Reid likes to throw all his blankets in, & then literally dive in head first.

Here he is running from us & "hiding" when we said it was bed time.

Ok, here is Nick. I have no idea what he's planning to say

Lauren has put a lot of pressure on me to write something good, and she has given me absolutely no topic to write about. All she said is that I can not write about business, which wipes out about 80% of what I have to say. She does such a good job with her post, that it is going to be hard for me to compete with the quality of her work.

First, I have to brag on Lauren. She is an amazing mom, wonderful wife, and she has developed quite a talent for restoring old furniture. I know she has posted pictures of her work, but the pictures do not do it justice. She has taken several old items from around the house and has painted and distressed them and they look so much better. About a month ago, everyday that I came home there would be something new in the garage that she was working on. She was so into it that I was afraid one day I would come home and find Reid painted and distressed. Our garage has become her studio, but of course it is my car that has to park outside of the garage. Every morning now my windows are iced over and my car is frozen. The sacrifices we make for the ones we love.

Lauren just suggested that I make a list of something. That sounds like a good idea. The topic of my list is things Lauren does.

1. She gets into the habit of eating things: for instance, she may get on a garden burger kick where every meal has something to do with a garden burger. Apples and yogurt is a favorite. Anything with peanut butter. But she gets a craving for just one thing, and that is all she will eat for a week or two. She also use to get into the habit of eating at a particular restaurant. She used to be big on Subway, than it was McAlister's (getting the same thing every time), than Newk's for a "good salad" and then it was the local Blue Moon. When she was pregnant, we had to eat at Cracker Barrel every time we went for a check up.

2. Right now her big thing is Coconut Oil. She bought some the other day and told me about all of the benefits. I came home and she had cooked with it, using it to replace butter, I saw her putting some on a cut on her leg, she put some in her hot chocolate, and she even puts it on her face a night.

3. She gets really frustrated now when she tries to upload pictures onto the computer. A few weeks ago, I updated our operating software from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Ever since, Picasa has not worked the same. The computer runs better, but now it is harder for her to upload her pictures. There is just no pleasing her.

4. She loves to groom me. One stray eyebrow hair and she is chasing after me with the tweezers.

That is all I have for now. This list is written out of love. Hopefully it will give you a little insight into the woman who's blog you follow.

Lover Boy

2011-01-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

There has not been too much excitement to report around here. These rainy, dreary days are for the birds! For some reason, they completely zap my motivation & I find myself looking in my pantry a little too often. Please tell me I'm not the only one this happens to:) When the sun IS shining, we get outside as much as possible.

Some days we just do stuff like this

Swimming lessons are going great. The last two times we've gone he's walked right out of the pool with me, no problem.

On our way last week, sporting the new rain boots

In furniture news, I have officially sold all of my pieces that I bought, rehabbed, & posted on Craigslist. I didn't get quite as much as I wanted for them, but in the end I doubled my money, so I can't complain. When the weather starts getting a little better I plan on hitting up some garage sales/flea markets for more pieces. While I was staying with my sister one night last week in Sumrall, we went in a consignment shop & I found an awesome chair to re-upholster for $20!! I was pumped. It looks almost identical to the last chair I did, except a little bigger. I will post pics soon. I can't decide yet if I want to keep it or sell it.

Reid has become quite the lover these days. We use to have to BEG him to give us a kiss, but all of a sudden they are coming freely! I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing? He puckers up those lips & even makes the mmmm muah! sound. We stayed with my friend Ashley for a couple of nights last week too, & here he is trying to give Parker a kiss...she's not too interested;)

Look at that bed head!

Having a blast on an air mattress

Chair Re-do & Easy Craft

2011-01-12T12:07:00.001-08:00

I was so excited when I found this chair at Repeat Street (a consignment store in Ridgeland). I love the look of these chairs, but they're usually pretty pricey. I immediately pictured the way I wanted it. Here is the before...

And here is the after....

It's by no means perfect! The back & the arms were fairly easy to recover, but the seat was very tricky. I ended up just having to kind of stuff the burlap down around the arms & legs. I still love the way it looks though. I'm putting it in our room at the desk that doubles as my bedside table.

I originally saw these cork/bulletin boards in the Ballard Designs magazine. I loved them, & I knew they would be super easy to make.

I had a canvas that I painted at Easely Amused that I was about to get rid of, so I used that for the back part. I bought a large cork board from Hobby Lobby & cut it to fit the canvas. The burlap & the furniture tacks were also from Hobby Lobby. I cut the burlap large enough so it would wrap around the cork & the canvas, used a staple gun to secure the fabric on the back, & just pushed the tacks into the cork every couple inches. I gave this one to my sister in law for her birthday.

These I did for one of the shelves in my kitchen. For the bigger one I just wrapped the burlap around the remaining cork board that I bought. The smaller one is a piece of wood I had in my garage.

Obviously I am into burlap right now;).

Relief

2011-01-11T16:46:00.001-08:00

Thank you for your prayers! Reid did sooo much better tonight. He loved the water just as much, if not more than last time. When it was time to get out he whined a little, but then stopped, & was fine. I can't tell you how relieved I was! I was prepared for battle;). He did have an ear infection last week (the first one since the tubes), & I just know that had to contribute to the "fit" he threw.

P.S. Thank you for all your sweet comments on the crafts I've been doing!

-Lauren

Passionate

2011-01-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

Reid started swimming lessons last week. They are going to be every Tuesday until the end of April. Let me tell you, it was quite the experience. First, he gets extremely upset because we have to take his New Balances off.

Then as soon as he realized we were about to get in the water he immediately stopped crying.

For the next 30 minutes he was the happiest kid in the class. He looked like he belonged in the 3 year old class compared to the others...this child is a beast!;). He was having so much fun & I had a feeling he was going to have a hard time with the fun coming to an end. Um, "hard time" is not the word...more like devastation! I truly do not know what I would have done if Nick would not have been there. I'm soaking wet, he's soaking wet, I'm trying to change him, change me...it was traumatic. And it didn't end there. The devastation continued for a good 20-25 minutes more once we got home. We told him he had to stay in his room until he calmed down, & he stayed, but he had a really hard time calming down. All I know is, this boy is passionate about things. Nick can't be there tomorrow night. Please say a prayer for me! I'm dead serious.

Testing

2011-01-09T18:50:00.001-08:00

This is my first post using our new iPad! I've had trouble figuring out how to upload pictures onto the blog like I did with the laptop, but I think I've finally figured it out.

Yay! Finally. Yes, Reid is wearing his shoes with his "footie" pajamas. This boy loves his New Balances!