Black Friday Fever

It has begun already!!! Although it ultimately gives me major anxiety...fighting the crowds, searching the stores, etc....I LOVE Black Friday. I love looking at all the ads and trying to decide what I'm going to buy and which store has the best price. I just discovered this year that there's a website that has all the ads that have already been "leaked" so we don't have wait until Thanksgiving day to start forming our game plan!! I'm a little disappointed though because there doesn't seem to be too many deals that I "Must Have". There are a few things that we will go looking for, like movies, cheap pajamas, etc., but nothing major this year. It's still fun though. Check out the website and see what you're willing to get up before dawn, wait in line, and fight the crowds for this year. Or will you just skip it all together?

Realm of the Tiger

How awesome is that?? Today we got to go to the Grand Opening of the Realm of the Tiger exhibit at the BR Zoo. It was pretty neat. They even opened a new walk through Aviary with some interesting birds. Lily had a blast. I sat her down to get her face painted, but all she got was a black nose. She wouldn't let the girl paint her tiger whiskers.

Watching the Elephant Show

All she kept saying was "hey goat, hey goat, hey goat!" She loved getting to pet and brush the goats.

Ham and Cheese (Chuck E.)

Earlier this week, Lily and I drove to St. Francisville to meet my baby sis Gabby. She and Lyndon were down from Illinois and we wanted to take the opportunity to bring her all of Lily's outgrown clothes for her little baby on the way. Sophie is due in July! Can't wait!!!
Since the McDonald's we met at doesn't have a playground anymore the kiddos turned the back of my car into their own play place! Earlier this month, Clare, Daniel, Jezebel, and bellybaby Norman all drove down from Colorado. We took the opportunity to get all the peeps and kiddos together again. The kids had fun running around and we got to enjoy each others company. It was great to see you girls and your families!!

What a little ham!!

Easter

This year we had plenty to do for Easter. On the Wednesday before Easter, Lily's class had their party and Easter egg hunt. She came home with PLENTY of candy and treats! She and I had the day off on Good Friday so we spent most of the day baking and decorating sugar cookies for the Easter Egg Hunt we attended at the McKinney's house. It was a blast. On Easter Sunday, after church we went for some family time at Josh's Grandmother's house in Plattenville. It was a very busy weekend for us, but so much fun!

Did you miss us?

Well, much has happened since I last posted. That's what happens when you don't post anything new for a couple of months, right? Recently, Josh purchased two used kayaks and has become OBSESSED with kayak fishing. Hey, as long as he keeps bringing home yummy supper, I'm not complaining! I can't wait to go with him!

In Lily News, she FINALLY started walking about a month ago (I know I should have posted then, but I just never got around to it). She took her first step on a Sunday night there was no stopping her after that. She took a few more steps each day and is practically running now. This whole walking thing has opened up a whole new set of dance moves for her. If she hears any kind of beat, she's dancing. Even if it's just us saying "go Lily, go Lily" over and over. She LOVES to dance.
She can also say more and more words. She copies just about everything we say.

Her favorite thing to do right now is to get something she know she should have and run from us, laughing. Chase is her game! She gets so giggley she almost can't get away. It's soooo cute.

She also LOVES animals. Below is a picture of her in the petting zoo at the Oak Alley Plantation Craft Show. Any time she sees an animal she gets so excited. Even if it's on TV or stuffed, she doesn't care. She starts making these cute little squealy noises and has to get as close to it as possible. In Erika news, I've been busy trying to sew things for a few little craft markets I'm doing with my friend Janie. We're planning to do several big craft shows in the spring. I'm really excited about it. It's nice to have someone to do it with, instead of having to drag Josh along everytime. I've also been busy at work too. This year my class is ALL BOYS! I had 7 for a while, then I got a new one this Tuesday and another new one will start on Monday, bringing my grand total to 9. Can you imagine teaching/caring for 9 three and four year old BOYS all day. Yeah, it's as bad as you think, times two. Don't get me wrong, they are all good boys, I can't complain about that, but they are just so rough and get each other so amped up without any girls in the mix to calm things down. Ugh! BOYS!!!

Oh yeah, here is a picture of Lily trick-or-treating. She was a candy corn. I didn't get any good pictures of the front, because she was crying during our "photo session".

Lillou Giveaway!

Check out my Lillou Handmade Blog. http://www.lillouhandmade.blogspot.com/ I'm giving away a pair of purple and gold Christmas stockings. They are too cute (if I do say so myself). You've GOTTA enter! You know you want them. They would be perfect for you! :)

Cutie Patooties

I found this cute t-shirt for Lily at Target on Friday for $1.25 so I thought it would be ok to experiment with it since I got it so cheap. I wanted to try to add a skirt to it. I think it turned out cute....a little short, but that's what leggings or bloomers are for right?? Next time I don't think I'll put elastic around the top....it just kept riding up...otherwise it would've been long enough. I even made a "messy flower" for the front of it (that's my favorite part). Unfortunately you can't see the flower in the picture, but it was too cute of pic not to post it. Enjoy!

Free Tickets!!!

Before you get too excited, it's not for a cool concert or anything like that. I volunteered to pass out flyers for the Rhea Lana Consignment Event, so I got some passes to get into the sale early! The actual sale starts on Wednesday, September 23 and the Half-Price sale starts Saturday, September 26. I got some for me and some to pass along so I decided to give them away here on my bliggity blog. It's gonna be first comment, first served. If you want to go and are actually going to be able to go then leave me a comment telling me which ticket you want and I'll mail it to you.
Pass Number One:
"Guest Pass"
Tuesday, September 22
7-9 PM
One guest and friend per pass
(I have two of these)
Pass Number Two:
"Guest Pass"
Half Price Sale
Friday, September 25
8-10 PM
One guest and friend per pass
(I have two of these)


Dates and Times of the Sale (admission is free of course)
Wed., Sept. 23, 9am-6pm
Thurs., Sept. 24, 9am-6pm
Fri., Sept. 25, 9am-5pm
Half Price Sale
Sat., Sept. 26, 8am-2pm

I'm going to have a booth this time!!! I'm so excited. I will only be there Tuesday evening and all day Friday and Saturday.....drop by and see me!

If you would like any more information about the event, or to sign-up to be a consigner (which I highly recommend), please visit www.rhealana.com

A new attitude

Ok, so in college I used to thing that I'd LOVE to be a stay-at-home-mom. I thought there would be nothing better in the world. Then, I got put on bed rest 20 weeks into my pregnancy. Although the high blood pressure went down, my doctor never released me from bed rest. I spent about 5 months at home with nothing to do. This experience left me feeling like I would go insane if I was stuck in the house and not going to work everyday. I just didn't think I could handle not having somewhere to go and something to do each day. Well, lately I've been feeling really overwhelmed, like I just can't get anything done around the house. I just don't have time to do anything that I WANT to do. I feel like work is getting in the way of my life, ya know, especially since starting this whole etsy store. So, Josh and I are starting to talk about saving up some money over the next year or two and perhaps me quitting my job and staying home to take care of babies and the house.
Today I'm at home with Lily because she has a pretty nasty cold (going to the Dr. tomorrow) and I must say, I am being a very productive little home-maker. I have made a considerable dent in cleaning the "office" and turning it into an actual workspace for Josh and I. This room was so bad that we should have called "Clean Sweep" to come tackle it. I've done some laundry and I've even got supper cooking (Josh usually does the cooking). I'm loving my taste of being a stay-at-home mom!


So this isn't a completely picture-less post, i'm throwing in some pics from my 10 year High School Reunion last Saturday. The first is of Eli (Holly and Joel's boy) riding a girl bike (he he). The second is of Sara (Jamie and Joe's young'un) sitting next to Lily and sharing their lunch. It was so sweet, Sara kept handing Lily chips. What a sweet girl. They're gonna be bestest friends!

Eli just loved this bike!

Notice that Lily is dumping over Jamie's plate. Sorry Jamie!

Lillou Handmade

Well, I finally got my Etsy store up and running! I'm so excited about it. I only have a few items for sale right now, but I have so many more dress and bags already made. I just have to decide which ones to sell. I'm also keeping some back because I'm going to get a booth at a consignment event this month. Please spread the word and hit up my shop! You can find a link and a gallery from my shop over to the right side of the blog.

The Bees Knees

Ok, so I was supposed to meet a friend today to pick up some fabric for a bag she wants me to make. We couldn't meet up, so she just dropped it off in the building where we work. Well, she called me afterward to tell me that there was a large swarm of bees in the driveway that followed her up to the building. When we got there (using another driveway) they weren't swarming anymore, but we could see a lot of presumably dead bees on the ground with a few flying just above them. When we looked up, we saw this huge group of them in the tree. I don't know where these little darlings came from, since the daycare was just open and full of people yesterday. I mean, people park directly under this low hanging branch.

We contacted our boss and hopefully this little issue will be taken care of before Monday, but could you imagine if it wasn't! I would feel really sorry for the ladies that open up the daycare at 6:00 in the morning. They probably wouldn't even see them coming!

Much Improved

Before

Well, I decided to use this highchair for Lily's party cuz it will look cuter in all the "messy baby birthday cake" photos. It was mine when I was a baby. But it's kinda plain and uncomfortable and of course not cute enough for Lily Bug. This is one of the projects I was able to complete while Josh and I had a day all too ourselves. Lily stayed with her MawMaw and PawPaw so that Daddy and I could clean the house and get ready for her party next Saturday. I wish the red fabric was a deeper red....it's a little too orangey for me, but it's the best thing I could find at Wal-Mart (I was in a rush). Hopefully this doesn't get completely ruined when cake a icing get smushed into it.


After

Project Pinata

Ok, so ever since I decided that Lily's first birthday party would have a ladybug theme, I've been debating over whether or not I would get a pinata. I wanted one, but I could find a cute one and I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg for one. I kept thinking "maybe I'll just make one". But I really didn't want to get into the whole papier mache thing (we ended up doing papier mache all week with the kids at work anyway, but that's a whole other story). Finally, I spotted a "soccer ball" pinata at Target. I use the words "soccer ball" very loosely because it wasn't even a good soccer ball. Someone at work thought it was a eyeball. Anyway, I ripped all the white and black tissue paper off and got to work on it. Unfortunately, like so many of my projects I don't realize it's going to turn out cute, so I don't take a before picture. The first picture is after I ripped all the black and white off.

Then I covered it with red and black tissue paper to give me a background and to help me see what parts I wanted to be which color.

Finally, I cut strips of each color and fringed them. I layered them around the pinata, starting from the bottom. I really wasn't as difficult or time consuming as I thought it would be. I think it turned out super cute and it doesn't look too homemade at all. I'm really pleased with it. It's gonna be a shame to see her get smashed up.....especially since I gave her a name (big mistake). Can you guess her name? Maybe if someone guesses right, they'll get a prize! (hint: her name begins with the letter B)

My Baby Sister

I was thinking about my little sister last night and I just wanted to take a minute to express how proud I am of her. She is a very strong and courageous woman. She is determined and won't let anything stand in her way. She has been through a lot in the past few years (not as much as some, but still more than I could handle). She married a Marine who was later deployed to Iraq (twice) and moved away from her family and friends to start a family. While this might not seem like such a hardship to some, I know I couldn't do it. She is one of the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful people I know and is always there when anyone needs her. She'd do anything for anyone. She is an awesome mom to a beautiful little boy. Gabby also recently lost about 40 pounds and looks amazing! (way to go, Slick!) I just want her to know that although she is going through a tough time right now, God has a plan for her and things will get better. We never know what's in store for us, but it is always for the best. Here's a little quote I heard once that helps me feel better...."it's always ok in the end and if it's not ok, it's not the end." We love you, Gabby and things are gonna be fine!

Been Busy

I've been so busy doing things to blog about that I haven't been able to blog about them. The main thing that has been keeping me busy was preparing for Josh's 30th Birthday Party. With that out of the way I can start focusing on Lily's 1st Birthday Party at the end of next month. Here's a pic that my sister in law took of us at the party. We had a great time at the party and I'm so glad everyone came to share such a special day with us!

Awkward Family Photos

Ok, so I know I already texted a few people about this website, but I want to share it with anyone else who might be reading my blog because it is so hilarious. Go here to see some "awkward family photos" but wait until you have some time on your hands because you won't be able to stop. Come back and tell me which one is your favorite.

Tubes!

Well, the Pediatrician finally referred Lily to an ENT to put tubes in her ears. The "surgery" isn't scheculed until June 4....I wish is was sooner, but that's all they had. Before I had her, I always heard about so many kids getting tubes and I thought I would be more concerned if one of my children ever had to get them. Well, I'm not really worried about the "surgery", not yet anyway. The thing that I'm concerned about right now is that she can't eat anything after midnight before the surgery, which means no breakfast. So, I'm imagining a screaming baby all the way from St. Amant to Baton Rouge (at least 30 minutes). Hopefully we'll leave early enough that she will just sleep, but I don't know. From the way the doctor described the procedure it seems quick and easy. The don't actually use general anesthesia to put them to sleep, they just use gas. They make a 2mm incision in the ear drum, insert the tube and they are done in about five minutes. She has to stay there for about 45 minutes in recovery, then we can go home. I have to stay home with her the rest of the day, but she can go back to daycare the next day. He also explained to us that the tubes don't prevent ear infections, they just release the pressure and make it easier for fluid to drain. Hey, from my point of view, anything that helps my baby suffer less is awesome. I will be glad to finally get these in. It seems like about 2 or 3 months of solid ear infections. We can't get rid of them!

Real Medical explanation I found on a website:

Ventilating (tympanostomy) tubes are tiny, hollow plastic or metal tubes that are placed in the eardrum through a small slit. These tubes balance the pressure in the environment with that in the middle ear. Doctors recommend ventilating tubes for children who have had recurring ear infections (acute otitis media) or recurring or persistent collections of fluid in their middle ears (chronic secretory otitis media).
Placement of ventilating tubes is a common surgical procedure, done in a hospital or doctor's office. After the procedure, children usually go home within a few hours. The tubes usually fall out on their own after a few months, although some types stay in for a year or more.

If you are really curious and want to learn more about it, go to http://entdoc-crc.com/FAQs.htm

Problems and Solutions

At the moment, I'm trying to coordinate my class' Pre-K Graduation. The Caps and Gowns we are using are at least 10 years old I'd say, so the have a few problems. The main problem is that only about 5 of the caps have tassels. I went to a few stores to try and buy some, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I could order them, but I had to have them for pictures last Wednesday and there wasn't time. I figured what the heck, I'll just make something. This was my solution.....What do you think? I think it looks cute and the Photographers' assistant even complimented them on Wednesday, not knowing I had made them. Yay me!

Lazy Blogger Continued

This is a continuation of the post below, so go read it first!

As I was saying, Lily won't get off her butt to help her Daddy clean up around the yard. All she wants to do is swing!


The other day, I walked into the living room and caught Lily watching "The Hills" of all things. She was so caught up in all the fake drama. I just hope she doesn't start saying the word "like" fifty times in one sentence. (I've gotta admit, if I'm channel flipping and I come across this idiotic show, I do stop and watch it....I guess it is a guilty pleasure, but I am so ashamed!) What's your guilty pleasure? Come on, you can admit it here.



Last weekend, we were very cultured and went to see on Off Broadway play. When I say "Off Broadway", I mean WAY off.....like Donaldsonville! Alexis and Ashlyn were in their school's production of Annie. Alexis actually had a speaking part as one of the orphans. I was really surprised at how good it was. I was enjoying it, but unfortunately someone in the audience decided to stink up the joint! Being a school gym, there really wasn't anywhere to change her, so we just headed for the car. The play was about half over by then, but I really hated to miss the end. I've always loved Annie! Lily even got her picture taken with one of the orphans, her cuz Ashlyn!