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Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T08:51:00.003-06:00

I was excited for Buggy this morning while getting ready for "school." She loved the balloon daddy left out for her and we both took a little bite of her chocolates after breakfast.

I know she will have a fun filled day and come home later with some Valentine loot!

That was Fun

2012-02-12T18:23:00.003-06:00

That's exactly what she said after we blew up a few sparklers tonight in the freezing cold.

"That was fun."

Brrrrr, do you think we're going to get some snow?

*Update: It IS snowing right now!

Early Birthday Gift

2012-02-11T19:43:00.004-06:00

Hopefully, we don't have anyone popping over tonight or tomorrow because we have a slide in the house! Let me just say, besides the fact that it won't be IN the house for long, that it's a real winner with Ladybug!

She saw it when she woke up from nap and I'm pretty sure she's worn herself out...she hasn't stopped going up the ladder and down the slide....over and over again.

I love seeing her so excited!

Pink and Cupcakes

2012-02-06T21:18:00.000-06:00

This is what I've been working on lately....

Birthday party in just 3 weeks!

Valentine Blog Hop

2012-01-29T20:40:00.010-06:00

I know it's been forever since you've seen a scrapbook page from me.

I still have pictures laying around of the pumpkin patch from 2010, yikes! That's petty much when I temporarily set the scrappy supplies aside which is also when Buggy starting really becoming mobile. She won't let me sit still for too long!

But I did manage to sneak into the nook to quickly create this with last year's Valentine photo.

I used the following Stampin'Up! goodies:

*Everyday Enchantment designer paper (available for free during Sale-a-bration!)
*Cardstock in Poppy Parade and Crumb Cake
*Heart and Decorative Label punches
*Smooch spritz
*Paper Daisies
*Fashionable Hearts Embosslits Die

It's a great time to shop with Stampin'Up! during Sale-a-bration now through March 31!

You receive a free item from the Sale-a-bration catalog with every $50 purchase!

Also......

Welcome to our Valentine’s Day Blog Hop. You are invited to hop from blog to blog and check out our fabulous Valentines ideas and leave a comment on each blog.

At the end of the Blog Hop – Feb 14, Valentine’s Day – I will be picking a random name from the comments list to win a FANTASTIC Craft Pack with ink pad, Design Series Paper, Card Stock and a card sketch, all from Stampin’ Up!

If we reach 50 comments, I will be throwing in a FREE Stamp Set!!!

This is how it works… you click on a link, check out the blog page and leave a comment about the project in that page. Once you have clicked all links and left a comment on each page, you are automatically entered to win a Stampin’ Up! Craft Pack.

It’s easy! All you have to do is have fun and get inspired by a bunch of talented crafters who are willing to share their projects so your Valentine’s Day is even more awesome!! – because you need to enter your e-mail to leave a comment, we know where to find you in case you are the winner…

So, get comfortable, and come take a peek at these incredible ideas for Valentine’s Day crafts – we hope you get Inspired – and have a lot of fun!!

Let’s Get Hoppin’ !!

Ariane

Tina

Elaine

Susan

Diane

Holly

Michelle

Elsa

Family Day

2012-01-26T06:55:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Family Day yesterday with our now traditional Chinese dinner at PF Chang's and a little happy gift from China. If you remember, we brought home 18 little gifts of love from China to share with Ladybug every year on Family Day. T and I enjoyed digging through the box to pick out this year's gift which was a little China doll.

It's now been two years and we still feel so blessed to have this precious little girl as our own!!

At 35 Months

2012-01-25T21:41:00.002-06:00

It's just not possible that she is one month shy of 3 years old! Say it isn't so.

* Her sentences are now crazy long and whenever she says a long sentence we just look at her astounded at the amount of words she's throwing around.

* The last two weeks we have not heard one "no way." Perhaps she's finally learned to slow down and say exactly what she needs instead of becoming upset that some thing's not going her way. This is a big win, we have worked really hard on this.

* Buggy's walking up and down the stairs again. Coco said it was the new shoes. Hehe

* Can you say growing? It's almost like it happened over night. That girl has finally gained some weight and will be in a 3T for the new spring season.

* We still aren't working very hard on potty training. We talk about it, but we're just not training with a vengeance. I felt better about it after seeing the other China dolls at Chinese New Year were also not potty trained yet.

* Bug's weighing in at 29 pounds, 35.75" tall, size 4 diapers, and size 6 shoes.

Luckily Long Overdue

2012-01-23T21:50:00.002-06:00

Bug has not been sick at all since we've had her (almost) two years ago. Seriously, not even hardly a sniffle on this girl. Praise God. We have been long overdue for something and those germs finally snuck their way in. After a visit to the doctor today, we found out she has pink eye.

We had looked up pink eye online but seriously didn't think that was it. I am very thankful we got some meds to get this knocked out. She is taking those eye drops like a pro, but she isn't eating much. She sat at the dinner table tonight without any squirming and just looked at her plate, only taking one bite.

We then watched a little Barney and she was ready to go to bed.

I've noticed her carrying this little doll blanket around but didn't make the connection until recently. That's exactly how Baby Bop holds her blanket in the show! So cute!

Disney Delay

2012-01-21T21:38:00.002-06:00

We have the Disney jar all set up and we're filling it with money and change. The plan was to go in September...but now it appears to be getting pushed to 2013. I'm not very happy about it....hey, this trip was for ME!

Various reasons: her age, riding the rides, being timid of characters, and the list goes on.

Does this girl not look like she's ready to ride some Disney rides?

I certainly think so....

p.s. She was also very happy to see her Daddy today.

Mini Vacay~

2012-01-20T20:18:00.006-06:00

I love how she has a cookie in one hand and the Elmo balloon in the other! She's been obsessed with the fact that her yellow balloon popped yesterday. It's all she's been talking about, so we had to find another.

Oh, and be sure to take note of those new shoes. I was reprimanded by the teacher on Tuesday when I picked her up from school. Evidently, she took her shoes off again and refused to wear them. Uh, these were different shoes from the other night. All of her shoes are too small, how does this happen so fast!?! The nice lady at the store measured her and I could NOT believe she was right at a 6...that means she's not going to be in those new 6's very long!

Coco and Lori drove Bug and I to meet the Grands in Sulpher Springs on Wednesday so we had a nice lunch and visited for a little while before heading to New Boston. I'm not feeling well enough to drive that long distance with just us...but that's another very long story. Notice the hand holding...we have to sing Barney on cue complete with hugs and kisses.

T's picking us up on Saturday! We have done a lot of visiting and shopping, mostly for Buggy's birthday party coming up. Oh, and we made cupcakes. Yummy, yummy cupcakes!

Chinese New Year Party

2012-01-14T22:09:00.002-06:00

The Chinese New Year is on January 23 this year but we celebrated a little early tonight with friends from Gladney. We enjoyed some art projects, dancing, and a Chinese food dinner. All three of the girls are just exactly the same size and sooooo cute together. After the party was wrapping up, they ran all over playing Ring Around the Rosie or just running around in circles!

We tried so hard to get a group photo, but Buggy decided that was the time to show that she's still 2 and had a little tantrum while refusing to be in the photo.

The girls from left to right: Abby, Marissa, Journey and Emily (new friend that jumped into our photo.)

(Bug's feet were hurting and she decided to take her shoes off, Evidently, her mother needs to buy her new and bigger shoes.)

Sit 'n Spin

2012-01-07T22:13:00.002-06:00

And because just one silly video is not enough, check out these two. Buggy learns to ride the Sit 'n Spin very quickly! Mimi is great at picking out presents, she loves it!

What you didn't see...

2012-01-05T20:55:00.004-06:00

was Buggy kicking those legs out landing right on her tiny little butt into that pile of leaves!

While still smiling and laughing too!

This is what I came home to tonight. Love these two!

A Year in Review

2012-01-04T22:04:00.006-06:00

As great as 2011 was, I can definitely see 2012 as being even better! Probably because it's an even numbered year...we always have exciting things happen in even numbers.

What could possibly be in store for us in 2012?

We shall see....

...stay tuned.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T23:09:00.000-06:00

December 31

2011-12-31T21:40:00.000-06:00

We headed down to Temple on New Year's Eve to have Christmas on New Year's Day. These two cousins had a blast and loved their new scooters. I was surprised they caught on so quickly!

Mimi always has a sweet little tea party for the girls. This year the girls sat nicely and enjoyed every nibble and drop. They loved it!

December 30

2011-12-30T22:28:00.001-06:00

A trip to see Ice! before it melted all away.

Sadly, I did not get to go...was working late tonight.

From left to right: Lori, Coco, Ladybug and T

December 29

2011-12-29T21:01:00.000-06:00

December 28

2011-12-28T21:10:00.004-06:00

* Spent the day removing all of the Christmas decor and taking the tree down. T got it all safely stowed into the attic until next year and now it seems like the whole month was a blur and over so quickly.

*I have high hopes of getting things neat and organized in the house before the new year. I have already thrown away all of the leftover candy and cookies.

*The new washer and dryer are a dream and they both seem bigger and quieter! Woohoo!

*Now that Christmas is over I can focus on planning someone's birthday party.~

*Speaking of birthdays...Happy Birthday to my dear old Dad today! Hope you enjoyed your special day!

*Here's another picture of Buggy during our chair photo shoot....because I can't do a post without a sharing some sort of photo.

At 34 Months + 1 Day

2011-12-26T21:01:00.002-06:00

*She refuses to walk up or down the stairs when getting out of bed or going to bed. But any other time, walking the stairs is okay.

*I used to give her an either/or choice of pajamas at bed time. Now she'd rather reach in the drawer and pick out her own or just tell me the ones she wants to wear. She's becoming opinionated but it hasn't transpired with her play clothes yet.

*We still hear a lot of "no way, no way" when something isn't going the way she wants. We are working so hard to turn that "no way" into a "help please." We're making some progress but it's still a battle. I love it when I hear a "help Moma."

*Bug's always counting everything, pointing out shapes and asking what things are. She's very inquisitive.

*She still loves music and singing. One of her favorite stocking gifts was a dollar store saxophone.

*My sweet girl will share with you her last bite of her favorite cookie and kiss you if you have a hurt.

*Stats: weight 26.8 pounds, size 5 shoe, size 4 diaper and 2t clothing.

December 25

2011-12-25T21:58:00.000-06:00

December 24

2011-12-24T05:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas eve gift !!!

And what was I thinking signing up for a cookie swap and having to bake 5 dozen cookies?!?

Well, I did it...5 dozen cookies...and now I'm exhausted.

One more work day,
Deana

December 23

2011-12-23T22:25:00.002-06:00

Santa Clause came today! Evidently you can do that when you are going out of town for Christmas and you clear it with the old man in red ahead of time.

I love the look of excitement on her face when she saw all the presents.

She's completely infatuated with glasses so I knew that Santa did good when I saw playing with her new doll's glasses first thing.

Santa also put a few Andes mints in her stocking and that was the only thing she was interested in. The first time she took out a chocolate, she handed it toward me and said "open it Mama" but she figured out during the handoff she could open it herself. Into her mouth went the chocolate and then it was "be right back" as she ran off to throw the wrapper away. So, it was chocolate after chocolate and a few runs to the trash can until she couldn't find anymore! <3

She's so cute,
Deana

December 22

2011-12-22T20:47:00.001-06:00

Lots of happy mail today! Plus, one of those was a sweet package for Bug from Mimi.

December 21

2011-12-21T21:49:00.003-06:00

Today was our infamous Candy Day and we spent the entire day in the kitchen. Bug's idea of making candy wasn't quite the same as ours. She was either being too helpful or demanding attention. I did manage to get a few things done: batch of cookies, peanut butter cups and fudge.

Oh, and notice her choice of attire today? She learned how to take off her zippered footy pajamas. So, that's what she did all day...climb in and climb out of them.

Lori came over tonight for a little Christmas get together and we grilled steaks for dinner. She brought over a delicious brie for snacking. Then it was present time!

Buggy is a dainty little un-wrapper. It was fun getting a little preview before the big finale.

Huggles,
Deana

December 20

2011-12-20T08:22:00.001-06:00

Buggy got a little bit closer to Santa the second time around but still wouldn't let Daddy out of her sight.

Plus, I don't see any tears!

December 19

2011-12-19T21:06:00.003-06:00

I just found out today that I won a laundry sales contest at work and I have been on cloud 9 all day long!

Do you see that gorgeous red laundry set? It's going to be sitting in my laundry room very soon!

It's worth over $2000 bucks and they are going to deliver and set up for free in addition to grossing up for taxes!

It's definitely been my lucky day. Oh wait, I worked hard to win that!

December 18

2011-12-18T22:31:00.001-06:00

We went to T's work Christmas party tonight...it's been a loooong time since we had a night out to ourselves.

December 17

2011-12-17T20:21:00.001-06:00

December 16

2011-12-16T22:44:00.000-06:00

We ventured out to see Santa tonight, although it certainly didn't go as planned. Even after all of the build up to it this week and us waving to Santa, saying Ho Ho Ho, and talking about giving Santa hugs.

She was just fine when we first saw him from a distance.

She did fine when we walked into his little corral and waved but as soon as we got close to him all I could hear was, "No way, no way!"

I just couldn't make her sit on his lap like I did last year....

Bye Santa, maybe next year!

December 15

2011-12-15T21:53:00.004-06:00

This is top secret stuff indeed! My endless lists of things to do and buy and Christmas presents too! I use the same notebook every year and have an envelope stuffed in the back for receipts. Works great for me...until I accidentally leave it laying around somewhere.~

We have been wrapping and wrapping away but I'm not sure we will ever get done. These are T's stocking gifts stacked in this basket and I haven't not started wrapping mine yet! Woohoo, stockings are my favorite Christmas tradition! You can read all about it here.

Mom, who has the fullest stocking so far?

*edit* T has the most? I think someone needs to go shopping.
Just saying.

December 14

2011-12-14T22:21:00.002-06:00

* Off today after working 7 days in a row, although with a 2 yr old it sure doesn't feel like a day off.

* It rained and rained and rained some more today. We stayed home and in pajamas until almost 4 pm. Hehe

* When T got home, I convinced him to take us out for dinner and some grocery shopping. As we drove through a storm and some hail, I decided maybe it was a bad idea. He laughed and said, "At least we're in your car."

* I had the last laugh though since my car was on EMPTY and he had to gas it up...again.

December 13

2011-12-13T22:39:00.001-06:00

I love that Bug came home from school with this little project today!

It's a real plate that says "Cookies for Santa" and has her little handprint too!

Kudos to the teacher that came up with this creative idea! Love, love, love!

December 12

2011-12-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

December 11 (KK307)

2011-12-11T14:23:00.004-06:00

In between church and having to go to work at 3 today (I'm so tired, day 6) I created a quick card during Bug's naptime. I followed along on Carrie's Ka-Pow Creative Challenge!

This is what I came up with using a brand new stamp set that isn't available for you to purchase until January. I earned this set for FREE last month but I can't show you all the stamps yet! It's fabulous and great for making Valentines. We'll definitely be making this card for my 3-4-5 Card Class in January!

Check out the girl's cards and enjoy your day!
Deana

December 10

2011-12-10T22:58:00.003-06:00

We jumped in the car tonight after work and headed to Christmas in the Square which is held on the weekends in Frisco. We drove through and listened to Christmas carols while watching the lights blink and dance to the music.

That's Lori and Coco in the back seat with Bug.

We had a very fun night! We looked for Santa but didn't see him.

December 9

2011-12-09T22:24:00.003-06:00

See that cute tiny box under the Christmas tree? It's a sweet little present that came in the mail and is the first real present under the tree. Buggy has been going over to the tree and sitting on my present every day! She'll play patty cake with her rabbit or sing the alphabet song and sometimes even count to ten over and over. Then she'll run around and eventually head right back to her new little "stool."

December 8

2011-12-08T17:48:00.003-06:00

Our snow globe was "professionally" installed tonight out in the front yard. We had to wait several days for the rain clear up and now things are looking very festive outside.

Bug 's slapping the sides to clear the snow off...and calling it her drum.

Love this girl !!

December 7

2011-12-07T21:33:00.003-06:00

I can smell Mr Brown coming a mile away! He's been visiting quite a bit lately and Buggy sure does love those boxes.

December 6

2011-12-06T15:19:00.003-06:00

I've been super stressed with trying to get everything accomplished for Christmas while working long hours during the Thanksgiving to Christmas weeks which includes working 6 days each of those weeks. Yikes, it hardly leaves any time to enjoy Christmas but I'm determined to push through.

I did get a lot completed yesterday including my Christmas cards mailed and 5 presents wrapped. My goal was only 3 presents, so I am quite proud of myself. I also had a wild hair many months ago to make notecards for Bug's teacher's gifts. I really should have started working on them back then but I here I am waiting until the last minute. I finally got them finished this morning! They turned out really cute!

All products are Stampin' Up! and the tin is from The Container Store.

December 5

2011-12-05T19:45:00.003-06:00

December 4

2011-12-04T22:26:00.002-06:00

It was a Daddy and Daughter Day today which included seeing the trains at NorthPark Mall.

(I was working today.) T told me tonight that Bug kept climbing onto her tricycle today with her "purse" and saying, "I'm going to work."

December 3

2011-12-03T21:17:00.003-06:00

Bug loves her Little People Nativity Set that T surprised her with tonight. We talked about all of their names and the real meaning of Christmas. I loved how the 3 Wise Men were a very diverse trio with one being from China.

I think her favorites were the angel on top and baby Jesus, of course.

We only lost him one time. :)

December 2

2011-12-02T21:46:00.002-06:00

Dinner at Scotty P's and shopping at Target! Bug was sooooo good and even let me try some jeans on her. We totally need an 18 month waisted jean with a 2T length....T said to get a big safety pin instead. Ha

Oh, and we stopped by to see Coco too!

December Daily

2011-12-01T21:06:00.003-06:00

We decorated our Christmas tree tonight while wearing jammies and watching Christmas shows. We also practiced saying Christmas which is evidently a pretty hard word for a 2 year old. She was successful at hanging a few ornaments...until she found the stockings.

Bug wanted to wear those stockings like socks and proceeded to climb in and out of them the rest of our evening.

Fun, fun!

Let's Share

2011-11-30T21:22:00.002-06:00

I was very excited to see Chick-fil-A's holiday milkshake, you know the one with chocolate chips and peppermint. It's the best milkshake, ever! But I'm not willing to waste my sodium on drinks....except today when I shared a few sips with my favorite girl.

At 33 Months

2011-11-25T21:27:00.002-06:00

*Some of her new favorite phrases are "very, very good" and "much better." We still hear a lot of "no way" and we continue to try to teach her to say "help please" instead.

*After putting her into bed, she's gotten up and played with her toys a few nights during the past month. On one of those nights, we could hear the guitar playing and then some loud screaming "no way, no way." The guitar strap had wrapped around her little neck and really scared her and us!

*Rabbit continues to go everywhere with Buggy. I'm afraid Santa might have his feelings hurt when she prefers the silly rabbit over her new American Girl Bitty Baby doll that he is bringing.

*Bug's learning to count to 15 now and she can recognize all of her shapes. I love it when she yells octagon!

*We see a lot of pretend play where she's acting out something. For example, the other day when she jumped out of the car she held her hand out and "opened the door, walked through, and then closed the door."

*She still weighs 26-ish pounds, size 5 shoe, and size 3 diaper. Clothes are a mix of 24 months to 2T. I'm finding sizing is not as consistent as it is in baby clothing. I really need to get this girl measured!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T17:57:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for no empty seats at the dinner table today. We enjoyed a wonderful day with family and friends.

Huggles,
Deana

Because...

2011-11-20T21:35:00.002-06:00

...getting ready for Thanksgiving is hard work.

p.s. This rabbit still has not been out of her sight.

Weekend in Pictures

2011-11-14T10:18:00.000-06:00

Picture of the Day

2011-11-09T13:33:00.002-06:00

They aren't in alphabetical order...

but we're working on it!

Random Thought Tuesday

2011-11-08T22:38:00.002-06:00

*I'm enjoying two days off with my girl while T is in Austin for a food show. Coco even got hired to help too so I'm a single mom for these two days...so far so good.

*I love this time of the year when the mailbox is full of Christmas catalogs. It's time for window shopping and making Christmas lists!

*We bought a new iMac and I can't figure out where the backspace is on this tiny little bluetooth keyboard.

*I've been having more vertigo issues this past week. Even had to have someone drive me home one day last week. So, that's why there's been no blogging.

*Picture above was from today, we walked around the entire block. Buggy pushed her baby around that entire block too.

Her Loot

2011-11-04T05:14:00.000-05:00

Bug totally has this Halloween figured out.

I've watched her dump out her candy at least a dozen times...
and then place it all back it one piece at a time.

I've heard her say "open pwease" while dangling candy at me...
more than I can count.

She doesn't like to suck on the suckers, she tries to bite it a few times...
then hands it right back to me.

I think I have this Halloween figured out too.

I usually open it if it's something that I like.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T05:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T18:42:00.000-05:00

Little Happy in the Mailbox

2011-10-29T20:28:00.000-05:00

Ladybug received the cutest little happy in the mail today from Abby. It was an envelope full of Halloween Happiness! You can see how excited she was to see Elmo on the front of a coloring book.

Then she wanted to carry the Pumpkin Peeps around with her the rest of the day.

At 32 Months

2011-10-25T09:45:00.002-05:00

*This Ladybug is now a little chatter bug.

*I love how she knows in/out, off/on, open/close, up/down.....all of those opposites.

*She's finally into the "school" routine. I've noticed when i drop her off the whole vibe of the classroom is more serene and calm. All the kids are settling in....we learned quick not to let her be the first one there too. Hehe

*Remember how last month she was recognizing and learning all of her letters? She really wants to be able to write them. Her M and O are perfect and the rest of the time she scribbles and then tries to "see" letters from her scribbling.

*Mommy's IPad is now Buggy's IPad. Ask her.....she'll tell you all about it.

*I'm currently teaching her the names of all of the coins. We've exhausted animals and body parts.

*She's climbing in and out of the bed by herself, but she still won't get out of the bed until we walk in her room to let her know it's time.

*Bug weighs 26.8 pounds, size 5 shoe, size 3 diapers, and although her 24 months clothing fits great the pants are too short so we're now doing 2T.

Here's last month chair photo.

Golden Anniversary

2011-10-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary to T's parents!

The brothers put together a perfect little celebration on Saturday at Marshall's restaurant.

50 years is a wonderful reason to celebrate.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

Ghoul's Night Out

2011-10-16T21:18:00.002-05:00

You're invited to Ghoul's Night Out this Thursday at 7:00!

We'll be making several 3-D projects that you'll go home with including the candy.

Light snacks will be served and we'll have a door prize drawing too. Cost is $10 OR only $5 with a $25 order.

Email me for more information.

One More Day

2011-10-07T21:49:00.001-05:00

In Kansas City, we took a quick tour of the Hallmark Visitors Center and had intended to take Buggy into Hallmark's Kaleidoscope. We couldn't get past the desk...she said Bug was too young. I was a little disappointed. /sad face

But we did find a Crayola store to explore!

Then it was back into the car for our last day of driving. So ready to get home sweet home.

The Long Road Home

2011-10-06T21:38:00.001-05:00

We started our journey back home today and had our sights on slumbering in Kansas City for the night.

After an ice cream break, many hours in the car, and a romp through the leaves in a rest side park, we finally arrived!

Cheese Curds Anyone?

2011-10-05T20:47:00.004-05:00

Everyone told me to be sure to try a cheese curd! Well, I didn't partake of the grocery store variety because I knew we would be driving to Wisconsin for our afternoon nap trip.

Seriously, T did sooo good picking this cheese factory. They had a HUGE gift shop, at least 6 rooms, for me to browse while he talked with the cheese curd connoisseurs.

Although, I was lured away from shopping by a quick sample of the chocolate cheese. It was pretty good, tasted like fudge to me.

After the samples, shopping, and a little ice cream snack outside we played with more pumpkins and snapped a few photos.

Someone was not ready to get back in the car!

Toddler Tuesday is an Eye-Opener

2011-10-04T22:11:00.004-05:00

Tuesdays are for the toddlers at the Mall of America so that's where we spent the first part of our day. We did purchase a toddler ride bracelet but Buggy would not even get on Blue's Skidoo or the Big Rig Trucks. We tried several times during the course of our day and in the pic above you see me trying to urge her on but she was adamantly saying no way.

She was completed fascinated but cautious with Uniqua and Pablo from the Backyardigans! Highfives were okay but hugs were definitely out. Perhaps T was right about not going to Disney this year.

After a half day and lunch at the mall we took a drive to an Apple Tree Farm. Planning afternoon trips was the best solution for us to get Bug's nap in. She definitely took advantage of the drive and slept the whole way. There's no doubt she would not have taken her nap in the hotel otherwise.

After apple picking she headed straight for the pumpkins. Have I mentioned how she can make a musical instrument out of anything? The pumpkins were her drums, hehe.

2nd Day on the Road

2011-10-03T21:26:00.002-05:00

We made a few side trips on our way out of Iowa today. The first was a self guided tour of the covered bridges of Madison County. It was fun driving around the country roads and stopping to explore a bridge or two.

Bug was a big fan of this little park and hedge maze that was near one of the bridges.

In Austin, Minnesota we stopped by the Spam Museum....explored and even tried to assemble 5 tins of Spam in under a minute. Oh, is that not a Texas sized tin of Spam, or what?

She's a great Traveler

2011-10-02T23:11:00.000-05:00

We really wanted to take a family vacation this year and I was very much pushing for Disney World. T was against it because Bug is too young. My argument was that this Disney vacation would be for ME not Bug! Yes, I'm 40 years old and have never been to Disney. (But according to Facebook, I'm actually not alone.)

After looking at the map, we determined that we've been everywhere within a one day's driving distance so it was time to go for a 2 day trip. I've always wanted to see the Mall of America in Minneapolis and we both decided that somewhere cooler would also be a nice change.

Here we are taking a quick break at the Iowa border! We reached this endless-cornfield-state before ending our first day of driving and found a hotel in Osceola, Iowa.

Bug is an awesome traveler! She never even whimpered about being in the car for so long.

Road Trip!

2011-10-02T21:46:00.000-05:00

We headed out early Sunday morning for a two day drive to have a real family vacation. We also taught Bug to yell Road Trip whenever there was a lull in the conversation or when we were jumping back into the car after a quick break.

Can you figure out where we are headed?

At 31 Months

2011-09-25T20:10:00.002-05:00

*Bug's busy, busy....noticing everything, copying everything, chatting endlessly and always underfoot!

*She has seriously learned every letter of the alphabet and can name them all by sight...even out of order. Our friend, Lori, comes over and will purposely wears a shirt with letters on the front just to entertain her and listen to her recite them. We also enjoy the foam letters in the tub...she'll play and stick them to the sides while reciting them over and over.

*Colors are finally not a problem for this little Bug! She knows them all. Now she likes to point and ask us, "What color is this?"

*"School's" been going very well for the two days each week. She doesn't nap (I didn't expect that she would) and the teachers are so sweet that they don't make her. They do an extra art project instead. We've had one day where she didn't want to go, but she was actually not feeling well that day and there hasn't been another episode since. Sometimes I think she would rather go every day if she could!

*We are finally hearing some sweet yeses! We have been waiting a long, long time for these:

Would you like an apple for breakfast? No
Would you like some pancakes? No
Would you like some oatmeal? Yes!

*Have I ever mentioned that this little girl knows what she wants? And doesn't want for that matter.

*Her favorite show right now is Fresh Beat Band and we're contemplating dressing like Kiki for Halloween.

*Still in 24 months clothing, size 5 shoe, size 3 diapers and no serious potty training going on our house.

Happy 31 Months sweet Ladybug!

Sand Art Saturday

2011-09-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

Daddy and daughter day at the Greek Food Festival.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T19:23:00.000-05:00

Play Date

2011-09-18T21:30:00.001-05:00

Happy 15th Anniversary

2011-09-14T14:44:00.002-05:00

Today marks 15 years that T and I have been married.

Wow, it's gone by so fast.

I noticed that the traditional gift was crystal for 15 years...

well, I made him a sweet card instead.

Weekend at Mimi's

2011-09-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

Her little feet didn't quite reach the pedals, but she enjoyed going for a ride with Mimi. Go Mimi Go!

At this Moment

2011-09-08T22:17:00.002-05:00

I think the terrible two's are upon us again...perhaps the two's combined with the new "school" schedule.

I tried to divert her attention tonight with the bubbles, but she did not want to go.

No way.

So, I stood outside in the front yard for a few minutes blowing bubbles waiting for her to join me.

She finally did join me..

and all was well again.

Woooooo. Pig. Sooie.

2011-09-03T11:33:00.001-05:00

Can you figure out what these two will be doing today?

I'll be working...happy holiday weekend to me.

First Day of "School"

2011-09-01T22:29:00.003-05:00

I never thought I'd be sending my little ladybug to "school" at 2.5 years old...but here we go! Our church advertised a Mother's Day Out program 2 days a week and I thought it would be a good opportunity for her to play with some other little kids.

She was so quiet on "Meet the Teacher Day", didn't talk to anyone, although she did walk around and play with some of the toys. I also watched her stare down another little boy while waiting for her turn on the rocking horse. I suppose I should be thankful that she only stared and didn't push him off! So far, we have been lucky and she hasn't learned about hitting, throwing and shoving.

Here she is getting ready to go in with her ladybug lunch bag. Oh and there's lots of rules, like no open toe shoes. We had to scrounge to find some since we've been living in sandals all summer.

Today was play-doh day and a first for buggy. I've never introduced her to play-doh, but it looks like they got along just fine!

I pray that school continues to go well for her and that she meets lots of new little friends. I want her social skills to flourish!

Packing a Lunch

2011-09-01T07:26:00.000-05:00

Weekend in Photos

2011-08-29T22:44:00.002-05:00

Our evening at the Fair

2011-08-26T21:50:00.002-05:00

We ventured out to the North Texas State Fair in Denton late in the evening after it cooled down some. This was a completely different experience than last year because she is mobile!

We didn't even take the stroller and she was just happily walking around while asking to hold both of our hands. (I love that she knows she has to hold at least one of our hands while outside, but she always holds out the other and says "hand" to be right in the middle of both us.)

Our first stop was the exhibit hall and a sidestep into a face painting booth. You can see how elaborate the designs were but I just asked for a cute little ladybug, of course.

We walked around the midway area and noticed several rides geared for the younger kids. She was barely tall enough for any of them...

When she saw all the other kids on this little car ride, she couldn't wait to hop on too. I love how she was trying to "steer" the car and blowing the horn. Every time she would pass by us we'd yell and wave like newbie parents taking their kid for her first fair ride!

Snack time and her first experience with cotton candy! It was a big hit!

At 30 Months

2011-08-25T06:54:00.000-05:00

Ladybug's 2 1/2 today and that means she's closer to 3 than she is to 2 now!

*She is learning about feelings and will come over and give you a hug if she thinks you are sad. If she runs into you on accident, you'll hear a "sorry."

*I'm really amazed that she knows many of her alphabet letters. I haven't worked with her on letters because we've been focused mainly on numbers and colors. She will color and draw in her notebook and then hand me the pen and say "R"....I'll write an R and then she will name another letter. I also watched her pick up T's weekly medicine box and then point to the days of the week while naming them "M T W S." Amazing!

*Conversations are becoming more and more frequent. The words she will say may be single or a few at a time, but it's definitely a back and forth conversation.

*Buggy is now sleeping every night in her big bed! I can tell that she really likes it. We placed a step stool at the foot of the bed so she can actually crawl up and down into it herself. (We did have one little fall out mishap before we bought a side rail.)

*She's wearing size 5 shoes, size 3 diapers (back to 3, the tummy pudge is gone again) and is 26.4 pounds.

She knows noses

2011-08-21T07:48:00.002-05:00

Let's go Outside

2011-08-18T22:48:00.003-05:00

Bug has learned that our good friend Lori is fun and has some awesome little "toys." (They play ipad together.) So when Lori said, "I'll be right back." Bug jumped on the chance to see what she was up to and said, "Outside."

Of course, my little Buggy had no shoes on but she grabbed the closest ones she could find (her daddy's) and took off after Lori.

Big Bed

2011-08-15T08:11:00.002-05:00

Look who has been sleeping in her big bed for the last several nights.

Happy Birthday T !!

2011-08-13T22:32:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband!

We started celebrating earlier today at a friends little 3 yr old birthday party. I'm so glad the weather was cooler so that we could go outside and enjoy this huge water slide in the backyard! I didn't think Buggy would climb up there and slide down, but she did.

I love how the other little kids were trying to help her up the "steps" by pushing on her little tush!

I see her little feet...she's about to slide down!

There she goes! Weeeeee!

By the way, she didn't want to do it a second time. I heard a resounding "no way." Hehehe

A quick snap of T and Bug on our way home to get ready for our own little party.

Lasagna and german chocolate cake! Yum yum!

P.S. Only 1 candle....we left off the other 40.~

Hi Fish...What's Wrong?

2011-08-12T19:15:00.002-05:00

I've been hearing Buggy say that statement a lot this week. Tonight, she's running back and forth and spouting, "Hi Mama...what's wrong?"

She also does this little motion with both of her hands when she's asks. (Do I do that?)

I'm pretty sure she learned this from me...when she's pouty or crying I always ask her what's wrong. Now, I'm trying to say more "How are you?" and "What's new?" instead.

You don't realize you do or say things in excess until your little girl starts doing the same!

Huggles,
Deana

Girls Night Card Class

2011-08-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

The girls are coming over tonight for my second Wednesday of every month 3-4-5 Card Class! We are making three cards that you can take home with the gorgeous Stampin' Up! products. Cost of the class is only $5 OR place a $20 order with me...hence the name 3-4-5. Yay!

The above card was made with the stamp set Delicate Doilies and you can order it here. While you're shopping, be sure to check out the clearance rack section for some great deals and the designer series paper is buy 3 packs, get 1 free during the month of August.

If you are interested in joining us for the 3-4-5 class or want to host your own class with your friends to earn lots of free stamps, just drop me a line!

First Movie

2011-08-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

Ladybug went to see her very first real movie in the theater a few weeks ago. We gave her a choice between Cars and Winnie the Pooh...I really thought she would pick the Cars, but Pooh won out!

The experience started out great, but even though the movie was just a little over an hour long she was ready to get out of her seat and walk around after about 45 minutes in.

Even though you can't tell it from this expression, the movie popcorn was definitely a hit!

Giddy-up!

2011-08-01T21:37:00.002-05:00

Ladybug's new favorite toy is a piece of wood carved into a horse head with pvc pipe attached to it. G-dad made this! She's been galloping around all over the place since G-dad gave it to her.

My job is to paint it....and I'm thinking a pink horse is definitely in order here.~

p.s. Can you believe it's August already?!

Weekend in Photos

2011-07-30T20:22:00.003-05:00

It's been busy, busy, busy lately and I couldn't believe after making Bug's chair photo that the last pictures taken were from the July 4th weekend. I am usually snapping away all day every day!

T's in San Antonio and Coco's in Chicago....another planning mishap. (I blame T.) The Grands had to come down and play with Buggy for a few days. Although, they weren't complaining! See for yourself:

At 29 Months

2011-07-25T05:49:00.000-05:00

* She's singing the ABC song all the way through! I hear her singing quite often in the tub while playing with her foam letters that stick to the sides.

* Her love of coloring continues and we have finally found a few coloring books for her to enjoy. We still have to be careful with the ink pens laying around, she's quick on the draw!

* I had to laugh when we were standing in line to buy groceries and she pointed to the candy saying "M's." I didn't think she would ask for candy at this young age. I decided to teach her the "You Can't Have Something Every Time we go to the Store Lesson" another day.~

* She knows all of the colors' names, especially blue and pink but sometimes she gets the others mixed up, so she's not 100% yet.

* Her talking keeps getting better and better every day. She will repeat anything that you say and she'll make her own 4 word sentences fairly often. Her favorite is, "Up please there Mama."

* She's still sleeping in her crib, but when I see her stand up in it I realize how tall she is and that she really could just jump out anytime even though she doesn't. We are currently trying to decide if we are going to move her to the regular size bed.

* Ladybug's weight is 26 pounds and she's wearing 24 months clothing. Her shoe size is a solid size 5 and we're buying size 4 diapers even though they seem a little big.

* Look at her pretty hair that is finally growing!

* You can see last month's chair photo here.

The little bridge

2011-07-20T08:27:00.003-05:00

This little bridge is sitting in the yard at Mamo's house in Mississippi and has been there since I was a little girl.

I remember doing exactly what Ladybug is doing, walking back and forth across the bridge over and over again.

I also remember over the years taking many family photos in that same little spot.

Now I remember how much fun Ladybug had on that little bridge....I want her to remember it too.

Huggles,
Deana

Card Love

2011-07-16T10:42:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've shared anything scrappy related. Yes, I'm behind in my pages but making cute cards by the dozen!

This was made with a couple of the new Stampin' Up stamp sets, Simply Soft and Kindness Matters. I'm in love with the colors Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler.

I have a Card Club meeting at my house on the second Wednesday of every month and we make 3 cards while enjoying some snacks. Email me for more details if you are interested in joining us!

Happy Weekend,
Deana

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T15:51:00.000-05:00

The Beach

2011-07-10T14:30:00.001-05:00

On our trip to Mississippi, we took a little side trip down to the coast. I love the ocean and everything about it...the smell, the wind, the sand, the touristy feel of a beach town, and how you can see water all the way to the horizon.

I wanted Ladybug to experience her first trip to the beach without getting all wet but it didn't happen that way. As you can see, she loves the water and was ready to dive right on in.

Next time we will definitely take our suits for a little swim.

Picking them up one by one...

2011-07-06T22:06:00.004-05:00

I have waited a long time for Buggy to want to play with her crayons and color at the table. We've experimented with the Color Wonder and the chunky style crayons...she just wasn't very impressed.

Earlier this week I bought her very first box of regular crayola crayons. Since that day, she hasn't wanted to do anything but color. In fact, this morning she didn't even want to have breakfast...she was chanting "colors, colors" right away.

I gave her only 3 crayons the first day and I was reprimanded for limiting her color choices so I went ahead and gave her the entire box. That wasn't a real good idea, she enjoys dumping them out and spilling them all over the floor! We're now using a recycled ice cream container to keep them contained. She can get them in there a lot easier, but she still likes to dump them out every chance she gets.

Umm, I picked them up the first 2 times, but now she's picking them up herself, as you can see. Her little legs would scurry under the table coming out with one crayon. She'd drop in the container and dive back down for another. So cute!

Enjoy the day,
Deana

p.s. Now I'm in search of some regular old fashioned coloring books, they are pretty hard to find.

Fireworks

2011-07-04T22:58:00.003-05:00

We headed down to the Little Elm fireworks display tonight. Bug made herself comfortable on our ice chest and played with her ipod since we were there sooo early. (Have I ever mentioned that T is never late, always super early?)

When the fireworks began to light up the sky, Buggy started whimpering a little bit. My girl does not like noise and she jumped down and wanted to be held! She buried her head in my shoulder but I kept saying how pretty they were with a few oooh's and ahhh's thrown in. When I started talking about the colors, I could feel her peaking around secretly watching.

By the time it was almost done, she was watching and telling me what colors were flying through the air!

Perhaps by our next July 4th, I'll figure out how to take a picture in the dark.~

What a difference a year makes...

2011-07-03T16:15:00.002-05:00

I Love a Parade

2011-07-02T16:32:00.002-05:00

It was an early start to our day with a Fourth of July parade. We were near the tail end and the parade people looked so hot, I felt a little bad for them.

Buggy didn't really understand what we were watching, but she understood perfectly when the parade tossed a few candies her way!

Of course, one in each hand is only a problem when you need to wave.

So, let's just stuff our pockets full of candy!

A Moment Captured

2011-06-30T20:46:00.002-05:00

Buggy discovered the magic of a water hose today.

I enjoy seeing her get so excited over the simplest things.

Love this girl!

p.s. Still in New Boston...ready to get home sweet home tomorrow.

The Shed

2011-06-29T22:00:00.002-05:00

We drove down to the Mississippi coast on Monday with three goals in mind: the beach, outlet shopping and lunch at The Shed. This is one of the places that has been highlighted on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri.

It did not disappoint....the food was outstanding and the atmosphere entertaining.

I snuck a sharpie out of my purse while in the restroom and secretly left "my mark." Then I had to laugh when the waitress brought a sharpie over to AnnaLee to leave her mark....guess I didn't need to be sneaky after all.