First Steps!

Since this video last week, he now will pull up on the coffee table and let go himself and walk across the room by himself until he falls. Brave boy!

Toddlers, Tiaras, Swings, and Plans.

Good Morning! This post may be all of over the place, as I'm not quite awake today, and for the first time in a long time, it has nothing to do with the Eli. I'm actually embarrassed to admit it had to do with a little show called Toddlers and Tiaras...have y'all seen this show? Well, I now have...twice last night--which is why I stayed up until MIDNIGHT. It's really quite pitiful. First I saw a young "lady", four years old, who was the snottiest child I've ever seen. Her mother allowed her to. I pray that I always correct Eli when he's disrespectful and not just allow him to act however he wants to please him. This child threw the biggest tantrums. Another girl, who was 8, loved herself, which is good. But I mean, she REALLY loved herself. She voiced multiple times how beautiful she was, how she was the best, how she would win of course, how she was better and prettier than all the rest, etc. Then last but not least, a mother with twin one year old girls, who she spent a minimum of $250,000 on to "get them started" in pageants. They were ONE! She dressed them in elaborate dresses, paraded them on stage, and claimed that Bella didn't have her best day when she fussed a little. I don't know, pageants for babies just aren't for me. And I truly think they are just fine if your child wants to do them, really...but I guess what is NOT for me is the attitudes and egos many of these girls seem to get. If we ever have a daughter, I pray we teach her her HEART is what is beautiful. Anyway, I have vowed never to stay up late wasting my time on that again. :)

On another not, we (I) and busy planning a certain stinker's first birthday. We aren't doing anything too crazy, but it does have a theme. Themes help me figure out how to decorate. I'm spending nap times working on some decorations, and keeping tabs on my receipts. I am not a spender--do y'all know that about me? My husband literally thinks I have a problem. I tell him most husbands would be thrilled if they had a frugal wife, but he says I am TOO frugal. and to that I say, "Baby, I was born this way." (Lady Gaga, anyone? Prob not. :) I would much rather attempt to make something myself than buy it already done. Sometimes I am successful, sometimes not.

Let's move on to how I like to plan. I get these ideas in my head all the time about how things SHOULD go, and then more often than not, they don't go that way. Then I get disappointed. Sometimes I plan how my husband should do something, but I don't tell him. I expect him to figure out how to do it the right way. Then he doesn't. Then I'm disappointed. THEN I tell him how I thought it should have gone. He knows I do this. He doesn't like it very much. :) I've learned with babies that you shouldn't really expect anything, but learn to ACCEPT. So, I had this great idea of a family park day. We were going to enjoy the sunny warm weather, and Eli was going to love his first swing.

 What happened instead is that the clouds rolled in, and it got a little windy and chilly, and the swing was NOT Eli's idea of a good time. Not one smile. Instead, he cried for us to take him right out of that thing. It was a little scary for him I guess.

So next we attempted sliding. He liked this a little better since he got to sit in our laps to do so.

 Here's where I slid with him and my feet didn't stop me AT ALL, and I landed right flat on the ground. Eli thought it was fun though.

 One more thing on my mind lately. I need a tan. I think. Would that take away the problem of me always looking so tired in pictures? I'm getting more sleep lately. Sort of. I wake up a lot throught the night. But either way, a lot more sleep than I was getting when Eli woke up all the time. Yet, I still look tired.

 Even in black and white, I look tired. Maybe I need to invest in some good under-eye concealer? I don't have any. Or, maybe I need a week at the beach in the sun resting. See? There's a plan being made right there for a vacation this summer, and I know it won't go that way with a toddler. The best laid plans...

Embrace YOUR camera with your little one. Get in the picture with them and make some good memories. I got the idea from here: andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com

Your turn!

You've Been Warned.

The pictures that are below will make you want babies...and lots of them. You've been warned.
                                                                       Oh those lips.

                                                                           Looks like her big sister Olivia.

                                                                               That little nose.

                                                                                    Tiny feet.

                                                                                    Clenched fists.

                                                                               Baby yawns.

                                                                             They yawn a lot.

                                                                        Me with the proud mama of two.

I had to go to Nashville for that baby shower a few weekends ago, and it just so worked out that one of my best friends had her precious baby girl that very Friday morning. I was so excited to be there to see sweet Ava when she was just one day old. Corinne amazed me by actually being dressed, showered, and not in a zombie like state after just one day of giving birth. After my c-section, I could hardly get out of the hospital bed, let alone put on real clothes and look put together. Corinne is seriously super mom. We became best friends at 16, stayed close through college, were in eachother's weddings, and now...are having babies together. It really is such a sweet moment in our lives right now as all of our friends we grew up with are raising babies or pregnant. Corinne is the brave one to have two babies, and we all get to watch her and get good advice for when we do the same. :) And after looking at these pictures again of Ava, my uterus aches and I need to rock my baby. :)

Birds and babies.

Good Morning! I've been up with the sun this morning...but I wasn't alone. My sick hornet was with me, crying his head off. We're a little sickly over here--well, a lot sickly, and aren't sleeping much. This is sickness number three for the little man. Sometimes I feel that if there's a virus around, he'll find it for sure. Then he'll make sure he gives that virus-infected person lots of sweet kisses and bring it home to us. :)

Anyway, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I thought I would tell y'all about a shower we threw for a sweet friend the other weekend.

Brett and I went to high school together, and he and my husband were good friends. Brett started dating Missy, and we all became fast friends. She is one of the most thoughtful, generous people that I know. Throwing her a little shower was just a small thing to repay her for all her kindness and friendship over the past five years.

We had the shower at my friend Jessie's house, which is a little further out of town, but GORGEOUS, and quite perfect for hosting showers. She made this little bird tree and everyone wrote well-wishes to baby Ellie on it. Maybe Missy will save them and read them to Ellie when she gets older. She can see how well-loved and prayed for she was before she ever even got here.

I got the cake from a lady who bakes on the side of being a stay at home mommy. It was strawberry with cream cheese icing, and was delicious. I need to start practicing my own cakes for a certain one year old's birthday party coming up.

 i love a clothesline at a shower. All those precious little clothes with feet and hats...so cute. If I ever have a girl, just take away my debit card, because there is no end to cute girl clothes. Cute boy clothes are much harder to find.

Here's the couple. She probably doesn't like this picture of herself, but she looks great of course. I put it in black and white so she wouldn't tell me how pale she thinks she looks. :) (missy, you look beautiful!)

I think everyone feels not as cute as they could when they are pregnant, but from the outside, everyone else is seeing how adorable they look with that beautiful belly. How can you not think of God when looking at a pregnant mama? There is a life in there! Someone remind me of this for baby number 2. :)

I planned on telling y'all about my Valentine's day, but that will be for another day. I'm pooped from writing this much. While the stinker sleeps, I'm off to pop some more advil and medicine, and rest my head!

Embrace the Camera

I love me some baby kisses. Here's me kissing my sweet boy (while trying to hold the camera through the links and straps of a jumperoo)...

 Giving kisses back- nothing's better than big, open-mouthed, slobbery baby kisses.

 Here I think he's smiling adoringly at his momma, but really he was plotting...

and went for a big slobbery kiss on the nose. We always say, "ow, don't bite my nose!", and he just smiles and gives us another big slobbery kiss there.


You ready to embrace the camera? andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com


follow these simple rules in Emily's own words:


1. take a picture with you and your kids/spouse/family member/friend/whatever.


2. blog about that picture and include a link to our blog, or grab our button.


3. link your blog post up on mr. linky below.


4. visit the other embracers...give each other lots of compliments about how good we look with our greasy hair and sweatpants velour jogging suits on. cause yah, we need a little boost when it's been days since our last shower.


5. have fun!

Embrace the Camera.

(This post is from two weeks ago maybe, and I wrote it and saved it thinking I would just hit post, and be ahead of my game. Completely forgot about it. So, here it is...two weeks BEHIND my game.)

Hey friends! Today is another cold wintery day, and the barracuda is napping peacefully while I sip coffee and make plans for this weekend. Last Friday it was so nice out ( I showed you those pics yesterday), and tomorrow they say a wintery mix is a'comin. Boo. I would rather remember last week.

I kept trying to get that stinker to look at the camera and smile, but my ogre of a dog was busy dropping his slobbery dirty tennis ball on my lap trying to get me to throw it. That was way more interesting than smiling at the camera, so Eli is staring at the dogs or at the nasty ball in my lap this whole time.

Oh well...try, try again.

Here is his contemplating picking up that dirty ball with his hands and tasting it for himself. He only succeeded once (maybe twice).

Today's not only trash day, it's embrace the camera day. Go grab a camera and take a pic of you and your family, and show it to me! Make some memories with YOU in it!

here are the rules for embrace the camera:

1. take a picture with you and your kids/spouse/family member/friend/whatever.

2. blog about that picture and include a link to our blog, or grab our button.
3. link your blog post up on mr. linky below.
4. visit the other embracers...give each other lots of compliments about how good we look with our greasy hair and sweatpants velour jogging suits on. cause yah, we need a little boost when it's been days since our last shower.
5. have fun!

anderfamilycrew.blogspot.com
By the way, if you have time, you really should go read a little of Emily's family. They have four adorable kiddos and are in the process of adopting a fifth one from Africa. They are truly following God's calling for their lives. Be ready to be inspired, encouraged, and maybe a little convicted. Obeying God's commands are not always easy or in the "plan" for your life, but He is the one in control!

Okay, so now it's two weeks later and a Thursday again. I just wanted to share that I'm losing my mind some days. I went to the freezer this morning to get out my giant back of chicken leg quarters to boil, make stock, and use for dinner, and that bag was no where to be found. I asked Matthew if he put it in the big freezer- nope. I checked in the car--not still there from Monday either, thank goodness. So, I guess it got left at Kroger. I paid for it too...I check my receipt. Guess I'll go back today and see if they'll pity me and give me another bag!

What a Tease.

Here in the South we occasionally have a teaser. It will be the middle of January when the leaves have all dropped, the ground has frozen, the flowers have withered away, and the high is freezing 30 degrees. The next thing you know, we'll have one glorious wonderful day where the sun's shining, birds are chirping, and it's WARM. I'm talking, like 60 degrees warm. This, I call, a big fat teaser.

I've told y'all before how I am a huge sun lover. I truly don't like winter, and could do without it. I don't need cold weather to really appreciate the warm weather. I could move to a place like San Diego and have this weather everyday and love and appreciate it. We had our teaser this past Friday, and it was glorious.

As soon as the high hit 60, I grabbed a blanket, my camera, and my baby and ran out to the backyard. I let the dogs out with us, and we all got a good bit of fresh air.

This barracuda had a hard time looking at the camera, as he was mesmerized with our dogs. Mesmerized. Couldn't take his eyes off of them. I think they might be best friends one day.

While he ignored me and watched the pups, I played with my camera. Focus on the baby.

Here I focused on the dogs, see? I said, "Focus on the dogs, Camera!" And it did. Now my wild barracuda is the blurry one. Wanna meet these mesmerizing, amazing dogs?

Huckleberry Finn Bills..We call him Huck around here. :) He's a wild one, and I threaten to get rid of him about once a week.

Daniel Boonedock Bills, or "Boone" to some. :) He's pretty perfect, unlike his wild brother. He has a kissing problem, but we're working on that.

 Here's the stinker again, gazing off into the distance so I can take a good profile shot. Those dogs were good for something, I guess.

Please ignore the lack of landscaping, sprinkler, and target bag in my backyard. It's a work in progress. Focus on that cute baby instead. He's talking to you here.

He's learned how to clap when anything makes him happy or excited. Pretty please pretend that camera bag isn't right behind him. It makes me cringe that I didn't get it out of this picture.

So, there you have it. Our teaser of a spring day. I needed it. The baby needed it. The dogs did too. Now we're back to 30 degree weather...woe is me. :) I'm ready to get out of this house and enjoy the outdoors. Bring on Spring!