It's Christmas-time!!

My favorite time of the year is upon us!  It is our first holiday season living in Little Rock, and we love it (especially the much warmer temperatures)!  I have attempted to add a few holiday touches to our little apartment; our Christmas tree is up and the stockings are hung (not by the chimney with care. . .no chimneyJLOL) .  Last Sunday we went to see Santa at the Park Plaza Mall.  While Dadda waited in  line, Gracy discovered the joy of escalators.  Needless to say momma’s biceps were burning the next day from lifting Gracy up and down for an hour. Unfortunately Gracy became tired after waiting in line, well playing, for an hour and was not in the mood to sit on Santa’s lap, so we bought the traditional “Terrified of Santa and crying for Momma” picture.  It reminds me of a picture my mom has of my sister and myself when we were two.  That’s all I have for now; in closing, we wish you all a very merry Christmas!

It's been awhile!

 So, I haven't been on here to post since I started my job. . . but my dedication to BC&BS has paid off because I've already been promoted!  Yay!!  I start training for my new position Monday, November 15th.  A lot has happened since the last time I posted:  we want on a cruise with Justin's Dad's family to Cozumel, Mexico, a few daycare incidents (Gracyn found biting is a great way to distract other children in order to steal their toys), Halloween (Gracyn was an adorable bumblebee), Nic's football game in Joplin with the entire family, and lots of training and my first half marathon!  We went to Springfield, MO to run the 13.1 mile Maynard Cohick half marathon.  I finished in 2 hours,  29 minutes, and 29 seconds.  Best weekend ever!  I can't wait to run another one:-)       

Wedding Planning!!

Okay, so wedding planning has begun!  I've got my dress (yay!!), bridesmaid dresses picked out, the location, a few decorations, and a rough idea of what we want. . .  The bridesmaid dresses are champagne with silver beading and tuxes will be black.  What I'm really wanting is any and all suggestions for centerpieces, flowers, food (we're doing appetizers, finger foods, and mini desserts), and another accent color.  I've posted a poll so vote on a color:-) 

Getting excited for May 21, 2010!

Firecracker Fast 5k registration information at GetMeRegistered.com

Firecracker Fast 5k registration information at GetMeRegistered.com

Gracyn's 1st Birthday!!

Tutu!; Grandpa Mike and Gracy; Gracy playing with Dadda; Gracy and Aunt Kayli; Opening Gifts; Gracy and Uncle Drew; Gracy playing with Pap; Gracy and Uncle Adam; Gracy, Kennedy, and Dadda at the pool!; Gracy playing with Page; Birthday Cake!

We had a wonderful Birthday weekend! Friday night my Dad drove down from Gallatin to visit! When he got here I was surprised to see he brought my sister, brother, and niece! It was sooooo great to see everyone for a few days. We only spent Saturday and Sunday morning together and when they had to leave I was sad . . . (I admit I teared up a bit). We went to the pool Saturday and to the Travelers game that night.

 Sunday we hung out at the apartment and celebrated Gracyn’s Birthday with pizza, presents, and cupcakes!  Kennedy was a little upset that it was Gracyn's Birthday and not hers, but got over that fairly quickly when she saw the cupcakes.  Lol!

Then at 4 we had Gracyn's Birthday Party at Hurricane Lake. Gracy played hard the entire time. She opened gifts, but I think she was too hot and excited to eat birthday cake (don't worry she ate some on Monday, her actual birthday). She had quite a few friends and family there to celebrate with her. Her Gigi and Poppa C, Pap and Tata, Uncles Adam, Jon, and Drew, Poppy and Branny, Meemaw and Papaw, Minna and Grandaddy, and numerous other aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. There were probably 30 people there to celebrate! She slept all day Monday and had three naps on Tuesday after her busy weekend. I think this was pretty indicative of how much fun she had over the weekend!


Gracyn went for her 1 year wellness check-up today. She was average in all growth areas (50%-weight, 47%-head circumference, and 56%-length). She had to get 4 shots. . . Yikes! It was worse than it's been in the past because she has a better memory. She was tough though, and had it together before we left.

Diaper Rash Ointment

My little Gracy is allergic to some ingredient in diaper rash ointment.  I have tried all kinds.  I have no idea which ingredient causes the reaction, but she breaks out badly.  Anyway, after months of this Gracyn's pediatrician had me try this  little mixture:  hydrocortisone cream, neosporin, and vaseline.  Works like a charm! 

What a day!

Today i took the GRE. . . yuck!  It's been years since I've taken a standardized test.  I had to stare at a computer screen for 4 hours.  I think I did ok.  We will see. . . After the test I went running with my running group.  We ran 3 miles in 100 degree weather.  Talk about miserable.  Although I think I'm starting to get used to this heat.  Finished the evening watching the Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA finals!!  Woo-hoooo!  Yay Kobe!  (We love Kobe:-)  All in all a very tiring, productive day.  Now I'm ready for the weekend.

Cool Coasters

My mom made us some coasters (she knew we needed some).  She used photos of Gracyn, myself, and Justin that she got from the blog printed off of the computer in black and white, and decopage.  How cool are these?  We love them (especially Gracy; she likes to carry around the coasters of herself).  Although sometimes I feel a bit weird covering my little baby's face with a glass of tea. . .

I love my baby. Even when:

-she is covered in poop from head to toe. . . which she was on Thursday. Yikes!

-she throws a temper tantrum in Wal-mart. . . Sunday.

-she makes that hilarious face when she's "doing her business"

-she repeatedly tries to get into the cabinet with the pots and pans after being told not to

-she loves messing up the folded clothes when mommy is finished with laundry

-she refuses to take a nap because everything around her is too exciting

-she gets mad when mommy and dadda are talking to each other instead of to her



But what can I say. . . I can't stay upset with her. How can you be mad at this face?

Sonic Ched R Pepper Supersonic Cheeseburger

I had to try the Ched R Pepper Supersonic Cheeseburger.  Come on cheddar peppers sandwhiched by two cheesburger patties. . . I wasn't going to miss my opportunity to try it.  Unfortunately I was majorly disappointed.  This sandwich is sooooo not worth the 80.3 grams of fat (isn't that a ridiculous amount of fat?).  I had it today without the chipotle mayo (saving me 10 grams of fat) and it just wasn't as great as I was hoping it would be.  A total let down.  Justin said maybe the chipotle mayo is what makes the sandwich tasty, so if anybody has had it with the chipotle mayo and thought it was amazing let me know and maybe I'll give it another chance.

Forida girls weekend/Mother's Day!

A Day at the Beach

I spent last weekend with some of the best girls in the world!  I flew to Jacksonville, FL to visit my best friend Shawna for her birthday weekend.  Erica and Laura drove in from the Carolinas to make the weekend amazing!  Friday Shawna's mom made a delicious dinner (and a ridiculously awesome layered ice cream cake-Shawna actually turned 25, but she was taking it pretty hard so we made her candles say 52. . . heheheeeheee).  Following dinner we went out at the beach.  The next day we spent all day at the beach.  We played washers, had lunch, and layed out.  It was a very relaxing day and the weather was hot with a nice breeze and the water was cool but not freezing.  Saturday night we stayed at Shawna's and veged out by watching a chick flick and eating pizza rolls and mozzerella sticks.  Sunday I flew back home, and during my layover Justin surprised me by driving to Memphis to pick me up so that I could spend some time with him and Gracyn on Mother's Day!  All in all, a beyond amazing weekend!

  weird girl in bear outfit. . . she had to be hot. . . Yikes

Workout wonder

During pregnancy I remember thinking, "I will never be a size 6 again in my life" and now I am!  In 6 weeks I have lost weight, gained muscle, and feel so much better about my body image and energy level.  I ran a 5k Sunday in 28 minutes and 50 seconds.  Woo-hoo, progress!  I LOVE running and I'm beginning to love yoga now that it doesn't make my muscles sore for 2 days after I do it.  Yay for working out!!!  Also, I want to thank Sheryl for encouraging me and inviting me to the Bryant running clinic.  It truly is amazing what you can accomplish with a little dedication and hard work.

Pool Time!

This is Gracy's first summer to play in the pool! (last year she was too little) And at our apartment the pool opened up last weekend, so of course we've already been twice. Gracy LOVES the water.  I wasn't sure that she would, especially because the water is still pretty chilly, but the sun is hot!  She loves to float in her pool toy and kick her feet, and crawl and walk in the shallow end, and most of all she loves to watch Mommy go under water and pop back up.  She thinks this is hysterical!  LOL!

Gracyn's Twin. . . Dadda!

Here are some pictures of Justin as a baby to look at and compare to Baby Gracyn.  They look so much alike it's scary!

JUSTIN                                 GRACY

Workout Progress

So, I ran my first 5k on Saturday with Sheryl, Justin's mom. It was awesome. It felt soo good! We couldn't have asked for a more perfectly beautiful morning to go for a run, and the path was pretty. Although, the last 1/2 mile was basically uphill. . . Yikes! We finished in 32:30 minutes. So now, to increase my workout regimen, I'm adding yoga to my workout schedule. I bought Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown video so I can workout at home with baby Gracyn playing right beside me :-)

I love this DVD! It's amazing. It has a level 1 and 2 so I'll be able to use it even as I get better at it and advance/progress. I think it's the perfect addition to my workout routine; definitely a "total body workout". I've never done yoga before and wow, I was shocked how much strength it takes! Last night was my first time attempting all of the moves. I could do most of them, which is the great thing about the DVD: There are beginner and advanced versions of each move so even people like myself that have never done yoga can get a good workout from the DVD. Jillian Michaels keeps you moving along with doing the yoga poses, to increase calorie burn. Anyway, if you like working out, burning calories, and feeling the burn (cause my abs are still feeling it today!) and if you've never done yoga, but have always wanted to try it, I would recommend that you try Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown (Mom, this means you!  I'm bringing it this weekend:-).

Easter Pictures

Developments. . .

Momma! That’s right, Gracy said momma! It started Tuesday morning. We spent our first night in our new apartment Monday night. The next morning Gracy was suffering from some pretty severe separation anxiety(and still is if I move more than 3 feet away from her). You can’t really blame her though, because she’s at the age that it’s common and she’s endured a lot of changes recently. Anyway, she said momma. . . and now she says it all of the time. She’ll crawl around the apartment following me and pull up on my legs saying momma, momma, momma! It’s sooo cute! I LOVE it. Although it kinda stinks that she only says it when she wants me to hold her or pick her up or get her a bottle.
Running is becoming easier and easier! I’m loving it; it feels great and I’m getting in shape. Only downside is pretty soon I’m not going to have any clothes that fit me. This is a problem I’m willing to deal with. I’ll wear gym shorts and T-shirts everyday if I need too! Lol;-) Running goals: 1-With the running clinic I’m participating in we are running a 5k in May. 2-Sheryl came up with the idea that we should run the 4 person relay in the Little Rock Marathon next year. It will be myself, Sheryl, Page, and Kathryn. I think it will end up being 6.5 miles each. Wish us luck in accomplishing our goal!

Decorating Disaster

So, we’re in our new apartment! Yay! This is why I haven’t posted anything in forever. I’ve been organizing, cleaning, stocking, and decorating. . . I’ve never decorated anything in my life. In college my roommates always made fun of me and said my room looked like a boy’s room. My Mom and Nana both like to decorate and I’ve grown up watching them and that’s really all I know. I guess I should watch more HGTV. Anyway, so in an attempt to make our new apartment feel a bit more like home and not a cold white box, I’ve been decorating. . . I actually bought some toilet lid covers at Wal-Mart. You know those rug-like covers that make your toilet look like it’s wearing a hat. Once I put the cover on the toilet I realized it looked ridiculous and nobody has used those for at least 15 years. Whoops! Needless to say, I returned it. I have a few decorating goals: 1 – I want to create something to hang on the wall in place of a headboard and 2 – I want to find a cute welcome mat. Haha. Ya, that’s it for now. We’ll see if I can accomplish these goals. In conclusion, if anyone has any good decorating tips for making an apartment warmer and more homey, they would be greatly appreciated.

Orphan child

Gracyn had two baths yesterday (thanks to a diaper explosion. . . worst ever!)  and today she still looks like an orphan.  I have no idea how she gets soooo dirty. . . well yes I do, she crawls all over and has to get into everything!

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend! Friday night we went to Copelands for our anniversary dinner. Justin insisted we take Gracy (he’s still figuring out all of the parenting stuff like taking a little one on a date night dinner means you have to entertain the little one the whole time). We decided next time Gracy can visit Gigi or Pap during Momma and Dada’s dates. Saturday we ran errands and then ate dinner with Justin’s dad, step-mom, step-brothers, grandparents, uncle, aunt, and cousins. Sunday we went to church and then ate lunch with Justin’s mom and step-dad. I was supposed to go run on Sunday, but it was rainy and cold so I chickened out:-). It was ok though, because they ended up not running the timed mile we were supposed to do because there were so few people that showed up to run. We relaxed during the afternoon and then I finished my cover letter and put 5 resumes in the mail for different Substance Abuse Treatment Providers. Wish me luck! We ate Sheryl’s gumbo for supper. It was amazing!



The beginning part of this week has been rough thus far. Gracy is teething and between crying, diarrhea, biting, and low fevers she has been VERY cranky. She’s doesn’t want to eat much and she’s decided she won’t take an afternoon nap unless Mommy’s holding her. Poor little baby:-( I went running/walking yesterday for about 45 minutes. Gracy loved that. It was nice out and Gracy lay back in the stroller and watched the other people outside enjoying the weather. Today we went to Barnes and Noble and I bought a Gre study book and Gracy picked out a puppy dog, textured, board book. I read it to her three times today. I know previously I mentioned her saying hi all of the time now, but her improvement deems notability. She even put the e sound on it once today; so instead of just ha it was ha-e. Getting better! And she waves when she says it! Although it was a rough day (Gracy’s nasty diarrhea, worrying about Kayli and baby banana-cake, and this weird elf-like dude trying to con me this evening – Don’t ask. . .) it ended on a positive note: Justin got the results of his final CPA exam. He passed with an 83. He passed all 4 parts on his first try. I couldn’t be prouder! After we got the news, we watched some American Idol (Siobhan is my favorite, I’ve decided) and hit the hay.



Hit the hay

Meaning: Go to bed.

Origin

The term hay was used in the USA to mean bed since the early 20th century. For example, from People You Know, by the American author George Ade, 1902:

"After Dinner he smoked one Perfecto and then, when he had put in a frolicsome Hour or so with the North American Review, he crawled into the Hay at 9.30 P.M."

In 1902, mattresses were often sacks stuffed with straw or hay (hence the similar phrase 'hit the sack').

The phrase 'hit the hay' seems to have originated in the US sports scene. The Oakland Tribune, July 1903, reported this:

"'Sam' Berger, the Olympic heavyweight ... was sleepy and he announced that 'he was going to hit the hay.'"

In 1905, Paxton Sport USA included this:

[the baseball player] "has a language of his own. Going to bed for him is to 'hit the hay.'"

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/182700.html

Developments

Gracy has decided that when something's not going her way (like when momma wants to put lotion on her when she is wanting to play) that the best thing to do is bite momma with her new teeth. This is a problem. Today, she actually "got in trouble". I told her that it's not nice to bite and that she wanted to be a nice baby. I have no idea if she knows what this means or if she realizes that it's "bad" to bite, but it's pretty evident her biting is a retaliation tactic. Oh no! What am I going to do? This behavior is completely unacceptable. I really want to nip it in the bud (pun intended:-) Haha). But seriously, any advice welcome.



On another (much sweeter) note, Gracy is utilizing her first word very frequently. It began Monday evening when Justin picked her up to cuddle her before bedtime. It was very quiet and out of nowhere she said “Dada”. That was all she said as she snuggled into her dada’s chest. Now every time Justin comes home from work, she says “dadadadadadada” over and over again. Another word she’s using a lot is hi, but it sounds more like “ha”. So she tells puppy dogs, people on t.v., and basically anyone “ha!” “hahaha!”. I then explain to everyone that she’s saying hi (I’m not sure if they believe me or think I’m a crazy, naïve mom, and that ha to hi is a bit of a stretch). I’m sure though, because she’s using it in the proper context over and over again. Justin goes along with it, although I’m pretty sure he’s just placating me and not all that sure she has attached meaning to these words yet. She has said momma, but only twice: Once to my mom when she was crying right before I got there to pick her up after work and once the other day in the car when she was trying to get my attention. I’m not sure if she’s attached meaning to this word or not, but I think (or wanna think she has). Here’s my rationalization: she’s only said it twice because she’s not able to say it very well yet. But she really wants to say it and that’s why the two times that she has said it, she had just mustered up the ability because she wanted me so badly she was able to overcome her language barriers.



Another sweet note: This one is about my Justin. Yesterday was our anniversary, and we had decided to just eat at home (to save money and because Justin’s mom was cooking a roast and she’s an amazing cook:-) and go out to dinner Friday to celebrate. He had already gotten me a TomTom to get around Little Rock and told me my other gift was that I get to choose any restaurant I want for our Anniversary dinner. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised when a beautiful vase of Roses showed up yesterday. So I guess I get three gifts! What a sweet fiancé.



Also, I went for a stroll yesterday with Gracyn. We walked up to the playground and Gracy loved the swings! I also did a little running. . . Running uphill with a stroller and a 20 pound baby is not easy when you’re out of shape! Yikes! When we got home, Sheryl gave me the web address for a running clinic she’s been doing and I signed up! So tonight we’re going running. . . hopefully I won’t die Wish me luck!

For my Momma

I'm creating this blog for my momma. . . That said I have no idea what I'm doing. My daughter, Gracyn, and I have recently moved to Little Rock, AR (Benton actually, or Bryant? I'm not really sure, I still haven't figured out where Bryant ends and Benton begins) to be together as a family with Gracy's Dadda and my fiancé, Justin. We moved down here from Gallatin, a small town in Northwest Missouri. Gracy has left her Grammy, Grandpa Randy, and Aunt; Grandpa Mike; Aunt Kayli, Uncle Roy, Crazy Cousin Kennedy, and soon to be baby boy cousin; Grandma and Pa Burrell; Nana and Great Great; Uncle Nic and Megan; and many other friends. It helps that Justin’s family lives in the Little Rock area, so Gracy will still have grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins nearby. Dad (known to Gracy as Grandpa Mike) was almost willing to join facebook to stay in touch and view pictures. Momma (known to Gracy as Grammy) thought a blog would be the best way to communicate about daily/weekly happenings. Dad was very relieved with the blog idea and that he didn't have to succumb to facebook. Although we are leaving behind many loved ones by moving to Little Rock, we are excited about the life change and are looking forward to this new adventure:-)
So, this past weekend was pretty hectic. My last day of work as a Substance Abuse Counselor was Thursday. I packed Friday and Justin drove up (8 hours) after getting off of work at 5. Saturday morning Gracy and I went to Aunt's (my little sister) 6th grade basketball game while Justin wrapped all of our boxes and furniture in plastic. By 3:15 we were all loaded up and ready to go. After a tearful good-bye with Dad and promises of future visits, we headed over to Mom's to say good-bye to Grammy, Grandpa Randy, and Aunt. We hit the road by 4 and made it all the way to Joplin, MO before we stopped for the night. We ate dinner at Cheddar's right by the hotel and I ordered the vegetable plate. Gracy shared with me and we had baby carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, and broccoli and cheese casserole. She's getting sooo big! I'm astonished every time she does something new (like eating table food at a restaurant). Sunday, we set the clocks forward an hour and left Joplin around 10:30. We stopped for lunch at McDonald's and Justin decided Gracy was ready for her first french fry. . . she wasn't. After 5 minutes of fishing the soggy french fry out of her mouth we settled on a bottle. Gracy and I sang the whole way down to Little Rock. I wouldn't have survived the trip without George Strait's 50 number 1's and Miranda Lambert's new album. It also helped to have the 8 hour trip divided into 2 segments. It was definitely best for Gracy. The last 30 minutes of both drives, she was pretty fussy. We arrived in LR around 3:00 and unpacked and moved some furniture to storage until we move into our apt (hopefully before April 1st).  Until then we are staying with Justin's mom and step-dad (Thanks Sheryl and Craig!)