My Ham

So. I feel like I do a lot of posting on my boy. Maybe that's because he is so funny! And older so he happens to say A LOT of funny things, hourly. He's also so happy, all the time, just happy. And sweet. If I was to describe him in 3 words I'd say SWEET, BUSY, and SILLY. Seriously...he's so dang sweet. He constantly talks about how much he loves everyone. All that being said...

I *heart* that sweet little thing sleeping quietly upstairs right now. She was someone I wished for well before she ever made her appearance. I wanted a little girl so bad. I LOVED having a boy first! I wanted an older brother to watch over his younger sister that I also wanted so badly! I was beyond ecstatic when the doctor told me "it" was a "she". I am not ashamed to say that I needed to know what we were having in order to prepare myself not to be dissappointed with another boy. NOT because two boys aren't fun. It would be amazing to be a mom of boys, I know this b/c I LOVE that little man upstairs so much and I know how SPECIAL a mother and son's love is. I would be dissappointed because I wanted to raise a girl as well. I'm a girl, a very girly-girl. I love to shop. I love to wear makeup. I love having my nails painted. I like to be center-of-attention. I tend to be overly dramatic on most occasions. I enjoy watching sports but spend as much time critiquing their outfits and look as I do actually paying attention to what's happening. I am still a cheerleader at heart and check my old gym's cheer site occasionally. I am a girly-girly-girl! So...my sweet daughter was dreamt of long before she was ever a reality!

So, this post is being dedicated to her and all the sweetness (ok, drama) she brings to our lives. Y'all we are smitten by her. Now, we are also completely worn out by her too. She is just a handful! BUT, as much as she drives me insane (daily) and as happy as I am to put her in bed at night, I would not change a single thing about her. I can not imagine her being anything else. I don't think our lives would be nearly as entertaining. Where her brother keeps us LAUGHING constantly with his words, she does the same with her smiles, her attitude, her dancing, and her FITS! She is something else...

Words can't even begin to explain how much she already enjoys the spotlight. If we are watching tv or talking about something and start laughing, she immediately assumes we are laughing at her. She starts to laugh, a very fake laugh I might add, and this continues back and forth until we are all in stitches. She's also quite the dancer. it's hilarious b/c she can be in the middle of something (eating, playing, drinking from her sippy, ANYTHING) and the minute music starts playing whether on the computer or during a commercial, she starts to dance. She doesn't miss a beat. It's like an automatic response for her. Because of this, she really likes The City on MTV, ya know, because of all the music they play. She also assumes it's all about her. All the time. There is really no happy medium, no compromise whatsoever when she wants something. It's either give in or prepare to listen to a complete meltdown. I'm not exaggerating when I say on an average day, we have experienced 3 or 4 full facedown on the ground, screaming and crying, kicking of legs meltdown by noon. Really. Daily. BUT, when we are not having a meltdown, she's the happiest thing in the world. Again, there is no in between there either. She is either ALL smiles or a meltdown. Oh, she is too much!!!

She also has most of the men in her life completely wrapped around her finger. It's so funny to see that. I assumed that would be a given with her daddy, but it kind of surprises me to see it with her PawPaw and PaTim, especially her PaTim. He's the guy that doesn't really care of babies, 2+ absolutely, younger than that...not so much. That being said, Miss Kenz has him wrapped tighter and tighter around her finger everytime they see each other. It's so funny!

So...to wrap this post up...here are some pictures from today. Really, from a few minutes today. She is something else...


Playing with Bubba's paintbrushes. I'd like to think she's pretending they are make-up brushes.




She's getting so good with the camera...all smiles when it's out! FINALLY!




SOOOO SILLY!


Jimmy got her up from her nap and she was dressless...


She LOVES her daddy!


Her favorite place!


It's a daily fight keeping her off the table!


Can you tell she is a complete ham?

I am about to call it a night but thought I'd hop on for a minute and say adios! Hubby and I head out tomorrow afternoon for Vegas! I am so ready. I need a weekend away with my MAN for sure!! I can't lie and say the whole 4-days-kidless thing sounds pretty dang good too. I will miss those little ones like crazy, but mama and daddy are needing a break for sure. I just feel like it's been one of those months and I can tell I have been yelling more than normal. So, I look so forward to coming home relaxed and with some more patience.

JD is so excited about spending the whole weekend at KK's house. Every morning this past week he has woken up and asked me "How many more days until I get to sleep at KK's house?" SUPER EXCITED!!! He loves that lday so much!!!

A few more funny JD stories...I do not make these up...they happen daily around here!

This morning we were sitting on the couch watching MM Clubhouse when I noticed JD blowing on his hand? He had a scratch but when I asked him what was wrong he said, "My screwdriver bit me!"

Yesterday we were up at our office and he was sitting in one of our co-workers laps coloring. He was telling her about seeing the movie Wall-E with PawPaw (last summer) and Kim was asking who PawPaw was. JD's reply, "Well...PawPaw, he goes with Nana. And he has a big muscle on her arm and he makes it jump!" It cracks me up what information they choose to remember and share.

This morning we made french toast for bfast and I served him some blueberries with the toast. He proceeded to pick out a couple that I had mushed a little and said, "I don't want those. They are still bleeding!"

That kid cracks me up!!!

Kenz is also equally as excited about going to KK's. She told me so. It's probably the nonstop attention and food. She cracks me up!

Speaking of food...

We tried out this new (not that new) little cajun place last night. Mama's Cajun Kitchen and it was WONDERFUL!!! Jimmy and I both love crawfish and all things New Orlean's-style but it's hard to find anything comparable except Pappadeaux and we just don't live close enough anymore. This place looked like it might be one of those really good mom-and-pop kind of places and it was!!! We had DELCIOUS crawfish! They were still pretty small b/c it's early but the seasoning was FAB!! Don't even try to tell me about Willies...theirs pale in comparison to Pappadeaux and MCK! Their gumbo was also delicious! It was cajun without being too "in your face cajun!" YUM!!!!

Ok. Enough talk about our dinner last night. I am getting hungry! I am going to head to dinner instead!! I am hoping tomorrow afternoon will be hear as quickly as possible! We take off at 7:25 tomorrow evening. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a tad bit nervous! All these stories about plane crashes have gotten me a bit anxious. If you think of us tomorrow evening...say a prayer for our pilot!

PEACE!

Morning Y'all!

So, I was hoping to repost with adorable pictures in response to my last post. But sadly, no. This mama just ain't ontop of her game like she used to me. BUT, pictures will be coming in the near future, I promise!

So, this passt week/weekend we enjoyed one of those "first." I think it's one of those milestones sooo many of us imagine when we first give birth to our little boy's. It's that moment that as much as you don't want to rush time, you look forward to!! It is....T-Ball!!! JD started T-Ball this past week. He's only had practices and won't start with actual games until the week after Spring Break, but y'all, we couldn't be more excited. I don't know who's more excited, Daddy and I or JD. He's in what they call "Instructional T-Ball." And boy, are they right, there are a lot of instructions going on. JD is once of the younger ones on the team (they start at age 4 and since he just turned 4 last month...) but at times you can't even tell. And at other times, you can. They are so dang cute though.

So far, catchinging a grounder, throwing the ball and running the bases have been the main focus. By the end of last practice JD was doing much better on the grounder process. He throws the ball pretty well when he SLOWS down. He gets a little over-excited and forgets to go through the whole process, especially the "step." And well, running the bases...that one is proving to be a little difficult as well. Again, he get's a "little excited" and just takes off. He knows where FIRST his, but when you are that dang excited you will run anywhere!!! It's so dang cute. The first practice he took off running for what we had hoped was first and kept going, and going, and going. It was hi-lar-ious!!! He was on such a mission and it took the coach running to catch him to get him to turn around. He's one of those (like his daddy) that gets in the zone and there is no distracting them. It was defintely one of those moments we will be embarrassing him with in front of a girl one day.

The girl is also enjoying the practices. Of course, she wears me out as I am chasing her around the whole time. The good news is, JD is on the Yankees and MacKenzie will have plenty of adorable outfits to cheer her brother on in!! Yea!

Kenzie is such a crazy child. Goodness me. I have said it a million times before and it only proves truer and trues with each passing day. She is an absolute source of entertainment for her father and me. I swear, I love her so intensely one minute and then the next...while still loving her, I want to scream. There are not words to describe this child.

As I type, she is sitting in a kitchen chair next to me (pulled away from the table so that she does not climb up and stand on it) with her shirt off (because she decided to paint herself in syrup after eating french toast) sucking every drop of juice out of an apple slice. She eats all day. Seriously.

Here are some pictures of that crazy child...

A day of this...


Ends like this


Feeding Time!

In Need of a Backscratcher!

So, it's true. Something I never thought would happen again has. Something I assumed I was never going to experience after our bout with colic again. I figured that those LOOONNGG, AWFUL, STRESSFUL months of colic would have kept this from happening ever again. But NO. No, here I am again...

Nope, I am not pregnant. But ohmyword, I have the itch. I have Baby Fever like never before. It's driving me crazy. Seriously crazy. So, I would like to ask all you to please stop posting the adorable pictures of y'alls precious newborns (Amanda) and stop sharing all the great news about your due dates and what you are having and what names you have picked out (Monica, Ree, Kate) because seriously y'all, you are not helping me out here!!!

Oh, I am kidding. Not about the itch, but do keep sharing. Amanda, that sweet girl might be the cutest thing I have ever laid eyes. She is BEAUTIFUL seriously. And yes, please keep telling me all about how sweet they are and how their baby smell is just the greatest thing since fresh sliced banana nut bread. Oh, and do keep telling me all about those sleepless nights and those HUGE, sore, Pam-style engorged breatisis. Because really, I need this itch to be scratched and by scratched I mean go away, and by go away I mean that I have come to the realization that being outnumbered as a parent is not something we want, rather than being 'with baby'. Unless that is what God wants for my family. And IF that is what He wants, please let a bolt of lighting strike my husband (in a good way) and make him want that too. Geese. It's bad. So bad that I have considered really begging Jimmy for a third. I have also already calculated out the birthdate if I were to get pregnant, say...now, and I don't like the outcome. I really don't want another baby born between the months of October and January. No...between Kenzie's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and JD's birthday we are a teeny tiny bit busy and a teeny tiny bit spent (and yes spent in the literal since, as in we done spent all our money). So...that is what I am using to convinence myself that three is not for me. That and my over-the-top dramatic, demanding, exhausting little darling of a girl that I love so much. All that being said, I was skimming through the January issue of Parents and came across an article in the back about your parenting style and it is directly related to your astrological sign. Now, I don't typically buy into any of this and never really even read them, unless to scoff at how far off they are. BUT...I was sitting there with nothing better todo (ok, I was on the pot) and read it. It said yada, yada, yada and then there was a final random note. I read others as well just to see if they were all the same and no. Some were about your work life or your social life or your kid's life or your kid's social life. Mine?!! Well, mine was about me and my "significant other" and how we will have a good year and enjoy an "intimate vacation away together" (Caymans perhaps for our 5th anniversary?). Oh, and it also said something about "adding an addition to the family." WHAT?! Yeah, I got a little excited.

So. That's where I am at these days. Jimmy only knows a little of this. I have shared that I do indeed have baby fever an that I am fully aware of how CRAZY that is. He laughed and told me I have lost my mind. When I say laughed, I mean a crazy nervous laughter. So, I try not to scare him too much. I really would rather him not move out of the bedroom. BUT, I can share here. Afterall, it is my blog!

I am signing off now. I have a busy day tomorrow and really need to get some sleep. We are all crazy like that here on a Friday night.

I will be blogging later this weekend. We had a special couple of days with JD and after I get pictures, I will blog about it. Oooo....I got you on the edge of your seats now, eh?!

The Cowboy and The Horse

JD has a wee-bit of an imagination. It's really funny because he is a constant source of entertainment for his daddy and I. I have an imagination as well, which would be why staying home alone when Jimmy is out of town is not such a good idea. When JD starts to tell a story, we never know what's going to come out. Or whether it's true or not for that matter. Tonight was quite the same...

While in the bathtub he started in on a good one...
----"Mom, I am going to tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a boy, a cowboy named JD. He had a horse, and a gun, and a sword."
"Oh, yeah? And what was his horses name?"
"Radical."
"Radical?"
"No. Rad-i-cal!"
"Oh, Rad-i-cal! And what did the cowboy and the horse do?"
"They played hide-n-seek and duck, duck goose!"
"Where did the horse hide?"
"Behind the fence"
"And the coowboy named JD?"
"Under his covers in his bed"
"Did the horse find him?"
"Yeah. Rad-i-cal looked everywhere. Then he looked in my room but didn't see me. Then there was another door that went to the bathroom and he looked there. Then there was another door that went to the clothes pantry, and he looked there. But then he looked in the covers and found the cowboy."
"What happened next?"
"Mom, you need to bathe me now!"

And that was the end. Gotta love it! I defintely like how he refers to his closet as the "clothes pantry!"

Happy Belated Birthdays!

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

Tis true! My boy is an official 4 year old. Seriously?! How did this happen?! Goodness me...time is flying by. The saddest part? Right now JD really wants to grow up. So much so that at times when I tell him to wait he starts crying because, "Mama, but I really want to be big like Daddy and Uncle Matt right now!" Which is funny, that he cried about that. Haha.

He's all growed up and reminds me of this daily, whether he verablly tells me or shows me through his actions. He's getting so independent. But luckily, he still my little boy. He's a snuggler and loves to hug and be held. I enjoy this tremendously because MacKenzie is not into the cuddling. She's been nicknamed the "10 Seconds" because that's all you get. She'll hold her hands up or try to climb in your lap...for 10 seconds...and then she's done. Haha!

JD had a construction birthday party. It was a blast. We narrowed down our guest list this year to just the kiddos his age that he really knows. I asked what friends he wanted to invite and we invited those he really knows. I unfortunately did not take many pictures and I forgot to get those that my Nana took off her camera. So, instead I am stealing those my mom took and reposting here...

The table with the yummy cupcakes and dumptruck full of dirt (oreo cookies)


The Birthday Boy at the "painting station"


In his cute VANDAGRIFF CONSTRUCTION shirt


Pinata Time!


His friends waiting for their turn at the pinata


Sister in her MUDCAKE ORIGINALS Construction Outfit


I'd also like to wish a Happy Birthday to our wonderful Pa Tim!!! And a special Happy Birth-Day to the beautiful Annabeth Ellen Jones!!!! We are so happy you are here and I can not wait to meet you!! I am so excited about the fun times your mama has ahead of her. Girls are just something else!! That Big Brother of yours better watch out, you are going to be getting into all of his toys in NO TIME!!!! Love ya'll!!!

ETSY SHOP OPEN!

So, I have been up to this sewing thing for a little while. I have mostly just been selling via word-of-mouth and through emails! BUT, I finally got an etsy shop up and going. There isn't much on there and it's less than fancy, but hopefully I will be able to do something about all that soon. I am trying to post new outfits daily, okay...weekly, so keep checking back! I am working on getting some VDay outfits up ASAP!! If you or anyone you know is interested, please forward along my site!!!

Oh, and yes...I would love to do some boy outfits, but let's get real, there isn't much!!! I can do lounge sets and I am working on making some shirts. I have this really cute idea but haven't had time to actually make it yet! I am going to list some lounge sets soon though! Oh, and as soon as I place an order for more "minky" I will be listing some baby blankets as well! So...keep in mind!

Please visit and pass along, THANKS!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5400993

Whoo Hoo!!! Off to sew....

Holiday Update

Life is good and a teeny tiny bit busy. Just a little though, and I am not complaining.

Things have going really well though. We made it through the holidays. I had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I blame stress. But once I finally did, it was wonderful. The kiddos had a wonderful time. This was the first Christmas that JD really got the whole Christmas thing. He LOVED it! He loved every minute of it!!! A few of the memories I will take with me...

The day of his Christmas party at school we were running late. i was telling him how we needed to hurry or we would be late for his party (they were doing a "Happy Birthday Jesus" themed party"). JD being the practical one looked at me and said, "Mom, we can not be late, I have to get to the party before Jesus." I blinked and asked him to repeat. "Mom, I can't be late, I need to get to the party before Jesus gets there. You know, for His birthday party." Right...so I explain..."JD, where does Jesus live?" He answers matter-of-factly, "In heaven and in my heart." Yes...so, I explain that He will not be at the party because He is in heaven. After thinking about this for a little minute he replies, "Ok, but can I eat His cupcake then?" LOL. he apparently has his priorities straight!

This year as in year's past, the school sent home cute crafts and keepsakes that the kids made in school. One of the ridiculous cute items was a homemade angel and for the face of the angel was a picture of JD (I am assuming the other parents received pictures of their own kids but I am not sure). I put it out so we could admire it during the holidays. A few days before we took down the decor (which really is the part I despise the most) JD pointed at it and nonchalantly says, "Oh mom, there's that picture of me when I used to be an angel." Haha.

MacKenzie also had a really good time. She only took a handful of ornaments off the tree. She had fun opening presents and really did open her fair share. Of course, she looked ridiculously cute in all her Christmas outfits.

Her are a few great pictures from our holidays...












JD making Christmas ornaments...




Christmas Morning...

MacKenzie on her new horse.


JD and his new tool bench and new tools that he is OBSESSED with!




And maybe one of the coolest gifts ever - JD's new F150 truck from FuFu and Sammy.








MacKenzie in her adorable petti! I *love* these!




This brother sure loves his sister!


And his rock band!


We also has a great New Years. Mom and Pa Tim took the kiddos to the country for a few days. JD is a COUNTRY BOY. So much so that Jimmy and I some times wonder where he came from. Don't get me wrong, I love the country! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE spending time in the middle of nowhere. I love campfires and horses and fireflies and fishing and all that fun stuff. And Jimmy does too, as long as there is a tv with ESPN near by. But JD LOVES IT. He loves picking up sticks and digging in the dirt and riding four wheelers and picking up more sticks. He LOVES the country!!!! So, they spent a couple nights at my brother Dustin's house and had a blast. Jimmy and I spent New Year's at a wedding. We had a wonderful time with good friends!

Me and Two of my favorite girls!


Me and my FAVORITE Man


The Girls


That's all I got for now. I have a few shows to watch and a head that hurts. I hope to post tomorrow. I want to show off the newest MUDCAKE ORIGINALS (that's my line of clothes in case you didn't know)!!



New Year's was FUN as well.

Christmas Survey

Because I am feeling like an overachiever and all...a Christmas Survey if you will.

1. Fresh Tree/Fake Tree? - FRESH! I love getting a fresh tree and I am really glad I married someone that loves fresh trees as well. That could have been a real problem. Not a deal breaker but a serious problem every 11 months.

2. Favorite Ornament - Goodness. I LOVE all my ornaments. There are only a couple on my tree that aren't special. One of my favorite traditions is my Nana giving us ornaments every year. Those are so special and I love getting them out every year. I also love the homemade ones I have gotten the last couple of years with JD's picture from school.

3. Favorite Christmas Song - I LOVE Christmas songs. I have a couple - "Walking in a Winter Wonderland", The Christmas Song, and Let it Snow!!

4. Favorite Tradition - See number 2. I look so forward to those ornaments every year. We have gotten them for as long as I can remember and I had so much fun telling JD about them this year. I also love picking out the tree. And driving through Prestonwood to look at lights. I also like our new tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve and them being our PJ's for Christmas morning, This year they will all be matching Christmas PJ's - I love Jimmy for doing this with us! Last night JD and I made those home-made Cinnamon, Nutmeg, ground clove, and ginger ornaments you bake for an hour. He has SOOOO much fun making them and then painting them. We made a gingerbread girl and boy that were JD and MacKenize and he thought that was the coolest thing ever. I can see that being something we do for years to come.

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received - When I was younger it was definetly my keyboard. I remember being so excited about it. In recent years...anything that was a SURPRISE since I usually pick out my own gift.

6. Favorite Christmas Meal - The usualy, ham (I prefer honeybaked ham over turkey), greasy bacon-filled green beans, dressing, giblet gravy and mashed potatos, sweet potato casserole, and dessert!

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie - Hmmm....I don't have one.

8. Favorite Place to be - The BIG OB! Nana and PawPaw's house hands down with all the family. There is no place on earth like Christmas at Nana's. It's seriously like a Winter Wonderland. She has a Christmas Tree in every room (all 4 bedrooms, all 4 bathrooms, the laundry room and pantry, the formal living, dining, sunroom, kitchen, and sitting room) - it's insane!!! I hope her mansion in heaven is the exact same way at Christmas.

9. Favorite Memory - Goodness, there are so many. I can remember being little and so excited after opening presents on Christmas morning and all I wanted to do outside and see what my best friend Ashley across the street got and ride our new bikes or rollerblades together. I remember the year she got her Red Jeep and how cool it was!! Another neat memory was the Christmas we spent in Hawaii. I went with Jimmy and his family to Hawaii for 2 weeks over Christmas while his sister and brother-in-law lived there. It was crazy being able to go to the beach after opening gifts!

10. Favorite Christmas Movie - I love them all! Home Alone was probably one of the funniest! I am really wanting to see Four Christmas's this year though!!

There you go...Merry Christmas!

lazy update

I have been called out on my lack of blogging. I have no new excuse so I won't even try. I will tell you that I am laying on the couch with a headache so spelling, grammar, and capslock for that matter are out the window! awesome.

i am just going to do a quick post but i PROMISE to post on monday in participation with Boo Mama's Tour of Christmas Homes!

For now, a recap...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was spent in good ole Mississippi. We switch off our holidays so this year we went to Nana's house for Turkey Day and will spend Christmas here. As always, the trip passed to quickly. The kids had a blast, they are just crazy about their Nana and PawPaw.

And again, because i am too tired and my head hurts too bad, i will be now sending you to my mother's blog if you'd like to see pictures. there are some cute ones.
http://thegannonfamily.blogspot.com/2008/12/thanksgiving.html

if that doesn't satisfy your van-fam photo update, you can also check out another post by my dear mother. it's on the pure goofiness of our family. she ain't lyin'. poor jimmy...i think somedays he seriously wonders what he got himself into but at least he knows that i get it honestly. and...his family ain't all that sane either. seriously.
http://thegannonfamily.blogspot.com/2008/12/tgif.html

that's all i got for now in pictures. it's friday night. i am so glad it's the weekend. i have a lot of sewing to get done. this whole sewing thing has really taken off. seriously. (has anyone notice how much i use that word? it's probably the most used word in my vocab - seriously.) right now i have 4 PJ sets and 2 pillowcase dresses to complete for a friend, 6 PJ sets for an etsy order, plus a shirt dress, a pj set, 2 appliqued T's and a skirt/shirt set all for Christmas gifts, and then a FUN girly outfit and 4 PJ sets for my family for Christmas. Oh, and in case y'all haven't heard, there are only 12 more days until christmas. awesome.

tomorrow we have a borthday party for one of JD's friends, which reminds me, i need to finish her birthday gift as well. my mom came over the other night and asked if the kids could spend saturday night with them. ummm....twist my arm please. i of course could never deny grandparents there right to see their grandchildren, so we will be kidless tomorrow evening. we have some dinner Christmas party to attend at the club and then we'll probably go out with the crew. i am in need of some country music and dancing. but i can hear the guys groan already, so it will probably be darts. again.

i'm done for the night but do check back monday for the Christmas Tour of Homes! it's sure to be fun! even though i am less than impresses with my Christmas decor this year. oh well...maybe i'll get some new stuff after Christmas when it's all 70%off.

PEACE!