Happy Monday!

Alex got home from his business trip around 1:30am on Saturday morning. Needless to say, I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to stay up until he arrived. Amelia woke around 9:30am and Alex jumped out of bed to get her. He hadn't seen her since Monday. He missed his girl! I got out of bed and made monkey bread before heading to April's lingerie shower.



Here's my girl patiently waiting for her piece of monkey bread.



Here's the recipe for those of you who want to try it!



We went out to eat yesterday after church. Amelia was being a good girl...just sitting there drinking her milk. She refused any food though and then wanted me to hold her. She just layed her head down on my shoulder and wouldn't eat. Alex finished his meal - I got mine to go - and we came home and took a nap. I guess she was just too tired to eat. Yet another way she is not like her Mama.



After getting Amelia to bed. Alex and I watched the new Hallmark movie that was on TV last night. It was so good. I bawled like a baby.



We woke up at 9:30 this morning. I am so thankful for a baby that sleeps well. Seriously. I'm always exhausted from the weekend and I think Amelia is too. I usually won't wake up on Monday mornings until she wakes me up. She started her day with buttered toast and a cup of milk. One of her favorites. I started mine with a cup of caramel/vanilla creme coffee. One of my favorites.



I fixed Amelia some noodles for lunch today. She insisted on feeding herself with a fork. There were more noodles in her lap than in her mouth, so I finally went over and started picking them up and feeding them to her with my bare hands. She then insisted on feeding me noodles with her hands. I let her. It was the only way she would let me feed her. Ya do what ya gotta do!



I made myself a list of things that I wanted to accomplish around the house today and I'm actually getting them done! Amelia has been very cooperative and playing well on her own today. Every so often she brings me a book to read or her magna doodle to write her a note...then she's off to play some more.

We're having a great day. I hope you are too!



Love to all,

Lingerie Shopping...

I'm writing this post...while wearing glasses. I now need to wear them all the time, I suppose. I've been living with headaches and it hit me today (after putting my glasses on) that I need to go to the eye doctor and have my eyes checked again and get some newer, cuter, stylish glasses. It stinks being old, but it's nice being able to see without your head throbbing. Oh, speaking of eyes. I'm looking for a good eye cream. To fight wrinkles and aging and stuff. Any of you use an awesome eye cream that you would love to recommend?? I can't even believe that I'm so old that I need to start using eye cream. I may go drown my sorrows in chocolate cake.

Amelia and I had a fun day. She woke up around 9:30. I didn't get out of bed until she did...I needed the sleep. We had breakfast, cleaned up, and then headed to playgroup with Jen & the girls. We love hanging out with them. Amelia thinks the girls are funny and they all seem to play well with one another. We've been so sick over the last few months, this was our first play date since last year sometime! After leaving playgroup we headed to get a gift for a lingerie shower that I have tomorrow. I knew it wouldn't take me long to pick something out, so I just put Amelia on my hip and walked in. Every saleswoman in the store stopped to stare at me - all at the same time. Looking at me as though I had three heads or something. Once I checked my head to make sure that I didn't grow two extra on the way in, I realized it was the 15 month old baby on my hip that was getting the stares. That's when I thought to myself, "are lingerie stores off-limits to babies?" Amelia did really well...we were in and out within 10 minutes. I probably won't take her with me if there's a next time though. I don't think she felt welcome. :)

After shopping for lingerie, we headed to Sam's for diapers. I also picked up a few spring/summer outfits for Amelia. They always have little Carter's dresses for $5 and you can't beat that price for play clothes. I had no idea what size to buy her, since she's already in 18 month clothing. If they don't fit, we'll find someone to give them to.

After Sam's, we came home and I made Amelia some dinner. She played for about an hour and then we started bath/bedtime routine.



She no longer wants me to rock her while being held like a baby. She wants to lay on my chest/facing me. She's getting so big, but I love that she still wants to be rocked to sleep. I just sit and kiss her and pray over her and then kiss her some more.

After baby girl was sound asleep, I decided a bubble bath was in order. I bought a new magazine at Sam's today. Sam's really is the best place to buy magazines. I bought this one in a combo pack with another for only $4. Quite a deal, huh?



And now I'm trying to stay awake while waiting on my husband to arrive home from his business trip. I'm looking forward to having him home. I think I'll make monkey bread tomorrow morning - just to show him he's my favorite.

Have a happy weekend!

Love to all,

Chocolate Cake Day...

Amelia and I had a good day! She slept until 10:30 this morning. I was getting ready to go in and check her pulse and then she finally woke up. Joy & Pryce came by to see us this morning. I sent Pryce in to get Amelia from her crib. She looked through the bars of her crib, saw him, and said, "PRYCE!?" Like she was so surprised to see him. This little girl makes me laugh so hard. Pryce spent the morning being the best cousin in the world. He built her a big fort in the living room to crawl through and would chase her around the house from room to room - allowing her to do whatever she pleased. He is so sweet with her. I never dreamed that my sister's children would be so much older than mine, but Amelia just loves them and they love her. They're more like big brothers to her! :)



My friend, Hillary told me that today is National Chocolate Cake Day. So I decided to make a chocolate cake to take to home group tonight. I'm not really great at making pretty cakes, but they usually taste really good! Take this cake for instance. It was falling apart and a complete mess. So I decided to save it by drizzling chocolate butter cream over it. It ended up being a globbing of icing vs. a drizzling. I brought very little home though, so I think it must have tasted okay.



I let Amelia have a taste of the chocolate batter.

She liked it.

She really liked it.



I got a couple of days behind on my study, but was able to catch up today. I'm enjoying it. One of the things I've learned so far: I'm undisciplined in a few areas of my life. I knew that I had issues, but never labeled it as undisciplined because that word forces me to change. So I'm owning it. And now I'm going to work on changing it. It's not even major things, but things that once changed, will make a huge difference in bringing calm into my home vs. chaos.

Tomorrow we have a play date and a little shopping to do and then we're going to come home and wait on Alex to get home. We can't wait to see him!!

Do you have a fun weekend planned? I have a lingerie shower for my cousin to attend. Haven't been to one of those in quite some time. She's marrying a wonderful man and they've asked Alex to marry them. I'm so excited for their soon-to-be-family!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Love to all,

Mon-Wed...

My parents came in on Sunday evening. I hadn't seen them in over a month, so I was excited they were coming for a few days. On Monday evening, we met up with most of my brothers & sisters to have dinner. We had Mexican food. I haven't had Mexican food in FOREVER. It was good.

I took Amelia to her 15 month well-visit on Tuesday afternoon. She had to get 3 shots. As soon as I put her in the car - she went out. Shots always make her tired. Well...they make her cry and then they make her tired. Poor thing.



Tuesday evening, my Dad had a Conference to attend. My Mom, Joy, and I went to a prayer event for the upcoming Beth Moore Conference in our area. I seriously sat and cried through the promotional video. If you've been to a Beth Moore Conference, you know why I would cry through that video. If you haven't...I urge you to find an event near you and go. I left wishing April 15th were tomorrow. Can you imagine wanting tax day to be here tomorrow!?? It's just always a wonderful conference! Beth always brings it and to worship with thousands of other women is an awesome experience. They gave us goody bags filled with stuff and this was in mine. I've never been through this study, but look forward to it!



My S-I-L, Elaina took care of Amelia for me and I very much appreciated it! Amelia wasn't in the best mood since she had shots and no nap. Poor Aunt E. Amelia cried off and on for the first hour. Yet Aunt E said she would keep her again in a heartbeat. That's true love. :)

Today we've stayed at home in our pjs. My hips are killing me. I'm going to have to start back to the chiropractor next week. I felt like mother of the year, laying on the couch watching Amelia play today. Not cool. It's all I could do though.

Tomorrow we have home group. I'm making one of my favorites - tamale soup. My meal planning/cooking every evening is going really well. I look at the pie chart on the computer and the piece of the pie that was SO VERY LARGE and marked FOOD/EATING OUT has shrunk significantly. YAY!!

Oh, and look at what Amelia started saying this evening! She was named after her Aunt Joy and I have no doubt my sister will LOVE THIS. :) We've been working on it for a while and she started saying it all of the sudden tonight.

Love to all,

All About Amelia - 15 months old!

Amelia, you're 15 months old!!



You weigh 25+ lbs.



You're 32 inches long.

You wear a size 4 diaper.



You're wearing 18 month clothing and size 5 shoe.

You go to bed at 8pm and wake between 9:00-9:30 every morning.



Mama fed you pancakes for the first time and you wouldn't touch the pieces with syrup. Not sure how you can be my child and not like syrup! We're going to try giving you eggs again this month...hoping for no allergic reaction this time. We'll also give peanut butter a try!



You've started feeding yourself with a fork & spoon. We have to help you with the spoon, but you're getting better!



You're no longer taking a bottle or cup at bedtime. It was actually an accident. Mommy forgot to buy liners for the bottles, so all we could do is give you a cup of milk. You aren't interested in taking it like a bottle, so you are officially weaned! We give you a cup of milk with breakfast & dinner, otherwise you drink water. You take your water with lots of ice. Just like your Granny. :)

You have 6 teeth - still no molars. You've been chewing on everything, so we're thinking you should be getting some more teeth soon.



You still have your paci. We fell off the wagon on this one. You've been sick so much, so we started letting you have it whenever you want it. You pretty much have a paci in your mouth and an extra in your hand at all times. We're not ready to take it away from you yet. :)

You're not just walking, you are practically running now. Especially when we're after you to take something away or to change your diaper!



We've started locking all doors in the house during the day. You can open every single door (including the front door & garage) which scares us to death. We totally trust you with scissors though.



Mama lets you play in the laundry room and you love that. You will open the door and go sit in the dark until I come in and turn on the light. There is nothing to get into, so I'm not sure why you love it so much!

You love going to the pantry and picking out a snack. Mama gives you two choices and you grab which one you want.



You love to cover your head with a blanket and walk around the house. You run into walls, toys, doors, entertainment center, etc. You have put a couple of bruises on your head/face from this activity. I try to get you to stop but it's a game to you...you love thinking we can't see you!



Since getting your tubes, we have to be careful at bath time. Your ears are very sensitive and water in them makes you cry and immediately want out of the bath. We started putting cotton in your ears and it seems to have solved the problem. Bath time is fun again!!



You can say Daddy, Mama, Nana, Papa, Pryce, Chris, Aunt E, hat, hot, shoes, juice, cheese, bath, baby, night-night, ba-ba (bottle), hi, yeah, no-no, no-touch, bye-bye, God, Jesus, bey (obey), paci, uh-oh, and snack.

Your cousin, Pryce is your favorite person right now. You walk around all day saying his name.



You sign "more" & "food."

You've started nodding your head yes, but it's more like moving/rocking your entire body vs. your head. It's funny. :)



You still love carrying your baby.



You LOVE the personalized video that we bought you for Christmas. You will sit and watch it every night while Mama cooks dinner. There's one part of a song where the kids shout, "GOD LOVES ME!" You laugh so hard every time they say it. I love watching your face while watching this video.



When you get hurt we ask you, "are you okay?" You always answer yes or no. When you say "yes", you will get back up and start playing. When you say "no", you cry and want to be held.



Your rain boots are still your favorite shoes. You bring them to us ALL THE TIME and want us to put them on you.



When we ask you if you poo-pooed your panties, you always tell us "yes" or "no" and have yet to be wrong. Daddy says it's time to start potty training. (LOL)

We bought you a Melissa & Doug coloring book and some new crayons. It's a new activity that you & Mama do every day now.



We get such a kick out of you learning a new word...you're talking/repeating so much!

You've started sitting Indian-style and it's so cute.



When we ask you to pray, you put your hands together. We're still working on the bowing the head part.




You're our Amelia, Mil, Love, Lovey, Lovely, Craza, Shaka, Wiggy!!!

We love you so much!!

Daddy & Mommy

Meet my single friend...

Today I'm participating in Kelly's Show Us Your Singles!

Meet my single friend, Jeb.



Alex and I have known Jeb for a very long time. We actually taught Jeb in children's church back in the day. Totally showing my age, but that's okay.

Jeb is 23 years old and like a little brother to us. We love him dearly.



He's a Christian who serves in his local church...which just happens to be my church! :)

He's a great cook.

He loves to eat.



He hates to workout - but does it anyway. He's actually training for his first marathon in March! I'm so proud of him! When I told him that I was using this pic below in my post, he said, "the arm pit stain alone will show her (his future wife) - there's no use looking for anyone else. I'm the ONE." HAHAHA! He's got a great sense of humor and can laugh at himself. Honestly, the boy can make me laugh so hard. He's extremely funny!



He loves his family and is a wonderful friend.



I personally think it's time for him to find his one true love and give his Mama that grandbaby she's always wanted. HAHAHA! He's going to kill me for saying that.



So if you're interested in knowing more about Jeb...leave a comment with your email or email me directly! Trust me, he's a catch!! :)



Love to all,

Tubes...

We left the house before 7am and headed to the surgery center. Amelia was in a daze the entire time. She's not used to being up that early!



Once we arrived and checked in, she gave me a little smile but stayed close to Daddy. :)



It didn't take them long to call us back. She wouldn't let us put her down on the bed to sit - she wanted to be held. She was taking it all in. There were kids being taken in before us...most all of them screaming for their parents. :(



A nurse came in to tell us what was going to happen and after we signed some paperwork, they were coming to get her. I was most anxious about her not wanting to go with the nurse but when he came out to get her - she went right to him. They let her wear her pjs in to have it done - didn't even have to change into a gown. She took her paci and blanket in with her and we didn't hear a peep. She was so brave!



Alex and my M-I-L did a great job at keeping the conversation going while we waited...time passed quickly and they were calling us to go back to be with her before I knew it! When we turned the corner into recovery, the nurse was holding Amelia in her arms and Amelia was just laying there. The nurse asked if she was a laid back baby because most of the babies cry afterwards. She didn't shed a tear until we put her in the car seat. She wanted to be held. Thankfully, we don't live far from the doc's office so it wasn't a long drive. As soon as we arrived home, she wanted to eat and has been playing every since!



I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all who prayed for Amelia and for me! I so appreciate it. I know it's a simple procedure that is done on thousands of babies a day, but it was my baby and was a big deal to me.



Amelia says THANK YOU too!!



Love to all,

Quiet Day...

Alex and I were supposed to have a date night on Saturday evening. We had a sitter and everything. He had an 8am meeting that morning and by the time he got home and it was time for us to get ready, he was feeling puny and I was exhausted/still sick. I just looked at him and said, "do you still want to go on a date or stay here?" We chose staying at home. (LOL) I ended up going out and getting a much needed mani/pedi/eyebrow wax. I was way overdue for all three of those. I picked up dinner and we ate at home. It was nice to just stay at home, eat in front of the tv, and blow my nose in private. We've gone through almost 10 boxes of Puffs Plus in the last month. I'm not even kidding. I made fun of Alex for buying kleenex in bulk, but I have to take it back. We've blown through it. *Pun intended*

Amelia and I missed church last week, so it was nice to be back this Sunday. I feel out of place if I'm not with my church family on Sunday mornings. After church we ran by the mall to pick Amelia out some new pjs for her surgery day. Whenever I've had to have surgery I get new pjs - so she gets new ones too. :) Gap had a huge sale. We found her a cute pair of valentine pjs w/huge hearts on them. Her surgery is so early Wednesday morning - we'll just scoop her out of bed and go. After grabbing a bite to eat at the mall food court (I had Great Steak - yum!), we came home and took a family nap.

Today we've just hung out around the house. It has been a good day. Alex & I are still feeling icky, but Amelia is feeling much better. I'm ready for all three of us to be well at the same time. I look over while making Amelia's lunch and she's laying her head on the tray. I gave her a pillow so she'd be a little more comfortable. She took a morning nap, so I'm not sure why she was still so tired!?



And this is how my girl has entertained me (and herself) today. She has had a blanket over her head most of the day. She either walks around with it over her head and feels her way around the house or plays peek-a-boo with me. She's been running into walls, the entertainment center, etc. I try to get her to stop, but for some reason she enjoys having her head covered.



Silly girl.



It has been a quiet day at the Averitt House. Happy Monday, y'all!

Love to all,