Milo - 7 months!

Can you be believe Smilo Milo is 7 months?!  I cannot...  I nearly hyperventilate when I think that he's closer to being a year old now then a newborn! Waaaaaaaaaaaah!  I can't believe God blessed us with such a sweet baby that I could.not.possibly love more!  Let's see what's he's into lately. 



His MOST FAVORITE thing in the world right now is his "Jumpee".  This kid loves to jump.  I'll try to take a video of him in action soon and post.  It's a show, I'm telling ya.  When he first got it (it was an early Christmas present) we would pop him in there and then sit around and watch cause it's so funny!

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He sits in a regular high chair when we go out to eat now!  I think that's a pretty big deal.  We finally broke down and bought him a high chair cover to keep in his diaper bag because I refuse to put him in one without a cover.  gross... Then our car got broken into and someone stole our diaper bag.  WTH?!  Not even kidding.  We had one of those expensive trendy messenger type diaper bags so we can only assume that whoever stole it thought it was a laptop case.  dumb.  We just recently had to buy a (another) new restaurant high chair cover.  He used it last night and still loves it!  Yay for sitting at the table like a big boy!  Boo for thieves.

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He has started to eat actual solid type food - not just the purees.  In this pic I had given him some apple puffs (sort of like cheerios).  He is trying to convince me with that adorable smile that he ate them all.  Even when I asked him if he had anything in his left hand...

This is actually what I found in his hand when I opened it!  He is such a scavenger.  If you leave ANYTHING within arms reach he will grab it and hoard it away somewhere.

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He loves remote controls, phones and his Sissy.  We keep saying we are going to get him a baby remote or phone but haven't gotten around to it yet.  He only got like a bajillion toys for Christmas but most days he'd rather play with a piece of trash he finds on the floor. 

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Don't let all those cute pics fool you.  He can throw a bit of a fit some days.  On this particular day he DID NOT want to take a nap (even tho he was way overtired), so he snatched a stack of his diapers and tried to rip them all up.  It pissed him off even more when I laughed and grabbed my phone to take a picture. heee!

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We think he is pretty much a rock star (KISS shirt and drums like his Daddy).  He's mastered sitting up and rolling and squirming and scooting all around but hasn't started crawling yet.  Lord help us when he does...  Happy 7 months Baby Milo!

Christmas Vacation 2012

Christmas Vacay 2012 was special for many reasons.  But mainly because it was Milo's first Christmas... And Gage's first Christmas home from college... And my parents drove 8 hours to be here...  And it snowed (!!!)...  And we road-tripped it to Missouri to visit the Mungle side of the Fam.  Here is your overdose of instagram photos!

Cady's Orchestra Holiday concert.  Milo is super interested in the program (he's checking for an intermission - he likes to plan ahead for dipe changes and milk shakes).  We put Cady's hair in a bun to look like Rudolph.  It was a hit!

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We took quite a few pics of Milo and the Christmas tree (everyone knows it's like a requirement or something).  But I actually love this one the most.  I know next year he'll be running around like a mad man hopped up on sugar cookies - but this year he was content to just look at the twinkly lights (and grab the ornaments off the tree of course!).

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Gage arrived home a week or so before Christmas.  Milo loved "Bubba".  He'd smile and squeal when Gage would just walk in the room.  Also pictured is Cady's cross country meet ribbon.  Sister can run!  She's definitely one of the best in her class!

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I'll admit... we were all "on vacation" for 2 weeks and most of our days looked like this... Vedging on the couch.  Yes, we did get some things done around the house (we put up french doors in the office - it's our new quasi guest room), but for the most part we ate and watched movies and then ate some more.  I'm pretty sure we all gained 5lbs - even Milo. ;-)

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My parents arrived a couple days before Christmas.  We watched more movies, ate Japanese hibachi and Mom helped me make Christmas dinner (a 15lb turkey, my Grandmother's homemade dressing, apple dumplings - all sorts of yummy stuff!).  I told you we ate a lot!

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Finally, Christmas arrived.  And then it snowed!

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I love this pic because I took it as I was rocking Milo Christmas night.  We were looking out the window of his nursery.  It was a perfect way to end his first Christmas and a special memory.  The snow was beautiful!  And speaking of snow...

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The next day we headed to Missouri and it snowed and snowed and snowed!  In fact the drive there got so bad (lots of ice and traffic) that we had to stop midway and grab a room at the Hampton Inn. 

It was Milo's first stay in a hotel.  We arrived late and didn't want to bother with the portable crib so he literally slept snuggled under me all night.  I think he head-butted me no less than 5 times.  I guess he's used to his bumper pads in his crib!

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We were up early and arrived at Ninna's the next morning.  Cady was in heaven when we got there!  She spent a ton of time in the snow!

Uh-mazin snowmen!  They are supposed to be me and Matt holding hands.

Snowball Fights!

Milo even joined in on the fun for a few minutes!

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The scenery was so pretty - Instagram doesn't nearly do it justice.  It was a winter wonderland!

 

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Of course we also spent plenty of time indoors eating baked ham, drinking hot cocoa, playing games and working on a puzzle.  And obviously snuggling with the littlest Little!

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The drive home wasn't nearly as bad as the drive there (with the exception of Matt's stomach ache and having to pull off the road and literally use a porta-potty at a construction site - and no, we'll never let him forget about that).  We arrived home just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve.

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Snuggling on the couch in front of the fire.

Drinking one glass of champagne (ok, maybe 2) and in bed by 10.  I hope your holiday was just as grand and Cheers to 2013!

Lamp Shade Shadows - DIY

This is so so easy and super cute!  These pics don't do the finished product justice, it really is sort of magical to have those little characters watching out for you.  I saw a pic of another lamp with a similar insert somewhere out there on the world wide web.  I didn't actually have any instructions so I sort of made this one by trial and error.  You could use any character but I think Peter Pan was an especially whimsical choice.  Tinker Bell would work well too. 

Lamp Shade Shadow DIY

1. Find a graphic you like.  I found a Peter Pan that looked somewhat "suspended" in the air. 

2. Go into your photo editing software.  The most basic will work - even the one that comes free on your computer (any of the free phone apps work as well - just email it to yourself once you edit the graphic).  Turn the "brightness" all the way down until the graphic is now black.  Size and print on regular paper.



3. Cut around the edges exactly (you don't want any white paper showing) and place inside your lamp shade.  I had to use a couple dabs of elmers glue that I smeared on the paper.  Make sure the glue is very thin if you use it so you won't see it on the "shadow". 

Voila!  It really is adorable and ours in on a floor lamp so it looks like Peter is looking down on Milo.  So sweet.



Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving 2012 has come and gone and I think it was success!  I'm not sure how much Milo will remember about his first Thanks, but I do believe we made some pretty good memories.   I think this is the first year I actually tried to decorate a little for Fall/Thanksgiving (and that is probably mostly due to Pinterest!  Dang you Pinterest and your crafty ideas...).

In the past I may have put out a candle or maybe a wreath on the door but this year we created a few cool things.  I made that "Give Thanks" plaque, and Cady and I actually gathered those acorns and pine cones from the front yard to put in my newly purchased apothecary jars.  yay!  We even wrangled Milo into the fun and created cute Thanksgiving hand print turkeys for cards to send out to family.  

On Thanksgiving Day the 4 of us headed to downtown Dallas to participate in the BIGGEST race in the nation - The Turkey Trot! (50,000 people do the Trot in Dallas each year!!)

The weather was beautiful (not shivering cold like it has been in past years) and we were able to complete the 5K with no issues.  

Once we arrived back home the preparation of the feast began!  haha  It was my first time to make a turkey all by myself so I was a little nervous but everything turned out superb (I had lots of advice and check-ins from the sweet ladies in my Bible Study group).  I made the turkey and mashed potatoes (with heavy cream and lots of butter).  Matt made sweet potatoes and dressing (impressive, huh!?).  We finished it off with turkey gravy, crescents and iced sweet tea.  It was YUMMY. 

We were a little sad that Gage wasn't home but he had a trip planned to Arkansas to see his LSU tigers BTHO the razerbacks.  hee hee!  I knew he was having a blast.  He'll be home after finals so it won't be long.  I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving!  We all have so many reasons to be thankful! 

Milo is 5 months!

Can you believe our teeny tiny baby is now 5 months?  Before we know it he'll be 6 months and that's not even a newborn anymore... and he was supposed to stay a newborn for a really long time.  waaaaah!  We love watching him grow and learn so it's ok. He's dressed in his little hipster outfit above but some days rolls thuggy like this:

His favorite things are still his whale mobile (the kid literally cracks up when we turn it on) and his tiger mat.  Lately he is loving his glow worm and anything he can fit in is mouth.  He also loves loves loves being carried around on your shoulder so he can see all that needs to be seen.  He loves spending time with his Daddy and listening to his sissy talk about her day.  He is also fascinated when he watches us eat.  He is still only eating a little bit of cereal and oatmeal and maybe half a jar of baby food (sweet peas are his fave) once a day but something about watching us chew mesmerizes him!

He can squeal and scream so loudly it scares the animals away.  And he's not even upset!  He just really loves the sound of his own voice.  We think its funny about 90% of the time...  Going out in the carseat has improved over the last few weeks as well.  He has a mirror to look in now so that keeps him entertained for a while (he gets that from his Daddy).   The bottom left picture above was taken on one of our trips to Home Depot.  He likes home depot...  Lately I've been taking him over to see the Christmas trees and lights they have on display. I can't wait for him to see our Christmas tree when we get to put it up in a few weeks. 

Of course he still loves to eat and sleep.  And he's still just as beautiful as ever.  He rolls over now and knows his name.  He plays with his feet and will talk to you as if you know exactly what he is saying.  He wakes up with a smile in the morning that will melt your heart.  I can't wait for the grandparents to see how much he has grown next month.  Happy 5 months Baby Milo!

$10 Quilt Ladder - DIY

One of my favorite projects that Matt has made for me lately is my quilt ladder.  I saw some similar ladders in catalogs and on the web and I knew it would look great in our living room.  And it's functional too!

You'll need:

• 2 2x2s - I think that's the measurement.  We found ours at Lowe's for $1.90 each. They don't need to be pretty or perfect because the imperfections will give your ladder character.
• 2 1" dowel rods - also less than $2 each
• saw
• drill
• screws
• paint of your choice

1. Buy/gather your materials
2. Cut both of your dowel rods into 3 equal pieces

3. Place your dowels (rungs) where you'd like them to go.  We put ours 14" apart and only used 5 of the 6 pieces.  You could space them closer and use all 6 pieces but I thought it looked better this way. 
4. Use your drill to screw them onto the main horizontal pieces.  Screw from the outside into the dowels.  Matt actually used a bit to drill holes first and then put the screws in.  I don't know if this step is necessary but I don't argue when it comes to the drill.

Paint it and put it in your home to have a place to display/store your quilts/blankets!  Super Easy!  It took us less than an afternoon (that includes paint drying) and cost less than 10 bucks!

Park Play

The weather has been beautiful lately!  Cool enough that it's fun to be outside!  Cady is trying out for basketball this season so she asked if we could head to the park to "shoot some hoops".  I am the first to admit that I am much better at cheering from the sidelines so it was a good thing that Matt showed up soon after we arrived. 

Watching Sissy and Daddy play some B-Ball.  Milo also got to experience the swing for the first time...

He loved it.  I know we'll be heading back soon!  When taking a break from basketball, Cady perfected her crab apple throwing skills.  What are crab apples anyway?  What a strange fruit/nut/bulb - I don't even know exactly what they are?  Our park has tons of trees that drop them tho so the kids are constantly smushing and throwing them.  Ick. 

I'll have to update next week to let you all know if Cady makes the basketball team.  She SAYS that she really wants to be on the team, but sometimes the rest of us aren't sure!  It takes a ton of time and dedication that she'd have to add to an already full schedule.  And let's face it.  The kid can't even remember to feed her cat and make her bed!  But I do enjoy hanging out at the park on these sunny cool days, whether we are playing basketball or swinging or just walking.  In Texas this season is short so we'll soak up as much as we can!