Smiles

Annabelle is smiling!  And cooing and gurgling up a storm.  I love when they start to do this, it's like their little personality is starting to shine through.  I may not be sleeping but I'm sure getting a lot of smiles!

Play Group Turned Daddy DayCare

A group of my girlfriends from high school and I get together frequently for playgroup with all the kiddos.  We go to a park, the mall playground, or to each others houses.  Its always so much fun for us and the kids.  I need that adult/mommy interaction!  And Vi loves to play with her friends.  Yesterday we had it at one of the other girls houses that actually lives down the street from us.  Her hubby was home and ended up playing with the kids outside the whole day! It's funny because our morning play group alot of times turns into a whole day playgroup!!   We got to chat and hang with the little babies.  Vi had soooo much fun playing in the dirt, on all the outside toys and riding in the golf cart.  Daddy daycare was a hit!

how funny is her outfit?  She was all dressed up and had to borrow some duds to play outside!

Vi and her boyfriend Case... they look like Hansel and Gretel huh?

Daddy Daycare in action! Love it.

She needs a camo sweatshirt now... too darn cute

In Case of a Fire Call Violet

The other day I had a girlfriend over with her toddler and baby to hang with V and I.  I was nursing Annabelle on the couch and she was making the kids lunch in the kitchen.  Where were the kids you ask?  Not playing in the living room with me.. nope... not helping make lunch in the kitchen... nope...

They were in the office/craft room with the door shut.  Trouble. We run back there and open the door to see V standing in a pile of white powder.  White powder coated everything and hung in the air like a cloud.  The kids stood there with a very guilty look on there face. 

Miss V had pulled the pin on the fire extinguisher that was in the corner.  Are you kidding me?  It was everywhere.  I was laughing for a week about this little shenanigan.  I snapped a pic of the pile of powder after we swept it up a bit but don't have a pic of the kids standing in it.. that would of been classic.

Valentines Day Gift

Before I forget I wanted to share what I made for Justin for V Day.  I saw it on pinterest (isn't pinterest great?)  and had to do it.  I love to do handmade things as gifts.  These days I don't get much time to do that though.  Check it...

So it's 52 reasons why I love you on an old deck of cards.  Cute right?  I used the Avery sticker full sheets to print my boxes (I created a template in Word) and then just had to cut and stick them on.  Then I used stickers, mini brads for the front and distressing ink to make them look older.  I'll share a few of the pages- some serious, some funny.

 

It was a lot of work but well worth it- the hubby loved it!

Dog Food Mania

You probably remember me talking about Violet getting into the dog food back when she was really little.  Well for some reason it's something that never got old.  She still is obsessed with it. Thankfully she no longer eats it.  We can actually tell her to go feed the dogs and she will go into the pantry, scoop the food, and put it into their bowls.  That part is kinda nice.  For some reason she still loves to scoop it all out of the big container and dump it all over the house.  She carries it all the way to the living room to dump it on the rug.  I swear everyday I feel like we are sweeping up dog food.  Maybe one day it will get old to her... right about the time Annabelle wants to do it right?

Violet McNutty

Violet is a NUT.  She is such a funny girl.  Her personality cracks me up.  She is definitely entertaining.  She is not quiet, calm and shy at all.  More like super social, wild and crazy!   The kid never stops.  She can chat up a storm now, saying sentences and everything.  She loves to sing the Barney song "I Love You" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" complete with the hand motions.  She can say the names of most all of her family including Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Trixie, Penny, Mimi, Pappy, Grandma, Grandpa, Jess (aunt Jess), Annie (Dannie is her pronunciation- aunt Annie). 

She loves to say NO also.  When you say No to her or tell her not to do something, that pretty much means Yes to her or keep doing it.  Terrible listener. She has learned to say Please and Thank You which I love.   She also can say Amen after the prayer.. way too cute. 

The other day I caught her wearing a breast pad in her shirt for half the day.  And then the next day she wanted another one.  She loves to put butt cream on her dolls.. after she wipes them of course.  Yesterday she put butt cream on her lips like chapstick.  We have to hide our chapstick around here, she sticks her finger in them and digs out chunks. As I am writing this she is actually putting hand sanitizer on her face. 

I wanted to share some pics of her being her crazy self...

This is where I change Annabelle so she thought she needed to also- and yes thats hers sisters binkie

Funny story- Aunt Jess came over for a picnic and we were eating spinach dip and the bread pictured below.  Well V wanted the whole loaf.  She carried that thing around all afternoon, chewing away at it.  Nap time came and guess what-- she cried when I tried to take it away.  So the loaf of bread took a nap with her.  

She squeezed her booty into her dolls stroller... and buckled herself in

Don't you sit in a box to eat ur applesauce?

Tubes for Violet

Our sweet V recently got tubes put in her ears due to chronic ear infections.  The poor thing got an ear infection EVERY single cold she got.  She was basically on antibiotics all year... not good.  Finally they sent us to a specialist and they told us she had 100% fluid in one ear and 70% in the other.  That basically means she is prone to ear infections.  Boo.  So we decided tubes were the best way to go.

I can't even explain how well she did.  She didn't cry when the nurse took her away from me which is shocking since she has total separation anxiety.  They told us she may freak out when she wakes up as well and guess what? Our amazing little trooper didn't cry at all!  She woke up and was happy as a clam.  My mom went with me because I was scared V would trip out and it would freak me out.  Apparently my girl is a champ and can handle anything!  The doctor said she should be done with ear infections now, that everything went well.  Hallelujah is all I can say!

The rest of the day V acted like nothing even happened.  We went to lunch, played on the playground and rode the carousel at the mall.  It turned out to be a great day!

After surgery treat! A popsicle and fun dip candy.

One Month Old

Annabelle is now 5 weeks old.  Our sweet baby girl is doing relatively better.  She only projectile vomits every few days now.  A huge improvement.  She still takes acid reflux medicine daily and it seems to help a little.  Unfortunately she still suffers from crazy stomachaches and gas pains constantly.  The poor thing can't eat without getting a tummy ache.  Sometimes she can't even eat because she's in so much pain.  Hopefully with time she will grow out of it.

She has been a terrible night sleeper which has been rough.  The past few days it has improved thankfully.  I swaddle her tight and put her in the swing on high speed with the womb machine on the loudest setting.  It seems to be working.  For three nights she has slept for 2 or 3 hour increments twice each night.  Doesn't sound that great right?  It's an improvement though from what we were at.  She has a lot of tummy pain at night sometimes so it wakes her frequently.  I am still a total zombie though because it's definitely not enough sleep for me!  The lack of sleep with an infant is still the hardest part about being a mom I think.  I keep wondering how long can my body go on this little of sleep?

Annabelle has been really good during the day time except when her tummy is acting up. She naps alot which is nice.  The past couple days though she has done a total 180 during the day.  She has been staying up all day pretty much with a few 15 minute cat naps here and there.  And lots of crying.  Lots.  Even when I am holding her.  It has been exhausting to say the least.  Hopefully its a phase because it has been terrible.  I can barely use the restroom or grab something to eat because I don't want to let her just scream.  Plus I have Violet to watch and entertain.  What the heck was I thinking have kids 19 months apart?  Guess I wasn't thinking.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my girls.  But I will not be having kids this close together again.  And I may be certifiably insane here soon.

I still can't get over all the hair!

Big Girl Table

For Christmas Violet got her own little table.  We set it up in the living room so she can color there and eat her snacks.  Lately we have been letting her eat her breakfast there while she watches cartoons.  Spoiled right?  She has gotten so good at eating like a big girl.  She loves eating cereal and oatmeal.  The only problem is that I sometimes sit on the couch to eat a bowl of cereal and now she will get up from her little table and try to carry her bowl over to me.  So I usually have to sit at the table with her.  My little girl is getting so big!

Lip Gloss and Fairy Wings

Violet loves chapstick and lip gloss.  She has her own of both.  The other day she went a little nutty with Aunt Jess's lip gloss..

 

Aunt Jess also got her these super adorable fairy wings when she was first born.  We figured she was probably old enough to enjoy them now and brought them out.  She LOVES them.  She actually asks you to put them on her.  Way too cute.  

Annabelle's First Trip to Church

Of course we had to match for her church debut...

Like Daddy

I had to post this funny pic of V sportin' Dad's t-shirt and beanie.  She looks too cute.  She LOVES to wear Dads beanies.

Annabelle's Newborn Pictures

The amazing Colleen Riley of Colleen Riley Photography took Annabelle's newborn pictures and some family pictures.  I LOVE how they turned out.  Miss Violet looks so dang cute in them, despite being hard to photograph since she won't sit still.  Here are my favorites.. there's alot!