More to come

I'm afraid I don't have any new pictures to post today but I promise more to come following Christmas next week. I should have had the camera handy this afternoon when Baby Girl decided to start pulling things off the pantry shelves. Huge messes were avoided, thank goodness, especially since she pulled down a bag of flour. I heard a thump and then Baby Girl ran out of the pantry with a white streak of flour down her face. She obviously got more on her than anywhere else.

We had a very stressful trip to World Market where the aisles are not made for shoppers who have toddlers in their baskets. I felt bad not buying the small container of round Christmas ornaments Baby Girl spilled all over the floor (yes I picked them up) but I am sure she is not the first kid to ever do that. It is a miracle she didn't knock over some wine glasses or a couple of bottles of wine!

This weekend we are off to Houston to celebrate Christmas with hubby's family so we can be home for Christmas next week. I am excited to be hosting and can't wait for Baby Girl to open her gifts Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas!!!

Bust a move!

Today, I decided that I needed to take some pictures to use in our Christmas card. Baby girl was not cooperative this morning so I tried again this afternoon. As you can see, I got at least one interesting shot. I don't think this one is going to make it onto the Christmas card but it did cause quite a chuckle in our house.

Back home for good

Well, it is official - we are staying in Austin! Hubby has accepted a new job at his current employer! I was up for the challenge of moving somewhere new but am thrilled to be able to stay here and actually live in a house longer than 2 years.

Thanksgiving was fun - Baby girl had fun visiting with all her family (see above pic with Great-Grammy). Christmas will be in Austin so I guess I better start planning.

Playing with others

So here are a few pics from Baby Girl's last 2 playdates. The first picture was taken at the park in our neighborhood. For some reason, not even swinging could erase the foul mood she was in that day. The other pictures were taken when we kept one of Baby Girl's "boyfriends" Monday. Not every boy gets hugs like these - just ask the boy down the street, everytime he tries to hug her she runs the other way!

Just some cute pics

Just thought I would share some cute pics I took of baby girl this afternoon.

Fill that belly up with candy!

So last year baby girl was a piece of cheese with Dad and Mom starring as Tom and Jerry respectively. This year I almost talked myself out of making a costume but decided to go ahead with it and I am glad I did. Baby girl loved being a belly dancer and got lots of compliments (even though most thought she was a genie). Now, what I am going to do with all that leftover candy???

Finished with weddings for now

I'm thrilled to report that we have no more weddings to attend this year. My cousin's wedding was a success - the bride looked beautiful, my cousin has never looked happier, and baby girl was on her best behavior. What more could anyone ask for? Maybe to not see the Aggies embarassed on tv again but I have a feeling there is more of that to come this season.

Cool at last

Well, the weather has turned colder today and how did we prepare for this change in temperature??? - by finally getting some wheels that have air conditioning in the back for baby girl. Yes, I know, she endured the long hot summer, sweating every time she was put in her car seat and we finally do something about it when the temperature drops to the mid 50s. Well, at least we are prepared for when summer starts up again next March!

We did enjoy our first trip in the car yesterday. My great-aunt was celebrating her 80th birthday so we drove to College Station to join in the festivities. It was great seeing all those relatives we never see and baby girl did well with the crowd. Next car trip will be to Orange this upcoming Friday for my cousin's wedding. Stay tuned for all the details!

NOLA wedding -pics

1st pic - MOA guys
2nd pic - me and hubby
3rd pic - bride and groom during the parade (yes, parade - it was awesome!)
4th pic - end of the parade

NOLA wedding

We got back from New Orleans today and had a GREAT time! Given our previous trip to New Orleans (most of you are aware of our famous trip to the Big Easy when we lost all four wheels to our car), we were nervous about returning to the scene of the crime. The food was awesome and the wedding was a blast. The best part of the wedding was the march out of the reception hall, down Magazine street and to the hotel, stopping traffic all the way. I have never seen anything like it and was thrilled to take part in it. I guess there is no place other than New Orleans where you can parade down the street following a marching jazz band and have people on the street cheering you on!

Easy Rider

Baby girl and some of her neighborhood buddies. They all took turns pulling her in the wagon this evening and she had a blast. I am so glad that we live on a street with so many great kids. This street will be very hard to leave - that is, IF we leave.

New view of Austin

My best friend from high school came to visit us this week. He and baby girl really hit it off
(which isn't entirely apparent from her face in this picture!). His visit gave me a chance to drive around Austin as a tourist, which I haven't done in a while. And given the real possibility that we may be staying in Austin due to some recent changes at hubby's job, it was nice to see again what I love about this place.

Come out animals!!!

Baby girl's first trip to the zoo was this past Friday. I'm not sure she knew how to react - all we saw was a confused face most of the time. Maybe next time it will be cooler and we can see more animals. We had a very nice time in Houston, and we were able to check out the Woodlands as a possible new hometown. I think both hubby and I are pleased with the idea of moving there but now we need to see if the job pans out.

Fun with the sprinkler

What is more fun than playing with the sprinklers on a hot day? NOTHING!!!

Move over Bono!

Man, do we love pink! Just thought I would post another pic of Baby Girl. Not too much else to write about now. I will be busy with the conference for the next couple weeks and hubby is back to school, so it should be an interesting month.

First Haircut

So today was Baby Girl's first haircut. She did really well and Margo at the Hair's Lair was superfast, which helped a lot. Now, she has a cute little bob (I will post a pic of the new hairdo soon). One more milestone passed.

Just another Friday

Baby girl is getting TOO good and grabbing things off of shelves, desks, etc. This afternoon she brought me the camera which I thought was out of her reach. So, we took a few pictures, most of which did not need the flash but for some reason I couldn't get it to turn off.

Time goes by fast

So, last Friday was our five year anniversary and we went to a bed and breakfast to celebrate. It was a whole 20 minutes away from our house but since it was our first weekend away from baby girl, we didn't want to go too far. The food was awesome and just being able to relax for a couple days was exactly what we both needed.

I took the opportunity that this past weekend provided and baby girl is now weaned completely. She had only been nursing right before bed for the last week or so anyway. She has made the transition pretty smoothly (just some falling to sleep issues the past 2 nights) but I have to admit that it has been harder on me. Physically and mentally. Baby girl is really growing up and now I have the engorged boobs to prove it...

Long, long car ride

Boy, can riding in the car make you thirsty!Where was everyone going on I-35 this afternoon??? We were stuck on the freeway entirely too long trying to get home from Dallas. We even had to stop and get baby girl something to eat in Waco, and OMG, to her father's dismay, she had her first Happy Meal. I don't think she is addicted yet and seemed to like the apple slices better than the chicken nuggets!

Tickle, tickle, tickle

Baby girl has started tickling us. It has to be the cutest thing I have ever seen! I am going to try to get it recorded and posted but forgive me if it never shows up (I am a little tech-impaired when it comes to videos and computers). She very softly says tickle, tickle, tickle (which sounds more like "ickle, ickle, ickle") and moves her fingers back and forth on your skin. She even did it to her Tickle Me Elmo yesterday. It is these things that make being a parent totally worth while.

Playing with others

Baby girl has quite the group of admirers in the neighborhood. We have started going out in the front yard in the afternoon which is when all the neighborhood kids are out playing. Now, they all seem to congregate in our driveway so they can play with baby girl. They push her in her stroller, help her find rocks to hold, let her play with their scooters... She loves the attention and I love the fact that I can just sit back and watch.

Earlier in the summer, I joined a planning committee for a conference that is to be held in Sept. Obviously, I was delusional to think I had time to do such a thing. Now that Sept will be here before we know it, I am starting to panic and think we may not have everything together in time. If only working with these adults was as easy as playing with the neighborhood kids.

Don't go shopping at 3:30

I should've known better but I really wanted baby girl to get two good naps today so we didn't do our weekly grocery shopping until late this afternoon. What a mistake! You could hardly push the buggy down the aisle given all the people. Fortunately, baby girl loves people so she did great; it is me that can't stand a crowd.

July is over, hubby is almost finished with the summer semester and our five year anniversary is next month (all good things). But as I look ahead to next year, I am filled with trepidation. As most people reading this blog are aware, I have a habit (some call it an obsession) with planning the future. Given hubby's impending graduation in the spring, we have no idea if and where we will be moving. That means I have lots of unanswered questions ... where are we moving? when are we moving? when should we have another kid? what kind of house do we want? when can we buy a new car? should we lease a car instead? should we continue fixing up our current house? on and on the questions go in my head (and trust me these are just a few). Admitting you are crazy is the first step on the road to recovery, right?

Fun with dinner

What's wrong, Mom...Don't you like black beans and oreos???

Too soon for Harry Potter?

So, I am not the Harry Potter fan in the family... that role belongs to my brother, baby girl's Uncle T. But I just couldn't resist giving her the tatoo that came with latest book.