Flashback Friday on this crazy weather February Day

This is the only post that is keeping me blogging.  But I am enjoying going through pictures deciding which to pick and remembering the time the picture was taken. 

This week's picture is before child.

I am with my Grandma at one of my baby showers.  What fun we had celebrating her first grandchild giving her a great-granddaughter.  Once again I was spoiled rotten like I always am, which in turn my baby girl was spoiled!

Let's see, I was 7.5 months pregnant here.  Boy, do I miss this glow.  Can't wait to do it all over again!!

Flashback Friday!

A very late, almost didn't make it on Friday...Flashback Friday post!

So here in SE Virginia our seasons are crazy...we may or may not have a true one of each.  This winter it has been more spring like and a total difference from last year.  However, since the weathermen are talking about a Nor-Easter that could bring a whopping 1in of snow this weekend (but since it's a storm you never know we could get more, fingers crossed!) I thought I'd share a snow picture from last winter. 

Here is Peyton all bundled up on her sled in the "big" snow we got last year, which started the day after Christmas.  She was almost 17mos, not quite walking yet, so this is about all she could do.  And Mommy wasn't very prepared in the snow attire department for her either.

So this year I made sure she had all the gear since she would be really into it....and it's February, we've had nothing.

Here's to hoping we get more than an inch this weekend!!

Happy Valentine's Day and the BEST Gift Ever!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is one holiday I normally do not celebrate too much.  Me and my husband just don't go all out anymore.  Not that it's not a fun day but I don't need one day to tell him or the others that I love "I love you". 

BUT this year I decided to change things up a bit...spice it up!  Why not right?  Why not go above and beyond?

So I decided to do a boudoir shoot with my good friend and photographer Jennifer Warthan.  I was nervous but she made it so fun and calmed my nerves.  It definitely wasn't glamorous shooting but she made the photos look glamorous!  I was so happy with the pictures she got, (because I was afraid I was going to look awful!)  Instead I looked beautiful...I don't want to sound conceited but the photos turned out gorgeous (and to be clear not because of me but because Jennifer made me look good lol)!

I did the shoot so I could get a book of the pictures as a keepsake for my bubby as a gift for Valentine's Day.  However, I liked a couple of them so much I got prints as well.  And I was flattered when Jennifer asked if she could get a duplicate of the book to keep in her studio to show future boudoir clients.

Well we celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday to avoid the crowd when we went out to dinner, sans toddler.  So I gave him his gift last night.  You should have saw his face opening it and looking through the book.  He was speachless.  When he finally saw everything he looked at me and said "this is the best gift I've ever gotten."  Which says a lot because he has gotten guns as a gift, and they rank high on the list, ha!

I am pleased with it all.  How the pictures turned out, that my husband loved them, and that I gave him the best gift ever.

And I don't know if I will be able to top it next year!!!

Flashback Friday

So I want to start doing a Flashback Friday post each week...because it's fun!

I have so many pictures I could share, and who know where I will pull them from.  For starters it will probably be just baby pictures of Peyton, or pictures of Jeffrey and I before baby.  But I think it will be fun to take a trip down memory lane.

It will also help when I'm 90 and want to remember the story behind that certain photo :)

So here is the first one...I'll start with showing off my precious newborn.



This was the day we brought her home.  It was just the 3 of us.  No visitors, no nurses, just the beginning of our family.  Hard to believe it was 2.5years ago.  Seems like just yesterday.  I could just eat up her tiny little self.  She was 5lb 13oz when we brought her home.  Should have gotten preemie clothes for her first week, though she quickly outgrew them and became my little chub.  The pj's she is wearing are the first outfit I bought her, way before we knew she was a girl.  It has always been a favorite!

This picture makes me want another baby in the house ASAP.  Because she would make such a great big sister!

A Funny Little Story

Yep another post about Peyton.  Sorry I love her and the kid cracks me up, and the things she does or has me doing is comical!

This particular tale is about food...her favorite past time.  The child thinks about nothing but food 24/7.

On the mornings where I have to take Peyton to the babysitter, I get her up, clothed, brush her teeth, do her hair then if we aren't too crunched for time she sits down for breakfast (otherwise she just eats at the babysitter's who always has breakfast prepared).  Most mornings I give her a cereal bar because they are fast and easy, and she loves them. 

Each morning when we leave the bathroom I say "Ok, you ready for something to eat."  Of course her answer is yes and she climbs up in her chair.  I fix her milk and bring her the cereal bar.

On the weekends we go a little more in depth with the breakfast meal.  Pancakes, waffles, cinnamon buns...you know the usual.  Also I try to give her the choice as to what she wants.  These conversations for a couple months would lead to meltdowns on both our her part.  I would ask  "What do you want to eat?" and she would say "I want something to eat." I would then say "Yes baby but what do you want?" and the response would get louder each time with the last being a scream of "I WANT SOMETHING TO EAT!!"

I didn't get it.  Why was she having a melt down?  I was giving her perfectly good options for breakfast.  It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I figured out her frustration. 

She wanted a cereal bar.  How did I not know that's what she wanted?  Because she called them "something to eat".

*yes...yes this really happened, so sue me

Welcome to My World Daddy & Peyton Update

So as a mother of a 2.5 year old I have experience the terrible two's millions of many times.  At home, in public...it doesn't matter, they will pitch it when ever they feel like it.

However, in my house hold Daddy has not experienced a terrible 2 tantrum in public by himself. Granted the days he's off work and has her at home he's be involved, but it's a whole lot different when folks are starting at you.

Normally, if she has a public tantrum it's with me alone or when we are all three together and we can team up on the situation (really mommy diffuses it then daddy swoops in and looks like the good guy as he coddles her).

But yesterday....oh yesterday, Daddy got a taste of Mommy's world.

Started out as a grand Daddy/Daughter day...a little trip to Lowe's then the playground.  Well that's where it happened.  At a playground full of parents, judging...or maybe just some sympathizing (I hope). 

Daddy was ready to go and get lunch...our precious angel was not.  She started to scream (side note folks: I'm telling this second hand from what the hubby told me, but I'm sure there isn't much that could be exaggerated) at the top of her lungs, kick, hit and throw herself to the ground.  He scooped her up, hitting and all and went straight to the truck where she proceeded to freeze into that position, you know the one where you can't get them in the car seat...yea that one.  It took him 20mins and a pop on the behind to get her in the truck to go.

As he is telling me this story I can't help but laugh because so many times I have been there...but he is pissed.  Really pissed.  He can't believe she acted that way with him.  Well babe, it happens to the best of us!  All I could say was welcome to my world...and I hate it for him but secretly I'm glad it happened so he knows my exhaustion when we come back from somewhere and I say "never again until she's 10" ;)
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Now on to the update.  Peyton can now give herself a bath. 

Yes. She goes to our bathroom that has a garden tub where the faucet handles are the old fashioned kind and easy to turn, turns the water on, pours the bubbles in, strips down and crawls into the tub.  (and as of right now the hot water does not get real hot coming to that tub, which we are getting fixed but is convenient, so no I'm not letting my child get scoulded and she only usually turns on the cold side - AND I go in there a minute after she starts the process)

Genius I tell you, genius!

**Sorry for the most random post on the planet but just had to share both stories!