Adventures of a Stay at Home Mom

....but ava never did this!

2013-01-16T09:10:00.000-06:00

I find myself saying this A LOT lately.

And here's why.

Grayson has decided that he no longer likes to sleep in his own bed. He'll pass out as soon as we get in the car to go somewhere....even if it's just 10 minutes down the road to get Ava from school. He has no problem falling asleep in my bed. And I seriously don't know what to do! Sunday night we put him to bed like we normally do and he wasn't having any of it! He actually flipped himself out of his crib. Yep. Right over the rails & on to the floor. He came walking into Ava's room with his blankies in hand like everything was all honkey dory. The hubs decided that it was time to change his bed into a toddler bed. So, there we were at 8pm on Sunday night changing out rails. Awesome. He HATES it. Like, really hates it. We put the child proof knob cover over the door. He got it off. We locked the door. He unlocked it. We put the gate at his door. He stands behind it and screams. And throws blankets, pacis, toys, and diapers over it.

Last night, the hubs had the brilliant idea to use some duct tape to keep the child proof knob cover on. G was less than thrilled with that idea. He must have stood at his door for at least two and a half hours crying. I felt terrible just leaving him in there. But, I THINK he eventually fell asleep....I know I did! I heard him crying again {louder than earlier in the night} around 3am and broke down and let him come in our bed. He must have slept some in his room last night because he's up and running around right now.

I'm praying this is some kind of weird phase he's going through and he gets over it soon. I'm trying my hardest to be tough and not cave in to him when he cries at bedtime & nap time.....but it's SO HARD!

I'm ready for a full nights sleep with no crying.

::photo recap of 2012:: pt. 2

2013-01-04T08:50:00.000-06:00

JUNE:

this summer was INSANELY hot! we spent a LOT of time at my mom & dad's in their pool and playing in the sprinkler in the front yard!

JULY:

july was busy & exciting!! we celebrated the 4th at my mom & dad's....colin & molly even got to come home!! it was a blast!

we had our big family vacation to the beach!! it was beyond fun & relaxing!! i was ready to go back the day we left!! we were able to spend the week with one of our favorite families! i see another beach trip with them SOON!

{we even snuck in some beach family pictures!!!}

and...the hubs & i celebrated our 4yr wedding anniversary.

AUGUST:

my baby girl started kindergarten!!!!

and i actually survived her first day!!!

SEPTEMBER:

september was a quiet & fairly calm month! we went to a few birthday parties & had lots of family time. it was nice to relax after the summer madness & before the holiday madness started!!

OCTOBER:

ava had her first REAL school field trip to the pumpkin patch. she had a blast!!

of course we had to take our pretty pirate & strong hulk trick-or-treating. grayson had SO much fun!

instead of carving pumpkins.....the kids painted theirs! they had so much fun!

NOVEMBER:

we celebrated thanksgiving. just the four of us. at our own house. it was nice....minus the two incredibly cranky kids.

ava turned six!!! she had a "lalaloopsy" birthday party. it couldn't have turned out any better! all of her friends came. the weather was awesome. and her cake was AMAZING!!!

DECEMBER:

christmas activities were in FULL BLOOM!! and. the hubby was gone most of the month. total awesomeness.

the highlight of my christmas.....getting to spend it with my brother before he left for deployment!! it's hard to believe that he'll be gone for TEN MONTHS. ugh.

so. we went to a local thing they do every year called "santa's village". what.a.waste! the line to see santa was AT LEAST an hour long. it was packed. hot. smelly. gross. i highly doubt we'll be going again.

instead.....we'll go back to this neighborhood where there's a house with lights set to music. and a house FILLED with amazing decor. they had fake snow and SANTA!! the kids loved it. and the best part.....IT WAS FREE!! we were shocked when g hopped right up on santa's lap!

chick was nice & offered to watch g one night so that ava & i could have a girls night. we had dinner at red robin {her favorite!!!} and went to see "rise of the guardians". we had a blast!!!

SANTA CAME!!! seeing their faces christmas morning was priceless!!

2012 was a great year filled with great friends, family, and lots of amazing moments. I pray that 2013 is just the same!

::photo recap of 2012:: pt.1

2012-12-31T13:49:00.004-06:00

I still can't believe that 2012 is pretty much over. This year has FLOWN by! I'm really needing for time to slow down. {i say this in almost EVERY blog post. but seriously......}

JANUARY:

grayson turned one!!

FEBRUARY:

february's are usually pretty laid back. we celebrated valentine's day & my the start of my last year in my 20's!

MARCH:

ava lost {and swallowed!!} her first tooth!

APRIL:

ava was OFFICIALLY registered for kindergarten!!

a lot of time was spent with our favorite family. seriously. pretty much every weekend we did something together! it was great!

MAY:

the kids & i took a weekend trip to beaufort/charleston, sc to visit my sister in law with my mom.

Part two will be up later.......I must tend to my demanding children!!

Happy New Year!

Living Room Re-do!

2012-11-14T07:26:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago....I finally got around to putting up our updated family pictures from our beach trip. It was SO hard to decide what prints to order!!! And finding frames....HA! That's nearly impossible....or so I thought!!!

I was able to score an AMAZING frame at the new HomeGoods for a whopping $14.99!! Not too shabby for a matted frame to hold an 11 x 14!!! I found ONE frame at Hobby Lobby & the rest at WalMart(!!!!!!shocker!!!!!!). It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to arrange them. But, after moving them around a million times, I finally had the frames situated the way I liked them. Once that was done, I was able to get a few "filler" pieces! I got two crosses & a big "S" from Hobby Lobby for all of MAYBE $10!! My wall was fairly inexpensive! And I must say, I'm pretty proud of it! Here's the finished product......

I LOVE the way it turned out!! And how the "random" frames!! All I need is a little something to go above the black & white photo of the kids........

I did two more little updates in the living room this month. Zoe decided to leave us a pretty little present on the area rug. So, it had to be replaced since it wouldn't come clean. I have been DYING to get a "shag" rug for the living room....and this was the perfect excuse to finally get it!

It looks SO much better & is a lot more comfortable of a rug!!! And, you can't see the dog hair...or the dog!!!!

Next, I had to break down & replace my living room pillows. The ones I had were SUPER old. Like, almost 8 years old. And were home made. I had to wash them about a week ago.....and in the process, they ripped. Well, the two big ones did. I tried to make them work as long as I could. But, we were having company over last weekend & I couldn't bare to have them any longer! So, off to WalMart I went! I was actually really surprised at what I found! I love the subtle pop's of color!!! The living room totally feels more "homey" now!

OH! Before I forget....we FINALLY got our back door replaced! Here's a peek at the NEW door & window treatments!!

Sorry for the horrible picture! I'll post more on this lovely experience later!!!!

November is almost over!?

2012-11-13T08:34:00.001-06:00

How can it be? Did I REALLY ignore this blog the entire month of October!? Goodness! So much has happened, I don't know where to begin!! I guess with a quick rundown of October's life events!!

: OCTOBER :

*Ava had her first REAL kindergarten field trip to the local pumpkin patch & I was lucky enough to chaperone. All I can say is.....it takes a VERY special person to be a kindergarten etcher & I am BEYOND thankful that Ava has such an amazing one!

*The hubs spent a week in Phoenix for work. I swear, these week long trips feel like they take F.O.R.E.V.E.R!!!!

*We painted pumpkins this year instead of carving.....let me take that back....the KIDS painted pumpkins & the hubs carved his. It was fun watching Ava be so creative! That girl.....she's going to go FAR in life & that just makes my heart so happy!

*Halloween!!! We Trick-or-Treated in our neighborhood. Our little Hulk & pretty Pirate had a blast! They got entirely too much candy....as usual!!

: NOVEMBER :

*I started a new job at a local drug/alcohol rehab facility. It is definitely an eye opening experience. It makes me sad to see all of the young teenagers that are in there.

*After spending a week working....the hubby & I decided that maybe it's time for me to look back into going to school. Originally, I wanted to go back for my RN.....but since working in the medical field the past 6+ years, I don't think that's really what I want to do! So, I decided to do what I originally wanted to do & go back to school for Dental Hygiene. Right now, I'm in the process of getting all transcripts, applications, and forms sent in! Fingers crossed all goes well & I'm able to start in the spring!! (well, really january! but whatever!!)

*Thanksgiving......we will be having our OWN Thanksgiving dinner at OUR house this year. Just the four of us. I'm nervous, sad, and excited all at the same time. My parents are going to Pennsylvania & my brother & sister in law will be in Nevada! It should be a good time......

*A few weekends ago we did our family pics for our Christmas card. Oh lord. Grayson wasn't having ANY of it! (of course!!) But, as usual, Jenny was able to produce some awesome pics!! Here's a peek.....

I guess that's it for now! There's been so much more......but I don't want to bore everyone with it!! So here's just a few more pictures of the past few weeks!!!

Enjoy!!

yes. we're still alive...

2012-09-15T09:01:00.002-05:00

....just busier than ever!!! Between school & ballet & homework.....finding the time to sit down & blog is pretty nonexistent.

Here's a small peek at what we've been up to these past few weeks......

we got to meet our new niece...ava was in LOVE & didn't want to put her down.....gryason on the other hand wasn't too sure what to think of her....

newest craft for the front door!!! i love it! and the colors are PERFECT for fall!

auburn game day shirts for the kids! i even tried my hand at bow making....and i have to say i'm pretty proud of myself for the bow i made for ava!!

ava passed out on the way to her first day of ballet for this year!! i must say.....i am VERY impressed with the dance company!! so glad we made the decision to change studios! i love my tiny dancer!

i decided to make some "no sew roman blinds" for the dining room doors. and OH.MY.GOSH! i love them! they make SUCH a difference in the morning! we're no longer blinded by the sun while we eat breakfast! i'm super proud of myself on this project because #1 i actually did it & #2 i only spend NINETEEN DOLLARS on it!! awesome!

the past few weeks we have had an amazing amount of mushrooms that have been popping up in our front yard. it's pretty gross. about 2 hours after i took this picture, they doubled in size AND more came up!

oh how this boy makes me laugh! he's become SO much more vocal since ava has started school!

"playroom" redo {before & after}

2012-08-21T20:12:00.000-05:00

I FINALLY got around to putting my latest crafts on the wall upstairs. The only thing that's left to do is possibly find a replacement "toy box" or some sort of storage for the mounds of toys my five year old has accumulated in her little life. {my dad made one for ava's 1st birthday...it takes up a TON of space, is EXTREMELY heavy, & the lid is falling apart. awesome.}

So far, I'm pretty happy with the way the wall has turned out!!

{before}

kinda drab & not so kid friendly decor.

{after}

i must say. i'm proud of myself for redecorating the kids' play area upstairs. and. all for about $15! [gome!] i moved the off-white stars onto this weird wall between the bathroom door & grayson's bedroom. and the big swirly star thing is now on the weird wall next to the hvac unit. i'm still debating on if i want to revamp the stars with a little bit of paint.

**on a side note....my mom wanted me to make a koozie for one of her friends! apparently, her saying is "just one more" when they're out or having a get together! when you use that black fluffy stuff...spray it with a little bit of hairspray....it keeps it from going EVERYWHERE!!!**

my sweet surprise

2012-08-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

Is now an official kindergartner. We ALL {hubby & brother included} survived sending her off to school!! I can't wait to hear how her first day went!! 2:30 seems so far away!!!

so excited to get to school!!

ready to head into the school!!!

big girl at her desk!!

I can honestly say, that if we did not send her to daycare or preschool today would have been a TON harder. I am so so excited for my sweet surprise & this new chapter in our lives!!!

"playroom" redo {update #1}

2012-08-17T08:22:00.001-05:00

I can officially knock 1 1/2 projects off of my list for the kids "playroom" upstairs. I finished their monograms on canvas and got the board almost done to hang their artwork on.

I say ALMOST done because the board that I ORIGINALLY wanted to do didn't turn out quite the way I had envisioned it to. {okay....NOTHING like what i had envisioned} When I wrote "Masterpieces" on it, in my head it it looked awesome. Totally not the case when I held it up & actually looked at it. The letters first half of the word were nice & big & fairly even. But, as the word went on, the letters got smaller & smaller & somehow started to angle towards the top of the board. I tried sanding the letters off.....that was a mess. Oh, and, some of the clips i glued on fell off. BUMMER! Needless to say, it was a complete fail in the crafting department. I was ready to toss the board......

My mom gave me the idea to attach some string to the wall & use mini-clothespins to hang up their art. So, we ventured out to Hobby Lobby for some ideas. So, I got some plain wooden knob looking things & the mini-clothespins to paint. I'm still not 100% sure how I'm going to attach the knob thingies on the wall, but I'll figure it out! I plan on using either yarn or some black hemp cord stuff to string between the two knobs. I looked for something to hang above this....but couldn't find anything.

Then it hit me. At 10:30 last night. I scrounged up some scrapbook paper that I had in my craft drawer & mod podged it onto the crappy looking board. Then, printed out the word "Masterpieces" in a cute font & TRACED it onto the dried board with a sharpie. The outline of the letters was a little sketchy, but gave me a good idea of where all the letters were supposed to be & they were all the same size & lined up neatly! I went over them with a black calligraphy paint pen. And I must say, I really like the way it turned out. Only one problem.........the notch in the back of the board is on the BOTTOM. I totally wrote on it upside-down. Seriously!? So. It looks like I'll be using on the of extra knobs & a little bit of ribbon to hang this sucker up.

Now, I just need to figure out what color ribbon i want to use to hang it. I'm thinking either black or white. But that can wait until I get the knobs & clothespins done! I'm pretty happy with how everything has turned out so far!! Fingers crossed it all looks as good as I'm imagining it to!!

Hopefully my next crafty post will be of everything up on the wall! Fingers crossed for a cooperative Grayson!!

my baby {no more}

2012-08-16T11:01:00.001-05:00

My sweet baby girl starts kindergarten on Monday. How did this happen?? I still don't understand where the past 5 years have gone! Seriously, it needs to slow down!!!

"playroom" redo {on the cheap}

2012-08-10T14:37:00.002-05:00

I've fallen back into the grips of Pinterest. I was doing good at not spending hours on end looking at random things. And then my sister in law sent me a picture of a monogram that she made for her & my brother. Stupid me asked where she found it. I was then hooked. I am now wanting to decorate my house for fall & totally redecorate (and organize) the loft area upstairs. Getting back on Pinterest also made me want to go to Hobby Lobby.

So. I've gotten a few ideas on what I want to do upstairs for the kids. There isn't very much space up there......but it's big enough for a few of G's bigger toys & A's massive toy box that my dad built. I hate the wall decor that I have up there now. Okay. I take that back. HATE is a strong word....I'm starting to "dislike" them. I want something that is kid friendly & gender neutral.

{see. very BLAH. it looked good when the hubs desk was there. now...not so much!}

Here's what I've come up with :

~ Canvas Monogram for each of them with their birth dates.

{So far I have the pages printed, mod podge, & blank 8 x 10 canvases. All that I need to do is attach the paper to the canvas & they'll be done! Easy Peasy!!}

~ Canvas Photo of each of them when they're around the same age. They both got AMAZING photos done when they were around 4-5 months old. So, I think I'm going to tackle making my own!!!

~ New toy storage.

~ Display for some of their art work. I LOVE this one.......

but don't really love the price ($57!!!). So, I decided to make my own. It's going to be my first project for the play area!

I braved the lovely WalMart with both kids & picked up a few supplies. I spent UNDER $10! I already have an old wooden sign that I don't really like anymore & have tons of craft paint. So all I really needed was sandpaper, a paint marker, & the little clippy things. I didn't like that ones that were in the photo above because they didn't look like they would be easy to attach. Instead, I got the smaller ones that are attached to a magnet. I figured a little super glue or even hot glue would do the trick!

My plan is to get started on this little project tomorrow. Along with the monograms! Fingers crossed it goes the way I want it to!!! I will post photos once they're done!

finally.....we have a new family photo!

2012-08-08T22:38:00.001-05:00

I mean really. It only took 3 years!! Not to mention a new addition to the family! While we were at the beach, we took total advantage that our travel buddy was also an amazing photographer! Thanks to Jenny, we are now able to update some of our photos around the house.....mainly the family picture we got done when Ava was maybe two!

Here's a look at what Jenny was able to get!! Grayson was less than cooperative the morning we decided to do our pictures......so that's why we only have maybe 4 good pictures of all of us together!! Ava didn't mind though....she's a bit of a camera hog!!

But for real, if you live in the Madison/Huntsville/Athens, Alabama area.....check out JennyLynn Photography. She's AMAZING!!!!

and here's the BEST picture from the ENTIRE shoot!!!

oh how i love grayson!!!!

..panama city beach 2012..

2012-08-06T09:33:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, we FINALLY had our family summer vacation. And it was AMAZING!!! (and very much needed!!!) I was able to convince our favorite family (the Fitts) to join us! I was amazed at how great everyone got along.....kids AND adults! We're already wanting to plan an "adults only" trip & our vacation for next year!!

Here's a few pics of our week at the beach!!!!

*
the car was all packed & ready to go AHEAD of schedule!!
(go me!!)

grayson's first glimpse of the beach!!

*
my sweet loves ready for pictures.....but.....the rain changed those plans!!

*
love this girl!

*
grayson!

love these kids!!!

ava & kenzie enjoying a "girls only" morning on the beach!

*
"skinnydipping" by bethenny frankel + frozen starbucks + beach = complete relaxation

ava was a fish this entire trip!

daddy asked to be buried in the sand......

*
gray finally learned to love the sand on our last beach day!

*
totally heartbroken that daddy didn't take him in the water!

*
building a sand castle!

*
my little fish!

*
so in love with my family!

.tuesday ramblings.

2012-07-17T08:57:00.001-05:00

just a little glimpse of what we've been up to.....

last friday{june13}the hubby & i celebrated our anniversary @ the melting pot.

YUM! i think it's safe to say that the melting pot is our top pick for when we go out for our anniversary....although, ruth's chris comes in at a very close second!!

our poor dog. she serves as a chair for the kids. she's a trooper though. she has NEVER once been aggressive towards them....no matter what they do to her!!!

grayson got 2 new car tracks from the photographer friend. BOTH kids LOVE them! and they're doing a pretty good job sharing them!

ava has been doing a great job of putting her laundry away as i fold it!

{please excuse the mis-matched pajamas...it's what she wanted to wear!}

the photographer & i had a "mommy day" a couple of weekends ago! it was WONDERFUL & very much needed. we ventured to the outlet mall in birmingham & then went to dinner at the cheesecake factory. it was YUMMY! we're already planning another trip down that way to do some school shopping for the girls......and we'll probably end up at the cheesecake factory again!

someone found the cookie jar......

grayson has become obsessed with wearing other peoples shoes. if you come to my house & take your shoes off.....it's pretty much guaranteed that grayson will steal them.

tangerine cosmo from the melting pot. it was AMAZING!! and is definitely one of those drinks that sneak up on you!! thankfully, i only had one....because if i had more....i wouldn't have made it out of the melting pot OR through "the amazing spiderman"!!!

the hubby & ava had a "daddy & ava date" a few friday's ago! they went to see "brave". ava was one happy girl!!

Four Years Ago.....

2012-07-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

.....I married my best friend! Although it's been a rocky road, I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else!

Happy Anniversary to my best friend! I love you more than you'll ever know!! xoxo

our new "official" family!

walking into our reception

this is by far one of my favorite photos from our wedding. it's me & my little brother. even though we don't always get along.....i am so thankful for him!

me & my grandfather at our rehearsal. he walked me 1/2 way down the isle to my dad. this was the last time i saw him in good health. i miss him terribly....

me with my beautiful bridesmaids.

our wedding party. plus ava!!

we're married!!

pap handing me off to dad! i was fine until i saw my dad!!

rings.

**sorry these are so out of order.....i think someone named grayson may be entering the terrible twos a little early**

photo a day : {june11-18}

2012-06-18T14:59:00.003-05:00

I've slacked. Big time. I somehow managed to miss eight days of pictures. Oops!

So to make up, here's a photo recap of the past few days!

it has been EXTREMELY hot out....so we finally busted out the new sprinkler. and i think it was a hit!

this poor boy is going to be SO lost when she goes off to kindergarten!

grayson had a blast playing with his new pin wheel.

love this girl!

how i spent my sunday evening.....

goodies from ava & the hubby's garden!

june10{best bit of your weekend}

2012-06-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

This whole weekend was amazing!

june9{your view today}

2012-06-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

Poolside with the family. Love!

june8{6o'clock}

2012-06-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sadly, there's no picture for six o'clock today. We spent the evening at dinner with our favorite family.....

june7{drink}

2012-06-07T06:57:00.000-05:00

Starting the day with a cup of coffee & some quiet.......

wednesday confessions

2012-06-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

i confess....... i DESPISE laundry. with a passion. clothes are clean 99% of the time.....just not put away. they will stay in the laundry basket for days...usually until i get tired of looking at the ever growing mound in my bedroom.

i confess....... as much as i love my kids, i honestly enjoy when they go down for a nap. grayson is awesome about taking a morning nap. ava, not so much. so she usually goes upstairs to take a "rest" for a little while. call me selfish, but i really need that hour, hour & a half during the day to myself.

i confess....... it amazes me how quickly my house can go from semispotless to a total wreck in a matter of 10 seconds. this mostly happens once the hubs gets home from work.

i confess....... i HATE wires. almost as much as i hate laundry. when we got our new "entertainment center" i bundled up all of the wires and tried my hardest to make them non-visable. they seriously drive me nuts.

june6{hat}

2012-06-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

So. This picture is from yesterday -June5- not today. No hats were worn today....but yesterday....we went shopping with Chick at Stein Mart & they have a HUGE collection of some of the most ridiculous hats I have ever seen. And of course, we had to try them on Ava & Grayson. Poor boy! He didn't know what to think! Ava, on the other hand, had a blast!!!

june5{sign}

2012-06-05T21:53:00.006-05:00

This is a sure sign that the cat is ready to eat. She won't leave the pantry door.....

june4{close up}

2012-06-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

It's been one of those days....

june3{on your plate}

2012-06-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday = Coupon Clipping & Grocery list making. Yuck.