Being a young mom means we met a little early, but I get to love them longer.


Here are some links to helpful posts I have done in the past :)

Learn about car seat safety HERE!

Need breastfeeding advice? Click HERE for lots of helpful tips!

Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers

Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Lilypie Breastfeeding tickers

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

:(

Well, we would have gotten approved for the house, but our landlord decided to mess everything up.
Basically we have two landlords. One is nice, and willing to work with people. The other is a TOTAL JERK! He is the one that handles all the repairs, or should I say doesn't handle them because he never has anyone fix anything. Unfortunatey he was here before the nice guy, and hired the nice guy, so even though they hold the same position he has the final say. Well, we talked to the nice guy, and he said that they could work with us on getting out of our lease, so we start looking, find the perfect place, pay $20 to put in an application at that place... only to have that guy call our current landlord, where he gets ahold of the jerk who informs him that we will not be allowed to break our lease without penalty??? So Chris went down there today to talk to them. The jerk told him that the nice guy's decisions have to be finalized by him (the jerk), and he is not going to let us out of our lease. He said that if we break our lease, he will immediately turn us over to a collection agency. Chris brought up how they have already broken the lease about a hundred times by not fixing things within a week like the lease states that they would, but the jerk said that wasn't true. It is completely true, but we don't have proof of it all. We have proof of some of it, but not all of it :( So we are stuck here until March.
I wasn't counting on this house. I knew it was about a 50/50 chance of getting it, but I was counting on being able to move out of this crappy place soon.
Oh well, I suppose God has something better in store for us when we can move in March. I'm going to start looking two weeks before our lease is up because I will not spend a minute longer here then I have to. Not to mention that once our lease is up either the rent goes up or we have to sign another 14 month. There is no way in heck that we will sign another lease here, and also no way that I will pay $600 a month for this. That house was going to be cheaper than $600 a month and was MUCH nicer and bigger.
Just please pray that we will find the perfect place at the exact time we need it.

At least this means that we know what's going to happen for Christmas. We can set our Christmas tree up now :) That makes me happy because, as you all already know, I LOVE Christmas.
I got about half of all the presents I have for everyone wrapped today. Still have about twenty presents to wrap, plus I have to finish the gift baskets and stockings.

Also, for the people in my area, there is a Christmas Eve celebration on Christmas Eve (needless to say lol). There will be hot chocolate, apple cider, Christmas carols, and goodies for kids. If you would like more info, feel free to text me :)
We will more than likely be there. I have been looking for some indoor Christmas activities to take the babies to since Brentley is too young to do any outdoor activities.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

News on the house...

It's not really good news, but it is promising...
He emailed us today and said that our previous landlord's number was no longer in service, and that he needed to be able to get ahold of him to be able to know what sort of tenants we are. We did not know that it was out of service, but we were able to find out what his new number is, so hopefully we will be able to get the ball rolling now.
I wish he would have called instead of emailing. I only check my emails like once a day, so I didn't check until 11pm. He had emailed at 1pm :(
But the promising thing is, he is checking our application! He didn't just pass us up and go for someone else. Also, he didn't say that anything else was wrong, and we know that our old landlord will put in a good word for us because we always paid our rent on time, and he never had any trouble out of us. So that means that if all he has left to check is out renting history, then we should get approved!
I know I am getting ahead of myself, but I can already see everything laid out in the house. I know where everything is going to go, and how I want to decorate. I just really hope it works out. We should know more tomorrow, and hopefully know if we have been approved or not by Thursday!


In other news, Chris and I helped Grace and Brentley do some salt dough ornaments today. We are going to put them in the gift baskets for grandparents as well as keep some for ourselves. We did Brentley's hand prints, but they didn't come out well, so we are going to have to re-do them. We had the dough too thick, so it bubbled up when it was cooking, and pretty much took all the detail out of the hand print. They are easy to make though, so no big deal :)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Cross your fingers!!

We put in an application for a house today. We talked to our current landlord about moving, and we made a deal with them that we would give them a 30 day notice before we moved. We started looking on craigslist, but hadn't found anything that really suited us, but yesterday I saw a place. It's at the high end of our price range, but we can make it work. It is just perfect... it's a brick house with a covered porch. It has brand new hardwood floors in the living room, dining room, and hallway, brand new carpet in the bedrooms, and brand new paint in all the rooms. The counter tops look brand new, and there are ceiling fans in the living room and two of the bedrooms. It's in a quiet neighborhood off the main road with a nice flat yard. It has three bedrooms, and one and a half baths. It also has washer and dryer hook ups. The kitchen is small... about the same size as the kitchen we have now, but it's nicer than the kitchen we have now, and has more cabinet space. And everything else in the house is bigger! There are closets in every bedroom, plus a closet in the living room by the front door, and a closet in the bathroom. There is also an attic for storage as well! We need storage space like that. We really, really want this place. My dad said he would help us with the deposit if we get it since we are going to have to pay rent here and first months rent there.
My dad is also moving into his own house that he is buying, and he is going to give us a nice table with four chairs, and a basically new nice bed with a basically new mattress and box springs. We would have such a nice place. The guy acted like we would get approved. I so hope we do!! It is perfect for our family.

The only thing I'm upset about is Christmas. I'm afraid that this is going to mess up Christmas for the kids. I don't know when we would get to move in there, so I don't know where we would have our Christmas tree or if we will even be able to have a Christmas tree this year because I don't want to set it up here if we are going to be moving:( I figure that if we don't have a Christmas tree we will set up their presents at my mom's house, and take them over there on Christmas morning. That way they can still have a good Christmas with a Christmas tree.

Just please keep your fingers crossed that we get approved for this place!!


Also, these are the only pictures I got on Thanksgiving (taken with my mom's phone)...

He was falling asleep lol.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Thanksgiving has come and gone... (plus a little update on Brentley).

Well, Thanksgiving went really well. Brentley and I headed to my mom's around noon, and started cooking our butts off lol. We mad turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, sweet tea, two casseroles, pumpkin pie, deviled eggs, rolls, cranberry sauce, and celery with cheese.
My sister's dad got there around 5 pm; my nana and cousin got there around 5:30 pm; Chris, Grace and Chris' brother got there around 5:45 pm; then, Chris' mom and step-dad got there at 6 pm. And of course, my mom, sister, Brentley, and I were already there.
My nana brought stuffing, and Chris' mom brought ham.
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I don't have any pictures :(

Now it's time for... CHRISTMAS!!! There will be no forgetting the camera at Christmas. Trust me lol. We already know our Christmas schedule. Christmas eve we will be going to Chris' aunt's house for about an hour, then heading to Chris' mom's house. Christmas day we will be opening presents at our house in the morning, then my mom and sister will be coming over, then we are going to my aunt's house. The day after Christmas we are going to Chris' step-grandparent's house in the afternoon, then going to my dad's house to see my dad and brother in the evening. We are going to be busy, busy, busy!!!
We are putting our Christmas tree up on the 1st of Dec. Normally I would put it up the day before Thanksgiving, but our place is just too small, so we want to have it up for the least amount of time, but still get to enjoy it. I will take lots of pics once we get it done.
I only have two things left to get for Christmas. Something for Chris, but I'm not sure what I'm getting, and the Kinect game for Grace, then we a d.o.n.e.!!! I haven't even started wrapping yet :( My mom and I are going to have a wrapping party (sort of). I figured that would be easier because when we are at home, if I'm not holding Brentley, Grace follows me around. There is no way she would let me close myself off in a room to wrap. But when we are at my mom's she is so into playing with Cheyenne that she wouldn't even notice I wasn't in the room lol.


As for Brentley, he is three months old today! I cannot believe he is already three months old. He is growing like a weed. He wears 3-6 month clothes mostly, but he is in 6-9 month sleepers. He's still in size 2 diapers, but I think he will be moving to size 3 soon. He can roll over now, as you already know. He is also reaching for things now. When he's tired he has to eat and hold either my hand, hair, or shirt. He rarely falls asleep any other way.  He loves his daddy. Chris can make him smile instantly, and he just babbles away to Chris. It is so cute! I have several videos, but blogger won't load any of them :( He is still exclusively breastfed. If he's fussy he likes me to rock him while I sing "I Love You Forever." That's about all I can think of for now.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Christmas project: magnets!

I decided to make magnets for people for Christmas. I made some for Grace, Brentley, my mom, dad, brother, and sister.

For this project you will need to take a trip to your local craft store.

You will need:
  • 3/4 in. round magnets
  • 3/4 in. clear flat bottom marbles (usually found in or near the fake flower isle)
  • Tacky Glue Clear Gel
  • Scissors
  • Cardstock
  • Printer
  • 3/4 in. hole punch (optional)


Directions:
  • First, you will need to hunt for the images you want on your computer. If the image you find is round you'll need to shrink it to .75" in. If is not a round image it will need to be slightly smaller... .73" or .72". I just copy and paste the image to a Word document and shrink it there. Nothing fancy.
  • Then you will need to print your images off onto cardstock paper, and let them dry for about an hour to insure the ink is dry.
  • Then you'll need to cut your images out. This is where a 3/4 in. hole punch comes in handy. It costs about $8, but it will save you a TON of time! I was so glad I bought mine, but if you don't want to buy one or can't find one, cutting them out works just as well. It just takes a lot longer.
  • Place a small dot of glue on your image and spread it around. You can use the tip of your glue bottle, the stick of a q-tip, or a toothpick for spreading.
  • Place the marble on, position the image exactly how you want it, then let them dry for an hour.
  • Some marbles will be slightly not round or slightly smaller than others, so you will need to trim the edges of the image at this point, if any are visible.
  •  Place glue on the magnet, and then place the back of the image that is glued to the marble onto the magnet. Position it in the center so you can't see it, and let it dry for at least an hour.
And then you have your magnets!

Tip: try to steer clear of images with a lot of red or pink because the ink bleeds when you put the glue on it.





Saturday, November 19, 2011

Figuring out my hobbies...

I am discovering that I like making things. I really enjoyed making the pillows and pillowcases I made awhile back, and now I'm making magnets for Christmas gifts. I have finished 29 magnets, and I am half way done with the other 21, for a total of 50 magnets. I am also planning on having Grace help me makes some ornaments for Christmas presents, and I'm going to make some small giftboxes to put the magnets in. I'm also planning on making Grace's bows from now on. I'm hoping I can get a few done to give her for Christmas.

However, my next project is going to be the letters that I am decorating for my cousins baby since her shower is next weekend. I will take some pics of all these things when I am done.

I have also discovered that I like to cook. I can't wait until we have a big enough place to have a kitchen table that we can all sit down at for dinner.
But I also discovered that I do not like to bake! I guess it has to do with how baking only yeilds one thing. If I am going to cook, I want to make a meal out of it. Not do just as much work to only get one thing.

And I have also discovered that I like to clean... okay well, I don't necessarily like to clean, but I like having a clean house. Clutter stresses me out big time.

I never would have imagined these things being my hobbies before I had kids lol.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Never again...

Chris really wanted me to go see Breaking Dawn. He kept telling me I needed to, and that he would be fine with the kids, so needless to say, I went. I did have a good time. It was nice to be able to relax, and the movie was really good. The best one so far in my opinion.

However, when I got home, I could hear Brentley screaming from outside. When I went in Chris was holding him, and he handed him to me. I started talking to him, telling him I was there. He pretty much instantly calmed down when he heard my voice. Chris said he cried pretty much the entire time I was gone. He said he tried to feed him six times, and he would not take the bottle :(
The poor little guy started crying again when I sat down with him, and his cry was raspy :( I could tell his throat was hurting him because he had been crying so much. I immediately fed him because he hadn't had anything to eat since I fed him just before I left three hours earlier. After he ate he fell asleep, and has been asleep on me for three hours now. Poor little guy was hungry and exhausted :(

I feel terrible. I could tell by the way he instantly calmed down when he heard me that he just wanted his mommy, and I wasn't there for him :( I will never leave him again just to go out. I am happier doing something with my babies anyway. I will be by his side until I have to start school in January, and even that is going to break my heart.

Doctor visit.

Yesterday I took Brentley and Grace to the doctor for his two month check-up and her two year check-up. He was actually almost twelve weeks old (he's twelve weeks today!), but I delayed his appointment, so that they could go at the same time instead of having to go twice in one month.

Grace was 28 lbs. I forgot that our scale was wrong when I weighed her the other day, so she's not 35lbs lol. She is also exactly three feet tall with a 19in. head. She had to have her finger pricked to get her blood count checked, and she didn't even cry! She just sat and watched the lady. Also, her blood count was good :)

Brentley weighed a whopping 19lbs at just 12 weeks old!! He was 25.5in. long with a 16in. head. He is definitely a chunker!!! He got two immunizations. DTaP and Rotavirus. He screamed :( And he was really fussy for the rest of the day. Not my normal happy little man. I hate immunizations :( But he is a happy little guy again today :) I am very thankful that he has not been sick at all. Grace had already had RSV twice by this point. I really feel that the breastfeeding has something to do with that. As soon as I stopped breastfeeding Grace, she started getting sick. Literally within a couple of days of when I stopped. It's like it was a shock to her immune system or something.

I am just happy to have two happy, healthy babies now :)

Now it's time for Thanksgiving!!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Holy crap!

$514! $514! ...That is how much my textbooks are going to cost for the spring. Excuse me while I faint...

Wow... just wow.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Omg, omg, omg!!!

Look what Brentley did today!!


That was the second time he did it :)
And yes, he scared himself lol.



Also, I found out thay my friend Haley is going to be in the same lit class that our friend Ashley and I are in. That makes going back to school a little more exciting! Neither one of them have kids, but they are true friends. They both took off work to come to Brentley's baby shower and Grace's second birthday party, they were the first two people who came to visit in the hospital after Grace was born, and they came to see Brentley after he was born. None of my other "friends" without kids did any of that.

And this is for Erica...
(girl on the left)

Something like these. Do you think something like that would look good?

Monday, November 14, 2011

I found this, and I must share!!

****UPDATE****
The Disney thing is NOT legit. They will send you a postcard addressed in your child's name with some of the main disney charcters on it, but not the character of your choice, and it is not autographed to your child. The postcard is still just the price of a stamp, and is neat in itself, but apparently the lady whose blog I found this on was not telling the truth. I certainly did not received an autographed 8x10 photo, and I know another person who did this and just received post cards as well. Just wanted to warn everyone.

For those of you with older children, this would make a great Christmas present, and all it costs is the price of a stamp!!

You're kids (or you) can write a letter to a to a Disney character at Disney World, and the character will send back an 8x10 autographed picture!!

Like this one...

You can send it to any of the characters that they actually have walking around Disney World. Unfortunately, I am not exactly sure who all that is, but all you have to do is type "Cinderella at Walt Disney World" (or whatever character you want) into google images, and if pictures of that dressed up character pop up, then you can send a letter to that character.

The pictures supposedly come back within two weeks. Plently of time for Christmas!

Just send to this address...

Walt Disney World Communications
P.O. Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

And make sure to include a return address.

I'm not doing one for the babies yet because I want to wait until they are old enough to write their own letters, however I am going to do one for my brother. He is hard to shop for due to his inability to tell us what he wants/likes, but he is a die hard Peter Pan fan. He would watch that movie all day long if he could! Unfortunately there are not many Peter Pan things available to buy anymore. When I heard about this I instantly thought, "Peter Pan for Cody!" I'm going to explain the situation and ask that it be autographed to him. Then, once I get it, I am going to frame it and give it to him for Christmas.

Also, you can send multiple letters from the same address. So if you have more than one child or just want multiple characters' autographs that's no problem :)

And while I'm on the subject, you can also send a letter to the President (yes, the President of the U.S.) announcing the birth of your child, and you will receive a congratulatory letter signed by the President and The First Lady.

Like this...


I know that a few of you are planning on having more babies, so just wanted to let you know about that as well. Granted, I'm not too fond of our current President, but I still think it's a neat thing to have for their baby books.
Mine is from George Bush Sr. My brother's is from Bill Clinton. My sister's is from George W. Bush. Grace's is from President Obama, and Brentley's will be from President Obama as well (I just need to get it sent out).
Just address it to:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Cousins!

My babies are going to have cousins... well technically second cousins, but they'll be the closest thing they have to cousins since my brother will never have kids, Chris' brother is ten, and my sister is six lol.
Anyway, two of my cousins are pregnant and both with boys! One is due in December, and the other is due in April.
One is a cousin on my dad's side, and the other is a cousin on my mom's side, and they are both 21-years-old, so they are going to be young moms as well. I'm excited they are going to have babies so close to Brentley's age! I don't have any friends that have babies Brentley's age like I have friends that have kids close to Grace's age.
I'm not very close to the cousin on my dad's side because up until recently she lived an hour away, but she moved here to go to college. I'm hoping we can get together an do things after her baby is born.
I've always been pretty close to the cousin on my mom's side. I am really excited about her having a baby. Especially a boy! Our boys are only going to be about 3 and a half months apart :) Her baby shower is the at the end of this month, and I have decided to decorate him some wooden letters for his wall to spell out his name. I'm going to decorate them in colors to match his bedding. I'm going to get her some other things too, but I really think she'll like the letters.
I can't wait to meet her little man, and I can't wait to watch our little boys grow up together :)

In other news, we figured out our last gift we are going to get Brentley. This shopping cart/high chair cover!

We picked it, first off because it's cute. It also has great reviews such as easy to wash, easy to put on, and stays in place. And it has rings you can hook toys onto, and there are pockets on the back that you can put things in. Plus it was under our $30 price limit... only $25!
One of my cafemom buddies mentioned that she was getting one for her August baby, and I was thinking, "Duh! Why didn't I think of that??" Grace always tried to eat the shopping cart or high chair when she was younger, so when we got her one of these it was a life saver! Now they just need to invent side of the table covers because Grace would always try to eat the table lol.
I can't wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

For Jessika...

Friday, November 11, 2011

I feel like I should have done more and don't know what to do now...

. My mom and I were doing some more Christmas shopping today. We were at Wal-Mart. We got done around 10:30pm, and we were putting our bags in my trunk when I heard someone softly say, "help me." I turned around to look, and there was a little girl sitting on the front of a shopping cart. You know how kids stand on them? Well, she was sitting on that part with her legs up under the basket and was hanging onto the basket. A man was pushing her. When I looked she said it again, but didn't appear scared, and he certainly wasn't holding her there or anything, so I just brushed it off as a little girl joking around.

We put the rest of our bags in, my mom got in the car, and I went to put the cart in the cart stall. The closest one was towards the back of the parking lot where basically no one was parked. When I was putting the cart in I heard something, and I realized it was that little girl. She had said, "help me" again. I looked, and there she was, still sitting on the front of the shopping cart all BY HERSELF. I asked her if she was okay, and she shook her head yes. Then a car pulled up behind me, and that man got out, and started walking towards her.

I'm conflicted because the little girl didn't scream, run off, tell me she was in trouble when I asked, etc. But she did say "help me" three times, and she was left alone, in the cold, at almost 11pm. I would never leave my daughter like that. I just feel like she might have been in trouble, and feel like I should have done something more to make sure she was.

Has anyone ever been in this situation? Is there anything I should or could do??

***Update***
I called the police department, and they sent out an officer to take my statement. He said that if anyone fitting her description is reported missing they will need to talk to me again (which I am completely fine with). I hope, for the sake of this little girl, that I was wasting the officer's time. I have never been in a situation like this before (and hopefully never will again!!), so I didn't know how to react. Oh please God, don't let that little girl be in any trouble! I feel terrible :(

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Why does it have to be so hard???

Okay, I admit it. I am a major Twilight buff. In my defnese, I read all the books before they became so popular. I still like the movies though because Kristen Stewart was my favorite actress before she was ever cast as Bella.
Anyway, Chris' mom and cousin, and a few other people are going to see Breaking Dawn next Friday, and they want me to go. She even said she would pay for it. I would really like to, but the thought of leaving Brentley literally made me cry when I first thought about it. It's not that I don't trust Chris. It's just that Brentley has never been away from me, ever. I know it would only be about 3 hours (with driving there and back), but it's still hard for me to imagine leaving him.
Chris says I should go, but I am seriously torn over this. To me, it's like I shouldn't leave him until I have to (basically for school), but then it would also be nice to have some me time since I haven't had any since he was born, BUT (lol) then I start thinking about how he is more important then me, so I shouldn't go. I keep going back and forth in my head. What would you guys do?? And please tell me honestly. I won't get mad or offended or anything like that.    


And then there's this...
Chris' mom work at this place designed for special needs people. She said they have about 10 pages full of job openings, and a bunch of the openings are teaching assistant positions. She says because they are in such need, I could pretty much pick my days and hours. Not to mention it would give me work experience in the field I am studying. She says she can pretty much guarantee me a job because she will talk to them and get me hired. Plus, extra money is always good. It might could get us into a nicer place than this. But I would only want to work two days a week max, and it would have to fit my school schedule. As long as they can work with me on that, I think this would be a good opportunity. I'm supposed to go get an application sometime this weekend, but I'm nervous, again, about leaving Brentley. That would also pretty much guarantee us having to suuplement some formula eventually because there is no way I would have enough for working and school. That just tears me up inside. I know it won't kill him, or even hurt him, but I still feel like I am failing him justlike did with Grace.***I have no problem with people who formula feed. I am a firm believer in "your kid, you do it your way." It's just that for me, I feel like breastfeeding is best for my son. I still beat myself up over the fact that I didn't try harder for Grace.
But anyway, what do you guys think about the job? Yes or no?

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Tasty Tuesday :)

Okay, so it's 11pm, but hey, it's still Tuesday lol.

This week's recipe is called Orange Delight. This stuff is pretty healthy, but not everyone will like it. Chris doesn't, but I love it! Grace will eat it as well, which is great because I can't get her to eat many fruits or veggies.

Ingredients:
  • 1 tub of lowfat cottage cheese
  • 1 package of orange jello mix
  • 1 tub of fat free Cool Whip
  • 1 can of pineapple tidbits
  • 1 can of mandarin oranges (drained)
--- Fresh fruit can be used if you want, but at this point I'm all about quick and easy, so I go with the cans. I'm sure fresh fruit would make it even healthier though.

Directions:
  1. Pour jello mix into a bowl and add the pineapple tidbits with juice, mix together.
  2. Add cottage cheese, Cool Whip, and mandarin oranges (make sure the juice is drained from the can before adding) and mix well.
  3. Let it sit in the fridge for about 2 hours to allow it to thicken and chill.
  4. Enjoy :)
Quick, easy, and (in my opinion), yummy!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Picture post :)

Daddy with his babies. I love them all so much :)

You can't really tell, but he is wearing John Deere. He has socks that go with it as well, but he kicked them off. Yep, we are definitely southern lol.

  Playing at the newly remodelled play area in the mall.



 Grace and Brentley playing in the floor. She was trying to share her Magna Doodle with him lol.

 "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!" Lol.


 Swinging in her swing.

 After about 15 minutes of trying he finally grabbed it, on his own!

 I l.o.v.e. this picture!


Saturday, November 5, 2011

Thanksgiving...

I'm getting ahead of myself with all of this talk of Christmas lol. We figured out what we are going to do for Thanksgiving. Last year we had it at our place, but our apartment had a much bigger livingroom and a somewhat bigger kitchen. Plus we just got this couch, and we don't even eat on it, so we don't want anyone else eating on it either, but there would be nowhere for anyone to sit and eat if they can't sit on the giant couch lol. So my mom and I talked about it, and we decided that we are going to do it at her house this year because there is just no way it would really work here... too many people.

Now I'm going to back track a bit...
Chris' mom is freaking out because we said we didn't know if we would be able to make it to Glen's parents for Thanksgiving. Glen is Chris' step-dad (whom Chris doesn't particularly care for). My parents have been apart since I was two, and I always had to spend every Thanksgiving with my dad per court order. I hated not getting to eat Thanksgiving dinner with my mom. Last year was the first year that I actually got to eat Thanksgiving dinner with her that I can actually remember. I told Chris that I am not giving that up to go to his step-dad's parent's house. My kids are not even related to them, much less me! They are nice and all, but I want to spend it with my actual family. So, we are having to work around this crap because now his mom is all up in the air... way, way up in the air :( They are eating at 1pm, which wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't have to cook, so we decided that Chris would drop Brentley and me off at my mom's, then him and Grace would go over there for awhile while my mom and I cook. Hopefully that will be enough to appease his mother. Then we are going to eat around 6pm at my mom's, which she is invited to. I could understand her being mad if I was telling her she couldn't come to our dinner, but that is not the case at all.
She did the same thing on Grace's birthday. She was mad that we didn't want her to come to CiCi's with us. We just wanted it to be the four of us. No one else. I would understand if my mom was coming, and we didn't want his mom there, but again, that wasn't the case. We told her we would bring Grace by afterwards, and she flat out said no. We took Grace anyway because she would have never let us live it down if we didn't... it would have been "You didn't let me see her on her birthday!" for the rest of eternity. But the whole time we were there she kept telling Chris, "You've done pissed me off." She kept saying that right infront of Grace. I felt like saying, "Look woman, it's Grace's birthday, not yours, and we are her parents, not you. We decide how we want her to spend her birthday. NOT YOU!" But that would have started World War 3, so I just kept my mouth shut. Maybe I am over-reacting... I don't know.
Okay, so I just got wayyyyy off track there lol. Sorry, I needed to vent.

But anyway, I think we got Thanksgiving figured out, and she will just have to be happy with just Chris and Grace going to Glen's parent's house.

My mom and I planned the menu...
  • Turkey
  • Ham
  • Maccaroni and cheese
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Green Beans
  • Corn
  • Stuffing
  • Sweet potatoe casserole
  • Rolls
  • Devilled eggs
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Sliced tomatoes
  • Pickles
  • Pumpkin pie
  • And maybe another type of pie
Okay, now I'm hungry lol. And yes, I like lists. I'm very OCD when it comes to things like that.

We are going to have my mom, sister, brother, dad, grandmother, and at least two cousins, Chris' mom, brother, and step-dad, and of course, Chris, Brentley, Grace, and me, and possibly a family of five that my mom knows (long story) there, so we will have to makes LOTS of food.

I'm excited though. It'll be Brentley's first Thanksgiving! I saw a shirt at Babies-R-Us yesterday that was very cute. It said "I'm Stuffed." Totally Brentley! I think I am going to go back and get it for him to wear. Now lets just hope he doesn't poop all over it like Grace did to her outfit on her first Thanksgiving LOL.

Almost done!

Yesterday, my mom and I decided to go Christmas shopping with the kids. I know Christmas shopping with the kids is not what people normally do, but I can't leave Brentley with anyone anyway, and we didn't have anyone to watch Grace and Cheyenne on the spur of the moment like that either, so we all went. I spent $100 and got most of my Christmas shopping done!!

For $100 I got:
  • LeapFrog Scribble and Write (for Grace) --- On sale, $6 off!
  • Two things of bubblebath (for Grace's stocking) --- On sale, two for $3!
  • Two body wash (one for Grace's stocking, one for Cheyenne --- On sale, two for 3!
  • Four nice sippy cups (for Brentley) --- On sale, $6 off!
  • Our family ornament
  • Brentley's First Christmas ornament
  • Three Christmas baskets
  • Two stockings
  • A Tootsie Roll container full of Tootsie Rolls (for Grace's stocking)
  • Two Sesame Street bath books (for Grace)
  • A shark teether and a turtle teether (for Brentley's stocking)
  • Two spoons (for Brentley's stocking)
  • Three picture frames
  • Five different things of wrapping paper
  • Five cookie cutters
  • A Christmas card for Chris' mom and step-dad
  • A Christmas card for my dad
  • A Christmas card for the babies to give my dad
  • A Baby's first Christmas card for Brentley
  • Four things of batteries
  • Some Christmas plastic baggies 

The only things I have left to get now are an ornament for Grace, possibly a CD for my mom, cards for several people, and getting the kids Christmas pictures done, then I will be done shopping. I'll move on to wrapping and getting the gift baskets/stockings together then :) Chris still wants to get the Kinect game for Grace and something for Brentley, but he always waits until last minute, so that's up to him lol.

I am officially done present shopping for the babies for sure.

Grace is going to get:
  • The Tag Junior
  • The carrying case for it
  • Three Sesame Street books for it
  • Two Sesame Street bath books
  • About ten Barney books
  • The LeapFrog Scribble and Write
  • Two Elmo cups and an Elmo plate
  • The deluxe cleaning set
  • The Polar Express (actually for Brentley too)
  • A Disney Princess toothbrush and cup set
  • The pillow and pillowcase I made
  • The letter magnets I'm going to make
Brentley is going to get:
  • The Jumperroo
  • The monogrammed blanket
  • The four sippy cups
  • A piggy bank
  • A blue sock monkey
  • A Disney Cars toothbrush and cup set (I know he can't use it yet, but he will eventually lol)
  • The pillow and pillowcase I made
  • The letter magnets I am going to make (that he also can't use until older)
(Brentley is not getting quite as many things because I ran out of ideas for things to buy a (going-to-be) four month old, but he is actually getting more than Grace got on her first Christmas.)

And, for Grace's stocking:
  • Two things of bubble bath
  • A thing of bath wash
  • A small pink sock monkey
  • A little name plate
  • Gummy vitamins
  • A container of Tootsie Rolls
  • A card
For Brentley's stocking:
  • A Christmas rubber duck
  • A small blue sock monkey
  • Two teethers
  • Two baby spoons
  • A card 

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Happy Birthday Grace!

Today was Grace's birthday. She is officially two!

We had our little Elmo party.

Here's the cupcake I made for her...

I think it turned out pretty well. It would have been better if I had used a bigger jellybean for the nose though.

I dressed Brentley in Elmo to match the theme lol.


We headed to CiCi's Pizza. I know it's nothing fancy, but Grace loves pizza and loves having her food as soon as she gets there. She hates having to sit and wait, so we figured it would be perfect for her. We had an Elmo balloon, but Chris accidentally let it hit a brick pillar as we were walking in, and it popped it :( It was one of those foil balloons, so I couldn't believe it popped, but oh well. Grace didn't seem to notice. She was too busy wanting to go in and eat lol.






Now she's headed to three! At least I have 366 days between now and then lol.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Birthday picture post :)



























We are doing her family Elmo party tomorrow, so keep an eye out for a post on that :)