That's What Dads Do

Yesterday my Dad called me and said he was coming over and taking my car to get new tires. I didn't even know I needed new tires. Apparently my Dad has been checking my tires when I come visit them. Oh Dad! So he takes my car to the automotive center at Walmart and has them put new tires on. He took off work, waited at Walmart, and paid for it all for me. I'm one lucky daughter. I'm very thankful to have such a loving dad. 

I also need to give a shout out to my mom. She suffers from rheumatoid arthritis which is worse in her fingers and legs. Back in March she broke her knee and leg and is still healing. Getting around and opening things is very difficult. Medications help on some days. Thanksgiving is always at my parent's house because my mom is a wonderful cook. In order to keep things the same she decided to go ahead and host Thanksgiving again this year. She totally pulled it off with just a little help and some planning. 

I'm a lucky girl to have such wonderful parents!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Jack and his best friend and cousin Bennett

Weigh In Wednesday

I haven't posted a Weigh in Wednesday post in awhile because I've been at a standstill for awhile. I'll make this quick. I'm down to 207. I started out at 213. I am very very very slowly making some progress. With the time change exercise has been nonexistent. By the time I get home it is just about dark. My treadmill broke. When Jack goes to bed I do my house cleaning. My fitness routine is just going to have to consist of running after him. Speaking of that....he just woke up. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Pictures Are In

Cousins and best friends!

He was so happy!

I love this one!

Loved this cake!

Love this!

Handsome

It was hard to keep him upright

My nephew Bennett was running all over the place

My nephew Bennett

Why I'm a Dummy Mama

Wednesday night until Friday I got to attend the Arkansas Reading Conference. Wow! I learned so much stuff. Here is the problem. I was feeling so guilty about leaving Jack with my parents that I had my Mom tag along to watch him in the room during the day. Such a stupid idea! What I should have done was to get over the guilt and enjoyed 2 nights of sleep and done some shopping. 

He did not sleep which meant we did not sleep. Luckily my mom was able to nap during the day but I was in workshops which meant I was stuck being sleepy. Now that he is walking everywhere he was into everything. We had to eat out every meal and you know how babies can be in restaurants-it's a crap shoot. He threw his cup in the floor. Food was everywhere. He fussed. 

It ended up raining so shopping where I wanted couldn't happen because I just couldn't take him in and out of his car seat. We end up just going to the mall and walking around while my mom got her hair done. I couldn't buy anything because I had to bring the umbrella stroller because the other stroller was too big with all the other luggage in the car. I couldn't push the stroller and carry the bags while carrying the diaper bag. My poor mom couldn't be of much help because she has RA and she broke her knee and leg 7 months ago. 

On a positive note I went to Chick-fil-A for the first time. Yes, for the first time. We don't have one close by and if we travel to a big town we usually eat somewhere nicer but for lunch one day we decided to check it out. It was wonderful food and more importantly they had the nicest workers I have ever encountered. Not only were they just plain courtesy but 2 of them helped my mom walk outside. I'm not sure if they pay their workers more or what but it was just great to have that experience. 

I told my mom to remind me in April (the next conference) about the difficulties of trying to keep a baby in a hotel room. Next time I need to leave the mama guilt behind and enjoy a break! 

Getting Out of Town

Wednesday afternoon I am heading to Little Rock to attend the Arkansas Literacy Conference. Last year I wasn't able to go since I was still recovering from my c-section. This year I am even more excited to go then ever before. Having Jack has made me want to be a better teacher. The way to become that better teacher I am always striving to be is to educate myself. 

I have already lined out which workshops I'm going to attend. Once I'm there I'm sure I'll change my mind. I always do! Word of mouth spreads about which ones are really good. 

My mom is coming with to watch Jack during the day. She is excited about getting away. In the afternoons we will do some shopping and get some yummy supper. I'm not sure how Jack will act being stuck in a hotel room during the day. I'll be sure to pack lots of toys and his stroller. With that being said, I am NOT looking forward to packing. It's hard enough packing for me. 

I'll be sure to post on how the trip goes. Please cross your fingers that he sleeps. I'm worried being in a new place will be difficult for him. Hopefully he will surprise me. Did I just jinx myself??? 

Be sure to check out Nana's Sewing Closet giveaway by clicking here. She has A-Dorable girl dresses that will have you saying awww and that's so cute more times than you can count. 

Sneak Peek of Smash Cake Pics

We finally got a sneak peek into our smash cake pictures. Sorry it isn't the best quality but I snapped it from her site with my phone. I can't wait to see the rest. My dad asked me who put the icing on his face. Um....no one. He did that all by himself which was perfect for a picture. I can't wait to show you all the rest as soon as we get them. Hopefully soon!

Life as a 1 Year Old

Jack has been one for a whole week now. It was weird not taking his usual weekly picture so I went ahead and did it anyways. Maybe it takes a year to make a habit :)

This outfit was purchased by NaNa. I think it is adorable but my sister said it looked dorky. My take on dorky clothes is as a boy he has his whole life to wear jeans and t-shirts so for now if I want to put him in these dorky sweaters I will. Plus my husband says I dress as an old lady so dressing my son in the same way just makes sense. 

We haven't dropped the formula all together. He gets whole milk during the day and one bottle of formula before bed. I get worried that he isn't getting enough vitamins so I want him to have at least some formula each day. Once the formula we already have runs out I am going to buy some vitamin drops. He just isn't a big eater. He is too busy getting into everything.

He is getting better at walking. He wants to run and will fall down. Sometimes he'll take his time and will get half way across the room before he decides he isn't going fast enough. 

I had to include this picture. This was Monday morning. Isn't this the perfect Monday face? He just cracks me up with his expressions. 

Y'all have a good weekend!

For All With Baby Girls!

Today I have an awesome giveaway for you courtesy of Nana's Sewing Closet, my mom's etsy shop. My mom is the sewing talent and I run the business side of things on Etsy and Facebook.

The winner of the giveaway will receive one custom handmade dress that is valued at $30-$35 depending on the size ordered. *Please note that some of the dresses in the shop are over this prize value but the winner may choose one of those and pay the difference.*

One top of the giveaway we are offering a 10% discount code off of any order. Good through Friday November 22, 2013.

10 % Discount Code: Holiday2013

To help us spread the word some of my lovely blogging friends have offered to post this giveaway on their blogs so make sure to go visit them and say hello.

Dara from Not in Jersey | Kera from Nugget on a Budget |

| Becky from My Sweet Moose | Julia from Eternal Girl |

|Shelby from Stay Crafty My Friends | Dawn from Dawn's Disaster

| Sara from Confessions of a Redheaded Mama | Beanie Blogger Opportunities | Janine from Confessions of a Mommyaholic |
| Mommy Blog Hoppers | Tiffany from My Safe Havens |
| Shana from Organized Chaos |

| Cassandra from The World from the View of Two |

| Ashley from Mrs. Mama |

A big thanks to all the lovely ladies help in supporting Nana's Sewing Closet's first ever giveaway! Rafflecopter is down below to enter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fall Cara Box

Participating in Cara Box is one of my favorite things because I love getting things in the mail that are not bills! Everything in the box is within a theme and this theme was fall. I love all things fall. The absolute best part is getting to know your partners. Christa at Mom, Paper, Scissors is who sent me a box. I got the privilege to send Amie at Lassen & Company her Cara Box. Amie and I actually live an hour and a half away from each other which is great because I don't know that many bloggers in this area. Both ladies are wonderful and I really mean it. Both women have precious families and strive each day to be better wives and mothers. Both are into fitness, family, and fun. 

Christa sent me a WONDERFUL Cara Box. See for yourself.

1. A make your own Harvest Wreath. This girl knows I love being crafty. 

2. 3-in-1 gloves. They are super cute and versatile. 

3. Fall words stickers and leaf sticky pad. The stickers are great for my scrapbooking and the leaf pad is cute. 

4. Pumpkin spice infuser. I love the smell of pumpkin!

4. Nail polish. The color is all wrong in this picture. It is really a beautiful gray color which is so my style.

5. Owl towel. I love owls and Christa knew this. It matches my kitchen perfectly and is currently being proudly displayed. 

If you would like to participate in the Cara Box fun then click on the button on my sidebar. You will be so happy you did. It really is such a fun way to meet people and get wonderful things in the mail. 

Stress is NOT for Me

Everyone knows someone that they admire for their ability to handle stress. The other day I heard a blogger describe their mother-in-law as a person that they have never seen angry even under the most stressful conditions. I would like to be that person. I'm currently not that person, at all. 

Saturday was just a stressful day. I kept giving myself the talk about not letting the stress get to me. I wanted to be the rock in such a chaotic day. My husband needed me, my baby needed me, and a had SO much to do. The stress kept getting to me and I would be snappy to the people I love. I had to keep downing headache medicine to keep the throbbing at bay.

 I was in public a lot that day and had to remind myself that the people with carts getting in my way weren't purposely trying to make my day worse. I was even "not my best self" to complete strangers. 

There would be moments where I would get a handle on the stress and relax a little bit. Then something else would happen and I would lose it again. I got to the point where I was more angry with myself then the situations that kept coming at me. I hate it when I can't stay calm in stressful situations. 

I kept thinking "why can't I stop myself?". I am a grown woman and I felt like I was acting like a toddler. I snapped at my sweet mama for absolutely nothing. Mamas are good that way because they love you even though you are acting like a total brat. 

Honestly, I feel stressed all the time. When you add more than what a normal day holds I tend to not keep it all together and lose my true self. It feels that life is one week ahead of what I need to get done. I need a timeout to catch up. 

How do you handle stress? Any words of wisdom?

Smash Cake Stress

Sometimes in life you just have to figure things out and make it work. 

Since we weren't having an official birthday party I never freaked out about a smash cake. Jack was given the first piece of his Thomas the Train cake.

I knew I would need a smash cake for his professional 1st birthday pictures but I didn't want to spend a lot of money since it was just for him to destroy. We are getting some regular pictures done first and then the last 10 minutes we are going to let him have at the cake. I really wanted just a simple white cake and then I was going to add a cake bunting. Well things seem to never just go the way I plan. 

Since I wanted something so simple I planned to go to the local bakery and have them make something super simple. Mid week I went to the bakery and the woman said she was too busy at the time to talk cake but said she could do it and for me to come by Friday. I take off work early Friday just so I come set this up since they close at 1:00. Well the woman speaks broken English and this whole smash cake trend wasn't something she was too familiar with. I brought out my phone and showed her. She informed me that she couldn't do anything smaller than a 2 layered 8 inch cake. Way too big! 

Plan B was to go to a Walmart an hour away where I was told they had what I was wanting. Saturday morning my mom, Jack, and myself head out. Well they had nothing close to what I needed. 

No plan now so I thought find a bakery to see if they had anything. I found a bakery and all they had was huge cakes. She said she could do a one layer 8 inch cake. It would still be too big for the cake stand so I said no thanks.

Next door to the bakery was a grocery store. I thought I would just go check. I found the perfect sized cake but it was a bunt cake. What's a girl to do? I bought that and another piece of cake. I also bought 2 cans of icing and some piping tips. I pushed that one piece of cake into the middle of the bunt cake to fill the hole. I put that icing into the mixer and added red and yellow food coloring until it turned orange (this pictures looks a little more pink than it is). 

I wasn't sure what to do next because I am not a cake decorator at all. I have zero patience with details. J came in and said "I'll do it!". He is really good at details. He is great at drawing so this is more up his alley. For his first time decorating a cake, it turned out pretty darn good. He had the best time with it. 

Crisis diverted! 

Seriously Mom???

I probably shouldn't be calling my mom out like this but I saw this today and couldn't stay quiet. This is my mom's phone. She has had it for as long as I can remember. Not only is it ancient but the buttons have pretty much rubbed off and, hello!, there is tape on it. Not even clear tape, but work tape that she uses when she paints. Clearly my mom does not care about the fancy things in life. Practical is more important to her than appearance. I asked her why she doesn't get a new phone. Her answer is she already knows this phone and it works really well when it stays together. Fitting she dropped it in the floor board right after saying that and the back fell off. She said she would get a new phone if she could have this exact phone. I'm not even sure if that is possible. I hope that these pictures give you a little chuckle like they did me.

Jack's Birthday

I knew I didn't want to have an actual birthday party for Jack. Those things can get out of hand financially and creatively. I wanted to keep things simple. Surround him with family and have no time crunch. I wanted him to be able to play and eat on his own terms. 

We started our day with a card from me with an Elmo that sings Happy Birthday. We played with it for awhile. While he drank his bottle I read him Happy Birthday to You by Dr. Seuss. We got ready for our day. I bought him a special 1 shirt for the big day. We then went to the local donut shop and shared a donut.

After work we headed to my parents for pizza and cake. Ms. Brenda is a lady in my hometown who makes the most delicious cakes in the world. Like they are so freaking good. Jack loves Thomas the Train so this was fitting. 

Jack got a whole lot of presents even though we didn't throw a party. We haven't been able to open them all but I already know he is going to love them all. This picture is really bad quality but man it is hard to get a picture of a constantly moving target. OT-see my mom's God-awful ugly couch-most comfortable thing ever. She really needs to get it recovered. Just saying.

Then it was time for cake. The pictures say it all. He had a bath right after. He was acting so silly after that cake. The sugar really hyped him up. He has never had that much sugar at one time. The most he has ever had is a few bites of something. Always just a taste. 

Jack is now quietly tucked into bed. Hopefully at a year old he will sleep through the night. A mama can only hope. 

Saturday we have smash cake pictures. I can't wait to see how they turn out. I have a feeling he isn't going to wear his birthday hat though which is going to hurt my heart. I hope to get some wonderful first birthday pictures of my sweet little man. 

To My Jack Jack

Today you turn one. One year together. One year of triumph and turmoil. By far the most challenging year of my life. You brought me more joy then I can ever show you. Only a joy you will learn when you hold your own baby one day. You have me wrapped around your finger which will be my downfall once you really start throwing tantrums and wanting your way. I live for making you smile and laugh.

We have grown together this year. A year ago we both started out as babies not knowing what this new world would teach us. We survived being apart for the first few days. We survived mama being sick and recovering from surgery. We survived acid reflux. We survived belly aches. We survived fever, and colds, and snotty noses. 

We cheered you on through rolling over, crawling, and first steps. You made us joyful as we experienced the zoo, the park, the pool, and the pumpkin patch. 

You still aren't a big sleeper but I've adjusted. I've stumbled through many nights, morning, and days. Coffee has been my right arm. 

You have filled our house with more toys and devices then any one little person could need. Just shows you have taken over our everything and we like it that way. 

You are our little Jack Jack. The keeper of our hearts.

You have lots of teeth but not a big eater. You are just under 20 lbs. You are just too busy for silly things like eating.

You love Thomas the Train. When you hear it come on it has your attention.

You aren't completely walking yet but you are in the beginning stages and so I know that soon you will be running everywhere.

You hate getting dressed.

You hate getting out of the bathtub.

You hate your nose being messed with.

You love splashing your bath water.

You love getting into everything you aren't suppose to. You Nana says you are nosey like I was. 

When I say touchdown you put your arms up.

You can patty cake so well.

Oh how I love you and I hope you always remember that. As the years pass there will be days when you don't like me. I'm going to be pretty disciplined because I want you to be the best person you can be. Just remember that I love you more than you will ever know. Let's try and make this year even better. You have so much to learn and do. 

Happy Birthday!!!!

It's Okay

It's okay that I always forget to take pictures for my blog. 

It's okay that I'm just now getting around to printing Jack's pictures for his birthday this Thursday.

It's okay that I'm ignoring the cleaning that needs to be done.

It's okay that I'm sleep deprived but choose to stay up a little later to enjoy some peace.

It's okay that I paid 15 dollars for a shirt Jack will only wear one time.

It's okay that we are doing a character themed cake (Thomas the Train) even though I'm not a huge character themed gal. 

It's okay that I still haven't made it to the doctor for my severe ear pain. 

It's okay that I didn't do a Weigh in Wednesday post last week and probably will not be doing one this week either. I've sucked and I don't need to see the proof.

It's okay that I wish I had a mocha from Starbucks right now.

It's okay that tomorrow I'm going to be so sleepy because I am finally getting some stuff done. 

We Have a Semi-Walker

Friday my mom offered to watch Jack while I caught up on house cleaning and got some sleep. So after work I drove to my parent's house to drop him off. While I was getting him settled in he took about 7 steps. It was the most he had ever done! We stood him up a few more times to walk and he would do around 7 steps each time. This mama was thrilled! 

Saturday when I got back to my parent's house he would walk about 10-12 steps at a time. Most of the time he would wobble and fall down after about 4 steps but sometimes he could make it fairly far. 

We stayed the night and Sunday he would make it half-way across the floor. Every single time I would try and video him he would fall down trying to reach the phone. We wants to run so badly. 

Today he still is doing about 7-12 steps at a time. He can just get everywhere faster by crawling and he is all about getting somewhere quick. 

On Thursday he turns a year old and I hope he has gotten a better hang of this whole walking thing by then. I can see it on his face how much he really wants this and so I really want it for him. 

They say once they start walking they are no longer a baby so yeah a part of me wants him to take his time. Walking and a year old at one time. Hard on this mama.

Halloween Cuteness!!!

My nephew as Clark Kent. So many people kept calling him Harry Potter. Really??? Yeah! I guess it was the glasses. This costume really is the cutest.

My little monkey is 51 weeks! Just one more week until he is 1!

He would not sit still for a great picture. I guess that is just what you get from a baby.

He hated the monkey hat. He kept pulling it off and would scream each time I put it back on him. We hit up a few houses just so this mama could say I took him trick or treating. It was one tiring but fun night.