Addiction

I have a problem. I can not stop eating these Iced Oatmeal Cookies. Yes, this package is mostly empty and I just bought them on Monday. I go to eat one...and I go back 3 times. I can't stop!! It's a major, newfound addiction. Justin caught me last night and told me the rest were his. I, in turn, stole his cookie and ate it in his face.

There are only 3 cookies left in the package. I might just have to run out to Wal-mart to save us all.

Renovation City

One day I will post more pictures of our house, but until we get it to a place where it's not a construction zone, you will just get bits and pieces. Oh, and Haylie's round face.

We took off some pretty rockin' wallpaper to find un-textured walls. Every other wall & ceiling in the house has the same knock-down texture so we had to match it. So therefore, the Hopper from Home Depot comes to our rescue. You pour mud in a big funnel attached to an air compressor. What do you get? Shooting mud that sounds like an old woman with the walking farts.

It was a huge mess and it took my mom and I all day on Monday to clean it up! So thankful for her help - it would have taken me all week by myself.

Hopefully this week we will be able to paint and finally get the feeling of being completely settled! I'm just having a hard time picking colors. I'm probably going to go very neutral but part of me wants to get crazy and bring in the vibrant colors. What to do?

They've Grown A Little...

Back in December Sometime... July 2010

They no longer just lay on the floor and let us take pictures of them. They are all over the place - pulling each others hair, stealing toys and paci's and sitting on one another.

Haylie was the first one to expire during the playdate.
"I'm so sad..."

I love having these girls and their babies in our lives!

Getting Settled

I feel like it's been a year since I've posted but in reality, it's been less than a week. I guess it's because my days are now flying by with unpacking, painting, watching my baby and dreaming up fun ways to decorate my new 30 year old house.

We had lots of people come help us move and we did it in about 4 hours! That is packing up the old and unloading at the new. Hooray for friends. Thank you 1,000 times over.

And I know you were all wondering, but no small animals, plants or parked cars were harmed in my driving of the biggest moving truck ever.

Haylie loves to help unpack...I think she even ate a little bit of the paper.

And so it begins. Renovations all over again. I love painting while standing on the couch...and nevermind my outfit. Haylie's room, living/dining & study have all been painted. Wallpaper has been torn down and is waiting for texture and paint. We have a lot to do but for now, we are moved in and love our new home. Come visit us!

Today!

It's here. The big moving day for us - we close on our house tomorrow.

I would be excited if I didn't wake up with a headache the size of Montana and if my baby girl wouldn't have already had 2 meltdowns this morning. Before 8 am. We also made a quick run to Justin's work because he accidentally forgot to leave me the key to the new house. So I'm in morning rush hour traffic with an upset 7.5 month old thinking of all the things I need to be doing instead of driving somewhere...stress.

Let's start over.

I'm going to get some juice & a pop tart and I'm going to blast Air1's positive radio music. I'm going to enjoy this day.

Because today starts the journey of moving. I have been looking forward to this for the last month. It's finally here!!!

Modge Podge

It's moving week!! We are finally here! I feel like we have been in limbo for the last month and needless to say, I guess we have been. I started packing near the end of June and have done a box or two everyday. Our house looks so bare. Today we are doing a final walk-through on our new house and then we can start moving in! Our big move will be Thursday night and closing will be Friday morning! I get the honor of going to get the moving truck. Thankfully, my friend Julie is going to come with me to help me look out for parked cars, small animals & any bushes or shrubs that might end up in my way. I need to find a trucker's hat so I really look the part...

We have had a sinkhole on the side of our house for over a month now. It is ridiculous and I am irritated with the city for not coming to fix it. I have been calling the city about once a week and finally got through to a supervisor today. Miraculously, the work order popped up on his to-do list today. I told him we are moving and that someone could fall in it and we need something done ASAP. He'll be out today...but probably not a quick fix. Geez. Maybe they should have done something a month ago when we called it in.

The beginning stages. It's a wee bit bigger now. And by wee I mean a lot.

Justin got Haylie ready for church yesterday morning while I was in the shower. He was so excited about her outfit. Then he started taking about 20 pictures and her mood went south. He kept moving her around the house to take them - ??

Yay this is fun! I love this!

Take one more and I'll start screaming. I'm not kidding.

Haylie has really started rolling around. She is all over the place! It is kind of fun to see where she will end up. I put her on her blanket and then I come back in the room and she is nowhere to be found. I can hear her but don't know where she is. 9 times out of 10 she is playing under our coffee table. She is really enjoying her new "freedom."

What Mom? I'm just right here!

Our Little Holiday

For the 4th, we took a roadtrip to Columbia, MO to visit Justin's parents, Grant, Brei & kids, Uncle Jim & Vicky who were in town and Grandpa Berkley. It was a nice weekend and pretty relaxing. I do not care much for road trips with our baby girl, but it is what it is. We didn't go see fireworks because I was going back and forth about trying to take Haylie, so we ended up sitting on the front porch and listening to fireworks going off around us and tree frogs on a warm summer night. Pure bliss.

Trying to jailbreak the crib.

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!!

Smokin' a spatula

4 wheelers! I got the Big Daddy and Justin got the Tiny Tot. This was my first time to do this and was so much fun. Spiderwebs and all.

Big grins...this is a little creepy, but we'll keep her anyway.

Matchy matchy - Grandpa Berkley & Haylie coordinating.

A new hat/toy from Aunt Brei.

The cousins. Jagger was loving on Haylie the whole weekend.

Eating at the grossest & dirtiest DQ left in Oklahoma. Luckily for Justin and I, only Haylie ate...and thankfully it was what we brought for her.

Story of the Trip:

Friday night we were traveling to Columbia. It was about 9:30 or 10 when suddenly Justin goes, "Oh crap." Not knowing what's going on he suddenly exits and slows down. He then tells me that he just passed a cop and was going a wee bit more than the speed limit. He thought the cop was following us, but to throw him off guard, Justin thought he would exit. Then he says to me, "I need to find a gas station." Riiight. We have half a tank left and are in the middle of nowhere. So Justin quickly turns right at the end of the ramp at the stop sign. We then find ourselves...on a deserted back road. No gas station, no restaurants, nothing. We. Are. Caught. The cop miraculously saw us exit and is following us, sans lights. So Justin eventually pulls over and flashes his lights as if to say, go around us. Like the cop is going to do that. So the cop flips on his lights and we are officially pulled over. The cop comes up to the window and asks for J's license. The cop says that he pulled us over for not using a turn signal at the top of the hill at the stop sign. Justin, thinking quickly, says, "I'm really sorry but we were trying to find a bathroom [wasn't it just a gas station??] and I really have to go. Can I just use these woods?" So the cop says, "Well let me run your license and then you can go." He eventually comes back with J's license and says we are only getting a warning and to use our turn signal next time. Justin asks, "Can I go to the bathroom now?" The cop says, "Yes, let me turn around and then you can do your thing." So he gets back in his patrol car and turns around and Justin goes out to go "pee." Comes back in the car, we whip a U-ie and breathe a sigh of relief. We definitely used our turn signal getting back on the highway.

7 Months?!

My little chicken is 7 months old today. Last month I said I was so ready for her to be 6 months...and today I am thinking that 7 months has just flown by way too fast and kind of freaked out because she is more than half a year old. Why is it that a month makes such a difference?

This past month I could really tell she's growing leaps and bounds. First, she can sit and play by herself. But mostly, she is just happy. We even got a compliment from a Nursery Nanny at church last night (who used to refuse to hold her) that there was such a change in Haylie and thought she was so much better than she used to be. Hooray!! Now we are up to 2 whole people that will hold her during class. She has scared everyone else off with her temper.

Haylie has mastered the art of rolling over and usually when we lay her down - changing table, crib, floor, to nurse - she instantly tries to roll over. I guess she is just tired of looking at the ceiling. She has become quite the stomach/side sleeper too - one time I went in twice to flip her back onto her back and when I went to check on her, she was on her stomach. Got that hint.

We are up to eating whatever solid foods we can get into her mouth but she definitely prefers her oatmeal at bedtime. Sometimes she starts protesting because we aren't feeding her fast enough.

She is still in love with her exersaucer, but only lasts a few minutes. She would much rather be on the floor, able to move and groove. Not crawling or showing much desire to, but it probably won't be too long the way she flounders around sometimes.

She is very hands on and isn't happy unless she is touching/reaching/exploring something. Most everything has to be moved out of her way unless it's her approved toys.

But with everything, she really is such a happy baby and will give smiles out to anyone she meets!! I really am enjoying this stage of Haylie.