BEACH!!!

Tomorrow we are headed to the beach for 7 glorious days!!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

House-hunting

Tuesday we drove from Bham to Huntsville to look for a house. I was really excited! We were working with a great realtor and she and I had been sending listings back and forth for a week and had a good list of homes we wanted to see. We found one house we loved! Yay! We don't want to make a move this early, but we are definitely keeping an eye on it and will see if anything new comes on the market. The house is an older home that has been completely re-done and it is really pretty. It's not as big as we had hoped, but the neighborhood, the school system and the lot are wonderful! As we were driving to this house the realtor and I were both saying how great the house would be if they painted the brick. What was being done as we pulled in the driveway? They were painting the brick. Fate? Maybe...stay tuned;)

Pre beach, beach trip.

Joey played in a golf tournament today and after he got done, Finley and I picked him up (we are now a one car family because Joey's car was a company vehicle)and we drove to Orange Beach to see some friends that were on vacation. We played on the beach for a while and then went to the pool. Finley LOVES the water and it was so fun to watch her play in the ocean with Joey. She is a little too brave around the water so we will have to have our eyes glued to her! She had lots of fun playing in the sand with Riley and Payton. She loves swimming in the pool too. She kicks her arms and legs when you put her on her stomach. She was jumping off the side to me too. We got cleaned up and went to Lulu's for dinner. We ate way to much fried food and then headed home. It was a fun afternoon and a great end to the weekend!

Huntsvegas here we come!!!!

Joey got a great new job and we will be moving to Huntsville! That is the secret I blogged about last week. We are so excited about this! As most of you know, Mobile was just not a good fit for us and it was too far from our family and friends especially since we had Finley. I cannot believe we will only be an hour and a half from home instead of 4 hours. Yay!!!! No more packing for long trips and no more missing family events, baby showers, weddings, birthdays, etc. Joey and I may actually get to go on a date now and then since we have family in Huntsville and we will have a baby-sitter. The possibilities are endless! It will be so nice to go to Bham for a friend's birthday or Thanksgiving and then be able to drive home instead of packing for several days to spend the night. I am so excited about the next chapter in our life. Our plan is to pack up the house, but leave everything here and try to sell it. In the meantime, Joey will stay with his aunt who lives near Huntsville and I will live with my mom in Bham until we can close on a house. We have got a busy week ahead of us. We are driving to Bham tomorrow afternoon and then driving on to Huntsville Tuesday morning to go house-hunting. We'll come back to Mobile on Wednesday. My sister is coming down with us because on Saturday morning we are heading to Watersound for our annual family beach trip!!!! Hallelujah!!!! 7 days of sun, sand, surf and seafood! Joey doesn't start his new job until mid-June so I'm really happy for him that he can go on this vacation and truly relax. We are gonna soak it up! Thursday and Friday I've got to go to the store to get last minute things for the trip, pack, do laundry and just in case we had a free second, we are having a yard sale Saturday morning before we head to the beach. Yes, we are insane.

13 months...

I haven't done an update on Finley's mad skills in a while so I thought I would do one today in lieu of Thursdays Thirteen.

At 13 (and a half) months...

Finley says... mama, dada, hi, pop (popcorn), side (outside), baba (bottle), duck, quack and bow (hairbow). She'll say a lot of other words, but she will only repeat them back to you. She doesn't know what you are talking about unless you point.

Finley eats... almost anything. Peas make her gag just by being in her sight. She loves peanut butter, bananas, M&Ms, pancakes, ice cream, sweet tea, juice, any kind of meat, potatoes, grits, Nutri-grain bars, turkey dogs, french fries, yogurt, bread...you get the idea. Unfortunately she is like her mommy in that she doesn't like vegetables.

Finley loves... music, dancing, playing with Joey's iphone, pretending to talk on the phone, playing on the computer, playing outside, swimming, being chased by Mommy and Daddy, dogs, running through Target or anywhere else I put her down, being held, her blankie, bubbles and Yo Gabba Gabba.

She is not walking, but running!!! She can go in and out of the front and back door as long as she holds on to the door frame. It is so cute!

She is drinking whole milk now, but we have not ditched the bottle. To tell you the truth, I'm just not in any hurry. We'll get around to it eventually. She does drink juice out of a sippy cup, but she will only drink milk out of a bottle. I think we have finally taught her to put her cup or bottle in her carseat cupholder instead of throwing it when she is finished.

Finley has 6 teeth and 2 more that we can see coming in. I'll have to get her height and weight at the next doctor's appointment, but as far as I can tell she is growing, growing, growing!

She is a joy and makes every day an adventure! We love you bug!

Wordless Wednesday...kind of

Bellingrath Gardens

Finley and I ventured out to Bellingrath Gardens today. It's kind of like Birmingham Botanical Gardens, but bigger. It's really nice. We went there once before for a Magic Christmas in Lights thing they have during the holidays, but it was at night so we couldn't really see everything. It is really beautiful there. They have these huge green lawns and lots of little areas along the trail with benches, water fountains, koi ponds, etc. The only problem was that it was really HOT!!! I didn't realize how hot it was until we got there and started walking around. I snapped a few pics and then we left. Finley's little cheeks were red;) I would love to go back with Joey so we could get some family pics, but not until its cooler or overcast. It got us out of the house, I got to use my camera and Finley got to be "side" which is her word for outside, so the trip was a success. I'll try to upload pics later. Blogger isn't letting me right now:(

Just for fun!

It has been rainy here so I haven't gotten a chance to go out and play with my camera, but I did snap these this afternoon. I am LOVING this camera!

Battle of the Summer: Bikini vs. Tankini

I have a major dilemma. We are going to the beach in two weeks with my family so I have started looking at bathing suits. I feel certain everyone faces this problem at some point and probably right after you have a baby. I have no idea if it is still appropriate for me to wear a bikini. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm just worried about what other people will think. I know I shouldn't care, but I do. Obviously I'm not talking about anything skimpy, just a two piece bathing suit. After my first shopping trip, I came home with a brown tankini with white polka dots. I tried it on for Joey and he said he hated it and that I looked like I was 40. I truly appreciate his honesty. I kind of felt that way about it too, but thought maybe it was just that I had always worn a bikini and felt weird with more on than I was used to. I'm 28 and I want to look it! Being in my 20s makes me think I can still wear a two piece, but the mom in me says maybe I shouldn't. I bought 2 two pieces also and they are all laying on my bed with the tags still on and I've been standing over them trying to figure out if I should wear them. HELP ME!!! Maybe I need to find a cuter, younger looking tankini. If anyone knows where I can find a cute one, please let me know. Moms, I would love to know what ya'll think.

FINALLY!!!!

We FINALLY got the new camera I have been dreaming about since Finley was born! Yay!!! We got it this afternoon and I plan on taking Finley out tomorrow and snapping about a million pics. I love it! The pictures are so clear compared to my digital camera. I can see all the little curves of her face now:)

What will we do?

A while back Joey and I were looking through a dance recital program (I was thinking to myself how I couldn't wait until Finley could take dance) and started up a conversation about the costumes the girls were wearing. These "little girls" were wearing hot pants, midriff bearing tops and lacy satin things that looked like they belonged on a young woman on her wedding night. I know they are just costumes, but no matter how well you explain it to her, you are putting a little girl in a sexy outfit, onstage doing sexy moves and people are going wild for it. It will speak to her louder than her parents voice ever could. The girls in the video are talented and should be able to showcase their talent in more clothing and without the gyrating. A couple years ago I would have thought this was cute! Becoming a parent really changes your perspective. Look at the title of the video!!! Yuck, yuck, yuck!!! Watch it all the way through.




What will Joey and I do if Finley loves dance and joins a dance school and this is one of the routines they want to perform? I know what we would do, I just hope we never have to. Some people might think I'm a hypocrite because I have worn these things. I wore hot pants, fishnets and a midriff bearing top for hundreds of people to see while I danced to Britney Spears "Toxic". BUT, I was an adult in college on a professional dance team. I was not at a dance competition in the under 10 age group. The moves were not half as provocative as the ones you will see in the video. Actually, it was a jazz number. The video and article were on a website called digitaldads.com. The article is really good and so is the message. Good luck to moms and dads raising girls. This is what we have ahead of us. Not to be Debbie Downer, but we have to take the good with the bad. Maybe I'll steer Finley towards soccer;)

Here's the article that went with it.
http://www.digitaldads.com/2010/05/stop-slutting-up-our-girls/

Thursdays Thirteen

1.) We are having a neighborhood yard sale this Saturday. I'm so excited to get rid of some junk!!! Actually, it's mostly home decor that I don't like anymore. I have the urge to sell everything and start over. Finley's room won't be touched. I still love her room!

2.) 2 weeks until our annual family beach trip. Let the starvation begin:( On a happier note, I am beyond excited to take Finley to the beach this year! She is at a really fun age so I know we will all have a blast.

3.) Just about every afternoon, Finley and I go out in the driveway and she plays with her car and pushes her wagon around while we wait for Joey to get home. The kids across the street play baseball in their yard about this time every day. Remember when you were 10 and you were out of school for summer? No plans, no responsibilities and no obligations. Oh I miss those days!

4.) We never heard back from either of those "promising" buyers we talked to about our house. Booo! I know I shouldn't be surprised. I'm more disappointed than anything. Oh well.

5.) I

6.) have

7.) a

8.) really

9.) EXCITING

10.) secret!

11.) Can't

12.) tell

13.) yet;)

No, I'm not pregnant!

Kim, I bet Jason thinks this is cheating;)

Take me out to the ball game!

This morning I was at Joey's office mailing a care package to my sister (she had deviated septum surgery this AM)and a customer of his walked in and offered him tickets to the Auburn v USA baseball game tonight. Yea! We went and it was really fun! The weather was perfect. It was kind of overcast so it was cool and the sun wasn't in our eyes. I didn't stay for the whole game, but when I left Auburn was winning! Finley did great! She sat in the flip seats and looked around at everyone and ate some cheese fries. At one point I had her in my lap facing me and she was looking over my shoulder. I was watching the game and kept hearing her laugh and feeling her wave at someone behind me. I finally turned around and she had the attention of about 20 people sitting in the stadium seats behind us. It was too funny! She was loving it! She was waving at them and then she would wrinkle her nose up and smile. What a ham;)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, step-mom and mother in law. I love you very much and can't imagine my life without you. I hope you have a wonderful day and I wish I could be with you all.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

Pool Time!

The pool opened today so despite it being overcast we headed over to swim. Finley LOVES the water! She played in her float, splashed around and even made some friends. We ate chicken fingers and fries and then headed home. It was a quick trip, but it was fun!!! I'm getting so excited for the beach!!!

Retail Therapy

Finley and I indulged in a little retail therapy at the outlet mall in Foley today. She isn't the greatest shopper anymore. She wants out of her stroller! It's fine in children's stores where they have an area where kids can play, but when I'm looking for myself I have to be quick about it. We went to J Crew, Old Navy and Carter's. They had great deals at Carter's. Nothing I bought was over $10. Old Navy had a lot of cute stuff too. They had these little cotton sundresses (for women) that would be great for the beach for $8!!! Here is a pic of Finley's loot. I got 3 pajama sets, a bubble, 2 rompers, 3 tops and a pair of shorts for about $50.

I bought myself 2 tops, a pair of shorts, 2 dresses and a bathing suit all for about $80. Now that I'm looking at all of it, I realize everything I bought is gray, white and black. (Sigh) Oh well, so much for buying color this summer.

Has it really been 10 years?

Joey had his 10 year high school reunion Saturday night. We both had a great time! The reunion was at B&A Warehouse and they had a great turn-out. There was dancing and drinks which is always a fun combination;) The food was really good too. After the official festivities, a bunch of us went to Nana Funk's for an after-party if you will. It was a blast! The evening made for a rough Sunday, but it was totally worth it. Not too long ago, I would leave the house at 11pm to go out for the night, stay out until 4am and then get up and go to work the next day at 8am. HOW IN THE WORLD DID I DO THAT??? It's Monday and I'm still recovering. We are officially OLD.

T-shirt quilt

Joey and I had a huge stack of t-shirts from college that we were hanging on to for sentimental reasons. They were in a garbage bag in our attic! A friend of mine made the shirts into a quilt and it is AWESOME!!! Here is a picture. Candace Williams makes them and her link is below. This is a great way to hang on to your t-shirts without taking up a lot of space. I also think it will be really cool to show it to Finley one day and tell her about all the shirts. GET YA ONE!!!

http://tshirtquiltco.blogspot.com/