Pinterest Fails

Like a lot of people, I love pinterest. I have a ton of boards that cover a variety of things from recipes that I want to try to home decor and DIY projects. One thing that entertains me to no end, though, are pinterest fails. I, for one, think I can recreate pretty much anything I see on pinterest. Obviously, that's not always the case. I have my fair share of pinterest fails. 

While this fail isn't as nearly as entertaining as this cupcake fail, its still pretty good.

Before Preston was born I loved creating a board full of nursery ideas, newborn pictures that I wanted to have taken of him, and things I wanted to make for him. One of the things that I found, and immediately became obsessed with was this picture...

Pinterest Source

Being a military family I couldn't resist taking a picture like this (much to Ed's dismay). What we got...didn't quite turn out that way. 

Yep. Priceless. Preston was (and still is) a tiny peanut. He was maybe 2 weeks old in this picture and still wouldn't fit in the pocket (I'll be damned if I we didn't try though). Clearly, he was also pissed having been stuck in a pocket.

Yep. I'd say we nailed it. 

5 on Friday

In keeping with more consistent blogging, I am going to try (again) to implement a 5 on Friday here at the bubblehead bride!


1.) Preston turned 1 this week and I am still trying to grasp how that is even possible! He went for his 1 year well visit today, and has fallen off the chart weight wise. If I remember correctly, I don't think he even gained weight since his last visit. His pediatrician has suggested I put him on a "high calorie diet", though I am still trying to figure out how to do that without adding complete junk to his diet. Has anyone been through this before? What did you do?

2.) Preston's first birthday party is tomorrow, which has been months in the making. Initially, Ed and I joked that we weren't going to have a party that he and I would simply share a drink (or a shot) and toast to having survived the first year of parenthood. I got sucked into the fun of party planning, though, and now we are having a little gentleman themed birthday party complete with many of our friends and family and a mustache cake!

3.) The past two weeks have seen lots of visitors at the May household! My mother in law was here for a long weekend over Veterans Day weekend, my family has been here to spend Thanksgiving and Preston's birthday with us, and my father in law and Lorrie arrive tonight for Preston's party. It's been so nice having everyone to visit, it just makes us wish we all lived closer and could visit more often!

4.) I am toying with purchasing photoshop elements. I did a free trial of elements, as well as a free trial of regular photoshop. I loved them both and loved all of the things that I was learning to do with them. Elements is on sale right now through amazon, and I don't really need regular photoshop for the types of things I am going to be doing.

5.) Last week we had Preston's first birthday photos done by Tammy at Meant to Be Photography. She was absolutely wonderful with Preston and was so patient! We were at Shelby Farms playground, so of course, he was taken by all of the other kids playing and the many things that he could stick in his mouth. I picked 20 photos that she is going to edit and I cannot wait to see them when they are done. She captured the essence of my ornery little boy. Here is a sneak peak to leave you with for the weekend...

These Days

"the days are long and the years are short"

Truer words have never been spoken. Today we celebrated my baby boys first birthday! I can't believe a year has passed and my boy has grown so much! There are so many things about him that I wish I could bottle up and save forever. He is so funny and smart and curious.

For instance, he has figured out where I keep the canister of animal crackers, so when he's hungry, he scurries his little body into the pantry and bangs on the lid until I take it off, at which point he grabs a handful, puts them on the floor, and divides them so each hand has the same amount.

For his birthday Ed and I got Preston this wooden walker, which on one side has 3 shapes cut out -- a heart, circle, and triangle. It also comes with wooden shapes to fit into the cut outs. In just the course of the day he got good at putting the shapes in the holes....except when it comes to the triangle. He figured out a way to get the triangle to fit through the heart slot, so he refuses to put it through the actual triangle slot. What can I say...he's strong willed like his momma! He finds his own way and then sticks with it!

I am just so filled with love today and so proud to be the this little boys momma!

Being a Ham with NeNa

In My Birthday Shirt

Back of My Shirt

Not so sure what to do with my cake!

Yum!

Quarterly Top 5 Photos: Quarter 3

I am clearly late to the game here, but I saw this over on Living Like the Kings and loved it (Kat is full of these wonderful link ups! 

Here is how it works..

• Linky begins Wednesday, September 26th and ends Wednesday, October 3rd
• Go through the photos  from July, August, September 2012
• Choose 5 and post them on your blog or Flickr account beginning September 26th
• PLEASE only use photos that include your CHILDREN and/or PETS 
• Accompany each photo with a short explanation of why you chose it
• Link up here at Naptime Momtog, Click.Pray.Love., or Ramblings and Photos
• Be sure to include the Quarterly Top 5 banner or button in your post to share the link up with your friends.

Now, I am, by no means, an expert photographer. The majority of the pictures I take are on my phone (because with a crazy little boy, finding the camera will inevitably mean a lost moment), regardless, here are my quarterly top 5! 

 For whatever reason, we are absolutely fascinated with the dishwasher. Generally he stands in his walker and pulls the silverware out (clean or dirty... doesn't matter!) This time I made the mistake of leaving the door down and walking away for a second. Lets hope he's this into the dishes in the future! 

 Is it wrong that I love this picture as much as I do?!? Preston had been sick all day and this was what he looked like 95% of the day, but I just couldn't get over his skeleton jammies and how pitiful he looked! Recently I have seen this face more than I care to think about so its losing its allure quickly! 

One morning I heard a banging sound coming from his room. Upon further inspection, I found him standing in his crib banging the blind adjuster against the wall. He was thrilled with his discovery! He also kept pulling the curtains back to look outside, which I thought was so stinkin cute!

We love to feed ourselves! You can see that he dumped his entire bowl of cheerios on the floor and is eating them that way (which the dogs love!). I also love how you can see his pink/zebra sippy cup in the background courtesy of his friend Molly! (Her mom gave us their old sippy cups so we could figure out which ones he liked before buying 1,000...of course he favors the pink and zebra). 

There is nothing really special about this picture expect for the fact for the first time HE LOOKS LIKE ME! Somewhere there is a picture of me, around the same age, crawling down the hallway. We look identical! We are still trying to unearth that picture, but I cannot wait to see them side by side! 

Toddle Along Tuesday - Things I Actually Say

Tonight I'm joining Kat over at Living Like the Kings and Melissa at Growing Up Geeky for Toddle Along Tuesday!

This weeks topic is Things I Actually Say! I love this because the older Preston gets, the more I seem to repeat myself (I'm sure it will only get worse!)


Things I Actually Say

"Preston James....you get your tiny little butt back in here"

"Get the dog food out of your mouth!"

"Stop climbing on Bella!"

"Preston, where's momma? Come find momma!"

"Are you {expletive} kidding me?!? -- (yeah, we are still working on the no cursing)

and more often than not...

"Is it bedtime yet?"

Birthday Planning Mayhem

I cannot believe that my sweet little boy will be turning a year old in just 2 months time! A mom I met during our travels last month put it perfectly -- she said, "the days are long but the years are short". How true!

For anyone who knows me and/or has talked to me about party planning knows that I have had the HARDEST time coming up with a theme for Preston's birthday party. This dismays Ed, because, initially we weren't even going to have a party. Being that his birthday is on Thanksgiving, we figured we would do a small family thing after dinner (and we may or may not have joked about toasting a shot of tequila to making it through the first year). After much deliberation, though, I won him over on having a party...now I am making him (and everyone else) crazy with the planning.

I wont bore with the details except to say that I have changed the theme approximately 863 times...often to a theme I had considered before. In all honesty, we have probably circled the same 5 themes. Fear not! I have settled on a theme and ordered invitations before I could change my mind! Fate intervened (thankfully) and I found this invitation on etsy, which actually matches the paper I bought to make the decor. Now all is right in party planning land!

Stay tuned to see how my decor progresses and just how cute my little gentleman is going to look ;-)

5 on Saturday: Because my #6 requires an entire post!

My friend Cameron does an awesome job keeping up to date on her family's life with "5 on Friday", which I absolutely love! As a variation (and because I tend to have more time on Saturday), I am going to attempt a 6 on Saturday!


1) Preston was "sick" this week, which was EXHAUSTING! I was amazed by the level of patience that is required to take care of a sick baby. I am still not sure what his deal is, but I have narrowed it down to either seasonal allergies or runny nose as a result of teething. Most of the teeth he was working on, though, have cut through, so I am thinking he got my seasonal allergies. I am going to pick up some medicine today to see if I can offer the kid some relief! He isn't sneezing anymore, thankfully, but he is still congested and has a runny nose.

2) Ed and I are going on our first date night in....way too long! We usually stick to the standard dinner and a movie, but we both seem to be feeling a little adventurous, so I think we are going to head downtown! There is a restaurant that I have been wanting to try -- Flight -- which is exactly what it sounds like. A flight is a grouping of 3, so you can try a flight of red wine (3 small glasses of different red wines), a flight of salad (3 different small portions of salad), and/or a flight of steak (3 pieces of steak prepared in different ways with different toppings). Its different than our usual. I am looking forward to a night out after spending so many weeks apart!

3) I have a secret first love. Okay, well its not really a secret, as she is one of the most spoiled members of our household...

 The Ring Bearer in our Wedding 

 Anyway, Miss Bella Frances is having surgery on Tuesday to remove a golf ball size fatty tumor from her armpit. The doctor seemed to think it would be a quick procedure and she wont even need a drain, which is good. I am nervous for her, though I know she will get around much easier without it interfering with her leg! Now to figure out how to keep Preston from climbing on her and Zoey from wrestling with her while she recovers...

4) I am still hard at work figuring out what the heck I am doing with our living room wall. As I have previously mentioned, once we moved our couches around the pictures that were hanging didnt look right. We also happened to buy some photographs when we were in Charleston in the spring. I have those hanging, but I still need to get the prints made to hang the smaller pictures I want up. I swear we will be moving before I finally get around to it. Last week I finally hung pictures in the hallway. We've lived here a year and a half!

5) Speaking of moving....looks like we will be heading north in May. As of now, we dont know where we will be stationed next and probably wont know until March or April, but we do know that we will definitely be going to CT for 6 months while Ed finishes SOAC (civilian translation: department head school [though I realize that makes as much sense to you as SOAC]). Ideally, we would stay in CT, but we are both well aware that the Navy likes to "surprise" us. Nonetheless, we have been looking at houses, which makes it super exciting!

6) I was going to regale you on Preston and my adventures to Connecticut over Labor Day, but looking at the pictures, I realized it required an entire post. Stay tuned for pictures of my future daughter in law, gorgeous best friend/bride, and naughty little boy taking over New England!



As a wrap up...our week in photos!

Bathing Suit Dread

Yeah, I've been MIA. Lots going on in these parts!

To fully understand the bathing suit debacle I am about to share, I must first tell you the story of our honeymoon.

Because the Navy is such a glorious branch of the armed forces, Ed and I were forced to take our honeymoon a few months after our wedding. Its common, unfortunately, and many couples I know never actually get to take a honeymoon because of the Navy's unending generosity. Regardless, we were married at the beginning of January and didnt actually go on our honeymoon until the end of March.

Approximately 4 days after I found out I was pregnant.

In addition to being pregnant, Ed's dad and stepmom were kind enough to offer us one of their time shares for a trip to Aruba, which happened to coincide with the trip they were taking to Aruba, at the same resort. Now, dont get me wrong...I love my in-laws they are wonderful, generous people, but being in Aruba with morning sickness, no alcohol, and an additional 5 lbs (I swear I started gaining weight the SECOND I found out I was pregnant!)....not quite what I had envisioned.

I digress. The point of all of this is that we are going on a cruise at the end of the year. Not just a cruise, but  a wild and crazy extravagant cruise to the Caribbean. We have been planing and talking and making arrangements for Preston and the dogs and just today it hit me....holy shit I have to put on a bathings suit in 3 months.

Everyone whines about how much weight they gain during pregnancy and how hard it is to lose. They do not joke. Now, I gained 65 lbs, which is about double of what you are suppose to gain, but as healthy as I ate I was huge. To date I have lost about 40 of it....leaving 25 that still hangs around.

I have started doing weight watchers again, which is how I lost the initial chunk of weight (you know, that, and actually giving birth) and I am training for a 5k thats in October. I am hopeful that I can at least get close to my goal weight by our trip but still the thought of putting on a bathing suit makes me a bit squeamish.

This leads to the question of where to buy a bathing suit when you 1) do not weigh 95 lbs, 2) bear lovely tiger stripes on your stomach from a sweet little boy, and 3) dont want to look like a skank.

I am open to suggestions. And in the mean time...I am going to go dream about cake.

Crafting Extravaganza

Things have been full of crafting craziness around here lately. Somewhere in all my "spare time", I have found about 8.000 projects that I want to complete. Some have deadlines...most don't, but those that dont tend to grow.

I posted before about re-doing the wall in our living room. Thats still a work in progress, and what I mean by progress is that I took the old pictures down, bought frames, and they are laying on the spare bed. We were suppose to pick out what pictures we want to hang so I could order them, but you can tell that that has really taken off!

After moving the living room furniture I decided that our bedroom needed some sprucing up. I blame all of this on the fact that I have never lived in one place longer than a year (with the exception of growing up). Since moving out at 18 I literally have moved every. single. year. Now that we have been here over a year I am itching to change things up. So, we moved all of our bedroom furniture around and I LOVE it. Problem is, now we have a huge wall that has nothing on it. So, of course I scoured pinterest and found a project for myself....that of course turned into two more projects. Now I have convinced myself that I need to make wall art, new curtains to match, and a rug that pulls it all together.

I am also in the process of sewing purses for two little girls that are near and dear to my heart (and will be getting a baby brother in a few months!!). I am going to see them at the end of August at my best friend Alissa's wedding, so I wanted to have something fun for them while I shower their momma with boy stuff!

Oh another dear friend of mine has found out she is pregnant only 6 months after having Preston's girlfriend Lila, so I have a fun card in the makes for her!

Tomorrow I will post some picture updates on all of the craziness that has over taken my house!

In the mean time, if you want to see my pinterest diy to-do list you can see that here

Hope you're weekends turning out to be as fun as mine! xoxo

Parenting.

I set out to write about how hard parenting is. You know...woe is me. This week, in particular, has been brutal. What, with a teething, climbing, fussy 8 1/2 month old and a tired momma....things have not been so pretty around here.

I am going to do something different instead. I will leave you (but mainly myself) a picture of this naughty messy little boy and a reminder that parenting without a sense of humor is like being an accountant thats terrible with math.

Also, this is a good reminder.

PJM - 8 months

Another awesome Chelsea, over at The Life We Love, has a sweet little 7 month old boy named Logan. Every month she does a bio for him, and I loved it so much I decided to borrow her idea. They will be fun little tidbits and pictures to remember P at this age!

Name: Preston James May

Age: 8 months (and 4 days)

Favorites:

• Jumping in your bouncer! You love it so much that you think every toy you stand in is made for bouncing. Your NeNa bought you a walker and you couldn't understand why you were going anywhere when you jumped!

• Picking things up off the floor and sticking them in your mouth. You are especially fond of the dogs food and seem to be able to find things even after I vacuum. Twice. 

• Talking! Your favorites include "Da Da Da Da" (even though I keep telling you Ma Ma Ma Ma) and "Ba Ba Ba Ba"

• Giggling! You think everything is the funniest thing you've ever seen! Especially when momma plays peak-a-boo with you or when the dogs lick your face.

• Snorting and blowing raspberries. You make the most hysterical face where you scrunch of your nose and snort in and out. It's especially funny when I do it to you and you do it back.

• You love Bella and Zoey! I originally thought you and Zoey were going to be kindred spirits just from how she was when I was pregnant and you were first born. Now I see that you love your Bella and she loves you. Boy does she love you! You are always climbing on top of her and grabbing her tail. She is so patient. She generally doesn't even move and when she does its only to give you a kiss.

Talents and Skills: 

• We have just got through your sleep training. We have tried to do it in the past but you weren't having any of it! You would just sob and sob and sob for hours -- until someone picked you up and you would promptly pass out! We have been working on your sleep training for just over a week and you are doing so well! It has also helped you get onto a schedule. You are down to 2 naps a day now, but they are awesome long naps instead of those crazy 30 minute naps you use to like. You are so sweet when you sleep...

• In a matter of weeks you have gone from doing an army crawl to sitting up, trying to crawl on your knees, and now pulling up on daddy and me, as well as the furniture. You are especially fond of the end table in the living room, probably because thats where we keep the tissues and magazines. 

Temperament: 

• You are the sweetest boy ever! You are so content and easy to get along with!! Momma is so lucky! You love to flirt with the girls when we are out and about and you are the best shopping buddy ever! You seem so content to just sit in the cart and look around -- to take it all in! You are so alert and it seems like you are learning something new all the time. I am constantly amazed by how sweet and amazing you are! 

Cooking and Cleaning and Crafting - Oh My!

I don't know about the rest of you moms (and non-moms) out there, but before becoming pregnant I was your stereotypical single girl. Granted, Ed and I lived together and I was relatively domestic, but it wasn't until I was pregnant that I turned into this "super mom".

I have never been much of a cook. Spaghetti? Got it. Grilled cheese? I'm on it. Salad? Done! Anything that required ingredients I didn't readily have available or took too much effort I just wasn't interested in. I am the girl that use to have french fries for dinner and on more than one occasion, wine and garlic bread. (In my defense, Ed was on the boat so he was gone a lot). The first time I made something with more than 5 ingredients was a couple of months before we got married. Friends were impressed. I wish I were kidding.

My mom is crafty. Like, super crafty. She can see something and generally duplicate it. She makes silver jewelry for heavens sake! Anyway, I am not really that crafty. I use to scrapbook and paint but got away from those and other than the DIY aspects of our wedding, I haven't hadn't been much of a crafter as an adult.

Then I got pregnant.

I tell you people, those hormones do some crazy things! It was almost like as soon as we moved in and got settled (I was roughly 2 months pregnant?) I decided that I needed to start making EVERYTHING. (This is also about the time that pinterest came along. I blame them too). Since then I have gotten majorly into paper crafting, card making in particular, and now I find all kinds of projects that I want to do. This bathmat, a t-shirt quilt for all of Ed's old Virginia Tech t-shirts, and this name art project for Preston's room are just a few of the projects waiting in my queue.

I am constantly amazed at how motherhood changes things. Sure our priorities shift and we are now responsible for growing and nurturing a little person (or people), but its amazing how much it changes things you wouldn't consider.

Alright, I'm off to Hobby Lobby before picking P up at the sitter. I am determined to get our living room wall done this week (and pictures to come!).

Beauty (and baby) in a Box

Is it just me or are there new sample delivery companies popping up everywhere? If you aren't familiar with this concept, basically, you sign up for a subscription and the company of your choice sends you a monthly box containing samples of products that they recommend.


The first one I heard of, birchbox, claims that "Birchbox is the best way to discover new grooming, beauty and lifestyle products. Sample top products from high-end brands, get expert advice, buy new favorites and earn points with every purchase." I have a couple of girlfriends that get Birchbox and they love it! I haven't committed yet, but I am thinking of ordering my own subscription. They also have gift subscriptions, which makes a fun and unique present!


What seems to be a little higher end is glossybox. This is also available through a subscription service, giving customers, "5 luxury travel-sized beauty products for you to lather, blend, soak, spray, buff, and groom. Indulge and experience luxury at its finest". This seems like it would be a great way to try to out "luxury products" without spending the big bucks on full size products. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather splurge on something that I know I love instead of just winging it and hoping for the best!


Okay, so we've covered the beauty end. Because I have checked these sites out a couple of times, Facebook has obviously got my number and has recently been advertising for me to check out citrus lane. This subscription service allows parents to specify the age and gender of your child and then receive 4-5 of the "best" products available. One thing I love about this concept is that there seems to be a theme every month. They are advertising the July theme as "Bon Voyage". The picture shows a toy, sunscreen, sippy cups, etc. Previous themes are artsy, bath time, and bed time. The one caveat is that this is only available for children up to 3 years old. 


What appears to be the best of both worlds is available through bluum, which sends out a monthly box containing products for both mommas and babies. Containing both full size and sample size products, bluum sends out beauty products for moms and all the cool stuff we have come to expect for our little ones! Like citrus lane, bluum appears to be creating themes out of there boxes, such as "spring is in the air" and "new beginnings". 


Do you have a subscription to any of these (or other) companies? If not, is this something that you would be interested in partaking in??

Instagram

I was late to the iPhone party. Don't get me wrong...I have had a myriad of apple products including one of the original iPods, an iPod touch, and a MacBook Pro (read about my ongoing feud with iPhoto here). Regardless, it took me a while to actually get an iPhone.

One of my favorite apps (and I will admit, one of the reasons I was so looking forward to my new phone) was the instagram app. I love taking pictures with my phone, especially with a little one who is always doing something new and, likely, entertaining. What's more...I love all the filters that instagram offers. I am into the retro shabby chic look right now. My husband, however, asked me the other day if it was possible for me to take a picture that "doesn't look like it came from the 1960s". Men.

Because I have been so behind on my blogging due to traveling, holidays, and general chaos, I thought it would be fun to just catch up with my latest instagram photos. Warning...there is tons of cuteness to follow...

 Preston playing with his sister Bella. He's so funny now that he can crawl. The dogs don't stand a chance!

Daddy and Preston at the dog park!

 He is all boy! This picture was taken right after he found a bug on the floor and laughed hysterically until I took it (as he was trying to put it in his mouth). 

As we all know...date nights are hard to come by for new parents. Even more so when you have a limited number of reliable sitters. This is from our "make your own pizza date night". I thought I was very clever with my heart of pepperoni :-)

As much as I wouldn't want to move back...I do love watching the sun rise over the mountains of 

West Virginia.

Like father like son. I forget what they were staring at but I love how alike they act!

This picture is one of my favorites! Out of nowhere Preston started sitting up on his own!

Nakey baby butt!

After a rough day little one was so happy to fall asleep with his MiMa. He's so sweet!

Typical kid...he has a floor full of new toys and he is more interested in playing with a plastic hanger. 

He figured out how to climb onto Grandma and Grandpa's coffee table and thats where he played. 

I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful 4th of July! Happy Birthday America!

Mommy Wardrobe

I know, I know. I have fallen off the map again. The funny thing is that I keep thinking of things that I want to blog about but then I run out of time (and energy) and we are back to square one.

One thing that I have been wanting to post about is the elusive mommy wardrobe. I joke that the worst part about having a baby is then having to go back to wearing normal pants. Let me be the first to say that after a year or so of wearing stretchy elastic waisted clothes...jeans make me cringe. That being said, I have been trying to figure out a mommy wardrobe. I, personally, love a sun dress. Living in Memphis, where the summer temperatures are approximately as hot as the sun, dresses are easy and comfortable and cool. This is one of my new favorites this season...

http://www.landsend.com/pp/womens-sleeveless-solid-cotton-modal-fit-and-flare-dress~234859_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::MUS&CM_MERCH=IDX_women-_-dresses-skirts&origin=index

This Lands End dress is perfect for running errands but also easily dressed up. I actually wore the navy one in our family pictures with a cute polka dot cardigan. I own it in two colors and will likely buy another (or two). It's classic. I'm in love.

As I mentioned, I love dresses. The problem with this, though, is that I have a baby. A very active baby. I love to be on the floor with him and play, which is not always easy (or attractive) in a dress.

Yesterday I bought these pants...

http://www.nyandcompany.com/nyco/prod/Sale/The-Big-Big-Sale-50-off/Streetwear-Drawstring-Linen-Pant

I bought them mainly because they were on super sale...but they were also comfy and flattering (which I will take any day!). I plan to wear them this weekend at my grandparents anniversary party. My only concern is that they will be too hot to wear in Memphis.

I bought a ton of stuff at Old Navy over the weekend and ended up keeping only one item. One. Well, I did find Preston some amazingly cute submarine clothes (which I have searched high and low for his size), but as far as clothes for me...one. This dress...

http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=77950&vid=1&pid=559855&scid=559855032

Again...its a dress. Oy.

This motherhood wardrobe situation is a vicious circle! How do I find comfortable, versatile clothes that still work with having a little one? As much as I would love to wear sweatpants and athletic shorts until he goes to school, I don't think thats a very good idea...and I don't think my husband would appreciate it.

teething

I thought we had dodged a bullet. One day My son stuck my finger in his mouth and SURPRISE, there was a little tooth poking through his gums. He had been (minimally) fussy and had no other symptoms of teething, so it really took us all by surprise. We have a laid back baby. He's happy. He's easy. And now he's full on teething, so he is a complete stranger.

While his first bottom tooth cut through the gums, his second bottom tooth is taking its time. He is cranky and fussy and slobbery, and currently chewing on my Jack Rogers sandals. I know this too shall pass but it feels never ending. I feel as if I will never sleep through the night again. I feel like there isn't enough wine in the greater Memphis area.

I feel like we have tried every trick in the book -- ibuprofen at night, orajel, cold washcloths, etc. Is there something I'm missing? Is there some trick to surviving this stage?!? If there is...help a girl out!

Movin' and Groovin'

We are on the move here in the May household -- and not just because its Memorial Day weekend. Little one has become more interested in crawling over the last couple of days! It's not legitimate crawling just yet, but its pretty close.

Yesterday we were on the blanket outside. I was flipping through a magazine while he played with his toys. It didnt take long before I realized that he would crawl for books/magazines. Outside he was using the blanket to help him along...grabbing handfuls of the blanket to pull himself while he kicked his leg.

Inside last night I decided to try again and low and behold....he is getting the hang of it!

Lord help us when he realizes that he can do this even when there isn't something shiny in his sights!

iPhoto

I. Hate. iPhoto.

A few months ago Ed and I broke down and bought two new MacBooks. Its the first time either of us have had Mac computers. We've had iPods, iPod touches, and Ed had an iPhone. We were well versed in apple products. Branching out there and getting Mac computers, though, was a huge step. Ed got his first. He was starting his masters degree and my laptop just wasn't cutting it. After playing around on his for a few weeks I finally broke down and admitted that I wanted one too. My PC was a POS, so I got the exact same one as his, personalized it with my handy-dandy craftiness and proceeded to transfer all of my stuff over.

FML.

While this post was intended to be about how much I loathe iPhoto, let me also touch on how much I hate transferring music to a new computer. Ugh. I thought I had it all figured out when I transferred all 4,000 of my songs onto our external hard drive then copied them onto my Mac. Of course, I forgot that my music wouldn't be available unless the external hard drive was hooked up, and frankly, that pissed me off enough to decide to deal with it another day.

Back to iPhoto.  The root of my problem is organization. I love organization. My photos...not organized. Not even a little. On my PC everything was categorized into what year the photo was taken then broken down into folders for the event. I liked it. I knew how to find stuff. Now....we just have pictures everywhere. Pictures are organized by date but I'll be damned if there isn't a date for every.single.day.  At this point I'm not even worrying about old pictures, I'm just trying to get my pictures of P organized.

Has anyone else had this problem?!? Am I still too new to this to understand how to make it work efficiently? Is there another app that makes me less likely to stab myself in the eye?!?

C.R.A.Z.Y.

Things have been crazy busy around here! This week I have finally felt like I can sit down, breathe, and spend some down time with my little man.

Speaking of my little man....he turned 6 months old the other day! I cannot believe he is already that old! It has been such a fun time though...he's moving and talking, and so interactive. He is right on the verge of crawling, which I could definitely wait for! His first tooth is also making its grand entry. We had some jagged corners popping through today, so I'd say any day we will have a full on tooth. Oy.

It never ceases to amaze me thats its possible to love someone this much. Even on my worst days this little boy changes it all.

In other news...I have been bit by the re-decorating bug. I blame it on the fact that this is the longest I have ever lived in one resident (aside from growing up). I have had the tendency to move every year, if not sooner. Now that we're home owners, though, this gypsy has to stay put. I am busy re-creating our living room, though, so stay tuned for how thats going!

Another Day in Paradise

Today started out as a good day. Don't get me wrong...it hasn't been all bad, but I am beginning to realize that its always something. When I got home from running around today I found Zoey, my little naughty boxer, had a problem with her eye. A major problem. I haven't been able to get her to hold still and/or keep it open long enough to get a picture but it looks nasty. When I got home she could barely keep it open and when she did open it her eye was rolled back in her head and her second eyelid was essentially stuck to her eyeball. Of course the baby is sleeping, but I knew as soon as he woke up he was going to need fed and changed. Do I dare go to the vet and risk a meltdown? Of course not. I'm not a glutton for punishment.

Thankfully Ed was able to come home a little early from work so I could run her up to the vet (which is so awesome about last minute appointments...Berryhill Animal Hospital...i love you). Anyway, the vet seemed to think that she got something in it that scratched her eyelid. Whatever. I think thats a load of crap but I didn't go to school for veterinary medicine, so I guess I'll take his word for it. He gave us some medicine to put on it and did a bunch of tests to rule out a serious issue, but she looks pretty much the same. I guess only time will tell but the poor thing looks like a hot mess. Imagine Quasimodo on a boxer face. Poor baby.

On a lighter note...look at me blogging two days in a row :-)

Day 16- Another picture of yourself (baby pic!)


This is fun because I happen to have a bunch of my baby/kid pictures on the computer from our wedding and the slideshow that never came to fruition. 


It's so hard to pick a favorite, so I will post a few. I love looking at them and comparing them to how Preston looked when he was born and how he looks now. He looked so much like Ed has a newborn but looks more like my brother every day. 

Here is hoping my exhausted boy (and dog) sleep through the night. I just noticed that I rarely mention and/or take pictures of Bella. Thats because she is as stead-fast and laid-back as I could ever have hoped her to be. As long as meals are on time and ears are scratched she is a happy girl. 

Preston (and Bella) in February

Yep, just another day in paradise. 

30 Day Challenge -- Day 15

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play


This is going to be interesting because my iPhone has the most random compilation of music. So random that I don't even remember and/or listen to half of the things that are on there. Anyway, I am going to try not to cheat and put down songs that make me sound highly intelligent, refined, and classy. Here goes nothin...




1) Neon - John Mayer
2) Fat Botton Girls - Queen (classy and refined, no? Even classier....this use to be the ringtone on my phone for my best friend). 
3) Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
4) Girls Like Me - Kellie Pickler
5) Ain't No Crime - Billy Joel
6) Every Girl Like Me - Sugarland
7) I Found a Boy - Adele
8) I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea - Fall Out Boy
9) Santa Clause is Coming to Town - Cyndi Lauper and Frank Sinatra (gotta love Christmas in May!)
10) You're My Home - Billy Joel




Aside from the Christmas song I think this is actually a pretty fair representation of what I listen to. I love me some Sugarland and Billy Joel is an all-time favorite! And I didn't even cheat :-)


Okay, back to work...

Start Where You Are

I have decided, recently, that I need to implement a new mantra in my life. The Hollywood Houswife, whom I love, made her 2012 mantra "Start Where You Are". Initially, I thought, "well, of course you would start where you are? Where else would you start?". Lately, though, I have seen the importance of remembering such a thing.

Whether its my organization, my weekly planner, meal planning, blogging, etc I tend to focus on what I haven't done. I found myself looking at my weekly organization planner today and reading over all the tasks I should have done Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday that never got accomplished. Do you know what I was doing those days instead of sweeping, dusting, and restocking the toilet paper? I was working and snuggling my sweet boy, who I missed all weekend while we were in Colorado.

So, I've realized that I need to focus on the present and what is immediately in front of me. I need to start where I am. Not in the past where I tend to dwell or in the future that I so optimistically look forward to but right where I am. Okay, maybe not right where I am because this folding chair isn't doing much for me, but I digress.

Moving forward with my mantra I must say (to all 3 people who read this) that I will not be doing my back posts for my 30 day challenge. I know. You were totally looking forward to reading the letter to someone who hurt me. I realized that I couldn't commit myself to sitting down and blogging because all I could think about was how many days I was behind and how long it would take me to write a blog post with 7,835 things I have forgotten to write about.

I am starting from where I am and you should too :-)

Epic Failure

Yep, thats me. I am so awful at this posting thing! In my defense, my weekend was spent taking care of a sick husband and a teething baby and then I was preparing for my mom to come to visit and our upcoming trip to Colorado. I need to post an update blog on life, but first things first...lets talk about days 4-7 (8 and 9 yet to come).


Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn't have, or something that you are looking forward to. 

   

           Well, of course, if you ask me...I don't have bad habits. Nah. All kidding aside, I totally do. I would have to say my worst habit is procrastination. I am notorious for waiting until the last minute and then rushing around LIKE A CRAZY PERSON. Yesterday is a perfect example. For months I have known my mom was coming. Months. I booked the ticket for crying out loud! So, I wait until the day before to buy her birthday presents. I knew what I was getting her I just hadn't made time to get to the mall. Of course, as should be expected, I couldn't find one of the things. Blah blah blah...long story short I ended up having to rush into a store (gift bag and tissue paper in tow) on my way to the airport. Thankfully they had exactly what I was looking for, but it would have been a non-event had I planned ahead. One day I will learn (or not). 

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

This is one of my absolutely favorite pictures ever...

When Ed was deployed in 2009 what ended up being a routine 6 month deployment quickly turned into a treacherous 8 month endeavor. I say endeavor because of the ridiculous backwards information, lack of communication, and continuos extensions. Thats a whole other story, though. Anyway....about "halfway" through the deployment the submarine pulled into Scotland. A lot of the wives went to meet up with their husbands. Ed and I had been dating for all of 5 months (I think) at this point. We had been together 2 months when he left and decided we would give it a go (and by we decided I mean I refused to let him break up with me. Also another story for another day). So, we met up in Scotland and had a wonderful week together, reminding us that what we had was worth waiting for. This is also where we decided to move in together upon his return. This picture was taken at the top of Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh Scotland. It was a perfect day. 

Day 06- Favorite super hero and why 

Ooooh superheros. Thats a tough one. Growing up I was never a comic book kind of girl. I never got into the superhero cartoons (though I do remember the batman and robin cartoon from when I was really young). As an adult, though, with the help of hollywood I have become immersed in the Marvel/DC/Superhero stories. I really like hearing form actual comic book junkies how the movies differ from the actual stories in the comic books. Anyway, I digress. While I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Batman (who doesn't love a debonair normal man who is out to avenge his parents murder?) I would have to say my favorite superhero, based on skill and purpose, would have to be  Wonder Woman. Here is how wikipedia describes her --

Wonder Woman is a warrior Princess of the Amazons (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) and was created by Marston, an American, as a "distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men." ^[2] Known in her homeland as Diana of Themyscira, her powers includesuperhuman strength, flight (even though the original Wonder Woman did not have this ability), super-speed, super-stamina, and super-agility. She is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat and in the art of tactical warfare. She also possesses animal-like cunning skills and a natural rapport with animals, which has been presented as an actual ability to communicate with the animal kingdom. She uses her Lasso of Truth, which forces those bound by it to tell the truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and, in some stories, an invisible airplane.

I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty bad ass to me. 

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

Easily, this little boy has had the greatest impact on my life. He has been the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Don't get my wrong...I love my husband and my wedding day was a top 3 contender for best days ever, but this little one takes the cake. As a first time mother, I was absolutely terrified of him when he was born. I was afraid to hold him, afraid to change his diaper, and pretty much had no clue what I was suppose to do with him. Pregnancy in no way prepares you for actually having another human being that you are solely responsible for. Regardless of how tough it has been (and sometimes still is), he is amazing and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. He has made me a better person, because now I'm his mommy.