Wednesday, October 20, 2010

My Favorite Time of Year

I LOVE this time of year for many reasons.  The obvious would be that we are finally getting a break from the brutal Houston heat.....or at least we are supposed to.  The last week has been a little too warm for my liking again - today my car read 91 degrees...crazy!  But compared to 2 months ago - its definitely bearable.  But still - I'd actually like to have a Fall with cool days. 

The other reason I love this time of year is all the kid's consignment sales.  My favorite one is going on right now - Just Between Friends.  I went for the first time last fall - about a week after I found out I was having a boy.  I stocked up on TONS of stuff for Cannon last year so I was hoping to score again this time - and lets just say this year didn't disappoint!  I managed to go to the Pre-sale this time - ahead of the masses that will go starting tomorrow.  As I was getting out of the car, I ran into a friend who was leaving - she gave me the bad news that she had just waited in line for an hour to check out!!!  I seriously contemplated just going home.  I had Cannon with me and just didn't see how it would be worth it.  But I decided to venture in anyway (big surprise..lol) and sure enough - the line was wrapped around the entire thing.  So I just started looking around and taking my time.  I think I can honestly say this is the biggest consignment sale I have been to yet.  Soooooo much stuff!  I ended up being there about 2 hours and Cannon didn't make a sound - just hung out in his stroller babbling to himself and looking around - have I mentioned how awesome this little man is now???  He is just the happiest baby ever - definitely my little shopper ;)  I ran into this one lady several times and she kept going on and on about how good he was...lol.  If only she knew how we spent our first 4 months together - ha!  Anyway like I mentioned earlier - I got some great deals for both Cannon & Brookie.  I love that place - I feel like I could go back every day and still find more stuff...lol.  If you've never been to this sale and love a great deal - you should definitely check it out - they are all over the US.  Thought I'd share what I got and give you an idea of prices.  Each seller sets their own prices - but for the most part they are pretty similar.  (Sorry that some of the pics are rotated - not sure why they uploaded to the blog like that and I am too tired to try to fix it)

1st - here is Cannon's stuff:




2 Pcs Old Navy $4


4 Pc 1st Thanksgiving $4

Children's Place
2 Long Sleeve Tops $7


Carters 2 Pcs
New with Tags $5

Carters 3 Pcs
New with Tags $5


Carters Onesie $2


Children's Place
2 Long sleeve Tops $7


Hat & Mittens $5
(For Cannon's Halloween Costume)

Dwell Studio $4










Old Navy
2 Long Sleeve Tops
and socks $5



Old Navy 2 Pcs $4
Jeans & polo shirt

Old Navy Onesie $1.50



Old Navy Romper $5


1st Bday Plates/Napkins $5

Circo 3 Pk Long Sleeve Onesies $2.50 (brand new in pkg)




Moose Rocker $12






And for Brookie, this is what I found:



3 Pcs $8

4 Pcs $8


Corduroy Dress $4


Denim Skirt $4
(perfect for Go Texan Day)


3 Pcs - Gymboree
with 2 barrettes $10

3 Pcs - Gymboree
with 2 bows $14
(pants new with tags)


2 Pcs $5.50


Old Navy Dress $6


Old Navy Rain Boots $4
(For Brookie's Halloween Costume)


Old Navy Top $3


Princess Doll $3








I think I am now done with their fall/winter wardrobes - yay!!!  :)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

7 Months

What a month!!!  We have seen some of the biggest changes in Cannon this last month - I said the other day how it seems that during this last month, he changed from being a  helpless little infant to an active baby!  His little personality is really starting to shine through and we are loving it.  He is just so laid back, although we are getting little glimpses here and there that he will keep us on our toes just like his big sister.  I don't know if we can handle two active little ones (and of course an almost pre-teen).....hahahaha.  We have definitely got our work cut out for us!  Cannon is just so much fun now and I am loving my days during the week when its just the two of us.  Here's a little of what he is up to these days:


•Weighs 18.6 lbs acccording to our bathroom scale

•Wears size 3 diapers

•Wearing 6 months and 6-9 month size clothing

•Drinks 7 ozs in each bottle

•Eating baby food - so far he has had sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans, applesauce, pears, bananas, peaches. We usually give him a fruit in the morning for a late breakfast and then a veggie in the evening for dinner. He's doing much much better now with eating - especially the fruit - he actually starts whining if I don't feed him fast enough.  Now with veggies - he will eat them, but he definitely gets more distracted.

•Sitting up pretty well - still wouldn't leave him to play on his own - he loves to reach for things and forgets about the balance thing and would do a faceplant if I wasn't there to catch him.

•Pushing up on his arms & knees - the crawling position.  Not at the same time yet...but working on trying to figure it all out.

•Loves to stand up and jump on your lap while holding him - he is so strong!

•Loves to grab his feet and play with them and put them in his mouth...lol

•I have nicknamed him 'Octopus Arms' b/c he grabs at everything that is within reach of him.  He grabs at the blinds next to his change table, mine & Brookie's hair - and he gets such tight hold on it - takes awhile to untangle his fingers - ouch!  Last week we went out to eat and he started fussing so I figured I would just hold him on my lap while I ate - BIG MISTAKE!!! He was grabbing everything - my burger, the napkins, my drink,the wrapper etc.  It took both Andy & me trying to get everything away from him before he grabbed the next thing - it was actually pretty funny.

•Still no sign of teeth...still waiting for the first to appear.

•Recently found his ears and loves to mess with them.  This is going to make it challenging for us to know whether he is just playing with them or messing with them b/c they are bothering him. 


•Still a GREAT sleeper - has his last bottle around 8:15pm and will sleep on average for 12 straight hours.

I'm attempting to work on his sleeping arrangements again...dreading it.  Right now he is sleeping in his crib for all naps/ and at night but since I put him in his crib when he was so young, I put him so that he lays  across the short end and the rest of the crib was blocked off - just felt more cozy and secure when he was younger.  Plus he is still swaddled.  I know the time is coming where he is going to outgrow them and he is already in the biggest size they have out there.  So today was test #1 - nap time without the swaddle and having the whole crib to sleep in.  He fussed for a long while and then finally gave up and fell asleep.  He woke up about an hour later and fussed some more before falling back asleep for another hour.  So all in all - not a total disaster, but definitely room for improvement.  Needless to say - tonight he is back to sleeping in his swaddle and sleeping in the short end of the crib.  I think I will concentrate on naps first and get him used to the idea of having the whole crib before messing with his night time sleep (and Mommy & Daddy's sleep too).

•Takes 2 naps a day - one longer one about 2-2.5 hours and the other around an hour

•Loves to chew on his Sophie the Giraffe chew toy .  Yes, I broke down and actually bought one after hearing so many people say how wonderful it is.  And its worth every penny of the $20 I spent for a glorified chew toy that looks like it could have been found at Petsmart.  It really is a great toy for chewing on and so easy for them to hold since its just the right size and shape.

•Loves his jumperoo and bounces around like crazy in it.  Also loves the walker when we are outside playing.

•He is a rolling machine!  He can move clear across a room in 5 seconds flat.  There have been a few times I have turned my back and looked back to where he was and he's nowhere to be seen - he rolled his way into a corner behind the couch or something.  Oh the fun times that are on their way with him being mobile...

•He is such a HAPPY baby now - smiles all the time and at everyone!  LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!  Everywhere we go, thats the first thing people say - wow, he is such a happy baby!!!!  I just laugh and say if only they saw him the first 4 months...totally different story.  I love when he gives his bashful smile...it is just so cute!

•He has become such a laid back & calm baby - he is just so easy going.  He is my little shopper - he will just hang out in his stroller and not make a peep.  Brookie was always more challenging when she was little when I went shopping - she hated sitting still for any length of time - always had to be on the go.

•Loves getting kisses and being tickled - will make him squeal and giggle.

•Babbles constantly.  He has said ma ma several times - but its always been when he is fussing.....just sounds so funny.....he will be crying and all you hear is "ma maaaaaa"  clear as day.  Not really sure he really means it but still fun to hear.  Just today he started saying "ba ba".  So the babbles are progressing as they should be according to all the milestone lists.
•He is such a snuggler..he will just curl up into your neck/chest when you are holding - soooo sweet!  I am enjoying every minute of him like this b/c I know he will soon be too busy to be like that.

And now - the pics.  I think its safe to say that the days of getting cute pics of him posing with his sign are long gone!  Today, the second I put him down, he snatched up his sign (aka 'Octopus Arms') and starting chewing on it.  Then I moved it up out of his reach and then he found the blanket....oh the fun times!  But anyway... now its funny to see the pics that I do get - I think it really shows his personality...lol.  Enjoy!

This is probably the best shot we got today.....

This is how it all started...the minute I put Cannon down on the chair to start taking pictures, he lunged for his sign...

So a lot of the pics were taken minus his '7 Month' sign...

Such a ham!!!  Love his smiles!


 Found a way to pose with his sign....up above his head and out of his reach


Plotting his next move - how to get the sign down!!!

Looking all innocent with his little grin...


Giving me the 'I'm not up to anything look....'

Trying to avoid eye contact - not sure how long he can hold his straight face....

Oh!!! But wait....someone noticed where the sign was after a minute...but how to get it?

 Well he decided chewing on the blanket will have to do...

 Oh...but wait again!  If I pull on the blanket...the sign comes with it!  SCORE!!!

 Just relaxing and acting like he doesn't care about his sign....

Clearly he was just pretending!  He thought if he scrunched it up, he would be done with pics...

But nope...Mommy had to get one more....Cannon was NOT happy about it!

So we tried taking a pic with Brookie too....

And these are what we got....not an easy task!

I failed to get a pic of Cannon grabbing onto Brookie's hair for dear life...but this was the outcome....

 Poor Brookie...she has no idea how difficult her life is about to become with a little brother...hehehehe.  This is the best smile I could get out of her after the hair pulling incident.

 Finally - we are done with the chair and posing for pics - now its tummy time!!!  I never thought we'd get to this point with this little man - actually enjoying being on his tummy...but now he actually prefers it.

 This is how we find Cannon most times while on the floor - a rolling machine everywhere!!!

He's really starting to push up on his arms and get up on his knees - but hasn't figured how to do them both at the same time....

 Thinking about what and/or where to go next.....

Just rolling around on the floor enjoying his space...
  


Such a big boy!

Fascinated by the ceiling fan above him.....

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Time Flies

Well I just realized that its been several weeks since I did an update on here - oops!  Its definitely not for lack of things to do - b/c its been quite the opposite.  We have been going non-stop - just haven't taken the time to take a whole lot of pics.  I guess you could say I am going through a dry spell!

It seems like every day we are on the go - hardly ever at home - and the days we do manage to stay home - I am doing laundry.

Brooklynn has quite the little social calendar to keep up with - its wearing me out!

Between birthday parties, playdates and other activities - its turned into my full time job - ha! But I am loving every second of it - I always thought once I quit my job to be a stay at home Mom - I'd have tons of time - but actually its the opposite. Its so much fun and fulfilling to do things that make our kids happy - love it! The challenge is to find stuff that is free or inexpensive - b/c it can get out of hand and fast! She is such an active little girl who loves to stay busy. She is so much fun and full of life - never a dull moment. And she is also approaching 3 - another month and we are there. And I've heard the 3's can be worse than the 2's....its kind of scaring me - b/c she is definitely testing us more now than ever. Oh the fun times with this girl :) My hope is she one day uses her drive, determination and stubborness for something good :)

Trying to get a good (normal) pic of Brooklynn these days is.....challenging - to put it nicely.  Here's just a sample from one day when I was trying to get a cute pic of her.











But then 2 minutes later...she does this - totally melts my heart!!!!


Cannon just lights up when he sees his sister....and laughs non stop when she is around - love it!  Should get interesting in the next several months as he becomes mobile and really starts interacting (a.k.a. stealing her stuff and bugging her) with her....hahahaha!

Speaking of becoming mobile - Cannon has learned that he can get where he needs to be by rolling there.....reminds me of Brooklynn!  He is a rolling machine - I put him down in one spot and within a minute - he is clear across the room......I am starting to get the feeling he is going to be giving me a run for my money - just like his big sister.  He has changed soooo much this last month - from being an infant into an active baby - interested in EVERYTHING!  He grabs anything he can get his hands on and will not lie still for a diaper change - constantly wanting to flip over and grab for something..anything!  As crazy as things are about to become with him moving around getting into trouble...I am so thrilled!   Makes me so happy that he is finally really starting to interact with us and the world around him - the first few months are amazing in their own ways...but once they really start interacting with you - its a whole new experience like no other!  And of course for us...those colicky days are gone so these sweet and fun moments with him are that much more appreciated and enjoyed!

Here are some shots of our little cutie pie







Hmmm..what else have we been up to the last several weeks?  We finally had our first weekend away from the kids - ever!  Only took us almost 3 years to do it....sad I know.  The first time I ever was away from Brooklynn was when Cannon was born.  So I think we were due!  Anyway Andy & I headed up to Canton, TX - to a HUGE HUGE HUGE flea market/Craft fair, yard sale etc.  I have heard about it for years but it has just never worked out.  Well our friends were going and invited us along so I knew I would have some leverage with Andy to go to something like that since it was my bday weekend..so it was a great idea - an adult weekend away!  We had a blast - I don't think I have ever walked so much in my life - the weather was absolutely perfect so it was packed!  I bought a few things for the house and for the kids and for myself - so it was great!  It was just a refreshing time - just us without the chaos of the kids.  Don't get me wrong - I missed them A LOT - especially seeing so many people there with their kids and babies.....but it was good for us.  They were kept busy with Grandma so they
definitely weren't missing us too much...lol!

Oh one last thing - talking about houses - we put ours on the market.  We need more space - desperately.  So we figured we would give it a shot and see what happens.  It won't be the end of the world if we don't sell it (part of me hopes we don't) but it would definitely be a nice improvement to have some more space.  I'm kind of torn about wanting to leave - on one hand - I would LOVE more room....we need it.  But on the other - this house has so many memories in just its short 6 years.  We watched it being built from just dirt when we bough the lot.  We picked everything out ourselves.  We got married while in this house...we had 2 babies while in this house.  We have welcomed friends & family into this house.  We love our location - we are in a cul-de-sac so its so nice when we play outside - not having to worry about a busy street.  But I figure - whatever happens I will be ok with....either way.  We will always have the memories with us :)  So time will tell what path we take.  We know that we will stay in the same area - just something a little bigger if it works out.  Just the most challenging thing is to keep it 'show ready' on a daily basis with 3 kids and 2 dogs.  The house is pretty much in order - just don't go in our garage...lol - looks like Toys R Us exploded in there.....hahahahaha!