Merry Christmas

We hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Christmas! We sure did, it was the first year Keenan and I did not exchange a gift! I guess we still had the fun of opening because Miss Bailey has now decided she didn't want to open gifts! She just wanted to pass the gifts out then play with the toy once someone else opened it. Silly girl!
I'll try to get you caught up on the happenings for this month....
Bailey is now potty trained!!! She's been in undies only since a couple of weeks past her 2nd birthday. She is trained for pee only during the day and for naps. #2, well, she's afraid of the potty when it comes to that. Oh well, we are saving a ton on diapers! She has not had an accident since Thanksgiving! We are so very proud of her. We even took a trip to Nashville and went to Rainforest Cafe and Bass Pro Shops, dry the entire day! We just had to make a few pit stops along the way. She will NOT go potty in a public restroom, so we have to have her "pink potty" in the car or take it with us when we visit friends/family, she'll go on that only.
As of tonight (the day after Christmas) we've decided to take the front rail off of her crib and convert it to do a day bed. She was using it as a trampoline during her supposed nap time. We were a little afraid she would end up flipping out and getting hurt. She was thrilled to sleep in her big girl bed tonight. She did however, roll out of bed about 2 hours after falling asleep. The fall didn't even wake her up! However, when I went in to put her back in bed, that woke her up. :( Tomorrow we will be on a search to buy a twin bed with side rails. Our baby is growing up! :(

Bailey has spent the month of December "cooking" with mommy! This is one of her most favorite activities. We've baked lots of cookies and she helped me make lots of batches of snowman soup (hot chocolate). It's the best!
We've added a new addition to our Christmas decor this year. We've put up outdoor lights and a train under our tree. Huge hits! So glad we did it!
We've met several friends and their kiddos for little play dates and for lunch out the past few weeks, but I forgot my camera :(. She had a great time and is enjoying playing with the other kiddos!
Christmas Eve, daddy had to work, so Bailey, Nonny, Pawpaw & I went up to my grandparents first for a nice visit (finally got an updated generations picture!) Then we met Keenan over at Tracy & Dan's house for a wonderful dinner and gift exchange. After that (it was 6pm already) we headed back to the good ole west side to Keenan's parents for a visit and gift exchange with his family. We didn't leave there till about 8:15! That was an extremely late night for Bailey considering no nap that day (she's not been taking naps for the past couple of weeks :( Therefore we put her to bed about 7 or 7:15. She was so tired and even put up a good fight before bed, and was out cold within 5 min! :)
Christmas morning after opening the gifts that Santa brought we had Keenan's parents and Nonny & Pawpaw over for our annual brunch. This year I finally changed it up a bit and cooked an AWESOME Krispy Kreme Donut Bread Pudding and Sausage Gravy Biscuits. Delicious!
Bailey had a great Christmas a very "Leap Frog, Play Doh & Instruments Christmas" (to play along with Little Bear's Band)--her all time favorite show. Actually she's addicted. She also got a life like moon that you hang on the wall and it illuminates in a dark room all of the various stages of the moon. She is obsessed with the moon, has MANY space helmets (sock hats and bike helmets) and flies there often she'll tell you. :) Absolutely precious, her creativity, imagination---the way she reinacts her favorite little bear episodes. She is very theatrical!
Hopefully, i've got the blog caught up for the most part.
Again, I hope you all had a VERY Merry Christmas and hope you have a GREAT 2010!!!
Enjoy the slideshow from the month of December (minus our Nashville trip).

Fall "Family" Fishing Trip

We made a last minute decision to head to the lake Thursday after Keenan got off of work. His parents were already at the lake house and offered to watch Bailey for us for a few hours Friday morning so we could get out on the water. It was a gorgeous day and we were surrounded by pelicans! I've never seen them there, Keenan has, and every fall they show up during their migration south. Those things are huge! Friday afternoon, Keenan went fishing while I stayed back at the house so Bailey could nap. He saw an eagle! I am sooo jealous! This is the best time of year to spot one down there (i've only see 1 in the wild!)...I was glad that he got a picture for me though.
Saturday morning, after we got all packed up to head home, we wanted to get Bailey out on the boat for a couple of hours. She had been asking to go fishing with daddy since we got there. We remembered her Barbie fishing pole this time! As soon as he started the motor she sat back and said, relaxing..wind feels good. She was almost limp from relaxation when we drove the boat over to where he wanted to fish. She's our girl...LOVES THE OUTDOORS! She had been high strung while at the lake house and was a little stinker a few times...when she got out onto the lake...a totally different kid! She instantly asked for her fishing pole. She literally casted and reeled in (help from mommy and daddy reeling at times--NEVER casting..she gets mad if you try to help)..she did this for an hour! I didn't even need to get out the toys or movies that I brought...they stayed in the bag. She was such a big girl and aboslultley enjoyed herself out there today. It broke our heart to leave...she cried bloody murder on the boat ramp while others watched because we were loading the boat :( She wanted to go fishing some more. :( I hate to tell her but that is the last time we will be out this year unless December has some crazy warm days




Bailey did AWESOME casting. 9 out of 10 times she casted correctly and her little butterfly plug went in the water. WE LOVE IT! She really taught herself as she does not have the patience to take any direction. INDEPENDENT! Enjoy the videos....turn your volume up...she says a couple of cute things on both of them. :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

She was such a tired girl tonight..she was asleep by 7! YAY!!! She needed it!

BOO!

Happy Halloween! As you can see, we've been busing doing a little punkin carving...Keenan FINALLY looks forward to Halloween now, knowing he gets to carve pumpkins. We LOVE IT! I can't see what we will come up with next year. Bailey wasn't too into it...she colored at the table while we carved...next year will be a different story!


I took a couple of pictures of Bailey using my new backdrop. I LOVE IT! I experimented with the natural light in our living room...I think it turned out pretty good for my first time. ;-D Plus, I had a super cute model!


Our friend & (Keenan's distant cousin) Kelli, invited us down the street to her house to meet up with a big group of kids to do a little trick or treating. We went to about 7 houses then we broke off from the pack and headed to another friends house before we went to Bailey's grandma's for the evening.

Bailey trick or treating at the neighbor's house. She was SOO quiet and only said trick or treat to 1 person....was silent for all of the rest. NEVER cried at any of the scary kids in costume. She missed her nap and I think she was super tired.

We stopped by our good friends Kim & Gloria's house before we went to grandma's...Bailey not only got candy but she got a birthday gift too & got to play with a bunch of toys! I think this was one of her favorite stops!

Bailey is not sure what to think about this.
I am sure she is thinking..."Why the H**L does my mom have me dressed up like Elmo...2nd of all, why am I sitting with whom I "think" are my cousins Kaylee and Evan..3rd why do they look like this and 4th why is everyone trying to get me to smile for the camera? Something is wrong with these people!"

Sesame Street Live!!!!!!!!!

It was perfect timing...a great birthday gift...Sesame Street Live! They came to town the day before Bailey's birthday! Keenan took a half day off at work and went to Owensboro with us to partake in Bailey's "pre" birthday celebration. We had told her we were taking her to a "surprise" all morning. She was VERY surprised when she saw her favorite characters walking out onto the stage. So fun. She is at the perfect age right now for everything. She is a blast and was the best girl the entire time! She even got to see her friend Kendyl (who turned 2 just 10 days prior)...she was there with her mommy too!

Bailey Turns TWO!!!!!!

Bailey has had a VERY busy "birthday week!" It started on the day before her birthday-Keenan took a half day of work and we took her to see Sesame Street Live. HUGE SUCCESS! She loved it! It was pretty neat & we had great seats.
Thursday ( her actual bday), after mommy made Bailey her special pancake in the shape of a 2, we met our good friend Jessalyn and her daughters, Addie & Lydia at the zoo then took the girls to McDonald's for lunch. We had a great day! Then after daddy got home from work we opened presents and played until bed! She has been singing "Happy Birthday ALL WEEK!" --pics coming soon from b-day week! :)

Saturday was her actual birthday party and we had our family and her good buddy, Aubrey and her mommy and daddy over for pizza, cupcakes & ice cream...I think we all got our bellies full! :-D
She loves everything about her birthday...she even tells us who all came to "Bawee's party." So cute! I just love to listen to her talk.

These KING size cupcakes were made with love! I had a blast making them & they were VERY tasty!







Thank you to all that came! It was good to get everyone together, we all enjoyed it!

--After Bailey's party, I had another photo shoot of our good friend's the Schimmell's. Then on Sunday, I had 2 more photo shoots. Head over to my website to check it out. I did not expect to be as busy as I have been. In addition to my full time job as a stay at home mommy--I have easily put in 30+ additional hours with my business. I have had AMAZING support from my friends and family regarding my photography--Thank You...you know who you are! :)

Jackson's Orchard

We now have a NEW family tradition!! Jackson's Orchard, it's not to far from my mom's in Bowling Green.

Bailey is teething, once again. She did not sleep well the night before, got up early today, and fell asleep after we had lunch at Cheddars. So atypical of Bailey.
We got to Jackson's when it opened and it was already PACKED. It reminded me of the episodes of Little People Big World, at the Rollof farm. Oh yes, I watch reality TV! :-D Anyways....we had few firsts today....
Bailey's 1st horsey ride, which she LOVED!

She started crying when the ride was over wanting to go again...a $6/each time they went, it would've broke our bank! So...she just got to go the one time. :(

After the horsey ride, it was time for the hayride.


This would mark a first for mommy and Bailey both! That's right people, i've NEVER been on a hayride, until today. Not sure why....Oh well.....It was a fun little ride to the pumpkin patch.

Bailey did not go nuts over the pumpkins as she does here at the house and at the store...she was more interested in picking up sticks and the pieces of straw. When she did try to pick up her tiny pumpkin, she'd say, "It's too heavy!" and walk away. :)


Nonny & Papaw came with us and we ALL enjoyed the fried apple pies, caramel apples & cider slushes!! What did Bailey want?: An ice cream cone...so, on a 60 degree day, that's what she got and she was HAPPY!


It probably felt good on her sore gums. I don't care the fact that she is almost 2 and still has SEVERAL teeth to get in, I just think it's unfair that it has caused her this much pain since she was 4 months old..getting her 1st tooth at 9 months! Some kids never have pain at all-which is great! I just wish Bailey could get a break, poor thing. It is pitiful when she looks up at you and says, "Bawee's teeth hurt! Mommy kiss it!" :(

Austin's Visit and FALL FESTIVAL!!

My good friend, Mandy, was in town for a couple of weeks from AZ, and asked that we get together one day for the kids to play. This was the first time Bailey got to meet Austin, likewise for Mandy and Bailey. Last time I saw Mandy, she came to visit me when I was on bedrest with Bailey. That's been a long time ago!

As you can see, once Bailey saw Austin's ASU ball cap, she just HAD to have it on! She prefers to wear it backwards too! So cute!!!We ordered pizza for lunch last Thursday and both kids ate very well, which is unusual, especially for Austin.
Needless to say, Keenan freaked out when he saw this pic of the two kids kissing! LOL...Austin, is now the first boy Bailey has kissed on the lips!! Her "first kiss" was her buddy Ty, last year...she got him on the cheek! :)
All of Bailey's curly locks were very enticing for Austin and he pulled her hair a couple of times...OUCH! :( --I think he was flirting!! ;-)Minus the hair pulling, the kids had a great time playing, as you can see from the pics!
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The 1st thing we west siders think of when fall approaches is (ok, so maybe I'm a west side transplant) anyways......THE FALL FESTIVAL!!!! Sadly, today was the only day that we will get to go down due to Keenan's work schedule. So, the good wife I am, HA, brought a cooler and bought all of his favorites for him to eat tonight for supper. It won't be the same, but he did the same for me when I was on bedrest...Hey-It's better than nothing!!

For you out of towners who don't really know what the fall festival is about...CLICK HERE for a pic of the munchie map...it's all of the goodies the fall festival has to offer! :)


This was our entourage: Melissa with 2 of her 3 kiddos. Luke & Jenna (Ali was in school)..and Jessalyn with her 2 kiddos, Addie & Lydia. These are the awesome mommies that I have my monthly mama's night out with and the group that goes to pump it up etc....I LOVE OUR GROUP!!!

Bailey not so sure about the corn fritter....another one of mommy's favorites next to the stroms & stuffed black olives...I didn't share those with Bailey. :)

Franklin street....this was the least busy it has ever been since we've been going...I bet tonight it will be PACKED! I will be at home, thank you! :)

Bailey's first cotton candy! You know me...always have to have a picture of all of her firsts...she wasn't sure about it at first, but after watching the rest of us eat it...she loved it...:)

Bailey loving her some of mommy's giant texas tenderloin! I go to the same booth every year...THE BEST!!!