Wordless Wednesday.

Playing in the Backhoe.

Today the Little Monkey got to enjoy some fun time with Papa (Dusty's Dad). He came over to help level out our backyard and the Little Monkey thoroughly enjoyed his big boy toy, the backhoe. He was very curious about this machine and it was just precious to watch him explore all the gadgets in it. Here he is being a big boy, "driving" Papa's backhoe.

He thinks he's like Papa now :)

So excited!!

Getting ready to "drive"

Everybody watch out!

Look at me Mommy!!!

Playing with all the buttons :)

In Love.

This weekend was such a great weekend. Friday night, we met up with another couple and had dinner at my favorite mexican restaurant, Rosie's. Yum! Saturday we went to yard sales with my sister in law and her husband. They were so nice to watch the Little Monkey while we went on a date Saturday night. We had so much fun guys, thanks for coming up here!! We rarely get dates anymore, so it nice to go to dinner and shop just the two of us :) However, I did miss the Little Monkey while I was gone :) Anyway, my canvas gallery wrap came in Friday afternoon and I'm in L.O.V.E. with it. However, I was pretty sad to see my clock go :) Because the wall above our fireplace is so large, the picture doesn't look that big. I just knew a 30 x 40 canvas would fill up a good deal of that wall, but it really didn't. Here it is :)



It turned out flawless! I was very nervous ordering such a huge picture, afraid of spending all that money and then something went wrong with it (not enough pixels, blur, etc). I've never ordered one of my prints that big before, but it turned out great!! I can't get enough of it :P I have a feeling I will be ordering some more in the future ( the Hubby is cringing right now , HA!) Anyway, enough talk about pictures. Here is Deacon's big Easter present ( he got it early).

An educational 4- sided bead maze cube. This thing is pretty awesome. Not only does it have 4 sides of different activites, but it's also a storage bin to hold toys. Since it's so large and wouldn't fit into an easter basket, the Little Monkey got it early.

He has really enjoyed these little toys :)

He likes this side too :)

I have him a little basket filled with Crayola Bath Dropz, Curious George/Cars bandaids and some of his favorite treats. However, I have a feeling he's not going to be phased by the little gifts. His main priority is the bead maze :)

Time to Upgrade.

Since we moved into our house four years ago, we've always had a pretty cool looking clock that hung above our fireplace. I really have enjoyed this clock, cause I got it on sale at Target and it has been so convenient having it there. However, it quit working several months ago (hands won't turn) and we haven't taken it down yet. I'm just having a hard time parting with it. I really do love my big clock!! Anyway, I've been pondering what I could hang on such a large white wall (we have a very high ceiling in the living room) and a really good picture kept coming to my mind. So, what better way to add some cuteness to our living room than to take one, simple picture I made and blow it up to a 30 x 40 gallery wrap canvas and hang it in the clock's place. Since I have a professional print lab I print all my business and personal pictures from, I decided to order myself a professional, big hanging, black and white picture of my one year old baby boy. Here's the picture.




I am super excited and can't wait for it to arrive. I'm scared it's going to be so big that I won't be able to get it inside the house by myself, but I'll have to do the best I can. I will be sure to post a picture when it's hanging up :)

Frustration.

I am opening my blog up against my better judgement. I am pretty frustrated at the moment. I have wiped out every code, started from scratch and STILL can't find the problem here. So, until I can grab a couple of hours of time to sit and really dig deep, my right-side bar will be without pictures and blog buttons :( It may stay that way if I can't figure this out :) Here are some pics of the Little Monkey from today's little photoshoot. EnJoY!




He didn't really cooperate and these were taken last minute at 4:00 in the afternoon, but I still think they are cute. Even if he is being blinded by the hot afternoon sun :) HA!

Houston, We Have a Problem.

So, I've been blogging since March of 2008. I've been with blogger this entire time and have enjoyed the free use of their website. However, now I have a problem that I have no idea how to fix. I consider myself to be good with computer codes and manipulating a site to do what I want (just blogger), but I have no idea what's going on with my blog now. It's like it has decided it hates me and wants to be added to the "To Do" list (like I don't have enough to do right now). I've got pictures that show errors. I've got our picture thumbnails at the bottom of the page. My background is shifted. It's like someone hacked into my blog and rearranged the HTML codes!! Anyway, I won't be posting in the next couple of days so this website will be down as of midnight tonight. You won't be able to access it, but don't freak out just yet (grandparents). I will hopefully have it up and running by Thursday. So, you should be able to access it without any problems and hopefully the problems will be resolved. If I can't get this thing to work right, I might finally have to break down and spend the $10/year to domain and switch to a fancier website (gasp). Either way it will get fixed. Just hang in there :)

Determination.

I am so excited. The Little Monkey is trying to walk!!

Look at you!!! Standing all by himself.

Opps, try again :)

Yay for Deacon!!

He took one, tiny step in this last picture and then fell down. The point is, he's doing it. Finally, he is showing some interest in walking.

Another Year Older.

Me and my boys on my birthday. Thank you Lord, for allowing me to enjoy another wonderful year of life!

26.

Happy Birthday to Me!! Thank you, my sweet husband :)

March 19, 1995

Today is the day you died. I can't believe it's been 15 years. You've missed so much since you've been gone and it makes my heart hurt thinking about all you're missing out on. You have a son-in-law that is just as crazy about Alabama football as you were. You have a beautiful grandson, who I'm pretty sure would steal your heart like he did mine. You have a wife that misses you everyday and a daughter who as she has gotten older, has really felt the pain of losing you. It seems like just yesterday when I touched your hand for the last time, when you told me you would teach me how to play basketball, or when you promised me you would buy me "The Lion King" when it came out on video. My 26th birthday is tomorrow and you're not here to celebrate, again. Some days it feels like forever ago. Then there are other days, I can close my eyes and picture you sitting on our sofa, watching football and I'm a little girl again begging you to play Monopoly with me. Now looking back, I know you were probably more interested in the game, but you humored me and we played. I want you to know that I think about you all the time and miss you terribly. Sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like if you were still here with us, but I know God had a much bigger plan. I've had to let go of the "what ifs" and live life knowing that everything happens for a reason and He knew what He was doing. I want you to know that another fifteen years can come and go and I will still love you with all of my heart! I miss you and I wish you were still here. I know you are in a better place where there are no more doctors poking at you or hospital stays. A place, I pray everyday that I will go to and see you again. Until then, all I have of you are the sweet memories and I will cherish them for as long as I live. I love you Daddy.


Love you always,
Meg

Me and My Daddy

1985

1987

1987

1991

1988

If tears could build a stairway,

And memories a lane,

I'd walk right up to Heaven

And bring you home again.

~Unknown

Argggg.......Ahoy Matey!!

Did that header capture your attention? :) For years now, the Hubby and I have never really "decorated" our upstairs bathroom (master bath). Since no one hardly goes up there except us, I haven't really put much effort into making it look fun and cozy ( I know, I'm horrible). Since the Little Monkey shares the same bathroom with us, I decided it might be time to spruce it up and make it a fun place to make some memories. For months now, I have been lurking on the potterybarnkids website, looking at shower curtains, rugs and bathroom assessories. I've had my eye on a particular shower curtain for a while now, but soon found myself leaning towards a new one.



Here is the Little Monkey's new shower curtain! It's a Pirate Applique Shower Curtain. I just love the pretty colors and it looks so fun. I thought the theme went perfect with bath time.




Here's the rug that I'm not to sure of. I like it, but I am kinda leaning towards more of a solid apple green or navy blue.



This picture makes me sick! I have been spying on these little fellows for months and apparently they went on sale and SOLD OUT before I could get my hands on them :( Booooo...... I'm hoping they will replenish the stock soon!!


I haven't bought a new bath wrap yet, but I probably will in the next couple of months. The Little Monkey has just about grown out of his frog wrap that he has now. When the time comes (or when they go on sale), I think we'll be purchasing him the blue shark!!


I can't wait for the shower curtain to come in so I can start decorating. The Little Monkey is going to have a blast in his new Pirate Bathroom. On a side note, tomorrow's post is going to be a tough one to share. Not because I don't want to share this part of my life with you, but because it was hard to find the words to express my true feelings. I hope you'll come back and read it.

Vintage.

I've been thinking a lot these last few days, about how toys are so different from what they used to be. I remember sitting in the floor as a young girl, playing with my Fisher Price toys and loving every minute. Although, Fisher Price makes some outstanding toys nowadays, I find myself constantly worrying about what hidden toxin could be hidden in them. With all the "recalls" and Fisher Price's recent "Lead & Magnet Class Action Settlement", I have found myself reminiscing about the old days, where they were no "scares" of lead poisoning from the toys we played with. So, with all this "thinking" that I've been doing, I decided to explore E-Bay and find some old, vintage Fisher Price toys like the ones I used to play with as a child. I've been making a checklist of the items I would like to put in the Little Monkey's Easter basket and some good toys is on the list! You might think I'm crazy for buying someone's old, used toys, and that's your opinion. I see it like this. I'm saving money, which is a biggie (these toys sell for $20- $40). Plus, I'm introducing some of the same old toys that I played with to my toddler child. Toys that have been around for years and are safe from lead and other harmful materials that we see far too often in toys today. After all, his safety is my #1 priority :)

This is on my E-Bay watch list. A 1974 Vintage Fisher Price Camera (talk about old school). I can remember playing with something very similar to this when I was little.

Since my little boy's room is decorated in planes, trains and automobiles, I decided that this plane would be a great addition to his "boy toy" collection :) He needs an airplane :)

Do any of you remember this? I do! I had one of these little wind-up telephones. Also on my watch list.

Most of you know that I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education back in 2008. I was so stoked about getting into the classroom, my classroom, and setting up centers and reading rugs, etc. When I found out I was pregnant a month after I graduated, it seemed pointless to find a job to only take maternity leave after the first 6 months, knowing I wouldn't want to go back to work. So, I never got the chance to put all these creative ideas to use, until now. The Little Monkey is getting old enough now to start doing fun, creative activites like reading and puzzle centers, coloring and painting in the following months. I have been slowly making a list of fun center ideas for him to play at. My first, is his reading center. Reading centers play a big part in a kids day. They go to school and spend a great deal of their time reading. Which is great! That's why I'm helping the Monkey get a head start in that department. Here is my win on E-Bay last night. A win most Elementary School teachers would drool over :)

16 Vintage Dr. Seuss, Mercer Mayer, P.D. Eastman and Robert Quakenbush books!! For a total of $4.28!! I don't know if any of you have priced Dr. Seuss books lately, but some go as much as $12.95! I basically got 16 books for $0.27 each! That's some mad savings! Ha!

Utah, Day 7

UPDATE: I HAVE ADDED A FEW MORE GRAND CANYON PICTURES

We spent the last day of our trip driving through Colorado, Utah and Arizona back to catch our flight out of Denver. Along the way, we stopped by Arches National Park in Utah. It was rainy, cloudy and cold. Not a good time to visit such a beautiful place, but we managed. This is definitely a place I want to come back to in the future and hike the many trails. Here are a few pictures of the Arches. For those of you who are my Facebook friends, there are more pictures there.













We finally made it home last night around 11:30. We were so exhausted. We had so much fun on our trip out west and hope to be able to do it again in the future. I wished we'd had more time at some of these places :)

Las Vegas, Day 6

We're having so much fun here in Vegas! Last night, we ventured out into the streets of Las Vegas and walked to the Bellagio to eat dinner. They had this awesome buffet that was huge! I was a big fan of the dessert bar. The desserts just kept coming!! As we were walking up to the Bellagio, we got to see the very end of one of the fountain shows that happens in front of the hotel. It was so gorgeous! I'm just bummed that I didn't have my tripod to capture such a beautiful scene :( After dinner, we came back to the MGM Grand and crashed. This morning, we got up and went to the Hoover Dam outside Vegas. We took the Plant Tour and it was so much fun. I learned some new facts about the Hoover Dam that I didn't know. We ended up staying at the Hoover Dam about two hours before we decided to come back to the hotel. We spent the rest of our afternoon at Caesar's Palace, chowing down at their buffet. It was delicious! If you're ever in Vegas, I would recommend Caesar's Palace over the Bellagio. It's cheaper, and better in my opinion. As you all know, I'm having some technical difficulties uploading pictures. So here's what I could upload.

At the Hoover Dam (the stuffed elephant goes everywhere with us. I have no idea why we're posing with it like that. Ha! )

We are leaving Vegas bright and early in the morning and driving seven hours to hopefully visit The Arches National Park in Utah. With the time change and all the extra stops, we're not sure we are going to make it in time to see before it closes. Hopefully, we will make it!