Happy Halloween!

So much has changed since last Halloween!  It's hard to believe that on this day last year Brandon and I were making one of our first trips to Target with our newborn baby girl.  At the time, that was a big deal!  I think I packed enough in our diaper bag for several days! 

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic...

Aunt Allie also got some cute pics last year of Anniston in her cute little Halloween hat.  It's hard to believe how little she was just a year ago!

And here we are this year!  So much can change in just a year!  We decided not to spend money on a costume this year and just went with a cute outfit.  Allie and I took Anniston out to Chickasaw yesterday and let her run around outside while Allie tried to snap a couple of pictures.  She had the best time.  She ran and giggled and ran and giggled.  I pretended I was chasing her- which she loved!  Good times!

On a side note- please go and "Like" my sister's photography page on Facebook!  She took this awesome pic yesterday and is really trying to get her name out there!

And going WAY back here are some pics from Halloween 2009.  We went as Elvis and Priscilla.  We do live in Memphis, you know!

Happy Halloween!  I will be spending the day working until 8- boo!  But I did have two fabulous days off work Monday and Tuesday so I can't complain.  And it is kinda fun working Halloween night- I love to watch all the people in costumes come in the store!

Cell Phone Thief!

We apparently have a cell phone thief in our house-  Miss Anniston!

Friday night we went into her nursery to read and rock and I'm pretty sure my cell phone was in the front pocket of my scrubs.  After putting her down in her crib I went looking for my cell phone all over the house.  I wasn't sure I had put it in my pocket so I thought I must have left it lying around somewhere.  I finally had Brandon call it.  It sounded like it was coming from the nursery but I thought there was no way I could have left it in there.  He called again and sure enough- it was coming from the nursery.  I tiptoed in there to look around in the chair where we sat and also up on the dresser.  Nothing.  By this time I thought it was a miracle that Anniston had not woken back up yet.  So I had Brandon call it one more time while I was in the nursery so I could see it light up.  The dang cell phone was in her crib, ringing away, right beside her hand, as if she was clutching it when she went to bed!  I have no idea how she managed to get it away from me without me knowing but she somehow did!  The girl is good, I tell you!

We made a trip to the park on Saturday to take advantage of the beautiful, gorgeous weather we are having right now.  Ruby and Anniston both had so much fun running around in the grass.  Anniston would take off running and squealing and Ruby would follow her.  It was so cute.

How cute do they look riding together in the backseat?

Best friends...

She is in deep thought about something...

Thank goodness I had her wear a cheap Target outfit because she got grass stains and dirt all over her booty and knees.  So we changed out of that and put on a cute Halloween outfit to go eat dinner at Central BBQ- a Memphis classic.  Brandon gets so excited when I let us go there because I don't eat BBQ so it's usually not my first pick.  We wanted something casual, though and I do love their bleu cheese nachos!

We had another little fall photo shoot out at Shelby Farms yesterday.  Anniston has gotten much more difficult when it comes to sitting still for pictures!  She wanted to run all over the place and had no desire to sit still, even for a second!  I'm amazed we got any good pictures because Allie sure had her work cut out for her!

Speaking of- head on over to Facebook and "Like" my sister's business page- Allison Fay Photography!  Because seriously, check out these pics- isn't my sister super talented?

Happy 1 Year Anniston!

Dear Anniston,

You are now 1 year old!  It really seems like just yesterday that I was holding you for the first time.  I still remember what it was like those first few weeks after you were born.  We have come a long way since then!

We had your birthday party last Saturday and it was so much fun!  I know you won't remember anything about it- but believe me, you will have plenty of pictures to look through!

You are such a hoot these days.  I am constantly laughing at something new you did.  Your personality is really coming to life and I love it!  You are so happy and cheerful most of the time.  You get so excited to see me when I come home or when I pick you up from Kristi's.  You also get excited to see Daddy, Aunt Allie, and Kay Kay and Poppy.  You smile really big and bounce up and down.

We have had a small case of separation anxiety from me this month.  You cried for the first time when I left you at Kristi's last week.  Thankfully, that only lasted 3 days or so and you have been doing fine since.  Sometimes you get very clingy with me when we are at home and either want me to constantly hold you or play right beside you.  There have been a few nights here lately when you have woken up at night just a few short hours after you go down crying out for me.  You only want me to hold you (although you did go to Aunt Allie one night when she was over here hanging out.)  I know this is just a phase you are going through but it melts my heart that you love me that much:)

You are walking so well now.  You have learned a few new "dance moves" and like to sway your hips from side to side whenever you hear music.  You absolutely love these little Baby Einstein cardboard books we have and will constantly pick them up and bring them to me to read to you.  And I'm talking all.the.time!  I promise we've read them 6 times in a row before!

Words that you have said include: Da da, mama, Ruby, Allie, thank you, and diet coke (and no, I didn't give you any, but you see me drinking it.)  You are SO my child:)

You haven't had any full on temper tantrums yet, but you have pitched some small fits when you don't get your way.  It's mostly when we say no to you or take something that you shouldn't have away from you.  You plop down on the floor and cry, looking pitiful.  Usually, after about a minute or so, you become interested in something else and man, you can turn it off quick!

You have such a sweet personality.  When you are tired you will hold your arms up for me to pick you up and then you throw your arms around my neck and lay your head on my shoulder.  You are so cuddly at night and I love it.

I cannot wait to see what this next year brings us.  I love you more and more each day, baby girl!  Happy 1 year!

Love,
Mommy

Wednesday Loves

I haven't done one of these in awhile so I've got tons of things I've been loving lately!

one:  I absolutely NEED this Marc Jacobs bag!  I've been looking for a casual, cross-body bag that can fit my iPad to carry to work everyday.  I don't carry purses too much except to work and back because mostly I just slip my wallet into Anniston's diaper bag.  I need something casual and roomy and this is perfect!

two:  I just ordered these suede ballet flats from J Crew.  I love the color!  Perfect for fall!

three:  I love that Brandon and I will be starting the process of looking for a new house soon after the first of the year.  The thing I'm really excited about?  Buying a new couch and having room for something like this from Pottery Barn:

I want something comfy and casual that the entire family can pile onto to watch TV and movies together!

four:  I'm loving that Allie and I are starting to work on fall and winter photo shoots!  We have outfits and a theme planned for both and I can't wait to send Christmas cards this year!

five:  I love the fact that I fit into my skinny jeans last week!  I grabbed them out of the closet by accident and didn't even realize they were my smaller size jeans for about an hour or so!  Now granted, they aren't my skinny, skinny jeans but I've given up hope that I'll ever fit into those again since having a baby!  I'll totally settle for the others though!

six:  How cute are these boot cuffs I found on Etsy?  Adorable!  Available here.

Our Lazy Weekend

We should win an award for being the laziest family this past weekend.  It was so nice to not have any important plans and long to-do lists.

Brandon got back in town late Thursday night and, of course, was exhausted from his trip.  He had been gone since last Sunday.  Anniston and I were exhausted, too, from being on our own all week long.  Needless to say, all we wanted was a nice, relaxing weekend to spend time with each other.

Friday night we decided to eat dinner out.  I am so thankful to have a baby that is well behaved at restaurants because we do love to eat out (mostly because I don't cook! ha!)  We tried letting A eat off a real plate this time.  Surprisingly, that went really well.  The last time we tried that she was more interested in trying to sling her plate everywhere than she was about eating.  This time, however, she ate so good and only tried to play with the plate once she was finished eating and bored.  And as always, she was very interested in waving at everyone there.

If B and I win the laziness award, then Anniston wins the waving award.  Seriously, she waves all.the.time.  At everyone and everything.  And she will keep waving at you until you wave back.

So here are some pics of her playing right before we headed out to dinner:

Aren't her pants the cutest?  

Trying to take her hair piece out.  She actually left it in for most of the dinner so I was proud!

I let Brandon sleep in on Saturday and I got to sleep in today.  It was glorious!  I actually had to make myself get out of pajamas mid-morning and take a shower.  I considered taking A out to Ulta because I needed a couple of make-up items, but in the end we were just having too much fun hanging out at home.  Works out better for my wallet, too.

Today was even lazier than Saturday, if that's even possible.  Anniston spent some time (a lot of time) riding around the house in her new car that Kay Kay and Poppy gave her for her birthday.  She loves this thing.  We push her all over the house in it and she just sits in there and waves at everything.  This is her "Will you please push me in the car, Mommy?" face.  How can you say no?

She's had plenty of attitude this weekend, too.  When she gets mad she likes to throw things down on the floor and act all huffy.  She absolutely did NOT want to wear her bow this morning.  I'm trying to train her to get used to wearing one, especially since we don't wear one when she goes to Kristi's.  She let me know real quick she didn't want it in her hair!  She took it out and threw it on the floor! Take that, mommy!  

And then as soon as she gets done being sassy, she has to go and be all cute and sweet again...

And because I talk about her incessant waving I had to post some pics proving that this is true...

What is she waving at, you say? Oh nothing but the couch...

Monday Randoms

We had such a blast this past weekend but in some ways I'm glad it's Monday.  Crazy, I know.  Anniston's birthday party went great (I will post pics soon and tell all about it) and in some ways I'm sad it's over but I'm also glad to have it behind me so I can now focus on other things.  Party planning consumed a lot of my time (and house space!)

So yes, I'm sorta glad it's Monday.  It's good to be back into a routine.  I'm glad Annie's feeling better from her stomach virus.  I'm glad to have my house back to it's normal state.  I'm glad to be less stressed about last minute party stuff.  I have tomorrow off and it's nice to for once not have that much on my to-do list!

Friday and Saturday were spent in full on party mode.  I know Brandon thought I had gone crazy at times; running around the house getting last minute preparations together and barking orders to him.  I know he's glad the party is over!  I was so exhausted Saturday night that I left the house in complete chaos and hit the sack early.

Thank goodness for my mother (aka Kay Kay!)  Brandon left early Sunday morning for a work trip, so my mom drove down to help me get my house back in order and pack away all the party decorations.  We worked practically all day, cleaning and doing laundry, but it feels so good to start the week having everything in order.

We had a lot of fun too.  Anniston was in rare form so it was sometimes hard to stay on task when she was being so cute and silly.

This next pic is of the car my mom and dad gave Anniston for her birthday.  She loves this!  She sits in there so well and is so content for someone to push her around in it.  My mom was pushing her around in it during her birthday party and I had just prepared some food for her but instead of actually getting out of the car to eat it, she would stick her hand out the sides whenever she passed by me so that I would give her a bite to eat!  We called it "going through the drive-thru."  Then on Sunday she would get in there and wave at objects around the house while my mom or I pushed her.  She is so silly!

Other random pics I took this weekend:

After bath- look at her cute little baby curls in the back:)  I scrunched them and styled them with the blow dryer!  Ha- maybe Anniston gets her silliness from me!

Hopefully I will have pics to post of the party soon!  I can't wait to show them!

Vacays, Birthday Preparations, and Photo Shoots

Eek!  It's the week before Anniston's FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!  I cannot believe this week is finally here!  I have so much to do- but it's all exciting, fun stuff.

I took some time off work to prepare for the birthday festivities and spend some extra time with my soon to be 1 year old!  Brandon actually took 3 days off too, so we are enjoying spending extra time with him as well.  Here is a run down of the week thus far:

On Saturday, Allie and I took Anniston to her first pumpkin patch!  She had the best time watching the other kids that were there.  She laughed when they ran by, waved at them, and then waved at them some more.  My child loves to wave!

 This is definitely my child- she does NOT like the dirt:)

Yesterday we had Anniston's first ever professional photography shoot.  Birthday pics are so much fun!  I'll post more details about that later...

Late last week I came down with some sort of stomach bug.  I'll keep the details to a minimum, but it was definitely a rough 2 days.  Unfortunately, I believe Anniston caught what I had.  She's been vomiting and has had some pretty serious diarrhea.  She's barely eaten in the past 2 days and she just hasn't been her usual self.  I feel so sorry for her because I know what it feels like!  Thankfully, she didn't really get to feeling bad until AFTER the photo shoot.  Hopefully, she will feel as good as new for her party on Saturday!

After battling another ear infection for almost 2 months, we went back to the ENT last week for them to culture her ear and suction it.  She was so adorable and friendly to everyone!  She waved to all the nurses, receptionists, and other patients.  I was feeding her a bottle in the waiting room and she even waved to someone walking by without breaking contact with her bottle.  It was so funny!  She handled everything fairly well until the suctioning- which she did NOT like.  I held her hand and tried to comfort her but she just looked up at me with sad, pitiful eyes while she screamed her head off.  Of course, I started crying too which I'm sure didn't help.  Her ears have been so much better since then!  We started a new antibiotic and ear drops and I think they are working!  Finally!  I snapped a couple of pics right before we went because she just looked so darn cute...

The rest of the week will be spent preparing for the party!   It's a good thing I'm not a procrastinator because having a sick baby has definitely slowed me down as far as party preparations go.  Right now, I just hope my baby feels okay for it!  I cannot wait to blog about the party!  Until then, here is a sneak peak at one of the decorations...