Happy New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year's Eve! Please be safe whatever it is you decide to do tonight. Although I did buy Gage a New Year's horn and noise maker he will obviously be in bed long before the ball drops. Us on the other hand will be doing nothing exciting except hanging out with family on the couch. Happy 2012!

Also a big Congrats goes out to my college friend, Andrea who just welcomed her 1st baby into the world on Thursday morning. Welcome Alex!  You made it in 2011 after all!

Elmo Makes Music!

A few weeks back we took Gage to see Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music. I was so excited to take him and he was very excited as well. At first I think he was just in awe of all of the characters and the loud music (it was pretty loud for a kid's show, I thought) but as soon as Bert came out doing the disco he was sold. He danced with the best of them. We had great seats and overall it wasn't that expensive. There was hardly anyone there, only about 2/3rds full. I was also very impressed with the pricing of the merchandise. You know, you go to the circus, etc. and everything is crazy expensive, but T-shirts were actually $15, what I would normally except to pay for Sesame Street merchandise. Overall, a good experience and Gage did really well....there were lots of younger kids there, but I think that he was the perfect age. Just wanted to post a few pictures to mark the milestone. Enjoy!

A captive audience

Bert doing the Disco

My personal favorite, Grundgetta, Oscar's trashy girlfriend

Favorite Picture of December

Since I got my new fancy camera, (I know I'm sooo behind) I thought it would be fun to enter a couple of photo challenges while I play around.  This week's photo challenge is over at The Paper Mama.  Check it out, enter and Enjoy!

Oh and by the way, this obviously isn't my favorite picture because I think Gage looks super cute, but rather b/c it is 'him' at the moment.  Messy, long hair, snotty nose and a Goldfish lover.  Also I love that I caught him cramming in tons of Goldfish while looking my way.

Happy Birthday Finn!

Casey again is another real life friend, so of course it makes me happy to wish Baby Finn a very Happy 2nd Birthday as well!  Although Casey and I go way back to grade school, living half way across the country, unfortunately I've never met Finn.  Nevertheless, he's so close in age to Gage that it's been fun to watch him grow up via her blog.  Now head on over to Colby. Casey. Madison. CJ. Finn + One and wish Finn a wonderful day!  Casey, you like how I just renamed your blog?!? 

Chirstmas 2011

After reading everyone else's posts (I must do this before I post, hence why it seems I don't get to it very often) on Christmas this year, so much is running through my mind of what I want to write about/share.  So, I think I'll just start from the beginning and random thoughts will most likely just come from my fingers.  And, by the way, this post has TONS of pictures.

Needless to say this was a very special Christmas for Gage, not only because it's the 1st one he remembers and was excited about, but also because his Grandma and Grandpa from Texas were able to come up and spend the long weekend with us. 

For the whole month of December Gage was super excited about Christmas.  Of course from the first moment we put up the tree Gage couldn't keep his little hands off of it.  I mean, who can blame him....we have just about every Hallmark ornament on the Earth that sings and plays music and moves or talks, etc.  Anyway, it definitely took a good few days and some 'talking tos' before Gage understood he couldn't just pull ornaments off the tree whenever he wanted.  I also bought Gage the Little People Christmas CD, as mentioned before, and just about every day in December we listened to it in the car.  He knows a few Christmas carols by heart.  I tell you, this kid's memory is outstanding!

In any case, we spent the month talking about Santa Clause and what he would bring us and continuing a long family tradition from when I was a kid-driving around often to look at Christmas lights.  Gage LOVED it....'Oh, look at that' was probably his favorite thing to say.  Along with 'oh, I see Frosty snowman, I see Santa, I see reindeer, etc'.  He definitely loved the lights as much as I did when I was a kid and asked to go often.  It took us a while this year to go see Santa.  Gage was sick and I was trying to avoid a runny nose Santa picture, but just last Monday, we finally  made it.  And just like we planned Gage wasn't scared at all and just wanted to chat Santa up and make his requests of 'drums' and 'choo choo trains'.  Although he was too busy chatting with Santa to really care about getting his picture taken, at least he wasn't wailing like last year.

Christmas Eve was special this year since Grandma Sandi and Grandpa Steve were here. We were going to attempt church but after no nap Gage and I bowed out. We were going to go alone anyway since Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa were going to go to midnight mass. At any rate, church was not in Gage's 2011 Christmas agenda. I ended up going later alone after putting out all of the presents. But before that Gage, as grumpy as he was, and I made Santa cookies and left them and carrots for the reindeer.

Gage wanted to try some reindeer food

Christmas morning was so special this year. Gage loved every minute of it and absolutely loved opening gifts. Funny thing is I've seen a kid or 2 just tear into gifts one by one not even looking at each one, but Gage was the exact opposite- he wanted to play with every gift and could care less about the next one. He didn't seem to notice he had many more to go.  His favorite was his 'motorcycle' (AKA tricycle), his drums and his guitar, of course.  However the gifts of all gifts was from Grandma Sandi and Grandpa Steve- Gage's very own cuckoo clock!

I'd say Gage made out pretty well and we haven't even had Round 2 at Nana and Grandiddy's house.  As I mentioned Gage loved opening the presents, but he also loved rolling around in the paper, much like the leaves at Grandiddy's house (see Christmas card). 



The spread



Gage immediately loved his 'motorcycle'

....that was until he saw his guitar

.....and his drums!

Gage was a champ at unwrapping gifts

Happy boy!

This was his favorite part

And this was the aftermath

Gage jammin' out

Our Christmas 2011 family photo

Gage, Grandma Sandi and Grandpa Steve

We rounded out the weekend with the Grandparents by going to the Air and Space Museum.  Gage must have run for an hour and a half straight just saying, 'oh, look at the huge airplane' over and over.  I don't think he ever.stopped.once. 

Awesome picture

But definitely my favorite (I know, I say that all the time)

'Da airplane is HUGE'

very appropriate

Luke and I forewent gifts for each other this year to get A gift for each other- our new kitchen table.  Although it was a little anticlimactic and not fun to 'open', it's what we needed and it's definitely a welcome change.  ha...my, how Christmas changes when you're an adult. 

Merry Christmas to Us!

My favorite part of Christmas this year however, was a carry over from my birthday.  I got the.best.pictures.EVER, well for me anyway of Christmas this year with my brand new camera!  I don't even know how to work it yet so I can't imagine when I actually start learning about it AND even editing.  Currently I'm just happy pointing and clicking.  My favorite part of my new camera, which I imagine is lots of peoples' when they go from a digital to a DSLR, is that I can click, click, click and eventually get some good looking pictures.  My old camera was sooo slow.  Well, I imagine I missed a few things about our Christmas 2011, but there will be more to come.  I'm just excited about my good quality pictures this year!  More posts to come on Elmo Makes Music! and Round 2 of Christmas 2011!

Merry Christmas Eve!

To all my Internet friends...

Happy 4th Birthday Carson!

I am so happy to wish Carson a very Happy Birthday today!  I actually got to visit Carson in the hospital the night after he was born- crazy that it was 4 years ago!  His Mom, Bonnie and I have been friends for years, it's too bad we don't live closer or our boys would get to hang out more often.  Please head over to Three Men and a Lady and wish Carson a Happy 4th Birthday!

Happy Birthday Jillian!

I have been reading Karen at Home for quite some time now, probably around the time that Jillian was a few months old.  Karen is an impressive half stay at home Mom, half accountant that still manages to keep her house decorated to the nines and share good recipes, while updating us on her little girl, Jillian who turns 2 today!  Please head over to wish Jillian a happy birthday and hear about Karen's new addition in 2012.

And I'm back.....hopefully

I'd be a broken record if I said I was the most awful blogger around. I'd be a broken record if I said I was tired and unmotivated. I would be a broken record to say I don't know how people find the time to update their blog between work, families and especially Christmas. But that's how I'm feeling this week and apparently for the last few.

Can you believe I was ever dedicated enough to do a Glimpse series? I can't! At least I made it though and didn't puss out half way through. However, I think it took all the blogging out of me for the month of December. It was crazy. I wanted to blog about my 31st birthday and our day long expedition of Christmas shopping, but then I got sick and I got really sick.....I hardly ever miss work, but I was out 2.5 days last week. Since then I've just been blah, busy at work and actually reading a really good book that I would rather read than blog. (More about that later.) We went to see Elmo Makes Music Sunday evening(another entry) and I got a new camera for my birthday that I need to learn how to hook up to my computer so I can actually check out all the new pictures I've taken. However, if I sit down to figure that out, I won't be blogging either. Plus my 11 day break is actually non-existent when you factor in guests and visiting.

So....as one of my favorite Darius Rucker songs says 'I got nothing'....

However, I did want to give a shout out to Sheila at Blog Designs by Sheila. Isn't my 1st ever professional blog template awesome?? She was so great to work with and super helpful since I know basically nothing. She took my 389 requests and kept tweaking until it was perfect. She is also VERY reasonably priced. Check her out if you are in need! Thanks again, Sheila!

Happy Birthday Kerri!

Head on over to Chronicles of a Carolina Mama to wish Kerri a very Happy Birthday!  She's the Mommy to the cutest little boy, Camden and always has great stories to share.  Camden and Gage are one week apart so it's been fun to read her blog and follow along with her life of being a SAHM and her insights into having a now 'Terrible Two'.  Kerri, Happy Birthday, hope you have a great day! 

Hopefully I'll return to my regular blogging before too long.

Wordless Wedensday: Worst Blogger Ever!