Happy New Year, Happy New Decade!!

WOW! 2010...anyone else feel old? Happy New Year to my bloggers! I am so upset at myself for not posting a final 2009 post to wrap up my first year of blogging. Amanda said she found a website where you can send your blog to print in a book, and I have decided to do this at the end of every year so I have it all documented. blog2print.sharedbook.com. You never know when this website will decide to shut it down, so I would suggest you do the same!

What an incredible 2009 we had! We found out we were pregnant(Feb 17th). After months of being unemployed and many many prayers, I got a new job(May 20th)!! AND...the best of all...we had a baby(October 16.) God has blessed us beyond measure, and I can only look forward to the joy and happiness Maggie will bring us in 2010. Just when I think I can't love her any more, another day happens and I do! It just keeps getting better and better! I love the way she is finally looking at me and smiling and cooing. She will talk to me for hours now. It melts my heart when she smiles. I love the way her eyes light up the first time she sees Brian when he gets home from work. I love the way her curiosity about this world allows her to stare at EVERYTHING...even a black doorknob, one of her favorite objects right now! And I LOVE her apple cheekies(that's what we call chubby cheeks in my family)! She quite possibly has the kissiest cheeks in the whole world!!

Right now black eyed peas and ham are in the crockpot. We are having the family over for New Years Day lunch! Doesn't get much better than good food and family!

Here are a few of my resolutions...

1- Get in shape. Healthy and fit is my motto for 2010

2- Find a church home. We have been visiting around for a year now. Pray for us!

3- Sell our Memphis condo...said this the last year also though. Pray for us again!

4- Be the best wife and mother that I can possibly be!

Right now Brian is on our new elliptical. He said diet and exercise starts today! I told him EVERYONE knows diet and exercise always starts on January 2nd! That's just a given!!

sleeping on new years day morning

Santa Came!

Is it really almost 2010? Have I already lived through 3 decades? WOW! This Christmas was extra special and by far my best Christmas yet! With many more to come...

Christmas Eve we went to my parents house for dinner and to open presents. Now we usually go to the Christmas Eve service at church, but we didn't want to push our luck with Maggie, plus it was terrible weather out. We had our big traditional meal with turkey and dressing and all the works. Yaya and Pop were very good to Maggie this year! And we are so blessed to have Maggie's 2 great grandmothers here with us! She loves this spot in Honey's (my dad's mom) lap.

opening her first bikini. ready for our first beach trip now!

Maggie got lots of cute clothes, and a cute bath towel, and some toys, but most importantly she got her first lounge chair from YaYa and Pop and she loves it!

Christmas morning it was just Brian, Maggie and me at our house! We will take this picture every year going to see what Santa brought us as soon as we wake up!

Brian explaining to Maggie what Santa brought. We didn't go all out this year bc she really didn't know the difference. Now next year will be a different story! She got some stimulating toys. A big pink cell phone that lights up and plays music when you push the buttons. She loves it already! We got some building blocks, and stackable rings, and a little doll she can carry around, and some bath toys!

Posing in her new chair

Now she has discovered herself in the mirror. It is quite hilarious! I will stand her up and say, "Who's that baby in the mirror?" And her little eyes will get so big and she will stare for minutes at that little baby in the mirror. I think she likes her already.

Brian and I had a wonderful Christmas this year, with the best Christmas present we have both ever received! Our little angel. She is bringing so much joy to our lives. NO one could have explained to me how great motherhood is. I guess its something you can't truly understand until you experience it, but it takes happiness to a whole new level!

Brian and I gave ourselves a new elliptical this year!! We waited for the after Christmas sale at Sams. I have been eyeing it for weeks now. Well of course it was marked way down right after Christmas so we got it! Now time to get skinny in 2010! I think I say that every new year though. Hmmm

On a side note, I have to take a moment to brag on my cousin. My first cousin, John Gill, just signed with the Indianapolis Colts! He is #69 if you watch them. Go Colts!!

Well I went back to work this week. But it hasn't been bad at all because Brian was off and he was able to keep Maggie. I was going to start Maggie in daycare in January, but my sweet mother has offered to keep Maggie for the month of January so she can be a little older when she starts daycare. I am very very excited about this and think it will make my transition back to work much easier.

Now, I have had several requests to post this recipe.

My Mom's Homemade Hot Chocolate

2 lb. Nestle's Chocolate Nesquik

16 oz. non dairy creamer (like coffeemate)

Nonfat Dry Milk (enough to make 12 quarts)

1 lb. powdered sugar

Mix well in largest mixing bowl. Makes enough to share! Put in cute Christmas tins for cute homemade happies to share!

To make: Fill mug almost 1/2 full of mix, add boiling water and stir.

Maggie's First Christmas

Could I be any more in LOVE with this sweet little face?!?

This past weekend we celebrated Christmas with Brians side of the family. His sister and husband, and their two girls came down from Oxford. His mom and brother came from Raleigh. We had a great time and Maggie was so good! She let us all eat our meal and open presents without making a peep! She loved getting to see her cousins!! This is her one of her new Christmas outfits! She got lots of clothes and toys, and a very pretty crib mobile with little lambs. I love it! And she got a second car seat for Brians car. Yippee!

First of all, my husband is NOT a hunter! And I am thankful he is not bc it can occupy too much time! However, he has started saying he wants to kill a deer this year. And I have been encouraging this because I LOVE deer meat. So...his brother, who is most definitely a hunter, hooked him up for Christmas. Now he has the proper attire... I will keep you updated on the deer killing. Wish him luck!

SOOO many presents!! Nana goes all out for the grandkiddies!

Maggie with her cousins(Claire & Ella)!

Maggie & Nana(Brian's mom)!

Sunday night we took Maggie to the White Christmas service at church. It is a bunch of singing, and then at the end we light candles and turn all the lights off in the church and sing Silent Night. It is a very special service and I have only missed this service once that I can remember. So I really wanted to go this year, but wasn't quite ready to leave Maggie in the church nursery yet. SO...we brought her to church. She slept the entire time! Did not make a peep! Then, we took her to my parents house for a Christmas party, where once again, she slept the entire time. Thank you Maggie for being such a good girl!!

Here is another one of her new Christmas dresses. However, this dress was handmade for me or one of my sisters for our first Christmas. My mom thinks it was Kelseys dress, but we aren't sure. This sweater she has on was also handmade for one of us when we were a baby.

My twins...

ha! she looks a little scared of her new dress!

Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Corner Market & Henns Nest

These are all the places I took Maggie today! I did it! I feel so free! My first place to go this morning was Target. I admit...I was a bit nervous. Like I was on some reality TV show about new mothers who don't know what they are doing! I took her carrier with me, and walking right in front of me in the door was another girl who had the same carrier I had. I let her go in front of me and followed her lead. I watched closely as she got the buggy and tried to put her carrier on the handles. Then she realized it wasn't fitting too well so she put it in the big part of the buggy. So...I did as she did, and went straight to the big part as well. Then she looked at me and said..."this is my first time out with her. We just got our shots yesterday." Then I smiled real big and said "me too!!" Then we figured out our daughters were born 2 days apart. So moral of the story....God put another new mom right in front of me at Target to make me feel a little better about not knowing what I was doing!! Anyway...the shopping went great. I enjoyed some coffee and looked around. Maggie slept the entire morning. She slept everywhere we went! I will say this...by the time we got to Corner Market for groceries, which was our last stop, I was definitely used to carrying this big carseat around and it didn't seem so bad!! I guess my arm will get used to it! Ok. quick post. Off to bed. Just had to let ya'll know I am out of jail!

Hip Hip Hooray!!

We did it! We got the dreaded and much anticipated shots! Maggie did great! She screamed for just a second, and then calmed down when I picked her up. I was also told to feed her right afterward, so I did. I guess it takes their mind off the pain. She got all full and fell asleep and has been asleep for 3 hours now!

She is a big girl now! Here are her new stats:

Length: 23 1/2 inches- 95th percentile

Weight: 11 pounds 8 ounces- 75th percentile

Head: can't remember measurement but 25th percentile

OK...so I was so excited about being able to take Maggie places. I had so much I wanted to do today, and so many errands to run. Brian came with me to get her shots, and then we went out to lunch. When he is with me, he carries the infant carrier bc it is SO heavy! Well we dropped him off at work and I was going to go to Target and Corner Market. But then I started thinking, how I am going to carry her. She is asleep. Her infant carrier is too heavy for me to tote around. Will it even fit in the buggy? Should I use her bjorn baby carrier instead? But I haven't had time to experience with it yet to make sure I know how to use it. Should I just carry her in my arms...but I don't want to wake her up. OK...so you can see the anxiety that crept over me...needless to say, we are home and we didn't go anywhere. I need to prepare myself a little more, and come up with a game plan! Any suggestions? How did you carry your newborn around at first? Am I just a wimp or is anyone elses infant carrier or carseat ridiculously heavy?!!! I can carry it from the car to the house and then I am done!!!! Plus it was raining so that just made it easier to come straight home. I have a feeling she will sleep all day with the shots and the tylenol!

her first Xmas ornament from YaYa and Pop!

Her new reindeer outfit from YaYa!

Project Patio

A few months ago, my parents moved and they had some left over things they were not using. Well Brian and I jumped at the opportunity to take their wicker outdoor furniture, since this can be expensive to buy. It was a lovely forrest green color and almost all of the cushions were torn and in not so good shape! So we decided to spray paint the furniture black, and I picked out some outdoor fabric and had all of the cushions recovered! It looks brand new now!

Before

After

I made Jill's baby food cake and it is delicious!! I highly recommend you making it over the holidays. I used plum with apples baby food. And I used lots of pecans. We love them around here!

Here is one of my favorite cakes.

Sherry Cake

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

3/4 cup sherry

1 pkg. vanilla pudding

3 tsp. nutmeg

Grease bundt pan. Sprinkle with sugar. Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Sprinkle top with sugar or powdered sugar.

Christmas Miracles and Guilty Pleasures

Everyday I think to myself, "I need to blog today. This would be fun to blog about." and then the hours pass like seconds and Brian is home from work, and I'm cooking dinner, then feeding Maggie, then rocking her to bed, then going to bed myself. You get the drift...I'm sure most of you have days like this. ANYWAY...I have managed to learn how to fit daily showers into my routine, but not yet daily or even weekly blogging. I will get there though!!

Oh my goodness Maggie is changing so much everyday. She has a million little smiles now that melt my heart. Her favorite time to smile is right in the morning, right after she wakes up and has a good breakfast. She is so alert and in the best little mood. I love my new camera because it is fast enough to capture all of her little faces.

Maggie has learned that she has hands. She swats at things, and when she is mad she likes to beat my head or shoulders with her hands. But the one thing she has really picked up on is that if she puts her hands behind her paci when it is in her mouth, it won't fall out. It's a Christmas miracle!!!!! If I could invent a paci that would never fall out, I think I would be a bizillonaire!

We go for shots on Tuesday and I am super pumped! I can't believe she is already 8 weeks today. Does their whole life fly by this fast? OH NOOOOOO....someone slow it down. It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital meeting for the first time! I have enjoyed every second of being home with her. I wish this full time job was a well paid one, but unfortunately it is not!! So I will be returning to work the week after Christmas. I am very nervous, mostly for myself. I know Maggie will do great at daycare!

I have a confession...I have a new guilty pleasure. THE TWILIGHT SERIES. OMG! The best books ever! I am currently almost done with Eclipse, the 3rd one. Once you start reading, it hypnotizes you. I CANNOT put the book down. Its such a passionate love story. I am team EDWARD all the way!!! Seriously, I thought these books were for teens, so don't knock it til you've tried it! I was way wrong! Now I just have to find time to go see New Moon. I can't wait!!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

I love hearing everyones old stories and memories growing up, so here's mine.

1- Pancake breakfast morning at the YMCA in Laurel, then going to the Xmas parade downtown. SO FUN! I want to take Maggie to this parade next year.

2- Santa Clause coming to visit on Christmas Eve when I was little. We would hear bells, and then loud noises on our roof, and then Santa would be at the front door. I am pretty sure it was our neighbor down the street, and my Dad talked him into doing this, but it was SOOOO fun as a little kid thinking Santa really did pay you a special visit.

3- Unwrapping Christmas Presents on Christmas Eve right after our whole family goes to the Christmas Eve service together. It starts out every year with, "OK girls, you can open one present under the tree since it is Christmas Eve,"....and then hours later all the presents are opened! This still happens every year.

4- My moms homemade hot chocolate...she has been making it every year for as long as I can remember, and it is the best hot chocolate this side of the North Pole!

5- Going to my Grandma's house in Gulfport. I have 12 cousins, so 13 of us with 4 sets of parents, and grandparents can get pretty eventful. My grandmother had an oversized laundry shoot coming from her upstairs hallway and emptied downstairs by the living room. Well all of the cousins would get a box full of tennis balls, probably 50-100 and dump them at one time down the laundry shoot and they would knock the door open and spill out into the living room. Then we would run downstairs and collect them, see if we hit anything or anyone, and do this over and over again all day!!

Who loves Christmas cards as much as I do?! I love checking the mail everyday and getting a new Christmas card! Sending mine out this week!! Merry Christmas ya'll!

Date Nite, Check Up & Decorations

GO see the Blind Side! Brian and I had our first date night since Maggie was born. My parents kept Maggie and we went to eat and to see The Blind Side. SO GOOD!! Sandra Bullock is incredible in this movie, and it makes you want to go out and do good for someone else. I love an inspiring and uplifting movie. They don't make many these days!! And Tim McGraw is still such a cutie! But my goodness I was so ready to give Maggie a big kiss when we got out of that movie. I was gone 4 hours, the longest I have been gone from her! Taking baby steps:)

I had my 6 week check up this week. I got the OK for exercise so I am excited about that. Too bad it is too cold outside now to walk with Maggie. They also strongly encouraged me to get the swine flu vaccine. I asked a million questions, but took the doctors orders and got it. Please pray I don't grow two heads now!! I can't believe its already been 6 weeks, well actually 7 this Friday. Where does the time go?!?!

My Christmas decorations are finally up! I love Christmas time more than anything! Brian had black Friday off of work, so he helped me get everything up. Maggie loves the lights on the tree! And I cannot wait to get everyone's Xmas cards! I ordered mine yesterday!! Mom, tell Pop he is the one and only present under the tree!!

Maggie is getting so big! She doesn't look like a newborn anymore! She is finally smiling now!!! Especially when I talk goo goo gaa gaa talk and make funny faces. She loves it! She is always bright eyed first thing in the morning and loves to just look around and smile at everything. A few things she loves...lights, light fixtures, watching me get ice from the refrigerator, dark objects, and anything that plays music. She also likes my singing...ha...only person in the world that would. I have made up words to every nursery rhyme tune there is, bc I don't know the words to any of them!! She has a Dave Matthews lullaby CD that her Uncle Dean gave her and she loves it!! We are proud she already has good taste in music:)

She does have a very fussy period from about 8-10 at night, and a very sensitive tummy too, so I have to be extra careful about what I eat. I have eliminated ALL foods that could cause gas in newborns. CHOCOLATE, COFFEE, caffeine, all dairy products, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli. This is terrible and extremely hard for me!! I WANT COFFEE!! and no chocolate during Christmas...hmmm...I doubt that will last. Wish me luck on this diet!