Grayson's 1st Halloween

This is what all the buzz is about!! ;-)

The Miracle Blanket

If this blanket is a miracle, then consider my baby a Houdini-like genius because it. doesn't. work!


This is what it's supposed to look like (found this pic online - I don't have one of Grayson b/c there is no way I'm waking him up with a flash once I get him to sleep!):

and this is what I find when I go into his nursery after a few hours:

It's pretty amazing really!

Let me get you a tissue - Part 2

How about I just bring you the box?

Let me get you a tissue....

Fall Home Decor

First, I have to give this disclaimer....I am in no way pretending to be a decorator's blog nor am I thinking that I have great tips that haven't been done a thousand times....I just thought I would share what I've been doing lately! :-)


I have never been one to decorate my home for Fall and now I can't figure out why. It's really the perfect time of year - it lasts for TWO months! You can't say that for Christmas or Easter or Columbus Day. Kidding on that last one. I didn't do much but I thought I would share my little touches around the house - on a budget, of course. I keep checking our budget spreadsheet for a Home Decor line item - I can't figure out why Beau hasn't added that yet. ;-) 


But first, I have to share this wreath that my Mom made me!! Is she not talented and shouldn't she sell these?! Made it from scratch and I'm so proud to hang it on my door. Thanks Mama - you wear your Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow Award of 1969 proudly! ;-)

Moving on....I changed out the centerpiece on my dining room table to something more seasonal. Tom Thumb was selling bags of pumpkins/gourds for $5 - all looked great - it was a steal really. So I grabbed a couple of place mats I have and my beloved footed cake stand (b/c let's face it, this girl isn't making any homemade cakes anytime soon) and voila, a Fall centerpiece for five bucks. Done.

The fireplace in our house is one of my favorite areas and is really a blank canvas in any home so I'm having fun with it! It's mid-October and this is not even close to complete but here it is so far. I just grabbed my gold frames from around the house and picked up some garland from Hobby Lobby. As you can see, I have some picture frames to fill and it's also looking a bit cluttered so I'm working on all that. I may figure it all out just in time to take it down for Christmas - ha!

 I want to swing by Half Priced Books and pick up some big, fall colored books (with cool titles, of course) to layer and stack a couple of the picture frames but do people buy books just for decoration?! I'm having a hard time with that one. :)

One last nod to summer

I get really sad when it's time to pack up Grayson's clothes as he outgrows them (which is just about weekly). Here are two little outfits I will especially miss as we say goodbye to summer:

There are really SO many others - time needs to SLOW DOWN!

Impromptu Spanish Lesson

Oh Beau, I'm sure glad I married you :-)

Happy 4 Months!

Grayson Reynolds, you are now 4 months old today and the happiest baby I know! I just wish I could get more of it on film/video. :-) You are a great joy to be around and the coolest boss I have ever had, yet probably the most needy too! Your smiles are addictive! I live for them and they can make any situation (and time of night) bearable. 


Today, Beau and I took Grayson to the Dallas Arboretum and had a ball with him! The Pumpkin Village is truly something to see! Pictures below but first, here are some quick updates on this very big 4 month old!

• Weighing in at 17 lbs. yikes.
• We are starting solids! Beginning with avocado (video below) and then probably sweet potatoes next
• He is laughing more and more and those laughs are my world! we are just so tickled when he starts giggling!
• Grayson is trying to sit up all the time. it's rare that he's content just laying there, which just continues to confirm our suspicions that he will be SO active. 
• On that note, he STILL wants to be walked around all the time. Rarely is he content just playing on his mat or in his jumparoo (yes, the one I purchased b/c he's so active). This makes me tired.
• Teething but no teeth yet. He gnaws on his hands for the better part of the day. Which produces A LOT of drool. And sometimes some spit-up (but only when he manages to get his entire fist in his mouth!)
• He can now pick up things in front of him that he wants! It's all downhill from here. He can even grab and squeeze things he doesn't want (sorry Shelby, your nipples will heal soon. promise.)

And some recent videos:
Grayson is addicted to TV. I know, bad Mom. Here I am trying to keep him away from it and as a result, he watches it upside down. And don't suggest the "off" button. I don't know where that is ;-)





Example of a teething, tired baby :-(



Eating solids for the first time:



I will leave you with this picture of my beautiful, blue-eyed 4 month old....I'm in love. 

Pretty Bottom

Brinkley likes to keep an eye on the backyard but doesn't always like to BE outside. This is usually what we walk past:

At least he has a pretty tail :)

The Baby Whisperer

I walked into the nursery wondering how Beau had been able to quiet our cranky, fussy baby all while being on a conference call with work...this is what I found...

New (surprisingly challenging) Home Project

Beau and I recently purchased a new sofa and love seat for the living room! We did plenty of shopping and talking and shopping some more before we decided on leather. Our new couches came with 9 pillows - score! 9 pillows that match nothing in our home - boooo. BUT, this means a new throw pillow project for me - score!! My idea for these pillows is to cover them in light colors since the leather is pretty dark. 


Here are the only pics I have of the new couches but they will do for the sake of this blog entry:

The insides of these pillows are a whopping 24x24 but can be stuffed into a 19x19 cover if needed. I know this because I randomly bought a hand-painted pillow cover on our honeymoon that fits nicely. Now that I think about it, how random is that purchase?! Glad I did though b/c fortunately it has the colors I want to use and I like the idea of personalizing this project. 

 I can't stop thinking about these. Of course, the Etsy vendor sold them by the time I was ready to pull the trigger (what, 3 weeks later?!) but I'm thinking about reaching out to her about my custom size in this print. If she even still has the fabric. 

It's important to me that I mix solids and textures in if I do a busy print like the 2 above since I'm dealing with NINE pillows! I love this knit...but would need cream.

And maybe another textured solid like this...

Back to personalization, I'm liking this but not sure if it's more of a bedding pillow. Jury is still out on monogramming a couch pillow...and this print is a little holiday for my liking but you get the idea...

Anyway, who knows what I will end up with or how long this process will take but I'm having fun with it!

What is this face?!

He just started doing this like 20 minutes ago...seriously, if his cheeks get any bigger, they may get stretch marks! ;-) Beau saw it and immediately said, "He's imitating his Mama!".........maybe. :)

Grayson, tell us how you feel....

about your new big boy stroller chair?!

Shelby's fat....

and out of shape. She has always been low maintenance with food. In the past, I would fill her bowl full and she would eat what she wanted, when she wanted (usually 1X a day) and we don't feed her people food. So I never really paid attention to how much I was feeding her or how frequently she was eating until recently. She has put on weight suddenly and then I realized, OH. I know what she's doing. She is making sure to eat everything in her bowl so that Brinkley won't get it! That means, even if she sits there and eats for 30 minutes 2X a day until she is miserable, she will eat everything while he watches!! They have such a competitive relationship that she doesn't want him to have anything that she doesn't even care about - like food! I can't have a fat dachshund. I preach about how bad that is for their spines and now look - I wake up one day and I have one!

Here is Shelby after our first walk in like a year!

What time is it?! - TX/OU 2010

As you know, this is like a holiday for our family and most of my friends so my parents were kind enough to keep Grayson for the day and overnight AND drive us down to Uptown that morning for game watching with friends. Since the game was terrible, let's just continue to focus on family and friends, shall we? I had a great time hanging out with my friends and knowing that Grayson was in great hands. He had to make an appearance at the game watching party though!

Once my parents and Grayson said goodbye, they went off for a wonderful lunch at Houston's (which is now called something completely different) and we had a great time (not watching that pathetic game)...thanks to Thea for taking some great photos!!

It's so bad when a calculator is needed to pay out the tab...

 We have gone to Christie's parking garage year after year b/c it's the best game watching venue in all of our opinions. We love the crowd, the vibe and you can order beer by the case, iced down in nifty styrofoam coolers. Overall, a very fun day!

Floor Time

Some of what we have been up to lately....don't judge my choices in TV programming...



and he can hold his little head so high!

Worst Day Ever

When Grayson comes home from high school one day after doing poorly on a test, his girlfriend breaks up with him and he's still grounded from some prank he pulled the week prior and tries to say that it's "the worst day of my life!", I'm going to correct him. I'm going to say, "No. No. Actually the worst day of your life was October 4, 2010." This is because he got the Hib shot. Oh, the horror! I had no idea it would cause him so much pain. The WHOLE day. Not even having one of my favorite family friends in town from Corpus, Terri Durst, can erase my memory of that poor baby face and the inconsolable cries! For hours. I couldn't do anything for him and shrieks like that are really unnerving! Thank God I didn't have a colicky baby - I'm not strong enough!


Here is a little before and after action...

Good news is that we are MUCH BETTER today! Happy baby is back!

Crazy Daddy

Have I mentioned Beau's goofy rhymes before? I can't remember but to think that I thought he peaked with wiener dog songs for Shelby...oh no! He was just warming up for our kid(s)! Now, there is only one thing I regret with this video - I grabbed the Flip too late so I missed the REAL giggles these two were sharing and Beau was also running out of rhymes for his crazy songs. They are both kinda getting tired here....but I'm glad they continued on so I could get some of it on video! :-)

Busted!

Technology is such a thorn in my side sometimes....

Beau: "We got a ticket in the mail today for your car running a red light."

Me: "Impossible. I don't run red lights."

Beau: "Really, because I'm watching the intersection video of it right now. And it's definitely your car."

Me: "What?!"

That's right. I did, in fact, run a red light. I HATE when people do it and I did it. In my defense, it was one of those things where I looked away for a split second (NOT at my phone - b/c I REALLY don't text and drive) and when I looked back, the light was yello-RED! If I recall correctly, something on the side of the road caught my eye - a pedestrian, car, weird business, something. I also remember it b/c it felt like an eternity that I was traveling through that intersection with the light being red. And I was so embarrassed to watch the video yesterday. It looked so blatant. I'm adult enough to admit that I 100% deserve the $75 ticket. I just hope my money goes to the upkeep of those stupid cameras so that they can continue catching the REAL lawbreakers. Not the accidental ones like me :-)

Nike's New Spokesperson - Air Grayson

This is our sweet boy when he isn't grunting because of his digestive issues. Aren't his basketball shorts just soooo cute? Bonus: I scored them at Babies R Us for $2 . ;-)

P.S. You can't tell because his cheeks are SO chubby, but he's smiling really big here!

Multiple Choice

This baby is upset because:

a) Shelby is fighting for his Dad's attention.

b) he can't find his pants.

c) he's sitting on a coffee table like a centerpiece.

d) he's constipated.

Sadly, we think he is constipated :-(