Life is So Good

Pictures courtesy of Aunt Lorie
Warm weather today...puts me in such a good mood.
Cleaned up the house...love that feeling of accomplishment.
Got mail...not magazines but notes so even better.
Browsed the new stuff at Target...I'll just say again that is the greatest store.
Picked up some supplies for my online class...what could be better?
Kendall has been so good today...I have the BEST girl in the world.
Going for a walk with Karin this afternoon...really appreciating that I have good friends lately.

Missing my hubby though...I love him

No News

These are pictures from two weekends ago at my cousin Jamie's baby shower. Kendall wore a stylish purple party dress and sported her new white shoes. She also rode a see-saw for the first time with her cousin Maggie. Evidently Maggie is better at sharing playground equipment then I was. I bit Maggie's mom on the back of the neck (when we were little) when she was on my slide. I'm sorry Colette, I'm really embarrassed now!!

I'm psyched about the online class. There is still time to sign up if you are interested, we currently have a class size of 14.

I'm staying busy but I don't really feel like there is too much to blog about. I've been working on some Paper Chick orders lately, I've picked up some paint for a dresser that I want to paint for Kendall's room. I've also been picking up paint chips to help me decid on wall colors, I may do Kendall's room this week. Really no big news.

I do realize that I left you guys hanging on the "big changes" post. Sorry. It has to do with Brian changing jobs but we aren't really sure if it has all been resolved yet so I will just wait to update once everything has settled in that area.

Random Thoughts

Hello, my name is Ashley and I love magazines. There I've said it, admitting you have a problem is half the battle right? I'm not into the celebrity magazines (although I really try not to discriminate against any magazine) but I love the home themed and scrapbook themed ones. Total letdown all week...I open the mailbox and my breath catches in my throat, my heart starts to beat a little faster, I reach in and find...Business Week, Harvard Magazine, or Sports Illustrated. BUMMER! Where is the Better Homes & Garden, the Home Companion... (I could go on but I won't incriminate myself by listing them all).

Also, may I just say that Heidi Swapp makes pregnancy look just a little too cute to me. Muttering to myself: "I am NOT tempted, I am NOT tempted...I do not look that way when I am pregnant. I more closely resemble Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the original) when she ate the blueberry gum and inflated like a hot air balloon.

Kay, just had to get that all out of my system. Thanks for listening.

New Link

Another photo stolen fair and square from the Weires blog.

Just wanted to draw your attention to the new link added on the right. The Paper Chick will be offering an online class soon--->

Don't Wipe That on Me

Kendall and I spent the morning at church. Well, Kendall went to the nursery and I volunteered in the four year old room. All and all it went pretty well. It's amazing how much they change in just three short years, it's also amazing the difference between boys and girls. I was sitting on the floor building a Lego circus and one of the boys came over to squat next to me and tooted really loud. Later in chapel another little boy came to sit next to me and I caught him wiping his booger on me. I called him out on it but he wouldn't take it back so I took his shirt sleeve and wiped it off. Gross, makes me gag a little.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Just a day late. Brian got this special necklace for Kendall when he grabbed a drink with some work guys yesterday. She has carried around the Bud Light one that flashes all day. She even took it with her to the doctor today. She has been SUCH a GROUCH!! I felt certain that she had an ear infection or some other highly painful affliction but it turns out she doesn't...just a case of the brats. Gosh I love her but why is she so grumpy!?!?

Attack of the Crawling Baby...and stuff

Hmmm, what's that clicking and flashing going on, I think I'll go investigate.

Pay no attention to the pacifier, she hasn't been feeling well lately so I have been letting her have it just a tad more (usually it is just in bed and the car seat). She has a low grade fever and congestion, I know how she feels so I just want to comfort her in any way.

Remember when I said that one of my dreams was to have just enough work for the Paper Chick to be busy well, I do! I'm at a really good place right now, I have my big ongoing order (two albums complete and about six more to go), and Gram has been helping me out a lot by selling my cards and notes to ladies that she knows and now she ordered her change of address cards from me. On top of that I occasionally get a gift album every now and then. I have a new contact at the craft store here and she asked for my business card (she actually got me the other big order when she worked at the other store here in town) so I know she will promote my business. Very cool. The other night when Karin came over I worked on 'non-work' stuff and made a cute little album for Kelly that will be from Kendall (have to get that in the mail today) and a little froggy clipboard for Patrick to use to practice his writing.

Rain Rain Go Away...

...little Kendall wants to play.

Actually I like the rain, especially when I don't have to drive anywhere, I can just listen to it, feel the dampness, smell the wet grass. My favorite part of a rain storm is when it has just finished and the sun is trying to come through the clouds and it looks a little eerie but it's so beautiful.

Kendall was a bargain shopper today, she found this fetching coat with matching hat for only $4.
Have I ever said how much I love this neck? I just love to kiss it.

Karin's coming over tonight to scrapbook, gonna have some fun.

The Chick's List Part Deux

Today was a warm but rainy day so I decided that it was a perfect opportunity to bum around in comfy clothes and cuddle with the Snuggle Bug. Evidently, Kendall had other plans. She was fussy, clingy and just generally unpleasant to be around so I knew that we had to get out of the house (she has a complete turn around in attitude when she is in her big girl stroller flirting with complete strangers). She is a bit young for art museums and movie theaters and it was too rainy for the zoo so we went to the next best place...the mall. Seriously, it is a great learning experience when you talk about all the different colors and textures....and it is essential that she adds the following words to her vocabulary: Gap, Pottery Barn Kids, Starbucks...

I am oh so proud of myself because we made it through the entire experience without buying one thing!! Well, except for the cookie and Diet Coke but who could expect me to demonstrate such stellar self control without proper nourishment? Anyway, here is the Chick's list of goods that I would have purchased if I had won the lottery last week :)

Janie and Jack:
Ribbon Rose Embroidered Dress (would make the perfect Easter dress for Little Bug)
Lots more in this store that had great potential

Gymboree:
Corkscrew Hair Curlies
They also had "sweet pea" clothes (one of the names we call Kendall) but I can't find them on their website.

Pottery Barn Kids:
Chez Moi Four-Drawer Dresser: time to move from the changing table to a dresser
Kayla frames: for pictures of her family...cousins, grandparents...
Easter Basket Bucket
Patchwork Bumper Her bumper has had a meltdown and her pacifier falls out sometimes, it is so sad to go into her room and see her with her forehead pressed against the crib just looking at her pacifier on the ground and crying.
Ava Peg Rack and Ledge

Starbucks:
White Chocolate Mocha (this demonstrates the amazing self control that I exhibited)

This is a Test....and a long distance dedication **updated

So Kendall will soon be growing out of her Pampers Swaddlers (we hope). Let me just say that I love Swaddlers, they are so very soft and they fit so very well. We decided to try out some new diapers in preparation of the big step up (in diaper sizes) and I bought Luvs this week. Today I noticed a foul smell being emitted from my sweet baby girl and knew that the Luvs would be tested today.
Let me interrupt my own story to say this: I had a fairly easy pregnancy (except for the unfortunate amount of weight that I gained) I had no morning sickness and very few yucky cravings (just ham spread with cream cheese and wrapped around a pickle, but really that was good). The one thing that bothered me was the smell of buttered popcorn. Unfortunately, my husband loves buttered popcorn and I would have to lock myself in the bedroom every night around eight and not come out until morning just to avoid the stench. Anyway the ironic thing was that Kendall's #2's smelled like buttered popcorn forever!!!! With the introduction of solid foods the smell of buttered popcorn is no more and an odor best described as 'horrid' has replaced it.
Anyway, I digress. Before I dropped Kendall off at the nursery for my Bible study I changed her diaper because said odor was lingering. It was just a false alarm...the big one was still due to come. When I picked her up the ladies warned me that something bad would soon happen in that diaper, they too had been plagued by the foul stench. All day I waited and all day I was teased by the false alarms.
Tonight I took "Kick and Jab" at the gym and when I picked Kendall up the girls working in the nursery were all smiles for me. I noticed the foul stench but thought it must be another false alarm...Surely they would not hand over a baby that had a dirty diaper!?! We came home, Kendall ate a little food and I took her up for her bath. I grabbed the wet wipes just in case (Pampers, of course), drew the bath, opened the diaper and lo and behold the long awaited gift had arrived with only slight leakage out of the right leg hole. I guess the Luv's passed the test.

This post is dedicated to my pal Justin

Note: sorry about the 'big changes' teaser but I can't reveal it just yet. I'm thinking early next week once all involved parties have been properly notified.....and no we aren't pregnant.

**update: I knew that Cruisers were the next step up but she doesn't weigh enough to make the transition quite yet. I tried Luv's because I could get them in her size now, we'll try Cruisers once she has gained a little.

Big Stuff

Brian has the camera with him so I won't be posting any new pics for awhile. Here are a couple more from our photo shoot

BIG changes happening here at the 'S' household, I'm going to wait until things are a little more finalized before posting them though.

Kendall went to story time at the library today. She enjoyed watching the other kids but I think she thought everyone's attention should be on her (hmmmm, I wonder who she gets that from). We met Karin for lunch...love that gal...and then picked Alex up at school to go to our Fitness Ball class. Have I mentioned that I have triceps now?!? Well, I know I've always had them but you can actually see them!

Say Cheese

We had a family photo shoot today. Here are just a couple of the favorites:

Home

Today is a PERFECTLY beautiful day. It's sunny and in the 70s. This morning I was up and out of the house early (going to Bible study) and it had the feel of home. I always got up early growing up, I always had things I wanted to do, I had to fill the day. So as I was driving this morning, the sun was shining, the air was warm and I just had that same feeling that I always had growing up: happy to be alive, excited about what the day had in store, the inability to stop smiling, and it was as if I were back home in Florida again, I could almost feel the beginnings of a sun burn on my skin, man it felt good.

These are pictures from two summers ago at the beach house, I can't wait for July!!!