life

First Blog Post of 2011...Yikes! Lots of pics and a loooong post.

2011-08-31T11:29:00.008-04:00

Hello all (or anyone who still has me on their blogroll). I apologize for neglecting my blog over the past 8-9 months. Yikes! I can't believe the last time I posted on here was December 2010. I MUST do better.

Anyway, right to business....

SO what have we been up to in our family? Just regular life.

My baby is now a very talkative little boy who has no problem telling you what he's thinking! He makes us laugh on a daily basis and also finds new ways to get in trouble. He has a new big-boy room with a double bed and is overall doing a great job with potty training although we have a way to go with that! But they say boys are harder (or at least that is what people tell me :)
His hair is redder than ever.

Patrick and I celebrated our FIVE YEAR wedding anniversary in May- time flies!

I completed my second year at my practice, and there were a lot of changes for me this year as far as work- we started a new electronic medical record system which means a lot of craziness. I had my birthday this summer, now i'm more than halfway to 60 haha, but we'll just say 29 and holding for now.

I have posted a million and a half pictures on flickr so if you have been checking these will be repeats. I just got a new camera (Nikon D60) and so one of my new adventures is learning photography with it.

Quick recap of 2011 so far!!!!

January:

We had a really big snowstorm!

my friend Gina had a baby shower to welcome her little boy- i went up there and back in less than 24 hours- the boys stayed home!

February:

Connor got the flu- boo.

daddy wears shorts in the winter too!

Connor climbed out of the crib and we converted his bed to a toddler

March:

went to the lake and somewhere called "goats on the roof"

tired boy after a hike

this month we turned Connor's car seat forward facing as he was getting a little too tall to continue rear facing with his height- we made it 28 months RF!

got his first T ball set

April:

celebrated Easter...he's spoiled for sure!

May:

Trip to Hilton Head Island ( i still need to upload a bunch of pics)

sprinkler in the back yard

June:

good checkup at the dentist

new mower

July:

swam in the lake

did a lot of coloring- still a lefty!

had my birthday and got a new camera!

new toy:

August:

big boy room!

learning the potty way

Santa, round 2.

2010-12-19T23:05:00.001-05:00

Santa, round 2., originally uploaded by Makclair.

We had success!!!

Saturday Santa came to Publix (grocery store, for you non-Southerners) and Connor just marched right up to Santa, said "Hi, Santa" hopped up in his lap, and showed him some trucks. He would do well when we're not having to pay for an overpriced 5x7 at the mall. He actually sat in Santa's lap again after we did our grocery shopping and told him he wanted "trucks and choo-choos" for Christmas. Good thing , because that's what he's getting!!!

P.S. Santa, we can tell your beard is fake :)

Starting to look a lot like Christmas!

2010-12-18T11:54:00.002-05:00

I realized that I haven't posted any pictures of the holiday decorating yet!- We put up the outdoors stuff a couple of weekends ago. We have a mini tree with lights upstairs in the bonus room window, lighted garland around the front door and wreaths on the windows that light up at night. I think every year we'll probably do a little bit more. Last year we barely decorated outside. I think we were too used to being in an apartment.

This isn't a great pic because all the lights are blurry- but the sky looks neat :)

Garland around the front door- I think i'm going to look for some more after Christmas on clearance to make it thicker next year.

(just realized we still have our pumpkins out there, haha)

The rosemary bush- i call it my "charlie brown tree" but I think it looks good with lights.

I found this cute flag at Hobby Lobby, but sadly it blew away in a tornado storm (seriously). :(

Our countertop nativity- please excuse any mess in the background-

Fireplace/mantle with stockings.
The reindeer are our stocking holders, but somebody is nosy, so we put them lower this year.

I have to brag about these little trees- I got them both for 12 dollars! I got a printable coupon at CVS for 10 off any of the 29.99 boxed pre-lit trees. So these were 29.99 for the 2pack, but they were on sale for 22. Then I got 10 off that - so 12 dollars for both of them! Next year we'll probably put them on the front porch, but since I didn't want to reconfigure the cords out there , I just put them in the entryway.

Connor's mini tree in his room

Finally got some presents under the tree!

Picture with Santa

2010-12-18T11:39:00.001-05:00

santa, originally uploaded by Makclair.

Last Wednesday, we had Connor's 2 year old well check, and Patrick ended up taking a furlough day so that we could spend the day together (it was my regular day off).

First we started at the doctor- my big boy measured out at 28lbs, 12 oz (60%ile) and 36 inches long (88%ile). I knew he had grown, but WOW! No wonder all his pants are too short. Everything was great- He just had to get his flu shot and barely cried. Then we were off!

We went to the mall and straight to see Santa! Since it was early, we didn't have a line at all, although this probably backfired because Connor didn't get to watch any other kids sit in Santa's lap before him. I had hoped he would sit nicely in Santa's lap, but as soon as we walked up to him, Mr. Clingy came out and refused to let go of me. So we made a last minute decision to just all join in and get the picture together to avoid a tantrum. He still didn't smile, but at least he didn't cry!

Our next stop was Toys R Us- we were sneaky parents and picked up a few things that he didn't see us buying, and he got Emily the Tank Engine as a special treat after his checkup. He was very possessive and almost refused to let the cashier scan it but he did let her.

Finally, we went out for a quick lunch at Stax's Omega (Connor had a meat and 3- haha!) . And then home for a nap!!!

Christmas card preview- Thanks Shutterfly!

2010-12-05T10:49:00.000-05:00

Modern Cranberry Ribbon Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2010-12-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

It's been 2 years since he entered our lives and nothing has been the same since!!!

wahoo!

2010-12-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

I added a new background :)

So what have I been up to?

Putting up the Christmas tree AND new curtains!

Goodbye ugly vertical blinds!

And bribing a certain toddler to take Christmas pictures- this is the best out of like 100.

and working of course....HELLO WINTER. Fun times.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.....

2010-11-08T13:26:00.003-05:00

Ok, I know it is just barely November, but Christmas is almost here! Almost time to put my Christmas music box on my blog, almost time to start wrapping surprises, almost time to get the tree and decorations down from the attic, ect. I'm already burning my Mistletoe candle!!! And another thing- almost time to start working on Christmas cards!
I'm loving these adorable Christmas cards at Shutterfly !

How cute is this? Or this? Or this? I can't decide. All I have decided is that I'll just choose a great picture and upload it to Shutterfly in a flash. Then it is super easy to edit the picture- crop it a little, maybe make it black and white. Then pick a design that I love, maybe even choose more than one picture for my card! And then lickedy-split, Christmas cards are DONE! And they'll arrive at my house soon afterwards thanks to their quick shipping. One less thing on my list!

I'm not sure if the hardest part will be deciding on a card, or getting this little person to actually smile for a normal picture:

Head on over to Shutterfly to check out the cards!

What have we been up to???

2010-10-24T21:44:00.003-04:00

So we went to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch a couple of weekends ago, and I just uploaded a few pictures to my computer- so here is a preview to compare last year to this year! Look at that tiny baby and now a little boy! Still loves his camo pants! More pics to come!

I was on call 4/7 days two weeks ago so I didn't do too much exciting (although fortunately it was a pretty quiet week of call ). So nothing really to report. And no pictures.

Then last week I went to a week long training course to become a Certified Lactation Counselor- this is one of the first steps for my eventual goal to become a IBCLC (lactation consultant) - I really have been looking forward to this for a long time!

I learned SO much during that week- the teachers did a great job and I met lots of fun women! I missed my boys, and I know they missed me, but I hope that the things I learned will make a difference for the moms in my practice and it makes it totally worth it for me. It is so fulfilling as a pediatrician to help a mom through difficult times and help her meet her goals.

Of course it will be another 6-8 weeks till I find out if I actually passed my test!!!

October 6, 2010 7:05 PM

2010-10-11T22:43:00.002-04:00

So i have a million pics I need to blog- but I'm posting a quick video from my phone- this is Connor playing with his "see and say" the other night. Remember this toy, 80's babies??? Anyway, if you listen you can hear him saying the sounds the animals make.....

(pause the music at the bottom of my page :)

Halloween Costume is Here!!!

2010-10-02T16:15:00.002-04:00

Last year Connor was a monkey- a very adorable little monkey of course.

We were trying to decide what for him to do this year, as he is blissfully unable to make too many preferences about his costume right now (and this will soon change :)

I have a friend whose son Jackson was a dragon last year- this was the costume I really wanted for Connor last year that had been sold out.

So guess who is borrowing it this year?? Me of course!!!!

We got it in the mail this morning, and he demanded to try it on immediately. It fits perfectly!

My little dragon-boy

Wings and tail.

the tail sticks out in the back.

he really liked the claws, btw.

Oh and please excuse the weird picture sizes- i'm learning to blog directly from picasa.

He's obsessed ....with trucks!!!!

2010-09-14T13:00:00.002-04:00

At dentist, originally uploaded by Makclair.

Our son is obsessed these days with trucks.

It used to be dogs- everything for the last few months was woof-woof. He would see a stuffed animal- woofwoof. See a dog- woofwoof. Cat-woofwoof. Animals at the zoo- woofwoof. Well, finally I think he figured it out. Now, large animals - Mewwwww (moo). This includes large dogs, much to our embarassment when he moo-ed at several great danes downtown last weekend. Their owners didn't seem to mind. He also calls small animals "tats" (ha) which means cats, and this includes small dogs. In between animals are still woof-woofs, but he's starting to say dog. I learned about this way of thinking when I was in college in child development (and can't remember what it is called, but it is interesting to see it play out in your own kid!)

So now we're obsessed with the trucks. He's always loved those little tonka trucks- he owns basically an entire fleet of vehicles. He also loves his school bus and sometimes the smaller trucks get to ride in the school bus. Now he's saying "truck" more often and he uses it for everything.
In the morning he's talking about truck-truck which is daddy's car . When we're going somewhere in my car (honda pilot) he calls it truck-truck-truck and he prefers my car as I guess it is more truck-like. He points to riding lawnmowers and regular lawnmowers and yells TRUCK!. One of the more exciting mornings of his life so far was going to my office when he was sick with a fever (to get a strep test) but the garbage truck happened to be there and he actually got to witness the dumpster being dumped in action. He would not stop talking about the "dump truck!"

So anyway, I have completely re-vamped my ideas for his birthday party now. I originally was going to do Yo-Gabba-Gabba (google it) because he loves the music. Well, now we have mr-truck-obsessed. We're doing a truck theme party! Yes, I know it is in Dec, but you know how busy work is at that time of year, so i'm already starting the planning. We'll do truck decorations, a truck cake and I think it will be super cute. Very boy-ish.

I've already started finding ideas!
Wouldn't these be awesome party hats??

I feel like this design is a little too big boy for him, but it is the only thing I can really find.

Or this one?????

What do you think???

Fall is (almost) here!!!

2010-09-14T12:25:00.002-04:00

So, it is September, as hard as it is to believe!!!
Finally starting to cool down a little, can actually enjoy the outdoors these days, pumpkins starting to appear at the grocery store and thinking about the apple orchard. Of course, it is full swing on strep/colds/sinus infections/allergies/school avoidance these days as well!!!!

But back to the good stuff:

I've gone ahead and started decorating for Fall. At this time last year I was studying for boards so I didn't really do a lot as far as putting up stuff this time of year. But I've already started this year!!!

I've had this wreath forever- since I lived in that old house in downtown Macon- and it has held up pretty well. I got it at Hobby Lobby originally, i think.

On our mantle, I put up some autumnal garland, a glass jar of cinnamon sticks, apple-cinnamon potpouri and I got a super cute little pumpkin picture frame! ((((HobbyLobby))))

This is our "candy bucket" but I think i'm going to put some pinecones in it for now. The last thing we need is a bucket of candy sitting there for the next 6 weeks!!!

Still to come- I want to get a few more outdoorsy type decorations- maybe some mums next to our front door, a hay bale and a scarecrow:)

Labor Day Weekend Update

2010-09-12T09:25:00.002-04:00

I'm working all weekend/on call so I hope I have nothing exciting to share about this weekend- Last weekend was Labor Day and we were all off from school/work so we did a lot of fun things. I'm a little behind on uploading pics, so i'll go ahead and write this post, and then add in more pics or write an update blog when I get more pics up!

We grilled out several times over the weekend- we did burgers/sweet potato fries/grilled corn and then the next night we did London Broil on the grill- Yum!

This boy loves sweet potato fries!

We spent a lot of time just hangin out, reading, dancing at home. Connor just got this new book (yo gabba gabba -Party in my tummy). He has tons of books, but currently he's obsessed with this one and any book of his that has trucks in it- especially Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go")

I also got a little bit crafty and made my first diaper wreath for a coworker who is due with a little boy. I need to attach a few little things on here, but i'm pretty happy with my first creation.

We also stayed busy over the weekend- attended a birthday party for Connor's classmate Peyton and we went Cleveland Park/downtown twice and also went to the zoo!!! More pics to come!

cvs deals this week! (Saved about 60%)

2010-09-11T19:37:00.001-04:00

cvs deals this week!, originally uploaded by Makclair.

So i've been holding on to an aveeno raincheck for a long time, waiting for them to get more diaper cream and lotion in stock so I could use it. Finally! I would have preferred to get all diaper cream (the aveeno kind is MAGIC!) but i had some printable coupons that were about to expire. So I had to get other stuff which we can definately use as well.

Deals: 2 pack body wash 3.99 with one ECB offer - $2 coupon from the red machine= 1.99 with one ECB back.
Gummy Vitamins:7.50 BOGO and 1.00 coupon off each bottle.
Gain soap:1.39 - free coupon = FREE
Aveeno baby products: Raincheck for 3.99 and buy 20/get 10 back in ECB. Plus I had three printable coupons for 1.00.
I had only 1.99 in ecb to spend

Total 31 something and I got 11 back in ECB. sweet!

All for 16.90 at Publix! Saved 32 dollars!! (65%)

2010-09-04T08:12:00.001-04:00

All for 16.90, originally uploaded by Makclair.

I haven't posted a good savings wrap up on my blog lately, but I took a pic with my phone and wanted to share it!

I caught all these deals on the last day of the sale this past weekend at Publix.

Right guard men's Deodorant- normally 3.99 each, on sale BOGO so 2.00 each. Then I had 1.50 off each printable coupons- which made them 50 cents each!

Huggies Wipes- normally 19.99 for the big box- I had a 5.00 off store coupon as well as a 2.00 manufactuer's coupon- which made it 12.99.

Huggies Wipes (3 normal sized packs)- normally 6.99 and I had a 2.00 off store coupon as well as a 2.00 off manufactuer's coupon, making it 2.99.

Campbell's soup- normally 2.40, on sale for 1.19 and then I had a 1.00 off coupon- 19cents!

This made a total of 21.90, and I have a mail in rebate for a 5 dollar publix gc for the diapers/wipes! Net of 16.90 for all!

Clean carpet!!!

2010-08-31T11:44:00.002-04:00

Hello out there!!! Anybody?
I've been terrible about blogging, I realized that the last post was 2 months ago! So i'm going to try to get back on the game asap!!! And here we go- I have a lot to catch up on!

This weekend, we had lots to do-

First, Saturday morning we met up with a friend Janis and her husband and daughter Hannah at Cleveland Park. We've never played there before as it has been So So Hot lately, but we found out that Connor loves it!

Connor and Hannah after our walk:

We had a great lunch out together as a family at Copper River and then went to the grocery store and picked up a Rug Doctor.

Now, lately i've been feeling really grossed out by our carpet. we have discussions back and forth. Should we just rip it out and put in hardwoods? get tile throughout? Just leave it because Connor is messy? Put in new carpet? Hire stanley steamer?
So after all that we've just lived with the nasty carpet for months. It continues to get grosser as we have *someone* who insists on spilling things constantly.
Well i finally gave up and we were going to spend the money to have professionals clean the carpet, but I decided to give the Rug Doctor a try- so of course I found a coupon online, and off to Publix we went! Renting the machine was easy and was only 20 bucks after the coupon. I did buy some cleaning solution as well, but later on I ended up having more success with oxyclean. It took several hours and a lot of physical labor as you have to constantly empty and fill the machine. BUT- it got our carpet really clean, and i'm very happy. I'm not embarassed of our carpet anymore!!!!

Sunday afternoon after we returned the rug doctor, I met another friend at Barnes and Noble for coffee, then we came home and trimmed branches in the yard. We actually ended up tearing down this horrible dead bush that was in the edge of our yard , and i'm sure our neighbors will send us a thank you card. LOL.
Connor colored with sidewalk chalk and then ran around hitting bushes with cut branches.

A busy weekend, but not all good :

Unfortunately, there was some poison ivy buried in that old bush- so I just made my husband a doctor's appointment :)

Weekend Bathroom Makeover !

2010-06-28T13:55:00.002-04:00

june 014, originally uploaded by Makclair.

I did my bathroom makeover this weekend....I used this shower curtain as the inspiration, and painted all the walls Twilight blue (behr paint plus primer). Then i added the matching accessories and ta-da.

Now to change out the light fixture, and i'm going to frame out the mirror with white trim.

So far, I love it- Such an improvement!

2010-06-28T13:54:00.005-04:00

june 019, originally uploaded by Makclair.

My "custom" decorations :)

2010-06-28T13:54:00.004-04:00

Mommy's helper, originally uploaded by Makclair.

Somebody really liked the paint rollers....

2010-06-28T13:53:00.001-04:00

june 017, originally uploaded by Makclair.

New bathroom color on right. Twilight blue by behr.

2010-06-23T19:56:00.001-04:00

New bathroom color on right. Twilight blue by behr., originally uploaded by Makclair.

I have been planning out redoing our guest bathroom- I was inspired by this shower curtain (thank you Walmart!!!) I wanted to pick a color that coordinated with the lightest blue for that bathroom, and my first three attempts (the horizontal stripes) were total FAILS. Obviously they didn't work well with the curtain . So i've been researching online, playing around and looking at paint swatches. I got this paint color today, Twilight Blue and will be painting this weekend!!!
Next step, new mirror and light fixture in there. Then I will finish it out with chocolate brown bath mat and towels.

Our big boy!

2010-06-21T13:30:00.001-04:00

cool!
Originally uploaded by Makclair

Connor is growing up!

He had his 18 month old well check last week. He was 26lbs , 11 oz and 33 inches long. He had to get 2 shots, but we're finished with his routine immunizations till 4 years old- YAY!

He's saying all kinds of words now, starting to say phrases like "what you doing?" and loves to dance to music.
He will move up to the Toddler 2 class at daycare in the next few weeks and loves to bring home art projects from school.

He's already been in the pool several times this summer since our vacation, but I haven't gotten any pictures yet. I got him this sprinkler for our yard to help cool down in the summer heat and he thinks it is pretty fun.

Our Hilton Head Vacation

2010-06-16T10:00:00.002-04:00

I'm going to post some pictures, but there are a lot more on my flickr photostream . So run over there and you can see lots of pics from our trip.

Anyway, we had been planning this trip for a while...the last "vacation" Patrick and I have taken was a little trip down to St. Simons when I was 5 weeks pregnant with C. Let me tell you, I was SICK already and it was cold and rainy. Still nice to get away, but I have been in NEED of some beach time. We did go to a conference in Myrtle Beach 2 summers ago, but to me a vacation isn't getting up at 6 to attend lectures all morning. NO!!!

So, we randomly picked Hilton Head Island and found a condo and had faith that it would be great, and it was!!! We used VRBO to rent our 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. It was incredible.

This is our view from the living room:

It is a little blurry, but yeah, PERFECT view of the beach.

The kitchen was great, had everything we needed. Connor had his own bedroom and bathroom so we had plenty of room to spread out. The balcony was perfect and we ate almost every meal out there. We rented a condo in Palmetto Dunes, and will certainly be back there. Message me for more details.

Connor's first walk on the beach:

He loved playing in the sand:

and the surf...

Isn't this the sweetest???

One night we actually met up for dinner with a couple of my residency friends and their spouses and we learned something...Connor loves corn on the cob!!!!

We did a lot of eating in HHI, as evidenced by this photo:

This was Connor's breakfast at Stacks Pancake House, but he didn't eat it all :)

Our best beach photo- it was sunny!

Connor was a good napper every afternoon which led to a lot of this:

Anyway, it was a great trip, and we can't wait to go back!!!!!

I've been hiding.....

2010-06-16T09:46:00.002-04:00

Just kidding. I haven't been hiding, but if you tracked me from my blog, you might think so. Anyway, I have only a few good excuses, so I will tell them all. And i'm getting back on track with my blogging.

1. I have a new phone- this is the HTC incredible. I LOVE it. However, I can't really blog on it, and I use it a lot for the internet vs the laptop. Therefore, if i'm just wasting time online, i'm not blogging. It has a great camera on it and I can instantly upload to flickr or facebook, so that's awesome.

2. We went on an incredible vacation. It was so so so nice to get away from (most) everything for a week. I will write a separate blog about this.

3. We are getting started on our home decorating/minor remodeling projects for the summer so I've been researching some of that. And by remodeling, I mean changing out light fixtures and painting, not busting down walls :) Again, will post another blog about this.

4. I often think of things that I want to blog about, but then I forget, or don't have time. I'll try to be better :) I mean, everybody wants to read about all details of my life, right????

Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

2010-05-13T07:15:00.003-04:00

I apologize for all the pics, but it was great to look back! It has been 4 wonderful years with my best friend and looking forward to many, many,many more!!!!

The end of an era.....completed...

2010-05-11T09:13:00.005-04:00

As you may recall, I got a new car in January, http://http://makclair.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-got-new-car.html,
and I am still loving it! Of course I could not let you forget about my previous car- and you might be wondering what happened to the Mazda. (ok, maybe not, but i'll tell you).

No discussion of vehicles is possible, without talking about "My First Car".

yes, folks, here it is- a 1989 Plymouth Voyager. It could seat 7, had lots of storage room, a radio AND a tape player. I think it had air conditioning, but it may have not worked during part of the time I drove it. I do remember that at one point the tape deck finally stopped working and I was very disappointed b/c at that time it was very popular to use a cassette adapter for a walkman-type of a cd player in order to have a "cd player in the car". Now that i think about it, the radio itself finally died at some point as well.

My dad drove this car and then passed it down to me when i was in college. I drove it for most of high school once I had my license as well. SO i have a lot of memories in this car. Many kids would have been unhappy to drive a van, but i was just glad to have a vehicle. I moved home for the summer several times in this car and was able to fit all of my belongings in this car. It was perfect for late night trips to Walmart with my roomies. We had no limitations on what we bought as we had TONS of room!!!! (this is not always a good thing :)

I also transported myself and Wendy to Camp Woodmont several summers, and my campers affectionately called it "trash can on wheels". I think they were just jealous :)

(this is not an actual picture, as there were no digital cameras around while i had it, but let me assure you it is a very good representation. I like how the driver's side window is open, which makes me think that this vehicle does not have working ac either).

Anyway, my van finally bit the dust during my first month in med school. So here I was, in a brand new city in central Georgia 4 hours from my family and without a vehicle. Great. I did have a roomie and was able to carpool for a little bit with people but i needed a car, badly.

My dad found the 1997 Mazda Millenia on ebay and I got a loan through the bank in my hometown. I still have that little booklet and every single month I wrote that check. I paid it off right before our wedding. (and got a new timing belt a month later!).

I have had so many memories in the mazda.

I drove it in the middle of the night so many times to and from the hospital in Macon, drove it SO MANY times up and down interstate 75 to visit Patrick and my family, I put many many many miles on it driving to residency interviews in the fall and winter of 05.

I got my first and only speeding ticket in that car.

I carried around Bella (my cocker spaniel) in the front seat up and down the highways of Georgia many times. She had a little harness. She actually stool on the one and only cup holder in that car and broke it so I learned to drive holding a cup of coffee in my lap.

I learned my way around Greenville in that car, and packed it full to move several times from apartment to apartment and finally from "our" apartment to our first house.
I drove myself to many, many high risk doctor's appointments when I was pregnant with Connor, and spent many, many lunches pumping in that car.

Anyway, the time had come. I had over 140,000 miles on that car ( I bought it around 68 I think). It was getting to the point where i didn't feel safe with Connor in the car and we made the decision to get me another vehicle.

I've had the Pilot since January, but we didn't have anything immediate to do with the Mazda. It sat in our driveway for a couple of months which was a real pain b/c we had to manuver around it to get out of the garage. We didn't really want to try to sell it because it needed a lot of work, and it can take a really long time to sell a car that is that old. Patrick has a friend that runs a singles ministry here, and we decided to donate the car in order to help their ministry. It was sort of a win-win. We can write the money off in our taxes next year, and the ministry gets the money they make off selling the car as a donation. A couple of weeks ago they were able to sell the car. I hope somebody else can get some mileage from it, and I will continue to remember it fondly (most of the time :)

Buffalo chicken tenders..yum!

2010-05-02T18:32:00.002-04:00

I promised I would blog about these because they are so yummy! If you like buffalo chicken tenders at restaurants, you'll love these buffalo tenders, and they're healthier, cheaper and easy to make on a weeknight!!!

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.

You'll need to assemble your ingredients:

Chicken breast: I forgot to take a picture. Basically, you'll need about a pound, give or take.

I usually use the skinless boneless chicken breasts that you can get in a pack in the deli, but you can also use the tenders, or use the frozen breasts and defrost them first. Whatever works for you!

If you're using the full sized chicken breasts- you will want to cut them into tender-sized pieces, makin about 3 or 4 strips from each one.

Spicy Sauce:
I usually make these with Frank's Red Hot Sauce, but I had a coupon for this Wing sauce so we got it instead.
If you're using hot sauce, you'll want to put about 3/4 of a cup in a mixing bowl, and add a couple of tsp of olive oil. For this wing sauce, I just poured it on in.

Bread crumbs: again- your call. We had these plain ole bread crumbs. Just pick whatever looks good, or use what you have. Dump about a cup into a pie pan.

Now for the actual "cooking".

Put your chicken breast in the bowl with the sauce. You can let it rest for a few minutes. You want them to covered so you may need to stir everything around so it is well-coated.

Prepare your pan: I have a large cookie sheet, lined with aluminum foil. Then on top we have an ovensafe cooling rack. Spray the rack with cooking spray.

I'm sure you've figured this part out by now.

Dip each chicken piece into the bread crumbs so it will be coated. You can use a set of tons or your hands. (hands works better, but I wanted to be neat for this pic!)

Then place on the cooking rack.

Bake about 20 minutes (on 450). You may need to adjust the cooking time for the size of your chicken pieces. You can flip them halfway through baking for the most even crispness!

Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice- i like ketchup on everything, but Patrick likes ranch, blue cheese or honey mustard. We like to have them with baked sweet potato fries.

Spring picture FAIL.

2010-04-24T10:21:00.002-04:00

probably won't be paying 15 dollars a sheet for these :)

Connor's dance moves....

2010-04-17T19:46:00.001-04:00

Easter Pics...

2010-04-17T18:17:00.007-04:00

I apologize for the lack of blogging lately...It isn't like I've been really any busier lately, except I've been using our elliptical A LOT. This is a good thing for my rear end, but with working long days and chasing a toddler when i'm at home, it leaves little time for blogging! I'll try to make up for the missing posts though!

This was Connor's 2nd Easter, but it was the first when he was able to really enjoy things!

Connor's Nana (my mom) sent him a big package for Easter! He was VERY excited to open the box. She sent him a stuffed woof-woof and some new books! And peeps for everyone to share!

This was Connor's Easter basket this year- I ordered this personalized bucket from etsy and thought it would be perfect to store toys, ect. Connor got some pj's, bath toys, books and snacks.

We spent the actual weekend of Easter at Patrick's family's house- Connor enjoyed running and playing with their dog! The weekend was over much too quickly!

Peering into his bucket!

sweet boy

he's taking a nap on the dog bed in this pic (or pretending to)

First egg hunt!

He got this butterfly net as one of his presents and he couldn't leave it alone!

Tired out!

Connor's new ride!

2010-03-23T08:50:00.004-04:00

We finally put the cozy coupe together- a friend of mine from work assembled it for us! Connor loves it! He was so happy to see it in the back of my car, and he immediately opened the door and sat in the seat- he must have one on the playground at school! He played with it all day on Saturday!

"what big eyes you have!"

"Out of my way!"

Pushing it around the driveway...

and the yard.....

and towards the road.

This picture shows how warm it was this weekend- Connor was wearing shorts and flip flops!

Great diaper deal!

2010-03-21T21:40:00.004-04:00

I feel like I am the queen of finding good deals on diapers....I have never paid full price for a pack. We stocked up on diapers while I was pregnant ( I'll have to write a blog about this), and therefore I just stay on the lookout for good deals, coupons, ect.

The other night I was in Walgreens waiting for a prescription (poor Connor has ear infections along with pinkeye!). I was checking out the clearance aisle and spotted these! We actually have used a lot of Wags diapers in the past as I was able to really stockup on sizes 3 and 4 while they had a 50% off sale about 8 or 9 months ago. We're all out of those, and we will need to go up to the next size when we use all the size 4's that I have right now. So this was perfect!!!

I got 6 packs of size 5 and 2 packs of size 6 for $3.99 per pack. For those of you who calculate price per diaper, that works out to about 12 cents per diaper for size 5, which is a pretty good price!

Another great deal this week at CVS is on Pampers. They are 8.97 and you get $3 in ECB back per pack- Plus I had a bunch of $2 off coupons in my binder which makes them 3.97 per pack! As good as the price on my clearance Wags diapers (although you get fewer per pack, making them 17 cents per diaper). For reference, a "good" regular price for size 5 is 33cents per diaper!
This deal is limited to 2 per CVS card.

For all boy moms out there......

2010-03-17T22:06:00.003-04:00

So you’re going to be a Boy Mom…
originally posted December 31, 2009
http://babyrabies.com/2009/12/31/so-youre-going-to-be-a-boy-mom/

I know that feeling, that excited but scared shitless feeling when the ultrasound tech tells you they see that extra bit of anatomy. “It’s a boy!” Your heart stops for a moment.
“But what will I do with a BOY?” you think to yourself, never daring to utter the thought out loud because, well, you *are* ultimately happy that it’s healthy… but… but… you don’t know how to raise a BOY.

You’re going to be a Boy Mom, and you’re going to be okay. In fact, you’re going to be great.

You’ll love it so much that you’ll never be able to imagine NOT being a Boy Mom. It doesn’t matter that you LOVE being a girl, that you embrace every opportunity you get to dress up, do your makeup, get your nails done. It doesn’t matter that you much prefer shopping for shoes to browsing the sports store. Your love for all things zebra print, pink and soft does not mean you can’t and wont develop a love for “little man” clothes, toy trucks and OshKosh overalls paired with a toothy grin and muddy knees.

Being a Boy Mom means slobbery kisses and hugs that start with a running leap.

Being a Boy Mom means saving hundreds on clothes, even if only to spend that amount or more later in life on ER visits.

Being a Boy Mom means developing a keen eye for bugs and coming to terms with the fact that sometimes they can just be considered an extra helping of protein.

Being a Boy Mom doesn’t mean you won’t continue to be squeemish about things like spiders, it just means your squeals will be entertaining to the boy who taunts you by trying to eat one.

Being a Boy Mom means being the builder of block towers so big they lean and topple, leaving you both in stitches.

Being a Boy Mom means developing a very watchful eye while changing diapers, always on the lookout for that surprise pee stream attack.

Being a Boy Mom means having the pleasure of watching your son learn from his father, and then reminding his father that at a certain age they will start to repeat the F word, even if that F word is shouted at a TV during a sporting event.

Being a Boy Mom means you’ve been given the tremendous opportunity and challenge to raise someone who will grow up to be a respectful, loving and kind man. He may break hearts, but hopefully, with your guidance, he will do so gently, and ultimately he will make some lucky partner very, very happy.

Being a Boy Mom may mean giving up the fantasy of getting your nails done together after a frilly tea party, but it’s replaced by so many fun future memories that you can’t even begin to think up because right now you just don’t know what to do with a boy.
Don’t worry… it will come to you.

This was inspired by my reaction to learning that one of my best friends is having a baby boy. Immediately after she told me the news I teared up and replied, “You are going to LOVE IT! Boys love their mommas SO much!!” I was truly so happy for her, and I had to smile when her response was, “Really??” I so remember that feeling. For some of us girls it’s a little scary venturing into the world of boys, but we just haven’t experienced just how wonderful it can be yet. I know she’s going to be an excellent Boy Mom, and I can’t wait to meet the little guy.

2010-03-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

15 month post- got published in the wrong spot :)
http://makclair.blogspot.com/2010/02/15-months.html

Happy St Patrick's Day!!!

2010-03-17T09:38:00.004-04:00

From a little LepreConnor who has red hair:

These are the best pics I could get this morning! He is on the move!

And for fun, a pic from last year to compare:

our recent purchase.....

2010-03-16T21:49:00.002-04:00

We have going back and forth about buying an elliptical machine forever! Seriously!
We finally broke down this past weekend and gave in. Both Patrick and I have always really loved doing this machine at the gym. When we lived at the apartment complex, we used it frequently at the little "fitness center" and I used to do it all the time at the gym. Since we've moved (and basically before that ) we're both out of shape, and know we need to recommit. Walking with the stroller is something we enjoy, but it just isn't enough.

Here it is! A Sole Elliptical machine- it took me HOURS to assemble it Sunday, but we were able to get it completed and we have both done 2 workouts so far. It is nice to be able to use it at night after Connor goes to bed and watch tv.

Thanks to our big bedroom, it fits fine in the corner of our room. So far I love it! (well, I would love sitting on my butt even more , but this is a close second).

2010-03-02T17:16:00.002-05:00

This year for lent, I decided to give up fried food. This seemed pretty easy to me, especially compared to things I've given up in the past (Diet Coke,anyone?) I am just laughing to myself though that I continue to be tested!!!! I really don't even eat fried food- mainly just chips if we get subs at Publix, stealing Patrick's fries at restaurants, ect.

Well. I swear I am tempted with fried stuff on a daily basis!!!! Three times since lent started, a drug rep has brought chicken tenders to the office at lunch! ARGH!

But still resisting!!!

home decor post........

2010-02-28T11:32:00.003-05:00

We've lived in this house now , and we're just now getting around to doing a lot of decorating/projects...Something about having a little baby, starting a new job/finishing up residency, studying for boards has kept me from doing a lot.

So i'm all about ideas!!! Here are a few pics of some things we've done so far-

The biggest hurdle right now is that we need to paint basically the entire house interior- it still has the builder paint on it other than the bedrooms, and those really need to be touched up too. I don't want to hang too much on the wall when we're going to repaint it!

This is one of the shelves in my office- It is pretty disorganized still, but I found these cute boxes at Hobby Lobby and I think they're super cute and will be great for holding pens, cards, ect.

I created this photo collage on the wall of my office- needs pics added, but I like the monogram! I love this chair- we got it when we got our living room furniture. I can't decide if we should paint our bedroom or not. It is sort of a pale yellow, and does not match our bedding at all. All of our bed stuff is navy/red/khaki as is our bathroom towels, ect.

This is Connor's room- not sure if i've ever put pics on the blog. Since we didn't have a nursery at the apartment, we sort of added things slowly in here.

Shelf with books, and dresser/changing area. I got the pics above the dresser at Hobby Lobby.

Our dining room- needs a major overhaul. I want to pain the walls a dark red to highlight the wainscoating and crown molding. We need a new light fixture- it is UGLY! I want to get new window coverings- I am thinking long khaki curtains with sheers under them, and getting rid of those ugly hanging blinds. Ideas??????

I got this new mirror for above the fireplace, now we just need to hang it, and find some decorations for the mantle. I'm not sure why the pattern is showing up on it- it is not there in real life!

Connor's first trip to the ZOO!!!!!

2010-02-27T21:57:00.007-05:00

As amazing as it is- we have lived here for since 2006 and still hadn't been to the zoo. Every time we've tried to go with Connor it has been either too cold or rainy. Last Saturday we decided to go downtown and walk from Falls Park to Cleveland Park (I think it is 1.3 miles and makes for a great walk with the stroller). Everybody was out and about - it was the first nice weekend we've had around here in a while!!!!

When we got to Cleveland Park- we decided to go to the zoo! This was very spontaneous for Patrick, as you can imagine, LOL. The zoo was actually very busy, and maybe a little too crowded for Connor's taste, but we had a great time! Plus since he's under 3, he gets free admission, so that's always nice.

Giraffe!!!

Connor was very excited about the Giraffes

A very fat pot-bellied pig in the petting zoo section.

VULTURES!

Connor likes to walk "all by himself" these days.

"Come on, Daddy!"

Checking out more of the animals.

Looking at monkeys

What's that?

And we ended our day with some ice cream- Connor shared with us!

What a fun day downtown- we'll certainly go back to the zoo with Connor soon- he loved all the outdoor animals!

What happens when Connor feeds himself yogurt.....

2010-02-21T20:28:00.001-05:00

I can use this spoon!

Do I have something in my hair???

empty!

great deal on detergent!

2010-02-21T16:12:00.004-05:00

Since Connor was born, we've used the "free and clear" detergents. He has pretty sensitive skin, and although i miss all the yummy smells, I would rather he not have irritated skin. So unscented for all of us! We generally use either All or Purex unscented. ( Just FYI for all moms/moms-to-be out there, Dreft is actually NOT good for baby's skin! It still has perfume in it, just "baby-scented" perfume!)

Anyway, I feel like we're ALWAYS doing laundry- so when I find a good price or deal on detergent we stock up. The last good deal I found was bottles of All Free and Clear on buy one get one free (32 loads per bottle) plus using coupons. We've almost gotten to the end of that detergent (we had about 8 bottles), and so i've been keeping my ear out for another good price to stock up on .

This Sunday's paper had a purex buy one get one free (any size) coupon. I bought 3 papers b/c there were a lot of good coupons this week (we get them cheaper so it makes is really worth it). So I had three coupons, and I had noticed at our Publix that there was an in-store-special for 3.00 off the 64 load size bottles this week making it 4.99 for 64 loads.

So for 14.97, we got SIX bottles of 64 loads each. This works out to 384 loads at 4 cents each!!!!! Now I need to find some good deals on dryer sheets!!!

Another money saving post!

2010-02-21T15:34:00.003-05:00

I'm going to talk a little bit about stockpiling in order to save major amount of money....Basically most stores run sales on a 6-12 week cycle. This means that generally you should be buying enough of a product to get you till the next deal (for things you use regularly, especially those that do not expire). If you have something stored in the closet/pantry, you won't be scrounging for a coupon and driving around looking for the best price when you need it, or paying full price!

Here are a few examples.

1. We love Crystal Light- we do not drink soda or tea at home ( i do drink it at work) so we only drink water and crystal light. However, if we had to buy it regular price it would really add up in price! Since we mainly only shop at Publix, and they don't have a store brand of the drink mix, we either have to stock up or else! The good thing is that generally it will go on sale(buy one get one free) every 4-6 weeks. We've noticed this pattern, and now when we see it on sale, we buy enough to make it to the next sale. This is actually a much cheaper option than driving to Target and buying the store brand there, or having to go to another grocery store when it is on sale.

2. Spaghetti sauce- We don't really eat pasta too often at our house, but we use this staple for many other things- making homemade pizza on the weekends, dipping sauce, lasagna, ect. I found out a long time ago that there IS a difference between the Prego/Ragu varieties and the ones I consider "nicer" brands such as Barilla, Classico, ect. So of course i would like to only buy the nicer brands yet we don't want to pay 2-3 dollars a jar for spaghetti sauce. Since we like several brands, there is almost always going to be a buy one get one free sale at Publix. So we just buy as many as we expect to need for the next month or two at half the price (and CHEAPER than the other brands). There are rarely coupons for pasta sauce, but of course if we have them, it makes for an even better deal.

For food products, obviously you need to think about expiration dates, but most canned/frozen/jarred stuff lasts a long time.

A huge way that stockpiling really adds up is health and beauty care items (i.e. deodorant, shampoo, ect). I have basically decided I'm only going to buy these things at a very low price, but this only works if you are able to have the items you need in the closet for when you'll need them. Otherwise, you'll be running out to the store and paying 4 bucks for a bottle of shampoo. I'm not very brand loyal on toothpaste, ect so I am able to usually get the tubes for almost free after the ECB from CVS. Whenever I have a good coupon for razors, deodorant or shampoo i hold on to it until i find a good deal and then stock up!

This isn't a very good picture below, but it shows one shelf of our hall closet where we store stuff- at any one time we have multiple packs of razors, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving gel, contact solution, ect. Another shelf holds shampoo/conditioner/styling products, baby shampoo/bath, ect.

Try it! When you see a good deal, get what you think you'll need to make it for the next few weeks and avoid paying full price again!

Consigment sale!

2010-02-20T23:04:00.002-05:00

I love consigment sales- I wish I had known about them before Connor was born b/c you can get some really good deals on baby/kid stuff! Around here there are sales pretty much every weekend in the spring, and then again in the fall. The good thing is that you can usually hit a different one each weekend, but the bad news is that if you miss a really good one, you might miss out on some great deals on things you're looking for! Also, around here they all start on Friday, which would be great if I didn't happen to be at work all day. Last weekend was one of the best sales but I was on call all weekend and couldn't go . So this weekend i was planning to head out bright and early to another sale.

I did get a bunch of specific toys for Connor- Little People school bus and a whole bag of little people , some new bath toys, a wooden train set, and 2 flashlights! They're all in perfect condition and way below retail price.

I actually got 5 pair of shoes- all Stride Rite and less than 5 dollars per pair. Connor really needed to move up to some new shoes!

This sale was actually REALLY disappointing for clothes. I won't name names but this sale had a horrible selection of clothes. Most everything was really old, or worn out. I could not find much that was actually even worth the price it was marked to me. I did get 2 pair of pj's, and a few shorts and polo shirts, but that was it!

Connor was REALLY happy with the school bus, so I guess the trip was worth it, but I guess i'll be heading out in the next few weeks for another sale to get him some summer stuff!

More snow in SC!!!!

2010-02-20T22:17:00.005-05:00

This has actually been a crazy winter for snow, even here in the south! Last Friday afternoon I was at work and it started snowing again, but nobody believed it would even cause a problem since it had been pretty warm during the day. Well, within an hour or two we had a few inches on the ground. This means that everything basically needs to shut down, LOL. Of course I'm sure that all bread and milk had been cleared out earlier in the day due to the weather predictions.

Patrick and Connor got home right as the snow was really starting...of course Mr. winter needed to head out immediately to start exploring..... When I got home from work, we all went back out to play...it actually wasn't as dark as it looks in some of these pictures......

The next morning we headed out again bright and early. Connor did not like sitting in the snow.

our house

the water froze in mid-flow!

Don't laugh please, this snowsuit was a gift!

Walking in snow is tough!

little trail of tiny footprints....

Of course, it is a good thing we got out and enjoyed the snow while we did. It was all melted by the afternoon!

15 months!

2010-02-13T20:42:00.004-05:00

Our baby boy is 15 months now (actually 15 and a half months today) and he's growing up so fast! He had his 15 month checkup this past Friday. Patrick took him since I had to work.
His stats were 24lbs, 7 oz (47%ile) and 31 inches tall (49%ile). He's very average!
He got 2 shots (Hiberix and DTaP) and barely cried. His pediatrician said he is doing well! (I think so too :) After the appointment they went out for lunch together- he's become a good restaurant diner these days as long as he has either crayons or food.

Connor's days of crawling are long gone- he walks and run well, and has begun serious climbing. Anything around the house is a mountain to be conquered- shoes, boxes, ect.

The baby who never wore shoes is now a toddler finally in size 4 shoes (where did he get these tiny feet?) and he actually likes shoes- he stomps around in them on the floor, on the driveway, wherever. We actually got him these little slippers to wear since most of his pj's now are non-footed. He loves them!

Connor's new favorite place to sit is in the fridge. If the door is open, he runs to sit on the ledge. We don't know why.

Connor's speech development is increasing- he is "talking " to us all the time, but the main things we understand these days are "mama, dada, na-na (which means all food to him, but esp bananas), woof-woof (any animal including stuffed), and hello (into his phone).

He eats practically everything one day and then refuses everything the next. His favorite foods are still nutri-grain bars, peas, broccoli, bananas and yogurt. He also loves black olives, oddly enough.

He now has 12 teeth and lets us help him with the brushing somewhat

he's not really a morning person :)

Connor's already playing video games!

2010-02-13T18:48:00.002-05:00

I have to admit that I NEVER wanted to buy a video game system, or any games for that matter until I wanted a Wii. We purchased it as our joint Christmas present last year (right before Connor was born) but I didn't to use it much with the whole having an infant, being a resident, studying for boards, ect.

In the past few months, we've started playing it more and I got a new workout game called "my fitness coach" that I do some mornings before work. We also got the wii fit plus and there are a lot of fun active games that we like to play.

Connor has obviously been paying attention. He loves to carry the wi-motes around and stand on the balance board like a stage. He points the wi-mote towards the tv and laughs because he thinks he is playing the game.

Patrick has even figured out how to let him stand on the board to participate.......

Playing the snowball game

He LOVES oranges!

2010-02-06T17:23:00.003-05:00

Connor knows how to quickly snatch things out of the fridge whenever it is open. He hasn't figured out how to actually open the fridge door (YET!). The other night, I turned around and realized he had gotten a clementine and was trying to bite into it. Great mom that i am , lol, I just grabbed my camera. Getting started, this is something new...
feels good on those teeth!

Success!

going back in......

Don't take my fruit!

I got a new car!!!!

2010-01-30T14:40:00.009-05:00

As much as I have loved my 1997 mazda, all things must come to an end....
We've actually been looking for a new car for a while, as my car was really starting to get worn out, and a lot of things were needing to be fixed/replaced, likely costing more than it was worth. I was starting to feel a little unsafe with Connor in the car. it was time.

We had been looking for a few months to find a dependable vehicle that was in our budget- plus we needed something that had some room for travel and transporting all our stuff.

Here it is- I got a 2006 Honda Pilot! It is beautiful- drives great and in excellent condition.

This is one of the seller's photos- I got it Weds night and it has been dark when I got home every day since so I had to steal this photo since it is too icy to take pics in the driveway today.

Here is a view of the back- it has a third row that is folded up in this picture to seat 8 people! Like a van, but sportier! The seats actually all fold down completely flat for large cargo.

Here's a picture of the 3rd row folded down. The cargo net is removable, obviously, but good to keep groceries, ect from sliding around all over the place. I accidently deleted the pic i had uploaded of the third row folded up. This is what happens when you blog with a toddler.

Interior picture of the front seats and console. Two things i love about this car that I didn't have in my previous one- cup holders and being able to see what station the radio is on! My last car had only one cupholder which had been broken by my dog, and the radio/cd player had something wrong with it so the screen was completely black. It still worked, but you had to just guess at what station you were listening to. It has TONS of storage!!!

Back of my new car in the garage

Front view

Couponing....

2010-01-27T14:21:00.003-05:00

Ok, so a post not involving pictures of my adorable child......haha. I have to admit I've been a slacker about taking pictures the past week. Someone is always running and dancing and won't sit still for a second. If you haven't seen them, I posted a few videos recently.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/94545647@N00/4292044738/

So anyway, I wanted to blog about couponing. I've really gotten into it recently basically as a way to keep more of my hard earned money!!!! All the expenses of life really add up. Some people wonder "how do you have time for that?" I am happy to report that it really does not take much time at all! Trust me, if it took up a lot of time, I would not be doing it!!!

I have always used coupons, but have recently learned some new tools that have really paid off!!! I started using some websites including http://www.southernsavers.com/ which provide the tools I need. They basically go through all the ads for the week and then match them up with what coupons are out there. There are links for coupons for many of the products.

I check out the website once or twice a week. Then we plan out what items we'll get on sale over the next week. We keep a running shopping list going on the fridge for thing as we run out. I simply add the products that we'll be getting to our lists.

"How do you have time to go to all those stores?, I don't have time to shop around"
I actually do not go to a lot of stores. Our main store is Publix- we love the way it is always organized, neat and clean and has great customer service. This is where we do our main grocery shopping. They double coupons up to 50cents (to make it an dollar off). They also have a lot of really great buy one get one free deals on many items that we buy often. We go to Publix once a week- either Friday night or Saturday/Sunday depending on how my work schedule is.

The only other stores we shop at regularly are CVS and Walgreens. I used to think that CVS was very expensive (and it is if you aren't only shopping the deals) but I've started working the ExtraCareBucks and now pay very little for shampoo, toothpaste, and diapers. There are plenty of resources on the internet about using ECB's. It is a little overwhelming at first, but worth "playing the game".

We only go to Walgreens to buy milk and newspapers on Sunday afternoon. Walgreens and CVS are right across the street from each other. No extra driving.

Maybe once a month I will go to Target to buy things that are cheaper there or to stock up on certain things we need that they don't sell at grocery stores.

"Most coupons seem to be for junk or things I can't use"
This can be true to an extent, but overall I think it just a myth. Who doesn't use shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, ect? Plus we buy plenty of granola bars, diapers, frozen veggies, yogurt, ect. There aren't any coupons for fresh fruits or veggies usually, so we just look for those on sale and buy what is on sale for the week.

So here's what I do:

1. Buy the sunday paper- I buy at least 2 at walgreens (they sell them for 88cents vs. 1.50 so it is almost buy one get one free).
Take out the coupon inserts. Then I usually will cut out all the coupons I might possibly use. This is something I do while we are watching TV or a movie. SO no added time. Sometimes I will do 2 weeks worth at a time.
2. Organize the coupons in my binder. This is a new addition to my couponing. I used to use a little tiny organizer, but I was having trouble keeping things organized. When Connor dumped them into the floor it was my last straw I went to Staples and bought a flexible 3-ring binder and some baseball card inserts.

As you can see each coupon (or multiples of coupons) has its own little pocket .They're organized by type of item (refrigerated, baby, cleaning products, ect).

3. Pull out the coupons I'll be using at the store and put them in the front pocket. I still take my binder to the store in case there are other deals I have missed on my list. Basically you hold on to your coupons till the items you buy are on sale. And remember that any coupons over 50 cents double at Publix (and many other grocery stores).

When things are a really good price- we stock up. That means that we currently have 12 12-packs of diet pepsi in our garage, but since i only paid about 90 cents per 12 pack we can find the space to store it. And, yes, I'll use it. I take 2 to work each day- so that means it will last till the next deal comes around. We usually buy about 6 or 7 jars of spaghetti sauce, 7 or 8 boxes of granola bars, ect. You need to buy enough to make it to the next sale, so you don't have to go out and buy anything full price. As for shampoo, toothpaste, ect, we stock up on those so that we never have to pay much and never have to run out and buy them last minute.

Also, we DO NOT buy anything unless we are going to be using it. Don't waste money buying something just because it is a "good deal".

I'll have to blog more about this later.....this is only the beginning!

First Haircut!!!!!

2010-01-20T10:26:00.002-05:00

I usually get my hair cut by a great stylist, but now that we've moved out of the big city (LOL) and my hours are so long during the week, it is really hard for me to schedule a haircut. Plus, with all the holiday stuff going on, ect she didn't have a lot of openings on my days off. SO it ended up that the last haircut I had gotten was in MAY! Too, too long.

I actually made a hair appointment for the first week in January, but then my stylist was sick (she's also 35 weeks pregnant right now) and the next appointment I could get was Jan 20th!

I finally gave in and asked my nurse at work if her daughter could do my hair- she's a cosmetology instructor at a local Technical college around here, plus she works at a salon, so I thought she could probably handle my super thick wavy hair. I have tried to just walk in places before and have had very poor results so I needed somebody with experience which is I why I love my usual stylist.

So anyway, she actually came to my house on a Sunday afternoon to cut my hair! She did an excellent job- it looked like an animal had been shaved after she was finished cutting (on the floor- not my head). I am very happy!

She also offered to cut Connor's hair for free while she was here, and he needed it!!!

He just got a little trim in the back- it was starting to go out of control, and he's inherited our thick wavy hair as well.

We started out wearing the smock.....he though it was sort of a strange bib, but sat still.... I was actually amazed how still he sat- i'm sure it looks like i'm choking him here,

but i'm not, i promise. Just keeping his little head still for sharp scissors.
ta-da!!!

and here's my hair- you can scroll down to see pics of how long it was pre-haircut!

I'm really spoiled now......having somebody come to my house to cut my hair was NICE!

One year pictures!

2010-01-17T11:53:00.004-05:00

So we finally got Connor's one year old pictures taken. Since he turned a year during the prime Christmast portrait season, I wanted to wait till January so that it would be less crazy. When we have done pics before (at 5 months and 9 months) we went to the Picture People, and we decided to try Portrait Innovations. The good thing about all those kind of places is that you can go and if it doesn't turn out well, you haven't spent anything but your time!

This principle proved itself all too well! I made an appointment for Wednesday- my usual day off. I did some errands, and then got everything ready- clothes ironed, ect. I even went to the grocery store and bought some cupcakes to use a prop since he wouldn't really smash his birthday cake. I got Connor from school and off we went!

Well, the session was a total FAIL. He was already in a bad mood b/c we were just 2 days into his new classroom and he was having major adjustment issues. So when i got to school he cried when he saw me, and then when we arrived at the portrait place, he looked puzzled as to why we were not at home. I tried to give him a little time to warm up, but it was not happening. Every time we tried to get him in the picture area, he started crying. So we ended up leaving and rescheduling. I wanted to cry!

Saturday morning we were back again, this time with low expectations, haha! I just really wanted a few good pics b/c he will not ever look at me at home- my camera just isn't fast enough! I've even tried to set up little "photo sessions" at home,but i'm never happy with what I get. Well, he was much happier, didn't cry one time, and we got some great pics! So i was a pretty happy mom! Here are some of the unedited pics....

Connor just loved this little rocking chair- he actually brought it over to the backdrop,

and was rocking it himself.

I felt like he was a tiny bit old to do bathtub pics, but they turned out well.

I'm going to put one in the hall bathroom!

By this point, he was getting bored, so we didn't end up getting any pics in this outfit.

He figured out that there was a lego table in the waiting area and would not be distracted from that no matter what!!

Our baby is really growing up!!!!

2010-01-11T10:41:00.002-05:00

Connor is continuing to change and grow so much these days! He's really a great walker now, and tries to run at times (and falls down). He has started climbing things including trying to get up the ladder to the attic when we were putting up Christmas decorations. Seriously.

He likes to feed himself at meals, and we are now totally off baby food. He'll still let us feed him yogurt because he loves it so much. He's starting to want to hold a spoon during meals, but hasn't quite figured that out yet! He finally adapted to drinking cow's milk during the day, but is still nursing at home. The medela has been long packed away!!!

He's talking all the time, most of the things we can't understand. He says dada, mama, na-na (when he wants to eat a bite of something), zats-zis (what's this), zook(either book or look), tree (Christmas Tree), ze-jus (Jesus on the nativity), and many more things.

Connor started a new class at school this past week- Toddler 1. It is a huge transition for him. No bottles, they sit in tiny chairs at a tiny table to eat their 2 meals and snack (off the school menu). We don't even have to send his cups anymore, they provide them. They sleep on mats instead of cribs. He has two brand new teachers, but he knows most of the kids. He doesn't even leave a diaper bag anymore. They keep his diapers in his cubby and he has a basket where he keeps extra clothes as well as his blanket for nap. He's started coloring and sending home art projects and they have a daily activity/lesson. What a big boy!

Christmas......part 4..

2010-01-11T10:04:00.005-05:00

While we were up in my hometown, we were fortunate to be able to stay with my friends Wendy and Joe and their 15 month old, Grant. Connor wasn't feeling his best (he ended up having an ear infection), but it was nice to be at an already-babyproofed house!

Connor's new cup from Santa

this is the best pic we could get of them together

Connor liked the train!

what to do???

Playtime!

Christmas morning we went over to my parents' house to open presents. Connor seems to be enjoying his books and hammer in this picture!

The newlyweds

Christmas afternoon, Patrick, Connor and I drove across the entire state of Georgia to his family's lakehouse. Thank you GPS! We made it in good time, with only one bathroom stop. Thank goodness for a baby that doesn't eat as frequently anymore, and is happy with a sippy cup and goldfish crackers!!!!

Connor loves the presents!!

HOLIDAY SWEATER !!!!

This was one of his favorite things from Christmas. It is a Fisher Price Little People farm set, and he loves to carry around the barn- it has a handle and all the people and animals store inside.

reading with uncle Mike

Orange is my favorite!

stealing this!

opening presents with mommy!

To top off our trip, most of both of our families ended up with a stomach bug,

but we all survived it in time to return to work on Monday.

New Year's Eve was sort of boring since I was on call. I ended up going to bed before midnight!

If you are wondering, the only New Year's resolution I made was to blog more!

This is the only way I can keep track of things!!!!!!

So this was the end of the Christmas posts! Hope you survived them all!!!!!!

Christmas...part 3..Robert and Amber's Wedding

2010-01-11T09:43:00.004-05:00

My baby brother is married! He and Amber tied the knot in a tiny ceremony Christmas Eve. I was originally supposed to have to work all day and would not be able to attend but my work schedule was changed and we could be there!

Connor and I before the ceremony...

Mr. and Mrs. !

(Sorry these pics are backwards, thanks blogger.)

Our family

Nana, Papa and Connor post wedding.

My whole family- my parents, sister, the new couple and us!

Wedding party- ringbearer was not happy!

candles and guestbook

Christmas part 2....at our house

2010-01-06T09:04:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Christmas morning a few days early since we were going to be traveling, and baby gear takes up so much room we didn't have tons of room for gifts. Connor got lots of things from "Santa"- goldfish, trucks, books, puzzles, animal crackers, counting maracas, blocks, a hammering bench, ect. His big gift this year is a Cozy Coupe. Notice there aren't any pictures yet, b/c it isn't assembled......good thing he is little enough to not notice this. We'll have it put together soon!

So funny!

Is there anything more?

I love puzzles!!!

another noisemaker!

Christmas Part 1.....getting ready for Christmas...

2010-01-06T08:40:00.006-05:00

I am going to be posting a TON of pics from the holidays...but will try to spit them into several posts so it is tolerable to blog, lol. I don't know how people create these long posts daily. Maybe nobody even reads my blog, so it is more for me!!!

Connor made this at school- it is just so cute! The poem attached talks about how small his hand was this year, and in future years we'll remember how tiny he was this Christmas...aww!

Connor LOVED messing with the tree, but wasn't too much of a problem this year....most of the ornaments were not breakable, so it was fine for him to remove them..

We got a new tree this year- a prelit in only 3 pieces. So much easier than my other one. I figured out how to finally get a pic with the lights showing up. I'm sort of slow with photography.

I got this shirt on etsy.com for Connor- why have kids if you can't put them in little monogrammed shirts?????

This is the best family shot we could get.......Patrick and I were about to head out to my work Christmas party.....

I did actually do some baking this year..........

Sugar cookies with m&m's

Peanutbutter balls!

Rolo turtles...

First birthday party!!!

2009-12-20T12:07:00.005-05:00

We hosted Connor's party at our house the Saturday after his birthday. It was the first thing we've done at our house- and everything turned out well! We had some family and friends that were able to be there, and I know that more would have liked to be there!

Yummy Strossner's cake!

Decor

The food- publix subs, fruit, chips and snacks. It was easy and delish.

Getting warmed up for present opening.

The food is ready!

Ready to open presents!

Blowing out the candles..

This is the most damage he did to the cake.

seriously. He was in need of a nap by this point.

Playing after the cake...

Connor's first birthday!

2009-12-20T11:37:00.003-05:00

I hate that blogger always uploads pics backwards. So, they're in reverse order, but anyway....

Connor's actual birthday was on a Wednesday- which is my usual day off. Patrick took the day off too, so we were able to spend all day with Connor.

We started the morning with a visit to the dentist- just a quick check and we were out the door.

Afterwards, we went to Toys R Us, and Connor picked out a new toy- he really liked this drum- it lights up and plays songs when you hit it. It also works as a regular drum :) if you turn it off.

Then, we went to Barnes and Noble and let him play on the Thomas train table and he was able to run all over the children's section b/c nobody else was there.

After that we had lunch together as a family and then headed home! It was a really fun morning as a family, even with all the rain!

Connor opens his new drum!

" this makes noise!"

Cake time!

I made him a cake for smashing on his actual birthday....it said "CPM" in chocolate chips!

Enough!

Hmmm...what is this ??

Give me 15 more years.....I've got the keys!!!

Playing with the train table....

Can I AW myself????

2009-12-10T20:48:00.003-05:00

I got an early Christmas present from the American Board of Pediatrics.....I PASSED. I'm now a completely board-certified pediatrician! We weren't supposed to hear about our scores until January, but they released them early this year. Such good news!!

Look at him grow!!!

2009-12-10T20:40:00.002-05:00

So Connor's party was fun- I have tons of pictures to post and will talk more about it soon! I wanted to go ahead and share this collage I made of Connor's month by month pictures- I'm very happy with how it came out and was thinking about ordering a big print to frame for our playroom. It it just amazing to watch him grow from a little baby to a toddler. I actually managed to take a picture every single month around the 2nd with his bear. I think you can click on it to enlarge it.

One year ago.......

2009-12-01T21:23:00.003-05:00

I was checking into the hospital after a stressful pregnancy and 7 weeks on bedrest to be induced. Little did I know that I would soon be delivering my own son-literally!

What a blessing we've had for the last year!

Happy Birthday Connor Patrick!!!!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T10:09:00.003-05:00

Connor celebrated his first Thanksgiving in Atlanta, since we didn't have time to travel anywhere else. He enjoyed spending time with Victordog and did pretty well with the group of people (we've been experiencing A LOT of stranger anxiety these days).

Snacking on the meal....he carried this wooden spoon everywhere!!!

Connor got an early birthday present......

Connor's first Santa visit

2009-11-29T09:42:00.003-05:00

Last year Connor was too tiny to get pictures with Santa Claus so this year I really wanted to start the tradition. We actually went to see Santa a week before Thankgiving! I have no complaints about the malls decorating so early because we did not have a wait at all ! As you can see Connor didn't really love sitting in Santa's lap! Santa gave him a rubber ducky and he actually threw it.

What a difference!!!!

2009-11-07T12:17:00.002-05:00

We've been trying to pack away all the "little baby" stuff in the attic, and Connor wanted to test out the bouncy seat one last time!!!! Can you believe the change?? This first pic is from about 2 weeks old, maybe younger than that! So hard to believe that just a year ago, I was still pregnant, and now we have someone who is talking and walking!!!

Connor's First Halloween!

2009-11-02T08:57:00.007-05:00

Holidays are certainly more fun (and busier) with an almost-toddler!

Connor's monster suit (he wore this to school on Friday before Halloween)

"I will bite you!!!"

Playing with a pumpkin in halloween jams.

I got a lot of candy! ( no, he didn't eat it :)

"what is this?"

Checking out the candy

As usual, trying to take over all pictures.

TOT/shopping at Publix!

" Excuse me while I refuel"

"snacking" on the banana attached to his costume.

very excited monkey

sweet little monkey face.

Belated update!!!

2009-09-16T08:03:00.006-04:00

I have been so incredibly behind on blogging! I haven't been doing anything but working at my new job, studying for boards, and spending time with Connor and Patrick. LOL. I started my new job Aug 5, and I 'm definately enjoying it, but it is busy every second and I feel like i'm constantly behind. I guess it is that way, and as winter approaches, it will only get crazier. I'll try to keep updating my blog. I'm so behind on pictures!

Since I last posted pics, we went to see Nana and Papaw (my parents) and spent another couple of days in Atlanta and Connor got to spend time with all of the great-grandparents. Plus, he's growing like a week, crawling like a maniac, has been crusing around furniture like a machine and will even stand for a second or two on his own. He's figured out how to unroll a roll of toilet paper already and we've become thankful that we already did all the childproof locks on the cabinets by now.

I posted a few pictures from his 9 month pics. They would have been perfect, if he hadn't learned to stick out his tongue that day. We still got a few good ones.

Weekend at the lake...

2009-07-26T23:25:00.003-04:00

Day at the park....

2009-07-26T23:07:00.005-04:00

We spent the day at Falls Park/Downtown a couple of weekends ago, and had a great day as a family......

What is this stuff???

Picture with mommy

at the end of a long day....

Checking out the falls with daddy.

quick connor update...

2009-07-08T20:32:00.002-04:00

Connor is growing more and more every day! He has been working on crawling for the past few weeks, and getting better and better about lifting up on his hands and knees. Now he is able to lift up and crawl backwards. He's still perfecting the art of forward motion, but it is coming very, very soon!

If it was even possible, he's more and more interactive now. He loves to laugh, giggle, grab things, babble and jump around. He no longer likes to sit in the bouncy seat (his best friend from the first few months) and wiggles right out as soon as he gets in it. Connor's favorite thing to do during playtime is to sit in front of his toybox in his bedroom and pull toys out one by one.

These days, Connor rides in the front of the shopping cart and sits in a high chair at restaurants- he is a big fan of seeing everything that's going on!!!!

Connor is now growing out of his size 9 month pajamas, but fits well into the 9 month clothing. He's just so tall! His feet are starting to hit the end of his carseat so we'll be moving up to a convertible seat soon.

This week, he's started "visiting' the Infant II class at daycare in preparation for moving there full time at the end of the month! We'll miss Mrs. Mary and Ms. Nikita, but look forward to his new adventures. Now that he is one of the older babies in his class, it is amazing to see the difference between him and some of the "tiny babies" who can only lay under the playgym. They're so small compared to our big boy.

Connor is eating all stage 2 baby foods- he's started eating chicken and turkey dinners lately. He also is enjoying finger foods- he loves to eat mum-mums, puffs and "little crunchers". We're enjoying this stage because now he can be easily occupied in his high chair!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T15:26:00.003-04:00

I have more pictures to post of fireworks and our grilling time, but they're still on my camera! So you just get pics of Connor!

This is a good shot of his two bottom chompers.
I did his 7 months pictures with his bear this weekend.....

wearing his new sun hat...

Overall we have had a great, relaxing weekend. Thursday night we went to eat dinner at Stax's Omega, a local diner and Connor sat in the "big boy" highchair. He loved it and made some fast friends at the table next to us while he snacked on a cracker.

I had to work Friday morning, but after that we enjoyed a visit from some college friends. Saturday night we grilled out cheeseburgers on our patio and then watched our neighbors shoot off fireworks. Connor slept through all of them.

We've also been to the pool twice and Connor has worked on his kicking skills.

End of the Year Party -Furman

2009-06-30T21:03:00.004-04:00

This party was the start of our graduation events- it is an annual party held to welcome the new interns and congratulate the residents that are finishing! It is also a "roast" for all those to remind us of the strange, crazy or funny things we've done over the past 3 years! Obviously, my main components of the skit involved delivering my own baby, making full use of my free cafeteria foods to provide meals for home, and avoiding the PICU!!!

Me, Emily, Amanda, Jess

Laura and I with Anna Claire and Connor

(Not only did Laura just complete her Ob/Gyn residency, but her hubby just finished his Peds residency with me- craziness!)

Our class on the big screen.

Peds Residents- Class of 2009!!!

Connor attacks Jess's Grandma

Two tired girls....

India, Emily and Jess after dinner.

Our family- Not sure why Patrick is hiding and Connor is attempting to make an escape!

2009-06-21T19:50:00.001-04:00

Six months pics!

2009-06-17T11:59:00.002-04:00

Finally getting around to posting Connor's six month pics with his bear! He had his 6 month checkup with Dr. Gretchen last week and got lots of compliments on his growth and development! He was 17.1 lbs and 27 inches long. Still growing like a weed!!!

We love this shirt b/c we call Connor a "crabby crab" when he's acting like one. So it was perfect for him! I promise lots more pics are coming- i've been on PICU night float for 2 weeks. so life was a little crazy for those weeks and daddy became pretty much a single parent!

water baby

2009-06-06T23:37:00.003-04:00

2009-06-06T23:17:00.003-04:00

Showing off my sitting skills.....I can sit a long, long time these days!

No hands!!!

This is the tooth that's been keeping me up at night! Right here!!!

Don't touch my steering wheel!!!! No backseat drivers!!!!

In my new grown up shirt that Daddy picked out.

Crawling, here I come!!!!

Six months old!

2009-06-02T21:08:00.002-04:00

I haven't had time to do Connor's six month pics yet b/c I'm on night float, so I am posting a comparision just to show the difference in the last 6 months for our boy!

First bath:
Now:

(he likes baths a little more now)

to tired to finish his dinner....

2009-06-02T00:01:00.002-04:00

new things in May

2009-05-27T10:56:00.003-04:00

Connor is doing all sorts of new things these days!

.he has a tooth poking through on the bottom! You can't see it yet in pictures, but you can see him chewing on things!

And he's mastered the art of independent sitting! He really likes to be able to sit and play with toys without being propped up!

Professional Pictures- May 09

2009-05-26T10:30:00.004-04:00

My mother's day present this year was to do family pictures- as much as Patrick hates having his picture taken, we think all the pics turned out great! We also did Connor's first professional pics and he did an excellent job! Here are some of the proofs!

late anniversary post!

2009-05-17T15:57:00.002-04:00

We celebrated 3 years of marriage this past wednesday, and so i am re-posting some wedding pictures....a few days late. It has certainly been a busy 3 years!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T09:25:00.002-04:00

We spent a great weekend as a family- Had our usual trip to Publix Friday night after work with Connor in the front carrier (although my back is hoping for the day he can sit in the front of the cart). Saturday we hung out at home and I finally broke down and bought a swimsuit for myself for the summer. Saturday night Patrick and I watched Fireproof- great movie!

Patrick brought me breakfast in bed on Sunday and we had a late lunch at City Range followed by a quick trip to Babies R US to get Connor outfitted for the pool! Our community pool opened this weekend so hopefully you'll be seeing pictures of our little fish soon. He loves to splash in the bathtub, so we're hoping the water won't be too cold!

2009-05-06T11:11:00.002-04:00

This chunky baby is the one I was on bedrest for b/c of his weight!!!!

5 months old!

2009-05-06T10:31:00.006-04:00

Can't believe our baby boy is 5 months old now!!!!

Connor is loving his solid foods now. He expects to eat whenever he sits in his high chair now.

So far, he's eaten Rice cereal, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Carrots, Green Beans, Peas, Pears, Bananas and Applesauce. His favorites are definately the squash and the bananas.

Connor also loves to drink water out of his sippy cup (just a little bit) and tries to grab the cup of anyone who is drinking something around him.

He has started playing in his exersaucer and really enjoying it now that his feet are long enough to touch the bottom and he has figured out how to turn around in the seat. He still needs some padding in the seat though!!

Monthly pics with mr. Bear

2009-04-30T15:08:00.002-04:00

4/30/08---One year ago today.

4/30/09

Oh, how things change!!!

2009-04-25T22:15:00.001-04:00

weekend at the lake....

2009-04-25T21:47:00.005-04:00

nursery pics...

2009-04-21T21:42:00.003-04:00

We finally have a mostly-completed nursery- now that Connor is 4.5 months old!!! I did a few projects over Easter weekend- painting wall letters, hanging the curtain, ect....

Connor loves to look at his quilt- i'm glad i finally got it up on the wall!

a few Easter pics...

2009-04-21T21:36:00.002-04:00

Look what the Easter Bunny brought Connor!!!

Going for a stroll in his new sunglasses......

Happy Easter, love Connor

2009-04-10T20:09:00.002-04:00

4 month checkup...and starting solids

2009-04-10T19:52:00.004-04:00

Connor had his 4 month checkup with his doctor today..... 14lbs, 9.8 oz and 25.25 inches long now! He also got two shots and wasn't very happy about them, but quickly recovered from the experience. He's doing lots of new things now, grabbing toys, babbling, and he just started on rice cereal in the last week. As usual, he is a very good eater, and seems to enjoy. Next to come...veggies!!!

Who says I can't have more??

More, please!!!

Fine, i'll just snack on my hand.

This past Sunday, Connor was able to meet his great granny and great grandaddy finally. They came to see us, along with Connor's great aunt Jennifer.

Picture of the five of us....Connor was not interested in participating.

Family pic

Connor and Great-Granny

Worn out from our trip to IHOP and lots of visiting.

Go Dawgs!

Four months old!

2009-04-06T16:59:00.002-04:00

Look how much I've grown!!!

2 weeks old

Four months old!

Checkup this week, so we'll have the official stats on Friday but we're guessing about 14lbs now!

lots of pics...and a quick update.

2009-04-04T09:14:00.008-04:00

SO I haven't been updating the blog lately, I wish I had more time to keep it up to date, but life gets in the way! If I had a desk job where I actually was at a computer and had time to kill, it would be updated more often! The good news is that I am finally finished with my Grand Rounds- the big presentation of residency. It was March 27th at 7 30 am, so if you were still sleeping at that time, I'll be happy to email my powerpoint. Just kidding.

We are still loving our house, but it is still a huge mess of boxes and random things thrown around. Connor's room and the living room are the only rooms that I am not embarassed about currently. Connor is still enjoying his daycare class and the other day Patrick picked him up and he was napping in his CRIB. We have started the transition at home, but he's been sick with a cold the last few days so it hasn't been going as well as it could. We'll get there though!

Cheering on UNC!!!

Oh, so true.

Playing in my bouncy seat.

Froggy towel and a good shot of the chunky chunk arms.

Yes, my child likes to drink water in the bath, but it is at least the clean rinse water.

Making a quick escape from the highchair. "Help me Mr. Bear while they're not watching"

Nom Nom Nom

Reading "Peter Rabbit" for the 10th time with daddy.

WHAT is this chair you've put me in???

Three months old!!! 3/2/09

Discovering my hands.....

2009-04-01T21:29:00.002-04:00

Like father.......... patrick, 1979

.......like son!

connor, 2009

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!!

2009-03-16T20:40:00.002-04:00

Snow Day

2009-03-07T12:40:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Connor's 3 month birthday with a snow day- I am so out of the loop in general that I had no idea that any snow was even predicted - so i was working in the PICU Sunday till 7 pm. Sometime that afternoon the snow started falling pretty hard- I could see it through the windows of the patient rooms, but I really had no clue how bad the driving conditions would be to get home in later that evening. The drive took over a hour, and I had many moments where I just felt like getting out of my car and walking. Fortunately I did not, and made it home safely without an accident. Monday the peds clinic was closed, so I had an unexpected day off.

The view from our front door- and some "snow damage". In a way, we were actually glad that it fell b/c we were planning to get rid of this gigantic plant soon. Just not that soon.

Our backyard view....

During the beginnings of the snow....I was trapped at work during this point.

I do not like this snowsuit!!!!!!!!

Daddy and Connor ventured outside for a few minutes to experience Connor's first snowday

Cutest SnowBear ever!!!!

Cozy baby watching the snow fall.

Tons of Pictures....

2009-03-07T11:41:00.005-05:00

2009-03-03T21:06:00.002-05:00

So we finally got Connor's crib- and assembled it over the snow day. Not too complicated, even with the directions that had no words. It has a drawer underneath for storage. He isn't using it yet b/c we are still waiting on the mattress to get here!

Connor's room- in progress!

Our new living room furniture!

2009-02-25T11:38:00.003-05:00

Quick update....we are now living in our new house, but it is a general disaster- boxes and bags everywhere- I hope that one day things are actually organized and nicely decorated. I don't see that happening for a while. We are slowly all recovering from whatever virus knocked us all down- Patrick and I both ended up on antibiotics by last week. I will hopefully have new pics up soon!

Look what we got for Valentine's Day!

2009-02-17T11:24:00.004-05:00

Yeah, that's right- a house! We closed on Friday the 13th and started moving over the weekend. Obviously I'm not posting our new address on my blog, but i'll be sending it out over email soon. Connor will finally have his own bedroom and we'll have a garage! And no more neighbors above, below and sharing walls to make noises all night! I'll post more pics soon once we get everything settled.