Thankful

Each year we have so much to be thankful for....my number #1 this year is this guy:

What a mess he is...and I love him to death for it!

I love Thanksgiving. I really do. But I'm one of those people who have a bad tendency to skip over it and head straight for Christmas. My tree might or might not already be up :). I found this little Q & A at Blue Eyed Bride's blog, so here goes!
1. Do you eat stuffing or dressing? Dressing. And my parent's dressing is Oh.So.Yummy.
2. Did you ever dress up as a pilgrim at school? I think so
3. What is your favorite dish at Thanksgiving? Definitely the dressing. I also love the mashed potatoes and squash casserole. Carb overload!
4. Are you all about the turkey or all about the sides? Definitely the sides!
5. Do you have pumpkin pie at your house? Do you eat it? No, we don't have pumpkin pie. Maybe I should make one??? My grandmother actually always made sweet potato pie and told me it was pumpkin pie...she knew I wouldn't eat it if I knew it was sweet potato! I think I was like 15 before she told me the truth :)
6. Do you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade while cooking? We love to get up and watch it! I'm excited to see if Will is into it this year.
7. What other traditions do you associate with Thanksgiving? We travel each year, so it's never a laid back holiday. Even more stressful when adding a kid to the mix. We alternate between Nashville (the hub's family) and Georgia (my sister's family). Maybe one day we will actually be home for the holidays!

Feel free to add these questions to your blog! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Meal Planning

I've tried to do better at meal planning...one look at my monthly Target bill and it's overwhelming. So I'm coming up with new ways to save money, other than just using coupons. Which leads to meal planning. I'm going to try super duper hard not to go to the store more than once a week. So on this week's menu:

Monday - Chili (yummy and we have leftovers for lunch!)
Tuesday - Chicken Tettrazini (chicken is already in the crock pot and should have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!)
Wednesday - Meatloaf wtih roasted potatoes and green beans
Thursday - Rotel Chicken Burritos

I make an attempt to cook throughout the week. I try to cook enough for us to take leftovers for lunch. Weekends usually consist of a visit to the local mexican restaurant on Friday, some sort of cooking out/hanging out with friends on Saturday, and Sunday is casual...talking about soup, sandwiches, leftovers, etc.

Another thing I've tried really hard to focus on is using coupons. My favorite site is The Krazy Coupon Lady. She has tons of coupons listed, all you do is print them out. I make a grocery list in Excel, pair up with what's on sale (I do most of my shopping at Target. Publix is wayyyyy too expensive compared to Target), then list what coupons I have. A lot of times Market Pantry or Archer Farms products are cheaper than name brands, even with a coupon, and Target's brand products are really good!!!! This week I saved $25 in coupons alone!

So please share your secret to meal planning/couponing, etc. with me....I'm always looking for ways to save some extra $$$$$ !

Christmas Cards!!!

Yes, I've already been thinking about Christmas cards...it's never too early, right???? I was checking out ideas today and ran across a fabulous giveway on We're Finally Three!'s Blog. She teamed up with Pear Tree Greetings , who has the most adorable cards!!! Head over there, check out her giveaway and check out the cards that Pear Tree has to offer.

Thank You.

Thanks to my wonderful husband, I'm rocking these beauties today :)


We have quite a deal worked out, due to his love of golf!

Bare Minerals Giveaway

Head over to visit Blue Eyed Bride's Blog. She is having an awesome giveaway on Bare Minerals this week!

19 Months

19 months ago, our lives were forever changed. Each day, my precious angel surprises me, makes me laugh, and completely makes my day worthwhile. I wanted to do a post about what all he is up to at this point. He amazes me all the time with the stuff he comes up with! At 19 months:
** He LOVES music, loves to dance, and loves to put on a show for anyone!
** One of his favorite things is his daddy! I love watching him grin as soon as Austin walks in the door. I can say, "daddys home!" and he runs to the door, waiting impatiently for Austin to come in.
** Another favorite is rocking out to music in daddy's truck. It's so funny to watch the two of them shaking heads, rocking to whatever is on the radio.
** His appetitie is back. He went through a period of eating nothing/very little, but now he pretty much eats anything. His favorites are mexican (cheese dip and rice), beef tacos, chicken casserole of any kind, natural cheesy puffs, and fruit.
** He is talking constantly. He has about 20 words right now, and his new thing is to say "no" to everything.
** Boy has a temper! If he doesn't get his way or I take something from him, he goes NUTS. Full-out, throwing himself on the ground, temper tantrums.
** He still gets a milk bottle in the morning. Our doctor is on my case to take the bottles away completely. Honestly, it's more for me and my snuggle time. He drinks from a sippy the rest of the day, so I know he will do fine without the bottle. I just need to suck it up and pack them away.
**His new favorite thing is trains! He is obsessed with Chuggington, hearing or seeing a train, LOVES them! Maybe our theme for his 2nd birthday party????
** Cries when we drop him off at daycare, but ends up loving it. His teacher says he loves doing the arts and crafts.
** Obsessed with books. We seriously read about 10 books each night.

He is so funny, so amazing, and I really want to freeze time and keep him at this age. The best 19 months of our lives!!!!

Pumpkin Patch

After our eventful night at the e.r. on Saturday, we took Will to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum on Sunday. We did the train ride and pumpkin patch. To say that Will is obsessed with trains is an understatement...so we knew he would love riding a real train!

Will and Daddy


Trying to find the perfect pumpkin


Can't decide which one to get!

These are how most of our pics turn out these days!

First E.R. Visit

Saturday night we had our first emergency room visit with our little guy. He was spinning in circles, fell and cut his forehead open :(. Luckily they were able to glue the cut instead of stitches.

Guess this comes with the territory of having an active boy!

Fall Fashion

From my last few posts, I'm sure you all can tell that I LOVE Fall! One of the best parts is breaking out the sweaters and boots. I'm ready to pack away my tanks, capris, and flip flops. Here are a few things in my fall fashion wishlist:
Intyce Boots by Steve Madden


This entire look, LOVE this:


A good cardigan and tank can go a long way:


Leave a comment and tell me your favorite fall trends!

Week 1 Down...Final thoughts.

Now that we are finished with premiere week, I'm going to add my final thoughts. A few shows surprised me (in a good way), quite a few disappointed.

Sunday
I'm ashamed to admit that I watched the premier of Sister Wives last night. Very intriguing, though it won't be a must-see for me.

Monday
I actually tuned in to Castle (I believe it was Monday) and it was REALLY good. I might have to rent seasons 1 and 2 to catch up.
Weeds finishes up this week, but it's usually one of our sumemr favorites.

Tuesday
Blah...boring night of tv.

Wednesday
Criminal Minds (LOVED the premiere) and Revenge. Oh my goodness, that was a great show. Can't wait to watch this one!!!



Thursday
Grey's Anatomy and The Office were both really good.

So, what did you think of premiere week? Any excitements/disappointments?

Night One

We have one night of premiere week under our belt. Here are my thoughts so far.
Dancing with the Stars
Not impressed at all. I'm sadly disappointed with the cast this season. Although I do wish I had Kristen Cavallari's body.
The Playboy Club
Another disappointment. I turned it off about 10 minutes into the show. I did DVR it, so if I get bored I may try to re-watch it. This makes me sad b/c I was really excited about this show!
Two and a Half Men
HILARIOUS! LOVED LOVED LOVED it! I laughed from beginning to end. I'm really excited to see Ashton on this one! I think he gives a much-needed refresher to the show.

I think I might tune in to The Biggest Loser tonight....Anna K might be a nice addition to this season!

Fall TV Lineup

One of my favorite things about the month of September is the new fall tv lineup! I am so sick of re-runs, and since Entourage has ended (insert tear here...or a million tears) we are in desperate need of some new shows.

Here is what I'm thinking our faves will be:
Sunday
NFL Football (I'm in a Fantasy League...give me a break!)

Monday
Dancing with the Stars
The Playboy Club (this is a new one...will have to watch and see!)

Tuesday
Dancing with the Stars (results)
Ringer

Wednesday
Criminal Minds (FAVORITE!)
The X Factor

Thursday
Grey's Anatomy
The Office

And of course, we're all excited about the return of our favorite serial killer:
Sunday, October 2!!!!!!


Leave me a comment and let me know what some of your favorites are!

Recipes

Check out the link to Kelly's Healthified Kitchen....she has some yummy recipes you need to try! I actually know Kelly from college, and she's super sweet as well as a great cook!
A few of my favorites from her site have been:
Burrito Casserole
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Bacon Ranch Chicken
and Creamy Taco Mac
All are your typical comfort foods, but she uses low fat/healthy ingredients so they aren't so bad for you!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Fall

Oh how I adore Fall....cooler weather, football, yummy recipes, falling leaves, mums, and beautiful decor!

A few favorites:

I thought this candle/candy corn idea was precious! Easy, affordable, and cute. Might have to try this one out at the Baker house.

Love love love this front porch setting. There is nothing better than a beautifully decorated porch/yard in the fall!

LOVE LOVE LOVE a warm bowl of chili on a cool evening...

Now...if only we could lose the 85+ temps we are having....

Revival

I'm trying to revive the good old blog...give me a few days. I'm way behind and completely messed my page up trying to install a new template.

Birthday

Will's 1st birthday was March 19. We had a small party for friends and family at our house. He had a blast, received so many great presents, and LOVED his cake!!!!

The smash cake

Hotdog Bar

The cakes and cupcakes

Turks and Caicos

During Spring Break, we took a trip with A's family to Turks and Caicos. We stayed at Beaches Resort, which I highly recommend! Very family-oriented, but great for adults as well! We quickly discovered that our child is obsessed with water. He loved being in the water!! There was a lazy river (that was freezing cold!), a kid's water park, and many other things to do. We had a blast and are so glad we took him with us.

My Water Baby

Attempt of a family picture

This was taken seconds before a wave took Will out (and he didn't even cry!)

We had a great time!!!!

1 Year Check Up

On March 17, we had Will's 1 year check up. My chunky monkey weighs 26 lbs and is almost 32" long. We have a big boy on our hands!

At 1 year, Will is:

• Walking/Running


• Says "mama", "dada"


• Waves to everyone


• Has 8 teeth (4 top, 4 bottom)


• Finally sleeping through the night (thank the Lord!!!)


• Is on whole milk (Saving some $$$ on formula!)


• Loves water (bathtime, playing outside in the water, etc)

He loves to eat (cheerios, yogurt, waffles, goldfish, apples, bananas, pears, Gerber Graduate meals, pasta, chicken, taco meat, rice, and beans are a few of his favorites). There are very few things he will not eat.

He loves playing outside and going for walks with me. We can spend hours outside and he is so happy. He gets so mad when we bring him in!

I love this child more than anything. He makes us laugh each day. Austin and I are constantly amazed by how much he is learning and changing every day!

What a Mess!

My little man started walking in January, right around 10 months. He is now RUNNING everywhere and ridiculously hard to keep up with. He is so much fun right now though, his personality is really starting to show. He loves to dance, loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates (Disney), and LOVES when his daddy gets home each evening! In February, Will came down with Hand/Foot/Mouth disease (along with quite a few of his classmates). It was the worst week of our lives. Poor baby ran a high temp, was absolutely miserable, would not eat or drink for a few days. In this picture, you can see some of the spots on his face. All spots are now clear, thank goodness! Someone gave him this backpack at my baby shower. We put it on him the other night and he loved running around with it!

War Eagle!

Austin and I, along with several of our good friends, went to Phoenix for the National Championship game in January. We had a great time (minus the stomach bug that traveled through most of our party) and loved seeing Auburn win the National Championship!!!!!!!!!

Wow...

Has it seriously been almost 3 months since I updated? I am a terrible blogger. We have been crazy busy lately. My precious "toddler" is now 1 year old, walking/running everywhere, and is changing by the day. Since January, we have done so many things. Austin and I made the trip to Phoenix to watch the Auburn Tigers win the National Championship! War Eagle!!!! We spent February dealing with hand/foot/mouth disease (Will) and the flu (Me). During March we went to Turks and Caicos and a certain precious little boy turned 1!!!!!! Stay tuned for new posts!

Christmas Eve Morning

Our Christmas Eve morning tradition is to get together with A's family for breakfast. Mawmaw and Dada-T gave Will this awesome car! Getting ready for his driver's test!

K and J modeling their new football gear!

Awesome Auburn hat (that didn't exactly fit!)

Christmas Morning

Somebody was a good boy this year! Santa came to visit and left a few very fun (ahem, LOUD) toys! He adores the V-Tech Walker shown!

Stocking stuffers didn't exactly fit in the stocking!

He loves his train!

A lot of catching up to do!!!!

Wow! We have had such a busy month and my blog has been neglected. I'm working on a few new posts, so stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!