Boo!! Blue!! and Two!!

BOO!Haley excited to try on her Halloween costume.

BLUE!My darling friends in Dixie Divas (mom's group) threw me an awesome baby shower. We went to lunch at Painted Pony (an incredible restaurant here in town) and they spoiled me rotten. :)

TWO!

We celebrated Haley's 2nd birthday this week and had a blast. Grandma Tani and Grandpa Owen came down to spend the weekend with her. Unfortunately Haley got a bit of a cold so we canceled having friends and neighbors over for cake and ice cream. Haley still had a ball opening gifts and sporting her darling "2" shirt made by her Aunt Tif.

Pies with My Pals

Some friends of mine and I got together at my house to bake pies from scratch. It was something that 3 of us had never done before and wanted to try. So our domestic goddess friend, Danalee, taught us all how. It was such a fun afternoon and the end results were beautiful and delicious.

Calling all Experienced Mommies

I am in desperate need of experienced advice from all you mommies out there. We are new at this parenting thing and need some suggestions.

What is the best way to transition Haley from her crib to her new "big girl" bed? Would you get rid of the crib altogether? Keep the crib for naps? Would you lay with your child until they got used to the new bed? Or does that establish a bad habit?

Thanks for your help.

Haley's First Ponytail

It may be the smallest ponytail you've ever seen, but in my world it is monumental progress. Even more exciting...she left it in for 2 whole hours. Incredible!

My Little Helper and a New Idea

Haley absolutely has to help me with whatever I am doing. When I dust, she has to have her own Swiffer and help. When I vacuum, she has to have her own small extension vacuum. Here she is cleaning the bathrooms with me - my little helper.












A new fun thing we have done is an idea I got from a fellow blogging friend (thanks, Heather!) for Haley's indoor "sand"box. I filled a large container with rice and sand toys and it has been quite a hit. I bought a really cheap bed sheet that I spread out under her whenever she plays with it. Otherwise, plan to vacuum.

Belly Picture

For my mother who thinks my belly does not look large enough to be 29 weeks along - au contraire.

Disney World and the Beach

We just returned from Orlando, Florida where we went to Disney World, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and the beach with the Bells. Haley was so excited to fly on an "ayepane" - mommy, not so much. Haley was also so happy to see "Gampa" and "Gamma". Disney World was really fun - Haley loved the rides, but hated waiting her turn in line. We had a great day at the beach, the water was wonderful. We also had a great time pool-hopping at the huge resort we stayed at. What a great trip!

Hiking in Zion National Park

We went hiking as a family on Tuesday in Zions and it was awesome. It is so beautiful.
Haley before the hike...
Haley after the hike...notice attitude difference.

White Trash Party

Our friends hosted a "White Trash Party" last night, which was a blast. We ate hot dogs and sloppy joes for dinner and Twinkies and Ding Dongs for dessert. It rocked! We had a great time playing games and laughing at how good we all looked.

Anniversary in Vegas

JR and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary Vegas style this year. We stayed on the strip for a couple nights and saw lots of our favorite sights. Our friends from when we lived in Vegas babysat Haley for a night while we went on a romantic date. We ate at Lawry's - best prime rib ever! The next day we took Haley to the pool and to Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay (one of my favorite things to do in Vegas). It was a great little get away.