Happy Birthday Jamie!!

Today is my bestie's birthday! Let's all take a moment and sing please!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday beautiful Jamie....

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!

I know I talk about her a lot on here but just to give you a little background info. Jamie and I met in 2003...whoa...when I moved back to DFW for school and got a job at a local breakfast joint called The Snooty Pig. I dont know if I have ever told her this but I totally thought she was going to be a bitch. I know...I know. She was a student at TCU and from everything I had heard (isnt that terrible) THOSE girls were awful. I kept my guard up for approximately 5 minutes until I realized she was 100% awesome and we were so freaking alike it was scary! Snooty Pig was a fun job. We had some good times and some good laughs and ate a lot of supposed low fat muffins!

When it was time for us to spread our wings and leave Snooty Pig, I was TERRIFIED we were going to loose touch. We didnt live close. We didnt go to the same school. I just prayed we could keep our friendship going. Many a morning phone call, a lunch date, and a google chat conversation later...we are still going strong and today...in honor of her day...I would like to give you 27 reasons as to why she is so great!

1. She is hilarious.

2. She loves loves LOVES dogs.

 3. She is smart (she is now Dr. Jamie! Like for reals!)

4. She is a ridiculously good listener, especially when I need to vent.

5. She understands my craziness.

6. She is extremely generous in every aspect of her life.

7. She loves...I mean LOVES the shit out of our kid.

8. She is forgiving.

9. She always knows how to make me feel better about a situation.

10. You would never believe some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth.

11. She is an avid crock pot user.

12. Did I mention that she LOVES dogs?

13. She is always up for giving me advice.

14. Despite being gorgeous and skinny...she isnt afraid of cheese.

15. She always has a way of making me feel good about myself.

16. Did I mention she LOVES our kid?

17. Even though it was years and years ago, we can still get to talking about our Snooty Pig days and crack ourselves up! (And yes...if you happen to be a regular anywhere...they talk about you)

18. She is a devoted wife.

19. She is never afraid to try something new.

20. She has AMAZING hair. (I know...superficial...but it really is beautiful)

21. She isnt afraid of discovering new things about her.
22. She threw me the most awesome baby shower EVER.

23. She didnt judge me when I threw up on the way home from dinner and then fell asleep at like 8:30PM the night of my bachlorette party.

24. She writes the most AMAZING blog ever! http://www.avantgardeparenting.com/

25. There is never a lull in our conversations.

26. All of the women in her wedding were red heads.

27. She just gets me. In a way that sometimes I feel like no one else does.

Jamie...I hope you have an amazing day. I love you more than you know and I look forward to our days of growing old and sitting on a porch (we may have to go find one somewhere...hope the owners dont mind) and laughing and chatting about all that we have gone through together. Thank you for being you and thank you for loving me and my family.

Happy Birthday Jamie!

*By the way, I had SO many pictures to include in this post but my blogger is being seriously weird so I apologize.

BBB

*I had pictures but my blog is being finicky...boo!
During the first few weeks after P was born, I dreaded nighttime. Big time. During the day, I seemed to keep it together but once night time came, I was a mess.

P was a good sleeper from the get-go. He just liked his sleep, takes after mom and dad, I suppose. The problem was, is that he would spend most of the DAY sleeping and then at night, he was wide awake. I know having your days and nights mixed up is pretty common for babies but it really is tough. I never listened to anyone and go in the habit of "napping while he was napping" so unfortunately, come night time...I was tired and ready for bed. P on the other hand had been sleeping all
day and was ready to party! (party = stare at nothing while his parents acted a fool)

The swing was our saving grace throughout the first few weeks. Heck we still use it now for naptime but that is another post for another day. P LOVES the swing. We would get him fed, changed, burped, and calmed down and then we would "swing it out". Good times. Anyways, during all this, for some reason, the nights would make me very lonely and depressed. Waking up in the middle of the night. Sitting in a dark house with a crying baby, trying to figure out how to console him was tough. Very tough. As he got older, things did get easier and as I figured out how to comfort him, that depression slowly faded away. A week or so before I started back to work, Hubby and I decided to try and get P into a bedtime routine. Nothing concrete, just paving the way for a consistent schedule. Feeding times were still up in the air, but we knew if nothing else, we could give him a bath at somewhat the same time every evening and just go from there.

This started our nightly routine and is now my absolute favorite time of the day. We call it our BBB.

We start with a bath..

Then "supper". Interrupt that 'B' how you will...

Then bed. 

I rock P until he is falling asleep and then into the crib he goes. When he is full and happy and just lays on my shoulder, I can't imagine being anywhere else. I often use this time to pray and count my blessings and just relish in the time that I can spend with him when he is willing and able to just lay and snuggle-bug on me because I know, especially with a little boy, those times won't be around for forever. 

Happy Slumber!

Not to brag...

BUT...CHECK ME OUT!!

I am parent of the week on Avant Garde Parenting!

Ummm...what?! I know...I'm excited too! My bestie Jamie runs that blog. If you arent reading it...you should, she is way smart and gives a lot of good tips and advice about being an awesome parent!

Happy Parenting!

Fun Friday - Fuzzy Navel Cake

This is all that was left three days after it was made. When my sister-in-law and brother-in-law came into town last weekend, Hubby and I decided to have bbq. We (when I say we, I mean he) made ribs, grilled corn on the cob, and baked beans*. I decided to also make a dessert, because

a) I love to bake

b) I love dessert

c) I have been wanting to test drive some of the recipes in this cookbook:

(I stole this picture from Amazon so you can try and "click to see inside" but I don't think it will get you anywhere...sorry!)

Anyways...since I cant have chocolate, I tested the Fuzzy Navel Cake. Wow. It was yummy! Here is the recipe...you should go a try it right now. Go ahead...I'll wait!

A post to brighten you day!

Remember when I said there was nothing cuter than a baby sneeze or a baby yawn??

Yeah...I lied.

Happy Smiles!

A day we will never forget...

Happy Birthday Jenilee!

Today is my good friend Jenilee's birthday! YAY! Jenilee and I met 7 years ago...geeze...I can't believe it has been that long. Her and her boyfriend at the time, Scuba Steve, had just moved to Texas for Steve's job as a DJ for The Liz Wilde Show. My Hubby (well of course he wasn't my Hubby at the time...we actually didn't even know each other) was getting his demo together, had given away his cat, had started packing his things, and was ready to hit the road to find a radio job outside the DFW area. He happened to bump into to Steve and Mick (another guy from The Liz Wilde Show) and I'm sure it was more involved but ultimately they offered him a job! (little did I know I would meet him a few months later)

Anywho...Hubby and I started dating and since I was young and reckless and 20...I would go up and hang out at the radio station during their show (I'm sure this was really annoying) but during that time, Jenilee and I began to talk and eventually became friends. We had some good times!

We hung out with Ole' Whiskers!

Introduced them to some Texas BBQ!

Had some fun and interesting times at our boyfriend's boss's house...we won't even begin to discuss Thanksgiving....

Hung out a lot and tried to be helpful at the radio station.

Oh...and yeah...MET TY PENNINGTON! I know...now you are jealous!

She is a one of a kind friend with a generous heart. (She in currently in school working towards nursing school! SO awesome!) I am so lucky to have met her and I am so glad we are still in touch...did I mention that they moved back home to Connecticut only a short time after moving here!?  She is an amazing person and I just love her to death!

I wish her the happiest day possible!

Happy Birthday Jenilee!

Oh and go check out her blog! Cute pictures of pups and stuff!