Christmas

This post is a little late but we have been traveling, going to a wedding, visiting friends, and traveling some more....so needless to say, it has been a busy week. Christmas was wonderful! To start off Royal got an adorable giraffe rocker....that he really wanted. I know it sounds ridiculous to say that a 5 month old wanted a toy, but we saw this in World Market last week while finishing up Christmas shopping, and we pulled it down off the shelf and put Royal on it...and he fell in love. Michael took a picture because he couldn't stop smiling while he was on it. Then I took him off of it, and he actually started kicking his feet and fussing in protest. He even watched Michael put it back on the shelf. It was so sad. But we are not raising our child to get whatever he wants when he wants it, even at the early age 5 months. So, we told him no.....It hurt me as much as it hurt him, I promise. Michael of course went back two days later and got it. When we put him on it Christmas morning he made the same happy excited face as he did in the store. He remembered it immediately.I mean come on. Look at that face! He gets this excited every time. Anyway, Michael got an Aero Ace Air Hog (it's at RC Plane). He used to fly them with Chris Horne and Jono when they lived in Savannah. So, I got him another one....which thrilled him to no end. I think Royal wanted to play with it too. He kept trying to get into the box. Michael got me some Bare Minerals make-up because I love it but it is too expensive to buy on a regular basis. I'm not much of a makeup girl, so it is perfect for me since it is light and doesn't take a lot of time to deal with. Michael's other present to me is fixing up my laundry room. He is going to clean it out, paint it, make it all cute and inviting to do laundry in (because who wants to do laundry), and put shelves in it for me. It will look so cute when he is done! He also is taking me boot shopping for another part of my Christmas present. My mom got Michael a new blower for the yard or for cleaning off roofs when he is washing windows. He really needed this, so he was thankful to get it. After we opened presents, Michael Sr. and Nancy arrived from SC. We opened more presents from them and them from us. They bought Michael a beautiful Bible which he kept mentioning he wanted, so I secretly told Sr. to get him that for Christmas. He was very surprised when he opened it. I told him later that I had told his Dad to get him one because he had been talking about getting a new Bible. Very sneaky!! They got me a purse that I have wanted for a while now.It is large enough that is is also a diaper bag. I love it. I will just have to switch between my Marc Jacobs diaper bag and this one. : ) We ate breakfast and then went to see family. We opened presents with my Dad and then my Mom. Mom bought Royal this handmade rocking chair that her student made, and got a crown with the letter R burned into the back of the seat. She made a pillow of Crown Royal bags which I thought was pretty clever. Royal got some of the cutest and fun toys. His grandma Debbie got him a giraffe toy also that you can load on the internet and as your child grows you can make a story with the giraffe. He can't use it yet but he will love it when he is a little bigger. He got a music player and bongo drums from his Grandpa Sr. and Nancy. He loved the drums. Sr. is a drummer and obviously for anyone who knows my husband he is a wonderful musician, so it is only fitting that our child grow up with instruments around him. I even played music on my belly the whole time I was pregnant, just so he could experience music early on. So, the bongo drums were a big hit....no pun intended. ; ). The day after Christmas was went to Jackson, Ga. to see Michael's mom and step-dad. We had a lot of fun. Royal got to watch a bunch of kids run around and play, while we ate amazing food and relaxed. While we were there we also went to little 5 points where Michael bought me these adorable shoes from Junkman's Daughter....and then we went to Katie and Jered's wedding in Gainesville. Like I said we've been busy! We came home Sunday and stopped in Byron for a few hours to see Chris and Sara Horne. Michael has missed his best friend ever since they moved to Philly. They will be in Statesboro on Wednesday and will be staying with us! I'm very excited to have old friends around. This was our sweet boy totally passed out after we left Chris and Sara. His little hat kept falling over his eyes. So sweet! All in all it has been a wonderful Christmas! We got other wonderful presents including a set of cast iron skillets which Michael and I are very excited about using and he got a gift card to Lowe's to buy whatever tools he needs to do construction projects around the house. The best present of all though, happened on Christmas Eve. Royal sat up on his own for the first time. Michael and I kept saying we hoped he would be sitting on his own by then, and by golly if our wonderful son didn't surprise us by doing just that on Christmas Eve. He has also been sleeping through the night since Christmas Eve. And when I say sleeping through the night, I mean sleeping from 9:30 to 10 in the morning without a peep. Once again, my child is amazing! Merry Christmas!!

Christmas come early

My mom wanted to buy Michael and I a chest of drawers. We had this chest with shelves that we were keeping our clothes (t-shirts, jeans, sleep pants etc.) in, but we really wanted to have a nice chest of drawers that was not made out of particle board or from Walmart...which is pretty much the same thing. So, for Christmas my mom insisted that she wanted to gift us with a chest of drawers. Last Friday, we went to Deal's furniture (the same place Michael got my BD bed), and we looked around through all of there beautiful furniture. My mom knows Mr. Deal very well since I am from here, so he walked around and pointed out some of the drawers that he thought fit what I was looking for. Once of the first ones that he showed us really caught my eye. It was circa 1940's, was handcrafted and beautiful, had 6 drawers, and two of the drawers had dividers, and it was made completely out of Mahogany. But, I kept looking around just to make sure there was not anything else that I liked better. I didn't want to jump the gun. I eventually went back to the one that I really liked and Mr. Deal told my mom and I that is was one of the best made pieces of furniture in the warehouse. So, mom bought it for us.....Merry Christmas to the Flemings....and early too. The movers drove it over to our house right after we paid for it. And we didn't even have to pay for the move....it was a gift from Mr. Deal. He is such a nice family friend. When Michael got home from work he walked in and saw it sitting in the living room. He absolutely loved it!

Love makes food taste better!

I had a craving for a PB&J tonight, so Michael sweetly went and made me one....and this is what he brought me.

A little late...but 5 months anyway

I haven't had a chance to blog for a few days now, and in that time, Royal turned 5 months old. He is rolling over in both directions, he chuckles and giggles out loud, he can get his passy in his mouth all by himself, he can hold his own bottle (the rare times he gets one), he knows his name and turns to look at us when we call to him, he jumps all the time, smiles all the time, is wonderful and amazing all the time! We love this boy....this boy of ours!

Christmas Questionaire

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? paper....you can't exactly rip into a gift bag, and that is half of the fun.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. I love that smell!!

3. When do you put up the tree? I try to have it up by Dec.1st, but this year it was the 4th.

4. When do you take the tree down? When my husband makes me. I would leave it up all year if I could.

5. Do you like eggnog? YES, with some Captain's please!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Either albino guinea pigs or my first TV, (a little 13" that my mom still has in her guest bedroom....now that's staying power.)

7. Hardest person to buy for? My grandparents.....I don't even buy them stuff....I give them pictures in frames. What better way is there to say I love you than framing my face and wrapping it in paper.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Mom or Michael

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Mom does.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I used to help my mom mail out Christmas cards. Never done my own though.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I'm sure something from my grandparents....sorry Grandma.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story. I'm that nerd that could and has watched all 24 hours of it on TBS.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I see something that I know a loved one would like to have, or last minute.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I think so. Not positive though. I would, if that answers the real question.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Everything.....what don't you eat at Christmas?

16. Lights on the tree? Duh.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Simply having a wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney.....a second close is Baby it's cold outside.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home, but now that I'm married we travel the day after Christmas.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donner, and blitzen.....but you know the greatest reindeer of all. : )

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Grew up with an angel, now we have a star....both are great!

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Eve at Grandmas house, everything else from everyone else Christmas day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I do love Christmas songs, but not being able to listen to the radio without a Christmas song can get annoying. And how commercial it has become, that is very annoying.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Do tree lights count.....the big ones....like from the 70's or from A Christmas Story, but especially the blue lights. Those are so calming to look at.

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Anything

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Sewing machine.....getting on a sewing kick.

What about you??

Sweet Dreams

I just got this picture while Royal was asleep on the floor. He was playing on his tummy, and then I realized he had gotten really quiet. I thought he was just watching the TV (which he sometimes rolls over at the perfect angle to see), but this time, he had just passed out on the floor. He was playing hard I guess. It was so sweet, because his legs were hanging off of his blanket onto the wood floor. Must have been comfortable though because he was smiling in his sleep. Probably having sweet dreams about his mommy! : )

Holding the bottle

Every now and then I pump throughtout the day and save whatever I got for that night feeding before Royal goes to bed. I do this mainly because I want to know how much milk he is consuming. Since boobs don't have oz. marks on them, it's not always easy to see how much he is getting....and out of curiosity I just want to know how much milk he eats at one sitting. Especially his last feeding of the day before bedtime. So, the other night while Michael was giving him his bottle, Royal reached up on his own and wrapped his little sweet hands around it. He likes to pull his passy out of his mouth and then try to get it back into his mouth (usually upside down), so I think out of habit he reached up and grabbed his bottle. But he held it the whole time, and then he did it again Wednesday night while I was feeding him. He is getting so big....and he is quite smart, if I might add!

Who says you need a chimney to have a fireplace?

Our house was not built with a fireplace. Michael and I both grew up with a one and a fire burning every night during the cold months. WHen I was little in the farmhouse that I grew up in, the fireplace was one main source of heat for the front of the house, and when Michael was a young man, he was always the fire maker. Everynight he would get the fire going....so having a fire in our home is a great memory that we want to have together. Once again, my wonderful, smart, and thoughtful husband decided that we could have a fireplace another way than the conventional way. He went to Lowe's and picked up this cast iron outdoor fireplace, and because it is circular and open on all sides, we can fit a group of friends around it and can all stay toasty. Since we have gotten this, Michael and I have sat outside almost everynight, talking, and having an evening toddy around the fire. It is so wonderful!! Necessity is the mother of invention right? Well in this case, want is the mother of figuring out a way!

MFM

This was my birthday present to myself. I used some of the birthday money that I got to purchase these metal letters and some spray paint. They were a brown rustic color, but I thought that a gold would look better in our bedroom. Michael hung them for me....and this is how they turned out. I love them.

Follow-up of Mommy kissing Santa

Latest Project

Michael and I wanted to paint our front door for some time and also find a vintage doorknob to go in the gapping hole that was left after we removed the old rusty one.We actually finished the door about 3 weeks ago, I just didn't get a chance to write about it. I love this doorknob. The lock was bought separately and before I even found the doorknob. So the metals don't match, but you can't tell from the street. So, eventually I am sure we will get a lock that matches the color of the brass in the knob, but for now, this one will do just fine.

Lights aglow!

My husband is so wonderful! He is always doing sweet things for me! Tonight on the way home from two of our friends engagement party, I made the comment in the car at how beautiful all the Christmas lights were on the houses. So, after we got home and while I was bathing Royal, Michael secretly went outside on our front porch, swept it off, and got out 2 extra strands of Christmas lights that I did not know that we had, and proceeded to decorate the front porch and door with them. While I was getting Royal diapered and dressed I could hear something out of the front of the house, but I didn't know what it was. I knew Michael was out there, but I didn't know what he was up to. Well, to my surprise....this is what I found.

Growing it out

After having this pixie cut for about 5 months now, I decided that it is time to grow it back out. I like it a lot, but I miss my longer hair. I don't necessarily want it as long as it was before and even when I got married, but at least chin length maybe collarbone. Now, I know that growing out really short hair is not easy....or so I have heard. I guess you could grow it out and not care and just look like a ragamuffin, or you can shape your ever growing hair into a new cute style. These new styles are what I am trying to find. I am just doing some homework so I know what I want to do with this hair of mine when the time comes. I have some progression pictures of what I hope to achieve as my hair grows.Of course celebrities are going to have perfect hair....which I am not planning on having, but these pictures are just an idea of what I hope to be able to do. There is actually probably an in between stage of these two pictures, I just don't know what that would be. I'll figure it out when I get there. With the help of my hairstylist/friend Alexis, I know we will figure something out. : )

Mommy kissing Santa

Yesterday, a family friend gave Royal this adorable outfit. She said she was at the store and saw this and thought of him, so she got it. It is sooo cute. The shirt is hilarious...and of course Michael is Santa in this case. I love the reindeer all over the little pants and socks.

New recipe

This is a recipe that I tried last night out of my Rival Crock Pot: Best-loved slow cooker recipes cookbook. I didn't actually cook this in my crock-pot, but since it was a chili I knew that I could throw it on the stove and cook it that way. When Michael walked in the front door and came in the kitchen, he immediately was like....."What is this, it looks amazing." That made wife (me), VERY happy! I always like trying new things, and he always likes them, but his reaction this time was the best by far towards any new food I've made. Anyway, it also tasted amazing! And it's easy. Here's the recipe: P.S. The recipe originally called for kidney beans...but I like black beans better. I also added the chicken. It was originally a vegetarian meal....so Laurel, you need to get down on this!

Black Bean and Corn chicken Chili:

2 tablespoons of red wine (I used white- that's just what we had)
1/2 teaspoon of EVOO (As Rachel Ray likes to say)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely sliced
6 roma or plum tomatos, chopped (I just used a can of diced)
2 cans of black beans (or whatever kind of bean you like)
1 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (6 oz.) of tomato paste
1 cup of frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander (I used thyme instead)

***Heat the wine and olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onions and garlic and sweat. Then put into soup pot.

***Add bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, beans, broth, paste, corn, salt, and all other spices. Mix together and cook on stove till it is bubbling hot. Then it's done.

I made some french bread to go with it....I just added butter and garlic salt on top and put it in the oven to toast it. The chili and bread went great together.

Oh Christmas tree, my first Christmas tree

Last night we got our Christmas tree up! It was a lot of fun, and we tried to get it put up before Royal went to bed, but unfortunately he couldn't stay awake. But this morning....oh what a surprise awaited him in the living room! He woke up smiling and chatting to me as usual, and then I scooped him up and took him into the living room to see the tree. I layed him next to it, and this is what he did. Totally enthralled. Tonight when Michael got home, as I was finishing dinner, he was holding him and let him pull a red ball off of the tree. He quickly took it back from Royal, as he was going to eat it. haha, I guess to a 4 month old it looked appetizing. : ) Royal also has his own little tree that a family friend made for him. It has blue and white ornaments, some just balls, others that say first Christmas, and bundle of joy. It is so cute! This one will go in his room, as soon as I make some room.

Best sound in the world

Royal's laugh is the most wonderful sound I have ever heard. It is contagious. When he laughs, I can't help but feel so much joy well up inside of my heart, and I just laugh with him. My sweet boy....my sweet happy boy!

Ladies Man

Tonight after Bible Study, my friend Alyssa's little girl Eloise and Royal met for the first time....and I think they hit it off! She kept reaching for him and poking and grabbing......oh man, it was so stinkin cute. What can I say, I have a beautiful boy....and she's very adorable herself. Alyssa and I agreed that they bonded because they are both almost completely bald, except for a slight layer of baby-fine, platinum blond hair. Royal couldn't stop looking at her during the end of Bible study. He was smitten to say the least. : )

Funny Daddy

Sometimes, Michael gets home after I have bathed Royal and started getting him ready for bed. This particular night was one of those nights. He walked in right as I got him out of the tub and had gotten him dressed. Royal always gets so excited when he sees Michael. I know he has to get tired of looking at me all day....haha....so when he sees Daddy he starts cooing, and kicking, and smiling...it is so sweet! Anyway, Michael was making him laugh by putting the towel over his head and peeking out from underneath it. It was a sweet moment that I caught on camera and thought I would share it. My two sweet boys.

Royal's new buddy

One of my best friends Jessica, just had her little girl, Leah Grace, on October 28th! I was thrilled for her...and I was also excited because Royal has a new friend. I can't wait till all of the babies in our group of friends are old enough to run around and play together. My other friends, Brandy and Alyssa, just had their little girls Francys and Eloise in May, and then another friend is due in March with her little boy Lachlann, so Royal will have so many buddies to grow up with. We had Jessica and her husband Tony over for dinner 2 Sundays ago and we took these pictures of Royal and Leah's first encounter. It was sweet. I can't believe how much bigger Royal is than Leah....shows how much growing happens in just 4 short months.

He's my best friend

For anyone who knows Royal.....also knows that Blue bee is his best friend....other than Mommy and Daddy. : ) When he sees his blue bee, his face lights up and he immediatly reaches for him. He knows that blue bee's wings make a crinkle noise and he loves to put them in his mouth or scrunch them in his little hands. BB also plays the lullaby song when you press his tummy....Royal hasn't mastered that yet, but I help out in that department. He just loves his best friend!

MMMM...Pot Roast!

I cooked my first pot roast today. Well, actually it is still cooking as I blog, and it smells amazing!! I know how to make a pot roast. I grew up with it being a main meal that my mom made....I have just never made one myself....until now! I really hope it tastes as womderful as it smells. And I love how easy it is to throw it in the pot in the morning, let it go all day, and then eat it for dinner. I think I like this crock pot cooking.....I just wish I had realized this earlier.

Me run..over a bridge...

This Saturday is the Savannah River Bridge Run. Now, I'm by no means a runner....in fact it is not possible for me to be a runner. Whenever I have tried to run, within a few minutes, I feel panicky, weak, shaky, like my body is yelling at me to stop running because if I don't, it is just going to fall apart. It is not my lack of endurance, because even when I was still a swimmer, I had morning practices for 2 hours, and even then I could not run. My body was not built for running. I hope I never have to run away from a wild animal....because I would be eaten.....point blank. Anyway, you get the point. But walking on the other hand....now that I can do. I think Michael, Royal, and I are going to do the Bridge WALK this Saturday. It's just something fun for us to do, and I am excited for Royal to enjoy the fresh crisp air. Though he will probably be bundled up to the point that only his little nose is sticking out. We have his jogging stroller ready, and this will be his first time riding in it. I still need to go online and register us for this bridge WALK. I can't believe it costs $26 dollars, but whatever....this is called quality family fun.....$26 quality family fun. But it's also good exersize since Michael and I don't get a chance to work out.

Beautiful