New Video

Sorry this video has been removed :)

Funny Phrases

Today we were at a local flower shop and Toby saw 2 monkey planters on the other side of the store. Curtis walked him over for a closer look and then asked him how many there were. Toby said, "One...Two! Toby has good eyes!"

LOL, whenever he spots something from across the room I tell him he has good eyes!

Tonight I have book club so I have to get dinner started a little early. We're having chicken a la George Foreman with pico de gallo and corn on the cob. Yesterday Curtis and Toby made ice cream - vanilla with m & m's, colored blue of course. Everything is blue these days. It really is a sight to behold!

After 2 days of rain we are having a pretty day here. It's about 90 degrees, so a little warm, but not raining! I've dumped close to 4 inches out in the last couple days! Everything is saturated. Thanks Fran!

It's Labor Day weekend, so I know we have an extra day, but we have nothing planned. I'd sort of like to do something, but I remember how PACKED the zoo was Memorial Day weekend so I'm not sure whether I want to head there or not. We do have a bit of shopping to do, and that's a big day trip for us, so maybe that will be the extent of our Labor Day fun (Curtis is thrilled at the prospect, LOL!) I do have some flower beds that have been sadly neglected so that should probably be the focus of my weekend - and I would feel better to get rid of all those nasty weeds!

I should have some new video to post this weekend sometime so keep an eye out - Toby's been working out with the wii and I have proof! It's very cute!

TTFN

10!

Toby counted to 10 today! I almost fell off my chair, I was so excited! Until this point, the highest he's counted is 4, but he went clear to 10, and when asked to repeat he made it to 6! YAY Toby! He did it so casually too, as though he's been counting this high all along! Silly boy.

Another kudos to him - he's been in underwear full time for the last week, and yesterday and today he made it ALL DAY with no accidents! YAY! He's getting to be such a big boy!

Not to be outdone, Luci sprouted 2 new teeth this week - she's up to 6 (2 on bottom, 4 on top)

Photo Op

I pulled this dress out of the closet this morning, determined that Luci should wear it once before she outgrows it! It's a sweet hand me down that didn't come with bloomers, so I don't usually have her wear it, but it IS cute, so I wanted pics of her wearing it!

So here is the dress and the pics!

Of course Toby wanted in too...he sees that sheet out and he wants to be involved :)

I'm still practicing with my camera. Sometimes I get great shots, sometimes not so much.

Well, I'm off to play Play Doh with Toby!

Luci and the Sit N Spin

This is Luci's newest obsession - Toby's Sit N Spin. She LOVES that thing, and will spend quite a while standing on it scaring new grey hairs onto my head.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This video isn't the greatest of how much she loves it, but it gives you an idea.

This morning the weather was beautiful here! We took the kids to the Downtown park, did a lap around the business district with the strollers, and ended at the Farmer's Market where I picked up some peaches, a bouquet of zinnias, and a new parsley plant and lavender plant. Yay!

Earflap Hat

I let Mr T pick out the colors for his winter hat this year. I think it's cute, but I need to manipulate the earflaps a bit so they lay down instead of straight out!

I used Lion Brand Jiffy yarn and perused the Lion Brand site to find an appropriate pattern...found this one for Jiffy yarn! It is snug on him, so I hope it fits all winter, but the yarn seems to have a lot of give. Oh the pattern is for the Helmet Hat on Lion Brand's site, and I used size 11 straight needles for it. It only took about an hour, start to finish.

Ok, we're ready for snow now! LOL!

I'm working on a commissioned pair of longies right now...well, sort of. I'm doing a practice pair first for Luci so I can see what I'm doing before I try one for someone else! But I think it's going to be super cute!

A Froggy Went A'Courtin'

And somehow ended up here!

Curtis was mowing this morning (his classes start up this afternoon) and all of a sudden came running in the house and said "You want to see a cool frog?" I thought he meant another toad (we do see a lot of toads when the weather's been wet), but lo and behold and pretty little green frog had found his way under the pool. Cute, isn't he? Toby got such a kick out of seeing him!

Speaking of Toby, here's the ham himself...

As I said, Curtis starts classes today - afternoon class, this semester, so that's different. Last semester! I am counting down the days until December - it's been nice with the different schedule, but I kind of like our regular routine too...makes it easier to plan things!

Luci slept all night last night! Wheeeeee! It's been 4 nights since she's done that, so I was SO happy to wake up this morning having not run across the house in a half stupor in the middle of the night!

Well, gotta run but I wanted to share the froggy pics. Sadly, I don't think there are any girly frogs in the yard for him...so where ever he came from, he needs to find his way home to his lady frog!

Purplicious Bonnet

One sweet bonnet down! It's a tad on the big size, but I would like it to fit her this winter, so I am ok with that :) I love it, and think it's just sweet! I used Patons Grace with my beautiful, gorgeous, new-favorite Addi-Turbo size 1's. I never thought I could love a needle so much.



Next up on the needles - I am working on a lace scarf with my Purewool lace...I have started it and am working in little bits. I bought the yarn this week for my DS's winter hat and mitts - LionBrand Jiffy in blue and green (he got to pick out the colors - I was so excited that he's finally old enough to pick his own colors!), and I'd also like to work out either a pair of soft shoes or socks with the Paton's Grace.

Video Time!

I thought I'd share a video of Luci pushing a toy around - boy does she love being mobile! There's also clips of her making faces, and dancing! That's right, dancing! She is so darn CUTE!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Luci has been up at night again...not sure what's up, but her schedule is certainly upset! I hope things get righted again soon because I'M TIRED.

Curtis starts school on Wednesday...so our schedule is about to be turned upside down...that should be interesting! Last semester - YAY!

To the Gardens We Go

This has been a beautiful August for North Carolina! Today's high was only in the upper 90's! So we celebrated by heading to the horticultural gardens this morning for a nice walk. We let Toby lead the way in hopes he would be well worn out for nap time (that plan didn't work out by the way). He had a blast choosing which paths we would take, and Mom had her hands free to play photographer!

Here is Toby in front of the "little pool"

We found a nice brick patio-thingy to take pics in front of...got a lot of cute ones there!
Including one with both kids - AND looking at the camera. It only took me about....32 shots to get both of them looking at me (2 smiles is just too much to ask for)
And my favorite scenic shot was this lily pad about to bloom on the pond, although I took some daisy shots I liked too!
Like I alluded earlier, Toby did NOT nap today...and joy of all joys, neither did Luci! I don't know what conspiracy the two of them cooked up, but no napping in this house = very frustrated mommy and daddy! Thankfully Luci was more than happy to sleep tonight, and Toby is in the tub as I type...he will be in bed for the night soon!

Hope you all have a nice weekend (and happy Derby Days to those in our hometown!)

8 Months Today!

Oh my, Little Miss is growing fast! I'm so not ready for her to be 8 months yet...but apparently she isn't listening to mama! Before long I will be (gasp!) planning a first birthday party! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Here is her chair pic today - I can't believe I have 9 of these (the first was at 1 week)


Playing with mama's glasses (she might as well, she scratched them up yesterday on the concrete around the pool)

I ran to WalMart this morning and found these toddler sunglasses on clearance...they don't fit yet, they're more for next summer, but we had to try them on!

And one to show off her baby blues!
We have a chance of storms today...I dumped 2.5 inches of rain out of the rain gauge this morning (from Wednesday's all day rain event), but I wouldn't mind seeing a little more. Luci has slept all night for 3 nights straight now - Yippie!!! I never thought this day would come...I was starting to think she'd need someone to come check on her when she was 18!

Toby and Daddy are getting haircuts this afternoon - Toby loves those! We've been watching the Olympics and Toby LOVES them. Today it was running and he thought that was very cool...just wait until he sees hurdles...he'll probably be jumping hurdles over the dog, lol! I would say poor Lex, but Lex loves the attention and frankly just eggs Toby on...the two of them really are something else.

I was hoping to find something fun to do locally this weekend, but I don't see any festivals or such. It's such nice weather too...hot, but not unbearable. I actually started knitting a scarf for myself last night, but it seems so funny to be knitting for warm weather when I'm wearing shorts!

Can I get a Woot woot?

Why? Because Little Miss slept ALL NIGHT LAST NIGHT!!!!!! Of course I was up untilk 1 listening for her to wake up (I hate insomnia!) but it was still great to wake up at 7:15 this mornign all on my own! No Toby shaking my shoulder and saying "Wake UP Mama!". no Luci crying so I have to make the dash to get to her before she wakes up her brother. Just silence for me to get up and get dressed all by MYSELF! And I discovered another little gem - when Luci sleeps all night, she wakes up happy and content instead of crying! Bonus!

It's raining here today...it's been a steady rain since we woke up. I still braved the weather to run to WalMart with the kids. When we got back, I got Toby out of the car with specific instructions to stay as dry as possible to get to the porch to wait on me. That kid immediately ran right smack dab into the middle of the giant puddle in the yard - ankle deep in water - and stood there looking at me. So he got sent to the bathroom (sopping wet) to wait on me, got him out of his wet clothes and sent him to his room to find something else to wear. He comes out 5 minutes later in his pj's....so apparently it is a pj day here!

Luci is taking a late morning nap, which will probably screw up our afternoon, but she's been taking bad afternoon naps anyway so maybe the schedule just needs shifting.

Blue's Clues is almost over which means my time is up :O)

Sleeping better!

Just wanted to note that last night I only had to feed Luci once, about 1am...she just needed a little soothing back to sleep, then I was able to sleep from 1:30-6:15! I definitely feel a bit better today. Now if I can just get that from 11-6:15 we will be in business!

Well we're off for a walk to enjoy the pretty weather before it turns hot again.

A few pics

I added a few pics today!


And Toby helping Daddy change the oil!

Night!

Monday Morning

And a new week starts again! August is marching on...and I must say this August is much better than last year! Last year we had several weeks straight of temperatures above 100, with no rain. Today's high is only supposed to be 88 and we had a lovely rain shower last night! It's still pretty wet this morning, but I'm thinking the park tomorrow morning.

Curtis broke the mower yesterday, so the yard is only half mowed...he was able to fix it again, but not in time to mow before the rain hit. He was lucky enough to break it just in time to hit the end of summer clearance on mower supplies! Another couple weeks and all he'd have found would be Christmas decor, but as it was he was able to replace the air filter for just a couple dollars.

This weekend was pretty quiet (except for the mower incident). We stuck close to home, played outside, packed away baby supplies to the attic (it's nice to have the extra room in Luci's closet!)...just a nice, generally quiet weekend.

Toby is being a parrot nowadays...everything we say is repeated back to us. Luci followed us around the house...she will chase me down whenever I have the vacuum...she is fascinated by it! I am working on her waking issues. Lately she has been waking, but able to put herself back to sleep after just a few minutes. Last night she did this twice before we went to bed, I fed her at 2, then she was up at 6 fussing for a bit. I let her be rather than rush in to get her and she fell back sleep for another 2 hours. Yay! Of course she woke up her brother who came in to make sure I was up, so the day still started early, but Toby is usually happy to chill out quietly for the first 30 minutes or so of the day.

We've been watching a lot of the Olympics...Toby loves to watch the sports! Rowing had him completely fascinated yesterday - "Boats backwards!" he kept exclaiming. And swimming...good lord, that got the boy in the mood for the pool! It's a good thing we already have plans to hit the pool Thursday with friends. When watching men's gymnastics, he said, "Toby jump tooooooooooooooo!"

I wanted to send my congrats to my cousin and his wife who welcomed their first child into the world this morning - may she sleep well for you! I can't wait to meet her but it will be a few months before we're in Ohio again :(

I don't really have any new pics to post today....guess that means I should get the camera out and playing today! We are going to run to WalMart this morning, then who knows this afternoon. Maybe outback, if the mosquitos don't eat us alive!

A Knitted Dress, Finished at Last!

I'm so excited to have finally finished this dress! It took a couple weeks, but was well worth it!

The pattern is Mabel Dress, from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies. I used Patons Grace, and loved the yarn so much I bought 5 more skeins for...something! I'm thinking a bonnet and working on pulling some patterns together tonight. Anyway, it was knit on size 2 needles, and used size 1's for the ribbing on the sleeves. Apparently it's very hard to find straight needles in size 1, so I bought my first pair of Addi Turbos. OH MY GOSH are they fantastic! They are circular needles and the joints are so smooth...definitely new fav's!

The dress fits very loosely, so I think it will work for this fall, and next year could probably be paired with a pair of pants as a long top...very chic, yes? Well, I try anyway.

Ok, off to work on a bonnet!

A Dress for Fall

I finally finished my first knit dress! It's made of cotton and Luci seems to like it :)

My first try at ScrapBlogging

Stocking Time at Haute Tot!

Just an FYI that Haute Tot is stocking on Wednesday at 11am! Previews are already up, check out the t's (from 6 month size up to 18 month) and the NEW Nursing Pillow Covers (designed to fit your boppy cover).

www.hyenacart.com/hautetot

Picture Day

I finally took a minute to move pics from the camera to the computer!



Yesterday we took advantage of tax free weekend in NC and bought up on some clothes. The sales were really great! Curtis needed jeans, but we also found him some new dress shirts for $10 and ties for $8. I needed pants - $8, and tops - $4. The kids needed the most, and I found some good ones for them too.



Here's a couple outfits for Luci



These were my steal from Target - .98 each! I wish they'd had a selection for boys too, but none...just the baby girl. These will be good for next summer (well, the black shorts are for now, but the rest is big)
Toby's winter outfits - he had pants and a couple shirts already, but this should finish him up. Believe it or not, my 2 year old is wearing a 4T now! YIKES! He's growing so much. We just measured him this morning because we couldn't believe he was this big and he is in fact 39 inches. Good grief.
My Old Navy steal - this shirt was marked down to $2 because apparently "chicks rule" is an Easter slogan! I'll take it any time of the year!

I think this is my fav - from JC Penny. It is SO SOFT - Luci had a newborn outfit from the same company in this super soft fleece and I always thought it was just the softest thing imaginable, so when I found this on sale - with an elephant to boot! - it jumped in the bag in a hurry. It's 18 months, so she should wear it this winter.
This is Toby's fall jacket - a great deal from Old Navy (probably because they consider it spring fashion, lol...like my 2 year old knows the difference!)
The kids are finally playing together!

Luci is really standing well these days! She's hanging on with one hand at most.
A pic of the kids together in their matching Olympics shirts! These were a gift from Paul, who I believe bought them in Beijing! So straight from the home of the Olympics! VERY COOL! Toby loves his Panda shirt!
Luci sporting her ponytail! It's finally long enough on top and this keeps it out of her eyes. SO CUTE!
And a cute one I had to put in

Today I've been busy organizing boxes to go in attic storage...outgrown clothes, etc. Curtis is going to try to get them up tomorrow. I'm tired though! Yesterday was a looooooong day and we're taking the rest of the weekend off I think. I'm not leaving unless I have to!

Luci has half of one top tooth through and the other one is just starting to poke through. They are taking FOREVER!