Does it get cuter than this?

I can't stop watching Luke babble. It puts the BIGGEST smile on my face. I hope you enjoy as much as Chris and I do!!

New Love- Chevron DIY

Most of you know my love for crafty things. I don't blog about crafty stuff NEARLY enough to equal my passion for a good project.

My newest love is for all things chevron!

Check out these plates! And the best part is, this whole project was done for under $5. I see these in my future... especially at a certain little man's first birthday party!!!

***Notice, those spacers in the middle are dollar store candle sticks!***

Instructions at Tatertots And Jello
And I wonder if you could use Stevie's Carbon paper idea from the personalized boxes to make this a little simpler. I love a short cut!

If I only had a spare wall- and maybe not a plaster deer head:

Contact Paper Chevron Wall Art

Can't find chevron fabric? Try this! Nobody will ever know...

How to make Striped Fabric into a chevron patterned pillow

And... best for last! I might try this painting technique on some of those berber floor rugs! I'll start small to see how it works. If my plans go well, I'm picturing a giant white/gray and light blue chevron rug in the dining room... stay tuned.

How to make your own chevron-inspired rug

Save the drive-ins!

I always wanted to live in the days of Jacquie O, A&W drive thru restaurants, pedal pushers and Drive-in movie theaters.

A few years ago, some friends suggested a double date to a not-so-local Drive-in so Chris and I jumped at the opportunity. For $5 a person ($2 for kids) you got two movies for the evening. Where else can you get 6 hours of entertainment for $5 (well, plus gas)??

Being there was like driving into a piece of history (sort of).

You tuned into the movie via your car radio, although I think we watched a total of less than 10 minutes because there was so much going on around us! The experience was complete with a greasy snack stand and high-school crushes in the making, a warm summer evening breeze and lighting bugs all around. It was perfect.

The drive-in we visted was in Eden, NC, a solid hour from our house.

http://www.edendrivein.com/

We found out after that long drive that there was a drive-in 15 minutes from our house! So this summer, I thought we'd put a date on the calendar to go visit the Walkertown, NC drive-in. But, I'm sad to report that it's status is "dark." I can't believe we missed it. It's gone- done forever, or until it lands a new investor- and we never even knew it was there.

I am determined that this summer we will go back to Eden and we will help this little piece of history that has survived since 1955 continue to thrive. Even if it's just once, I want Emily Grace and Luke to experience this little piece of American heritage, before it really is gone...

Check out his website to find drive-ins in your state and help keep the drive-ins alive!

http://www.driveinmovie.com/mainmenu.htm

Chew Toys for Two

Luke AND Zoe are teething at the same time. I cannot explain how much fun we're having...

This morning Zoe lost another one of her baby fangs (as I've come to call them- tooth is an understatement with this animal) and simultaneously Luke was SCREAMING for either a bottle or baby oragel- whichever we could reach first.

Luke is on his third tooth- another bottom guy! The top still looks swollen but I can see the white tip of a bottom tooth that has broken through. That makes 3!


He is actively chewing on anything he can get his hands on which includes but is not limited to:
Paci
Fingers (not just his)
Burp Cloths
My shoulder
My hair
Emily Grace
Emily Grace's hair bows
Chris' phone
Chris' sunglasses
Car seat toys
Car seat
blankets
sheets
spoons
I try not to let a lot of foreign objects into his reach but as you can see, I often miss something.

His favorite made-for-teething toys:
Get this Silver teething ring at Bed, Bath & Beyond and use your 20% coupon. The silver stays naturally cool so you never have to put it in the freezer. It's easy to hold and doubles as a rattle! This silver teething ring is by far is his favorite!

RazBaby silicone teether- Babies R Us.
It is considerably less expensive but also less effective. It's a little large for his mouth and a bit heavy for him to hold at this age, but it's great for him to chew on!



And Zoe's chew toylist includes:
Our new area rug
My favorite blue chair
Coffee table legs
The metal side table legs
The metal bars on her kennel
Kiwi's collar
Kiwi's tail
Emily Grace's hands
Emily Grace's hair
Luke's hands (it's funny, she's not biting them- she likes to get their hands in her mouth and she delicately gnaws on them. Of course I don't LET this happen, when I see it I yell at her to stop. )
Luke's feet
Luke's shoes
Luke's socks (I've now thrown away over 20 socks!)
Luke's car seat (common chew toy)
Luke's car seat toys
Any dirty laundry- jeans, socks, bibs. You name it, she'll chew on it.

Yet the chew/teething toys we've purchased for BOTH of them sit mildly used. I'd never trade these memories in for anything!

This is the song that never ends...

Remember that one? I won't get the lyrics stuck in your head for you. I'm betting the title did that on it's own.

Anyway, the new never-ending song at our house is from daycare. It's actually a diversion tactic at school that also drives people (me) crazy with it's inexplicably simple lyrics.

Emily Grace, Emily Grace, jump up and down
jump up and down
jump up and down

Emily Grace, Emily Grace, jump up and down
and sit...back...down

We have been singing that song ALL weekend. From Friday when we got home to 10 minutes ago when EG went to bed. And we've all had to jump. I hope I burned extra calories from all of the jumping.

She makes us each take a turn:
Emily Grace
Mommy
Daddy
Luke (who LOVES this song, by the way. I don't think it will be leaving our home in the near future...)
Kiwi
Zoe
Bailey (EG still includes her name in EVERYTHING we do as a family)

And then my favorite:

EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY, JUMP UP AND DOWN...

I think this song will be in my head for days.

I was run-nin!

Thank you Dana for the title...
Ladies, lace up your running shoes!


I'm determined to go to the beach looking some-what fit this year. We have a pool membership for the summer and have already paid for a whole week at the beach so I'm not going to waste it on baggy cover-ups and skirted bottoms and sucking in. Sorry- I refuse.


So I've started running and I'm really proud of how far I've come since Little Luke's welcome to the world cracked that pesky rib a few months back...
Now, I know you must be thinking "Meredith is the clutziest person on the world..." and yes, I am.




I am afraid my form on the treadmill isn't the best.


Picture: pant legs flapping, tripping me up, shoe laces constantly coming untied (even from a DOUBLE KNOT!), hair falling out of pony tail and me constantly hitting the ear phone cord that connects my iphone resting on the treadmill to my ears and having to catch my friendly electronic device in mid-air about 3 times during my routine.


So I need some tips from my fellow runners...
Here is my workout for this past week:

Warm up for 5 min.
Walk to .4 miles at a faster than brisk pace
Run .6 miles
Walk .4
Run .6
Walk .4
Run .6

Total: 3 miles, walked 1.2, Ran, 1.8


By the time I get to the end of my .6 segments, I'm so out of breath that I can't get a deep breath. Do you know that feeling? My body can keep going but my lungs can't keep up and that's what's stopping me. The next few days, my body isn't that sore, which tells me I'm strong enough to move forward, but my poor lungs can't keep up. And no, I've never smoked. Any suggestions?


In addition, my Iphone is loaded with a mix of songs that keep me wanting to dance rather than run, but they keep my spirits up and keep me pushing forward (standing still really due to the treadmill):



Taio Cruz "Rock Star" and "Dynamite"

Nelly "EI" and "Ride wit' me"

TI

Chris Brown (I know... sorry)

Katy Perry

Beyonce "Single Ladies" (I'm not single (duh), but I love to wave my hand in the air when she says "if you like it then you shoulda' put a ring on it..." The people in the gym must think I'm crazy)


***Side note- YouTube "Shane Mercado dancing to all the single ladies"- HE IS GOOD! He's been on morning shows b/c he "outdanced" Beyonce' LOOK OUT! It'll make you laugh! I wish I could dance like that- but that's a dream that will NEVER come true... ahhh, memories of Anne's blog about the 41 week pregnant girl who "walked it out..." PLEASE WATCH BOTH VIDEOS! Anyway, here is Shane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Rjc7HSt0E&sns=em

And I can't pass up Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind" for my warm up.


But, the mix is getting a little repetitive. Any other suggestions?


For any of you health nuts out there, I read that if you work out a mere 8 minutes in the morning, you will double your metabolism for the day!


I guess if all else fails, I can always get one of those t-shirt cover-ups that make you look skinny...

Happy Running!

Milestones

The last few weeks have been full of milestones for Little Luke!

December 22, 2010-

He rolled over for the first time but he didn't enjoy it much until the last two weeks. Since he started at daycare, he's been rolling EVERYWHERE!

Feb 6, 2011

Luke started solids. He's doing really well with them- but he likes to eat ALL the time, so this is not surprising news.

Feb 7, 2011

Luke and EG started their new school. It's obvious that they both miss Mrs. Debbie so much- but I know this will be great for them!

Feb 10, 2011

Luke started rolling EVERYWHERE and SITTING UP!!!!

Feb 14, 2011

BOTH bottom front teeth came in! He has a silver teething ring that is all scratched up from those sharp little things. :) I'd post a picture but they're not big enough to see on camera. He barely lets me get my hand in there...

Congrats to my little man!

Queen of Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day!

(I know it's tomorrow but we celebrated today as a family)

I went a little crazy with hearts this year. First, I decided to cut out Emily Grace's personalized Valentine's from scrap book paper and doilies to hand out at school. That didn't come out as cute as I hoped. They have a strict "no candy" policy at school, so we're limited to cards only. I hope Dana posts her sweet treats for Caroline because I'm VERY envious of where her creative talent took her on this confectioner's holiday...

So after one failed attempt, I took EG to Michaels and we got this awesome foam heart kit to make Valentines for her friends. But, she lost control with the glitter glue and foam stickers and that didn't turn out as cute as I hoped either.

Then, I went online, found cute photo mini Valentine's for her to hand out and voila. Done. I did some for Luke too. I thought that even though they aren't home-made, they're still awesome!

But then I was stuck with all of these hearts... so..... I DECORATED!

EG's room took the biggest hit but only because it matched her colors so well.

And after all of that, I felt inclined to have a heart-inspired "brinner" for the fam. YUMMO!

And lastly, (this one touches my heart) Luke's first Valentine for his mommy. :) I love this day!

Stylish Blogger Award

Oh my dream has come true! I've always wanted to be a stylish blogger. And while I know that I'm more "mom & pop" style than "sweet & sassy," I'm tickled to pieces that my dear sweet Ashlee sent me an award! I need my hairbrush- I feel like singing!

So this is how it works:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 8 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact the bloggers and let them know about the award.

7 things about me:

1- I use too many words. I type 10 when 2 would do. I bet you knew that though...

2- I've had an on-going internal struggle with working vs. staying at home. Long story short, I'm at peace with working. I never thought I would be, but I am. I feel, deep down, that this is right. For now. Plus, the discount at Polo is awesome and it always cheers me up to buy something AMAZING with my sweet little discount.

3- I have been brain-washed with orange. Whenever I look at something online, the first thing that pops in my head is "does it come in orange?" I have enough orange to wear to Clemson games to last until I'm 50. But the search continues. You can never have enough orange.

4-I really like Michelle Obama. And not just because she wears J.Crew or rocks a $35 H&M dress on Regis & Kelly. She makes being an American look amazing.

5-I like to find look-alike clothes that are a fraction of the cost. Target is a great place for knock-offs! (I'm talking to you crew cuts!)

6- I have sprouted 3 gray hairs at 30. All I can do is stare at them in the morning. I refuse to be that old.

7- I WILL WEAR A 2-PIECE AT THE BEACH THIS SUMMER!!! (and I won't be the lady with the pooch. I mean I'll be in shape- in case you didn't get that. 5 K- HERE I COME!)

8 Deserving Bloggers:

Dana at The Doyle Family

Anne at Anne Says So

Emily at And then there were Three AND Emily Elrod Photography

Alle at The Boys and Me

Casey at Keeping Up with the Wilsons

Jamie at The Lindsay Family

Kristen at The McKay Family

Mandy at Taylor-Made Tales

Thanks Friends!

Baby Blues

I can't stop looking at Luke's big blue eyes. I try to get them on camera and rarely succeed. But this past weekend, in the midst of our exhaustion from skiing and a busy Sunday afternoon, I grabbed the camera and got lucky!

A day of updates- 6 Months

Luke is 6 months old! I have a 6 month picture with him wearing the month stickers from Aunt Kate, I promise.

We had his 6 month check up yesterday that included a flu shot, 3 others and an oral vaccine. So he had a total of 5 doses yesterday. He was a bit cranky last night but nothing tylenol and some cuddles couldn't cure.

Weight 18lbs, 5 oz= 66%

Length 27 1/4"= 89%

Head 17 1/4"= 85%

He is also cutting his first tooth! It's not in yet but the doctor could feel it making it's way through. So here we go...

His weight hasn't gone up quite like we thought, but I think that's due to his lack of appetite from the AWFUL double ear infection he's been fighting off this week. The poor little man also has a ruptured ear drum from that infection.

Then we went to check out his helmet at WFBMC and see how it's working. Good news- we only have 2 more months of wearing it instead of 4 more like we originally planned! The picture below baffles me. Look at his cheeks and nose. You couldn't even see his face or his ears from the picture in December!

(12/6/10 and 2/3/11 below)

13 going on 30

Emily Grace is ready to be older. Maybe it's just because I've already planned her party (butterfly) and she's ready for it. Or maybe it's because it takes too long to get to the next number. But this was this weekend's conversation:

E: "Mommy, I"m 4"
Me: "No, honey, you're 3 and a half, almost 4."
"no mom- I’m not 3, I’m 4. I’m a big girl.”
"yes, you are a big girl but you’re not 4 yet; you’ll be 4 in June.”
“yes I am,”
“no you’re not.”
“yes I am.”

**brief pause**

"You’ll be 4 in June.”
“no.”
“YES.”
“no.”

~~~staring each other down~~~

“fine, you’re almost 4.”
“no, now.”

And then I walked away and she went back to coloring. Do you get the feeling that she has to have the last word? I wonder what 16 will hold...

Mommy, I miss you

Break my heart- these are the words Emily Grace says to me 200 times a day.

I was telling Dana about this and she laughed because she doesn't really mean "I miss you."

For example: Chris and I will be standing in the kitchen making dinner and she goes back and forth between us hugging our legs muttering "Mommy, I miss you." "Daddy, I miss you."

I've tried to explain that what she means is "I love you," or "I'm happy" or sometimes even "I'm sorry." But "I miss you" is what you say when somebody has gone away.

I don't let my mind stray to where the 'I miss you' is coming from. That breaks my heart to let my thoughts wander there. You working moms know what I mean. And those of you who used to work also know the heart strings that pull so easily.

So, that evening after telling Dana this story, I had to scold Emily Grace for smearing pizza sauce all over the table like finger paints instead of wiping her hands on a napkin. As she sat there starting to cry she said "Mommy- I miss you."

My heart stopped. I stopped wiping down the table scooped her up and said "I'm sorry bfor yelling. I love you." Her response: "Mommy- I miss you too."