Let's Talk About Pretty Things I Want and Don't Need

For Sale of eBay

Antique Brass Soap and Sponge Holder

Do I have a claw foot tub? No. Do I have a bathtub at all? No. But if I did, this would be on it. And speaking of claw foot tubs...

via

That's it. I am going to demo my shower myself to put this baby in. Of course in order to afford it, I will need to tap dance for money.

And I don't think I am that great at tap dancing anymore.

Luxury Hotel & Spa Bath Towel 100% Genuine Turkish Cotton

When Brooks and I got married, we received so many towels. I remember thinking how we would never need towels. I wish I could have told young, naive Lindsey that seven years in, towels get gross. I think these would be a nice replacement.

Zara Dress

Side Note: Isn't it funny how when I started this blog, I talked about fashion and dressing as a teacher? Now I rarely buy clothes that aren't leggings nor do I teach. Sigh....

On a rainy or cold day (I can't remember which it was...maybe both), I decided to push the boys around the mall to get them out of the house. I even got brave and took them into a store. (Want to make your store seem less cool? Have a mother push her double stroller around.) I really liked this dress. I thought about trying it on, but I remembered previously mentioned double stroller and decided that wasn't a good idea.

The Crib Dribbler

Gaines has apparently forgotten that he is almost a year old, and eating every two hours through the night is no longer neccessary. I think this might solve the problem. Momma's little hamster.

I better wrap it up. Woody is shoving puzzle pieces in my mouth.

Weather, Speech Update, and Parenting

Brrrr! Is it so cold lately. I use to have the rule that we had to get out of the house every single day. Then this awful cold weather hit, and I am doing good to check the mail. I hate cold weather, so we have been keeping busy inside.

We have been double lucky lately. MePa visited last weekend, and on Wednesday, my mom came to visit! She just left, and we are all very sad. Woody stands at the door with his lip out when his grandparents leave. He will muster up the saddest "bye bye" you have ever heard. Of course they always bring him fun goodies. He got a tent from MePa and Nana brought him a new ABC book and a jumbo coloring book. He was super excited...until he realized he had no crayons. I was nice and let him borrow my watercolour pencils.

(We also stay in PJs way too late into the day.)

While Mom (or Nana) was here, she stayed with Gippy so that I could take Woody to have his hearing and vision tested, as well as to begin the transition for speech (we will not longer be in the Babies Can't Wait when he turns three.)

(How lucky am I that the grandparents don't go running and screaming?!)

I will save my opinions on the process (some good! some need improvement...major improvement), but Woody is improving with his expressive speech. We also confirmed that he has no vision or hearing impairments! Wahoo!

And speaking of Woody, he loves to climb over the back side of the couch and flip onto it. I have told him over and over to stop. One day I caught him mid-act.

"Woody, get down."

Normally, he is a pretty good listener. He stared deep into my eyes as if he was processing what I said.

"Woody, Momma said, 'Get Down.' You could get hurt."

He didn't move a muscle. He stared expressionless at me.

"Woodfin James, if you don't get down you will have to go to time-out for not listening."

Usually, the combination of his full name and the mention of time-out will cause enough fear that he will do what I have told him. I didn't break eye contact as I watched him slowly slide back down to the floor.

"Thank you," I said as I turned to go into the kitchen, priding myself of my disciplinary skills.

"Weeeeeeeeee!!!" The joyful laughter of a child.

I couldn't believe it. My two year old was already trying to deceive me. Waiting until he thought my watchful eye was gone to do exactly what I told him not to do. He knew that if he did it, he would go to time-out (which he did and cried), but he did it anyway. When his 2.5 minutes in time-out were up, I began to talk to him.

"Woody, Momma told you not to climb on the couch. I made this rule because you could fall and get hurt. That would make you and Momma very sad. But you did not listen to me. You thought Momma was not looking and did what she told you not to do. That is why you had to sit in time-out. But I want you to know that I will always love you and want you be careful and safe."

What a stubborn child. And he gets it from his momma. There are things that I know are against God's will for my life, but I do them anyway, as if I think that maybe He is not watching me. Sin sometimes seems fun, much like flipping over a couch, but it hurts me. It separates me from my Heavenly Father, who sees all and knows the secrets of my heart. Just as Woody cried when I told him that I was upset with his actions, I cry out to the Lord to forgive me for falling short, for doing things that I know are wrong! Not only does He forgive me, but He separates it as far as the east is from the west. (That means he doesn't write a blog post about my sin. Sorry Woody.) Sometimes, when I think of my sinful ways, I wonder how God can continue to forgive me and love me unconditionally. But in some miraculous, indescribable way, He loves me even more than I love the precious children He has loaned to me.

If that isn't great news for this Friday, then I don't know what is! Happy Weekend!

Gaines- Eleven Months

(Seriously, the best pictures I got. He hates being on his back. Diaper changes are super fun.)

Gaines Facts

• Weight: I would say a little over 22 lbs
• Diaper Size: 4
• Clothing Size: 12-18 months
• Sleep: 2 naps a day at 9:00 and 1:00. They last anywhere from 1-2 hours. He goes to bed between 6:30 and 7:00. He still doesn't sleep through the night. He usually wakes at 2:00 and then 5:00. Both times I nurse him back to sleep until after 7:00. As I am weening off of breastmilk though, I know I need to quit this and let him cry it out.
• Eat: He has started whole milk, and I am trying to just nurse him before bed and when he wakes during the night. He is also eating more table food. He seems to not be too picky, which is nice...I know it won't last forever. When he is tired of dinner, he will throw his food. This is super annoying.
• Still chomping with 12 teeth
• He is sooooo close to walking, but won't take it on his own. Why walk, when you can sit on your momma's hip?
• He loves to try and do whatever Woody is doing. 
• Makes the funniest pig face when he is annoyed
• Throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. He will completely throw himself spread eagle on the floor and cry
• And he will bite you. And make you bleed
• But then give you the biggest melt-your-heart smile, and you will become a puddle and completely forget his naughty nature. The ultimate sour patch kid
• Says ma-ma and da-da
• Likes trucks, cars, things with wheels and any type of ball
• I am dreading March 7th like the plague...except that I get to throw a party

Life Lately

Clearly, I haven't had much time for blogging. Actually, I haven't had the equipment to blog. I always used my laptop from when I was working to blog. When I quit teaching, I had to rely on Brooks's computer...which he takes to work with him during the day. I had only slightly been complaining about my situation. So my incredible husband, selflessly sold some of his climbing equipment (he hasn't needed those ice axes for a while now) to buy me my own computer. Raised garden beds and a computer? Sorry, he's taken. 

So, what have we been up to? If you follow me on Instgram, you know that Gaines had croup last week. Yuck, terrible. It starts with this awful barking cough that will make any parent sit straight up in their bed. Luckily, the sound only lasted two days, but then it turned into an annoying cold that still stinks and makes your baby feel terrible.

I took Gaines to the doctor because even though there is no medicine you can take for croup, you can get an oral steroid to reduce the swelling in the throat. Unfortunately, every other child in Atlanta was sick, so the doctor's office was packed, and the only time I could get in was during the boys' nap time.

For every germ we were there to cure, I am sure we picked up ten more.

Slowly, but surely, Gaines started to perk up. We were playing outside and getting some fresh, cold air, when Woody insisted that Gaines ride his tricycle with him. So sweet when you catch them getting along.

Woody celebrated Valentine's Day at school. He was a big fan of the mailboxes. Maybe he has a career in the postal service.

Despite his Valentines arriving late, I was able to throw together these that cost me a total of $1.

Printable via

Gaines decided that his millions of toys are a bore, and banging a stick on a container of Puffs is way more fun.

Mimi and Papa, or as Woody calls them "MePa," came to visit on Saturday and brought the boys a pop tent. It has been great entertainment.

The biggest excitement lately? We painted our dining room. It was still white (and a bad shade of white) from when we moved. (Oh, and in old news, this room was originally the formal living room, but we switched and it is now the dining room and the old dining room is Brooks's Dude Den/my "Ladies' Lounge.

I will take better pictures during the day. Brooks and his dad replaced the sconces with these lights that I found on sale at Lowe's. The wiring was very tricky, but they worked so hard until the all turned on and off at the same time.

I will return with Gaines's 11 month update...before he turns 1 (tear) and an update on Woody's speech progress! 

Woody- 30 Months

I totally stole this idea from my sister, btw. Since Woody turned 30 months on 01/14, I thought I would tell 30 facts about my precious little guy.

1. He weighs 28 lbs now
2. He is normally an easy-going, agreeable kid. Of course he has his moments where he is a disaster and typical two year old, but I love this age/stage.
3. He ADORES his ABCs. If you sing a song, he sings the ABCs over your voice.

4. Likes to play with puzzles (especially the ABC one), books (especially the ABC one), trains, and Paw Patrol figures.
5. He loves is we let him see the iPad. What does he do on it? Watches videos of the ABC song on YouTube.
6. Woody is a decent eater. His top favorites are PB&Js, chicken nuggets, beans, green smoothies, grapes, strawberries, muffins, and cheeseburgers. Now that I type that, I realize how unhealthy his diet is. He is pretty good at trying foods though.
7. He likes to help walk the dogs. Brooks will let Woody hold Lucy's leash, and he thinks it is hilarious.

8. The park is one of his favorite places. I love that it is so close, and we can walk. We almost always bring bread so that he can feed the ducks.
9. He will try to repeat things if you ask. He struggles with annunciation, but I think it is precious.  He receives speech therapy, and I am seeing a lot of improvement.
10.I am 'Ma' and Brooks is 'Did.' I love how he says Teddy Bear (Ted Bee) and he has started calling Brooks's mom 'P' instead of Mimi.

11. Even if he just saw me, when I walk into a room, he says, "Oh, hey Ma!"
12. He goes to school two days a week in the morning. He loves it, and I am so glad that he loves school.
13. Is the easiest child to put to sleep. He still likes to take a nap and go to bed. Knock on wood, he has never tried to climb out of his crib.

14. But he had taught himself how to climb on the bathroom and kitchen cabinets.
15. He still has eczema. He doesn't mind getting slathered in lotion and lots of baths though.
16. Wears 2T clothes
17. Can easily count to 12. After 12, he just says 'der teen' over and over.

18. I love when he goes to bed to ask him about all of the things in his bed.  He sleeps with his ABC pillow, his Teddy Bear, a puppy dog (I recorded my voice in the dog's foot when I was having Gaines), his lovie, his beloved Blank (blanket), and an ABC book.
19. Bedtime is around 7:30. He wakes anywhere between 5:30-7:00.
20. We read from his Bible or prayer book before bed. Before you think we have this holy child, Brooks and I usually read while Woody plays with his trains or sings his ABCs over us.
21. I still cut his hair. I need to stop and get him a proper hair cut. I am just so scared they are going to cut it too short. His hair is especially curly when it is humid and when he gets up.

22. My favorite time of day with him is after Gaines goes to bed, because I can give him 100% of my attention.
23. He still really enjoys bath time.
24. He is an impromptu hugger. He hugs us all the time, but other people too. His sweet pediatrician tried to give him a high five, and when he was finished, Woody hugged him.

25. Most kids take a while before they warm up to you. Woody is the reverse. He isn't shy when he meets people, but after a while, he gets bored with you and wants you to leave.
26. He follows commands well, which also makes life easier.
27. He visited the University of Alabama for the first time. He is the most precious thing to ever yell 'Roll Tide!'

28. He likes to ride his bike, play basketball, and play chase with Brooks.
29. He likes to go on walks, cuddle, and have tickle fights with me.
30. He likes for Gaines to leave him alone.

Most of the time ;)

Hylan Marie Coleman

My friend, Jessica, is that friend that I always talk about who I love so much and then she left me and moved. Yeah....

Well, she had her precious baby girl (read about it here.) I was about to die to get my hands on her, smoother her with kisses, and whisper sweet nothings about moving to Atlanta. So Lisa, Catherine, and Gracelyn loaded up my car with my crew and headed to Sylacauga, Alabama (and Lisa documented the day much better than I did.)

So, the only picture I got of Hylan was this one of the back of her head...

 Gracelyn was telling her momma what a great big sister she was going to be.

Big Brother Burke wondering why all these kids were messing with his stuff

Y'all, I am going to steal this child, because I think she belongs to me. 

Mostly because she sits in fireplaces.

Hylan, I may not have gotten many pictures of you, but I love, love, love you and your brother!

A Trip to the Zoo

Thank you for your sweet words yesterday. I didn't write that post to throw a pity party, but as a real life testimony of a mom desperately wanting to do the "right" thing. I appreciate so many kind people lifting me up when I was down!

Last Saturday was the rare combination of two wonderful things: no plans and beautiful weather. So we went to the Atlanta Zoo! I had been on a field trip before, but Brooks and the boys (well, technically, Woody was in utero) had never been. It was a tad chilly in the morning, and since not all the animals weren't out, we got in for 1/2 price! Woody and Gaines could have cared less, they were just happy to run/be pushed around.

(I think this orangutan had a hard Friday night.)

Roll Tide!

The big hit was the train. Woody love trains, but has never been on one. He was nervous/excited and was whispering "choo-choo." He kept smiling at Brooks. (Yes, I definitely cried. I love seeing him so happy. I am going to be a wreck when we go to Disney.)

Then we rode the carousel. Woody was indifferent towards it. He would smile some, but I think he was getting sleepy. However, Gaines loved it! He kept bouncing up and down, and I was so scared he was going to fall off. I kept yelling at Brooks to hold tight.

When is this gonna move?

Deep Thoughts

Happiest guy!