stafford stories

StickyGram Discount

2012-01-27T14:19:00.000-06:00

Hi Friends happy Friday!

I am SO glad today is Friday!

I wanted to share a discount code with all of you for STICKYGRAM!

StickyGram's are magnets that you can create with your Instagram images. We have several of them and the quality is GREAT!

the discount code is mlstafford26123

the code is good until Friday, February 3rd, 2012

you will get $2.00 off

Have a great weekend!

Thursday Tidbits

2012-01-26T12:08:00.000-06:00

Thursday Tidbits

I haven't done a post like this before, but I just thought I would share a few thoughts.

~ thank you so much for the comments and emails from my last post I appreciate every word. I plan to try several of the ideas that were sent to me. One comment left was, "how did I feel after having the 3 hour test?" I felt fine, however I am exhausted and I thought it was just because I am always on the go with Grayson and don't get to rest at all until bed time. I think that has something to do with it, however I have seen my energy level increase slightly since changing my diet. I hope I answered your question. If you are interested in hearing from others check out the comments on the last post :)

~ who doesn't LOVE pinterest...

I DO!

Anyways, I was on pinterest yesterday afternoon and I pinned a site suggestion for iPad's. When I went to the link which is peanutblossom.com she shared a link to Let's Lasso the Moon and she shared this adorable Valentine's wallpaper for your iPhone or iPad. It is adorable and I thought I would share with all of you!

~ yesterday I also spent some time going through my blog list I read daily and deleting blogs that don't do updates anymore. It makes me sad. I remember reading some of the blogs I deleted when they were going through infertility than they received an amazing blessing of getting pregnant and after they had their baby or babies no more blog posts. I spent the afternoon thinking how are they doing and wondering how old their babies are etc....

I may not update my blog everyday, but I am glad I have stuck with blogging after having Grayson and REALLY hope to continue to blog after Crew. I miss some of those blogs...

I know that some times you have to give up things such as blogging or social media after having a baby because it can become too much, but this really is my record keeper of Grayson and allows me to look back on what we have done over the past 20 months. I have YET to do anything with Grayson's baby book that he got from his Auntie JJ, however I do have all of his photobooks printed and updated.

~ our updated list before Crew arrives:

(I crossed off the items we have completed)

1. Crew's Nursery Furniture Needs to arrive and be setup in his room.

~~2. Order Crew a chair like Grayson's for pictures - done and completed 01/15/2012~~

~~3. Get the carpets cleaned in Crew's Nursery~~

~~4. Crew's Bedding waiting for it to be completed and picked up~~
5. Crew's coming home outfit need to figure out what I want and purchase...decisions decisions!
6. Organize ALL closets in our house
My closet and drawers
~~Chad's closet and drawers~~
Grayson's closet and drawers
Crew's closet and drawers - need to also wash all clothes that are currently in the attic and organize by sizes
~~7. Find a toy chest for the playroom - the little toys are getting out of hand and they need a home after Grayson is done playing with them.~~
8. Finalize Health Insurance for the boys!
9. Register at the hospital before delivery day
10. Finalize plans for Grayson on delivery day
11. Finalize Maternity Leave for myself and all the details
12. Decide on what to wear and take to the hospital for myself
13. Take bounce seat, swing, and nap nanny out of the attic
14. Pack bags for myself, Grayson, and Crew. Chad will also have to pack his bag too for the hospital.
15. Organize cabinet in kitchen for the boys, clean bottles, and get breastfeeding things organized.
16. Register for baby shower
17. Setup Pack N Play in our room
~~18. Chad wants to paint our bedroom and bathroom before Crew comes, knowing him he will do it!~~
19. Decide on doing something special with Grayson before Crew comes... ideas?

Slowly we are getting things completed!

living with...

2012-01-25T15:54:00.001-06:00

Living with Gestational Diabetes has not been FUN, but I will do what I have to do to have a healthy pregnancy these last 7 weeks.

One thing that I have learned is chocolate cannot be my friend for the last 7 weeks of my pregnancy. It is sad and it makes me moody from time to time. I LOVE chocolate! I also had to give up my daily chocolate milk each morning. I still can have my Nutragrain Bars each morning, which my nutritionist thought might be too many carbs, but my sugar levels have been great after eating them. Trust me I have "tested" several things. Which my OB doctor said I would probably do.

The main problem I have is lunch time. I am the type of person that will typically have a grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich...something quick and easy. Since I work in a soul office I don't typically go out to eat for lunch. So at lunch I struggle a bit trying to figure out what to eat. Panera salads and half a chicken sandwich seems to be working. I tried to have a smoothie from Panera once and that didn't go well at all! Chad and I have gone on several lunch dates to help determine what I can and cannot eat. IT is helping as all of this is new to me.

As for dinner I have to try to stay away from pasta, pizza, rice, basically anything carb related. We did find pita wheat flat bread that I can have and we have made homemade pizza on these and my sugars were great. I also have had fajitas at home the only problem is that I can only have one tortilla shell, but I can eat all the meat I want. It has been a HUGE adjustment because after eating what I typically would eat if I didn't have restrictions I end up getting hungry before the two hours is up after each MAIN meal.

Plus if you don't know this about me I DO NOT LIKE veggies or eggs at all. Under the diet restrictions you can have the following all you want:

meat

vegetables

fats such as peanut butter, mayo, cream cheese, sour cream, whipping cream, avocados, olives, and oils

cheese

eggs

Nuts and Peanuts (which I cannot have)

All other food groups you can have a certain serving per each meal. I guess what I am trying to say is I like carbs, fruits, and chocolate BUT for now I have to limit or eliminate these things from my diet. I remember after learning the rules and restrictions on GD I went to the grocery store for the first time and to be HONEST with you I wanted to CRY I didn't know what to purchase or what to eat. I left that first shopping trip frustrated. I thought to myself how am I going to gain weight the remaining of this pregnancy eating a limited amount of food. Don't take this wrong there are a lot of options I am just a "picky" eater. So Chad made the trip for me and found several options for me to try in the first few weeks of this diet. Some have worked and some have not worked. I am still learning and by the time I get it all figured out Crew will be here!

I am not a fan about talking about food I actually HATE deciding where to eat or what to have for dinner each night. I eat to survive not the opposite of that makes sense.

I didn't write this post to complain I wrote this post to share my experience thus far. As well as, one to help others facing the same situation I am or two to get advice from all of you that have had Gestational Diabetes while being pregnant.

I am secretly hoping that the next 7 weeks will go by QUICKLY!

week 32 baby crew

2012-01-22T15:03:00.001-06:00

Happy Sunday

and

Happy 32 Weeks

We are happy and excited to have Crew join our family in 55 days

and I really think Grayson is going to LOVE having a playmate!

I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the day, but they do subside when I sit and rest!

My back and hips are starting to hurt again and if I am sitting on the floor playing with Grayson and I get up to walk I feel like I am waddling...HA!

It is all worth it!

Week 03 - frame a day

2012-01-21T15:27:00.000-06:00

Week 03 Frame a Day

I have decided to do the frame a day/366 project each week different that way our book this year has something different on each page!

3:52 new

2012-01-19T10:58:00.002-06:00

new

Is the challenge put forth by the one every seven photography challenge. The only rule was you could not use people or animals.

My photo for the week is our something new

thank you notes

for our new bundle of joy that will join our family in March 2012!

These lovely cards were created by my friend Sarah!

She is so talented and I love how they turned out!

Check out Sarah's blog here and if you are interested in working with her on cards, invites, etc just email her!

You won't be disappointed!

BIG THANKS SARAH!

a list to do before Crew

2012-01-17T19:16:00.000-06:00

So I am making a list of things that "we" would like to get completed before Crew arrives. I figure if I write it all done and mark them off as they are completed my mind won't be racing with a million thoughts of what needs to get completed in 8 weeks.

1. Crew's Nursery Furniture Needs to arrive and be setup in his room.

2. Order Crew a chair like Grayson's for pictures - done and completed 01/15/2012

3. Figure out what type of animal (sock monkey) I want to use for pictures with Crew each month

4. Get the carpets cleaned in Crew's Nursery

5. Crew's Bedding waiting for it to be completed and picked up

6. Crew's coming home outfit need to figure out what I want and purchase...decisions decisions!

7. Organize ALL closets in our house

My closet and drawers

Chad's closet and drawers

Grayson's closet and drawers

Crew's closet and drawers - need to also wash all clothes that are currently in the attic and organize by sizes

8. Find a toy chest for the playroom - the little toys are getting out of hand and they need a home after Grayson is done playing with them.

9. Finalize Health Insurance for the boys!

10. Register at the hospital before delivery day

11. Finalize plans for Grayson on delivery day

12. Finalize Maternity Leave for myself and all the details

13. Decide on what to wear and take to the hospital for myself

14. Take bounce seat, swing, and nap nanny out of the attic

15. Pack bags for myself, Grayson, and Crew. Chad will also have to pack his bag too for the hospital.

16. Organize cabinet in kitchen for the boys, clean bottles, and get breastfeeding things organized.

17. Register for baby shower

18. Setup Pack N Play in our room

19. Chad wants to paint our bedroom and bathroom before Crew comes, knowing him he will do it!

20. Decide on doing something special with Grayson before Crew comes... ideas?

I am sure there is more, but for now that is our long list of things to do...

Sorry for the boring post, but now I have it all written down and can cross off once complete!

week 31 baby crew

2012-01-16T13:37:00.000-06:00

Week 31 Pregnancy Update

I hope these templates are still easy to read...

Here are a few images of Grayson that Chad took after he took my weekly picture!

I love them because we were both saying, "Grayson can you say cheese?" You can tell in the first image that he is saying it, at least we can...

I also love the last image of him looking at the chalkboard... I wonder what he is thinking...

This weekend I would point to my belly and say baby Crew and he would lay on it or kiss it. I wonder if he really knows what is going on. We will see!

Chad HAS been REALLY busy this weekend working on Crew's Nursery! It is turning out perfect and I can't wait to share the details with all of you! It is adorable and nothing like Grayson's Nursery!

Thanks hubby for all that you have done in Crew's Nursery and for your particular eye to detail I appreciate it so much!

Love you!

Week 02 - Frame a Day

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

First I would like to share a little tip with all of you who are participating in the 366 project this year.

I used Mixbook for my frame a day book for 2011 and I saved all my images in one place by utilizing facebook, I do have them saved by each month on my hard drive. However I wanted to have one place to pull all the images over to a photobook and that is why I used facebook. I have since ordered my Mixbook photo book for 2011 and I have had SEVERAL issues in regards to getting it printed. It seems that my images that are in facebook and than transferred to the mixbook program are disappearing. Thus missing pictures that I thought were there. As a result I have to NOW start over basically...trust me I have tried everything and my sister Amie is looked at it for me, and we both have contacted Mixbook for support. Mixbook has been VERY supportive and they are not sure what is going on, but I wanted to give all you the heads up... don't transfer your images from facebook to Mixbook. I have created SEVERAL books through Mixbook and have not had ANY issues until now! I don't want you to have to go through the same pain I am going to have to go through to get my 2011 frame a day book. I hope this TIP helps!

Now onto Week 02 2012

can you please ignore the fact that I interchanged 366 and 365...

I noticed after I completed all the template files and didn't feel like going back and changing. Oh well!

this week's theme over at one every seven photography challenge by Lemongrass Photography is

CIRCLE

my plan for the week was to do all my images around a circle theme, but that didn't happen and it is okay.

I do have one simple image I captured of Grayson to describe circles his tunnel into his tent.

If you have any questions on anything in regards to the 366 project please let me know.

a friday

2012-01-14T14:45:00.000-06:00

a Friday spent with Grayson

Today I thought that I would do a post on a day spent with Grayson. I want to look back and remember the moments we had together just G and I!

Every morning our day starts with snuggle time in mommy's bed.

We watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for about 30 minutes at the most and Grayson is READY to go play!

While Grayson is playing I get breakfast ready for both of us. This morning waffle and bananas for Grayson and Mommy has water and oatmeal!

As Grayson eats I usually stand in the kitchen and eat my breakfast and check work emails and get a few reports completed.

After breakfast Grayson is off to his playroom to get a few toys that he ends up bringing into the kitchen to play with while I clean up the kitchen from breakfast and unload the dishwasher. Sometimes he helps with unloading the dishwasher, but today was a day of all play!

Once the kitchen is clean I change Grayson into his day clothes and we spend the morning playing. Today we colored!

Lunch time for Grayson

I am working on getting Grayson to sit at his big boy table for all meals and eat. He is doing great. I thought that he would get up and down a lot, but he doesn't. He makes a big mess, but I am also trying to teach him to keep it on his plate and when we are down we throw our food away in the trash! Only problem NOW he thinks EVERYTHING needs to go into the trash after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Spoons, plates, and cups...

Today for lunch his blanket and his paci's joined him...

Nap time for Grayson

he loves this book, I loved that I was able to capture a moment of him saying Shhh just like in the book...

a sweet smile to mommy before I left his room

During nap time today, I took a nice relaxing shower, got ready for the day, and worked. I have a GREAT napping boy that takes between 2-4 hour naps each day so a lot can get completed in that time.

Grayson is UP!

We have a snack together and play play play!!!

On this particular day I decide to give Grayson dinner early because we are having dinner with friends later in the evening and Grayson seems to eat better when we are at home..

again here we are trying to eat at the BIG boy table

some day he will get the hang of getting the food to his mouth instead of his chair... it is all in learning and growing

Right after dinner we ALWAYS have BATH TIME!

Our final moment together just G and I driving to the resturant to meet friends for dinner!

I love my special days with Grayson!

No News Doesn't Mean Good News

2012-01-11T20:39:00.001-06:00

So after not hearing back from the doctor last Friday or on Monday about my test results for my 3 hour glucose test I thought no news was good news.

Well I was wrong...

I didn't pass!

I was pretty upset about it all day yesterday. I haven't done anything differently from my pregnancy with Grayson and now my pregnancy with Crew. So I was so frustrated that I didn't pass, but after speaking with the Nutritionist today over the phone I feel a little bit better. I have my first meeting with Nutritionist on Friday AM to review foods to avoid and to kit my diabetic kit to monitor my sugar levels each day. I am sure there is more to it and I will get the full details on Friday. I just keep telling myself it is for only 10 more weeks or less.

This seems like the first bump in the road during this pregnancy so I will be thankful for a uneventful pregnancy thus far.

This has nothing to do with my pregnancy, but my sister posted a link on her facebook page earlier today and the blog post was amazing. So I thought I would share it with all of you!

Ignite Your Life

Maternity Video {Crew}

2012-01-09T14:18:00.000-06:00

My sweet sister Amie is always capturing sweet memories for us and she has done it again with a wonderful video of our time together capturing my pregnancy with Crew.

Thanks again Amie!

Please note that there is music and the song is

"I Get To Be The One" by JJ Heller

week 30 - baby Crew

2012-01-08T15:27:00.001-06:00

Week 30 Update

I welcome week 30 and the countdown begins 10 weeks or less. It is exciting, but we have a lot to do before Crew arrives.

It will be a busy last few months, but FUN!

I haven't heard back if I passed my 3 hour glucose test... I am hoping no news is GOOD news! Either way I am calling tomorrow to find out for sure!

Happiness Week 1 - Frame a Day Project

2012-01-07T13:26:00.000-06:00

Yes I am still doing the frame a day project thanks to the iPhone App Project 365. It is so easy!

I decided I would also "try" to do a recap at the end of the week with a storyboard so I can easily upload it to my frame a day photo book through Mixbook.

I am also doing a photo a week challenge through Lemongrass Photography that Amie sent me. It is a theme a week, this week the theme is "HAPPINESS"

Week 1:52

a picture a week that describes HAPPINESS to me besides all of the images above!

The image brings happiness to me because the pure love Grayson's Wubbanubs bring to him when he is sleeping. They comfort him when he is about to fall asleep, when he is sleeping, and when he wakes up. When Grayson is sad you give him his Wubbanub and it brings a smile to his face and he is happy again. My final thought on happiness of this image is the light reflecting from the sun that we have sunny days in the first week in January 2012.

Final Christmas Moments

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

I know I already did my Christmas Post several days ago, but my sister just sent me a few images she took and I want them on here for memories!

Thanks Amie!

a new year {2012}

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-06:00

A New Year 2012

Grayson doesn't seem happy about it, but we are happy to see 2012!

We have so many blessings coming to us in 2012

My main resolution for 2012 is:

TO SURVIVE!

I will have 2 babies under the age of 2, but I feel so blessed to be the one they call Mommy!

I also want to commitment myself to completing a daily devotional study this year. Spending more quiet time with God and his word is important to me. I feel that I can give up things such as watching TV, blogging, facebooking, and tweeting before bed to spend quiet time with GOD. I have spent the past 5 days doing this each night and it has been very rewarding.

We Welcome 2012 with open arms!

Week 28 and Week 29 baby Crew

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

With the holiday I got behind on my weekly posts on baby Crew!

but

we are back

Week 28

Since we were in Montana with my family I got the opportunity to get a few images taken of Crew and I by Amie. The session didn't go as planned, but with the cooler weather and a playground near by Grayson was not interested at all in taking pictures.

Can you blame him...

I have a few images I love and if you are interested in looking at them you can check out my sister's blog post by clicking here!

Thanks Amie for always being apart of these special moments and helping us great memories for our sons!

We love you!

Crew's 1st Plane Ride

Week 29

a few images with Grayson

Please pray that I pass my 3 hour Glucose Test tomorrow...

it is going to be a long morning!

iPhone Picture Apps and a Story

2012-01-04T14:02:00.000-06:00

Starting the new year and the frame a day project I have found several different FUN camera apps and more to help with my 365 day project for 2012.

I will need all the quick help I can get with baby Crew joining our family in 10 weeks. Since I know that ALL of you are busy just like me I thought I would share my findings.

These are apps for the iPhone not sure if you can get them on any other phones.

I love instagram and the quality of the pictures are great! In fact I recently purchased magnets through StickyGram. I can't wait to see how they look.

Some other fun camera apps I play with are:

Fisheye4Free

Vintage Cam

Camera!!

Camera+

Plus I am utilizing Project 365 APP for my pictures I take on my phone each day! You should check it out!

here is an example of what mine looks like right now:

I like that you can set a reminder to add a picture each day! This way you NEVER forget!

Feel free to leave a comment on some of your favorite photo apps I would love to try them out!

I also want to leave you with a story my sister Amie shared in her photography newsletter this month. It is a great read and I hope it will inspire us all to step back and take more pictures of our kids and of ourselves with our loved ones. I believe pictures are priceless!

The link I am sharing is to the actual photographers website that received the letter.

A Letter on my door step. Portraits are more than paper.

Christmas Vacation Candids

2012-01-03T14:09:00.000-06:00

I seem to always have my phone by my side and a lot of the pictures I took during our trip to Montana were on my iPhone. Lucky enough the iPhone has great apps and the new iPhone 4S has a great camera!

Here are some of our Christmas Vacation Memories in photos

Grayson and his "big boy undies"

take note they are over his diaper...

After Christmas Day Shopping

Drew was not feeling well at all and this is not normal to see this little guy sleeping...

snuggle time with Auntie A...

all the boy cousins...

Marley and Grayson having lunch together...

while G was sleeping I got to spend one on one time with Marley coloring...

Auntie JJ with all the kids...

Auntie Mae with Marley and Aidan...

one of my favorite images Prince Aidan and Princess Marley...

sweet Marley giving loves to Grayson...

side by side going for a ride...

Auntie Mae playing at the park with the kids...

thanks Meahgen!

the two youngest boys trying to play the Wii...

the TV blank stare...ha!

Wonderful memories captured!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T21:09:00.001-06:00

Our Christmas Eve started with a Christmas Eve Morning Brunch with our friends. It was a great way to start the day!

After brunch it was time for the kids to exchange gifts...

Grayson was spoiled and Crew got a wonderful gift too!

Thanks Fisher Family!

for the record the iPad is not a gift it was in my diaper bag for our trip and Kelsey and Grayson wanted to watch a movie after opening gifts!

After spending a few hours with our friends we headed back home to get ready for our trip to Montana. Grayson took a nap and Chad and I finished up packing and getting our house in order.

Around noon we left for the airport to begin our journey to Montana!

It was indeed a journey...

on our way to the airport and so happy!

and after waiting 2 hours to leave Northwest Arkansas we finally are on the plane to Denver

finally in Denver and look at the beautiful snow

before leaving Northwest Arkansas we knew that we would miss our connection and since we did in fact fly on Christmas Eve Day it was the LAST flight to Billings, Montana. So we spent Christmas Eve in a hotel in Denver, Colorado. We made the best of it and enjoyed our time together as a family in the hotel.

Grayson had a great time...

Here he is dancing to the Alvin and the Chipmunk Movie

With no luggage and no change of clothes for either Chad or I (I did manage to pack extra clothes for Grayson in his diaper bag) Chad walked in the snow to a local Walgreens that was open to get PJ's, toothbrushes, a hairbrush, milk for Grayson, and a few other things to get us through the night and the next morning!

Thanks Chad for saving the day...we love you!

We all went to BED EARLY as we had to get up at 4AM to head back to the airport for our flight to Montana. It will be a Christmas Eve night that we will remember for sure!

We finally arrived in Billings, Montana at 10AM and with some excited cousins greeting us and ready to OPEN CHRISTMAS gifts.

It was a busy house full of excited kids opening gifts...

here are just a few images of our Christmas Day

We are VERY blessed to SPEND Christmas with my family... this was a 1st in 5 plus years that all of my sisters were together to spend Christmas together in Montana! It will be a Christmas to remember ALWAYS!

Thank you to my family for all the wonderful memories!

In a few weeks we are heading to Chad's family to celebrate Christmas. We needed a few days at home as both Grayson and I came home from Montana with a horrible cough and Grayson has spent most of this past weekend sleeping and recovering from all the fun he had with his cousins!

19 Months Old {Grayson}

2012-01-01T15:03:00.000-06:00

Grayson at 19 Months Old

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all our blogging friends!

We hope you have a beautiful holiday with family and friends!

Our Christmas at Home

2011-12-23T22:46:00.001-06:00

Before leaving on a jet plane we had a special early Christmas with Grayson

The night before Chad spent a few hours getting all the toys ready and in front of the Christmas tree!

While he was doing that I premade sticky buns for our morning Christmas treat...they were yummy!

Of course the morning we would LOVE for Grayson to wake up early he sleeps in until 8AM. Chad went and got Grayson from his crib while I waited in the living room and I recorded a video of him walking into the living room and seeing all his Christmas gifts.

It was so neat to see the excitement in his eyes and it brought a smile to my face all day. Grayson had a great morning playing with all of his new toys. It was also great to see Grayson open the gifts on his own. He knows what he is doing... hopefully he will do great opening his gifts on Christmas morning at my Mom's house.

Here is the video it is around 3 minutes so don't feel like you have to watch it. It is more for the family to see his excitement!

and now for some photos to capture the excitement from the eyes of a child

Grayson's favorite toy

finally got off of the ride on toy to open presents

boy oh boy drums in our house...if you know Chad personally you will be shocked to find out that he purchased this drum set for Grayson all on his own. I had nothing to do with it!

playing with his new farm set

1st breakfast at his new table and chairs

family moments in front of our Christmas tree. All in PJ's enjoying this sweet Christmas moment together!

art project

2011-12-21T20:28:00.003-06:00

Well I wanted to recreate our Christmas Tree foot prints for cards for Grayson's teachers, but doing this project on my own turned out to be VERY unsuccessful. So instead I just let Grayson play with the paint.

I am so excited tomorrow is my final day of work until 2012...

week 27 baby crew

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

Last Week we did have our 3D/4D ultrasound and Crew didn't want to play so we didn't get too many great images... so we will get to go back in January 2012. This is exciting for me because we get to see his sweet face one more time before delivery day!

here is one ultrasound image

now for my week 27 update

a visit with Santa

2011-12-19T13:27:00.002-06:00

Grayson's Visit with Santa

this pictures says it all...

no tears at all...

Since we watch POLAR EXPRESS all the time at our house we have been telling and showing Grayson who Santa Clause is so I don't know if he was shocked in this picture that it was Santa that was holding him or if he was just looking at all of Santa's hair...

it was a priceless picture!

Here is the picture of Grayson sitting on Santa's lap!

I wonder what next year will bring with two boys...

Dedication Day

2011-12-18T14:57:00.001-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving Weekend we had Parent Dedication Day at Cross Church. We finally were in town for this special day and we were able to participate in the dedication of our son Grayson.

The message on this day was:

You Will Love the Lord with ALL of your HEART, with ALL of your SOUL, and with ALL of your MIGHT! Deuteronomy 6:5

It is the perfect frame work for us as Grayson's parents to teach and foster into Grayson's life.

I will have to add for memory sake that Grayson did cry and was wanting down out of Chad's arms the entire time. Oh well things can't always be perfect...

Here is our professional picture from the event!

Christmas Program 2011

2011-12-17T20:37:00.002-06:00

Christmas Program 2011

Grayson's school...

Grayson helping daddy open our gift...

I love how excited he is in the pictures!

Grayson sort of participating during the Christmas Program. He was more interested in hanging with mommy and daddy then singing and dancing. At one point he ran up to his teacher Miss Tammy and sat on her lap. He loves Miss Tammy!

Thanks Daddy for coming!

and one final picture captured...

creating CHRISTMAS traditions

2011-12-17T14:25:00.000-06:00

Last Weekend Chad, Grayson, and I did a Pinterest inspired Christmas Project. It was fun and a wonderful memory. I am hoping to do this each year with Grayson and with Crew too!

Creating family traditions this time of year is so fun!

We have created a few traditions this year:

Elf on the Shelf

Painting Projects for gifts

a book a day to unwrap until Christmas

365 Day Project Mixbook

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

First I will start this post with sharing that Mixbook did not ask me to write this post. I am doing this post because I was having a conversation with a few girls on twitter about the 365 Day Project that I did this year and I shared with them that I use Mixbook. With several questions later it was decided that I should do a post on this topic. So here you go!

Here is a peek at my book for your review...

it is MANY PAGES so don't feel as if you have to look at every page you will get the idea after a few pages. A little side note I love looking at how much Grayson has changed through the months. This book is my FAVORITE and I am so glad that I took the time to take a picture everyday.

I use the blank canvas template photo book. I like this template because I like the images to be the highlight of the pages.

You might ask so I will tell you... I update this book at least once a week so it is up to date and not overwhelming at the end of the year...just a little Melissa tip for you!

As for taking a picture everyday

this is what worked for me:

~ I used my iPhone to take pictures

~ I used the APP on my iPhone instagram to take pictures

~ I also used my camera

~ I found ONE location to keep all of the images. This year I used Facebook and created two different albums to house these images. I liked using Facebook because I could directly upload the images directly to Mixbook. It also allowed for family and close friends to see images of Grayson every day!

A few changes I plan to make for next year as you can see my book is 93 pages and I still have a few days left to add before I order this book in January 2012. With that many pages I think it is going to be expensive. It will be well worth the money...

Also if you follow GROUPON they sometimes have GREAT deals on Mixbook. So watch for those deals too!

So next year I plan to do one page for the entire week, so that in the end I only have 52 pages. I also plan to better document on each picture what took place on that particular day. My sister Amie did this project for her boys and I LOVED how she took the time to write a quick phrase or sentence about what her boys were doing on that day. Finally I will only have one book and coming in March when Crew joins our family I will just include him in this project.

I hope this post encourages you to do the 365 day project. If you have any specific questions please let me know. I am happy to help!

Week 26 baby crew

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

Week 26 Update

I did the recap a few days ago and was hoping to post before our 3D/4D Ultrasound, but I didn't have time. Anyways back to the update. For this pregnancy I am having a lot of hip pains that make my right leg numb. I really think Crew is sitting on a nerve and after seeing him during my ultrasound his entire body is on the right side of my stomach. His head is down and in the corner by my right hip. So for now I just try to relax when I can, use a heating pad, and take warm baths.

You can see Grayson in the corner of the image that is the best we could do on this particular day he was sad and wanted to go and get in the car and go bye-bye.

See you tomorrow with the Mixbook Photo Book Post!

18 Month Well Visit

2011-12-14T21:11:00.001-06:00

Today was a busy day for the Stafford Family. It started with Grayson having his 18 month well visit! For the first time I felt that we are finally going to a well visit and Grayson didn't have a cough or a runny nose. He seems so happy and healthy! Little did I know...

Grayson's ear tubes are GONE :( I am so sad!

I was really hoping to make it another season with tubes. On top of that Grayson has an ear infection. NO FUN! We are on antibiotics and ear drops. I hope it is clear before we get on a plane next week.

Our wait in the doctor's office was longer than normal and Grayson was into EVERYTHING...

I tried hard to keep him busy and out of things, but boy was he curious of everything.

Growing Grayson Updates:

Weight - 22 pounds 14 ounces (10.63% growth percentile)

Height - 31" (10.20% growth percentile)

Head - 47.5 cm (37.52% growth percentile)

Before leaving Grayson got two shots and was so interested in the band-aids he kept trying to pull down his pants. Once we took the band-aids off during bath time tonight Grayson played with them in the bath tub and he also had to hold them in his hands the rest of the night...silly boy!

During lunch hour Chad and I met at my doctor's office to have a 3D/4D ultrasound to see baby Crew.

He didn't play well at all and had his hands over his face the entire time. We got a few good images and confirmed that he is still a boy!

We get to go back after Christmas and see Crew again and hopefully we will get some good images. I am just happy to see his sweet face again before March 2012.

I took the below image with my phone...

Sorry again as always for my lack of blogging...

Tomorrow I will have my Week 26 Post Up and on Friday I am going to do a Post on my 365 Day Project Mixbook Photo Book. I plan to share my book, share tips, and my ideas for 2012.

week 24 and 25 baby crew

2011-12-07T20:30:00.001-06:00

Work has kept me extremely busy...

so yes I am so behind on blogging, but we didn't forgot to take pictures!

Here is my Week 24 and Week 25 Pregnancy Post Update

fun image both of us caught of guard...ha!

this is the best image we could get of Grayson the moment we took my week 25 picture...

he was upset because we told him that we were leaving, but we didn't leave at the exact moment and he was MAD!

This pregnancy has gone by so quickly and I am looking forward to March 2012 when we meet our little guy!

a few more baby items FOR SALE

2011-12-03T09:42:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's monogram swap was successful...

Just waiting to hear back from a few girls and most of the items are sold!

So I thought that I would post a few more things

This diaper bag has NEVER been used!

I got it to use for Grayson and than Chad bought me another one that I ended up using all the time.

It is a Kaleidoscope Diaper Bag

I paid - $80.00

asking $60.00 + shipping for it it has NEVER been used and has all it's accessories as well.

If you are interested in this diaper bag please email me at mlstafford26@yahoo.com

BIG BROTHER SHIRTS

these two shirts came from ETSY called PiddleDesigns

they RUN small I purchased size 12 month and I wish I would have gotten size 18 months

THEY are in excellent condition

price for each = $8.00 plus $3.00 for shipping

here is a better picture of Grayson in the big brother shirt

GRAYSON pillow

excellent condition as well

back side of pillow is a solid orange minky fabric

I paid - $35.00

asking price - $15.00 + $3.00 for shipping

If you are interested in any of the above items please contact me through email at mlstafford26@yahoo.com

Grayson Monogram Clothing Sale

2011-12-02T08:03:00.000-06:00

I am linking up to Kelly's Blog and think the monogram swap is a WONDERFUL idea!

Grayson has a lot of MONOGRAM items that are hard to see go, but since I can't keep everything it will be nice to see them go to a sweet boy named Grayson.

I took the images of each item last night and most of them were folded in a tote and in storage. I will also tell you that I did not dry any of his monogram clothing. I just washed them on delicate and hung them to air dry.

SHIPPING IN THE US ONLY

SHIPPING CHARGE WILL BE an ADDITIONAL $3.00

On onto the sale!

1. {GSK} 0-3 Month Gown with matching hat

price - $15.00

sorry the image is facing the wrong way...

2. 3-6 Month Gown

{GSK Monogram}

price - $10.00

3. 3-6 Month Gown

Grayson down the side

price - $15.00

4. Grayson 0-3 Month Onesie with G initial on the bottom of the onesie

price - $12.00/each

5. Grayson 0-3 Month Onesie with G initial on the bottom of the onesie

price - $12.00/each

6. same details as above

7. same details as above

8. same as above

9. {GSK} 3-6 Month Suspender Onesie

price = $6.00

10. Grayson 3-6 Month Onesie with G initial on the bottom of the onesie

price = $12.00

11. 0-3 Month Onesie

Price - $10.00

12. 0-3 Months runs small

single G initial on onesie

price - $5.00

13. 6 Months Halloween Grayson Onesie

price = $6.00/each

14. same as above

SOLD!!! 15. Holiday 6-12 Months Onesie

price - $12.00

SOLD!!! 16. Holiday 6 Months Onesie

price $6.00

17. Grayson PJ's size 6 months front of PJ's are plain Green and button up the bottom has the monogram on it

price - $6.00

Most of Grayson's clothes were only worn once or twice. If you are interested in any of the above items I ask that you email me at

mlstafford26@yahoo.com

please tell me which item you want by telling me the number beside each item that way I can clearly identify which item you want and can immediately go back to this POST and mark SOLD as soon as I get your email. I also ask that you give me your mailing address and if you can pay via paypal that would be great! Payment details we can work out through email as well. I hope that all the details that I have provided are clear. If you have any questions please send me an email.

Thanks and happy shopping!

If this is successful I have a few more items, but since this is my first blog sale I didn't want it to be so overwhelming.

Happy Friday!

Riffraff WINNER

2011-11-25T10:24:00.001-06:00

Happy Black Friday and happy shopping to all!

The winner of the RIFFRAFF GIVEAWAY is

Congrats to Jessica from jakesmommie.blogspot.com

I know you are going to be so excited that you won!

Please email me by Monday so I can get all your info so I can send it to the RIFFRAFF girls and they will mail you your beautiful necklace!

Thanks to all that participated!

Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-23T20:37:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

We are spending the day with friends and enjoying a few extra days with Grayson at home!

week 23 baby crew!

2011-11-22T14:24:00.001-06:00

17 WEEKS to go!

This pregnancy is going by quick!

BUT

I am okay with that I can't wait to meet our little man...

don't forget about the RIFFRAFF giveaway!

Check out the complete details here!

Please leave your comment on the giveaway post only NOT on this post!

Thanks!

Riffraff LOVE

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't LOVE Riffraff...

it is an adorable boutique in Fayetteville, Arkansas and many of my local friends love shopping here. They have everything from clothing, jewelry, frames, small pieces of vintage style furniture, great gift ideas, and much much more!

It is one of those shops where you can spend so much time browsing around looking at everything. Plus it is so neatly designed and the decor is amazing! It is a real MUST SEE if you live in the area.

but

if you don't it is okay too!

The store has an amazing Facebook Page {Riffraff} that they are always updating with images of product in their store. Go check it out today and like their facebook page!

I would also like to mention that they have several AMAZING holiday clothing items that you have to check out...

here is a direct link to the photos!

If you like something that you see let the girls know by leaving a comment on the image or contacting the store. The girls at Riffraff will be happy to ship the item to you.

{note that all store info is on the first image of this post}

Now onto the giveaway...

if you have followed my blog for awhile you know how much I love big necklaces. In fact I always get asked where did I get my necklace. Many of my necklace purchases have in fact come from Riffraff! So the perfect item for me to giveaway is a beautiful necklace for you to wear this holiday season.

All you need to do is go to Riffraff Facebook page and like their page and come back and leave me a comment stating that you liked Riffraff's Facebook Page and you are entered to win this beautiful necklace!

If you are on Twitter and you follow Riffraff too you get a double entry...just remember to leave another comment stating you are now following Riffraff on Twitter!

Contest will run from Monday November 21st, 2011 - November 24th, 2011. I will pick and announce the winner on BLACK FRIDAY November 25th, 2011

Good Luck and Happy Shopping!

18 Months

2011-11-20T19:57:00.001-06:00

DON'T FORGET TO STOP BY MONDAY MORNING FOR MY

GIVEAWAY POST!

Happy 18 Months Grayson

a little something i love...

2011-11-20T14:49:00.001-06:00

a giveaway

from

local

boutique

Northwest Arkansas

will

you come back

tomorrow {Monday, November 21st, 2011}

to check it out...

you won't want to miss it!

inspiration

2011-11-18T07:55:00.001-06:00

each friday I plan to post my inspiring images I took during the week of Grayson

I am doing this project for 60 days and I am so excited to see what images I capture of Grayson

the images speak and tell the story

day 01-03

happy friday!

week 22 - baby crew

2011-11-17T14:43:00.001-06:00

Happy 22 Week Pregnancy to me and to my sweet baby Crew!

I am so looking forward to March I just want it to get here!

Here is my week 22 plus 5 day update

Documenting Details

2011-11-09T20:05:00.001-06:00

I do get asked a lot how and what programs do I use to edit or make storyboards so I thought that I would share with all!

The storyboards I create I use Adobe Photoshop. It takes some time to get use to making them, but now it is easy! I love them because I make photo books for Grayson as well and I can just transfer those storyboards to the book with all the details I write too! Love it!

You can get templates from this site
CoffeShop Blog

I use both Shutterfly and Mixbook to create our photo books. I like how simply Mixbook is and I feel that I can finish a book through that program quickly.
I am currently working on Grayson's 7-9 month photo book. I am extremely behind, but I am focused to get this all complete before the end of this year!

Anyways I love that I have taken the time to take pictures of Grayson over the past 17 months as well as during my pregnancy and now this pregnancy. It is great to look back at the photo books and see how much Grayson has changed. The book I love the most right now is my frame a day or 365 day project book. It is about 85 pages at the moment but I love how it is turning out!
I look forward to seeing it in print!

week 21 baby crew

2011-11-08T10:40:00.003-06:00

oh my Week 21 with baby Crew!

I also wanted to share this beautiful video my talented sister created for us. I love it and so glad I have these memories documented forever!

just another monday

2011-11-07T10:30:00.001-06:00

UPDATE:
AS OF 1:30PM I HAVE ALL THE MOM'S I NEED FOR THE KID BOOK SWAP~

Happy Monday Friends!

This will be more of a random bullet point post...

~ if you follow me on twitter I posted this image last week

I got a lot of questions on where did I get them etc so I thought that I would share it here too. I got them made at Paper Coterie. They are called Memory Keepers and I have already filled both of the ones pictured above. I also ordered another one last night with wedding pictures on it, that way I can place DVD's, picture CD's, and pictures in them to cherish forever in one spot. I found a coupon online that is VALID until November 13th, 2011. Click here for the details and also go to Paper Coterie to check out the memory keepers. I think that they are great quality and will last years to come.

TIP: if you do separate transactions you can use the code more than once!

I was not asked to promote this site or the product I just wanted to share a product that I have seen first hand and love. They would make great Christmas gifts or Baby gifts too!

~ One day last week I made Chicken and Dumplings in our crock pot and this meal was SO easy and yummy!

Rachel posted it on her blog a few weeks ago and so I thought that I would give it a try. She found the recipe via Pinterest. I am linking you to her post so you can see the recipe and try it out! I added the wide egg noodles and it was so good!

She has a recipe for Sticky Buns that I want to try too!

Thanks Rachel for posting this recipe!

~ This weekend we were very productive with Crew's nursery. We ordered the crib and chest for his room and found a distressed baby blue dresser for his room. I can't wait to get started in his room.

~ I can't end this post without including a few images of Grayson.

first image

Grayson can NOW get on the toilet all by himself. I found him on top of the seat on Friday afternoon. I asked him how he got up there and he showed me. I was shocked that he could get up there all by himself.

second image

Grayson and his new bike from daddy!

~ final thoughts I am doing a KID book swap online and I need 5 mommy's to participate. If you are interested please email me your child's name and your mailing address and I will email you back with the complete details. I am doing it online as I am guaranteed that I will complete it ASAP. So who wants to join...first 5 to email{mlstafford26@yahoo.com}are in!

a fun October 2011

2011-11-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

warning lots of pictures...

I know it is November, but we did have a FUN October and I wanted to make sure that I recap all the fun things we did.

Plus I am going to work on printing my blog posts into a book by the end of this year!

{a big project I am thinking, but I am determined to get it completed by the end of the year}

We went to the pumpkin patch with our good friends the fisher family!

I love this pumpkin patch they have so much for the kids to do and I look forward to taking Grayson and Crew their every year going forward.

at the pumpkin house

sliding down the slide with daddy

favorite thing was the tractor

going for a cow train ride with Kendall

wants to ride the tractor again...

playing with water = fun times as always

playing in the corn sandbox

family photo, this is the best out of all of them. Grayson and I are a bit blurry so that is why it is in black and white

hayride Grayson loved

playing in the hay bales

Next Grayson's cousins came a week later and Grayson had a fun 3 day weekend with them all leading up to Halloween Day!

We painted pumpkins and as you will see by the pictures everyone had a great time!

We all cleaned up and got ready for a evening of fun at Grayson's school fall party

The next day we went back to the same pumpkin patch to share all the fun with Grayson's cousins.

The final full day with my sister's family we went to the Fisher Annual Halloween Party and it was a great time for all!

Amie and Grayson...adorable picture

such a fun little guy! It was so hard to get him to take a picture with his brother Aidan and Grayson.

Amie and her boys!

Love this picture, Drew is a momma's boy 100%!

Family Photo

At the Halloween Party we did a small reveal party.

It was great to share news with all our friends!

And for the final day of October we took Grayson trick or treating around our neighborhood and I think he understood the concept of knocking on the door and getting candy after the first door. Here are a few pictures of our evening together. He also loved handing out candy to all the kids that came to the door.

Sorry again for the long post just trying to catch up...now onto November!

Week 20 baby crew

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard the news we are having a baby boy which we revealed here and his name is going to be Crew Winton which we revealed here...

Now that you are caught up here is my Week 20 update...

Happy Wednesday!

our second baby boy...

2011-11-02T20:22:00.001-05:00

Before Chad and I knew we were having a boy we had names picked out for both a boy and a girl, but when we found out that it was a boy we explored other names. After about a week of discussing names we finally agreed on a name and it is...

we are so excited for March to arrive!

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:26:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween from our little fish!

We had a FUN filled Halloween Weekend! I am hoping to post more pictures soon of all the fun!

it is....

2011-10-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

Happy 17 Months

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Once again behind...

however I am trying to catch up :)

Anyways these storyboards do take a bit of time, but I do love how they turn out. They may be a bit detailed, but it is more for his photo books and memories.

Happy 17 Months Sweet Grayson

Dancing and Playing Grayson style...

2011-10-26T20:29:00.002-05:00

Our boy is full of character these days...

this is one of my favorite things to do with Grayson sing and dance... I am not a great singer at all and I can't always remember the exact words to the songs, but Grayson loves it and that is all that matters!

Week 19 baby no 2

2011-10-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

It really has been FOREVER since I blogged, but we had a few things happen in our house that kept me away!

1. Grayson got a double ear infection

2. I ended up getting the flu

3. I was on my own with Grayson and just trying to survive most days with not feeling well etc!

I was able to get some pictures this weekend so I could do a quick Week 19 Update. I thought about skipping this week because I am not feeling all that great, but I didn't want to miss a week so here it is...

Now that you have completely read my weekly pregnancy update you are probably going to ask when are you sharing the news with everyone...

I will tell you by next week everyone will know!

Also I have worked on emailing blog comments back tonight so I hope I got back to everyone if not please let me know!

Happy Wednesday!

week 18 baby no 2

2011-10-15T20:36:00.002-05:00

happy Saturday eve!

Just spending the evening catching up on our many recordings on the DVR. Fun times! Really it is because it is relaxing.

Week 18 already...

no picture this week with Grayson he was napping when we took these pictures.

Chad took us to the pumpkin patch so we could complete our front porch fall decor. Here are a few pictures of Grayson today at the pumpkin patch.

finished product... what do you think?

the everyday

2011-10-13T21:20:00.004-05:00

A few months back I did a series on working moms and I loved reading the ins and outs of each guest post. Today I was in the routine of life and thinking WOW I do the same thing each day with Grayson for breakfast and dinner. Usually during the day hours Grayson is at school and has lunch there, but it is so funny to me how each morning and night we do the same thing.

I am sure a lot of you know what I mean...

I can tell you that each morning this is what we do:

I get up for the day usually between 6:30 or 7AM and work until Grayson gets up for the day. Sometimes he is up at 7AM or other days he doesn't get up until 9AM. But when he wakes up I go and get him from his crib we gather up his blanket and pacis. We go to the couch and snuggle while watching cartoons and having milk in a sippy cup. This usually lasts any where from 10-30 minutes. I shock in every moment of the snuggles because I know some day he won't want to snuggle with his mommy. After morning snuggles Grayson is off to go and play in his playroom. I get breakfast ready for Grayson, he eats breakfast, while Grayson is eating breakfast I am busy unloading the dishwasher and getting Grayson's clothes ready for the day. I also pick up the play room and get my workout clothes on. After Grayson eats I end up cleaning the kitchen from breakfast and Grayson runs off and plays. Next I get him dressed and we move into my bedroom where I either get ready myself or I make our bed. After all of this we are out the door and heading to school. We drive the same route, we see the same buildings, and we watch the same movie in the car each morning. It is this daily morning routine that gets us both going in the morning. Grayson now knows when we are leaving and goes to the door and waves bye. This little guy of mine is growing before my eyes. I try to embrace it with a smile and continue to show him and teach him about the world around him.

Our evening routine is similar. We come home following the same route as the morning, we watch for the school buses, and the big kids walking home from school. Grayson enjoys a sippy cup of milk and we listen to Praise Baby music on the way home. We arrive at home and Grayson quickly runs to our room to see Bella. Once the excitement of seeing Bella is over Grayson moves onto his playroom and begins playing. Shortly after arriving home Grayson wants a snack. I give him a small snack and he is off eating and feeding Bella at the same time. I put things away from the day or do laundry. After that I am preparing dinner for Grayson. Dinner is prepared Grayson eats and I am off getting his bath ready and PJ's, diaper, and his evening milk ready...all before Grayson finishes eating. After Grayson is done he quickly runs to the bathroom because he knows that it is bath time. We complete bath time and getting ready for bed. Grayson is off again to play and I quickly clean up the bathroom and kitchen. Some nights I than prepare dinner for Chad and I and other nights I wait to eat after Grayson has gone to bed. The rest of the evening is spent playing and reading books with Grayson. Again embracing each moment with Grayson playing, reading, working on puzzles, or building with his blocks. Learning is all around him and seeing the sparkle in his eyes is priceless. Those are the moments I can't get back.

I write all of this to share that yes it seems as if I do have a routine that seems some what strict or you may think WOW she is a busy girl, but I look at it this way...If I do all of those things when Grayson is doing independent things I can have those moments with him playing etc. Because every chance I get I am on the floor playing with him. I also share this to document my thoughts and share the season of life we are in so I can look back on this day 5 or 10 years from now. HA!

I hope I didn't bore you too much! Maybe my routine and odd things I do during breakfast and dinner time can give you some ideas on what you can do too. Does that make sense? Or you can just call me crazy busy girl!!!

I added the bath pictures because a post without pictures is no fun!

Week 17 baby no 2

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I am already at 17 weeks pregnant with baby no 2!

I am thankful for feeling much better and I am not as tired, but I am still going to bed earlier. I need all the sleep I can get because no naps happen in this house during the day. Grayson naps, but I usually am running around catching up on things to rest. I really am not a napper so going to bed early works best for me.

Now onto the highlights for Week 17...

as you can tell by the photos this week Grayson was not into taking a picture with me he just wanted to have the sign and if I gave it to him he would run off. This is the best we could get. It is in the moment and I am fine with not always having the perfect picture.

Have a great day!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2011-10-11T12:27:00.002-05:00

On Saturday Grayson and I joined some friends at a local pumpkin patch. Chad was BUSY showing houses...but we missed him so much. Grayson tried new things and it was fun to see him with all the new things around him!

a first look at the animals

a first touch so brave...

a first pony ride...

this child of mine seems not afraid of anything.

Grayson's favorite thing at the pumpkin patch was the tractor.

and he finally got to ride the tractor!

going on a hunt for the perfect pumpkin...

in case you ask Grayson's shirt is from SheShe Made

this past week

2011-10-07T15:36:00.003-05:00

this past week Chad and I spent Monday - Thursday evening in Dallas. We both were away for work. I attended the Dallas Toy Fair Preview and Chad worked in the Dallas Market traveling stores etc.

Anyways we decided to take this trip together to get away and spend time just the two of us. I ended up having a headache from the day we got there until we got back in Arkansas. I think that there was something in the air that was giving me a headache. It was not fun! But as soon as we got back to Arkansas I was headache free.

While we were away we had our friends Mary and Greg stay at our house and care for Grayson. He was so loved and had the best time. Grayson was under the weather a few days awhile we were gone. He started the week with pink eye and ended up having a fever off and on all week. I think he was teething. All and all he was happy and played and wore out Mary and Greg.

We love that we have these special friends to come to our house to take care of Grayson when needed. They love Grayson like he is their grand baby. Thank you for loving our sweet boy this week.

Mary did a great job of taking pictures for me each day so I can keep up with my 365 day project. Here are many fun pictures that she captured.

I love the below picture I have always wanted a picture of Grayson in his monkey blanket...

Grayson loves hats...

Newest thing Grayson does each morning is carry all his paci's and his blanket around...

playing in his tent with Greg's hat...

New toy in the playroom is a slide from Grayson friend's Kendall and Kelsey... he loves it!

Homemade Spaghetti... he loves it!

after spaghetti bath time fun in the sink!

The best news is that Grayson no longer is drinking from a bottle. Mary was able to get him to drink milk from a sippy cup all week and he hasn't wanted the bottle at all. This is a big blessing. I was afraid to do it myself because I kept thinking that he would not drink milk anymore and I wanted him to keep drinking it. Not an issue any longer. As of October 3rd, 2011 Grayson no longer has milk in his bottle.

Have a happy weekend!

Week 16 baby no 2

2011-10-02T08:40:00.001-05:00

Week 16

it seems as if this pregnancy is going by quickly. Maybe because I am just busy keeping up with everything and it is not on my mind as often as it was with baby no 1...grayson! Plus I have been feeling SO MUCH better!

In case you ask my top is a sweater that I got from Target... it will be great with a long sleeve shirt in the colder months with my growing belly too!

Also in my last weekly post my boots are from last season and I got them at nine west!

Grayson's Clothes Where do we Shop...

2011-10-01T13:53:00.002-05:00

I get asked a lot where do I purchase Grayson's clothes?

So a day late I decided that I would link up to Kelly's post from Friday and share a few places.

Since Grayson goes to daycare every day during the week I put him in clothes that I am okay with him getting food, paint, etc on them. Most of these clothes are from Children's Place. Every day he will wear sweatpants and a shirt with his Converse Shoes. You can really find CUTE shirts that don't have silly animals on them etc at children's place. Does that make sense? Plus the prices at Children's Place are GREAT.

shirt from Children's Place

For weekend wear and Sunday mornings at church Grayson usually wears his nicer clothes that usually come from:

Baby Gap

SheShe Made

H&M (Chad just was in Dallas and brought back some really cute clothes from this store)

He also wears polo shirts and khaki pants that we usually purchase from TJ Maxx.

I also like CrewCuts for Grayson, his Auntie JJ spoils him with clothes from here.

For shoes I usually put him in his TOMS.

above shirt is from Gap, shorts from Old Navy, and gray TOMS

Another question I get asked a lot is where do I get Grayson's PJ's?

I love pj's from Baby Gap and Children's Place those two are my favorite, but we also get some at Old Navy!

I like Baby Gap and Children's Place because they have footed pj's for Grayson's age.

above PJ's are from BabyGap

Have a great Saturday!

Week 15 Baby No 2

2011-09-28T21:53:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday Evening Everyone!

Half way through the week and I am so glad!

Today I stayed home with Grayson he is so sad and is trying to cut another molar. Lots of tears and snuggles took place throughout the day, but Grayson did get some much needed rest today. I can see the tip so I am hoping in the next day or so he will be back to his normal self.

Now onto baby number 2 news...

I also wanted to show you my Erin Condren Planner that I have had for some time, but when I got it I could not reveal it because it has a sweet picture of Grayson and I on the cover.

I love it!

Just because you asked the fonts I have been using on my storyboards are from Kevin and Amanda Fonts click here to go to the site!

Good Night!

Park Fun

2011-09-27T21:39:00.001-05:00

Grayson and I have made several trips to the park this past summer, but it was SO HOT and now that it is cooler we have tried going again. Grayson is so funny when he first gets to the park he will "kid watch" for about 10 minutes or so before he moves around the playground and plays. I guess he has to survey the scene before proceeding...

Usually I end up having to walk him through the play sets and down the slides or we just end of swinging. But this time it was a different story...

Grayson played on his own and he had the BEST time! It was so fun to see him explore something new and learn that he can do it all on his own.

Grayson is growing up so fast...

Here are a few park pictures

This picture is from today...

and a fun video of Grayson going down the slide and learning how it all works...

16 Months

2011-09-24T20:31:00.001-05:00

One of these months I will have this post completed on the day or the day after, I am a week late doing this post.

Once again I am changing these posts to a structured format and also doing storyboards because with baby #2 and doing photo books for two kids writing the details out twice is not going to work. I hope that they are not difficult to read.

Happy 16 Month + 7 day Birthday to our sweet boy Grayson. Your daddy and I LOVE the stage you are in right now. I have loved every stage, but it is fun to see your personality shine.

I forgot to add in the milestones/first section (the above storyboard) that you also had your 1st haircut at 16 months and you were so great and both mommy and daddy were and are so proud of you!

I can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

1st haircut

2011-09-22T15:47:00.000-05:00

We finally decided it was time to get Grayson his 1st haircut. It was getting thick in the back, he was growing a small tail that was starting to curl, and his Mohawk wasn't standing up well on it's own. So today was the day!

We decided that getting Grayson's haircut at the salon that Chad goes to will be their daddy and son bonding time. I of course joined today because I could not miss this moment of Grayson getting his 1st haircut!

Grayson did AMAZING! He sat all by himself and had a sucker in one hand and a comb in another hand.

A special THANK YOU to TAYLOR for taking the time with us to capture this moment. I hope you will be able to cut Grayson's hair for MANY years to come.

Week 14

2011-09-19T09:37:00.000-05:00

2nd Trimester we welcome you!

I hope for less sickness throughout the day and getting just a few ounces of energy back...

Week 14

I do have a busy week of Walmart Meetings this week, but hopefully I can get a chance to do a quick recap on my appointment tomorrow. I am looking forward to hearing that sweet sound of the heartbeat!!!

Week 11-13 Baby No 2

2011-09-16T12:45:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that I plan on doing storyboards for the weekly updates. This way it will be easier for me to add to photo books later. This is me trying to simplify things in my life.

Biggest Pregnancy Difference between Grayson and Baby no 2 is I have had morning sickness that lasts all day and the CRAZY dreams...

I did get a few questions about storyboards:
below you will see the storyboards I created in Adobe Photoshop. It is just a picture on one side or both and text too. This way I can put them in photo books with the text attached rather than rewriting the text again in the photo book. I hope that answer your question in regards to storyboards!

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

As you can see this time around we are taking pictures with a chalkboard. I love this idea and Grayson can participate too. I am hoping that in some of the pictures he will actually hold the sign for me, but when I give it to him he runs off. I love that he is in the pictures it will be neat to see how much he changes too!

Thanks for following our journey with baby no 2!

Details - YES I am PREGNANT!

2011-09-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has taken me some time to get the detail post up! I am flying soul this week with Grayson and need all the rest I can get. So bedtime is early! Plus I have been working on building storyboards for this pregnancy. I want it to be easier for me to add to photo books later and have all the details.

First THANK you for all your sweet comments on our BIG news! I also appreciate all the tweets and facebook messages too!

I will say that this pregnancy was a complete SURPRISE! We are so happy and taking it all in...

I had a few questions from my last post and I am hoping that I address all of them if not please leave me a comment.

First: the song on the video is:

A Mother's Song

So how did I tell Chad our Big Pregnancy News:

When we got pregnant with Grayson I took a picture of the pregnancy test with my iPhone and shared the news with Chad. So since he had no idea that I was testing or thought I was pregnant I decided to do the same thing. Grayson and Chad were playing in the backyard on Saturday July 16th, 2011 and I went out and said, "Look at this picture I took." Chad's reaction was interesting... he said, "WHY do you have Tiffany's pregnancy test on your phone?" Of course I said it isn't Tiffany's it is MINE! Chad was completely shocked and requested I take another test the next morning to double...triple confirm! As you can tell by Chad's reaction this pregnancy news was a COMPLETE SHOCK to HIM and ME too! We are completely AMAZED with this wonderful BLESSING and thank GOD for this pregnancy!

I had my first doctor's appointment to confirm our pregnancy on July 19th, 2011. All went great they confirmed my pregnancy and we found out that I was 6 weeks at that time and our baby is due March 2012.

Over the last several weeks I have been AMAZED at God's grace to us, but I also think about how after trying for three years to have Grayson, doing two IUI's, one IVF, ovulation test after ovulation test, temperature checks for MANY MANY months to determine peak ovulations days on my own, the sleepless nights wondering why can't we get pregnant, the several tests and meds both Chad and I took to help us get pregnant and without even stressing or worrying if it would happen again it happened. This is how it happened with Grayson and again with this baby! I use to DISLIKE when people would say relax don't stress it will happen... now I think could they be right???

I wonder and question this everyday.

All I can do is THANK GOD for giving us another beautiful blessing and believe and know that it is all in god's perfect timing!

Sharing the News with Family and Friends!

see picture and details on the right side for shirt details!

I was 6 Weeks Pregnant when we told my family!

We waited until after my first appointment and we heard the heartbeat before we told anyone else! I was just concerned and wanted to hear the heartbeat before sharing this exciting news!

We had planned to have an END OF THE SUMMER BBQ at our home on August 27th, 2011 however plans changed. The week prior Chad ended up REALLY sick and we were in the ER two out of the five working days so we had to cancel! We talked about having the BBQ over Labor Day Weekend, but I wasn't up for it. Taking care of Chad and Grayson and not feeling well myself did me in and I needed a weekend just to relax. So we decided that we would just tell people as we saw them.

This is where it gets interesting...

For several of our friends I either had the shirt above on Grayson or the shirt below

If you like the above shirt and want to know where it is from go here! I will warn you the shirts run SMALL!

I really thought that people would see it and realize OH MY Goodness they are having another baby...

well that was not the case most people didn't notice or they thought the shirt meant big brother the reality show. Yes I watched Big Brother but I would never but Grayson in a shirt supporting or showing off for the show. Does that make sense??

Anyways we were done doing the whole apparel annoucement so either we showed the video that you watched in my last post or we just told friends and family.

We spent last weekend at Chad's Moms house. We shared the news with her and his grandmother "My Momma" together. Chad's Mom was excited, but My Momma was confused and thought we would be upset to be pregnant again. She kept asking me if I was okay with being pregnant. I said yes of course. She was so cute she also kept scolding Chad and said, "I told you not to get Melissa pregnant again!" She was so serious... I thought it was cute. My Momma {chad's grandmother} loved seeing Grayson and holding and loving on him. Grayson was so sweet to her. It was a priceless moment!

I have loved sharing the news with our family and friends everyone was SHOCKED that we were pregnant so soon and it made it extra special that no one had any idea.

Sorry for the long post, but I want to remember every detail!

I have started weekly pictures

I will do a weekly pregnancy post with weeks 11-13 tomorrow!

Good Night!

Grayson News

2011-09-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

Enjoy this short video from Grayson!

more details to come...

a road less traveled

2011-09-02T15:34:00.003-05:00

A road less traveled... infertility. Most of my readers started reading my blog when we were going through infertility. Now it seems these days I blog more about my family, especially Grayson. Which is VERY true because they bring me SO much joy! I feel as if I abandoned the topic of infertility after getting pregnant and having Grayson. It was not on purpose. I think that when you have JOY you tend to show that JOY each and every day. This is exactly what I do each day!

So why am I writing a post on infertility today? This week I spent the working days listening to the new Selah CD and one particular song {I Look To You} spoke so much to me in our road to infertility. After listening to it over and over again my heart was telling me that this song may help others find the strength on the road of infertility. I encourage you to listen to the words, feel inspired, feel strength to keep moving forward, know that you are not alone and GOD is with you every step of the way holding your hand. Take his hand and let him show you the way.

Believe and have Faith that GOD has his PERFECT timing for your life. I believe this so much. Looking back on our journey I know that once I looked to GOD he took care of me and I am forever grateful to him.
You are not alone and if you need to talk to someone I am always here to listen. Each of you waiting for your miracle child you are in my prayers always!

At the beginning of the song Amy from Selah gives her introduction to the song and what it means to her. I know that this will inspire so many even if you are not walking the road of infertility.

Have a blessed and wonderful LONG weekend!

Jump Zone Party

2011-09-01T13:12:00.003-05:00

Grayson has been to several parties at Jump Zone, but this time it was the first time he actually played and had a great time in the bounce houses. He really loved the Elmo house and also the Finding Nemo house. It was nice to get out of the house with Grayson and go to this party. Thank you Jenna for inviting us to your 4th birthday party!

I also wanted to share my Mommy Cards I received this week too!

I took advantage of the FREE 25 Mommy Cards and I am VERY happy with how they turned out!

Minted is still offering this great deal! So if you need mommy cards you should stop by http://www.minted.com/ today!

First Sleepover

2011-08-31T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last week during our week of ER visits Grayson was well take care of by our friends. In fact he had his first sleepover. During our time at the hospital Kim would send me pictures via text of what Grayson was doing. I love that she does this for me. It eases my mind and I have a feeling that all is okay. We greatly appreciate our friends Kim, Brad, Kendall, and Kelsey for taking great care of Grayson last week. He is so loved by each of you...just like he belongs in your family.

Here are the pictures from his stay! The first set of pictures are from August 23rd, 2011. Which was the night he had his first sleepover!

Grayson slept all night and did great! We are so proud of him!

Grayson eating dinner with Kelsey on our second trip to the ER, August 25th, 2011...

Thank you for your prayers! Chad is doing better and now armed with new antibiotics again he is starting to heal. We are hoping that by the weekend he will feel 100% better.

I didn't think that this would be the way he would have his first sleepover, but we are so blessed to have many friends that will help take care of our little guy!

Thanks again Kim and Brad!

15 Months

2011-08-30T14:44:00.000-05:00

I hate that I am several days/weeks behind on doing Grayson's 15 month post, but life happens. I just finished taking his pictures yesterday. It was difficult taking pictures because Grayson was more interested in taking the sticker off. Note to self, put sticker on his shirt before putting it on Grayson.

Highlights at 15 Months Old:

Grayson your personality is showing and shining through each day! You have a LOVE for climbing. You climb on your turtle in your playroom, your coupe truck, and your Grayson chair. You also love standing on the couch or our bed and running around. I have taught you how to get off the bed and couch by sliding on your belly and you do very well.

You communicate to use by pointing and screaming or talking loudly at us for what you want. Sometimes you also start crying and laying on your belly and putting your head on the ground. I try not to give into you during these fits as I don't want you to think this is the way to get what you want.

You finally call me Mama. Instead of Dada!

I LOVE IT!

Your favorite movie is still Finding Nemo and you love reading books!

Mornings: you wake up each morning between 6:30AM or 7:30AM. We usually go to our room and watch cartoons and snuggle for 30 minutes. During this time you have your morning milk. We have breakfast around 8AM and we are off to school around 8:30AM during the work week.

Bedtime: now that you take a nap at school you are ready to go to bed between 6:30PM or 7PM. You have milk before bed and we read books. You drink your milk and than we put you in your crib and you either fall asleep quickly or you play for a little bit before you fall asleep. I am so happy and blessed that you do not fight bedtime with mommy or daddy. You sleep 12 hours each night!

Meals/Solids: You LOVE food. In your new classroom you have moved from a highchair to sitting at a table with a chair. Your teachers say that you do GREAT. You really are not picky when it comes to food. You won't eat chicken or any other meat at home, but your teachers say that you eat it at school. Your favorite fruit is blueberries, your favorite food is spaghetti, and you only drink milk or water.

Developmental Milestones & Firsts: You say mama and know that mama is me. It is so cute. You know who Bella is and you say Bella. When you are hungry and I show you what you are going to eat you rub your belly with your hands. You wave and say Bye! Also when you wave you walk to the back door like you are ready to go! You can blow bubbles in the bathtub.

Learning: You are doing great with putting your shape blocks in the correct spot. We are also working on puzzles. You love to dump them out and I try to get you to put them in the correct spot, but you usually just watch me do it! You are also doing great at listening and learning about things we say to you. For example if I say let's go take a bath you know what I am saying and you run to the bathroom. Or when I say let's go outside or go to school you run to the door to outside. And finally when I say it is time to go to bed you walk with me to your room.

Favorite Toys: Reading books and playing with your plastic balls in your turtle pit.

Sizes: You are wearing size 12-18 month clothes, size 4 diaper, and size 5 shoe.
Weight - 21 pounds 2.5 ounces
Height - 29.25 inches

Loves: You have a strange love for lotion. You love to carry the bottle around the house. You also like to lick my hand when I put lotion on your face. I think this is just a phase...

You also still LOVE your paci wubbaNubs.

We are still going through separation anxiety. You hang onto my leg or neck and it is very difficult to get you to let go. At school the teachers help by getting you to come play with them. At church we have a few tears, but shortly after I leave you stop crying.

You still LOVE water! You are our water baby! If you see water you want in it and if you can't get in you through a fit.

Happy 15 Month Birthday Grayson. We love you and you amaze your mommy and daddy each day. I could write and write about you all day long. I look forward to watching you continue to grow and change each day!

Hi

2011-08-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

Not sure what to title this post since I haven't blogged in two weeks. YIKES! So I will just title it HI and say...

HI TO ALL OF YOU!

I hate that I haven't blogged, but I really haven't had much time too. We have had a lot going on and by the end of the day I just want to go to bed. So I do! Grayson is SO BUSY! He keeps me going all day!

With that I will highlight a few things:

Over the past two weeks Grayson started a new class room at school and even though we had a rough few days at the beginning, which in fact brought on another classroom change. We love Grayson's new teachers! They are wonderful in just the few weeks we have been going to this class. I am HAPPY to report that in his NEW classroom that he NOW takes a 1 to 2 hour nap each day! This is an amazing blessing to me! I now have a happy toddler when we go home each day and we get to play and enjoy the afternoon together before bedtime!

The only other news that has kept me away from blogging is Chad has been and is still really sick. I haven't said much on here, twitter, or Facebook. I just ask that you keep him in your prayers. We really hope that he starts feeling better this week. Having a sick husband is tough and I really want him back to 100% soon. Thanks for your prayers!

I hope that this week is a better blogging week for me and that you will continue to read. I have kept up with many blogs by reading on my iPhone while I snuggle with Grayson in the morning or when Grayson is napping during the weekend. Other than that I am busy keeping up with the house, taking care of and playing with Grayson, caring for Chad when needed, and of course working. It has been a crazy few weeks, but I hope over the next few weeks all will be calm. Wishful thinking I know!

I would like to end this post with telling all of you that I am so ready for the FALL. We are suppose to have high temps again this week. Yuck!

I finally took Grayson's 15 month pictures so I will have that post up soon! Hoping for tomorrow.

Happy Monday!

free falling friends

2011-08-15T17:50:00.000-05:00

Our Weekend was SO BUSY...

but first here is an adorable picture of Grayson with his buddy Kelsey! They are watching toy story together. Kelsey just adores playing with Grayson and I think Grayson feels the same way! {this was on Friday night}

It started early on Saturday morning!

Chad and his buddy Brad went SKYDIVING! Yes you are reading this correctly they went SKYDIVING! Chad agreed to do this with his friend for his 40th birthday. He was nervous and ended up going first because he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to do it if he didn't go first!

What a great buddy Chad is for doing this... next year on Chad's 40th Birthday he has decided that Brad will have to run a full marathon with him. We will see if that happens!

Here are a few pictures!

Chad said it was a great time, but he would NEVER do it again!

The moment Grayson got in the car he was sleeping... it was a long morning outside playing with friends!

He got a short nap before we went to lunch with everyone that was at the skydiving event!

I love this picture of Grayson sitting at the kids table!

We quick ran a few errands before we headed to Grayson's school to meet his new teachers! We were briefly there and took no pictures. We wanted to run home to get Grayson to take a nap before we had to go to a birthday party.

It was a swim party and Grayson loved every moment!

Grayson was asleep minutes after we left the party!

Our Sunday consisted of going to church and attending the BIG 40th Birthday Party for Brad!

I took this picture of Grayson at church. He was more interested in the doors than anything else that day.

I didn't get any pictures at the party because I was so TIRED and busy running around after Grayson!

Our afternoon was spent at the house relaxing!

That was a brief summary of our weekend!

a walk

2011-08-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

a walk down memory lane

grayson and mommy just a few days old

2 months old grayson and mommy

4 months old grayson and mommy

6 months old grayson and mommy

8 months old grayson and mommy

10 months grayson and mommy

12 months grayson and mommy

14 months grayson and mommy

I was inspired to do this post to share moments I have had with grayson over the past 14 months. Each picture is a sweet moment that we had together just the two of us!

Capture these moments I hope to be better at capturing more moments together as I feel I am the one always taking pictures. So if you are a new mommmy take the moment to have a picture with your little one you won't regret it!

Happy Wednesday!

airplanes

2011-08-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

Yes we have been home from our trip for about two weeks, but I wanted to take the time to document Grayson's 1st Plane Ride!

Now that Grayson is FINALLY feeling better I am playing catch up with everything!

Grayson's 1st plane ride was on July 23rd, 2011 to go to Montana!

Here is our big guy waiting for our plane to arrive so we could get going!

finally on the plane first stop Chicago Airport

I was really nervous about how Grayson would do with the pressure and his ears so between the paci and the bottle of milk I had ready he did GREAT taking off. He slept about 30 minutes of the first flight and than he woke up. So glad he LOVES watching Finding Nemo I was able to entertain him with Finding Nemo and also a sucker before we landed in Chicago!

once we arrived in Chicago we were delayed for about an hour or so before leaving to our final destination Montana.

We did a lot of walking around the airport, chasing after Grayson, and playing with new things around the airport.

the second flight was horrible! Grayson was extremely tired did not want to sleep on me...he wanted his own space. About 30 minutes remaining in the flight Grayson finally fell asleep. Than we started descending to land at the airport and Grayson woke up and screamed for what seemed like FOREVER. We didn't arrive in Montana until midnight I was tired, Grayson was tired, and Chad was just glad to be off the plane! When we met up with my sister and mom I decided that flying was not fun with a 14 month old. After our first flying trip I was not looking forward to the flight back home in 5 days.

However MUCH to my surprise GRAYSON did wonderful on the way home!

Here he is at the Montana airport playing

He slept the entire 1st flight.

once we arrived in Denver we had a 3 hour layover so we enjoyed lunch with my sister Meahgen before she left too for her trip back to Hawaii.

Meahgen gave Grayson her pickle and he LOVED IT!

we let Grayson walk around every where at the Denver airport so on the last flight home he would sleep again!

and we got lucky he slept again...

so the flight home was 100% better than the flight to Montana!

I would also like to mention that all and all Grayson was a trooper given the fact that the morning we left until this past weekend he was sick with Rotavirus! 15 days of that nasty stuff!

I am so glad Grayson is FINALLY better!

What I learned on our first flight

~ bring a sippy cup or bottle with water or milk

~ suckers are a lifesaver

~ paci works great when taking off and landing

~ bring books

~ load iPad with Grayson's favorite movie

~ if sits are empty on the plane and you don't have kids, but are sitting next to a family that does offer to move so they can have the three seats. That would have been nice if that happened, but it didn't!