Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Christmas Whirlwind


Christmas was better than any of us had imagined it would be. Paisley had the best time going to all of the gatherings and getting to see the whole family. Christmas Eve, we rolled into Batesville to have Christmas with my parents.

Paisley and Pappy had fun putting puzzles together.....

She got a new pair of kicks that must taste pretty good.....

And she got a Santa headband that didn't stay on very long!


Even Daddy had to try it on!!!


Here is her new neck roll thingy for when she falls asleep in her car seat. We got so tickled with her wearing this thing!!!

Then, we went to Jeff's parents' house on Christmas Day, and the outcome was much the same.

Her and Daddy opened present after present....It's always that way at DD and Bok's house!

Finally, she got to where she just sat in the floor and played with the wrapping paper. I guess opening presents was getting tiresome! :)

After a quick Christmas at Jeff's parents' house, it was time to head to the Slaughter Family Christmas. Paisley wanted so bad to play with Aden while he was eating lunch!

Here are the Walls Grandkids. The Walls' definitely mark their children with the eyes and eyebrows!!! We had all good intentions of getting all the kids in one picture, but Brody had already wandered off the couch and Aden just wasn't into it at all! Nate and Caleb have on the jerseys Jeff got them for Christmas. They both have their name and number on the back, and they just loved them!!! Paisley has on her Ole Miss cheerleading outfit that Uncle Mike got her. Everyone was laughing and carrying on when we changed her into it when she opened it.

Nate just loves his baby cousin P Rae! He just hugs on her and kisses her all the time and just wants to always be around her. He's definitely a good big cousin!

After eating and visiting with the whole family, it was time to relax a bit. Paisley was exhausted after all the running around and excitement, but she wouldn't take a nap longer than 30 minutes or so. I guess she thought she was going to miss something. She got so many nice things that we put some of it up for her birthday in March.

Speaking of which, I guess I better get started on that! It's coming up faster than I realized!!!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Three Years Ago....

I love Christmas time, especially the few days right before it. Three years ago, today, Jeff asked me to marry him in his brother's kitchen, right where we had met 4 years prior to that. He said he had this plan of doing it Christmas Eve, but once he had the ring, he couldn't wait! (Sweet, right!?!) So he hid it in a ceramic high heel shoe that was an "early Christmas present" that I just HAD to open right then! Long story short, I was then sending mass text messages and making a midnight run to Wal-Mart for bridal magazines, and the rest is history!

This is us at my parents' house that weekend three years ago.

Seven years after that first meeting, here we are with a beautiful baby girl, good health, good jobs, and wonderful family willing to go to the ends of the Earth for either one of us.

Christmas is always a happy time for both of us, and now we can share that with Paisley. We are so blessed to have a situation where we can spend the holidays with both of our families in an environment of love and happiness, which is hard to find a lot of times during such a hectic and busy time of year.

I've got to get busy finishing up my Christmas shopping! Hopefully I'll be able to get on here before Christmas and update you on Paisley and all she has done the last week!

Tata for now!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Mondays aren't my favorite!

Oh, Mondays are SO not my favorite day! After spending the weekend with my family, I have to get back into the dreaded routine of taking Paisley to daycare, only to have her cry as I leave, making tears well up in my eyes! Then I have to go to the office where the seconds tick by unbearably slow until I can pick her up and rejoin my family for the night, all to get up and do it again the next day. I envy stay-at-home moms more and more every Monday!

Which, by the way, I did not pass the Praxis II (like that was unexpected! Ha!). So I'm geared up and ready for try #2 on January 9th. I guess we'll see this time just what a little studying can do.


I love Christmas, I love this child, and I love how Christmas makes me love this child even more! I don't know what we ever did before Paisley got here. Now, we find ourselves just watching her. Jeff gets so aggravated when I say "look at her" or "watch her" when she does something she's done 1,000 times already! Then, when I'm reviewing the pictures on my camera of her, I can't bring myself to delete any of them, even though they are terrible or even blurry. I'm absolutely eaten up with this little angel, and it gets worse and worse every day!

She's a natural in front of the camera, that's for sure! Last night we kept taking pictures because every time we get the camera out, she stops and smiles real big. Now she does it when you get your phone out too, since she knows her daddy takes pictures with his.

I couldn't get enough pictures of this kid yesterday! Normally, it takes SEVERAL tries to get her to be still and take a decent picture, but she was ready to go last night.

Here she is ready to go to day care this morning in her Christmas OshKosh Overalls! It wasn't long after this she decided she wasn't so excited about daycare and wanted to stay with me. I hate that part of the day!!! :(

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

She's SO close!

We are almost there! Paisley is SOOOO close to walking, but she's so scared! She gets standing by herself, and once she realizes she isn't holding on to me or anything, she freaks out and waves her arms like she's trying to fly. I'm definitely not trying to rush through her life, but I want her to get it so bad!

Sorry about the date! I was using my mom's camera, and she obviously hasn't set the date on it!


This week I also got her signed up at the best daycare in the city. We're on a waiting list until late Spring, but at least we're guaranteed a spot! This place is amazing. There are NO tv's, which I love, and they have a time on Wednesdays where the pastor sings fun Bible songs with them. They learn to write their name in the 3 year old class, and they actually have scheduled instruction for the toddler classes. I tried to get her in there when we first moved here, but the waiting list was until January and needed something right then! I just know Paisley will love it there when she's able to go.

Last night Jeff was playing his guitar and Paisley wanted to help. She climbed up his leg and watched for a little bit before sticking her finger between the strings. Jeff tried to give her her first lesson, but she wanted to eat the pick instead!

So when Jeff took it and tried to show her how it was supposed to be used, she hung her head and pouted......


We are at the stage where she's learning the word "no". She knows what it means and can pretty much figure out when we're going to say it before we do. She'll come up to the cabinet and try to open it. When I give her the "you're not supposed to be doing that look" she looks at me and shakes her head no! She knows, but doesn't always follow through!!!

We are wrapping up our Christmas shopping this week, hopefully!!! I hate waiting until the last minute, but I feel sure there will be something I have forgotten.

Have a Happy Hump Day!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Happy 9 Month Birthday

Here lately, I haven't been blogging every day because I didn't think that I had anything to write about. In talking to my mom the other day, she reminded me why I started this blog in the first place, and that's for Paisley to see what all she does and accomplishes everyday. I'm not the best at scrapbooking because I think it's too time-consuming, even though I would love to be able to! I have all the cute pages and decorative scissors, pictures printed out and in a box just ready to be inserted beside a cute caption, but when it comes down to it, I would rather sit in the floor and play with Paisley. Then a week later, I have a hard time remembering what all we did or what day she hit each milestone. I'm starting to get a little aggravated at myself about it, so I figure today, on her 9 month birthday, I'll start doing better!!!

We went to the doctor this week to find out Paisley has RSV. It's an upper respiratory virus that is basically like a bad cold and bronchitis. She's better with hugs and antibiotics. :) Anyway, I said that to say this.....she is off the charts in height and weight! I don't mean just above the 95th percentile. I mean not even registered. She is taller than ALL of the American girls her age. She has grown almost 2 inches in less than a month and a half!!! She weighs 26 lbs. and is 31" long!!! She's almost 3 feet tall and hasn't even reached her first birthday yet. I guess with men over 6 feet tall on both sides of the family, she has a good chance of being tall.

She also likes the help with the laundry these days. I hope she's this big of a help when she's older! :)I'm super excited about Paisley's first Christmas, but at the same time, I'm a little nervous. This year will set the tone and routine for the years to come, and I just hope we start out on the right foot. Being the only girl grandchild on one side and the only grandchild period on the other, she is definitely set up to get spoiled. However, I don't want her to get the wrong idea about Christmas even though she's only 9 months old. I really think I'm over-thinking this whole thing, but it feels good to vent a little. Haha.

Here is Paisley's new smile! She has started smiling way bigger now that she has teeth to show off! She has gotten so independent these days wanting to let go of whatever she's got helping her stand up. She forgets sometimes that her balance is a little off....

My high school alma mater (South Panola) is playing in their 9th consecutive State Championship game tonight. We'll be watching on tv, so good luck tonight! In my mother's words...."It's too cold, we're too old, and we can't stay up long enough to make the drive back!" Sorry guys, we won't be there physically, but we're still rooting for you! Go Tigers!!!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Thankful for Thanksgiving!

Spending this week, well last few days, with Paisley and my family have made me SO want to be a stay-at-home mom! I like working and am so thankful to have a job these days, but it would be oh so nice to be able to stay with Paisley all day!!! We had so much fun visiting with our parents, eating SO much food, and (of course) getting in a little....ok, a lot....of shopping!


Thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent the early part of the day with Jeff's family eating and visiting. It was the first time all the grandkids on that side of the family had been together. I tried to get a picture of them all, but Aden didn't feel to well. So, I managed to get plenty of Paisley! Here she is in her Thanksgiving Turkey outfit from Layla-Bo-Bayla.


After lunch, we relaxed and got ready for round two at my parents house. After grazing at yet another feast, Mom and I decided to get out of the house and pick up a few things at Wal-Mart. Paisley got a new hat, and here we are trying it on....she's such a good model! Haha.


So she wore it to the South Panola football game! This is her new smile. She shows off all 1.75 of her teeth and manages to close her eyes every time the flash goes off.


We decided to shop online Black Friday to avoid the mayhem with a 9 month old, and take our time shopping Saturday while my mother-in-law kept Paisley. In our ventures, we found the mother-load of bargains at Babies-R-Us! They had SEVERAL racks of clothes that were already marked cheap, but then they were an additional 50% off! When I saw it, I got a little excited and grabbed an armful, just in case it was true. But then, when I got to the price checker thingy, and a pair of pants rang up $0.80, my heart fluttered and the bargain shopper in me got SUPER excited!!! We managed to put a few things back, but we racked up. You should have seen Jeff and my dad's faces when we got back with a super-sized bag, all for Paisley. But they totally agreed when we told them the prices! I guess men know a good deal when they see it too! :)


She also got a new car seat. My dad calls it her ejection seat since it looks like something in an airplane! She loves this seat. She had outgrown her infant carrier long ago, and now she loves being able to see where she's going.


With all the weather changes, being around everybody during the holiday, and just being little, Paisley has the sniffles, runny nose, and cough....hopefully we can get it all under wraps before it gets worse. I guess we'll just have to snuggle up under the blanket and watch TV tonight!!!

Monday, November 23, 2009

This past week has been a very low-key one compared to most. Other than Paisley's daily activities, Jeff and I have kept it pretty simple...work and then relaxing at home (well, about as much as you can with an almost 9 month old...).


Paisley has started trying to do EVERYTHING by herself! She's trying to walk away from her toys without grabbing onto something else....


(How cute is this outfit?!? A friend of mine's mother-in-law makes these, and I have feeling my mother-in-law will be a regular customer! :) It came from Layla-Bo-Bayla Designs, and they are working on a website. You can find them on Facebook though!!!)

She's trying to dress herself......Except the too small tutu got stuck on her head.....


She's even feeding herself....Except, the Li'l Puffs ended up in a pile beside her head....

She can even blow kisses, wave bye-bye, and anytime Jeff or I get off the phone and say "bye", she says "bye bye" too! She is getting such a personality!

Next week will be chocked full of Thanksgiving pictures since we have both my family and Jeff's Thanksgiving get-togethers. I'm hoping to get some outside pictures done of Paisley while the weather isn't freezing outside! It's getting time to make Christmas cards soon, and for once, Jeff and I won't have to worry about what we're wearing in it. This year will be all about Paisley! Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and I'll be updating soon!

Monday, November 16, 2009

I'm SO not good at this!

Ok, so I am a TERRIBLE blogger! I can't believe I went a whole week without putting something up here!!! Anyway, Thursday we went to Mississippi College to watch the Generals in the State Championship football game. We won for the second year in a row by beating one of our biggest rivals!!! It was such a good game from beginning to end!We were the home team (obviously!).... The weather was great, and the boys really played their hearts out!!! Here is the article from the paper.

Paisley had a great time! She really liked the pom-poms and the noise makers that the parents had made. Everytime something good would happen and the crowd would cheer, she would clap and grin real big! Since we were down close to some old friends of ours, we met up with them after the game for dinner and to catch up. When we left Jackson a couple of years ago, they had just had the cutest little girl, Maggie.....

Just when we thought she couldn't get any cuter, we see her for the first time in 2 years! How adorable is she!?! Paisley was too busy feeling her teeth, yes I said teeth, to smile. But Maggie was cheesing up a storm! By the way, Paisley now has 1.25 teeth! Another one has come through, and the cranky level has gone up just a bit.


Saturday, while I was wasting 2 hours of my life taking the Praxis II test I wasn't quite ready for, Nana took Paisley to see Santa. Of course she had to have a new outfit, bow, and pair of shoes for the occasion! (Itzy Bitzy has the cutest crocheted hats, headbands, flower clips, etc.!)

She did very well with Santa! She didn't cry or try to get away. She just kind of sat there and studied his beard and glasses....She's amazed by glasses! After my test and Paisley's visit with Santa, we of course had to get in some shopping! No trip to Nana's is complete without it. So we loaded up and went to the Tupelo Flea Market. We actually put a dent into our Christmas shopping, and found the cutest hand-made outfits for Paisley!!! I'm working on getting pictures up here of them.

After Ole Miss beating UT, Paisley's first visit with Santa, shopping, and getting to visit with the grandparents, I think we can chalk this one up as another great weekend!!!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Another fun weekend!

Another Monday after another fun weekend! Nana came to visit, which is always an excitement at our house. Of course she never comes empty-handed....We always end up with a cute new outfit, or some materials to make bows, or an adorable pair of shoes she found on sale, and this weekend was no exception.

Friday night we headed over to watch the Generals in the AAA playoffs...GO GENS! We won, so now we're headed to the State Championship this week!!! That should be fun since we will get to catch up with old friends that we haven't seen in a couple of years.


Saturday, Paisley had her first birthday party! It was at the Carousel for the cutest little boy named Grayson who was turning one. She did a lot better than I had expected on the carousel. She kept leaning over and "petting" the horse, and then she'd grab the reigns and shake them really fast. It was so cute! Then, Grayson opened his presents, and it was time for cake and ice cream. I didn't get many pictures because my camera decided it was time to run out of battery power.....I had just put them in there! Needless to say, that camera is back at Wal-Mart, and we have a new one. Still doesn't help me with the birthday party.....Anywho, Paisley had such a good time, and met so many cute little friends at the party!

That night, Nana kept Paisley so Jeff and I could have a night out together. It doesn't happen often, so we took full advantage of it! We came home to both of them sacked out in the recliner....They must have had a big time while we were away! Paisley has gotten the pulling up down pat....There's no stopping this child now! Now she's waving and saying "bye-bye", and she makes this new noise with her tongue. I swear that kid gets cuter and grabs a bigger piece of my heart every day!!! Sunday was bittersweet. We got to get in a little bit of shopping before Nana had to go home. When we got back home, Paisley was leaning against the sliding glass door waving and saying "bye-bye Nana". It was cute but sad at the same time. Good thing we get to see Nana again this weekend!!!

Friday, November 6, 2009

We have had so many firsts in the past week! Paisley's first Halloween, her first hair cut, new sounds, and now her first tooth! After nights of dealing with a mildly cranky baby, the tooth finally popped through a couple of nights ago. It's so cute how she'll rub her tongue over it and make this clicking sound. Then she gets tickled at herself, wrinkles up her nose, and starts huffing! It's absolutely adorable. Then, last night, she pulled all the way up for the first time!


I can't believe how independent she's getting lately. It's getting crazy trying to keep her out of everything. Jeff and I are constantly trying to keep her entertained....Just when we think we've got it under control, and we take our eyes off for one second, she's headed toward Lexie's bowl, or grabbing the blinds, or pulling things off the shelves of the foyer table. She screams and cries if we have to take something from her she isn't supposed to have. I think for Christmas we're getting her boxes and hangers because I think she would rather play with those things than the floor full of toys she has!


She's got her Army crawl mastered! She does this thing where she uses her forearms to pull herself on her stomach and pushes with her toes. Every once in a while, she'll get on her knees and crawl normal, but her Army crawl is definitely more effective! That child can scoot!!!