Suggestions please...

Happy Monday! I would like to start a book for the Bear. I want it to be a "Rules for Life" type of thing. Maybe not really rules, but things I want to teach him. Be honest. Eat your vegetables. Look both ways before crossing the street. Balance your checkbook on a regular basis. Always open the door for ladies. Things like that. But I want Rule #1 to be very wise. Insightful. Inspiring. A rule that supersedes all others in importance. And I'm drawing a blank. What is the very first thing I want to teach my child? There's so much to teach him! That's why I want to write it all down, but I've got to start with Rule #1. So, any suggestions?





And there's a picture of the Bear himself to inspire you to impart some wisdom. Can't wait to hear what you've got to say!

Embrace the Camera: September 23

I love this idea. The gist of it is that as moms we spend a lot of time behind the camera...not in front of it. And one day, maybe in a few years or maybe in many years, but one day our children will want to look back and remember times with their mother. The first time I read anything about this was on my favorite blog, Under the Sycamore. You can read her post here. Recently I found this gal's site and she encourages moms to do a weekly shot in front of the camera with their kids. So, here goes. This is me embracing the camera.




Alright, I know I'm only in it a little bit, but these things take time. Let me adjust to this new position and better learn how to hold my camera and take a picture at the same time. The important thing is that I'm in there.

This idea of turning the camera around really speaks to me. Already I look back and there are no pictures of the Bear and I. Except the professional pictures that Papa Bear gave us for Mother's Day. Those are the only pictures I know of that have just he and I. I want him to be able to look back one day and know that I was there. That I was part of his life. I may not be able to do it every Thursday, but I can dang sure try!

Hope everyone has had a great week!

Whole Fryers {Daddy to the Rescue} or The Bear Rides a Horse

I hate whole chickens. I'll cook a boneless, skinless breast everyday of the week. But give me a whole one and I chicken out. I know they're supposed to give you such good flavor and stock, blah, blah, blah. But anything that comes with its own neck and gizzards and whatnots in a bag in the cavity just isn't right. I don't like reaching in there to get the bag out, but the idea of it staying in there...yuck. It's the same reason I can't make giblet gravy at Thanksgiving. All the pieces, parts are quite unpleasant. Then to de-bone it once it's cooked. So tedious and again...gross. I hate whole chickens so much that I usually just use breasts, even for recipes that say to use a whole hen.

Apparently I forgot this loathing for whole chickens when I bought one. I wanted to try cooking a whole chicken in this stoneware baker in the microwave. It was really the thought of a meal, cooked in the microwave, done in 30 minutes that got me going. A home cooked meal in the time it takes to have a pizza delievered! Novel idea around this house. However, I remembered how much I detest whole chickens as soon as it was out of the bag. Really, could anything be more fowl? Anyway, after calling Daddy into the kitchen about 8 times asking him about the bird (Is everything in the bag or should I be looking for more parts in the little cavity? I don't have any string, do I really have to tie the legs together like the recipe says or can I just let it be? If it's supposed to be breast up, which side is the breast?) he decided to take the poultry into his own hands. Which was fine with me because I didn't want to touch that chick any more than I had to. For someone who's been eating for so many years, I don't know very much about cooking the food I eat.

I have to give him credit, it was egg-celent and super moist. Cooking it in the microwave was fabulous, but the recipe could use a little work. It was beautiful when it was done, but I forgot to take a picture of it before we ate.

So how about a pic of after we ate? Anyway, this is really a note to self to help me to remember not to buy anymore whole birds. Just stick to the breasts, self. This is also an atta-boy for Papa Bear. Thanks for being brave and not grossed out. Sorry you didn't marry a Martha Stewart type. Maybe it'll come with age. You're a great rooster!

If you've read this far, through the terrible chicken humor, then you deserve to get to the meat of this post...

The Bear saw a horse for the first time this weekend. He wasn't too sure about it, he would smile and then scowl at it.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

Being on top of such a big animal isn't so bad...

but being next to a big animal like this makes you feel a little smaller.

Don't you love that Alabama jersey? Anyway, it was a good weekend. I snapped some really cute pics of him that I'll share another day this week. Have a good one!

At 7 months...

I'm not off to a very good start in posting on a regular basis. I'll try to get better. The Bear is almost 8 months now, but for everyone who lives far away, I thought it would be fun to post what he's up to now.

At seven months he...

-has his two front, bottom teeth.

-say Mama and Dada, but not necessarily in reference to us.

-thinks peek-a-boo is the greatest game ever.

-eats bananas, apples, pears, carrots, squash, and peas.

-scoots all over the living room floor, not crawling. But scoots.

-turns back to front and front to back like a pro.

-sticks his tongue out ALL the TIME.

-sits up without support but with a pillow behind for when he falls over. He needs someone to put him in sitting.

-gives kisses when he feels like it.

-no longer sleeps through the night.

-looks to see where our voices are coming from.

-smiles when he sees us.

-doesn't like to lay back like a baby.

-are ticklish to his ribs, back, and thighs.

-has the sweetest laugh.

-reaches for toys and anything else Mommy and Daddy are holding or using.

-squeals and talks a lot.

-loves "eye winker, tom thinker"

-puts everything in his mouth.

I wrote this list out when he turned seven months. That wasn't even a month ago and already he's doing so much more. But, like I said, I want to be able to use this blog as a way to document some of what he's doing. It's nice to have this list down somewhere instead of just as a note in my phone. I would have been out of luck if I lost my phone!

What post would be complete without great baby pics?

These were taken about a month ago. The Bear is in the pram my Papa used when he was a baby. Sweet, isn't he?

Hello! My Name Is...

I thought a picture of an adorable 7 month old might get you interested...

It's only been recently that I've considered doing a blog. I've enjoyed reading other's blogs for some time, but never really thought I had anything important enough to say that it merited being posted on the internet. I guess that's silly because millions of people have Facebook, mySpace or other sites and they don't have much to say either. Nothing much has changed. I still don't have anything very important or life changing to say, but I thought it'd be fun to put out there a little piece of our lives so that our family and friends can see what we're up to on a day-to-day basis. And see what the most adorable baby in the world looks like and how he changes all the time. We'll just call him the Bear until I get comfortable and am sure that we won't have some sort of crazed blog-stalker.

I also thought this would be a neat way for me to keep up with what the Bear is doing. So that when I (eventually) do his baby book, I can look back and say, "Ah, yes! That was the day he took his first steps, fed himself, pooped in the potty, etc" Just kidding, maybe I'll spare you the poop in the potty. Or maybe not. I'll warn ya first. I'm sure it'll be a reminder to me too on those days when things are insane and seem completely out of control (let's just be honest, that's most days.) It'll serve as a reminder of just how good things are, how lucky we are, and that I just need to slow down and take things as they come. One Day at a Time.

I may post a random project I finish, in the event I actually finish something I start. Maybe this will motivate me to finish something...so that I can share it with you!

Anyway, welcome to my little corner of the internet. Such as it is. Bear with me as I learn to blog and ramble here and there about things that probably aren't very important in the big picture, but are important to me at that moment in time. Please comment away...I'd love to hear what you have to say about things!