party planning mode

My sweet boy will be two on April 17th.

TWO.

Full blown toddler. Where or where did my baby go?

I am having so much fun planning his birthday party, set for this Saturday.

I should write a book on party planning on an extremely tight budget. Well, it would actually be the shortest book ever written. Only two words: Search Pinterest.

I would also throw in this little golden nugget: Use your brother-in-law's extremely talented graphic designer girlfriend to do all the design work. Seriously....so excited. Told her the theme and she went with it. I love it. We love you, Aunt Melinda!

No, for real. Love.

Here is a little sneak peak:

Right now thunderstorms are in the forecast for Saturday. Boo-hiss. The party may have to be moved from our backyard to indoors. But the party must go on.

Baseball party in my house with wild toddlers? Sure. Why not.

Weekend recap

What a busy, fun weekend!
Trey was out of town serving at a Happening retreat, but even in his absence, the weekend did not disappoint!

1) Friday night I went to a ladies night downtown called UnWine. All of the boutiques stay open late and there is wine and cheese tasting at every store. Plus discounts on all of your purchases! You know I love a good deal.

It was a fun night to celebrate Laura's birthday. One store snapped this picture of me and my friend, Sara. Fun times!

2) Saturday morning, I ran in the Historic Starkvegas 5K/10K with Kristen. I am not sure why I thought it was a good idea to run with my large toddler, but I did. He is heavy. And my time showed just how heavy! But the weather was gorgeous and it was a lot of fun. After the race, there was a family fun run. Henry and Rob ran in it; Henry was so excited. What a fun morning. I am ready for another race....without pushing 45 lbs.

3) After the race on Saturday, Jones and I headed to my sister's house for lunch with my cousins who came into town from Alabama. They had a sweet baby girl in November and we have yet to get out hands on her! I was dying to show some lovin' to baby Josey. Get a load of those cheeks. I love her!

4) After lunch, while the rest of the family went to the MSU baseball game, Jones and I headed to campus for a work event. Jones was happy to accompany me to work - there was a kid's village set up! He was fascinated with the bubbles and the sweet college girls gave him lots of attention.

5) Once we finally made it home, we were able to play with our guest: our best friend in the world - Russell! Jones is fascinated by all things Russ. He was in town for work, so stayed the weekend with us. We welcomed the company! Jones' speech is improving every single day and over the weekend he mastered "RUSS"! He called for Russ all day. So much fun! We love any time spent with "uncle" Russ.

6) Saturday night, the whole family got together at my sister's house for her birthday dinner celebration. It is always wild and so much fun when we are all together. I don't have any pictures except for this one - me loving on baby Josey. I couldn't put her down!

7) I finally got Jones home and bed Saturday night around 8:45. He was up all day with NO nap. I was one tired mama. At this point, I was ready for Trey to get home. Again I say: props to single parents!

8) Sunday morning, as I was in the kitchen getting Jones' breakfast ready, I looked over to find this:


No diaper. Cowboy hat.
Naked cowboy.

Once I got him out of the hat and dressed for church, I put Elmo on and went back to my room to finish getting myself ready. I came back to the kitchen to find the pantry door open and a trail of crackers that led to this:

He helped himself to a snack!
There is no telling how many he had already eaten by the time I got to him. I asked him if he was hungry and needed a snack and he nodded enthusiastically and said "snack!". He was very proud of himself.

9) By Sunday afternoon I was REALLY ready for Trey to get home. Jones recently started this awful thing where he says "no" very disrespectfully whenever I ask him to do something that he doesn't want to do. I can't stand it. So after telling him over and over that we do not talk like that to mommy, I put him in time out.
I turned around for 2 seconds and when I came back to check on him in time out (the pack-n-play) I found this:

Oh my! Time to rethink our time out method.

10) And finally, Sunday night before bath time, Jones used the potty for me for the first time! He has been using it sporadically at school, but never for me. Sunday as I was running his water, he ran to the potty and said "tee-tee!". I freaked out.

Yes, he pulled the whole roll of toilet paper into the toilet. I didn't want to distract him by making him stop. He was concentrating!

And, yes, I did a freak out dance and song for him when he finally went potty.

And, finally, yes. I did have to plunge the potty to get a whole roll of paper to go down.

Now, bring on the week. We have a 2nd birthday party to celebrate on Saturday!

A birthday!

Today is my middle sister's birthday!
Hooray for Lala!

If you know Laura, you know the girl loves a birthday. Celebrating birthdays for a month may be a Tomlinson thing, but this particular family member takes it to the next level. She loves a celebration.

Celebrate we will, Yaya!

You are loved, loved, LOVED by so many!

(picture of us celebrating her birthday last year in New Orleans. Too much fun!)



And just a little shout out for the birthday girl, yesterday she was named Teacher of the Year at her school! Go Ms. T! So proud of my sister.

Some people were born with the gift to teach. Laura is without a doubt one of those people. What a blessing she is to many little lives.

* side note: I used 5 names for Laura in this one post. She answers to any and all. Here's to you, Laura, LT, Lala, Yaya, and Ms. T!)

Keeping it real Fridays

I would like to provide a little insight, for those who may be unaware, of what eating out is like with a toddler.


Trey and I usually only brave Mexican restaurants with Jones. I think the reasons why are obvious.


Last night we went after work to grab a quick bite to eat.

To set the scene, Jones was in his "accident" clothes when Trey picked him up from school. And that was still what he was in when I met them for dinner. The shirt, a fine play shirt, has long sleeves and is a bit too snug. What you can't see are his pants. Blue jeans, which he has only worn twice in his life. The blue jeans that were in his extra clothes at school were, unbeknown st to me, way too small. And way too short. And apparently his socks were also wet from the accident, so he had on tube socks. With high water pants.

Trey saw no reason to change his clothes before we met for dinner.


A few of Jones' favorite activities at the fiesta:

- Taking chips out of the basket one by one and then putting the empty chip basket on his head declaring "hat!". then proceed to yell in a sing-songy voice "hat hat hat hat" over and over.


- Emptying out every last item of food we brought from home onto the table and floor. Each time one hit the floor he would shout "uh-oh" as if he were totally shocked food was emptying the container.



Trey's look throughout the meal:

We usually eat and clean up as quickly as possible before apologizing for the mess to the waitress and leaving a good tip.

Sweet boy. How life has changed. Would not trade it for the world.

walk down memory lane

My parents are in the process of remodeling their home. Specifically, their kitchen and master bath. But all the rooms were painted and will be redecorated, and new wood was put down on the staircase where old carpet used to be.

I suppose the only natural thing for them to do next...in the middle of construction... was clean out the attic? Right? Yeah, I don't know either.


At any rate, they rid their attic of all things and sent the three of us home with boxes and boxes of childhood dreams and memories. Dramatic, I know.


Apparently I kept every letter ever written to me since about the 5th grade. And, as it turns out, I also kept every journal I have ever written in. I was quite the dramatic child. And apparently 7th grade was a tough year.


Sheesh...I hope I have a house full of boys.


I digress.




One good thing, aside from the plethora of cheerleader uniforms that now live at my house, was a table and chairs my parents had made for the three of us.




I was told I could only borrow it, that somehow we will all have to share it. Maybe it will be passed around from child to child? Obviously us Tomlinsons are in to keeping the score even.


Jones is very fond of his new table and demands that we all, including Sophie, sit with him while he dines.


There are paint stains all over this table from when we were young. I love it.

And the hearts and cut-out names? Precious.

Now I just need to find a home for high school uniforms, letters from old boyfriends, and school notebooks. Pack-rat much?

iPhone picture dump

Luck of the Irish

Our st. Patrick's day included a cook out with the family at our house Friday night.
The kids, of course, were dressed the part!

We have loved the weather here lately! We spent all weekend outside. I love this time of year. My allergies, unfortunately, do not. I am suffering from a double ear infection and I sound just awful. Here's hoping I am better next weekend - 5K race, baseball game and family coming into town!

Keepin' it Real Friday

A couple of real things on this glorious Friday: (aren't most Fridays glorious?)

1) I was thinking the other day how the season of life we are in right now is so very different from our previous seasons and how there are details in this particular season that we would have never chosen for ourselves. I was thinking about how things will be better "when" and "if" fill in the blank happens. I was thinking how much easier and better life will be when XYZ falls into place.

Then this morning while talking with Trey, it hit me. Every season in life is different from the previous one in some shape or form. And the only constant in life is change. So why am I not focusing on the right now. The fun, amazing, exciting parts AND the ugly parts of right now.

There are so many things that are happening in our life right now that may not be happening if certain circumstances brought to exactly right where we are.

I know that seems vague. One day I will explain everything in my best selling book. (I kid, I kid. Kinda)

I hope that whatever season you are going through right now that you will take time to enjoy it. If there are trials, they will eventually pass. If there are none for you now, the trials will, unfortunately, eventually come.

PS - image stolen from Jenni. Thanks! (http://mattandjennimurray.blogspot.com/)

2) My child looks like a frat boy. And it breaks my heart. His school has requested that he no longer wear one-pieces since they are potty training. I use that term lightly because other than that poo-poo on day 1, Jones has shown no interest in using the potty like a big boy.


At any rate, I do understand their need for ease in undressing toddlers. Also, my child is huge. I put him in a 2T jon-jon and his belly bulged, the buttons unsnapped in the crotch. He is tall. It may just be easier to go with shorts and a shirt.

But, people. Have you shopped for cute boy play clothes lately? I die. It is a disaster. Short of spending $50 per play outfit (which I will NOT do), I am out of luck. Apparently the clothing companies think I should dress my child in a graphic t with a dump truck on it that says "TOUGH LIKE DADDY".

Umm. no.

So, my child looked like a cross between a pro golfer and a frat boy this morning.

Cutie pie eating his banana before daycare. Or college. Either one:3) It's Friday, and I couldn't be more excited about not having plans this weekend. I like a simple life.

Happy weekend, friends!

90 years

Saturday we celebrated my sweet Mamaw's 90th birthday. 90 years. Can you imagine? Think about all that this lady has seen and experienced in her lifetime. Amazing!

She lives in a nursing home now and her memory fails her at times and her eyesight is very minimal, but other than that she is healthy. She is an amazing, strong lady and I am so proud to call her my Mamaw.

We were able to get a picture taken with Mamaw and her 4 children, her youngest one being my mom, her 8 grandchildren, and her 9 great-grandchildren. So special.

She loves babies and wouldn't let go of Jones....until Noelle Adams got there! Then she just wanted to love all over the smallest of the babies! She kept saying "y'all just leave these babies with me and go on".

Sweet Mamaw.

Blessed family we are!

Cute girl working.

Or at least a working girl trying to be cute.

Say bye bye to my boring stuffy business planner and hello to my bright and fun one!

Who says working can't be colorful and fun? Organization with style. I like it.


Now I just have to get busy transferring stuff from my old planner to my cute new one!

Thanks, Kristen, for turning me into a cute working mom. By planner standards, anyway.

Get yours here: www.erincondren.com

Celebrating life

One of the lasting impressions my sweet Nana left on me is the art of celebrating. The lady knew how to celebrate. And not just the big life moments: Nana celebrated everyday miracles and seemingly ordinary events.

This past new years day marked the one year anniversary of her passing. It also marked the beginning of a new year: we got to say bye to a very, very bad year and say hello to a fresh start in 2012.

One of my life resolutions I made on January 1 was to be more like Nana - celebrate whimsy and celebrate living. As a simple part of that goal, I made a vow to decorate for every holiday. This year I was able to use some of my mom's and my Nana's decorations to get ready for Easter.



Seeing the decorations in my house makes me smile. And they make me think of my sweet Nana and her quirky "sit-arounds" she placed all over her house.

Happy Easter, indeed.

{I snapped these pictures of my work-in-progress using my phone}

one thing

and then I am done thinking about it:

I hate fair-weathered fans. I am sure glad my parents never said "I refuse to love you and support you during your teenage years when you sucked". Unconditional love - we all need it.


Not our best year, but I don't know about you, but this hasn't been my best year either.


With that said, I have on maroon. Jones has on maroon. Trey even has on maroon. And we are going to the game tonight ready to watch our boys play.

In the NIT.

Hail State.

Keepin' it real Friday

Happy Friday to you! I don't know about you but I, for one, am glad to see this day come. Onward to the weekend!

Today I want to keep it real by sharing some things with all you bloggers.

Before I was a mom, I had plenty of "I will never...", "my child will or will not..." blah, blah, blah.

Guess what? I am eating my words. Everyday. And that is ok. Jones is happy and healthy, and that is the most important thing, no?

Here are a few of my pre-mom crimes I have committed just in the past week:

1) My child will never ride in one of those disgusting cars/carts at the grocery store.
FALSE. My child will. And will love it. And I will be able to get in and out of the store without Jones having a giant-size toddler meltdown or me having to chase a very active boy around the store. Or both.



2) I will never. EVER. bribe my child. What parent would do that?

Pa-lease. This parent would. Just yesterday I used a juice box to coaxed Jones into getting in the stroller after work so I could go for a mini-jog. Worked like a charm and we were both happy. Win-win.

3)My child will love all vegetables and will happily eat whatever I lovingly prepare for the family.
What fantasy was I living in? First of all, I have yet to conquer this preparing a meal for our family gig. Now that I work, we are lucky to have a cooked meal two times a week. Secondly, my child hates all vegetables and meat. So guess what? He eats cheese, fruit and yogurt at almost every meal.

4)TV? Whatever. Not until he is at least 2, and even then no more than 15 minutes a day.
Trey leaves for work around 6:30. Which means I am left alone in the morning with Jones to get both of us ready for school and work. (Props to all of you single parents out there. You are my hero). We both need to be somewhat presentable and without tears (noticeable tears, at least) and out the door by 7:25. The TV has saved me many a times. I can either chase him around the house, scoop shoes and toys out of the toilet, come into the kitchen to find the pantry items covering the floor all while trying to clean my teeth OR I can put on a DVD and brush my teeth in peace.



5) I am not buying into all that cartoon character memorablia crap.
Jones has discovered Elmo. And there is no turning back. Give him his plush Elmo or give him death.

I read an article this week about pre-mom judging. I am guilty. I even was a stay-at-home mom judger (yes, it is a word. On this blog, at least) of working moms. Why would you put your kid in daycare?! Make sacrifices for the sake of your kids, people!! Sorry, moms out there. I was wrong.

We are all just doing our best in this scary thing. Nobody has it all together and we all feel like we totally suck at mothering at times. Good days/bad days. We all have them.

No judgement here, people. Do what works for you and let's all just be happy.

That's me keepin' it real today.

Check out the great article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kara-gebhart-uhl/mom-judgments_b_1319775.html

Here is a picture of us from last weekend. We went on a date! First to the symphony, then out for drinks and appetizers. Cute boy. I like him.

I-phone picture dump

ready or not.

Yesterday was day 1 of potty training at Jones' school. He is the youngest by about 4 months and I just don't think he is ready, but his teacher assured me she would not force it, she would just give him the opportunity.

Well, wouldn't you know it. My child went #2 yesterday in the big boy potty. His precious teacher called me right after and told me the thrilling news. We were both laughing at the thought. We are pretty sure it was a fluke and she caught him at just the right time, but she said he said "yay! yay!" over and over. He likes words of affirmation, so I am sure the clapping and cheering his teacher did was enough for him to keep trying.

Yesterday was also the first day of Jones' speech therapy. Big day for the little man! We had him evaluated a month ago for his speech and he qualified for a speech teacher to go to his class 60 minutes a week to work with him one-on-one. He was not what they call "significantly delayed", which would be a 25% speech delay, but he was at about a 17% delay. They did a full evaluation on him. There were no surprises - he was at 30 months for gross and fine motor skills. I could have told you this. He has been using a fork like a man since he was 12 months and can throw a football longer, straighter and harder than I can. He was also above average on cognitive skills. The kid loves a puzzle! But his speech is a bit lacking. He wasn't even trying to say words. He knew about 8 words at 12 months - and he pretty much still says just those 8 words.

However, I can already see an improvement in his speech since he has been at his new school. The kids in his class all talk and it seems to be helping. Jones talks a lot more, even if it is in his own language.

Sweet Jones will be 2 next month. So hard to believe. Lots of changes going on for the little man!

Keeping it Real Friday

Wednesday night was not our best night. Which led to Thursday not being our best morning. By the time I got to work, I was about 1.5 seconds from breaking down. Like, ugly tears breaking down.

Jones' teacher called around 9:30 and said that he just wasn't acting like himself. She said she didn't think he was sick, but wanted me to know that he wasn't playing or smiling.

We needed a day.

So I walked into my boss' office and told him I needed a personal day and, thankfully, he told me to go home and have a wonderful day. I have the perfect job.

I went home, changed clothes, went for a jog, then went to get my baby. Jones and I went straight to the park and played for two hours.

By nap time, we both felt like new people.

So, yeah, I skipped work to play with my child. It was both unexpected and totally necessary.