Christmas Tree Farm Photoshoot!

Here are some pictures from this past Saturday. One of my best friends from high school took some wonderful pictures of our little family! I am not posting the one we chose for the Christmas cards!! You'll have to wait a week or so for that one to come in the mail! Merry Christmas!

1st Thanksgiving!

We have been so busy the past few weeks. Jason stays busy working and I have been really busy with the business. So far, things are going really well. I hope it keeps up!

I took Leland for his 4 month check-up on Monday. He is 18 lbs 4 oz and 26 inches long. He is wearing 9 and 12 month clothes and a size 3 shoe! He was healthy as usual at his visit and got 6 shots.

This year our families did their own thing for Thanksgiving, and I didn't want to take Leland around a lot of people because of all the sickness going around. We had a nice lunch out with my mom and Larry and hung out at their house afterwards to celebrate my birthday!

The house is decorated inside and out for Christmas. Jason and I got one big birthday and Christmas gift for each other... a Christmas tree! I think that officially means we are getting older when we are happy with a tree as a present! On top of our beautiful tree, we have over 30 nutcrackers inside our house! Jason had a collection from when he was younger and my aunt knew this before she passed, so my uncle gave ALL of my aunts nutcrackers to Jason and I. This includes 2 4 ft tall ones that are now on each side of our TV.

We are very excited for Lelands first Christmas, but plan to keep it as simple as possible and just enjoy time together because that is very hard to come by these days!

Here are a few pictures from this week including the outfit I made Leland to wear today for the Iron Bowl. I must add that it was a fantastic game and I am proud to be an AU Tiger!!

Leland meets Santa!

I know that it is not even Thanksgiving yet, but we took Leland to the Bass Pro Shop to meet Santa today. I wanted to go early so that we would not have to wait in ridiculous lines closer to Christmas!!

Leland did very well. He looked at him a couple of times and then looked straight at the camera for his picture. (the picture I have is from our camera...the picture they gave us has him and Santa looking at the camera)

If you are wanting to take your child to see Santa, I highly recommend the Bass Pro Shop. They give you a free 4X6 photo and you can go online to order more if you wish and they don't mind you taking your own pictures.

GA vs. AU

Yes Leland wore both GA and AU in the same night! Mommy and Daddy have to share until he is old enough to make his own decision.

So AU didn't come out with a win against GA this weekend, but we had a fantastic time catching up with old friends that came in town to spend the weekend with us!!

Jumping in with both feet!

Since I was laid off back in July, I have contemplated what I would like to do for work. I have always dreamed of having my own business, but not really sure how to go about doing it. I absolutely love being creative and artsie. I have been at home with Leland now for 3 1/2 months and absolutely love it. Being laid off was actually a huge blessing in disguise, even though it has been really rough financially. I am so blessed to have a husband that picked up the slack and is working two jobs to care for Leland and I, but it is time that I pick my share of the slack as well!

I have been looking for jobs, but honestly, there is nothing out there worth me taking. I would be spending more money by putting Leland in daycare. I created a website back in July while talking with friends that started their own sites and are stay at home moms as well.

I've been doing a lot of soul searching while at home and figured out a lot about myself. I'll save the details for myself, but I am tired of settling for things when I know I can achieve much more. Jason and I went to our church for the first time with Leland weekend before last and as I was sitting there listening to the sermon (about money actually), I couldn't help but think that we were there listening to that particular sermon for a reason.

So, after much debate with myself, I feel that God is leading me to start this business and jump in with both feet. I am hoping and praying that something good comes of it and that I might be able to make a career out of it. We will see, but it never hurts to try!!

Please check out my new site at:
http://www.lilmonkeydesigns.blogspot.com/

It is a work in progress, but I am open to suggestions and ideas! Please share with ALL of your friends! Christmas is right around the corner and there are TONS of baby showers these days. I am ready to get this business moving and the more orders the merrier!!!

By the way, I will still be using this site to update all the events in Leland's life, as it will someday become a book for him to keep.

Dear Leland,

Mommy wants to update you on how you are growing up so fast!

*You love to stand on your little chubby legs and giggle! You have the cutest little giggle.
*You have found your hands and think that it is fun to chew on your little fingers and you try your best to suck your thumb!
*Your pappy is still your best friend and you have figured out how to hold it and try to put it in your mouth all on your own.

You are growing up so fast! Mommy and Daddy think that you have the cutest little personality and are such a good baby, but you are very particular! You have favorite positions that you lay in and like to be held! We are learning every day that you are going to be a handful when you start being mobile!!

*You have started eating cereal with bananas and LOVE it. You love to sit in your big boy high chair every morning and night and talk to Mommy while you eat!
*You like to lay on your tummy and try your best to roll over, but get pretty frustrated that you can't!

You have the sweetest little smile that melts Mommy's heart!

*You have figured out how to kick your little feet and splash water in the bath tub and think it's pretty funny!
*You have noticed that there is a reflection in the mirror and think it's very funny. You love for Mommy to hold you in front of the mirror so you can talk to the reflection before your bath.
*You like to stare at sister (Dutchess) and talk to her. She likes to cuddle up beside you while you nap on the floor.
*You still love to ride in the car and pretty much sleep the whole time while in the car and shopping with Mommy. I hope you stay such a good shopper because I like the company!
*You are pushing 17 lbs and are almost out of 6 month clothes already! Mommy can't believe how big you are at 4 months old.
*You just got your first pair of sunglasses and LOVE them!
*You still wake Mommy up once or twice during the night, but it's OK because that is the most precious time I get to spend cuddling with you!

This has been the best 3 1/2 months of Mommy and Daddy's life and we can't wait to see what you learn next!

Fun in the sun!

We spent the weekend at the lake and it was beautiful. I can't believe how warm the weather was for November! It was the first time to take Dutchess to the lake, and I was a little nervous. She is kind of skittish when it comes to going down stairs and I didn't know how she would do on the boat. She did fantastic and soaked up all the sun she could!

Little bit woke us up a lot earlier than usual Saturday morning, so we went to the local hot spot (Jack's!) for breakfast. We went to the marina as well and found Leland a life jacket! It's a little big b/c it goes to 50 lbs, but it will fit him great next summer and probably the next!

Leland loves to be outside, but he hates the sun! I put my sunglasses on him just playing around and he LOVED them! He figured out really quick that they help you see in the sun!

He loved them so much that he now has his own pair!!

In reference to Leland's t-shirt in the above picture, I took him out to Christmas in the country at Homestead Hollow on Friday. It is an outside festival, so it was great to be out in the pretty weather strolling around! I finally found a booth that had nothing but grandparent stuff. They had any grandfather or grandmother name you could possibly come up with including GiGi!! I thought this shirt was cute. It says, "That's it... I'm calling GiGi! Well their shirts obviously run very small. He is wearing a size 2T and it is really not that big on him. I wanted it to fit him for a while, but obviously that isn't going to be the case!

It's almost that time......

Christmas time that is!! I will have to admit that I am a little (well maybe a lot) more excited about Christmas this year with Leland in the house! Even though he will only be 5 months old and really doesn't understand what is going on, I am looking forward to his first Christmas!!



In the Christmas spirit, GiGi and I went to the Christmas Village here in Birmingham yesterday. All my friends have always gone and loved it, but I have never had a chance to go. We definitely experienced the over 700 booths of anything from food, candles, ceramics, and TONS of cloths for kids and adults!! I came out with the cutest Christmas plate for Leland to leave something for Santa.....

It says Santa I've been sooo good! Love, Leland!! I also came out with 3 Christmas ornaments from the best booth there. Everything was a dollar. All their booth consisted of was ceramic ornaments just like these, but there were TONS! All kinds and really too many to look through, but they are just as cute as the expensive ones that were there and they were only $1!!

We also went high chair shopping yesterday as Leland has started eating cereal. He ate plain rice cereal, but didn't love the bland flavor, so I started adding bananas and now he LOVES his cereal! He is so cute when you put his bib on. He knows he is about to eat and those feet and hands go crazy!! I talk to him while he's eating and ask if those are good bananas and he is all smiles. So sweet and still has the best personality!

Here he is in his big boy chair!

Lelands First Halloween!

We had a great Halloween weekend. Friday night we carved pumpkins and started Leland on cereal. He LOVED it!

Saturday, Lelands great grandparents came over from GA to bring us lots of yummy Halloween treats! We met up with the cutest elephant and dragon for lunch!!

We did not take Leland trick-or-treating this year, so we spent the evening with GiGi and PapPap for pizza and football!