Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope your day was filled with lots of love!

Fuzzy Headed Boy

It was an exceptionally good crazy hair day today.  

Midweek Randoms

And here we go for this week's randoms....

* This is my 101st post!  Wow!  That's a lot of writing :).

* We officially have a crawler in the house.  For weeks now he has been doing a few rocks, scoots, and crawls but now he is on the move.  He doesn't venture far, but he can definitely get where he wants to.  Gone are the days when I can sit him down and just snap, snap, snap pictures of him.  Here's what I got today:

* And in reference to the above, I have been working on baby proofing the house - mainly working on the lower cabinets and clearing out all of the cleaning supplies and other unsafe items.  It will never be completely baby proofed.  I am keeping plenty of things around that aren't harmful, but I don't want him to play with.  Gotta start setting boundaries at some point, right?

* I need to figure out how to set "boundaries."  How do you "discipline" an 8 month old?  He knows words like momma, dadda, mum-mum, all done, loud, uh oh, etc.  He seems to ignore the word no though.

* I wrote our last health insurance check this month.  I shall not miss that enormous bill!

* For some accountability, I thought I would record my best run for the week.  Here it is:

Ran with Beckett 3.00 miles, 11:41 avg. min/mi

I'm not claiming to be fast, but I am happy to have done 3 miles with the jogging stroller.  Plus, I can't go too much faster because the sidewalks all have bumps that are too jiggly for B.  Also, here are 3 of my favorite running motivators..... 1.)Runkeeper app for the iPhone: You select the type of workout (running, walking, etc.), choose your iPod playlist, and it will record your distance and pace using gps.  Very cool! And it's free :).  2.) Rockmyrun.com: This is also free (and legal).  You can download different play lists of mixed songs.  It's nice to have some variety 3.) Old Navy Workout shirts: In the stores they are on sale for $10 right now and are a good length and fit.  

* I made Martha Stewart's Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes for the Super Bowl and they were very tasty.  I love anything broiled.  Yumm-o.  I only used 3 potatoes and just guessed on the other measurements, but here's the recipe.  It's super easy and good.

Ingredients

• 8 medium sweet potatoes (5 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup pecan pieces
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and halve lengthwise; slice crosswise 1/2 inch thick. On a baking sheet, toss potatoes with olive oil; season with coarse salt.
2. Transfer half the potatoes to a second baking sheet; cook both sheets until potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with butter, brown sugar, pecan pieces, and cayenne pepper, dividing evenly. Bake until sugar is caramelized and hard, about 10 minutes. Gently toss; serve immediately.

A few pictures (if you can imagine that)

I love to take pictures.  I even love the process of trying to get a "good" picture - finding the right light, background, clothing, camera settings, and trick to capture the right smile.

These pictures, for example, were done for Valentine cards.  I think they are adorable.

Of course it took about 50 pictures to find the few that weren't out of focus or with strange expressions.  I was having a hard time trying to get Beckett to look at the camera that day.  He was interested in licking the fuzzy white cloth.  But that's ok.  

 Some of my favorite pictures are out of focus,

with terrible backgrounds,

interesting clothing choices (or lack thereof),

and serious expressions.

They might not ever be printed as an 8 x 10 for my mantel, but I love capturing the day to day life with Beckett.  Time is going by so quickly and it's ok if it's not all perfect.  That's life!

Midweek Randoms

I decided to start doing some "Midweek Randoms."  Probably not every week, but I do think of things I want to blog about, and this is a short and easy way to do it.

So, here goes.....

* I found a new shower curtain at Home Goods this week.  I love that store.  All of the colors match the bathroom really well and I like the print.  That combo is hard to find!  What do you think?

* Apparently I have a fear that whenever Beckett starts using dishes I won't have a way to feed him.  This.is.ridiculous.  He has more cups than I do!  And, sadly, I found even more stashed away.

* There is a new baby shop in Highland Village called "Addison June."  They have some very cute things.  I found this baby popsicle mold that I thought B would love, especially when teething or this summer.  I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon.

* You can call me DIY Missy from now on.  The drill and I have become good friends.  This week I re-hung several curtain rods that were never as far out from the window as I would have liked.  It's amazing how much better it looks when you fake having big windows!  I actually do have big windows, but now they look really big.  Me likey.  I'm also rearranging the wall decor in there.  That is a whole other story.

* I broke down and started to watch "Downton Abbey."  It's really good.  If you like a good period piece a la masterpiece theater style.  It's interesting to learn about the class system in the early 1900's.  I know, I sound like I am 50 years old.  Come to think of it, everyone who suggested it to me is over 50.  Hmmmm.

* I have been hitting up some of the end of season sales.  Mostly for Beckett.  I'm just trying to get him some good basics for the summer and a few things for the fall/winter.  Here's my model in his new shirt:

* And, finally, here's my attempt at this week's photo challenge in my photography group.  We were suppose to show "light in motion." I used a flashlight to create some stars.  It was actually kinda hard to do!  (But fun!)

Dear Beckett: 36 Weeks

Dear Beckett,

We did your 8 month photos this week.  I just love how they turned out!  You were being so funny - practicing blowing bubbles, watching the cars, and munching on grass.

This is, by far, our favorite picture.  We love your fuzzy head!  Your hair is always blowing around.  You get lots of comments on it.

Big things have happened this week!  You have made several crawling moves AND you are sitting up by yourself.  Last night we put you to bed and watched on the monitor as you sat up and played in your crib. It was funny because we kept having to go in and lay you back down.  You would be so tired and go from laughing from being proud of yourself to crying because you wanted to lay down with Omar.  It was as if you forgot how to go from sitting up to laying down!  But, it wasn't as funny when this morning at 1:00 am.  :)  

You are also able to pull yourself up to the coffee table almost all the way.  You usually have one knee still on the ground.  I will look over and you are hanging on for dear life, grunting because it's so hard!  But then you get a huge smile on your face because you are so proud.  I get so worried that you are going to fall and bang your head.  I'm sure it will happen plenty of times though.

You also just LOVE going through boxes of books or toys.  Sometimes I will just find a box and throw a bunch of things in it, just so you can sort through the objects and take them in and out of them box.  

Here you are with your books.  One of your favorite books right now is this Robot book that we got you for Christmas.  It has different parts that you like to move.

You also love to hang out "at work" with dad.  It's pretty fun to bang on his keyboard and look at the computer!

You two have so much fun playing together.  

Over the weekend we went to the park.  You had the best time people watching.  You also really liked watching the water move at the creek.

Who says it isn't cool to be twins with your Momma?

We love you.

Love,

Mom

Mid Week Randoms

Soooo.... here are just some random things going on in the Mayo Casa.

* I saw the CUTEST monster pillow on this blog.  (I love her blog, by the way.  And she is a complete stranger.  Is that weird?)  Anyway, I thought that I should make one for Beckett.  I have a ton of leftover fabric from his bedding so I dug it out and got sewing.  Mine does not look as cute :(.  But I tried.

* Guy has been self employed for 3 years now.  Overall it has been a wonderful thing for us.  BUT (there's always a but) there have been some real downsides as well.  For example, since I am no longer working we have lost all of our benefits which is HUGE.  Like really, really huge.  Beckett's health insurance is outrageous due to his kidney condition, so we are on Cobra right now.  No bueno.  We also incur a ton of expenses.  We were tallying them up the other day and found some *fun* facts about our business expenses for 2011.  For example, I really couldn't believe that Guy averages $58.00 a month on toll tag expenses.  Really? And don't even get me started on those daily client meals.....Anyway, there are a lot of other pros and cons too.  Well, as of Feb. 15th Guy will no longer be self employed.  He will still do the same job, but his contracted company is being bought by a company based in California.  He will be an employee!  They will help with insurance costs and vehicle costs, so that is exciting.

* I have been running, running, running.  I want to sign up for a 5k to run with Beckett and a 10K to do with a friend.  Any takers?

* My mom and I saw "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" this weekend.  Or is it "Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud?"  "Incredibly Close and Extremely Loud?"  I have no idea.  Anyway, don't let my lack of memory deter you.  It was very good.  Very sad too.  I cried, which I don't often do in movies.

* I am currently reading the Steve Jobs biography.  He was a jerk.  And weird.  I mean, obviously a revolutionary person who changed our world but I can still think of better role models out there.

* I have been knocking out a lot of "to do's" lately.  Stuff I have wanted to do for years, but just never had the time.  Well, I have plenty of that now (in small, unpredictable chunks).  I am currently working on hanging picture frames .  We are also getting the curb fixed out front.  And a few other things too.

Obviously, I need to add pictures to them.  I also need to order some mats too.

* I'm feeling really bad and guilty that I called Steve Jobs a jerk.  But I still stand that he was weird.  Who eats only fruits and vegetables (and sometimes the same ones for weeks on end) so that they can be "mucus free?"  Gross.

*Speaking of only eating fruits and vegetables, Guy says that he wants to do something crazy for his diet. "Like eat a fresh fruit?" I ask.  (If you know my husband, then you would understand that the man loves meat, meat, and more meat.  Fruits and Veggies are not on his radar.  You would also know that Guy is 200% or nothing.  All in or all out.  So, if he's eating healthy then he is eating ridiculously healthy.)  Anyhow, I think he is just so sick of eating out all the time.  So, looks like I will be making a few more salads for dinner!  (Which, if you know me, is my kind of meal!)

* Picnik is closing.  That's the website where I made Beckett's onesies.  Isn't that too bad?  But you can get all of the Premium stickers for free right now.

* Whenever it's nice out I always like to take Beckett on a walk.  I was able to snap his 8 month pictures while taking a little break.  The green grass makes it look like it is Spring!  With this mild winter I keep thinking that Summer is just around the corner, but it's not.  I feel like I have hardly even had a chance to wear my scarves and tall boots.

By the way, how can he be 8 months.  Not possible!