weekend wrap-up

This past weekend my parents came up from Atlanta to babysit the little man while Ben & I went on a super fun date! For Valentine's Day, Ben got us tickets to see Brad Paisley! He is my absolute favorite and the only country singer that I always talk about wanting to see live. Hubs knows me well:)

G was super excited to hang out with his Nana and Poppy while we went downtown! He got to show off his new skills of blowing spit bubbles, smacking his lips, and sitting up like a champ!

This was our first big night out since having Grayson. He did great--no worries! (and so did I!) We had to eat a linner before the concert. You know, lunch + dinner. We went to Jonathan's Grille to chow down on some yummy bar food and I had to indulge in some blue moons. Probably not part of my diet plan...but it was date night!

One perk of living in Nashville is the ridiculous rednecks you will see all over Broadway. I am a serious people watcher and I'm sorry, but if you have a huge mullet & are standing in front of me, I will take your picture and immediately post it on facebook. Needless to say, I had lots of fun people watching for the hour before the concert started.

Jerrod Neimann & Darius Rucker opened up for Brad. No clue who Jerrod Neimann was until he sang his last song but I have loved Darius Rucker since his Hootie days! I saw them in Atlanta when I was 18. He was great!

I will leave you with my country crush, Brad. He was awesome! He changed guitars about 12 times and was so much fun to watch. I just love him! Now, if only I can meet his whole cute family... :)

a list

I live for the weekends. This one did not disappoint...but I will give a recap tomorrow! Kristy made a list that I liked today @ I Heart Hicks. (btw, if that link is wonky...then I give up!) She made a list of things that she is not good at...her Sucky List. Ha! So, here is my very own Sucky List:

• I am terrible at changing my contacts. I think they are supposed to last 2 weeks. Mine last way longer. B
• I am pretty organized at school...but at home, not so much. My organization consists of baskets. Those baskets just keep piles of stuff in them. Our mail basket is atrocious.
  
• I am terrible about keeping our bathroom clean. Nobody else goes in there so it definitely isn't my top priority. Makeup is messy. Baby=my hair falls out like a shedding dog. The bathroom is a mess. end of story.
• I am an awful runner. My knees are turned in, my hips pop constantly, and I just suck at running. I will brag and say I ran a 14 minute mile in middle school.
  
• I can't make good sweet tea. I just buy it at Publix.
• I don't know how to train a dog to save my life. I have 3 dogs. 2 out of 3 can sit. That's about it.
• I can't cook bacon without making my whole house smell like bacon grease for 3 days.
  
• If you look at the bar in our kitchen, it is constantly covered with my various crap. It never stays clear for a whole day. Right now I see shampoo & conditioner from the store today, a candle, Sophie the giraffe for G, a lakeshore catalog, a purchase order from my school, and keys.
  
• Hi. My name is Laura and I am a facebook stalker.
  
• I can't nap. Even if I am ridiculously tired I end up just laying in bed playing on my phone.
  
• I always wait til the last minute to get gas. I simply don't pay attention.
  

I'll leave you with a picture of my thug baby. He is so gangsta.

is it only Tuesday?

When Grayson started chatting in his crib at 4:45am (oh em gee.) I really thought it was Sunday. In my head, I had the whole day to enjoy with my boys. At 5:15 I suddenly realized...I had to go to work today. Womp, womp, womp...I much prefer Sundays over Tuesdays. This is G and I before church on Sunday. I told Ben I am the one always taking the pictures and I needed one with my baby boy. Speaking of church, Grayson is doing great at the church nursery...he loves chatting with the ladies in there!
Look at what this big 5 month old has been practicing lately! Grayson loves sitting up all by himself...so much that he kicks and flails and makes himself topple over. That part he doesn't love so much.

I just can't get over how big he is getting!

I used to dread our late afternoons. Grayson would suddenly turn in to Mr. Crankypants at 4:30 and we would have to fight to keep him up until 6:00. Hence, how the 5:00am wake ups began...

Anywho, I guess we have passed that phase because now the afternoons are so. much. fun!

Seriously, I can't get home quick enough to see this face.

Operation: Get Fit or Die Tryin'

Well, with bikini (or new mama bathing suit) season only a few months away, I am in full work out mode. I have never been this motivated...I am serious this time about Operation: Get Fit or Die Tryin'!
I don't mean to brag...okay, yes I totally do, but when I went to my OB this past week (no, I'm not pregnant) I was informed that I weigh 11lbs less this February than I did last February! Holla! I also lost 2lbs when I weighed in at school on Friday for the Biggest Loser. I am so excited! This is the first time in a really long time that I have stuck to a plan and seen the results. I've lost 2 pant sizes and I get to wear things from my skinny closet--such a good feeling!
Now if only I could tighten up the belly a little bit. C-section mamas...how in the world do you do this?? I know it will never be the same...but I want the mom pooch to go away! I'm leaving you with my goal: newlywed Loma!

5 months

Grayson is 5 months old today!
He woke up very happy this morning...he loves his monthly birthdays!

Grayson's stats:

Weight: 15lbs

Height: 25.5in

Diaper: size 1 or 2

Clothes: all 6 month...we sadly have packed up all of your 3 month & 3-6 month clothes:(

Food: He is eating four 8oz. bottles a day + some cereal in the morning & at night

This month Grayson finally rolled over from tummy to back! He still can't figure out how to get on his tummy from his back...although he does like to lay on his side now. He is trying so hard to sit up all by himself and can do it for a few seconds & then kicks/leans and falls over. He wants to be independent!

He is having a great time at his baby school. Ms. Pat and Ms. Kristy say that he talks all day long and doesn't sit still much. He pretty much goes from toy to toy to keep himself entertained. He has also created many beautiful works of art. :) I'll share those some other time!

G is sleeping about 11 hours straight each night. It. is. heavenly. For the past week we have been trying to change his schedule a little bit so he could stay up a little later and sleep a little later. We've made a little progress! Grayson is going to bed around 7:00pm and waking up between 5:45 and 6:15am. Not too bad for one week of re-training!

We also introduced rice cereal this week. Grayson was skeptical at first & then realized it was food and chowed down! He is eating cereal in the morning after his bottle and at night before his bath & bedtime routine. The other night I just put a few spoonfuls of the cereal on his highchair tray and he went to town smearing it everywhere. He really loved making a big ol' mess--such a boy!! We have also weaned him off of his Similac Alimentum..HOORAY!!!!! That stuff is $26 a can and the regular Similac is $13. Hello, money in the bank.

G's favorite hobbies include: talking constantly, watching the dogs play and chase tennis balls, strolling through the neighborhood with mama, chewing on Sophie, loving on froggy, standing up on anything and everything, exersaucing (is that the same as exercising for babies?), laughing at his daddy, playing on his quilt in the playroom, pulling on my hair (ouch), and looking out the window in the car now that he is in a big boy carseat!

Grayson is such a happy baby and I just love picking him up in the afternoons and seeing that big, gummy grin! I can't believe how fast he is changing. It seems like he is learning something new each day! I say this each month, but I really love this stage we are in right now. He is so fun & adds so much joy to our lives!

Happy 5 months, little G!

cereal.

Grayson had his first experience with rice cereal tonight. Why do we call this stuff cereal anyway?? I love me some cereal and this stuff looks/smells nothing like cereal!
Slightly unsure of this weird new stuff at first. He loved the spoon and kept trying to grab it out of Ben's hand. He did much better than I thought with actually keeping the food in his mouth!

My favorite thing was that he was actually going "mmmmmm" after each bite! Ha! ...we will pretend he doesn't make that sound all the time:)

Hungry boy didn't think daddy was moving fast enough. It's okay, G, just dive right in.

Overall, our first experience with solids was a success! It really helped hold him over an extra hour tonight. He goes to bed so early usually (6:15ish) and wakes up even earlier...this morning he was chatting in his crib at 4:45am! yikes. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that he sleeps through the night for 10-11 hours but I would love for him to stay up later and wake up a little bit later. I'm just a tired girl who thinks waking up at 5:00 is unacceptable! Wish us luck! :)

hearts day.

I wanted to show you the picture Ben sent me yesterday of Sir Grumpsalot on Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is not his favorite holiday, obviously. But, he is quite the ladies man! :)

I know I'm a day late, but in honor of the hallmark holiday, here are some things that I love:

• I love watching Ben with his baby boy. He's totally in love with him and is a great dad. I also love watching G smile when his daddy walks through the door after work!
• I love that I have successfully given up diet coke. I really don't even crave it. I am now back to camel status since I am drinking atleast 2 liters of water a day!
• I love the way my clothes are fitting AND that I can go over to my "skinny closet" and actually wear some of the pants! It's a miracle!
• I love Teen Mom 2. It's a trainwreck that I can't look away from. "JENELLLLLLLE!"
• I love that I can get out the jogging stroller and enjoy our beautiful weather...gotta love the south in the middle of winter!
  

snow days....again!

Thursday and Friday were snow days #8 and #9. We only have one more freebie so we better not go over! We had an early dismissal on Wednesday so I got to go pick up G early from daycare. It started snowing right at 4:00pm...and it stuck! The traffic was ridiculous from just a few inches of snow/slushy ice. It was taking some people 3 and 4 hours to get from Nashville to Franklin. It's supposed to be about 30 minutes. Crazy. Luckily Ben worked late and missed all the mayhem and got home in 40 minutes.
I love getting to spend my days with this little guy. We have so much fun playing, watching the crazy dogs (who by the way broke my hurricane vase in the entryway because the ran into my table...), talking, reading, and singing. His favorite is by far watching his pups. G loves his dogs!

Thankfully, his first cold has left the building and he can breathe through his nose again! Much happier camper!

I can't believe how big he has gotten. He looks so old all of a sudden. I was looking through my pictures from his first weeks at home and he looks like a completely different baby! Makes me sad. He is growing up so fast...although I gotta say, I absolutely love this fun stage we are in right now!

blog challenge + get fit or die tryin'

I'm a lame blogger and got behind on Kristy's blog challenge. Sorry, Hicks! I'm killing 2 birds here with this one! The one I missed was all about your favorite celebrity crush. My heart gets giddy thinking about mine: Justin Timberlake. I have loved him since 8th grade. I was 13...um, that means I have had this celeb crush half my life! I'm a true fan because I even loved him during his horrible curly, awkward teen, jnco wearing days. (see below and laugh hysterically)

He is beautiful. If I met JT (yep, I shall call him that) I would probably turn in to a blubbering fool. I remember going to school one day my freshman year of high school and 3 of my besties (Alex, Lauren, & Carl) had brought me the *NSYNC board game...I was SO excited! We also got box seats and saw them in concert. Still one of my favorite shows to this day. The boy can dance. So there ya have it, my celeb crush. *sigh...*

Today's challenge is all about sweets! I have a major sweet tooth but am not an avid baker. When I found this recipe for caramel pie I had to try it because it looked SO easy. I made it before Christmas and it was a hit! Ever had the O'Charley's caramel pie? That's what it tastes like..yum!

Here is all you need:
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 graham cracker crust (I used chocolate)
1 container of cool whip

You boil the cans (minus paper on outside) for 3 hours. You have to keep an eye on it because the water will evaporate and you will have to add more. After the 3 hours is up, let the cans cool for a minute or two. Open them and then pour them in the pie crust. It will have turned in to caramel--genius! Refrigerate & then top with cool whip. Voila!

Now that I have shared a very (un)healthy recipe with you, I will share my newest workout video. I just bought the Biggest Loser Cardio Max dvd and I love it! I like that it has 3 different people teaching because sometimes I get sick of Jillian on the 30 Day Shred. It has a warm-up, 3 different levels of cardio workouts, and a cool down. You customize your workout by picking which of those things you want. All you need are 2 hand weights and you're ready to go! I am so motivated to lose this extra weight and tone up. Operation: Get Fit or Die Tryin' is still underway!

blog challenge - product i LOVE and exersaucin' fun.

I'm still doing the blog challenge from I Heart Hicks. Today is all about a product that you love. One product that I am absolutely obsessed with and always have on hand is the Wallflower from Bath & Body Works. These are, hands down, the best plug-in air fresheners I have ever used. I am always paranoid about having a house that smells like a dog but these little guys work great AND they actually look nice. I love all the seasonal smells (pumpkin spice and Christmas tree-yes, please!) but my all time favorites are sensual amber and black amethyst.

I am all about deals. I have become quite a fan of the local children consignment shops here & on Thursday I sent Ben on the hunt for a used exersaucer for G man. Little man is a super early riser (um, 5:30 am, folks) so it is pretty difficult for us to get ready for work when he is wide awake and wanting to play. Grayson is now bored with his bouncy seat so I thought we needed a cheap exersaucer to keep in our bathroom/bedroom for when we get ready. Mission accomplished!

Grayson loves his newest toy!

He spun around bouncing, playing, and grabbing for about 40 minutes. I think it is safe to say he approves of the exersaucer.

He enjoyed talking to his puppet friend.

G's newest trick learned at daycare is screeching. His new nickname at our house is Screech Powers...love me some Saved by the Bell! He just screeches like a bird. a lot. very loudly.

...and this is the face of the little boy who has his very first cold. Pitiful. We have become good friends with the good ol' snot sucker. I say "we" but really, Grayson despises it. Here's to hoping we stick with just the cold!

Blog Challenge - a place I want to visit!

If I could visit once place it would be the home of these tasty little nuggets known as falafels...GREECE!

I love all of the colors when I see pictures from Greece. It's beautiful!

Ever since I saw "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" I have wanted to go to Greece. Really, I would just love to travel throughout Europe! Where would you go??

Go visit Kristy @ I Heart Hicks (btw, why can't I add a link anymore?! it isn't working! help!) to check out the blog challenge!

tuesday tidbits.

-I love that little face in the picture. LOVE it. more than I thought humanly possible.
-I am wearing footie pajamas to work tomorrow. If that is not reason enough to teach first grade, I'm not sure what is.
-I am WAY behind on my dvr shows and it is really stressing me out.
-I can't stand Bachelor Brad. He's a goob and the girls are terrible. I swear if they take one more ride in a helicopter I will scream.
-Having a baby obviously makes everything different. Ever since I had Grayson I feel like I am so much more comfortable in my own skin. I truly don't care if people don't like me & I don't feel the need to stress about it or try to "fix" it.
-Kristy @ I Heart Hicks is bullying me (ha!) in to doing a Valentine's Day blog challenge that starts tomorrow. Feel free to join in on the fun by checking out her blog!