10 Months....

I recently asked my friend Dawn if we could borrow some rubber duckie items for Skylar's birthday. She confessed to me that she thought I was a little silly...thinking her birthday was far away. But...its only two months from now...yep...she is 10 months old ALREADY!

Recently I entered her into a "Cutest CHUBBY Baby Contest" on Facebook to win a FREE photo session with Tiffany's Photography by Design.

To win your baby had to get the most votes...and our little Skylar won!!!! Now mind you...I "facebook stalked" everyone I knew reminding them to vote, but it worked!!! She won...and all the ladies at church were super excited for her! One has even renamed her..."Our Future Miss America" ha!

We have decided to save the session and do some family shots in the fall when the leaves change! I can not wait!!!!

These are the pictures I took trying to get a cute "chubby" shot. A little over 75 shots later I realized that she has really lost a lot of her fluffiness now that she is on the move! I love these pictures though...she adores that rubber duckie!!!!

(For those not on Facebook the photo we used is the picture featured on her 9 month post)

Her schedule is still pretty much the same ole routine...but I am not complaining!!! It is a really nice day!

7:30 Wake up 8 oz bottle (still on Soy but Dr. Brewer says we can try regular cow's milk the week of her birthday)

8:45 After we take Sami to school (or our pal Miss Angie picks her up) we have breakfast. Most days I will mix her cereal with a jar of fruit. However...Sky thinks it is much more fun to feed herself and actually prefers it!!! So sometimes she will eat whatever I am having...with her favorite morning food being bananas!

9:00 Nap time

10:30 Wake up and play (go get Sami from school at 11:00)

11:30 Lunch time for everyone. She will usually eat what we are having...again...just depends :)

1:00 8 oz bottle followed by nap time

She is still sucking her thumb when she goes to sleep. I think it is super cute, and its pretty much the only way I know she is tired since she rarely cries!

3:30 She and Sami will have a small snack. Sometimes fruit sometimes dry cereal or baby puffs then we will all play

She is SO fast with crawling you turn your head and BOOM she's out of there!!!! She stood without holding on this past Saturday!!!! I made the mistake of clapping and she realized she had let go, and fell down!

She still stands on her toes a lot, so I think it will be awhile before she actually takes off walking...but...I guess time will tell!

5:30 Dinner She usually eats something on her own at this time (Matt doesn't get home until after 7 and she can not wait that long to eat) Her favorites are GREEN BEANS (which she wouldn't eat in baby food form), carrots, bread, and more diced fruit. We still have some stage 3 jars of food that I am trying to use up. She will eat about 1/2 but she much prefers to feed herself something.

7:00 8 oz bottle Story time with Sami then off to bed

We were at the doctor earlier this week, so I know that she is now 20 lbs even! She had just eaten and had her clothes on, but I'm sure it is pretty close to being accurate. Sadly we were at the doctor because she has another ear infection. This is the 3rd infection in 4 months. We decided to hold off on going to the ENT in hopes that she won't get any more infections in the next few months since the weather should be nicer and there will be less yucky stuff going around. :(

So I'm not sure if she is the "future Miss America" but I do know she is sweet and lovable...and I'm looking forward to all she has to show us in the next month...and beyond!

A Tupperware Transformation!

When I began my journey with Tupperware at the end of August 2009 I had a few small goals for myself and my business. One of those goals was to organize my pantry and cabinets with their wonderful line called Modular Mates. Debbie (my mother in law) has her cabinets organized this way and I've always been envious of how neat and tidy everything is! I had a few Modular Mates that we received as gifts at our wedding shower, but I wanted to really transform the pantry!!!!

And when I say transform...I mean TRANSFORM!!!!! As you can see from this before shot the pantry was in DESPERATE need of a makeover!!!

One "downfall" you could say to my love of couponing and stocking up on items we will use in the

near future is...well...I need somewhere to put them!!!! So I was super excited when my big box of plastic arrived this afternoon!!!! After I laid Skylar down for her nap I went to work...so here is the after shot!!!!! (And I even had time to blog it! Ha!)

I would say that is MUCH better!!!! Wouldn't you????

You My....Brown Eyed Girl!!!!!

Sometimes I fall into a blogging trap of just updating milestones. When I started this I wanted it to be a virtual journal that the girls could come back to as they got older because WHO KNOWS when I will have their scrapbooks done!!! Ha!!!!

So...Sami Grace...our little brown eyed girl...today is YOUR day!!!

You have amazed me more and more each day! You are so wise beyond your years!!! We tease that you have an "old soul", but man I LOVE that soul!!!! You wake up every morning singing your little heart out!!! You bring so much joy to my life I am forever grateful to God for sharing you with me!

Your preschool year is coming to a close. You are super excited for Kindergarten!!! You can already count well over 100 and can't wait to be in the "100 club" next year! You have gotten mostly "big suns" (which means you had a good day) throughout the year, and we are so proud of you!!! Recently Nana gave you a book to begin learning to tell time, and you had the "hours" mastered in about 15 minutes!!!!

Ballet seems to be your thing...at least for now! The teacher is impressed with your ability and maturity, and you will be advancing to the next level class! As you already know Mommy did not dance as a child, but they tell me this is pretty awesome as most of the time 2 years of pre-primary ballet are required to advance! It is almost time for your recital and I can't wait to see what you've accomplished!

You love being outside, and would stay out there all day if I let you!!! You just like to explore the yard, pick dandelions, play in the sandbox, and of course...SING!!!!

You are such a kind big sister it always makes me smile! No matter what Skylar wants...even if you had it first you share with her. I'm sure it won't always be that way, but I sure do enjoy it!!!

One of my favorite times with you is right before bedtime. It is usually just you and I...you smell so sweet with your hair all clean and fresh pajamas on. You LOVE books and always try to get me to read you ONE MORE! Sometimes I will lay next to you in your bed and we will play quiet little games like..."can you rhyme" which is basically I say a word and you find a rhyme for it. It is a simple game, but it usually makes us giggle and giggle!!! You are (finally...ha!) starting to say your own prayers, and it is amazing to me to listen to you "talk to Jesus" about your family, friends, and those you care for!!!

I love you...and your brown eyes...and your super high dimples...and your sweet spirit...and your love of music...and...and...and...and.....

Easter

Easter morning Sam woke up and crept downstairs without us. It broke my heart that she checked out her basket without us, but...in her defense she was excited and no one had told her to wait for us. Sigh...

I always thought we were doing a great job at keeping the true meaning of holidays the main focus, but apparently we could be doing better.

Now...on to the fun!!!! This year in Sam's basket the bunny brought her Molly's backpack (her American Girl doll), Littlest Pet Shops, Connect 4, and of course candy!!! She had asked Santa for Molly's backpack, but his elves ran out!!!! So thankfully the bunny was able to deliver!!!

Skylar's basket had some plastic eggs with Fisher Price Little People in them. She really only wanted the eggs, and didn't care too much for the treasures inside. She however LOVED her stroller and enjoyed pushing it around and walking behind it!

We ate breakfast at church and after church we went to Nana and Papa's house (my mom and dad...ha!) for the afternoon. Papa had set up an egg hunt for the girls (okay mostly Sami) and it was a lot of fun!!!!

We had a great lunch and the girls had more Easter goodies at their house! Skylar got some bath toys which are super fun!!! Sami's favorite items were a new dress for her Molly doll, and a wooden bead set for making jewelry.

At the end of the day we know that Sami knows why we celebrate Easter...and that baskets and eggs are just a fun way to enjoy the day. Let's just hope she remembers to include us in her excitement from now in! :)

Looking Back at Sky...at 9 months....

As hard as I try to keep the blog updated...it doesn't always seem super high on the to-do list. The above picture was taken of Skylar at 8 1/2 months.

Not a lot really changed this month. She weighs 19 lbs 6 oz and is 26 inches long.

Her schedule is still the same, and it is really nice to be able to "plan" around her naps for a quick trip to the store.

She LOVES using a sippy cup! She has only had juice once or twice because she is not in need of those empty sugary calories, but she is perfectly happy with water....which is super quick and easy! She will eat some stage 3 baby foods, but for the most part she really wants to feed herself! Which means dicing food, but I really don't mind!

I think I will leave this post short since it is already time to do a 10 month blog! Ha!