fake carrots are yummy

suri got a little play kitchen for christmas from
her auntie toni and uncle kevin.
she loves the thing and it is the perfect size for her.
she's 17 mos. now and pretend play is her game.

i bought her some plastic cookies and veggies to go
with it and it could not be any more of a hit.
(they were at the dollar section at target.)

see the pic with her eating the plastic carrot?
the funny thing is that she doesn't like carrots in real life.
but, in pretend world, carrots are yummyyyyy. :)

our little lady in december

suri has been a busy-body this december.
this Christmas seemed extra special
because she was able to know what was going on,
whereas last year, she was just a peanut.

read the previous post to see what a
little lady she has become.
here's some photos of our little bundle of joy:

checking her aunt sky's text messages.

she lets me put pigtails in now! yay!!!

giggly girl

she REALLY did not like the santa hat.

fave place: uncle addi's lap

matching yellow with grandpa

pigtails out and ipod on.

she's very insistent on feeding herself now.

first taste of a candy cane...

i think this girl might have a thousand different
expressions, dontcha think?
lata, loves!

suri in vintage glam

Fancy Dog loves her sister.

why is it that when kids wear over-the-top stuff,
it makes me feel so giddy????

i adore this coat for suri.
hubster is not the biggest fan,
however, he agrees that it's the perfect warmth,
weight and easiness instead of stuffing her into
her big, poufy coat.

i put this coat on her when we go to the
grocery store and everything!
i told him it's not tacky when it's on little kids.
he agrees to disagree.
what do you think?

we originally bought this as a holiday coat:

i replaced the roses with some vintage buttons.
i think it's very audrey hupburn-esk.

literally giiiiiiddy.
how can you resist this?!

tis the season to fool the kids

have you heard of the elf on the shelf?

they are a huge hit among parents and 

such a fab idea in my opinion.

the idea is to hide the elf around the house in random places.

the kiddies think the magical elf is monitoring their behavior

and going to the north pole each night to tell santa 

if they've been naughty or nice.

here's a great video explaining it.

btw, target sells them. :)

i also love this idea from CaptureTheMagic.com.

it lets you upload a photo of your living room

and insert a stock photo of santa - as proof for the kiddies

of santa's late-night visit:

so much fun!!!

LOL!

have a Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

my little monkey

suri used to dislike bananas.
i know, i thought it was crazy too!
she'd even refuse banana-flavored puffs
- and you know how much she loves her puffs.

there have been lots off new changes with suri...

• tooth #3 (upper right tooth) is coming in
• she's on the verge of walking - she needs very little assistance.
• her hair is growing (somewhat)
• she constantly babbles and babbles and babbles
• she clearly says bye-bye, blows kisses and waves 
• she gets frustrated if she can't figure out her toys
• and she's bananas about bananas now.

happy friday, loves!

2 little cuddlebugs

suri and her cousin dani
laying around,
holding hands
and being cuddlebugs.
what a precious moment.

mommy + suri adventures

my parents and 2 of my sisters + me and suri, of course. (at little park inside arnold's park.)

this past weekend, i took munchkin to
arnold's park in spirit lake with my family.
unfortunately hubby had to work,
so he had to miss babygirl's first official trip
to the amusement park. :(

i had described it to him as
the "same as adventureland"
but when i got there, it was more like
a TINY version of adventureland... 
maybe a third the size.

when remembering it from my childhoood,
it seemed so grand and big.
but, i guessing it's like those
little-kid-size drinking fountains
in elementary school
that seem "normal-size" at the time.

suri was pretty tired at first:

but, sprinkle on some amusement park magic, such as...

1. a few spoonfuls of dippin' dots (peanut butter chip)
2. 5 rides on the train
3. one ride on the carousel
4. lots of people watching (she STARES at the other kids.)
5. almost a whole slice of pizza (dough only). babygirl still only has her 2 bottom teeth!

and voila!...you get this...

we had so much fun.
she's becoming such a little ham
and much more adventurous than she used to be.
it's so much fun to see her reactions
and personality in different settings.

i feel a little silly admitting this...
i was just telling hubby that
i finally feel comfortable as a mom.
i know that must sound crazy,
but i has such anxiety before
about taking suri places by myself.
i never took suri outside the house without my hubby
until she was 6 1/2 months old.
and i mean anywhere, not even the grocery store.
not even if someone else was there to help me,
besides my hubby.
sure, i could drop her off at daycare.
but, i felt uncomfortable about taking her even on the
simple errands or visiting friends/family.
i liked the safety, comfort and routine of being at home.
i just felt more prepared.
i don't know how to explain it,
besides calling it anxiety.

now, that anxiety and fear of being a new mom
has finally subsided.
babygirl has been going everywhere.
i take her to the grocery store, swimming pool...
even 3 hours away to arnold's park.
and i'm just loving it.

thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayers,
and for helping me overcome that fear.
i could not feel more blessed.

'round here

this is my little loverdog, fancy.

my hubby jokes that
if i had to save a group of people or a group of dogs,
i'd save the dogs.
what can i say?
i'm a doglover.
(i added that little heart in the above pic.
i know that's what she's thinking.) :)

fancy is the most loyal dog you'll ever meet.
(back off, other dog-owners, fancy holds the title on this blog.)
she's 6 years old, she just has a puppy face. hehee.
she eases my anxiety and increases my peace.
she never tires of cuddling...
who couldn't benefit from a good cuddling, right?

my favey coffee cup has a fancy's twin peeking over:
(they're fraternal, not identical, okay?!)

the new house is still quite a mess.
lots of unpacking and decorating to do.
surprisingly, it hasn't been all that stressful, mostly busy.

it already feels calm and homey here.
i guess, for me, home is wherever my hubby, suri, and fancy are.
okay, maybe my books, camera and computer too. lol!

yesterday, i visited borders's going-out-of-business sale.
despite the good deals, it made me sad.
i can't tell you the countless hours
i would spend in there,
especially when i was prego.
i got this book for $2.39:

i read it in 2 hours.
and loved it.
i hate calling books "easy reads",
so i'm call it a "sunday afternoon read"
...on a wednesday for me.
there are moments in there that struck me,
where i thought "wow, this book is really good."
i love being surprised like that.
best $2.39 i spent all summer.

i also got these googly-eyed dinosaur books for suri.
adorable, right?

in our new house, we have this little "nook" in our bedroom.
we found a cool bookshelf to go in there.
(this photo makes it look short, but it's over 6' tall.)

i took the sleeves off all the hardcovers,
to give them a simpler, cleaner look.
the sleeves were so busy.
the cloth looks much prettier.

that's it 'round here.
just thought i'd catch you up on some stuff,
since i've been horrible about posting.
muah
tata for now.
(from fancy too.)

hello, weekend

weekends are for savoring 
chocolate ice cream
that melts on your mouth.
mmm...happy weekend.

a b*day party for babygirl

my little babygirl is growing so fast.
how could it almost have been a year already?

oh suri, i remember carrying you in my arms
all bundled up in your hospital blanket.
you were so soft, wrinkly and warm.
i couldn't get enough nuzzling time with you.
*really deep sigh*

though suri officially turns 1 this saturday,
we had her birthday party this past weekend.
as you can imagine, dozens of photos were taken.
here are a handful...

not a fan of her smash cake

getting tired...using a book to prop up her head. LOL!

some mustaches on her party blowers, of course.

homemade strawberry popsicles

peek-a-boo, i see you

somebody wanted to play peek-a-boo
at dinner last night.

that's a sturdy tote!

i got this "summer tote" on clearance at target for $6.
(ya got me again, target, how do you do it every time?)
it's pretty cute ... made of canvas and zips up.

i think it's for picnics and whatnot,
but i'll probably put my craft supplies in there.

it looked like it was the perfect size for suri.
so, just for fun...

pretty sturdy, right?
hehee.

happy weekend!