Moving on...

I am thinking of moving on past the world of blog spot. I have learned I kind of like blogging and I want to explore the blogging world and the other options. I feel like this is a breakup.

Right now I am testing out a new blog on wordpress.com.

Here is the link http://meyerlovebug.wordpress.com/

Check out the new blog and let me know.

Winter Break Part 2

She is saying "Bye, Bye!"
Cheese!
She was off.
Trying to figure out what to do with the snow.
She was testing out the snow before she realized she could still run.

I had to do a special post about our winter break part 2. We have to go back to school tomorrow after having 10 days off due to a weekend, snow, ice, and MLK day. It has been the most wonderful 10 days anyone could have imagined. I had to post how the week went and some things we did to make sure we remember the good times while we are making up all of the days.

Warning!! This is long and I am sorry, but it was a whole week we were off!

During the first weekend we treated it like any other normal weekend full of sports, grocery shopping, and laundry. Then it started to snow on Sunday night and we learned we would be out on Monday. Yes! We were pumped, but had no idea what was in store for us. Then we woke up with about 5 inches on the ground of great snow! We had a great time playing in the snow Monday morning and just hanging out with hot chocolate and movies. The perfect snow day! Then as the day went on we realized nothing was melting and it was starting to sleet. We learned later in the day we would get Tuesday off too. Yes!! We got to watch the national championship game like it was a Saturday night. It was a lot of fun! We went to bed late after a great game and ready for the snow to start melting on Tuesday. Once we got up on Tuesday (around 9, Ally slept great this entire week!) we realized nothing had melted. Nothing! It was even worse than it was on Monday, and wait we are still stuck inside b/c our neighborhood was all ice. But after a few days stuck inside we realized we need some fresh air so we thought we would test out the ice and drive to my school which is three miles away. We didn't believe the entire county and city could be like our neighborhood. Well, the three miles took us 10 minutes. After that ride we realize there would not have school again on Wednesday so we started to get settled and enjoy the rest of Tuesday. It worked out great that we were able to stay home b/c Ally was fighting something on Tuesday b/c she had a low grade fever. Thankfully we were able to just hang out and chill. We finally watched Julie & Julia and Avatar. During Avatar Ally just cuddled up next to me and acted like she was watching and enjoying the movie. It was the best! (a side note is that I think she might like action movies b/c the first time I ever felt her move in my belly was when I was watching Batman, just interesting) Both are great movies. So of course we stayed up too late again on Tuesday night and we thought of course when we went to bed the snow and ice now would be melting on Wednesday. When we got up to take Anna out we realized Wednesday was way worse than Monday and Tuesday. Way more ice!!! We were still stuck!!! We couldn't believe it. So we pulled out more bags of tricks for Ally and found the dress up clothes she got for Christmas. Those are the pictures I posted above. She was even walking in her heels! It was great when she got the keys and was telling us bye, bye. Yes, she was getting stir crazy. Early in the day we realized we were in need of another quick trip out so we made it up the street to Target and then to dinner at IHOP. During that trip we saw 4 cars slide in the ice. I was pretty nervous about being out, but we made it back safely. During our trip out we learned again we would not have school again on Thursday. Thankfully Ally is starting to feel better as well. Well, I say thankfully but now that means she was getting crazy and tired of the same old things we had been doing. So it was time to pull out the big guns. We had done play dough, played with the Christmas presents, and watched enough Elmo and Sesame Street for her to learn the characters so it was time for paint. Yes paint! It was water paint, but still paint. She loved the idea of water and paint. I think she loved the water way more than she loved the paint. At least that kept her busy for a little while. Then came the key word for the rest of the week. March! Yep, march. We started to march around the house b/c remember we were stuck! So we would march around the couches and around and around. She would say march, march. Then if we would stop she would say "Mommy, March!" "Dada March!" and even "Anna March!" We tried to tell her Anna couldn't march, but she soon realized it wasn't going to happen so she was fine with just us marching. After all of that marching we realized we needed another quick trip out. Since it was Thursday we believed we had to have school on Friday. We didn't believe we would miss an entire week of school. I was so convinced we would have school I told Justin I needed to drive to daycare to see which route I should take in the morning for Ally. There was still ice everywhere! I was very nervous. Thankfully during our trip we learned no school on Friday again! I was so nervous Justin even drove the rest of the way while we were out. We realized we needed to do one more stop at the Forum to find something for the rest of our time in the house. It was great for some fresh air, but the problem was Ally wanted to run and well get loose since she had been stuck inside for so long. There was still ice everywhere so that was a challenge keeping her with us, but we made it back safely with no cuts or bad bruises. Thankfully while we were at Barnes and Noble we found her a box of books with the characters from Sesame Street. I think she has even learned Elmo is red from the books too. Anyway, she has loved the books and well they have been a savior for us these last days. But, what were we going to do on Friday after 7 days off already? Well while we were out we picked up a brush and some pony tails for Ally. Yep, we started to test out some pony tails. It was really for me to see how they would look and well it was the funniest thing I did all week. She looked so funny! She was not happy with me, but I loved it!! I will post pictures of those soon b/c I will keep on working on my pony tail skills, b/c she did look pretty funny. After the pony tails and nap time we finally decided Ally needed some fun so we found an indoor playground. This place called Catch Air, was awesome!! It is an indoor playground full of jumping spots and room to run which is what Ally wanted. She loved it!! Thankfully we got out of the house and she had fun too. Also the snow/ice is finally started to melt slowly. Thankfully!! On Saturday after a whole week off we realized we needed to get out again so we found another indoor playground at North Point Mall and got her a cookie too. She loved the cookie :). Then finally on Sunday and today Monday things have finally gotten back to normal. Full of sports, grocery shopping, and laundry. What an unexpected break to remember for a lifetime.

I had to document the week b/c we believe this is going to be one of those things that Ally will never believe us when we tell her as she gets older. Thank you Justin and Ally for making this one awesome week together!!!

Snow day fun!

We have been stuck in the house for 2 days now and well we are having to find some different things to do. Thanks to her Aunt Jenny Ally has this baby stroller and well she loves rolling it around. Last night she decided she needed to walk laps around the house with it, and we got some of it on video. You can tell she is pretty hyper and walking/running around the house. It is pretty funny! Enjoy :)

More pictures

Very happy b/c I said the magic word... Elmo!
I have totally been replaced of being the coolest person on earth, Elmo now wins!!
I guess she still loves me a little : ) or I said the other magic word, cookies
Ally has learned to be a great helper with the camera. She loves to help!
Her new best pal, Mary Ellen, who taught her lots of different tricks with the camera.

New Camera- Love!!!

I went up to her room while she was sleeping to test the "sleep" mode for kids which means the flash is not on. So cool!
Did you even remember we have a cat? Yep, this is Indy!
And here was our first true "baby" Anna
Here is our girl waking up from her nap with her blankie. She is a blankie girl.

I am one of those lucky, lucky friends born close to Christmas. So, many times I wrap my birthday and Christmas gifts into one and well this year was no different. I was saving and asking everyone for a new camera. Thankfully everyone was very generous and I was able to get the one I was really hoping for, the Nikon 3100. WOW!!! This camera is amazing. These pictures are only good b/c this camera is that good. It is the coolest electronic I have ever gotten and I can't wait to learn more about the camera and hopefully get better and better or at least a little more knowledgeable. I am trying to sign up for a class now (thank you Mary Ellen for the tip). Anyway, I will be posting tons of pictures in the next months b/c I will be playing and learning about the camera. I hope you enjoy!

Christmas Video

Ally passing out gifts in Brookville. She takes a few breaks to open a few too. It is kind of long, but pretty cute :)

Merry Christmas!

Ally (20 months) and Penelope (12 months)
Grandmother, Mamaw, Ally, Uncle Neal
Mamaw, Aunt Katie, Ally, and Justin
Justin, Ally, and Mandy
Ally loving the snow!

Merry Christmas! I am sorry we are a little late on this posting, but things were a little crazy over the holidays. They were great, but crazy. We spent the first week of the holiday break in Brookville and then the second week back at home. The week in Brookville was great and filled with snow. Ally loved the snow!! There was about 6 in. of snow on the ground when we arrived and then when we left we got to drive in snow the entire 8 hr. trip home. So we had snow again in Atlanta when we arrived. I guess it was the first time since the 1800's it has snowed on Christmas day in Atlanta.

Thankfully we arrived back home safely b/c the roads were not bad at all. When we got back home we got to spend some time with our niece Penelope. The girls had a great time together playing. Oh and I say my brother and sister-n-law too :).

This Christmas was filled of toys and fun. Allyson seemed to have a lot more fun with Christmas this year. Some of her favorite gifts were the penguin pillow pet, princess little people house, gotta go potty baby, and her own chair. But, even with all of these great gifts here favorite gift has been her doll and stroller from her Aunt Jenny. She loves this stroller and doll!! When she wakes up for from nap her words are, "walk baby". As in can we go for a walk and bring baby along. Yes she loves it! Thank you Aunt Jenny! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!! We will be posting different pictures and a few different videos from the week.

The Pink Pig

This past weekend we took Ally to ride The Pink Pig. The Pink Pig is an Atlanta tradition that has been around for years that supports the local children's hospital. It is a train shaped like a pig that goes around a few times to see a few Christmas decorations. Anyway, this was something I was dying to take Ally too b/c I thought she would love the train ride. Well, I was right on this one... she loved it. I can't wait to take her again next year. Hopefully next year I will plan a little better and not take her on a day that is snowing and has records lows in the city :)

Friday Night Football

The video above is a little taste of what playoff football is like in Georgia. Last weekend we were in the quarterfinals and played against Lowndes County in Valdosta. South Georgia football is huge. They not only have very faithful fans, they also have big football players!! We played against some of the biggest "kids" so far this season.

Anyway the game was great because it was full of excitement. The video above is just some of the video I took before the game and a little bit before overtime. Since the game was full of excitement and ups and downs, I totally forgot to take video of the game in process. I know I need a little work on that :). The video is not the best because I am using our flip camera, which does not have zoom. We love the camera for Ally just not for football games. Anyway I hope you enjoy.

Think good thoughts for us on Friday. We are now in the semi finals playing against Brookwood. If we can beat them we will be one our way to the dome. Hopefully I will better with my video by then.

Go Eagles!!

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to have an entire week off of school. It was wonderful! I think it is the best decision Gwinnett County has made in a long time. I sure hope they make the same decision again next year :).

During the week we did lots of different and fun things to make it a little vacation. Ally and I went to paint pottery, we say Aunt Jenny, Great-Grandpa, and Grandma a lot. We even saw Mamaw and Grandpa on the computer too. We got to do all of this Monday-Thursday. Then on Friday morning the fun started. I think one of the best holidays on the planet is Black Friday. To give you an idea of how much I love this holiday I feel I need to share a story with you about something that happened.

So it is 3:50 in the morning and Target is getting ready to open and I am at a red light. Well, I look over at the car next to me, it is a mini van with a mom in it. So I predict she is going to Target too. So what do I do, I speed past her at the light so I can beat her to Target. Yes, that is me on Black Friday morning. I am up and ready to shop!

I actually stepped it up a notch and it worked out great. I got up at 2 AM to first stop at ToysRus, then I made it to Old Navy by 3:15, and then to Target when they opened at 4. It was great! I had a plan to my madness, but I can't share b/c I am afraid more people might join in. If you are interested let me know and I will fill you in. I was planning all week what time to leave and where to go, I know I was driving Justin crazy with all of this :) So I got done shopping by 4:30 AM and then headed home to make one more purchase online before going to bed, again. The only problem was that Justin was getting up soon to leave for Valdosta and I didn't want to wake him so I just hung out for a little bit until he was up. It was a crazy, but great morning!

Shutterfly Cards

It is that time of year again when I love going to the mailbox. I was actually getting mail yesterday thinking, is sending out cards before Thanksgiving even allowed... Even if it is not I was still hoping I would get a Christmas card in the mail. I don't have any yet, but I am sure they will be coming soon.

This year we are going to get our cards from Shutterfly because they have a great deal going for people that have a blog. I think this is great b/c I always end up posting the holiday card on the blog every year as well. I can't wait to show off the one that we finally decide on. I don't know what is harder when designing a card, picking the perfect card, or finding the best picture for the card. Thankfully Shutterfly has tons of card to choose from this year.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

This year I am trying to decide between two. I am a big fan of Santa so I like my card to have a Santa some where on the card. This year though they have photo message cards that I am a big fan of because you get the picture and include a few details about your family as well. Here are a few of those examples-

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/top-ten-moments-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/family-letter-blue-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496

There are many more examples of these as well.

I can spend hours looking at cards and pictures. Thankfully Shutterfly has so many to choose from.

Hair and bows

Ally will be 19 months next week and I am finally able to make this post. Her hair is growing!! We are very excited about this. She has gone from some hair at birth to bold at 3 months and now slowly but surely getting more and more hair now. With her hair growing like crazy I figured it was time for bows too. This past weekend I had my first lesson in making bows. It was a blast and I even made Ally three of them. Can you believe that?!?! I attached the bow pictures as well as a picture of Ally's hair blowing while she turns so you can see a good shot of her really growing hair.

Life as a Mom

I remember preparing to become a mother and everyone telling me I would miss the sleep and the quiet time. Yea, I do remember those great times. I also remember everyone telling me you will talk about poop more than you ever thought you would, and well that is true too. I have realized though there are a few things that people forgot to mention to me.

1. Your memory never comes back.

2. Daily I walk out of my house with banana, milk, or cheerios on stuck to me

3. I worry more of what Ally eats, how much she ate, what she didn't eat, and how much she snuck to the dog that I forget to eat.

4. I actually was excited about Halloween this year.

I decided to start this random list b/c I did one of the craziest thing yesterday that I didn't even realize until it was too late. I went to school with 2 different shoes on!! Yes!! At least they were both black and not too crazy different, but they were still different.

I love being a mom, but I have found myself doing things that just crack me up, that I would never believe I would do now. I am sure this list will continue to grow through the years and the kiddos to come. But as of now I still can't believe I went to school with two different shoes on!! I hope I might get a few posts of some crazy things that my other mom friends have done so I don't feel so bad.

Great weekend with Mamaw and Grandpa

We started the weekend with some Friday night football and then we continued the weekend with lots of fun. Thankfully Ally was on her best behavior the whole weekend and showed her Mamaw and Grandpa what a cute little girl she is. We had a blast all weekend and we cant wait for them to come back to visit and babysit :).

PJ and Ally meeting the first time

This past weekend was Jenny's wedding and everyone was in town for that. It was the first time Penelope and Allyson got to meet. I think the meeting went great, even better than I expected. Of course she got a little jealous, but not at what I thought she would. She didn't care if I held PJ, but she was not happy when Grandma held her. In fact she jumped out of my arms to go to Grandmas. I thought that was pretty funny. We can't wait for Christmas to see everyone again!!

Here are a few videos from apple picking and picking out a pumpkin

Poor girl kept picking the bad apples, so I feel like all I say in the video is No. Hopefully when you watch you will see why. She likes the ones that people have already eaten. Finally she does find a good one though.

I love you video- Enjoy!