What more can I say...

Dessert Pizza

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

When we stayed with Roger and Abby this last time, they showed us their mad homemade pizza making skills. Even we don't have all their fancy tools yet, we made their version of the homemade pizza for the Super Bowl. Dough from Sam's Club, split into four, yummy toppings -- voila. Delicious pizza.

We tried a new one that I found on Pinterest. I mean, doesn't it just look delicious? Well, it is!!!

I wanted to share this because I've had a few Pinterest fails, which is so disappointing. So if you're unsure if this will be worth the time, it definitely is!

Breakdancing Miles!

2012-02-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Play Kitchen

2012-02-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

We got another giant toy to add to our already cluttered house.

It's already provided endless hours of play, so it's so worth it!

He really likes using the water dispenser thing in the fridge to fill his cup and then take a drink.

Wahoo

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Chalkboard Wall

2012-02-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

We made Miles a chalkboard wall!

As you can see, it was a big hit for everyone:)

Balloon Play

2012-02-06T15:18:00.000-05:00

Miles loves balloons (what kid doesn't?) T.J. blew up a balloon and let it go, and it scared him and made him laugh. He was much happier once all the balloons were tied, and he could throw them up in the air!

Gray Hair?

2012-02-03T10:15:00.001-05:00

I know what you must be thinking....Kaylan, you're too young to have a gray hair. Maybe you're not thinking that at all. No matter what you're thinking, they're here, and I am feeling old! These are the first two EVER found on my crown. And there are two, not just one. Need I remind you that I turn 30 this year? Maybe getting this gray-hair day out of the way will make my birthday less sad. It's just a number; right? But nothing says, "You're entering your 30s" like some coarse, gray hairs.*taking a deep breath and counting to ten*I'm feeling better. Thanks for letting me rant. Thank God for hair color! I guess I am entering the phase of NEEDING to color it instead of just WANTING to color it. The evidence:

We've Been...

2012-02-02T20:56:00.000-05:00

...out enjoying all this great weather and sunshine! It's not hard to believe that last year this time we had an ice storm. It is hard to believe, however, that I was outside painting in the sun and was HOT today. It sure has been nice out!

We've been playing extra hard outside, painting a few projects that I didn't think I'd get to until spring, and enjoying each other while work has been a little slower than normal for me.

Here is Miles on a trip to Lowe's today.

I will update you on my two painting projects in a few days when everything is dried and cured.

Ezra's Pillow

2012-02-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

NFL Experience

2012-01-30T21:58:00.000-05:00

If you want a good laugh, watch this.

GMC had this set up, and we were hesitant to do it. But it's pretty hilarious, so we're glad we did!

They didn't tell us that Derrick's headset didn't actually work until we were half way through it.

Here is a few shots when we first got down to Super Bowl Village.

Daddy & Miles

Ice sculpture.

Indy cars in Indy!

The zip line. We tried to do this, but it was sold out.

This guy cracks me up the way he is just hanging there, so I had to post it too.

Derrick & Keriann by the countdown clock.

Super Bears, Super Bowl?

Miles wasn't too into posing as a Bears player.

Where's my neck??

Keriann as a Vikings player.

Derrick as a Viking.

Miles was way more into being a Vikings player.

NFL Network broadcasters.

Shoulder rides are the best!

T.J. comparing his hand to Troy Aikman's.

Posing with the Chanel 13 mascot.

Practicing our throwing.

This is where you could get autographs. We decided not to do it since the guys signing weren't special to us and there was a long line.

Wilson was making footballs there.

Us in the Bears locker room.

D&K in the Vikings locker room.

Super Bowl rings. I think that guy is counting diamonds?!?

The trophy. There was a crazy long line for this, so I snapped from afar and moved on.

Derrick got drafted.

T.J. got drafted!

And Miles did too!

This was the floor in the kids area. Maybe the Super Bowl will come back to Indy when Miles is a little older so he could partake in the fun.

At Monument Circle.

I asked someone to snap a pic of us, and she cut Miles out:(

So we took one with our family.

And one of K&D.

It was fun! I am exhausted! I really want to go back and do that zip line! We might try to go back later this week.

We Spent the Weekend in Springfield, Missouri!

2012-01-30T10:00:00.004-05:00

We took a break from all the Super Bowl hoopla in Indy for a fun weekend with the Wassons. We were able to catch up, hang out, and let our kids wear each other out. This was our first time meeting Ezra, and I just love her to pieces. She is about three weeks older than Miles. Miles loved playing with Ari and Ezra! I sure do wish we lived closer to each other!

Here is the drive down there. It was a gorgeous day...sarcasm? The theme down there was two binks are better than one. Whatever it takes!

I was too busy to snap lots of photos, so we just have a few to share.

Here we are reading books after dinner.

Then there was lots of jumping in the trampoline. This thing is AWESOME! Talk about an easy way to wear your child out!

The next morning Miles and Ezra had a quick bath. He likes to take baths with all his friends:)

Since we were in Springfield, I wanted to stop in and say hi to Elsie from A Beautiful Mess. I've been following her blog for years, so it was fun to see her shop and meet her.

I was a little shy to say hi. It's like meeting a famous person! So glad I did, though. She was so nice!

While the girls were out running around and Ari was at school, Miles and T.J. hung out. I should say Miles, T.J., and Jill hung out.

Here are some shots of the kids playing.

Saturday afternoon we went to a Missouri State v. University of Northern Iowa basketball game. Miles loved watching the game and all the action. I just had to remind him to watch the ball, and he would sit and watch the game. After half time we got invited up to a suite to watch the rest of the game. It worked out well because the kids could run around and not be confined to our seats.

When we walked into the suite, the mascots were there! I didn't know how Miles would do since he hasn't seen anyone in full costume for quite a while, but he was fine. He was shaking their hands and giving them high fives.

Springfield got their first Hy-Vee recently, and it came fully stocked with A&E chip dip!! I couldn't resist picking some up to bring home. It made the ride so much better.

And Raffi is how we get Miles home.

We watched it four times on the way there and three times on the way back.

Thank you, Grammy Barb, for giving us this! We may need to get another one to switch up some of the songs for mom and dad!

Thank you so much, Roger, Abby, Ari & Ezra for a wonderful weekend. I am already looking forward to May when they are coming to Indy for a visit!

Catching Funnies & Jumping Practice

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Miles will wing balls at me for no reason and with no warning, oftentimes knocking me in the noggin. So I threw one at him the other day, hitting him in the chest, and he cracked up laughing. He is just too funny!

He's getting closer to jumping. Now he is doing squats instead of stomping around.

Spinning

2012-01-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Rawr!

2012-01-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

Click Cluck & Monster Voice

2012-01-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Miles giving T.J. a lesson in Morse Code?

Getting sick of seeing these monster voice videos? Can you tell they crack us up? Get ready for a screach at the end.

Busy Coloring

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Miles has been very busy coloring. I put him on the floor to color the other day so I could get some stuff done in the kitchen, and he really enjoyed putting the colors in and out of the box more than anything.

After a little while he was up and running around, playing. He got real quiet, and I thought, I wonder what he's doing...

Coloring on the wall, of course! Thank goodness for magic erasers!

Busy Playing & Tickling

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

He is so ticklish, and he loves to be tickled!

Miles is a very, very, very busy boy. And he takes his playing very seriously!

Sucker!

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Auntie Keriann & Uncle Derrick got Miles a sucker.

He LOVES it!

Card Books

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

I saw these on Pinterest and thought that it was such a cute idea! I always save my Christmas cards with pictures because they are too cute to just toss away. I used to scrapbook them. But since I haven't been keeping up with that, I thought this was a good alternative.

My friend, Beth, made one up and added scrapbook paper to the back of the cards, which I thought was a cute idea. So I did that too. I also added a cover.

As you can see, I also did one with birth announcements. I am sure I have more of these somewhere. I just did a quick hunt around my crafty area and came up with quite a few. Now if I find more, though, they will have a home!

Giggles at Dinner and Fast Feet

2012-01-26T10:00:00.002-05:00

I was feeding Miles the other night. I was looking out the patio window at the dogs, leaning over, and Miles started cracking up. So naturally I did it for five minutes after that, enjoying his fit of giggles until he got the hiccups...

Fast feet -- working some basketball drills in at mealtime. Haha!

Kisses

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Miles loves to give kisses these days! Usually if he gives one person/toy a kiss, then everyone gets one!

Spice Drawer

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

We have a small pantry in our kitchen that has a wire rack on one side where we have always stored our spices. We have a big drawer that was our junk drawer. It needed a good cleaning, so I decided to just go ahead and make it our spice drawer. I got 25 baby food jars, saved the food for Miles, cleaned them up, and spray painted the lids. I had some chalkboard paint that I had bought for who knows what, so I used that for the lids. Then I had a paint pen thing that I wrote the spice on the lids.

This was so easy! And I love how it's going to be so much easier to find the spices. I have a few things like Lawry's that I won't put in a jar, but it can lay in the drawer too because there's plenty of extra room.

My pinspiration can be found here.

Couch & Riding Toys

2012-01-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

T.J. and I were making dinner, Miles walks out to the living room, jumps on the couch, grabs the remote, pretends to watch TV, then gets down. Old man in training.

It really was just yesterday he couldn't even stand up and hold on to one of these; right? Now he is hopping on and rocking. He hasn't quite figured out how to make the car one go. In due time, I'm sure.

Snoozing Miles

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

The other day I went in to check on Miles before I went to bed, and he was flat on his stomach with his arms straight out, like a T. It was so funny. I ran to get my phone, but by the time I got back, he had moved. So I started snapping a pic of him at night, just because I think he's just too cute when he's sleeping.

Zoo Keeper Shirt

2012-01-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

Grandpa Mike & Grandma Julie got Miles this Zoo Keeper's shirt this summer when we went to the zoo. It fits now, and it cracks us up. See what I'm talking about?

Splashing with water

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

I can tell you I wouldn't have done this when I was a kid!! My mom had this blue rubber hat thing she put on me in the tub because I HATED getting water in my face. Not this guy!

Easter Wreath

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

On the drive to Iowa, I was able to get my Easter wreath tied. It's pastel perfect!

Harper's Sign

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

My cousin, Rachel, recently had a little girl. I made her some burp cloths and a sign for her nursery.

Jumping a/k/a stomping

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite videos of Miles. He was cracking up at T.J. jumping. And he thinks he is jumping when he stomps. Then when T.J. really gets going higher and Miles squeals with delight, it cracks me up!!

Keriann and Miles had a good game of bouncing balls going the other day. I would guess he has at least 10-15 balls at his disposal (without counting the ball pit), but sometimes that's not enough. I am thinking he needs a few more!

Phone Dump

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Miles loves watching the digital frame.

All decked out in his Elmo gear.

Cheese!

XOXO

Shooting hoops

2012-01-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Mr. Man is pretty into shooting hoops these days. We ask if he wants to play basketball and goes and grabs a couple balls. It's pretty fun. He will make one or two, then get right up under it, throw it up, ball comes back and hits him in the face, then he chucks a ball at you. So you have to be on your toes! I am thinking by this summer we will have to enforce the no-throwing-balls-in-the-house rule. So far he hasn't broken anything. I hope I didn't just jinx it!!

Anna's the Best!

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Anna came over for a few hours to help watch Miles. She's a little young to be left alone with him, but we were able to get a lot done around the house while she played/watched him. We put a blanket of insulation around our water heater, put away some of our outdoor Christmas stuff, ironed, and spray painted the tops of my new spice jars (more to come soon!).

Here they are doing some coloring.

Miles loves to watch things in the oven cook -- especially pumpkin pie!

Back to Iowa

2012-01-21T15:56:00.000-05:00

Sometimes life gets away from me, and I forget to update this blog. Then I get a few days behind and figure I need a good chunk of time to do it, then it keeps getting pushed back. Well, get ready for a long post. I will try not to write too much, just show you with pictures from our time in Iowa.

I got these mustaches at the Dollar Tree when I was buying stocking stuffers for Christmas. They were in Miles' stocking. As you can see, he is pretty fond of them.

Ha! Poor baby HATED them!

This one cracks me up -- the look on Miles' face, Scott's stache is half off, and Mom's straight face.

Miles loved Grammy's ornaments!

One of the days we were back, my girlfriends came over to Mom's for a little play date with all our kiddos. I'm so glad she snapped some pictures!

Kristy is holding Trey, her daughter Emily is saying hi to him. The Miles snuck up behind her and kept giving her hugs.

Then we asked Miles and Emily to hug. She went in for it, and he gave her the cold shoulder.

But they made up with a kiss.

We are missing a few kiddos from this picture, but I love it!

It's crazy to look back at our pictures from 5th grade on and see how much has changed in our lives.

So much has changed, but these girls are the same. Love them!

You may have seen the pineapple video. Here is a picture of it. He was cracking us up with his sour face, but kept eating it.

Me & Quinn

This toy was a big hit! Good thing it's pretty sturdy. Miles was giving it a good beating.

It was an Elmo Christmas this year!

T.J. got some Zumba pants just like he used to wear in junior high. Haha!!

A beautiful Iowa sunset.

On a walk in Baxter. It's hard to believe it was 60 degrees in January there. That's unheard of!

We took advantage of it, though, and went for a stroll to the park. We also got to walk through the school. It's so different since the new addition. It has changed so much since I went there!

Miles and I got to go have a little play date with Court & Nolan and Jessi & Mya. They are all within a few months of each other and VERY busy. Miles learned quite a bit from them in just the few hours they were together. It's so fun to get together when we are back!!

We were able to see a lot more people when we were back, but I didn't take pictures. You know me and forgetting to snap pics. If I remember, it's a miracle!

Pineapple

2012-01-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

Mom has some fresh cut up fruit, so we gave Miles some. He has had pineapple before, but it's the little cups of fruit. He loves it so much, but it's sooo sour:)

Walking with my Pals

2012-01-13T08:00:00.005-05:00

Last week we were back in Iowa for our Christmas with our families. I was able to get away for a little play date with Court & Nolan and Jessi & Maya.

Grammy kisses

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lots of Talking and Playing Before Bed

2012-01-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Odds and Ends

2012-01-11T05:35:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share with you my latest Goodwill find.

Two pairs of brand spanking new Missoni shoes with the tags still on them! They were $4.49 a piece. And I got an extra $5.00 off because it was January 1. Wahoo!

I am just getting my pics off my phone, and had these two to share with you.

Mommy & Miles

Playing with my toys!

Sesame Street

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

These are a little out of focus -- operator error on T.J.'s part. It was his first time using his new camera on his phone. The love of Sesame Street is still pretty strong around these parts!

Christmas Signs

2012-01-09T10:00:00.003-05:00

Here is yet another Silhouette project of mine. I made three; one for me, Mom, and Julie. Keriann made one for her and one for Carmen. Everyone has them now, so I can share on here and not spoil any surprises!

This picture is hard to see with the glare from the light. But you can see what it looks like directly looking at it.

This is better from the side. The believe, let it snow, and white Christmas are in glitter paint, so they are extra sparkly.

Ball Pit & Walking the Puppies

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

The other night T.J. tells me how Miles just picked up all his balls and put them in his ball pit. "What a good boy!" Then Miles proceeded to go into the ball pit and throw every. single. ball. out. It took me forever to put them back in. Lucky for us, he seems to have forgotten how fun that was and hasn't done it since.

Tickle Monster

2012-01-08T08:00:00.005-05:00

Who doesn't love baby giggles?

Who doesn't love monster voice? No? Well, this one is extra creepy with his eyes glowing from the light on T.J.'s phone. He is so scary monster and then so sweet. And do those molars look gigantic in his little mouth or what?

Piggyback Rides are F-U-N!

2012-01-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

Grammy Rides & Body Slams

2012-01-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

If you sit on the floor at all, Miles loves to climb/crawl/sit with you. Mom was laying on the floor, so he wanted to go for a ride:)

A body slam does a baby good. He is sure cracking up over them!

Too much?

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have a long way to go before our yard looks like this!

This picture doesn't even do this house justice. They had stuff EVERYWHERE. I bet the neighbors had to buy the special dark curtains just to go to sleep at night!

Little Wheelies

2012-01-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

Grandpa Mike and Grandma Julie came out for a visit. They brought lots of fun Christmas gifts like this Little Wheelies toy for Miles. He LOVES it and plays with it all the time!

Christmas with Mike & Julie

2012-01-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

T.J.'s parents came out over New Years, and we had a little Christmas with them.

We got a Wii!!

Miles and Grandma Julie

The dogs go bananas at Christmas. We usually have to put them in their kennel because they are crazy!

A new book!

See all the new toys? I love tissue paper!

Blowing nose

2012-01-05T08:00:00.003-05:00

It's so funny the stuff Miles picks up! He decided to blow his own nose. He hates when I come at him with a Boogie Wipe in hand. I told him that he needed to learn to blow his own nose. I guess he was really listening!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T11:00:00.002-05:00

McCord Family Rules

2012-01-04T10:00:00.002-05:00

It's finally done!! The white canvas that hung in the kitchen for a year is now our family rules sign. It turned out okay. I now know that a canvas, vinyl, and paint aren't the best partners. Because the canvas gives, the paint leaked a lot under the vinyl. I had planned on sanding this down some anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. But it was good to know for future projects.

Here is the sign with all the vinyl on it.

I painted over the whole thing in the teal color that we have in our house.

This is what it looked like after.

Just peeling the letters and no touching up or anything.

Here you can see the major bleeding on the ALWAYS.

One reason I couldn't just paint back over the teal bleeds in yellow is because I didn't do an even coat of yellow as the base coat. I got all fancy and blended some colors, so I was afraid of making it worse by trying to touch it up.

So I sanded it down and this is the end result.

These pictures aren't the best (dark & camera phone), but you get the idea.

Sanding it definitely helped everything blend nicely. The imperfections give it character now instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.

Halloween Sign

2012-01-03T10:00:00.003-05:00

Keriann and I made a Halloween sign. We did a little sanding on the black before adding the letters. I like the sanded look. It gives it a little something extra.

Here is what it looks like during:

And the after:

The spider web and the skeleton were a little tricky, but they turned out great!

We got our inspiration here.

Working on His Game!

2012-01-03T08:00:00.002-05:00

Santa's Cookies Plate

2012-01-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

A super quick and easy Silhouette project!

I Love Pumpkin Pie!

2012-01-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Major Mohawk!

2011-12-31T11:00:00.002-05:00

This guys hair grows FAST! I'm telling ya, when it's wet we have a mega mullet.

He is finally getting some new hair around his face. His hairline was pretty far back, but it's growing in now. His hair is also getting a lot darker. I should probably make an appointment soon to get it trimmed again, but for now, we will enjoy the mohawks!

Monster Talk

2011-12-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

Christmas Cards

2011-12-30T11:00:00.001-05:00

Christmas kind of snuck up on me this year. It just didn't feel like Christmas with this warm weather and all. We finally got serious about our shopping about the middle of the month. So that left Christmas cards on the back burner. Thank goodness for one-hour processing at Target. I dedicated a whole day to designing, picking up, addressing, and mailing our cards. Here are some of the pictures I chose from.

Here is our actual card.

There was also a little letter from Miles. If you double click on it, you should be able to see it bigger.

I swear to be more prepared next year!! By Thanksgiving I WILL have my shopping done and cards at least started. I will, I swear!

I Don't Know!

2011-12-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

Katie's Dog Grooming

2011-12-29T11:00:00.002-05:00

This year I made Katie a sign for her shop for Christmas. We love Katie and all the ladies at Katie's Grooming. They take such good care of the boys!

This was my first Silhouette project, and I'd say it turned out pretty cute.

Stay tuned for more projects.

First time coloring

2011-12-29T08:00:00.005-05:00

At dinner about a week ago, Miles worked on his first work of art. He had a few scribbles on the paper, which we thought were beautiful! I think he might have had more scribbles on the table, though. That's something we will have to work on with his new giant crayons he got for Christmas!

This Guy...

2011-12-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

...makes me smile!

He brights my day.

He gives the best eskimo kisses.

He knows just when to use his sweet little voice and call me "Dada." (working on Mama!)

He is a reminder to be more patient, give extra hugs, and say "I love you" one more time.

We are so lucky to call him our son!

That's Yucky!

2011-12-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

When you tell Miles something is yucky, this is what he does. So funny!

First time sledding

2011-12-27T10:51:00.000-05:00

We were so excited to wake up this morning and see that it FINALLY SNOWED!!!! I haven't been this excited for snow since I was 10 years old. Miles and I were anxiously waiting for Daddy to get home from work so we could get out and play in it. To say he had fun is an understatement. He was giggling and oohing and carrying on! We stayed out until his cheeks were nice and rosy and his hands were freezing. Then we came in and had a snack and played basketball.

What a morning we've had and it's only 10:40 a.m.!

I posted a lot of videos, but they are all so cute and funny with him laughing. Enjoy! We sure did:)

Sad to See the Tree Come Down

2011-12-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

I will be sad when the tree has to be put away.

Sad when I won't see this face when he looks at all the ornaments.

I will miss his little dances to the music-playing ornaments.

I will miss him getting giddy to go downstairs.

I hope he gets this excited next year when looking at the tree!

Good Morning! Uh-oh!

2011-12-27T08:00:00.003-05:00

Usually he says "uh-oh" until the bink is found!

Menu Board

2011-12-26T21:44:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to make one of these forever. After getting the Silhouette, it was necessary to whip one up ASAP! We got our frames at Michael's for $2.50 on sale. Then it's just the vinyl and scrapbook paper.

Here is what we used.

Here it is with the paper in it.

Then we just added vinyl to the inside of the glass.

Now we can write what's for dinner on the front side of the glass, then wipe it off at the end of the week.

I used some Christmas paper to get festive, but it makes it a little hard to read.

You can see Keriann's better.

Here is mine hanging in the kitchen.

I need to add a little something around it, but for now it works!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Here are our pictures from Christmas morning.

Miles seeing his Santa present.

A new basketball hoop!

Keriann & Derrick got him a new sled.

Now if it would only snow!

We started off downstairs, but the baby was into everything. So we moved the party upstairs.

He liked sitting on his presents.

T.J. with a new cup.

Me with some new scarves.

Opening presents with Auntie Keriann.

Keriann & Derrick

We had a fun, relaxing day at home opening presents, playing with new toys, watching movies, putting together a puzzle, and eating yummy food. Here is the puzzle. Keriann and I channeled our inner Grandma Doris:)

It was 500 pieces, which was just right. If it was bigger than that, and I would have needed a break!

Winding down

2011-12-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve Take 2

2011-12-25T21:52:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pics from Christmas Eve. I am just getting them uploaded off my camera.

Here are Miles and I before getting started.

Yummy goldfish and frosting!

All done!

Well, this one is out of order, but it shows him putting some on instead of taking them off.

T.J. and Keriann working on their house.

Here are T.J.'s two sides.

Keriann's two sides.

Miles' house.

Ball Popper Toy

2011-12-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

Just when Miles gets the hang of rolling this toy, then he gets in a corner and has to start over. That makes him mad! You've got to be watching him or you could take a toy to the face!

Happy Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T23:40:00.001-05:00

We wanted to start a new family tradition for Christmas Eve, so we got some gingerbread houses to decorate.

Miles loved putting his goodies on there, then eating them off a few seconds later. He ate lots of goldfish with frosting on them. Yum?

Miles and I decorated his. Keriann and TJ each did a side of the other house. Keriann's was lovely, as was expected. TJ was quite creative, which was impressive!

We all went to the Olive Garden then Christmas Eve service at church. After that we came home and had a little game night. Catch Phrase was the big game, and TJ and I won the best out of five two times!

We've got mean communication skills!

Last Minute

2011-12-22T17:40:00.001-05:00

At Target picking up christmas cards. I am such a procrastinator!!

Miles' favorite new way to roll in the cart.

Look out!

2011-12-22T10:46:00.001-05:00

When Miles is playing with this toy, you'd better be on your toes! We are trying to teach him to roll it. Then he gets mad and swings it like a bat. Yikes!

Mega Blocks!

2011-12-22T06:14:00.004-05:00

The other day Miles was playing with his blocks and just cracking up while doing it. Then two minutes later, they were not funny at all anymore. If you turn it up, he does some real faint, light giggles after his crazy monster laughs.

Texting Miles

2011-12-21T13:09:00.001-05:00

Miles got ahold of my phone today, which he LOVES! Keriann sent me a text, the chime went off, and he cracked up. So, of course, TJ sent Miles all of these via my phone to keep it going off.

Get out of here!

2011-12-21T06:12:00.001-05:00

You're too young, Miles, to be kicking us out of your room!!

Where is Uncle Derrick? Where is Ti-Ti?

2011-12-20T06:18:00.000-05:00

Miles' latest thing is doing "I don't know" with his hands. It's so funny because his hands are usually up by his face and his elbows are in front of him and close together. Sometimes if he's hurt or upset he will do it too. It's sad!

Christmas at the Plaza

2011-12-19T22:22:00.001-05:00

Our church, Harvest Bible Chapel Indy West, had a Christmas celebration at the Plaza Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. We got all dressed up (even perfume!) and had a great time!

I forgot to take pictures until we were leaving, but I snagged this from Pastor Doug. It was taken during the Celebrity Squares game.

We love going to Harvest!

Mega Legos!

2011-12-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

Miles was getting a kick out of his Mega Blocks. Maybe he will love Legos like Uncle Matt?!

Practice Makes Perfect, You Know What They Say

2011-12-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

I took Miles down to marvel at the tree. It's magic every time!

While down there, he snagged the bow off of Grandma Julie's present. So pretty!

Then he found a little extra paper and decided to crumple it up and play with it.

He was getting mad in the picture above. I think he just realized that that paper didn't come with a present. Shoot!

CHEESE!

Best Husband EVER & Danville Light Show

2011-12-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday T.J. surprised me with these. Made my day!

And they make me so happy every time I look over and see them.

Last night we went to the Danville Christmas Lights. It is a mini version of the Jolly Holiday Lights (for my Iowa peeps.) Maybe next year we can get back so that Miles can see that. I am sure he would love it. He was in awe of all the lights, even after the third circle around! We did two for the fun of it and missed the turn to leave, so we did it a third time.

Here are a few of my favorites.

This one was my ultimate favorite!

Strolling Outside!

2011-12-14T13:58:00.000-05:00

I am in my work-at-home clothes, so don't mind my slippers:)

T.J. has been bundling Miles up and taking him on walks outside this past week. They usually go out a couple times a day. Miles LOVES it! Yesterday I was inside working, and I could hear him walking by. He was babbling very loudly. I heard "uh-oh" and "dada" quite a few times.

15 month Checkup

2011-12-14T12:54:00.001-05:00

Miles had his 15 month appointment today, and he's doing great. He weighs 26.08 (71%), 33 inches (93%), head 19.25 inches (90%).

The doctor was asking about his development as far as words and actions, and he is right on there. Miles wouldn't show the doc any of his tricks or say any words besides "uh-oh." That's definitely a favorite right now. Then right as the doctor was leaving, Miles started waving. I told him to shake his hand, and he did. Such a little man:)

He remembered the doctor's office this time. He was fine until we went back and he needed to get weighed. From then on, he had a minor meltdown for everything they did. "You want to take my temperature in my armpit? I am going to lose it!" Saving the grand finale for the shots. I'm sure everyone in the whole office could hear him!

We are home now and doing good, though. Poor baby has had lots of snuggling today!

Clearing Out Some Clutter

2011-12-13T22:37:00.001-05:00

After posting my messy basement pictures the other day, I was definitely motivated to do some cleaning up. A lot of what we had lying around in sacks were Christmas gifts waiting to be wrapped. It really looked better just with that step!

I did a little desk organizing too, which I hate doing! I need a big desk with lots of drawers and organization to it. Instead, I have just a keyboard drawer and no place to put anything. My next desk will be awesome!

A few things to note in this picture: Our tree, a little light reading for me on the table, and my latest wreath!

Looking much better over here. The family rules sign is crawling along at a snail's pace, but I am loving it. The yellow is the color that the letters will be once I paint teal or brown (I haven't decided yet) over the top then peel the letters. There is definitely a learning curve to the Silhouette!

Here are our stockings hung with care.

Thankfully, the basement is tolerable to be in again. I need a cleaning lady (Mom!) to help me keep things picked up.

I am waiting to put the wreaths away because I need to embellish them a little still. I have a little leprechaun for the St. Patrick's wreath.

I am still not sure how I am going to store all these new wreaths. Any ideas?

Busy Beavers

2011-12-12T22:58:00.001-05:00

I'm not exactly sure what it is that sucks all the time out of the day (well, working is a big one). But besides that, I don't know where the time goes. We did have a pretty easy-going weekend. It is so nice to just kick back and relax. I just wish it would snow already!

Yesterday we went to church, Target for groceries, then got Big Apple Bagels to go. It was so yummy!!! It really reminded me of C.J.'s Bagels in Ankeny, which I miss so much (and my girls I would go there and eat it with!!). The good news too is that it's right at 36 and Dan Jones in Avon, so pretty close! Yay!

Usually we go to our small group on Sunday night, but we are on a break until after the first of the year. So we went to Keriann and Derrick's for some roast and potatoes. It was really good for Keriann's first roast! I'm sure she will be sharing the recipe soon. She's so good about trying new recipes!

Here is a picture of Miles this morning while we were playing before TJ got home from work. He has a torpedo in one hand and a shape in the other. He plays with them non-stop! So funny!

Other than that, I worked all day. I was having a little problem focussing. Can you see why?

Ahh! I hate it when it gets so messy! I had to take breaks and put things away. It already looks much better! Maybe by tomorrow afternoon it will be ready for an after picture.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Revisiting Girls Night Out

2011-12-08T06:43:00.000-05:00

Back in the beginning of 2009, I blogged about our Tour de Mexico with Regina and Natasha. (first night or part 1 or part 2 -- that donkey is missing, by the way) We were so good about getting together and eating yummy Mexican food. It's hard to believe how long it's been since we have gotten together!! So we decided to have a girls night out. Griffin crashed the party. No one minded his little sweet self being there one little bit!

Griffin - Natasha - Regina

Keriann - Me

Hopefully we can get back on track with our dinner dates! It's so fun to chat with these lovely ladies!

Valentine's Day Rag Wreath

2011-12-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

Once upon last October, I made some rag wreaths. I made a Halloween and Christmas one. You can revisit them here if you'd like. Keriann was itching to make herself a couple, so she got some Halloween and Christmas fabric. Then for both of us we got some Valentine's day and St. Patrick's day fabric. Up next is Easter.

And being the awesome sister that she is, she cut out all the strips! Remember when she cut a chunk of her thumb off? She has come a long ways to be using a rotary cutter again! She has a protective glove thing to wear, so that has really helped!

Last night I whipped up the Valentine's Day wreath. Here is my in progress shot.

Here it is all finished.

I want to get a heart and hang it down in the middle, like I did with the spider in the Halloween one, just to give it a little something special. I need a better way to store all these wreaths. Usually I put them in the totes with the holiday, but I think it would be nice to hang them somewhere so they don't get so flat. Anybody have any good ideas?

Baxter, Parties & the Silhouette

2011-12-06T18:18:00.000-05:00

Poor, poor baby Baxter had an eye injury recently. It started as a scratch and turned into a big ulcer. You could see a hole growing in the middle of his cornea. It was scary looking. But it was really nothing compared to what they did to his eye to fix the ulcer. They sewed it closed with his top lid to his third eyelid. Dogs have an extra one. It was gross, to say the least. He also acquired the cone.

(Baxter on Friday)

His stitches were supposed to be in until the 15th. Today when T.J. went to put in his drops, he noticed that one corner looked like the stitch had come out. We were worried about it, so he ran him to the vet this morning. They were going to still leave it in, just minus one of the stitches. The vet went back to clean around his eye, and while doing that another stitch came out. So they decided to take the stitches out and see how it was doing. It looks much better, but still a little red in his eye. We have to leave the cone on and still give him medicine, so hopefully soon Baxter will be back to normal.

(Baxter today)

This past weekend we had our Stewart Richardson Christmas party. It was at Euphoria, which is on the north end of the canal. The drinks were smooth, the food delicious, and the company was awesome. We had a lot of fun! Katie and Anna watched Miles, and he had a lot of fun too. He even slept in the next day:)

(Me & T.J.)

(Natasha, Jade & I)

(T.J., Keith & Chuck)

And last but not least, here is the newest addition to the McCord Craft Corner! Haha!

Meet La Silhouette.

It's my Christmas present, and T.J. let me have it early!!! I am sooo excited.

I've actually had it for about a week, but I just got it out of the box last night. Keriann came over to help me use it, which really helped me get through it. It's not too hard, but just takes some getting used to.

We got started on a project I have been meaning to complete for a long time!

The McCord Family Rules sign. If you've been in our house in the last year, you know that we have a white canvas hanging in the kitchen just waiting to be made over. Well, it's getting a facelift finally!!

Here is a peek at the first part of the rules.

Here is the base layer of paint. This will be the color of the letters after I'm all finished. Stay tuned for the final product!

Hugs for Herky

2011-12-05T08:32:00.000-05:00

Herky + Miles = BFF

Guard Dog

2011-12-03T15:00:00.002-05:00

Herky loves to sit on my lap and intently watch Miles eat/play with his food. Some day Miles will learn that it's fun to feed the dogs his food. For now, we are just happy he is eating without screaming his head off and thankful he doesn't know how much the dogs would love his food!

Funny Business

2011-12-03T08:00:00.004-05:00

I love when Miles laughs hard! The only problem is that every time he does, he gets the hiccups and laughs no more.

Christmas Lights

2011-12-02T15:00:00.003-05:00

We managed to get all the lights to turn on!! Derrick got on the roof with me and changed a fuse in the first strand around the top, and they all worked. Yay!!

See the tree in the bottom window?

The little shed has some lights this year too. I hope I can get some more good stuff on clearance this year at Target to keep adding to the light show! It looks great, but could use a little more. :)

This is really more what it looks like. It's pretty bright. But the fancy camera and I don't always work well together...so this is the best I could get as far as blurriness in this setting.

Considering this was our set up last year, I'd say it was a big improvement!

Miles loves our tree. I kind of wish we had set it up upstairs. I was worried he would drag it down on top of him or something. He likes to touch the ornaments, but he doesn't pull on them or anything. Once it's dark out and you can really see the lights, he will ooh and ahh over it every time we walk by the stairs and he can see it. Oh well. I think next year we are going to do two big trees, so he will have lots to look at.

He loves the ornaments that play music.

What a Ham!

2011-12-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

When we showed Miles the lights outside for the first time, this was the face he made.

We call it the O face. He makes it when he is in awe. So cute!

Monkeying Around

2011-12-01T15:00:00.002-05:00

Grandpa and Grandma McCord got Miles this cute little monkey before he was even born.

It hung on the side of his crib for a while. It has magnets in its hands and feet.

Miles grabbed him and was playing with him today, so I took him and hung him around his neck.

I expected a big fit but instead got this:

Hugs!

He didn't mind the monkey at all. Silly boy!

He's an Ar-teest!

2011-12-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

Miles worked on his first painting yesterday.

I saw this idea on Pinterest a while ago and thought he might like it. Not sure if he's quite there yet, maybe when he's a little older.

Oh, so pretty!

Then we got down for some milk.

And stuffed his pockets with toys. This was his first time using pockets, and it was a hoot!

Piggyback Rides

2011-12-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

Last night Keriann and Derrick came over for a visit, and Miles always loves having new people to play with!! They are pretty fun too! He's got some good laughs in this one!

The Next Derek Jeter?

2011-11-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

He does have a mean fastball. I am serious too. He zings them right to you. I have a feeling I'll be taking a lot of balls to the head/face while he is growing up.

Playing with Breakfast

2011-11-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

We are working on Miles feeding himself. He was pretty full after his Cheerios, some pureed blueberries and pears, so he was just playing with his grapes. He moved his grapes from slot to slot on his plate for a good 20 minutes. And he was so quiet and happy while doing it. It made for some nice quiet time for mom!