Valentines....

If you are a teacher or a mommy of little ones who exchanges Valentines, you will appreciate this post! If you're not, you probably won't find this all that interesting..ha! Sorry! It's hard to believe, but this is the first Valentine's Day in I don't even know how long that I won't be filling out twenty-something Valentine cards for sweet kiddos. Even before I had my own class, I loved passing out Valentine cards to the students I worked with in my internships/practicums and during student teaching. Valentine's Day is just so fun with little ones.

The kids always loved making their own mailboxes to receive their Valentine mail in. :)

Anyhow, even though I won't be handing out Valentines this year, I figured some of you (or your kids) might be! If you are, here are some super-cute & FREE Valentines that you can just print off your computer! They are designed by Rachel over at Moments with my Miracles (she also did my blog design!). If you like any or all of these Valentines, click HERE to download them for FREE! :)

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

I Heart Organizing

Maybe I'm a bit late to the party, but I just came across this blog over the weekend...

...and I'm loving it! After perusing the blog for a bit and seeing all of the fab.u.lous organizational tips, I came away feeling a little overwhelmed (b/c I don't think I could EVER be that organized) and motivated to get to organizing myself! During Shelby's afternoon nap today, I did a quick organizational makeover to our pantry and the cabinet underneath our bathroom sink...and the end result feels oh-so-good! I'm loving it! If you haven't visited this blog before, do yourself a favor and stop on by! I promise you won't regret it! Do you have any organizational blogs/sites/tips of your own that you would recommend??

4 Months!

Sweet Shelby turned 4 months old on Monday! :)

We had her 4 month check-up on Tuesday where we learned that she is now in the 100th percentile for weight (Derek says this means she is statistically the biggest baby ever..I prefer to think that is not the case!) and the 92nd percentile for height. Milk is obviously doing her body good! ;) She had 3 shots and 1 oral vaccination, and she did great--only crying for a second just like she did at her 2 month appointment. She did fine on Tuesday, but she had a low-grade fever and was a little fussy on Wednesday and slept a lot more than usual as a result.
I had mentioned in the 3 month post that Shelby was sleeping for an 8-hr stretch at night and napping really well..well, that kind of fell by the wayside during the holidays. We realized that having out-of-town guests and traveling home to GA was really fun with Shelby, but not so conducive to a sleeping routine! Ha! But thankfully, we are now back on track..which makes for a happy baby & a happy mama! Her naps in particular are becoming quite predictable, which does this type A mama's personality some good! :)

Here's what Shelby is up to these days...

--goes to bed at 8pm and wakes up sometime between 4-6am to nurse, then goes back to sleep until 7:30-8:30am
--takes a long morning nap and an afternoon nap..depending on the length of the afternoon nap, we sometimes have time to squeeze in a 3rd early evening nap
--still taking PrevAcid for her acid reflux and still spitting up all.the.time. I long for the days when spitting up is a distant memory!
--laughing..and we think it's the best sound in the world!
--loves to stand up in my lap and touch my face or grab my hair
--loves reading stories
--enjoys sitting up in her Bumbo seat or playing in her jumperoo
--enjoys taking her pacifier out of her mouth and trying to get it back in her mouth on her own (I think we're going to have Little Miss Independent on our hands!)
--does really well running errands with her mama :)
--wearing 6 month clothes some 9 month pants to give her belly some more breathing room ;)

We are planning to start Miss Shelby with rice cereal in the coming days, so we are looking forward to that! It is so fun to watch Shelby learn and grow with each passing day...she is such a blessing! We love you, baby girl!

Christmas Cards

Yes, I know it's January 19th..but let's talk about Christmas for just a bit, shall we? Thank you in advance for indulging me. ;) One of my favorite parts about Christmas is sending out our card each year and receiving sweet cards from our friends & family in the mail. I hate to throw away the cards, but I never know what to do with them or how to display them. This year, I started doing a Christmas card tree to display the cards that we receive in the mail. But I was still stumped with what to do with our cards from each year.

But an idea came to me as I was putting away all of our Christmas decor this year. I came across a Hallmark instant scrapbook (like these) that my mom had given me one year and I'd never used.
Basically, it already has cutesy paper, stickers, etc. decorating all of the pages..you just have to add the pictures..and voila--you have a beautiful scrapbook instantly! (Hence the name! Ha!) Well, I decided to just put one Christmas card on each page and a little blurb about that particular Christmas. Since we'll be moving around a lot over the years, I'm also putting the year and where we were living at the time.
My plan is to keep this album of our Christmas cards out on our coffee table or the table in our entry way for us to enjoy each holiday season. What do you do with your Christmas cards from each year??

And I know I said I would get Shelby's 4 month post up last night..and I'm sure some of you were just on the edge of your computer chairs all night waiting for it--ha! We had to be wait an hour to be seen by the doctor (and of course I was told to arrive 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork..so we waited one hour and 15 minutes..and please keep in mind my 4 month old baby can only tolerate being awake for 2-2 1/2 hour increments of time) then go and have her immunizations done..so we didn't get home until later than anticipated..then we had a diaper explosion which necessitated an immediate bath and load of laundry to be done. Shelby was such a trooper, but needless to say we were both exhausted by the end of the day! I'm sure that was more information that you needed/wanted to know, but I'll try to get her 4 month post up tonight or tomorrow! :)

In Honor of MLK, Jr. Day...

First of all, THANK YOU to all of the mommies who commented on my last post! :) It's nice to know that I am not alone in the postpartum hair loss and that there is an end in sight!

Martin Luther King, Jr. is part of the Kindergarten curriculum, so in honor of this holiday I will share with you my fave stories from teaching this unit...

While reading a book about MLK, Jr. to my little people, we were discussing the photographs of segregated public places that were pictured in the book. On one particular page, there was a picture of a school with only black students. We were discussing how this wasn't fair, etc. Suddenly one sweet little black girl in my class gasps. I ask her what's wrong, and she responds in a horrified voice: "That's what my hair place looks like!" Then I fumble trying to explain why that is okay. ;)

To understand this next story, you have to know that at our school it is standard procedure for kindergarteners to sit in the very front seats of the bus so that the bus driver can keep a close eye on them. Now on to the story...during our unit on MLK, Jr. we read a story about Rosa Parks. We were discussing why it was so unfair that MLK. Jr. and Rosa Parks and other people were forced to sit in the back of the bus or even have to give up their seat for other people because of the color of their skin. One of my little boys interrupts our discussion and proclaims that his bus isn't fair either. When I ask why, he tells me that his bus driver tells him where to sit and that is just not right. ;)

One of the things I miss most about teaching is the innocence of five and six year-olds. There is nothing more refreshing than seeing the world through their eyes. I always loved teaching this unit to my students for this precise reason.

Happy MLK, Jr. Day! I hope you enjoyed the long weekend! :) Oh, and I almost forgot..happy 4 month birthday to my baby girl! :) Due to the holiday today, we have her 4 month check-up and shots (ugh!) tomorrow afternoon. So I'll be back sometime tomorrow evening with her 4 month post!

Oh, the hair!

Well, I may need to alter my chore chart a bit and make vacuuming a more frequent task in this household due to the extreme amount of hair falling out of my head at an incredibly rapid rate. I kid you not--it is ri.dic.u.lous. I had always heard that women's hair tends to fall out post-pregnancy. Well, that didn't happen to me right away..so I kind of assumed it wouldn't ever happen for me. I mean, I didn't experience any of the typical symptoms during my pregnancy (ie. morning sickness, cravings, etc.), so it seemed logical that I might not experience typical symptoms after my pregnancy either. Well, three months after Shelby was born the hair started to fall out like crazy, and it hasn't let up since. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up one morning without any hair left on my head. So I'm thinking vacuuming just once a week just isn't going to cut it. Other mommies out there--does this incessant-hair-falling-out phenomenon eventually let up?!?!

New Year's Resolutions...

Okay, I realize we're already half-way through January..but we are just getting going on our New Year's Resolutions here in the Smith household! We were out of town for New Year's, and when we did get back we were busy dealing with this, which is why we're just getting around to our goals for 2011. Derek & I each have a few resolutions that we plan to work on this year, but I find that I tend to make goals and forget about them by the time February rolls around. So I wanted to make a plan to keep myself accountable for my resolutions.

One of my goals is to be more organized at home and stay on top of the "house work." Before having a baby, I assumed it would be so easy to keep a clean house if I stayed at home..HA! It's amazing how quickly the days go by when you're at home with a little one! In between nursing, diapers, playing, cleaning up spit-up, reading books, wardrobe changes due to the afore mentioned spit-up, etc...it's easy to let the housework get put on the back burner! So here's my attempt to stay on top of it all...

{click on photo of Chore Chart to enlarge}

So the idea is that I have certain chores to be done daily, some that will be done once a week, once a month, and once every 3 months.

And in addition to my handy-dandy little chore chart (and yes, I know I'm a nerd for making a chore chart...but I figure if it helps me keep this resolution, then it's totally worth it!), I've created a little daily to-do list of sorts. I got the term/inspiration for the "Daily Docket" from the Simple Mom blog, but I've made a few changes to it to suit my needs. I consider myself to be a bit of a Type A personality, so I like having a plan in mind for each day. As of now, I think I will fill out the Daily Docket the night before the next day, so that way when I wake up I'll already have an idea of what my day is going to look like. And there's nothing I love more than a good ole to-do list. (Don't you just love the feeling of crossing things off?!?!) So the daily docket is really just a glorified to-do list.

{click on photo of Daily Docket to enlarge}

Because I'm anal, I have a different Daily Docket form for each day of the week so that way I can list the chores that are specific to that day. For example, this is Monday's form so it lists that I will meal plan/grocery shop...Tuesday's form lists Tuesday's chores, and so on.

Again, call me nerdy..but I'm kind of excited to see if this organization will help me! My plan is start using these forms on Monday..I'll keep you posted on how it goes! Does anyone else have anal organization systems like this, or am I crazy?! And if anyone likes these forms, I'd be happy to share my documents with you or share some sites (in addition to Simple Mom) I found for inspiration!

Wordless Wednesday

These videos really aren't all that exciting, but Shelby's grandparents will enjoy them. :)
Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Cheering on the SEC

Shelby & her Daddy are busy cheering on the SEC together!

(It pains us to cheer for Auburn, but we gotta root for the SEC!)

We just pulled Shelby's Bumbo seat out for her this week when we got back from our trip to GA, and she does so well in it! She also l.o.v.e.s. the lights of the TV, so Derek now has a new little buddy to watch TV with! :)

Meet our New BFF's

Introducing our new, close & personal friends...

Yep, that's right. Pepto & Clorox wipes. Derek's friend would be the Pepto, and my friend would be the Clorox wipes. We had a nasty stomach bug hit our house Thursday night, and Derek was the victim. He has never been sick in our 3.5 years of marriage (but I've more than made up for his lack of illness with everything I caught from my sweet kindergarteners over the years!), but the poor thing has had it bad for the past couple of days. He was immediately quarantined to the couch and downstairs bathroom, with his close friend Pepto never far from his side. I did my part by wiping down every hard surface in the house with Clorox wipes..it's been a fun couple of days around here! Ha! I was just so scared that I would get it too. Shelby and I kept our distance from Derek from the minute we noticed his symptoms, but I was just terrified that Shelby or I would get it..but so far, we're still in the clear! Thank goodness! And Derek has finally graduated from being passed out on the couch to sitting upright on the couch..so we're moving in the right direction!

I'm thankful Derek is feeling better and that Shelby & I are still healthy...but I'm also so bummed. Derek only gets 10 days of leave each year during residency, and he has to take them in two 5-day blocks. This is the first time he's been able to take leave since starting residency..we spent the first part of the week in GA..so this latter part of the week was supposed to be our real break, but instead we are spending it with Pepto & Clorox in hand..not exactly the relaxation we were envisioning! Oh, well!

Wishing you a happy & healthy weekend!

A Belated Christmas in Georgia

We celebrated a belated Christmas in Georgia with Derek's family this past week. Derek's last night on call was December 30th, so we headed home on New Year's Eve. We actually missed the ringing in of the New Year due to crossing over time zones! We were just driving along in Alabama, and all of sudden we realized the clock went from 11:10pm to 12:10am! Oh, well!

We celebrated with BooBoo and PopPop (Derek's mom & step-dad) and had a great time eating, exchanging gifts, doing crafts, and most of all spending quality time with one another!

Please note the matching shirts..do you think these are proud grandparents, or what?!
Checking out her new toy!
Shelby gave them a stepping stone with her handprints on it to match the stepping stones that her Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Maleah, & Uncle Lucas made with their handprints a few years ago!

Later that week we celebrated with Grandad and Grandma (Derek's dad & step-mom). They have a train that goes around their Christmas tree, and Shelby just sat there mesmerized by it! It was too cute!

And we were thrilled when we discovered that our big present from Grandad and Grandma was a train for our own Christmas tree! I can't wait to see how much Shelby will have with the train next year at Christmas! I'm sure we'll make lots of memories with it in the years to come. Derek was so excited he had to open the train right then and there and try it out on his dad's track. (And then he got the train out again when we got back to my parents' house later that night to play with it some more! Ha!)
We had such a wonderful time in GA! Ever since we moved away from home, it's always chaotic when we go back b/c we're running here, there, and everywhere trying to squeeze in visits with all of our family & friends. Now it's even more chaotic with a baby in tow..not to mention with all of the stuff you have to tote around with a baby! But we are so thankful we got to spend a few days at home for the first time as a family of three. :) But it sure felt good to get back to Biloxi and back into our regular routine!
Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

Highlights of 2010...

Phew..what a year! The year started out with a bang on January 1st when we found out we were pregnant, and the year just never slowed down! Got a new car in March, my parents' accident in April, Derek's graduation in May, Derek started residency, we moved to Biloxi, and we welcomed Shelby into the world in September! Here's the highlights in pictures...

It hardly seems possible that it's already the 6th of January since we just got back into town from celebrating a belated Christmas in GA. Derek & I spent the day taking down our Christmas decorations (is it just me, or does your house look so bare once the Christmas decorations are all put away??) and chatting about New Year's Resolutions. Here's to a great 2011!