Christmas Lights

Last Monday my office volunteered to work at the Loy Lake Christmas Light display. Cindy, Donna, Marla and I bundled up and spent 2 1/2 hours in the FREEZING cold to hand out suckers and take donations from those who drove through to see the lights. It's an office tradition and although we started whining about the cold the week before we managed to survive and to have a great time. Of course dinner at El Chico's after sure made things better!

My handsome little nephew Gavin came by the light display not once but TWICE! My neice Amarah of course was with him but it was impossible to get a picture with both of them smiling. So here are two pics....one with Gavin smiling, the other with her. Presley stayed at home with Granny but I'm sure next year she'll be in the back seat along with them!

Their favorite display was toward the end and it was Santa and his reindeer "flying" taking off in the sleigh. All Amarah talked about the rest of the night was how she saw the reindeer flying to go to her house. I hope she started her letter with "Dear Santa...I can explain". Hahaha...I'm just kidding. She's a sweetie and I can't wait for my little one to tag along right behind her.

It was a great night and got me to thinking (or feeling sappy or whatever)...I am so blessed to have such sweet coworkers that I also call my friends. I love where I'm at and look forward to work each day. Seriously....each day is great and I am blessed because of them. I love you guys and can't wait until our "office party" this next weekend. I'm sure we'll have plenty of pictures to post!

12 weeks old

My first Craig's List purchase was for Presley. I must say I had emails going all over the place trying to find the perfect jumperoo at a great price and at a convenient location. And finally....I did! I found a Precious Planet Fisher Price Jumperoo for $40 in Plano from a sweet girl who has a 13 month old. The jumperoo looks brand new and I must say was a GREAT purchase. It's still the current version on the shelf at Babies R Us and retails there for $99. So woohoo...momma found a great bargain and babycakes LOVES it!

And as a side note yes, I acknowledge that Craig's List is addicting. I think I like the challange and the detective work of finding an item. Marla keeps warning me that I'll get addicted. But no worries Lyndsay...I told your her I would be more than happy to be in the same rehab as you!

As you can see in this picture Presley's feet don't touch the ground but no worries I soon decided to put a pillow under them and it works great. For the first few days she just sat there looking at all of the toys and the lights.

She really checked things out. I had to also stuff a small blanket behind her to keep her scooted to the front. She didn't reach out for things but she sure stared them down! And I love this picture just because you can see that Presley's hair is growing super fast and so are her eyelashes. My blue-eyed little angel!

And she is such a happy baby the majority of the time now. Life is so much easier with a baby that smiles and laughs! Oh and she is sleeping through the night except for a 3:30 feeding. But she goes right back to sleep so it's great!

This picture shows Presley getting distracted....by the television...which I keep noticing more and more. When I dropped her off at Memaws the other morning I overheard Pepaw telling her she was way too young to be starting that. LOL But despite his warnings, she will be jumping and then something will catch her attention and she stops to check it out. Even if it means looking backwards over her shoulder to do so!

Oh and you can see that she has started to reach out and grab at the toys. Jared and I were talking in the kitchen the other night and we heard one of the rattle toys and we both peeked around the bar...and there she was working the toys over. And she hasn't stopped since!

Here's a short video of the jumping (assisted by a pillow)!

2 months old

I have several...okay a bunch of pictures that I took (all yesterday). I think I was feeling kinda sad that my baby is growing up so fast. Who knew the 2 month milestone would come so fast?!



My sweet baby girl...today you are 2 months old! With each day that passes you are more amazing and more beautiful than the day before! I can never thank God enough for choosing me to be your mommy. Just last night your daddy and I talked about how much more Thanksgiving and Christmas will mean to us this year. People told me it would be this way but until now we couldn't even begin to understand what it would be like to have our own little blessing. We love you and cherish your every breath, your every smile, your every cry. I can never praise God enough for sending such a sweet little angel to us. We love you Presley and all that you will add to our lives! My sweet little cupcake!



At 2 months old you...

weigh 11 lbs 2 oz and are 22 1/2 inches long

wake up smiling every single morning

like to "talk" when you have someone's attention

sleep from about 10pm until 3am when you eat, and then until 6am (wahoo!)

are awake most of the day

I love headbands and bows on you! Yes, I often hear the comment "that bow is as big as her head"...but I don't care. I think they are adorable. And Daddy even makes sure you have one before we leave the house! I started buying them before you were born and I am currently looking for one to match your dress for unlce Eric's wedding. Yes it's not until March but she already has a dress and hopefully will have a bow to match it soon!
I like this picture because you were looking right at me and seem to be in some deep thought. Or maybe it could be that I was making crazy faces and sounds to get your attention!

After a bath (which you love) daddy always holds you in the recliner. Yeah, so I'm not the only one spoiling you. Daddy seems to always have you on his chest from about 7:30-9:30 each night. But I'm not jealous because I want you to always be close to him and know how much he loves you. I couldn't help but take this picture last night! This position is how we usually burp you and you always look so peaceful. I know it looks crazy but this position was a lifesaver when you were so fussy the first 6 weeks and now daddy still holds you like that sometimes and it puts you right out.

You still sleep with your arms behind your head when you are really out. And when I went in to check on you right before I went to bed, I found you like this:

It was hilarious...you had your arms behind your head and were holding your feet up off the mattress. I have no idea how you sleep like that but you seemed content. And I'm sorry about the socks....they don't match but they were handy when I put your pajamas on!

This morning I put you in the bouncer and sat you in the bathroom while I got ready like I always do. Except this morning you didn't sleep through it like normal. You were bright eyed and in a great mood! And I'm super excited because I got some really great smiles on camera!! I've been trying for a week and this was the first time you let me capture them.

I enjoyed the time we spent together this morning and I hope that I will always take time to stop and watch you. I never want to forget these little moments...

8 weeks old

My sweet little Presley you are 8 weeks old today! I can't decide how I feel. I want you to stay tiny and innocent and sweet forever. But I also want you to learn and grow and do new things. Sniff...sniff...



At 8 weeks you are awake a large part of the day. You have started to smile at us and almost...almost laugh out loud. You look like your voice is right there and I know we will get to hear your sweet little laugh very soon. Your eyes are blue and always super bright. Your Daddy and I still love to sit and look at you. And now you are looking back at us. How fun!


And you are a great sleeper. Praise Jesus...those first 6 weeks were insane. But now you eat about 10pm and will sleep until 2 or 3 each morning. Then once you're fed again you sleep until about 6:15 am. I can totally handle this schedule! That every two hours was rough on us both. But you're doing so great now and I can even lay you back down after your feeding when you're still awake. You will lay there and kick and make little noises until you drift back off to dream land. I honestly don't feel sleep deprived anymore!


You like to have some play time too. You are great at holding your head up when you are on your tummy but you like being on your back much better. I honestly think it's because you can see more going on around you. We used to hold you 24/7 but now sometimes you just want to lay on your own. You HATE the swing but you like the bouncer and the little pink gym that you got at the shower. You like to hold your legs up and to kick when you get excited. It puts a smile on my face every time!


Your Daddy went hunting one night this week and I snuggled with you for a little while but then decided to finish laundry. I put you in your bouncer and thought I'd try sitting you in front of the tv for just a little bit. I know your eye sight isn't super great at a distance yet but I thought maybe the sound and lights would keep your attention. Madagascar Christmas was on so I sat you down and you were one happy baby. I finished the laundry and then came back in to check on you. I couldn't help but take a picture. Your first movie!


The best part was watching your expressions. I sat in the floor in front of you and watched you for a while. I kept thinking about how much you've grown and how alert you are now. Your expressions crack me up! This picture shows how wide eyed you were and you kept moving your arms all alround.

Here is a short little video of you playing in the floor. You aren't super active with it yet but you do like to hold your legs up and kick them around. You're gonna have some strong tummy muscles as much as you hold your legs up in the air. Hahaha....maybe mommy should try that!!

Halloween Fun

Presley's first Halloween. Yes I dressed her up....as a lady bug. We didn't go out anywhere just down to Granny and Pop's house but I did take a bunch of pictures! And of course Presley's cousins Gavin, Amarah, and Jewel came by. These pictures are actually from the night before Halloween but we still had fun! So I really tried hard to get a good pic where you could see that it said "Love Bug" not so much luck. Pictures will be so much easier when she can sit up....maybe! Gavin (4) and Amarah (3) stopped by in full costume. Amarah wanted to be "scary" so Sara found her this hilarious dragon suit and Gavin was Micheal Phelps. They were big enough this year to really understand dressing up and were all about showing them off. This is my favorite picture because they had their arms around each other but it's a little blurry. And Amarah kept on and on about wanting her picture with "Baby Cousin". Sara was unsure but I was on Amarah's side...so she got to help hold her.

And my OB asked me what Presley dressed up as when I saw him for my 6 week check up and wants me to send him a picture. So this is what he's gonna get....

Amarah wanted to do "a scary face picture"....

And Gavin kept telling us how strong Micheal Phelps was...

Presley wasn't too animated as a lady bug but she seemed okay with it. HAHA!

Gavin wanted to take a picture and after assuring Sara that it would be fine....he took this one.

My older sister Paula and my neice Jewel called and wanted to stop by too so of course we said yes! It was later when they came by so the kids had changed out of their costumes and we watched cartoons while we waited. Jared took this picture and made fun of us for all sitting on the same couch. But hey...we like each other! Although I don't think it was me the kids were wanting to be close to. Baby Cousin is so much more interesting to the kids!

And finally Paula and Jewel got there and the kids were SUPER wound up. They were so loud and running around and having a blast. They don't get to see each other very often and trust me they make up for it when they do. This was right before Paula and Jewel left (they were heading to the Great Wolfe Lodge). You can see how red their cheeks were. Sweaty kids!!

After everyone left sweet little Presley was pooped. She fell asleep so I put her in the bouncer. I can't believe how much she's grown!! Next year she'll be running around with all of the other cousins!

One Month Old

Man the first month flew by! Presley has already changed so much. Here are some random pics from our first month...

I borrowed this onsie so I could take her picture from my sweet friend Kate and her little man Hudson. She did this with him and I thought it was super cute. I want to be able to look at her "month" pictures and see how much she has changed. So here's Presley at one month old! I had to lay her down for this one because it just wasn't working to sit her up. The frustration we experienced is displayed in the second picture....

Ha...see why I ended up laying her down? She was not happy about this at all. This next picture I put up because it shows how she always keeps her feet. She has little monkey toes like me and always keeps them together when she's in the bouncer. She's gonna hate me for pointing this out to everyone! Sorry baby girl...you can blame me for giving you those toes.

And as I mentioned in earlier blogs....Daddy's girl. Presley had been fussy and I was trying to get some things done around the house so Daddy offered to entertain her. After noticing it had gotten quiet I found the two of them on our bed...sleeping away.

And to further argue my point, this was her first trip to church...to Aunt Deb's surprise birthday party actually and the first time she wore something other than just a onsie or pajamas. Daddy picked this outfit out at Babies R Us and even dressed her himself. She wouldn't keep her eyes open for the picture but I think she's adorable anyway!

So far Presley has LOVED bath time. She can be screaming her little head off and sticking her in a nice warm bath (with lavander Sleepy Bath soap) does the trick every time. Jared and I both have this pic as our background on our phone. Her eyes are so bright and she was super content on Daddy's legs.

We recently switched to using the bath tub but at first we used the sink. At first she fit perfectly but now she's too long. But see how happy she is....just hanging out.

And how cute is this budda belly?!! LOL

First Photo Shoot

From the moment I knew I was pregnant I couldn't wait to have my baby's first real photo shoot. I booked the appointment way before I knew boy or girl and I'm sure I drove Mylissa crazy telling her about my ideas. But finally the day came!! We did Presley's pictures when she was 2 weeks old and Mylissa was sweet enough to come to my house. Which is good because before we were done Presley had peed on her daddy and we had to break twice for her to eat. Honestly after Mylissa left I was doubtful how great the pictures would be. But then when I saw the proofs...I teared up. They are exactly what I wanted!!

Presley's little belly looks huge in this picture...haha and I love her little bottome up in the air.
I'm a huge fan of black and white and I think it's completely appropriate for this picture. I think we look so still and quiet and in total awe of our little one. We were actually sitting on our couch and I know that you guys can't really see it but it means a lot to me that we were at home right in the middle of our little world and having this little moment with our new baby.

I wish my smile had been bigger here but I LOVE the expression on Presley's face. She looks so peaceful.

I have always always always wanted this picture. It was tricky to get her to hold them. Every time Mylissa put the rings on there she would curl up her toes and it wasn't the pose we were trying to get. But after a bunch of shots we got the perfect one!

This one made me cry the first time. I'm not going to lie. I don't remember her taking this shot and when I was looking at the proofs it completely caught me off guard. Her hand looks super tiny here! It's so sweet to me to see her holding her daddy's hand.

I know the bow is huge but I think it's cute. And guess what...so does her daddy. I thought he would hate them when I brought them home (and yes I bought them way before baby cakes was even born) but every time we leave the house if I don't have a bow in my hand he sends me back in to grab one. Yeah...my tough guy now matches bows to outfits, clips her tiny nails, pushes a stroller through stores and all kinds of other things he probably never thought he would do.

And I think this picture says it all....

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