The Cows Have Come Home!

Today was a crazy day....I had jury duty and had to sit at the courthouse all day long only to be NOT picked and dismissed at 3:30pm. Seriously, if I've invested that much time I want to be picked! It made for a long day. The courthouse is old and smells funny and I'm thankful I don't have to work there. Yuck! Then I came home to spend time with Presley and then to take an exam for my class. It was cloudy and much cooler than it has been so we played outside for a while. Uncle Wesley moved the cows to the pasture behind our house and Presley is one happy girl! I like the cows back there too. It's nice to sit on the porch and watch them graze....it's peaceful.
Presley loved looking at them and Jared carried her over to the fence for a close look. She was staring them down! She liked watching them.

Jared also tried to get Presley to walk on the grass but she would have no part! She doens't like the grass and always makes a face and tonight she wouldn't put her feet down at all. It was cracking me up! She looks like a genie floating on the air!

She also kept trying to eat little pieces of dirt on the porch and I would tell her "no, no" when she'd go to put it in her mouth. She was crawling around and she picked up a piece of dirt, looked right at me and said "no, no". It was so clear! I of course screamed at Jared who was watering trees and tried to get her to repeat it....but no luck! She doesn't like to perform. Maybe she'll say it for him tomorrow night!

9 months old

My sweet Presley Lynn, you are 9 months old! You are growing so fast and adding more to our life every single day! I tried to take a picture of you in the 9 month onsie like I have done for all of the other months but you were a major wiggle worm and even with Daddy trying to help we never got a good picture. So last night we took you outside and you were laughing and playing so I grabbed my camera and this may be your "9 month old picture".

You weigh 20 lbs and 5 oz and are 28 inches long. You are in the 60th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. You have 2 bottom teeth already and your pediatrician says your 2 top ones are about to be in. You still sleep from 7:30pm-8am without waking up during the night. You nap for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. We can still take you to your crib awake and put you down and you don't fuss at all. You can crawl but you prefer to army crawl and you love to pull up on anything you can get your hands on. You have started to laugh and giggle more and more and this makes me and Daddy smile too. We are starting you on solid foods but if we'd let you choose you would eat Puffs all day! You truly are a "little piece of heaven" and the lyrics to the song Hold Onto Jesus is my prayer for you as you continue to grow. Your Aunt Kristina sang this song at your baby dedication and every time I hear it I make it my prayer. Thank you for being such a blessing and for adding so much to our life!

9 month check up

Presley had her 9 month check up today. She now weighs 19 lbs and 5 oz and is 28 inches long! We were super excited to hear that her ears looked fine because she pulls at them every night when she's tired. But he swears they look clear and that she must have developed a habit of pulling at them from when she was having so many problems with them a month ago. So I'm a little stressed over how I'll know when she's pulling because they hurt and when she's pulling because she's comforting herself! No shots today but they pricked her finger to do a blood test and she was not happy about that. She never throws a fit but she turned it on today. She kept bowing her back and the tears were flowing. I hated having to try and hold her still for the nurse. I didn't want her thinking I was the one hurting her! But once they were done and she was back in Daddy's lap she was fine. They gave her a little book and we don't go back until September. I love our pediatrician so much. He's so sweet with her and always makes me feel good. Oh and of course I love that he always tells us she's gorgeous. (Even though he probably tells everyone that!)

After her appointment we went shopping and got Jared some shirts for work and then we ate at Johnny Corino's. It was a good day and it made me think that my life is exactly where I want it to be! I have a sweet little girl and a wonderful husband. Fourteen years ago today Jared asked me out for the first time....man that makes me feel old! I love knowing that at 28 years old Jared has been part of HALF of my life!

Playing Around

I have a million pictures on my computer so I decided to try my hand at editing. It was so fun! This picture is from a few weekends ago when we went to Loose Wheels with some friends. This type of edit is called "60s photo" and I love the way it made the picture look. I swear this looks like the pictures in my baby book! I doubt I'll print it this way but it was fun to play around. I'm sorry this post is short....it's been a crazy week! Tonight though I dont have lecture because my instructor is in London so I get to cook supper and play with my 2 favorite people. Hopefully I'll snap some pictures tonight. And tomorrow Miss P will be 9 months old!

Oh it moves!

Presley is getting curious about things more and more each day. She likes to touch, taste and check everything out. I love to watch her and wonder what is going through her mind when she's exploring and learning new things. I used to let her sit in the high chair while I did dishes or cooked in the kitchen. Now she gets bored so I put her on the floor with a spoon and a bowl and she's usually pretty entertained. She discovered the high chair moves if she pushes it and she did it a hundred times the other morning! I shot this with my digital camera so sorry for the clicking noise! I still wanted to share....

Best Daddy Ever!

Yesterday was Father's Day...Jared's first official. He is so proud of his little girl and I know that she is crazy about him too! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have these two....
I cooked breakfast for Jared (with Presley supervising from her high chair) and then we went to church. I snapped this picture as we were going out the door. Jared is an amazing Daddy to Presley and a great husband to me. He helps with Presley just as much as I do and never bats an eye at anything...not even at the stinky diapers! I could not have anyone who is more helpful or sweet when it comes to Presley. I am blessed beyond measure and super proud of the Daddy that Jared has been!

Quote and Pics

I saved this quote to my computer some time ago and I ran across it today. I saved it because when I read it, it sounded just like my mother! I grew up with the most optimistic mom in the world who would always find the best in any situation. When someone was rude, or grumpy or whatever....she would always say "you have no idea what they are dealing with, this might be the worst day of their life". Sometimes when someone cuts me off or someone snaps at me my first instinct is to smack them. Then I think about mom saying that they may be fighting their biggest battle today. Without getting too sappy I wanted to share this quote and also a few pics of Miss P. Presley playing with her toys...

She can pull up all by herself now!

And we got her a cell phone....hahah. Kidding! But she sure does love mine and likes to hold it (and occassionaly dial numbers) but no worries. Her daddy says she can't have one until she can pay for it herself!

Sleepyheads!

I'm not sure why but we have all been super sleepy this week. We've gone to bed at normal time but each morning we are d..r..a..g..g..i..n..g! I have to take my first finance exam tonight but once I do that I'm crashing! She goes to bed at 7:30 and sleeps all night so I'll be catching some z's as soon as I can tonight too. I've been having to wake Presley up each morning which is nice. It is way easier to get ready on my own than when I'm trying to chase an 8 month old and get myself together. Presley's hair is getting longer and it's been crazy in the mornings. I couldn't help but snatch a picture!
And I had to take this one the other morning of Presley and her Daddy looking half-awake right before they left for the day. My sweethearts! Hopefully we'll be better next week. I seriously have no idea what our problem is. We all need some B-12 shots or something! :-)

Jaden's Bday

Last night we went to a pool party for Jaden's birthday! It was a swim party which was PERFECT considering it's been so hot! We got there a little early and Jared played with Landon and Jaden before all the other guest arrive. I promise to post video soon. Presley took a 2 1/2 hour nap before we got there so she had plenty of energy and was in a great mood. I pulled her hair up on top for the first time. It's still a little short to pull up but I thought it was cute. Here she is playing with her Pops while her Uncle Cody cooks burgers.

We let her play in the water before all the other kids arrived. I looked and looked for a float like this after she played in Conner's the other day. I finally found one at Wal-Mart and it was only $3. She is a water bug and loves to splash and to watch Landon and Jaden.

Heather and her dog Sophie, Callie, Landon, and Granny were at the party!

Eric, Andy and Jared waiting on the cake!

Pops took Presley to play in the water while we ate burgers and cake because she was a little restless.

But once she got in the water she was happy!

Here's the cake that Pops made for Jaden. I think I've decided on Zebra and pink for Presley's birthday. I've found a few things and have some ideas. I better tell pops to start practicing up on zebra stripes!

Jaden was so sweet and excited about all of his gifts. His uncle Andy was helping him out here.

Memaw's eyes were closed a little bit here but I think this picture is still good. Presley loves her Memaw and Pepaw. I'm so glad that she is getting to know her great-grandparents.

After the swimming started to wind down....the singing began! Aaron and Jaden started things off with "Hit me with your best shot!"

Jared and Aaron sang a few songs too. Here they are picking out a song and it looks like they found one Jared is excited about!

Presley listened and watched for a long time, then the swimming and the heat were just too much and she finally fell asleep. Pepaw, Mark and Jaden....

We stayed for a long time and had LOTS of fun. I will post video soon and I'm sorry this post was so long. Too many pictures to choose from!

Last night was Relay for Life. We went early so that Presely could enjoy the festivities before she got tired. She loves riding in her stroller and Jared sure doesn't mind pushing his little cutie around. I guess I need to have another baby so I can push someone around once in a while! I'm' telling you, these two are peas in a pod.
We walked around and then we listened to Jared's sister, Kristina sing praise songs with her group. You can see Jaden watching his mom sing too.

It was hot and we were sweating but I'm so glad we went. Both of Jared's parents are cancer survivors and we are so proud of them. I wish that neither one of them could say that they have been affected by such a horrible disease, but despite the fact that they have, these two have been troopers. They have used their trials to share their faith. When I would have given up they both have continued to praise God. They have been such an example to the family, to our church and to all those who know them. Jared's mom continues to undergo treatment and we pray for her constantly. Please continue to remember her in your prayers too! I snapped this picture of Presley with Granny and Pops. It's a little blurry but I think it's sweet. She is blessed to have such Godly grandparents and I am thankful to have them in her life!

Here Jared and Presley are waiting on the Survivors to walk by. Presley was hot and sweaty but we wouldn't miss seeing Granny and Pops walk by for anything. She even clapped for them!

Here are Granny and Pops walking the Survivor lap.

It was a good event and although we didn't stay long I am always humbled to see how many people in our tiny little county have been touched by cancer. And in a time in history when our society is so self centered and so material driven, it's amazing to see everyone pull together and share a common goal. A goal for a cure. I saw a tshirt the other day that made me cry but how true it is. It said:

And she took her grandaughter's hand and said,

"We turned the table, we raised the money that funded the research that found a cure to that terrible disease so that no one ever had to die from it again...ever."

My prayer is that we will soon see a cure. I know everyone can name mulitple people in their life that have battled cancer. Please pray with a heavy heart that God will reveal to us a cure. I pray for a cure now!

Play Play Play

Presley is getting to be such a busy body these days! She likes to move and wants to be entertained. I've been telling Jared that she's bored with her baby toys. Rattles and teethers just aren't enough fun for Miss P anymore. We need lights, movement, bells and whistles! I snapped a few pictures of her playing with this toy last night. At first she would grab one of the balls and just play with it. Now she tries to grab all of the balls and even though she can't push the knob to make it start again she knows to try. She's seen me and Jared do it enough she reaches over and touches the start knob every time the music stops. Such a little smart one!
She's really starting to pull up on all of her toys. It's like she wants to be on top of everything! I love the bright colors in these pictures. I need to edit them to lighten up the dark in the background but I usually take pictures and post them to the blog the next day so I don't get lots of editing done before I post them.

Don't let the picture fool you she's not putting the balls back in here. No way, she prefers to grab them as they pop up. She hasn't learned that once she takes them all out there won't be any more to pop up! We're working on that one!

And as you can see, Presley's hair is getting long....well mostly in the front. I've started to put clips in there to keep them out of her eyes but only when she's dressed up. I'm paranoid she'll pull the out and choke on them so I don't put one in during an average day. I know....I worry too much but I saw it happen when I worked at daycare and we even had to call an ambulance. It was scary! I don't want to have to do that with my little cupcake!

This weekend I am going to try and hit some consignment stores for some more toys for Presley. I want to get her some for memaws for the days she stays there. She likes things to pull up on and that has moving parts. I'm open to suggestions from you guys who have kids older than mine. So far my list of places to visit includes Kid to Kid and Once Upon a Time, both suggestions from Marla. I think paying full price for something she'll outgrow quickly is crazy. Toys are OVERPRICED. (Read the post where I talked about buying the $44 Leap Frog table!)

All Dressed Up

I'm behind this week on blogging! It's been crazy since we've gone to our summer schedule at work. During June and July we work longer days so we can be off on Fridays. It's worth it to get a 3 day weekend but it's so exhausting working 7-5 that I end up not getting much done on the day I'm off! But it's And speaking of summer.....it's gotten so warm and I'm excited because Presley has so many cute summer outfits! Jared took Miss P to his cousin Ethan's high school graduation last Friday while I was out of town. I am so PROUD of him. I didn't know he was going to graduation so I hadn't thought about laying something out for her to wear. Well now I know that Daddy is perfectly capable of handling her on his own....
He had her decked out and I love it! I bought this halter dress for Presley before she was born and I've been waiting for her to get to wear it. I had it hanging in her closet but hadn't given it much attention. Jared dressed her in it, found a matching bow, and even painted her toenails purple so she was dressed up from head to toe. I love that he wanted her to be so cute! I am so lucky to have such a sweet guy to help me out with Presley. But more importantly I'm so lucky to have a guy who is so head over heels for his little girl!

Master's Class In Session

Yesterday was my first day of graduate class. I'm taking the course online and it's a summer course so it's crammed into 5 shorts weeks. On top of that, it's a finance class which is not my favorite subject. But for some reason I feel like this was the time to start working on my Masters (I've played with the idea for a long long time) but this time everything seemed to fall into place and I kept running out of excuses not to do it. So here I am....enrolled in a graduate class. If I pass this one then there's only 9 more before I'm done! (I'm trying to be optimistic here!)
My main concern has been that it would take time away from Presley but I'm determined not to let that happen. Last night I came home, played with Miss P and put her to bed at 7:30 like normal. Then I studied and listened to the first lecture (that let me just say was 106 minutes long) while my sweet husband grilled our supper. I managed to listen to the entire lecture, make notes, and complete the homework assignment and still be in bed by 10:30. Now I know that there will be lots of nights that it doesn't work exactly like that but I am going to try my hardest to keep life normal and to balance being a mommy and being a student. And I know that will be hard because everytime Presley looks at me with those big blue eyes and says momma I can't help but stop what I'm doing and love on her. But I'm determined to do it. I'm stressed out of my mind but I keep thinking about how great it will feel once this class is over. I know finishing a class will give me the confidence I so desperately need right now! First test next Tuesday I'll let you guys know how that goes!

Daddy's Girl

I've said it before but "DADDY'S GIRL!" and here are a few photos to prove it. I've taken several pictures this week and wanted to share. I came home one day to find them looking at a Off Road magazine together in the recliner.
And Jared lets Presley drive him around in his suzuki.

Two peas in a pod...that's all I have to say! And I wouldn't want it any other way!

Leap Frog Table

We recently bought Presley a Leap Frog table and she has been loving it! At first we took 2 of the legs off so she could sit and play but now she likes to pull up on it. She makes noises with her mouth the whole time she's playing and she is entertained for a long time by it.

I love this picture ...she looks so big here!

And today at lunch I went to Target because Tuesdays are when they mark their clearance down. Sad, I know but see going there all the time does have some advantages. Check out my latest find: Size 12 month pajama sets that have a shirt, pants, and shorts. For $2.98 each. That's right...not a typo....$2.98 each. They have been there a few weeks for $10.98 so I was pumped to see them so cheap today! I think Presley is adorable in pajamas so I will be putting her in these as soon as she can wear them. Woot woot! Proud of my purchase!