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12.30.2011

Five Question Friday


1. What's the oldest piece of clothing in your closet?
Hmmm... well I just bagged up a heck of a lot of old clothes for a yard sale... so now I'd have to say probably my black dress. Bought it for a funeral in high school.

2. How many random blog readers have you met?
Like in person? The only ones I have "met" I already knew in person.

3. Do you let your kids stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve?
Later, LATER, on down the road sure! Right now... heck no. Elah's sleep schedule is crappy as it is! No rocking the boat here!

4. What are the gas prices where you live?
The cheapest I saw today was $3.19. Ick.

5. What is one resolution that you know you should do but are too afraid to try?
I really want to try Weight Watchers... but I don't want to fork out the money. I know, lame, but I think about what I could use that money for elsewhere, and it's just not something I want to spend money on. I do however I want to lose at least 15lbs before getting pregnant, I'm hoping that once it warms up Elah and I can go on more walks again!



12.28.2011

What A Year It Has Been!

Just to forewarn you, this post may be a little lengthy!

This week has been crazy! We wanted to have Boogie open one gift with us before all of the festivities so one day last week we allowed her to open one of her Christmas gifts... a ball. She did so great tearing the paper off! We started off the weekend on Friday with a family dinner at Justin's grandmother's house with his entire family. Boogie and her new little cousin Andrew are the first great grandchildren for J's nanny so I know she was delighted that both little ones could be there. Boogie was fascinated by Andrew, he's around 2 months old, maybe 3, she just pointed and said "baby!" I think when the time is right she will make a wonderful big sister! She received a little teapot set from Nanny for Christmas. From there we went to J's parents to exchange gifts. Boogie received lots of wonderful things including lots of little cars from Papa Grey, a play vacuum, a toy picnic basket, and lots of other fun goodies!

On Saturday J had to work most of the day, so Boogie and I spent the afternoon with my mom and dad. We helped her get the house ready for my dad's family who were coming over for our annual Christmas Eve festivities. All the children get gifts, so that included Boogie and her 4 cousins of varying ages. She received lots of fun goodies from her great aunts and cousins! After everyone left we exchanged gifts with my parents and brother, and mom really outdid herself! She made Boogie a Raggedy Ann Doll, all of us pj's, two blankets, and even a diaper bag for me! Boogie also received lots of cute owl clothes (even I received lots of owl goodies!) and a few things from her Great Aunt Amy.

On Sunday (Christmas Day) J had to work most of the day again, but luckily he didn't have to go in until 9:30 so we were able to celebrate Christmas that morning. We got Boogie a Noah's Ark play set, a Dino Ball Popper, lots of blocks, puzzles, books, and a few other fun things. She really got into opening presents this past weekend, I was a little worried she'd be disinterested, but she loved it! Nene and Papaw (my parents) came over to spend some time with Boogie and I while J was at work, so that was nice to have a little company. I won't lie though, it was still annoying and depressing that J had to work all day, but Boogie and I had a blast playing with all of her new toys nonetheless!

Monday night I attempted to make cupcakes from scratch for Boogie's 1 year photos... and to practice for her birthday. That didn't work out so well. Let's just say that I will be making cupcakes from a box mix and practicing many many many times next year before her 2nd birthday! Either way... the cupcakes turned out yummy and cute, and on Tuesday morning Boogie had a ball eating that cupcake! Boogie and I spent the rest of the day at my mom's working on birthday decor. We made tissue pom-pom's, a Happy Birthday banner, a timeline banner, and mom is going to make her a "1" shirt for her party on Saturday.

OK, so enough for updating you on the past week. TODAY was Boogie's 1st birthday! Oh, how much my little one has grown, I can't believe it! My little 5lb 13oz girl born a year ago at 9:07pm has grown into a beautiful, smart, and mischievous little girl. She lights up my world and continues to teach me about life, love, and what it means to be a family. She is still trying to figure out this whole walking thing, but really she isn't all that interested. She's too busy crawling, laughing, playing, and nursing to care much about whether she should walk or not! She is going to be a talkative little one, she is constantly learning new words. She is SO smart! She's really into cows right now, and baby dolls... she loves cheese, mommy milk, and I definitely think she will be a girly girl. She loves beads and shiny sparkly ribbons. She is still nursing a lot, both for nourishment and comfort. She eats like a pro, the only thing she isn't a fan of right now is raspberries. Pretty much anything else I put in front of her is fair game.

I just can't believe how quickly this last year has flown by. I miss a lot about the newborn stage, but I must say that this 1 year old stage is so fun! We are looking forward to her birthday party on Saturday, I'm sure it will be a blast with our families and friends. I'll update again with pictures and details from her party sometime this weekend! And then next Tuesday is her 1 year checkup, so I will of course update with her stats as well! Until then... here's a little timeline from this year :)

Brand New



1 Month



2 Months




3 Months



4 Months



5 Months



6 Months



7 Months



8 Months



9 Months



10 Months



11 Months



1 YEAR!!!!!




1 YEAR OLD!!!!!















12.27.2011

A Year Ago...

A year ago I was sitting on my bed watching a movie when all of a sudden I felt a gush.... so I bolted to the bathroom and realized that my water had broke. Holy cow! It was baby time! I can't believe it's been a year, I can't believe that I gave birth to this beautiful little girl who has drastically changed my life and I can't believe I've had the privilege of loving her, caring for her, and watching her grow this past year. She is a precious blessing that only God could have created, she is more than I ever could have hoped for in a child. Tomorrow we will be celebrating her birthday by just spending the day together as a family, loving on each other, playing with all of Boogie's new Christmas toys, and showing her how much we adore her.... and then Saturday we will celebrate with friends and family. I love you Boogie Boo... you are the love of my life!

12.16.2011

Frustrated.

I'm in a bit of a Grinchy mood lately... Christmas is NEXT week, but I feel like once Friday hits we won't be able to relax. We have so many places we have to be, and then by the time Christmas arrives, Justin will be home for just a few short hours to watch Boogie open presents before he has to rush to work ALL day. I'm frustrated because I feel like we're missing out on Boogie's first Christmas as a family, we have to rush around to both sides of the family to make sure everyone gets their "Boogie" time that I feel a little bit stretched thin I guess. I'd be perfectly ok ONLY seeing Boogie's two sets of grandparents and being done with it at this point. I'm sure someone out there knows what I mean right?

I think starting next year we will be staying home, period. I'm sorry if it hurts anyone's feelings, but it's not fair to Boogie to drag her off every afternoon and evening the few days leading up to Christmas just so everyone else can see her. I just know she's going to be grouchy and ill and not sleep well because we'll be out late every night. And to be perfectly honest, that part is a little selfish because it means I will not sleep well either. So in turn, I will no doubt be grumpy as heck! I just want to enjoy this first Christmas and be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy being with my family. UGH!

Then.... shortly after Christmas is done Boogie will be 1... and I'm so not ready for that! Emotionally.... or party wise! And my apologies to anyone reading this... I hope you're not as Scrooge-like as I am right now!



Five Question Friday



1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?
Well, even though Boogie was born 3 days after Christmas I of course have to say her! As for anything else... I'd have to say Wilbur. Don't roll your eyes mom! I got Wilbur in the first grade, he's a big grey bear with a burgundy bow. I loved him, I used him as a pillow, I hugged him when I was sleeping... and now unfortunately he's in a bag at my inlaws house in their storage building... so now he smells like gas. Ugh. So much for sharing him with Boogie right?

2. Worst/Funniest White Elephant gift ever received?
I have never participated in a White Elephant gift exchange... don't really have any desire to either!

3. Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (colored lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)?
Since mine and J's first Christmas together we've had pretty matchy match trees with color coordinating lights, ornaments and decor.... this year we decided to just put up some colored lights and start putting up our favorites and hope to add new ornaments each year! Boogie even made her own ornament this year... which I'll share as soon as MOM SPRAYS THE CLEAR COAT ON IT! Was that a subtle hint or what?

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board way, the shower, back in the dryer, etc.
LMBO... I own an iron and an ironing board.... and I think I've used it twice. So, if something is wrinkled we either wear it wrinkled or it goes in the dryer. I may look a little frumpy sometimes, but at this time in my life my main concern is that Boogie is dressed, looking cute, and her bag is packed... and as long as I'm dressed we're good!

5. How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items?
Ha. I'm not much of a baker. If you want a baker go see Christa! I mean.. sometimes I bake. A few weeks ago I baked like 6 things in one week, that's more baking then I've done in 2 years. 
At Christmas I tend to make the appetizers, the sides... and I eat the baked goodies 



12.11.2011

Exciting Changes Coming Soon!

If you hadn't noticed yet... I changed up my blog again! Thought it was time since Boogie is getting so big! My Aunt Tracee edited the pictures and put them on the banner that went with the background I chose :)


Anyways... we have exciting news! In February we will be moving into a house! A house that will be OURS. Yes, you read that correctly. Thanks to an old friend who is moving with her family, they are giving us the opportunity to do a rent to own deal... and the house is adorable. It's only a 2 bedroom, but once we are able to get a loan to pay off the remainder of what we owe them we hope to also add a 3rd bedroom! We've been praying for something like this to come our way, especially after we had so much hope for the house we looked at in October. God is truly blessing us above and beyond what we ever imagined, and we are so very thankful.

We're very excited to make this huge change.... ecstatic to get out of this apartment and away from crazy neighbors... it's a wonderful year for the Massey's!

12.09.2011

Five Question Friday



1. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?
Oh man... Panera Bread makes these amazing chocolate crackle peppermint cookies.... heavenly!

2. What's your favorite holiday movie and why?
Nightmare Before Christmas... it's just always been one of my favorites! Want to know my least favorite? It just so happens to be J's favorite... and he watches it over and over and over.... The Christmas Story. You'll shoot your eye out!

3. Is there a gift you bought for your kid(s) that you wish you hadn't after they opened it?
Boogie has yet to open a present from us seeing as this is her first Christmas and almost her first birthday (ay yi yi!). But I doubt I'll have this issue... we'll just have to see!

4. What is the messiest room in your house right at this moment?
The kitchen. I am not a dishwasher. Nope. I have one though... his name is J. However, his work schedule is crazy hectic right now, so I think I might have to suck it up and do dishes tomorrow. Oh woe is me!

5. What is the furthest you have driven for the holidays?
About 8 hours to Ohio to visit my mom's family... it's been a LONG time since we've been up there for Christmas though! Luckily both mine and J's immediate family live close by, so there won't be more than about 5 minutes of traveling this year!





12.08.2011

Blessed Beyond Measure

I know that everyone has moments of doubt. We all doubt that God is doing what is RIGHT for us. I struggled with this a LOT when we were trying to get pregnant. I feared the worst and blamed God for not allowing me to become a mother... then when I finally let go and LET God do His thing, I got pregnant. Seriously, not even two weeks after this epiphany and letting God just do His job, and I was pregnant. Amazing right? So then why do I continue to have moments of doubt? Justin got a new job but it wasn't bringing in much more money than his previous job! BUT THEN, he got promoted. Have I told you that yet? Yea, promotion to a cook's position with MUCH much MUCH better pay. This month we're even getting additional paychecks... let me explain. When J got this new job they were receiving bids for a new company to take over the food services department... that has now happened and because of the way the pay periods fell it just so happens that the past companies pay period overlapped with the new companies... hence the extra paychecks. Perfect timing! And so much more keeps happening, God continues to bless us. I need to let go more often and stop stressing out so much!


How's that for a good ramble?

12.06.2011

Hallelujer!

I have never been more happy to see a solid poop in my life. Boogie has had diarrhea for two weeks... count them. One. Two. Weeks. This is one time when cloth diapering truly is gross. Ew. But thank the Lord... Boogie is better and she had a nice solid poop for me to change this evening! As Madea would say... Hallelujer!

I have a lot of pride when it comes to being a mother, I'm so proud of this beautiful little girl I'm raising and that God has entrusted into mine and Justin's care... but some days when she truly shows her colors, her ornery, stubborn, just like her momma colors... ugh. Our apartment is very much baby proofed. Yea, I'm one of those mom's. I'm not okay with just letting my kid explore the entire apartment, especially considering how much Boogie gets into in just ONE room that is baby proofed. She's incredibly curious and thinks it's funny to make momma say "no!" Our entertainment center is low, so Boogie has full access to the DVD/VHS player, the Wii, the satellite box, and the movies.... she loves to drag out all the movies, and once that is done she insists on sticking her hands in the VHS player, pushing the buttons on the satellite box, and trying to pull the Wii off the shelf. NOTHING distracts her, not even BOO MILK. Seriously. I've tried everything. Time out, moving her away and focusing her attention on something else. Doesn't matter... she goes right back to the TV and starts messing with stuff. Oh child! So, as I type this, Boogie is sitting in my lap pitching a fit because one, she got her fingers stuck in the VHS player for the umpteenth time today and two, mommy won't let her nurse (she's nursed enough for about 6 babies today).

Anyways... hallelujer for solid poop and ugh ugh ugh for stubborness!

12.05.2011

11 Months (cont.)

We decided against doing Christmas cards this year and are putting off pics in Boogie's Christmas outfits until Christmas... so until then, here are her 11 month photos :-D