Santa's Reindeer

Christmas Eve we played a round of Dirty Santa - Family Feud Style at my parents' house. Corey and I were on one team and Paige and JH were on another team...Aubrey Claire sported her antlers and Christmas lights as one of Santa's reindeer while my dad officiated and my mom handled the prizes. It only got ugly in the final round when someone on the other team (Paige) decided to steal our gift card. Don't worry, in the end my parents made sure it was fair for everyone and we all went home with the same prizes!

Her First Haircut!

First off, let me explain the blog hiatus...my computer crashed! Apparently it was a motherboard issue (whatever that is) and it just so happens that my warranty expired just four short months ago. Great timing, huh? Anyway, it took a little while for Santa to drop off my new netbook...so I wasn't able to post anything! Now we're back!! While we were out of commission, we celebrated Corey's birthday, Aubrey Claire had her first haircut, and we enjoyed our family Christmas! I'm working on getting a TON of pictures transferred, but I can show you this one...Aubrey's New Hair-Do! Gone is the mini-mullet that I had become so fond of...in its place is a well coiffed, layered bob. OK, maybe not a full bob, but we're getting there!

Iron Bowl 2009

This dress just might be the finest example (to date) of me being a loving wife. Yes, I (the Auburn grad, the die-hard, true-blue, loyal Auburn fan) actually purchased Alabama fabric and sewed it to some precious Auburn fabric to make a dress for Aubrey Claire to wear for the Iron Bowl. I could have very easily made the outfit using only the Auburn fabric...but no, I knew that Corey would really appreciate her wearing some Alabama garb. So as much as it pained me to do it, I made the "House Divided" dress. But don't kid yourself...it wasn't lost on anyone that the Alabama side went on the back!

Introducing Indian Princess Lil' Punkin

Check out Aubrey Claire's Thanksgiving outfit - complete with an authentic, hand-crafted feathered headdress and moccasins (slippers). Note the war paint...nice touch, huh? This was all Nana and Pooba's doing. When they picked her up that afternoon, she had on a cute fall-themed outfit and when Corey and I arrived for dinner, we were greeted by Indian Princess Lil' Punkin. I'm amazed she wore the headdress all evening!!!

Hold on to your cereal folks!

I guess Aubrey Claire decided it was time for a snack - she snuck into the pantry, pulled out her favorite cereal, hid in the dining room and started munching!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Corey really enjoys mowing the grass and doing yard work...looks like Aubrey Claire takes after her daddy! (Because you know she didn't get that from me!) They played outside and did yard work this afternoon. I guess they were working up an appetite for the yummy Thanskgiving Dinner tonight! Gobble 'til you Wobble!

Christmas Pics

Last weekend we had a family photo session with Kim Davis (fabulous photographer - very patient and GREAT with kids) for our Christmas pics. I can't wait to see how the rest of them turn out!

Trick or Treat!

Here are some great pics of our little duckling on Halloween! We started the evening with Trunk or Treat at FBC Alabaster to see Grandma and Grandpa. Then we were off to Nana and Pooba's neighborhood for a little trick or treating. It didn't take Aubrey Claire very long to catch on to the whole concept of putting candy into her little pumpkin. In fact, she kept sneaking over to Nana and Pooba's candy bowl and stuffing pieces of candy into her pumpkin! It finally got so heavy that she was practically dragging it behind her.

Biel Halloween Party

After our trip to the Pumpkin Patch, we went to the Biel's Halloween Party. Every year our friends Brett and Elizabeth Biel have a great Halloween party - its a great time for the little ones to get dressed up and make fun Halloween treats. This year Aubrey Claire loved making her Halloween door knocker...she did a great job too! You probably can't tell from this picture, but Aubrey Claire is a little duck! Don't worry, I'll get a better pic of her all dressed up and post it to the blog!

More pics from the patch...

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend, Corey and I wanted to take Aubrey Claire to the pumpkin patch...but a nasty stomach bug ruined our plans! This weekend, we finally made it and it was AWESOME! Aubrey Claire had a great time. She rode the toy tractors, she went on the hayride, she picked out her pumpkin, she visited the farm animals...she even posed for a couple of pictures!

More pics to follow...

West Virginia Trip

Over the Columbus Day weekend, my mom, my dad, AC and I took advantage of the holiday and took a quick trip to West Virginia to visit family. Now...the last time we drove to West Virginia, Aubrey Claire was right at 2 months old. The 8 hour drive was super-easy because she slept the entire time. This time was a little different, however. Lets just say before we left West Virginia, we bought a portable DVD player and a handful of DVDs for Aubrey Claire to watch!! Here are some highlights from our trip:

My favorite breakfast in the whole wide world is biscuits and gravy and no one does biscuits and gravy like my Poppy. Each time we are up there for a visit (and even when he and Meme come down to visit us) Poppy makes biscuits and gravy. Now that AC is eating big girl food, its only fitting that she had some biscuits and gravy!! She loved it!!!

Walking up and down Meme and Poppy's front steps was Aubrey Claire's favorite past time while we were there!

Saturday night, my Aunt Karen and Uncle Rocky had us over for family dinner. Aubrey Claire got to play with her cousin, Jackson. Aubrey Claire loved sitting in Jackson's lap while he read her a story!

This is a pic of me, AC, my cousin Angie, and her two boys. Our last night in West Virginia, Meme and Poppy prepared a big family dinner and every one came over to eat and visit!

Visits to West Virginia are never long enough, but its a good thing we came back when we did...it snowed less than a week later!

Is it just me...

or is Aubrey Claire growing up way too fast???

New Favorite Food...

Looks like Aubrey Claire has a new favorite food - Spaghetti O's!

12 Month Check-up

On Monday, Aubrey Claire went to see Dr. McCown for her 12-month check up. First, our favorite nurse came in to weigh and measure ACK. She weighed 21 lbs 14 oz (50th percentile), she's 30.5 inches tall (90th percentile), and her head is 18 3/4 inches around (97th percentile). She needs a big head for all of those brains because Dr. McCown said she was the smartest 1yr old EVER. Ok...maybe those weren't his exact words, but he was pretty impressed with her being able to tell him how old she is!! Whenever its time to check out the ears during a doctors appointment, Aubrey Claire has a little meltdown. And who could blame her - we battled ear infections for the better part of last year! Seriously, from February to June, we didn't go more than 2 weeks without an ear infection. One lasted for nearly 6 weeks!!! It was probably pretty painful whenever the doc took a look in her ears...and now when the ear-thingy comes out, she cries! Good news this time - her ears looked PERFECT!! We put off having tubes put in with the hopes that she might outgrow the ear infections. So far, so good. Now if we can just make it through the fall without a relapse...keep your fingers crossed! All in all, she had a great check up!

My Little Cheerleader!

Aubrey Claire enjoyed Game Day as much as Mommy and Daddy did! She especially liked the shakers...

Its too bad we didn't have any Alabama shakers for her to play with...

War Eagle

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

Just a little flashback - this is where we were just one year ago...

And now our precious Aubrey Claire is one year old!!! It seems like just yesterday she made her way into our lives, into our family, and into our hearts. At the same time, its hard to remember a day without her.

We had the best day on Friday. Corey was able to take off work, so we were both able to be there when she woke up on her birthday. For the last couple of weeks, Aubrey Claire has been able to tell you how old she was going to be on her birthday by holding up one finger. As soon as Corey got her out of her crib yesterday, she held up "1" before we even had a chance to ask her how old she was!! She knew it was a special day!

As a special treat for her birthday, Corey and I took Aubrey Claire to the zoo. We had an absolute BLAST! She loved the monkeys, loved the lions and tigers, and hated the butterflies. The children's zoo was a big hit - she really enjoyed petting the goats and the sheep. She had a little meltdown shortly after so she didn't really get to see the other farm animals. Next time we'll hit that part of the zoo first!

After the zoo, we headed home for a nap and to start getting ready for Aubrey Claire's first 1st birthday party (she's having 2 parties!). Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Pooba, Uncle JH, Aunt Paige, Aunt Dani, and Aunt Jamie all came over to celebrate Aubrey Claire's birthday. We grilled out while AC dined on her favorite - raviolis, peas and carrots. Then it was time for cake! She was a little hesistant at first, but Aubrey Claire finally dug in to her Elmo cake.

After cake, it was time for presents. Out of all the many, many gifts, one of Aubrey Claire's favorite presents was the bag that Aunt Jamie's gift came in! We could have saved some money by just stuffing fun bags with tissue paper! It was a long day, but it was the best day we've had since the day she was born. Happy Birthday Pumpkin! Mommy loves you!

On the move...

Even though she only started walking last week, Aubrey Claire has mastered walking in circles!!

First Steps!

Quick post - just wanted to let you all know that Aubrey Claire is walking! She took her first steps tonight. Corey and I were lucky enough to be playing with her in the playroom when she did it! We were so excited that she was toddling around that I didn't get it on video yet. I'll try to get some soon! I'll also post some updated pics (because its been a while since I've posted anything!).

Help with the dishes...

...but this isn't exactly what I had in mind!

BIG Family Vacation

We just got back from the beach (yes...again). This time is was a BIG family vacation - my parents, Corey's parents, JH, Paige, Dani, me, Corey, and Aubrey Claire! Since its hard to coordinate the schedules of 10 people, we were pretty lucky to have a couple of days where everyone was able to be down there together.

Bad Hair Day

Unfortunately, good hair days don't look much different!

Coolin' off

On the days we can't make it to the pool, we take a dip in the backyard to cool off.

What a pair, huh?!

Same smile and everything!

ISR information

After I posted the video of Aubrey Claire floating, a number of people have asked me for more information regarding Infant Swim Resource. ISR lessons are available for babies 6 months and older. Our lessons were at the St. Vincents Health and Wellness Center 119 (think Hwy 280/Greystone area). The lessons were 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 4-6 weeks. Our instructor, Tim, was great with Aubrey Claire. There is a website where you can find the ISR-certified instructor in your area. Just go to www.infantswim.com and search by your zip code. ISR is big time commitment - especially if you live on the opposite side of town like we do - but in the end, it was all worth it!!!

Time for a Nap

What's the best thing to do right after a nice, big meal? Take a nap of course!

Graduation Day!

About six weeks ago, Corey and I enrolled Aubrey Claire in a local ISR program. ISR stands for Infant Swim Resource and its a program that teaches infants to float should they fall into the water. After learning the skills, the final test is to do a series of roll backs (simulating a backwards fall in the water) and face-ins (simulating a face-first fall in the water) while being fully clothed and wearing a regular diaper. Aubrey Claire has done a great job and she's learned to float like a champ! Take a look... (Quick note - Aubrey Claire is a little fussy, but its not because she's afraid or because she doesn't like the water. She's going through a bit of separation anxiety and wants her momma in the water with her. When I was able to get in with her, she was all smiles again!)

I highly recommend this program and our instructor, Mr. Tim. ISR is a real time commitment (the lessons were every day for 10 minutes on the other side of town) but as you can see, it was well worth it!

Beach Babe

Last week Corey, Aubrey Claire and I went to Orange Beach for a much needed (and for Corey, a much deserved) vacation. This was Aubrey Claire's first trip to the beach and she LOVED it! She dug in the sand, put her toes in the ocean, and played in the pool. She's definitely a beach babe!!

Fun in the Sun!

Aubrey Claire showing off her new bikini and a

carefully cropped picture of mommy in hers!

Good Morning Sunshine!

Do you think it might be time to lower the crib mattress a bit??

Memorial Day!

Since this past Monday was Memorial Day, Corey had the day off work. I had a great day in mind - First, we'd go to the park or the zoo for some quality family time. Then we'd come home and relax (or even better, take a nap). That evening we'd sit out on the patio and grill out supper. Well, the weather didn't exactly cooperate. Instead of the zoo or the park, we played on a blanket in the family room. It was still fun, but not exactly what I had in mind! :)

We do have a great covered patio, complete with a swing for Aubrey Claire, so that part of my plan did work out! She loves swinging in her pink swing!! (Sorry for the blurry pic - it was hard to catch her adorable smile mid-swing!)