Lainey's Room

So, if you know us even just a little bit you will know how frugal we are. Since we got married, we've been on a quest to pay off all of our debt. We accomplished that goal this past year several months before Lainey arrived. SO, being that she was our first child and we were debt free... you'd think I'd want to go all out and splurge on a nursery for her. Yeah, well, I tried. I really wanted to. But I couldn't. It hurt too much. It's just not in me. I've been pinching pennies for so long, I don't know anything different. I don't think Lainey suffered too much though...

You probably don't want me to bore you will all the great deals I found and how little I spent, so I'll keep it short & only hit the high points.

Changing table = Kitchen cart we already owned
Chest of Drawers = Estate Sale purchase $5, we refinished
Flowers on Wall = Derek cut them out from scrap wood, and I modge podged them (this fabric matches the quilt I'm making her) Flowers on Ceiling = Originally $10 @ Walmart... I got them at Big Lots for $2

Two White Shelves = Craigslist buy, were black but painted white $15
Rocking Chair = Wedding gift
End Table = Hand-me-down, Sandy refinished this used piece
A to Z book ends = Estate Sale find, $2
Unicorn Lamp = My grandmother Pfaff made this for me when I was a little girl

White Shelf & Silver Piggy Bank = Estate Sale Finds, $2

Bed = Craigslist $65 (I did buy a new mattress)

Pottery Barn Bed Set = Consignment Sale
Butterflies = I splurged on these at Target

Lainey hasn't spent too much time in here since we still have her sleeping next to our bed. Once we stop traveling over the weekends, we'll move her to her "BGB" (big girl bed)... not to be confused with the Big Girl Bath, or a Big Girl Burp. : )

The next room in the house that I want to finish is our Master Bathroom. Then... after almost 3 years in this house... I will be finished budget decorating.

We are the Aggies, the Aggies are we...

Tonight we were invited to Lainey's (and our) first local Aggie Football Party. Lainey was stoked about "tailgating" tonight and got all dressed up (Thanks Aunt Sandy!). She even has the maroon and white bow that "aunt Wendy" got her.

She was so excited to hang out at the Big Kids table with two year old twins Colten and Elle, and one year old Ava. She just sat in the bouncer and watched the big kids eat their meal and play. It was so cute.

We left early because the Aggies were playing like they did last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. We've seen too many of these games....

Gig'em Lainey...

She's the proudest member of the

Fight'n Texas Aggie Class of 2031

WHOOP!!!

Pigtails

Derek insisted that we try this out tonight for fun. I didn't have any small pony tail holders, but these clips probably worked just as well. 8 weeks old and already has her hair pulled back in pigtails.

State Fair 2009

We loaded up and went to the State Fair for a day with a few girlfriends of mine. It was such a beautiful day outside, and was so much fun to get out of the house and see the sights. I have only been the the SF once, and it was only long enough to see the Dixie Chicks in concert, several years ago. So this was really cool to get to spend a day leisurely looking around.

So there we were with Julie and her daughter Haylee who is half my age. Before we leave she has insisted that we ride one carnival ride with her. Okay... no big deal right?

Well... Angie can't be shown up by a teenager. With the fear of not being cool in her 30's, I pick the scariest ride there is. (not to include the expensive bungee type rides) So we get our tickets ready, and get in line. I talk it up big to Haylee about how she is soooo scared, and how she's going to throw up her corn dog... and it better not fall on me.

We get onto the ride and get going. All is well until we make that first swing up into the sky where you can't see the ground anymore and all you can see is the blue sky as your body presses against the seat... then seconds later it catapults you into the ground as your body shifts it's weight into the harness that is holding you in place. In those few seconds I remembered why I loved these rides, and why I hate them. Instead of screaming a few choice words, I tried to keep it fun... like "Whoooooaaaaa!" "Yeah!" "Weeeeee!" all while my eyes are closed (so I don't see my life flash before me), I have a death grip on the harness, and my feet are tucked tightly under me so they won't dangle. You can kinda see it here:

I'm the second one in. Haylee is on the end with her feet dangling and her hands waving. She's the crazy one.

Finally it slows down and I start to relax my body, as the carny gets on the microphone and says "Do ya wanna do it again?!?" Haylee yells "YEAH, ONE MORE TIME!" and I yell at her "SHUT UP HAYLEE, SHUT UP!!"

Needless to say, we went around once more.

I survived.

Today I am sore from being so tense.

Lainey was going to ride, but at 20ish inches... she wasn't quite tall enough.

Thanks for a fun girls day out!! Lainey and I had a blast! We'll do it again next year, and hopefully they'll have something better than those silly kiddie rides. : )

Show and Tell

Just wanted to share some recent pictures of Lainey.

Pretty girl... all dressed up, ready to go out.

Showing off the back of her hair... look how long! I think she'll be ready for pigtails pretty soon.

Chillin with dad.

Taking a big girl bath.

In the blink of an eye...

Babies crack me up. It's funny to me how their moods can change so quickly, and usually there is no build up to the explosion. I just happened to catch these two pictures seconds apart from each other.


This second picture will be great for showing her boyfriend when she gets older.

Lainey meets some very special people!!

Great Grandma Magga came to meet Lainey just a short week after she was born. Magga is Grandpa Ronny's mother and she lives in Marshall. Magga is one of twelve children, and her sister is who Lainey is named after. When we asked Magga about her sister she described her as "Prayer Warrior." What an honor it is to have a child share a name with such a God fearing lady.

Grandaddy Hicks made a special trip to Corsicana to spend some time with Lainey too. Lainey's middle name, Marie, came from Dad's Mother's name... Elsie Marie Hicks. "Po-Po" was a very special lady in my life, and I hope I can pass her legacy down to Lainey as she grows up.

Lainey's cousins, Skylar and Garen (Richard & April' s Children), came to meet her too!! They drove up all the way from south Houston to cook us lunch and hang out for the afternoon. Look how proud Skylar is!! She was so excited to hold Lainey. Although Garen wasn't quite big enough to hold her... he was sure to give her several good pats to let her know he loves her too.

A girl with a curl

The pictures do not do this girl's locks justice. She has the curliest hair on her head. It doesn't stay curled long after she lays down, gets in her carseat, has her mom run her hands through it... but she usually ends up with curly mohawk, because that part of her head doesn't get handled. That is, unless dad brushes it out.

I've never had any form of curl in my hair, unless you consider a cowlick - curl. So, we think she gets her curl from Grandma Karen, or Aunt Sandy who both have very natually curly hair.

By the way, I can't figure out how to turn the photo horizontally on blogspot. It's saved in the correct layout, but when I download it, it flips. Any suggestions???

First Picnic

Being stuck inside for most of the past 10 days has been quite an adjustment to what we're use to. We decided that an outing to the park would be a great solution to our cabin fever, and would "stimulate" Lainey in an effort to get her to sleep better at night (she sleeps like an angel during the day). Needless to say, the picnic was great... but it's hard to stimulate a baby that sleeps through everything. The weather in the evenings has been great. It's not that cool, but there seems to be just enough breeze to keep things tolerable. Even if Lainey didn't enjoy the outdoors as much as we hoped, it sure was nice to get outside for a bit.

First Timer

Big fan of blogs, but since we've spent the last five years without internet... it just wasn't an option for us. Finally, with the birth of our first child, we decided to break down and sign up for internet service at home. You probably have no idea what a big step this was for Derek and I, but at the end of the day we are glad to be at home and still be connected to the outside world.

So, without further delay, let me introduce #3 to you. This is Ms Lainey Marie. She was born August 6th at 12:42 pm. Weighing in at a solid 7 lbs 1 oz, and reaching an astounding height of 18.5 inches. This picture was actually taken after her first bath at home. Isn't she a looker?

I just wanted to get something up on the internet today. As you can imagine, time with two hands free isn't quite in abundance like it use to be. However, I hope to keep you updated with what's going on in Scasta, USA. Until next time, get some sleep for me.