While I Was Away

While I was away last weekend, Stephen was not in want for entertainment. He participated in an activity with scenes that looked like

this....
and this...
and this...And yes, he (along with several of my family members) swam in that cesspool seen in the top picture. Also, he confirmed my suspicions that not one person got out of the water to go to the bathroom...not even one!!!

I'm sure I would have been there with bells on had I not had other plans...or a 3 month old...or a sense of cleanliness....or a sense of safety.

Who am I kidding? I'm not "above" this. It looks really fun. And very redneck.

You can read more about this if you haven't already on Aunt Lu's blog.

A Rendezvous

Here I am with my three best college friends.

Lindsay, Leslie, Me, Nell

This picture was taken in the kitchen of our college house, affectionately nicknamed the Barn house for its barn-like appearance. We spent a lot of time in this kitchen and that's why I love this picture. It is an image of us doing our everyday thing in a place where so many memories were made! If those walls could talk. Cheesy, I know.

Anyways, last weekend we 4 girls (and 3 little boys) had a rendezvous in Huntsville. We did what we do best...cook, eat, walk, and talk. You can add baby care to that list too.

When we first arrived, Stephen and Lindsay's little boy, J as he's known on her blog, played together and later shared a room. Seeing Stephen and J side by side was truly surreal. Lindsay and I not only went to Auburn together, we've been best friends since 7th grade. It was unbelievable to see our children together. We both feel very blessed and my have things come full circle!

Could these fast friends be any cuter?

As far as eating went, we all chipped in on the food. My assignment was an appetizer for Friday night. I made "the mounds" or "E'lou's mounds" as I like to call it. E'lou is a family friend who introduced us to the recipe, so naturally she should get the credit. "The mounds" is a delicious and kind of fancy ante pasta. Recipe is as follows....
On a big platter place little mounds of diced black olives, diced green olives, diced red onion. diced tomato, marinated artichokes drained, green chilies drained, diced pepperoni, capers drained, and grated Parmesan cheese.

Then squeeze fresh lime juice over mounds. Next, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Final step...sprinkle on little Tony Chachere's creole seasoning. Serve with crackers. I like whole wheat Ritz. Use a little fork or spoon to pile up a little "mound" on your cracker.

You can add or omit anything you like. The recipe has a lot of flexibility.

For more on the food from the weekend click here.

Moving on....

Here is Leslie's sweet Graham (9 months). He's crawling and smiling 24/7.

And more of precious J, 5 months.
Being with these 2 slightly older babies makes me look forward to the many stages ahead.


When we weren't playing or eating, you could find us on the porch. Weather and company were wonderful!

Nell holding J, Leslie

Me and Lindsay

The weekend quickly came to an end and we all went home very refreshed...and very full.

And when we got home...guess who stopped by for a visit?!

A.Lee...that's right.
and his new wife, Whitney
If the Barn house had been co-ed, A. Lee would have lived there. He was a good friend to all of us and I think we each took a turn taking him to a formal. It seemed so appropriate that I got to visit with him on the same weekend as the Barn house reunion.
By Sunday night you could just tell what baby Stephen was thinking...."Wow mom, you've got a lot of friends." Fortunately I do.

Thoughts...

On today... Today has been...weird. I worked last night, all night, so naturally I've been napping my day away. My meal schedule is out of whack. When your "night" becomes your "day" when do you eat breakfast, lunch,& dinner? Or should you just eat snacks? I ate 3 square meals yesterday, so I didn't want to eat a huge meal last night. But I sure was hungry when I got home this morning. I had spaghetti for breakfast...or was it dinner?

Another part of today's weirdness is in my sleepy haze I don't know how much or when I fed my child. I know without a doubt that I fed him at 10. I might have fed him at 2, but I don't know for sure. I honestly don't remember. At 3, when I woke up I fed him just to be one the safe side. He acted hungry, so the 2 o'clock feeding was probably just a dream. I'm so confused...I think I'll make some coffee (that's always a good idea right?).


On baby clothes...Remember a few weeks ago, I said I was going to get some more onesies monogrammed for Stephen. Well...it's done and they are oh so cute.


On the Pioneer Woman...Who is she? A lady named Ree Drummond who has a really cool famous blog. She's a professional . I've hesitated to get into it because her website is so addicting. Its like crack cocaine. Also, I'm a year behind trends. Anyways, she's pretty much the reason why I have changed my mind about moving to the country and homeschooling. Just kidding, kind of. Also, her recipes look amazing. I want to try this and this and this. I'm going to link her website under My Friends' blogs.


On the upcoming weekend...I have great plans. My 3 college friends and I are getting together in Huntsville. I'm so looking forward to spending time with them. We got together about this time last year. Three of us have had babies since then- all boys. I'm not sure if it will be more like a college friend reunion or a Le Leche League convention. Regardless, we will have a good time.

in Nashville last year

On this guy...I love him

On this guy...I love him too


On my house...It's disgusting...time to clean...and pack. Have a great weekend!

Cousins

Our little family spent the past couple of days at Lake Martin with our larger extended family on the Spooner side. While there, baby Stephen got to mix, mingle, and meet his 6 first cousins! They were so sweet to love on him, hold him, and make him smile and laugh.

Meet the cousins...

from oldest to youngest...

Jack

Will

Lucy

Sam

Garrick

and...Georgia

born about six weeks after Stephen

Stephen and Georgia spent the most time together...since they are so close in age...and they both love to swing.


And yes, Stephen is wearing a white onesie, as usual. You might think...is that all he wears?

Pretty much, yes.

Off to the Lake

Off to the lake with this crew and the 3 babies that have been born since this picture was taken in 2007. Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Afternoon

Before I begin telling you about Tuesday afternoon, let me start by updating about my return to work. If you don't already know, I went back to work (part-time) this past weekend after three wonderful months of maternity leave. I dreaded going back but found the anticipation to be much worse. Many of my friends told me it would be this way. I cried when I had to say goodbye Saturday morning but was completely fine once I got to the hospital and got busy. Stephen was in very good hands with big Stephen and my parents at home. They all said he was really good. The babysitting entourage brought Stephen up to see me both days, and of course all my hospital friends were thrilled to see him. One of my favorite nurses to work with, Pam, brought me these beautiful handmade gifts.

A sweet blue day gown. How sweet is the piping on the collar? We will definitely get some good pictures in this one.

She also gave us this incredibly cute cowboy play blanket. How cute is this fabric?! It is so classic and old fashion and I LOVE old fashion stuff.
These gifts really are special. Her daughter in law made them. Would you believe she has only been sewing since this Christmas?!

If you look closely you will see my favorite scene on cowboy blanket...bottom right corner...little cowboy making coffee. So darn cute. I'm dying to learn to sew. Who knows if it will ever happen?
Stephen has worn it out...he loves to play on the floor if he's not swinging.

Okay...on to my uneventful Tuesday afternoon. It was rainy...nice...and quiet. Big Stephen works pretty late at least a couple of nights a week and this was one of those days. For some reason my productivity shuts down about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. No chores are done after 5. I start moving into the night...when its time to relax. So yesterday, I turned the TV off and most of the lights to suit my mood of calmness.



Since dinner would be late, an afternoon snack was a must.

I'm usually a year behind all trends, so many of you may have been eating pita chips and Sabra hummus for a while now. This snack is new to me. Paired with a glass of white wine, it is the tastiest thing you'll ever put in your mouth. A-MAZING.

Stephen played on the floor even though fun cowboy blanket was in the dryer. Like I said, he's wearing it out...spitting up on it many a time.

Then we moved on to an afternoon bath and some experimenting with the "no flash" setting on the camera. Got some good ones. If there is anything this baby loves more than swinging and playing on cowboy blanket, its a bath.

Pool Party

Aunt Lu and I had a pool party at her house last week. We had SO much fun even despite a little rain. Aunt Lu and I grew up in a home where our parents were always having people over. So I guess you can say entertaining is in our blood. I'll speak for us both when I say we enjoyed the whole process...invites, planning, cooking, etc. We are just so thankful for fun friends (and a pool). Thank you for coming.

The recipes for the sugar cookies and pasta salad we served are posted on Best of the Best. Aunt Lu will probably blog about her yummy fried asparagus and pork tenderloin soon!