Ugly Sweaters!

This past weekend, Keith took Aubrey up to Maine to visit his mother. Since I had to work Saturday morning, I stayed home. I was talking to Goldie and she invited me to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party she & Dan were going to Saturday night. I finished up my dinner (chinese takeout is always the best when you're home along on a Friday night!), threw on some clothes & headed out to Saver's to find a sweater. I didn't find what I had in mind, though I did find one that I definitely wouldn't be caught dead in any other day. So, after work on Saturday, my mother & I went to the cemetery to visit my father, I stopped at the liquor store, and then was on my way to Goldie's house about an hour away. We had a blast and I ended up spending the night, which was fun.


Christmas card worthy!




The "ugliest sweater contest" winners!







We got up early and walked around the Mall of New Hampshire for a few hours and then I headed back home to do some cleaning. I also took Madden to PetCo to get his nails trimmed which was an adventure in itself.

Trying on hats at Baby Gap:




Have you ever been to an ugly sweater party? Feel free to share pictures!
<3

52. Reconnect with a friend I haven't seen in a while

Rachel & I met in the fifth grade when we were both in our school's drama club. We instantly clicked and became inseparable. We hung out all the time and got ourselves into a ton of trouble. In October 2008, she got married and a week later, I found out I was pregnant. There was a whole lot going on in our lives and sometimes, change brings a lot of stress. We had a falling out and didn't speak for quite a few months. A few months after I found out I was expecting, Rachel discovered she was also pregnant. We reconnected on a Livejournal community that dealt all the fun things that go along with pregnancy. Since then, we have kept in contact and had a few playdates after our daughters were born, but we haven't reached the level of friendship we had earlier in our lives.

I had recently heard about an indoor playground about 20 minutes north of us. I'm constantly looking for new things to do with Aubrey, and she loves the indoor playground at the mall down the street from us so I knew she would have a blast at Bobo's Indoor Playground. I sent Rachel a message on Facebook asking if she would want to take Mackenzie with us sometime soon.. and on Friday, we went and had a blast.










Although we may never be as close as we used to be, I'm glad that we can still get together so our daughters can play and have fun :)

Progress!

One day in, and I can already strike one off my list :)

98. Start a cooking/baking blog -> Darby's Dishes
Okay, so I haven't posted anything yet.. but it's there ;)

Giveaway

My friend Kate at Here We Are Together is hosting a giveaway for an alphabet book! Go check it out :)

101 Goals in 1,001 Days

I originally started this "project" right around this time last year. I made up my list of 101 things I wanted to accomplish in 1,001 days and even made a sister blog to this one solely for writing about my goals and what I had accomplished. After a few days, I thought it was stupid and I was just setting myself up for failure, so I just stopped doing it.

Looking back on the past year, I wish I had kept up with it. It would have motivated me to do so much more with my time. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade the days I spend playing with Aubrey and reading her Green Eggs and Ham 10 times in a row for anything.. but I want more. So, starting tomorrow, Thursday, December 16th, 2010.. and ending Thursday, September 12, 2013, I am starting over.. I made a couple tickers on my sidebar to help with tracking my progress.

101 Things in 1,001 Days

1. Make 101 new recipes (follow the blog!) [0/101]
2. Make blankets to donate to 10 children with cancer [0/10]
3. Do 50 We Are What We Do Actions [0/50]
4. Have a "me" day.
5. Read 10 books I've never read before [0/10]
6. Get caught up with Grey's Anatomy
7. Hold a fundraiser
8. Host a game night
9. Go ice skating, because I've never been
10. Make something for Keith
11. Do a project-365, starting January 1st, 2011 and ending January 1st, 2012 (follow the blog!)
12. Go on Weight Watchers
13. Go camping
14. Donate 10 items to Freecycle
15. Go to a restaurant I've never been to
16. Make a family heirloom book for Aubrey
17. Dedicate a song to somebody on the radio
18. Donate 1,000,000 grains of rice to Free Rice
19. Physically meet one of the girls I met through whattoexpect.com
20. Get a tattoo in honor of Aubrey
21. Learn how to make bows for Aubrey's hair
22. Have a tea party
23. Make Golabkis (stuffed cabbage) using my mother's recipe
24. Take Aubrey to the Children's Museum in Boston
25. Buy something for myself online
26. Shop at a farmer's market
27. Crochet a blanket for a newborn
28. Buy a new purse that I absolutely love
29. Go to a bar I've never been to, and try a drink I've never had
30. Make bread in my bread machine
31. Lose enough weigh to like how I look
32. Get a pedicure
33. Make a diaper cake
34. Support a friend's business by buying something from them
35. Declutter our home.
36. Participate in A Day In My Life
37. Donate blood
38. Teach Aubrey the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" motions
39. Have a $1,000 Lia Sophia show
40. Recruit somebody to be a Lia Sophia advisor
41. Get 1,000 fans on my Lia Sophia Facebook page
42. Visit my mom's parents' graves
43. Bake cookies for a new neighbor
44. Go to a music festival
45. Start "couponing"
46. Learn to knit
47. Knit something for Aubrey once #46 is accomplished
48. Fully understand football
49. Get a new computer
50. Donate hair to Locks of Love
51. Make homemade cards for a major holiday to send out to family
52. Reconnect with a friend I haven't seen in a while
53. Donate 200,000 cups of water on Free Poverty
54. Go on a date with Keith to a theme park
55. Create a family photo album
56. Try 10 new dishes when dining out [0/10]
57. Walk the Freedom Trail in Boston
58. Cut out any soda that isn't diet
59. Find a weekly show to watch with Keith
60. Host a giveaway on my blog
61. Take pictures in a photobooth
62. Go to York Beach in Maine
63. Make cupcakes from scratch, frosting included
64. Go to a drive-in movie
65. Participate in an Angel Tree
66. Hold another blood drive for children with cancer
67. Physically meet someone I met through LJ/Blogspot
68. Go to Bingo with my mother
69. Get rid of clothes I don't wear.
70. Exchange a mix CD with someone
71. Go out for brunch with Keith
72. Send 5 "just because" cards to 5 different people. [0/5]
73. Make a gingerbread house from scratch
74. Open up a bank account for Aubrey
75. Help organize/throw a shower
76. Cook dinner for my in-laws
77. Sew something for Aubrey's doll
78. Buy new lingerie once I lose weight
79. Get new family photos done
80. Make Aubrey blanket/pillowcase when she is transitioned to a toddler bed
81. Go to a movie by myself
82. Get every song Michael Jackson song on my iPod
83. Sell 10 things on Etsy [0/10]
84. Try something new at Starbucks
85. Go to a Lowell Spinners baseball game
86. Watch the sunset on a beach
87. Submit a secret to PostSecret
88. Make a quilt for Aubrey
89. Take Aubrey on a Swan Boat ride in Boston
90. Go on a double-date
91. Build a snowman
92. Use up all my lotions/perfumes before buying myself any more.
93. Stop biting my nails
94. Get a manicure once #93 is accomplished
95. Make a cheesecake from scratch
96. Have a party that I put together featured on a party blog
97. Carve a pumpkin
98. Start a cooking/baking blog
99. Go out dancing
100. Work out a filing system with our important papers
101. Rent a beach house

Wish me luck! I'm excited to share this journey with all of you :)

Thankful Friday

It's been a while since I've done of these but..

This week (like every other week, but especially this week!) I am thankful for spending another year with my mother. Today is her 64th birthday :)


Mom with her daughters & sons-in-law at my wedding.
Dave, Dawn, Mom, Keith, Me, Jeannie & Rob

Happy Birthday Mom! Here's to many more <3

Aubrey's Daddy

As Aubrey gets older, it's always fun (or not) to see her relationships with different people change. For example, one day she wants nothing to do with her Grampy and the next, she won't let him out of her sight when we go spend time with him. But, by far, the one I enjoy seeing the most is the relationship between Aubrey & her Daddy blossom. Don't get me wrong, Keith has always been a good father to her and would do anything for her, but ever since she started talking more and is running around and is old enough to really play with, they're inseparable when he gets home from work.

I'll be honest. When we found out we were having a baby, Keith had his heart set on having a boy and when I slipped and fell at work at 20 weeks pregnant and had to get an ultrasound, the technician offered her opinion as to what she thought we were having. We already had an appointment set up a week later to officially find out the sex, but the anticipation was KILLING me so I didn't even have to think about it. She said "My guess is a girl" and my eyes automatically shifted to Keith to see the expression on his face. I was expecting to see at least a little disappointment but his face was lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

So anyway, I guess the point of this post is to just look back on Aubrey & Keith's relationship through pictures.


I wish I could have somehow gotten a photo of the first time Keith held Aubrey. It was right after my c-section and they put me under anesthesia and when I came to, the first thing I saw when I looked over was my husband holding our baby. I will never forget the feeling I felt and that was one of the best moments of my life.


When Aubrey was a newborn, they would nap together all the time.


Pretty soon she was babbling away and telling her Daddy stories.


♥


She was about 3 months old the first time he gave her a bath (I think he was nervous)


Aubrey LOVED watching football when she was this age. She would just stare at the television in awe. It was definitely father/daughter bonding time ;)


This photo was exactly one year ago. Our first Thanksgiving as a family. :)


A pair a full house couldn't beat ♥


Aubrey's first snow storm!


"The Claw". She would never laugh as hard when I would do it. Clearly, I was doing it wrong.


Using her Daddy as a bed after a long night of dancing at a family member's Sweet 16.


Aubrey's first Red Sox game.


Snuggle time when she was in the hospital.

I can't wait to see the bond between the two of them strengthen as time goes on and Aubrey becomes more and more of her own little person. I can just see them having tea parties now...


Since the day they got married, he'd been praying for a little baby boy
Someone he could take fishing, throw the football and be his pride & joy..
He could already see him holding that trophy, taking his team to state
But when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket, all those big dreams changed..
And now he's wrapped around her finger, she's the center of his whole world
And his heart belongs to that sweet little beautiful, wonderful, perfect all-American girl ♥

Aubrey vs. Santa

We woke up bright & early Saturday morning to take Aubrey to go meet Santa. Our local mall has an awesome children's program, where they do monthly activities and can have a meet & greet with Santa around Christmas and the Easter Bunny in April. We get to the mall around 8 and there was an assembly line of staff signing people in, assigning numbers to meet Santa (we were number 11!), passing out small bean bag animals with Santa hats, small stockings, snowman markers, muffins, and bottled water. They also had little stations to make reindeer food, Hello Kitty facepainting, letters to Santa, coloring pages, and Bertucci's was also there handing out dough to play with, coloring sheets with crayons, coupons & magnets. There were a couple places open in the food court, so Keith & I grabbed some breakfast and let Aubrey color while waiting for Santa to get there. We found out that Aubrey LOVES orange juice, so I'll definitely be buying some next time I go shopping.

Santa got there fairly early, so we weren't waiting long. Aubrey wanted NOTHING to do with him. Even after I sat down next to him and gave him a hug, showing her that "we love Santa!", she was still in hysterics. Keith snapped 3 pictures (even after I told him to just keep taking them.. oh, men), we told him what she wanted for Christmas, and went back to our table to finish breakfast. Someone from Build-a-bear came out in a big teddy bear suit and of course, Aubrey was fascinated by it. She kept going over and touching his leg and when I picked her up, she kept trying to take his hat off. I wish she would have been like that with Santa! Ah well. At least we didn't have to pay for it.










The dreaded Santa pic! Oh noes!


And here are some from the makeshift tunnel we made to crawl under :)






She enjoyed crawling under it a LOT, so I'm thinking of adding one of those play tunnels to her Christmas list. I started a Wishlist on toysrus.com but I still need to tweak it a bit and add a few more things. I recently learned that Toys R Us will be starting their Black Friday sale the night of Thanksgiving so that's probably what I'll be doing, since I have to work early Friday morning.

Are you going out for Black Friday? What are you going to be on the hunt for?

Let's catch up!

Things have been busy lately. I recently started a new job at a popular children's clothing store that Aubrey & I shop at frequently. So far, I love it! It's a busy environment and my first check was spent before I even got it. Every day I go in, there is something new being put out that I want to buy for Aubrey. I already bought her Christmas outfit (minus the shoes), some PJs and some adorable outfits, including a "Santa Rocks!" shirt that she will be wearing Saturday morning when we head on over to our other local mall to meet Santa! He has been at the mall I work at for a little over a week, but there is a kids club that you can sign up for that allows them to meet Santa and parents can take pictures with their own cameras instead of paying ridiculous amounts of money for a couple professional 5x7s. Half the time, my photos come out better anyway. ;)

Halloween was a blast. I had to close the store that night, but since it was Sunday we got out early, at around 6:15. Trick-or-treating started at 6, so I called Keith as soon as I left and he waited to take Aubrey out until I got there which was great. I was pretty upset that I was going to miss her first trick-or-treating experience (although, the stores at our mall did do a trick-or-treating event that she went to, but it wasn't the same!)

We went up and down her Grampy's street, but it was too cold to keep going so we passed out candy for the rest of the night, then went to visit her Uncle Joe (who always goes all out for Halloween!)


Aubrey "trick-or-treating" at her Nana's! No tricks here, just a treat - a box of Aubrey's favorite banana cookies!




At the mall




I managed to snap a few pictures during the short time we were out!


Aubrey & her Grampy! She got another treat here - a touch & feel book "Biscuit's Pet & Play Halloween". Touch & feel books are her favorite! She loves the different textures with the turn of each page.


Some new things Aubrey has learned..
- When I ask for a kiss, she (sometimes, if she's in the mood!) smooshes my cheeks into her hands and plants a kiss on my lips. Adorable.
- When I ask her if she's all done her food, she'll either shake her head no or throw her hands up in the air, waiting for me to clean them.
- When I tell her to go grab a book to read, she goes and grabs one
- She has learned to be VERY sneaky! This afternoon, when she woke up from her nap, I had a half can of Coke sitting on the end table from my lunch. She wanted it and kept pointing at it, but I wouldn't let her have it. A few minutes later, she brings me her bottle for a milk refill. I go and fill the bottle up and come back to find her sitting on the floor drinking my soda. Little con artist!



Hope you're all having a nice week!

I Love Giveaways!

A friend of mine has recently started a business making homemade bath & beauty products. She has offered to send me samples of her products to try, and in return, I will run her blog/Twitter and help admin her Facebook page. It's a win/win deal.

We have decided to host a giveaway to help jump-start the business and bring people to her page! Head on over to Buzzin' Balms & Body Essentials for a chance to win a basket full of homemade bath & body goodies! Please pass this along to your friends :)