Horse Hat

I made this for my little niece, Lauren. I asked her what kind of hat she wanted and she said a horse! I had never seen a crocheted horse hat so I made her pick a back up in case I couldn't figure it out...but I think it turned out cute! 

Crocheting.

I have finally found a hobby that I absolutely LOVE...crocheting! At first I felt like a grandma sitting on the couch with my hook and yarn, but then I figured out I could make some really cute stuff! I have been at it for a couple of months now and I feel confident enough in my work to open up an Etsy shop. It doesn't have a lot of different items yet, but I am steadily adding things to it. 

Here are a couple of things I have in the shop so far...

Hippo Hat

 White hat with HUGE flower

 Little Monster

 Monkey Hat

 football hat

 Bows

 

Hopefully I will be getting a new camera in the upcoming months, but until then these pictures from my phone will have to do! They would look better if I could get a picture of them on Maggie, but she will have no part in that! I guess she's not going to have a future in modeling :)

So click here and go have a look at the shop for yourself!



And for those of you that are crocheters (is that a word?) her are some sites where I got free patterns.
Monster Hat (I didn't like the actual hat pattern this is where eye and spike pattern)
This was the pattern I used for my first hat!

Christmas 2011

I just realized I never did a post on Christmas. First here is a video of me talking to Maggie about Santa on Christmas Eve.

We had our Christmas with every side of the family all on Christmas day...so we stayed very busy!

First was our house

Then Pops and JiJi's house

Then we went to Aunt Jennifer's house with Nana and PawPaw and after that Memaw's with my moms side of the family...but I never got a picture at either one!

The next day we played at home all day with our new toys since we didn't really get to enjoy them Christmas day.

Stuffed Animals

Maggie is obsessed with stuffed animals, and when I say obsessed I mean it is nearly impossible for me to get out of ANY store without a major breakdown to buy one. And apparently EVERY store now feels the need to sell stuffed animals. I just barely got out of Best Buy without getting a Pillow Pet...why does Best Buy carry Pillow Pets?! We also have to take one everywhere we go, and its a different one everyday. So on top of me buying one occasionally, most people think a stuffed animal is a pretty safe gift to buy a baby girl, so in the last two Christmases and one birthday we have acquired quite a few. Well I finally decided to get all these furry friends together and see how may she has. They are usually scattered everywhere (her room, closets, the car...I even found Big Bird in the bath tub one day.)

How ridiculous is this? 

And she has a special place in her heart for each and every one of them. They are her "babies" and she puts them in her shopping cart and stroller instead of baby dolls like most normal kids.

So the lesson of this blog post is...don't buy my kid any more stuffed animals! Thanks :)

Maggie the Elf

18 Months

Maggie turned 18 Months in November but we just now made it to the doctor for our checkups and shots! Here's the stats!...

Weight: 24lbs

Height: 33 in

Diapers: size 5 (but she has started to notice when she is using the bathroom so we might introduce the potty soon!)

shoes: size 5

clothes: 18-24 month

At her doctor's appointment he said that she is drinking too much milk! She is constantly throwing her empty cup at me and then running to the fridge (what a sweetie). But he said that milk doesn't have iron in it and can make you become anemic if you drink too much. So we will have to definitely cut back. Maggie has become SO dramatic! If something doesn't go her way or if I say 'no' then it is the end of the world. To say the least she tests my patience constantly! Her favorites things right now are stuffed animals and books. Daddy has been working on puzzles with her so hopefully she will have that down pretty soon. She still isn't talking a lot. She can say a handful of words, but the doctor isn't worried yet so I'm not going to freak out....yet. Here are some of her words...

mama

dada

"na" (no)

stop (clear as day)

baby (her stuffed animals)

no ma'am (do you see a pattern here?)

she can repeat most words we say to her but she doesn't say then on a regular basis.

She has also found a new love for coloring. She can only color with crayons under supervision for obvious reasons, so she plays with her magnadoodle a lot. 

It is also very hard to get a good picture of Maggie. She has to be in just the right mood..so here's the best I could get...

Thankful

This is the time of year when everyone starts thinking of what they are thankful for. The first thing I thought of is my family, but just saying "I am thankful for my family" doesn't do it justice...so here it is...

I'm thankful for...

An amazing husband who is my rock. The safety and stability of his family is always his first priority. I always knew it was going to take someone special to put up with me and I am so glad I found him! Having someone that you can share absolutely anything and everything with is something I hope everyone gets to experience. The amount of love that I see he has for Maggie makes my heart so happy!

My daughter, who has changed my life in all the best ways. Through her I have discovered a love that I never knew existed and now I can never imagine living without. Every time I get frustrated with her and every time she pushes my buttons I know it's only making me a stronger person.

My parents...all four of them! I grew up with a great foundation and only the best to look up to. I am who I am today because of them and I'm so glad that Maggie gets to grow up with the best and most loving grandparents anyone could ask for. I tested everyone's patience over and over again and they stuck by me! I only hope that Eric and I can be the parents to Maggie that they were for me.

For my Memaw who has exceeded her roll as a grandmother! She has always been someone I could talk to about anything. Growing up she was a part of our daily lives and has had just as much of an impact on me as my parents. She goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is happy and I appreciate it so much.

For my in-laws. They have made me feel like a part of the family from day one. They are so fun and I love how much they love Maggie. I married into an amazing family and I'm excited that I'm not only spending the rest of my life with Eric but also with them!

For my older siblings. My sister has a huge heart and genuinely cares for the people around her. I'm so proud of the life and family she has built...she's earned every bit of it! The way my brother loves and serves the Lord is an inspiration to the whole family. I'm so lucky to have both of them to look up to and follow. I know they will always be there for me.

For my little brother. He was my first love. He made me stop think of what kind of person I wanted him to see me as. I know that older siblings have a big impact on your life and I hope I have been a good big sister for him.

For Aunt Jennifer. Not only is she my sister-in-law but she is a great friend. She has helped me so much with Maggie and I know she will do anything she can for her. Whenever I need advice, or to vent, or to talk about anything I know I can go to her.


I'm thankful that I have so much to be thankful about!