Happy Halloween, Y'all!

I have no idea why I felt like that title needed a y'all, but I did. I'm not one to use y'all in my every day vocabulary, so it's a mystery to me.

Anyway.

So it's Halloween! If you're anything like me, this holiday doesn't mean a whole lot to you. Now that I'm out of college, and Grayson is too young for Trick or Treating or whatever the kids are doing these days, there's not a whole lot of excitement for me when it comes to Halloween. No dressing up, and honestly...I'm not even handing out candy.

Yep, we're the grinches that turn our front porch light off so no one will come by. It's not that I don't want to hand out candy. I'd love nothing more than to see a bunch of adorable costumed children at my doorstep. But our psychotic dog makes it nearly impossible. She literally acts like someone is here to murder us all every single time the doorbell rings. If we were to hand out candy I'm pretty sure she might have a tiny doggie stroke before the night was over.

Before I was a non-fan of Halloween, I actually looooved it. When I was a kid it was my very favorite holiday. I'm an October baby, so every year for a few years I had a Halloween themed birthday party. I loved scary movies, and scaring my friends (weirdo), and my mom would go all out decorating the house  where it was super spooky for me. I also got all dressed up for Trick or Treating every year, and since I love all things sugar, I loved the whole idea of walking around town getting free candy. Somehow, the older you get it really loses it's appeal.

So tonight, all of you crazy kids (or parents of crazy kids) be safe out there. I'm going to curl up on my couch with the lights off, trying to make it appear as if no one is home. Happy Halloween!!!!

**Looking for photos for this post, I discovered Arsen and I have only dressed up twice in the five Halloweens we've been together. Shameful!

 2008

2012

First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

I have a confession: I've never been to a pumpkin patch before. Is it just me, or is this something that has become super trendy in the past couple of years? I feel like people didn't do the whole pumpkin patch thing as much when I was growing up. Anyway, after seeing a billion pumpkin patch photos on blogs and Pinterest over the past couple of years, I knew that we simply must take our first pumpkin patch trip as a family and get some adorable photos of Grayson.

So we did.




Last Sunday we dressed G up in a cozy little sweater, jeans and boots, and after a lunch at Chuy's (told you I'm obsessed), we went to a little mini-pumpkin patch by our house. I know some of these places have like, petting zoos and mini-horse rides and whatnot, but I thought this little one by the house would be perfect for a six month old who couldn't participate in much of that anyway.

We picked out two pumpkins, one big and one small. Since I'm the world's most indecisive person this took way longer than it should have. Grayson loved the pumpkins. He wanted to eat them, of course, since he wants to put every single thing he sees directly in his mouth, and he just loved touching them. It was so cute. Seeing the world through the eyes of a baby is so fun, because I mean really, pumpkins? They're cool, sure, but he was enamored. I had a hard time getting him to look away and look at me to take pictures.

I had a surprisingly good time just wandering around picking them out and taking our photos. I'm thinking this is just another thing to add to the "activities to do every year" list. There's a lot of them, aren't there?

Completely Superficial Things I Couldn't Live Without

When I think about my everyday life it seems like things are pretty simple. I don't live a particularly extravagant or glamorous life, and I like to think that I'm a pretty down-to-earth kind of girl. But when I started considering all of the things that are a part of my day to day, I realized that I'm actually super high-maintenance. And I'm kind of betting you are to...

So here's a collection of the things that I use basically every single day that I really don't think I could live without. For real.

My iPhone

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This baby is my lifeline. I use it for pretty much everything at this point. My alarm clock. My calendar. My middle of the night feeding entertainment. My music source. My camera. Oh, and my phone. Seriously, could not function without this thing.

My Makeup

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I am not, have never been, and never will be a "fresh-faced" kind of girl. From the minute I was allowed to wear makeup, I've been wearing it. I don't wear a ton, but I promise you that I have it on every single day. Being a fair skinned blonde lady, I don't have much natural color as you can imagine. Without an eyebrow pencil, some mascara, and a little lip gloss I would basically disappear. And that is my bare minimum. If I'm stepping foot outside of my house I will have on some form of foundation, eyeshadow, blush, and eyeliner as well.

I blame my mother. I'm pretty sure no one outside of immediate family has ever seen her anything less than completely put together.

My iPad

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I kind of bought this thing on a whim when I decided I needed it for work (note: I think I used it at work twice).  I never really understood what all the fuss was over the whole iPad phenomenon. But now that I've got it, I would cry if someone took it away. This thing was a lifesaver during the first couple of months with Grayson when I had to get up multiple times a night for feedings. I would troll through Pinterest like a zombie for hours. And, I just discovered buying books on the Nook app...I. Am. Ob. Sessed. It's so hard for me to find time to read these days, and this makes it soooo much easier!

My (Grayson's) Sound Machine

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We originally got this thing for Grayson before he had even arrived, but we honestly didn't use it for the first month or two. I randomly remembered that we had it a few months ago, and now it is on constantly. Anytime I want to put him to sleep I put it on either the ocean or rain sounds setting. But now that I've been using it "for him" for so long, I feel like I'm a little addicted. Like, if the sound isn't going I feel like something's missing. It just seems like such a diva thing to use.

Now all I need is silk pajamas and an eye mask.

Netflix

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Pretty Little Liars. Breaking Bad. Friday Night Lights. Lost. Parks and Recreation. How I Met Your Mother. The list goes on and on. Netflix has been my best friend throughout my pregnancy/new motherhood. When I was huge and pregnant, I laid on the couch and watched episode after episode of many a TV series. When I had just had G and was stuck on the couch rocking a baby, same thing. Literally don't think I would have survived without it.

So how about you? Anything I missed that you just couldn't go on without?

A Trip to the State Fair of Texas

We aren't really "fair" people in our family. Arsen and I both like the fair, but it's never been something we absolutely must do every year. Some people around here seem to take it super seriously. Is that the case everywhere, or is that just a Texas thing?

Anyway, kind of on a whim, Arsen suggested that we take the day last Friday and go. The State Fair of Texas is in Dallas, and it's just about a 30 minute drive from our house. So Friday morning we got up and got everything ready (everything takes a billion times longer with a baby!) and ventured out to the fairgrounds.

The weather on Friday was pretty chilly, which I was happy about because the last time we went a few years back I was sweating the entire day. Which I hate. So we bundled Grayson up in his stroller and made the trek into the fair.

As soon as we got in the gate, this lady came up to me and asked if we had tickets yet. When I said no, she handed us two and said to take them. She and her son couldn't find anyone who wanted to come that day, so they had extras. Umm, ok! Definitely a good start to the day. Arsen said that meant we had to pay it forward, which is exactly why I love that guy :)

The main attraction for us is the food, because neither of us trust the safety of fair rides. The first thing we tried was the fried Thanksgiving dinner and OMG was it good. It was basically two huge fried balls of stuffing and turkey and I'm not sure what else, served with little dipping sauces of gravy and cranberry sauce. SO good. Then we got a turkey leg...which I could have done without. I'd never had one so I wanted to try it, but after a few bites I was over it. It was so hard to eat, and honestly anytime I eat meat off the bone it makes me a little sick because I'm faced with the reality of what I'm eating. I think I toe the line of becoming a full fledged vegetarian sometimes, so I just couldn't deal with it.

Around the time we sat down to give Grayson his bottle it started pouring! Luckily we brought an umbrella and happened to be standing next to a covered area, so we avoided getting soaked, but it definitely made things a bit more chilly for awhile. We continued to walk around and just take in the sights, and I kept kneeling down by G's stroller to check on him every few minutes. He was totally fine and even seemed to enjoy watching all the crowds.

We made a stop for some yummy pork tacos after a bit, and then sat down by a fountain to rest for a few minutes. We got Grayson out of his stroller and he had a blast watching the water.

After that I wanted to find the little petting zoo area to see if he reacted to it at all. He's obsessed with Addie, but I've never seen him react at all to other animals. Well, that was a mistake. They won't let you take your stroller in, so Arsen stayed outside with it while I took G in. We walked around and looked in at all the animals for about five minutes, and it just made me so sad. All these poor little animals just laying around in a cage being gawked at by strangers. It's crazy how different things are through adult eyes. Ugh, I just couldn't handle it. Grayson didn't react at all (it was nap time) so we got the heck outta there.

After that it was time to go, but we had one last thing to get. On the way in I saw a sign for RED VELVET FUNNEL CAKE. Are you kidding me? Two of my very most favorite things mashed up into one glorious creation? I had to have it. So I did. In all honesty it didn't taste all that different than regular funnel cake, but I mean, funnel cake is amazing so who cares.

All in all it was pretty much a wonderful day. It's crazy how much more fun every little thing is when you include a baby. Much more difficult of course, what with the strollers and diaper bags and feedings and whatnot, but more enjoyable still. I'm hoping we can make this trip to the fair a yearly thing. I know the older Grayson gets the more fun it will be for him (and us I'm sure) from year to year.

6 Months...

To me, this six month thing feels like a huge milestone. This sweet baby of mine has been with me for half a year now, and it has been the best six months of my entire life. The best, most exhausting, most challenging, most wonderful six months ever. Every day I fall a little more in love with the silly little boy that's emerging from within my tiny baby, and every day I swear he is cuter than the last. I'm pretty smitten, I must say.

Grayson,

Well, all of the sudden you seem to have turned into a little boy instead of a teeny little baby. You have a crazy little personality that I absolutely adore, and I see a little bit more of who you are going to be each and every day. You and I are becoming best buddies, and I think it's safe to say you're growing just as attached to me as I am to you.

The past few weeks we've developed a pretty solid daily routine. I'm not a big routine person, but you are definitely turning me into one. So much easier when I know what to expect with you. You must have some tiny internal alarm that goes off right around 7:15-7:30 every morning, because that is the time we will be up, without fail. We come in the living room and you sit in your bouncy chair while I get breakfast. Then we play on the floor for awhile, you'll bounce in your exersaucer, and right around 9:30 you're ready for sleep. You wake up ready to eat, and then it's right back to the same thing as before. We repeat that exact routine just about four times throughout the day, with you taking a 30 minute nap every 2-3 hours. When daddy gets off work we play for a couple hours, and then you're in bed right around 8 every night. I must say, you are a MUCH easier baby than I was expecting you to be based on our first few weeks together.

This month has been a big one for you. Every day it seems like you're doing something new. You laugh a lot these days, and it might be the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. Daddy still makes you laugh the most, with Addie following close behind. You are absolutely in love with Addie...she still is undecided about you. But I would say you are definitely growing on her. She actually acknowledges you occasionally, and you've even got your little hands on her a few times, which makes you soooo happy.

Anytime you see something you want, which is constantly, you reach out for it and grunt and your whole body shakes like it's vibrating. It's hilarious and strange...I've never seen a baby do anything like that. Cell phones, TV remotes, and water bottles are the things that make you go especially crazy. Your baby talk has gone to a whole new level and it really looks like you're trying to talk now. It's hilarious and I could watch you do it all day. It's a lot of "Dah dah dah" "Bah Bah Bah""Mah Mah Mah"....or just moving your jaw up and down with no sound. I really hope this means I'll be hearing a "Mama" out of you soon!

My very favorite new thing is that you "dance" now. You started this about two weeks ago on my birthday weekend. Anytime you hear music or someone sings to you you immediately start rocking side to side. And I swear you have perfect rhythm. You rock fast or slow, depending on the music. Definitely my child ;)

You sit up by yourself all the time now, for just about as long as you care to. You also roll over like a pro, and you're just right on the verge of crawling I think. You get up on your knees, and you get up on your hands, but you haven't figured out how to put it all together. You kind of just scoot around in circles right now and go backward when you mean to go forward. I can tell it's incredibly frustrating for you. But pretty adorable. You also just got your first tooth yesterday! It's barely broken through, and you won't let me see it, but I definitely feel it. That almost made mama cry...you're getting SO big so fast!

You've also figured out the whole people getting farther away thing, and now you cry about half the time when I leave the room. It absolutely breaks my heart, but secretly makes me feel good that you don't want to see me go. Right now I think it's precious...but I hope it's something you grow out of or mama will never get to go anywhere alone! You reach for people now whenever you want to go to them, and you smile at anyone and everyone. You adore every one of your grandparents, and I can tell it makes them all soooo happy that you are happy to see them. You're also developing a really sweet relationship with your daddy. The older you get the more fun the two of you have together. He dishes out tons of kisses to you every day, and they make you giggle like crazy. Makes my heart want to burst into pieces I love it so much.

We just started giving you "real food" last Saturday, the 19th. You were freaking out every time we ate in front of you, and you were showing all the signs they say to look for before starting solids. I wanted to wait six months, and we almost made it. Daddy says technically we did, because if you go by weeks rather than the date, you are older than six months. Either way, you looooove to eat. We started with pureed bananas and you are a huge fan. Now whenever you see a bowl and spoon when you're in your high chair you do the shaking/vibrating thing. We just tried a zucchini puree today, and you were definitely not near as excited about that. About three bites in you decided no more for you, thanks. I'm making all of your food here at home so I know exactly what you're eating, and I'm being kind of obsessive about it. Typical mommy (you'll figure that out).

Right now your favorite things are Addie (always), music, when I sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or "You are my Sunshine" to you, being outside, playing on the floor with daddy, and baths. Pretty sure you're going to be a little water baby, you don't even care when the water gets all over your face. There really isn't anything that makes you super mad anymore, other than me trying to put you to sleep when you don't want to. That's about the only time we have a meltdown these days. You still don't like to have your clothes changed, but it's more frustration than tears at this point.

You are SUCH a happy little guy these days and such a good baby. You never ever throw fits when we're out in public and we can take you anywhere with no worries. We get comments all the time about how cute you are whenever we're out and about...I'm sure all babies get these comments actually, but I prefer to think it's because you're the cutest baby on the planet. You're pretty much everything we could have hoped for in a baby and you make your daddy and I happier than we ever could have imagined possible. I love you oh so much!

Mama

Can You Teach Me How To Dougie?

OK, if you know Arsen and myself in "real" life, then Grayson's latest accomplishment is absolutely hilarious. I think it's probably pretty cute no matter what, but there is definitely some back story to why we love it so much.

If you've read the story of how Arsen and I met, then you'll know that the very first thing I noticed about him were his dance moves. I have always loved to dance, and to spot a guy who was not only a good dancer but was brave enough to dance on a stage (surrounded by girls, but whatever) was pretty much the ultimate dream for me.

After I started getting to know some of Arsen's friends it became clear that dancing was kind of his thing. He even did something that a lot of the girls referred to as "the Arsen dance". It was pretty much his own spin on the dougie. If you don't know what the dougie is it makes me sad for you...but watch this video to get a good idea.

Anyway, so a couple of weeks ago Grayson started swaying side to side whenever he would hear music. Now it's to the point that anytime music comes on or we sing to him he immediately starts "dancing". The other night he was absolutely refusing to go to sleep, so we were laying in bed playing music trying to wind down. Then Arsen got the great idea to start playing hip hop music for him, and he was really into it. That's how we discovered that at not even 6 months old, he's already inherited his dad's dougie skills.

We're just so proud :)

A Pretty Fab Birthday Weekend

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated my 29th birthday. Somehow I can't quite believe that this is the last year I'll spend in my 20s. Seriously, how did this happen? I'm not freaking out about it yet, but I have a feeling the closer I get to that next birthday....

Anyway, my birthday was on Saturday the 12th, and we started the "celebrating" on Thursday. My parents both came to visit and we spent the day shopping at IKEA/watching Grayson be cute. That night we all went out for a hibachi dinner. It was our first time taking Grayson to a hibachi place, and we lucked out and he slept for the first part. But of course he woke up right before the guy started cooking and stayed awake the rest of the time. Luckily the big fire didn't seem to freak him out, and we ended up having a really nice dinner.

My parents left Friday morning and Grayson and I spent the rest of the day being super lazy. I even laid down with him for his nap around 4 that afternoon. He woke us up about 4:30, and right before 5 we were hanging out in the living room when the doorbell rang. Addie started barking like a psycho and I waited to see if the person would go away because I was in sweats with gross hair and no makeup. They rang the doorbell again, so I gave in. When I opened the door, my best friend Rachel was standing there! I was absolutely shocked. She has been really good at surprising me lately, and Arsen has been good at keeping things a secret. Needless to say, I was super excited to see her and it improved my weekend by about a million percent.

Saturday Rachel took me out for lunch at Chuy's, which is probably my favorite place ever to eat. I'm pretty much addicted at this point. I crave their queso on a regular basis, and I swear they have the best coke around. If you're a devout coke drinker like myself then you know that everyone's coke tastes a little different. Anyway....after lunch she took me to get pedicures, which I haven't had done in forever. It was so much fun and super relaxing. I'm pretty sure we talked for about four hours straight. Even though I missed my little guy, it's nice to get out and do non-mama things every once in awhile.

That night we went to our favorite sushi restaurant here in Frisco,  Kotta Sushi Lounge, and had what was the best sushi dinner of my life. Totally serious. We got four rolls, and every single one of them was amazing. Grayson has turned into just the best baby ever, and he was happy as could be for the entire dinner. We came home and decided to watch Hangover 3, which was just as hilariously ridiculous as the others, and then went to bed immediately after. Super low-key evening, which was exactly what I wanted.

Sunday Rach had to go back home, so after I went and got a massage at 10, we all went to brunch at a local place called Lemon Bar that has become our favorite new brunch spot. After a bit of lounging around she left for Tulsa and I hung out with the boys and Addie Jane for the rest of the day. I'm not kidding when I say it was the perfect birthday weekend, which is hilarious. I had just one glass of champagne on Saturday night, was in bed before 1 AM both nights, and didn't do anything extravagant at all. It's truly crazy how quickly life can change and how much you can love it.

So here's to my 29th year. I have a feeling it's going to be my best one yet.

Making Marriage Work

Marriage isn't easy. I'm sure you've heard that before, yes? But seriously, even if you're lucky enough (as I thankfully was) to marry your best friend who also happens to be a thoughtful, considerate man, it is still not easy. 

Arsen and I have been together for a little over five years now. We've certainly had our ups and downs, but for the most part I can honestly say that we have a pretty great relationship. I'm almost positive that any relationship between a man and a woman will have some conflict here and there, because let's be honest, we're basically different species. But we've figured out several important things that we focus on that make things work for us. 

Compromise

I'm pretty sure that in every relationship advice article ever written compromise is near the top of the list. But that's because it's so incredibly important. As I said before, men and women are different creatures. We think differently, we feel differently, we have different interests and different things that annoy us. Arsen and I make an effort to compromise almost daily. He helps me out around the house and with Grayson and I help him out while he's working insane hours at his job. I support his sports teams and he supports my shopping habit. Give and take, people. It works.

Talk It Out

I think this may be the most important thing in our relationship. Arsen and I discuss everything. If either of us is ever feeling overwhelmed, annoyed, unappreciated, etc., we talk about it. Thankfully we've been good at this since day one pretty much, and I think it has really been the key to us having such a successful relationship.

Share the Work

Now that I'm staying home with Grayson we have a more "traditional" situation going on. I typically do most of the housework and the cooking and the taking care of the baby, and Arsen works. However, Arsen still helps me out around the house a good deal. Even though he likes to joke around about me "not working", I think he realizes that I actually am working super hard every day raising our baby. So he'll help me cook, pick up the house, put Grayson to sleep, etc., anytime he sees that I need it. 

Laugh Together

It's so easy to get bogged down with the every day routine, that you fall into a pattern of get up-go to work-come home-cook dinner-watch TV-go to bed, rinse, repeat.  You can get so wrapped up in the monotony that you forget the reason that you got together in the first place. For Arsen and I, we got together in the beginning because we had so much fun together. Of course, laughing it up every day and having a blast was quite a bit easier when we were college kids with very little responsibility. But we still like to joke around and have fun as often as possible. If we feel like things are getting a little too serious or strained, then one of us will usually bring it up and make sure we get back to where we need to be.

Make Out

I'm totally serious. When you're in the early stages of a relationship you spend hours cuddling, kissing, holding hands, whatever. Then you get a couple of years into things and you can go days without actually taking the time to physically connect. I'm not talking about doing the deed (also important in a marriage), but actually making out like two kids in love. It takes you back to that silly, giddy feeling that you had in the beginning. So needed sometimes.

Now tell me: What are your keys to marriage (or relationship) success??

A "Real" College Experience

When I think back to the time before "real life" started (you know, career, house, bills, baby, the usual) it seems like a different universe. Life was so carefree, so laid back....I mean, I thought I had it rough because I worked 15 hours a week and had to study occasionally. Tough life. My college experience wasn't exactly typical, but I wouldn't trade the years (and years and years...seriously, it took me seven years to finish)  that I spent living that life for anything.

I started college at the University of Central Oklahoma (what, you've never heard of it?) in the fall of 2003, right after high school graduation. I went to school full time my entire freshman year, then took a couple of classes the following year....not near enough to count as it being an actual "sophomore year" though. I had never wanted to go to college, and decided to go on a whim just a month or so before classes started. Then, during my freshman year, this boy I just thought was the love of my life broke up with me, and it really threw me off a bit. I was so unhappy with everything at that point, and being in school just made it seem unbearable since I never wanted to be there in the first place. So I had a nice long chat with my parents and did the logical thing: I quit school and moved to Los Angeles to try to make it as an actress.

Freshman year...look at those little babies!

I only lived in L.A. for about a year...and the funny thing is, the entire time I was there I would spend time on MySpace and this new site for college kids called Facebook (isn't it crazy to think of Facebook as something "new"?), and I would see pictures of my friends in college and think "I wish I was getting that whole college experience". What a twisted little woman I was. Somehow, I just knew I was missing out on something amazing.

So back to Oklahoma I went. After a year of working at the mall and taking classes at the community college, I knew I still wanted that real college experience. So, that same old guy who broke my heart years earlier convinced me to give college yet another shot. This time, I enrolled at Oklahoma State University where he went, again just a month or so before classes started. I really like to leave things until the last minute apparently.

Starting out at OSU was a little intimidating. Literally the only friend I had there was my ex, and needless to say that wasn't a great friendship to rely on. Luckily I met several fun people right away, and settled in pretty easily. The very best friends I made were actually met through the ex, and I'm still super close to them to this day. Also, I met Arsen through one of those girls. Isn't life funny? If that ex-boyfriend of mine would have never convinced me to go to OSU, I would never have met the love of my life, and I wouldn't have this gorgeous baby boy or my sweet little tiny dog.

The 2 1/2 years I spent in Stillwater were honestly some of the best times I have ever had in my entire life. I wanted the college experience, and let me tell you, I got it. I have never had more crazy, more hilarious, more fun things happen to me than I did in that town. I wish I could share some of the stories with you...but I think it's best we leave that side of Celeste off the blog :)

Addie's Birthday Celebration

For Addie's 6th birthday last week, we had a little mini-celebration to remind her how special she is. She's been feeling a little neglected for the past several months since Grayson made his arrival, so I wanted to make her day extra fun.

I went out that day and bought her several little gifts. A couple of new toys, some Busy Bones, and some treats. Then I cooked her homemade puppy cupcakes. I normally do a cake, but I decided to switch it up this year. She's a tiny dog, so a cupcake is about the right size for her.

I've had the recipe pinned for quite some time now, so I was excited to finally get to try it out. I must say, it was definitely a hit. She couldn't gulp it down fast enough! Since the recipe made around 10 cupcakes I gave a few away to some of her doggie friends and froze the rest. 

Here is the recipe as I found it from one of the sweetest bloggers I "know", Amanda from Maggiano Takes Austin. I followed the recipe exactly other than the shredded carrot, and I used cottage cheese as the "icing". I would highly suggest this for any of your doggy friends :)

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup all natural peanut butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup shredded carrots (I just did a little shredded carrot)

1 tsp vanilla 

1/3 cup honey

1 egg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together flour and baking soda
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix well
4. Pour mixture into a 12 cupcake cups in non-stick muffin pan 
5. Bake for 30 minutes 
6. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.