We Love Shutterfly!

I have never been a big online-photo-service person.  Or, I wasn’t.  Until Truie was born, that is.  In fact, I think Little Buddy was still cooking when ol’ Julie started sending me Shutterfly links about their great products.  Just recently, I created some fabulous Christmas presents for the family that I cannot describe here…because they are Christmas presents…and presents are surprises, after all.  And my family better be reading my blog.  That's all I have to say about that.

I’ve been trying to decide if we should send out Christmas cards this year.  We’ve done them every year since I was a cadet.  But this year, well, I’m tired.  Then Julie told me about a promo Shutterfly is doing for their Christmas products.  Writing a blog about it = 50 free Christmas cards.  I may be tired, but I’m not that tired.  This would certainly make the card-sending super easy!

I took a look at all the Christmas cards Shutterfly has to offer.  There are about a jillion billion of them here.  My favorite part:  they even have religious cards.  Being a Christmas versus Holiday person, this pleases me.  It’s becoming more and more difficult to find good religious cards!  (In fact, last year, that drove me to creating my own jpeg…which should have been easier but wasn’t.)

I digress.  This one is my favorite card.  I like that we can put several pictures in there.  There is a reference to Christ right on the front where it should be, and I can add scripture inside if I so choose.  Fabulous!

I also love Shutterfly’s calenders.  I wanted to do them this year, but we decided to wait until next Christmas when we’ll have at least 12 months of Truie pics from which to choose.  No disillusionment here – I know no one is interested in our pre-Tru pics. J

Oh, and I just might need a picture ornament to commemorate Truett’s first Christmas. J

He gets it from his Rant Rabbie…

Truie loves the prunes.

 

Halloween

First, a picture of Truie’s first ride in the stroller big-boy style!  We’ve been going for long walks around the neighborhood.  After about the first 2 miles I am wishing for a jogging stroller.  Add that to my Christmas list!



Here are a couple shots of my new photography skills in action.  It’s called framing. :)




He LOVES his new basketball hoop toy.


And now, for Halloween!  Since Truie goes to bed between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., we knew we weren’t going to take him around the neighborhood.  I have vivid memories of doing that with Natalie for her first Halloween…stroller-less so as not to smush her bug wings.  Oh, my aching biceps.  I digress.

Sundays are especially tough for Tru since he misses morning nap because of church.  We wanted to take him to the church’s Fall Festival for a few minutes anyway.  We had to show off Cowboy Stinkypants!


Look how tired the poor boy already is.

But then he saw The Red Balloon.  And he had to have it. 

It made him a little hyper.


Cowboy Stinkypants trying to eat Red Balloon’s string.


Getting ready for dinner.  He wouldn’t let go of that Red Balloon for anything!


(Blurry, but still cute.)



Momma, Cowboy Stinkypants, and Red Balloon


Daddy, Cowboy Stinkypants, and Red Balloon

Tru's Halloween Video

We did, in fact, get the Skype going so Grammoo and Granddad could see the action.  Tru let out several squeals of delight. :)

Finger Foods

According to everything I’ve read, signs your baby is ready for finger foods include:  baby trying to hold his own spoon and feed himself, baby eyeing your food as you eat, etc. etc.  Well, since I’m pretty sure Tru was actually drooling over my sandwich the other day, and because he wrestles me for the spoon at every meal until there is splattered oatmeal/barley/rice cereal/whole wheat/mixed grain all over the walls, him, and me…I thought he might be ready.

Bananas seemed the logical placed to start.  He likes baby food bananas.  I thought he’d like squishing the banana pieces in his fingers, too.

I really thought he’d dive in and know just want to do.  And that he’d enjoy it!

Things didn’t go as planned, however, as seems to happen in all things baby-related.  Let’s just say we’re on a finger food hiatus.

 

Ooo!  This looks mushy!

 

Really, I could take it or leave it, though.

 

This is boring.  Where’s my food?

 

Momma?  Food?

 

Daddy?  Can we just eat now?

 

Please?

 

Okay, I’ll try anything once.

 

*cough*hack*cough*

Momma:  “Jason, I think he’s choking!  Scoop it out!”

Daddy:  “If he’s coughing, he can breathe.”

Momma:  “SCOOP IT OUT!”

Daddy:  “Fine.”

 

We’ll try again later. :)  Should I have given him something else first??

Mine.

Our computer modem sits haphazardly on the living room floor under one of the end tables.  This house just isn’t set up very well, and we’re not going to be here long enough to care enough to do anything about it.  So, there it sits.  It’s really an eyesore.  Except to the kids.

Now that Truie is semi-mobile and rolling everywhere, it is his goal in life to get under that table to the the blinking light on the modem.

It is Harley’s goal in life to prevent his getting there.

Har guards that modem like it’s her baby.  Just the other day, she was minding her own business elsewhere in the house until she noticed Truie was getting dangerously close to her toy.  She made a beeline for the modem and practically sat on it so Tru couldn’t get it.  Or see it, for that matter.

That’s actually the closest she has ever been to the baby as a result of her own actions.

Ah, sibling rivalry.

7 Months

Truie is 7 months old today!  Here is what he is up to these days:

 

21 lbs 3 oz (92nd percentile) and 29 inches (98th percentile)

Grinding his teeth…he has 3 now!

Roll-y poly-ing around the living room

Taking his green donut everywhere

Eating the maximum recommended daily allowance of cereal and formula and wanting more

Getting used to green beans, squash, and carrots

Sleeping on his side and stomach

Self-soothing to sleep (YES!!!)

Thinking hard about crawling

Still not wanting to sit up…he just doesn’t like bending in half

Lots of smiling and laughing :)

 

Here he is in his 7-month picture.  Can you tell he got his shots yesterday and had a 101.7-degree fever in the picture?  He’s just a happy boy!

Random

Big boy cup!

We're still working on the logistics...

Ready for church!

Green Beans: The First Vegetable

 

Soooooooooo hungry.  (And unassuming.)

 

Give it!

 

Mmm…oh myeah….

 

Wait.

 

Momma?  What is this?

 

I don’t understand!

 

Daddy??

 

RANT RABBIE?!

 

Let’s try this again.

 

Why are you DOING this to me??

 

Help!

 

Stop taking pictures and SAVE ME!

 

I WILL NOT SWALLOW!

 

Fine.

 

Can we be done now?

Rant Rabbie’s Visit and Laura’s 31st Birthday

Rant Rabbie came to see us for my birthday!  It was a fabulous time.  I had fully intended to make sure she put her feet up and rested a little while here, but of course it didn't work out that way.  She started cooking for us before she'd even been here for an hour.  She also fed Truie at almost every meal AND did bath time!  So, Brownie and I got the break instead...and we LOVED it.  What did she cook, you ask?  Frittata with mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, and onion; gluten-free pasta with creamy vodka sauce; strawberry and banana crepes with chocolate hazelnut sauce; fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and biscuits; and homemade chocolate cake!

I gained 5 pounds.  I'm just sayin'.

 

 

Birthday breakfast.  She just ‘threw’ this together.

 

We’re laughing because the candle that plays the Happy Birthday song and is at least 7 years old is dying and moaning…and then I couldn’t blow it out…

 

Nice bib! :)

 

Hello.  Same nose.

 

Getting some sugar!

 

Truie’s favorite activity.

 

“Oh, please.  He’s not THAT cute, Rant Rabbie.  And I was here first.”