BEWARE... PICTURE OVERLOAD! SORRY!

We had a fun week preparing for Halloween this year...

MONDAY we went to the HEE HAW farm in Pleasant Grove. They had so many fun activities for Aubrey. She loved it!

Posing with my cutie pants pumpkin and our pumpkin.

Aubrey, daddy and pumpkin!

Aubrey had fun chasing all the cute little pigs around and snorting with them.

This was my favorite. I'm not sure if He/She (it had both man parts and nipples) truly belonged at this event. It's something you'd see at a circus sideshow or on Ripley's Believe It or Not tv show. Either way, a sight for sore eyes for sure. Maybe this is a side effect of the swine flu. Be careful out there people. Wash your hands really well.

We had a fun ride around the farm. Aubrey was a little small for the ride, I was a little big, and Cason would have been way too big.

They had this interesting swing contraption. Aubrey was in heaven!

Here she is communicating with her animal friends.

TUESDAY we had "craft time"

Aubrey is discovering the magic behind the marker. "UH-OH."

WEDNESDAY- We got to hang with my cousins and their darling kids. I love DannaLee and Terra!! We had fun catching up and reminiscing about our adolescent days.
Now we're all grown up, kinda... :D

Showing off our Halloween Cookies. Aubrey was napping.

THURSDAY we carved our pumpkins.

We can't get Aubrey to enjoy wearing sunglasses in the car, but maybe if we put some lenses in Mr. Potato Heads' glasses, she'd be down.

My silly lil' pumpkin!

Happy Easter?

This was the only way I could get Cason to pose for pictures...

FRIDAY- Aubrey got into character for Halloween while watching 101 Datamations.

"Dog, mama!"

SATURDAY We chilled with Cason's family.

Aubrey with her Auntie Emily and scary grandmother.

Aubrey ended up having more fun sharing her candy then she did eating it. Strange, I know!!

She got the trick or treating thing down real quick. Except for the part where she tried walking right into some of the homes.

We had a frothy witches brew of apple cider.

We finished the night by watching a scary flick... "Where the Wild Things Are." Okay, so it wasn't scary, or cute, or even funny... it was boring! I don't recommend it. We had a fun week and are now looking forward to the holidays.

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on but in the meantime, we've had a blast visiting friends and family over the last few months. I may not have posted the last few months, but thank you to all you dedicated bloggers. I still thoroughly enjoy being clued in on the rest of your busy, fun, eventful lives!

Gluttonous Baby

I am in the market for a baby doll for Aubrey. I came across this particular doll that comes with a little halter top for a young girl to wear and teaches them to breastfeed. The doll makes sucking noises and cries to alert that she is hungry. Someday in the FAR FAR future I want Aubrey to breastfeed her children. At the ripe age of 18 months she is clearly too young for this doll, but what about when she is 5ish? Maybe it isn't very age appropriate... I never had a doll to tech me and I seemed to have figured it out. Read the article and watch the clip http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,537261,00.html?test=latestnews

What are your thoughts on this controversial doll?

The Apple of my Eye

Aubrey left a sweet message for me in her snack.

...I love you more Aubrey.♥

firecracker

I love my little firecracker!!! I have been so overwhelmed with how smart and big my baby girl is becoming! I have been thinking about some things I love about her. Below are some randoms...

* Aubrey is horrible about sharing toys... surprise surprise. However, she definitely is good at sharing her food. It can be frustrating because she isn't the best eater, but I think its sweet she cares enough for others nutritional needs. (:

*I need to make a YouTube video of her when she wakes up in the mornings. It's hilarious! Cason and I sometimes wake up to her sweet giggles and we love it. We have a video baby cam and will sometimes watch her for ten minutes or so before we go in and get her. Her room is pretty much pitch black but she still manages to have a jolly good ole' time giggling, babbling, and playing with her stuffed animal she named "DOG." She really does know how to wake up on the right side of the bed.

* I love the ways she sorts things. I know when I was young I was an organizer. Things have changed but fortunately Aubrey is filling my shoes. When she gets in the tub she lines up all her little bath toys along the tub. Then when its time to get out she puts each of them in the bin.

*"All you independent women... throw your hands up with me." I love her desire to explore and learn new things. She is starting to use her lil' imagination and it excites me. She isn't old enough for nursery, but I've been taking her anyways and she is getting close to being able to stay for the two full hours. I have always considered myself an independent person... i guess she is taking after her momma!

*I love her sleeping habits! I couldn't have asked for a better sleeper. The other day Cason had to wake her up for 11 o'clock church. CRAZINESS! She went down at 930 the night before. I hope all my babies sleep as well as she does!

*Those of you that know me well know that I forget to wear my wedding ring a lot. I know it's bad. Cason hates it! Well Aubrey keeps me on my toes... Whenever she sees it on my night stand she brings it to me. Not only does she bring it to me but she must put it on my finger too. I love that she is looking out for not only me, but daddy too! (: It's like a gentle reminder to me that I need to take good care of her daddy.

There are so many reasons why I love my baby girl. .. but that's enough for today. I can't believe how big she is and how smart she is getting. This morning she said her name for the first time! With her growing up so quickly I have a strong desire to exercise more patience. Patience is a weakness of mine, but I know if I can be more patient I can really cherish each moment with her and have many lasting memories. I just hope and pray that I am being all that she needs as a mother.

Shell Lickin' Good

One of our favorite restaurants is Joe's Crab Shack. They have the most delicious barbecue flavored crab ever. It is shell lickin' good! So good you will literally lick the shells clean. I am drooling writing about it. For Father's Day I attempted to recreate it... It was pretty dang close and done for a fraction of what we pay when we go to Joe's. If you love crab you will love this recipe and must try it!

INGREDIENTS:

5 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon MSG
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
*this picture does not do the recipe justice!!!

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Stir together all dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Add oil and stir well.
3. Brush generously on steamed crab just before serving.
Makes enough for at least 8 servings. (approx 8-10 kind crab legs)

"You're not cool, unless you pee yo' pants!"

Most parents make many sacrifices when kids come their way. One thing Cason and I have sacrificed is watching movies in the theater. It had been awhile and we wanted to see a flick and decided to just bring Aubrey with us. We still sacrificed... We saw the Pixar movie Up. It was actually pretty cute. Aubrey did very well. Not much of a surprise because if you know my lil' girl you know she loves watching Movies/TV! She was a peach! She stayed very content with popcorn, soda, and treats. She had a whole sippie of milk, a Capri sun, and a ton of Cason's soda.

Surprise, surprise she later peed all over Cason's lap. Cason was all hot and bothered, but I laughed it off and reminded him, "You're not cool, unless you pee yo' pants!"

Wednesday Afternoon

Every Wednesday Aubrey and I go to story time at the library. She

loves it! If you have children and haven't been to your local library I highly recommend it. They sings songs, read books, play with puppets and all sorts of fun things! I thought she looked so big on her chair. She's getting too big too quick. She'll be reading before we know it.

After story time we hit up Sonic. On Wednesday you can get a wacky pack kids meal for $1.49. Crazy! They have awesome grilled cheese sandwiches and we make it for happy hour too. All drinks are half price from 2-4pm! Aubrey gets a kids meal and mommy gets a mango limeade. Yummyness! We get our food to go and enjoy it at the park. I look forward to Wednesday afternoons because it seems often that I am out

and about running mommy errands. Wednesdays are all about my lil' princess!