Christmas 2010

Christmas Morning...

 The famous ballerina teddybear... Giulianna named her

Flower Butterfly

Mills thought the Weebles Treehouse was the funniest thing ever... couldn't catch her breath laughing so hard!

Mommy Site to take note of...

http://www.zulily.com/invite/jhitchner682

This is a link to Zulily.com.  If you haven't seen or heard of them, and you're a mommy, then you def need to check them out.  Discounts on every brand you could possibly think of!  Good STUFF~

Thanksgiving Feast

Giulianna's Thanksgiving Program and Feast... My cute little pilgram was very upset she did't have a speaking part.  I think she was still the STAR!

Posting Catch Up: Halloween

Halloween was so much fun this year.  Giuilanna was the old pro with 2 years experience under her belt and Mills was just old enough to understand that she gets to eat all the candy she could ever want... (Well all that I would let her eat anyway)!  This year Giulianna decided she wanted to be a blue butterfly and my Mom and I made her costume with the exception fo the tshirt!  I think it turned out super cute and Giulianna loved it!!  She says she wants to be the blue butterfly again next year!!   Mills got to be a pumpkin.  I love a baby in a pumpkin costume and I knew this would be my last chance to make that happen.  We got tons of compliments on Mills' costume.  It was really sweet ;)  We had a great night and scored lots of loot!! 

Roll Tide!  These two girls have the spirit!  Yesterday was the Friday before the season opener and Giulianna wore her cheerleading uniform to school. When I dropped her off I was very surprised to find that she had several classmates in Auburn cheerleading attire.  Like 3 little girls.  In Tuscaloosa, that is just unheard of!  So after school I ask her if there were some other girls who had on different uniforms and she replied yes, there were some girls with blue uniforms.  That part was completely acceptable, but what folllowed was absolute blasphemy!  Being that BLUE is her favorite color she started in on how much she liked these blue uniforms.  I then explained to her that those uniforms were Auburn uniforms and that like Alabama is a school for big girls, Auburn is also a school in our great state of Alabama.   I then told her that she had to repeat after me "Boo Blue! Boo Blue! Boo Blue!"  In my best cheer chant!  She thought that was hilarious and then said "Bluesy is Cutie! Bluesy is Cutie!"  To which I replied with the mature "Blue is Stinky!"  Which she thought was even funnier.  This was a fun exchange on our way home.  But I think I eventually wore her down, because as she was getting out of the car

she said "I like Red."

Soccer Super Star

I am so excited that Giulianna is playing her first season of soccer this year!  We started practices last week and she is already into it whole heartedly.  I knew that she would be full throttle into soccer she has been saying it was her favorite thing to do for about a year now, even though she had never graced a field.  I am starting to feel like a soccer mom with the twice a week practices and our zebra print bag for all her "gear".   It's going to be fun season even if they don't keep score and the players are probably all going in the wrong direction.  Let the Games Begin!

(Notice the Harbordocks Tee)

That first week is a DOOZY!

Giulianna's first week of preschool is behind us.  She had the best week ever and loves making new friends.  Unfortunately, with this new endeavor, we didn't escape unscathed.  Because Giulianna has never been in any type of organized childcare we have never been exposed to the germs that are creeping around inside the school and as it turns out, those little buggers are fierce and ready to pounce!  Giulianna hopped in the car last Wednesday and I noticed a scrape under her right arm.  I immediately held her arm up over her head and ask if she fell down today.  She said "Yeah"  like it was nothing.  And she was right, it usually is nothing, but not today.   No, Giulianna's little scrape from the playground was an entry way for a million little germs that she had never had before.  So fast forward to Saturday when Giulianna woke from her afternoon nap.  She comes in my bedroom and lays down beside me on the bed and immediately says "My arm hurts".  I was not prepared for what I saw when I raised her arm this time.  Giulianna was completely covered in a rash that started at the spot where the scrape was and spread down her torso along her right side.  The rash was really big where it started and speckled down to smaller spots.   Oh my Gosh.  What has happened?  I had no idea what it could be and this looked bad. After a trip to Urgent Care we found out she has a contact dermatitis which is a huge allergic reaction to something.  Poison Ivy is considered Contact Dermatitis.   So hopefully after a few days it will clear up and she will be good to go.  BUT Good Gracious!  I wasn't prepared for that!  I thought we would get sick our first year with fevers and viruses but I've never seen such!  This year is going to be interesting.

Mills' Morning with Mommy

This morning I got the rare chance to spend time with Mills all by ourselves.  I got the day off of work today because of some renovations that we are doing to the restaurant.   Giulianna had school this orning so that left Mills and I to ourselves.  She knew that she had Mommy to herself and took full advantage of her situation!  We read book after book!  Had snack together and went to the Children's Hands On Museum in downtown Tuscaloosa.  We started with their Movin' and Grovin' class.  Mills had a blast!  She danced and clapped to the music and made her rounds through the room smiling at everyone!  She is such a sweetheart!   Then we went downstairs to a Baby Social Bookreading in the Farm.   She absolutely loved it!!  I had such a great day off!  I wish I could do it more often! 

 

Giulianna's Words of Wisdom

I told Giulianna the day before school started that Mommy was sad that she was getting so big and going to school.  I told her that I wanted her to stay little forever and stay with me.  She told me "Mommy, don't be sad.  I have to grow up and go to school, so I can learn to Read!"

I guess if she has to.....

Giulianna's Big Day

Friday was Giulianna's first day of preschool.   She was so excited for her big day and ask me all week when she was going.  Since she knows her days by babysitters, I told her it was the day after Ms. Kristin came, so she was ready as soon as Ms.Kristin left on Thursday.  When she woke up on Friday she found me in the kitchen.  She was smiling ear to ear.  The first thing out of her mouth was "Are you making my lunch????"  I told her that I was, and tucked her lunch into her backpack.  She then put on her backpack and wore it for the rest of the morning while still in her nightgown watching morning cartoons.  She actually tried to go out the door a couple of times.  Needless to say when we got to the school she was so excited she could barely stand it!  When we got to her classroom she gave me a sideways hug that said "See Ya Later!!!"  I'm so happy for her!  I know this is exactly where she wants to be!

Here are a few pics I took on the Big Day...

Millsy say CHEEEEEE

Mills has been really getting the hang of having her picture taken these days.   She has been really hamming it up with all the cute new things she can do.   She is getting really good at her animal sounds, she is singing and dancing, as well as jumping (without leaving the ground).  Her cute factor is WAY UP right now...  but one of the cutest things that she is doing is smiling on cue for the camera.   In fact, anytime that you ask her to smile, she gives you one of these million dollar smiles with a happy 'Cheeeeee"!  Absolutely precious... too bad she has also picked up some not so cute habits as well, like splashing in the toilets and trying to get things out of the trash can.  

  Could she be any cuter?? 

The Cat's Meow

Giulianna and I got to spend this past Saturday together at a fabulous carnival themed birthday party for her friend Anderson and his baby sister Lydia whose birthdays are close so their mommy (My friend Lindsey) did a split ticket.  And what a party it was!  In case you didn't already know, Giulianna is a full throttle kind of girl, who from day one was completely rarring to go.  At the carnival G wore herself out between the gymnasium sized inflatable slide and the two bouncy houses! She had a blast!  One of the most impressive things at the party though was the face painter.  Have you seen these painters yet?  The ones that can paint faces so ellaborate that the kids look like they are attending a mardi gras ball?  Impressive to say the least.  This lady could do the entire face in about 3 minutes... 

Check out Giulianna as a cat.

(She was given the choice of blue or pink cotton candy and of course, she chose BLUE)

Squash Cakes

Last night we had Breaded Pork chops with squash cakes for dinner.  Being a southern girl,  I was immediately drawn to the idea of the squash cake that my Mother-in-law served a few weeks back.  These things are a wonderful!  And a great way to serve summer squash that is EASY to make! They are basically miniature squash casseroles fried up in pan!  What's not to Love???  Who knew Italians and southerner had the same affinity for fried vegetables?   This is NOT my mother in law's recipe.  I improvised and made these because I hadn't gotten my hands on her recipe yet... 

Here you go!  Enjoy...


Grate 4 yellow squash
2 eggs
1.5 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup of all purpose flour or bread crumbs
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil (both spices are the dried kind)
Pan fry in olive oil

Kiddie Fitty

This week hasn't been anything but HOT!  We haven't been able to get in the pool because of Mills' cast so we've really been stir crazy.  Giulianna painted outside one day this week but it was so hot she was dripping with sweat.   She was enjoying herself so much that I don't think she cared.   Since I haven't had much going on this week I have been able to focus my attention on Giulianna's first day of school and what she is going to wear!  So petty, I realize, but it is hard to resist.  I can not sew.  Let me say this first and foremost, but luckily for me, my Mom and my Grandma do.  Since I have not been able to find what I was wanting for the big day, I decided to have my Mom make a jumper/short set for G's first day.   Lets face it, in Alabama we can't wear fall clothes until half way through October, so shorts will have to do until then.  Here is the McCall's pattern that we are using.  We are shortening the shorts and adding a ruffle and also lengthening the top to make it more jumper length.  I chose a cornflower blue fabric and we are adding extra large red rick rack on the bottom of the jumper and above the ruffle on the shorts.   Her monogram in red will complete the ensemble.  I thought the blue and red combo screamed Back to School! 

 I'll post a pic when its finished.

I really need to learn to sew...  There is an awful lot of cute fabric at Hobby Lobby.

Just in case you didn't know... "Fitty" means "Outfitted"on the street these days. 

I'm just hip like that.

 

School Days are Coming...

I am trying to decide on a backpack for Giulianna since she starts school next month and I couldn't resist posting some of my findings.  These bags for preschoolers are just precious and it is going to be hard to decide which one to choose.  Giulianna really has taken a liking to the color blue.  She assures me that blue is a girl color too and with all of the girl choices in blue I guess I have to agree.  Take a look at some of the backpacks I've found...  Absolutely Adorable...

CrazyDazy.com

Pottery Barn Kids

Pretty in Pink

Yesterday, Mills & I spent our afternoon at University Orthopedic getting her new pink cast.  I guess it wasn't a good sign when we walked in the door and the ENTIRE waiting room was packed with patients waiting to see the doctor.  The receptionist informed me that the doctor was running an hour behind and that if I liked I could run an errand and they would call me when he was ready.  I would then have 15 minutes to  return to the office.  ( Something told me they had done this a time or two since they already had a running behind protocol).... I was thinking "Geeze, this is gonna be fun".  Mills hasn't had a nap and she's already emptied her sippy cup into her lap in the car.  A new trick she has picked up where she turns her cup upside down and shakes it until its empty.  Luckily it was only water. 

Daddy met up with us in the parking lot and we went to a local coffee shop to kill some time.  I shared a chocolate milkshake with Mills.  No call.
So, we went back to Matt's office to wait and Mills explored all of the treatment rooms and made tracks up and down the halls.  She greeted a few patients and was having an all around good time.  My husband is a Chiropractor who, I am almost certain, is never running an hour behind.  We left after an hour had past and made our way back to the Orthopedic office.  After another 45 minutes in the waiting room we got to see the doctor.   After a quick review of her x-rays from the Emergicare visit, he made me feel a lot better about the condition of Mills' arm.  She has a very slight buckle, we are very fortunate.  She will be in a cast for the next 9 days and will get a new set of X-rays at that time to determine if she will need another cast.

So Glad that's Over!!!  Here is what we came home with...

Demonstrating her sippy cup trick...

Mills 1 Year Portrait

My sweet baby girl turned one May 15th and we just got this proof back from her portraits.  My good friend Lindsey Smith has opened a photography business here in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and is consistently amazing me by her work.  Who knew an English Teacher would have skillz behind the camera?   

Visit her at www.lindseyrsmith.com/blog/