The Bourg Family

"I Been Workin' Out"

2011-12-15T09:26:00.003-06:00

Hadley is always saying things that crack us up. Yesterday, my mother-in-law was nice enough to pick her up from school for me since Connor has been sick. Alex, my cousin, was with her so she brought Hadley to the house. After Hadley showed her everything in our house, it was time for her to leave. Hadley is now at a stage where she loves to walk you to your car so of course, she walked Alex out. I see her running as fast as she can back up the sidewalk so I say, "Girl, you run fast!" To which she replies. "Yeah, I been workin' out!" I thought I may die from laughter.

The Italian Christmas Donkey

2011-12-14T16:19:00.001-06:00

13 Months

2011-12-12T12:17:00.000-06:00

What are you up to this month?

You are pulling up to stand and it makes you so proud. We laugh and clap for you each time. The way you wave bye bye is precious. It's the exact same way Hadley did it as a baby. It looks like you're waving to yourself, which makes sense because that's what it looks like to you when we wave.

You love to chew on wipes, which I don't understand because you don't appear to be teething.

At your 1 year visit, which occurred at 13months 8 days due to vacation and rescheduled appointments, you weighed 19.0 lbs and you're 28.5 inches tall. You got 4 shots and had to have your blood drawn for a routine lead/hemoglobin test. Hadley was so upset after your shots that she cried and when we went for the test she couldn't even watch them do it. You were such a trooper though and you bounced right back after a very fussy night.

We love you so much sweet boy.

I'm ONE

2011-12-01T19:06:00.000-06:00

I am extremely late for this post. November was a month jam packed with travel. I can't wait to sit and blog about all of the fabulous sites we saw.

My big ONE YEAR OLD!

What are you up to this month?

wearing size 12 months shirts

6-12 months pants

size 2 shoe

size 3 diaper

weigh about 18 lbs

speed crawling like crazy

waving bye bye

growling at everything and everyone (hilarious)

You are still the sweetest thing EVER! We love you more and more every day and can't wait to see your adorable personality develop even more.

Happy 1st Birthday Big Boy!

Birthday post to follow...soon...I promise!

Innocence Lost

2011-10-22T07:57:00.000-05:00

In honor of October 15, Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

(I know I'm late. What else is new?)

I once heard someone say that after a miscarriage, you lose all innocence toward pregnancy. Six years ago on July 9 my innocence with pregnancy was lost forever. I woke up to go to a class with my friend, Kelli. I noticed I was spotting a bit, but it wasn't anything too alarming. I knew this could happen and things still be just fine. The class was canceled due to Hurricane Dennis so I went home and prepared to stay in all weekend. I called my doctor and she assured me everything was probably fine, but if it got worse over the weekend to call the hospital. By Monday, it hadn't gotten any worse, but it hadn't stopped either so I called and they told me to come right in. I headed to the hospital to have my worst fears confirmed. I had miscarried my baby. I remember watching as the tech searched and finally called for Dr. V. to take a look. I remember seeing the sack had a tiny tear and then nothing inside. My baby was gone. I was heartbroken. I am thankful, that I had some warning that something was wrong. My first ultrasound was scheduled for the end of the week. If I had gone in expecting to hear a heartbeat and see my baby and then gotten this news I don't know what I would have done. As devastating as this news was, I am so thankful God spared me from the horrible surprise of finding out my baby was gone.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005, I had the worst procedure I could ever imagine. I don't recall what time I got to the surgery center. I was completely drained. I just kept thinking that everyone in the hospital knew why I was there. I wanted to tell them I was not choosing to get a D&C. I wanted to tell them that I WANTED the baby, that just 72 hours ago was, to my knowledge, perfectly healthy. The actual D&C wasn't that bad. I cramped for a few days and then it was over, the physical part anyway. I had never felt such pain and haven't since. To this day, I remember walking in to my house after the procedure and seeing "Breaking News: Man uses baby as human shield in shooting." I kept thinking how unfair it was that I couldn't have my baby and this lunatic used his to protect himself. It should've been the other way around. He should have done everything possible to protect his child. I would have, so why was my baby taken away? I still don't understand why. I can, however, see God's hand in my story.

I found out I was pregnant for the second time on June 6, 2007. I was elated and terrified. What if something happened to this baby too? I mean, I was divorced. (Strike One.) Now, I was pregnant and not even married.(Strike Two) If I didn't deserve a baby then, how could I deserve this one? I was so obviously doing the wrong things. Did I deserve to be happy if I wasn't married? Shouldn't I be ashamed, embarrassed? Believe me, I was, but I was also terribly happy. I was still terrified something would happen until July 24, 2007. That's the day I went to the doctor and heard Hadley's heart beat for the first time. I cried and then, I laughed at myself for crying. Darrell and I were so happy! I was finally getting exactly what I wanted. I couldn't believe it. I had a man that loved me and I was having the baby I had craved for as long as I could remember. My fear was not completely gone though. Satan has a way of sneaking in and whispering hateful lies just to steal your joy. One of the happiest days of my life was Thursday, January 31, 2008. At 11:29pm, we welcomed our precious 8 pound 8 ounce Hadley Amalia.

Six years later, I am blessed to have been given a wonderful husband and two precious children that I adore. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for these gifts. Are there some days that I am annoyed that I can't run to the store without it being a huge ordeal? Yes. Are there days I don't want to talk to my husband because he has or has not said or done something that has hurt my feelings? Of course! I am not perfect. I am a sinner just like everyone else. I FALL SHORT. I MAKE MISTAKES. I MESS UP BIG TIME. I am so thankful to believe in a God that is big enough to bring me past those failures.

If you know of someone who has lost a child please refrain from the following phrases. Although, meant to be comforting and helpful, they are NOT.

1. At least you know you can get pregnant.

(Yes, I know this, and if that were my goal I would be ecstatic.)

2. God needed another angel.

(No, he didn't. God doesn't NEED anything. He is EVERYTHING.)

3. There must have been something wrong with the baby.

(I DON'T CARE! I would've taken care of my baby NO MATTER what was wrong with him/her.)

4. At least you didn't have to go the full 9 months.

(You are right! I only know what it feels like to be pregnant for 10 weeks. I didn't get to feel my baby kick. I didn't get to see him/her on an ultrasound screen. I won't be able to see him/her until we are reunited in heaven.)

And, please, don't be afraid of making them(us) cry by talking about our baby(ies). We're crying anyway & it IS somewhat comforting to know we aren't the only one that remembers.

11 months

2011-10-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

Eleven Months...It's hardly believable that you have been with us this long and just as hard to remember what life was like before you came into our lives. You are so loved!

You are still in a size 3 diaper and wear 6-12 months clothing, although the pants are still a little bit too big.

You are trying so hard to crawl. It's the cutest thing ever. Baby food is no longer interesting to you. You have discovered what is on our plates tastes much better. I can still get you to take about 24 ounces of formula from your cup and you eat cereal twice a day.

You are such a cutie! You sleep from about 7:30 or 8pm-7am and this amazes me because your big sister STILL doesn't sleep as well as you.

You stayed the weekend for the first time with Aunt Kiki and Ben. She was so worried about keeping you, but soon realized YOU are the easy one. You did keep them on their toes with several blowouts though. I think your clothes were changes at least 4 times on Sunday.

You are amazed by your sister and the feeling is mutual. I know I've said it before, but she just adores you. She is very protective of her little brother. I'm afraid your future girlfriends are going to have some high standards to meet to get Miss Hadley's approval. ;-)

Happy 11 months sweet boy!

Ten Months

2011-09-06T13:12:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be fun to look back thought the months since C-man has been with us. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it. The last two are his ten month pictures.

Luckily, we haven't had any ~~scary traumatic events~~ excitement this month.

You are wearing a size 3 diaper, 6-9 months clothing, and some 12 months shirts. They are still a little big, but they'll work. You love french fries, potatoes, baked ziti, and edamame. You tried cake for the first time at Uncle Darren's birthday party and a cupcake not too long after that. It was not a surprise that you loved them both! There isn't much you won't eat. You still don't have any teeth, which seems so weird to me, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE those toothless smiles! You're a wonderful sleeper & that makes mommy VERY happy.

I can't believe it's been almost a year since you made your arrival and we are already planning your 1st birthday party. I wish I could make time stand still. I love you so much little man!

My Baby is Now a Big Girl

2011-08-31T09:31:00.003-05:00

Can you see the difference here? I had no idea she had gotten so tall. Okay, so my baby will NEVER be tall, per se, but she has gotten tall-er. The uniform is the smallest they sell & it FINALLY fits her.

First Day of School Sassiness

This is the pose you get when you let your 3 year old watch too many episodes of Good Luck Charlie & The Suite Life of Zack & Cody!

Notice the curled hair. She just had to have her hair curled because Miss Aimee had done it on Tuesday when she got her haircut.

Look at this big girl! How did she get so grown in the blink of an eye?

Mrs. Angie

Mrs. Eve

Ahhh, the first day of school has come and gone. Hadley has actually been in school for 9 days now. She loves it! The first week was hard dropping her off in her classroom. She wanted me to stay every day. Then, all of a sudden yesterday, she told me she wanted one of the "big girls" to walk her in. You see, Hadley's school has these Safety Ambassadors. They are older girls (7th graders I think) that wait out under the carport with Mr. Lou, the security guard, in the mornings during carpool and walk the younger kids to class.

This is how that conversation went:

Me: (as I'm pulling in to a parking space because I knew the answer to that) "Had, do you want mommy to walk you in or one of the big girls?"

Had: "Um, I think one of the big girls."

Me: "Really, okay, well I'll walk you to the carport and one of the big girls can walk you in okay? "(Still thinking "yeah right, we'll get up there and she'll change her mind.)

So we walk and chat and she says hey to Mr. Lou. Then, we are standing face to face with A.P., the big girl. She looks at Hadley and says, "Do you want me to walk you in?" Queue shy 3year old...So I lean down and ask her again which one of us she wants to walk her in. AND SHE POINTS TO THE BIG GIRL!!! What? She's supposed to want me to walk her in. Well, I guess this is better than crying for me to stay every day. So, I handed A.P. Hadley's lunchbox and school bag and off they went into the big bad world of T3. Of course, I watched until they got to the door. Maybe I snuck over to the other door to make sure she got into the building and to her classroom...maybe I didn't. Oh, who am I kidding? We all know I did!

The reason I haven't been blogging

2011-08-27T19:44:00.001-05:00

This little chickadee has learned how to work the computer & has taken over.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

9 months

2011-08-16T08:59:00.005-05:00

Connor,

You are 9 months old now. It's so hard to believe that you have already been with us for almost a year. I cannot remember what it was like before you were here. You are so full of personality and so stinkin' sweet. You love to cuddle with mommy and you've even started giving me kisses. Every morning when Hadley wakes up the first thing she does is give you a hug & kiss, and tell you good morning and how much she loves you. It is the sweetest thing ever.

I decided to spike your hair for your 9 month pictures because I think it is adorable. It makes you look like a little boy though and I'm not sure I like that part.

You still love to suck on your paci or your fingers ALL.THE.TIME. You can also hold your cup , when you feel like it.

You have decided you would prefer not to drink your formula, but would rather have food. You love macaroni and cheese and pretty much every other baby food we've given you. French fries and bread are also a favorite. We discovered you like animal crackers and crescent rolls thanks to your sister.

We took you to the beach for the first time this month. You had a blast swimming in the pool and eating sand. You started refusing naps & waking up during the night again while we were there. I am so thankful that has all gone back to normal since we've been home.

You are wearing 6-9 months clothing, a size 0 shoe, and a size 3 diaper. At your check up this month, you weighed 16lb 13oz and were 26 1/2 inches long. That puts you in the 5th percentile. Hadley was 21lb 5oz at your age. I even asked the doctor if I should be concerned.(She said, "no.")

We couldn't love you more if we tried. You are such a sweetheart.

Too Cute Tuesday

2011-08-16T08:12:00.000-05:00

Check out my cuties, Hadley & Connor on the Baby be Blessed blog.

Four Years...

2011-08-05T11:44:00.004-05:00

Four years ago today, we were married. It was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. Our families were there to celebrate with us as we said "I do." We could never have imagined all the emotions we would endure over the next few years. Some have been wonderful, others I'm sure we'd rather forget. We haven't done everything perfectly, but we're a great team and that's what really matters.

I am so proud to call you my husband. You are a wonderful daddy to our two precious kids. They love you more than you could ever know. Yes, even when Hadley tells you "leave me alone, daddy" she still adores you. Connor looks at you with such amazement it feels like my heart could burst.

Here we are four wonderful years later on that same beach. We have been blessed us with so much. I love you to the moon and back.

Blogging Tips...

2011-08-05T09:24:00.003-05:00

I have but one...Read this post from Missy @ It's Almost Naptime. She's a genius!

Make sure you check out Kelly's Korner today for more tips.

Rain Rain Go Away....

2011-07-28T08:53:00.000-05:00

So, this has been my view from our condo since yesterday. I am refusing to let it steal my joy though because I AM STILL AT THE BEACH! It may be rainy and yuck, but it's my one week to spend here so I choose to enjoy it no matter the weather.

It did clear up enough yesterday afternoon for us to spend some time at the pool. Hadley showed off her new swimming skills.

Connor just enjoyed hanging out in his raft

and floating around in the pool.

Look at this girl. Soon after this she & her daddy went to the big kids' pool and played while Connor & I went back to the condo to eat.

Little man was so tired yesterday he fell asleep at 5:30 and slept until 3:30 this morning. He was up about an hour and a half before he crashed again.

"Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;shout for joy, all you upright in heart." Psalm 32:11

Can ya do me a favor?

2011-07-26T19:14:00.003-05:00

Hey y'all, can you do be a favor & go onto Facebook and *like* my friend, Beth's Photography Page? Make sure you tell her I sent you. I'm trying to win a photo session. Pretty Please & Thank You!

Where did July go?

2011-07-24T18:22:00.009-05:00

The past few weeks have been so busy! July 4th was my birthday, the 10th was the 10 year anniversary party for Darrell's practice, the 17th my sister & I hosted a baby shower for my cousin, and VBS started on July 18th. I taught 1st grade this year and it was SO much fun, but I am glad it's only one week out of the year. I don't know how I did this 180 days a year, 7 hours a day. I have gained great respect for moms that work outside the home, especially teachers. There is so much work that you have to take home. I can't imagine trying to get everything finished. When I was teaching, I had no babies so I could work on school things ALL.NIGHT.LONG.

I'll leave ya with some pictures of our precious littles.

I can't believe how big these kiddos have gotten. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing Hadley home from the hospital and now Connor is nearing his first birthday. Before I know it, he'll be heading off to school...

Big Apple Adventure

2011-07-24T18:21:00.002-05:00

Update on Connor

2011-07-06T14:53:00.015-05:00

Tuesday night Connor decided the fun thing to do to his super scared and exhausted mommy was to stay up until 2 am. He was happy though and I really didn't sleep much anyway.

We were in the hospital overnight and thought we would be going home by noon or so the next day. It took Dr. B., the pediatric neurosurgeon, FOREVER to come discharge us. I was getting a little nervous that he may have seen something more and that's why he was taking so long. Turns out, he was in surgery all day and didn't have the chance to get to our room until 10:30 pm. We were finally discharged a full 24 hours after we were admitted. You may wonder what Connor and I did ALL.DAY.LONG while we were waiting. We had a little photo shoot of course!

Here's our little dude in his favorite M&M pajamas. He loved playing with the blood pressure cuff the nurse had put on his ankle. The actual act of taking his blood pressure he was not so fond of.

Finally, sound asleep. Connor loves his BabybeBlessed lion.

Darrell went on to work Wednesday morning since we thought we'd be out of there in time for lunch. When he found out after work that we were STILL there, he took care of getting Hadley situated and came back to finish the waiting game with us. Connor's just chilling with his daddy watching a little television. Those are two handsome dudes if I do say so myself.

We visited with our pediatrician, Dr. J, on Friday so she could take a look at him and we'll follow up with Dr. B. in 4-6 weeks to make sure everything is healing properly. If you look at the left side of his head in the picture below, you can see how large the lump has gotten. You really don't get the full effect unless you see in in person though.

These two are BFFs and I am so glad because I don't know what I would have done without this guy's momma Tuesday and Wednesday.

I have lots of people to thank for helping me with Hadley while I was in the hospital with Connor. So, thanks Allison, Jacob, Benjamin & Sarah for letting Hadley spend the night. Thank you Liz for picking her up from Allison's and watching her until Darrell could pick her up. And thank you YaYa for keeping her until we got out of the hospital Wednesday night. Also, thanks to every one of you that called to check on and prayed for our sweet baby boy.

Prayer Request

2011-07-06T11:55:00.005-05:00

Update: Easton is fine, just a picky eater! Thank you all for your prayers.

I want to ask you all to pray for my friends Cory & Meredith and their sons Mason, Hayden & Easton. Easton is almost a year old & will be admitted into the hospital tonight for some testing.

4th of July Fun

2011-07-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

We spent the 4th with my family in Alabama. Most of our time was spent in my aunt's pool. Hadley & Connor had a blast. Hadley swam all over the pool like a little fish and Connor was so relaxed in his raft that he fell asleep.

We had some yummy BBQ brisket sandwiches and several awesome desserts. There are some great cooks in my family for sure.

8 Months

2011-07-01T23:16:00.004-05:00

Connor is 8 months old today. This month he has started talking some. He has said "nana" when asked to say "momma" so I guess Nana & I can both claim that one. He's also said "dada," at least that's what Darrell said. I haven't actually heard him say that yet.

This little dude is too cute! He really hasn't grown too much over the last month. His weight is 16.9 lb. He's pretty much wearing the same sizes as last month, however, I did put him in a 9 months outfit this week.

Connor had his very first ER visit and hospital stay on Tuesday, 6/28. He fell off our bed and got a skull fracture. Luckily, the doctors say he will be fine.

Connor is just the happiest baby. He's always smiling and really only cries when he's hungry.(sometimes when he "needs" some attention.) I am very blessed with the two sweeties God has given me.

"Hey, check out my feet!"

Connor's 1st ER Visit

2011-06-29T20:13:00.011-05:00

So, yesterday started out with me waking early to get us all ready for a trip to Houma to visit Kim. Connor was on the bed with Hadley and I walked out to get some things together. A few minutes later, I heard Hadley scream and Connor start crying. My stomach sank as I immediately knew what had happened. I ran into the room and picked him up. As soon as I got him in my arms he stopped crying so I continued getting us together for our day trip. Here's a picture of all the kiddos.

Does this look like a kid that's having any problems?

Anyway, we were at their house for about an hour before I noticed a fairly large lump on Connor's head. It was soft to the touch so Kim & I decided to take him to Urgent Care in Houma. They checked him out, but couldn't really tell anything without a CT scan so I opted to head back home to our doctors and hospital. At this point Connor was still acting normal as if nothing is wrong. We drove the hour home after I talked to Dr. J's office and they suggested we come in to the Emergency Room have him checked out.

Here's big sister comforting her "baby brudder" before his CT. Hadley left shortly after this picture was taken. My awesome friend Allison came and picked her up to spend the night. I'm sure she had an awesome time with Benjamin and Sarah.

Here is our little cutie with a monitor on his toe.

We walked around in the stroller trying to tire Connor out, as he needed to be really still in order to get the CT without sedation. He never fell asleep, but he did wonderfully as you can see below. These are both before they put the strap on his head to hold him still. He didn't cry at all. He was such a big boy.

About an hour after the CT, we were told there was a skull fracture and possible bleeding so they wanted to do a full body x-ray to make sure there were no other fractures, and to check up on me too I'm sure. Connor was not as happy about the x-rays and I didn't get any pictures because Darrell had gone home to get our things. We were staying the night in the hospital to have Connor observed overnight.

Peek-a-Boo I See You

2011-06-21T10:06:00.001-05:00

Connor started playing peek-a-boo like this with Uncle Darren.

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Singing in the Rain

2011-06-20T16:47:00.005-05:00

We were sitting inside watching the Disney channel, when the satellite started going crazy. It was raining! Immediately, Hadley ran upstairs to get her rain coat & boots. Then outside we went.

I really don't know why she looks so sad here. Maybe it's because the rain had started to slack off.

Photos, Parties, Promotions, Oh My!

2011-06-19T18:47:00.005-05:00

We recently took family pictures of my entire side of the family. They turned out so good that we decided to make photo books for my mom & grandmother for Mother's Day. It was a hit. Everyone loved it and I decided to make one for Connor's newborn pictures since I had done something similar for Hadley. Shutterfly has got the cutest scrapbook style photo books now. I can't wait to finish Connor's and see how it turns out. I tell everyone how much I love Shutterfly. The prices are great and they do such a wonderful job. You can customize anything from baby showers to birthday parties. Their customer service is also fabulous. I used them for Connor's birth announcement and when it came in I wasn't totally satisfied. I called Shutterfly and they immediately sent me a replacement. All I had to do was send them a few of the birth announcements so they could see what was wrong with it. I even got the announcements before I had the chance to return the first set.

There's a promotion going on right now at Shutterfly so if you have a blog check it out. Hurry though because it ends today!

7 Months

2011-06-16T17:10:00.003-05:00

You are too cute for words! This month you have started sitting up and babbling a lot more. You enjoy your activity center for longer periods of time now, which is great for me. I can actually get a few things done. We took a trip to Dallas this month and it was your first time on a plane. You were an angel so I'm pretty sure you'll be a great traveler like your big sister. You're still wearing a size 3 diaper and 3-6 months clothing. I had to take you to see Dr. Jackson because you were having some more tummy trouble. I think we finally got that straightened out. Lucky for you prunes are one of your favorite fruits. You are eating barley cereal with fruit mixed in for breakfast, a stage 2 veggie and a fruit for lunch and dinner, and another bowl of cereal before bed. There are about 3 6-8 oz bottles mixed in there too. You most definitely prefer the cereal, fruits, and veggies though. With all you eat, I can't believe you don't weigh any more than the 16 lb 6 oz you weigh. I promise you feel much heavier.

"Look at me!"

And of course, a pic with sister. She still loves you more than anything in the world.

6 Months & 3 Years

2011-06-03T14:08:00.002-05:00

Check out my precious babies. If you need to enter a password it's *bou.
>

6 Months

2011-05-07T16:37:00.008-05:00

Connor,

You are too stinking cute! You started rolling over this month. It was so funny to watch you for the first time. You were so proud of yourself. You're wearing a size 3 diaper and 6 month clothing. (You can still fit into some 3 month things though.) When we went to see Dr. Jackson for your 6 month visit you weighed exactly 15lbs and you were 25 1/4 inches long. You had 3 shots & 1 oral vaccine, but you took them like a champ only crying for about 10 seconds.

I can't believe you're getting so big. We've had a tradition in our family since the 70's to take naked baby pictures on this black fur blanket Aunt Cathy has. Here is one of you in your cute Mickey Mouse outfit.

And, here you are in your birthday suit.

Photography Tour in the French Quarter

2011-05-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

My sister, aunt, & I bought a deal from Living Social for a photography tour. You basically walk around the French Quarter and take pictures. The guide helps you with different settings and such. It was a lot of fun and here are a few of my favorites.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

Guess Who's Learning How to Write Her Name... Look closely....Can you see it? Yep, that's on my bedroom wall. There are also several H's on my bathroom wall and another "h-d-l-e-y" on the wall behind my robe.

Cutiekins

2011-05-02T02:58:00.001-05:00

I don't know what in the world she is singing, but she sure is cute!

YouTube Video

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Too bad I couldn't find the right hat...

2011-04-30T19:11:00.005-05:00

or I would've been at the wedding.

I didn't get up at 3AM to watch the coverage of the Royal Wedding, but I did set the DVR to record it so I could watch it later. The new Duchess of Cambridge did not disappoint. Her dress was gorgeous and she was absolutely beautiful as usual.

I also loved her sister's dress.

There was one in the bed...

2011-04-18T11:07:00.001-05:00

and the little one...
He ROLLED OVER!

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lighten Up

2011-04-09T11:30:00.001-05:00

There's a lot of "heavy" stuff going on this weekend so to lighten the mood a little I was looking through my iPhone pictures. One of my friends introduced me to this awesome app Instagram. I am totally addicted! Here are some I have taken & edited recently.

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Future Lionette

2011-04-03T17:38:00.001-05:00

YouTube Video

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Happy Birthday

2011-04-02T22:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to the best husband and daddy a family could ever ask for. We love you so much!

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

5 Months

2011-04-01T20:22:00.007-05:00

Connor, you are 5 months old today. It seems like you have been part of our family forever. This month you have started trying to roll over. You're almost there. You hate tummy time, therefore, we rarely do it. We have almost weaned you completely off of breast milk. We only use it for your cereal now. So far, we have given you rice cereal, green beans, and sweet potatoes. Oh and you had a tiny taste of chocolate whipped cream icing tonight. You really enjoyed all of them. You're in a size 2 diaper and still fit into 0-3 months clothing, but you're almost into the 3-6 months size. You love bath time. You are the happiest baby I have every seen. You're still sleeping through the night, which makes for a very happy mommy! We also moved you into your own room this month. I love gong in to wake you up every morning. Your sweet little smile brightens my day. Hadley makes you laugh quite often. I am so thankful that the two of you adore one another.

Signature Test

2011-04-01T17:19:00.000-05:00

Your signature is shown below. It will only appear on NEW posts. You will see it in the text box when you go to create a new post and will need to hit enter a few times to move it down in order to type your text above it. Please be sure you have the "compose" tab in the top right of the text box selected while creating your post. You should actually see your signature and not just code.

Worms & Dirt

2011-04-01T00:12:00.001-05:00

Last night we made these cute cupcakes for the Spaghetti Supper at school on Sunday. We're going to enter them in the decorating contest. Maybe we'll win. Even if we don't, Hadley had so much fun adding the Sour Worms.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Guess who loves green beans?

2011-03-30T15:26:00.001-05:00

YouTube Video

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Mardi Gras Break Part 1

2011-03-23T09:50:00.003-05:00

Since Hadley gets out of school for the whole week of Mardi Gras and we are not big Mardi Gras folks, we decided to take a trip to Orlando. We usually go every year for Thanksgiving, but this year baby Connor joined our family a mere 24 days before Thanksgiving so we thought it best to postpone our trip. Since I have family that lives in Florida, it's also a great excuse to see them. We met in Daytona to visit with Robin, Ashley, Rocco, & Luka.

Look at these sweet "Kissing Cousins."

I am so glad these two finally like each other. It was a bit rough for a while.

Precious little Luka Sunshine...

Robin & Connor

I just realized I have no pictures of Ashley.(Sorry Ash) We had so mcuh fun and can't wait till we get to see y'all again. Miss you bunches!!!

H-A-D-L-E-Y

2011-03-22T10:51:00.001-05:00

YouTube Video

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T18:49:00.000-05:00

My Big 3 Year Old

2011-03-14T21:48:00.003-05:00

When did I blink?

I cannot believe you are three years old! You are such a beautiful little girl and your daddy & I love you more than we ever thought we could love anyone. You are so smart and you amaze us every day with what you have learned over the last year. You've learned to spell your name, sort of. You spell it H-D-E-L-E-Y and you can spell Connor's name using the song we taught you. You can identify the letter H, circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, and many other shapes. You know how to spell several colors: pink, purple, blue, red, brown, black, white and can identify them. You love anything Disney! You can spell Mickey Mouse and your favorite princess is Rapunzel. You are growing your hair to be just like hers. This would be fine if you didn't fight me every time I wanted to wash or brush it. You are such a loving little girl and I truly hope you stay that way. You have many friends and love going to school & your teaches so much you name your babies Ms. Carol(one of your teachers) and Caroline(a friend in your class). I look forward to what the next year brings...

Birthday Girl

2011-03-14T18:50:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to type this post for a while now. I'm not sure if I've put it off because I've been so busy, I mean I DO have a 4 month old, or because I really don't want to face the fact that my baby girl is 3 years old. I didn't realize just how grown up she had become until I watched video from her 1st & 2nd birthday parties. Y'all I could just cry at how much time as flown by already. I know I cherished every moment as it came, but still I feel like I missed so much. How is that possible? I have loved every stage she has gone through, even the tough ones. They weren't all perfect and God knows that I have not gone through each one perfectly. In fact, there have been many times that I really messed up. I've yelled, I've snapped when I shouldn't, I've even spanked when the behavior really didn't warrant spanking. I wanted to be a momma for so long and I am so glad that God chose me to be Hadley's momma.

Anyway, enough of that...Let's get to the party. Hadley has been into princesses for so long that we decided to have a princess party last year after her 2nd birthday. Yes, I've been planning it that long. We had a huge Princess Castle Bounce House delivered at 10 am. It was a huge hit. The only good picture I got was of Hadley pulling my mother in law into it & I'm not sure she would appreciate a picture of her backside all over my blog so you'll just have to trust me it was awesome! Here is the table for the party favors.

I was so excited to get these princess cups. I think they are precious, but they cost $1.00 a piece so I was only going to get enough for Hadley's class. Then, the week before Hadley's party I went to Toys R Us and guess what? They were on sale for $.58 each and I had Rewards $$. I ended up getting 21 of these cups for $1.11! How awesome is that?

Of course, every princess needs a tiara, so we had these too.

I also made little bags with stickers, silly bands, and lip gloss rings. I got the tags from Etsy. The seller customized the tag to match Hadley's invitation. I thought they turned out perfectly!

We had shrimp stew and potato salad(both made by my father-in-law) and sandwiches, cheese, & fruit catered by Gattuso's. I only got pictures of the cheese & fruit, but the other was fabulous too...

Now, of course the most important part of a birthday is the cake. I called a friend and asked if she could make a castle cake for Hadley. Look at this gorgeous cake she made for us.

Can you imagine anything more perfect for a princess party?

After, the cake & ice cream, we had a little surprise for Princess Hadley. PONIES!!! This was a last minute decision. Once I found out they could dress the ponies to match a princess party, we HAD to have them. I had planned to cancel the bouncy house, but the ponies couldn't get there until 30 minutes before the party was scheduled to end so we kept it.

We had so much fun celebrating the birth of our little princess.

4 months

2011-03-03T06:16:00.003-06:00

Connor Philip

I can't believe how much Baby Connor has grown. I know I say that every month right?!?!

What are you up to these days? Well, you weigh 12lb 3oz and are 24 inches long. You're wearing 0-3 months clothing and a size 2 diaper. You seem so big to me, but you are only in the 5th percentile for weight. We started supplementing one formula bottle a day because you eat like a little piggy and mommy can't keep up. Dr. Jackson also told us that we can start you on rice cereal and baby food. You are trying to roll over, but you haven't quite gotten it. You did roll onto your tummy once, but not completely. Your arm was still under you. I love to see you smile and hear you "talk" to yourself. You're such a happy baby and you are still sleeping through the night.

So Proud

2011-02-16T22:24:00.003-06:00

I am so proud of my husband. I love him for many reasons, but his kind heart and willingness to help others in need are top on my list. Click this link to check out the great things that are going on in his office this week.

2011-02-16T11:14:00.001-06:00

I know I need to add her 3 year post, but this picture will have to hold you over for a bit. Hadley had her blood pressure taken with a cuff for the first time. She handled it like a champ!

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Chit Chat

2011-02-04T13:06:00.001-06:00

YouTube Video

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3 Months

2011-02-03T22:44:00.006-06:00

Connor,

I cannot believe how fast 3 months has flown by. You are getting bigger and smarter every day. You're toothless grins make me smile every time. You are still wearing 0-3 months clothing and a size 1 diaper. You're still exclusively on breast milk. (yea for Mommy!) You eat 6 ounces every 5-6 hours with your last bottle around 10 pm and sleep until 5:30 or 6 am. I am VERY thankful for that. Your favorite toy is the play gym Aunt Kiki bought you for Christmas and you like the Bumbo seat too. You can almost reach the toys that hang from it. It's fun to watch you try to hit them and the look of surprise when you actually reach one is priceless.

We are so blessed to have you in our family. It's hard to imagine a time when you weren't part of it. We love you so much and your sister absolutely adores you. She tells everybody her baby brudder is Baby Connor Bourg.

Future Cheerleader

2011-02-02T21:27:00.001-06:00

My big girl's first shoulder stand with Aunt Kiki

Happy Birthday Hadley

2011-01-31T11:12:00.006-06:00

Three years ago today at 11:29 pm we were blessed with the sweetest little girl. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. I'm going to do a birthday recap later, but I wanted to share a few pictures from Hadley's celebration at school. She was so proud that I made her cupcakes and kept telling everybody. That sure made a momma's heart swell with pride. Here are Princess Hadley's cupcakes.

Princess Hadley

(Her right eye is a little swollen because a "skeeter bug" got her.)

All of her friends at school singing Happy Birthday

A New Challenge

2011-01-27T13:30:00.002-06:00

I had so much fun participating in the 21 day challenge over on Toni's blog that I am joining with her on another challenge. Check out her post below.

You all rocked the 21 day challenge & we had almost 300 blogs participating! I pray that the new weekly challenge will surpass the last one. We shall see! I have been anxiously awaiting to reveal my new blog challenge to you. It will start on Sunday, January 30th. I will post an assignment every Sunday night and we will have the entire week to complete it.

A few examples of assignments will be:

Organizing your craft room

Creating a recipe binder

Organizing your bookshelves

Cleaning out (and organizing) the garage

Making a Home Management Binder

Menu planning

and LOTS more!

*I will be hosting guest bloggers to share some challenges! If you have a good system that works well & would like to host a challenge, please email me and let me know what your idea is?

Some weeks will be very simple and some may be more challenging. The main goal of the challenge is getting our lives clean & organized and staying that way. We will be spring cleaning together & purging winter clothes together. My hope is that our blogging group will function to inspire each other and help each other get our lives in order.

How it works?

If you are participating in the weekly challenge, you will link up your "blog" for that week. Then everyone can visit each other and see how you are doing. You can post your progress daily, or whenever you get to it! You can share pictures or just blog about how your week is going, how the challenge is going, etc... Hopefully we can all support each other by visiting and commenting on each others blogs, like we have with the 21 day challenge.

If you are ready to join the challenge...

Grab your button:

If you would like to join the BFOL "Weekly Challenges" here on my blog, you can sign up now. You do NOT have to complete every weekly assignment. Its here to help you and to guide you. The more assignements you complete, the more in control your life will feel! I want to involve everyone in the challenge. So if you have a weekly assignment idea, please share it in the comment area below.

The only requirement I have is:

*If you are joining, please grab a button and post about the challenge on your blog, so others can see and join in too! The more participation we have, the more inspired we will become.

I would love if you also tweeted & facebook'd about the challenge too... so others can find out and join in! At the bottom of this post (right beside the word "comments"), there are share buttons you can click on that goes to facebook & twitter!

Happy cleaning & organizing!

Day 10: Laundry Room

2011-01-23T12:06:00.000-06:00

I had totally let this room get OUT OF CONTROL!!! I cannot believe I am even showing this room on the Internet for everyone to see. Here goes...

Before

And from a different angle.

After {a lot of hard work}

There are still several things I want to do like repaint the cabinet and hang those pictures as well as make some sort of vinyl transfer for the wall. All in all I'm very happy with how nice and neat it looks right now. The fabric on top of the washer (that you probably cannot grasp just how bright it is) came off of a chair that belonged to my great great grandmother. I had that chair recovered this summer and couldn't stand to part with the fabric. There are such fond memories that go along with that rocker and the not so attractive pea green fabric. If you have any suggestions as to what I can do with the fabric, other than pillows, let me know.

Day 16: Refrigerator

2011-01-19T19:18:00.006-06:00

Okay, so here we go...on to day 16.. I can't believe we only have 5 challenges left. Well, I have 6 because I STILL haven't gotten up the nerve to go into the laundry room! It's a BIG job!!! I'll get there...eventually.

Before

It's a mess, but a semi-organized one.

I've cleaned everything out and wiped it down. (including shelves and drawers) I sure hope I can remember how to put it back together. I never even knew all of those things could come out of my refrigerator. I used water and vinegar because all this talk about chemical-free cleaning, especially in the fridge, has gotten to me. FYI, vinegar and water SMELL LIKE VOMIT!!! Or maybe that's because we've had the stomach bug running rampant in our house the last week and I can't get the smell out of my nose. Sorry if that was TMI just trying to keep it real... Anyway, on to the end result.

After

Looking pretty good if I do say so myself!

Oh hey, remember that shrimp I found in the freezer last week? Well, I defrosted and peeled it and make gumbo tonight. It wasn't too bad for my first try. Here's a pic...

Looks purdy dern good, eh?!?!

Day 15: Vitamin/Medication Storage

2011-01-18T16:48:00.003-06:00

I have my medication organized by type(vitamins, sinus, etc). The only medication I actually have in a container is that for the kids. You never know when they'll come down with something so I keep it all in one box. That way I can just throw in my pain reliever and grab it when we pack up to go somewhere. It's got everything in it including bandaids and a thermometer.

Hadley's Happy Sandwich

2011-01-17T14:31:00.001-06:00

Hadley asked for cheese & crackers today for lunch. This is her special creation: the happy sandwich. I don't know how it got it's name, but I love it!!

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Blogging Fun

2011-01-17T11:07:00.005-06:00

Thank you Karen from Goodbye City Hello Suburbs for nominating me for the Stylish Blogger Award. Stop on by, she would love a visit. This seems like a lot of fun and since I'm fairly new to the blogging community I hope it isn't the equivalent of a chain email.

A little more about myself:

1. I am married to my best friend, whom I met on the Internet.

2. We have a beautiful 3 year old girl and sweet little 11 week old baby boy.

3. I moved to my current city almost 4 years ago and I am just now feeling comfortable enough to call it "home."

4. I love photography and would love to begin a photography class this year.

5. I am extremely unorganized and am terrible at housekeeping, but desire to be a domestic goddess.

6. My favorite author of fiction is Nicholas Sparks.

7. My favortite Bible study teacher is Beth Moore

Here are some bloggers I enjoy checking up on.

1. The Monkey Boys' Mama

2. My Blue Eyed Boys

3. Alabama Southern Living

4. The Frazier Family

5. The Carpenters

6. The Pattersons

7. And Baby Makes 3

8. Life in the Crescent City

9. mab blab

10. The Monogram Chick

There are RULES to this stylish blogger award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 10-15 great bloggers you have recently discovered.

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

We Have a Winner!

2011-01-17T10:22:00.002-06:00

We have a winner!

Congratulations Meredith!

Check your inbox for your code to CSN stores. ENJOY!

Meredith said...
I'm loving the pillows!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-01-17 16:22:13 UTC

Day 14: Under the bathroom sink

2011-01-17T09:28:00.003-06:00

I am so glad I had done this one a few weeks ago. I planned to catch up yesterday after church on Days 12 & 13, but I was attacked by the stomach bug of 2011. Today will be spent disinfecting my house and working on my medicine cabinet & spice cabinet. Here is my after picture.

Sleeping Cuties

2011-01-15T18:17:00.003-06:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway.

Day 13: Medicine Cabinet

2011-01-15T12:07:00.003-06:00

Before

Not too bad, but I bet there's lots of expired medicine in there.

After

Ahhhhh! Much better!

Day 12: Spice Cabinet

2011-01-15T12:05:00.004-06:00

Before

After

Day 11: The Freezer

2011-01-15T11:56:00.002-06:00

I didn't take a before picture because lets face it I AM BEHIND!!! I got it done & it looks awesome & that's what counts. Well, that and I found some shrimp so we'll be having shrimp for dinner tomorrow.

My First Giveaway

2011-01-14T13:52:00.005-06:00

I was recently contacted by CSN Stores about doing a review or giveaway so I thought why not? Sounds like fun. I always enter the giveaways others host. Why not try it myself? After perusing their site for quite some time I have discovered several thing I like. Although this round chair at All Modern is a bit too modern for my taste aren't these pillows just fabulous?

I am so very excited to be hosting my first giveaway. What will you win you ask? (insert drum roll here) CSN stores has offered a $45 credit to one of my lucky readers. You have through the weekend because I'll be drawing on Monday. All you have to do is leave me a comment.

Good Luck!

Day 9: Master Bathroom Cabinet

2011-01-12T20:53:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we were supposed to organize our kids' toys, but we are in the midst of creating a playroom out of an empty space upstairs so I'm not touching it for now. At least not until I figure out what I want to do up there. I chose to organize my bathroom cabinet instead. IT WAS BAD!!!

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Before

The towels are ALWAYS organized because I inherited my mother's towel OCD. They must ALL be folded the same and placed in the cabinet facing the same way all nice & neat. The bottom part on the other hand has just become a big jumbled mess. So, I bought a couple more of those plastic drawers and took out the stuff that isn't supposed to be in there anyway. Check it out...

After

Not too bad huh?!?!

It's not to late to join in all the organizational fun.

Just click the button below.

Day 8: Coat Closet

2011-01-12T08:56:00.000-06:00

This closet is kind of a "catch all" closet. Our laundry room is very small so I keep my steam mop & vacuum in this closet as well as our luggage. And, yes that is the leaf to our breakfast area table. I had taken it out to put a table in our breakfast area that my sweet friend Heather, over at LaLaLinen had given to Hadley and then that got moved upstairs to the play room allow room for Connor's high chair. We'll probably put the leaf back in once the high chair is gone. I love a big spacious table. Especially since we use that one more than the one in the dining room. Anyway, on to the transformation...

Before

After

I have Hadley's bumper from her crib (that she hardly ever slept in) on the top shelf. I can't just get rid of it, but if anyone knows of a little girl with the initials HAB that needs a crib bumper let me know. It's beautiful.

Back on track...

2011-01-11T14:38:00.002-06:00

Gotta get back on track with my organizational challenge!!!

UPDATE: I finished Day 8 & I'll upload pics tomorrow...I'm tired. Day 9 is to organize toys. Since we are working on our playroom I may choose something else to organize(maybe my bathroom closet.). Either way, I better get busy because tomorrow(Wednesday) is day 10!!!

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Bumbo Babies

2011-01-10T13:28:00.001-06:00

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My Babies

2011-01-09T18:21:00.002-06:00

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Day 7: Pantry

2011-01-09T13:45:00.005-06:00

Before

NOt to bad. I try to keep this organized so that I can see what we do and don't have. It had gotten a bit messy except for the cans. I had a touch of self diagnosed OCD that requires me to put all of the same cans together labels facing out. I went to Target and got some containers for my cereal and the brown sugar, powdered sugar, and nuts. Sadly, I threw out a lot of things that were out of date. Hopefully, all of this organization will help me keep up with that.

After

The case of Heineken is still there. I don't know why. It's been there a year and nobody has had one yet. (I know the lighting & angle are terrible in this picture, but I don't feel like retaking it.) We also have a little spot for the dog's treats now. :-)

On to removing the Christmas decorations....

Day 6: Dresser

2011-01-07T19:30:00.005-06:00

I decided to surprise the hubs and organize his dresser since I had recently done mine. I did Hadley's yesterday and finished Connor's tonight. Whew!!! That's a lot of work. I've got to get all of this done before the Vets come pick up on Tuesday. I am so happy to be de-cluttering our house though.

Before

Not too bad.. I had a bunch of things from both of our dressers to donate. Darrell looked through it when he got home and was only opposed to getting rid of two of the t-shirts. (One was a t-shirt we both got on our first trip together.) Go ahead, you can say it...AWWWWWW!

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This one was a mess. There were tons of socks that had lost their elasticity and a bunch I know Darrell doesn't even wear anymore because he likes ankle socks not no shows.

After

I bought one of those plastic honeycomb sock organizer things and voila! instant organization/neatness. I also grouped shorts by style. For example, there is a drawer with khaki shorts(yes, I know khaki is a color not a type, but that's what we call them in the good ole South), one with gym shorts, and one with swim trunks.

Saw this folding strategy on another blog and decided to try it out. It really does give you more room and you can see what you have. I love it! Can you guess which NFL team we cheer for?? WHO DAT!!!!

What you lookin at?

2011-01-07T08:25:00.001-06:00

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Make Over

2011-01-06T16:46:00.001-06:00

Almost 3 year old little girl + mommy's make up bag + silence= one big mess.

Sweet Smiles

2011-01-06T11:36:00.006-06:00

I thought I'd take a break from blogging my organizational challenge to show you that's not the only thing I've been doing. I've also been playing with this cute little dude!

He loves his toy from Aunt Kiki.

Day 5: Under the Kitchen Sink

2011-01-06T10:41:00.003-06:00

I've avoided this space like the plague for a while. It's big jumbled up mess and I have duplicates of a lot of cleaners. Unfortunately, they weren't used enough to consolidate containers. I need to get some of those nifty wire baskets to hang on the doors, but both little ones are home today so that will have to wait. Shopping with an almost three year old and a 9 week old is not much fun and it takes twice as long.

Before

After

Quite an improvement. I found this basket in my garage full of teaching supplies that I haven't looked at in the three years I've been a stay at home mommy. It holds all of my cleaning supplies very nicely and I put the duplicates behind it so I can switch them out as they are used up. The red box my mom gave to Darrell & me with all kinds of "stocking stuffers" for Christmas. It's great to hold my garbage bags and hand soaps.

Day 4: Silverware/Serving/Cooking Utensil Drawers

2011-01-05T10:21:00.001-06:00

Day 4 is actually supposed to be spent organizing my linen closet, but I really don't have a linen closet. I have 1 or 2 sets of sheets for each of our beds and they are kept in the bathroom closet that goes to that room. I decided that my silverware/cooking & serving utensil drawers could use some organization since the rest of the drawers in my kitchen had been organized might as well finish it off. (Now I just need to do the cabinets. I am SO not looking forward to the medicine(human & animal) cabinet. Anyway, here is my before picture.

Before

After

Unfortunately I didn't get a before picture of this drawer as I actually started the project the night before. It was a mess. Especially Hadley's utensils. We had 2 sets of silverware(neither of which is complete anymore). I kept the set we had the most of and I am hoping to be able to find replacements. Darrell had these before we got married and doesn't remember where he got them. I bought the nifty expandable organizer from Target as well as the bins to put the kids' utensils in.

This drawer actually had towels, oven mitts, and trivets in it. I took out the towels and put the rest of my serving/cooking utensils in here with my oven mitts and trivets. I just realized that thermometer actually belongs to my mother-in-law. ;-) If you want it back just let me know.

I never thought I'd enjoy this so much. I need to tackle the closet in MY bathroom. That may be a challenge for days 6, 7, & 8. YES, it's THAT bad!!!

If you want to join in on the challenge go here.

Day 3: Tupperware Drawer

2011-01-04T12:50:00.003-06:00

I have a tupperware cabinet and a tupperware drawer. I am one of those people that does not like to lend out my "nice" tupperware because you quite often don't get it back and let's face it that stuff can be expensive. I have to keep them separated of my sweet hubby may send one of my "good" bowls off and I may never see it again. I decided to put the bowls in 2 drawers I have because the cabinet was starting to look a bit messy & I have some other dishes I want to put there.

Before

I also need to have a space for my Ziplocs, aluminum foil, eyc so I just put them in with all of the plastic containers that I use for lunches and leftovers. The first picture is the "good stuff."

After

The second is all of the containers I won't be upset about if/when I don't get them back. I reuse a lot of the containers that lunch meat, seafood, and soups come in for these.

2 Months

2011-01-03T21:19:00.006-06:00

1 month

2 months

You are truly getting too big too fast!! I don't know if it's because I'm not certain we will have anymore babies or we are just so busy, but the time seems to be flying by. We are having so much fun with you and your big sister simply ADORES you. Right now, you are in a size 1 diaper and newborn clothing. Some things you can wear 0-3 months in, but you are still so tiny. We won't have your 2 month check up until next week so I can only guess at your weight, which I think is around 9 lbs 4 oz. I came to this conclusion by weighing us together and then weighing myself and subtracting the difference. We'll know for sure next Thursday. You are still exclusively on breast milk and are taking anywhere between 4.5 to 5 ounces every 5 to 6 hours. You have started consistently sleeping through the night. Last night you slept 8 hours. YAY!!! I can't believe it because Hadley didn't sleep through the night until she was 10 months old. It's amazing how just a few hours of uninterrupted sleep can help a momma feel so much better. I love just holding you and talking to you during the day. You make such sweet faces and have started to mimic my mouth when I talk.

Day 2: Desk Top

2011-01-03T12:53:00.010-06:00

Today we are organizing and cleaning off our desk tops. This shouldn't be too hard since most of these things go in the easel sitting right beside my desk or in my daughter's room.(books, paper, coloring books, etc.)

Before

After

I promise it's not all shoved behind the laptop. ;-) I am really enjoying this challenge!!!

This is the verse that is hanging on my desk. I especially need this verse while cleaning/organizing because obviously that is not one of my favorite things to do. I must remind myself constantly that my house & my children are my mission field right now and I want to do the best job I possibly can.

Day 1: Junk Drawer(s)

2011-01-02T12:56:00.000-06:00

Day 1 of the organization challenge finds us organizing our junk drawer or in my case junk drawers, as in more than one: FIVE to be exact! I can't believe I just admitted that. How embarrassing!!!

BEFORE

AFTER

I bought a large binder and put all of my owner's manuals in that to clear out some room in the drawers. It may not look like much, but it gave me such a feeling of accomplishment to get this small task done. I can't wait for more...

Hadley's Thank You Cards

2010-12-30T23:27:00.001-06:00

Ever After Thank You Card

Design your thank you cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Sweet Sister

2010-12-28T22:23:00.001-06:00

YouTube Video

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New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-28T12:16:00.003-06:00

We all know how these usually go. You begin with gusto and do a wonderful job for a month or two if you're lucky. I am hoping it goes a little better for me this year that's why I'm putting it on my blog. How's that for accountability?!?! Here we go:

1. (and this one may sound crazy to y'all) Put make-up on in the house before I get into the car.
2. Memorize 24 Bible verses with Beth Moore and the other Siestas. (for more info click here.)
3. Get organized. I'll be joining in A Bowl Full of Lemons' 21 day challenge. You can get the info for that here.

4. Lose that extra 10 pounds left over from Baby Connor.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? If so, what are they?

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours

2010-12-23T08:54:00.003-06:00

Yes, we had two Christmas cards. I realized I needed more so why not create a whole new card?!?! Merry Christmas to you & your family.

Connor's Dedication

2010-12-20T11:49:00.001-06:00

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Breakfast in Bethlehem

2010-12-19T17:43:00.002-06:00

This weekend was our annual Breakfast in Bethlehem at church. We meet at church for breakfast and then have a live nativity and listen to the story of Jesus' birth. It is absolutely beautiful and so much fun. We also make a nativity to take home. This year's was made from wood blocks. (Pictures will be posted once we finish!) I'll be honest and tell you I was thrilled when I realized that Connor would be born close to Christmas and he would be the youngest so he would more than likely be asked to play the baby Jesus. I forgot that Darrell and I would also be asked to play Joseph and Mary, or Married as Hadley calls her. We had a blast and it really was an honor to play the holy family in our church's live nativity. It's something we will remember forever.

Teddy Bear Tea

2010-12-10T16:30:00.004-06:00

We took Hadley to the Teddy Bear Tea at the Roosevelt hotel. It was so nice and may just become a tradition every year. She had a blast as did Darrell & I. Look at these yummy goodies.

Hadley loved Frosty the Snowman & had to get her picture made with him as soon as she saw him.
Mrs. Claus read a story to the kids and they all sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. After, they were all able to sit by her for pictures.

The Princess takes her singing very seriously as you can tell in this picture.
My Princess & the Snow Princess

After we ate, sang carols, read stories, & took more pictures than you would ever care to look at the kids formed a second line with their red Christmas napkins and lead Santa & the gang out of the tea room. When they got outside, they were all given a teddy bear. Hadley was very happy about this part.
Connor, on the other hand looks a tad freaked out about the large bear hanging out in his stroller. (okay it's not really large, but to a 1 month old baby it looks huge I'm sure.)
When we were walking to the car, we came across Mr. Bingle. Being that I am not a New Orleans native, I told Hadley to go take a picture with Frosty. I found out two days later, and only after seeing a clip on the news about him, that Mr. Bingle in a New Orleans icon.

Merry Christmas w/ Shutterfly

2010-12-06T00:06:00.005-06:00

If you're like me you you love a great deal. Bloggers check out Shutterfly's Holiday Christmas card promotion.

I love everything about Christmas cards. I love creating them, sending them, & receiving them. I even have an album in which I save all of my old ones. Christmas cards are one of my favorite things about the season. I look forward to taking my annual Christmas picture every year. This year will be our first as a family of four. :-) Isn't this design just adorable. What about this one?

Shutterfly has some of the cutest Christmas photo cards & holiday invitations at awesome prices. I have just the perfect picture to add to my card this year. Look how sweet and precious these two little ones are.

This year I may even get my act together to make one of these awesome calendars. I say every year that I need to make one, but never get around to it. These would make awesome gifts for Christmas too. I guess I need to get moving on that.

Hope y'all have a great holiday season!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-04T23:31:00.001-06:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Little Man-1 Month

2010-12-01T19:03:00.001-06:00

My sweet sweet little man. I can hardly believe you are already one month old. It seems like just yesterday we were telling all of our friends and family that we would be welcoming another little angel into our family. Now you have been here for one full month. We are so in love with everything about you.

We went to see Dr. Jackson for your check up. Thankfully, there were no shots at this appointment. Next month you won't be so lucky. :-( You weigh 8lb 14 oz(that's only 6 oz larger than your sister was when she was born) and you're 21.25 inches long which puts you in the 25%. You're such a tiny little guy. You're still wearing newborn clothing & diapers. I think we'll be making our move to size 1 diapers soon though. You're eating 2.5 to 3 ounces of breast milk about every 3 hours.

1 month old

2010-12-01T09:36:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my baby boy is already a month old. Look how sweet he is.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Connor's 1st Bath Take 2

2010-11-23T16:58:00.007-06:00

So, right after we got home from the hospital we decided to give Connor his first bath. We got his tub all ready, got the camera, & everything together. Hadley & I bathed him while Darrell took pictures. After we were all done & Connor was dressed, fed, & sleeping I went to look at the pictures. Funny thing is, there were none on the camera because my memory card was in my computer. So here we go with 1st bath take 2...

Here is the mister waiting for his bath.

Hadley loves this little guy...
She is such a great helper.

The little cutie relaxing in his warm bath water.
Mommy, Hadley, & Connor

Sweet Sister

2010-11-20T21:50:00.001-06:00

Hadley loves her baby brother. This morning she let me video her singing "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid.

YouTube Video

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Introducing Connor Philip Bourg

2010-11-17T23:10:00.000-06:00

Baby Chic Blue Birth Announcement

Make a statement with Shutterfly birth announcement cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Sibling Love

2010-11-13T15:31:00.002-06:00

Connor sporting his Crimson from Grammie. Daddy was not very happy about this onesie.

This sweet girl LOVES her little brother. She can't get enough of him. She kisses and hugs him all the time. I hope it stays this way...

Connor & his Great Grandmas

2010-11-12T20:03:00.005-06:00

My children are so lucky to get to know both of their great grandmothers. I was lucky enough to have my GG in my life for 12 years before she passed away. She was one of the sweetest ladies ever to walk this earth. I am so glad Hadley & Connor get to have that same experience.

Here is Connor with his Nana (my grandmother).

Here he is with his Grandma Joyce(Darrell's grandmother).

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-10T20:26:00.002-06:00

Gifts

2010-11-07T21:57:00.002-06:00

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. "

--James 1:17

Baby Connor is here...

2010-11-03T13:37:00.006-05:00

Getting ready to head to the hospital & Hadley WAS NOT feeling much like taking pictures. I'm certain she knew something was going on & she was feeling a little uneasy about it.

When we got to the hospital, we found out they were running behind. This would not have been a problem if I could have eaten, however, I had not eaten since 10 o'clock Sunday night & I was starving by 4:00 when we finally got back to the OR.

Connor's 1st year from Hadley's point-of-view

Connor Philip Bourg was born on November 1, 2010 @ 4:26 pm. He weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long with a head full of auburn hair.

1st picture of Daddy, Connor, & Mommy

He was much smaller than I expected. Hadley weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces so I really expected Connor to weigh that or more.

All cleaned up & loving on mommy.

Connor's big sister loves him so much!

I cannot believe I am the mom of two sweet babies. Hadley is so in love with her little brother. She constantly wants to hold him, kiss him, and even tries to help me nurse him. He is one lucky little boy to have such a loving sister. I can't wait to see how they interract with each other as they grow older.