To Cut or Not to Cut... That IS the Question!

I know some of you have started to notice that Lily is at a crossroads when it comes to hair styles. To no fault of her own she has started to develop a Mullet... ok maybe it is more of a Scullet. She doesn't have very much hair on the top of her head but a good amount in the back, that seems to get longer everyday. Now if I continue to let this grow I going to have to live with the lasting effects it could have on Lily when she gets older and sees that I let her run around with a baby Mullet.


Lets just say I do decide to cut it... do I do it my self? I have no hair cutting experience... or do I take her some where to get it cut? Also if I do take her some where to get it cut are they going to look at me like I am crazy when they see that she hardly has any hair to start with? Any and all opinions on this are welcome.


And for your viewing pleasure....











Hey, not all Mullets are bad....

Lily's Picture with Santa

Ok I know that it is after Christmas but, hey better late then never haha!

My Favorite Holiday!

BLACK FRIDAY!



That's right... Some of you might think man is she crazy but I am not. This is the one day a year I get to be totally devoted to shopping and I am not alone. Some of the sales are great and I get about 75 - 85% of my Christmas shopping done. Now I may have posted the guidelines for success when shopping on "Black Friday" before, but as an early gift to you all I will do a recap.

Black Friday Guidelines
1. Make a detailed list of who you need to shop for.
2. In your list include items that you want for each person.
3. Check Black Friday sales.
4. Pre shop ( this way you know right where to find the item you need so you don't waste at lot of time looking around.)
5. Shop at a mall or large grouping of stores so you don't have to do any driving around.
6. Find a good friend that will go with you.
7. Get up way early like around 4 so that you can be on location at least 30-45 minutes before they open. (You want to have a good spot in like)

This is the most important guideline.

8. Buy your self something first. (Once you get your self out of the way you will be free to shop for others.)
9. Try to finish up your shopping by 9 or 10 am at the latest. Then go and enjoy and nice breakfast with your shopping team.

Black Friday Shopping Do's
- Have a meeting place to meet up with your shopping team members should you be divided by the crowds.
- Get coffee on your way to wait in line. ( This will help wake you up and keep you warm while you wait outside.)
- Wear comfortable shoes, there will be lots of walking and maybe even some running.
- Having a map of the mall helps.
- Have fun!

Black Friday's Don'ts
- Don't take small children or whinny husbands.
- Don't wear to many layers, you will get over heated and have to end up carring all of your layers once you take them off.
- Don't drink to large of a coffee in the morning or you will have to stop and pee... this will waste precious time.
- Don't dress in matching outfits with your shopping team... this causes other people to point and laugh.
- Don't be out to late shopping... after 8 or 9 the sales start to really go down and that is when all the other people start coming out to shop.

**** Ok This is a Big Don't****

Do not go anywhere near and K-Mart, Wal-Mart or a Best Buy on this day. People die... I mean really people have died... if you need something from them on this day order it online.

Ok I think I have just about covered everything. I hope everyone has a wonderful Black Friday.

The Great Gift Exchange!

Ok so I don't know about you guys but for Tim and I this year money is tight... I came across a great site that I think will help all of my family to save money this holiday season and still have a lot of fun. I am partaking in a online book club gift exchange and they are using a site called elfster. Pretty much it is an online way to set up a gift exchange. I am hoping over Thanksgiving to talk my family into doing this. I feel like I would much rather spend $50 or $60 on one really nice gift for some one then try and spend $10 on impersonal gifts for every person. I have been looking at the site and it is pretty easy to use... you set up your own guide lines for the gift exchange like : Gift exchange date, spending limit, theme (if you want one). The person who sets up the exchange enters every one's e-mail address and then the elfster will send out an e-mail to each person telling them who they are to buy for. Each person has there own account and can put in there shipping address (for people out of town) and notes about what they do or don't like. There is also a wish list where you can mention things that you would like to receive. Another cool thing about this site is you can ask your person questions through elfster if you need a better idea of what to get them. I am really hoping that everyone goes for this idea this year. I think it will be a lot of fun and save us all a lot of money.

Here is the site if anyone wants to check it out!

www.elfster.com

Really?

This is just too funny I have to share... So I was reading a post form thenest... anyway this woman was arguing with her husband weather or not he would be able to tackle a Giraffe. The husband seemed to think that he could... So she asked all the other ladies to ask there husband if they think they would be able to tackle a Giraffe... The responses were pretty funny. So I texted Tim this morning and this was what he said.

Me: Could you tackle a giraffe?

Tim: probably...why?

Me: LOL! yeah right!

Tim: I'd totally kick that things ass

So all morning I have been trying to picture Tim trying to tackle a Giraffe LOL!

Wonderful Pumpkin Weekend

The Hanson family had a wonderful weekend of carving pumpkins. Tim's dad Rob came up for a visit. Friday he spent the day with Shannon seeing the sights in Washington Dc... from what they said they had a wonderful time. Saturday Tim and his dad went to play around of golf with Jon and George. They rain did hold out for a bit but I think they only got 14 or 15 holes in. But they still had a great time. Lily and I didn't do to much on Sat while the guys were golfing... Saturday evening was nice. After Tim and his dad returned home soaking wet from there golf game Shannon came down. We had a nice family dinner and after that we all cleared the table and carved pumpkins. I put Lily in her Halloween outfit, thinking that I would be able to get some cute pictures but no luck she wasn't really in to the pumpkins this year. She didn't like the feel of the pumpkin guts lol. All the pumpkins did turn out really well. Oh also I made my first but surely not my last pumpkin pie this year. We ended the night playing cards and eating pie. It was really nice to have a family night with Rob and Shannon. Sunday Rob treated use all for lunch before he headed back down the road to Florida.

We don't have a whole lot going on this week but are looking forward to Saturday. Lily is going to a toddler Halloween party that one of the parents from our daycare is having. Tim and I really enjoy watching Lily play and interact with other kids her age.

If Jamie was real!

Ok so if Jamie was really I think he would be a cross between these two guys.

Oh Where Oh Where has my Child Gone?

I use to have this sweet lovely child living at my house but now I have a whiny grumpy little person driving me crazy. I don't know what is up with Lily she has been no fun the past two days. I get her home from daycare and she is just super whiny and nothing makes her happy. I feel bad that she is so miserable but she is making all of us miserable. Last night she was really nice an woke Tim and I up from 2:30 to 3:30... I tell you it was really nice to have a good hour break from a otherwise restful night of sleep. I get her to daycare this morning and she is happy running around playing with her friends and teacher. Tim and I are starting to think that maybe she doesn't like us anymore. Tim's dad Rob is coming to stay at our house for a few days to visit. I am hoping that tonight will be a better night or he might want to pack up and stay at a hotel lol! I am wondering if she is getting some of her back teeth in. I mean she doesn't have a fever or even a runny nose. I told Tim last night I was going to go ahead and let the fairs take her lol! He didn't think that was too funny at 3:00 am this morning.

Books

So this summer I totally got into the Twilight Saga... thank you Nikki and Grandma haha. I loved it and I also was able to get Jenn, Shannon M and my mother-in-law to read them as well. Jenn Grandma, Danielle and I are all Team Edward haha. Jenn and Nikki are Team Jacob. Jenn is planning a New Moon party for when the movie comes out in Nov. I really hope this movie is better then the Twilight movie. Well after reading the 4 Twilight books I was looking for something classic to read so I picked up Wuthering Heights. It was a long hard read for me but I stuck with it and I am glad. I had no idea what the book was about other then some kind of love story. Then when I was done with that I picked up The Time Traveler's Wife. I have to say I didn't enjoy this book at all. The story was kind of hard to follow because of the time changing back and forth. Before I read the book I was looking forward to seeing the movie but since I read the book I really have no interest in seeing the movie.

I have recently started a new series called Outlander. There are 7 books in this series so far and I think there will be an 8th. This first book in the series is called Outlander oh and is written by Diana Gabaldon. The main characters are Clair and Jaime. It took me a good 100 -200 pages to really get into this book but once I did I totally fell head over heels in love with it. I am now getting read to finish the second book in this series and am looking forward to starting the 3rd some time this week. I have recommended Outlander to Jenn and Shannon H (my sister-in-law) and so far both really seem to be enjoying it as much as I have.

Fall Goals!

Here are some goals I would like to work on this Fall.

1. Work out at least once a week.
2. Go on a date with Tim at least once a month.
3. Blog more!

OK so it had been FOREVER

I know it has been like 5 months almost 1/2 a year since a last wrote... what can I say I have been busy... not really I have been lazy when it comes to blogging. I wish I would have kept up with it better.

Life is good all is well. Tim and I are doing wonderful and Lily continues to grow and enrich our lives every day. She just turned a year old on Oct 4th. Tim and I hosted a Picnic in the Park themed birthday party for her. It was a lot of fun, the weather was great and lots of her friends from the daycare showed up. We all really enjoyed watching Lily play with her friends. She is not only walking but running now. She talks a lot but doesn't say many words. She does say Dadada da all the time and also out side. haha Lily and Bristol are great friends and share many meals together lol.

Life is good!

4 Years and Counting

Today is our four year anniversary, and I love Tim more today then I did yesterday. Everyday Tim does something that makes me fall in love with him all over again. I feeling truly lucky to have him as a husband and I know one day Lily will feel just as lucky to have him as a father. This past year has had a lot of ups and down and Tim is always there by my side. We are enjoying watching Lily grow and we cherish all of her milestones together.

Tim you mean the world to me and I love you !

Lily's First Swim Lesson.

This past Saturday Tim and I took Lily for her first swim lesson and as you can see she loved it. I think Tim also had a great time. Lily is getting so big everyday she does something new. She is now able to sit her self up so every time we go to get her out of her crib there she is just sitting up waiting for us.

Where does time go?

Ok so I know it has been a month since the last time I wrote on here. I just don't seem to have much to say anymore. I could write all about Lily but even that get old after a while. I think I am in a new mom slump. There have been lots of new things going on.

Lily is 7 months old today... and so far we are both still alive so Tim and I must be doing something right lol. She is growing right along. She weighs about 17 lbs and has recently taken up LOW CRAWLING. Yeah she does the best Army low crawl I have ever seen. I think soon she will be getting up on her Knees. Tim and I find ourselves running around picking up all of the dogs toys. Those seem to be her favorite things to play with. I don't know if any of you have seen Bristol's chew toys but they are not exactly the cleanest lol.

Last weekend I stopped nursing Lily. It was a hard decision to make but I felt it was time. I have been sharing my body for the last 15 months or so it is time to take it back. I am hoping now that I have stopped nursing that I will be able to shed a few pounds. While nursing I was hungry all the time. This first week went ok, I got really sick with a sinus infection so I didn't have much time or energy to think about nursing. Lily doesn't seem to notice that we have stopped nursing. She will still continue to get brestmilk for another week or two because I had such a great freezer stash. We have already started mixing in some formula with her bottles so when we change over it will not be a drastic change.

Tim and I are planning a trip to Vegas in early Sept. We are going for his 30th birthday. That is right Tim is going to be 30 years old this year. Again how time flies. I meant Tim 6 days before my 21st birthday and I will be 28 this year. Also this month is our 4 yr anniversary. It doesn't seem like we have been married for 4 years already but I guess that is a good thing. Well that is about it for me.

I will try harder to do more on my blog, sorry guys.

Motivation

I have no motivation! I really want to lose weight because I am just tired of the way my body looks. I know that I will never have the same body I had before I had Lily and I am ok with that. I thought breastfeeding was going to help me lose weight but I am hungry all the time. I mean ALL the time. Lily will be 6 months on Sat so I am thinking of weaning her but I feel like the only reason I want to do that is so I can start to diet.


HELP!

List

Ok so I saw that Erin make a list on her blog so I am going to make one.

List of things I miss about my life before baby.

Shopping ( yes I still shop but it isn't the same)
Pre-baby body
Staying up late and sleeping in
Seeing my friends all of the time
Spending lazy afternoons sleeping
Getting up only 15 minutes before I have to leave the house for work.
Not having to plan every thing.

Update....

Well I find my self pretty busy with day to day life and I have forgotten to blog... So sorry. Lets see what is new with me? Well not a whole lot I guess, Tim and I are doing well we are planing a trip to Vegas in late Aug or Sept. Tim will be 30 this year. Oh how time flys, and we are coming up on our 4 yr anniversary in May. It is hard to believe we have been married 4 yrs already. We just got a copy of our wedding video in the mail the other day from my Uncle Paul. (Thanks for all of your hard work.) Tim and I look so young and silly in our video but it was fun to watch. I forgot just how much dancing we did... lol.

Work is going well for Tim and I both we are lucky that way with some many people losing there jobs. I really feel for all of the families out there.

Lily is wonderful as always. She will be 6 months old in just about a week or so. It seems just like yesterday that Tim and I were wondering if she was ever going to come out lol. When Lily was born I set a goal to breastfeed for 6 months and I am so close to making it and I am really proud of my self. I really think that this has been one of the hardest things I have had to do. There has been lots of ups and downs but with lots of support from Tim, family and friends I have been able to successfully nurse. I am not sure when I will be done nursing, I thought when the 6 month mark hit I would be ready but now that it is just about her and things are going pretty well for us I am thinking about continuing for a few more months. I don't know if I will be able to make it a whole year but we will see.

Here are some of the new things Lily can do.
Roll over front to back and back to front.
Sit up by her self for a few minutes.
laugh (it melts your heart)
Reach for things.
Has 2 teeth and is getting a third.

I am sure I am forgetting lots of things.


The other kids (Tina and Bristol) are doing well. They are still really a big part of our family and Tim and I try to make sure that we give them plenty of attention. Tina really loves Lily and Lily loves Tina's bark and her tail. Bristol just loves Lily's toys haha he things they should all be his. Now that Lily is starting to eat some foods the dogs are starting to pay more attention to her. Bristol just turned 3 in Jan and Tina will be 6 this year...

Oh so now I am totally into face book I love how easy it is to put pictures up so that is why I haven't been putting as many up here. I have been trying to talk Jenn in to getting a face book but she doesn't see the need. So I think we should all commit on her blog telling her to get a face book account.

Weight Loss Site

Hey check out this free weight loss site it is a lot like Weight Watchers only it is free... So far I like it.

www.sparkpeople.com

Rolling Over!

Well Lily has started to roll over in her crib. She is getting to big!

My new bag!

Loving my new bag...

Tim surprised me with this new wonderful bag last night at dinner as an early V-day gift. It was very thoughtful of him.

Thank you Tim. I love you!

Tim's new truck!

This is Tim's new ride!

SNOW DAY!

Today Lily got out of daycare early due to the snow... so I took her out for her first really snow.











I think she really liked it...

Lily's First Food

Lily's first taste of food... Tim and I took turns feeding her. I don't think she got to much in her mouth but she did have a good time....









Then it was off to the bath to get all cleaned up.

Lily Got her Ears Pierced!

We took Lily to get her ears pierced yesterday. She didn't really like it but after about ten minutes she was find and they look so cute!