Mall Trip

We work very close to a mall, so it is easy to head there on a lunch hour or after work. On Monday evening we were on the hunt for new shoes for Alex. We had John's car, but the stroller was in my car. Alex had no problem walking through the mall and stayed by us most of the time. (It is was nice to make this trip when it was not crowded.)

We stopped by the food court for dinner, but Alex did not need a a high chair. He sat at the table with no problems and ate his kid's meal.

At the shoe store, we found out the he is now in the largest size of the toddler section. He will wearing preschool size shoes in no time. (John will then want to get him the Star Wars shoes.)

Before leaving, Alex had some time to play on the playground. He climbed up and slid down with ease. I was amazed at how big he is getting and enjoyed the time with my boys.

Ode to the Lunch Hour

I am writing this post during my lunch hour. I did not truly appreciate the lunch hour until I took my 12 weeks of FMLA with Alex. I value having that time with him, but I also learned how demanding it is to care for a baby full-time. I barely had time to eat and kept quick meals around the house.

I returned to my job with a new appreciation for my lunch hour. A whole hour! Before having Alex I used to mainly just use the time to go out to lunch. Now I know how valuable this time is! Sometimes I do still go out to lunch, but other times I run errands and accomplish so much. Sometimes I catch up with some co-workers and eat in the office. Somedays I can meet up with my mom for lunch. If I want some quiet, alone time, I can shut my door and just relax. I can even squeeze in a quick workout (which I should do more often).

two weekends 2 shots

This is a modified version of my "one weekend 2 shots" posts. I figured that I can change the rules since it is my blog. :)

The first photo is from May 1, when Alex was coloring. I was able to use the sheets to make some Mother's Day cards.

The second photo is actually from this past weekend. We had to cage the tomato plants before they took over the entire garden. Next year the tomatoes may get their own separate garden since they are doing so well. I was worried that we would have trouble growing them since we have a lot of shade in the backyard. Wrong! This is why we call it "experimental gardening." Alex actually picked our first tomato yesterday and then tried to put it back on the plant. We'll see if it will still ripen.

Project of the Week #2

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Of course, I made some mother's day cards. A couple went in the mail at the beginning of the week, but I snapped photos of the two that I gave to my mom.

Allison (a fellow scrapper in the Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers class) commented on my last bog post that Alex's artwork could be used as paper for scrapbook layouts. I had not thought of that yet, but I had thought to use his coloring on cards. Alex colored on some white card stock, and I added a butterfly from my new embosslit die.

The second card was made at stamp club. It also uses a Big Shot die and is more intricate than the first card. I like both cards, and decided to give two cards to my mom this year.

Most supplies on these cards are from Stampin' Up!.

Alex's Artwork

We have received some of Alex's artwork recently from daycare. They have been busy painting! (And I have been busy getting stains of out Alex's clothes...) We don't have space to save all of his artwork, but some if it will go in his scrapbook.

one weekend 2 shots (April 30)

Here are my photos from Saturday, April 30, 2011:

Yes, Alex is wearing one of John's hats on its smallest setting.

Alex fell asleep on the car after some shopping. Alex is barefoot since he no longer wanted to wear shoes in the middle of our shopping trip. He was in the stroller, so I did not fight it...

Project of the Week #1

My blog goal is to share at least one crafty project a week, so I am calling it "Project of the Week" or POTW for short.

My first project is a mini album from Alex's first birthday. Yes, that was over a year ago! I started the book using Stacy Julian's Finish Line Scrapbooking method but then set it aside. I kept it a simple scrapbook and am glad that I finally finished it. I made it from a kit that I bought at Marshall's for about $5-10. I think that the manufacturer was We R Memory Keepers, but I am not sure anymore. I also used some DCWV 8x8 card stock and American Crafts Thickers. I am sharing my favorite pages from the album.

Updated: It was the We R Memory Keepers Frenzy kit, which was still in stock at my local Michaels on 5/8/11. I got a great deal on the kit!

And I have another poll for you:

Alex @ 2

Alex is about 32 pounds and 35 inches tall. He is still sleeps in his crib, but I wonder if he could climb out if he really wants to...

Alex still loves bananas, but cheese is his new favorite food. John says that he gets that from my family. :)

Alex is talking more and more. I had a good conference with Alex's teacher on Friday, and he is doing well. He loves reading at school and is good at the matching game. He says "thank you" and likes to say "hi" to his friends.

Even though it is May, Alex likes to watch the Elmo's Christmas Countdown DVD. I am listening to Brad Paisley sing Jingle Bells as I type this post. Grandma taught Alex to identify Brad Paisley. Alex is a little sponge and picks up everything these days!