Weekend fun!

Jace's BFF Owen came for a visit this weekend and they have been having tons of fun!

Playing together...

Petting Satchel...

Having dance parties....

Owen wasn't too sure about the dancing part, but he did have fun changing the songs. Now Jace on the other hand, check out these dance moves!

What a fun visit!

Jace's first words

Jace has really started talking lately! He said his first word "dada" around 12 months and he hasn't stopped since. He's got quite a few different words in his vocabulary now and we've caught a few on tape. Hope you like listening!

Please!

What a polite boy! I just can't get enough :)

Pumpkin coffee!

Did you know you can flavor coffee by adding spices to ground coffee beans? Try it. So good!

My favorite so far is pumpkin spiced coffee. Welcome fall into your home every morning by adding a teaspoon or two of pumpkin pie spice to your coffee grounds before brewing. Add sugar and cream to taste.

It may not be as good as a pumpkin spiced latte (although this may be!), but it sure does come close!

Happy Birthday to Jace!

Last Saturday we celebrated Jace turning 1! (Where did this year go?!) Jace had lots of fun at his birthday party opening presents, playing with his friend, Harper, showing off his new walking skills to his family, and of course, eating cake!

We are so thankful for everyone who was able to come celebrate this special day with us. Thank you for loving our baby!

He walks!

My baby is walking! He certainly still loves to crawl, but he is walking more and more every day. I can hardly believe it. He's been taking one or two steps for about a month now, but in the past week he has really taken off. And just in time to show off for his family and friends at his first birthday party!

Check it out! He's so proud of himself, too. :)

Life in the Dash.

I need a new blog post. Desperately. But nothing seems blog worthy. Sometimes it feels like I spend my whole day in the kitchen. 11 month olds eat a lot. Seriously. Today for a snack Jace had an entire cherry cereal bar, approximately 15 animal crackers, a vanilla YoBaby yogurt, and 1/2 cup of blueberries. And after this afternoon feast there was much to clean up. Sticky yogurt hands, sticky yogurt face, smashed blueberries on the floor, and animal cracker crumbs in the seat. And dinner isn't too far away. Which means I'll get to do this all again. But the mess will be bigger. And stickier.

And while this isn't very exciting it is a big part of my life. After all Jace eats three meals and one snack a day. So there's lots to clean up. And maybe you'd still like to hear about it? Because I'd like to hear about your day, even if it's just filled with folding laundry and vacuuming carpets. Or sitting at a desk answering phones and attending meetings. Because life isn't always glamorous, but I think it's worth sharing.

My friend, Jen, recently blogged about some random thoughts and inspired me to post some of my own.

So here's what's been going on lately.

Jace is almost walking! It's exciting and scary, but I think I'm ready. He can already stand on his tippy toes and grab things off of tables and shelves, so how much more trouble could he get into?

Although speaking of trouble, today Jace got his leg stuck in a shopping cart. Like really stuck. He was sitting in the front of the cart, strapped in, like always, and all of the sudden I hear him screaming. I turn around and he has moved his leg out of the leg opening and into this teeny tiny opening next to the leg opening. I have no idea how he got his leg through it, but he did. And now his leg is stuck. And he's screaming. Thankfully, my mom was with me, but neither of us could get his leg out. And his poor ankle is getting more and more red. And he's still screaming. I thought we were going to have to call the fire department. Or the police. I thought we were going to need the jaws of life. Seriously. Somehow I managed to bend his foot just the right way and it slid back out- but what a scary moment!! I'm not sure if I'll ever put him in a Whole Foods shopping cart again!

Hubby and I have picked up a new TV show for the summer. Arrested Development. If you haven't seen this show- you should. It's on Netflix and is super funny. And if you own a Wii you can order a special dvd from Netflix that will allow you to watch shows on your television through your Wii. It is so cool.

I've joined a gym and am trying to gain enough confidence to try out their Zumba class. It looks like fun- but everyone is so good! Maybe I could just hang out in the back corner....

We are official NC residents with new driver's licenses and car registrations. Did you know when you apply for a license in a new state you have to take a written test? I thought I was going to fail. I mean, seriously, who actually knows how many points you get on your license if you are pulled over for a DUI? And in NC there are two DMVs. One for your license and one for registration. So that's two ridiculously long lines you have to stand in instead of just one. And did you also know the DMV only takes cash or check? There must be a way to do all of this online.....

Jace's birthday is next month. He's going to have a farm-themed party. I can't wait. There will be pictures. Just wait. I'm hoping to bake him a cake that looks like a cow. Wish me luck!

And now it's back to the kitchen for dinner. Here's to another messy evening.