Shine Your Sink Weekend

I joined the FlyLady.net this weekend and have enjoyed every reading thus far. The first thing you do is "Shine your Sink." Caroline has promised to help! FLY stands for Finally Love Yourself, and you do that by keeping organized and clean. Don't get me wrong....I love myself and my wonderful life, but it would help to have someone to tell you what chore to complete each day, so your house is always in top notch shape! Tomorrow's duty is to clean out your sock drawer. It is just the right timing, because Caroline is moving from her newborn socks to her six months.

Caroline and her Easter Bib from MiMi
"Shine Your Sink"

Matt and I attended a wedding this weekend in LaFayette and enjoyed meeting new friends. Justin and Michelle said their vows at The Reserve at Oak Bowery. Matt and I got to enjoy the weekend together, while Caroline stayed with the Grandparents. Thanks so much grands!

Butterfly Table (Our New Friends from Texas)

Zack and Michelle

The Reception

Don't I have a good looking husband?

Matt, Justin, and Michelle

Zach, Matt, and Dustin

Matt playing his guitar hero...ha...thanks Grandma Etta

So you ask, why the picture od the chair and the bed? This weekend was my first time to leave Caroline over night with the grandparents. I left Thursday after work and headed off to Tupelo to have a head start for the weeknd. I slept in for the first time in six months. Now, Caroline is a wonderful sleeper. She is ready to go to bed every night at 8:30 and wakes up at 6:30, but it was so nice just to sleep till 7:30. I slept in, had breakfast, and actually got to take my time getting ready. Taking my time getting ready is such a luxury these days.

I have been meaning to post this picture for the past week. This is my Grandpa Moren and my Uncle Roger aka Uncle Da Da. Don't you think they resemble each other? What do you think Aunt Julie?

Karley's Safari

We had a relaxing, fun, and accomplishing Saturday. I headed off to Pine Bluff to take care of a few items this morning and stopped by to see Jennifer. She went along for the ride and we enjoyed catching back up on all the chit chat. Karley, one of Caroline's friends, had her 2nd Birthday party this afternoon. I did not get to take any pictures because it was such a big turn out for the Safari. I did get to catch up with an old classmate and a few good friends. This is the only picture I got to take from the Birthday party. Happy Birthday Karley!

Caroline is all grins after seeing all the children (she loves kids)
Caroline playing with her singing table

Caroline Ainsley-March Pictures

We had a blast this weekend with Brittany and Amanda taking pictures of Caroline. Amanda has a new camera so she wanted to test it out on Little Miss Caroline. We went out to the Old Mill, and had lots of people that wanted to take Caroline home with them! She never meets a stranger!

St. Patrick's Day at the Ritchie's Home

Everyone needs a little green on St. Patrick's Day, so MiMi and Papaw brought Caroline a little present....a Nojo! It can be used to cover shopping carts and dining chairs when going out to eat. It will be perfect for this weekend.

Caroline found this card to give to Daddy on St. Patrick's Day. When we first bought this card we thought it would be ideal since it had a baby on the front. It never crossed my mind that Matt would think this next thought about the word "oops." Matt reads the front of this card and then smiles with an odd look. Hum? He thought the inside of the card was going to say something like..."We are pregnant again!" We are not having another baby anytime soon and next time I will think a little bit more into our card selection. It did give me a good laugh!

Christmas in July?

Mamaw Moren bought us this poinsettia on Black Friday for only ninety-nine cents. This poinsettia has been neglected for days and then it will be watered when my Mamaw comes to visit. I told Caroline this afternoon that this poinsettia is not giving up, and we might just have Christmas in July.

We made it home from our road trip, and have started unpacking. When we come home from weekend get-a-ways we always have lots of laundry! I read a lady's blog about once a week that makes a daily list of some sort. I have decided that this week I am going to make a list so I will be held accountable.

Sunday-unpack and laundry

Monday- clean laundry room

Tuesday-clean kitchen

Wednesday-clean dining room

Thursday- clean guest room

Friday-clean Caroline's room

Saturday-clean bathrooms

Sunday-clean master

Why all the cleaning? Caroline was sick this past week and she passed it on to me this weekend. I have decided that every nook and cranny needs to be cleaned!

We Made It

We awoke this morning to a cold day in Birmingham. We strolled down the road to eat at the usual popular Ritchie spot...Pita Hut. After we had our Mediterranean tummies filled we headed off to Tupelo to find our 70s retro room awaiting us. The room is actually nice, but Matt thought the bed runner reminded him of the 70s. We ordered pizza tonight and will leave in the morning to head back to Little Rock. Matt left April 2nd to begin flight school, which will be a day forever in my memory. This past year has flown by and I know the next few months will be even faster. I want to say thank you to all of my friends and family. The phrase, "I could not do it without you" cannot be any more true. It will not be long and our Daddy will be home!

Over the River and Through the Woods...

...to Birmingham we go. We got up early Friday morning to get ready to see our Daddy for the weekend. Caroline reclined back while I finished packing the last minute items. We traveled to Birmingham the first night since Matt would not be out of class till late Friday night. We are headed to Tupelo tonight, so we will be closer to home for the trip on Sunday.

Caroline thought she was going to get to drive this time. She checked her tires and then side mirrors, and then loaded up to see Daddy.

I talked into letting me drive one more time. I told her that we would get there faster if we took Mommy's car. I wanted to show off our new fav-the travel humidifier. Caroline has had a cold the past week, so this worked wonders on our road trip.
We arrived in Birmingham Friday afternoon, and then Mommy unloaded the car. All in one trip! When you travel with a baby you have to bring just about everything!
Before bedtime we had our usual tummy time and the next thing we knew...Caroline was scooting to her wipes. It will not be long and this girl is going to be crawling.

Bathtime with Mommy

Beep Beep Big Girl Coming Through

Two big changes took place today! Mamaw Moren told me yesterday that she was reaching to her and Papaw. She then corrected herself, and said maybe she was reaching for the glasses. Well guess what? This girl is reaching! It melted my heart today. I walked in the door, and out reached the hands. It will be one of the moments that a mother will never forget.

The other change? I was washing bottles and Caroline was parked in the kitchen, when all at once her car kicked into reverse. I do not know who was more startled. She can offically drive. Watch out! Caroline has hit the road, and her feet can finally reach the pedals (the floor). Count down to see Daddy!

Ready for the Weekend

I had to show off my Weight Watchers Pepper and Sausage Pasta that I made tonight. I usually cook on Sunday afternoons to prepare for the week, but this time I had to wait until tonight. I did get to sample a bit, and then added the rest to measured containers for the week. When we meet on the weekends we eat out for every meal, and this time I must say that I tried my hardest to make wise choices about what I was ordering. Matt did talk me into sharing a Meditteranean appetizer with him that I probably should have passed up! Oops!

This is our new drying rack from MiMi. We were in desperate need of a rack, but I would always forget when I was out shopping, so MiMi picked one up for us! Thanks MiMi!

As for Caroline...we went to the doctor today only to hear the wisdom that a mother already knows. I guess I just always want the doctor to have some magical answer. Caroline has had a runny nose/cough for the past few days, but last night the poor sweetheart was coughing every half hour. I could not believe that she slept through it! Early this morning I scheduled a appointment to make sure that the crud was not spreading to her lungs. We all know that a baby with a cough/cold can turn into a nightmare in a minute. Dr. Badgewell said to keep an eye out, but as for now the drainage was only in her throat. We will continue to keep a close eye on that little girl.

Ready for the weekend? You bet! Ready to see our Daddy!

Weekend Adventurre

Thursday night we began to pack for our weekend adventure. Caroline played UNO with Uncle Rog, Will, MaMaw and Papaw. I started packing and loading the trunk for the roadtrip in the morning.

We left Friday morning headed to go meet Daddy. All was going as planned, until we traveled over the river bridge into Memphis. Traffic came to a stand still, and Caroline's blue eyes opened to see what all the action was about. After forty minutes we finally creeped along to the next exit, which was a half mile down the interstate. Caroline and I were in for a little detour.

We took the next exit to find a gravel road ahead of us. When we finally reached the next red light, we found ourselves in the part of Memphis that you see in the movies. The part that a mother and child should not find themselves.

After my GPS took us to this sign...we were back on track.

We arrived at the hotel with big smiles and ready to see our Daddy.

Caroline got to ride on the luggage rack for the first time this weekend.

After talking with Tanya this weekend we decided that we would give Caroline her first sip of Mr. Pibb. I do not think that she even got enough to taste. Matt and I tried a new Mediterranean restaurant called Pita Hut. We highly recommend it!

Daddy and Caroline