Huston, you are 17 Months old today!

This picture pretty much sums you up this month.

You are a very happy boy who has learned the concept of "CHEEEEZZZZZEEEE"ing for the camera, clapping your hands and hamming it up.

Right now you are jabbering non-stop and more and more words are starting to make sense. Your favorite word is "uh-oh".  You can pretty much understand us and will pick things up, put things back and clean up your messes when asked. You have learned where the food you like is and have no problem telling us when you want more!

You wave bye anytime anyone is leaving the room and sometimes when I say "bite". It does sound close.

You got all of your back molars in this month and were a pretty tough boy! Even when there was blood in your mouth from the teeth popping through, we could still get you to smile.

Although you are a picky eater, if you hear a wrapper in the kitchen or see someone holding something, you are on them like glue to make sure that you get a bite of it. You don't really care much for meat or vegetables, but do like your breads, crackers, cheese and fruit (like your momma!).

You are a pro at getting up and down the stairs. You fly up them so fast and when it's time to come down, you plop on your belly (like I taught you) and slide straight down them.

Lately you have really been into wearing hats, if you don't have one of your own handy, you will take your dad's and put it on backwards.

You have also discovered the joy of being naked and the little treasures you find when you are. I think you know what I mean. We have to dress you quickly so you don't do any permanent damage or pee on the floor.

Over the Christmas holiday you made a trip to both OK and CA to see family. You did great on both trips and couldn't get enough of your uncles and cousins. 

You got your first "real" haircut.  You'd had the bottom trimmed before, but this time got a trim all over.  It changed your whole appearance!  Daddy had a harder time with it than Momma did :)

I saved the best for last. You aren't ashamed to love your momma (and sometimes dad)! You regularly hold my hand, kiss me (with a loud MUAH) and hug me (you even pat me on the back when you are hugging). This melts your momma's heart.

she's crafty

i was so lucky to stay at home with H for the first year of his life.  i hope after baby #2 (yes, we are officially trying) there is some way i will be able to quit working and just be a momma/domestic diva.  i look back now and i think of all the things that i would do if i stayed home instead of worked full time.  i have a master plan.

i've always had an interest in crafty type things, but never considered myself that talented.  i like to sew, i like to scrap, i like to create - but what i really like to do is throw parties.  when i worked for the chamber of commerce i got to throw parties for our members with big budgets - now that is fun!  i recently threw a baby shower and it all came rushing back to me.  i love the little details.  i love the planning.  i love making things pretty.

i have also been giving my blog quite a make-over lately.  as i was doing so i realized that i could combine the two.  i can make pretty things for parties and teach others how to as well!  and as a side gig i could start party planning (on a small scale) locally.  places like etsy and all the local handmade craft fairs.....possibilities are endless.  i've really had a great time with uppercaseliving - but want to go on a bigger scale.

now to my master plan.  my dream, my big dream, is to one day own a little gift store.  i would sell greeting cards, pastries, a collection of small gifts (how fun would it be to "go to market") and books.  it would be a gathering place for women.  and i would cater and plan events on the side.

until then, here are my latest creations:

 


Polka Dot Diaper Cake

 

Ducky Diaper Cake





Tasty Treats



random thoughts

i am looking forward to a three day weekend, thank you MLK

huston is going to be able to bear-hug me soon

i want to start a GNO club so i will make time with my girls

doug read my mind and suggested pizza for tonight, i think we'll get donatos

we HAVE to play with huston in the snow this weekend, he hasn't yet this year

i'm excited about my LASIK next week

i might be becoming obsessed with vera bradley stuff

blurry vision

picture this. i was a rather tall, gangly, freckled face little girl with CRAZY curly red hair. if that wasn't enough, i had to get glasses when i was in the third grade. yes, i was that cool.

basically my whole life i have to wake up in the morning tapping the bedside table until i can find my glasses, walking into a warm room from the outside cold and having my glasses fog up, losing contacts when i sneeze too hard (if you were there on the golf course, you really remember this one), climbing in bed and snuggling up only to remember i didn't take out my contacts and have to get up and go remove them, falling asleep on the couch and my eyes being stuck shut from the dry contacts....the list goes on. i won't even go into the horrendous large, plastic glasses that were "cool" in my high school days. more recently i have a little boy who LOVES to tear them off my face.

well........no more. this time next week i am getting LASIK. i am so excited that i don't even mind the fact that they are cutting my eye open :)

H 101

I've decided to keep a monthly journal for Huston. I started an annual one at age one but there is just too much to keep up with.

Sooooo, to catch up here we go:

13 months - started daycare when momma got a job offer too good to turn down. it only took about a week for him to acclimate and then he started looking forward to seeing his friends. learned to go wash his hands and sit down at the table. loves his mickey mouse "Hot Diggity Dog" song.

14 months - second Halloween. this year he was elmo (mom and dad were abby and bert, neighbors were ernie, big bird and a dragon). started liking to draw with chalk and colors. regularly says momma, dada, ball and uh-oh. throws a ball like a pro. learned some alligator stomp (i had to ask daycare because i couldn't figure out why he was walking funny)

15 months - cutting teeth like crazy. all eight front teeth and molars are popping up. decided he loves to sit on our lap, but he backs in, it is too cute. also learned how to climb up on the couch all by himself. started using jazz hands when dancing.

16 months - trip to Oklahoma and California for the holidays. favorite expression is, Eh? fell in love with the Christmas tree and spent hours a night ooh'ing over it. uses his fake laugh when he wants you to look at what he's doing.

from here on out the journal will be written to huston on/around the 18th of each month in much more detail. i will cherish it as much or more than him, but how cool for him to read one day...

holiday traveling

over the holidays we visited lots of family. right before christmas H and i went and saw my family in oklahoma (doug was TDY and didn't get to go). i was so pleased that H was old enough to remember and enjoy all his grandparents and aunts and uncle. he played and played and ate up all the attention. i also got to see a lot of my good friends that i miss so dearly.

christmas eve we all three flew to california to see doug's family. huston makes this easier, he is a good little traveler (see below)



he did really great on the plane and made sure everyone around us loved him too. it amazes me how he isn't scared of anything and everyone is a friend to him. i hope this is something he will keep with him.

although he loved seeing his grandparents and aunts and uncles there too - he REALLY loved seeing his cousins.

on the drums with cousin aydin:



playing in the tote with cousin jazzmin:



piano with cousin aydin:



budding musicians:



tubby time:



he also LOVED his uncles robert, sean and paul (which the poor grandmothers both loved and hated)

all in all it was great to see everyone. way too short but so glad we were able to go.

2011

Not really a resolution maker, but here are a few thoughts of things I would like to do better at. I’m going to skip the “eat healthier, work out more, save money” obvious things that we all should do anyway and get to the good stuff.

1. I miss reading. I really want to find some new authors that I like and make a point to read at night. Doug usually watches some tv before we go to bed and I just play around on my phone. I figure once I get going it will be hard to stop me because I used to love it so much. My biggest problem is I will stay up all night to finish a good book and I’ll need to pace myself.

2. I am going to start taking time to use all my Lancôme face washes, toners, moisturizers, etc every night. I am. I do not want to be wrinkly. Ever. I buy the stuff but just can’t make myself do it every night. Oh but I will….

3. Balance. Now that I’m back at work all balance in my life has gone out the window. I really want to keep growing personally and take more classes, try new recipes, beautify our home, enjoy time with friends. But I also have a husband, son and job that need me. I need to find a way to make time for all without any of them feeling neglected.

4. Since we moved here I have said that I want to find a church for our family to become involved with. It was on my “things to do by 35” list and I didn’t achieve it. I really want to find a place that all three of us love and give Huston the introduction he deserves. I think it will also be a nice family tradition and be important as our lives become more hectic if we have that one day we spend together.

5. Make a baby. I resisted listing this first. It is by far not the most important thing. We are happy with what we have, we are truly blessed. But I want another baby so bad. I am torn if I want a boy or girl, so I will be completely thrilled either way. I think Doug wants his little girl……and I would love to dress one. But I really really love my boy. I think I’m a boy-momma. Regardless, I want a chunky ball of wrinkles that is a perfect mixture of Doug and I, and I so hope it will happen in 2011.

6. Start my dream book. I used to have a binder where I put all thing things I wanted one day. My dream home, my dream wedding, my dream vacations. My tastes drastically changed over the years, and I’m not really sure what happened to it. When Doug retires and we settle down we plan to build a house and I need to start putting all the cool things I see together so I will know where to start.

7. I want to become more accepting of others. I have my ideas of what is right and wrong and it seems I push them on people too much. I have actually been told that I am “too moral”. I need to learn to take people for who they are and love them that way.

8. Go on more dates. Doug and I need to remember each other and not just be parents. It’s too easy to get caught up in life.

I planned to list 11 but it would just dilute the message if I stretched to think of more. I'm sure the list will continue to grow.

I hope you all have a wonderful new year and 2011 brings you everything you want!