::11 Months::

11 months and as cute as ever! It is hard to believe that in one month I will have a 1 year old. WHAT. Goodbye babyhood, hello toddlerhood! I am so excited for all the cool things this year will bring for Lola. And I get so excited thinking about all the things we can do together this summer: swimming, trips to the zoo, the aquarium, kids museums, etc.! Even though I could do all these things now with a baby, it just seems like so much more fun with a TODDLER!

So anyways, here are our 11 month photo-shoot pics. Have I mentioned that taking these pics are definitely a two-man job??

This was our last pic because, as you can see, we finally just let her do what she wanted to do all along: crumple up that sign!

So this month was probably one of the harder months at the beginning, but ended up being another happy one! We had some nap-time/sleeping troubles throughout the month that ended up being due to 2 new teeth, but when you're in the moment, and sleep-deprived, it's hard to understand what is going on and trusting that it is just a phase! But thank goodness it was.

Here are some highlights from the month:

-- Like I mentioned, Lola cut 2 new teeth this month, for a total of 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth

-- She is doing AMAZING with table food, and hasn't had baby food in almost a month! I have LOVED the transition to table food because it has given me a little more free time and given her some independence, especially when eating out. It used to be such a struggle getting her to sit still at restaurants and it was a very stressful experience, but now eating in the highchair keeps her busy and happy, so it is a good experience for all!

--Lola is doing great with walking too, and has taken up to 16 steps in a row by herself! She cracks me up because she is so brave and not afraid of falling at all. I think that is why she started walking so early--lots of courage!

--Recently she learned how to stand up on her own without using the help of a table, or couch, etc. That was a big one to me! Such a big girl!

--We had some nap time woes this month. She started not taking her 2nd nap (which was fun for me, ha), and so I thought maybe she was just ready to make the transition to one nap a day really early. So we tried one week of one nap a day and it just wasn't working. So we went back to 2 naps and she is doing perfectly! Hallelujah! Her lack of sleeping (also in the middle of the night) was due to her new teeth, like I said before, but at the time I just wasn't sure! So I am happy to say that she is still taking two 1.5 hour naps a day.

--Lola's new favorite word this month is "light". She is constantly pointing to the light and saying "iiiiight". It's so cute:). And right after she says it she blows the light on and off (like blowing out a candle) which is something I did with her a few times, and she picked it up! Little sponge!

--She also really likes ducks this month, and even says "duck" sometimes. We went to White Rock Lake to see the ducks last week and she loved it!

Ok, that is enough with the words, here are some cutie pictures of her this month!

Enjoying some sunshine on our driveway in her pink car walker!

Look at my teeth!

I had to post this pic because she does this nose-scrunching thing all the time. Too funny!

Finally a family pic! I've got to be better about taking these!

Lola Kate, you are our JOY and we love you more than anything! Can't wait to celebrate your 1st birthday next month!

::10 Months::

Bet you thought I wasn't gonna do a 10 month post, didn't you?? NOPE! Just a mere week and 1 day late. Oops!

Lola turned 10 months on January 24th! This month has been my favorite thus far, and it gets better every day (will I really have a toddler in a few months?!) Lola has been an absolute blast with LOTS of personality and new developments! As per usual lately, she is an on-the-go girl who is busy, busy! You can kind of tell by looking at these pics below. It is next to impossible to get a good pic of her in the chair anymore!! She is constantly moving and squirming, and I definitely had to have some assistance just to get the pics below:

She wanted to play with the bunny, not sit next to it

"Ok, I'll stop real quick, but only for a second!"

"Seriously with the pics, mama?"

And those were the best I could get!

Some of the highlights from this month:

-- Lola started eating table food! It is MUCH messier than baby food, but also really fun! It's nice b/c I can set her in the highchair with some cut-up food in front of her, and it keeps her busy while we eat dinner. A HUGE plus. Now family dinners at the table are a nightly occurence. Love that!

Eating some black beans

I couldn't love this precious, messy face any more!

--Lola took her first SOLO steps just before she turned 10 months old!! She had gotten really good at walking while holding on to my one hand, and standing for long periods of time on her own, but one day she just went for it and took 1 step, then 2, then 3, and now 4! I wouldn't say she's "walking" quite yet, but she is soooo close. I have been desperately trying to get it on video, but have been unsuccessful thus far. I'll post as soon as I do.

--We had another playgroup with some of my high school friends this month and their precious babies. We started when Lola was about 8 weeks old, and it has been so fun to watch them all grow. Our playgroups are MUCH different now than they were at the beginning!

Lola--9 months, Charlie Henkel--14 months, Jackson Herrington--8 months (We were missing McKamy Zuniga, also 14 months, this time)

--Lola didn't cut any new teeth this month, but she has 2 more top teeth that are almost through, which will be a total of 6 teeth (4 top, 2 bottom)

--She is still sleeping 12-13 hours a night, going down around 8pm, waking up between 8-9 (sometimes even 10!) AM. I know, I am completely spoiled and am aware that my other kids will probably not do this. I'm enjoying it while I can! She also still takes 2 naps a day ranging from 1.5 - 2 hours each.

--Her favorite table foods thus far are: chicken, turkey, black beans, strawberries, cheese, waffles, tortillas, and, of course, puffs. She also LOVES eating an apple slice out of her Fresh Food Feeder. Another activity that keeps her busy for a few minutes! She has cut back on the amount of formula she drinks, thank goodness. That stuff aint cheap!

--We had our first trip to the park this month, and Lola loved it! Jono and I had so much fun swinging her and going down the slide with her, while enjoying some fresh air. It was a fun day!

Dada swinging Lola

Loving it!

Pure joy

Weeeeeeee!

--We found at that Lola will have a new best friend this June! Katie and John Paul Schulze are having a GIRL! Can't wait to meet their sweet one. We also found out that another one of our best friends, Amanda & Kevin Snodgrass, are having a baby in July! So many blessings ahead. Praise God!

--Lola's favorite word is still "dada" and has yet to say "mama". Some words she has said before are: dog, Teddy (our dog), cat ("at"), hi, baba, wawa, no, and bye bye. Most of these words are not consistent yet, she'll just surprise me every once in a while.

--Lola started drinking out of her sippy cup this month, and really loves drinking water. So far, she has not been a fan of juice...

--Our "new" playroom has been a huge blessing (and necessity) for our very busy girl this month!

--We went in for her 9 month check-up right before she turned 10 months, so these stats are a little off, but they are:

Weight: 21 lbs, 11 oz (88%)

Height: 29" (90%)

Head: 17 1/2" (50%)

She's a big girl! :)

--Lola's wearing mainly 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers

--She is still extremely happy and friendly. Strangers are always stopping me and telling me that I need to get this girl an agent!

I honestly cannot describe in words how much this precious girl blesses me. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude every day that I get to be her mom, even on the hard days. She is truly the light of my life, and I cannot thank the Lord enough for entrusting her to us. Praise Jesus for this most wonderful gift. Happy 10 months sweet girl!

::9 Months::

Thanks to computer problems right before Christmas, I am just now getting to my 9 month post! Lola turned 9 months old on Christmas Eve, and this month was one of many changes for the little nugget. For starters she had her FIRST Christmas this month! It was such a special time with family, albeit very busy for a 9 month old, and her parents:). The Holidays are my absolute favorite time of the year, but I gotta say that I am a little happy to see the craziness subside...if it ever does. Miss Lola has gotten even BUSIER this month, I cannot believe that she will get even more busy in the next few months! Life has really changed since she was a little baby.

Here are some highlights of the month:

-- Lola cut two top teeth this month for a total of 4 teeth.

--No more army crawling, now it's just real crawling on her hands and knees!

--She is pulling up on absolutely everything! She is a pro at that.

--She can now stand for about 15 seconds w/o holding on to anything! I swear she'll be walking before we know it!

--She walks very well holding on to my 2 fingers. She lifts her feet up really high, kind of like a march. It's adorable.

--Lola loves to shake her head back & forth like she is saying "no", except she does all the time, especially when music comes on. It's like she's dancing! So cute.

--Still eating about the same as last month. We are working on more real food, but she has choked (more like gagged really bad and scared mama!) several times on puffs, so I am nervous to introduce more.

--Still sleeping amazing! And still taking 2 naps--thank goodness! Hope this lasts for a while.

--We had to convert one of our living rooms into a playroom this month b/c sister got into e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! It finally got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore, so I made her her own baby-proof (mostly) room with a baby gate! Much better!

--Still saying "dada", "baba", "gaga", but "dada" is the clear favorite. She says it all time time. And still hasn't said "mama" yet :(

I think that covers most of the highlights! Here are some pics of Lola at Christmas:

My blue-eyed girl

Christmas Eve at the farm

Mom, Dad, & Lola with my Grandmother & Papaw (my mom's parents--the original "Lola" is on the right)

Whoooooo's the cutest?? New owl hat from Aunt B!

Snuggle time with dada

Christmas Eve night at Jono's parents house, with Pops and cousin Titus

Outfit change! Mimi & Pops (Jono's parents) and cousin Titus

Christmas Day at my parents' house in her new pink walker!

Adorable Polar Bear sleeping bag from Aunt Kate (to-be) and Uncle John!

Her first "baby"

Cheeeeeese!

Uncle Tay-Tay

::8 Months::

Well, in true Annie fashion, I am a week late on this post. But, to my credit, this past week was one of the busiest we have had since Lola was born. Heck, pretty much this whole month was busy. But last week we had 3 Thanksgiving celebrations with our families, and I was the MOH in my cousin's wedding, all with a BABY! Phew, it was a big week, but a fun one too.

Anyways, Lola turned 8 months on Thanksgiving day! I know I am going to shock you all when I say this, but this month flew by. I know, right?! What an original phrase to use on my blog! But I'm sorry, I can't help it that time flies faster than I knew possible.

So, some highlights from this month:

-CRAWLING! Lots and lots of crawling! It is more of an army crawl at this point, but don't let that fool you--sister is fast! Here's a video to document her progress.

-Stilllll working on those top 2 teeth, but they are seriously about to pop through. Like, hopefully in the next couple days. Please, God, let in be in the next few days!!

- Lola was in her first wedding. She was my cousin Catherine's "flower baby" and she did great:). Like I mentioned above, I was the MOH, so I got to carry her down the aisle. A special moment for sure.

- We found out Lola is going to have a new baby GIRL cousin, due April 3rd, 2012! Jono's brother, Josh, and his wife, Lauren, will give us our first girl cuz. My due date was April 1st (though she was born on March 24th), so it looks like they'll be almost exactly a year apart. Yay!

- Lola got to "trick-or-treat" (not really) for the first time this Halloween. She was the cutest pumpkin I've ever seen.

-We celebrated Lola's 1st Thanksgiving (3x's) in Plano, East Texas, AND Arlington! We tend to make the rounds on Holidays:).

-SLEEEEEP! Lola has been sleeping anywhere from 12-14 hours a night, and taking 2 two hour naps a day, although it can vary from day to day. But I am very thankful! (ps--this was one of the things I prayed for when I was pregnant with her. Was that selfish?;))

-She has started to pull-up this month. Though she's not a pro at it yet, she's getting better everyday. It's definitely time to baby-proof!

-Lola's "busy-ness" has increased tenfold this month. She is ALWAYS on the go! Gone are the days when she just used to sit politely on my lap. She is constantly reaching for something, squirming around, trying to get down, trying to get picked up, and looking to get into anything that I DON'T want her to get into. Welcome to the next phase, mommy! However, her developments have also increased tenfold this month, and it is so fun to watch her transform into a "big girl" :). She has been blowing my mind lately!

I think those are the main highlights from the month, though it seems I always forget something. She is still our happy, healthy, giggly, curious little girl that we are CRAZY about! Our love grows more for her everyday. Just when we think our hearts are maxed out, they expand. We love you baby girl!

I'm obsessed with metallic paint, part 2....and 3

Another post that is not about my precious little nugget munch! (Seriously, where do I get these nicknames??) I'm getting crazy over here at my blog, peoples. So, if you read THIS post, then you know about my recent liking to these metallic paints I bought at Hobby Lobby. Well, after the successful dining room project, I decided to take my metallic paint elsewhere in my house.

My husband and I have been thinking about our backsplash in our kitchen for quite some time now, but haven't really wanted to spend the $$$ on all the tile, grout, labor, etc. to get it done. Soooo I had this idea! Why not use that beautiful metallic paint on the backsplash and give ourselves a nice, new, (cheaper) original-looking backsplash! I cannot believe how it transformed our kitchen. It was a little hard to JUST paint the backsplash because they it leads into some of our kitchen walls (see below), so I ended up painting those walls too--and I love it. Makes me wonder how I lived with those awful white walls for so long.

Take a look at the pics and I hope you'll agree it's a nice improvement!

BEFORE (ugly white walls and backsplash)

BEFORE (more ugly white walls and backsplash)

BEFORE

AFTER!

AFTER

AFTER!

Ta-dah!! What do you think?? It warms up our kitchen so much, and I really think it is an easy solution for a kitchen lacking a backsplash. Oh, and FYI, this is the same brand of paint I used in the dining room, but this color is called Champagne Gold. LOVE!

And while I was at Hobby Lobby picking up the paint, I started looking for something for this other project I've had floating around in my head for a while. I've been wanting to make a cute coat rack to go by our front door where I had blank wall space.

So I purchased this:

And turned it into this:

I used the leftover paint from the dining room to paint the wood, and purchased one piece of $0.99 of ADORABLE scrapbook paper and glued it in the center. Turned out pretty cute, right?

Oh, and I painted the frame too:). It used to be black, now it is champagne.

Ok, and ONE MORE recent project I have to share because it was just so easy!! I had this wall in my guest bedroom that I've been meaning to improve/update. So, I went to Michaels and bought 4 frames on sale for $5 each, and 4 pieces of really cute scrapbook paper (again), and made this! Love the way adds some cheer to the room!

Peaceful?

Let's be honest, us moms can often end up spending a lot of time in our homes. Sometimes the hassle of getting together bottles, diapers, toys, burp cloths, etc., and working around nap times, can discourage us from venturing out of our houses, causing us to sit at home watching trashy daytime TV. But there is only so much of that we can do before we go crazy. So we often find ourselves seeking solace in places like Super Target just so we can get out of the house and maintain our sanity. And we treasure those times, right? We look forward to that car ride to the grocery store so we can zone out, listen to music, and find a little peace.

But recently our car rides have sounded a little more like this:

Peaceful, right??

Any mom's out there got any suggestions for how to keep a baby happy back there while driving?? I miss my peaceful times in the car!

DIY Home Project

Can you believe it?? I am actually going to write a post where I DON'T talk abut my child!! But just for good measure: Lola is the cutest little nugget on the planet! Ok, I'm done. Wait, one more thing-- for the past 2 weeks she has been sleeping til at least 9:30am!! That's 13.5 hours straight, y'all. She definitely has some Hinckley genes in her.

Ok, now for my real post. As a stay-at-home mom, I have been DYING to flex my creative muscle lately, especially towards decorating my home. Decorating is one of my FAVORITE things to do in this world. In fact, one of my hobbies is sitting down with a cup of tea and browsing through home goods store catalogs or decorating magazines and dream about all the things I would do to my home if only I had a money tree in my backyard. Because unfortunately, it usually entails spending a bunch of money so I have been "fasting" from decorating lately:).

But every once in a while, I'll dream up something I can do that doesn't break the bank. Heck, it barely even chips it. And this happened to me yesterday...

There are certain areas of my home that have been, eh hem, "neglected". Meaning they kind of got ignored when we first moved in, and I haven't really thought much about them since. Too busy I suppose. Anyways, lately I have been working on going back through those "neglected" places in my house to see how I can spruce them up in an affordable way. My dining area was one of these places. See, for months now I have been thinking about painting the backs of my built-in "china hutch", but couldn't decide on what exactly I wanted to do. All I could think of was how I wanted something a tad metallic, but wasn't sure how to make it work. I started brainstorming when I couldn't sleep Monday night and came up with an image in my head that I wasn't sure if it existed. So imagine my surprise when I found THIS online at Hobby Lobby! It was exactly what I was looking for.

So here is what I did with it...

Built-in hutch BEFORE (forgot to take one with all the stuff on it, oops)

BEFORE

AFTER (without decorations)

AFTER up-close (you can really see the shimmer here)

AFTER with decorations! (please excuse the ugly wire cabinet doors. That is another project for another day...)

AFTER up-close. I actually updated some of my decor as well. Hobby Lobby had 50% off mirrors yesterday so I purchased this mirror and used it as a tray to set out some of my pretty glasses that were previously hiding in the cabinet. LOVE!

I fell SO in LOVE with this paint that I started brainstorming other ways I could use it in my house...and then it hit me. There is a spot above the love seat in our living room that I have been looking for a painting or wall art for some time now. But everything I liked was too expensive! So I decided to get crafty. I purchased THIS stencil, also from Hobby Lobby, and painted a pattern on the wall! I love the way it turned out and it was soooo much cheaper than purchasing a painting, or something of that nature.

I am so happy with the way everything turned out yesterday! And I especially love that the paint was only $7.99, and I didn't even use the whole jar. Gotta love sprucing up your space for next to nothin'!

Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go see where else I can use this paint in my house... ;)