When the cat is away.....

...this mouse likes to play!  Um, yeah. So I know that isn't all that funny, but I am trying to come up with titles other than "Sunday Update."  Yeah.

Rich has been in Las Vegas for a bachelor party since Friday.  And I have been having a nice weekend with Alex.

I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. on the first night because I got a little obsessed with some sugar-cookie decorating.  And because once I had made about a dozen different bowls of colored icing, and I realized that it was 11 pm, I couldn't let the icing spoil, so I HAD to finish the project.  (Yes, I realize that royal icing doesn't really spoil, per se, but you get my drift.)

And Alex did not really feel like sleeping in the next morning because she was actually smart (unlike her mommy) and went to bed at a decent hour, so 6:30 a.m. came just a bit too early for me!  I tried to convince her that it would be fun to snuggle in bed with me and the pups, but she was really chipper (read: TOO chipper) and thought it would be a much better idea to practice her singing (yelling?).  

After breakfast, I tried to clean up my cookie mess, but of course Alex had other plans.  She has had her eye on a certain doggie watering bowl for quite some time now.  And while I was otherwise occupied with royal-icing-gooeyness, she seized her opportunity.  I saw her out of the corner of my eye, but had both hands full, and I thought to myself, "I'll get her in just ONE second."  And by the time that I was there, we had a puddle of water everywhere! But she was absolutely so happy with herself, that I just grabbed my camera and started snapping away, because, what the heck, the mess was already made! 

This kid is just a ball of mischief.  And she is so proud of herself!

So I guess the fun has to come to an end...

We have had a great weekend, packed FULL....a fancy dinner out for Rich and I with another couple, a rare Saturday that Rich took off of work (Yay!) that allowed us to make some major progress on various home projects (babyproofing, cleaning and unpacking, OH MY!), a girls' night out for me, followed by another day off together with some fabulous weather to boot.  I wish this weekend didn't have to end!

We are finally feeling a little more settled in this new home, but we still haven't finished it all.  It seems like the last of the unpacking is always the hardest.  Just where do you put that painting that had its own special wall in the old house but doesn't seem to fit anywhere in the new one? And the same goes for all of the other miscellaneous decor items!  But even though I haven't finished decorating and haven't found a spot for all of our "stuff," it is finally starting to feel like home.  Both of us feel so happy about this move, and it is just perfect when you feel like you are where you're supposed to be.

Here are some photos I took today in our backyard!  I have a notorious black thumb, so I needed to capture these flowers on film since it may be the last we see of them! Someone please say a little prayer for their poor flower souls, hoping they don't meet their maker too soon! :)

And Alex, my little Ham for the camera:

Mother's Day!

Well.....What should I say about my first Mother's Day? 

Hmmm...Maybe I shouldn't mention that my sweet baby had the WORST night of her life, crying and screaming bloody murder most of the night, even when we brought her into our bed, which is usually the instant solution to fussy-baby-syndrome! 

Or I shouldn't mention that our fun outing to the zoo ended up being cut short because sunblock got into Alex's eye and she had an allergic reaction, swelling up and pretty much being miserable the whole time. 

But I did get a day with my sweet husband and daughter! And Rich and I had some great morning time together because Alex slept in late (see the above section regarding lack of sleep during the night).   We sat on our new patio in the wonderful morning weather, looking out at the pool, drinking coffee and eating some yummy coffee cake.  And we did get to visit with some of our good friends at the zoo, even if Alex wasn't at her best.

I took Alex to the doctor on Monday, and she has a double ear infection, a sinus infection AND she is teething!  And this is what being a mom is about, whether it is Mother's Day or Tuesday, it's about the wonderful times and the hard times, and the sad times and the joyful ones too. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Moved in

We are here, almost all of our belongings are here (minus a piano) and I have decided that we are not allowed to move again until Alex is 25.

For future reference, I would not add moving to my list of possible entertainment choices for parents of small children.  I think that I would go with the movie night or bowling date as an alternative, for those of you trying to decide on something to spice up your life.

But it was really not too bad, and now we are close to having all of our essentials unpacked.  I LOVE our new home, and it was totally worth it!

Our window coverings were delayed for 12 days, so we have had to improvise.  Let's just say that our neighbors might be raising their eyebrows and whispering about us because they may not be loving the Aluminum Foil Look. But when your kid won't sleep unless it's dark, you do what you gotta do.  The sacrifices we make for our children. ha!