13 on Thursday

So it's been awhile since I've done a 13 on Thursday (I know you've missed me!), so here goes:

1.  I've been wearing my glasses since Sunday.  I've had pink eye (thanks to the husband for passing that along).  Someone at work asked me if I was pregnant...ummm, no-I just can't wear my contacts or any eye make-up.  More than one person told me I looked like I was 8...yeh, thanks...feeling the love.

2.  I have tried all week to make Mexican pizza for supper.  Something has come up every night and we have yet to have it.  By George, we will be having Mexican pizza if it's the death of me.

3.  I want to go run so badly, but I haven't had the time.  The only time I have free to go is on the weekends and it rained ALL last weekend.  Maybe this weekend?

4.  I entered the modern age and now have a cell phone that does more than just texts and calls.  Santa left me an iPhone!

5.  I have eaten a pbj for lunch EVERYDAY this school year.  Yesterday was the 100th day of school (not that we do anything for that in 3rd grade though), so that means 100 pbjs since August.

6.  I've finally gotten some vinyl and have been playing with my Cricut.  Love it!-thanks again Ginny & Pops

7.  I rock Eli before bed every night.  It's my favorite part of the day.

8.  I got a very sweet note from a parent this week.  It reminded me of why I teach.

9.  This is probably TMI, but it's my blog and I can post what I want!  : ) - I've stopped nursing completely and make it about to the one week mark before becoming MOST uncomfortable!  I think I belong on a dairy farm....

10.  These warm days are giving me spring fever.  Bad.  Is it too early?

11.  Picnik is shutting down in April.  boo...hiss!

12.  I think I'm going to have to hide or defriend some people on Facebook when it gets closer to election time.  Seriously.

13.  Not that we were going out anyway, but Wesley's first soccer game is on Valentine's night.  How romantic.  Good thing I have my little man!

Come on weekend!

17 months old

Weren't we JUST celebrating your first birthday, and now you're almost a year and a half!  Slow down, Eli!  You are getting so tall and growing up too fast for Mommy!

Firsts: I'm sure there are....but for some reason we can't come up with anything!

News headlines: Joe Paterno dies, Obama's State of the Union address, the Giants and the Patriots are headed to the SuperBowl, Alabama defeated LSU to win another national championship

Milestones: spinning in circles, sliding backwards on your belly (FAST!), "monster" walking, and you're getting very good at feeding yourself with utensils.  Eli is becoming quite independent!

Measurements: Size 3 diapers (although I feel we'll be moving to size 4 soon), size 12 in pants and 18 month in everything else, probably close to 25 lbs and 30+ inches

Like Mommy: LOVE books, quiet in big crowds

Like Daddy: being outside, you're very active and doesn't sit still too much

Favorite Toys/Games: the shapes puzzle board book, Auburn counting book several toys from Christmas

Sounds: all of your words from 15 months plus - this (dis!), baby, bubble, Nana (talking about the person and the food), and Buzz (as in, Lightyear), hot (you see this anytime we're cooking in the kitchen or if we're around a fire/candle), keys, door, noh-noh (knock, knock), yes, E-I-E-I-O (at the right times too!....you love Old McDonald!)

Challenges: WOW-You climb on EVERYTHING!!!--babygates, ovens (closed and off, but that was a little frightening nonetheless), dishwashers, chairs, tables etc.  You always want to feed yourself.  You aren't interested in much help from Mommy or Daddy

Our Days:.  Bedtime is between 8:30-9:30, depending on our schedule that night and how things go.  Call me a bad Mommy, but I'm not overly strict with our schedule.  We only have so many hours together after work/school, and I want to optimize our family time.  Some nights we just need some together time.  Right now, it's not so important to me that you be in bed at 8:30 on the dot every night.  You sleep through the night well.  You're up about 6:50 on school mornings and 7:30 other mornings.  You stopped the bedtime nursing at about 16 1/2 months.  I never imagined we would make it that long.  It was one of the best (at times the hardest) and most rewarding experiences I've ever had.  Totally worth it.

Funny/Favorite Moments

Mommy's Favorite: Reading books with you.  You LOVE to read.  Mommy has prayed that you'd be a reader like she is.

Daddy's Favorite: Eli walking to the car by himself one day after school (it was an empty parking lot...no worries!)

Nicknames: any variation of Squirmy (Squirms, Squirmy Bug, and more), Doodle or Doodle Bug, Daddy calls you Big Man, Mommy calls you Little Man

Upcoming Events: 2 surprises coming soon!  (before speculation begins, no you're not a big brother)

What a difference a year makes!  This comparison is so dramatic to me, it really shows you're my big boy now!

Random

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy MLK day!  It's so nice to have a long weekend, too bad they all aren't like this.

Here's what we did with our weekend:

* We met my parents, brother, and Zach's new girlfriend, Amber, for lunch on Saturday.  We like her.  She's very nice and friendly.  More importantly, my brother seems to really like her.

* We went to our church Saturday night.  We've been out of town sooo much lately, that other than Christmas day, I don't remember when the last time we were at OUR church was.  There's nothing like being at your own church.

* I got Wesley a new lamp for his bedside table, and Eli got a lamp for his room.  I also printed these and put them in my kitchen.  The not only match, but make me happy to see them.  And besides, they're free!

* I had to buy Eli some new clothes this weekend.  The boy is growing!  I think he's on a growth spurt right now.  He is always hungry!

* I got a ton of papers graded over the weekend.  My husband rocks and helps me grade.  In exchange for his help I save him the math papers.

* We watched Miss America this weekend.

(btw-Isn't the NUMBER ONE rule of pageantry to wear WATERPROOF mascara?!)

I'm always pulling for Miss Alabama, but I was really in to it this year.  She was at Auburn the same time I was, and I have known her sister for years.

This was one of the most incredible moments of the night.  I think it speaks volumes for who you really are (that's Miss AL on the far left...the one nearly all of the contestants chose to save from elimination).

Happy Monday!

Recent Reads

I've been a busy little bookworm lately!  I love to read, but go through phases where I read a lot and then times where I don't pick up a book for awhile.  It's hard to be an avid reader while being a working mommy!  Christmas break was a great opportunity to catch up on some reading.

My brother gave me the book The Hunger Games for Christmas.  This has been on my to-read list for awhile.  I HIGHLY recommend the Hunger Games series.  As soon as I finished the first book, I had to go right out and buy Catching Fire (the second book) and Mockingjay (the third and final book).  As soon as I was done, I passed the book along to my mom, and she passed it to my brother.  My sister (she and my dad aren't the readers of the family) even read this book and is currently in the middle of the second.

If you haven't heard of this series, it takes place in what once was North America.  Each year, "the Capitol" holds a lottery of sorts and chooses two children, one boy and one girl, from each of the twelve districts.  The children are then thrown into an arena, for a modern day gladiator-style game.  It's a fight to the death.  I could not put this book down.  Suzanne Collins is a master at creating plot twists.  I must say, she kept me surprised up until the end of the third novel.  Like any good book, I'm a little saddened that the series is over.  I couldn't believe how some of the story lines were resolved, but it certainly made for a great read.  Also, the movie based on The Hunger Games is coming to theaters in March.  I'm so pumped, I can't wait to see it!  Go read this book, you won't be disappointed, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

I also finished Water for Elephants.  I started this book back in August, and just finished it.  ha!  Maybe it was because I was so slow and inconsistent reading it, but it took me awhile to get into the book.  I'm not the type of person to NOT finish a book, so I kept trudging through...and I'm GLAD I did!  I loved this book!  It was a little different than the literature I usually read, but I really enjoyed it.  The storyline is based during the Great Depression, and events center around a traveling circus.  I'm not sure if I'll watch this movie or not.  I've heard from people who haven't read the book that it was great, but have heard from people who have read the book that it was a let down.  We shall see.

Currently I'm reading a book that Santa left me in my stocking - Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks.  My hubby did good and knows that I love Nicholas Sparks!  I'm not very far into this book, but what's not to love about a Nicholas Sparks book.  The mere mention of Nicholas Sparks is enough to make me want to read it!

I received a late Christmas present, a Books A Million gift card, and am torn on whether or not I want to use it to get Kill Alex Cross (I LOVE James Patterson, and read most of the Alex Cross series in high school) or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I don't know too much about, but have heard it's a good one.  I know it's the first in a trilogy, and as you can tell, I'm a sucker for books in a series.

SO, what good books are you reading?  Any good recommendations?

Happy Wedding Day

Over the weekend, we headed to Dothan for the wedding of one of my oldest friends, Emily, and Matt.  It could not have been a more perfect day for a wedding.  70 degrees in January...are you kidding me?!

Wesley and I before the rehearsal

The lovely couple!  Emily was STUNNING!  I LOVED her dress!

These are some of my oldest friends.  I love them.  No matter how much time passes (and sometimes, it's a lot), things just seem to always fall right back into place.

The beautiful bride and I!  Emily and I have been friends since we were 7 or so...nearly 20 years!  Nearly all of my elementary, middle school, and high school memories include her.

Eli had a blast at the reception!  He danced and swung those arms like nobody's business!

Mrs. Mary is an old family friend!

Eli and Nana

Eli and his date for the night, Angela

(He really did like his date...it was wayyyy past bedtime at this point!)

Eli was one of the last to leave the dance floor.  Little man and Tamara dancing.

Eli and the bride

Love my little man!

Dothan Christmas

I'm FINALLY getting around to finishing up Christmas!  The day after Christmas we got up and drove to Dothan to have Christmas with my family.  We spent 6 days with them, which was wonderful (we haven't all been together since July)!  I guess we had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures.  There were some lazy days, a girls shopping trip (a highlight for sure!), a trip to the Chick-fil-A bowl to watch Auburn for the boys, and a lot of family time in between!  We also celebrated birthdays for my brother and sister.

Puddin' and Big Cuz helping Lil Cuz open presents.

 Uncle Z helping Eli open his gifts.

This was the gift that Wesley accidently opened on Christmas Day! haha!

Eli and Madelyn enjoyed playing in the box!

Eli got a power wheels car from Nana and Puddin!  He loves it!

I'm so glad that Eli and Maddie got some good playtime in!  At times, Eli wasn't quite sure what to think of such a loud girl in the house (sweet girl has very excited and loud squeals)!  : )

We also spent some time outside since the weather was so nice.

Uncle Clark and Eli

Eli and Daddy played football with Uncle Z and Uncle Clark.

But we can't quite hang with the big boys just yet....

I wish I had more pictures from the week, but the memories are engraved in my head!  2011 was a great year for us, and Christmas was no different.  We were so blessed to see all of our families this year.

Taff Family Rules

So, even before the days of Pinterest, I'd seen Family Rules floating around and knew I wanted to do this for our little family - and I finally got around to doing it!

I used scrapbook paper instead of fabric , and while it's certainly not perfect, I am very pleased with the results and have it proudly hanging in our kitchen.

Taff Family Rules

*Love the LORD with all your heart, soul, mind, & strength.

*Love your neighbor as yourself.

*Value family time & traditions.

*Do everything without complaining.

*Always tell the truth.

*Honor Jesus in ALL you say & do.

*Keep your promises.

*Never leave or go to bed angry or upset.

*Use your manners.  Be kind!

*Share everything except bad attitudes.

*Play outside a lot!  Read a lot!

*Encourage others.  Share in their joy!

*Say your prayers:  thank God for our family!

2012

Happy New Year!

We ended 2011 year with our little guy fighting a fever.  I'm not quite sure what's going on there.  Hopefully it won't turn into anything more, and it won't be a sign of things to come for 2012.

I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions.  I think most people do them just for the sake of having something to tell, and they're long forgotten by Valentine's Day.  So, no long lists from this girl.  Last year my New Year's Resolution was to run a 5k.  I did two 5ks this year, but I won't say that I RAN them.

My goals for this year are to actually RUN (the whole thing) a 5k and to complete a 10k.  There's a 10k at twilight (that's 6.2 miles....daunting, I know) at the end of the year that Mom, Wesley, and I have been talking about doing.

The LORD has been so gracious and good to our family in 2011, and we pray for his favor and goodness in 2012 as well.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11