Changing my life!!!

For any one who is going through the same issue of struggling to keep an organized budget... I HAVE FOUND THE ANSWER.

www.mint.com

This is the coolest website i think i have ever found. it helps you to actively manage your money and see exactly where you are spending and then has a great budgeting section! love love love it and it is FREE!!! i am using lots of capital letters and exclamation marks because i am trying to emphasize the gratitude i have for this website. try it out and let me know what you think!

The Big 2-8

As i was sitting here trying to think of important events that have happened in our lives recently, my mind automatically went to Reilly... the fact that is is so adorable, crawling, eating big boy food and laughing all the time. But then i looked back through my blog and realized that that is pretty much all i talk about. So, i turned to out pictures and after i sorted throughout the thousands of Reilly i came across Russell's birthday pictures. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSSELL... this post is about one month belated, but better late than never. He turned 28 on september 1. I think he had a good day, or at least as good as possible when one has to go to school on their special day. And for any one out there wondering if Russell is still the same comical good natured man that you all know and love even though he is getting up there in age, i threw in this pictures to reassure you that he is still the wonderfully goofy man that i married. Love ya!!!

New Hobby

So, i love being a stay at home mom. It gives me a chance to find hidden talents and develop new hobbies. When I met Russell, I never cooked and didn't really care to know how. But, ever since i have become a mom and have had more time for the domestic stuff in my life I have found out that I really like to cook dinners. I still dont really like to bake very much (but i think that is a good thing because baking only makes you fat). I like trying to develop new ideas and use new ingredients and make it look delicious. Russell and i have a rating scale that we judge each dinner on and my goal is to make each days better than the last and so far it has pretty much been working.

First Smile Picture

This is the first really good smile we have captured on camera. He loves to smile and is so happy all the time. It is so fun having him around - especially when he smiles!

Pay Back

The funniest thing happened the other day. Russell was changing Reilly's diaper, which is something that we are both still trying to master, and Reilly did as baby boys are known to do... he started to pee. My count of diaper changing mishaps is up to three unexpected pees and a poop, but the thing that made this time different is that Reilly was aimed right for his own head. That is right pee all over our baby's face. Now, Russell felt terrible about this so we rushed him to the bath tub and gave him a second bath of the day. The whole time his was in the bath tub he just sat and glared at us like "are you serious, these two are my parents... they cant even keep me from peeing on my face." well, just when we thought the bath was over Reilly had a different idea... he wanted pay back and he got it. Russell was standing in the bath tub helping with the shampooing and i guess the warm water was just too much for Reilly, well... he let loose and peed all over Russell's feet. Sweet justice, and it made us laugh all night.

Reilly Owen Melton

Reilly Owen Melton
7 pounds 14 ounces
20 inches long
born at 6:40 pm on Tuesday February 2

Me and Reilly at the Hospital

So, i am posting this picture against my better judgment because i am fully aware of how puffy and groggy i look (not very flattering) but this is one of my favorite pictures of Reilly at the hospital so i posted it anyway. He is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. He has really long toes and feet and fingers! and he loves to keep them by his face and make funny signs with them. He is fun and enjoyable to be around.

First Bath

This is pretty self explanatory. His first bath... and as you can see he did pretty good. not too much crying. in fact i have only heard him let loose one or two times (knock on wood). He is such an amazing and beautiful baby... it is so fun to be his mom (especially once the swelling went down!)

My two loves

So, as many of you know... i WAS pregnant. But not any more... he came a week and a half early. Well, I shouldn't say "he came" because he did not really have much of a say in the whole matter. When i went in to the doctors last monday they found out that i had symptoms of pre-eclampsia (sp?) and that i needed to do a non stress test on the baby the next day to make sure he was doing well. the next day i went in to do that at 9:30 and then by 10:30 i was walking down to the maternity ward to get checked in because i was going to have him that day. Well, as many women know petocin does not make for very fun contractions, but we lived through it (with the help of an epidural) and eight hours later my beautiful little boy was born. It is amazing how much you can love them in such a sort amount of time, it also helps when he sleeps like 20 hours out of the day.

I love this picture because it is my two loves... my two men bonding over a common nap. Russell is such a good dad... and he even changed the first diaper even though he spent weeks telling me before hand that he had no intention of ever touching a dirty diaper... all talk.

Is it really Winter time?

I can't believe it wa actually just a few days after Christmas when this picture was taken. This year we all packed up on Christmas afternoon and headed out to Arizona for a family reunion. Being from Texas, I have gotten used to have relatively warm winters, but Arizona is a completely different story. It was quite lovely, sunny and warm, but it did make it hard to remember that it actually was still Christmas time.

And just for the record I am about 7.5 months pregnant and getting bigger... this is going to be one BIG boy!

Matchy Matchy Green Squared

I thought this was just too precious to pass on. On Christmas Eve we each got a pair of pajamas for Christmas morning. The guys all got pajama bottoms, but that was not good enough for David and Mitchell... they went looking and found a complete matching outfit to go with the pants. A little too much?... quite possibly.

Family Picture

This was a Christmas Eve family photo. Most of us were there together (minus Jana and Christines families). It was a good evening as you can tell from the big smiles on all of our faces. It made it even more special because it snowed that day! We are all bundled up in every piece of winter clothes that we Texans could find in the house because we were invited to dinner, but the dinner was close enough to walk so we braved it out in the cold and actual falling snow.