Mama Needs a Break

As I was laying on the table about to get a long overdue eyebrow/lip wax...Well, wait... Lets be honest here. It had been so long, it was more like a mustache wax. A mustache that could rival any man's five o'clock shadow. Anyway, back to the laying down part. As I was laying on the table getting teeny tiny hairs ripped from my skin, all I could think was "this is Heaven". Then, as she got to the end, I found myself wishing for more hair on my face so I could lay there just a little bit longer. That's when I realized, "Mama needs a break"!

6 Months!

My sweet P is half a year old or six months, either way it sounds old. Seriously, it's not possible that I now have a big girl. Nope not at all. I mean there's no way my baby now has 2 teeth, or that she is getting up on her knees and rocking. I'm also pretty sure there is no way that she's a sitter, growing out of 3-6 months, eating solids, reaching out and has mastered a fake cough and cry! No way, Jose! And...I'm pretty sure she is not pulling herself up into a STANDING position. Holy Cow! Where did my baby go?


Dear P,

We love you so much! Thank you for your daily love pats, sweet singing, super tight neck hugs and open mouth kisses. Our lives would not be near as full without you.

(I'm out of town so six month stats and pics will have to come later)

Summertime

What would summer be without...

Popsicle all over or your face

or

A little back porch rockin'

or

splashing in the pool

or

Grass...in your crack

Another Giveaway!!!

This giveaway is Fancy Schmancy...literally! All you Momma's with little ladies are going to love the sweet shirts and onesies. You can visit Fancy Schmancy here. Then head over to Three kids, a mini-van and a lot of love for the details on how you can win a free shirt!

Baby Flair Giveaway!

If you have a little girl, you are going to want to win this!! They have super cute hair accesories, and I already ordered the Madison headband for P. Go here for all the details.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

I live to make this girl laugh, so I guess it's a good thing it doesn't take very much. For some reason, scratching my finger nails on the mesh part of the pack-n-play was hilarious.


Ahhh! That sweet laugh never gets old. Okay, well, at least not for me. It truly is the BEST medicine!

Your Father

Dear Presley,

I can't even begin to tell you how lucky you are to have a Father like yours. He loves you more than you will ever know. Daddy is constantly telling you how beautiful you are, and he can't wait to get his hands on you when he gets home from work. I now get my kisses second. I pretend it hurts my feelings, but I secretly love it. The other day he told me he never knew he would love you this much. Not only does he treat you like a princess, but he is always telling me what a good Mommy I am. I love watching the two of you play together. It melts my heart. I also overheard him telling a friend how much you make him laugh. I look so forward to all the years of laughter we have ahead of us. We are some very lucky ladies.

Love,
Your Mommy

Brandon,
I can't thank you enough for all you give to P and I. Your the best daddy in the whole world. We love you lots. Happy 1st Father's day.



And I have also been blessed with the best Father in the entire world. Love you sooooo much Dad! Thank you for all you do for us.

Sour Peaches

I guess the peaches were a tad sour. Please don't think we are being cruel by laughing. She REALLY did like them.

Chuck E. Cheese

It's the cool place to be! It's even cooler when you get to go with the cutest little boy in the whole wide world. The picture machine was Jackson's favorite thing to do, so we all got in on the action. I realize my nephew doesn't look like he is having the best time, but he was completely fascinated by this amazing picture taking device. So we took pictures, per his request, over and over and over...

First Tooth

That's right! My sweet P has cut her very first tooth. It's surprisingly sharp, by the way. I have been watching her little gummies like a hawk the past month or so, but finally just stopped checking because nothing was happening. Well, I made a new batch of sweet potatoes yesterday and let her try some. So like any good Mommy, I shoved my finger in her mouth instead of bothering with a spoon. I was completely shocked to find one teeny tooth that had already cut through. She wasn't fussy or anything. I hope she cuts all her teeth this painlessly.She is growing so fast. I can't believe my baby has a tooth?!?
I tried really hard to get a picture of it, but I found out that it's more of a two person job. I'll have Brandon help me today. So here is a picture of Miss P just because...

Baby Blog Mama's

Hey ladies! I was just wondering if any of you have a facebook account. I know we always have questions for each other and thought it might be an easy way to answer one another.

I also noticed that a lot of us are making our own baby food. I have been going here for some great recipe ideas. I made a batch of sweet potatoes the other day and baked them instead of boiling them. Super easy!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Experimenting

My Dad, who is the greatest in the world, surprised me with a new camera. He bought me the Canon Rebel T1i. I have NO idea what I'm doing, but I'm trying to slowly learn. I have yet to open up the very thick manual that comes with the camera, but I know one day I will. I'm just so exhausted by the end of the day that I can barely keep my eyes open to actually read it. So, I'm experimenting. And... I have the perfect little subject to experiment on. Here are some pictures I took during her 5 month photo shoot. The last one is my favorite! I love her little eye peeking over the bears shoulder.



I love taking pictures, and especially love the way this camera feels in my hand. I can't wait until I really know what I'm doing. Maybe a few photography classes are in my future?? Also, if you didn't see my earlier post, I went back and added in some pics to "Happy 5" and "Tales from the Crib: Update".

Picture update

Woohoo!!! I finally have room on my computer for pictures!! I have gone back and added pics into a few posts:

http://brandonandashliesouders.blogspot.com/2010/06/happy-5.html

http://brandonandashliesouders.blogspot.com/2010/06/tales-from-crib-update.html

Have a happy Thursday everyone!

Happy 5!

As of last Friday, I have officially been a Souders' for 5 years now! I can't believe how fast it's gone by.

Here are some FIVE year factoids:

We have celebrated 1 anniversary in Plano, TX, 2 in Los Angeles, CA, and 2 in Rockwall, TX.

Presley has been able to celebrate 2 out of the 5 with us. One in utero and one on the outside.

We have celebrated with champagne for 4 out of the five. Last year, I had non alcoholic champagne for obvious reasons.

We bring our wedding flutes out every year to toast to the next year.

This year Brandon and I decided to go away for the weekend. It was my first time to leave P, so I was anxious (to put it mildly). However, she was in excellent hands ,and I know she was super spoiled by her Grammie and Poppa. Anyway, we decided to go to the Choctaw Casino and Resort in Oklahoma. It was so much fun! We both felt like little kids again. After having Presley, we have been in Mommy and Daddy mode ,and it's nice to just be Brandon and Ashlie every once in a while. In fact, I called Brandon by his name and it sounded so funny. We have been calling each other "mommy" and "Daddy" ever since P was born. After our trip, we decided that we are going to make sure that we get a weekend every now and then to spend time on us as a couple.

Brandon,
Thank you for five years of "crazy love".

Tales from the Crib: Update

So friends, as some you know, I had kind of a hard time parting with my little roomie. Well, I am now officially roommate free. I love not having to tip toe around my room in complete darkness, and I have significantly less bruises! However, I miss her. It was very comforting to just look over and know she's okay. The lazy side of me also hates getting up and walking to the other side of the house when she cries.

How did I do it? I just did it. Period. End of story.

It also helped that P was kind of weaned from her bed when we went to Georgia. Where my mother in law and I discovered she loves to sleep on her tummy. In fact, if I lay her down on her back in her crib, she almost immediately flips to her tummy or side. These new sleeping positions have Brandon and I taking pics of the video monitor because she looks so cute. Our favorite is "sexy Lady" pose. This is where she is on her side and her arm is positioned behind her head. My other favorite is when she is on her tummy with her little booty in the air. Ahhhh...so sweet!


So, I officially feel like a big girl now, as does Presley. The best part of all is coming to get her out of the crib in the morning and seeing that beautiful smile. Melts my heart.