The Halloween Hustle

Tom Sawyer, Curious George, and (Where's) Waldo hopped in the car this morning at 7am and sped off into the day. At least that's who we were trying to look like. Perhaps my costume this year was a fail. Anyway, we pull into the parking lot where the Halloween Hustle 5K was taking place in our little Louisiana town. It was quite chilly for us so we didn't get out of the car immediately. While we're hanging out in the car, we begin to realize we're the only people dressed up. Like THE ONLY PEOPLE. The registration form clearly stated to be creative and wear your costumes!

We can't be the only creative people who like to run in Deridder, can we?

Captain J begins to flip. He's all, "I can't believe you talked me into this", "What was I thinking?" , "The things I do for love!" And I'm all, "Oh well, we're festive, dear. It's okay!" I crawl in the backseat to begin feeding my little monkey. Meanwhile, J is saying how he is not getting out of the car to get our tshirts and race numbers. Then he tells me, "Hey, can you unlatch him and buckle him back in? I'm going home to change."

Bah (Halloween) humbug!

We sped home because the race was starting in 9 minutes. 9 minutes!

Captain J runs inside and comes back out donning a Kurdish football uniform and I smile inside knowing that he does, in fact, love me. He dressed up! Hip hip hooray! I guess Tom Sawyer was a little much for him. Anywho...

we make it back to the starting line just in time and I get in the very back because I'm pushing a stroller and I just know I'm going to be slow as Christmas. The facilitators of the race are snapping photos left and right and some guy with a wig on shouts, "Why am I the only one dressed up?!"

Umm.

Yeah, I look like this every day.

Long story short,my army man and I looked like a bunch of weirdos running the streets of Deridder this morning. Good thing Baby K is still small, otherwise I fear he'd be quite ashamed. But all hope for the day was not lost. Ya see...this Mama (all worried about her out-of-shape self, disgusted by the 6-7ish extra pounds still lingering from the pregnancy) came in 2nd place of the 20-29 year old female division. Totally wasn't expecting that! There weren't many people in that group, I'll admit, but as my dear friend Laura Faye said, "A win is a win!"

Baby K says, "Give me that medal, Mom!"

And I least I wasn't dead last. Honestly, I thought I would be.

Have a super, fantastic, spooky Halloween y'all. I'll be giving out candy with Baby K Curious George.

P.S.- Monday is the last day to enter my giveaway!

Pumpkin Patch

There are some days in life that aren't spectacular, but in their own way they're quite perfect- those days that nothing really happened, but you want to preserve it in your memory forever and always. Today was one of those days for me. It was just my husband, my little man, and me enjoying my favorite season. The weather was cool for the first time this year. We went to a pumpkin patch. We went for a drive. Nothing really happened except I might have fallen a little more in love with my sweet family. I love my boys!

  

What I'm Loving Wednesday

My Internet (<---that's supposed to be capitalized, learned that last week ;) ) was out for two(ish) days and I thought I might die. I'm only slightly kidding. Clearly, I'm loving that the issue is resolved for the time being which is why I just had to post this. I have little to say, but I couldn't have y'all going two days without hearing from me!

I'm also loving a (semi) clean house. Isn't it delightful when you have that one less thing to fret about? I got a lot done today despite the computer being down. Perhaps this should tell me something? I might spend a little too much time online. But...

I'm loving that my homework for this week is nearing completion.

I'm loving that most of the laundry is done.

I'm loving our evening family walks together.

I'm loving that Halloween is getting closer and closer!

I'm loving the scripture from my recent reading that states, "A friend loves at all times..." (Proverbs 17:17) and loving my sweet friends near and far.

And as always I'm loving the men in my life (and trying to hold on to my ever changing little one. He's growing so quickly).



Link up here, folks!

Mama Must Haves

I was texting/chatting with this blogger this morning (3:38am to be exact), venting to her about what had just occurred in the wee hours of my day. Baby K woke up for his middle of the night feeding. I changed his diaper, fed him, and placed him back down for the rest of the night (Imagine me with crossed fingers, daring to breathe as I tip toe away from him in hopes that he'll fall right back to sleep). No such luck. He squirms, he grunts, and I pick him up again so that Daddy can sleep peacefully. As I'm walking back to the glider with baby in hand, puke erupts from his precious little mouth- all over his clothes. It then runs down my arm, my leg, and splatters on the floor. We're soaked. Time for a change. I put him in another fresh nightgown and just as I picked him up off the changing table...SPIT UP! Repeat this process. Then, in his next change of clothes, I pick him up again and feel pee running down my leg. Nooooooooo! I almost lost it. I might have said a cuss word if it hadn't been such an ungodly hour. Instead, I changed him yet again and told him (only half jokingly) that he couldn't do that again because (bless his heart) he'd have to sleep in it. Finally, I lay him back down and wonder what in the world just happened. There's puke in my hair and someone else's pee on my leg- not the best way to start a morning. It is for this reason that I decided to write this post today. Maybe someone out there will benefit from it. Designed to make your life easier (if you happen to be a new mom or a soon-to-be), here are my favorite things that I had no idea I would need!

1. The Fisher-Price Rock-N-Play. I can't put a price tag on this...seriously! I didn't know I would need this, but I really, really did. Baby K sleeps in this at night, takes naps in it during the day, watches his mobile while resting in it, and I truly think it's his safe place (aside from Mommy and Daddy's arms, of course). He loves it, therefore I love it.

2. Who knew something so cheap could bring with it so many hours of sleep for a new mommy? Infants like to be swaddled, ya know. If your little one is like Baby K, he or she probably outgrew those tiny little blankets the hospital wraps them in from birth. It wasn't long before K's feet were popping out of the bottom. Enter Summer Infant Wrap. It has been glorious. He's snug as a bug in a rug in these and it's our secret tool for bedtime.

3. The third life saver are these pacis. I don't know what kind they are...just what they look like (sorry!) But they're the only ones he can seem to keep in his mouth. I was one of those people who wasn't going to introduce a paci for a month or so. Insane. Breastfed babies often use mommy as a pacifier and I don't have to explain to you how uncomfortable and exhausting that can be. Give them a paci, people!



Now, the rest of this info is for moms choosing to cloth diaper. When I started out doing this, I had no idea what I was doing. With the help of friends and other bloggers, I finally started finding my way in the waves of terminology and techniques that are available. While I don't want to attempt to expalain all that I've learned in regard to modern day reusables yet, I will let you in on my little secret. Drifter and Holly (my puppies, remember them?) gave me the idea actually...

4. I use this as my "dry pail". It has a smell proof seal so the nursery stays smelling like a sweet newborn, not a smelly, poopy 2.5 month old ;) The dogs have one to keep their food in, too. I got tired of my laundry room smelling like a dog so I bought this food container. Then the lightbulb came on- 'I'll use this for Baby K's diapers!' Brilliant, I know.

Speaking of fluff, I still haven't found the perfect diaper for us. I do enjoy cloth diapering, but I have yet to find my favorite go-to brand and style. What are your favorites?

Moms (Dads) and Nannies, what are your favorite products that help make your little one happy? Do share!

Love,

Mrs. K

(*No one paid me to endorse their product. I just loooovvvveee these items!)

excitement

Not a lot to say today, just wanted to let you in on some cool stuff. First and foremost, Baby K, Captain J, and I have secured our costumes for this Halloween. I'm feeling a little relieved and less stressed. I mean, you KNOW how important this holiday is to me, right? ;)

Secondly, there's a supafly giveaway going on over at one of my favorite blogger's page. She's a photographer, living in Alaska and she's offering a lovely canvas photo to her readers. You should check it out or don't because I really want to win !



Gorgeous!

"Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things..." - Isaiah 40:26

 

 

Misc.

Not much has happened in our neck of the woods. We're enjoying (slightly) cooler weather by breaking out our sweatshirts only to shed them by noon when it's in the 80's again. There have been a couple of times that the temperatures have dropped to the forties at night and we've snuggled around a fire (Hey! Any excuse for some fire therapy is okay by me). In fact, that's what we're doing right now--enjoying some hot cider with a fire nearby.

Fall is my favorite season. I love to watch the beautiful colors come out. Sadly, there's not much of that here in Louisiana, but we're able to celebrate fall in other ways. For example:

Do yourself a favor and whip up some pumpkin muffins. Just mix a can of pumpkin with a box of spice cake mix and voila! Yummy fall treat.

Last night I watched a friend's little one while she went to a concert at Ft. Polk. Her daughter and I had loads of fun creating fall decorations with paint!

Speaking of lazy fall days, I've even been able to catch up on some reading. It's been amazing to be able to read books that I actually want to read. I had a week off from school this week and it has been glorious. My grades from last semester came in and I'm happy to report that the 4.0 still stands! For those of you who don't know, I'm an idiot occasionally scatterbrained and turned in the wrong paper to my professor. Graciously, she allowed me to re-do it and still gave me a perfect score. Originally, she only gave me 20 points out of 200. I was so relieved with my new grade because otherwise I would have failed the class, dropping my GPA dramatically. Next class starts on Monday and I still haven't received my school books. :( I'm going to be behind in the first week. It seems like I'm constantly behind now. It could have something to do with this little guy who is as cute as ever these days:

Completely worth it, though. I cannot tell you how much I love these bottles. After writing this post the other day, I randomly decided I would give nursing (directly) another try. I haven't breast fed Baby K this way in over a month, but tonight I was in pain from hyperlactation and he was ready to eat so I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. I was sure that there was no way he would accept this form of feeding again, but he did. I was so happy! This gives me much more flexibility and I attribute it all to Tommee Tippee (and the brilliance of my small son) ;) I'm now feeling much better and I think he is, too. He doesn't seem to have belly troubles after feedings now, although he still spits up a bit.

I realize I just gave you a yummy recipe and then talked about baby puke in the next breath. I think that makes me a mommy blogger officially?

Stick around, y'all. One day I'll post something riveting that will blow your mind. It's just not today.

Shutterfly Giveaway!

Hey y'all! Boy, do I have a treat for you! Keep reading for details.

It's no surprise to you by now that I love this time of the year. The leaves start to change (well, they do if you don't live in Louisiana!), the weather gets cooler, and at the end of the month I get to dress up and be whoever/whatever I want to be. How fun? But the fun doesn't stop. Thanksgiving comes and then we're all ready for the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas! Ahh, to me it means family, friends, and most importantly a celebration of the birth of my Savior. Last year around Christmas, Captain J and I sent out some cute little Christmas cards from Shutterfly. Remember?



Our little furry friends even made it on the card. My experience with Shutterfly last Christmas was great. If you got a late card, it was only because we were traveling across this beautiful country of ours and we were slacking in mailing them. I received them from Shutterfly in a timely manner and they were everything I hoped they would be- good size, colorful, and Christmasy. They have tons to choose from this year, too. Just look-





Those are two of my favs, but you can check out more by clicking here.

Even more holiday cards are found here.

They have  thank-you cards, greeting cards, and more. We used this company for our wedding announcements, too. We just keep coming back for more! Our experience has been so good that I'd like to spread the joy around this year. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? ;)

This year on Mrs. K and Captain J, you have the chance to win 25 FREE cards! And guess what? I'm going to randomly pick THREE winners! I'm super pumped about this. I always love to see a giveaway with multiple chances to win, don't you?

I'm not big into rules so I'll try to make this as easy as possible. You do not have to have a blog to win. You don't have to follow me or any of that, you simply have to leave a comment on this post throwing your hat into the ring. I'll also provide extra opportunities to up your chances-

To Enter:

Mandatory: Leave comment on this post linking to your blog/email OR leaving your email address for contacting purposes only

Extra Entries:

• Follow me on Twitter- KSJD22 and leave a separate comment telling me you do


• Like Mrs. K and Captain J on Facebook and leave a separate comment telling me you do


• Follow my blog via email subscription, google reader, or whatever other method you choose and leave me a separate comment telling me you do


• Tweet or facebook about my giveaway with a link to this post and leave a separate comment telling me you did.

Too easy. You have a really good chance to have personalized Christmas cards sent your way...25 of them...FREE! Happy (early) Christmas!

(* Note: Shutterfly contacted me with this opportunity, but I was thrilled they did! These opinions expressed on their products are strictly my own.)

I'll announce the winner early Novemer. Entries after Oct 31 will not be accepted.

I lost count

Maybe it was the cool breezy air that made my heart smile. Perhaps I was coming off a high from fellowshipping with a great group of women at my Tuesday morning bible study. Or maybe I was delighting in the quiet moment of a car ride with my sweet infant son. It was probably a combination of these, but when I passed by the huge American flag, flapping in the wind and contrasted against a lovely rainy sky, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Over the next few moments, I reflected on how blessed I've been in life and how blessed I am today. Why has God smiled on me this way? I thank him daily for not treating me as I deserve (see Psalm 103:10).

I counted my blessings and lost count.

What a wonderful day.

(*Not my photo)

Guilt Notes

Another blogger told me of her guilt notes, those little things in parenthood that make us feel bad. I thought I'd talk a little about mine here today because it's been one of those days. Guys, beware. I mention the girls in this post.

I woke up early this morning in puddles. It's no way to wake up. No one tells you when you're thinking about breastfeeding all the negatives that come with it. One of these (many) negatives is that when your baby finally decides to sleep for longer stretches, your body doesn't always get the hint. If your body doesn't adjust quickly, then you may find yourself in the predicament I'm in now- infected breasts, engorgement, clogged ducts- the works!

At 5am, little K was sleeping soundly, but I wasn't because I was soaked in breast milk. I've always (for the most part) made too much milk. There was one point that I thought I might be drying up but that seems completely absurd to me now. When I pump, I get about 10 ounces each time. If I don't pump every few hours, I get clogged ducts. These are very painful, making it difficult to carry my son around.This isn't the first time Ive had issues with nursing. After a bout of thrush, we decided to go to bottles. Even though my babe was still getting the best nutrients he can have through pumped breast milk, I still felt bad for not breast feeding him directly. Enter guilt notes.

After adjusting very well to this method, I became a slave to the machine. It was often that I thanked God for the gift of the smart phone. Most of my day is wasted waiting on the machine to pump out the goods. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite thankful that I can feed my son. Enter guilt notes again. I'm happy that I'm able to produce milk when so many women have issues doing it. That's just it. I feel guilty for wasting copious amounts of milk, crying in the shower while it circles down the drain. I feel guilty for half wanting it to just go away. I feel guilty for occasionally feeling as if I don't want to share my body with my two month old anymore.

I read somewhere once that Moms were the most judgmental group of individuals there were. The article said we judge each other constantly. Just think of all the controversial issues we deal with on a daily basis: co-sleeping, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, vacinations, cry-it-out, and the list goes on.

But I find the best advice to me has been those of you who told me, 'You'll find what works for you'. Right now breastfeeding is working(ish) and I'm going to keep truckin' with it, but I definitely don't judge any of you who might have thrown in the towel. This sucks. It's hard. I feel your pain.

And what's best for the baby is a happy mama who is well-prepared to take care of him/her, not one who is battling a whole other set of issues during feeding time.

What's listed in your guilty notes?

Over and out.

Dead Person Rule

In all the years I've studied psychology, I do not recall ever learning about the "dead person rule". As I was reviewing for my final test in my class, I came across this and a little lightbulb turned on in my brain. I just had to share it with all of you. I thought it might be useful in training our husbands spouses (or some wording less offensive)!

Now before you get all "Mrs. K thinks she can train a person? How awful!" -Give me a chance to explain.

Before I got married, I was of the school of thought that says one shouldn't try to change anyone. Then my better half said the word unword "cabbard" as he was referring to a cabinet and I knew he needed a little training. You could liken this situation to your man leaving the toilet seat up. Or leaving his dirty socks on the floor. Just insert that one thing you want to fix alter.

Ok, that wasn't much of an explanation, was it?

Anywho, wanna know what I found? The "dead person rule" is:

"Never ask a client to do something a dead person can do" (Murdock, 2009)

In other words, the only behavior a dead person can actually accomplish is to cease behavior all together. Dead people lack behavior, right? So, the next time your spouse leaves a wet towel on the floor of the bathroom (or in Captain J's case, thrown haphazardly on my side of the bed?! Grr.), it is better to ask (very specifically) to hang the towel on the rack after the shower rather than simply saying, "Don't put your towel in the floor after your shower". See? Even dead people can do that.

(*Note: This has not been tested in our household.....yet).

I'll let you know what my research finds. I'm not going to hold my breath, though. But who knows? Maybe the dead person rule will work wonders. If not, there's always the use of reinforcers...and that TOTALLY works on my husband. Hehe :)

All this dead people talk reminds me of a joke I heard recently...

-What did the casket say to the other casket?

"Is that you coffin?"

Hardy har har.

P.S. I secretly like when Captain J doesn't get words right. It's cute.

Trained or not, I think I'll keep him.

Dark DIY Decor

Seriously, how cute is this?

On Monday, Captain J had the day off so I was able to get some crafting done. I had so much fun. Dork?

The only thing I purchased was black and white paint. I had the rest of the stuff laying around the house. That means you probably do, too so get to crafting!

I just really super duper love Halloween.

Halloween Crafts and Costume Ideas

Y'all know how I love Halloween, right? I do, I do, I really really doooo! To get in the festive spirit, I thought I'd direct you to a few posts I made last year for your viewing pleasure...

Are you crafty? Suppose you want to be? Here's a cute idea for a "Some mummy loves you" card I put together. Directions are here. It's perfect for your hunny or your child!

Maybe you need a super easy and cute costume idea? Look no further, people:

It's Cindy Lou Who! All you need is some wire, longish hair, a ribbon, a foam cylinder or triangle, and some cute PJ's (Post here).This was awfully cute and precious, but I decided not to be Cindy Lou Who after this. I was feeling much more bad to the bone so instead I came up with this:

Goodwill is my friend this time of year (Post here).

I've been a great many things over the years including a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader:

a California Raisin, the Road Runner, witches, princesses, football players, a genie, and many other things.

I've been trick-or-treating for about 25 years now and I'm afraid my time has come to an end (for now anyway). This year our plans are to stay at home (dressed up of course) and hope that all sorts of little munchkins come knocking on our door for candy. I guess I'm growing up as much as I hate to. I can still have fun, though! So here's my question to you, what should Mrs. K's clan be for Halloween? Any ideas?

We need some creativity!

P.S.- Stay tuned tomorrow for a post showing my latest creative adventures. I repurposed items found around the house to make a super cute Halloween entry way!

Two Months

Dear Baby K,

My, how you've grown! Just two months ago you were this tiny 6 lb 8 oz baby, but you're slowly growing into Mommy's squishy, healthy little two month old. I can't believe it. You sure do like to eat, though. I started pumping this month because we both got a case of thrush. :( It broke my heart to see you in pain. Now, you get pretty frustrated if anyone takes that bottle away. We may have trouble transitioning you to solids later on in life.

(Please ignore the finger. He knows not what he does.)

You started smiling a lot more this month. We've decided you have definitely discovered a range of emotions as you have perfected your pouty face, too. In addition to these exciting changes, you are also blowing bubbles a lot and listening to your own voice as you coo and cah. It's the most precious thing I've ever heard or seen. You sure are loved, Baby K.

You have begun to play more and that makes Mama happy! I love to see your eyes wide with wonder (or confusion) when you use your hand to move "Rosco" the giraffe or the un-named monkey on your bouncer. For fun, we love to go out on walks. You used to fall asleep immediately once your skin touched the warm air, but as Fall touches down at Ft. Polk and you get a little older, it takes a whole lap around the neighborhood before you drift off for some zzz's.

Your sleep schedule has improved. I almost hate to say that because I don't want to jinx us, but you have a pretty predictable nighttime routine. You go to bed around 9 or 10pm and sleep until about 2am when you wake up to eat. Then you wake up again around 6am. After that, you'll sleep until about 9am. We're pleased with this schedule and hope it keeps up! There were a couple of times this month that I woke up in a panic because you hadn't cried for your bottle and it was already 4am! I may or may not have stirred you when I went to your room to check for breathing. Speaking of, we moved you back into our room for bedtime. We missed you... so sue us and well, your dad is even more paranoid than I am.

Oh, Baby K- how you are loved. Keep smilin' kid. Love you to the moon and back.

Love,

Mom

No Place Like Home

Hello, blog. It's me again.

It's late and I can't sleep. My brain won't stop. There's too much on my mind. Too much to do. But all I want is to have my mom, or sister, or step-mom beside me to cry on talk to. They are all about 13 hours away so you will have to do. Don't worry...you'll get a shorter, edited version.

This Army life is hard, ya know? I am just not cut out for it. I was a mess during deployment- a shell of myself half the time, wondering around Walmart with my bestie with my computer and skype attached to my hip just in case. Who does that? I complained in Alaska because I was so far away from my family. It took money to get back in their neck of the woods, something we don't really have that much of. Now, here we are...in Louisiana. Still, we're a plane ticket away from family and I'm complaining yet again. Maybe I just thought I wanted adventure. Maybe my adventure was in raising this child, not moving from place to place. In the past year, we've lived in Alaska, Georgia, and Louisiana. One year. Three homes. I'm tired.

If only I had a pair of these to click together:

love of my life

This little ole blog of mine has been quite neglectful of one very important person in my life lately...

This guy. He cleans up nice, doesn't he?

He has been great the past few weeks especially. He is a wonderful father. I knew he would be, but I never could have anticipated how protective he would be of our new addition. I wouldn't have guessed that he would argue with me about who gets to change his diaper, hold him, or buckle him in his car seat. We both just can't stay away from our sweet boy.

This isn't about him, though.

It's about my husband. The strong, decisive, loving, goofy man I married almost two years ago. The keeper of my sanity. The love of my life.

It feels good to write all those roles out. My husband is so many more roles to me, too. I just hope I can be the wife and mother he always wanted for his new little family.

What do you appreciate about your spouse today? Leave it in the comment section or link up a recent post with Mrs. Alana!

Childlike Wonder

Every day I wake up and look into these sweet eyes, full of wonder, and I think to myself about the innocence of a child-

Oh, how wonderful it must be to only have to worry about if your next meal is warm enough for your liking. I guess that problem does seem monumental in the scheme of things. It's hard work being a baby.

But now, Baby K needn't worry about anything...

b/c this Mama's childhood interpretation of Baby Jesus is displayed on a rock in his bedroom (Talk about a sentence I never thought I'd say).

Ha!

Little rock Baby Jesus is watching over little K thanks to a USPS delivery to my house last week (Thanks again!). I was delighted to be reminded of this odd stage in my life where I scoured the banks of an East TN lake for any rock I could paint. My dad's side of the family has such great artistic ability...

mine never made an appearance.

Clearly.

Anyway, I looked at this strangely shaped rock all those years ago and saw the Son of God. There's something so precious about childlike wonder and innocence, isn't there? I'm so blessed to be able to experience the world through my child's eyes as he grows up. I can't wait to hear what he comes up with when he's older. Will he want to paint rocks like his (weirdo) Mama? Or will he prefer to skip them in the water like his Daddy?

Only time will tell.

Until then, I'm going to enjoy each little moment that his eyes look like this-

so full of wonder...

Because time is fleeting.

He has already grown so much.

All Dressed Up

I had plans to get some cute photos in my vintage find.

But this little booger wouldn't let me.

Sigh.

These will have to do.

Dress: J's grandmother's wardrobe, Shoes: Forever 21

Next time I'll plan well in advance. Or I'll just live in sweats forever.

Did you dress up today? Link up with the lady!

Roadtrip!

May I start by thanking you? Thank you oh so much to all of you who read my last post and commented, texted, sent emails, or facebooked me with encouragement on the matter. It warms my heart to hear that you all care about what's going on in our little world and it reminds me that I'm not alone. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

I promised some happy things, didn't I?

How 'bout I tell you about our quick weekend in Home Sweet Tennessee?

We hopped in the car on Wednesday and set out on Baby K's first ever roadtrip. We had a 12 hour drive ahead of us and that's not counting stopping to feed/burp/change little man along the way. I was pretty sure we dropped our marbles somewhere when we set out on this adventure, but Baby K was such a little gentleman. He is a good little traveler. His grumpy moments were few and far between on our drive. In fact, his daddy was much more irritated than he was.

Captain J was in a poopy mood. At one point, I asked him if he needed me to help drive. His response? Without even the slightest tilt of his head, he said, "That'd be a death sentence." Still trying to lighten the mood, I told him I would sing to him to keep him awake if he'd like. For some reason, he declined that, too. What's up with my boys not adoring my singing voice? Earlier today Baby K puked after I sang him a song. I digress.

Anyway, we eventually pulled into my parents' house in my small, sleepy little East TN town at around six in the morning. Our arrival coincided with my step-dad leaving for work, my brother getting up for school, and my mom anxiously waiting to get her hands on her newest grandson. Within an hour, they looked like this:



I'm so glad they've had some precious moments to bond.

Yaya had to go pick up another cute grandson of hers to take him to preschool so Baby K and I hung out while Daddy slept. We posed...



and made funny faces...



and had a grand ole time! It felt so good to be home and finally be able to show off my little bundle of joy to friends and family who hadn't met him yet. While we were in town, we went to my former high school's football game. My sweet boy must be athletic--he caught his first football!



Just before the game, Baby K was overloaded with a host of new (and old) admirers. He met his extended family and my very best friends. Here is my little man with his great-grandmother, aka "Mimi":



Perhaps he got spoiled with all that attention and that's why he has been acting totally insane the last couple of days?!

Anyway, we had a ball. We visited "JuJu and Pap" at their boat. We hung out with "Lolly and Pop" at their yacht club party. We I ate at Carl's a lot. And by the end of the weekend, we decided it just wasn't enough. Captain J started to re-think his whole military career, but that is another post for another time...

We drove home with a blanket of sadness over us. It's hard to drive 12 ish hours in the opposite direction of the ones you love when you know you won't be returning for awhile.

The good news was that we only crossed the Mississippi once on the way back...



I can't say that's true for the way there. SOMEbody made a few wrong turns. I won't mention any names, but it might be the one who claims to be "a master of land navigation". Maybe.

Anyway, all went well so long as the paci was firmly in place-



and our little Louisiana town never looked so good as it did when we pulled in our driveway. "Home" at last.