Shutter Fly Christmas Card Promotion!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love a good deal - I especially like getting free stuff (of course, who doesn't), so I was super excited when I came across a deal from Shutterfly to get 50 free Holiday cards. I have been endlessly searching for the perfect holiday card to show off my beautiful little girl (and my handsome husband!), and Shutterfly has so many cute holiday cards that I am having a hard time deciding which to pick to send out! They also do great photo gifts for the holidays like wall calendars and photo books (which I know from personal experience are easy to make, beautiful, and a great gift idea).

So if you are a blogger and are interested in getting 50 cards free too, check out this promotion: http://bit.ly/sfly2010 but you have to hurry because registration ends today and blog posts have to be in by the 15th!

If you're not a blogger but are interested in some great deals, cute gift ideas, or need to get holiday cards too, check these links out!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

And be looking in the mail for our family Christmas card made by Shutterfly!

Seasons Greetings with Love!

From the Richard Family

I've decided to put aside the never ending house organizing to update the blog! We've moved into the house! We've been here a few weeks now and things are starting to feel alot like a home! Here are a few pics and videos of the girl lately. I've got some thoughts about my ridiculous consumerism, but those will have to wait till next time. Until then enjoy these.
We took some beach pic a while back and here are some of my favorites:


Here's a cute video of Gabriella figuring out her walker:



And another of her feeding herself. Cute!

Mama's Girl is on the Move!

So the little girl is on the move. She's crawling at the speed of light, at least it feels that way. Everytime I turn around she's into something else. And yes, I know this is only the beginning. We learned quickly to pick up Zoe's food and water bowls because those are a Gabriella's favorite things to attack right now, poor Zoe. Gabs has also learned a new sound, which I am very proud to announce is 'mama'! She doesn't use it to signify me yet, but it is her new trick, and I love it!

Here's a little video of her; Enjoy!

Go 'stros! (Again)

We went to another Astros game on Wednesday night! The girl loves watching those 'stros win! We went with one of our Peru friends, Shane. We were excited to see him and get to catch up. I also got to meet a guy that Seth currently works with, Mike and his fiance Christie (Kristi, don't know the spelling, anyhoo,). So we had a really good time. The Astros rallied late in the game with a 4 run inning and we had great seats to see it all!

And apparently watching baseball can be a bit tiring, and from the looks of it, Uncle Shane is quite cozy!

Having a chat

Just a little video of the girl having a chat with her ball, more specifically the lady bug on the ball; not sure what it was all about, but by the intent look in her face, I'm betting it was pretty important! HA!

Newlyweds

The other day got a manicure; I went to a new place (there will be a tangential story about that after this one.), so I made small talk with the new manicurist. I told her about Gabs, etc. About half way through Seth called; it wasn't a special conversation, just letting me know that he was on his way home; we talked about some friends of ours that are coming in this weekend, etc.

When I got off the phone, the manicurist said, "You sound like newlyweds." I told her thank you and that she was sweet. She asked how long we've been married, and I told her, 7 years (crazy, 7 years already!). She told me that she didn't think I looked old enough to have been married 7 years, and that if I took off my ring, she would have thought that I was in college. I think she was just trying to get a good tip! I go home and tell Seth that the lady said we sound like newlyweds. We smile and congratulate ourselves for 'keeping the fire burning'.

Well, Seth's been sick for the past week or so with allergies/ cold stuff. He's been pretty congested so there's been a lot of tissue and Netipot usage. For any of you who have not had the lovely experience in using a Netipot or other nasal irrigating device, it works well, but you can get a nice nasal drip afterward for a while. Very attractive.

So I go to kiss my husband goodnight, and I get a wonderful lip full of irrigated nasal drip that had gotten caught in his mustache. We both laughed and said "Newlyweds" at the same time! HA!

Ok, quick story about the manicure. I got this new (to me at least ~ my super cool, from California, sister-in-law knew all about it!) manicure that is supposed to last three weeks. It's a gel that hardens under UV light so that it protects the nail polish so it won't chip. They've also got the gel in lots of different colors. I'm lovin' it. Anyhoo, so it takes about an hour for the manicurist to get it all done, and as she's finishing up she mentions casually, "Be careful while you're cooking on the stove or taking things out of the oven, because if it gets too hot it'll burn." At this point, the lady next to me, who is getting the same thing says, "Wait, it's flammable?! Sure enough folks, my nails can now catch on fire! Guess that's as good excuse as any to not cook!

Counter Tops, Tile and Fixtures, Oh My!.

Here's the latest on the house construction. They've laid the tile, set the counter tops and put in some of the fixtures. Everything is looking great and I'm loving it. We're slated to close on May 27th! WooHoo! I can't wait to move from this ridiculous apartment. I have already started packing.

I can't wait to cook in this kitchen! Get ready for some gourmet feasts, well maybe not so much, but I think I'll be putting out some mean grilled cheese sandwiches from this beauty!

Super excited about hanging Christmas stockings on our fire place, because it's not like we're going to be using it for heating. And a small bonus, I didn't even realize that we got this dining room chandelier, very pretty.

The Richard Inn will be opening soon! So book your nights now! Actual beds may not be guaranteed, but there will be a roof over your head! HA!

On to Veggies

Well, we've conquered the cereals so little Miss is now moving on to trying out her vegetables. We first tried carrots. See how it went:

Yeah, not so much. She ate a few more bites but that was all, and when we tried them again the next day, she wasn't having it; squash is next. Should be fun; I'll keep you posted . . .

Go 'Stros!

We had another big first this past week too. Gabs went to her first baseball game! Go Astros! We had loads of fun and she did great. The Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, so good times were had by all!

Yum! Yum!

Little girl started eating solid foods last week. She's loving it, and of course, she's really good at spitting it out everywhere! In this video, we were trying to teach her to suck the cereal in; she wasn't learning very well, but as you can see she's a great dinner conversationalist! Bon Appetit!

Changes

I revamped the blog page today.  Tell me how much you love it!  HA!

Brick by Brick

They started the brick today. We didn't get the chance to pick out the brick color, but now that we see it up, we love it. They should finish bricking tomorrow, and the sheetrock is already up. We talked to the construction manager of our house today, and she said that the cabinets are coming in next week and that she plans to get the yard finished as soon as possible. They're moving along!

My Sleeping Beauty

Easter Poop

The last time I was this excited about Easter I still believed in the Easter Bunny. We have been out of the country for the past 3 Easters, and we were spending it with my family, which we haven't done in quite a while. Plus I have a wonderful baby to show off to my old friends.

I guess because of this I bought Gabriella 3 Easter outfits. Silly I know, but I couldn't help myself. The first I bought way back in February; it is the cutest polka dotted dress with a little sweater. As Easter got closer I realized that it was going to be too big, so of course I HAD to go out and find another dress. While shopping for the other new Easter dress, I saw the cutest sleep and play (which is the pajama looking thing with the feet in it - for my non-babyized readers). It had bunny feet and a cute little cotton tail AND it was on sale therefore it was a must have.

The night before we left I dressed Gabriella in Easter outfit number 2, the sleep and play, so that she would be ready to go for the 10 hour car ride. That next morning we got up, I fed her, then put her in her ExerSaucer to play while we finished packing up. The ExerSaucer is a toy that lets her stand up and has toys for her to play with. She loves it. I, on the other hand have a love/hate relationship with it because when she poops while playing in it - instead of the poop going down into the diaper, it defies gravity and goes up. Sometimes all the way up to her hair! Yeah, fun times for Mom.

One might ask, why then, do you continue to put her in this poop gravity defying device? Well, I would answer, one- she loves it, and two- the poop incidents aren't every time. No, it's a fun game of chance that Mommy gets to play. (and sadly some days it's the most exciting thing I've got going, but I digress.)

And wouldn't you know it, the day that Gabs is wearing her super cute Easter outfit number 2 and we're walking out the door . . . yep you guessed it, the ExerSaucer Poopy struck again!

So I quickly change her, and we hit the road. Easter outfit number 2 had been pooped all over.

Fast forward a couple of family fun-filled days, and Easter morning arrives. We were attending the church that I grew up in and would be seeing some of my old friends, so I naturally wanted my little doll to look like a little doll. Easter outfit number 3, a light blue dress with white polka dots and yellow buttons, was donned along with a headband with a big white flower on it. She looked Adorable. I snapped a few pics before we left the house and out the door we went.

We arrive at church, get her signed up for nursery and I let the nursery workers know that if they need anything just let me know. Well, as I expected, about half way through church, my lucky number gets flashed up on the screen. What I didn't expect was to walk into the nursery with my child completely naked, screaming at the top of her lungs. Apparently, she doesn't need the ExerSaucer to poop all over everything, including her socks. yeah, she's that good.

Being the wonderfully put together, ready for everything Mom that I am (HA!), I had a change of clothes for her, but Easter outfit number 3 had been pooped on!

#3 before the Poop!

A Roof Over our Heads

House Update:

They're moving along! We went by the other day, and they were doing the insulation; we're told they are planning on starting the brick next week and sheetrocking on Saturday. The siding will not stay that yellow color; they are going to paint it to match the brick. That's the color it comes in from the factory. The windows are in as you can see, the bathtubs are installed, and the fireplace is in. Yay!

Our House has Walls!

We went by our house yesterday to check in on the construction, and our house as walls!! They are doing a really great job. We met the construction superintendent for the house, and she's really nice. We're hoping for an end of May closing! I'll keep you posted. Yay!

Oh, and you know how some movies have gratuitous nudity? Well this blog will have gratuitous pictures of Gabriella (not nude of course!). You have been forewarned.

And here is one now.

Happy 79th Birthday Great-Grandpa Smith!

As promised, an update.

My Grandpa Smith's 79th birthday is fast approaching at the end of this month. Amazing! For a gift, I decided to do something fun, and having a little baby doll named Gabriella is always helpful in doing that!

I went to Hobby Lobby to get a birthday party hat to put on Gabriella. The idea was to take a picture of her that said Happy Birthday! and send that to him. An hour and half later, I leave Hobby Lobby with a load of scrapbooking materials, a couple of photo storage boxes, a picture frame, a couple of hair accessories, and a few other bits and bobs. Yup, no party hat! Typical. I did brave going back into the store and didn't get sucked in again.

Back home, I dressed up my little doll in her blue tutu (made by Aunt Kym) and party hat, made a little Happy Birthday sign and took a picture. Now most of you know that I have a amateur photographer friend, Kathryn, who takes Gabriella's pictures often - I am not ANYWHERE close to as good as her, but I think Great-Grandpa Smith will like it just fine.

The Hiatus is Over

I have been inspired by my friends who actually update their blog to take up my pen again so to speak. I can't promise any of it will be worth reading but it'll be here for those who might want to, but I am giving you a fair warning now, most of it will be showing off my super adorable little girl! The rest of it will probably be my silly musings, and if you're lucky I'll actually throw in some life updates!

So for the quick catch up of the past year, for those of you who have been living under a rock or I am horribly out of touch with: I got pregnant in February of last year, had our adorable little girl in October, and we moved back to the States. We are in the process of buying our first house right now, which is exciting.

Well, stay tuned, and in the meantime here's a pic of the aforementioned adorable baby girl!