Like No Other

New Orleans...you can't beat it! The sights, the sounds, the smells...okay, maybe not the smells, but you see where I'm headed with this. There will always be just one N'awlins!

Very rarely do Jarrod and I get to do anything for ourselves. Before we had our precious baby we would travel at the drop of a hat, we were always going and doing...we also had 2 incomes! Then came baby and one income which meant...big changes in our lifestyle. These days just to get a sitter and go out to dinner or a night on the town you spend a fortune! However, everyone will tell you...you need to still have time to yourselves, especially when you have a little one. That is why my parents have oh so graciously offered to keep Bo during Christmas while we go do something for ourselves.

After thinking what we could do, it dawned on me...Jackson is only 3 hours from New Orleans why don't we do any overnight trip down there. Having gone to college an hour away from this wonderful city, we spent oh so much time on the streets of New Orleans...one in particular! New Orleans is like a completely separate world...the culture...the music, the FOOD, the shopping, the beignets...a visit to Cafe Du Monde is a MUST, the architecture, the art, the people...you never know what you're going to see. I haven't been back since Katrina so I'm very anxious to visit. Last night Jarrod and I booked a room for the Saturday after Christmas. When I asked mom if she'd mind keeping Bo overnight she practically shoved us out the door and we aren't even there yet! I don't know whose more excited us or my parents! It will be our first time away from Bo, but something tells me he will be well taken care of and Jarrod and I will have a wonderful night in the Big Easy!

Laissez les Bon temp rouler!!!!!!!!

Traditions...

This morning in one of my many "mommy" emails that I get from different websites they were talking about holiday traditions with your family. Which of course I LOVE this idea, there are so many things I want to pass on to Bo! I thought I'd list a few from the webiste as well as some from our family and friend's families.

*Of course the traditional letter to Santa and I like the idea of a letter from Santa! I got this idea from a friend years ago...Along with a letter from Santa, he would also send "reindeer food" asking the children to help put the food out so the reindeer could fuel up during their stop. You take birdseed and glitter and voila..."Reindeer Food". On Christmas Eve you go out and spread it in the yard before the kids go to bed.

*On Christmas Eve we always left out cookies and milk for Santa. Another thing you can include would be carrots for the reindeer. Of course Santa eats the cookies, but you can either cut or chew the carrots down to look like the reindeer actually ate them and toss them out into the yard for the little ones to find on Christmas morning.

*We were also allowed to open one gift that night. I'm planning to do this with our family, but the gift everyone will open will be Christmas Pajamas to wear that night.

*Bake a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve! This is also a great time to read the Christmas Story from the Bible and help the children understand the real meaning of Christmas!

*One father had told his little girls how Santa wouldn't come if he could hear the girls awake. After they settled down he went outside with some jingle bells and stood below their window ringing the bells. It eventually caught on with the neighbors and every year the parents would agree on a bedtime and once they were settled in bed one of the parents would go from yard to yard ringing the bells.

*Attend a Christmas program at church. Most churches have a program sometime during the month of December. I attended my first Midnight Christmas Eve service while Jarrod and I lived in NJ and I must say it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. This might not be the best service for little ones, but if you can attend one I would highly recommend it.

*Leaving "Santa's boot prints" by the front door or fireplace. You can do this with baking powder, flour, etc...

*Watching old Christmas movies...this is a must! I'm 30 years old and still watch Frosty and Rudolph!!

*Another that I loved and will definitely do...After kids have settled down to bed, pop popcorn and make hot chocolate, put it in the car, then wake up the kids to ride around looking at Christmas lights. They recommended doing this on a Friday night since they could be cranky the next day. Personally I don't think I would wake a sleeping child, but maybe after bathtime and pajamas surprising them.

*Getting involved with a charity. This is such an amazing time of year, what a better way to show love and giving than to get involved helping others. This year we will be doing Operation Christmas Child, we will be filling shoe boxes with items such as toys, candy, crayons, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, etc... The boxes are shipped across the world to children in need. Think about it...you can find all of these things at the dollar store, so even though you may be enduring tight times with our current economy you can still send something to a precious child for less than $10.

I thought these were such fun ideas, I had to share. I know when my parents read this they are going to say "this is SO Casey". I can't help it, I have always loved Christmas ever since I was a little girl. Not much longer only 47 days left!

Just Like Mommy's Mommy

Saturday morning I made pancakes for breakfast. I thought back to my childhood and how fun it was when mom would make special pancakes in the shape of our initials! She'd make other letters too, but I remember always getting a "C". So I attempted to do the same for Bo. "B" is a little harder I must say and the "L" fell apart, but I gave it a shot and it will take some practice, but he loved them anyway. Pancakes with a little applesauce on them and he was in heaven, couldn't get them in fast enough.

I was even able to grab a little video of him "talking". Last Wednesday while I was making his dinner he decided it was time to start gabbing. I looked up and next thing I know I'm hearing "ma ma ma ma, ba ba ba ba ba". I couldn't get Jarrod on the phone so I called my parents, I had to have someone hear. They were able to hear his first sounds, it was such a treat! He hasn't been quiet since he discovered this new trick. Of course he got quiet once I grabbed the camera, but you can see a little!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Creepy, Crawly, & Cuddly

Yesterday was full of fun Halloween activites for Bo. We met Michelle and RJ yesterday morning and headed off to the Halloween Fun Fest at a park nearby. It's geared towards toddlers and children up to 4yrs, I think it's because the older children are in school. The entire thing was themed around Dr. Seuss so there were plenty of characters around handing out goody bags, which contained a Dr. Seuss book and some candy. We listened to story time, had punch and cookies, and went on a hayride. The kids had a great time and were exhausted when we left!

After a great afternoon nap we got dressed up again and got ready for trick or treating. We walked around the neighborhood and watched all the big kids collecting candy, stopped by a few neighbors houses to say hello, then back home to hand out candy! Bo had so much fun watching and taking it all in. He would squeal and laugh every time we opened the door to pass out candy. By the end of the night when he'd hear the door bell he'd start looking right at the door ready to go.

My 1st Election

With a new baby there is a lot of "firsts"! Today we embarked on another one as Bo and I headed to the polls for early voting! Which is great by the way if your state has it, I highly recommend it. Anyway he pretty much took the opportunity to flirt with the 14 month old little girl behind us, but once we got up to cast our vote he was all politics! Of course he couldn't understand why Elmo, Barney, or Big Bird weren't on the ballot. We hope everyone gets out to vote this year to help protect our country!

57 Days!

I'm sure most people don't want to know that this is how long we have until Christmas but...it's true!!! I know you're thinking...Casey, we haven't even had Halloween yet! Well, I'm the annoying person who LOVES Christmas. My tree goes up the weekend after Thanksgiving, the Christmas music starts for an entire month, I start to bake Christmas cookies and any other sweet thing I can find, watching old Christmas movies...I love it!

This year is even more exciting...it's Bo's 1st Christmas! I realize that to him it's just going to be fun to play with paper that makes a lot of noise, but this is something I've dreamed about since I knew I wanted to be a mommy! Christmas with a little one...the innocence that comes with Santa Clause, making ornaments out of construction paper and decorating the tree, watching Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman, leaving cookies out on Christmas Eve for Santa and waking the next morning to see that he ate them all, going for car rides at night to see Christmas lights, hot chocolate and marshmallows, staying up late on Christmas Eve with Jarrod to get things put together, because of course Santa brings everything already assembled, seeing Bo's face on Christmas Day when he sees everything under the tree (I realize we have a few years before this), but everything that comes with Christmas is just so wonderful to me.

I've had people asking about what to get Bo. Since we are scattered all over the place I have started a "wish list" for him online. I wasn't crazy about this idea, because I feel like I'm asking for gifts for my child, but...since none of our family is around us it's hard to know what he likes and is into. If you would like me to send you this info let me know. I'm adding things every so often when I come across something I think he might like. Get ready it'll be here before you know it!

Free Entertainment

So one day last week while I was trying to fix dinner Bo decided to go through one of the cabinets. Luckily he chose the one that had mostly tupperware in it! Guess I have to reorganize things so he can have his own "play cabinet". He had so much fun pulling everything out and I was able to get dinner finished! He also decided to help with laundry one day! He's such a good helper!

You can always tell when Jarrod gives him a bath the night before because he wakes up with what little hair he has sticking straight up on his head!

See what I mean!