Mia in her costume. She left it on only long enough for pictures. Oh well! At least I got some pictures. That's all I could hope for her first Halloween. Here are some pictures of Saylor and I from our costume party. Love that mullet Saylor!!!
Happy Halloween Everyone!!!
I have been working out like a crazy person recently. I got a new DVD and it is great! It came with a resistance band (like a big rubberband) and my poor body is so sore I can barely stand it, but at least I know I am doing it right. I had my WW weigh-in this morning and lost .2 lbs. .2 . . . .what the heck!!! That is like the difference in taking a deep breath before I weighed or letting it all out. .2 could be the weight of the hair I've grown since last week. .2 could have been the face powder I put on this morning. I have worked my butt off this past week trying to lose at least a pound and. . . .2 Next time I'll make sure I clean the wax out of my ears and trim my finger nails and take off my toe polish and maybe I'll lose .4!!!! My total loss is 2.4 lbs. in 4 weeks. Not too good but it's a new week and this week I'll do it!
Mia had her 9 month check-up this morning (even though she is almost 10 months). She weighed 18lbs. 3.5 ozs. and is 28 1/4 inches long. She didn't get any shots but got an anemia test and her levels are normal. The doctor was amazed again that she is already trying to walk. She says Mia is way ahead on her developmental schedule. I don't know where this Dr. went to school, but I have met lots of people who walked around 9 or 10 months so I don't think we have a budding Einstein on ours hands. Now if you want to talk about her ability to dance and stay in rhythm that's another matter. She swivels her hips and bounces her head back in forth in perfect rhythm to the music. Anyway, all is normal and she doesn't have another appointment until her 1 year birthday.
This morning I was digging in Mia's mouth fishing out some paper (I do this several times a day) and I felt something sharp. "Oh, my gosh!! What is that Mia?" It is a TOOTH!! You can barely see it (on the bottom in the middle) but you can definitely feel it. I thought she would never get any teeth.
Also. . . .
On Thursday night I was putting some stuff in the laundry room and when I came out Mia was standing in the living room (we've gotten used to her standing on her own. . .she's been doing it a whole week) and suddenly she took a step with one foot and then the other and started to take a third and fell. Saylor was in the living room and we both yelled "Hey, did you see that???" I was so excited!!! What are the chances we were both watching her when she took her first steps? She has tried it a few times since, but hasn't had as much luck as that first try. It won't be long now!!!
Mia also has a new favorite thing to do. We put a comforter in the living room floor and she likes to stand next to it and do belly flops onto the comforter. Then she rolls off onto the floor and does it again giggling the whole time. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen!!! What a character.
The State Fair was great!!! We saw the auto show and drooled over the new cars (even though we LOVE ours) and we saw the butter sculpture which in my opinion is not that impressive this year. It was Elvis and didn't really look that much like him. We went to the Natural History museum (see the photo of the day for a picture of Mia on a HUGE piece of Quartz) and the Aquarium where we saw sharks, and stingrays and seahorses and my favorite jelly fish. We ate turkey legs and french fries and a funnel cake and I still managed to stay on my diet. Mia loved the funnel cake. And we walked, and walked and walked and walked some more. I think we walked off the funnel cake.
Saylor's favorite thing was the Aquarium, mine was just getting to be together and Mia's was the Fisher Price playground. They had all of the new toys for kids to try out and she loved it.
I couldn't resist a picture with the giant stacking rings.
And here Mia is with what I think could be at the top of her Christmas list. She opened and closed and crawled through that door I don't know how many times. 
We had a great time at the State Fair!!!!
I have been lazy about taking pictures recently. I wanted to have a photo every day, but some days it is just hard to find something new to take a photo of. I am trying not to feel guilty about this, but it's not working. I feel guilty. We are planning on going to the State Fair on Monday so I should have plenty of pictures to share from that trip. I still haven't moved the pumpkins outside yet so when I do I will have a photo opportuity there. I haven't felt good for the past two days. My eye is swollen. Not sure what is wrong with it. Allergies I think.
Swollen eye=bad pictures.
So I am NOT going to feel bad about missing a few days of the photo of the day. I'll get back on track soon!
See I told you I could feel fall on it's way! I hope it sticks around! I get to get a brand-new sweatshirt this weekend (or so I've been told) and I can't wait to pick one out. I think this year I may go with the Old Navy sweatshirt. I haven't decided yet. We're going to get one for Mia too. Her first sweatshirt. AAWWW!!!!
In other news I had my first weigh-in today after starting Weight Watchers (again). Last time was pre-married, pre-baby and I did very well. This time it is a little more difficult but I lost 1.2 lbs. this week. Not too bad. I didn't have to try that hard and I only got really hungry once and managed not to go too overboard. I didn't exercise at all so when I start doing that (week 3) then I am sure I will do even better. I am happy with it. Mostly I am happy that I made it through and didn't cheat and most of all didn't feel cheated! Tune in next Thursday for the WW update.
Enjoy the fall weather. We are going pumpkin shopping on Sat. Can't wait.
Something feels different about today for me. Suddenly today I feel like something new is in the air. I think it could be Autumn coming. So in honor of that I will now type in only lovely autumn colors. . .I know that it is still over 95 degrees in Texas, but for some reason this morning I opened the blinds in my scrap room and lit a candle and started working and I just felt it. It is hard to describe. Of course it could just be the new hazelnut scented candle, but I think that it's something else. I love fall. It means I can finally start wearing my worn out and well loved sweatshirts I've had since college. Everyone seems to think of Spring as a time of new beginnings, but I tend to think of fall as that time. When the old way is dying and the new is lying in wait for the perfect time to make it's appearance. My other favorites about this time of year are. . . (this calls for a list)
1. pumpkins
2. halloween
3. leaves changing colors
4. crisp, cool morning air
5. snuggling weather
6. Thanksgiving
7. Thanksgiving
8. sweatshirts and jeans
9. football
10. the state fair
One more week of September left!!! Then out come the Halloween decorations. I can't wait.
Beautiful flowers from my wonderful husband!!! I love flowers. No. . .I mean I LOVE flowers! Just in case you were wondering he loved the Motley Crue T-shirt I got him. Don't ask just be happy that he liked it. Have a great Thursday.
I have just discovered that on my photo of the day blog (which you can find by clicking of the link to the right) that people have been leaving comments. The problem is they are not really leaving comments they are leaving COMMERCIALS!! They say "I really love your blog check out mine" and when you get there it is just an ad for something. HOW RUDE!!! I can't believe people would go to the trouble to do that. I am thinking about turning the comment feature off. Just thought I would share.
I have gotten so behind on my photo of the day so rather than trying to go back and update I think I will pick up posting pictures starting with today. Some of the pictures are from last week when we visited Mom and Dad. Mia loved the okra!
We had a long weekend. Saylor got home from Mississippi about 2:30am on Friday morning and we spent all day Friday just hanging out at home. Then I went to a cropping party at church that night. It was a lot of fun!! Saturday we attempted going to the Trade Days at McKinney but only stayed for about 45 mins. Mia couldn't take the heat. Her poor little face was all red and she seemed a little weak so we decided to go shopping at the outlet mall instead. I couldn't find any clothes that fit (as always) so we went home. Sunday was church and lunch and grocery shopping and I started feeling sick while at the store. By the time we got home I felt awful and had a fever and felt achy all day. Actually, I had a bit of a fever still this morning. We think it may have been the Taco Salad I had for lunch. Mia is super grouchy this morning and can't decide whether she wants to be held or wants to play on the floor. I hope Tues. will be a better day. Well, I'm off to post a photo of the day.
Mia has discovered rythmn. And boy does she have it. The problem is that she seems to groove the most to RAP music. Did they switch my child at birth? There were some hip hop dance kids this morning on The View and she was just bouncing and giggling away. She was even swiveling her hips. I swear! I couldn't believe it either. I know alot of babies discover music at this age, but at what age do they develop their TASTE in music? She needs a little guidance because I can't listen to hip hop for the next 17 years. Maybe we'll try a little Kenny Chesney after lunch.
and she is eight months old. You can just tell when something is going to be trouble. You know what I mean. . .the funny sound your car has been making, the dark storm clouds on the horizon, the look of mischief in her eyes when you tell her "NO!". Like I said I think we may have trouble on our hands. We have been trying to teach Mia to leave things alone (like magazines, specifically, and the trash) and she will not do it. We start by saying her name to get her attention and then tell her "NO" in a firm voice and she just smiles and sometimes even giggles. She thinks it is even more humorous when her Dad does it (if he was telling me NO I would definitely stop!!!). How on earth are we going to get this kid to behave without beating her? Recently her two favorite toys are magazines (to eat) and the trash in the kitchen trash can (also to eat). The other thing is the animal crackers. Mia gets them as a snack and she gets the cookie goo EVERYWHERE! I know I should just put her in her highchair, but I don't like to fight with her (remember she is only 8 months old, how could I win?). So the cookie goo is everywhere and she is tearing up all the magazines in the house and eating paper out of the trash, see I told you TROUBLE. There are some of you out there that told me "oh, as she gets older it will just get easier" you forgot to mention that the age you were talking about was 21! Despite the mess and wads of chewed paper I keep confiscating I have to admit that Mia is very entertaining. I can already tell that this one has got a PERSONALITY. She "dances" at the coffee table and so far her favorite music is RAP (great). PERSONALITY. Her favorite toy (besides the above mentioned) is a RCA cable. PERSONALITY. She clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth while she plays. PERSONALITY. She screams bloody murder when she sees my hair dryer. PERSONALITY. She puts her pacifier in her mouth UPSIDE down. PERSONALITY. She smiles and "poses" when she sees the camera pointed at her. What a personality. I can't wait to see what she does next, but not until after my nap!
I have been playing with photoshop today using some info I got from my "new to me" photography magazines. A friend of the family passed them along and they are helping me learn already. I took this picture of Mia in her swing in our backyard. It is cropped from the original, but only slightly. The color adjustments were made in photoshop and I am so excited about the HUGE difference it made. Now my good phots will be AWESOME photos. How did I live before a digital camera? We have only had it for 10 months and have almost 800 pictures in our collection already! Just wait until she starts doing really interesting things. In the meantime enjoy gazing into these beautiful blue eyes. . . . .
Before Photoshop
After Photoshop
I got my page entry from the Go West Studios design team contest back yesterday. I didn't win. Only 4 people entered and the winning entry was a picture of a pregnant woman with her two little girls kissing her pregnant belly. How could I compete with that? It was a very good page so I don't feel so bad. I am proud of this page anyway. The quote around the big picture says "life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Mia's babyhood is flying by and I am so happy I was able to capture this precious moment on film. Happy September 1st to everyone.
Thanks for the comment Mom. Love you!
It came to my attention this weekend that there are more people than just my parents that are keeping up with "The Mills" by reading my blog. I am glad that you are out there "checking up on me" but I didn't even know it so that leads to my request for today. If you will look at the bottom of this post there is a line that says "tell me what you think (0 comments)" Why does it always say ZERO comments? I know that the people that are reading this are for the most part people with opinions and things to say so why don't you leave me a comment and let me know that you've been here? Thank you.
Now on to the important stuff. We have finally, officially moved EVERYTHING that we own under one roof! Although the last of the stuff should probably go directly into the trash it will not because there could be something in one of those boxes that I might need someday. There could be!!! I am just hoping that we left all of the mice in the previous storage area. Our house is currently mouse, roach, bug and ant free and I would like to keep it that way. We do however recently have a family of salamanders residing in our bathroom. I do not like them (even if they are kindof cute) because they scurry! I can't stand any animal that scurries or moves so fast that it could possibly run up my leg, arm or back. That's all for today. . .Don't forget to leave a comment.
Taken this morning in our front yard. Followed by a scrub bath and hydrocortizone cream (last time she was in the grass she had a rash for 2 days). I hope she doesn't breakout this time, but it was worth the risk for some great pictures. These will be her official 7 month old pictures. Mia will be 8 months on the 29th, but I try to take her monthly photo at the end of the month.
Someone started a blog challenge today and it was to post 5 random things about yourself that most people don't know so here goes:
1. I only like certain kinds of ice. I HATE the kind that comes out of most refrigerators (the moon shaped kind) because it always freezes back together in one clump and then while you are drinking it ALL comes sliding out and hits me in the nose and gets stuff all over my shirt. I LOVE Sonic ice (or rabbit pellet ice as my friend Rachel calls it) and my favorite is the kind that is really flaky and comes out of the ice machine in thin sheets. It is almost like a slush. That along with a good Dr. Pepper will always make my day!
2. I can rarely make it through a meal without some of the meal landing on my shirt. It is actually my best talent. No matter how I am dressed or where or what kind of food it is some piece of it will land on my shirt. EVERY TIME.
3. I can only sleep to my husband's left. You know how most people sleep with the man closest to the bedroom door. . .we tried that when we moved into our new house. I can't sleep on his right. I didn't sleep for 3 nights until we switched. Talk about neurotic!
4. I can not throw away a magazine. It doesn't matter how many pictures are already cut out of it or if it is practically falling apart. I might need it!
5. I don't like eating off paper plates. Especially if the food is saucy (like spaghetti) or cheesy. You can never get that last little bit of cheese off of a paper plate like you can a ceramic one.
Now you know 5 things about me you probably never wanted to know. It's your turn to share.
These pictures were just screaming to be scrapped! This was such a fun page to make. I love the colors and fun papers and the hibiscus stamp. The blue accent on the picture of the 2 girls says "girlfriends" Isn't that adorable. I used a tag that I had cut out of my bathing suit and added a few words so it says "super cute swimwear" (lower left corner of the center picture). Fun, Fun, Fun layout to make. I couldn't help but share it here. I hope you enjoyed seeing it.
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