Sunday Best

Poor Daddy! Late last night he woke up with a very unhappy tummy. Which means he did something he never, ever does on a Sunday...he called in sick! Good thing he wasn't scheduled to lead worship today.

Daddy's late night sickness had Mommy a little worried (she said she's never seen him so sick), so she stayed home with him. You know, just in case he decided to pass out or something. Thankfully, he's feeling much better now!

Since one parent was sick and one was caretaking, I got to go to church with Auntie! This cutie sweater dress she gave me was just the thing for a cold weather Sunday (yes, I did wear a jacket).
Mommy was thrilled to finally put this big 'ol bow on me. She bought it even before I was born, so it's been hanging out in my room for well over a year. I'm not so into bows these days, though, so Mommy tries to distract me long enough to snap a picture.

One thing I am really into right now is mirrors. I love to check myself out...even if the dishwasher is the only reflection-producing thing around.

Mommy was really bummed that she missed baby dedications today. Baby dedication ceremonies always remind Mommy of the responsibility she and Daddy have to "train up a child in the way (s)he should go". Every day, Mommy asks God to help her and Daddy accomplish this task, and she so enjoys witnessing other parents make a public declaration of their desire to do the same.

Auntie was sweet enough to take these pictures for Mommy so she wouldn't feel so out of the loop. Here is baby Kaleb with his mommy and daddy.

And Mr. Ian with "Uncle" Oscar and "Aunt" Tara.

Last night, Oscar and Tara hosted a "Second-Born Blessing" ceremony at their home. It was very special! They asked second-born family members and friends to draw on their own life experiences to give a word of advice or speak a blessing over Ian. Ian's Aunt Tammy even sent a video message all the way from Ireland!

I know that as Ian grows older he will love watching the video of this night!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Grandpa wanted to take a family trip to the Dallas World Aquarium for his birthday today. So Mommy, Daddy, the Grands, and I bundled up and ventured out into the North Texas cold. We had a great time investigating some of God's marvelous creatures!

We saw beautiful birds (bird is one of my new words this week, by the way),

a three toed sloth (those things move slower than Mommy),

turtles and stingrays,

a big 'ol manatee (I think her name was Barbara),

and (of course) lots and lots of fish.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! Thanks for helping me cross another item off of my list of New Year's Resolution!

Cannon Baby Shower

Sunday night, our church threw a baby shower for "Aunt" Michele and "Uncle" Ryan. Their baby girl is due on March 11.
Mommy went with a bright pink and orange color scheme for the shower decor. She didn't even know those are the colors "Aunt" Michele is using for Laylabell's (that's the name we made up for her since Ryan and Michele haven't decided on one yet) bathroom!

Cake table.

Michele is Mommy's go-to person when she needs a cake. So when Michele told Mommy she was pregnant, one of Mommy's first thoughts was "Who in the world will we get to make her shower cake?"! Luckily, Mommy happened to know somebody who knew somebody.

Part of the food table.

How sweet are these baby bootie petit fours? They were provided by a baker in our church named Barbara. She brought four large trays of these chocolate petit fours and strawberry tea cookies to the shower because she wanted to bless "Uncle" Ryan's parents*.

I hear the petit fours and tea cookies tasted every bit as wonderful as they looked, too!

The Krannon (clever combo of Kracht and Cannon) siblings...minus Christina's husband, Jesse!

Everyone in this picture has had a significant impact on Mommy's life...which means they've also had a significant impact on my life!

Baby Laylabell, I can't wait for you to get here! We will play in the nursery, slide on the benches in the prayer room, and marvel at your mommy's magnificent baking skills together.

*This is "Uncle" Ryan's mommy, Donna.

She has spent decades touching lives as a wife, mommy, teacher, and friend. Right now, Donna is in the hospital with three ulcers and one blood clot. She is in a terrible amount of pain, and I know she would really appreciate your prayers.

Planning Ahead

Check out this super cutie coat Mimi bought for me to wear next winter.

She found it on sale after Christmas, but right now it's marked down to an unbeatable $11.25!

Thank you, Hobby Lobby!

Remember this little feather boa number?

Mimi and Mommy found it while they were shopping at a Christmas market back in November. They thought it was a steal at $8.

Well, last week Mommy came across something strangely familiar while searching the feather boa aisle at Hobby Lobby. Notice the price? Hobby Lobby had these in a rainbow of colors (including my pretty turquoise) for a fraction of the cost...especially when you factor in the 50% off special they were running last week on all boas!

Never again will Mommy and Mimi spend $8 on a boa bow!

Movie Monday

Thanks for reading to me, Julie!

Sunday Best

I was super thrilled when I woke up this morning and saw Julie's smiling face. She even joined me in my brown rocker for a Sunday Best photo shoot.

Mommy thought we both had great faces in this one!

When we got to church, Julie went to preschool childrens' church while Mommy and I played in the crawler nursery. Ian joined me at the kiddo table for a little Cheerio's snack, where I learned a new table manner's lesson: Tables are not for pushing.

Friends!

This weekend has already been full of friends...and we still have one day remaining!

Mommy and Auntie's friend Vanessa spent most of the day with us on Friday. We got to eat lunch at Chick-Fil-A, which is a personal favorite of mine. Chick-Fil-A employees always go out of their way to make sure mommies and kiddos are having a good time at their restaurants. They hold doors open, carry high chairs, and retrieve fun balloons for us!

After we ate lunch, I got to crawl in the playscape for a few minutes. Then we were off to Party City (again) to buy a few more baby shower and birthday party items, stopped by Hobby Lobby for some wreath-making supplies, and hopped on over to Mardel so Auntie could buy a new Bible.

Today Mommy, Auntie, and I went to lunch with Auntie's old friend, Stacia, and her baby boy, Carson. Carson is five months old and he is a super cutie! He is also one of the most chill babies I have ever met...definitely way more chill than yours truly.
Once I finished my lunch, Mommy kept me entertained with a few Puffs, the contents of my diaper bag's outer pockets, and McAllister's straws.

We capped off the day by picking up my cousin Julie and bringing her home with us to spend the night! This is the first slumber party I've ever hosted...if sleeping in separate rooms can count as a slumber party, that is.

Julie and I had fun playing in my bedroom tonight. I don't think she was too impressed with my toys, though. Good thing her Mommy packed plenty of Barbies, mermaids, and horses!

Julie also read a story to me right before bathtime. She did a great job of teaching me some new animal names and sounds.

Tomorrow Julie is going to go with us to church. I can't wait to introduce her to all of my Lighthouse friends!

Playing With Mommy

Mommy and I tried to take a few pics while we were playing together yesterday. None of them came out just great, but we think they managed to capture how much fun we have together.
Daddy especially loves this shot.

Mommy is so thankful to be staying at home with me this school year. She is praying that God will make a way for her to stay home another year.

We sure do love each other!

Party at My Place

Take a look at the invitation Daddy made for my birthday party in a few weeks. Mommy found a very similar invite at tinyprints.com. She sent it to Daddy (with a wish list of changes), and Daddy worked long and hard to create this cutie postcard.

My party theme is "A Year of Firsts", so Mommy was thrilled to have an invitation that coordinated so well with the theme!

Mommy and I did learn an important lesson about DIY party invitations: Thou shalt not print at FedEx-Kinko's! We thought they would be budget friendly, but we were wrong.

Thanks, Daddy, for working so hard on my invitation. It looks great!

Practice Makes Perfect

Mommy, Mimi, and I hit up Party City this afternoon to do a little baby-shower-shopping and some birthday-party-browsing. Mommy decided I needed to try out the "I'm one" party hat.
Notice the color? Mimi is a bit miffed that there is no pink in my birthday decor.

Sorry, Mimi...blue is the new pink (in the Bug household, at least)!

Movie Monday

Preston played a lovely drum solo before small groups last night.

Mommy forgot to take the camera off video setting when she left it with "Aunt" Tara in case I did anything devastatingly adorable.

Sunday Best

I was not feelin' the bow today. Mommy tried and tried to get a pic with it on, but I was just too fast for her. I did, however, have a great time in the nursery this morning. Now that I know how much fun the toys and kids are in there, I don't even get my feelings hurt when Mommy drops me off on Sunday mornings!

After the worship service, I decided that Daddy needed some help picking up his guitar cables. That guy is messy, I tell ya'!

In the evening, Mommy and I went over to "Uncle" Oscar and "Aunt" Tara's house for the Young Couples/Families small group (Daddy is leading the college group at another house). I had a lot of fun playing with the boys and all their toys!

"Aunt" Tara even let me ride Preston's bike! Well, I suppose riding isn't the most accurate term... it was more like sitting.

Baby Shower and Old School Nintendo

This afternoon, Mommy and Daddy went to a baby shower for "Aunt" Michele and "Uncle" Ryan. Their baby girl (name yet to be determined) is due on March 11, and I can't wait for her to get here!

Michele's sisters did a great job hosting this shower! This table had sonogram pictures, advice cards, and other cutie decor.

These pretty favor boxes held yummy cookies, and were tied with ribbon and baby themed cookie cutters

This cake was ordered from a very reputible bakery. When it was picked up, however, it looked nothing like the beautiful creation you see here. "Aunt" Michele had to scrape all of the original icing off and redecorate it herself. Didn't she do a great job?

The daddies competed in a blindfolded diapering race. My Daddy won...even though his diaper was a little crooked!

When Mommy and Daddy came home from the shower I was able to squeeze in some "Daddy and me" play time. Generally, I'm not allowed to watch TV. But today my parents made an exception today and let me "play" old school Nintendo. Daddy even let me hold the Zipper!

Can you believe that Mommy didn't take any pictures of me today?
Not one!

She did, however, inform me that my friend Carsyn may be arriving any day now! "Aunt" Brandi called Mommy to ask for hospital-bag-packing advice (and if you know Mommy, you know she loves to give advice) after Brandi's doctor told her she should probably be getting that thing ready.

So, in honor of Karsyn's soon-to-be arrival and Brandi's soon-to-be new mommy status, please enjoy these vintage Bug family pics.

First family photo.
Getting ready to leave the hospital. Notice the swelling in Mommy's face and hands? That's what 9+ months of pregnancy, 24+ hours of intravenous fluids, and lots of pushing will do to you!

How I spent the first few weeks of my life.
My first bath. Mommy had little physical, emotional, or mental strength at this point. She was drowning beneath the wave of new mommy hormones, and could only manage to stand by and cry while Mimi and Auntie bathed me.
(I also think she forgot to shower that day, which explains her wild and crazy hair.)

Another family photo. Mommy was starting to look a little more human here. She managed to make it to the shower, at least.

First time to chill in my brown chair. Look how teeeeeny I was!

The change pad setup.Lap pad under my head for my many and massive spit ups. Lap pad under my booty for piddles and poos.

First stroll. I was one week old here. Mommy thought she could make it around the block a few times, but she had to turn around at the end of the street!

A family favorite. Don't I look like a little dolly?