Talking and Talking

Micah man isn't really talking yet, well. . . he's not speaking English yet.  He speaks a language all his own and I love to hear him talk.  It's just so cute.

He talks alot when he's laying in bed, trying to fall asleep OR not trying to fall asleep, whichever he may be doing.  I usually listen to him on the baby monitor and don't get to hear it in person.

The other day, we were visiting family and his pack n' play was setup in the same room we were sleeping in.  I was trying to take a late nap, then Curtis brought Micah in to also take a nap.  Micah laid there and talked and talked and talked.  It was cracking me up, but I didn't want him to know I was in there (otherwise, Mommy wouldn't get any rest either).  He never did go to sleep that day, but I recorded the new word he came up with that day.

Take a listen. . .
You may have to turn it up.




"Cry-ya!"

Update

It looks like one of my vidoes never posted on a previous blog post.  Why didn't ya'll tell me?!  Shame on you!  Shame on me for not noticing.

Well, you can check out that video now:
http://thestallings-life.blogspot.com/2012/11/facing-mountains.html

Again With The Chores

After learning to mow, Micah decided he was ready to tackle the vacuum cleaner. . . literally!!  I can't vacuum when he's asleep, because obviously!!!  And now, I can't vacuum when he's awake. . . . .  Because of this!!!

I mean, how am I supposed to get anything done?!  Haha.  He is also this helpful with the laundry and the dishes. . . So, I THINK this means I'm off the hook when it comes to getting chores done. . . RIGHT?!!!

Just agree with me, so my hubby will see he's outnumbered on this issue.  ;)

Boot Scootin Boogie

I usually sit indian style when I feed Micah and he has recently discovered he can scoot his highchair back by pushing his feet against my knee.  This, of course, is HILARIOUS!!!  I react like this is the best thing he's ever done, because well . . . everything he does is the best thing ever!! 

Funny Man!!

Facing the Mountains

Our little man is learning to climb.  He wants to climb on the couch, the ottoman, the chairs, the toys, the beds. . . you name it, he wants to conquer the climb.  I think he learned this from The Houston Children's Museum.  We've been there a few times and they have lots of fun, safe items to climb. . . well mostly safe. . . but each time we go; he wants to climb next biggest obstacle.  

This is the biggest ramp they have.  Most of the kids were climbing up on all fours, but our son thought he could walk up the ramp. . . which to my surprise. . he could!

I really couldn't believe he could do that.  This was the first time he had tried to play on that and I thought it was too big for him.  He also wanted to climb up the very steep slide versus slide down it, but mommy couldn't get a video of that for fear of some major crashing and burning.  This video started it all. . . there was no stopping him after that.  Yay us!

 

Earning His Keep

We've started Micah early on the chores (no, not really) and we decided it was high time he earned his keep around here.  I mean, he already eats us out of house and home so he needed to step it up on the home front. Wouldn't you agree?

Here is his favorite chore, even if it is a little frustrating for him! 

Sorry it's a little long

This chore is particularly "helpful" because it is SO loud in our tiled house.  We may just need to buy earplugs for the whole house.  He loves to mow, back and forth, back and forth; especially when a important conversation or particularly interesting tv show is going on.  But hey, what can we say?!  At least he's helping out around here.

;)

 

 

Love You!!

MWUAH!!!

Mommy loves to say "LOVE YOU!" to Micah and he usually blows kisses back.  He's recently added a huge MWUAH sound to the end of his kisses and it is the best thing ever!!!  He blows kisses a lot, and sometimes he feels generous and blows kisses to strangers.  This was one of those days. . .

We were at the grocery store and he was blowing kisses to everyone, so I decided to take a little video.  This was actually awhile back, but I definitely wanted to share it with you.  I mean, how sweet is he?!! 

LOVE HIM!

And Now. . .

Coming Soon!!!  To a blog near you!!!  A very exciting special week of blog posts.  You won't want to miss this. . . Trust me!! 

Here's a hint. . . the star of the show is:

THIS CUTIE PIE

Road to Recovery

If you don't already know, there is a good reason I haven't blogged since mid-September.  On September 22nd I was in a major car accident with my son, my mom, and my sister.  It was one of the worst; if not, the worst day of my life.  My sister was the only one injured in the accident and she suffered a brain injury.

I can't even explain all the feelings associated with this, which is why I haven't been blogging.  What would I have said?  It took a little while, but we started hearing good reports and expectations for my sisters recovery.  She was in an awesome rehab facility here in Houston and Praise God. . . went home last Friday!!!

My sister is doing awesome and we have faith that she will make a full recovery.  She will be in some outpatient rehab for awhile, but we know she will be perfectly fine!!  My sister is so strong and such a fighter, I know she'll be ok.

As my sister is recovering, my family is also starting to heal.  I am finally ready to get back to blogging and will update about Micah soon, he has not slowed down at all. . . so there is alot to say.   :) 

If you knew about Sarah and were praying, THANK YOU SO MUCH!  Everyone has been so awesome and shown such amazing support for her.

Currently in Micah-land

I hope y'all still love me even though I've been so bad about blogging.  I have so much to share about our Micah man. . . he has been one very busy boy.

 Big Smile

Micah is 14 months old now.  He's growing and learning so much and has just developed such an independent personality.  He thinks he's the funniest boy ever and so do I, but he sure learned to shake his head "NO" quickly.  He does it so much he gets dizzy.  :)

 He still sucks his thumb!

Micah is now a whopping 22 pounds.  He has such a healthy appetite.  His favorite fruits are watermelon and blueberries.  He eats his weight in each every week.  (That may or may not be an exaggeration).  He hates avocados, sometimes eats meats, but he sure LOVES his veggies and fruits.  He is still not drinking milk, but loves apple juice.  I finally found a sippy cup that he will actually use so, he's been drinking really well with that.  Now, I've got to transition him from formula to milk.  He is very resistant to that. 

Daddy and Micah eat watermelon almost
every day when daddy gets home

He has about a million teeth now.  He is cutting his molars and "pointy" teeth on top and bottom and both sides now.  Most of them have come through, but a few are still giving him problems.  He's handled it like a champ though.  He hates brushing his teeth and it is quite the chore.  I always try to trick family/friends/visitors into doing it for me.  Rock, Paper Scissors, anyone?!!!

Who me?

He is a master at walking and running.  He literally does not sit down if he is awake.  He is running, walking, squatting, crawling, climbing, throwing, chasing, and standing on his head at all times.  This also means he hits his head about once a day, so that's always fun.  He is learning to go up and down steps (we have a one story, so this is taking him longer to learn).  He's learned to throw balls and has pretty good aim.  He can throw the ball to us but of course he can't really catch yet.  We play a lot of catch in our house. 

 He likes to climb on dad

He talks up a storm with all kinds of sounds strung together, but still now real words.  He says "Geen" for Green.  He says Mama and Dada but doesn't use them to identify us.  We are working on our words, but I just can't get him to try and repeat anything I say.  I know he'll pick it up eventually so we'll keep working on it. 

My little buddy

He loves to flip through books, pretend to snore, scrunch his nose up, clap when we say "YAY", and blow kisses.  His absolute favorite accessory is a red, round pyrex lid.  We have no idea why he loves this lid, he just does.  He carries it in his hand and plays with toys while holding it.  He puts it on his head and will chew on it, but mostly he just carries it around.  If you take it away from him, he screams like you've run out of ice cream (the screams are both the same level of intensity).

 I'm busy!

I'm not getting as many pictures of Micah per month as I used too.  He literally will not sit still and so 95% of our pictures are blurry.  Most of them end of being a blurry pic of the back of his head.  So, that's sad!

 He likes going for walks!

I sometimes wish I could follow him around with a video camera all day long.  Just so I could record all the cute little faces he makes, and how he protects me if Curtis is picking on me, and how he tries to wake me up if I pretend to sleep on the floor, and how he looks so proud of himself when he throws something or puts a toy in a bucket or something like that.  I just can't capture in pictures all of those little moments, but I hope I always remember them.  They are so precious to us and so is Micah.

Five on Friday. . . Pinterest Edition

I'm still spending large amounts of time on Pinterest. . . anyone else there with me?!  The iphone app makes it accessible at all times.  I know that 95% of what I like or pin on Pinterest I will never do, but I just enjoy the creative ideas and cute photos.  I've actually found a few good recipes from Pinterest, so that's not time totally wasted.  The one issue I have with Pinterest is that people write "Brilliant" on every single pin.  I'm thinking, "NO!! Not EVERYTHING on Pinterest is brilliant".  Anyways!

Here are some of my new pins.

Crispy Edemame - I love edemame and this sounds delicious.  The directions say: 1 (12 ounce) package frozen shelled edamame, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper to taste. 15 min. in a 400 oven.  I'll let you know if I try this and if it's good.

Ladder Garden - This was not a good idea for me to pin this.  I am terrible at keeping plants alive so this would just be a waste of money and time for me, but I can't help but like this. It would look so perfect on my front porch!

DIY Bracelets - This pic was pinned by Lauren Conrad.  I like her style and her clothes at Kohls.  I think these bracelets are so cute.  I like how skinny they are. She gives instructions on how to make these.

Christmas Tin - This is cute (but not brilliant).  Take the cheap tins from the dollar store, spray paint and re-purpose them.  Now I just need to think of something to make to put in them and give to my friends.  I have some time.  ;)

Smells Good - Someone wrote that this is the scent that Williams Sonoma burns in their store.  I've actually used this in my house and it does smell really good, but it makes me nervous to leave my gas stove on for that long.

Directions:  Fill pot 2/3 full of water, add one sliced lemon, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary (I used dried rosemary from the spices aisle), then add 1-2 tsp of vanilla.  Then just simmer it on the stove. 


Complimentary Pic of the Post:
Micah loves to "read" his books.  He's gotten really good at flipping the pages super fast.  So fast that I can't really read them to him. Books are my best friend right now.  I take them every where with us to help keep him occupied and quiet.  :)

Funny Man

I'm in love with this video of Micah.  We had spaghetti for lunch the other day and he was really enjoying it. 



He was reaching for a biscuit.  I had been feeding him pieces of it while I was getting lunch ready.  I have no idea why he thought that was so funny.  I just love his laugh!

Happy Monday!

Sail Away With Me

Have I mentioned yet that July was crazy busy?!  Well it was. Among a million other things, we managed to sail away on a short cruise.  I don't have many pictures of this but we did have a great time.

 The boat

At the show

We relaxed, laid out, ate good food, saw some shows, met some peeps, all was good.  We had nice weather and a nice room with a view.

 I got a new dress!

Dinner

My Stud!  Love my man with a gun.  ;)

I'm a swamp people. . .er. . . person

Thank you, honey, for taking me on vacation. I had a great time with you!!!

Family Beach Retreat

Micah and I recently spent a week at the beach with my family.  Curtis was with us for a few days but he had to go to work. :( So sad.  I don't have many pictures of this week but we had a lot of fun.  We went fishing and crabbing, visited Moody Gardens, visited the Pleasure Peer, played games, slept in and ate lots of yummy food.  It was fun to hang with the fam.

 Not sure you can tell, but he did NOT like his life jacket

I really enjoyed fishing with my dad.  I went fishing with my dad and Curtis one day and my dad and brother-in-law another day.  The fish were not really biting much but we caught several catfish, a few stingrays, and some red fish.  I caught the biggest fish I've ever caught in my life.  I was SO incredibly excited!!  It was so much fun to reel him in.  He was a whopping 24"!!!  We had a fish fry and he tasted really good too!
 

My fish!!  His name is Wilbur! (I think)
It was Legen. . . wait for it. . . DARY!

Micah had quite a time trying to explore the beach house.  We had to put up a gate to the stairs and constantly keep getting him out of trouble.  He had several big owies, which is to be expected now that he's a wild man on wheels.  :)

 Un-happy camper

Grandpa took us on Micah's first boat ride.  He enjoyed it more the faster we went.  It was very hot so I think he was fussy because of heat and he was tired.  

 It's going well so far

I also managed to get a pretty good tan with all the fishing we did.  I've spent more time outdoors this summer than I have in a very very long time and I'm liking my not-so-pastey color that I've developed!

We went out to the Pleasure Pier one night and I rode this awesome roller coaster with my sister Becky.  It's called the Iron Shark and it is AWESOME!  It's a very short ride, but I thought it was well worth the short wait we had.  It was $6 to ride that one ride and $10 to even get on the pier so it's a little pricey, but they have package deals if you're planning on staying and riding multiple rides.  

So Fun!

Me and Becky!

Sleepy boy!

We had a great time.  We haven't done a family getaway in a while so it was super fun, but we sure missed Curtis!  Thanks to Mom and Dad for having us!

Surfer Dude!

 

Over a month ago we had Micah's first birthday party for our family.  We both have big families so it turned out to be quite the shindig.  :)  Micah had a "Surfer dude" swim party that unfortunately got rained out.  Luckily, Micah had no idea, but his momma was pretty disappointed.  I felt so bad for all the cousins who wanted to swim but couldn't.  I think it all turned out great though, we just moved everyone inside.  

 

We had our surf boards setup for our cake and food.  Our cousin, Shannon, made the awesome cake and Micah's grandma's made all the yummy food.  It was supposed to be displayed on the tables below but all was moved inside.

By the time we got to cake and presents, he was pretty tired and overwhelmed, but he did so great considering.  He didn't know what to think about everyone singing too him.  It was so cute.

Micah is a very blessed boy and we were so grateful to our family for coming to celebrate with us.  He has plenty of toys and books and clothes to last him awhile.  We won't be bored with all our new toys.  :)

Happy Birthday Micah!!



 

Our Son is One!

We have just been so busy lately that I'm super late on posting about Micah's birthday.  We can't believe our baby boy is already one!  I am so proud to be his mom and he is such an amazing part of our little family.  We have enjoyed each stage of this last year and we comment daily about how great he is.  We can't wait to see what else this little miracle has in store for us!!!

What's happening?

We are, of course, his biggest fans!!  We love everything he does (well most of the things!).   He is just so full of cuteness and has so many adorable traits to his personality.

Micah is a little shy, but likes to be independent.  He's not snuggly at all, but gives the best kisses.  He says "UH-HUH" which is the cutest thing ever.  He thinks he's funny when he's overly tired.  He actually thinks everything is funny when he's really tired.  He likes to stick his fingers in his dads mouth and ears (weird!).  When he gets quiet he's either in his room reading a book or in the bathroom unrolling the toilet paper.  He likes the tupperware cabinet and for some reason likes to carry the lids all over the house. 

  'Reading' his book!

He says "MaMaMaMa" and "DA!".  He usually wakes up in the mornings and just lays in his bed talking.  If you wake him up, he gives you a stink eye and grabs his blanket and rolls over. He might be on his way to becoming a drummer.  ;)  He has become more clingy to his mom and dad lately, which I love. . . most of the time.  He lays his head on my shoulder when I say prayers.  We just cannot express how much we love him.

Let me go!!

Here are some fun facts about Micah at 1 years old!

• He still eats pretty good.  He loves him some watermelon and hates avacado. 
• He has 8 teeth (4 on top, 4 on bottom) and is cutting more right now
• He sleeps all night and I usually have to wake him up in the mornings
• He's doesn't suck his thumb constantly any more, just while going to sleep
• He still naps at least once a day
• He likes the pool as long as he stays in the shallow end
• He's really into books lately, he loves to flip the pages
• He weighs just under 20lbs.
• He is 29" tall
• His thumb automatically goes up when he sees his blanket
• He doesn't like to watch tv
• He has the biggest and best smile you've ever seen!

Smash Cake

We had Micah's first birthday party at my parents house.  We had a "Surfer Dude" themed swim party that got rained out.  He had lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents there to love on him.  He loved his smash cake, it was so cute!! I will post all the pics of the party soon!

???

 I don't want too take a pic!

I can walk

Sitting in his very own rocking chair and grandma's house

Great Grandma and Grandpa!

P.S.  I'm not going to try and do monthly pictures on the couch any more.  As you can see it doesn't really go well.  I will just update as I can and as events happen.

Oh The Cuteness!

Of course I am so in love with this little boy and I'm totally bias, but he is just the cutest thing I have ever seen.  I know I owe you a 12 month / birthday update, but this post is purely about the CUTE!!!