Hanging with the Besties!

Here is Elle with her two best friends - Anna and Emma!

Anna (in the back) will be two years old in a few weeks. She is a good friend from our neighborhood, and Elle loves her! BJ's mom has been Anna's nanny since she was 3 months old. I don't think Anna knew what to think when Elle came along this year! She has been so good with Elle, though. She tries to be her little mommy! Anna sticks Elle's pacifier back in her mouth when she drops it and wants Elle to have every toy she has -so funny! She calls Elle " EEHHAA" :) We are so thankful that Elle has Anna to play with and keep her entertained everyday - this has been wonderful for her! We feel like Elle has the best of both worlds - a nanny (even better, her granny) who loves her and can spend one-on-one time with her, but she isn't secluded from others. She has a sweet playmate to interact with!



On Wednesday, Elle's cousin Emma (almost 5 months old) came to visit. I almost didn't post this picture because I cannot BELIEVE Elle did this when she first saw Emma! Look at that face! Pitiful! In Elle's defense, she had just woken up from a nap - so she wasn't quite with it yet! Hopefully Emma will forgive her!

After a few minutes, Elle decided everything was ok! Whew!

Aren't they just precious!

On a different note, I found these shoes for Elle at Target and I love them! I have really tried to keep Elle in shoes this fall. This has been very different for us, seeing as how she went around barefoot all summer long! With the weather turning cold, and since she *might* be walking in the next few months -I decided it was time. So, I got this girl stocked up on shoes!

Elle is definitely my daughter because she loves shoes, too....



So much that she always tries to EAT them...




and here is her sweet face when I say "no, no, no!" :)

Wish me luck. I think I am going to venture out and let Elle try different finger/table foods soon. She still loves her pureed foods in the jar, but I think she needs to practice picking up little snacks. Mum-Mums (rice cakes) are her favorite since they are easy to handle, but I think she is past these! I really dread this, but I am not sure why! I think I am just so picky about what is in Elle's food, so I feel like I need to make everything fresh for her - but there is not enough hours in the day for me to do this! I have been using Earth's Best (100% organic, GEI-free, no artificial flavors/colors/preservatives) baby food with her, and have been very pleased with it. When Elle was born, I promised that I would make my own baby food for my children - but I saw really quickly this wasn't happening! It was such a relief for me when I came across EB - they make food better than what I ever could anyway! Also, I am scared to death of food allergies! I have mixed feelings on giving Elle things like cheese just yet (even though it is listed as being ok)! Any advice from you moms out there on this would be greatly appreciated!

Enjoying her Mum-Mum!

Our Little Pumpkin

There is a really neat pumpkin patch across the street from our neighborhood. BJ and I had never been to Gentry's Farm, but have been driving by it for the last 3 years. I was really looking forward to the day we would be able to take our kids. So, this was our year! I was thinking Elle was too young to enjoy it - but being the people watcher that she is, she really liked it (even if she was too little to participate in the children's activities)! She especially likes to watch other kids play. It is so funny how even babies can pick out other babies and kids!

Here are some pictures we took at our house before we heading to the farm!

Elle was fascinated by the pumpkins!

She wanted to eat them, of course!

Everything she can get her hands on goes in the mouth!

Here we are at Gentry's Farm - Elle got to go on her first hayride!

Can't wait to break out the Halloween costumes next weekend!

Baby's Got her Blue Jeans On!

I found these jeans on sale this summer when Elle was about 4 months old. I remember looking at them and thinking they were sooo big - I couldn't imagine her being big enough to fit in them!! Well, here she is modeling them! I can't believe it!

Elle can't believe it, either!! :)

She loves standing up.
She isn't pulling up completely by herself yet, but she tries...

Her favorite thing to do is to "pat" the table - so sweet :)

We got Elle a wagon a couple weeks ago, and it was the best money we ever spent! She wasn't liking being confined to her stroller anymore. I was a little worried she was too small for it, but it's perfect! We have been taking her for walks on our lunch break in this nice weather, and she has so much fun. She even sings us a song along the way!

LOVE this picture!

My two sweethearts!!

Enjoying the walk!

BJ and I were talking about how much older Elle looked today! She is seeming more and more like little girl than an infant! Where has the time gone??

Ribbons and Bows Galore!

Today on Kelly's Korner it was "Show Us What You Make," so I wanted to share with you what I enjoy doing in my spare time (which is dwindling these days, but I am trying!)


My mom is really creative and crafty - whether it is decorating for a bridal shower or simply wrapping gifts, she has the touch! She used to make my hairbows for me when I was a little girl, and could sew outfits if I needed them for Halloween, or whatever the occassion. I loved watching her make things, especially when I got to help out! I guess it all stuck with me because I still love anything that involves crafts, sewing, and decorating.


I got a sewing machine about 5 years ago, and just taught myself the basics. Then, this summer I bought an embroidery machine. I was spending so much money taking all of Elle's things to get monogrammed, so we decided it was worth the money! The embroidery machine is much harder to use than the sewing machine - I still have so much to learn! I have posted pictures of some of the things I have made for Elle and others. I have so much fun doing this! I have already asked BJ if I can just quit my job as a pharmacist (j/k), and open up a children's shop (my dream! But, not going to happen because I could never do it fast enough to make any money! I am such a perfectionist -I am slow!)

Paci-holders!

Elle needs one in every color if I could ever get around to it!

She is never going to give that paci up!

A Taggie!

This is a great way to use all of your ribbon scraps!

I took the bows that were used to decorate my baby shower for Elle (since they were just sitting in a drawer), and cut them up for the ribbon pieces. I thought this was a good idea - plus I didn't have to throw them away!

These are just some onesies I made to go with a pair of pants and leg warmers Elle had.

Everyone have a great weekend! We are heading to the pumpkin patch Sunday (if the weather cooperates) - I am so excited!

"The City"... Newman Style!

Watching "The City" is one of my guilty pleasures! I know it is silly, with the fake reality and all, but I LOVE seeing their clothes, the socialite parties, and the trendy places they go in NYC! I have been to New York a couple times, but mainly to sightsee. When BJ surprised me with this trip for my birthday - I was ecstatic! Nothing sounded better to me - just my husband and me living the high life for a few days! ;) We got to live out our own little version of "The City"! Ha! I was sad about having to say goodbye to our sweet little Elle, but she always does great when we are away (and we are glad!) I think mini-vacations are good for us all! BJ and I are able to come back rested, and we want Elle to be able to trust others and be functional even when her parents are away!

So, BJ ended up telling me about the trip on Monday before we left on Wednesday! I think he was torn on when to tell me - he wanted me to be totally surprised (which I was!), but also give me time to get everything together. We had promised each other that we weren't going to get each other anything for our birthdays, and that we would do something special later to celebrate. Obviously, BJ didn't hold up his end of the deal! It sooo isn't fair that his birthday always comes before mine! I am always outdone!

Here are the highlights of our trip!
I really wish we had been able to get more pictures together - but it is difficult when you travel alone!

Day 1:
We arrrived at our hotel, Crown Plaza Times Square that afternoon. I would totally recommend this hotel! It is nice, and is centrally located in Manhattan - very convenient! Even better, it is beside the Hershey's store! Couldn't get any better for a girl who loves sweets! We definitely made several stops to get our sugar fix!

That evening, we went to the Gershwin to see "Wicked." Finally! I have been wanting to see this for months! It was wonderful! After the show, we went across the street to The Palm Restaurant to catch a very late dinner. We were pleasantly surprised at how excellent the food was. We are definitely going to have to try out the one in Nashville soon!

Times Square outside our hotel!

Day 2:
Three words: sleeping, shopping and U2 - it doesn't get any better this!
We slept in that morning, and it was wonderful! We have been up a lot through the night with Elle lately, so we have pretty much been walking zombies. It was so nice to get caught up on sleep! We decided to spend the day shopping on 5th Ave. We walked over to Le Parker Meridian hotel for lunch. This is an upscale hotel that has a hidden burger joint behind the check-in desk (you literally have to walk behind the curtain - crazy!) Anyone will tell you, you MUST try it! It was the best hamburger we have ever had!

Of course, a stop at FAO for Elle!

Next stop: Tiffany's!

I had been wanting to get a silver rattle for Elle since she was born. It's more fun when you get to buy it in the actual store - so glad I waited!

BJ had bought tickets several months ago for us to see U2 at Giants Stadium! I was completely floored that he had thought to do this! U2 is my absolute favorite band of all-time. Going to the concert brought back a lot of wonderful memories - the first time I saw U2 was with BJ in St. Louis just before we were engaged. Good times!

U2 - 360 Tour

It was really moving to hear U2 sing "Walk On" live in NY. I remember hearing this song so much after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and it brought back so many feelings.

Day 3:
This was our sightseeing day! We started off by taking the train to the SoHo district. This is a really neat area - lots of boutiques and restaurants! I could have spent the entire day here just looking at clothes and shoes!

We walked over to Little Italy for lunch.



BJ and me eating at LuNella in Little Italy - it was wonderful!
Can you tell yet that we love to eat - all I do is talk about food!

Busy streets of Chinatown!

We then headed down to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty.

It was a gorgeous day!

We took the train back uptown to see the World Trade Center site. You can see all of the construction for the new One World Trade Center building.
This is the view from St. Paul's Chapel across the street.


Later that night, we went over to the trendy Meatpacking District for dinner. This became one of our favorite areas to hang out in! We had a fun night at Spice Market (no celebrity sightings, but now I see why they all go here!) The atmosphere was really neat and the food was the best we had in New York.

Day 4:

Whew! We were exhausted by this point! I guess I am getting old! We decided to take it easy this day. We went to Pastis in the Meatpacking District for brunch, then headed to Macy's to shop. That evening, we ate and had another great night at Buddakan. Later, we took a taxi to the Empire State Building- too bad it rained! Oh well, it was still beautiful!

Here is the ".....the City of Blinding Lights..." that U2 sings about!

Atop the Empire State Building!

Day 5:

We had the hotel hold our bags because our flight didn't leave until later that afternoon. (I had the camera packed, so no pics - I totally regret this!) We headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then walked around Central Park until it was time to head back to the airport.

We were definitely anxious to get home to our baby girl that evening! We missed her so much! It was so fun to come home and watch her open the gifts we had gotten her in NY.

I think she and Emily are going to become good friends - they really hit it off! :)

Opening up her Tiffany's box!




Thank you BJ for the awesome trip! I can't wait to do it again! I am such a lucky girl to have a husband as thoughtful, loving, and fun as you! You are amazing! Love you!