Petit Ami on sale at Totsy today

Totsy has some darling sunsuits, sundresses and shortalls today from Petit Ami.  I adore Petit Ami and have a bunch of their outfits for SYT (including his Easter outfit).  I won't be placing an order today b/c they have NOTHING in size 12 or 18 months (huge oversight, IMO), but if you have a toddler boy or a baby boy, there are definitely some cute things over there.  Plus there are tons of darling outfits for girls, as always!  If you aren't a member, click the link below to join!!

http://www.totsy.com/join/aeobows

Happy shopping!!



Easter update

Easter was lovely.  Sunny and relatively warm.  Spencer and I worked in the nursery for the first service and played with the kiddos until the later service when we went upstairs to celebrate Jesus's resurrection.  It was a lovely service, and the choir sounded great!  We didn't stay afterwards for the Easter egg hunt for two reasons. 

1.  Our brunch reservations were at noon, so we needed to leave to get to them (church ended about 11:45)

AND

2.  Spencer isn't walking yet and I didn't want to get his cute Easter outfit covered in mud from crawling around.  I know that seems so pretentious, but he doesn't know that he missed out, he can't eat the candy in the eggs anyway, and I really, really loved his outfit!

See, isn't it just sweet?  B thinks I am crazy for loving these darling, smocked outfits, but once he sees SYT in them, he actually likes them (or at least he tells me he does).

Brunch was good- we went to a country club near our house and were able to spend some time outside because it was finally sunny!!!

They're never too young, right QBS?

We let SYT have his first bite of ice cream at brunch. They had an ice cream sundae bar and, of course, B and I had to share one, so SYT got his first few bites. He LOVED it!!! Literally, he kept looking at us like, "seriously, you've been holding out on me this whole time? This stuff is awesome." He kept pounding on the table for more. It was hysterical.

soooooo close to walking!

After brunch we came home, worked around the house, Spence took at 2.5 hour nap (!!), and I got some work done in the garden.  It wasn't raining for the first time in days, so I was able to get the snap peas, lettuce, carrots and sweet peas planted.  I have a lot more to do, but we're still in the "possibility of frost" zone, so I have to wait to plant the rest of my seeds/veggies until after Mother's Day weekend. 

It was a really great day, and this week has been wet, wet, WET with thunderstorms, hail, a tornado, and constant rain, so I'm soooo glad that we had a nice day on Sunday.  I'm so late in posting about Easter, and it was great to read about all of your Easters.  I loved seeing all your pictures!

11 months old!

Seriously, where has the time gone!! Spencer turned 11 months this past weekend, and it just amazes me every time I think about it!  He has changed SO much in the past month.  I think it's been more than the past two months combined.

 

He has become incredibly curious, partially because he can get anywhere and do anything, I think.  He's still really happy and people tell us all the time how lucky we are that he's so easy.  We're assuming it won't be this easy with any future ones with the way people talk!!

He is now waving bye-bye (backwards and sideways mostly), clapping his hands, and lifting his arms and squeezing his hands open and shut when he wants to be picked up. He learned all three of these things in a week. If only we all kept this seive-like behavior!! 

He is crawling onto and into everything.  The ball pit at daycare, the cupboards in the kitchen, the wagon and booster and K&N's house, etc......  He also is enjoying throwing everything- balls, toys, food, etc.  It gets a little messy!!!  When we throw the Kong to Junie outside, he makes the same motion.  He now does this motion most of the time when he first sees her.  It's like his sign language for Junie!

The front of his outfits always look like this nowdays- soaked from neck to midchest.  He finally cut his third tooth this weekend (Thank God above for children's acetaminophen!) and the fourth one is on its way.

He is cruising on everything and is starting to stand for just a few seconds (like 2 or 3) at a time.  I think he'll be walking by one, even if it's just a few wobbly steps.  He hasn't gained ANY words this month, much to my dismay.  He babbles a lot and I know he can hear well, but he really doesn't have any true "words".  Mamamamama and dadadadada, but not necessarily in relation to us, and nothing else that is distinguishable.  He's supposed to have 4 words by 1 year- not sure we're going to hit that goal :(  Luckily, I know most kids are "walkers" or "talkers" (meaning they develop their gross motor or verbal skills faster), and as an overall trend, boys tend to be more on the gross motor side.  I won't worry too much yet!

So, that's my little guy's month in a nutshell.  As always, we feel incredibly blessed and I pray regularly that we will continue to experience such amazing things with him each and every day!

(Thanks for not being so annoyed with me for doing this monthly.  I try to do it so that I'll remember- the baby books out there just don't have the space I need for all my pics and have the weirdest things to record.  If anyone out there ever wants to design baby books, let me know and I'll give you advice on what to do and what NOT to do!!)

Meeting our new niece!

Meet the newest member of B's side of the family, Miss LGT!

Born 10 days prior to these pictures, she was 9 lbs 1 oz, 20.5 inches long.  Obviously, picture perfect.

SYT loved her.  He kept giving her kisses (and/or head butts b/c that's what he thinks kisses are) and trying to pat her head.  We had to use the word "gentle" a lot last weekend!

Cousins!

Precious smile

We feel so blessed to have a new niece.  It was so wonderful of K&N to allow us to come stay with them for the weekend when they were already so overwhelmed with their first baby!  We just couldn't wait to love on her, and love on her we did!!  We will get to see them at least twice this summer, and we're already counting down the days.  LGT, we love you, little one!

Help with lighting

B and I are in need of new 3 new light fixtures for our breezeway and our laundry room.  Currently ours are completely awful hobnail glass with the bulb exposed.  I don't have a picture, but trust me, they're just bad.

We definitely are looking for a silver base, a semi-flushmount, and I don't really want the bulb to be exposed.  A few of the ones I am thinking about are below.  Do you have an opinion on any of them?  I really can't decide at this point, so I'd love some guidance!!

Classic Schoolhouse Design from CSN

Sussex from CSN

Surrey from CSN

Covington Manor from Bellacor

Has anyone ordered lighting online?  Anyone have suggestions for me?  We're definitely getting places in our redesign- I just wish I had a week off to GET IT DONE!!!  Oh well, it'll be a sweet sigh of relief once it's finished!

Which nook in my house.....

needs this piece of art?

I know my fellow BV/Up North friends (and TPP!!) are going to LOVE this one!!  How could you not?  We have an empty wall in the entry way that may just be the perfect spot.  Check out the etsy shop.  She has other cool pieces there as well! 

So pretty!!

Do you remember when I blogged about how much I loved the Jeep Wagoneer?  And how much I love wood paneling on cars?  Well, a friend and I were talking about Jeeps (random) and he knew about a website that is my little tiny version of heaven.

Love Jeep Wagoneers?  In the market for the perfect family car?  Want to have the BEST car at next fall's tailgate?  Click here and let the drooling begin.

TDF CUTE!!!

Jana Oosthuizen (daughter of Louis) and her mom Nel-Mare

Check out the back of her caddy outfit!!!  OOSTY!!!!  Seriously, I DIE!!!

Plus that cute little ping hat?  Squeal!!!!

Blow this one up and check out Stuart Appleby's daughter's caddie outfits.  The older girls have gingham lined outfits and the little boy has polkadots!  So preptastic!

Another shot of Mia, Max, and Ella Appleby.  Mommy points to Mrs. Appleby for thinking up these outfits!!

Fr those who are looking for a little more adult eye candy......

Andy Roddick caddied for Zach Johnson in the par 3.  I would have followed that pair all day long!!

A.R. looks so good in those aviators!

And one of my two "golf husbands" (Luke Donald) looks pretty fine himself!!

Bummer that Luke ended up winning- that pretty much takes him out of the race for Sunday, if superstition holds true.  His wife is beautiful, no???

Guest Post- B's Masters Preview

Okay Ladies, it's that time of year again.  Even here in the 38 degree malaise that is West Michigan, I'm spending the week dreaming of all things green and yellow, of azaleas blooming behind the 12th green, of the Tuesday night Champions Dinner, and of how I can structure my weekend so that I have 6 hours to watch final round coverage with limited interruptions.  Yup, it's MASTERS WEEK!!!

I've done this the last couple of years, including last year's well-received "B's Peeves - Masters Edition," which included my take on several things from marital infidelity to what does and does not qualify as "food."  This year, I'm in a pretty good mood, what with a happy and healthy baby, a loving wife, a good job, a new Niece (other post- I'll let AET tell the story), and the coming start of golf season.  So no Peeves today, it's just a straightforward Masters Preview.  Now, without further adieu:

The Champions Dinner:

Avid Masters fans know that the defending champion is traditionally responsible for hosting an evening of all living Masters champions at Augusta National on the Tuesday night before the tournament starts.  The tradition started in 1952 with Ben Hogan, who invited all of the former tournament champions to dinner at th club with one strict stipulation: "wear your green coat." 

In 1980, Sandy Lyle broke the tradition of everyone ordering off the standard Club menu (steaks, fish, chicken, etc) and served a traditional Scottish Haggis from his homeland.  While the haggis went over like a turd in the punch bowl, the tradition stuck.  Since then, Vijay Singh brought Thai Food in 12 courses.  Angel Cabrerra brought Argentinian meats to grill and Argentinian Wines to pair (yes, please!).  Nick Faldo served fish and chips, Ben Crenshaw flew in Texas BBQ Brisket and sausages, and Tiger Woods served cheeseburgers, french fries and milkshakes after he won when he was 20 (ie- no booze).

This year, Lefty paid homage to one of his golf idols from his younger days.  When Phil was 17 and playing as an ameteur in his first PGA Tour event, he was paired with Seve Ballesteros for a practice round and they struck up a lasting friendship.  Seve (also a Masters Champion) is at home in Spain this year battling cancer in the brain and other areas.  The Champions Dinner last night featured salad with sherry vinegarette, gazpacho, paella, beef tenderloin with manchego cheese and Spanish tortilla (egg and potato baked in cast iron) and something called "Spanish Apple Pie."  Not sure what the apple pie was about, but my biggest beef (get it?) with the menu was that I wasn't invited.  A nice tribute to a nice guy, and it sounds like a hell of a dinner.

(Paella is a party on a plate)

Another Highlight-  The Par 3 Contest.  Every year at 12:30 on Wednesday, Augusta National holds a Par 3 contest for competitors.  It is now covered by ESPN live each year, so it has gained momentum.  Many players bring their kids or wives to be the caddie, and everyone seems to have a good time.  There's frequently a hole in one, and all generations get involved.  My DVR is set.  Side note- no Par 3 Contest winner has ever won the Masters in the same year.  People have gone on record to say they purposefully tanked on the last hole just so they wouldn't win the Par 3.

 (Aaron Baddelay and his Caddie/Wife with their Baby)

(The "Triad" of Jack, Arnie, and Gary Player at last year's Par 3)

(Jim Furyk and his little ones)

On to the picks:

Low Ameteur:

Peter Uihlein.  Reigning US Ameteur champion who is a Junior at Oklahoma State.  Good friends with fellow Cowboy and PGA Tour phenom Ricky Fowler (per Fowler's Twitter feed), this kid has plenty of game and can take advantage of the short par 5's, especially #13, which is essentially a long Par 4 for the big hitters.

(Uihlein after winning the USAmeteur)

Side note on the ameteurs - Another candidate was Lion Kim.  Kim is a senior at the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!!), and captain of the Wolverine golf squad.  He's in the Masters by way of winning the American Public Links tournament.  When asked about his name, he replied "I'm sure my parents got the idea [for the nickname "Lion" instead of his given name of Jun Min] from Tiger Woods...but I know for a fact that they didn't name me Lion Kim thinking I would be the next Tiger Woods.  Trust me, they're smarter than that."  All I read in that is oh crap.  I'm old enough that there's a college senior playing in the Masters who is named AFTER Tiger Woods.  I remember when Tiger went pro... But I digress.
Feel Good Story of the Week:

Tough one.  There's no real Freddy Couples/Greg Norman story line this year.  The Lefty dinner selection is nice, but the only real candidate for a FGSoW would be if Tiger finally lets his guard down and speaks frankly with the media (which he won't do), or if an Ameteur contends for the title.  Since I just threw out my Peter Uihlein pick above, I might as well go with that for FGSoW

Contenders:

Phil Mickelson- This guy seems to love Augusta as much as anyone, and on the heels of a win last week in Houston, he's a contender for sure.  He always plays the week before the Masters (Tiger never does), and he won in Atlanta in 2006 before winning his first Masters the following week.  And if he finds a chance to hit that 205 yard 5-iron out of the woods, off the pine straw, over a creek, to 8 feet for birdie?  Well then, keep an eye out for Amy and the kids on Sunday evening.

(Lefty after Sunday's win in Houston)

(for you Preppies out there)

Martin Kaymer- There are no flaws in this guy's game.  Hits it long, soft, left, right, over and under.  He putts well.  He's nearly as stoic as Reteif "The Mechanical Golf-Playing Robot" Goosen on the course.  It seems like a cop-out to pick the World #1 as a contender, but this guy is the real deal.  And, according to Queen Bee Swain, he's apparently eye candy too.  Any guy who can pull off the ascott/scarf in the desert in February probably doesn't have a hard time with the ladies, if you know what I mean...

(in the finals of the Accenture Match Play in Tucson in Feb)

 Ian Poulter- Poults has come a long way since his "Tiger's more beatable than ever" days of 2007.  He's one of the top ball strikers in the world; a skill that was cited as a weakness for him just a few years ago.  He's a fierce competitor and punishes people in match play competitions like the Accenture and the Ryder Cup.  If he's at the top with one other guy with a couple strokes between them and the field, it could become like a match play event, and my money would be on this guy for sure.

(nice pants...for an Englishman who lives in Orlando)

Ricky Fowler- Young gun.  Nearly flawless game, but hasn't figured out how to put a whole week together and close the deal for a win.  I just wonder what a green jacket would look like over an all-orange Sunday getup???

(add green jacket and I'm seeing a trend here...)

Matt Kuchar- Often overlooked American sharpshooter with a game that fits Augusta well.  I sincerely considered picking him as my winner, but I'll save that for below.  He won more money than any golfer in the world last year, and already has a win this year to go along with his new, more consistent, putting stroke.  Serious contender.

(with the fam after a win)

Pretenders:

Tiger Woods- I think my comment last year was "anytime he's in the field, he's the favorite."  Well, um, that's not true anymore.  This guy is all out of whack, and it's gonna be a while before he gets back... into...whack.

('nuff said)

Lee Westwood- #2 player in the world does more choking than a Red Cross CPR class.  Hasn't won a major.  Won't win a major...yet.

(in fake english accent: "oh bother.  I've lost another major?  Bullocks!")

The Old Guys- In the last few years, we've had good runs from Jack, Freddy, Greg Norman and Kenny Perry.  I just don't see that happening this year.  Nobody over 50 will make a run.  The closest who could would be Phil (40) or Vijay Singh (46...ish?)

Winner:

Hunter Mahan- Another American who has often been overlooked, and is one of the best without a Major title to his name.  This guy has been nothing but consistent this year.  He's also been on winning and losing Ryder Cup teams with big, intense pressure situations.  He's also in those funny Titleist commercials where he serves hot dogs at the halfway house.  He's been in the Top10 in the last TWO Masters (T8 and T10).  With 5 Top 10's this year in only 9 events, he's the hottest guy out there right now and due for a big win.  That's not to say that he'll "win big," but it will definitely be a "big win" for him. 

 (this look could be familiar by Sunday evening)

(all gussied up for Golf Magazine)

So there you have it.  Pick up your mark call it good.  I'll see you in the clubhouse for a cold one.