Osborn Originals

Day to Day

2012-01-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

This has been one of those weeks...nothing exciting, just the norm...work and family time with some exercise and friend fellowship thrown in. Do you ever have those weeks where you are just thankful that you made it through, and it is Friday? Not trying to be a negative Nancy, just keeping it real.

James got him this sweater, he looks like a baby 30 year old.

Somehow he knew he was dressed like a big boy.

He is also getting too smart for his own good...

This is the look he gives me after. I am in trouble. (also think he is due for a haircut?)

Hope you all have a great weekend. We are planning to do nothing, and I can't wait!

Bath time and other Tidbits

2012-01-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Other randomness: Have you read my sister's blog? I am so glad she is finally blogging as she is a great writer with a very witty sense of humor. Go check it out!

Any book recommendations? I just finished a couple (Proof of Heaven and Inheritance of Beauty for those interested) and they were just ok. I enjoy a good light read before bed time.

We have a new sign at work:

If you are in the area, come see us!

11 months and 11 weeks

2012-01-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you all of the sweet and encouraging words about baby Deuce (as we are calling him/her for now). We are beyond thrilled and thankful.

Lane boy is 11 months old and I am 11 (almost twelve) weeks pregnant. First off Lane...

Personality!! This month has brought the most obvious growth in his personality...likes/dislikes/opinions/expressions, etc. It is funny seeing James's traits and my traits come out in him. He has James's engineering mind. He loves trying to figure things out. A few examples: he played with the safety locks on different cabinets until he figure out how to get it them off. He knows that cars, golf carts etc have horns. When Pie and Pal take him riding on the hunting buggy that doesn't have a horn, he pushes where the horn should be. When it does not "beep" he looks underneath as to say, "why isn't this working?". He loves all toys with buttons/levers so he can watch the cause and effect relationship.
He has a lot of me too..he is a morning person. He wakes up smiling and talking non-stop. He is very animated and "flaps" his arms when he is excited. I used to do this as a child (honestly still do sometimes!). He also loves books!!

Favorites: riding or "driving" the mule or golf cart in the country, playing with Amos, playing with all of his toys from Christmas, especially the car that Grandmomma and Granddaddy gave him

Dislikes: He has gotten very opinionated- he will strong arm you when he does not want you to give him kisses or when he is finished eating. He also has a new face that he squints his eyes, throws back his head and shrieks when he is unhappy about the situation. It is hard not to laugh. Things that he does that to-green beans, when you go outside with out him, getting dressed or changing his diaper

Talking: he is VERY verbal, though I don't understand most of it. He def still says da-da and now dog. He sees Amos and it is nothing but dog, dog dog!! He also says something that sounds like who dat? I can't figure out what he means? He says it over and over and I think must be something like What's that? In the video below is the closest he has come to ma ma. It also shows his new squinty face.

He is close to walking. Pull ups on everything, standing up by himself for a few seconds then plops down, but crawls so fast and gets around efficiently so I don't know that he has the need.

For my records: this pregnancy so far has been very similar: I feel pretty good, was tired from weeks 6-8, slightly nauseated (this time more so at night), and still HATE taking the vitamins. I am trying to take them right before bed, and that makes it tolerable. I think this go round, with work and Lane, I don't have time dwell on things as much. I have been slightly more anxious, I think mainly because since having Lane, I realize exactly how much of a MIRACLE he is and what all could go wrong. I am ready for our 12 week appointment Friday to hear that sweet heartbeat again.
Will we find out the sex? YES!! I wish I could not, but it would drive me crazy. For planning purposes it will be good as Baby Deuce and Lane will share a room so we will need to know how to organize closets, etc.
Craving: eggs, AGAIN so weird. I am limiting my egg Mcmuffins from McDonalds this go round!

Christmas Recap and a Big Gift

2012-01-03T11:22:00.001-08:00

Catching up...We celebrated Christmas with my side of the fam on Christmas Eve Eve before heading North to the Osborn's. We had a delicious dinner and opened presents.

Lane and his Great grandaddy Pop, sharing a snack

a lot of toting around by Sam

Then we shared our biggest (or smallest, however you look at it) gift...

Lane shared the news...

What?! Really?!

Yes, we are expecting a baby in July!(July 27th to be exact) I am almost 11 weeks and am feeling great. We were and weren't surprised. We were hoping to have kiddos close in age, but when it really happens, it always is a bit surprising! They will be 18 months apart, so fun (I think, other moms out there with this scenario, so fun right?!)

The next morning we headed to Moulton...

playing with Uncle M and Aunt B, he loved the guitar

his favorite person, Grandaddy Jim, two peas in a pod

he was all about cookies for Santa

giving Aunt B some lovin'

Santa came (aka Grandmomma and Grandaddy!!)

after church, men shot

with his favorites! (who also kept him while we were on vacation, thank you!!)

family shot, notice my new vest off of my wish list... thanks mom and dad!

We finished the Christmas festivities with dinner with the Lane family.

cousins Annie and Sarah

with Mamaw and Papaw Lane

Whew...picture overload! For those still reading, thanks for hanging in there.

Making Lemonade

2012-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

This past week we were supposed to be celebrating New Years in the Bahamas with the Rossells. It did not happen. Wednesday morning we woke up very early to head to the Montgomery airport to fly to Georgetown, Great Exuma via Atlanta only to find that both flights had been cancelled. Not delayed, CANCELLED. (they had sent a confirmation text at 11:00 pm the night before, followed by a cancellations text one minute later, we were asleep) We were assured they would put us on the next flight on the 30th. TWO DAYS LATER. I kid you not. We were flying with Delta, which we usually like. Not so much this trip. The nice people at the Delta counter (which I am not being sarcastic, the workers themselves were pleasant enough, just not the outcome). Due to overbooked holiday schedules and limited seats, they could swap us to another airline, but could not guarantee that we would get on any of the other flights to the bahamas until the 30th. We were only going for 4 nights, so this was unacceptable. I tried for about 45 minutes to come up with another solution...fly somewhere near, rent a boat, etc. to no avail. James then tried for another hour to come up with a plan. (and he was a little more stern about it) It was just not going to happen. Hence the new Osborn slogan: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I was sooo disappointed as we had fishing trips, boating excursions, and some good girl talk time planned. Molly and I had LOTS of catching up to do. I was even freshly spray tanned!
Obviously the Lord had other plans for us, so we prayed, and redirected. My sweet husband said, "well where do you want to go that we can drive to? Anywhere you want." We had both always wanted to go to the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in SC, a beautiful Auburge resort that was named best Spa Resort in US 2010. BUT we were packed for the BAHAMAS. Bathing suits, flip flops and linen. We both at least were wearing jeans. But we were making lemonade....so we called the Inn at PB and headed East. Our first stop, Target, of course.

Purchased:workout pants and top and tights (really you can turn anything into a winter outfit with black tights!) for our new destination

When we arrived we were greeted by Bethany and the AMAZING staff at Palmetto Bluff. They had upgraded us to a river view cottage because of our problems earlier. It was the nicest "cottage room" I have ever stayed in.

I would copy this for a bathroom one day. Perfection. Complete with steam/rain shower to the left.

Fire place. Ahhh

Welcome basket with lots of goodies and beautiful view of the May river.

porch perfection

the view

from the outside

The weather was in the 60's and sunny. Not Bahamas' 80's, but nice.

James showing off his no hands trick circa 1990. We did a lot of this, riding bikes, kayaking, eating, bird watching, reading, and more eating. We definitely "made lemonade".

wildlife

I also found our next few vacation homes in my pretend life.

I am not picky, any of those would do.

our one shot together

beautiful chapel

We then packed up and headed for Savannah to eat lunch and explore for a few hours before the trek home. We saw this little place with a long line and figured it must be good.

me waiting in line, which if you know me know is not my favorite thing

But for these, worth it! James had the meatloaf sub and I had the chicken sub.

The place is called Zunzi's if you are ever in the area.

So my friends, we had a relaxing vacation, and learned we are NOT in control and to have FAITH that He has good planned no matter the circumstances.

Just One

2011-12-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying some time off this week, so the blog is going to be put on the back burner...just wanted to share one of my favorite pictures from Christmas. I'll be back in 2012 with a full recap. (I know sooo suspenseful!)

Sneaking one of Santa's cookies

Happy New Years! Many Blessings to you and your families!

Rejoice!

2011-12-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Merry Christmas from the Osborns

Welcome to the World!

2011-12-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

Baby Lewis is here, and he has a name... Bradford Wood Lewis, 7.7lbs, 20.5 inches born this morning to proud parents Maggie and Mitchell. Of course my phone was not on to hear the texts that she was in labor in the middle of the night last night, but Kalee got through to James's phone at 6:15 am. I hopped in the car and was on my way! I made it just in time, he was born right after 8:00 am. Here is the proud daddy coming in to tell everyone....

love his expression!

This is so Maggie-making funny faces right after having a baby. She did awesome. She pushed for less than an hour and he was here!!

So beautiful!!

yes, she did just have a child.

fam shot

proud Aunties

the Grandaddys checking him out

sweet tooties

I couldn't wait to get my hands on him!

Welcome Bradford Wood Lewis! I know a little boy that can't wait to be your BFF!

Sick Baby

2011-12-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

Lane has had bronchitis for the past week, boooo. It started as a little cold, and then really took hold until he couldn't breathe. He has been on medicine for several days, and is feeling much better. He has been home bound for awhile to help him recover, and he went a little stir crazy. See pictures below:

this is the face he makes before he opens the drawers right behind him and pulls out the tubber ware.

pulling of Christmas balls and throwing them

yep, he knows he did wrong!

working on opening the trash lid

pulling on Amos

We decided to go ahead and give him his Christmas present from us so he would have a new activity around the house. An ~~eyesore~~ ball pit.

getting there as fast as he can go

"For me?!"

"This is so cool!"

I think he likes it.

Once he started feeling better, he made a few appearances at the Russell Christmas on Saturday and Crawford Christmas on Sunday. More to come on those soon...

Homemade Ornaments

2011-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, my friend Angie, had us over to make salt dough ornaments. We saw the recipe on pintrest and decided we needed to give it a try with our little ones.

sweet baby hand print

I think Lane liked playing with Wiley, Alice, and Foster best.

Foster sharing, so sweet

Alice's turn

big girl Alice

Foster checking it out, he and his momma's curls look so pretty here

buds

Alice and Foster playing

I will let you know how the finished product turns out, we are going to paint them this week for a final touch!

I also made Christmas cookies with Sam and Fair this past weekend. I enjoyed getting to spend time with these kiddos, as they are constant entertainment. Sam loves all things cowboy and Fair loves all things princess. (which means they will love their Christmas presents from Aunt RaRa)

Hope your holiday is filled with fun activities too!

10 months

2011-12-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

This sweet boy is over 10 months old, hard to believe he is almost one!

I am amazed at how quickly he picks up on new things: opening and flipping book pages, pulling up on everything, and recognizing names (especially Amos) who is now "Ah". (don't you love when they try to say the dog's name and not Mama?!).

He is still sleeping great at night from about 6:30 pm to 6:30ish am. Last week he did wake up for a few nights in a row to "test" us. The first night, I grabbed him, put him in bed with us, and gave him a bottle in which he didn't really eat. Rookie mistake. The next night sure enough, the crying begun, and we let him "cry it out", which really was only about 5 minutes of whining. The following night, same scenerio with about 1 minute of crying. Since then PEACE!

He has 2 teeth on bottom and no more in view. Of course, I look constantly. He is learning to eat on his own, but sometimes it is just so messy. He loves a Ritz cracker. If I get one out, he immediately starts clapping and says OHHH! He also loves oatmeal. He really doesn't turn away anything unless it is "too chunky"aka I have not mashed it up enough. He is still weird about textures.

He is a very happy content baby. He is also getting better with meeting new people. He might duck his head and check you out shyly, but a big improvement over the screaming and crying. He is afraid of the vacuum cleaner, the blender, and the shower. If I am in the shower and I lock him in the bathroom with me with toys, he just cries at the shower until I get out.

He got his first pair of shoes a couple of weeks ago. (even though in Selma, you really don't have to wear shoes until Kindergarten, and I am not kidding) We measured his foot on James's hand, and when we were passing through Birmingham stopped in to buy a pair. The lady was adamant that we had to have him there. We explained that his foot was the length of James's palm. (makes sense right?) This was not good enough for her, but when James let her know we were purchasing some shoes that day, she relented. He has a pair of dressy white shoes and grey keds.

after church and lunch yesterday. (this was my grandmother Gigi's fur coat!)

The holiday season is even more fun with a child. We made ornaments with some friends this past weekend, pictures coming soon!

Happy Friday!

2011-12-09T09:22:00.001-08:00

Fridays are the best! I don't work on Fridays, so it is my day to run errands, catch up on blogging/email, spend time with Lane boy, eat lunch with my husband...you get the idea.
I wanted to share some pictures of Lane and Amos. Amos got a new dog bed (early Christmas present) as he was trying to sleep on our sofa. He loves it, and so does Lane.

poor Amos, he is kind of Lane's jungle gym

(phone pic, pardon Amos's glow eyes)

More jungle gym pics:

so fun! Hopefully one day Amos will think he is just as fun back.

Happy Weekend Friends!

Gingerbread Wonderland

2011-12-05T09:08:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we attended the Gingerbread Wonderland event hosted by the Selma Charity League. My sister, Jana, was one of the chairmen of the event and did a fabulous job! I have never seen so many kids, parents with cameras, and candy in one place in my life. Lane was a little overwhelmed, but once he saw familar faces, he loved it!

Cousin Sam always gets a big smile.

especially when he shares his Holiday punch.

I think he liked it.

Yep.

decorating the house (aka I decorated while trying to keep him from eating all of the candy)

Our friends Foster and Kristen were there (Lane is transfixed on the balloons).

Thanks Angie for taking all of these pictures for me!

I tried my hardest to get a good cousin picture, but this was as close as it got. Sam was peeking over Lane's head while Lane watched Fair do a cheer. Oh well, they are precious anyway!

Leighton Grace (my friend Blair's little girl) meeting Lane

And then Santa came...I tried to talk him up to Lane. He made his typical UHH noise, so I thought it was a good sign he was ready.

and Done!

I heard him ask for tubber ware, boxes, and doors to open and close (as these are his favorite things). Santa won't be spending a lot on toys this year!

Christmas Gifts-Materialistic and Not

2011-11-30T08:31:00.001-08:00

Here are some thing that I would not mind if Santa dropped down our chimney this year:

porch swing and rocking chairs for our front porch

My SIL, Lacey says these are awesome. Clarisonic brushes--

Have you seen her skin? Yep, pretty amazing. I'll take a little of that glow, thank you.

she is just as beautiful on the inside

a pear cookie jar anyone? of course this would mean I would need to fill it with fresh baked cookies, hmmm maybe not a good idea. but i love the color! (via anthropologie)

very blurry, but a furry vest would be cozy (for the few times it actually gets cold here!)

This little guy is getting into the Christmas spirit. He is not very interested in the tree. I thought he would try his new standing skills to acquire some on the ornaments for his teething needs. Not so much, he just crawls right by.

My husband asked for:

1. A mojo dove (dove decoy)

2. workout equipment

3. tools

Wow, doesn't that sound like fun shopping.

On the spiritual (aka important) list that I am praying for:

Continual Transformation

Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18

Humble Heart

1 Peter 5:5

James 4:6

Having God's Desires not my own

Galatians 5:24

What is on your Christmas list this year?

Thanksgiving at the Roost

2011-11-28T10:55:00.001-08:00

Warning: Picture overload! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of family, hunting, eating, fellowship...all the good stuff. Last week we went to my niece and nephew's Thanksgiving play and they recited Psalm 100 which really sums up my grateful heart.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
   come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God.
   It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
   and his courts with praise;
   give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.

We had lots of play time with cousins and each other:

Lane loves a good wrestle.

He is very mobile these days, so if you have something he wants, you better watch out!

pretend cooking with Sam

our attempt at a family shot, pretty sure Lane was looking at Amos. typical

story time in the morning with Pie

I got lots of lovin' in on baby Ford, he is already getting SO big!!

We attempted a few pictures of the grandkids with Pie and Pal:

Lane had reached his limit

Thanksgiving day we headed to Seabed for the hunt and lunch:

Lane with his great-grandmother, Mydot

the hunting crew

My boys in their hunter orange.

Pop bestowed James with his very own whistle and joked that when I married him, he said he didn't really hunt. oh how times have changed!!

Lane loves hunting or more accurately he loves riding in Pop's lap and "driving" the mule.

love this picture of Amos, James, Sam, and Pal

a lunch of Stone crab's (a treat from Pop) followed by a football game

Lane playing with his cousin Crawford

We finished off the weekend with the Auburn/Al game and Christmas decorating. I will post more pictures soon, but figured this was enough for one post!!

Lazy Weekend

2011-11-21T06:13:00.001-08:00

This weekend was one of those relaxing fall weekends where we stayed in town and just enjoyed each other's company. We hiked at the Roost, stayed late in our pj's, watched a movie (The Green Lantern-not so much), went to church, raked leaves (you get the idea). Saturday morning this good looking crew headed to Tuscaloosa.

and we headed for a hike and enjoyed the view...

yes you are seeing correctly-Lane is in his pajamas and Orange Tiger hat (and by the way, he got heavy. FAST.)

playing in the leaves (still in his jammies)

OVER.IT.

playing ball with Amos

I am thankful this week for my sweet family and the week off! Plans include: Thankgiving program at Sam and Fair's school, cooking/baking day, spending the night at the Roost for Russell family fun, annual Thanksgiving day Quail hunt at Seabed followed by a Stone crab claw lunch...I'm Ready!!

Don't worry I got these for Lane for the Quail Hunt:

he is ready to slaughter some birds

Little boys...

2011-11-15T11:04:00.001-08:00

pintrest

Lane had his buddy Foster over to play (and their mommies also enjoyed a good visit)

Watch out Foster!!

Foster is 4 months older than Lane and is more advanced as far as actually playing goes...Lane just wanted to give him a good slobber.

Having Fun!

and then not so much :)
If one started crying the other did not want to be left out!

Love this one! Checking themselves out in the mirror

Thanks for coming over Foster and Kristen, we look forward to many more fun times over the years...

9 months

2011-11-13T17:38:00.001-08:00

Lane boy at 9 months, He is everywhere!

New favorites this month: opening and closing cabinets and doors, taking Amos's bone and then crawling away as fast as he can so Amos will "chase" him, clapping his hands, and some new sounds like "th" and squealing when he is excited

He is standing and pulling up on everything, but still no independent steps. He had his check up last Friday, and he weighs 19 pounds and is 28 inches tall. He is a pretty good eater, and most of the time he will eat some of what we are eating mashed up and then one jar of baby food. He is still takes about 5 bottles a day.

He ~~is learning~~ knows what "no" means and is starting to push his boundaries with certain "no-no's". Examples: trying to turn over Amos's water bowl, pulling out the plug in the bath tub, and turning around in his high chair. He is quick to stop when he hears "No sir", but occasionally will linger just a moment to see my reaction. I never knew 9 month olds were so smart.

His fake cry face

Bath time is still his favorite.

Oh My Goodness, I love him so much!!

sweet little legs

Coming up: pictures from his first play date with his buddy Foster!

11-11-11

2011-11-11T08:23:00.001-08:00

I believe today is a special day in the heavenly realms. Many Faith leaders have said that there is significance in the number 11, especially 11-11. Significant in that it is the 11th hour, and that God is urgent that people come to know Jesus's love and saving grace personally. Have you noticed God speaking to you through this? My sister and I were in the car the other day and she asked me for the time. It was 11:11 am. Do you ever wake up to look at the clock and it is exactly 11:11? Coincidence? I think not.
There are many Christian conferences across the nation today to worship God and experience His supernatural love in a big way. I think God wants to pour out his blessings on His people today, maybe not in a temporal way, but in a everlasting way.
I am claiming Ephesians 1:3- Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing IN Christ.
I encourage you to take some time today to Praise Him and ask him to move in a mighty way!

Lane's Cry face

2011-11-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

How does something so pitiful seem so cute?

I believe this was in response to me taking to long to get his dinner

and the Winner is....

2011-11-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

Millie! Congratulations--Millie says she loved basketball is high school, but now watches a lot of football with her boys. Please send me email or facebook me your address and your bangle will be on its way.

In other news, we placed Third in our tennis tournament this weekend!! Wahoo! The "big girls" aka the 6.5 ladies team from Selma won overall!! They are really awesome and so much fun to watch.

Our Team, "Make Some Racquet" (minus Amy)

Kea, Beth, me, and Kate

Kate and I played together most of the weekend, and I was so thankful for her as my partner. She dominates the net. I prefer to run around on the baseline.

Sister fun--Friday night dinner at Cobalts

The Roll Tiders before the game Saturday

before Saturday playing, all smiles--this was before we got beat!

the team that put it to us, this serious pow wow should have been our first clue

with Baxter, our fabulous Coach and Birthday Boy!!

my boo-boo, tennis courts are not very forgiving (and to make it worse, I didn't even win the point)

A few more pictures:

whole Selma group

So, I guess I should reveal the whole truth--we placed 3rd, but there were only three teams. We did beat the team from Birmingham that went on to win the whole thing though, so there was some light in the darkness so to speak. All in all, it was a great learning experience and a lot of fun! The ladies on my team are the best--so fun to be around. I am looking forward to lot more trip girls, and next time Victory!

Pictures and first ever GIVEAWAY!!

2011-11-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

We had fun with this little monkey:

He thought his outfit was hysterical. I We would walk in front of the mirror and he would catch a glimpse of himself and start chuckling. He did get tired of the head piece.

we had a visit from Batwoman Fair and Tinkerbell Kylie

such a studly Batman--could it be my BIL?

cutest monkey I know

Dr. Molar

family fun, maybe one day Lane can appreciate how dorky we are

I made these muffins for our upcoming tennis weekend and I think they are delish:

My sister and I went to market in Atlanta this week and found some great presents. Bracelets similar to these were a fun find :

So, to enter the drawing for a turquoise bangle, please leave a comment and let me know your favorite competitive sport to participate in

I'll be back Monday with a full re-cap of the big tournament and a winner!!

War Eagle Baby

2011-10-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Lane had his first tailgating experience this past Saturday at the Auburn vs Ole Miss game. It was a beautiful fall day, and we had a ball! Here are some highlights:

such a cool daddy rocker

with Pie and Pal

my little buddy

first visit to Momma G's

fam shot

a little bright

with Aunt Molly and Uncle Rich

who as you can tell is one of his favorites

Big Jimmy and Donnie enjoying good eats

~~Spoiled~~ Grandparent Corner

We went to Anders to purchase his first Auburn hat...he picked this one-toy and hat all in one!

We went to visit baby Ford, Aunt Lacey and the Raders

great friends and fun times!!

Here is a shot of us over over 7 years ago:

hysterical

Moulton Visit

2011-10-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we headed North for some fam time with the Osborns:

We watched some football

got lots of loving from Grandmomma Shelia

played with Papaw Lane

loved

and kissed on Aunt B

played with sweet Cousin Sarah

and read lots of fun stories with Uncle Michael

Sunday we showered baby Lewis and his momma Maggie in Birmingham. I have some great pictures, and a video of her wacking her baby carriage pinata that is hysterical, but until I can get my computer to cooperate, here is a preview from Liney.

8 months

2011-10-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

His Favorites: crawling everywhere, exploring everything, playing on the floor with Elmo or tubberware/utensils I give him while I cook, still Amos (who really does not give him the time of day), and Mary who keeps him every day Exibit A:

Dislikes: He is really starting to let us know when he does not like things-turning his head and banging his hands down on certain foods, flipping around and whining at diaper changes, etc. We even "discipline" him when he goes after Amos's water bowl. It is amazing to see that he knows "No" and sometimes rebels anyway. Not often, because he does not like when his daddy uses a stern tone.

He still hates the car seat, making a trip over an hour challenging. I tried the Wiggles on my laptop for the last roadtrip, but he didn't stay tuned in and really I don't blame him.

Eating: We are trying to introduce different textures, or food with more texture into his diet. This is still hard for him as he only has one tooth, but he want to eat what we are so bad. He eats food three times a day and about five bottles a day. His new favorite is spaghetti! He loves water from a cup.

On the horizon: He pulls on on everything-the tub, the coffee table, etc. but doesn't stand for long by himself. He is becoming more brave, so could be standing on his on soon. He is headed for his first Auburn football game this Saturday.

This was bath time yesterday: He still LOVES his bath. It is hysterical to watch, he splashes, face plants in the water (which he finds very amusing), eats his rag, and jabbers non-stop

I don't get it.

An Award

2011-10-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

I was awarded the Liebster blog award from my two fellow blogger friends, Kristen and Angie. Thanks Ladies! They both have the cutest blogs and children around Lane's age (that I know will be some of his best friends when they are older!) They also both have great senses of humor and precious Godly families. One of the best things about moving back to Selma is people like them!

What does the Liebster Blog Award mean?

The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

I am tagging some of my favorite blogs for this award:
Caroline (aka Liney Bobo) and Steven at Porch Talk With the Bobo's-one of my BFF's that is great about posting about the heart of the matter...she has always been great with details and it translates through her blog. Her husband, Steven's posts are always some of my favorites and show their love for the Lord and heart for serving. Check them out!!

The Smith Family-Julie and I went to dental school together and share a love for all things edible. She and her husband Lance have a precious son, Henry, that is a few months younger than Lane. They are always up for an adventure, love to travel and try new foods. I miss seeing them since we moved, but can keep up with them here.

Julie, me, and Lindsey in dental school

Meg Wingfield at The Wingfields, adventures in boyland-Meg and I were sorority sisters at Auburn (squirrel love) and instant friends. We studied together in the basement of our dorm many a long hour. We also might have spread squirrel food on the hall of the ChiO dorm while they were at formal one year. She has three precious little boys, and is raising them to be strong Godly men.

AGD's that night (Meg is next to me in red)

more up soon on our trip to Moulton and 8 month updates

Randomness and a Recipe

2011-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

I made this soup last week, very easy and delicious. Our friend Adrian made this for us after we had Lane, and it is now one of our go-to soups. It is super healthy and now with our amazing Vitamix
(which by the way is worth the arm and the leg it cost), is very easy to make. It is by Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa (seriously anything she make is delish).

Here it is: (my tweaks are in bold)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup & Curry Condiments (Serves 4 - 6) Copyright 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
	3 to 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded 2 yellow onions 2 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored (I used Gala bc that is what I had) *I have also just used apple juice if I did not have apples on hand and it worked great too 3 tablespoons good olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 to 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (I used organic low sodium Winn-Dixie brand) ½ teaspoon good curry powder I add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cheyenne pepper to balance curry and sweet of apples Condiments for serving (I have never used these, but they sound good) Scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced diagonally Flaked sweetened coconut, lightly toasted Roasted salted cashews, toasted and chopped Diced banana (I usually add some pomegranate seeds on top for color and added flavor)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the butternut squash, onions, and apples into 1-inch cubes (mine are always bigger bc of time). Place them on a sheet pan and toss them with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide the squash mixture between 2 sheet pans and spread in a single layer. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally, until very tender.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock to a simmer. ~~When the vegetables are done, put them through a food mill fitted with the medium blade.~~ I don't do all of this. (Alternatively, you can place the roasted vegetables in batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. ***I take all vegetables straight from roasting and dump in 2 batches into the blender or put them in a large soup pot and use an immersion blender to puree Add some of the chicken stock and coarsely purée.) When all of the vegetables are processed, place them in a large pot and add enough chicken stock to make a thick soup. Add the curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasonings to be sure there’s enough salt and pepper to bring out the curry flavor. Reheat and serve hot with condiments either on the side or on top of each serving. The soup really is best on day 2. Also it is delicious with some Rosemary bread or crusty french bread for dipping.

I have not updated on tennis: WE ARE GOING TO STATE!! I anticipate a beat down, but all in the name of fun. Plus I got this cute tennis outfit to wear:

I will look uber serious, huh?!

Also, this little munkin is almost 8 and a half months old! Which means I am late on my 8 month update, so I will get on that...

notice his side swoop in the front and on the side? I have not wanted to cut it, but now he grabs the hair above his ears and pulls and shreaks, like "This is getting on my nerves!" He might get a home trim sooner than later.

And lastly, has anyone watched Hart of Dixie on the CW? Kind of cheesy, but set in small town Al, so kind of funny. James and I have been watching it-check it out on Monday nights at 8:00

plus, I love Rachel Bilson

ok, that's all I got!!

Fairchild is Four

2011-10-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday to the cutest, spunkiest four year old I know!!

Happy Birthday Husband

2011-10-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my sweet husband's birthday. I surprised him by a quick trip to The Grand Hotel this weekend. It was perfect--great weather, delicious food, and a lot of relaxation. He deserves it! (and I always enjoy a little R&R!) Thanks to Jim and Shelia for keeping Lane boy so we could enjoy it...Saturday they came to town (which he knew about so this didn't throw off the surprise), and we were going to pick up Subway for lunch (one of Selma's best lunch options) and instead of going right, I told him to go left so we could go "anywhere he wanted". He was pretty clueless, as we had just taken J&S's sandwich orders in detail (pickes, mayo, olives, etc.) so it was pretty funny to watch his expression and surprise. I didn't take many pictures, but here is the birthday boy, right by where we got married a little over 2 years ago.

love him

where we got married

nothing prettier than a Mobile bay sunset

We had a family dinner yesterday to celebrate:

Sam giving his gift

delicious cheesecake from Shelia

Lane likes a party

Happy Birthday James! Here is to many many more!

Fair time!

2011-10-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Central Alabama Fair came to town this week, here is a quick recap in pictures:

Lane loved the view

first Cozy dog

I think he like it!

checking out the petting zoo

the calf cooperated by licking his foot

the lovely ladies at the Children's Dentistry of Central Al booth

meeting Miss Milly

picking up ducks

I might have helped him out a bit

family shot

Baby Lewis gets showered and Lane falls in LOVE

2011-10-04T18:06:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday was my friend Maggie's Selma baby shower. It was lovely, and she got some great things for Baby Lee Lewis. She is looking great and he is growing (and kicking!) like a weed.

the loot

Maggie and Kalee

this one cracks me up

mom and I gave her a day gown made by Ms. Rita of Spoiled Rotten (her stuff is amazing!)

and then Kalee's sweet baby Evelyn and Lane met. She is 4 months older and he was immediately smitten. See below pictures for his "love at first sight" encounter.

mesmerized

she is definitely playing hard to get

"I think I need to put my gums on her"

this was him going in for the slobbery kiss, but don't worry we got him in time

LOVE

cutie patooties

Integrity 5K

2011-10-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we help sponsor and participated in the 2nd Annual Integrity 5K to raise money for their ministry in Meto, Kenya. Integrity holds a special place in my heart because they have built a library in Meto named after my aunt Meg who passed away almost 3 years ago due to cancer. I can't wait to go see it and meet the sweet people there one day!

We ran, including Lane...and did pretty good...ran a 8:45 pace, which for us non-runners was not bad. The weather didn't hurt, it was a blue bird day in the 70's. James has to play mind games with me when we run...he always says "you know we are running slower than normal". I am never sure, so I try to go faster, sometimes it works and sometimes, I yell back "well fine, go ahead and LEAVE me since you can run so fast."

Dad and Alan Jr. (Dad is on the board of Integrity and is going on their first dental mission trip this May, I am so excited to see what God is going to do, and ways we can help impact their oral health)

(ckb-He had on his precious Tiger outfit you gave him, but you can't really appreciate it in these pictures!)

Lane was parched after his run, and loved ice to cool off

worn out boys

love

More up soon from this weekend...Maggie's Selma baby shower and last night's Central Al Fair

Wine Down Thursday

2011-09-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

A picture of some happy dentists after a long week....

Faces of El Bambino

2011-09-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

So I got a new camera yesterday (really to use at work, but bonus when I can use it at home!) and I kind of got obsessed with taking pictures of Lane (because, oh my goodness he is SO fun right now). He didn't seem to mind, and actually kind of was a ham. Here are a ~~couple~~ a lot of my favorites. Pardon my indulgence.

drool machine (you can finally see his bottom two teeth about to erupt)

and during lunch I went home to find this after he woke up from his nap:

uh-oh...I believe we are embarking on a new phase

Introducing Ford, my new nephew

2011-09-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Donald MacDonald Russell IV

"Ford"

7 pounds 12 ounces, 21 inches long

son of Mac and Lacey Russell

Oh my goodness, so sweet!!

Here is a quick recap of his birth story from Aunt Ra Ra's perspective:

Lacey went in to labor early Friday morning, but didn't officially get admitted into the hospital until late Friday evening, so we had some time to kill in Birmingham. Now that I live in a small town, "big city" visits are jam packed with visiting our favorite spots. So while Lacey was being a champ in labor, we went to Bottega for dinner. I decided I like this side of having a baby a little better.

Jana and I at dinner

Friday night was spent close by the phone, checking for texts from mom, who stayed at the hospital. At around 5:15 am, mom said she was 6 cm, to come on!

Lovey and Lacey before he made his entrance

We were anxiously waiting his arrival!!

Pal and Lane

Then Mac came in to say, he was here (9:08 am). He said they were both doing great!

Love this picture, proud papa

Explaining something? I can only imagine!

Aunt Jana, the baby whisperer

This picture makes me laugh bc right then Mac came back to say we could head back to meet Ford. I bolted and left Jana holding Lane, so I might have gotten to meet Ford first.Oops!

Lacey and Ford, she looked amazing and did great!

oh, I could eat him up!! I think he looks like Mac (and he has strawberry blonde fuzz!)

meeting Pie

and Pal

and Aunt Ra Ra

three generations of Donald MacDonalds

so happy!

James then brought Lane in to meet his new cousin:

not so sure about this

closer look

ok, I like him!

We love you already Ford!

Recognize anyone?

2011-09-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

If you are ever cruising on Hwy 80 heading East in Selma, you might see someone you know....

7 months, Dove Hunting, and Jesus

2011-09-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: several post in one, very long!

I can't believe my little Lane boy is over 7 months old! He is so much fun and full of personality (I think I say that every month!) His favorites of the moment are: floor time where he crawls and explores, apples and blueberry baby food, chewing/playing with his sippy cup, outside strolls with Miss Mary, and his furry brother Amos. New this month: saying Da-da (but for the record he does not look at James when saying this, it is just his favorite syllables), squealing, eating mashed bananas and avocados, and playing peek-a-boo. He has conquered sitting up crawling, and is one very mobile baby. He tries to pull up in his crib, but so far can only get to his knees. Here are some of his latest pictures:

still LOVES bathtime

Daddy dressed him for his 7 month pictures and his first dove hunt...

Trying to distract him to get some good shots:

but he would rather eat Mr. Bear

Saturday we headed out to the Roost to watch football, eat, and shoot skeet before the big hunt.

getting some loving from Grandmomma

boys shooting skeet

can you imagine these two in a few years? scary!

Sam sharing his toys (which is very generous of him as these are his favorites)

Lane loves his Fairchild

This is what he does when we say "Lane, show us your muscles" (ok, I totally made that up, but wouldn't he be so smart)

The Rossells came down for the shoot:

two happy boys

Molly and me at her first shoot, which I am proud to report that she was a great bird dog, picked up lots of Rich's birds (who is a great shot by the way) and even pulled a head off. not kidding. I might have forced her, but she did it with ~~ease~~ disgust.

Sunday was a very special day as Lane was baptized and dedicated at Blue jean church. Honestly, James and I had several discussions about what we thought this christening or baptism or dedication meant. It was a good time of discussion of our beliefs as a family and what we thought God was leading our family to do. James was raised Baptist, where babies are dedicated to the church. I was raised Presbyterian where I was christened or baptized as a child. We both as older children accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. James was then baptized at the age of 13, while I felt like the Lord led me to be baptized again at the age of 21. With Lane we knew we wanted to ask the body of believers where we go to church to hold us accountable to grow Lane in the Christian faith and help guide, pray, and nurture him in his faith journey.
We also believe that we are accepting on Lane's behalf God's promise that He is a child of God, one of His own, brought with a price, claimed from the beginning of creation. We believe that when He is older he will make his own decision to accept Jesus personally as his Savior. We know God's love and pray that Lane will know it at an early age, will walk with Him, and be used for His glory.

This is one of my favorites from the day. Lane was about to have a come-a-part before it was time to stand up in the front, and Sam saved the day. He came and sat next to Lane and started whispering, and it seconds Lane was smiling and babbling. (I wonder what Sam said?!)

James, Pal, Lane, and Pastor Sid--Lane did great! I thought he would scream the entire time, but shockingly he just kind of stared and took it all in.

brunch at the house afterwards

Rossells and Tuckers, sweet friends

Molly, Rich, and Lane (they look good with a baby!)

Logan, Lane, and Abbie (Lane is obsessed with Logan, whenever he is around he is in awe of him)

Garners and Lane (notice Lane and Sam, already typical boys)

with Osborn grandparents

my buddy

he was very over taking pictures at this point

with Aunt Caroline

with Pie and Pal

Whew! Did you make it all the way?!

Big Weekend

2011-09-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

This little guy was baptized this Sunday:

We also had a dove hunt, watched lots of football, and enjoyed friends and family being in town. A longer post is coming soon!

Because It's My Birthday...

2011-09-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

and that's how we roll...

War Eagle Weekend

2011-09-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

We headed to Auburn to have a little CARM reunion and watch the Tigers play. We all met Friday night for a little mexican. Sadly, these are the only pictures I have of the weekend because ye ole camera died. For those that know me, this is not shocking. But hopefully, Caroline will fill in the blanks.

Tuckers

Osborns

Bobos

I promise Maggie was there and Mitchell came down Saturday. We had a great time catching up, tailgating, and cheering Auburn on to victory. It was sad to see the trees at Toomers dying. The only other pitfall of the weekend was my sunburned back.

I made these pumpkin cream cheese muffins from Annie-Eats blog. They were great and easy!

In other news, yesterday I had my first tennis match. As in for real USTA approved, doubles match play for a beginners Selma league. I know, impressive, right?! And we WON! If we win (as in our whole team, not just me) next week, we will go to state. It is so much fun, I feel like I am in high school again, except way slower and more out of shape. oh and more jiggling from different areas. you get it.

So stay tuned for team "Let's Make Some Raquet" updates!

Boston and Baa haa ba as Northern Folks say

2011-09-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

For Labor day weekend, we headed up the Eastern coast to Boston and Bar Harbor, Maine. We met Maggie and Mitchell for a little New England getaway. We had a wonderful time...best weather ever!! Highs in the 70's sunny and a slight breeze....We knocked something off James's bucket list...Red Sox/Yankees game at Fenway park. We explored Boston by bike (which by the way I realized I am not very good at) and ate lots of lobster in Maine (well some of us as baby Lee Lewis does not care for it). We rode the Downeast train, hiked in Acadia National Park, saw a working lighthouse, and ate some more. Can you tell we Osborn's like to eat a lot on vacation? The Lewis' were great travel companions and we will definitely do it again with the baby boys next year!! Here are some highlights:

sadly, the Red Sox lost, but we still had a good time

biking around Boston (before my pants got caught in the chains and were ripped, I told you I was a good bike rider)

Saturday we trained to Portland Maine, picked up a rental car and drove along the coast. This is suppose to have the BEST Lobster Roll in all of Maine. So we stopped to give it a try....

see that line? well we waited for about 30 minutes and it did not move..so we tried the joint across the street

bc baby Lee Lewis was hungry! (for the record his name is not necessarily Lee Lewis, but I think it has a nice ring to it, so this is what I call him, they are not telling his name until he is born)

we only had to wait 15 minutes here

to eat this deliciousness!!

We continued on to Bar Harbor:

Sunday was spent hiking and enjoying Acadia National Park:

contemplating life :)

great view with great friends

lighthouse

lunch at The Jordan Pond House (my sister Jana worked here one summer in college)

view at lunch, perfect weather

popovers=amazing!

presh

over pictures

and my personal favorite, Maggie trying Lobster (notice how happy she was about this!)

Hope ya'll had a great Labor Day!

Face Lift

2011-08-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Angie put me on this great fundraiser....I love the new look!
Here are a couple of Lane's latest pictures...

He is really moving now...

he loves to "flap" his arms when he gets excited

"Here I go Mom!"

crawling to me

"I'm here!" This is a funny thing he does...he crawls to the end of the rug and slams his hand down on the hardwood and is so proud of himself (course I am pretty proud too!)

Where's Lane?

There he is!!

Renovation Reveal

2011-08-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile since I have shown house pictures. It seems I have come up with 100 excuses not to get out my camera: I want to get the window treatments up or I need to clean off the counters or Baby toys are everywhere! etc. etc. (you get the drift) I came to the realization, everything is always a work in progress and so without further adieu--here are after pictures of the kitchen renovation. I am very pleased with how everything turned out. We are really enjoying the space. It is very functional and easy to keep clean! (our old house it seemed no matter how many times I mopped the floor they seemed dingy.) Not the case now!! (disclaimer: I could not get the lighting right, so please excuse some of the image quality)

Remember this:

Now this it the view:

sink area to the right

to the left, love this area, where I drink coffee and have quiet time in the mornings, wall of storage to the left

standing near sink looking left

standing at back windows (used to be dining room)

Some of my favorite aspects:

the beverage center (the architect could not believe I wanted to put a mini fridge right next to the big fridge. He said this is simply not done, so he added the 6 inch cabinet to the right (see the one tiny knob). It is more useful than you would think. I have serving platters there. The beverage refrigerator is awesome because it does not clutter the large one with bottled water, cans, wine... Also, I love the Keurig and the bottle warmer. James is not a coffee drinker, so I love making my one cup a day with ease.

Pine corner cabinet left to me by my sweet Aunt Meg when she passed away. She was an amazing lady and is the reason I love to bake. She taught me so much, and I LOVE having it in the kitchen to enjoy while I bake. Originally it was her grandmother's, my great grandmother's.

peninsula with tons of STORAGE!! walnut top

Keeping it real:

This nifty little storage bin with wheels was purchased at IKEA to hold all of Lane's toys. It is usually somewhere close by.

The johnny-jump up resides in between the kitchen and the dining room.

dining room details: chairs purchased at Scott's. Table from an antique store in Birmingham given to me by grandparents as our wedding gift.

another Scott's find that I got recovered

Some other details:

All wall paint/upper cabinets: Dover White

peninsula color: Antique Pewter

Bar Stools: Restoration Hardware

Painting: previously seen in Lane's room, gift from James

Window Treatments: from sister Jana via Tiffany at Persnickety in Linden, Al

chairs in the kitchen are from Scott's

cabinets and walnut top peninsula custom made by Nico.

Lighting via Circa Lighting, goodman hanging light (the one linked is the larger one, the one we have is the smaller one)

Sisal in dining room is Veracruz from Acme Flooring in Birmingham

Sink and Faucet: Kohler on sale

Countertops: Carrera Marble

Still to do/purchase:

I would love a runner in front of the sink

Still working on cabinet organization (but the great thing is that there is plenty of room!)

Maybe a decorative item over the sink area (a fun thing to have in the back of my mind, it will have to be something that really speaks)

James would say, fill the wine storage up, but I think we are good :)

Randomness

2011-08-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Have ya'll seen Gwyneth Paltrow's blog? I like it...especially the Go section...it has all of her (or a contributors) favorites for a given city. Just so you know, she posts about exercising and she says she works out for about 2 hours a day, makes me feel a little better, that she works HARD to look that great.

We just got a dehydrator. Yesterday we tested it out with apples, pears, and bananas. They were all delicious. I am hoping to get Lane used to snacking on fruits and vegetables when he is old enough (which is still aways away considering he has no teeth). It also came with a jerky gun, which I am very excited about. I will let you know how that goes....

This little guy is sitting up on his own and crawling. Ok, not full out crawling more like a few times and then scooting, but he can get where he wants to go. He loves to sit up and play with toys now, and he gets so proud of himself. He looks like, "hey Mom, do you see me?!"

Below is a picture of James trying to calm him after his shots at the doctor Friday. They did great! (me not so much) He is almost 17 pounds!

Have ya'll seen The Help? I haven't but heard it was just as good as the book, and can't wait!

That's all I got for today!

Second leg of Vaca

2011-08-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

sorry so drawn out, it has been a busy week! (and weekend for that matter--we are being very productive around the house!) So here are pictures from our time in SF celebrating the union of the Machado's...

Wednesday night when we arrived all of the young people headed to eat Mexican...

Here is Gary (standing next to Annie) and his three brothers, they all live within a mile of each other in San Fransisco and are SO much fun (and have such cute significant others)!

California +Alabama

Thursday was spent seeing the sights on segways (which I highly recommend)

at Washington Park

down on the water with Ghiradelli square in the background

oober cheesy

the Cooks

lunch at Gott's

before the Rehearsal dinner

James with the Miller men

The Osborns

with our travel companions

with the bride to be

with the brother of the bride (aka cousin Doug)

Friday was spent doing more sight seeing, James was insistent on walking across the Golden Gate Bridge...

he was very pumped, I might have complained a few times because it was windy and cool, but in the end I was glad I did it

Friday was the wedding day!

our ride to the wedding and reception

lovely ladies

with mi madre

Debbie (MOB), Doug, and Dick (FOB)

don't you LOVE Debbie's dress?! She looked stunning!

cutest couple ever....I loved her dress and his cowboy boots

(which all the groomsmen wore as a nod to the groom's family heritage)

Ya'll, I can't tell you how excited Gary was when Annie came walking down the aisle. It was so sweet. He was literally bouncing up and down and grinning ear to ear, he was so happy. It had to touch every single person there's heart and made me feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband sitting beside me.

outside the Ferry building where the reception was held

stunning, every detail was perfect.

and the food was delicious!!

with cousin Roberto

Thanks for such a wonderful celebration Dick and Debbie!!

Commercial Break-Products

2011-08-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Many of you probably read Urban Grace, do you remember the post she did on her day-to-day products? (I tried to find it to link it, but could not). Also Ole Miss mom, did a similar post here. I love these posts...don't know why, other than it is interesting to see what others find that works for them. Here are my daily products-- (sorry for the poor quality pics, my phone was not cooperating!)

1. Vivite Daily Facial Cleanser-recommended by Lacey, and I love it! It has a 12% glycolic acid which is great keeping hormonal acne at bay

2. Obagi C-Vitamin C serum for decreasing brown spots and prevents fine lines

3. Aveeno - Ultra Calming daily face lotions with SPF 15, love this especially for the price

4. Revisions Matte Tinted Moisturizer also rec. by Lacey-I change up between this and the Aveeno. This is very lightweight, but with good coverage on days that I don't have time/feel like putting on base makeup.

5. Ban deodorant-I have been using this since I first needed it (5th grade, I think??), actually my whole family uses ban! It is the best!

6. Purelogy Anti-fade Hydrating Shampoo-my stylist (sounds like I am a movie star right?!) Haha, but Jaina is more than a hair dresser, she is awesome! She can turn my lacklusterbabyfrizzingdriedout hair into something that I actually like. She works here in Tuscaloosa. Here she is at our wedding, so cute!

7. Pureology Root Lift-I don't use this daily, only when I am actually fixing my hair (which is few and far between these days) but this stuff works magic

8. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation-I have tried many others, but i always come back to this. Great coverage, smooth finish, easy to apply=worth the money

9.Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge-when my friend Maggie got married, they recommended this and I also got it (she has been married 2.5 years) and I still have plenty and use it everyday...a little goes along way

10. Smashbox gel eyeliner-love gel eyeliner, once you use this kind you won't use any other

11. Bobbie Brown eyeshadow in Velvet Plum-this is a new purchase, and I am enjoying the color

12. La Bella Donna-eyeshadow mineral tones

13. Loreal mascara-honestly I just pick up any mascara that catches my eye at the supermarket when I am out. To me, they are all similar

As I was taking these pictures last night, my husband was rolling his eyes at me in bed reading this:

He says it is good. He also just finished Gene Chizik's All In. This is the most he has read in our entire marriage. I love it!!

I am tagging a few of my blog friends to please share with us your day-to-day products:

Caroline at Porch Talks with the Bobo's

Julie at The Smith Family Blog

Blair at For A Season

First leg of Vaca

2011-08-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

We flew up to Napa (specifically the Calistoga area) a couple of days before all of the wedding festivities began. It was so beautiful and relaxing....exactly what we needed! I will let the pictures do the talking...

one of my favorite things about wine country is the beautiful landscaping

early morning bike ride

view of our pool, one of the most relaxing parts of the trip...sitting poolside, reading, sipping on a sangria=aaahhhh

picnic lunch outside of oakville grocery--the best sandwiches!!

view from Barnet family vineyards, gorgeous

only downfall of our trip up to Barnett family vineyard

wine caves

same spot, one year later!

enjoying wineries on a blue bird day (and no humidity!)

soon to be sauvignon blanc, my current summer favorite

A few shots of our suite at Solage. If you are ever in the area, this place is amazing! It is hard to leave the property because it is so beautiful and relaxing. It is pricey, but they run specials on luxurylink.

outdoor hot tub

outdoor terrace

cute cottage feel with bikes

After 2 nights in Calistoga, we headed South to meet everyone in San Fran. On the way down, we rode Highway 1 along the coast. It was beautiful (although I did think I might get car sick several times) We stopped and at Nick's on the bay. They are known for their oysters and rightfully so....yum!

Hog Island Oysters and a draft beer...Gigi would have been proud

Next up....wedding festivities in SF

Preview of San Fran

2011-08-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Annie and Gary's wedding was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Here is a shot of the newlyweds:

So happy! (and don't you LOVE Annie's dress?!) she was a stunning bride

Another of my favorites:

Segway Tour, so much fun!

More to come on our trip....

To Lane

2011-08-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Happy half year birthday Lane boy!! You are getting so big!!! Your daddy and I love you more than I ever thought possible. You weigh 16 pounds and 3 ounces and seem pretty tall (I am not sure exactly because the nurse didn't measure you at our last appointment, which now is bugging me because I would like to know, but oh well) You eat a lot these days...your favorite baby food is sweet potatoes and apples, you don't even mind the peas now. Your favorite things are: johnny jump up, Miss Mary who takes good care of you while we are working, your dog brother Amos (who is surprisingly tolerable of your pulling on him, poking him, etc.) and your bath play toys. I love when I come home from work and you give me the biggest smile and start babbling away telling me about your day. It always sounds pretty interesting. You are now a drool machine, but still no tooth in sight. Everything goes straight to your mouth. You also can roll from one side of the room to the other and are trying your hardest to crawl, but not quite getting it. I think you will persevere soon, and then I know I will be in big trouble! We are so thankful that God blessed us with you. We are praying that you will be a man of integrity and honesty...we pray that you know the Lord at a young age and that He will use you to show love and compassion to His people. Your smile shows me His love everyday!
Here are some pics of you at 6 months :

"Mom, I am ready to eat, NOW!"

"Can we please be through?!"

His sitting up=tripod

Playtime with Daddy:

We'll be Back...

2011-08-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

after a week long trip to California! We are headed to our cousin Annie's wedding in San Fransisco with a couple day detour in wine country. I am so excited! We have been super busy at work this month, (such a blessing!) and I am ready for a little R&R. Annie and Gary are a precious couple and I am looking forward to celebrating their marriage. He is a California cowboy, seriously. He and his brothers run their family cattle farm and raise grass-fed beef. How cool is that?! Here is a shot of the soon-to-be Machado's:

aren't they cute?!

with the bride to be and MOB

last year in Sonoma

I will miss my sweet boy, but he is in good hands!

My favorites of the moment

2011-08-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

My running shoes, Karhu. Ugly, yes...comfortable, oh yea If you are in the market for a new pair, I would highly recommend. (not for a aerobics shoe, really just a walking/running shoes as they are more light weight and would not offer as much ankle support) I also wear them at work.

Our swimming pool. To be honest, I was not excited about having a swimming pool...the upkeep, safety aspects, etc. but, I was totally wrong. We jump in for a late afternoon dip almost everyday. Lane loves it, and it really is relaxing. The only downfall is the mosquitos. We just got tiki torches with the insect repellant oil, but they are everywhere! Anyone have any tips?

Vitamin C Obagi
My SIL, Lacey recommended this as I have several brown spots on my face from pregnancy. I have only been using it for about 2 weeks and can already see improvement. It is kind of pricey though, I wonder if rubbing lemons on your face would work just as well :)

Reading: Just finishing the Hunger Games series. Seriously addicting, but different. I can't believe they are for young adults. I think I read Caddie Woodlawn and Christy as a young adult. I also have been reading BabyWise step II. Hard to believe we are almost to the-- don't throw food on the floor, bang your plate on the table, etc. stages. For you moms out there-do you do playpen time? Right now we do blanket time, but have not started time in the playpen. I am slightly skeptical. Does time in the exersaucer count? Other good reads this summer--Unbroken by Elin Hildebrand, a few Kristin Hannah beach reads, the Pioneer Woman's book. Next in line: All in by Gene Chizik and Summer Everlasting by Ann Brasheres (the conclusion of the Sisterhood pants, which I did read all of them)

Also, if you are in the Birmingham area, go check out Shindigs my brother's food truck. He is parked around UAB during the week (11-2) and Railroad Park on Saturdays. Here are a few shots that my sister took of his food:

banana chocolate bread pudding

salmon burger

"Chadillac" chicken sandwich with figs

YUM!!! Go try it out!!

MAS Reunion

2011-07-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great time catching up with old friends and classmates this weekend. Here are some pictures from the events:

Friday night cookout at the Kirkpatrick home

beautiful as always

Welcome banner a mom had saved since Prom

lots of mingling and catching up

On to Saturday by the pool:

Lane meeting Evelyn, Kalee (who is holding Lane) and Dillon P's little girl. Precious. she is 10 months old

hanging with Steven

Saturday night at the Country Club:

Jeremy and Lee with their significant others

James catching up with the Drs. Tuckers (who are now Selma residents!)

Kalee, me, Mags, and Elizabeth

CARM

yes-- the teachers called us "The Dream Team" because they thought we were such a good class...little did they know!

CARM husbands, even in appropriate order! (for you Mr. Mike!)

Jamie our class Pres. accepting "the most interesting job award"...what does he do? something to do with bull semen? I never quite understood

MAS class of 2001 (minus about 30)

we then spend the evening trying to break it down Bobo style:

Today we are all worn out and doing a lot of this:

(we just received baby Einstein MacDonald farm DVD, he is mesmerized)

Blast from the Past

2011-07-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend is our 10 year high school reunion! I am working on a slideshow for the big event, and it has been very entertaining looking back on old pictures. It will be fun to catch up with everyone, hear where they are now, and meet/see their significant others and babies. Here is a preview:

before a pep rally

CARM (out of order)

basketball Senior year

Senior Luau at school and Maggie's Senior day (hence the crown)

A few things I noticed:

1. There is nothing better than the metabolism of an eighteen year old. It is not fair.

2. Short bobs were in (or at least in central Al)

3. We were care free --I know now this a blessing, being raised in families that love you, encourage you. We were surrounded by teachers, friends, and people that really sowed into our lives.

And last but certainly not least, guess who is having a baby BOY this December?!!??!!

Pictured above, Mrs. Maggie Lewis!!!! I am so excited! For the record, I guessed it was a girl. (which makes me wrong now 4 out of 4 times.) So if you are having a baby, ask me what it is and 100% chance it will be the opposite.

Perspective...

2011-07-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

of a three year old. All photos courtesy of my niece, Fairchild Garner

budding photographer, maybe?!

A few pics from the party

2011-07-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

playing poolside

Lane with Pop his great granddaddy

playing with Mydot, his great grandmommma

loving the Johnny-jump up!

yummy food

Pie and Sam

with the birthday girl

Jana and her babies (so big now!!)

Happy Birthday Sister!

2011-07-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

This lovely lady turns ??? (we'll just keep that a secret, she might send a threatening text after reading this) tomorrow!! I am jumping the gun a day because we are celebrating tonight with a cookout at our house. She is the best sister a girl could ask for: always there with a listening ear, keeping me up to date on the latest fashions/fabrics (generously giving me her hand-me-downs!), sharing her heart for the Lord and how He is working in her life, giving helpful momma tips, and just a really fun person to hang out with. See, pretty great right?! Now that we live only a couple blocks apart, we get to play a lot more!

from awhile back at the beach, Mac the chef and his two ~~assistants~~ tasters

love this picture of them!

and this past Christmas when I was ~~swollen~~ pregnant, but she looks great!

Happy Early Birthday Jana! Can't wait to celebrate tonight! The Osborns love you!

Pretty Ladies

2011-07-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of the girls at dinner Saturday night:

We had a great time (though short) catching up: hearing about babies growing, future plans of marriage and moving, job updates and changes, and of course reminiscing of old times. We remembered times of the beginnings of our friendships and laughed about encounters that brought us together...first impressions not easily forgotten, but lasting impressions that will go the distance. Thanks to the husbands and parentals that made it possible. (or in my case parental in laws!)

Squirrel Reunion

2011-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am headed to the beach, and get to spend time with my Alpha Gam pledge sisters! I can't wait to catch up with everyone...here are some shots from back then so you can get an idea of how much fun we have together.

Auburn/Vandy game Senior Year

sketch Mex, a Friday night favorite

Junior (I think?) Formal

Pink House Girls

visiting Brooke in Charleston

last beach reunion

Christmas Date Party (do you think black drop necklaces were in?!!)

Emily's wedding

Senior Year at Bodega

Fun at the FloraBama

Can't wait to see you girls!

5 months

2011-07-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Lane is getting so big! Where does the time go? He is learning new "tricks" everyday.

His new thing is to wrinkle his nose and scowl when he is not happy. I try not to laugh and tell him it is not a nice face, but it is pretty funny looking. He LOVES water. We take him swimming almost every afternoon, and I think he would stay in the water kicking as long as possible. He is eating around three fruit or vegetable stage ones and drinking around 30 ounces a day. We have a doctor's appt next Friday so will get his height and weight stats then. He is wearing 6 months clothes and size 2 diapers (and a few left over ones). He still sleeps great- from about 7:30 to 6:00 am. He loves being on his stomach and tries to crawl, but still really can't go anywhere. He also loves watching his cousins Sam and Fair, they could entertain him for hours. (or really anyone for that matter!)

Lane-we love you so much! We both rush home to see you after work. When you give us that big smile and pump your legs really fast when you see us, we melt. You are such a JOY to us!

First Week

2011-07-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

This week is a very exciting week for our family. We started our new positions at Children's Dentistry of Central Alabama. James and I feel very blessed to be joining such a thriving practice. Here are a few pictures we took for our new website. It should be up and running next week, so go check it out! If you are in our area, come in and see us! (yes, I am advertising on the blog!) We really are having fun. It is wonderful to enjoy your "work". James and I are doing well working together, and are even sharing an office until mine is set up. (We will see how long this lasts!)

with our wonderful staff (the best!)

Dr. Russell, Dr. Osborn, and Dr. James

Beach Livin'

2011-07-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

is good stuff...

my boys in their matching suits relaxing on the swing

Happenings...

2011-07-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

disclaimer: long post, so if you just want to see a cute pic of Lane, scroll to the bottom
Sorry I have been MIA this week! Lots of happenings--moving in the new casa, Ford's baby shower, James's graduation, and now beach time. I am not big on transition, so I am happy to have this time drawing to an end. It has been a lot of fun though, just a little stressful. First off the move-I cannot tell you how much help we had to make it go smoothly. A big thank you to James's parentals and my parents for all of your hard work. It was just that-hard work! Jim was amazing! He and James were hanging things, bracing things, building things, etc. etc. We could not have done it without you. Another big thanks to my Aunt Mary Alice, Aunt Elon, and Shelby. They were the decorators/organizers that made all of our things go to the right spot so everything started feeling like home. Unfortunately, I have no pictures yet to share with you, but I will get on that next week.
Here are some shots from the baby shower we hosted for my SIL, Lacey. It was sooo cute!

Family shot, doesn't she look great?!

In other pictures--our first swim in the new pool, Lane loved it!

(and yes he is swimming in a diaper, but that's a perk of a pool in your backyard right? )

We celebrated James's graduation with his resident friends at Gianmarco's on Wednesday night. It was a great evening of telling stories, eating delicious food, drinking wine, and enjoying fellowship with a special group of friends.

Matt and Adrian (no they are not a couple, just for the night!) both first years that have one more year of Pedo left (another sidenote: Adrian is Amos's favorite person in the world. ever. )

John and Elise who are headed to Tennessee (and baby Davis who will make his debut in about 6 weeks)

Kyle and Kristi who are headed back to Mississippi (with their two adorable kiddos, Sawyer and Rivers)

We will miss ya'll!

James receiving his certificate

And now for today: Captain Robert Cook took us fishing this morning. It was beautiful! The fish were not so abundant, but we had a good time nonetheless.

with Cap'n Cook

with our one "keeper" of the day, just barely

and now I am enjoying some time with this precious one.

love those little pockets!

Hope everyone has a great fourth weekend!

Packing=uggghhhh

2011-06-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

and no showers. and eating out. and falling over boxes. and realizing you have hoarding tendencies.
As you can tell, it has been a fun few days around the Osborn house! But the end is in sight! The movers come tomorrow morning. Ok, enough about that...I realized I have not shared pictures of Lane's first swim in the bayou. Thanks Pal for showing him how....

Pal is having fun, Lane not so sure

getting more excited

love those legs

trying to eat the water (there is a pattern these days)

This is fun!

4 months (ish)

2011-06-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

I always seem to be a little behind on these monthly postings. They just kind of sneak up you, kind of like the fact that Lane is already almost five months old. He is changing constantly.
Favorites: his feet! they are now constantly near or in his mouth, grabbing your nose, hair, glasses etc., when you blow on his belly after changing his diaper
Dislikes: any extended time in his car seat (like when we were on the way back from the beach=no fun), when you won't let him watch tv
Eating:5-6 ounces, 6 times a day plus some type of fruit in the morning and rice cereal or vegetable at night (ok, I have only tried the peas so far and he spit them back out everywhere, but I am going to persevere this week with carrots and green beans)
Height/Weight:??? we will find out when we go to our new pediatrician in Selma in a few weeks
My favorites: his squeal when he is excited about things, when he falls asleep on my shoulder sucking his fingers, when he and his dad play before bed
On the Horizon: moving into his new house this Friday!

LOVE

Happy Daddy's Day

2011-06-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

or as we like to say in Selma, Diddy.
Happy Father's Day to my sweet husband on his first father's day. You are already such a wonderful father, and I look forward learning about parenthood with you for years to come. Can you believe we are this blessed?

And to my father, Thank you for showing what it means to be a man of God, for walking the walk. Below is one of my favorite pictures from James and my wedding because I think it captures how I feel about you.

Now I just hope I don't have to fire you anytime soon. just kidding- can't wait until July 5th!

First time at the Beach

2011-06-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

We are beach people around here. Apparently, Lane does not understand that yet. Here are pictures from his first time in the sand. He was not so sure about it.

Tomorrow we are heading out on the boat. His new life jacket looks like it will swallow him whole. It should make for an interesting adventure.

More Pics

2011-06-15T05:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my favorite pictures from Deann:

Last weekend, our trip to Scott's and IKEA was successful! We purchased some great chairs for our dining room, (my husband says I have a chair obsession!) a coffee table, a couple of pillows, and 2 poufs (you know the small fabric ottomans). Pictures to come once they deliver everything. It was so much fun! James was a big help, as he was the "money man". He would bargain with the vendors saying, "I really don't want this stuff, my wife does, so you better give me the best deal or we won't be getting them today." and he meant it. I of course, was standing to the side trying not to mess up the deal with my pleading looks. What a great team.

We arrived at the beach last night. Lane did great in the car! We have lots of new gear...life jacket, float, pack-n-play, baby sunscreen wipes, hats, etc. Hopefully we will get to use it all!

I also want to give a shout out to Jennifer from Clothe Yourself in Love. She made this precious romper for Lane. She can personalize anything for your little one, and does a great job. Her things make great gifts too! Check out her stuff here.

Happy Friday

2011-06-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Guess where we are headed tomorrow? Ok, I 'll tell you....Scott's Antique Market and IKEA in Atlanta. I am very excited, we are looking for items for the new house...a coffee table, end tables, storage items, etc. James wanted to go with my mom, Aunt Mary Alice, and myself...should make for an interesting trip. I will let you know if we purchase any great "finds"! Any tips for IKEA? I have never been and heard it can be a tad overwhelming, we shall see.
In other news, our friend Deann, (remember Ramsey from the last post, this is his wife!) took some precious pictures of Lane a couple of weeks ago. Here is one of my favorites:

If you are ever looking for someone to take some pictures for you, Deann is awesome! Shoot me an email, and I will give you her info. More pictures to come!

Happy Weekend Friends!

Meet Ramsey

2011-06-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

This our friend Ramsey, he is raising money for his mission trip to Niger, Africa. You can read about it here on his blog. One of his fundraising activites for the trips was a mustache. Yes, you read that right. If he raised over 500 dollars, he pledged to sport a mustache for a month. As you can see, it is not your typical mustache. James and I were happy to support such two wonderful causes. Here we are with Ramsey yesterday. Many Blessings on your trip Ramsey. We are praying that God is glorified in a mighty way!

Jacque B

2011-06-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

My grandmother, Maw Maw or GiGi-once she became a great-grandmother, passed away this past Sunday. She had not been doing great health-wise for awhile, so it was a blessing she is no longer suffering. She is with Jesus and a bunch of loved ones in heaven right now! I did a post on Gigi's 87 birthday here, and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful memories I had with her. One of my cousins said it best when they said, she loved you for exactly who you are, she never judged you, only guided you in the right direction by her faith, love, and example. I also just finished reading Heaven is For Real, and in it the little boy Colton goes to heaven for a few minutes (due to some medical circumstances) and experiences Jesus. His parents know this because later when he is well, he shares different tidbits about heaven that they know they never taught him. One of my favorite parts is that he was obsessed with finding a picture that really looked like Jesus. This is the one that one day after years of looking, he said, "That's it! That is Jesus." So I am celebrating that GiGi is with him right now.

and I am so glad she got to meet Lane before she left.

Osborn Originals

Day to Day

Bath time and other Tidbits

11 months and 11 weeks

Christmas Recap and a Big Gift

Making Lemonade

Just One

Rejoice!

Welcome to the World!

Sick Baby

Homemade Ornaments

10 months

Happy Friday!

Gingerbread Wonderland

Christmas Gifts-Materialistic and Not

Thanksgiving at the Roost

Lazy Weekend

Little boys...

9 months

11-11-11

Lane's Cry face

and the Winner is....

Pictures and first ever GIVEAWAY!!

War Eagle Baby

Moulton Visit

8 months

An Award

Randomness and a Recipe

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup & Curry Condiments (Serves 4 - 6)Copyright 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Fairchild is Four

Happy Birthday Husband

Fair time!

Baby Lewis gets showered and Lane falls in LOVE

Integrity 5K

Wine Down Thursday

Faces of El Bambino

Introducing Ford, my new nephew

Recognize anyone?

7 months, Dove Hunting, and Jesus

Big Weekend

Because It's My Birthday...

War Eagle Weekend

Boston and Baa haa ba as Northern Folks say

Face Lift

Renovation Reveal

Randomness

Second leg of Vaca

Commercial Break-Products

First leg of Vaca

Preview of San Fran

To Lane

We'll be Back...

My favorites of the moment

MAS Reunion

Blast from the Past

Perspective...

A few pics from the party

Happy Birthday Sister!

Pretty Ladies

Squirrel Reunion

5 months

First Week

Beach Livin'

Happenings...

Packing=uggghhhh

4 months (ish)

Happy Daddy's Day

First time at the Beach

More Pics

Happy Friday

Meet Ramsey

Jacque B

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup & Curry Condiments (Serves 4 - 6)
Copyright 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics