One Year Later

We just happened to be at my parents house again on Valentine's Day this year. So, before we left I had PaPaw and Dee sit down with Mallory for a picture just like last year. Mal has changed just a little, don't ya think?!?

The Little Red Wagon

Last week Mallory and I took a trip to my parents house so Matthew could get started painting Mallory's room. PaPaw and Dee were of course happy to do their part in helping us get our house painted.

While we were there Mallory got to go on her first wagon ride in a very special wagon. This wagon has been around since my dad played with it as a kid. His dad cleaned it up and painted Anita's name on it when she came around. Mal had a lot of fun riding up and down the driveway while we took turns pulling her.

Boo!

This Could Be A Bad Sign

Check out one of Mallory's new favorite places to hang out...the floor of my closet in the middle of my shoes! At least she's in the middle of the shoes after she pulls them all out. If this is a sign of the future, she better start saving her allowance.

Of course she needs a cell phone with all her shoes.

Just Thought I Would Share

Here's my new secret weapon I learned via the Internet this week. Dish soap works great to get grease stains out of clothes! I found a stain left by pizza on my jeans AFTER I had washed and dried them. Fearing they were ruined forever, I went to the Internet for help. Several sites suggested using dish soap. So today I got my soap (i use Joy), rubbed it on the spot, and threw the jeans in the wash like normal. When they came out of the dryer the stain was totally gone! Just thought I would share...

I did not try using EZ Cheese like one site I found suggested. That's just gross!!!

Something New Everyday

These days it seems like Mallory is learning or figuring out something new everyday. Yesterday, her new feat was to climb into our plaid chair.

Its no video, but you can imagine how fun it is to watch her work so hard

getting her little booty up in the chair.

I did it!

Mal's New Do

Mallory hit another big milestone today....her first pony tail! There's not much to it, so pony twig might be a more appropriate term. Whatever you want to call it, I think its pretty cute. I was impressed with how still she was for me when I was putting it in. I was even more impressed that it lasted from about 1:30 until bath time.

Mallory really like to open and close doors these days. She can't open a door that is totally closed so she gets a little unhappy when she actually shuts it.

I think she may have just discovered this drawer as I was taking her picture.

Hope you enjoyed this groundbreaking post! :)

Caught!

Yep, that's Mallory caught with her foot in the cookie jar!

A Little Mallory to Brighten Your Monday

Just in case you are needing a little pick me up this Monday morning, here are a few pictures of Mallory from the last week to sweeten your day.

Anyone think we need a child safety latch on this cabinet?

Just bein' a cutie!

So serious...I guess she didn't know her shirt said "Its GOOD to be me"!

She has not gotten over her love for getting into tight spaces. This is one of her favorite things to do each morning when she gets up. She climbs up onto the fireplace and then into the drum she got for her birthday. She really likes being there. I've taken her out a few times only to see her get miffed at me and then climb right back in.

Mallory has been having a lot of fun scooting around on her Little Mermaid car she got for Christmas from Nana. She has figured out how to get off and on it, but usually just makes it go backwards.

She really like to play on it with her Daddy. He likes to push her and then watch her zoom across the room.

10 Honest and 15 Random Things About Me

Tiffany tagged me for 10 Honest Things about Me and I've been loving reading everybody's 25 random things about themselves, so here's my list in no particular order. Enjoy!

Yes, I love my husband, my baby, and God. I figure everyone knows that about me, so I'm not counting them.

1. I love getting pedicures but really don't enjoy manicures. I like the end result of a manicure, but don't enjoy sitting an arm's length away from a stranger.
2. I would rather go thirsty than drink Pepsi.
3. I never moved growing up. After my family moved back from Holland when I was less than 2 years old, I lived in the same house I came home from the hospital to until I left for college. Since then I have lived in 4 dorm rooms, 8 apartments, and 2 houses.
4. I don't make friends as easily as I would like.
5. I love to run. I really miss running as regularly as I did before Mallory.
6. When we found out I was pregnant with Mallory, I had a pack of fertility meds ready to start. My doctor had no real reason why I was pregnant. I know why, prayer!
7. In college I majored in Nursing, Math, and Accounting. I ended up getting a degree in General Business. I had way more hours than my degree required.
8. I worked for two and a half years in an office that was so quiet you could hear co-workers clicking their mouses (mice?).
9. I worked for a year as a substitute teacher. I liked secondary jobs much better. Elementary kids are so much higher maintenance.
10. I had braces for almost 2 and a half years as an adult. I am now adamant about wearing my retainer each night. I'm not sure I would be so disciplined with it if I had worn them as a teen.
11. I think that getting my braces off may have been one of the most painful experiences in my life (childbirth and kidney stones included)!
12. I would love for Mallory to be a Red Raider some day like her mommy, daddy, and papaw. If she chooses something else, that's ok too as long as she remembers we don't like maroon or burnt orange.
13. I spent one year at Harding before transferring to Tech. It was a great year, but Harding just wasn't for me. I met Matthew one of the first days I was in Lubbock. We dated from that point until we married 4 years later.
14. Matthew never actually asked me out on a date.
15. My favorite job was working at West Houston. I don't miss going to work, but I do miss all the special people I got to spend my days with.
16. I think the Chi and DVR may have been two of the best inventions ever!
17. I have run 3 marathons and really hope I'll be able to run another before the year is over.
18. I sometime miss the Lubbock wind. I do not miss when it would rain mud in Lubbock.
19. I do not have a green thumb. I have an ivy that Matthew bought me 4 years ago. It has not grown one bit since then. I give it just enough care to sustain life.
20. I have ridden an ambulance to the ER twice. I am not looking for a third ride.
21. I started blogging because I spent so much time reading other people's blogs I felt it was only fair.
22. Every 4th of July I forget how much I love fireworks until I see them and then I feel like a little kid watching the show.
23. I LOVE sweets. We say I am an Elf. Skittles and Hot Tamales are my favorite candies.
24. I used to throw the TV remote off the bed onto the floor every night before going to bed. It bugged Matthew a lot. I can't do this anymore now that we have tile in our bedroom.
25. I watch football even when Matthew is not here. What, girls can watch football too!

Cousins

Mallory is blessed to have two cousins that love her to pieces. Now that she has learned how fun it so to play with them, she loves them too. When they got to our house for her birthday, she was so excited. She didn't quite know what to do or which one to follow. The three of them had lots of fun when they were here for her party and then the next week when we were at their house.

Here are Mallory and Nathan checking out the doggy door. I love this picture because it kind of looks like Mallory is showing Nathan how it works.

Abby was sweet enough to share her bear with Mallory. Abby always wants to hold Mallory. Unfortunately for her, Mallory isn't big on sitting still and being held.

When they were playing Mallory somehow ended up in one of the toy bins. So...

Abby had to have a turn in the toy basket, and...

so did Nathan!

Nathan always like to have a project of some sort to work on. This time he made a playscape for Mallory. See how he has made a little corral for her?

Doesn't she look like Matthew in this picture?

Its My Party

We had Mallory's birthday party a few weeks after her actual birthday. She is such a sweet girl, she didn't even complain. I hope she will be as flexible about the timing of her birthday parties when she gets older.

She had lots of fun opening presents.

Abby had lots of fun bringing Mallory's presents to us to open.

Doesn't she look smart reading her card?

Her little cake was so cute!

She wasn't sure what to think when everyone was looking at her and singing.

Hmmm...what's this?

I think I'm gonna like this.

Yep, this is some good stuff!

Any guesses what Abby was talking about on her phone during the party?

As the party was starting Nathan found a bowling ball in our back yard. During the party he and the other kids found a second one, a potato, and a milk jug. It was weird. Since he had bowling balls, what else was Nathan supposed to do but make a bowling lane. Later that day, he found a pole and used it to make a barbell with the bowling balls for weights.

Mallory had to see what was going on in her backyard.