Jesus' Birthday 2009

We had so much fun this year & I really understand how Christmas becomes all about the kids when you have them!

We started the day by celebrating Jesus' Birthday with cinnamon rolls & then we opened presents! We took a nap & then started on dinner. Grampy (my dad), Brandon, Katie, Michael, Veronica & Andrew came over. We hung out & had a big Christmas Feast of ham (my first ham!), greenbean casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, & stuffing. Corey & I had Pinot Noir from the Biltmore (very good). Dessert was brownies made by Veronica! We hung out a little more. After the fam left the Dunham's (V & Andrew), Corey, & I played Guesstures. Then we put Will down for bed, the Dunham's left & Corey & I cuddled.

Here are the pictures (they are out of order)!

Will walking to me!

Will loves books, these will get lots of love

(from aunt barbra, mom-mom & pop-pop)

thanking Grampy for his gift (activity center)

yaye for Socks! (aunt B, mom-mom & pop-pop)

Opening a gift from Tutu & Pa

(stacking cups)

More books he'll enjoy

he is amazed at this fish tank

Will's Birth Sampler from Anut Barbara

Corey's present (except I accidently grabbed the one for Mac's)

OoooOOOoo Catapillar

Me, Katie, Mike, & Brandon, YAYE!

I LOVE them soo much!

He was pointing at the bears on the paper, so cute, my lil genius! hehe

Update

So I feel like blogging about our life. Nothing paticular, just rambling.

I have free time because Corey is working 12-hour shifts, 6pm-6am. It's not fun, but it'll be over soon. I've been having a hard time falling asleep without him, but I think it has more to do with barely seeing him. I'm not usually the type that has a hard time falling asleep, period. haha

Will is doing awesome. He is growing of course. It's crazy how fast this happens. He is really on the verge of walking. He is taking 1 1/2 steps, as of now. He is really bonding with Molly. Sometimes I catch them cuddling on Molly's bed. Molly is still apprehensive about him, because he sometimes (gets too excited) hits her/pulls her hair. It's cute.

We are all done with christmas shopping. However, I didn't send out all the cards yet. haha. It's not my fault I ran out of envelopes & kept forgetting to get them. You'll get them, geez!

I am done with all the have-to's & now get to enjoy the season!

Hope you do too!

My Birthday- pretty late

This is exactly a month late, but hey whatever.

I turned 25 this year, whoa! haha yeah right! I feel young & do not at all feel like 25 is "old". I feel accomplished & very happy with life.

My day started off with breakfast in bed from my guys! Crepes, eggs, sausage & milk. YUM! (Corey went to IHOP hehe).

Then as the day wore on Will developed a fever. We took him to the Dr. His fever came down quickly & the Dr. wasn't sure if it was bacterial or viral. So we went back the next day and he still wasn't sure. Will seemed a little better, but apparently his numbers (blood test) went up. So he gave him an antibiotic shot (just in case) & we went back again the next day. Will was all better, the Dr. wasnt sure it was from the shot (& he would need follow-up medicine to make sure it was all gone) or he was just getting better. I llistened to my instincts & watched him closely for the next two days (w/o the meds) & decided not to give them.

So the night of my birthday...

We went out with Faith, the Borg's, & the Dunham's to the Melting Pot. It was AMAZING!! I definitely reccomend it! Because we had a large party we were able to order 3 of all the fondues! Now you know I'm a foodie (or fatty, tomayto-tomawto) so here you go...

We ordered the Fiesta Cheese, Spinach Artichoke, & Cheddar Cheese Fondues for appetizers. Fiesta was my fav. The Spinach Artichoke was a little too garlic-y for moi. So with the cheese they give veegies, breads, tortilla chips, & apples. (yes the apples are great with cheese!)

Dinner we had the oil & the vegetable broth. I ordered chicken (not reccomended, it was plain & though they gave seasonings it wasnt enough). Faith however ordered the Teryaki Steak which was YUM! You also get a salad before your entree, I got ceasar (i didn't like their ceasar). You get veggies, batters, & dips with your fondues.

Dessert (are you excited to hear about it?) we ordered s'mores, dark chocolate, and the original (crunchy peanut butter & milk chocolate). Now I LOVE dark chocolate & on a date that would've been it, very sexy to me. However, I cannot deny the heaven-on-earth that was the Original. I would've eaten the WHOLE pot was it not on the other side of the table! haha. Dessert comes with marshmallows, rice crispy treats, cheesecake, strawberries, pound cake, & brownies! & yes, free refills of the dipables! Amazing, right?

If you haven't gone, GO!

That weekend Corey had to work, so Will and I went up to celebrate with my dad and the twins. Dad made our family recipe brisket (sooo good) and bought a good, cute cake. I really loved that they celebrated with me.

That was that! I had recieved a few great gifts & a lot of well wishes! Here's some pictures...

Dunham's, Borg's, Faith & Moi...

again at the Melting Pot, but now with my guys Cor & Wills...

Me, Wills, & My Family Birthday Cake...

blowin' out the candles!

Yummy candle! I LOVE him!

Oh Blog...

Oh Blog how I've missed you!

I know I have been horrible about updating you for my friends & family. What with the mobile pre-toddler, the outside-of-home volunteering, the whole running a house business, and trying to do extra things like have me-time or leading women's bible study, I haven't had time to update you. I haven't even uploaded any pictures from November (or the rest of October for that matter) onto my laptop.

Now it is the holiday season & things are REALLY picking up speed. I LOVE the holidays, but there is that teeny part of me that looks forward to that plain, boring, empty month of January. With all its coldness, that makes you stay indoors as much as humanely possible.

Alas, here are some of the things I hope to accomplish in the next month... or so. I must let any readers know that this list is more for me (to take this list OFF repeat in my head), but thought you might giggle at my ambitiousness... craziness... good ideas... and whatever it is that comes out.

In no particular order (yet):
*make picture flashcards for Will of all the people he should love in my life (family & friends)
*bake several different types of cookies for CLOSE friends & family (close in relational sense, not geographical)
*go to Trinity's wedding (FUN & actually gets me out of several other things, wahoo)
*make Corey a non-nag-y list of reminders of Will's schedule (YES, I cannot take Will with me to Cali... my heart drops every time I say it... avoid topic at all costs)
*Buy Christmas presents (yeah, it looks so unassuming taking up only one asterisk!)
*decorate house in Christmas getup (including my first ever hanging lights outside!)
*finish making Christmas cards & (very important this year...) mail them.
*make the Shipe Gingerbread house!
*mail goodies & gifts
*get through my whole list of deep cleaning tasks for the month (1-a-day)
*finish Gilmore Girls (I'm on season 6)
*Help with MXG Kids Christmas Party (I'm the official face painter forever, fine by me)
*Help with the EMS Squadron Christmas Party
*Cookie Exchange with MOPS
*Have the pre-Christmas Boeckh-Shipe Christmas (yaye)
*Figure something romantic for the anniversary (4 years wahoo)
*Take LOTS of pictures
*finish paintings with Faith (that's a "January")
*finish covering the garden beds (really it's not fall anymore... eek)

Okay, my brain hurts. That's all you're getting out of me. I'm tired... want bed... waaaa!

I WILL get on here & give you info on Will... maybe while I'm in Cali w/o my life (aka Will). Sadness overcomes, cannot win.

ta ta

Visit from Korinne & Reese

Yaye, Korinne & Reese came to visit us Monday!!! I feel so blessed!

For those of you who don't know, Korinne is one of my best friends. Her husband is in the Air Force & right now they are living in the Azores. Unfortunately Joey, her hubby, wasn't able to take leave or something, but she and her adorable daughter Reese took a HOP to the states! Luckily, her momma lives in SC, so we were able to see them!

Korinne, is a wonderful friend. She's honest, fun, encouraging, hilarious, kindhearted, real, and well, I could go on, but you probably already think I'm gay for her. lol.

Reese is so adorable & so smart! She's 1 1/2 years old. She is so obedient & loving to animals. I want to eat her little head!

We didn't really do anything special, then again, them being here was special in & of its self. We hung out at the house. I showed her a little bit of the base, since she might move here later. Here's some pics from the Partay.

Highlights of the Week 9/27-10/03

I was so busy this week, but I have a feeling that the rest of this year will be pretty busy.

I'll start with the most recent, cutest thing Will has done. He howled at the moon. We were driving around tonight & I saw the full moon & started to howl, so did Corey & next thing we know, Will starts "howling"! He is so flippin' cute! Granted his "howl" was his high-pitched babble, but it sounded like our howls. haha

So Monday I met with Corey's first shirt & am starting my training to become a Key Spouse.
Tuesday I had a MOPS Steering meeting (the leadership & people in comittees) & finally got to meet all the people in Special Events Comittee (4 people).
There was also a picnic for the Junior Enlisted Appreciation Day for the military, so Corey got home early & we love that!
Wednesday was hectic with little things. I made Shredded Pork in the crockpot & cookies for some friends of ours that are leaving.
Thursday was MOPS, we learned about throwing birthday parties, we decorated cupcakes, & had a 3-legged race. fun! haha
Friday was my "relax" day. Corey didn't have to go in until 7pm! We ended up going to Target in Columbia & got a few things to Autumn out our house. Love it! Of course Starbucks was involved.
Finally, today, Saturday, Will and I went out early to check out the yard sales on base (4) and we got a moving ball thing for $1!!! Awesome find because I really wanted one & almost bought it a few days earlier for like $30! We just hung out mostly this day. We went out to dinner at Hibachi & Will was adored by everyone who worked there. He got free candy too! (Corey will eat it). There is talk of him becoming the Hibachi Baby. lol. We got ice cream & now here I am at home.


I saw the first inkling of his upper left front tooth peeking out of his gums today! The right tooth is pressing on the gum, it's all white. He will be having a gap, because they are about a mile apart! haha. Good news is he isn't more drool-y or cranky.

Did I tell you guys he is growling (I think he learned it from Molly & Corey wrestling) & making slurp-y sounds (I think he learned from me trying to teach him how to drink from a sippy). Both are hilarious.

Now here is a picture of the world's cutest baby!

Bathtime video

We give Will a bath every night, unless we are out for some reason. We don't always wash, but he always gets in the water. Sometimes Corey or I will jump in with him. Now, just so you know, Will likes his bathwater hot. We used to use that little bath sensor thing you can buy & he hated how cold it was (& it really was!). We turn on only the hot water (set to 120) & turn on the shower, so it has time to cool down & also steams up the bathroom. So here is his little escapade with the shower... haha

7 months old

William Thomas Shipe...

is 7 months old today!

This month flew by!

Let's see Willzum's favorite things:
*trying to get my cell phone
*Molly
*eating Earth Best's Teething Biscuts
*pooping while in his exersaucer (everytime!)
*lil crunchies
*playing with paper
*his playskool pop-up toy
*his lovey (a small blanket with a bear body in the middle)

*straws

*peek-a-boo

Things he's doing:

*watching his shadow
*making wierd sucking/slurping sounds (I taught him when I was trying to teach him how to use a sippy cup)

*eating some finger foods (hasn't mastered getting little pieces into his mouth)

*rocking on his hands & knees

*getting from a sitting position onto his tummy/all-fours

*sitting up all by himself in the bathtub!

*starting to climb mommy & daddy to get up

*open mouth kisses!

*2 2-hour naps & 1 1-hour nap a day! Sometimes it's a little less than 2 hours.

*rolling over during diaper changes, nice!

I love him so much! We are having so much fun (me, corey, & wills) I hope life will always be this great!

all-fours, not mastered, but starting

teething biscuts

Hello Shadow

Bathtime! Grab the camera!

Mr. Blow-up Lion (we already had a Mr. Lion...)

This is the baby I get to see every morning, I heart his happiness

Lookin at the world with Dada

Daddy Kiss time

just cute

Menu Plan Monday~ Sept 21st

Starting back on posting Menu's! I always do menus now. I don't always follow them to a T, somedays frozen pizza just sounds better. BUT here is my plan for the upcoming week:

Breakfasts: oatmeal, cereal, banana bread, or toast & fruit

Lunch: salad, sandwich, chicken & organic Mac, taquitos, or pizza

Dinners:
monday: Lemon Pepper Chicken, garlicy broccoli, & rice pilaf
tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagna, salad, & garlic buns (using leftover hot dog buns)
wednesday: BBQ Chicken, salad, & corn
thursday: Taco Casserole & fiesta rice
friday: Pulled Pork sandwiches, green beans & glazed carrots
saturday: Leftovers
sunday: Probably more leftovers

I plan on making banana bread or muffins (or both) because we have 3 bananas very ripe. Sometimes Corey eats them all & wants more, other times he doesn't even look at them. Maybe we'll have banana smoothies & muffins for Corey to take to work.

I also want to make whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, but we'll see. BTW, they are WAY better than with white flour (just remember to cut back on the flour, I leftout 1/4c for the tollhouse recipe).

For more Menu's or to do your own Menu Plan Monday, check out the Organized Junkie's site!

A Week in Review Sept 12-18th

Hey everybody,

I thought I would keep you all updated weekly, unless there is something special to write about.

The week before & half of this past week Corey was on day shift (6am-3pm). It was lovely, we were able to go on nice long walks after dinner & snuggle up alot with William before he went to bed & alone after he did. hehe. I miss it. He's back on swings (2pm-11pm).

So Saturday the 12th, we had a cookout with some of the guys from Corey's work & their wives/girlfriends. It was really fun. I met a few people & got to know some others better. The guys ended up playing video games & us women sat around talking, playing with babies, & ultimately playing boad games. People stayed over super late (think 1am), but it was all worth it.

Sunday we missed church. I was really bummed, but you can't always get what you want huh? It was our lazy day. We just hung out at home, took some walks, went to the dog park on base. I made minestrone, which is great because it fed us for a few dinners.

Monday I had a painting date with my friend Faith. She came over & I taught her the miniscule things I know about painting. I started painting 2 trees, we'll see how it ends up. If you never hear about it again... that means it's not good. haha. I mowed the lawn (I love to). I also found out our debit cards had been compromised!! So I spent the better part of the evening trying to sort that out.

Tuesday was Will's 6-month check-up. He is doing so well. 90th for height, 70th for weight, & 20th for head circumfrence (so weird, that last one). He got two shots & the nurse took a long pause in between them to ask a question. (Um Hello!!! My baby is in pain & wants his mommy, can we hurry this up & ask questions later?!) Other than that everything was dandy. Such a wonderful boy we have! By the time we got home Corey basically just had to check back in with work & he was off. Heaven! We spent time together, walked to our friends house & hung out for a little bit before Will's bedtime.

Wednesday Corey was back on swing shift (BOO). Faith & I went to Columbia to go to Michael's & of course we had to hit up starbucks! We also went to the BX & I finally bought a scale! Now I wont fall off the deep end of the weight gain 2009! haha. I still didn't have the whole debit card thing situated although each day I was trying!

Thursday was my first MOPS meeting of the season, Yaye! It was lots of fun & I don't know anyone in my group so maybe I'll make a lot more friends. I have to say one plus of Corey being on swings is MOPS is in the middle of Will's first nap (an important one), so he can just take his nap at home & I still get me-time. There are a lot of military wives in the group which is nice. So later in the day me & my buddy just hung out. We went to our friend Krystal's house, went on a walk & that's about it.

Friday it was raining so I couldn't go running! I did end up going to the grocery store spur of the moment (but I did make a menu & a list before we left). My friend Tracey & her daughter Hailey came over for a little while. This was the day we FINALLY got the whole debit card thing settled. Travis Credit Union gave us the $300+ back, but we are still waiting for our new debit cards.

It was a good week. Busy for us, but I'd rather be a bit busy than bored.
Next week I have on my agenda:
*Go to Lake Wateree with Corey's Flt.
*Call my Korinne, yes, she's MINE! haha jk
*get new jeans (I have 2 pairs & one has a hole!)
*call Corey's first shirt to become a Key Spouse
*paint my painting & the office wall
*post pictures
*start the cross-stitch I got at Michaels
*go running MWF
*settle dates to take pictures with the family

Vacation!!!

Ahhh I am so bad at this blog thing now.

We went on vacation to Maryland & California to visit family & friends. I wrote down what we did everyday & was planning on updating you all each week... well we know how that went down. So instead of boring you with a play-by-play, I'll give you the "quick" version.

Saturday thru Wednesday we were in Maryland. We hung out with Corey's family & friends. It was mucho fun & we went out a couple nights. It is really nice to have family.

Wednesday we flew to California. Will's FIRST plane ride! He did really well. The first flight & layover was a little off, but I chaulk that up to him being so curious & confused. He LOVED take-off & landings. The second flight he was out the WHOLE time. The third flight (yup, three) he slept the majority of the time, but did have a nice let's-pee-on-mom-3-times-in-the-tiny-airplane-bathroom time.

Anyways, we spent Wednesday thru Wednesday in California. We spent time with my family & a lot of our friends. We were very busy in Cali, we'd leave at 10am & get back aroun 9pm most days. We went out to eat everywhere, we had to get our fill of things not available in SC. Will did really great considering our schedule, being on vacay, & the fact that he was teething! Yup the morning we were leaving my brother discovered his teeth had cut through! Two teeny tiny pearly whites! They are my favorite teeth! I'll keep them forever!

So, when we got back to Maryland, there was a lot of relaxing & casually hanging with family & friends. Then Wednesday we headed back to South Carolina. It was nice to be back in my house, but we had SO much fun. It was a great vacation! Here are a million pictures for you!

Corey giving Will a bath at Mommom & Poppop's

Will taking of for California!!!

Cool Guys (My brother, Mike & Wills)

My Obason (grandma)/Will's Hebason!!

We went to the Jelly Belly, woot!

Will's Obason/my mom

Yum, this was delightful!!! I ate a LOT of food in Cali

Uncle Elliott

Totally passed out playing! haha

Hanging with the Relik's

Hanging with Tiffani Strong

me & Trinity, breakfast the morning we left

me & Bubba (brother), breakfast the morning we left

Iosif's first time holding Wills

Preparing for vacation

So, I used to have Will sleep in his playpen once a week at least, so that he wouldn't get too attached to his crib & be able to sleep other places. He slept well enough anywhere, so I wasn't too concerned. Well, somehow I lost that as part of our routine... Can you see where this is going?

In my mind I knew we were going on vacation soon & I kept saying next week we'll start the playpen again for one nap a day, next week, tomorrow. Well, not that his naps had been perfect, but they were good & I enjoy nap time. He is happier & more interactive when he gets a good nap.

Yesterday for nap #2 we used the playpen. He didn't do too well at all maybe 30mins total, maybe. (normally it's 2 hours). My flexible child is now attached to his crib in a dark room. The poor thing looked so tired. Nap #3, better, but not good at all, maybe 45mins. So he went to bed early, he didn't even finish his last bottle.

He slept well last night until about 7:10am & that's when Corey woke him up. Now it's first naptime & he slept for 3o mins. & has been crying/whining on & off.

It's hard once you get pass sleep training to hear them start to cry again. I'm trying to not let my emotions rule me. I know I am doing good teaching my son to fall asleep & stay asleep by himself in different places. Not to mention, he wont fall asleep with us (although I wouldnt really want that), he's not a happy camper without naps, he doesn't sleep anywhere without crying, except maybe when he's really tired in my arms as I'm swaying back & forth for maybe 40 mins.

Hopefully, he will be doing okay by the time we get there. I believe it'll all work out. I'd rather deal with this now than on vacation. I do want him to get rest though (I know if they dont it makes it harder to sleep) so I think I will be putting him in the swing for his 3rd nap if #2 doesn't go well & he can't fall asleep on his own for #3.

I guess I should realize that I have done a good job getting him to nap well in his crib & that is a success. He naps 3x for 2 hours each, that is awesome! He's always getting noticed for being alert & aware. I know that is all because of the training we did with babywise. It was work, it is NOT natural. I am happy for him.

The crazy part is, Corey is in the same room with crying baby & sleeping right through it. Granted he has ear plugs, but I can't even sleep with the ear plugs when he's in his room! Men. Gotta love 'em.

I love my guys.

Yeah, & for anyone who hasn't noticed, he's spitting image of dada!

Making Babyfood

YUM!
So I FINALLY found organic produce! Sure, I had to drive over an hour to get it (& it was not local, I miss CA). I bought a whole bunch, came home & started going to town. Well... on the carrots & green beans at least. It was FUN!

Today I took them out of the ice cube trays. I dont like the blue trays I have, but the white ones from Target are awesome ($2). Good news is, they all work. I have 2 ziplock bags of carrots (Will's to-die-for favorite)& one of green beans. Also today, was Will's first taste of these homemade concoctions. Obviously more fresh tasting he was a little aback at the green beans, but ate a ton of both. score!

So, I'll really have to calculate how much (including gas) it costs to make babyfood compared to buying organic babyfood from the store to see if I'll do it again. It's around $10 a week for store food (as of now), not including cereal. That doesn't sound too bad... I spend $25 at the organic store & didnt get the green beans there & they didnt have a variety...

Now if I lived in CA I'm sure this would work out so much better... wahn wahn wahn.

Pictures & a Video

So, my Will is growing up.

He sits up by himself (mostly)

He always plays with his toesies

He is always reaching for our food & drinks

He turns to look for me when I call him

He looks around when I ask "where's daddy?"

He watches me when I leave the room
He rolls all around the living room (this actually started today, before he knew how, but didn't care to)

He rolls around when daddy is trying to change his poopy diaper (haha)

Just Mr. Big Boy now, I guess. Whatev! haha jk