Sincerely, The Lishias

Month 13

10:09 AM

It's beginning to get really cold out and Thanksgiving plans are well underway! We are home for Thanksgiving this year, no travel plans... we're saving those for Christmas. This month has been pretty low key; putting out Fall decor, ordering Christmas cards, and doing the mundane everyday chores that seem to consume my life at times. HA!

Age: 13 months

Stats: 21 pounds (eye still running water)

Sleep: Going through sleep regression. Most nights she sleeps from 10-4 then from 6-9 or 10

Clothing: She can still wear her 6-12 month pajamas from GAP but she's starting to fit into most of her 12-18 month clothes that we've recently bought for her.

Favorite Foods: Blueberries, Pineapple, Ritz Crackers, Broccoli, Cheese, Pancakes, Yogurt

Favorite Activities: Reading and looking through books, stacking blocks, climbing the stairs, ripping pages out of magazines, playing "airplane", pulling out all my nail polishes, watching me put on makeup, and playing with her eyelashes (and mamas).

Favorite Things

Rainbow Stacker : Sassy Wonder Wheel : Safety 1st Magnetic Locking System

Doll World Pram : Munchkin Cup

Funny Things I Do:

Squinting her eyes and nose while waving at complete strangers.

Giving her stuffed animals the biggest squeezes. (She hugs them so tight)

She sits in shopping carts with both legs in the air.

Puts everything on her head and crawls around.

Puts her foot on the table while she eats.

Other Milestones: She's pulling up more and walking around toys and furniture.
Signing more and all done (when she wants to). Mimicking us holding crayons/pencils to write. Knows what to do when we say "put your legs down" when we're changing her diaper.

Highlights

Playing at the park across the street before the really cold weather set in.

Having Thanksgiving at Aunt Chantelle's & Uncle Adam's.

Enjoying her first turkey leg. She spent Thanksgiving last year snoozing away.

Helping Mama do some Christmas baking in the kitchen.

Doing some Christmas shopping at Target with her buddy Ruddy.

Her first "all girls" Christmas party.

Her first attempt to write/draw.

This was her cousin's toy, but she was very intrigued by the lights and thought she'd give it a go.

What she loves doing e-ver-ry-day; climbing!

I'm one proud mama.

Holiday Jams

8:30 PM

Even if you haven't decorated for Christmas, I'm sure most of you are already listening to Christmas music! It's hard for me to listen to these jolly jingles and not want to throw tinsel everywhere. Therefore, we're actually putting up the tree this weekend! The 'real' reason is because we are using it in our Christmas card picture and I need to get those ordered! Shutterfly has their cards 50% off today and through the weekend so now is the best time to order! Just use the code: CARD50 Shutterfly also lets you "stack" coupon codes so you can also get free shipping on orders over $39 with code SHIP39.

Here is a list of my favorite Christmas songs... beware there are some goodies from the 80s that may make me a little less cool than you, but to me it wouldn't be "Christmas Without Y~~ou"~~ them. You can also follow this playlist on Spotify! Just click here.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas by Bing Crosby

All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey

Cold December Night by Michael Buble

Christmas Without You by Kenny & Dolly

Pennies from Heaven from the Elf Soundtrack

Silver Bells by Kenny G

Christmas to Christmas by Lee Greenwood

Joy to the World by Whitney Houston

Christmas to Remember by Kenny & Dolly

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by NSYNC

Blue Christmas by Elvis

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem by Frank Sinatra

Cool Yule by Louis Armstrong

Baby, It's Cold Outside by Idina Menzel featuring Michael Buble

Sleigh Ride by Ella Fitzgerald

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bruce Springsteen

Christmas You and Me by Bryan Mcknight & Vince Gill

This Christmas by Chris Brown

Here Come Santa Claus by Elvis

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by Dean Martin

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve by Harry Connick, Jr.
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Jackson 5
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas by Michael Buble
Holy Night by Mariah Carey
Please Come Home for Christmas by The Eagles

Haha! Just to name a few...

We also love fun & festive Christmas Jam-mies! :) As a kid, we always got to open our Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve (they were the "just one but that's it" present). Then we would pile up and watch Christmas Vacation for the one-millionth-time that season. Never gets old.
Is your house on fi-yah, Clark?

Here are a couple of my favorite Christmas jammies that I'm loving for Juliet this year! I also added a few that could be for boys as well. That Santa-hat-wearing-whale is just too adorable!
Her Christmas pajamas last year from Gap Baby were so sweet!
She lived in them the entire month.
I wish they would bring them back this year so I could buy her another pair!
On another note, I'm trying to teach Juliet how to say Merry Christmas but I'm getting no where. Maybe we'll try Ho! Ho! Ho! instead...

It will be interesting to see what our Santa photo looks like this year.
Probably not like this one...

Month 12

7:52 PM

This completes her first year of monthly documentation. I can still remember getting her dressed and laying her down on her furry rug to take her first month picture... I was so worried about the rug being itchy and scratchy on her sweet baby skin. Now we've gotta think about how to take next years pictures, 'cause this whole "ok, you lay down here and be very still while I snap a picture" has become near to impossible. I usually end up tickling her with my feet while trying to change my shutter speed at the same time. (There needs to be a shutter speed on every camera that is simply entitled, "baby".) Here's a recap of our 12th month!

21 lbs 25 1/4 inches

Yeah, wasn't kidding last month. I told you she like to put things on her head.
Especially socks & blankets. My weird child.

Why do I even bother with the slip cover? This is how is usually ends up. No shame.

She got caught. Actually we stood by and watched her pull out every bag... the girl's persistent.

(I promise I do buy my child toys.)

Watching the political debate. She's more interested than I am, obviously.

I usually let her play in the tub while I do a quick clean sweep of her bedroom before it's lights out. I love hearing her squeal and splash, it makes me all teary-eyed some nights.

And that's not ok, because teary-eyes usually lead to Fritos.

I can't wait to experience a-whole-nother year with you, little girl! With every passing day we are learning more and more about who you truly are and we just continue to fall head over heels. I don't know what I love most about you... the way you get so tickled that you get uncontrollable hiccups or the way you finish your dinner head-first, licking the tray clean like a puppy or the way you wrap your arm around my neck so tight in the mornings and pat my shoulder. You just make my day.

We'll end with some more birthday goodness!

Fall Favorites

10:33 AM

We've still been wearing Halloween pjs over here, (except for Joey). We weren't ready to say goodbye to them just yet. However, I AM THAT person that is blasphemed on social media every year after Halloween. Haha! As soon as November 1st is here, we start planning Christmas details and listening to Christmas music from breakfast 'til dinner. (Well, the whole Christmas music thing happens sporadically throughout the whoooole year. *gasp*) Now listen, I do LOVE Thanksgiving; the food; the family; the parade... but even the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has a huge turkey AND Santa at the end. It's all one big-fat-happy-holiday-family, people... so to speak.

Doesn't this photo just make you giddy?!

This post is full of our Fall favorites. There's something for everyone!

Not only are there items for Mama, baby, & Daddy but also something to spruce up your home for the Holiday guests that I'm sure most of you will have an abundance of this Fall.
(This post is sponsored by Apt2B.)

Use code: SHOPSTYLE7 at Apt2B
for a 7% discount on purchases.

Don't lie... As you hovered over that last one you sang the jingle to yourself, didn't you?!
Now you're going to be singing that all day... you're welcome.

1. // The throw is a great textured piece to pull out every Fall when the mornings start to get brisk outside! I used purple this year in our Fall decorations and I have to say that I'm loving it. It's different from the normal brown tones that you usually see in everyone's homes this time of year. I paired it with yellows like gold and mustard, and I even threw in some light pink and blue to accent it. It's a fun & whimsical take on Fall decorations.

2. // How fun is that awesome tic-tac-toe board? It's perfect on an ottoman or end table for people to play while they wait on those appetizers to come out of the oven on Thanksgiving!

3. // GapBaby has some of the cutest shoes for kids and that is usually where I buy all of Juliet's shoes. However, we've only needed these one pair of suede moccasins, so far! They go with anything and for a baby with marshmallow feet I have to say they go on sooo easily!

4. // We don't just dress up at Halloween. We wear animal ears, crowns, and tutus all year long. (Sometimes all at the same time!) This coral crown for Hanna Andersson is so adorable paired with some sweet little boots and tights! Gotta post a snapshot here from Juliet's one year photo session...

5. // Fall is definitely our season of rain here in Charlotte. A good pair of rain boots are a must! These are so cute and a great price! (I love the yellow pull tab on the back.)

6. // Onto Essie! Frock N' Roll is one of the most popular Fall 2015 nail colors out there and as "cheesy" as that sounds, once you buy it you will be able to tell why. If you like a darker color on your nails for Fall, this one is a win. Wish it came in Piggy Paint.

7. // It's that time of year for ~~chestnut~~ roasting and ~~open~~ fires! (Sorry- I know, Thanksgiving first!) HAHA! These just scream "It's Fall time", and they are so durable! You'll have them every year for your marshmallow-burning-weenie-roasting parties.

8. // And lastly... a hammock. It's not Fall until you've completely humiliated yourself trying to get in a hammock while holding your "drink" and wearing a skirt. String some lights, grab a blanket and your favorite people then relax.

I'll leave you on this note... Food.
It's our go-to for Football days, cold days, & pretty much any-days.

Chili Recipe

Ingredients: one of everything

1 pound mixed ground beef, browned and drained

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 (28 oz) can whole, peeled tomatoes

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 (14.5-oz) can of pinto, black, & kidney beans... all drained and rinsed

1 pkg of chili seasoning mix

Directions:

Brown the meat in a skillet; drain.

Spray a LARGE pot with nonstick spray and heat over med. heat.

Add onion, green pepper; saute (just a little bit)

Stir in tomatoes, spices; cook for 8-10 mins. (until veggies are tender)

Add beans, meat, seasoning; cover for 4 hours.

Amok! Amok! Amok, Amok, Amok!

7:55 PM

Happy Halloween from our little ~~dear~~ deer!

This is simply the best time of year. I love our neighborhood on Halloween night!

We have a ton of trick-or-treaters and it's definitely a night of children frolicking and running amok!

This clip from Hocus Pocus... when

Sarah Jessica Parker gets carried away on "Hallow's Eve" is the best.

We didn't take Juliet from house to house. Instead we sat on our porch and handed out candy.

We had planned on her being a bunny, since that's what Joey calls her mostly, but we had to go with the deer idea because someone threw her bunny ears out of the car in Michael's parking lot Halloween Eve & I didn't realize it until we got home. HA! We're the hot mess express, I tell ya.

Thankfully, we had the mask left over from her party and the "antlers" were a last minute idea while we were on a walk. She was cute nonetheless.

We all slept in until about 10:00... (It was lovely to say the least.) Had cinnamon and sugar waffles cut into witch hats and black cats. Went to Target to buy candy... which is the best time to buy it- btw! Came home. Got ready. Handed out our treats to all the cute Minions, Elsas, Annas, Super Heros, Pirates, Fairies, and Katniss Everdeens.

And afterwards we went to a friends house where they had a fire and smores!