The first SNOW!

I couldn't believe it when we woke up to snow this morning. Granted - it was just flurries - but still it was snow. Babe & Pops left this morning (I may cry) - so we went outside in our jammies to take one final picture. Can you see the snow? Crawford was so excited.

Bye-bye Babe & Pops - we'll miss you! Christmas will be here before we know it. Thanks for all of the help!

Catching flakes in his hand. He was screaming SNOW!

He was so mad at me when we had to come back inside.Crawford wanted to wear his snow gear all day long. Aren't the snow boots adorable! Thanks Allison and Garon!

Conlee on the other hand didn't care too much about the snow :)

A few of my favorite things!

I am a HUGE brand person. Lovemarks was written about me - I am brand loyal. This morning, I was telling Amanda about my new favorite product - which gave me the idea to share with you my top 3 favorite things from this week:

1. Desitin Clear (and the Johnson & Johnson 1-800 line): We had our first "fight" between Crawford and Conlee, and as you can imagine - Crawford won. Conlee was left with a huge scrape on her head that bled (for a long time). In Crawford's defense -the "attack" was spurred by his best friend playing with Conlee. Can we say he is a little jealous? Anyway, I wanted to put Neosporin on it - but I didn't know if you could use it on newborns.

There was a 1-800 number so I called it (not with the greatest of expectations). The guy on the line was so polite and so nice. He said that J&J recos you consult with a doctor before using Neosporin on anyone under the age of 2. But, he did give me an alternate product - Desitin Clear. Of course - I sent Bo to Walgreen's at 9:00 at night to pick some up. It is a MIRACLE product. You can use it on chapped cheeks, diaper rash and minor scrapes and burns. As you can see from the pic of Conlee - the evidence of the attack is almost gone (no scaring - thank GOD)!

2. Crayola Bath Tub Markers (o.k. - anything Crayola): Crawford has always loved bath time - but thanks to a recent "impulse" purchase - he now almost begs to take a bath. We tell him it's time for bath - and he screams "bubbles and colors" and races to his bathroom. I picked up the Crayola bath markers - and he loves them. I only wish I could have gotten a good picture of the inside of the tub. My little Picasso at work.

I don't know how my mom survived us as toddlers without the Crayola line of "washable" crayons and markers. The markers that only mark on the special coloring books are amazing - and crayons that wipe off of tables and walls are priceless (and have kept Crawford from spending the majority of his time in time-out). I am a complete believer that I will be able to nurse Conlee for a while - thanks to Crayola keeping my little guy busy.

3. Hand print Christmas ornaments: Two of my most treasured objects are the hand print ornaments from Crawford and Conlee's first Christmases (Crawford on the left; Conlee on the right). Whoever came up with this is a genius. And to think - I saw at least 6 versions of the same ornament with a WIDE variety in price range. I went for the $14 version for Conlee and it worked great. It took us two attempts for me to get her little hand to open flat - but the kit made it easy to "fix" our mess up! I can't wait to look at these 20 years from now.

Happy Turkey Day!

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. It really was the perfect day in our house. We started the day watching the parade and "coloring" (Crawford's term for any art project). Babe and Pops came over in the early afternoon and we fried the turkey. How lucky that the weather was perfect. Most of the day was spent outside. We went to Sue-Sue and J-J's for a wonderful dinner.

We have so much to be thankful for this year! Happy Thanksgiving!

Crawford "worked" in the yard while Pops and Bo fried the turkey.
The McCain side of the family. You know the Garmon's - no way I was getting them to pose for a picture!

Lu-Lu was a sport and was up for pictures with Conlee and Crawford.This morning we started the "fun" of decorating for Christmas. Crawford is LOVING it. Here's a picture of him and Babe unpacking all of the Santa's that go on the mantle. When they'd finish unpacking a box he would start screaming and signing "more-more" (the only sign language that he still uses from when we was little).

Tis the Season!

The Holidays got started early at the Garmon household. Bo took off work today and we made a day of it. Babe and Sue-Sue cooked all day to get all of our 19 dishes ready for tomorrow - yes 19 dishes. We took Crawford to see Santa and we went to the Square to enjoy the lights. I already have Christmas carols dialed in on my car radio.

Happy Thanksgiving and here's to the start of a very Merry Christmas. I know we have lots to be merry about in our home!

Bo and I both got a workout in this morning (my first since Conlee - I'll be sore). Here's a rare shot of Crawford and Conlee together.

Crawford LOVED Santa. He was yelling at the Christmas trees and started clapping when Santa walked up. He walked straight up and put his arms up to sit on his lap. The first thing he said was "choo-choo" (which is his way of telling Santa what he wants for Christmas). Here he is saying "cheese" for the camera. Only problem was that he wanted Santa to see his smile - not the camera.
We went to the Square tonight to enjoy the lights. Who would have thought it would be 55 degrees and we wouldn't need a coat? I was so excited because Conlee got to get out of the bundle-me and pose for a few pics!
Can I tell you how hopped up on sugar my kid is tonight? He had Skittles at the mall while we waited on Santa to get off of break. Then Babe buys cotton-candy and he eats almost all of it!

I think ponies may need to make an appearance at the 2nd birthday party! He loved them so much he rode twice - and cried because we wouldn't let him ride again.

Babe, Sue-Sue and Crawford taking in the lights.

Heavy Weight

Thought I should show you all what a 6.1 1/2 oz. baby looks like! That's what Conlee weighed this morning. Tomorrow is her 2 week birthday and the doctors told us she would be doing great if she was back to her birth weight by then (5.12 oz.). Looks like I have a little over achiever on my hands. Wonder where she gets that from?

A big THANK YOU to Kyle and Amanda for investing in the infant scale!

Some of you may remember that Crawford sucked his fingers for the first 8 months of his life. Looks like this might run in the genes. Conlee found her fingers yesterday - but today she's preferring the top of her hand.

Watching football with dad!

I came in yesterday afternoon to find this on the couch. I almost started crying on the spot. My little girl with her daddy - adorable! Notice how Bo's wedding ring could fit on her thigh.

My Monkey

This morning things were very quiet in the house - too quiet. This is where I found Crawford. He is such a climber. Luckily he is still a little too scared to let go with both hands - so Conlee is safe...for now!

Hair cut (attempted)

Before yesterday's family photo shoot - I desperately wanted Crawford to get a haircut. Since he hasn't really had any hair to speak of until the past month - this would only be our second cut. Sue-Sue is our resident "stylist" and she did a great job with the first hair cut. So, she came over Thursday night for our second cut.

As you can see - it didn't go so well. All Crawford could say was, "Scissorrrsss - hurt." I can only assume they are using scissors at school and teaching the kids that they could hurt them. Good lesson in safety - but not so good for the hair cut. At least from the front his hair is not on his ears anymore. The back is another story - a little jagged to say the least.

Please notice the M&M's in front of him and the "cool cape" - both intended to make this a fun experience!

I survived!

Yesterday was a day I was somewhat dreading since the day I found out I was pregnant - I was home alone with both Conlee and Crawford. Now as their mom - I know I shouldn't be scared of them - but I'll admit that I was!

Turned out I had it way wrong. Crawford was such good boy. Now there were tons of messes to clean up (as I locked him in the room with me each time I nursed to keep him from climbing the walls) but that was no big deal. We read books to Conlee; showed her all of our trucks and dinosaurs; and showed her every single toy that is "hers."

I wanted Bo to capture how sweet they were together. But as you'll see below - instead it kind of looks like Crawford is smothering Conlee. I swear this was him being sweet and hugging her.

Splish, Splash

We gave Conlee her first bath today. Turns out she's not yet a fan of the water! Despite the terrible faces - she really didn't cry. She just whimpers (and no I am not complaining).

All clean and smelling delicious. Her hair got all puffy - adorable!

Good things come in tiny packages!

I wanted to preserve the memories of just how tiny Conlee is right now (for the record she weighed 5.7 1/2 oz this morning so we are re-gaining weight which is a very good thing). So, I put her next to some ordinary household objects to get some perspective.

And for all of those who are wondering - no there is no photo next to a loaf of bread because of course I don't have a loaf of bread in the house!

shoe box

cereal box

apple

quarter

remote control


Just her perfect self.


And no, I don't particularly care for the appliqued bear motif - but when you are shopping preemies at WM and Target - your choices are limited :)