Moving things over.

So after much deliberation I have decided to move my blog from Blogger, to WordPress. I have found that WordPress has many more options while still being free to publish and also read. I do plan on later in 2012, buying my domain through WordPress. That way I can just be a .com, instead of a .wordpress.com.  Pretty exciting things.

WordPress also offers a better reader interface, making it easier for my readers to access the blog. The "Share, like, and follow" buttons are better formatted, and the blog looks great!! Thanks all to WordPress and their free templates.

Please continue to read, and follow along with our journey!! Wordpress has made it so much easier to follow by email, and Rss. Also, please feel free to leave comments!! i love to hear from everyone.

Thanks for making this blog a success. We are at almost 1000 views since October, and that is phenomenal!!
 
Come visit me at http://thewigleys.wordpress.com/

XoXo
-Courtney

My Sweet Home Town.

I have lived in Austin since I was 13 years old. We moved to Cedar Park (just north of Austin) in April of 1997, when I was in 7th grade.  My mom had gotten a new job, and actually moved down a couple of months before my sister and I. We stayed behind with my grandma so my mom could get the house set up, and we could finish out our school year, since she had to move in March, and we would be out of school in May. Well after a month of wanting to know what it was like, I decided that I wanted to move too. That way I had a month to get to know people, and make some friends before the new school year started. I didn't want to be the "New Girl" on the first day of 8th grade.

I have lived here for almost 15 years, and I couldn't imagine growing up anywhere else. We moved from a small town in East Texas called Athens. A town where you know everyone, and they all know your business...sometimes before you do. It is a close knit community, with many Churches and some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. But recently Athens has been in the news. 

Athens is the County Seat of Henderson County, and for as long as I can remember the courthouse lawn has been decorated for many holidays. Easter, Christmas, New Years, and others. Well it seems this year someone has a problem with the Nativity Scene. The same Nativity Scene that has been on display every Christmas since I, or even my Mom for that fact, can remember. Up until now there has NEVER been a problem with this display. No one has complained. It's gone up, gone down, and people have gotten on with their lives.


This year a Malakoff resident decided to complain. This person is an atheist, and contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Wisconsin. They claim that the Nativity Scene is "offensive". WHAT?? Offensive, really?? What's offensive to me is that someone could find negative and hate in something so pure. Something that for many people means a lot. Here is a link to YouTube, and one of the many videos posted on the issue. This particular clip is from Fox News.


I personally think the Nativity Scene should be on display, and I know a lot of people agree with me. Athens residents or not. I say keep the Nativity Scene up. Keep it on display for all to see. People get lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas, and tend to forget the true meaning. The Nativity serves as a reminder. Helps to bring things back into focus. Lets you know that there is something "Bigger" out there, and it's not just about what fancy gifts you get for your loved ones. It's REALLY about the loved ones. I hope you all remember that this year. I know this hoopla in Athens has really helped me to do so. To forget about not being able to buy everyone gifts, or be able to make the perfect cookies. Reminded me just to focus on the time spent with the ones I love!


XoXo
-Courtney

The Joys of Selling Online...

So I have some purses that I don't use at all anymore...and I decided to list them on craigslist. Like the smarty pants I am, I spelled out my phone number so that I wouldn't get spam calls, and then posted a bunch of adds. Yep, I shouldn't have put my phone number at all. Turns out even total dummies can spell. At 1am, I had this amazing conversation with some random dude. 

Yeah. Really. Happened. Who does that?? Well I have removed my phone number, and actually moved my stuff over to the Free EBay Classifieds. Way better, and no phone number, hopefully will result in better responses!! 


What a fun way to kick off the day!! Hooray Tuesday. Hopefully yours is as eventful as mine. 


XoXo
-Courtney

Monkey Christmas 2011

So Monkey Christmas was a total blast this year. Thanks so much to Brandi and Tim for being great hosts as always!! The video was great this year too!! And I'm not just saying that because it was John's first year to be in it!! I also ended up with 2 AWESOME Monkey themed bottles of wine in the white elephant gift exchange.

Woohoo, I can't wait to bust them open!


OK, so now you NEED to watch this years video!! If you want to watch previous years videos first check out Monkey Xmas on the web.  For Monkey Christmas 2011 check out Kung Fu Jackknife. I hope you all like it, and feel free to comment and share with your friends!!! I can't wait until next year!!!


Next up is The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party that my best friend Jen and I are hosting!! I must say that our sweaters are looking pretty fantastic, so I hope everyone else is ready for a new level of Tacky!! I just Love Christmas Party Season!!

The Tree is Up!!

So Jp and I finally got around to putting the tree up on Friday. I decided to just knock it out. Though I am contemplating not putting any ornaments on it. Jp has already made his way into a box, and decided they make better toys than decorations. Plus there are some with glitter, and he is already covered in it from the darn tree skirt!! I am kinda liking the idea of just a tree with traditional white lights! Yep, it's gonna stay that way!! 

 

Jp has stayed right beside and under it since we got it put up. I'm thinking he's a fan!! Presents definitely won't go down until he's asleep on Christmas eve though. I KNOW he will dig right in to those!! 

XoXo

-Courtney

Wordless Wednesday!

Love this little face!!

It's starting to feel like Christmas!

We had an awesome day today. Even though it was freezing and grey outside.  We had a movie day, and just cuddled on the couch, and it was great! I love when he just wants to be lazy too. I haven't been feeling well the past few days. My lymph node is still super swollen, and the last round of antibiotics and steroids didn't help. All they did was make me sick to my stomach. I had a follow up appointment on November 29th, but I cancelled it. The next step in figuring out whats wrong is pretty invasive, so I decided that I want to wait until after the holidays. While it may not be the medically recommended decision, it's my choice. I do not want to spend the next month waiting on test results, and taking meds that make me sick. Not my idea of a fun Christmas.

I dug the tree out of the garage this past weekend, and tonight's the night that I am going to put it up. I am going to wait for Jp to go to bed, and then start the adventure. I want to get at least one picture of all the ornaments on it, before he starts tearing them off. I have a feeling, "No, don't touch that" is going to be said millions of times before Christmas is over. Good thing I bought shatter proof ornaments!! I did get the stocking put up this weekend though!! I just love Jp's little reindeer stocking.

Time to get dinner started for the guys!! Hope everyone had a great Tuesday!!

XoXo
-Courtney

Movember is done!!

Well it was a LONG Movember, but we are done with this great month. My husband grows quite a stache in a month, so here it is!!

This picture makes me laugh uncontrollably for some reason. I love this guy. Unfortunately we are not off to the smooth face just yet, he is growing out the beard again for a movie that he and his friends are making. We have an annual party every year called Monkey Christmas, which always includes an AWESOME comedy video. Our very talented friends Andy, Tim, and Don, write and shoot these shorts, and this is the first year that my hubby will be in one! I can't wait to see it, and I will be posting a link to the video when it's available. In the mean time check out some of the past years at Monkeyxmas.com.

Any hoot, it's time to take the little man outside. We are going to run off some of this energy in hopes that he will crash out early tonight!! 

XoXo

-Courtney

Thanksgiving 2011 is in the books!

What an awesome Thanksgiving we had! My mom drove in from San Antonio to eat with us, and we had a TON of food!

I'm still stuffed!! The $0.28 Ham was a hit, and it turned out fantastic. I added some brown sugar, cracked pepper, and salt to it. Yum! Saturday night we also had our annual "Friends Thanksgiving", at our pals Kyle and Ashley's. I actually bought a second ham the day I found ours, so we took it on over. We also made an amazing creation. Candied yams with the traditional marshmallow topping, but we added a little something extra. BACON!! Yes! It was a total success, and John and Kyle were scraping the mallows and bacon off of the top and just eating that!! We have decided that in the near future we will be doing a iron chef style potluck, secret ingredient.....bacon!!

I have to admit, I put my balcony Christmas lights up a tad early this year. Like as soon as it got dark on Thanksgiving night. I'm totally ready for Christmas. I am scared that Jp will attack the tree though. In fact I KNOW he will! He is a tiny mad man at times, and I know the ornaments will insight some sort of rage in him. He has my strong sense of determination, and when he sees something he wants, he goes for it with reckless abandon. It will be a miracle if we make it through the season without our tree crashing to the ground. But I guess that's all in the fun of being a parent, and it will definitely make for a great photo op! We are going to tackle putting up the tree today, but I will be gradually decorating it, in hopes that I can keep a few ornaments out of little mans hands!

I LOVE Christmas, and I can't wait to get the house all decorated and smelling like pine trees!

XoXo
-Courtney

It's a Thanksgiving Miracle!

Last night I decided it was finally time to bite the bullet, and head to HEB for some last minute Thanksgiving items. Our main course (ham) being one of them. Of course they were out of the ones I wanted, so I started to browse. Holy cow, Hams are expensive! After finding a brand that seemed good, I started looking further back on the shelf. We don't need a huge one since it's just the 3 of us this year. Then I found it! The rare, mislabeled hunk of ham. 

$0.28. Yep. I am stoked. That means that I was able to do Thanksgiving for under $20.00 this year. To me that's amazing. We are having Ham, rolls, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, and a pumpkin roll for desert! Yay for Thanksgiving, and yay for saving some money!!


I hope everyone has a safe and fun filled Thanksgiving!!


XoXo
-Courtney

Dr.'s Appointments for All!!

What a fun filled day we had!!


Today was little mans checkup for his hernia surgery. His super sticky waterproof band aid finally came off in the bath this morning. Yay! When we went in, he was in his super play mode that he usually goes into right before nap time. Our appointment wasn't until 1:20, and that's usually when he is getting ready to go down. Being out during this time is particularly difficult, because he just wants to get into everything, and tends to "rage" as the hubbs and I call it.  Thankfully John used some vacation time today, and was able to go with us. Without his help, I would have been one tired momma!! 


When we got back to the exam room, he tried to push every chair, stool, and even the exam table at one point. He wanted to get to the faucet so bad to play in the water. The boy loves him some water! The physicians assistant, and nurse finally came in to check him over, took one look at the incision, and told us he was A-OK!! John even asked her if they put something in him to make him more hyper!! Seriously, since 6:30pm the day of his surgery, he has been go go go non stop. The boy hardly rests. He has bounced back quicker and stronger than I ever would have thought. I am so relieved that everything went fantastically.


Now on to my trip. I have had a swollen lymph node behind my right ear for about 3 or 4 weeks now. I went to the urgent care clinic on November 4th. After checking me over, and taking some blood, they started me on some antibiotics, gave me something for the pain, and sent me on my way. They even called a couple of days later to tell me that my blood tests had come back normal, so the antibiotics should cure what ever local infection, somewhere inside me that is causing the lymph node to swell. 


I took all 21 of the pills, regularly and on schedule. John even set the 3:45am alarm on his phone, to wake me so I could keep with the cycle. Well, I never saw a change in the size or tenderness of the lump. Nothing. If anything, it's a bit bigger and it hurts worse. The only way I can describe it is, it feels like someone kicked me in the back of my head. It just freaking hurts. I decided after waiting it out for a couple of days, to finally call the clinic where I had been seen. After talking to the doctor again, he refereed me to an E.N.T. specialist. He was concerned that the swelling didn't go down with the medicine, which means whatever is causing it to swell didn't go away. I called and was quickly told to "come in as soon as possible, so we can see if a biopsy needs to be done."  Biopsy. One word I defiantly didn't want to hear. My grandma (Fathers Mother) passed away because of Lymphoma. So when they said biopsy, her situation came to mind. 


I headed in at 4pm, and was quickly registered, and taken back to an exam room. I have to give the Doctors office credit, they were super efficient, and really nice. That's always comforting. After waiting a few minutes in the exam room, Dr. Tamez  came in. He checked my ears, nose and throat, and didn't find any problems. Nothing wrong with my tonsils, or sinuses. No scalp abrasions(commonly found with swollen lymph nodes), or rashes. Nothing. So what's causing the swelling? He doesn't know just yet, but after a thorough examination he is confident that a round of super strong antibiotics, a steroid called prednisone, and Loritab for the pain, will get results. I sure hope so. This is just not the time for me to be sick. With the up coming holidays, and the travel plans we have, I don't want to feel like poo for all of it!! 


So I am going to give it a shot. Hopefully this will work, and I can get back to normal, and plan an awesome Thanksgiving and Christmas for my family!!

Pj Friday!

It's Friday, which means one thing in our house. Pajama Day!!! This is Jp, rockin' his new cars pj set that he got last night. I bought a few others too, so he will have a new one to wear every Friday for a while! Hooray for sales at Target!!

I love pajama Friday, not just because it's comfortable...but it also gives me a chance to get all the laundry done!!

Hope everyone is having a great day!
XoXo
-Courtney

A chance to update

Things have been kinda crazy around here this week. Jp had his hernia surgery on Tuesday morning. Everything went smoothly, and he came out feeling fine. He was given a caudal, which is a shot to numb him from the waist down. So he stayed numb and slept most of the day Tuesday. He tried to walk when we got home around noon, and his little legs buckled under him. So we spent most of the afternoon napping on the couch. He woke up at 6:30 when John got home, rolled off the couch, took a few wobbly steps and then he was back to normal.


It's crazy to me that he could go through this surgery, and then be up and playing like normal. Wednesday he was back 100%. Climbing on things, playing with his toys, and not acting like he is in ANY pain. He is supposed to be getting Motrin every 6 hours and Tylenol every 4, but he hasn't needed any medicine since 6:15 last night. I haven't seen him even wince once in pain, and he is climbing on a chair as I type, so I think he is going to be A-ok!!


He does have some restrictions though. No straddling for 2 weeks, so I had to hide our bouncy zebra and rocking horse in my closet, and not baths, only showers until we go for our followup. We go back for our followup with the surgeon on November 16 and then they will take the super band aid off, and he will be left with just the steri-strips for another week or so, until they fall off on their own.


I was a lot calmer than I thought I would be. My mom was super awesome, and I am so glad she went with me. Having her there helped to keep me calm and collected.


As for how I imagined things would be, it's completely different!! He is healing so much quicker than I thought, and I had no clue that he would be back to normal so soon! Now it's time for him to have his daily sponge bath, and then we are gonna clean the house!!


Thank you to all of our friends and family for the words of encouragement, and well wishes. It is a great feeling knowing that we have such awesome people in our lives who care so much about our little man.


Have a great day everyone!!
XoXo
-Courtney

Getting ready for the week.

So this weekend was a whirlwind. Friday night started off with a trip to Urgent Care for me. I have a swollen lymph node behind my right ear, and it was really killing me. I headed in, and got my flu shot, some super strong antibiotics to kill whatever infection is making is swell, and some pain meds for the awful headache I have. 

After waiting at Walgreens for half an hour I went home and spent the rest of Friday night on the couch. It was restful, except for the fact that Jp woke up after we put him in bed, and he stayed up until 1:30 in the morning.  That coupled with my raging headache made for a very long night. John was on total daddy duty Saturday morning though. As soon as Jp woke up, he came in to our room and scooped him up, and tucked me in and I went right back to sleep. I have to say that he has been absolutely AMAZING while I have been sick. I have to take my antibiotics every 8 hours, which means that I need a 3:45am dose. John sets the alarm on his phone, and then at 3:45 he brings me water and the med, and wakes me up so I can take it. I love that man so much!! 

Saturday night was pretty much the same story with Jpers. He went to bed at a decent time, and then woke up around 11, and stayed up till 1:30 again. Sunday morning John woke super early, so when Jp got up they had father son time, and I got to sleep in. I love my husband so much. He is an even better dad than I could have imagined he would be. I also love that he looks forward to those couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday that he gets alone with his son. That's the most precious thing to me. 

This week is going to be a busy one. John started a new position within his company last week, so since this is his first full week in the new spot, he will not be able to go to Jp's surgery appointment with me. Monday we find out what time the surgery will take place on Tuesday. My mom is going to drive up from San Antonio to come with me since John can't be there. I am sure I will be a mess, so it will be nice to have her there with me. Even though I'm 27 years old, it's still comforting to have my momma there with me. We have grown closer in the past few years, and she is absolutely amazing, and I love her dearly. 

I don't know how long it will take for little man to recover from his surgery. The aftercare instructions they gave me say that he can't have a sit down bath for at least 7 days. This is because of the steri-strips they use to close the incision. So showers it will be for little man!! 

Right now I am just focusing on getting through Tuesday. I am starting to freak out about the anesthesia. I just don't like the idea of him being sedated at this age. That's because I still see him as that tiny 8lb 7oz baby that I held for the first time at the hospital. Plus I'm his mom, it's my job to worry about things like this!! 

I just can't wait for this week to be over. I don't do well with stress. Stress equals sleepless nights, and stomach aches for me, and I hate it. Once this procedure is over, and he is healed, I will be much better. 

XoXo

-Courtney

It's just so funny...

Little man cracked up last night when John was trying to kill a bug that flew in. It required John to use my shoe and jump up to swat at it, and Jp freaked out. He thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen in his life!! I LOVE to hear my little man laugh like this!! Sorry for not holding the camera the right way, but it's still hilarious!!


XoXo
-Courtney

Movember Progress

I am a couple of days behind in our Movember posts, but here is John on Day 3. He is going to shave his face, but his stache is coming along nicely. 

Right now he looks just like he did when he was about 21. It's crazy how he can shave his face and look like a different person.  When he came out of the bathroom after shaving, Jp didn't even recognize him. Jpers just sat on the couch with his hands over his face for about 10 minutes, and wouldn't even look at him. Today is the first day that little man would let John hold him since the shave!! 

I can't wait to see what he looks like at the end of the month! I have a feeling he will look like an 80's cop, or at least someone who sings in a tribute band for a certain group of men. Yay for Movember. Ladies, get your men involved!!

Have a great night!

XoXo

-Courtney

Little man is going under the knife.

We just returned from the pediatric surgeons office, and JP will be having hernia surgery on Tuesday November 8th.

For those of you who don't know, JP had a pretty rough October. It all started with him having a fever. He was a little sluggish, and I just assumed that he had caught my head cold from the previous week. We fought a fever the night of the 15th, and most of the day on the 16th. After putting him in the bathtub and trying to calm him down with a cool bath, I got him out to get him dressed. When I laid him down to put his diaper on, I noticed a HUGE bulge on his right scrotal area. So after having John look at it, I decided to call our nurse line, and after a conversation with her we were told to take him to the emergency room. They feared he could have a scrotal hernia. 

After an evaluation at our local hospital, they decided to put an IV in his arm, and transport us by ambulance to Dell Children's Center. We arrived there, and were taken care of by some of the BEST Doctors and Nurses I have ever met. After an ultrasound, it was determined that he has an Inguinal Hernia. What that means is that the lower intestine slips in and out of a gap left in the muscle tissue, a gap left from when his testicles formed and descended into the scrotum. This isn't life threatening, and is fairly common in little boys. We were referred to a Pediatric Surgeon, and sent home at about midnight on Sunday 10/16.

At 6am we were headed back to the hospital. In the middle of the night, JP started having Strider. That is when they are having trouble breathing, and make this awful noise, like a squeal when they are trying to breathe. When we walked back into the emergency room at Dell Children's, the woman behind the registration desk recognized us, and asked why we were back. We didn't even have to answer that question, because as soon as she heard JP struggling to breathe, she was on her Nurses cell phone, and two women burst through the doors, and whisked him back. I have never been so amazed at the level of care from a Hospital in my life. These people were able to identify the problem, and get him back to a room before we could even fill out the registration forms.

He was diagnosed with Croup. Which is a viral infection in the larynx and windpipe, that causes them to swell and push against each other, and if not noticed soon enough their windpipe can close. It's not as bad a whooping cough (which the infection is in the lungs, and not the throat), but it's still terrifying knowing that my child was struggling to breathe. He was given an oral steroid, and had a couple of breathing treatments, and we were admitted to the hospital for a day.

Since then, he has gotten over the Croup and is having no trouble breathing, but the hernia continues to present itself. So we will go in on Tuesday, and he will be put under to have everything fixed. This is all new territory for me, as he has NEVER even been sick, much less sick enough to be operated on. The Surgeon assured me today, that this is a routine procedure, it only takes about an hour, and then he will be able to go home that same day. Even so, I am terrified about him being put under anesthesia, and I know it will drive me nuts not being able to see him. I'm crying right now, just writing about it, so I know I will be a hot mess on Tuesday. I do trust these people, but being a mom has turned me into a worry wort when it comes to my little man.

Just for my sanity if everyone could keep JP in your prayers that would be amazing. Pray for the surgeon to have a steady accurate hand, and pray that things go smoothly with the anesthesia and operation. I will keep updated on his procedure and recovery here. Thank you to all of my amazing friends and family for being so supportive and focused on our little man. It means the world to us.

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

XoXo
-Courtney

Free Subway? Yes please!!

I don't know about you, but I love getting things for free. Whether it's big or small, new or old, free is fantastic. So imagine my suprise when I went to Subway today. I went because I had a coupon for a buy 1 six inch, get another free. (Notice a free trend yet?!) I go in, and had obviously just gotten there after their lunch rush. Supplies were running low, and the two ladies behind the counter looked like they had just run a mile! I order our sandwiches, BMT for me, and Turkey for John, and a kids Turkey meal for Jp. When the sandwiches are ready, and Aimee(I actually remembered her name!) totals my order, "That'll be $12.58." "Great" I say, and whip out my debit card. I see the look on her face, and it was like I had just told her Santas not real. "We forgot to tell you our debit/credit machine is down." Instantly in my head, I think how awesome it would be to get our lunch for free, but I thought of another option. "I have my checkbook in my purse luckily, I could just write you a check." This is when the other lady behind the counter chimes in. "Is it a local check?" "Yes." I say. I live in Austin, very near to Pflugerville, so I had crossed over in to the Pville City Limits on my quest. "The check has to say Pflugerville on it." She replies.

So at this point, my free radar is going off in my head!I was also thinking about how I really didn't want to have to go to another store and get cash, and make a trip back for some sandwiches that had just been sitting there that whole time. No one likes soggy bread! "Umm..just go ahead and take em." Aimee said. "Really? Are you sure thats ok?" So I wrote down my name and phone number, just for the nice kids sake, incase her bosses wanted to know what the loss was all about. Yay for free lunch!!

So I don't know if anyone else likes this as much as I do, but I always love getting things free. Maybe it all stems from when my Granny( Fathers Mom) would take me dumpster diving. The woman had some great peices in her home that she had rescued from the dumpster and cleaned up. To this day that sticks with me. I'm a part of three local Freecycle groups. I LOVE LOVE LOVE free stuff! If you aren't a part of your local Freecycle group you should totally join. I have received some quality things, and also things we were really needing but just didn't have the budget for. I also have been able to get rid of so much stuff we don't need. All of Jp's clothes that he has outgrown, have gone on to other kiddos to enjoy, and I was able to get some awesome outfits for him too! It's really a great thing, and it keeps all of the stuff out of our landfills!!

Well, it looks like it's time to put Jp down for a nap. He is full of Turkey sandwich and apple slices, and seems to be getting sleepy! Hope everyone has a great day!!

XoXo
-Courtney

Happy Halloween from our little buck hunter!!

Halloween snuck up on us this year. We just plain weren't ready for it. No decorations because the box has magically disappeared in to some Halloween decoration black hole, add Jp being super sick earlier this month, and that equals no Holiday preparedness for the Wigleys. As any typical mom would do, I pulled it together, and created a "Buck Hunter" outfit from what we had...and I have to say my kid looked pretty cute.

Had a little bit of a protest in the last picture, he didn't want to go inside.I was also pleasantly surprised he kept his hat on. He NEVER will wear a hat!! We stayed in our apartment complex, and even though there weren't many houses to visit, it was enough for him!! He has enough candy to pig out on for the next couple of days, so he will be happy. Even though he won't remember this, it was great to make the memories, and have the pictures to show him one day. Tonight, seeing him walk around made me realize how quickly he is growing up. I look back on last Halloween when he was Mickey, and couldn't even walk ...and it makes it think that before I know it, he will be taking his kids trick or treating! Omg, total sad mommy moment! Hah.

It was awesome though, and I can't wait for next year and all the years after. I love moments like these! 

Happy Halloween!
-Courtney

Movember

Ahh, it seems as if Movember is slowly creeping up on us!! Ok yea, as I typed that I realize most of you may not know what movember is. Well...it is a month dedicated to bringing awareness to mens health, specifically prostate cancer, and others that directly affect men. Which I have to say, they themselves usually don't pay much attention to. I know I have to fight John to get him to go to the doctor. He was sick this past week, and all I could get him to take was NyQuil. To me, it seems as though men put themselves on the back burner most times when it comes to regular doctors checkups, and thats something that needs to change.


Movember seeks to bring awareness by having men grow only a moustache for the entire month. My lovely husband John and several of his coworkers will be participating. He told me about this Saturday night. I guess he thought it wouldn't be something I would be fond of, because of the way he sounded suprised when I told him I was on board with him! Starting November 1st, John will say goodbye to his awesome red beard, and for 30 days he will groom and grow his stache to perfection. The money his team raises goes to the Livestrong Foundation which we all know was founded by Lance Armstrong. Livestrong is dedicated to bringing awareness to mens health issues, the biggest being cancer. Best moustache from his group at the end will win a prize...and the Wigleys are going for gold!


After googling Movember, I got lost on google images, and started browsing moustache pictures. Did you know there is an American Moustache Institute or The Handlebar Moustache Club? Yep, I didn't either. I came across a few Super Staches in my research.

This one though is most likely to be what my husband aims for during his Movember. His moustache has a tendency to be a bit patchy, but the ends flare up like that, so i think we can make it work. I am tempted to buy some Vita Beard. I saw the add for it when I was browsing. It seems like maybe it would give him a fuller stache, and thats what we need to end up like that dashing fella in the pic.


Ok so maybe thats cheating, and we won't take the pills, but I think it will be funny to have a husband who looks like Magnum PI this month. He has had the beard now for so long, I tend to forget what his smooth face looks like. I am going to fully support my husband and his Movember team this month. If this is something that your husband and his coworkers don't know about yet, you NEED to tell him. Get them involved, and sign your hubbies up at Us.Movember.com/.  Ladies, I know it will be hard to look at a man with a funny, in between peach fuzz and and news anchor bad stache for a few days, but this is something we should all incourage.


I know I will be right there beside my husband, combing that stache every night, and possibly dosing him up with hair growth vitamins in his sleep!! So starting November 1st, we will say goodbye to our old friend Mr. Red Beard, and hello to the new awesome Stache that will over power all others! Ha, ya think I'm getting a little competitive?!? I will be documenting our Movember Stache Progress each week, and I encourage you to do the same with your husband, and post them so we can all see!


Happy Movember, and good luck!!


Courtney

Pajama Friday

Around our house we get up in the morning, and get dressed. I like for little man to feel a routine to the day. Wake up, diaper change, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth...things like that. Normally this is the start to our day.


However, I am now going to start Pajama Friday!

The morning routine won't change, except for I get to avoid the particularly arduous task of dressing a non cooperative toddler. Which for me is an amazing way to start a Friday. Also, I mean come on! Look at that happy little guy! He is so much happier when he doesn't have to get dressed...and what mom wouldn't want to hang out with a happy guy like him?

I believe having a routine with your baby is very important. I also believe that teaching them to stray once and a while keeps them happy. Why? We as adults stray from our routines too. You know you look forward to those days when you call in to work randomly, with no "real" reason other than just needing a day to compose your sanity with rest, relaxation and...PAJAMAS!! See, it translates in to adulthood as well!! We all love a pajama day!!

Therefore, I hereby declare that Fridays in the Wigley House are and will always be Pajama Day!!

Because, if I can get a smile like the one in the picture everyday, then I know that I am doing my job right. Keeping Jp happy and safe is my task in life now. And if all it takes is a whole day in monkey pajamas, then I will gladly give it to him.

Keep an eye out for our Pajama Friday posts. I can not wait to buy new jammies for him to show off here!!

XoXo

Courtney

Motherhood

Motherhood can make you feel a lot of things. Joy, fear, bliss, proud, frazzled, and a whole lot of other emotions. But the biggest feeling I have is rushed.  I feel rushed to get the laudry done, rushed to get dishes put away, and dinner cooked. Why, you ask. Well it's not because of our fast paced lifestyle or anything(Haha, we are far from fast paced around here!), it is because I have a toddler who gets into anything I am doing. ANYTHING. If there is laundry to be folded in a basket, he thinks it should be on the floor. Because "Duh Mom, laundry baskets are for playing in!" Dishes, oh dishes! Thats an adventure. The silverware basket has to be first out or else every spoon and spatula I own will be used as a sword! He freekin loves them. So much so, that I went through his toys yesterday and discovered 4, yep FOUR, of my spatulas in there. Who does that?!?

Out of all the things I have to race to get done around here, I never thought using the bathroom would be one of them. Never. I will sneak away at a moment when I don't think he will notice me missing, and then find myself counting the seconds until I hear him walk in our bedroom and slam the door! Then this super cute smiling baby rounds the corner, and shuts us in the bathroom together. Just so he can get to the shelf behind the door. It's super fun to pull all the sheets, towels, and wash rags off onto the floor, and then try to climb the shelves like a monkey. All while mommy just needed 2 minutes to tinkle, but she couldn't get it done before you noticed where she was!! On the rare occasion I am able to make it out before he notices I feel a mild sense of accomplishment over him! "Hahah Sgt. Stinky Pants, I beat you this time!"

I guess you could say it's the little things that get a mommy through her day. I just never thought going to the bathroom alone would be my favorite little thing.

XoXo
Courtney

This is why we can't have anything nice...

My son is tall. Tall enough to reach most anything he wants on our kitchen counter. "Oh, you put the remote up there? Yep, I'll just grab it." 99.9999% of the time, I catch him in time. But there are moments when I can't make it back from the bathroom quick enough. Then I hear a lid popping off of my drink (a drink that was safely up on the counter when I left, mind you), and tiny hands digging into a cup full of ice. Or I walk back in to discover this...

What once was a decicious iced cup of Sunny D is now a place where a toddlers lunch goes to die! Thats a turkey sandwich and goldfish if you can't tell. Yuck. Oh the joys of having a toddler. It's little things like this that are so gross, but they crack me up and make me cherish being a mommy!!

Now hopefully we can make it the rest of the day without anymore food in moms drinks!

XoXo

Courtney

Finding our Paradise Falls.

Balance is a very important aspect of having and keeping a happy family. Finding that balance however, can be difficult. For myself, I find balance in happiness. Balance in knowing that my dreams are possible. A new form of happiness has come from our Paradise Falls jar. Yep, thats right. We took a cue from UP, and started our own.

This jar is full of more than just pocket change. It's full of dreams. Dreams of a vacation, a down payment on our own home, or even just a night out for the hubby and I. Our Paradise Falls is anywhere the money in this jar will take us. Finding that Paradise is the adventure. I know this jar will take a while to fill, and there might be some hiccupps along the way, but we will fill this jar. We will fill it with change, that one day will go towards something great.

I can only hope to have a long happy romance like Carl and Ellie. To know that my husband loves me enough, to still travel half way around the world when I'm gone. Just because it was my dream. I would love to use our jar as our kickstart to Rome, and John wants to go to Japan, and I know that one day we will do those things. This glass jar is our motivation, and our starting point. Maybe, our Paradise Falls is ever evolving. Changing every day. Or maybe, just maybe, I have already found it. I mean I am married to my one and only love, and have the most fantastic child a mother could ever hope for. The happiness and pocket change in the jar are just the icing on the cake.

-Courtney

Documenting the future.

This is my first blog!! This is my attempt to better document the fun times of staying home with my son. He is 21 months old now, and quite a character, and I feel his antics should be out there! Eventually I would like this blog to be a place for parents come to find info on products I review, share opinions, recipies, and just a place for me to post about my day to day adventures.  


A little about me. My name is Courtney and I am married to my best friend John!!

We have been together since May 23, 2003. Yep, I married my high school sweet heart...granted he had already graduated before we met, but I was still in school. So it counts!! We met through a mutual friend, and from that first night I knew he would be the one. I just had to clue him in on that!! So after a few dates and some (now infamous) lying about making mashed potatoes, we were a couple!!  Six years later, we were married, and soon had our son.

This picture sums up everything I love about my husband. That little guy in his arms is our son. John P. Wigley, born on February 8, 2010. He weighed in at 8lb 7oz, and was 21.75 inches long.

As soon as they picked him up off the weigh table, he snatched hold of one of the cords, and I hear this thunk!! I scream (from the c-section operating table) DID YOU JUST DROP MY BABY!! Nope, no babies were dropped, but the nurse grabbed our camera, and snapped this pic. She said babies hardly ever grab onto things so quick and tight that soon after birth. He was only about 4 minutes old!!

My how John has grown from that day. We call him Jp. Also, Jpers, pumpkin butt, little love, Mr. Wigley, and a whooooole lot of other nicknames. My readers will see a few written here! I will actually be suprised if he grows up not thinking his name is Sgt. Stinky Pants. (Which is for good reason.)  I never knew I could love one tiny person so much. Getting up in the morning is fun, because I always wonder what crazy thing he is going to do today. He has a huge personality, and I see my husband in him so much. From the little looks he gives me when eating lunch, to the way he smiles at me before he falls asleep on my lap. From sun up to sun down, this little guy rules the roost!! Which...we are working on..but those looks are killer, and I tend to give in to him.

We have some new adventures coming up that I hope to document here. Jp is 21 months, and we are about to start potty training. A new fad in our home is a baby that takes his diapers off and runs around. Thus, I am taking this as a clue that he would like to learn how to use the potty. I have done some research, and think I have found some ways to make the process more "fun" for him. His second birthday will be in February, so I will be exploring that process here, and documenting all that fun!!

Keep reading, it should be an adventure!!

XoXo
Courtney