I'm such a slacker......Blogging is always on my to do list, it just never gets crossed off.

So- let's see, what to catch you up on.  A few weekends ago I went home to the parents house.  I went to Jessica Toland's shower, it was a lot of fun to see friends from highschool.....she got lot of great stuff, and the blue punch was my faviorate :)

Here is a pic: (taken from her Blog)

Gabe had a cold and an ear infection while we there, and then managed to catch a stomach virus at daycare on monday.  My brother was on spring break so he came and kept Gabe for two days which resulted in him getting the stomach virus.  Adam ended up going to the ER for dehydration. I feel so bad!  I don't think he will be babysitting for me anymore.  Gabe took half of my family members out in about 2 days. ha


Gabe was better within a few days, and Saturday, my friend Ty and I went to Oak Mountain State Park to hang out and take pics of Gabe- You can view these Here.  Gabe did really well, and I think he enjoys being outside. 
Sunday afternoon I received a text from Ty informing me he has a stomach virus- Gabe has struck again.
How have I not gotten this?  By the grace of God, that's how. :)

Monday, I went over to my friend Brooke and Amanda's house to watch Dancing with the Stars.  I didn't really pay attention much, and we ended up just catching up instead.
And Guess what?  Everyone that was there ended up getting sick within two days. 
I feel horrible- Apparently Adam, Ty, Brooke, Amanda, and Drew were on Gabe's hit list.

Hopefully everything has settled.  Surely he is still not contagious after 2 weeks.....


Yesterday (Saturday), Holley invited me to a carnival her church had put together.  It was a gorgeous day and a lot of fun.  They had pony rides, face painting, easter egg hunts, inflatable jump playgrounds (whatever you call those) and a lot of other activities.  Here are a few pics from the day......

Rock the Boat

He found two eggs!

Showing them off

 

                                           

We then all went to Zoe's for a late lunch.  It was a great day! 


Bonus pics:  Here is a typical night with Gabe eating supper..........

ehh, I made a mess.

This weekend went by way too fast, but I loved the weather. Can I please pack up my bulky winter coats? James Spann? Hopefully so.
Friday night Gabe and I went to dinner with my friend Holley. We ate at Johnny Carino's and it amazes me how much Gabe can eat. I had already fed him dinner before we left, yet he still wanted to delight in my pasta.
Saturday I met with two friends to go over details in planning an upcoming wedding shower for our dear friend Laura Beth (LB). I am looking forward to this, and it's nice to break out my party planning skills. ha

Saturday afternoon, Gabe and I met Brooke and one of her friend's at the Exceptional Foundation for The Chili Cook Off. It was way crowded. I was a bit overwhelmed, and felt out of place. I promise I have seen all of those faces at Innisfree back in the day. And the girls were so dressed up. I'm like you are in a parking lot to eat chili...why are you wearing high heels? I hope I was never like that (although I probably was)....I am glad I am passed that stage. Move on, people.

After I wove Gabe's stroller in and out of the crowd, tried one super spicy chili recipe, and had a hotdog, we walked over to the park (Homewood Park). Brooke pushed Gabe in the baby swing- Gabe didn't look too enthused. ha He's very indifferent about a lot of things. I am interested to see how this will play out in his personality when he is older. It was a great day to be out and about and enjoy the weather.

Gabe was due for a nap, so we left, I rented two movies (Couples Retreat and The Time Traveler's Wife) and we went home.

Sunday was my bday....Here is a pic from my birthday last year....

Wow- that puts things in perspective huh? I am not a big birthday person, Gabe was out with his dad for a few hours, so I enjoyed a nice grocery shopping trip on my own. My friend Ty made me a strawberry cake....so I will look forward to eating the whole thing over the next few days. I am glad to be a year older. Everyone thinks I am younger than I am, and that bothers me....I have had several people make comments to me over the past few months....and I want to be like- Be quiet! I am 25! Maybe this is something I will apprectiate when I am older, but for now, I prefer to look my age.

Gabe's debut......

Untitled from Alison Holmes on Vimeo.

This will be a short post.  I have so many things I want to blog about, but there are not enough hours in the day.  Gabe and I had a great weekend.  He is so playful now.  Today he is 10 months. :)

Here is a pic of him at Target.  He enjoyed steering the buggy around the store.  (sun in his eyes)

Here's a recent pic from bath time....

And just a cute pic of him smiling

I will try to post again soon and write more-

Snow!

So, of course I have to do a post about the Snow....what kind of Alabamian would I be if I didn't?

Friday I was sitting at work anxiously awaiting the snow fall.....around 10:00 the pretty white flakes were falling.  By 12:00 I was out the door, due to "potentially icy roads"  I was planning on going home to Alex City, so I rushed home, loaded the car, and picked up Gabe, and off we went.  Traffic was pretty heavy, as I think most everyone was headed home after a half day.  I finally made it home, taking pictures all along the way....

Entrance to where I live-

Elkahatchee Road: (yes, that's the name of the road)

Parent's Driveway:

Now, onto the best part.....Gabe's first snow-  It didn't seem to phase him much.  He treated as anything else....thinking  "hmm, Can I eat this?"

The rest of the weekend I spent resting, baking, and loading pics onto my computer. 

I made Cindy's suggestion of oreo truffles- so good.

1pkg of Double Stuffed Oreos- (crumbled)
1 8oz cream cheese
(Mix together)

Roll into balls- refrigerate overnight

Then- melt chocolate, dip, and drop onto wax paper.....

Yummy!

I also made- Cake balls-

Bake a box cake- whatever kind you would like (I did German Chocolate)

Let cook- then crumble, stir in appropriate icing, roll into balls, refrigerate for an hour or so, then drop into melted chocolate.

These are my favorite!


If you would like to view a million more pics of our Snow Day click the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/aleeholmes/February2010

Yogurt Mountain

Ty's= Vanilla Yogurt, Peanut Butter Yogurt, Resee Pieces, Butterfinger, and Hot Fudge

Alison's= Vanilla Yogurt, Chocolate Yogurt, Rainbow Sprinkles, Whoppers crumbles, and Caramel Sauce

Sweet tooth?  Be sure to check out Yogurt Mountain.  It's located in the shopping center next to Whole Foods, quiet the experience I must say.   It is a really neat concept.  One wall is lined with an assortment of frozen yogurt dispensers (some of the flavors include: vanilla, chocolate, cake batter, bubblegum, cheesecake, rootbeer float, mint, mocha, pomegranate, cheesecake, and more!).  You grab a cup and fill in whatever you would like. (pay by the ounce) On the other side of the wall is a long table of every topping you can possibly think of.  Here is a list of the toppings: 

Almonds                                                          

Animal Crackers                               Bananas                                           
Butterfinger                                       Blackberries                                     
Cherries                                            Blueberries                                       
Chocolate Sprinkles                          Cantelope                                         
Cinnamon Toast Crunch                    Cheesecake bits                               
Cocoa Pebbles                                 Chocolate Covered Raisens
Coconut Flakes                                Cookie Dough Bits
Crushed Graham Cracker                  Fudge Brownies
Dark Chocolate Chips                       Honey Dew
Fat Free Granola                               Kiwi
Fruity Pebbles                                   Mango
Golden Grahams                               Mini Cinnabons
Heath Bar                                         Mochi
Honey Almond Granola                     Peaches
Kit Kat                                              Pineapple
Lucky Charms                                   Raspberry
Mini Carmel Cups                              Snickers
Milk Chocolate Chips                        Strawberry
Mini Gummy Bears                            Hot Fudge Sauce
Mini M&M's                                     Caramel Sauce
Mini Reese's Pieces                           Marshmellow Cream
Mini Swedish Fish                              Honey
Oreo Cookies                                    Butterscotch
Peanuts                                                   
Pecans
Pop Tarts (strawberry and blueberry)
Pretzels
Rainbow Sprinkles
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Sour Patch Kids
Trail Mix
Twix
Vanilla Wafers
Walnuts
Whoppers



Whoa! Right?  I mean how are you to decide.  I didn't want to overwhelm my tastebuds, so I chose vanilla and chocolate yogurt with rainbow sprinkles, whoppers, and caramel sauce.  I will definitley have to go back to experiment different combinations.

Gabe Clapping

Monday nights I watch The Bachelor with a group of friends.  Brooke took this with her camera and this is my friend Ashley playing with Gabe.

He entertains us during commercials!

Clapping! from Alison Holmes on Vimeo.

New Ketchup Packet

I am one of those people that has to have ketchup with their fries, I just can't eat them without it.  So, if I am in a situation where I have to eat in my car, I don't even order fries, because there is no where to put the ketchup. Very frustrating.  I have seen people squeeze a line of ketchup on each individual fry, but I am not that coordinated. 

Behold the new ketchup packet............

The new ketchup pack, unveiled Thursday by H.J. Heinz Co., is shaped like a shallow cup. The top can be peeled back for dipping, or the end can be torn off for squeezing. It holds three times as much ketchup as a traditional packet.

Heinz is rolling out the new packs this fall at select fast-food restaurants nationwide.  They will be more expensive, so we will have to see if they sale.  I will be looking forward to testing these out!

Hanging out in the High Chair

I have FINALLY decided on a name for my blog- It's You and Me Kid......
So- soon I hope to have a new header and might change the look of the blog- not sure yet.  Stay Tuned!

I had to post this.  Password: sheep


Hanging out in the Highchair from Alison Holmes on Vimeo.

Under the Big Top

Gabe and I went to the circus this past Thursday.  My friend Erin and her family invited us along and we all had a blast.  Gabe was amazed.  He did really well.  All the colors, noise, and different activities going on in the ring had him glued.  Here are some pics.....

Click on the image to enlarge:

The elephants were my favorite!

I purchased a 10 dollar bag of cotten candy...crazy I know, but thankfully it came with this fun yellow foam hat.  Gabe and Taylor loved these hats.....As you can see below:

Happy 9 months to Gabe!

Here are some pics from our trip to Zoolight Safari right after Christmas........................... (I have been meaning to post these for a while now)

Of course we had to get a picture with the sheep

Tonight we are heading to the Circus- perhaps he can ride a real elephant......

The past few months I have been on the look out for a shopping cart cover.  Now- I can assure you I had no clue what these were before I had Gabe.  But, oh are they a necessity.  I mean....think how many people touch the handles of a shopping cart every day.  Gross, right?  So, I don't want my little man touching these, or knowing Gabe...gnawing on them.  
Babies R Us sales these for close to 60 dollars- way to much for a piece of fabric.  I searched the internet high and low and came across this one for 28.00 and free shipping!  The brand is "begermfree".
Doesn't he look cute? 

Here is Sweet Taylor in her shopping cart cover

Gabe and I got this for Christmas- a much needed toy chest.  Dad stained it to match the furniture.  I love it!

I am keeping it in the living room, since this is where we spend most of our time.

About to head to Church- Gabe's outfit is Cindy's Christmas gift to him- handsome isn't he?

My friend Erin and I ran errands last weekend.  We stopped at O'Charley's to eat.  I ordered Gabe a kid's meal- I got really excited about this :)  Mac and Cheese and Steamed Broccoli.  He was chowing down.  Then he was getting restless, so I put a yeast roll in front of him- He was in heaven.

*Also notice- shopping cart cover can be used for high chairs :)

awwwww

Taylor is so danty....she picks up her puffs with two fingers- so lady like.

Gabe goes all in- such a boy.

Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Except in my case, "Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Week" would be more appropriate.

 I am all out of sorts this week. I am ready for next Monday to be here so I can start anew.

Gabe has had a horrible cough- sounds like an old man...it has progressively gotten worse, so I decided to call the doc Wednesday morning to ask about it. They wanted me to bring him in, so now I am back to giving him breathing treatments and he was prescribed a Rx. I am hoping this doesn't mean he is going to have asthma. :(

Tuesday night, I didn't even have time to eat dinner, Wednesday was the doctor, I finally got to work around 1:30, and then on the way home I managed to get a flat tire. I was stuck in traffic for an hour on 65 in the rain with no other option but to drive on the flat.  I made it to the tire place near Gabe's daycare, and of course they were closed. I left the car there, WALKED to Gabe's daycare, and one of the workers drove us home. I mean....really?

So- Dad kindly drove into town to take me to work Thursday morning and deal with my car. Could Friday 5:00 get here any faster? I think not.

Mini Me

Here is a pic of me as a tot next to Gabe-  I didn't think we had the same nose, but I believe we do.  Everything looks the same except eyebrows, and I have darker eyes and hair......I apologize for my awful haircut- courtesy of Mom and Dad

A few pics I've been wanting to post-

I found an internet connection in the far corner of my dining room.  Yay- so here come the pics!

I decided to make mini red velvet cakes- Homemade of course.  Aren't they pretty?  This is when I wish I had a fancy camera...one day. Gabe enjoyed these as well.

My friend bought these shoes for her little girl.  These are so stinkin cute- very Suri Cruise.  I don't know what I would do if I had a girl....girl stuff overwhelms me.

Cute outfit huh?

                                                                 

Just practicing my walking......

Oh, how I miss blogging.  I just can't decide if paying 20 dollars a month or more for internet is in my budget.  Man, I wish I knew my neighbors password. hmmm.

I am officially counting Gabe's first word as "Momma".  He now says "Ju Ju" referring to Mrs. Julia at his daycare, so I will not have that be his first word.  :) ha.
Each morning when I drop him off, he starts reaching for her as we walk in the door.  I feel like he thinks I am just the girl that keeps him at night and on the weekends. :(

Nothing too exciting is going on right now.  My cable was out for about 2 weeks, so I caught up on a lot of movies, and now have a new obsession, The Office.  Best Show Ever.  I love Jim and Pam, and Dwight cracks me up.  I have watched through Season 4 in a weekend.

This is Dwight with his Calculator in Jello- I wish my office did pranks like this.

Monday nights- A group of friends and I get together to eat dinner and watch The Bachelor.  It gets more and more cheesy every year- yet I keep watching.  It seems more scripted this season, but I am still pretending it's real.  Last night, some drama went down- and one of the girls was kicked off the show for having an "inappropriate relationship" with one of the production crew.  Classy huh?

I am so ready for warm weather.  Can't wait to see what the Ground hog has to say about Spring.

Gabe had his tubes put in on Friday morning.  I was there at 5:45 am, and we left around 8:15am.  He was super cranky for about 10 minutes coming off the anesthesia, but then all was well.  By that afternoon he was all over the place playing and babbling.  He is trying to stand on his own now- it's really cute.

I've been fairly busy at work getting details together for an upcoming training week in Houston.  I am just coordinating, but will possibly have to go.  I don't want to leave Gabe for that long :(

I am also busy with coordinating travel for 70 bankers plus one guest to The Bellagio in Vegas coming up in April.  This is known as, The Pinnacle Club Reward Conference.  Overall, 800 people will be traveling to Vegas from all over our foot print.  This, I wish I could go to.  Maybe next year......

I hope to post some pictures of Gabe soon.  I am typing this at work, so I don't have many updated pics on this computer.  Hope everyone had a great New Year's!