Getting Haley prepared for Christmas 2011

Christmas this year has been soooo much fun already. Haley is more excited than I could have ever imagined and that makes me one happy momma. She loves watching all of the Christmas movies on TV and her favorites are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and The Polar Express. Thank goodness for DVR. We watch one of these three almost everyday. I absolutely love The Polar Express and was shocked to see Haley enjoy it so much. She also loves hot (well luke warm) chocolate, you can't watch a holiday movie without some. 

She gets sooo excited anytime she sees a nativity scene, she loves to point out the mommy, daddy, and baby Jesus. She almost always gives the baby a kiss too which warms my heart. I am hoping that as she gets a better understanding of her own birthday and what that means that she will better understand the books we are reading to her at night explaining that Christmas is really all about Jesus' Birthday. She also gets excited to see a Santa Claus on TV. Even though she doesn't really understand what Santa does. I think we may take her for a visit to the big guy next week and see how she does.

Haley Turns 2!!!

Before I get all into Christmas here at the Dickerson household I want to post about Haley's second birthday.

I cannot begin to explain how fast the last two years have passed for me. It feels like last week I was sitting at my desk in the Human Resources office of a local community college waiting for Haley's arrival. Knowing that I had another two weeks until my due date. Of course she had other plans and I couldn't have been more pleased. Jason and I still talk today about the "Oh crap!" moment when you realize the hospital is going to send you home with this little breathing human and they trust you will keep it alive. She has really been the light of our lives over the past two years and the reason we strive to be better people ourselves.

For Haley's birthday this year, first thing in the morning was her 2-year well check-up at the doctor and a few more shots. Haley always does great at the doctor's office and we have been very fortunate that we have not had to take her in for any sick visits yet. After that her Nana and I took her to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast and a little play time. She always gets excited when we pull into their parking lot because she knows she will get to "Eat, and play....woo-woo-woo!". We did a very little bit of shopping and running errands before heading home and getting ready for her party.

We don't do big birthday parties around here. We invited the grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles over for dinner, cake, and ice cream. Haley gets a lot of hand me downs  from her cousin Olivia, so she already has everything she could ever want and then some. So giving ideas for her birthday and Christmas this year has been really hard, but we ended up with some great birthday gifts. I am so thankful for everyone coming to spend this evening with Haley and she has absolutely loved opening and playing with all the gifts this year. Jason and I have spent the past week playing basketball, having tea parties, picnics, reading books, and outside sliding. And I don't think we have had so much fun!! Happy 2nd Birthday Haley!!

My favorite time of year!

I know I haven't blogged in forever but I am going to try to document just how much fun we are having with Haley this Holiday season. I have so much to give updates on and hope over the next few days I can touch on most of those events.

Christmas is here!! Haley is at such a great age and this year has already been more fun than I ever could have imagined. She has fallen in love with some of my favorite movies of the season including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Polar Express. We are trying to teach her about all aspects of Christmas. Both Santa Clause and Jesus' Birth. We plan on taking her to see Santa in the coming weeks and she has already been a huge help to mommy as I wrap gifts and make bows. She acts so interested in everything that is going on. We are so blessed!!

Kitchen Remodel Complete!

After a few months of research, a little money, and two weeks of hard work Jason and I have finally finished work on our kitchen.

Kitchen Before.

Kitchen After.

Tile detail and a little better look at the countertops.

We have  spent the last two weeks painting our cabinets, painting our countertops, painting hardware, replacing the molding on top of the cabinets, and installed a tile backsplash. All of this for less than $500. Being a stay at home mom; a family living on a teacher's salary, I think we are very blessed in so many ways and I feel very blessed that we were able to complete this project and the huge difference it has made to our kitchen. I had always wanted to do something with our kitchen since we moved in but wasn't sure where to even start. After I had Haley and was home all the time I really started looking into our options on our limited budget. I have been kidding with Jason that stainless steel appliances would really bring the whole thing together. and he always remarks with, "That will be the first thing I tell the next owners of this house when ever we decide to leave." Ha, he is so funny.

Oh, what have I done!

Well I finally did it! I have convinced Jason to agree to, and help me paint not only our kitchen cabinets but the laminate countertops. (I am both excited and scared. I really hope it all works out.) I love the layout of our house. I love the large living room, and the fact that it is completely open to the kitchen area. I have never been a huge fan of the cabinets or countertops, but didn't know exactly what I could do with them either. We have never seriously considered replacing them because they are still very functional, and we wouldn't want to rearrange the kitchen so we are just trying to work with what we've got.

We are day three into this process and so far we still have a huge mess on our hands. I am hoping to complete the cabinets today and start on the countertops tomorrow. I have already decided on what phases two and three of this kitchen remodel will include. I will post some pictures once completed but I wouldn't dare take a picture of the way it looks right now. What is it about home improvement projects that seem to be well contained into one area yet the entire house seems to be a mess? I will probably be spending just as much time on cleaning after this is done than I did on the actual project itself. I will leave you with a before picture.

Kitchen Before

SUYL - Singles....My Big Brother Kelly.

Today I am linking through Kelly's Korner. It is Show Us Your Life Friday - Singles. If you are coming from Kelly's Korner, then welcome. I know there are a lot of posts to look through so I will keep this as short as possible.

I would like to take this time to tell about my single big brother Kelly. Kelly is 29, and lives in Central Kentucky. He is a Probation and Parole Officer and is very proud of the work he does.

Playing Church Softball.


He is a great guy that loves all sports, and plays softball and basketball year round. He is a fan of UK basketball and football, Reds baseball, and Bengals football.



Kelly with our Grandmother.

When not playing or watching sports Kelly enjoys spending time with family and friends, eating, and listening to music.


Kelly at Family Christmas Party.



Kelly has been a great brother to me and deserves a great down to earth girl. I am hoping everyone in Kelly's Korner will help match this great guy with a great girl.

18 Months already??

Haley is 18 Months already?! I can't believe how fast time has gone by or how grateful I am that I am able to be at home with her each and every day. As sad as I am about her growing up so fast, I am also very happy because I have not missed any of it. Anyone who had visited our house in the first twelve months of Haley's life can attest to the fact that I enjoyed every minute possible with Haley. They can tell because my OCD about the cleanliness of my house had gone to the wayside. I didn't vacuum the house everyday, I didn't scrub baseboards, I only shampooed the carpets twice. Anytime I thought about cleaning I thought of how fast other parents said time would go, and how I should enjoy this time with her while I can. I took all that advice to heart and am so glad I did. My OCD about the house is back, but has had a major tone down. I love this little girl more than anything in this world, and look forward to all the fun we will have this summer.