Saturday, January 31, 2009

Noah's House

We had such a great time playing with our friend Noah at his house yesterday. Noah is 8 months older than Keaton, so he showed him all kinds of new toys and tricks! Below is a picture of Noah making Keaton laugh by putting a bowl on his head. Keaton thought this was hilarious! It is a delight to watch Keaton interacting with other children now. I can already tell we are going to have to start working on the concept of sharing soon...

Friday, January 30, 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Scott's birthday gift

Fedex finally delivered Scott's birthday present. Here's a brief interview with the birthday boy about his newest toy:

What was your hesitation in waiting this long to get an iPod?
“I was skeptical about the digital music revolution.”

What is your favorite thing about your iPod?
“That the “i” is lowercase - and that all my music is in one place.”

Does your iPod have a name?
“Clemmie’s Groovebox”

Will you share it with your wife?
“Maybe. If she’s nice”

How long did it take you to pick it out? How did you finally decide?
“Several weeks. I finally decided to save some money and go with a refurbished model.”

What is the first iPod accessory you plan to buy?
“Low jack.”

Where will you put the Apple sticker?
“On my wife’s minivan” (not happening)

What is the first audio book you plan to download from iTunes?
"War and Peace"

What album/song are you most embarrassed is on your iPod?
"Mariah Carey Christmas"

Who has been your greatest iPod influence?
"Cathy Archambo"

If Clementine had an iPod, what songs would she have on repeat?
"Eye of the Tiger and Tom Jones's What's up Pussycat?"

Keaton is crawling (sorta)!

He is not on his hands and knees yet, but Keaton is getting pretty fast at the army crawl these days! His favorite motivations for crawling so far include Clementine, Clementine's food, the computer cord, and Crystal Light containers. Here's a video of him in action:

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Lars and the Real Girl

I heard about this movie from my friend Katy's blog, who heard about it from another blog...

This movie will make you laugh, cry, scratch your head, and hug your loved ones. Both Scott and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Definitely worth putting on your Netflix list.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Guess who got a big boy haircut?

I finally talked Scott into it. The mullet had to be snipped once and for all. So, this morning the three of us packed up in our van and paid a visit to Russ at Supercuts, so Daddy and Son could get their hair cut together. Ironically, Russ was sporting a mullet himself, so we tactfully explained that although we loved his natural style, it was time that our boy had a more polished look. The Supercuts staff and other patrons were amazed at what a good boy Keaton was while they chopped his baby locks. It is a little crooked in some spots, because Keaton moved his head a few times mid-snip, but a vast improvement overall! I am amazed at how different it makes him look... tear. Here are some before, during, and after shots:

BEFORE:




















DURING:













AFTER:

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Over the hill in style!

I thought this was too funny not to share. My dad's office arranged for him to be picked up and driven to lunch for his 60th birthday! Morbid, but hilarious!

Another Birthday Weekend!


What a terrific weekend we had celebrating my Dad’s 60th birthday!

On Saturday, we visited the Country Music HOF, so my dad could see the new Hank Williams exhibit. Here is a picture of Keaton with Hank and Audrey and baby Bocephus.

Saturday night, we took Dad to the Grand Ole Opry. He enjoyed it very much, but was sorry he missed Carrie Underwood. :-(

We took my parents to the Loveless Café for some Country Ham and Biscuits. Between here and the Cracker Barrel on Friday, I think Keaton ate his weight in biscuits this weekend!
On Monday night, we had a yummy dinner at home with Dad’s favorite birthday dessert, bread pudding.

In between, we had fun playing with Keaton, relaxing, and playing cards (my mom and I had to let Scott and Dad win a couple of times, since it was his birthday and all).

Friday, January 16, 2009

Kiddie Tunes

Surely I am not alone when I say that Fisher Price, Little Tikes, and the like must pay big bucks to people to come up with the most “can’t get them out of your head” ditties to attach to their toys! Scott and I are often humming and singing to Keaton’s toys long after he has gone to bed. One of Keaton’s favorite toys that he received for Christmas was the Fisher Price Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage. The songs on this toy are so annoyingly catchy! I thought it was funny that it actually came with lyric cards.

Here’s the lyrics to our favorite tune:

The Wiggle Song
Wiggle. I love to move and wiggle. Wiggle. Wave my hands and wiggle. Wiggle. Kick my feet and wiggle. Come on wiggle with me!

Wiggle. I love to shake and wiggle. Wiggle. Bounce up and down and wiggle. Wiggle. Crawl around and wiggle. Come on wiggle with me!

Wiggle those toes. (yeah, yeah)
Wiggle those fingers. (yeah, yeah) Wiggle those fingers, wiggle those toes. Let’s see where the wiggling goes!

Far cry from Bob Dylan, right Scott? Amazing how a baby changes things!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Happy Birthday Scott!

Sunday was Scott’s 31st birthday, and Grammie and Papa Anderson came to Nashville for the weekend to help us celebrate. We had a terrific weekend relaxing, watching football, and spending time with family. Scott asked for an Ipod for his birthday, so he’ll use his birthday money to pick one out this week. He chose Mickey Roo’s BBQ for his birthday dinner, and I made him a Snickerdoodle cake that we enjoyed after we got home. We only have 5 more days to wait for the party to start back up when Grandma and Papa Archambo arrive Friday to celebrate Scott's birthday and Papa's 60th!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Drug Store Shopping

I am no “Unsinkable Molly,” but I would like to brag on a couple of awesome purchases I made this week at Rite Aid and Walgreens!

Rite Aid: I was able to rack up some rebate money at Rite Aid in December which allowed me to purchase everything you see below for absolutely $0 out of pocket! When she finished ringing me up (and I gave her all my coupons and rebate $), the cashier said “9 cents.” I proceed to get a dime out of my wallet, and she said, “No, I owe YOU nine cents.” Plus, I earned $7 more in rebate money off this purchase… KA CHING!








Walgreens: I had already spent all my December Walgreens rebate money on a Vicks Vaporizer for my sick baby, but it didn’t matter, because everything below was FREE after store and manufacturer’s coupons!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Queen Mia


My niece Mia has been such a blessing in my life! She has brought me so much joy and laughter in her 4 years! I had to share with all that she was crowned Queen of the Day in her Pre-K class. Below is a copy of her interview. Enjoy!

(Picture disclaimer: she does her own hair at school)

Queen Mia is 4 years old and cheerfully attends pre-k at Hoover Elementary. She absolutely adores her parents, Elise and Aaron. Mia comments, “My mom is 9…I think, and my dad is 11.” Mia has 2 bubbly brothers, A.J. and Jacob, and she has a soft spot in her heart for per precious pup, Sugar. Purple is Mia’s favorite color of the Crayola rainbow, and when it comes to snacking, one may find Mia rummaging for Ramen noodles or munching a hearty hamburger at McDonald’s. When asked, “Where in the world would you like to go on vacation?” Mia replied with no hesitation, “…the mall.” Queen Mia closed her interview by sharing what she wants to be when she grows up, “…a sister…because I’m growing up.”

Of course, she reigns the Queen of the Archambo Family year round!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Where Shopping is a Pleasure...


There are few companies or products that truly live up to their motto, but I would like to make the case for my favorite grocery store!

Top Ten Reasons I love shopping at Publix:
#10 Coupons: They double coupons up to $.50 and take competitor coupons. I’m a member of the Publix Baby Club, and they send me TONS of great store coupons every month (for all kinds of stuff, not just for baby).
#9 Carside Service: They bag your groceries and take them to your car for you – I have much more appreciation for this now that I have a baby. It not only makes me feel safer to have someone walk out with me, but I don’t have to worry about leaving Keaton in the car alone while I go find a cart corral.
#8 Bakery: Hands down the best grocery store bakery for bread or desserts! I make a special trip every week to get fresh sandwich bread for Scott.
#7 BOGO: Every week, there are 15-20 items that are buy one get one free, which really just means that they are ½ price, because you can buy just one of the items for the same savings.
#6 Anti-germs: At the front of the store, there are antibacterial wipes to wipe down your cart (or buggy, as they call them here in TN) before you put your baby in it (or touch it yourself). If you have a small infant, the infant carrier carts are kept separate from the other carts, and they are always labeled with date of the last cleaning and the name of the employee who cleaned it, so you know that you have a freshly cleaned cart for baby.
#5 Publix brand items: usually always at least a dollar cheaper than name brand stuff and always just as good. I’m especially a big fan of the Publix brand feta cheese for my salad – yummy!
#4 Friendly Staff: They seriously must have to go through “nice school” – I am always amazed at how every employee seems to be in the best mood everyday! They go out of their way to make me feel welcome and help me find what I need every time I go in the store.
#3 Free Samples: I like to come hungry because there is always plenty of free food, especially on Saturdays. When you order meat from the deli, they always give you a slice to try. We usually hit the deli first, so Keaton can enjoy the free meat slice while we shop.
#2 Free Balloons: Just ask customer service, and they will give you a balloon to tie to your cart for your little one– how fun!
#1 Penny Item: This is probably the most fun and most addicting thing about shopping at Publix. Every Sunday and Monday, there is a mystery item for sale at the front of the store for only 1 cent! You have to spend at least $10 (I think) to buy the item and you don’t know what the item is unless you go to the store. The penny item varies from frozen pizza to salad dressing to cereal to reusable grocery bags to Pasta Roni to Cocoa Mix. I feel my week is incomplete without benefiting from this promo.

Random thought: the only other company/product (that I can think of right now) that lives up to their motto is Folgers, because coffee really is the best part of waking up…

Monday, January 5, 2009

The Day the Magic Bullet Died…

We Andersons like to think of ourselves as somewhat connoisseurs of infomercial items. I remember Scott and I glued to paid programming one Sunday morning after church during our 1st year of marriage when the commercial for the “Ultimate Party Machine” began… “make smoothies, margaritas, dips, snacks, even complete meals in 10 seconds or less!” I had to have one…and I got one for Christmas in 2004. Yes, it’s basically a miniature food processor, but during the last four years, I’ve used it to make smoothies, omelets, peppermint mochas, corn chowder, mudslides (and other mixed drinks), guacamole, chicken salad, and many other yummy treats. It had a resurgence in the last couple of months, because it was perfect for making homemade baby food! Sadly, today while pureeing a batch of sweet potatoes for Keaton’s dinner, it finally kicked the bucket.
I guess its back to jarred baby food and no margaritas for us for awhile! ☹

Sunday, January 4, 2009

New Years Rockin Eve!

Despite just returning from Oklahoma the Sunday before, we decided to jump back in the car and head to Hotlanta for New Years. We spent New Years Eve with Scott’s cousin Janet Turner and her husband in Conyers, GA. Grandma and Papa Anderson and the Workman family met us there. As is tradition, we ate at Duruma Japanese Steakhouse for New Years Eve and then came home to watch the ball drop with Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark. Here’s a picture of our clan at the restaurant. We were wondering what Keaton’s reaction would be to the flaming grill, clanging utensils, and flying knives. He loved it! He kicked his feet and smiled the entire time!

The next day, we headed to Alpharetta to meet up with some old friends for lunch! Here’s us with Nate, Ginny, Ella, and Scarlet Early, Nathan Brauer, and Andrew and Valerie Hobbs (in town from England!). What a treat to catch up with good friends – we miss them so much!


After lunch, we headed over to Braselton, so Keaton could see his good buddy, Andrew Batusic (it was fun visiting with John and Melissa too ☺)! Andrew and Keaton had a great time taking a bath and playing together. As usual, we told them they better get used this – they will be friends – whether they like it or not!













Our original New Years plans involved stopping in Chattanooga to see some more friends and spend another night, but we had to cut our trip short because Scott and Keaton both woke up on the 2nd with nasty cold symptoms. We decided we had spread enough germs and headed home to our lonely, neglected Clementine, who was very happy to see us!