quigglys

my favorite place to get/make christmas gifts this year is quiggly's clay house. it is a pottery shop in richardson, tx and it is fabulous. they have everything you need (or never thought you needed) to make a unique, handmade, but still very professional gift. the shop owners, kristi and kirby carmichael and the entire staff go out of their way every time. they are willing to help you pick out a paint color, offer design suggestions, and the best is that they can get perfect hand and foot prints from a squirmy toddler. you can tell that they love what they do and i think that makes all the difference.

i have been there at least 6 times in the last few years and i am impressed every time. whether it has been for ladies night (awesome), a bridal shower, or i have invited 15 of my closest mom-friends and their adorable, yet hyper kiddos to take over the shop for the afternoon, they are always welcoming. no matter who i go with, everyone has always been amazed at what they could do, even when they claim no artistic ability.

on tuesday, i went with a group of moms, dads and kids to quigglys. it was so much fun! most people made gifts and ornaments for christmas. we got little hand and foot prints on pretty much everything!







if you are looking for something to do with your kids, or a very unique christmas gift, you have to go to quigglys. there is still plenty of time between now and christmas. they have everything glazed and fired usually about a week after you paint it. i hope you enjoy it as much as i always do!

girls fitness club

this year, i am co-coaching a running club for 4th and 5th grade girls at my school. we have been training for a 5k and ran Dorothy's Run last week. the girls did a great job. they all finished and for their age group, our girls took 3rd-10th place. i am very proud of their dedication.

on the starting line

jamie and lucy, the first to finish from our group

after the race

the coaches - me, debralynn and cassie

all the girls!

i wonder...

i wonder if i will have a girl cousin or a boy cousin...click to find out

austin

we went to austin last weekend and stayed with taylor and gary. we also got to see jenny and jeremy. avery had a lot of fun. it was a great weekend!


cheese!

lounging with taylor

aj and uncle jer

on the playground with aunt tay-tay and aj

out to lunch with ethan

18 months

avery is 18 months old! can you believe it?

here are her latest "stats"

age: 18 months
height: 33.5 in
weight: 21.8 lbs

avery's favorite -
animals: rah-rah (dogs) and jaff (giraffes)
book: go go rah-rah (go, dog. go!)
food: nanas, pb (bananas and peanut butter)
toys: blocks and books
thing to wear: boots!
tv show: bounce on sprout
youtube video: elmo song

funniest -
made up name: elmo means diaper
phrase: "what happen?"
animal noise: frogs, turtles and lizards all say "ribbit ribbit" with a very deep-scratchy sound

people she loves to name: dada, mama, rah-rah, e-me (aimee), paw paw, papa, aj, omi, ri-ri (riley), o-mama (obama), nicole, matt
but she LOVES all her family and friends!

sleeps with: boo and pass (bear and pacifier)

also loves: the bath, giving people "bumps", ducks, books about ducks, songs about ducks, rubber ducks and quacking, outside, juice, teddy grams, football (touchdown), sleeping in her own bed, and going potty in the potty.
other common words: here go, got you, where dada go? there she is!, it hurt, oh-NO!, wow, nose, peas (please), yell come (your welcome), hep-me (help me), dis (this), dat (that), nooo no no (think amy winehouse), bum bum (pumpkin), ookie, nick (milk), nack (snack), ride, i no no

she is a busy little girl!

holiday hunt

zen bebe is having a sale as part of etsyBABY street team!

EtsyBABY is kicking off the holiday season on Friday, November 7th with their 2nd Annual Holiday Hunt Promotion!!!!! Candee Cayne, EtsyBABY's Holiday Helper, loves to play Hide 'N Seek! EtsyBABY needs YOUR help to find where Candee Cayne has hidden! We need her back in the EtsyBABY nursery by November 30th, to help EtsyBABY members prepare for all of the holiday goodies that are purchased! She has hidden in multiple EtsyBABY Member shops and the shop owners are generously offering rewards!

zen bebe has select items marked 15% off. discounted items have the "candee cayne" image in the listing. for more information and participating shops check out shopetsyBABY.com

but wait, there is more...i have an extra special special for blog readers...15% off, your choice of any item in the shop. just add "zenbebe blog" to the notes to seller section when you order. i will send you a 15% refund through paypal.

promotional price does not include shipping. the blog discount does not apply to already discounted items (but it is still 15% off everything :).

don't see exactly what you want? let me know, i love to do custom orders.

happy halloween

avery the giraffe

nothing like halloween when it is 80 degress!

momma and dadda

sarah, me, nicole and avery

we went to the phpc young adult halloween party at the vernon's house. avery was the only kiddo there so she got to hang out with the big kids. we took her trick or treating. she blew a kiss to the woman that gave her candy at the first house. at the second house she tried to give her candy to the woman that opened the door. we had a good time!

beth, gretchen, zach

james, bj, jenni and randy
sarah and david

so much halloween fun!