The Staples

Do you ever wonder what other products people swear by?  I think it is so interesting how there are so many different versions of EVERYTHING that you could choose from. It truly is unbelievable the amount of choices we have in this country. And every day it seems like someone comes out with another new choice to choose from!

So I decided to write a little bit about some of my favorite "cannot live without" products...I think it is always interesting to know what other people love too - so feel free to post what items you can't do without!

Dr. Dan's Cortibalm: I came across this product by accident. There was one really cold winter a few years ago, and I was getting what I thought were cold sores (for the first time ever in my life). I went to the dermatologist to check it out and it was just really really dry skin around my mouth. Man did it burn and itch. I have been a hard core chap-stick user for as long as I can remember, and nothing was doing the trick for me anymore. So the dermatologist recommended this lip balm that is not prescription, but you do have to order it specially through your pharmacist. Not only did it cure my very uncomfortable lip problem - I use WAY LESS chap-stick than ever before. Seriously. I can do one smear a day...sometimes less! And it is just as cheap as any over the counter stuff if you have your local Walgreens pharmacist order it for you!! Serious miracle product.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser: I remember when these things came out when I was in college. I didn't quite get how it could be so awesome, but it is. These things can clean anything...but be careful - it will take colored paint off of the walls if you are doing some major scrubbing!  But I can clean my bathroom so quick with one of these sponges, and so many other things too!!  They are a bit expensive in my opinion, but it is a splurge I am willing to make because it brings me so much joy while I clean! Who doesn't want to be happy while they clean?!
 
Summer Soles: **Honesty Alert** I have clammy hands and feet. Most people who know me, know this about me. It's annoying and I was terribly embarrassed by it for years, but I got over it and realized it is what it is. However, in the summertime it poses a real problem. If you take naturally sweaty feet and then add really hot temperatures...well then you get really really sweaty feet. It can be a real hazard trying to walk up-hill in flip flops in the middle of summer!! One day I decided - there has GOT to be SOMEONE who has made a product for people like me. Enter Summer Soles! These are a summer life saver! I am able to wear all the fun shoes you want to wear in the summer, and I am not terrified that I might break my ankle. Most of you will never need or use this product (lucky dogs), but for those of you that know the summer sweaty feet struggle I am talking about, give summer soles a try! They are super absorbent and cute!!
 

Tupperware Insulated Tumbler: Ever since I got pregnant & have been nursing I have been a thirsty fool. I think I have had more water in the past 20 months than I have my whole life. My sister sells Tupperware on occasion and she got me one of these (and then I asked for another!) I use these by my bed for those middle of the night thirsty episodes and when I am at home. They keep the water at the perfect temperature after I pour it from the pitcher in the fridge (I like to drink it fast, so super cold water w/ ice doesn't work for me). I love these, and they are pretty!


So those are some of my favorite products - what can you not live without?!

11 Unbelievable Months!

She's just not a baby anymore. This past month has felt like every day brought a new change in this little girl. From what and how she eats, to "words" and sounds, to her little personality blossoming right before our eyes.  I know she will constantly be growing up and changing all the time, but she will never change as quickly as she has over these past 11 months. It feels like the best and fastest year of our lives and looking back I cherish it more and more.  I don't know if I never noticed it before, but there are lots of commercials that try to show kids growing up in a glimpse. There was a Carter's one a while back and I just saw a Verizon one. When I see those I get choked up every time because of the growth I have seen already in Noelle and mostly because I think ahead to when she's all grown up and how I will still see the little baby in my arms, finally asleep after resisting her nap for the last 20 minutes.  Time passes so differently once you become a parent!

Enough sappiness for one post - let's get down to the fun updates!!

Favorite Food: Anything that ISN'T baby food. Around the third week of April, Noelle decided she was too grown up for baby food. She wants whatever I am eating - which is great and convenient most of the time. Except when I want to eat what I am eating :)

Favorite Toy: A new appreciation for bouncy balls has come to pass. She likes bouncing them herself or watching others bounce them. My mom had her hysterical bouncing balls while she visited this month.


New Tricks: Clapping! And dancing!!  I actually watched her figure out how to clap, it was fantastic! I had been showing her and practicing with her for months now, and then one morning she just got it!  And the dancing is ridiculous. She will go to her toys that play music and push the button and then wiggle back and forth to the song. One day this week we were running errands and the music was playing at a good volume level in the store. She was sitting in the cart just dancing away. However, I was not pleased at how much she seemed to be enjoying the very twangy country song that was playing... Oh well!

Milestones: Trying to talk...in March she started pointing to some decorative birds in our house and saying "birrrrr!"  I thought she was really smart...until she started pointing at almost ANYTHING and saying "birrrr! birrrr!". Either way, it's pretty cute. She is also very good at saying "uh-oh" when we get her started.

Surprises: She's not walking yet...which is totally fine. We just thought she was going to be an early walker with how much she loved us holding her hands early on, but it looks like she is going to be average in her timing.

Noises: She doesn't have any new noises per say, but she is very LOUD now. She just will go on rants of being really loud. Especially right after waking up in the morning. She just goes on a talking rampage, which is funny and not funny all at the same time because we are not quite as chipper as she is at 6/7 AM in the morning.  She will also suddenly squeal or jabber while we walk around the grocery store sometimes. She's just so cute, no matter what her noise level.

One more month...unbelievable...

Appropriately enough, we could only get her to sit still happily with a cracker.

Oh - I didn't mean to be rude, do you want some?

No? Well, more for me!

*Claps* Yay, almost one whole year!

Picture Friday: Bottomless pit...

Something has happened in the last week and a half.

She just keeps eating! I feel like most of my days with her are about meals and snacks. If I am eating, she wants to be eating. She must be going through some type of spurt because she certainly is not an overly chunky baby at all. Most people comment on how small she looks for her age.

On top of that, Noelle has decided she no longer enjoys baby food. She will tolerate baby oatmeal and fruit in the morning. But everything else is garbage to her. So I've been learning how to give her ALL baby-big girl meals.

Last night she had what Josh and I had...crockpot chicken, broccoli and rice. She didn't like the rice, but she loved the broccoli and chicken. She finished off her meal with some good old green grapes. She is a fruit devourer. Well...she is an EVERYTHING devourer. I am so incredibly lucky to have a kid that loves to eat almost anything I put in front of her!!

She loves eating so much, she has what I call the "food dance"! The video isn't the most enthusiastic version of the food dance, but I think you will enjoy it :)

I will feed myself my own chicken.

Delicious!

I am a goof at dinner...

And Mama is hilarious too!

Attempting to eat my weight in grapes...

Mmmm...tasty

Hold on, I gotta concentrate on eating these grapes...

Just Over One Year Later...

My, how far we have come!

This did not turn out as awesome as it was going to be in my head...but alas, such is the life of a mom trying to get an extra special picture of her 11 month old.

We managed to get this just a few days before all the tulips were gone...even though it was SO COLD outside!

The maternity photo was taken at the end of March 2012. The one from this year was taken at the end of APRIL! Shows you how different the springs were from 2012 to 2013!!

Life has changed dramatically and is more complicated, but it is infinitely richer with Noelle :)

Picture Friday: Tulips in Bloom!

It's been a super busy week - but we had help! With the Uprising happening (and holy cow was it AMAZING...more about that later) I planned ahead - and in January I asked Grandma to come help.

This is what Grandma's are for in my opinion! Helping in busy seasons, and spoiling...lots of spoiling.

Anyway, it was a warm day on Sunday, and she was wearing her new tulip outfit. While we were waiting for Grandma's arrival we took advantage of the tulips being in bloom.

We had fun and she is LOVING every minute of being outside these days. There is just so much fun stuff to explore :)

What a pretty quilt I get to sit on...

It is just so FUN outside!

What are these?

They look fun and so very pretty...

oooo....tulips

PURE J-O-Y

Yay, Grandma is here! Can I go back to touch the tulips though?

Thinking about smiling...

There we go! Happy Friday everyone!!

Picture Friday is Back!

It only seems fitting to have Picture Friday back after a 2 week hiatus with pictures of Noelle in her Easter finery. Get it? I'm resurrecting Picture Friday with Easter pics ~wink, wink~

(Special thanks must go to CC & G for the snazzy outfit!)

It was a bit tricky to get photos of her...she was a little fussy and was very much taking in all the sights and sounds of being outside. It was a nice day on Tuesday, so we tried to make the most of it!

Enjoy!

Easter again?! Can I hunt for more eggs??

On second thought,  just give me the camera...gimme, gimme!

Hey look, a clover!

But what can I do with a clover?

I know! Eat it!!!

Happy Belated Easter! Love, Noelle (the Gymboree model) & those other two Watkins...

We're mostly alive...

I'm sure you all are wondering where the Picture Fridays are...what about Noelle in her Easter finery...WHERE ARE THE WATKINS?!

First of all, thanks for caring.

Second of all, Easter was fantastic and crazy because little bit had a fever and was not at all her normal self that weekend. I am going to "recreate" photos in her Easter finery because she looked so out of it! I didn't even bother to take many that day because she looked so pale and blah.

Then, just as we were recovering from all the Easter festivities, a plague struck our home.

The dreaded stomach bug... ~cue terrifying music~

The only silver lining in the very dark cloud that was over our household is that it appears that the bug has spared our precious Noelle. Josh and Abby, not so much...

My theory is that she was the carrier, and it was some strain of germ related to her fever on Easter, but didn't result in all the other yuck we have had to deal with.

The good news is the house is thoroughly disinfected, Josh and I are eating again, and the weather is nice for taking those Easter "recreation" photos sometime this week hopefully!