In case you didn't notice, it, I added a link to the Cool Mom Picks Holiday Gift Guide ... which is a holiday gift guide that totally puts mine to shame.  If you aren't a follower of CMP, YOU SHOULD BE!  They have awesome mom-tested picks on all kinds of things (usually at least one pick a day) that run the gamut from home products to clothing to games ... you name it, they have talked about it!  To boot, they have fantastic sponsors and do some pretty amazing give aways or special discounts for CMP readers.  So check them out, and stay tuned for the next installment of my gift ideas over the weekend. 

A wild hair

So, I have been bookmarking things like crazy that I think would make great Christmas gifts for friends and loved ones.  Since I am not financially in the position to buy everything I'd like to for everyone special in our life, I am going to share my "wish" list with all you fine people ... the things I WISH I could give, and also a few things I have already bought and that I find particularly wonderful.  Jumping right in, I'll start with kiddie gifts!   DISCLOSURE: I have a 2 year old boy (ALL BOY) so I am lacking in the girly-princess-y department, and I know squat about things like Webkinz that the older kids are so wild about.


This recycled plastic tea set is a great, modern update for the pretend staple.  We gave it earlier this year to rave reviews!  If you have a Learning Express in your town, you can probably find this locally there, and I also noticed it in the last Pottery Barn Kids catalog.   

We have a budding reader, which thrills this English major to no end.  I could go on and on about our favorite books - there are some classics, like The Giving Tree and Big Dog, Little Dog, but also some newer favorites, like the Trucktown series by Jon Scieszka .  I love anything by Joan Anglund and Richard Scarry - can't beat the old standby's! Reid also is mesmerized by The Jolly Postman; although it takes a Ph.D. in nursery rhymes to really get the whole book, the verse is catchy and illustrations are dear.  Plus, who doesn't love the pieces of mail tucked within the pages?


Finally, I am a raving fan of the Jesus Storybook Bible for the amazing illustrations and the tone of the stories - I even enjoy reading it!  

My child is a puzzle fiend, so I am always looking for a twist.  This magnetic fishing puzzle packs a fun punch while also helping develop fine motor skills.  There are lots of options out there; don't let this limit you.  The Land of Nod has a great Shop by Personality gift guide - there are some awesome ideas for your 'smarty pants', 'zookeeper', and 'petite artiste' (and more)!


What kid doesn't like their name on something?  These Olive Kids personalized placemats provide lots of options (you can get them in holiday themes and lots of other themes to suit your little person's favorite "things": 

 

Another great option (which I have gone ahead and purchased for Reid) is a personalized dinner plate.  I recently found an adorable Etsy shop, mollycarolinedesigns, and she has some great designs and lots of colors to customize!  (She is running some great 12 Days of Christmas sales right now - so don't delay.)

Reid has killed a few flashlights lately; I think these crank flashlights from LL Bean look sturdy and cool, and I know he'd get a kick out of "I do it myself".  For those kids that may be helpful in the kitchen (I am praying mine will be!), I think these colorful little aprons are a stylish and practical!  On the completely other end of the spectrum in terms of cost, I am pretty obsessed with this eco-friendly town for little exploring hands.  


For the babes, there are a million things I could show here ... so I'll just recommend a few:

This "I love you" wooden teether from Eco Ayris makes me melt, it's so sweet and simple.  We didn't personally use it but another great gift along this line is Sophie the Giraffe as a teether or paci alternative. Reid had half a dozen Little Giraffe blankets and blankies and THEY. ARE. FABULOUS.

If you're looking for a gift that's a bit more substantial, I think this mobile is unique and has great color for developing eyes.


I am thinking I may do another post for kiddos that highlights music and perhaps some clothing.  But, for now, happy browsing - and feel free to post any great gift ideas you have to comments!  "Adult" gift guide is also on tap!

I've made a departure from the customized layout I instituted several months back - it has just been giving me fits.  Maybe in 2010 I will learn HTML so I can do this on my own and fiddle with different colors, etc.  But, for now, I'm back to a boring Google layout.

It's DEFINITELY Monday

How do I know?  I got the coffee maker all ready to churn out a steaming, fragrant pot of my favorite Vicaro's Blend, but forgot to put the pot in place ... Luckily I walked back into the kitchen and caught my mistake before the mess got *too* bad.


I'll post pictures from Halloween soon - just didn't get to it this weekend.  It was a very busy few days, despite the fact we didn't even have Reid! He spent a fun trick-or-treat filled weekend in Hartselle with his grandparents while Scott and I went to the Auburn/Ole Miss game.  Happy Monday, everyone!

Just what the doctor ordered

Scott and I made an executive/parental decision that the Stephenson family needed a 3 day weekend. We were supposed to be on vacation the week of my uncle's funeral in September and desperately needed a little break. So (not so) bright and early on Friday morning we struck out ...

... to Chattanooga and took Reid to the Tennessee Aquarium! It was a perfect activity for a very nasty, rainy day. What fun ... we started with the Ocean Journey first and saw stingrays,

a hyacinth macaw,

Gentoo and Macaroni penguins,

sharks, "fishes",

and then moved to the River Journey building and saw more fish, frogs, turtles, alligators, and otters, which Reid curiously kept "gobble gobbling" at. He had a blast! As you can see, Spot was also in Chattanooga and she came with us and brought this fine specimen along for the ride ...

We finished up with a yummy lunch at Blue Plate with Brooke and John and an afternoon of playing with Mitchell! It wasn't a beach vacation but it sure was a lot of fun.

Speaking of fun, we've always had big plans regarding the Saturday-afternoon-football-watching potential of our deck ... and we took a chance and invited a few friends over for an SEC double header and a low country boil outside. The day dawned cloudy, but the afternoon turned out beautiful! We had a fire going in the chimenea for 12 hours and good friends around to enjoy a simply wonderful Southern fall afternoon!

Daddy and Reid getting ready - their good vibes did not help the Auburn Tigers

Reid and AEK always love playing in a bucket of ice

One of Reid's bff's, "Curls" Matthews (sorry we did not get a picture with Anna Claire Carpri or the Liphams)

Finally, these EASY Pumpkin cupcakes made for a

sweet finish to the evening.

Linking isn't cheating, right?

If you don't read my sister-in-law's blog, you probably haven't seen the awesome pictures of Reid's alter ego, "Micha Pelps" (otherwise known as Michael Phelps). The obsession started this summer, when the World Championships were on TV for a week straight, and we'd record it and watch nightly. We're admittedly a swimming-obsessed family, but Reid's requests to "see Micha Pelps" took it to a new level, and we kept one session from Worlds on our DVR queue for months after the event was over so Reid could watch Michael swim whenever the hankering hit.

Now bathtime regularly turns into swim-like-Michael-Phelps-time, but of course I don't have pictures to share here, b/c that would involve posting naked pictures of my child for all the internet to see. Luckily, Laurie Ann and Rainer captured Reid dressed up in Rainer's old swim cap and goggles after a recent cousin bath between he and Ann Edwards, and shared them. Check it out!

I promise more pictures soon, but I left my camera at Pops and Ludie's house last time we visited Hartselle and have yet to retrieve it!

The grass is always greener

A recent exchange between Reid and Mommy (me):

Reid: "I want to see my mommy."

Me: "I'm right here, Reid."

R: "No."

Me: "I'm not your mommy?"

R: "No."

Me: "Well, then who's your mommy?"

R: "Shey-yee. "

Shey-yee is my friend Shelley, mom of Reid's good friend Adelaide. Shelley, I know a certain little boy that thinks your maternal skills trump mine. Wanna trade? (Kidding, kidding!)

A time to weep and a time to laugh

Our sweet John Reid Garrett went to be with the Lord September 18, 2009, and while he lived a GREAT life and we are confident he is with his Jesus and his Mama in Heaven, we were still sad to say goodbye to him. In remembering John Reid, our family has done a good bit of both crying and laughing, as Ecclesiastes describes.

John came to live with my family in 1981, when Brooke and I were nearly three. Rainer wasn't even a part of our family, although he would be later the next year, and John was such a vibrant part of our life from then on. There were so many every-day moments with John that made up a life full of wonderful. He could be witty, sensitive, childlike, and playful all in the blink of an eye, and contributed so much color to the fabric of our family's life (and to our family's vernacular) ...

... John was such a neat freak that I remember he'd literally hover outside our bedroom growing up and the minute we were out of bed, he'd rush in to make up our beds (so yes, this does mean that I got out of making my bed for a large part of my childhood)!

... I remember being sick the day the Challenger shuttle accident occurred. We watched the news coverage on our pull out sofa and John sat beside me, rubbing my back.

... John was like Rainman in that he was a whiz at remembering dates. What's more, he had a knack for knowing what day your birthday would be on several years in the future, and I remember sitting on a beach vacation with our friend Sarah Silver quizzing John on what day all our birthdays would be in 5, 10, 15 years! You know what? He was ALWAYS RIGHT!

... John had a cast of characters that he loved to imitate - the Hulk (which was a little scary, b/c he could make all his veins pop out like he was about to blow them all), Superman, Spiderman, and a dolphin in the swimming pool!

... Without John, we wouldn't have a host of special sayings that capture John's personality, like "take a prayer" (which only happened on Sundays), "be patient", "I not got one of those", "Albe-turkey" and "Mexico, the new one", "my froat", and so many more I can't begin to name them here.

As much as a funeral could be wonderful, John's services were truly remarkable and though bitter, tremendously sweet. John had so many different social circles -church friends, Camp Sumatanga friends, his Exceptional Foundation family, Special Olympics bowling teammates, and on and one - and seeing those people all coming together was a lovely testimony to how much he radiated the love of Christ to everyone he ever encountered. We love you and miss you, John Reid.

A new four-legged friend, and a birthday candle

No, we didn't get another dog (we aren't that crazy); Susie & Nathan got a new sharpei puppy named Max, and on our last trip to Hartselle, Reid got to play with him! We had lots and lots of chasing and shrieks of laughter to let us know he was loving every minute of it. Reid also celebrated his 2nd birthday with the extended Stephenson clan - so it was a full and fun visit!

Reid's cousin Dustin and his friend Jake were total sports and played for half an hour with Reid letting him run past them with the football and "miss" tackling him - it was the BEST birthday present you could have given him!

Sorry for the distressed look on Reid's face; it had just been a long day and he seemed to think he was running out of icing (his favorite) and starting to panic a little! :)

Jumping back in ...

Oh my gosh, y'all, August seemed to fly by and somehow also be the longest month in memory! It was jam-packed with family (including our sweet new nephew Mitchell) and friends and just general two-year old madness. I did the B'ham - Chattanooga round trip four times in the month and got to soak up lots of newborn love from Mitchell, and I know you're dying to see some evidence.

Loved seeing MKM in some of Reid's old daygowns

As you can see, Mitchell was a big boy - 9 lbs. 9 oz. and still growing

and did I mention his hair?

Outside with Daddy - the little man loves fresh air

Looking adorable with his proud momma

We love you to pieces, Mitchell!