Introducing Baby Banjo {For The Love Of Blog}

September 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Another blast from the past?  Okay.  🙂

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Introducing Baby Banjo!!!

He is finally here!  Banjo was born on April 14th at 5:32 pm.

 His first baby pictures:
For a 37-weeker he was a BIG baby! Our little heavy weight weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20 and 3/4 inches long!

What a proud Papa!

Of course my Audi had to get a picture of the hearing screening being done…by someone else!  Now why should insurance have to pay for something that daddy could have done himself???  It’s only a matter of time before Banjo makes the trip to the office and just for kicks gets a full work up done by his daddy. Guess that will be their male bonding time!
I’m awake!
I’m asleep!

I’m really awake!
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 Well, that was a fun little jog down memory lane!  I really need to get some of those picture developed.  Why is it so hard to get photo prints taken care of?  Shouldn’t it be so much easier?  It really should!  These are memories, people!  🙂   Perhaps I should make a photo calendar.  That would be a perfectly effective and dandy way to use all of our pictures from the past.  Otherwise they will never be seen.  So many pictures.  So little time.  I must make a habit of actually doing things with the pictures.  Like for instance…  My phone… It contains hundreds and hundreds of pictures.  iPhone pictures that will never be seen unless I get them printed.  Time to print them!
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Stay tuned for more posts from the past.  A glimpse into my life before the Dandy.  🙂
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Baby News!! {For The Love Of Blog}

August 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2008

Baby News!!

I know the count down to baby says that we have 23 days to go, but it’s wrong! Due to my blood pressure issues we knew that he would be born before 40 weeks, but everything was always still up in the air. Well, I saw the doctor today and we are good to go! Sunday evening I will go into the hospital to have the induction process started. So Monday (April 14th) will be baby day! I’ll post pictures of him as soon as I can…although I may be quite busy next week! And yes he is still nameless!
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That post takes me way back.  Back to the days when life seemed so much more simple.  But was it? Really?  Sure I wasn’t busy with children.  Sure I had a job outside of the home back then.  Sure I had time to go shopping and shopping alone.  Sure I didn’t need to worry about getting places on time because I was always on time.  (Children have a way of making you late.)  Sure I always wore the type of jewelry that I wanted to wear.  Earrings especially.  Dangly ones.  Ones that you can never wear with a baby around.  See?  The things that you don’t think about until they are gone.
Life back then was quite dandy, but would I change my life for the world now.  Never.  I love being a mom.  I love it and wouldn’t change it for the world.  They are my everything and it’s even more dandy that life used to be.
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Speaking of things that are dandy…  Have you visited the Seeing Dandy lifestyle blog yet?  It’s a place to see all things that are dandy.  Because well it’s dandy.  🙂
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LEGOLAND Kansas City {Giveaway} – CLOSED

April 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

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My Banjo is now 6-years-old.  It’s weird to think that my first born is that old.  He’s like a little man who is almost finished with kindergarten.  So very strange for me!  In past years we have always had a birthday party for him.  I was trying to be that mom who threw those big, fabulous parties with lots of friends invited.  Yes, that mom.  I even invited the siblings of the friends, because I didn’t want anyone to feel left out.  Is that a little crazy?  Maybe a little excessive?  (Now there’s nothing really wrong with being that mom.  There are plenty of moms who can pull it off and more power to them.  I’m just not good at being that mom.  For sanity sake I had to take a step back, evaluate what’s truly important, and just say no.)

This year?  No more.  We have three littles now.  All will have a birthday.  All will eventually want to have a party.  All cannot have a party in the same year.  That would be maddening.  I can’t plan for such things.  I can’t decorate for such things.  I can’t organize for such things.  I can’t do such things.  It’s just not going to happen times three every year.  Nope.  Not going to do it.  So I’m thinking that each child has a “friend party” every other year.  Maybe every 3rd year.  Just. Not. Every. Year.

That’s why this year we decided to take Banjo (and the other two littles) out of town for a surprise birthday weekend extravaganza.  Banjo expected to have a party.  We told him we had a special adventure planned instead of a party.  It was a weekend all about him, things he likes, and together as a family.  The best part of celebrating in this way?  Family time!

We went to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Kansas City!  LEGOLAND agreed on us coming for a visit, my doing a review on the blog, and giveaway away FOUR tickets.  You will find that giveaway below.  First, here are just a few of our favorite highlights from the place Banjo now thinks is the bestest birthday celebration ever.  At the LEGOLAND in Kansas City you can…

Find out how many LEGO bricks you weigh and your height in LEGO bricks:

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Travel to a distant land:

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Meet your favorite LEGO characters:

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Build and race LEGO cars:

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And just have a fantastically dandy time!

Of course you can’t visit LEGOLAND without getting some LEGOS.  Audi came out of the shop with this on my keys:

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He said it’s because I’m Wonder Woman.

As I already mentioned, the winner of this giveaway will receive FOUR tickets to LEGOLAND in Kansas City!

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.
*The winner of this giveaway will be drawn no later than the evening of May 2nd and will be emailed.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
*This posting and giveaway are sponsored by the Kansas City LEGOLAND Discovery Center, but all opinions are strictly my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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A day late for our early girl.

December 28, 2012 by 3 Comments

Happy 1st Birthday

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Her eyes were transfixed!

One year ago yesterday, on December 27, 2011, our lives changed forever around the Smith household.  We were blessed with the birth of our little Ruby!  Her arrival came completely unexpected.  She was an entire month early and now I’m late with her birthday posting…   This year has flown by and she is literally the sweetest baby girl I have ever known.  If you remember when she was born she spent about 5 hours in the NICU.  Not because she was so early (she was actually very healthy), but because she wouldn’t cry at all!  She didn’t cry when she was born and remained quiet for hours after.  To this day she is the most mellow little girl and is just really happy most of the time.  She is such a sweetheart and a delight to have in our family.  We are extremely blessed.  Stay tuned for another posting on her big birthday bash, because the party of the year is happening tomorrow!!!

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One year in one month!

November 27, 2012 by 1 Comment

Look who can wave and even say the word “hi” now. Oh and she will be having her first birthday one month from today!

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We cannot believe our Ruby is already 11 months old!

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My 1st Friend

November 3, 2012 by 1 Comment

We all have some level of friends in life.  Some have many.  Others have only a few.  Some keep in touch with friends from the past.  Others find new friends often.  Whatever the level of friend a person has the friendship is always unique.  Special to them.  Important.  I met my first friend on August 2, 1978.  She and I are still the best of friends who speak to each other almost every day.  That’s a long time to have a friend!  My first friend has been there for me throughout childhood, the teen years, and the rocky times of my young adulthood.  She nurtured my love of reading.  She encouraged me to write, participate in athletics, and excel in school.  She put an emphasis on my going to college.  She walked in the pouring rain on my wedding day to find a tow truck when the car I was driving got a flat tire.  My first friend was in the hospital labor and delivery waiting room when I gave birth to my children.  Both in San Antonio and St. Louis.  She helped me to take care of a newborn while I was recovering.  She taught me how to be a mother.  Friends like that don’t come along very often.  Only once.  I owe her everything.  She is my first friend and my forever friend.

My first friend was diagnosed with cancer the week after Ruby was born.  Now it’s time for me to be there for her.  She has fought hard and is currently in remission.  Today is my first friend’s birthday.  Mom, thank you for being my first friend.  I love you so very, very much.

Me and my 1st friend:

Ruby cuddling with her Gran:

Banjo looking at family photographs with his Gran:

Happy Birthday Mom!

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Happy Birthday!

September 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My friend Shannon owns the coolest modern fabric shop in the entire country and it’s right here in St. Louis.  Fabric Nosherie has been around for one year now, so yesterday they threw a party.  Of course I attended and of course is was a grand time.  I got some holiday shopping done for my sewing family and friends.  And…  Fabric/pattern designer Patty Young was there and she gave a very impressive lecture.  She talked about how she got started in the business and shared some of her favorites from her pattern book Sewing MODKID Style.  Loved it!

Patty and Shannon

 Happy Birthday to The Nosh!

Maybe one day Shannon will want to do a guest post on the Dandy with a sewing tutorial or something???  Maybe.  😉

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