Family birthdays.

My husband's family is a Summer/Fall birthday family. I can't even tell you how many birthdays we celebrate from July until November. Our family? We're mostly a Winter/Spring birthday family meaning most of our days fall at the beginning of the year starting with me in February, my sister Keren in late March, and my daddy in mid April. This year we celebrated my sister & father's bdays together. I've used a new feature of Picasa Picnik to upload these pictures to blogger. We'll see how it works once I post them.

My dad and Keren, the birthday people.

Balloons!

Blowing out a homemade decorated cake by moi.

Uh-oh! Somebody opened his grandfather's present.

Playing outside with his Daddy (my BIL, Jason)

Micah was not keen on the kiss from his Aunt KerKer.

My mom & sister.

Our little family. Not sure what we were laughing at when this picture was taken!

Daddy holds Micah.

Cake decorating #2

Today was the final day of my cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby, and it also coincided with my sister & father's birthdays. So...I took a blank cake to class with pre-made pink flowers while I learned how to make roses. These pictures (though sideways--drat, you Blogger!) show the finished product of my cake #2.

Going green.

What a great way to celebrate this lovely spring Saturday by eating our first green vegetables! Micah is so funny when he eats. I promise he makes this "Mmmmm" sound, smiles & talks all while trying to suck his fingers. He's loves his food! I'd upload the video, but then you'd see my Strawberry Shortcake pj bottoms, my 1999 Union Zeta Tau Alpha shirt, and my hair sticking out all over the place with a nice bald spot. So...nope. Not going to do that. However, you may enjoy the pictures of Micah because he's cute.

All smiles. I hate the flash messed up because I think this is a cute picture.

I even got it on my eye! How is that possible? :)

Yummy! I love my green veggies. Thank goodness because Mommy hates green veggies.

Lick those fingers!

What is even better than licking the fingers? Why, licking the bib, of course!

Yeah for going green on this fine spring day.

This is how we roll.

In our house, we don't just eat the food with a spoon.

Nope, we consume the food by any means necessary...

A lot of times we find it is more efficient to spread the food around rather than use a direct method of placing the food into the actual mouth.

After all, they don't say "Finger licking good" for no reason.

Because ultimately, we find that the fingers are the best part of the meal anyway. That's just how we roll at Casa Confident.

Cake decorating 101.

So, if you aren't on facebook then you probably don't know that I enrolled in a cake decorating class. Today was the second day of cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby. I'm a teacher, so you would think I might have some cutsie, creative genes in my body? I guess we'll see. At any rate, it is a Tuesday/Thursday night class, and Mr. C has volunteered to watch Micah so that I can go.

I have to admit, it is kind of nice to get out of the house from some alone adult time. I have greatly enjoyed it. The class is $20 and I thought that was a great deal. I took a few pictures of my work from the week.

Here are my cookie masterpieces--haha!

The "M" being for Micah who now has my heart.

Cue corny musak in the background.

::And everybody says, "AWE!" with a collective sigh.::

Here I am showing off my sad attempts to create something that looks like I'm talented.PS: Note the large balding spot on the left side of my head. I used to have a TON of hair there. Now I've got a Donald Trump receding hair line.

Today was the big day. Time to bake a cake and decorate it!! I ran all over the city buying supplies. We made a stop at Target first to see what I could pick up there cheaper than Hobby Lobby. Do you have a Super Target where you live? Oh. My. Word. Amazing! I got a lot of my grocery shopping done there which helped keep the cost down a lot. Speaking of cost, if you decide to take a cake decorating class let me warn you of how expensive a hobby it can become. I did not expect all the little things you have to buy that weren't included in the beginner "kit" I purchased. If I can decorate Micah's cakes for his life I figure it is worth the investment. I came home to bake my cake, and I'm so glad I made a "backup" cake, as well. My first cake didn't cool long enough and split in a million pieces. It was so lovely. I made a few rookie mistakes. 1. The first cake fell apart. 2. When making the cake even by using the little gizmo that cuts off the uneven parts...I cut off the wrong part leaving me with an extremely crumby mess. 3. I did not make enough icing. 4. I am not that gifted with making stars. 5. I thought the cake was cool, so I put it on a plate. Meanwhile, it stuck to the plate.

So...

Without futher adieu...

Here's my first (sad attempt) cake to decorate!

At least you can tell it is a cupcake, right?

What I would go back and tell myself if I could.

Today, my friends, was the day that I finally gave in and did what I wanted to do just because I wanted to.

Today, my friends, was the day that I said, "Who cares if you don't know anybody? Meet somebody new!"

Today, my friends, was the day that I finally didn't really care if it was cool or not. Who cares anymore?

Today, my friends, was the day that at age 29 plus 3 I finally found some self confidence that I wish I found millions of years ago. My friend Ellen posted this wonderful blog post on friendships found at our college fourteen years ago. It got me thinking about things I would tell my former eighteen year old self.

Things like:

Be kind to others even when it isn't popular because those "others" are people, too.

Don't worry about any of the boyfriends you are with right now. Mr. Right isn't here even if it seems everybody else has somebody. He's coming, but just not now.

Being single really wasn't as bad as you thought it was. You had your own apartment, your own new car, a closet full of brand new clothes, and all the time in the world to do everything you wanted. You'll never get to be that selfish again.

You have a really beautiful child. So beautiful that all these clothes? These $60-90 haircuts & highlights? You'd give them all up to be with him all the time. Yes, I said you'll be willing to stop shopping!

PS That name Micah that you've liked since high school? Your husband will totally agree with you!

Clothe yourself with friendships that are grounded in Christ. Those friendships will still be around for the long haul.

That zit? It really doesn't matter. Oh, and embrace your curly hair. Stop wasting your life straightening it. You're the only one who really hates it. The rest of the world will compliment you on it. Crazy, but true.

Your husband is at that ridiculously large church that you refuse to set foot in. Yes, go there sooner. Your mother (who said I'd meet a man there) was right after all. But isn't this always true???

Teaching is not what you thought it would be. That is neither a bad nor good statement. There is no preparation for the work you are about to do.

So what exactly did I do today that was so life changing? I walked into a prayer meeting of ladies at a new church full of people I don't even know because I wanted to try the WMU. (You Southern Baptists know all about what I'm saying with the WMU, doncha?)

I took a cake decorating class because I have wanted to since Cake Decorating Club in high school. Since that wasn't a "cool" club to join, I never did it. Tonight, I even made a new friend. A teacher from a nearby school with a one-year-old sitting right next to me. We chatted the whole night!

See, old me? Look at how far you've come!

There are some definite perks of getting old.

Sunday, Sunday.

Today was the end of a busy, busy weekend. We had spent time with the M family, the cousins had Easter pictures taken together, and my family came by the house for some grilled goodness by Mr. C. Before church, I noticed my boys were dressed the same. Of course, I had to take their pictures as we left for church. Is it just me, or do you think Micah is looking like me? I kind of do, but I think it may be the hair and eye color? It'll be interesting to see who he ends up favoring.

Mommy & Micah.

Mommy & Micah take 2.

My favorite men! Matching for church. Check out Micah's little loafers! :)

A visit with friends.

My husband was much like me during college. He found a group of guys, and he lived with them through most of his years at Mississippi State. (I did the same thing only at Union with the same girls for several years). These guys are in every story he ever tells, and they even all have crazy nicknames of which I'll keep off the blog. =0) Now the boys are all "grown up" with their own families, and they like to visit each other whenever the chance arises. Usually that revolves around Mississippi State football. Or something else Mississippi State related. Derek's brother lives outside of Memphis not too far from us, so after their nephew's birthday party his sweet family came by to meet Micah. It's hard to believe this is the same cute family that had just a two-year old the first time Mr. C brought me around to meet his friends almost eight years ago when we were just dating. Thankfully the wives of the men liked me enough to keep me around. =0) Here are some pictures below from our visit with the M family--now with their three girls.

S holding Micah.

The M family Derek, L, Renee, H, & S and of course, Micah.

I can't get this picture to go the right way, but this is their middle daughter holding Micah.

This was the scene in our house--all the girls taking picture after picture of Micah. It was so cute!

We really enjoyed the visit, Renee & Derek! Hopefully it won't be that long before the next visit!

Babies, basketball, & Jesus. Four months.

We love our pediatrician! He came highly recommended from so many family members & friends. I kid you not, the quote of the day from the doctor was, "Hey, a conversation about babies, basketball, and Jesus! What more could you want to talk about?" Basically, we walked in and Dr. O asked us about our brackets for March Madness. That moved into seeing my husband's book which lead to a discussion on theology. After which, we began to talk churches/religion/beliefs as he examined Micah. Our last topic of discussion was Micah & baby development. See? Babies, basketball, & Jesus. Too funny. I'm glad to have a believer as our pediatrician.

So, Micah, what are you up to this month?

Height & Weight

Well, you surprised us at this visit. You weighed 13 lb, 6 oz meaning you maintained your weight. This puts you in the 25% for weight, and we added rice cereal to your diet. Dr. O didn't seem too concerned about this, however we definitely don't want you to lose any weight! You are currently 25 inches long and amazing us every day you grow! You are in the 75% for height meaning you are long & lean like your daddy. Your head circumference is 42 & 1/2 inches which is in the 50%.

Sleep Patterns

Oh, Micah, how you love to sleep. And Mommy loves that you love to sleep. Since you were sleeping so well, we dropped your last 10 pm "dream feed", but Dr. O suggested picking it back up for a while. You can sleep from 7 PM to 7 AM with no problem, though! Such a happy boy! You go down easily without crying, and you are finally napping in your crib. Micah, you are still a booger about the length of your naps. I'm lucky if you sleep a whole hour straight, but I get good sleep at night so I'm not complaining. You've finally started going down for a nap without crying, too! In fact, you get unbearably fussy if you don't have your nap. So apparently, we're doing something right.

Eating Habits

Well, we had spread your feedings out between every 3 & 1/2-4 hours because you weren't crying signaling any hunger. However, since we're trying to watch your weight gain...I'm putting you back on a 3 hour feeding schedule. You also had rice cereal today for the first time! You loved it! We'll be on rice cereal for a week, and then we plan on adding veggies to your diet. I hope you are healthy like your dad and actually like veggies. Crossing my fingers.

Your Accomplishments

Micah, you want to roll over so badly! You keep trying, but you get stuck on that elbow. Currently, you are rolling from you back to your tummy (attempting to), but haven't quite made it. I am sure this will occur at any moment. Here are some cute pictures of you at the doc's office trying to show us your moves:



When it comes to tummy time...well. You are too cool for tummy time. Micah, you love to just chill out or scream. There is no in between, and frankly, there is no exercising. With encouragement, you might lift your head. Usually, you are just content to find your fingers & rest. I mean, who really wants to exercise anyway? You get that from your mama.
Mr. Rooster (as we call him) is your favorite toy, by far. I make sure to take him everywhere with us. He hangs from several links when you sit in your stroller, your carseat, or your play gym. Wherever you go, Mr. Rooster goes.

It has been fascinating to watch you learn how to get a toy directly in your mouth over the past month. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it is to see you go from laying there to playing happily with toys!
Recently, you have become obsessed with those fingers of yours. Remember when it was your thumb? I'm not sure what changed this week, but you want your two fingers on your right hand. If you don't have a toy, you are searching for the fingers. See exhibit A:
And Exhibit B:
Mommy is not too happy about this obsession with the fingers, but I guess I'll get over it. Do you know you can also "talk" to us loudly, smile often, squeal with delight on occasion, and laugh. Although your laugh sounds like a cough!! You also have been in the nursery consistently for almost three weeks. The same little old lady holds you each Wednesday & Sunday night at church. She absolutely loves you. You've done great!

Micah, words can't describe just how much we love you. You have blessed us beyond measure!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy