Signing Off

The Regal Pup is signing off for the remainder of the year for the holidays!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Love, The Ross Family

In a Nutshell...

Wow, what a week!

I am amazed at how fast this past week went by. Seriously... I can't believe my beloved blog has been neglected for so long. I was on such a roll too! Between Christmas shopping, spending a day hugging the porcelain goddess (yes, ewww), sending off my good friend Claire back to England, and partaking in more Christmas festivities, it's been a whirlwind of a few days.

So, what have we been up to? In a nutshell...

I did receive my gorgeous ornament from Lauren of Life with a Lab at the beginning of the week. This was due to the the fun Ornament Exchange I participated in with numerous bloggers across the country. The exchange was hosted by Shannon of Webbisodes, and Karen of Karen at Home. And, while I would have liked to have showcased the ornament on a tree, we didn't put one up this year (I know, I know... shame on us.) With all of the traveling we'll be doing (ATL-ORL-MIA) {Can you guess all three cities?}; I seriously could not fathom a tree. Plus, I have a busy body 19 month old! So, here's the ornament! It'll have a place on our tree next year for sure!

As previously mentioned, one of my best friends Claire moved last week. She was moving back to England. I didn't want her to go (and, neither did she); and it was a very sad time for us, and our friends. We did some fun things the last few weeks she was here, as she had an American/Alabama bucket list she wanted to complete. I babysat for her a few times, so she could get organized for their move. Here are some pictures of Bobby and Cameron's last play date together. Sad.

Bobby and Cameron looking out the window.

Cameron gives Bobby a push on his favorite toy.

The boys sharing a sippy cup!

Playing with Bobby's tool bench.

On Wednesday night, Claire's closest friends went out for one last dinner together. It was an emotional night for all of us. I have become so incredibly close to these girls over the past several months. They all have my heart. And, I think watching their kids grow up, alongside my own, makes it that much more sentimental. We laughed, and we cried. This picture was taken by my friend Jenny.

Claire and myself.

I finished off the last of the week miserably sick. Let's just say I lost about 5 lbs. in one day! We did manage to do one fun thing though on Friday, which was to have lunch at Bob's office. They hosted a Christmas pot luck for the employees, and their families. I worked my last ever shift at Fleet Feet on Saturday. We were so busy, I had no time to be bittersweet. I plan on doing a post about my experience there soon. Sunday was spent going to church, having lunch with our neighbors, and finishing up some shopping. Later that night, we headed to our friends', the Harris's for dinner. We then made our way to the Birmingham Zoo, for their annual holiday festival, "Zoolight Safari." It was fun, and neat for the kids - but, oh so COLD!

Bobby, Luke, and Cooper.

Lastly, yesterday morning, Bobby and I headed to a Cookie Exchange/Craft party in the neighborhood. It was a lot of fun, but pure chaos - ha! The hostesses did an amazing job though.

Bobby at his craft table.

And, as if those pictures aren't cute enough... I'll leave you with two more! I snagged these from my friend Jenny's blog. Her son turned one a couple of weeks ago, and she hosted a party for him. I thought the pictures of the kids on the couch was to die for!

And, this one is just too dang cute of Bobby...

Ok, I'm officially exhausted from this recap! I'll be back again tomorrow, to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas!

Why I Blog

I have been blogging since the fall of 2007. At first, it was to document our wedding and honeymoon. And, soon thereafter, Bobby's life. Between all of that - I sometimes would post about entertainment, food, or just my opinion on a subject. I feel like my blog has never had much of a direction, other than to journal and document our family's life. I doubt I will ever stray too far from that. Although I do have a baby book for Bobby, it is nowhere near as detailed as my blog. And, I certainly would have never remembered our day to day activities from our honeymoon, had I not blogged about each day in full detail. It is fun to go back and read my older posts.

I've always been one to document my life though. I started keeping a diary in sixth grade. And, while I don't write in my own private journal but every so often; writing has always been therapeutic for me. My private journal has all of my secrets, and the deepest parts of my soul are poured into it. I've got many journals now - all compiled neatly in a box in our attic.

One reason I am part of the blogging community, is because I'm nosey. Ever since I was a little girl, I would love to peer into people's windows at night. You know, when all their lights are on, and you can see everything as plain as day! Whether it was from the back seat of my parent's car, or on a family walk. I still to this day, do that! Blogging, or rather, being part of the blogging community gives me the opportunity to peek into other people's lives.

Until recently, my blog was a heap of a mess. I finally decided to hire someone to design it, and I'm so thankful I did! Because right now in my life; my blog is a creative outlet for me. Things have gotten a lot easier with Bobby around the house, and it's nice to have my own thing to preoccupy my time with. I don't work, and I don't plan on it, until our kid(s) are older. I love to post about my family, and any other random topics {like today's} that come to mind. I love to participate in other bloggers' link ups, giveaways, and reviews. And, of course, to read about their own families.

I am not sure where this blogging thing will take me. But, I have already made friends out there in the blogging community, and I love that! I have also won a few giveaways lately, and that's always exciting! {Seriously, the last time I won a raffle of any sort was in the 1st grade. Sad.} I enjoy so much reading about my blogging friends' trials, joys, and experiences. I love to read the boring, mundane, day to day stuff too. I learn so much! I have so many DIY projects I want to try, recipes to cook, places to visit, and recommendations to check out. The blogging community is a great resource for everything in my life. Seriously, just about everything.

I love to follow the journey of others. But, selfishly, I think documenting my own family's journey is most important.

And, aw shucks... thanks for having me!

Exhausted.

As I climbed into bed last night, at approximately 9:06pm, I felt completely exhausted. We had a fun weekend, but this time of year really can take a toll on you. I love Christmas, and all of the festivities that surround it, but sometimes I wish it wasn't all crammed into one month. I can't say that I wish the parties came to an end, or the decorations came down. No way. I love that aspect of Christmas.

Anyhow, we did have a fun weekend. Thankfully, we had no plans on Friday night. I can't imagine how tired Bob would have felt... working all week, only to dive right into a tailspin of a weekend. I had to work on Saturday, and then Bob and I headed off to our first Christmas party of the weekend. It actually ended up being a lot of fun, and a totally different crowd {i.e. the political crowd} then we've ever been around. We met K. Carl Smith at this party. He is also known as The Conservative Messenger. He had just been a guest on Huckabee's show on Fox News a few weeks ago. He's an African-American "Frederick Douglas Republican." He was amazing to talk to, and pumped me up to get involved. Here's a snipped from his website of what he does exactly:

The ConservativeMESSENGER™ enlightens, educates, empowers, and equips its members based on the Frederick Douglass Republican™ Movement which: (1) Advocates for a constitutional federal government; (2) Holds elected officials accountable for defending our liberty; (3)Conveys the LIFE-EMPOWERING values of Frederick Douglass; and (4) Seeks to create a fair political dialogue without the finger pointing of racism.

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The movement is quite interesting, and I recommend that you take a look at the website. {If that's your forte, of course!}

Sunday was a great day! We had flurries all day. While the snow never stuck, it was just pretty to look at. {It's actually snowing again as I am typing this}. I was invited to a Cookies & Cocktails party that afternoon. So, I spent the afternoon baking some cookies. It was a fun, cookie exchange with some of my friends in the neighborhood. I came home with some yummy goodies! After that party, we headed out to another one. Bobby was the hit of this party, and such a social butterfly. He was just a ham. Most of our friends at this party has older kids, so he got a ton of attention. Bobby warmed up very easily to this teenage boy, and they played with some gadgets together...

Bob's cell phone captured a sweet moment.

Unfortunately, we arrived home too late for our last party. I called it on Friday though. I had a feeling going to all four would be too hard, and I was right. Bobby was ready for bed, and quite frankly, so were we.

I hope everyone has a great week! It is freezing here today! I am planning on making a crockpot meal in a bit, and then heading out to do some grocery shopping. Because it's too cold for anything else, a few of Bobby's friends are coming over later today to play. Brrrr.

Flashback Friday - Wedding Edition & Fun Phone Photo Friday

TGIF!

Aren't you happy it's the weekend? We have another jam-packed weekend. Tis the season, I suppose. We've got FOUR Christmas parties this weekend. One is tomorrow night, and the other three are on Sunday. We're shooting to make it to 75% of the festivities - ha! Anyhow, I cannot complain... I feel blessed to be invited to them.

Onto this Friday's fun...

This week's theme for Flashback Friday - Wedding Edition is my Ceremony Rehearsal! Check out this post, for the details of how it all went down! {And, again, please excuse the mess of these posts. I was a newbie blogger back then!}

Here's my mom and the minister comparing notes.

Bob's grandmother observing the ceremony.

Receiving some final pointers from the minister. I love how my nieces are listening in...

{All photos courtesy of Bob Ross.}

Next week's theme: Rehearsal Dinner

Want to play along? Just leave me a comment telling me so, and link to my blog in your post. Remember, I am doing this to showcase the rare, unseen photos from our wedding, that will never be put to use anywhere else! {i.e. getting my money's worth from our wedding photographer!}

It's time now for some Fun Phone Photos! I'm linking with Webbisodes to play along!

Bobby's in heaven! He's riding a Thomas the Train at a toy store in Atlanta. This picture was taken with Bob's phone last Saturday.

My car finally hit 60,000 miles! And, I've "only" owned it for 6 years, 8 months.

Here's the Regal Pup with his head in the high chair. Nice, right? Sigh.

Have a fabulous weekend friends!

The Trials and Tribulations of Banana Bear

We experienced this past week, a tiring, deprived, annoying few days. What was the cause?

Banana Bear!

Banana Bear was given to Bobby by a family friend when he was a newborn. He comes from the far-away land of Germany. Banana Bear became Bobby's security blanket at a young age - four months. Banana Bear, as Bobby has gotten older, has become more independent. He'll sometimes join us on a trip to Publix. Or, a walk in the stroller.

He definitely goes on trips with us!

He's always there, in awkward situations...

So, imagine my dismay, when I received a text from my sweet, careful, responsible husband on Saturday which read, "I can't find Banana Bear." You see, Bob and Bobby drove over to Atlanta for the day, to see Bob's sister for her birthday. Banana Bear made the trek over too, because he's a great car seat companion {i.e. his presence helps Bobby nap in the car.}

Well, guess what happened?!? Banana Bear became an Atlanta residence for a couple of days!

How did this mishap go down in our house? Well, let me see... Bobby refused to nap on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday!!! And, he did not sleep through the night either! Finally, Banana Bear arrived in the mail on Tuesday afternoon.

And, as expected... Bobby (and, us too, quite frankly) has been sleeping great ever since.

Who knew Banana Bear would have such a profound effect on our child?!?!

Needless to say, we are now scouring the internet to buy a back-up Banana Bear.

Lesson Learned.

{Which, is actually called Moon Bear. I just thought Banana Bear sounded cuter.}

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

A goofy, margarita drinking husband + sleeping baby =

My kind of birthday dinner!

It's my Birthday...

And, I want to have a button swap!

Leave me a comment, and I'll be happy to place your badge under my "Cute as a Button" tab. {Don't forget to grab mine on my right sidebar.}

P.S. Any advice for a newly crowned 32 year old? ;-)

Lighting of the Green

Our neighborhood's annual Lighting of the Green took place Friday night. This was the first year we went, and were not disappointed. For evening, the temperature wasn't very cold at all - in the low 40's (which, coincidentally is the high today!) We bundled Bobby up, (and ourselves), and walked over to our Welcome Center.

Doesn't he remind you of Kevin from Home Alone, with his hat?

There was a Christmas Pageant of sorts, with all sorts of entertainment! Fake snow was sprayed over the crowd, and there was even a holiday-themed carousel. Hot cocoa and cookies were served too!

Santa rolled up in his sleigh, led by Clydesdale horses...

And, took to the stage with his pretty elf helpers!

Bobby was getting tired at this point. I wasn't sure how he'd do with Santa.

We waited in line...

Bobby played, and seemed to be in a good mood!

But, then... it came time to sit on Santa's lap.

And, Bobby wouldn't have any of it! So, yours truly, jumped in!

Oh well... better luck next year!

Lighting of the Green, December 3, 2010

Friedasophie Jewelry Giveaway

It is definitely Christmas over at Webbisodes! I can't believe it, but Shannon is hosting yet another fabulous giveaway!

Aren't these pieces to die for?

Head over to Shannon's blog, and enter, enter, enter to win!!!

Stella and Dot Giveaway

Shannon, over at Webbisodes is hosting an AMAZING giveaway! She's giving away an awesome Stella and Dot necklace, worth almost $70!!!

Head over there today, and register to win!