Tuesday, January 17, 2012

glory to god forever

We sang this song and on Sunday and I can't seem to get the words out of my head.  I've been singing this song over and over to Pearson during the day.  He's so cute and he gives me the biggest smile every time I sing it!! I pray that I can not only live a life for all His glory but teach Pearson to do the same.
Before the world was made
Before you spoke it to be
You were the king of kings
Yeah you were yeah you were
And now you're reigning still
Enthroned above all things
Angels and saints cry out
We join them as we sing
Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God forever
Creator God you gave
Me breath so I could praise
Your great and macthless name
All my days all my day
So let my whole life be
A blazing offering
A life that shouts and sings
The greatness of our King
Take my life and let it be
All for you and for your glory
Take my life and let it be yours
Glory to God
Glory to God
Glory to God forever

Monday, January 16, 2012

pearson {7 months}


Dear Sweet Pearson-
It's the 16th already??  How do the months just seem to fly by now that you are here?  I guess they always say, "Time flies when you're having fun!"  And baby boy, we are having so much fun with you!!!
 
You are such a happy baby.  We can just look at you and you will smile at us now!!  You give your biggest smiles to your Daddy.  Sometimes when he isn't even looking at you, you'll just look at him and smile.  You just love your Daddy!!!
In fact, you started saying "da-da-da-da" this month.  You don't quite have it associated with Daddy, yet, but his heart swells every time you say it.  We joke because one sure fire way to get your to say "da-da" is for me to say "Pearson- Can you say ma-ma?"  You always look at me and say "da-da"! Ha!
You are babbling lots of other sounds too.  You love to play in your crib and just talk and talk and talk while you play with your toys. I love hearing all the sweet new sounds come out of your mouth. 
You celebrated your first Christmas this month and you got lots of fun new toys.  You are having a ball playing with all of them.  I can sit you on the floor of the living room and you are so content to play for quite a while.  Your favorite toys are your blocks, your tool bench, and board books.  You also still really love playing in your jumperoo, especially when I open the window for you to look outside!!
You love your toys, but you prefer real things if we let you have them.  If we have our iPhones in our hand you will do anything to get to it.  You really love anything that you aren't supposed to have.  When we go out to eat, we'll give you a toy and all you want to play with is our cup, or the salt shaker or Mommy's hair, or phone.  You name it, if it's something you shouldn't have you want it.  At home the TV remotes and the containers to anything are also your favorites. 
Most of the time you like to play with your toys sitting up, but every now and then you fall over and then you just love to roll all over the living room.  You can finally roll over both of your shoulders.  You used to just roll over your right shoulder.  You would roll all the way across the room, then we would turn you around and you would roll back to us!!
You aren't crawling yet, but since you can roll, you are definitely on the move.  If I leave you on your tummy, you are never in the same spot when I come back.  I definitely have to keep my eye on you because you can pretty much get anywhere by rolling, scooting, turning or pushing back.  We will definitely have to start baby proofing soon because you have started to pull up on your knees some. I think crawling is going to be here soon.  
You went on two more road trips this month and did great!!  We went to Arkansas so you could meet your Great Grandma (Mema) and we went to San Antonio so Daddy could watch the Baylor Bears in the Alamo Bowl.  You also had your first hotel stay at The W in Dallas and you went to your first sporting event.  We watched the Men's Baylor Basketball team at the American Airlines Center!!
You have been sleeping good at night for the most part this month.  We still put you to bed around 7:30.  We lay you on your tummy, turn your sound machine on and you are out usually within 5 minutes. Every now and then you wake up once in the night needing your paci, but it's a quick fix, so I don't mind getting up for that.  You sleep a full twelve hours most nights, waking up around 7 or 7:30 and sometimes I get lucky and you sleep until 8:00.
I said you have slept well at night for the most part this month because for the past week we have had the joy of experiencing teething for the first time.  Your first pearly white popped through on the bottom last Saturday, January 7th.  For a few night you woke up screaming and you just couldn't settle down.  I had to nurse you in the middle of the night a few days and one night we were even awake from 11pm-2am and again from 4:30-6am.  It was a long night.  We tried Tylenol, Baby Oragel, and Hyland's Teething Tablets (not all at the same time), but I can't say any of those things really gave you any relief.  You seemed to only calm down and go back to sleep if I nursed you.   The past 2 nights you have woken up crying too, so I think we are on round 2 of teething.  I think I see the other bottom tooth coming through.  Hopefully it goes quick!!  Thankfully you seem to be fine during the day, you are just bothered by it at night.
You are on a pretty consistent napping schedule this month.  You nap around 9am and 2:30pm; your naps just don't last very long though.  We are lucky if you nap for an hour. Thankfully you go down easily and you wake up happy, so I can't really complain that they aren't long.   I still have to rock you to sleep, but it just takes me 5 minutes tops, and you don't fight it at all anymore. I decided this past weekend that I am not going to rock you anymore.  Your going to have to grow up and fall asleep on your own.  Unfortunately it's not going so well.  On Saturday you didn't take a morning nap and you screamed for about 45 minutes before you took your afternoon nap.  Sunday was better, you took a 45 minute nap in church and then took a great afternoon nap after falling asleep nursing.  But then this morning, you cried for an entire hour and didn't fall asleep, so it looks like we'll be trying again this afternoon to fall asleep all by yourself.
I have had so much fun giving you solids this month.  It give us something to do during the day, and it also helps me stretch our time when we are out.  I can usually give you some babyfood and it will tide you over until we get home so I can nurse you.
Last month we had only given you different kinds of cereals, sweet potatoes, and bananas.  This month you have had apples, pears, peaches, mangos, blueberries, peas, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, carrots, spinach, and corn and you have loved every single one of them.  I am so happy that you are such a good eater.  Your favorite food is definitely pears.  I can't get them in your mouth fast enough.  The funny thing is that I actually craved pears when I was pregnant with you!!
  
We are still nursing 5 times a day around 7:30, 11, 2, 5, and 7.  When I nurse you have started to get very distracted.  I usually have to nurse you without the TV on and without my iPhone or computer in sight.  We have started to just go in your room where it's quiet with no distractions to nurse. 
You are eating 3 meals a day now. I feed you oatmeal mixed with some sort of fruit for breakfast around 8:30.  I give you a fruit and a vegetable for lunch around noon and I give you a veggie mixed with some sort of cereal for dinner.  I sometimes give you a little fruit too for dessert!!  You also started eating puffs and Baby Mum Mums and drinking water from a sippy cup this month too.  It seems like you are eating all day long, but it keeps you happy and Mommy loves a happy baby!!
I've been more diligent about giving you bottles this month because last month you did not like taking them at all.  I try to give you atleast one bottle a week, which hasn't been hard since you go to the nursery on Sunday for church, every other Monday for MOPS, Tuesday for Bible Study and we now have people over on Thursday night for small group.  I usually nurse you at church on Sunday, but all the other times you are getting a bottle.  I am starting to run out of breastmilk because I quit pumping so you are now getting formula in bottles as well.  You are taking Simalac Advanced and seem to be doing well going back and forth between breastmilk and formula when needed.
I'm so glad that you are taking a bottle so well now because it makes it very easy for me to leave you in the nursery or with family.  It's always been easy, but it just takes a load off my shoulder now that I don't have to worry about pumping to feed to you!!  Every time we pick you up from the nursery at church they always tell us what a good baby you are, and that makes this Mommy so happy!  Lolly and Pops always enjoy keeping you too because you are such an easy baby!!
We usually get out atleast once a day whether it be a trip to Sonic, the grocery store, a lunch or breakfast date or a walk.  Wherever we go you are always a happy baby.  You love riding in the car and looking at yourself in your car-mirror, you love being in the stroller and looking out at everything, and you love sitting in a high chair and staring at people!!
This month has by far been our favorite because you are so alert and observant to all of your surroundings.  You are learning new things everyday and we are loving every second with you.  You are such a precious boy, Pearson, and we love you to the moon and back!!

Love-
Your Mommy

{7 month Stats}

Weight:    18 pounds  (ish)
Length:  28 inches (ish)
Eating: nursing 5 times a day (around 7:30am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm,  & 7pm) along with 3 meals a day (around 8:30, noon, & 6pm)
Bedtime: around 7:30pm
Awake: around 7:30am
Naps: usually 2 45 minutes to an hour naps around 9:00 and 2:30
Diapers: size 3's
Clothes: 9 months, 6-12 months, & 12 month hand-me-downs
Favorites: eating baby food, sleeping on his tummy, playing with your toys, bathtime, when daddy gets home, puffs, and your sippy cup
Latest Tricks: rolling all over the place, sitting on his own, babbling, saying da-da-da-da.

Look how you've changed.

meal planning monday

Monday: Cheater's Potato Soup w/ Bacon & Cheese

Tuesday: Hawaiian Chicken Salad

Wednesday: PW's Braised Beef Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Veggies, & Salad

Thursday: Pulled Pork Tacos, Rice & Beans

Friday: Mini Lasagna Cups, Green Beans, Salad, & Garlic Toast

Saturday Breakfast: Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Saturday Lunch: Salad Wraps

Saturday Dinner: Stew & Cornbread

Sunday Lunch: Ham Rolls & Chips

Sunday Dinner: Pizza

Sunday, January 15, 2012

monthly onesie stickers

I have had a few friends ask me about Pearson's monthly pictures recently, so I thought I would do a little post about them!!
I look forward to taking his pictures each month and using his monthly stickers.  In fact I almost have his 7 month post ready to go for tomorrow.  OH MY WORD......how in the world is my baby almost 7 months old???

Anyways. About the stickers....

I got my stickers off Etsy from Purple Possom.
I ordered these really simple colored ones so I could use a different color onesie each month. 
They also make more detailed boy ones and even ones that look like ties.  
They also have lots of super cute girl designs!


They even have a Just Born stickers that you can add on.
And here's the best part....

Purple Possum is having a sale until Tuesday, January 17th.  The 12 pack of stickers that are regularly $9.00 are on sale for $7.20.  And the Just Born sticker that is regularly $0.75 are on sale for $0.60!! So, head on over to Purple Possom and get your little one some monthly stickers.  Or these would even make a super cute inexpensive baby shower gift!!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

project life {intro} & {week 1}

Have you heard of Project Life??

Project Life is a back-to-basics approach to memory-keeping. This simple format requires no skill - only your pictures and a pen. No one's life is perfect but everyone has a story and every family has a collection of memories. Putting pictures + stories together in Project Life makes us more aware of our blessings and encourages us to cultivate a good life.

I love the idea of Project Life because I don't have time to do all the fru-fru scrapbooking, nor do I have the space to store it all.  I also don't have the time to learn how to do the digital scrapbook thing, so this is the perfect thing for me.  

I first found out about Project Life last year from a friend's blog.  I have loved looking at her layouts each week over the past year.  She has even written some detailed post answering questions about Project Life and how she makes it work for her.  Over and over she said that it is so easy!! I wanted to start when Pearson was born, but I just never got around to it.  At the end of last year, my awesome sister-in-law posted on facebook that she was going to start Project Life, so I knew I had to do it too.  I had no excuses.  She is a phenomenal digital scrapbooker, so she will be doing it all digital.  I hope to be doing digital in 2013, but for this year I'm doing it the way it was originally designed.  

I'm using this kit and making it very simple.  Lot of people that are doing Project Life this year are going above and beyond and making the adorable lay-outs and making their different from everyone elses.  I have to admit, I'm little jealous of their layouts and I want mine to look better, but I'm just going to do Project Life the way it was designed.  Mine might look similar to someone else's because I'm using the kit, but it will be unique to me because it's all of my pictures and my memories.  My Project Life album is going to be simple.  I'm putting in pictures, using my Project Life Kit cards and sitckers and doing all of my journaling with my own handwriting {even though I hate it with a passion}. 

The thing I love about most about Project Life is that is it's all about the everyday things.  It's not all about making "theme-y pages" or "fancy smancy designs".  It's all about preserving your memories and keeping up with it week by week.  I hope to stay on top of it and post my layouts each week, so without further ado......

Here's my Week 1 layout......
 Here's a closer look at the left side.
And a closer look at the right side.
I'm already looking forward to finishing my week 2 layout!!

baby free date night

Last night Matt and I had our first baby free date night of the year.  
{not a great picture because of the dang flash, but it's all I got}

One of our New Years Resolutions was to go on atleast one baby free date night a month.  I am so thankful that we have my parents close by to help us out with this goal.  It's so nice to always have a babysitter.  

We had a giftcard to Olive Garden, so we had some delicious Italian food.  We thought about going to the movies.  We haven't been to one in forever, but there was really anything worth seeing.  

So, as we were driving home at 8:00, I told Matt that I thought it was crazy that when we were dating we didn't have enough time at night.  Midnight always came to soon.  And now, we couldn't wait to get home to our sweet boy, put our PJ's on and snuggle up to watch a movie together.  

Times have changed, but I wouldn't want it any other way!!

Friday, January 13, 2012

good news & bad news

{good news}

I got a pretty new Erin Condren iPhone cover today!!

 {bad news}

I dropped my iPhone on the kitchen floor last night and the screen shattered.  
 It still works just fine, it's just really annoying to have huge cracks across the screen.
I've heard there are cheaper places to get the it rather than taking it to the Apple Store.  

Any recommendations??

Thursday, January 12, 2012

party in the crib

So I facebooked/tweeted last night that I would share with you all about my first week of Project Life.  I didn't have time to take pictures of my page, so you'll just have to see some pictures of my sweet little boy having a party in his crib!!

After Pearson wakes up from his naps I have been putting some toys in his crib and letting him play for a little while to give myself some more time to get some things done.  
 Remember Pearson only naps for 45 minutes twice a day so this lets me get atleast get an extra hour to do things!!
 He LOVES playing in his crib. 
 You'd think he'd feel confined and want out, but he could literally play by himself in his crib for a good 30-45 minutes!!
He makes the sweetest little noises and just talks and talks to himself.  His newest sound being "da-da-da-da-da-da"!!!  Daddy is super proud!!
I love playing with my sweet boy, but I love that he can entertain himself sometimes.  
It makes for a happy baby and a happy Momma!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

taco bites

My blog has been a little quiet this week because Little Man is teething, which equals Mommy not getting much sleep.  Last night Pearson was up from 11-2 and then again from 4:30-6.  I'm pretty tired.  I went to the grocery store today, paid, and walked out of the store.  The cashier came out saying "Ma'am,  Ma'am" but I didn't even turn around because I didn't think she was talking to me.  Finally she tapped my shoulder to tell me I had forgotten my groceries.  Ha!!  I'm just a little tired.  I've lost more sleep this week I think than I did when he was a newborn.  He's always been such a good sleeper, so I'll be glad when this teething thing is over.  

Anyways, I just wanted to share with you a quick and easy recipe, because that's the kind of things I've been cooking lately!!

Taco Bites
You'll need....

Wonton Wrappers

1 lb of Ground Beef

Taco Seasoning

Any Taco Toppings that you prefer

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Brown the meat and add taco seasoning according to the package.  Spray your muffin tin with Pam and place a wonton wrapper inside of each cup.  Put a scoop full of taco meat on each wonton wrapper and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 8-10 minutes then top with the toppings of your choice.  We put tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce on ours!!

We thought these little Taco Bites were pretty good.  I'll definitely be making them again, and I can't wait to try some more recipes out with wonton wrapper!

Enjoy!!

Monday, January 09, 2012

meal planning monday

Monday: Lasagna, Garlic Toast & Salad


Tuesday: BBQ Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Salad, & Rolls

Wednesday: Talapia with Shrimp Bayou, Rice, & Green Beans

Thursday: Cheater's Potato Soup w/ Bacon & Cheese

Friday: Baby Free Date Night :)

Saturday Breakfast: Sausage Balls

Saturday Lunch: Crab Triangles & Chicken Noodle Soup

Saturday Dinner: Cranberry Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, & Rolls

Sunday Lunch: Taco Salad

Sunday Dinner: Pizza