Wednesday, January 07, 2015

nash {11 months}

Dear Sweet Nash-
Oh little brother! You have kept me on my toes this month.  You are fast and on the move and super curious!!  You are such a happy go lucky little guy!  I am truly in denial that my little 6 pound 10 ounce baby boy is almost ONE.  How in the world can that be???
 
Sleeping: 
Oh brother, sleeping is just constantly changing for you.  We get a couple of great nights and then a couple of "bad" nights.  I say "bad" because they really aren't bad at all, but you are 11 months old so I expect you to sleep all night just like your brother did at this age!!  Most of the time when you wake up it's because you are sick.  You had another ear infection this month and you also had the flu.  While you are sick, I get up with you and rock you back to sleep.  I haven't nursed you in the middle of the night in forever.  What's frustrating is that you wake up screaming (and sitting up) and the second I pick you up, you are asleep.  If I lay you down though, you wake right back up……which results in me having to rock you for a little while until you are good and asleep.  While you still wake up a once in the nights some nights, you go down SO easily.  I lay you down and you fall asleep without a fuss.  Naptimes are the same way.  It's so easy for you to fall asleep on your own which is so nice!!  Naps have been pretty short this month, almost never lasting more than an hour.  You nap around 9am and 2pm.  Bedtime is at 7pm now, because you are my little early riser.  You wake up between 6-6:30.  It doesn't matter what time we put you to bed, you always wake up early!!  While I don't enjoy waking up early, it's nice to be able to nurse you in bed lying down while Pearson is still asleep.
Eating:
Most days I still nurse you 4 times a day, but a few days a week I am starting to give you a bottle at 10:30/11am after your morning nap.  That will be the first nursing that we drop.    You eat 3 meals a day around 8am, noon, and 5:30.  You love every single thing we give you to eat.  We haven't found anything you don't like.  This month you have tried (and liked) ground beef, roast, mac N cheese, pears,  cheese, lunch meat, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, & french fries!  I'm sure there are more things, but that is all I can think of.  You still love eating babyhood and can suck down a pouch in about 5 seconds.  We are slowing moving you to all table food, but for now you still get baby food occasionally.
New Tricks/Activities/Accomplishments: 
Your biggest trick is pulling up to your feet.  You crawl so so fast, especially if you are off to get something.  You are babbling a lot and love to try to repeat any sounds that we make.  I haven't taken very good notes of the sounds that you are making.  Your main "word" is bu-buh and da-dah, however I'm not totally sure you know what they mean.  Anytime we shake our head yes, you do it really big back at us.  It's adorable!! You can feel the beat when you hear music.  You love to bounce up and down when a good song is on.  
Likes:
Opening and closing doors, remotes, phones, iPad, puffs, playing with cars in the hall, spashing in the tub, praise baby video, playing with tupperware, playing with Pearson's toys. 
Dislikes:
Diaper changes, pulling clothes over your head, hats, hoods or anything on your head, when you run out of puffs, when no one pays you any attention, when you are overly tired, getting your nose wiped.
Other Random Facts:

  • We had to move your crib to the lowest setting since you started pulling up to your feet. 
  • You are starting to understand NO! We are constantly having to tell you to not mess with power cords.  You are always going for them.  
  • Lots of sickness this month…….ear infection, the flu, and lots of congestion. 
  • You love playing in the tupperware cabinet and opening and closing any and all doors.  
  • You nod your head and agree with us if we nod our heads really big.  
  • You have really started to interact with Pearson more this month and I am just loving watching you two play together!
  • You shove food in your mouth with both hands. We literally can't feed you fast enough.  
  • You always have something in your mouth…..a paci, your fingers, or a toy.
Happy 11 months baby boy!!

Love-
Your Mommy

{11 month Stats}

Weight:    23 pounds 10 ounces
Length:  30ish inches???
Eating: nursing 3-4 times a day (around 7:00am, 11am, 3pm, & 7:30pm) along with 3 meals a day (around 8:00, noon, & 5:30) I am slowing start to drop the 11am feeding and give a bottle instead.  
Bedtime: around 7:00pm
Awake: around 6:30am
Naps: usually 2 45 minute-1 hr 15 minute naps around 9am and 2pm
Diapers: size 4's
Clothes: a few 12-18 month, mostly 18 months and 18-24 month hand-me-downs
Teeth: 1 new top tooth (4 total: two bottom & 2 top)

Here is Pearson at 11 months and Nash at 11 months.
Look how you've changed.

Monday, January 05, 2015

new year's day :: take 2

{via}
Most of you are a few days into your New Year, but I declared today, January 5th New Years Day for me!! The first 4 days of 2015 were a wash since I had the flu so I'm starting fresh today!! Nash and I are on the mend and feeling much better.  We just need this dang congestion to go away!!

I just love the start of a new year! I'm not one to make huge life changing resolutions, but I do like to set a few goals for myself.  I especially need some goals this year as I have felt kind of lazy this year.  Sometimes I feel like the only thing I did last year was feed three hungry boys three meals a day and keep two kids alive!!  While I know that's huge……I would like to accomplish some other things in my life this year!!

Here are my goals for this year……

1.  Catch up on the blog AND stay up to date! 

2.  Date my husband!  Go on monthly date nights using Parent's Night Out at Church as well as some intentional time together after the boys go to bed.  

3.  Unload the dishwasher and get a load of laundry started first thing in the morning! And to add to that I want to put all the dishes in the dishwasher right away after I use them and fold the laundry immediately after I pull them out of the dryer!

4.  Read ONE book! Yep, you read that right.  Just ONE.  It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've actually read a book other than a children's book to my boys.  

5.  Grow my nails out again and maybe even polish them every now and then!

6.  Organize/Clean-Out my computer, iPad & iPhone. 

7.  Work out at home 2 days a weeks.  Yep, you read that one right too!  Just TWO.  Trying to be realistic this year!!

8.  Stick to our budget. Spend less. Save more.  Always ask myself, "Do we NEED this?" before I make a purchase.

9. Memorize scripture together as a family!

10. Have one craft day and one outing day planned a week! 

So there you have it…….my 2015 goals!! Looks like I have a busy year ahead of me!!

What do you hope to accomplish in 2015??

meal planning monday

Monday Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie

Tuesday Dinner: Out w/ my Parents

Wednesday Dinner: Beef Stew & Cornbread

Thursday Dinner: Pork Sliders & Chips

Friday Dinner: Parent's Night Out

Saturday Breakfast: Eggs in a Basket & Bacon

Saturday Lunch: Chicken Tender Salad

Saturday Dinner: Balsamic Pork Roast, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, & Green Beans

Sunday Lunch: Sandwiches

Sunday Dinner: Spicy Sausage Pasta (Add Grilled Chicken for me!)

Saturday, January 03, 2015

Happy Flu Year

Oh 2015…….

I am not liking you very much right now.   We aren't really getting off to the best start.  I had high hopes of spending my New Year's Eve and New Years Day catching up on the blog once and for all, but I went to bed on NYE feeling pretty crummy.  Then, I woke up feeling like death and pretty sure I had the flu, but our doctor's office wasn't open so I had to suffer through it.  Plus, Matt wasn't home all day because he went to the Cotton Bowl…..which they lost in the last minute.  Like I said, we aren't off to the best start.

I got my official flu diagnosis on Friday morning.
Then to make things worse, shortly after Matt took Nash to the doctor and he was also diagnosed with the flu.  Poor baby.
We are all four on Tamiflu and hopefully on the mend.  I'm finally feeling better today, but still so congested and really weak and tired.  As I am feeling better, I'm going to try to finish catching up on my 2014 posts.  One of my New Year's Resolutions (which will be posted at a later date) is to keep this little ole blog up to date!! I'm so tired of being so behind. 

Hopefully 2015 can only go up from here!!

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

#thelinkhomeeveryday {week 52}

{Day 358}
Merry Christmas Eve!

{Day 359}
Such a fun morning with these two crazy boys!
{Day 360}
A good ole family movie night after two fun filled days of Christmas celebrations.

{Day 361}
Love these ladies so much! Such a fun day celebrating with Matt's family!

{Day 362}
New Christmas toys equal happy boys!!

{Day 363}
Love that Matt loves to play with the boys.  He's such a good Daddy!!

{Day 364}
Silly text between me and the hubs!

{Day 365}
Crazy NYE grocery shopping trip at Wal-Mart!

Ethan's 5th Birthday

Way back in October…….Ethan had his 5th birthday party at this precious little farm.  

Nash hung out with the donkey's while big brother participated in all the party activities!
Pearson got to ride on a carriage pulled by a miniature pony.  
Nash even got to go on a ride with Grandaddy!!
I didn't know if Pearson would want to ride a horse or not.  He was a little hesitant climbing on, but he was smiles once he got going. 
Pearson got to enjoy a delicious kid-friendly lunch!

And of course the best part of the party according to Pearson was the cupcakes.  I have to agree.  I might of had two cupcakes myself!!
Grammy & Granddady were also there, so we got to enjoy some time with them!!
We are entering the world of having birthday parties all the time and this little one couldn't be happier about it!!

Pearson Performs at School

Pearson's school has a performance in the Fall & Spring.  I love that they do this instead of doing a Christmas program and End of the Year Program.  Both of those times of the year get so busy, so it's nice they choose the "off-seasons" to do their performances.  Earlier in the school year Pearson was having a tough time behaving at school.  It was no surprise that the teacher came walking out holding his hand.  I told Matt, that as a former teacher, I knew exactly what that meant!  
**Thankfully since then he turned a big corner and is behaving much better at school!!
For some reason when Pearson is on stage he can't keep his hands off of his face.  I guess he doesn't know what to do with them.
At one point, he and his little friend Brynn were both digging for gold in their nose.  We were all laughing so hard!!
Pearson loves to sing so he did a great job singing all of his song that he had learned in music class.

**Videos will come at a later date!!

Grammy & Grandaddy drove in to hear Pearson sing.
Pops was out of town, but Lolly & Nonnie joined us as well.  

The Thank-You Meal

This year, starting in September, Pearson started Preschool Praisers.  It's the preschool choir program at our church on Wednesday nights.  We already go to Small group on Wednesdays nights so it works out perfectly.  He goes to choir for the first hour then moves to a different classroom for after care.  The first week of choir we received a CD with all of the songs he would be singing at his program. The theme of his program was called "The Thank-You Meal".   I'm pretty sure he had all the songs memorized within the first week.  We still sing them all the time.  The week before Thanksgiving he had his little performance.  He did a great job!!
I still need to download the video to my camera, so that will come at a later date. 

Thanksgiving Craft Day

The week before Thanksgiving, my friend Jenica had a doctor's appointment so I kept her little girl, Brynn (also a friend from school).  We did Thanksgiving Crafts all morning long while Nash took an awesome morning nap.  I'm not very good at doing crafty stuff with Pearson because it seems like a lot of work for just one kid.  It seemed easier to do when I was prepping for two kids.  I'm excited for Nash to be an age where he can join in on some of the fun!!

First up, we made some Pumpkin Pie Playdough.  
I printed lots of different dot arts for them to color.  
Dot Art is always a big hit at our house!
Pearson was assigned cookies for his Thanksgiving Feast at school the next day, so we made  cookies and then had a little taste test to make sure they were good!!
I found a cute website with lots of Thanksgiving printables.  They did color sheets, matching sheets, color by number and color words.  
Last up we playing with our pumpkin pie play dough.  
What a fun morning with Miss Brynn.  We are so thankful for our good friends that live in our neighborhood!!