Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Spring is Here!
It's starting to warm up outside and that means I have the urge to take pictures with flowers in them. Thankfully, my husband planted some really pretty ones in our very own yard. Leah always tells me she wants to go "smell them," so that's what we did-- we stopped to smell them! I am so grateful to have two kids who love being outside. Andrew could be fussing an hour straight, but once he gets outside, he doesn't make a peep. Unfortunately, he doesn't smile-- unless I urge his sister to simply look at him!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
8 Months Old
Andrew @ 8 months:
- Andrew has had some sort of virus the past 2 weeks or so, so I don't know how much of what he's up to now has to do with him being sick and how much is just him.
He has not been sleeping well at all. I tried the cry-it-out method a few nights. I heard it was only supposed to take 3 or 4 nights to get him into the routine. He actually did well the first night-- only cried 10 minutes or so when he woke up around 2am. The next night he cried even less, so I thought we were improving. Then the next night he woke up within an hour of going to bed and screamed 30 minutes straight. Last night he woke up at 2, and I tried to let him cry, but went upstairs to find he'd gotten his leg stuck in the slats of the crib. So his sleeping is hit or miss, even during the daytime.
- I had to get out his 9-12 month clothes the other day, as he seems to be growing at the speed of light yet again!
- He hasn't really been eating all that well as far as solids go, although he still wants to nurse quite often (still every 3 hours unless he's sleeping). He is still trying several new foods a month-- he's tried turkey, corn, mango (all in the pureed form, of course). He's still not too sure what to do with finger foods, but we're going to work those up a little more this month.
- He's getting into all sorts of mischeif now that he can crawl (although that's a relative term-- it's still a "scoot" but he can definately get where he wants to go!). His favorite is the VCR. He seems to always want something to hold or grab. Unfortunately, everything in our house seems to belong to his big sister, who makes quite certain he knows that. He will scream at her if she takes things out of his hand, though, which leads me to believe he will very soon be able to take her on!
- He still doesn't sit up well on his own for a long amount of time, and it worries me a little, but I really think he's just stubborn and prefers to be on his belly because he can get around better.
I found some hats when going through Andrew's 9-12 month things-- one was a little too big for Andrew but Leah found it quite acceptable for herself. She wanted to sleep in it at naptime today!
- Andrew has had some sort of virus the past 2 weeks or so, so I don't know how much of what he's up to now has to do with him being sick and how much is just him.
He has not been sleeping well at all. I tried the cry-it-out method a few nights. I heard it was only supposed to take 3 or 4 nights to get him into the routine. He actually did well the first night-- only cried 10 minutes or so when he woke up around 2am. The next night he cried even less, so I thought we were improving. Then the next night he woke up within an hour of going to bed and screamed 30 minutes straight. Last night he woke up at 2, and I tried to let him cry, but went upstairs to find he'd gotten his leg stuck in the slats of the crib. So his sleeping is hit or miss, even during the daytime.
- I had to get out his 9-12 month clothes the other day, as he seems to be growing at the speed of light yet again!
- He hasn't really been eating all that well as far as solids go, although he still wants to nurse quite often (still every 3 hours unless he's sleeping). He is still trying several new foods a month-- he's tried turkey, corn, mango (all in the pureed form, of course). He's still not too sure what to do with finger foods, but we're going to work those up a little more this month.
- He's getting into all sorts of mischeif now that he can crawl (although that's a relative term-- it's still a "scoot" but he can definately get where he wants to go!). His favorite is the VCR. He seems to always want something to hold or grab. Unfortunately, everything in our house seems to belong to his big sister, who makes quite certain he knows that. He will scream at her if she takes things out of his hand, though, which leads me to believe he will very soon be able to take her on!
- He still doesn't sit up well on his own for a long amount of time, and it worries me a little, but I really think he's just stubborn and prefers to be on his belly because he can get around better.
I found some hats when going through Andrew's 9-12 month things-- one was a little too big for Andrew but Leah found it quite acceptable for herself. She wanted to sleep in it at naptime today!
Monday, March 14, 2011
What's New
Here's what we've been up to:
Making a new home as the pastor's family at Newton Grove. The congregation has been amazing-- very welcoming, very open to new ideas. They love Brett, they love our kids. They had a nice covered-dish luncheon for us the first Sunday we were there. We have a potential place to rent when we're ready to move there. And I'm getting excited about moving there.
And that's probably because we're just eager to be done with all this working on the house (Brett and his friend Steve completely re-built our front steps, which were in desperate need of repairs-- of course we still have to paint them, but the front door has also been newly painted.) Brett's weekends and spare time has been completely filled with landscaping, painting, and repairs. We've actually already had two showings, even though the house is still not officially on the market. (And it's a lot of work to get the house ready for a showing when it's not really officially ready-- a lot of hiding things away!) The second showing seems promising-- our house is on their list and they may come see it again soon. We hope that means a quick sale at our asking price or more!!
The other day I heard Leah say "Mommy, I found a Pull-Up!" and she appeared wearing my underwear over top of her clothes. Then she discovered all the fun a laundry basket can bring!
Now that Andrew's "crawling"-- he's into everything. He's already discovered the entertainment stand & the VCR. I've taken to bringing him into the kitchen when I'm cooking-- he likes the hardwood floors better for scooting anyway-- and giving him a bowl and spoon. It keeps him occupied for a long while. I also got him some "rice rusks" which are a sort of teething biscuit-type food to help him learn how to feed himself. He's still not too good at them, but he loves trying! Poor guy has had a cough this week so we're off to the doctor right now.
Making a new home as the pastor's family at Newton Grove. The congregation has been amazing-- very welcoming, very open to new ideas. They love Brett, they love our kids. They had a nice covered-dish luncheon for us the first Sunday we were there. We have a potential place to rent when we're ready to move there. And I'm getting excited about moving there.
And that's probably because we're just eager to be done with all this working on the house (Brett and his friend Steve completely re-built our front steps, which were in desperate need of repairs-- of course we still have to paint them, but the front door has also been newly painted.) Brett's weekends and spare time has been completely filled with landscaping, painting, and repairs. We've actually already had two showings, even though the house is still not officially on the market. (And it's a lot of work to get the house ready for a showing when it's not really officially ready-- a lot of hiding things away!) The second showing seems promising-- our house is on their list and they may come see it again soon. We hope that means a quick sale at our asking price or more!!
The other day I heard Leah say "Mommy, I found a Pull-Up!" and she appeared wearing my underwear over top of her clothes. Then she discovered all the fun a laundry basket can bring!
Now that Andrew's "crawling"-- he's into everything. He's already discovered the entertainment stand & the VCR. I've taken to bringing him into the kitchen when I'm cooking-- he likes the hardwood floors better for scooting anyway-- and giving him a bowl and spoon. It keeps him occupied for a long while. I also got him some "rice rusks" which are a sort of teething biscuit-type food to help him learn how to feed himself. He's still not too good at them, but he loves trying! Poor guy has had a cough this week so we're off to the doctor right now.
Monday, March 7, 2011
He's Moving Now!
Look who's suddenly become very mobile!
He's been rolling all over for awhile now, but yesterday he actually started doing an army crawl, much like Leah did when she first started crawling (at just about the same age, I might add). Of course, he has to be motivated...
And guess who hates having to share her toys! (Even if she does look really cute in pigtails!)
He's been rolling all over for awhile now, but yesterday he actually started doing an army crawl, much like Leah did when she first started crawling (at just about the same age, I might add). Of course, he has to be motivated...
And guess who hates having to share her toys! (Even if she does look really cute in pigtails!)
Friday, March 4, 2011
All About Food
In an effort to save money and time, I have been trying to plan out menus and shopping lists for our family ahead of my trips to the grocery store, so I don't have to make more than one trip a week (which still never really happens, as we always seem to run out of something we need), and so that I have plenty of ingredients on hand to make inexpensive, yet healthy dishes. (The healthy part being the biggest challenge I still have yet to master.) I have always been the type of person that doesn't mind cooking, and sometimes even enjoy it, as long as I have the time. And even though I don't consider myself a gourmet chef by any stretch of the imagination, I can follow a recipe with the best of them and usually end up making some pretty good stuff. (Of course, it helps that I have a husband who would probably eat anything I put in front of him and would genuinely like it.-- Which also makes it hard to judge whether it's really good, or whether it's just something edible.)
My first step was to come up with a shopping list "template" so I could keep a running tab of things as I run out of them, and I can fill it in when I decide what recipes to make that week. I have been reluctant, until recently, to actually write out a day-by-day menu, and instead have been just planning 5 big meals per week, and then just choosing day-to-day which one to cook, because I never know how the day is going to go and whether I'll want to cook what I picked, etc. BUT, I recently found this Meal Planner w/ Shopping List that I really liked and have just this week started using it. (Of course, I adjusted the shopping list categories to best fit where I shop and what I usually buy, and made my own!) (Also, discovering that website opened up a whole other can of worms & I have gotten on an organization kick, even starting my own Household Planner Notebook, but that's a whole new post!)
For awhile I have been working on compiling my favorite recipes. I like to try new things at least once a week (or when motivated and not bogged down by two time suckers named Leah & Andrew), but I have a running list of things I know will turn out okay, are inexpensive, and will fill us up! Here are some of them, with links to the recipe on the site I use for all my recipes-- allrecipes.com.
Super Easy Chicken & Dumplings (I've found one great cheap option is to buy a whole chicken
and put it in the crockpot all day. Once I take it and shred it all, I can stretch the chicken for
2 or 3 meals.)
Beef Stroganoff
Chicken Marsala (I make this a lot for company w/ mashed potatoes because it can look a lot
fancier than it is!)
Italian Pork Chops (I am not a big fan of pork chops unless they are off the grill, but this is by far
the best pork chop recipe I've found-- gotta add some shredded cheese to it, too, though!)
(Also, this came from a site I haven't really used a lot, but would like to try to use more!)
Bean Quesadillas (Again, I'm not a big bean fan, either, but if I get bored of other meats, this is a
good one-- I usually use frozen mixed veggies instead of just corn.)
Mexican Lasagna
American Shepherd's Pie
Cheesy Meatloaf (The only kind of meatloaf Brett says he really likes.)
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
V-8 Vegetable Beef Soup
And then there are my "go-to" meals, ones that I can always fall back on if I don't feel like putting a lot of planning or effort into it:
Chili
Spaghetti
Pigs in Blankets w/ Mac & Cheese
Sloppy Joes
Cheeseburgers (add a packet of the dry Ranch dressing mix-- makes it amazing!)
Hamburger Helper
Tuna Casserole (spruced up with hard boiled eggs, peas, cream of mushroom, Ritz, etc.)
Breakfast (would have this every night if it wasn't lacking several food groups)
The hard part for me is always figuring out what to pair with them-- I don't like a lot of vegetables just by themselves (which is why I like to make a lot of casseroles or dishes with veggies already in them) so usually I end up making a great main dish with nothing to go with it.
I'd also like to start coming up with some even more extensive, or "fancy" dishes that I can serve if we have company (now that I'm a real-life pastor's wife), as well as some good pot-luck dishes. I'm thinking of starting my own "cookbook" or recipe folder as I come up with new ideas or gather them from other places. It's all a work in progress, but I'm so glad that God has blessed me with the ability to provide nourishment for my family without having to order take-out or eat out every night.
My first step was to come up with a shopping list "template" so I could keep a running tab of things as I run out of them, and I can fill it in when I decide what recipes to make that week. I have been reluctant, until recently, to actually write out a day-by-day menu, and instead have been just planning 5 big meals per week, and then just choosing day-to-day which one to cook, because I never know how the day is going to go and whether I'll want to cook what I picked, etc. BUT, I recently found this Meal Planner w/ Shopping List that I really liked and have just this week started using it. (Of course, I adjusted the shopping list categories to best fit where I shop and what I usually buy, and made my own!) (Also, discovering that website opened up a whole other can of worms & I have gotten on an organization kick, even starting my own Household Planner Notebook, but that's a whole new post!)
For awhile I have been working on compiling my favorite recipes. I like to try new things at least once a week (or when motivated and not bogged down by two time suckers named Leah & Andrew), but I have a running list of things I know will turn out okay, are inexpensive, and will fill us up! Here are some of them, with links to the recipe on the site I use for all my recipes-- allrecipes.com.
Super Easy Chicken & Dumplings (I've found one great cheap option is to buy a whole chicken
and put it in the crockpot all day. Once I take it and shred it all, I can stretch the chicken for
2 or 3 meals.)
Beef Stroganoff
Chicken Marsala (I make this a lot for company w/ mashed potatoes because it can look a lot
fancier than it is!)
Italian Pork Chops (I am not a big fan of pork chops unless they are off the grill, but this is by far
the best pork chop recipe I've found-- gotta add some shredded cheese to it, too, though!)
(Also, this came from a site I haven't really used a lot, but would like to try to use more!)
Bean Quesadillas (Again, I'm not a big bean fan, either, but if I get bored of other meats, this is a
good one-- I usually use frozen mixed veggies instead of just corn.)
Mexican Lasagna
American Shepherd's Pie
Cheesy Meatloaf (The only kind of meatloaf Brett says he really likes.)
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
V-8 Vegetable Beef Soup
And then there are my "go-to" meals, ones that I can always fall back on if I don't feel like putting a lot of planning or effort into it:
Chili
Spaghetti
Pigs in Blankets w/ Mac & Cheese
Sloppy Joes
Cheeseburgers (add a packet of the dry Ranch dressing mix-- makes it amazing!)
Hamburger Helper
Tuna Casserole (spruced up with hard boiled eggs, peas, cream of mushroom, Ritz, etc.)
Breakfast (would have this every night if it wasn't lacking several food groups)
The hard part for me is always figuring out what to pair with them-- I don't like a lot of vegetables just by themselves (which is why I like to make a lot of casseroles or dishes with veggies already in them) so usually I end up making a great main dish with nothing to go with it.
I'd also like to start coming up with some even more extensive, or "fancy" dishes that I can serve if we have company (now that I'm a real-life pastor's wife), as well as some good pot-luck dishes. I'm thinking of starting my own "cookbook" or recipe folder as I come up with new ideas or gather them from other places. It's all a work in progress, but I'm so glad that God has blessed me with the ability to provide nourishment for my family without having to order take-out or eat out every night.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Vacation, Part 2
And now, the part without the kids (our first overnight trip away from the kids since before Andrew was born-- maybe even longer!):
We saw 3 lighthouses in the course of 24 hours. (And we took silly pictures of each one.) Not many people were around at any of them, but we managed to find people to take our picture at at least the first two. First is Hatteras.
Then later we took a 40-minute free ferry to Ocracoke Island. It took about 15 minutes to drive to the part of the island with civilization, and then 1 minute later, we were at the other end of the island-- it's that small! We didn't find much to do besides the lighthouse, so we got back on the ferry within an hour.
Dinner that night was an adventure! Nothing is really open during the off-season on Hatteras, but we managed to find a dive not far from our beach house. It was actually a bar, and there was maybe 4 other people there the whole time. We paid way too much for fish sandwiches. The atmosphere was crummy. But-- we didn't have to cook or clean, or feed anyone else! And we have a funny story to tell.
The next day on our way home we headed to Bodie Island Lighthouse. Apparently they are doing some construction on it right now, but that didn't stop us from getting out in the freezing cold wind to take some pictures!
We had such a fun, relaxing, and renewing time! We are so thankful to Mom & Dad for watching the kids for us (and they did perfectly fine-- maybe just a little whiny for them), and to Sharon for loaning us the beach house for the weekend.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Vacation, Part 1
The part with the kids:
Sunday was a beautiful day and Leah couldn't WAIT to get on the beach. No sooner had we gotten out of the car than she was dying to run to the beach. Since it is, of course, February, we were the only crazy people braving Hatteras and there was miles and miles of empty beach. It was so pretty!! (The top pic of Leah shows our house in the background.)
We enjoyed hanging around the house some that evening, eating dinner, enjoying the hot tub, and playing games. The next morning Mom & Dad packed up with Leah & Andrew and Brett & I headed out to Hatteras Lighthouse to do some sightseeing.
The day after we arrived in the OBX for our long weekend (Brett took off a week between finishing at our old church & starting at Newton Grove), we headed to a beach house in Hatteras, about 1 1/2 hours from my parents' house. It belongs to a member of their church, who rents it out during the summer season. Since it's February, we got to stay for free! And it was an awesome house. Mom, Dad, and the kids stayed Sunday night, then headed out Monday, leaving Brett and I more than 24 hours to enjoy the place on our own.
Sunday was a beautiful day and Leah couldn't WAIT to get on the beach. No sooner had we gotten out of the car than she was dying to run to the beach. Since it is, of course, February, we were the only crazy people braving Hatteras and there was miles and miles of empty beach. It was so pretty!! (The top pic of Leah shows our house in the background.)
[This little man, who hasn't slept through the night in months, slept from about 7 until 4 am. In a bed that wasn't even his own!]
We enjoyed hanging around the house some that evening, eating dinner, enjoying the hot tub, and playing games. The next morning Mom & Dad packed up with Leah & Andrew and Brett & I headed out to Hatteras Lighthouse to do some sightseeing.
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