Weekend Wears

I'm so proud.  This weekend I actually managed to take outfit photos Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  And the best part?!  I did it despite having a very fun, but very busy weekend!  Man oh man, I definitely commend all of the fashion bloggers out there who have outfit posts every day. 

But back to the weekend.  Friday night we had some friends over to cook out.  They brought their little boy, and the kiddos played very nicely together.  After bedtime, the men folk played video games and the ladies made a Starbucks run and spent the entire night out on the deck.  It was such a beautiful day weekend.

Since it was a very relaxed evening, I opted for casual comfort.  Sometimes you just need to be in jeans and a t-shirt, drinking coffee in the warm night. 

 

Saturday though, was not a jean and t-shirt type of day.  On Saturday I had Katy's (friend/cousin) baby shower, which always calls for looking cute, and dressing up a bit.  At the shower, a lot of people would make comments/compliments about what I was wearing.  I just answered that when you have two small children, a baby shower is as good of a reason as any to dress up :)

Sunday was the biggest day of the weekend.  It was Baxter 1st birthday!  We didn't want to do anything crazy or extravagant, but we still wanted it to be special.  It was a nice party with our parents and siblings (Baxter's grandparents and aunts/uncles).  It was blazing hot.  A scorching 80 degrees, which didn't make sense after a week full of rain and 50 degree weather.  Oh well, I live in Michigan and that's just how we roll here.

And I just realized that the legs came out twice this week.  I guess that comes with July-type weather.  I am not a shorts person, but have to update my summer wardrobe now that the kiddos are here.  Most of my current dresses are either short or strapless, neither being conducive for chasing and picking up small children.  I may or may not have a shopping trip planning in the near future.  We'll just have to wait and see.

 

Okay, now that I've successfully posted three days worth of outfits, I should probably shower and get dressed.  Yeah, I'm still in my pjs.  Sometimes it's just easier to get ready after the kiddos for down for a nap, but that leaves me in my pajamas way too long for my liking.  But it's either that, or a 6am wake up so I guess I'll settle for my pjs.

Oh, and check back tomorrow.  I'm going to post pictures from Baxter's birthday.  You'll want to come check it out.  Why?  Well, have you seen him, he's super cute.  Who wouldn't want to see him on his birthday, eating cake for the first time?!  And I can say that, because it's not like I'm trying to brag about my own looks.  I had nothing to do with how cute he is ;)

Happy Birthday Baxter!

As I've said over and over, it's so crazy to think that Baxter is now 1 year old.  My little man is getting so big.  He's a crawling master, and becoming a walking master.  He is starting to try out actual words, and tries to repeat what you say.  He's become such a kid.  To see pictures of him laying around is almost weird.  It's only been a short six months since he's come home, but I already have a hard time imagining what he was like then.  He's such a mover, I can't comprehend a docile version of himself.

Although he tends to be more challenging, he more than makes up for it with his goofy grin and super tight hugs.  He's independent, but always likes to know you are there.  He'll go off and play, but need a squeeze every few minutes or so.  Despite his non-stop energy he somehow can sit, for what seems like forever, looking at books.

In addition to having a hard time remembering his immobile self, I can't remember life without him.  What do you mean, not have kids?!  What do you mean, have all the free time you want?!  What do you mean, run errands whenever?!  Although those are nice things, and I encourage anyone without kids to cherish them, I wouldn't change my life now for a trillion dollars.  He is the light of my life, along with his brother, and every day he reminds me just how lucky I am to have the chance to be his momma.

So, here's to Baxter, on his first birthday.  I love you!

Now, it's party time!  We're off to feast on delicious food, with great family.  Happy day after the end of the world :)

Celebrating Henry

Ironically, today, the day I am posting the pictures from last weeks baby shower, is the day of my friend's second shower.  But I guess that's just how it goes sometimes.  Although, I have a lot less responsibility today.  I just have to show up with a gift and some muffins.  Last week, I was the hostess and this week, I am more of a guest.

It will be nice to hang out and enjoy the shower.  But my mom is the hostess today, so I imagine that I will be utilized to help with things (which I don't mind at all).

Now back to last week.  Last week was a shower for Katy and her friends.  It was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed to get along really well, even though they may not have known each other upon arriving.  There were 14 lovely ladies in attendance, so it wasn't too small or too big.

It was so much fun celebrating Katy and Henry's upcoming arrival.  I think celebrating babies is fun in general, but when it's such a close friend, it's even better.

And I can't end this post without a photo of the momma-to-be and the hostesses.  It was so cute to get a photo of Katy and Brook (my other best friend), because they are both pregnant, due in July.  Can anyone say, awe :)

Well, there you are.  Now I'm off to Katy's family shower (since we are also cousins).  Look for a cute post tomorrow for Baxter's birthday.  And next week will surely have a post about his birthday party.  And if he'll let me, I am going to try and take some 1 year old pictures this afternoon.

I hope your Saturday is happy, fun and sunny.  That's how my Saturday is currently looking.  Hopefully the sunshine will stick around.

Thumb-Sucking Update

It's been a couple of weeks since we officially stopped letting Atticus suck his thumb, and what a couple weeks they have been.  For the first week, there was a lot of pulling his thumb out of his mouth, but slowly, he did it less and less.  I was super encourage when for about a week, he only tried to suck his thumb 2-4 times a day, usually first thing in the morning or right before bed.

Then, it happened.  Regression.  I pretty much had to have him with me always in order to keep him from sucking his thumb.  I swear it wouldn't leave his mouth if it wasn't for me. 

During these tough times, it's imperative that you push through in order to get the results that you want.  It's like this is many areas of life.  Well, Eric decided that he wasn't so sure about breaking this habit any more.  What?!  Yeah, that's right.  I love him to pieces, but I disagree that we are causing any sort of psychological harm by breaking this habit.  But, because I love him and want to be considerate of his thoughts and feelings, I am going to research the pros and cons of breaking this habit.

Now, "research thumb sucking" is on my ever growing to-do list.  Until I find the time to do so, this has been happening a lot at our house lately.

As any married person knows, especially married persons with children, it's very important to be on the same page.  And if Eric isn't comfortable removing Atticus' thumb at the moment, I cannot do it on my own.  I am not with the boys all day, every day, so I can't ensure that he isn't sucking his thumb when I'm not around.  Therefore, he gets to keep this lovely habit a little longer.

Do any of you have/had thumb suckers?  If you had a thumb sucker, how did you break the habit?  And at what age?  Any insight would be super helpful.

Oh, and it's Friday!  This week has just flown by.  I hope you have a great weekend.  Come Monday, I'll have a one year old.  Weird.

New Food: Chicken, Quinoa & Peas

It's not a very elaborate name, but the taste makes up for it.  I have had most of the ingredients for this recipe for a while.  I just haven't found the time to make it.  But last night, I changed all that, and I'm sure glad I did.  And it's a very easy recipe to make.  It will definitely be on my list of "go to" meals.

I think this is one of the first recipes I haven't had to alter because of my food allergy investigation.  Well, enough talking about it. 

As always, the original is HERE.

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken (I chopped mine into bite-size pieces)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock (I used broth)
24 oz. of pasta sauce (I used my homemade pasta sauce)
10 oz. of frozen peas, thawed

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until well browned on both sides.  Remove chicken and keep skillet warm.

Add paprika and quinoa to the skillet and stir to coat. 

Stir in stock and sauce.  Heat over medium-high heat to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. 

Stir in peas.  Return chicken to skillet and cooked until cooked through.

And there you have it.  Easy-peasy.  And let me tell you, it was definitely delicious.  It makes a good deal too, which makes for delicious left overs.  I love left overs.  Sometimes I don't know what to make for lunch, since it's just me, but when there's left overs, there's no wondering.

Hey, if anyone tries any of the recipes I feature here, I'd love to here how they turned out for you, and what ones you liked/disliked.  Oh, and if you have any you'd like to recommend, please, please do!  I am constantly looking for new things to try, especially things I can eat.  So please pass them along.  It would make me a very happy camper :)