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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Toddler Food Swap

Yesterday someone in my mom's group hosted a toddler food swap and it was a genius idea that I wanted to share with you guys. I know I am always in a rut when it comes to making new things for Ford to eat, especially snacks. He loves anything carby and fruit and it's hard to pack healthy things for on the go. So the swap. Each person brings 6 snack items per child and goes home with the same number of different snacks! Does that make sense? So if 10 kids come, I bring 10 bags of 6 of the item I chose to make. And then I bring home 9 different snacks that those kiddos parents brought. It is a fun and easy way to try new things for your kids without having to make an entire batch of something that they may not like. I love swapping ideas with other moms, especially ideas to make things a tad healthier. I brought Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip mini muffins that are a fan favorite in our house. They are made with bananas which I always have in my freezer and sweetened with honey or agave. And if you know anything about my food preferences, you'd know I am slightly obsessed with anything chocolate/peanut butter. The event doesn't have to be anything fancy....our host had a few simple snacks and the kids played while the mamas chatted. We came home with mini quiches, zucchini orange spice muffins, and blueberry spinach yogurt popsicles. We were even talking about how this would be a neat thing to do with crock pot meals or frozen meals for us adults. Hope you mamas can take this idea with your community!







Monday, September 28, 2015

Lucy 5 months

Sweet Lucy girl is 5 months old and it feels like she's been with us forever. Month 5 has been a tiring month thanks to some sleep regression but little Miss has found her voice (and feet) and is just hilarious and adorable! Lucy has become more opinionated this month but not as stubborn as her brother, phew. She is happy and healthy and we love her to pieces! I swear y'all, she may explode from smiling so often.









  • Weighs 15lb 6oz (home scale....we go in a month for her 6 month well check)
  • Like I said above, Lucy has found her voice and loves squawking, screeching, singing, and hearing herself. It is so cute.
  • Nicknames... Peanut Lady (even Ford calls her that), Chiquita Lady, Boo Boo Lady... basically anything with Lady on it!
  • In typical 2nd child fashion, I laid her under the play mat yesterday and we were all in the kitchen making breakfast... I went back to check on her and she had rolled to her tummy for the first time. We missed it! She did it a few more times yesterday so we may have a roller. 
  • She is looking blonder these days but still has brown hair. I had a blonder tint to my hair growing up and now it sometimes has a reddish tiny and I think she has my hair color. And big blue eyes!
  • Smiles all the time... even when she is crying and her smile is so infectious!
  • We experienced what we think is a little separation anxiety last week when we dropped her off at childcare for a class we took at our church. She screamed and looked so scared but was completely fine bouncing with mama and daddy. If I lay her on my bed and immediately leave the room she gets sad.
  • Loves playing in her exersaucer and spinning the toys around. I plan on getting out the jumperoo soon
  • Sits in her highchair (it reclines) while we eat dinner. She has started eyeing is while we eat but I am going to wait at least another month to introduce foods, I think she will be ready!
  • Chews on everything... hands, feet, toys, blankets. No teeth yet!
  • She found her feet and it is adorable, she always has them in her hands.
  • Favorite toys are Sophie, Zoli teether, Pony Tails book, wash cloths
  • She officially doesn't take a pacifier. She used to kind of take a Wubbanub for naps but those days are long gone. We give it to her (along with a Aden & Anais blanket) at naptime and she plays with it. I think I am going to introduce a lovey to her soon.
  • She is becoming quite the maniac in the bath and we are going to have to move her out of the Angel Care bath seat pretty soon. She kicks the bottom of the bath and flops out of it. She loves bathtime and chewing on wash cloths and watching Ford play.
  • She is still googly eyes for Ford and I love it. He brings the stool up to her highchair and loves to tickle her and play peek a boo. He wants to be under the playmat with her and loves to spin her exersaucer around. She is always smiling and laughing at him. Thank Goodness for 1st children to entertain 2nd children!
  • 4 month sleep regression was a doozy. She had been sleeping 7:30pm-6:30am straight through and about 2 weeks into 4 months she had a few days where she was wide awake for 2 hours. She also went through a phase where she would wake up screaming and flailing 10 min after we put her down. She was only swaddled for 2 weeks or so and in a sleepsack since then but we were at our wits end a few weeks ago and Jon texted me from upstairs and said, "Get the sleepsuit" so peanut lady is sleeping in the Merlin Sleepsuit and it's great! We are back on track and she is going down at 7/7:30p and sometimes sleeps through the night and sometimes wakes up after 9-10 hours, nurses, then back down for 2-3 hours. Hoping we can get more consistent this month. No one is immune to the dreaded sleep regression!
  • She takes 3 naps a day... 1 hour in the AM, sometimes a snooze in the car when we are out and about, 3 hours in the afternoon, and sometimes a late PM nap 30min-1 hour. Because I don't want to be a slave to naps and have a busy toddler who needs to be out of the house, I am going to work towards a 2 nap schedule for her in the next 2 months.
  • Turns her head to watch TV, yep she is my daughter.
  • Still not sitting up but we are working on it! She can do it if you hold her hands but her head is so big and a lot to hold up!
  • Grabs at the toys on her playmat and tries to get them in her mouth, she is intense!
  • Cloth diapered during the day, size 2 disposable diapers at night (can't wait til she is in size 3 and can wear overnight diapers! Girlfriend can pee).
  • Moved up to 6 months PJs and lots of 6 month outfits (just depends on if they are hand me downs or new). Her feet are still too small for shoes!
  • She sticks her tongue out when she concentrates which is what I've done my entire life! My dad still kids me when he sees me writing because my tongue is always out... like mother like daughter.
  • We've had an extra large amount of blow outs this month... seriously she is a stealth pooper so we never know that she's gone and boom, a mustard stain on her outfit. 


Wednesday, September 23, 2015

This and That

I am getting good at the once a week picture dump and random blog post. If you didn't catch yesterday's post, we added a new little bean to our family last week. My nephew Todd Lucas! It was a slow start to our week with me battling a sinus infection but we are back in the swing of things. This week is full of delivering baby meals to new families, afternoons at the park, and decorating our house for Halloween! Ford is so funny, we got down our Halloween and Fall decorations and he is obsessed but a few of the things scare him. Jon is pretty into Halloween so we have lots of big ghost/skeleton/witch things that he hangs in the windows with lights and Ford hated them, "Mama they so scary!". I got rid of a lot of the "gross" decorations we had and we are going to stick to cutesy Halloween decor this year. He has been carrying around a little plastic Jack-O-Lantern the past few days and saying, "It's Halloween Day!". Last year I thought the holidays were really fun with him but this year is going to be even better! Next week is already October... what?! Thank Goodness I've had the babies' Halloween costumes for almost a month haha.

It's almost impossible to get a picture of both kiddos smiling at the same time so I have a ton of the same shot on my phone. These managed to come out cute!




Peanut Lady found her feet and it is the cutest thing ever. She is so vocal and full of personality, Jon told me the other day that he thought she was going to explode because she was so happy and smiling so big when he got her up from her nap. I just couldn't love her any more!

And a video of the sheer cuteness 

We live on the main road of our subdivision and the drivers are crazy. I've been wanting to get some of those neon little guys with flags to stick in the street but when my sister got one of these, I knew I had to have one. I've had so many neighbors stop me and tell me they love my sign and want to order one. I'm sure I'll be getting a letter from the HOA soon but I will fight til death to keep it up. Precious cargo people, slow down! You can order yourself a sign here

I know I am not the only girl mom who likes to play dress up with their little lady. We got this adorable hooded scarf hat for Lucy girl and I am craving the cold weather so I can put her in it! I think we may have to go back to the mountains this winter just so she can wear it. You can order one here (they have lots of colors!). 

Lots of family time lately and I love it. I don't think a day goes by that Jon and I don't say, "Wow our kids are freaking cute." Ford and Lucy, you are a fun little duo and we love you to pieces... until 7pm... then we need our adult time :). 

Lucy and Annabel, destined to be BFFs. Their brothers are 8 days apart and we dressed them alike 2 years ago! 


Monday, September 21, 2015

Baby Toddy

If you follow me on Instagram you'd know that I am a proud auntie for the 2nd time! My sister had her sweet baby boy Todd Lucas last week and he is just perfect. Our family drove up to Dallas the day before her scheduled C section and I got to keep big sis Embry while mommy had him. It was such a special weekend for family time and lots of baby cuddles. It's funny how much Toddy looks like big sister, much like how Ford and Lucy are twins! I love being a mama along side my sister and it is a true joy to get to love on my niece and nephew. We stayed in a hotel for the first time as a family of 4 and it went without a hitch. We got to see some of our good friends from college while in Dallas and Ford was quite the entertainer. A weekend away was exactly what we needed! Unfortunately I got a sinus infection and laryngitis but life goes on with kiddos, am I right? It's so crazy to see Lucy next to all these newborn babies in our lives, she is growing way too fast!

I can't wait to get my hands on baby Toddy again!






Ford was so sweet just wanting to hold baby Toddy and smiling at him, I love Ford's gentle spirit!


My sister had a photographer come to capture Embry meeting her baby brother for the first time and these pictures are just priceless. I don't think there is a little girl more excited to be a big sister!




photos via Ryan Sadkin Rodriguez


Thursday, September 17, 2015

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

A banana with peanut butter is one of my favorite (and most frequent) snacks so I jumped all over this recipe! I love having homemade bread on hand for quick snacks or even as a treat after dinner. This bread didn't need much of a topping and was quite delicious served warm with butter.

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 egg whites
1.5 cups mashed banana
1/3 cup non fat yogurt (I used vanilla)
1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
*Optional- 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until fully combined and a smooth batter is formed
2. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan (I used 2 mini loaf pans) and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. 
3. Enjoy!



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Friday, September 11, 2015

Fri-yay

Aye yi yi. I made myself sit down and write this post because I have been putting off posting anything for a while. I swear one baby wakes up, then the other goes down. That one wakes up, and the other goes down. What happened to my kiddos napping together and giving me 2 hours of alone time to sit on my butt and watch Jimmy Fallon? So basically this is going to be another picture dump, what we've been up to post. This may be the start of me using my kids as an excuse not to post but seriously, where do the days go?! It's Friday and I am happy. We had a fabulous Labor Day weekend (with the exception of me getting food poisoning at one of my favorite burger places, that sucked) and rumor has it we have fall weather coming to Austin next week. Yay. We've been soaking up the last few bits of summer... lake time with friends, splash pad in the backyard, sweating our butts off on the deck. Last Friday night we started a new tradition in our home...First Fridays. We moved the couch from the backyard to the front, set up cornhole, and yard games, and had coolers of beer and popsicles and had our neighbors over. I wish I would have counted how many people we had but man my heart was overwhelmed. God has put so man wonderful people in our lives that we get to do life with. We live on kind of the main road of our subdivision (we live in a mega neighborhood and there are mini subdivisons) and it is one thing I hate about our house. People drive way too fast and I always wish we lived in a culdesac until First Friday. THIS is why God put us on the corner. We had so many slow drivers looking at our setup and even random people walk/bike by and join the fun. We plan on doing it the First Friday of every month and pray that we can foster relationships, start conversations, and show Jesus to our friends and neighbors.


Ford was in his element. He had 2 popsicles, 3 fruit snacks, and a bag of Fritos for dinner. Life is good when you are 2!



Lucy was turning heads at First Friday. Seriously I want 100 of her.

Saturday we were invited to a friend of Jon's boat and it was so great! Jon plays basketball here in the neighborhood and has made some really awesome friends so it was nice to leave the kiddos at home and get some adult time with some of Jon's buddies. We have stuck to going out every other weekend since middle of summer and I love it getting away with him. I can't tell you how nice it was to have the wind in my hair and enjoy a boat ride and adult conversation without a bunch of little people needing me!


Jon is from Cleveland, OH and lived there until college so it's always fun to see some of his friends from back home. One of his BFFs who was in our wedding came down with his family and we got some fun swimming time with them, their son is 2 months younger than Ford!



Also....I.CAN'T.EVEN.

Monday we spent the day at Mimi and Papa's compound swimming, playing basketball, grilling, and relaxing. Pictured below, Lucy is obsessed with washcloths and sucking water off of them. Pool, bath, car....girlfriend is easily entertained.

Seriously, life is so good at Mimi and Papa's!

Dad I know this isn't the most flattering picture of you but how cute does Lucy look?!

Y'all. I just love the season that our family is in. Pretty much every one of our good friends is pregnant or just had a baby... this season is so life giving and joy filled (and exhausting, amen?). In the span of THREE days I got to visit and hold 3 sweet brand new babies of dear friends. And next week my nephew will be here!! I am not lying when I say you can get baby fever when you have a 4 month old at home! I just love watching my friends become mamas (most of them 2nd time mamas right now)!




Geesh if you've made it to the bottom of this post, you're a saint. I promise that if we talk in person I don't ramble this much! Let's see. What else is going on in our lives. Jon and I are leading our community group through Matt Chandler's The Mingling of Souls and I am also doing it with some ladies in the neighborhood. We are doing a missional community group training at our church on Thursday nights and that has been really good. Basically we are studying how Jesus calls us to live in community and make disciples, good stuff y'all. I am currently watching Jimmy Fallon and Ellen Degeneres' lip sync battle from Wednesday night. Omg. I love them. We are obsessed with the show Impractical Jokers...You Tube it. I made this recipe on Wednesday and it was one of the best things we've eaten in a while and it was silly easy. Ford still loves school and that makes me so happy! Lucy and I are enjoying our baby swim class and I am getting time to see friends and have grown up intentional conversations without a toddler running around.

Okay if I don't stop now I will start telling you about the laundry that I forgot to move from the washer to dryer last night...love y'all!

One more thing, I can't believe it has been 14 years since 9/11. It never gets easier to remember the tragic day our country lost so many brave souls. 






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