Wordless Wednesday.

How to hide like a 2-year-old...

Nate is absolutely obsessed with hiding right now. Every time he hears anyone (namely me or Eric) approaching from another room, his eyes get wide and he whispers, "HIDE!" Then, of course, he hides his little body as fast as he can. He's a quick little guy, and usually very patient. He's honest too; if you're looking for him, and call out,
"Nate, where are you?"
He will immediately answer, "Hide!"
But then, he gets tricky....
I'll say, "Are you in the kitchen?" (while watching him hide in the dining room).
He'll answer, "Uh huh!"
"Are you in the dining room?"
"No!"
"Are you in the living room?"
"Uh huh!"
So funny!

Sometimes he hides well, like in the corner of the living room between a bookshelf and the toy kitchen...

Other times, he hides in places that are a bit more obvious, but still hidden--like under the dining room table....

Then, there are the times that he doesn't have time to run to a hiding place, but decides to hide anyway--usually burying his head in or under cushions. (Why does this remind me of an ostrich...?)

And then, my favorite "hiding spots" are when Nate doesn't have time to hide at all. Not even in the couch! In that brief moment of "panic" as we approach, he will throw his arms over his eyes and exclaim, "HIDE!" Totally inconspicuous...

Thankfully, he's always a good sport when we find him!

Recipe reviews.

We often get into "food ruts" around here. If your family is anything like ours, you probably know what I mean. We eat the same several meals over and over and over again. And, don't get me wrong--we like the foods that we eat. But, variety is the spice of life, right? Last week, I decided to spice up dinner times around here by making one new recipe every day for a week. (Thanks to Pinterest, my recipe search was harder to narrow down than it was to find!) Just in case your family is in a "food rut" nowadays, here are the recipes that we tried (and my own notes/substitutions!).

Mexican Lasagna
This recipe was FANTASTIC! I used whole wheat pasta and Monterey Jack cheese, and I omitted the cilantro and cumin. I substituted medium salsa for the hot sauce. Our entire family could not get enough of this lasagna--we will absolutely be making this again!

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce
This recipe was another winner. I substituted about 7 ounces of crushed tomatoes for the pimento, and used 1/8 cup dried basil in place of the fresh basil.

Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce
This was, hands down, our favorite recipe that I tried. The chicken was crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy inside. I did find the the recipe for the coating made a lot more than what I needed (and I used cutlets, rather than whole chicken breasts), so I ended up making enough chicken for two dinners. I also reduced the butter to 1/4 cup (and still had plenty for the extra chicken). Delicious!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Green Peppers
Never having eaten a stuffed pepper before, I had high hopes for this recipe. It was disappointing, to say the least. I substituted ground turkey for the ground chuck, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. None of us really enjoyed this meal, although it was easten with heaps of catsup for dinner! Not a repeat.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
This was another outstanding recipe! I followed the recipe loosely because I wanted to use my crockpot for this meal. It was not a disappointment, and we all enjoyed this dinner very much. Even the leftovers for lunch the next day were delicious!

Coconut Wheat Apple Muffins
These muffins were delicious! I followed the recipe, but added a handful of both shredded coconut and cruched pecans to the batter. I also only made 12 large muffins (instead of 18), so the cook time was a little longer. Nevertheless, our little family finished off all 12 within two days!

Chili Seasoning
I tried this recipe for homemade chili seasoning, and was very satisified with it. I omitted the flour, and decreased the salt to one teaspoon. I used the seasoning in my regular chili recipe, and it was outstanding. No more store-bought chili seasonings in this house!

Homemade Banana Chips
This recipe was not what I expected, but it was good. I used lemon juice instead of lime juice, and cooked the bananas for about 4 hours total. They never did get a crisp as I expected, and they ended up similar in texture to other dried fruit that I've had (apples, raisins, etc)--not at all like banana chips from the store. Nathaniel was a huge fan of these, and ate them constantly until they were gone! Now he blames Daddy for eating all of the "manamana chips!"

What I'm in love with.... (photo edition!)

These chubby little baby feet:

Big brother tickling his toes:

This laugh:

Storytime with Daddy:

Art:

Simple faith and prayers:

Challenge accepted?

Dear Nate,
When I wrote this letter to you two weeks ago, I stated that "I have yet to encounter 'the terrible twos' with you." That wasn't a challenge. Really. Your brother has a right to play on the living room floor without being knocked down or pelted with cars. And, occasionally, I really would like to speak with your daddy without you yelling at us during the conversation. Even the dog has a right to nap without you pulling on his toes. I know you hate the "time-out" chair, but your tush seems to be getting well acquainted with it this week. Please go back to being an abnormally well-behaved 2-year-old this weekend. Thank you.

Love, Mommy

PS- And, since when did you learn to read? That blog was for you to read in a few years...you know, when you absolutely positively wouldn't consider the aforementioned sentence a personal challenge.

quick update.

I haven't been keeping up on my blogging recently because we've been busy around here! Nothing bad (we're all healthy!), but lots of things are going on. I'm in my element of planning with lots of events happening within the next few months--Valentine's Day, Easter, a bridal shower, and of course, the boys' birthday party! (Yes, I'm aware that the boys' birthdays are 7 month away; I said that I'm a planner!)
I've taught myself to crochet via youtube videos. Easier said than done....but I'm getting better with practice!
We're also in the process of cleaning up our eating habits. Like, a serious clean-up to rid our kitchen entirely of processed foods. It's not going to be easy, but the more I read, the more determined I am! If you're interested, here is a link to the 100 Days of Real Food Challenge that we're planning to use. Will definitely update more on that.
My other "pet project" recently has been our master bedroom. Since we moved into this house almost 4 years ago, we've redone every room in the house. And, I've loved every single room--except the master bedroom. Ironic, huh? So a few months ago, we bribed asked a few family members to help us paint and rearrange furniture. Since then, we've enjoyed our "kinda sorta redone" room. Within the past few weeks, I've really been working to make our master bedroom a real treat for us with new wall art, pictures, etc.
The last thing that has been taking up our time and efforts is something that we're not quite ready to share yet. I almost didn't post anything here about it, but I'm choosing to do so because we do want your prayers. We are fairly certain that the Lord is leading our family in a new direction, and while we are very excited, it's a big change and an even bigger challenge. Keep us in your prayers as we make this decision. (No, J, I'm not pregnant!)
If you've made it through this post, I will reward you with a photo of Nate dancing....

5 months.

Levi is five months old today! He's the happiest little fellow imaginable--and the most ticklish! He loves to laugh, and is constantly smiling. His temperment is easy-going, and it's not hard to make him happy. He is content to watch the world around him, and a smile in his direction always yields a big gummy grin back!

As always, Levi's favorite entertainment comes in the form of his big brother. Nate is fascinated by Levi's new ability to "play" with toys, and loves to hand him things to hold. (In true Nate-fashion, it's usually a car....or 50!)

Levi loves to shake rattles, and has recently learned how to transfer them from one hand to the other. He enjoys tummy time, and can often be found on the living room floor sifting through a pile of rattles for whatever catches his eye at the time. He very much likes the little stuffed fish that came with his fishbowl for Christmas, as each fish makes a different rattle/crunchy noise.

Another favorite activity for Levi is looking at books. Right now, he especially enjoys the black and white pattern books for infants, but he's beginning to take an interest in the illustrations of other children's books too. Every afternoon, Levi sits on my lap and listens quietly while I read the boys their naptime story.

Levi's sleep routine is fairly regular now, as long as we're at home. He takes a short morning nap, a long afternoon nap, a brief evening nap, and goes to bed around 8pm. He usually sleeps about 13 hours at night, waking once or twice to nurse. Recently, we've had a few more nighttime wake-ups while he's been teething. Levi still sleeps on his belly, arms down at his sides. When I lay him down in his bed (awake!), he just wiggles around like a worm to get comfortable, then goes to sleep.

Speaking of teeth, Levi has two! He popped his first through the gum about a week and a half ago. The second followed two days later, although it's still not completely erupted yet! During the day, he chews his fingers a lot, but isn't fussy at all. At night, he sleeps well--as long as I remember to give him his teething tablets before bed!

I am still exclusively breastfeeding Levi. I've accepted defeat in the "bottle battle", and have accepted that we just won't be apart for more than a few hours at a time until he starts eating and drinking from a sippy cup. We have not "officially" started solids yet, although Levi has tried a few bites of banana and apple already. Even though he's not eating with us, our little guy loves to sit at the table with us during meals--as long as he's got a few toys to keep him entertained!

Wordless Wednesday.

Perfect Mother.

Being a mother is tough work. No, I'm not getting into the "being a stay-at-home momma is/isn't the hardest job in the world" debate, but rather, I'm simply stating that being a mom isn't easy. Ever. Sure, some kids are easier than others, and some phases are harder than others--but so what? Being a parent is hard. First of all, there's that whole "keeping this kid alive" responsibility. And the list goes on and on--healthy foods? normal sleep patterns? thriving relationships? developmental milestones? potty-training? instilling morals/values? Decisions, decisions, decisions! As far as I know, the fool-proof guide to parenting has yet to be written, so what's a mom to do? Advice is great--but often contradictory.
I want to be the best momma that I possibly can be to my boys, and for me, that means being a stay-at-home-mom, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering, vaccinating, cooking, cleaning, playing, reading, and a lot of prayer! Do I know other mommas who do things differently in their houses? Sure do! Are they wrong? Nope. Being a good mom, the best mom even, means doing what works for you and your babies. The best mommy for one child is not nesessarily the best mom for another. Just like mothers vary, so do babies.
I've questioned my own parenting decisions and styles numerous times--some of which have resulted in change, and some which have not. I don't know anyone else's children like I know my own, and I try not to judge when I see a parent doing something that isn't my own way. We're all in this parenting thing together--and nobody gets it all right the first time! Being the very best momma (or daddy!) means simply meeting your own child's needs in the way that best suits your family. My boys are healthy, fed, rested, clean, happy, and above all, loved. That's because they have the very best momma for them.
Seriously. It's taken me a while to come to terms with that--I've doubted myself a million times since I became a mother. But, that doesn't matter. I do what I can to be the very best mom for them, and that is what's important. I'm not saying that I'm the universal best mommy, trust me--I know there are lots of moms who play with their kids more, read to their kids more, cook for their kids more, even pray for their kids more. And, good for those kids--and their mommas! If I was tossed into someone else's house, there's no way I could parent their children as well as they do. On the contrary, they couldn't do what I do for my boys daily--even if they read more Clifford books in a day to my kid! Being a good mom is all about parenting your child(ren) like he/she needs to be parented. Most often, it is that child's own mother/father who is the best at that job. And that, my friends, is what makes most of us win the "perfect mother" award--even when our rugs aren't vacuumed, the kids ate toast for lunch, we're in the throes of a toddler tantrum, or we're still in jammies at 2pm.

Hey, teeth!

Guess who's got a new tooth? But, wait, guess who's go TWO new teeth! This little guy right here! Tooth #1 popped through the gum two days ago, and #2 followed suit this morning! That's a new tooth every other day in 2013 so far! If he keeps up this rate, he'll have a full set of teeth before we ever even start on pureed foods!! On a positive note, teething has gone fairly smoothly for him. We had a few fussy nights, but nothing that a little extra nursing and some Hyland's teething tablets couldn't help!

letter to my oldest boy...

My Darling Nathaniel,
There are so many reasons that I want to write this letter to you. I want you to know how very, very much your daddy and I love you. I want you to know what a great little boy and an awesome big brother you are. I want to remember everything about you right now. And, I want you to know how much I wish I could squeeze you and hold on to this time forever.
You are almost two-and-a-half, and I love everything about you. You're quick and curious and adorable. You're silly and smart and noisy. You have a huge imagination, and a quick little temper. You love to hide, and your favorite drink is vanilla almond milk. You don't like rice or chocolate milk. You are shy around strangers, and you like to play with your little friends at church. You are learning to pray. Your favorite character is Clifford The Big Red Dog, and we read Clifford books daily. Sometimes, you're allowed to watch Clifford on television, and you love it. You like to help me in the kitchen, and you always want to play outside. You love to play "vroom-vrooms" with your uncles, and you like to color. You have a kitty named Green Beans and a dog named Grover, both of whom you love. It is your chore to feed the animals, and you take it very seriously--you want to refill their bowls multiple times daily! You made up a funny song about arms. You ask me every day if you'll get to see your Nana, Babump, Oiiay, or Maaa (Nana, Grandpa, Tim, or Matt). Your favorite thing is to be tickled! Sometimes, you run into the kitchen while I'm cooking to squeeze my legs and say, "I wuv you!" It makes my heart melt into a puddle every. single. time. You laugh all the time--even when you don't know what the joke is! You make your daddy do silly crazy things that he never would have done before you (like dancing through the grocery store singing "beast food!"). You say adorable things like "gall gone!" and "iesh" (ice), boff (both) and "uh-uh" and "banamana" (banana). When you wake up in the morning, you sit in your bed and yell, "Mommam, up 'ight 'ow, peeese!" ("Momma, up right now, please!")
You adore your baby brother, your little "Yiyi Baby". You're always gentle with him, although sometimes you're jealous--and rightfully so! (You had both your daddy and me all to yourself for 2 whole years, and then we suddenly introduced this little fellow who needs attention 24/7 into our family!) You're an awesome big brother, and I'm sorry that I'm not able to give you my 100% all the time now. Babies need lots of attention and time, and I promise that Levi will not always be this needy. You want to know a cool thing about mommies? I can give you more than half of my attention AND give Levi more than half of my attention--simultaneously! You might not be getting 100% these days, but I promise that you're each getting at least 85% most of the time. (Often times, it's even more than that!) I love you both equally, and I don't want you to ever forget that. You and Levi are both awesome little boys who are more loved than you'll ever know!
My sweet little Nathaniel, I love this stage of your life so much. You're growing up so quickly (Wasn't it just yesterday that you learned to crawl?), and I wish I could slow you down. There are so many stages of your life so far that I've deemed my "favorite"....but this time, well, I really think this is it. I adore you as a two-year-old. You're old enough to talk and play and reason, but you're still such a baby in so many ways (I know, I know, you're a BIG BOY!). I'll admit that I'm excited to see you learn and grow, but I wish that I could just hide away a day or two of your toddlerhood for later because I know that I will miss this stage terribly someday. I have yet to encounter "the terrible twos" with you. You are so innocent and open with your emotions. You are so willing and loving. You are so you. You are perfect, and I love you so much, Sweetheart. I am so proud of the little boy who you are, and I'm proud of the person who you will be. You go ahead and grow up, my sweet boy, but please take your time doing it!

I love you forever and always,
always and forever,
no matter what.

XOXOXOXO,
Momma

Happy 2013!

I'm not usually the "New Year's Resolution" type of gal. I figure that if I want to be a better person, start exercising, or go on a diet, there's no real reason to wait for January to do it. (I do love me some lists and goals, so I'm no stranger to those!) With the single exception of New Year's Eve 2007 (when Eric proposed), there are no big memories of new years in my mind. For me, January 1st is usually not much different from any other day. To be honest, January is not usually a month to which I look forward. Those first three months of the year are my least favorite solely because of the cold, the dreary weather, and the lack of holidays. I hate being coped up in the house, and summer is simply too far away for me to be excited about it. For me, New Year's Day usually signifies the beginning of the "Blah Season."
But, this year is different! Maybe it's because our family seemed to be sick for the entire month of December? Maybe it's because Levi is finally out of the boring newborn phase? Maybe it's because I'm not pregnant and naseated all day long? Maybe it's because I'm tired of the Christmas clutter and want a tidy house? Maybe it's just that we need a fresh start? Whatever it is, I'm excited to begin 2013! 2012 was not a bad year by any means--it really was a great year for our family! But, it's over, and I'm ready to move on. I'm excited to see what 2013 has in store for us, and hope that it's as full of blessings as last year!

Happy New Year!