Peter Rabbit Birthday party!

Since we couldn't be at our extended families homes for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year we decided to throw Tristan an early birthday party in Durham so we could see everyone and celebrate at the same time. It worked out really well and Tristan had a blast! I decided to go with a peter rabbit theme since Tristan is so cute and sweet but at the same time mischievous. I channeled my inner martha stewart and made a Happy Birthday banner, home made vanilla cupcakes with butter cream frosting, coconut "grass" and home made candies that looked like garden vegetables! I also made cupcake toppers that were SO easy!! Here are some pictures and how to instructions so you can interpret the ideas and use them at your next party!

1. Cupcake toppers

you will need:
toothpicks
hot glue gun & glue sticks
Photo paper
Scrapbook paper

How to make them: First, find a picture that matches your theme online, then save it and print it off on photo paper in wallet size( i used picasa photo software to edit and resize my pictures). You can usually get 6-9 wallet size photos on one piece of large photo paper (which they sell at the dollar tree). Cut out the pic's in whatever size and shape you want and then glue them onto your scrap book paper which is cut in the same shape but slightly larger so it peeks out from behind your picture. Next, flip them over and glue a toothpick to the back leaving enough so that you can stick them into the top of your cupcakes! Couldn't be easier.

2. Birthday Banner

You will need:

Scrapbook paper
Glue stick
Embroidery floss or yarn
Hole punch
Computer paper

Cut your scrapbook paper into large squares, circles, or triangles. You will need one piece for each letter plus two pieces for a picture on each end. Using Word or some other program find a font and color you like and print off the words "Happy Birthday" onto plain computer paper. Cut out the letters however you like and paste them onto your scrapbook paper. Print off two pictures that match your party theme and cut them out and paste them to your two extra pieces of scrap book paper. Punch a hole in the two top corners of your paper and thread through your yarn, making sure to leave a few inches at each end so you can tie a loop to hang the banner.

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5 uses for used baby food jars

1. store home made baby food in them- perfect tool to measure your home made baby food into portions for your little one

2. make butter- just pour heavy whipping cream into a large baby food jar until it is about 1/3 of the way full. Shake, shake and shake some more. You will notice it turn into whipped cream but keep shaking until it turns into a ball and then shake some more until some liquid starts to come back out. Pour this liquid off and you should be left with a semi soft ball of fresh butter! Yum

3. Store thumbtacks, nails and screws-helps keep that Junk drawer organized!

4. Store dried spices- when winter comes instead of letting your herbs die out in the garden chop the plant off and dry the leaves in your oven (warm oven to 250* then place your herbs inside in a single layer on a cookie sheet and turn oven OFF, leave herbs inside without opening oven until oven is totally cool. Repeat if needed until herbs are dried out)

5. Make votive holders! To make votive holders: paint the jars with glass paint from your craft store, fill bottom of jar with sand or salt (you can even dye your salt with food coloring) and add a tea light or small votive!

A Single Stay at Home Mom

Since Jake has been gone to academy during the week I feel like I have been thrown into the world of being a "single mom" mon-fri and to top it off staying at home has made it even harder. Moving to a new area and not being connected with any other moms here yet has made my life so hard! But we have gotten through it and I start work tomorrow morning and Tristan will go to day care. I think it will be great for both of us. I just don't have the personality to stay at home day in and day out with my little one and be all alone while doing it. Also, Tristan is so very active and stares at other kids when we go out and loves the nursery at church and I feel like he has been deprived of play time with other babies and that he needs the interaction of day care. I honestly have to say I have no idea how my mother did it and how many women today are stay at home moms while their husbands are away at work. It is certainly not for me right now. Maybe when I am older if we have more children it may be an option, but now is the time to get back on track and try to get a career started for myself! I can't wait!

Tristan's favorite books

Tristan loves books. He will sit for a long time and just turn the pages, look at the pictures and "read them". However, he doesn't like just any book. Tristan is a little picky about his literature. So far he does not like "Goodnight Moon" or "Guess How Much I Love You?". As a mom I love these books because they are so cute and geared towards bedtime, but maybe Tristan will like them when he is older. Here are a favorite baby books as picked by Tristan.

1. "Moo, Moo Brown Cow"- Tristan loves this book and it has been his favorite since he was about 4 months old. He will now make the animal noises and point at the animals (of course all of his animals noises sound like "ooo", but its still super cute.)

2. Are Lemons Blue? My only complaint about this book is that it is really short and after reading several times over it can get very repetitive for the parent. Tristan never seems to tire of it though.

3. Pajama Time Tristan really loves this one mainly because it rhymes very well and we have made up a little song so it is more like a song than a story now. He adores it and tries to sing along. http://www.amazon.com/Pajama-Time-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0761119752/ref=tmm_other_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1322807130&sr=1-1

4. Theodore mouse goes to sea. I have to be really careful with this book because it is not a board book, but Tristan is in love with the pictures in this book.

5. Daddy Hugs . Tristan really likes this book and it teaches counting as well as the word "daddy". A great book for dads to read to their baby.

6. Thats not my bear Tristan's favorite touch and feel book.

Thanksgiving 2011

What a great thanksgiving weekend! This Thanksgiving we spent with Jake's dad and his wife Lorri. We had way too much food (as always) and enjoyed some good times talking and relaxing. On black Friday Jake ventured out to get a new game on sale and also a new blu ray movie. I decided to stay at home since we are doing a small Christmas this year and I wasn't super excited about any of the deals I saw in the multiple ads I looked over. Friday was also my grandmothers birthday and it was nice to get to go to Hickory and see my aunts, uncles, and a few cousins. My mom and dad came home with us and spent the night. We drove them around downtown Greenville (which is AWESOME) and then they had to go back home. I was sad not to have more time to visit but I will see them soon at Tristan's birthday celebration. Now Jake is out hunting, the house is decorated for Christmas and I am enjoying the peace and quiet of Tristan taking a long afternoon nap after his super busy weekend. I am thankful for such a great weekend and for catching up with my wonderful family.

my thoughts on unplugging

**after re-reading this post I decided to edit the content. It was a bit harsh at first I believe.**

I'm not a huge fan of the no technology kicks some people go on, but at the same time I also don't like the overflow of technology I am seeing in a lot of peoples homes and lives. I just don't feel that an iphone, ipod, ipad, laptop, desktop, e-reader, multiple tv's and game systems are really necessary. I'm noticing that a lot of people my age are obsessed with having it all when it comes to technology. Why not just pick and choose your electronics and be a little more economical while at it? I have fallen into this WANT of new shiny things when the things I already have do the job perfectly. Here is my list of things we have and things that are just really overload.

1. Laptop- This is the piece I use the most. It is my gps (google maps), internet browser, coupon printer, e-reader, word processor, etc. It is portable and I feel like it does all I need. No need for an extra desktop which just takes up space and is bulky!

2. Smartphone- yes, I have a smartphone and no it is not connected to the internet and I do not pay extra for it to have a dataplan. I purposefully got a touch screen "smart" phone that I was not required to have a data plan on. Why? because it saves me lots of money, it does everything a phone should do and everything else I can go to my laptop for. I have no desire to have an iphone and as a previous iphone user I can honestly say I don't miss it at all.

3. Books bought on e-bay, Amazon, or half.com- I read a lot and I have no problem buying used books for super duper cheap online and having them delivered to my door or getting them for free from the library. I have no desire at all to have an e-reader. Can you imagine the frustration of the battery going out while reading or having to charge your book or not taking your book to the pool or beach because it is an electronic that could get damaged? No thank you! There is something about turning the pages and smelling the paper of a real book that is just magical to me. I will never have an e-reader.

4. multiple game systems- we have a ps3 and a wii. We never use the wii. So we have a pointless game system laying around. We keep it because we figure one day Tristan will like it and it has a lot of kid friendly games and it is fun to play with a group of friends. It is not really needed but we bought it before the ps3 so there ya go. We did also have an xbox360 but when we got the ps3 we got rid of the xbox because it would be just another game system and that would have been pointless! My point is choose your favorite and go with that. I would say choose a system that is also a blu ray player so you can consolidate that way as well.

5. ipad- don't even get me started on these, lol. To me if you want the technology of an ipad just get an iphone, that way you have your ipad gadgets as well as your phone and you can cut down on an electronic. I know they are different things but I just don't get the point of these.

6. multiple tv's- not a huge fan of a tv in the bedroom. To me a bedroom is for sleeping, romance, and relaxation.

I guess my point is this: Take a look around you at the gadgets you have and ask yourself if they are really necessary. What else could you be devoting your time, money, space, and electrical bill to? Unless you are a business owner, serious gamer or programmer then more than likely you don't NEED the overflow of electronics.

Back to Work and Giving Thanks

Starting Dec 7th I will officially be going back to work. After being a stay at home mom for 6 months I can honestly say I have a greater level of respect for stay at home moms. Let me tell you it wears me out! I love love my little man but I will be glad to return to work and our finances really really REALLY need it right now. I will be working 34hours a week so there will be some flex time hopefully to spend some time with Tristan during the week. There is an awesome church near here that has a fantastic day care which had ONE spot available and will save us 30-40$ a week. I keep seeing God working in our lives and it never ceases to amaze me the way he has taken care of our needs this past year. As Thanksgiving rolls around this coming week (Tristan's first Thanksgiving!) I can honestly say the thing I am most thankful for is the many prayers said for our family and the many blessings God has given us this year as we moved to a different state and have started new jobs. Also, I am thankful for my little boy who is walking! Actually he also started climbing and is now in the sofa chair...guess I should go rescue him.

9 months

Tristan at 9 months is a handful. Here are some of the things he has been doing this month!

-he has 6 teeth
- he can cruise around the living room by holding onto the furniture.
- he is finally crawling instead of scooting everywhere!
- he stopped nursing on his own. One day he just wouldn't take it and we haven't looked back since.
- He has decided he loves apple juice
- The doctor says he needs to gain some weight by his 12 month appointment so we are working on feeding him a little more but it is a struggle because his reflux has come back with the increased feedings.
- he took his first very wobbly and very short step!
- he is a climber
- he loves to play peek a boo
- he loves to scream and really enjoys the sounds his voice can make
- he is learning the meaning of no
- his new favorite food seems to be blueberries and baby oatmeal.
- he says "dada" and "mama" to us now instead of just saying it to everyone.
- he loves his toys and will happily play in the floor for hours

Easy fall dinner

Fall is here and as the end of October approaches the fall recipes come out! This year I decided to try my hand at butternut squash soup and pumpkin filled crescent rolls. Both the recipes I came up with were inspired by ones I saw on the web and in magazines. I ended up doing my own recipes because none of the ones I saw online were exactly what I wanted, but they were good jumping off points. Here are the two recipes I ended up with. Enjoy~

Butternut Squash & Sage Soup

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes
1/2 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves minced
2 cans chicken broth (all natural&no msg)but not low sodium
1/2 cup milk or cream
salt and pepper to taste

Place enough oil in bottom of large pot (I used an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven)to saute your onions, garlic and squash over medium heat. Saute until the onions turn translucent,stirring often so your garlic does not brown. Once your onions are done add both cans chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20min or until squash is tender. Using a slotted spoon remove squash from broth and place in a food processor or blender. Add milk or cream and blend until smooth. Pour broth from pot into a large bowl. Place squash puree back into pot and add ladles of broth until you have the soup the consistency you are looking for. Salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh sage and serve hot. Would be great garnished with Crispy bacon!


Pumpkin Maple Crescent rolls

1/2 can Pumpkin
cinnamon to taste
sugar to taste
2 Tbsp melted butter
2tsp maple syrup
dash of salt
1 can crescent rolls
4 marshmallows

Combine pumpkin,sugar,cinnamon,melted butter,syrup and salt in a bowl and mix well. Unroll crescent dough and divide into triangles. Flatten each triangle with your fingers until they are a little wider. Add one spoon full of pumpkin mixture at the base of the triangle and top with half a marshmallow. Roll up triangle starting at the base and fold ends over to seal in pumpkin mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake according to package directions until browned. Let cool a few minutes before enjoying this treat! You can add pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin pie spice to these if you like!

The natural look...AKA, the mom look

Well, I'm happy to say the natural look is back. At least according to magazines and television. I'm personally more than happy that my stay at home mom makeup is considered in style now, haha. Its kind of nice that you can do this look without spending a lot of money. I have always believed that being pretty doesn't have to be expensive anyways. Also, if you are a stay at home mom you owe it to yourself to get dressed and at least put some mascara on during nap time!!! Now, I don't profess to be a master at makeup or know what I'm really talking about but here is my "stay at home moms guide to the natural look".

1. Get a good moisturizer with at least spf 15. I like Biore Nourish. AND it is under 10$

2. Use Tinted moisturizer as your foundation for a more natural look. I LOVE Aveeno postively radiant tinted moisturizer. But I do add the Biore underneath first because my skin is really dry this time of year. You can also use Neutrogena healthy skin enhancer . It is actually a bit lighter weight than the Aveeno and goes on super easy. Also, they are about the same price.

3. Use a lightweight powder to hold it all on. I like coverGirl clean powder Under 10$ bucks for one and it lasts a long time and won't break you out!

4. I skip blush because when I'm bumming around the house with the little guy I don't need it and it doesn't really go with the natural look.

5. Skip the eyeliner girls and go straight for a nice neutral shade all over your eye lid and brow area. I really like Mary Kay mineral eye color in moonstone I then use the Silver Satin color lightly just ABOVE the crease and blend it in well. Best part about this eye color is it is 6.50$ for 1 and it has lasted me since December of LAST YEAR.

6.Add some black mascara. If you want to go for a more subtle look you can use a brown or whatever shade you normally use. When I buy my mascara I use maybelline great lash because it is super affordable and has always gotten great reviews. However, I currently have Lancome Hypnose Doll lash mascara which was given to me and I love it. It is budget buster though but if you splurge on one thing it should be mascara. ... right?

7.Add some sheer color to your lips. I am in love with burts bees pomegranate lip balm. For about 3 bucks, who can beat that?!

For hair I am in love with this style!Super easy, fast and great for those little hands that like to grab any hair that is hanging down..and it needs day old hair which is perfect for us mommies!

My mom must haves 6-9 months and up

In honor of Tristan turning nine months today I decided to do another post with a few of my favorite items for the 6-9 month range. Some of these items are more appropriate for 8months and up just depending on how your baby is developing and what activities they like. Here are my must haves

1. Plastic "tossable" toddler spoons.
LOVE these for feeding baby food! They hold the food better than the rubber coated baby spoons so there is less spillage and less mess! Plus, I just wash them and reuse them instead of tossing them but if one gets lost (or melted in the dishwasher) its no big deal.

2. Minute Maid frozen juice bars
Perfect for letting your little one chew on while teething, plus mom can get a nice snack in while sharing with little one.



3. Walker- Tristan loves his walker! Plus I can put him in it when I am getting ready for the day and not have to worry about him getting into things while my back is turned because the bumpers on it keep him away from things he shouldn't be in. (word of caution- if you have stairs PLEASE use caution and keep your baby away from them while in the walker)

4. Baby Mum Mum- I love these snacks! Perfect way to teach self feeding and they help with teething.

5. Grocery cart/high chair cover.
Once your little one is old enough to ride in a grocery cart you should get one of these! Nice and cushy so those little legs don't get hurt on the rough metal and sanitary in case they decide to chew on the grocery cart handle ;)

6. Sippy cup/ bottle holder-
This is a must have once your baby learns what I call the up/down game. Tristan loves to toss his bottle down and watch me pick it up. This was causing problems in stores and restaurants because I would not give him his bottle back because of germs. Now I just strap this onto his chair and he can't throw it on the floor any more! I even use it in the car and strap it to his car seat so he won't lose his bottle in the floor board.


7. Overalls
Yes, Overalls. I have come to believe that these are the best invention made for a little boy who always takes off his pants with elastic waists! They stay on and Tristan is not tripping over his pants or pulling them off because he can. He is in a weird stage and 6 month pants are too small in the butt and 9 months are too big in the waist. My solution is overalls!

8. Board books- If your baby loves to be read to but is drooling and teething on everything then board books are a perfect solution. Tristan's favorite is currently "Moo, Moo Brown Cow", which is a great book that teaches farm animals, animal noises, and counting!

The Outer Banks was...

AMAZING! We stayed in the town of Duck which is quaint and has lots of cute shops and a sound side boardwalk. We visited the aquarium (Tristan LOVED it!) and sat on the beach a lot. I read a whole book and took two wonderful bubble baths in the jacuzzi tub. The only bad part was that Jake could not come, but I returned home nice and relaxed and motivated instead of stressed!!

Goodbye world

after a busy weekend at a friends wedding (which turned out awesome!) I am off to the outer banks to relax and hang out with family. Goodbye world. I'll see you in a week.

Pictures with T-Max

Tristan + mommy+ laughing at self in bathroom mirror =
....note: he was pulling my hair in the first picture, I don't normally have that expression!

New town

I haven't blogged in forever! We have been busy getting settled in our new home. I just have to say that I love our new town. Everywhere I go people are so nice and the church we went to on Sunday was the friendliest church I have ever been to. We will certainly be going back to church there! I'm not saying I don't miss our friends and family in Durham, because I do miss everyone there. However, it is nice to be in a more friendly town that feels a lot safer than where we were living and where people will stop and talk to you in the grocery store instead of shuffling you along with the rest of the crowd because they are too busy to help or are afraid you are a mean spirited person. I guess I should say I miss our friends and family but I do not miss Durham AT ALL. I have started my job search again and have high hopes for finding something soon. Our new apartment also has lots of room and Tristan is thriving with all of the space he now has to play. Family vacation is coming up right after our good friends wedding and I am excited for both events! Lots of pictures will follow :) Here is a cute picture to leave you all with today, Just look at those teeth!! He has 4 now. ...ps. Tristan won the cutest baby contest at the mauldin drug store!! :)

on a roll

Tristan has changed so much in his seventh month! The biggest development is that he is cutting three teeth....THREE. Now I'm just waiting on that fourth one to poke through, won't that be fun? Actually he is doing really well with teething and is just a little grumpy. Tristan is also saying "mama" but will only say it when he is tired or upset. He can also self feed now, yesterday he was sitting happy as a clam in his high chair eating yogurt bites all by himself! As I write this he is trying to climb up the stairs and yesterday he started pulling up on things and climbing onto anything within reach. He can push himself into a sitting position but will not crawl yet. I guess he is so efficient at scooting that he doesn't see the need to crawl. It is kind of funny to see him with teeth and pulling up on things when he hasn't crawled yet. Maybe crawling will come during the 8th month :)

A Lesson in Faith

Sometimes you feel like you are never going to get a break. Sometimes life gets harder instead of easier and sometimes you feel like you want to just give up. But, somehow it always seems like when these moments come God nudges me and reminds me to have faith. He has always taken care of us and we have never wanted for the essentials. We have never resorted to fighting and bickering with each other or with family because of the stress. God has kept us together as a family unit to get through tough times together and our extended family has always been a bigger blessing to us than they will ever know. I had to tell myself earlier this week to take a leap of faith. Our apartment HAS to be sublet and Jake HAS to start his job in South Carolina on the 22nd. So, we took the leap knowing that God would provide and rented a storage unit, moving van, and paid the deposit on an apartment. A guy is coming today to fill out the application to take our lease. Us moving depends on him passing the application process. But, even though it is all up in the air I know in my heart that if for some reason he doesn't pass the application that it will be okay and someone WILL come along to take our lease. Even if we don't move this weekend I feel like I have learned a valuable lesson. I know that when I get stressed out and feel like there is no hope I am just being silly. God doesn't leave His people, He takes care of them even if taking care of them means teaching us to rely on him by giving us hard situations to get through.

moving on

Thats right, soon we will be moving! Our destination will be Greenville, SC and I am excited to find a new place to call home. Of course it will be sad leaving family and friends and we are moving further away from my parents, but the opportunity really is too good to pass up. As a family we have prayed that God would give Jake a job that would take us to a better place financially and also a job that would help advance Jake's career and give him more opportunities. After many many months a position in Greenville opened up at the PD and they really like Jake and have offered him the job. Can't say how excited we all are as a family! Jakes dad does live in Greenville and of course my brother and sister in law are near Charlotte so they will be close by. I will probably try to blog a little bit more in order to keep grandparents and friends updated once we move out of town and of course there will always be lots of pictures of Tristan on facebook for you all to see him grow. We are going apartment shopping this weekend and if we can get someone to lease our apartment in Durham then we will be moving around the end of this month!

food snob

My child is a food snob. Tristan no longer likes baby food unless it is sweet potatoes, carrots, or butternut squash. He used to love bananas and peaches but lately he has decided to boy cot fruits because he likes them better if they are fresh. I mean who can blame him really? Baby food bananas have a weird tart taste to them and the peaches are oddly orange and also tart. I have been using a mini food processor to puree his fresh fruits and he loves it. His favorite has to be peaches! What I do is start with a super ripe peach that is slightly soft to the touch. I wash it, peel it, and cut off the fruit leaving the area around the seed as a snack for me. Then into the food processor it goes for a quick pulse. The summer peaches I have found at the grocery store are so soft and juicy they don't need to be cooked or have any water added to them. Tristan would eat the whole processor full if I let him. I discovered he also likes zucchini. I just peel it, seed it, boil it on the stove with a tad bit of water and then puree it up. He ate it yesterday and I think he is in love. If you have a baby at home make sure to take advantage of produce sales or produce from your garden this summer. It is so much better to feed baby fresh foods and they love it to boot!

Tristan @ 6 months

Today my baby boy is 6 months old! I never believed how fast time flies until I had a little one. Tristans ear is healing nicely from his surgery a little over a month ago and his personality is really starting to show. Here are a few things about Tristan at 6 months:

- he loves to be tickled

- he can push up onto his hands and knees but doesn't crawl yet

-he is a master at scooting around on his belly

- he LOVES tasting popsicles

- his favorite baby foods are bananas, butternut squash and sweet potato

- he doesn't like apples, peas, or rice cereal

- he hates nap time

- he likes swimming in the pool

- he thinks dogs are hilarious

- he has started to teethe (lucky us!)

- he is a ham! He loves to giggle and smile and loves it when he is praised or if you clap your hands for him

Totally worth it

On Wednesday after waking up at 12:30, 3:30, and then 6:00 I thought for sure Tristan would nurse and fall back to sleep for another hour or two...Nope! He was ready to play at 6am and did not want to take a nap or nurse. I was a little frustrated so I groggily made a pot of coffee (makes everything better at 6am!) After I fixed my cup of coffee I sat down in the floor to watch Tristan play while I drank my much needed caffeine. Before I knew it Tristan was scooting towards me and when he reached my leg he held on and rested his little chin on me. Luckily the camera was sitting right on the table so I was able to get a few pictures before he went back to playing. It was like he knew mommy needed a little cuddle at 6am. His personality is so sweet, it makes even late nights and early mornings totally worth it!

scrumptious squash casserole

Squash casserole is one of my favorite summer dishes. This week I found yellow squash on sale for 79cents a pound, so squash casserole went on our menu! This recipe is easy and delicious, but know it is not really a low calorie dish :) I adapted this dish from my moms recipe which is amazing. I wasn't sure her exact process but i knew all the ingredients. Here is how I put it together and it ended up tasting great! You can also add cheese to it if you like, but I like it without.

4-5 small or medium yellow squash washed and cut into slices or cubes
1/2 large onion diced
1 bag herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup chicken broth (home made or low sodium)
80z sour cream
salt and pepper

First saute your onions and squash in a large non stick skillet until they start to turn soft. Once they are getting soft add 1/2 stick butter and salt and pepper to taste. Next mix soup, chicken broth, sour cream and 1/2 stick melted butter together in bowl. Add the bag of stuffing mix and mix well. If it is too thick and you need to add more chicken broth you can do so(if you add too much liquid you can add an egg or two to help it set up as it bakes). It should be a thick mush consistency, but not too dry. Mix this with your squash and onions and add to a large glass casserole dish and sprinkle with pepper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 20-25min or until golden brown.

Grumpy Pants

The past two days Tristan has been super grumpy! There seems to be no cause for his grumpiness which is strange to me. He will be happy for a few minutes playing on the floor with his mirror and toys then he starts crying. He will be happy in his jumper for a few minutes... then starts crying. I keep changing his diaper and nursing him thinking maybe that will make him feel better, but it doesn't work. He won't nurse well so I know he is hungry but he won't take a bottle or baby food either. Last night he devoured some sweet potatoes and today he wouldn't touch them (I tried three separate times). He has no fever and no gas (although I did give him gas drops just in case). He has been drooling a lot so I thought maybe it is teething, but I see no signs of teeth. hmmmm. I bought him three new teethers at Target yesterday but he is not too interested in them. He napped for three hours this morning and is now napping again. Maybe he is just tired? who knows. I was able to keep him happy for about 40minutes earlier today by sitting in front of the big sliding glass door and reading books to him while he sat on my lap and looked outside. I'm not sure why is so grumpy, maybe something will happen soon to let me know why he is having these bad days. I sure hope I can figure out how to make him happy soon because it is wearing me out. We are going swimming this evening before dinner, he LOVES swimming so maybe that will work for awhile. :)

perfect side

Since I am on a budget I often find myself bored with the same old vegetables out of a bag or can as a side dish to our meals. I like to make balanced meals, but does that mean you always have to have the same old frozen or canned vegetables? No! One of our favorite vegi dishes is great for you and doesn't break the bank at all. Here it is:

Roasted Vegi's

4 carrots- peeled and chopped into chunky pieces

2 medium sized red potatoes- chopped into chunks

1 large sweet potato- peeled and chopped

optional: 1 onion peeled and chopped into large chunks

4 cloves of garlic peeled and left whole

You want to make sure your vegi's are all chopped to about the same size so they cook evenly, Then simply toss your vegi's in enough oil to coat them so they don't stick to your pan and they get a nice golden color to them as they roast. The two must have spices for this dish are celery salt and pepper, but you can also doctor it up with whatever herbs and seasonings you like. Some extra add ins we have done are:

rotisserie chicken spice

seasoning salt

thyme

oregano

Roast on a cookie sheet, glass pan, or (my favorite) a cast iron skillet. Roast at 350 or 400 until soft and slightly golden. Stir after first 20-30 min to insure even cooking. Yum!

Ear Surgery

The surgery to remove the growth on Tristans ear went very well yesterday. We were originally scheduled to go in on the 31st but they moved us up to an earlier appointment which was fine, but it meant that I had to go to the hospital alone. I convinced myself it was okay and I could do it on my own just fine. However, by the time Jake got home from work yesterday I was a ball of nerves. Never again will I take my little one to have surgery without having Jake with me! Luckily Tristan had no problems with the anesthesia or pain meds, but it did take him a very long time to wake up from the anesthesia and now he has a hoarse throat and raspy cough from the tube they put down him. It makes me so nervous every time he touches his ear or rolls over onto it. It doesn't seem to bother him to touch it, but it makes me cringe so I broke out the little newborn mittens and put one on his hand because he kept grabbing his ear and stitches. The surgeon sewed a little roll of gauze onto Tristan's ear which they will remove tomorrow morning. I am hoping that the removal of the gauze doesn't cause him too much pain and that the stitches under it look okay!

Triple coupon week!

Thats right, Harris Teeter is doing triple coupons this week! Coupons with a face value up to 99 cents will triple at the register. A few good deals I found were:

McCormick spices- several of them are bogo this week and combined with a .75 coupon they are free! (luckily I had two of these saved from several weeks ago!)

Huggies and Pampers Wipes- huggies were 1.99 and pampers were 1.79 after coupon (not too bad)

Kikkoman soy sauce-1.15after coupon

planters nut snack bars-1.24 after coupon

Jello pudding, yoplait yogurt, frenchs mustard and Worcestershire, luigi frozen ices, texas toast, and duncan hines brownies are also all good deals if you have your coupons! Another good deal is crest prohealth rinse which is on sale this week so combined with the coupon you can save a good deal on this expensive product. Also, 12packs of soda are buy 2 get 3 free! I have five 12 packs in the car just waiting on jake to get home to help carry them up 3 flights of stairs :) All in all I spent $64.24 and saved 61.14! I did have some items in my cart that I had no coupons for (milk, produce, dishwasher detergent,tortilla chips) If I didn't have those items I would have spent less.

The Third Floor

On Saturday we moved into our new place! The new one bedroom is a big difference from the 2bed, 2bath town home we were in. However, I have not had one moment of sadness about moving into the smaller place. I am just so thankful to have a clean start where I am forced to get everything organized and clean! We have been blessed with so many things but still found a lot of things that we just dont need to get rid of at our family yard sale in a few weeks. I am hoping to get enough money for a bouncy seat for Tristan and maybe a night out for me and jake (they are re-releasing lord of the rings extended version in theaters and we really want to go see them!) The new place has a large living/dining area which is actually bigger than the living area in our old town home. We also have a covered deck, so we put our table and chairs outside and put Tristans changing table/dresser inside where the dining room normally would be. It may sound weird, but it actually looks pretty good and last night we ate dinner on the deck and Jake said it reminded him of the beach. Even though I really like our new place I am hoping that by the time Tristan starts running around we have a bigger place for him. We may be moving out of state but won't know for sure for awhile. If there is any news on that I will be sure to post it!

A long hospital day

Yesterday we had two appointments at unc hospital. The first appointment was with the pediatric plastic surgeon for Tristans ear. Tristan has a hemangioma on his ear that has to be removed because it is growing bigger and is growing into the ear tissue. The surgery is supposed to only take an hour and he can come home after they make sure he is okay. I am a little nervous about it just because it is my baby boy, but I am thankful that it is nothing serious. Our second appointment was several hours later in the childrens ultrasound department. At Tristans regular check up the doctor noticed a lump while inspecting his genital area and wanted it checked out. It turned out to just be a hydrocele which is very common in baby boys and the dr says it will resolve itself and cause no problems. Our day was a little nerve racking being with our little one at the hospital but he was a champ and our family is so very thankful that nothing serious is wrong! I am hoping that at his 6month check up Tristan has a totally clean bill of health and we won't have to make any more trips to the hospital!

first bites

Tristan had his first try at rice cereal today. He just turned four months on Sunday and today at his regular check up the doctor said to go ahead and feed him one bowl of rice cereal a day. For a first try I think the feeding today went well, although we had kind of a rocky start. A four month old eating out of a spoon is quite a learning experience for both the baby and parents! The first bowl of rice cereal we prepared ended up being flipped out of my hand by an excited Tristan and landed all over him and his seat(it was actually quite hilarious). After our little mishap Jake took Tristan and cleaned him off while I made a second bowl of cereal. I had to make the second bowl with formula because I didn't have any milk pumped or thawed so I was a little disappointed about that. The formula mixed with the rice cereal may also have contributed to the many sour faces that Tristan gave me during the first few spoon fulls. It took awhile for Tristan to get comfortable with the spoon in his mouth but near the end of his feeding he was doing a good job eating out of the side of the baby spoon and actually opened his mouth a few times for more bites. When we were almost to the end of the bowl the inevitable spit up occurred and Tristan got very mad because he had wet stuff on his skin since he was only wearing a diaper and bib after the first bowl spilled on him. He started fussing and wanted nothing to do with the leftover rice cereal (which was pretty cold by this point) so I went and gave him a nice warm bath which made him super happy! After his bath he didn't want anything other than to nurse and go to bed and after his experience tonight he seemed awfully happy to have his regular food source back.

Best Classic Movies on Instant Netflix

Since we know so many people out there, both friends and family, that have netflix and enjoy old movies I thought I would make a quick list of my favorite classic films that are available on instant play!

1. Charade- Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn and don't forget an oscar nominated score by Henry Mancini....need I say more? This zany 60's thriller will have you laughing and sitting on the edge of your seat!

2. Arsenic and Old Lace- I can't think of enough good things to say about this movie. The Netflix summary states,"Two dotty spinsters (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair) have a peculiar avocation: helping lonely old gents by poisoning them and burying them in the cellar"...and that pretty much says it all. A hilarious movie!

3. It Happened One Night.- This used to be on instant netflix but now it is not! Maybe it will come back, because it is one of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen.

4. Harvey- James Stewart plays a man with an invisible friend who happens to be a giant bunny rabbit. A heartwarming must watch classic!

5. War and Peace- I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw this! Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer. This movie is FANTASTIC!

6. Happy Go Lovely- This is one of those movies you will love if you are a fan old movies, but if not then it may not be the movie to jump in on. I usually fast forward through some of the singing and dancing because i really love the story but not so much the musical parts. Still it is worth watching!

7. Young and Innocent- Early Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a young man wrongly accused of murder and his quest to clear his name.

8. Meet Me in St. Louis- Yes, this is a musical, but please don't go running off from this movie! It is worth watching even if you traditionally don't like musicals. It is a love story starring Judy Garland and is one of my favorites!

My List of 5 Mom Must Haves (birth-4months)

Here is a list of my five favorite products to have around since having our first child. Remember to keep in mind that I have a little boy and I am breastfeeding so both of those have played a role in my list of must have products. Also, I have excluded the must have essentials such as diapers, wipes, rash cream, Vaseline, changing pad, nursing pads. The reason I excluded these is because everyone usually has their favorite brands of these products and everyone also always has them. This is a list of things that you don't have to have, they are just awfully nice!

1. Manual breast pump

Why? Breastfeeding is really hard at first and having a breast pump allows you to get the extra milk out and also gives you the flexibility to bottle feed your baby when in public or if your baby goes to day care. I like the manual pump because you can take it anywhere and you don't have to worry about batteries or finding a place to plug it in.

2. Sheet savers

Why? Drool, leaky diapers, spit up. Changing a crib mattress is hard enough without having to do it several times a day. Tuck in a sheet saver and lay your baby on it, then all you have to do is stick it in the wash! So much easier than changing the whole sheet.

3. Boppy pillow

Why? Because you can do so many things with it! Perfect for breastfeeding and for propping baby up during play time.

4. Sleepers with Zippers

Why? because snaps are so hard to deal with in the middle of the night! My baby boy is so wiggly it is way easier to do diaper changes at 3am if his sleeper just zips up.

5. Infant rocker

Why? Many of these have toy bars that attach so baby can play with them when he starts to reach for toys. Also most of them have a "calming vibrations" feature. I don't use the vibration because my son doesn't like it, but I love this rocker because it is lightweight and can be carried from room to room and also fits in the back of the car for when we go to friends and family. This way baby has his own place to sit and play while we eat dinner or hang out!

attack of the slobber monster

Tristan has started slobbering SO much. Toys, blankies, shirts, arms, fingers, it is all covered. Nothing is safe either, anything that comes within reach automatically goes into his little mouth. I think we have entered the land of teething. :/

Easter wishes

As Christians we tend to put a lot of emphasis on Christmas and Easter. It is not a bad thing to remember and celebrate both of these holidays, but a lot of times we forget to even think about the gift that God gave us through his son Jesus during other times of the year. I am challenging myself and I challenge fellow Christians to actively focus on the birth, death, burial and resurrection of Christ every day. Remember to give thanks to God for giving us His son and for blessing us in so many ways through His sacrifice. Our lives and our world would be drastically different without Christ and it does us good to focus on the blessings we have been given. I hope everyone has safe travels this Easter holiday and that you are able to spend time with both your family and church family.

Allergies

I am pretty convinced Tristan has allergies. The question is, just what is he allergic to? He has puffy red and watery eyes that he keeps rubbing and a runny nose and sometimes a low fever and he is sneezing. They cut the grass this week and the car has been covered in fine yellow dust so it could be an allergy to pollen or grass. Also I found Callie in Tristan's crib and on his play mat this week several times. I wonder if he could be developing an allergy to the cat? I feel like all I have done the past several days is wash, wash, wash! I keep washing his blankies and changing his sheets and clothes. I keep giving him a bath and wiping his snotty nose and I keep washing his puffy eyes with a cool wash cloth. We stayed inside all day today and I think it was worse(maybe it IS the cat...or dust?). He went to the doctor yesterday who said it could be a virus as well, but the signs are more like allergies. Sigh. Also I found out that kids with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes have more allergies than other kids. Kind of interesting.

a new chapter

This week we realized we have been PAYING for me to work. Part of this is due to the fact that I use a tank of gas every week because my day looks like this: home> daycare> work and then work> daycare> home. So starting May 13th I will be a temporary stay at home mom! I am hoping to pick up an odd job here or there (maybe baby sitting another child part time during the week to earn some extra money) but we will see how it goes. God has really given me a peace about staying home with Tristan and I am starting to feel excited about it instead of sad. I have really loved my current job but since Tristan has been born I really have not been able to get back into the swing of things at work. I think God was just nudging me to notice that financially and emotionally it isn't really worth it right now. Our house has looked terrible since I have returned to work and I have maybe cooked once or twice for my husband since Jan. I feel like being a good wife and mother right now is the most important and for me the way to do that is to take a break from working. Financially I really need to get a full time position, but that will have to wait until I am done breast feeding Tristan because I don't want to tackle breast feeding AND working full time...no thank you!

glorious sleep

tristan slept for ten hours last night! He woke up twice to eat for about twenty minutes then it was right back to bed! I didn't get out of bed for good until after nine!!! I know it won't go on like this for very long so I had to chronicle the one night that I got this much sleep with a two month old baby :)

Saturdays with Tristan

I love Saturdays! Since I have had to return to work to help keep our little family afloat Saturdays are my day to spend with Tristan. While dad sleeps or goes to work we have cuddle time, tummy time, and baby talk time. Tristan's little eyes light up when I place him on the changing table and talk to him and he has just started staring and "talking" to his toys which is just adorable. Today we opened up all the blinds and let the wonderful spring sun come in while he enjoyed tummy time and watching himself in the mirror. We enjoy all these moments during the week as well, but the time is so different when there is no running around to do to try and get everything ready in time to go to daycare and then off to work. Sitting around in comfy clothes and cuddling with a sweet baby is THE best way to spend a saturday!

Longest week ever

this week felt like the longest week ever. The week started out fine, but on Tuesday I woke up with pink eye and the cold i have been fighting for a month now had moved into my chest. So, it was off to urgent care while Jake took care of Tristan. To make the day worse the doctor told me I was really contagious....wonderful. It really was a miracle that Jake and Tristan did not catch pink eye, but Tristan did catch my cough. It is so pitiful to hear him cough I think I might go get the antibiotic filled that the doctor gave me. He said not to fill it unless it was really needed, but I am tired of my little guy being sick so I think I will break down and get it filled. Hopefully that takes care of this stubborn bug that just won't go away! I hate to kill all the good stuff in my body right along with the bad, but such is life.

Grab that bargain!!

My great friend Amanda found this awesome store in Burlington, NC where bargains abound. It is a scratch and dent kind of store which means the goods there have either damaged boxes, missing parts, will soon expire(or are already expired), or have been returned to a store and cannot be resold by that store. However, some of the products are perfectly normal, have not been opened and are not expired. Almost everything there is priced at 1.00 with some items ranging a little lower or higher just depending. Wading through the dirty boxes and crowded shelves and bins is totally worth it for the bargains you will find....just make sure to bring along your wet wipes and hand sanitizer!!

My favorite bargains of the day?

hair dye-$1
Pampers diapers- $4
playtex bottles- $1
Cover Girl mascara and concealer- $1
Quantum dish washer tablets-1.50

Here are some pictures of the great finds! All in all I spent 53 dollars and some change. Can't beat that!

back to work

I go back to work on monday. I will have to leave Tristan for the first time at day care and it is such a scary thing to think about! I found a good day care center and he will only be there for the four hours that I am working, but it still is nerve wracking to leave such a little baby in the care of someone else while I leave him. It is not an option for me right now to stop working. Working is the only way I can keep my health insurance and Tristans health insurance. We applied for medicaid for Tristan but we have not heard yet whether or not he is eligible. I think he may not be because we have too much money in our savings account from when Jake was in Iraq. BUT the money in that savings account pays the extra bills right now since Jake and I both only have part time jobs. On another note (which makes me feel guilty sometimes) I don't want to stop working. I think I would go crazy if I stayed at home all the time. I know it is great for children to be raised by a stay at home mom, but I can't imagine not working. I have realized over these six weeks at home with Tristan that you have to have a lot of patience and be super organized in order to be a stay at home mom. Needless to say patience is the least of my virtues and the independent feeling i get at work I really enjoy. I also feel like I learn so much at work every day I can't imagine not learning new things and improving my resume! If we were in a better place I would probably stay at home with Tristan until he was older, but my husband and I both believe that you should not live off of the government if you can help it and that you should work to avoid taking advantage of the system. I don't think getting medicaid is taking advantage because most working people cannot afford health insurance right now. However I don't want to be forced into food stamps and welfare because I'm too selfish to work. You have to make your own way in this world and if you can take care of yourself you should.

New Year, New Baby

We have had a busy and exciting new year so far. We kicked off the new year with the birth of our baby boy Tristan Maximus Smith. We headed to the hospital at 2:30am on the 31st of December and at 1:57am on Jan 1st Tristan was born! Here is the story of how it happened :

On December 30th I woke up feeling normal but tired. I started having contractions off and on all day but nothing consistent. That night my contractions started coming every ten minutes apart and were getting painful, but not enough to go to the hospital. I went upstairs and took a shower and laid down to read a book. Nothing happened. I came downstairs at about 2:00am and told my husband I was going to bed and as soon as I laid down and started to relax the contractions started coming really close together and very painful! I came down the stairs and told Jake it was time to go. We packed our car up and headed out to UNC and called our parents to let them know the first grandchild was on the way! I was 4cm dilated when the doctor checked me at the hospital so they checked us into a labor and delivery room, got me started on the iv and gave me morphine for the pain so I could sleep. The next day not too much had changed. I wasn't dilating much at all so the doctors broke my water and gave me pitocin to get things going. After my water was broken I got an epidural which was a life saver! Even with the pitocin and breaking of my water things progressed very slowly. The baby started to have some drops in heart rate, but the doctors gave me oxygen and turned me different directions which seemed to help. At about 12:30 my nurse let me know it was time to start pushing and about an hour later Tristan was born! He was the first baby to be born at UNC in 2011. Tristan had some bruising and had to have his lungs suctioned out because he had swallowed some meconium which happened because he was born after his due date and the labor took so long. But, everything worked out and I had no problems other than a minor inside tear which the doctor gave me three stitches for. We stayed in the hospital for two days and then brought our precious little boy home. It was a great new years and even though we missed the new years celebrations and dropping of the ball, I will always remember 2011 as the being the best new years ever!