Big Girl Allie!

I knew in May Allie was ready to start potty training.  There were several weeks I'd say to myself  "Ok, I'll start training her Monday!"  Then something would come up, we'd make plans, and I just kept putting it off.  I realized last week that I had no plans this week, so I decided Sunday would be the day to start! 

I stuck to my guns and that morning I put her in training pants.  It wasn't a horribly disastrous day... we had 5 accidents total.  On Monday - only 2 1/2 accidents (I said a 1/2 because she stopped herself from going and finished going in the potty).  Day 3, no accidents!  Day 4, no accidents!  And we also went to Walmart that day too!  Today is Day 5 and she's doing great.  I have plans to run a couple errands and get lunch out.  I did bring her a change of clothes just in case, but I have a feeling she's got this potty training thing figured out!  I'm so proud of her!!!  (And I'll only have one in diapers - woo hoo!)

So if any of you parents are curious as to what we did, Hayden did great with training pants the whole time.  Allie seemed to not realize there was a difference between diapers and training pants so on Day 2 I just put a big tshirt on her and left her bare bottomed.  The 2nd half of day 3 I started putting the training pants back on her because I thought she had things figured out... and she did.  She's been wearing those cute Gerber training pants ever since. 

She also prefers her little Elmo potty but will use a big potty when we are out and about.  I've sat her on both the last several months so she would not be afraid (a mistake I made with Hayden).  I didn't expect this to go so smooth, so I'm a happy momma!

Allie modeling her cute cupcake Gerber training pants :)

Only When I'm Pregnant - 31 Weeks

Baby should be over 3lbs this week.  I'm still feeling exceptionally well for being in my 3rd trimester.  I'm anxiously awaiting my doctors appointment next week! 

I do have a stronger feeling about the sex of the baby.  I'd say I'm about 70% sure.  This next month we'll be preparing the nursery and getting the last of the items we still need for baby.  I've already started a stack of things to put in my hospital bag! 

Hayden is probably the most excited of us all for the baby to get here.  He is daily asking me questions about the baby and asking me to show him a picture of how big the baby is now.  He loves sitting next to me with his hand on my belly and singing songs to baby.  Allie is still pretty clueless about the whole thing.  She needs mommy's full attention and I think she may not be very thrilled about having to share me with another kiddo.  Maybe she'll surprise me?  I'm off to buy a Big Sister book for her today and hopefully that will get her excited :)

Only When I'm Pregnant - 30 Weeks

I feel like the end is in sight!  30 weeks is 3/4 of the way done!  I'm hoping the baby is packing on the pounds.  I didn't take many pictures of me pregnant with Hayden or with Allie so I can't really compare how big I am to when I was pregnant with them.  I feel like I look different than I did with both of them.  I also have had some delicious cravings this past week... chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing, chocolate chip cookies, broccoli cheese casserole, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls..... okay, you don't really need to know how unhealthy I ate! :)

I can't believe I'm still sleeping as good as I am.  I don't drink anything after 8pm, so I don't have to pee multiple times a night.  The only time I wake up is when the kids wake me up.  I was hoping to start walking again in the evenings but it's still so hot.  No swelling in my ankles or hands - yet!  I know that's just a matter of time too. 

The baby is getting close to 3lbs.  S/he will be packing on pounds (hopefully) the next 10 weeks.  Looking forward to my next baby appt and ultrasound at the end of the month! 

Diaper Changing Pad Cover

One of my latest sewing projects was a new cover for the diaper changing pad in the nursery.  I love that minky dot material and knew I wanted to use that.  I waited until I got a 50% off coupon at JoAnns because it's $15 a yard!  I feel like I'm learning so much about sewing just by messing up.  I hate that I mess things up, but I guess it's the best way to learn!  This is the tutorial I used.

All you need is fabric, elastic, and thread (not pictured b/c it was already in my machine)

I had to add a hem to the whole changing pad.  Doesn't seem like a big deal, but this material was slippery and it was kind of tricky.  Not sure what I'd do without straight pins!

Added the elastic, which was more challenging than I thought it would be.  I'm still thinking I may rip it all out and try it again.  The first half wasn't stretched enough, but the other half looks like it's supposed to :)

Trying it out.... the pink will be gone in a few weeks and we'll replace it all with yellow and red or blue!

For The Love Of... Ranch!

This is what I caught Allie doing.......

 

 I like ranch dressing, but not nearly as much as she does!

July's Mid Month Update

Outside my window . . . It's cloudy, overcast, and looks like rain.  It's rained on and off all morning, but we need it!

I am thinking . . . I could be doing more productive things rather than blogging, but I need to take advantage of it while I have a computer in front of me!  Good excuse, right?

I am thankful for . . . Kevin's job.  I'm lucky I get to stay at home and we still have everything we need.

In the kitchen . . . My homemade bread is rising!

I am wearing . . . pjs and no make up.  Now wouldn't be a good time to stop by!  (The kids are at least dressed!)

I am creating . . . a meal to take to my brother and sister in law tonight!  Hope it's yummy!

I am going . . . to the store when Kevin wakes up.  I need more fruit around here.

I am wondering . . . if I'll be able to full off a nice birthday party for Allie this year - not sure if I'm going to try to go all out or keep things simple. 

I am reading . . . Pregnancy books and my bible.

I am hoping . . . Kevin's OT lasts a little longer so we can get a computer this month! 

I am looking forward to . . .my sister being home in just a couple weeks!

I am hearing . . .my kids wrestle and play on the couch.  Allie is one tough cookie!

Around the house . . . I've been sticking to my daily cleaning schedule and it really is helping me stay on track! 

One of my favorite things . . . is feeling baby #3 dance around in my belly.  It's one of my favorite things about being pregnant!

A few plans for next week . . . Try a couple new dinner recipes, maybe sew a little more, Art Smarts camp at church, and discuss some long term and short term financial goals with Kevin (being grown up can be so over rated - huh?!)

Painted Toe Solution

I've posted pictures before of Allie with her toes painted.  She loves getting it done and I love doing it.  She has been requesting a "flower" on her toe so they look like mine.  I was fed up with taking my time to paint a perfect little flower and then it getting rubbed off... so I tried something new...

I taped paper towels between her first and second toe.  We sang songs and acted goofy for about 5 minutes while her toes dried.  It worked perfect!  The flowers dried and have stayed looking pretty for days now!  This is the only way I'm painting her toes from now on!

Jammy Pants

Both of my kids love sleeping in over sized t-shirts.  Allie won't use covers at night though, so I needed to get her some pajama pants.  I hated to spend $10+ a pair so I looked up some easy sewing patterns to make my own.  Last summer I bought a bag of scrap fabric from a yard sale.  I ended up making her two pairs - and again, I learned a lot!  My 2nd pair looked much better than my first pair.  Allie loves them and they are so so so cute on her!  I made both for less than $1!

I learned that the top needs to be completely square.  I rounded the waist band part and that was a no no.  It didn't sew very pretty.

Allie modeling pair #1.

I squared the top of this pair and they turned out much nicer!

Cute little jammy pants for a cute little girl!

Only When I'm Pregnant - 29 Weeks

29 weeks and I'm up 29lbs.  I'm hoping to stick to the 1lb a week weight gain that's typical in the 3rd trimester.... but I also want to make sure this baby is big and growing, so honestly I'm not watching what I eat at all!  A perk of being pregnant, I guess :)

I get to pre-register this week at the Women's Hospital.  It just makes delivery day that much more real!  The baby is approximately 15 inches long from head to heel.  I am growing more and more  uncomfortable by the day, but it's still not all that bad. 

I'm supposed to track movement and feel 10 moves within an hour.  I can do this about 15 times a day and can feel 10 movements in about 5 minutes.  This baby is a mover! 

No swelling yet, and my wedding rings still fit! 

*Welcome Eleanor Rose*

Yesterday was such an exciting day!  I woke up to a text from Tabitha telling me her water broke and I immediately felt antsy and didn't quite know what to do with myself!  I wanted to be at the hospital, but not with both kids, so we stayed at home till we got word Tabitha was 10 centimeters.  My brother was just coming out of their room when I got to the hospital and he was showing the crowd the first pictures of their new baby girl.  It's fun being on the other end of someone having a baby!  We had to leave shortly after we got to the hospital because Allie needed a nap.  We hurried back as soon as we could and I got to hold my sweet little niece with a head FULL of dark thick hair!  Here are some of my favorite pictures from yesterday!

Sweet toes!

The Grandparents with their grand kids

Check out those fingernails!

Whitney got to FaceTime with us :)

Baby Gift

My niece was schedule to arrive today, but decided to make her big appearance yesterday!  I decided I wanted to make a gift for her, but since my sewing skills are still limited, I didn't want to take on a project too big - so I decided to make some burp cloths!

I picked a bright fun flannel and a green terry cloth.

I made a pattern and cut out three burp clothes to sew.

This seems to be popular shape!  I think they turned out cute!

Soft side for baby's face, green side to soak up spit up.

The owl's are the toppers from Eleanor's shower cupcakes - just recycled!

Another owl in pink.

I love and appreciate homemade gifts - don't you?!

Grilled Pizza

I mentioned that we are trying some new recipes this month.  One of the things we tried is grilled pizza!  It was definitely a learning experience but they turned out delish!!!

I made a homemade dough.  My directions said to preheat your grill to 450* (which isn't easy to do with a charcoal grill).  It also suggested making 2 smaller pizzas instead of one big one so it was easier to work with.  I had bought turkey pepperoni, and had some ham and turkey sausage in my freezer, so we used those meats at toppings!

The grill did shoot up some flames when we first threw the crust on, so that's why the insides are a little scorched.  We LOVED the pizza though!  They had such a unique flavor and we're anxious to try them again soon!

 

What we'll do different next time:

• Instead of making 2 pizzas, we'll make 4-5 mini pizzas.
• Kevin is going to preheat the grill to 350*.
• Kevin also thought it would help to greases the burners on the grill ahead of time.
• It really helps having two people for the grilling/topping process!

Our 4th of July

Here are a few pictures from the evening of the 4th!  We went down to Mead Johnsons parking lot and had a great view of the fireworks! 

The moon made a nice appearance during the fireworks!

Conversation Starters for Kiddos

I thought this was fun!  I've been asking Hayden a few questions at a time and his answers make me laugh!

Monthly House Cleaning

I'm not good at keep my house clean.  I really wish I was, and I wish my kids never made messes.  I wish there weren't piles of crumbs on the floor after EVERY meal.  And I wish I would have picked out hairless cats.  But, it's just a fact, my house is never as clean as I want it to be. 

We had some dinner guests over last week and I spent about 2 hours doing general cleaning I never think about doing until we have people over (dusting, wiping off cabinets {they're white}, cleaning off bathroom sinks and mirrors).  The next day, my house was still in pristine condition and I loved it.  I decided that I'd make a monthly cleaning list and just do a little something extra every day (on top of the general laundry and dishes and cooking).  So I made a list #1-#30.  Every number was assigned a task.  Here's my list (and yours will probably be different if you don't have kids and/or pets).

1. Clean toilets
2. Vacuum
3. Windex mirrors and windows
4. Wipe off couches (our couches are leather and the kids LOVE helping with this job!)
5. Vacuum
6. Dust 
7. Wipe our the fridge
8. Vacuum
9. Wipe spots off the floor
10. Wash kids sheets
11. Vacuum
12. Wash our sheets
13. Wipe off cainets
14. Vacuum
15. Clean hall bathtub
16. Clean our shower
17. Vacuum
18. Clean kitchen sink
19. Clean hair off chairs and barstool feet
20. Vacuum
21. Clean hall bathroom sink and counter top
22. Clean master bathroom sink and counter top
23. Vacuum
24. Clean canisters
25. Iron 
26. Clean microwave
27. Vacuum
28. Clean a hot spot
29. Gather a bag of unwanted/unused stuff for Goodwill
30. Vacuum

Obviously I have "Vacuum" on my list a lot - and it could be done daily!  Maybe I will get in the routine of doing it so often I just do it daily - but probably not - that's why I made this list!  It's pretty easy how it works.  July 1, I cleaned the toilets. July 2, I vacuumed, and so on.  If there are 31 days in the month then I'll have one day of resting!  Also, I like the fact if I know I have a busy week, I can pick a day and do 3 or 4 of the tasks.

It's been a full week and our house has stayed picked up and cleaned!  Before bed we're having the kids help clean up what ever messes they have made.  (I also got rid of a couple bag full of toys which has really helped with toy clutter!)  I think the kids are enjoying this clean house as much as I am! 

Fried Rice

Kevin and I both love Chinese/Japanese food.  My favorite place to eat when I have a craving is China Bistro on Vogel Road (if you haven't ever been there, you seriously have no idea what you are missing!  PF Changs, nor any Chinese restaurant for that matter, comes close in comparison!  Nagasaki is right behind it on my lists of favorites)  Okay, so back to what I was saying, I love that kind of food, but I hate paying for it! 

I mentioned in an earlier post that I subscribed to a menu planner.  I usually only use a couple recipes each week, just so I'm trying something new and different.  On Friday, you get emailed a breakfast, lunch, snack, and a dinner plan/shopping list/to do list for the next week.  It's only $5 a month!  Seriously people, it's so worth the investment!  Because I pay for the menu planner, (and you should too), I'm not going to posts the recipes I get emailed.  I don't think it's fair to the sweet momma that puts it together every week and emails it out.  With that being said, I tried one of her recipes this week for teriyaki chicken.  Kevin grilled it and it was really good!  I decided to pair it with fried rice, like she suggested, but I didn't like the ingredients in hers, so I just made my own.

This is probably the easiest thing in the world to make because there is no right or wrong way to make it! 

We like a lot of egg, and I thought the carrots would give it a bit of color.... 

Using my electric skillet, I fried the eggs in olive oil then chopped them up.

Next I added the carrots, about a 1/2 TBSP butter,  cooked rice, and lots of soy sauce.  Stir then serve.  If you wanted to add chicken (or ham or shrimp) to the rice, it could easily be a meal all in itself!

This was our finished meal.  Kevin said this is on his list of his top 5 favorite meals. :)  Next time I want to fry some zucchini too!  Yummy!