Happy Easter

Happy Easter...He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

Colson Turns Eight

Every year I think the same thing, "I can't believe my baby is this old!" Yet another year passes and I have the privilege of watching this precious little boy grow into a precious big boy.

We celebrated with family and a red velvet basketball cake and then took Colson and two of his friends to the Children's Museum in Greensboro.

Colson, I want you to know that you are the most sensitive, sweet little guy I have ever met. We often joke and call you the Absent Minded Professor, but you are smart beyond your years and you have a wonderfully old soul. I love you so much and I love the young man you are becoming!

Snow Days

Last week we were lucky enough to see about an inch and a half of snow. I'm sure everyone has their own jokes about Southerners and snow, but that's because they're usually true. This monster snow storm closed schools for 3 days. Hope the kids enjoyed their "Spring Break"!

We had a lot of fun sledding, eating snow cream, and making snow angels. Colson and Lilly-Belle played outside until I made them come in to warm up, but Sam was another story. After sitting him in the sled, he promptly kicked off his shoes and began to scream at the top of his lungs. I remember another little one that had the same reaction to their first snow! ;)

Here are a few pictures of our fun.

Little Cheerleader

Lilly-Belle's cheer squad had the opportunity to go to a camp at Wake Forest University a few weeks ago. The girls worked with the WFU dance team and learned a dance that they performed at half time during the game.  They had so much fun and I was so proud of her for going out in front of so many people...girl has courage!

Ready to practice!

Waiting for the game to start!

Eating cotton candy with the big girls! They were so sweet to her!!

FIve on Friday

Five on Friday...

1. My cookie sheet hasn't seen cookies in a very long time...too long. These days it is used for zucchini, carrots, and asparagus.

2. The bitter cold this winter is not my cup of tea. I only enjoy cold if it brings snow.

3. I have pretty much no clue about makeup. I'd really like someone to give me advice on what to use and how to use it.

4. I just realized Netflix has over 100 episodes of Law & Order: SVU. Jam!

5. I'm so excited to go with Lilly-Belle to her cheer camp tomorrow and watch her cheer at the Wake Forest game. She's such a cutie!

Typical Conversations

Maybe it's because she is the middle child. Maybe it's because she is a girl. Maybe it's the red hair.

Who knows?

Lilly-Belle likes to have control. She is fiercely independent and tests me on the daily. I have no desire to squelch these dominant traits, but it certainly makes things interesting. Meal times are especially fun.

Here are a few typical conversations:

Me: What you like for lunch? You can choose between turkey slices and a cheese stick or ABCs with meatballs. (I try to give a choice so she has some input. Not sure if it helps.)
LB: Or a sandwich?
Me: Or a sandwich.
LB: Okay, I'll have turkey and cheese.

LB: Can I have something to drink?
Me: Water or milk?
LB: Or flavored water?
Me: Sure.
LB: Milk, please.

I see a pattern. Do you? This is how it usually goes. Unless it is something she really wants, but she knows I will not approve.

LB: Mommy, I'll just get me a snack, okay.
Me: Lilly, what are you getting?
LB: I'll show you in a minute. Okay.
Me: Show me now.
LB: I'm just going to eat a few of these sprinkles and then I'll eat my yogurt. Okay. See, I got my snack all by myself.

She really likes to get into the baking baskets and sniff out the sprinkles or chocolate chips. She gets exactly what she is after under the guise of "doing it by herself" so I don't have to get it.

I have to admire her skills. She likes to throw in a few "okays" which aren't used as questions, but rather reassurances that she's got it covered. I may have met my match!

Strange Dreams

Lately I've been having some very strange dreams. I have always put a lot of value into what dreams mean and what they try to tell us. I get the message from a few of these, but others I have no clue. Maybe it's nothing, but if you have any insight I'd love to hear it!

 Dream 1: I am roller skating in a huge park in New York. I am also wearing Spider Man pajamas. (no clue)

 Dream 2: Nick and I sell our house, sell everything we own. We then buy a house that is completely white and empty. I also tell him that everything we buy for the house (towels and a couch were two things I specifically told him) had to be white too.

 I'm thinking this one is about my desire to purge unnecessary material things and simplify our lives.

Dream 3: I take Lilly-Belle to a black tie dinner. She begs me to let her dance with the waiter. I say sure and they dance together. (am I crazy?)

Dream 4: I am in a jail that is really like some sort of abandoned mall or office building because it has elevators which I am riding on to try to escape the jail. My family comes to visit me and they bring cupcakes. Oh cupcakes!! I haven't had one in over 3 weeks now. As I am escaping I run by them and they give me the cupcakes to eat.

This one is easy. I'm pretty sure it is directly tied to doing Whole 30 and me mourning the loss of sugar and grains.

These are just a few. Anyone else have very vivid and odd dreams?

Currently...

What I'm currently:

Eating: Lots of Whole30 meals (on Day 7 baby!) 

Drinking: Black Coffee...I really miss my creamer.

Reading: The Explorer Gene


Watching: The RedHead and I went to see American Hustle the other evening. Two things- I'd love to rock one of the dresses Amy Adams wore and Jennifer Lawrence can do no wrong!


Needing to Do: Put away my Christmas decor. I've moved everything into the dining room, but I just can't muster the motivation to pack everything up and put it in the basement.

Wishing For: A new vehicle. It's no easy feat to squeeze three children into our car. It's basically a game of tetris with car seats.


Missing: My Mamaw. We have several cardinals that come to our feeders every day and each time I see them I think of her.

Wearing: Today it is jeans and my coziest Appalachian sweatshirt because it was 7 degrees this morning. Warmth over style this morning!

Welcome 2014!

The Christmas holiday turned out to be a bit of a downer this year because our entire family had the stomach bug. No big holiday dinners, celebrating or opening gifts with our extended family. We were simply in survival and recovery mode. 

Regardless of how we felt, the spirit of Christmas went on and though we were weak, we still rejoiced in the birth of our Savior! 

I can say that I am happy to close the chapter on 2013 and look towards the new year with anticipation. Each year I try to decide on a word that will guide my goals for the year. I thought of quite a few, but I kept coming back to one.

I want to use this year to encourage...encourage others and myself. 

I want to encourage my children to try new things and challenge themselves.

I want to encourage my husband, friends, and family to deepen relationships and to lift them up. 

I want to encourage myself to learn new things, make confident decisions, and take risks.

This will be a year of encouragement! This verse is one to remember...

Just A Thought

I've read several things lately that really stirred a response in me. There's no need to be too specific, but they were all about motherhood. And what it means to be a good mother. I guess these feelings are amplified around the holidays when there is so much going on and people feel the pressure to begin new traditions, continue old traditions, attend functions, etc.

Here's what I think. There are 24 hours in the day. Everyone has 24 hours. You can choose what you want to do with those 24 hours.

You want to decorate every room in your house in preparation for the holidays? Great! Do it!
You have no interest in decorating anything...well, maybe just the Christmas tree? Perfect! Do it!

You want to pick up a treat from the bakery or supermarket? Excellent! They're delicious!
You want to bake brownies and cookies and cakes and candies. Awesome! Please share!

You want to go spend a few hours in the gym or take a nap.
Put on makeup or not.
Cook a homemade dinner or grab takeout.
Buy a new outfit for yourself or the latest toy for your child.

These are all okay. There is no right choice among them.

We all have 24 hours. Choose what "you" want to do with it. Don't judge what others do with theirs...let's celebrate each other. Being a mother doesn't mean being a martyr. Find the balance that works for you and your family.

One of my favorite coffee mugs says it best, "Do what you love. Love what you do."

Samuel Turns One!

Our sweet, cuddly little Sam has grown leaps and bounds this past year and is now a smiley, gentle, fun loving one year old!

We celebrated twice...once with our family at Thanksgiving and then again with family and friends the day before his birthday.

A few fun facts about our little Sam-A-Do:

Started walking on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th.

Will smile anytime, anywhere, at anyone!

Loves to follow his big brother around.

Here are a few pictures of his birthday celebration.

Not sure about what to do with his cake...luckily, Lilly-Belle knew just what to do!

Homemade Sprinkle Cake

His Birthday Tablecloth that everyone signed

Sam's Birthday Chalkboard

We had fun celebrating such a wonderfully sweet little boy! Happy Birthday my love!

Bee Free Treats!

In the midst of Whole 30, the company Bee Free contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying some of their Gluten Free and Paleo Friendly products.

Of course I would! I had to wait until I finished the Whole 30 challenge, but I was so excited when my samples arrived in the mail. I ripped into the box as soon as we got inside and that was probably my first mistake. The kids saw me, saw what was inside, and immediately demanded a cookie! So I had to share my stash...boo!

The first one we tried was Snickerdoodle and it was delicious. Soft and chewy with a wonderful buttery flavor. Thank goodness Bee Free sent three!

After I fed the kids a cookie, I went through and pulled out the chocolate ones and hid them. I know...I'm greedy like that. I had two different kinds to try: Chocolate Krinkle and Chocolate Berry Bliss. After trying these I was sold!

The Chocolate Berry Bliss is almost like eating a candy bar...but without the guilt!

And I don't even know what to say about the Chocolate Krinkle except that I ate them all except for half of one which I begrudgingly shared with Nick. These were my absolute favorite and I will be ordering more!

The kids ate all of the Vegan Cowboy Cookies, but I did get a bite so I would be able to review it as well. It is like a chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie. Definitely the way to go if you like a classic chocolate chip cookie.

Last, but not least was this little gem. The package wasn't marked and I didn't see it on the website, so I'm guessing it is a sample product but I would highly suggest that Bee Free begin offering them to their customers. It was so good!

Thank you to Bee Free for the samples and for making paleo friendly products that are a delicious and healthy option! Visit them here to order some yourself!

Sam at 9 Months

This little guy is 9 months old! He's hit so many milestones that he's more of a big guy than a little guy now!

Weight: 17 lbs 3oz 

Length:  27.5  inches

Sleep: Still naps twice a day and wakes once at night to eat. (Broken record here. Maybe one day I'll get to type that he sleeps through the night.)

 

Awake: Sam learned to crawl and pull-up all in one week. He really started crawling on August 20th and just two days later he pulled up in his crib for the first time! Loves to play with balls, the magnets on the fridge, and enjoys pulling the magazines off of the ottoman.

Eating: We're still nursing, but he has gotten much better about taking a bottle for Nick. Eats a mixture of baby food and table food. Some of his favorites are pieces of sweet potato, carrots, cheese, and chicken. He has mastered the "pincher grasp" which makes self feeding much easier.

 

Other fun facts: Sam is usually a quiet baby around other people, but is a little chatterbox when it is just us. He likes to say "bababa" and "dadada"...no "mamama" yet! He has two teeth now and boy does he know how to use them! It's really entertaining to watch him get a bite of something.

After the 30 Days

Well, Whole 30 is done. Finished. Complete!  Nick and I completely transformed our diet by cutting out sugars, alcohol, dairy, legumes and grains for 30 days. Transforming our diet changed our bodies from the inside out, but it also changed our minds.

I find it easier to make meal choices now and I no longer feel like I want to indulge in a sweet treat or drink simply because "I deserve it." What I deserve is a healthy body and the paleo dietary lifestyle has given me that.

Have I "cheated" since we finished on Tuesday? You bet...I got a big chocolate shake (one of the things I craved a lot). It was delicious while I drank it, but afterward I thought, "That wasn't really worth it." I understand now why a friend said to cheat big. Plan a meal, eat it, and then go right back to paleo.The way she explained it was that eating one healthy meal a week doesn't make you healthy, so eating one cheat meal a week doesn't make you unhealthy.  Tonight Nick and I are going out to Cheesecake Factory for a belated birthday meal...that meal will be worth it! Then we're back to paleo tomorrow. :)

Now that I have my eating habits in a healthy place, I'm ready to add an exercise plan. I exercised a bit through Whole 30, but my focus was on what I ate. After all, you can't out exercise a bad diet...abs are made in the kitchen!

I've also loved the interest from friends in the Whole 30/paleo lifestyle. I have one friend who is halfway through her own Whole30 and several others that have asked for more information. Let's make clean eating the new norm!

It's been a great journey, but I'm not finished. These are habits that can last a lifetime!