2 Months Old Already

Good news! Gabby finally likes the camera! It's hard to believe that it's already been 2 months since Gabby was born! Where oh where does the time go? I've been enjoying my snuggle time with this sweet little girl as I know this time doesn't last long. I've also been teaching her how to Zumba in our spare time.

She's pretty good at it and loves to coo along the way. Have you ever done Zumba? It's one of my new favorite ways to work out. I tried it a couple years ago and didn't like it. I tried it again last week and loooooved it! (Just like every other class, the instructor makes a HUGE difference).

In case you're wondering, our mornings still move pretty slow around here. We're lucky if we get moving before 9am. :) Here's a quick peek at how the boys stay occupied while I get Gabby & I ready.



These boys have been so awesome and patient as we transition to a family of five. And they are the best of buds. Giggling, laughing and wrestling throughout the house all day long. I love it and it makes me smile.

A couple of my biggest challenges have been grocery shopping and meals. My new work schedule is from 3-6pm during the week (I work part-time for a community college and have an after school helper). I really have to plan ahead for meals and try to get them cooking before my helper arrives... otherwise we eat a lot of pizza and corn dogs. Which, is okay for now. I have to cut myself slack as I know things will get better. But, I have found some great meals that I really love lately. I thought I'd share them with you.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos via Jamie Cooks it Up!
Though this one doesn't cook while I'm working, it's super easy to whip up.  For the kids, I leave out the buffalo sauce. Also, she taught me one of my new favorite tricks... buy a cooked chicken to use in meals. I'm terrible at remembering to thaw meat. A $5 chicken usually gets us two meals around this house.

Coconut-Macadamia Crusted Shrimp via Our Best Bites
We are trying to eat out less as it's pure craziness when we leave the house these days, but I still like a special treat on the weekends.  This was a lot of fun to make, as well as delicious and easy. I made the sauce, but really don't think it's necessary. There was a lot of waste with the sauce and I don't think it added that much to the dinner.

Shake n' Bake
I've again fallen in love with shake n' bake. It's easy and the kids gobble it up! Also, have you seen the new shake n' bakes in the cheese aisle by Kraft? They are a nice spin on the boxed versions.

Notice I don't have any crockpot recipes listed. All the ones I have tried haven't been that great. If you have any tried and true recipes (or recipe blogs that you love), please share! I get really sick of the same recipes over and over and have noticed that I love being in the kitchen since we don't get out of the house much these days.  Love to you all and hope you're well!

xo

Back To School

Wow! I remember shortly before I had Porter (child #2), someone told me that with one child you can still do the things you always have (and I did), but with two children, you realize you just can't do everything and have to let some things go (which was absolutely true). They never told me what happens with three children, but I would say that it's easy to let everything go! I have time for my three children right now and that's about it! I'm loving it, though. It really is a wonderful thing and I know there are seasons to everything and we will get back into the groove soon.



When Gabby was 10 days old, we drove back home to Nebraska to watch Casey receive his MBA. This has been three years in the making and I completely broke down when I saw him receive his degree. He has worked so hard and we as a family have sacrificed so much to make this happen. We debated whether to make the trip back for his degree as we knew it was a little crazy, but we thought it would set a great example to Caden. And it has.... he now has a piggy bank that he "saves for college."

Speaking of school... Caden started preschool last week. He goes three days a week for 2 1/2 hours. He has the same teacher as last year and loves it! When I asked Caden what he wants to be when he grows up, he said "a football player." Here is his giving a 4 year old forced smile to the camera. (He does this every time the camera comes out).



Then I tell him to be himself. Ah, that's better.



Now for the goofy shots.





And one with brother.



For those of you wanting a Gabby update. She is doing really well. I tried to take good pictures for her announcement a few weeks back and this is what I got.



Fussiness. Pure fussiness and I haven't been able to take pictures since. Blame it on the light, or the pure craziness that is our household currently, it just hasn't happened.

Enjoying Summer On Our Patio

 

We love our patio, as I told you a little while ago. It's been hotter than usual this summer so we've spent a lot of time with our water gear. It's a great way to get everyone outside without dying of heat exhaustion. Because being outside is magic, remember? Hardly no fighting and lots of energy expelled. (Chalk up two wins for mommy!) As you can see, Caden loves dumping full buckets of water on his head. This happened to be a bucket full of cold water. Oops... I forgot to fill the pool ahead of time so it could warm up. He didn't seem to mind. "Here, Porter, let me help you." Porter doesn't like the ice cold water. But, he does love his water table. And Caden thinks it's perfect for reloading his water gun.

What activities do you and your family enjoy on your patio? Answer the question below and one of YOU will win a $25 Sears gift card!

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|This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.|

#WhileIWasNursing

Inspired by the dear CJane, I wanted to show you what goes one while I'm nursing.  Because really, we could all use a little laughter around here.


I will say that so far adjusting from 2 to 3 children has been better than expected. The boys play pretty well together and keep each other occupied when I need to help or feed Gabby.

And Caden is a great helper all around. Most days, he serves up breakfast for himself and Porter. It is so awesome to have such a big helper!

Baby Gabrielle is Here!

Welcome to the world, Gabrielle Lucinda!  We're so glad you're here!

She was born Sunday, July 29 at 7:40pm weighing in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and 20.5 inches long.

She wasn't due until August 21 so you can imagine how unprepared we were!  My water broke Saturday night and I quickly packed a hospital bag, went for a walk with Casey and the dog, and checked in to the hospital.  In the delivery room, she was called a prima donna over and over and since being delivered, the nurses repeatedly call her out for being feisty.



Casey called her out yesterday for being a little diva in her tanning bed.  :)

She's been in the NICU since Monday morning, but should be released today assuming all labs come back okay.  We're excited to take her home and spend more time as a family!

Family Vacation Up North

We rented out a quaint little cabin up North at the end of June to celebrate Casey's completion of his coursework for his MBA! We wanted something in the middle of nowhere and near water, and that's exactly what we got.

Peace. Quiet. Family time. and Water. Ahhhhh.



We spent a lot of time in the cabin listening to music, cooking and hanging out. But when we weren't in the cabin, we were most likely out hunting for rocks to throw in the water,  or out on the fishing boat.



Porter loved "ishing."



Until we actually caught a fish. Since we aren't fisherman, we weren't prepared to catch a fish at all. No net or cooler to house the fish in. So what better place to put the fish, but in the back of the boat? Yeah, not a good idea. Porter and I were screaming with each flop of the fish and my legs were covered in fish slime when we got back to the cabin. And do you see the boat with real fisherman in the picture above? I'm sure they had a good laugh at us screaming our way back to the cabin as Casey hurriedly paddled back. It was miserable and slightly traumatic for both Porter & I. I was relieved when he was ready to get back into the boat later that day. I was worried we scared him for life.



Oh, and this.... it's just a huge statue of Paul Bunyan. No biggie, right? Okay, maybe a little creepy. But how were we to resist sitting on his hand and getting a picture?

And that my friends sums up our trip up North. A lot of relaxing and hanging with Paul Bunyan.

If you're curious where we found lodging, we tried out airbnb.com (it's a lot like VRBO). I highly recommend it if you're looking for something outside of a traditional hotel/condo vacation.

YES! You Can Ride Your Bike!

We've been asking Caden if he'd like to ride his bike without training wheels. "No, you do that when you're 5," he'd say.

Which is exactly what we thought. We figured we'd get a "YES!" next spring or summer, but we like to plant seeds early so he starts thinking that way. Imagine our surprise, when he woke up on Father's Day and wanted to take off his training wheels. We couldn't believe it! (He's 4 years, 4 months).



He took off like a bandit the minute he was up on his bike.  He's now going up and down hills.  I am honestly floored and had no idea he could do this.  Just goes to show that children are so capable... much more than we can even imagine.



Way to go, Caden!  We're so proud of you!

Backyard Summer Escape

Is it just me or are children happier when they're outside? My boys have started fighting and bickering a lot - I have a feeling this is the next 18 years of my life. (Help me!) When we're outside, the fighting almost goes away. It's magical and pure bliss. Needless to say, we've been spending a lot of time outside this summer.

I've been working hard on transforming our backyard patio into a summer escape. And by working hard, I mean buying a patio set and lots of water toys. Because, really, that's all we need to be happy. A comfy chair for me to kick my feet up while the boys run around getting wet.

We also eat outside quite a bit. Not only because Caden loves it, but when Porter decided to see how far he can launch his plate of food, it's a lot easier to clean up outside.

A few must-have pieces on our backyard:

• Water table


• Basketball hoop


• BBQ


• Sprinkler


• Water guns


• Patio table

This list is by no means all-inclusive, but they are some of our favorites. Do you spend a lot of time in your backyard during the summer? I would love to know what you have done to transform your backyard into a summer escape. Comment below to be entered to win a $25 Sears gift card!

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|This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.|

Summer In Full Swing

Hello everyone!  I realize I kind of dropped of the face of the earth.  I've missed you!! Things have been busy around here, and computer time has been almost non-existent.  Which has been more than refreshing. Do you ever have a love/hate relationship with the internet?  I love it, and love all the people I have met across the world, but sometimes I feel like it takes away from me living my real life right in front of me.  Am I the only one that feels that way?

In case you're curious as to what we've been up to, here's a peek...

1. Lazy breakfasts


2. Having a garage sale


3. The boys in their first entrepreneurial endeavor and eating their profits (at the garage sale)


4. Running with dad - it's one of Caden's favorite things lately - he usually rides his scooter by Casey's side


5. Swimming lessons


6. Porter all dressed up and no where to go


7. Fishing at the lake


8. Double baby shower with my good friend, Leah (she is due 3 days before me with a girl too!)


9. Caden cleaning because our house is "soooooo dirty"

All of these pictures were taken with my phone (and most of them were put up on Instagram-- find me there as debaverett).  Apparently I'm too lazy to get out the DSLR anymore.

We've been having such a great time enjoying summer and we're going to keep it that way.  I have less than 10 weeks until our baby girl is here and I want to get out and about as much as we can.  Casey is done with his MBA coursework--woot!! He has one final comprehensive test to take and then he will officially have his MBA.  I'm so proud of him.  He has worked hard these past three years to make this a reality.  In the last 10 weeks, he has written 70 pages single-spaced.  It was impressive to see how quickly he could write papers in the end.  It's been so nice to have his help around the house and tackle projects that have been needed.  We have a goal to redo two of our bathrooms soon.  We'll see if we can finish at least one of them before the baby arrives.  Casey is back on a crazy workout routine and we are trying really hard to eat healthy around here.  I've had a MAJOR sweet tooth this pregnancy so I've been go to the store 2-3 times a week to get more fruit.  Fruit is better than baking cookies everyday, right?

So tell me what you've been up to.  Are you enjoying your summer?

DIY Wheat Grass

I just cleaned out my mud room last week and do you know what I had in there?  Empty soup cans, empty milk cartons, empty boxes.  Empty everything.  I realized I have a problem in saving empty food packaging.  But they sure come in handy when I want to do something fun and cheap with the boys.  I forced myself to throw everything away.  Except for these soup cans because I had plans for them.  The boys helped me plant a little wheat grass and a week later, they looked like this.  They are so simple, yet they brighten my day.

If you're looking to plant your own wheat grass, this is what we did:

SUPPLIES:

• Wheat grass (we purchased hard red winter wheat from the bulk bins at an all natural food store)


• Potting soil


• Container

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Fill your container 3/4 of the way with potting soil.


2. Generously sprinkle the wheat grass seed over the soil (you could barely see any soil by the time we were done).


3. Add more soil so you have about an 1/2 inch left on top of the container.


4. Water generously and place in a sunny spot.


5. Water generously for the first two days.  Then water a little bit each day.  You will see sprouting in just a couple days.

If you're looking to brighten someone else's day, these are perfect.  Just tie a little ribbon around the soup can and you're good to go!

DIY Fabric Rosettes

I'm at the point in my pregnancy where I tend to wear the same few shirts over and over (and over).  It's not very exciting so I do my best to spice things up.  I've been obsessed with making fabric rosettes lately.  It requires limited supplies and little time - which is just my style right now.

SUPPLIES:

• Fabric (lightweight fabric works best)


• Fabric Glue (I used Aleene's No-Sew Fabric Glue)


• Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the fabric 1" wide and atleast 24" long.  The longer the fabric, the bigger the rosette.


2. Tie a knot at one end.


3. Apply a little fabric glue and start twisting and gluing.


4. Apply glue every 1/2 turn or so.


5. When you get to the end and have about an inch or two of fabric left, apply some glue on the back side of the rosette and adhere the leftover fabric to it.


6. Add a pin, clip, or velcro to the back so you can easily transfer it from belt to headbands, bracelets, etc.

This has been a great way to use fabric scraps laying around my house and also has me thinking of cute headbands for the little girl headed our way.

Music Makers: May

It's May so that means new songs for the little ones! This will be the last month for Music Makers (we don't meet as a group in the summer).   If you’re interested in learning more about the program, start here.  This post will tell you all about the basic layout and structure of the group.  We will resume again in the Fall when school starts back up.  The theme this month is Summer & Bugs.

Here’s a sampling of songs that we’re singing this month:

RHYTHYM STICKS:

“TAP YOUR STICKS” (sung to: “Frere Jacques”)
Tap your sticks.
Tap your sticks.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.

Can you tap your sticks,
Can your tap your sticks,
Just like me,
Just like me?

Tap your sticks,
Tap your sticks,
Way up high,
Way up high.

No-w, bend down,
No-w, bend down,
Tap the ground.
Tap the ground.

THEME SONGS:

Eentsy, Weentsy Spider
The eentsy, weentsy spider went up the water-spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the eentsy, weentsy spider went up the spout again.


Repeat… The great big spider
The rock and roll spider
“Flutter, Flutter Butterfly” (sung to: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Flutter, flutter, butterfly.
Floating in the summer sky.
Floating by for all to see,
Floating by so merrily.
Flutter, flutter, butterfly,
Floating in the summer sky.

“Baby Bumblebee”
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!

I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It's yucky!

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won't be mad at me!



STICK SONGS:

There's A Beetle on the Floor (sung to: If You're Happy and You Know it)
There's a beetle on the floor, on the floor
There's a beetle on the floor, on the floor
Who could ask for anything more
than a beetle on the floor?
There's a beetle on the floor on the floor.

There's a beetle on my shoe, on my shoe
There's a beetle on my shoe, on my shoe
Oh, I donʼt know what to do,
thereʼs a beetle on my shoe.
There's a beetle on my shoe on my shoe.

Repeat with:
Knee- Heʼs as big as he can be. Just look over here and see
Hip- Oh, I think Iʼm gonna flip. I got a beetle on my hip
Tummy- Oh, it isnʼt very funny, thereʼs a beetle on my tummy
Neck-Oh I'm gonna be a wreck! I've got a beetle on my neck
Face - Oh, what a big disgrace! I've got a beetle on my face
Head –Oh, the beetles on my head I want to hide up in my bed
"But he jumps off"
There's a beetle on the floor on the floor (repeat first verse)

“Mr. Sun”
Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree. . .

These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on…
Please shine down on…
Please shine down on me.

MOVEMENT TIME:

Can You Move With Me? (sung to: "Do Your Ears Hang Low")
Can you wiggle like a worm?
Can you squiggle? Can you squirm?
Can you flutter? Can you fly like a gentle butterfly?
Can you crawl upon the ground
Like a beetle that is round?
Can you move with me?

Can you flip? Can you flop?
Can you give a little hop?
Can you slither like a snake?
Can you give a little shake?
Can you dance like bee
Who is buzzing round a tree?
Can you move with me?

To download the entire May program, click below.



For other month programs, click here.

To Eat or To Sleep?

Porter had a tough time deciding which to do yesterday after church so he tried to do both at the same time.

Favorite Toy: GeoTrax

We would be lost around here without our GeoTrax these days.  It's the perfect toy for those days that my energy levels are low and I can't think beyond what I'm fixing for dinner. Please tell me I'm not the only one who has those days.



For those of you curious about what age range this toy works for, I would say 18 months-6 years.  We gave a good GeoTrax starter kit to Caden when he was almost 3.  Caden loved playing with his cousin's tracks starting at 2 1/2 years old. He loved them greatly until he was about 4 and then stopped playing with them for a month or two until Porter started showing interest in them.  At 18 months, Porter can piece the tracks together all by himself (well, mostly... he struggles with the bridges).  I was even impressed when he made a closed circle the other day!  What a great thing for a young mind!  And I'm guessing that most children are done with GeoTrax by age 6.  By then they are into more motorized toys and legos.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

Whenever asked if I would purchase these or the wooden Thomas the Train sets.  I say GeoTrax, hands down!  They are easy to snap together and they stay together.  When Caden was young, we had two different Thomas sets and there was endless frustrations over the bridge and how easily it would be knocked down by the dog, or by Caden stepping out of his sacred train circle.  The trains wouldn't ever stay together and the magnets seemed hard for him to figure out.  The GeoTrax are easy to use and Porter has little to no frustration, even with how young he is.  Plus, we found investing into two different track systems was silly so why no just start with the real deal.  Just like Thomas, the GeoTrax system has both motorized and manual trains so the child can pick which one they're comfortable with.

I highly recommend these for any young mind that likes to tinker.  These days, Porter goes straight down to play with them first thing in the morning and they will keep him busy for hours.  I'm not even kidding.  HOURS! I recommend trying to find a used set as these things are pricey.  The starter kit that we gave Caden was found on Craigslist and included about $300 worth of tracks, buildings and trains for $125.  The boys always seem to receive pieces to add to their collections for birthdays and Christmas.

I will say that storing these is kind of a nightmare.  I haven't found the perfect solution yet.  The tracks aren't so bad, but it's the big buildings and bridges that take up space.  Currently, they are stored in a big toy bucket which means there's usually a dumping party involved when we play with them.  If you have any storage ideas, please share.

|It probably looks like I was paid to write this by GeoTrax, but I wasn't paid a dime.  I just love these things so much right now.|