Sweet Potato Bites

I am trying a new side for Belle today. I'm hoping this is one that I can use for a staple to send with her lunches. It was super easy.

I peeled and cut two sweet potatoes.

Then tossed them in olive oil and baby cereal. Now they are in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.

I found a recipe somewhere that said you can freeze them. This would help me to be able to plan ahead and add a new side to her lunches! I will let you know what she thinks.

Bella Bug

I just ordered Belle's first Halloween costume! She has a really cute Halloween outfit (tutu and striped tights and all) to wear during the day, but I've had a hard time deciding on her first costume.

I fell in love with this one today and ordered it. I can't wait to see it. And after Halloween she can pretend her red-soled tights are Manolo Blahnik :)

Through Bella's Eyes

I love being with Annabelle because I see everything in such a happier, shinier way. This baby girl loves everything, especially everything outside. We are loving this warm Fall weather. From the minute we get home we do everything possible outside. Tonight we ate dinner on the front porch while David mowed the front and then switched to the back to eat strawberries when he was in the back. She points to things and I tell her the names and sometimes I think she's trying to repeat them. She giggles and giggles when David pushes the mower by. I just love love love this little girl who loves everything! I wish I had her attitude and view.

Dove

There's a Dove commercial that I almost have to turn off every time it's on. It's the one that shows little girls and talks about how they will quit things they love because they are self conscious. It makes me sick to ever think about Annabelle like that. (That's why I tell her how smart, kind, beautiful, and funny she is all day every day.)  Anyway, this company totally got me. We now buy Dove body wash :) Thanks Dove, for doing something to increase the self esteem in young girls.

Cheapie Find

Okay so has anyone ever bought anything from Sophia Vergara's brand? This is crazy, but she has a brand at Kmart I guess and I'm seriously considering ordering one of her dresses. I absolutely loved her dress on Kelly and Michael today so I decided to take a look at her brand. I am kinda in love with this one...

Get this. It is $35. 

Baby Animals

I follow a girl on Instagram who received her prints from a company called The Animal Print Shop. Have you seen these? I want to redo Annabelle's room with these adorable finds!! Check out their website - it is so cute! I hope Annabelle loves animals someday as much as I do.

9 Months

Annabelle is just the happiest, sweetest, best little baby ever. I had to post some of these cute 9 month pictures. I can't get enough of this little belle.

Five on Friday

Yay! It's Friday again. And you know what that means.

1 - I have been working with a friend to make an ottoman (or two) and I've narrowed down my fabric for the family room to these two. We can't seem to pick between these, but I will this weekend. 

2 - This week we celebrated the last hot week of summer. We swam and swam with Belle as much as she wanted. Incidentally, she slept great :) I am going to miss pool time with this fish. I have absolutely loved my little pool girl this summer. I think she had the very best first summer!

3 - This week at work was absolutely exhausting. I love my job a lot, but this week was so busy! This weekend I am counting on some relaxing family time!

4 - One thing I love about this stage in Annabelle's life is how everything is so magical and fun to her. Seriously... Right now, one of her favorite things to do is go out with me to get the mail and then rip apart the ads or my magazines. Why do I even bother buying toys? 

5 - One of my good friends reminded me to add quinoa into Belle's diet. We love it so I don't know why I didn't think of this before. This probably isn't the best brand, but here's one I picked up today to have tonight with our brussel sprouts and cauliflower.

Happy Friday everyone!

Pace Yourself

I work with a woman who has back and nerve problems. I am not sure exactly what her medical issues are, but she is in pain at times and has trouble walking. She walks very slowly and sometimes has to hold on to a wall a little. She has a beautiful, young daughter. We love talking about our daughters together. I have met her daughter a couple of times. She’s maybe ten and she is so sweet.

Today I was way behind them walking down the hallway. We have a very long row of cubes lined up to get out to the main office. It’s a long stretch of hallway, but it only takes me a few seconds to get from one end to the other, maybe 20 seconds.

I walked in the door to start the long stretch back to my desk when I noticed my friend and her daughter about halfway down the hallway. My friend’s daughter was looking up at her mom, talking and smiling, and her mom was talking back to her and even put her hand on her head at one point. They were so cute, just enjoying their walk together. I noticed how her daughter didn’t speed ahead of her, but walked at the exact same, slow pace.

I am constantly reminded to slow down. I read a post a while ago, floating around Facebook, about not using the words “hurry up” to our children (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-macy-stafford/the-day-i-stopped-saying-hurry-up_b_3624798.html  ) . I read a different one today about bedtime taking forever sometimes, and how it should (http://www.karipatterson.com/2013/08/09/because-sometimes-bedtime-takes-forever-and-should/).

I love (and need) these little reminders almost daily that I really shouldn’t be in such a hurry. Maybe you needed a reminder today, too, to slow down.

 

Tuesday Topics: Four Faves on Instagram

I am a total IG junkie. After I had my daughter in early December, I texted pictures of my perfect, adorable little girl to everyone in my family almost daily. I just knew that each one of my family members wanted to see every time her little eyes were open or any new facial expression or any time she was sleeping or breathing or anything...right? Okay. I probably went a bit overboard on the texts. Because over Christmas, my brother-in-law suggested I start using Instagram (for his own sanity probably). I honestly didn't know how to use it, but I quickly figured it out and the IG world has forever since been blown up with Belle and Bo pics.

I love Instagram, honestly, because it's everything I want in Facebook without the drama. I love staying connected to my close friends and families and seeing their pictures this way. I have SO many favorite people to follow on here. It is WAY too hard to pick just four, so here are my four favorites today.

Amberbugsbarbiesweddedbliss - This girl is hillarious! I love that she loves wine, mopping, her kiddos, and her husband.

Tiffanyaustin922 - This is a newer momma, like myself, just loving on her precious little baby.

Abrown0824 - One of my lifelong friends who loves taking pictures of her baby and dogs - duh, of course I love seeing those!

Hstrass4 - My little sis is hysterical and fun!

Haileydwan_ - This girlfriend has THE most adorable sons!

Okay, this was 5, but this one was way too difficult.

Happy Tuesday friends!



Sunday Night

I have been trying to get myself a little bit more organized for the week on Sunday nights. Mondays are pretty hectic for us with work and small group (and now it is duck hunting season so my husband wakes up in the 4 am range for that - read: I wake up at 4 am-ish). 

I love, love, love this stage with Annabelle, but boy does feeding her take some time, love, and planning. My little girl loves to eat and I'm so thankful for that. She is still nursing four times a day and she's eating baby food plus finger foods.

I try my hardest to make her meals as healthy as possible. During the work week I need to plan her breakfast and lunch for each day. On a normal day she wakes up and I nurse her and then she goes to daycare to eat her breakfast. Then I go nurse her over lunch and feed her her lunch or help get it set up for her babysitter to feed her.

So tonight it dawned on me that maybe I could make the majority of her food and just send it on Monday instead of each night. (My babysitter has suggested this for quite some time.)

For breakfast I make her a combination of thawed breast milk, oatmeal, prunes, and applesauce. Then she will eat some eggs. So I made those today and will send those in a Baggie to reheat. 

For lunch she will eat a a cube or two of veggies I have made (peas, sweet potatoes, or carrots) with some rice and thawed breast milk. Then she will have her very favorite, blueberries (that I pre cut into fourths and froze), and green beans (also cut up and ready). I also send a little yogurt in case she's still hungry. And of course, I take puffs everywhere just in case.

Tonight I also made my friend's granola bar recipe for me and Davey. These are really more like no bake cookies in a bar format, but granola bars sounds healthier :)

Do you have any tips for me for fun, healthy things to pack for Annabelle? You should know I am a complete freak about small bite sizes (if you didn't already get that from the cutting blueberries in fourths comment). 

Happy Sunday friends! 

5 on Friday

1 - I found the cutest little things on Uncommon Goods website. Do you all know about this cute site? I think Belle needs these silly socks! I am already thinking about little Birthday gifts for little Bella bug and stocking stuffers. 

2 - I am pretty sure I have had the same haircut since about middle school. My brother in law owns a salon (check out The Salon on the Plaza if you are ever in KC! Thesalonkc.com) and is always telling me I should try short hair. I am just so plain though! I always think I will chop it and then wuss out. I am lovvvving Kelly Ripa's hair these days though. I might just give it a try. I mean, seriously, my hair is too long to fit in pictures!

3 - I have been finding some seriously cute things at Old Navy lately! My only issue is that I refuse to buy anything there unless it is on sale - like extreme clearance sale prices- because although it is so inexpensive to start with, the next day it will be half off or half off of half off! Plus once you wash it once it might come out shaped differently anyway. 

Here are the dresses I am keeping my eye on though. I went and tried the pink one on this weekend and it fits SO cute! I want it with black tights this fall. And the white one I think will look cute this fall still with golds and tans.

4 - David's cousin Suzy is an amazing, talented artist. I have bragged on her many, many times. She is the one that made Annabelle's quilt. She has now launched her website and Facebook page where you can order custom quilts! I am so excited! Take a minute and check out her pages. She is so awesome! Suzyquilts.com 

Belle lovin' on her quilt. 

5 - Our sweet Bella Kayle is 9 months old today! I cannot believe that statement is true. I still try to pretend she's a little baby at times, but honestly, this stage is SO much fun. I love her little attitude and her giggles and open mouthed kisses. I just love everything about her right now. Last night she had a rough night sleeping. She has never liked to be cuddled or rocked to sleep, but for some reason she let me hold her for a few minutes and she laid on me. I spent the whole time thanking God for that moment and trying not to cry and wake her up. It only lasted a few minutes (the cuddles, not the awake time - that lasted hours!), but it was so precious for me. She is so amazingly wonderful.

Happy 9 months Bella bear! She has now been out in the world as long as I carried her :) (She is 39 weeks old)

Fall and Football!

I have to admit I don't care all that much about football itself, but I do love everything about football season. I love tailgating, I love going to games, watching games, cuddling in on a Sunday, and I love watching my husband get so excited about this sport! He really cracks me up.

Tonight we put Belle to bed and grilled hamburgers and asparagus. I love having the sliding glass door open and watching football on the couch with my husband. 

I love Fall!

Books for Belle

I always keep a book list going of books I want to watch for and read when I have finished one. I decided I should be doing the same for Miss Belle's library too. We read books every day and I would love to get her a few of these soon to add to her collection.