Christmas 2010

It was an extra-special Christmas for us this year. Past Christmases have been great, but this year, we saw it through the eyes of our baby boy, Luke. He's only 5 1/2 months old, so he won't remember much of it, but having a child has sure changed my perspective on Christmas.

I hate to admit, but lately Christmas has been about family time, and of course, gifts! Sure we go to all the Christmas events at church, and this year we even read the Christmas story before opening gifts.... but most of the time the meaning, true meaning is lost on me.

But after becoming a parent this year, I can't imagine what God felt when He sent his only Son to be sacrificied... I love my baby more deeply and strongly than I ever thought I could love anything or anyone, but i'm sure the love i have for him pales in comparison to how much God must have loved us in order to send His son to die for us... Amazing Love... Thank you God for reminding me of your Love for us all.

As far as family and presents go.. that was pretty great too.

We spent Christmas with Deric's parents on the ranch. On the way to their home, we stopped and visited Deric's brother Eric, and his family in Oklahoma. His wife Chy made an awesome dinner, and then we played Mexican train dominos. Luke also had fun playing with his 3 cousins, Kealey, Kylie and Kynlee.

This is what happens when you leave a baby boy alone with 3 girls :)

Yikes that bear is big!!!

The next morning we continued on to the ranch, but stopped by Deric's other brother's house also. We had a great spaghetti lunch, got to see some puppies, a horse named Freckles and Luke got to borrow their jumping toy! He loves it! They even let us take it home to borrow it.. but they're having a baby next summer, so we gotta return it :)


We finally made it to Deric's parents' house later that day. Deric’s family has ranch in the Texas panhandle. Real-life cowboys!
Mimi and Poppa were ready to see Luke! I am so blessed to have such wonderful in-laws.. they love their family so much and devote so much time and effort to show that love.


Luke had a special outfit for christmas... candy cane elf! Well, it didn't last long... the red and white stripes became red, white and orange.... need I say more?! But after a wardrobe change and nap, he was ready to open presents! He got some fun toys!

I also received a very precious gift from my father-in-law, Larry. Larry likes to work with wood and metals and is very talented. He's made a horse trailer, kitchen table and chairs, and even corrals for the cows... very talented! This year, he made all his daughter-in-laws pendants. Each pendant had our birthstones on it, and also the birthstone of our kids, isn't that the sweetest thing ever??!! So, I had a garnet for January, and also a ruby for Lukes b-day in July. Oh, and he also tucked $100 bill in so we could buy a chain for it :)

After Deric's brothers left, it was just us and the in-laws. Luke got their full attention! Deric decided to take us shooting. Luckily, they have their own mini Grand Canyon on their property... perfect shooting ground. We shot at an old feed bag... fun! Deric is a much better marksman than I am... but he just has more years of practice ;-)

Luke, meanwhile, also had fun taking a bath with his mimi… in the sink! It’s a lot easier to sit up and splash in the sink!

Mary, Deric's mom made us the awesomest lunch - something that I've been dying to try - Chicken Fried Steak!!! I've been purposely avoiding eating it anywhere else because Deric said she makes the best... and he wasn't lying!

***ALERT**** Following pictures may cause excessive salivating and lip-smacking!!!

Just flour some beef,

fry,

use the drippings to make gravy,

and serve with mashed potatoes and green beans and a biscuit!.. mmmm

I loved it and I was not shy to eat the whole thing! I would’ve licked the plate if no one else was around!

All in all, a wonderful, joyful blessed Christmas!

Thanksgiving Update

Thanksgiving:
Deric, Luke and I were able to travel to Portland for Thanksgiving. It was the first year in a long time that our entire family was able to gather for a holiday. Tab and Reid hosted it, and did an awesome job!
There were 3 new babies this year... Eliana (1 year old), Easton (8 months) and Luke (4 months). That combined with Erica's 3 precious girls and Zoe-girl made for a full, loud house!

Tab took all the official pics with her awesome camera, but here are a few that I took with mine.

Naomi & Florin looking gorgeous! (sorry the pic is a little blurry :(

Luke with his Bunu :)

Rub-a-dub-dub, it's Easton in the tub! What a cutie!
Auntie Nomers with Luke

Fall Pictures

Today was an absolutely beautiful day in Dallas! 75 degrees, overcast and windy.

Since we never took Luke to the Pumpkin patch, we decided to create our own using the pumpkins off our front porch. We hauled them to an empty field in our neighborhood, and here are the pictures.

DISCLAIMER: Mr Luke was grumpy, hungry, and tired.. so we didn't get as many shots as we'd hoped for :( oh well, lesson learned.

Channeling his inner Elvis...

Crafting Fun!

Baby Shower Fun!

My friend, Marcie, is having a baby soon, a baby girl, Isabel.

We threw her a shower this past Saturday, and I had a blast putting some things together for the event.

Of course I offered to do the floral arrangements and cupcakes :) Two of my favorite things to do, arrange flowers and bake.

The colors were pink, blue, and green.

I used willow balls and just tucked in some flowers for easy, but elegant arrangements.

I also made some burp cloths for her baby girl. As a new mom, I have learned that one can never have enough burp cloths!

The fabric options for girls are so much cuter than what they have for boys! I had a blast making these! Let me know if you'd like some! I have alot of leftover fabric :) (my favorite is the argyle pattern :)

And then there were the cupcakes!

The grand idea was to make everything from scratch; cake batter, frosting, and decor.

Well, 2 out of 3 is not bad. The cake batter was a disaster. I think i overfilled the cups and the all ended up touching each other, and the tops were sunken in. So I had to resort to a box of Duncan Hines, hey! it was an emergency.

However, the fondant was made from scratch, and the frosting too! The best homemade frosting I have come across to date! YUM!!!

Here is the final product! I still need alot of practice with my frosting piping and my fondant was a little cracked... but I had so much fun doing it! and i plan on doing some more! Anyone need a free wedding cake??!!! I'm feeling up to a challenge ;-)

New Loves

Being a mom opens you up to alot of new products. Some are duds, and some are great! So I have decided to start a LOVES list. A periodic review of things (baby things or otherwise) that I love! So, here goes!

LOVES:
1. Lots of Links: The simple plastic links that babies play with. No sounds, batteries or on/off buttons. Just colorful, textured rings. Good for hours (well... more like minutes) of fun with baby :) They can also be good to chew on once baby starts teething.

2. Boppy Infant Lounger: When you think Boppy, you think of nursing aide. But my sister-in-law Landey bought me a Bopppy Lounger and we love it! It's comfortable for baby to lounge in, and not very easy for him to roll out of. It's not recommended to let baby sleep in it, but Luke has taken many naps in it and loves it because it's cozy. Just keep an eye on the baby while in the Boppy. (the cute baby is not Luke; Luke's cuter :)

3. Easy Cake Recipe: You must try it to believe it. I was skeptical at first, but I can't get enough! You must like pineapple and angel food cake... but even if you don't, this combo is incredible! My friend Joann at work turned me on to this. It's a 2 ingredient cake recipe; originally a Weight Watchers' recipe. Easy, Low fat, Super-moist, and delicious! What's not to love?! Made some yesterday and can't stop myself from eating it all day today
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pineapple-angel-food-cake-i/Detail.aspx (so moist, does not need the whipped topping!)

4. Kiwi Berries: yeah, who knew?!! never heard of them until my co-worker Malia brought some in from Sam's Club. Size of a grape, but looks like a kiwi inside and tastes like a sweeter version of a kiwi. No hair either, just pop the whole thing in your mouth! Delicious!

5. Texas Autumn: Wish I could bottle it up and sell it, but it would be priceless. Crisp morning and nights, and warm daytimes... like it , love it, can't get enough of it!!

Crotchet and Ties

What a great weekend we had!!

My in-laws came to visit, which meant free babysitting :)

It also meant free crotchet lessons from my mom-in-law, Mary. I would love to be able to crotchet Luke some cute hats and moccasins... but so far, this is all I can do.

I've made a blanket for a small mouse, and the other for perhaps a cricket?? It's not difficult once you get started, but the starting and ending part can be difficult.

I also recieved an awesome gift from my sister Naomi. Loved it! She bought Luke some Fabulous! clothes from H&M, since we don't have one here in Dallas, Yet.

The best part is that she also sent some ties that she made for Luke, 15 of them!! They slip over the head with some elastic, and they look super cute, don't u think? He doesn't like me to take too many pics of him in his undies :)

For a happier picture of his fabulous self and to see the ties, you can visit Naomi's blog.

Oh crafty day!

Yet another perk of being a stay-at-home mom... I have time to craft... well, kinda. These two crafts took almost 3 weeks to complete. I can only sew while Luke is awake (my machine is so loud!) So between feeding, changing, playing with luke, housework, excercising, cooking... I have time for a few crafts!

I was inspired to try making baby shoes after I saw all the cute ones selling for $15 + on Etsy. So I found a simple pattern online, and here's what I came up with! Simplistic, but cute. and the ideas for the next ones are rolling! can't wait to start on the 2nd pair!

I wanted them to be kinda "fancy" moccasins, so I used a men's suiting material, and ultrasuede for the soles.

The cutest shoe model ever!!!

I also made a burp cloth (1st of many to come). I recieved some great burp cloths for my baby shower, but I would never pay that money for somthing my baby pukes on. So I bought some cute animal fabric from Joann's, along with some plain terry-cloth. Cut out some rectangles, roll over the seams, sew - and voila! Fancy burp cloth!

eBay and shoes and clothes, Oh my!

Well, now I've done it!

I have found eBay.

I know, I know. I'm a little late. But coming from a girl who still doesn't have internet on her phone and doesn't anticipate owning a GPS device for another 5 years or so... i'm actually not that behind!

So, my friend mentioned she bought her baby girl some dresses on eBay. Which sparked my curiosity.... what small, cute goodies await for my child on eBay???

I quickly get online, get a profile established, and I am shopping. oh, and I am happy to say that it is possible to eBay and nurse your baby at the same time :)

So, I knew I was going to have a problem when I went online at 4am this morning, after i fed my child of course :)

Needless to say, i didn't realize how many bids I had actually put in... haa haa haa... (nervous laughter)... well,the final total was 11. yes, it took me a few hours to bid on 11 items. and I have won 7 of them so far... and the ridiculous part is that i spent the same amount on shipping as I did on the clothes, that's crazy! Spent $ 23.53 on the clothes and 23.25 on shipping.

and since i'm confessing, here are some of the newest, fabulous additons to Luke's wardrobe... I think momma has a problem :)

(got these shoes for $0.99!!! )

Luke is Here!

Our little man has finally made his debut. Luke was born July 10th at 9:41pm after only 6 hours of labor.

So far motherhood has been rewarding, tiring and completely worth it! Luke is a good baby, only really cries when he's hungry or dirty. He loves being held by his daddy, and rocked by his mimi. He's already changed so much in the past 2 weeks, and I can't wait to see how he grows and develops. He is my little muffin, the 2nd love of my life :)

I have Ankles!

This is going to serve as a public service announcement to all my family and friends.

So, I know that a common thing that comes with pregnancy is swelling of your feet and ankles, mostly due to the weight of the baby compressing the veins in your legs and not allowing all the blood flow to return to the heart as efficiently as it should...
but i did NOT expect my ankles to look like tree trunks this past Thursday! I couldn't tell where my calves ended and ankles started... they put new meaning to the word "cankles". And my feet looked like super-thick pancakes. The beautiful arch in my foot was gone, along with all the space between my toes.

Then to add insult to injury, a complete stranger approached me at the library, and told me she couldn't help but notice my feet were swollen.... (by this time they looked like little loaves of bread rising around the straps of my flip flops). Ya, how embarrassing.. and she told me that that I should eat more celery because it would really help the swelling. You can imagine how I responded to her unsolicited advice. I gave her a cool "oh really, i've never heard that before." which in pregnancy is translated as, "bug off lady! it's none of your business how my ankles look! what gives you the right to come up to a complete stranger and comment on the way her legs look?! geez, get a life!"

So of course, the swelling did concern me, because sudden swelling of the legs could mean high blood pressure, which is very dangerous in pregnancy. So, I went to Kroger, took my BP, and of course it was high, not off the charts, but 15pts higher than it should've been. So, i freak out (a little), thinking they're going to induce me, and that poor luke is in distress, and my ankles are so big!

My doctor tells me to go ahead and go in to the office to get my pressure checked (often times the machines at the stores are inaccurate). So I go in, they check my urine, bp, weight... and all is okay.

so, hmmm.... i put on my thinking cap... what in the world could be causing all this swelling??!!

Then the lightbulbs turn on! I spent yesterday at the mall, and what did i have to eat at the mall?? why Chinese food and french fries. And if that wasn't enough, I finished out my day with pizza and ice cream and brownies.

So, out of curiosity, I looked up the recommended sodium intake for women. The Mayo Clinic recommends 2,300mg per day for healthy people. Then I looked up how much sodium I took in: and that was funny! Not funny Ha ha, more like shocking, sad funny. Here it is...

Food Sodium (mg)
Chow Mein 1060
Mixed veggies 530
Mushroom Chicken 780
Veggie Eggrolls 540
Sweet & Sour Sauce 180
French Fries 140
Triscuits 280
Slice Sausage Pizza 830
Slice Everything Pizza 970
Vanilla Ice Cream 60
Toffee Ice Cream 75
Brownie 82
TOTAL: 5527mg

In a few hours, I managed to eat double the recommended amount!!!! Yikes! And this doesn't count cereal for breakfast, or any of the snacks I can't recollect due to selective pregancy amnesia.

So, I went on a rampage and took the advice we always give to our heart patients at work.
Walk, limit your sodium, drink more water (this sounds counter-intuitive, but helps to flush out the sodium) and wear compression stockings. This is all recommended by the Mayo Clinic as treatment for edema (swelling).

I am happy to announce that as of last night, I have ankles again! beautiful, slim, womanly ankles! and space between my toes! And I'm 2 lbs lighter which means I had alot of extra water hanging out.
So ladies (and guys), learn from my mistake, watch your sodium intake. I've counted calories, but never kept track of my sodium. It's crazy to see how much sodium food has. Another reason to cook at home. It allows you to monitor the amount of salt that goes into your food, not to mention the amount of fat, sugars, etc.

My only regret is I didn't take pictures of my feet. They were something else :) I hope to never see them like that again.

Hiccups

Ok, new favorite part of being pregnant... feeling Luke get the hiccups. so cute :) This is the 2nd time it's happened. I think he hates it though, because as soon as I felt them, he did a total flip and kick to my ribs :)

Maternity Pics

Photo Shoot
Well, my sister, (won't mention any names :) , insisted that I should take maternity pics.. so I did, for Free, by Deric, in the backyard. I prob got 5 good shots out of 50... (I'm gonna blame it on the hormones and the fact that it was 95-100 degrees outside). Here are the keepers.....


And the outakes.....