Little Green Bean

Publix had the baby food I buy on sale this week. I wasn't emotionally ready for the introduction of baby food into Bean's repertoire of food however with the sale and a coupon, I figured I would buy them and save them for when I am ready.

Then came dinner time! After consuming all the cereal and milk I had available, Bean went on a screaming rampage whenever there wasn't food in his mouth. So we quickly cracked open the jar of green beans, mixed in some cereal and the rest is history.

This is the face before he realized there was food in his mouth once again!

Ah, food!

Rollie Pollie

So after failed attempts and repeated practice with his brother, I put Bean down on the floor in the living room while I went to get clothes ready for school the other day and when I looked in on him, here he was....

What we're up to....

Milk Mustaches
Big Helper

Sleeping late on non-school days
Playing Market with a "new" customer!
Being a "customer" for my big brother and rocking out the Bumbo chair.

Quick little craft...or gifts

MJD and I have been having a lot of fun at home with different projects and ideas. While he is in school and learning a ton of things there, the teacher in me and crafty mama part of me keeps coming out and he tends to be my test subject :)

While on Pinterest....yes, I know, it's my drug of choice these days, I saw plastic caps recycled into kid stamps....well the cap idea felt too cheapy to me, so we used foam instead.

This is perfect for us now as MJD has been into "stamping" his crafts and stamps for kids are either way too pricey for us or teeny tiny little ones.

I found cute little foam stickers and foam blocks in the Target $1 bins and this photo box I had in my stash from a sale at Michaels way back when. The ink stamps were also from a clearance, but I saw some in the $1 bins as well. (And for $3 you can make a lot of stamps and have an ink pad.)

MJD and I stuck the foam stickers onto the foam boxes and voila! Instant stamps to play with.

We made some sets for some of our friends that had birthdays coming up to add to their art stashes. And to spice up the box a bit I used some of my vinyl and my Cricut to cut out their names and put it on their stamp boxes. Now the stamps have a home and the kiddos can play. (Plus, when the stamps get kinda gross, I have no issue throwing them away and making some more.)
Sorry for the reflection in the last photo, stinking camera and lighting.

Pin Aholic!!!

Casie introduced me to Pinterest while were on vacation and I am utterly HOOKED!!!

it might just be the end of me. Seriously so much cooler to spend time pinning than to check out FB updates and status posts.

Food, crafts, clothes, gift ideas, party themes, pretty things....so much and so little nap time. Shhh... don't tell my hubby this is what I do while they nap, he thinks I do laundry :)

If you don't pin yet, let me know and I'll send you an invite to join!

Learning from brother

We have been practicing the art of rolling over....Bean gets almost there and then crashes backwards. So today during playtime I thought he might just roll over and grabbed the phone to record it.

Of course the big one wanted in on the film making so he had to give his brother some lessons :)

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Weak Mama

Following the spontaneous sweet potato incident, Bean whimpered and fussed every time we all sat down at the dinner table. Tim had kinda been on me to start feeding him cereal at night, but honestly, once you start feeding them food at the table the baby seems less like a baby and more like a big boy. Ugh, my heart was torn. I wanted him to need me for everything still and not move away from me in this, yet he seemed so much to want to eat at the table.

So, Friday night I gave in and we tested out rice cereal.
Verdict is in.....He loves it!

So now our dinner routine has altered, gone is the bouncy chair at the table and we have welcomed a happy little fellow in his big boy high chair.

Spontaneous Sweet Potato

Last week I picked up some wonderful sweet potatoes at our local market store. I cooked them up for dinner that night and it was the first time Bean showed any interest in any "real" food.....

In a moment of spontaneity I stuck my finger in the sweet potato and in his mouth!
Hmm...what is this????
I think I like it....
What are you staring at? Give me more, mama!

Embracing the poo

There are not words to express how greatly I DETEST poop. Yes, folks. I hate it. All of it, from any form of creature. At one point in life I had so desperately desired sweet little girls with ribbons and bows who played tea parties and dress up. The complete opposite of all things dirty and boy.

The good Lord, in what must be a great form of amusement to Him, as He watches from above, gave me two boys. The oldest of whom is at the age where any and all things involving poop is not only funny but worthy of mention, laughing at, and speaking about. Mind you, the speaking about is ALWAYS at the most inappropriate times. The youngest of these said boys is, what I believe to be, the MASTER of poopy explosions. Doesn't matter the diaper, size, shape, food intake, body positioning or any thing I do to try to minimize damage control, it is always a disaster and always results in a change of clothing for one or both of us. Folks, it is just not pretty.

This morning as I was packing the diaper bag, again, I was mentally preparing myself for a diaper blow out at any one of the possible locations I would be at. Before I left the nursery, stocked with wipes, diapers and more baby clothing, I felt a voice in my spirit remind me that it could be worse, I could not be the one cleaning up the poop every day because I wasn't with my little guy. OUCH. Paradigm shift. I froze, looked at the diapers in hand and said a prayer of thanks for today's poop. Yes, I realize how incredibly stupid that sounds. But when I think about my friend Sharon, not being with her little one all day, or Jenna, whose little boy is in NICU and she can't hold him let alone change his diaper, yes, I am very thankful for today's poop.

Side note: Bean did indeed hold true to form with a massive explosion this morning at CFA. I in turn smiled, grabbed the bag and embraced the poop :)

4 Month Bean

1/3 of the littlest man's first year has already come and gone. Scary and awesome all in the same time.

Some stats and things to remember as we enter into the fourth month :)

15 pounds (59% for his age)
25.7 inches (88%)
16.5 head (61%)

You are almost rolling over.....like 80% ready, that big belly just gets in the way.
You've realized everything I sit you in has lights or little friends and you love to stare at them, try to grab them or talk to them.
You have a wonderful little laugh.
When you poop.........well let's just say we always have extra clothes on hand and A LOT of wipes!
Your hand control is getting pretty good. You want so badly to pull the music elephant on your play gym and make it vibrate the way I do.
You can sleep through everything!
You are an incredibly noisy eater when we're in a quiet place or in public. Of course when we're home you have the best table manners.
You are beginning to outgrow your 6 months clothing and are into some 9 months.
You smell so good and are so sweet before bedtime.
Sleeping about 7 hours at night.
Have a serious set of lungs!
Hair is starting to grow back, but it is light and fine like mine.
Eyes are still blue, darker now, I think they may turn green. Still hoping they'll stay as they are.
You have become a drool monster and love chewing on things.
You are such a sweet joy to have in our lives.

Preschool begins....again!

Summer has come to a close in our home this year and we're embracing the fall school year in a totally new and wonderful way. Our Monday morning began with MJD's first day of preschool (again) :) This is the last go around for my 3 year old in the early preschool class. (No he didn't flunk preschool, he misses the school cut off and we did it last year at the last minute more for help with speech and articulation rather than educational value.)

We started our "Back to School" routine with a picture by the front door.
Family breakfast at Chick fil a
A cheesy photo in the school parking lot
And a photo with his new teacher Ms. Carrie

New seasons

I've rewritten this post over and over...seems there are to many thoughts and feelings going through me. Of course I ran through the list of people to talk this out with but in true God like fashion each one of my ladies phones went to voice mail :) I had to hash out these feelings alone in the car with only God and Bean to listen to me.

So I'm just going to type and see what happens. Please excuse the random mess of thoughts and emotions to come.............

Today I stopped by my classroom at work to check in with the teacher covering me while I am on leave. Then on my way home, after lunch with a friend and errands, I stopped by the school district office and turned in a letter of request for a year long leave of absence. WHEW. I know this is what we've been talking about, what I've wanted, etc. But now it's actually done.

The letter sat on my desktop for over a week. Now it's signed and delivered. Official. Surreal. I'm really going to do this stay at home mom thing full time.

No, there's not enough money to do it. From all "human" angles there's not a real way to make this work as we'd desire it to. No big miracle came in. Just us deciding together that this year I'm going to be mommy full time. So with all of this are some very mixed emotions.

Fear- Yeah, I'm afraid we'll end up in a financial hole over this, that we're making the wrong money move, that things can get worse and I will regret this move. What if there isn't a rescue, or I can't swing this?

Loss- For the last 6 years I opened a classroom door and greeted hundreds of students as their teacher. This year I won't be doing that. And while that didn't define me as a person, it did shape in part who I have become, so in saying no to that this year there is a sense of loss.

Hesitation- Can I really discipline myself, sacrifice my wants and commit to some hard choices to make this work for my family? What if I screw this up?

Peace- my heart wants this.

Faith- I'm not just going to be able to talk the talk of faith, but this time I have to live it out. I have to have faith in my husband to provide for us on his own. I have to have faith that my God will indeed supply our needs, not forsake us, do good for us, be our provider and leader through this. On this one, I've really got to let go of the control and let God. I have to leave the worry at the door and have the faith to see God show up.

This leave of absence isn't necessarily a permanent thing....technically I can go back if I need to. And while it is possible they can deny the leave and call for me to return or resign, I don't forsee that happening. But for me, today this was a huge thing.

A season of my life changed today. Some interesting adventures are ahead of me.

Well the little Bean awoke, so I must go enjoy some smiles and jabbering.

Want to remember

MJD:
* You love telling me "I love you mom."
* Whenever we're apart for a while, including nap time, you greet me with "I miss you mom."
* You've gotten it in your head that it's funny to call me by my name instead of mommy.
* Still being sweet and loving to Liam and are enjoying him a bit more.
* I love listening to you talk with your toys when you're not aware I'm watching. Love the little pretend conversations you have.
* Absolutely love listening to your prayers. Such a random collection of things you are thankful for but each one makes me smile.
* You're learning, slowly but surely, to control some actions and behaviors.
* Woobie is becoming a more permanent fixture in your bed and is coming out of your room less and less.

LAD:
* You smile so much :)
* Goodness can you jabber away.
* You sleep so well when you are snuggled underneath my arm.
* Growing super quick, wish time would slow down a little.
* You arch your back and throw your fists up when you want to be picked up.
* Love your little lion toy.
* Have mastered control of your pacifier.
* Play well on your own in your pack n play when you are happy.
* When you wake up happy you are the sweetest thing. If you wake up to early, sheesh can you get mad!