owl treats

In honor of Halloween this week I wanted to make some fun treats.  I found this recipe in a little book my mom gave me called Halloween Fun by Pillsbury.  They are simple to make, the right amount of sweet for a dinner snack, and super cute in my opinion.  But hey, I do love owls.

Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 tiny fish-shaped pretzel crackers
1 tabelspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
16 milk chocolate stars

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove dough from can; do not unroll.  With serrated knife, cut roll in 16 slices.
2.  For each owl, use 2 dough slices.  Unroll a 2-inch strip from each roll.  Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet with sides touching and 2-inch strips at top center.  For owl's horns, fold strips in half and bend toward outer edges; pinch strips at fold, forming points.  For owl's beak, press 1 fish-shaped cracker, tail end pointing toward top of head, into bottom center of dough.  Repeat with remaining dough slices and crackers to make 8 owls, placing owls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
3.  In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.  Brush owls with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar mixture.
4.  Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Immediately press 2 chocolate stars on each owl for eyes.  Carefully move to cooling rack.  Cool completely, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Enjoy!

more and more leaves

I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to try and take pictures of Ry in the leaves throughout the rest of the week.  So now I have more than a few to share.

The best part?  The kid absolutely loved sitting in the leaves.  She would pick them up and crunch them and wave them around.  She enjoyed watching the cars drive by.  I think she enjoyed when the wind would blow and all the leaves would fly around her.  On Wednesday we were out there for almost 45 minutes and she loved it.  She still didn't really like paying attention to me, but oh well.

seven months

Seven months.  For some reason, I'm having a hard time digesting that one.  Yes, I know every month I say I can't believe how old she is, but this one?  This whole seven month thing?  I don't know if I like it.  Of course I want her to grow and learn and change and everything, but she is closer to being a toddler than she is to being a newborn.  She isn't just a baby anymore, she is a little person.  It was tough when she turned six months, but I handled it.  Every time I think about her being seven months, I tear up.  Ridiculous.

Recently one of Chris's friends found out she was having a girl (hi Jes!) so on Wednesday we brought up the bins of Ryann's old clothes.  Yes they are all adorable and we could easily use them all for another girl (assuming they were born in the same season), but let's face it.  The way my mom and I shop, another little girl is bound to get a pretty good stash of clothes herself, so there is no reason to keep all of the clothes.  We divided the clothes in to three piles, one to keep, one for Jes, and one pile that was going in a bin just for Ryann.  We pulled out the little onesie and green pants that we brought her home from the hospital in, and I about lost it.  The onesie is SO tiny, and it was so baggy on her!  I really just can't believe how small she used to be.

Geez, enough sappiness.  No doctor's appointment for this month (I guess her six month appointment was only a few weeks ago, but...) so we are guessing she weighs about 17 pounds 14 ounces, and is 26.5 inches long.  Ryann is wearing Cater's 9 month clothing, and fits in most of her 6-12 month stuff from BabyGap and Old Navy.  She also wears a size three diaper, and mostly size three shoes (when she actually wears shoes :o).

We frequently call Ryann our little serious baby.  She is definitely playful and is goofy often, but most of the time she is just concentrating so hard.  It is tough for anyone besides Chris or I to get her to crack a smile, and if you can earn a laugh you are really special.  Sometimes I'm sad that she doesn't laugh more, but then it is so so exciting when she does.

Ryann usually gets five bottles a day, 4 throughout daylight hours, and one in the middle of the night sometime.  I think we are definitely to the point where she doesn't need that middle of the night bottle (we probably were awhile ago, but hey) but thus far we haven't had the heart to just let her cry it out at 2am.  We are trying to wean her off of it by slowly offering less and less formula in the bottle, and in a couple weeks maybe we will reconsider letting her cry it out and night to eliminate that waking.  Solids are still only happening once a day around dinner time, because she has yet to seem overly thrilled with them.  I've tried breakfast a couple of times, but honestly she looks at me like I'm nuts putting her in the highchair that early in the morning.  I think we are going to have to just jump in a do it and hope she gets used to three meals a day.  I bet that might help with losing the night bottle anyway.  This month she tried bananas, mangoes, peaches, apples and some various vegetable combos.

Speaking of sleep, unfortunately we have taken a couple steps back in the Ryann putting herself to sleep department.  She was doing really well, and then a couple times if she got really fussy I gave in and rocked her.  Then this past week we were having our pipes replaced, and Ryann doesn't fall asleep as well if she knows someone else is in the house, and I felt bad letting her cry when there was someone there, so I rocked her.  Combine all of that with the fact that I think she is starting to go through some separation anxiety and she is not taking well to being put in her crib at all.  Sometimes she crawls to the end of the crib by the door and just wails.  I can't take that.

We recently (after reading Kristal's post) started trying to keep Ryann awake for three hours between each sleep period.  Previously I was aiming for the 2-3-4 schedule, but more than half the time she didn't really seem tired in the morning after two hours (she would play in her crib for 45 minutes or more before finally falling asleep) and four hours at the end of the day was TOUGH.  The first two days that we did threes were great.  She went down for her naps much easier, but then we went back to her seeming like it was party time whenever I put her in the crib.  Even with me rocking her the length of her sleep seems to have stayed the same (naps are usually an hour or more, and at night she is in the crib for 12-13 hours with one waking).

Funny thing about Ryann's naps... I have a baby monitoring app on my iPhone, I've been using it since she was born.  I know I could give it up now, but I'm kind of OCD like that and can't stop.  Anyway, frequently she wakes up exactly one hour and nine minutes after I pressed the 'sleep' button.  How strange is that?  A little strange in my opinion.

Lets see, Ry is army crawling like a champ.  She loves getting up on her hands and knees to rock it out.  She can sit up unassisted for long periods of time, assuming nothing too exciting grabs her attention, and her pants aren't too tight :o).  She says 'da da da' all day long.  Lately I've also been getting a little 'na na na' and everyone now and then a 'ma' and a 'ba', but pretty much always 'da da'.  It's cute, until it is 2am and she is yelling it over and over again in to the monitor and Chris is laying next to me snoring.  Yeah...

Ryann has been doing this little lay down sideways look thing lately.  It is sooooo cute.  Here is a video.  Please please PLEASE ignore my horrible singing.  I can't carry a tune to save my life, but Ryann doesn't seem to mind.

She loves to play with books.  She gives me just a little smirk every night when I start reading 'Night Night Little Pookie' before bed.  She loves to smash the rings from her duck stackers.  She gives me an mischievous smile right before she pulls my hair.  She loves when you pretend to eat her fingers.  She is always 'slapping' everything.  She loves to play peak-a-boo.  She giggles more about the anticipation of being tickled, then when you are actually tickling her.  She loves for you to hold her hands and help her stand and walk around.  She enjoys sucking water from a straw.

Miss Ryann I love you so very much.  I'm excited to spend another month watching you learn and explore!

embrace the camera

We attempted some family mirror pics this week.  I had a hard time keeping Chris's head in the frame if I wasn't looking.  So I resorted to my face being out of the pictures.  I think I like those ones better anyway.

Ryann obviously really enjoyed the mirror pictures.

Chris also snapped a couple of pictures of Ryann and I.  We were sitting outside while he grilled our dinner.  She got woken up from her nap a little early (but the rest of the trim in our kitchen is finally up!) so some snuggling outside kept her mostly happy until bedtime.

a day in the life - nikki

Happy Wednesday everybody!  Today I am happy to introduce you to Nikki from Nikki's Nacs.  I hope you enjoy taking a little peak into her life.  And just so you know, I was jealous when I read how much her baby sleeps.  Be prepared.

***

Hi, there! I'm Nikki from nikki's nacs. My husband and I have been married for 12 years, I stay home with our 2 boys (4 years and 8 months), and we live in the South. That means that I say y'all.

Let me go ahead a say upfront that I have the world's best sleepers and my husband spoils me by letting me sleep in every morning. Everyday isn't exactly the same, but here is a run down of a "typical" day.

8:30 - I hear Henry starting to wake up, so I crawl out of bed. I head down the hall to his room and I am greeted with a big smile from my littlest man. He gets a diaper change and then it's off to the kitchen to start breakfast. Cade has probably been up since about 6:30 watching cartoons and playing quietly in his room. My husband has also been up for a while, so there is  cup of coffee waiting on the counter for me. (I told you I was spoiled.)

9:00 - 10:00 - We wrap up breakfast, I straighten the kitchen back up, the boys play together on the floor in their rooms or living room, and I do a mad dash around the house trying to get as much (laundry and cleaning ) done as I can before Henry's nap starts. There are some days that we all just play in the floor.

10:00 - Henry is ready for a nap. Cade and I read God's Creative Power and then we start homeschool (k-4). We sit on the couch for his reading and then I give him the instructions for all of his worksheets. He starts on worksheets and then I do 1 or some of the following. 

-pull something out of the freezer if I need to for dinner or get it going in the crockpot

-shower (if we have somewhere to go)

-finish any housework

-exercise (i need to do this more often)

-a little computer time

I am also answering any ?'s that Cade has during this time. Sometimes they are related to his school work, other times it's something completely random.

12:00 - Lunch for me and Cade.

12:30 - 1:00 - Henry gets up during this time and is ready for lunch. 

1:00 - 2:00 - If we have any errands or shopping to do, this is normally when it happens. If we aren't going anywhere, I'm normally following Henry around the house. He is still army crawling, but he gets around fast. Sometimes we'll read a book, or we'll play in one of their rooms.

2:00 Henry is ready for another nap. If we are home I put him down for a nap. If we aren't back yet, I'm trying my best to get home because he is telling me he is ready for his bed.

2:00-4:00 It depends on the day and what Cade wants to do  and I need to get done. Just more of the usual. Playing, maybe some crafting, sewing, or computer time if Cade is playing well on his own, and thinking about doing laundry.

4:00 - Henry is up and ready for a bottle and more play time.

5:00-7:00 - This time of day is a total blur some days. Dinner prep, baths, wonder what time my husband will get home so that I know when I need to get it in the oven, feed baby (again), eat, play time with daddy, pj's for boys, brush teeth, Bible story before bed. 

7:00 - BOYS IN BED and then we start cleaning up the kitchen.

7:30 - 8:00 - kitchen is done.

8:00 - it's time for a cup of coffee, maybe something sweet. We spend the rest of the evening together on the couch. (tv, computer, reading)

9:00 - if I haven't showered yet, I get a shower. I quit taking them in the morning (unless we have to go somewhere) because I usually get spit up on several times through the day and found it completely pointless. I'd rather not go to bed smelling like spit up.

Bedtime is somewhere between 10 and 2. I'm a night owl, so it just depends.
Just in case it sounds like I have everything all together and everyday runs smoothly, it doesn't always go that way. There are days when I'm just glad that I got both boys fed throughout the day, and house is a DISASTER. Just keeping it real.

Questions from Ashley:

1. What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mother?

How fast everything goes by. One day you are ready for them to sleep through the night and the next thing you know, they are about to turn 5 years old.

2. What are some tips you would give to new moms, or soon to be mommas? 

Just enjoy every little thing. If it's your first baby, sleep when they sleep, you can't always do that with the 2nd.

3. What are your top three baby products?

1. the itzbeen timer - for the first 3 months
   
2. the bobby pillow - Henry is now 8 months old and still uses it 
3. the Avent Micro Sterilizer  

 

***
 

Thanks so much Nikki!

big trees, lots of leaves

We live in a relatively established neighborhood, which means we have tons of big trees.  Last year during the fall, that really annoyed me more than anything.  I mean, don't get me wrong, the trees are GORGEOUS as all of the colors change.  But the amount of leaves that fall?  Ridiculous.

But this year?  This year I have a cute little baby to plop down in the middle of all of these gorgeous leaves.  Makes them much more appealing :o).

These shots didn't turn out great, they are ok, but the coloring is so off.  And I can't for the life of me get it corrected in photoshop (because lets face it, you are supposed to get it right before photoshop).  Some day I WILL learn to use my fancy schmancy camera properly.  Plus, Ryann was way too interested in everything outside to pay any real attention to me. 

I'm going to keep trying over the next few days to get some really good shots of her in the leaves, it just seems like whenever there is great light, she is sleeping, or eating, or just ate and would puke all over herself if I tried to sit her up for any length of time (when do they grow out of this spitting thing???).  Plus I don't have a spotter, and with everything there is to look at outside, it makes me a little nervous that she is just going to get excited and topple over.

pumpkin brownies

I've been looking for different recipes that use pumpkin.  I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, and I've made pumpkin bread more than once.  So when I came across this recipe for pumpkin brownies I was pretty excited.  I thought they were amazing!

I found the recipe for the pumpkin brownies here.  I followed the recipe exactly and I think they turned out pretty well.  I had a tough time alternating my layers of chocolate and pumpkin, and if I make them again (ok when I make them again :o) I will most likely just do the chocolate on the bottom and the pumpkin on top and swirl them together.  Pretty much the same effect.  And honestly, I make take another reviewer's suggestion to double the recipe and make it in a 9x13 pan.  The brownies are disappearing too quickly.

Enjoy!

for your viewing pleasure

I have the intention to make Saturday my movie day, but it didn't happen this week, and I don't see it happening next week, so I'm just going to throw in random videos of Ry here and there until I actually start posting them on Saturdays :o).  Maybe it will be this week, who knows.

I know not everyone feels like watching videos of the kid, but I find these pretty funny.  And if you're not a video loving blogger, move on, doesn't bother me a bit!

I can't get over how goofy she looks when she is 'talking'.  Pretty sure it takes a lot of effort to get those little syllables out.  Sorry, it's a long one...

Ugh, youtube and I weren't getting along on uploading this one.  I mean I know my video quality isn't usually great, but this one is pretty bad.  Oh well.  We were giving Ryann a bath in the sink because the bathroom was a little dirty.  She um, was trying to climb out of this sink :o).

Ok both youtube and blogger are getting on my nerves right now, so I'm just going to hit publish and forget the fact that somehow my video ended up in widescreen, and there is a huge space in my post that I can't make go away.  Whatever.

Apparently I have a little case of the MUNDAYS.

EDIT:  I made the big space go away.  And all my other line breaks.  HTML, Blogger, Youtube and I are all not friends right now.  Maybe that means I need to go to bed early!

EDIT #2:  Ok so when I publish it all looks normal.  The preview is just trying to drive me up the wall.  Why is that?  Good night.

our pumpkin patch

I have been wanting to take Ryann to the pumpkin patch all month.  But so far, it just hasn't happened.  We've been busy, and when we aren't doing something I feel like Ryann is napping.  Plus lets face it, the only reason I wanted to go to the pumpkin patch was so I could take pictures of Ry by pumpkins.  It isn't like she could really participate in any of the activities.

So at my mother's suggestion, we just stuck her in front of some pumpkins outside my parents house.  It my not be the pumpkin patch, but I got some pictures with pumpkin.  And if you want my opinion, my little pumpkin looks pretty darn cute :o).

lately...

I mentioned that life has been a little busy lately.  I could write a really long post about everything we've been up to, but, I'll try to do it briefly with pictures :o).  We've been...

...playing with friends

 ...practicing a little yoga (seriously, what is this move all about?)

 ...taking baths in the sink (because we got new fixtures in our shower, and new pipes!)

...looking cute in legwarmers

 ...trying and enjoying to pull ourselves up a little too frequently (with assistance obviously)

 ...still trying to get the hang of this solids thing (when will she start to enjoy it regularly? it is still hit or miss if she will actually eat anything.)

Friday I made some delicious pumpkin brownies (I promise to share the recipe soon!) and had a friend over to grill some burgers.  Saturday we headed to my parents house to hang out with family.  This morning my mom made breakfast and my mother in law joined us.  This afternoon I went to my bestie's bridal shower.  We made the drive back home this evening and now I am enjoying some Desperate Housewives and blogging.  It was a quick week, and a fun week.  I have a feeling the next week will be just as jam packed!