Scott Family Stories

Come out come out whenever you are!

2012-02-13T08:26:00.002-08:00

So it's February 13th and guess what? I'm still pregnant! Baby boy made a miraculous flip at the last minute and bought us a bit more time for him to come naturally and on his own. However, it's been a week and no such luck! It looks like we may have a Valentines Day baby after all. :-) Tomorrow we are headed in for our re-scheduled c-section, and I can't be more excited to meet my funny little Valentine.

This morning, my last as a mother of one, I took Evan out for a special mommy-son breakfast at Chic-fil-et. I'm so thankful for this unexpected and extra time I get to spend with my first little boy!

This is my last official day with "the belly." Of course, who knows my water could break before I finish this blog and we may see him even sooner! In any case, I am filled with gratitude for this new life and can't wait to meet this new baby boy, whichever day and however way God has perfectly planned for that to be. :-)

I spy January

2012-02-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some snapshots of our January, courtesy of the Iphone. There's just something special about finding these captured memories in your cell phone bank-these are the slices of life too precious to wait for the real camera. And for one reason or another, whether they make you laugh or give a sentimental sigh of "awww,"you're so glad you had your phone with you to freeze that moment. :-) Will I ever print these photos out? Probably not. Is the quality the best? Nope. But am I gonna blog them to ooo and aaaaa over for all time? You betcha!

Yes, that's our dog making himself comfortable in the infant carseat...

Angel baby

Brownies, blankets and boxes-a boy's best friend

This month's steal of a deal-these adorable slippers from children's place-$2.80 shipped!

Can you find his head?

Watermelon anyone? To the left is the newest addition to the wall, thanks to Pier 1 & GiGi. :-)

Homemade granola bars, and Evan's maiden voyage in our new "sit n' stand.":-)

Baby shower at Chris' work-so sweet!

On the flip side

2012-01-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

This little boy inside of me is a mover and shaker! At 38 weeks, our routine doc's appointment revealed something new and surprising to us all-baby brother pulled a total 180 and is now in the "breech" position! I was a little shocked to say the least, especially since we saw him head down in an ultrasound just last week. Thus, it looks like we are headed for a schedule cesarean.

I'm not going to lie, it's been challenging for me to let go of the idea of a natural birth and surrender to another c-section. As tightly as I was holding onto the idea of a V-back, I'm more aware than ever that God holds all things in his hands, and is working towards our ultimate good. He created this little boy inside of me, and loves him so much more than I can fathom already. However baby boy makes his grand entrance, I have peace knowing that God is in control. Much easier said than done though, I admit!

The idea of a scheduled c-seciton to me brings on many emotions. Fear being at the forefront-surgery is scary! I didn't have the best experience with Evan, so readers, please join me in praying for a smoother surgery this time around. A close runner up to the fear factor is the more complicated recovery, though I have heard many an encouraging word from women who have been there-that the second is much easier than the first. And, to round out my worries, my mommy's heart is torn over how this will impact Evan. I'm sure everything will work out just fine, but on this side all I can think about is not being able to pick him up and comfort him the way I need to, especially when he's still so young and his world will be in such a state of transition already. I hate that we'll be in the hospital longer, and don't want to spend a minute more away from him than necessary. But, though I hate to admit it, I know he'll survive without me(shocker). Again, easier said then done haha.

On the other hand, there is a teeny tiny but very possible chance this guy could turn in the next few days and come on his own time. While that would be a shining answer to my prayers, I'm doing my best to be at peace if that's not how things happen. Either way, the outcome will be the same-a beautiful, healthy baby boy. :-)

Something tells me this new little guy is going to keep me on my toes!

Hot dogs, Nemo and the green blanket

2012-01-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

Evan is 21 months old today. This month is especially special because this is the month he will become a big brother. I'm so thankful for the last 21 months, and am treasuring these last days with just the two of us. Before I get too sentimental, here's a little peak into the world of my favorite 21 month old..

I'll start with one of his favorite things-food! Unless this kid is feeling under the weather, he'll eat just about anything and snack all the live long day. He loves most all fruit, but can be picky depending on the day of the week-especially when it comes to those green veggies. He's started saying "no" to things he doesn't like...dare I see a little attitude on the horizon? I guess it comes with the toddler territory! His favorite meals usually consist of a hot dog or chicken nuggets(with ketchup of course) and some sort of fruit cup or applesauce. Unfortunately, he's still dairy free for the most part. I'm working on incorporating more fresh snacks into his diet, and have had some success with the occasional celery and carrot stick. But who am I kidding really, those carrot sticks don't hold a candle to Finding Nemo fruit snacks. :-)

A true boy, Evan's favorite toys are cars-anything with wheels really. In the same vein, his favorite movie without a doubt is Disney's "Cars" and more recently "Cars 2." It's starting to look like a boys world around here for sure, and I don't forsee that changing any time soon! He is definitely an active little boy and loves being silly and playing with daddy. Lately he's caught onto "tag" and loves to run in circles being chased around the house(add to that hiding behind doors and shower curtains). Other recent fun activities would involve empty cardboard boxes and flashlights-did I mention it's a boys world around here?

Recently I've noticed a growth spurt in him- both by way of mouth and of jeans! He seems to be randomly repeating a lot of our words, saying the same words often, and also adding new words to his vocabulary. Just yesterday he pointed to the turtle in our alphabet book and said "turtle" as plain as day. It's sweet to hear his little voice, and I can't wait to hear him talk more..or maybe I can, he's growing up way too fast! He surprises me daily with his increasing understanding of the world around him, and I couldn't be more grateful for the gift of watching him grow.

Lastly, this post would not be complete without a picture of his precious green blanket, or "bay bay banket" as he says. He's watching a snippet of his second favorite movie here, "Finding Nemo." I hate to say it but we may need to get him a goldfish soon!

.......................................
The schedule: (This is mostly for my future babywise reference, please feel free to tune out here haha!)
The following routine is just the "bones" of our everyday schedule-we're an on the go team and fastly fill up the space in between with friends, playdates, parks, "mops," church, groceries, just plain mommy/son fun and more! In fact, this morning was likely our last at our library's "lapsit storytime" for a while, at least until we all settle into the slower pace of life with a newborn. Boy how things are going to change!

8am-Good morning! It was my goal to get him sleeping in a bit later before baby #2 gets here, and I am SO grateful to have achieved this new and refreshing 8am wake up call.
12 noon-Lunch
12:45/1pm-3:30ish- Afternoon nap *Can I just give my child a round of applause here for consistently taking wonderful 3 hr naps everyday! We had a challenging stretch of time in dropping his first nap, but I'm happy to say that we're in a great groove now, and he's combined the two just perfectly(you know, most days).
6pm-Dinnertime, usually followed by his much loved bath time
7:45pm-Books & bed

37 Weeks!

2012-01-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

We are now officially full term yay! I'm happy to report that we had a very routine and uneventful OB visit this past Friday-the good kind-and got to see baby boy once more in an ultrasound. Because Evan was quite the butterball, we needed to see where exactly this one was size wise in order to make the best decision regarding his big debut.

Thankfully, he looked healthy and weighed in at 6 pounds 9 oz-which sounded pretty big to my small self but is actually very average and right on track. Based on our birth experience with Evan, my confidence in my body's ability to deliver a larger baby the good ol' fashioned way is a bit shaken to say the least. So, please join us in praying for a healthy delivery(preferably a V-back) and average sized baby Godspeed!

Stats-
Baby's heart rate-Strong in the 120-130's
Mommy's iron finally came up and broke ten- I'm thankful for this small victory!
Weight-129 and down one pound, but not super alarming due to fact that I've been sick this past week. Total weight gain so far is 22 pounds; I think I've got some room to grow after all.
BP-85/55...I normally run low, but not so much. For now, we're going to blame the afor mentioned sickness.

Admittedly not the best appointment for stats, but thankfully it looks as if baby boy is thriving doing a lot better than mommy feels! I'm already feeling almost back to normal, so hopefully we'll be running at 100%(you know, as much as you can be 37 wks pregnant with an active toddler) soon!

Can't wait to meet baby boy!

Under the weather

2012-01-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

We are sick. It's been one of those no good, rotten, sick day kinda weeks-complete with many a pajama party and lots of time watching "Cars" on the couch. First Evan came down with a nasty croup like cough and cold, and then very thoughtfully passed it on my way. Being this pregnant and this sick is no fun, and if it were up to me, I say that mama's should never be allowed to get sick. Seriously, Kleenex beware, you are no match for this faucet of a runny nose! Thankfully though, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that, God willing, we are on the mend.

Here's to hoping that plenty of rest, water, and animal crackers(above) will do the trick to get us back up and at em' before baby makes his big debut.

Joyful anticipation

2012-01-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

As we meet 36 weeks, my body-and belly mostly-are loudly signaling that it's almost baby time. On one hand, I am over the moon excited to meet this little guy and can't wait see a new baby bouncing in our bouncer, sleeping in his bassinet and even crying in his carseat. On the other hand, I know I can be patient and embrace these last precious moments as a family of three. As a prideful planner, I find in myself the tendency to get so wraped up in future things that I often miss the presents of the present. So while we wait on baby brother's arrival, I am set to be still and enjoy this life as it is now-just me, my husband and our sweet son. This nest is fluffed and feathered well enough. Dare I say it's time to sit back and relax, to simply and joyfully just wait.

Two carseats are now taking over our backseat-what a sight!

Thanks to a sweet and thoughtful friend, our borrowed bassinet is set up and looking just perfect in its new place next to our bed.

And, we put out a few baby things like Evan's old bouncer; we just couldn't leave that space bare after filling it with a Christmas tree for so long! I loved our swing, bouncer and other baby gear, and am excited to pull em' out of the closets for a second spin.

Next on the list, the hospital bag is mostly packed. Credit belongs to this awesome checklist courtesy of Pinterest. :-)

Evan's snack stash is fully stocked for "D-day"

and while this little guy may be a bit small for his newly washed big brother tee, I think he'll grow into his new title quite nicely. :-)

Big brother blooper

2012-01-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

This was not in the big brother handbook haha!

35 Weeks!

2012-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

See, I am pregnant remember blog? I said it wasn't so, that I would absolutely keep up with this second pregnancy in the same way as the first...but somehow baby #2 is left with much fewer dedicated baby updates than Evan. Hoping this is not a second child trend, I am determined to break the mold! Anyways, this is me with baby "B," or "C." ;-)

I doubt I'll be sporting my lovely belly for 5 more weeks, judging by the size of things. In just two weeks we'll have an ultrasound that will better determine whether or not this butterball will make an early debut-can't wait to see!

A mommy and Evan morning

2012-01-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

This past Friday I had my 34 week OB appointment in Raleigh. To make the trip extra worthwhile, Evan and I shared a beautiful, fun filled mommy-son morning at Marbles kids museum downtown. We had been talking about special things to do with our firstborn before baby boy makes his appearance, and Marbles was at the top of the list. This place is amazing; it's colorful, bright, swarming with excited kiddos and full of a variety of activities that are interesting and fun for all ages. Literally, we could've spent the entire day there!

Of course, as luck would have it my SD card decided to shut down on me after just TWO pictures...so I pulled out the next best thing, and followed my sweet boy around taking photos with the trusty Iphone. Enjoy!

His favorite place by far-the train table!

We had a blast and this little kiddo ran off a ton of energy-in fact, he was fast asleep before we even got back on the highway to Wilson!

Per my 34 week appointment, I'm happy to report that baby boy is growing well. He is measuring right where he should be and had a steady heartbeat in the 120's. As for me, I've officially gained 23 pounds thus far, and feel like this turkey should be done any day now. In fact, yesterday preferably. :-) I'm much more uncomfortable at this point than I was with Evan, and am thanking my stars for a toddler who sleeps through the night and naps well so that I can grab that much needed rest myself. It's hard to believe it's already January 1st, and this could be baby #2's birthday month!

Looking ahead to 2012

2011-12-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

We all like to talk about New Years resolutions. Heck, I'm even blogging about it right now! To start, I'm a big fan of setting goals, and would encourage anyone to pause and evaluate areas of improvement in their lives. The problem with me and these New Years resolutions though, is that they are often not well thought out, mostly planned at the last minute, and almost always forgotten come February. So this year I'm doing things a little differently, and choosing to focus on habits.

For each month, I've thought of a habit I'd really like to "create" and pursue in order to grow as a person and benefit my family. In addition, I'm going to work on "subtracting" or breaking a bad habit that I've found not to be beneficial to myself or my family. My hope is that our family routine will be greatly blessed over the course of the year by slowly and intentionally incorporating these simple goals. It may be a resolution game dressed up in a bear suit, but I'm excited about it nonetheless. :-) Here we go!

January:
"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm all the days of her life...She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31

*Habit to create: To embrace and cherish this time, our last month as a family of three. Practically, this means spending more creative one on one time with Evan, extending hospitality by having friends and families over for dinner, and being more intentional about spending quality time with my husband while it's still relatively quiet around here(you know, before baby #2 rocks our world).
*Habit to break: Giving too much of my free time(ie Evan's nap) away to facebook, email and online eye candy. Putting down the Iphone in order to spend my interests and affections on more worthwhile pursuits-serving and enjoying my family.

February:
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

*Habit to create: Set apart a structured and unmovable quiet time every day for prayer, because Lord knows I'm gonna need that extra dollop of grace to take care of my two babies under two!
*Habit to break: Not to complain or grumble about the added responsibility and subtracted sleep that comes with two small children.

March:
"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty." Proverbs 21:5

*Habit to create: Plan meals, save money. With the added expense of a new baby, being diligent to budget for and plan our family dinners is a must. While I already clip coupons and set aside time to prepare weekly menus and grocery lists, I'm fully aware that the extra time and demands of baby#2 will try to push me off the meal planning wagon. Lord willing, I'll hold on tight!
*Habit to break: Impulse buying at Target/grocery stores. These small and seemingly harmless "salt and snack" runs add up fast!
........................................
I purposely did not let myself get carried away with planning all twelve months, lest I get too ambitious and again, loose my way before I've begun. Knowing full well that tomorrow is never guaranteed and that the tide is always changing, I'm choosing simply to focus on the near future. Moreover, I anticipate our family lifestyle and needs will change immensely over the next few months with a new baby and potential move. So God willing, I'll be posting some new habits(and success stories!) better suited to that particular season-come what may-starting in April.

Joyful Joyful

2011-12-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

"I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Being so early on in our life with littles, we're still working on establishing our own special traditions. Christmas is probably my most favorite holiday, and we like to do it right. ;-) In addition to holiday pj's, Charlie Brown Christmas music, Elf, gingerbread cookies and more, this year we added our first family advent calendar. While I really enjoyed it, I have to say I'm looking forward to the future when Evan is a bit older and A)can sit still and listen for longer and B)isn't more interested in the advent candy. I also did Jesus' birthday cake again, and it was scrum-didley-umptious! Otherwise, we're still looking for our Scott family "Christmas Groove" as we tend to do things a degree differently every year depending on family plans and traveling. This year Chris' mom and family came down to NC while my family spent the big day in Florida.

Grandma and Aunt Paige on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we had a big present opening, honey baked holiday turkey eating time with Chris' family, preceded of course by quality grandma time and a trip or two to Raleigh for some last minute shopping. On Christmas day we opened our presents, just the three of us, before heading out for a morning of worship with Christ Baptist-as an aside, it was so special to share Christmas and Sunday morning this year, how appropriate! Later we enjoyed a laid back afternoon complete with naps, new toys and an early dinner at Denny's since our beloved Olive Garden(and everything else in Wilson) was closed. Next Saturday we will be celebrating with my side of the family-by golly that's three Christmases! :-)

And now, more pictures...
Where better to begin than with Jesus' birthday cake?

And from the Iphone...

Good luck getting this kiddo to stand still!

Last but certainly not least, the following is a video clip of Evan's first glimpse of Christmas. Notice our rookie parent mistake-leaving out the big present for him to see first! This little guy was so enamored with his new "race along Chuck" truck and had very little interest in opening anything else after seeing it. That, a drawing pad and his new stuffed "Lightning Mcqueen" took the awards for favorites of the morning.

So thankful for our many good gifts this Christmas, and not just the ones under the tree. :-)

"Wowww"

2011-12-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

Just quick post to document these tiny little wonders...

Evan is at a really cute stage where he is "wowed" by so many big and little things. And he expresses his excitement with an emphatic "WOOOWWW." It is really cute and fun to see that innocent little sparkle in his eyes as he takes in the world.

Just recently we went to the annual Christmas parade in downtown Wilson. Sitting contently atop daddy's shoulders, the parade inspired many an oooo, aaahh and woooowwww out of our little guy. The real life firetruck parked right behind our parade stop was also a constant source of awe...gotta love this life with boys!

Handsome Little Man

2011-12-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

We went to downtown Wilson this past Saturday to take some pictures of our newly nineteen month old. I saw these colorful brick walls per chance the last time we were in the area, and had been daydreaming up a fun photoshoot ever since. While I love how the pics turned out, I can't tell you how much I'm dying for the day this little dude stays still and smiles on command ha! We came armed with gummy worms and firetrucks...but somehow our props backfired as that is all he was interested in. Exhibit A-

Once the first sour gummy was gone, he spent the rest of the time reaching out to, running after and looking for the rest of the bag. Lesson learned! In any case, my squirmy wormy did pretty well, and I think the camera agrees! :-)

Who knew boy's could accessorize so well?

Oh my those dimples are darling!

Gobblin' good times

2011-11-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

This year, as in the past, we were thankful to share not one but two thanksgiving meals. First, we brunched at Cracker Barrel with Chris' grandparents and family. Let's just say, we weren't the only ones with that bright idea; the place was packed! While we waited for our table, Evan entertained himself inside the infamous store with some vintage toy trucks, and took a short break to pose for this picture outside...of course no Cracker Barrel visit is complete without a seat in a rocker!

After lunch and a good long nap, we headed to Goldsboro for my mom's Thanksgiving feast. As always, the food was delicious and my husband thoroughly enjoyed himself...in fact, he's still stuffing down the turkey leftovers! Of course, I was thankful for my traditional Thanksgiving day hamburger. ;-)

On thanksgiving and every day of the year, we have so much to be thankful for. It's unfortunate how easily we can overlook or take for granted every new day we're given along with it's blessings, big and small. Because of this, I'm grateful for a day to pause and reflect on our many gifts bought from above, and am reminded once again to give thanks in all circumstances. For turkey, and hamburgers. :-)

This puzzle, that munchkin

2011-11-16T17:07:00.000-08:00

Or in other words, my clever way of dressing up a "this n' that" type of post. I'll start with this very cool video of my smarty pants putting together his transportation puzzle. Notice the flurry of frustration with the firetruck. Yes, there are many teachable "flurries" nowadays!

Have I mentioned that a Dunkin Donuts opened in Wilson, and that my little munchkin loves blueberry munchkins? He had not one, not two, but four of them before church this past Sunday! He's a curious eating machine these Fall days and has taken a break from being Mr. Pickypants for the time being; lately he loves broccoli, and has been sharing in our usual dinner meals complete with corn and all! And-excuse my randomness-I also think it noteworthy to insert that he has now added the words "cold," "cool-as in dude," "down," "shoes" and "pig" to his growing vocabulary.

This week I am 27 weeks along with our other munchkin. I'm due for my Glucose testing on Wednesday, and have a follow up ultrasound next week-so this little dude is keeping us busy! Inside the womb, baby boy should weigh almost 2 pounds by now and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. Also, he's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, is very rapidly developing his brain, opening and closing his tiny eyes, and probably even sucking on his fingers. I can't wait for baby "C" to get here!!! (Yes, we have his name picked out for good now!). And, just for fun, here's a link to Evan's "27 week" update...I was surprised to see how similar I was feeling at this point with him!
Baby Evan on the inside-27 wks

It's funny because last time around we were completely enamored with all things Evan and all aboard the baby train, busy with preparations and just as pregnant with excitement over things to come. This time, I'm still consumed with all things Evan, and much less anxious about the preparations and "lists" that go into welcoming a new member of the family. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited...just with a bit less edge and organizational OCD (let's just call it like it is)! Thank goodness for a toddler to keep my mind, feet, and online shopping elsewhere. :-)

18 months young

2011-11-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

Has 18 months with my sweet boy gone by so fast? It feels like just yesterday we were looking at our chubby cheeked baby and wondering what this age would hold, what he would look like, sound like, act like, etc. Well here we are, and this is what 18 months looks like to us...

He grows more handsome every day, even when covered in Chef Boyardee. He loves trains and balls still, and has added trucks and dinosaurs to his favorites list. What does he eat? While he's turned into a Mr. Picky Pants at this age, he's gotta have his chicken nuggets(like his mommy no doubt!). Following close behind he loves ravioli, Pb&j sandwiches, and all things fruity.

He hasn't added to much to his vocabulary, but he's a studious little boy and understands us much more than I'd like to admit. He does puzzles really well and can correctly point to just about any animal you ask him to in a book-smarty pants. Favorite book-"Curious George's big book of curiosity." In other big 18 month news, he is really good at giving kisses and hugs now, claps on command, bops his head to music, loves to drum, and is starting to run(in a size 5 almost 6 shoe).

Schedule wise, we are officially down to 1 nap, and he sleeps beautifully from about 12:15 to 3pm everyday(except for those Sundays!). Bedtime is still 7:30, sometimes 8pm. A true morning person, our little alarm clock is up and ready to go by 7am most mornings. I'm praying he'll start to sleep in a bit later before baby #2 arrives, but I'll take 7:30-7 any day of the week. (Aside-the toddler bed turned our world upside down for a good 2 weeks...after determining he was not ready for the jump, he's back in his crib-side up-and loving it.)

On the health front, he had his first bad cold and ear infection about a month ago, and after a few doctor's visits we ended up with a brand new, shiny firetruck nebulizer for breathing treatments. I'm so thankful for it because we needed it again with cold #2 just a month later. Luckily he doesn't seem to fall into the asthma category just yet, but lands nicely in the "reactive airway" camp-you bet I am dreading flu season! Can we just be bears and hibernate inside now until Spring? On the bright side, it looks like he may be outgrowing his eczema as it has improved tremendously over the past few months.

Along with 18 months has come more independence, and with freedom frustration. I'm noticing he's come to that age where he thinks he can do things he can't (aka run down stairs) and it's a hard reality to have to need mommy's help with those "big boy" things! Speaking of, we are working on the word "help" as I see him get much more frustrated with toys, ect. that he can't figure out right away. On this note of new challenges, I've also seen that he's become much more socially aware. All of a sudden, he realizes it when other kids take away the toy he's playing with(or when mommy puts the toy back on the shelf at Target), and it is not okay... oh, and did I mention it goes both ways? Sharing 101 here we come. No doubt baby brother will be a great teaching tool for this big life lesson!

Put simply(after the longest post ever), if I had to sum up his personality at this age in 3 words, it would be sweet, sensitive, and silly. :-) Happy 18 months Evan Matthew!

Stats:
Weight-23 pounds, 20th percentile
Height-32.5", 50th percentile
Head cir.-80th percentile

State Fair 2011: Picture parade

2011-10-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

(Otherwise entitled "Alligator on a stick.")

Playing Catch Up

2011-10-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

In light of life and general busyness, I've fallen a bit behind on my blogging. So, here are a few things I've been meaning to blog about but have somehow made it to the bottom of my to do list-you know, the place where things hardly ever get crossed off. Disclaimer-ahead of you lies a string of random events and pictures in no particular order-consider yourself warned! ;-)

A few weeks ago Chris' step sister was married in our old stomping grounds, Wake Forest. This was Evan's second wedding and as most weddings go, a beautiful event. Of course, Chris' mom and family were able to come down so that was a great bonus to see them so soon after our PA vacation. Here's a picture of my handsome brown eyed boy in blue just outside the stone chapel.

This past week Chris participated in the local Junior Women's Club Golf Tournament here in Wilson. Evan and I showed up for a short time to support the BB&T team and also take some pictures. It was a great afternoon for golf and Evan loved practicing with daddy! Pretty much any activity that involves balls and hitting things is right up this boy's ally. Something tells me baseball will be a smashing hit.

On the home front, since it's been so nice outside I've been brainstorming some fun activities to do with the little guy outdoors. First up-homemade finger paint! I couldn't believe how easy this was. And, as a bonus, I found all of the very simple ingredients already residents of my pantry. Turning this...

into this...

was surprisingly easy. I'm not sure how 17 month old friendly it will be, but I can't wait to try it out! Thank you Pinterest for the great recipe-oh yea, I'm officially a "pinner" now and have thoroughly enjoyed browsing the virtual pinboards. While I was a bit hesitant to hop on the bandwagon at first, I'm so glad took I the plunge because I've already found a wealth of cost saving, crafty and creative ideas to fill our home, hearts and heads with!

In more seasonal news, my mom came up this past weekend and we had a great Fall day at Deans Farm. We took lots of pumpkin pictures and enjoyed an old fashioned hayride through the fields. Evan was a bit tired from a terrible nights sleep the day before, but I think he had a lot of fun riding behind the big tractor, picking out his pumpkin and seeing some farm animals.

Now if I can only convince him that pumpkins are not like balls to be thrown about than we'd be in good shape! Our poor pie pumpkins have barely survived his toddler touch haha.

That wraps up my catch up for now. Time and energy willing, I'll hopefully post our annual state fair extravaganza and Evan's 18 month update before the new baby gets here! Speaking of, next week marks 24 weeks of being pregnant and I can barely believe that we are so near 6 months along. This little boy is busy and kicks and moves a lot more than I remember with Evan, but more on that later...

Falling for Fall

2011-10-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a friends blog, and couldn't resist doing one myself. Here are my top 10 reasons for loving this fabulous season of Fall, in no particular order.

1. All of those delicious smelling seasonal scents at Yankee candle and Bath and Body works. Every year I say that whoever has the job of naming these festive fall candles pretty much has the best job ever! Just the words "Frosted Pumpkin" and my heart skips a beat.

2. Pumpkins, candy corn, crunchy leaves and all things orange and yellow.

3. Running to the grocery store in a car that does not feel like a preheated oven. No air conditioning necessary, just roll down the windows and go!

4. Not shaving my legs everyday(ahem, or every other day) because pants are totally in now.

5. Taking morning and afternoon strolls sans an army of mosquitoes and annoying nats.

6. Dressing my child up in the most itchy, absurd and ridiculously cute Halloween costume I can find. This year, the honor goes to "Tigger." :-)

7. The perfect weather for playing outside- morning, noon and night.

8. The North Carolina State Fair-my hubby especially looks forward to this every year. The elephant ear countdown is on!

9. Colorful tights and cozy socks.

10. And last but not least, my purple mums courtesy of mom. Need I say more?!

Breaking News from Evan

2011-10-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, guess what?! I climbed out of my crib this week, and earned myself a "big boy" bed! I think Mommy was hoping to keep me in my crib until I was two, but I had other plans...you know, 17 month old plans.

My new bed is still my crib, except it's way easier to get out of now! I'm pretty sure I can climb in and out on my own, but mommy and daddy have told me to stay put until they get me- so I'm trying my best to obey the new rules. But boy, is it fun! Shhhh...don't tell mama...but yesterday...when I was supposed to be sleeping for my nap...I got down and played with my stuffed animals and race track! ;-)

Yep, I'm lovin' my new big boy bed.

Off to Grandma's house we go!

2011-09-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Over the trees and through Pennsylvania's highways, to Grandma's house we went! Our first family vacation was a great success and a lot of fun. Evan rode on an airplane for the very first time, and thankfully we survived! The way there was smooth and uneventful, but the way back was full of delay and let's just say not a 17 month olds idea of fun haha! Airplanes aside, our trip was wonderful and included an amusement park visit, a day in Philadelphia, lots of yummy food, some shopping and of course plenty of quality grandma time!

Our first stop was the deliciously fun Hershey park where Evan rode some of his very first rides, including the merry-go-round(my favorite) and even got to see a brown bear in real life at the new Hershey zoo.

On Tuesday Chris and I took a train into Phily while Evan spent the morning with Grandma. We saw the major historical landmarks like the liberty bell, toured the famous Reading station, and of course no trip to the city of love is complete without this token tourist picture. It was a good day, and full of walking, walking, and did I mention walking?

(Yes, I intentionally blew up the cupcake picture!)

No doubt the best part was seeing Evan spend quality time with his grandma...and playing with the new toys she got for him. :-) Thanks for being a wonderful host Sharon, we so wish you lived closer!

Baby update

2011-09-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

On the first day of Fall we are jumping the "half way there" marker at 20 weeks. There have been a few big changes recently. For starters, I have officially moved past feeling huge to actually looking pregnant. We now know our new baby's gender, and along with that have given him a name. :-) I'm just starting to feel those first flutters of movement, and am slowly steeping in sweet ideas of brothers, big boy rooms and boy-S.

Here I am at 19 weeks-we took this picture in Philadelphia, PA. *Post to come soon on our first official family vacation, airplane and all.

And here are our first pictures of little boy Scott at his 18 week ultrasound. I can't believe it will be time to post Evan's 18 month pictures next month!

It's a.....!!

2011-09-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Looks like more snips, snails and puppy dog tails for us, and we couldn't be more excited! Pics to come soon! :-)

A MOPS Milestone

2011-09-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be a part of MOPS this year and this morning was our first "official" meeting. Delicious brunch-check! New friends and getting to know you games-check! Mounds of mommy talk-double check! Moreover, perhaps the most exciting part was that Evan had a good time in the little toddler nursery for TWO HOURS! No doubt one of the longest times he's been away from me in this type of setting. He was a little sleepy at the drop off since we're in the midst of weaning out his morning nap, but it was nothing a sprinkled cookie couldn't take care of! Besides, he was in toy heaven once he saw the new cars and trucks, and mommy could barely squeeze in a hug goodbye next to Thomas the train!

Two hours of "moppettes" playtime for my growing boy and quality, baby free girl time for this mommy equals one great morning. I'm so proud of Evan for doing so well on his own and especially for our first time-a great milestone and one I'm happy to reach!

Snapshots of Lake Wilson

2011-09-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

If there are hidden treasures of places to see in this small city of Wilson, "Lake Wilson" is surely one of them. It's a beautiful spot, and largely undiscovered. It has nature trails for walking and biking, an ultimate frisbee golf course, lots of picnic potential and of course, a gorgeous lake for fishing-that is, if your a fishing kind of gal(not I, said the fly!).

So tonight we packed up the car, dog in tow, and took a quick trip down to the lake for a little fun and fresh air to end our weekend. Of course, while the weather was cool for an early September afternoon, the gnats were out en masse, and they were on a mission! Tired of battling with natures gnats, we cut the trip pretty short but managed a quick photoshoot on the way back to the car.

This is the best part about riding in cars with dogs...

Goodnight sweet Sunday! I'm looking forward to a great week ahead, complete with MOPS, church care groups, storytime at the library, packing for PA and-drumroll please-our ultrasound on Friday!

Everyday blessings-sleep

2011-09-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. -Psalm 4:8

3 Day weekend

2011-09-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Labor day weekend=A trek to Raleigh to "treasure hunt" those holiday deals for Evan's Fall/Winter clothes, many a miles logged on the car with trips to and from Greenville for our first Sunday at Integrity Church, too many trips to Target, visits to the great grandparents, Toys R Us and Noah's Ark Park, redbox rentals, frog finding, lawn mowing and a bit of rest and relaxation sandwiched in between. And of course, lots of picture taking.

On Saturday morning Evan spotted a new green friend on our porch. Yes, I do believe we have a boy on our hands. I can do alot of "boy" things...however, frogs and other creepy crawly critters are not on the list.

At ToysRUs we picked up a new "big boy" basketball hoop for our ball lover. He's an excellent dunker at 16 months, and I fear sweaty gym socks may lie in our future-oh, say it isn't so.

This last picture below was taken on Sunday morning at the Winterville Amphitheather, where we had church at the park and a pig pickin' afternoon.

It's been a busy weekend and I'm thankful for these restful, rainy days ahead with not too much to crowd our daily agenda. Now to peruse the weekly grocery specials and brainstorm meals for this next week before we're off to PA for a family vacation!

First Day, September

2011-09-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

Good morning September! Welcome back cooler weather and candy corn.

Pumpkin bread made the house smell like Fall

A tornado of toys post morning playdate-the bigger the mess, the more fun!

A morsel of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

and exciting mail.

Topped off with a birthday dinner for dad in Goldsboro-the perfect end to a great September start!

15 month and 15 week well babies

2011-08-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Coincidentally, I scheduled Evan's 15 month well baby and my 15 week baby checkup on the same day. Of course, Evan is closer to 16 months now, but with both being appointments in Raleigh it made sense to knock them out on the same day. I'm pleased to say our mini marathon of office visits went well this morning, and Evan was a trooper even though it meant skipping his morning nap. With Thomas the train and plenty of snacks on hand, he hardly noticed. Both visits were great and, praise the Lord, showed healthy growing babies!

Evan's stats:
Weight: Almost 22 pounds and finally breaking the 10th percentile!
Height: 31 inches in the 25th-50th percentiles
Overall our Dr. Pepper was very happy with his growth and impressed by his developmental and verbal skills-A+!

Baby #2:
This appointment was mostly about mommy's stats, but we did get to hear the baby's tiny heartbeat and it was good and healthy in the 150's. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better this week and starting to see some relief from my pesky headaches. I'm hoping this is a good thing coming into the 2nd trimester!
Weight gain: 2 pounds and now 109
BP-88/63
Iron stick-boo! Not surprisingly starting to dip, iron foods here we come!

We got to see Dr. Anderson today, who we love and above all is the doctor who delivered Evan! Chris and I are collecting many a story from this guy, and would be so excited if he was the one to walk through the door on delivery day. Since our practice has many doctors who rotate, I was never able to get a proper picture of our honorary stork, so here it is!

Confession

2011-08-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's been an off week. No doubt the sudden onset of nausea, major fatigue and almost constant headaches has had something to do with it. I've officially entered "that" stage of pregnancy. You know, the one where you begin to feel fat and not pregnant, where Gatorade becomes your closest companion and energy a long lost friend. The motivation to get up and go is at an all time low, and summer could not scatter sooner.

Thankfully, the coin shines much brighter on the other side. The side where indeed there is a tiny baby growing in my belly, slowly but surely stretching those jeans up a size. Precious few things in life are as special as this blessing of a baby, and the labor is not in vain. If only I could carry such a reminder around with me all the time! Please Lord, let this kindness write itself on the tablet of my heart. I confess, I've had a few "off" days lately, but hope to persevere in a happy attitude and thankful spirit in spite of my small and present inconveniences.

Counting my blessings...Thank God for my healthy, active, almost 16 month old, who has enough energy for the both of us yet is content to rest and watch cartoons when mommy needs it! And, for a husband who doesn't mind flopping dinners based on my appetite or having chicken noodle soup for supper(okay, it is homemade and the best soup in the world!). And above all, in the midst of this week, I am forever grateful to be reminded that His mercies are new every morning.

A guessing game

2011-08-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

What do the following have in common?

1. Thomas the train
2. A Chick Fillet kids meal toy
3. Half eaten lollipop, still goodness questionable
4. One Tyrannosaurus Rex
5. Lipstick, loose cap
6. A purple crayon

Did the T-Rex give it away? Yes, it's true. On a Saturday afternoon, I opened my purse to find all of the above, and was happily struck with just how much being a mom can change your life, and your purse.

13 weeks, for the record

2011-08-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

As I look back and compare this pregnancy so far with Evan's, I am endlessly thankful for the scrapbook and record keeper that is my blog.

To start, I was curious about a few things and beyond grateful to find the answers to my curiosity safely kept in this faithful online journal. For one thing, I wanted to know at what point I'd loose my belly button again. Happily, I found that it didn't disappear with Evan until exactly 6 and a half months. Thanks for the peace of mind blog! On the other hand, I was surprised to learn that I had only gained a mere 1.5 pounds while SIX months along with Evan. I'm 12 weeks now and I do believe we've surpassed that benchmark already...ahem. Thanks for the reminder blog. ;-)

So in keeping with blogger tradition and preserving these precious memories for years to come, here is my very first "belly" shot. Me and mine just shy of 13 weeks.

15 months and 12 weeks

2011-08-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

As August sets into gear, my hands are full with a very active 15 month old on the outside and a tiny, growing little one the inside. I'm 12 weeks along this week and officially through the first trimester-hello goodbye, I barely knew you! Since finding out about this pregnancy a bit later than last time, this first milestone has passed us by in lightening speed. I remember counting the days at a tortoise's pace last time around; this time, I'm thankful for a busy season to keep us on our toes.

At 15 months, Evan is slowly making his way from babyhood to toddler times. I've noticed a big improvement in both verbal and physical coordination recently, which is to say we've got a lot of babble and running around going on-not to mention climbing! He is less and less content to sit still(and quietly) in carts and carseats, and wants to run and wiggle about wherever we go. And all I have to say to that is-snacks are a mom's best friend!

When did this guy get so handsome?

His favorite show is still Backyardigains, but we've also branched out to Thomas the train and Curious George(for mommy's sake, a girl can only take so much Nick Jr.!). He LOVES cars and trains right now, and in fact says "tain" just about a hundred times a day. And of course, everything is a "ball." Footballs, soccer balls, baseballs-he can't get enough of them. As a growing boy, his appetite is nothing short of grizzly, and I do believe the kitchen is his favorite room in the house. In other news, he is really into the classic "vacuum ball popper" toy and loves to push things around, especially the swiffer sweeper. We're currently working on two monster teethe right now, which brings the total to 11 I think....who knows what more could be hiding in there! Also, I've noticed that he's really picked up on the whole "clean up" idea lately and is a very happy helper in putting things away. Thank goodness!

Now to our next little guy or girl...At 12 weeks this baby is currently the size of a lime(2 inches or so in length) and weighs about 1/2 ounce. Reflexes are the big thing this week as baby begins to open and close eyes, curl toes and begin sucking motions with its mouth. Tiny toothebuds have formed underneath the gums while fingers and toes now have nails and are no longer webbed. All of the vital organs are in place now and starting to function, and will continue to develop throughout the rest of the pregnancy. And, while I can't feel it just yet, baby can bend and is actively kicking already. Oh babies!

Beach Bums

2011-07-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

Big News!!!

2011-07-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Evan's going to be a big brother! We are excited to announce that we are expecting our next little one on February 14th of 2012. :-) I'm right at 11 weeks currently and feeling great-praise God for this new life!

If you give a boy a ball...

2011-07-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

He is sure to want to play with it

He'll want to roll over it

and to throw it

Balls, trucks, cars, trains-it's a boys life!

See you later!

2011-07-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Bon voyage sister! Last week the little man and I took a trip to see Sam for a final goodbye, or as I like to say "see you later." She headed up and away for a European honeymoon with new husband Ryan and will soon be settling into her little own piece of England.

Part of me wonders how different we'll all look in our next photo together-how old Evan will be, whether or not we'll have another little person with us, or with them even! Maybe I'll be brave enough for the bob haircut by then, and I'm sure my sister will be sporting a new hair color. I wonder when we'll see each other again-if it will be a holiday occasion sometime soon, or perhaps a brief passing years down the line while in route to their next military home. Lining all these thoughts of course is my excitement for her and this new adventure she's set out on. I can't wait to hear of her travels and of all the merriment, magic and mishaps sure to come with new, married life. See you later sister! Hopefully, sooner than. :-)

4th and friends

2011-07-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

We had a nice, relaxing fourth of July after our whirlwind of a wedding weekend(complete with 3 hour nap-eek!). Our pastor's family had us over for their annual backyard barbeque and it was delicious! Thanks again for the great food and fellowship Childer's family!

I also included a picture from a recent Y pool trip with another one of our favorite families, the Brooks. We've enjoyed our fair share of the pool already to escape this hot summer, and this was an especially fun trip with the Brooks girls. Here is Evan pictured with his precious friend Emerson. We have since been to the pool a ton and it seems like Evan enjoys it more and more every time-a water whale he may be after all!

I do-a July Wedding

2011-07-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the big day has come and gone already! This past weekend, on July 2nd, my little sister got hitched, married! We had such a fun weekend and the summer wedding was bright and beautiful. The wedding took place at the gorgeous River Landing country club in Wallace, NC. It was a fun adventure for us to get away for the big day and Chris and I warmly joked it felt a lot like a destination wedding-destination Wallace! It was also a wonderful time to get together with family we don't see often, and some even met our little man for the very first time!

The festivities started off with a delicious rehearsal dinner at the Mad Boar Restaurant, sandwiched by lots of last minute wedding details and table cloth pinning. :-)

Evan was the happiest little man this weekend(besides the groom maybe) and was the apple of many a young girl's eye(plus grandma's and aunties of course)! Sam's fiance Ryan is one of 8, and all of his many sisters adored our sweet boy. He had so much fun over the whole weekend and was so good-I couldn't be a prouder mommy!

Saturday was spent with finishing touches, golfing, poolside fun, a parade of pictures and hairspray galore. The ceremony was at 5:30 and well, I'll let the pictures tell the rest.

Beauty in blue

Welcome to the family Ryan! We had a great time at the wedding and are so thankful to all those who made it a success(mom!). Samantha was a beautiful princess bride and we are so happy for the new Mr. and Mrs.! :-)

Iphone ISpy

2011-06-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

In photos from my IPhone...strawberry picking, farmers market finds. family outings and furry pup. shirt on sale, steal of a deal, smiley baby, sleeping baby. Happy sunbather.

Theses glimpses of everyday life taken in a jiff on a cell phone rarely make it to print, but are nonetheless priceless!

Inspired

2011-06-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

by a cookbook...

and a local farmer's market

to shop on the edge-of the grocery store that is!

On the menu next week are lots of homeade dinners full of fresh fruits and veggies. I'm newly motivated to give this whole healthy cooking thing another spin, and open my tastebuds to new and differant foods. Familiar story? Sure, we've had our share healthy eating kicks in this house-but this time, I'd really like a few things to stick! Because

1. I want Evan to grow up eating good, healthy foods and snacks-and a good variety at that.
2. We're responisble to be good stewards of the bodies God gave us!
3. As much as I love Vanilla coke, it does not love my waistline.

So this week I'm making tomato basil and chunky vegetable soups, a slammin' southwestern salad(free of my favorite taco bell seasoning), wraps on wheat, and roasted veggies with grilled chicken on cous cous. Zucchini, yellow squash, and snap beans here we come! And, will power allowing, I'm going to try really hard to snack on fruits instead of fries. Evan's new favorite snack is grape tomatoes, so I'll have to follow his example!

Thirteen Months

2011-06-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

Time for an Evan update! At 13 months old, Evan is a walkin', backyardagains watchin', pillow pet packin', diaper demolishing, toddeling machine. He takes two naps a day, and sleeps sweetly through the night with a smooth 7:30pm bedtime.

He has 7 teeth and a grizzly's appetite. Blueberries are his new favorite fruit, with bananas taking a close second. He eats most table foods now, and still gets his fair share of baby foods. Because dairy is not a part of his diet currently, he has grown to l.o.v.e his vanilla almond milk and it's starting to show-in his neck rolls that is. :-)

He is a charmer and loves to interact with and watch other kiddos, most notably those in pink. In this mama's opinion, he has the most adorable scrunchy smile in the world, and throws in a good nose wrinkle if you get him going real good! He's super ticklish, but overall just an all around happy, joyful kiddo. And though sensitive at heart, I do see his skin growing thicker with every new bump and fall that comes with this newfound mobility. Just this past week we got our first skinned knee AND first bruise on the forehead-a true right of passage for any not so baby boy.

Our little man has become Mr. Independent these days, and has made this mama so proud by happily staying in the church and gym childcare's without a fuss! I was beginning to think he'd be my little kangaroo baby forever, but I am so glad to finally see him more comfortable without me at arms reach. He's still quite attached to mommy of course, but I can breath so much easier knowing I can leave him in our nursery or with a friend without pulling on my heart strings too badly!

Last but not least, he has a lot more to say these days(but don't put him on the spot because he's a bashful boy!). He mostly babbles, but has audibly said "dada," "mamama," "ball," "dog," "Piper(sounds like Pi pu)" and my personal favorite, "moo." Moreover, I can see he's connecting words to their meanings and is really starting to understand some of what we say. For example, if I ask him to put the keys back in mommy's bag, he'll take them over to my purse and gently drop them in. Or, if we ask him to bring us something, like a toy, he happily obliges and almost always picks the correct item. All with a BIG grin on his face. It's so fun as a parent to have a front row seat to this learning process.

Case in point...The other morning I was getting ready to take my boys on our routine morning walk-just after I took Evan down from his highchair I told him that it was time to "go outside and take Piper for a walk." I left for a brief moment to find some shoes and this is what I found when I came back... smarty pants!

That's 13 months for you-hopefully the next time I get around to a post like this it will be sooner than age two haha! We've got a busy summer ahead of us and I can't wait to see what new adventures await us at 14, 15 and 16 months. Oh my!

Summer is here

2011-06-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

and it is HOT! Needless to say, the only time we're spending in the sun will be accompanied by water, freezer pops, and lots of SPF. Lord grant me the patience not to complain about the heat too much this summer-it never fails to burn my biscuits! In case you didn't know, that's southern for it get's on my nerves, frustrates me to no end, etc. Oh Fall, come soon! In the meantime, we'll try our best to enjoy this sunny North Carolina summer, scorchers and all. On the bright side...

Evan loves his baby pool!

Well, sometimes...

Albeit, Mommy may take the blame for this one as the timing was not ideal. Hungry, tired baby + forced water fun = Mr. Crankypants. At least Piper enjoyed it!

I have to admit I'm a teency bit jealous of his baby pool. Were it not in our front yard for the world to see, I'd throw on my bathing suit and jump in in a heart beat. Plus, have you ever seen a blow up pool so stylin'? ;-)

Below-this was Evan's first time in a "big" pool! While he was a little unsure at first, I'd say he did pretty well overall. With a little practice I think we'll have a water baby on our hands by summer's end.

And finally, I couldn't leave out this picture of the cutest shark around. Move over aprons, hooded towels are my new favorite collectible!

Blanket buddies

2011-06-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Evan and his blankey are best buds. Our new "can't leave the house without it" object has become his soft, green crib blanket. Slowly but surely he has developed a large and loving attachment for it, and it is all kinds of adorable. :-)

Since we brought him home from the hospital, he as always slept with this soft, sage, polka doted pottery barn blanket. Mommy scored bigtime when the PB Kids store closed at Triangle Town Center, and only wish now that I had bought two!

He sleeps with, snuggles and totes his blanket around the house. It always brings a smile to his face and brings comfort when needed.

It reminds me of Linus from Charlie Brown, and is downright puppy dog, thumb sucking, ice cream, ooooing ahhhing cute!

Happiness is a warm blanket Charlie Brown.

May Time Memories

2011-05-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Mr. mobility, merry and mild

Melting my heart with that dapper, dimpled grin. :-)

Mother's Day in May

Mommy and me: -)

Meeting a milestone-look out girls, he's on the move!

Mrs. McCune to be-a bridal shower for little sis!

And finally, precious moments with Memorial day visitors. :-)

Well' miss you May!

Picture of the week...

2011-05-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

A little week's end ketchup

2011-05-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Nothing too special, just a little "catch up" to bring my blog up to date and in line with life these days. To start, this week has been a blur. The beginning of the week brought beautiful skies, a dinner out, and a great Mary Kay appointment. :-) It was also sprinkled with a touch of a stomach bug and a Paula Dean sized dash of allergies, oh my!

Tuesday came with new friends. Evan and I met and had lunch with a sweet 15 month old little lady and her mom-it was great to share stories with someone in such a similar season of life, and we can't wait to get to know their family more.

On Wednesday, we had lots of fun hosting a family from our church for a yummy Spaghetti dinner, and on Thursday we were treated to cake and a cookout at a surprise birthday party for some of our dear Crossway friends, the Daniels. We are so thankful for all of the fun fellowship we had this week. :-)

Today is Friday, and I am so looking forward to the weekend! Nothing too notable about today-that is aside from my big crust flop at dinner. After pouring my heart into a delicious chicken pot pie, I was utterly defeated to discover I had used a "pizza" crust instead of the correct "pie" crust. I had them both sitting in my freezer from previous batches, and labeled them not. Never fear, the Sharpie is out and the lesson learned! On nights like these I'm thankful for the garbage disposal that is my husband's stomach-he eats everything I put in front of him and almost always responds with an "mmm mmm good!" And, on the bright side, I guess this means we have an extra pie crust sitting around-I think I smell an apple pie in our future! :-)

Lest I write an entire post without mentioning my sweet boy, Evan is full of giggles and new tricks this week. Specifically, he is really starting to mimic well and has been babbling the day away with all kinds of new sounds. "P" has been the predominant letter of the week. Chris and I are both pretty sure he's trying to push "Piper" out of mouth, and with some success at that. Moreover, I can see now that he is connecting words/sounds with their actual meaning. So for example, he knows to look at Chris when I say "dada." Or should I say, when he says "dadadada." As I type I can hear him contently talking away to himself in his crib. Apparently the party starts at bedtime these days-the baffled bumper, bunched up blankets and tossed overboard stuffed animals tell the story all to well. ;-) Oh, and did I mention he's a walking machine now. I'm loving this age.

So whew, that was our week. Now to tie it all up with a relaxing redbox night, complete with popcorn, pillows, and a favorite pair of pink, cozy socks. :-)

A Mother's Day Movie-Evan's 1st year

2011-05-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to make a slideshow of Evan's first year, and here it is! It moves me to tears seeing how big my baby boy has grown up over this last year. The song "hourglass" by Mindy Gledhill is absolutely beautiful and captures these precious moments gone by so well!

Evan, you have filled our lives with joy over joy and we are continually grateful for the gift you are. On this mother's day, I am thankful beyond words to be your mommy. :-)

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

2011-05-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

8:30am...

9:00am

11:30am

12 noon

Annnd so on...you get the picture. If you think this is bad, just imagine what Evan's room and our kitchen look like! Sound tiring? Yep, it is.

The endless cycle of mess up, pick up, and clean up is a daily struggle and one I'm learning to be thankful for. The sameness of the swiffer and sponge, while not terribly exciting, remind me of what a blessing it is to be able to take care of and provide for the simple, everyday needs of my home and family.

Routine is sometimes and always a big part of the day. I say sometimes because of course there are days when our schedule gets shaken up. In fact, it seems as though we are on the go and around town a ton, whether it be meeting a friend for lunch, going to the park, shopping at the grocery store, going to the gym and so on. But, in spite of all our daytime adventures, there is a routine and it must and shall be followed. Otherwise, the laundry would overtake us and the kitchen might just overflow into the living room!

Today, as I struggle with the motivation to break out the Windex, I'm humbly reminded of Colossians 3:23... "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord."

This little piggy...

2011-05-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Insert catchy caption "here!"

The weekend run down

2011-05-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning we packed up and headed to Goldsboro for our first Walk MS. My family greeted us there and we had a great time walking for the cause. It was a beautiful day, and fun was had by all-even Piper! I'll let the pictures take it from here...

After the walk, us girls sat down for my very first Mary Kay group facial/consultation. It was so much fun, and a great start for me! My family was the perfect audience to start with-thanks again pretty ladies! Just look at that beautiful bride to be. :-)

We wrapped up the weekend with church followed by a restful Sunday afternoon complete with napping and a trip to Target. After a nice family walk and dinner, we ended the night at our Sunday night care group. All in all, my favorite kind of weekend!

And now that Monday has arrived at our doorstep, it's time for some Spring cleaning!

Mary Kay!

2011-04-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Great news! I am SO excited to have started my own business as an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay! I've actually had it in the back of my mind for quite some time, and now seems like the perfect time to bring it to fruition. As a stay at home mom, Mary Kay is such a great fit for me because the business model is all about faith first, family second and career third. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to make a little bit of extra money for my family, connect and network with new women, sharpen my business skills and most importantly, to have fun making women feel beautiful and confident! What girl does'nt love a good pampering session?

I'm already so encouraged by what I've seen in the company so far. There are so many educational resources at my fingertips, and my team leader and director have been great one on one mentors. I'm still trying to conquer the learning curve and feel like I'm in information overload at the moment, but am good and ready for the challenge-ready, set-go! Moreover, I'm really looking forward to exercising the gift of encouragement while bringing out our God given beauty-both inward and outward!

So, here's the big close...if you love Mary Kay products, I'd love to be your consultant! You can shop online with me 24/7 at www.marykay.com/rebeccascott. I can also do one on one facials and makeovers, customized color consultations and parties galore. Speaking of parties, the hostess rewards are amazing! Whether it be a mother/daughter theme, skin care party, or even a radiant bride themed get-together, Mary Kay has great products for everyone and I'd love to share them with you!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

^{Mark 16:6}And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified; He has risen.

Hope ya'll had a great Easter weekend!

Meal Planning "Friday"

2011-04-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is the plan, and I'm stickin' to it!

Monday-Chicken fettucine alfredo w/ sister shubert's rolls
Tuesday-Layered Mexican dinner and Spanish rice
Wednesday-Poppy seed chicken casserole with corn
Thursday-Good ole' faithful Macaroni
Friday-Chicken alfredo bake...because I am resolved not to throw away another "half" empty jar of sauce!

These days, meal planning and grocery shopping happen on Friday. I admit some weeks are more productive than others when it comes to planning out dinners, but this week I've found some fresh motivation...maybe it was that $10 off of $50 E-vic special from Harris Teeter!

Every week I eagerly look forward to perusing my favorite coupon match up site "Southern Savers," (which I have no doubt previewed on Wednesday when the stores start up the new deals for the week) and then gleefully collect my coupons. With coupons, grocery list, and arsenal of snacks in hand, me and my little are ready to go!

Today was especially exciting as I took home some great deals, and all for $31!!! Granted, we did make a separate trip the day before and spent $12 on the "buy 2 get 3" pepsi products promo-but all in all a great week for sticking to(and under!) our budget. Knock on wood.

And, because I have no new foodie pictures to present, here's one just as edible...

Happy Birthday to Evan!

2011-04-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we celebrated Evan's very first birthday! I can hardly believe my baby boy is 1! We had a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family at his Eric Carle Caterpillar themed party, and the birthday boy was happy to be the center of attention! Unfortunately, the weather outside was blustery to say the least with looming tornado warnings and stormy showers-we missed a few of our good friends but we made the best of it and had a great time nonetheless. Chris and I were so excited to see Evan enjoy his first birthday-his joy is our joy and nothing puts a smile on my face like those sweet dimpled cheeks! Can you believe this kid is one already?!

When Chris and I started talking about what to get Evan for his birthday, I had said I wanted to keep it simple with just a few small gifts since, first grandchild that he is, I knew he would be positively spoiled by our families. And, I was right. :-) Evan made out like a bandit on his first birthday. Like.a.bandit. Between his tickle me Elmo, little people farm, firetruck ball pit, books and baby Einstien DVD's, it was Christmas all over again in our living room. We are so grateful for these fun, precious gifts to our sweet son! A big heart felt thank you to all those who made Evan's first birthday such a special day! :-)

Happy Birthday to my little love, I hope to spend many many more celebrating the gift of your precious life. You bring so much joy to those around you. I can't wait to see what good and great plans our God has in store for you!

Marbles!

2011-04-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we ventured to downtown Raleigh to go the Marbles Kids Museum. It was a great family outing and I'm already planning our next trip. :-) Evan loved every minute of our time there and really enjoyed the exhibits-and so did we! His favorites were the train table, lemonade stand(or maybe it was those sweet girls serving the lemonade), the fishing boat and well, almost everything. Can you say kid heaven?! I can't wait to make another trip when Evan is a bit older so that he can really interact with and understand all the fun things to do, like surfing and ice hockey! Between the dress up stations, life size transportation exhibits(firetrucks, buses & boats galore), pirate ship and veterinarian playhouse, Marbles made an A+ in my book!

Choo Chooo! All aboard for the picture train!

Ahoy Matey!

"I'll take one glass of lemonade please."

Future president?

Surf's up dude!

Family pictures!

Yes, two in one day!

Sweet Teethe!

2011-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

This past week our church held it's annual dessert competition-sweet!As expert dessert eaters ourselves, we were very much looking forward to this delicious date. And, the competition did not disappoint. There were so many tasty and creative treats to choose from, and all were winners in my book. I made whoopie pies for the first time, and though they looked like a hot mess(hence my aptly named "Whoopsie Daisy's"), they sure did taste good!

Speaking of sweet toothes, this little guy got his very first tooth brush this week! With four teeth and counting, we thought it was a good time to start-especially since he loves to watch daddy brush his teethe in the morning. Thankfully, it was a shining success! Who knew personal hygiene could be so fun? Here's to hoping it sticks over the years!

It's the first day of Spring!

2011-03-20T10:50:00.001-07:00

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." :) ~Margaret Atwood

Into the double digits

2011-03-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 10(almost 11 now) months baby boy! Congratulations buddy, you've now officially been outside of mama's belly longer than you were in.

And what a difference 10 months makes!

I know I know, I'm a little behind on this one since 11 months is just around the corner-eek! I plead Spring. :-)

With each passing month we crawl closer and closer to the big "One." Life on the outside has been pretty great. Mommy and daddy are continually thankful for you Evan Matthew!

A few of Evan's favorite things at 10-ahem, almost 11- months:

Snacks, snacks, and did I mention snacks?
Cruising the furniture, and pulling up on everything-and I do mean everything!
Piper
All things "baby Einstein"
Swings at the park on sunny Spring days!
Bathtime-he's got that splashing thing down pat ;-)
Walking and scooting with his green dino
And last but not least-Mommy!

And a few "not so favorites:"

Reaching the bottom of the snack bowl
Being told "no" when trying to pull up on guitars, fireplaces, table runners and toilets (eew!)
Staying still for diaper changes and getting dressed

Lastly, I haven't posted a schedule in a while and I'd like to document it for future reference. So, below is what our routine has been like for the better part of 8-10 months. The only changes this month is the one dropped feeding, and a bit of a shorter morning nap.We're currently on week 3 of the dropped feeding and Evan is doing great!

7am-Rise and shine, nurse, breakfast and playtime until...
9am-10:30/11 am-Morning nap
11am-Nurse, playtime and errands
12 noon-Lunch, usually with daddy! Then playtime until...
2-4pm-Afternoon nap
4pm-Nurse and playtime, afternoon walk around the neighborhood(*first dropped feeding)
5:30-6ish-Dinner and family time, one last feeding of the day, bathtime and...
7:30pm-Story and bedtime!

First Steps

2011-03-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just recently Evan has begun to explore the world of standing on his own and taking those first little baby steps. Almost overnight, his long loved army crawl evolved into a full blown, tummy off the floor crawl-and that was just the beginning! From scooting to standing, this boy is on.the.move. Much to mommy's fright, he's started standing by himself and, thinking he can walk, reaches out and.....face plants! In fact, he was very fashionably sporting his first teeny black n' blue this week on his forehead-the first of many I'm warned.

This is such a fun and exciting stage, I wish it could last forever! Here's a small sample of this cutie standing on his own. :-)

Butter is better

2011-03-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

This past week, inspired by "Pioneer Woman" Ree Drummond's cookbook, I made several new dishes for dinner. I have to preface this with saying that everything she makes is very hearty-and makes for a happy hearted husband! Her recipes are rich with flavor and generous in ingredients(read-butter). Bless her for using so many step by step photos in her book-nothing speaks to this kitchen amateur's heart like lots of pictures!

First up I tried her lasagna recipe, and it was an A+ success! Move over Stoffers, there's a new sheriff in town! Not only did it taste great, but made enough for two dinners and a few lunches left over. Next I made her chicken pot pie, which was very tasty, and nothing like Betty Crocker's "quick & easy" version using Bisquick. Using real "from scratch" pie crusts really made the difference!

(Picture taken pre-pie topping...let's just say it looked better before the big "flop" of pie crust)

Lastly on the dinner list, I made her chicken spaghetti, which was very similar to a chicken tetrazzini. Easy enough and two thumbs up on taste-it's a winner in this house!

I also made two of her breakfast recipes this week(adventurous right!)-buttermilk biscuits and cinnamon rolls. For some reason the biscuits were a total bust. I blame my bad luck in all things bread making. In fact, I may even throw out the frozen leftover dough because well, there's no saving those rolls. :-/ On the other hand, my labor of love cinnamon rolls were very sweet and tasty, and will serve us breakfast for weeks to come(her recipe makes a ton).

All in all, a good week of trying new things! You can only imagine the state of my kitchen this week...over and over again. Kitchens are meant to be messy if you ask me. It's a vicious cycle-cook, clean, cook, clean, cook, clean. But in the end, the warmth of a hearty chicken pot pie, the taste of rich lasagna and the sweet smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls make all the effort worth it.

A special thanks to my friend Jeanna for letting me know this treasure of a cookbook was at the library! :-)

PS-What's on the menu this week? Well, let's just say we're going out to eat tonight, and having frozen pizza tomorrow!

Frog Prince

2011-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

A few of my favorite things

2011-02-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

I have three words for you-
girl.
scout.
cookies!!!

Yes, it's that wonderful time of the year again. So far, I've only eaten two boxes of my favorite Samoas and have enjoyed every last chocolatey caramel bite.

I love this time of year when Spring is sneaking out here and there. Shades of green are peeping through the grass and fresh dew is beginning to greet us in the morning. Goodbye frosty windshields!

Another one of my loves-all things homeade and crafty. Especially when it comes to first birthdays! Spoiler alert-here's a super special sneak peak at E's first birthday bling. :-)

Just the other day I happened upon this amazing collection of fun, colorful Eric Carle themed birthday gear on big time clearance at Target, and like gum drops falling from the sky I was hooked. Theme=ready, set, go! We love Eric Carle's children's books and artwork, and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is our favorite.

See these tissue paper pom poms? They are SO easy, quick, and inexpensive to make-plus super cute to boot! My mom treated us to a nice afternoon visit this week and we had ourselves a creative "Martha Stewart" afternoon making these. It's safe to say that this mama is over the top excited for her little boy's very first birthday, is up to her ears in crafty caterpillar madness, and enjoying every minute of it. :-)

Oh the colors of Spring, crafts and cookies-just a few of my favorite things!

At the Park

2011-02-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

On Saturday afternoon, after a fun outing to our old stomping grounds in Raleigh, we found a treasure in our own backyard- "Noah's Ark Park." This bout of beautiful Spring weather made for the perfect park afternoon, and we loved discovering something new here in Wilson!

Yes, it's a real, rainbow colored Ark-how fun!

We hung out at another park prior to finding the right one, haha, but had a great time walking around the lake, watching the ducks and swinging on some swings. Like his mama, Evan really enjoyed the swings!

Unfortunately, he wasn't so much a fan of the slide. That's okay buddy, we've got-a-lot-a park practice ahead of us!

I'm so glad the groundhog predicted an early Spring. It's my favorite time of the year, and I can't wait for more easy breezy days like this one. Only in North Carolina can we get a 70 degree day in February....I can't complain though, we're enjoying the sunshine and soaking up every moment of this early Spring preview! :-)

Go Dino Go!

2011-02-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

Que the music, lights and action! "I'm walkin' with my friendly dinosaur, oh what fun just listen to him roar!" It's the new soundtrack of our living room, and I have to admit it is catchy. :-) Baby toy-1, Pandora-0.

A work in progress, one step at a time...

He is so proud of himself!

My little valentine

2011-02-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

Loc-a-motion lovin

Toy huggin

Darling with the green dino

Pull-up pro

Cuddly cruiser of mine

Evan is now 9 and a half months, and a daily joy to our hearts. He is full of smiles, and-this just in-kisses! Just a day shy of Valentines day, my little boy learned to kiss, the best way a baby can of course-mouth wide open! He is just too cute for words sometimes. Hence, this patchwork of pictures. :-) Enjoy!

Osh Kosh B-gosh!

2011-02-15T06:17:00.000-08:00

I love Osh Kosh overalls.They are sweet, timeless, and adorable-plus, it's just fun to say "Osh Kosh." :-) I was over the moon about Evan's new blues, and even more excited to dig up these pictures of Chris and I in our own Osh-Koshers.

Check out them genes! ;-)

In the kitchen

2011-02-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

My kitchenaid was given a work out this week with these new recipes! :-)

First, easy apple tart with homemade pie crust, courtesy of the next Food Network Star Melissa Darabian. Bookmark this one ladies! While practice makes perfect, I'm happy to say my first try didn't turn out half bad, and was greeted with great reviews. *Lesson learned-best served fresh out of the oven, warm and ooey gooey good. :-) Post picture, I made a whip cream topping with some cinnamon to garnish. Maybe next time around I'll tackle the crumble topping. Maybe...

Next-melt in your mouth, take that Quaker Oats, homemade granola bars. I'm so excited to eat these for breakfast this week, and feel like this is a must have mommy recipe. Because I needed to re-use the dish for Rice Crispy treats, I went ahead and cut the bars out and pre-packed into snack sized, ziplock bags. And voile, breakfast is served! *Lesson learned-adding a little extra honey and butter goes a long way in the texture(more chewy, less crumbly). Also, I substituted a 1/2 of rice crispies with the Oates and really enjoyed the result.

And last but not least, the cake boss' special recipe for Chocolate chip cookies-simple and delicious! In spite of his loud Italian heritage, I heart Buddy the cake boss, and was super excited to catch him on the Rachael Ray show last week. A little piece of "Carlos Bakery" in my own kitchen! This is a clean, classic, tried and true choco-chip cookie recipe, and makes enough to freeze for later(love love love it when that happens). *Lesson learned-who knew you could taste the difference between light and dark brown sugar? Okay, just me? Blush.... Also, if you've run out of baking soda-or vacuumed it all up as I did-you can substitute baking powder by using 3x the amount baking soda required.

I have to say that Yankee Candle can't touch the sweet smell of golden chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, or fresh apple pie with a pinch of cinnamon swimming in the living room air. There's nothing like a warm stove, clean kitchenaid, pink measuring cups and a favored, flour crusted apron to make my afternoon!

Recipe sources:
Quick cinnamon apple tart
Homemade granola bars
Buddy's chocolate chip cookies

Looking back at 8 months

2011-01-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

Evan is 9 months old now and has his well baby appointment this upcoming week. But, before he gets too big on me, I wanted to remember a few special things about 8 months.

At the beginning of month 8, my little man learned to sit up(from laying down) on his own. One day I walked into his room to get him up from a nap, and there he was sitting up and smiling at me. :-) The next day, he was standing. Standing! Needless to say, he hasn't looked back since.

"Look at me mom!"

We also started a lot of new foods this month-spaghetti, macaroni, yogurt and chicken to name a few. My boy is such a good eater, and a bit of a glutten too! He may just eat us right out of house and home in a few years. ;-)

Speaking of eating, we've got not one but two bottom teethe now, and no doubt working on more as you can see.

We also started pulling up and cruising this month. Oh my goodness my handsome boy is getting so big! I always think babies look so much older when they're standing up, and I'm not so sure I'm okay with that just yet. :-)

As a future note for myself, we did experience some sleep issues over this past month. First, I have to say that we are so thankful that our boy has always been a dream of a sleeper(thank you babywise!). So, you can imagine our shock when he began to randomly wake up once in the middle of the night, and then also earlier in the day. Add to that, he threw a wrench in our daytime nap schedule too by waking up earlier from naps or boycotting them all together. Thankfully, I think we're almost through this patch of sleep silliness and are now mostly back on schedule. The culprits? I'm guessing a growth spurt, with a pinch of teething and not so nice diapers that awoke him in the night.

Eight months was so fun for me, and I can't wait for nine! Evan's little personality is really peaking out now, and I love to see him learn and grow. He's so smiley and has the best disposition a mom could ask for. Thank you Lord for our healthy, happy baby boy!

Happy 9 months baby boy!

2011-01-25T17:02:00.001-08:00

Well, you get the picture. ;-)

The lion king, and a couple of cute cubs

2011-01-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

This past week my mom treated me to an amazing night out to see "The Lion King" at the new DPAC.

The costumes, colors, singing and dancing were all truly breathtaking, and I am so thankful for the experience! I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting from this Disney Broadway musical, but it did not disappoint! If you have a chance, I would highly recommend catching it before it ends-I really can't say enough good about it! My favorite part was the opening "Circle of Life" number-the animals were amazing to see coming down the aisles and successfully set the pace for a very entertaining show. I hope we'll get a chance to bring Evan to see it one day!

Speaking of my little cub, later on that week he had his first "official" playdate with his friend Cole, who is just over a month younger. It was super cute to see them play together and actually sort of "interact" versus just observing each other. I'm noticing more and more that Evan is really starting to leap out of his shell, engaging himself more with what's going on around him rather than just taking it in. They grow up so fast!

Cute cubs learning to share. :-)

I had a great time catching up with friends and enjoying some fun fellowship-thanks for having us Kristie and Cole!

Adventures in the Kitchen take 1

2011-01-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

In making the most of my new enthusiasm for stayathomemom-dom, I've resolved this week to try a few new recipes.

Cookbooks from the library-check
Apron-check (seriously, have you seen my collection?)
Inspiration from "The Food Network"-double check
A refined palette and willingness to try new things-let's just say we're working on it, one tomato slice at a time!

On Monday night I started the week off with a "Tomato Vegetable Minstrone" soup and garlic bread sticks, courtesy of Betty Crocker and insanely modified by yours truly.

First, I have to say my excitement for getting creative and trying new things was slightly dulled when my husband quickly informed me that a soup & bread dinner was in fact no dinner at all, due to the absence of a manly meat. Ohhh boy. My response? "Deal with it." Ahem, I mean..."It really is hearty dear and I know you're going to love it! :-)

Second, I admit I took a wide margin of creative license with the ingredients. Zucchini and beans in this house? HA! Like I said, I'm working on it. :-)

The verdict?
Surprise surprise, Chris loved it, and even had a second helping or two! It was the perfect complement to the rainy day outside. Unfortunately the tomato taste was a bit strong for my sensitive taste buds, but I ate it lest my mess in the kitchen be in vain. And, Evan even got a piece of the action with some spiral pasta of his own!

All in all, a simple, small step in the right direction. Next up, an apple tart. Wish me luck!

Up, up and away

2011-01-17T17:36:00.000-08:00

Slices of January

2011-01-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

...a taste of what we've been up to so far in 2011.

To kick off the new year, we visited the "Imagination Station" Science museum here in downtown Wilson.

Learning is fun!

Our weekends lately have been littered with furniture store hopping as we've been on the search for a new couch for quite some time now. Thankfully, we found the perfect one just recently and it's on its way! Not only will we be welcoming our new chocolate couch soon but also-insert dramatic music here- "monster ottoman." I may dedicate an entire post to monster ottoman, otherwise entitled "Compromise in marriage...giving your husband a few inches in home decor." We did get an amazing deal and in the end, monster ottoman was thrown in for f.r.e.e! Hence all is well in love and war-ahem-furniture shopping that is. And who knows, I may come to love it in the end (read-compromise). :-)

In other highlights, Piper (remember him-brown eyes, curly hair, mischievous paws) got a special treat from our recent trip to Greenville-a Pupcake! I love it when we find new "gems" of shops here and there and "The Perfect Cake" in Greenville definitely made my day. I wish we had a cake shop here in Wilson! Then again, it's probably for the best-says my waistline!

Evan and I have been home bodies lately as it's been very chilly outside! This past week we saw another snow and a not so fun mix of rain and ice. I think it's safe to say we're ready for Spring...though I do enjoy our cozy mornings reading by the fireplace(a new favorite part of the day with my sweet boy)! :-)

Next up in January-"The Lion King," new recipes, old books, and of course, a lot of picture taking!

Crazy Eight

2011-01-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Evan is 8(and a half) months old now, and quite the handsome little man!

In big news, he's got not one but TWO bottom teeth coming through! We had a lot of "diaper" issues at the start, but otherwise he hasn't seemed too bothered by his first pearly whites.

Along with his new teethe, Evan's become a chatterbox in his crib. He goes down and wakes up in a sea of babbles. This month we've noticed a Jurassic difference in the volume of his nonsensical noises. I say Jurassic because at times they are quite dinosaur like!

Not too much has changed schedule wise since last month, except that we are mostly through with that third nap-which, as I was warned, currently equals pre-dinner meltdowns and a slightly earlier bedtime.

Perhaps the biggest new thing this month is his awesome army crawl! With proper motivation(read-puffs), Evan has become quite the little crawler. To my surprise, he has way more arm strength than I had thought as he primarily uses his arms to pull and scoot himself about. We're very much enjoying this "turtle" like stage. See for yourself...I'm sure by the time I post this it will be "old news" as he gets better and better everyday. :-)

2010 in Review

2011-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

This past year was a big one for the Scott family. Of course, we grew our family by two tiny feet. Chris graduated and got a great job which opened the doors for us to move from Raleigh to Wilson. And me? I finished up the year with Glaxo to become a full time stay at home mom. As I reflect on this past year, there's so much to tell! Here's a closer peek through the looking glass of 2010...

In January I said goodbye to my belly button and hello to my 3rd trimester. It snowed in Raleigh, and we had just begun decorating our baby's nursery. We were just two people then, and seriously took for granted our movie going privileges. ;-)

In February we received a very special delivery-Evan's crib and dresser. My belly continued to grow larger than life as we enjoyed our last few months as a family of two.

March was full of baby showers, childbirthing classes, decorating and you guessed it, an even bigger belly! Oh my...and baby makes three.

April gave us Evan

and changed our lives forever. Our church family blessed us beyond belief during and after Evan's birth. We were/are so thankful for family and friends to share in our rejoicing!

In May I celebrated my first mother's day as a mom with a new cornflower blue kitchenaid. We experienced many fun "firsts" this month as we navigated the new waters of parenthood. Cupcakes and McCallisters also made the May list as we commemorated Chris' long awaited graduation from Southeastern-praise the Lord! My sister Sam also graduated from ECU around the same time w/ her Education degree-congrats to both of my favorite grads. :-)

Summer kissed us with it's usual North Carolina heat and humidity. To name just a few highlights, friends were wed, and I turned 25 on July 29th. Just one week before, Chris and I celebrated 3 years of marriage. I made festive cupcakes for the fourth of July, and we made some great memories out and about downtown Raleigh-the farmers market, history and art museums to name a few.

Fall and September greeted us happily with cooler weather and a growing baby boy. Chris interviewed for and was offered his job at BB&T, and so began our much anticipated move to Wilson.This happy boy just sat back and enjoyed the show!

Also in September, Chris' mom came down for a visit before his sister, Paige, began her freshman year at college. And, we enjoyed a Surf City beach vacation. It rained and rained and rained some more, but it was still a nice time to get away and enjoy family. :-)

October was full of Halloween fun for this little monster

We had our annual fill of the NC State fair, complete with kettle corn popcorn, sweet corn and deep fried donuts.

This year was also marked with loss. Chris' dad passed from his long battle with MS on October 24th-we are ever thankful that he has been made whole again in heaven.

November was a whirlwind full of packing, paperwork, and holiday hustle. We found a renter for our townhome and were quickly put to work tying up our Raleigh ends. On November 4th we pulled our U-Haul into our new driveway in Wilson, home at last.

We also bought our new car this month, a shiny blue Honda CRV. Thank you Lord for providing above and beyond our every need. God has been abundantly faithful to us over this past year.

In December I hosted a gingerbread house decorating party, my sister got engaged, NC was blanketed with snow, and I became a full time stay at home mom! Evan's first Christmas was wonderful, and the perfect ending to a year full of dreams realized and promises fulfilled. High five 2010!

Happy New Year!

A Christmas Trio

2010-12-29T06:13:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! Like a beautiful and delicious three layer cake, it's best described in three parts-Christmas eve, Christmas day, and the winter wonderland afterwards!

On Christmas Eve we started a new family tradition- a birthday cake for Jesus. We read the Christmas story from Matthew, sang happy birthday and enjoyed our cake as we celebrated the true meaning of Christmas. A few days earlier we enjoyed a joint church service to rejoice in the saviors birth and great sacrifice for us-a gift beyond measure and much greater than anything we will ever recieve wrapped under the tree. Thank you Jesus for your great and never ending kindness to us!

On Christmas morning the three of us shared a special time at home exchanging our family gifts and watching Evan with excitement as he welcomed his very merry first Christmas. At 8 months, I think he was more interested in the wrapping and bows, but was spoiled sweet none the less! After his morning nap, we headed to my parents house for more presents and a delicious prime rib Christmas dinner.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way-oh what fun it is to ride to Goldsboro for Christmas day! See father and son looking dapper and dashing in their new winter wear...

After an entire day full of ribbons, bows and gifts galore, we wrapped up Christmas with ice cream Sundays, a fun game and a surprise giftcard palooza (which later made for an amazing Smithfield shopping trip-or two)!

The day after Christmas we were able to spend time and celebrate with Chris' mom and family who came down from PA. It would seem that they brought the northern weather with them as we awoke to a winter wonderland that day. White as far as the eye could see-and just one day after Christmas! It's now 3 days later and there's still snow and ice on the ground-watch out Wilson!

Evan's first Christmas was one to remember-thanks mom and dad, grandmas and grandpas, for making it so special! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas weekend! :-)

Bows are not for boys

2010-12-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Mommy,

In case you didn't notice,

I do NOT-well, maybe a little bit...

Nope, definitely do not...

do bows!

A Gingerbread House Decorating Party!

2010-12-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

Graham crackers, royal icing, great friends and candy galore makes for a delightful gingerbread house decorating party!! I was SO excited to host this delicious get together-what a sweet success it was!

And the best part is, the houses turned out super cute! A special thanks to all the mama's and their little elves for coming over-it was a ton of fun and hopefully a "first annual!"

Winter news

2010-12-16T06:49:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a parade of pictures to catch up on December! I've been so busy living and enjoying life lately that I haven't taken out much time to stop and blog about it. Between the holiday hustle and bustle and the ever present needs of our 7 month old bouncy baby boy, December has warped by us lightning speed and left us breathless in it's dust-or should I say snow!

Where to start?! Last Friday we were Raleigh bound for Chris' birthday. Happy 26th babe!

While we ended up having to take back his main gift, he did happen upon a brand new "Droid" phone at Best Buy, and was more than happy with the trade off. And, since the phone was FREE that weekend, it was a Win-Win-Win situation for all. :-) He also got new running shoes and shorts, and is excited to put them to good use once we get our gym membership going.

Evan is almost 8 months old now and I can hardly believe it! I'm not comfortable at all with this new age, it's far too close to the big "one" and I want him to stay my sweet chubby cheeked baby forever! Seriously, could someone invent a "time freezer?" It would totally make Regis and Kelly's top 10 Christmas gifts, and I would be first in line!

On the work front, Chris continues to love his job at BB&T-especially during this fun Christmas season of cookie swaps, holiday parties and secret santa! :-) For me, this month marks a huge milestone as I wrap up work with GlaxoSmithKline to delightfully don the title of full time stay at home mom! Working as full time home manager, wife and mother is an honor and joy, and Chris and I are so thankful that moving to Wilson has made this dream a reality for us!

Also headlining the Scott family news this week-Dinner with the Powell's and company, Christmas shopping, a second snow and goodies from the Grandmas! Evan says thank you for his adorable winter outfit and soft, cuddly Christmas story bear...I think somebody's ready for his first Christmas!

7-and a half- Month Summary

2010-12-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Okay so I'm a little late w/ this 7 month update-I plead December! To start, I frequently turn to the "Babywise mom" blog for helpful hints and references for this or that. I especially find her "baby summary's" by week tab helpful, so here goes Evan's 7 month update in the same manner. I am really loving this age!

Nursing
Over the past month we shifted to a 4 hour schedule and he is now down to nursing 4x/day. Thankfully, the transition was smooth as butter so I know he was good and ready. After much deliberation, I decided to drop the dream feed cold turkey and it went surprisingly well. The next night was a repeat success, and so on...praise God!

Solids and finger foods
Evan is now eating stage 1 & 2 solids for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and enjoying his share of Gerber "puffs" for snacks throughout the day. He isn't into self feeding as much yet as he still has the fist thing going on and hasn't yet found his pincer skills-but with his appetite and determination, I'm sure it's just around the corner! We also started his sippy cup(water) at 6 months, and have almost got that down save the head tilting part. He also likes to play with his food, often putting his fingers in his mouth, sucking down every last drop that fell on his bib, and banging his sippy cup like a drum. Mealtime manners-it's a work in progress!

Sleeping & naps
Nothing too new here, he still sleeps like a dream through the night and takes his naps by the clock. He is still taking that third nap, and we've been yo yo-ing between taking/dropping it these past few weeks. I think I've finally decided to let go and give it another week or two since he obviously still needs it, and then get to work phasing it out as our schedule permits.

Eczema
At around 3-4 months it became apparent that Evan's skin was getting increasingly irritated, dry and red. Like father like son, Evan has classic childhood eczema. While it's fairly common(occurring in 1 in 5 infants), the odds are all but multiplied when genetic. It ebbs and flows with the weather and what I suspect to be food allergies of some kind-fall was wonderful but this cold, dry wintery season is no fun!
Because there is no real cure, all we can do is moisturize, moisturize and moisturize, and treat symptoms as they arise. We are currently treating his flares w/ hydro cortisone, but all that really does is mask the physical symptoms(aka redness) so the best thing I've found is to be diligently pro-active and avoid the known triggers. What this means to our daily living is being careful w/ his clothing(cotton) and diapers, using "free" detergents, and being selective with our soaps and bathing routines. We use a humidifier in his room to keep moisture in the air, and also lotion him up at least 2x a day using Aquaphor or Eucerin cream. I'm praying this is something that he will grow out of with age, but if not, that's okay-there are much worse things out there than dry skin and I'm so thankful for my healthy boy! Babywise mom also has a great post on eczema-check it out here for more information.

Milestones
Crawling? Almost but not yet. Currently, his favorite mode de transoportaion is rolling.

The other thing that stands out to me from last month is his new vocabulary. He is a chatterbox when he wakes up in the morning! It started w/ the "Baaa's" and then the "Dadadadaaas" and recently, Maaaamaamaama." I'm not sure he's quite connecting the words w/ their meanings yet, but I can dream! On a related note, he's also become increasingly attentive to his "baby Einstein" dvds and favorite books; it's so fun to see the little wheels turning behind his eyes as he continues to learn new things everyday.

Finally, our schedule:
7am-Wake up, nurse
7:30-Breakfast, usually rice cereal w/ Apple, then playtime
9am-Nap
10:30-Wake up, nurse, playtime and errands
12:00-Lunch, usually a veggie
1pm-Nap
2:45-Wake up, nurse, playtime
5:30ish-Family dinner(veggie + fruit)
6-6:45-Short nap, then nurse, playtime
7:30-Pj's, story, bedtime

Weekend Countdown

2010-12-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

This first weekend of December was one to remember. Here are my top five favorite highlights, in very particular order. ;-)

5. Sweet, buttery movie theater popcorn
4. A delicous lunch in Goldsboro at Ruby Tuesday's to celebrate our December birthdays
3. Our first North Carolina snow and during the Wilson Christmas parade no less!
2. Getting my Christmas cards in the mail
and...drumroll please...

1. The engagement of my sister to her longtime beau Ryan. We are so excited for them and I still can't believe my little sister is getting married. Welcome to the family Uncle Ryan, and great job picking out the ring!! :-)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Entering his Courts

2010-11-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

We are truly blessed beyond measure. With every Thanksgiving I'm newly reminded of just how much I have to be grateful for. This year especially, I'm thankful for this little turkey-I could gobble him right up(and I do)!

I'm grateful for so many things-to name them all would be impossible to do, so I'll name just a few...

Thankful to the giver of all good gifts, for grace freely given

Thankful for my handsome husband, my indelibly sweet son and forever family

Thankful for my feathered nest

For freedom

and fall, thankful to the changer of seasons, the artist of life

Thankful for Christmas music and gingerbread cookies, yankee candles

and sugary buttercream

Thankful good books to read and stories to share

for brightly colored winter hats, and a new frost slowly dancing in the air

Oh the joys there!

"Come into His gates with thanksgiving. Enter his courts with praise." -Psalm 100:4

There is a mouse in my house...

2010-11-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

and his name's not Mickey! I went to put away some of Evan's snacks tonight in the pantry when I caught em' red handed...it still gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it! There is a mouse in my house-and no amount of ryhming can make this mouse-catastrophe cute! After promptly slamming the pantry door and jumping back a few feet with a scream, both my husband and mother in law came to the rescue. Of all the things I had in mind for Saturday night, mouse hunting was not at the top of the list.

Taken from my safe perch atop the counters...

Armed with a flashlight, a shoebox(and temporarily a kitchen knife), Chris started to slowly move things around in the pantry-nothing. Then, as he lowered himself to the floor and pointed the flashlight upwards-what would you know there was a not so little tail just dangling there between our pantry racks. In between our spices if you really want to know. Quickly the little mouse scurried away, down the shelves, across the kitchen floor and in the blink of an eye, he ran for safety under the stove. Rats!

After taking the bottom shelf out of the stove, thoroughly examining the surrounding cabinets and finally pulling the stove away from the wall-nothing! For now, he's narrowly escaped. Back to the pantry, we had to totally clean it out, and trash a good amount of groceries that we discovered had little holes in them or that we suspected he had been on...gross!!! Again, heebie jeebies from my fingertips to my toes. So what are we left with after the unsuccessful mouse hunt? A mess of a kitchen, trash bags of wasted food, a sink full of things to sanitize and.....
one mousetrap.

Adventures in baby food

2010-11-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

Evan is a joy of an eater-not picky in the least can you imagine? At least, not yet! He seems to like almost everything we give to him, and even if he makes a face(ie-peas), he still gobbles down every last spoon full. Thank you Lord, for not giving this child my tastebuds!

Making my own baby food was something I really wanted to do for a long time. But let's face it-it's a lot of extra work! Plus, there are perfectly healthy, natural and nutritious baby food options of the jarred variety. That being said, while I'm still working we have adopted a blended diet of homemade and store bought food. It's been a fun adventure learning to make baby food, getting to know my vegetables as well as my food processor. It's a little intimidating at first, but really very simple once you get the jist. I also discovered that while generally it's much more cost effective to make your own baby food, some things can be more expensive to make at home-like apples. And with all the extra labor, well, Earth's Best wins that war!

Evan's favorite food by far is sweet potatoes. Lucky for me, this is an easy one to buy and make at home, and with a wonderful Fall scent to boot! So far we've made sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin and carrots. I don't have a pro-steamer just yet, so as far as most of my prep goes I've mostly stuck to baking.The very first thing I made was a winter squash, and I was so excited I just had to document the process!

First, one butternut squash, found at Target on sale for .99c/pound. Hello Mr. Squash, you look mighty yummy today!

Like most fruits and veggies that are headed to the oven, I didn't worry about skinning. I simply cut into four peices and faced meat side down in about an inch or two of water. Because this was a squash, and the squash belongs in the pumpkin family, I did need to scoop out the insides and seeds first.

Into the oven it went at 400 degrees for about 45 min-1hr until soft. Once they past the "fork test," I let them cool and scooped scooped the good stuff directly into the food processor with a pinch of water. Fire it up, pulse, pulse and baby food here we come!

I was surprised to see how much food one squash made, and was able to freeze a bunch for later. I had been recycling the baby food jars to store it in but just recently bought an ice cube tray, which was doubly worth my one dollar and forty cents! In addition to being perfectly portioned, the ice tray is really nice to use because once you let the food sit and freeze over night, you can simply pop em' out the next morning into a big, marked zip lock bag.

And voile, dinner is served-with a side of trial error, a pinch of patience and small sprinkling of cinnamon! :-)

Harris Teeter Super Doubling Nov. 3-9th!

2010-11-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

It's time to grab those coupons and go! In the circus of moving, I haven't yet had time to organize and hit up this sale, but am super excited to go grocery shopping this week(especially now that Harris Teeter is in my backyard!). If you hadn't noticed by now, I think it's safe to come out of the closet and say that I am a couponer! Call me frugal if you will, but I am so proud to cut coupons and make the best of our family's resources. Saving money and finding great deals on groceries takes time, organization, and prudent meal planning. The rewards? Priceless! Happy budget, healthy tummy...and, it's fun to boot. Call me a nerd, but I really look forward to cutting and organizing coupons from the Sunday newspaper. Life on the wild side...haha!

While the following is no secret by any stretch, come in close and listen to my two favorite couponing resources. Ready? First is the "Southern Savers" website and secondly, WRAL's "Smart Shopper" blog by Faye Prosser. If you can snatch a few extra minutes in the day, they would be very well spent taking a look at those sites!

Here are a few tips from Faye on this weeks Harris Teeter's super double coupons:

Store Policy Reminder:
*HT will Super Double coupons worth up to $1.98 face value. A $1.50 coupon will double to $3.00. A $1.00 coupon will double to $2.00. A $2.00 coupon will not double at all and will only be taken at face value ($2.00).

*HT will super double/double up to 20 coupons per day. Period. End of story. Spouse's cards registered with the same address are linked because the policy is 20 per household, per day.

* HT policy is to double up to 3 identical coupons (as long as you buy the product required for each coupon, of course). So, if you have five $1.00 coupons for a product, the policy is to only super double the first three.

* Rainchecks can be written for a limit of three unless otherwise stated in the ad. Make sure you get rainchecks for items out of stock and use the rainchecks at the next promotion since they don't expire!

*BOGO's pro-rated.

Be on the lookout for...

Dairy & Frozen:
Coffee-mate Original, 32 oz $2.85 - $1.50 printable = FREE

Buitoni Linguini and Angel Hair pasta on sale for $1.50 - $1 printable coupon = FREE

Country Crock margarine 15 oz tub BOGO through 11/9 - .40 printable

Dannon Activia yogurt, 4 pack $2.50 - $1 coupon from 10/10 (expires 11/7) = .50

Green Giant Frozen Boxed Veggies will be on sale $1 each - .60/3 coupon from 10/3 = .60 each

Nestle refrigerated ready to bake cookies on sale for $3 through 12/28 - $1 printable coupon = $1.00

Grocery
Mentos Gum $1.50 - $1 coupon from 10/3 = FREE

Bush’s grillin beans $1.99 - $1 coupon from 10/3 = FREE

Kikkoman soy sauce $2.00 - $1 printable = FREE (if sale continues)

Muellers pasta, 8 oz macaroni .79 - $1/2 printable = FREE

Martha White Muffin Mix BOGO for .57 each - .55/2 from 8/8 = .02 each

Chef Boyardee canned pasta $1 through 4/5 - .75/2 coupon from 10/3 = .25 each

Campbells condensed cooking soups $1.28 (.80 if sale continues) - $1.50/3 printable coupon = .28 each if not on sale, free if sale continues

Quaker Instant Oatmeal in boxes $3.39 through 12/28 - $1 coupon from 9/12 = $1.39

Non-Food:
Reach Floss $1.65 - $1 coupon from 5/16, 10/10 = FREE

Dial Basics soap, 3 pack .99 - .35 coupon from 10/10 = .29

Colgate Total $2.50 through 11/9 - $1 coupon from 10/31 = .50

Pert Plus $2.99 - $1 coupon from 10/17 = .99

Pampers/Huggies diapers pack $8.99 - $1.50 coupon = 5.99

Thank you for being so generous Harris Teeter!

Moving...moving...and moved!

2010-11-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a busy few days, but we are finally moved to Wilson! Of course we still have lots to do-boxes to unpack, a refrigerator to fill, carpets to febreez and all that jazz-but, we are happy to moved and in our new rental house. This weekend will be full of cleaning back and forth and tying up our loose ends in Raleigh-but I plan on taking lots of pictures soon! A big thank you to all who generously gave of their time and hands to help us move. :-)

Welcome home Scott family!

6 Months Old!

2010-10-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

"Who me?"

Mama is so silly, can you believe all the pictures she takes of me? Sheesh! Anyways, she let me steal the blog for a minute to let you know what I'm up to these days. Pretty much just baby stuff. You know, putting anything and everything in my mouth(that pumpkin was yummo!), drueling all day long, making funny noises(especially when we go out to eat!), lookin' like a handsome little man and sitting up like a big boy. :-)

Curious is my name and explorin's my game-I'm keeping mommy on her toes these days! The Backyardigans is still my favorite cartoon and I love to wiggle and dance w/ Pablo the penguin. I like taking walks outside in my stroller, am really ticklish, and my favorite toys right now are balls. Mommy tries to read lots of books to me, but they look so good I just can't resist trying to eat them all! On the other chubby little hand, I do not like puppy kisses, peas, and-ahem- falling off the bed (shhh...don't tell mommy I said that).

Most of all I love making mommy and daddy smile and laugh. They always tell me how thankful to God they are for me, and how much they love me, which makes me a pretty happy kiddo. :-)

Okay, well I better get to cruisin-I've got people to see, things to do, sweet potatoes to eat....see you soon!

Love,
Evan

Bring on the boxes

2010-10-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Wer'e MOVING!!! Sound the bells, hooray hooray! After living in Wake Forest and Raleigh for the past 3 years, we are finally ready to start our lives in Wilson. We recently found a renter for our home who will be moving in mid November-which means, that's right...we gotta be outta here sooner than soon! After a busy few days raking the rental market in Wilson, God provided the perfect home at the perfect time. Just this afternoon we got the final application approval and green light from our credit checks. The deposit is in and we are on our way! As of this moment, it looks like we will be moving in ONE short week from now! And to think I doubted...God is so good to us, always faithful and never failing!

I am so excited about our new HOUSE in Wilson-no more townhome living around here! After our exhausting search this past Sunday, I had begun to think maybe we might have to settle on a home because of our rush and not be 100% happy about it-after all it would only be temporary. I was confronted head on with my vanity and pride as I caught myself cringe at dated bathrooms, an oven from the year 1812, and your great grandmother's wallpaper galore. At one point we were looking at a home that was pretty old and seriously dated-and even it was out of our monthly price range! "Oh boy," I thought to myself with a heavy sigh. Of course, as I stoped to remind my soul, we could and would be happy wherever God would have us-we are already blessed beyond measure!

But as only the Lord would work out, it turned out that a house that we really liked, which was previously taken off the market, suddenly became available the following day! As I had been in close contact with the Realtor, we were the first in line and put in our application right away! And the rest is history. It's a beautiful home in a great location-and best of all, right in our price range. Chris and I are so excited about moving to Wilson to be closer to our church family, and couldn't be happier with our new home. Hopefully this time next year we'll be able to sell our town home in Raleigh and buy in Wilson, but in the meantime we could not be happier with our rental house. Can I get an Amen?!

Between becoming landlords on our end and getting everything lined up as renters, juggling work, baby and moving-I think it's safe to say we've got a lot on our plate! Something tells me this week is going to be a circus...bring on the boxes! :-)

Little Gym Halloween Party

2010-10-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we shared some much needed fun at "The Little Gym's" Halloween party. I'm so thankful for our special mommy and me time in Evan's "Bugs" class at the Little Gym, and was super excited to show off my most adorable little monster. The party was a barrel of cuteness- here, there and everywhere. Sweet chubby children + colorful costumes, crenylin, wings, fins and more=cotton candy cute!

Have you every seen a more precious little Monster? I didn't think so...

Parachute time!

And that's not the end of this monster's ball! Stay tuned for more treats to come...

Resting in Peace

2010-10-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening, Chris' dad won his battle with MS and was made whole again in heaven.

Four Generations-taken about 2 months ago

Though we are sad and miss him more in these very new days, we are overwhelmingly thankful that he is no longer struggling so. Through this difficult time we are rejoicing in the faithfulness, nearness and peace found in Christ alone, and cherishing anew our time together.

Victor Irvin Scott

October 17, 1961-October 22nd, 2010

A picture tradition

2010-10-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

The first year Chris and I went to the fair together, we were just babies, knee deep in the college and playing the dating game. See, I even curled my hair. :-) We went with my awesome friend Amy, and she took this cute picture of us just outside of the hush puppy corn mill. Little did we know then that this special spot would become our fair photo tradition for years to come.

The next year at the fair we were were engaged(ie-straight hair). As we walked through the hush puppy house I immediately remembered the picture we took that year before. "We have to get another one," I whispered as we made our way through the crowded line.

Year three at the fair, the first as a married couple. Yep, it's official-three times in a row makes it a tradition.

The fourth year, last year in fact, I was 4 months pregnant and just starting to show. It's too bad we didn't get the belly shot! I remember it being much warmer last year and wondering were fall and my hoodies had gone to.

And this year, 2010, we welcomed a new little person into our family photo tradition.

Each year we've walked the colorful landscape of the fair with new groups of people-the freshly dating, the engaged couple, the (insert myriad of witty adjectives here) newlyweds. Last year Chris was the guy with the slow, pregnant and *possibly whiny* wife, and now we have officially joined the "we packed too much for the stroller to carry, where's the camera, baby in tow, we're losing shoes" club-and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Looking back at this time capsule of memories and photographs makes me excited to imagine what our family pictures will look like in the years to come. :-)

It's that time again...

2010-10-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

Time for the NC State Fair that is!

Colorful crowds and merry-go-rounds,

surrender me sweet Kettle corn pop corn

something deep fried and decadently fatty,

high flying Ferris wheels(next year for sure!),

picture traditions plus one,

and pigging out in general

is what the fair's all about!

Picture of the week

2010-10-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Cookies, Crayon rolls and Couponing

2010-10-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Boy did I get some creative juices flowing this weekend! After going to the Creative Hearts craft fair at Open Door church, I was newly inspired to break out my dear, dusty sewing machine. I had the perfect project in mind for a sweet little girl's 6th birthday-a "crayon roll." :-) Both fun and functional-and not to mention outrageously adorable-the crayon roll was a great sewing project for me and one I will definitely do again. Talk about an exercise in sewing straight lines! I used the instructions found here: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2007/04/25/on-a-roll/

The finished product:

On a side note, I can't say enough how much I love Joann Fabrics! I could spend forever getting lost in their colorful aisles, but since I had the baby and hubby in tow, we made it out without a major hit to the clock and check card, haha. Thank goodness Joann neighbors one of our favorite Raleigh restaurants-it's wonderful husband bait!

On Saturday I attended a Smart Shopper Couponing class courtesy of WRAL studios here in Raleigh, and let's just say my head is still spinning. The workshop was incredibly helpful and I'm SO excited to use these techniques in our household. Plus, the speaker was really entertaining and held my attention the entire time, never missing a quick witted beat and keeping my pen at a steady pace with oogles of budget saving tips and tricks. This is another post entirely, and I will hopefully get to posting it soon with the fruits of my clipping-watch out Lowes Food, I am armed, organized and ready to do some damage!

Unfortunately, my culinary endeavors were less successful(though I did find a super deal on flour). For the past two weeks I've been dreaming of beautiful fall sugar cookies. But not just any sugar cookies-I was exicted to explore the world of royal and glace icing to pair with my sweet treats. You know the kind-the kind of icing that's shiny and stays perfectly put on top of the cookie, that makes your cookie creations look like patterned peices of stain glass art and are stackable to boot. Sort of like this:

Well, let's just say that my first time around the block with this new recipe was, well, a disaster. If you've ever seen Nickelodeons "goo," you can imagine the messy splatter that painted my cookies, wax paper, spoons, bowel and counter tops. Neat it was not. Even the color was less than best...my pumpkin orange turned into sort of a melon/salmon color, which is to say it looked sort of pukey. :-/

Looking at my true trial and error of a batch, I knew without a doubt that these cookies would not be going to work with my husband the next day as planned haha! O well...at least design aside, the cookies did TASTE pretty amazing. And the learning experience really is a necessary one-after realizing my mistakes made, I'm almost positive I can make it much neater next time. Practice does make better, and I'm excited to whip out this recipe again with much more success come Christmas time.

As you can imagine, all of this craftyness is sure to leave a trail. I'm off now to vacum stray threads, wash cookie sheets and clean counters!

Dear Sock Monster

2010-10-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

I used to think you were a myth, that you belonged in fairy tale land with the big bad wolf, narnia and cake batter ice cream(oh wait, pinch me that's real!). I even used to think that you were a made up...whisper... "excuse" for people like me who often loose their laundry. But no more. I've bent over in the washing machine, tirelessly inspected the dryer and walked and re-walked my path to the folded clothes. I can almost imagine you chuckling to yourslef as I needlessly unfold and beat out my neatly stacked shirts looking for my lost little baby socks.

I know you have the socks-I want them back. Why oh why must you prey on sweet, tiny baby socks? Perhaps an old, single, holey sock-or some good ole' dryer lint instead? It's no fun having cold feet, and mismatching simply will not do.

Come on, let's make a deal. I surrender, throw up my hands and admit...It''s true, the elusive sock monster is alive and well!

...and he lives in my house. Monster hunt anyone?

F-A-L-L

2010-10-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

F is for crisp falling leaves off golden trees.

A is for sweet apple pie.

L is for late afternoon walks in the cool, fresh air

and

L is for little boy's first fall!

Oh Evan, I can't wait to introduce you to all the joys of this new season. Fall is for fairs, candy corn, pumpkin patches and more. Corduroy and jean jackets, Autumn leaves, colorful trees, and turkey feathers are knocking at our door. Welcome fall!

Surf City Sink or Swim!

2010-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome time vacationing with family at Topsail Island this week! Unfortunately, the sun decided to take a few days off with us! While it was wet and rainy for the majority of our stay, we did manage to squeeze in a few fun moments in the sun-there's nothing quite like the beach for a few relaxing days off! See...

The blustery weather kept us indoors a lot, but we sure did enjoy our beautiful ocean front beach house! Puzzles, Wii dancing and good food and great views kept us entertained in the rain. Chris was with us for just a few days, but was excited to squeeze in some skim boarding and colorful kite flying! Hopefully we can do this again next year and get more use out of our sunscreen-in any case, a very smiley Evan and I enjoyed spending some quality time with family-grands and great grands too. :-)

A big thank you to mom and dad for a wonderful time at the beach!