Conversations

His expressions say it all.....

 That's weird

*sigh* this wears me out

Hey! What's over there?

Well, that's just silly!

OMG, no way!

WOAH there!  Way too close

Now that was funny

Rarrrrrrr

Gasp!

I can see you....

...but you can't see me.

I will get you octopus. I will get you.

Tuesday Treats

I thought I would share some of my favorite treats with you today since it's TUESDAY!  And you should know what that means..... Glee is on tonight!  Hooray for Tuesday!  Because we consider this such a special day, we usually like to watch the show with our favorite treat by our side.  Here are a few suggestions for you to try if you haven't already.

These are tried and true favorites of mine since the 6th grade.  

Some things never change.  

If you haven't tried these yet- you are missing out. Salty sweet yumminess and less calories than the originals!

Or how about this one?  It has everything

 a candy bar should.

These two are my favorite Ben and Jerry's flavors.... right now :)

And finally, this little guy.  

You cannot go wrong with a handful or two or three of pear Jelly Belly's.  So grab a treat and enjoy tonight's show... it promises to be a good one!!

Oh yes I did.

Oh yes I did make this awesome chicken pot pie-  from scratch 

Oh- yes- I- did.

I tried out this recipe from my last post and I will tell you that it turned out scrum-diddley-umptious.  Even though it is still brutally hot here in T-town I did not let that deter me from making a fabulous fall meal.  In fact, this pot pie got me in such fall frenzy I decided to bust out my fall decor.  Ok we are officially ready for the fall weather....  My front porch says so.  As soon as the thermometer pipes down a touch I will be purchasing some pumpkins as well.  Last year I bought some around this time and they rotted in like 3 days from being BAKED by the sun.  Having runny, smelly, remnants of pumpkins on your front porch does not say "WELCOME!".  Lesson learned :)

Fall is here... for real?

Just so you know, it is a sweltering 98 degrees here in Bama.  So although the calendar may read fall the weather says, "I don't think so".  I was reading one of my favorite cooking blogs today and she has a whole post dedicated to fall foods.  I don't know anyone who doesn't love true fall-weather, but thinking about putting a sweater on with this blazing heat makes me want to puke.  Sad really, because I do love covering up in such cozy clothing.  Anyway, although Bama's weather is not cooperating with the calendar I am hopeful that it soon will.....  because this blog's treats are just too good to ignore!

Happy Fall.... soon I hope!

pic courtesy of Annie's Eats

Decorating Dreams...

One thing I absoluetly love to do is decorate.  It's so fun to dream up a room and see it come to life in your own home. When we built our home a couple of years ago I was slightly overwhelmed but mostly completely thrilled to be picking out flooring, backsplash, paint colors, furniture and all the other things that go along with putting a house together.  Anyway, I have been done decorating for quite some time now and I am getting the itch to change some things up.  Here are a few things that I would LOVE to do in my home someday.  Maybe sooner than later if I can find the knock-offs!

One can dream....  What are some things you love to decorate with?

Dear Luke, 3 months

Dear Luker,

Let's just start off this letter by saying I do not want to accept that you are 3 months old already.  It's no lie when everyone tells you this time goes by fast.  You have grown so much in these 3 months! You went from 6.9 lbs at birth to now almost 12.5 lbs!  Your chunky thighs and kissable chubby cheeks are one of my favorite things about you.  Yesterday I went through your dresser and pulled out all the infant clothes that no longer fit you.  I looked at each little onesie and sleeper outfit and could not believe those were once too big for you.  You are no longer an "infant" you graduated to "baby".

(Luke at 1 week old)

I do believe you are the most adorable 3-month-old baby ever! Of course that is a completely unbiased statement.  You have learned a lot of new tricks this past month. You can laugh, coo, smile, and sometimes entertain yourself for like- 15 whole minutes!  We found this out when placing you in your crib and turning on your mobile- it's so cute how you stare at it with such wonder.  Ceiling fans are also one of your favorite things to stare at.  You have learned to suck on your hands to help sooth yourself which leads me to believe you will be a thumb sucker. You grab at your feet, but haven't quite mastered getting a hold of them yet.  You can bat at your toys and at times grab hold of them.   Something else new that started this month is drooling and blowing bubbles- you do this a lot!  Which makes for many out-fit changes during the day.  It's so fun to watch you do all of these things because that lets us know you are developing!

You are on a 4 hour eating schedule now which frees us up to explore lots more places.  You have been to Atlanta and Nashville this last month and earned an A+ in car riding.  I really feel like I am starting to get the hang of this mommy thing- which is a relief!  We can do all kinds of fun things together now like; take morning walks (when it's not 100 degrees outside), housework in the Baby Bjorn (now you can face forward in it), trips to the store and church.  You love being outside and we can see your little brain working as you take in all the new sights, sounds, and smells.  You are unbelievably strong as evidence by you standing up completely on your own with-out any support from us except to help you balance.  You also show us your strength by how long you can hold your head up.  It's adorable when you do this because we can really see the shape of your sweet cheeks.  Another exciting milestone has been your sleeping patterns.  Sometimes you get up 1-2 times during the night and sometimes you'll sleep straight through *smile*. You are even beginning to show us some personality.  We have seen you mad, content, scared, happy, determined, and just plain sweet.

I love how you grip my arm or shirt so tightly when I pick you up and how you always find the nook of my neck when you are tired.  I love it when you hear your daddy's voice and turn your head from side to side to try and find him.   I love the noises you make when you are falling asleep and when you are eating.  As you can see Luke, you are a complete joy to us and give us some great entertainment!

You are an incredible gift from the Lord and you know what?  You are His.  He entrusted us to parent you but, you are His.  I will keep reminding myself and you of this when you are old enough to understand.  It is so reassuring and freeing to know that truth Luke.  My prayer for you is that you would come to know God's great love for you at an early age, that you would desire to walk closely with Him, and that you would be able to experience the full-life that Jesus offers.  You are my precious gift Luke and I am always yours.

Hugs and kisses,
Mama

Luke {1-3 months video}

Luke 1-3 months...

The last Monday

Yesterday was the last Monday I will be home with Luker as I am finally going back to work.  I cannot believe it has been 3 months already.  To be honest, my body is still recovering from said child and his entrance into this world.  But I did work out today which was a major accomplishment for this mommy. Also in case you were wondering, I am only working 2 days a week- Mondays and Fridays.  I actually have the perfect set up for this despite the fact that I can never take a long weekend again.  We are beyond blessed to have an awesome nanny one day and my wonderful husband the other day take care of Luke.  Now all I have to do is prepare myself for the actual day I leave for work.  I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry....

I might cry but, as long as I stop before I get to work it will be ok.  It will be OK!....... ?

I LOVE MY BATH TIME

Luke in his robe.... Oh I melt!

Labor Day Weekend

What a fabulous Holiday weekend!  Mine started on Thursday when I got to pick up one of my best friends from the Birmingham airport- Allison Boone, lovingly referred to as Boone.  She was a college roomy, volleyball team-mate, and maid of honor at my wedding.  We had a wonderful time catching up on the ride home to Tuscaloosa while Luke, that perfect little buddy, slept peacefully in the back :).  We stopped for some sustenance at one of my favorite lunch spots in Tuscaloosa, Pita Pit- - it did not disappoint.

Friday morning we packed up and headed to Atlanta to visit my newly married sister Joy and her hubby Scott.  They live in an adorable apartment near the school Scott attends.  We played games and ate yummy fajitas my sweet sister prepared!  My other sister Katie and her husband Tim met up with us later that night too!  The next morning we all headed over to Piedmont Park where we met up with my cousin Laura and her husband Steve and some of our great friends Jeff and Andre and their sweet baby Jada.

If you are ever in the Atlanta area on a Saturday I highly recommend this beautiful park.  It had a super cute farmers market with live music and plenty of room to run.  I managed to scarf down an awesome bannana, strawberry, dolce de leche, and creme, crape- it was as amazing as it sounds.  We also picked up some delic homemade mango-peach salsa that is yumm-O! We will definitely be making a return visit to that spot.  Then we headed over to Atlantic Station to do some much needed shopping while the boys and Boone :) headed over to a sports bar to watch Michigan clinch the WIN over Uconn.  We finished the evening at another one of my favorite restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen and then finally headed home.

Sunday we had a catch up day where we went to church, lounged around, played a little b-ball, watched movies, and made a delicious vegetarian meal for Boone.  Monday we headed over to our great friends the Sandras' and enjoyed a lovely Labor Day meal complete with fried chicken (not for Boone :).

Sadly Allison had to go back home that night so we dropped her off at the airport.  It's always hard parting with such great friends and I already can't wait for our next get together.  After the bitter-sweet goodbye we headed back to T-town to join another party with the TCAT staff.  And... most definitely worth mentioning was the perfect I mean perfect weather!  Top 5 Labor Day weekends of all time.  Weekends like this remind me of how blessed we are.

I hope your Holiday weekend was as lovely as mine.

Dad's birthday onesie... made with love by me :)